Turning of Time (Naruto Fanfic) [hiatus]

Turning of Time: Chapter 38

__Sara Pov__

I met up with my team early that morning. We all agreed that we wanted to get in a little practice before we went to the chunin exams, so now we were in a field.

"So, what are we going to work on?" Ryota finally spoke, breaking the silence. We had been standing there for about 10 minutes after all.

I looked at the two. Takeo seemed unable to think of anything, so I spoke. "Well, I've always been rather curious about the Hikawa's kekkei genkei. Think I could get a demonstration?"

The two thought it over. "I guess it wouldn't really do any harm," Takeo finally spoke.

"After all we're teammates," Ryota agreed.

"Well, before you show me, could you explain it?"

"Sure," Takeo shrugged, "Honestly it's mostly to do with blood, that's why our name is the Hikawa. Scarlet river refers to the veins and arteries through which the blood travels. Using our eyes we can see blood flow, much like the Hyuuga see chakra flow, or so I'm told. With enough practice, you can control the movement of somebody or even make a vein burst. We can also use our own blood as a weapon."

"That's... a little freaky to be honest." I shuddered a little, the though of controlling blood was a little overwhelming. "Referring to the weapon, how do you do so?"

This time it was Ryota who answered. "That's easy, one of the basic things we learn. Just watch." He lifted his arm and pulled out a knife.

Before I could say anything he had the knife against the bare skin of his forearm and slid the knife downward. Blood began to seep from the wound and he lowered his arm and the blood filled his palm. His eyes flashed from the normal pink to a vivid red, and there in his palm was a sword. The blood it was made of still circulated around, as if propelled by a tiny heart in the center of the weapon.

Without a word Ryota shot towards me, blade raised. Acting on instinct I drew the blade on my back and intercepted it. Ryota's blood blade went right through mine, stopping before it hit my skull.

"So it can shift. Is it still able to cut though?" I was genuinely curious about this now.

Ryota laughed, "what kind of weapon would it be if it didn't cut?" To demonstrate his point he sliced in a backhanded motion at a tree. In the moment before it struck I saw the blood stop circulating and become still. The blade sliced the tree, but got stuck halfway through. It was definitely enough to kill a man though.

"What about blood loss?" The thought suddenly occurred to me as I remembered the basic human anatomy and how much blood a grown man could lose without dying.

"Thankfully we don't have to worry about that," Takeo spoke, "See, our bodies are prepared for the strain of the jutsu, and once activated it will actually speed up the production of blood so we don't die from blood loss."

"Nifty. Such a weapon would be pretty lethal, even to a master swordsman like the samurai. Unable to block it, you would have to dodge, and that takes more movement, so you get tired faster..." My voice faded as I started to mutter about how I would go against such a jutsu. As I kept thinking another thought came to my head. "What about defense?"

"We can use it as a shield, but we have to know when and where the attack would be coming from. Of course, the ability to see the blood veins does help us keep track, but sometimes our eyes can't match the speed."

"Can I test my speed against your eyes? I love a good challenge."

Takeo's eyes lit up, you could tell he wanted the challenge as well. His eyes shifted to the bloody red that said he had activated them and nodded. Preparing myself I dashed off to the left, then in a split second reversed my direction to the right and became a blur. I poked Takeo in the back and he jumped.