Naruto: Blades, Bows, and Souls

REVIEW RESPONSE:

UnitedOsprey1991: Thank you. Writing entirely original arcs is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, particularly when you're dealing with a lot of new info. I'm afraid the new sword per arc only applies to main arcs, those with a screen time of three or more chapters. This is a filler arc, just something to fill some space while I work on the next main arc.

SomthingSomethingFancy: Cause I don't like the character list.

jollybean337: Sorry, but I'm no longer accepting applications for the Zanpakutō poll.

Domonic: Thanks, and they may well appear in the future.

yiggdrasil: I can see your points, but Kakashi's character flaws cannot be ignored. I can understand his personal guilt, but that is no excuse. If anything it should push him to strengthen himself and his students to ensure that it doesn't happen again, rather than making him act like a lazy douche. Still, thanks for the praise and suggestions I hope you'll keep reading now that I'm back.

guest: It's never clearly stated, and I've decided to mess with the timeline a bit anyway.

linx007: I can see your point, and I accept the blame for that. It's mostly due to not having any minor battles in between the major, Zanpakutō awakenings, The big fights that allow the Shikai to awaken have been coming too fast for me to allow to use the older ones in any real form. Hopefully that'll change soon enough.

Wolfone10: Yes Naruto does have a variety of powers now, but they're all pretty low-level, nothing greater than C and maybe a few B-ranks. Zabuza is a jounin, the type that belts out B-rank techniques without a problem. The reason your 'peppering with arrows' plan wouldn't have worked was because the water clone would have never let him get the distance and Zabuza could still block or deflect long enough for his clone to eliminate Naruto.

To everyone else who read and reviewed thanks for your time and support.

"Normal Speech"

'Normal Thought'

"Zanpakutō Speech"

"Demon/Large Summon Speech"

'Demon/Large Summon Thought'

Jutsu, Kidō/Gintō Incantation, Kidō/Gintō Spell Name, Skill Name, Zanpakutō Ability

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Bleach, or anything else for that matter except for any original ideas.

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Chapter 24: Samurai vs. Ninja

(Maki Forest, Approaching Midnight)

A dozen men were sitting around a large campfire. The fire itself seemed to be the center of the small, ragged-looking camp. There were no tents or even sleeping mats, the only furniture being a few logs and stumps that had apparently been dragged in from nearby to serve as benches and chairs for the sitting men. The only other sign of human habitation other than the fire and the men themselves was a large metal gong hanging just outside where the men were gathered. A bit away from the main camp, just inside the reach of the firelight, a group of four horses were tied to the trees, silently munching on the grass.

The men themselves were a ragged lot, dressed in mismatched armor and carrying weapons ranging from the simple bows, knives, and hand-axes often carried by woodsmen and hunters, to eclectic and unique weapons, to a well-cared-for military-issue tsurugi (AN: A simple double-edged Japanese straight sword carried by normal soldiers, while the katana, a stronger and more durable sword, was carried by samurai) and spear set. The tsurugi and spear were being carried by the apparent leader of the group, dressed in a suit of armor nearly identical to the ones the soldiers at the governor's manor were wearing; only painted over in black. He sat on his own, close to the gong, with his eyes focused on the fire in front of him. The rest of the gathered bandits sat in small groups of three or four, talking to each other in low voices. There was a feeling of slight tension in the air, like they were simply waiting for something to happen, though not expecting it to actually come.

When the assault came it came as a complete surprise.

Over a dozen shuriken and kunai rained down on a group of four, catching three in vital spots: one fell as shuriken lodged itself into his throat, a kunai caught another one through an eye, and the third fell as one pierced the side of the head into the brain. The fourth escaped a lethal wound to the throat by bare inches, catching a shuriken in the shoulder instead of the throat, in addition to a kunai right above a knee and another shuriken cutting a gash on one of his forearms. The wounded bandit quickly tried to stand, only for a kunai to pierce the side of his neck before he could fully stand, dropping him dead to the ground.

Another group of three fell just as quickly. An arrow of light shot out of the surrounding darkness and pierced one through his chest, destroying his heart and killing him instantly. Before his companions could react a second arrow caught another of them, this time striking his head and nearly disintegrating it. Before the third could even fully stand a third arrow pierced his stomach, sending him falling forward as his body went into shock and he quickly bled out.

There were only five men left alive in the camp, a group of four men sitting near the horses, and the apparent leader. The four quickly broke away, rushing toward the horses while the leader ran for the gong, apparently intent on alerting the rest of the bandit camp to the danger.

The four bandits rushing for the horses fell quickly. One died as a kunai, launched from the treeline in the same direction they were running toward, pierced his neck. The other three didn't even seem to notice, intent on getting to the horses and the safe escaped they offered. As the last passed beneath a particular tree about halfway to the horses, a figure fell from the branches to land on top of him. The figure, revealed in the firelight as one Hinata Hyūga, lashed out with a mid-air swing kick to the back of his head before she'd even landed, sending him falling forward onto the ground. She moments after the bandit hit the ground, instantly springing forward, palms glowing with chakra as she struck another of the fleeing men in the small of the back. A knife-hand to the throat as he fell quieted any cries before they could become more than a low groan. The sound still attracted the attention of the remaining man, who slowed just enough to look back. What he found was Hinata, her hand lashing out in a palm strike that connected with the man's stomach, doubling him over before a backhand blow to the back of his lowered head sent him to the ground.

The leader ran straight for the gong, hand reaching for the hilt of his sword as he ran. However, before he was even halfway there a hand shot out of the ground, grabbing one of his knees and pulling him beneath the surface. "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu! (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique) (1)." Shikamaru's dull voice seemed to echo in the silence of the night as he pulled the running man underground, leaving only his head exposed. Before the man could scream or shout, Shikamaru appeared behind him, rising out of the earth like it was water, and slammed the blunt end of his kunai into the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

With his target neutralized, Shikamaru let out a low yawn before walking back into the firelight, quickly joined by Hinata. Seconds later Naruto and Yūgao joined them, Naruto with his bow still out and ready and Yūgao casually spinning a kunai in case one of their targets had managed to survive. Examining the fallen, she noted that, of the twelve originally in the camp, only two were still alive. In addition to the seven she and Naruto killed in the initial strike, Hinata had killed three, one from her thrown kunai; a second from a broken neck from her initial kick, and the third had asphyxiated when she collapsed his throat.

Yūgao noted the vaguely disquieted looks on her three students' faces as they looked at the grisly results of their work, but they were holding themselves together admirably. Despite each having experience killing on their own, there was a large difference between killing a dangerous opponent in the midst of battle and slaughtering cannon fodder like these bandits. They were handling it well though and Yūgao was glad she'd prepared them for it. During the trip here she'd made sure that her team realized just what crimes the corpses gathered around them had committed in life. From just the known attacks nearly a hundred men, women, and children had been killed by this group of bandits. All good honest people simply trying to live their lives; all that ended simply because of the avarice of these men and their comrades.

It had helped harden her students' hearts to what was going to happen tonight. She doubted it would fix everything; she'd be scheduling them for a psyche evaluation with the Yamanaka if it did. She expected the next few days would be spent helping her students adapt and move on from what they were going to do tonight.

That was fine. Kushina-sensei had done the same for her and her teammates after their first 'bandit hunt.' Itachi had taken it particularly hard; the young prodigy simply hadn't been prepared for the amount of death that came with these types of missions. It was ironic, in a dark and twisted way, that the boy who'd grow up to slaughter his own clan had been sick to his stomach over dealing with a few dozen bandits.

Shaking her head to clear it of such morbid thoughts, Yūgao refocused her attention on her students. "This was the last of the sentry camps. Naruto, you and Shikamaru take our two prisoners back to base camp and put them with the rest. Hinata and I are going to scout the main camp. We reconvene at the first camp in half an hour."

Naruto and Shikamaru both nodded before moving toward the two unconscious men, removing their weapons and binding them in metal ninja wire before each teen hoisted one over their shoulder, Shikamaru showing quite a bit more strain doing so than Naruto. They'd made a small base camp near where the first sentry camp they'd attacked and were using it to hold any survivors from their raids. Yūgao knew that it was a pointless gesture; these men were already as good as dead. They'd most likely be executed before the sun set on when they were handed over to the Daimyo's men. Still, she wasn't about to order her students to kill them in cold blood, it wasn't necessary and they were far from ready for anything like that yet.

While the two boys went to work, Hinata and Yūgao leapt into the woods, staying above the treeline to better avoid detection, and started moving closer to the clearing that held the main bandit camp. Right now, Yūgao's plan was for them to circle the camp while Hinata used her Byakugan to find the best places to attack. Once they met up with Shikamaru and Naruto, then the real attack would begin.

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(Roughly one hour later)

"Everyone in position?" asked Yūgao calmly as she studied the scene in front of her. She was perched on a large branch just above the treeline at the very edge of the large clearing that housed the bandits' main camp.

The camp itself wasn't much to look at, It was mostly dozens of tents filling the small clearing, most forming roughly circular groups around one of the dozens of fire pits scattered throughout the valley, with a few lean-tos and a dozen crude wooden huts mixed in. The only exception was a noticeably larger, more solidly built hut near the center of the camp next to a larger, more well-cared-for tent. From what Hinata had seen, most of the huts acted as storage buildings, holding most of the camp's food supplies and extra weapons, but the one at the center held the majority of the bandit's ill-gotten gains, mostly in the form of stolen supplies and goods that had yet to be sold. The tent next to it probably belonged to the bandit's leader; according to Hinata it held the largest chakra source in the camp, most likely the renegade samurai commander they'd been told about.

From what Hinata had seen, mixed with her own observations, there were roughly a hundred normal bandits in the camp, along with five other high chakra-sources ranging from high-genin to mid-chūnin in strength, most likely other members of the samurai patrol that had gone rogue, though they could be missing-nin recruited by the bandits. Two of the strong chakra were in tents, mostly likely asleep, while the other three were patrolling the camp, more than likely making sure none of the bandits started anything rather than for any security purposes.

It would have been better to wait until more of them were asleep or unaware, but Yūgao doubted they'd get another chance, the second they found their guard posts empty the entire camp would either dissolve and scatter or at the very least move and increase its security. Still, they had a plan.

"My group's in position sensei." stated Shikamaru over the radio, his voice as dull as ever. Yūgao nodded in satisfaction. The boy was maturing well, and seemed to have already learned how to keep himself calm when combat was imminent.

"S-same here sensei." agreed Hinata meekly, sounding more than a little nervous. Despite her growing skills, Hinata was still the most non-confrontational of her students, taking no pleasure from battle and still becoming anxious when she knew it was coming. Still, the girl was getting better. Yūgao doubted she'd ever develop a taste for fighting, but she seemed ready enough to enter the fray when needed.

"We're in position and ready to start sensei." added Naruto, sounding halfway between scared and excited. Of her team Naruto was the one who seemed to enjoy combat the most. The boy seemed to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie, getting a thrill from the danger and excitement of battle. It wasn't a bad thing for a shinobi, particularly for one like Naruto whose skills were mostly centered around combat. It was a lot better than having him become a sadist or a sociopath.

Looking around, she made sure that the half-dozen Naruto clones she'd taken with her were still in position. Their plan for the attack was pretty simple. Each of her students, plus herself, had taken a group of six Naruto clones and surrounded the camp from all sides. When Yūgao gave the signal the clones, with their bows already formed, would begin to rain arrows onto the camp. She'd instructed Naruto to have at least one clone in each group use one technique in particular, Yayakeru (Burning Arrow) (2). It was a simple Quincy technique that turned their arrows into flying explosive tags, capable of creating destructive explosions whenever they impacted a solid surface. They were to target the storage building, depriving the enemies of any extra weapons or munitions, and the tents holding the sleeping chakra sources, taking them out of the fight quickly, first before moving on to target any groupings of enemy combatants or simply target other tents and lean-tos based on the targets available. That, mixed with normal arrows targeting anything that moved within the camp, would sow a great deal chaos within the camp.

Her team would use that chaos to their advantage. Once the clones had gotten the camp into a proper state of chaos, her students would move in and begin taking out the, hopefully, panicking bandits with the clones providing cover fire to keep them from getting flanked. She had her own goal however, the bandit leader's tent. While her students were causing chaos and confusion, she'd move in and eliminate the largest threat. Hopefully the surprise and the chaos in the camp would allow her to end this quickly and she could move on to target the remaining rogues.

If not, her team had proven themselves against stronger opponents than these. Even if they had no experience fighting samurai, they'd at least be able to handle things until she could help.

"Alright, the operation begins on my mark." stated Yūgao steadily, loosening her arms and focusing her chakra, making herself ready for the battle that was about to begin. "Now!"

With that order, the night exploded in light and fire.

~~~ XXXXX ~~~

Sitting in seiza at the center of his large tent, Takemaru Momohiko contemplated his goals and the means by which he would fulfill them. He was a man in his late thirties of average height, standing a half-inch over 5'8", but with a strong, well-muscled build and tanned skin. He was still dressed in his deep red samurai armor, with only the helmet and facemask removed and resting by his side as he meditated, allowing his dark black hair, tied in a traditional topknot, and his weathered, but clean-shaven, face to be viewed in full. His tent was mostly barren, the only oddments were a weapons rack that held his secondary weapons, a naginata and yumi bow, while his main weapons, a matched pair of perfectly balanced katana, rested easily at his side. The tent even lacked a sleeping mat, mostly due to Takemaru having long mastered a samurai meditation technique that allowed him to rest while still in his armor. It was a vital skill during wartime, particularly when one had to deal with shinobi.

A scowl of distaste formed on his lips as his thought turned towards the shinobi. They were the cause of this, the reason he had to suffer the disgrace of leading this ragtag group of garbage.

Takemaru was the child of a samurai clan that served Fire Country and its Daimyo for over ten generations. He had grown up and started his own samurai training at the feet of his grandfather, who had told him stories of the Warring States Era, told to him by his own father and grandfather before him, before Hashirama Senju had built his accursed shinobi village. The constant war and battles that had ravaged that time may have been terrible for the peasantry, but for the samurai it was a glorious time. It had been a time to test and hone their skills, to lead armies to conquer or defend their nation, and to earn glory and honor on the battlefield.

A time when the shinobi had known their place; back when they were no better than the other mercenaries working from hand to mouth for whoever offered them enough gold.

But now…now things were different. The hidden villages may have brought prosperity to the shinobi and a fragile peace for the commoners, but they had robbed the samurai of their glory. Now the Fire Daimyo turned more and more often to his ninja pets, paying them to perform duties that his samurai had done for generations. The Shugonin Jūnishi (Twelve Gentleman Guardian Ninja) was a prime example of this disgraceful act of betrayal. Once the royal guard had been a group of the strongest and most fierce samurai in all of Fire, but the current Daimyo had gotten the idea in his head that it would be better to have a more varied array of guardsmen. He had recruited talented fighters from all three factions to serve as his and his family's elite bodyguards; a mixed force of twelve ninja, monks, and samurai all dedicated to protecting the Daimyo and his immediate family. The royal guard had been dismantled, its strongest members taken to act as part of the Twelve while the rest had been delegated to less important tasks. For Takemaru, who had been honored to enter the royal guard at the young age of twenty-five and had served for only a year when it was disbanded and replaced with the Twelve, it had been a final insult.

Some claimed that the time of the samurai was at an end; that now the shinobi were the strongest of the three.

Takemaru's scowl morphed into a snarl at the very thought, he would be long-dead and buried before he allowed that to occur. His plan had been born soon after he'd been reassigned to this backwater borderland. He had gathered men under him, both from the regular soldiers and the younger samurai officers, those who were also dissatisfied with the current status quo, those who wanted to change things, to bring back the days of glory before the shinobi had started stealing what was theirs by right. It had taken months of preparation, but the first part of his plan had worked perfectly. He'd arranged a border patrol containing every member he knew was loyal to him and him alone. Then, when they'd reached the mountain pass; his men had made their move, knocking out the patrol members who weren't part of their grand conspiracy. They had left them, unbound but unconscious and scattered through the campground, before he had personally triggered the avalanche that had buried those left behind, their corpses providing enough evidence to avoid anyone coming after them, as well as sealing his fellows' loyalty to him and their cause.

There was no mercy for traitors among the samurai, after all.

They'd spent the better part of the following months gathering more men, bandits and mercenaries eager to make some easy coin. They'd been told they'd be working this area for a few months before dispersing, the profits being split up and paid when the job was over, with a generous down-payment taken from the private coffers Takemaru had secretly managed to build up over the years. Takemaru snorted in distaste, as if he would hand over so much as a single coin to these lowlife savages. Once they were done here he had every intention of slaughtering the lot of them, save his soldiers and subordinates, and reclaiming the gold he'd already given them. The small fortune they had managed to accumulate would be put to a much more worthy goal than keeping this riffraff in whores and sake. No, the money they'd 'liberated' would be the seed from which his glorious revolution would grow.

Once his funds were gathered he and his men would head to Iron Country and begin gathering other samurai. He knew he wasn't the only one dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. In a few years he was sure he could gather an army, then they would strike and Konohagakure, the first shinobi village and symbol of the so-called Shinobi Era, would burn. Takemaru's face split into a fierce grin as images of the Konoha and its massive forest wrapped in an inferno while its shinobi burned and died around him flashed through his mind.

That is, until the sounds of real explosions echoed through his ears moments before an arrow, seemingly made of pure light, ripped through the side of his tent before digging into the ground several feet away from him and exploding.

~~~ XXXXX ~~~

Yūgao was rushing toward the camp before the debris kicked up from the explosions hit the earth. Her first priority was making sure the enemy commander was dead; then she'd move on to target the other major threats in the camp, hopefully before they could locate her students. The bandits were of little threat to them, even in such large numbers, but the samurai could be a particularly nasty challenge for her students to face unaided.

As she neared the remains of the commander's tent, she suddenly leapt backward, just before two large, glowing arcs of chakra ripped through the smoldering canvas, shredding it and leaving the glowering form of a samurai standing in the center of where the tent once stood, a katana firmly clenched in each hand and their blades thickly coated in chakra and glowing brightly. The samurai twisted his head, covered in a helmet and facemask and leaving only his black eyes visible, to face her.

"Shinobi." Takemaru growled, glaring at the woman in front of him. He'd barely managed to power up his Ō-yoroi Jutsu (Great Armor Technique) (3) while grabbing his helmet and mask in time. Now, seeing an embodiment of the people he'd come to despise, standing in front of him and attempting to destroy everything he'd attempted to create, his rage was immeasurable. "Die! Issen! (Flash) (4)." he roared, slashing both swords forward at once in an X pattern, the chakra flowing off his blades and forming a giant X-like mass of chakra that flew toward Yūgao.

Yūgao leapt into the air, dodging the attack while cursing under her breath. This had just gotten quite a bit harder. She'd hopped that the suddenness of the attack would be enough to take her opponent off-guard and kill him before the battle even began. Apparently she hadn't been that lucky. Now she was stuck fighting a veteran samurai, leaving her kids alone to face his subordinates.

Speaking of subordinates, several bandits had apparently noticed their leader being attacked by an outsider and were moving to help, only to be cut down by chakra arrows before they could even get close. Yūgao smiled slightly at that, Naruto's clones were apparently watching her back. While they couldn't interfere with the fight itself without risking her getting caught in the crossfire, they could at least keep the minions off her back.

Refocusing on the fight, Yūgao sent a burst of chakra into a specific seal on each of her storage bracers. In a puff of smoke, she now had a weapon clenched in each hand. In her right was a short, kodachi-style sword with a gently curved blade an inch less than two feet in length and a simple black hilt and no handguard. In her left was a jitte, a short club-like weapon measuring about a foot and a half in length with a with a six-inch long prong emerging from where the weapon's iron shaft met its handle and running parallel to the club's shaft with less than an inch of open space between them.

Flowing chakra into her kodachi, Yūgao brought it forward while moving her jitte back into a defensive position, and began weaving it back and forth, back and forth. "Konoha-Ryū Yanagi. (Tree Leaf Style Willow) (5)" Yūgao whispered beneath her breath as the air seemed to ripple around her for a moment, as dozens upon dozens of arms, each holding and waving a kodachi appeared before Takemaru's eyes, distracting him from his target.

"Ninja tricks!" the samurai spat in disgust. "That is all your kind can do shinobi, hide behind illusions and tricks! I will show you what a true warrior is capable of." He finished with an audible snarl, bringing both swords up and holding them horizontally and parallel to each other directly in front of him. "Hirogeru! (Spread) (6)" he roared bringing both out in opposite directions, releasing a broad, wave-like arc of chakra that quickly expanded until it was over thirty feet wide before it reached the spot Yūgao and her weaving arms had been moments before.

The massive arc of chakra easily cleaved through and disrupted the illusion, before continuing forward to further damage the camp and kill more of Takemaru's bandits. Of Yūgao there was no sign.

Takemaru snarled in frustration before twisting around, a dull sound of static and whistling in the air being the only things that alerted him in time to twist and bring one of his katana, still wrapped in a glowing corona of chakra, up to block a descending strike from Yūgao's kodachi, now glowing brightly and sparking with golden arcs electricity, and catching the kunoichi still in midair. Not wasting a moment's opportunity the rogue samurai brought his second sword around, aiming to bisect the former Anbu before she could recover.

The chakra-coated blade sliced through the air toward Yūgao's midriff, only to be caught between the prong and shaft of Yūgao's jitte as she brought it out in a flash. Yugao smirked as the jitte, its durability greatly strengthened by seals and reinforced with her own chakra, caught the samurai's sword and held it steady. Twisting while still in midair, Yūgao broke away from their brief contest while twisting the jitte to further lock Takemaru's second sword in place. With the blade held still she continued her spin, bringing her kodachi, still charged with Raiton chakra, down across the flat of Takemaru's sword. The two weapons seemed to clash for a moment, Yūgao's electric sword trying to overcome Takemaru's chakra-coated blade, before, in a flare of light and the sharp sound of snapping metal, the samurai's katana was broken.

Takemaru stumbled backward a moment before quickly regaining his balance and looking at his broken blade, the symbol of his power and pride as a samurai. Red instantly clouded his vision as he saw what his proud weapon had been reduced to, nothing more than a few inches of sharpened and folded steel connected to a hilt. Looking up and seeing the smirk on that kunoichi bitch's face was an insult too far for Takemaru's already wounded pride. Tossing his broken sword to the side, Takemaru repositioned his remaining katana into a two-handed grip before raising it over his head.

"Die!" Takemaru roared in rage and frustration, channeling more and more chakra into the blade until it was engulfed in bright, blazing nimbus of chakra. "Warehiraku! (Cleave Through) (7)" he cried as he brought the katana down in a single, powerful overhand blow that launched a massive pillar-like arc of chakra, easily twenty feet high and five feet wide, at Yūgao.

Yūgao attempted to leap to the side and dodge, but the attack was too close and coming in too fast. Takemaru, breathing heavily after using so much of his chakra for that single, devastating attack, let out a victorious cry as the massive column slammed into his opponent just below her waist; only for it to die in his throat seconds later when she exploded in a puff of smoke, replaced by a, now broken, log. Takemaru's eyes widened in shock, only for the sound of crackling electricity to start echoing in his ears over the sound of his own labored breath.

"Raigiri! (Lightning Slash) (8)" Yūgao's voice echoed from directly behind him. Turning he just caught sight of the purple-haired kunoichi bearing down on him, a katana now gripped in both hands while the blade was covered in sparking blue lightning, as she brought her blade forward in diagonal slash. Knowing he couldn't bring his sword about quick enough to block, he directed as much of his remaining chakra as he could into his armor's Ō-yoroi Jutsu. (Great Armor Technique) (4)

While the samurai's armor technique was powerful, Lighting hadn't earned its moniker as 'the Piercing Element' for nothing. Raiton users, along with genjutsu users and seal masters, were among the shinobi best suited to battle samurai due to their chakra's natural ability to heighten the piercing power of their attacks, weakening the opponent's defense while enhancing their own offense, and giving them a majority of the few shinobi techniques capable of piercing a samurai's armor.

Yūgao's lightning enshrouded katana met Takemaru's armored shoulder in a flare of light, pausing for a brief moment as a portion of the energy held within the sword discharged into the armor, causing it to vibrate and weakening it even as the chakra still circulating through the blade enhanced its cutting power. The contest lasted for less than a second before Yūgao's sword began to break through, shattering the armor, biting through the thin bodysuit worn underneath, and finally biting deeply into the man's flesh. Takemaru let out a gurgling scream of pain as the lightning-coated sword drove its way through his chest. Bone, skin, and more armor were quickly parted under the power of Yūgao's technique, further draining it, until the last of the jutsu's power dissipated. Yūgao's katana came to a halt halfway through Takemaru's chest and leaving a deep gash in its wake, bisecting one of the man's lungs and at least nicking his heart along the way.

Rapidly losing his ability to breathe and barely standing, Takemaru stared forward. Feebly he lifted his remaining sword and swung it at Yūgao, no longer even able to bring enough focus to bear to coat it in his chakra. Yūgao, vaguely surprised that the man could still move, released her sword, knowing she couldn't pull it free from the wound before she was struck, and leapt backwards, dodging the strike. Takemaru coughed once, blood escaping his lips even as he tried to step forward after her. "You damned…shinobi!" he growled, forcing the words through blood-spattered lips. "My plans…my dreams…I will…not…let…them…ennnn…." before he could finish his body finally gave in, the damage and shock simply too much for it to handle, and he collapsed forward, the sword still lodged in his chest causing his corpse to land on its side.

Yūgao stared at the corpse for a moment before letting out a small breath. Battles with samurai were never easy. They were either fast and furious or long, drawn-out affairs, mostly depending on the type of shinobi facing the samurai. Stepping forward she quickly knocked the former samurai's corpse onto its back before planting her foot on its stomach and, using it as leverage, pulling her sword free. Not even bothering to give the fallen samurai a second glance Yūgao turned her attention to the chaos that had engulfed the camp and quickly rushed forward, intent on ensuring her students were still safe.

~~~ XXXXX ~~~

"Suiton: Mizukunai no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Kunai Technique) (9)" Hinata called out as she finished a final seal, sending several razor-edged masses of water flying toward a trio of charging bandits. The small blades of compacted water cut through the charging men, who hadn't even thought to dodge, instantly, sending all three to the ground.

Hinata and her team had been assigned to the southern edge of the valley where a small lake, probably fed by an underground spring, fed into a stream. The lake gave her an ample supply of water to use her own ninjutsu, the reason she'd been chosen for this area, and Hinata was using it to good effect. She'd already formed a half-dozen Mizu Bunshin (Water Clones) while crossing the lake toward the camp, and, while easily dispatched by a lucky blow, they'd sow some extra chaos while she fought.

A sudden motion from directly behind her caught her attention as she twisted, twirling down slightly to duck under a blow from a large mercenary wielding a massive, double-headed axe. Still twisting, she brought one palm up and slammed it into the center of the man's chest with a cry of, "Shōtei! (Palm Bottom) (10)" The mercenary collapsed backwards with a short cry, the small jolt of chakra paralyzing his heart and killing him quickly. She quickly leapt over the collapsing body and darted toward another pair of bandits, both having drawn their weapons and were charging toward her. With a sudden burst of speed she was inside both their guards, both palms pulled back. "Jūyashi! (Double Palm) (11)" Both palms, now glowing slightly with chakra, shot forward, one connecting with either bandits' stomach and sending both flying backwards.

The Byakugan was an amazing and powerful dōjutsu, said to be among the oldest kekkai genkai in the shinobi world, and one of its most amazing abilities was the ability to enhance the user's eyesight, allowing them both a near-perfect 360 degrees field of vision and the ability to expand their sight over great distances. However, they were unable to fully utilize that amazing field of vision in most circumstances; the human brain simply wasn't capable of processing that much ocular information without damaging itself. Instead, most of the time, when their eyes were active the user maintained only the 360 field of vision out to normal levels; activating the ability to see greater distances only when needed and only in a single direction. Even maintaining this level of use of the Byakugan over a prolonged period of time put a great deal of strain on the eyes and brain, and attempting to expand their sight to its full potential had been known to cause brain hemorrhages or strokes in those who attempted it.

Still a 360 degree field of vision was quite useful in battle, and it saved Hinata's life as she leapt to the side, avoiding a vaguely oval-shaped blast of condensed chakra that had come from directly behind her. Turning toward her attacker, Hinata found herself facing a samurai, dressed in the same red armor as the ones she'd seen at the Sochi's manor, only lacking any form of adornment on his armored helmet. He was gripping a yari, a long spear with a five foot long shaft supporting a narrow, straight blade that added another foot to the weapon's length. The blade itself was currently lit with a blazing corona of chakra.

The samurai pulled back his spear before stabbing again with a cry of, "Sasu! (Pierce) (12)" firing another concentrated burst of chakra towards Hinata.

The young Hyūga leapt to the side again, already starting a set of handseals as she rolled back to her feet. "Suiton: Teppōdama! (Water Release: Gunshot) (13)" Finishing the final seal she fired a pair of large, basketball-sized orb of water from her mouth toward the opposing samurai, one right after the other.

The samurai didn't even bother trying to dodge, allowing the orbs of compacted water to impact on his chest and shoulder. Hinata noticed, through her Byakugan, that his armor, already glowing slightly with chakra, flared briefly before her attack impacted. Both orbs exploded on impact and sent the man stumbling back a step, but he was otherwise unharmed. He brought his spear back again and launched another burst of chakra toward Hinata.

Hinata frowned as she leapt to the side, her superior speed and agility making dodging the rather straight-forward attack quite easy. 'It looks like what Yūgao-sensei told us about the samurai and the strength of their armor was quite accurate.' Sending more chakra into her eyes, she focused her Byakugan onto the man's armor, using the telescopic vision that was one her bloodline's strongest attributes to study it in minute detail. She noticed that, while the distribution of chakra throughout the armor was uniform in most areas, there were several small spots where it was slightly weaker, most noticeably near the joints and around the neck and underside of the jaw. 'Most like because the armor itself is thinner in those areas to prevent it from interfering with the wearer's movements.' she concluded as she dodged another blast.

The opposing samurai seemed to be growing frustrated with her constant dodging. He brought back his yari and began focusing more and more chakra into it, causing the corona of chakra blazing around the tip to grow even brighter, before launching it forward in a rapid series of thrusts. "Jōge Sosogu! (Rain Down) (14)" Each thrust was accompanied by a slightly smaller burst of chakra, creating a deluge of over two dozen projectiles heading directly towards her.

Hinata's hands were already forming a set of seals. "Suiton: Senkaitate! (Water Release: Swirling Shield) (15)" A mass of water, pulled from the nearby lake, suddenly swirled around her, forming a column-like maelstrom that managed to deflect the incoming chakra blasts away from her, further damaging the camp around them.

The samurai tensed, readying his spear to attack the moment Hinata's jutsu ended, only to be caught flat-footed as the water fell to the ground and Hinata was nowhere in sight. A sudden splash to his right caused the armored man to turn, just in time to see Hinata leap from under the water, hands already finishing forming seals.

"Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Release: Wild Water Wave) (16)" Bringing a hand up to her lips, Hinata quickly spat out a long, concentrated stream of water towards her opponent. The samurai braced himself, but was surprised when, instead of impacting his armor, the rushing jet of water bit into the ground at his feet. He fell forward, barely managing to catch himself on his knees as the ground was literally ripped from beneath his feet, the narrow stream of fast-moving water biting into the dirt and either sending it flying away or rapidly turning it to mud.

He quickly tried to regain his feet, but the slick, wet mud that now compromised most of the ground made the task far more difficult and slowed him down enough for Hinata to make her move.

"You are within range of my divinations." she intoned quietly as she landed behind the samurai, focusing her chakra and allowing the eight triagram symbols to surround her and her opponent in her mind's eye before darting forward, her hands now aglow with focused chakra. "Ni Shō! (Two Palms)." Two spear-hand strikes lashed out first, both moving near simultaneously to strike at the back of her target's knees, breaking through the weakened chakra armor there to strike at the man's chakra network directly. The samurai let out a brief scream of pain as his legs gave way beneath him, the jolts of chakra paralyzing his legs at the knees.

"Yon Shō! (Four Palms)." Hinata twisted around from behind him, now appearing at the man's side as her hands darted forward again, this time striking beneath one the man's outstretched arms near the armpits, once again striking at one of the few weak points in the samurai's armor, with a rapid pair of palm strikes. This time the chakra surged into his flesh and attacked the man's lungs, making it hard for the man to breathe let alone cry out.

"Hachi Shō! (Eight Palms)." With another twirl she was in front of him as the next four strikes flew toward the underside of his neck and jaw, impacting one after the other. Each strike puncturing through the weakening chakra armor and sending bolts of chakra into the man's neck and skull, destabilizing his breathing and concentration; and finally causing his already weakening chakra armor to break, its creator simply unable to maintain enough control of his chakra to maintain the technique.

"Hakke Juroku Shō! (Eight Triagrams Sixteen Palms) (17)" With a final incantation her hands darted forward again, stabbing towards his chest, striking directly at the man's heart and lungs. Without chakra reinforcing it, the samurai's armor was next to worthless against the surges of chakra sent into his body from the Jūken strikes. The man let out a low gurgling scream as Hinata's hands darted forward, three strikes hitting his heart in rapid succession and causing it to rupture within his chest.

Hinata fell back, allowing the dead samurai's corpse to fall to the still muddy ground with a wet flop. She gave the body a final exam with her Byakugan, making sure that her foe was truly dead before returning her focus to the battle at hand. She could grieve later for the lives she was forced to take; now she had work to do.

~~~ XXXXX ~~~

"Hadō no Yonban: Byakurai! (Way of Destruction Number Four: Pale Lightning) (18)" Naruto's voice echoed slightly as he thrust his left hand forward, two fingers thrust out as he released a bolt of white electricity into the air. The bolt burned through several dozen feet in an instant before slamming into a rushing mercenary's chest, sending him rocketing backward and filling the air with the smell of charred flesh. Naruto wasn't even watching as he twisted to the side, dodging a sword strike from another mercenary, before lashing out with his Zanpakutō, now in the form of a wakizashi for faster, easier use in a single hand, and carving through the man's neck with ease.

Naruto's team had attacked from the western edge, where the largest number of mercenaries were congregated; a large cleared area filled with stumps, logs, and rocks surrounding a bonfire, apparently serving as the camp's communal dining area. Even in the middle of the night there were at least a few dozen bandits gathered there, drinking, eating, and talking. Two exploding arrows had killed at least a dozen men, but the smokescreen created by them had covered the charge of a dozen Narutos, all with swords bared, as they barreled into the camp.

Spinning Naruto brought his sword up, deflecting a strike from a mercenary wielding a spear. Pushing upward he forced the spear out of alignment, knocking its user off-balance and giving Naruto ample opportunity to close the distance and stab his shortened sword into the man's stomach before kicking him off. Turning Naruto caught sight of a group of four mercenaries charging towards him. Gathering his chakra, he prepared another Kidō. "Sparks of crimson light, bloom and carve your way through the black sky! Hadō no Jūniban: Aka Kosame! (Way of Destruction Number Twelve: Red Rain Shower). (19)" he cried, raising his free hand, palm out and thrusting it forward.

Dozens of small, red motes of light formed around his outstretched hand, before shooting forward at rapid speed toward the onrushing men. They didn't even have a chance to dodge as several of the small, red orbs impacted each of them, before suddenly detonating in a small explosion of red light, leaving gaping, smoldering wounds that dropped the entire group.

Naruto dropped his arm, ready to move on, when a rattling in the ground suddenly caught his attention. Instinct took over and Naruto was suddenly in the air, leaping upward and barely managing to dodge a ripple-like shockwave in the earth that carved through the ground he'd been standing on moments ago. As he landed he saw the ripple impact one of the surrounding tents, tearing right through as it continued forward. Turning his attention toward the source of the attack, Naruto caught sight of his attacker. It was a samurai, dressed in the same armor as the ones he'd seen in Shunmai, only he didn't have any decoration on his helmet. This one was tall, at least six feet, and broad-shouldered and was wielding a naginata, the curving, sword-like blade that served as the polearm's head aglow with chakra.

Naruto quickly readjusted his grip on his sword, flowing chakra into it to allow it to return to a standard katana size. This guy was a bigger threat than the mercenaries; he could trust his clones to keep them off his back while he handled this.

The samurai raised his naginata, bringing the blade up before slamming it into the ground with a cry of, "Utsu! (Raze) (20)." and sending another shockwave of chakra heading straight toward Naruto. The blonde shinobi didn't hesitate, rushing forward. Moments before he would have impacted the shockwave he disappeared in a Shunpo, vanishing from sight only to reappear inches away from the hulking samurai, his Zanpakutō glowing with chakra.

"Ryōdan! (Bisection) (21)." Naruto called as he swung forward, his sword glowing bright blue as he channeled a large amount of chakra into it. The blade connected with the samurai's armored side, flaring as the samurai's chakra-enhanced armor managed to block the power of Naruto's strike. The impact still sent the large samurai stumbling backwards a step, but he quickly recovered, spinning his weapon before bringing it toward Naruto in a wide slash, the head enshrouded in chakra that morphed mid-swing to form a large, axe-like blade.

Naruto, surprised and off-balance from his failed attack, was unable to dodge as the axe ripped through his chest, cutting him in half at the waist.

Both halves exploded in a cloud of smoke seconds later.

"Gattsuku, Kuroana! (Devour, Black Hole)"

A flare of black to his right was the samurai's only warning as a large Fūma Shuriken suddenly flew by his head, trailing a chain of some kind that was connected to a second Fūma Shuriken. Rather than strike, the two weapons quickly began circling around him, forming a tight orbit about five feet wide at any side. Before the samurai could move to respond or break free, Naruto's voice cut through.

"Kurohebi! (Black Snakes) (22)."

As soon as Naruto's voice sounded, the circling chains were suddenly enshrouded in a thin, black mist. Seconds later the mist launched forward, forming dozens of wispy tendrils tipped with snake-like heads, all flying straight for the samurai. The red-armored samurai tried to deflect several of the incoming strands by swinging outward with his naginata, causing several of the serpentine apparitions to burst on contact and coat his weapon in a fine black mist. The second the mist settled over the weapon its weight suddenly shifted, feeling as if its weight had been multiplied at least tenfold. The sudden change in weight broke the samurai's grip on his weapon, and nearly broke his fingers as well, and he was forced to let it fall to the ground, the entire length sinking several inches into the dirt as it impacted.

Even as his weapon was wrenched from his fingers a near-dozen other snakes reached the samurai's armored body, opening their mist-fanged mouths to bite into his armor. As their jaws closed the tendrils exploded, each coating his armor in an ever-darkening coat of mists. The man let out a strangled cry as he was forced down to all fours by the sheer weight of his armor, now weighing over a thousand pounds. The samurai gave a low growl as he tried to push himself back up, his limbs literally glowing with chakra as he tried to reinforce them enough to allow him to stand.

But Naruto's attack hadn't been meant to defeat the samurai, merely slow him down long enough for his next attack. From his hiding spot amidst the chaos of the camp Naruto raised one hand, fingers pointing upwards, and directed his Zanpakutō. Kuroana responded instantly, flying upward until it was several dozen feet above where the samurai was struggling to stand.

"Kuroyari! (Black Spear). (23)"

One of the shuriken ends stopped midflight, folding itself in until a single curved blade seemingly hung in midair, pointing itself down toward the struggling samurai. The blade was quickly engulfed in jet black light before plummeting toward its target. The samurai, still struggling to stand, didn't even notice it until the blade was only a few feet above him, whistling through the air as it fell at an ever-accelerating rate. With so much of his chakra focused on strengthening his limbs enough to stand again, his armor technique had weakened dramatically; allowing the glowing black blade to piece clean through the center of his back with minimal resistance, the chain trailing through afterwards and expanding the already massive wound.

Stepping out of concealment, Naruto gave a quick gesture that quickly rewound the head of his weapon back out of the hole it had created and brought it back to his side. With his weapon returned, Naruto's focus quickly returned to the task at hand. There were still a lot more bandits left to handle before the night was over.

~~~ XXXXX ~~~

Shikamaru repressed a groan as he moved beneath the earth.

Shikamaru knew that he wasn't a direct-combat type, and he was fine with that. When Shikamaru had to fight he preferred sneak attacks, ambushes, and traps. Some would call him a coward, and he would gladly agree with them. Courage and pride were far too troublesome for the young Nara to care about. Taking out an enemy with the absolute minimum amount of exertion and danger necessary, that just sounded like the smart option to him.

So, while Naruto, Hinata, and Yūgao-sensei were causing chaos amidst the camp above, he was moving about underground. The Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu (Underground Projection Fish Technique) may have blocked his sight while moving underground, but it did allow him to 'feel' people moving directly above him. Whenever the bandits started gathering into larger groups, trying to organize and better repel his teammates, Shikamaru would strike, usually simply placing a few exploding notes directly beneath their feet before moving away and detonating them, killing and scattering the bandits and sowing further chaos.

It was after one of these strikes that he noticed someone was still alive and moving in his latest blast zone. Raising his head so that only his forehead and eyes were peaking over the short grass, Shikamaru caught sight of one of a samurai standing at the center of the small crater that represented his last attack. He was just starting to stand up, the blast having apparently knocked him off his feet when it destroyed the ground, but otherwise he looked like he was unharmed by the blast. The man was also clenching his katana angrily, looking around for the source of the sudden attack.

Shikamaru sighed before dropping back below the earth. This was way too troublesome. On one hand he really didn't want to fight a samurai, but if he didn't the guy would likely attack one of his friends; something he didn't want on his conscience.

'Troublesome.' the young Nara thought to himself, unable to give voice to the though since his mouth was currently surrounded by dirt.

Moving forward the young Nara was soon directly beneath the samurai. Suddenly his hand shot out of the ground, grabbing onto the man's armored ankle. "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu! (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique) (1)" Shikamaru's voice groaned as he began pulling the man beneath the ground.

The samurai reacted quickly, twisting his sword, which was now engulfed in a visible aura of chakra, and swinging it downward with a cry of, "Hadan! (Rupture) (24)" The blade passed just inches above the ground where the arm emerged, slicing through the short grass without touching the dirt, releasing a surge of cutting chakra in its wake that eagerly bit into the dirt, cutting through easily and causing a small explosion of dirt and debris. The samurai looked quite pleased, until he suddenly noticed the arm that had grabbed his leg had suddenly turned into mud.

"Hatsu (Release/Explode)."

The earth beneath the samurai's feet suddenly exploded again, filling the air with dust and debris and once more knocking him a few feet into the air, the weight of his armor keeping him from flying higher, before he fell onto his back into the, now deeper, crater. The samurai tried to rise again, pushing himself up to his knees before his body suddenly seized up on him. Slowly his arm began to move on its own and, despite his own efforts to force his muscles to comply, threw his katana to the side.

"Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique) (25) complete." Shikamaru muttered to himself from his hiding spot amidst the burning camp. Sending in a Tsuchi Bunshin (Mud Clone) to distract his target while he planted the exploding tags had been a good idea and had kept the samurai in place long enough for him to spring his trap. He had doubted that the tags would hurt the man, since the first attempt had failed spectacularly, but it had knocked him off his feet and provided an excellent smokescreen to cover the movements of his shadow.

With his prey captured, Shikamaru activated the final part of his plan. A second clone rose up from the earth behind his target before grabbing him. "Doton: Noromaisō no Jutsu! (Earth Release: Cursed Burial Technique). (26)." the clone called as it placed both hands on the still kneeling samurai's shoulders. The two quickly began sink into the ground, Shikamaru's jutsu breaking as the samurai's screaming head was finally pulled beneath the dirt.

"Troublesome." muttered Shikamaru as he slowly began to sink back into the dirt himself. That was uncomfortable. Burying a person alive was not a pleasant way to kill someone, but it had been the best way of eliminating his enemy with minimal risk. Sometimes it sucked being a coward.

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Jutsu Identification

(1) Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique) – D-ranked, supplementary Doton Ninjutsu. After concealing themselves underground, usually through the use of another Doton technique, the user grabs an opponent and drags them down into the earth, robbing them of their freedom.

(2) Yayakeru (Burning Arrow) – D-ranked offensive Quincy Shajutsu (archery). By concentrating an increased amount of chakra into the Hairihhi Bufairu (Sacred Destruction Arrows), the user alters the arrow's structure, sacrificing most of its penetrating power in return for turning it into an explosive on the same level as an explosion tag. They arrows themselves are no more powerful than a regular arrow, but are highly volatile and will explode shortly after making contact with a solid structure they can't piece. It is a basic, though admitably useful, technique that teaches is used to help teach beginners how to alter the nature of their arrows before moving on to more advanced techniques.

(3) Ō-yoroi Jutsu (Great Armor Technique) – Defensive Samuraijutsu (Samurai Technique). One of the two most basic techniques employed by the samurai, the user constantly flows their chakra through a set of armor or clothing, greatly enhancing its durability. It is said that a master of this technique can make a silk robe as powerful as a suit of chainmail armor and a true suit of armor will become an impenetrable defense.

(4) Issen (Flash) – Offensive Samuraijutsu. A ranged attack technique developed from the samurai's Nihontō Jutsu (Samurai Sword Technique). The user slashes their sword, or similar weapon, forward in a basic slash or swing while focusing their chakra into the blade's edge while focusing it outward, releasing a powerful arc of chakra that retains the blade's edge, allowing it to cut through its target. Can be used either with a single weapon or dual weapons.

(5) Konoha-Ryū Yanagi (Tree Leaf Style Willow) – C-ranked, offensive Genjutsu/Kenjutsu. A technique developed by Konoha shinobi combining genjutsu and kenjutsu. The user slowly waves their sword back and forth in a slow and steady rhythm while pulsing their chakra through it, creating the illusion of several dozen arms in front of and around them replicating the feat. Used to primarily distract and disorient opponents in order to present an opening for the user to take an advantage of.

(6) Hirogeru (Spread) – Offensive Samuraijutsu. A wide area attack similar to Issen (Flash) and designed to deal damage over a broad area. Like in Issen, chakra is focused into the blade of a weapon before it is swung outward, releasing it and forming it into a broad arc, only rather than releasing the arc from the blade instantaneously, the arc is stretched across the axis of the swing and further expanded after release, creating a much broader arc.

(7) Warehiraku (Cleave Through) – Offensive Samuraijtusu. An extremely powerful offensive technique derived from the Issen (Flash) technique. The user charges their weapon, usually a katana, with chakra before bringing it down in a double-handed, overhead blow, releasing a large, pillar-like arc of chakra. This arc is both extremely powerful, capable of carving through boulders without losing any speed, and extremely fast, but requires an extremely large amount of chakra to create.

(8) Raigiri (Lightning Slash) – A-ranked offensive Raiton kenjutsu technique. One of Yūgao three original techniques that combine her training with elemental techniques and her mastery over weapons, particularly her katana sword. They were originally inspired by Yūgao seeing her former Anbu commander, Kakashi Hatake; perform his legendary Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) technique, said to be one of the strongest elemental ninjutsu in existence. Yūgao was amazed at the combined power and simplicity of the technique and was inspired to create her own technique eventually culminating into the three sister jutsu: Raigiri, Higiri (Fire Slash), and Suigiri (Water Slash). The Raigiri in its simplest form is merely channeling a massive amount of lightning chakra across the length of her blade and constantly circulating it. The constant circulation and the conductive metal of her sword amplifies the power of the lightning chakra as well as giving it shape and form despite being a purely nature transformation technique. The lightning is designed to flow into any target it strikes, making it a one-strike technique.

(9) Suiton: Mizukunai no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Kunai Technique) – C-ranked offensive Suiton ninjutsu. The user gathers surrounding water around them, forming it into several knife-like masses that can then be launched at an opponent, their path and direction controlled by the user. The masses are sharp edged and can easily cut through flesh, but primarily act as a distraction to allow the shinobi to prepare another attack. They can also be used to hide other projectile weapons or tools.

(10) Shōtei (Palm Bottom) – D-ranked, offensive Jūken taijutsu. A basic Jūken technique that consists of a quick, precise thrust of the user's palm to an opponent's body. Like most Gentle Fist techniques, it sends chakra into the target to cause internal damage that can either paralyze or kill an opponent depending on where the target is struck.

(11) Jūyashi (Double Palm) – D-ranked, offensive Jūken taijutsu. A double-palm thrust enhanced with chakra to increase it damage.

(12) Sasu (Pierce) – Offensive Samuraijutsu. A basic ranged attack developed from the samurai's Nihontō Jutsu (Samurai Sword Technique) and considered to be a sister technique to the Issen (Flash) technique. The user focuses their chakra into the tip of their weapon before stabbing forward, releasing a concentrated blast of chakra at a target. While it has a much smaller impact area than Issen, it possesses a great deal more destructive power due to its concentrated nature.

(13) Suiton: Teppōdama(Water Release: Gunshot) – C-ranked offensive Suiton ninjutsu. The user concentrates chakra into their mouth before kneading it and converting it into water, which can then be fired in multiple shots, depending on the amount of chakra the user put into it. Unlike many Suiton jutsu this requires no nearby water sources, a rare advantage for Suiton wielders.

(14) Jōge Sosogu (Rain Down) – Offensive Samuraijutsu. An advanced form of the Sasu (Pierce) technique that, instead of focusing chakra into a single blast, spreads it out into several that are launched as the user thrusts his spear forward. While less destructive than a single Saru, the sheer number of blasts make it a difficult attack to dodge.

(15) Suiton: Senkaitate (Water Release: Swirling Shield) – C-ranked defensive Suiton ninjutsu. The user gathers water around themselves before causing it to spin rapidly, deflecting or gathering incoming attacks into its current.

(16) Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave) – C-ranked offensive Suiton ninjutsu. The user focuses chakra into their before kneading it and converting it into water which is then fired in a narrow stream toward the target. The amount and power behind the water can easily be controlled by manipulating the amount of chakra used for this technique.

(17) Hakke Juroku Shō (Eight Triagrams Sixteen Palms) – C-ranked Jūken taijutsu technique. The least variant of the Hyūga Clan's legendary Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) technique. While the Hachishō Danmaku (Eight Palm Barrage) teaches the basic idea of the technique, this technique is the actual first step to learning the full version. Forming the image of eight triagram circles in their mind's eye to create an area of control for the technique, the user moves forward and begins a rapid series of strikes at a combination of the target's tenketsu, striking first with a two-strike combination, then another two- strike, then a four- strike combination, then finishing with an eight-strike combination to create sixteen strikes in a total of four combinations.

(18) Hadō no Yonban: Byakurai (Way of Destruction Number Four: Pale Lightning) - Lower level offensive Kidō spell. One of the most basic damaging spells that actually uses an element, Byakurai focuses a large amount of Raiton chakra into the tips of the user's fingers before unleashing it as a large blast of white lightning. Despite its simplistic nature and low level, the attack is quite powerful. That, combined with its low cost and ease of learning, made this attack a signature move for Kurosaki shinobi in general.

(19) Hadō no Jūniban: Aka Kosame (Way of Destruction Number Twelve: Red Rain Shower) - Lower-level offensive Kidō spell. The user creates a large number of small, red orbs of chakra around their limb before firing them. The small, highly condensed orbs of chakra detonate on contact with a solid surface, causing a small explosion of heat and energy that damages anything in close contact.

(20) Utsu (Raze) – Offensive Samuraijutsu. A mid-ranged attack technique developed from the samurai's Nihontō Jutsu (Samurai Sword Technique). Focusing chakra into the tip of their weapon, the user then slams it into the ground, releasing a burst of chakra that travels through the ground in the form of a shockwave, ripping through anything its path until it runs out of energy.

(21) Ryōdan (Bisection) – Unranked, offensive zanjutsu technique. A basic technique of the Zanjutsu style that takes time and training to truly master, this technique basically channels the user's chakra into the blade of their sword, drastically increasing its cutting power, before striking. This technique is unranked because it varies in capability based on the skill of the user; more practiced users are capable of getting far more power out this technique, channeling more chakra into the blade faster. It is said that masters of this technique are capable of splitting enemies in half with a single stroke, hence the name.

(22) Kurohebi (Black Snakes) – Ability of Kuroana's Shikai state. Kuroana coats itself in a thin sheen of its own misty black chakra before releasing it toward a target in the form of dozens of black snake-like tendrils. Anything touched or 'bitten' by one of these tendrils will have its gravity greatly increased; making it feel like it has tripled in weight. The more tendrils that strike a target, the greater the increase.

(23) Kuroyari (Black Spear) – Ability of Kuroana's Shikai state , By first collapsing one of Kuroana's Fūma Shuriken heads into a single blade and then charging it with Kuroana's black gravitational energy, thus multiplying the power behind it, the user creates a spear that is capable of immense piercing power.

(24) Hadan (Rupture) – Offensive Samuraijutsu. A close-ranged attack techniques developed from the samurai's Nihontō Jutsu (Samurai Sword Technique). Focusing chakra along the edge of the weapon the user then strikes, releasing a short, shockwave-like blast from the edge of the weapon, damaging anything in front of it.

(25) Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique): C-ranked, Nara clan Hiden jutsu. One of the basic building blocks of all the Nara clan's advanced clan techniques, the Kagemane jutsu allows the user to extend and manipulate their shadow as long as they don't exceed its total area, which can be further extended by touching other existing shadows. By connecting this shadow with another's the Nara are capable of gaining temporary control over their opponent's motions, forcing them to imitate their own movements. Can be broken by overloading the chakra that the Nara is focusing through the jutsu with their own chakra or by waiting for the time limit to expire.

(26) Doton: Noromaisō no Jutsu (Earth Release: Cursed Burial Technique) – C-ranked, offensive Doton ninjutsu. A more advanced form of Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique) that, rather than leaving the enemy's head above the ground, pulls them completely underground where they will quickly suffocate, unless they are also capable of Doton ninjutsu. A useful assassination technique since it hides the body at the same time it kills its target, but a risky one. The user must physically grab hold of the target for an extended time in order to draw them underground, leaving them vulnerable to counterattacks unless the target has been otherwise paralyzed.

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END CHAPTER 24

I AM STILL ALIVE!

Yoh, my friends, sorry for the epically long break between updates but I've been having issues. I'm not going into details but for the first three months of my little hiatus I was in and out of the hospital at least three times, and then when I finally have a full bill of health, I'm stuck making up lost time at work while trying to get my groove back after nearly three months without writing. All in all the past half-year has sucked. Anyway I hope that posting this chapter will help me get my groove back.

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