Yuura POV

Hisao-sensei stood in opposition to a mysterious man. The man was lean and fit with a scar that went across his face and grey-blue hair. His red eyes were earnest and sincere.

Who is this guy? Is he the one that threw the smoke bomb? Where are Asami, Iroko and the Princess?!

As my mind frantically asked questions in a panic, Hisao-sensei spoke to the man.

"So, you're the one who is after the Princess Hotaru," he said.

The man raised an eyebrow. "You sound as though you were aware of me."

"Oh, certainly. I've kept close tabs on you ever since we were some leagues away from the Tsuchigumo Village."

The man clapped his hands together three times. "Very good. I'd expect nothing less from a jonin-type from the Leaf."

Hisao looked back in the distance before turning back to the man.

Are Iroko, Asami and the Princess back there? Yuura wondered.

"You didn't come alone, did you?" Hisao-sensei said. "You also intend to keep me and this boy here so your accomplice can get the job done."

"Ah, you're even more perceptive than I thought!"

Hisao-sensei's eyebrows furrowed. "Say, you managed to kill the Princess. What then? What do you have to gain from all this?"

The man held his hand out and clenched it."It's simple, really," the man replied. "The beginning of the end."

His words shook me to my core. Slowly, I backed away, hoping I could give him the slip and get to Iroko.

"Don't move, Yuura!" Hisao-sensei shouted. "If you do, he'll kill you!"

I didn't even breathe. As the man's eyes centred on me I could feel his intent weigh me down. I was completely useless in a situation like this. What was I supposed to do? No, what could I do?

"Listen here, you bastard," Hisao-sensei breathed, raising a kunai, "I will defeat you and my students will defeat your partner!"

Then Hisao-sensei's eyes beamed through his shades, a white colour on his right and a red on his left.

The man scoffed, whipping out a kunai of his own. "Please, spare me the cheesy lines. You sound as though you're a hero!"

And just like that the two of them became so fast that I couldn't even tell what was going on. All around I could hear the clashing of their kunai and see them here and there in a blur trading blows but that was it.

So this is a fight between two high-level ninjas. Damn, I feel so useless right now!!

Third-Person POV

The fight between Hisao and Zutsumi resulted in an explosive array of speed. Both were using the Body Flicker jutsu to overpower the other and both were swinging kicks, punches and their kunai at each other.

His taijutsu is on par with mine! Hisao thought.

Suddenly Zutsumi disappeared. Hisao gasped in surprised and started looking around frantically for him.

Above!!

He looked up to find having unleashed what looked to be chains moving of their own accord. Hisao landed onto the ground and did his best to dodge what he could. However, one chain was able to graze his left arm.

A chain jutsu? Perhaps an extension of Steel Style?

"In case you were wondering," said the man, "no, this isn't a kekkei genkai. It's a hiden technique passed down in my family. Steel Style: Chain Whip Jutsu!!"

Zutsumi landed onto the ground, gripping his chains and then whipped it at striking speeds towards Hisao.

Hisao double flipped backwards in the hopes to dodge it but when of them had latched onto his leg. As soon as that happened, the man pulled back and whipped Hisao back and forth on the ground.

Yuura looked on in fear, wanting to help but unable to move his legs for fear that Zutsumi really would kill him.

Dammit, Yuura, how can you be so useless yet again?! the boy thought.

"Fire and Lightning Style: Multi Chakra Needles!!" Hisao shouted, and like before in the Bell Test, a multitude of rays of thin light burst from Hisao's hands and cut nearly all of the chains in the area.

Once again, Hisao's eyes started glowing the distinct white and red colour. "Now it's my turn," he said.

Hisao's hands then went into a frenzy of hand seals. "Fire and Lightning Style: Blaze Release and Water and Lightning Style: Storm Release!!"

Yuura gazed in awe as Hisao released an inferno of dark flames and a surge of electricity at the man.

Just how many jutsus does Hisao-sensei know?! Yuura thought.

Zutsumi himself performed some hand seals and shouted: "Steel Style: Steel Shield Technique!" and, slamming his hands onto the ground, creating a giant wall made entirely out of steel.

Hisao's two jutsus raged on and slammed into the walls, causing a large explosion and a billow of smoke. Yuura shielded his eyes and ears away.

"Amazing," the man breathed in exhaustion. "You're just like the Copy Ninja, the Sixth Hokage."

After a few minutes, Hisao stole away into the smoke. Unzipping his flak jacket he threw it in the opposite direction he was running in.

Zutsumi, waiting patiently for Hisao, caught the flak jacket in his peripheral. Spinning around expecting to see Hisao, by the time he had realized the ploy Hisao had played the android was already upon him.

"You're not the only one capable of using such a complicated jutsu," Hisao said, curling something in his right hand. "Granted, this took some time to make, but it was worth it."

The man's eyes widened in shock. The jutsu in Hisao's hand was glowing a bright white and it was perfectly round in shape. "Is that...?!"

"Fire, Wind and Earth Style: Particle Style!!!" Hisao shouted and flung it at Zutsumi.

From Yuura's perspective, all he managed to catch sight of through the smoke was a huge and bright explosion that eventually dimmed out.

What was that? Did Hisao-sensei get him or the other way around?

As the smoke began to disperse, Hisao wondered if it had worked. Then he soon began to feel something harder than rock against his hand and to his revelation he saw that Zutsumi had not been harmed one bit. Looking closer he saw that his skin was covered in what was likely steel. Looking down he also saw that there was a hole in his stomach from where the Dust Release had impacted but he didn't appear affected by it.

Hisao sweatdropped. "What in the world..."

"You seem very capable of looking after yourself," said Zutsumi with a grin on his face, "but what about your student over there?"

Before Hisao could understand his words the man shot three chains at Yuura.

DAMN!! "YUURA!!!" Hisao shouted.

Fortunately, Yuura had had his guard up in case anything like this should happen. Just as the chains approached he narrowly dodged one of them and turned to run away.

Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! he cried in his mind.

The chains circled back and lunged at Yuura again, this time at greater speed.

No time to think! Just act!!

Ram-->Dragon-->Rat-->Boar-->Dog "Water Style: Water Bullets!!"

From his mouth, Yuura shot out several small but compact water drops shaped like bullets. The jutsu hit the chains home and amongst all the steam that was emitted, Yuura wondered if it worked.

But the chains still came flying at him.

CRAP!!!

"No, Yuura!!" Hisao shouted.

At that moment Zutsumi took the opportunity that Hisao's attention was split, and with his steel-covered hand, punched Hisao square in the face.

The android was sent flying back but swiftly managed to contain his composure. But then he saw a surprised look on Zutsumi's face and to his detriment, his right cheek felt hollow.

"Well, well, well," he said. "Who would've thought. You're not even human! No wonder you haven't even broken a sweat. Truly, the Leaf is filled with many wonders. From jinchurikis to Six Paths to now--"

The man stopped short when he saw Yuura running towards him. The boy, even though he had a look of absolute terror on his face, he was running at full speed to Zutsumi.

Yuura, what do you think you're doing?! Hisao thought.

"Fool," said Zutsumi, "running straight to your death like that!!" He then swung a fist at Yuura, who proceeded to dodge it just by the skin of his teeth, sliding under him.

Zutsumi was about to chase after him but then he noticed that chasing after Yuura was his own chains, coming in at full speed. They rammed right into him, throwing him back against the ground, Zutsumi trying to hold his own so as to slow their momentum.

By the time, he managed to slow them down, the chains had scraped at his steel-covering and effectively bruised him from head to toe.

"Yes, I was right!!" Yuura said, voicing his thoughts. "Once you summon your chains, you have no control of them, do you? They act like homing devices and just go after the nearest living thing that moves."

"Clever boy," Zutsumi growled.

Just as the man was about to counterattack, Hisao ran up to where Yuura was and stood in front of him.

Zutsumi summoned one huge chain with the face of a skull at the front and was preparing to blast it at them.

"Please forgive me, Yuura," Hisao said, "but I'm going to be burrowing this jutsu of yours."

Yuura looked at Hisao with confusion but then he saw him perform the forty-four hand seals for the Water Dragon Jutsu and almost immediately he knew what he meant.

"Wait, that's...!" he started but could not finish because he was struck dumb by the sheer size of Zutsumi's Chain Summoning.

The skull attached to the chain glowed an ominous red through its eye sockets and the chain itself seemed to be writhing in a red aura, almost like flames.

"Counter against this, why don't you?" the man announced. "Steel Style: Wrath of Yan!!!"

"I will!!" Hisao shouted, creating an even bigger version of Yuura's Water Dragon Jutsu thanks to all the steam in the area. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!!!"

As soon as Hisao had unleashed the Water Dragon he erected a Mud Styled Earth Wall, grabbed Yuura and fled several paces back just as the Water Dragon Jutsu and Wrath of Yan collided.

I see..., Yuura noted, He created the Mud Wall to prevent the explosive force of the jutsus from reaching us also effectively giving the two of us enough time to escape the aftershock. Hisao-sensei really is in a league of his own.

"Yuura," Hisao called, snapping the boy out of his revelry, "listen to me. I have a job for you. The Waterfall Village is very close to here. A long run's worth I'd imagine. I need you to go there and inform the leader of what's happening here and bring back with you reinforcements."

Yuura blinked, looking at the hole at the side of Hisao-sensei's face. "B-but what about you a-a-and--"

"Don't worry about me," Hisao interjected. "I'm more than capable of holding my own against him. Besides, the fate of this mission may very well rest on your shoulders now. Are you up to the task?"

Even though a flood of emotions were raging inside of Yuura, he tried his hardest to not let it show. He stood up from where he was and put on the most determined face he could. "Yes, sir!!"

Hisao smiled. "Good. According to my navigation system, the way to the village is down there. Good luck and hurry back quickly!"

Yuura nodded then took off in the direction Hisao pointed at, disappearing into the smoke and mist

All of a sudden, behind Hisao the Mud Wall crumbled into nothing, Zutsumi walking over to his location, a grim expression on his face and sweat oozing all over his face.

Hisao stood up to face him.

"You really, truly are something." Zutsumi spat, forming his steel-covered skin again. "Where's the boy run off to?"

Instead of answering, Hisao clenched his fists and assumed a fighting stance. "This ends now."

The last Yuura saw of Hisao and Zutsumi was as they body flicker towards each other and delivered a thunderous kick towards the other.