A/N: I had the itch to write this next chapter because of the action in it and I had a really good time writing it so I hope that you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: The Naruto manga belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, the anime belongs to Viz Media, and the characters that appear in each media belong to their respective owners. The OCs featured in this story are mine except for those submitted by readers and credit will be provided to the creators in each chapter that their respective character premiers in.


Chapter 3: Rain vs. Leaf

Sansho handed Tenten several containers filled to the top with her Curry of Life and rice for her and Lee to take to Guy Sensei after making sure the two Konoha-nin were replenished from their long trek to her tiny shop. Rock Lee and Tenten said their farewells to the two curry chefs and gave them their sincerest gratitude before exiting their shop and beginning their journey back home. To their surprise, the ground beneath them started to cave in on itself in the form of a hole.

Lee looked down into the hole to see what awaited for them at the bottom but only saw darkness making him wonder how deep it was and for how long it had been there. It could not have been that long considering that they had arrived at the shop less than an hour before.

Tenten reacted quickly by opening her scroll to release two sets of kusarigama – one of which she used as a grappling hook on a tree and the other to keep Lee from falling any further. When the two quickly climbed back up, several shuriken flew out from the trees though both were quick enough to leap out of the way.

"Lee, over there!"

"Right!"

The fuzzy-browed boy dashed across the clearing but was intercepted by the brunet shinobi from earlier. He saw that Takimaru held a kunai in his hand so Lee quickly brought one of his own out to clash against his.

Sparks flew between the blades but Lee had only resorted to the use of a weapon to block Takimaru's attack. He began his counterattack by leaping into the air, which made the brunet stagger forward, and swinging his foot down on top of him.

Instead of connecting with the boy's shoulder like he was expecting, Lee's toes smashed into something incredibly hard. When he landed, his left foot was sore because apparently, he kicked hardened earth. Before him stood the redhead Ame-nin except his skin had darkened like soil.

Kenji thought to himself, Earth Release: Earth Spear.

Lee had trained his body to peak physical condition, enough to even shatter boulders with a punch, but there was not a single dent on his opponent.

He did not have much time to think too much about this bizarre technique because Takimaru leapt up from behind Kenji and weaved the hand seals Horse, Tiger, Rat, Snake, Dog and thought to himself, Water Release: Sea Foam Spew Technique. He placed his index and middle fingers beside his mouth and sprayed a wave of salt water all over Lee. The water managed to not only push him back but also sting his eyes, which left him wide open for another attack.

To defend her friend, Tenten opens her scroll again to unleash a barrage of ninja tools at the airborne Ame-nin though his ally came to his rescue as well by swatting away the weapons with his wakizashi. By this point, Kenji's skin had returned to normal.

These guys really know how to use each other's techniques and skills to cover for each other and disrupt their opponents. We won't be able to go easy on them. Plus we don't even know where the girl is and with her in the equation, Lee and I are at a huge disadvantage.

With Lee slightly incapacitated, Kenji charged towards Tenten with killer intent. With his great speed, Lee managed to slip right through Takimaru and catch up to Kenji.

"Leaf Hurricane!" he called as he leapt into the air with a powerful spinning kick. With his sword in hand, Kenji did not have enough time to form the hand seal for a defensive technique. He had to simply bear the brunt of this attack at full force and by doing so, he was sent several meters away into the trunk of a tree. The wood split against his back, lodging several pieces into his flesh.

While getting into his signature fighting stance, Lee instructed Tenten, "Focus on the girl. I will handle the other boy."

"What the heck is going on out here?!"

Lee and Tenten both looked back out of concern when they heard Sansho's voice and found both her and Karashi standing at the entrance to their shop. Lee urgently said, "Please go back inside. We do not wish for you two to get involved in this."

"We should listen, ma."

"Fine, but you two be careful now!" she called as her son led her back inside.

When both Konoha-nin redirected their attention to their opponents, Takimaru and Kenji were both nowhere to be seen which meant that the former took the latter into the forest for safety.

"Do not let you guard down Tenten. They could still be HERE!" Lee groaned in pain as his leg sprayed blood. He'd been cut but neither of them noticed any kunai or shuriken flying towards them. Tenten did notice, however, a puddle rippling by her comrade's foot.

"Lee, get away from there!"

He did as she said so she quickly unsealed a kunai with a paper bomb wrapped around the hilt. She threw it at the puddle knowing of the Water Release: Hiding in Water Technique. It allowed the user to merge with a body of water and hide inside it but if the enemy knew one was inside, they could attack the puddle.

The kunai hit the puddle and exploded, causing the water to disperse. Contrary to her belief, no one was inside the puddle.

"What?! How is that possible?!"

From the tree branch she stood crouching on, Kimiko grinned victoriously. She sang to herself, "Checkmate," before throwing several curved shuriken. Ox. Dog. Dragon. Rat. Dog. Boar. Snake. Tiger. Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.

The handful of shuriken she tossed multiplied rapidly into dozens and then possibly a hundred in total. All flew towards the Konoha duo and the sheer multitude of spinning weapons left them with no time to move out of the way. Multiple shuriken dug right into their skin and the impacted caused them to stumble backwards. Their limp bodies hit the ground hard.

Kimiko was satisfied that her technique had connected so she dropped down from her branch to inspect her work. Her dark eyes widened when she saw a log and a pair of weights left where Tenten and Lee's lifeless body should have been, respectively.

Takimaru popped his head out from a nearby puddle and placed his fingers into his mouth to blow. No sound came out but the motion had a purpose because he called out, "Above you!"

High above in the sky, Tenten held out her scroll as wide as her arms could manage. Similar to their village's signature technique a flurry of weapons rained down upon them and much like Kimiko's technique it left no room to dodge.

Having only one option, Takimaru had to use his technique again, leaving it vulnerable for Lee and Tenten to analyze. He dove for Kimiko and sank into a nearby puddle. Just like before, Takimaru rose from a different puddle, several meters away from the one he dove into. It was close to the tree line but still out in the open. Tenten landed in the center of her discarded weapons but this time, it was she who had a hidden ally.

"Where'd the guy go?" Takimaru asked.

"Not sure. Weird that he substituted himself with a pair of weights rather than a log, though."

"We'll have to stay on guard then. Kenji took a pretty big hit from that kick. I really don't want to get punched by the guy with the fuzzy eyebrows."

"I wouldn't mind watching him knock some of your teeth out," she teased.

"That right? Hey fuzzy brows!" Takimaru called loudly. "Come do me a favor and punch this girl in the face!"

Tenten was thrown off by the display but quickly recomposed herself. Now's my chance while they're in discord.

She launched another flurry of weapons but Takimaru countered the assault with a water technique. Tiger. Snake. Rat. Snake. Tiger. Water Release: Water Formation Wall. A tall lapping wave of water flowed out of Takimaru's mouth, easily washing away Tenten's weapons. Using the wall to hide her attack, Kimiko sprang into the air and tapped the seals on her bracelets to unseal a pair of Fuma shuriken. She threw them both, one after another but Tenten flipped backwards to dodge them both.

From the tree line, Kenji made the Snake hand seal and slammed his hand on the ground. Earth Release: Earth Wave Technique. The ground started to oscillate similar to the waves in the ocean, causing Tenten to lose her balance.

Takimaru readied his Water Release: Sea Foam Spew Technique again but Lee swept his feet with Leaf Whirlwind. Kenji rushed to support though his injuries made him sluggish. Kimiko, on the other hand, was ready and able to combat Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast with her own taijutsu skills. She positioned her arms by raising them with her wrists high and loose. Her fingers were kept close together. Kimiko spread out her feet into a wide stance with her knees bent to give her the momentum necessary to spring into action at any moment. She said to herself, "Snake Stance" and eyed her male opponent who stood in his own signature stance. Both held looks of determination on their faces and in a few short moments, they would clash to prove whose will was stronger.


A/N: This is my first time writing a fighting scene with Naruto characters and the physics that govern this world so please let me know how I did. How was the pace and how did it flow? Was it a good idea to bold the techniques and hand seals or does it break away from the narrative? Also, there were only two times that techniques were stated by characters. The reason I did this is because I find it very impractical to call out your techniques because it lets your opponent know what you're going to do. I think the hand seals are enough of a hint for the opponent and the most you want to give them though I will have some characters outright say the names of their techniques or fighting styles to keep in tradition with anime logic. This fight between Ame-nin and Konoha-nin will continue in the next chapter so stay tuned!