Another, problematic chapter, for various reasons... this match is really getting on my nerves ;P Well, I kinda expected it'd be hard, but... ugh. I do have high hopes for Hari vs. Torune which will be up next :)
As always I wish to thank everyone that did review the previous chapter, it gave me an extra boost for this one and allowed me to squeeze in all the information I wanted without separating it into two (I did went a bit over my "limit" though ^^')... which, considering the content, I think is a good thing. Thanks guys.
Also – sorry for the lateness of this installment; along with CecilRedwing (our new beta) we've experience some difficulties, which generally put this chappie on hold. He actually suffer an injury, so I'd like to dedicate this, little piece to him.
And with that, lets go straight to where the action is:
Chapter #153: Frontal Assault
Title Page: Honemaru is skiing down a slope, using his own bones as ski poles
"This is highly unusual" Honemaru stated as he sat on the rock, which towered over the monotone, sandy landscape of the desert. He stared curiously at the kunoichi before him, yet his voice remained calm, almost suspicious even: "Most people don't really approach me... nor Takai and Tarakudo, for that matter... not with the request you're making anyway..."
"So you're not gonna do it, Honemaru-san?" Aoru asked a bit miserably. It's not like she expected a different answer, but rejection is never easy to take. The white-haired boy looked to the side, considering his options quickly, before he turned back to face the girl, his face stoic: "Why don't you ask Torune or Dekai? As I understand, they're both wind types, like you, which logically would also give you a safer manner to improve..."
"Well" the redhead began, carefully choosing her words, like she was ashamed. "It's true Dekai-san seems like a more fitting choice, but..." she hesitated, taking a deep breath. Honemaru remained silent, patiently awaiting her to continue, which the girl did a moment later: "But neither he nor Torune-san are the ones that I wish to do this for!"
Her last words struck like lighting, making the white-haired boy narrow his eyes as he gazed at her judgmentally. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, the boy smiled as he jumped off the rock, a sharp, spiky bone growing out of his right palm: "If this is the way you wish to go about it" he replied with a calm voice, yet the girl could sense a note of approval in it as he walked closer to where she stood. "You do realize this is highly unorthodox and I cannot guarantee that will work... let alone your survival..."
"I figured as much" Aoru nodded, closing her eyes as she lifted her head towards the sky. "But I feel that, unless I do this, I will never manage to walk beside him... to be his strength... in my position, what would you have done?"
Honemaru didn't reply; in stead he just glanced to the side for a moment before settling his sight on the kunoichi. Grabbing her shoulder with his free hand, he lifted his right arm, aiming the tip of the bone at her lungs as chakra coursed through the cranium blade. His body froze as his mind screamed, warning him what he was about to do. But, the girl's resolve was clear enough.
"Temari-sensei will not approve" he announced in a final attempt to change her mind.
"That's why I asked you to do this in private, Honemaru-san" the redhead replied, keeping her eyes closed. This was all a theory and a far-fetched one to top that off, based on old, Suna legends from even before the forming of the Sand village: "But if this can give me strength to aid him... then I shall not falter!"
The white-haired boy allowed his body to shiver as he closed his eyes, his bone still aimed at the female's lungs. With a deep breath, he retreated his arm, only to push it forward, drilling into his teammate's chest in an instant...
-Flashback end-
"Suiton: Entei Hitokugiri!" Taki called out as her lips released an enormous stream of water. In a blink of an eye the liquid spread across the arena, creating a literal wall as it came at Aoru, snapping trees along they way, like they were toothpicks. Time seemed to freeze as the stadium slowly filled like a pond, while the substance trapped the sand-nin in a ring, ready to flood her position.
"She had that much chakra in her?" Naruto raised his eyebrow, impressed by the display. "This is even greater then when Takaru used his Kasai Arashi against that bone brat... such massive suiton in a place without water, that is so unreal..."
"This is your doing... Horohoro" Funbo rather stated then asked as he shifted his gaze towards his blue-haired teammate. The ice user didn't reply however, merely glancing at the young assassin. Akira on the other hand couldn't help but worry as the sensation of the chakra amount that beamed from the battlefield: "She's gonna leave herself empty due to this..."
"Now that's entertainment!" Takarudo stated, clapping his feet, while Takaru allowed a single drop of sweat to run down his face: "One scarier then the other... and to think those two never stood out."
"Aoru" Takai's expression changed into worry as his female teammate became nothing more then a dot among the rampaging waves below. The redhead stood firmly in spot, her hands poised at the last seal she performed, yet her eyes widen at the scene, while her view became completely obscured by the water.
Sensing what was coming, she formed the last, two seals required for her own technique, making a pillar of wind rise around her, with the air circling wildly as it climbed towards the sky. Narrowing her eyes, she set them on the place her adversary was the last she saw her, calling out from the bottom of her lungs: "Denjutsu: Yasei Gekihatsu!"
"What!" Torune's eyes shoot open, while Temari bolted from her seat: "That idiot!" even Gaara's eyes widen at the statement as he watched the winds pick up, extending around the young kunoichi. In a flash the water got pushed back, blasting to all sides as it sprayed across most of Konoha.
Ibuki covered her face as the sprinkle washed over the stands, spreading throughout the vicinity of the stadium itself. The sudden 'rain' made a figure currently nearby freeze, extending his arm forward as if to catch the water drops that fell from the sky. This man had spiky, steel-gray hair and dull, blue eyes, while his attire consisted of blue shirt with ripped-off sleeves and black pants. A line of kanji, describing various, musical notes went down his left arm, while a strange weapon was attached to his back; it looked like a sword, only the blade was separated in two with the longer part rising directly above the handle, while the shorter was pushed in front of the sharp side, giving it an unusual shape of an 'h', rid of half of its foreleg.
"This much power?" the figure wondered, glancing at the stadium. "Is this really a work of a gennin? And if yes... was that Takaru-kun?" he questioned, but his trail of thoughts got interrupted by a man in black cloak, that walked in front of a small group, who followed the man:
"Excuse me, Sendou-sama" the figure bowed to the swordsman, a little shaken by the happenings. "What shall we do now?" he asked, gazing at the man.
"We proceed as planned and await Master's signal" the gray-haired enigma replied after a short moment, his voice calm and expression indifferent. "I imagine the others are reaching their points right about now, so we'll begin soon. I will not allow Gaika an opportunity to ridicule me about my squad's tardiness" he announced, receiving another bow from the hooded figure before the robbed platoon scattered. The man, Sendou, however, took one, final glance at the arena and, while his face remained still, a certain thought crossed his mind: "First we find the guards dead and now this... seems this will be more interesting then I originally imagined..."
Back to the stadium, Taki got pressed against the wall as her own water smacked right into her. Covering her face with her arms, she panted as her eyes set on Aoru, who was still wrapped by the cyclone. Instantly the winds leashed out from the pillar in the form of whips, each randomly swinging to the side.
The Leaf kunoichi managed to duck under the first one, making it scourge the wall behind her, but fatigue has already caught up to her, her vision getting blurry. Taki was able to to roll to the right, to avoid the second whip that dropped from above and even jump over the third, which came at her horizontally, but being in mid-air she could not dodge the forth, which hit her right in the stomach.
The impact sent the water user against the wall again, her clothes ripped as a long cut decorated her chest. As blood began escaping the wound, Taki felt her legs weaken just before she dropped to her knees, gasping for air. Another whip smacked her in the left shoulder, while the next went for her right knee. Only then did the winds died down, yet the air still circled around Aoru's feet, even as the Suna kunoichi slowly headed towards her opponent, reopening her tessen.
"Man, this is intense!" Kai stated, his knuckles white from the grip on the rail. "I never thought that Taki girl was that powerful! And that redhead who beat Mikka is even stronger! Dammit, who knew?"
"What did you expect?" Kusari snickered at the question, crossing his arms as an all-knowing expression arrived on his face. "Of course they're powerful, they reached the final stage. What, you think they could've done it just because they're hot chicks?" he added with a perverted twinkle in his eye, making a vein appear on Kumiko's forehead, while the kunoichi held back her anger.
"He's really asking for it" Kokoro thought to himself, slowly stepping away from the two. One didn't had to be a mind reader to sense the killing intend coming from the female tactician and, at that point, even Kitsune got petrified: "I am so glad our fight is already over..."
"Gaara-dono, from your reaction, I understand you're aware what that girl just did" Shinkou noted, keeping his calm exterior, yet Kakashi couldn't help but notice the slightest hint of amazement in the Kane leader's voice. "Care to clue us in?"
"Denjutsu" the Kazekage repeated without taking his eyes off the arena. "Most people label it as nothing more then a myth, but during the time of the warring states, before any villages were formed, ninja used chakra to utilize techniques based on the five, primary elements of nature. Dependable on one's affinity, various clans became prominent in using a specific type of chakra release..."
"We all know that" Genmei interrupted him, growing a tad impatient.
"Yes, well, there was a rumor concerning these abilities back in the day" the redhead went on, for most part ignoring the Ame leader's comment. "At the time very few bloodline limits existed, so it was hard for any clan to gain a real upper hand over another, since their affinity basically decided the outcome. However it's no mystery that to utilize elemental techniques, one uses chakra, an energy that resides in all, living things. The theory was that, since everyone has different affinity, it's a power that comes from within rather then training. If you believe the rumors, they were half right."
"Half right?" Kakashi raised his eyebrow, making the redhead nod: "According to scrolls from that time, elemental affinity really did came from within the body, determined by the spot that was the central piece of chakra channels in the organism. For everyone it's a bit different, but that is also when the separation for the eight, vital spots was born. The meaning behind few of them got lost in history, but from the information Suna was able to uncover, I gather that the center of the chakra circulation system determines your affinity and so lungs are the most important for wind users, brain for lighting-based ninja, kidneys – doton, liver indicates water specialty, while heart stands for fire usage."
"Interesting theory that does make some sense" Genmei admitted calmly. "But I still fail to see a connection" he added, to which Satsuki joined the conversation, her expression serious for the first time: "It was believed that these organs stored chakra in order to sustain the body... that they were containers which, upon opening, would grant the user an extra boost in power... the basis is similar to how opening Celestial Gates is supposed to work. The difference is, dependable on the organ, the user got a bonus power to his nature release type. And quite a big bonus at that. The details are fuzzy but it is generally believed that those who first grabbed that power went on to became the first of the Five Kages, which is also the reason why they were called after one of the basic elements..."
"I don't understand then" Shinkou stated, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the Tsuki leader and the young Kazekage. "If you knew this and it gave a ninja such a boost, why not use it to amplify your village's shinobi strength?"
"Because obtaining that power comes with great risk" Gaara explained before the kunoichi went on: "In order to free that, extra chakra, a very delicate procedure must be made that would nullify the energy in the desired organ; this is basically done by damaging the chakra channels surrounding it. In most cases the subject of the operation dies, since the organ gives in, unable to take the stress. Before I took over as leader, Tsuki made many attempts to gain this advantage... all of which ended with the test subject's death..."
"So that brat not only agreed to go through with the procedure, but was also lucky enough to survive" Genmei summed up, glancing at Aoru. "I never would've expect that someone like that could be dwelling among these youths. This next generation is truly amazing..."
"This is the end" the redhead announced calmly as she walked over to Taki, who was slowly struggling back to her feet, breathing heavily. "I imagine your chakra is nearly dry after that massive water release, but I'm still quite capable of manipulating my Wild Outburst. You cannot win..."
"Chances are slim" the leaf-nin nodded, managing a smile as she returned to the standing position. "And I did say that this was supposed to be an all-or-nothing deal... but, as much as it pains me to admit, I lied just a little" she stated, bringing her arms together. "And I'm very glad I let Hitomi teach me this... you see, your wind may blow away my water, but if you paid attention to Nature Transformation classes in Academy, you should know that fuuton is weak against another element... and one I have the affinity for as well!" she proclaimed as smoke started coming from her mouth: "Katon: Ryyuka no Jutsu!"
-not over yet!-
Taki knows Fire Release? But can she perform it with so little chakra? And if yes, would that really be enough to overpower Aoru's Denjutsu? Who are those gray-haired man and his goons? The match is reaching its climax, while the pieces are slowly coming together. The main event proceeds forward!
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 (currently in medical wing for treatment), Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku
Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru): Junsei Teela, Kihako Tasuki, Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu
Kane (unknown): Futatsu
Kumori (Tategamaru): Saiken Tenma
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. Debano Kitsune
Fight 22: Kanraku Nezumi vs. Horohoro
Suiton: Entei Hitokugiri (Water Release: Dam Break)
Denjutsu: Yasei Gekihatsu (roughly translated, it stands for Legendary Skill: Wild Outburst)
Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Flame Skill)
And that is that for the time being. Thanks for tuning in, even greater thanks if you'll actually review and until next time! Take care.