Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth. Please support the official release.
Chapter 11: Dancing Moon, Shining Steel
Over three weeks have passed both in waiting for Ruby's weapons in the coming months and training. Their new training regiment was on more easily channeling Ki through their bodies and figuring out its applications. Using the pure energy of life made their bodies much more durable where a deep gash by a sword would leave only a nick, their raw strength would increase more than tenfold, and, more for Shirou, gained more stamina. The downside they could find so far was overusing Ki for an extended period of time sped up their metabolism, so they had to eat more for the loss of the physical energy that wasn't used for chakra.
Ruby was tempted to experiment to find out what the spiritual energy of Chi can do. It was all so ecstatically interesting to use all these cool powers and how they can all work together. On the other hand, her mind put such potentials off one a singular focus. She was trying to figure out how to develop her own breathing style.
The silver-eyed Uchiha was sitting in a lotus position under the black of night. The moon nearing its full capacity shined its graceful light on her body. Ruby practically bathed in the light, taking deep inhalations as if to breathe just a sample of it. It wasn't just a goal in Ruby's mind to somehow create a new Breath of the Moon sword style. She has always felt drawn to the moon, never daring to hide away from its false light of the sun. A light reflected in her own silver eyes, and for a moment they would give an intense glow before automatically channeling themselves into her silver Sharingan.
She wasn't the only one in deep meditation to find a new style. On the ground, Shirou sat on the ground at the edge where the moonlight shined through the trees. His katana was laid onto his lap, its steel reflecting the moonlight almost turning the blade white. In a subtle manner Shirou channeled either chakra, Ki, or Chi in some obscure attempt to gain enlightenment. Some sort of revelation in how one can 'breath' steel.
They both continued to meditate, taking deep breaths, and experimented in different manipulations of the Ki in their lungs. One sought after the dance of the moon, and the other searched for the might of steel in a simple breath. Ruby, the more experienced, momentarily had red sparks going all over her body as she breathed given it was her more practiced element. She tried to reign it in to a more neutral form. This proved a much harder for Ruby to find her own creation than Shirou as she was so used to the lightning.
There was only a few hours of this moonlit sky before the crack of dawn turned the black into shades of purple. Ruby and Shirou continued their meditation, completely ignoring the cold of the night stinging at their skin despite the use of seals for the environment to be tolerable. Senses were blocked out for total focus on an image that could evolve into something more. While Ruby had a clear image of the moon in all its waning and waxing shapes, she had to simultaneously keep her control of Ki in a neutral state and wait for some reaction.
Yet at the end of the session through hours of quiet, both had to stop until the next night. Where one sighed in defeat seemingly so close, that was not reflected by Shirou. Near the final hour of having Ki run though every minuscule part of the forged steel in his hands he had found his style. He found a way to breath that which is steel. All he needed to do was put it into form.
The following morning was seen Ruby going through physical exercises. Again the Land of Iron started to snow and in response Ruby used a minor application of her Scorch Release to keep her warm. She was dressed down to her kimono and short pants. Her legs were hooked around a tree branch strong enough for the eleven-year-old to do upside down sit-ups. Ruby had already gone on a sweat now sitting into her sixth rep, and the heat of her Scorch Release or the cold of Iron Country wasn't making things better. No pain, no gain is the old saying, and becoming the next strongest Uchiha to surpass Madara involved a lot of pain for more gains.
'And patience.' Ruby thought in a dry manner. 'Why can't I grow faster? I hate being short.'
Finishing her fifth rep, Ruby was about to continue into a sixth until the whole forest was flooded from a pressure of power. Her experience in using Ki allowed her to get a new sense to it, but there was so much assaulting said sense that she fell from her tree in shock. She twisted in midair to land on her feet to examine the sudden event. Ruby could not really comprehend this ocean of pure Ki that was filling the air. It made the trees creak from the pressure being pushed down upon them and the winds blow harder. As Ruby looked around the area, she noticed the lack of one very crucial detail that made her heart stop a moment.
'WHEREISMYSHIWOU!?' Ruby's thoughts screamed in an almost feral manner.
An explosion shaking the earth and kicking up dirt into the sky drew her attention. She didn't waste time going channeling enough chakra to surround herself in a blue aura and kicked off in a fearsome sprint. In her mind, Ruby feared the worst and Shirou was fending off attackers that were after them. The girl berated herself for not keeping an eye on the area with shadow clones and prayed Shirou was alright. If not then... there was going to be a lot of blood.
"Shiwou!" Ruby exclaimed once she to the immediate area.
Once her Sharingan eyes made view upon the scene, she immediately stopped her motions and hid behind a tree. She peeked from her hiding place. As it turned out, there was no danger or Shirou being harmed. The redhead boy was instead in the middle of the area his sword held in a traditional kendo stance, his eyes closed in deep concentration. Ruby noted there were multiple craters made in the ground and many of the surrounding trees were reduced to their stumps. Raw Ki rolled off his body in tremendous amounts, shocking Ruby at the amount he possessed. Shirou then opened his eyes after exhaling.
"Steel Breathing, First Form: Hammer the Anchor."
'Steel breathing!?' Ruby thought in shock. 'He's already found his own breathing technique. Shirou - you're so cool, I want to kiss you!'
Ruby watched as Shirou jumped into the air with his katana raised over his head. Upon descending back to ground, Shirou swung down with his might aided by Ki breathing. The katana came down like a giant hammer upon impact, making a crater over ten meters in diameter. Next, Shirou settled his katana downward at his side, his eyes locked on a tree in front of him.
"Steel Breathing, Second Form: Split the Mountain."
He gave an upward swing so hard Ruby could feel the wind pressure it generated. The tree was cut clean through like knife through butter, but Shirou wasn't down as he brought the blade back down again. That downward stroke created a trench that split the ground as well as the trees ways off in perfect symmetry.
'That's a lot of raw power.' Ruby thought. 'And he's already created his own forms. Sugoi, Shiwou!'
Shirou dashed to another tree, settling his katana into a different stance with the blade settled over his left arm pointed straight forward. A dull glow resonated from the steel of his blade as he focused his breathing to condense itself like hardened metal. One could compare the sword to massive slab of stone by the color and the very power in every swing.
"Steel Breathing, Third Form: Cross Slash."
Ruby could feel the force in every blow of Shirou's sword swinging more akin to a hammer. It came in three strikes first coming down in a powerful downward slash, followed by an equally powerful upswing, and then finished with a horizontal swing. The ending form completely obliterated the tree in front of him, branches and trunk in total reduced to splinters.
"Steel Breathing, Fourth Form: Octaslash."
This time Shirou's movements were swift rather than using raw strength. His body was a blur of motion even with Ruby's base Sharingan. As he moved forward, Shirou practically surrounded himself in rapid slashes so fast and precise the air was displaced. Six slashes were focused forward while two swings were swung at his flanks, working as both an approaching offense and a fine defense.
Suddenly to Ruby's surprise, Shirou switched his grip in a way that his right hand was gripped firmly around the tsuba and the hilt was flat against his forearm. His limb showed bulging veins and muscle being enhanced with Ki, and his legs sunk into the ground. No, that wasn't it. Upon closer inspection with her Sharingan Ruby noticed the 'veins' on his exposed skin were more like faintly light grey lines similar to circuitry patterns.
"Steel Breathing, Fifth Form: Spear Point Thrust."
As soon as his feet kicked off the ground with enough force to create a crater, Shirou thrusted his sword forward with all his might. The result was the speed and power making the air make a white cone around him. His pierce had no resistance in its way whether it was a thick trunk or giant boulder. He had cut cleanly through the wilderness leaving a dug-out trail in his wake.
It was after that powerful thrust attack did Shirou pause in exhaustion. Beads of sweat dropped from his brow and chin like rain from the clouds. His breathing was labored, desperately inhaling the air. Once straightening himself, Shirou settled his Ki and sheathed his sword away.
"Looks all the way up to the fifth form is my limit." Shirou muttered with a resigned and care-free smile. "I'll try to work on the rest later today."
"Shiwou, that was awesome!"
Shirou jumped at the loud exclamation of Ruby, and snapped around to see her face a mere foot away from his. Her silver eyes were sparkling in awe and a wide smile was spread across her face. The new creator of the Breath of Steel actually stumbled from the abrupt sight, putting him two paces back.
"Ruby!?" Exclaimed Shirou in surprise. "How long were you here for?"
"Just a few minutes ago." Ruby answered. "I thought you were in danger with all that destruction I heard."
"So you saw that, huh?" Shirou stated, rubbing the back of his head. "You're not jealous, are you? That I developed my own first."
"Why would I be jealous?" Ruby chirped, skipping around Shirou in a giddy manner. "You figuring before I did makes you even more awesome, Shiwou! It looks so cool too! Can you tell me anything about it? Please? Please, please, please!"
"Okay." Shirou relented in an exasperated manner. "I call it the Breath of Steel, which focuses on immense durability, dexterity, and power in my strikes. I only have a few forms figured out, but I'm thinking of more."
"That's great!" Ruby cheered, briefly hugging Shirou in celebration. "And once I figure out how to make my own, then we can really practice together."
Shirou smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. Still can't believe that you aren't a little envious of me. This does mean I am ahead of you."
Ruby waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Nah. If anything, I'm even more excited."
'At this point, I think it's impossible for you to be jealous.' Shirou thought.
He was more wrong than he could be in his life. If there was anything to make Ruby drown in envious rage, it would only center around Shirou. A chill ran down his spine, and his mind had the strange inclination to limit contact with anyone else of the opposite gender.
"I'm taking a break for now." Shirou said. "Would you like to make some lunch?"
Ruby perked up. "Yes please!"
The following night was the same result for Ruby, but she felt she was getting closer. To spend the day, Ruby studied more into her fuinjutsu. Her mind could not stop with the possibilities. Maybe a trap that turns a certain area into shredding winds. Perhapsthe array to unleash high enough temperatures to literally melt the ground into magma. Or an improvement on an explosion to reduce all in hellish fire for miles around.
While all of that was good for thought, Ruby was really focused to one project. An extremely advanced fuinjutsu that Ruby was honestly to think of it, much less creating it. Her objective in fuinjutsu was to create a seal to safely extract a Tailed Beast without killing the host. The Endless Chakra Well, a seal on Ruby's stomach she placed to store endlessly and every single day to then be used as an extremely massive reserve, was her own design and served as a prototype.
The reason for all this work was pity for those made into so-called with the biju. If there was one thing Ruby hated Hashirama, it was the distribution of the biju to the Hidden Villages as a 'sign of peace'. Surprise, the First Shinobi War came to be with the introduction of jinchuriki. What was that tree-planting thinking when he did that? Did he think that the villages were simply going to use the Tailed Beasts for war?
The whole premise of the jinchuriki was not just hypocritical, it was Kami-levels of retardation. If you hate them so much, then why use them at all? If you think then demons, then why seal them in humans just to be treated the same? Why mistreat jinchuriki with physical and mental abuse, abandonment, and starvation instead of giving them the best training and care to encourage loyalty if you want them to be your 'ultimate weapon'? That is the same mindset of a shinobi given a masterly crafted sword only for that shinobi purposely try to chip and bend it and expect it to work better because of that.
It is the equivalent of purposely crippling a Kami-damned nuclear reactor. Either a jinchuriki is going to fail completely as a weapon or go into a literal meltdown. This was one of the many reasons Ruby refused to acknowledge herself as a shinobi, the same people that actively support the stupidity of this cruel system and showing just how much of a lack of sense exists. Only Kumo has realized, and that has only been recent.
Once Ruby completes this new safety extraction, she can find one of these jinchuriki and free them. The free biju would work as a way for people to think the host is dead, thus giving said host a new lease on life. If the biju attacks the Hidden Village, it will be a sweeter 'Fuck you!' all the more.
On break for meals or to relax, Ruby spent her time watching Shirou practice his unique Breath of Steel. She silently fawned at the awesome power and precision his new form gifted, and noted how every arc of his swings came as a blur of a bright steel color to show the element. Each swing of the katana showcased the shine of refined metal and the glint of a sharp edge.
On the following night, Ruby yet again bathed in the light of the moon which had now reached its full glory. Again did the silver-eyed Uchiha meditate on the image of a crescent moon while taking in deep breaths. Ruby felt she was on the cusp of discovery, yet felt no progress to reach it. There was something incredibly crucial she was missing in order to cross that list threshold.
Something wasn't working, and in her frustration Ruby opened her eyes directed to the sky. Silver orbs containing three hollow droplets, the shape of her Mangekyou, stared back at the moon in its similar splendor. They took in its near perfect circular shape in the dark heavens. Just last night, the moon was only three-quarters of the way filled and the next night it will be a quarter empty as its light wanes. In that moment, Ruby came to a realization, making her release a dry chuckle.
"I'm such an idiot." Ruby muttered to herself with a wide smile.
The entire time trying to find a style of her Breath of the Moon she had been concentrating on the crescent shape of the moon, but that was only one piece of a much bigger puzzle. The moon is always changing its light as time goes by, always in perfect motion in this process. So Ruby closed her eyes in meditation again, filling her lungs with air, and running her Ki in her chest at a certain pattern. In her mind, Ruby didn't just picture the crescent shape of the moon, but the entire cycle at once. She pictured the moon revolving in her mind, the dark and light shifting from waxing to waning, and even the rare cycles of its eclipses. Again and again did this imaginary moon in her mind orbit in its cosmic splendor until finally she reached enlightenment.
When Ruby next exhaled, the mist that came from her mouth had the pattern of crescent moons shining in pale blue. Her silver eyes opened, the Sharingan pattern disappearing to their normal bright appearance. She hopped off from her vantage point upon a branch and landed on the soft, snowy ground. But instead of going to sleep, Ruby reached for her katana at her hip. In her mind, the moon in her mind waxed and waned till it settled on a fully dark moon. Through clenched teeth, Ruby inhaled air and exhaled power.
"Moon Breathing, First Form..."
Her form lowered into an iaido stance. She exhaled again and the snow at her feet was completely blown away by the sudden explosion of Ki from her body. Instead of the crimson sparks of electricity from her Breath of Thunder, a pale blue and silver light surrounded Ruby's body and looked to be billowing from her like a 'soft' blue flame.
"... Dark Moon - Evening Palace."
The katana was withdrawn and swung horizontally there was only a bright blue arc of the swing that could be seen. From that arc of blue, crescent blades made of Ki forward and around. Not only were the trees sliced down by the initial swing, these crescent blades of Ki continued to dive through the rest into splinters.
"I did it." Ruby muttered, studying her blade that glowed a pale blue from the power of the Breath of the Moon. "Yeah I am going to like this a lot."
She wiped her sword to the side, slowly ran the blade up the sheath, and slid it back into its resting place at her hip in a whole process as traditional samurai did. Her silver eyes looked back up to the moon, this time directing a bright smile in return. Ruby, in an odd manner, clasped her hands in front of her and bowed, praying thanks to the Shinto god Tsukiyomi for the inspiration.
'Just one step closer.' Ruby thought.
"So you figured it out?"
Ruby turned around and looked up to the canopy where mismatched eyes met her silver pair. Shirou Arashi jumped down from his perch before the silver-eyed Uchiha, rising to his full height. Despite the late evening, there were no bags under his eyes to indicate lack of sleep. Along with his incredible chakra reserves also came with more than enough adrenaline to make waking up not too much of hassle. Unfortunately for Ruby, she doesn't have the luxury every time she stays up like this, then goes to sleep only to find out she had slept through the entire morning.
"Took self-realization of my own stupidity, a stiff back, and constantly sitting out in the winter night." Ruby said, twisting her back with audible pops. "But I finally got it down."
Shirou smiled. "I'm happy you've figured it out. Now I don't have to feel so bad that I managed to get ahead of you."
Ruby pouted at Shirou. "Shiwou~, don't think like that. I don't want you to hold yourself back because you have to be at my pace all the time."
"What if you feel bad?" Shirou reasoned, an uneasy look in his green and purple eyes. "I don't want to do that to you."
"If anything," Ruby said, ducking her head in laughter, "it'll be amazing for me to watch to see how far you go at your pace. You really are the most awesome in the world."
A silence settled between the two for the moment, making Ruby twist her foot on the tip of her toes. She suddenly perked up with an idea and her right hand snapped to her katana.
"I know!" Ruby announced, her left thumb flicking an inch of the blade from its sheath. "Let's have a spar to practice our styles together. We can do your Breath of Steel against my Breath of the Moon."
"Are you sure?" Shirou asked, even as he lowered into his own stance. "I already have five forms performed with another four figured out to make."
"Well, I already made and performed my first form." Ruby replied proudly.
"...That's still one." Shirou responded awkwardly.
"J-Just spar with me, please." Ruby sputtered with a bright blush of embarrassment.
Shirou did not say anything else as he drew his own sword, his silver-like steel turning a dark stone grey as he focused his Breath of Steel. A pale blue glow resonated from Ruby's own katana from her Breath of the Moon. Mismatched green and purple stared right unflinching at bright silver, and both of their Ki rolled from their bodies. Silence was only present in the forest until the clang of steel broke it.
The two had completely disappeared such was their speed, and they stopped at a spot directly between them where their blades were locked in a struggle. Snow was blown off into the air from the force of the clash, sparkling like stars from the moonlight shining down upon the pair. Shirou's expression was passive and professional, leaving no indication of his emotions and only focused on the blade in his hands and his opponent. Ruby, on the other hand, had abandoned her nervousness and a wide smile spread her face that would make Madara proud.
"Care to dance with me, Shiwou-kun?" Ruby almost purred, her blood pumping faster in a rush.
Not even a second later, they dashed away and their blurring forms filled the area, kicking up snow, splinter, and dirt. The night of the day was filled with song of clashing steel till the break of dawn.
Now that this amount of chapters, thus I will be taking a pause on this to work on the other stories. I am working towards getting two chapters of Roses of the Death Goddess out before the end of next month along with more chapters for the Sins' Return and Shining Light, Unbreakable Body, Indomitable Spirit.
I have a list of the forms of the Breath of Steel that I have thought of. Shirou will also be learning the Breath of the Sun.
-First Form: Hammer the Anvil.
-Second Form: Split the Mountain.
-Third Form: Cross Slash.
-Fourth Form: Octaslash.
-Fifth Form: Spear Point Thrust.
-Sixth Form: Dragon Scale - Shatter Stars.
-Seventh Form: Forge Through Flames.
-Eighth Form: Steel Crown - Shimmer Orbit Wheel.
-Ninth Form: Hail of Arrows - Crane Wing Trap.
-Tenth Form: Nine Lives - Blade Works.
Let me know what other forms he should have. There really isn't a limit since Kokushibo created forms up to sixteen.
Up next is Chapter 12: The Hashira
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