Taki Water Part 1

Hayabusa had finally made it to Taki Village. He had read up on the legends of the next few villages in which he were going to go to obtain more power or certain items. He had marked the map to make a straight run. He eyed the map to see Taki was right above Fire Country, and two countries over was Oto. More over across seas, there was the land of Mist… when people say all the ‘bad’ people come from. But, he would worry about all of this when he finished his mission here in Taki first of all.
He looked at the gate of Taki. This place was relatively small… not too heavily guard neither. Hayabusa slowly approached the village. When he stepped in, he looked around. There was no guard here neither.
“What the hell… did they not get the memo… peace is being disrupted. They needn’t leave their village open like this…” Hayabusa said. He step in once more and still there was no reaction. He would have to scope somebody else himself and ask about this ‘legend’ of the Hero’s water. He jumped up on top of the roof and looked around. It seemed deserted.
Finally, he could see one person running… and he seemed to be running fast as if he could. Hayabusa’s speed seemed to have over power his, though. So Hayabusa easily caught up with him through roof tops. When he finally caught up to him, he jumped down next to him and slowed his pace down in order to stay steady with him. The teenage boy looked at him with a quick glance, then once more.
“Where is everybody?” Hayabusa asked him. “The village isn’t under attack or anything is it?”
“No… no no nothing like that… you don’t need a head band to show you’re not from around here.”
“Oh yea… is that so? How might that be?” Hayabusa asked, now curious.
“Yea… just because you asked a stupid ass question like that. The Hero Water Games are about the start… you know… Taki Village’s legacy?” he said. Hayabusa became more interested. This is what he came here for. And, luckily Hayabusa liked games. This could not come to be any easier than what it was already getting. If getting this water that was so special was as easy as this, Hayabusa would be in luck. That meant he wouldn’t have to spend as much time around in Taki.
“Could you perhaps… tell me a little more about the games?” Hayabusa asked.
“Well… what do you know about Taki’s Hero Water at all?” the boy asked. Hayabusa kind of shrugged his arms.
“From what I researched, it is a water that, when drank, it can increase your chakra greatly, depending on how much you drink. That’s pretty much it…”
“Jeez… you’ll get yourself killed man… you can drink no more than three goblets. Even though you gain a hell of a lot of chakra, you lose half of your health. After the third time… your body will self deteriorate.”
“Wow… so now… that I can fully understand that simple idea… drink three times, no more… explain to me a little more about this so called… game…”Hayabusa said to him.
“Well… the monks who are sworn to protect the water does this once a year… they issue a competition between anybody who wants to enter. Three goblets, three games. There has never been anybody to win all three, though. But, they capped it off at three, just in case somebody was that good.”
He turned the corner and Hayabusa began to follow. There before them, down the block, was a temple.
“All in all… there are three games… all different from the last year. Each game won will have gained a goblet. It is up to the winner on whether they want to drink it then and there, or wait until after the games… you know… so they well have good health to be able to compete. A lot of people try their luck… but then again, majority of the people become cocky and drink it to impress and gloat about their winnings… comes back to bite them I the ass… then again… some times that next task requires more chakra… so it’s a gamble.
“Oh well… if you are joining, you have approximately one minute to make it in there and sign up before the books close…” he said. “I just want to make sure I am there for the action… it is exciting to see where these games go…” he said.
“One minute? That’s… more than enough time…” Hayabusa said, as he sped up and out ran the teenage boy by almost twice his speed. He entered the temple that turned out to be more than just that… it was more like a meeting hall. But, it was rather attractive in architecture. Now… for the book…
He zipped in and out of people’s way as he made it to the central. He even had to jump over some little kids to make it in time. And so he did. The monk that had seemed to be there to watch over the book looked up at him.
“Ah… an outsider… what a surprise. You have made it here just in time, my friend.” he gave Hayabusa a pen and Hayabusa wrote down his name. The name faded away into the book. He smiled at Hayabusa.
“Good luck out there, Konoha ninja…” he said, as he closed the book and walked away.
‘Was that it?’ Hayabusa sat there, thinking to himself. Was that all he had to do? Sign the book. Do preterm briefing or anything like that? What about the details of each game? Maybe he was in time enough that they didn’t even start the briefing yet. Luckily, his question was just about to be answered, as a middle aged monk stood up at the stand at the emphasis of the room. He looked young… but wise. Maybe it was just his attire? Whatever it was, it was working for this man… but Hayabusa was gonna find out how wise he really was through speech.
To him, the wiser you are, the more respected you are. Maybe that is why he wanted to increase all the knowledge he could hold. This man before him had to be highly respected to do what it is he was about to do.
In this hall, it was highly loud. The volume sky rocketed in this confined area. The man stood at the stand and looked over all of the people, who were conversating. He said nothing… he just rose his hand, and within ten seconds, the sound gradually dropped down to nothing. Hayabusa smirked. He wish he had the power and respect to do such things.
“WELCOME… to the Taki’s Hero Water Tournament!” he yelled, and everyone cheered. He put his hand up once again and it all died down. “Now… most of you should know the rules… win… period. You first task should be a easy one. It is a race… each of you will have your own path in which you need to get by… a maze perhaps. And the first one to the goblet wins… no matter how you get there, as long as you get there first. You all have ten minutes to look through the maze and try to come up with a strategy to get through your path.”
“Nothing harder than that?” Hayabusa thought to himself. He smirked. But, the man was not finished.
“AFTERWARDS!! Your opponents have 10 minutes to sabotage your maze… placing booby traps… Genjutsu… Rip down dome leaves and change the path to a dead end. ANYTHING GOES!!!” he yelled. They all cheered. “All contestants, pick one path and stand there until the ten minutes are begun. Do you guys think you can handle that?” That’s not too hard to understand, now, is it?” he asked all of them. Hayabusa shrugged. He began to follow the moving crowd to where they we meant to go.
They all went outside and into the middle of field with 10 feet high bushes. Hayabusa looked around. No more Konoha ninja were here. He shook his head as he picked a random path.
“If only Nythya was here for this one. He would be perfect for getting this one done.” Hayabusa said to himself. A Senju with wood control can open a path for himself, or close off other paths. Hayabusa looked around at his opponents. It seemed to be about thirty people in this small village up to this test of Taki Water. Thirty people would be a breeze. Soon all have made their positions.
“Ok… BEGIN!” the man yelled. It seemed as though everybody sped off. Hayabusa look confused. 10 minutes seemed like more than enough time just to look through the maze. Then again, people could make markings to give directions or something. Hayabusa stepped in and began casually walking through the maze. It didn’t seem that all bad yet. Until he got to a certain point .The maze split off into many different corridors.
“Well… I see why they all ran…” Hayabusa said to himself. One of him… ten corridors. “We’ll just have to change that then?” Hayabusa said to himself, smirking.
Hayabusa was now glad of one of the new techniques he had learned. Back when him and Nythyia trained, he had thought of making a solid clone, much like his Mokuton clones. Hayabusa performed a few hand seals.
“Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!” he said out loud. There before him stood 19 clones, including himself made 20. “Ok… find the end and summon me if you find it…” he said. They all nodded and dispersed, two into each corridor. Hayabusa went with the remaining one, running through the maze. All turns looked the same, so it was smart to mark direction… but he had a better plan in mind.
They both ran, and they repeatedly ran into dead ends. But, after about a good four minutes, Hayabusa had once been at a dead end, that had just as quickly turned into the end. He was staring at the goblet. It was just out in the open… someone could steal it… unless…
Hayabusa looked at it and looked at his clone. He looked back and activated his Sharingan. He could see a barrier protecting the whole space.
“Nice…” Hayabusa said. He looked at the clone. “GO ahead and run back to the start, and summon me when you get there…” Hayabusa said.
The clone nodded. He began to walk until Hayabusa performed one seal. All of the other clones vanished, giving the both of them knowledge of exactly how to get out of here. Hayabusa looked around. He took a tag out of his pocket. On it was his Sand Uchiha note.
“Ok…” Hayabusa looked around more for a good spot to put the tag. He went down to the ground and placed the tag upside down and some what under a bush, so it would look as though it blended in. He then stood up and waited for his clone to summon him.
A few moments later, Hayabusa had instantly appeared back where he started. He looked at his clone before it dispersed. Hayabusa sat Indian style in front of the beginning line and smirked at himself.
“This game is as good as mine…” Hayabusa said. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to win this with his Forbidden technique. He looked around and there seemed to be nobody there. He looked at the time keeper.
“Hey bud… how much more time?” he asked him.
“Four more minutes… you seem confident in knowing your path, hmmm?” he said. Hayabusa nodded.
He sat and awaited for the long boring four minutes to be up. Soon enough, the four minutes would be up, and the sabotage part of the session would begin, and he would sit another ten minutes.
In the end, when the race has begun… it would end thirty seconds later… just as fast as it would begin, thanks to Hiraishin No Jutsu. He would be at the goblet in seconds, no matter how somebody had sabotaged his path. And then, people will begin to take this Konoha Ninja serious in this game.
[2056 Words]

“Begin the sabotage session… NOW!” the time keeper yelled. The other twenty nine contestants ran to do dirty deeds in other contestants’ path. Hayabusa, on the other hand, sat there, patiently, waiting out the ten minutes that they had left. AS he sat there on the ground, with his leg’s crossed, in meditation, he could hear the people talking about him, whispering… laughing.
“Keep it up…” he said to himself. “I’m used to it.” Not only was he an Uchiha… but he was from Konoha. To these people… he was an outsider. A mockery. He was here for them to laugh at.
“Um… excuse me…” the time keeper said after three minutes. Hayabusa looked up at him.
“Yea?” Hayabusa asked. “Is there something wrong?”
“You know… you’re supposed to sabotage other people’s path, right? Give yourself a higher chance at winning…” he said.
“Yea but… I am going to win… regardless of what other people will do to my path.” Hayabusa said.
“Heh… ok… suit yourself…” he said. In his mind, Hayabusa was sure he was saying ‘you cocky, arrogant bitch…’, but the fact was, the man was a monk. Cursing was something they didn’t do often, if they do it at all.
Hayabusa sat patiently as he could see a few shinobi go into his path and spend a valuable amount of time into it, possibly trying to see what it was he did to lead him to the end… what was it he had so much confidence in? Hayabusa just smirked and shook his head. People would probably spot his tag but deem it unusable since it marks the end… and why would somebody need that? They would see the end without the tag.
‘The art of intentions…’ Hayabusa thought to himself. He smirked as he waited, and the time keeper threw a kunai in the air.
“So everybody prepare yourselves. On your mark…” he said. People bent over as if they were in a track race, Hayabusa sat there.
“Get set…” he began. Hayabusa still sat there. People began looking at him and shaking their heads, laughing at the stupid Konoha ninja sitting on the ground. He kept his face heading forward. ‘Keep staring… if you blink you’ll miss it…’ he thought to himself. He smirked. This was going to make everyone gasp… and he planned to make it dramatic. The time keeper looked at him as if he was waiting to see if Hayabusa would give up his stubbornness.
“… Um go!” he yelled. Twenty eight of the men jumped to the punch, beginning to run as fast they could to get through their certain paths. ‘Twenty eight?’ thought to himself. Hayabusa looked to his side and there was a man standing there.
“Um… the man said go…” Hayabusa said to him. The man walked up to him.
“Yea… I know… but I have some type of confidence in you… something tells me your not doing this for no reason… you are way too confident in yourself… so I want to be here when you get back to make it to the next game.
“Hmmm…” Hayabusa began. He smirked at the man as he pushed up. “You know… you are a very smart man. Dependent… but smart. You know… I was going to wait a while to get the goblet… but… I think I will get it now…” Hayabusa said as he began walking casually to the path.
“I suggest you go ahead and wait by the game taker…” Hayabusa said as he looked forward. Ten feet into the path he took a kunai out and stuck it on the ground. It had his Sand Uchiha symbol on it. He was going to make quick work of this.
The kunai had an explosive tag hooked to it. So when it made it into the air, it blew up, summoning the rest of the people that it was over. When everyone made it back to the path, the man looked around, confirming that everyone was there.
“Ok guys.. You know the deal. After the first person makes it to the goblet and brings it back, you have fifteen minutes to make it back before the next game is briefed and began.” he said. Hayabusa just looked up at him. ‘Another fifteen minutes? When do I get a damn break?’ he asked himself.
Hayabusa walked forward while perform a quick hand seal. He instantly teleported to the tag at the end of the path. He looked down at it and it burned to ashes.
“I guess they didn’t notice the tag…” Hayabusa said as he looked up. They was the goblet. Hayabusa walked up to it and took a hold of it . He smirked as he looked at the pure sparkling water in the goblet. He picked it up and walked back out into his path.
“That wasn’t so hard…” Hayabusa said to himself before lifting his hand not holding the goblet.
He instantly disappeared as he reappeared at the beginning of the path where he had laid his kunai. He slightly bent down to pick it up and put it back into his pouch. He casually walked out to what, to spectators, was twenty seconds later. He heard all of the gasps and whispers.
“Yea… soak in it…” Hayabusa said lowly to himself. He looked at the only man that really believed in him. Hayabusa walked up to the main monk and handed him the goblet.
“I’m going to save it… until the end…” Hayabusa said. The monk just looked at him at first.
“What?” Hayabusa asked as the monk looked at him simply. “Your assumptions were totally too much…” Hayabusa said as he looked at him. “Let me know when the next game starts…” Hayabusa said as he looked at the only man whom had faith in him. Hayabusa nodded towards him.
“Told you were a smart man…” Hayabusa said as he smirked towards him before turning away. The man nodded.
“I would like to believe so…” the man said to Hayabusa. “I suppose… it may be me and you in the next games…” he said.
“Heh… would you believe me if I said there will be no true contest?” Hayabusa asked him.
“Hmmm… well… since I can’t say you don’t have confidence… then… yea I would believe you. Do you believe that yourself?” he asked him.
“Heh… of course not. I do not know what the next games are, nor do I know what you are capable of. I’m not like the other 399 people of this village. I judge a book by the readings inside… not the cover.” Hayabusa said before he took a seat. The man sat next to him.
“I… respect that.” he said, smiling at how Hayabusa had acted towards him.
Hayabusa awaited for the next game to be announced by the time keeper. But, of course, Hayabusa had to await the fifteen minute that other contestants had to make it back in time. Of course, the fifteen minutes had elapsed and there was nobody there but Hayabusa and the other man.
“Well… I guess we have no choice other than to begin the next game…” the time keeper monk had said. “it’s the two of you… and one of you lucked out…” he said looking at the other man there.
“All due respect, sir…” Hayabusa began. “This man here… was the only one of the whole village who had not seen me as a laughing stock… the only one who did not judge the book by the cover… something the rest of you fools… no offense… had failed to do. That, sir, is not luck. That is intelligence… and this is where his intelligence paid off. He should be an icon to the rest of your villagers…” Hayabusa said as he stood up and looked at the man.
“So… what is the next game… maybe by the third game… if the other contestants return… I will be taken more seriously, hmm?”
“Right… well the second was meant to be tournament. All one on one battles based of your skills in hand to hand combat. You have chosen wisely to save drinking the water until this game started… for it requires you to have a decent amount of strength and not really chakra. But… since it is only the two of you, I suppose we have already met the finalists.” he said, looking at Hayabusa, then to the guy who awaited Hayabusa’s victory.
“So… its simple… it’s a fight. However, it is health and stamina based… there can be no Ninjutsu, nor Elemental Jutsu… is that understood you two?”
“Crystal clear…” Hayabusa said.
“Understood… lead the way, great monk…” the other man said. He turned and headed to what seemed to be a small compacted arena with multiple viewing seats around it. It was half the size of the Chuunin Exam stadiums, but the arena was no more than a 20 by 20 feet. This room was meant for hand to hand.
“I wish you would’ve drank the water…” the man said. Hayabusa looked at him.
“Heh… you’re not the only smart one.” Hayabusa said. They walked into the arena that was already filling up before they got in.
“Weapons are allowed… and good luck. You may begin when you are ready…” the monk said as he sat in the overseeing chair. Hayabusa smirked as the man before him gripped on his katana. Hayabusa bowed in respect at his opponent. The man showed the same respect in return. As soon as the two of them got up, the man began to onslaught with his attack with a katana.
Hayabusa moved to the side at the first sight of an aggressive man. Hayabusa smiled even more. He would make easy work of this mistake and benefit himself in the progress.
‘He said nothing about Doujutsu…” Hayabusa thought to himself. His second level Sharingan activated almost instantly. His reaction caught sight of all movements that the opposing man made, all with high energy and might behind it. The man really thought he was going to hit Hayabusa, but he continued to dip left, right, up, down, under, and over.
The man even tried to outsmart Hayabusa by backing him into the corner. Hayabusa smirked for the man’s high attempts, he was beginning to tire himself out by attempting to hit Hayabusa with simply his katana. Hayabusa frowned upon this man’s act.
When the man backed Hayabusa in the corner, he slashed horizontally and Hayabusa ducked, watching it go over him.
‘Now!’ he yelled in his head. Still crouched low, Hayabusa planted one hand on the ground and place his feet on one wall of the corner. He ran diagonally upward, rotating in place and gradually rising. When he moved from the first wall to the perpendicular wall, he pushed off of the second wall, planting his feet right into the face of the man. This man have been the end of the man, and the game already, judging my just the kick.
What finished him off wasn’t the kick, though. When Hayabusa kicked the man’s head to the side, and he landed back on his own feet, the man’s body was headed straight to the wall that he tried to corner Hayabusa into, smashing even a crack into it. That automatically was the end of that battle. The man had fell to the ground, basically knocked out. Hayabusa looked down on him.
“Sorry, my friend…” he said. He slightly frowned, before smirking. He really made an impact on these people. And maybe… hopefully… the impact was for the better… not the worst.
The monk had finally got up and observed the man on the ground. He looked at Hayabusa, still in disbelief.
“You… are one of the few whom have made it as far as getting two out of three waters…” he said. He had performed an hand seal and slammed his hand on the ground. Another goblet appeared with the same attractive looking water. He picked it up and presented it to Hayabusa. Hayabusa glared into the moon reflecting water. What should he do? Take his chances and drink it… or wait it out in hopes the next game is based off health as well…
[2044 Word]