To say Zabuza had no idea what was going on was like saying the earth is round. It was true, people knew it was true, but you just couldn't see it. Zabuza was calm as he tried to wrench his sword free.
Naruto made a fist. The chakra-claw closed around the blade and squeezed.
What Zabuza got out didn't look much like a sword anymore. It was bent and twisted and wrenched and just generally useless.
Naruto looked himself over slowly, idly. "Wow," he said calmly. "This chakra's pretty strong." His hands were developing claws. That was interesting.
Zabuza didn't disagree. He knew a bunch of jonin that had weaker chakra than what was just spilling out of the boy. He wasn't even using it; it was just evaporating into the air to create that aura around him. He should have died from the strain of that alone. Instead, Zabuza could see his wounds healing. This time, the fear was no act. Whatever this kid was, he was powerful enough that going in without a plan, let alone his favorite weapon, was a bad idea.
Not that he had a choice, Zabuza reflected. He had a contract to fulfill. He pulled a kunai.
Naruto smirked at the weapon. "You think a kunai will save you?"
"It ain't the weapon, boy," Zabuza said with forced disinterest. "It's the ninja." He pulled a shunshin, combined with three water clones, and moved in on Naruto.
Naruto smirked and made a sign. "Taju kage bunshin no jutsu," he growled out. With a mighty poof, for every Zabuza there were now ten Naruto, all glowing with the red chakra. As one, forty throats howled a battlecry. It was a shrill howl, not quite a shriek, unsettling and strange, and unquestionably foxy.
Zabuza's clones fought well against the onrushing horde. Each Zabuza to fall took out a dozen Narutos with a mix of ninjutsu and taijutsu that pegged him solidly as an elite jonin. The dust and smoke settled to leave Zabuza facing just three clones and Naruto himself. He was surrounded, and Narutos rushed in. He substituted with a log which was quickly smashed to pieces. One of those pieces had an explosive tag.
Zabuza smiled at the explosion and threw kunai at the only Naruto left. He made some handsigns and collected the water from his clones into three lashing whip-tentacles.
Naruto growled and swiped the air, batting away the jutsu with a chakra-claw of his own.
Kakashi groaned and sat up, just a bit. His eyes went wide when he caught a glimpse of Naruto. NO!
The fight continued. Zabuza would stay a step ahead with technique and skill, but Naruto had control over the kyuubi chakra that surrounded him. Every move Zabuza made was countered by overwhelming force or masses of clones. Kakashi was stunned. Naruto wasn't going wild, wasn't losing control. The kyuubi was clearly making him more violent, more reactive, but Naruto had focus. And that kind of control over the chakra, without even a single tail manifesting, was unheard of. Kakashi suddenly wondered if any of the dragon slayers of old had been jinchuriki.
Naruto was almost passive in his battle. He let the rage move his body, guide his blows. His mind was clear, his goals were certain. It was kinda exhilarating, actually. This strange, dense chakra was as easy to manipulate as ice. He would wonder, later, why he didn't use any ice techniques that were his forte. Right now, though, he knew exactly what to do to beat Zabuza. More chakra. Faster.
Kakshi scowled. Naruto was guiding the chakra but he was putting out too much. The seal couldn't hold under this kind of strain for long. Maybe if the chakra was refined into a proper manifestation, but this was like trying to force more water through a tiny hose instead of opening up a pipe. At least if Jiraya-sama had been accurate in his analysis, back when sensei had…this was no time to get lost in the past!
Zabuza was running low on tricks and chakra. He knew it was only a matter of time before he made a mistake. He needed an opening…he saw Kakashi. Well, it worked once.
Naruto's eyes went wide. Zabuza lunged to Kakashi, throwing a kunai at his head with another ready. He ran to intercept and smacked the thrown knife away with a wave of chakra.
Zabuza laughed sharply and plunged the other kunai in Naruto's back…and it bent. Naruto was unhurt.
Naruto spun around and delivered an open-palm blow to Zabuza's chest. The chakra around him cut deep wounds into Zabuza's vitals. The missing nin went down, hard, his last laugh still echoing.
Naruto shrieked another howl in victory and raised his hand to deliver a killing blow when Kakashi grabbed him.
Naruto spun, free hand raised to strike, when he came eye to eye with his sensei.
Kakashi's expression was not hard. It was not afraid. He was worried. Worried for Naruto. "Your fight is over," he said. "You won."
Naruto blinked…the chakra flickered…faded…and he collapsed, utterly spent.
Sasuke finally managed to think. He'd landed safely, but really had no time to do anything but gawk. "Is…how did…is that what a dragon slayer is?" he asked.
Kakashi looked at the sleeping Naruto. "No," he said sadly. "That was…something else."
Sasuke shuddered. Whatever it was, it was strong. If he could command such a power, That Man would stand no chance. Sasuke would learn what Naruto had done, and find a way to use it himself.
(Posted Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:04)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.