Hello everybody, and welcome to Chapter Twenty One of the Winds of Change! Hoooooooooooolllllllllllllll lllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Crap! We've had a major influx of reviewer and reviews come in since we hit 100. We're currently up too 137 reviews as I am writing this. That is insane! Thank you all for your continued support, seriously, it means the world :). I made a joke that we might make 200 reviews by next year, hopefully. We're already a quarter of the way over that and it's not even been the first month of 2013! I know a lot of you are looking forward too this chapter, and I hope it lives up to your standards. I can't write fight scenes, never have been able too, and never will. I also much prefer dialogue and character development than fights anyway, which we'll be getting back to next chapter, thank god. I apologize for any grammar mistakes, they will be corrected by my beta soon hopefully. I also wrote this at midnight till 3am, so please keep that in mind. Without further ado, let's get on with Chapter 21 of the Winds of Change!

Chapter 21:

It's interesting how the world can go from a flurry of chaos to an intense silence. It's so quick, and so fast, it's almost unbelievable.
Kataki knew this feeling well as he watched his sensei walk forward. He stood with a rigid stance, poised and ready. Although, to someone who didn't know him well, it looked as though he was relaxed. It seemed that, with most stoic people, it was the eyes that were the most expressly. Kura had told him on numerous occasions that it was his eyes that gave away everything. He could keep his face impassive, but his eyes always betrayed him.
And, yes, the Sharingan did make it harder to read Itachi, but they knew. Kataki and Raion knew their sensei was ready for war. And they were ready for the fireworks.

The silence, while not deafening, was pretty close. Itachi stood opposite the sound ninja known as Kimimaro. They stared at each other, jade green eyes clashing with darkened red. It was a standoff between two powerful foes, both excellent at what they did: Killing. But, what happens if you have two experts clash? You get carnage. And, carnage was not either of their strong suits.
"Kimimaro, isn't it?" Itachi asked, his gaze carefully observing every inch of the sound nin's body. He nodded, flexing his shoulder.
"Yes. I am Kimimaro. I would request that you hand over your student, and allow us to go peacefully. I can tell, however, that is not going to happen."
Itachi let the smallest of smirks grace his face. "You are correct in that assumption. However, I will give you one more option."
Itachi carefully pulled out a kunai from his pocket, gripping it between his fingers. "You can go now, and that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not find you. I will allow you to run back to Orochimaru with your tail between your legs, and we will never see each other again. Or, you do not leave. If that is the case, I will fight you, I will beat you, and I will kill you."
Kimimaro smirked. "Your words hold much malice Itachi Uchiha, and anyone lesser than myself would probably cower in fear. I will decline, but offer you the same ultimatum."
Itachi let out a low growl, raising the kunai in his hand up to his face.
Kimimaro himself retaliated by getting into a wild stance of his own, ready to clash. He spoke slowly, "If you leave this place, and give me the boy, that will be the end of this encounter. You are strong, Itachi Uchiha. I am, however, stronger. If you leave, then I shall have no reason to pursue you for now. But, if you don't, I will kill you, I will slaughter them," he gestured to the rest of the group," And I will take the boy by force."
Itachi grimaced, "I see we are not going to come to a diplomatic solution. Very well."
Without warning and with a speed far quicker than the human eye, Itachi blurred forward. It caught Kimimaro off-guard how fast the Uchiha was. On instinct, he raised his arms, just in time for the bones to clash with the kunai. He was pushed backwards by the force of the attack. He also didn't expect another Itachi to burst from the ground behind him. It executed a flurry of handsigns, calling out, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Just as the eruption of flame cascaded from his mouth, the other Itachi leapt up onto Kimimaro's head, and flipped forward. The flames crashed into Kimimaro's body like a truck, Itachi sailing safely over them. The Itachi who cast the flames leapt back, before being joined by Itachi, who landed next to him.
As the fire dimmed, Kimimaro grimaced. His skin was slightly charred around his arms. He didn't have enough time to properly prepare his defence. That would not happen again. He raced forward, leaping into the air in preparation for a roundhouse kick. A bone jutted out of his ankle as he came downwards.
One of the Itachi's bent backwards, ducking the spinning kick. However, the other was impaled as Kimimaro's hand shot forward, penetrating it's heart. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. With a grimace, Itachi twisted his body around, so he was on his hands and knees. Doing a handstand, he kicked both of his feet up. The combined force connected with Kimimaro's chest, and he winced in pain. Itachi then withdrew a kunai from his kunai pouch, and with one hand shoved it upwards, while balancing on the other. It narrowly missed the exposed skin of Kimimaro's torso as he sailed overhead, doing a forward roll. This all took place in a matter of moments.
Itachi wasted no time getting to his feet, immediately throwing the kunai he held in his hand and withdrawing a couple more. Kimimaro dodged the first kunai, before racing forward and swatting the others away.
He was on Itachi before the raven haired nin had enough time to react, dealing a vicious knee to the stomach. Itachi, however, barely reacted; there was only a momentary flash of pain in his eyes before he was right back on target. Ducking a swipe from Kimimaro's bone, he went to give a bone-breaking palm strike to his opponent's chest. Bones protruded from that place, capturing the hand of the Uchiha in a cage-like construction. With his hand trapped, he could do little to dodge the bone that came hurtling towards his shoulder. However, this was Itachi Uchiha. In a flawless move, Itachi substituted for a rock behind Kimimaro. Instead of engaging him in Taijutsu again, however, Itachi leapt backwards. He pulled out an explosive kunai and let it fly towards its target. Kimimaro too leapt backwards, avoiding the small explosion that ruptured dirt and earth.

From the side-lines, Raion couldn't help but watch in awe. "This guy's on the same level as Itachi-sensei!"
Kataki merely chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah Raion. Your injuries are no excuse for stupidity. Their levels of Taijutsu are the same. Everything else… well, we'll wait and see."
Kakashi watched, his own Sharingan following the action. "It seems that Itachi has very much improved since we last met. Then again, that was many years ago."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru said casually as he walked forward, his eyes scanning over the battle. "Is this the guy we've been looking for?"
Kakashi merely nodded. However, he soon had arms draped over his chest, and a soft voice whispering in his ear, "Hello there. You know, I love a man in uniform."
The Copy Ninja was at first worried Anko had followed him, and he began to stiffen. However, the sharp stares of Itachi's students made the female let go.
A rather… exotic beauty now stood beside him, watching the battle with the mildest of interests. "I see you found a handsome masked man." She smirked, "Is he our saviour?" She draped an arm over his shoulder, "I need a big strong masked hero to save me!"
Kataki and Raion watched her with growing annoyance. Their eyes slanted, their jaws set. Kakashi almost assumed they were- No. Never mind.
"Kura, get off him," Kataki almost commanded.
"Yeah, leave the masked guy alone! He could still be the enemy!"
Kura scoffed, releasing her hold on Kakashi and moving away from him to join her teammates. "You boys ruin all the fun. Has Itachi killed this guy yet?"
"No. Would you all please be quiet, you're giving me a headache," Fenris groaned slightly. He quickly turned to Kataki and bowed his head apologetically, "Apart from you master, of course."
Kura and Raion snickered. Kakashi watched on with the smallest amount of amusement, before turning his attention back on the fight. He would do an evaluation on these guys later. He had a battle to watch.
Shikamaru uttered the last word for a while as he watched Itachi's students. "Troublesome."

Itachi waited for movement from behind the fog. He had to admit, he could see why this man was a member of the Sound Five. All of the others had been throwaways. Without their curse seal, they were nothing. And even then, he could easily beat them. This one, however… his unique Kekkei Genkai was proving to be a bother. Still, it only seemed to work using Taijutsu, and that's all.
Taijutsu, however, was not his only move. He had far more to work with.
His thoughts were cut off as Kimimaro's form was seen in the sky. A series of small pellets made of bone shot out from his hands. They were fast, too fast, and one cut Itachi on the cheek before he could dodge. So, he was going long range as well, eh? Very well, Itachi could play that game.
Running forward, blurring through handsigns, he muttered, "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu!"
Out of the earth, a giant dragon reared its head. With a loud ghastly roar, it began to beat its wings, and took flight. The earthen monstrosity looked around for a few moments, before its eyes zoomed in on its target, Kimimaro. Then it surged forward.
Kimimaro took it in his stride, leaping backwards as the dragon crashed into the earth. He couldn't breathe for long as the dragon burst from the ground and sped towards him once more. Leaping to the side, Kimimaro tried to figure out a strategy to take down the beast. It took him mere moments, before the beast came hurtling at him once more. Instead of dodging, however, he charged forward. He waited until the dragon was just a few feet away and…
Having leapt up into the air, the Sound Nin missed the clamp of the dragon's earthen jaws. He swiftly landed on its back, but was not prepared when it took flight once more. While not exactly too far up in the air, the dragon was about the height of the average house. Kimimaro soon righted himself with chakra enhanced feet. Ready to strike at the dragon from above, Kimimaro readied himself to attack.
What he was not ready for, however, was Itachi running up from the dragon's side, blurring through hand-seals. "Earth Style: Stone Column Spear!"
A sharp array of stone spikes erupted from the dragon's back, forcing Kimimaro to leap upwards. Itachi followed through, withdrawing three kunai. He leapt upwards, and threw them towards Kimimaro. They managed to reach the sound nin, but instead of thunking into his body, they wrapped themselves around the bones protruding from his back. Kimimaro turned his head just in time to see the thin sheen of ninja wire glistening in the moonlight.
Itachi smiled ever so slightly, before quickly going through handsigns, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Three blasts of flame, big enough to incinerate a grown man, engulfed the ninja wire, hurtling towards Kimimaro at a lightning fast pace. The sound nin could only grow his bones outwards to protect himself for two seconds before he was engulfed in flame. The loud boom of the explosion rocketed from the sky, accompanied by thick brown smoke. And Kimimaro fell limply out of the smoke, heading straight towards the ground.
Itachi watched as his body hit the dirt with a thud. And that was that. Letting out the smallest sigh of relief, Itachi went to turn his back on the body. He shouldn't have.
The body disappeared in a puff of smoke, instead being replaced by the ninja wire attached to Itachi's kunai. Kimimaro himself appeared behind the Uchiha, his fist cocked. The bone sank straight into Itachi's back, puncturing the heart. Itachi's skin and clothes turned to mud and he spilt apart, sending Kimimaro flying forwards. He managed to right himself just in time to block Itachi's kunai that came hurtling towards him.
"I am impressed. Perhaps Orochimaru did choose his talent wisely." Itachi's voice was cold and absent, drifting from different directions for every word he spoke. "So talented, in fact, that I presume Orochimaru would choose you as his new vessel?"
Kimimaro bristled ever so slightly, his bones growing in length. "That is no business of yours."
"No? It seems that your master has taken a liking to my little brother, and so that makes it my business. I do wonder, however," Itachi appeared in front of the sound nin, his Sharingan spinning, "Why you were not chosen to be his vessel. Was it because you were too… weak?"
Kimimaro's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they turned ferocious. He then attacked with animalistic vigour, his strikes wild and unpredictable. Itachi dodged them methodically, each missing by only a hair's breadth. They moved down the dragons back, soon reaching the beginning of its swishing earthen tail. The dragon was still in flight, circling to and fro in a repetitive pattern.
Itachi dodged another of Kimimaro's blows, ducking and swinging his leg outwards in a forward arc. Kimimaro reacted unexpectedly, blocking the blow and lunging his knee forward. The blow caught Itachi in the chest, forcing the air out of his lungs. Without waiting, Kimimaro followed up with a devastating slash to the chest. Itachi seemed to react quick enough to dodge out of the way of major damage, but a long thin scratch now rested on his chest. Kimimaro was seething. He seemed wound up. Excellent.
"Hn, perhaps it was your temper that got you disowned? Orochimaru likes characters who think with their head. You seem not to be able too. How weak…"
Kimimaro bolted forward, hell bent on spearing Itachi through the chest. The former Leaf Nin leant backwards, and Kimimaro sailed over him. Without waiting, he blitzed through some handsigns. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
An explosive ball of fire erupted from Itachi's mouth, ready to incinerate the sound nin. He, however, landed on the ground and strafed to the side, narrowly avoiding a fiery death.
He gritted his teeth. This Uchiha was winding him up, egging him on. Emotions would lead to his death, he needed to stay focused… focus…
Kimimaro's frowned eyebrows were replaced with neutral ones, and his face retained a cool façade. Itachi watched him with his eagle eyes from atop his earthen steed. So, he retained his neutrality, did he? Fair enough, Itachi didn't mind. The dragon let out a mighty and hearty roar, doing a one-eighty and twisting itself around.
Kimimaro cracked his neck, before he reached behind it. A bone began pushing its way out of Kimimaro's skin. The sound nin grasped it with his hand, and with an almighty heave pulled out a six foot long javelin of white bone. The dragon was hurtling forwards now, intent on capturing the bone user within its earthen jaws. Kimimaro cocked his hand and threw.
The spear shot through the air, gliding into the earth dragons head and stopping. With a roar, the dragon reared its injured head one last time before it slowly descended. Itachi cursed, leaping into the air just in time as the dragon joined once again with the earth in a cataclysmic crash.
The Uchiha landed on the ground, his eyes scanning the area for Kimimaro. He soon found him hurtling downwards from the sky. Reacting quickly, he pulled a kunai from his pouch, one of his last, and put it up in a defensive position. Kimimaro thrust his spear downwards as he approached. It connected with the kunai, breaking it into tiny metal pieces. Itachi moved on instinct, twisting his body so the spear just missed his heart, instead sinking into the earth. Keeping with the momentum, he spun around, grasping his last and final kunai, and tried to stab it into Kimimaro's side. A bone protruded, blocking it. Kimimaro let out a grunt of annoyance, twisting his own body and delivering a bone shattering kick to the face of the Uchiha. A spurt of blood escaped from his lips as he flew backwards, twisting his body as he hit the floor to right himself. He stood upright, a thick trickle of blood trailing down from his nostrils.
"Hn."
His voice had a nasally quality, and he grasped his nose between his hand. With a sick crunch, he put it back into position.

Kimimaro watched him carefully. This man was dangerous, and even in his weakened state- A deep throaty cough perpetuated the silence. Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Ah, I see. Orochimaru could not take an ill vessel. That would be very counter-productive."

"Yes, it would. Having no use to my master is deeply un-gratifying. I will, however, be of some use. By killing you."

With those words, Kimimaro rushed forward. The bone in his hand snapped in two, and he wielded them both like two blades. Itachi was ready with his kunai, blocking the blows that rained down upon him. They stood in a sort of stalemate for a few moments, Itachi (barely) being able to block the strikes. However, his luck ran out as a double attack from both swords momentarily knocked his kunai out of the way. With nothing to defend with, Itachi could only watch as the two bone swords sunk into his leg. Letting out a minor grunt of pain, he did not waste any time. The kunai in his hand was gripped harder, and he swung it with all his might. Kimimaro twisted his upper body that the slash didn't land. He didn't expect, however, Itachi to let the blade go flying, instead opting for an array of handsigns, "Water Style: Liquid Bullet!"
Pulling his mouth backwards, Itachi let fly multiple balls of water. They smashed into Kimimaro's face, sending him flying backwards in an intense cry of pain. The two swords in Itachi's leg were painfully yanked outwards as the sound nin flew backwards, causing the Uchiha to grip his bleeding leg.
Kimimaro did not move from his position on the ground for a few moments, before eventually rising. A deep purple bruise had formed on the left side of his face, blotting out his usually pale complexion. His left eye was also painfully shut, squished together by swelling purple flesh.
"I see," was all he said for a few moments, the bloodied bones retracting back into his flesh at his behest. "You are very lucky, Itachi Uchiha. Very few ever live to see one of my Dances, let alone two. You will be one of the few alive to see my second Dance. You've made it this far, and though your Sharingan may be powerful, my Shikotsumyaku is far stronger. You are outclassed Itachi Uchiha. And you will suffer for it."

"What's Shikotsumyaku?" Raion said slowly, trying to annunciate it correctly.
Kataki rolled his eyes. "His Kekkei Genkei, idiot. It's obvious. He seems to be able to manipulate the bones in his body, allowing him to use them as weapons at will."
"Yes. However, normal bones would not be as dense as his are." Kura intoned, watching the battle, although every once in a while stealing flirtatious glances at Kakashi. This forced him to roll his visible eye, but he joined in the conversation nonetheless.
"Correct. He seems to be able to increase the calcium in his bones, making them far denser. At least, that seems the most logical conclusion."
"Troublesome. I would agree. It makes this 'Kimimaro' fellow extremely proficient at Taijutsu. I do not even think Gai-sensei would be able to beat him."
Kakashi chuckled, turning his gaze onto the slouched version of Shikamaru, lying on the ground with his eyes half-closed, and half open, watching the battle. "I would have to disagree Shikamaru. While Gai is very… eccentric, he is the best at what he does. He would give this ninja a run for his money, that's for sure."
Kura's eyes brightened. "And who is this 'Gai-sensei' you speak of, hm? Another handsome and dashing prince ready to ride to my rescue?"
Shikamaru snorted, turning his gaze downwards. Neji, for the first time, turned his head slightly and spoke. "Gai-sensei, prince, and dashing should never be in the same sentence. Ever."
Kura tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I'll keep that in mind…" She trailed off. "We, uh, never got your names?"
Kakashi coughed into his fist. "Pardon my rudeness, I am Kakashi Hatake. These are my charges, Shikamaru Nara and Neji Hyuga."
"What're you doing here?" Fenris spoke, his cold eyes examining Kakashi closely.
"We're here to speak with your sensei diplomatically, and try to come to some terms and agreement."
"What kind of terms and agreement?"
"Simply a request."
Kataki frowned. "What kind of-"
"Hello."
Shino stood behind Kataki's seated form, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Who am I, you ask? I am Shino Aburame."
"I suppose we should give our names, then," Kura said, sighing, "But, afterwards," her eyes turned once again back to that mischievous glint, "I would like to see what's under that coat."
Shino's face seemed to darken a tad. "I'm Kura, no last name, don't need one." Kura began. She pointed at Raion, "This here is Raion. Don't pay attention to him, he's really not important." Raion spluttered protests while Kataki snickered. Kura ignored him and pointed at Kataki. "This is-"
"Thank you Kura, I can do my own introductions. I can speak like a normal human, unlike Raion. I'm Kataki Rimen."
"And I am Fenris."
All the leaf ninja nodded their greetings. However, someone else walked over to them. "Don't forget about me!" Gurei chuckled, "Hello, I'm Gurei."
Kakashi froze, and on instinct went to remove his headband and grab a kunai. This boy… he was almost identical too Kabuto! Same hair colour, hair style, somewhat same clothing choices, although more grey than purple, and black too…
No, it wasn't him. He was too short. And his eyes, while a similar shade to Kabuto's, were far greyer. And filled with more life. Even though it could have been a henge, it wouldn't make sense to transform into a younger version of himself. They looked pretty much identical. He would certainly be keeping an eye on this one.
"Greetings, I'm Kakashi Hatake…" The Copy Ninja introduced his own team, and 'Nice to meet you all!' was Gurei's response.
He turned his bespectacled attention back on his own teammates, and frowned. "I think you guys need some medical attention."

Raion scoffed. "So did we, but we actually don't. I thought I'd broken my ribs, but there's no pain anymore!" He chuckled, "It's weird!"

Gurei smirked. "Yeah, it is. I'm going to release the Genjutsu now."
Kakashi frowned. Wha- The night was soon filled with shrieks of agonized pain as Raion crumpled forwards, clutching his ribs. "Holy ** the pain!"
Kataki bit his lip hard. Kami, he really needed to stop getting hurt like this. Fenris was not better off, his lip bleeding profusely as he looked down at his bloodied and hole-filled hands.
Gurei rolled his eyes, before turning to Kura, "You good?"
She smiled. "Of course. Only a few bruises." Gurei nodded, before crouching down. His hands glowed green as he examined Raion's injured torso.
"Stop moving," he commanded, and Raion somewhat complained through strained facial expressions and moans of agony. "Hm, just as I thought. Multiple breakages, at least seven ribs."
He turned his attention too Kakashi, "You wouldn't happen to have any bandages would you?" He asked.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes, I have some in my pack. Feel free to use them."
Gurei smiled kindly, "Thank you. Kura, when Kakashi hands you the bandages would you mind digging through my pocket and finding some disinfectant, and then spraying, cleaning and bandaging Fenris' wounds…"
Kakashi watched as the medical ninja commanded his teammates, slowly but surely healing their wounds. What an interesting team. And also a rather bizarre team at that. But, then again, he was a teacher of the Rookie Twelve. And nobody was as quirky as those twelve. But, from what he'd seen, these four came pretty close.

Orochimaru had good pawns, Itachi could admit that. The other members of his élite bodyguard, while good, were also rather weak in comparison to this guy. Whether it was pure and raw talent, or much harder and more ferocious training, Itachi knew that now, this guy would be a challenge. He wondered if it would be fair to not hold back any longer. He decided against it, though. Showing one's true power in front of an enemy, and not just the obvious one, would perhaps lead to some problems down the line. Of course, Itachi was rather unimpressed, as he thought about it. They should have found him much sooner. A deserted barn in the middle of a field far from town? Please, child's play. Only a foolish genin would stay in such an easy to reach space. Of course, that also meant other people could easily find them, as shown by the Akatsuki member and these guys. But, they had been eliminated. While not as easily as Itachi would have liked, most did lay dead. The Akatsuki was definitely dead, Itachi saw to that by burning the corpse. And the two other sound ninja were also dead. Nobody could survive the Amaterasu, and the Hyŭga took care of the large one. Regrettably, the other two escaped, but, their mission failed. Or, rather, it would fail soon. As soon as disposal of this man was finished. Although…

An interesting thought entered Itachi's brain. What better way… ah, yes, that would help with the enhancement greatly… He smiled ever so slightly. Yes. That would do.

Kimimaro was impressed. This man had managed to not only outmanoeuvre and keep up with him every step of the way, but also enrage him. He hadn't been enraged since… ever. This was truly a talent. Shame it was to be wasted. Maybe Lord Orochimaru would like him as his new vessel? While that would be nice, bringing him back alive would be highly unlikely. No, he would kill this man, this Uchiha, and then retreat, punish Tayuya for her insubordination, and then strike once more. And end this pitiful little band. Of course, the newly allied Leaf Ninja would be a problem, but they could be dealt with. However, it was time to deal with the problem at hand first of all.
Kimimaro's hand slowly reached for his right shoulder. As a long bone began to protrude slowly outwards, Kimimaro's hands also shot outwards. A small array of bone bullets flew from his fingertips at an accelerated pace. Itachi sidestepped them, dodging effortlessly. However, he was more sluggish this time. That wound on his leg must have damaged his movement. Then, this truly was over.

Before Itachi could properly react, Kimimaro grabbed the bone protruding bone and pulled it out with a thick squelch. The bone was long and thin, sharp and pointy. "This is your end," he spoke with cold confidence, "Dance of the Camellia."

The Shikotsumyaku user rushed forward, the bone in his hand ready to be drenched in blood. Itachi leapt backwards as Kimimaro lashed out wildly. After the first stab, they began to get faster and more intense. The Uchiha was forced to dodge and duck and weave out of the way, barely being saved by his Sharingan. His eyes were useless if his body couldn't keep up. The wound on his leg wasn't helping matters either. With a sharp hiss of pain Itachi clutched his arm, a deep hole now pouring with red liquid. Kimimaro didn't stop, going for another deep stab to the chest. Itachi's eyes spun dangerously, however, and he ducked, raising his arms up and moving them in a waving arc. Kimimaro's hands were momentarily shoved to the side, his bone blade now being harmless. With speed that Kimimaro had yet to see from the former Leaf Ninja, he leapt upwards and delivered a bone crunching knee to the jaw. Kimimaro felt the blood flying out of his mouth as he stumbled backwards, swinging his arms somewhat wildly. The bone nin then felt a palm fly outwards and smack him in the chest, causing all the air to leave his lungs. Finally, for what felt like an eternity, Kimimaro felt a hard painful kick to the knee. Crying out in pain he collapsed to one knee, deep bruises appearing on his knee, chest and jaw. Just how hard did this guy hit? He received an answer when, not a few seconds after he dropped to one knee, he was yanked fiercely upward by another knee to the face. Flying upwards, he received not one, not two, but three vicious strikes to the face, before being roundhouse kicked unceremoniously away.

Itachi panted heavily. That drained him slightly, he admitted to himself. Years of not moving at even a quarter of your full speed could sometimes be draining. It seemed as though, as luck would now have it, he would need to move faster. He could do that.

Kimimaro looked far worse for wear as he stood, blood trickling from his nose, and mouth. Deep purple bruises now enveloped his left knee, and it looked painful to stand on. The bone nin let out an agonizingly wheezy cough, clutching his chest.

"Give up. You're in no state to even remotely beat me," Itachi intoned. Blood trickled down his arm, causing the smallest dripping sound onto the grass. His leg wasn't in much better shape, a deep hole adorning his normally pale skin, drenching it with thick red blood.

"You are injured. You are sick. You are outclassed. You cannot beat me."

"Yes… I can." Kimimaro lifted up his head, black beginning to swim around his body. "I will beat you, and I will crush you!"

Itachi grimaced. The curse seal. He had forgotten about that. He seemed to only be going to the first stage of the cursed seal, though. That was good.

Well, at least he thought it was good until Kimimaro's fist was embedded in his stomach. "Such speed!" were the only thought to run through his head as he was sent flying backwards. The black had now turned into thick lines that travelled around Kimimaro's body like a combination of dark circuits. They all began at the curse seal, and travelled all around his body. Bits of skin and flesh had fallen off of the bone nin's body, leaving only bleached white bone in their place.

Itachi righted himself, coughing. So, the curse seal made him that much faster? He could do the same.

However, before he could charge, several bones popped out of all parts of Kimimaro's body. He didn't let that deter him, charging forward. However, he was not prepared from Kimimaro to begin spinning rapidly; his bones making him become a white ghostly blur. Itachi couldn't stop himself from running, but managed to deftly leap upwards to avoid the spinning sound ninja. But Kimimaro followed, leaping upwards still spinning. Sharp ripping and tearing was heard as Kimimaro caused multiple lacerations and deep chasm like gashes to appear on his body. However, to his immediate surprise and annoyance, the Itachi turned into mud.

The real Itachi leapt from the ground, already in a flurry of handsigns. "Fire Style: Blaze Shuriken!"

Quickly selecting a few shuriken from his pouch, Itachi threw them upwards into the air, but not before sending an array of small fireballs to engulf the metal weapons. Kimimaro could only encase himself in bone as the shuriken thudded against him, bursting into a bright explosion of fiery colour. However, no damage was dealt, and both combatants landed harmlessly opposite each other.

Itachi grimaced. So, this new attack of his made suicide to get close to him, huh? Well then, Itachi could play long-range. Of course, Kimimaro wanted the Uchiha to try and take him down in close-quarters combat. Not a chance. But, how to take him down from a distance? It wouldn't take long for the technique to be complete, he just needed to stall. And, just like that, he knew. Such was the genius of the Uchiha Prodigy.

Kimimaro looked as though he was going to charge, but Itachi didn't give him the chance as he rushed through handsigns, "Earth Style: Rampart of Flowing Soil!"

The ground began to rumble, and soon a giant level area of earth rose upwards, Itachi standing atop it. It was giant in stature, bigger than an average house back in Konoha, anyway. Before Kimimaro could marvel at its size, he charged forward. With the curse seal enhancing his speed, Itachi theorized that the sound nin would reach him within thirty seconds or so. Plenty of time.

Itachi waited, his Sharingan eyes piercing straight into Kimimaro as his speed increased. Doing a big leap, he landed on the giant earth wall and began to run up it. Itachi smirked, running through a few handsigns. "Earth Style: Great Mud River!"

Leaping up into the air, Kimimaro only had seconds to leap backwards as the large area of ground turned into a thick river of mud that cascaded forward. Kimimaro was still in the air, watching the spectacle. It was like a giant tsunami, swallowing and destroying anything and everything in its path. He would need to be ready to dart backwards to avoid it as soon as he landed on the gr-

"Earth Style: Mud Wave!"

From the great cascading falls of mud, another giant wave leapt upwards. It crashed into Kimimaro, capturing him in its stick substance. It then fell into the mud wave with a thundering crash. Itachi watched safely from a long distance away. Would that be enough to immoblizie-

A hand shot outwards, black and dark, bones protruding from every angle. Itachi grimaced, flowing through another set of handsigns. He didn't want to kill him, but…

"Earth Style: Antlion Prison!"

A large hole began to appear near Kimimaro. Soon, like a swirling vortex all the mud and earth began to get sucked inwards. Itachi kept his hands into the same handsign, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. This took a lot of chakra…

Kimimaro thrashed around inside the mud, trying desperately to get out and escape. However, it was to no avail as he was sucked deep into the sinkhole. And, with a loud pop, Itachi closed it up.

He panted heavily, falling onto one knee. That took a lot out of him. Much more than intended. This guy was a fighter that much was certain. However, he was slain. Defeated. He had won-

With an almighty burst of earth, Kimimaro's now large form leapt out of the ground, upturning earth and mud. Itachi's eyes managed to scan in his appearance, and he bit back a curse. He had gone to the second stage of the curse seal. Shit, shit, shit!

Kimimaro had drastically changed appearance, and it was similar to that of a dinosaur, with dark grey lifeless skin, six large bone spines protruding out of his back, and a long bone-spiked tail, swishing with malice.

"This will be your end." Kimimaro spoke with a much more calm tone of voice. While deeper than usual, it also possessed far less… life than it previously had. Kimimaro, with lightning fast speed, crossed the gap between himself and Itachi. At approximately ten feet away, he reached behind his back and ripped out his spine. With a sick squelch, flesh being torn away, he wielded it like a whip. Whipping it forward, it wrapped around Itachi's arms, binding him in place with a crushing force. "Dance of the Clematis: Vine."

Itachi struggled briefly against his bonds. He could feel his ribs breaking, crushing. He didn't think he would be this powerful… oh, wait, he did, didn't he. Of course he did. Was this the extent of the sound Nin's capabilities? Impressive, but not impossible.

"Dance of the Clematis: Flower."

As Kimimaro spoke, his arm was enveloped with a thick amount of ivory white bone. It soon turned into the gargantuan shape of a drill. Kimimaro looked menacingly at Itachi. "This fight… has been the hardest of my life. You've blocked me at every turn, but now…" Kimimaro chuckled darkly, "Now I can defeat you-"he was cut off by a throaty and violent cough, this time blood pouring onto the floor. Itachi grimaced. The lower his chakra got, the weaker his immune system got as well. He was slowly killing himself.

"End it!" Kimimaro rushed forward, reeling his boned fist. He knew it would impact, and tear through the missing nin, sending his vital organs flying. He would be dead, with a large gaping hole deep in his chest, and this fight would be all over!

However, Kimimaro was met with a different shaped Sharingan. "Amaterasu Wall."

He spoke the words so calmly and quietly that the sound ninja thought he misheard. He certainly realised he didn't when a wall of black flame, so hot that he could feel his skin burning, was erected in front of him. Retracting his bone hand, with a with a desperate cry Kimimaro plunged his weapon deep into the black flames, hoping to strike.

"You've lost."

Kimimaro loosened his grip on the whip, letting it fall to the ground. Itachi's voice was behind him, clear as crystal. He hazarded a look backwards. Itachi was bleeding profusely from his eye, but still he stood tall. And as calm as ever. Kimimaro let out a cry of pain as the obsidian flames burnt through his weapon and charred his hand. Such intense pain!

"Surrender, and you shall not die."

Kimimaro, collapsing to one knee as the flames licked at his arm, destroying it with viciousness. The smell of burning flesh hit his nostrils, but he didn't care.

"No! I will not be a failure to Lord Orochimaru anymore! Never again! Dance of the Seedling Fern!"

Kakashi watched in horror as multiple bone shot upwards from the ground, steadily moving in their direction. "Everybody go!" he cried out, leaping away. Shikamaru cursed, leaping upwards with Neji and following Kakashi.

"Come on you guys!" Kura called quickly, helping Raion up. "We've got to get moving!"

The large bone forest was nearing, bleached white and sharp. Kataki leapt upwards, grasping at Fenris' arm and yanking him upwards. "Let's go!"

And they narrowly avoided the Bone Jungle.

Itachi dodged another bone spear as it shattered against one of the large bone spikes. This was Kimimaro's playground. And he was stuck in it. Even with his Sharingan, the bones stretched as far as the eye could see. It was like they never ended. And this near constant assault for the past five minutes was also wearing thin. He really should have finished this up ages ago; after all, he had appointments to keep.

Kimimaro's fist connected with Itachi's stomach, sending him flying backwards. He managed to stop himself from crashing into anything by grasping hold of two of the large bones. Itachi took a step backwards, panting heavily, both his hands resting on the other two bones behind him. He stood perched atop two more of the shorter ones.

Kimimaro laughed, cruel and shrew. "Itachi Uchiha," he began, "I've never been more infuriated with anyone more than you. I, for the first time in my life, look forward to killing someone!"

He rushed forward, bones protruding from every angle of his body. Gone was the cold and calculated Kimimaro, instead replaced by a blood-thirsty and flesh-hungry monster. Itachi had to admit, he didn't mean too piss him off that much. Ah well.

Itachi didn't react, didn't blink, and didn't even twitch as Kimimaro leapt at him. And then, he stopped.

Kimimaro's eyes widened. He tried to move his body, but found he couldn't. He let out an agonizing roar. What was going on! Why couldn't he move!?

"Ninja Art: Resistance Seal Jutsu!" Itachi intoned, smirking slightly at the enraged face of Kimmimaro. "Would you like me to explain?"

"I will defeat you!"

"I'll take that as a yes. You see, when you knocked me backwards with your punch earlier, quickly placed some rather heavy duty resistance seals on each of these bone spikes. In fact, there is so much weight, that it could reduce a platoon of ninja into slow moving tortoise. And you fell for it."

"I… see." Kimimaro's curse seal began to fade, and blood began pouring down his lips. His eyes were forlorn, and yet still held such coldness. "But, you cannot move. We are both stuck, and any who enter this area will be stuck as well."

"You are correct. I am impressed, I can see why Orochimaru handpicked you as one of his bodyguards. Sadly, this whole fight has been my domain. I could have ended the fight whenever I wished," Itachi's eyes flicked open, his Sharingan spinning, "But I didn't. I stalled you."

"… Why?"

Itachi smiled. "Because, I need to wait for my technique to finish."

Itachi slowly opened his eye, revealing the horrifying sight of Mangekyō Sharingan. "Tsukuyomi."

So, tell me, was it epic? I think it's horrible, but you reviewers may say otherwise. It took me ages to write, and it's my first fully one on one fight scene thus far. Anyway, have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night! And see you for chapter 22 of the Winds of Change!