—Who Are You!?— the Kumo-Nin hissed with a cold expression as he unleashed a couple of those Storm aces to try and break the ice dome.
—I´m Batman— Takeshi replied in a deep voice, quickly weaving hand signs.
At his command, chakra emerged from his body and flooded the section of the dome pointing at the opponent. The crystal cracked, and countless sharp fragments levitated for a few seconds before shooting out toward the Kumo-Nin.
Doton: Doryūheki.
A wall of earth rose in front of the enemy shinobi, protecting him from the icy projectiles.
Takeshi waited patiently, forcing his non-shinobi mind to think like one, coming up with a strategy that would allow him to win. He hadn't lied when he told Kakuzu that his real experience, as a true shinobi, was non-existent.
Until now, he had solved all his problems by siphoning the chakra of his opponents—which wasn't too much—or by freezing his surroundings at the cost of a massive amount of his own chakra.
The only truly dangerous opponent he faced was Rasa, but Takeshi countered that trashy Kage too well.
He could freeze the sand, and he felt he could even freeze the chakra that permeated it, so Rasa's best weapon was useless against him. This shinobi was inferior to the Kazekage, but the Element he used was something Takeshi could not casually counter.
The Meiton couldn't absorb the Storm Release, the Reiton couldn't freeze lightning, soaking himself in water would be stupid, fire was as useless as ever, and he didn't have Earth techniques. He only had three things to play this game:
Hyōton, for its solidity; Fūton, because it would reach the enemy anyway; and Taijutsu, because a shinobi's body is still a weapon, as well as its weakness.
—Besides, I doubt his reserves equal mine. I am at the upper end of Jōnin, almost the equivalent of an S-rank Ninja. And this guy isn't known to me in any way— the Yuki thought.
With an explosion of ice shards, Takeshi shot out of his dome toward the Kumo-Nin, who was throwing shuriken against him while retreating.
Hyōton: Tsubame Fubuki.
The seals were woven, and the effect manifested in the form of a storm of ice swallows that broke away from the remains of the dome.
—Senseless brat! Do you have any idea who I am!?— the shinobi roared, igniting snakes of lightning around his muscular arms.
Takeshi frowned, trying to remember such a masculine and incredible technique. He doubted he had ever seen it, but his memory could be failing.
With skill and cool stances, the Kumo-Nin faced the wave of ice swallows with his crackling fists, each blow unleashing lightning that spread like cobwebs and shattered the other flying pieces of ice.
—What masculinity!— Takeshi thought with admiration, watching the burly shinobi dismantle his attack with disdainful ease while lightning danced on his arms. Now he seriously wanted that technique.
Fūton: Daitoppa.
He inhaled deeply and expelled the chakra mixed with his breath, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that struck the Kumo-Nin head-on, sending him crashing violently into the trees.
However, as soon as his body hit the trunk and splintered it, it crumbled into hundreds of rock fragments.
Takeshi's eyes widened, and he was about to leap away from the spot, knowing what would come next. But then a flash of logic hit his brain, stopping his cliché and foolish action.
Why dodge if you knew what was coming? He always wondered why the shinobi in the Anime didn't use this fact intelligently.
And Takeshi had an efficient method to turn this classic strategy into a death sentence.
He clasped his hands as fast as he could and concentrated the energy inside, expelling it forcefully in the familiar pattern of his Ice Release.
The moisture in the air chilled, movement around him slowed down to a primary level, frost formed out of nowhere, and the temperature dropped sharply.
While this was happening, the ground cracked, and a crackling hand emerged from the formed hole, gripping Takeshi's ankle and sending an electric shock that nearly made him wet himself.
Yes, forcing something as fast and hot as lightning to stop was difficult. The Kumo-Nin would have noticed the problem and moved away in any other situation.
But underground, in such an awkward posture, and with limited speed?
Although the lightning would take longer to freeze, and the man's hand enveloped in it slightly protected him from the cold, Takeshi's ability also froze what was beneath his feet.
And with the hole the Kumo-Nin was in, that process only accelerated.
Takeshi felt the enemy's tension as the hand gripping his foot pulled him down while the icy ground cracked.
The Kumo-Nin emerged with a bewildered grimace as Takeshi descended, the icy aura still being expelled from his body.
—Hnngh!— Takeshi groaned, his body spasming from the intense current running through him.
—AAARGH!— the Kumo-Nin roared, his strength suddenly vanishing along with the warmth of his body.
The lightning continued to dance and the cold continued to spread, but half of the Kumo-Nin's hand had fused to Takeshi's flesh.
Both opened their eyes wide and nearly passed out from the pain when the Kumo-Nin tried to remove the hand that was electrocuting Takeshi, resulting in three of his fingers and a considerable portion of skin ripping off.
For his part, Takeshi never considered the fact that the enemy's hand would stick to his skin, so a good piece of it was left glowing red, and the wound sent searing waves of pain, disabling his leg.
The shinobi's lightning production stopped, and Takeshi's cold aura ceased, both combatants sore and exhausted.
They were left side-by-side in the hole created by the Kumo-Nin's technique, one shivering with cold and chattering teeth, while the other writhed with muffled moans and broke the dam, wetting his pants.
When the warm liquid reached the skinless section of Takeshi's leg, the pain tripled, and the Yuki let out a gut-wrenching shriek that echoed for hundreds of meters, scaring off the few birds that were brave, or foolish, enough not to leave when the fight erupted.
—S-s-s-shut up!— the Kumo-Nin stammered a while after Takeshi's scream ceased, mobilizing his chakra internally to stimulate his body movement and generate more heat.
—G-g-g-give me the t-t-technique!— Takeshi demanded, his body steaming and twitching slightly here and there.
The Kumo-Nin refused to strike Takeshi, afraid of breaking another part of his body, while Takeshi couldn't exert enough control to even stand up or close the faucet.
At that moment, a tall figure wrapped in black robes walked calmly to the edge of the hole they were both writhing in.
Kakuzu cast a bored look at the duo, shaking his head slightly.
A kunai slipped from his sleeve, and he threw it without hesitation, to Takeshi's horror, lodging it between the Kumo-Nin's eyebrows and finishing their mission.
—NOOOooOo!— Takeshi groaned in a pathetic attempt to scream.
—Mission complete, brat. The Leader will contact us if he needs anything— the man said with an indifferent tone, extending his threads in a swift movement and ripping off the Kumo-Nin's head with a wet, disgusting crunch, splashing Takeshi in the process.
—S-Senpai, a little help?— Takeshi gasped with resignation, dejected that he couldn't steal that cool lightning technique in the arms.
—You smell like piss, brat. I am not going to touch you— Kakuzu refused, turning around to leave that place for who knows where.
—Senpai!? D-don't go!
—Next time, don't try something like that, idiot. If the enemy had used a kunai to pierce your leg and send the current into your body, you'd be dead. Now you're a mess, and if you're not careful, you'll die at the hands of bandits, hungry animals, or an infection— the Akatsuki declared in what Takeshi interpreted as advice.
That made him stop for a second. Had Kakuzu just given him advice? That Kakuzu?
However, before he could ruin the moment, Kakuzu disappeared from the location with a Shunshin, leaving his wounded partner behind.
As long as there were no missions, the Akatsuki pairs could roam freely and tend to their business. Takeshi understood, but it wasn't what he had planned.
He wanted Kakuzu to accompany him to Suna to renegotiate the deal and, perhaps, receive some guidance in forming real techniques for his Reiton.
—Damn villains and their desire to be lone wolves with the charisma of a friggin' rock— Takeshi thought with a sigh, promising himself to remember this lesson.