Fight for your Lives - Part 2
The battle now turned to Konohamaru and Takai, who was unconscious, against the fierce looking Hogu, who was almost writhing with excitement.
"Takai?" Konohamaru called, but it was no use, he was out cold.
"Looks like it's just me 'n' you, Leaf ninja." Hogu hissed with anticipation. "Now, how would you like to die?"
"C-Come again?" Konohamaru gulped.
"I prefer my opponents to name me how they would die, so I can grant them that wish." Explained Hogu. "What's it gonna be, Leaf ninja? How shall you die?"
"Probably age?" Konohamaru meekly suggested. Hogu sighed heavily.
"Why do all my opponents say that?" She growled. "Specifically, why do I keep asking?"
"Not to seem rude, but it's my turn to offer a choice." Konohamaru said. "Allow me and my ally to pass, or be defeated." At this, Hogu began to laugh hysterically.
"You Leaf ninja are all the same! Alright, enough talk! I'll decide how you die!" And she charged at great speed, which caught Konohamaru off guard.
"Whoa!" He gasped. "She's almost as fast as I am using Tornado's Cry! No matter!" Konohamaru timed it and punched for Hogu. But the strange thing was, his hand passed right through her as she vanished completely. "What the?" Konohamaru desperately tried to pinpoint her location, but it was no good, it seemed like her Chakra was everywhere.
"You will never defeat me!" Said Hogu's voice as it seemed to echo from all directions. "Whatever speed you can muster, I will always be ten times faster!" It was then that her Chakra was finally pinpointed. But it was too late for Konohamaru to react or counterattack, Hogu attacked the defenceless Sarutobi with a painful kick.
"Grgghh!" Konohamaru growled as he was knocked away, and ready to make a counter attack, but it was too late, Hogu was already on the move, disappearing from sight.
"Do you understand the situation now, Leaf ninja?" Asked the echoing sound of Hogu. But despite the Shiten'no's lack of presence, she did raise a fair point. With the way things are, lack of intelligence towards her attacks to think of a strategy, Takai unconscious on the floor and Hogu holding all the cards in this game of cat and mouse, Konohamaru was at a serious disadvantage. Until...
"Sensei? Sensei! Can you hear me?" Konohamaru jumped at the sound of Takai's voice being heard. "Don't look at me, the enemy will get suspicious."
"You're communicating telepathically?" Konohamaru thought.
"Yes. I'm feigning pain to lure the enemy into a false sense of security, and by doing so have discovered her abilities!" Takai explained, as he laid on the ground playing dead.
"You have?" Konohamaru replied. "How?"
"It should be obvious that she's a speed-type, and a really good one, my Sharingan can barely keep up..." Takai explained. "But it's not just speed, she's somehow warping space and time to aid in her powers. The Sharingan's in play once again."
"If she is as you say, then what do we do?" Asked Konohamaru.
"I have a plan, but it is very risky, and it will of course be a gamble." It was then that Hogu launched another kick at Konohamaru weakening him again. But as soon as Konohamaru recovered, he grew a smile.
"I'm all for it!" He grinned. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Summoning two additional Konohamaru's to his side, he went up back-to-back with them, creating a circle with eyes on all sides. "Try and catch me now, Uchiha!" But the cold dark shriek of a laugh filled the battleground.
"It is very unwise to underestimate me!" Hogu laughed as she appeared right in the middle of the group and kicked the real Konohamaru thereby disabling the others in a thick cloud of smoke. But then...
"Where are you aiming?" Konohamaru appeared out of the thick cloud emitted from the clones and delivered the first blow to the face to Hogu. The Uchiha jumped back in surprise to this.
"You bastard!" She growled massaging her slightly swollen cheek then seen that the Konohamaru that was struck had vanished.
"I was taught a thing or two about Genjutsu." Konohamaru said. It was then that Hogu raised her eyes in suspicion.
"Genjutsu?" She thought. "That's impossible! My Sharingan can see past them! How can this worm put me under a Genjutsu?"
"It appears that I have underestimated you!" Hogu said to Konohamaru. "Not many people can fool my eyes like that."
"Well I am Grandson to the Third Hokage!" Konohamaru said with a smirk. "You better stop toying and finish me!" But then Konohamaru grew grim.
"Are you sure about this?" Konohamaru thought to Takai. "One slip up and you're as good as dead."
"I'll be fine." Takai said. "You just be ready to deliver the finishing blow."
"Alright. Though, you might wanna do a rain check. I thought you wanted to run while I handled her?" Konohamaru said.
"I was about to. But watching you get beaten, I guess I changed my mind...Also you're the Captain in this operation, if you go, we're finished."
"Kind of a low blow for Hanabi, but thanks..."
"Also...Haruhi will never forgive me if I let you die..." Konohamaru laughed to himself.
"You really didn't have it in you to let go of Haruhi, did you?"
"Shut up! Now simmer down, I need to concentrate!" Then Konohamaru got into a stance to fight Hogu.
"Keep up now!" Then Hogu sped up to keep out of sight of Konohamaru. After a few seconds, Hogu appeared behind him. "You're mine!" But to her astonishment, Konohamaru caught the punch. "What?"
"I said to finish me!" And he delivered a painful kick sending her flying, but she quickly recovered and sped up once more. However Konohamaru outstretched his arm behind him, which Hogu ran into. Quickly, she hopped away, clutching her neck where Konohamaru hit her.
"What is this? He could barely land a finger on me, now he's matching me blow for blow!" Hogu growled to herself. "Do I have to resort to..." But then she laughed.
"What's so funny?" Asked Konohamaru.
"I've figured out a worthy way to finish you off!" She said. "Though, don't blink. If you take your eyes off me for a second, you'll miss it!" She outstretched her arms and began focussing her Chakra.
"What is she doing?" Thought Konohamaru.
"Speed-Style - Demon's Dance!" She called. And she vanished. And before Konohamaru had time to react, Hogu reappeared. "Too bad, Leaf Ninja..." She formed a hand sign. "Advance!"
And then, Konohamaru screamed in pain as hundreds upon thousands of blows were made to him.
"GGRAAAAARGHHHH!" He screamed, and once it stopped, he fell to the ground, with many wounds to his body, his flat jacket was torn to shreds, and he looked to be near dead.
"Oh? You're still alive?" Asked Hogu. Konohamaru tried desperately to get up, but he was too weakened.
"Damn it!" He coughed.
"You won't be getting up too soon, after getting hit ten thousand times!" Hogu said.
"Wh-What?" Konohamaru gasped. "She's that fast?"
"Hahahaha!" Laughed Hogu, did you really think you could defeat me? Arrogant fool!" She reached into her pocket and took out a Kunai. "Brush up on your speed, in hell!"
But before the final blow was struck...
"Rasengan!" Takai yelled as he blew the Rasengan ball into Hogu's sides, blowing her away and greatly weakened her. Hogu wearily sat up to see that the Takai that attacked her was Konohamaru, unscathed and unbeaten.
"What?" Hogu coughed. "You were near death! Nobody can recover from my attack that fast!"
"That would be the case, if I wasn't the one you fought." Konohamaru explained. He pointed to what would be the battle-worn Konohamaru to reveal Takai was the one who took all the hits.
"How is that possible?" Growled Hogu.
"It's simple." Began Konohamaru. "Takai knew I couldn't defeat you from the start. Your speed was too great. Even faster than my Tornado's Cry. But speed users are Takai's specialty. When I created Shadow Clones earlier, you struck the real me, giving Takai enough time to disguise himself as me and attack you. When he did, he placed you under a minor Genjutsu when he punched you so to make the real me vanish. It was all about luck getting that switch made, but when it happened, you couldn't lay a finger on him because of his Sharingan. No matter how fast you were, Takai was always one step ahead. But the real plot to defeating you was to flush out any hidden abilities you may have had, namely that ten thousand punch attack. Once it was made, I knew you'd be vulnerable afterwards, so that was when I made the attack."
"A-And this was all his idea?" Hogu asked.
"Yeah! He may be young, but he's a smart one."
"You bastards..." She groaned before collapsing on the floor, unconscious.
"It was an excellent fight..." Konohamaru said and walked to the near-dead Takai. "You didn't have to fight her. If you didn't you wouldn't be this way."
"I know, but I guess I wanted to help..." Takai groaned. Konohamaru smiled before helping him up so he was sitting upright. "Is she dead?" Konohamaru reached into his bag and retrieved a medical kit.
"Nah, just unconscious. I couldn't kill someone with that much potential." Konohamaru replied before applying some anesthetic to a cloth and damping it over Takai's wounds.
"In the eyes of Yamishin, she is dead." Takai said.
"Well lets hope she still lives..." Said Konohamaru and began bandaging Takai up.
"So what now?" Asked Takai.
"Well Yamishin's up ahead, so we'll go there."
"Well then lets go!" Takai said standing up, but was forced back down by Konohamaru.
"You're still hurt and tired." Konohamaru said.
"I don't care, we need to hurry!" Takai said.
"Takai..." Said Konohamaru. "Who's your Sensei?" Takai pouted.
"You are."
"Good, besides..." He placed a hand on Takai's head. "If I took your hits, I'd expect you to do the same." Takai simply smiled.
"Thank you, Sensei ..."