Genin Takedown - 13

Kakashi blinked in amusement, having predicted his nephew to have tried something of the like.

The leftover crater revealed a charred substitute and Sato scratched his head, annoyed, "Aw, rats!"

"That's more like it!" Naruto yowled down at the Leaf ninja, pleased with the explosion even if it had left himself and Gaara half deaf.

"Okay...time to try something else." Sato frantically drew out a summoning scroll and procured a chain-sickle, still bent on trapping his opponent.

Toshi was forming seals by the time he had thrown his weapon, and the chain successfully tangled around the Cloud nin's arms, the scythe's blade bit into the skin of his shoulder. Toshi gave him an amused look, having finished his jutsu.

Sato yelped after a powerful shock of electricity ran through the metal chain, setting his hair on end.

Dizzy and burned, he pulled the chain away from Toshi before he could make more hand signs and discarded it, discomposed by his lack of progress, 'This is not working...my traps only go so far and I don't know if I can keep up genjutsu to avoid him,' He glanced down at the kodachi at his side, ' I may actually have to start...trying.'

"You should give up now, you hack!" Toshi smirked, rushing at him, "Since you're out of ideas!"

Sato deflected the onslaught of kunai with both of his kodachi, wheeling away with the grace of a cart-wheeling pinwheel. The Cloud ninja refused to relent as he threw round after round of shuriken at the surprisingly acrobatic Leaf genin, while he shimmied his way nearer to his remaining trap wires.

"He can wield those blades almost as well as Tenten!" Lee exclaimed, unable to believe there was another Leaf genin who could wield a weapon bigger than a kunai besides her.

Neji gave her a suspicious sideways glance as her face paled.

She frowned, wishing Lee was a bit less vocal with his observations, "Well, he is my neighbor..."

Abruptly, Toshi had stopped launching kunai and used another jutsu while Sato paused to catch his breath, "Raiton: Cage of Lightning!"

"Ack!" Before he could hope to dodge, Sato had been encircled in a tight prison of electricity.

Toshi folded his arms and watched as Sato struck out at the strange, pulsing bars surrounding him with his kodachi, only to get zapped more fiercely than he had before.

Stubbornly he shuffled around, jabbing at it, trying to find a weakness in the cage, and shocking himself each time in the process. Leaf ninja above watched in alarm when he finally tired and sheathed his short swords.

"Ow! Ow!" Sato tenderly rubbed his burnt forearms, finally realizing that the end of the match was drawing near, 'That's it...if I can't get close enough to him with my kodachi, or far away enough to use my traps...damn! He's already seen my fire clones too...'

Toshi mercilessly hurled the last of his shuriken at Sato, which penetrated the cage, and two of them bit into his shoulder and thigh. Above, both Shino and Naruto winced, wondering how much longer it would be before the match was called.

'Maybe...' Sato frowned in thought as he extracted the bloody weapons from his skin, 'Maybe Tama's dad is right about me...maybe I'm a loser like he says. I...' His frowned deepened, 'No. What would Tama say about that? Or Shino or Sunshine? I've got to do this!'

In obvious pain, Sato glanced up at his mentor, smiling faintly. Kurenai sighed, knowing that she had to allow him to be free to do his best.

'He's been pushed to his limits,' Kakashi noted, watching expectantly, 'Now he'll fight back...'

Toshi watched in annoyance as Sato formed hand seals hurriedly inside his prison, "I suggest you give up now before you fry yourself. You can't get out of there no matter what you do!"

A mix of aggravation and relief washed over Kurenai's face as chirping filled the air, and many of the observing shinobi witnessed the technique for the first time.

Sato forced the crackling Chidori in his right hand through the electrical bars, interrupting the flow, and completely disabled the cage. Toshi stood a ways off, dumbfounded and unable to react.

On his last legs Sato charged ahead, dragging his Chidori along with him as he rapidly picked up speed, knowing it was the only thing of consequence he had left.

'No way! The only person I've seen use that jutsu was...' Sasuke slowly glanced over to his mentor in shock, recalling their perilous mission to the Grass Village. He had only seen Kakashi use the Chidori, and didn't see how a rookie genin like Sato could be able to perform it.

Sato slammed into Toshi, who had been too bewildered by his jutsu's failure to counter properly, knocking him back with tremendous momentum. The Cloud nin flailed momentarily, unsure of what had happened.

'Crap, I didn't have enough chakra for it!' Sato gritted his teeth as he jabbed Toshi as hard as he possibly could, even with his Chidori fizzling out, 'I wore myself down way too fast...I have to think of something quick!'

The wound on the Kumo shinobi's shoulder wasn't very deep, and Sato seemed to peel away from him dreamily, the light in his palm puttering out. Toshi planted his feet, balancing himself, ready to finish the match.

'What would Tama do?' Sato pondered, back flipping away as gracefully as he had earlier, 'Oh yeah!'

Swiveling on his blackened hands before he could land on his feet again, Sato struck Toshi unexpectedly with a reverse-kick that bashed his nose further up into his face, and sent him careening to the floor with a pained and astounded cry.

Like a pinwheel he had righted himself with ease and Sato stood grinning, observing his handiwork, 'I think she'd approve...'

"Why do you have to show off you twinkle-toes!" Naruto hollered, unable to believe that the physically-challenged genin would actually be able to knock out his opponent.

Sato hobbled about, pulling his wires down, stepping over the unconscious Cloud ninja during his work.

Hayate cleared his throat, "The winner is Hatake Sato."

Kakashi chuckled, ignoring Sasuke's infuriated expression.

Excited and exhausted, Sato rejoined his team back up on the balcony, glad that he had earned a victory for his team.

"Sensei," Kurenai turned to Shino addressing her, "Forgive me for breaking my promise."

"What promise is this?"

"The one in which both Hinata and I swore to prevent him from using the Chidori," Shino clarified, "My lack of action was attributed to you seeming uncertain if there should have been any intervention."

"I…" She hadn't expected the Aburame boy to be keen enough to notice her indecision, "Yes, you were right in not acting Shino. I will not allow him to use that technique again, but I feel it was important for him to win this match."

Shino nodded, suspecting that if she had been adamant about Sato not using the Chidori she would have quickly ended the match herself.

"I'm back!" Sato wheezed, collapsing onto the railing beside Shino and he smiled up at Kurenai, "What did you think, sensei?"

She frowned, "You smell...singed."