Chapter 33.4- One Thousand Hands

She watched the man that had led their last mission step forward. The Tsuchikage’s own son. He was a young adult, years older than Azula and a bit past his teenage years. Older than Shorirama Senju, she noted. But weaker. Shorirama Senju killed a Kage, and this one struggled to assert his dominance over some upjumped fools from the Cloud Village. Regardless of his clear weakness, he was not a bad man. He was friendly and treated her well when they were paired together which was a far cry from whaat she had come to expect from most of the village’s shinobi- shortsighted fools who could not see the writing on the wall that she would be better than them in time and then there would be a reckoning.

He walked over, moving to stand to her left without even uttering a word at his Grandfather beyond the nod of acquiescence to the order. He was dressed in the standard Iwa Jounin Uniform, and had all his gear obout him. She could hear his heart beating in his chest. The will of Stone, shr thought sardonically to herself. His face looked to be carved from the same stone that formed Iwa’s foundation, but she could hear the way his heart beat rapidly as she stared hm down. The will of stone, like every other thing in this damn village, was a dirty lie. He was just as afraid as everyone else was to face her.

She felt herself internally snarl as his heartbeat began to slow with time. He was dismissing her as a threat. Her. Her!!! She looked at the old fog, waiting for him to begin the fight. This was going to be a lesson in humility for this bastard and his father. They who sought to use her as a tool to assert their dominance and nothing else.

“Begin” Hiroshi said, dropping down his hand. She watched it almost in slow motion, consciously making an effort to wait for the hand to complete its descent before she moved. She would not have anything marring the victory she was about to claim. The second his hand was completely vertical and facing downwards, she moved. One second she was at her position, and two later, she was at his. Her claws reached out, intent on taking his throat for his impudence. She did not feel the hit that forced her backwards by sending her flying. She actually had to look to see the rounded off spike of earth that had hit her ribs with bone shattering force.

There was so much chakra moving through her at present that she did not even feel the pain of her ribs being shattered. She landed on her back but rolled with the force and sprung back to her feet in seconds. Multiple spikes came flying at her from his position and she felt a force welling up deep in her belly. She opened her mouth to let it out on instinct and out poured a literal river of lava.