The audience were thrilled to see the very first match be as bloody as it was, the screamed, they roared, the cheered for the next genins who will stand in the battleground.
Once again, people lined up to the gambling hall, willing to bet their hard earned money on match that was to come.
Some will set their lives for success, free from poverty for a set time before they spend all their money on irresponsible expenses, some will ruin their lives because of a desperate attempt to feed their greed, only to find themselves...destitute and helpless in the end.
Satoru chose not to bet on others matches no matter how evident it was who one. Afterall, no one knew how fate may flip over to the favor of the weak. Fate was truly a fickle thing, instantly changing sides without any shred of mercy on those who depended on it.
But one thing Satoru knew completely...was himself, his ability to fight. He strongly believed in the concept of always bet on yourself and give it your all. Sometimes he took it too literally and multiplied his wealth by three times.
While Satoru was getting himself healed by the best medical ninjas, Tatsuo was next. It was his turn to shine...or fall.
He walked into the battleground, and everyone watdhed with eagerness, in his last match, he didn't even use ninjutsu and defeated his opponent with just taijutsu. While his opponent used ninjutsu generously, at least till their chakra reserves could allow him.
Tatsuo had won his match without taking a single injury. He cracked his knuckles and stared down his opponent. A rush of adrenaline coursed through him as he watched him stretch.
His name was Gaku, The shinobi from hidden cloud village. He dreamed of the same goal as Tatsuo, and that's what made Tatsuo so excited.
A fellow shinobi who aimed to become the strongest nin-taijutsu user. Gaku had long dark hair which shaped his angular face. He had dark brown skin, just like others which came from his country.
His physique resembled Tatsuo, toned yet muscular. Fit for someone who trained complex fighting styles as well as someone who conditions his body with chakra every day.
Gaku and Tatsuo both stood in the centre, feets apart from each other. Their eyes locked into each other, fighting for dominance.
Gaku reached out his arm, no signs of any weapon in it. Tatsuo removed a wrist band which contained a seal meant for holding weapons, throwing it away into a corner.
He also reached out with the now empty hand and shook Gaku's hand.
"No weapons?" Gaku asked with a smile, Tatsuo could feel Gaku's arm shaking from the rush.
"We aim to be the strongest nin-taijutsu user, right? Straight hands! Just as it's intended.
"Fine with me! Let's do it." Gaku said, breaking the hand shake, bothe began stepping away from each other. Their muscles flexed as they prepared for the proctor to begin the match.
"Begin!"
Tatsuo took charge and launched towards Gaku, who smirked while squaring up. Tatsuo landed a powerful cross straight to Gaku's face, who took the hit directly.
Gaku stumbled back as Tatsuo kept up the pressure, he got close and landed several strikes on Gaku's head and torso.
Gaku took all the hits without responding, a faint smirk still was on his face. He watched Tatsuo try a right swing to his liver, Gaku's eyes gleamed as the fist neared.
He stepped back quickly, throwing Tatsuo out of his rhythm, allowing Gaku a golden opportunity.
"Didn't expect that, did you?"
Gaku landed a powerful augmented uppercut straight to Tatsuo's chin, sending him flying in the nearby wall.
Tatsuo crashed into the stadium meant to keep the genins away from the audience, creating cracks in the wall. Tatsuo spat out some blood before giving a bloodstained toothy grin.
"We are going the augmented stage. I like it!" Tatsuo said as they both ran at their full speed.
The two boys clashed somewhere in the middle of the distance between them, Tatsuo fist met Gaku's, Gaku moved to the side before his sideleg swung into Tatsuo abdomen, who endured the hit and held onto his leg, before lifting Gaku and slamming him into the ground.
Gaku grit his teeth as he quickly rose to his feet and dodged Tatsuo's axe kick, which created a shockwave that spread fire everywhere.
"I'm assuming you actually know nin-taijutsu, and are not just all bark and no bite!" Tatsuo said, his hand weaved through signs, his body set ablaze yet nothing on Tatsuo burned.
"People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Based on what I can see...your mastery isn't that high. You are the one barking but not biting!" Gaku said, his entire now pulsate with power, electricity sparked out of his body randomly.
Tatsuo jumped and landed a roundhouse kick, which met with Gaku's jab. The fire and lightning clashed to make a powerful explosion creating a large distance between them.
Gaku stood up quicker as he charged up lightning and punched the air, send a wave of electricity in Tatsuo's direction. Meanwhile Tatsuo, flared up the fire around himself and exhaled with all his strength.
The lightning met the fire again, but the purpose was different.
Gaku instantly charged his legs with chakra and brute forced his way through the clash and tackled Tatsuo, whose heat burned Gaku everywhere they touched.
Gaku pinned Tatsuo down and began raining down punches at Tatsuo who became helpless and at his mercy.
Thud Thud thud
Each strike sent down jolts of electricity and continued to keep up the paralysis, compounding the suffering on Tatsuo.
Gaku's entire body was on fire, literally. He had used on hand to hold down Tatsuo's limbs and sat on his abdomen to keep him from moving.
And he was punished for it accordingly. Tatsuo's flamed provided extremely good defense, hinted by the fact that Gaku's clothes had caught fire and his some parts of skin looked a different type of brown and black.
Each punch made Tatsuo feel like hell while Gaku enduring the fire, actually looked like he was in hell.
Tatsuo saw another fist coming straight to his face and used the chance, he exhaled fire from his mouth straight at Gaku, who missed the strike and hit the ground below, allowing Tatsuo to rise and give a powerful headbutt straight into Gaku's nose.
Gaku fell to the ground freeing up Tatsuo to finally stop spasming and get a hold of himself. Gaku held his nose as blood dripped from it like a broken faucet.
Both looked at each other and their conditions and came a silent agreement that they will first handle themselves before resuming.
Gaku tore off his clothes which were damaged to the point theynwere only extra weight, revealing the now almost completely burnt torso and arms. He took out a bottle of water and dumped it on himself, causing his entire body to sizzle and release steam.
The audience were horrified to watch the scene take place. It was akin to pouring water on a hot vessel and watching a plume of steam rise within second.
"AARGGHH!!!" He screamed in pain as the water touched the freshly opened wounds which was covered by charred skin, exposing his muscles.
Tatsuo was still paralyzed from the electricity which occasionally made him twitch painfully. He mimicked Gaku and tore off his clothes, but not with his arms...he held a kunai with his leg and used his flexibility to cut off his clothes.
While Tatsuo looked less damaged to the audience, making some of the gamblers more excited. The shinobi understood how damaged he was.
"Dang it man! All the effort it put into beating your face in but you so little burns, yet you dealt twice the damage to me just by setting me on fire, hahahahahaHAHAHAHA!" Gaku said, his voice sounded joyful but his eyes were bloodshot from the pain he was in.
He slowly stood up and watched Tatsuo struggle two even stand. Then he realized...he had done more damage to Tatsuo then he thought.
Tatsuo couldn't move his hands anymore, they dangled from his body lifelessly, his legs were in better condition but he wobbled like a toddler learning to walk.
An important fact about lightning style and electricity in general, which Gaku learned about right now...was that it damages from the inside out. It cooks the opponent's alive, damaging the nerves and muscles, rendering them useless.
'So his arms are useless. I have an advantage in terms of attack, he won't be able to defend with just his legs. I will win.' Gaku thought as he slowly walked to Tatsuo, the pain made every step fell disturbing.
'His entire torso is exposed, his skin his gone, the pain must be killing him right now. He cannot afford to take any hit on his body. His adrenaline can't keep him awake for long...soon he will fall, unlike me. I deadass can't feel me arms. I have an advantage in terms of defense.'
They both observed each other not knowing that their thought were so similar.
Tatsuo also began walking towards Gaku. The moment they came I attacking range of each other...they struck.
Tatsuo's sidekick almost connected with Gaku but he quickly blocked with his hands, he winced as the kick hit the exposed muscle. Gaku powered through and pushed the leg away, allowing him to smash a strong left hook into Tatsuo's jaw, making him stumbled back, dazed.
Gaku followed up and landed a superman punch straight into Tatsuo face making him fall to the ground. Gaku stepped forward, but now it was torture. The adrenaline was wearing off, even breathing made him suffer.
Gaku was paralyzed in pain and Tatsuo used that chance to stand up, although slowly.
Gaku watched in fear, the closer Tatsuo got the less his body wanted to move. The pain radiated through him in pulses, each more painful than the last.
'I can't weave handsigns, how will I perform that jutsu?' Tatsuo thought as he got close enough. He landed a front kick on Gaku's chest, making him fall to the ground writhing in agony.
Falling to the ground made it even worse, as his exposed flesh on his back hit the ground.
"I think it went too far...both of us. We both have sustained injuries which will probably be permanent. We should end this and get medical help before it's too late. What do you say? You give up?" Tatsuo said, holding out his leg to Gaku, since his arm were non functional.
Gaku looked at Tatsuo which eyes filled with rebellious intent, he didn't want to give up, not yet, not after all the things he had endured.
"Just so you know, I don't feel pain anymore after the electroshock therapy you gave me. You fried my pain receptors. That means that I will last way longer than you, I will fight long after my body is broken unlike you."
Tatsuo smiled as he looked at the look of resistance on Gaku's face reduce and his body stopped tensing and tried to relax as much as the pain allowed him.
"Aargh! Fine! I lose, I give up!"
"And the winner is TATSUO!!!" The proctor announced and Tatsuo fell to the ground. He felt a pang of regret for letting himself get so hurt in the earlier rounds and probably being handicapped in the next matches.
Both of them were taken to the medical professionals as Satoru stood up and left to meet Tatsuo.
____
Satoru entered the room where Tatsuo was held, he watched the medical nin trying to understand his situation and prepare a way to fix him.
One of them saw Satoru enter the room and quickly interjected. "Kid, you cannot stay here. You are risking infection on the patient by being here." He said.
Satoru took out a card, Showing he was a trainee medical ninja. "He is my best friend. I want to help him in any way I can. And I also sanitized myself before so there is no risk." Satoru said and the medical stepped back allowing him to come.
He was allowed not because he was Tatsuo friend but because there was a signature of Mitsuki showing that he is legit.
'Time to test out that yang release string jutsu I created back then. I spent the month training that.' Satoru thought as he looked at Tatsuo.