“Alright, Kisa, Fuguki, there will be two phases to this challenge duel.” The Fourth Mizukage began in a calm commanding voice as he looked between them, “The first is what I’m sure you’ve prepared for, the combat phase. You choose your bladed weapon and keep in mind that you’re not duelling to kill or maim, that will not favour you in the slightest.”
Fuguki grinned balefully at Kisa a few feet shorter. Kisa licked his lips in response. The Mizukage seed to tire with them as he rolled his eyes and skipped more warnings to get to his next point, “The next phase would be the duel for compatibility. Sahada has always chosen its wielders, it’s semi-sentient that way and so we’ll treat it as such. Whoever wins its favour along with the combat phase will secure the right to wield it, understood? Good, now, begin!”
Kisa leaped away right as the Mizukage did, stealing so space for himself as Fuguki slowly unsheathed his katana. Both of them had chosen to use katanas for this duel and for good reason. Both himself and Fuguki weren’t wearing their usual shinobi attire, instead they paid homage to the ancient and first of the Seven Swordsn with a loose fitted, cotton cloth Samurai outfit that had zero armoured areas.
Fuguki, looking like a giant orange panda of a Samurai, began pacing along the edge, forcing Kisa to pace as well, watching his opponent as keenly as he was watched. Their katanas allowed them the advantage of strategic engagent length, but with Fuguki’s incredulous size, Kisa naturally has to compensate with a longer blade than his opponent. A longer blade, despite its reach, ant it’d be heavier to heft.
But that was a non-issue for Kisa at the mont, the were rely dressing up as the Samurai the first Seven Swordsn were but they were shinobi. Chakra enhancents may not be allowed in their duel but Kisa’s body has trained with heavier objects, the Legendary Blade he fought for now was far longer and heavier even. Such a little handicap would be no problem for Kisa to overco, he rely had to win.
By now Kisa had co around to where Fuguki stood at the beginning and neither side had made the first lunge. Kisa took this as a good sign; he wasn’t being underestimated. He had it ringing in his head over and over with each careful step as he paced around Fuguki not to underestimate the man he’d co to know as leader. His might as a shinobi may be held up by his proficiency with Water and Yin Release but he was just as good as Kisa with a blade, perhaps even more experienced even if Kisa was sure he was more skilled.
Either way, Kisa was grateful for the ti he’d had to study the man’s careful foot placent as he noticed the mont he beca ready to attack. Rather than let him make the first move, Kisa lunged out in a blink, his katana slicing toward Fuguki’s startled eyes.
The larger man leaned comfortably past the attack and stabbed at Kisa’s unguarded torso. Kisa twisted around the blade, his lith figure supplying him with far more flexibility than Fuguki’s would allow. He doubled down on his assault and brought his katana down at Fuguki’s unprotected thighs only to curse as the man unnaturally caught his katana with the sole of his slippers, capitalizing on that contact to kick his foot at Kisa.
A cornered Suikazan is a savage eh? Kisa thought as he slid through the sand, his katana bearing the brunt of Fuguki’s repelling kick. The man quickly moved away from the edge of the stage, coming closer with his katana firmly in his grasp. There was a glint of glee and bloodthirst in his eyes as he marched closer, a feeling Kisa matched with ease.
The two battle eager shinobi t in the middle, their initial clash grinding sparks of fla in their grinning faces and glinted eyes. Not a word passed between them as they disengaged. Kisa brought his sword up to slice open Fuguki’s stomach but Fuguki was faster and deflected the blade. Kisa let himself be carried by the montum and fell past Fuguki’s guard so they switch places. He lurched and was t with a hefty strike against his katana’s length.
Kisa flinched at the strength behind the blow but wasn’t deterred, he was assured his katana was made of the best steel his clan could afford, which, by default, was the best. Suikazan was a self-made man to an extent but Kisa wouldn’t be shad for using every resource available to him to succeed.
He leaped, taking to the air for a savage downward slice at Fuguki’s nigh unreachable head but the man was prepared. He blocked the strike and all of Kisa’s weight behind it with gritted teeth but Kisa wasn’t a Hoshigaki for no reason. His freefalling feet found purchase in Fuguki’s face and sternum, landing solid kicks there as he bounced off the larger man and back to stance a few tres away.
Fuguki growls, swiped his bloody nose and reasserted his grip on his katana. This ti he dashed forth before Kisa could choose a direction to escape into, forcing the him to stand his ground and parry Fuguki’s punishing strikes.
Kisa’s eyes widened, his mind raced as he tried to keep up with Fuguki’s rattling blows and feints, trying with all his might not to lose the pride of first blood to the orange haired man. Each strike sent thorough vibrations through his katana, rattling all the way to his bone and threatening to shake the weapon out of his hands.
I won’t allow it! Rather than remain on the defensive, Kisa shifted his footing and began to press what few openings to deliver strikes of his own. Fuguki chuckled and the re sound infuriated him to fuel his stirkes with more power.
Fuguki fell on the defence, though his bloody smirk made it seem otherwise. Kisa kept up his assault and Fuguki parried each with practised ease, barely buckling under the pressure Kisa was mounting on his blade. The larger man was overtly aware of the edge of the stage as well and ensured Kisa’s strikes and blows were t with proper foot placent, avoiding the edge and being cornered like he was at the start.
For three tortured minutes the only sounds were the clash of their blades, shuffle of their feet and the occasional free kicks and punches Kisa got in. Fuguki took on the full brunt of another attack but leaned forward into it, sliding his katana down the length of Kisa’s and grinding sparks as he went for a grab attack.
Kisa leaped away at the last mont, putting so distance between them at last. Fuguki doesn’t give chase, a thing he’s thankful for because after all those swings Kisa’s breathe was ragged and heavy. He narrowed his eyes at Fuguki, his chest was heaving but not nearly as much as his.
What…so that’s what this is. Kisa took in a deep breath and clutched his katana, Fuguki mirrored his action but didn’t move from his spot, all but verbally confirming his strategy. He wants to tire out…and he’s actually doing it.
Kisa felt like smacking himself but left that for later, he’d finally noticed Fuguki’s heavy strikes were little more than a bait to get him to respond in kind and he did, expending his energy and draining the strength of his blade to smash and savage at Fuguki who rely blocked and parried it all.
He couldn’t fight Fuguki as though he were wielding Sahada truly nor could he fight as though he had chakra or its enhancents on his side. The only thing he could do was what Fuguki was already doing. Wait.
And so, Kisa got a grip of himself, set his stance straight and cleared his mind. Fuguki seed to recognize the change as the mocking, baiting smirk he wore faded into a sharp glare. The larger man matched his stance and the two t in the middle, circling each other with the tips of their katanas an inch or so past the other.
This duel was going to be decided by one, loose opening and like Junko always told his impatient self; opportunities create themselves when no one’s looking.
Fuguki inhaled, shifted his foot and Kisa knew, he saw it and he took it. In a flash of movent, the two swordsn dashed into the other, their blades becoming still as they stood in trance. Kisa heard his heart beat in his ears and his hand sensed the squelch of flesh, he’d dodged Fuguki’s blade by an inch, traded a sliced up bicep for a stab through the larger man’s abdon.
“Halt!” the Mizukage descended, had a look and simply nodded at Kisa as Fuguki stumbled back, taking his both katanas with him.
Fuguki himself didn’t look displeased, rely annoyed, either by the fact that he had a katana sticking out of him or that Kisa had won, it didn’t matter, because all that was left now was to command the Shark Skin Blade to his will.
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