“This is impossible!” Chika said, “He’s hitting chakra points and nerve endings like a surgeon!”
Down in the arena, Taro had managed to hit 5 different nerve endings, all quite painful, but hitting the chakra system didn’t seem to do anything. “The pill gives you knowledge, not bloodlines. Without Byakugan, I can’t hit the chakra points with enough precision.” he thought to himself. This thought momentarily distracted him, just long enough for Okuri to rake his eyes. Taro, caught completely off his guard, cried out in pain and instinctively clutched his face.
Okuri forced chakra through his body and began the Tunnelling Fang technique. When Taro forced his eyes back open, they saw what he first thought was a cross between a tornado and a pile of fur and claws. It hit him full force in the gut, causing him to double over. A violent flare of pain spread through his body as his spine almost cracked on impact from hitting the wall behind him. Okuri stopped spinning and kicked Taro’s throat. This time, though, he didn’t pull back his foot. Instead, he leaned on it, putting all his weight on Taro’s windpipe. As Taro began to show difficulty breathing, Okuri leaned his face in so that his eyes were a mere pinkie’s length from his opponents.
“You. Are. Finished.”
Unseen, Taro formed the horse, tiger and dragon hand signs. Out of the cloudless night sky, a lightning bolt descended and struck Okuri. Like a panicked beast, he leapt backwards, swiftly turning his head back and forth, trying to see where the strike had come from. Taro bit his thumb and sniggered heinously as he slammed his palm to the ground. A puff of smoke, and a large naginata appeared before him. The handle was solid ebony wood, while the head of the naginata seemed to be not made of metal, but instead could only be described as solidified electricity. Sparks and miniature lightning bolts discharged from the head, particularly the tip. He grabbed it and, holding it out in the standard bo position, unleashed a surge of lightning upon his bestial opponent.
As Okuri was forced to his knees, his clothes began to tear apart and disintegrate. “This is the power of the Ryuu no Raiden!” Taro yelled. “The naginata for which my family took its name! This is my power!” The intensity of the lightning increased, and Okuri descended to all fours, throwing his head down, his shirt, jacket, and lower pant sleeves disintegrating.
Chika had climbed up onto the balustrade and was about to leap into the arena when a hand grabbed the back of her scruff. It was none other than Itachi’s hand, and the Uchiha harshly threw her back in her seat. “What do you think you’re doing? Taro’s weapon is giving off deadly amounts of chakra! Interfere now, and you’ll be killed before can get in striking distance of him!”
“You save him then!”
“Have you gone mad? All the lightning of twelve storms is down there! Even Itachi couldn’t survive it!”
“But someone has to save him!”
Itachi looked at the desperate face of Chika, and then back to the arena. Okuri was going to die. Deaths were not common in the chunnin exams, but they did occur occasionally, and when they did, it was accepted as the cost of the highly efficient grading system. Still, Itachi couldn’t comprehend the loss he was beginning to feel. He could only stand by and watch while his comrade was being killed.
“Damn you, Takayuki*!” Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted at the Raikage. In his anger, his smoking pipe had fallen out of his mouth and he had to restrain himself from strangling the pale-skinned man. “Why did you teach your boy THAT technique?!? There’s no way he could comprehend the power of that weapon, let alone WIELD it properly!” The Raikage ignored him and continued his sick, twisted laughter.
“Oh, please, spare us the lecture Sarutobi.” The Kazekage wistfully muttered. “It’s obvious that you’re really thinking about loosing one of your precious Inuzuka clan.” Lifting his head from his loftily placed hand, he grumbled to the Raikage next to him. “Quit laughing, it’s annoying and I don’t see what’s so funny about a guy being slowly electrocuted to death.”
“Look at this guy!” The Raikage squealed with childish glee. “He just keeps taking it, like he’s some sort of punishment sponge!” His guards, powerfully built and shadow skinned, like most men of their nation, rolled their eyes, and Hiruzen saw in their body language that Takayuki often demonstrated this sort of behaviour at home.
*Takayuki=moving to heights
