I don't own Naruto, if I did he would be in the spotlight more and Hinata would be the heroine. I do own my OCs.
"I can't believe we have to eat up here," said Cinnamon as the group of friends plus Kasumi and Keimei ate their lunch on board Ren-oh-ki's ship form. All of them had been pestered by rabid fanboys from both Furinkan and several of the other local schools, which had really grossed Naruto and Naruko out and led to several boys being knocked out. The group had made a run for it when Shugo had appeared with several large bouquets, finally escaping into the cabbit ship to prevent him from getting to them.
"The price of fame, sister," said Thyme with a sigh. "At least it wasn't Hiryuu, Naruto, Akira, and me in a boy band; then we'd have to be dodging rabid fangirls… and the love potions, love notes, skanky photos…" Thyme trailed off as he huddled into a ball and rocked back and forth, muttering something about vicious she-devils.
Naruto could only nod in sympathy, remembering two days of hell where his fan club had decided to stalk him until Hinata grew sick of it and scared them off by using the Hyuuga Death Glare.
"At least Himawari is enjoying the whole thing, she was so fired up by watching us she hasn't stopped singing every song she can think of," said Kasumi. Her little sister had come back stage after Kasumi and Keimei had finished their performance and Kasumi's first instinct when Briar started going crazy was to run back to the room Himawari had stayed in to watch the rest of the performances. It turned out to be a good thing she did since Briar had apparently planted several of her mutant beasts on her way out to eliminate the competition while she was on camera and couldn't be blamed and all of them had come after Himawari. The rest of the girls had found Kasumi covered in scratches and cuts holding a sword of blazing star light over a pile of burning compost when they went backstage to clean up after the battle and Himawari cheering about how cool her big sis was. Keimei had gone to see her parents and been swept away in the crowd, then she was stuck helping the adults try to break through the thorn barriers that had kept them outside the amphitheatre.
"Hehe, she got along really well with Haruka," said Kimiko as the two little girls had become friends rather quickly and even now were pestering their parents for play days together.
"Personally, I'm just glad we're back to normal training, trying to cram all that practice in even with the time seals was brutal," said Naruto as he ate the teriyaki bento Hoshiko had made for him to share with Hinata.
(0o0o0)
"Huh, mail's here," said Naruto as he entered the ninja house, jokingly called the Kitsune Inn by his friends. Flicking through the mail to sort out stuff for Jiraiya apart from bills; coupons; and junk mail, Naruto's eyes landed on a bright yellow flyer bearing a fist and sword clashing. Turning it over, he was surprised to find it was addressed to both Hinata and him. "Hey, Hinata-chan, you know what this is about?" he asked his girlfriend as she put their bento box in the drying rack after cleaning it for use the next day.
"No, I don't," replied Hinata with a small frown.
"Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata are hereby invited to the Clash of Fists and Blades (COFAB) tournament in a week's time," Naruto read. "This tournament is only open to those below a master level in their fighting style and features separate divisions for armed and unarmed combatants with a further division into Male and Female. At the end of the tournament, the best of each gender in armed and unarmed combat will be crowed the King and Queen of their division and the two royal couples will clash to determine which is stronger, the blade or the fist. It's a six day tournament to give everyone an equal chance to show their best with lodging provided at nearby hotels."
"Sounds interesting, you going to go?" Gishou asked from where he was watching television in a young teenager form now that he had enough power to hold the transformation even while unconscious. The new four-tail had been looking for a job over the last few days to help pay for groceries and managed to score a job as a delivery boy for Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, since Naruto and Hinata were already working at the Neko Hanten.
"It might be fun," said Naruto with a glance at Hinata, who thought it over for a minute before nodding.
(0o0o0)
"You all got invited too?" asked Naruto as he stared at his friends, each of them holding the same tournament flyer.
"This being Nerima, anyone making a tournament would just have to look at the newspapers to figure out whom to invite," said Ranko. "I can't wait to go in the blade division!"
"You'll have to get by me first!" said Cinnamon as she grinned at the redhead.
"Well, I'm bowing out; I'm not one for tournaments like this," said Kimiko. "And after our last contest I want to watch the fun instead of be in the middle of it all when everything goes FUBAR."
"Naruto, you going to enter the armed or unarmed group?" asked Akira.
"Armed, if I didn't use Nenshousaiga, I could go crazy during a fight; I'll just have to use seals to make sure I can't deal lethal damage," replied Naruto as he glanced at Hinata. "Be sure to fight hard, Hinata-hime; I want to face you in the royals match!" Hinata blushed, even as Miyuki teased her.
(0o0o0)
"I think this tournament has attracted quite a bit of attention," said Akira as the group eyed all the people in martial arts outfits and with weapons on the train with them a week later. The group of friends had managed to get a compartment to themselves, though it was a bit tight, even with Toshi and Cinnamon sharing a seat and Hinata practically sitting on Naruto's lap. Finally, Naruto got so annoyed he slapped some temporary seal tags on the wall of the compartment that gave them enough space to sit comfortably without changing anything outside of the compartment.
"I've seen enough weapons to outfit a ninja clan," said Hinata.
Thyme shifted his spear so it rested more comfortably on his shoulder before saying, "There are some impressive aura on this train, and a new one at every stop. This tournament is going to be awesome."
"A challenge without it being a life or death match would be good," said Naruto as he kept his arms wrapped around Hinata.
(0o0o0)
"Wow, there are more people here than I thought," said Cinnamon as the group looked over a large stadium filled with both spectators and contestants. In the center there was a large tiled arena with a large pillar at each corner.
"Looks like we go over there," said Miyuki, pointing to a line of people, some of whom carried weapons, leading to a table with a REGISTRATION banner over it.
"Then I guess that's where we go," said Akira as he lead the group over and flashed the lady manning the table the same smile his father used when he needed to charm Akane into letting him go out for a man's night out.
(0o0o0)
"Holy… that's a lot of options," said Naruto as he took in the weapon user registration form. It listed what was probably every single weapon known to man except guns. Naruto started checking off all the weapons he was proficient with, then answering a few background questions about his fighting style; for example: if it had both an armed and unarmed aspect, if he could fire energy blasts, if he carried a curse - standard Neriman questions for newcomers.
Hinata simply pointed to her own form, which had a checkmark for Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū as well as a box for family style where she had written down Jūken. She had also filled in the various soft-handed martial arts such as Tai Chi, Aikidō, Jūjutsu, plus a Ninjutsu option. "I honestly never thought of how many styles Ranma-sensei has been drilling into our heads," she said with a sigh.
"You think you've got it bad?" asked Akira as he held up a three page packet covered in checked in boxes. "You two haven't gotten all the crazy Martial Arts Trade schools Dad has picked up over the years like Ranko, Miyuki, and I have."
"You all have it easy!" said Ranko as she slogged through the same packet as her nephew and niece as well as the weapon one.
(0o0o0)
As the group was walking away from the registration table, Ranko glared at Cinnamon and said, "I can't believe you asked them if you could seduce your opponents."
"It's a perfectly valid tactic," muttered Cinnamon as they proceeded to their assigned hotel. They had a day before the tournament started to relax and enjoy themselves and they planned to do so.
"I don't like some of the looks we're getting," Naruto whispered as plenty of people seemed to be giving the group of teens nasty glares.
"I think it's because we're all so young," replied Akira. "Most of the people here are college students, seeing a bunch of high school students invited to this tournament must be a blow to their ego; it doesn't help that Miyuki and Kimiko have their ears and tails visible since they appear to be little girls dressing up. And you and Hinata are obviously younger than us…" Akira trailed off as they reached the front desk and presented their passes.
The desk clerk at the desk scanned through the forms and typed a few commands onto her computer before blinking and giving the group another glance over. "Just a moment please," she said before grabbing a phone from the counter beside her and turning away to murmur into it. After a minute of conversing with the person on the other end of the line, she placed the phone back in its cradle and resumed using the computer.
"Is there a problem?" asked Miyuki.
"Your group has been given the penthouse suite," said the woman with an apologetic grin. "I just wanted to make sure it was accurate. My boss will be down in a second to explain everything to you."
The teens looked at one another and then back to the desk clerk. At that moment the elevator in the lobby dinged and opened to reveal a brown haired woman in a body-hugging business suit and slacks. She walked towards the group with two large men wearing tuxedoes and wireless earpieces following behind her. "Thank you, Yuki; I'll take it from here," she said, causing Akira, Miyuki, and Ranko to turn and stare at her.
"Aunt/Big Sis Nabiki!" exclaimed the three Saotome before they ran up and hugged the woman, who hugged them back.
"Hey, kids, glad you could make it," said Nabiki with a smile before she took a folder from the desk clerk. "These are your key cards; they also give you elevator access to the penthouse suites, so don't lose them." The teens nodded as each one accepted a plastic card from Nabiki before she led them to the elevator with her two bodyguards following the group. "We're taking the executive elevator," said Nabiki as she lead the group to a larger than normal elevator. "This one is meant for a politician or celebrity with all their entourage to fit in at once, so everyone pile in!" It was a bit tight with Thyme, Naruto, Ranko, and Ryeka being forced to slip their weapons into stuff space before there was enough room for everyone.
"How come we're getting the VIP treatment, Aunt 'Biki?" asked Miyuki as the elevator shot up to the top of the hotel.
"I happen to own this hotel as well as be one of the sponsors of the tournament," said Nabiki as she ruffled the catgirl's hair before the elevator stopped. "So I pulled a few strings to get you all up here."
"I'm guessing Martial Eye is doing really well," said Akira with a grin as Nabiki used her key card to unlock the door to a suite that was definitely big enough for the whole group.
"Yeah, I definitely chose a good field to invest in," replied the brunette before pointing to some of the doors leading out of the main room they found themselves in. "This is the living room, there's an attached kitchenette, two bathrooms, and a set of five normal sized rooms connected by doors, three for girls and two for guys through those doors. Feel free to order anything you want from room service, I don't mind picking up the tab for you guys. Only rule is no boys sleeping in a girl's room. I'd love to stay and chat, but my partner got caught up in something and I have to keep everything running smoothly until she gets here. I'll see all of you at dinner; one of my staff will come and get you around six, dress nicely but comfortably!" With that, Nabiki and her bodyguards swept out of the suite, leaving the teens to get settled. Cinnamon and Toshi took a room to themselves at Ranko's insistence while Hiryuu bunked with Naruto and Thyme with Akira. Ranko, Ryeka, and Kimiko took one room, while Hinata and Miyuki were in their own.
As everyone reassembled in the living area, Naruto asked, "What did you mean by Martial Eye?"
"It's a special software program she's developed that uses special cameras to analyze a person, its main use is for the military to determine an enemy's strength, but it's also used in things like sports to make sure participants aren't on steroids. Auntie mentioned that the lenses are etched by martial arts Calligraphy masters to allow the lenses to actually view a person's ki, which is useful for tournaments," Akira explained.
"Sounds kind of cool, but what should we do until dinner?" asked Hinata.
(0o0o0)
In the end, the group decided to simply take it easy and watched a movie on the huge high definition tv. Winning the massive Jan-ken-pon gave Kimiko the right to pick the movie and she chose the American movie How to Train Your Dragon, which everyone agreed was a good choice. Kimiko sat with Flamie in her lap in his chibi form, while Ryeka had Ren-oh-ki, Hiryuu Kudora, and Naruto Gishou. Hinata had to smack Naruto when he started muttering strategies for taking down each breed of dragon since Flamie kept squirming when he did that and Kimiko didn't want to get scratched by his claws, but other than that the group had fun.
When dinner time came around, each teen was dressed in what could best be termed as business casual and ready for their escort, which was one of the bodyguards from earlier. Once they reached the ground floor, he led them to a private limo that brought them to a buffet restaurant. The other patrons could only stare as Kimiko and Naruto found a giant pot of ramen and asked if they could just take the pot to their table before settling for five bowls of ramen each plus some other dishes while Miyuki was piling a plate full of sushi and other fish dishes. LMAO, they WOULD. And that said nothing of the massive plate Akira had piled high with his favorite foods, or that Hinata was making comments on all the ingredients used in each of her choices and had a plate stacked full of cinnamon rolls.
"And I thought Ranma had a big appetite," said Nabiki as she watched the two hanyou devour their ramen at a fast but polite speed.
"My father can match Ranma-sensei in speed when the food is ramen," said Kimiko.
"And Naruto isn't far behind them," said Hinata as she sighed at the memory of the three males in question having a ramen eating contest at the Nekohaten.
"Well, if Ranma is training all of you, the fights over the next week will be very interesting," said Nabiki with a smile as she took a bite of her salad.
(0o0o0)
After a day of relaxing at the hotel, the stadium was packed as everyone gathered for the first qualifying round of the Male Hand-to-Hand part of the tournament. The whole group had been surprised when Ranma met them outside the hotel, only to nod as he explained Nabiki had requested him as a commenter for the hand-to-hand parts of the tournament due to his extensive knowledge of ki and various combat styles. Akira was the only member of the group participating in the current fights and made his way to the contestants' entrance while the rest of the teens hurried to get good seats.
(0o0o0)
Akira's gaze swept over the other contestants gathered in the center of the arena in the middle of the battle ground. He could sense several possible threats, but nobody seemed to be giving him much consideration. His evaluation was interrupted as Nabiki's image appeared on the giant monitor overlooking the stadium. "Hello, everyone, I'm Tendo Nabiki and I'll be your host for this tournament. With me are our guest commentators for the hand-to-hand combat parts of the tournaments, Saotome Ranma and Shirahama Kenichi!" The camera slid over to reveal Ranma and a heavily muscled man in a training gi sitting to Nabiki's right. "Ranma-san is the master of Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū and Kenichi-san is the master of the Ryōzanpaku dojo, each of them can claim knowledge of a variety of styles and will be providing a breakdown of the more interesting moves we'll be seeing here." There was a moment of applause from the rest of the stadium while the male contestants all bowed to the announcer's box where Nabiki and the two masters sat. "As you can see, the ring is bound at the corners by four pillars. These project an energy barrier that will keep attacks from flying out of the ring and into the arena seating. Now I'll introduce our referees for the fights, Mr. Referee and Mr. Announcer!" The doors into the lower part of the stadium opened to admit two men. One was a grey haired man with a thin face and a mustache dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt, a red bow tie, black pants and black shoes. The other was a blond haired man dressed in a dark blue suit with a white shirt, a purple tie, and a pair of sunglasses that hid his eyes.
"Thank you Tendo-san! I, Mr. Referee, shall now go over the rules for the tournament!" said the grey haired man. "There is to be no killing at all, and all weapons for the armed part shall be given a special coating that will prevent the loss of limbs and make sure serious injuries only bruise. The decisions of Mr. Announcer and myself are final unless Saotome-sama or Shirahama-sama have some input that our merely human eyes missed."
Mr. Announcer cleared his throat before taking up the explanation. "There are several ways a contestant can automatically lose. Anyone who comes into contact outside of the ring, is knocked out for more than ten seconds; as counted by Mr. Referee or myself, or gives up automatically loses. No blows to the eyes or groin are allowed."
"Now, our computer will randomly select the contestants for the first round of eliminations," said Nabiki before her image on the screen was replaced by a series of brackets that were quickly filled in with the names of contestants and a ring number.
(0o0o0)
"Looks like sixteen fights," said Naruto as he examined the board. The first two fighters were even now making their way to the center of the arena and squaring off while the rest of the contestants watched them.
The first few fights were nothing much to the group; it was obvious everyone was trying to save their techniques for the later rounds. Akira was the fifth match and his opponent was so infuriated by the Saotome not a stance where Akira simply stood there with his arms behind his back. The other fighter charged forward and in classic Saotome style Akira twisted to the side and stuck his foot out, sending the other teen tumbling head over heels out of the ring. Akira sighed in disappointment and stepped out of the ring to wait for his next match. It turned out to be against an American boxer called Chibodee Crocket. The blue and pink haired young teen had used a single punch to KO his first round opponent, who had made the mistake of calling the skinny youth a "Wimpy Gaijin" and lost two teeth as well as having his nose broken.
"Well, maybe you'll give me a better match than that loudmouth," Chibodee said in slightly accented Japanese as he bounced up and down on his feet and kept his fists up to guard against Akira's attacks.
"I think so," replied Akira as he slid into a ready stance that would let him maneuver more easily. "First, tell me how an American knows about this tournament and speaks such good Japanese if you don't mind?"
Chibodee grinned and nodded. "My dad is part of the US forces stationed at Hardy Barracks; I've been raised here so I think I've got a pretty good grasp on the language. Now enough talking; let's fight!" Chibodee finished his explanation and charged Akira with a series of quick jabs that the Saotome heir twisted around to avoid.
"Pretty good form and footwork; this will be fun," said Akira with a grin as he launched his own punch, only for Chibodee to block it with his padded gloves.
"When it comes to boxing, I'm the champ!" said the American teen before he tried a two hit combination that Akira easily blocked. "Alright, try this out! Cyclone Punch!" Akira's eyes widened as a swirling aura of energy covered Chibodee's fist as it rushed towards him. The pig tailed teen barely managed to get his arms into a guard position before the punch hit and even then he was sent back several feet with his shoes digging skid marks in the arena floor.
"Pretty strong punch; now I'm fired up!" exclaimed Akira as he charged Chibodee before spinning around to strike from the American's left side with an overhead blow.
Chibodee surprised Akira by leaping back from the attack, causing Akira's blow to strike the arena floor and make a spider web of cracks appear. "If you're fired up, try this out! Burning Punch!" yelled Chibodee as his boxing gloves were engulfed in flames and headed towards Akira as he stood up and readied his own punch. Akira's fist snapped up and the two blows connected, energy clashing between them as they struggled for dominance. Finally, the physical forces caused the two boys to stagger apart, a thin layer of ice encrusting Akira's fist quickly melting in the sun as the flames around Chibodee's glove faded away.
"Looks like I'm the ice to your fire!" said Akira with a grin as a ki aura started glowing around him.
Chibodee grinned as well as his own fighting aura started to glow. "Let's settle this with one last technique!"
"Right!" said Akira as both teens prepared for one last clash.
"Bursting!" Flames started to gather around Chibodee's fist.
"Kachu!" Akira's fist started to glow blue as he fed ki into his arms.
"Machinegun!" Chibodee leapt into the air with his fist cocked back.
"Tenshin!" The glow on Akira's fist spread to cover his entire arm.
"PUNCH!" Chibodee thrust his fist forward, causing a small sonic boom from the speed.
"AMAGURIKEN!" Yelled Akira as he sent his own blow forward.
A large energy blast shot out from Chibodee's fist, where it was quickly joined by nine more swirling around it. However, Akira's fist blasted through each of the blasts and slammed into Chibodee.
"How?" gasped Chibodee as he struggled to breath as Akira pulled his fist from Chibodee's gut.
"You may be able to throw ten punches in a second, but I can throw a hundred!" said Akira as he panted over Chibodee and listened to Mr. Announcer finish a ten count and declare him the winner. Akira then grabbed Chibodee and pulled him to his feet, helping the American teen to the first aid station.
(0o0o0)
"Way to go, Akira-nii-san!" yelled Miyuki as she pumped her fist in triumph.
"If the rest of the matches are as good as that one, Akira might have some trouble," said Naruto as he eyed three contestants in particular who each had a strong fighting spirit. Pointing to them, he continued, "All three of those fighters are easily at Akira's level, the four of them are drowning out the aura of every other contestant with their strength." The rest of the group followed Naruto's finger and spotted a Chinese boy who might have been the same age as Akira. He seemed unable to sit still, constantly fidgeting and scurrying to get a ringside view of the action for all the fights. The next was a tall young man with a muscular build and thick eyebrows. He was currently fighting and had his opponent in a bear hug as the other fighter started turning blue from lack of air. The last fighter was a little bit younger than the large man and was standing off to the side with an indifferent expression on his face as he watched the fights. "Those three are the ones Akira has to beat to win the King of Fists title," said Naruto.
(0o0o0)
Naruto's instincts appeared to be spot on, since Akira's next opponent was the Chinese youth. As the two fighters faced off, Akira's eyes narrowed a bit. "Mind answering a question?" he asked the Chinese teen clad in a yellow fighting outfit and sporting a long ponytail that hung to his waist.
"Sure!" said the boy as he bounced up and down from pent up energy.
"You don't happen to be from the Joketsuzoku tribe or one with similar laws, would you?" asked Akira.
"Nope, I'm Sai Saici, student of the Shaolin temple. My master sent me to participate in this tournament to test my skill level!" exclaimed the black haired teen.
"So you know Kung Fu?" asked Akira as he raised one hand and made a beckoning gesture. "Show me!"
Sai Saici obliged, charging in with his hands in a claw shape. Akiara's eyes narrowed as he spotted ki forming the shape of a dragon head surrounding each hand. Leaping back a bit, Akira's eyes widened as large gashes appeared when the dragon auras skimmed the ground. "How do you like my Dragon Claws?" asked Sai Saici with a smirk.
"Impressive, but I've seen better," said Akira before launching a spin kick that Sai barely jumped back from. Akira kept using the force of his spins to launch move and more kicks at the Chinese boy, and though a few connected, Sai was able to use the impacts to leap clear before Akira could fully connect.
"You can't catch me!" taunted Sai Saici only to stagger as his last leap had him hitting one of the corner pillars of the arena. Akira lunged forward with a rising upper cut that sent Sai Saici into the air. Sai Saici tried to recover, but as he landed a loud crack signaled his right arm had broken.
"Ready to give up?" asked Akira, only for Sai Saici to lunge forward with his good arm.
"I'm not done yet!" yelled the Chinese youth, only for Akira to spin aside and kick Sai Saici into one of the pillars where his left arm hit first and another crack had Akira frowning.
"Better stop; you need to get those arms treated," said Akira, only for butterflies made of ki to start swirling around Sai Saici as he pushed himself to his feet and cocked his left foot while standing on the right and giant wings of green ki formed at his back.
"Shin Ryuusei Kochouken!" yelled Sai Saici as he leapt into the air.
"That move; it's a suicide move!" growled Ranma as he jumped to his feet with Kenichi following him. However, the ki aura erupting around Akira caused Ranma's eyes to narrow as he watched his son.
"Ok, try this on for size!" yelled Akira as he formed his ki into an orb in his hands. Sai Saici leapt into the air and preformed a dive bomb attack at Akira. "Mōko Takabisha (Pride of the Fierce Tiger)!" yelled Akira as he released his attack. Sai Saici's attack formed into a giant green dragon that clashed with the bright blue tiger Akira unleashed. The two beasts fought for dominance for several seconds before the dragon collapsed, revealing Sai Saici unconscious and falling to the ground, only for Ranma to leap in and catch him. Kenichi was right behind Ranma, taking a deep breath before placing his hands on Sai Saici's chest and forcing his ki into the unconscious teen. Everyone held their breaths before Sai Saici jerked and sat up with a gasp, only to have Ranma bonk him on the head.
"Don't go using suicide techniques like that unless you're at one hundred percent health!" growled the Saotome male as Kenichi nodded his agreement. Sai Saici meekly nodded and Ranma carried him away to get his arms treated as Mr. Announcer declared Akira the winner.
(0o0o0)
"Wow… that was awesome!" cheered Naruto, only to be smacked over the head by Ranko.
"That Chinese kid almost died –if Ranma-nii-san hadn't intervened— how is that good?" she demanded.
"He's a boy; big explosions are enough for him," said Hinata with a sigh. "Back home, when Naruto first learned about explosive notes, nothing could stop him from setting one off… inside his mother's kitchen when she asked him what he learned at the academy that day. When he showed up two days later he needed a cushion to sit down and his ears were bright red from being twisted."
"Hinata-chan!" whined Naruto, his ears dropping as he pouted at her. His attempt to win sympathy earned him a face full of water from Cinnamon, who blinked in shock as Naruto failed to change to Naruko.
"What the— how did you block the curse?" demanded the phoenix princess.
"Well I stopped by the Nekohaten and asked Cologne-sensei for some waterproof soap so I wouldn't have to accidently fight in the male and female divisions or cause a legal mix up," said Naruto as he wiped his face clean.
"Smart move," admitted Thyme before looking at the announcer's table.
"Alright, we're at the semi-finals and we have four very talented young men who will be fighting for the title of King of Fists!" exclaimed Nabiki and the audience roared in approval. "Our first match is between Domon Kasshu, representing the School of the Undefeated of the East," The black-haired Japanese fighter Naruto had pointed out stepped up to the arena and bowed to the judges table and then to Mr. Referee, "vs Inui Banjin representing Jushiki Muteki Ryu." A muscular man in camouflage clothing and dreadlocks with gauntlets on his arms shoved his way past Akira and his soon to be opponent to make his way to the arena and spat on the tiles beside him as he faced Domon.
"Undefeated of the East? Huh, what kind of title is that?" snorted Banjin. "I'm going to enjoy watching you lay at my feet as I prove that title is worthless." Domon's eyes narrowed and he lunged forward to deliver a haymaker punch to Banjin, only to have the dreadlocked fighter block with the gauntlets and send a shockwave through the arena from the force of the blow. Banjin then got inside the surprised fighter's guard and delivered a punch to his gut. The same thing happened a few more times, then Banjin grabbed Domon and threw him to the ground. "Hah, just like I said," gloated the camouflaged fighter.
"I get it," said Domon as he slowly climbed to his feet. "To hit you I'm going to need to break those gauntlets.
"You can try, but every surface has been angled to deflect blows; at even at five point fifteen centimeters they can deflect bullets. These Invulnerable Gauntlets are what make me invincible!"
"And yet, you hit like a little girl," said Domon with a smirk.
"I'm going to kill you!" roared Banjin as he lunged towards Domon, only to have the black haired teen twist out of the way and slam a kick into his legs.
"Those gauntlets might be good, but they're best suited for protecting the upper part of your body," Domon said as Banjin hit the ground hard.
"Shut up!" roared the dreadlocked fighter as he sprang to his feet, launching a flurry of punches that Domon countered. Suddenly, Banjin's bicep seemed to swell as he yelled, "Gofubaku (Mighty Axe Explosion)!" and rammed his upper arm into Domon's neck. "Hehehehehehe, Muteki-ryu makes my whole body a weapon, how do you like that?"
"You're annoying," said Domon as he cracked his neck and climbed to his feet.
"Stubborn brat," muttered Banjin before he charged Domon and went for a kick. As Domon moved to block, Banjin flipped up to do a handstand on the black haired man's shoulders and pinched the nerves there, followed by a grab and a throw that almost sent Domon out of the ring. "Hah, I doubt you'll get up from that…" Banjin's put down trailed off as Domon climbed to his feet with a cough that sent a bit of blood to the ground and raised his fist.
"This hand of mine glows with an awesome power!" As Domon concentrated his fist became surrounded in a blazing aura. "Its burning grip tells me to defeat you! Shining Finger!" With his blazing hand in a fist, Domon lunged towards Banjin, who brought both his gauntlets up to block in a cross guard. Banjin's eyes widened as Domon's glowing fist hit and broke through the gauntlets before slamming into his face and sending him sailing out of the ring.
"Winner, Domon Kashu!" yelled Mr. Referee, only to stop short on calling Akira and his opponent into the ring as Banjin charged back into the ring with the intent to rip Domon's head off. However, the appearance of Ranma landing a kick to Banjin's head sent the camouflaged fighter into dreamland and the arena wall.
"Hey, I could have taken him!" yelled Domon, only to freeze at the look Ranma shot him. The two locked eyes for a moment and then Ranma returned to the judges' table as Domon slowly walked off the stage.
Mr. Announcer stepped up to the stage, adjusting his tie a bit before speaking into his microphone. "Now, for our second semi-final round, we have Saotome Akira of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū!" Akira grinned as he sauntered into the ring and assumed the classic Saotome no stance with his hands in his pockets. "Vs Argo Gulskii, who fights with his personal Iron Giant style." The large man slowly made his way into the ring, his eyes locked on Akira, who slowly slid into a real ready stance as Argo approached.
"I have a question," said Argo as he glanced at the judges table. Nabiki gestured for him to speak. "As Akira is Ranma-sama's son, doesn't that give him a slight advantage?"
"You don't know the Saotome family," drawled Nabiki before Akira snorted.
"Dad is more likely to berate me for my techniques being sloppy than give me the win," said Akira with a grimace.
"And just for that remark, a thousand pushups when you're done with these matches," Ranma called out. Akira sighed and gave Argo a look.
"See?" asked the pony tailed teen as he tightened up his guard.
"Very well," said Argo, assuming a solid stance that Akira could tell would be impossible to break due to the other teen's strength.
"Saotome Akira vs. Argo Gulskii, Hajime!" yelled Mr. Announcer. For a moment both fighters stared at one another before Akira seemed to blur forward. He unleashed several punches and kicks at Argo that caused sonic booms to rip through the stadium, but the taller fighter weathered the assault and protected his vital spots with his arms before throwing his arms down with a yell. The resulting shockwave sent Akira stumbling back and Argo was on him in an instant, grabbing the slender teen in a massive bear hug. It quickly became clear to Akira that he couldn't wiggle free; Argo had enough strength to keep the pony-tailed teen from overpowering him and lifted Akira off the ground so he couldn't get any leverage.
"You won't break free," grunted Argo as he tightened his grip on Akira.
"Want to bet?" gasped Akira before a loud crack was heard as he dislocated his shoulder and used the resulting slack to slip free and get away from Argo.
"Do you really think you can beat me with one arm?" asked Argo as Akira took deep breaths to calm himself down.
Akira simply reached up with his good arm and pushed the broken one back into place with a grimace. "You were saying?" he asked.
"Impressive, now have a taste of this, Zakaretsu Gaia Crusher!" yelled Argo as he punched the ground. A shockwave erupted from his fist and caused spikes of earth to jut up from the ground towards Akira. The ponytailed youth slid aside from the attack.
"Bakusai Tenketsu (Breaking Point)!" yelled Akira, obliterating the rock spears that had almost impaled him. With a sweep of his foot, Akira had the resulting rubble in the air and pulled his fist back with a cry of "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" before his fists became a blur as they sent sharp rock shards back at Argo, who brought his arms up to guard against the improvised attack. As the barrage ended, Argo's arms dropped, only to see Akira up in the air and coming down towards him. Argo's arm snapped up in an uppercut that sent Akira back into the air, only for him to feel something wrap around his arm and saw a rope of ki stretching from Akira's arm to his. "Kamite Ougi(God Hand Succesion Move): Chain Yanker!" with the force of Argo's punch added to his momentum, Akira used the ki rope to yank himself back down foot first with a cry of, "Ryūsei Kyaku (Shooting Star Kick)!" The kick slammed into Argo's head, causing his knees to buckle before his head slammed into the ground and left an indentation in the arena floor. Akira flipped back and sank into a guard stance as Mr. Announcer started to make the count. As he reached five, Argo's body tensed as he climbed to his feet and Akira gulped a bit at the sight of the taller fighter standing after that power packed kick.
However, Mr. Announcer leaned forward a bit before saying, "Argo is unconscious, Winner Akira Saotome!" Akira blinked and slowly stepped over to see Argo's eyes were glazed over and blank.
"Huh, what a guy, to stand up while unconscious," said Akira before bowing to Argo as medics rushed up to get him onto a stretcher.
Domon cracked his neck as he made his way up to the ring. "This ought to be a good fight!" he said with a somewhat feral grin as he hopped onto the
"And now, the final round in the King of Fists tournament, Domon Kasshu vs Akira Saotome, hajime!" exclaimed Mr. Announcer as he brought his hand down. Instantly, the two fighters were clashing in a blur of fists and feet that made them appear to have at least four legs and fists each. The two broke apart and circled before lunging forward, both managing to slip past the other fighter's guard and deliver a punch to their cheek that sent them reeling back.
"I guess it's time to take the gloves off," said Domon with a smirk as a Ki aura started forming around him that Akira matched as Domon raised his hand up.
"Yeah, the warm up is over," said Akira before unleashing a spin kick that send a wave of Ki at Domon, only for the other fighter to ram his Shining Finger attack right through the Ki wave.
"Impressive, that was a match for my Shining Finger, but how about this?" asked Domon as his fist started to glow red. "This hand of mine is burning red!" Akira's Ki aura started to shrink into him as he pulled all his energy into his body, causing him to glow brightly. "Its loud roar tells me to grasp victory!" Akira took a deep breath and a shield of Ki formed across his arms as he braced himself for Domon's attack. "ERUPTING BURNING FINGER!" as Domon yelled the last part of his mantra he lunged forward, slamming his fist into the Ki barrier. Cracks started to appear in the barrier after a few seconds, and Akira was visibly straining to maintain his defense. Just as the barrier dissipated, Domon's attack fizzled out and he stumbled into Akira, who capitalized on Domon's guard being dropped from focusing all his power into attacking and snapped a kick into the older teen's stomach that sent him back across the ring.
Hissing in pain, Akira shook his arms as steam rose off them. "Oh man, that stings, note to self, focus Ki shield into bracers next time, air is too hard to maintain as a medium," muttered Akira as Domon got back to his feet.
"Oh man, that took a lot out of me… and you too," said Domon as he shook his head. "What do you say, one more big flashy attack each to see who wins?" Akira nodded and brought his hands in front of him to begin focusing his Ki reserves between his palms.
"Kamite no Ougi (God Hand Succsssion Move)," chanted Akira.
"School of the Undefeated of the East Ougi," said Domon as he also began focusing his Ki into between his hands.
"Shaolin Fist!" yelled Akira before releasing a giant blast of Ki in the shape of a huge open palm that shot towards Domon.
"Sekiha Tenkyoken!" yelled Domon as a he launched his own fist of Ki at Akira's. The two techniques met and strained against one another, sending a shockwave through the arena. A barrier sprung up around the fighting ring from the four posts at the center just as the two attacks detonated and sent their energy out in a massive explosion that was forced up into the air in a column of energy. As the energy column faded, Domon was revealed panting on the ground of the ring, staring at where Akira had been.
"What? Where is he?" asked Domon as he looked around frantically before feeling a surge of Ki in the air and looked up to see Akira with Ki swirling around his arm into a giant ball.
"Hiryū Kōrin Dan (Flying Dragon Descent Blast)!" yelled Akira as he sent the combination of the two attacks crashing down on Domon, who was thrown out of the ring from the massive explosion that the barrier barely managed to contain. Akira flipped in mid-air and landed on a piece of arena tile jutting into the air, preventing himself from landing out of bounds as the crowd stared in shock. "Well?" the pig-tailed boy asked.
"I concede, you were prepared and had a trump card; that was my greatest technique and you matched it," said Domon as he climbed to his feet and bowed to Akira, the judges, and Mr. Announcer before walking towards the medical tent as Nabiki presented Akira with a small trophy featuring a crown over a fist.
(o0o0o)
As Domon reached the medical tent, he smirked as he saw Chibodee, Argo, and Sai Saici all huddling together. After getting himself checked over, Domon went to sit with them. "So, what do you all think of that Saotome kid?" he asked.
"Pretty good, especially since he beat all our special techniques," said Chibodee.
"I guess we'll have to see how Schwartz and George do in the male weapons division, and Allenby in the female fist division," said Sai as Argo simply nodded.
(o0o0o)
"Alright, I'm starving; let's eat!" exclaimed Akira as the rest of the group met up with him outside the fighters' locker room. Nabiki had announced the Queen of Fists tournament would take place the next day, stating the arena needed massive repairs.
"Not too surprising considering how much energy you used," said Miyuki with a smirk at her brother.
"That place looks good," said Ryeka as she pointed to a Mongolian barbeque restaurant. Everyone agreed and headed in, where they got to pile bowls with their choices of vegetables, meats, toppings, and sauces. Needless to say, Akira ate enough for three people with Naruto, Kimiko, and Miyuki coming in close behind him and the manager was seeing yen signs in his eyes as he took in the piles of bowls they produced. The meal was only over when Nabiki appeared and settled their tab so she could get them back to their hotel room.
"Alright, good show Akira. Tomorrow it's time for Hinata and Miyuki to get their chance to shine," said Nabiki once they were back in the room. "And Akira, your father was pretty annoyed that you used such big moves, so the rest of you better try to limit those over the next few days." With those instructions, Nabiki left them to contact her partner and check the ratings the global broadcast of the tournament were making.
(0o0o0)
"Welcome back everyone, today we will see who will be crowned Queen of Fists!" declared Nabiki the next morning. "The rules are the same as the previous day, so give it your all, girls!"
The board quickly started the matches off and Hinata tried to keep from fidgeting as she felt the eyes of the audience passing over her. She was dressed in a black fighting outfit that gave her freedom of movement but was baggy enough to not show off anything she wanted to keep covered (Tifa's Advent Children outfit). Next to her, Miyuki was wearing a sleeveless red bodysuit with black sides and sandals over her paw like feet. "Are you ready for this, Hinata?" asked Miyuki as Hinata's name came up. Compared to the number of boys, there were only 32 girls competing in the bare-handed section and the matches would be going much faster. Hinata found herself facing a girl who reminded her of Sakura before Kurenai broke her from her fangirl mode. This girl had long flowing hair and wore a karate outfit that to Hinata's eyes seemed to be made of silk and barely any sweat stains while a green body suit prevented any skin but her hands and face from being seen.
"If that girl is my opponent, I won't have any trouble," said Hinata as she made her way to the ring.
Hinata's opponent snorted as the Hyuuga girl entered the ring. "I am Suzuki Kumiko, heir of my family's school and this is my opponent? A little girl?" she said with a snort of disgust.
Mr. Referee gulped as he could practically feel Hinata's aura spike in irritation, and he hurriedly started the match and leapt back to give the girls room. Hinata sighed as Kumiko charged forward and danced aside from the punch that could she saw coming from a mile away. "Please take this seriously," said Hinata in an annoyed tone.
"You little brat!" shrieked Kumiko in a voice worthy of a Haruno woman in a foul mood before lashing out with a spin kick that Hinata easily deflected with one hand. Every one of Kumiko's attacks were either brushed aside or dodged with Hinata's typical grace.
"You're pathetic, you claim to be the heir of your family's school and yet your skill is such that everyone else must go easy on you and you have appeared stronger than you are," said Hinata calmly as Kumiko tried to catch her breath and wiped sweat from her forehead. "You're a disgrace to martial artists everywhere and your ancestors must be ashamed of you for getting so worked up from this little bit of activity. Let me cool you off!" Hinata made a lazy swing of her arm and a gust of wind swept Kumiko off her feet and over the edge of the ring. Hinata was rather pleased, she'd been trying to master the basics of wind chakra manipulation for the Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Empty Palm) technique and it had come in quite handy in this match. She ignored the shrieks of Kumiko declaring her a cheater and made her way to stand by Miyuki, who was laughing at the spoiled girl's antics.
"Way to go, Hinata; hope my next opponent isn't so easy," said the cat girl with a smile before turning to the screen as she heard her name announced. Making her way to the ring, she was pleased to see a relatively fit-looking girl with her blonde hair in a ponytail except for a rather large forelock that jutted up over her head and then trailed down to just between her eyes. The combat boots, camouflaged pants, tank top, and army vest the girl wore made her look somewhat intimidating and competent. According to the selection board, her name was Rachel Nash. Rachel smiled slightly as she sank into her own stance with her feet wide apart and her arms up to block. She only raised an eyebrow as Miyuki adopted a crouching stance with her front hands pawing the air. As soon as Mr. Referee gave the signal to start, Rachel charged forward and tried to sweep Miyuki's feet out from under her with a low kick that flowed into a spinning back hand to hit the cat girl as she hopped over the kick. Miyuki blocked the blow and lashed out with her own kick that caused Rachel to pull back to protect herself as well as let Miyuki get some more room.
"You're pretty good," said Rachel with a grin as Miyuki landed.
"And you're not so bad yourself," replied the cat girl before she flexed her legs and pounced at the taller girl. Rachel was forced to move back as Miyuki turned the missed pounce into a handstand and spun around on her hands a few times in an attempt to kick her before dropping back into her starting crouch stance. Rachel launched into her own attack with a punch followed by a side kick that she chained together a few times as Miyuki cart wheeled out of the way each time. The cat girl let out an "eep" as she found her foot half off the edge of the ring after her last dodge and flailed her arms for a second to regain her balance as Rachel leapt back a bit.
Miyuki's eyes widened as the blond snapped her arms forward with a cry of, "Sonic Boom!" as a spinning blade of energy shot from her arms towards Miyuki, who leapt high into the air to avoid it, only to see Rachel crouching down and tracking her movement. With a cry of "Flash Kick!" Rachel did a back flip that left a brief flash behind her foot as it connected with Miyuki, sending her flying away from the ring.
"And it looks like a ring out for Ms. Saotome!" Mr. Referee yelled before Miyuki flipped and aimed her hands at the ground.
"Mōko Takabisha!" yelled Miyuki as she shot the ki blast right at the ground and used it to rocket back into the air. She came down front paws first on Rachel and knocked the taller girl off her feet so they rolled across the ring together. However, Miyuki's flexibility was just enough that she was able to get her arms and legs together and deliver a two-fisted punch and a two-foot kick to Rachel's stomach that sent the taller girl staggering across the ring. Regaining her stance Miyuki pounced and landed on Rachel, pinning her to the ground as her claws were suddenly sprouting ki blades at Rachel's throat. The cat girl couldn't keep the cat that ate the canary grin from her face as she said, "Got ya!"
"I give!" gasped Rachel. "I think that last blow dislodged a rib!"
"Ms. Saotome is the winner by forfeit!" yelled Mr. Referee as a pair of medics rushed onto the ring and eased Rachel onto a stretcher with Miyuki's help. Miyuki bowed to the judges and made her way back to stand by Hinata.
"Very impressive display by both of you," said Hinata with a pout. "Why do you get the good fighter?"
"Luck of the draw," said Miyuki.
"Hey, look at her!" exclaimed Hinata as she pointed to a blue haired girl dressed in a sleeveless blue body suit, a pink vest and shoes, yellow gloves, and with a belt around her waist easily knocked her opponent out with a single punch to end the first round of matches.
"Awesome," said Miyuki with a low whistle of awe at how much power the young woman packed into her small frame.
To the surprise of both girls, the bluette made her way over to them with a smile as her match ended. "Hi, mind if I join the two of you?" she asked.
"Sure," said Hinata, smiling as the older girl sat down Indian style.
"The two of you were pretty impressive," said the older girl. "I'm Allenby Beardsley."
"I'm Hyuuga Hinata and this is Saotome Miyuki," said Hinata with a small bow as Miyuki nodded.
"Nice to meet ya," said Allenby with a smile.
After a few minutes of chatting, the board settled on Hinata's name and she stood up, only to blink as Allenby stood as well. "At least you're going to be more of a challenge than that spoiled brat," said Hinata.
"Count on it, but this is as far as you go in the tournament," said Allenby.
"Hinata Hyuuga vs. Allenby Beardsly, Hajime!" yelled Mr. Referee. The two exploded into action with Allenby lashing out with two rapid kicks that Hinata blocked followed by a series of rapid punches that the Hyuuga Heiress weaved through. Hinata launched her own rapid series of blows with the same result and Allenby launched a series of kicks that Hinata avoided by dashing around behind the older girl, only to have to duck under a rear kick. Hinata went for a palm strike that Allenby twisted around followed by two kicks she had to practically drop to the ground to avoid before leaping clear.
"You're good!" exclaimed Allenby with a grin that Hinata returned. Both girls launched a kick and their feet collided and sent a shockwave through the arena. Breaking apart, the two leapt towards each other arms flying in a series of rapid punches before they had past one another and landed on the ground.
"Let's take it up a notch!" said Hinata with a smirk before pumping chakra to her legs to boost her speed as she seemed to vanish, only for Allenby to use ki to keep up with her. The two exchanged a series of high speed blows, only appearing for split seconds as they blocked or countered attacks. Finally the two landed back in their original positions, the only signs of their high speed combat some tears in their outfit and a few light bruises.
"Time for the big guns!" said Allenby with a grin. Energy formed between her hands and became an energy chakram that she tossed at Hinata.
Hinata's eyes widened at the energy disk and she quickly raised her hand as she said, "Chakura no Mesu!" and engulfed her hand in the medical technique. With a swipe of her hand, Hinata slashed Allenby's attack in half and it slammed into the barrier around the ring where it dissipated.
"Wow, I've never seen that before!" exclaimed Allenby before a whip of ki formed from her hands and lashed out at Hinata in a spiral. Hinata leapt clear of the attack, before suddenly darting forward and tapping Allenby's hands with a finger each. Allenby's eyes widened as her whip sputtered and died. "How the heck did you do that?" she demanded.
"Family technique," said Hinata with a Hyuuga smirk as Allenby tried to form another ki chakram, only to have the energy sputter out in her hands. "You won't be able to channel any ki outside your body for a few hours."
"Then I'll just have to pummel you into submission!" declared Allenby as she charged at Hinata, only to go right through her and tumble off the stage with a yelp of surprise as she hit the ground outside the ring and rolled to a stop facing back at the ring in a handstand. "Huh?" asked Allenby as she looked for Hinata
"Bunshin no Jutsu!" said Hinata from her place on one of the barrier pillars before leaping back to the ring floor as Mr. Referee declared her the winner.
"Good match!" said Allenby with a grin once she picked herself up and shook Hinata's hand before making her way out of the arena.
(0o0o0)
Allenby sighed as she finished getting dressed after a quick shower and made her way to a hotel where she took the elevator to the top floor and swiped a card key at the penthouse suite. There Chibodee, Sai Saici, Argo, Domon, and another man and woman waited for her. "Well?" asked the woman, who was dressed in a military uniform with her long green hair falling to the small of her back and a small quirt in her hands.
"That Hinata girl looks soft and gentle, but she's had some serious training, definitely in ninjutsu and possibly some pressure point techniques since my ki isn't flowing quite right," said Allenby as she threw herself into a chair with a sigh.
"This is not good, we only have two chances to get our people into the final round so we can impress the target and get invited to her facility," said the woman.
"Calm down Natasha, Schwartz and George shouldn't have a problem," said Domon.
"Considering that a sixteen-year-old took down four of you in a row I think I have a right to be worried," growled Natasha as she bent the quirt enough it looked like it would break in a second.
(0o0o0)
Miyuki pouted as she walked away from the ring. Her next match had promised to be good; the girl had appeared competent and eager to fight, only for her eyes to start watering as she approached Miyuki. It had only been Hinata darting in to stabilize her that had kept the unfortunate girl from going into shock after Miyuki's first punch put way to much cat hair in her face. A frantic Miyuki had leapt back and babbled in horror and Hinata and medics rushed the girl out of the arena where her parents arrived to give her some medicine.
"Sorry your match ended so badly," said Hinata as she walked up to her friend.
"I know, she wasn't up to our level but she had obviously trained hard and had a decent grasp of her style to make it this far," said Miyuki.
Hinata nodded, before wincing as she watched four names appear on the announcement board for the semi-final rounds. "Looks like it's me, you, and two others…" Hinata trailed off as an announcement revealed one of the girls was unable to continue due to sustained injuries and Miyuki would be facing Hinata in ten minutes. "Oh boy," said Hinata.
(0o0o0)
Ten minutes later, Hinata and Miyuki were facing one another across the ring.
"No going easy on one another, right?" asked Hinata as they shut out the sound of Nabiki doing their intro to the crowd.
"Right," said Miyuki as both girls assumed their stances.
As Mr. Referee started to raise his hand, both girls exploded into motion, Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken clashing with Hakke Rokujūyon Shō. Both girls skidded apart from the force of the attacks, having met blow for blow. Blue ki claws burst out of Miyuki's knuckles as Hinata covered her hands in two chakra lion heads and they leapt into the air and landed on opposite sides of the ring with their backs to one another. Hinata's top suddenly ripped into shreds, leaving her in just the kunoichi chain mesh shirt she had put on for protection while Miyuki's leotard had two bite marks torn out of it. Spinning on their heels, the two girls launched themselves forward for another high speed clash with their respective rapid strike techniques. However, this time Hinata managed to shut off a few of Miyuki's Tenketsu, affecting the cat girl's ki flow. Hinata went for a palm heel strike that Miyuki flipped over and countered with a kick. Hinata was forced to block since Miyuki's legs were longer than her arms and the cat girl curled herself into a ball as she spun to deliver another kick at Hinata that slipped through and sent the younger girl skidding back and grasping her ribs. Miyuki pounced forward as soon as she landed trying to land another blow, but Hinata had only pretended to be hurt and landed a rapid series of gentle fist strikes as soon as Miyuki was committed to her attack. Miyuki stumbled to the ground and Hinata leapt up to finish the fight.
"Tsūtenkyaku!" yelled Hinata, her foot glowing with chakra.
"Shishkabob!" gasped Miyuki as she used her hands to launch herself up in a rising kick that struck Hinata in the chest and avoided the chakra enhanced kick. Hinata tumbled to the ground as Miyuki collapsed, neither one moving for a second before Hinata slowly climbed to her feet.
"She passed out, that last kick was too much for her," gasped Hinata as she tapped a few pressure points and Tenketsu to ease Miyuki's recovery, causing the cat girl to regain consciousness.
Mr. Referee coughed before saying, "Um, girls, I never even said start yet," causing both girls to blush before he announced Hinata as the winner.
(0o0o0)
Hinata eyed her final opponent, who was already waiting for her and Hinata was pleased to see the girl wore a red gi that with matching pants to cover her legs with a black belt, a pair of white fighting gloves, white boots, and had her black hair cut short but styled into two buns like Tenten while holding it out of her eyes with a red headband. "You look like you've got some skill," said Hinata as she sank into the standard Jyuuken stance. "Let's see if it fares well against my family's Jyuuken."
"I should think so, my mother and father have passed both their fighting styles down to me," said the girl as she bounced on her toes while keeping her left arm up in front of her body and the right at her waist. "My name is Lin-li, I practice Tai-chi, Chinese kempo, and a variation on Ansatsuken style."
"Lin-li vs Hyuuga Hinata, HAJIME!" yelled Mr. Announcer. Both girls stayed still for a moment before exploding into action in a blur of punches, kicks, and blocks that were so closely matched it appeared more like a dance. After testing their offense and defense for a few moments, the two broke apart for a second.
"Hyaku Retsushō (Hundred Furious Palms)!" yelled Hinata as her palms started to blur.
"Hyakuretsukyaku (Hundred Rending Leg)!" countered Lin-li as she stood on one leg and her other leg became a blur.
The two techniques clashed and a series of small sonic booms were produced from the speed of the two colliding. Even so, some blows from each slipped through and both girls jerked from the impact of rapid strikes when they broke apart; it was clear both girls had taken some damage but the majority of the blows had collided and canceled each other out.
"Impressive, both of them only landed ten glancing blows," said Ranma.
"And they each launched a hundred attacks," Kenichi agreed.
"Hey Saotome, where have I seen Lin-li's attack before?" asked Nabiki quietly with her eyes narrowed. "And that Nash girl had a style that I just can't figure out."
"Later, Nabiki, they're about to go at it again!" said Ranma, his eyes locked on Hinata and Lin-li. Hinata had a chakra shroud shaped like a lion around each hand while Lin-li was gathering energy in her hands.
"Kikoken!" yelled Lin-li as she leaned back a bit before thrusting her left palm out to shoot a small energy blast at Hinata, who tensed before darting forward.
"Jūho Sōshiken (Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists)!" yelled Hinata as she punched through the energy blast with one of the lion heads and both attacks dispersed, however the second one was still strong and heading right for Lin-li.
The bun-haired girl reared back on her right leg with her left up in the air before thrusting her palms forward with a cry of "Kikou Shou!" A massive energy sphere formed in front of her palms and a larger one that covered Lin-li forming a foot in front of her just in time to block Hinata's attack. The lion head quickly faded away from the concussive force Lin-li was exerting and Hinata slammed into it at full speed.
"Hakkeshō Kaiten!" yelled Hinata as she threw herself into a spin, releasing a dome of chakra that clashed with Lin-li's technique. After a few seconds, the two clashing techniques reached a critical point and both girls were sent flying back as the techniques destabilized and exploded. Hinata used chakra to stop long before she could skid out of the ring, but Lin-li was dizzy from her technique and barely managed to recover in time to stop herself from losing by ring out.
"Time to kick it up a notch!" yelled Lin-li as she charged at Hinata, who prepared to meet her attack head on. "Spinning bird kick!" yelled the bun-haired girl as she leapt into the air and landed on her hands and spun her legs like helicopter blades to kick Hinata several times, with the force of the second kick breaking Hinata's guard. Flipping upright, Lin-li leapt forward with a cry of "Tatsumaki!" as she spun in mid air three times. Hinata was hit by all three kicks and sent flying out of the ring, only to be enveloped in a cloud of smoke that a log shot out of and imbedded itself in the arena wall, narrowly missing the top of Mr. Announcer's head.
The real Hinata appeared above Lin-li and brought her heel down with a cry of, "Tsūtenkyaku (Painful Sky Leg)!" Lin-li wasn't able to withstand the attack was engulfed in a massive dust cloud. As it cleared, she was revealed face down in the crater Hinata's attack had created.
"Lin-li is down!" yelled Mr. Announcer. "One, two, three, four, five, six, sev…" he trailed off as the bun haired girl stirred and pulled herself to her feet before shaking her head to help her clear it.
"If its kicks you want, try this! Tenshokyaku!" yelled Lin-li as she leapt at Hinata with a high kick before spinning in mid air to deliver one after another. Hinata managed to block each kick, but with the last one Lin-li pushed herself back to the ground as Hinata continued to rise, allowing the bun haired girl to land and set up for her next attack before Hinata could recover. Lin-li's cry of "Shoryuken!" as she lunged into the air to slam her fist into Hinata's stomach was the only sound heard in the stadium as the crowd waited to see who would win. Lin-li dropped back to the ground and landed on her feet, but Hinata fell down and landed, however she proved her skill as she turned that into a roll that brought her to her feet on the opposite side of the ring.
"Ouch," muttered Hinata, her hands glowing with healing chakra as she mended the damage Lin-li had dealt her.
"You're tougher than you look," said Lin-li as she braced herself and held her hands at waist level as energy gathered between her palms. "But you're a close range defensive fighter, you've neglected to prepare for long range attacks like this!" the bun-haired girl thrust her hands forward with a cry of "Hadoken!" as a large blue fireball shot across the ring at Hinata.
Hinata's Byakugan stared at the incoming attack for a second before she dashed forward and slammed an open palmed hand into the front of the fireball. Lin-li's mouth dropped open as the Bluette punched through the attack and crossed the ring in seconds, slamming a glowing palm into her stomach. "How?" gasped the bun-haired girl as she collapsed to the ground.
"One weakness of ki techniques is someone with enough control over their own ki can find a weak point in them and break through to hit their opponent," said Hinata. "And that last strike will disrupt your ki flow; you're done."
"Hai, I concede the match," said Lin-li.
"Winner, Hyuuga Hinata, our new Queen of Fists!" yelled Mr. Announcer as the crowd cheered, especially as Naruto hurled himself to the arena floor and ran to pull Hinata into a hug and kiss.
"I knew you could do it, Hinata-chan!" he yelled happily before realizing his fiancé was slumped in his arms, her body finally shutting down to recharge. "Hehehe, sweet dreams, Hime," said Naruto as he carried her back to the rest of the group in the bleachers.
(0o0o0)
Alright, a few cameos this time around, and a few OCs based off of characters from a certain famous fighting series. I enjoyed writing this chapter, and the next one promises to be a blast to write as well.