Chakra Wizard
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Alright, finally! I said from square one that there were two big revelations I hinted at early on that I wouldn’t explicitly get to until later. Here’s the first one (hopefully, I made it realistic). Anyways, enjoy
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
Chapter 039: Quid Pro Quo
As chakra continued to build up around him, Airon closed his eyes to avoid damaging them, expecting when he opened them again that he’d freed from Asuka’s illusion. To his dismay, though, upon looking around, he found not only that nothing had changed, but that everything had returned to the way it was when he first fell under the genjutsu. Even his hands had returned to his pockets just as they were when the match began, leading him to wonder exactly what all this entailed towards the nature of Asuka’s technique.
Airon: (Darn it. I thought for sure that would work.)
Asuka: (Evidently amused by Airon’s first attempt to break free, he held three fingers up in front of him and slowly lowered one.) That’s one. Two more to go.
Airon took note of his words, but he was in no way eager to act on them. He was much too preoccupied trying to sort out everything he had found out about his technique up to that point. In addition to that strange occurrence when his attempt to dispel the genjutsu failed, he also found upon looking around that everyone on the balconies had vanished, as did B, leaving them completely alone in the arena.
Airon: (He’s gotten rid of any and all distractions, even the mint I was chewing on a moment ago…and yet…)
He slowly began wiggling his tongue, doing his best not to move his cheeks, finding after a few seconds that his prediction was correct.
Airon: (…the one under my tongue is still there. So, he can only get rid of things that he’s completely aware of, …which means-)
Asuka: We don’t have all day, Airon Namikaze.
He stopped this thought process for the time being, staring straight ahead to find his opponent standing there with an irritated expression on his vicious-looking face.
Asuka: Make your next attempt.
Airon: (Somewhat annoyed by his impatience, he met his petulance with a sarcastic smile.) Just Airon is fine, Asuka. And why the rush to end the match? Can’t we just relax for a little bit?
Asuka: What makes you think you have time to relax, Airon? Lest we forget you’re playing for your life right now.
Airon: And what’s wrong with that? Can’t we just talk a little in between my attempts to break the genjutsu? …I’ve got quite a few questions for you, y’know, and I’m sure you have some for me.
Asuka opened his mouth to reply, but quickly stopped himself midway. He’d obviously seen the truth in those words, prompting Airon’s smile to grow ever wider.
Asuka: Alright, if that’s the case, then we’ll do a quid pro quo. You give me an answer, I’ll give you an answer. Fair enough?
Airon: (Curious to know what questions he had for him, he replied with an arrogant smile.) …I’m all ears.
Asuka wasted no time posing his first question, nor did he waste time forcing Airon’s eyes to widen.
Asuka: You can read minds, can’t you?
The possibility was somewhere in the back of his mind, but Airon never expected that Asuka would’ve actually caught on to it. Reevaluating everything he’d already assumed about his opponent’s technique, he quickly posed a question of his own.
Airon: Can everyone else hear us or is this talk just another illusion?
Asuka: Well, you can either speak of your own free will or I can force you to. …Either way, I think the rest of your competition should know what they’ll be missing out on.
His response revealed yet another detail regarding his technique, but even still, Airon was hesitant to reveal anything regarding his own. It wouldn’t take much longer, though, for him to realize that he’d have to comply if he wished to get anywhere with this.
Airon: (So, he does have control over my physical actions. …I wonder how he intends to kill me without my weapons, then.) …When did you first realize it?
Asuka: (He smirked at the question before adopting a know-it-all tone of voice.) You should really use your words more often, Airon. I noticed rather early on that many of your conservations with your sister, Manako Uchiha, and that girl with the long hair don’t have that many words and yet, you frequently glance over at one another as though you’re prepared to speak. …That alone was enough to make me start questioning what you’re capable of.
Airon: (He frowned as he gave his answer, both in embarrassment for his own carelessness and in anger at the subtle insult he noticed in his explanation.) That girl’s name is Nakama…and I’ll be sure to keep that in mind in the near future. …Quid pro quo.
Asuka: Alright, …what your question, then?
Airon: Oh, it’s not really a question. It’s more of an assessment to see how much I’ve already figured out about your technique.
Airon’s smile quickly reappeared as Asuka’s vanished. It seemed that he was now the one treading on hazardous grounds.
Asuka: Give your results, then.
Airon: (His smile slowly grew into a devilish grin.) Okay, here’s my thoughts on your jutsu. It’s essentially a mind-control technique, which allows you to control your victim’s movements while keeping their five senses in a state of limbo, leaving them oblivious to anything you might be forcing their bodies to do. While under this genjutsu, any movements your target makes on their own are subject to change when they close their eyes and open them again, everything they do up to that point resetting back to how things were when they first fell victim to the technique. This illusion also extends to the things your target sees and feels, allowing you to block out any unnecessary distractions that might help them later on. However…
He began rolling his tongue around for a brief moment, eventually sticking it out once he had navigated his mint on top of it, much to Asuka’s surprise, pulling it back in before continuing his explanation.
Airon: …even you have your own limitations. You can only block out things of which you’re completely aware, which means this second mint that was hidden under my tongue was out of your range.
He didn’t give an answer, but his expression was enough to let Airon know that everything he just said was true. He couldn’t help but smile at his own cleverness as he requested confirmation.
Airon: And that’s all I have at the moment. So, am I right…or am I right?
Asuka: (He’s good. Very good, actually. …I might have to cut this conversation short pretty soon.) Quid pro quo. Now tell me, …how’d you manage to develop a mind reading technique as efficient as yours? Copied your village’s Yamanaka clan, I’m sure?
Airon: (He assumed a thoughtful, yet playful expression as he came up with an answer.) You might say that. But then again, you’re not exactly talking to the jutsu’s creator right now.
Asuka: Hm?
Like the others, Inase was no longer visible, but an acute memory helped Airon to recall exactly where she was standing, thus allowing him to gesture up at her so that Asuka knew whom he was referring to.
Asuka: Your sister?
Airon: (He answered with a nod.) She started developing that technique about two years ago. She derived it from the Yamanaka clan’s Mind Transmission jutsu just as you suspected, the only difference being that she wanted her technique to have twice the efficiency and half the requirements needed to use it. …Hmhm, as you can imagine, I enjoyed the idea quite a bit myself, and it was only after receiving my input that she finally managed to create the technique. …No hand signs, no contact of any kind. Just look at your target, focus your chakra, and you’re in.
Asuka: (He couldn’t help but look impressed by what he was hearing, gazing back up at Inase before shifting his gaze back towards Airon.) She’s pretty talented. …Sounds too good to be true, though.
Airon: Hmhmhmhm, everything does. As you can imagine, effectiveness varies with the user, and it’s subject to the same hindrances as the original jutsu, but other than that, …it’s just one of many techniques I can take some credit for creating.
As the last few words left his mouth, a slight twitch in his right eye caught Asuka’s attention. Inside his coat pocket, Airon had been digging his nails into the palm of his hand for the past several seconds, drawing blood in the hopes that it would be enough to break the genjutsu.
Asuka: Do you have to ask something else you’d like to ask?
Airon: (Suspecting for a moment that he had caught onto him, he relaxed his muscles as he discovered both that this wasn’t the case and that his efforts were in vain.) …No, not at the moment. (Dang it. It seems extreme pain doesn’t break the jutsu, either. …Guess that means I’ll have to resort to damaging him instead.)
Asuka: Then make your next attempt.
Resorting to his first preplanned strategy, he slowly began using his nails once again, this time to break through the fibers holding together the insides of his pocket. A grueling activity to begin with, it was made even harder by the fact that he had to avoid drawing suspicion from his eyeful opponent.
Airon: (Come on…almost there…)
At long last, he broke through the bottom of his pocket, allowing him to slowly navigate to the back of his pants, where he had kept hidden a handful of smoke bombs.
Asuka: I said move!
Hardly a second after he made this demand, he stepped back in surprise as his opponent disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Just moments later, the cloud grew larger as Airon threw down even more smoke bombs, hiding from Asuka both his position and what side he intended to strike from.
Asuka: What the hell is he doing?
A fast learner himself, though, Asuka quickly pulled out two kunai and threw them on either side of him, catching both of Airon’s clones and causing them to disappear before rolling out of the way as his real opponent came crashing down from overhead.
Asuka: How very sly of you, Airon.
Airon: I told you, already. Flattery will get you nowhere.
Taking up one of his opponent’s discarded kunai, the next few minutes turned into a showcase of hand-to-hand combat, Airon’s superior speed and prowess with weapons giving him an obvious edge over Asuka.
Airon: You shouldn’t rely so heavily on that jutsu, my friend! Your physical skills are pretty lacking from you using it so often!
He recognized this long before Airon said a word, but just the fact that he had to remind him was enough to make Asuka blood boil. Even more significantly, though, it broke his focus, allowing Airon to bring him to the floor. Before he could go further, though, Asuka reached into the pouch on his hip, pulling out a marked tag.
Asuka: Alright, we’ll play like this, then!
Pressing it against his chest, he quickly formed a hand sign, intent on bringing his opponent down with him. Before the tag could explode, though, Airon shut his eyes to brace himself, finding once he opened them again that they were back where they started.
Airon: (Dang it. Missed again.) So, how much of that was real?
Asuka: (An obvious look of relief on his face, he took a few deep breaths before responding with a smirk.) You got me with all those smoke bombs, I will admit that. …As soon as you made your move, though, it was only a matter of time before you reset.
His words were meant to spark doubt in his opponent, but Airon was much too busy grinning as he felt around his coat pocket, finding that both the cut on his hand and the hole he made before his second attempt were still there.
Asuka: You have one more chance to break free, Airon. You’d better use it wisely.
Airon: (He looked up at Asuka as he spoke, unbridled determination on his face.) Oh, I will. Don’t you worry about that. (I already know exactly how I’m gonna use it.)
Airon unravels the secrets of Asuka’s technique – little by little!!!
The End
Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:
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Chapter 039: Quid Pro Quo
As chakra continued to build up around him, Airon closed his eyes to avoid damaging them, expecting when he opened them again that he’d freed from Asuka’s illusion. To his dismay, though, upon looking around, he found not only that nothing had changed, but that everything had returned to the way it was when he first fell under the genjutsu. Even his hands had returned to his pockets just as they were when the match began, leading him to wonder exactly what all this entailed towards the nature of Asuka’s technique.
Airon: (Darn it. I thought for sure that would work.)
Asuka: (Evidently amused by Airon’s first attempt to break free, he held three fingers up in front of him and slowly lowered one.) That’s one. Two more to go.
Airon took note of his words, but he was in no way eager to act on them. He was much too preoccupied trying to sort out everything he had found out about his technique up to that point. In addition to that strange occurrence when his attempt to dispel the genjutsu failed, he also found upon looking around that everyone on the balconies had vanished, as did B, leaving them completely alone in the arena.
Airon: (He’s gotten rid of any and all distractions, even the mint I was chewing on a moment ago…and yet…)
He slowly began wiggling his tongue, doing his best not to move his cheeks, finding after a few seconds that his prediction was correct.
Airon: (…the one under my tongue is still there. So, he can only get rid of things that he’s completely aware of, …which means-)
Asuka: We don’t have all day, Airon Namikaze.
He stopped this thought process for the time being, staring straight ahead to find his opponent standing there with an irritated expression on his vicious-looking face.
Asuka: Make your next attempt.
Airon: (Somewhat annoyed by his impatience, he met his petulance with a sarcastic smile.) Just Airon is fine, Asuka. And why the rush to end the match? Can’t we just relax for a little bit?
Asuka: What makes you think you have time to relax, Airon? Lest we forget you’re playing for your life right now.
Airon: And what’s wrong with that? Can’t we just talk a little in between my attempts to break the genjutsu? …I’ve got quite a few questions for you, y’know, and I’m sure you have some for me.
Asuka opened his mouth to reply, but quickly stopped himself midway. He’d obviously seen the truth in those words, prompting Airon’s smile to grow ever wider.
Asuka: Alright, if that’s the case, then we’ll do a quid pro quo. You give me an answer, I’ll give you an answer. Fair enough?
Airon: (Curious to know what questions he had for him, he replied with an arrogant smile.) …I’m all ears.
Asuka wasted no time posing his first question, nor did he waste time forcing Airon’s eyes to widen.
Asuka: You can read minds, can’t you?
The possibility was somewhere in the back of his mind, but Airon never expected that Asuka would’ve actually caught on to it. Reevaluating everything he’d already assumed about his opponent’s technique, he quickly posed a question of his own.
Airon: Can everyone else hear us or is this talk just another illusion?
Asuka: Well, you can either speak of your own free will or I can force you to. …Either way, I think the rest of your competition should know what they’ll be missing out on.
His response revealed yet another detail regarding his technique, but even still, Airon was hesitant to reveal anything regarding his own. It wouldn’t take much longer, though, for him to realize that he’d have to comply if he wished to get anywhere with this.
Airon: (So, he does have control over my physical actions. …I wonder how he intends to kill me without my weapons, then.) …When did you first realize it?
Asuka: (He smirked at the question before adopting a know-it-all tone of voice.) You should really use your words more often, Airon. I noticed rather early on that many of your conservations with your sister, Manako Uchiha, and that girl with the long hair don’t have that many words and yet, you frequently glance over at one another as though you’re prepared to speak. …That alone was enough to make me start questioning what you’re capable of.
Airon: (He frowned as he gave his answer, both in embarrassment for his own carelessness and in anger at the subtle insult he noticed in his explanation.) That girl’s name is Nakama…and I’ll be sure to keep that in mind in the near future. …Quid pro quo.
Asuka: Alright, …what your question, then?
Airon: Oh, it’s not really a question. It’s more of an assessment to see how much I’ve already figured out about your technique.
Airon’s smile quickly reappeared as Asuka’s vanished. It seemed that he was now the one treading on hazardous grounds.
Asuka: Give your results, then.
Airon: (His smile slowly grew into a devilish grin.) Okay, here’s my thoughts on your jutsu. It’s essentially a mind-control technique, which allows you to control your victim’s movements while keeping their five senses in a state of limbo, leaving them oblivious to anything you might be forcing their bodies to do. While under this genjutsu, any movements your target makes on their own are subject to change when they close their eyes and open them again, everything they do up to that point resetting back to how things were when they first fell victim to the technique. This illusion also extends to the things your target sees and feels, allowing you to block out any unnecessary distractions that might help them later on. However…
He began rolling his tongue around for a brief moment, eventually sticking it out once he had navigated his mint on top of it, much to Asuka’s surprise, pulling it back in before continuing his explanation.
Airon: …even you have your own limitations. You can only block out things of which you’re completely aware, which means this second mint that was hidden under my tongue was out of your range.
He didn’t give an answer, but his expression was enough to let Airon know that everything he just said was true. He couldn’t help but smile at his own cleverness as he requested confirmation.
Airon: And that’s all I have at the moment. So, am I right…or am I right?
Asuka: (He’s good. Very good, actually. …I might have to cut this conversation short pretty soon.) Quid pro quo. Now tell me, …how’d you manage to develop a mind reading technique as efficient as yours? Copied your village’s Yamanaka clan, I’m sure?
Airon: (He assumed a thoughtful, yet playful expression as he came up with an answer.) You might say that. But then again, you’re not exactly talking to the jutsu’s creator right now.
Asuka: Hm?
Like the others, Inase was no longer visible, but an acute memory helped Airon to recall exactly where she was standing, thus allowing him to gesture up at her so that Asuka knew whom he was referring to.
Asuka: Your sister?
Airon: (He answered with a nod.) She started developing that technique about two years ago. She derived it from the Yamanaka clan’s Mind Transmission jutsu just as you suspected, the only difference being that she wanted her technique to have twice the efficiency and half the requirements needed to use it. …Hmhm, as you can imagine, I enjoyed the idea quite a bit myself, and it was only after receiving my input that she finally managed to create the technique. …No hand signs, no contact of any kind. Just look at your target, focus your chakra, and you’re in.
Asuka: (He couldn’t help but look impressed by what he was hearing, gazing back up at Inase before shifting his gaze back towards Airon.) She’s pretty talented. …Sounds too good to be true, though.
Airon: Hmhmhmhm, everything does. As you can imagine, effectiveness varies with the user, and it’s subject to the same hindrances as the original jutsu, but other than that, …it’s just one of many techniques I can take some credit for creating.
As the last few words left his mouth, a slight twitch in his right eye caught Asuka’s attention. Inside his coat pocket, Airon had been digging his nails into the palm of his hand for the past several seconds, drawing blood in the hopes that it would be enough to break the genjutsu.
Asuka: Do you have to ask something else you’d like to ask?
Airon: (Suspecting for a moment that he had caught onto him, he relaxed his muscles as he discovered both that this wasn’t the case and that his efforts were in vain.) …No, not at the moment. (Dang it. It seems extreme pain doesn’t break the jutsu, either. …Guess that means I’ll have to resort to damaging him instead.)
Asuka: Then make your next attempt.
Resorting to his first preplanned strategy, he slowly began using his nails once again, this time to break through the fibers holding together the insides of his pocket. A grueling activity to begin with, it was made even harder by the fact that he had to avoid drawing suspicion from his eyeful opponent.
Airon: (Come on…almost there…)
At long last, he broke through the bottom of his pocket, allowing him to slowly navigate to the back of his pants, where he had kept hidden a handful of smoke bombs.
Asuka: I said move!
Hardly a second after he made this demand, he stepped back in surprise as his opponent disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Just moments later, the cloud grew larger as Airon threw down even more smoke bombs, hiding from Asuka both his position and what side he intended to strike from.
Asuka: What the hell is he doing?
A fast learner himself, though, Asuka quickly pulled out two kunai and threw them on either side of him, catching both of Airon’s clones and causing them to disappear before rolling out of the way as his real opponent came crashing down from overhead.
Asuka: How very sly of you, Airon.
Airon: I told you, already. Flattery will get you nowhere.
Taking up one of his opponent’s discarded kunai, the next few minutes turned into a showcase of hand-to-hand combat, Airon’s superior speed and prowess with weapons giving him an obvious edge over Asuka.
Airon: You shouldn’t rely so heavily on that jutsu, my friend! Your physical skills are pretty lacking from you using it so often!
He recognized this long before Airon said a word, but just the fact that he had to remind him was enough to make Asuka blood boil. Even more significantly, though, it broke his focus, allowing Airon to bring him to the floor. Before he could go further, though, Asuka reached into the pouch on his hip, pulling out a marked tag.
Asuka: Alright, we’ll play like this, then!
Pressing it against his chest, he quickly formed a hand sign, intent on bringing his opponent down with him. Before the tag could explode, though, Airon shut his eyes to brace himself, finding once he opened them again that they were back where they started.
Airon: (Dang it. Missed again.) So, how much of that was real?
Asuka: (An obvious look of relief on his face, he took a few deep breaths before responding with a smirk.) You got me with all those smoke bombs, I will admit that. …As soon as you made your move, though, it was only a matter of time before you reset.
His words were meant to spark doubt in his opponent, but Airon was much too busy grinning as he felt around his coat pocket, finding that both the cut on his hand and the hole he made before his second attempt were still there.
Asuka: You have one more chance to break free, Airon. You’d better use it wisely.
Airon: (He looked up at Asuka as he spoke, unbridled determination on his face.) Oh, I will. Don’t you worry about that. (I already know exactly how I’m gonna use it.)
Airon unravels the secrets of Asuka’s technique – little by little!!!
The End
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