Naruto - Azure Awakening

Kaoru was the second fastest to reach his target. Unlike Akane, he didn't stop to take a better look at his opponent. He instantly flickered behind his target and the moment he appeared his blade was already in motion, slashing toward the shinobi's back. The blade Kaoru was holding, was a temporary weapon, a placeholder until his new weapon was ready.

The shinobi reacted instantly. He had much more experience than Kaoru. His kunai shot up, intercepting Kaoru's strike with a sharp clang. But just as he steadied himself, a sudden chakra fluctuation from behind sent alarm bells ringing in his mind.

Three high-density water needles shot toward him.

He barely managed to evade two, but the third found its mark, piercing through his shoulder with a sickening crunch and shattering the bone on impact.

'Shit! What the hell is this? Why did it hit so hard…'

High-density water needles possessed two dangerous qualities: it was as sharp as steel and as heavy as a big bucket of water - the amount of water Kaoru used to form a single needle. That second trait often caught Kaoru's opponents off guard. They saw the thin, needle-like projectiles and assumed they were light and easy to deflect. But that was a fatal miscalculation. The sheer weight behind each strike made them devastating.

The shinobi, considering the protective gear on his shoulders, hadn't expected this kind of damage. Pain flared through his arm as he instinctively reached to pull out the needle, but before he could, Kaoru was already on the move.

The moment of hesitation was all Kaoru needed.

He dashed forward as his blade sliced through the air in pursuit of his advantage. His strike was aimed low, targeting the shinobi's waist. Kaoru had grown taller since the bandit extermination mission, but compared to an adult he was still shorter. Going for the neck would have required a leap and that would have exposed himself in the process. The waist was a safer target, one he could reach without breaking momentum.

'I can't let him recover. If I give him a second to recover, I might lose my advantage.'

The shinobi barely blocked the attack, but Kaoru didn't let up.

Another set of needles shot toward him from his blind spot. This time, the shinobi expected them. He twisted away, dodging all three, and then retaliated with a kick to force Kaoru back. His foot connected as it sent Kaoru skidding away. But just as the shinobi got the breather, his eyes widened in alarm.

More needles. Three more, already closing in.

'This brat is The Blue Needle of Takime?'

The shinobi immediately recognized Kaoru. He had not been in Konoha during the tournament, but he had heard the news. The name had spread quickly and Kaoru Takime was now known as The Blue Needle of Takime.

A moniker he despised to his very core.

He would have loved to find the one who first called him that and cut them down himself. If only he had known, that the first to chant that name was none other than his dear friend, who was cheering for him during his fight with Itachi.

The shinobi jerked his body at the last moment, avoiding a direct hit, but not completely. The needles grazed his skin, leaving shallow wounds.

'This kid is a menace… There's no way I win this unless I use my real power.'

The shinobi swiftly increased the distance between them. A moment later an eerie chittering sound filled the air.

Kaoru's eyes widened as insects began to crawl out from beneath the shinobi's cloak.

For a brief second, shock rooted him in place. Then, he realized something. Dark hair, pale skin, and that massive coat covering most of his body, he quickly realized what was happening.

'Aburame.'

His mind raced. What was an Aburame doing here? Konoha had already sent Tsunade to Takimura, and they were still engaged with Kirigakure's forces?!

'Even for the old fox that the Third Hokage is, this is too much.'

But then, a more sinister, but reasonable thought clicked into place.

'There are Aburame in Root. And considering how Root operates… these kids aren't here just randomly. They're here to be bought.'

It made too much sense, but even if Kaoru had suspicions, there was nothing he could do about that. That information was completely useless during the fight as his opponent was already moving.

Kaoru's grip tightened around the hilt of his blade as the Aburame's insects poured from his sleeves, their small, writhing bodies were moving in complete sync. The shinobi stood still, he was like a master puppeteer. His chakra remained steady as there were no wild fluctuations, no wasted energy. Controlling so many insects was not difficult for him, it was like his second nature.

'He's testing me.'

Kaoru didn't charge in recklessly. He knew that even skilled fighters would go down because of underestimating their enemy. Instead, he took a measured step back. The Aburame noticed Kaoru's actions and considered his next moves for a moment.

Then the insects surged forward.

They moved in a black wave as dozens of them skittered across the ground while others took to the air. Kaoru didn't wait for them to surround him. His fingers twitched as he formed a quick sign.

Water exploded from the air around him, swirling into a violent vortex. The insects collided with the liquid barrier and their tiny bodies got caught and swept away in the current. Some fought against the force, but Kaoru compressed the water slightly, making it heavier. The insects drowned and their bodies dissolved into chakra remnants.

But Aburame was not done as more insects were coming.

Kaoru flickered to the side as he evaded a fresh swarm that descended from above. Then his blade cut through the air in a clean arc, slicing through the cluster mid-flight as water followed the motion, eradicating most of the tiny creatures. However, his opponent did not flinch. The insects were expendable.

'He's not just trying to overwhelm me with numbers. He's looking for gaps, weaknesses and learning the pattern of my attacks.'

Thought Kaoru, as another wave surged toward him. But he reacted instantly, avoiding the attack, and even followed with a counter of his own, launching high-density water needles from Aburame nin's blind spot. However, the needles were not able to catch him off guard anymore, the shinobi leapt back, avoiding them with refined movements, but Kaoru didn't let up. He dashed forward, pressing his advantage.

His blade cut through the air, forcing the Aburame to defend with his kunai. Sparks flew as steel met steel. 

The shinobi adjusted his stance and swung his only remaining hand. Kaoru barely had time to react before a kunai shot toward his throat.

Too fast. Too close.

Kaoru twisted his body at the last second, but he still felt the cold metal graze his skin as he dropped lower, pivoting on his foot. His counter came immediately. A sweeping kick meant to break his opponent's balance.

The shinobi anticipated it.

He stepped back and his insects also repositioned, flowing like an extension of his body. Kaoru had only a split second before they came at him again.

He jumped back, flipping midair to avoid another kunai strike. The second his feet touched the ground, another wave of water needles erupted, aiming for the Aburame's weak points.

But he dodged Kaoru's attacks easier than the last time.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed.

'He is adjusting to my attack patterns. If I keep fighting the same way, he'll gain a bigger advantage.'

The Aburame wasn't just reacting, he was recording every movement, every feint, every technique his opponent made. He was breaking Kaoru down, piece by piece.

Kaoru exhaled sharply. He needed to throw off his opponent's rhythm before he lost his own.

Without hesitation, he dashed forward again, this time he tried to move unpredictably. His feet barely touched the ground before he shifted direction. Kaoru kept flickering from side to side, making his trajectory unreadable. The Aburame's eyes darted in an attempt to track him, but Kaoru could feel it now, his opponent was just a hair slower in responding.

'Got you.'

Kaoru feinted left, and as soon as the shinobi moved to counter, he changed course completely, appearing at his right flank with his hand already in motion. His blade swung with lethal precision.

The shinobi barely turned in time.

Metal met metal again, but Kaoru had the advantage, momentum was on his side. He pressed down harder, forcing the kunai lower. Then, with a burst of chakra, he unleashed a water bullet at point-blank range.

The Aburame twisted and retreated, the projectile only grazed his cheek.

Kaoru didn't stop. He closed the gap instantly as the blade came down in a diagonal slash aimed at his opponent's chest.

Then…

He felt pain.

A sharp, stinging sensation wrapped around his arm.

Kaoru's eyes moved to the source. The thin, nearly invisible threads of chakra-coated insects had latched onto his wrist.

'Shit!'

The shinobi yanked.

Kaoru was pulled off balance, just enough for his opponent to recover. The Aburame landed lightly, despite his injured arm hindering him. More threads shot forward, trying to entangle Kaoru completely.

Kaoru reacted on instinct, his chakra flared as he twisted violently, breaking free just before he could be fully restrained. He skidded backward, barely avoiding a second trap as the shinobi closed in.

Kaoru's breathing was steady, but his mind raced.

'That was too close.'

He could feel the subtle numbness in his arm where the insects had latched onto him. Even without seeing it, he knew that they were still on him. Small, undetectable ones.

'Paralysis venom? No… too slow-acting. Maybe chakra drain then?'

His eyes narrowed. He needed to end this quickly before his chakra was siphoned away.

Kaoru flexed his fingers. His opponent stood across from him, he was completely calm and composed despite his injury.

Neither Kaoru nor Aburame nin moved for a while, they were both analyzing. Calculating.

Then, Kaoru felt it.

A shift.

Not in his opponent, but in the battlefield itself.

Something was wrong.

Before he could fully process it, the ground beneath him cracked.

From below, an explosion of insects erupted.

Kaoru's body reacted before his mind did. He jumped, narrowly avoiding the swarm, but the moment he landed, he realized his mistake.

A second trap had already been laid.

Insects surrounded him, cutting off his escape routes.

Kaoru tensed. He had pushed too aggressively and played into the Aburame's strategy. His opponent had been "herding" him the entire time, leading him into a position where he had no easy way out.

The Aburame raised his uninjured arm and the insects moved. Kaoru's heart pounded as he gripped his sword tighter.

'This… is bad.'

Then, it finally happened.

Kaoru's lips curled into a wide smile, a smile of relief. His chakra nearly doubled in an instant.

From the very start of the fight, he had created a shadow clone, entrusting it with the task of leading the children to safety. Once its job was complete, it dispelled itself, returning nearly half of Kaoru's total chakra back to him.

'I was starting to think I'd die before I got my chakra back.'

Now, he could finally fight at full strength.

Until this moment, he had been holding back. He was forced to rely on taijutsu and kenjutsu alone as he had to carefully ration his chakra, limiting the number of water needles he could use to avoid charka depletion. But now there was no need for restraint.

His eyes, which were shining faintly, brightened immediately as he released the restraints on his dojutsu.

In an instant, his vision changed. The world became a vast, flowing tapestry of water as his sight flooded with countless shifting blue dots. The battlefield was alive with movement. He could clearly see Aburame insects swarming in every direction.

That was a problem.

Kaoru knew very little about the Aburame Clan's techniques. Their movements were unreadable to him, their strategies was a mystery. He knew they relied on poison. The deadly toxins for which only they held the antidotes. That alone was enough to make even a minor scratch a death sentence.

'I can't afford close combat. Not anymore.'

Fortunately, his opponent had started this battle at a severe disadvantage. The water needle that had shattered his arm had rendered him incapable of weaving hand seals. Kaoru could only imagine how much more dangerous he would have been at full strength.

With a deep breath, Kaoru allowed his chakra to surge.

The air around him shimmered as tiny droplets of water formed almost instantly, hanging suspended like a mist of liquid steel.

And then, before the Aburame could react, a barrage of water needles followed.

They tore through the air, forcing the shinobi to dodge and weave. His insects also shifted rapidly in an attempt to block the onslaught, but Kaoru wasn't letting up.

The real fight was just beginning.

The Aburame's thoughts darkened as he barely evaded another set of needles, his wounded arm throbbing in protest.

'The Blue Needle of Takime is truly dangerous… No wonder Lord Danzo wants him dead.'

**

A/N -

I broke my leg yesterday and had to burn through my reserves again… On the bright side, since I can't move, I'll be more focused on writing xD

Thank you LennieRabbit for "The Blue Needle of Takime ^_^. It's a good first moniker and considering how often he used Lingering Death, it's reasonable that Konoha would call him that xD

Small Request – If you're enjoying the story, consider gifting Power Stones to help it reach more people, it would help me a lot!

Character Notes:

Kaoru - Focused - 'Wait… What if I am already poisoned??'

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