kinghadouken
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Chapter 5: Wanted Demon
It was a huge storm. The lightning and thunder worked tediously, as the dark clouds continued to mix earth with the droplets, making the land muddy and slippery to journey on. Even the winds have grown weary of being gentle, separating anything from its primary position. Yet a cloaked figure foraged through, not giving attention to the surrounding weather’s carnage. A flash of lightning revealed a pair of shades, with two orbs glowing inside. The figure raised an open hand, letting one of the bolts strike the palm; in an instant the storm calmed and the sun appeared from the dark clouds’ cover.
“The power of the earth, an infinitesimal place, is very wonderful. Now, where shall my next masterpiece be unveiled?”
In another place, the sun blazed continuously on the roads and the trees. The birds chirped cheerfully as the breeze blew peacefully. Hitomi sat with a large scroll and naginata on a waiting bench on a dirt road stretching for miles, while waiting for Hibiki as he went to a nearby food and drinks store to buy refreshments on their walk earlier. Soon enough, Hibiki’s silhouette can be seen from afar. He looked worried.
“Hey, Hitomi!” yelled Hibiki as he brandished pieces of paper with a picture of a sketch of a man with jet black hair wearing a pair of distinctive shades. “Isn’t this the guy we fought earlier?”
“Eh?” Hitomi grabbed one of the notices, and read the words out loud. “Momura Rouzuke, a wanted criminal in Konohagakure. Dangerous, if spotted, run away immediately and contact the nearest shinobi in your area. Anyone who can bring this man back in Konohagakure will get a reasonable sum of reward.”
“That’s just one of the notices I’ve found posted on my way to the shop,” Hibiki explained. “From what I’ve understood, this guy must’ve been attacking various villages in search of whatever he’s looking for. He really is a dangerous man.”
“But, he didn’t kill us back then. He just looked at your spear and he just left,” Hitomi tried to sound calm. “If he is a wanted criminal, we should notify one of the shinobi near a village, right?”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Hibiki assessed, while seemingly looking over the distance. “The next village is still maybe a hundred miles away. We’re still in the Land of Fire, so finding a shinobi is fairly easy. We just have to travel a bit longer.”
“What if that man attacks us again?” Hitomi asked, still unconvinced. “What if he comes back to kill us this time? We’re no longer safe, are we?”
Hibiki was about to reply when he sensed bodies of chakra moving towards them at a slow pace. The chakra signatures seemed to be friendly, as he didn’t alert Hitomi about it. Instead he sat on the bench with Hitomi, ignoring her persistence, and gave her some of the snacks and a can of juice.
It wasn’t a while when they saw a weird team. Two of them were wearing green jumpsuits while walking in a handstrand position, another carrying a large scroll like Hibiki, and the other wore bandages. It was Team Guy, just finished from another mission and was headed back to Konohagakure.
Hitomi noticed their forehead protectors and immediately stood up and called their attention. The group heard the alert and saw the woman running towards them, with pieces of paper clutched in one of her hands. Hibiki grabbed his things and followed suit.
“You guys,” she began, hoping that the group would listen. “You are Leaf shinobi, right? This wanted poster told us to tell you about the man who attacked your village.”
The one with the bandages spoke, “Yes, we know about this man. I’ve fought him very recently. I was one of the people who reported the incident. Why, have you encountered him as well?”
“Yes, we have,” Hibiki replied, his voice trying to intimidate the Leaf ninja. “We also had a taste of his capabilities earlier.”
“What? Neji, you battled a strong man? And you didn’t even tell us?” the tallest man in the green jumpsuit exclaimed, still in a handstand position. “And you said that your wounds were because of training!”
“Guy-sensei, could you and Lee knock it off?” said the girl with the scroll. “We’re talking normally here.”
“Wah, Neji!” said another wearing a green jumpsuit, his eyes flaming with enthusiasm. “A man has wounded you this badly, which tells me that this man is a worthy opponent for me! Tenten, this is what we always do after a mission, the after-training!”
“So, you’ve had a row with this man,” Neji interjected, cutting the argument off. “But you seem fine, judging from the wear and tear of your clothes. Where did you last see him?”
“This man named Momura Rouzuke,” Hitomi said, talking for Hibiki, who still seemed exhausted from their fight with the wanted man earlier. “We were ambushed on one of the roads that lead from the ruins of Uzushiogakure.”
“That is far from our village,” Tenten replied. “And considering that this man made it into the wanted lists, he surely must’ve been dangerous.”
Neji nodded in agreement, and then faced Hitomi and Hibiki. “You two, where are you headed?”
Hibiki was caught off-guard by the question, but was saved again by Hitomi.
“We’re just travellers,” Hitomi began, but was interrupted by Guy.
“’Just travellers’, you say?” he said with a booming voice, taking both Hitomi and Hibiki aback. “And can you explain how you managed to survive that man’s rampage when our comrade Neji here can’t?”
“I guess it’s useless to argue here, huh?” Hibiki muttered, then returned to the question. “I will explain all you need to know about us, but in return, I beg you to help us go to your village for refuge. This way, the wanted man will think twice of attacking a large group of capable people.”
Neji looked as if he was insulted by the comment, yet nevertheless agreed upon this. And so, the two groups merged and went towards the road leading to the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
They were only a few more kilometres away from the village gates when Hitomi halted the group.
“Hitomi, what now?” Hibiki started to groan. “We’re near the village gates already.”
“I-I just thought I heard a rustling noise behind us,” Hitomi shuddered. “I can feel some weird chakra from it.”
Neji immediately activated his Byakugan, and started to look for the strange chakra. “I found something,” Neji said after a few more moments. “This ain’t good. Tenten, use your kunai paper bombs towards that large bush over there!”
Tenten responded quickly, and much to her surprise, Hibiki pulled out his scroll as well. Both summoned kunai and shot them through the large bush Neji mentioned. A shadow flew from it and aimed for Hitomi, who was the nearest.
Hibiki acted instinctively and unsheathed his naginata at the unknown figure. His blade was deflected by the foe’s armour and was pushed back after avoiding the counter, and tugging his blindfold off. He looked up and saw one of the most bizarre creatures he ever laid his eyes on.
It was dirty, the fur the color of fresh mud, featuring spikes, large claws and fangs. Its forehead was full of horns and had large ears. Its eyes looked like Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes, and its body had so many scars, stakes and stitches. It even had monstrous wings that resembled human hands clad in scales. It was at least twenty feet long, the tail appearing to have a steel mace attached to it. There were retractable blades strapped to its sides and forelimbs. All in all, it resembled a deformed yet armed and winged lion. It growled menacingly at the group, its eyes eying Neji and Hibiki. The village gate guards saw the threat and seemed to plan an alert to the village.
“No!” Hibiki turned to the gates. “Don’t alert the village yet! Just close the gates!”
The gates closed as the creature paced slowly back and forth at the group, looking as if planning on its next attack. Without warning, it opened its mouth and a large ball of fire formed. It shot the fire ball and scattered the group in all directions. Neji looked at Tenten, who understood the signal, and summoned chains from her scroll. They saw Hibiki, his eyes free of the blindfold, as he unleashed black flames from the Mangekyo Sharingan eyes.
“AMATERASU!”
The creature roared in pain as the black flames Hibiki conjured hit its eyes, scorching it blind. Guy and Lee grasped the chains and pulled hard as they tied the creature with it. Hibiki made clones that grabbed the chains from the two jumpsuit-wearers and ran lightning chakra through the chains, in an attempt to subdue their opponent. But the creature wasn’t planning to give in without a fight. It broke free using its blades and lunged towards Hibiki with its long and sharp claws. Hibiki was prepared for the hit with his naginata held high, but someone else smacked the creature flying towards the cluster of trees, smashing through the trunks. It was Hitomi, her nostrils flaring and eyes aflame of anger.
“Oy, Hibiki! Use your Swift Release and kill it already!” Hitomi yelled at Hibiki, who started to sweat with relief. “I want to rest already!”
The creature returned, this time with its wings spread out and lightning surrounding its body, turning it into a large speeding bullet. Neji came to Hibiki’s aid and used his Rotation to deflect the incoming attack effectively. He followed it next with his Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms, sending it crashing to the ground.
Guy and Lee won’t let the others upstage them, and unleashed their Eight Inner Gates. Guy was up to seven Gates, while Lee only managed until six. Both darted towards the recovering creature, its body covered in a veil of Wind-natured chakra, and unleashed a flurry of devastating blows. Guy grabbed a handful of its fur and sent it flying in the air, while Lee followed suit and attacked with his Hot-Blooded Front Lotus, pushing it back on earth with a deafening blast. The creature somehow managed to lessen the damage by coating itself with an Earth Release technique.
“Damn,” Neji burst. “This monster won’t go down easily.”
“I guess I have no choice,” Hibiki muttered, as Guy, Lee, Tenten and Hitomi unleashed flurry of attacks on their enemy, beating it into a pulp. He began to weave seals at top speed. “Just hang on for a bit more. This will all be over.”
“Everyone, stand clear!” Hibiki yelled over the chaos. “I’ll finish this now!”
The others backed off, leaving the creature to ponder where its enemies went.
“Swift Release: Demon Wind Shuriken Formation!”
Hibiki’s clones assumed formation, surrounding the beast, with its Wind and Lightning chakra veil. The clones threw their shuriken at the target; the shuriken transformed into flaming clones that set the creature bursting into flames. The rest of the clones darted towards the monster and all exploded with a blast. The real Hibiki wasn’t through yet, as he produced three more clones, all of which were holding balls of rotating chakra, which Team Guy recognized as Naruto’s technique.
“Swift Release: Yondaime’s Legacy!” Hibiki’s clones teleported to three different positions surrounding their foe. Each of the Hibiki were clutching a ball of rotating chakra with varying chakra releases. “Swift Release: Spiralling Wind, Spiralling Lightning, Spiralling Fire!”
The three clones attacked, darting at the monster with unbelievable speed, and surrounded it with a rotating mix of Wind, Fire and Lightning chakra. The blast continued as the real Hibiki unleashed another Amaterasu, making the chakra dome ablaze with black flames. With an air of finality, Hibiki unrolled his scroll around the dome, performed a few hand seals and sealed the creature with his Eight Trigrams Sealing technique inside the scroll. In an instant, everything became silent.
“Where did you send that thing?” Tenten commented, trying to break the silence.
“I sealed it within the depths of my personal scroll,” Hibiki replied. “I just had to weaken it enough for it to be sealed without objections.”
“Well, now that the conflict is over,” Hitomi started. “I can finally rest in an inn without worrying about anything.”
“You,” Neji said, his gaze locked on Hibiki. “You have so many explaining to do. Don’t expect us to believe in anything you say though, just because you saved us from that monster.”
“Hmph. That’s fine,” Hibiki replied with an air of confidence. “The reason that I went with you guys was just because want Hitomi here to finally enjoy herself inside a village after many months of travelling nonstop through countries.”
With this, Hitomi started to blush again, with Tenten looking at her reaction perversely. Neji wasn’t convinced but was forced to drop the conversation momentarily, as the gates began to open. The village guards seemed to have seen everything from their watchtower. The group proceeded to enter the village after checking their surroundings for other lurking menaces.
In some place near a flowing river, a cloaked figure sharpening something muttered, “So, even my summoned creature was overwhelmed by that kid, eh? To be able to use such a powerful sealing technique on a contracted creature, that technique is something that a descendant of the Uzumaki clan would know.”
The figure stood up and laid down his tools. He looked at the sky, his shades gleaming with the reflection of the floating clouds and blue sky. He said to himself, “I wonder what you will do now, Uzumaki descendant? My masterpiece might even require you as my raw material. I await our next meeting.”
To be continued...
It was a huge storm. The lightning and thunder worked tediously, as the dark clouds continued to mix earth with the droplets, making the land muddy and slippery to journey on. Even the winds have grown weary of being gentle, separating anything from its primary position. Yet a cloaked figure foraged through, not giving attention to the surrounding weather’s carnage. A flash of lightning revealed a pair of shades, with two orbs glowing inside. The figure raised an open hand, letting one of the bolts strike the palm; in an instant the storm calmed and the sun appeared from the dark clouds’ cover.
“The power of the earth, an infinitesimal place, is very wonderful. Now, where shall my next masterpiece be unveiled?”
In another place, the sun blazed continuously on the roads and the trees. The birds chirped cheerfully as the breeze blew peacefully. Hitomi sat with a large scroll and naginata on a waiting bench on a dirt road stretching for miles, while waiting for Hibiki as he went to a nearby food and drinks store to buy refreshments on their walk earlier. Soon enough, Hibiki’s silhouette can be seen from afar. He looked worried.
“Hey, Hitomi!” yelled Hibiki as he brandished pieces of paper with a picture of a sketch of a man with jet black hair wearing a pair of distinctive shades. “Isn’t this the guy we fought earlier?”
“Eh?” Hitomi grabbed one of the notices, and read the words out loud. “Momura Rouzuke, a wanted criminal in Konohagakure. Dangerous, if spotted, run away immediately and contact the nearest shinobi in your area. Anyone who can bring this man back in Konohagakure will get a reasonable sum of reward.”
“That’s just one of the notices I’ve found posted on my way to the shop,” Hibiki explained. “From what I’ve understood, this guy must’ve been attacking various villages in search of whatever he’s looking for. He really is a dangerous man.”
“But, he didn’t kill us back then. He just looked at your spear and he just left,” Hitomi tried to sound calm. “If he is a wanted criminal, we should notify one of the shinobi near a village, right?”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Hibiki assessed, while seemingly looking over the distance. “The next village is still maybe a hundred miles away. We’re still in the Land of Fire, so finding a shinobi is fairly easy. We just have to travel a bit longer.”
“What if that man attacks us again?” Hitomi asked, still unconvinced. “What if he comes back to kill us this time? We’re no longer safe, are we?”
Hibiki was about to reply when he sensed bodies of chakra moving towards them at a slow pace. The chakra signatures seemed to be friendly, as he didn’t alert Hitomi about it. Instead he sat on the bench with Hitomi, ignoring her persistence, and gave her some of the snacks and a can of juice.
It wasn’t a while when they saw a weird team. Two of them were wearing green jumpsuits while walking in a handstrand position, another carrying a large scroll like Hibiki, and the other wore bandages. It was Team Guy, just finished from another mission and was headed back to Konohagakure.
Hitomi noticed their forehead protectors and immediately stood up and called their attention. The group heard the alert and saw the woman running towards them, with pieces of paper clutched in one of her hands. Hibiki grabbed his things and followed suit.
“You guys,” she began, hoping that the group would listen. “You are Leaf shinobi, right? This wanted poster told us to tell you about the man who attacked your village.”
The one with the bandages spoke, “Yes, we know about this man. I’ve fought him very recently. I was one of the people who reported the incident. Why, have you encountered him as well?”
“Yes, we have,” Hibiki replied, his voice trying to intimidate the Leaf ninja. “We also had a taste of his capabilities earlier.”
“What? Neji, you battled a strong man? And you didn’t even tell us?” the tallest man in the green jumpsuit exclaimed, still in a handstand position. “And you said that your wounds were because of training!”
“Guy-sensei, could you and Lee knock it off?” said the girl with the scroll. “We’re talking normally here.”
“Wah, Neji!” said another wearing a green jumpsuit, his eyes flaming with enthusiasm. “A man has wounded you this badly, which tells me that this man is a worthy opponent for me! Tenten, this is what we always do after a mission, the after-training!”
“So, you’ve had a row with this man,” Neji interjected, cutting the argument off. “But you seem fine, judging from the wear and tear of your clothes. Where did you last see him?”
“This man named Momura Rouzuke,” Hitomi said, talking for Hibiki, who still seemed exhausted from their fight with the wanted man earlier. “We were ambushed on one of the roads that lead from the ruins of Uzushiogakure.”
“That is far from our village,” Tenten replied. “And considering that this man made it into the wanted lists, he surely must’ve been dangerous.”
Neji nodded in agreement, and then faced Hitomi and Hibiki. “You two, where are you headed?”
Hibiki was caught off-guard by the question, but was saved again by Hitomi.
“We’re just travellers,” Hitomi began, but was interrupted by Guy.
“’Just travellers’, you say?” he said with a booming voice, taking both Hitomi and Hibiki aback. “And can you explain how you managed to survive that man’s rampage when our comrade Neji here can’t?”
“I guess it’s useless to argue here, huh?” Hibiki muttered, then returned to the question. “I will explain all you need to know about us, but in return, I beg you to help us go to your village for refuge. This way, the wanted man will think twice of attacking a large group of capable people.”
Neji looked as if he was insulted by the comment, yet nevertheless agreed upon this. And so, the two groups merged and went towards the road leading to the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
They were only a few more kilometres away from the village gates when Hitomi halted the group.
“Hitomi, what now?” Hibiki started to groan. “We’re near the village gates already.”
“I-I just thought I heard a rustling noise behind us,” Hitomi shuddered. “I can feel some weird chakra from it.”
Neji immediately activated his Byakugan, and started to look for the strange chakra. “I found something,” Neji said after a few more moments. “This ain’t good. Tenten, use your kunai paper bombs towards that large bush over there!”
Tenten responded quickly, and much to her surprise, Hibiki pulled out his scroll as well. Both summoned kunai and shot them through the large bush Neji mentioned. A shadow flew from it and aimed for Hitomi, who was the nearest.
Hibiki acted instinctively and unsheathed his naginata at the unknown figure. His blade was deflected by the foe’s armour and was pushed back after avoiding the counter, and tugging his blindfold off. He looked up and saw one of the most bizarre creatures he ever laid his eyes on.
It was dirty, the fur the color of fresh mud, featuring spikes, large claws and fangs. Its forehead was full of horns and had large ears. Its eyes looked like Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes, and its body had so many scars, stakes and stitches. It even had monstrous wings that resembled human hands clad in scales. It was at least twenty feet long, the tail appearing to have a steel mace attached to it. There were retractable blades strapped to its sides and forelimbs. All in all, it resembled a deformed yet armed and winged lion. It growled menacingly at the group, its eyes eying Neji and Hibiki. The village gate guards saw the threat and seemed to plan an alert to the village.
“No!” Hibiki turned to the gates. “Don’t alert the village yet! Just close the gates!”
The gates closed as the creature paced slowly back and forth at the group, looking as if planning on its next attack. Without warning, it opened its mouth and a large ball of fire formed. It shot the fire ball and scattered the group in all directions. Neji looked at Tenten, who understood the signal, and summoned chains from her scroll. They saw Hibiki, his eyes free of the blindfold, as he unleashed black flames from the Mangekyo Sharingan eyes.
“AMATERASU!”
The creature roared in pain as the black flames Hibiki conjured hit its eyes, scorching it blind. Guy and Lee grasped the chains and pulled hard as they tied the creature with it. Hibiki made clones that grabbed the chains from the two jumpsuit-wearers and ran lightning chakra through the chains, in an attempt to subdue their opponent. But the creature wasn’t planning to give in without a fight. It broke free using its blades and lunged towards Hibiki with its long and sharp claws. Hibiki was prepared for the hit with his naginata held high, but someone else smacked the creature flying towards the cluster of trees, smashing through the trunks. It was Hitomi, her nostrils flaring and eyes aflame of anger.
“Oy, Hibiki! Use your Swift Release and kill it already!” Hitomi yelled at Hibiki, who started to sweat with relief. “I want to rest already!”
The creature returned, this time with its wings spread out and lightning surrounding its body, turning it into a large speeding bullet. Neji came to Hibiki’s aid and used his Rotation to deflect the incoming attack effectively. He followed it next with his Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms, sending it crashing to the ground.
Guy and Lee won’t let the others upstage them, and unleashed their Eight Inner Gates. Guy was up to seven Gates, while Lee only managed until six. Both darted towards the recovering creature, its body covered in a veil of Wind-natured chakra, and unleashed a flurry of devastating blows. Guy grabbed a handful of its fur and sent it flying in the air, while Lee followed suit and attacked with his Hot-Blooded Front Lotus, pushing it back on earth with a deafening blast. The creature somehow managed to lessen the damage by coating itself with an Earth Release technique.
“Damn,” Neji burst. “This monster won’t go down easily.”
“I guess I have no choice,” Hibiki muttered, as Guy, Lee, Tenten and Hitomi unleashed flurry of attacks on their enemy, beating it into a pulp. He began to weave seals at top speed. “Just hang on for a bit more. This will all be over.”
“Everyone, stand clear!” Hibiki yelled over the chaos. “I’ll finish this now!”
The others backed off, leaving the creature to ponder where its enemies went.
“Swift Release: Demon Wind Shuriken Formation!”
Hibiki’s clones assumed formation, surrounding the beast, with its Wind and Lightning chakra veil. The clones threw their shuriken at the target; the shuriken transformed into flaming clones that set the creature bursting into flames. The rest of the clones darted towards the monster and all exploded with a blast. The real Hibiki wasn’t through yet, as he produced three more clones, all of which were holding balls of rotating chakra, which Team Guy recognized as Naruto’s technique.
“Swift Release: Yondaime’s Legacy!” Hibiki’s clones teleported to three different positions surrounding their foe. Each of the Hibiki were clutching a ball of rotating chakra with varying chakra releases. “Swift Release: Spiralling Wind, Spiralling Lightning, Spiralling Fire!”
The three clones attacked, darting at the monster with unbelievable speed, and surrounded it with a rotating mix of Wind, Fire and Lightning chakra. The blast continued as the real Hibiki unleashed another Amaterasu, making the chakra dome ablaze with black flames. With an air of finality, Hibiki unrolled his scroll around the dome, performed a few hand seals and sealed the creature with his Eight Trigrams Sealing technique inside the scroll. In an instant, everything became silent.
“Where did you send that thing?” Tenten commented, trying to break the silence.
“I sealed it within the depths of my personal scroll,” Hibiki replied. “I just had to weaken it enough for it to be sealed without objections.”
“Well, now that the conflict is over,” Hitomi started. “I can finally rest in an inn without worrying about anything.”
“You,” Neji said, his gaze locked on Hibiki. “You have so many explaining to do. Don’t expect us to believe in anything you say though, just because you saved us from that monster.”
“Hmph. That’s fine,” Hibiki replied with an air of confidence. “The reason that I went with you guys was just because want Hitomi here to finally enjoy herself inside a village after many months of travelling nonstop through countries.”
With this, Hitomi started to blush again, with Tenten looking at her reaction perversely. Neji wasn’t convinced but was forced to drop the conversation momentarily, as the gates began to open. The village guards seemed to have seen everything from their watchtower. The group proceeded to enter the village after checking their surroundings for other lurking menaces.
In some place near a flowing river, a cloaked figure sharpening something muttered, “So, even my summoned creature was overwhelmed by that kid, eh? To be able to use such a powerful sealing technique on a contracted creature, that technique is something that a descendant of the Uzumaki clan would know.”
The figure stood up and laid down his tools. He looked at the sky, his shades gleaming with the reflection of the floating clouds and blue sky. He said to himself, “I wonder what you will do now, Uzumaki descendant? My masterpiece might even require you as my raw material. I await our next meeting.”
To be continued...
