Chapter 32: The Tide Shifts
Seiriyu lunged at Gaara and Izuka, his katana shining mischievously in the dim light. Gaara used some of his sand to block the attack and swiftly leapt across the room before Seiriyu could make a swing for his neck.
Seiriyu soon turned his attention to Izuka. He swung his sword at her midsection, but her sand easily blocked it. That's when her eyes widened in realization. She sent a gush of sand from her sand barrier right at Seiriyu, but he jumped out of the way before it connected. Izuka took that as her chance to run over to Gaara's side.
"I almost forgot that he could easily absorb my chakra just by touching my sand." said Izuka with an agitated snarl, which made Seiriyu smirk with a little joy.
"You really need to look out for that. How do we fight a guy who will basically act like a leech if he touches us?" asked Gaara as he turned to her.
"We use the one thing he can't touch, the wind." said Izuka as she unhooked a gray jewel from her chain whip. She threw the jewel up in the air and did a jutsu underneath it.
"Element Style; Wind Shift Jutsu!" exclaimed Izuka as she did the last hand sign of the jutsu.
Gray chakra quickly enveloped her body and soon disappeared as soon as it reappeared. Izuka's hair was out of its faux hawk and now fell straight down her back. She now wore a gray hooded crop top with loose sleeves and a vertical stripe that went down the middle, black shorts, her chain whip, and heeled sandals. Her eyes were gray in color and her amulet had changed its shape into a large stretched out S with two smaller s's connected to either side of it. She caught the fan that appeared from the jewel in midair.
"Beautiful as always." commented Seiriyu as he smirked at her. Gaara's frown just deepened.
"In this form you go by the name Kazera right?" Seiriyu asked with a curious look.
Izuka never answered, which made Seiriyu's blood boil and a vein to appear on his forehead.
"ANSWER ME!" yelled Seiriyu in frustration as he ran straight for the Sage.
As the dictator was five feet in front of her, Izuka let out a small smirk and raised her fan, creating a large wind gust that blew Seiriyu straight across the room and into the wall.
"Well played. You took a risk in hoping that Seiriyu would react to you not answering him and when he did react, you took it as your move to strike." said Gaara with a knowing look to the Sage.
"Exactly." said Izuka in a tone that was slightly cheery.
"What you just said didn't sound like you." commented Gaara as he gave Izuka a weird look.
"When the tailed beasts were sealed within me during the war a few months ago, each of the beasts were sealed with a different element seal, which all make up the large one on my stomach when I'm in my original form. Right?"
"Right!" said Gaara a tad confused.
"The seal that is used for Shukaku is the Wind Seal. It's the only seal that appears on my stomach when I'm in this form." said Izuka as she turned to face the redhead.
Gaara looked down to Izuka's bare stomach, where the same three stretched out S's that were the current design of her amulet appeared with a ring of kanji's around it and the wind kanji appearing above the ring.
"That's Shukaku's seal?" asked Gaara slightly dumbfounded as he pointed to the seal.
"Yep!" said Izuka as she closed her eyes as she concentrated on making the seal disappear. When she opened her eyes, it was gone. "When I'm in anyone of my element forms that uses one of the element seals, only one seal will show while the others remain protected. In this form, Seiriyu only has a chance of releasing Shukaku. All the other beasts are safe."
"What about when you are in your original form? You know, when all the seals come together?" asked Gaara as he scratched his hair.
"There's a defensive seal that shocks anybody I deem as an enemy if they try to touch it interwoven with the seal." explained Izuka as she turned her attention to Seiriyu.
"You think of everything don't you?" asked Gaara as he let out a small smirk.
"I know. I will warn you about one thing Gaara. In this form, Shukaku has the most influence over me than the other tailed beasts, even over Ryuna. If my chakra level gets too weak, it will be Shukaku's best chance to take over." said Izuka with an unsure look on her face.
"I understand completely. I used to be his jinchuriki before you, remember?" asked Gaara as he crossed his arms.
"I remember. It's been a while hasn't it?" asked Izuka as she opened her fan to its full width.
Before Gaara could answer, Seiriyu launched his Dark Gravity attack at the two. They both jumped out of the way before the attack could hit.
"You two are really getting on my last nerves!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he dusted his clothes with his hand.
Gaara turned to Izuka. "You have another wind gust in you?"
"Plenty!" exclaimed Izuka as she launched another wind gust at the dictator, much more powerful than the first one.
The walls were scratched as the wind blew around in all directions within the gym. Seiriyu was actually blown through the wall this time and landed in the next room, which was another gym. Gaara and Izuka quickly ran after him.
"You guys really want to die don't you?" asked a seething Seiriyu as he got up from the pile of rubble at his feet.
"Just give up Seiriyu. Things don't have to be this way!" exclaimed Izuka as she and Gaara ran into the second gym.
"Oh yes it does Lady Sage! I want my revenge for what Gaara's father did to my clan!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he pointed his katana directly at Gaara's face.
"Izuka, there is no use in talking to him. He's succumbed to his lust for revenge." said Gaara with a snarl.
Izuka let out a sigh of defeat. "I guess you're right. We're going to have to end this."
"Me and Gaara will end this, Lady Sage-san. You, my dear, can sit this one out. Besides I have a surprise for you." said Seiriyu with a snap of his fingers.
"Surprise?" questioned Izuka as she turned around, sensing a new danger right behind her. Out from the shadows appeared a young boy that looked like a plain civilian in his navy blue pants and gray shirt. His long brown hir fell disheveled down his back.
"Seiriyu, what's with the little boy?" asked Gaara in agitation. He really wasn't in the mood for his games.
"I thought while you and me would continue where we left off from our last battle, Izuka could move her attention to her new playmate that I brought up for her." said Seiriyu with a smirk.
"Playmate?" asked Izuka as she turned around to have a bolt of white lightning strike her straight through her stomach.
"Izuka!" yelled Gaara in alarm as he looked at the lightning that was sticking out from her body. His eyes followed the lightning's trajectory to see that it was being held onto by a little girl that looked similar to the little boy.
"What the hell! Who is she?" asked Gaara as he pointed to the girl.
"And why is she here?" asked Izuka as she coughed up blood.
"She is Aki. The boy behind you two is her twin brother Maki. I call them the Lightning Twins. They come from a clan whose kekkai genkai is entirely based on their connection to lightning and their abilities to use lightning jutsus that others cannot use. They are my students; well trained ones if you ask me." said Seiriyu as he let his sadistic smirk show on his lips.
He snapped his fingers, which let Aki know that she needed to remove the lightning from Izuka. With a gut wrenching tug, Aki removed the lightning bolt from Izuka's stomach, letting the blood pool out from the wound. Izuka stumbled for a second before falling to her knees, clutching her wounded stomach. Gaara fell to his knees right next to Izuka and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"Are you going to be alright?" Gaara whispered worriedly into Izuka's ear.
"I'll be fine." said Izuka as she wiped the blood from her mouth. "But it is going to take me a while to fully heal the wound."
Gaara looked down to Izuka's stomach to see green healing chakra was emanating from her hand, healing her wound.
"We need to buy some time so your wound can heal." thought Gaara as he turned to face Seiriyu.
"And how do you suppose we do that?" thought Izuka as looked at the Lightning Twins before facing Seiriyu once more.
Gaara let out a smirk.
"What's with the smirk Kazekage-san?" asked Seiriyu in a curious tone.
"Oh, nothing. SANDSTORM!" yelled Gaara as he clasped his hands together.
Sand gushed everywhere around the room creating a mini sandstorm that completely clouded everyone's vision. After a few minutes, the sand cleared up to reveal that Izuka and Gaara was nowhere to be found.
"Very wise of you to escape, Gaara, Izuka. Aki and Maki, find them and bring them back to me! We have unfinished business with the two of them." said Seiriyu with a smirk.
"Yes sir!" yelled the two glum looking children as they fled from the room.
The hunt was officially on.
End of Chapter 32
A/N: Please review
I added twins. Aki and Maki are just minor characters for now. What will happen next? Read and find out.