First Battle.
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[If you want to add something to the scene ahead, look up The 13th Reflection. Longer the better.]
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Yu no Kuni, time: 1342-
CLANG! CLANG!
Zikito swung his scythe holding it near the curved blade to allow for greater control and merely wished to strike at his target, not kill him. He had knew his opponent for all of two days, when he decided to put him to the test.
"Let's have a battle."
He had fully expected any number of excuses from his new found ally but to his surprise, he agreed. Now the two stood in a semi-open field, well from prying eyes, having a simple but so far even fight. Zikito had opened with a move he had mastered well before becoming head of ANBU and was necessary to call yourself a 'Swordsmen of the Mist': Silent Killing. He was sure the Uchiha would be not able to counter it because prior to their fight commencing he cast the Hidden Mist to conceal his presence. However, Xevhiroth did and the battle was more like how a circled animal would fight; moving constantly, keeping his eyes and hands in the same direction. Whether by skill or more likely, the Sharingan, no matter from which direction or from what angle, Zikito always found his blows being parried. Ducking back into the fog, he looked to Xevhiroth but he was still standing in the same spot, kunai in hand, merely waiting for his skulking opponent to strike again. Anyone else would be scared stiff or dead by now, against Zikito's onslaught but Xevhiroth didn't appear to be bothered by it. Zikito could see what was happening; he was conserving his energy, letting Zikito exhaust himself and waiting for the right moment to end the fight. Taking a moment, Zikito weighed his next move carefully. If he kept up the pressure, most likely the Uchiha would just block and await his next move till Zikito made a mistake. Yet why was he not perusing him into the Mist, was just waiting for an attack? Or…
Zikito suddenly felt uneasy. Was it possible that a clone or his eagle was searching the fog looking for Zikito? Zikito wanted to shift his gaze but stopped at the next thought that crossed his mind.
'What if he's just bluffing? If his eagle was looking, she'd of found him by now and a clone would have too. No… the Uchiha is just mocking me by this charade, merely looking like he is unaware of where I may be.'
Zikito grit his teeth and tightened his grip on the scythe, a plan already from in his mind about how to deal with this cocky Uchiha….
XxX
Xevhiroth had expected to fight Zikito, the two were quite powerful, competent, and he had the feeling that Zikito wanted to put himself to the test against an opponent of his own mettle. Though he knew it was only a matter before they squared off, Xevhiroth was still surprised when Zikito asked for a match just after breakfast, and Xevhiroth was more than willing. He flexed his entire arm as he waited for Zikito to strike from the Mist, now even more alert then before. Zikito often struck with such speed that he actually had to really focus to spot him the fog that encircled him. He was able to block every single attack that came his way but now he felt uneasy, several minutes had passed since Zikito last struck and now all he could see was fog. Xevhiroth set his feet in the dirt and tensed his body, something was coming but from where and what, was anybody's guess.
STEP
Xevhiroth heard a sound to his left and spun his body in that direction. A gleaming piece of metal was the first thing to enter his view, followed swiftly by the man wielding it, he was slightly taller than Xevhiroth and stronger but he was also a bit slower. By the time, the blade of the weapon came down, Xevhiroth already had a kunai up ready to block the incoming heavy blow.
SPALSH
A cold feeling followed by a wet sensation told Xevhiroth that he had turned to face a decoy. Shutting his eyes from the shock of cold water, a single thought floated into his mind.
'So that was your plan?'
This last thought was followed by the sound of metal glancing against his armor. Opening one eye, Xevhiroth saw a curved blade under his chin and a long shaft held by the caster of the mist that had surrounded him.
"Looks like I win."
Was all that came for the shinobi in front of Xevhiroth, to which he only smiled and answered:
"I don't think so."
XxX
Zikito was sure he had won this little contest, he had the Uchiha under the knife, literally. He was sent a clone ahead that was programmed to dispel itself and drench his opponent in water, which he knew would make him shut his eyes at the sudden exposure. He then, jumped forth and brought his weapon to within an inch of taking his adversary's head off, stating in a matter-of-fact tone "looks like I win."
He looked towards his opponents face, expecting to see an expression like that of countless others; a man who recognized his fate but instead he saw a smile of 'I was expecting that.'
"I don't think so."
-poof-
And with that, the Uchiha vanished, in a simple poof of smoke.
Zikito saw something black come into his view. An object he knew well: a kunai, as it came rest with the blade pointed at his throat.
"Owari da."
Zikito merely stood still his blade still held in the same position as before, he didn't need to move it.
"You managed to use a shadow clone to circumvent my attack with your own, impressive…" Zikito said honestly, as a smile made itself known on his lips. "…is what I'd normally say."
SPLASH
Before he again, become water and fell to the Earth.
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Xevhiroth was surprised to say the least, he could not tell that he stood behind a water clone. His Sharingan saw a full and complete chakra network that told him that the one he stood behind was Zikito but, in a way, he had expected it. Zikito wasn't the type who would be taking on an all or nothing strategy and commit everything in one attack. So while it had caught him off guard, it was not something that shook him to his core.
"You used not one but two water clones in your attack, clever." He said as a long shaft came to rest on his shoulder the blade pointing down.
"Yes, but how about we put an end to this cat-and-mouse bullshit?" Zikito asked.
Xevhiroth heartily agreed.
"Just waiting on you. End this mist."
Moments later, the fog lifted and everything from the blue sky to the flowing green forest became visible once more.
"Good" Xevhiroth said. Before grabbing the scythe on his shoulder.
XxX
Zikito felt his hand get pulled forward, Xevhiroth had tried to yank the scythe free from Zikito's grip but Zikito wasn't about to let that happen. Yanking his whole arm back, Zikito was surprised when the Uchiha suddenly let go, the action causing him to stumble under the momentum.
Zikito struggled to regain his balance.
SLASH
He brought his foot back to stabilize himself.
SLASH
His slide stopped, he quickly brought his scythe down.
SLASH
Only to miss his target, as Xevhiroth jumped backwards.
Zikito looked down at his chest, three slash mark were now present on his clothes but none had even pierced his skin. Such precision would not have possible without years of training or the Sharingan, which his opponent had. Zikito looked up to see Xevhiroth now casting hand signs, and immediately, Zikito planted his scythe in the ground and followed suit.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu."
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu."
The two techniques collide, cancelling each other out. But Zikito wasn't done, casting even more hand signs, he aimed another jutsu at Xevhiroth.
"Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!"
A massive wave of water poured out from Zikito's mouth, sending a fairly large wave at Xevhiroth. Though, he knew it would be easy to dodge that wasn't the point. The water now covered the field with puddles and soaked the ground. Zikito could use it to his advantage. Xevhiroth landed on the now, soaked earth, and the clear sign of water evident on his shin bandages. Zikito merely looked at him with a grin but it quickly faded as Zikito saw Xevhiroth again casting signs.
'Again, another fire style technique?'
Zikito began weaving signs to launch another attack as Xevhiroth finished and brought one hand to the Earth.
"Raiton: Jibashi!"
A surge of electricity ran through Zikito's body, his muscles going haywire and his chest suddenly becoming very tight. In a fraction of a second it was over and Zikito found himself on his knees, sweat and water mix on his head and chest. He had not expected a lightning style attack and was unprepared for its effects, he silently cursed himself for the mistake of taking his opponent too lightly.
POKE
Zikito didn't need to look up to see what had just prodded his shoulder. Instead he heard a single two word sentence from the man who stood over him.
"You Lose."
The Score is now 1-0.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu." - "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu."
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu." - "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu."
"Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!" - "Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"
"Raiton: Jibashi!" - "Lightning Style: Earth Flash!"
Owari da- It's Over.
Author's note: Sorry for no word for a while but life and being lazy don't make it easy. Anyway I hope this will stem the tide till the next chapters come out, I am unsure if this will continue the 'battle sequence' chapters but I am trying to get better at them so they might become a regular thing, so till next time. Ja-Ne.