The Stars Shown Bright on the Rainy Night

"Hang in there guys! We are almost there!" A voice encouraged his fellow stronghold members. "Just a little more to go! We can finish this!"

After those words came the mighty roars of troops standing together to fight the threat that plagued their country. The voices were even louder than the thunder crackling in the sky. The land had been seemingly overrun by a countless number of Black Zetsu soldiers. Even with the odds stacked against them, the people had chosen to never give in, they refused to let the numbers choose the outcome. For years they've been fighting the threat and for years, they've survived at the cost of many brave lives. Leading the people, were two of the youngest yet most capable par the land has ever known. These were, without a doubt, no ordinary twins. But they were descendants of a legendary Uchiha and Senju Clans. Having both great skill and experience at their respective young ages. Their names are Shiga Uchiha and Garyū Uchiha; twins of extraordinary ocular powers, that aided the stronghold to hold back as long as it has.

"Forward! We can and will make it!" Shiga shouted mowing through several zetsu clones with his twin short swords. Using his immense speed, he was able to swiftly move to parts of the battlefield to aid in the transport of the injured. "Remember! Our goal is to safely get the innocent and injured into village limits. We will have other days to end the Zetsu's grip on our land but for now we play it safe."

As the battle waged on, Zetsu was slowly starting to fall back against the might of the people. Calling forth his other brother, Shiga instructed him to eliminate the Zetsu's remaining forces.

"I'll do my best." The blind boy nervous stated as the was his first battling with Zetsu's army. After being insured that things would go as planned Jin struck the ground with a powerful stomp. Sending his chakra out in all directions to feel the enemy's locations. In doing so, Jin generated strong wind enhanced fire into the palms of his hands. Aiming his attacks precisely based of the location of said targets, the boy blasted several waves to incinerating flames at the few Zetsu that remained. Even after such an attack he was not yet done, simply because the could easily evade the previous one. Concentrating his chakra into the ground, he gestured his arm in a slow cutting motion aimed at the ground, used it to split the earth in front of him to create a wall. Bringing both hands, facing down to the front of his body. From his focus the ground started to quake and rumble, locking the Zetsu in place.

"Now Garyū." Jin shout rather calmly.

Suddenly, the dark sky lit up with blinding light as lightning funneled through the clouds. Garyū was seen descending from the clouds surrounded in a coat of lightning.

"Goodbyes!" He exclaimed, coming in contract with the ground creating a massive explosion and jolts of electric energy into the atmosphere that someone could see miles from their location. The sheer power of the attack, completely decimating any Zetsu soldiers with its field and nearly destroying the wall that was set up for protection against the final attack.

"That's how you get things done." Garyū boasted at the results of his attack.

"Enough of that, Garyū. Take these people back to the village. Jin and I will continue the search." Shiga commanded breaking them up into smaller squadrons to hunt for anymore survivors.

The rain continued to descend upon the scared land as the ninja Amegakure organized their rescue parties and evacuated the wounded. Everyone was exhausted, aching and hungry. The rain had provided no aid, chilling the struggling ninja to the bone and turning the soil to thick mud that sucked at their feet with each step. The recent string of attack from the Black Zetsu forces had been a calculated campaign to break them down and shatter their spirits. Had it not been for the leadership of Shiga and Garyū, the village would have surrendered to the relentless attacks weeks ago. But the two young shinobi had inspired the remaining Amegakure forces to take a stand. Though recent days seemed bleak, no one was prepared to surrender.

As the medics began making their way towards the village limits and the search parties prepared to disperse, a chain of explosions rocked the earth beneath them. The defining blasts threatened to drown out even the lightning as the debris became visible over the top of the dying tress dotting a nearby hill. Several pieces of scorched debris clattered down a mere 50 meters from the search parties. Thanks the the ocular power of their respective Sharingans, both Shiga and Garyū were able to make out some of the fast moving debris as charred limbs.

"What the hell was that?" Shiga thought out loud turn his attention to the debris. "Garyū! Get going now. Jin and I will check that out." Breaking from Garyū's group, a total of five people; including Shiga and Jin, were steadily moving toward where the loud sound came from. "I feel the presence of others. Two individuals surrounded by a total of eleven Black Zetsu. They look exhausted almost. It's hard to tell with just their chakra frequencies alone." Jin informed Shiga of the impending situation ahead. Thanking Jin for the intel, Shiga and his group made it over the hill to help out the people in distress.

Another quick series of explosions occurred in rapid succession, shaking the earth beneath the team of Amegakure shinobi. None knew what to expect as the approached the top of the berm separating them from what they all knew to be heavy combat, but all hoped this was not the start of another ambush. Most had gone at least 24 hours without any substantial rest. None could afford it as the Black Zetsu forces continued to assault the Amegakure stronghold and the surrounding areas. All only wished to live long enough to return home and see their love ones one more time, a reminder of what they were fighting for, before once again being sent to the front lines.

As Shiga's head peeked over the berm, he could see that Jin's information was accurate. Though smoke and dust lingered in the air from the explosions, he was able to make out the dark silhouettes of nearly a dozen Zetsu and Zetsu controlled shinobi. In the center of the battlefield, having been stripped of all vegetation, a young woman, probably close to the age of Shiga and his brother, stud beside a small boy, probably a few years younger than Jin. Charred limbs and torsos scattered the scared land, many of which were surrounding small craters that dotted the terrain. Observing the mutilated corpses, one could see dozens of enemies had been slain here, there remains scattered about with the young woman and boy, the woman appearing far more fatigued than the boy, at the epicenter.

"There they are." Jin spoke as his colorless eyes scanned the area. Oddly enough, the boy was indeed blind, seeing with his excellent sensory perception. "They are heavily out matched. Shall we intervene?" Jin asked looking in the direction of his elder brother. "Not yet. I want to see if they actually need our help." Shiga whispered watching on from the peak of the hill with his crimson eyes. "B-But they-!" Jin as interrupted by Shiga placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "We will help them. We'll wait for the right moment and then we'll strike."

The rest of the Amegakure shinobi stud at the top of the hill with Shiga, all with their heads just high enough to allow them to peak over the hilltop and observe the situation below. The young woman took several steps ahead of the boy, whom began reaching into his backpack. Within a few moments, the young boy produced a folded Fūma Shuriken which shined brightly in the fading sunlight. Dropping his bag on the ground, the young boy jumped over the young woman, throwing the shuriken as he reached hi zenith. As the Fūma shuriken arched in a circle, forcing the Zetsu forces to jump back form the sharp blades, the young woman threw a series of senbon in rapid succession, one needle striking each of the 11 enemies as they avoided the fūma shuriken. Each of the enemies looked at the needles that had struck them. None seemed seriously wounded from the attack, but all noticed the strange purple aura that surrounded the needles. Thanks to his Sharingan, Shiga could see the aura's despite his distance. Though he couldn't identify its purpose, he knew the attack wasn't over.

As the young boy landed, the shuriken had come full circle, allowing him to catch the weapon by the handle. The flight trajectory of the shuriken seemed completely illogical, but Jin was aware of the reason. Though near invisible to the naked eye, he had felt the vibrations from the wire attached to the shuriken as it made slight vibrations while it passed through the air. A simple but clever trick. Moments after the boy caught the shuriken, the young woman, clasp her hands together in the familiar Mi hand seal. Without warning, the 11 enemy combatants that had been surrounding her and the young boy exploded. One by one, the mutilated remains if the Zetsu dropped to the ground. A few pieces of matter fell down onto Shiga and Jin, still smoking form the blasts.

It took a few moment for the dust to settle, but once it did Shiga surprised at what he saw. The young woman was lying face down on the charred earth, the young boy quickly rushing to her side. Kneeling down besides the young woman, the boy rolled her over to her back, cradling her head to avoid smacking it off the ground.

"She make explosions through her senbon needles. That's without a doubt the Explosion Release, Kekkei Genkai." The Uchiha through in awe of the young girl formidable abilities. "She's down. And there's no telling how far many more zetsu are on their way." Looking out into the distance, saw the outline of what appeared to be even more Black Zetsu. "Alright guys. We need to get them out of here before the zetsu reinforcements reach us. Let's move!" Commanding his small group, Shiga and Jin leaped from the hill speeding to help the fallen girl and the boy she was with.

Hearing their approach, the young boy sprung to his feet and produced a kunai knife from his tool pouch, aiming it towards Shiga and Jin as they approached.

"Stay back." the boy commanded.

Ceasing their movement, Shiga slowly raised his hands into the air. "Calm down. We are not here to harm you. You guys need help." Jin stepped forward, walking toward the boy. "We don't have a lot of time. There are dozens more zetsu approaching us. We mustn't waste time."

They boy lowered his kunai, but not his guard. He looked between Shiga and Jin, his blank expression making it difficult to tell what he was thinking. The boy was filthy, looking exhausted despite trying to hide his fatigue. The young woman appeared to be in even worse shape. After a few moment that seemed to span an eternity, the boy finally spoke.

"Are you from Amegakure?" he asked.

"Yes. We are. There are more people with in the village limits." Jin answered the boy's question, hoping to gain the latter's trust. "Your friend needs medical attention. She seems to be in bad shape. Please come with us."

With that, they boy grabbed the young woman by the arm and draped her over his shoulder. He was notably shorter than the woman, as her feet dragged on the ground even when he stud up. Despite his obvious fatigue showed in his slow and clumsy movements, he did not request help from any of the Amegakure ninja, though it was apparent he was in dire need of hit.

Shiga could clearly see the young boy fatigue was taking a big toll on him. With his clumsy footwork, the boy nearly fell over due to his weakened state. Luckily he was able to catch the boy before he too collapse to the ground. "Come on guys! Let's help these two and get back to the village. Stat!" Shiga requested as he helped the boy out. Another member of Shiga's squadron grabbed the young woman, lifting the burden from the boy's shoulders.

Though he didn't comment on or even seem to acknowledge the assistance, they boy did not resist it, continuing forward with the Amegakure shinobi. We made it Akira the young boy thought, masking his elation under his emotionless face. Finally, we're here.

Return to Amegakure
Wounded were beginning to outnumber the able bodied combatants in Amegakure. Though the medical ninja were working non-stop to get the wounded back onto their feet, some literately no longer had and legs left to stand on. The hospitals in the village and the medical tents were full almost 24/7. Many buildings had been converted into makeshift medical centers to help with the overflow of wounded ninja. Several of these makeshift centers were meant strictly for those with non-life threatening injuries. This particular dimly lit building happened to be the newest of these specialized centers, having been a bar before the conflict and still had several dozen bottles of various drinks lined up on a shelf behind the bar area. Shiga and Garyū had decided to bring the strangers here before determining how they should be handled. Without any other wounded having yet been brought to this location, it was perfect for conversing with the boy and young woman in private. The woman had yet to emerge from her sleep, lying motionless on one of the many cots laid out where tables would have been not four days prier. The boy had taken one of the old bar chairs and was sitting beside the woman, his eyes slowly closing and opening as the boy fought against a becconing sleep. Shiga, Garyū and Jin were all positioned on the other side of the room, not completely sure how best to approach the strangers.

"I wonder where these two traveled from? They were playing a very dangerous game. The world is currently swallowed up in chaos and they were just roaming." Jin stated leaning against the metal wall with his arms folded. Garyū had then taken a couple step to observe the woman's headband. There was a five point star carved within the metal plating of the forehead protector. "I don't recognize this symbol. Shiga. Check this out." Shiga would then move to the same position as his brother. "That's the symbol of Hoshigakure. They traveled quite a distance. That must mean... " Shiga clenched his fists. "Zetsu is really conquering the world. This is tragic." Jin remained in the same place, he too was quite angered by Zetsu's progress over the world. "One can only imagine what condition the great five countries are in. We need to know everything they saw on their way here. Maybe then we could at least know how much Zetsu has conquered." Soon after Jin spoke, they heard faint whispers coming from the girl's direction.

The young woman had begun stirring in her cot, mumbling incoherently as she did. With one sudden movement, she jumped up from the cot and quickly took a fighting stance, frantically taking in her surroundings and scanning for potential threats.

"We're safe now, Akira." the young boy informed her, still in his seat next to the cot. "We're in Amegakure."

Akira turned to the boy, her posture relaxing and immediately becoming more casual. Akira and the boy locked eyes for a moment, seeming engaging in some form of nonverbal communication, before she turn her attention to the group of young shinobi behind the bar. Akira scanned Shiga, followed by Garyū and finally Jin, her eyes scanning every detail of their appearances.

A few moments of silence passed before Akira brushed a few stands of long brown hair behind her ear and asked "Who are you three?"

"Of all the crap I've h-" Garyū started but was quickly interrupted by Jin covering his mouth. Shiga briefly apologized for his brother's outburst. He would then property introduce himself and his brother's to the two strangers with revealing the surnames. "We would also like to know who the two if you are and why were the both of you wandering?."

Akira sat back down on the cot, feeling it safe to rest now that she knew she was in no immediate danger. She pulled her hair back and looked up at the trio of ninja, the purple diamonds below her eyes now prominent against the dim illumination of the lanterns.

"I'm Akira, and this is Michi." Akira stated, gesturing to her flank at the young boy. "We came here from Hoshigakure." The mentioning of the village caused Akira to look down at her feet, the dull expression on her face shifting into something between sadness and anger. "Or at least where Hoshigakure used to be."

"So I take it that your home was destroyed. Well if it makes you two feel any better, you are both welcome to stay here." Shiga stated in attempt to comfort the strangers.

Shiga's attempt at comfort was met with stares. One that seemed vacant of emotion form Michi, and one of hostility from Akira as she tightened her fists and looking up from her feet. Akira moved her jaw as if she wanted to say something, but she appeared to change her mind and rethink her next words.

"Hoshigakure was wiped of the face of the Earth." Akira finally stated. "Everyone that lived in the village is dead. Just Michi and I made it out alive."

"That bastard!" Jin burst out in an uproar slamming his closed fist into the metal wall. The power of blow created a massive circular dent. The loud sound partially startled everyone present in the room as well as a couple outsiders who were listening in on their conversation, making them retreated away from the room. "What doesn't he even want!?" Jin's suddenly outburst caught his elder brothers off guard, as they had never seen such anger that was usually covered by his overly concerned demeanor. "This guy has done enough! I'm sick of hiding!" Neither of the twins knew how to approach him, instead they stood silently waiting for him to calm down.

Akira secretly appreciated the boy's show of empathy, but nothing resisted on her face, lips remaining in a downward curve that represented a near neutral frown. As the moment of silence grew in length, Akira looked down at her own body, taking note of the bandages around her ribs and covering her forearm for the fist time. She had come into the building tattered and beaten with her body covered in scratches, suffering from several narrow but deep gashes covered by dirty bandages and several hairline fractures dotting her ribs. "Thank you" or some other expression of gratitude may have been an appropriate response, but no such words passed through Akira's head.

"I want to fight." Akira said, barely audible.

And yet another statement that caught everyone by surprise. Even Jin, who was just in some sort of rage mode, was surprised by the girl's sudden remark. Shiga was speechless, his voice didn't allow him to say a word. On the other hand, Garyū, gave Akira a rather unchanged facial expression. "You can't be serious? You're wrapped in bandages. Yeah. No. You are in no condition to fight or to be making any requests."

Akira's expression also remained unchanged, her cold eyes looking directly back at Garyū. An uneasiness entered the bar as a feeling of tension between Akira and Garyū manifested

"I came here because I wanted to fight and that's what I'm going to do, with or without your help. Michi and I saw almost everyone we hold deer turned into mutilated corpses. It doesn't matter if we have an army to back us up or it's just the two of us. We're taking the fight to Zetsu. He can break my bones, cut my flesh and drain the energy from every cell in my body, but I WILL find a way to kill him. If none of you are willing to help me, then I've wasted my time coming here."

"I don't mean to pop your bubble of hatred....but we have people depending on us. I refuse to throw that all away because you want to kill Zetsu. Hell. We all do. But if that means unnecessarily throwing away lives then maybe you did waste your time coming here." Garyū retorted back. "Enough Garyū. You've made your point. Now shut up..." Shiga shout demanding Garyū's silence. "Akira. Please understand that we want to help anyway we can..but we do not want innocent people to be lost in vain."

"You wanna talk about innocent lives?" Akira growled, a steely edge in her voice. "A majority of Hoshigakure's shinobi died covering the evacuation of our citizens. When I caught up with them, take a guess where they were. I found them pilled into a mass grave a mile West of the village. Husbands still holding their wives, parents still cradling their children..." Akira began to trail off, chocking on the last few words. She tried taking a deep breath but it appeared to resemble more of a shutter. Without another word, Akira walked out the front door of the bar leaving Michi alone with the Amegakure trio.

"I apologize for that." Michi said in a low monotone voice, surprising the Amegakure ninja. "Please, do not think less of Lady Akira for her poor introduction."

"It's fine." Shiga politely stated reassuring that there were no hard feelings between them. "I know you guys have been through a lot. I'm terribly sorry for the loss of your home." Garyū sighed at his brother's empathy, growing annoyed with Shiga's habit of being overly concerned. "Well I'm going to check on the others." He said angrily walking out of the room. Jin took a couple steps foward, leaning on chair nearby, facing the boy with his gray eyes. "Michi. Its it? Let's try to break the tension that was set by Garyū and Akira. Why don't we show you around?"

Michi looked at Jin for a moment. Thought the boy's face maintained a blank expression, it was obvious he was hesitating.

"I should find Lady Akira first." Michi finally stated, looking over to the still open front door of the bar. Michi paused again, though this time it was unclear why. After a few moments he spoke up again. "She hadn't smiled since the attack on our village. It used to make me feel so warm inside. No matter how cold one's heart, everyone else felt the same. After my mother died, I wasn't sure I'd feel warmth like that ever again. That's why I want to do my part in this war. I want to feel the warmth again." With that, Michi walked out the front door in search of Akira.

Akira had made her way to the top of one of the taller towers of Amegakure, sitting on the edge of the roof as she peered down on the activity below. Most the activity was located around the main medical centers. Wounded, nurses, medical ninja, family of the wounded, supply runners and even the dead moved in, out and around the area constantly. The sight vaguely reminded her of the medical tents in Hoshigakure, except those wounded were all people she knew. Now they were gone, each and every one of them. Akira could feel another surge of anger at the thought, but forced herself to remain calm. Gathering up saliva in her mouth, Akira spat, watching the saliva drop twenty meters before exploding like a small firecracker.

"Doesn't matter anymore." Akira said, talking to herself as she had begun doing after the last night in Hoshigakure. "Dreams don't matter when your at war. Mine are already crushed. All I have now is purpose. After that, there will be nothing for me." Akira spat again, letting he saliva drop a little longer this time before exploding. The moment the explosion ceased, there was a light foot step on the metal behind her.

From the shadows stepped Garyū, the young Uchiha was actually keeping close watch on the girl instead of checking on his fallen comrades. "Talking to yourself are we?" He said rather snobbishly. Standing out on the balcony, the young man eyed the girl. "So tell me....what was your purpose of coming here?"

"Revenge." Akira bluntly stated, not even turning her head to look at Garyū. "That's all I desire."

"Revenge, huh?..." Garyū paused looking down toward the ground, he noticed a small gray pebble near his foot. Seeing the tiny object, he decided -almost instantly- to do something outrageous. Picking the small sphere off the ground talking while doing so, "You know.... It's quite rude to not make eye contact with some when having a conversation." After the statement he threw it at the back of the girl's head.

The peddle struck its mark and Akira's head leaned slightly forward, but other than that there was no immediate reaction. Akira's eyes remained forward on the medical tents below, as if she hadn't realized she had been hit.

Garyū sighed at the girl's unresponsiveness throwing his hands in the air. "I have an idea for to relieve you stress....." He paused awaiting for her undivided attention. "Why don't you fight me?"

Garyū's words seemed to register to Akira, as her head perked up and she finally turned her head in his direction. Her facial expression remained neutral, though her eyes seemed to have taken on a strange heaviness, indicating sad emotions.

"Your not the one I want to fight." Akira stated, rising to her feet and making her way over to Garyū. "Besides, I already know I would win." Akira passed Garyū, flipping her hair into his face as she did and stopping just behind him.

"Is that so?" Garyū said as she walked past him. He stared at the lower half of the young woman's body, turning around to face her back which was turned to him. Yet, still looking downward. "Are you absolutely positive? Or are you just crazy?" He said walking closer to her hovering inches away for her back side.

"Whether or not I'm crazy is really irrelevant." Akira said, unaware of Garyū's display of lust. "How about a wager?"

"Sure. I'll place a bet with you." Garyū said with a wide smile. "Place your wager then."

"The game will be a... friendly sparring match. If you win, I'll take any request you so desire of me." Akira paused, letting her words register with Garyū.

"Oh really?.." Garyū exclaimed surprised by her response. "Before I can even consider....what's the catch? What are you going to get out of this?"

"If I win, all I want is a place in Amegakure's forces. The front lines, but I do not want to be bound by some halfwit who thinks a meaningless title makes him my superior." Akira turned, looking out over the medical tents of Amegakure once again. Storm clouds were once again threatening rain, the overcast skies foreshadowing such weather. "I know killing won't make me feel better about Hoshigakure, and that revenge won't make my hatred disappear. I just hope to do something constructive with this anger."

"I hope you aren't referring to Shiga?" Garyū said a bit confused by her statement about titles. "But whatever. If you win. And that's only if." Garyū scoffed folding his arm while looking at Akira. "Is this going to be strictly taijutsu or what?"

Akira took a step towards the edge of the tower, her toes now hanging just off the edge. The wind began to pick up as the storm clouds drew near, causing Akira's hair to rise up and blow back towards Garyū.

"It doesn't matter to me what you use, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjustu, it makes no difference as long as neither of us die. We do after all have a common enemy. It would be a shame to eliminate a potential ally. Do we have a deal?"

"I'm game." Garyū confidently said tightening the fingerless gloves on his hands. His hair flowed with the wind as he stared at the back of Akira's head. He jumped off the edge of the building, speeding toward the ground below. Upon landing, the sheer power of his body caused the ground to crack under his feet. Tossing off his jacket to reveal his bare upper body, Garyū glanced at Akira. "Are you ready?"

Akira looked down at Garyū, her lifeless expression masking the fact she had been taken slightly off guard by the young mans's display. Bold. Akira simply spat once more, letting the saliva drop down until it was only ten meters above Garyū before exploding. With that, Akira allowed herself to fall forward, though her feet did not leave the metal of the tower as she hung perpendicular to the earth below. Moving with no sense of urgency, Akira began walking down the side of the tower.

Garyū had dropped down into a large space between several of Amegakure's towers, surrounded by nothing be the metal that made up a majority of the village. Having been following the small explosions he knew were the work of Akira, Michi has already found the space where the two shinobi planned to battle one another. He predicted that Shiga and Jin were not far off, assuming they had chosen to follow. Michi had no intention of intervening in the coming battle, as he knew Lady Akira would not be pleased with such an action. Michi simply stud on top of some of the metal pipes surrounding the space, the location providing him with an unobstructed view of what was about to unfold.

Not too far apart from the commotion, Jin paced quickly the pending battle. Unable to see, Jin could only feel the flaring chakra of Akira and Garyū. He knew all to well what was about to go down. With his personality being so much similar to Shiga, he immediately sought to interfere with the quibble. "What's going on here?" Jin exclaimed forcedly grabbing Garyū's bare shoulder.

Garyū practically fell from the intense power if Jim's tug, surprised that he had acquired such strength. "Wow little bro. You have gotten quite strong." Garyū basically ignored Jim's question with a halfwit statement such as the one came from between his lips. "Relax. We're just playing" he whispered turning back to Akira. "Ladies first... I want to see what you have before I get serious."

Akira flicked her hand outward, several senbon appearing as she did. The needles appeared to materialize form nowhere, but Garyū thought it more plausible that the weapons had been hidden in the girl's sleeve.

"Then let's begin." Akira stated, a hardness manifesting in her voice.

Without even giving Jin time to leave the battle zone, Akira threw the three needles in Garyū's direction, the needles soaring low at his feet.

"Wow. Just these little senbon, eh?" Garyū sighed in disappointment. "That's it?" He would then quickly step backwards to evade the fast pacing projectiles.

"I'll tell you what." Garyū stated again. "I'm going to give you one more chance to prove yourself....so this time, take it seriously." After saying the following, he motioned his hand in a gesture to taunt her into approaching one more.

"You outta look a little closer." Akira said to Garyū in an almost condescending tone. Akira raised her right hand, snapping her fingers in front of her face. Not a millisecond later, the senbon at Garyū's feet exploded like over sized firecrackers, sending dirt ans sparks into his face. Taking advantage of the distraction, Akira threw one more senbon at Garyū, this one aimed at the young man's bare torso.

The dirt flew into Garyū's face, impairing his vision which resulted in temporary blindness. While Garyū was blinded, Jin who was still beside his elder brother, however did not flinch from the explosion. Sensing the fast approaching chakra coated senbon, Jin stomped the ground, erecting a small earth wall. The wall hold effectively catch the senbon, not even a second later, Jin stomped again before physically pushing the wall toward Akira. "What are you doing?" He exclaimed. "What trying to do? Blow him up?"

Garyū had finished wiping the dust that lingered on his face. Hearing Jin's almost anger filled screams. he touched Jin's shoulder to attempt to calm the boy down. "Dude. Go stand over there. I've got this." He assured the boy that everything was under control. Jin simply obeyed, walking over to stand by Michi. At this point, the loud explosion grew the attention of bystanders who actually thought Zetsu was attacking.

"Now it's my turn." Garyū immediately sped off after saying these words. Getting behind Akira, he intended to preform a spinning low kick, to knock her off balance.

"He's already lost." Michi stated to Jin, not taking his eyes off the action unfolding before them.

In response to Garyū's rapid movements, Akira turned just in time to have her legs taken out form underneath her by Garyū's kick. Acting fast, Akira placed her hand on the ground to halt her decent, then spinner her body with her free hand to swing a kick of her own towards Garyū's head, attempting to strike him as he stud back up from his own kick.

With his own immense strength, Garyū pushed himself up from preforming his spin kick. Placing his hand on the ground, Garyū actually was able to push himself over Akira's kick. Grabbing her leg, Garyū rolled to the ground, flipping her into her face.

"You say his already lost. Then youvey already underestimated him. Garyū is a lot smarter than his puts on. Everything that I know, he taught me." Jin replied to Michi statement. "Just watch. You'll see what I mean."

Michi's expression did not change. He continued to face the melee between Garyū and Akira again as he spoke. "I can tell you haven't noticed it yet."

Akira was able to get her hands up to protect her face, though the whiplash effect form Garyū's maneuver was unpleasant. Akira kicked back with her free leg, forcing Garyū to release her leg. She left her foot hit something hard and the grip on her leg loosen, but could not see if Garyū was stunned enough for a follow up attack. Playing it safe, Akira pressed off the ground with her now freed leg, flipping onto her feet, then hand springing away from Garyū, tossing her last senbon as she made her second rotation.

Garyū purposely let loose of Akira's food to regain his position on the ground. When Akira kicked, she came in contact with his shin which he was using it to defend against her continuing assault in a kneeling gesture. Using his index and middle fingers from both hands, he formed a plus symbol. A white puff og smoke was conjured and a replica of himself appeared from it, catching the senbon once she threw. The clone would then throw it back in her direction.

Unfortunately for the clone, the senbon exploded as it left his hand, effectively destroying the clone. Akira landed upright on her feet and turned to face Garyū. Though not impressed, Akira couldn't argue Garyū was a talented young shinobi. Memories of Sumaru crept into Akira's subconscious, but were quickly snuffed out.

"Your alright." Akira stated loudly enough for even the spectators to hear her. "But only alright."