Disclaimer: Yup, you guessed it, Naruto is not mine.
Beatrix Kiddo - Thank you so much for your review!!!! I was thinking nobody's gonna review my story until you did )
Updated Version: I felt it was too short, and seeing now that I've got a few days before my next paper, I added more stuff to this chapter :)
Chapter 2: Jounin VS Jounin
The flash of lightning momentarily blinded the clearing. Five figures stood in the middle of the training ground, three of them standing some distance away from the two taller figures, who were looking at each other intensely. The atmosphere was deafening, and nobody there could here the splattering of the rain, nor the rumbling of the thunder that followed.
Another lightning cause the three genins to instinctively blink.
The two jounins streaked towards each other. Team 7's sensei spun his left leg towards Gai, the rain drops pushed away by the force of the kick in a deadly yet elegant arc. With impossible reaction time, Gai deftly palmed down Kakashi's calf, and with a slight turn, rammed his left elbow into Kakashi's torso. Sakura winced inwardly, knowing that it must have hurt like hell, having witness first hand what Gai did to the ninja (not to mention the wall) when the Sand and the Sound attacked Konoha.
Or so she thought.
Gai's right eye brow rose slightly when his elbow passed completely through, hardly feeling any resistance, as the silhouette in front of him dissolved into a pool of water.
Mizu-bunshin…I see…
He turned to stop an overhead chop with his left arm, then, with a turn of his wrist, he grabbed onto Kakashi's arm and pulled it towards him. With Kakashi involuntarily moving forward, Gai ducked, leaned forward, and sprung up, landing an uppercut directly against his rival's chin. Kakashi could only look on as he got hit, flying up into the dark sky.
Kakashi, still feeling the pain from his lower jaw, flipped once in the air to recover his equilibrium, just he caught Gai leaping up beside him. Shit…
"KONOHA SENPUU!!!" (Konoha Whirlwind)
He did manage to turn and cross both his arms before the kicks landed. Though it soften the blow, he was still sent rocketing towards the thick trunk of a large tree. He ducked forward, ensuring his legs land first, and tensed when he hit. Like a spring, we rebounded off the tree, his hands performing seals.
All Sasuke could catch was a blur of movement, before Kakashi landed on the clearing, opposite the tree. With Gai still in the air and now looking rather alarmed, he finished the last seals.
"Katon: Hououza no Houyou!" (Fire Element: Embrace of the Phoenix)
It started as a tiny spark in front of Kakashi. The tiny orb of fire expanded with a tremendous rate, the roaring flame drowning out the combine sound of the thunder, rain, and the genins' collective gasps. A pair of wings unfurled from the fireball, and they looked on in awe at the fiery apparition. Its huge head turned towards Gai, and as if spotting its prey, the crimson mass streaked towards him. It trailed vapor as the rain turned into steam the moment they offend its beautiful shape. The whole scene looks unreal, even ethereal. Sakura's mouthed silently the name of the magnificent form flying towards Gai, her eye taking in the full glory of the mythical creature.
The legendary bird of flames…
Born out of ashes…
Phoenix…
The wings converged upon Gai, and it was not long before he disappeared inside the sphere of flame. Suddenly, lances of flame shot out from the ball as it exploded, scattering onto the training ground sparks of fire. Sakura looked on with wonder, amazed at what she had just seen.
What a death cry…
"Too slow, Kakashi!"
Kakashi catapulted backwards just as a foot burst out through the ground where he had been crouching. Gai emerged, seemingly unhurt. He positioned his left hand behind his back, and extended his right hand towards Kakashi in a pose that is all too familiar. Sakura smiled, amused despite the seriousness of this fight.
Lee even imitated his sensei's pose…
…and Gai disappeared from view.
With a speed too fast to catch by most eyes, Gai launched a flying kick at his rival. He allowed himself a smile when he felt contact, but it turned to a frown when he heard a dry crunch. A substitute?
True to his suspicion, what 'was' Kakashi splintered into numerous pieces, puncturing the earth with small pieces of wood, some puncturing the ground, others breaking on contact.
"Raiton: Hiryuu no Rakurai!" (Thunder Element: Thunderbolt of the Flying Dragon)
He must have anticipated my avoidance of my previous attack…
But…
When did he move?
With this question in his mind Gai turned in time to catch Kakashi's palm facing outward before his world was covered in a brilliant light, and then the darkness claimed him into its void.
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Under the canopy of the rain, the three genins stared, bewildered and astonished. That last jutsu had them speechless and breathless.
Thunderbolt…
…of the Flying Dragon…
They had seen Gai appearing in front of Kakashi, gasped when they thought such a powerful kick hit their sensei, and they had sighed in relieve when the substitute revealed itself. However, those could not compare with what they saw next. The silver-haired jounin had rose out of the ground, the last hand seals completed. He had then pushed both palms forward, towards Gai.
A crackling pillar of raw energy struck Gai, though the speed at which the bolt was so incredible that had they not seen their sensei or Gai getting struck, they would not have known from which direction the jutsu originated from. The blue lance exploded against him, sending arcs of lightning flying in all direction, dancing frenziedly across the area, however, with its bulk of energy still intact, the thunderbolt moved on, carrying Gai through several tree trunks before it dissipated.
As the rain started to clear away the dust from the impacts, the genins finally regained their breaths, and rushed to check on Gai.
"He would be unconscious for a few hours, otherwise, he would be fine." Kakashi said. He then turned around, and walked away, in the direction of the memorial stone.
He would be fine?
Or you kidding me?
Naruto looked at Gai's unconscious figure, and tried to imagine himself being slammed through several trees, not to mention being struck by a thunderbolt before that. Ouch. He bent down to take a closer look at Gai's body, and then he prodded him with his fingers.
"AWWWW!!!!"
Naruto jumped away in shock as Gai leaped up in pain, his hand messaging his side. The genins look at him, incredulous of his vitality. Gai seemed to suddenly remember something, and glanced around, trying to look for something. Not seeing what he was trying to find, he asked the three present, "Er..Where is Kakashi?"
"He's gone," Sakura replied.
"WHAT?! The fight is not over yet! I can stil-AW! AWW! AWWWW! AWWWWW!" He jumped around, clutching his back. With an exasperated sigh, Sakura told the two boys, " Let's get him to the medics."
They nodded, and went on to help Gai limped away, but not before Naruto turned back his head, to see where Kakashi had walked away from.
Sensei really is different today…
Did something happen?
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"I hate you! Hatake Kakashi, why couldn't you be the one who died? Why him? I hate you! I HATE YOU!!!"
Once again, he stood in front of the black stone, his face looking down at the names engraved.
So many…
So many people that he knew…
Dead…
Many times I wonder, Obito…
Why am I still alive, when so many ain't…
Sensei, the Third…
You…
With his half-gloved hands in his pockets, he crouched down. Kakashi withdrew from his flak jacket a flower, and placed it on the stone platform. Trails of rainwater ran down his smooth face as his eyes softened in remembrance.
We were the best, weren't we?
You…
Me…
Reiko…
His eyes pained at the name, pained at his own stupidity. How he had failed his team, his village…failed those around him…
All because of me…
She lost her best friend…
His heart seemed to ache at that. More than ten years had passed, and yet every time he came here, every time this day arrived, the same heartache returns. It ached for what may had been had he not died, it ached for all the hurt he had caused.
Well Obito, I have to go…
Kakashi chuckled to himself.
You do know all the paperwork we jounins have to do, don't you?
After all, I always complained to you about it, no?
As he stood up and got ready to leave, he tensed as he felt another presence in the vicinity. Surprise turned to recognition, before forming into heart-wrenching guilt.
Reiko?
"Hatake."
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Well, the finalized version of chapter two, hope you enjoyed it.
Then again, the bad news…
Haha…I got exams till net Thursday, so will not be updating…though I will try to do some writing during the weekend, and hopefully get something posted next Friday.
Till then!