Chapter 36: Retribution
Makoto panted heavily after his had used his jutsu. His arm stung painfully after the attack, and he was pretty sure if he decided to use vacuum manipulation again, he would rip his arm to shreds. His eyes have been rendered useless now with the pain and the blood, so he had to rely on his ears to 'see'.
" ...Tch, I missed..." Makoto sighed in disappointment.
Hachi shifted his weight miraculously at the last moment. That must have taken most of his constitution and will-power to do that, since Makoto had executed his genjutsu with such potency and hatred, not to mention at such close proximity, even Makoto expected Hachi, despite his competence level, to stay rooted to the spot. This was unfortunately not the case though, and Hachi managed to avoid the attack.
Not completely though. Makoto had released a high speed blast which ripped through the top of Hachi's right hand side shoulder, puncturing his lungs slightly, having initially wanted to aim for his heart. Despite avoiding the killing blow, Hachi had been severely wounded, especially with a punctured lung, and he would soon meet his end, just like Makoto had promised him.
" Ugh...crap..." Hachi muttered, before stumbling backwards, falling towards the ground in a heap. Makoto dropped down as well, too tired and hurt to stand properly. He fell to his knees, using the remaining strength he had to try not to completely collapse, but soon enough his strength left him completely, and he too fell to the ground.
" ...I guess you win this time..." Hachi replied, coughing out blood slightly.
" ...As I said..." Makoto replied.
" ...So, what made you change your mind?" Hachi asked.
" I have never changed my mind, ever. I merely stuck to my principles. That was all..." Makoto answered.
" ...I don't..."
" Do not assume I do not know your reason why you left the Sand. Revenge, it was pure and simple," Makoto replied quickly. " The Rock-nins were guilty of Aya's death, no matter how much they could deny it. There was no need for proof, all one needed was to look in their faces to know that they were guilty. They just merely decided to hunt down a small group of shinobis in training just for the kicks, to see how far they might be able to push us."
" Vengeance could not be brought easily, justice not so swift. If we were to escalate the struggles, war might have broken out. As much as you must have hated our Kazekage for making that decision to not pursue the matter with the Stone country, you must have been shattered to know that Aya's death will never find justice. I know, for I felt the same. But a solution came to mind, one so simple only a simple-minded fool like you could figure it out."
" Become a missing-nin. If a shinobi affiliated to the Sand country was to extract revenge by going off to kill Rock-nins, war will ensue. Yet, if he was a missing-nin, he was nothing but a rogue. His actions will not reflect his actions of his own village, since they obviously want him dead anyway. For you to become a missing-nin was the only way you could freely kill Rock-nins without having our village persecuted," Makoto replied, finishing.
" ...You think too much..." Hachi mused.
" But revenge can only go so far. If you are to take Hiroshi to distribute his weapons, it will only cause war and strife, something we have fought and bleed for so desperately for the last few years. If this is your extent of your revenge, to even bring the Leaf into this petty dispute, then your revenge ends here, for I shall never allow it!" Makoto exclaimed.
" ...The hell are you defending the Leafs for?" Hachi asked.
" Because they are our allies. I'll sooner drown myself than betray their trust," Makoto replied sternly. " No, perhaps my motivation is so much more simpler. Hiroshi is a good friend of mine, and he risks his life to protect his friends. As someone of the same stature, it is only befitting that I do the same..." Makoto replied.
Both of them didn't reply for a while. In fact, Makoto thought it was amazing that Hachi could last this long. After puncturing his lung and bleeding out of his chest, he should have been dead by now. Still, he was still alive, listening to Makoto like some kid listening to his parent. Makoto could still hear him breathing ever so slightly.
" ...Makoto...?" Hachi replied.
" What is it?"
" ...Thanks...you were always a good friend..." Hachi replied, before falling silent.
Makoto wasn't sure what to do. He merely laid on the ground, before starting to cry, blood flowing out from his eyes once more.
-
" How close are we?" Suzumi asked.
" Close enough. We are pretty much gaining on them. Guess they cannot really outrun us while carrying excess luggage," Ryouta answered. " Give or take, about three minutes."
" Alright, we are on their tail. Let's crush these idiots!" Sora replied, slamming her fists together. " But you know, do you think Makoto will be alright? With Hachi, I mean..."
" Have faith, Sora," Hibiki replied.
" Hey, if someone in this group was to object, you should be the first one to do it," Sora rebutted.
" Maybe, but perhaps I'm glad Makoto has come to terms with whatever it was with Hachi. With that, I can confidently say that Makoto can deal with it now, so no worries about it," Hibiki replied. Sora couldn't help but notice that he was apparently smiling.
" Well, glad you are..."
" Stop!" Ryouta exclaimed all of a sudden.
The entire team came to a complete stop. Something could be heard whirling in the air. Ryouta twisted his body all of a sudden, just as several kunais shot past his body, grazing him slightly. Hibiki and Sora, who were behind him, knocked the weapons out of the way with the fists.
" Damn, a hindrance has appeared," Ryouta replied, gritting his teeth.
Three shinobis stood in front of them, obviously with the full intention of baring their path. Ryouta and the rest of them braced themselves for combat. None of them made a move, since it was obvious the three of them wanted to stall for time, so there was no point in recklessly charging in towards the enemy.
" Alright, you little pricks, I'll beat the shit out of you single-handedly. Bring it on, dipshits!" Sora exclaimed, pointing her finger aggressively towards them.
" Oi, you obviously can't beat them alone," Hibiki replied, patting her on the shoulder.
" You lousy piece of shit, trying to steal my prey, are you?" Sora exclaimed.
" Can you stop acting like a piece of shit for once, damn it!" Hibiki snapped back, before turning to Ryouta. " Hey, Ryouta, take Suzumi and go on ahead. Sora and I will even the odds here by taking care of one more of them. According to Makoto, there should be two more of them right ahead, so you will need to hold them off while Suzumi gets Hiroshi back. I can count on you to bring back that idiot, can I not?"
" Hibiki..." Suzumi mused.
" Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves. You just need to get Hiroshi back, and return in one piece. I'll be sure to teach them what it costs to spoil your first date," Hibiki replied. " After all, I have a score to settle. I'm generally a sexist bastard, so I'll be very vexed by being humiliated by some dumb chick....Ain't that right, red-haired chick?"
The kunoichi who he had faced off previously during their mission glared at him, almost looking pleased that she was able to face off with him. " No doubt...I shall never be fully sated until I tear your heart out from where it beats," she replied.
" Hey, stick to the plan, Yuria. We need to stall them, not pick personal fights," Yuki replied, scowling slightly. Shin, the third on in the group, didn't say anything, but merely looked at Sora, who was looking at Shin gleefully.
" I could care less about it. He's mine, and mine alone," Yuria replied.
" Alright, I'm going off now. Ryouta, when I attack, get past them!" Sora replied, before flipping a few hand seals.
" Heh, I know you are good, but you can't possibly hold off two of us at once," Yuki replied.
" Sound Distortion Clone!" Sora shouted, not before emitting a massive burst of chakra, before disappearing.
She reappeared all of a sudden, but there was a main difference. Two figures of Sora shot up towards Yuki and Shin, who looked back in surprise. Both Soras gave loud yells, just before punching their fists forward, sending a shockwave towards each target. Yuki and Shin disappeared within the cloud of dust and dirt Sora kicked up with the attack.
Almost simultaneously, Hibiki shot towards Yuria in an instant, and she matched his actions as she leaped at him. Hibiki changed his charge in the middle, rushing off towards the left, wanting to give the rest of them some room while he dealt with Yuria alone. Yuria didn't mind, since Hibiki was her prime target alone, and she followed along, willing to play his little game.
" Go!" Sora yelled, before both her figures seem to distort and merge back into one body.
Ryouta and Suzumi wasted no time in rushing off towards where Hiroshi was currently being taken.
" Go get him back!" Sora shouted.
Suzumi turned towards Sora, as she grinned fiercely back at her. Suzumi gave her a warm smile as a thank you, and quickly followed in Ryouta's footsteps as he rushed towards the escaping team. Sora merely chuckled, before returning her attention towards her current enemies.
" Well, well, well...looks like I have been deprived of my entertainment for the day, but I guess you two will suffice," Sora replied. " Come on, get up! I know that blast could not have gotten you that badly. If it did, then you won't be even worth being served to me as appetisers."
On the ground below, two figures emerged. Yuki got up, rubbing the dust off her chin, while Shin merely got up and looked in a brooding manner towards Sora, who looked down on them from the branch she was standing upon with glee.
" Huh, you were always the one to pick fights, weren't you? Fine, we can take you on," Yuki replied.
-
Hibiki came to a complete stop, and Yuria followed suit as well. Hibiki managed to end up in the midst of a forest, and a large number of trees stood within his way. Hibiki slipped out the spear that he always kept on his back and raised it towards Yuria, who merely glared back angrily at him.
" Hey, try not to keep that face too much. Having multiple periods is bad for your health, intentionally or not," Hibiki answered. " So, your name is Yuria, huh? Never got to introduced ourselves previously, but I guess this settles it, so we can fight evenly now...but you know, it's much too cute of a name for a violent girl like you."
" So, is cracking jokes all you are capable off in the face of death?" Yuria asked.
" Death? I think there is some form of misinterpretation here. I will not be dying here," Hibiki replied. " Besides, I'm tired of talking. Shall we make our formal introductions before we start? Gendou Hibiki, the pleasure is all mine..."
Yuria didn't reply, but merely glared angrily at Hibiki. " Well, fine with me anyway..." Hibiki mused.
Without waiting, Yuria bounded towards him with the same beast-like agility towards Hibiki. It took a lot of effort on his part to channel enough chakra towards his feet to propel himself away from Yuria, dodging towards the side. Yuria merely bounded across the area, circling around him. Hibiki tossed his spear momentarily into the air, before forming a few hand seals of his own.
" Very well, if you insist. There is no need for me to hold back," Hibiki replied. " Windwalk Technique: Activate!"
A surge of wind element started to surround Hibiki's body, mostly towards his legs. Hibiki caught his spear, before holding it in both hands as he pointed the edge towards Yuria. His body was continuously surging with wind, as if he was a vortex collecting the particles of air around himself. His figure started to distort slightly as the air around him spun around vigorously.
" Interesting technique...I see no reason why you didn't use it the last time," Yuria replied.
" Because there was no reason to," Hibiki answered.
Yuria immediately charged at him, her hand outstretched, ready to catch him in her grasp. Hibiki was well aware of her capabilities, and moved back. Yuria didn't let up, and continued to charge towards Hibiki. Hibiki disappeared just as Yuria was about to lay her hands on him, only to appear right behind her. She spun around in anticipation, but Hibiki didn't attack. She looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to.
She charged at him once again, but all Hibiki did in reply was to back away, or to avoid her attacks. She leaped in quickly on several occasions, but Hibiki only managed to get himself out of her reach by somehow moving at an insane speed, as if he had executed a Body Flicker technique on the spot. Yuria had no doubt that Hibiki was using his windwalk technique to aid his movements. What was irritating her was the fact that he was not attacking.
Once again, just as she was about to grab him, he suddenly disappeared, only to appear right behind her once more. Yuria was at her limit, getting more and more impatient with each passing moment.
" Why you...fight me already!" she howled, before leaping at Hibiki once more, only to expect him to disappear once more.
Except he did not.
Hibiki hopped back a couple of feet, getting out of Yuria's reach, before exerting his left leg forward, propelling him to the front. Yuria realised her mistake, and tried to avoid the attack, but it was to no avail. Hibiki had timed his attack properly, even making sure her footing was just in the right position to hinder her ability to avoid the attack as much as possible.
Yuria managed to twist her body slightly, so the spear stabbed her in the shoulder. Blood splattered out from her wound, and some of it managed to hit Hibiki in the face. Ignoring the mess, he kicked Yuria on her chest, sending her reeling backwards as he yanked the spear out from her shoulder as she went staggering backwards.
Shit, another attack...Yuria thought.
The spear come in once again, aimed right towards her head. Yuria braced herself, before grabbing the spear just before it managed to hit her head. With her insane strength, she managed to bring the spear to an instant halt, as she did before, but Hibiki had other plans.
Just as Yuria caught his spear, he released it without hesitation. He knew that with her capabilities, she could easily stop him in his tracks by holding his weapon with brute force, but the spear has served its purpose.
With one of her hands occupied, Hibiki drew his hand back, ready to launch a punch at her. Yuria tried to retaliate, but Hibiki's attack came faster, mainly due to the fact the wound on her shoulder was slowing her down. The punch connected, and Yuria almost felt her jaw dislocate as his fist made contact with her cheeks. She could feel warm blood splatter out from her mouth as she was hit with a powerful force, Hibiki not holding back with his attack, being a girl notwithstanding.
Slightly disorientated, Hibiki pushed against her, pushing her back as far as he could go. Yuria raised her hand in an instant, grabbing his neck, clamping down like a vice, hoping to tear out his throat in the process, but she gave a cry of pain and released him as he managed to slam her body against one of the trees. Hibiki socked her hard in the gut, and Yuria could see the stars spinning around her head.
Hibiki raised his hand for another blow, but this time Yuria managed to catch his fists in time. Seeing her recovering quickly, Hibiki retreated, knowing how dangerous her hands could be with close contact. He broke away from her immediately, skidding towards his spear and picking it up quickly. Yuria merely glared at him with a ferocity that could kill, her eyes slightly bloodshot and furious. Hibiki merely braced himself, holding his weapon up towards her as she took several small steps towards him, rubbing the blood off her chin.
Yuria could merely chuckle at her carelessness, having fallen into Hibiki's game. His initial actions to continuously dodge her attacks was just to irritate her. When her concentration was compromised, he moved in for the kill. Not only that, he took the risk of disarming himself, and she found out that he was a pretty competent taijutsu combatant as well.
" Good, good...I would not expect less..." Yuria replied, cracking up in laughter.
" Sheesh, you remind me of someone I know," Hibiki groaned in displeasure.
From whatever Ryouta and Sora told him, Yuria's combat ability was some form of martial arts where she strengthened her arms to the point where she can easily stop any weapons with her bare hands. If so, Hibiki could easily take advantage of her ability to occupy her hands by granting her the chance to catch his spear, while she moved in for the kill. Still, Yuria's ability to recover was abnormally fast. Despite him hitting as hard as he could, she could recover and retaliate even with the circumstances against her.
" Well, since you are going all out, I may as well do the same. If not, it would be rude, no?" Yuria replied.
" I was hoping you would be rude than wanting me dead," Hibiki replied.
Yuria suddenly charged at him. Hibiki immediately retreated, taking a few steps backwards, but this time Yuria seemed more than determined to catch him, and ran up to him at speeds he didn't think it was possible. Hibiki used his Windwalk skill to jump aside to avoid her, but surprisingly Yuria was able to match his speed, appearing right before him, her hand aiming for his neck.
" What?!" Hibiki gasped.
The hand went for this throat, and before her knew it, she gripped him hard like a vice. Hibiki struggled furiously, his legs trashing about as he did his best to pry her hands open, but it was to no avail. His spear clattered on the ground without making a sound. Her grip almost impossible to release, and he was slowly running out of breath.
" ...Shit..." Hibiki gasped. How is it possible for her to have so much strength?!
" Huh? I can't hear you...speak louder..." Yuria replied cockily.
" ...Crap...let me go..." Hibiki gasped.
" Fine, I shall abide by your demands!" Yuria exclaimed, almost in an excited manner. All of a sudden, Hibiki found himself being launched in the air, flying backwards. His body hit the ground a few seconds later painfully, and he groaned as he tried to pick himself up.
No doubt, Yuria was using her beast-like strength to best him once more. He had experienced it before during his previous fight. He got to his feet, but he stumbled slightly, almost losing his balance.
" What's this?! Fight! Fight me!" Yuria exclaimed gleefully, like a hunter taunting her prey.
Yuria once again charged towards his position. Hibiki did his best to avoid the attack, dashing forward, before turning his body at the last moment before they collided into one another. Yuria skidded towards a halt, only to see Hibiki heading towards his weapon.
Closing the gap in an instant, she caught hold of him just before he managed to grab his spear. Hibiki cried out in pain as he felt hands grab hold of his head and his left arm, before something hit him on his back, sending him crashing on the ground, Yuria pinning him to the ground.
" Heh, I can easily disable your weapons, so what makes you think that retrieving your spear will do you any good?" Yuria asked. She slammed her knee onto his hand, which she pulled towards his back, holding him down while pressing his face hard on the ground. Hibiki's eyes widened in shock as she pulled out a kunai from his weapon holster. " Your Windwalk technique has failed to impress me. You can go to hell now..."
Yuria slammed her hand down onto Hibiki, only to hit something remotely solid.
" What?! This is..."
At the point where the kunai was about to strike his head, there was a massive swirl of wind at the kunai's tip. Hibiki managed to channel his Windwalk technique towards his face, the wind acting as a barrier. With precise chakra control, he could easily make small, violent vortexes to run around his body, which was more than enough force to repel projectile weapons. However, chakra control wasn't his forte, and he was using all of his concentration and effort to push back the kunai.
Yuria felt an abnormality in the chakra flow on Hibiki's body, but not before he seemingly exploded. He didn't exactly blow up, but the wind elements surrounding his body expelled itself from his body, throwing her of his back. Yuria landed on her bottom a few feet away, and Hibiki stole this chance to get up and retrieve his weapon.
" Not bad....so your technique can be used defensively, besides being supplementary to your combat skills," Yuria replied, brushing off the dust on her body as Hibiki raised his spear at her once more. " Unfortunately, in a fight to the death, defensive skills can get you so far. If you cannot go on the offense, you will go nowhere..."
Hibiki knew she was right. His Windwalk technique was basically supplementary jutsu where he merely coats himself with the wind element all over his body. This wind element can act as a defensive barrier, or allow him to propel himself at greater speeds while giving him an edge in maneuverability despite moving at speeds in which his body was unused to. Still, all of this was apparently useless in front of a shinobi like Yuria.
" But, the Windwalk technique has one killer move..." Hibiki corrected her.
" Very well, use it!" Yuria exclaimed.
" You don't have to tell me!" Hibiki exclaimed.
Using elemental manipulation, Hibiki sharpened his tip of his spear with the wind element, and it started to brim with energy and potency. The air around him started to swirl violently as it collected around his body, like a maelstrom. He stared at his target, who was over 10 feet away, grinning at him, as if daring him to come at her.
Time to pull out all the stops...Hibiki thought. " Dance of the Swallows!" Hibiki replied, bracing himself.
" You are so slow! I'm coming at you!" Yuria howled, before dashing at him.
Perfect! Hibiki thought. " First Waltz!"
Hibiki disappeared in front of Yuria's eyes, almost as if he had teleported himself away, not before Yuria felt something pressing down hard on her body. " What?...Is this...wind...?" Yuria mused.
Hibiki's killer technique, the Dance of the Swallows, was a multistep technique. Using the Windwalk ability to his advantage, he waits until the enemy comes within his range, before expelling the jutsu surrounding his body in such a way that the wind presses downwards, thus slowing down the enemy as if gravity has somehow increased, just as he moves away in a method similar to a Body Flicker technique. With the enemy slowed down by the 'First Waltz', Hibiki can finish off the enemy with the 'Second Waltz', which was nothing more than an accelerated piercing strike towards the enemies chest. Having full control of the wind in the surrounding area, he can move easily while slowing down the enemy with his jutsu.
" Second Waltz!" Hibiki cried, before stabbing Yuria with his spear, the tip running straight towards her heart.
It came to his surprise when Yuria merely caught the shaft of his spear effortlessly, halting his advance.
" No way..." Hibiki gasped, unable to believe his eyes. " How can you still move with the wind pressure?!"
" Loser, from your stance, I could easily see that your technique relies on the enemy attacking you first to give you an advantage. If the enemy realises it, then she can prepare herself to accept it and intercept! Pathetic, even your killer techniques are defensive!" Yuria howled. " Let me show you how a technique should be executed!"
Without realising it, Hibiki suddenly lost his grip on his spear as it was yanked free from his grasp, and before he knew it, Yuria stabbed the spear in his gut within two seconds, making him violently cough out blood.
Fucking...impossible...Hibiki thought to himself in dismay, before his vision started to fade away.