The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

12: A Slip of the Tongue

[OP: "Eurus"-- The Oh Hellos]

"Holy cow, that worked?" Suigetsu said. "You kidding me? That's not even...kekkei genkai. That's not even really professional--that's just a schoolyard trick."

"Isn't that just what he wouldn't expect?" Hanabi rubbed her wrist. "Chalk one up for me!--well, us. Take that, Big Sis. I told her I could handle this."

"Okay, don't get cocky, kid," Suigetsu said. "Sasuke is just one person, and he is kind of a wimp when he's not on a rage spiral. What about Sand Man?"

"I think someone said his weakness was water," Hanabi recalled. "Why don't you just pour water on him?"

"What? Just get a big kaiju going and dump water on him? Please, I need the ocean for that." Suigetsu said.

"But you have hydro-flasks," Hanabi said. "And...ice is everywhere. Or was."

"Huh..." Suigetsu said, then he grinned toothily.

A few minutes later, Gaara, still focusing on Shoto and Temari, found a lot of melted ice just dumped on him from overhead.

Gaara didn't usually look up when he was fighting, as he usually was the highest person in the fight, but it happened too fast; even when he did look up, he only saw the shadow of the water.

Then he was soaked.

"Whoa," Temari said. "That was genius."

Shoto stomped his foot, and ice froze over Gaara's feet.

"That was close." Shoto was panting. "I haven't had to work that hard to hold someone off in a long time."

"What happened to Bakugo?" Temari looked around. "He just stopped coming."

"He must have maxed out his quirk," Shoto said.

"Where's Sakura?" Temari looked around.

The air was cleaner now.

Sakura had attempted to revive Naruto and had been pulled out of the fight by the DJs, who said that was cheating.

Karin was trying to help Naruto now. He was already awake, to Hinata's relief.

"Did we win?" Temari asked.

"I think so," Shoto said.

Sai peered out from behind a rock. "We won?"

"Whoo hoo!" Hanabi cheered. "We're awesome!"

"Who would have thought that would have worked?" Suigetsu said.

"What happened to Sasuke?" Shoto asked, with a note of disappointment--perhaps that he hadn't gotten a chance to fight him.

"Mini-Hyuga took him out," Suigetsu said. "It was a joint effort actually."

"You took him out?" Shoto looked at a Hanabi in disbelief.

"None of you take me seriously." Hanabi folded her arms. "I had a little help, but it just took a well-aimed blow. Seriously, why do none of you ever hit people in the neck? Why keep fighting if you can just knock someone out?"

"That worked?" Temari said skeptically.

"Sasuke doesn't have a lot of imagination," Hanabi explained again, "or, apparently, the most resistant chakra network to being jolted by a Soft Hand blow." [It was pointed out by my sisters that Sasuke also might have gone easy on her, if that makes any potential Sasuke fans feel better about this loss.]

"I wonder if that has to do with the curse mark," Suigetsu wondered. "It works its way through your chakra network, could have made it less resistant to those shocks."