To make things fair and to give each team an equal start, my clone and I spread out our teams within the water. Our locations were relatively unknown, and while I could technically find out the location of my clone through the jutsu, I refrained from cheating in that way, and I’m sure he did too as the connection cut both ways.
I further handicapped myself by limiting the kind of techniques we could use against the seafolk. My clone and I were of the same mind to only use Taijutsu and Kenjutsu where necessary as our summons would provide more than supple attack power and analyzing that was also the entire point of the exercise.
Fifty-five, fifty-six, fifty-seven…
I counted slowly in my head, and when I reached sixty, I flipped through a combination of hand seals, bit my thumb so it bled, and infused the necessary chakra required to summon the Archer fish, or, as I called him, Archer. He dutifully appeared in a puff of smoke, ready to serve my team against our practice enemy. “At your service, Masster.”
I noticed that many of Kaizoku’s children, especially the summons, were habitually speaking with a sort of lisp. It was a strange thing to pick up on, but it was difficult not to note, especially when the seafolk didn’t speak with the speech impediment. Putting that thought aside, I reasserted my grip on my Bo-staff and looked towards my team.
“All right, get ready. The ‘enemy’ should be coming towards us at any moment,” I said, or tried to.
Communicating underwater had a trick to it; using the air filled in my lungs to create a sequence of bubbles that the seafolk translated based on their shape and size. It was a fascinating method of communication and the much I’d learned came of my own private observations of Kaizoku and the denizens but I hadn’t quite mastered it yet.
To compensate, I used Wind Release to put enough air that the bubbles could carry the sound of my words. I had observed their language patterns briefly, but not enough that I was confident to speak entire conversations or coordinate battle through it alone.
“We’re ready, Lord Sea Sage,” said one of the younger mermen. He was particularly excited to once again wield a weapon. I’d learned only after we sorted ourselves into groups that Kaizoku had generally forbidden his denizens from bearing arms of any kind. After all, what enemy do they have to fight within his realm? The only enemy I could think of was, of course, himself, and Kaizoku wouldn’t tolerate the thought of a rebellion.
Not that they have the will to rebel. It was a sobering reality, these seafolk would never leave Kaizoku’s dominion and even if they did, what sort of world could they hope to find?
“Spread out,” I ordered, as my mist veil began to suffuse the water, clouding it such that it became a milky white color rather than the crystal clear azure blue. “Keep as far away from me and Archer as you can. The mist will draw the enemy to our location, but we can not be concentrated for them to devastate us with whatever attacks they plan, to unleash”
I wasn’t all too worried about the attacks my clone would unleash, but more about how much restraint these battle-starved sea folk had left in them. To my knowledge, many of these ordinary-looking seafolk, even the youngest and most eager, were all victims of Kaizoku’s mischievous traps. Before then, they were shinobi, warriors, samurai, mercenaries, pirates, all sorts of battle-minded individuals in search of power. If they had it in them to reach Kaizoku, then they were surely strong enough to be a threat to each other.
My team did as I asked, spreading out across the milky white fog of our little patch in the water. I addressed Archer over my shoulder, “Keep a distance from me as well, but not too far that you can’t snipe the enemy wherever they appear.” I said, pausing for a second as I realized something. “Wait a minute, Archer, can you see within this mist?”
Before the summon could bubble a response, I sensed our encroaching enemies and hushed him.
Now which summon did you choose, me?
The water around me rippled as figures swam speedily into the foggy domain I’d conjured. The instant clash of spears, fist and blade rippled through the water. Archer made his response by sniping at something or someone towards my right side. At the same time, I sensed a greater force of chakra swimming towards where Archer and I were positioned. For a moment, I thought it was my clone targeting my summon or me in an attempt to end our little exercise as quickly as possible, but instead it was—!
A crackling bolt of lightning shot through the water at me. I brought my Bo-staff forward and caught the bolt before it could slam into Archer. Cursing inwardly as the lightning chakra coursed through every active nerve in my body.
I gnashed my teeth in pain, regretting my move to stop the bolt almost immediately. I didn’t have many memories of fighting shinobi with Lightning Release or even being struck with lightning as strong as this, even my battle with the Killer Bee involved more ‘Jinchuriki management’ than lightning-based techniques. As a result, this shocking experience was a relatively new one for me.
I was stunned for what felt like far too long, but may have as well been half a minute at best. The metallic tang of electricity tingled on my tongue gums even as my body stopped shaking. I quickly decided that I would have to avoid lightning-based attacks as much as possible, especially in Sage mode. Duimon’s lightning might not be up to par with that of the Raikage or shinobi of that caliber, and judging by my reaction just now, I had a feeling my hyper affinity with water translated into an extreme weakness to lightning.
Theories to test out later.
Once I was free to move, I quickly seized Duimon with a water whip. He’d already struck two of my team’s seafolk while my clone was patiently waiting above me with an all too satisfied expression on his face.
I could tell what he was thinking just by his growing grin. My clone remain still even as I yanked Duimon away from Archer, who, despite being electrocuted, managed to snipe three of my clones teammates while they skirmished among themselves. Encasing the electrically charged Duimon in a little [Water Prison] I flung it at my clone, who sharply moved out of the way, hardly even needing to shift the muscle. We gave up all pretenses then and leapt into a spar. His fist crashing against my Bo-staff. I clearly had the advantage; Kenjutsu was my strongest suit rather than Taijutsu, and he, of course, was my clone. Whatever I was weak at, so was he.
In an attempt to balance this out, he began to charge his blows with Kaikyo Ken. The first one took me entirely by surprise, slamming dead center against my Bo-staff. The effect seemed to stall for a second before ripping at the water itself, sending me spiraling meters away as the air boiled at the point of impact.
My joints, even in Sage mode, were rattled by his attack. Yet I couldn’t help but smile, delighted, gleeful even as this meant only one thing: [Kaikyo Ken] will be more than enough to knock the lights out of anyone unfortunate enough to be on its receiving end.
I looked up just in time to watch my clone masterfully execute the [Riptide Step], shimmering out of existence before once again appearing at my side, fist cocked back as Senjutsu Chakra enhanced his next blow. I spun my Bo-staff and caught his neck with the smaller hook, yanking him down to meet the knee I was driving up to his face. If clones could bleed profusely, he would be gushing from his shattered nose.
Once again, he tried to retreat, Senjutsu Chakra surging into his feet in an attempt to use [Riptide Step], but I was quicker with the [Dance of the Serpent]. I pulled him around and struck those offending feet with my Bo-staff, and at this point I knew he was one hit away from being dispelled completely.
I didn’t see any point in holding back. I’d already learned quite enough from this exercise and was nearly satisfied. I cocked my fist back to dispel the clone and his smug ways, but rather than let himself be taken out, a swirled and conjured mist veil burst around him.
He’d poured so much chakra in it it ended up even thicker than the one I created at the start of this exercise. It took me off guard momentarily, but the mist was no stranger to my eyes. I struck out where he would have been a moment ago, yet nothing but empty space and water met my fist.
“Riptide step,” I muttered. It was truly a speedy technique; already I could see it saving my hide from the likes of the Raikage and other such speed blitzers.
Rather than go looking for my clone, I waited, hovering in the clearing water as the mist he deployed began to disperse. The mist I created as well had dispersed throughout the rest of the water, allowing me a clear view of what was left of the seafolks on each team.
It seemed that Archer’s sniping bolt not only rendered its victims unconscious, but also left them paralyzed if they were strong enough to retain their consciousness. For the most part, Archer and Duimon mostly swam around each other discussing as they watched me fight myself while the seafolk were grouped into the unconscious, paralyzed, and electrocuted. Once I take out my clone, there would only be one thing left to do within Kaizoku’s realm.
As if on cue, I sensed the distinct surge of Senjutsu Chakra as my clone made his move, appearing above me with a fine application of [Riptide Step]. He manifested three water sharks to distract me, but they would hardly be sufficient. A wave of my Bo-staff dispelled the sharks into nothing but water molecules, but it seemed that single movement was what my clone was hoping for.
Another sharp application of [Riptide Step] had him appearing behind me, then to my right, and again to my left. He ping-ponged in all directions, imitating what Kaizoku had done. It was a growing annoyance, but hardly one I couldn’t contain.
Pushing chakra into my Bo-staff, I whirled the water around me into a sphere of slicing water blades, each layer growing as it revolved and rotated with me at its centre. It hardly took a second for my clone to come to a halt, gritting his teeth in annoyance as his little ping-pong game was interrupted. I’d learned from my mistakes and embarrassments against Kaizoku. I would not repeat them against myself, of all people.
Before he could zip away somewhere I participated in the trend and infused my feet with Senjutsu energy and bolted, appearing right in front of him between a blink of an eye. With a slash of my Bo-staff my clone was dispelled.
Maybe Riptide Step is a littleoverpowered.