Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its component characters. trademarks, etc. Nor do I own any of the other works that are crossed or referenced in this story, either explicitly or implicitly stated to be such works. This includes, but is not limited to, Avatar, X-men, and Magic the Gathering. This story is the first part in a three story arc involving a multiverse. The entire three part story is hereby known as "The Phoenix."
Chapter 21: The Real Challenge Begins
Uchiha Sasuke
VS
Shinomori Tsubaki
Everyone around the room blinked, making sure that they were reading the screen right. While the first match up settled into everyone's minds the two chosen contestants were sharing a very long and very fierce glare.
Despite his problems, Uchiha Sasuke was no idiot. He had seen the way that black-haired Nagareboshi girl had been behaving around Sora. He knew that by beating her he would practically guarantee himself a fight with the mysterious Nagareboshi genin. At that moment Uchiha Sasuke vowed that he would defeat Tsubaki, whatever it took.
"Ok, if you will all please move to the observation balconies we will begin this match." Genma said, his senbon needle wobbling up and down as he spoke.
Everyone except Sasuke, Tsubaki, and the referee Genma moved towards the balconies. As he walked past Sasuke Kakashi paused and gave him a warning to not use the Sharingan, or the cursed seal would activate. Tsubaki was too busy speaking with her sensei as well to notice the fierce glare Sasuke sent towards her.
Naruto was surprised to note that the members of the two Nagareboshi teams had both moved to the opposite balcony from the Konoha teams. They were apparently the only genin not freaked out by Gaara, that strange Suna nin. In fact, Naruto would almost say that Sora and Ren, the two who actually risked standing next to the creepy genin, seemed almost at ease with his presence. It was giving him a headache just thinking about it.
As Naruto finished climbing the steps and leant against the railing in between the two most important girls in his life he noticed that the blue-haired kunoichi who was apparently the Jounin for Tsubaki's team whispered something to the girl before turning and walking up the stairs to join the rest of her team. He noticed that Tsubaki was clenching and unclenching her fists and seemed to almost be visibly shaking with annoyance.
Little did Naruto know that Shinomori Tsubaki had just been ordered to not reveal the abilities that would have guaranteed her victory in the match. Thus Tsubaki was not feeling very generous, and intended to do her best to cause as much pain as possible to the Uchiha.
When the floor had finally been cleared of the gathered proctors, instructors, and participants, Tsubaki and Sasuke took their places opposite one another on the floor. Genma stood on the raised platform in front of the statue while Sasuke and Tsubaki squared off. The last loyal Uchiha moved into a stance with both hands held out in front of him, kunai gripped tightly. He narrowed his eyes and glared at his opponent.
She will fall before me. He thought in the darkness that was his mind.
Across from him Tsubaki stood in a much more relaxed pose. Despite her obvious annoyance with something she had stood in a meditative state, both her hands held palms together in front of her, and her eyes closed as she breathed deeply. Around her forearms a pair of seals pulsed, almost begging to be used, but she resisted the temptation. She would fight this battle entirely based on the element of shadow alone.
After Genma reiterated the rules, which both combatants paid only minor attention to, the Chunin stepped back and brought his hands together in a single seal.
"Begin." His voice said as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, reappearing closer to the statue and out of harms way.
Genma had hardly finished speaking when a pair of kunai flew across the room at lightning speed, spot on for Tsubaki's face. Sasuke smirked as the girl remained absolutely motionless as the blades reached for her, ready to draw her blood.
His smirk was immediately replaced with a look of shock as the two kunai flew through the girl's head and embedded them selves in the wall behind her. Tsubaki's form had dissolved into flowing shadow around the blade, dropping to the floor in a puddle. Belatedly Sasuke leapt into the air and landed on the wall behind him, sticking to it with chakra. A massive spike of black shadows had risen right where he had been standing mere moments before. As he watched the shadow resolved itself into the figure of Tsubaki, her eyes still closed.
In the balcony above Shikamaru's eyes had widened as he witnessed Tsubaki perform Kagesekijun and Kage ni Ugoki, two legendary shadow techniques. While records claimed that one of the founders of the Nara Clan had been capable of such feats, the ability had not been seen in generations.
"Damn. I almost had you there. I guess the vaunted Uchiha reputation exists for a reason after all." Tsubaki said calmly, not really speaking to anyone in particular.
Tsubaki cocked her head to the right and smiled, allowing a thrown shuriken from a now quite angry Sasuke to fly past harmlessly.
"Is that all you have, Uchiha? Or are you going to actually get serious and give me some fun?" Tsubaki taunted the Uchiha heir.
In the balconies above both Sora and Naruto were silently cheering the girl on. Hinata and Ino on the other hand were praying that Sasuke would receive a certain…'disfiguring' injury. Tsubaki's shadow spike had come damn close to doing just that.
Sasuke moved faster than either of his teammates had thought he could, performing a series of hand seals and breathing in deeply.
"Goukakyu no Jutsu!!"
Sasuke spat out a massive fireball towards Tsubaki, but the black-haired girl easily dodged it. It didn't even singe her purple and black shinobi uniform. It did however buy Sasuke time to go on the offensive. Tsubaki landed after her roll only to find Sasuke's foot swinging up into her chest. She barely managed to bring her arms into a cross position before the blow connected, throwing her back across the room.
Sasuke wisely didn't let up. Before Tsubaki hit the ground he was already racing towards her, firing off a second Goukakyu no Jutsu. Tsubaki rolled into a standing position as she hit the ground. Having heard Sasuke's attack called out again she channeled as much chakra as she could into her arms and crossed them in front of her face, both encased in shadow.
When the flame cleared Sasuke smirked, pleased at the success of his attack. Tsubaki stood scorched, her arms still crossed and breathing heavily. Finally she lowered her arms, revealing her glare, fierce as any cornered or angry animal, and her hair, the ends of which were still smoldering.
"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Tsubaki screamed, her eyes seemingly practically alight with rage.
Sasuke smirked again and prepared to attack when suddenly Tsubaki wasn't there any more. Sasuke flew backwards into the wall as Tsubaki's kick connected with his solar plexus. He hit the wall so hard it left a faint impression as he fell, dropping to his knees and coughing up some blood.
How-how the hell did she move that fast? Her speed was faster than Rock Lee's! Sasuke's eyes were wide in shock and surprise as the absolutely furious Tsubaki stalked towards him.
"I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF YOU LITTLE SHIT!! NOW GET UP AND TAKE YOUR BEATING LIKE A REAL MAN!!!"
Sasuke struggled to stand under the effect of Tsubaki's killing intent. It was no where near as strong as that snake freak in the forest had possessed, but it was still enough that he was shivering in fear.
Tsubaki reached her hands around to her back and took hold of the rings of her oversized curve shuriken drawing them both fluidly and opening them with a snap. In the balconies above several Konoha Jounin were preparing to step in. This girl clearly intended to meet out her threats on Sasuke. Some of the Jounin were merely being conscientious guardians for the genin. Hatake Kakashi was worried what the council would think if the last Uchiha lost. He would step in even if Sasuke's life was in danger and claim it was.
"I won't be defeated." Sasuke spat out, spitting up a little more blood.
Damn, she really got me good with that kick. I can't afford to take another blow like that. I need to end this fast. I know Kakashi warned me not to use that seal. It extracts my chakra and tries to take over my mind. But if I can finish this quickly it won't matter.
His mind made up, Uchiha Sasuke reached for his Sharingan, his eyes turning red and two black tomoe spinning in his eyes.
"YOUR PATHETIC KEKKEI GENKAI WON'T SAVE YOU NOW BASTARD!! YOU RUINED MY HAIR!!! AND I HAVE A DATE AFTER THIS!!!" Tsubaki screamed.
She got within four feet of Sasuke and then suddenly seemed to shift, crossing the distance in an instant and grabbing the Uchiha heir by the throat and slamming him against the wall. Sasuke's wince of pain as the seal on his neck activated went unnoticed by everyone as it was concealed by his pain from being thrust into the wall.
"Then my condolences, but you won't be making that date." Sasuke said darkly.
Tsubaki noticed the red markings that seemed to be growing along Sasuke's body away outward from his neck too late to end things. Before she could react Sasuke brought one hand up and grabbed the arm that was holding him against the wall, squeezing. Tsubaki cried out in pain as a resounding crack echoed around the room as Sasuke broke her arm, freeing himself. Around the room people either winced in pain, cheered Sasuke on (a certain pink-haired kunoichi), or narrowed their eyes. Sora had heard the crack, but the cry of pain told him even without being able to see that Tsubaki was in pain,
The Uchiha heir wasn't finished there. Before anyone could react he crouched and kicked Tsubaki in the chest again, sending her flying into the air. Leaping after her Sasuke provided a one-two punch to her lower back and then spun delivering one final kick that sent her plummeting to the ground where she lay still.
Genma had barely finished declaring the Uchiha the winner when Sora appeared at Tsubaki's side in a burst of flame. In the balcony above Shikamaru looked very disappointed that the shadow user had lost, and maybe even slightly jealous that she was apparently already involved with someone.
As the medic nins arrived with a stretcher to carry of Tsubaki, whose side Sora almost refused to leave, Kakashi lead Sasuke away into the tower. The Uchiha may have refused to withdraw due to the seal, but Kakashi could now take the time to properly apply a seal to keep it under control. Their exit went unnoticed by all but the Jounin instructor of the Oto nin.
Sora on the other hand wanted to go with Tsubaki to keep an eye on her, but the shadow wielder, who had managed to regain consciousness, practically ordered her boyfriend to remain.
"Stay Sora. Win your fight and then come be by my side. But I won't have you missing your chance because of pity for me. You're stronger than that. I'M stronger than that." Tsubaki spoke softly but firmly.
She reached up with her one good arm and stroked Sora's cheek. Sora covered her hand with his own and kissed her palm before standing.
"I'll win my fight, love, then I will rejoin you. Stay well until my return."
Sora vanished in a flash of flame, reappearing on the balcony above. Tsubaki giggled at her boyfriend's antics before wincing in pain again. On the balconies above the other genin all stood quietly, nervous and anxious for the next fight. When Tsubaki had finally been carried out by the medic-nins Genma coughed to get their attention and then motioned towards the board above his head.
The screen again began to glow and everyone held their breath as they awaited the announcement of the second match. Finally, two names flashed across the board.
Ameshira Nobu
Vs
Yamanaka Ino
Ino blinked and then looked across the room to try to figure out which one was her opponent. When she saw the short Nagareboshi boy with the cobalt-blue hair and the odd metal flask on his back begin to walk towards the stairs she got her answer.
"Don't worry love, you'll do great." Naruto said, hugging Ino from behind and kissing her on the cheek. "And after we get through this, the three of us will take a nice long shower to get clean and then spend the entire day tomorrow in bed. How does that sound?"
Ino giggled and blushed slightly at her boyfriend's suggestion. He had certainly gotten more forward in their sexual activities, but she blamed that on Hinata's and her own sex drives. Naruto was just responding to what he knew they wanted.
"Thanks Naruto." Ino said with a smile as she turned to walk towards the ground below. As she began to head down the steps she noticed that Nobu had a harsh look on his face and that the two otters she had last seen him with had disappeared.
No, wait, there they are. I wonder why he left them up on the balcony. Is he honestly that confident in his abilities that he won't use every advantage he has? Ino wondered as she reached the base of the stairs and walked to stand opposite of the blue-haired boy.
"Fuh. I'm fighting one of that bastard's fangirls." Nobu growled out harshly.
Ino was taken aback by the absolute hate ridden glare the boy was sending her.
"I swear. For what that bastard did to Tsubaki, I am going to cause you a world of hurt Konoha-teme." Nobu growled through clenched teeth as he went into a crouch.
Ino blinked in honest surprise before Nobu's words sank in. Angrily she shouted back at the foreign shinobi.
"Hey, that bastard's no friend of mine either! The last time he even dared get near me Hinata and I put him in the hospital with crushed testicles!"
Nobu's reaction was no what anyone expected. The blue-haired boy paused. He blinked. And then he visibly relaxed and began to smile. Needless to say Ino Yamanaka was confused.
"Oh, well that changes things then. I can relax and enjoy a friendly match rather than trying to punish you. I guess not all of you Konoha shinobi are bastards after all."
Genma coughed to regain their attention.
"Now, you know the rules. Begin." Genma moved to safety as soon as he had finished speaking.
Everyone in the balconies watched as Ino and the blue-haired genin began to circle one another warily. Neither had any idea what to expect from the other, so they were noticeably being careful. Finally Ino got an idea. Moving quickly she brought her hands together and performed a set of hand seals. She remained silent however, causing the gathered viewers to wonder what she was up to. Nobu on the other hand had recognized the series of hand seals and possessed a small smirk.
A moment after Ino finished the jutsu the chamber suddenly became obscured by a thick fog. In the balcony the members of those teams who had not yet encountered the jutsu squeaked in surprise as the cold mist enveloped them. Within the darkness of the mist Ino smirked and performed a second jutsu, again doing so silently.
Around the blond a ring of water condensed and floated for a few seconds before expanding outward at a rapid pace into the mists. A second later she heard an out of place splash as the water connected with her opponent.
Gotcha.
Acting within the mist faster than anyone could expect Ino performed a large Suiton: Teppoudama and let it fly. She cursed silently though and dodged to the side as the splash had all the characteristics of it hitting a flat wall.
Nobu's chuckling voice was suddenly heard echoing through out the room.
"Just my luck, a fellow Suiton user." His voice said. Ino looked around anxiously trying to pinpoint the source. "I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to end this farce quickly. Please try not to think too badly of me."
Ino was still trying to figure out where he was coming from when the mist around her suddenly flowed away from her, condensing into flowing streams of water that moved and swam through the air. Ino would almost have thought they were pretty, if they hadn't then proceeded to slam towards her. The blond girl barely managed to dodge the first two, but the third caught her firmly in the chest and slammed her hard against the wall.
On the balconies above the 'watchers' heard Ino's gasp as the air was forced from her lungs by the impact. Below, Ino was held tightly against the wall by a set of constant flowing streams of water pressure. Nobu's chuckle drew her gaze upward, and Ino watched as the blue-haired shinobi walked out of the mist. She noticed that the flask on his back appeared to have been opened, and several rings of water were flowing around him in a costant steady pace. She saw that his hands were not in a hand seal like she expected, but rather moving and swirling around one another in an odd sort of dance.
"I am sorry, but I need a chance to avenge my teammate, and the only way to do that is to reach the finals. I hope you can understand." He said calmly as he approached. "Either you can surrender now, or I can put you into unconsciousness. As the unconsciousness route will involve drowning you, it is highly advised that you just announce your surrender. It will cause you less pain and me less guilt."
Genma stood nearby in the mists. It was clear to him that Ino had lost, so if Nobu actually moved to drown her he would step in and declare Nobu the winner. But not before. Otherwise he him self would be in violation of the rules.
Nobu paused just outside of Ino's reach and stared into the eyes of the struggling kunoichi. After several long moments he replied.
"You won't give up, even when your defeat is imminent. That's commendable. For that I'll knock you out quickly." Nobu said as he drew a pair of metal balls from his pocket and tossed them into the air. "Kussetsumizu: Kuroi."
As Nobu spoke softly he performed a single hand seal, and two of the swirls of water around him swept up and grabbed the metal balls. They were thrust forward and slammed against Ino's temples. The blond dropped immediately into blissful unconsciousness.
Genma stepped forward and confirmed this state for a moment.
"The winner is Ameshira Nobu via a knock out."
On the balconies above Naruto and Hinata gasped, letting out breaths they hadn't even been aware they had been holding. They knew that the Nagareboshi genin were good, but they hadn't even been able to see the match thanks to all the mists Ino had summoned. A few moments later the mists in the room vanished in a rush of wind as Ameshira Nobu opened his flask again, the seals of the flask activating with a bit of chakra and doing what they were designed to do, drawing in and trapping the water in the air.
The blue-haired shinobi surprised both Hinata and Naruto by staying by Ino's side until the medic-nins arrived to take her away. Hinata and Naruto both wanted to rush to Ino's side, to remain with her until she regained consciousness, but they both knew that Ino would never forgive her self if they missed their matches because of her. They both silently prayed as the blond kunoichi was removed from the room and Ameshira Nobu walked sedately back to the top of the opposing balcony.
Nobu was suffering through some very loud congratulations from his teammate Akane and the blond genin from Sora's team when a beeping sound alerted everyone to the board above displaying the next match. Naruto looked up and had to snort. The two combatants were not going to like this. Nope, not one bit.
Inuzuka Kiba watched with barely controlled excitement as Ino was removed from the room on a stretcher. Even though he hadn't really been able to witness the second match, it appeared that that Nobu boy had pulled out some spectacular tricks to beat Ino. Kiba had to admit that Ino was as strong as she was good looking, at least compared to her fellow kunoichi, but these Nagareboshi genin were on a whole new level.
Even though he had won, it had been clear that Uchiha Sasuke had suffered an immense amount of damage from Tsubaki's attack. Just a single attack at that. And those cool shadow abilities she had used at first, those were so far beyond anything he had witnessed Shikamaru perform. Not that he had managed to get the lazy boy to show him much of anything. In fact, the only ability he had gotten Shikamaru to show him was because Shikamaru had used the Kagemane no Jutsu on him to get him to shut up and watch the clouds.
He returned his attention to Nobu as the boy reached his friends, receiving exuberant congratulations from the blond kid and a kiss on the cheek from Akane. For some reason Kiba couldn't place he almost felt jealous of the boy when that happened. Almost. As much as an Inuzuka could be jealous of someone being kissed by that-that damn cat woman.
A sudden beeping sound alerted Kiba to the third match being declared, so he lazily allowed his gaze to drift up to the board. When he saw what was displayed he blinked. And blinked again. Then rubbed his eyes and looked again. Finally he just stood there in shock with his jaw dropped for several long moments.
"WHAT THE HELL!?!?!" Two voices rang out from opposite sides of the room as what they were seeing finally sank in.
Displayed on the board were the last two names anyone expected to be used together in the same sentence.
Inuzuka Kiba
VS
Nekozuka Akane
On the Konoha side of the room a brown spiky-haired boy let out an exasperated mutter of "Troublesome" as Kiba continued to sputter for several seconds before giving it up as a lost cause and leaping over the railing to reach the floor as quickly as possible. Akamaru leapt from atop his head as soon as they landed and barked loudly as the cat user walked slowly down the steps from her balcony.
As she did so Kiba had to admit that she was attractive. Hell, if it hadn't been for the damn cat scent about her he'd likely have tried to maneuver her into the sack.
At this point it should be mentioned that Kiba was still confused by Akane's actions back during the first exam. He still had no idea if the cat user was just messing with him, or if she actually had an interest in him.
"Well Inu, you ready to get your ass handed to you?" Akane asked haughtily as she stretched. Her two partners, both slightly larger than Akamaru, stood to either side of her and seemed to be stretching out themselves.
"Yeah right! You and those damn cats of yours are going down bitch, hard!" Kiba called back, growling and crouching, waiting for Genma to start the match.
Akane chuckled and reached up over her shoulder and grabbed a hold of the blade, her hand forming a single seal and holding it before her. As Genma reiterated the rules, just for safety's sake, Kiba narrowed his eyes and wondered just what was up with that big ass sword. It was so large it would certainly be a hindrance to her if she used it to fight him.
"Now that you have been reminded of the rules, begin!"
As soon as Genma had spoken Akane narrowed her eyes and focused her chakra through the one handed seal.
"Kai!" She called out, tightening her grip on the handle of her sword and drawing it from her back in one fluid motion, the red wrapping flaring out in a spiral around her, combining with the sudden puffs of smoke emanating from her two feline partners to obscure her for a few moments.
When the smoke cleared a few moments later Kiba gulped and swallowed. Standing before him were two very large and very fierce looking jungle cats. Ketsueki Kiba now stood to Akane's left, several times larger than a full grown adult, growling and crouched low, his mottled coat glistening. To her right stood Panthera, who was even larger than Ketsueki Kiba. Her pure black coat seemed to absorb all light that fell upon it, causing her to almost appear to be made up of shadow.
And Akane herself stood in crouch, but her massive sword was nowhere to be found. Instead, she had a pair of blood-red nekode claws on her hands, the metal seeming to almost flow red in the light illuminating the chamber.
"Let's do this." She said calmly.
Suddenly her two partners leapt forward, racing towards Kiba in a pincer maneuver. Kiba reacted quickly despite his fear and tossed a special food pill to Akamaru before swallowing one himself. Akamaru's fur turned red and the two dodged the attack of the two large jungle cats, Akamaru landing on Kiba's back as the latter crouched.
"Juujin Bunshin!" Kiba cried out.
The still stationary Akane watched as a massive burst of smoke surrounded Kiba and Akamaru, revealing as it dissipated a pair of feral looking Kiba's. Akane smirked and her two partners stopped moving, remaining crouched and ready to attack on her command.
"Ah, the infamous Juujin Bunshin. Now I can enjoy myself. Panthera, Ketsueki, you can tell which one is the runt. Keep him occupied while I enjoy a match with his master."
Akane brought her clawed hands together and closed her eyes focusing for a moment as her two partners drove one of the clones away towards the far side of the room, keeping him occupied in a feral taijutsu assault. As the observers watched, the claws began to glow with a reddish light that seemed to be tinted with bursts of black shadow. After a few moments Akane opened her eyes and her hands closed together in a single seal.
"Kuraikage no aru Yoru: Ketsueki Tsume!!" She cried out, her voice cracking as chakra pulsed down her arms and into the glowing claws.
Still roaring, Akane leapt forward towards Kiba and slashed downward with her claws. Kiba barely managed to dodge aside as a massive set of red chakra blades extended from Akane's claws and slashed through the ground where he had stood. Kiba tried to rush Akane from the flank but the kunoichi merely roared again and flipped to the side, lashing out again with her claws.
This time Kiba got caught by the strike and was tossed across the room, rolling to avoid the brunt of the attack. Growling he got to his feet.
"That's it! You're dead bitch!!"
Kiba crouched and began to focus his chakra.
"To me Akamaru!"
Akane blinked in surprise as Akamaru managed to leap away from Panthera and Ketsueki Kiba and land by Kiba's side.
"Gatsuuga!!!" The inu-genin cried out both him and Akamaru leaping forward and spinning, turning into two massive drills headed straight for Akane.
The Nagareboshi kunoichi smirked as the spinning attacks sped towards her.
"Time to kick it up a notch. KURAIKAGE NO ARU YORU: KAMIKAZE HAJIME NO GAKUSHOU!!"
In the balcony above Naruto noticed the eyes of the opposing Nagareboshi genin all widen, just before they all ducked down away from the railing. Naruto barely had time to utter an "oh shit" and pull Hinata back from the edge when the chakra Akane had just channeled was released.
Akane suddenly began spinning like a vortex, her claws held out to each side. As her spin increased in speed the first Gatsuuga hit, but the winds swirling around her merely deflected Kiba and Akamaru away harmlessly. The two landed and redirected their attack straight back at the spinning genin, intent on breaking through the field of wind. On the balcony above a single word was on the lips of several people, those who knew of the Hyuuga Clan's so-called 'ultimate defense'.
"Kaiten."
Within the dome of swirling wind Akane smirked, her eyes glowing a deep feral red.
Please, share more of your power with me. This isn't enough. Akane begged of the being that was housed within her.
Take it with my blessing child, and show this whelp just who the fuck you are.
Across the chamber Panthera roared as the swirling dome of wind suddenly glowed a deep blood red. Akane roared from within it and focused her attention fully on her two opponents.
Time to finish this!
Dark Shadow of the Night, Divine Wind of the Gods, Retribution!
"Kuraikage no aru Yoru: Kamikaze Chuutou no Gakushou!!" Akane roared.
The bubble of swirling wind and chakra around her burst, flaring out around the room, causing Genma to shunshin to safety and the gathered observers to duck down to protect themselves. Only the powerful spinning drill of Kiba and Akamaru's Gatsuuga protected the two from being slammed into the walls by the blasting slicing winds.
Now standing still in the center of the room as the winds raged around her Akane's grin darkened.
Now, finish them. I grow tired of this farce.
Akane couldn't agree more.
"Kuraikage no aru Yoru: Kamikaze Shuukyoku!!"
With her final cry Akane thrust her claws towards the two incoming Gatsuuga's. Around her arms the powerful slicing winds the filled the room focused and funneled, forming two powerful slicing drills of wind.
Kiba and Akamaru didn't stand a chance.
By the time the winds died down and the observers and referee could safely stand and look again Kiba and Akamaru were slumped against the wall, both unconscious. Akane stood in the middle of the room, her sword once again present on her back and wrapped in its red bindings. She was petting both of her large partners and purring contentedly along with them.
"Dammit Akane!! You could have given me more warning that you were going to use that technique!!"
Ren's domineering voice echoed around the room as the green-haired girl yelled at Akane. To everyone who looked it was clear that Ren's hair, which was currently frizzed up and blown every which way around her head, had certainly seen better days.
Akane merely looked up and shrugged before placing a hand on top of the heads of both of her partners. She muttered something that no one could hear and with a puff of smoke the too large jungle cats were back to their small, albeit still feral looking, forms. Both cats hopped onto Akane's shoulders as Genma announced her the winner finally and she began to walk up the stairs to rejoin her friends and teammates.
Back on the Konoha side of the room the reactions were mixed. Sakura was annoyed that the angry black-haired girl had hurt her teammate Kiba, while Hinata and was understandably impressed by her proving that kunoichi can be just as strong as their male counterparts. Chouji was wondering what the girl must eat to have become so strong and Shikamaru was busy trying to determine just how strong the other Nagareboshi genin were based off of what he had seen of their abilities so far and their team dynamics.
It wasn't looking good. Shikamaru prayed to Kami that he didn't end up matched up against one of the three remaining Nagareboshi genin, as he wasn't sure he would be able to beat them. In short, these preliminaries had become vary troublesome.
And Kurenai, Asuma, and Naruto were both wondering where the hell Kakashi was. The silver-haired Jounin should have been there to watch over and encourage his other two students. But instead he was who-knows-where sucking up to the dickless wonder.
A beeping alerted the gathered the attention of the adults and the increasingly nervous genin combatants to the board activating again. They all waited anxiously as it flashed a few times before finally displaying the next match up.
Akimichi Chouji
VS
Rock Lee
Everyone on the Konoha side of the room could practically hear the mantra of "troublesome" that had to be echoing around Nara Shikamaru's skull as his oversized teammated walked down to the floor below, following more sedately behind the extremely over energized Rock Lee. The former was finishing off a bag of chips while the latter kept on spouting random stuff about the "fires of youth." In the balcony above the Konoha Jounin all winced as Gai cheered on his student.
Genma coughed to get their attention and reiterated the rules. When he said begin both genin, surprisingly, were off like lighting.
Rock Lee rushed straight towards Chouji, but the bulkier boy had already performed his Multi-Size and Human Bullet Tank Techniques. Lee was forced to dodge to the side as the rapidly spinning ball of humanity rolled past him. Lee remained standing and watched as Chouji turned slowly in a circle to come back at him.
Unseen by those above Lee grinned. This would be a challenge. He just had to figure out a way to get a decisive hit in on the rotating boy.
As Chouji sped towards him Lee let out an extremely loud cry of "Yosh" before leaping into the air and spinning over Chouji. As the massive ball that was Chouji rolled beneath him Lee slammed his foot into him, delivering a kick that propelled him even faster towards the wall. However, rather than impact the wall and stick into it like most of those above expected, Chouji instead began to roll up the wall before he collided with the underside of the balcony, causing it to shudder as it redirected him and launched him out into mid air.
The next thing Chouji Akimichi knew Genma was declaring Rock Lee the winner as Chouji looked up into the faces of a worried Shino and Shikamaru, and the ceiling that lay beyond them.
"I guess I lost." Chouji said. His stomach growled, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Shino and a 'troublesome' from Shikamaru. "Hehe, anyone have any food?"
Everyone returned their attention to the board on the wall as Chouji's teammates helped him hobble up the stairs so he could watch the rest of the matches. Finally the fifth match was displayed.
Sabaku no Gaara
VS
Gouzenkaze Arashi
AN: And there you have it, the first set of matches for the preliminaries. Most of the matches that you have and will see in this were random pairings. Only a few matches were chosen to be in a specific order, due to matters of plot, and only one match was originally selected with both opponents chosen. All the others were names-in-a-hat method. Next chapter will heat up even more, as we have five fights, ending in a spectacular match up that while random I am quite looking forward to writing. Please remember to read and review, as reviews are the lifeblood of the creature that is known as Author. Next time on "Phoenix Rising", Chapter 22: The Demons Dance.
PS: Please enjoy the below Omake. I wrote it for shits and giggles.
Phoenix Rising Omake #2: Who the Fuck Do You Think We Are?
Kiba and Naruto stood side by side, breathing heavily as they faced the nigh indestructible juggernaut that stood before them, an Oto nin named Jirobu.
"Naruto, let's do "that"!" Kiba said with a determined look on his face.
"That?" Naruto replied, thinking for a moment. "Yes, "that" will be very interesting!"
"The two paths between human and beast," Kiba began, his chakra building. "Intertwine, to create the path of the Spiral!"
"Piercing destiny as yesterday's enemies, creating a new path towards the future with these hands!" Naruto cried out as his right hand began to glow with a swirl of chakra, a rasengan forming in his palm.
The two Konoha Shinobi cried out in unison as they leapt forward, both becoming enveloped in swirling drills of chakra and power.
"THE UNION OF FATE GATSUUGA-RASENGAN!!"
The two drills slammed into the massive Jirobu, penetrating every Doton defense he tried to throw up.
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"
Technique Names – Because admit it, you want to know where my mind comes up with these crazy things.
Kagesekijun no Jutsu--Shadow Stalagmite Technique/ This technique uses the shadow abilities of the Shinomori clan to attack from within their own shadow while using Ugoki ni Kage no Jutsu. Only masters of Ugoki ni Kage can perform it, as the chakra control required to form and control the shadows as a physical weapon. The major flaw of this technique is because it forces the manifestation of the user from the shadows, leaving them vulnerable to counter attack. (C-Class Ninjutsu) (Shinomori Clan)
Kuraikage no aru Yoru: Kamikaze Hajime no Gakushou--Dark Shadow of Night: Divine Wind Primary Movement/ The first movement in Akane's Kamikaze technique. Similar to Kaiten, the user saturates the air around them with chakra and spins, creating a massive swirling dome of wind. Unlike Kaiten, this technique draws on the user's elemental affinity, in this case Akane's wind affinity, and this affects the outcome of the technique. (B-Class Ninjutsu) (Nekozuka Akane)
Kuraikage no aru Yoru: Kamikaze Chuutou no Gakushou--Dark Shadow of Night: Divine Wind Secondary Movement/ The second movement in Akane's Kamikaze technique. It releases the power stored and channeled by the Hajime no Gakushou and releases it in a blinding slicing maelstrom of wind. The technique is most effective in enclosed spaces or against groups of opponents. (B-Class Ninjutsu) (Nekozuka Akane)
Kuraikage no aru Yoru: Kamikaze Shuukyoku--Dark Shadow of Night: Divine Wind Final Movement/ The third and final movement in Akane's Kamikaze technique. It channels the power summoned and then released by the first and second movements into a pair of powerful wind drills released from Akane's arms. Even a near miss by this technique can be devastating as the drills are surrounded by a powerful mass of cutting wind blades. (A-Class Ninjutsu) (Nekozuka Akane)
Kuraikage no aru Yoru: Ketsueki Tsume--Dark Shadow of Night: Blood Claw/ A special technique unique to Nekozuka Akane's blade. It channels her chakra and converts it, allowing her to extend forth from the nekode claws a massive set of red chakra blades. It greatly increases her damage range. (C-Class Ninjutsu) (Nekozuka Akane)
Kussetsumizu: Kuroi--Bending Water: Black/ First and weakest of the Iro abilities. It uses Kussetsumizu to maneuver a pair of metal orbs to strike a bound and stationary target in the temples in such a way as to render them unconscious. (C-Class Ninjutsu)
Suiton: Mizuenjin no Jutsu--Water Release: Water Ring Technique/ This technique condenses massive amounts of water around the user in a floating ring. This ring is then fired outward from the user. It allows one to determine the location of enemies and objects when sight has been hindered, as well as providing a distraction while doing so. (C-Class Ninjutsu)
Ugoki ni Kage no Jutsu--Travel in Shadows Technique/ This special technique of the Shinomori clan allows the user to hide and travel within their own shadow. It is a powerful stealth technique for infiltration and assassination, but it has a high chakra capacity and requires extremely good chakra control. Only one in thirty members of the Shinomori clan can perform it, much less master it. (C-Class Ninjutsu) (Shinomori Clan)
Review Responses – I will really enjoy this section next time.
Knives91 – Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as the preliminaries have finally begun.
Moonfal – As always a pleasure to hear from you my friend. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, particularly since I've begun to display certain abilities of some of the new characters. I particularly enjoyed displaying Kuraikage no aru Yoru, as it is the first time I get to display more and hint more about the nature of what is behind some of the Nagareboshi characters. Needless to say, I had fun with it.
samueltm2 – Why thank you. I hope you enjoyed this one.
rain alchemist – Thank you, I had fun developing that interaction. And Naruto only knows the little comments he got from the Nagareboshi genin when he first encountered them. He is not aware that he is a descendant of the Gouzenkaze, as for several reasons that has been kept from him.
Jaa ne, Mel.
-ZI
scione – Well, I can't please everyone. They are an integral part of the story though, and I am fast approaching a point where their importance and existence becomes inexorably linked with Naruto's own.
jbalman – I'm sorry that I couldn't meet your request, but the simple fact is that Sasuke making it to the finals is very necessary for the plot. That and Tsubaki let her guard down in her anger rather than finishing the bastard when she had the chance.
Chrisdz – Thank you. I hope you liked this one as well.
Okiro Zangetsu – Hehe. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well my friend.
galidarion – Tiny typos happen. So sue me. As for Youso Yuugou, there was absolutely no mention of anything like that in the description. ^_^ But there is if you go back to chapter 9. There is a Kussetsukaze ability that is pretty much the air scooter, and with good reason too.
AnimeFanatic5602 – Thank you. It means a lot to hear a fan say that. And yes, while it's true that it is annoying for someone to flame me for not following canon, the simple fact is that flames will happen. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well, plus all the others that have been put up after the chapter you reviewed at. ^_^
raiton uzamaki – Thank you.
bandgsecurtiyaw – Thank you.