The standoff had begun.
Arashi stood, set into his fighting stance, and squaring off against a young 5-year-old…the young prodigy Hatake Kakashi.
It was obvious that Kakashi was more than a little bit peeved. Arashi decided to work that angle more. "You know…I meant to spread the circle of rocks out more than that…but I figured with your stumpy legs it might not matter." Arashi smirked. "Guess I was wrong." The Hokage loved messing with their minds a bit when he could, and he was glad when Kakashi's face flashed a bit of anger at him after the crude comment. He extended his right hand, reflecting a glint of sunlight off of the forehead protector on his elbow and into the young boy's eyes. "Well…enough fooling around. You came for this, right?"
Arashi carefully watched the boy's hands as he began to rattle off a few hand seals. After a moment, his eyebrow raised in slight confusion. Eh? These hand seals are gibberish…these combinations don't exist…maybe he's thinking he can sneak some real moves past me during the chaos. Arashi smirked and focused his eyes on the boy's hands further. You won't get past my eyes kid…not unless you did something be--crap.
Arashi, luckily, was mentally quick. He turned just in time to see the foot coming from the side and attempting to hit him in the head. He's a smart one…pulling a bunshin before coming over the wall…with a light shrug to the side he made the foot miss, sliding off of his padded shoulders harmlessly instead. Before the kid could land and perhaps get a better assault planned, Arashi struck him in the gut with an open palm, sending him flying. At least, that's what he'd hoped to do, but his hand went straight through the boy, and the boy disappeared. What? You mean that was the bunshin…
Turning back towards the original boy, he saw the chain of handseals continuing. So that's the real one!
Kakashi yelled with force. "Katon! Karyuu Endan!" Arashi's eyes widened. No way he's bluffing again…
Yondaime: The Strength of a Nation
Chapter 3, Part 3: Strict.
Arashi spread his hands and prepared to perform a counter jutsu. Something in his mind, however, suspected something was wrong. Kakashi should be quite familiar with my counter...he knows the ice wall will block the fire…wait. Suddenly, his senses all relayed to his brain at once…no…he made 2 bunshins…indeed, the yell had come from a different direction than he was sensing chakra. Arashi quickly leaped into the air, and immediately a massive wave of flame passed beneath his legs. He felt the heat of the attack warm his feet…
Arashi looked down as the fireball passed and dispersed the energy of one of Kakashi's bunshins. Sweat began to form on his brow. What a kid…to come up with a plan like that so quickly…and he's got enough chakra to actually perform Karyuu Endan. Looking at the wave of flame and the tails of fire coming from the sides of it, he noticed it unravel and disperse into the air as it hit the bunshin.
Twisting his body in midair, Arashi landed and faced the direction the dragon had come from, and finally faced the real Kakashi. The boy was doing his best not to show any emotion…or reveal how tired he was. Unfortunately, Arashi was a master of such things, and he most certainly noticed.
"It's too bad you don't have the ability to hold that attack together. That didn't look like a fire dragon…but it's at least a bit effective." Kakashi's breathing stopped for a moment as Arashi continued. "But if you had performed the full attack, you might have burnt my legs." Arashi smiled and reached down, pointing to his pant legs. "Unfortunately, your chakra wouldn't hold the attack long enough to do much to me…"
Kakashi couldn't help it. The frustration was apparent in his eyes. My best attack…and he not only evaded it, but he picked it apart. So this is what a real ninja is like…incredible. Suddenly, Arashi's words came back through his ears.
"Let alone laying a finger on the real me…"
The real him? What? Quickly, Kakashi rolled and turned around in mid-tuck, checking his rear. Where? As soon as he saw his rear was clear, he tilted his head back towards the clone he had attacked before, checking for movement. The fake Arashi stood still, watching the boy closely. Kakashi's eyes quickly scanned the area…the tree line…anything it could. Except one spot.
Directly above.
"Ninpo! GATSUUGA!!!!
Kakashi gasped as the yell reached his ears, and quickly looked up. About 20 feet above him, he saw Arashi dropping directly toward him, head first. The fourth hokage extended his right hand to his side and yelled, quickly tilting his body and working himself into a violently fast spin. As he quickly approached Kakashi, it seemed as if a mighty tornado was about to touchdown directly on the top of his head.
With reflexes he didn't know he had, Kakashi leaped to the side, just barely evading the attack, and looking in amazement as Arashi flew right past him, making no effort to miss the ground…
A foot hit what felt like the side of a mountain, full force…and the mountain didn't budge at all. It only took a moment for a yell of frustration to be heard. "Darn that little runt! Now I'm stuck in here…"
Kaira sat silently, her legs crossed Indian-style, Obito's rant the only sound interrupting her silent gaze at the ground. And yet, his monologue meant little to her. I did everything I could think of, and it wasn't enough. It wasn't even remotely enough. The girl balled her fists and pounded the ground. I'm not going to pass…after all this work it's hopeless. I'm still nowhere near him.
Slowly, she rose to her feet. But…I can at least help my team. I just wish it didn't have to end this way for me. She finally looked up at her teammate, who had begun trying to scale the wall on his own again. She frowned, noticing that he probably wouldn't make it. Darn…I'm physically stronger than him. Well…if I can't take Arashi-sensei…maybe he can.
"Obito-kun!"
"Mmm?"
Obito turned at the sound of a voice near him. Turning around, he spotted Kaira. Eh? Oh…I'd forgotten she was here…she was leaning against the wall of rock…with her hands out and clasped together.
"You want some help?"
Obito blinked. Kaira smiled. Obito blinked. Kaira smiled. Obito began to look at her skeptically.
"Why would you help me?"
Kaira tried her best to keep smiling as he questioned her help. "Because at least one of us should get out of here. I might be able to make it up after you."
Obito searched her face for some sign of deception, and found none. Still, something inside made him question her motives. He slowly walked toward her, not really wanting to accept her help. "You know…I could get up the wall by myself."
Kaira recognized his words immediately. "I understand. But then you wouldn't have enough left to face Arashi." She flashed her confident smile to him. "When I get over, I'll give what I have left to help."
Obito silently nodded, then smiled. "Well…here goes nothing…"
A massive explosion of dust and air forced Kakashi further away than he originally planned. Failing to control his landing, he fell back first onto the ground, dragging across the ground because of the force of Arashi's impact. The ground knocked him out of his amazed daze, however, and Kakashi quickly backflipped to his feet.
As the dust cleared, Kakashi was even more amazed. No wonder he didn't slow down…ground's no threat to him. Where he had been standing, there was a giant crater…about 15 feet in diameter. The most amazing thing about it was that there was a hole in the middle…that he couldn't see the end of. Kakashi's eyes widened. What kind of creature is this guy?
Kakashi looked back towards the bunshin of Arashi that had been standing perfectly still for quite a while. It was still there. The bunshin noticed him looking, however, and turned and smiled to him. Then, it smirked and pointed down.
Eh? Kakashi put two and two together too slowly. "SHOOT!"
"Too late!"
A hand shot out of the ground beneath him and grabbed his ankle tightly. "Time to introduce you to Konoha's secret anti-children technique…" Arashi smirked beneath the ground as Kakashi attempted to pull his foot loose. "Doton! Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu!!!!!!"
Kaira felt the ground shake, but she did her best to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. "Ready?"
Obito ran forward and leaped into the air toward her clasped hands. "Let's do it!"
As she felt his feet land in her hands, she bent her knees just a bit, and a low growl escaped her lips. A moment later, she yelled, putting all her might into one gust of strength…
Kakashi couldn't see anything.
It had happened so fast, that he wasn't quite sure whether he had felt it right. What the heck…he dragged me…
"Oops. I seem to have forgotten that you're shorter than most…your head's still supposed to be above ground…"
Turning his eyes upward, he was able to see a small light above him. Crap…I'm about a foot underground…and I can't move…
Arashi smiled, talking down into the small hole in the ground that he left for Kakashi to breathe. "Maybe someday you'll get to do that to your students. But you'll never be my student at this rate…" Arashi slowly walked away from the hole.
He abruptly stopped when he heard a roar of pure intensity and power from within the rock wall. Arashi chuckled. "They should have named that girl Kairai…" Suddenly, A black-haired boy vaulted himself over the wall with a bit of effort. So that's what she was yelling for…
Obito slowly pulled himself over the rock wall, and rolled over the side, righting himself in midair and landing on his feet. His breathing was heavy, and he was quite frustrated. Man…I never would have made it over that thing without her boost. She had gotten him halfway up the wall…his own grit had gotten him the rest of the way. Now came the real test.
Obito turned to look at his adversary, the mighty Arashi. "Where's Kakashi?"
Arashi smiled back to him. "He's six feet under."
Obito took a quite fearful step back. Arashi chuckled, then cleared his throat. "Actually, he's more like 2 feet under, but oh well." The man cracked his knuckles. "I take it you want a go at me too…"
Darn darn darn…this is going to take a while. Kakashi vibrated his body as much as he could, letting the dirt shift around him…
-------
One step at a time…Kaira knew if she fell off of the wall again, she probably wouldn't be able to make it back up. Just one step at a time…
Obito must have rolled about 5 feet, tumbling completely out of control and crumpling into a heap on the ground. Arashi slowly pulled back his extended foot, planting it back behind him. "Don't you know anything beyond frontal assaults, boy?" It had been going this way for quite a while now…Obito assaulting Arashi one-on-one from the front, and getting destroyed…
Obito struggled to his feet once more, his arms twitching as he pushed himself upright. Is our strength difference…this much…
Arashi frowned. The boy's got good endurance…and strong will. But, he's obviously tried to get by on talent alone…with no work or thought put into the process. He's got potential…which makes me hate his attitude more. "No matter how many times you do this, the result will be the same." Arashi quickly looked up to the wall and noticed Kaira's hands on the edge, attempting to lift herself over. Poor girl…
A moment later, he noticed that Kakashi was beginning to worm his way out of the hole. Time to end this…I gotta put Obito out now. Turning his head back towards Obito from watching Kakashi struggle, he wasn't overly surprised to find the boy's legs bent and tense, preparing to charge in again. I better use a jutsu on him and finish this off. Arashi began putting together the seals for a genjutsu before noticing that Obito was also preparing seals.
Mmm? So he does know something beyond that. Arashi watched silently as Obito's face contorted in concentration, and his chakra became momentarily visible. Suddenly, the aura seemed to be sucked within him; Arashi blinked, not even noticing he was thinking aloud. "No way…he didn't just do that, did he?"
Kakashi finally got his arms above ground, and quickly pulled the rest of his body up the surface. Without even taking time to dust himself off, he quickly dashed to the area where Obito and Arashi were fighting…
Arashi knew the boy was coming, but he had bigger problems. "That kid…he just used WAY too much chakra for any attack he'd know…"
Obito's fingers finished in the ram in. "Katon! Gokyakuu no jutsu!!!"
Arashi blanched. All that chakra for a grand fireball?!!? He knows overkill techniques? As Obito leaned in and aimed, Arashi took no chances, quite quickly doing kawarimi to escape the area. Obito continued the attack oblivious, but what became obvious to Arashi was that Obito HAD noticed Kakashi behind him. Luckily, Kakashi was skilled enough to dodge. Arashi took a moment to access the full situation while no one was watching him, and suddenly his eyes widened in shock. What?! He's…CRAP!!! Arashi looked over to the wall in fear…
Kakashi charged in, soot still covering parts of his vision, but not enough to where he couldn't see the man he had to beat. Quickly, he decided that a leg protector would be enough. If he got that, then he'd go for the arm. Yet as he charged in, he felt the air suddenly change directions….right before he left his feet to attack Arashi-sensei, he saw the fireball coming his way.
Obito closed his eyes, not wanting to see the small boy get roasted to a crisp, but--after all the boy had done that day--not really too concerned about him. He continued his attack as if he hadn't seen him, intent on forcing Arashi to move in desperation at least once.
Kakashi aleartly leaped to the side, letting the fireball pass harmlessly by him and fly at the large rock wall. Yet in the confusion, no one saw what happened next…as a brown-haired girl leaped down from the side of the wall, just in time to end up in the path of a massive ball of flame…
----------------------------------Someone pointed out to me earlier today that some of my sequences seemed to jump without warning...after re-reading I noticed that some of my horizontal lines had been somehow removed! That's fixed now, I think...
PS if you didn't recognize it...."Doton Shinjuuzashu no jutsu" = Suicidal Beheading...the technique Kakashi uses on Sasuke in ep 5.
Also, there's a joke I forgot to translate! Arashi mentions that Kaira should have been named "Kairai"...kairai is a Japanese word that translates to "frontal thunderstorm".
Reviews are welcome, and hopefully I'll be getting up the next chapter soon.