Chapter #25: Pushed to the Limit: Sono's Comeback!"
*Note: Credit goes to the following authors for the following team(s)
-Tengaigakure: Ayane Shuura, Sono Ishikara, and Nikaari Shuuma. Credit goes to Quzor.
-Konohagakure: Ansari Hotaru, Kaori Kasume, and Kyoshi Katsurou. Credit goes to TheWrongVine.
-Iwagakure: Hiroto Yamanouchi, Honoka Yamaguchi, Atsuko Yamaguchi, and Masaru Dazai. Credit goes to SpectacularInsanity
Umikira smiled evilly, as he slowly raised a hand to his mouth. “So, you think you’ve gotten all of my moves down eh?” He asked. Sono watched intently, with Tanzou standing behind him. Umikira laughed, “You are both pathetic little insects, and you won’t make it back to your respective villages in one piece.” Umikira threatened. “I’m not so sure about that.” Sono replied confidently. “You may be strong, however you must have a weak point and I intend on finding, and exposing it.” Sono said calmly. Umikira grinned and laughed menacingly. “I don’t think this guy is fooling around anymore.” Tanzou noted. “No kidding.” Sono responded. “So confident, so self-assured…” Umikira mumbled to himself. “I show you to fear me!” Umikira yelled as he charged towards Sono and Tanzou, his extended arm turned into solid ice and his fingers enlarged and branched out like sharpened blades of ice. “Ice fist!” Umikira shouted as he launched a devastating blow into the duo, causing large puffs of snow to fly up into the air into tiny bits.
Satoru fended off Sanu and Batsou while Fuuko dealt with Makki. “Do you actually believe you can beat us?” Fuuko wondered. “What are you trying to achieve?” Fuuko added. Makki lunged after Fuuko, who was practically dancing on air with her twin fan-blades and her innate powers of wind. Meanwhile, Batsou and Sanu chased after Satoru, who had made a quick run for it. “He’s trying to get away!” Sanu declared. “After him!” Batsou ordered. Satoru quickly reached into his supply pack and pulled something out, he threw it quickly into the snow behind him. Sanu and Batsou caught up to the running Satoru. “It’s over, we will not allow you to escape!” Sanu declared. “Oh I think you will.” Satoru said with a smirk. Satoru held his index and middle finger up together and close to his forehead, “Activate!” he cried, triggering a small explosion at the feet of Batsou and Sanu, causing them to fall several feet into the collapsing snow pit. “You see, that’s called quick-thinking.” Satoru added. Batsou gritted his teeth, “Damn it, how are we supposed to get out of here!?” He cursed. “You’re not, since you’re supposed to stay in there and rot.” Satoru answered.
Makki swung at Fuuko, but missed. “Dance of the spiraling dragon!” Fuuko cried, sending a dragon-shaped cyclone twisting and turning into the direction of Makki. “Damn!” Makki cried, jumping out of the way just in time. Fuuko scoffed, “Double prayer of the cyclone!” Fuuko cried sending two twirling blades of wind after Makki, tearing up snow and ripping through the air. Makki dodged one of them, but was inevitably struck by the other. Makki was sent flying back-first into the face of a nearby rock pattern and collapsed on the icy snow. “Amateurs!” Fuuko said with a scoff. “Fuuko, we’ve got to find Umikira and get out of here!” Satoru cried. “You’re right, the longer we stay the more time we will lose!” Fuuko replied. Satoru and Fuuko disappeared into the air, off searching for their younger sibling.
Tanzou and Sono had split up and were darting and dodging all of Umikira’s projectiles. (“This is tough, even if we continue to run around him and evade most of the projectiles; we will eventually get hit by the remaining ones.”) Tanzou thought. “Water Style: Frozen Barrage!” Umikira cried, opening his mouth and sending a wave of deadly ice blades flowing out like a tsunami towards Tanzou, and Sono. (“Damn he’s quick, and his precision is deadly!”) Tanzou thought. (“If just one of those frozen blades hits my vital points, it’s all over.”) Sono thought. Tanzou continued to dart and dodge, only this time, the remaining projectile ice blades cut through Tanzou’s coat, cutting into his arm. “Damn!” Tanzou cursed. “I’ve gotta do something!” Tanzou said to himself.
Mikko and Hishegami sat on the warm ground beside some trees, Hishegami drew in the melting snow while Mikko watched the orange sun up in the sky. “Hey Hishegami, did you ever notice that the sun looks kind of like a giant egg?” Mikko wondered. “You’re not supposed to stare directly at the sun moron, it’ll blind you.” Hishegami replied annoyed. “Oww, oh my retinas!” Mikko cried, burying her face in the snow, scuffing up Hishegami’s picture in the process. Hishegami jumped, and let out a small gasp. Hishegami had drawn an image of Tanzou in the melting snow, but now the face was scuffed up and barely recognizable. Mikko got up and laughed, “I was just kidding my eyes are fine!” Mikko laughed. “That’s just great.” Hishegami replied uninterested. “What’s the matter with you Hishegami?” Mikko asked concerned. “Well let’s see; Tanzou’s out fighting some psychopath while we’re marooned in this hot and wet place without him!” Hishegami responded. “Hey, yeah it is pretty hot here isn’t it?” Mikko realized, taking off her fur coat. “Didn’t you notice why I’ve been sitting here sans coat?” Hishegami added. “Oh yeah!” Mikko said with a laugh, and all of the snow on those trees have melted off!” Mikko noted. Hishegami sat up and looked at the trees, “There shouldn’t be any trees in a tundra.” Hishegami observed. “No? why not?” Mikko wondered. “Why not, because it’s a tundra Udon-Brain, it’s all cold and marshy here!” Hishegami replied. (“And it is pretty warm around here…”) Hishegami thought. “Then that means!” Hishegami exclaimed. “We’re near a desert!” Hishegami added. “A desert?” Mikko reiterated.
“Blizzard Breath!” Umikira cried, sending a wave of chilly wind and snow into Sono’s path, partially freezing his left arm and right leg. (“He’s managed to freeze me again!”) Sono thought desperately. (“I must do something or we will all end up dead!”) Sono added. Tanzou ran up to Umikira, readying his hand signs, “Fire Style: Lizard Flame Jutsu!” Tanzou cried, striking Umikira with a long blast of fire. However, no matter how intense the heat, the flames of the fire jutsu could only barely scratch the surface of Umikira’s ice shield or clones. “Damn it all!” Tanzou cursed. “Fool!” Umikira cried. “In this environment my ice shield is supreme; my snow clones cannot be melted!” Umikira added. “As long as the temperature remains at an arctic level then I will continue to dominate my prey!” Umikira declared with a grisly smile. (“So as long as he remains in a subzero temperature, then he is practically invulnerable.”) Tanzou thought. Sono raced towards Umikira, performing several hand signs in succession of another and a clone of himself appeared. “Twin hands of devastation!” Sono cried, as he and his bunshin spun around in a fast sporadic fashion, eventually reaching Umikira. Sono’s tornado-esque attack tore into and damaged Umikira’s body, slightly if anything. “What is this?” Umikira demanded. “It’s my specialty technique.” Sono replied. “Or at least one of them.” Sono added. “The wind, it’s too fast for me to counter.” Umikira cried. Umikira struggled and gasped as the power of Sono’s wind picked up and caught Umikira’s breath. “You…peon!” Umikira screamed, smashing the snow below him with a frozen ice fist. “Water Style: Ice Tremor Jutsu!” Umikira cried, sending a shockwave of ice traveling at high speeds underground, and causing it to explode right below Sono Ishikara. The explosion sent Sono flying several feet away into the snow embankment. The shattered ice chunks tore into Sono as he flew, and destroyed his kagebunshin. Sono squirmed and writhed, desperately trying to get to his feet, but it was no good his arms were almost entirely frostbitten by now and after that last attack he did not have the required strength.
Tanzou watched in horror as the fury of Umikira grew more and more intense with each passing moment. “To think, miserable little pests like you trying to beat someone like me!” Umikira said with a laugh. “You clowns really crack me up, my sides are splitting!” Umikira mocked. Sono lay battered on the ground, he had pushed his body to the limit, and was now paying the price. (“I went all out and for what, just to lay here and die?”) Sono thought. A small yet visible tear formed from the corner of his eye, his eyes widened as he recalled that memory. A young woman, he beautiful young woman with long dark hair and delicate features told him about the foundation of Tengaigakure. There was a flicker, and then another memory replaced it a much darker, scarier memory. “Sono, run!” cried the woman, just before darkness overcame everything. (“Mother!”) Sono screamed in his mind. Sono’s eyes widened and the tear flow stopped. “NO!” Sono screamed, a surge of fiery chakra surrounded Sono as he got to his feat and the frostbite melted away, the damage was still there, however to Sono all of that was moot now. “Fool, don’t you realize that you are outmatched here!?” Umikira cried as he charged towards Sono, who reciprocated by charging after. Tanzou watched in awe, as this canopy shinobi had willed himself back up not once, but twice, what was his secret? (“That Ishikara guy, he’s unbelievable!”) Tanzou thought. The two boys charged after one another, both with fists extended ready to pummel the other to death, when there was a metallic clang, then silence.
Satoru and Fuuko stood before Umikira, blocking him from Sono and vice-versa. Standing in between Ishikara and Satoru was a large metal casket with a large peering eye on the center. The eye bulged and peered out in all directions, not focusing on any one particular opponent. “You two…get out of the way.” Umikira said under his breath. “Umikira, don’t!” Fuuko warned. “We must reach the Namitora before the rest do!” Satoru added. “You will have a chance to kill them later.” Satoru ensured. Umikira stared into the back of Reikyuu, almost seeing Sono with X-ray vision. “I want him now!” Umikira uttered a guttural voice. “Later Umikira, first we must pass this portion of the exams…remember?” Satoru urged his sibling. Sono was panting, and Umikira breathed heavily, catching his breath. “Later then…I’ll kill him next time.” Umikira said with a sated smile. Fuuko and Satoru expressed sighs of relief after hearing this. “Reikyuu, dispel!” Satoru cried, holding an unfolded scroll. The large metal cycloptic casket disappeared in a cloud of smoke and back into the scroll. Satoru rolled up the scroll and concealed it within the confines of his black leather jacket. “Let’s get the hell out of here already!” Satoru declared, forming a hand sign along with his siblings, who all three disappeared in a poof of smoke! Umikira disappeared, still staring at Sono and smiling evilly.
“Amazing!” Tanzou said, approaching Sono who had dropped to one knee. “Yes I know, even after all of that he was still able to stand and attack me.” Sono admitted. “I meant you, Sono Ishikara, your will and spirit are unlike any I have ever seen before.” Tanzou admitted. “It was my internal will…” Sono said. “I could not allow myself to be beaten by the likes of that scoundrel!” Sono added. Tanzou gave Sono a hand, helping him to his feet. “Thank you for your assistance, I am grateful to have had you by my side.” Sono said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.” Tanzou apologized. “His powers are unreal, more like demonic.” Tanzou added. “Yes I know. I saw it all in his eyes.” Sono replied. “He was solely intent on killing me.” Sono said. “And then he was gonna finish me off next!” Tanzou reminded.
Makki Fuhina got to her feet and walked over to the snow pit, where Sanu and Batsou were detained. “Hey, are you guys alright?” Makki called from above. “Yeah, but could you spring us out?” Sanu asked. “Yes it’s quite cold down here!” Batsou added. “Just hang on, I’ll figure something out!” Makki replied.
Tanzou support Sono as they walked around a bend in the icy rock formations and took an alternate route to the Namitora, than the other teams had. “Hopefully we can still make the ship in time!” Tanzou said. “I hope so as well, or else my chances at becoming a chunin will be shot.” Sono said. Tanzou glanced at Sono for a second, “It looked like you recalled something really bad from your past back there.” Tanzou pointed out. Sono looked to the ground, “Yes…it was…my mother.” Sono replied. “Your mother?” Tanzou questioned. “Yes, she is the very reason I am becoming a chunin; or at least trying.” Sono explained. “You see, she sacrificed a lot just to see that I was brought up safely.” Sono added. “Unfortunately, not many of the other villagers were so lucky.” Sono said. “My home, Tengaigakure; was always continually attacked by shinobi from the village hidden in the rain, saying that they wanted to expand their territory through our canopy village.” Sono explained. “But of course we would have none of it.” Sono said. “Until one day, a squadron of Amegakure shinobi infiltrated our village and killed many of my people, my mother…sacrificed more than us kids knew to see us safely hidden.” Sono said. “Did she die?” Tanzou wondered. “Nearly, she had lost the ability to walk after throwing herself in the way of a surprise attack meant for me.” Sono replied. “My mother was pushed aside and fell over the canopy, she landed wrong and lost the ability to walk.” Sono added. “She was bound to a chair ever since then.” Sono said. “I see…” Tanzou replied. “My siblings and I have had to help my mother around the homestead ever since, and even for routine daily things.” Sono explained. “But at least…at least she is alive.” Sono added, looking up at the orange sun in the sky. Tanzou glanced at him before also looking up at the orange sun, “Did you ever notice how the sun sort of looks like an egg?” Tanzou asked. Sono smiled, and nodded, “All of the time!” he responded.
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Chapter notes: Mikko Makato, Tanzou Murasaki, Hishegami Otokusa, Umikira, Satoru, Fuuko, Makki Fuhina, Batsou, Sanu.
Chapter end notes: Flashback Arc