Chakra Wizard
Active member
Awards
This chapter oughta be pretty interesting (should give some insight into my taste in music, too*_* lol) Enjoy
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
Chapter 035: Deafening Blow
The large screen was illuminated with flashing letters once again as everyone in the arena looked on, eventually stopping on two new names after several seconds.
B: And the next match-up iiissss…Sakebi and Kūrogane Yūhi!
While everyone else immediately turned to the genin between the two who was closest to them, the new combatants made their way down to the arena. For Sakebi, his leave was met with a swarm of raised fists and encouraging cheers, specifically from Z.
Z: You da man, Sakebi! Show dat ho whose boss around here!
Tomoi: (Not nearly as supportive, she continued to lean on the railing, raising one fist slightly while the other hand remained pressed against her cheek.) Knock her dead, Sakebi.
Sakebi: (Sighing at this, he held his hand up over his head as he walked away, forming a peace-sign with his index and middle fingers.) You got it, guys. (See, what’d I tell ya? Not a damn care in the world for her other teammate.)
For Kūrogane, who stood several meters away on the same balcony, the sendoff wasn’t nearly as energetic. With both of her teammates gone, the only one left standing by her was Katame, who didn’t bother saying anything as she took off, something she pointed out with a smirk.
Kūrogane: No last minute words of encouragement, sensei?
Katame: (He met her remark with a gentle smile.) Hmhm, since when have you ever needed them, Kūrogane?
Returning his gesture with an amusing smirk, she took off down the staircase. At the opposite end of the balcony, where stood some of the more prominent members of the audience, a seasoned Shikamaru and Temari watched her leave from a distance, the former leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and the latter leaning over the railing.
Temari: I wonder if she’ll be alright. That Cloud kid looks like a slacker, but it wouldn’t be the first time one of them surprised me.
Shikamaru: (Watching as she proceeded to stare back at him playfully, he smirked in both amusement and irritation before looking back in Kūrogane’s direction.) She’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.
Temari: Hmhm, it’s not very often I see you this confident about an outcome. Why so sure of yourself?
Shikamaru: (He answered her with a smile, along with an expression that suggested the answer was obvious.) She comes from a long line of fine kunoichi, Temari. …There’s not a doubt in my mind she won’t win.
He proceeded to glance over at Kogane on the opposite balcony, who returned his smile upon seeing him before looking back down at her daughter. Further down, several of Kūrogane’s peers were calling out words of encouragement, some more loudly than others.
Kei: YOU GOT THIS, KŪROGANE!!! SEND THIS GUY BACK TO WHERE HE CAME FROM!!!
Chuckling softly to herself, she held her hand up to acknowledge the cheers before stopping several paces in front of her opponent, who seemed rather amused by them himself.
Sakebi: Your boyfriend up there’s gonna be pretty disappointed, sweet cheeks, cause you ain’t goin’ nowhere after this.
Kūrogane: (She met his remark with a smirk as she rested her hand against the pouch around her waist.) Hmhm, we’ll see about that.
B: (Looking at both of them to confirm they were ready to fight, he raised his arm to start the match.) Alright then, …if both y’all are ready, …begin!
The announcement was an open door, but to the surprise of almost everyone, neither combatant made a move, the first time such a thing had happened until this point. Kūrogane had her hand inside her weapons pouch now, but she still refused to pull out a kunai, choosing rather to wait for Sakebi to show his skills instead. After several more seconds, he finally caved in and popped open the small rectangular pouch on his right thigh, pulling out his microphone and holding it up to his lips as a large grin appeared on his face.
Sakebi: Word of advice, baby doll. …Next time, don’t hesitate to make the first move.
He began inhaling a deep breath as Kūrogane continued to look on in wonder, while B, Z, and Tomoi quickly pressed their hands against their ears, a surprising action that prompted many other spectators to follow suit. Airon and Manako did so, as well, while the latter activated his Sharingan so he could take a closer look at what Sakebi was planning. Waiting a few seconds for him to let the answer to this sink in, Airon turned to him to figure out what was going on.
Airon: (What’s he doing now?)
Manako: (Rather surprised by the answer, his eyes widened slightly before turning to face Airon.) (He’s gathering chakra…around his vocal cords.)
No sooner after Airon looked back down at him with wide eyes did Sakebi let out a earsplitting scream, causing the very air to vibrate as it flowed through the microphone and echoed across the arena, shredding the eardrums of anyone who had failed to cover their ears, including his opponent.
Kei: WHAT THE HECK IS HE DOING!!? I CAN BARELY HEAR MYSELF THINK!!!
Minto: YOU’RE TELLIN’ ME!!! HEY TAIGEN, YOU DOING ALRIGHT, BUDDY!!?
Looking beside him to see how his teammate was doing, his eyes widened with concern upon finding him down on his knees with his hands clasped to his ears, his hearing evidently much stronger than that of the others. Worried of what might happen to him if this kept going, he quickly knelt down beside him and pushed his hands against his own, prompting Taigen to look up at him in gratitude.
Taigen: THANKS, MINTO!!!
Minto: WHAT!!?
The powerful shriek continued for nearly thirty seconds on end, until finally, Sakebi brought it to an end, rubbing his throat softly as he returned the microphone to its holster. Everyone on the balconies immediately removed their hands from their ears, relief evident on their faces.
Taigen: Wow, that was intense. Minto, you okay?
Minto: WHAT!!? YOU SAY SOMETHING, TAIGEN!!?
His screaming caused those around him to jump back and those further away to look over at him, each of them slowly realizing what had happened as he began toying with his ears frantically. Kūrogane, too, was quickly understanding what had Sakebi had done to her.
Kūrogane: (My hearing…I can’t hear a thing anymore!)
Looking back over at him in shock, she watched anxiously as Sakebi’s grin grew wider before he reached behind him and tossed out a handful of smoke bombs to cover the arena, a simple but no doubt effective strategy that impressed several of the shinobi on the higher levels.
Manako: (That’s an interesting technique. …Certainly looks like it worked.)
Airon: (Hmm, is it even a technique, though? That’s the real question here.)
Nakama: (Yeah. …Do you think Minto’s gonna be okay?)
Airon: (A bit startled, he glanced over at his best friend to see what was wrong, looking back at Nakama in worry upon realizing the scream had also reached his ears.) (I can’t really say at the moment. …For now, though, we should probably focus more on Kūrogane. Her situation’s a little more dire right now, after all.)
Though still worried about Minto, Nakama nodded in agreement before looking down at her former classmate. She motioned to call out to her, only to stop herself midway upon realizing her words would merely fall on deaf ears – literally. Kūrogane was far too preoccupied to react to her, anyways, Sakebi’s invisibility and her lack of hearing leaving her little room to lower her guard.
Kūrogane: (He’s a pretty talented shinobi, I’ll give him that. …Now that I can’t see or hear, though, can he still find me himself amidst all this smoke?)
Seeing her predicament from above, both Z and Tomoi smiled contently, the former displaying a pearly white grin.
Z: Hehehe, that’s my boy’s signature move for ya, girl. He may drop a good beat, but his real musical talents are in his screams.
Tomoi: All he’s gotta do is focus his chakra in his vocal cords and then let it all out with one scream. After that, anyone who’s in range who doesn’t cover up their ears is sure to lose their hearing. It may not be for a very long time, …but that doesn’t mean a thing when you’re on the battlefield.
Realizing this herself, Kūrogane continued to step idly through the fog, a kunai held out in front of her as she continually shifted her gaze in every possible direction.
Kūrogane: (Oh man, this isn’t looking very good. Either I need to get out of this huge cloud of smoke or I need to find some way to…wait…)
As she contemplated her newfound strategy, her opponent continued to navigate through the cloud, quickly beginning to regret his actions.
Sakebi: (Son of a *****. I should’ve given that some thought before I just chucked all those bombs. Now I can’t even tell where she is.)
Hardly a few seconds after this thought crossed his mind, though, Karogane finally came into his field of vision, still trying to find her way out of the cloud, completely unaware of how close he was.
Sakebi: (There she is. Hehe, good as gone.)
Without hesitation, he pulled out his short katana and dashed forward, slicing through her as if she was thin air, only to find upon looking back that she had been replaced by two halves of a small log.
Sakebi: Huh!?
All of a sudden, the real Kūrogane came up from behind him, sending him flying from the cloud with one strong kick to the back. Picking up his sword from a few inches away, Sakebi wiped the blood from his lip and stood back up, truthfully pleased with the skills of his opponent.
Sakebi: (Aw, damn. She got me.)
Kūrogane: (Stepping out from the fading cloud, she did her best not to sound jumbled or inaudible as she spoke.) Don’t think I’m helpless just cause you took away my ears. …I still have enough tricks up my sleeve to make up for it.
Sakebi: (Having obviously strayed away from her intentions, he chuckled softly to himself before charging up his katana with what seemed to be wind-infused chakra.) …Show me.
Taking out a second kunai and infusing them with fire-enhanced chakra, she ran towards him as he did her, the sounds of their blades clashing echoing throughout the arena. His superior swordplay gave Sakebi an edge over Kūrogane in spite of her more powerful chakra nature, though he knew it wouldn’t be long before this fact caught up with him. Sure enough, several minutes into their duel, a small chip fell off his katana as their weapons made contact once again, forcing him to retreat back and return it to its sheath before weaving a few hand signs.
Sakebi: (Alright, try this!) Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Halting her advance as a giant gust of wind came bursting from his mouth, Kūrogane quickly gathered chakra in her feet to keep her position as it came roaring past her, forcing her to block her eyes. When it subsided, she looked up to find Sakebi gone, obviously still taking advantage of her current state of deafness. Fortunately, she had already planned for this, and made no attempt to look around as he came dashing up from behind her. Katana at the ready, he sliced through her just as he had done before, only this time, rather than a dismembered log, her body was replaced with a flurry of cherry blossoms, prompting his eyes to widen as he looked around and found more floating through the air.
Sakebi: (It’s a genjutsu. …Damn it.) Where the hell did she go now?
Kūrogane: Down here.
Looking down in shock, he could only brace himself as her chakra-infused heel connected with his chin, sending him flying into the air and crashing back down several feet away. Her hearing having finally returned, she stood back up and began cleaning her ear out with her finger as she walked, resting her hand on her hip once she was standing over Sakebi. Unable to move, much less retaliate, he was forced to lay there on his back, staring up at her until his eyelids finally caved in.
Sakebi: (She got me again…damn…)
Shortly afterwards, he let his eyelids fall and allowed his muscles to relax while Kūrogane looked up at the balcony towards her mother, exchanging pleased expressions with her before turning around and doing the same with Katame. From further down, Temari and Shikamaru also showed their satisfaction with the match results.
Temari: Talent really does run in the family, doesn’t it? Just in that one battle, she’s shown her efficiency for genjutsu and the ability to find a way out of any situation…hmhm, though I guess that last part could be attributed more to your teachings.
Shikamaru: (He chuckled softly at her reasoning before adopting a reminiscent expression.) Well, don’t give me too much credit. …She just comes from a strong bloodline, that’s all.
B: (He waited a moment to see if Sakebi would regain consciousness, reluctantly holding up his arm once it became obvious that he wouldn’t.) The winner is…Kūrogane Yūhi!
While most of those on the opposite balcony cheered in celebration, Z and Tomoi merely looked on in disappointment, the latter much more vocal about her opinion.
Tomoi: Jeez, how pathetic. He took away her hearing and her sight and he still couldn’t beat her.
Z: (He snapped to get her attention, then lifted his shades so she could see the annoyance in his eyes.) You chill out, woman. That’s my homeboy you’re dissin’ there. …He gave it a good run. The girl’s just got talent.
Tomoi: (She blushed in response, both embarrassed by her actions and awed by his own.) Uhh, yeah. I guess she does. (Oh, wow.)
Hardly a few seconds later, Kūrogane returned to the balcony, exchanging heated but respectful glances with them as she walked by. Upon her rejoining him, Katame smiled proudly and placed his hand over her shoulder, shaking her gently and earning a smile from her as everyone redirected their attention back to B.
B: Alright, we still got a ways to go, so let’s get on with the next match!
Ten more seconds passed as everyone stared at the flashing letters on the monitor, their rapid motions coming to an end as two more random names appeared.
B: The next match-up is Chōzen Akimichi and Irezumi, so let’s go!!
The latter wasted no time, leaping over the railing and landing directly overtop his starting position before turning back to look at his opponent, who had slid down to the floor in disappointment as his hands gripped at the railing.
Chōzen: Ooooohhh! Why’d it have to be HIM!?
Kogane: (Supportive as always, she knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his vast back.) Don’t worry about it, Chōzen. You can do this, you hear me?
Inoka: Ehh, I dunno, Sensei. Irezumi’s pretty tough.
Shikaru: Sorry, bud. Looks like you’re screwed.
Kogane: (You two aren’t helping.) Look, just remember everything I taught you and you’re sure to win.
In spite of her words, Chōzen didn’t let up, his head only sinking lower into his arms. Seeing that she would have to sink even lower to get his attention, she smiled and whispered into his ear.
Kogane: And if you do, I’ll be sure to treat you to barbeque later on.
Chōzen: Yeah!! Now we’re talkin’!! Let’s GOOO!!!
Shikamaru: (Hearing this from the other side of the spacious room, he couldn’t help but chuckle in nostalgic amusement as he turned to his wife.) Heh, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, does it?
While Temari chuckled at this, Chōzen leaped over the railing of the balcony just as Irezumi did, the sheer impact of his massive body making contact leaving several faint cracks in the concrete floor. Hardly fazed by this, he stood up straight once again and walked over to his starting position before turning around, pointing at his opponent as a large grin lit up his face.
Chōzen: Just you watch, pal. I’m gonna show you up big time.
Irezumi: (Undeterred by his words, he merely smiled as he cracked his knuckles.) I’m ready when you are.
B: (Seeing that both of them were now ready to fight, he threw his arm into the air to start the match.) Alright-y! If both y’all are ready, …begin!!
Kūrogane overcomes Sakebi’s deafening technique – what is it about Irezumi that makes Chōzen so nervous to fight him!!?
The End
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
You must be registered for see links
Chapter 035: Deafening Blow
The large screen was illuminated with flashing letters once again as everyone in the arena looked on, eventually stopping on two new names after several seconds.
B: And the next match-up iiissss…Sakebi and Kūrogane Yūhi!
While everyone else immediately turned to the genin between the two who was closest to them, the new combatants made their way down to the arena. For Sakebi, his leave was met with a swarm of raised fists and encouraging cheers, specifically from Z.
Z: You da man, Sakebi! Show dat ho whose boss around here!
Tomoi: (Not nearly as supportive, she continued to lean on the railing, raising one fist slightly while the other hand remained pressed against her cheek.) Knock her dead, Sakebi.
Sakebi: (Sighing at this, he held his hand up over his head as he walked away, forming a peace-sign with his index and middle fingers.) You got it, guys. (See, what’d I tell ya? Not a damn care in the world for her other teammate.)
For Kūrogane, who stood several meters away on the same balcony, the sendoff wasn’t nearly as energetic. With both of her teammates gone, the only one left standing by her was Katame, who didn’t bother saying anything as she took off, something she pointed out with a smirk.
Kūrogane: No last minute words of encouragement, sensei?
Katame: (He met her remark with a gentle smile.) Hmhm, since when have you ever needed them, Kūrogane?
Returning his gesture with an amusing smirk, she took off down the staircase. At the opposite end of the balcony, where stood some of the more prominent members of the audience, a seasoned Shikamaru and Temari watched her leave from a distance, the former leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and the latter leaning over the railing.
Temari: I wonder if she’ll be alright. That Cloud kid looks like a slacker, but it wouldn’t be the first time one of them surprised me.
Shikamaru: (Watching as she proceeded to stare back at him playfully, he smirked in both amusement and irritation before looking back in Kūrogane’s direction.) She’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.
Temari: Hmhm, it’s not very often I see you this confident about an outcome. Why so sure of yourself?
Shikamaru: (He answered her with a smile, along with an expression that suggested the answer was obvious.) She comes from a long line of fine kunoichi, Temari. …There’s not a doubt in my mind she won’t win.
He proceeded to glance over at Kogane on the opposite balcony, who returned his smile upon seeing him before looking back down at her daughter. Further down, several of Kūrogane’s peers were calling out words of encouragement, some more loudly than others.
Kei: YOU GOT THIS, KŪROGANE!!! SEND THIS GUY BACK TO WHERE HE CAME FROM!!!
Chuckling softly to herself, she held her hand up to acknowledge the cheers before stopping several paces in front of her opponent, who seemed rather amused by them himself.
Sakebi: Your boyfriend up there’s gonna be pretty disappointed, sweet cheeks, cause you ain’t goin’ nowhere after this.
Kūrogane: (She met his remark with a smirk as she rested her hand against the pouch around her waist.) Hmhm, we’ll see about that.
B: (Looking at both of them to confirm they were ready to fight, he raised his arm to start the match.) Alright then, …if both y’all are ready, …begin!
The announcement was an open door, but to the surprise of almost everyone, neither combatant made a move, the first time such a thing had happened until this point. Kūrogane had her hand inside her weapons pouch now, but she still refused to pull out a kunai, choosing rather to wait for Sakebi to show his skills instead. After several more seconds, he finally caved in and popped open the small rectangular pouch on his right thigh, pulling out his microphone and holding it up to his lips as a large grin appeared on his face.
Sakebi: Word of advice, baby doll. …Next time, don’t hesitate to make the first move.
He began inhaling a deep breath as Kūrogane continued to look on in wonder, while B, Z, and Tomoi quickly pressed their hands against their ears, a surprising action that prompted many other spectators to follow suit. Airon and Manako did so, as well, while the latter activated his Sharingan so he could take a closer look at what Sakebi was planning. Waiting a few seconds for him to let the answer to this sink in, Airon turned to him to figure out what was going on.
Airon: (What’s he doing now?)
Manako: (Rather surprised by the answer, his eyes widened slightly before turning to face Airon.) (He’s gathering chakra…around his vocal cords.)
No sooner after Airon looked back down at him with wide eyes did Sakebi let out a earsplitting scream, causing the very air to vibrate as it flowed through the microphone and echoed across the arena, shredding the eardrums of anyone who had failed to cover their ears, including his opponent.
Kei: WHAT THE HECK IS HE DOING!!? I CAN BARELY HEAR MYSELF THINK!!!
Minto: YOU’RE TELLIN’ ME!!! HEY TAIGEN, YOU DOING ALRIGHT, BUDDY!!?
Looking beside him to see how his teammate was doing, his eyes widened with concern upon finding him down on his knees with his hands clasped to his ears, his hearing evidently much stronger than that of the others. Worried of what might happen to him if this kept going, he quickly knelt down beside him and pushed his hands against his own, prompting Taigen to look up at him in gratitude.
Taigen: THANKS, MINTO!!!
Minto: WHAT!!?
The powerful shriek continued for nearly thirty seconds on end, until finally, Sakebi brought it to an end, rubbing his throat softly as he returned the microphone to its holster. Everyone on the balconies immediately removed their hands from their ears, relief evident on their faces.
Taigen: Wow, that was intense. Minto, you okay?
Minto: WHAT!!? YOU SAY SOMETHING, TAIGEN!!?
His screaming caused those around him to jump back and those further away to look over at him, each of them slowly realizing what had happened as he began toying with his ears frantically. Kūrogane, too, was quickly understanding what had Sakebi had done to her.
Kūrogane: (My hearing…I can’t hear a thing anymore!)
Looking back over at him in shock, she watched anxiously as Sakebi’s grin grew wider before he reached behind him and tossed out a handful of smoke bombs to cover the arena, a simple but no doubt effective strategy that impressed several of the shinobi on the higher levels.
Manako: (That’s an interesting technique. …Certainly looks like it worked.)
Airon: (Hmm, is it even a technique, though? That’s the real question here.)
Nakama: (Yeah. …Do you think Minto’s gonna be okay?)
Airon: (A bit startled, he glanced over at his best friend to see what was wrong, looking back at Nakama in worry upon realizing the scream had also reached his ears.) (I can’t really say at the moment. …For now, though, we should probably focus more on Kūrogane. Her situation’s a little more dire right now, after all.)
Though still worried about Minto, Nakama nodded in agreement before looking down at her former classmate. She motioned to call out to her, only to stop herself midway upon realizing her words would merely fall on deaf ears – literally. Kūrogane was far too preoccupied to react to her, anyways, Sakebi’s invisibility and her lack of hearing leaving her little room to lower her guard.
Kūrogane: (He’s a pretty talented shinobi, I’ll give him that. …Now that I can’t see or hear, though, can he still find me himself amidst all this smoke?)
Seeing her predicament from above, both Z and Tomoi smiled contently, the former displaying a pearly white grin.
Z: Hehehe, that’s my boy’s signature move for ya, girl. He may drop a good beat, but his real musical talents are in his screams.
Tomoi: All he’s gotta do is focus his chakra in his vocal cords and then let it all out with one scream. After that, anyone who’s in range who doesn’t cover up their ears is sure to lose their hearing. It may not be for a very long time, …but that doesn’t mean a thing when you’re on the battlefield.
Realizing this herself, Kūrogane continued to step idly through the fog, a kunai held out in front of her as she continually shifted her gaze in every possible direction.
Kūrogane: (Oh man, this isn’t looking very good. Either I need to get out of this huge cloud of smoke or I need to find some way to…wait…)
As she contemplated her newfound strategy, her opponent continued to navigate through the cloud, quickly beginning to regret his actions.
Sakebi: (Son of a *****. I should’ve given that some thought before I just chucked all those bombs. Now I can’t even tell where she is.)
Hardly a few seconds after this thought crossed his mind, though, Karogane finally came into his field of vision, still trying to find her way out of the cloud, completely unaware of how close he was.
Sakebi: (There she is. Hehe, good as gone.)
Without hesitation, he pulled out his short katana and dashed forward, slicing through her as if she was thin air, only to find upon looking back that she had been replaced by two halves of a small log.
Sakebi: Huh!?
All of a sudden, the real Kūrogane came up from behind him, sending him flying from the cloud with one strong kick to the back. Picking up his sword from a few inches away, Sakebi wiped the blood from his lip and stood back up, truthfully pleased with the skills of his opponent.
Sakebi: (Aw, damn. She got me.)
Kūrogane: (Stepping out from the fading cloud, she did her best not to sound jumbled or inaudible as she spoke.) Don’t think I’m helpless just cause you took away my ears. …I still have enough tricks up my sleeve to make up for it.
Sakebi: (Having obviously strayed away from her intentions, he chuckled softly to himself before charging up his katana with what seemed to be wind-infused chakra.) …Show me.
Taking out a second kunai and infusing them with fire-enhanced chakra, she ran towards him as he did her, the sounds of their blades clashing echoing throughout the arena. His superior swordplay gave Sakebi an edge over Kūrogane in spite of her more powerful chakra nature, though he knew it wouldn’t be long before this fact caught up with him. Sure enough, several minutes into their duel, a small chip fell off his katana as their weapons made contact once again, forcing him to retreat back and return it to its sheath before weaving a few hand signs.
Sakebi: (Alright, try this!) Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Halting her advance as a giant gust of wind came bursting from his mouth, Kūrogane quickly gathered chakra in her feet to keep her position as it came roaring past her, forcing her to block her eyes. When it subsided, she looked up to find Sakebi gone, obviously still taking advantage of her current state of deafness. Fortunately, she had already planned for this, and made no attempt to look around as he came dashing up from behind her. Katana at the ready, he sliced through her just as he had done before, only this time, rather than a dismembered log, her body was replaced with a flurry of cherry blossoms, prompting his eyes to widen as he looked around and found more floating through the air.
Sakebi: (It’s a genjutsu. …Damn it.) Where the hell did she go now?
Kūrogane: Down here.
Looking down in shock, he could only brace himself as her chakra-infused heel connected with his chin, sending him flying into the air and crashing back down several feet away. Her hearing having finally returned, she stood back up and began cleaning her ear out with her finger as she walked, resting her hand on her hip once she was standing over Sakebi. Unable to move, much less retaliate, he was forced to lay there on his back, staring up at her until his eyelids finally caved in.
Sakebi: (She got me again…damn…)
Shortly afterwards, he let his eyelids fall and allowed his muscles to relax while Kūrogane looked up at the balcony towards her mother, exchanging pleased expressions with her before turning around and doing the same with Katame. From further down, Temari and Shikamaru also showed their satisfaction with the match results.
Temari: Talent really does run in the family, doesn’t it? Just in that one battle, she’s shown her efficiency for genjutsu and the ability to find a way out of any situation…hmhm, though I guess that last part could be attributed more to your teachings.
Shikamaru: (He chuckled softly at her reasoning before adopting a reminiscent expression.) Well, don’t give me too much credit. …She just comes from a strong bloodline, that’s all.
B: (He waited a moment to see if Sakebi would regain consciousness, reluctantly holding up his arm once it became obvious that he wouldn’t.) The winner is…Kūrogane Yūhi!
While most of those on the opposite balcony cheered in celebration, Z and Tomoi merely looked on in disappointment, the latter much more vocal about her opinion.
Tomoi: Jeez, how pathetic. He took away her hearing and her sight and he still couldn’t beat her.
Z: (He snapped to get her attention, then lifted his shades so she could see the annoyance in his eyes.) You chill out, woman. That’s my homeboy you’re dissin’ there. …He gave it a good run. The girl’s just got talent.
Tomoi: (She blushed in response, both embarrassed by her actions and awed by his own.) Uhh, yeah. I guess she does. (Oh, wow.)
Hardly a few seconds later, Kūrogane returned to the balcony, exchanging heated but respectful glances with them as she walked by. Upon her rejoining him, Katame smiled proudly and placed his hand over her shoulder, shaking her gently and earning a smile from her as everyone redirected their attention back to B.
B: Alright, we still got a ways to go, so let’s get on with the next match!
Ten more seconds passed as everyone stared at the flashing letters on the monitor, their rapid motions coming to an end as two more random names appeared.
B: The next match-up is Chōzen Akimichi and Irezumi, so let’s go!!
The latter wasted no time, leaping over the railing and landing directly overtop his starting position before turning back to look at his opponent, who had slid down to the floor in disappointment as his hands gripped at the railing.
Chōzen: Ooooohhh! Why’d it have to be HIM!?
Kogane: (Supportive as always, she knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his vast back.) Don’t worry about it, Chōzen. You can do this, you hear me?
Inoka: Ehh, I dunno, Sensei. Irezumi’s pretty tough.
Shikaru: Sorry, bud. Looks like you’re screwed.
Kogane: (You two aren’t helping.) Look, just remember everything I taught you and you’re sure to win.
In spite of her words, Chōzen didn’t let up, his head only sinking lower into his arms. Seeing that she would have to sink even lower to get his attention, she smiled and whispered into his ear.
Kogane: And if you do, I’ll be sure to treat you to barbeque later on.
Chōzen: Yeah!! Now we’re talkin’!! Let’s GOOO!!!
Shikamaru: (Hearing this from the other side of the spacious room, he couldn’t help but chuckle in nostalgic amusement as he turned to his wife.) Heh, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, does it?
While Temari chuckled at this, Chōzen leaped over the railing of the balcony just as Irezumi did, the sheer impact of his massive body making contact leaving several faint cracks in the concrete floor. Hardly fazed by this, he stood up straight once again and walked over to his starting position before turning around, pointing at his opponent as a large grin lit up his face.
Chōzen: Just you watch, pal. I’m gonna show you up big time.
Irezumi: (Undeterred by his words, he merely smiled as he cracked his knuckles.) I’m ready when you are.
B: (Seeing that both of them were now ready to fight, he threw his arm into the air to start the match.) Alright-y! If both y’all are ready, …begin!!
Kūrogane overcomes Sakebi’s deafening technique – what is it about Irezumi that makes Chōzen so nervous to fight him!!?
The End
