OBD: 005 - Friendly Fire (Patreon)

Yuna stared into Itachi’s still, unmoving eyes. the boy held her gaze with a steely intent that sent her heart racing again.

Something was wrong.

Killing intent!

Yuna’s instinct flared and she dove to the side without a second thought. “KAI!” The Genjutsu altering her perception shattered to reveal Itachi’s diminutive form as he zipped towards her with a screaming mass of lightning cradled in his palm. Recognition flared in Yuna’s eyes as she kicked against the ground, launching herself into the air.

Below, Itachi glared up at her as he zoomed past ineffectually.

Lightning Release: Chidori.

A technique that involves channelling and compressing a high concentration of chakra in the user’s palm. The chakra compressed is then released through a single point as a concentrated, high-speed piercing attack. 

Created by the infamous Copy Ninja, this technique was soundly dubbed…

The “Lightning Cutter”.

Yuna’s eyes widened, as Itachi skidded around a tree in his path, before launching himself into the air after her. Her hands blurred through a series of hand seals and an earth clone puffed in existence in between them to stop the lightning-coated palm that was stabbing towards her heart.

Unwilling to retaliate, yet fearful for her own wellbeing, Yuna hit the ground running, flickering from branch to branch as she tried to force more distance between them. Itachi pursued, seemingly intent to decisively end the threat perceived she posed. 

Pivoting mid-air, Yuna caught him weaving hand seals. Without hesitation, she kicked against a tree trunk in her path to put the boy back within arm's reach. “No more of that!” she declared, forcing him to disrupt his technique execution as his hands rose from a two-handed dragon seal into a full guard which she promptly demolished with a flying roundhouse kick.

The Uchiha recoiled from the force into the forest undergrowth and Yuna pursued after him, reaching out to grab his high collar and restrain him. In response, Itachi’s right hand shot out to catch her outstretched hand and somehow force it through a series of hand signs. With his left,  he tossed a kunai at her face which she promptly batted away.

犬. 羊.  猪. 

Inu. Hitsuji. Ino.

Earth Release: Mudslide.

Yuna forced her eyes closed as they both fell into a rising wave of dirt. The tumble was disorientating as it was irritating.

Left with no choice, Yuna let go of the Uchiha as she tucked and rolled, allowing the wave of earth to move her some distance before spitting her out. Yuna emerged from the pile, filthy from the ride as she took a stance in anticipation of Itachi’s continued assault.

“Look! Itachi!” she shouted, in an attempt to reason with her charge. “I think there’s been a misunderstand—”

Yuna leapt, narrowly dodging the pair of grasping arms rising from the earth beneath her. Itachi pursed still, punching towards her head. Yuna caught his fist before planting a proper gut-wrencher in the side of his waist. The Uchiha bore it admirably, retaliating a spinning kick to Yuna's face.

She barely dodged it, the sole of his foot scraping along her cheek as he spun past. Yuna’s grip tightened around his fist, disallowing him from recentering himself. 

Sensing weakness, Yuna dropped to the ground with a spinning kick of her own that uprooted the boy’s feet from beneath him. The bones in his restrained fist dislocated, allowing the appendage to slip from Yuna’s grasp.

Yet, like an unfeeling puppet, Yuna caught Itachi stoically forming a single-handed seal with his good hand. 

蛇.

Hebi.

Violent Heavenly Earth Needle.

Fucking Sharingan,  she groaned internally as she began to lean out of the way. Still spinning in mid-air, Itachi stabbed his open palm, fingers-first, into the ground. The earth rippled like water as it parted around his hand and as if guided by said hand, a spike of earth emerged, spiralling towards Yuna’s torso. 

At that moment, she realised he was far too close for her to evade the attack. Thinking fast, she leaned back, her hands flashing through a cluster of seals. A split moment later, the earth beneath them suddenly fissured, opening like a massive maw as the technique, Earth Release: Fissure, took hold. With a thunderous noise, the split widened by a few dozen meters as it swallowed Yuna, Itachi, and the spike of death he sent her way.

…

The fall felt much longer than it had any right to. Barely catching herself on one of the sheer cliffs, Yuna’s gaze immediately panned in search of her overly eager opponent. The boy was hanging off the opposite rockfall some distance, his crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness. 

“Kai!” Yuna immediately looked away as she broke the illusions he was starting to weave over her mind.

“I don’t want to fight you,” she tried again, hoping the strong-headed fool would listen this time.

In response, Itachi scoffed. “You’ve got a funny way of displaying that, Sensei,” he replied, his distrust ringing clear in the empty cavern.

A growl of irritation escaped Yuna's chest. “Look,” she said, her impatience mounting, “I am sorry, ok? That first time was an accident.”

“Yeah… sure.”

“...You are hurt,” Yuna pointed out this time in an attempt to reason with him. “Most likely bleeding out. We need to get you to a medic immediately. I promise I am not trying to hurt you, so please stop trying to kill me. If you like we can both simply wait here: with all this commotion, someone is going to eventually come to investigate.”

The Uchiha's response was another dry huff. “Sure,” he said disdainfully. “Let’s do that. Let’s just wait here while I continue to weaken as I bleed out. I am sure you would like that a lot, wouldn't you? Especially since you were the one who decided to bring us out to one of the least populated training areas in the village. Pretty convenient planning, isn’t it.”

Yuna was stunned. “...You think this is an assassination attempt?”

Itachi huffed, evidently exhausted. “What else is this supposed to be? A picnic?”

Despite herself, Yuna chuffed at the sheer absurdity of the statement before a sobering realization dawned on her. “...You truly believe someone is out there, plotting to kill you?” She asked, her face contorting in a frown. “You barely just got out of the academy.”

Itachi didn’t respond. 

...

For several moments, they were at an impasse.

Then just as Yuna decided on a solution a loud bark echoed in the silence. She looked up to see Hachi, still in his beast clone form, peering over the ledge.

A tired sigh escaped her as she sensed the boy across from her grow even more tense with the ninken's arrival. 

“It’s alright, Hachi!” Yuna yelled back at her partner above. “It’s just a misunderstanding! We are working it out!”

“Alright,” She continued, turning her attention back to the boy across from her. “We can work something out.”

“Like what?”

“...I will surrender myself to you if you can promise not to harm me. We need to get you to a medic, Itachi. Take me hostage if you want, but we need to get you some help. Now.”

Hearing that, Hachi barked again, confused. In response, Yuna made a gesture to placate the ninken as she awaited Itachi’s decision. 

it didn't take long, thank the Kami.

“...Look me in the eyes,” Itachi ordered, his tone brokering no disagreement

With a final sigh, Yuna complied.