章 17: Joint Training (2)
A/N: We've reached our goal, so you guys will get a triple release next Monday. New target is to get the story to 900 powerstones by Sunday, just to see if we can do it. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones. New goal 900 powerstones!
Goro stood in wait as Shikamaru strolled off the battlefield, hands in his pockets, only taking them out momentarily to high-five Goro.
"You put up a good fight, old man," Goro joked.
Shikamaru scoffed and replied, "Show them what the worst in the class can do."
Instantaneously arriving where Shikamaru left off, Goro delivered a devastating kick to Shino's stomach, sending him crashing into the tree that had been supporting Choji earlier. From all the stress it had endured, the tree toppled over, leaving Shino lying flat on it.
Goro felt a strange sensation on his foot. Looking down, he noticed that Shino had already counterattacked, with bugs crawling up his leg.
'Kikaichu. They're draining my chakra and disrupting its flow.'
Brushing off the few bugs Shino had managed to get on him, Goro pursued the boy, who was now attempting to crawl away, flickering before him.
Kurenai couldn't take her eyes off the battle, her mouth wide open. "This child… These aren't the movements of a simple Genin. His movements, his Taijutsu, it's all at an elite level," she thought.
Asuma also watched without blinking. "Was he taking it easy whenever I'd train them? The power behind that kick is abnormal even for a Chunin," he mused.
"Stop messing around, Shino!" Kiba yelled, his words reigniting Shino's fighting spirit.
Climbing to his feet, Shino began to retreat into the open. He understood that his strong suit was a ranged battle, so he couldn't let Goro get close. However, he overestimated his ability to keep Goro at a distance.
Shino sent a flurry of smaller, much faster spheres of bugs toward Goro, hoping to deter him and buy enough time to formulate a plan, but he was wrong. Goro pulled out his kunai and flickered from side to side, getting closer as he evaded each attack.
Nervous, Shino increased the number of bugs he sent toward Goro while retreating backward.
'He's not aware of his surroundings. There's a tree right behind him—a dead end.'
Goro was now face-to-face with Shino once more. Shino tried to move back, but the tree blocked his escape.
Goro dug his kunai into the tree, missing Shino by only an inch, and then stepped back.
Sweat trickled down Shino's face, his uncontrolled breathing fogging his glasses.
"Shino, there's something to your left," Goro said. Keeping an eye on Goro's movements, Shino looked to his left and then back at Goro, shaking his head.
"There's nothing the—" Before Shino could respond, Goro threw a high kick but stopped an inch away from Shino's face.
The delayed wind from the attack rustled Shino's hair. "I didn't even see it…" Shino pondered, flabbergasted.
"That's enough. It's a dead end. He's done now, isn't he, Sensei?" Goro shouted.
Still struggling to believe what he had seen, Asuma gave Goro a reluctant thumbs-up, his cigarette limp in his mouth.
Kurenai still couldn't believe what she had witnessed. She had never seen Shino get nervous. "Asuma, what did you teach him to get him to that level at such a young age?" Kurenai questioned.
"Honestly, I don't know. I thought he'd only amount to a Chunin at best after hearing Iruka's report. At his level, he could become a Jonin right now. He managed to use the body flicker in battle! The last to accomplish that feat was an Uchiha…" Asuma said in awe.
Kiba stood over Choji and reached for a kunai. "Hand over Akamaru. Who's going to save you now? Shino has probably taken Goro out by now," Kiba said, looking over to where Shino and Goro were battling.
To his dismay, he saw Shino walking off the battleground and heading toward Asuma and Kurenai.
"What is this? Where's Goro?" Kiba muttered, scanning the distance.
Unbeknownst to Kiba, Goro was sitting in the tree above him. Goro dropped down from the tree, landing behind Kiba.
Startled by the sudden noise behind him, Kiba spun around, only to see the person he had called a weakling still standing on the battleground.
Kiba struggled to fathom the idea that Goro had beaten Shino. "I can't understand what's going on, but there's no way the worst in our class beat one of the strongest. I don't believe it!" Kiba thought.
"You've been really annoying, you know," Goro said, strolling over to Kiba.
Covering his face and bursting into laughter, Kiba retorted, "Yeah? And what are you going to do? You're the worst in our class. What's the worst gonna do?"
Goro smirked and threw two kunai at Kiba, forcing him to move away from Choji.
As Choji got back on his feet and was about to run over to Goro's side with Akamaru in his hands, Kiba lunged at him.
"Give me Akamaru!" he shouted, his claws ready to strike.
Goro grabbed Kiba by the hoodie, forcibly stopping his charge.
Holding Kiba up by the hoodie, Goro jammed his fist into Kiba's solar plexus, winding him. Then, with the same arm that held Kiba's hoodie, Goro threw Kiba against a tree.
"No more…" Kiba said, waving his hand in defeat, his voice weak.
Goro started to walk toward Kiba, but Choji stepped in his path, grabbing Goro's arm. "Goro, I think we should stop things here," Choji said, shaking his head.
Goro turned to face Choji, bloodlust oozing from him. Choji began to sweat, his eyes wide, as he stepped back in fear. "I-it's just that… k- killing isn't allowed," Choji stuttered, his lips twitching with fear.
"I didn't plan on killing him," Goro said, a bright smile on his face as he lightly pressed his fist against his teammate's chest. The bloodlust was gone.
Turning to look at Kiba, Goro frowned and flickered away.
'What came over me?'
Arriving at the spot where Ino and Hinata were still fighting, Goro noticed that Ino was now being pushed back by Hinata.
Grabbing Hinata's arms and holding them in place, Goro said, "It was a good match."
Hinata tried to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail. Realizing she was beaten, Hinata also quit.
With Hinata's defeat, the rest of the fighters on the field returned to their Senseis.
"You all did great out there," Asuma said, congratulating the group.
Uninterested in Asuma's speech, Shikamaru interrupted and asked, "Yeah, yeah, are we allowed to leave now?"
Asuma turned to Kurenai for approval. Gaining it, he faced Shikamaru again and replied, "You're all dismissed."
Having gained permission from his Sensei, Shikamaru went over to Choji, wondering why he was still trembling even after the fight was over.
"Everything alright, big guy?" Shikamaru asked, concerned.
"G-Goro… It felt like he was going to kill Kiba…" Choji revealed, still in a trance.
Shikamaru glanced at Goro, then turned back to Choji. "Tell me on the way back," he said, as the two walked away.
Goro was deep in thought, pondering the events that had taken place.
'I lost control when facing Kiba. I forgot that this was a friendly joint training and not a death match. I'll make sure to control myself next time.'
[...]
A/N: We've reached our goal, so you guys will get a triple release next Monday. New target is to get the story to 900 powerstones by Sunday, just to see if we can do it. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones. New goal 900 powerstones!
週次パワーステータス
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