Yes, I'm still capable of keep "one update per week" paste. To be honest I didn't expect to make it this time, considering how much was on my head for the past week (and this weekend alone), but hey, I did it and hope you'll enjoy this update.
Like always, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot to me. I'm even double happy, coz today I passed my driver's exam and in few weeks I'll be able to 'hit the road'. Naturally I encourage you to review this chapter as well (and those who haven't reviewed the previous are welcome to give their comments to this one also… it'd really make my day even better).
Now, before I'll get down to the next chapter, there's one thing I'd like to ask you: a while ago I made two quizzes concerning this fic and wanted to know your opinion. No-one really said a thing about that, so I'm asking openly (well, those who took one of the tests) if you liked the idea. Please tell me what you think of the idea.
And with that, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to invite you to read the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":
Chapter #54: The Hand and the Eye
Title Page: the mountains: Kai is facing a chamois in a head-bump match, Kusari and Ibuki are using the boy's chain in climbing up the wall, Kumiko is chasing a chamois that is eating their map and Takaru is blowing a hue horn
Horohoro slowly walked back to the platform as the medics finally managed to free Hogosha from the ice and took him out of the room. "For Hogosha to get defeated so easily…" began Futatsu as he observed the blue-haired boy who just his teammates. "Didn't saw that coming…" and with that he turned towards Reiji, who just kept on glaring at Horohoro: "Seems like the Leaf actually has some interesting shinobi…" he thought to himself and then turn away.
"Well, that Horohoro dude turned out to be better then I thought…" stated Takaru simply and his statement was quickly followed by Ibuki's loud 'heel yeah!", which instantly woke Rei up. The lazy girl only threw the young assassin a death glare, before returning to doing what she was just a second ago.
"You seem pretty happy seeing that this blue-haired guy won…" noticed Kumiko a little suspicious as she looked at her teammate, who only turned away and began whistling quietly. Kitsune only looked at Rei and then at Ibuki, before sweat dropping and gazing into space.
"Hot damn…" started Kai as he placed his chin on the rail a little depressed, not concern about what happened next to him at all. "I didn't expect to see someone as bad as that Funbo dude… that blue-haired guy is pretty scary…"
"You're just easily impressed…" stated Senkou simply, smiling behind his mask. Just then Lee announced another match and as the son of Hokage looked at the screen, it showed HARI versus REIN KASUI and in the next moment the short, blonde, Sand kunoichi jumped down to the arena, followed by the waterfall-nin with wavy, black hair and red eyes, wearing a blue outfit. "It's that quick-senbon guy from before the first exam…" the masked boy noticed immediately as he glared at the Bakufu shinobi.
"Hari…" Kankuro called quietly after his subordinate with worry in his voice. Dekai noticed that, but decided to say nothing. He just set his eyes onto the arena bellow, where the next fight was about to start. "Fourth match: Hari against Rein Kasui!" announced Lee loudly. "BEGIN!" and in a flash he jumped away at noticing several senbon fired just a fraction of a second after his command.
The blonde girl immediately jumped to her right, thus avoiding some of the needles, yet still some sunk into her left leg, making her teeth clench in order to keep a cry of pain inside her throat. As she stood back up, pain shoot through her leg. Even though she did her best to hide it, Kasui somehow noticed it anyway and smiling under his nose, he held out a hand with senbon kept between his fingers.
"I'm telling you right now…" began the waterfall-nin calmly. "There's no way you'll be able to keep up with me. You better surrender… otherwise it might get nasty…" but in reply the kunoichi only stuck out her tongue. "As you wish…" and in a flash more needles flew our from his hand.
But surprisingly senbon suddenly flew right at the ones thrown by the waterfall-nin and hitting all of them, made them fall to the floor without causing any harm to the blonde girl. Kasui's eye-brow went up slightly at the sight when he realized Hari was playing with a needle in her hand. "What do you know, it seems like you're not the only senbon expert around here…" she announced with a smile.
"Seems like Kasui found himself an interesting opponent…" noticed Shita as he sat on Tetsu's shoulder. "I wonder how long will it take him to defeat her…" but the hammer ninja didn't respond. His eyes only narrowed at the slight of the senbon user's eye and then looked at Miaka who was scratching Torabaku behind his ears, completely not interested in the fight.
Meanwhile the waterfall-nin threw several more senbon at Hari, making the girl dodge to her left, but as she did so, Kasui only smiled: "Big mistake…" he announced and pulled his arms back. It was only then that the blonde kunoichi noticed thin strings attached to the needles she just evaded and the senbon went exactly the way her opponent wanted them to by moving the strings.
In a flash Hari found herself jumping into the air, which was the only way to avoid the needles that were coming at her from every direction. But once her feet left the ground, she realized she was defenseless, which was exactly what Kasui wanted and in the next moment the waterfall-nin launched even more senbon at her, each sinking into her body, this time making it unable to hold back the cry of pain.
"How disappointing…" announced Tarakudo calmly as he observed Hari landing on the floor with several senbon stuck in her body. "I was expecting something better from Sabure-san's teammate… at this rate, this fight will end sooner then I thought it will…"
Honemaru only threw a quick glare at his teammate and then turned his sight towards the other subordinates of Kankuro. Sabure seemed completely unmoved by what was happening bellow, her face covered behind the mask, while Karame's expression, who's face was covered in bandages, was hard to read. The only one who shown real interest in the fight was Horamaru, who licked his lips at the sight of blood dripping from several, small cuts on his female teammate's body. "Marvelous, just marvelous…" he stated with an evil smile as his fingers on his right hand began moving.
"And you call yourself a senbon expert, even though you fall for such an obvious trick?" asked Kasui with a smirk. "For a while there I actually thought this fight might be fun… boy was I wrong…"
"Well, the difference in level is quite easy to catch here…" stated Ryo as he adjust his glasses. Tsuino didn't pay attention to his announcement however, His eyes only narrowed as he observed Hari who reached out for more senbon.
In a flash the Sand kunoichi threw her needles at her opponent and at an incredible speed she reached out for more, just to throw them less then a second later as well. The senbon were leaving her hand so quickly that many of the spectators didn't even manage to catch a glimpse of them. Kasui on the other hand saw them all and with an amazing agility began dodging all of them, getting just a small cut from time to time, but none of the needles managed to sunk into his body.
But as he kept on dodging the senbon threw by Hari, he suddenly spotted a small, wooden ball that rolled right under his feet. His eyes widen at the sight as in a fraction of a second the ball exploded, sending tens of needles in all directions.
Considering that Hari was still throwing needles from her hand at him, Kasui jumped back spinning as he kept moving his hands and legs in mid-air to avoid as many senbon as he could. He managed to protect all his vital points, but that still didn't change the fact that few senbon sunk into his hands, legs and torso. As he landed on the ground, he send a vicious glare at his opponent, who stopped throwing needles.
"Run out of your toys, haven't you?" he asked coldly with anger showing on his face. He was no longer the calm gennin from a minute before. You could almost feel his bloodlust coming from him. "Shall we see if you can dodge my attacks at least as good as I did yours?" and with that he held out several more senbon.
"Dammit, only a few more…" Hari cursed in her mind as she stared at her opponent a little nervous. Meanwhile on top of the platform, Takai only narrowed his eyes, but besides that didn't show any sign that he cared about the match bellow. Torune only took a quick glare at her teammate and felt the need to move away slightly. She knew all too well that the scythe user was getting excited. And every time that happened, it was bad news.
"No man!" whined Kusari a little depressed. "It's sad that this Sand chick is gonna lose…" he announced, making Kumiko's vein pulsate on her forehead from anger. Funbo only smiled and without looking at the rookie gennin, he stated: "Well, I must admit that both of them are quite skilled with senbon, but this is the problem with throwing weapons: once you lose them all, you become defenseless… that blonde girl used her needles too carelessly and now she's gonna suffer the consequences. Simple as that…"
"Not quite…" Hitomi cut in as she observed the arena with her Byakugan. The older Tanken gave her a confused glare, but the white-eyed girl said nothing more. At that time Kasui launched his senbon at the Sand kunoichi in the attempt to finish the fight.
Hari immediately began dodging the incoming needles and pulled out those that were still in her body in order to use them as her own. Concentrating her eyes, she threw the senbon she obtained that way between the needles thrown by the waterfall-nin in hope they'll reach their target.
Absorb in attacking, Kasui didn't manage to saw the incoming senbon before they were too close for him to dodge. With no, other alternative, he stopped throwing his needles and use his hands to grab all the senbon coming right at him. Hari's eyes widen as she saw the waterfall-nin collecting all the needles she threw at him with his hands, not allowing even one of them to sunk into any part of his body.
But the Sand kunoichi didn't had time to be impressed as Kasui instantly used the needles he just caught and threw them at the girl, once more forcing her to dodge his attacks. In order to avoid getting hit, she moved to her left, but that turned out to be ineffective as the waterfall-nin threw his senbon in a way she'd never expect was possible.
Hari's eyes narrowed as she realized that the senbon she was trying so desperately to avoid got hit from the left by other needles threw by Kasui and thus changed their route in mid-air and go after her regardless, sinking into her legs and making her fall to the ground with her face first.
"He threw his senbon in a way that they'd collide with each other and thus change the direction of flight!" Ibuki's eyes widen at the realization. "But this is something even a jounin would find hard to do! Who the hell is this guy?!"
Close by Uramaru hid deeper behind Tsume's shirt, whining slightly while Mikka hid her mouth behind her hands that she held in front of her. Hanamaru only swallowed his saliva loudly.
"Damn, that guy's good!" announced Tobane loudly and threw a quick glare at Hizoku. A single drop of sweat could be seen running down his face. "Even for Hizoku to be so moved by someone skills… this doesn't happen too often…"
Kasui calmly walked over to Hari, who was now laying on the floor. He prepared several senbon and stopped right above the Sand kunoichi, who was still laying with her back turned towards the ceiling, smiling widely. "I told you that you had no chances of winning, but you didn't listen… basically you brought this on yourself. I'm only gonna ask one, last time: surrender, otherwise I'll use my needles to pierce your throat…"
"I'll admit that you're good with senbon…" began the blonde girl slowly as she tried to turn over. "Better then me, that's for sure… but this match isn't over yet!" and with that call she flipped over and now facing the waterfall-nin, she threw several needles at him, which sunk into his hands and legs.
"You little bitch!" yelled Kasui as he began to swing his hands in order to unleash the senbon he held in his hands, but then realized that his body was not moving. At least not the way he wanted it to. "What the…?" he began and only then saw a small smile appearing on his opponent's face, who held her right hand out front.
"It turns out I can't defeat you when it comes to needles…" she stated simply while getting back to her feet. "But there are other ways to win a fight. Now this match is over. Thanks for falling right into my trap…"
---an all out battle… and the outcome is?---
And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think of it. It'd mean a lot.
No jutsu encyclopedia this time around (coz no techniques were used really), so I might as well finish this, but before that I'd like to wish all (or at least those who celebrate that holiday) a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Hope you'll get more treats then tricks.
Take care and until next time, hopefully.
