ϟ—Chapter Eighteen — Shukaku—ϟ
Every single passing Genin and their sensei stood in a room. In that room there was a massive arena, where everyone stood above on a balcony of sorts. The Hokage was there… it was some old dude. Ka'rai smirked. Lord Raikage would beat his ass.
But, below the balcony there was an arena. A tournament arena. A statue of the Ram Seal headed the whole thing, like those fancy lights that hang from the ceiling. Finally, he'd be getting some action. It was nice just hanging around Hane for a bit… alone… he got a lot of kisses. He gave her a lot too.
They of course stood right next to each other. As did the other Kumo Shinobi. It seemed each participating village grouped together. Made sense… But there was one exception. Fuu! Her team was just gone. So, she stood next to him on the opposite side to Hane.
"Where's your team…?" asked Ka'rai suspiciously.
She gave him a cheeky grin. "I killed them!"
Ka'rai choked on air while the attention of the rest of Kumo's ninja were drawn. "I'm sorry?" Kay asked for clarification.
Fuu crossed her arms with a huff. "They were dickheads. Plus, I'm abandoning Taki anyway, it's not like anything bad is gonna happen to me."
"Your sensei…?" asked Yowui, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"I killed him too!"
"What did you do with the bodies?!" questioned Yowui, sweating even more.
"I liquified them, put them in the toilet, took a piss in that toilet, then flushed them down with the biggest smile on my face!"
"What the fuck—" Ka'rai sputtered. He cleaned his ears, shook his head, looked toward the the rest of the Kumo nin for assurance. They all had the same shocked and horrified expression on their faces. Besides Clowui… who looked more intrigued than anything.
"And… we're bringing this girl… into our village?!" questioned Cirru incredulously.
Fuu managed to smile at him. "I won't kill you if you don't give me a reason to!"
Cirru gulped in response.
Clowui tilted her head and asked, "What did the human liquid look like?"
"Like red mush."
"So… the Ketsuryugan could likely control it," she theorized with an aloof gaze. "You must show me that technique some time."
Fuu grinned. "Of course!"
Eventually, the Hokage cleared his throat. The idle conversation died down and he stepped forward. "Alright… I've noticed that quite the amount of examinees passed the Second Exam this year. So, the proctors of the exam decided to host a Preliminary Tournament to thin the numbers."
A Konoha Jonin coughed. "My name is Hayate—"cough"—and I'll be the proctor for this exam."
"The reason I'm here," the Hokage began. "Is because I've noticed quite the amount of power amongst the examinees this year as well." He eyed Ka'rai, then Fuu, and lastly Gaara.
Ka'rai couldn't help but smirk.
"I am a safety precaution should the worst happen."
A beat of silence passed and Hayate spoke up next. "Alright… I'll start the exams now. Two combatants will be chosen at random, their names will appear on the screen there." He snapped his fingers and the names of the dozens of Genin there flashed over and over.
After thirty seconds, two names were chosen. Ka'rai Uzumaki vs Gaara of the Sand.
A slow chuckle echoed from Ka'rai's mouth as his eyes glowed into heterochromia. Cobalt fire burned when he clenched his fist. Immediately, Kay grabbed his shoulder. "Don't do anything reckless."
Ka'rai didn't give an answer.
In a flash of blue and black flame he appeared in the arena. At the opposite end, Gaara appeared in a whirling of sand. Tension weighed down the room like a thousand tons, Hayate even began to sweat. No words were spoken and all eyes were focused on the two Jinchuriki.
"The match may begin…" Hayate gulped. "Now." He flickered out of the way, expecting a clash… but there was none.
Ka'rai and Gaara just stood. Blue flames churned as his fists clenched. His eyes glowed brighter. Hatred plumed and fumed within him.
Don't you dare kill him.
I won't… I know I can't.
Nibi's chakra erupted in a cobalt firestorm. The flames whirled so violently that lightning sparked within. The firestorm subsided slightly enough for the silhouette of two fiery tails of chakra to be seen.
"Use Shukaku's power. Don't bullshit me."
"I won't give you the honor… you weakling."
A blitz of cobalt and sand burst into glass. Gaara blasted wave after wave of sand toward Ka'rai but it meant nothing. Claws of Jinsei cut through with ease. Gaara's eyes widened as Ka'rai approached. A clawed hand gripped Gaara's head and slammed it into the arena floor.
Sand tendriled around Ka'rai and dug into his skin. He didn't care at all. "I SAID DON'T BULLSHIT ME!" screamed Ka'rai as he burned a plume of pure Jinsei over Gaara's face. He screamed in agony and sand impaled Ka'rai a dozen times over. Another roar of pure Jinsei vaporized the sand instantly. Ka'rai forced himself to stand through the agonizing pain.
Jinsei would take care of it.
Ashen and smoldering sand collapsed from Gaara's head, neck, and torso. He sneered at Ka'rai. "You dare… you dare injure me?!"
Ka'rai bared his fangs and charged again. The sand defended with increasing veracity. Jinsei grew from his skin and attacked as a second set of claws—a third—a fourth. It didn't take long for Ka'rai's wounds to be a non-issue. At full strength again, he plowed through Gaara's defenses and kicked him.
A spear of Jinsei shot from Ka'rai's foot and through Gaara. He clawed the sand off of Gaara and drew blood from his skin. Gaara screamed—Ka'rai beamed. He decimated Gaara's sand defenses and clawed pieces of his skin off, he yanked out fibers of muscle—but Gaara didn't even get to bleed.
Ka'rai weaved hand seals. "Fire Style! Jinsei Inferno!" Every inch of the arena scorched with burning blue of Jinsei. Those watching were burned from the misfortune of being too close. Gaara's screaming never stopped. The sand defending him melted from the heat. His ultimate defense was turned into his ultimate hell.
Again, Ka'rai weaved hand seals. "Fire Style! Jinsei's Infernal RAGE!" Every ounce of Ka'rai's fury was embedded into Jinsei. The flames jumped with heat—burning even hotter. In not even half a second they blew themselves toward Gaara and the melting sand on him was incinerated entirely.
A cobalt blitz followed and blood spewed from Gaara's chest. With a blood-curdling scream, Gaara collapsed to his knees. His hands were stained red with his own blood—utter horror turned Gaara's face ghoulish.
"MY BLOOD!"
Sadistic laughter whipped Gaara's ears. Ka'rai tilted his head and grinned. "What's wrong…? You've never seen it before?"
Gaara's quivering was so intense that he convulsed. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THISS! I-I-I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER! I KILL YOU AND EVERYONE YOU LOVEE!"
Ka'rai cackled at the threat. The seal on Gaara's forehead glowed from red to a metallic blue. Sand erupted from it—the coarse and shattered earth consumed Gaara's face, his arm, his torso. Blue eyes dimmed into a sandy eye with a four-pointed star—Shukaku's eye.
Clawed fists clenched and a fanged mouth beamed. "This is what I've been WAITING FOR!"
A single tail of sand rose like a dune. Half of Gaara's face was the face of a tanuki, growling with torment and rage. His wounds were scabbed over with dense sand stained red. "I REFUSE to lose to a bright-eyed bastard like you! My existence will be the end of YOURSS!"
A gigantic clawed hand of sand extended toward Ka'rai. With an exhilarated smirk of fury he caught it. His feet dug into the sand of the arena floor—wait, sand?!
Shukaku's domain overtook the arena. A mini desert formed. Ka'rai was flung backward into the wall that crumbled into desert dust. Jinsei evaporated the sand around him—his claws dug into the ground to vaporize more.
A tendril of sand spiked and cut a gash into Ka'rai's cheek. Another punched through his shoulder. A third through the center of his chest. Ka'rai screamed and vaporized the sand with Jinsei. He set his wounds alight and dodged. Sand caught his foot and held him down. Gaara shattered his entire left arm with a single hit.
Ka'rai screamed and lit his arm with Jinsei. It formed a shield that blocked Gaara's next strike. Sudden tendrils of blue sand held him down—it was magnetic. The blue sand locked into a sealing formula.
Widened heterochromia held trembling pupils. The hole in Ka'rai's chest was opened even farther. He barely heard Hane scream his name. Blood poured from Ka'rai's mouth and he could do nothing but laugh. His laugh morphed into a scream—agonizing and guttural. Jinsei plumed into a mushroom cloud.
With a gargled strain he screamed, "BAKUGAMI!"
Jinsei flames detonated. Eardrums all throughout the arena popped. Fires of orange ignited on the clothes of who had the misfortune of being too close. Even parts of the balcony above started to crumble.
Ka'rai managed to stand, armor discarded as Jinsei burned in the many holes in his body. Blood still dripped from his mouth, staining his fangs. His breathing was short and ragged… but it improved.
Gaara stood, reforming his cloak and his sand armor—again it was nothing but molten sand and glass. Which was surprising… he expected it to be gas. Instead of attacking, Ka'rai took the chance to get himself together. He couldn't afford another clash in his current state. His head tilted slightly as he watched Gaara's armor reform.
I wonder…
On the spot, he weaved hand seals. "Jinsei Armor." The Jinsei flames healing his wounds hardened and burned across his skin. They combined with the flaming chakra of his cloak… becoming one. His wounds were entirely filled with fire. He couldn't even feel them anymore.
A triumphant smirk crossed his face. "Perfect."
Gaara was barely finished recovering once Ka'rai continued his assault. Ka'rai attempted to claw off Gaara's uncovered arm but Shukaku's claw struck him. Instinctively, Jinsei protected him. Not a single bone was broken.
That didn't stop the impact from flinging him away. Jinsei extended into a leg of fire that propelled him back toward Gaara. Ka'rai cackled and slashed Gaara's sand into glass from a distance. Gaara pounced forward himself and the two clashed. Sand from below gripped Ka'rai but Jinsei incinerated it away.
Gaara growled in frustration, throwing Ka'rai to the sandy floor. Again, the magnetic blue sand attempted to strangle Ka'rai but Jinsei burned it off. It was as if two fighters merged into one—Ka'rai loved it. He weaved hand seals while Jinsei sprouted Nibi claws to hold back Gaara.
"Fire Style: Jinsei's Breath of a Thousand Suns!" Jinsei sprouted from both his cloak and his mouth to incinerate Gaara. He barely blocked with a shield of melting sand. They attacked again and clashed countless times—neither could damage the other.
Gaara rasped out an enraged scream. His foot stomped into his own desert. It churned like quicksand and Ka'rai started to sink. It went much deeper than Ka'rai anticipated—that meant Shukaku's Domain would increase as well.
So would Gaara's power.
Ka'rai ripped at Gaara's half-exposed throat with Jinsei's help. A raspy gasp tore through and Gaara pummeled him with a mace of sand. Jinsei defended against it—but Gaara kept attacking. Stronger, faster, more malicious. Ka'rai's injuries were minimal but he could not keep up.
Sand consumed him, pulled him into the churning pool. With a scream-ripped roar, Gaara slammed his fist into a sandy spear that pierced Jinsei—then Ka'rai's body. Both he and Jinsei barely managed to stop it from skewering his heart.
Ka'rai ran into the spear and clawed the sand from Gaara's face. Jinsei and Nibi's protruding nails burned into Gaara's sand armor—slowly but surely. Ka'rai's chakra melded with Jinsei and the Nibi's—an explosive arc ripped the skin from Gaara's face.
An agonizing scream and sadistic cackles roared at the same time. Ka'rai barely felt the wound next to his heart. All he focused on was Gaara's writhing. His domain was fully activated—Gaara was stronger than him but that didn't mean shit.
Gaara roared and sand blew like a storm. Pellets hit Jinsei and melted into glass. A convulsive maw of magnetic sand coalesced over Gaara's arm. "IT ALL ENDS WITH THIS!" It morphed into a churning monstrosity of spikes and sharp edges.
Ka'rai pulled his Jigoku Katana and raged with a grin. "BRING IT ON!"
A sandstorm and firestorm formed on both halves of the arena. Ka'rai's katana burned a hellish orange—which he ignited cobalt. Nibi hellflame scorched the sand below him black. The elemental storms roared when their controllers clashed.
Immediately Ka'rai was nearly knocked to his back. Jinsei supported him as his Katana clashed with the metallic sand Gaara wielded. His bare muscles bulged with fire and chakra—firing at all cylinders to not give way.
Ka'rai's skin split from the pressure but Gaara only pushed harder. A manic scream mixed with a cackle ripped at Ka'rai's eardrums. "YOUR EXISTENCE IS FINISHED KA'RAI UZUMAKI! IF YOU HAD LISTENED TO ME! IF YOU LET YOUR WEAKNESSES DIE THEN MAYBE YOU COULD'VE LIVED!"
Ka'rai glared and his body became one with flame entirely. "You fucking IDIOT! If that's what you live for! Then YOUR EXISTENCE IS FUCKING PATHETIC!" Ka'rai roared at the same time Gaara did. Nibi flame, hellflame, Jinsei flame. They all became one with the explosive power of his chakra. His eyes flickered alight.
"BAKUGAMI!"
The Jigoku Katana blazed with detonation. It pierced through Shukaku's cloak. Through Gaara's sand armor. Through Gaara's skin. With the most control Ka'rai's ever displayed—he compressed the attack into a beam. It blew a massive hole through Gaara's torso. Shukaku's chakra detonated itself—blowing off of Gaara's body.
Ka'rai's cloak was gone—so was the Jinsei Armor. Blood poured from his mouth and the countless gashes and holes through his body. His arm was still broken. Blood even teared from his eyes. Nothing stopped him from collapsing to the floor.
Gaara didn't stop screaming. The scalding hole in his chest damn near burned him alive with torment. His arms spasmed. His head convulsed. His legs looked like they were being shocked with current. Gaara's screams were distorted with gargling.
"Fuck…" managed Ka'rai. I might've—
—LOOSEN THE SEAL NOW!
Fear spiked Ka'rai as he did so. From above, a claw—dozens of feet tall—towered over the smoldering desert of the arena. It was sandy with magnetic tendrils crossing it like veins. The seal was finally loose enough for Nibi's chakra to overtake Ka'rai. It burned. Ka'rai screamed because it was hot.
A transparent cube rotated in Shukaku's hand. Nibi pulled Ka'rai out of the way of a beam of light. Everything it hit was atomized.
Ka'rai screamed louder as pure Nibi blazed from his skin. It formed the head of a Nibi—smaller than its full size, but it still dwarfed everything in the room besides Shukaku's hand. Nibi growled and Ka'rai's body was seared with Nibi's irritation. "Calm yourself, Shukaku!"
"YOUR JINCHURIKI STARTED IT! MINE HAS A HOLE IN HIS CHEST!" bellowed Shukaku from Gaara's unconscious body. His voice was high-pitched—like nails on a chalkboard given language.
"Both of you calm yourselves!" commanded the Hokage. He stood between the two feuding Bijuu. His white robes flapped in the wind of power from both. His elderly expression was stern.
Nibi tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "I will take care of it, Shukaku."
"Fuck you!" screamed Shukaku before returning to his seal. Immediately, the hole in Gaara's chest was filled with sand.
Nibi growled and absorbed herself back into her own seal. Ka'rai tightened it back to where it was before. His skin was blackened, smoldering off with smoke—which Ka'rai breathed with every exhale. But… he was conscious. Gaara was not.
The Hokage let out a sigh. "The winner of the match is Ka'rai Uzumaki."
Everybody was too shocked to even react. Besides Ka'rai, of course. He let out a smokey chuckle and pumped the fist of his non-broken arm into the sky. "Yay…!" Quickly afterward, he fell unconscious.
ϟ—Chapter End—ϟ