Naruto Dragon Ascendant.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto.
Chapter 3
Demon of Sand VS Dragon of Konoha
( ): Thoughts
--------
The Arena…
As Naruto walked of the ring, he was greeted by cries and shouts of congratulations and more and he looked to see that the crowds were cheering the performance, he had proven to be more than anything they had pegged him for. There were still others who were not happy with him, but the rest were impressed, even the Jonin and Chuunin who were there were impressed and the other Clan heads were also looking with interest at Naruto.
It made him smile greatly at the results and he felt that he was now making his way to the dream he had long held close to his heart and when he saw the smiles of both Jiraiya and Fenrix, as well as Fenrix' nod of approval, he felt even more elated.
In the area where the other contestants were, they were having mixed reactions to the battle they had witnessed and saw Neji being escorted away by Medic Nin.
"How the heck did he do all that?!"
"Was that really his Kekkai Genkai?"
"Who would have thought he would have that kind of power of all people?"
Fenrix heard the murmurs quite easily and laughed a bit to himself in good jest and then directed his attention to his ward and student, he was very impressed with the way Naruto was able to offset his weakness at being unable to harmoniously combine the elements he commanded and how to use it to give him a very lethal and flexible tactical advantage in a fight.
"Not bad, not bad at all."
Jiraiya had to agree and then he got serious and spoke to the two of them.
"All right, I have a feeling Orochimaru had seen this and he will be very interested in getting his plans underway. You two will have to do what you can so we have time to prepare, I'll do talk with the Hokage and get things underway, you guys get ready for anything."
"Right."
With that out of the way for the time being, Jiraiya left and both Fenrix and Naruto moved to the viewing box for the other participants, Fenrix and Naruto stopped when the two of them heard someone call out to the two of them, and it was a certain young female voice.
"N-N-Naruto-kun!"
--------
Sakura couldn't help but feel something different in herself at the moment as she looked at Naruto who was walking with a triumphant smile on his face, she had recall his never say die attitude, that and coupled with his new found powers, meant that he was not going to the very same young kid she knew back then, not this time.
She heard the reactions of the crowd, namely by the younger females her or above her age.
"He's certainly different."
"No kidding, and he's gorgeous, I hope he won't mind if I ask to join his clan soon."
Ino likewise had heard the rumors and turned to Sakura and asked the pink haired team-mate of Naruto if what she heard about Naruto being the head of his own clan was true.
"Hey, is it really true that Naruto's head of his own clan?"
Sakura nodded a bit as she knew that according to Konoha law, a Kekkai Genkai user must be the head of the clan, it had been that way since the Hyuuga, and the Uchiha Clans had existed in Konoha's history. Naruto's Kekkai Genkai was very powerful and since he was the only known user of the style, it would make sense that he would be head of his own clan.
"I think so….why do you ask?"
"I think that would mean that he would have to find a wife in order to make that clan grow, I can wager a bet that he's going to be very busy once all this is over. That and the fact he's changed is certainly going to make him very popular."
Sakura had to admit that Ino had a point there and she couldn't help but witness how Naruto was moving about and bathing in the cheers and shouts. She couldn't help but feel some envy as she realized that compared to Sasuke and Naruto, she had little to offer the team she was with, but she was quick to relax and remember that she still had some good enough skills to place to good use..
She then wondered just where was Sasuke and Kakashi at the moment, they should have been here already and that made her very worried.
--------
In the hallway…
Naruto smiled at Hinata and spoke to the shy Hyuuga heiress.
"I see you've made it Hinata-san, how are you feeling?"
"I-I-I feel a bit better….but it still hurts a bit."
Fenrix however sensed that Hinata's injuries were a lot worse than they were and she needed proper medical treatment in order to be fully healed and he had an idea, he had brewed some healing potions in his free time as he was very knowledgeable about their creation the supplies they had in the mansion were enough to make a fair number of them. Dragon Ascendants usually used the potions to deal with some levels of injury that they couldn't withstand easily and the potion he had would be more than adequate in healing Hinata's injuries.
With that in mind, he took it out and handed it to Naruto. Naruto knew that it was and that was due to the fact that he had been present when the potion was made and he too had noted that Hinata didn't seem that fully healed.
Naruto looked at the potion handed to him by Fenrix to give to Hinata and he looked at his mentor and after seeing Fenrix give a smile, he nodded and gave the potion to Hinata. The potion was specially made as apart from training in the martial arts, as well as Elemental Manipulation, the senior Dragon Ascendant taught his student the art of potion making and provided him with the basic understanding of making special potions for healing and this potion was known as the Spirit of Life.
The potion resembled something that was deep red in color and comprised of a mixture of powerful herbs and liquids that the senior Ascendant knew were good for healing major wounds as he could see that Hinata had been badly injured and required the potion's powers at the moment and since Naruto's work was good enough for this kind of injury, there was nothing wrong with him giving it to Hinata.
Hinata took the large vial and wondered just what was inside of it.
"What is this N-Naruto-kun?"
"It'll help with your injuries Hinata, don't worry, it's perfectly safe."
Hinata nodded and removed the stopper and took a drink of the liquid and finished it, it had a sharp but pleasant taste and seemed to let some form of warmth flow through her body at the moment. And to her amazement, the wounds in her body have fully healed and she was back to being fit and strong again. The Hyuuga heiress smiled and sighed as she spoke to Naruto.
"T-T-Thank you so much Naruto-kun, I feel much better."
Naruto smiled at that and replied.
"No problem!"
Hinata couldn't help but feel very happy with herself and with Naruto, not only had he defeated Neji with his own Kekkai Genkai but he was being recognized by the village in a more positive light. And it showed as Naruto was very happy and it made her feel very happy for him even more. She then wondered if he wouldn't mind…
(Ahhhh!!! What am I thinking?!)
The Hyuuga heiress blushed bright red at the thought she suddenly had in her mind. She had wanted to ask him if he was going to be able to be free this afternoon after the finals. The young woman wondered where those thoughts had come from and she was able to calm herself before she did something totally embarrassing. She also couldn't help but have a thought on asking Naruto if he was really going to be a head of his own clan, she had heard the rumors and it made her VERY curious Hinata was educated in many things and was very familiar with the law requiring that a clan head must have a wife in order to start up a clan, and she began to think…
(No! I can't do that….I'm still too young….and I don't think my father would approve, but still….oh, if Naruto-kun asked me….to be his….his….wife, it would….)
Hinata was so deep in her thoughts that she was not aware that Naruto was walking towards her and he was very concerned as to why Hinata was blushing so hard and wondered if she had a fever.
"Hey, Hinata, you all right? You have a fever or something?"
The moment Hinata realized that Naruto was right next to her and touching her forehead, she blushed to the point her face was glowing like a red colored light bulb in the dark and she fainted right away allowing Naruto to catch her.
"Hinata?! Hinata?! Are you all right?! Say something?!"
Fenrix laughed a bit at the sight and he couldn't help but look on as Naruto tried his best to wake Hinata up. He had observed Hinata for a very long time and he knew just how much of a deep affection the young woman had for his charge and how much she liked him and sought his attention. Fenrix had been amused by this fact and saw the way Hinata looked at Naruto and he had to admit that Hinata certainly was different, to be among the few who was deeply attracted to Naruto and not to Sasuke.
The fact that she was the heiress to the Hyuuga Clan made her a viable candidate for Naruto to take as a bride to build his own clan. But that was something that only her father could decide. He had studied the history of the Hyuuga Clan, he knew about the division between the Branch Family and the Head Family and through that, he knew of the issue Hinata's cousin Neji had with the Head Family. He knew about the fact that Hiashi's brother Hizashi had always despised the Head Family and he knew about the events that led to Neji becoming bitter towards the Head Family. He knew that long ago, a ninja from the Land of Lightning had been to Konoha for the signing of a treaty, but in reality, the ninja had been sent to kidnap a member of the Hyuuga Clan, and it was none other than Hinata, Hiashi defeated and killed the ninja, the Land of Lightning was unhappy and demanded Hiashi's dead body as compensation for the death of their ninja. He knew that the Land of Lightning was only interested the Byakugan and Hiashi's body would be the best chance to study it. However, that was when Hizashi died and the death of his father changed Neji, creating his hatred for the Head Family and his belief that fate could not be changed.
However, Fenrix knew that there was more to the story. Hiashi himself had volunteered to take his brother's place. Back then Hiashi had been willing to die to prevent another bloody war between Konoha and Kumo, but it was when he was told that Hizashi would take his place as the seal on him would be used to destroy the Byakugan and deny their enemy access to the Byakugan. He knew that Hiashi did not like the idea as he knew that Hizashi still had his son Neji and was against it, but Hizashi had said that while he hated the Head Family, he wanted to save his brother and it was his choice. He knew that Hizashi knew that his death would save Hiashi and also prevent war and death to befall Konoha again, he also knew that Hizashi had asked Hiashi to tell Neji the reason why he chose to do what he did, and he regretted that he had only shown his bitterness in front of Neji all his life, and he wanted his son to make his own way in the world.
He was aware that Hiashi had not told Neji the truth of his father's death since he was hoping that Neji would be able to be mentally ready to accept the truth.
He was also aware of Hinata's desire to prove herself to not just Naruto, but herself and her father. He secretly knew that Hiashi did not really think Hinata was weak, far from it, Hinata had the talent and the potential to be a worthy successor to the Hyuuga Clan. It was Hinata's lack of confidence and weak drive to succeed that was the factor Hiashi focused on. He couldn't blame Hiashi for that, as he was aware that only the most capable deserved to be Clan leader, it was the same for the Dragon Race as only the most experienced, capable, skilled, and more were chosen to be Dragon King.
He knew that there was no doubt Hiashi and Neji were deep in discussion on the truth of things, namely about the truth behind his father's death and there was no doubt in the Dragon Ascendant's mind that things would be different from here on out.
--------
In the Medical Bay of the area…
"Father…"
Neji held the letter in his hands and was trembling as he read the last writing on the letter made by his father. he had been resting and thinking about he had been beaten and the words Naruto had said. He then turned and it was when Hiashi came in and he spoke to him about the truth of his father's death. At first he refused to listen and said that Hiashi's words were nothing more than lies and were useless in making things better. He shouted to his uncle that he had ordered his father's death and there was nothing to change that.
However it was then that Hiashi handed the scroll to him and when he read it, he was stunned by the words. He couldn't help but see the truth written by his father who used his own signature hand writing, showing that the scroll was indeed made by his father. As he was finished, he looked at Hiashi and spoke.
"Is this?"
Hiashi nodded.
"Yes, I never handed you that scroll before, because I wanted to make sure that you were ready, and now that you are….I must beg forgiveness for all that has happened."
Neji was shocked by this as he saw Hiashi kneeling before him and speaking to him with utmost truthfulness.
"I am sorry for all you had to go through Neji and I pray that you can forgive me for all that has happened."
Neji was feeling all the more confused, but his decision was clear and he placed aside the letter and replied.
"Please Uncle….stand up, I…I forgive you."
Later….Neji looked out into the sky and wondered just what the future held for him, he had always wanted to be free and now that he knew the truth of his father's death and that he was free to make his own decisions in life. As he looked at the clouds and recalled the old saying that he had heard before.
'The truth shall set you free.'
Knowing the truth that despite the fact he chose death, his father chose that path of his own free will and was never forced into it, he could have refused since he would have not wanted to die for the Head Family, but he chose to do so and not as a member of the Branch Family but as Hiashi's brother. Neji thought it over and checked his injuries and decided on his course of action.
(I will not lose ever again, father, I swear to you…I will not lose ever again, I will make my own destiny and I will make you proud of me.)
As for Hiashi who was also deep in thought, the head of the Hyuuga Clan had thought of something important, something that he knew he should have done ever since he became head of the Hyuuga Clan, but hesitated to do. After seeing Neji's growth and his natural skill, it was about time that he went to work on mending some old mistakes. The Hyuuga Clan was in a rift that had to be healed, and he knew just what to do.
He also thought about the future of his daughter Hinata…
--------
The rest of the matches proved to worth watching in Naruto's mind as well as that of Fenrix. Both senior and junior Dragon Ascendants. Naruto's month long training with his senior Ascendant teacher had taught him the value of studying a fight to know just how the battle would turn out and the next battle he witnessed was the battle between Shikamaru and Temari, while many of the crowds were against the whole thing.
Temari and Shikamaru were going at it and the lazy but intellectually gifted Genin of Konoha had said something that apparently had angered Temari as she attacked him with great strength and speed. However, Shikamaru was showing his intellect in the fight and Fenrix approved of it while Naruto cheered Shikamaru on to see how the fight would turn out,. All the while, both were being eyed by Gaara, the Sand wielding ninja had a lot to think about after witnessing Naruto's abilities in combat and he was eager to see who among them would survive a one on one fight.
The fight turned to Shikamaru's favor and he was about to be able to win, but he surrendered and when that happened Naruto was not happy and neither was Ino who had been cheering him on before, Fenrix however had seen that Shikamaru's decision to forfeit was the right one, the boy was exhausted and didn't have enough chakra to hold Temari. And he told that to Naruto as well and Naruto had to admit that in light of the situation, Shikamaru made the right move.
However, it was not long before the main fight everyone was hoping to see was about to start, a lot of them were eager to see the fight between Gaara of Suna and Sasuke of Konoha. And the sight was getting very interesting and it annoyed Naruto a bit on what was his team-mate up to.
"I wonder where Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei disappeared to thins time? They should have been back at least a day or two ago."
"Whatever technique Sasuke has learned must take a long time to master Naruto….that is why they take long….in fact, they should be already here."
"Are you sure Fenrix-sensei?"
"Yes….I can feel them coming already; you should be able to do that too."
Naruto tried to focus and faintly smiled as he felt the arrival of Kakashi and Sasuke and that was enough for him. Fenrix observed that and smiled a bit, Naruto was developing already his ability to sense the chakra of another person, but it was not yet at the level needed to fully sense everything and everyone's life force in the world in all it's entirety.
For now it seemed that the long awaited battle with Gaara and Sasuke facing one another was about to start as the two finally arrived and Sasuke turned to see Naruto and Fenrix looking and he merely gave a slight smirk and got ready to show his own growth under Kakashi.
It was then that Lee and Gai had arrived and both of them were told of the victory of Naruto's Kekkai Genkai over Neji. Lee was impressed and hoped to face Naruto's own Kekkai Genkai to see how powerful it was if it could outmatch Neji's Byakugan.
The battle was starting and everyone was cheering Sasuke on but both Naruto and Fenrix had their doubts, they both recalled the time that they had heard Gaara's words and the two knew that this fight was not going to be simple….despite the fact that Sasuke was using the same power, technique and speed as Lee, both knew that Lee's Taijutsu skills were not enough and is then that. It was then that Gaara created a massive sphere of sand that surrounded him and no amount of physical attacks from Sasuke could break through it. However it seemed that Sasuke was not deterred and then he summoned his chakra and created a sphere and then ran down with Lightning coming from it as well as a strange sound.
Gai turned to Kakashi and spoke.
"So that's why you taught him the same techniques I taught Lee. You taught him your Lighting Edge."
"Yep….that's only possible since he is an Uchiha with the Sharingan and is like me a Lighting chakra user type."
"Lightning Edge?"
"What's that?"
Both Ino and Sakura asked the two Jonin and Gai took the explanation to them as well as Chouji.
"The Lighting edge is a term for Kakashi's only original technique, it's named that way that it was able to cut through a lightning bolt during one of Kakashi's missions as a Jonin at a young age."
"Cut a Lighting bolt?!"
"Wow…"
"Get real…"
"Gai continued with the words as Sasuke was still there to attack Gaara's sand shield.
"But it's real name is Chidori."
"Chidori?"
Gai nodded and replied.
"That is the Lightning Edge's real name, it is an assassination style attack that focuses the chakra to the arm until it can cut through anything it hits, and is very fast, it sounds like a thousand birds chirping as well which further adds weight to the name it has. However, it is still a ridiculous move in my mind."
Kakashi snorted a bit in a friendly manner.
"You're the one to talk. Isn't that right Lee?"
Lee didn't say much and was silent for a reason, he had once mocked Sasuke that he was not fast enough in the body to match him, but now the Uchiha was able to do so. Naruto and Fenrix however were not focused on the technique, impressive as it was, they had other thoughts in their minds.
It seemed like Sasuke would come out on this battle all right…but the crowd were about to get something none of them bargained for.
"BLOOD!!!! IT'S MY BLOOD!!!!"
The cries from Gaara frightened everyone as he sounded like he was turning insane with rage, shock, pain, and anger. It was then that Sasuke had no choice but to shout in his own pain and use his Lightning to free himself as something began to wrap around his arm and he was surprised to see the sand coming around him and he knew that he had to escape fast….something was not right. It was after he escaped that a massive arm of sand came out from the hole that was in Gaara's sand sphere and tried to crush him like a grape.
Everyone in the arena gasped in shock at the sight of the massive arm that came out and tried to crush Sasuke. Temari and Kankurou however had seen that before and knew quickly that things were about to get very ugly, the elder brother of Gaara recalled seeing that happen and he was not able to eat for a week after that, and Temari was no worse for wear either.
"What the heck?!"
Kakashi was surprised greatly as well as Gai was as they looked on at the sight before them, they both knew Gaara was different, but this…
Sakura and everyone in the Rookie Nine were also shocked by the sight and in Sasuke's case…he heard a dark, bestial growl and then he saw something moving and then he saw it….a very evil looking eye with great blood lust, hunger, rage and more looking right at him and he felt fear hit him right in the heart and body.
"What….is that?!"
Fenrix sensed something terrible awakening deep in the sphere of sand, he could feel it, something dark, malevolent, and blood thirsty. It was not a very good feeling and he could see that despite Naruto not being up to the level to sense it felt something in the air like he did as well, this was not a good thing.
"Something's wrong sensei….there's something in the air…"
"It's Gaara….or rather, what is inside of him…"
It was then that the plan of Orochimaru took center stage…
--------
A masked ANBU who had been able to witness the powerful battles with Naruto and Neji being the first and then this made his move and suddenly the audience began to fall asleep and in moments, everyone the arena were under the Genjutsu that the ANBU was casting on them, however, not everyone was caught as several Konoha ninja were able to counter the Jutsu, and it was the signal awaited by Orochimaru's forces as hordes of Sound and Sand Ninja began to attack Konoha from the inside and outside. And it was then that a smoke screen covered the Hokage Box and then in moments, the fighting had started.
The invasion, despite the snag, had begun.
--------
In the ring…
Naruto and Fenrix however were unaffected by the Genjutsu due to the fact that both of them had Dragon blood in their veins which allowed them the ability to resist illusion based attacks on them and as soon as they saw the ninja they leaped into the ring and began to fight them off
Several Sound Ninja were quickly sent flying back with intense force as Fenrix merely gave a light punch to them, but unlike Naruto, Fenrix could unleash his full strength and if he had not controlled his blows, it would have sent them flying beyond the ring itself or dying from sheer impact force. Suna and Sound Ninja slamming hard into the walls and other parts of the arena by the two, the senior Dragon Ascendant moved quickly to his student's side and the two fought side by side and made their way to where Gai and Kakashi were at that moment. They had been so busy fighting that they were not aware that Sasuke had decided to go after Gaara, Temari and Kankurou when the three siblings had left the arena.
The Two Jonin were more than able to take care of themselves, that much the two could see as Gai's Taijutsu was more than enough to knock about any attacking Sound and Sand Ninja, while Kakashi was proving to be more than bale to fight well.
Naruto quickly turned and blocked an incoming attack from a Sound Ninja towards Sakura who was barely able to stop and attack directed at her unconscious friend Ino. The Sound Jonin's smile vanished as he saw that his sword was cracked when it struck Naruto at the neck in which a stroke would decapitated a normal ninja. Naruto retaliated with a powerful kick towards the ribcage and the sound of breaking ribs were heard and the ninja was sent flying back, three Sand ninja attacked, but Naruto merely reacted by unleashing a powerful blast of Fire coming from his mouth, surprising Gai and Kakashi as they saw that Naruto had not used any hand seals. The three ninja were burned and sent back as Naruto turned to Sakura.
"You all right Sakura-chan?"
"I'm fine, but Ino's still out at the moment. What the heck is going on here?!"
Kakashi replied in answer to Sakura's question at the moment.
"We're under stack by Sound and Sand, apparently they were planning to hit us with our pants down and one of their agents used some sort of Genjutsu to put everyone else to sleep, only a few of us were able to counter with the Release Jutsu."
Fenrix then turned and saw what was happening with the Hokage and he knew just what was going on at this moment and time.
"The leader of this attack, Orochimaru, he seems to be after the Hokage at the moment, there is a barrier being set up by four individuals who are also using some parts of the shield to protect themselves, the power in that barrier is considerable."
Naruto looked and through his Dragon Blood enhanced vision, saw the very same thing that his Dragon Ascendant teacher was seeing at the moment and he growled at the sight of the man who was currently facing The Hokage. He wanted to fight but he knew that he had to help protect the village, the old man would not have him do anything else.
"Damn it….that bastard is behind everything, but, I can't let Sasuke fight alone with Gaara and I can't let the village suffer anymore. What should I do?!"
Fenrix could see the conversation between the two as they began to fight one another, he was skilled in reading expressions and lips and could tell that despite Orochimaru's confidence in the coming battle, and his age, Sarutobi was intent of rectifying his mistake of letting Orochimaru live once and for all.
The senior Ascendant wished to aid Sarutobi but knew that doing so would not be wise at the moment and this was between the two of them and interfering was a mistake as well, he could see the conflict in Naruto's eyes and actions and replied.
"We must trust the Hokage Naruto, he will need us to defend the village, and we need to give the ninja of the village time to organize the defense, once we are done, we can help in finding Gaara, now come on!"
Naruto nodded and the two of them moved out while Kakashi turned to see Shikamaru and Sakura ready for action, he knew that these two had not worked together before but he knew that they were going to be helpful in locating Sasuke, Naruto's words about Gaara being unlike anything Sasuke ever faced were proven true when he and the others saw the massive bestial arm of sand that nearly crushed Sasuke's own arm when he used the Chidori on Gaara's sand shield. He had a feeling that Sasuke was not facing a normal ninja and he began to think about that more carefully, there was only one possible reason.
(Gaara…he must be carrying a Tailed Beast as well.)
"Sakura, you and Shikamaru do what you can to track down
With that, the group left, unaware that Shino and his bugs had tagged along, with the intent of finishing a scheduled fight with the certain puppet wielding Sand Ninja.
--------
Several Sand and Sound ninja were about to overwhelm some of the Konoha ninja who were fighting back when they were suddenly hit by a combined blast of Wind and Lighting and many of them fell dead as both Naruto and Fenrix moved in to buy the Konoha ninja enough time to rally and counter attack.
The two Ascendants fought well with one another and several Sound Ninja was shocked as both warriors suddenly unleashed a torrent of flame at them from their mouths without using any hand seals, the ninja who were part of Orochimaru's forces were quickly and easily incinerated by the attacks as Naruto and Fenrix fought alongside the Konoha ninjas. The ninjas were surprised to see both Naruto and Fenrix fight through he numbers of ninja that came at them, one band of Sound Ninja were violently sent flying by a powerful Wind blast from the senior Dragon Ascendant, while another band of Sand ninja were hit hard by a powerful wall of water from Naruto.
"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!!"
Naruto summoned his Kage Bushin and then had all of them transform and the Sound and sand ninja forces found themselves under assault from Naruto and his Kage Bushin who were using various elements in unison, arcs of Lightning, tongues of Fire, waves of Water, walls of Earth, and blasts of Wind sent the ninja flying and eventually running for their lives.
And no one could blame them as Naruto's powers proved to be more than enough to stem the tide for the Konoha ninjas to rally and counter attack, Fenrix himself was able to combine the elements under his command with overwhelming force, sending blasts of Wind mixed with Fire with undeniably devastating results on the ninja forces arrayed before him, he would then unleash a combination of Water whips mixed with arcs of Lighting, and did so with minimal effort, showing his much higher level of power and skill over Naruto.
The two stopped and saw that more ninja were coming into the area, no doubt they had been held back as reinforcements just in case the initial waves were beaten back and it seemed that they were now coming into play. The two looked at one another and Naruto was not happy with the situation as he felt that he needed to help the others deal with Gaara and while he knew that Sasuke would fight his hardest, he was dealing with a ninja who had a demon inside of himself, and the creature was more than a deadly foe in combat.
Fenrix then touched the ground and closed his eyes, making Naruto wonder what his mentor in the ways of the Dragon Ascendants was up to, it was then that Fenrix spoke to Naruto.
"Naruto….we're going to have to call forth some support, you will need to work with me on this one."
Naruto had no idea what his sensei was up to but he trusted his sensei well enough and did as his sensei in the Dragon Ascendancy arts showed, the two of them drew their own blood and it glowed deep white for a moment and the two drew a simple tree pattern that was moving and then Fenrix and Naruto spoke the spell.
"Warriors of Nature, Guardians borne of the bones, flesh, and blood of the Earth, hear our call and heed our wish, awaken from your long slumber and fight as you have in eons past!!!! We summon you!!!"
The blood that both Dragon Ascendants' spilled glowed deep green and then faded and to the eyes of all, the spell fizzled out….but it didn't…, there was a massive rumble in the air and every ninja stopped from what they were doing….it even reached the roof top that both Sarutobi and Orochimaru were on and then to the shock of the invading ninja….the trees in the area surrounding the walls of Konoha began to move and come to life.
The trees seemed to be alive and then several squads of Suna and Sound ninja were suddenly sent flying by the impacts of several of the long limbs of the living trees, other were sent flying or were crushed by the feet of the tree men. Naruto gaped and looked at Fenrix who smiled and spoke.
"It seems that the power of the Ancients still flows strongly in this world."
One ninja from Konoha was gaping in shock at the sight and spoke out loudly.
"W-W-What are they?!"
Fenrix then answered the question.
"They go by many names young man, but either Treant or Ent will do, they are living trees, guardians of the wilds and of long ancient groves. The members of the ancient Dragon Race who inhabited this world millennia ago helped create them to guard the wilds as well as fight under the command of mortal humans who petitioned for their aid. That also applies to those who have undergone the Blood Ascension Ceremony and when the Dragon Race and their loyalist Ascendants left this world in the Exodus, the Ents went to an ancient slumber. They only awaken when summoned by one who has a pact or tie with the Dragon Race….such as me and Naruto. They will defend Konoha with you young man, so you have no need to fear them. But I doubt the same could be said for your enemies."
And that was true as the ninja forces of Suna and Sound found that their weapons and current abilities were not enough to stop the mobile juggernauts as they Treants or rather Ents would lift up large boulders to throw at their reinforcements and use their arms and legs to either crush the incoming ninja or send them flying about.
Fenrix turned to Naruto and spoke.
"We should get moving Naruto, the others will need our help in tracking Gaara."
Naruto nodded and the two of them left, allowing the Konoha ninja they had left behind to gape at the two, such power was unheard of and it took the fact that they still had to deal with the ninja in the village that woke them up. However, it was also when the plans for countering an invasion of Konoha came into effect as the ninja forces of Konoha began to gather and launch a counter attack. The ANBU also got involved as the other users of Kekkai Genkai began to fight back, such as Hiashi, Inochi, Shikaku, and Chouza went on the attack.
Naruto and Fenrix then caught up with Sakura, Pakkun, and Shikamaru, but before they did, the two of them were in a discussion.
--------
Sarutobi smiled at the sight, he had been told by Fenrix' master so long ago about the ancient powers that slumbered deep in the world they lived in, and to know that Naruto was one of the very few with command of such powers made him see that the village would be in better hands. He then turned to fight Orochimaru once more, he knew that despite his old age and the fact that Orochimaru was stronger now, he was not going to let his past mistake be repeated as he got his ally, Monkey King Enma who was in his diamond staff form ready for the soon to come fight.
Orochimaru however spoke to Sarutobi.
"Naruto-kun has such a powerful bloodline….and you've hidden it from me all this time Sarutobi-sensei….how did you manage that?"
"I thought your spies would be able to tell you, but suffice to say, the power Naruto has is older than any Kekkai Genkai in existence….if might even rival the Sharingan is Naruto is able to master it completely."
"What?!"
"However, you won't be able to know everything, I will never tell you anything else than that Orochimaru, but you can be assured that I will defeat you here and now, then I will kill you!!!"
Orochimaru glared and readied Kusanagi.
"Try Me Old Man!!!"
--------
Sasuke tried his best but even when he used Chidori to sever the sand arm that Gaara had, the Suna Genin was more than willing to fight and was even more determined to kill him, he would have tried to fight back, but he was almost out of chakra and he was in a very dire situation, and he was tempted to rely on the Cursed Seal. He recalled Kakashi's warning that he could only use the Chidori twice in one day and then he would be out of chakra. When they had been training with the technique for days before the finals of the Chuunin Exams, he had been told that the limit was two times, if he went beyond that, he would die.
He had been able to get past Temari in combat and conserved as much of his chakra as he could as he knew that using it up against someone who was not his true target was. After defeating Temari he had moved on but encountered Kankurou who was fully rested and eager to pay Sasuke back for the stone he threw….but he was saved from losing more chakra by Shino who had followed them in secret, using his bugs
Gaara had been taunting him and it made him very angry and he tried to use the Cursed Seal to give him an advantage, any advantage.
"You're too weak Sasuke Uchiha, I will kill you here and now!!!"
Gaara lashed out and with a newly re-grown arm of sand, it seemed like the end….
"FIRE :LANCE!!!"
Gaara was forced to move away at that moment as a spear of pure fire came right at him and forced him to break away from his attack on the prone and helpless Sasuke and then he looked to see none other than Naruto and Sakura along with Fenrix and Pakkun.
The group was leaving behind one of their members, namely Shikamaru when they were being pursued by a number of elite Jonin sent by Orochimaru to keep an eye on Sasuke. Shikamaru had reasoned that they had only one shot and the one who would stay behind would be both the bait and the only one who would not come back. It was a tough choice, but Shikamaru had do it and thus the rest of them went ahead to catch up with Sasuke and Gaara as well as his siblings
Naruto glared at Gaara who was now covered in his sand form and was somehow allowing the demon inside of him to take fore front of the fight, he had seen Sakura about to be armed when he had fired the Fire Lance at Gaara' forcing the Sand Ninja to back away. He looked at Sasuke and could tell that his team-mate was very low on chakra and couldn't fight anymore and now it was his turn to fight.
Fenrix looked at the two ninja and Naruto turned to his Dragon Ascendant sensei and spoke to him seriously.
"Fenrix-sensei….get Sasuke, Pakkun and Sakura-chan out of here….this fight is mine now. I will defeat Gaara here and now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I asked this of you so let me fight him."
Fenrix nodded as he recalled the time they had followed Sakura, Shikamaru and Pakkun as well.
--------
Flashback…
"Fenrix-sensei, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it Naruto?"
"I want to face Gaara alone, so please let me do this."
Fenrix looked at Naruto and saw that his student meant it, the senior Dragon Ascendant had read all he could about Gaara, as well as Gaara's hidden resident. Valen had gathered much data in his travels before arriving in Konoha and had gathered enough information about the legendary Bijuu of this world and he determined that they were of great power, not as powerful as the long forgotten Dragon Race, but stronger nevertheless than normal beings.
Fenrix had read all he could and knew the full story of the Shukaku that Naruto had mentioned when he had inquired about the incident in the hospital. The Shukaku was a powerful fighter with the control of sand, and was a potential threat to an Ascendant who's power level was the same as Naruto's, but was considered very low powered against someone like him. He knew it would be a good test for Naruto to use his powers, but with some level of risk for his student, as Naruto's powers were not yet at the level needed to be considered a full scale Ascendant.
"Are you sure of that?"
"Yes I am, Gaara tried to kill Lee in his sleep and he would have killed others in my home, I can't let that happen, even if he and I are the same and I understand him, I will stop him, even if I have to kill him."
Fenrix looked at Naruto and saw that there was no going back, and he wanted to make that clear to his student.
"If you are dead set on this, you should know that in your current level of power, he is a potential threat and if you make a mistake, he can injure you despite your powers, and most of all, I will not aid you in battle against him as you wish to face him alone, do you understand me Naruto?"
Naruto nodded.
"I do."
Fenrix sighed and then nodded.
"Very well, when the time comes and if you truly want to do that, then I will let you face Gaara alone, I will protect your friends for you, I will not help you unless you truly need it, just promise me to fight with everything that you have here and now."
"I will."
--------
End of Flashback…
Fenrix nodded towards Naruto and he knew that the time had come for him to keep his promise to Naruto let him fight Gaara on his own, he might not like it, but this was real test for Naruto to finally face a foe who could give him a good enough challenge, in a way he had to thank Gaara as he will be the key for Naruto put all he had learned into the battlefield and not hold back.
Naruto was facing a foe who was like him in a way, but unlike Naruto, he had grown to hate and despite the world and see killing as his only satisfaction. That made Gaara a deadly foe and would be the one who would truly test his student's convictions and abilities.
"Good luck Naruto, do not fail."
And with that, the senior Dragon Ascendant quickly grabbed both Sakura and Sasuke and quickly left the scene, and this left Naruto to face Gaara alone as the sand covered Genin and demon container faced the young Dragon Ascendant and gave a growl at him.
"You are going to be my greatest enemy and I will enjoy spilling your blood!!!"
Naruto however relaxed at then summoned his Dragon King Blood heritage and soon enough the blonde Genin spoke the command to trigger his power.
"DRAGON KING BLOOD!!! RELEASE!!! WIND!!!"
Naruto now wore the tattoos which were in the mode of Wind and he had several small sphere of pure Wind moving on his fists and he got ready to face Gaara and before they fought, he spoke to the enraged Sand Genin and container of the Shukaku.
"I will never let you harm a single life from my home village Gaara, I will stop you, even if I have to kill you!"
"So be it!!! Let us see who is truly worthy of existence!!!! You are stronger than that Sasuke kid, you are the one I want to kill!"
As Naruto faced Gaara and it seemed that the two were ready for a fight, Sasuke and Sakura turned Fenrix who was calm and focused on the fight, Sakura spoke to the senior Dragon Ascendant.
"Aren't you going to help him?!"
"I already have, he has learned enough to show me that he can fight this battle on his own."
"What?! But you said his power was still in its infancy, he's going to be in more than he can handle!!!"
"That might be true, but he made his choice to fight for your sake and that of the village and all he cares about, this is Naruto's fight and his alone, I cannot interfere."
Sasuke was surprised by this and Fenrix merely replied.
"He must use all he has learned from me to face Gaara on his own, this is going to be the real test, Gaara is not a normal person and he is strong in his own right, and Naruto himself asked me before we arrived here to let him face Gaara on his own, I respect that and I see in his eyes that he wants to fight without my help."
"But you can't mean that!!!"
Sakura said as she tried to rush to help Naruto but Fenrix however stopped her and spoke evenly.
"This is Naruto's fight Sakura Haruno, let him settle this, I will only help if he needs the help, this fight is more important to him that you can imagine, unlike Gaara who fights for himself, Naruto fights for others, namely you, Kakashi, Sasuke, Iruka, and everyone in the village. He cares more for you all than his own life, and that is what gives him the will, drive and power to face Gaara. If you are harmed, then it will all be for nothing."
Fenrix then turned to see Sasuke's tattoos and he couldn't help but be revolted by the sight of it, Kakashi and the Hokage told him a great deal about this Orochimaru and this cursed seal of his, which he had placed on another Jonin of Konoha named Mitarashi Anko. This Cursed Seal reminded him of some of the curse marks he had seen in his many years of existence and while Naruto trusts his team, the senior Dragon Ascendant had his worries towards this mark, but kept his peace and focused on protecting the two from harm.
He however had a feeling that sooner or later, things were going to get very ugly.
In the meantime…
Shikamaru sat down and gave a sigh of relief as Asuma finished up the task of dealing with the Sound ninja forces. The Genin had been able to hold them off but he was finally out of chakra, and the Sound Ninja were about to attack him and continue their pursuit, but his sensei arrived and he was in the clear.
"You all right Shikamaru?"
"Yeah….man what a drag."
--------
To be continued…
--------
Author's notes:
A lot shorter than the last chapter, but still, it does all right in my mind.
Now we have the battle between Gaara and Naruto and unlike Dragon Champion where Naruto helps tide off the invasion with his summoned army to buy Konoha time, Naruto take it a step further by using his Ascendant blood to awaken some of the old power that had been residing deep within the very foundation of the world and the summoned Ents are the result of that spell that both Fenrix and Naruto used to defend Konoha and give the Konoha ninja enough time to rally their forces for the counter attack.
And it seems that Naruto wants to face Gaara alone and Fenrix agreed with it and focuses on defending Naruto's team-mates while allowing his student to face Gaara alone. How will this fight turn out?
Now some people are wondering just what sort of role Fenrix has in the story, and it is simple and fairly obvious in my mind, he is Naruto's mentor, guardian, and teacher. His duty is to both teach Naruto the ways of the Ascendants and protect him from threats, however, he also knows that for Naruto to grow and mature properly in terms of ability and power, the best way is for Naruto to fight on his own battles. And he will only aid Naruto if the need is great as he has faith in Naruto's abilities, skills, determination, and will, despite the fact that he does not always agree with Naruto's desire to fight alone.
In simple terms, he is Naruto's mentor in the ways of Ascendants, not a replacement for Naruto, he merely guides Naruto in the ways of the Ascendants and allows him to learn on his own after learning the lessons needed to start him on his way.
There is no godmodding here as well, as I have pointed out before that Naruto's powers are indeed great, but since his ability to properly control them is lacking, he cannot use them until he develops the control needed to use the powers freely and without any complications. If I was really godmodding Naruto, why give him a handicap and a restraining device, why not allow him full power and allow him to be a full scale Ascendant?
If I did that, then where is the point of the whole story?
Here is a trailer that highlights my point.
--------
Trailer:
Naruto held the weapon in his hands and marveled at this weapon, it was a long handle and on the ends were two double edged blades at the length of at least three feet each and was made from specially enchanted and high quality steel, the two blades were well made and balanced and following the instructions of his Dragon Ascendant sensei, the blades quickly retracted into the handle and he looked at the seemingly bladeless weapon and pressed it again and the blades came back out.
"Like your present?"
"Yes!"
"Good, this weapon emphasizes the lesson that I will teach you once you return from looking for this Tsunade who shall be the new Hokage."
"What do you mean?"
"This twin bladed weapon symbolizes the need for control. When you attempt to use two Elements, you must learn to work their natures into a cohesive combination without one overwhelming the other, if there is no control, then the elements will clash and disrupt one another, and your ability as a fighter in combat will naturally suffer as a result. To drive the point home to you…those two blades were specially made be able to injure you."
"What?!"
Naruto was shocked to hear that and Fenrix replied.
"It will not kill you of course, but send light pain through your body while not cutting you, when you train with this weapon, you must use it as a staff weapon and that is where control must be learned Naruto, as you must be able to defend and strike with enough power and control. If you attack with two much power, then the other blade will injure you, and you lose control. Once you master both control and power, you can attack and defend in equal measure, and then you can learn to use two elements in unison. That is what this weapon will show you."
Naruto began to understand the idea, though not entirely at the moment as he took the weapon and he asked Fenrix the question that had been plaguing him ever since he got the weapon.
"Aren't you coming with me Fenrix-sensei?"
Fenrix shook his head and explained his reasons.
"You are a Clan head now and as your advisor as well as your teacher and guardian, I have to remain here to defend your land, home and name, you have matured enough to merit going out on your own and learning on your own for a while, and Jiraiya has asked me to allow him to train you in a special jutsu that you might find useful in the near future."
"As much as you need to learn the ways of the Ascendants to master your powers, you must also learn the ways of ninjas as you should before your powers awakened. Your defeat of Gaara when you two fought has proven to me than you can handle yourself for now until you return and require more instruction from me, there is only so much you can learn from these walls of the Training Hall after all, true knowledge and wisdom are gained as well as given."
"Besides, all the training and lessons I give you will not be effective if you are not using them in the real world for it is in the real world where your training, knowledge and experience can be put to the test."
Fenrix then took out a small gemstone necklace and handed it to his student and as Naruto looked at the necklace, he spotted that Fenrix wore the very same necklace of his neck..
"However, I will not be far, this is a Recall Stone and if you are in need of my help or are in true danger, then this Recall Stone will cast a teleportation spell and I will be there to aid you in whatever you need done. I have faith in you and your growth as both an Ascendant and Ninja Naruto and that is why you will do well here."
Naruto smiled and bowed to Fenrix.
"I will not disappoint you or everyone in Konoha; I will bring Tsunade back to be our new Hokage."
Fenrix nodded and bowed back to Naruto.
--------
Fenrix believes in the idea of allowing Naruto to place the lessons into practice and will only aid Naruto in battle if Naruto needs it as he believes in Naruto being stronger and more capable when he is put to the test, so unlike most OCs, Fenrix plays the role of advisor, and teacher and so will get involved in battles to either protect himself or to help Naruto if he needs it.