Continued report of the Akatsuki.
It took me some time to catch up with Naruto. They had run fairly quickly although Deidara had apparently decided to stop and have it out with him; besides the which, I was still running on injuries and lowered chakra.
Naruto was looking pretty beat-up, but the look in his eyes was still full of spirit. This was both good and bad since he was well-enough to run away, but likely still stubborn enough not to. I landed on the other side of Deidara, who was hovering just above the ground, so as to divide his attention and surround him. Fighting was still not supposed to be the objective however, and I tried again to order Naruto to retreat. I wasn't very surprised when he refused but I was getting frustrated with his thick-headedness. There's a big difference between running away from duty and simply avoiding a bad situation that will only be made worse by provoking it.
Deidara seemed concentrated on me for a moment, which was preferable, but suddenly grinned. It's never good when these guys grin.
"I thought bait-breath must've really screwed up, yeah. But it looks like you just weren't thorough."
Before anything else could happen, the ground beneath me suddenly cracked and gave way and several enormous geysers shot out of the ground. Water flooded the crater and I used my chakra to stay atop of what was suddenly a small lake created in the middle of the desert. Through my initial shock, I managed to hear the approach of something in the water, turning to find the tip of Samehada racing towards me. I avoided its initial thrust, but not the kick Kisame followed up with as he sprang from the water. He hit the wounds on my left leg and then landed a jab across my cheek that once again sent me skimming across the ground--or in this case, lake.
"Playtime's over, kiddies."
I managed to stay above the surface of the water but my cheek and leg were throbbing. If that was any indication of his brute strength, then keeping my distance was definitely a good idea.
Stupid, stupid. This is the second time I've been stupid when handling the Akatsuki. In my rush to get Naruto, I completely ignored the fact that I should have made sure Kisame stayed out of the way. Now we were right back at Square One and I was at a stronger disadvantage than before. I was injured, low on chakra, and he now had his element to work with. Creating an entire lake out of an atmosphere as barren as the desert... I'd show my shock if I could spare the luxury.
Naruto was distracted by Deidara again, but not running anywhere this time. Fortunately he was also off the water; something I should do myself right about now.
"So you like showing off your ninjutsu too, eh?" Kisame was saying. "Then allow me to demonstrate some of mine."
It was then I noticed the hand-seals he was making. While I didn't know the jutsu, all I soon needed to know was that it was a bad idea to let it touch me. The water surged in small, located areas and shot at me like spears. I was still well enough to dodge them, but it was keeping me from attacking or doing a jutsu of my own, not to mention that this meant Kisame was skilled in long-distance combat as well and thus again cutting down my chances. The day kept getting better and better.
An explosion from the shore caught my attention, and I could see the ground beneath Naruto look like it was being uprooted. My warning was too late as I shouted it, and I could see him getting tossed by the blast up into the air. I immediately began running for him which made it easy for Kisame to nail me from behind with a jutsu, submerging me in the water.
It was part of my plan to use the opportunity to perform another genjutsu that would this time completely erase my presence, scent and all. However, Kisame performed another jutsu involving sharks made from his chakra that could sense me using my own. I was barely able to use kawarimi no jutsu in time to avoid the thrashing my replacement was given. It did buy me the time to surface without being noticed however, and I risked sneaking up on Kisame again, and embedded a kunai into the back of his throat.
This would have been much more successful and satisfying if it hadn't turned out to be a water clone. This also meant I'd given away my position and was once again on the defensive from Kisame, dodging his sword and jutsus with all of my ability, only able to spare a glance or two at Naruto who was looking worse each minute.
-----
It was then I noticed some of Deidara's explosives as they missed some of their marks and landed in the water, and the effect they had there--which was basically that they didn't. The water Kisame had created was heavy with his own chakra and seemed to decrease the damage of Deidara's bombs; not to mention the natural effect water had on dirt. If I planned this right, perhaps I could turn this partnership of theirs into our advantage after all. I'd just have to somehow let Naruto know and find the right--wait. ...That jutsu Naruto was performing... What is that?
Kisame seemed distracted by the action going on back on shore as well as Naruto began forming what looked like a ball of chakra in his right hand. I was surprised when Deidara's bird suddenly broke into numberless pieces, and I then realized it hadn't been a bird at all but a clay explosive itself. And now all of its parts where coming down on Naruto in a deadly hail. Again I called out to him, but again too late as the shoreline became a dust cloud of blasts. I was even more shocked however, when Naruto and Deidara suddenly burst forth from the cloud, the jutsu burying itself into Deidara's chest.
Was it possible? Did he really win? Was Naruto really this strong...?
My thoughts were cut short however when the jutsu ripped out through the other side, sending bits of mud flying from "Deidara". A clone.
The hole Naruto made in the clone's chest suddenly resealed around his arm, trapping him to one very large and deadly bomb. Not too far away, the real Deidara was grinning.
"Hey! Don't go killing him just yet! We need that youma alive, remember!" Kisame shouted.
"Don't worry, yeah. I'll make it just enough to keep him out. Yeah."
-----
I took off running for Naruto, catching Kisame's attention. Good. Screw careful planning. It was now or never to make this work.
As I hoped, Kisame sent another jutsu after me. I was close enough to the shore and Naruto to let it follow me. I wouldn't have time to pull Naruto out of the clone, so the next best thing I could do was cut it up. Using shuriken, I sliced the portion holding Naruto's arm free, and while his arm might still take a hit, it wasn't going to be nearly as bad. As soon as I reached Naruto, I pulled him away from what was left of the clone. There was only enough time to shield his body with my own as the water jutsu impacted at the same time the clay exploded.
It was in that split-second I vaguely became aware that this would probably hurt a lot.
The result was mixed; the attacks were both heightened in intensity together, but their damage wasn't as great. Using the clone's body as cover helped as its blast was both dampened by the water while the shockwave of it also acted as a sort of barrier from it. Naruto's arm was being held away from us, but the clay on it still exploded as well. I managed to keep the rest of him from feeling the blast, but ended up taking the brunt of it, as well as the clone and what damage of the water jutsu was able to get through.
I was in bad shape now. I knew it, but I also knew I couldn't recognize it. At times like these, a shinobi has to push away all pain and focus on the battle. Forcing myself up, I looked down at Naruto to see if he was okay. Even with his arm in that condition, he was more concerned about me. Heh, I couldn't help but be amused. If he has the energy to be that worried, he should be alright. The only problem now was to get him to follow orders.
-----
"Listen to me Naruto," I said, as I concentrated on steadying my breath and balance, turning back to the Akatsuki who were caught in a small squabble again about interrupting one another. "You need to find Jiraya-sama. I'll cover you and take care of these guys."
"But--!!"
"Listen to me! I'm not asking you to run away out of fear! But these men, the Akatsuki, are dangerous. No doubt Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama have already told you the reason Akatsuki is after you. They're after the Kyuubi. You can't let them get their hands on it, Naruto. No matter what happens. If men like them get control over the power of the Kyuubi, they will use it for their own selfish purposes. They could not only endanger all of Konoha, but other countries as well."
It had never really struck me until then, but in the moment, I realized how perfect Naruto was to hold the responsibility. Despite his grades, pranks, ignorance, or reputation, he really was a good kid. He had a determination to keep his word and fight for others. Anyone with more self-serving ambitions who discovered that they had such power sealed within them might have made Konoha itself a more fearsome place to live. This boy, Naruto... he really is.....
"Right now they have too high an advantage over us," I continued gravely. "For you to stay and fight would only be letting them win. You won't be a coward for running away from them. In fact, you should be seeing it as your duty. If nothing else, as your superior officer, I'm making it an order! The way for us to win here is to not let them acquire what they're after. Do you understand, Naruto?"
"...Yeah, I understand."
And before I could breath a sigh of relief, he continued:
"I understand that as long as they're too beat up to get what they want, we'll win!!"
I wanted to rip my hair out. Fixing my best glare, I turned around to let him really have it...and froze dead in my tracks as a familiar malice-filled chakra invaded my senses. Naruto's once blue eyes had turned red, the marks on his face growing long and dark, and his nails coming to sharp, claw-like tips. And I do believe his wounds are healing...
The Kyuubi. I've seen Naruto control this chakra before; the first time during the Chuunin Exams a year ago, and at a couple of the exams since then--but never have I been this close. And just like always, the mere vibe of the chakra stirs up memories of that terrible night so many years ago. But...
I don't know why, but I feel calm. Our circumstances would call for any other feeling but calm, however. We're out-classed, they're in the advantage, I'm still shaking off the pain from my injuries, and if Naruto loosed control at all then we're all doomed. Yet for some reason... when I'm watching this kid... I feel stronger. I want to try harder. I want to win.
Perhaps Hinata really has something here after all.
-----
Before Naruto could charge forward again, I put my hand on his shoulder and told him that our best chance now was to fight together. I also told him of the cancellation effect their jutsus had on one another and that we should base our strategy on that.
Naruto's chakra had recaptured the attention of our two opponents, and we both readied ourselves for what was sure to be our last stand.
Time for Round Three.
-----
OOC: Okay, I'm aware I fudge a little with some of the jutsus. For example, Kisame's created a lake in the mange by spitting it out of his mouth, whereas here I have it coming from underground. I justify that will how we are unaware of Kisame's entry location until he's attacking Kurenai, in which case, he was in the water already. So it's possible he was underground and spat it out there for all we know.
Also, I wrote out a bit of the Naruto vs. Deidara fight and will be posting that for the involved players back on our plot thread on narutorpplot. Make sure you sign in as your player to view it.
Aurg, again, I meant to get farther than this in a post. *sghs* Another post will go up later tonight. By tomorrow morning, Kurenai and Naruto will be back in Konoha. Sorry for taking so many liberties! If someone has a big problem with it, let me know and I'll try and work things out. Thanks!
Naruto was looking pretty beat-up, but the look in his eyes was still full of spirit. This was both good and bad since he was well-enough to run away, but likely still stubborn enough not to. I landed on the other side of Deidara, who was hovering just above the ground, so as to divide his attention and surround him. Fighting was still not supposed to be the objective however, and I tried again to order Naruto to retreat. I wasn't very surprised when he refused but I was getting frustrated with his thick-headedness. There's a big difference between running away from duty and simply avoiding a bad situation that will only be made worse by provoking it.
Deidara seemed concentrated on me for a moment, which was preferable, but suddenly grinned. It's never good when these guys grin.
"I thought bait-breath must've really screwed up, yeah. But it looks like you just weren't thorough."
Before anything else could happen, the ground beneath me suddenly cracked and gave way and several enormous geysers shot out of the ground. Water flooded the crater and I used my chakra to stay atop of what was suddenly a small lake created in the middle of the desert. Through my initial shock, I managed to hear the approach of something in the water, turning to find the tip of Samehada racing towards me. I avoided its initial thrust, but not the kick Kisame followed up with as he sprang from the water. He hit the wounds on my left leg and then landed a jab across my cheek that once again sent me skimming across the ground--or in this case, lake.
"Playtime's over, kiddies."
I managed to stay above the surface of the water but my cheek and leg were throbbing. If that was any indication of his brute strength, then keeping my distance was definitely a good idea.
Stupid, stupid. This is the second time I've been stupid when handling the Akatsuki. In my rush to get Naruto, I completely ignored the fact that I should have made sure Kisame stayed out of the way. Now we were right back at Square One and I was at a stronger disadvantage than before. I was injured, low on chakra, and he now had his element to work with. Creating an entire lake out of an atmosphere as barren as the desert... I'd show my shock if I could spare the luxury.
Naruto was distracted by Deidara again, but not running anywhere this time. Fortunately he was also off the water; something I should do myself right about now.
"So you like showing off your ninjutsu too, eh?" Kisame was saying. "Then allow me to demonstrate some of mine."
It was then I noticed the hand-seals he was making. While I didn't know the jutsu, all I soon needed to know was that it was a bad idea to let it touch me. The water surged in small, located areas and shot at me like spears. I was still well enough to dodge them, but it was keeping me from attacking or doing a jutsu of my own, not to mention that this meant Kisame was skilled in long-distance combat as well and thus again cutting down my chances. The day kept getting better and better.
An explosion from the shore caught my attention, and I could see the ground beneath Naruto look like it was being uprooted. My warning was too late as I shouted it, and I could see him getting tossed by the blast up into the air. I immediately began running for him which made it easy for Kisame to nail me from behind with a jutsu, submerging me in the water.
It was part of my plan to use the opportunity to perform another genjutsu that would this time completely erase my presence, scent and all. However, Kisame performed another jutsu involving sharks made from his chakra that could sense me using my own. I was barely able to use kawarimi no jutsu in time to avoid the thrashing my replacement was given. It did buy me the time to surface without being noticed however, and I risked sneaking up on Kisame again, and embedded a kunai into the back of his throat.
This would have been much more successful and satisfying if it hadn't turned out to be a water clone. This also meant I'd given away my position and was once again on the defensive from Kisame, dodging his sword and jutsus with all of my ability, only able to spare a glance or two at Naruto who was looking worse each minute.
-----
It was then I noticed some of Deidara's explosives as they missed some of their marks and landed in the water, and the effect they had there--which was basically that they didn't. The water Kisame had created was heavy with his own chakra and seemed to decrease the damage of Deidara's bombs; not to mention the natural effect water had on dirt. If I planned this right, perhaps I could turn this partnership of theirs into our advantage after all. I'd just have to somehow let Naruto know and find the right--wait. ...That jutsu Naruto was performing... What is that?
Kisame seemed distracted by the action going on back on shore as well as Naruto began forming what looked like a ball of chakra in his right hand. I was surprised when Deidara's bird suddenly broke into numberless pieces, and I then realized it hadn't been a bird at all but a clay explosive itself. And now all of its parts where coming down on Naruto in a deadly hail. Again I called out to him, but again too late as the shoreline became a dust cloud of blasts. I was even more shocked however, when Naruto and Deidara suddenly burst forth from the cloud, the jutsu burying itself into Deidara's chest.
Was it possible? Did he really win? Was Naruto really this strong...?
My thoughts were cut short however when the jutsu ripped out through the other side, sending bits of mud flying from "Deidara". A clone.
The hole Naruto made in the clone's chest suddenly resealed around his arm, trapping him to one very large and deadly bomb. Not too far away, the real Deidara was grinning.
"Hey! Don't go killing him just yet! We need that youma alive, remember!" Kisame shouted.
"Don't worry, yeah. I'll make it just enough to keep him out. Yeah."
-----
I took off running for Naruto, catching Kisame's attention. Good. Screw careful planning. It was now or never to make this work.
As I hoped, Kisame sent another jutsu after me. I was close enough to the shore and Naruto to let it follow me. I wouldn't have time to pull Naruto out of the clone, so the next best thing I could do was cut it up. Using shuriken, I sliced the portion holding Naruto's arm free, and while his arm might still take a hit, it wasn't going to be nearly as bad. As soon as I reached Naruto, I pulled him away from what was left of the clone. There was only enough time to shield his body with my own as the water jutsu impacted at the same time the clay exploded.
It was in that split-second I vaguely became aware that this would probably hurt a lot.
The result was mixed; the attacks were both heightened in intensity together, but their damage wasn't as great. Using the clone's body as cover helped as its blast was both dampened by the water while the shockwave of it also acted as a sort of barrier from it. Naruto's arm was being held away from us, but the clay on it still exploded as well. I managed to keep the rest of him from feeling the blast, but ended up taking the brunt of it, as well as the clone and what damage of the water jutsu was able to get through.
I was in bad shape now. I knew it, but I also knew I couldn't recognize it. At times like these, a shinobi has to push away all pain and focus on the battle. Forcing myself up, I looked down at Naruto to see if he was okay. Even with his arm in that condition, he was more concerned about me. Heh, I couldn't help but be amused. If he has the energy to be that worried, he should be alright. The only problem now was to get him to follow orders.
-----
"Listen to me Naruto," I said, as I concentrated on steadying my breath and balance, turning back to the Akatsuki who were caught in a small squabble again about interrupting one another. "You need to find Jiraya-sama. I'll cover you and take care of these guys."
"But--!!"
"Listen to me! I'm not asking you to run away out of fear! But these men, the Akatsuki, are dangerous. No doubt Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama have already told you the reason Akatsuki is after you. They're after the Kyuubi. You can't let them get their hands on it, Naruto. No matter what happens. If men like them get control over the power of the Kyuubi, they will use it for their own selfish purposes. They could not only endanger all of Konoha, but other countries as well."
It had never really struck me until then, but in the moment, I realized how perfect Naruto was to hold the responsibility. Despite his grades, pranks, ignorance, or reputation, he really was a good kid. He had a determination to keep his word and fight for others. Anyone with more self-serving ambitions who discovered that they had such power sealed within them might have made Konoha itself a more fearsome place to live. This boy, Naruto... he really is.....
"Right now they have too high an advantage over us," I continued gravely. "For you to stay and fight would only be letting them win. You won't be a coward for running away from them. In fact, you should be seeing it as your duty. If nothing else, as your superior officer, I'm making it an order! The way for us to win here is to not let them acquire what they're after. Do you understand, Naruto?"
"...Yeah, I understand."
And before I could breath a sigh of relief, he continued:
"I understand that as long as they're too beat up to get what they want, we'll win!!"
I wanted to rip my hair out. Fixing my best glare, I turned around to let him really have it...and froze dead in my tracks as a familiar malice-filled chakra invaded my senses. Naruto's once blue eyes had turned red, the marks on his face growing long and dark, and his nails coming to sharp, claw-like tips. And I do believe his wounds are healing...
The Kyuubi. I've seen Naruto control this chakra before; the first time during the Chuunin Exams a year ago, and at a couple of the exams since then--but never have I been this close. And just like always, the mere vibe of the chakra stirs up memories of that terrible night so many years ago. But...
I don't know why, but I feel calm. Our circumstances would call for any other feeling but calm, however. We're out-classed, they're in the advantage, I'm still shaking off the pain from my injuries, and if Naruto loosed control at all then we're all doomed. Yet for some reason... when I'm watching this kid... I feel stronger. I want to try harder. I want to win.
Perhaps Hinata really has something here after all.
-----
Before Naruto could charge forward again, I put my hand on his shoulder and told him that our best chance now was to fight together. I also told him of the cancellation effect their jutsus had on one another and that we should base our strategy on that.
Naruto's chakra had recaptured the attention of our two opponents, and we both readied ourselves for what was sure to be our last stand.
Time for Round Three.
-----
OOC: Okay, I'm aware I fudge a little with some of the jutsus. For example, Kisame's created a lake in the mange by spitting it out of his mouth, whereas here I have it coming from underground. I justify that will how we are unaware of Kisame's entry location until he's attacking Kurenai, in which case, he was in the water already. So it's possible he was underground and spat it out there for all we know.
Also, I wrote out a bit of the Naruto vs. Deidara fight and will be posting that for the involved players back on our plot thread on narutorpplot. Make sure you sign in as your player to view it.
Aurg, again, I meant to get farther than this in a post. *sghs* Another post will go up later tonight. By tomorrow morning, Kurenai and Naruto will be back in Konoha. Sorry for taking so many liberties! If someone has a big problem with it, let me know and I'll try and work things out. Thanks!