When he went to speak, Kirugetsu's words fell on deaf ears. Met with strange looks from his students, he knew there was only one explanation. And sure enough, he was quickly met with an all-too-familiar voice. Hayato, thinking he was a clever bastard, had rendered the Hozuki silent. Topping it off, he started talking about one of the other Jounin. Goro wasn't really familiar to Kirugetsu, as the two never really spoke or even acted on missions together... so he was of no real consequence. What WAS of consequence was that Hayato was blatantly trying to aggrivate and provoke Kirugetsu into a fight.
"Are you stupid or something, Hayato? I'm trying to work here. I'm having enough trouble with these two as it is. Beating your ass would just make my day more tedious." His confidence was clear, and he had every reason to be. Everyone knew how powerful he was, how famous he was, and the fact he was one of the few founders of the resistance to survive the entire time Sai's regime was active. But at the same time, he was fairly sure Hayato wasn't going to back down so easily... and so Kirugetsu's hand moved to his sword, just in case.
Hayato could only grin as he saw that Kirugetsu was more than willing to take him up on the offer. It was just the entertainment that he sought, too. "Ah, mon ami, it seems you be in ah far more fun mood, eh? Hayato replied to him, removing the sonic barrier that had muted Kirugetsu before. Without even touching the seals on his waist, they glowed for a moment before summoning an array of little metal balls that spilled out from what appeared to be his pockets before beginning to float mid air. The balls shot out over the area, extending the White Noise Zone. Although doubtful that the genin could see, before activating the Byakugan, Kiru knew of the network that these balls made using chakra threads, mostly from previous experience with Hayato.
Hayato chuckled upon the idea of giving Kiru more work as well, and only added to his challenge, "You see, Monsieur Hozuki, I think a display ah two gents like you an' me --"
Kirugetsu interrupted Hayato's banter and drew his sword, seeing as his fellow Jounin launched those metal balls he liked so much. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. If you're that intent on a scuffle, then let's go." Knowing his foe's propensity for sound-based attacks, Kirugetsu immediately entered into his Hydrification Technique to lessen the effect the sonic attacks would have on his body.
Hayato let out his signature laugh, one so notable you could not only hear his accent through it, but one you could feel his jovial nature through. "A lesson on observation, eh? was the last word that Hayato uttered before raising his arms and firing what seemed like machine gun fire of small, concentrated blasts of airwaves from his hands. Hayato was well aware of the hydrification technique, and he was well aware that using it for too long would drain even a master of it, like Kirugetsu. All he had to do was increase the toll it took, which mean berating him with airwaves.
Just because he was practically immune to the physical damage that Hayato's attack would deal, did not mean he was going to sit there and take it like a novice. No. Instead, he would slam his foot into the ground as hard as he could, sending his body rocketing to one side in an attempt to evade the pressure waves. In retaliation, Kirugetsu would simply point at Hayato. No handsigns for this jutsu, just a volley of high-speed projectiles. While individually weak, the volley consisted of a couple dozen small attacks... each consisting of a mixture of water and strong acid. This was of course, Kirugetsu's "Acidic Pulse" technique... and a trademark opening gambit for the man.
Hayato had heard of the jutsu and seen it before. Nothing he wasn't prepared for. Hayato, in his own feat of retaliation, simply aimed his arms at the ground and began to release strong sonic streams of air, vibrating the ground and bouncing everywhere within the local area. Hayato then amplified the same sonic streams using The Bell Tolls, creating a barrier of vibrating sound. All the while, the vibrations were causing the ground itself to tremble and grind against each other, throwing up dirt and stone and mostly just unsettling the ground. Even the high speed acidic pulse could not penetrate a physical wall of sound, chakra-laced or not, although the acid pellets did manage to melt a handful of Hayato's metal balls.
Forgetting just how much of a pain it was to fight with Hayato, Kirugetsu decided to kick things up a notch. He channeled his frustration into a wave of killing intent, intending to unbalance his foe and make them question if picking a fight today was really the best idea. And while Hayato would no doubt shake off the cobwebs fairly quickly, the move would give Kirugetsu the time needed to create a pair of Water Clones. And while they were not as potent as the Shadow Clones that Konoha was so fond of, they were still a very real threat in combat.
Hayato was in fact struck by the wave of Killing Intent. It was a rare trait for shinobi, one that even as a Jounin few were prepared for. In a brief second, Hayato was brought back to the feelings of despair as he saw the nomads he wandered the deserts with struck down by Sai during the overthrow of his empire. Upon feeling the water clones enter the domain of his sonic realm, Hayato quickly snapped out of it, but still found the technique in distaste. One could say it put Hayato in his rarely serious mood.
Hayato shimmered for a second, then darted several feet above the air, floating there via sonic vibrations. He had used his White Jacket Insanity to avoid the ground completely, and moving at supersonic speeds was an impressive feat for even Jounin of their calibur. That said, Hayato's only action was aiming his arms down and releasing a torrent of pellets onto the ground. Dozens upon dozens of spheres fell onto the ground, each one creating a small concussive blast a few meters wide, all of them destroying the ground below him.
Just as Kirugetsu and his clones were preparing to strike, Hayato levitated into the air and unleashed a torrent of metallic death down upon them. The clones were lost, but Hydrification allowed Kirugetsu himself to escape harm. The dust caused by the cratering of the training field was actually to his advantage now. It was time for a three-fold tactic. His sword still drawn, Kirugetsu shunted chakra into it, entering Stage 2. This would allow him to cut through chakra barriers and even some jutsu. As for part two of his assault, he made a set of hand signs and channeled his chakra further.
A large attack with the appearance of a liquid dragon rushed from the dust and debris, flying headlong toward Hayato. Everyone, even Genin, knew what this jutsu was. But they also knew it was not something to take lightly... as only the most skilled Chunin and some Jounin were able to use it. And lastly, just before the jutsu closed in, Kirugetsu would use his "Clear Lake Mirror-Movement" technique to take Hayato's back with little to no warning. How would the man react to being trapped like this? Kirugetsu didn't know... bu he was about to find out.
Hayato was not one to allow any resource to be left unused. Agaiin, using his White Jacket Insanity, Hayato dashed madly into the ground itself aimed at Kirugetsu, a falling meteor of supersonic proportions. As he dashed at the ground, he saw the ferocious jutsu Kirugetsu had used, and only thought of himself as worthy of such. Regardless, it would not stop him. Like a supersonic bullet, Hayato would have no qualms smashing himself directly into the jutsu, but as it turned out, would not need to - Kirugetsu had made his plan that much easier by appearing behind him. All then it took was once handsign to use the entire stradegy Hayato had setup for Kirugetsu.
Hayato activated his Wind Release: Tempest Rising after exiting his White Jacket Insanity, and caught Kirugetsu inside of it as well. The tornado was only amplified within the White Noise Zone, made larger, and picked up immense amounts of dust and debris as well as blocked the oncoming projectile. All the while Hayato kept the jutsu going, pouring chakra into it, and allowing the dust and dirt to hit all water sources, slowly turning them to mud as he was protected inside the funnel of his technique that kept Kirugetsu, whom was still using hydrification and was like all the other muddy water, out.
Well this was fantastic... Kirugetsu's plan worked in Hayato's favor rather than his own. But that said, his sword was still in Stage 2. Slashing at the tornado around him, Kirugetsu made only a small opening before the wind re-formed around him. In this, he got an idea. Clasping his hands around his weapon, he made a single hand sign before being interrupted.
As Kirugetsu attempted to make his hand sign, Hayato would burst through his own wind wall, grasping the Kirugetsu's sword from his own hand, as they were in a hydrification state. Hayato would use this to his advantage by first pouring his own sound based chakra into the sword, causing it to begin vibrating, but also by blasting Kirugetsu with a high-frequency wave of sound, making the two objects - the sword and the water - vibrate at different frequencies.
Shit. Kirugetsu, in his excitement to be in a good fight again, had forgotten that the dirt and grime caused him to be more open to attacks... specifically from air and sound based techniques. The vibrations from the sword in his hands caused just enough pain to warrant releasing it, and then the blast of sound hit his body. While the pain was intense, it reminded the Hozuki why he was still alive. Because he had fought harder than anyone else. Because he was one of the last of his line. Because he HAD to live on.
Though his chakra still channeled from the previous attempt to attack, Kirugetsu was no longer capable of hand signs. That suited him just fine, as he had a couple techniques that didn't need them. Willin himself through the pain, he wrapped his legs around Hayato's waist and, at the same time, unleashed a torrent of acid from his mouth. The "Butcher's Bile" Corrosive Jutsu was Kirugetsu's close-range trump card... normally used in conjunction with his Demon Rain. However, in this situation, he couldn't afford to be picky with his moves..
Hayato knew from this point on, that his next goal was simple. Distance. He had Kirugetsu's sword, his main offensive, and now he just needed to get away with it. Using the same hand he first blasted with a sonic vibration, Hayato used one of the simplest techniques he knew: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. The jutsu conjured a powerful and sudden gust of wind, sudden enough to keep Hayato from sustaining major injuries, but not sudden enough to keep his hand from taking relatively severe acidic burns.
Regardless of his injuries, it was enough to knock the two away from each other and do something that hadn't been done in decades: get Kirugetsu away from his sword. Despite that, Hayato was just as impeded. It only took a few stray drops of Kirugetsu's bile to make several large sores on Hayato's skin, or at this point, his raw and exposed muscle. The acidic burning stopped bleeding, but it didn't douse the pain. This left a pause in the battle.
The tornado died down, the dust settled Hayato had landed gracefully on the ground some distance away. Hayato literally carved off his still burning flesh with the blade he had just acquired, keeping his wounds minimal, even if they weren't, turned to the Hozuki who had just landed, as his speed was not augmented with wind like Hayato's.
His attack was successful, but his sword was out of his grasp and in the hands of his enemy. Landing with a thud, Kirugetsu managed to stay on his feet... but looked like he had been through a bit of hell. And seeing his treasure in that bastard's hands made his blood boil. All the pain in the world couldn't calm his anger when he saw that. "Hayato..." Kirugetsu's eyes narrowed and his shark-toothed maw contorted in rage as as he spoke.
"Give. It. Back. NOW." If Hayato was off-put by the Killing Intent before, then he would probably realize that Kirugetsu was not yanking his chain right now. And unfortunately, this wave was not focused on Hayato, but rather a pure expression of hatred that anyone near would feel. The Hozuki was infuriated at the prospect of someone else holding the weapon he had kept with him since leaving Kirigakure over twenty years prior. The blade that had survived alongside him durin the rebellions, and the weapon that pierced one of Sai's hearts. That was HIS blade, no one elses.
Hayato chuckled and augmented the sword with a slight amount of his wind chakra, then threw it at Kirugetsu, just enough to glide gracefully through the air like an arrow. He was well aware of the Killing Intent of the Hozuki, but this time was prepared for it. "I believe a test a yers was to take something important to youse, yes, mon ami? Do I pass?" Hayao asked, most likely to the dismay of the genin watching. He then followed up with, "I've had my fun, monsiuer. I do believe I need my hand healed by the medics. When yer done with them, I'll be... lounging there. Maybe see a nice nurse, eh? I recall youse used te like'm, too."
Hayato was not one to turn his back on Kirugetsu. Not that he was above disrespect, but because he was not sure of Kirugetsu was going to let this end. Hayato left his metallic balls floating, even, because he was not quite for sure if Kirugetsu was going to let this die. Taking the sword of Kirugetsu, that was a feat, but living afterwards would be legendary.
As Hayato returnd the blade, Kirugetsu's rage began to die down. Only then did he remember that his students were EASILY within range of the huge rush of malice and anger he had unleashed. And then the bastard opened his yap again. "You're an idiot, Hayato. The test was for them to find out what I would like, and then barter with me for something THEY wanted. Instead, they came here with the intent to just bribe me." Kirugetsu slashed his sword to one side, then back again, then sheathed it. "And do yourself a favor... don't talk like you know me, Hayato. We weren't exactly friends before... and you KNEW touching the Hungry Ocean would piss me off."
Not exactly mature, to be sure. But the fact was that he was still in a fair amount of pain and moderately frustrated from Hayato's antics. That said, he turned to his students, who were likely still in terror from the intense wave of Killing Intent their sensei had let loose less than a minute prior.
Hayato snapped his fingers, causing his remaining metallic balls to disperse back into the seal. He then tipped his head, then walked off as Kirugetsu obviously aimed himself at his students. His next destination: the medic-nin center. A few moments with a Mystic Palm jutsu, and his burned and cut flesh wounds would be gone. As Hayato walked off, he gave one last shout: [/i]"Bring dose kids, too!"[/i] By that time, Hayato was out of earshot, merely using his sound release to make sure he was heard - a simultaneously useful and annoying ability, especially to one Hozuki.
