Ninjutsu
SpasticDjinn: Thank you, humble reviewers! It is a pleasure to continue this story!
Ivan: I can't believe you actually did make this fic… The fact people actually reviewed the story in the first place seems a fair assumption of the average intelligence of your fellow 'authors'. What fools you are! WHAT OAVES!
SpasticDjinn: Is the plural of oaf 'oaves'? Well, you learn something new everyday… I thought it was 'oafs'.
Ivan: Well… erm… I'm quite.. ahem.. sure that it is oaves… Now let me… erm… LOOK, A SPACESHIP! -runs away-
SpasticDjinn: What! WHERE! Oh darn it. On with the story!
By the way, the majority of my stories were deleted… I have reasons to believe that Top Gear aka Royal Swordsman reported them for abuse of the guidelines. Please, all of you, just ignore the bastard, he has nothing better to do with his life than ruin the GS section. If you want proof, check out his joke of a story.
Ninjutsu Chapter Two: A Battle of Wits
Susa roared in defiance as the enormous blood-red tail slammed into the ground behind him, shattering the cobblestones and knocking down power lines, which sparked and fizzled in the evening sun. The rain obscured his vision, and thunder clapped overhead, muffling the roars that tore through the air. The tail fell again, this time sweeping over a copse of trees with almost disdainful malice. Susa leapt skilfully, and the trees missed his legs by inches. But the dragon noticed his sudden ascension, and spat a ball of sticky phlegm. The ball cannoned through the air, striking the bewildered Adept in the chest.
The sheer momentum of his leap carried him right into the roof of a nearby hut, his body breaking the rough thatch. He landed, sprawling, at the feet of two elderly ladies. Rather that surprise, one of them held out a ladle, a smile creasing her ancient face. The stew's rich smell wafted into his eager nostrils, and he drank it in a single sip. Then, nodding his thanks, he leapt to his feet, and ran back to join the fray.
A lone figure stood, his head bowed against the rain and his ragged cloak moving in the slow symmetrical rhythm of the wind. He watched as the towering reptile laid waste to the land he had fought to protect, had bled to nurture.
The demonic reptile had already slain seven of the War-Mages, and several more lay wounded, their bodies twisted and mutilated by the sheer power of the beast's Chakra.
Its crimson scales were dotted with numerous thrown items; Shuriken, hand-spears and lethal Katana were thrust to the hilt. But to no affect. The scales proved too thick for even the Hokage himself. The Adepts seemed demoralized, and several had already ran for their lives, or disappeared back to the village to protect their families. Only ten remained, the strongest and most faithful of his Hokage-nins, his own personal Ninja specialists.
Kraden sighed.
"Susa, Kyle… Call the War-Adepts back…" He rubbed his eyes with weariness. "I know what I have to do."
"Hokage-sama!" Kyle snapped a sharp salute, and bounded off into the night. Susa remained, his fist balled and his face taut.
"I know what you're going to do, Kraden." The War-Adept used his true name softly. "You know I don't approve. But I don't see any other way. So go with my blessing."
Kraden nodded and drew a long coiled scroll from his belt.
"Take care of the child for me, Susa." He said sadly. "By all rights we should kill it… But I believe that this may be the best thing, not only for us, but for the whole village."
"Yes. Hokage-sama!" Susa also drew a salute, and bowed to hide the tears that streaked through the dirt on his face.
"See you in the next life, Susa."
"I hope so, Kraden."
Kraden leapt into the air, and swept through the murky sky, with only the howl of the air marking his departure. Susa fell to his knees and wept openly, while the other War-Adepts slowly accumulated around him. Kyle laid a blood-stained hand on his shoulder.
"It'll be alright… Hokage-sama knows what he's doing," He spat congealed blood from his cut lip, and wiped his sopping face with a sleeve.
"It's suicide and he knows it." Susa's tears had vanished already, the cold heart of his training taking hold. "I just hope he does what he thinks is best."
"I know he will, Susa, I know he will."
Suddenly the memories faded, and Susa was back in the training field, getting whacked over the head with a wooden sword. His eyes refocussed, and he blocked a low blow from Hsu's boot with the hilt of his wooden training Katana, groaning with pain.
"Good Hsu, but try and preserve my manliness next time. I'd be less than impressed if that had connected with my nu-…"
"Sen-SEI!" Akafubu yelled. "Felix and Isaac are fighting again!"
Susa cursed, and threw aside his sword.
"Why do those two always make life hard for me! Hsu, stop… HSU!" Susa narrowly avoided another kick from the rotund ninja. Leaping aside, he flicked the flailing boy in the temple, sending him crashing into the ground.
"Sorry, but I have to go and break those two up. They could injure each other." He snapped, and sped off into the distance.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the day arrived. Susa was forced to knock out both Isaac and Felix on separate occasions in order to keep them from grievously injuring themselves. The two boys wouldn't stop throwing contemptuous glances at each other. The little log cabin had grown cold and distant, no longer the happy getaway from society it had once been.
The boys sat in a semicircle, muttering to each other while Susa waited for silence. The floorboards creaked underneath them, and the biting wind howled eerily outside.
"I hope the weather isn't like this tomorrow, I want the examiners to be able to see EVERY SECOND of me beating that STUPID Felix into a living pulp!" Isaac cried, sneering at his rival.
"Likewise, moron." Felix snarled. A kunai thudded in-between them, silencing Isaac's angry retorts.
"Alright!" Susa yelled. "That's enough! I will call you up one by one and give you a number. You will then follow me into the Academy complex…-"
"Academy! Does that mean we're going to Vale?" Isaac yelled, leaping into the air.
"Shut up, total moron."
"Felix! Isaac!" Susa pushed Isaac to his feet, pinning his arms to his sides. Isaac struggled feebly, but Susa's lockhold held firm, and his writhing subsided.
"Yes, in answer to Isaac's question we are going to Vale. As will fifteen other groups of young ninjas like you. This isn't like an annual exam boys, this is the most important exam I will ever prepare you for. If you succeed, you will be assigned a new group, and a new Sensei. If you fail, you come back and I will prepare you for next year's exam." Susa let go of Isaac and got to his feet.
"Let's go."
Isaac stood alone, watching his teammates farewell their families. His stomach twisted, and his hands clenched. He set his jaw, determined not to cry.
"I have not cried, I will not cry, I need not cry because one day I'll beat them all. And they'll wish they had payed me more attention. I don't need friends, I don't need family. I can live with myself!"
He sighed, and sat down.
"Though a friend would be nice…"
The others were beckoning him over to meet their parents, but the parent were speaking quickly and cautiously, diverting their children's attention away from the lonely boy. Isaac's heart thumped painfully behind his ribcage.
"No. I don't need anyone."
Parents continued to throw him disapproving glances. He could guess what they were saying by the anger in the thin curve of their mouths, and the contempt in their eyes.
It's that Isaac. That loner. That bad influence upon our sons. Why does Susa keep him? Why doesn't he just throw him away? He's useless….
Useless….
Isaac felt his knuckles crack.
"I'll show them…. I'll show them! Why do they hate me! What have I ever done to them!"
He hung his head, lost in anger and despair.
Vale emerged on the horizon; it's many tiered levels bustling with life. Even the silent Felix showed interest, and went onto the top of the coach to peer at the emerging city.
There were few words to describe Vale apart from big and dirty. Smog clouded the lower levels of the tiered city, and soot lay thick upon the cobbles, clinging to the boy's clothing like an extra shirt
"This place… this city…. Stinks!" Akabafu coughed, covering his face with the collar of his shirt. The other boys did likewise, and Isaac wound his yellow scarf around his head.
"It gets better higher up, away from the factories." Susa said comfortingly. "The richer tiers are much cleaner."
"How can people live in this!" Isaac cried. "This is unbearable, and I only just arrived! How can people spend their WHOLE LIVES down here!"
"Most people have nothing better, no other place to go. To afford a house on a higher tier takes years of saving… But it gives the working class down here a sense of purpose, despite the fact they have an almost zero percent chance of ever leaving." Susa sighed, rubbing the back of his head.
"I hope WE aren't spending our stay down here!" Lunpa snarled. "We'll never be able to fight like this! I can hardly breathe!"
"Don't worry, we're going to the second-highest tier…. Ninja privileges." Susa said coldly, and climbed back into the carriage.
They arrived at the ninja academy shortly after sunset. Unlike the lower levels, the air was fresh and crisp, and the boys breathed freely for the first time. Isaac expelled breath noisily on Felix, who snarled at him. Susa was, once again, forced to hold the two apart.
"Save your aggression for the actual competition, idiots…" He panted "You'll need it."
Slowly, they made their way through the quiet academy. The grim faces of the Hokage leered down at the in the form of massive paintings and sculptures positioned on either side of the marble corridor. Isaac treaded carefully, wary of making a noise. As they progressed, a low roar grew louder and louder, it's location undefinable. When they finally reached the end of the corridor, it was almost deafening.
"I remain here, unfortunately. Only students may continue." Susa said sadly. "I wish you luck, and please, if you feel you are in danger, forfeit immediately. Once again, good luck!" Susa pushed open a massive wooden door, and the four boys walked in, their mouths open with awe.
The stadium was enormous. Colossal stone walls towered, peaked with statues of legendary ninjas. The noise was unbearably loud, but not menacing, for sitting cheering at them were over two hundred THOUSAND spectators.
"Wha… Wha…" Isaac gasped. "I didn't know… We were going to be watched by this many…!"
"Likewise… I knew that almost all Vale went to watch these competitions…. But this many… Breathtaking…." Akabafu sat on his haunches, his eyes wide. He turned, expecting to see Isaac looking afraid, but was surprised to see the blond boy was shaking…. With excitement.
"I CAN FINALLY SHOW EVERYONE HOW STRONG I AM!" He roared, thrusting his fist skywards. "I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU ALL!"
"Yeah, whatever." Donpa retorted. "Do you seriously thing you can beat THEM?" He pointed at a large group of individuals standing in the centre of the arena.
"PAH!" Isaac huffed. "They are just rookies like us. I'll defeat every last one, and then… THEN…. You shall all witness my power as I challenge the Hokage!" He cast a heroic pose, which was spoiled slightly by Akabafu and Donpa snorting with laughter.
"Anyway, let's go say hello to the others. We may know some of them." Donpa strolled over to the centre of the arena and began talking with a red-haired girl, who seemed to have eyes only for Felix.
"Umm.. Hello… Isaac…" A shy voice said from behind him. He spun around to find a small, fidgety girl looking down at the ground intently
"Oh hi, Mia."
"I was just… wondering… if you-…"
"WILL ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE LEAVE THE ARENA, THE FIRST BATTLE WILL BE BEGINNING SHORTLY," A loudspeaker cut her off, and he looked downcast.
"Er, yeah, talk to you later Mia!" Isaac sprinted off, leaving the girl to sadly stare at her feet.
All the young ninjas sat in the colossal stands, watching an enormous screen eagerly.
"WELCOME TO THE ONE-HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-NINTH INTERNATIONAL SQUIRE PRELIMINARIES. WE WISH ALL FIGHTERS THE BEST OF LUCK, AND LOOK FOREWARD TO SHOWING THE WORLD THE NINJAS OF TOMORROW!' The loudspeaker died down, and the tally screen flickered to life. It listed the names of every young ninja slowly, before quickening the pace. The list of names sped up to unreadable speed…
Then stopped.
Two names took up the entire screen.
FELIX UCHIHA vs. BRIGGS NATARO
Felix padded wearily into the centre of the arena, eying off his opponent. He was nothing to look at, but there was something about the bandages that covered his lower forearms to his wrists that made Felix wary. Briggs flexed his shoulders, and tightened his bandana, grinning wolfishly. This guy meant business.
"Are you both ready?" A judge stepped in between the two. "This is a non-lethal fight, so if one of you is obviously losing, I will step in and prevent fatalities. You may….. BEGIN!"
Felix back flipped quickly, and propelled himself to the far side of the arena with his arms. Landing catlike on all fours, he eyed his opponent warily. Briggs didn't move, he just stood in the same position, arms crossed and the same irritating grin plastered across his face. Slowly, he raised his two forefingers to his mouth… And whistled. But it was no ordinary whistle. It was not loud, but it cut right to his Felix's brain, making it almost impossible to think.
"Keiteki no jutsu,"….: The piercing whistle. Felix clutched his head in his hands, his ears ringing, eyes watering, blood dripping from his nose.
"How can I fight if I can't even think properly? This is bad, this is very ba-"
Suddenly, Briggs was right in front of him. His arm snaked out, and caught Felix a glancing blow to the face. He stumbled back, narrowly avoiding a hick kick to the chest.
"You can't fight me after that whistle, idiot." Briggs sneered. "You might as well give in. This is not your year to become a squire!"
Felix grinned. And raised his two forefingers to his lips.
"Keiteki no jutsu,"
"What! Impossible! Only I can use that jutsu-…" Briggs began.
The shrill sound rang a second time, this time from Felix's lips.
This time it was Felix's fist that slammed into Briggs' windpipe, silencing his protests. And Felix's leg, which caught the stumbling youth in the chest. And Felix's fingers which sped towards the exposed temples, ready to end the battle once and for all…
"STOP! There will be NO fatalities!" Six heavily armed ninjas materialised around Felix, holding him still. His hand lowered and his fingers curled back into a fist. Sweat condensed on his shirt, and his nose pumped blood continuously.
"The winner is Felix Uchiha, for being in the position to cause a fatality!"
The crowd cheered in approval.
The battle had lasted only ten minutes.
Now all eyes were on the scoreboard again. The names spun.
ISAAC IZUMAKI vs. MOAPA TSUSUKE
Isaac clenched his fists and grinned.
"Moapa… I'll beat him easy…"
His opponent was staring at him, his eyes unreadable. He was tall, and wore a bird feather headdress.
"Now I can show everyone…. Now I can prove myself!" Isaac's eyes narrowed. "There can be no loss…. I MUST WIN!"
SpasticDjinn: A long chapter! Please, be sure to review!