10 Power in the Blood
A Deadly Clash of Genius
The sounds of titanic combat from the distant reaches of the forest now reached the ears of the other group, bringing a smile to Haku's delicate face. "It seems that your Kotori is leading Master Zabuza around on a merry chase," the boy remarked, giggling. "No matter - I'll let him play his little games. So, are you going to attack me?"
Kunai flashing into his hands like claws unsheathing, Taiki lunged for Haku at a speed that Naeko had never seen before. Still, the Mist-nin dodged each thrust and slice of the blades with a grace as fluid as the water of his homeland, bringing his needles up to parry and jab with tireless efficiency. Either Tai-kun is still tired, or this Haku may be more of a challenge than Kotori thought, the remaining female Konoha genin mused sourly as she watched the exchange of movement. I feel so useless, just sitting back here and waiting for the axe to fall. Frowning decisively, she brought her hands up to form a seal, a minor stealth technique that would seamlessly insert her into the fight and give her an element of surprise… "Don't even think about it, Naeko!" came the breathless command from Taiki. "We still need one of us alive to carry out the mission if all others fail, and I don't see Takeshi-sensei waking up anytime soon."
"But you and Tori-chan always get to have all the fun," Naeko complained, wincing in sympathy as Taiki barely dodged yet another spray of needles.
"You think… this looks like… fun?" Taiki growled, hands moving in a seal of their own as he hit the ground and rolled. "Remind me not to ask you what you do in your spare time to relax." Sensing his teammate's continuing hesitation, he yelled, "Forget your emotions and get the hell out of here!" Blinking back tears, Naeko hefted the scroll onto her back and dashed off into the woods, leaving the duo behind her as she sought safety amongst the trees.
Taking advantage of his opponent's distraction, Haku held two fingers of one hand to his lips in silent concentration while flickering his free hand through a series of seals. A high-pressured jet of steaming hot water burst from the ground, tossing Taiki up in the air like a rag doll. Taiki let out a yelp of surprise and pain, grumbling to himself, "Guess I'd better play my trump card now," as he called the phantom hands of his birthright into position to protect him from the latest barrage of needles that Haku now loosed against him. Thinking quickly as the hands released him to the ground again, Taiki slapped his palms to the dirt and hissed "Lightning Release – Grounding Current!" Electricity flashed from his hands and jumped from water puddle to water puddle, using the residue of his foe's attack as a conduit to travel and gain power before lashing Haku around the legs and knocking him to his knees. "Honestly, did you think Kotori would leave me alone here if she didn't believe I had a chance?"
"You're good, I'll admit," the Mist youth murmured quietly, disappearing in a cloud of vapor and reappearing just breaths away from Taiki before the other could blink and hauling him to his feet with one hand. "But how good are you, really? You're not the only one with a special gift." With a small smile, Haku brought his hands together and intoned "Secret Art of Water: Ice Crystal Magic Mirror Technique!" Taiki gasped sharply as a sphere of ice mirrors formed around him, the air temperature dropping to an eerie chill as Haku's voice echoed from the reflections contained in each prism. "I am sorry, but your line ends here." Try as they might, the shadow hands could not break their master's icy prison as once again the needles began to fly, seemingly coming from all directions as Haku moved from ice-pane to ice-pane. Taiki had no room to dodge, soon collapsing with a bloody cough as the darts took their toll.
Shaking his head slightly, the Mist-nin banished the mirrors and stood to watch his opponent for a moment. "All too easy." Haku then turned and would have dashed off in pursuit of the remaining Konoha genin had something not stopped him.
"That's… what they all say…" sputtered Taiki, lurching first to his knees and then to his feet, then vanishing just as Haku had before. The effeminate youth could sense no trace of Taiki until it was too late, glancing up in shock as winds began to lash the normally peaceful branches of the trees around him. The fronds then parted to reveal an unnaturally dark storm cloud, seething with faint sparkles of power that gathered into a human form. "I'll end this now," the lightning-wreathed entity announced, clenching its fists in a brilliant twin crackle of energy. "Secret of the Lightning Village: Falling Star Strike!"
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Sensing the gathering of power, Kotori bounced back from her opponent and vaulted to the top levels of one of the trees to get a better idea of what it was and if it posed a threat. "Amazing. I never thought he had that potential," the girl breathed as she realized that the figure in the storm cloud was her teammate.
"I'm more amazed that they haven't slaughtered each other yet," her fellow Swordsman muttered, likewise ascending to catch a view of the phenomenon. And I've finally figured out who you are, he mentally added, realizing that even though the battle had left her bruised and battered, the genin's strength had not faltered.
"For two mysterious youth, they seem to be doing well," Kotori mused, eliciting an eye roll from the older man that seemed to say, Speak for yourself. "Where did you find this Haku, anyways?"
"He was an orphan, cast away because of his gifts. Who am I to pass up such a perfect tool? Haku serves me without doubt because I saved him and gave him a purpose." The impression of a grin behind the wrappings that concealed the lower half of Zabuza's face. "Can you say the same for your teachers?"
"I would reserve your judgment until you've defeated me," replied the girl with an inscrutable smile before darting off into the forest towards the scene of the confrontation, leaving her words floating in her wake like falling leaves. "Since our bout seems to be going nowhere, care to see how this one ends?"
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As the lightning concentrated in Taiki's hands grew in power, the cloud disappeared to form into the shadow hands from earlier. Not sure what to expect, Haku palmed two more handfuls of needles, waiting for an opening in this bizarre technique to strike and incapacitate the already weakened genin. Suddenly the hands grasped Taiki around the ankles and tossed him towards the earth…
Realizing that this was his opening, Haku flung the needles, frowning as most were dissipated by the falling boy's electric aura and only a few found their targets. An agonized hiss forced its way out between Taiki's clenched teeth, but he continued in his path, slamming bodily into Haku before releasing the gathered energy. Even with its wielder's diminished capacity, the lightning still was strong enough to knock Haku senseless and weak to the ground, Taiki tumbling in a bloodied heap nearby.
There was silence for a moment as both weakened youth gathered their senses and one last weapon. "You do realize that we're quite alike, you and I," Taiki grunted, once again finding his feet and readying a kunai.
"How is that?" Haku wondered, also standing and bringing one last needle to hand.
"Both of us were born with a gift, feared by many, but obviously have had someone who cared enough to form us into the powerful tools that we are now…" Taiki spat a thin line of blood off to the side and grinned at his opponent. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Tools that are only fit for a fight to the death," Haku murmured, smiling also. "Agreed."
These last words exchanged, the two rushed towards each other for the encounter that would decide this battle –
"Stop!" The shout came from two voices raised in unison, dual blurs of movement that came between the fighting pair and barred their way. "You may step down, Haku," Zabuza interjected. "I've come to a conclusion." Looking over his shoulder at Kotori, he muttered, "Call your third in from hiding. This is something that all of you should hear."
Naeko tremblingly made her way back to the group at Kotori's call and, seeing that it was safe - at least for the moment - waited tensely for the man's words. "I had my own reasons for stealing that scroll which I won't get into here, but it's plain that you have more use for it than I do. You're free to go."
"What do you mean, we have more use for it?" Kotori grumbled, suddenly distrustful.
"You'll find out once you read it." With these words, Momochi Zabuza and his companion Haku faded away into mist.