In a battle all you need to make you fight is a little hot blood and the knowledge that it's more dangerous to lose than to win.
-George Bernard Shaw
Chapter 22: A Little Hot Blood
Tenten and Lee rushed through the brush, leading the attack. Hearing their arrival, Rika shot up to her feet and jumped backwards. As she landed on the ground, she flinched at the pain in her foot. "This fight does not involve you! Leave here!" She demanded, concealing her pain. Team 9 was an unscheduled interference. No team in their right mind would try to support a group that was being overwhelmed.
"I'm sorry, my spring flower!" Rika winced, "But I cannot do allow you to gang-up on a younger team of Konoha and threaten them with death. It's my shinobi way to protect those in need and to never give up when all the odds are against me!" Lee held his hands out before him and got down into a battle crouch. "So have at us!"
Rika snarled, casting a glance at her fellow genin. She looked back to Lee before yelling, "Stay on the blond brat! I'll take care of these idiots!" She clenched her swords in her fists before charging at Lee and Tenten. She couldn't afford any sympathy right now. She had a mission to do, and if they got involved, she'd have to eliminate them.
Tenten swung down with her staff before cutting to the right. Rika ducked down, avoiding the wooden weapon. She slammed Tenten in the stomach with the flats of her blades, knocking her back as Lee neared. Lee thrust a fist at her, causing her to jump back. She blocked the pain out of her mind as she deflected Tenten's kunai. Lee leapt forward, kicking Rika in the stomach. Rika tumbled backward, slamming into a tree. The brown haired girl dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding a senbon aimed for her neck.
Over to the side, Shikamaru had engaged the red-headed boy. He swerved in and out of the spear strikes, trying to find an opening. Whenever he tried to sign a jutsu, the boy would extend just a bit farther and nick him on the arm. Shikamaru wasn't one for close combat. He was a strategist, not a fighter. That was why they had always chosen for him to be a defensive player, not an offensive. He hadn't prepared much in the event of something like this. There weren't many more jutsu he could use after that last one.
The inside of the jutsu was made of pure light. Converting chakra to light was surprisingly hard and it was only possible with the yin and yang affinity. The jutsu was made as a flashbomb for Shikamaru to retreat if he was ever in danger. This time, however, he didn't retreat. That was a bad, bad idea. The red-head stabbed again, and Shikamaru grabbed the hilt of the spear. The boy tried to yank back his weapon only for Shikamaru to grab it with his other hand.
The boy growled and let go of the spear. Shikamaru's eyes widened as the other ducked low and struck his stomach with a kick. Shikamaru and the spear went flying across the clearing. He skidded on the ground, his head whirling. The spear boy dived for his weapon and twisted it out of Shikamaru's limp grip. The two boys tumbled on the ground, exchanging blows as they both fought for possession of the weapon.
The redhead tossed Shikamaru off him with a quick punch to the stomach before snatching his prized weapon from the ground. But when he had gotten up to face Shikamaru once more, the boy had already vanished.
The spear boy growled and ran into the forest, passing Kei who was dealing with an attacker of her own. At this point, she only knew two offensive jutsu. She could pressurize water into explosive bursts, but that was a last resort. She couldn't condense that much water without feeling sick afterwards. And then there was the water senbon that Kakashi had taught her just a little bit ago. It looked like she'd have to try that then.
"Doton: Gansetsukon!" The blonde yelled, flipping backwards. As he sprang up from the ground, a long earthen staff extended into his hand. He twirled the staff in his hands before snapping it out ahead. Chunks of earth fell off of the staff, forming sharpened edges. It was now a two part blade. Kei bit her lip and began signing.
She tried not to let her fear get the best of her as she tried to condense a senbon in the air. If she was too nervous then she could easily disperse the jutsu. This required a lot of concentration, and she wasn't exactly the best under pressure. The boy ran towards her, staff held above his head. She tried to feel the energy in the air around her. The air was alive around her; she just had to figure out how to bring it together.
A small bubble of water appeared behind the blonde as he neared. Something clicked, and Kei's golden eyes shot open. "Gyoushuku Mizu no Hari no Jutsu!" She yelled, thrusting her hands out in front of her. The coil of water floated for a moment before diving at the boy. It shot down before rising up to hit his right arm. The boy yelped as a loud popping sound was heard.
Kei had been reading more of her medical ninjutsu books. Chapter 7, page 138, dislocated shoulders made up a large portion of all dislocations. They normally happened due to a strong pressure while the arm is turned out, like when a staff is raised overhead. The staff dissolved as the boy let it slip from his grasp, no longer having the chakra it needed to sustain itself.
She flipped open her kunai pouch and took out a senbon, hurling it at the boy. He looked up and saw the glint of metal, and dropped out of the way. He clung to his arm tightly and fled back towards a crowd of his teammates, trying to steady himself.
The blonde stormed past Neji and the brown haired girl. "My name is Kaza Eri. Cease and leave this area and I will not harm you." Eri held her hands in front of her, ready to fly into a ninjutsu if she had to.
Neji looked at her and sighed. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, Kaza-san."
Eri frowned and said, "Then I suppose we must fight." Her hands flew through hands before slamming them on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" She yelled. A cloud of smoke issued from the ground, blocking the vision of those nearby.
Neji's eyes bulged as his Byakugan searched through the mist. He caught sight of the large chakra signature in front of him before suddenly dozens of other signatures appeared in the air. Was this a genjutsu? No, it didn't have the signs of a normal genjutsu. It clicked in his head. She had summoned a hoard of animals.
The smoke cleared and a flock of hawks circled overhead, blocking the sun. Eri called up to them saying, "Kill the girl!" Neji immediately searched the field for Tenten and moved to warn her before he realized the hawks were going in an entirely different direction. The grayscale surroundings shifted as his vision trailed after the birds of prey. They were heading for Kei.
The maroon haired girl was blissfully unaware of the swarm that was coming down on her, too busy fighting the blonde who had come back as fierce as ever. She leaped out of the way as he swung his staff down with a single arm, the other still dislocated. It was then she heard the flapping of wings and the crowing of birds. She looked to the side to see the summons diving at her, and she knew there was no way for her to fight off so many.
She looked back over to the side and saw the blonde coming at her. Either she would be gutted by the birds or beaten by the staff. She grabbed a fist of senbon from her pouch and threw them at the birds. A few disappeared into smoke, but the others remained. They approached, faster and faster, and Kei closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.
She felt the claws scratch into her skin, digging into her flesh. She let out a scream as the pain ran through her. "I will save you in the name of youth!" A blur of green appeared as Lee dove into the fray. He snapped an arm out, sending the blonde back before striking out at the birds. As the hawks neared, Lee hit them sharply, forcing them to disperse in puffs of smoke.
Kei stumbled back against a tree, clutching at her arm. She pulled her hand back to see red. She looked over her arm before seeing a deep gouge in her left arm. She hissed as she saw the injury. Brachial artery injury, it required surgical attention. It was attention she couldn't get right now. She looked up and called to Lee, "Rock-san, I need to heal myself. Please try and protect me!" She'd have to try and sow together her own vein without anesthesia.
"Yes, Shimizu-chan!" Lee said, a dangerous look flashing in his eyes. Just by looking at the blood that was slipping down her arm, he knew it had to be serious. It was coming too quickly for it to not be. They'd regret such a cowardly and unyouthful attack.
Naruto managed to slip his gaze over to where Kei was and almost slipped on the ground. A guttural growl escaped him. How dare they hurt his teammates! It was one thing if they decided to attack him, but no one hurt his comrades. The black haired boy rushed towards him, his tanto prepared to strike. Naruto roared at him and released the first of the two tornados, sending the senbon hurtling back towards him.
The boy yelped in pain as dozens of senbon dug into his skin. One stuck into his neck, and he slumped to the ground unconscious. Knowing that he couldn't keep a single tornado up for long, he pivoted on his feet and released the jutsu. The senbon that had been wrapped up in the cyclone were hurled towards Rika who was still battling Tenten. The senbon stabbed into Rika, freezing her still. Tenten took the chance to strike, smashing her bou staff down on the girl.
Rika vanished into a cloud of smoke, exposing the clone. "Shoot! Where did she go now?" Tenten groaned, gripping the staff tightly. She hated playing hide-and-seek. "Come out and fight!"
"Yes, ma'am." Rika said with a smirk. She flashed through the smoke and stabbed Tenten in the stomach. Tenten gasped as the blade skewered her right through the stomach. She coughed as the blade was drawn out and dropped onto her knees, holding onto her stomach. "Stupid girl. Don't ask for what you aren't ready for." Rika crooned into Tenten's ear. "Now say goodnight."
She laid her swords daintily on Tenten's shoulders and slid the blades next to the brunette's neck. Tenten stifled her coughs, trying to prevent the blades from slicing into her skin. "Get away from her." A voice growled lowly.
"Hakke Rokujuuyon Sho." Neji snapped out, slamming Rika away from Tenten. "Two palms!" He shunshined over to Rika and hit her at the neck. "Four palms!" He pivoted and hit the chakra points in her arms. "Eight palms! Sixteen palms!" Rika's eyes dilated as all of her tenketsu got shut off, one by one. "Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms!" Neji finished the jutsu with a kick to the chest, sending Rika careening back into a tree.
Neji had no remorse in his eyes as he stared at her limp form, slumped against the now bent tree. He stared coldly at the girl before turning away to Tenten. The bun-haired girl was still clutching tightly at her chest. She held a hand over her mouth, obviously struggling with nausea. She looked up to Neji with a tired look in her eyes. Neji crouched down by her and leaned her back into his arms. He picked her up and shunshined over to where Kei was.
As a member of the branch house, he had never been taught any medical ninjutsu. Branch house members were considered fodder and were always on the front lines. No one particularly cared if they died in the line of duty because that was their purpose. He wished that he knew medical ninjutsu now. He hated knowing that he couldn't do anything else for Tenten right now. He laid her down on the ground beside Kei and shot the maroon haired girl a look.
He knew that she was tending to her own injuries as well, but he still hoped that she would help Tenten as well. Kei nodded to him, not saying another word as she was too absorbed in focusing on her chakra. She wasn't good enough to completely mend the artery, but she could put up a protective filament around the artery, letting it flow normally. It would have to be officially healed later, but she only needed to last a few more hours.
Sweat dripped down her brow as she concentrated. Her mind ran through the composition of the arterial walls. She imagined the walls growing up to surround the course of blood that was flowing through her veins. She had to stitch together thin strings of atoms to create the wall. Control had always been her strong point, for that she was thankful, but this surgery would require a lot of energy. Even then, she had to conserve some of her energy to help Tenten.
She shot a glance over to the weapons specialist and noticed the blood pouring from her chest. Chapter 19, page 472, tension pneumothoraxes and stab wounds. Kei cursed under her breath and closed her eyes, trying to rush the healing of her own injury. The artery mended together, sealing a few moments later. Her skin was still ripped from the talons, but she had no time to deal with that now.
She rolled the bandages out from her pouch and lifted Tenten up onto her knee. "Come on now... Don't fall asleep on me!" Kei didn't know the girl that well, but she was not about to let one of her comrades die, much less a comrade that had risked her own life to save all of Tsume's.
Eri had managed to get back onto her feet after Neji had knocked out the tenketsu in her left leg. She wobbled on her feet before quickly signing. "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" She yelled, taking a deep breath in. She blew out harshly, a great fireball growing from her lips. Neji stared at the oncoming fireball before snorting.
"How pathetic.Hakkesho Kaiten." Neji leaned forward and closed his eyes before spinning around rapidly, releasing particles of chakra into the air. The chakra swirled around him, creating a protective barrier. The fireball struck the shield, scattering in all directions. Neji halted and looked towards Eri who was standing still. He moved forward and struck her at the base of the neck, rendering her unconscious. He caught her as she fell before laying her back against the tree. "Be glad I didn't kill you." He mumbled as he took a step back.
-TSUME-
Shikamaru did not like fighting. In fact, he rather hated it. It expended too much energy and it was something that anyone could do. All you had to do was train yourself enough to get a fast response. Unfortunately, Shikamaru had neglected that part of his training. He dodged in and out of the blonde boy's strikes, weaving his way back and away from the battle.
The blonde's dislocated arm hung limply at his side as he tried to fight with his staff. "We can't lose! We can't!" He yelled desperately as he stabbed at Shikamaru again. Shikamaru dodged under the strike and thrust a kunai at the boy's hands, stabbing through one of them. The boy yelled, dropping the staff. Shikamaru took this chance to hook a leg around the boy's drawing him down to the ground.
"You can." Shikamaru said shortly, leaning over the boy. "How troublesome... Why don't you just give up?"
"I can't, don't you understand? Failure is for weaklings, and weaklings have no place in society!" The boy cried, covering his face with his hand. "It's survival of the fittest, and those not strong enough will be killed." Shikamaru took a step back, confused. Had the traitors set up some kind of dictatorship to try and persecute the weaklings?
"We won't let you die. Just come with us." Shikamaru implored, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. The blonde slapped it away and got up from the ground.
"No! You're all going to lose anyways, even if I fail. If I even considered the idea, they'd know and they'd kill me. I won't let that happen!" The blonde crawled a few feet back before stumbling up to his feet. He fled from the clearing, leaving Shikamaru star-struck. What had just happened?
-TSUME-
The red-headed boy was the last one standing. He considered his options. He could run, but that would mean that he had to abandon his teammates. He'd lose the exams without them in any case, and the leader would think him cowardly for even considering running. He gripped the spear tightly and took in a deep breath. He'd have to go down fighting then.
He leaped upwards into the tree tops, hiding among the branches. He kept moving around the branches, never staying in a single spot for more than one second. He snuck a wad of exploding tags from his back and planted them on all the trees as he passed by. Shikamaru watched as the boy moved around before taking a step back. "Everyone fall back!"
Naruto gave Shikamaru a weird look before everything exploded. A shower of bark and splinters rained down from above. Neji ran before Lee and the two girls, creating a chakra shield in front of them. Shikamaru dove through the bushes, trying to avoid the slivers as he went.
Naruto tried to shunshin away, but knew he wouldn't make it in time.Boy! Let me help you!Naruto gritted his teeth. He didn't want to have to use the Kyuubi's power, but it looked like he would have to.Stop complaining and take my chakra.Naruto felt a warm tingling racing up his arms. He blinked and when his eyes opened, everything was tinted orange. The trees gave off an ethereal glow and the grass looked as if it was alive.
What on earth was this?Move!Naruto landed on the ground, spinning around to face the oncoming wave of splinters. He swung his arms out sending a blast of orange chakra. The splinters scattered over the ground under the force, some dissolving entirely. Naruto's eyes widened at what just happened and whispered to himself, "What was that?"
Don't think of me as weak, Naruto-brat. I can siphon my energy into you without taking full control. It's only in emergencies that I have to do that.Kurama said as Naruto sped along the ground. He felt faster, lighter. The air seemed cleaner as he breathed it in.Having a large burst of chakra added into your system is like having a blood transfusion. It will help your body function.
Naruto funneled his energy to his feet and ran up the side of the tree.Careful, brat! You're using too much energy!It was a queer feeling having his chakra manipulated from inside him. He felt the Kyuubi slowing down the movement of chakra in his feet, helping him keep his balance. He jumped onto one of the thicker branches, looking for the spear boy.
The red head was staring at Naruto awestruck. What was that red energy? Naruto was giving out a subtle orange aura, but that wasn't what scared the boy. It was Naruto's eyes. The normally blue eyes were tinted brown from the orange halo that surrounded them. It chilled the boy. He tried to conceal his shakes as he shot away to another branch. He'd have to keep on the move if he was going to win this.
Naruto's eyes flicked to the side, keeping an eye on the red head's movements. He kicked off to another branch, calling chakra to his hands. He flung his arms out before him, sending another coil of orange energy out of his fists. The spear boy tried to dodge out of the way, but the blast clipped him in the arm. He screamed as the chakra burnt into his skin, a scorching smell filling the air. He tumbled out of his branch, falling down to the ground. The numerous branches broke his fall, but it didn't change the loud crack that was heard at his final descent.
Naruto knelt on the branch, heaving in and out. It was rare that he got truly tired, but now he felt that it was one of those times.Your companions need you Naruto-brat, get on your feet.Kurama demanded.I can't move your body for you like this, but it's annoying see you groveling on the ground. MOVE!Naruto flinched at the Kyuubi's tone and forced himself up onto his feet. The Kyuubi had been less bloodthirsty lately and more moody. He supposed that it was just another outlet now that he couldn't physically attack anything.
"Thanks for the assist though." Naruto mumbled under his breath.Don't mention it. Wait, do mention it because you have to learn some respect.Naruto heard a snort in his head and sighed. He had such a discontented resident. Naruto jumped down, following the staircase of branches that lead down to the ground.
He looked over to where Rika had slumped against a tree and wobbled over. He flipped her onto her side and saw one of the brown packs attached around her waist. Naruto reached a shaky hand into his kunai pouch and slipped out one of the knives. He cut through the band and lifted away the pack.
Flipping the lid, he looked inside and took out an earth scroll. His gaze flicked over to Team 9 before he hastily stuffed it back in the pouch. He didn't like to be so suspicious of them, but the exams were still running. He would need this scroll to get his teammates inside the tower where the medics were. He saw Lee searching the other unconscious genin before taking out a heaven scroll from the spear boy. Naruto watched as Lee nodded in satisfaction, running over to where Neji was hunched over by Tenten.
"Ah, my youthful comrade!" Lee chirped. "Do you have the scroll you need to complete this part of the exam? We have ours!" Naruto involuntarily flinched at the boy's loudness. It was deafening!
"Yeah, we do." Naruto replied, crouching down beside Kei. "Kei-chan, is there anything we can do?"
Kei wiped her forehead, smearing blood over her face. "We need to get her to a medic. Reading a textbook is easier than performing in real life. There are too many variables." She leaned away from Tenten and clutched onto her arm. She didn't have any leftover bandages for herself. She had to try and seal Tenten's wound to prevent an air bubble from developing.
"Hyuuga-san, will you carry her?" Kei asked, forcing herself up. "Try to keep the injury over her head." She added as Neji tried to maneuver the girl in his arms. Blood was still seeping through Tenten's bandages, but there was nothing they could do about that now. She needed a doctor.
"Let's go."
Author's Note: School has been really tough on me this past week. It's going to get even worse the next few weeks. I'm going to try to keep updating, but please note that they may be shorter than usual. I've only had time to write between 12am and 1am, so I'm running on the midnight oil here. That's my spiel of the day, so thanks for reading that. xD
Thanks Pokepikachu1 for putting up with me and my late submissions!
Doton: Gansetsukon | D Rank Ninjutsu. Allows the user to take a small chunk of rock and turn it into the shape of a staff.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu | C Rank Ninjutsu. Allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly.
Hakke Rokujuuyon Sho | A Rank Taijutsu. Strikes all sixty-four of the tenketsu throughout the opponent's Chakra Pathway System, their chakra flow is stopped, making them unable to even stand.
Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu | C Rank Ninjutsu. Chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire, and expelled from the mouth either as a massive orb of roaring flame or as a continuous flame-thrower
Hakkesho Kaiten | B Rank Taijutsu. Releases a huge amount of chakra from all the chakra points on the user's body.