Naruto Another

"Haruki Okami." She said, "Rogue Shinobi."

"Ohhhh, my reputation precedes me then?"

"I'm not participating in the Mock Exams if that's what you're asking." Tsubaki replied.

"That's a shame - if that's the case I don't have any obligation to end your life."

"Then why did you end his?"

Tsubaki was referring to the clump of flesh on the ground that used to be Straw.

"I have orders to kill Mock Exam combatants, and important family members. Soon as I saw that crest on his armor his fate was sealed."

Tsubaki walked toward Sora, never taking her eyes off Haruki until finally she was in front of him.

"Well there you have it." Tsubaki said, "he's dead, and I'm not a Mock Exams participant. So you can leave us alone."

'Tsubaki.'

"Oh no no no let's not get ahead of ourselves" The boy said, shaking his head.

"You're still a member of the Akinoyo clan. If I kill you it'll hurt a lot of people. Might rile up those on the inside ya know?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Oh, and that boy there? We can just consider him collateral damage. When shinobi face off, inhumans tend to get in the way; so don't hold back for his sake, okay?"

'Inhumans?' Sora thought.

"Mmmph!"

Tsubaki grabbed Sora with one free hand.

"Stay out of my way."

Then with little effort she threw the boy in Aoi's direction. The force of the throw caused the rope in his mouth to fall out, and stay just under his chin. While in the air Sora could see Haruki start to charge before the girl could turn back around.

"Tsubaki!!!" Sora cried as he landed with a thud next to the man who stabbed him.

Haruki was not in wolf form, but his speed was incredible. He closed the distance between himself, and Tsubaki in an instant.

'He has me beat in speed, but.' Tsubaki thought.

The nails on Haruki's hands grew black, and red extending to several inches in length.

'Partial transformation? Interesting.'

The boy knelt down guiding a slash toward Tsubaki's leg, but the shinobi parried it with her left foot angling her shoe, kicking the claws back before they reached a velocity high enough to slice. However, the second claw came up, and toward her chin in an attempt to gut her the same way he gutted Straw just a few minutes ago, but she pulled her head back dodging just in time.

She brought her hands up trying to wield hand signs, but Haruki would not let her cast jutsu. Every time she tried another claw full of dense, and powerful nails came flying toward her. Opting for another solution she reached into her pocket revealing a paper bomb.

'Now!'

As the next slash came for her head Tsubaki ducked, and placed the bomb on the boys hand, and with a powerful kick she sent the boy back into the mist. A moment later the bomb exploded sending wind, mist, and wood all over the Rain Road. Straw's body was caught up in the blast causing a torrent of blood, and gore to shroud the arena in a thick coat of red.

After a few moments the boy emerged from the blast looking even more sick and twisted. Covered in Straw's blood he licked his lips, and stared hungrily at Tsubaki.

'As soon as I attached the paper bomb to his hand he undid the partial transformation making it fall off.'

The young shinobi took a deep breath, and started to wield hand signs again - this time uninterrupted.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Whip!" She cried out.

'With the weather the way it is now, water style is the way to go. As long as I keep him at a distance I'll win.'

The drizzles of rain that were on their way to the ground had stopped in midair, and began to form dangerous sharp needles, and then they flew toward Haruki at breakneck speeds whirling through the air with immense pressure.

Haruki transformed both his legs, and started to dash around the arena, the bullets devastating everything behind him. Trees were torn apart, brushes annihilated, and fog dispersed. With Haruki's intensity it was difficult for Tsubaki to keep up, but she knew that as long as she did he would eventually tire and give in.

Haruki sped toward Sora, and Aoi and once he was in front of them he turned, and bolted straight for Tsubaki. The girl ended the jutsu not wanting to fire bullets into her two companions.

'Dammit I should've seen this coming.'

"What did I say about them getting in the way?" Haruki said as he once again transformed his right hand.

He swung right trying to tear open her rib cage, and although Tsubaki was fast, the young boy was much faster. She veered back trying to dodge, but it was too late - the claws ate at her skin, and flesh drawing blood.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggh!"

Tsubaki flipped backwards kicking mud, and dirt into Haruki's face, and as she landed on her feet she cast another jutsu.

"Akinoyo Secret Technique: Flower Garden"

The pot on her back sprung to life with dozens of vines, and large plants all circling around her body.

"That jutsu is such an affront to nature. It's the reason the Inuzuka never get along with the Akinoyo you know." Haruki said.

"Who the Akinoyo clan get along with is not my concern."

"Hmm for someone who wants to 'live peacefully, and free of trouble.' you aren't coming across as a particularly peaceful person."

"Tch, so you were listening then. You've been stalking us."

"It gets so boring out here by myself. Please forgive me, okay?"

Haruki charged Tsubaki for the third time, but now he had fully transformed into the same creature that ended Straw's life. The creature was faster now running on all fours; it sped straight past the hovering plants. Despite how much faster he was Tsubaki was now able to match his speed dodging every blow that came at her. The two twirled through brush, and dirt dueling on the Rain Road. For every attack Tsubaki dodged she delt back to Haruki twice over.

'The Flower Garden... I hate this ability. The plants that erupt from the pot act as extensions of my nervous system. Whatever enters the plant's radius they adapt the user's body to handle it, and in this case, it's speed.'

"I guess I still can't keep up with that jutsu." Haruki said. "What's the point of a purely defensive technique??"

'So he's fought a member of the Akinoyo clan in the past then.'

"Your entire move set is nothing but a copy of Inuzuka ninjutsu. Shut up."

"Hmmm, I wonder about that."

Haruki began to encircle Tsubaki looking for an opening, but no matter how much time he spent he couldn't find one.

"Hmm, I hate to do this okay?"

The wolf boy stared up at the moon, and started to open his jaws.

'W-What just like a real wolf' Sora thought.

"Tsubaki stop him, he's calling for backup!"

"Awo-"

"Akinoyo Secret Technique: Venus Fly Trap"

In an instant the various vines, and plants around Tsubaki's body extended toward Haruki, and they did so far faster than her water bullets from before. The vines immediately wrapped around the boys' snout, smashing them shut. A pink piece of flesh snapped off coiling and wriggling in the dirt. The wolf yelped in pain as it did.

"What Haruki? Plant got your tongue?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

The rest of her vines wrapped themselves around the boy's body. He struggled and resisted for as long as he could, but in the end, it was futile. The plants tightened their grip cracking joints, and bone alike before finally dropping the wolf boy to the ground. He writhed in pain and was bleeding profusely, but somehow he scampered away defeated and embarrassed.

Tsubaki picked up the wolf boy's tongue and a bit of the rope that was just in Sora's mouth and made a necklace out of it. After a silent smile, she turned to Sora who was shaking uncomfortably.

'T-That's what shinobi combat looks like.'

To Sora, Tsubaki looked like a monster. Her purple plants were like aliens that shared a hive mind. Was he going to be next? Was his tongue going to end up on that rope? He instinctively backed up into the tree behind him as Tsubaki closed in on him. By the time she reached him her plants had fully receded into the pot on her waist.