บท 69: Not-So-Gentle Fist
Suguru had a habit of blending the different Taijutsu styles he had copied using his Kaisu-Sharingan.
One such blending resulted in a very distinct fighting style.
Sasuke and Tatsuya mimicked these movements. Their arms struck with palms faced outwards. Each strike carried with it a blast of chakra.
Their elbows and shoulders were loose, allowing each strike to snake around their opponent's defenses to find an opportunity.
Yet both of them could not find that opportunity.
Thus, there was a sudden shift as they adopted the unruliness of Suguru's cunning. Those palms turned into fists, and with every punch and kick there came with it, a blast of chakra.
The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist had turned into a game of chakra martial arts, and the shinobi world would be left unaware of it until much later. After all, this fighting style was what led Suguru to create the Blaze Battle Body.
Those blasts of chakra would be converted to roaring flames, and the fighter would no longer be shooting chakra out of only their palms.
Thus—
Sasuke threw out a fist. Tatsuya parried with his wrist and countered with his knee.
The knee was blocked by a palm, and two bursts of chakra canceled each other out. Sasuke used this opportunity to spin, and so did Tatsuya.
—Thud!
Their arms met in a cross, as two haymakers would soon find their way forward.
—Boom!
Another blossoming chakra blast caused the winds to shift. The Sharingan of both Uchihas shone in bewilderment.
'Still evenly matched!'
But how?
Sasuke had practiced this Taijutsu for far longer than Tatsuya who had only seen it a few days ago. Unfortunately, the two didn't think about it any more than that. Had they thought about it a little further, they would have come to realize that they copied Suguru at different stages in his life.
Sasuke did so when Suguru was just about to develop the Blaze Battle Body. In comparison, Tatsuya copied a more developed precursor to the jutsu.
Anyways, the two continued to cross their fists until they exhausted themselves. Thus, the sun began setting beyond the horizon when they both fell to the ground.
Dirt covered their faces.
Their limbs were covered in bruises.
Luckily, no injury had occurred to their internal organs.
Feeling refreshed, they took a moment to rest.
"That was... a good fight," Tatsuya said, and Sasuke could only nod.
Though it was a good fight, Tatsuya was still younger than him! The results of the battle should have been his win and not some lengthy stalemate!
Sasuke sighed.
Tatsuya was already a genin while he was still in the academy. Although he was already humbled by Suguru years ago, Sasuke was still confident of catching up once he became an official shinobi.
Little did he know that he would have yet another competitor in the near future. One who he had always deemed a loser ever since.
***
When Sasuke and Tatsuya parted ways, a familiar face approached the latter.
"Tatsuya, yo,"
Walking along with his two buddies, Akimichi Rie and Yamanaka Keiichi, it was easy to discern who the speaker was.
"...Shikiro,"
An old classmate of his.
Tatsuya nodded at them, not expecting to stumble upon their presence at this time. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Surprised?"
Even Suguru had frozen when he first saw him. Therefore, Tatsuya felt a little smug.
"We are," Shikiro sighed with a certain resignation, "I think everyone will be asking you this same question. How are you still alive?"
"And I can easily answer that question — I wasn't in Konoha." Tatsuya grinned in a way that was different from when he was younger. It was a subtle change, but it was there.
"I've been living outside Konohagakure for the last four years. If I didn't do so, I might've been dead already."
Shikiro glanced at Keiichi and Rie. Seeing as how they were silent, he continued speaking.
"Will you be enrolling back in the Aca—"
Tatsuya took out the headband that Hiruzen had given me.
"I'm already a genin. I won't be joining you guys." Tatsuya chuckled, "Catch up."
Watching Tatsuya leave, Shikiro sighed. A sense of helplessness flashed in his eyes. The jobs he kept getting were always more troublesome than what he was told.
'It doesn't seem like Tatsuya knows where Suguru's gone... Uncle Shikaku will have another headache.'
In the end, Shikiro sighed.
"Let's go too," He said, "Keiichi, Rie. Thanks for coming with me on this one as well."
***
In an office within the Nara compound, Shikaku enjoyed not having any work to do.
With Danzo taking the spot of Hokage and Hiruzen being present in the Konoha Council, Shikaku surmised that nothing untoward would happen to Konoha. In fact, with Danzo's decisive nature, this current setup was much better.
A small part of Shikaku realized that having Hiruzen be the dissenting middle ground, ensured that Danzo wouldn't be completely unbridled.
'Somehow, this is better for Konoha.' Shikaku massaged his head. It had been a long time since he had a long break such as this.
Jiraiya was openly roaming the village streets while Uchiha Itachi hid in the deep darkness of the village, known only by Hiruzen, Danzo, and Shikaku himself. Still, both Itachi and Jiraiya were very wary of Danzo's movements, reporting to Hiruzen for many small matters.
In a way, the two S-rank shinobi were protecting the village from itself. It was a very contradictory yet bafflingly functional setup.
'Now, if only Danzo maintains this balance, all will be well.'
Unfortunately, Shikaku didn't trust that for even a second. With Danzo knowing that Konohagakure was somehow even more stable than it was before, he would surely extend his fangs outward.
'Hiryu Suguru...'
Shikaku glanced at his nephew's report on the table.
Despite being awfully young, Hiryu Suguru was an unnerving existence. Not because of his military might or sinister intentions... No.
Many of Konohagakure's higher-ups felt uneasy about letting such a genius roam the world. It was similar to the time Orochimaru had defected from the village.
However, Suguru was still very different despite that similarity.
Orochimaru's goals were clear. In fact, Shikaku could accurately guess what he was doing with Otogakure. Judging by the flow of resources, the incidents around the Land of Sound, as well as the reports of Konoha's spies, Shikaku had a good mental image.
In comparison, the boy known as Hiryu Suguru was tame... and yet he wasn't.
As far as Shikaku knew, he wasn't a suspect in any crimes until he disappeared from the village. Unlike Orochimaru who captured innocent people to research, Suguru's research results had been achieved merely through pen and paper.
It was frankly quite impressive.
But that exact fact was what made people so unnerved — opting to exclude Suguru's information in the Bingo Book despite Konohagakure secretly labeling him as a missing-nin.
Should other villages know of his capabilities... It was likely that they wouldn't kill him to take the bounty.
Instead, they would try and recruit him.
Despite that, such a genius could create chaos by simply releasing his research to the world. With his results thus far and his current freedom, Shikaku could only imagine the impact of a few of his wild ideas.
Shikaku could feel a headache coming along.
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