It's me again, somehow managing to keep the 'one chapter per week' haste. I'm especially happy, coz I must admit that this chapter is one of my favorites from eliminations and I hope you'll enjoy it at least as much as I do.
As usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed Galu's fight. I'd really like to say something about this chapter, but I believe it's better for you to read it without my spoiling a thing, so…
I believe I covered everything, so without further to do:
Chapter #53: Winter Leaf
Title Page: Horohoro is working in the ice cream truck and sales some ice cream to Kai
"Third match: Hogosha from Kane against Horohoro from Konoha!" announced Lee loudly, raising his right hand up. "BEGIN!" and with that he brought his arm down and moved out of the way immediately, which turned out to be a wise decision, considering that the metal-nin instantly began his first set of hand seals.
"Suiton: Fukahire Bakufuu no Jutsu!" Hogosha called out right before a powerful wave of water shoot out from his mouth. As the liquid run straight at the blue-haired leaf-nin, it began to shape itself into a shark with an opened jaw.
Horohoro seemed unmoved by this however as he only jumped into the air in the last moment, avoiding the attack and landing with his feet on the wall behind the metal-nin. But most of the people on the platform were quite impressed by what just happened. "Such a powerful, water technique without any water source nearby…" noted Taki with narrowed eyes. "That Metal guy is dangerous…"
"I didn't expect for you to dodge my attack with such ease…" announced Hogosha with a smirk as he turned around to face the Konoha shinobi, whose face was still emotionless. "Maybe I'll have some fun during this fight after all…" and with that he went through another series of hand seals: "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" and in a flash water that was now covering most of the floor raised and formed itself into a dragon this time, before going after Horohoro once again.
The leaf-nin run down the wall and onto the floor as the water attack hit the place he stood just a second ago. He charged straight at his opponent and lunched a punch into his face, only to have it blocked by the metal-nin. In a flash Hogosha grabbed the blue-haired boy by his shirt and tossed him over his shoulder, but his eyes widen at what happened afterwards.
In a fraction of a second Horohoro put his feet on the floor and bending back, he grabbed the metal-nin's hand (A/N: the one he used to toss him over) right before performing the opponent's toss himself and sending the protectors wearing gennin against the wall. The Kane shinobi managed to flip in mid-air however and landed safely on the wall with his feet, his smirk widening even more.
"Hogosha seems to be enjoying himself…" stated Futatsu calmly. And with that he looked to his right at Reiji, who stood right next to him, holding the rail with his left hand calmly and barely being interested in the fight. As the swordsman took a glare to his left, he noticed Naginata observing the match with her arms crossed. "How long do you think it'll take Hogosha to finish this?" he asked her.
"Once he'll loose interest in that blue-haired guy, the match will be over…" the redhead girl replied simply, without even giving her teammate a single glare. Meanwhile, down bellow, the fight kept on going. The metal-nin charged at his opponent this time and once he was close enough, he jumped into the air and somersaulting, found himself behind Horohoro aiming a kick into the back of the leaf-nin's head.
However the blue-haired boy avoided the attack by simply bending over, making the kick go right above his head. Acting on instinct, Horohoro propped his hands on the wet floor and blindly lunched two kicks of his own back, where he believed Hogosha should be. Yet, even though his calculations were correct, the metal-nin still managed to block the assault by using his hand and leg. As the protectors wearing ninja landed on the ground safely, the leaf-nin flipped and a second later the two were facing each other again.
Without a second waste the metal-nin charged at the blue-haired boy again, aiming a punch with his right hand into his opponent's left cheek, Horohoro however blocked that attack with his right hand. Immediately Hogosha lunched another punch, this time with his left hand into the leaf-nin's left cheek. Having his right hand occupied, the Konoha shinobi had no other option but to block with his left hand, forming a cross on his chest with his hands. But his opponent was not done yet.
The metal-nin lunched another attack, this time a kick into his opponent's stomach and the blue-haired boy had no choice but to block that assault with his right knee. Tired of being in defense, Horohoro used his left leg (A/N: that one that was still on the floor) to jump up and as he spun in mid-air, he lunched a spin-kick with his left leg into the surprised face of Hogosha. Confused, the protectors wearing ninja didn't make it with a block in time and was send flying few meters away before he flipped in the air and landed safely on the wet floor.
"That guy's good in taijutsu…" stated Senkou simply, yet didn't seemed that impressed. He turned towards Galu and with a tiny smile appearing on his face, he teased his teammate: "Better then you…" The green-haired boy didn't reply. He just threw the son of Hokage a quick glare before returning to observing the fight. Kokoro, who stood behind the two, merely rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Horohoro, kick his butt!" Ibuki yelled from the platform, making most of the Leaf shinobi gathered around her to throw her surprised looks. The young assassin looked around and sweating slightly, he explained: "Well, that blue-haired guy is at least from our village and that Metal freak is the one that attacked us with his team when Kusari and I separated from you guys in the forest…"
"Well… yeah, but…" began Takaru confused and not buying that explanation at all. "He's from your brother's cell… and I thought you hate your bro… to skip the fact that this blue-haired dude was also one of those who took our Heaven's scroll…"
"Whatever…" was the only thing the weapon mistress said before turning her gaze back to the arena. Kokoro, who observed her for a while more only smiled before following her example and got back to watching the match.
"I'll admit that defeating you is a pain…" announced Hogosha, yet he kept on smiling. "I suppose I should get serious…" but just then Horohoro began a chain of hand seals of his own. With one hand.
"Single handed?" Kakashi's uncovered eye widen slightly. "I haven't seen something like that since that boy in the Wave Country… and that order of seals… it's not possible!" but as the blue-haired boy was finished, he only stomped his leg on the wet floor and called out: "Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou no Jutsu!" and before anyone knew it water around Hogosha arose and formed itself into tens of needles.
"That technique…" Naruto's eyes widen as well at the memory of what Sasuke once told him. And at this time all of the water needles shoot straight at the surprised metal-nin from all directions. Having no way to dodge, Hogosha made a desperate move and jump into the air.
As he started spinning, he placed his hands and legs around the rest of his body, managing to block most of the needles with his metal protectors. Some of the water bullets however still managed to get through his defenses and cut his body in several places, making his landing on his feet a little less graceful then before.
"What the hell?" cursed the metal-nin through clenched teeth. "Since when does Konoha has a clan with water-based bloodline limit?" he asked, his eyes set on Horohoro with rage building up in them. But the blue-haired boy stayed calm and without any emotions showing, he just replied: "And who ever said I was from the Leaf?"
"What those that suppose to mean?!" yelled Kai from the platform. "He wants to say he bought that headband on some carnival or something?" but Naruto didn't reply. He just turned his gaze at Shino, asking the bug user with his eyes.
The head of the Aburame clan caught his glare and speak up, not too loudly however: "Horohoro wasn't born in Konoha. When he was about one year old, he was found on the battleground. It didn't seem like his parents, whoever they were, were coming back, so one of the Leaf chuunin took him and raised him as a Leaf shinobi…"
"A shinobi from another village was raised in Konoha?" asked Kusari a little confused. "How is that even possible? Every, hidden village protects its secrets. I don't suppose something like that is even allowed!" and the moment he said so Toku looked away for a split second.
"So if you were that chuunin and saw a defenseless child in the middle of the forest…" began Akira, his eyes still closed and his face not even turned towards the chain user. "You say you'd just let that kid die, because he wasn't from your village? If that's what you're trying to say, I don't suppose you should be here right now…"
"What's that suppose to mean?!" demanded Kai angry, but Kumiko stopped him, for the first time by not smacking him on the head: "He wanted to say that allowing someone to die just for the good of the mission is not a quality the chuunin should have… that's all…"
Funbo only took a quick glare at the kunoichi and smiled slightly under his nose as he returned to observing the fight. Hogosha just picked out his kunai and charged towards the blue-haired boy again, with an attempt to cut his head off. Horohoro only stood there for a moment and then run at the metal-nin as well, only he was performing hand seals while doing so.
As Hogosha swung at his opponent, the leaf-nin finished the technique and held out his hands. The two went pass each other and now stood with their backs turned at one another. The metal-nin smiled slightly as Horohoro's left cheek suddenly got sprayed with the blue-haired boy's blood, that dripped from a cut the protectors wearing ninja just gave him.
"And so it ends…" stated Hitomi simply with her arms crossed.
"I knew you were good…" announced Hogosha without turning around, still smiling. "To dodge my attack in the last moment… that cut would go across your throat now… oh well, you just delayed the unavoidable… I suggest you surrender, coz I'm not backing…" but then he felt cold gathering around his feet. "What the hell is this… this sudden coldness… it's almost as if my entire body was going numb…" and with it he looked to the floor and only then did he saw his feet covered by ice and froze to the floor. "Say what? How is this possible?!"
"I'll let you in on a little secret…" responded Horohoro calmly as he turned around to face his opponent's back. "My bloodline limit is not just about controlling water… I can also form ice. And that jutsu I just performed… well, you do the math…" and the moment he said so, Hogosha's eyes narrowed. "With your feet frozen to the floor, it doesn't matter how fast you are, coz you can't move an inch… I suggest you surrender, coz I won't back either…"
"You little…" began the metal-nin, but at the same moment the blue-haired boy charged forward and punched his face with all the strength he had, sending the protectors wearing boy out cold. Lee slowly walked over to Hogosha and after a short examination he only stood up and showing the leaf-nin with his hand, he announced: "Winner: Horohoro!"
---hearts race, noises stop… the battle continues---
And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll bless me with a review once you're done reading it.
Now, before I finish this up, I believe jutsu encyclopedia should be made and so:
Suiton: Fukahire Bakufuu no Jutsu (Water Element: Shark Fine Blast Skill) – this jutsu is not so different from Water Dragon Blast Skill (chance a similar name) described bellow. The main difference is that the user forms the water he sends against his opponent in the form of a shark in stead of a dragon.
Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu (Water Element: Water Dragon Blast Skill) - in the manga this jutsu is used by both Zabuza and Kakashi (also the second Hokage if I recall correctly). The user gives his chakra to the water and with the help of the right hand seals shapes it into a large dragon, created by the huge among of spinning water. Then the dragon is sent at the opponent. It can be performed only near a large body of water.
Suiton: Sensatsu Suishou no Jutsu (Secret Skill: Flying Water Needles) – jutsu, which origins come from Hidden Mist Village. The user must first send his chakra into the water and then, with the use of right hand seals, form it into needles. It's basically a skill that's related to a unique bloodline limit. So how can Horohoro use it? Some of you might've already figured out, but this one I'm keeping to myself
And I believe that's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed it.
Best wishes and hopefully until next time!
