"Ladies and Gentlemen! The is the last battle of quarter finals, we have saved the most entertaining genins for last. Who do guys think will win? The fiery Tatsuo or electrifying Sakumo?"
Tatsuo cringed from hearing the nickname. It was gross generalization to limit all he can do to just being fiery. He was fiery AND windy. Tatsuo would hold a grudge against the guy for the rest of his life.
Sakumo chuckled watching Tatsuo before looking into the stands. Looking for someone, his heart wated her to be here but his mind told him it was not likely.
---
Satoru returned to Keiko and Chosuke, making the latter light up like a child with candy. He was about to ask but Satoru just gave an entire chicken and a few bottles of spices. "Cook whatever dish you want. I brought you everything." His eyes then turned to Keiko who smiled.
He sat beside her, leaning his head on her shoulder, thanks to their height difference. Satoru then looked at a distance and saw his shadow clone sitting at a different seat.
---
"The match begins now!"
Sakumo and Tatsuo both made a sign and nodded before stepping forward towards each other.
Tatsuo mind was clear, his body was ready to dish out pain and injuries alike. He knew it in his soul that he would win.
Sakumo stayed silent and held the short sword strapped to his back, ready to take it out.
"Begin!"
Sakumo charged forward with his sword in hand, generously coated in electricity. He arm cocked back to create a wide swing.
Tatsuo's arms burst with chakra which turned into wind. He stretched out his arms to block.
Sakumo was about to release the wave of electricity, only for him to exhale a powerful plume of fire straight at Tatsuo.
Tatsuo propelled himself back with the burst of wind from his arm, narrowly avoiding the attack. Only for the wave of electricity to follow through and hit him straight in the chest.
Tatsuo grit his teeth, falling to his knees. Sakumo took the chance and weaved the handsigns for a jutsu.
"Lightning style:electromagnetic murder !" Electricity burst outwards from Sakumo's body and caused mayhem upon everything around him.
Tatsuo turned the sharp winds into circular spinning drills, before punching the ground.
Sakumo used earth style chakra pulse to detect where Tatsuo hid into. "I see you!" Sakumo said, the tip of his sword thrummed with power, he thrusted the blade into the ground.
The electricity tore through the ground, reaching Tatsuo in an instant. The electricity hit him directly, a scream of pain resounded through the ground. Reaching Sakumo's ears.
The floor beneath Sakumo cracked, he looked down only to see a fist coated in flames in his periphery. He blocked with his sword, the heat and the impact made him buckle.
He dropped his sword, his hands were burnt, matching the charred forehead protector on his face. He removed the hot metal from his forehead, throwing it away.
"Satoru told me about that sensory jutsu. It uses proximity and strength of chakra signature. I prepared for both, and it payed off." Tatsuo said with a smirk.
Sakumo's arm radiated pain like never before. He decided to entertain the conversation, planning to buy enough time.
"I could have sniped you with my sword even if you were a kilometer away, staying away from me doesn't mean you're safe. So, it was chakra strength?" Sakumo said, it hurt to even close his palm, his sword was still too hot to be held without injuring himself.
"Inspiration from Satoru. Man, using that seal to contain my chakra to trick you was so risky. I placed nearly ninety percent of my chakra into that seal and used the rest to create a clone." Tatsuo said, the sweat on his forehead, definitely was from gambling his life on that tactic.
"No wonder I couldn't sense you. Your clone was like a bright sun while you were a flame of a matchstick." Sakumo looked at his hand, it was ready.
Sakumo instantly kicked his sword at Tatsuo not giving him even a moment's notice to respond.
Tatsuo brought up his arms, the wind burst caused the blade into a different direction. Sakumo used lightning step. His speed took a massive increase as he closed the distance between them.
Tatsuo blasted hot wind at all directions, creating a solid smiled against Sakumo's assault. A chakra string attached to the sword, pulling it into Sakumo's hand.
Sakumo slashed with his heightened speed, leaving a deep cut in Tatsuo's chest.
Sakumo planned to turn his wrist for another slash only for Tatsuo to catch his hand. He swung his another arm, just to be replied with sharp winds.
'Not even a third as deep as I thought it would go. His defense is strong.' Sakumo thought, electricity flowed through his sword before being stopped by Tatsuo's flames.
Tatsuo used the flames coating to heat up the sword again. Forcing Sakumo to let go and jump away.
"You cannot regulate the temperature of your sword, can you? Keiko can walk through my fire without hesitation with her water style. It's a pretty high benchmark for me to make use her full strength." Tatsuo said, chasing after him.
Sakumo kept maintaining the distancing, which Tatsuo slowly closed with his increasing speed.
"You won't get away! Searing punch!" Tatsuo closed the distance, his fist bursting into flames and hot air moved around him.
"I'm not!" Sakumo pointed his fingers at Tatsuo like a gun, lightning surged from him before hitting him straight in the chest.
Tatsuo fell back in pain, his muscles and organs alike contracted and spammed painfully. He fell to his knees in pain.
Sakumo took out a kunai and swung to slash him, aiming to end the match. Tatsuo circulated chakra in his entire body, slowly flushing out the lightning chakra.
Sakumo's blade neared his neck, his eyes flickered at something in the audience or at...Someone.
The messy brown hair which looked wild and untamed, the sharp angular jaw which resembled a powerful canine with matching sharp teeth which bit into the chicken in the girl's hand. The bright orange sweater with a drawing of a dog on it.
Sakumo's mind raced but his body lacked behind. He flinched, hesitated even. Tatsuo used the chance and dodged the kunai, before landing a devastating uppercut into Sakumo's chin.
Sakumo ragdolled meters away, the wind knocked out of his lungs from the collision of his body with the ground which was strong enough to create a large crater.
Sakumo stood up, pain pulsing through his chin. He moved his chin just enough to feel that his way broken, along with his jaw. But that wasn't what was in his mind, not even close.
He looked back at that seat where she sat, he searched around for the orange sweater...and the girl who was wearing it. Tatsuo used the time to collect himself, building up his chakra for the next part of their battle while Sakumo ignored Tatsuo's existence and continued searching.
'I should focus on coat for now, my stamina is running low and he is just troublesome like that.' Tatsuo thought. His flames simmered down before coming to a halt. Whereas, the wind coat raged even strongly.
His legs released air like a jet, making him seem like he disappeared and reappeared in front of Sakumo. He opened his fist and swung, releasing blades of winds which resembled claws.
Sakumo stomped the ground, making it crack and release out a weak wall which tanked the damage before shattering.
Sakumo stepped back, only for the place he stood to explode from a bunch of paper tags. Tatsuo got away just in time to avoid the explosion only for something far worse to follow behind.
The shattered pieces of the wall blasted towards the boy, in a fraction of a second in which he dodged the explosion. He surged with chakra, winds blasted away to small shards and destroyed the larger ones turning them into dust.
He used the dust to charge straight into Sakumo's personal space, landing a powerful gut punch. The fist was blocked with ease, but the sharp winds punished him deeply for not avoiding.
Sakumo grunted in pain, then further feeling pain from moving his jaw. Tatsuo continued his attacks. Releasing a series of links and punches in Sakumo's direction.
Sakumo tried dodging all the attacks and blocking the rest, occasionally missing and paying the price. It was almost uncharacteristic of him to taking so much damage.
Tatsuo landed a punch breaking through his defense and hitting his chest, before looking at him in the eyes. They were unfocused, distracted and not at all present in the moment.
Tatsuo was angered due to the fact that his opponent was not paying attention to him. His attacks reflected his emotions and before more violent and erratic.
Sakumo thought about was Satoru had told him before the match. Maybe he was solving her problems for her and not letting her grow as a person and as a shinobi. What could he do? In his position, anyone would interfere to save their loved ones from harm.
It wasn't about being better than her or making her feel jealous of him for defeating people stronger than she could handle. It was love, in it's purest form! Willing to fight battles for someone he loves, so she doesn't have to...or she doesn't need to.
If you love someone you remove problems from their lives, become their source of happiness and sense of peace. Well, if you didn't...if you didn't fight for your love then...what kind of love did you have?
Sakumo had no regrets for doing what he did, with no regard that if he was right or wrong. Because, whatever he did, he did for her, and if that was wrong, then so be it! That was a cliff Sakumo was willing to die on.
The next Sakumo opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the sky. His body felt it was on fire and simultaneously felt numb. He couldn't move his body nore did he know where he was.
Suddenly he heard people, one of them talked about bringing stretcher for the patient. He wondered who the patient was until he felt like he was lifted of the the hard cold ground.
He lost.
---
Tatsuo looked at Satoru with a suspicious look. His narrowed, making Satoru stop eating and look at him. "What?" He asked after swallowing the food.
"How did someone as strong as him lose to me? I know that he is stronger than me in my bones. There's no way he would lose to me!" Tatsuo said, stepping closer to his friend.
"Well, he stopped defending at the end and you pounded his ass till he couldn't stand anymore! Maybe he had some inner demons which held him back, or maybe he did match fixing like, my man here, Kaito." Satoru said, throwing a piece of his food at Kaito.
"Man, fuck you! You! Don't listen to him, he talks a lot of shit just to make people angry." Kaito told Tatsuo, who nodded.
"Yeah, I can see that." Tatsuo said, looking at the anger lines on Kaito's brow. The poor guy was enduring Satoru for what was now more than six months.