Kishimoto owns Naruto. Dig?

Opening theme: Kaze Ga Soyogu Basho (1st opening theme of Monster Rancher)

Chapter 14: Battle at Sea

Kawazaki hopped for his life, Torayoma still behind him. At the moment, he would have given his long tongue for any kind of assistance. Really now, he wasn't a fighter! Nor was he anything worth eating! Why was that oversized jungle cat attacking him?!

Bouncing through a bush, Kawazaki chanced a look behind to see if he had shaken off his attacker. No good, Torayoma was on his heels, still wearing that dumb mask. Kawazaki racked his brains for any answer to his problem. None came to mind, but out of the corner of his eye he spotted a pond to his right.

There! Kawazaki thought happily. Taking a hard right, Kawazaki dived into the water, going straight to the bottom. The pond wasn't very deep, but he felt safe, knowing that cats hated the water. As long as he stayed out of the reach of Torayoma's paws, there was nothing that tiger could do. Sure enough, he saw Torayoma gaze down through the water, glaring at his escaped prey. After a moment, Torayoma leapt into the water with all the force of a cannonball!

SPLOOSH!

The force of the splash knocked Kawazaki clear out of his hiding spot. He landed on a stump with an undignified clunk. Straightening himself up, Kawazaki saw to his immense shock that all of the water had been blasted out!

"Good grief…" Murmured the frog, blinking.

DATTEBAYO

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Lee swung his leg at Kanibusshi, but the crustacean warrior blocked the kick with his right arm. In the brief moment Lee had connected, Kanibusshi jabbed its left pincer at him, but the 'Handsome Blue Devil' kicked off of the blocking arm to avoid it. Landing away from the monster, Lee took a moment to reevaluate his opponent.

"I apologize," Lee said, looking at Kanibusshi in the eye. The crab monster cocked an eye. "I mistook you for an amateur." Tightening his muscles, Lee disappeared in a blur of movement.

Kanibusshi looked surprised for a moment, then closed its eyes. Almost immediately, the crustacean swung his leg around in a roundhouse kicked, nailing Lee in the stomach. Lee went flying, thankfully landing on the soft sand beyond the rocks.

"Oof!" Lee grunted. Rubbing his backside, Lee contemplated the situation. While it was true that Kanibusshi could keep up with his speed, Lee knew from experience there was more than speed was needed to win a fight. He thought about what Kawazaki had said about the island...

"If we encounter any monsters," Kawazaki said, lecturing the crew of the Kingfish, "Just run away. No one will think any less of you. I won't."

Lee nodded. This was a rescue mission, not a war on the Land of Monsters. He didn't need to fight.

And now there's nothing between me and the way out! Lee thought, making a run for the inland. However, Kanibusshi suddenly appeared before him, blocking the way.

"Aah! What!?" Lee groaned. Why was this monster being so obstinate?

Kanibusshi resumed its fighting stance, and Lee instantly understood.

"I see… You don't want to leave this fight undecided." Lee murmured. Struggling a little, he took off his chunin vest, tossing it away. The vest landed in the sand, sinking very deeply. Although most upper-level ninja used the extra pockets on their vests as holders for their various tools, Lee had found a different use. By filling the pockets with lead, Lee had turned what should have been standard uniform amongst the Leaf Ninja into an effective means of training. And now that he had taken the vest off, as well as the leg weights, there was nothing to hold him back…literally!

"Unfortunately for you," Lee yelled, charging at his newfound rival, "I have no time to waste!"

What followed was a flurry of blows. Punches, kicks, jabs, and feints, exchanged by both combatants. For a moment, they both seemed equal. Though Lee could never rival Kanibusshi's monster strength, he was able to fend off the crustacean's blows by pushing them to the side, instead of blocking them entirely. Unfortunately, this did not last for very long. In one brief lull in the fighting, Kanibusshi clamped his pincers on Lee's arms. While this made it impossible for either of them to use their arms, Kanibusshi's power made it more painful for Lee.

"A...Augh!" Lee cried in pain. Then he felt a sharp blow in his gut. Kanibusshi was kicking him!

Swinging his legs up, Lee gave Kanibusshi a twin kick on the chin…figuratively speaking. Though he wasn't strong enough to make the kicks hurt, they were enough to loosen Kanibusshi's grip on his arms. Leaping away, Lee took the chance to catch his breath.

Owww… My arms… Lee thought, feeling his arms burn with pain. It's too dangerous for a frontal assault, and he's too fast to outrun…

Seeming bored, Kanibusshi charged at his opponent and chosen rival.

I have no choice…! 1st Gate, open! Opening Gate!

Lee felt a faint rush of power as his brain released the restraints on his muscles. Now gifted with extra speed and strength, Lee was in front of Kanibusshi in an second. Before the crustacean could react, Lee swept his feet out from under him, knocking the monster over. While the sea monster was off-balance, Lee zipped around and slammed his foot into Kanibusshi's back, sending him forward. Before Kanibusshi hit the beach, though, Lee was in front and below him. A sudden upward kick on Lee's part sent Kanibusshi flying skyward. Lee jumped up and was behind the crustacean. Unraveling the bandages, Lee wrapped them around Kanibusshi. Normally, this wouldn't have held Kanibusshi for long, but Lee was hoping to finish it before he did.

Front Lotus!

Spinning in the air, Lee and his prisoner began to spiral downwards, plummeting at top speed. As they were falling, Lee shifted a little, so that they began to fall backwards instead of straight down. It was a bit of a gamble, since the downward spiral was needed to increase the effectiveness of the Lotus, but it would be even less effective to drive Kanibusshi into the sand…as oppose to the rocks.

At the last minute, Lee released his captive, tumbling onto the sand. Sitting up, he watched as the crustacean crashed into the rocks, sending up a gravel and water.

KERASHASHASH!

For a moment, there was silence. Lee looked on with baited breath, hoping beyond hope that Kanibusshi wouldn't get up. When the sea monster didn't appear, Lee fell back, panting from exhaustion.

"I… Huff…won…" Lee gasped, unable to believe his luck. Then he felt a jab of pain as the backlash of the Lotus kicked in...

And then, darkness.

DATTEBAYO

Uwaaa! This is the LONGEST fight I've ever done!