Bakuton no Gari

Apologies for the delayed chapter, writer's block was a bit of a pain in the ass with this chapter, and I straight up just had no clue what to write.

But, I was finally able to put pen to paper today and crank out a chapter.

Release rates might be a bit sporadic for this arc, as I still need to do a lot more planning about how things are going to play out.

As always, thanks for your patience, and enjoy the chapter :)

. . . . . .

Gari: "Well? Which one are you?"

Hearing Gari's question asked towards 'himself' Mizuki simply chuckled.

Mizuki: "I'll tell you, but only if you promise to turn around and fuck back off to where you came from."

Gari stared towards 'himself' once more, anger now visible in his eyes.

Mizuki: "I take it that is a resounding no?"

Gari continued to stare, not uttering so much as a single word.

Mizuki: "Ah well, worth the try."

Not waiting for Mizuki to finish, Gari focused his chakra to his feet before rocketing forward, arriving in front of Mizuki in an instant.

Without a shred of hesitation, Gari then thrust out his arm executing a deadly blow to Mizuki's face, as the already impressive punch was augmented by a loud explosion, which caused Mizuki's corpse to go flying back, only stopping with a thud when he hit a tree.

Gari: "Never let your guard down on the battlefield. Especially in front of the Enemy."

Mizuki: "Do you make a habit out of talking to corpses?"

Hearing Mizuki's words, Gari snapped back only to see the boy behind him, kunai in hand, the blade of which pressed against Gari's neck.

Gari quickly looked over to the "corpse" only to see what remained of a wooden log.

The log was now in several pieces, each of them scorched, splintered and some even disintegrating as they touched the breeze sweeping through the grasslands.

Looking around, even more, Gari was able to discover how Mizuki got behind him.

Gari: "It is rare to see ninja so familiar with Doton Jutsu outside of Iwa"

Mizuki: "Thanks, if you teach me some more I won't kill you"

Gari: "Only if you teach me those white flames of yours."

Mizuki: "Heh, that's not me, that's Mizuki"

Saying those words, Mizuki 'undid' his transformation to reveal Neko's appearance.

In reality, Mizuki simply did another transformation Jutsu, this time transforming into his Inuzuka teammate.

After all, It was clear that Shinku would not waste so much time fooling around as he did, and Gari would have no clue who Neko even was aside from the fact that he was supposed to kill him for his mission.

Gari: "Oho, are you sure you want to reveal your identity to me like that?"

Mizuki: "You are going to die anyway, so what does it matter?"

Gari: "And your partner?"

Mizuki: "On his way to deliver the message right now. Face it, you lost Gari."

Gari chuckled slightly hearing this before turning so that he could make eye contact with Mizuki, a slight smirk evident on his face.

Gari: "I doubt it."

Saying those words, "Gari" glowed slightly before detonating, causing a crater two meters in every direction, with everything within that range being vaporized.

Mizuki: {That was a damn neat suicide bomb clone. Much better than mine at least.}

However, when the smoke cleared, and the results were revealed, both shinobi realized that they had reached an impasse.

Neither one of them died in that attack.

Mizuki used a shadow clone as well, making sure to add an extra layer of caution.

However, Mizuki was quick to break the tension, as he pushed his ability with the body flicker technique to its limit, appearing a blur to the human eye as he rushed across the grasslands, leaving Gari behind, who only caught on to Mizuki's strategy a couple of seconds later.

Mizuki: {NIGERUNDAYO}

Gari: "God damnit"

Muttering those words, Gari quickly focused his chakra to his feet yet again before rocketing forward, confident in his ability to catch up with Mizuki.

Gari: "Bakuton: Claymore Step!"

And, with an explosion underneath his feet, he was off.

Every time Gari's feet touched the ground, an explosion propelled him forward, scorching the grass below him.

Soon, Gari was a mere meter away from Mizuki's back, who, try as he might, simply could not shake Gari.

However, just as Gari was about to touch him and blow him up, a wide smile appeared on Mizuki's face as he turned to face Gari.

Mizuki: "Shiroi Nensho: Flamethrower"

A plume of white flames shot out of Mizuki's mouth, scorching the area in front of him, incinerating all that stood in their path.

Now, whilst an attack like this would normally have no sway over Gari whatsoever, Mizuki was able to effectively use it for one key reason.

He was able to trick Gari.

For the entire chase, Gari failed to see that he was not chasing the Inuzuka, but rather, the chunin who he should be more careful around.

The one who could create the white flames that could actually pose a risk to him.

Luckily for Gari, his instincts allowed him to minimize the damage he received, with none of his vitals being hit.

However, several burn marks could be seen along his left side, with his armor completely gone, and severe burns running up and down his arm.

Gari: "Damn, you weren't the Inizuka brat"

Mizuki: "Nope. Kind of disappointed that the attack didn't kill you though."

Gari: "I have literally been trying to blow you up for the past half an hour with no luck. Welcome to my world."

Mizuki: "Y'know, the offer about both of us walking away still stands. Nobody has to know shit, and we both get to keep our lives. I'll even heal that nasty burn of yours for you."

Gari: "Not going to happen."

Mizuki: "Heh, can't blame a guy for trying, can you?"

With those words, the first fair fight began between the two men, as Gari lunged towards Mizuki, trying to catch him by surprise as soon as the fight began.

However, cautious as ever, Mizuki saw this move coming and was able to block it by creating a quick earth wall in order to defend.

The wall of death quickly fell, a large gaping hole in its center created by Gari.

And yet, by this point, the flimsy wall had already served its purpose, as Mizuki gained enough distance to start harassing Gari with long-ranged attacks, trying to wear down his damage.

Gari grumbled slightly at his lack of long-range options before using his explosions to leap into the sky weaving a series of hand signs before using one of his most devastating jutsu.

Gari: "Bakuton: Missile"

Gari's figure turned as explosions appeared underneath his feet, slowly building the speed at which he was falling until at last, he was accelerating towards the ground almost too quick for the eye to see.

Mizuki shivered slightly, realizing that this attack was much harder to avoid than the last.

Too hard to avoid.

He would need to deal with this attack very carefully.

And so, Mizuki took a deep breath as he used one of his most powerful jutsu.

Mizuki: {Futon: Breakthrough}

Soon, a strong gust of wind came, slightly slowing down Gari, although not by much.

However, As wind counters lightning, one of the two elements that make explosion release, there was a slight decrease in Gari's power.

Gari: "Pitiful. A mere gust of wind cannot stop me."

Mizuki: "I know."

Saying those words, Mizuki reached into his back pocket before pulling out another scroll.

This one, similar to the last, was coated from top to bottom in a variety of kanji, all of which came together in order to produce an intricate seal formula.

Mizuki: "Shiroi Nensho: Ignition"

A small, yet incredibly powerful white flame materialized in the center of the scroll, barely bigger than a fingernail.

And yet, the flame soon caught onto the Futon Jutsu Mizuki was using, causing it to rapidly change until at last, a vortex of pure white flames was formed, launching towards Gari.

Seeing the attack, a wry smile came onto Gari's face, as he realized that of the attack hit him, he would surely die.

Gari: {To think that an attack like this came from a chunin brat. A shame I have orders to kill him. He really does have amazing potential.}

Gari: "Oi! Brat!"

Mizuki: "Yup?"

Gari: "What's your name?"

Pondering the question for a bit, Mizuki decided that there was no harm in answering the question.

Mizuki: "Mizuki. No last name."

Mizuki: "Why do you ask?"

Gari: "Because I would like to know the name of the boy whom I am about to kill"

Saying those words, Gari drew back his fist slightly, supercharging it with chakra before smashing downwards, just touching Mizuki's flames.

Gari: "Bakuton: Warhead"