Chapter 5: The Pride of a Lone Wolf

"8 trigrams, 64 palms!" Neji screamed as he sent his opponent flying through a building. "Is this all you've got? You're pathetic."

As the smoke cleared, a giant dome of ice stood amid the site of impact.

"He's pretty strong isn't he Kororo?" said Horohoro as Neji stood there, ready for battle.

Kororo nodded in agreement.

"Let's show him what we can do." Horohoro suggested with an earnest excitement in his voice. "Oversoul: Nipopo Gauntlets!"

Kororo transformed into two large gauntlets of Ice that surrounded HoroHoro's arms. Both gauntlets freezing, each just as terrifying.

"Come to think of it," HoroHoro claimed. "I never learned your name. I'd at least like to know the person I'm fighting. The name's HoroHoro."

"Neji Hyuga." Neji said condescendingly. "I'd tell you not to forget it, but I don't believe you'll live long enough to have that privilege."

"You're cocky. I'm gonna enjoy making you eat those words." HoroHoro said smugly.

Horohoro instantly rushed in with a flurry of frozen fists, moving faster and faster with each punch thrown. Yet, the technique seemed ineffective, since Neji was dodging all of his attacks.

"Why can't I hit him!?" Horohoro thought. "It's like he can read everything I'm doing!"

Neji continued to dodge the punches until an opening revealed itself. He immediately parried an oncoming punch and counterattacked.

"Gentle Fist!" Neji screamed, as he sent a concentrated blast of chakra through HoroHoro's stomach.

HoroHoro fell to his knees clutching his stomach, screaming in pain.

"GAHH! What the hell did you do to me? You didn't even touch me!" HoroHoro screamed in agonizing pain.

"I warned you that you may not live, did I not?" Neji retorted as he moved back into his stance. "This is the technique of the Hyuga clan. The Gentle Fist. By sending concentrations of chakra through your body, I don't need to touch you to hurt you."

"Chakra? Heh, whatever. That hurt, but it didn't hurt enough to drop my OverSoul." HoroHoro said as he stood up slowly. "I'll get you back for that."

HoroHoro began throwing punches, more aggressively. This time, he realized that landing a hit would not be an easy feat. He began to think.

"He seems really confident. I wonder if I could use that against him..." HoroHoro thought. "I know! Let's try this!"

Out of nowhere HoroHoro ceased his assault and jumped back, as his left gauntlet began to glow and an aura of frost and snow began to emanate from his fist.

"Harakihoku: Wose, Little Regret!" screamed HoroHoro as he threw his fist forward forcefully, firing a bone-chilling gust of wind directly at Neji.

"Eight Trigrams Palms, Revolving Heaven!" Neji yelled as he attempted to repel the attack.

HoroHoro's attack froze everything around the rotating sphere, trapping Neji in a large dome of ice.

"I guess he's got some powerful tricks up his sleeve." Neji said to himself. "I've never seen an attack that can stand up to my Revolving Heaven, let alone freeze it."

As Neji struggled to break the barrier of ice, he heard a scream coming from above him.

"Shimonmataki: Rupushikateku, Freezing Hands!" HoroHoro screamed as he broke through the dome and delivered a jarring haymaker, sending Neji flying into a wall of ice.

"Tch. You're stronger than you look." Neji said as he barely managed to stand up. "It may be time that I show you my true strength."

The veins around Neji's eyes began to pulsate, growing larger and more visible.

"Byakugan!" Neji said as he activated his most powerful technique, a hidden technique or Kekkei Genkai passed down by the Hyuga clan.

"That last punch should've frozen his entire head." HoroHoro thought to himself. "What is this guy?"

Neji and HoroHoro continued their clash within the barrier, meeting each attack with one of their own. Neji, finally landing a blow, sent HoroHoro flying backwards once again.

"There's no way I can beat him like this. I vastly underestimated his power." HoroHoro said. "Maybe I have to get a little more creative."

HoroHoro began releasing icy particles from his gauntlets. A thick mist began filling up the dome, surrounding Neji and HoroHoro so densely that neither of them could see through.

"Let's see you dodge this!" HoroHoro thought as he launched his attack from within the mist. "Harakihoku: Wose, Little Regret!"

Unbeknownst to HoroHoro, the Byakugan provides the user with 360 degrees of vision, giving Neji the upper hand.

"That won't work!" Neji screamed as he counterattacked. "8 Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

With no time to defend himself, the attack sent HoroHoro flying backwards, forcing his oversoul to drop, and lodging him in the barrier wall. Neji, without dropping his guard, slowly approached him.

"Now, tell me why Madara hired you." Neji said, still rattled from the previous haymaker.

"Who the hell is Madara? I was brought here by the Great Spirit, you dumb prick." HoroHoro retorted as he began to cough up blood.

"The Great Spirit?" Neji asked, confused. "Stop lying and tell me where Madara is."

"I told you, I don't know who Madara is, let alone where he's hiding." HoroHoro replied. "I'm only here so I can get stronger. The Great Spirit bound our destinies together so that we could both get stronger. Now back up, we're not finished yet."

HoroHoro dislodged himself from the wall and fell to one knee. The impact had broken several ribs and fractured his left arm, but HoroHoro stood to fight.

"I can't lose to you. I can't lose to anyone. I need to win. I WILL WIN!" HoroHoro said as his eyes burned with an icy resolve.

"I respect your will and ability to fight. If you wish to continue, that is your choice. I will be more than honored to oblige." Neji answered.

Kororo appeared next to HoroHoro. Due to his injuries, she urged him to stop fighting and retreat. But the passion that burned in his eyes showed her that this fight wasn't over just yet. As he began to stand tall, he picked up the Ikupasuy, his medium, and spoke out.

"Kororo, this may be my final battle." HoroHoro said, solemnly. "I'm pretty sure that this guy is gonna kill me. In case I don't make it, I'm honored to have been your shaman. I'll see you soon, Tamiko."

Kororo was in shock at HoroHoro's words. Not only that he had become so accepting of his fate, but that he used her real name, Kurobe Tamiko. She held back her tears and remembered that they were partners, through victory and defeat. And because of that, she would stand by him always.

"I haven't got much furyoku left, but I have enough left for one more OverSoul. Are you ready, Kororo?" asked HoroHoro.

Kororo nodded, with a heavy heart.

"OverSoul! Kororo-Ikupasuy!" HoroHoro screamed as a shield appeared on his right arm. The shield was like that of a sun but with the face of an owl. The shield emanated a frigid aura, an aura so cold, the ground began to freeze. HoroHoro began to run on the frozen ground, and suddenly he was skating towards Neji at a virtually blinding speed. The shield transformed into a blade as HoroHoro jumped high into the air, for his final attack.

"Niike Fuike Kiroro! Scimitar of Snow!" HoroHoro slashed downwards with his blade slashing Neji across the chest, creating icicles in their stead.

Neji, caught off guard, took heavy damage from the icicles as they shattered from within his wound. The shards of ice fired in all directions, deeper into Neji's body. The shattering ice caused Neji to pass out from shock and possible hypothermia.

As HoroHoro fell to the ground, his body limp from exhaustion, he felt someone catch him.

"Are you okay? I'm here now."