Team Takumi (3)
Pov: Takumi Uchiha.
An expected outcome- Saburo Mori has trained well under me, it only upsets me that his reputation will not rise as much as it should have, due to the carelessness of his opponent. I am as always... lacking care for such a thing, but I know my student dreams of a grand future- filled with heroics and adventure.
"He fought well... when did he get so strong?" Yu asks me.
"You have been watching him train- and you did not realise?" I turn to Yu and ask as Saburo celebrates.
"It feels unnatural- Shinobi do not grow this fast, it feels as though I blinked and that average Chunin I met became... Jonin worthy" Yu explains.
"Chunin are strong- never underestimate them, the only thing that they lack is experience and power" I tell him.
"Experience and power do a lot" He replies.
"I rely entirely on skill. And you have very pointed opinions on my resume, specifically the experience part" I retort.
...
"Fair enough. But that does not explain Saburo's power- your skill" He asks again.
I am an almighty Emperor from another land who had mastered his life force and became so skilled that the whole world feared even my name, I- a man at the end of his story am now giving my attention to exactly one mortal man who has been training and dreaming of growing strong since his youth. With my experience and knowledge added onto that passion... it would be difficult for me if he couldn't reach Jonin level after all this customized training.
"Hn. It doesn't does it?" I ask back.
...
"It is your time to shine- do you believe yourself capable?" I tap his shoulder.
"I have no idea. I am lacking compared to other Hyuga... not even considering the strong Ninja of my clan" He grunts in return.
"The mission you went on a month ago was A-rank- and you ran head first, bringing it's completion, you think you lack strength?" I question him.
"Hatake covered our ass- without him I would have died thrice over, I saw him save my life multiple times... he actually pulled more weight than you usually do" Yu leans on the bars and stares across the arena, meeting his gaze with the opponent he will be facing.
"Stop that" I command.
"Stop what?" He sighs.
"Doubting yourself- it does not suit you" I frown at him.
"Aren't you always pondering, regretting and in need of purpose? What's wrong with me doubting myself?" He turns to face me.
"I have the time to think, to reflect- to grow. You however lack that time. I am telling you what you can do, stop doubting and start yelling- your voice was meant to be heard, your mind was never a calm one and I am almost entirely sure that a few loose screws in that head of yours... merely let you be yourself for the first time in your life. When I see you rage I see a man growing out of his shell, I see a man breaking his chains and rising to a height he has never climbed to- When you are crazed... I see the burning fire behind your eyes. The life that kindles within... the being that was meant to be" I lecture.
"Break my chains... that's not in the cards for me" Yu scoffs.
"I don't care what cards you have- flip the table and start a brawl, do not play to the rules unless you wish to become just another head in the crowd" I shake my head at him.
...
"Yu Hyuga- it is your turn to fight!" The announcer calls.
...
"I- You don't get it, you never stick your nose into other peoples business so you would never know... I am born to serve Captain. And that is all I will ever amount to, my revenge is just some sweet dream to cling to" He lowers his head and jumps off the balcony.
Born to serve?
"Yu" I walk to the balcony and peer down to him.
He looks towards his opponent and takes a calm breath.
...
"Yu Hyuga versus- Masaru Hyuga! Start!" The announcer calls.
---
Pov: Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hiruzen. I was wondering where you have been" Danzo walks over to my seat.
"Danzo... I heard through the grapevine that Takumi was defending his right to keep a team- thought I should watch, it is not every day the 'Lazy Uchiha' shows off his work" I smile at my old friend.
He takes a seat next to me and looks down at the arena, the next match about to start.
"Did you spread the word of this? I heard it was a private event until the Uchiha and Nara clans asked to be invited" Danzo asks me.
"No- But I do believe Shikaku had something to do with that, I heard about this from him after all" I answer.
"Hmm- must be interested in Takumi, we did keep dragging the boy through a multitude of tasks after all" Danzo chuckles.
"That we did... Lord fourth has been much more lenient than I... I feel ashamed that I did not let him go, I should have handed over my hat to the next generation ages ago" I admit.
"Don't be so harsh on yourself, the boy was talented and unusually so... He rivals lord fourths talents- such a young age and stronger than his entire generation" Danzo holds his chin in thought.
"All children go through their phases- you can not blame yourself for merely thinking his laziness was momentary, what you did would have set him up to be a top shinobi of the leaf" Danzo consoles me.
"I will say, I am glad he was put in charge of other shinobi at least- look at how well he forged his team, did you see Saburo's fight? Unique application of Takumi's technique to improve upon his own, storing speed to unleash in one full blow. Impressive, the technique's Takumi comes up with" I nod my head and watch the match between Hyuga begin.
"I agree whole heartedly, if I was lord fourth I would have given him a job teaching shinobi- if he produces results like this he could take as much time as he wanted off" Danzo laughs.
"No controlling that boy and his naps anyway- might as well give him them as a kind gesture" Danzo calms down from his laugh.
...
I smile and watch the fight.
A Lazy Uchiha- I would have never thought to see the day...
---
Pov: Yu Hyuga.
"Are you going to pull out that sword?" My opponent asks.
...
I lower my hand to my sheathe and pull out the rapier- pointing it towards my enemy. I would surely fail if I relied on the Hyuga techniques I know.
I furrow my brow and take a breath.
I don't know how to approach- Takumi drilled into me a Iwa fighting style so much it felt like I was cheating when facing them, I memorized their most commonly used jutsu, taijutsu and flaws within their techiques. But now... I am facing an enemy I do not know.
It is like scoring full marks on a test because I cheated- and being confronted with a surprise pop quiz only to fail tremendously, I feel like a fraud- a fake, I am not like Saburo who has mastered the foundation of his power... I leaped through only one branch on the skill tree.
"I will not give you time like Daigo has done" He states and dashes forward- his body blurs.
Are my eyes shaking- or am I just that incapable of predicting his moves?
Calm yourself focus- calm-
*Clang!*
He smacks my blade out of the way and I step back to dodge his next set of blows- barely weaving away... before bumping into the wall behind me- *JAB!* A punch reaches my gut and I bend over in pain.
He isn't even using Hyuga techniques... this is a much simpler taijutsu... I need to focus up.
*Swish- Slash- Swooosh!*
Three deadly strikes beat me a path forward- daring to cut the shinobi in front of me down.
But he doesn't get hit once- mirroring the last battle where Daigo couldn't touch Saburo... now I am unable to touch Masaru.
"Is this all? I expected better considering Saburo's performance... I had heard you were ruthless against your enemies, are you holding back? Please go all out, I would request such an action" He asks me calmly as he side-steps my blade and kicks my shin.
I topple to the ground and another kick strikes my jaw- sending me sliding across the dirt.
...
I need to... calm down... take it step by step- I am a Hyuga, I am calm and I am controlled- I must not ruin our image.
I pull myself up and block two strikes as they approach me with a flurry, I am continuously barraged by blows and pushed back- on my heels and always drifting from my position- every strike controls my every move... I feel like cattle being herded along the road.
I feel... pathetic. This is just a humiliation ritual for me.
*Clang*
Masaru kicks my rapier high into the air as I fall on my back- his perfectly straight legs stand like a pillar... before bending down to stand normally, he catches my sword as it descends and throws it into the dirt.
"I am sorry for this. But it will be good for you to cool off working in the compound, take some time to rest... and breathe" Masaru comments.
...
"Ha..." I let out a dry laugh, as my eyes start to water.
Just a dream, nothing more- the second the Hyuga wanted me back there was nothing I could do to fight it, much like in this fight I am helpless when it comes to the demands of my clan.
"Come on! Get up YU! You got this!" I hear Saburo's voice break into my head.
I can't. I don't.
"Put on a show at least!" I hear a random person from the seats shout.
I am unable to fight Masaru, this is all that I am.
"Do you surrender Yu Hyuga?" The announcer asks.
...
"I..." I take one last deep breath and begin to raise my hand.
"Yu" I hear my captain and look up, the insufferable brat still retains that bored look on his face.
He holds up his hand and performs three hand signs- not for ninjutsu... no- these are the directional signs Saburo uses, and that I have mastered myself.
'2' the first sign is time, seconds- 2 seconds.
'Hard-Left' The second sign is direction, it amazes me that Saburo can process these directions so fast.
'Tibia' The third one is a target- he signs for the tibia.
...? What is he...?
I look to Masaru, my hand still wavering upwards.
My head replays my defeat- I think about it a million ways over, think about where I am right now... 2, hard left, tibia.
2, hard left, tibia.
...
"I would like to request another chance" I ask humbly.
"Seeing as Saburo did the same, it is only fair" Masaru picks up my blade and throws it to me.
I catch it and stand- focusing on those signs.
2- Hard left- Tibia.
Masaru charges at me- my eyes bulge as the Byakugan activates and I focus on as much of his presence as I can.
After the second step he takes my mind suddenly clicks into place- I stop caring about focusing or holding my posture- I stop caring about politics and my place within this clan. No- all I focus on is Masaru's left leg.
An opening. He spotted one, and gave it to me.
But how... he... that is impossible.
*Swish-*
I step forward and lunge- blade pointed to his left leg, I go as fast as I can which is painfully slow compared to my teammates and Masaru himself. But that does not matter, Takumi has proven to me time and time again that skill can beat speed- prediction can overcome swiftness.
Masaru jumps up into the air- switching taijutsu stance immediately, all props to the Jonin, he saw me aim for a weakness and stopped using that Taijutsu with his next breath.
Jonin. Another league of Shinobi entirely.
*TING~*
My blade rings as I use it to block Masaru's attack- he leaps off my blade and slides down onto the ground beneath him, throwing two kunai at me- to which I deflect thanks to my specialised training.
*Bam!*
He kicks me across the side as I deflect the second kunai- he is much quicker than me, I need to set up my next block after every block I make consecutively- and only after I predict my next few blocks can I even consider attacking at all.
I slide across the dirt but keep myself standing- using my rapier to deter attacks instead of blocking them, pointing it's sharp edges at his attacking points- the kick based taijutsu he is using now has very limited ways to attack, so I can keep up with my deterrents and blocks.
I manage to block multiple attacks- only due to the help of my Byakugan.
...
How does Takumi do this? Predicting an entire battle before it happens... he can listen to a single step and know more about your attack pattern than you. How? I am barely able to keep up- how is he staying ahead- I block and block and block and block! So HOW! HOW DOES HE DO IT!? I CAN'T GET A THOUGHT IN PAST THE BLOCKING I AM DOING- HOW CAN I ATTACK- HOW DOES HE DO IT!
*Crash-*
I use my arm to block one kick- coating it in chakra to best disperse the impact as best I can before slashing back with my rapier- keeping my aggressive approach to the defence I have been doing.
Am I shouting!? Calm yourself- this isn't one of them- Why am I SO ANGRY all the damn time! WHY THE HELL IS THIS SIMPLE DUEL GETTING TO ME!? WHY IS THIS ANGER ON MY MIND WHEN I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS-
*Slash-*
Masaru receives a small scratch across the top of his foot and steps back once.
...
'When I see you rage I see a man growing out of his shell, I see a man breaking his chains and rising to a height he has never climbed to- When you are crazed... I see the burning fire behind your eyes. The life that kindles within... the being that was meant to be'
Takumi's words linger on my mind.
'The being that was meant to be'
I am meant to be crazy?
Why am I better at fighting when I am stirring up anger- as opposed to when I am thinking about my next move- being tactical and level headed?
*WOOOSH-*
A kick comes dangerously close to my head and I reel back- my face instantly grimaces as I barely weave out of the way, the veins in my arms bulge- I can feel the blood rushing up my neck- the heat dripping off my face as I stop thinking and start feeling.
Something within me clicks- as if it was out of place until just now. One thought unifies my mind.
I AM GOING TO PROVE MY WORTH- BREAK MY CHAINS- FLIP THE TABLE!
*Slash- Swish- STAB!*
My blade rings out with that same anger- my body may be slower than Masaru... but with the rage that fuels my flickering wrists... I am able to keep him on my toes- I push forward, he switches stances immediately and retaliates with impressive force- palm based attacks that send my strong armed rapier backwards- pulling my arm and stretching it behind my body, muscles aching,
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
And my arm pushes right back- begging for my opponents blood- For Masaru's blood!!!! MY TARGETS BLOOD!
---
Pov: Ken Hyuga.
...
What bloodlust... one must normally consume chakra to release bloodlust in such a physical form... but he commands the very essence of killing intent- his craze has lifted him beyond his level.
Masaru... he has not used his eyes or any Ninjutsu- not even the Hyuga clans main taijutsu... but he will be forced to do so soon. I brought him out because not only is he a Jonin, but also an Anbu member- having both those titles at the same time makes you a very deadly force within the village... I should know from my time as an Anbu.
And Yu being capable of forcing Masaru into taking him even a mote more serious... added onto Saburo's performance would indeed give Takumi enough sway with those who know Anbu Shinobi- the truly powerful of the village, to hold his team- which I cannot allow. I expected Masaru's title to not be much hinderance... But it seems this whole duel got publicly displayed for all the clans to see.
...
I am glad I prepared myself to do this, just in case.
My arms folded behind my back- I perform a hand sign that activates the seal on Yu's forehead.
He flinches and I release the sign immediately, just enough to give Masaru some leg room- the only person on the lookout for my interference would be Masaru... And he knows to stop the duel upon seeing me use that Young Hyuga's 'cage'.
*WHAM-*
Masaru leaps forward and grapples Yu to the ground- in one moment Masaru takes his win by kicking the blade away and pushing Yu's face deep into the dirt... the same face that loses all emotion upon realisation hitting him.
"Masaru Hyuga! Victor!" The announcer calls and I clap my hands delighted, as do many other ninja within the stands.
...
I am sorry Yu. This is for the best.
---
Pov: Yu Hyuga.
...
"How are you feeling? You did much better in the second half, I think if you work on your instincts some more maybe you could have forced Masaru's hand a little more" Saburo offers his advice.
...
"Why you so silent? You are not on Masaru's level, no need to stress about losing. My win is enough right? We tied..?" Saburo looks over at Takumi.
"You flinched" He states.
...
I frown.
"You don't flinch. Not in that state you were in- that is not possible" Takumi looks down at me, as I sit on my chair.
"I think they want you out there Takumi- to discuss why the team should be in your hands" Saburo nudges his captain.
"I... messed up" I scowl at myself.
"You. Do. Not. Flinch" Takumi commands every word to be intimidating, glaring through my eyes to see the man beneath.
...
"Born to serve- that is what you said, explain" He orders me.
... I turn my head to outside- where Elder Ken is giving a speech against us... me being in this team.
"Did he do something?" Takumi asks another question.
...
"Yu. Answer me, now!" Takumi commands me.
I look back at him and slowly untie my headband.
"Sorry. I gave you false hopes... I am not- I was never going to be a part of this team truly... I am born to serve the Hyuga clan" I answer.
"I did not request an apology Yu. Information. Now" Takumi looks dangerous- as if he is going to explode... no longer pretending to be bored.
I have never seen him so angry before... have I seen him angry?
"This seal signs my servitude to the clan- he used it to make me flinch..." I sum it up with a dry throat.
"Slavery?" Takumi flicks his red eyes into the sharingan, Two Tomoe circle his dark pupil.
"... It is the branch-families duty to protect the main family, these seals stop our enemies from collecting our Dojutsu" I explain further, choking up.
"Slavery" He states, no longer questioning me.
...
"Hey... Captain, what are you going to do?" Saburo asks with worry- usually he never doubts his precious captain.
Takumi drops his coat and his weapons sealed within the scrolls- before lowering his hand to me.
"Your sword, Yu" He grits out words between his closed teeth.
I offer my rapier and he grips it tightly before walking to the balcony. Descending into the arena.
"He knows he was asked to debate right? He isn't meant to fight today at all?" Saburo gulps.
...
What is he doing?
Thank you for reading this chapter! I might not have one ready for next week- so if a chapter is not released on the 13th it will definitely be released on the 20th! Sorry for leaving it on a cliff hanger like this, was not intentional!!! :)