Every Ninja Is A Star

"Very well then, I'll leave," K remained as stoic as ever. He and Daisuke were currently in a standoff, and the moment Daisuke's intentions to kill him were clear; his power level went through the roof. Everyone in the room was surprised, except for him. His body was suddenly engulfed in a crimson aura, and his natural energy became visible to the human eye. "Kaio-ken (World King Fist)," The man leapt off of his right foot in a blur of speed.

Daisuke's eye went wide, and he had zero time to brace himself for what happened next. The man charging at him at blinding speeds ducked low and tackled him through multiple walls with ease. They crashed through the glass and Daisuke noticed they were now outside. He couldn't do anything to resist K's new found strength, and the man adjusted his hold on Daisuke with relative ease.

They were free falling toward the ground, which was coming quite fast. K started spinning his body along with Daisuke's and they were beginning to be encased in wind, "Futon: Eijiki (Wind Release: Prey)," K released Daisuke from his grip with a powerful throw and sent him flying through another roof that was closer to the ground. The man released wind chakra from his tenketsu to slow his landing, and he dropped down on same roof he had put a brand new hole in.

He didn't really enjoy pointless violence, but apparently this mission called for it. K furrowed his brow as he felt the foundation of the building itself starting to shake. "Katon: Zenhari (Fire Release: Full Beam)," was heard being shouted from the building, and he didn't want to stick around to see what happened next. A beam of shining light tore through the hole, and K matched it's quickness with his own.

He watched the result from another building over, the core of the blast exploded outward like a firework and illuminated the skies. K was glad he didn't get with that, and got into position as he saw Daisuke appear on the rooftop across from his; seeing if he had killed K. His head snapped quickly in K's direction and he was already flying through hand seals.

"Katon: Senhari (Fire Release: 1000 Beams)," His hands were forming a triangle. The triangle filled with chakra and it was bright enough to light up the area. Daisuke blew into the triangle and small beams started flying at K like bullets, "You're not getting away with that damn money, fucker!"

K was now jumping from rooftop to rooftop to avoid being hit by whatever Daisuke sent at him, but no matter wherever he went; they followed him. "That's interesting," He mumbled to himself before he switched directions quickly, sacrificing some momentum for his action. His eyes were set on Daisuke, who was trying to move away from K, and the 1000 beams that followed behind him. "He can't control them that well, I see."

Daisuke grit his teeth, as he pivot his foot, and turned to face what was heading for him. He moved his hands from the center of his body and fully extended his wingspan, so the beams would split and go crashing into some random buildings, and not him. He was trying to be mindful of the people in the city, but he had a mission to complete, and he wouldn't let anything stand between him. The man got his feet set, and braced himself for the powerful punch that was inevitable from K.

The man put as much force as he could muster this punch, and it sent Daisuke flying off of the roof. The Takigakure shinobi smashed into the wall of one of the hotels. K was breathing heavily as the red aura surrounding him fell. He didn't panic, since he was powerful in his own right. The man used his chakra to let his voice boom loud enough for Daisuke to hear, "You want my money, boy?"

The 'boy' was in immense pain from the Kaio-ken enhanced punch. His body fell from the crater made from the hit, but he regained his composure quick enough to grab onto the ledge of a roof. Daisuke crawled onto the rooftop and finally brought himself to a stand. In between his heavy breaths, he spoke, "You could say that." He pointed to where his head band used to be, "I'm from Takigakure, and if this deal goes through; we're fucked to put it simply. We might have a few strong jounin, but we're no where near ready to fight Iwagakure in war."

K walked closer to the ledge of the roof he stood on, "I'm aware, but similar to you; I'm doing this for my village's best interest." He lifted his right hand and showed his palm to Daisuke. The taki-nin was shocked to see the Kumogakure insignia tattooed on the man's palm, "Only the strong shall survive, and should you live to see the new world we hope to create; I'm sure you would enjoy it."

"You sound like the fucking villain!" Daisuke screamed out, "I thought you big village guys were good at heart!"

"That's such a childish notion to believe in," K shook his head as he let his hand fall to his side. "Everyone's cause is evil to someone."

"Fuck that," Daisuke threw his hands to the side and groaned. K was an infuriating man, "You should know what's right and wrong."

"Wrong, for every action there's a reaction," He didn't hesitate to correct Daisuke. "You're thinking about the lives of people in your village, but what about others?" Watching Daisuke's face twist in confusion made K uncharacteristically grin. It was battle, so he could get away with it. "Without this money, children will starve; people will die in more than just Iwagakure, and it seems like you can't worry about anyone but your little village. How selfish," K didn't really want to kill Daisuke, so he had no problem beating his ideals in the ninja's head.

Daisuke's hand slowly aimed at K, "Fuck you!" More of the miniature beams shot from his hand and tried to turn K into bits that civilians would have to clean up.

. . .

(Kansoha)

Shizune and Tonton eyes followed back and forth as the two shinobi duked it out. She frowned each time it stopped, "Tsunade-sama, K is very strong." The woman turned to look at the medic, who was close to being done with Goku. "Did you see what he did before he threw him and that guy out of the building?"

Tsunade tried to act like she wasn't impressed since she had a strong dislike for K, "It's just a chakra buff, it couldn't have lasted for more than a minute." She looked at Shizune, who was watching the fight, and the woman nodded to only prove her point. "Techniques like that are reckless and have a huge drawback in most cases." She had finished healing Goku, so she just sat at his bedside to make sure he was going through the natural part of his recovery.

"He was certainly man handling that shinobi though... I don't think he's something we should take lightly, even the boy," Shizune warned, gesturing to Goku. "This boy couldn't have graduated that long ago, and he's already being sent on missions to Iwagakure. Something about these two is weird." The woman holding the pig walked over and looked at the now sleeping Goku.

"I know what you're saying," She looked over at the sleeping boy and furrowed her brow. "If I had all my equipment, I would have ran a few tests on him." Tsunade balled up her fist, "Why can't I just live a normal fucking life!?" She yelled out, and startled Shizune, as well as her pet pig Tonton.

Her traveling partner didn't know how to respond and tried to offer Tsunade a smile. "Things will get better, Tsunade-sama, don't worry." She sat on the bed next to Goku and continued to examine him. "He's going to be waking up soon."

"I know," The woman crossed her legs and sighed. She would be happy when he was out of her sight and mind. Tsunade had only known him for a better part of two hours, and he was already stressing her out on high levels. She turned her head slightly and watched the boy's leg twitch, and his tail starting to swing as he returned to consciousness. "Welcome back, gaki."

The boy happily sat up and outstretched his arms. He let out a loud yawn, "Wow, that was a good nap!" He looked at Tsunade and grinned. At first she was glaring at him, but it softened considerably when he smiled at her. The boy was touching at his chest, "Wait a minute," He looked around the room he was in, and how luxurious it was. "DID YOU ACTUALLY KILL ME? AM I IN HEAVEN?"

Tsunade let out a soft laugh and shook her head, "No, kid, you passed out after I kicked you in your bird chest." After hanging around a soul as emotionally dead as K, Goku's fresh take on life made her some what happy. Whatever beef she had with his sensei, she wouldn't take out on him. "I'm honestly surprised you're still alive, he looked dead, didn't he Shizune?"

She nodded, "We tried smacking you with water, pinching your arm, and we even pulled on your tail, but you were knocked out." Shizune played along with Tsunade as they enjoyed messing with the boy. He wore a puzzled expression on his face, and he frowned. "All that matters is that you're back here and not in hell."

Goku placed his hands over his mouth and gasped, "You really think I'd get sent to hell?" His eyes widened at the thought, and he stood on the bed frozen. The alien broke out of it quickly, "Speaking of hell.. Where the hell is my shirt?"

The blonde threw his black long sleeve right in his face, and he caught it, "Get dressed and get the fuck out of my bed, gaki, I want to get some sleep."

The boy stuck his head through the shirt and looked around the room, "Where's K-sensei?" Both women pointed to the window and he ran to the edge of the room. His jaw dropped when he could see his sensei engaging another ninja in battle, their respective techniques lighting up the night sky. He turned to look at the duo of medics, "When the hell did he leave me?"

"He left to protect you, idiot!" Tsunade walked up to and smacked him upside his head.

"I've gotta go help!" Goku was about to launch himself through the window and Tsunade grabbed him by his tail. His face cringed from pain, "Let go, granny!"

"You're not going to fight that battle, I was told to keep you safe, so sit your ass down," Tsunade still had his tail in a tight grip. "If you want to go out there and die in the crossfire, you're crazy."

"Just let go of my tail, OLD LADY!" Goku's tail was released, and he was happy when he didn't get hit for calling her an old lady. He turned to see her fuming though, and her arms folded over her chest.

"Does it hurt when she grabs your tail, Goku?" Shizune asked as she too walked to to join the conversation.

"OF COURSE," Goku lightly grabbed his own tail and let it sit in his hand, "This thing is very sensitive."

"Why do you have a tail in the first place?" Tsunade took her chance to question the boy, while K was away.

"Eh, I don't know," Goku let it fall to his back side once more, and it swung happily. He placed his hands behind his head, "It's been here for as long as I could remember."

"Does your family have tails like you?" Tsunade crouched down to look Goku over one last time. The only odd thing about him was the tail, and it made her frown.

"Um, I think I was adopted. My grandpa told me he found me in the mountains traveling one day, and I already had the tail. He said something about kekkai genkai, but it hasn't given me any cool abilities yet, so I don't know." The boy shrugged as he looked toward the window, "Now can I leave!?"

Tsunade looked at Shizune and mouthed, 'This kid has no fucking clue.' She turned back to smile at Goku, "Yeah, get the hell out of here, gaki, and never come back."

Goku cheered and took off through the front door this time.

Once Goku was out of earshot, Tsunade instantly started packing her bags. Shizune hurriedly followed behind the woman's every movement. She even grabbed some of her loose clothing laying around to begin her packing as well, "Tsunade-sama, why are we leaving so suddenly?"

"We need to find Jiraiya."

. . .

(The Streets Of Tobaku)

The little girl held her mom's hand tightly. The skies of Tobaku were illuminated by fire and lightning more than the man made lights ever could. Her heart was racing, she was nervous, but caught up in the natural beauty of battle between two powerful shinobi. It confused her, "Mommy, what's going on?" She looked up to the woman for answers.

Her mother was one of the many citizens holding their child tight against their side. It had been a while since the somewhat neutral grounds of Tobaku were turned into a battle field, but it was nothing she wasn't used to. For her daughter, it was her first time seeing it, "Two shinobi are going at it, honey." She explained as she smiled lightly, "It's pretty isn't it, the image made from the passion of battle."

The girl didn't quite understand. Maybe her mom was caught up in it as well and got lost in her words, "It is pretty, mommy, but why are they fighting?"

"For the cause they believe in," This mother was incredibly deep. She looked down on her daughter, "Do you remember the stories of the Sage of Six Path, how he created the way of shinobi, and how he created the moon and the stars?" The girl nodded her head. "The stars represent each shinobi in the world fighting, every ninja is a star."

The little girl was too young to call bullshit on her mom's story, but it amazed her for now, as the city continued to watch the two ninja battle it out. They were bouncing from rooftop to rooftop, and lighting up the skies.

They were so caught up in the 'beauty' that they hadn't realized one of the 'stars' was about to come crashing to the ground. The woman grabbed her daughter off of the ground and started running in the opposite direction.

The figure was sent flying down from a powerful attack, and he crashed against the ground. He slid for a few meters before coming to a pained stop. The man sat up and furrowed his brow, pushing his immediate pain to the side, so he could live to see another day, "I'm going to kill you motherfucker!"

K dropped down to the ground with a great amount of force, a crater being formed from the impact. He was flying through hand seals, as he took a deep breath. When he released it, a powerful gust of wind tore through the street and sent anyone caught within it flying. "Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" K tried to keep the casualties to a minimum, but the civilians were silly enough to stand around. He figured he was just playing his part in natural selection.

Daisuke grit his teeth, as his head was being thrown back, and he tried to will himself to keep moving forward. The man was pushed back and violently thrown on to the Earth's floor with a 'thud.' He tried to regain his composure quickly, and dig his hands into the ground, also sticking his feet to the ground with his chakra. He'd be damned if he were blown away in K's wind storm, and he was struggling to stay put, "I fucking hate you!"

The taki-nin's body were smeared with dirt, blood, and excess debris from being thrown through roofs, or smashed into the walls of hotels. His signature white jacket was completely ruined in the process, "Do you know how much I paid for this!" He barely managed to choke out against the still roaring wind. He knew that K wouldn't stop trying to blow him away, so he had to stop the wind himself.

He quickly ripped the hand that was keeping his rooted from the ground, and extended it outward against the powerful wind, "Katon: Senhari (Fire Release: 1000 Beams)!" Daisuke was running off of pure willpower at this point, as hundreds of bullet-like blasts of fire flew from his hand and smacked against the impact from the wind-release technique. He grinned when he saw K's expression change ever so slightly.

The man realized what was about to happen, and stopped trying to blow Daisuke away. He thought the boy would give up, but he was persistent, and fought against his never ending blast of wind, "You must really be an idiot." He watched as the two jutsu tried to overpower each other, but inevitably led to them both exploding outward and creating a full scale firestorm. K furrowed his brow, being fast enough to get to safety on another rooftop and continued jumping. He tried to put as much distance between him and the storm as possible, "That whole block is going to go up in flames."

K's prediction was more than correct, as the buildings in the surrounding area caught fire instantly. He skid to a stop to watch from afar as the block completely on fire, "He killed himself?" His head snapped in the opposite direction, as Daisuke made his appearance, and was already flying through hand seals. K tried to back pedal so he wouldn't be hit at point blank range, but before he could react; he was blasted by... ash?

Daisuke landed on the roof and continued trying to blast the Jounin with his ash, and was still satisfied if the substance just floated in the air like a cloud. He stopped releasing the ash from his mouth once he saw just how covered the area was, "That's Katon: Haisekishō (Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning), a smokers favorite technique. I picked that up in Hi no Kuni, you're gonna love it." Daisuke joked with K.

"You act with such reckless abandon," K couldn't even see Daisuke. The whole area was covered in ash, and he was unfortunate enough to be stuck in the nucleus. He knew of the technique, and he didn't plan on sticking around to see the end result. "Is your mission really this important to you?"

"I'll burn this whole town down if it means you're dead," Daisuke couldn't fight back his childish grin. It seemed like he had K cornered, since the man had an apparent concern for the city. "I don't think the Tsuchikage will be pleased to hear you destroyed his little casino city."

"I'll tell him I was protecting his village in the process," K responded quite quickly, and it made Daisuke angry. He didn't care about the citizens as much as Daisuke thought he did, "There's no creation without destruction anyway."

"WELL TAKE THIS, JACKASS!"

. . .

(Streets of Tobaku)

Tobaku was bigger than he originally thought, but Goku was hot on the battle's trail. There was a whole block up in flames, and it was starting to lead him to where he needed to be. Other marks of their battle were scattered around the city as well, but he followed the obvious. He could feel the two massive amounts of power in a stalemate, and he was ready to jump in and help his sensei if need be.

The boy was running through the street with a kunai in his grip, "I'M COMING K-SENSEI, DON'T WORRY!" He quickly dropped to the ground and face planted into the dirt. "What th-"

A woman was stepping on his tail, "Don't be an idiot, kid."

"What do you mean? My sensei's fighting in there!" Goku squirmed free from the woman's foot and jumped up to defend himself. "You're one of the enemy's flunkies aren't you, well take thi-" The woman flicked Goku on the forehead and he stopped trying to attack her.

"No, I live here, but I see this a lot," The woman explained to the boy. "My name is Moe, by the way."

"I'm Goku," The boy pointed at himself and smiled. "I really do have to save my sensei's ass though, ya know?"

Moe laughed lightly, "You're from Kumogakure aren't you?" She looked at the band wrapped around his arm. "It's obvious, but somebody's out to get you guys right now, and he's gonna blow this whole place to smithereens. It would probably be best if you evacuated with everyone else."

"Huh?" Goku didn't even understand the word evacuate. It wasn't in his blood to run from a fight, "The worst thing I could possibly do is leave my sensei to die. I would feel like less of a man if I did that."

"You're far from a man, really you're just a fucking baby," Moe frowned at Goku. She hated kids that tried to involve themselves with adults, "You don't need to go and die over some bullshit ideals."

The 'baby' had frustration written all over his face. He didn't want to be rude to Moe, but she was severely slowing him down, and from what he could see; he had a place to be. It didn't help that she was insulting his manhood either, "If I wasn't ready to die, I wouldn't have become a shinobi!" He beat his fist against his chest like an ape, "I knew what this life had in store for me!"

Moe furrowed her brow and kneeled down to look at Goku on his level, "You're an idiot, you know that?" She smacked his cheek lightly, "But if you want to die, go right ahead."

Goku wanted to hit her with a witty response, but he was at a loss for words. He grit his teeth, "I will." She laughed, and he smacked his palm against head. Their little moment was funny and enjoyable, but both of them tensed up for different reasons when an explosion rocked the whole city.

The boy tried to feel out the area for their chakra signatures, and only one returned to him. Had K just been killed? He shook his head, "No, no way." It felt like time had frozen for Goku, as the feeling of uncertainty washed over him.

Moe was worrying about the other party involved. Had Daisuke broken her promise and died? She also shook her head, not believing the thought, but it had been entirely possible. An explosion that big didn't go without casualties. Someone's life energy had been completely wiped off the earth, and she was hoping it wasn't her new found love.

She stared off in the distance, and Goku took off running.

What the hell just happened?

. . .

Next Chapter: K's Prayer