Hey all! I'm the beta-reader for LiquidAsh, the author of Son of the Serpent. Further progress of chapter five is slow-going, though. She only gave me a half-done chapter. I swear, she's the worst procrastinator I know. <_<
I asked her if it was okay to post something here and she gave the go ahead. So, here's a snippet of Son of the Serpent.
Takes place when Naruto is walking to his team's meeting place.
-----
The unmistakable sound of someone training caught the attention of his honed senses and brought him out of his musings.
Strange. Hardly anybody uses this part of the forest to train, Naruto thought with a frown as he followed the sounds. As he drew closer to his destination, he started to recognize the trees he was passing. The clearing up ahead was where he staged mock tournaments between his teammates to make sure none of them were getting rusty.
The young captain soon reached the place and quickly hid himself in a tree, observing the lone occupant of the grounds. An amused smile appeared on his lips when he realized who it was.
Speak of the devil.
Sabaku no Temari was going through a few basic katas on the ground below. While that would hardly amuse Naruto, the fact tht she did it with a battle fan bigger than herself did.
Every swing of her fan brought forth a great gust of wind. It wasnÆt enough to topple the large tress around her but it did make them creak a little. It was clear to the jinchuuriki that she wasnÆt infusing any chakra in her swings. If she was, the trees would have been cut cleanly into two pieces.
Naruto watched as Temari paused in her kata, wiping sweat from her brow. Her hand reached for her fan, presumably to start her katas again. But as quick as a flash, she turned and threw a kunai in the blonde boyÆs direction.
Shit!
He hadnÆt expected her to sense him. Before he could react, the kunai buried itself into his stomache. Naruto fell to the forest floor stiffly, unmoving.
XXXXXXXX
Temari watched in disinterest as a body fell from the tree sheÆd thrown her kunai at, said weapon stuck in her victimÆs stomache.
IÆm sure the Sound could do with one less weakling, she thought with a slight sneer.
Her eyes widened in horror, though, when she saw who it was that she had hit. Images of destructive war between Sand and Sound flashed through her mind, innocents killed for the sake of revenge, all her fault. Her panic turned to confusion when her fiance poofed into a log.
Kawarimi?
ôGreat aim, hime-chan!ö a fully alive and mobile Mitarashi Naruto said cheerfully as he emerged from a cluster of tress, clapping his hands enthusiastically.
The Sand kunoichi scowled at him, angry that he had made her, someone usually very composed, panic.
The boy seemed to be oblivious to her animosity, however. ôYou know, for someone who uses a weapon with wide range, I didnÆt think youÆd have such precise aim,ö mused Naruto out loud as he kicked the log that had been his replacement and which now had a kunai stuck in the middle of it.
Temari gave an indignant snort. ôWell, I had to have something to fall back on if ever I didnÆt have my fan,ö she responded.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. ôWouldnÆt that put you at a disadvantage, then? If someone could get close enough to relieve you of your fan, then wouldnÆt said person be able to get close again to disarm you of your other weapons? Then what would you do?ö
ôI donÆt intend to let him get close again,ö she replied in a point-blank manner.
Approval shone clearly in his blue eyes though the kunoichi hardly gave a damn. He might be her fiance but she didnÆt need his approval for anything. Then again, it was a nice change from Baki-sensei neglecting her in favor of Kankuro. And just because heÆs male, she mentally grumbled.
ôWhile itÆs true that some shinobi might not get close again, there are a lot more who can. With your specialty being long-ranged attacks, you wouldnÆt last long in a hand-to-hand fight. YouÆd be dead with a snap,ö the jinchuuriki snapped his fingers to illustrate his point.
Temari considered his words and knew that he was right. But there were hardly any shinobi in the sand who had the time or patience to teach a kunoichi, let alone a genin, close quarter combat, even if the kunoichi in question was the KazekageÆs only daughter.
ôYouÆre still a genin, arenÆt you, hime-chan?ö asked Naruto out of the blue.
She nodded stiffly in reply, a bit bothered by his nickname for her.
He adopted a thinking pose for a moment before grinned, showing off white teeth and slightly elongated canines. ôTell you what, IÆll train you in close quarter combat.ö
She blinked at his statement. Was he serious? He was two years younger than her, not even an official shinobi and he was offering to train her? Although sheÆd already heard tales of how great æNaruto-samaÆ was, she doubted any of them were true. The shinobi back in the Sand always embellished KankuroÆs accomplishments, over her own, and she figured that was the same here. The Sound-nins were simply favoring their leaderÆs son instead of the older daughter. And no, she wasnÆt bitter, goddammit.
------
Well, that's it. I'll be sure to forward any comments made here to Liquidash.
I asked her if it was okay to post something here and she gave the go ahead. So, here's a snippet of Son of the Serpent.
Takes place when Naruto is walking to his team's meeting place.
-----
The unmistakable sound of someone training caught the attention of his honed senses and brought him out of his musings.
Strange. Hardly anybody uses this part of the forest to train, Naruto thought with a frown as he followed the sounds. As he drew closer to his destination, he started to recognize the trees he was passing. The clearing up ahead was where he staged mock tournaments between his teammates to make sure none of them were getting rusty.
The young captain soon reached the place and quickly hid himself in a tree, observing the lone occupant of the grounds. An amused smile appeared on his lips when he realized who it was.
Speak of the devil.
Sabaku no Temari was going through a few basic katas on the ground below. While that would hardly amuse Naruto, the fact tht she did it with a battle fan bigger than herself did.
Every swing of her fan brought forth a great gust of wind. It wasnÆt enough to topple the large tress around her but it did make them creak a little. It was clear to the jinchuuriki that she wasnÆt infusing any chakra in her swings. If she was, the trees would have been cut cleanly into two pieces.
Naruto watched as Temari paused in her kata, wiping sweat from her brow. Her hand reached for her fan, presumably to start her katas again. But as quick as a flash, she turned and threw a kunai in the blonde boyÆs direction.
Shit!
He hadnÆt expected her to sense him. Before he could react, the kunai buried itself into his stomache. Naruto fell to the forest floor stiffly, unmoving.
XXXXXXXX
Temari watched in disinterest as a body fell from the tree sheÆd thrown her kunai at, said weapon stuck in her victimÆs stomache.
IÆm sure the Sound could do with one less weakling, she thought with a slight sneer.
Her eyes widened in horror, though, when she saw who it was that she had hit. Images of destructive war between Sand and Sound flashed through her mind, innocents killed for the sake of revenge, all her fault. Her panic turned to confusion when her fiance poofed into a log.
Kawarimi?
ôGreat aim, hime-chan!ö a fully alive and mobile Mitarashi Naruto said cheerfully as he emerged from a cluster of tress, clapping his hands enthusiastically.
The Sand kunoichi scowled at him, angry that he had made her, someone usually very composed, panic.
The boy seemed to be oblivious to her animosity, however. ôYou know, for someone who uses a weapon with wide range, I didnÆt think youÆd have such precise aim,ö mused Naruto out loud as he kicked the log that had been his replacement and which now had a kunai stuck in the middle of it.
Temari gave an indignant snort. ôWell, I had to have something to fall back on if ever I didnÆt have my fan,ö she responded.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. ôWouldnÆt that put you at a disadvantage, then? If someone could get close enough to relieve you of your fan, then wouldnÆt said person be able to get close again to disarm you of your other weapons? Then what would you do?ö
ôI donÆt intend to let him get close again,ö she replied in a point-blank manner.
Approval shone clearly in his blue eyes though the kunoichi hardly gave a damn. He might be her fiance but she didnÆt need his approval for anything. Then again, it was a nice change from Baki-sensei neglecting her in favor of Kankuro. And just because heÆs male, she mentally grumbled.
ôWhile itÆs true that some shinobi might not get close again, there are a lot more who can. With your specialty being long-ranged attacks, you wouldnÆt last long in a hand-to-hand fight. YouÆd be dead with a snap,ö the jinchuuriki snapped his fingers to illustrate his point.
Temari considered his words and knew that he was right. But there were hardly any shinobi in the sand who had the time or patience to teach a kunoichi, let alone a genin, close quarter combat, even if the kunoichi in question was the KazekageÆs only daughter.
ôYouÆre still a genin, arenÆt you, hime-chan?ö asked Naruto out of the blue.
She nodded stiffly in reply, a bit bothered by his nickname for her.
He adopted a thinking pose for a moment before grinned, showing off white teeth and slightly elongated canines. ôTell you what, IÆll train you in close quarter combat.ö
She blinked at his statement. Was he serious? He was two years younger than her, not even an official shinobi and he was offering to train her? Although sheÆd already heard tales of how great æNaruto-samaÆ was, she doubted any of them were true. The shinobi back in the Sand always embellished KankuroÆs accomplishments, over her own, and she figured that was the same here. The Sound-nins were simply favoring their leaderÆs son instead of the older daughter. And no, she wasnÆt bitter, goddammit.
------
Well, that's it. I'll be sure to forward any comments made here to Liquidash.
