The Wolf Inside - A Naruto Fanfic - Watty Award Winner 2013

Chapter 78

Third Person's POV

A bead of sweat drips down the side of Ashley's face, her brows furrowed and her teeth gritted together as she darts to the side, Kyoku's fist flying past, mere centimetres from the girl's nose. She watches as Kyoku immediately twists around, her half-lidded eyes focused on Ashley.

The ANBU certainly wasn't going to fight to her full potential, but she was planning on making Ashley work hard today. While they had been training together for a good seven months now, Kyoku had only recently started sparring with the Genin.

She had wanted Ashley to improve in other areas before engaging her in actual fighting, and two weeks prior, Kyoku had finally decided that Ashley was ready learn new fighting techniques, and improve on her current ones.

Seeing that Kyoku is coming in for yet another close attack, Ashley swipes both arms up into the air, causing a thick tendril of rock to shoot up out of the ground. Having already guessed Ashley would do this, Kyoku bends her knees and leaps high into the air, flipping upside down and holding out her left arm.

A projectile launches from the huge gauntlet around Kyoku's wrist, colliding the they rocky tendril and bursting into a thick cloud of dark smoke. Ashley lets out a low growl as she squints up at the smog, unable to see where Kyoku is. Releasing the earth with her Katsuryoku, Ashley then swipes her arms up towards the smoke, taking a step forward as she does so.

A powerful blast of wind causes the smoke cloud to billow away, only to reveal Kyoku diving towards Ashley. Trying not to panic as the woman rockets towards her, Ashley focuses her chakra into her feet, leaping backwards just as Kyoku careens into the ground.

Ashley stumbles as she lands back on the dirt, the earth trembling beneath her as cloud of dust rise into the sky. The blonde can't help but sweat drop at the sight of Kyoku ahead of her, crouched in the middle of a large crater.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Ashley squawks, holding her arms out to her sides, palms up and shoulders shrugging.

"If you don't want to die" Kyoku says coolly, "Then keep running away."

"Running....." Ashley trails off, before scoffing, annoyed.

Fighting against Kyoku was difficult, sure, but Ashely wasn't running away. Anyone with even the tiniest amount of common sense would try to dodge a hit from Kyoku, or they'd have their head knocked off of their shoulders. Her punches could easily shatter bones after all. Who wouldn't dodge around her?

Ordinarily, Ashley would try to fight an opponent like her from a distance, and she had certainly tried doing that during their sparring sessions over the last two weeks. But Kyoku was so fast and so aggressive, she would never let Ashley get too far away from her.

Ashley jumps with fright, as Kyoku suddenly launches herself towards the girl again.

"Earth Style: Stone Column Spear!" Ashley cries out, performing a hand sign and then dropping down, her palms pressed to the ground.

Ashley watches for only a second, as Kyoku changes direction, darting around the rocky spears as they begin to tear viciously up through the ground. Having only wanting to distract Kyoku for a brief moment, still crouching down, Ashley waves one arm after the ANBU.

One of the spears from her Jutsu suddenly begins to twist and writhe, swiftly wrapping around Kyoku's ankle as the woman tries to leap out of the way. Kyoku glances down as she is ensnared, wondering why Ashley is even bothering with this tactic when she knows that the ANBU can easily escape.

"Lightning Style" Kyoku hears Ashley call out, making the woman's head lift, "Black Wolf Jutsu!"

Kyoku blinks, not having expected Ashley to know any Lightning Style Jutsu, let alone with black electricity, as a large, electrified beast races towards her.