By RequiemofDementia
Chapter Ninteen: Tickle no Jutsu
The sand was impregnable, or so it would seem. Nothing could get through it. Riki and Yume continued to try, however, leaping about the stationary opponent. Riki's blade came up, the sand gathering to block it, as Yume released a seal. However, even the jutsu's could not penetrate this defense.
Riki stopped for a moment, his eyes narrowing. He did not like facing an opponent he could not hit, he got enough of that from training with Shinzui. "When I get through…"
Gaara smirked softly, and one hand slowly clenched into a fist, reaching out towards Riki. The sand balled up, forcefully, and lunged at him, as if it were about to grab him. Riki leapt back, the sand following after him. It even shaped like a massive version of Gaara's hand, ready to grasp him.
His eyes narrowed, as he suddenly changed direction. His sword sliced smoothly through one of the fingers, which fell apart into a cloud of sand, drifting down. He leapt through the gap, now on the other side of the sand. The sand was not so easily beaten, however. The fingers simply blurred, the severed one rebuilding quickly. Without even turning, the hand faced him again.
As the sand was occupied with Riki, Yume raced forward, thrusting the wakazashi straight for Gaara's head. Only to find out that the sand could do more then one thing at a time.
Orochimaru stood by Kabuto, his tongue slowly waving in the air before him. Kabuto was not being as useful in this as he had expected, so it was time for Orochimaru to kick it up a notch. He came forward, barely a blur, slamming full force into the hastily erected charka barrier. And he broke his way through it. Shinzui was knocked away by the force of the connection, the tongue lancing straight for Kakashi.
The silver haired Jounin leapt calmly, and raced along the roof. The tongue raced after him, as he approached Kabuto. Kabuto's eyes widened, as he saw Kakashi's mask move, as if the mouth beneath it were grinning. His hands came together for another seal.
The tongue slammed into Kakashi from behind, except it wasn't Kakashi any more. Right before Kabuto, the figure was shattered apart by the tongue, pieces of wood raining down, the tongue firmly slamming against Kabuto's chest, knocking him across the roof.
He staggered up slowly, the force of the blow astounding. His broken ribs were already mending, as Orochimaru raced after Kakashi once more. Orochimaru had clearly lost all patience now.
Sasuke's body writhed on the ground, the only way Airen touched him was the two fingers upon his neck. She could feel the seal within him, the power and hatred burning through him. And that would be the first barrier. Sasuke did not really want the power of the seal gone.
"Sasuke-kun," she whispered softly. "I cannot do this without you."
Riki screamed out, as the sand wrapped around his left arm. Gaara's hand clenched into a fist, and Riki felt pain like he had never known. Even as he did, however, his sword, held within his other hand, swung straight for Gaara's head. So preoccupied with damaging his opponent, and overconfident in the sands ability, Gaara did not react.
However, the sand was not there this time. Deflecting a blow from Yume's blade, crushing Riki's arm, and blocking his sword blow, it could not also protect against Riki's leg, which came up, meeting Gaara's chin firmly, and knocking him away. The sand followed after the ninja, releasing Riki's arm, which now hung limply at his side, dripping blood.
"Not invincible after all?" Yume asked softly. Then her eyes widened. Gaara's chin was not bruised. It was cracked, revealing a second chin underneath it. This was the Sand Armor of Gaara.
Kabuto raced in, slipping under Orochimaru's tongue, his hands meeting Shinzui's stomach in a blow that knocked the man back. Kabuto raced after the body that spun through the air.
His eyes widened, however, as Shinzui formed another chakra barrier. He bent his knees, as his path through the air met the barrier, seeming to crouch against it for an instant, and then pushed firmly. His hands, once again blazing with chakra energy, connected with Kabuto.
Meanwhile, Kakashi was falling back from Orochimaru, doing his best to keep himself safe. A great many stinging bruises were upon his flesh, left by that hideous tongue. His eyes narrowed faintly, as Kabuto landed by Orochimaru, smiling softly. Orochimaru and Kabuto both slowly straightened.
"Finish him, Kabuto."
Kabuto looked towards Orochimaru, and then spun to face him, hands coming up, igniting with burning chakra. As they met Orochimaru's flesh, the illusion exploded in a puff of smoke, revealing that it was Shinzui that stood by Orochimaru.
Gaara's eyes narrowed. The man that had landed a blow against him still advanced on him, holding the twin bladed sword in one hand now, spinning it as a baton twirler used their baton.
Yume was at his back, but he was no longer concerned about her. It was this man that he needed to crush first. His hand came up again.
The sand formed into the hand once more, lashing out. However, this time, Yume was faster. She leapt full over Gaara, and brought her blade down straight through the wrist of the sand hand. As it fell apart in a cloud of dust, Riki raced through it, grasping his weapon in a grip so tight his knuckled were white.
Yume had never seen what Riki was doing now, and even Shinzui had seen it only once. Chakra ran the length of his weapon, as he raced to Gaara. A lock of shock crossed Gaara's face, as Riki yelled.
"Zenmato!"
Focusing the chakra in the blade, is hardened a hundred fold, a blur now as it sliced through the air faster. Even Riki's arm seemed to bulge with energy.
The sand was blown away by the powerful blow, which also cleaved through the sand armor. However, it did not penetrate his skin. Riki released his sword as soon as he saw the hole in the defenses. This was his only chance to delay Gaara as Chie needed. As his sword flew end over end, his hand painfully grasped the one shattered by Gaara's sand.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, his good hand guided the broken one through the seal, and then thrust forward. Gaara's eyes went wide as he felt the finger touch his skin, that has never been touched before.
"Tickle no Jutsu!"
The sand was wrapped around Riki's good arm, the bones of the forearm crushing.
Gaara's cheek twitched.
Riki screamed in pain again, as the powerful sand once again wreaked havoc upon his body.
The sand ninja's eyes narrowed, as his lips twitched towards smiling.
Yume was across from Riki, her blade shooting out, the sand releasing Riki momentarily to deflect her blow.
A faint gasp left Gaara's lips.
As Riki fell back, his determined eyes never left Gaara, watching the smile that bloomed over his lips.
And then shuddered at the evil laugh that emerged from those lips.
Author's notes.
There are two important things that make this battle winable. The first is Zenmato, a special jutsu of Riki's, that concentrates chakra into his weapon in the same way that the Chidori focuses it in Kakashi's hand. And secondly, coated always in sand, Gaara's skin would be very soft and sensitive, making him very vulnerable to tickling.
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