Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Diplomacy ❯ River of Serenity ( Chapter 17 )

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NARUTO
DIPLOMACY
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BY
Sgamer82      220;Chônôryoku - Nendô!!”

     The shuriken in Kiriko’s eye suddenly began to remove itself from her face. Blood flowed for a brief moment before suddenly halting. Shuriken and kunai emerged from the pouches Kiriko wore. Tsurukawa gasped as even her own stars began to whip out of her pouch and join the weapons floating before Kiriko.

     “I’m done with this fight.” Kiriko announced, and with no other words, the shuriken and kunai began to fly straight at Tsurukawa. The Mist girl cart wheeled to the right. The weapons changed direction and homed in on her.

     Chônôryoku - Nendô. Psychic Ability - Psychokinesis. It changed the nature of Chônôryoku. Instead of precognition, foreseeing the potential movements of everything around her, her chakra tapped into other portions of the human brain, increasing her ability to mentally affect objects around her. Moving them with her will. The various ghosts around Tsurukawa faded as Kiriko’s kinetic abilities came to the fore. She didn’t need to foresee Tsurukawa’s next move anyway, it was obvious.

     As Kiriko expected, the girl made a run back toward the lake, only to halt when the water within rose up to meet her. At Kiriko’s instruction, a wave of her controlled weapons came at Tsurukawa from behind, flying right into the girl and cutting through her body.

     Kiriko was dismayed, but not all that surprised, to see the weapons pass through a body of water in the shape of Tsurukawa. What lay before Kiriko was a a puddle of water, with the ground just beyond it littered with knives and stars.

     I guess that would have just been too easy… Kiriko thought to herself, as she scanned the lines of trees on either side, hunting for her prey. ----------     Kawarimi no Jutsu… Chie thought to herself, as she watched the last drops of water drip from her canteen, Switching off with a Mizubunshin used up my water.

     Chie was in trees, directly to the right of and slightly behind Kiriko. She had no intention of revealing herself too quickly. Staying put for a moment helped eat up time, which was the whole point of this fight. Secondly, there were simply too many unknowns at the moment to allow Chie to all-out attack.

     Did this new telekinetic power replace her foresight? Is she using both at once? The former’s most likely. Using both powers simultaneously would probably put intense strain on her body and mind. On the other hand, with what I’ve seen already I’d be a fool to put anything past her at this point. She did predict I’d go to the lake to utilize water jutsu. But considering my position anybody could have guessed I would do that. Plus she didn’t seem to anticipate where I went following the Kawarimi. So, at the very least, this suggests she can’t use both abilities at the same time.

     All of this conjecture, however, failed to answer the question most on Chie’s mind.

     What do I do now? Do I attack her? I’m not in this to win the fight, just keep it going. If I stay hidden and let her search I can accomplish that. So should I wait her out? Also risky, really. She could do something drastic to pull me out of hiding, leaving me vulnerable.

     Chie considered her position.

     I’ll attack. It’s best to take the initiative here. I’ll be revealing myself on my terms, not hers. Also, so long as I’m prepared for what she might do, and have a plan of action for myself, I can easily prolong the fight as intended. If I can win, so much the better. But… if I think I’ll lose, I’ll have to make sure she’s at least weak enough so that she can’t help Hubby. That way Phantom won’t be in a worse spot.

     Chie had just the jutsu for the job.

     It’s the most powerful weapon I have. The lake water is more than enough to pull it off. Two problems though. First, getting close enough to the lake without being seen. Second, actually performing the jutsu.

     It wasn’t that it was a difficult to perform jutsu (it was, but Chie had long since mastered it). The problem with pulling it off lay in the need for sign weaving. If Kiriko possessed telekinetic abilities right now, then she could simply stop Chie’s hands from moving to perform the signs.

     Best bet is some kind of distraction. Something for her to focus that power on while I do my jutsu. But what? No water… she held up her empty canteen, so water clones are out. Regular clones might not be affected by her. She took all my weapons. Any other jutsu I can think of might drain my chakra enough that I can’t use the big hitter effectively.

     Chie had a difficult time deciding her next move. However, the decision was soon taken from her hands. The battle had suddenly gained some new arrivals. ----------     Kiriko had waited for Tsurukawa to make a move. But nothing had appeared to happen. Kiriko had expected either an attack or some other attempt to distract her while Tsurukawa made her way to the lake. Though it seemed the girl wasn’t so foolish, a reckless move at this stage could mean the end. Even Kiriko’s mind, twisted as it had been by Chônôryoku, knew that. Knowing that, it meant that victory could be gained by forcing a reckless move.

     When she had felt their presences, she had thought the girl was attempting some form of solid clone to distract her. When she turned around though, a different sight greeted her.

     “Kiriko!! You must stop this madness!”

     Before her stood a man. He was accompanied by three others. All possessed the white eyes of the Hyuga clan. Kiriko could feel her own eyes narrow and her lips sneer in contempt.

     “Well… such a tiny group.” she said to them.

     “Kiriko! Whatever you had in mind has failed.” the man. Kiriko supposed he was Main Branch, noting the bare head, lacking neither Branch mark nor headband (it was tied to his forearm), “Come with us, quietly.”

     “Or what? You’ll kill me?” she taunted, “Do you think you can? I lack the Juin. You’ll have to actually bring me down by force. Something I have ensured is impossible.”

     Then, to make the point clear, she brushed her hand. The Hyuga on the far left, a girl barely in her teens, suddenly flew to the right and collided with another, an elderly man. The other two, the man who had spoken and a woman, reacted quickly enough to move out of the way. One of those who evaded pulled and threw a kunai. Kiriko halted it in midair and altered its course turning it to her right, directly into the path of the Hyuga woman who had attempted to take advantage of what they thought would be Kiriko’s attempt to dodge the blade.

     The kunai struck the woman in the chest. Kiriko was disappointed to see she had missed the heart. Not that it mattered. She raised her hand, preparing to move the blade within the woman’s body when the man interfered. An open palmed strike aimed at Kiriko’s heart was avoided by quick reaction with her telekinesis. His hand, carefully aimed, suddenly flew wide. Kiriko spun on her heel, sending a hard spin kick into the man’s abdomen. He collapsed quickly, and Kiriko put distance between them just in case he tried something foolish.

     That was almost too easy. Kiriko thought as she looked at her fallen prey. The only one currently on her feet was the young girl she had shoved into the old man. The old one had yet to get up. Doubtless he couldn’t, as Kiriko recognized him as a man who had long since retired from battle. Kiriko looked at the girl. She was worried, facing a strong enemy alone. Kiriko bet she was still inexperienced, the fear was quite noticeable. So too was something else. Kiriko could not place it until her expression changed. From one of stricken fear, to a smirk of triumph. Kiriko failed to see what had happened to alter her feelings.

     It was only when she heard the shout behind her, that Kiriko realized she had been looking in the wrong direction.

     “Tsurukawa Ôgi!”

     It was only when she turned around to see the source of the voice, that Kiriko realized it had indeed been too easy.

     “Suiton: Heisei no Kawa!!!” ----------      ;Chie had needed a distraction and, as luck would happen, the Hyuga had provided it. The four that showed up had immediately gauged Kiriko. Kiriko, filled with hatred as she was at the clan, forgot about Chie entirely and focused on them. It was exactly the chance she needed. As Kiriko flaunted her power to the four before her, Chie had managed to slip through the trees and reach the shoreline of the lake. Stepping onto the water, directly behind the fighting Kiriko, she had begun her sign weaving. She could feel the power welling behind her as she did. Her chakra, sent into the lake, grew stronger with every sign Chie complete. A pale glow began to emanate from it. It began churning and rippling. Then, with the final sign, Chie used the final part of the jutsu, the incantation, to bring its full effects about.

     “Tsurukawa Ôgi! Suiton: Heisei no Kawa!!!”

     It was a jutsu Chie liked not for its powerful effects, but for its ironic name. Heisei no Kawa, the River of Serenity, was one of the most secret moves of the Tsurukawa clan. A powerful Water element jutsu that resulted in powerful flooding of water that could not be called serene by any definition of the word. The water of the lake exploded behind Chie and proceeded to rush past her directly towards her target: Hyuga Kiriko.

     Kiriko, alerted by the smirk of the youngest Hyuga there, turned just in time to see the chakra-crafted rapids heading right for her. She held her hand out in front of her, as if to tell the water to stop. The water suddenly halted, as if pushed back by an invisible dam. At Chie’s bidding, it was still furiously attempting to attack Kiriko. All her focus was dedicated toward keeping Chie’s flood at bay. ----------     The elderly Hyuga had suddenly sprung back to life and, along with the girl, had grabbed the man and woman and gotten clear of the water’s path. Into a position to attack and finish Kiriko should Tsurukawa fail. At this point, that wasn’t impossible. The fight between the two kuno’ichi had become a battle of wills with the victor being decided by who was more determined, and who held the greatest reserve of remaining chakra.

     Kiriko knew that she, so desperate to enact her vengeance, had no difficulty with determination. She only hoped that Tsurukawa’s jutsu up to this point had left her more drained that Kiriko’s jutsu had left her.

     Kiriko focused as much chakra into her brain as she could manage. Reinforcing her psychokinesis as much as possible. Much to Tsurukawa’s shock, the raging flood before Kiriko began to be pushed back, heading back towards its creator.

     Yes!!! Kiriko thought with delight, I will win! This girl shall die! Those Hyuga shall die!! Then… then my sweet Shun, our revenge shall be done!!! I will be the victor tonight! My revenge wi ----------     Chie had been putting as much of her power as she could into the River. It was her last shot, win or lose, to damage Kiriko. She was shocked to see Kiriko push the jutsu back. But then, with no warning, Kiriko’s telekinetic dam burst. Chie’s attack struck Kiriko at nearly full force. The strength of the flood knocked the woman off her feet. But only there did the jutsu’s true nature surface.

     Within the River of Serenity, Chie’s chakra manipulated the water’s current. Within the anything but tranquil river, the water pulled and pushed in every conceivable direction. Kiriko’s body; her arms, her legs, her head, were whipped, pulled, and dragged within the water. The jutsu no longer blocked, the water ran its course leaving the edges of the forest around them decimated. The Hyuga, too, had moved further back, underestimating the power of the jutsu.

     When all was done, in the middle of the soaked, muddy path, was the body of Hyuga Kiriko. Chie approached her cautiously, remembering the last time Kiriko had appeared thus. Though she knew now there was no cause for alarm. She looked at the woman she had fought so ferociously. She was breathing, but it was clear she would not move. The vacant expression in her face said it all.

     Chie looked at Kiriko and understood. The lost eye, the broken limbs, the rage her heart had endured for so many years; she now felt none of it. Hyuga Kiriko felt no pain, no grief, no rage, no desire for revenge. The River of Serenity had struck an already defeated woman. A woman finished by her desire for revenge, and the lengths to which she had gone to achieve it.

     Hyuga Kiriko was now destroyed by her hatred. Before Chie was just a body. A body that breathed only because what was left of her mind made it do so.