Clash in the Snow Country: Legacy Version
Chapter 29 – Prelude to a Showdown
(Author's Note) Chapter is considerably later than I thought. I blame Mass Effect 3. SUCKY ending, but the rest of the game is pure awesomeness and I couldn't stop playing it and write my chapter.
Heck, I wanted to go back and redo all THREE games and mix it up. But I managed to avoid the temptation and finish my chapter.
… for now ^_^
Rainbow Glacier
8:54 pm.
The snow and ice that had been the most prominent feature of the country was melting away. It seemed as if the country itself was starting to wake up from a LONG sleep. Already the smell of the newly-formed streams of rushing water filled around them. Specks of green, a color so foreign many of the country's inhabitants never even heard of it, were beginning to show signs of growth and rebirth.
Even with the coming night, there was a sense of warmth from the sky. Like the heavens themselves were blessing the land to vanquish the cold and everything associated with it. It was like looking at a perfect stained-glass window that covered the entire sky. Every star seemed to glow with pure radiance as eyes all over the country looked around them. People, regardless of classification, association or profession, were all completely caught up in the moment. Despite Yukigakure still having their constant snowstorm that surrounded the village as their first line of protection, the inhabitants felt incredibly lighthearted with little need to wear such heavy clothes to protect from the weather. Even Doto's most unyielding supporters at Black Fang Castle were completely taken in by the sight and appeared to lose the will to fight as scarred Jonin began rallying both sides.
And naturally there was one stick in the mud about all this. Where others saw hope, he saw despair. Where his country was abound with life, he was seething in rage. Where his troops were ready to stand down, he was ready to blow like a supervolcano worthy of the Fourth Raikage at the idiot that dared come before him.
Kiou.
Doto snarled, not even trying to keep up his usual pretense. "And what do you want, peon?"
Briefly, Doto let his thoughts fall back on this pathetic-looking Snow Ninja before him. He was the very image of a kiss-up to higher authority. He was part of Alpha Team along with that headstrong Ikusa and ambitionless Kiganai. A shinobi who saw no need for taijutsu and used ninjutsu exclusively.
The only part about this peon he approved of. "Well, spit it out," Doto snapped harshly.
"It's about the infighting at Black Fang Castle, Doto-sama." The young man started looking a bit uneasy. Koyuki's eyes settled upon the Yuki-nin, mentally seeing a parallel between this man and an actor displaying a case of stage fright during their first run at a live performance. Incredibly nervous at the prospect of doing something they had longed for.
"Your loyalists and the rebels' fighting has come to a complete standstill. There's a considerable level of damage to your splendid castle. There's also the fact that both sides are being rallied by…"
Doto cut him off. "Then stop standing there, go relay my orders and crush the traitors into the dust! Bring in all of Yukigakure if you have to! Do I have think of everything myself?"
"About… that…" Koyuki saw the Snow ninja's stance shift. If he had been nervous before, he was borderline terrified now.
"Is that… really… necessary?" Kiou managed to get out.
The current surroundings suddenly felt ice cold again due to the look of absolute loathing Koyuki's uncle was shooting at the man. "What... did you say?" Doto asked in a slow voice.
"It's just… well…" Kiou stuttered, clearly torn between losing his nerve entirely and trying to stand his ground. It was one of the most awkward experiences Koyuki had seen. Perhaps because she came from the movies where the professionals had already gotten… well… professional.
The Daimyo walked towards the man, each stepped seemed in perfect rhythm with the man's heartbeat. "Are you one of those rebels now, little suck-up?"
"What? NO! It's just…" Kiou trailed off as Doto came right up to him. The big man shoved a finger right in Kiou's face.
"Just. What?" Doto repeated, emphasizing each word deliberately.
Kiou was silent as several memories flashed in his mind.
Kiou shook his head. "No. Just static. Might be local interference, or just technical difficulties. Not that we need them. We can take on three Genin ourselves. We are Chunin, after all."
"Don't underestimate them," Kiganai warned. "Remember what the report said: those three went head to head with the San Eihei and held their own." He gave Kiou a stern look. "That's more than you can boast."
The other young man waved him off impatiently. "I still say it was pure luck and due to the Copy Nin's effects. If he was here, then we would have something to worry about." His face brightened up as he said "You think if I offer their heads to Doto-sama, he'll let me join the Loyalists?"
With that, Sasuke jerked his hand forward, aiming at Kiou's exposed throat. The kunai cut his throat to the point where it hit the tree. Naruto, Sakura, Kiganai and Ikusa all looked on in disbelief, clearly shocked at what Sasuke had just done so casually.
Kiou was crying freely now. The kunai was jabbed into the tree, having only barely cut the right side of his neck.
With everyone waiting for an answer, Sasuke merely stood up and walked back to his teammates, not meeting anyone's gaze. "These three are so weak that it doesn't matter if they come again. We'll just beat them down easier the second time."
"FIRE!" Doto commanded and a wall of kunai was launched as Team 7 finished their seals.
Kage Bunshin Sasuke. "Katon: Karyuu Kyuuzou!"
Real Naruto. "Fuuton: Kaze Oshiyaru!"
Real Sasuke. "Raiton: Shuurai no Jutsu!"
Sakura. "Doton: Daichi Kobura no Jutsu!"
Kage Bunshin Naruto. "Suiton: Booruban Mizu Dangan no Jutsu!"
Fire. Wind. Lightning. Earth. Water. All the five primary elements fired forth from a member of Team 7. Alpha Team, Gamma Team and the movie crew all looked on with awe and wonder. Seeing such a thing, five elements all at once, was like seeing a thing of legend right in front of their eyes in a sheer display of power! No one, except upon witnessing a Biju unleashed perhaps, ever expected to see such a sight!
Kiganai shook his head. "Look… I'm not trying to convince anyone. You can argue yourselves to death whether to act or not. I'm not making any big speeches, just going by what I see: Three young adults have stood up to Doto, no plan, and are winning. Leaf Ninja doing what Snow Ninja should have done long ago. Decide for yourselves on what to do… and if you want to stop me, I'll see you on the battlefield."
Without another word, Kiganai took off towards the Castle.
Seconds passed, then Ikusa and Homare took off as well. The rest of them just stood dumbfounded, looking at each other, wanting someone to say anything on what they should be doing.
"Don't worry, Hottie!" Everyone turned to see Yashinka dramatically running in place. "Yashinka, the Self-Proclaimed Prince of Snow, shall come save you, Pink Princess!" With a flamboyant gesture, he broke off into a run following the trio from earlier. Hari, Sekimu, and Kakeru soon joined them.
Followed by every single one of them.
Kiou's earlier attitude. Their interrogation by these three kids. How Doto abandoned those that lost at the lakeside to the coming storm. His melancholic teammate leading those same shinobi. Composing himself, he looked at Snow's leader and spoke.
"I think it's… just time… maybe we… rethink our ways… just a little bit."
Doto's look of loathing, if possible, just became even worse. "So you're a rebel now, too?"
"No! I believe in Snow's destiny! I believe that you can lead us out of the gutters and to greatness! That you can make Snow the top of the world!" Kiou shouted immediately as he tensed up and took an involuntarily step back from the Daimyo. "It's just… we've taken some big losses… we've failed to deal with these three Leaf ninja… maybe it's time… to rethink some things…"
Doto cut him off with a gesture. "You're absolutely right."
Hope flood into the young man, and even Koyuki seemed a bit surprised.
"I've been FAR too soft!" Doto raged, throwing a fist in the air. "Forget petty concerns about the economy and productivity! Those that DON'T fight for me will be put into the factories and working overtime! They'll be paid with food, board, and ALLOWING THEM TO KEEP THEIR LIVES! We'll double our production of chakra armor, weapons and my vehicles of war! To hell with finances, we'll recycle and utilize whole towns and villages to get what we need, downsize living quarters to their maximum potential and use our future conquests to build even more! We will be ready on time and crush the Five Great Villages!"
Now, Kiou was by no means an expert on the economy. People sold stuff that was bought by other people. That's as far as he knew how it worked. Maybe there were smarter people than him that made sense of this and how it could work… but to Kiou, it just seemed like rambling nonsense to him that would just make Snow utterly collapse rather than putting it on top of the food chain. "Um… sir… that's not quite what I…"
Doto already held up a hand in Kiou's direction. "I've heard enough out of you."
The young man froze on the spot, realizing what was about to happen as the Daimyo ran through a series of one-handed seals. The gauntlet on his hand glowed in response. "Just die. Kuro Hyouton: Kokuryu Bofusetsu!"
Punching out forward, Doto unleashed a powerful black whirlwind-like dragon straight at the Chunin. It was only thanks to Kiou's habit of using the Kawarimi to fall back instead of creating the illusion of being hit that allowed him to escape Doto's attack. The black dragon turned through a rock that Kiou had used to replace himself, reducing it a pile of pebbles. The dragon continued on, striking the ground and burrowing through it with fierce resolve, leaving a large, twenty meter wide hole that was perfectly round, throwing the ground up like a geyser from the impact.
Doto put his hand down, his eyes scanning the immediate area. "Running?" he asked out loud as he walked forward looking for the man. "A wise decision, but it won't help you. I'm in a bad mood and…" He didn't finish as he heard a small explosion behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that a smokescreen had encompassed his niece. Once it disappeared, she was gone.
"Well played."
Behind one of the Rainbow Glaciers, Kiou panted like a mad man, sweat dripping down his face like he was in a sauna. At his side, Koyuki was on all fours, a result of being unceremoniously dropped to the ground.
"I remember you." Koyuki informed the man, getting up to her feet, as Kiou was trying to calm himself down. "You were part of that first attack on the convoy."
"That's right."
"So why did you help me? If you're thinking of trying to appease my uncle by turning me over, you're going about it wrong."
Kiou was silent, another memory taking place.
With that, Sasuke jerked his hand forward, aiming at Kiou's exposed throat. The kunai cut his throat to the point where it hit the tree. Naruto, Sakura, Kiganai and Ikusa all looked on in disbelief, clearly shocked at what Sasuke had just done so casually.
Kiou was crying freely now. The kunai was jabbed into the tree, having only barely cut the right side of his neck.
With everyone waiting for an answer, Sasuke merely stood up and walked back to his teammates, not meeting anyone's gaze. "These three are so weak that it doesn't matter if they come again. We'll just beat them down easier the second time."
The Chunin just breathed out to steady himself. It didn't work. "It just seemed like the right thing to do… Koyuki… hime."
Despite herself, the actress gave a small smile. "So what's your plan now?"
"My plan?" he asked with heavy sarcasm. "I think we just saw how effective my ideas are."
"It took guts to stand up to your leader and speak your mind about something radical like that," Koyuki said. The words were out of her mouth before she realized she had spoken them. Forcing down the image of a certain blond ninja, she carefully peeked around, seeing her uncle storm around the area looking for the duo.
"Off hand, I'd say running away sounds like a very good idea," Kiou answered after a moment. "Before he brings out the big moves."
Koyuki turned back to her would-be ally her face displaying completely disbelief. "That move was small?"
The man just gave a nod. "The Black Dragon Blizzard is just a C-class ninjutsu. Normally on par with the Uchiha's Grand Fireball."
The outcast princess's look of disbelief changed to one of skepticism. "I realize I know next to nothing about the ninja arts, but even I can tell that wasn't some common fireball."
Kiou finally turned to face the young woman. "That's why I said normally. He's…" He trailed off when he realized Doto had turned to face their hiding place, a look of sadistic glee on his face.
"FOUND YOU!" he shouted, unleashing another Black Dragon Blizzard towards them. Kiou ran through his seals and placed his hands on the ground, shooting up an ice wall. Doto's jutsu flew forward with the grace of a diving hawk and slammed into the lower right portion of the ice glacier they had been hiding behind, decimating half of its base and about a third of the glacier. Amazingly, it still managed to keep standing. The dragon stuck Kiou's ice wall next, blasting it apart like it was paper, but the combined two obstacles was enough to hamper its power. Even with that, the shockwave from the attack still propelled the two nearly ten meters away, landing hard on the now snow-less ground.
Lousy time for the snow to melt! Would have been a softer landing! Kiou thought miserably as he helped Koyuki up. "Now we run!"
"Run where?"
Both of them paled realizing the voice was coming from in front of them! They snapped around, but didn't see Doto there. That's when Kiou noticed a shadow on the ground, prompting him to look upward. Wings out again, the man was flying in mid-air with a satisfied grin on his face. "The new regime is about to begin, you two can't leave now. Stay… I insist!"
Fear shot up Kiou's spine like an electric jolt, almost paralyzing him with fear. "Hyouton: Tsurara Ishuu no Jutsu!" he shouted with the seals as icicles formed from the moisture of the air and ground and promptly propelled themselves at the man in the air. Doto's chakra shield burst to life as the icicles came close, reducing them to mere puddles in midair. As Doto held up his own arm to strike back, Kiou was already working through his next move.
"Fuuton: Reppushou!"
Winds burst life around Kiou and flew right at Doto again, sending those same aerial puddles flying forward and right into Doto's eyes. Doto gave a slight flinch as the liquid stung his eyes, causing him to shut them reflexively as he used his left hand to rub his eyelids. Purely amazed that his tactic worked, Kiou scooped up the Snow princess in his arms and began high-tailing it as fast as his legs would carry him.
-Flashback, 11 years ago-
Today was sparring practice outside for the Academy students, who commonly called the Academy the 'Ice Bucket' due to the constant coldness of their homeland and as a result of their lessons from their academy teachers. The weather on this day was bitter cold to where everyone would feel it to the recesses of their bones even while inside a building with the heat turned up.
So, a typical average day in the Snow Country.
"Alright, Kiou, Fukurou," the Academy instructor said as his eyes gazed at the clipboard in his hands, making notes from the previous match. "You're up next."
An eight year old Kiou just looked at them all with a visible scowl as he walked to the ring, already hearing the not so subtle whispers of the weakling having no chance in this fight. He could hear Ikusa and Hari snickering under their breaths as they made the obvious 'bet' on the fight that was coming. Just because he was dead last in taijutsu did NOT mean he was a pathetic shinobi! He was in the top ten, held back only by the mundane physical aspects!
Fukurou, a rather large boy who had actually been held back a year, gave him a nod as he looked Kiou directly in the eyes, not saying anything. He was actually more respectful and honest than the backwash the boy was hearing behind him.
Not that Kiou cared.
"Begin!" the instructor yelled with a chop-like motion to start the match.
Kiou's larger opponent immediately leapt forward, aiming a sharp right jab to Kiou's face, smacking him back… as he burst into a large ice sculpture.
Kiou could already hear the 'boos' and 'cheater' chants as he appeared behind his opponent thanks to the Kawarimi and fired a Tiger Missile right into Fukurou's back, knocking him out of the makeshift ring and flat on his face. That witch Ikusa chief among them.
The Academy instructor attempted to quell his students to no avail. Shaking his head in defeat, he turned his attention to the young student. "The point of this is taijutsu practice, Kiou. Not exploiting your ninjutsu prowess."
"Rule 14: A ninja is to utilize every aspect of his arsenal to surprise and defeat his opponent," Kiou uttered to the man's face with clear contempt. What was the point of limiting skills during any sort of practice match when they were drilled time and time again to do anything they could to win?
"You aren't a ninja yet," his instructor replied softly, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"I can't beat Fukurou in a straight-up punching brawl. I know it, he knows it," He pointed to the jeering crowd of peer teens. "They know it, and you know it."
"The opponent you need to beat," the man continued in the same soft tone. "Is not Fukurou."
After that, Kiou was punished by cleaning the entire classroom by himself for a week. It just burned him up! He was GOOD with ninjutsu! He could use techniques of people TWICE his age! Why bother with some stupid hand-to-hand combat when it just got your enemy close to you and gave them the chance to kill you?
-End of Flashback-
Doto's next Black Dragon Blizzard struck the ground next to Kiou, a deliberate misfire so the man could send the Chunin flying through the air like a helpless leaf in a fierce wind storm. The young man went tumbling through the air. Doto came flying at him, his right hand drawn back for a right punch, a punch supplemented by the Snow Armor technology that Kiou was fully aware of. It was this technology that could render even the legendary Gamabunta of Mount Myoboku unconscious.
Just like the standard Chunin attire, Doto also possessed the standard Chakra Gauntlets that stimulated a Cloud Shinobi's strength by nearly a factor of four. The Daimyo's version, however, did it FAR greater than a factor of four though…
Seeing this large fist come right at him, Kiou came to a very fast realization.
It didn't matter how good you were at ninjutsu if you lacked the physical capacity to carry out the basic principles. Movement. Placement. How quickly one could go through the hand seals for a technique. A few precious seconds could mean the difference between life and death.
In short, if Kiou had actually done his taijutsu training, he would have the physical skills needed to use ninjutsu in his vulnerable position right now.
As such, he was not able to run through the seals to activate a Kawarimi in time to avoid Doto's incoming Death Punch. All he could do was take the Chakra Pack off his back and throw it at the man.
Doto's incoming punch smashed through the piece of tech like wet tissue. The pieces erupted in a widespread yet still elegant dispersal as they flew in countless directions. It didn't slow Doto down in the least, but it did give Kiou just the time needed to stabilize himself and fire off another wind jutsu to propel himself back to the ground.
He ended up crashing harder than he would have liked. He was nearly positive he had sprained his right ankle from the crash and the air was completely knocked out of him. He'd probably fractured a rib or two on top of that. He let out of shriek of pain that echoed throughout the immediate area as he rolled across the ground a full ten meters before coming to a stop.
And despite it all, he was chuckling. "… ow… think that knocked a few screws loose… cause now I'm thinking even more clearly," he said, putting his right hand on the ground to push himself to his knees. "Even if taijutsu wasn't a necessity, if you suck at it, it's still a weakness you need to compensate for or your opponent will capitalize on it…"
How did he NOT realize all this during the Academy years and during his time on Team Alpha? Oh right… because he was being a stuck-up prick about it… man, this really did come back to bite you in the ass…
-Flashback, 8 years ago-
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!"
Kiou did his best to ignore his newly identified teammates. Of all the Academy students to pass the Genin Exams, why did SHE have to be on the same team? He'd gladly take anyone… ANYONE… else over this loudmouth hag.
"Why am I with this wussy paper bag?" Ikusa demanded again sitting on top of a desk and swinging her legs madly in irritation. The third member of their team, the ever-silent Kiganai, was casually leaning at an open window, just staring out into space. He was good at that, and Kiou had to wonder for the hundredth time what this kid did for fun. He never did anything, only participated when he was called out directly.
And he was still INFINITELY better than this whining upstart BITCH.
As usual, her 'paper bag' remark caused him to twitch violently and completely demolished any self control he had left. "That's what I should be asking! How the hell did YOU pass, you pathetic little loudmouth? Your tongue is the only weapon you have!"
Ikusa stuck her tongue out at him, then pulled the sides of her mouth apart to make a face. "How the hell did YOU pass, you pathetic little loudmouth?" she repeated, using his own words against him.
"WEAKLING!"
"COWARD!"
"JACKASS!"
"SISSY!"
Kiganai just gave a slight shake of his head as he continued staring out the window, knowing it was completely pointless to get involved. That's when he noticed the door opening, staring as blandly as before. "He's here."
Kiou and Ikusa shut up immediately for different reasons. Ikusa because she was visibly intimidated by just who entered, her pupils dilating, breathing slowly. She acted like she was caught in a vice, having her very life squeezed out of her with a bone crushing pinch.
Entering was the MAN himself. Followed by a number of aids, his personal San Eihei and of course, their Academy instructor.
The Daimyo of the Snow Country and Yondaime Kagirinai Kachuu himself, Kazahana Doto.
Kiou couldn't help but stare. While the brat stared out of fright, he stared from admiration. This was the man! There was no other way to describe him! The most powerful figure in Snow! Who personally took on both the critical positions in order to make their country function, those being the political head of the Daimyo position and the other being the military might of Yukigakure's personal leader! Holding down one was hard enough, and yet he did both! Never mind the fact that the country was always close to economic crisis, yet he kept things going! A man who personally came down to commission the new Genin teams!
How could one NOT be in awe of such accomplishments!
"I see your voices are as healthy as ever," their Academy instructor said with mild anger.
Kiou had gulped nervously, praying to every God he knew that he didn't upset the MAN. It was all Ikusa's fault anyway! Seeing her so rigid and scared nearly made him chuckle. She'd BETTER be worried! He had heard some vague rumor that her mother was one of the criminal Saati Koukennin. Seeing her on the brink of breaking down in front of the man made him retract his previous thought and was immensely happy she was on his team! No way he'd miss seeing Miss High and Mighty crumple before him!
Kiganai, that fool, on the other hand, just turned and gave a nod of acknowledgment to the group of newcomers. Jeez… even now… mere moments away from being officially instated as Genin… by the very MAN himself… and he still didn't even crack a smile! What a bore! What did this pompous jerk want?
"Healthy voices are not discouraged," The… MAN… himself spoke and Kiou lost his voice completely at hearing him talk. Their leader walked forward, surveying the three with a professional eye. "Provided they know when to be silent and fall in line," Doto added harshly, giving a glance to the female member of the team.
Kiou thought his birthday had come early.
"Line up!" Doto ordered. Kiou nearly ran down Ikusa to get into position, while Kiganai merely walked over, putting his hands in his pockets as the three of them all waited for what would be next.
"Suigen Kiganai. Ichigen Ikusa. Shikake Kiou," Doto listed off each of their names as he snapped his fingers. Each of the San Eihei came forward, producing a headband. Being recognized, knowing his name AND having the San Eihei themselves presenting their headbands! It was all too much; Kiou thought he was going to faint on the spot!
"Each of you have proven your worth and value to me. From this day forward, you will serve the Daimyo, the Village Hidden in the Snow, and the Country. From this day forward, you three are now adults. You will be treated as such, and we will be expecting as much in return. Carry yourselves in service to my will, and we'll allgain from the future. A future where Snow shall emerge on top of the Snow World, take control of our destiny and make it ours. From this day forward, you are now officially Shinobi of the Snow; rank of Genin. Carry it with you and be proud!"
"HAI!"
-End of Flashback-
Doto was walking towards Kiou, who snapped his head upward to see the man coming toward him. Despite the situation and his head throbbing, he was still able to see the man run through the same series of one-handed seals with his dominant hand. "… don't you think you could change it up a bit, boss…?" Kiou asked in spite of himself.
"You aren't worthy to see my other moves," Doto replied in a hard voice that would have made iron seem soft in comparison. He threw his fist forward, unleashing another Black Dragon right at the Chunin. Gulping, Kiou shoved his hands to the ground to vault himself into the air, swinging his right leg around to use his shin guards to try and disperse the move.
At the last second, Doto gestured his hand downward, and the Black Dragon diverted towards the ground instead of slamming into Kiou's shin guards. It hit the ground full force, kicking up the ground with the power of a dozen explosive notes at once. The shredded ground plus the aftershock of the attack hit the member of Team Alpha dead on, tearing through his clothes. His sleeves and legs were in tatters, while his shin guards were blown off from the sheer pressure of the attack, being flung in the wind like scattered leaves in a gale storm. A number of sharp rocks had embedded themselves in Kiou's limbs, stomach and chest. He would have screamed if not for the fact that he was flung into the air, landing in a dead heap ten meters away. So many signals of pain were zipping through his body, he couldn't possibly make a sound to account for them all, his mind just being completely blown.
-Flashback, 6 years ago-
Kiou was very pleased with himself. In a mere two years, he managed to achieve Chunin level! Take that, all his would-be doubters at the Academy! His team was the first one to achieve Chunin level out of their graduating class. In their FACES!
Currently, his team was partaking in part of the current Academy class for 'Rough Housing'. The common term for the set ambush each Genin was set to undergo. At one point in their Academy year, every Genin was subjected to a surprise attack from a superior ninja in order to gauge their alertness and ability to defend themselves. It could come at any point in the year. Day or night. The students passed or failed based on their ability to react to abrupt attacks, rather than actually successfully defending themselves.
In short, to make sure their guard was always up. Even in this village.
Kiou was currently hiding in the shadows on a rooftop, observing the Academy students leaving the self-proclaimed Ice Bucket on their way home. The instructor had decided today would be three students' time for their ambush. The instructor was seriously considering recommending these three for the same team to Doto and decided to settle on his evaluation on their ambush.
As the three students made their way home, his two teammates struck. Ikusa had been using the Kakuremino no Jutsu, camouflaging herself as part of a fence, waiting for her target. Dropping it, she pounced on her target, putting the poor boy into a headlock and giving an ever-so-slight twisting of his neck, symbolizing a broken neck. Failed.
Kiganai had henged himself as a normal villager, casually walking through the crowds towards his target. Once he got close, he 'accidently' bumped into the student and shoved the handle of his kunai into the boy's stomach. This one, however, manage to deflect the strike with a palm slap, sending the kunai off to the side and missing him. He attempted to kick at the older ninja, who merely spun around the attack and elbowed the academy student in the back of the neck. Just enough to daze him and send him falling to the ground. Passed.
Kiou, on the other hand, used his ninjutsu from afar to stop his target in his tracks, and then fired off a low-powered ice dragon that hit the student right in the face. The student, unable to move due to his feet frozen in place, reacted violently to this as if someone had punched him hard in the face. The student fell backwards, the abnormal angle of his right leg indicating it snapped as a result.
Using the Shunshin, he appeared right next to the downed kid, swinging his rear leg around fully intending to bury the heel of his foot directly into the kid's stomach. Halfway through his swing, a strong hand grasped his leg, stopping it in mid-action.
"That's more than enough," Kiganai stated firmly, looking directly into his teammate's eyes.
"Shut up. I'm doing my job," Kiou retorted angrily.
The other young man's grip intensified, making pain jolt through Kiou's leg. "Your job," Kiganai said with complete sarcasm unlike what Kiou had seen from his uninterested teammate. "Is to show the dangers of the shinobi world to the next class with a practical demonstration. NOT to beat the kids into a bloody pulp or traumatize them into submission."
Memories of his own academy days flashed through Kiou's mind as he finally managed to jerk his leg out of the other man's grasp. "It's one and the same," he commented bitterly as he put his foot back on the ground. "Academy. Ninja world. Other countries. It's all a dark and cruel place. The sooner they learn that, the better!"
And it will continue to be that way…
-End of Flashback-
… until Doto-sama realizes his dream for the Snow Country… Kiou thought miserably. Here he was. Laid out on the ground, beaten and bruised. Just like all the students he helped beat up so many times. Sure, the world was unfair, but looking back on it all now, he could clearly see his actions were less about teaching the reality and more about just acting out his rage from his own school days.
"Guess it's people like me…" Kiou looked up just enough to see Doto standing at the other end. "And… you… Doto-sama… that have made people believe this world is dark and cruel."
"The world…" the Daimyo said firmly. "… is neither dark or light. It's merely a mess. At one time, I thought you understood that. A mess that I will clean up, as I cleaned up snow from my worthless brother. It's hard for me to believe I once thought a fool like you would have realized that. That shows my own weakness and how things have fallen apart. Opposing is opposing the order to fix the mess. And as a Snow ninja, one that utilizes the Snow Technology in our Chakra armor… you should have known better than to think you could win a fight against your Kagirinai Kachuu."
He gestured his hand. "The Chakra Strength Booster that boosts my physical strength far beyond what yours can do. The enhanced strength of a demigod right in my hands! Each of my punches are literally full ton of weight that can devastate even the legendary frog Gamabunta with a single blow!"
"… he's a toad…"
"Who cares! Same difference!" Doto held out his forearm for Kiou to see. "The Chakra Enhancer! With this, I can use any of my techniques at half the cost for double the prudency! In my hands, a common level technique can become a high level, and a high level technique can become one worthy of a Kage!"
He slammed his fist against his armor. "High quality STEEL for armor! Not mismatched patches that make you look like a hobo from the cornfield! Which makes taijutsu, the one thing that the Chakra Barrier can't block, completely useless! My own barrier is a FAR superior quality that can handle that five-way explosion that destroyed my train!"
Doto reached behind his neck and tapped it with a finger. "Nerve Amplification Control! Preprograming the very nervous system itself with top of the line Taijutsu styles! In one month, I can preprogram and receive the physical skills that shinobi take a DECADE to learn! Fighting. Stamina. Conditioning. It's all here in one complete package!"
The wings flared out from the back. "The capabilities of flight! Few shinobi can fly and I can CAPITALIZE on this vulnerability! You can't deal with an opponent who can fly over your head. It gives me no blind spot and allows me to see all of my enemy's blind spots!"
"And of course," Doto continued, holding up his arms with the black ice chakra surging around. "My personal favorite. My Black Ice Style! A ninjutsu of my own design! People say that only those with Bloodlines can learn certain skills? I SAY BULLSHIT! I say TAKE what you can and use EVERYTHING at your disposal! Laws and beliefs like Bloodlines should be broken with no remorse! Shatter that limited thinking and reach out to take the skills you want and DAMN everyone else that says otherwise!"
That predatory grin appeared back on the large man's face. "And it seems that one of my pitiful underlings has forgotten all that I'm capable of."
"No… not at all…" Kiou replied, not being able to so much as move a finger. "Never doubted that, or our plans for the future… I was just thinking… that maybe… our attitude… should change."
"Let me think about that. NO!" Doto replied immediately as he held out both arms. "Enjoy your trip to hell. Contrary to popular belief, it's NOT a blazing inferno!"
At that moment, he fired out two Black Dragon Blizzards right toward his helpless ninja. "It's a FROZEN WASTELAND! YOU'LL FEEL RIGHT AT HOME!"
Kiou just watched helplessly as the two Black Dragons came at him. He closed his eyes and readied himself for death. Oh well… my life sucked anyway…
That's when an orange blur came out of NOWHERE right in front of the downed ninja. Around each of his arms were swirling winds that looked like miniaturized typhoons complete with harpoon attachments.
"YOU!" both Doto and Kiou cried out together.
"DOUBLE KAZE KIWA!" Uzumaki Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. He was intentionally overloading his jutsu to the max, just a hair short of the Shieldbreaker itself, but still keeping the sharp edge for which it was named. The two black dragons clashed into it as the wind attacks bore into them like diamond encased drills. The force would have sent the blond Genin skidding backwards if not for the fact that he was gluing himself to the ground with chakra in his feet.
Giving off a fierce yell, Naruto crossed his arms and sent the two black crumpling dragons flying off to the sides, where they crashed into the ground and blew up the landscape with simultaneous explosions.
Doto made a rude sound. "Little fox, you would do better to roll over and…" He stopped as a series of kunai landed all around him, complete with exploding tags. The papers sizzled just as Doto's glance caught them. Opening his wings, he shot straight into the air right at as the bombs went off. Both speed and the force of the explosion gave him more than enough distance to safely get away from the bombs…
… and right towards a divebombing winged Uchiha with a kunai aimed straight at his skull.
Almost anyone else in this situation would have had a ninja knife driven into their head and dead within a heartbeat, but thanks entirely to his toys, Doto shifted his body just enough to dodge the blow as the boy came flying down past him. When did he get wings anyway?
Grabbing the boy's arm with one hand and planting his other hand on the back, he flew downward fast with the boy in his grasp, slamming his would-be assassin to the ground with a pure belly flop that threw up a good amount of the land around them.
Doto stood up as the makeshift smoke disappeared around him and saw a crushed log in place of the Leaf teenager. He gave an open snarl as the winged Uchiha landed right by his knuckle-headed teammate. "Oh for the love of…"
He trailed off as two things happened at once. The first was that Naruto gave a playful slap alongside the back of Sasuke's head. "Way to miss the mark, Kizuato!"
"Excuse me for choosing finesse over showing off," the Uchiha remarked in an even voice as the pink-haired girl appeared, making Doto flinch further.
"You TOO? ALL DAMN THREE of you?" Doto yelled out, attempting to speak his mind and for the moment failing. The site of all three of the bugs that had been plaguing him made him remember something else. "Where are the San Eihei!"
"Eternally sleeping in the dirt," all three teenagers said in unison.
"What?" Doto yelled, throwing out his arms in disbelief. "One… maybe two… but all THREE? There's NO WAY you could have beaten them all! You three are just kids, Genin! BRATS!" His face was getting entirely red with rage, and the three Genin would later swear they could see steam erupting from his ears as he shouted his next words.
"WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO STOMP YOU OUT?" Doto raged at the teenagers.
"Personally, nothing less than the combined efforts of the Hidden Rock and Cloud Villages," Naruto replied in a childish matter. "I think I'd be able to take down half of their forces before I fell…" He gave a shrug. "But you never know… I might get lucky and get them all. I'm going to surpass all the Hokages after all, it's just natural."
Doto gave an aggravated yell that would be heard for miles, while Sakura just gave a small chuckle into her fist, throwing a comment to Naruto about always having to be dramatic with big flare.
Sasuke just turned craned his neck a bit to look at Kiou out of the corner of his eye. "That was a better showing for being a shinobi than the last time we fought."
"… really…?"
"No," came the reply, making Kiou slump in depression. Koyuki ran over behind her three bodyguards to help the young man as Sasuke looked back at Doto. "But you're on the right track. You gave us critical information about how this blockhead operates. Turning a defeat into a victory."
"WHAT?" Doto shouted, his face going even redder. "SO YOU WERE DELIBERATELY ACTING OFF FOR THESE THREE RUGRATS?"
"Um…" Kiou started, before Koyuki muttered, "Just go along with it. I doubt anyone would believe you otherwise." She knelt down and put his arm around her neck as she helped him up. "Can you three take my uncle?"
"You bet!" Team 7 replied. Each of them were still covered and marked with a series of injuries from not just their latest battles, but from their ordeals as a whole in this blasted country. From scars, to tattered clothes, to signs of fatigue and exhaustion.
And despite this, Koyuki held absolute faith that they would deliver on their promise. Perhaps for the first time since meeting them… or even in the last ten years… a genuine smile appeared on her face. "Go kick his ass."
"Yes ma'am!" All three replied.
Doto gave a small flinch like he had been spat on. Narrowing his eyes and forcing himself to calm down, he looked at his opponents. "Little pests. I hold the title of the Kagirinai Kachuu! That's the LEADER of the Snow Village! You don't earn that for being WEAK!"
"Begging your pardon, Doto…" Kiou said as Koyuki helped him up to his feet. "… but you are a politician first and a fighter second. Through all the years you've ruled, you've never been involved in a direct fight or had your title challenged. No one even saw your supposed duel with the previous Kagirinai Kachuu. And now that these Konoha nin, who have beaten everything you've thrown at them, are here with full knowledge of your tricks - "
At that, Doto gave a very unexpected reaction of laughter. That same cruel laughter he used when he slaughtered Sandyuu's men earlier that day. "Is that what you THINK? That just because you saw a few of my cards up my sleeve, you know my full deck? It seems even my own soldiers have forgotten how truly terrifying I can be!"
A mad grin appeared on his face following that as he crossed his arms. "Allow me to enlighten you all!"
Throwing his arms out and giving out an immense yell, a large amount of green chakra erupted from all around the man. Shooting into the sky like a powerful beacon, the column of chakra was so thick the entire thing looked completely solid. The entire ground shook from the output this man was giving off as the man's yell echoed through out the immediate area. Large and numerous cracks appeared all around him. The level of chakra he was emitting had to be on par with when Naruto went Kyubi on Sabaku no Gaara!
"Auto-Chakra?" Kiou gasped out in pure astonishment. "No way… you completed that research!"
"Surprised?" Doto gloated, vastly enjoying the look of complete shock on everyone's faces. "Once upon a time, there was a radio drama during my lovely childhood called Stone Sentries. Stone by day, alive by night. Guardian statues that survived as the protectors of the land from which the Saati Koukennin derived its name! One of my favorite quotes from the show was 'Energy is energy, whether generated by science or sorcery.'
"Well guess what, KIDDIES? That applies to chakra too! Generated by human… or MACHINE, it's still energy to utilize! Jutsu don't know the difference!"
"THIS IS THE FUTURE OF THE SHINOBI WORLD AND WHY SNOW WILL REIGN SUPREME! THE FUTURE IS NOT GIVEN TO NORMAL SHINOBI THROUGH SWEAT AND BLOOD TRAINING OR EVEN MANUFACTORED SHINOBI TO BE WEAPONS FOR THEIR VILLAGES! THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE TECHNOLOGICAL SHINOBI!" He reached out with his head and gestured the three. "BRING IT ON, BRATS! THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"
Koyuki gave a small gulp, her insides turning lead from all this. How were these three going to stand against this maniac of an uncle?
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three hot air balloons coming this way. The same hot air balloons that held Ken, Hidero and Michy. With their cameras.
Eh… best not tell them that… Koyuki said, moving away with the injured shinobi. They don't need to know needless details…
(Author's Note)
I don't know how many of you care for flashbacks, or in particular, how I go about using them, but I feel it's justified here. Not only to help explore how Mr. Crybaby Kiou has developed, but a lot of the material used is original scenes that I've written and it has been quite some time since those chapters. My less than ideal updating schedule certainly hasn't helped, so I like to think it's a good refresher for us all (that includes me) so we don't have to zip back to past chapters, wondering 'where did that scene happen?' Hope you all understand and it doesn't bother anyone too much.
Plus, I hope it adequately shows another side to Snow. See WHY people are willing to look up and support Doto in his endeavors despite his history. So if nothing else, hope you can tolerate the flashbacks and introspective for that viewpoint.
Also had some comments about people not understanding Snow's "Year Around Genin Ambush" mentioned back in Chapter 15. So hopefully, it's a lot more clearer now and my intentions are more understandable. And if you still don't get it…then I just suck as an author. Simple as that.
Doto is a Gargoyles fan. Who knew? ^_^
Now I imagine some of you are already thinking that I've made Doto too powerful, had too much fun with his various chakra tech pieces, that I'm just making Team 7 even more into Super Saiyans. That's been the entire tone of this story since I can write it purely to my visions and desires (as opposed to, say, Chuuten). So if you haven't liked this aspect before (AKA: Chapter 17), these last few chapters probably aren't going to change your mind. Have gone this far with that concept, so I'm riding it out to the end and hoping it won't be too unrealistic.
That'll be up to everyone's individual opinions if it is or not.
And Team 7 fighting both Nadare, Fubuki and Mizore, then jumping right to Doto has been the intention since Day 1 and a LARGE reason why Kakashi was, and still is, MIA in this story. But to balance things out, I have Kiou do his thing and give Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke some key insight to Doto's capabilities, so they aren't going into this blind.
Also, anyone that thinks like me can probably guess now when and where Kakashi will finally make his reappearance! Hint: He'll be covering the lingering aspect of the story.
Ichigen – a word
Shikake – scale (small)
Kuro Hyouton–Black Ice Style: Doto's own version of utilizing Snow's style of the Hyouton. Where normal Hyouton focuses on expansion to freeze an opponent, Doto's Black Ice Style redirects those attributes to focus on swift speed and the sharpness of ice. This comes as a result of Doto giving an unequal union between the Suiton and Fuuton elements to form Ice, this being about 80% Wind, 20% Water. Given that this hybrid style is unproportionalized, Black Ice is notably unstable and prone to collapse, but Doto gets around this by having his Chakra Armor compensate for the instability. This makes it ideal for offense, but unsuitable for defense. It's the combination of both Doto's own designs and influence through his Chakra Armor that gives his Hyouton its black color. In addition, any black ice that managed to hit an opponent sticks like tar, leaving a lingering wound that will tear into opponent as they move, no matter how small the gestures.
Kuro Hyōton: Kokuryū Bōfūsetsu-Black Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard: Doto's signature move. Utilizing his Black Ice style, Doto unleashes this black dragon of fury to shred an opponent to pieces. Even if it misses, the recoil will produce shockwaves that will launch any nearby person(s) into the air. The lifespan of this jutsu is approximately twenty seconds, but in that time frame, Doto has a large degree of control over his jutsu, allowing it to bend and turn according to his will to increase the odds of hitting his target. It normally has as much potential as the standard Gokakyu, but thanks to the influences of Doto's Chakra armor, its actual power is closer to par with Sasuke's Katon: Karyuu Kyuuzou. (Mid C-Class Ninjutsu) (Kazahana Doto)
I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Also, any jutsu that Tellemicus created that are used in this story belongs to him. Big thanks to Paintball-Gamer for beta reading this!
