The sound of cracking stone slammed into Akari's ears forcefully, she made to turn and warn the others but it was already too late. The ledge exploded outwards, Azuko was thrown back with Naruto and Tsugashi while Taki was thrown into Akari. The force of the impact would have been enough to throw them both of the cliff but Akari was already moving.
As the Shinobi responsible for blowing apart the mountain side rose out Akari grabbed hold of him. With Taki in one arm and the enemy shinobi in the other Akari pooled her Charka in her feet and jumped into the air.
Taki screamed in shock as her senses finally caught up with reality and the missing Nin gave a startled shout as he was pulled down.
He righted himself quickly and sent an arm into Akari's stomach. The hit was solid and loaded with Chakra for extra stopping power, Akari's eyes glazed over in pain and she was pretty sure she threw up as the blow connected.
The three of them continued to fall before the enemy shinobi jumped back to the mountain side, using an earth style Ninjutsu to cling to the wall.
Akari glared at him and flicked her arm's forcing out the kunai she had kept in her sleeve. The paper bomb tags began to smoke and she threw them around the Nin.
The whole action took less then a second and Akari allowed a satisfied grin to take to her face as the eight letter bombs sent the Nin from the cliff face.
He was singed slightly from the blasts but they weren't to cause damage. If she was going down she was going to take this bastard with her.
He glared at the two girls as the three of them fell.
"Akari! Taki!" Someone shouted from above.
Both girls and the Kumo missing Nin looked up to see three Naruto's heading for them. Akari allowed herself to smile.
"Taki!" She roared over the wind to get the other girls attention. "Focus we'll be dead before we hit ground if we don't deal with this bastard!"
Taki looked at her, the fear in her eyes was overpowering, but she still managed to work a sliver of resolve into those sacred green eyes of hers. It gave Akari greater resolve knowing that her friend was able to shake off her own fear, if only a little bit.
The two girls face their enemy with new resolve as they fell.
"Go!" Two of the Naruto's shouted as they threw the third one at the Kumo Nin, trying to close the gap between the two groups.
The Kumo missing Nin smiled as he rolled in the air, weaving hand signs. "Katon: Kabe o nenshō no Jutsu!"
Fire enveloped the Naruto clone and he vanished with a cry and a buff of smoke.
"We have to get onto the mountain!" Taki shouted as they fell. Akari nodded and gathered her Chakra in her feet, throwing a wired Kunai into the mountain. The hope was to allow them to get closer to the mountain, but as the wire went taught it cut deeply into the flesh of her fingers.
She let out a cry of pain and let go of the wire blood running freely from the wound. There was a faint 'clang' as Taki deflected several shuriken aimed at them.
Tears burned Akari's eyes from the pain as she tried to think of something. The Kumo Nin breathed another gout of flame to push himself back to the wall once again using his earth style Ninjutsu to grab hold of the mountain. He swung back to attack the Naruto clones above him but they were on him before he had time to finish the Jutsu.
The closest Naruto came in with a coat hanger to the Nin's chest, made all the more devastating by both Naruto's momentum and his Chakra.
The Ninja was ripped from the mountain once again as he flew past Akari and Taki. However he was faster than they had expected, as Naruto's attack hit the Nin brought his knee into the back of the clones head.
The clone vanished with a 'poof' while the third and final Naruto caught up to Akari and Taki.
The Kumo missing Nin only smiled as he weaved through a series of hand signs.
"Katon: Shiroi honō no banrinochōjō no Jutsu!"
Akari raised her arms in a feeble attempt to shield herself from the sheet of white hot flames that rushed towards them. How can we survive this? She asked herself as they fell into the waiting embrace of the flames. Naruto was already weaving through his own signs before the other Nin was finished.
As the blanket of fire came to them he breathed out, drawing heavily on Kurama's Chakra to make the Jutsu work properly.
"Futon; Sūpā Kyōfū-ryoku no arashi no Jutsu!"
With the extra Chakra given to him by Kurama Naruto breathed out hurricane force winds. The approaching sheet of fire was buffed back and made all the more intense by the winds Naruto had summoned enveloping the enemy Shinobi as he fell.
Naruto kept up the Jutsu and placing himself between the two Genin and the ground. As he continued to exhale Akari and Taki could feel themselves slowing down until they were a few feet from the ground.
The kunai came from nowhere and Naruto gave a light 'oof' before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The two Genin landed in a crouch as the Kumo missing Nin pulled himself out of the ground. He looked a little worse for wear, with both his arms blackened from the fire and his clothes were covered in dust and soot, but other than that he pulled himself out of the ground with a sadistic smile on his face.
He pulled out a kunai from his weapon pouch and held it out to the two young Genin. "Well little girls, why don't we have some fun?" He suggested evilly.
Akari fell to her knees as the adrenalin in her system finally caused her legs to give out on her. Her breathing was fast a laboured as she stared at the man's feet.
Taki was in no better condition as she tried to calm herself down. The Kumo Ninja gave a disappointed sigh as he realised the two girls weren't collected enough to fight him.
It was the firm hand on her shoulder and the undeniable weight of Taki pushing herself to her feet that brought Akari back to the 'here and now'.
"Come on Akari," She said lightly. "We've got to stand up."
Akari managed to lift her head up to see Taki's offered hand, her gaze worked up her arm to the other girls face.
Seeing the iron hard resolve in those kind green eyes gave Akari a new found well of determination and resolve and she forced herself to stand. Taki guided her with one hand while her other selected several shuriken from her weapons pouch.
Akari breathed deeply, as the two finally got a good look of their attacker; he was a tall man with a mane of shaggy black hair complete with a beared, he was dressed in standard Kumo attire with a heavy frame.
Eventually she managed to still her heart before she readied both demon wind shuriken she had on her hips.
The Kumo Nin saw the resolve of the two girls before him and smiled. "Well it seems you found some strength after all," He said with a note of glee. "Try not to die too quickly children I'd like to have some fun from this." He said.
Akari growled in frustration, "Shut up you sick minded freak!" She roared at him. The Ninja shrugged of her words with a casual roll of his shoulders.
"Very well, though before we begin I would ask your names." He told them. The two girls looked at each other for a moment before Akari charged in. "Like hell ass hole!" She screamed. The blades of her shuriken blurred into a solid form as she swung at him.
He dodged both strikes with contemptuous ease before he sent a powerful kick into Akari's stomach sending her flying back. Taki jumped to the side catching Akari before she hit the ground.
"It's a common courtesy for Shinobi to give their names to one another before they fight to the death." He spat at the two of them. "Even if you are children you are still Shinobi, so act like it." He ordered.
Akari glared at him as she stood up, but nodded any way. "Soji Akari," She told him.
"Moshibi Taki," The other girl said.
The Kumo missing Nin nodded before he introduced himself. "My name is Kurabi Nagi." He kicked over Akari's shuriken and waited for the girl to pick them up before he spoke again.
"Die well, you young Shinobi of Konoha." He weaved a series of signs and took a deep breath, breathing out a stream of fire at the two girls.
They moved in, either side of the torrent of fire readying their counter attack. Akari moved in first, she brought both shuriken up to full speed, spinning her chakra in her palm to increase the rotations. She swung her right hand for his neck, bringing her second shuriken into his body as he moved to avoid the first.
He jumped, lightly rolling in-between the two strikes. He struck out with both fists, hitting Akari's elbows and forcing her to once again drop her shuriken, before he brought he knee's into the girl ribs, she crumpled sideways with a silent cry on her lips as Nagi brought his head forward sending her staggering back.
"Ninpo: Shuriken arashi!" Taki threw her arms wide sending a good three score of shuriken bearing down on the man. He jumped back throwing his own kunai at her as he did so.
As Taki side stepped the projectile she weaved a series of hand signs and breathed in, holding a hand to her lips. "Suiton: Ame no dangan!" A thin cone of heavy water pellets slammed into him and Nagi grunted in frustration before batting the Jutsu away.
"Better step it up, child, or you're gonna die." He told her.
Akari got to her feet slowly, the pain in her side was fading, and blood was running freely down her face from the broken nose he had given her. She flexed her fingers, trying to shake out the pins and needles working up her arms, she didn't even notice that the deep cut to her right hand had been reduced to a superficial nick along her fingers.
She ran forward grabbing her shuriken from the ground and attacking again with Taki. The two girls laid into the enemy Nin with an unrelenting barrage of iron and flesh.
Strike after strike, kick after kick.
Nagi bobbed and weaved through the two girl's onslaught of attacks, attacking during the brief openings the two girls left. Taking the occasional kick or cut from the combined attack.
He stabbed at Taki with his kunai, gracing her side causing her gasp in pain and stumble back. He kicked off Akari's advance and moved in on the girl making a series of rapid strikes with his kunai.
She danced back rhythmically, suffering a dozen or so shallow cuts to her arms, body and face as Nagi dominated her.
Akari charged one of her shuriken with Chakra and threw it.
Nagi jumped at the last minute and Taki gasped as the lightning charged shuriken spun towards her. Just before it made contact with the girl the shuriken suddenly arched to the right, curving back around on Nagi.
The man gave a short gas of surprise as he saw Akari's tanto sticking out of the ground acting as a rod to make the wired shuriken double back on the man.
He jumped up and over the oncoming shuriken with time to spare. He threw three at Taki, forcing the girl to dive forward, rolling to her feet next to Akari.
As the two looked up at him he held a hand to his lips. "Katon: Kabe o nenshō no Jutsu!"
A thick blanket of fire descended upon the two girls, and Taki just barely managed to weave the signs in time to save them.
"Suiton: Wairudou ebu no Jutsu!" It took all of her remaining chakra to keep the Jutsu up long enough to shield them from the fire. She fell to her kneed next to Akari who had kept low to avoid Nagi's Jutsu.
Through the steam she saw Nagi land a few meters to their right. Not wasting a second she transferred her second shuriken to her right arm and threw it full forced charged with lightning chakra at him.
He saw the attack coming and used Akari's tanto to pin the shuriken to the spot, making the wire she had rigged useless.
Before either girl could move he rushed them, bringing a rock hard knee into Akari's stomach sending the girl flying backwards. She hit the ground with a thud and rolled, coming to a stop twenty odd meters away.
She looked up just in time to see Taki receive a similar treatment, landing a few meters to her right. Akari staggered to her knees shakily, her whole body was in pain, and if she hadn't already thrown up on the way down she would be right now.
Nagi walked over to her slowly, kunai in hand. "You kids are strong," He said solemnly as he stood over her. "Now I will give you a death fitting for a Shinobi." He said raising the Kunai above his head before bringing it back down in a murderous arch.
Akari stayed rooted to the spot in fear as she stared death square in the face for the second time since she had left the Village.
The blood splattered across her face and Nagi raised his eyebrow in surprise. He pulled the kunai free roughly causing a gaping wound. More blood gushed out of Taki's stomach and she collapsed in front of Akari.
"Hu," Was the only sound that was heard over the splattering of blood drops and the soft thud of Taki's limp body hitting the ground. With a shrug the missing Nin raised his kunai again for another strike.
Before he could bring his arm down however Akari let out a deafening shriek of anger as she leapt to her feet with astounding speed. She swiped at his face causing several deep gashes in his cheek before she sent an ungodly kick to the man's chest. He coughed up blood as he was hurled back by the force of the kick, getting to his feet shakily.
If he hadn't been wearing his armoured vest that kick would have crushed his rib cage. Thankfully she had only broken five of them.
"Taki!" Akari screamed as she landed next to her friend, lifting her into her arms. She had no idea when she had started thinking of Taki as her friend, but at this moment she couldn't think of any other word to describe her. "Why?" She breathed, barely able to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. "Why? Why did you do that?" She sobbed as she looked at the girls dangerously pale face.
Taki only offered the crying girl a weak smile as she lifted a trembling hand to her face. It was warm as slick with blood and yet cold to the touch. "We're friends." She breathed her voice so weak Akari could barely hear it over her own sobbing. "And friends protect each other."
"But what about your mother, your family?" Akari sobbed, not knowing why she had thrown it all away for someone like her.
The week smile once again touched Taki's lips and her eyes closed slightly. "It's not like, they'd be proud of someone who let their friends, die." She whispered. "Hardly big sister material."
She suddenly gasped in pain and her eyes screw shut.
"Taki!" Akari screamed again. In a sudden moment of clarity she realised she had to stem the flow of blood from the wound in the girls side or she would bleed out in her arms in a few minutes.
She gathered all of her Chakra in her hand forcing it to take form. Desperation helped as soon her hand was crackling with lightning. She prayed to whoever would listen that it would work. Lightning was at core super-heated vibrations so it should work. She placed her hand over the gaping wound in Taki's side. The girl screamed in agony and thrashed about in her arms, and the tears flowed even faster as Akari forced her friend still through the pain. She eventually went limp and Akari feared the worst before she heard the soft shiver of Taki breathing. She breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled her hand away, the wound was ugly and black but thankfully no longer open.
She heard the sound of saddle on stone and the faint 'whoosh' of an arm raised quickly as Nagi tried to finish her from behind.
She wasn't as fast as before or as powerful, but Akari still managed to leap to her feet and deliver a heavy sweeping kick to Nagi's cheek.
The man coughed up yet more blood as he was thrown left, rolling along the ground a little before coming to a stop.
He looked up at the girl in surprise wondering where she had gotten such power.
Akari held her hands together in the familiar cross seal and spoke. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A cloud of smoke enveloped her and when it cleared four of her stood in a line. The inner right one spoke. "You guys take Taki and find Naruto Sensei, I'll kill this bastard." She said coldly.
The three clones only nodded before two carefully picked up Taki, the third scanning the area. There was the fait fumble of an explosion further into the mountains and the three clones headed off as fast as was safe. All well aware that if they went too fast Taki's wound would re-open.
Nagi smiled as he tried to cut the three clones off, but Taki sent him back with another strong blow.
He couldn't help but smile as he looked at the girl. His body was sore and his Chakra was getting low, but the blood rushed through his veins like a fire, he smiled at Akari. He lunged at her, holding his kunai in both hands. He truly felt alive.
She didn't try to dodge as he drove the kunai into her gut. She didn't even make a sound. He stared at her in confusion. "I thought you said you were going to kill me." He said smugly giving the kunai another push.
Akari let out a laugh. "And I will," She said evenly. She brought a fist into his face and sent the man reeling back. She yanked the kunai in her gut free causing yet more blood to rush out onto the canyon floor. Even though she had suffered a serious wound, made even worse by the rough manner with which she had removed the blade, she felt light. Her head was clear and her vision was sharp, and she felt a deep surge of power that she had never felt before rushing through her veins, breathing new life and resolve into her.
She held the now twice bloody kunai in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "By the blood on this blade, you shall die by my hand for causing harm to a friend of mine!" Her voice washed over the silent canyon floor like a thunder clap strong and powerful.
The smile once again returned to Nagi's face as he drew another kunai from his weapons pouch and adopted a readied stance. He loved the look of fire and determination in her eyes. No longer a deep shade of blue, instead on was a deep green with the other was a fierce yellow.
Wooooooo! This is what I have been promising for a while now, the kind of Character development that comes on the edge of a kunai.
If you haven't figured it out by now I couldn't be more obvious with out saying it.
Yes I did that, but I've been leading on since Chapter 2 so eh.
All in all I hope you enjoyed the smack fest of a chapter and you can look forward to a lot more.
Jutsu in order of appearance were
"Fire style: Burning wall."
"Fire style: Great wall of white flame."
"Wind style: Super gale force Storm"
"Ninja art: Shuriken storm."
"Water style: Rain bullets."
"Water style: Wild waves."
Until nest time I wish you all the best.
Yours truly.
Nicolai Grey.