Chapter 61: Ragged Wood

Killer B looked at the small Konoha ninja that stood before him, and recognized his description: the hair and forehead protector, along with the sword and cloak fit the description of Konoha's Tempest, an shinobi incredibly skilled in Lightning, Wind, and Water releases, as well as his fox companion and kenjutsu. B wasn't sure how he would match up to himself, but he was a little glad that there wasn't no competition to his assault--he just hoped that A's attack on the Konoha right was going as planned.

Quickly jotting some bars in his book, he said, "It seems to me I've found a little Tempest, one of their best, but nonetheless dying like the rest!"

Kannin's collected demeanor almost melted hearing Killer B talk--he forgot he spoke in rap. It was a ridiculous gimmick, and one he never forgave the Kishimoto for. Locking eyes with B, he replied,

"I'm not dying today." He said, "If I'm not mistaken the glasses and rapping make you Kumo's Killer B, the Hachibi jinchuriki, right?"

Killer B just nodded in response,

"Unfortunately for you," a smile crept on Kannin's face, "I have quite the good matchup against a jinchuriki."

Without giving time to explain, Kannin burst towards Killer B, Koseki in hand. His strike was easily met by B's own blade, but that wasn't what Kannin was going for--just then, the teeth of a giant fox bit into the thigh of the jinchuriki.

A cry of pain escaped his mouth, as he turned his leg into a tentacle, and flicked Kiyo away, who vanished into a poof of smoke mid air. The momentary distraction was enough for use a wind release move at point-blank range. He inhaled, and it seemed like all the nearby air was sucked into his lungs, creating a vacuum in the surroundings. B, whose sword was locked with Koseki, couldn't escape it in time, and felt the air in his very lungs evacuated--a sensation new to him, and one he never wanted to feel again.

B put his hand to his throat as the air was sucked out of him, and before he could move, Kannin released all of that air in a massive blast of wind chakra. He used the force of the blast to propel himself back and into the air, while he saw bruised tentacles held up in front of B, who was pushed back a number of meters, upturning two lines of earth as his feet dragged.

After catching his breath, B said

"Better than I thought, storm boy, but you've got no move I can't avoid!" Offering his own beat between lines, he continued, "while I'm sure you're good at breathing, the next one won't be so easy."

Again cringing at the bars, Kannin readied himself for the next attack. B did the same, unsheathing all 7 swords and putting them across his body, a couple in his armpits, one in his mouth, and whatnot.

'What a ridiculous kenjutsu style' Kannin groaned in his head.

But just when he thought it was over, B did something else, something Kannin was quite familiar with. He saw across the seven blades of his opponent, sparks begin to dance across the metal.

'Great, lightning swords' he thought, 'it's not as much fun when the enemy's doing it.'

Kannin responded by imbuing his own blade with chakra, but not lightning. B saw on the boy's sword a vortex of violent air circulate around the blade, whistling in response the crackling of his own blades.

'The kid's not bad' He thought

Locking eyes once more, they both lunged forward, crossing blades once more. This time, B came out on top. The sheer number of blades at his disposal and their bizarre placements made it hard for Kannin to properly block them all. Kannin retreated with a number of bloody gashes on his shoulders and sides, each one spasming from the lightning chakra.

B wasted no time, and making a few hand seals, released a torrent of water from his mouth, covering the field. Kannin knew where this was going, and quickly responded with a wind slash that blew the water away from him, and headed past it to B. He blocked it with another tentacle, but Kannin realized that he had misunderstood B's strategy. The wind slash had blurred his view of B long enough for him not to see the Tailed Beast Ball forming in front of him until it was too late.

As he leapt to the side to avoid the death orb, Kannin knew he wasn't going to make it. He messed up this time. He watched, as if in slow motion, the volatile swirling mass of dark chakra fly silently towards him. Just as it was about to hit him, Kannin saw a wall of stone erupt from the earth at an angle, which managed to deflect the Tailed Beast Ball away from him, though it did explode on contact, sending shards of rock flying, and cutting Kannin in a number of places.

When Kannin opened his eyes, he saw a cloud of dust crawling around him, and a familiar face peer through his blurry vision, and heard, as if from underwater, the silhouettes voice call out,

"I can't let you die on your own, now can I?" Kannin recognized the familiar voice of Sarutobi Tetsu speaking down at him, "Now come on, Kannin, we have an enemy to fight."

Taking his hand, Kannin got up, clutching his side, and bleeding all over.

"What's his deal?" Tetsu asked

"He's the 8 Tails jinchuriki" Kannin answered through bated breath, "quite skilled in nature release and kenjutsu, and his tailed beast gives him near endless chakra and special abilities."

Tetsu nodded, processing the information, before saying with a smile,

"Wouldn't be the first time we beat impossible odds, right?"

Kannin grinned, "No it wouldn't."

"Then let's kick his ass."