Took me a while to actually get this done, but I kinda figured Kumiko vs. Kitsune will be one hell of a bother to write and I wasn't wrong... sadly x_x Of course being away from PC with no way to write anything down didn't help ;P But I've managed to finish this up and while I still dread what's to come... well, the first step is complete :)
REMINDER: just as a "side note" I wish to remind all of you, who haven't done so yet, that the Third Character Popularity Contest has began! The rules and full character list you can find in the previous chapter and if you wish to cast your vote, there's still time to do so ;)
With that said, let us move on to the newest installment in NNG series :D
Chapter #143: Tenth Match!
Title Page: Senkou is in the middle of a forest, scratching his head as he looks around, holding a map; the masked gennin is obviously lost
Saiken glanced to his left as a figure suddenly appeared beside him, wrapped in a black cloak. The boy quickly shifted his eyes back to the arena, giving little indication he even acknowledged the arrival, yet spoke calmly, loud enough only for the hooded man to hear: "Welcome, Tategamaru-sensei. I assume that your presence here means everything is ready?"
"Yes" the man replied just as quietly, also staring away from the teen. "The stage is set and the actorrrrrrs arrrrre gatherrrring. It'll begin verrrrry soon. In the meantime, how arrrrre the exams prrrrroceeding?" he asked with a smirk, watching the next, two combatants walk slowly towards the center of the stadium.
"The first round is already halfway through" the headgear ninja announced simply with his arms still crossed. "Some of these brats are actually pretty good. Nothing to be concerned about, of course, but still it is surprising how far they have come in just, one month."
"As long as the tarrrrget prrrresents no prrrroblem, I don't rrrreally carrrre about the otherrrrs" Tategamaru stated immediately, sending his subordinate an evil glare. "And he does not prrrresent a prrrroblem, does he?"
"He should not" the teen responded simply. "However I still fail to understand why is he so important. The mission is to take the scrolls... he truly has nothing to do with that. Why would master be interested in him to begin with?"
"You arrrre not to question yourrrr orrrrderrrrs, Saiken" the man reminded him harshly. "Just make surrrre you'll do yourrrr parrrrt" he ordered as the two combatants reached the proctor of the exam, allowing the latter to make the announcement: "Tenth match: Murasakki Kumiko from Konoha against Debano Kitsune from Konoha! Ready and... BEGIN!" he called out, jumping out of the way... only to see the duo standing motionless before each other.
The stadium went silent as the fighters eyed each other in what could only be described as mild interest. The seconds passed and Lee decided to take a chance by returning to his earlier spot, giving both gennin a quick glance: "Ummm... BEGIN!" he repeated, ready to jump away again, yet froze noticing his statement made no effect whatsoever. "Ummm... please, BEGIN?" he purposed, completely dumb-folded.
"We should start" Kumiko agreed in a calm voice. "Come on already."
"And land straight into your trap?" Kitsune replied, rising an eyebrow. "No thanks."
"Oh, come on!" Kai slammed his forehead against the rail at the sight. "Are they kidding us with this?" he questioned, getting an answer from Kokoro: "Actually, in battle conditions, there are always two types of fighters – attackers and defenders. The first move generally decides that difference. Usually, the attacker dictates the course of the duel, seeing how he's the one pressing forward, however it is also easier for him to receive a counter from the enemy, thus he's much more likely to sustain damage if his first assault won't break through the defender's block. If we're talking about simple warriors, then it plays little role who goes first, coz they're both gonna aim to become the attacker eventually... but if it's strategy, the more favorable option is to start as the defender."
"How's so?" Kusari asked confused. "Wouldn't being the attacker allow one to prepare more elaborate plan, since they're in control of the fight?"
"That's the general believe" Galu nodded with a serious face. "It is flawed, however; being on the defensive forces you to react to your opponent's actions. That is a fact, however you must also understand that your adversary may be looking for a very specific opening to switch the roles. You cannot be certain what that opening is, but once it comes, you become the defender. Counter is the most crucial part of any battle as it comes as a surprise, usually swiftly at that; done skillfully, it can easily end the match... and you cannot be the one countering as the attacker..."
"Sounds stupid to me" Takaru stated simply.
"Well, both attacker and defender have their pros and cons" Toku announced, shrugging. "You choose a one dependable on your own abilities. Kumiko's genjutsu sets her naturally as a defender, who counters with illusions. Sadly, Kitsune, with his skills, fit the role of a defender as well..."
"Fine" Kumiko finally caved in, going through a set of seals. "I'll start" she proclaimed with the last symbol as all light suddenly got sucked from the arena, leaving the other leaf-nin in complete darkness: "Kokuangyo no Jutsu!"
"Wasn't this that blind guy's technique?" Kitsune wondered as the void wrapped around him, hands in his pockets. "Did she actually learned it after seeing it just once? Quite impressive. Also, Kumiko isn't stupid – she must realize I can dispel illusions... she certainly thought at least three steps ahead, preparing a trap for whatever counter I purpose... at the very least I must assume this one is a fake... no pun intended" he added to himself while the kunoichi jumped away onto a nearby rock, already flipping through a new set of seals.
Once she was done, her hands blurred again and then again, completing seven chains of symbols. Naruto's eyebrow rose at the sight, while a tiny smirk appeared on his face; certainly his student was not taking any chances against this one.
Meanwhile the young blacksmith picked out two kunai, dispelling the the illusion. As the stadium emerged to his sight, he threw the first knife at the girl. In a flash Kumiko jumped forward, letting the projectile dig into the rock, while her opponent prepared the defense. Kitsune's eyes widen a moment later though as he body spun, thrusting the weapon in his grip in the direction opposite of the kunoichi.
The female gennin quickly jumped back, avoiding her face getting pierced as she flipped back a few more times and then strafed left, dodging the kunai the other leaf-nin tossed at her, once she gained some distance. The knife struck the ground while Kumiko came to a sliding stop, her eyes narrowed.
The instant her body froze, it began fading away, turning into mist while the rest of the world started spinning wildly, leaving Kitsune right in the middle of a cyclone. The young blacksmith felt dizzy as he tried to dispel the illusion. To no avail.
With a groan he reached to his hostels and picked out several more kunai, placing them between his fingers. Flipping his arms, the leaf-nin spread the blades around, yet none managed to hit his opponent, striking into the ground or trees. To this the gennin narrowed his eyes as the whole arena became no more then a blur.
A sudden pull on the finger made him react immediately as he threw a kick to his right. The attack hit nothing from what he could tell, yet outside of the illusion it forced Kumiko to duck as the foot went for her face.
Only then did the kunoichi felt something wrapping around her ankle, while Kitsune maneuvered his hands further. The young tactician glanced at her leg, instantly realizing what was going on: "A string! So he didn't aim to hit me with those kunai, he tied these to them, creating a form of a warning system; once I triggered the wire, he knew from were I was coming and with a web spread this wide, he can trap me with the rest" she concluded as the strings began closing in from all sides.
In a flash Kumiko performed a quick seal, her body getting replaced with the log as the young blacksmith's vision cleared, allowing him to see his handiwork. With everything returning to normal, the boy released the strings, his eyes settled on the girl standing few meters before him with kunai in her grip.
"Regardless to those illusions, Kitsune seems to have the upperhand" Kogane noted thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. Hanamaru merely nodded at the statement, still stuffing his mouth with chips as the crunching sound filled their row. Only Rei seemed to be skeptical over the situation: "Kumiko's genjutsu is still in effect" he proclaimed, making her companions gaze at her confused. "She actually put up several barriers just then... Kitsune haven't even broke through the first half..."
"Even if that is true, it doesn't seem that these illusions present any problem for Kitsune-kun" Mikka announced shyly, shrinking a bit in her chair as the other gennin shifted their attention towards her. "I mean, he can react to attacks even without dispelling them..."
"Granted, but it's still too early to decide the victor" Ibuki stated simply. "Kumiko is the smartest among us, rookies" she added, making Kogane smirk under her nose: "Is that so?" she questioned, to which the young assassin raised her eyebrow.
"That girl certainly would be troublesome to deal with" Akira noted to himself, while down on the arena the kunoichi performed another, quick seal, multiplying herself by five. The phantoms spread around their opponent, who prepared another kunai for defense just as the bodies charged at him from all directions.
With a sudden swing, he tossed the knife at the only bunshin that stayed behind, completely ignoring the other four, even as they stabbed him with their weapons. Upon contact the phantoms trembled before fading into nothingness, while the kunai thrown by the young blacksmith went straight through its target's chest, creating a similar effect.
The knife struck the wall of the stadium as the air vibrated, making it seem like the whole world was mere reflection in the water, which just got disturbed by a falling pebble. Kitsune felt his legs giving in a he dropped to his knees, his bones burning from inside. His eye twitched at the pain, despite knowing it was an illusion. The boy couldn't concentrate on this however, as he cut his thumb, drawing a quick symbol on the ground.
"That's not Kuchiyose" Naruto realized, narrowing his eyes as the young gennin quickly formed a circle of symbol around himself. With the ring complete, he went through a set of seals of his own, making a white wave blast its way from the edges into the furthest corners of the battlefield.
The vibrations stopped, allowing the young blacksmith to rise back to his feet, panting slightly as he glanced around in search of his adversary; an activity proven pointless as few moment later Kumiko's voice echoed through the stadium, beaming from all directions: "You're quite the troublesome fellow, Kitsune, I give you that... mind telling me how you figured out I saw attacking from behind when you broke my Bringer of Darkness?"
"Your headband" the boy responded simply, a little tired. The answer met with silence, so Konoha ninja went on: "The Leaf symbol on it was reversed, like in a mirror... with this, anyone would've noticed the attack was fake and directions were replaced... left was right and front was back... if you want to defeat me, you really shouldn't rely on the tactics you used to beat that Snow girl in the eliminations..."
"I see... cleaver..."
"Yeah, well, you on the other hand are rather disappointing" Kitsune shoot back with a smirk. "I was hoping to face some elaborate strategy and all you have shown so far is multiply genjutsu barriers... that's such a rip-off of that blind guy from a while back..."
"Oh, think it's that simple?" the kunoichi's voice echoed in the air and although he couldn't spot her, the young blacksmith could tell she was smirking. "The plan is already in motion and while it'd be less of a bother if you'd fall victim to either of my illusions, this fight is proceeding exactly as I've anticipated..."
"Really?" the boy asked, picking out three more kunai. "Guess I can't play around anymore... I assume you won't mind me starting my counter attack then?"
-march into the unknown!-
And this concludes part one of Kumiko vs. Kitsune fight. Hope you enjoyed it, coz it really is one hell to write down :D Who'll come out on top in this one? That you can only find out be reading further, so I do hope to see you all with the next update!
Konoha #7 (Naruto): Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai
Konoha #3 (Shikamaru): Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru
Konoha #4 (Hinata): Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu
Konoha (Shino): Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro
Suna #1 (Temari): Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai
Suna #2 (Kankuro): Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Karame
Kusa (none): Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku
Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru): Junsei Teela, Kihako Tasuki
Kane (unknown): Futatsu
Kumori (Tategamaru): Saiken Tenma
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
Fight 18: Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru
Fight 19: Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo
Fight 20: Manako Akira (automatic win)
Fight 21: Sabaku no Sabure vs. ?
Kokuangyo no Jutsu (Bringer of Darkness)
Thanks for tuning in and until next time!