When Rain Falls: Chapter 5 – Let the Fighting Begin Pt. 1
Disclaimer: Everything, other than my own characters, belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Kotone felt an air of uncertainty as they moved to the upper level railings to watch the first of the matches. The second part of the exam, due to the overwhelming number of teams that made it this far, would be one-on-one matches selected randomly. However, because of the uneven number of teams, one team would be pit against victors.
"It gives the extra team an advantage, doesn't it?" Kaori asked once they were settled in a spot near some of the other Konoha teams.
Takumi let out a humming noise before answering, "Yes and no. The victors will have the confidence of winning, depending on their matches. However, they might use a lot of chakra and will have minimal time to recover it before facing a second opponent."
Toko nodded and continued for Takumi, "While it can give an advantage, it might not. If a match is unbalanced, the winner might not demonstrate much of their abilities. This would leave the second opponent in the dark as much as the first. It's about observation for the three that go against the finalists, as well as perseverance for the finalists."
"What do you mean, Toko-sensei?"
Kotone, who was leaning against the railing with her head in her hand, spoke up, "You never know when the battle will end. On a real battlefield you might defeat one opponent only to have another show up. If you're not careful, you'll reveal your techniques and wear yourself out too fast."
Kaori nodded and tightened her left fist as the nerves started to overwhelm her. She didn't have much experience in dueling situations, but they few she had rarely went well.
Takumi rested his hand on her right shoulder in comfort, almost forgetting the bad break in that arm.
"I'm excited to see what all these Konoha genin can do though. The youngest ones especially. I didn't think all of them would get this far," Kotone admitted from her spot, though the soft smile playing at her mouth hinted her joy at their survival.
Toko sighed and shook her head. "They're competition, Kotone."
"But not enemies," she mumbled in reply.
Toko glanced away from her young team to the rest. She recognized a few of the Konoha instructors, pausing longer on Kakashi than the others. He had an impressive background, but she wouldn't have pegged him as the teaching type. His reputation was something to fear, but had he instilled that type of training in his students, she wondered.
The first match would be Sasuke Uchiha vs another Konoha genin by the name of Yoroi Akado. Kotone faintly recalled Yoroi in the first part of the exam, but he had stayed silent the entire time. His presence was almost nonexistent for the entire exam so far.
"How will this go," Takumi wondered out loud as Sasuke trapped his opponent.
In seconds Sasuke was pinned by Yoroi with chakra visible on his hand.
"What a frightening ability," Toko murmured.
"What is it, Toko-sensei?" Kaori asked curiously.
"He's draining the Uchiha's chakra from him through touch. If he gets pinned like that again, he might lose consciousness due to a lack of chakra. It's a dangerous ability to fight against."
"It's a game of dodging for Sasuke," Kotone said as Naruto began to shout. She jolted from her slouched position when Sasuke didn't move from behind his opponent, the mark spreading again. "This chakra..." However, when his chakra returned to normal, Kotone relaxed again. Her teacher, however, remained cautious of the boy's sudden power increase.
"So he wins," Kaori observed as Sasuke was declared the victor.
"I wonder what that teacher is reading," Kotone muttered as Kakashi took Sasuke out of the room.
"Kotone, no," Toko instructed, "just focus on the next match."
"You'll love this Kotone," Takumi teased.
"Why? That overconfident prick from before is going to lose?"
"You should really study up on the clans of the big villages. Aburame clan might be particularly interesting to you."
Kotone focused her vision on the Aburame boy when the skittering sounds started. "No way." She started to tremble when the bugs were crawling up behind Zaku.
"Eh? Kotone-chan, is something wrong?" Naruto noticed her trembling from beyond Guy's team. He walked over and looked between her and the battle.
"Kotone-chan does not like bugs!" Kaori joyfully explained to the blonde boy.
"Ehhh?!" Naruto exclaimed.
"It's more of a deep irrational fear she has."
"And whose fault is that?!" Kotone harshly responded as she regained control of herself.
Takumi smirked and shrugged, "Not mine. It was Jin's idea."
Kotone jerked her head when Neji started to explain the Aburame clan's abilities. "Remind me to never piss off an Aburame."
"You can stop panicking now, Kotone-chan! Look! It's the boy from Suna next!" Kaori exclaimed.
Kotone looked at the screen and felt a wave of relief when the boy in black was moving to the floor not the red haired one. Her curiosity over the entire team from Suna made her focus on the matches despite the other conversations that were going on.
"Well, doesn't this look familiar," Toko muttered only loud enough for her team to hear.
"Ooooh, Kotone-chan, you'd do well against him wouldn't you? Because your-" Takumi placed an interrupting palm over Kaori's mouth.
Kotone let out a light chuckle and shrugged, "Don't forget, I've never beaten her. While they both use puppets, there's no saying how I'd do. I could still lose."
"Well at least he's not as scary as your mother," Takumi chimed in quietly. His remark caused Kotone to pale at the thought of her mother's training exercises and sparring style. Most of Kotone's abilities came from her parents' strict training schedule for her prior to her academy days and on her days off from genin missions. Kotone could picture her mother's long ebon hair getting pulled back into a high ponytail before a smile would spread across her face.
Kotone shivered. Kaori let out a short giggle, "Your mama really scares you, doesn't she, Kotone-chan?"
"Ah, that's right, Kaori, you've only met her at the house. That woman is a major sadist, but without her training I wouldn't be as good as I am," though by the time she reached the end of her sentence Kotone's voice has diminished.
The match ended in favor of Kankuro. Sakura started to head for the bathrooms, why else head off the balcony observation area before the next opponents' names were illuminated on the screen. She gave polite nod to Kotone and her team before descending the staircase.
It was at this moment that Naruto decided to visit with the Ame team rather loudly: "Kotone-chan! Kaori-chan!"
Kotone smiled at the boy's bright greeting, but could feel the questioning stares of the nearby instructors. "Naruto, you ready for your match?"
"Yeah! I'm ready to go against whoever they pair me against! No matter what, I'll win!"
A scoff from the Hyuga caused Kotone's olive eyes to snap to him, his female team flinching. With her eyes still locked on the brown hair boy, Kotone continued to smile gently, "Oh, well then I hope I don't get paired with you, Naruto. I would make you work for that victory."
Rubbing his nose with a childish grin, Naruto chuckled, "It'd be a good match! I want to see what you guys can do! Oh? But, Kaori-chan, is your arm hurt?"
Kotone and Takumi shifted their distracted gazes to their young teammate. Smiling gently, Kaori shifted her sling and nodded, "I'm still going to fight. I'd rather fight with the injury and see how far I get, than give up."
Naruto nodded, "That's right! Great attitude, Kaori-chan!"
Takumi coughed and Naruto's eyes met his before he squinted. "You don't seem very interested in me, Naruto."
"Eh? Well, you remind me a bit of Sasuke so I guess I haven't really noticed you as much." Naruto was grinning while rubbing his neck.
Kotone had to hold back her laughter while Takumi glared at Naruto until he traveled back to his sensei and Sakura rejoined them.
"Oh?" Takumi raised an eyebrow at the next pairing.
Haruno Sakura vs Yamanaka Ino
"I wonder what we'll see from these two now," Takumi mumbled as anyone with a strength for observation might.
Kotone's eyes narrowed when Naruto's voice carried a comment about Sakura doing well. Kaori tugged at one of Kotone's long crimson sleeves with a questioning glance.
"Sure enough, they're kunoichi. So this is their level of hand-to-hand combat?" voiced the Hyuga.
Again Kotone's eyes darted to the boy with opalescent eyes. Takumi placed a hand on her shoulder to silence her and prevent her from sending the boy across the room. Hyuga or not, Takumi had a feeling Kotone would win the fight out of pure stubbornness and anger if he kept the quips up. Though he was intrigued when the Hyuga's teammate in pink corrected him on what made the battle less than exciting.
"I'm not sure I understand," Kaori voiced.
Takumi sighed, "This match feels like people just sparring with the minimum ability required. They aren't actually fighting, but rather just trying playing around. Would you hold back against Kotone or me like this?"
Kaori shook her head, "No, I feel like I'd have more to prove and go all out for against you two."
"So where are the Sakura and Ino that we observed in the last challenge?" Takumi concluded his observation quiet enough that only his team might hear, unless someone with a keen ear was straining to listen in.
As the fight dragged on, Sakura and Ino started to hit a point of conflict. Sakura moved her forehead protector to her forehead and declared how insignificant Ino was to her. This turning tide brought more interest to fight and allowed Kotone to smile again.
"Always the guardian," Toko mumbled from the side.
"Eh?" Kaori, the only one to hear their sensei turned her head.
An unusually relaxed and gentle expression crossed her face for just a moment, surprising Kaori who was used to their pragmatic, and usually angry, instructor. She lifted a finger to her lips to silence the black haired girl.
Kotone's eyes narrowed at a technique Sakura used out of the blue to catch Ino off guard. "Brief chakra bursts to increase speed, huh? Careful Kaori, she might just solve your fighting style, though you take it to an extreme level."
"You saw it too?" Takumi smirked knowingly at Kotone. Her smile was all Takumi needed for a reply.
The match was going to well until, yet again, a girl cut her hair.
Kotone sighed and mumbled in annoyance, "What is with these Konoha genin and chopping off their hair? Is this a cultural difference?"
"What was Ino's last name?" Takumi ignored the hair cutting incident entirely, instead more curious about the jutsu she was preparing to perform.
"Yamanaka," Kaori replied quickly. While she was not a genius, Kaori did have a remarkable memory for details easily ignored. Takumi was aware of the Yamanaka family, though only barely. However, Sakura was quick to explain most of the details of the jutsu which he made note of.
Kotone noticed the tension from Ino's team as she readied her jutsu. Out of curiosity, Kotone did the hand signs necessary for her kekke genkai underneath her sleeves. She looked about the entire span between the two as Ino slumped to the floor. The hair that traveled between the two was what interested her the most as it seemed Ino was a bit more of a strategist than the snow haired girl had given her credit for.
Toko noticed her student using her jutsu, but said nothing. Kotone was the observant one of their team. She often passed off moments of observation to her teammates to be fair, but even without her Ueno bloodline the girl was sharp and precise about things. It didn't surprise the short haired teacher when Sakura was unable to move do to a chakra trap in the hair on the floor.
"What happens to the mind of the body when it gets possessed like that?" Kaori asked curiously.
"It's suppressed, "Toko explained, "The owner would never really know what happened if caught of guard. They'd wake up later confused. It's also near impossible to break, as far as any records dictate –" When Ino started to struggle in her control over Sakura, Toko averted her eyes and coughed lightly.
When the match ended up in a double knockout, Kotone let out a light laugh. "Almost suitable, isn't it?"
Takumi scoffed gently, feigning distate, "They were both rather low on chakra."
The next match left Kotone livid. It was short and engaging to watch, but the attitude of Temari angered Kotone to no end. Her jutsu had been active the entire fight, just watching Tenten's movements as well as Temari's. Before Tenten could solve the mystery of the blonde's jutsu, Kotone had seen it with her right eye. The fan would be problematic if anyone on her team ended up against the Suna girl, but Kotone knew she could even the playing field. Her fingers flexed and the wires tugged at the sudden tension created.
The match that followed Temari and Tenten generated some interest from Kotone as Shikamaru's intellect was exposed more thoroughly.
"Ohhh, it's Takumi 2.0," Kotone teased.
Said brunette's eyebrow twitched, "E-excuse me?"
"Ah, that did it, Kotone-chan! But it'd be interesting to see those two fight wouldn't it?"
Takumi sighed with a quick glare to his light haired teammate. He hadn't expected such intellect from a boy that age. He grit his teeth at the pairing of a high IQ and a powerful kekke genkai. Takumi resented many ninja clans with special techniques that gave them an edge. The Uchiha being at the top of the list with their ability to mimic everything without practice. The fact that there were two remaining didn't lessen his detest in the slightest. While he couldn't rightfully judge Sasuke, Takumi disliked him. Same with the Hyuga boy nearby with such pride radiating in his behavior.
Kotone pat his shoulder and that helped to release his tension. Takumi had at one point hated Kotone on the principle of her being of the Ueno clan. However, witnessing her hard work made him realize that not all bloodlines were given the grace of good fortune. However, Takumi's strength was his intelligence and innovation in battle, not his actual prowess for combat. So to see that in Konoha genin left him unsettled.
"Ah, so wires might not be very effective against him. Suggestions if I fight him Takumi?" Kotone efforts to distract him didn't go unnoticed, but he appreciated the effort.
"You'd have to catch him off guard. You'd be fine so long as he was unaware of your technique, most likely. Though, he'd probably be ready to overcome that challenge. It'd depend on how much you could micromanage in the fight."
Kotone nodded in agreement. There was a lot more to these fights, depending on opponent that is. If It was someone like Sakura or even Kaori, the fight would be rather direct. A challenge of skill level. However, opponents like Shikamaru and Takumi would involved outwitting the opponent. Temari required cutting her off from her weapon, same as Tenten. Puppet fights usually mean disabling the puppet, but that's not an easy feat, Kotone knew from sparring her mother's frightening inventions. The Aburame meant losing unless you could remove the bugs somehow, but that was impossible it seemed.
"This is more complicated than I initially thought it'd be," Kotone mumbled as the screen flared up again.
Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba
"It's Naruto's turn!" Kaori whispered excitedly. They had yet to actually see the boy in combat and were curious if he had talent for fighting or was just stubborn and reckless.
Takumi sighed, "My money is on the Inuzuka. It's basically 2-vs-1."
"Inuzuka, isn't that a clan that utilizes animal companions in combat?" Kotone asked, her memory of the information vague.
Toko and Takumi stared at her with blank expressions, "I did start to read up on Konoha on the way you know! I just didn't get far into it..."
"Animal companions?" Kaori asked, her eyes sparkling like moving water.
"See the dog he has? The Inuzuka's have senses much like dogs, but they also have dog companions they fight in sync with. It's a rather difficult training process, but I respect them for their unique style," Toko explained with simplicity. "The scar on my left leg is from a duel with an Inuzuka. If I remember right her name was Hana? It was a misunderstanding that lead to us fighting, but once it was cleared up we got along rather well."
"You have a friend?!" Kotone gasped only to get hit over the head.
The trio observed as Naruto appeared to be knocked out instantly. He was up quickly with a fighting spirit unlike anything they had seen. "So this is Naruto's strength? What a powerful advantage to have."
Kaori nodded in agreement. It was what she had experienced in the first test, when Naruto stood up to Ibiki. He had an inspirational power to him that made trio admire him.
"Wahhh, transformations and clones used together. He is smarter than I thought," Takumi chimed in along with most of the gallery.
"Well that's just unsettling," Kotone mumbled when Akamaru transformed into a second Kiba and they were in unison. "It's interesting, but there is something unsettling to it."
"This bothers you, Kotone-chan?"
"Mmm, even bothers seems like the wrong word. I just find it odd I guess, but at this rate Naruto could lose. Kiba seems like the type of opponent you want to disable before he gets the chance to use that food pill and joint attacks with Akamaru."
Takumi nodded, "It would be wiser in the long run, but I imagine there are other ways to beat this style. Everything has a weakness."
When Naruto transformed into Kiba again to fool him over which was Akamaru, Takumi grinned, "The love on one's pet, for example. Kiba is shocked every time Akamaru is injured. It leaves him open to attack."
"But how will this end?" Kaori questioned as Kiba readied himself for another onslaught. Naruto was running out of options, it was true. Though Kotone had to admit the kid could take a punch like nothing she had seen.
When it came down to Naruto disabling Kiba by accidentally ripping one in his face, Kotone could barely hold her laughter to the point of her sage toned eyes tearing up. Takumi scoffed in disgust while Kaori just turned her head in embarrassment.
He ran by in joy to his team, smiling to his friends on the way.
"Oh? There were two Hyuga members weren't there?" Kotone asked when he stopped by a girl named Hinata.
"She is very easy to miss," Takumi admitted, "but it would appear she is shy."
"Ah, Takumi," Kotone called out with a curious tone.
He turned to regard her question with an eyebrow raised.
"We're the leftover team," she pointed out simply. She could see him work through the math in his head and he nodded.
"Eh?" Naruto chimed from near them, "That means I could end up fighting one of you too?!"
"I guess so, Naruto," Kotone grinned. "I admit I was impressed by your match. You could probably outlast Takumi with sheer stubbornness!"
"O-oi! Kotone!" Takumi chided her though he knew she was trying to encourage Naruto to do his best though he had depleted a lot of chakra after his match.
"Shouldn't you be observing your potential opponents?" Toko reminded them with a cold stare.
"Y-yes," Takumi and Kotone replied in unison as Naruto retreated to his sensei and Sakura.
"The Hyugas are against each other?" Takumi questioned with his brows furrowed.
"Were you hoping to fight one, Takumi-kun?" Kaori piped up.
He shook his head in response. "No. Rather I'm curious how this will go. They'd have the same fighting style, wouldn't they?"
"Mmm, but will they have the same level of skill? Hinata is pretty shy, but her teammates are strong. I wonder where she falls along the spectrum of ability," Kotone leaned against the railing, her eyes trained on the male Hyuga. She resented his pride, but was curious about his clear dislike for his relative. His eyes showed something dark behind them. A darkness Kotone recognized in Takumi at one point.
Immediately Neji attacked Hinata's gentle personality and lack of confidence. A scowl crossed her face as he berated her without hesitation.
"I don't understand," Kaori frowned. "They're relatives, shouldn't it be more precious to them?"
Takumi's eyes were wide as Neji touched on the topic of change and how he was considered inferior because he is of the Branch family. Kotone glanced at Takumi before he hid his expression beneath his bangs.
"That boy is horribly misguided," Toko whispered. "Many born to the inferior household begin to resent the heads because they are treated poorly. That boy has been lead to believe something unnecessary."
Naruto's voice interrupted the mental attack Neji had laid out. Kotone felt a wave of relief that he was calling out to her, whereas she was unable to even correct Neji. She made a mental note to try and talk with Neji if the chance arose.
"That stance! Kaori, observe," Toko demanded suddenly. The bursts of chakra from the strikes between Neji and Hinata cause Kaori to tense. "They aren't inflicting punches. They fight to damage the paths of chakra in the body and damage the organs. Kaori, this is the opposite to your style. Your damage is physical, external, but it is a force of chakra much like their style. Keep an eye on this technique and you might learn a new method for your own skills."
"But, I can't do their fighting style without the Byakugan, can I, Toko-sensei?"
Her sensei shook her head, the short black hairstyle bouncing lightly with the motion. "No, you're right. Without the kekke genkai, you cannot actually achieve the style, but your attacks are on the exterior, remember? You can do physical damage with precise strikes to their body, but the flow of combat and the way they move in battle is what you need."
Kaori shivered slightly as Neji revealed the disrupted chakra points on Hinata's arm. Neji continued to prod Hinata with her limited ability after knocking her across the room, this time angering Kaori slightly.
"Stand up, Hinata-chan," Kaori whispered to herself as the girl slowly lifted herself off the ground.
Kotone's eyes widened and she reactivated her own bloodline trait.
"Kotone?" Takumi questioned.
"Her pulse. Something is off about her pulse in her neck," Kotone mumbled in reply.
Hinata coughed up blood before resuming her stance at Naruto's cheers. Her moves were messier this time with little strength behind them, but Kotone's eyes softened at her efforts. She released her own jutsu when Neji landed a strong blow to Hinata's jaw.
At Hinata's collapse, Kotone felt frustrated but also understood there was a powerful difference in skill level between the two. While she didn't agree with Neji's constant braying about fate and the inability to change, this was not going to end well for Hinata if she continued to fight with a damaged heart.
At Hinata's insistence that it was Neji was in the worse spot, Kotone felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy especially after his rage toward Hinata prompted Jounin interferrence. Even Toko had flashed down to interfere, but instead found herself catching the injured girl.
"She needs treatment, immediately," Toko explained as Hinata proceeded to cough up blood. Hinata's instructor unzipped her coat and felt for Hinata's pulse.
When Neji proceeded to chastise even her sensei, Toko walked toward him, her eyes empty as usual. The boy only took a step back because of the unknown element with the Ame team leader.
"Speak with respect to your senseis, Hyuga," Toko said calmly before instantly arriving next to her team now that Hinata was being treated.
The next match pairing lit up the screen after the floor was cleaned. The Ame team's eyes widened at the only know they hadn't heard the entire time: Gaara.
Toko tapped Takumi's shoulder and whispered something in his ear as the sand reacted to Lee's attacks. He tensed before relaxing, though Kotone hadn't heard what she had said.
Every attack was stopped by sand walls while it simultaneously attacked back.
"The sand protects Gaara of its own accord," Kankuro's voice barely reached Kotone's ear.
"What the hell," She mumbled. Odds were even her wires wouldn't penetrate the sand. However, the fear of the sand quickly became a fear of Lee when the weights dropped.
Kotone twitched when even her own impressive speed seemed dwarfed by Lee's post weights speed. "Don't bother activating your jutsu here, Kotone," Toko chimed when she saw Kotone lift her arms to make the seals.
"Eh?"
"You'll just strain it too far with these speeds. Use this opportunity to train your regular sight."
Kotone stared at her sensei for an extra moment longer than needed in confusion at what she meant. Usually she was forcing her to use her kekke genkai.
"What in the-?" Takumi grunted in confusion as the sand crumbled off the boy's face before readjusting and recreating the stoic outer layer they had seen. The fight continued until it appeared as though Lee had won. The brief silence before the clone crumbled was heavy.
"Lee is strong," Toko finally spoke with a sigh, "but this Gaara is going on the offensive now."
"He was only on the defensive, accustomed to never having anyone breach that guard. I feel like he's getting angry," Kaori observed with furrowed brows. Her usually light mood was changing during this match.
"Someone that can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu." Takumi's eyes softened as Lee took the abuse from Gaara's sand. "But he uses what he can to outdo his opponent, even training to painful degrees."
Kotone nodded, but felt shock riddle her body when Lee started to speed up again. Everything about this boy was misleading.
"Don't tell me-!" Toko winced as Lee started to change and power overflowed from his body. The floor was devastated by his next attacks. Kaori and Takumi covered their eyes from the dust storm while Kotone barely blocked rocks from the blast, keeping her eyes on the battle.
"This technique is forbidden. To open the inner gates can be debilitating. In all my years, every shinobi I've met that's tried has become disabled or died in the process," Toko was openly frowning at this use of the technique, but there was a strange hint that she impressed. Gaara, however, survived the attacks with his defense.
"It's over," Kotone whispered as Lee tried to crawl from the sand.
Kaori covered her mouth as the sand crushed his left limbs and left Lee unconscious. Kotone's grip on the railing had her knuckles pale. Takumi had looked away, preferring to admire the boy's strength, not see him weakened like that after such a powerful fight.
"Toko-sensei, will he be able to...?" Kotone couldn't finish her sentence as Lee stood up again.
Even her teacher's forest toned eyes widened at the boy's will to keep going.
"No. He might never recover from this," Toko replied as quietly as he could.
"He'll recover," Kaori said firmly.
"Kaori-" Toko started before the young girl interrupted her as Guy was told the same damning news.
"He will recover," Kaori whispered. This was the cruelty they hoped to avoid for a while longer with Kaori. Despite everything she had seen in Amegakure, Kaori was still so pure and kind.
Kotone pat her young teammate's head with a practiced smile. "Let's hope he will, Kaori. That is all we can do, right?"
Kaori nodded with a bright smile to her teammate.
The final match of the initial round had such a bittersweet taste to it. It was comical and short lived, but following Lee and Gaara was a painful endeavor.
"Now we will sort the remaining team against the victors'," the proctor said with a cough.
The screen started to rotate names in and out of the two spots before stopping.
Temari vs Ueno Kotone