Well, I somehow managed to write this in time for an update. It's kinda surprising as this chapter almost entirely got written down this morning. Just yesterday I really didn't think I'll be updating today.
However there is one thing that's need to be said, before I go any further: just recently it turned out that my father's condition isn't bad… it's worse and due to recent events, I can't really promise whether I'll manage to update at usual, one-week paste. So in the nearest future, you guys should be prepared that the updates may take me longer then the usually do. Sorry, but there's nothing I can do about that.
SECOND CHARACTER POPULARITY CONTEST: I just wanted to remind everyone, who didn't voted yet, that they still have a chance to do so! The rules of the voting are written down in the previous chapter! Remember: every vote counts XD
Naturally I wanna thank everyone who did review the previous chapter. It really means a lot. Thanks a bunch and I do hope you'll review this one as well. Of course new reviewers are welcomed as well. It appears nobody believes Honemaru is out already… well, you'll see in a moment. And with so many of you talking about Takai's variation of Kimimaro's bloodline limit (meaning Shikotsumyaku if I recall correctly and as Morlin wrote), I grew slightly worried. Sure hope that it'll manage to live up to your expectations.
With that said, lets just get on with it:
Chapter #95: Bone Crushers
Title Page: Tsume is laying on top of a doghouse in which Uramaru is sleeping, while Kai is also asleep, propping his back against the wall of the doghouse
"Hey, dad, where are you?" a seven-year-old girl looked around, sniffing the area. As her nose caught nothing but the aroma of forest flowers and trees, her annoyance rose. With her eye twitching slightly, she walked into the bushes: "No fair! How am I supposed to practice my sense of smell if you hide your scent?" she yelled and was about to scream again, yet then her mouth got suddenly covered. As she gazed confused over her shoulder, she saw Kiba kneeling behind her, with his eyes settled in the distance.
"Don't make too much noise, Tsume" he asked his daughter as he freed her mouth and pointed with his head out front, making the girl follow his sight and noticed a small group of wolves. To her surprise however, there was something unusual about them. Upon narrowing her eyes, she realized that their fur wasn't brown nor silver. It was red. Bloody red.
"Dad, what…?" she began curious, but Kiba instantly replied, without waiting for her to finish: "They're called Shinkou Urufu, crimson wolves. These animals can be considered guardians of Konoha" and as he said so, the girl asked the obvious question 'why', yet didn't took her eyes of the wolves, somewhat stunned by them. The jounin smiled weakly, however a sad expression crossed his face as he continued: "As you should know, Inuzuka was one of the founding clans of the Leaf. Our ancestors fought along side with the Shodai Hokage when Konoha was merely starting to emerge from chaos. Back in those days our clansmen teamed up with those wolves before going to battle. Legends say that their fur was normal back then and turned crimson because of the number of enemies those creatures defeated in order for the Leaf to be born…"
"That's awesome!" Tsume yelled, completely forgetting about her father's request. Instantly she covered her own mouth and gazed at the wolves, sighing with relief as she realized she didn't scared them off. Kiba smiled again as he too looked in that direction, before continuing, while regret filled his voice: "Those were hard times, Tsume. Many of those creatures sacrificed their lives for the founding of Konoha. So many, that they landed on the brink of extension. Knowing this, the Shodai Hokage asked for Inuzuka to cease using them to fight. That is when we teamed up with those wolves close relatives, dogs. Sadly that didn't help and crimson wolves number is still decreasing… if nothing will be done, all of them will die…"
"They'll all… die?" Tsume repeated with her mouth opened and her widen eyes staring at her father, who only nodded with a sad expression on his face. The girl then turned towards the wolves again and seeing them running free, she tightened her fists as determination replaced regret: "I won't allow this!"
---Flashback end---
The small tornado rammed straight into Honemaru's chest, tossing him at the wall and making his crush hard against it. Upon seeing the sight, Tsume managed a smirk: "I win" she stated and gazed at Lee, awaiting for him to announce the result, but the Leaf's Green Beast only glanced at the fallen sand-nin, making the kunoichi follow. Takai merely narrowed his eyes at the turn of events.
Tsume's eyes widen as she saw the white-haired boy slowly getting up, breathing heavily, which his chest being cut in several places with blood falling down his body and onto the floor. "He met Piercing Fang heads-on!" Naruto realized, also slightly surprised. "How the hell is he capable to stand up after something like that?"
"That's impossible!" yelled Galu, leaning over the rail a bit. "Tsuuga has so much power, that if one receives a hit like that, his internal organs should even get damaged! He should at least lose consciousness!" but Hinata merely narrowed her eyes as veins were visible around it: "His ribs… by using that bone bloodline he hardened them in order to lower the damage…"
"Meaning he formed some sort of an armor at the moment of impact?" Kumiko asked shocked, turning towards the female jounin. Kitsune's right hand instantly traveled to his chin as he analyzed the situation: "That'd make some sense. The ribs are under the skin, so it's natural his chest got cut, but by hardening his chest bones, he stopped the assault right there, saving himself from internal damages. Ribs surround the organs in the chest…"
"I do not know what that Kimimaro guy was capable off…" Torune cut in with a smirk on her face, thus gathering the attention of all the Leaf gennin. "However there's nothing Honemaru can't do with his bones. I must say that I feel kinda sorry for your friend, coz against him… there's no way she cane win…" and with that her eyes narrowed: "But then, whoever gets picked as Takai's opponent will end up even worse…"
"Damn, this guy is really creepy" stated Nezumi, slightly disgust, as her body shivered. "He's a real monster" she said out loud, making something snap in Tarakudo upon hearing that. Aoru noticed her teammate lowering his head a little, more in anger then sadness, yet let out a sigh of relief seeing he regained his usual posture a moment later.
Takai once more narrowed his eyes as they traveled towards the rat kunoichi, and had them met with Hizoku's. The redhead had a short staring contest with the scythe user, yet the sand-nin soon looked away and returned to observing the match: "This guy…" the Grass gennin thought to himself as he began sweating uncontrollably. "Such heavy aura. With just looking at him I was close to panic… who the hell is he?"
"This won't do…" Honemaru thought to himself as the cuts on his chest suddenly began healing, making sweat appear on Tsume's face. "Even when I hardened them with chakra, my ribs just barely held. Another hit from that tornado thing and they'll certainly break. I need to finish this quickly" he stated to himself with his face still as emotionless as it ever was. Seeing this Takaru narrowed his eyes as they settled on the sand-nin: "That's right, he uses bones that he rips from his body. Upon getting them out, the wounds began healing, otherwise his bloodline limit would be lethal for him. It's obvious his body gotta have better regeneration then a normal person, however at this point, it'd seem that unless one brings him down in one blow, there's no way to knock him out…"
"Come on, Honemaru" Tarakudo yelled from the platform with his arms crossed. "This is getting boring! Rip that girl to pieces already!" and at this point the white-haired boy's eyes narrowed slightly as his head lowered. In a flash he charged forward, making two, long bones shoot from his hands, acting as swords.
Both Tsumes instantly found themselves pushed back, just barely dodging the sand-nin's attacks, which seemed to be coming from every direction. The kunoichi managed to duck under another swing and tried ramming her opponent from bellow, however as soon as she came close, bones shoot from Honemaru's stomach as well, aiming to pierce her head. Instinctually the girl jumped back, and as the white-haired boy swung his other hand, small bones out of it, hitting the Leaf gennin hard, while Uramaru countered.
The dog aimed a kick straight into the sand-nin's face, yet Honemaru managed to avoid the assault by tilting his head to the left and as the attack came right above his right shoulder, a bone shoot up from it, piercing Uramaru's leg, making a painful howl escape his mouth.
"Bones are located everywhere inside a person's body" Ibuki noted to herself, narrowing her eyes. "By taking full control over them, including turning them sharp and hardening them, it means this Honemaru guy is capable of making any part of his body more resistant to damage, along with allowing himself to counterattack from any, possible situation. Plus this regeneration thing… how can you beat a guy like that?"
"So you're the mutt" concluded Honemaru calmly, his face still emotionless, as he raised his hand that still held his bone sword, aiming to cut the dog's chest. However as his bone came down, it got stopped halfway by a kunai, which surprised the sand-nin to a point he was incapable of dodging a knee that rammed his face, forcing him to take few steps back just to keep his balance.
"Lets finish this, Uramaru!" the real Tsume yelled and in a flash both kunoichi charged at the white-haired boy: "Tornadoes again?" he thought, yet his eyes widen slightly as the original leaf-nin jumped her dog and at the moment she flew above it, their hands collide, pushing both into a spinning move: "Gatsuuga!"
Tsume got shoot up, however Uramaru flew down and bouncing off the ground, came straight at Honemaru's face from bellow. Too surprised, the sand-nin allowed his natural reflex to work and immediately his body bended back, making the assault go right before his face. Seeing an opening, the white-haired boy cut the spinning tornado with his sword bones, making the dog's blood spray him a little. It was only then that he saw another tornado coming right at him from above.
"Eat this!" yelled Tsume as she came at her opponent, whose upper body was now almost parallel to the ground. Realizing that in this position he couldn't dodge in time, for the first time in his life, he lose his calm as his eyes widen. The cutting hurricane hit, spreading the sound of cracking bones all over the room.
"Direct hit!" Kusari cheered, throwing his fist to the sky, yet Rei merely silenced him: "You should celebrate just yet" she said and after the chain master threw her a confused glance, he settled his eyes on the two fighters. Surprisingly enough, Honemaru was still standing the same way like before the hit. He didn't fall down.
It was only then that Kusari noticed Honemaru's two sword bones crossed before his chest, creating a barrier that blocked the incoming tornado. "Again with his bones…" Lee thought to himself as his eyes narrowed. "Piercing Fang shouldn't have a problem breaking them, even if they're filled with chakra. Them remaining solid even after blocking Tsuuga can mean only one thing… that Sand boy…reached Kimimaro's level in controlling his ability!"
Honemaru used all his strength to throw Tsume up by swinging his swords on which she stood. The instantly the leaf-nin flew up, burning pain shoot through his hands, making him slow down: "My hands!" he yelled in his mind, completely surprised. "I stopped that tornado and still bones in my hands crumbled just from the impact? And when I hardened them with chakra? Dammit, this can't be! If I make an attempt to continue this fight… my skeleton can go to pieces!" and with that he gazed up, where the kunoichi already reached the ceiling and using it to bounce off, she came at him again, spinning wildly.
"My legs!" the white-haired boy realized, as pain shoot through his body again. "I can't make them to move!" and once more turning his sight to the sky, he decided for a desperate move. In a flash sharp bones grew from all over his body, while he rested on one foot and began spinning. Trying his best to ignore the feeling of his leg getting burnt, he keep on spinning, also forming a small cyclone.
"He copied Tsume's technique!" Kai yelled shocked, seeing the sudden turn of events. Temari merely narrowed her eyes as a worried expression crossed her face.
In the next instant the two tornadoes clashed with a ramming sound. A second later the dog kunoichi got thrown back and landed hard to the ground few meters away from Honemaru, who just stopped spinning. With taking few, deep breaths, the sand-nin gazed at his opponent and then collapsed to the floor as well.
Silence filled the room as everyone was too shocked to say anything. Finally the one to break it was Kokoro, who leaned over the rail, with his face turning pale: "Tsume!"
---the most terrifying outcome---
And so this chapter ends. Sorry, but I'm really not in the mood to write much, so I'll just give you the list of gennin, as usual. Take care and until next time:
Konoha #7: Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai
Konoha #3: Konpaku Rei, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru
Konoha #4: Inuzuka Tsume (in progress), Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu
Konoha: Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro
Suna #1: Aoru, Torune, Honemaru (in progress), Tarakudo, Takai
Suna #2: Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame
Kusa: Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku
Ame: Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa
Bakufu: Abura Tetsu
Tsuki: Junsei Teela, Tenka
Hane: Ono Reiji
Kumori: Kyuu