Hey guys! It sure took me a while to update, I know. Sorry, that was my bad. I promised you guys to update more frequently if you review, but my life sorta got in the way of that plan. There's no point to bore you with details really, I just wanted to apologize for that. On a more positive note, it seems to be over, so hopefully if the popularity wasn't dropped, I'll be able to keep my end of the bargain this time around.
Also sorry to everyone, who I might not have replied. I got so mixed up, I totally lost track. I'll reply you this time though, so if there is a question I have not answered, please ask it again.
Now, since I already kept you waiting this long, lets get straight to the actual chapter:
Chapter #126: The Other One
Title Page: Funbo is walking through a graveyard where swords replace tombstones
"I'm dying, aren't I?" Touba asked with his head lower. Gaara didn't reply at first, he just stared at his son with a worried expression, but finally spoke up, doing his best to avoid eye-contact: "Yes… Tsunade-dono believes you won't reach the age of twelve" he added sadly, looking to the side.
"So, basically, I won't even get a chance to become gennin" the young redhead summed up with a forced smile, but even that quickly faded away as he continued: "This isn't fair… I had dreams. There's so much I wish to do. I wanted to take the Kazekage title from you, dad! I was gonna make Suna the greatest of all shinobi villages! Why? Why does it turn out like this?" he asked, unable to stop the tears that gathered in his eyes anymore. Gaara could not respond. He just wrapped his arm around the boy and hugged him, while the youth sobbed into his robe…
---a year later---
"What are you doing, son?" Gaara asked, walking into Touba's room, while the boy kept writing something on a scroll: "Just… a note. I suppose you could treat it as my last will" he replied without taking his eyes off the paper. The Kazekage was about to push forward, yet the eight-year-old beat him to it, answering the unspoken question: "I know that I still may have few years to live, but then I could also not. This way I'll make sure that my dreams won't die with me."
"How's so?"
"Well… I met someone who I feel that if guided correctly, can fulfill those dreams for me" he announced with a smile, finally turning to his father. "It won't be easy though" he went on, shifting back to the scroll. "This guy is quite complex and despite being good, believing people doesn't come easy for him. This is why I need to prepare everything so that once I'm gone, he won't stray from the right path…"
Gaara nodded, walking closer to his child and placing his hand on the youngster's shoulder: "You really think he can do it?" the Godaime asked curiously, making Touba turn around to answer immediately: "I don't have a doubt in my mind that he will!"
---Flashback end---
"That note… it actually was his last will" the Kazekage announced, looking out the hospital window. "He placed a very unique summoning seal on it, one that'd get activated with a single hand seal, appearing in a very specific place. My guess is that just before death, he performed the technique… but regardless to how that transpired, the very scroll he wrote on that day appeared on my desk with Touba's final words in it…"
"That seal he performed just before I killed him" Takai instantly realized, widening his eyes. "He wasn't preparing to initiate another jutsu… he activated that summoning!" he thought to himself, staring at the floor.
"The scroll contained three requests" Gaara went on, lifting up two fingers. "The first was to spare your life and to not put any punishment upon you, regardless to have happens. And as cold as it may sound, that was the actual reason for me to stop Sabure on that day. Should that plea not come from Touba, I cannot guarantee I'd have acted the same as I did on that day" he admitted, his face indifferent. "The second one insisted that you become gennin… and that you'll be put on the same team as Aoru" he finished, making the scythe user immediately open his mouth from shock. "But it was the last request that surprised me the most… it was about Touba's remains…"
"He…" Takai managed to begin, but after that could not mutter a single word. The Godaime left out a long sigh, speaking up again: "I do not know what exactly happened between you two… I do not know the reason behind you killing Touba… I never asked you about it, coz I feared once I knew it, it might push me to break my promise to my son. However one thing I do know for sure: up till the very end, he considered you his friend. Possibly his closest friend even, since it is to you that he entrusted the dreams he couldn't fulfill… and regardless to how he knew of your ability, he wanted to accompany on your journey to the very end…"
"I…" the gennin began again, yet Gaara quickly stopped him: "Don't. What I told you, I did because I thought you were ready. It is up to you to do with this information as you please" and with that he turned away, walking down the hall. He stopped suddenly however and glancing over his shoulder, let out one, final phrase: "And I also know one, other thing… even up till now… you too consider him your friend" and with that he performed a seal, making his body got wrapped in sand.
"Wait, Kazekage-sama!" Takai called after the man, making the redhead stop in his tracks and gaze at the teen confused. "All this… it's kinda overwhelming, but… but I feel I understand Touba at least a little better. And this is why I need to ask, as long as you're willing to share such things with me… it's something I've been wondering for a while now…"
"Yes?" the man urged him, seeing the boy hesitate.
"It's about… our creator" the scythe user finally announced, gaining Gaara's full attention. "The very same man who taught me how to use my abilities. He… he was Horamaru's father, wasn't he?" he asked, a question that made Godaime's eyes widen in surprise, if ever so slightly.
"You're quite perceptive for your age" he complimented him, but Takai merely gaze to the side at those words: "There's not much to it… everyone who knew them both should easily spot the resemblance. I merely put two and two together. But that's not really the question I wanted to ask. You see, I once spoken to him about his family, so I know… back then, he said he once had two children. Twins. But if that is so, why Horamaru states he has no family?"
"His father was executed soon after you killed Touba" the redhead explained with a note of sadness in his voice. "I decided that at the time letting you uncover more of your abilities could be dangerous. But Horamaru's mother is a different story. As you know, Tarakudo was the first among you three. He was the beginning of the project and when… creating him that man had a different vision. In stead of cloning Kimimaro's genes into a person, like he did with you and Honemaru, he thought it'd be more effective to implement these genes into an already living being. And being a twisted man that he was, he placed them in one of his yet to be born children…"
"You mean…?" the scythe user asked shocked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes. Tarakudo's embrion was injected with these genes. A little that psychopath did not know was that his wife was baring twins. Horamaru came first, but apparently gene implementation complicated the process of birth. The woman died upon bringing Tarakudo into this world…"
"But…" Takai began, collapsing to his knees. "But that would mean the family Horamaru always wanted… he constantly tried to kill Tarakudo… he hates him the most and yet… Tarakudo is the only family he has! Why… why didn't anyone told him this?"
"Horamaru is blinded by fury" Gaara replied, carefully choosing his words. "I don't think he'd believe it, even if he'd realize it's a possibility. He has no idea he even has a brother. I'm sure Tarakudo on the other hand realized this by now, but he chooses to keep the charade, for whatever reason he may have. But regardless to it all, if you'd make him take off those bandages, without a doubt you'd see a face that's a mirror image of Horamaru's…"
"This is…" the scythe wielder began, but the Kazekage never allowed him to finish: "It's for you to decide what you wish to do with this. You may tell Horamaru, if you like, but keep in mind that, even if you haven't realized it, he's a complex boy, just like you are. Note Sabure's reaction when you used Touba's corpse in your match… I'd imagine Horamaru's reaction to these news being similar at best…" and with that he was gone in a whirlpool of sand, leaving Takai still on his knees, staring at the floor.
---Back to the Arena---
"Ninpou: Hanabi Bakuha!" Tetsu called out as smoke covered the place Funbo was standing a moment ago. Unfazed the chubby gennin followed the young Tanken with his eyes as the assassin jumped to his left, smoke from the explosion trailing him: "I see…" the leaf-nin analyzed, unleashing a handful of shuriken: "He can't fire those things constantly. Even though he uses chakra as both ammunition and ignition, it takes time to fill those pipes after the shot. It's about a thirty second interval until he can perform it again… well, that's a fatal weakness I'll be sure to use…" he thought to himself, smiling ever so slightly.
Meanwhile Tetsu, after deflecting the barrage of shinobi stars that now laid at his feet, performed a quick set of hand seals, slamming his free hand to the ground: "Doton: Ishirou no Jutsu!" he called out, making walls of stone shoot up from the ground, surrounding Funbo, instantly trapping him within a sealed, rock cube.
"You move around too much" the waterfall-nin stated simply, settling his gaze at the cell. "It makes it harder to actually hit you and I'm getting annoyed. Technically I should now give you a chance to give up, but seeing as how you didn't care about Shita's surrender…" he added as the pipes released another blast.
In a blink of an eye the stone cube went to pieces, smoke covering everyone's view again. Kusari only stared at the explosion, covering his eyes a bit from small pebbles that scattered all over the arena: "The destructive power of those blasts is incredible… there's no way anyone could survive that!"
Tetsu however didn't celebrate. In stead he strafed left as a sudden attack came dropping from behind, smashing the ground in the place he stood. He quickly spun on his foot, swinging the hammer horizontally, forcing Funbo to jump over the assault. Somersaulting in mid-air, the young assassin flipped, launching his staff at the chubby gennin's face.
Surprisingly enough, Tetsu didn't dodge, taking the hit heads on. But as the attack connected, the Taki ninja bite on the stick, immobilizing his adversary's weapon. The weapon master froze for a split second at that, but it proven to be enough for the Waterfall gennin; in a flash he landed a punch to the boy's stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs.
The impact forced Funbo to drop to his knees, letting go of his staff, leaving himself wide open. This was all his opponent needed as he quickly retreated his hammer, bringing it down on the young assassin's head. As the massive hammer hit, the leaf-nin's head flattened with a company of a loud, cracking sound that went through the arena.
"Funbo-chan!" Taki managed to call out at the sight, terrified as she attempted to jump down from the platform, but instantly she was stopped by Hitomi, who only placed her arm on her shoulder, giving the boomerang user a stern gaze.
In a fraction of a second weapon master's body broke into pieces, each of them being a burning, explosive tag that surrounded Tetsu before the chubby gennin could do as much as blink: "Wha…?" he asked as the notes went off in a cannonade of blows.
"Wasn't that Kubomikawa?" Ibuki wondered, shocked by the sight. "But when did he…?"
Just barely Tetsu managed to jump back, avoiding fatal damage, yet his body still got burnt all over from the trick, his anger now reaching new heights as he gazed to his right, where Funbo stood with a smirk on his face and a staff spinning in his grip: "I figured I'll see how you'd like to be blown into bits… not very enjoyable, I assume?" he teased with a surprisingly calm voice.
"First he used those shuriken he tossed for Kawarimi to escape the cube and even then he already had prepared that bobby trap with explosive notes" Kumiko analyzed quickly as shivers run down her spine. "He's just as scary as he was when we met him in the Forest of Death… maybe even scarier now…"
"Stupid Funbo, you made me worried sick!" Taki yelled from the platform at her teammate, yet her rant was cut short by Horohoro, who stood beside her with his arms crossed: "Don't get too worked-up over this, Taki… there's no way that waterfall-nin could win. This much I'm sure of…" he announced coolly, making Takaru narrow his eyes at the statement.
"Dammit, this guy…" he thought, settling his gaze on Funbo. "If I reach second stage… how am I supposed to beat him? He seems even stronger then before and I totally got my ass handed to me back then!"
"You asshole… I'll kill you!" Tetsu proclaimed, his grip tightening on the hammer.
"Please, stop embarrassing yourself" the young assassin said simply. "Allowing emotions to take the best of you during battle… the result of this match should be as clear as day, even to you. But I'm not keen on letting you go that easily… and it's not like you'll forfeit anyway… no, you wish to avenge your… friend, was it?" he asked coldly, putting his staff onto his back. "All things considered, the only way to win is to either knock you out or kill you… and so… farewell" he announced, going through a set of hand seals.
"Those aren't the seals for fuuton!" Ibuki noticed instantly, her eyes widening as she shoot up from her seat, making Senkou glance at her surprised as the weapon mistress yelled from the bottom of her lungs: "Finish the match or that fatass gonna die!"
"Hijutsu:…" Funbo played no mind to his sister's scream as he completed the technique. "Hiradoma no Shitsui!"
---a dreadful premonition!---
And this completes this chapter, which turned out a bit longer then I have anticipated (and to think I STILL shorted the whole scene with Takai and Gaara). I hope you like it and that you'll review. With all the stuff for collage behind me, I am hoping to update more frequently (finally) then I had over the past year. But that will happen only if I'll know it's worth to continue this tale.
Now, as usual, I give you a quick jutsu encyclopedia and afterwards the list of characters in hope to keep you up to speed with who's who. In the first list is an overall outlook of gennin teams participating in the exam (names in italics mean shinobi present at the arena, but already eliminated and if the name is missing, it means the characters already left the stadium, for whatever reasons they might have)… only Takai's name is underlined as he won his fight, but temporary he was in a medical wing, as you might remember.
Ninpou: Hanabi Bakuha (Ninja Art: Fireworks Blast) – used before, just figured I'll remind you of it.
Doton: Ishirou no Jutsu (Earth Element: Stone Prison Skill) – basically a doton equivalent of the Water Prison Technique Zabuza used. This one requires for the user to keep his hands on the ground in order for the technique to not get dispelled.
Kubomikawa (Hollow Shell) – for the time being I prefer to keep this a secret.
Hijutsu: Hiradoma no Shitsui (Secret Skill: Pit of Despair) – well, you'll read, you'll find out… it'd be a major spoiler if I were to actual explain what the technique does, now wouldn't it?
Konoha #7: Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari
Konoha #3: Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru
Konoha #4: Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu
Konoha: Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Fundo (in progress), Horohoro
Suna #1: Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai
Suna #2: Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame
Kusa: Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku
Ame: Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa
Bakufu/Taki: Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita
Tsuki: Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki
Kane: Futatsu
KONOHA #3 (Shikamaru Nara): Rei Konpaku (lazy girl with the ability to merge with dead souls); Kogane Rikoteki (a girl from the clan of alchemists, who has a crush on Takaru); Toku Amagasa (a boy with a wooden umbrella); Kitsune Debano (a boy from a clan of blacksmiths, he has a lot of iron in his body); Hanamaru Gusoku (a chubby boy from the family of non-ninja);
KONOHA #4 (Hinata Hyuuga): Mikka Igaku (a young, medic-nin, capable of opening three Gates, she has a crush on Kai); Tsume Inuzuka (Kiba's daughter, whose dream is to save crimson wolves from extinction, her dog is named Uramaru); Senkou Hatake (son of Kakashi, the current Hokage, he's very fast, can use Body Flipper and Chidori); Kokoro Benda (a blond boy with a bloodline limit that makes him a telepath); Galu Kobushi (a green-haired boy, who excels in taijutsu);
KONOHA #7 (Naruto Uzumaki): Ibuki Tanken (a young prodigy of Konoha's assassin clan, a weapon mistress with ninjutsu based on wind); Kumiko Murasakki (a smart girl, who specializes in genjutsu); Kai Haisha (somewhat the protagonist of the story, he resembles Naruto in many ways, can use Kage Bunshin and as of late several, wind-based ninjutsu techniques); Kusari Hagane (a boy who used a chain controlled by chakra, he's a pervert, who has a crush on Kumiko); Takaru Gekido (the son of Tsunade, who sworn revenge, it's not revealed who his father is, the rookie in his year, he specializes in fire-based ninjutsu);
KONOHA (Shino Aburame): Hitomi Hyuuga (daughter of Neji and Tenten), Taki Hamano (a girl with a boomerang, very cheerful, uses water); Funbo Tanken (Ibuki's brother, a weapon expert who uses a stick and apparently has no emotions or attachment to his teammates); Akira Manako (a blind, genjutsu expert); Horohoro (a boy not born in the Leaf, he seems to share Hidden Mist techniques);
SUNA (Temari): Torune (Temari's daughter, she uses wind); Aoru (a redhead girl with a battle fan, she has a crush on Takai); Takai (second of the special, genetic experiment, apparently he cannot be killed and is capable of a skill similar to necromancy); Tarakudo (first in the genetic experiment, he's ability allows him to release bones from their joints, he always has his face covered by bandages with the exception of one eye); Honemaru (the third and only 'successful' genetic experiment, he seems like a perfect clone of Kimimaro);
SUNA (Kankuro): Hari (Kankuro's daughter, she uses senbon); Sabaku no Sabure (Gaara's daughter, twin of Touba, she uses sand and seems to have split-personality); Dekai (a swordsman who can wrap his blade in wind); Horamaru (a boy, who uses metal strings, he enjoys bloodlust and hates Takai, Honemaru and Tarakudo, that last one in particular); Karame (a mummy-like boy, who has the control of paper);
KUSA: Tobane Hokku (a girl who uses hook-like weapons); Nezumi Kanraku (a girl who fights alongside her rat, Hamaru); Hizoku Wanabi (a redhead boy, armed in a spear, who apparently has some connections to the Leaf and meet Kai's mother); Taka Kuchibashi (a masked boy, who uses a chain, he seems to dislike Hizoku, but for some reason still aids him when needed); Tokame Kyohaku (a boy who controls light);
AME: Youji Kasano (a girl armed in three umbrellas); Karei Nokogiri (a girl who uses a saw on a chain and controls magnetism in a way); Tsuino Furikuzu (one of the sons of current Ame leader, his face is filled with scars); Nazaa Hebereke (a redhead, familiar with Drunken Fist); Ryo Eshaku (a boy who's special ability allows him to materialize chakra);
BAKUFU/TAKI: Kawa Azarashi (a girl who uses water, which she carries in bottles); Miaka Tora (a girl who teams up with her white tiger); Tetsu Abura (a chubby gennin, who swings a hammer and has two, firework launchers on his back); Shit Makko (Tetsu's good friend, who uses genjutsu); Kasui Rein (deceased, killed by Saiken);
TSUKI (Hinami Hoshiru): Teela Junsei (unofficial leader of the team, who has some relation to Kusari); Tenka (a mysterious, redhead girl); Tasuki Kihako (a swordsman, who has the same bloodline limit as Rei and uses a soul of the Shinobi Swordsman that killed his father); Nobu Chishio (the blond twin, with his brother he possess the ability to transfer the chakra of his sibling into his own body); Kumo Chishio (the green-haired twin);
KANE: Naginata (a girl with the stick); Reiji Ono (the bald axeman with artificial eye); Futatsu (a boy, who uses two katana and has a grudge against Kusari… more specifically Kusari's brother); Hogosha (a boy who uses water); Sentou (boy with metal arms, already returned to his home village);
KUMORI (Tategamaru): Raine (a girl with steel claws); Saiken Tenma (a mysterious boy with a headgear); Bakara (a boy who specializes in genjutsu); Kyuu (a boy who uses sound, supposedly second strongest in the team); Fuma (Tategamaru's son, he could transform into a wolf-hybrid, deceased);
OTHER: Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, Sasuke Uchiha (currently Konoha ANBU); Kakashi Hatake (Sixth Hokage); Iruka Umino (Academy teacher in Konoha); Tenten Hyuuga, Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka & Akamaru, Lee Rock, Chouji Akimichi; Sakura Uchiha, Neji Hyuuga (current ANBU), Sabaku no Gaara (current Kazekage), Hinami Hoshiru (jounin instructor of Teela's cell), Tategamaru (mysterious leader of Kumori's cell), Kumoshi (Tategamaru's partner), Sabaku no Touba (Sabure's twin, killed by Takai, currently his skull is part of Takai's collection), Chitose Haisha (Kai's mother, status unknown), Hideki Haisha (Kai's father, haven't made an appearance in the story); Satsuki (Hidden Moon leader), Genmei (Hidden Rain leader); Hidden Metal leader (name not revealed yet), Satsu Tanken (father of Ibuki and Funbo, head of the clan);
Other, minor characters that appeared up til now are not forgotten, but the ones mentioned above are those that (at least at this point) you should pay most attention to.
Fight 3: Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)
Fight 4: Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)
Fight 5: Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)
Fight 6: Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)
Fight 7: Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)
Fight 8: Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)
Fight 9: Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)
Fight 10: Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)
Fight 11: Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)
Fight 12: Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)
Fight 13: Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)
Fight 14: Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)
Fight 15: Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)
Fight 16: Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)
Fight 17: Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku
Well, that's really that for now. Thanks for tuning in. Again, do leave a review with your opinion and until next time, hopefully. Happy New Year everybody!