A/N: I gotta say, this is one of my favorite chapters so far. I had blown through this in one day, writing nonstop until I finished it. It payed off, I'd say. I hope you all enjoy. :)
The crowd had been loud before, but it didn't seem so impactful in the spectator booth. Here, in the thick of it all, the sound of their roaring and cheering was deafening, the shaking of the torn up ground below caused goosebumps to well up on the skin of both competitors, yet it would not sway them. They both had something to prove, a realization that they would present to the other in their moment of defeat.
You are just a pale imitation of a Hyuuga, and you WILL be taught discipline.
I'm not like you, I don't want to BE like you, and I wont be leaving here.
Both boys slipped into their preferred taijutsu stance, slow and graceful as they kept their vision on one another. Oda's Gentle Fist stance was very similar to Ai's, Jiyuu noted, except his was more firm and unmoving, kinda like his mother's own taijutsu stance. From this, it was only more reasonable to draw the conclusion that yes, Oda was far more experienced than Ai in the ways of taijutsu. Ai had told him that Oda's list of completed missions was nothing to sneeze at, for it was an impressive length for someone still on a genin team.
However, a rigid and firm stance like his also meant something else, something Jiyuu would never had known if Warai never brought it to light. Any taijutsu-specialist with a more sturdy stance doesn't plan on moving so much, hence why someone who prefers to rush down an opponent would have a more loose, ready-to-move stance. Oda would no doubt be playing heavily on the defensive, waiting for Jiyuu to make a single mistake before capitalizing on his error and striking any openings that were presented. This would be just fine to deal with, so long as Jiyuu got the bastard to step out of his comfort zone and become aggressive. Ai had mentioned that Oda had a bit of a short temper for a Hyuuga, and would no doubt make mistakes against someone more skilled than her in a fight. That theory would have to be put to the test.
Oda was making his own observations about his opponent from across the way, already not sure how he felt about half of his discoveries. The very first thing he noticed were the pariah's eyes had gained some sort of upgrade, or perhaps a plain cosmetic change. The glowing pupil now sported a glowing dot above and below it, and the Hyuuga was not sure about what this all meant. This was not in the bingo book page that his sensei had shared with him, but it would no doubt prove to be insignificant; so what if he could see better? That wouldn't help him if he couldn't avoid being hit. Another thing Oda noticed, and this DID bother him, was that he could clearly see that all of Jiyuu's chakra points had been fixed. This was going to prove troublesome, for the Hyuuga had come down here fully expecting an easy victory. It still didn't mean much, he knew that he was far more talented in the Gentle Fist than Jiyuu was in whatever sad little hybrid style he favored.
The Hyuuga already understood the appeal to taking up such a style, a Strong Fist approach that utilized Gentle Fist damage to the internal organs. It was smart, but only on paper. In practice, Oda had remembered seeing the results from Jiyuu's battle with Kyofu. He is a jack of all trades, but master of none. He could never reach his full potential with the maximum physical damage possible when using Strong Fist, nor could he truly take advantage of his doujutsu if he didn't use the Gentle Fist for something more productive. It was a sloppy mash of styles that hadn't been refined (Oda wasn't even sure if it COULD be), and that would be his downfall. Oda's Gentle Fist was much more highly tuned than Jiyuu's, and it naturally beat Strong Fist users. Yes, the fight would be there, but the challenge would not...but the question still remained.
How did he fix his chakra points?
They both stood in wait, Jiyuu shifting his feet a little being the only semblance of movement. Up in the stands amidst the roaring crowd, Ai watched on in silence with her team sat behind her, and Riri at her side. Her main focus was on Jiyuu, his body pumping with adrenaline and determination. He was clearly confident in himself, much more than he had been before she showed him so many tricks and counters to the Gentle Fist. I sure hope he wins, and maybe even goes all the way...good luck, Jiyuu...
Ketsui was never one to be nervous...but he was pretty close to developing some sort of nail-chewing habit just so he could cope with the stress. The grip on his hand tightened, and he looked to his wife who wore a smile. "Please don't worry, dear," Warai said to him, "I've trained Jiyuu very hard over the past week. Believe me, my baby won't be losing to some uptight Hyuuga child." She was much better at hiding her own stress than he was, that was for certain. It was only moments ago that she had appeared to be more worried than he was.
Ketsui could only grunt in acceptance and turn his attention back to the fight, not trusting himself to form words that didn't sound like they were filled with panic.
A small breeze began to flow through the arena, and a stray leaf had found it's way within the walls of the grand construct. It fluttered and spun around sporadically, and had started to descend to the middle of the battleground. Neither genin moved, but Oda had tensed up his body while Jiyuu loosened his own. They leaf passed between their clashing stare down before gingerly laying itself onto the arena floor without a noise.
The game was afoot.
Jiyuu began charging Oda at an insane speed, so much so that it even took the prepared Oda by surprise; however, it would take more than some simple speed to throw the Hyuuga off. Jiyuu did a short hop, bringing both legs up before spinning around for a high-velocity kick. Oda ducked it, and saw with his Byakugan that Jiyuu had sailed right over his head, making a clean landing behind him. The Mist-nin immediately made a fist upon landing, and spun around to deliver a backhanded strike, but Oda had just enough time to twist around and clash against the blow with his own thrusting palm. A large bubble of chakra burst from the center of impact, and it got the Hyuuga a little irritated.
That's unexpected. His barbaric version of the Gentle Fist can unleash just as much chakra as my own strikes do. Our chakra will cancel each other out if we continue trading blows, nobody will gain an advantage.
The Mist-nin shoved Oda's hand to the side, and began a vicious assault of flying fists. They were precise, deadly, all of the strikes capable of doing chakra damage to the internal organs much like the Gentle Fist, and any punch that landed would surely stun the Hyuuga long enough for something bigger to come and take his head off. However, Oda only saw the strikes as a wild flurry of unpredictable, uncoordinated attacks. He began walking backwards and palming away each fist, little care present in his pale, pupil-less eyes. Each clash caused a burst of chakra, the repetitive 'pssh' noise coming from them increasing the tension that the audience felt with every single hit.
Just as I thought, he's gotten careless quite early. The Hyuuga allowed a small grin to pass his lips, and stopped each strike faster and faster, soon taking advantage of Jiyuu's flustered attacks; he would poke at the chakra points on Jiyuu's arms and legs before knocking the limb away, and his motions were so swift, his movement so fast, that the pariah never noticed. He could tell he was getting Jiyuu more and more aggravated, for the Mist-nin's attacks began getting slower, heavier; he was beginning to rely more on the physical aspect of his taijutsu than the chakra-based side of things. The change in force was something the Hyuuga had to make a slight adjustment to, now using two hands to continue the subtle blockage of chakra points and halting of strikes. Oda stuck out a palm to stop a wild haymaker...but his palm never connected. Jiyuu halted his fist mid-swing, and Oda was left sticking both arms out like a fool in anticipation for a strike that wouldn't come.
What? A feint?
Jiyuu thrusted his knee into Oda's gut with such brute force that the Hyuuga lost all the air in his lungs. He was lifted off his feet from sheer force, and was sent rolling and tumbling along the rough terrain. The Mist-nin pulled his knee down and got back into his taijutsu stance, but winced. There was a familiar, unwelcome sensation tingling in his body, and he could see it quite clearly with his doujutsu. His chakra points had been closed, but not all the way; the mark of quick Gentle Fist pokes that lacked precision. Ai had been right. While Oda was very talented in the Hyuuga fighting style, enough pressure would make him lose accuracy, and less accuracy meant less closed or impartially closed chakra points. Less was always good. Jiyuu lifted his head a little, taking note of Oda having stopped rolling; a hand was on his stomach, and he was crouched onto a single knee.
The Hyuuga didn't like this, not one bit. My entire midsection is numb...Kami, is THIS the effect of his stupid taijutsu?
"AIR MISSLE BARRAGE!"
Oda lifted his head up at near-breakneck speed, and saw giant grey spinning cones of air heading towards him. He fought through the throbbing feeling in his chest and leapt to his feet, instantly spinning in rapid circles on a heel. "ROTATION!" He felt chakra shoot from his very network and leak through his flesh, a special trick that only Hyuuga could perform, as a bright blue swirling dome surrounded his body. He found it harder to perform than usual, the chakra not exactly passing through his torso correctly, but it would do the trick. Powerful blasts of compressed air exploded upon impact against the famed Hyuuga technique, and the ones that missed tore up the terrain even more than it had been before. Oda could see through his ultimate defense that Jiyuu was done with using ninjutsu, and was once again charging at a high speed. The Hyuuga stopped on a dime and his Rotation faded into thin air, his small frame returning to it's basic Gentle Fist stance.
He'll be going for a high strike, he seems to favor those.
Oda pulled both his hands back and hunkered down low just as Jiyuu was within striking range. Like clockwork, Jiyuu had gone for a leaping spin kick, and it missed horribly. The Hyuuga was ready, already throwing his arms forward and aiming for the chest. Direct hit. The force flung Jiyuu into the air, flipping and flailing like a rag doll. The attack had felt as if Jiyuu was punched right in his lungs and heart...hell, it felt like those organs were folding up where they got struck. He coughed heavily, a thick glob of blood spilling from his mouth as he continued his ascent. He saw his insides without wanting to, courtesy of his Byakugan; there was no damage to his chakra network, but he could make out his organs a little...his heart was beating about as fast as he expected it to be, which was a little too fast. Organ damage wasn't going to be something that he could just recover from, and Ai had failed to mention that the Gentle Fist could do just that.
Down below, the Hyuuga pulled back an open palm in preparation for a technique he had learned during the previous week, a small gift from his dear sensei just to make sure this fight went smoothly. "I won't give you a chance to breath! Air Palm!" He shot his hand upward, and a barely visible cone of air fired out. It slammed into Jiyuu and flopped his body around even more...but more importantly than that, it sent him even higher into the air. Oda leapt up after him, determined to stay true to his word and show no mercy. He began his handiwork as soon as he was within range of the Mist-nin. He struck with light finger jabs at any chakra point that was easy to reach, each small poke making Jiyuu recoil like he had been struck with a baseball bat. Two, four, eight, sixteen, and then he performed Rotation to finish things off. It's rapid-moving surface ground against the Mist-nin's flesh like sandpaper, and soon the momentum had taken effect, knocking Jiyuu far away. He hit the ground hard and landed limp, unmoving; it was hard to tell if he was even breathing.
The Hyuuga landed gracefully on the ground like had just performed a dance move, a thin grin curling on his lips. He could see that Jiyuu was done, the stupid kid had gotten way over his head with this battle. An outsider, beat a Hyuuga in a taijutsu bout? How absurd. He resembled an animal that had been shot, limp and laid on it's side without a semblance of life in the husk of a body. "Just look at you," he stated in a calm, confident tone as his doujutsu deactivated. "You had been so sure of yourself, but you're nothing but a pale imitation of the Hyuuga. You could never beat someone with knowledge of the Gentle Fist, never." He began a slow walk towards his defeated opponent, his thin smirk soon flattening as he remembered that he was in the public eye, such derogatory vocabulary would never be considered acceptable. But one would have to forgive Oda for becoming this excited, for this was his purpose. THIS was what he had been trained for, what he LONGED for. With Jiyuu defeated, he would change the Hyuuga Clan for the better, much like his idol Neji would have wanted. How exactly this meant that the clan would merge and become whole, or how there would no longer be a Caged Bird Seal due to Jiyuu's arrival, he was unsure...but Riri-sensei had said that this would be a catalyst for all such things.
He was doing this for those who could not do it for themselves.
Oda stopped just before Jiyuu's crumpled body, and folded his arms as his frozen white eyes became downcast at the frail boy. "I'll be merciful, since you wouldn't be of much use to the Hyuuga in shambles. I will give you only one chance to surrender. If not, then I'll end it here and now...and not in a way you would like.
Up in the stands, a particular jounin-sensei wasn't too pleased with Oda's hasty behavior in requesting a surrender. Riri knitted her brow, only allowing herself to display a tiny bit of concern; vocally, however, it was a different story altogether. "It's too soon in this battle for Oda to even consider asking such a thing...does he really underestimate his opponent that much, or is Jiyuu Tamashi truly as Oda says? If this match is truly over now, then that just makes it easier for us...but it feels too easy..."
The younger Hyuuga kunoichi beside her fully understood what was going on, her thoughts unconcerned with trying to capture Jiyuu like Riri's was. It clouded her vision, denied her access to seeing the obvious. This match wasn't already over, not at all. No, Oda had taken a single hit from Jiyuu...and chances are, he didn't want to take another one. Something Oda only did against people stronger than him was demand a surrender when he knocked them down...how fast Riri forgets when her little 'prize' was on the line.
Speaking of the 'prize', Jiyuu slammed a hand onto the ground. Oda's eyes widened and he leapt back, expecting a sudden ninjutsu attack to fly at him, but he had been wrong; his nerves got the better of him. The Hyuuga Pariah took his time getting up, gingerly moving one limb after another into position. He got onto a pair of surprisingly stable legs, and stood up with a hunch as his black, abyss-like eyes bored into Oda's own. His arms were covered in bruises from attacked chakra points and scratches from the Rotation, but all Jiyuu did in response to what must have been a decent amount of pain was dust off his shoulder.
"...that can't be all you have for me."
The Hyuuga reactivated his Byakugan; something was clearly amiss with the Mist-nin, for nobody should be able to move properly with the specific chakra points Oda had closed up, let alone stand. He had targeted the limbs mostly, the joints in particular, to greatly restrict movement. But the Byakugan never deceived, but only for this occasion, Oda had wished that it did. His damage had been undone, Jiyuu's chakra was flowing completely normal like the boy was never even attacked with the Gentle Fist. But this was impossible, there was nothing that could undo alteration of the chakra network; perhaps medical ninjutsu, but such a thing would have been much too easy to spot and have taken FAR too long...so, the only logical conclusion was...
...no...Jiyuu couldn't have...there was no way he learned the secrets of the Gentle Fist, how to close and open chakra points himself...
"...how..."
Jiyuu perked his head up at the mumble from across the arena. "Eh? What was that?"
Oda was making a fist so hard at his side, blood started to leak from small tears he made in his own flesh. "How...HOW DID YOU DO THAT?! WHAT IS YOUR TRICK, TAMASHI?!"
Someone was clearly upset, and the Mist-nin could only figure that it was justifiable. Here he was, a genin from a faraway hidden village who not only had a doujutsu that didn't belong to him, but now a few secrets of the clan's beloved fighting style that could absolutely ruin them if told to the wrong people. He had become more than a priority for the Hyuuga now, he had become a hazard, a danger to their well-being that simply could not be lefts unattended. Sure, the Hyuuga had been more lenient in the past few years, allowing Branch members like Oda, Riri, and even Ai to learn techniques that used to be exclusive to the Main family. Sure, the Hyuuga were much better about sharing information with each other in regards to improving their fighting technique and overall prowess as shinobi.
Jiyuu was not one of those people, not a real Hyuuga. He was an outsider who took something without permission; the only thing that prevented him from being a true Hyuuga now would be his intolerance to actually learn proper Gentle Fist, wear their stupid clothing, grow his hair long, and become a stoic machine. The biggest thing that made this situation a whole new degree of serious, however, was that Jiyuu was aware. He KNEW what it meant as soon as he opened his chakra points, as soon as he used the basis of the Gentle Fist to fix his body up and prevent a loss. Oh, he could practically feel Riri fuming from her seat right now, and Ai was probably trying her hardest to not freak out from the sudden heavy pressure she was feeling. She didn't think it this far, she didn't realize at all that teaching Jiyuu one small thing just so he could beat Oda was also her revealing CLAN SECRETS to an OUTSIDER who could ACTUALLY USE THEM. Jiyuu would never tell anybody about how she helped...but he sure was going to milk this delicious moment, because one ultimate truth remained:
The bet was still on. If he won it ALL, he stayed here, period. And now he had a tool that not even Mendona could fight against, for his precious chakra would get cut off and he'd be worthless. He was going to win it all now, he was going to win his freedom.
"I SAID, TELL ME WHAT TRICK YOU'RE USING, TAMASHI!"
Jiyuu grinned, and wagged a finger beside his head.
Enough messing around. Oda was blind with rage, confusion, fear, and allowed instincts to take over. He charged Jiyuu, leaping in the air as he pulled an arm back and thrusted his palm forward, launching a small blast of air at the Mist-nin. "AIR PALM!"
The proper hand signs were already woven by his opponent, who took in a great amount of air and held it in his chest. "Wind Release: Might Gale!" He hunched forward as a massive torrent of high speed winds flew from his mouth, completely overpowering the Air Palm as well as shoving Oda far away.
It's time to put the upgraded Mezame Byakugan to the test...I saw what it was really capable of during training with Ma, how it got me to see things so much better, how I felt like I had all the time in the world to react to her attacks before she started trying. I just react FASTER, I can avoid getting hit FASTER, it's so insane how much of a difference there is between this and the standard Byakugan. I've also noticed that my range of vision got a major boost, probably around twice as much as I had when it was just the Mezame Byakugan by itself; I can probably see up to 100 meters by now. I haven't truly used it to it's full potential yet...but that's gonna change now!
He rushed Oda just as the Hyuuga was landing on all fours, his small form coming to a sliding halt. As soon as he lifted his head, Jiyuu had already been within striking distance. Oda stepped back in a defensive Gentle Fist pose, anticipating some sort of punch or kick, but did not anticipate Jiyuu to stick his arms between Oda's, knock the Hyuuga's hands away before grabbing his head, and pulling it down into a vicious knee strike. Chakra surged from the blow, flying through Oda's head before Jiyuu had let him go. The Hyuuga's nose was bleeding, definitely broken, but the Leaf-nin felt no pain, only anger. He snarled at the boy, the one with the strange three glowing dots on his eyes, and charged with a full head of steam. He knew he was going out of his comfort zone, he knew he was betraying his teachings by going on the offensive, but clearly it wasn't going to work now. If Jiyuu had taken advantage of his defensive stance and gotten such a dirty hit on Oda, then the Hyuuga would not allow him another chance.
The Mist-nin's eyes widened at Oda's newfound speed, narrowly avoiding a palm strike to the face by shifting his head to the side. He felt a thumb graze his ear, but also saw that Oda was wide open; by plain reaction alone, Jiyuu's fist found itself flying onto the Hyuuga's head. Oda took it well, spinning with the hit and fighting through the dizzy feeling it gave him by trying to deliver a double palm strike. His arms were slapped away, but this was just as he had planned; he used his newfound momentum to launch a spinning roundhouse kick for the Pariah's skull.
But Jiyuu's eyes could see it from a mile away. Hell, the foot appeared to be approaching in slow motion to him with his newfound reaction speed. He only had to duck under it, and the attack flew over his head in less than a second. However, Oda would not give up: he spun around again and attempted an overhead palm strike while Jiyuu was still hunkered down. The Pariah frowned and rolled out of it's path, and the palm slammed into the ground hard enough to break up some of the already-crushed land. Jiyuu recovered and took up his standard taijutsu stance, while Oda took up his own, and once again, both stood frozen where they were.
Even with my upgraded reflexes and movement speed, Oda is still fast enough to keep me from really doing much of anything. I'm going to have to catch him off-guard.
Oda slowly moved a hand to his nose, wiping the blood away before closing up a nostril and exhaling heavy; a red blob of blood and mucus flew from his nose. "Well, what now? Are you going to attack anytime soo-"
The Pariah was already in front of him, fist back and ready to attack. The Hyuuga was ready this time, palming the fist as their chakra burst between their strikes. "I DON'T CARE HOW YOU KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW ANYMORE! ALL THAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU WILL FALL TO ME!" The two began trading blows once more, Jiyuu's fists and Oda's palms clashing over and over in rapid succession as chakra continually burst from each impact. The crowd was loving the drama, the action, the intense and high-speed combat.
The competitor's booth was very silent by comparison to the rest of the arena's spectators, filled with people wracking their brains as they made analytical observations of both competitors's movements and preferred option of offense and defense, just in case they had to fight them (except Tanken, of course). Tsuyo adjusted his glasses and kept a very stoic facade in place, not giving anybody an opportunity to read his facial expressions and determine whether he was worried about his chances or not in later rounds. It was funny, it seemed that Oda was actually giving Jiyuu a run for his money, and that was with Jiyuu's evolved Byakugan as well. Tsuyo knew full and well of all it's newfound abilities, for he had been requesting Jiyuu to give him explanations for any new stages he found to the doujutsu so he could record them; Jiyuu was hesitant at first, but Tsuyo insisted it was purely for research. It appeared that the increase of vision, reflexes, senses and reactionary speed all increased with every stage, and would stack on top of each other, as well.
On top of all that, Oda could keep up and adapt accordingly. Truly, he lived up to all that he had built himself up to be. The amount of training he'd have to go through in order to reach that level of talent was unheard of. All members of Team One had done something similar, however, including the Hyuuga Pariah down there. He had come quite far with a few of his self-developed tactics and his unique doujutsu, but eventually, he'd have to stop relying on his eyes to carry him through battles. This may be one of those times.
Out the corner of his eye, Tsuyo could see Sakana was unnaturally stiff. He turned just a little, and he could see that she stood tall with half-lidded eyes and folded arms, but she was squeezing herself so much that her skin was becoming discolored from a lack of blood flow. He'd never seen her like this, especially not during the Elimination Portion for any of their matches; she had been very calm during them, not even seeming worried. Was this...was she always concerned before and not showing it due to her pride, or was she just faking this to...no, that wouldn't make sense.
Something must have happened, but it seemed that the heartless kunoichi may have began to develop a bit of a soft side for her teammates. Either that, or she was finally comfortable enough to not hide it anymore.
Their attacks clashed once more, the resulting chakra burst bigger than the previous ones had been. However, Oda was ready to make things go his way. His open palm wrapped around Jiyuu's fist instead of retracting, and pulled the Mist-nin in close. His free palm fired forward while Jiyuu was caught off-guard from the tug, and slammed against his chest. Jiyuu's heart literally skipped a beat, and in that one second, Jiyuu's body became cold and numb. The pain was immense, and he had lost control of his body as he felt the fingers of death wrap around him...but, this was only for a second, no matter how long it felt. He coughed up blood as soon as his body was under his control again, and his breathing came out in sputtering coughs.
The Hyuuga pulled his palm away as Jiyuu stood there hunched over, clearly forgetting he was in the middle of a fight. "If you rely so heavily on fighting like a rogue, then perhaps it's time I do the same. I will prove to you why Gentle Fist is the supreme taijutsu style." He did a quick leg sweep that easily caught Jiyuu's feet, taking them off the ground and putting the Pariah on his back. Oda leapt on top of the Mist-nin and quickly got to work, palming at the upper body of his opponent, but slow and concentrated just to make the pain last longer. Two palm strikes with five seconds of delay between each met with Jiyuu's heart, and his body began to feel colder, and colder. His mind became blank from the pain, and his eyes were wide with this empty look that only a corpse would have. He saw the third palm coming, this one also aimed for the heart. He quickly acted with as much strength as he could muster, and stopped the attack by grabbing Oda's wrist; the Hyuuga attempted to continue the assault with his free hand, but his next strike was stopped in a similar fashion, leaving the two boys without any means of attack in their current positions.
Oda grinned as he looked over the Mist-nin. He had lost quite a bit of stamina from those internal strikes, already covered in a thicker sheen of sweat as blood trickled from his mouth. "Impressive, you still have the strength to keep me from attacking any further. But it makes no difference, Tamashi, because I will no longer be playing safe. Yes, I'll no longer rely on closing your chakra points anymore, as this seems to be ineffective. Instead, I'm going to keep hitting your heart, over and over again, until I cause organ trauma minor enough to knock you out...but if you insist on continuing on, if you choose to get back up again and again...the organ trauma inflicted will transition from minor to severe, and you'll die from circulatory collapse."
Jiyuu coughed and shut his eyes, his arms now shaking as they continued to keep Oda's palms from flying forward. "Y...You're a Hyuuga...you shouldn't be...fighting this dirty..."
Said Hyuuga grinned even wider, even giving off a small, dark chuckle. "I know..."
Oda pulled his arms out of Jiyuu's grip in a sudden burst of strength, and was ready to launch a double palm strike to the Mist-nin's chest before he himself was on the receiving end of such an attack. Jiyuu acted fast, thrusting his own palms against the Hyuuga's chest just to get him off, but he put more strength than he realized into it, and shoved Oda a good distance away. He scrambled to get to his feet, a task proving to be harder than it should have been due to his internal damage, but Oda was already charging him. He went for two more heart strikes, but the Pariah had hopped back just enough to barely avoid getting hit. He felt Oda's palms graze against his jacket, and a fear that he had shoved into the back of his mind suddenly came to the forefront of his thoughts.
This is the Chuunin Exams. Death is a part of them, plain and simple...he could DIE if he let Oda keep this up, and the Hyuuga probably would stay true to his word. Even if Oda was lying about killing Jiyuu, the Mist-nin was still losing; with the deal he had struck with Riri, a loss was going to be just as punishing as his own death probably would have been.
Riri was trying her best to not stand up where she sat, but it was getting harder and harder the more stupid things Oda said or did. He was letting his pride get the better of him again, she could see that her student was taking this to a more personal level. What the hell is he doing? If Oda keeps fighting like this, he's going to end up killing Jiyuu. If he does that...Kami, the Main Family would not be pleased in the slightest. Who knows what they would do to me if I failed this one mission they gave me...
Ai, on the other hand, wasn't concerned with her 'mission' whatsoever. She was cupping her mouth, even wincing every time Jiyuu managed to avoid getting hit again. Come on, Jiyuu! You have to move faster, faster! At least do something besides run, but don't get hit!
Her wordless request was met much sooner than she'd have thought. Jiyuu came to a skidding halt and ducked below the next palm strike, fist pulled back as he looked into Oda's eyes with a wild fury burning in his unique doujutsu. This was it, the uppercut he had beat Mendona with in the academy, the one he beat Kyofu with during the Elimination Portion, and it would end this fight right now! "It's OVER!"
But Oda had reacted faster than most would, flipping over the Mist-nin and landing behind him before slammed a palm into his back, still aiming for the heart. Jiyuu choked on his breath as he stumbled forward, not even able to look back at Oda. "You're right," the Hyuuga stated before taking a very strange variation of his standard Gentle Fist stance, one where his arms were parted more than they should have been. He thrusted his fingers towards Jiyuu, but was nowhere near close enough for his taijutsu to even hope reaching...and yet, something happened. A small blue bullet of chakra fired from his two extended fingers, and it flew right into the back of Jiyuu's knee. Jiyuu gasped as he felt himself lose all control over his knee before falling onto it. Then the sensation happened to his other leg's thigh, which lead to him falling on his hands.
"Do you really think I was stupid enough to not suspect such a stupid trick from you," Oda spat, running up to Jiyuu's side and punting him in the midsection. The kick was powerful, strong enough to lift Jiyuu off the ground; the Hyuuga quickly grabbed Jiyuu by the shirt while he was airborne, and held him up to his face. The Mist-nin was gritting his teeth as he tried his hardest to stand up, but it was futile; he had absolutely no way to stand properly with one thigh completely shut down on one leg, and lack of control over his knee on the other. "Causing an opponent to act recklessly is an old trick, one I knew you would try to make me use sooner or later. I bet you had planned this from the moment you recovered from the closed chakra points, hm? You waited for the right moment to throw your favorite little punch at me and win...sorry, but I had been waiting for that very attack this whole time." Jiyuu tried throwing a punch, but Oda only had to throw him forward for it to miss.
Jiyuu hit the floor with his bottom, trying to push himself onto his feet with his arms, and still to no avail. "What did you do to me..."
"Oh, that? It's called the Spectre Tap, a unique Gentle Fist technique that I had developed myself after years of studying the Hyuuga Clan's Gentle Fist. I can't perform them in large combinations like the 64 Palms; in fact, I can only use a handful before I need to gather chakra again. However, you can see that it does it's job well. It's essentially a long-range Gentle Fist jab, allowing me to close or open your chakra points from a safe distance."
Jiyuu frowned, and tried to discreetly reach for his knee with a finger in order to fix what Oda had done. "So the whole 'no more closing chakra points' bit you fed me was a lie...just so I'd think you truly were going purely aggressive against me."
"Yes," the Hyuuga stated before firing another Spectre Tap at Jiyuu's elbow, making his efforts at self-repair useless. "And don't think I'll allow you to do what you're planning, either." He fired three more Spectre Taps, one into the other elbow, and the remaining two into his shoulders, before firing an Air Palm at the Mist-nin, sending him rolling and tumbling along the ground until his back slammed against the wall. He slid against it's surface before hitting the ground on his rear, and found himself to be out of breath. This match had gone on for too long, he was already at his wit's end. He could still move his hands, feet and torso, sure, but he couldn't move anything else that would actually help him continue fighting.
A creeping sense of helplessness was overwhelming him, a bitter sensation that he knew was the early signs of defeat. A defeat would not do here, Jiyuu refused to accept a loss that would forever change his life...but his body would not obey him. If he was going to win, he'd have to come up with something that didn't require getting up immediately.
"I believe I understand now," Oda stated as his grin faded, a more business-like demeanor forming. He started taking small steps towards his downed opponent, sparing him a few breaths before he would ultimately end this match. "There is only one way for you to have learned of the Gentle Fist's inner workings. You must have been spying on that idiot Ai while she trained with her team, didn't you? That's how you learned the basics...by watching that fool so carelessly practice something like that out in the open."
The Mist-nin could have easily said it was wrong, that she trained him in the Hyuuga taijutsu technique simply because she wished for Oda to lose. He could have said she just wanted change to happen, that she wanted nothing more than to prove to the Hyuuga that they couldn't just take whatever they wanted, that there were still limits when it came to affecting other people's lives. He could have said all of this...and yet, he didn't. He knew she meant well, Jiyuu didn't have to be a genius to see she had endangered her reputation, no, her well-being just to leak some tight-lidded secrets to someone like him. An outsider. She shouldn't take the blame for teaching him anything...it couldn't be helped it.
Jiyuu's face matched Oda's own, eye becoming half-lidded from exhaustion. "Guilty as charged," he muttered. He'd have lied and said he memorized Oda doing it during the Swamp of Misery attack, but then the question of 'why didn't he fix himself up earlier' would pop up. He could've lied and said that he watched Oda and Riri train, but that would be a complete shot in the dark since he didn't know if they even did. He wasn't sure how harsh Ai's punishment would be, but it certainly wouldn't have been as bad if they knew the truth. So, here he was, admitting he had learned a clan-specific trick without their permission.
Kami, he was just painting himself to be the perfect color of a criminal to the Hyuuga.
The Hyuuga clicked his tongue. "Have you no shame, Tamashi? First stealing the doujutsu of an ancient clan, then stealing the very techniques designed with them in mind, only to perverse them? It's-"
And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. It had been one too many times where he heard about how he 'stole' the doujutsu, how he had an 'unpure' set of eyes, how he used a 'perverse' version of the Gentle Fist. A nerve popped on his forehead that was unrelated to his Byakugan, and he stopped speaking from his mind; it was time to speak from the heart. "SHUT UP YOU BASTAAAAARD!"
The audience had fallen silent before, but now it was deathly quiet. A pin drop could be heard, someone coughing could have been heard reverberating through the stone walls of the arena if it happened. The civilians who had only seen a little brat who hated their precious jinchuuriki for no reason other than existing were intrigued as to why he would burst out with such profound anger, and the people that knew him already understood that Jiyuu and anger were not two things that usually went hand-in-hand. He was normally calm, easy-going, willing to be a friend if you wished, and was always determined to better himself so he could help others along his journeys. But this? This was a scared, broken boy. The members of Team One had been the only people to witness such a sight, but only after surviving a literal life-or-death situation on his first mission. That was expected. This? This was someone at the end of their rope, someone who's had enough of something that they've been dealing with for too long.
To the observant eye, one could make out a small tear leaking from Jiyuu's own and rolling down his bruised cheek.
"I never asked for this, y'know?! I never wanted the Byakugan, I'd have been way happier without the stupid thing! I'd be normal! I'd be able to go out on missions with my team without having to worry about evil bastards searching for me just to take my eyes! I'd be able to sleep way better at night without thinking about a clan somewhere in Fire Country that wanted to take me away from my home...my family. I'd be happier no longer having to meet people's higher-than-average expectations just because I've got the blood of a clan that I wasn't born into!"
He hadn't realized it, but the one tear that had leaked from his eye now became to rivers flowing down his face. Oda could care less, looking on at Jiyuu with a stoic gaze. The Mist-nin continued, regardless of what the Hyuuga had wanted.
"I am the way I am because one of my real parents was a Hyuuga, and that's ALL I know about my lineage. I've got no idea why the hell I've got a different Byakugan, I have no clue why it had to be ME of all people...but I don't care about it! I don't care about you or your stupid clan, y'here me?! I don't care if you don't like me having these stupid eyes and you don't! I just want to stay here in the Mist, around everything that I've grown up with...all the people I know. I wanna fish with my Pa when neither of us have a mission, I wanna talk with my Ma and laugh with her...I wanna strengthen the bonds I have with my friends, and beat old and new rivals that pop up everywhere. I wanna complete missions with my team, I wanna get beaten down by someone tough just so I have a reason to train harder and better, sweat and bleed more, struggle more just so I can become stronger to come back and win...
...I want to be Jiyuu Tamashi, not Jiyuu Hyuuga..."
The Hokage found himself sitting more upright in his chair at the small speech, his gaze focused on the young Mist-nin much like everybody else in the audience. This boy reminded him of someone, a person from long ago who had plenty of heart and a will that could change the world...only, Jiyuu's goals were more basic. 'I want to stay home.' The blonde man's lids lowered, and a silent sigh heaved through his body. There was not much he could do right now, except watch. Riri and Ai were silent much like the crowd, the jounin still cold as stone while the younger kunoichi tried her best to discretely wipe away a tear. But the two people in the audience that probably felt the most emotion from his outburst were his parents. Ketsui was shaking a little in his chair, like he had suddenly developed the shivers. Warai's hand tightened in his, and he looked to his wife to see how she was fairing; the poor woman looked like she was on the brink of breaking down completely. Without speaking, Ketsui pulled her closer into a one-armed embrace as they continued to watch their boy.
There was one final person who felt a little moved by this whole scene, but decided it was time to voice their opinion. Two fists slammed on the stone half-wall before her, and the kunoichi poked her head out of the competitor's booth. "JIYUUUUU!" Sakana got both Hyuuga down below to look at her, and she slammed her fists on the wall in front of her once more. "Stop crying and beat this freak already! You sitting there and crying isn't gonna do anything! You can do all that stuff you just listed off, ALL of it! BUT, you've gotta quit crying, get off your ass, and WIN THIS THING! I know you're strong! I know you can win! So JUST DO IT!"
Jiyuu's breathing slowed, and he stared at the Hoshigaki at a complete loss for words. She didn't look angry in the slightest, a major contrast to her norm. She looked determined, hopeful...she truly believed in him, and his chance of victory, even in his very dire position.
...Sakana?
Oda clicked his tongue again. "It's stupid for that hideous girl to be saying such things," he muttered before turning his attention back to Jiyuu. "You've already lost...unless you can somehow move your arms."
As if on wordless command, Jiyuu tried shrugging his shoulders in some vain attempt to get his arms moving, yet it did little; even if it had been effective, it would not have been for long, as Oda rushed in at a blinding speed and closed up five more chakra points along the shoulders of the Mist-nin. Jiyuu winced in the pain he felt, like searing-hot spikes were driven through every area Oda had touched. The Hyuuga went wide-eyed, and pulled his palm back as his doujutsu deactivated, finding no more use for it against a crippled opponent. "It's over now..."
One final idea popped into Jiyuu's head, one final and stupid thing he thought of and wondered if it could work. He couldn't make hand signs whatsoever, and even if he could, the blocked pathways wouldn't allow him to do any jutsu...but perhaps he could do what his father did. Perhaps he could skip the process altogether? He'd seen Ketsui do it on multiple occasions, memorized how the chakra should mold and flow...it was worth a shot.
"Do you have any last words to say before I defeat you," Oda hissed, palm steady and ready to end the match with a blow to the head.
Jiyuu already began swirling the chakra in his gut, and gritted his teeth. "Yeah..." He inhaled deep and exhaled as fast as he could, trying his best to perform the Mighty Gale without hand signs to help mold his chakra properly. It was nowhere near as powerful as he'd thought it would be, not coming close to throwing Oda off his feet...but it did push him back a yard or two, and forced the Hyuuga to cover his eyes from the dust that was kicked up. This was his chance. With all his strength, he jerked his torso to the side, flopping his arm over and getting his hand to land on the crook of his elbow. From there, He managed to unblock that single restricting chakra point, which let him move his forearm. That freed forearm moved his hand up to the shoulder, which quickly became freed up after a few concentrated pokes. Then that arm went to his other arm, and he had to be careful as he worked fast, not wanting to mess up his chakra points any more than Oda had. Both arms were fixed, and all he had left were the two closed points on either leg, each hand rushing towards them and freeing him up.
This match wasn't over just yet. Jiyuu, with the aid of his upgraded Mezame Byakugan, saw Oda rushing at insane speed and reacted appropriately at just the right time. The Hyuuga had a palm raised and was letting out a battle cry as he thrusted forward, but Jiyuu rolled under it, positioning himself behind Oda before standing up. Oda saw it over his shoulder, and threw out a heavy backhanded swing that Jiyuu also ducked beneath.
This is perfect, Jiyuu mused, he's right in front of a wall...
The Mist-nin elbowed him in the gut, forcing Oda to stumbled back and bounce against the wall, gasping for air like a fish. Jiyuu quickly got into a stance that he'd never used in public before, his body completely straight with his legs slightly parted and arms held up at the sides of his waist. "It's time for my new technique, and THIS is going to end it! I'm using the rest of my chakra, I'm going ALL OUT!" He grit his teeth, and pulled his fists back before taking a step forward. "Harmony Step: 1000 Fists!"
A shower of punches rained down on Oda's body, pummeling him like a hopeless sandbag as chakra bursts rang out one after the other. His eyes had become widened, and he soon found that his whole body was becoming numb. He couldn't fight back, he couldn't even form a hand sign as he was relentlessly punched all over his body. His body kept slamming into the wall over and over, the combination of punches not allowing him to go anywhere. He felt like he was low on air, constantly feeling the sensation of someone driving a fist into his stomach among other places. What was this technique?! Was this his own variation of the 64 palms?! Impossible! Nobody except his sensei knew how to perform the 64 palms, there was no way Jiyuu should have known about it! How?! HOW?!
His mother leapt up and began screaming with glee, much like how most of the crowd was going crazy over the unexpected comeback. "HE'S USING IT, HE'S ACTUALLY USING IT! I THOUGHT HE WAS JOKING WHEN HE SAID HE'D DO IT, BUT HE'S USING IT!"
Her husband was completely lost, too stunned by the sudden turn of events in a way that he preferred to actually form a coherent sentence. "What? What is...what?"
Warai wasted no time in explaining. "My baby! He worked so hard by himself just to make a taijutsu combination similar to one of the Hyuuga techniques, and it actually works!"
Down the way, Ai found herself standing from her chair, watching the event unfold with an agape maw. So THAT was why he asked so many questions. She thought that he had been joking when he asked how to perform that technique, but this was just so different from what she'd thought...and it was amazing to her. She remembered the conversation without having to think too hard about it.
"Hey Ai...I gotta ask you something."
"Yes, Jiyuu?"
"How, uh...how does that 46 Palms thing work?"
The kunoichi giggled at his question, and Jiyuu turned a little red in the cheeks upon her doing so. "The '64' Palms is a taijutsu combination that closes up chakra points, and-"
He waved her off, and rather abruptly at that. "Yeah, I know THAT part. I mean how does it 'work'? How do I do it?"
Ai shook her head a little. "Jiyuu, this isn't something you could learn in a week, even if you did nothing but practice every single minute of every single day. Some people in the Hyuuga Clan can't even get it down properly in a year, and they're chuunin." Jiyuu groaned at that. "It used to be reserved for the Main Family members only, but eventually was allowed for Branch members like me, Oda or Lady Riri to learn. Only a truly talented person could master using all 64 strikes at a young age, and our clan hasn't seen many of those. In fact, the last time we've had a genin learn the 64 Palms was during the time where our Hokage was a child himself."
Again, Jiyuu groaned. This wasn't going to be too complicated, he hoped. He just needed to know how it worked, how i functioned...and maybe, just maybe, he could steal something from it and make a little technique of his own.
"It all has to do with your stances and steps. A firm stance will guarantee full control over your body, how hard you strike, and where you knock your opponent."
"Yeah, I know that from all my Strong Fist training. What I don't get is why this technique would be so hard to learn."
Jiyuu's assault continued, and he was showing no signs of slowing down. He had been counting in his head the amount of punches he threw, he was somewhere around 500 by now. The chakra he put into all these strikes was immense, and he could see with his Byakugan how quickly it flew through Oda's body and into the wall behind him; the brick wall was forming cracks behind the Hyuuga's back.
"Well," Ai continued, "It's easy to take one stance and just start striking an opponent, but it's hard to strike and then change stances. Doing so multiple times for 64 total strikes is hard, and on top of that, you need to be very precise with where you hit, because missing a chakra point means you could help increase their chakra flow."
"Why can't you just stand in one place and do it?"
"Because any hit from any physical attack will push an opponent back. The only way that it would work properly would be if the other guy was backed against a wall, but that's just impractical. We've got to be able to use this technique at any point, right? So we've got to learn how to change stances and continue striking."
Jiyuu felt the number of his punches reach 999, and pulled his fist far back. "But I don't need to do all that," he mumbled. He let out a roar as he threw his final punch, this one being his signature uppercut. A powerful wave of chakra shot up through Oda's skull as the knuckles connected with his lower jaw, and the Hyuuga's eyes rolled up in the back of his head. He went off his feet into the air, but didn't go far; his back collided with the wall one final time, and he slid down it before collapsing before Jiyuu's feet as a bruised mess. He was motionless...breathing and very alive, but motionless. But Jiyuu was sure of it, this bastard had some kind of trick up his sleeve. He'd be coming around with something else any moment now...
...but the Mist-nin was just so tired...
Jiyuu backed away a few steps, slowly, and was panting heavily as he did so. He coughed up some blood and wiped his mouth, a hand reaching for his heart. It hurt a little, each pump causing him slight pain inside his chest, but it was nothing compared to how it would have felt to sit there and just lose. "Damn Hyuuga bastard...what you did better not stick around..."
A hand landed on his shoulder, and an amused chuckle caught the boy off-guard. "Well, if it's really that bad, you should go and get some medical attention. That is, unless all you're gonna need is some time to kick back and rest."
The Pariah turned around slowly, hand falling to his side as he came face to face with Buru, who was practically beaming with a sparkling smile. "Hey hotshot, you didn't do too bad. I'm impressed."
He was wordless, not sure what to make of this situation. He pointed a finger at Buru and arched a brow. "Why're you out here? The match is still on..."
The jinchuuriki bellowed out in laughter, hands on his hips as his whole body shook. "Whaaaat? You seriously don't know? Don't you realize what's going on, kid?"
Jiyuu blinked twice, his mind somewhat empty after such a dizzying combination of attacks that used most of his chakra. In fact, he didn't even realize it until now, but his doujutsu had deactivated halfway through his technique. He turned and looked to Oda, who was still a crumpled mess on the ground, before it finally hit him. Oda wasn't moving. Oda hadn't recovered yet, he hadn't launched a sneak attack yet...and the proctor was on the field.
...that could only mean...
Buru took Jiyuu's arm in a hand and raised it skyward, beaming proudly. "The winner of this match...is Jiyuu Tamashi!"
The boy was still wide-eyed, his mind still not able to comprehend what he saw...what he felt. The audience that had been watching him, the one full of people who had been indifferent about him due to his bad feelings towards a beloved jinchuuriki, the one they were unsure about because of how badly he hurt other children during the academy...they were all jumping and cheering like mad, some people even throwing their hats into the arena. The whole world shook for Jiyuu, and his head lolled back as he watched a few stray leaves from outside the arena found their way inside, swaying softly in the gentle breeze that carried them down to the ground. Just like that, he had made his point clear: he was Jiyuu Tamashi, he would ALWAYS be Jiyuu Tamashi, and he was one step closer to staying right where he belonged.
Home.
A hat landed right on his face, which he slowly pulled off as he continued to stare at the thousands of people, shinobi included, who cheered for him. He had been fighting to survive, fighting for his life out here, but he had no clue that these people would be so heavily invested into his struggle, so supportive of his victory...
A small smile found it's way onto his lips, and his eyes teared up. His emotions and thoughts finally became clear, and his body reacted accordingly. This was nice...nicer than any moment he had ever felt in his life up to this point. He stayed in the arena's battleground longer than most would, soaking up all the positive energy he was getting from those around him, and deep down, wishing this moment would never end.
This was stupid, horrible...impossible. Oda never should have lost, that stupid mutant Byakugan had carried Jiyuu so much through this whole fight, it'd have been impossible for that little freak to win any other way. Riri was seething, not even trying to hide her anger anymore. She shot Ai a glare, not forgetting that Jiyuu had openly admitted that he had been spying on this idiotic kunoichi. She was going to never let Ai live this down...even if it meant having her disowned by the Hyuuga.
Ai, well...she couldn't care less right now. Her goal was accomplished through Jiyuu's victory, vicariously. Oda lost, he would finally be humbled, and Jiyuu was going to advance! There was hope for him staying home, after all! She was so proud, so happy for the boy that she couldn't resist smiling wide. She covered her hands with her mouth to feign shock at Oda's loss, when really, she just didn't need Lady Riri to have more of an idea of what happened than what she already did. Ai didn't know what kind of punishment was in store for her, but she didn't care. Jiyuu now had the knowledge he needed to advance on and defeat anybody else easily...that, along with his special eyes that her clan longed for, would be more than enough to have him see a victory.
A certain Hoshigaki raised a fist up in the air, her iconic wide smile threatening to split her face as she shook with excitement. "HELL YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" She quickly felt that she was being watched, and turned to see a very stunned Tsuyo staring at her like she belonged in a zoo. She snarled at him and folded her arms, even lifting her nose at him. "What, you got a problem with me getting a little excited over his win?"
He shook his head, a nervous smile showing itself. "N-No! Not at all!" He looked back to his friend down below as a bead of sweat rolled down his face, hearing Sakana already begin cheering once more. 'A little?' Good grief, she did change...for the better, at least.
Team Two's only spectators who weren't going to compete were much calmer than everybody else was. Tenshi could only muster up the strength to smile and clap, feeling like anything else would probably open her wound. Suchiru threw what was left of his cigar stub to the ground almost as fast as he pulled out a fresh stogie and a lighter. "I gotta admit," he stated as he placed the cigar between his lips, "that kid's not too bad. Hell, he had me goin' for a while there," he muttered, lighting the cigar and blowing out a thick cloud of smoke.
Warai and Ketsui began jumping up and down as they screamed in delight, wasting no time before locking lips in a long and loving embrace. He did it! Their son actually did it! Their lips parted, and Warai nuzzled herself against Ketsui's chest, watery eyes looking down at her smiling baby down below. Ketsui didn't cry, he didn't even tear up...but his insides felt warmer than they've been in a long time. Pure joy was running through his veins, unfiltered and unrestricted glee that filled him with delightful hopes and dreams for the future, all of them involving his son staying home. Jiyuu...
His eyes looked up to the giant television monitor attached to the wall of the arena, it's image being a close-up of Jiyuu's face. The boy's small smile soon grew into a giant beaming one, and he flashed a peace sign to the camera.
...that's m'boy...
And somewhere else, in a much more reserved, quiet part of the arena, The Hokage lowered the brim of his special Kage hat, a big smirk lifting his whiskered cheek. "I gotta say Chojuro, you've got some talented genin here in the Hidden Mist."
Chojuro's little smile at Jiyuu's win thinned at the words. "Yes...but he may be your's soon, won't he?"
"Unfortunately, it's not up to me, even if I'm tied to the Hyuuga. It's their affair, not mine, and they don't want me getting too involved. They keep saying it'll be better for him, y'know? That he'll be safer...but, it's like you said."
"...?"
"...'maybe'...he still has a chance to stay here if the Hyuuga allow him. I've got no doubt he'd earn their respect and get the chance to stay here, dattebayo! And, to be completely honest...I wouldn't be too upset if he managed to do just that."
Chojuro didn't bother looking away from the Mist-nin down below. "Hn, I'm glad at least two of us feel that way."
"Of course I'd feel that way..." How could I not after a match like that? The kid's got some heart...
There wasn't much left for Jiyuu to do. As much as he'd love to stand in the middle of this shower of cheers for longer, he knew he shouldn't delay the next match. He gave the crowd a half-wave as he walked to the doors that lead to the competitor's booth, the view he got of an enthusiastic Sakana not being lost to him (THAT had to be the most obscure thing he'd seen so far today). He made his way up the stairs, groaning with each step as mild pain made it's presence known, the side effect of a hard-fought battle. The second Jiyuu stepped into the competitor's booth, a blue hand landed on his shoulder and shook him violently. He had to be careful to avoid falling down, but saw that the person shaking him was indeed the very same Hoshigaki that he had hated a week ago...but now, looking at her, it seemed like she was a different person. She was smiling her wide smile, yes...but it looked more tame, more 'happy'. She didn't have her eyes all wide and deranged looking, instead having them closed as she chuckled. And, maybe Jiyuu had taken too many knocks to the head, but he could've sworn he saw a light blush dusting her gilled cheeks.
She seemed so pleasant.
"Good work out there, Jiyuu," she said, releasing his shoulder and looking him in the eye. "But don't get all mushy next time, alright? You could've ended that match forever ago if you just got on with it." She said it all with a smile, and even chuckled at her last words...or perhaps, she was laughing at Jiyuu's stupefied expression. He was all wide-eyed with his mouth somewhat ajar, like a fish (she found that especially amusing), and was at a loss for words.
"Thanks," was all he could say before Tsuyo coughed, getting both of their attention.
"Not for anything Sakana, but you should be getting ready for your own match."
She nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right, Goggles." She turned immediately and started to head for the door, but a hand grabbed her arm. She looked over her shoulder to see Jiyuu, a small smile on his face as he flashed her a thumbs up.
"You can win too. But I bet you won't win faster than me."
She knitted her brow, smug grin forming. "Guess we'll have to see about that, huh?" He let her go, and she disappeared behind the door leading downstairs.
The Pariah took a few steps back and turned to face the arena floor, a long sigh escaping him. "She's trying her hardest to make up for what she did," he stated to Tsuyo.
"You had to see her while you were fighting," he responded, small grin curling his lips. "She was squeezing the life out of herself every time you were on the ropes, I'm surprised she didn't break her own arm. She was very worried about you."
"...so that was all real? All those smiles and cheers?"
"Oh yeah, I have no doubts about it."
Jiyuu became wordless, and watched as Sakana stepped out onto the arena floor, cracking her knuckles. Tsuyo began to speak more, adding on to what he already said. "After Tenshi forgave Sakana, I've heard that Sakana's been visiting her more often in the hospital. Actually, I could've sworn that one time, I was about to go in Tenshi's room when Sakana was already there, and the two were laughing together. Tenshi's gotten her to open up quite a bit. I don't know what the two talk about, but whatever it was, it made them both become really close."
"What could that've been?"
"No idea, but the two are awful friendly now."
"...well...if Tenshi can make the effort after what happened to her, and if Sakana's trying to be less emotionless to fix everything...then maybe it's time I forgave her, too..."
The genjutsu-user saw that his friend was staring at the Hoshigaki while he said it, clearly lost in his own thoughts. He sounded quite sure of himself, like this was a decision that he had been contemplating all week to make. The effort she was putting in was not lost on him, he could tell she had stepped far out of her comfort zone to behave in such a way...but somehow, she just seemed happier to be doing so. Sakana was freeing herself from whatever it was that weighed her down before, and the TRUE Sakana that Jiyuu had been trying to bring out for so long was finally making herself known. He knew she could be a good person...this was a great beginning to it, as well.
Tsuyo adjusted his glasses. "I agree. Oh, and Jiyuu?"
"Hm?"
"Congratulations on your victory."
"...thanks, Tsuyo."
Sakana got her stoic facade in place just for battle, making sure to leak with pure cold killing intent like she had been trained to do by her family. Her opponent had taken his time getting down to the arena, hands in pockets and a slow stride carrying him at a sluggish pace to his spot across the way from her. Suzushi Otoko, still as calm and laid back as ever, stopped on a dime and turned to face the Hoshigaki with half-lidded eyes. He was wordless, he had nothing to say to his opponent because he didn't care to. There was nothing to BE said. All that remained was their battle, plain and simple. Sakana felt the same, and cracked her neck.
Buru got between them, and looked between both genin. "Are we both ready?"
No response.
The jinchuuriki aimed his fingers at the air and fired off a firecracker-like explosion, grinning like mad for another exciting match. "BEGIN!"