NOVEL NEXT 219. Whatcha Been Up To? [2]
"Haaa...haaaa...I think we're in the clear for now"
"I'll keep watch nonetheless, so take this time recover. As our medic, we can't have you getting tired"
"Thanks...phew!"
After a nerve wrecking fight with a powerful member of Konohagakure's1Hidden Leaf Village infamous Uchiha Clan, Suzu decided to dig out a small cave situated far from the area with her Ninjutsu for them to hide in. Midnight had come, but they knew the darkness consuming the canyon would only serve to entice the competition
Too risky to set a campfire, all Tai could rely on to stay warm was his clothes. The stars and moon in the night sky were their only source of light. Suzu remained as stoic as ever, for the girl had not even blinked, let alone move while keeping watch
Only the chirping sound of crickets could be heard, that is... until Tai finally decided to break the silence
"Hey Suzu... about that power you used earlier... " (Tai)
"Yugito-sama and Killer B-sama helped me gain proper control. It origins may come from the LIFT drug, but you don't have to worry about me going berserk" (Suzu)
"O-Oh! No, I'm not worried about that...! After what you did during the Siege, I've got nothing but faith in you. What I'm concerned with, is other potential side effects that power might have, from a medical perspective of course. Call it a concern or habit, my job to make sure members of my team are in peak physical condition" (Tai)
Suzu finally turned around and faced Tai, staring at him for what seemed like hours, hesitant to discuss the particularly sensitive subject. Eventually, she sat down right in front of him before sharing her experience on "Genbu Island" during the last three months
"The best way describe the current me would be the same classification as my ancestors, as a pseudo-jinchūriki. The LIFT, which contains tailed beast chakra, is really no different than-" (Suzu)
"The flesh of the Nine-tails Kinkaku and Ginkaku consumed when the beast swallowed them whole many years ago. What surprises me is the power within you remained potent to such a degree. Considering the pill's effects were only temporary on the others" (Tai)
"Because of my body's structure, which is unique as the Kin-Gin brothers, it had more of a stable, permanent effect on me. Just as a Tailed Beast dwells within it's host, the chakra from the LIFT has merged with my own, and remains deep inside my chakra network. Even when I'm not using it, Yugito-sama confirmed my base power to be at least three times stronger, prior to the change" (Suzu)
{Three times?! Her reserves were already impressive, but if that's true...her chakra levels now might even rival, if not surpass Rei's!} "Um...How much when you ARE using it?" (Tai)
"...We were careful not to take it too far during my training, as to avoid the possibility of me going berserk or dying like the others who consumed the pill, so I can't give an accurate estimate. But..." (Suzu)
"Gulp..." (Tai)
"At my current level of control, I can temporarily increase my strength up seven levels. Though Killer B-sama says that's nowhere near the limit of my new power" (Suzu)
Tai was completed flabbergasted at this revelation...
Suzu's state, the organization known as the Company, and their hand in the LIFT's creation... Most of this information was classified. The Raikage managed to keep most of the details a secret after the Siege took place. For if word got out this young lady's body held the key to creating ninja with Tailed Beast powers, war breaking out would be an inevitability
Unlike the other LIFT takers who were connected to a mysterious network of chakra, Suzu was an exception, free from any foreign influence. Even with Rei's alteration of the pill he gave her, the process would never have worked were it not for how special she was. The last of her bloodline, no one else in the world possessed the same physical attributes
"I may have made a mistake..." Suzu began to brood on her recent actions
"You mean using it to save us from that Uchiha?" (Tai)
"I only used a miniscule fraction of it to free us from his Dōjutsu2Eye Techniques, but his eyes can see chakra. It was only an instant, but he might've caught on to-" (Suzu)
"Don't worry about it" (Tai)
"?" (Suzu)
"He doesn't know what he saw. Being a potential heir to the Yotsuki Clan, you tend to hear things. There are tons of people out there with special chakra, not just you. Plus, barely a minute had passed before he took off, we'll be fine..." Sensing the trepidation on her face, Tai offered words of encouragement to soothe his teammates worries
Suzu bowed her head in appreciation for his kind words. Soon enough, all the worry had indeed left her body, and she finally began to feel sleepy
The pair took turns keeping watch all night, getting as much rest as possible until morning came
♦♦♦
Day 7
With renewed vigor, the pair decided to utilize a new strategy to acquire a "Black Needle" to complete their "White Compass". Thanks to a hint gained from the Uchiha's words, they proceeded to untouched areas within canyon. Now on top of a mountain range that stretched for miles, heading towards one of it's edges as Suzu spotted the next "objective"
Their targets now switched to...
"Found one! I'll go first!" (Suzu)
"Right behind you!" (Tai)
TAK! TAK!
...Genin teams hailing from Iwagakure3Hidden Stone Village
"Hm? Ah...Hey!"
"Another enemy team's headed our way!"
"Wha-?! Crap!"
HEAVE! VWOOOOO!
{Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku4Wind Style: Giant Vacuum Bullet!} With a deep breath, Suzu exhaled a massive, crushing sphere of compressed air
The Iwagakure team stopped in their tracks, moving in proper formation to prepare for her attack. Slamming their hands on the ground in sync, the team raised a sturdy wall of stone to receive the massive wind blast
BOOOOSH! CRACK!
On contact, the barrier of Earth fell to pieces, but served its purpose in protecting them
"U-Ugh...!"
"That's a lot of power. These guys aren't amateurs--hm? Wait a minute...that attire is-! Oh...OH SHIT! Guys! They're from Kumogakure!"
"Eh?! Then are they the ones responsible for--oh no! We gotta slow her down!"
{What are they talking about?} (Suzu)
CLOMP! CLOMP!
Her feet still moving, Suzu wanted to close the distance between them after obliterating their defensive shield. Already readying her next jutsu as the Iwa genin retaliated in unison!
"Doton: Doryūkatsu5Earth Style: Earth Flow Divide!"
CRUMBLE! BOOM!
The ground was torn apart, perfectly split from right under the young Kunoichi from Kumogakure. Her quick pace was stopped, and the Iwa-nin beamed with pride upon witnessing the girl, now trapped in the chasm they created
Each taking out their blades as they slowly strolled forth with caution
{That's it... a little more...} (Suzu)
"Despite all the rumors, the Rengoku no Bakemon6Purgatory's Monster was very unimpressive if you fall for a simple move like this"
"Very lackluster..."
"H-Huh? The who?" {There it is... I can see it} (Suzu)
"In all honesty, I suppose this canyon would cause people to exaggerate"
"All this talk about evil apparitions, monsters, and dragons is the last thing I wanna hear, this place keeps me on edge enough as is"
"Dragons? No way..." (Suzu)
"In any case, if you hand over your exam item, we'll let you go"
VWOOOO!
While the Iwa Genin issued their threats, an unnatural fog formed above their heads. At this sight, Suzu smiled and gave her response
"I've got some questions, so leave one of them awake" (Suzu)
"Ah? We're not here to answer your...answer your...your...you--"
"T-The hell? Why can't I see...straight. Uhhh...I feel kinda...funny..."
"What's the matter with you guys?"
ZWISH! SLAM!
Suddenly entering a daze, two of them fell on their backs completely disoriented, unable to make sense of what was happening before helplessly falling asleep.
Suzu blasted out from the surface, closing the distance between them in an instant with speed second only to Rei's, she grabbed the sole remaining Genin by the head. Violently slamming his face down, pinning him to ground!
"Very well executed, you're getting faster" (Suzu)
"U-Urgh! What the hell are you saying?!"
"Not you...him" (Suzu)
"What?!"
TAK!
"Practice makes perfect. Now, what did you wanna ask this--HEY! These guys got a needle! Awesome!" exclaimed Tai as he revealed himself
Proper to the standard tactics of a medical-nin, he made sure to stay back when the fighting began. Utilizing his uniquely poisonous, vaporized Ninjutsu to assist his teammate from a distance
"Good to know. Now, you... What was that talk about a Dragon?" (Suzu)
"..."
"You also reacted very strongly at our attires, not out of a grudge between different countrymen...but something recent. Your friends also mentioned monsters and apparitions as well. Care to share?" (Tai)
"The only thing I'm sharing is...this!" The restrained genin flipped his middle finger at them, despite Suzu keeping his arm in a lock
"..." (Suzu)
"Haaaa...shouldn't have done that. May God be with you..." (Tai)
"E-Eh? WHOA!! OW!"
Suzu effortlessly lifted the rebelling captive with a single arm, dragging the defiant Genin towards the cliff's edge before dangling him upside down. When she demanded he quit wasting her time and talk, he snorted at her threat. Fully confident he could survive the fall, even if he was tied up
But the girl wasn't counting on the fall to kill him...
SPLISH!
"Ugh! Upack! Agh! What the hell was that?!"
"What I've just thrown on you is a modified perfume, which in liquid form...is far more concentrated. It gives off a scent that attracts...well, see for yourself" Tai said as he pointed downwards
As the Genin moved his head to look, the former smug on his face was immediately replaced with fear. For what awaited him at the bottom of the cliff was a den of abnormally large bobcats!
"Y-You wouldn't..."
"I already have. What you've been covered with contains no small amount civet oil, giving you a musky smell the noses of those...cats down there couldn't possibly miss"
"Isn't that the same thing you covered yourself with because you thought the pheromones it had would attract wome-?" (Suzu)
"MOVING ON! Let me tell you something about this girl. Right now she, who's easily holding a guy like you that's probably over twice her weight...with one arm mind you, she's just as violent as another friend of mine. Even I don't know what she'll do" (Tai)
"K-Kuh...!"
"Do you really want to die in the most brutal of ways because...huh, I don't even know why you're not cooperating right now. Are you just mad that you lost to us, or do you have a grudge against people from Kumogakure?" (Tai)
"You guys from the Cloud are crazy! One wearing your attire was spotted not far from here, attacking every team in sight, going completely ballistic! We heard he brutalized dozens of people!"
"Brutalizing...that's gotta be-!" (Tai)
"Yeah!" (Suzu)
Tai and Suzu looked at each other in relief. The latter casually ignoring the stories of horror her captive shared while joyfully feeling relief after finally confirming Rei was alive and well
"Who told you this?" (Tai)
"It was...urgh...um..."
"Cat got your tongue? That's odd, we haven't dropped you yet?" (Suzu)
"Ishigakure7Hidden Rock Village, okay! It was intel from some Ishigakure ninja! They're...haaaa, they're helping out participants from our village. The relationship between our two countries grew exponentially in recent days!"
{That's also gotta be the reason we haven't seen many Iwagakure Genin, most of them have likely passed this exam already} (Tai)
"Tell us everything, and be quick about it!" (Suzu)
"O-Okay! Just don't drop me!"