Starring:
Date: January 30, 2012
Summary:
Uchiha Issei and Uchiha Naru meet again in Sunagakure. They fight and both win, and both lose; their reward, one step towards a brighter future.
"One Step Ahead"
Sunagakure Training Fields
Finally the Chuunin cannidates were released into the open world of Sunagakure; Naru herself being trapped within the testing caverns for quite awhile now was content with the sunlight despite all the sand which she definitely wasn't use to. Rather than chilling in the shade or hitting up the local shops for food and festives Naru had went back to work. Exploring the village until finally coming across the training grounds. "Perhaps I can train here for the time being.." Naru whispers quietly to herself before getting to work, for the moment she just picked up a few kunai and plugged and chugged at a post near by, she was still getting use to the unsual enviorment…
"Geez. Ryo was right, this should be the Land of /Sand/. Kusagakure was so nice…" A figure muttered as he walked towards the training area. "Wish I were more stealthy about that mission, or at least pretend to be AWOL for a while. Even Ryo would probably go for that." He scratches the back of his head. Yep, that's Uchiha Issei. Well, between being weird, over-the-top or sometimes just outrageously generous… no, there's nothing that can be added to that.
"Oy." He suddenly says as he stops in the training area. "How the /hell/ did I get here." He goes to leave, but as he turns he spots Naru from the corner of his eye and looks towards her. "Hey, you're still alive, Naru-chan!"
Not even 5 minutes in her training and she was already being interrupted? Naru quivered her brow for the moment, feeling the slight urge to pounce and kill as she held up the butt of her kunai and aimed it in Issei's direction. An expression of irritation quickly came over Naru's face, catching on to the familiar annoying voice and the words that came out of his mouth. "Issei no baka? I didn't think you would be able to find your way to Sunagakure, did you come all this way just to see me?" She asked almost mockingly as she chucked the kunai in his direction, not necessarily to hit him but hopefully to keep him on his guard. " Of course I'm alive!"
"No, no, Uchiha Issei." Issei replied to Nara, holding his arms up defensively. "And not at all, I didn't come here to see you. And I am quite surprised to see you. Alive too!" That was either a insult or came out wrong.
He sidesteps the thrown kunai and looks towards Naru, "Are you eating enough sugar, Naru-chan? Lack of sugar leads to increased frustration."
Naru couldn't help but to sweat drop at his response… Was he truly that dense? " I was stick in a cave for a long time, perhaps more than you have ever done in your life, of course I haven't had any sugar!" She explains, expelling her fustration at him, finally letting out a tired sigh she simply shrugs her shoulders. " I guess it can't be helped, I'm smarter, tougher and faster than you… You probably came here to check me out huh? Learn a thing or two?" A wide grin finally escaped her lips as she crosses her arms along one another. " I'm glad you're not coming here for me because I didn't plan on seeing you…"
Issei makes a faked grimace and shakes his hand off, as if he got burned, "Ouch, that hurts, Naru-chan." Issei shrugs, "So you're faster, smarter and tougher than me huh? Then how come you're still not a Chuunin?" He was almost teasing or mocking. "And I've heard you got stronger, but I guess you are just overcompensating." Issei snaps his fingers and turns sideways, "Well, if you need any pointers, let me know." It sounded more like a suggestion than advice.
"I don't need pointers from you! I'm in the chuunin exams right now…" Naru went on to complain, her hands slipped into her sides before she pulled up two thick blocks of bladed metal with a few indentions on them. " Come on, I'll show you what I have learned in all this time… I promise you will be surprised, awestruck, and defeated," She replies back with a grin, "And if you hold back, I promise I will kill you, I'll give you some pointers also if you manage to stay alive…"
Uchiha Issei looks to Naru, this time honestly surprised. "You? Kill me?" Issei turns to face her fully, "Ha. IF I stay alive?" He put emphasis on 'if'. "Why do you want to fight me so much? And you really think you attained some kind of pow—" He cuts himself off, as if considering his words carefully.
"Fine. If a fight is what you want, a fight you will get. And I won't hold back. Too much." He doesn't get in a stance or anything though, just waits for Naru as he adds, "Is this really what you want? To be the best? Something to prove?"
"Power is only supplementary, I'm going to restore our pride of the Uchiha, I'm going to become the greater Uchiha that has ever lived," she states rather boldly, keeping hold of those iron bars she began to focus, surging her body with chakra. " We fell from grace after the war years ago, I plan on bringing us back to the top… This isn't power for the sake of power," Naru concluded, she however switched into stance as she watched him carefully. " Don't hold back… I'll make you regret it,"
Issei made a grimace this time, and it was not fake. "Restore our pride? And who has asked you to do this? My pride is not hurt. Are you going to restore my pride as well? You?" He snorted and placed his hands together in a focusing seal.
"Fine, fine, do whatever you want." Issei said and dropped into a defensive stance. He figured this might be a bit chakra heavy if he was to take Naru seriously at all so prepared for that.
"You don't seem to have much pride in anything, Issei-san," Naru replies back, finally as she watched him her eyes began to become much more potent, blood red as her sharingan took form in her eyes, she kept her hands along those metal bars before finally squeezing along its indentions, suddenly they began to spread out and retract until she was literally dual wielding a fuuma shuriken in each hand. " Thats more chakra than I remember… Okay, get ready!" Finally she rolls her shoulders back and launches one of the shurikens, the trajectory of it seemed to move off to the side but coming back in a boomrange effect directly behind him, while the other came at him like a curve ball, hopefully her eyes would make his movements a bit more predictable and obtain a direct hit, while at the same time attempting to link their energy together for maniplation…
Issei watches the Fuuma Shuriken fly towards him- He was watching them very carefully, but apparently one of them slips past his defenses way too quickly. He considered the pros and cons of fighting against Naru like this, considering even she activated her Sharingan.
In the end, the result is clear, one of the fuuma shuriken strikes him lightly, and he fails to notice the chakra in his system. "No pride, Naru? I have pride. But my pride is not hurt, thus it doesn't show. Someone like you can't hurt my pride." He ran a hand across his shoulder, closing his eyes momentarily.
"But there's a lot of other things you can hurt, Naru-chan." Issei replied as he opened his eyes. Perhaps surprisingly, one might notice only two tomoe.
Issei quickly disappeared from sight, only to reappear near Naru once again in an attempt to strike her repeadetly from different positions after momentarily flickering in and out of view.
Perhaps Naru was finally becoming impressed with his strength, though her attack had hit home and he was now under the control of whatever genjutsu she decided to use, she found it interesting that his eyes had finally reacted into that of the sharingan, his movements became quick, very difficult for her to guage at first as he struck at her slicing along her shoulder blade once however soon enough the remaining blades sliced at nothing but an after image, was she truly that much faster than him? Perhaps his eyes would help see through it.
"You were holding out on me…" Naru spoke softly, this time putting her hands together, without much chakra left to do what she truly wanted to do it was apparent she needed to end things quickly if she was going to win.
" What else is there for me to hurt? You're feelings? if you were into pain why didn't you just ask for it?" She questioned, this time motioning to the katana sheathed by her side, taking it out she wielded it in a defensive stance. " I'm not the one thats aiming to hurt your pride…"
"Interesting. I know that move." Issei said as Naru's form faded from view. "So it is true that you picked up Genjutsu." He withdrew a kunai from his belt pouch and held it at the ready, but not before he stabbed himself on the back side of his palm in an attempt to break the link.
"I do not like pain. I am just disappointed." He said, but made no further move, simply waiting to see what Naru will do, and if he truely broke out from the Genjutsu.
"Keep cutting yourself up… It won't help you for long," Naru teased with a grin, this time attempting to get the best of him she dashes off directly infront of him, applying a few hand seals before launching herself directly above him. " Katon! Bakuhatsu no Jutsu!" She shouts out attempting to launch a condensed ball of fire directly upon him, mean awhile she would use the explosion as time for her to finally pickup her fuuma shuriken again, launching it off in his direction about ankle level, yet again with all the distractions a link would be attempted to be formed. " Disappointed?" Naru spoke up, seeming to be wanting a little more input than that.
The explosion kicks up dust and debris, leaving the windmill arc shuriken to strike something in there— when it clears up, it's obvious that it was a log.
"Yes, disappointed." Issei replied from the side as he threw his own Fuuma Shuriken; Only to disappear once again, and arrive before the shuriken to attempt to kick Naru in the midsection, before unleashing a huge cloud of embers and smoke that he held in all this time.
"Are you curious?" Issei asked.
It didn't seem to work as plan, though she managed to get away from the brunt of the attacks she felt herself once again surcumb to his sneaky attacks, the burns quickly burning along her body difficult to avoid by the smoke, however with her genjutsu link still in place she rolls off to the side out of the smoke and points her katana in his direction. " I'm disappointed too then," She simply states, suddenly an eruption of blades began to swirl around his body, slicing into his arms legs, chest, showering him in a series whirl wind of blades. It continued for quite some time, hopefully to lead up to devastating lost of energy soon after.
Issei watches the blades appear around him, and stab into him. He knows it's an illusion, but he apparently doesn't know the technique to surge his chakra. He tries stabbing himself again, but it does nothing; The pain does it's damage however; But soon he'll stand up and laugh it off, mentioning: "Oh, interesting."
He chucks the Fuuma shurikens at Naru once again, following that through with flickering out of sight once again in an attempt to kick at Naru's legs.
Issei's attack once again managed to slip little by little into her defenses, feeling the blade slice neatly against her flesh, however it wasn't enough to bring her out of the fight, not anymore. Rolling over to the side, once his kick had come close her body once again faded out of existence, and placed him at the center stone of her attack. " The best thing I like about genjutsu is no matter how much you tell yourself its an illusion, as long as my ability is over yours it will feel, very very real…" Naru states, suddenly once again Issei would notice the barraging blades attempting to rip him to shreds yet again, hopefully enough to drag him to his knees helplessly. "Do you want to call it quits…?" Naru spoke, appears before him once again.
There was apparently nothing Issei could do against the blades. He knew they weren't real, but as Naru put it, it was very much the way she explained. But Issei didn't appear bothered at all. He was smirking for some reason, even though panting heavily.
"Heh. Heh." There was no injury on him. Not meaningful ones, except the cut on his figure and the stab on his hand, in which he poked his finger to try breaking out of the genjutsu.
"Hubris. I like that." Issei said as he performed handseals. He looked so damn confident. He was probably making every Uchiha watching this proud. He either had a plan, or was a total idiot.
Soon enough, came a barrage of ninjutsu attacks, ranging from fire all the way to lightning. His intention with that was unknown.
The lightning was something Naru had definitely not expected, she felt her body literally be launched back by the magnitude of the attack, forcing her to slam along one of the sand dunes as she reacted quickly to his other attacks. Her body explodes into a puff of smoke replaced with a near by log as she appears not to far away, placing her hands together to pump more chakra into her body. " I forgot all about the lightning, or did you even use that on me last time?" She questioned curiously, she thought there was a reason why he was so interesting… " Don't tell me you're all burnt up already?" Naru taunted with a grin, though she was panting, sweat trickling down her brow, she wasn't really in any better condition…
"Burnt up? What do you take me for? I call this a good warm up! And it brings me great joy to see you like that." Issei exclaims as he rushes at Naru once again, doing a series of the body flickering strikes at her, attempting to beat her down it seems.
Throughout this he explains, "You asked me before why I was disappointed, right? I am disappointed because I've been looking forward to see you." By this time had already deliver the first of the kicks, "That is why I came after all." It might have sounded like a compliment if he were not shouting that part out as he punched at Naru. "And look at the welcome I got!" That part too was yelled at Naru as he finally tries to slam a knee into her mid-section.
The first kick was enough to slip through her defenses, smacking her square in the face causing her to recoil and drop to the ground, however as he attempted his chain combo her body simply faded like it normally did, only to have her not too far away from him, "What… but you just said you didn't come here to see me!" Naru exclaims yet again, this time attempting to get the best of him yet again, the blades this time would literally come up from under him, but the concept was the same, it was apparent she was fighting until there wasn't much energy left in her, but soon she would need to give it up a alittle, her panting was becoming very very heavy.
Issei falls to one knee as the 'blades' 'cut into him'. He was getting dizzy, and seeing red all over; Sweat poured over his eyebrow and down his cheek.
He chuckled as he pondered if giving up here would give Naru what she wants. To defeat Issei. He replies to her question first. "I lied." He clenched his hand into a fist.
He body flickered out of view once again, to deliver his powerful combo of attacks at his opponent once again, and one might wonder where he gets his chakra, and why he didn't use anything above D rank all this time.
After the attacks he would return to a kneeling position once again, and panting very heavily, eyes half closed, and the lower half of the tomoe visible only in the left eye.
Naru wasn't going to allow Issei to get the last laugh, though his attacks had made contact quite easily, she couldn't help but to note that his ability to fight was also depleting. Blood dripepd from Naru's wounds and bruises weere also quickly begining to form, it was quite apparent that things were going a little bit to far, but even with Naru's sustained injuries, she still had an effect over Issei, were they evenly matched? Rather than continuing the fight further though her eyes flashed, attempting to bring Issei down again by any means necessary, though without much energy left in her body she wasn't going to bother sending in a final blow. Hopefully with him forced down upon one knee she would also take a knee next to him and look him in the eye with her sharingan. " You know… You look a little cuter with those eyes…" She states plainly , more so due to her exhausted state…
Issei exhaled for a long moment, struggling to keep his eyes open. When he feels the heaviness of the jutsu press against him, he in fact takes it as a welcome excuse to fall to his knees.
As Naru takes a knee next to him, he looks to her and manages a weak smile. "Naru…" He said, breathing heavily. "I don't… like the fact… that you are… learning from someone… else." He manages somehow, panting. "I want to always… stay a step ahead of you… just a little step… so that you… always have to follow me… wherever I go… I am selfish… like that."
Naru didn't quite understand what he was saying at first, her eyes carefully scanned over his form before the drain finally had gotten to her, and even her sharingan began to fade out of existence with the extreme amounts of wear on her body. She slips forward and rests her head along Issei's shoulder blade, hopefully he had enough energy to take care of her at this point. " I'm always going to be… one step ahead of you… Issei-san," Naru whispers quietly into his ear, carefully she reaches out to grab him by the collar of his shirt. " You're going to have to start treating me like your equal…" She went on to say, finally her body gave out, and she had completely passed out on him. Once again, bested by Issei, this time with her ego intact.
"An equal…?" Issei asked as he felt Naru's weight on his back. "Sounds fine…" He chuckled as a hand reached up to his eyes. She said he looked cuter with those eyes. He was cursing himself for not showing the Sharingan earlier, but it didn't matter now. He almost chuckled as he remembered his conversation with Ryo, about how girls have a confusing effect on boys.
"Naru?" He asks when he hears that she became quiet. "… Naru?" He looked skywards, his strength draining too. "Not good… I can't move.. a muscle either…" He sniffed in defeat and used the last of his strength. He scribbled something on the ground, and then finally his sharingan too faded, and he closed his eyes.
What was it he wrote? Easy:
'Meditation training. Do not disturb.'
