Here it is folks! Chapter 9. This chapter flowed straight out of me. I was inspired today. I hope it shows. I'm sure this a chapter you've all been waiting for. Please, read and enjoy.
-bakagaijin
Chapter 9-
"Kazekage-sama!" The unnamed shinobi reentered the room, and brought with him both a sense of urgency, and dread.
Gaara, Temari, and Matsuri each looked at him. Gaara was the one who spoke, though he did not open his eyes. "What is it?"
"The creatures! They're inside!" screamed the young man.
Temari let go of Gaara's hand. "Impossible! They broke through Gaara's barrier?"
"No." Gaara replied quietly. "They have not broken through."
"He's correct, Temari-chan. The... the people! OUR people. They're changing! They're being turned into these things. They've begun to attack our shinobi and civilians. Kankuro and the puppeteer squadron are dealing with them, but they are breaking through. They don't have the numbers to deal with them."
"I'll go and lend back up! Find whatever ninja are available to join me--"
"Temari." Gaara interrupted her. He stood up.
"Gaara!" Matsuri objected. He held out his arm to quiet her.
"Tell Baki to focus on the ones inside. I will deal with the others."
"Gaara--" they began to protest.
"That's all." He made his way out of the room. The only sound to follow was the echo of his footsteps as he went to the roof. After a few seconds, Matsuri followed him. Temari and her assistant left to follow their orders."
Kanaye continued on his course towards Naruto, already leaving the Hokage tower behind him. He was rapidly catching up to his prey, until twelve Kunai with exploding tags flew towards him. He repelled them with a simple wave burst of chakra, but they still managed to explode and forced him to fly off to the side. He stood up after landing, and glared at his next obstacle. Obstacles rather; Kakashi and Yamato.
Kanaye didn't even blink at them. Without a single warning he formed two balls of chakra in his hands and sent them flying towards his opponents. They flew out of the way, as the balls of energy came towards them. They landed right where the two had been and burst into a bright copper colored explosion. Kanaye rushed past them, continuing on his way.
They pursued him.
"What was that technique?" Yamato inquired.
"Something new." Kakashi replied. His sharingan eye focused on Kanaye. "He took his chakra and compressed it into a solid ball, then sent it flying. On impact the chakra was released to its original size, causing the explosion."
"Incredible." Yamato commented. "Can you--"
"No. I can't copy it. It takes more chakra than I have right now. Yamato. I can't fight anymore."
"What?" Yamato looked at him.
"I said I can't fight anymore. I don't have enough chakra to take him on. Not with the earlier fight. But I can slow him down, and allow you to catch up with him."
"Alright, then. Let's do this, Kakashi. We've got to help our students." Yamato ran ahead, as planned.
"They're not our student's anymore." Kakashi, using what little chakra was available to him formed his seals. It was the perfect delaying tactic for Kanaye. And it was one that Kakashi was very familiar with.
Kanaye continued to run after his quarry, until something forced him to stop. Suddenly all the water from various bathhouses, lakes, and ponds that lay ahead of him rose up and gathered together. They formed into the head of a great dragon, and that dragon went straight for him. He came to a complete stop and dodged to the left out of the path of the water-dragon. He tried to continue on his path, but the dragon circled around and cut off.
Twisting this way and that Kanaye avoided and repulsed the jutsu that was after him.
"Damn that Kakashi" he said to himself.
At last, he was able to throw one final blow, and it was apparently too much for the dragon. The water broke its form and fell to the earth beneath it, flooding the streets. Kanaye knew this wasn't the end. He turned around just in time to see three wood clones in attack formation. One after the other, they launched their attacks.
The first clone assaulted Kanaye with a flurry of punches, which he deflected. Unfortunately for the clone the layer of chakra around Kanaye was more than enough to set it aflame, and it fell off the room screaming before it burned to cinders.
The next two clones tried a different tactic. With the heart one needed for kamikaze tactics, they leaped at Kanaye and held him down. They instantly began to burn, but not before their illusions were dispelled and they became wooden figures once again. Their limbs and torsos began to grow large wooden barbs that broke through the chakra around their captive and began to puncture his body. It didn't work.
The body of Kanaye was replaced with a large bag of rice, now skewered by wooden clones. Said clones burned to ash just as the first one had. Kanaye didn't pay any more attention to them. The real Yamato had arrived and was giving him more than enough trouble. Trees and structures were popping up all over the place, keeping him on the move.
Battering rams, spiked pits, trees with swinging branches, falling logs, whole houses dropped from the sky. Kanaye had to bash, break, cut, or dodge all of these. He was kept on the defensive by Yamato's abilities. He was now constantly avoiding entrapment by trees or sudden cages. When he was trapped, he had to use more of his time and energy to escape them.
"I must say I'm impressed. You really do have the Ichidaime's blood within you. That Mokuton is quite a gift."
"Arigato." Yamato replied. "Please die, now."
A loud crack echoed through the air. That was the only warning. Everything around Kanaye- the trees the houses, the cages, the logs- everything Yamato had created splintered. Not just splintered; everything exploded. With a boom, shivers from the wood flew in every direction, with Kanaye right in the center.
Yamato shielded himself with a wooden wall erected in front him. For a moment he thought that he might have done it. There was complete silence. Then a fist burst through the wall, and set it ablaze. That fist grabbed Yamato's throat and crushed it; the end. No more fighting for him.
"Are the preparations complete?" Zōo glared down at his conspirators from his perch at the cliff.
Itami looked up to him, securing the last of their instruments. "Hai." We're ready to go any time."
A large clang was heard from somewhere within the cave. All around them came the wails of inhuman suffering. It echoed back and forth, each member of the Dark Five drank it in. The smiles on their faces, was a look of pure ecstasy and fulfillment- as if they were feeding from the very cries they heard. Eventually Zōo woke them from their reverie.
"I hate to say this... but it's time to go."
Kanaye didn't make it past four or five rooftops before he was stopped again. This time he was held back by none other than Jiraiya. Quite possibly the last of the Sennin. He didn't send an attack. He didn't make any kind of delays for Kanaye.
He simply stood there in his path, with a look in his eyes. It could have been the moonlight, or the night sky, or even a genjutsu- but somehow Jiraiya was the image of demon of vengeance. His hitai-ate was now the most prominent of all his features. Bright, shiny, and reflective, the horns on the plate seemed far more pointed than usual. They even looked slightly curved back adding to the monstrous aura that Jiraiya had been giving off.
This was not the foolish Jiraiya at the bathhouses, chasing down women. Nor was this the cunning , caring, and playful ninja that doted upon his pupils and friends. This was the Legendary Jiraiya- The Sennin. The greatest of all Ninja yet living.
He didn't need to speak. His presence DEMANDED attention. It COMMANDED it. He was a furious man, and that fury would only rise if one were to ignore him. Kanaye knew there was no getting past him without a fight, so he didn't bother trying; he just stood there looking back at Jiraiya undaunted.
"Why?" Jiraiya finally spoke.
"Because they're monsters. If I don't stop them, Konoha will be destroyed."
"NO!" Jiraiya rebuked. "Why TSUNADE?! Why KILL her? She was your HOKAGE?!"
"Is she dead?" Kanaye asked in a slight surprise. "That wasn't my intention. But if she is, it's her own fault as it will be yours if you try to stop me."
Jiraiya looked at him. He'd never looked at anyone like that since Orochimaru. Actually, Orochimaru never received such a look. Sennin he may be, ninja he may be, a sage he may be. But none of that mattered right now.
Tsunade was dead. He watched the final blow as he recovered from Kanaye's initial blast. He felt her chest searching for a heartbeat, hoping she'd slap him for it. He found none, and she did nothing. And now, nothing mattered; not dignity, reputation, prestige, or composure.
"Fuck you." He said. And he charged at the younger ninja.
Kanaye was surprised. He had trouble avoiding Jiraiya's attacks. It was like he'd never drank the hero's water. The Sennin wasn't using any ninjutsu or genjutsu. He was rushing Kanaye with fists alone. He didn't want to defeat Kanaye- he wanted to beat Kanaye. To-A-Pulp.
Left punch, right punch, jump kick, rebound back kick. Back fist, uppercut, high knee, head-butt. Kanaye was forced to deal with all of them. He dodged or blocked most of them. A few, like the head-butt, he wasn't fast enough for, and sustained the hits.
Even with all the burns Jiraiya was forced to suffer he did not stop. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head in fury. His face was twisted into a bizarre grimace of murderous intent. He reached out for Kanaye's neck and found it. He reeled in the young ninja for a decisive killing blow. It was not to be.
Kanaye was done with this beating. He slammed his palm into Jiraiya's nose forcing his head back. Using the momentum of that blow he rebounded his shot with his arm and brought it down onto Jiraiya's elbow. Crouching down this shot Jiraiya's blow off course merely giving Kanaye a gash upon his forehead. Keeping his moment intact, Kanaye grabbed Jiraiya's wrist with the hand he'd been using and twisted it around. He locked it into place and wrapped his other arm around Jiraiya's locking it further. he began to push Jiraiya down onto the rooftop, but the Sennin would have none of this.
Jiraiya placed his other hand down, and pushed off the roof to swing his legs into the back of Kanaye's knees. This forced the younger man to let go as he hit the floor. Jiraiya stood up once again and was brought back to his senses.
"You, Kanaye are a fool. A blind, stubborn, ignorant, over-zealous fool. Your name fits you, Inoshishi."
"Spare me your insults. You're as bad as the rest of them. You were the first to actually ENDORSE that blond menace! You've actually made him your apprentice. How can you think he could be a Sennin?!"
"Not 'could be'. His IS a Sennin. He is my successor. I will not have you or anyone else destroy his future."
"That boy's only future is death." Kanaye retorted. He went through a set of seals and released his next technique.
"Doton! Iwa-Oni no Jutsu!" (Earth Release! Rock-Ogre Technique!)
Massive boulders from around the city began to levitate from their original settings. They quickly brought themselves together and formed the shaping of a large figure. This figure was over ten feet tall, and carried a massive club of rock. It bore the fanged face of a monstrous ogre, and even carried one horn in its forehead. Jiraiya had to marvel at the inventiveness of Kanaye's technique.
The automaton launched itself at the old man. Bringing the great club down to bear, it smashed the roof on which Jiraiya had been standing. He had just moved out of the way in time. The ogre was on him again in a moment. The minion raced at the man and slammed its fist into the roof again.
"Not only big and strong, but fast too. This could be a problem."
"I guarantee you Jiraiya-sama, he is more than a problem for you. Now if you don't mind I have much to do, and VERY little time to do it." Kanaye began to walk away, stepping onto the ledge of the rooftop.
"Rasengan!"
Kanaye turned around to see Jiraiya obliterate the stone demon that Kanaye had unleashed upon him.
"Hmm..." mumbled Kanaye. "I forgot. You're the one who taught him that."
"You're not taking another step off this roof Kanaye. I won't let you harm the last precious person I have in my life! You'll need more than ogres made of pebbles to take me down!"
"How about twenty?"
Jiraiya looked around to see that very number of Rock-Ogres poised and ready to fight on surrounding rooftops. His chakra was running low. He too had suffered from the earlier fights. It was the only reason the others had gone down so easily.
"Kanaye. Don't you dare move! We're not finished here. Tsunade's death..."
Jiraiya didn't get to finish his speech. Kanaye leaped off the building and onto the next without another word. Jiraiya ran after him but was cut off by the ogres.
"Kanaye!" he screamed.
The roof beneath his feet collapsed under the weight of the assemble autons.
"Kanayeeeeeeeee!" He screamed as he fell.
Kankuro stood his ground against... well he didn't really know what they were. All he knew was that they weren't human; not anymore. There was no stopping them without killing them. It was kill or die, and he didn't want to die. So with a heart that only grew heavier each time, he continued to survive.
His puppets clicked and whirred with each movement and command. One by one his attackers fell before his puppets. Baby, Dragon, Knight, and Crow.
He had managed to protect the rest of the civilians, but some had fallen, and some had transformed. He didn't know how or why, but they did, and he had to dispatch these former citizens of Suna. He was originally very reluctant to do so, until he saw a transformed father eat his own son. There wasn't another moment of hesitation after that, nor were there any objections. Whoever these people had once been, they were long gone and only the beasts were left.
With the help of Temari, Baki's unit, and whatever spare ninja could be found, they were beginning to clean up the last of the... creatures. But they hadn't forgotten about the ones outside. The army of monsters that had arrived on their doorstep and started all this carnage. They could still hear the pounding on the sand walls that Gaara had put up to protect the village. What was Gaara doing?
With some back-up arriving, Kankuro took a moment to look around and try to find his little brother. He very much did. Standing at the top of Kazekage tower, was the man himself. Gaara stood there for a moment observing everything around him, and he closed his eyes. He seemed to be concentrating.
Gaara wasn't alone either. Kankuro could clearly see Matsuri. The girl in love with the Kazekage. There were many women in the village who might CLAIM they loved Gaara; but Kankuro knew that only Matsuri could truthfully do so. And she hadn't said a thing to anyone.
It was just something that the three of them- Kankuro, Temari, and Baki- had managed to figure out. Others may have done so as well, but the three of them never talked about it with anyone else. And as far as he knew, Kankuro was the only one of the three to confront her about it, and offer his help. It was difficult for him to watch his brother. Even from so far down, he could see the pain Gaara was going through. He couldn't imagine what he might look like up close, and how difficult it must be for the girl beside him.
He watched her, and it broke his heart. She was standing. Just standing there. She couldn't say anything. She must have already tried.
All she could do now was support him. And that's what she did. She threw herself onto Gaara. She clung to his back her arms wrapped around his waist. Kankuro wasn't sure what it was she said, but he could see her chin move like she was talking.
It seemed to help. Gaara's pain visibly lessened as he began his task. All of a sudden the pounding stopped. There was a moment of silence when the last monster inside village was slain. Then the earth began to quake.
Buildings shook, and loose pieces of stone or timber fell. They all watched in awe as Gaara surpassed himself once more. The sand of the barrier began to rise, and with it came elements from the bedrock. The sand village sank slightly as the minerals were pulled from its foundation. No one screamed any objections.
By this point Gaara was truly their Kage. He had the love and trust of most everyone in the village. They believed in him. The sand rose and rose. Higher and higher into the sky, until at last it began to fall outward.
A great tidal wave of sand swirled outwards onto the army of monsters, and buried them beneath the desert. Some already began to dig their way out, but Gaara had already raised his arms and opened his palms. The people knew what would come next.
"Mura Soshiki no Sabaku!" (Village Funeral of the Desert!)
The sand compressed. The sounds of crushed flesh and bone could be heard for miles. There was even a scream or two. But that wasn't the end of the monsters. Some of them were still alive.
They could hear and see the survivors. Many were wounded and only some were whole. They pulled themselves out of the sand and began to move forward. However, Gaara wasn't finished yet. He emphatically threw his hands into the air as if he was reaching out to pluck the moon from the sky.
The earth began to quake again. This time they heard the sands begin to shift, and the screams of the monsters still alive caught in the pull and desperately trying to get out. They were pulled away under the sands and beneath the village. Slowly the village began to rise again as Gaara replaced the bedrock and sandstone beneath them. They heard him call out the name of his new technique.
"Subaku no Riptides" (Desert Riptides)
There came a loud boom as the minerals settled themselves back into place. Everyone was in awe of Gaara's feat, but they weren't given much time for it. Gaara having completed his task, collapsed onto Matsuri. She cushioned his fall and held him close. She cried out his name.
"Gaara! You did it Gaara!"
"Gaara-sama!" Many people spoke in awe.
Then they heard the roars of the surviving monsters. Every turned to look outside the village. A large group of them remained. Many were wounded but they were quite angry. It was obvious they weren't going to take this lying down.
Baki rallied the villages together. "Gaara-sama has protected us once again! He's risked his life to save us all! Are we going to let him down?"
The entire village sounded out in unison. "NO!"
"Take down the stragglers! Stubbornness isn't going to help them!"
Everyone charged out towards the remaining beasts; whose numbers were large enough to be a problem, but small enough to be dealt with. Kankuro and Temari were going to join them, but Baki grabbed them before they could run in. He looked the two of them in the eye and then looked up at Kazekage tower.
"Go." he said. "Your brother needs you."
The gateway to Konoha erupted in flames as Kanaye shot past them. The doors were blown off their hinges in his passing. The frame ignited like a lit match. When all this was over, they would need to be replaced. But "over" was a long way off.
The super-charged ninja made his way into the trees, leaping from limb to limb. As with the doors each tree burst into flames the moment he touched them. A trail of fire followed him, and the birds in the night sky could swear that the ancient dragons had risen once again. The rogue ninja did not take his eyes off of his prey, now a group of three. It was rather interesting that this thought occurred the same moment as his next obstacle appeared.
Hyuga Hiashi dropped from a higher branch into the path of the oncoming Kanaye. The Byakugan was already activated, and he engaged in a Juken attack. Kanaye back-flipped and landed on one of his burning trees. For the entire night Kanaye had had to deal with incessant delays, but he would have been lying to himself if he said he didn't want to speak with head of the Hyuga clan. Hiashi's role in all of this was one event he could not understand.
"Hiashi-sama." he bowed politely.
"We can skip the formalities as well as the honorifics Kanaye." Hiashi curtly replied.
"Very well Hiashi. Will you please step aside?"
"No, Kanaye. I will do no such thing." Hiashi dropped his stance, seeing that Kanaye was not yet going to fight.
"A pity. I must say, I thought you of all people would understand my objectives.?" Kanaye dropped to the ground below to allow for the lengthy conversation.
"I understand them all too well." Hiashi followed suit.
"Do you really? I wonder about that. Why then would you stand there and defend two monsters... no... two fiends?"
"The answer is simple. They are not fiends."
"Oh I've heard the arguments. I'm even inclined to agree with some of them. But the fact is they are threats. Dangers that Konoha could not survive should the worst happen."
"Those are only some of the facts. Nothing is ever that simple Kanaye. They have a right to live as much as we do. Naruto has done nothing wrong, and the Uchiha is paying for his crimes."
"Probation? Active duty on missions? Time with FRIENDS?! You call THAT paying for his CRIMES?!!"
"Isolation. Guilt. Suspicion. Ostracism. I call THAT a payment." Hiashi countered.
"It's not enough. He betrayed us. Worse he is tainted. The snake could take over, just as the fox could. We'd lose everything. I am losing everything." Kanaye growled.
Hiashi simply stood there and made his statement point-blank. "That was your own doing."
"Just like your daughter." Kanaye smirked.
"Excuse me?" Hiashi's voice began to turn cold.
"Your eldest daughter. Hinata. Why would you let her near the boy. Even you must fear for her because of that? Especially with that... affection she feels for him. What kind of father are you?"
"Not a very good one." Hiashi admitted.
Kanaye just looked at him. "You are a fool, Hiashi." Kanaye moved into a fighting stance.
Hiashi followed suit. "I do not think so."
It happened in mere seconds. Hiashi struck the younger ninja, and Kanaye reeled back. He could see it. Kanaye could feel it. The chakra points were closed off.
Kanaye leaned against a tree, which caused it to ignite. He lowered his head... and laughed. He laughed very loudly, and looked up still laughing directly in Hiashi's face. Hiashi's eyes widened in surprise. he could literally see Kanaye's chakra systems force their way open. The excess supercharged chakra muted the special techniques of Juken. Hiashi could not disable his opponent.
"To re-open your channels in such a way..."
"Will what? KILL me?" Kanaye sneered. He was right. To worry about that now was pointless.
Now Kanaye began his attack. The Hyuga's were famous for throwing chakra around in attacks. Well, now he could too. He rushed forward and his hand aimed right at Hiashi's face. He threw a punch with his fist covered in a layer of chakra that began to spin like a drill. Hiashi deflected this attack with a chakra surged palm, and stepped to the side.
"This may take a while." Hiashi commented.
"I wonder about that. Exactly how much chakra do you have Hiashi?"
Kanaye surged with chakra and it blasted from his body. Hiashi countered with the heavenly spin. The two chakras glared in the night, and the forest erupted into a fire for yards away.
"Can you keep this up as long as I can, Hiashi-SAMA? I DOUBT IT!" Kanaye taunted through his attack.
They could see the blazing lights from where they stood. Miles away from the fight, Sasuke and Naruto watched patiently for two things. One, was for the conclusion of the fight between Hiashi and Kanaye. Two, was for Hinata to return from setting the traps for the purpose of slowing Kanaye down further and taking time off his "death clock" so to speak even further. It was going to be a rough night.
"Naruto." Sasuke called to his friend.
"Eh?"
"You have a problem." Sasuke remarked.
"What's that?" Naruto turned his head to look down at Sasuke who was leaning against the trunk of a tree.
"Your girlfriend isn't setting traps."
"She's not my... wait. What?"
"I said she's not setting traps. I had just enough chakra come back for me to take a quick look with my sharingan. She's not setting traps."
"Well what the hell is she doing?" Naruto asked, a growing concern entered into his voice.
"She's just waiting there. If I had to guess. I'd say she's going to take on Kanaye by herself."
"NANI?!!!!! Why would she do such a crazy thing?!"
"Why do you think, dumb-ass?"
Naruto didn't bother with a smart remark. He wasn't entirely sure why she would go fight Kanaye by herself, but he knew he wasn't going to let it happen. He ran off to fetch her. Unfortunately there was a problem the moment he leaped off his branch.
"Shit." Sasuke remarked. "Fight's over."
The fight was over. Naruto could see that. The glaring lights of copper and blue-green had faded with only copper remaining. Hiashi lost. Naruto briefly felt a little bad about all the times he had made fun of Hinata's father.
"If he's still alive, I'll apologize."
He didn't dwell on it past that little thought. Hinata was in danger. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Kanaye killed her. He cared for her too much now. His head was clear as a bell. He had feelings for her, and maybe just maybe she cared for him too.
"Hinata... you promised me."
Up ahead, Hinata stood in the path between the man she loved, and the man who sought to kill him. She was determined not to let that happen. It's true that she, Naruto, and Sasuke if he could recover in time would make a very powerful trio. But Kanaye would have more time on his clock to deal with them. The way she saw it, Naruto's chances were better the less time Kanaye had.
She was determined to shave off as much time from that clock as possible. She would force Kanaye to use his time on her. Whether that time lost was five minutes or five seconds, it would be time Kanaye could not get back. Yet, as she saw the ball of chakra burst forth from the battle ground half a mile away, she wasn't so sure she could do it. She shook those thoughts out of her head.
'For Naruto-kun... I can do anything!'
She stood in her Juken stance, as Kanaye approached. he stopped just short of her on a nearby tree.
"Well, well, well. The heiress to the Hyuga clan. I can't say I'm surprised to see you here. YOU would defend that demon."
"I will not let you take another step." She told him firmly.
"Oh I've already gone over this with your father. But I had a great deal more respect for him. He was a leader of men. A man of thought and action. Even if his most recent moments were very flawed." He smiled at her.
"YOU on the other hand, are another matter. You're no heiress. You are the Hyuga slut. You dirty yourself associating with that monster."
"You're the only monster here."
"Original. I haven't heard that one at all tonight." Kanaye replied. "Enough. You could have had much better. That dog-boy, or the walking insect hive. Hell, you could've married the fatty! But you throw your life away for an idiot."
"Don't talk about him like that!" Hinata had had enough.
She managed to land the first blow on Kanaye, with a Juken slap to the face. He reeled backwards and had to land on the forest floor. She followed him with her own Byakugan activated. She landed on the floor and charged after him. He was ready for the next attack.
She followed up her initial strike with a series of heel palm strikes to his body. Kanaye was still very fast, and could deflect each and every one of them. He let a few slip by however, to show her that her normal tactics wouldn't work. If he was going to fight two Hyugas in a night, they could at least be two different fights. His little hint wasn't wasted.
Hinata's heel strikes were a decoy. She'd already observed the fight her father was in, and had learned from it. She let a few more palms fly before she lifted her leg. Kanaye felt a rather unusual amount of pain. Something even the Hero's water couldn't really do anything about.
He doubled over holding his groin in extreme pain. Hinata followed up with an attack to his neck and spine, pushing him to the ground. She was now behind him, and he was on the ground. He stood up and cracked his back. Then he glared at her.
"That was NOT AT ALL lady-like."
"Exactly." She said.
Kanaye didn't bother to ask what she meant. He didn't care. He knew the fox-boy was on his way. Best to deal with her now. Besides, it was his turn.
He rushed forward with a few strikes of his own. Left, right, right, left, right, left, left, left, foot! She had taken a beating and was sent flying. But she wasn't docile in her flight. Hinata had sent out a series of chakra blades, slicing the trees around them.
They fell only a few seconds later, surprising Kanaye and giving him a few bruises. He smashed the rest to pieces, and continued after her. She was ready this time. When he launched a straight punch she caught it, and used his momentum to wheel him around and take him off balance. Someone else might have broken his arm, or locked it in a hold and pulled him down. She was not someone else. She was a Juken master, and a unique one at that.
She ducked under Kanaye's arm, and moved her hand to smack the back of Kanaye's head. With her Juken, she would have essentially slammed chakra directly into his brain potentially killing him. Things didn't quite go as planned. Kanaye foresaw this, and he countered with a trick of his own. His excessive chakra began to swirl around his body making the chakra she was using useless.
Her hit was just a normal strike- painful- but nowhere near as effective. Kanaye bent forward carrying her with him. He stuck out his right foot, planting it in her gut and launched her across the field. There was enough force behind it that she was coughing up blood, like many of the opponents before her. Kanaye looked down at her.
"You're very good little Hyuga, but your outclassed here. The Hokage couldn't handle me. Jiraiya couldn't even slow me down. Your own father was a minor nuisance. What in the world makes you so strong?"
Hinata looked at him. her eyes were filled with rage, and new veins bulged in her surge of newfound power. She knew how corny it was. It was something out of a bad movie. But it was true. "Love." she said. "Love is what makes me strong."
She stood up and wiped the blood from her face. Then she took her stance. It was time for her new technique. One she had developed. Win or lose, She was wearing down Kanaye's clock considerably. She was about to wear it down even more.
"Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō – Form Nibanme!" (Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms – Second Form!)
Hinata's hands moved rapidly around. They became a blur. Faster than even Kanaye could see at this point. Then she began to spin. And she moved forward.
Suddenly, all around them the burning trees split apart as she continued her attack. Debris was sent flying towards Kanaye who had to constantly dodge. On top of that, she kept moving forward, further slicing the debris and sending it at him. The chakra she sent out, would also strike him. He could feel the razor sharp edge behind them.
It got worse. He was starting to bleed. The girl's chakra was advanced at this point. She had training in element manipulation. As it turned out, that element was wind.
This made her extremely dangerous. She could make a blade out of thin air- literally! Kanaye's chakra couldn't stop it either. Not without some manipulation of his own. He took a few more gashes across his body before she finally stopped.
She looked very eloquent. Her left hand was raised above her head, and her right was held across her her body and in front of the left. Her right leg raised in front of her. She looked like a dancer.
Kanaye sat up wincing at the pain. He was definitely wounded. It was plain as day. She set her hands and foot down, and walked over to him. He stood up to face her.
A solid punch landed across her jaw. She went down like a rag doll. He picked her up by the hair and slapped her across the face. Then he threw her against a tree and smiled as she winced from the burn of his chakra. He slapped her again on the other cheek with a back-hand.
"That was an impressive jutsu, Hinata. If I were a normal person, I'd be dead right now. But I'm not normal. Not anymore."
He threw her into a tree which he hadn't touched, and used a jutsu raising the earth around her. She was held against the tree, entombed by rock up to her head.
"That rock is diamond hard. You aren't getting out of that so easily."
Kanaye turned to leave when he heard a loud crack. He couldn't believe his ears. He turned around just in time to see Hinata cut the rock with her chakra, and plant a punch dead center on his nose. He felt it. She continued her assault on him. Breathing heavily and speaking with each move.
"You..." A punch to the gut.
"Will..." A knee to his chin.
"Not..." A slap across the face. He reeled on that one.
"Hurt..." She grabbed him by his clothes and forced him face first into a tree. The tree shattered.
"NARUTO!" With all the power she could muster into a single shot she forced chakra into her palms. She thrust them straight into Kanaye's torso.
Kanaye stood there for a moment; he couldn't believe what had just happened. Then he felt something. Or more precisely he didn't feel anything. Not below his waist. She had severed his spine. Her last attack was vicious and simple. Kanaye was careless. He flopped onto the ground, unable to move.
She stood there breathing heavily. She did it. She didn't just buy Naruto time. She beat Kanaye. Naruto wouldn't even have to fight. She could've whooped for joy if she wasn't so tired.
Kanaye coughed up blood this time around, and began to laugh. She looked at him.
"H-how?" he sputtered.
She looked at him. She thought about it. "How many people did you fight to get here. Did you take care of yourself? Or did you just rush straight through?"
Kanaye just looked at her.
"You were beat up too many times; used up too much chakra. You don't know how to use medic jutsu, and you probably didn't even think about it since you were already dying. By the time you got to me, you were already damaged. I just finished the job."
Kanaye laughed again. "I-I guess..." he coughed up more blood. "I was... wrong..." more coughing. "About you... H-Hinata-sama."
"Don't expect me to forgive you." She got up and walked away. Something was bothering her. Naruto would have noticed by now. So where was he? Why wasn't he here. She hadn't turned off her Byakugan. She should've been able to see him, but she couldn't. She couldn't see anything, except the forest, and an unconscious Sasuke.
Author's Section
There you go folks. Not a bad way to end a chapter, eh? Whoo! I spent some time on this one. Please review so I'll know whether or not it was worth it. Also please read the other story I've been writing. It's my "One Piece" story, "A Change In the Wind." I've been on hiatus on that one mostly due to this story. I'd like to see more people read it. Let's me know I haven't lost any fans. Well anyways I'll quit rambling and let you get to work. Arigato.
-bakagaijin
