Welcome back to the Smoke and Mirrors AU.
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A heavy kick slammed into Hattori’s back as he was sent flying through the smoke cloud. Yuugito had gotten behind him. With a grunt, he flipped mid air and skidded across the ground for a few meters before managing to stop.
Yuta, Yuki, and Mei were all engaged in fighting him. Yuugito’s hands never stopped moving, whether forming handseals, engaging in Taijutsu, or using his sword. The man was a master combatant.
Hattori’s eyes flicked back and forth, watching each move, trying to learn what his pattern was. He watched Yuugito’s eyes move rapidly as well. They tracked where each limb, or blade, would go just before it happened.
The Sharingan has predictive capability. The Bochigan isn’t a great matchup. Because our movements are perfected, the Sharingan can predict them with greater accuracy and ease. With a second to spare, he strategized.
The clash of Yuugito’s Wakizashi against Yuta’s Chokuto broke him from his reverie, just in time to see Mei’s blade slash across the mans stomach. Yuki’s foot followed seconds after, a high kick landing on his throat, and the man was sent flying with an arc of blood from his gut.
Hattori let out a small nod of approval. Even though their Dojutsu and fighting style was at a disadvantage, numbers were a quality of their own. With that, he raced back towards them.
Yuugito once more stood across from them, now slightly hunched. Hattori watched closely, memorizing the handseals Yuugito was weaving. As soon as he completed them, three clones appeared next to him.
An instant later, he started a new chain of handseals – and a dozen more clones appeared as well. Hattori scrunched his nose in confusion. The second set of clones did not have the familiar aura he associated with people.
“Illusions.” Yuta and Hattori spoke at the same time. Yuta stayed silent, so Hattori continued. “Twelve illusory clones. Three earth clones. One original. Sixteen variables.”
Yuki and Mei could not tell the difference between the illusory clones and the earth clones, nor from either of those two from the original. Hattori and Yuta, somewhat more experienced, could tell if they focused which one was the original.
“Dog, keep verbal directions on the clones. I will engage the original. Rabbit, with me. Dog, Cat– focus on the clones. Eliminate them. The illusory clones will not disappear and must be ignored.”
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Everyone nodded, and the battle erupted again in an instant. Yuta and Yuki blurred towards a clone, as Hattori and Mei raced towards Yuugito.
“Center-left, clone!”
Yuta and Yuki dogpiled the clone in an instant; one was down already. A second clone was behind them, and the third a small distance away weaving handseals. Hattori squinted, refocusing on the original Yuugito.
The man’s face was more serious, unlike the playful look he wore previously. With a heavy kick, his fight started. Hattori blocked with both arms, grunting as the strike landed. Mei grabbed his leg and attempted to twist.
Yuugito kicked off the ground with his free leg, twisting his body in an aerial maneuver, attempting to rocket his knee into the girl's face. Hattoris hand blitzed forward to block it.
He only managed to shift the trajectory of the knee. Mei’s head snapped back as the colossal force slammed into it. Hattori’s chokuto pierced towards Yuugito’s exposed, unmoving thigh. Mei had not let her grip loosen!
It plunged into his body with a satisfying squelch.
Hattori grunted, tearing his blade back towards him, down through his leg as he retracted it.
“Fuck!” Yuugito’s scream echoed across the battlefield.
The knee that had been planted squarely into Mei’s masked head re-extended into a kick, sending Hattori’s chokuto flying.
He didn’t waste the moment, grabbing the Uchiha’s other leg and trapping him.
A kunai whistled through the air, and Hattori felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He turned, and that relief turned to panic.
Hattori dropped the man’s leg, pushing Mei onto the ground, as they narrowly avoided two kunai lobbed by one of Yuugito’s clones.
They retreated a few steps, analyzing the battlefield.
One of the earth clones was destroyed, leaving only two left.
Yuta and Yuki were still engaged in a drawn out fight with the second, occasionally chucking kunai, shuriken, and ninjutsu at the third.
The illusory clones had disappeared when Hattori had sliced a deep, long gash into the original Yuugito’s leg.
The free earth clone raced back to his original and took a battle stance as the man hobbled backwards, panic easily visible on his features. He had underestimated them.
“Rabbit.” Mei turned to look at him. He flashed her one of their hidden sign language signals, an indicator for a fire ninjutsu. After that, he flashed a second one meaning steel.
“Yes, Captain.” Hattori’s rapidly beating heart calmed at that for a second. He enjoyed being called that a little too much. For some reason, it made him want to sail a boat and find a mythical treasure..
He shook those weird thoughts out of his head. Mei had already finished weaving her handseals, spewing out a-
“Katon: Endan no Jutsu!”
She was already weaving a second set of seals, utilizing the lack of visuals the clone and his original had because of the first jutsu.
Hattori tossed a half dozen Kunai into the shadow of the flame bullet jutsu, watching curiously to see what second jutsu Mei was weaving.
He… didn’t recognize those handseals.
“Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!”
A veritable house of flame shot from her mouth, as Hattori watched with his jaw dropped. When the hell had his Clan members learned this? He didn’t even know it.
The wall of flame continued on, just slow enough that it didnt affect his kunai, The originally stationary clone and original moved hastily to get out of the way of the massive ball of fire.
The injured Uchiha was an easy target with a predictable path. Hattori tossed a perfectly aimed Kunai towards the mans head, only to have it deflected by the earth clone. He tsked. Predictable. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.