Do I have to..? [open]

"Kenzo Uchiha..."

The words rang in Koaru’s head as his eyes peeled. Somehow, Koaru had gotten himself into a fight with an Uchiha, a rival dojutsu clan of Konohagakure. His eyes locked onto Kenzo’s drawn hands and saw that he commenced another string of handsigns. By the second hand sign, Koaru was doing the same. Koaru removed the chakra from his feet and made a basic clone to take his place while he slipped under the surface of the water without a splash, unnoticed by Kenzo or his clone…or so he had planned. Underwater, Koaru held his breath and swam a short distance to angle himself just right. It would only take seconds before his clone was dispersed, and would burst into a puff of cloudy smoke. This smoke could cloud the clone’s vision, even if for a second, which Koaru planned to take advantage of.

 The clone took a step forward as to strike a punch at the flaming clone speeding toward him. However, before the clone could even close its fist, a fiery attack banished the clone from existence. ‘NOW!’ thought Koaru as he launched his kunai at the clone. The knife would cut through the water and through the clone’s midsection, had it not done anything to avoid it. Counting on the fact that the clone was so focused on targeting the clone, Koaru hoped this tactic would be a success. The kunai, if successfully pierced through throught the clone would spin about and land tip first into the ground beside the pond, still a meter away from the action.

Koaru swam with speed and burst through the surface and landed on the ground. He scooped his kunai and twirled it into cutting position. He looked back with the tilt of his head to make sure the clone was dealt with. Koaru continued to formulate a plan as his eyes swiftly shifted from where the clones were once duking it out, about a meter away, and the original Uchiha, about 15 meters away. Water dripped from every article of Koaru’s clothing, as well as his hair. ‘Now that I am soaked in water, I can hopefully lessen the blow from some of those Katon techniques,’ Koaru thought as he guessed the chances of that actually being a possibility. 

[1667]

Koaru was indeed out of the water and in between the pond and the original Kenzo Uchiha. The clone had burst and spread into a red cloud, which Koaru could see thanks to his eyes. Perhaps the clone had more to it than just being completely made of fire. Koaru enveloped his hands with chakra in response, as if to commence a jutsu. Poison? Koaru clenched the bated breath he had left from being underwater as he tightened the grip on his kunai, which he had just recently recovered. As he stood, a burst of wind overcame Koaru. Kenzo was already behind him, having zipped straight through the red cloud, leaving a trail which Koaru could see. Koaru traced Kenzo's leg all the way to his own body. It was too quick to block. Koaru grimaced in pain and attempted to grab the leg and loosen Kenzo's footing. Whether Koaru's hand actually made contact with the leg was unclear, but Koaru could not hold his ground. The force of the kick, comparable to being hit by an elephant, had sent Koaru flying some 10 meters toward the center of the pond. 

Originally, Koaru had risen from the pond and landed a meter from where the clones had dispersed. Upon landing, Kenzo came at Koaru and kicked him in a direction such as to keep him in the vicinity of the red cloud, and away from where the cloud had dissipated due to Kenzo's speedy approach. This was made apparent to Koaru when Kenzo appeared behind him, yet did not kick him forward. Kenzo seemed to this in an almost calculative manner. Now skidding along the water of pond, Koaru gained his footing and rose to his feet. He threw the kunai in his hand at Kenzo's right hip. He then clapped his hands and called for a gale of wind. The wind carried the kunai towards its destination at speed 24. Unimpressive, yet whether the kunai hit Kenzo was irrelevant. The gale of wind was also carrying the red cloud toward Kenzo and away from Koaru. Whatever the cloud did, he did not intend to stick around and find out. Koaru gasped and relished the clean air and studied for Kenzo's next move.

[2034]
-1 kunai

Everything Koaru did up until this point was a strategy he was using to survive, which was extremely and surprisingly difficult, considering his opponent looked like he still belonged in the ninja academy. His wind rienforced kunai missed its target, yet Koaru showed little dissapointment, because it was not his true intention. The continuing gale of wind suddenly burst and deformed, and the air surrounding them was still once more, stained with patches of red, cloudy chakra. Koaru observed the situation closely and eyed the boy who was currently hovering in front of him. His opponent had emit some kind of energy of his own to counter his fuuton gale palm. Judging on every technique Kenzo has used before now, Koaru probably guess that it too, was of Katon nature. Regardless, the strategy had worked. Koaru could at least take a few more deep breathes without inhaling the threatening red dust. Kenzo launched his fire style counter measure after evading the kunai, which was enhanced by the gale palm, implying that the wind had already moved some distance before dissapating. Moreover where the wind moved, so did the particles present in the air, specifically, the portion of the red cloud surrounding Koaru. The effort was just a ploy to give Koaru some breathing space, and nothing more.
 
As Koaru regained his breath, he heard Kenzo's warning. The "conditions" he spoke of must have been in reference to the red cloud. Koaru took this as confirmation that the red cloud was indeed still a threat to him. The cautious ninja took each breath with great care, ready to hold it all in at any moment. Koaru continued his inspection of the cloud, in attempt to figure out exactly what it was capable of. He saw that it only seemed to linger about the same 20 meters each way from where his clone dispersed. Koaru had already been in physical contact with the gas, and therefore deduced that it had no corrosive properties. 

Knowing Kenzo was a katon user, Koaru knew that he was at an elemental disadvantage, and lost confidence in his gale palm, his strongest ninjutsu. However, it was not completely useless in this situation, and it wasn’t something the red cloud could turn against him. From what he could see, the cloud’s power did not seem to lie in size or strength.


Kenzo instructed Koaru to run away, and even gave directions on the best route of escape, which annoyed Koaru. Koaru took a climactic stance and molded what chakra he had left.

“RUN?! Why would I run over there when all the chicks are over there?” Koaru pointed in the direction opposite Kenzo. “And they’re all waiting for me to kick your scrawny ass!”


Koaru glared at Kenzo with his off-putting, blue-green eyes. It was about time he took the offensive.

[2507]

Naturally, Kenzo wasn't one to give his opponent any openings. Kenzo's assault was a simple one, yet he was only hoping that it was enough to keep Koaru busy while the real plan continued to play out. Those orbs would swift close the space around Koaru at a speed of 70, leaving no room for speaking. The plan... it was already complete, whether Koaru had inhaled the small orbs, or not, for Koaru had decided to neglect Kenzo's warning. It was, indeed, a fair warning. It was the only warning that Koaru would get...

Koaru wrote:“RUN?! Why would I run over there when all the chicks are over there? And they’re all waiting for me to-

Those would be the last words heard before Koaru was interrupted; after all, he only had two seconds to move. Kenzo made no movements foreshadowing the sudden blaze to come. The cloud that had engulfed the two males suddenly exploded, immediately scorching the leaves that fluttered from above. The ground below was scorched, leaving only ashes were there was once grass. Futon did not make this any better, for those flaming, concentrated, microscopic, orbs simply gained destructive power from being fanned by Koaru's gale, resulting in a scorching power of 65. True, during it's initial creation, this technique was not expected to rule with decisive blows, but Kenzo's chakra was far more potent than it was during the creation of this technique. With Kenzo's current reserves even an atteck such as this one could prove to be life-threatening. 

Now, those gazing females gaped and wept as the flames hid Kenzo and Koaru from view. Those girls could only wonder what became to the two males who were likely gravely burned by the virtually inevitable explosion? Were they alright?

Koaru's insult had been cut short; the red mist that surrounded Koaru had moved it closer than he anticipated. Koaru knew he might have to hold his breathe again, but he could believe how soon it had come. The cloud approached him from behind first, as he would have seen it coming from straight ahead. The gaseous state of the unknown substance made it hard for even the Moringan to keep track of. Suddenly and without warning, the gas ignited, engulfing the entire battle field in flames. The rippling effect created trail of flame that was too quick to process. Both shinobi were engulfed. Koaru's hands, which were already in front of him pressed together in a hand seal, covered his face in response to the pain. The burning sensation came from every angle. Koaru didn't even know which way to attempt his escape. He even tried recalling where Kenzo had pointed to to make his escape. Koaru didnt dare open his eyes to look, however. Koaru yelled in anguish and fell back first into the pond below him.

Koaru transitioned from a burning world of chaos and suffering above surface, to the serenity of the blue water below surface. He drifted further underwater, every inch of his body charred from the attack. The amount of time Koaru spent in the brunt of the burning blast was even less than the time an average shinobi would leave his hand in an open flame. His reaction time (50) was decent, yet he felt like he'd spent his summer vacation in the depths of hell. Koaru let a bit of air leave his mouth, as the relief of the cooling water overcame him. The air bubble wasn't red...Koaru couldn't stand to think of his situation had he breathed the red air carelessly. He understood the jutsu now, but what good would it do? Koaru witnessed the fireworks above surface, wondering when it would end, and he questioned just who Kenzo Uchiha really was...

[2838]

Just as spontaneously as it had all began, the flames ceased to exist, leaving ash on the ground, and steam in the air. Through the thin steam, the females saw Kenzo's unscathed figure. The suspense was relieved as their eyes fell upon Kenzo, but what they did not see made the females turn purple. In Koaru's place was a pile of ash that floated upon the clear waters. Then they looked to Kenzo, assuming Koaru was dead; they feared him, loved him, and wanted to be him, but none of that would matter, for it would not happen. The power he had displayed so easily while barely lifting a finger himself made it questionable to them whether, or not he was one of the gods. Kenzo was no god; though a number of the Uchiha had been blessed with title, Kenzo had not earned it. 


"Kenzo killed him..."
"He's gone..."
"No... Kenzo destroyed him..."


The females quaked as the remainder of the flames continued to die out. Kenzo, however, was calm. He doubted that such a meager attack could have completely wiped out Koaru, but Kenzo played the part. Kenzo's sharingan deactivated, and the Uchiha male floated skyward. A simple blink had altered the state and quality of Kenzo's vision. With his thermal vision, Kenzo scanned the area, noting Koura's presence, yet never did Kenzo's eyes lock on Koaru's figure. Upon noticing the male, Kenzo said nothing. He simply began to float away towards the exit of the training grounds. If his flight was undisturbed, then, and only then would Kenzo speak before leaving. 


"Return to me when you have the power to compete. Until then, don't call yourself a real ninja."

[Exit, unless interrupted]

Koaru floated to the pond's surface, belly up like a piece of drift wood. His ears were ringing, and he had gotten used to the burns on his skin. They were minor, and a different pain took priority in comparison. Koaru felt heartache. He murmuring voices of the crowd faded through Koaru's ear and out the other. Suddenly, he was contributing to the pond's water mass. His tears slid down his pinked faced and joined the pond in its grandeur. Koaru's head tapped the pond's shore, where a kunai washed in the tide. Koaru reached for it, and let the light hit it to reflect what was behind him. His sparring partner had turned his back on him; he was leaving. He raised his trembling hand in the form of the seal of confrontation as he thought about how Kenzo initiated their match with the same seal. Kenzo had disrespected Koaru in a manner that even the girls in the crowd would be shocked at, once they noticed he was not in fact, a pile of ash. Kenzo spoke, but Koaru had not heard. Rage had deafened him. Koaru did not move, as if held prisoner by the muddy earth below him, but clenched his fist over the kunai, piercing his skin. On his blood, which now dripped on the same cheeks where tears once crossed, Koaru would see Kenzo Uchiha again, to settle the score...

+1 Kunai
[exit]

[3115 words]

+31 JP, +16 stats
learned Advanced Moringan [3000/3000]

2449 Words


+12 Stats
+24 JP


1500/1500 Spontaneous Ignition Unlocked (Heart of Fire)