Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twelve Years ❯ Chapter 4: Eternal Rival ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I am sorry this chapter is so much shorter than all my other ones. However, I wanted to post something before going out of town for spring break. Sorry, the next one will be back to normal length, I promise.

Disclaimer: Of course Naruto is not mine. Otherwise I would have a lot more money. Magone Keika, however, is a character of my own creation.

Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.28.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 372 | Status: Work In Progress

Chapter 4: Eternal Rival

We sat in a circle on mossy logs, resting for the evening. The three Konoha ninjas and I had been traveling together, darting through the trees, for the past fourteen hours and now estimated that we were a day from the small group of Sound nins.

I looked around the circle. To my right was a young Chuunin named Shikamaru who was sitting with his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees, and a bored expression on his face. His eyes were raised to the treetops is if in contemplation and, in the past day we had spent together, I do not think I had heard him say more than twenty words.

Across the circle from me was Kakashi, his mask up, forehead protector down, and his back hunched. His visible eye indicated his agitated expression covered by the mask. He gave a slight sigh and pulled out an orange book from his pocket, his eye scanning the page intently, as if trying to escape reality.

And with good reason.

To Kakashi's right and my left was Maito Gai. The last I had seen him, he had been about fourteen years old, like Kakashi. However, he had not seemed to change much since then, unlike Kakashi. I was continually wary of his bright grins, constant thumbs-ups, and random and unreasonable challenges.

Such as now.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival," he said with a flourish, breaking the tired silence with his seemingly inexhaustible voice, "have you seen my beloved student Lee lately? It is amazing how he as recovered from his surgery!" He looked to me and said in a confidential yet loud tone, "I doubt any of Kakashi's students could have done the same."

I said nothing but glanced at Kakashi, who still had not looked up from his book. Gai turned and watched at Kakashi expectantly. When the silver-haired man remained unmoving, Gai spoke in an even louder voice, repeating what he had said, "I doubt any of Kakashi's students could have done the same; you think so, Keika-san?" Though he addressed me, his eyes were fixed on the masked Jounin.

Kakashi finally glanced up from his book, his expression confused as he looked to Gai. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Gai cringed and made an anguished sound. "You have foiled me again with your hip attitude! What a worthy rival you are!"

Shikamaru heaved an exasperated sigh and Kakashi gave me a bland look, to which I chuckled amusedly, not knowing really how else to react to the situation and, especially, to Gai.

The same man was still babbling on and on. None of us paid him any mind until he announced that he would run a thousand laps in a large circle around the camp so that he would not be beaten by his rival again.

Kakashi's hand shot out and snagged Gai's sleeve as he stood. "Don't forget where we are or what we're doing," he said, his eyes now completely serious.

Gai opened his mouth, but none of us ever heard his response.

A shout of "Air Slicing Blast!" was heard and suddenly a terrible, invisible force hit us. Kakashi cursed and immediately disappeared into the trees. Gai, Shikamaru, and I crouched behind tree trunks to block ourselves from the air pressure created by the Sound nins.

I looked to my left and saw Shikamaru scramble up the tree that he had been using as a shield, a surly, annoyed look on his face. I glanced to my right at Gai and indicated with my head that we should follow the Chuunin.

There was another shout of "Air Slicing Blast" that did nothing to affect us since we were now off the ground. I did not presume we were out of the attack's range, but that the Sound nins did not know of our location.

Once we reached the branch, Shikamaru pointed where Kakashi had indicated we should go. Each of us took a tree surrounding the three Sound nins who were now visible on the ground below us.

Kakashi, several trees to my right, revealed his sharingan and pulled out two huge shuriken, saying quietly, "Windmill Double Blade." He threw the two shuriken straight down towards the ground and then, using the chakra-controlled strings to move the shuriken parallel to the ground and towards the three ninjas on the ground, attacked without giving away our location.

I watched as the ninja behind Kakashi's target raised his arms for another Air Slicing Blast, but then my eyes narrowed as he stopped moving altogether. I barely had time to notice that the man's shadow was seemingly tied to the tree in which Shikamaru was standing before I was distracted by Gai hurtling off his branch, down to the Sound nins below. At the same moment, my attention was diverted by a quick movement above me.

Blood sprayed as Kakashi's target was hit with one of the shuriken, unable to escape quickly enough. Gai landed a powerful kick on his opponent while Shikamaru's trapped victim gave an angry yell of frustration. "Stop hiding like rats, you Leaf filth!"

"I could say the same of you," I shouted with irritation, throwing a shuriken up towards where I had sensed movement earlier, creating the hand seals for the Shadow Shuriken no Jutsu. The air was suddenly thick with whirling blades and I was rewarded a moment later with a cry of pain from above me.

We continued fighting for several long minutes, continuously being ambushed by hidden ninjas just as we thought we had finally come to victory.

Kakashi, by now, was limping slightly and Gai, despite his ever-present grin, was sporting a bloody arm. Shikamaru was dangerously low on chakra and I had run out of kunai, shuriken, and exploding tags.

I was standing still a moment, catching my breath, when I sensed a presence behind me. I whirled just in time to be greeted by a fist swinging directly by my face. I brought my hand up to block the blow, but then my eyes widened in pain as I felt my balance become dangerously unstable and blood trickle out from my ear.

My opponent's fist drew back and swung towards me again. I threw up an arm to block it, but with my mind still reeling, I misjudged completely and felt it connect solidly with my left cheek.

I stumbled backwards and slipped off my branch, all the scenery rushing up past me as I fell. A voice dimly cried, "Keika!" Who…? I was unconscious before I ever hit the ground.