Naruto - Azure Awakening

The signature technique Kaoru had been working on was still unfinished, but he had made significant breakthroughs. He had learned how to form and maintain dozens or even hundreds of high-density water droplets, each one hovering in the air ready to be controlled anytime Kaoru might wish. The initial chakra cost was considerable as shaping and stabilizing the water required a large portion of his reserves, but once they were formed, the upkeep was minimal.

That was exactly what he was doing now.

As long as he could afford the initial expenditure, he could sustain the technique for an extended period, using the droplets freely to attack and defend. This was his advantage and the pressure he needed to exert against the Aburame shinobi.

This battle was promising to be a long one. The Aburame shinobi was afraid of Kaoru's relentless attacks and he could not use full strength because of his shattered shoulder. On the other hand, Kaoru was scared to death of the Aburame clan's poisons. He understood that no one would be able to help him if he got poisoned.

He did not even know how Aburame usually poisoned their opponents - other than using insects. Kaoru was afraid of getting in close range so he kept his distance. 

Suddenly he raised his hand and four blue needles shot toward his opponent.

The Aburame shinobi gritted his teeth as he flickered back, narrowly avoiding another set of high-density needles. His shoulder throbbed, the pain pulsing with every movement. He had already lost some of his blood and Kaoru's relentless attacks were further draining his stamina, it was becoming clear that he could not afford a prolonged fight.

'He's forcing me into a defensive battle. The longer this drags on, the worse it gets for me. Those chakra-draining insects won't be able to make a difference, there are not many on his body'

Kaoru stood a short distance away. His eyes, now glowing brightly from his unleashed dojutsu, tracked every movement the Aburame and his insects made. The air around him shimmered with suspended droplets. Each one was a weapon Kaoru could use anytime he wished.

He raised a hand, and in an instant, several of the water droplets condensed, forming razor-thin needles that launched forward at blinding speed. The Aburame twisted his body, dodging what he could, but his limited mobility from his injured shoulder slowed him down. A few needles tore into his cloak, another slicing along his thigh.

'He's getting more precise. He's learning my patterns.'

If it was Aburame shinobi who was analyzing Kaoru's patterns before and adapting to his needles, now it was Kaoru whose attacks became more and more precise each time. His unleashed dojutsu not only gave him better vision but also increased the speed of high-density water needles.

The Aburame flicked his fingers, and another wave of insects surged toward Kaoru. The tiny creatures moved in a spiraling formation, swarming from multiple directions at once. Instead of retreating, Kaoru reacted instantly, his free hand flicking upward. A wave of water burst forth, crashing into the insects and drowning them mid-flight. They twitched violently before sinking beneath the heavy liquid.

Kaoru watched closely as his mind analyzed the way they reacted.

'I get the feeling that I'm a natural enemy of the Aburame clan. If I use a water guardian, will those insects even have a chance of doing anything?' Kaoru was starting to feel confident. After realizing that his opponent was root shinobi and Aburame at that, he was a bit shaken, but he was slowly regaining the confidence.

'My biggest problem are those chakra-draining insects on my body, I tried drowning them but it doesn't seem to do anything…' Suddenly Kaoru had an idea, 'Wait… what if instead of drowning I extract water from them and kill them that way'

He decided to test his theory on one of the insects as he focused his Suijingan on a single blue dot crawling along his arm. He channeled his chakra and attempted to extract all the water from it.

At first, he felt resistance - a subtle, almost instinctual chakra tug-of-war as the insect fought to maintain its structure. Then, after a brief struggle, an almost imperceptible amount of liquid was drawn out, and the insect withered instantly as it died without a sound.

The sensation was extremely unpleasant. The process felt unnatural, wrong in a way he couldn't quite describe, but this was not the time for hesitation.

Realizing that extracting water from such tiny creatures required only a negligible amount of chakra, Kaoru shifted his focus to all the blue dots moving along his skin. In an instant, he drained them all.

The insects perished instantly. They were too small to even make a sound as they died and the combined moisture extracted from them wasn't even enough to form a proper droplet.

Despite the small voice deep inside him whispering that he had just taken a step in the wrong direction - warning him that from killing insects like this, the line to killing people was dangerously thin - Kaoru couldn't suppress the sheer exhilaration surging through him.

He had known for a long time that Suijingan had this ability. It had always been there, it's just that he had never actually used it in battle before.

Well, for one, he hadn't fought all that many real battles. Most of his previous opponents had either been sparring partners or competitors in the Chunin Exam Tournament.

Across from him, the Aburame shinobi stood completely still. He hadn't seen what Kaoru had done as his insects were too small to observe physical actions, but he had felt it.

The moment Kaoru killed his insects, the chakra link was also severed. He didn't know how Kaoru had done it, but he knew it had happened. Still, he showed no visible reaction.

Not because he wasn't disturbed by it, but because he had bigger problems.

'The only way to win now… is a suicide attack.'

It was the only strategy left. If he sacrificed his own life, he might be able to take Kaoru down with him. However, even then, he wasn't sure if it would work.

That single moment, the instant he had lost his arm, had been enough for Kaoru to gain an overwhelming advantage.

'If I could use ninjutsu, I know I could defeat him…'

Instinctively, his gaze shifted toward his useless, limp arm. His eyes showed only one emotion - regret.

He needed ninjutsu to defeat Kaoru.

The boy had completely neutralized his insects, not simply by drowning them with water but by controlling its density. Even a slight shift in density was enough to make survival impossible for them.

'I'm sorry, Lord Danzo. It looks like I've failed.'

The Aburame shinobi had already accepted his fate. But if he was going down, he was determined to take Kaoru, the boy Danzo had wanted to be eliminated, down with him.

Without hesitation, he flickered forward, reappearing dangerously close to Kaoru. But speed was never his advantage. Even when he'd had both hands and his body had been fully functional, Kaoru had been faster.

Behind Kaoru, a massive swarm of insects burst from the shadows, hurtling toward him in a last-ditch ambush.

But Kaoru didn't even blink.

A wall of water surged, rising like a liquid fortress between him and the incoming swarm. The barrier was not just for defense. Kaoru sent it forward as it crashed into the insects, encircling them in a whirlpool-like trap.

'This boy is a nightmare for our clan.'

Kaoru wasn't just killing his insects with ease, he was completely immune to any of his sneak attacks. His dojutsu saw through everything - no living being could hide from his vision.

But the Aburame wasn't done yet.

The instant Kaoru diverted his attention to eliminate the insects, the shinobi made his move.

In a flash, he flickered in front of Kaoru as his hand was already in motion. A kunai sliced through the air, it was aimed directly at Kaoru's throat, but it never connected. The blade slammed into a dark liquid disk.

Kaoru's cyan eyes, which were glowing like living gemstones, were already focused on his opponent.

"Water Release: Water Guardian."

Kaoru had no interest in letting the Aburame get any closer. Even though he knew he could win a taijutsu exchange against a one-armed opponent, he wasn't willing to take unnecessary risks. Poison was still a threat.

A sphere of water materialized out of nowhere and engulfed Kaoru completely. Then, in an instant, tentacles of liquid lashed out like hunting serpents.

Aburame shinobi barely dodged by twisting his body away. But as he moved, dark blue droplets that were hung motionless in the air transformed into water needles.

A rain of deadly blue projectiles erupted toward him, too fast to counter.

'It's impossible to defeat a strong opponent when you can't use ninjutsu at all.'

The thought surfaced almost involuntarily, it was more like an excuse than a realization. Like he was trying to convince himself that, if not for that one mistake, this fight would have gone differently.

'I'm truly sad that I won't be able to see Lord Danzo become Hokage.'

To him, Danzo's rise was not a matter of if but when. That was the mindset instilled in every member of Root. For them, the Hokage was not Hiruzen, it was Danzo.

'I'm sorry I couldn't remove one of the obstacles in your path, Lord Danzo.'

He did not mourn his own death. He only regretted that he had failed to kill Kaoru.

With the last of his strength, he struggled to move, twisting his body to avoid as many needles as he could. Thin, razor-sharp, yet deceptively heavy, the projectiles tore through his flesh. But even as pain shook his body, he refused to fall quietly.

He wanted to die like a true shinobi.

His chakra flared violently, burning away the last of his reserves. Every insect still under his command surged forward, forming several enormous clusters. They were not just combat insects. There were scouts, venomous species, parasites… everything he had at his disposal. He would send them all in a final attack.

Kaoru remained still as he stood inside his impenetrable water sphere. He was completely unfazed.

But then the Aburame noticed something.

A third presence.

His lips curled into a weak, bloodstained smile as he saw it. Kaoru's expression shifted as his gaze showed something it hadn't shown before - worry.

"I may not be able to kill you," the Aburame murmured, "but at least I'll take her with me."

With his final breath, he changed the direction of his attack.

Thousands of insects launched toward Mizuki.

She had just landed, only to be greeted by a black tide of skittering creatures. Normally, she could defend herself with ease, but there were too many and they came from all directions.

Kaoru was in the same situation. He could protect her from one side, but forming a water barrier large enough to cover her entirely would take time, time he didn't have.

His mind flashed with the worst possibilities.

He saw her being devoured, torn apart by thousands of tiny insects, or paralyzed by a single venomous bite. Either way, all he could imagine was Mizuki dying and that thought tore through him more painfully than any wound.

Anger, despair, and sorrow flooded his chest, burning hotter than any fire. His Suijingan pulsed, its glow flared brighter than ever before.

Kaoru's focus locked onto the clusters of insects. He willed the water inside their bodies to leave them.

Even though they had no voices, even though they could not scream, the way they convulsed made it clear - they were in agony. But Kaoru did not care. There was only one thought in his mind.

'I'll save her. No matter what.'

One by one, the insects began to drop, their dry, shriveled bodies falling lifelessly to the ground. Those that remained no longer charged at Mizuki. Instead, they writhed in resistance, desperately fighting against Suijingan's pull.

Mizuki also gathered the last of her chakra, forming as many Scorch Balls as she could and launching them toward the remaining clusters.

In less than ten seconds, it was over. The battlefield was silent.

Both Mizuki and Kaoru remained amidst the aftermath, but neither was unscathed. Mizuki had burned through her last reserves and her body was trembling from exhaustion.

But Kaoru was worse. Much, much worse.

Blood trickled from his eyes and ears. His head trembled and veins bulged unnaturally across his face. The glow in his eyes had disappeared.

His body seized, collapsing to the ground. He convulsed in pain as his limbs twitched uncontrollably. The agony did not stop. It did not lessen. It only consumed him, until everything went black and Kaoru lost consciousness.

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A/N -

I've been thinking whether the Suijingan should change form like the Sharingan (Mangekyo) does, or if it should remain the same with only its abilities developing over time. Let me know your thoughts, and feel free to suggest possible transformed shapes or forms ^_^

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

Also, I put a lot of effort into this pic, I hope you like it xD

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