More and more things came crushing down on me, but at the very least I was capable of writing this. And to be honest I'm pretty glad about how this chapter turned out. The part with Kogane's flashback turned out slightly longer then I first expected it will, but it still went pretty well (at least I think so).
As always I wanna thank everyone who did sacrifice their time and reviewed. It means a lot. Also thank you for encouraging words. I must say that I was slightly disappointed with the number of reviews for last time however. Sorry to say this, but with all the things on my head, I'd really prefer to know if this fic is worth continuing and thus I want to ask you all to give me your opinion about it. I WON'T UPDATE, UNLESS I GET REVIEWS!
I'd also like to invite everyone to read and review my other, next generation fic "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire". If you like this story, you should enjoy that one as well. And if you're looking for something even more closer, you might wanna check Jackyl 2000's "Naruto Beyond". I think it's very good.
And one, last thing before I get to the newest chapter: the second, popularity contest will be starting very soon, so those of you who're planning to take part in it might wanna slowly look through the characters to choose your favorites. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll most likely open the voting along with the submission of chapter 93 (rules and the sort will be given then).
And so the only thing left to do is to invite you to read (and hopefully review) the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":
Chapter #91: The Way of the Leaf
Title Page: Kogane is standing on the roof, propping her back against the rail, while a little further a giant gorilla is climbing up to the roof and points at the kunoichi
"Our bloodline limit?" the girl repeated, instantly curious once more as she gazed at her father. "What bloodline limit? I didn't know our clan had a bloodline limit? Is it powerful? Is it scary? Or maybe it's cool like that Sharingan thingy I've heard so much about? Huh? What is it? What is it?"
"Well, it's no wonder you didn't knew about it" admitted her father with a note of regret in his voice. "Basically very little people from outside our clan even remember we have one. That's mostly due to the fact that since the last Great Shinobi War it haven't been used even once… and initiated naturally even longer…"
"Initiated naturally? What does that mean, dad?"
"Well, in order to understand that, you must know one thing, Kogane" her father began as he slowly picked the right words to explain. "You see, our bloodline was thought to be one of the most powerful in the Leaf. Not as famous like Sharingan or Byakugan, however when faced in battle it was truly fearsome for those who opposed us. Basically our ancestors were able to manifest their chakra in a solid form… a form of any animal. Dependable on the clan member, the animals differ. Because in that state they resemble the feared Jinchuuriki so much, the Rikoteki clan struck terror in the hearts of Konoha's enemies… that is until things changed…"
Her father stopped for a minute, which earned him a puzzled look from the girl. After a moment of silence, he continued, his face even sadder then it was before: "You see, although our bloodline gave us incredible power, it also placed a great strain on the user's body. In order to manifest the chakra, user's body must be well prepared, both physically and mentally. Because releasing the beast form requires a great deal of chakra to be released from the body, one performing it must also make sure that the among that'll remain inside his organism will be enough for him to survive and above that move if he wishes to use the bloodline once he'll activate it. The second requirement is the fact that in order to keep the release of chakra on the needed level, the muscles are being pushed to their limits. If the body isn't strong enough, the user might find himself injured for life… or worse…"
"I don't get it" announced Kogane, quickly analyzing what her father just said. "If activating our clan's bloodline limit is so dangerous, why would anyone be willing to do that? And above that how can someone fulfill both requirements? Such person would need to be very strong to begin with… it's not like someone like that would really require to use it…"
"That's the most tragic part about it" stated the man as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "For several generations now no-one in our clan was born with an ability to awaken that power. It's still there, coz every member of the Rikoteki family carries it in the genes, however our mental or physical capabilities made it impossible to awaken the bloodline. And that is why our ancestors took alchemy…"
"I don't really see a connection, dad…" the girl announced and the instant she said so, the man reached for one of his hostels, thus picking out two mixtures: one green and one blue. As the younger blonde stared at the two, thin bottles, her father continued: "This is our clan's greatest achievement… but at the same time our greatest disgrace. These, two mixtures can be considered ignitions. Upon drinking them, one has a chance to activate our bloodline limit. The green one releases any limits the brain puts on muscles along with limits put on the nervous system. Thanks to that the one to drink it can move faster and his strength increases. The blue one accelerates the flow of chakra and causes the quicker chakra regeneration. This makes it possible to release even huge among of chakra without fearing that you'll waste too much. However in order for unnaturally fast flow of chakra to not rip one's body apart, it must be well prepared. Because of that, the mixtures must be drank in a certain order: first the green and then the blue one… and once they both start working, one can try activating our bloodline limit… this is how we fought during the last Great Shinobi War…"
"Why are you saying it's our disgrace then? Those mixtures allow us to recreate the bloodline which seemed to be lost ages ago! And above that, even drinking one would increase one's fighting capabilities! These things are even better then soldier pills!"
"You have no idea, Kogane" admitted her father as he looked away for a moment. "However every time you use them, it just reminds you what you have lost… a clan with a bloodline limit which cannot be performed without the help of alchemy. Can you even imagine what shame this brings?" he asked, making the girl stare at the floor. He let out a sigh and then continued: "And above that, these mixtures carry even scarier side-effects then the Akimichi clan's three-colored pills. They force the organism to put itself beyond its natural limits. By drinking both, regardless to how strong one is… his life spam gets shortened…"
"Shortened? By how much?" Kogane instantly asked, raising her head. A worried expression crossed her father's face before he replied: "It depends on how the user's body is resistant to hardships. It could be that with every minute one uses the mixtures, he loses one minute of his life… but if the body and spirit are weak, one minute can cost him even tens of years! The only way to stop the clock ticking, is by drinking this" with that he held out a small, thin bottle with black liquid in it. "This mixture can be called an antidote. It vacuums the air from the lungs and forces the oxygen from the blood circulation system to replace it. This makes the organism tire out and thus calms it down. After a long rest you return to functioning normal as if the first, two mixtures were never drunk… that is, if you haven't made your body run on them for too long…"
"So that's how it is?" the girl asked rhetorically, making her father rise one of his eyebrows. Her body began shaking a bit as she tightened her fists. "I can't allow that!" she announced as determination started to show in her voice. "I promise, that no matter what it takes, I'll learn to activate our bloodline limit without the use of those mixtures! I'll make the Rikoteki clan reborn!" and with that statement her father only smiled warmly to her.
---Flashback end---
Chakra kept on escaping Kogane's body and suddenly started swirling. Right before everyone's eyes it began to shape itself, surrounding the kunoichi. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw it growing claws and a tail: "What the…? It's impossible for her to carry a tailed beast! What the hell's going on?" he asked and gazed at Shikamaru, but the lazy jounin didn't even seemed to notice. Sweat began appearing all over him as a worried expression froze on his face.
The next moment Kogane's body got surrounded with chakra that formed itself into some sort of a tiger with long, sharp claws, long tail and pointy ears. Karame took another step back, slightly terrified by the sight: "What the hell is she?" he asked himself as his breath became a little faster then it usually was.
"It'd appear my inner animal is a tiger" stated Kogane, still breathing heavily. "I always imagined it'd be something less feral, but in this situation I guess it's for the best. Lets end this" she purposed, settling her eyes on Karame as she crawled down and then, in a flash, lunged forward with her claws ready.
Instinctually the sand-nin jumped back, barely avoiding the assault which broke the floor he stood on just a second ago into pieces. Instantly he reached under his bandages again as a single drop of sweat appeared behind them: "Dammit, her speed didn't decrease and her strength is even more insane then before! If I'll let her catch me, I'm done for!" and with that realization he picked out several sheets of paper, forming another set of hand seals.
In a flash the sheets began to twist and rip, forming themselves into a miniature lion. Karame then threw his creation to the sky and formed some more hand seals, calling out with the last symbol: "Origami: Henzuru Shishi!" and immediately the paper lion got covered with white smoke only to reveal as the smoke cleared a full-sized, life beast made of paper.
"What's that, some sort of weird summoning?" Ibuki asked confused as she gazed at her companions. But Kankuro only shook his head: "Not quite. You might say that it's sort of kage bushin, only in stead of an identical clone, a lion is formed." But at this point Kai looked at him confused: "I don't get it" he announced, earning a smack from Kumiko: "That's nothing new. However, even the way you say it, Kankuro-san, to pull something like that, especially at his age, is pretty unbelievable…"
"Believable or not…" Takaru cut in calmly as he narrowed his eyes. "Be it a puppet, summon or bushin, that lion is still alive and as such can inflict real damage. That's all you need to know" and as he said so, a psychotic smile crept onto Horamaru's face: "You don't know the half of it" he thought to himself, making Dekai shook his head slightly. The swordsman however decided to remain silent.
Meanwhile the paper lion jumped forward, aiming his claws at Kogane. Acting on instinct, the blonde strafed to her right and held out her right hand. In a flash the chakra surrounding it shoot out, going straight at the beast. Just barely Karame's creation managed to avoid the assault, yet still got it's side slightly ripped by the chakra claw.
As the origami creature came to a sliding stop, Kogane bended her knees, ready to attack again, only to spot paper whips coming at her from the side with a corner of her eye. Once more acting on instinct she jumped into the air, spinning wildly, thus avoiding most of the spikes that struck the floor, yet few still manage to cut her body shallowly.
Upon landing on her feet, Kogane charged forward, ripping the retreating whips of paper on the way. Karame's eyes only managed as much as to widen in surprise before the kunoichi reached the place he stood and swung her claws. Jumping back in the last moment, the sand-nin managed to avoid a fatal blow, yet still got his chest slash shallowly, thus making some of the bandages in that area of his body hung down freely.
"Go babe, kick his ass!" Kusari cheered from the platform, right next to Hanamaru who also yelled from the bottom of his lungs. Sadly the chubby gennin didn't drew any of Kumiko's attention, who for some reason, got incredibly annoyed and began beating the hell out of the chain master.
As his feet touched the ground, Karame was forced to jump away again in order to avoid Kogane's claws that once more broke the floor he stood on a moment earlier. As the blonde's head shoot to her right, where the sand-nin was, a weird sound came to her ears from above and in an instant she propped her hands on the ground, thus standing on them and just barely avoiding the claws of the paper lion that jumped at her from the sky.
As the beast roared, the kunoichi spun on her palms and delivered a powerful kick into its face, thus sending it flying back. Immediately she landed back on her feet and once more threw her chakra claws at the lion, piercing it when it was still in mid-air. As the origami creature froze in the air, hanging on chakra claws, Kogane moved them quickly, making Karame's helper rip to shreds.
"So much for your backup" she announced coldly, turning towards the sand-nin, who instantly began another set of hand seals. As it came to an end, paper spikes shoot out from his body again, formed from the bandages Kogane cut loose a moment earlier and paper whips shoot from his back, coming at the kunoichi from the side and above, thus blocking any, possible way of escape.
Upon narrowing her eyes, the leaf-nin charged forward, avoiding all the spikes with an incredible speed and ripping to pieces those she couldn't dodge with her chakra claws. As the whips came closer, the girl also avoided them by jumping over them, using some to bounce off. When it seemed that she made it through and landed safely on the floor, some of the whips came from the sky, piercing through her shoulders and striking her back as well.
Kogane let out a cry of pain as she collapsed to the ground with Karame's paper whips still in her body. Hanamaru only managed to call out his teammate's name, while Rei narrowed her eyes: "He used so much paper purposely. When Kogane concentrated on dodging the spikes and the whips, he made those that came from the sides miss on purpose. That way, when they got tied together, they formed a mess, through which Kogane didn't saw that few of those whips were still loose… damn, that mummy guy sure thinks ahead…"
"I've missed your vital points and didn't allow my whips to go too deep, so you won't die" announced Karame calmly as Kogane tried to get back up, yet failed miserably. "However your wounds are still pretty serious and thus I suggest you surrender quickly and let the medics take care of you…"
"If this is the end" the kunoichi began, finally managing to stand back up. "Then it's yours at best!" and suddenly she charged forward, making the whips rip in two as she sped up, leaving them behind. With the two spikes that still stuck in her shoulders, she moved too fast for the bandaged boy to follow, thus making it impossible for him to take counter measures.
"Karame, bellow you!" Hari only managed to yell, making her teammate gaze down. It was then that he saw a sudden blur appearing before him in a crawling position, yet he was too slow to react. In a fraction of a second a hand shoot out from the figure and went straight through his chest, piercing his body and coming out his back.
Tobane covered her mouth, while Takai merely narrowed his eyes. He gazed at Sabure, who didn't seem to change her posture at all. Even Hanamaru, who cheered the loudest for Kogane, went silent, as the blonde kunoichi looked up into her opponent's eyes as his body became motionless: "Sorry, but this is the end…"
---Kogane's fury pierces Karame!---
And so this chapter is concluded. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading it. It'd really help this fic keep going. Now, before wrapping this up, here's the gennin list again:
Konoha #7: Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai
Konoha #3: Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane (in progress), Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru
Konoha #4: Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu
Konoha:Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro
Suna #1: Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai
Suna #2: Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame (in progress)
Kusa:Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku
Ame: Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa
Bakufu:Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita
Tsuki:Junsei Teela, Tenka
Hane:Ono Reiji
Kumori: Kyuu
And that's that. Hope you had fun reading this and until next time, hopefully.