A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

"Kimina! Use your shadow clone jutsu like you did before," Rakuyo instructs me calmly.

I look at him, taken aback for only an instant. "What? But... Rakuyo?" I begin to question, not knowing what he was up to. But then I put a little faith in him, remembering what he had said on the day we had met Naria-sensei. He was good at strategy.

'Alright, Rakuyo. Hope you know what your doing,' I contemplate with a slight sigh. "Shadow clone jutsu!" Four of my clones appear between Naria sensei and me.

"Lloyd! Use your fireball jutsu from up in the air again," Rakuyo states, with an almost determined expression towards him. I notice Rakuyo's look, and smile absently, convinced that Rakuyo knew what he was doing.

"What? That didn't work the first time... so what makes you think it's gonna' work now?" Lloyd asks him, doubted. Clearly he didn’t like taking orders from him.

"Just... I... just trust me," he replies in a sincere, yet hesitant way. I urge Lloyd to do it.

"Fine. Whatever. If this doesn't work then don't blame me," Lloyd utters plainly, giving Rakuyo the same annoyed glance he had given him once before.

He jumps into the air, and shouts out, "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" He inhales a small bit of air, and then exhales a huge amount of fire that races out downwards in the direction of Naria sensei and my shadow clones.

'Now!' I jump backwards to Rakuyo, as the fire engulfs my clones and Naria sensei.

"Did we do it this time?" I ask, mostly to myself than to anyone else.

But Rakuyo answers it anyway. "No. We didn't," Rakuyo says simply, looking up at Lloyd who was still hovering in the air. Lloyd stares down at the fire, as it slowly diminishes away. He grits his teeth slightly, from seeing no sign of Naria sensei, meaning that she had disappeared just like from the previous attempt.

’I knew that that wouldn't work,' he muses over irritably, catching Rakuyo's gaze. 'But... you probably already knew that didn’t you? So, that must mean...' Lloyd ponders the thought in his head, giving Rakuyo a quick tiny smile. Lloyd then quickly turns around, blocking two punches and a kick.

"Hmph. Looks like your in the same predicament that you were in the last time. I thought that you guys were going to show me real teamwork... that's why I'm giving you three a second chance. But I guess not," Naria says to Lloyd, both of them still floating in the air, eyeing each other with solemn smirks. The way they were floating up there, looking at each other, you never would’ve guessed they were sensei and student.

"You know? I was kind of thinking the same thing. Like... why were we using the same techniques like before? Clearly they hadn't worked then. So, why try it again? Why not something new? But you know what... you really shouldn't doubt your opponents," Lloyd justifies, glancing behind her.

"Hmm? So I see..." Naria calmly says, looking at an impassive-looking Rakuyo hovering inches behind her.
“Yeah, Rakuyo!” I exclaim.

'Alright,' Rakuyo thinks determinedly, throwing a fist at his sensei.

Naria easily blocks it by grabbing a hold of his hand before impact. Lloyd then tries to do the same, but he ends up in the same position as Rakuyo; with his fist clutched firmly in her other hand. She spins around twice and hurls them both down towards the ground in one swift motion.

"No! Lloyd... Rakuyo!" I scream, watching my two teammates hit the ground with tremendous force. My expression turns from complete worry into perplexity and relief, as I gaze at the two logs that took the place of them both.

Naria sensie lands about fifteen yards away from me, still staring at the two brown logs herself. 'So... they changed their tactics up a bit. Wasn't a bad attempt at what they pulled,' she thinks to herself surely.

"Hmph. That wasn't bad you too. Now what?" I question curiously, looking back and forth at both my comrades as they appear on either side of me.

~~*~~

"So, you guys got the plan?" Rakuyo asks Lloyd and I both one last time.

"Yep! There's no way were gonna' mess this up!" Lloyd exclaims, making a hand sign.

"Right!" I agree, preparing the same hand sign as Lloyd.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" we both yell out, exhaling the same amount of scorching fire directly at our sensei.

'What are they doing?' Naria contemplates amusingly, about to readily move out of the fire's path. "What?" She tries to move her legs, but she couldn't. She slowly looks down, and sees four green thorn-like roots from underground wrapped securely around her ankles.

'What? What is this?' she ponders in surprise, but gets her answer as she gazes up at Rakuyo; who was kneeled down beside me with one hand on the ground.

'So... this boy can...' Naria begins to say, but stops as the fire races out swiftly towards her, seconds away from contact. 'Have to make this quick!' She makes prompt hand movements.

BOOM!!! Water collides with fire, and a huge explosion sets off, canceling both jutsus out.

’So, she managed to counter the fire with a water dragon jutsu? Well, can't say that the plan was going to work. She is a jounin, after all...' Lloyd says to himself, covering his face up from the debri and smoke from the blast.

"Very nice work, you three. I have to say I'm more impressed than the last time. Very much impressed," Naria sensei states honestly.

"Were not done yet!" Lloyd proclaims boastfully.

"Hmm? Oh really?" Naria sighs out, looking behind her at Rakuyo who just appeared there moments ago. He tries landing another blow, but she merely deflects it off. She then turns back around, blocking a kick from Lloyd and also dodging a punch from me. All three of us were all over her, all fighting her at once.

Lloyd drops to the ground, attempting to trip her legs. But she jumps smoothly into the air, where I try to land a blow to her jaw. But she nimbly hinders my attack, and swings her leg around and strikes me on my right shoulder.

"Aaahhh!" I yell out in pain, falling to the ground on my knees, gripping the bone painfully.

"Kimina!" Lloyd calls out to me, getting struck in the chest but ignoring the pain coursing through his body.

'Kimina... come on. Do it now,' Lloyd gestures to me, clutching his chest slightly.

Without Naria sensei noticing, I make a hand sign.

"Alright, Lloyd!" Rakuyo calls out, grabbing out a kunai knife; with Lloyd doing the same. They both get some fair distance between them and Naria sensei and at the same time, both throw their knives at her. Naria simply dodges them by jumping out of the way, as the two kunai's hits the other virtually canceling them out. Naria slides back a couple feet, giving that she had to dodge the kunai knives in a hurry.

"So... is this it?" she asks us all, clearly somewhat entertained.

"Not quite!" a voice says from far off in the distance.

"What?" she gasps. It was one of my shadow clones, and it was coming up fast behind her. She then turns around to a fistful punch right in her jaw, sending her flying in the opposite direction.