CH_4.33 (133)

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Takuma rotated his wrist as he glanced at the iryo-nin working on his injuries. Sango wasn't available; she had told him beforehand that she won't be there to heal him after his biggest fight in the Ring. It bothered him because he, one hundred percent, preferred Sango treating him than anyone else who wasn't a chunin or jonin because she was familiar with his body more than him— but she had offered him a free session for being a loyal customer, which was a good deal.

Thankfully, Viper hadn't inflicted any egregious injuries—more like he hadn't given her a chance.

He had taken a risk by changing his usual strategy for the fight against Viper. His standard method was to observe, then dance with the opponent while either looking for an opportunity or creating one if it didn't exist before using one of the opportunities to its maximum benefit and finishing the fight as soon as possible. This time, however, he had played a mental game with Viper— laying traps like a hunter preparing to catch prey.

It was often said that between two equally skilled fighters, the smarter would win. Which was true, but people (even highly skilled ones) overestimated the value of intellect in combat.

Takuma believed instinct— honed instinct— to be the most used weapon in combat. When two people fought, shinobi or not, around 80% of the time, they didn't think about the moves they were making. Every strike and maneuver weren't the results of conscious thought but something subconscious instinct had been trained to do without relying on the "slowconscious systems." In the earliest days of his training with Maruboshi, the old shinobi had beaten the tendency to think about moves out of him and had built a foundation of instinctual movements upon which Takuma had built his fighting style.

Intellectual strategy came into play in the broader strokes of a battle which had a substantial role in the outcome. In the fight against Viper, Takuma had focused more than usual on those broader strokes.

He understood the context of the battle, which he used to his advantage; not using it would've been such a waste. Unlike his opponent, Viper, he was a big unknown. No one knew Scars' element release of choice, his ninjutsu arsenal, or his combat style when ninjutsu were involved— on the other hand, there was plenty of information available on Viper. Takuma had the information on Viper two days after the match-up was announced. He knew she exclusively used Water Release ninjutsu, that her weapon of choice was the senbon, and that she dipped her senbon in a paralysis poison.

Her defining traits were in the open. It didn't make her easy to defeat, but it did give Takuma the opportunity to plan for them—a privilege that Viper lacked due to zero information.

Takuma began with the paralysis poison. He couldn't afford to get hit by one of senbon because he didn't know the exact potency of Viper's poison. The accounts he had heard ranged from mild numbness to something that could turn an elephant into a stone. Of course, he was told that her poison was "within regulation." To add some extra protection, he wore thicker clothing and wrapped a thick bandage around his arms, legs, and torso. It was a bit awkward, but the exchange was worth it because in the fight, a few senbon did hit him, but none were able to break skin.

It was an in-the-moment decision to pretend that his arm was infected because Viper was keeping her distance, and he wanted her to approach on her own accord instead of him chasing her.

Next was Viper's elemental release of choice. She used Water Release ninjutsu. Takuma had choices from Earth Release, Water Release, but his weakest element, the Lightning Release, turned out to be the basis of the tactic he ended up creating.

The plan was to build a false image that Scars had learned Lightning Release ninjutsu by repeatedly using Lightning Release: Shock at Viper. He knew she would be cautious at first due to the type mismatch, but after seeing his poor performance with Lightning Release: Shock would alleviate her worries and would swing the needle in the opponent direction to overconfidence, which was what happened.

Getting hit by Viper's Water Bullet Jutsu wasn't the plan, but he got hit nevertheless. He lifted his head to see the iryo-nin's hand over his chest with the iridescent green glow. Thankfully, he was only hit by one bullet, or else he wouldn't have had the chance to forfeit, much less continue.

It was that hit that prompted Takuma to end the weak Lightning Release tactic and start using everything he had.

After kicking her to the opposite side of the arena, Takuma had used Earth Release: Hiding In Rock Jutsu to traverse beneath the stone floor, but Viper running around had ruined it. It was possible to use Earth Release: Earth Tremor Sense Jutsu while using Hiding In Rock Jutsu, but it was far away from Takuma's skill level; he traveled blind. So, when Viper had moved, he had missed the opportunity to ambush her.

The ever-reliable Earth Release: Earthen Dome hadn't disappointed, and he had effortlessly saved him from Viper's C-rank Water Release jutsu while getting more than enough water for Water Release: Eight Tentacles, which he had used to finish her off in conjunction with a hearty chakra augmented sock in the face. The Lightning Release: Shock gambit had paid its dividend in the fight's final moments as Viper was clearly expecting it, and the water tentacles had come as a startling surprise.

However, the moment which gave him the most pride was stealing Viper's weapons pouch. He hadn't planned for it. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, which had paid off greatly. Yes, it had taken away Viper's choices, but it had startled her, making her feel vulnerable. A moment of hesitation was enough to turn the battle.

He was satisfied with the battle.

Takuma closed his eyes to rest when he heard a voice more annoying than nails against a chalkboard.

"Ah, Scars, my sweet-sweet boy," Tsubura's loud voice filled the medical room. "What a performance you put in front of us today. It made my day!" He laughed joyously.

Takuma opened his eyes with a sigh and turned his head to look at Tsubura. He saw that Enomoto had accompanied Tsubura. Their eyes met, but other than Enomoto wishing congratulations, they exchanged no other words.

"When can I fight my next ninjutsu fight?" asked Takuma. Ninjutsu category fights weren't a daily affair. The Ring hosted perhaps two or three every month, which was a rare deal considering the number of fights that happened every single day.

"Hasty, aren't you, boy," Tsubura grinned. "Not even off the iryo-nin's bed and already looking for the next battle. Have patience, boy, we will get you your next fight eventually."

Takuma stared at Tsubura for a moment. He wanted to fight more ninjutsu fights. As long as he could increase his experience with facing ninjutsu, he was fine even if he lost and didn't get the very generous ninjutsu-category payouts.

"I'll no longer be participating in taijutsu- and weapons-category," said Takuma, gathering everyone's attention in the room. Even the two iryo-nin in the room looked at him with surprised expressions. "I'll only fight in the 2v1 category from now on. Set up duos; I'll fight on their terms, with or without weapons. Announce to the teams that I'm looking for opponents, and if they have it in them, tell them to come fight me. I'm ready." He looked straight at Tsubura, "I'm patient, but do hurry, boss… I'm in the mood for a conquest."

Takuma had made it quite clear without saying it directly. He was giving Tsubura as many 2v1 fights as he wanted, but in return, he wanted more ninjutsu-category fights. It was the simple give-and-take transaction— a language everyone in the underworld understood the best.

Tsubura remained silent for a moment. "What if you lose?"

"What if I don't?" Takuma responded.

If he lost 2v1 fights, the audience would lose interest in watching him faster than a sinking rock. But if he kept winning, he would not only set off a rising interest in the audience, but the teams in Ring would also try harder to beat him. With every passing fight, he would be forced to show more of himself, and they would, without doubt, observe him and use that information against him by sending their prepared duos in hopes of a big payday. If he kept winning regardless, he would become a bigger draw of people than he was now.

"… Indeed, what if you don't," Tsubura chuckled. "If that's what you want, who am I to stop you, the great Scars… Come by tomorrow. We have to make you a new mask now that you have earned it."

Takuma nodded and turned his away, closing his eyes. The conversation was over.

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"I want him," said Slash Baron.

Sango glanced at her handler. She quirked her brow as she asked: "Now?"

"Of course not," he scoffed. "He has the potential. I'm changing his status. We will be keeping an eye on him. See where he goes, and if he continues to progress and doesn't fuck up, his file will, at the very least, reach the recruitment office. As for if they extend an invitation… well, that depends entirely upon how he progresses from now on."

"… You do realize that he's not just Enomoto's fighter, he's also his business associate," said Sango.

"So?" Slash Baron looked at her. Sango could only see his eyes. "As long as he isn't colluding with the enemy and passes our standards, we couldn't give a fuck if he's doing some business on the side. His weed dealing is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things; it's beneath our jurisdiction. Even Enomoto isn't that big of a deal, but we keep an eye on him in case he oversteps his bounds. I will have a problem if the boy gets caught because it will tell me he can't keep a covert operation." He laughed, "He works in the Police Force. It's so damn funny if you look at it."

"You don't mind him breaking the law? I thought you guys had high standards."

Slash Baron stood up, laughing. The fight had ended a while ago, and everyone except them had left the room. "If we went out looking for squeaky-clean people in a village of mercenaries-for-hire, we would have to shutter down for not having enough people." He gazed outside at the caged arena. "There are many standards, but when it comes down to it, only a few things truly matter—things like the ability to get things done. I have no use for a law-abiding, tree-hugging patriot who can't complete a mission. Things like loyalty," he scoffed, "there are many ways to ensure that— high-level competence, that's all that matters in the end."

Sango stared at Slash Baron's back. She had been working for the man for two and a half years, and she didn't know anything about him except for what little was known in the Ring, which wasn't much. 'Time' moved faster in the Ring— people rose fast, but they were forgotten faster. Slash Baron, too, had been forgotten, turned into a legend— and legends were seldom entirely true; they exaggerated and embellished.

But she was sure that he knew everything about her. It worried her before, but she had long since gotten over it. He had set up the conditions of their collaboration, and as long as she remained within those bounds, she would be the one benefiting the most.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Hmm? Well, nothing. Enomoto and Ring are still to be your main focus. If you can, try to get to know him more. What kind of person is he? His views, ideologies, goals, vices, flaws. I want to know what makes him happy, what makes him tick, what does he get up in the morning for…. I want to know Takuma, Scars, Tobi— whoever he is."

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