There was no Naruto last week, bummer! But chapter 499 does change something. I mean, I suspected that Naruto had some connection to the Rikudō Sennin. Now I feel even more certain now that I see Naruto's new seal and chakra form. Even Kyuubi saw it! And in this story, in case you haven't guessed by now, Naruto is a descendent of the Rikudō Sennin. And in chapter 500, Madara is super evil for trying to kill baby Naruto just after he was born! As for the other thing, I might add them and I might now. I mean things like Kushina being the last host and all that. I'll have to hear the whole story before I make anymore judgments.
Oh, check out these mangas. First is Lilim Kiss, it's a blast in so many ways! And if you want to see Sechs in his natural habitat, read Battle Angle Alita: Last Order. Last is Girl Saurus, the guy is living the dream but his fear keeps him from enjoying it!
Oh, and because so many people have accused me of this, just know that the devil tips his hat to me!
Let's rock!
-x-
"Welcome fight fans to the Oni Tournament!" exclaimed Koto who was standing in the middle of a giant arena. It was oval shaped, but the stands were made of wood instead of stone like many other arenas. Also the seating went from the ground level to the ninetieth with no barrier to protect them. Thus the higher level seats were the cheapest due to the health risks. The cameras were pointed at Koto who stood in the middle of a large stone circle. "I'm your referee Koto!"
"And I'm her partner Juri," said the other announcer. "Let's just hope that that this doesn't end up like the chunin exam."
"You were so lucky to be near all that beautiful death and violence," said Koto with a blush. "Just thinking of all the blood that was spilt makes my heart beat so fast!" Juri gave her a deadpanned expression.
"Sadist," muttered Juri. She then shook her head and got back to work. "Now for the tournament setup.
"Of the four hundred and seventy-seven contestants that signed up, only eight will be selected to compete," exclaimed Koto. "Everyone will be divided into eight groups and will then fight in battle royals in different locations. The last man standing will advance into the tournament and the rest will be taken to the hospital or placed six feet under. Also, two shinobi who are ranked as jonin will placed in the prelims to represent our hostess who will be awarding the grand prize!"
"And now, please welcome the hostess of the tournament, Shion-sama!" exclaimed Juri. A searchlight came to life and shined on a figure sitting on a silk cushion on a platform in the middle of the bleachers. She looked no older than 13 and had blond hair and lavender eyes that almost seemed to glow.
"She looks familiar," commented Naruto. Currently he was floating in the air with his legs crossed. Next to him was Sechs who had a bored look on his face.
"Not like I give a damn," replied the Ame-nin. Then, out of the corner of his only eye, Sechs saw Hinata and Anko beckoning them from an entrance way. Or rather Naruto. With a sigh Sechs gave the blond a nudge as Shion began to go over some of the rules in more detail. Once Sechs had the blonde's attention he jerked his head over to the girl's location.
Naruto sighed as he floated over towards them. He knew what they wanted to talk about: their relationship. He had been doing what all guys do in a difficult situation, ignore it and hope it goes away. Sadly, it didn't work this time. Once he and Sechs were in the entrance way Naruto set his feet on the ground and Sechs leaned against the wall. Like hell he was going to miss this show. Naruto's love life was better than cable!
"Alright Naruto-kun," said Anko at once. "We need an answer! No more stalling!"
"Please Naruto-kun," begged Hinata.
"Well," said Naruto with a blush as he scratched his cheek. "The truth is that I like you both the same." A moment later a kunai barely missed his other cheek and he was then grabbed by its owner.
"Do you think this is some kind of joke?" demanded Anko as a dozen tick marks appeared on her face. She was pissed! She had opened her heart to him and this is the answer that she got? On top of it she found out that this tournament was men only this year. The nerve! "How dare you! Both me and Hinata put our hearts on the line here to tell you how we feel. The least you could do was be honest and tell us who you liked better!"
"I am being honest," said Naruto nervously. "I like you both, but for different reasons. And besides, I-I never been on a date or anything in my life so it seems weird just to say I like someone better than the other. Right?"
"Why you-" began Anko as she pulled back her fist.
"Wait!" cried Hinata.
"Why should I?" demanded Anko as she paused on her assault.
"Because he's right," said Hinata. Anko raised an eyebrow as she lowered her fist. "We did confess, but the problem is that neither of us had ever been in anything close to romantic with him. All we do is train and hang out. So when we told him how we felt, it must have seemed out of the blue."
"So what are we supposed to do then?" demanded Anko as she let go of Naruto.
"We could both date him," said Hinata. Anko looked ready to object so Hinata decided that she'd better continue quickly. "We date him for awhile and then Naruto-kun can decide who he likes being with better. And in the end we can still be friends because we all did it fair and square." Anko sighed.
"I guess I can agree to that," said Anko.
Hinata smiled as Naruto nodded, happy that they weren't going to be fighting and treating him like a trophy. Little did he know that Hinata was smiling because she had scored the first point. She, not Anko, had found a way for Naruto to fairly pick who he wanted to be with and no one got hunt.
And that meant that Naruto was closer to becoming hers.
-x-
Awhile later, Naruto was walking towards his assigned fighting zone. After he had met with Anko and Hinata, he had returned to see that everyone was now drawing lots. Naruto had drawn 1 while Sechs got 6. Oddly enough, a lot of people were griping about getting those same numbers. It probably had something to do with what he had missed while talking to the girls.
When he finally got to his destination, Naruto found a large stone square shaped that he guessed was where he was going to be fighting on. However, there was only one other person there. He was shorter than Naruto and had slicked back black hair with several small bangs in the middle. He wore typical fisherman garments which included a long-sleeved turquoise shirt with short black tights that extend halfway down his shins and straw bottoms held up by a thin black belt. He also had a bag on his back and in his hand was a fishing pole.
"So, someone has the guts to fight the great Urashima Ura," declared the small man with a sinister looking grin. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the ring. He really didn't like this guy and he had only said one sentence!
"Where is everyone else?" demanded Naruto. Ura began to laugh. It was a foul sounding laugh that made Naruto feel sick.
"You're the only one to show up," said Ura as he pointed at Naruto. "It seems that everyone else was afraid to face a jonin!"
"You're a jonin?" asked a wide eyed Naruto as he pointed at Ura. The fisherman nodded and Naruto fought back a laugh. All and all, this short man didn't seem all that powerful. But then again, neither did Kakashi at times. But at least Kakashi had size. And before Naruto could say anything Juri came onto the scene with a camera crew.
"Juri here and it seems that Uzumaki Naruto has decided not to listen to the advice of Shion-sama gave about fighting against Urashima Ura," she said as Naruto's jaw dropped. "Hajime!"
-x-
At that same moment, Sechs was also learning about what Shion had said for he was also fighting a jonin alone. Well, he was ranked as a jonin at least. The man standing before him was tall and muscular. He had thick crew cut blond hair that was kept up by a large white headband. On his upper body he wore sleeveless white jacket, although it was too small to cover his entire torso. His baggy bottoms were a burnt sienna color, engulfed at the bottom by his long black boots and held up at the top by a white belt.
"This is Koto here," said Koto. "It seems that Sechs was the only one brave or insane enough to face Momotaro Kuro. Will this brave genin survive or will Momotaro rip him into beautiful shreds of blood and guts. I can hardly wait! Hajime!"
"Hey kid," said Momotaro as he looked down on Sechs. "I'll tell you what; I'll let you have the first move. Not that it'll help much."
"Don't get too cocky teme," said Sechs as he unfolded his Titan Blade. Sechs then got into a charging stance. He had no idea what was going on in the mind of his opponent, nor what he could do, but there was only one way to find out. It might be dangerous, mainly because he suggested it, but then again he might just be cocky because he was facing a genin. Sechs yelled out "Sechster Angriff!" and then leapt towards Momotaro. As he went through the air, Sechs began to twist his body around while the Titan Blade seemed to move around his body. Sechs would do a summersault and the blade would travels from behind him, between his legs, and then across his body. Then Sechs would do a kick spin and the blade would spin around an arm or a leg.
Momotaro, who should have stayed still, dodged to the side. However, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the entire attack and ended up getting slashed on his arm. Blood shot out of the wound and Momotaro took a knee for a moment while dealing with the pain. Blood was dripping down his arm and Koto looked like she had seen the Fountain of Youth.
"Not bad kid," said Momotaro as he slowly got back to his feet. Sechs turned to face Momotaro and began to point angrily at him.
"Hey, you said that I would get the first move!" yelled Sechs.
"And you did," said Momotaro as he reached for his belt. "And now my body was memorized this pain." There, he grabbed a strange sphere that seemed to be attached to it and pulled it out. He held it up so that Sechs could see it clearly. "This is a Kibi Dango, and with it I will seal your fate!" Momotaro then squeezed the sphere and a steam like mist appeared which then seeped into his skin. Instantly the wound healed and Momotaro underwent a transformation. His hair turned brown and fur seemed to cover his body leaving only his face, chest, and palms untouched.
"And there it is ladies and gentlemen, Momotaro has now shown Sechs why he is known as Bujū Sōkō no Momotaro!" said Juri with a slight pout. "And things will only get worse for Sechs and Momotaro will continue to lose his hotness."
"I don't get what's going on and I don't care!" declared Sechs. "Sechster Angriff!" And with that, Sechs attacked Momotaro who didn't move a muscle. Sechs' attack hit him in the chest, but there was no damage. If fact, it was like Sechs seemed to bounce right off of him. Momotaro then began his attack and punched Sechs while he was falling backwards, causing the one eyes genin to hit the ground hard several yards away.
"I know what you're thinking," said Momotaro as he crossed his arms. "And you're right, that should have worked. However my body has the ability to memorize any damage it receives. After that I just use a Kibi Dango and I gain immunity from that attack and I get a body upgrade. So, in short, every jutsu that you use against me just makes me stronger. Right now I'm using Bujū Sōkō: Maen no Sō." Momotaro watched as Sechs got into a sitting position. He expected Sechs to beg for his life or give up. But instead, Sechs began to laugh. "Looks like I knocked the sense out of him. I have that affect on people."
"Please," said Sechs as he stood up. "All this means is that all I have to do is kill you before you can use one of those spheres. That should make things more interesting."
-x-
Back with Naruto, he was easily avoiding all of Ura's attacks. Ura used his fishing pole like a whip, slashing out at Naruto who flew around his attacks. It seemed weird to Naruto that someone like this was considered to be a jonin. He wasn't fast or strong and his attacks so far were that of a beginner's. But people seemed to be afraid of him for some reason. Naruto couldn't make sense of it.
"I've heard a lot about you," said Ura as he continued his attack. "But do you really think it'll last?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Naruto as he dodged another attack with ease.
"I heard that you were nothing but an outcast in your village," said Ura. "But now it seems that people are warming up to you. But that's only because you're strong and win. But as soon as you lose, they'll turn on you again." Naruto's eyes widened slowly as he dodged another lash. "You know it's true. Deep down they haven't changed their minds about you. Your still the same outcast, but one they can use. Use and then throw away once they have no more use for you!"
Naruto then moved towards the edge of the arena and was then stopped by an invisible force that caused him to bounce off of it. Ura smirked as his fishing line wrapped around Naruto and then pulled causing dozens of cuts to appear on Naruto's body. Naruto fell to the ground in utter pain.
"What the-" he gasped in pain only to be whipped across his back.
"That was too easy," said Ura as he whipped Naruto again. Blood was now beginning to soak the stones as Naruto's shirt was torn to shreds. "I've heard all the rumors and seen you on TV. In terms of power I fall short, but there are ways around that. You fell right into my mind game and never even noticed that I created a barrier. And now I think I'll finish you off." With that, Ura took of the bag on his back and opened it to reveal a box which he set on the ground. "This is Yami Aitemu: Gyaku Tama Tebako! Anyone who breathes in the smoke, other than the person who opens it, will begin to regress in age. This will make my victory as easy as killing a new born baby!"
And with that, Ura opened the box. Naruto tried to get up and fly away, but his injuries were too painful and the smoke came at him too quickly. Before Naruto knew it the entire area was full of a white mist. And the effects were immediate. Naruto could feel his body shrinking. His life seemed to flow backwards before his eyes. He watched as he fought Gaara. Fighting Sechs, a shinobi who pushed him to his limits. He felt the tear filled joy of finding his cousin. He experienced Iruka accepting him for who he was. He saw himself meeting Hanzo, the great shinobi who believed he had the makings of a great shinobi. The feeling of Hinata's tears as she cried in his lap. The happiness of making his first friend, Anko. Sitting on the Hokages lap as they looked over scrolls as he learned to read. And then…there was nothing.
Ura felt Naruto's chakra slowly fade until there was nothing left. No one knew how hard it was to use this item. Oh, who was he kidding? What did it really matter if his opponent regressed too far? The end result was that he would die. With this power, strength didn't matter in the slightest. All enemies he had to fight would be reduced to their weakest moments and made easier to kill.
Suddenly, Ura felt a huge chakra spike. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. And it wasn't Naruto's. No, this chakra was much darker and pure evil. Ura looked around; trying to find the source but it was like it was coming from every direction. Then, he felt something drip on his head. Slowly, shaking from head to toe, Ura looked up and saw the face of Kyuubi.
"You have my thanks, human," said Kyuubi. Ura fell onto his back and tried to protect himself with his arms.
"Y-You c-can't be h-here!" he cried.
"Oh, but I am," said Kyuubi darkly. "Normally, for freeing me, I would spare your pathetic life. But I know the secrets of that little toy you use and how long its effects will last. Pity this can't be permanent. And I haven't eaten in so long."
And the last thing that Urashima Ura ever saw were the giant fangs of Kyuubi.
Juri, who had been standing outside the fighting area, sighed. It was so boring when Urashima Ura did this. She couldn't see anything and thus couldn't report anything. But, thanks to previous experiences, she knew it was better to just wait outside. Suddenly the barrier vanished and the smoke began to clear. A few moments later, Juri saw Naruto on all fours blinking in confusion. She looked around for Ura, but it was as if he had vanished.
"Since Urashima Ura is no longer in the ring, I declare Uzumaki Naruto the winner!" she declared.
-x-
Sechs continued to use his Titan Blade against Momotaro with no effect. It was as if his fur was tougher than diamonds. But still Sechs went on because he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Once he was directly in front of Momotaro Sechs made several hand signs and then yelled, "Raiton: Youkai Himei!" and out of Sechs mouth came a lightning blast the spread out like a beam of light. This was a jutsu that Sechs never used against Naruto in their fight because he knew it would have been weak against Naruto's wind jutsus. This was a long range jutsu that could take out multiple opponents at once. But, when used point blank, its power and effectiveness was greatly increased. The attack hit Momotaro who was thrown back. Sadly, he landed on his feet. There were scorch marks on his chest and sparks were still flying. There was also a thin line of blood coming from his lip.
"Well that was a surprise," said Momotaro as he took another small sphere. "That hurt a little. But now it's time for another Kibi Dango!" Momotaro squashed it in his hand and once again underwent a transformation. His hair turned yellow and his body became covered with blue scales. Golden feathers shot out of his arms to make it seem that he had wings and his hands became claws. "Bujū Sōkō: Machi no Sō!" Momotaro then jumped into the air and then seemed to dive onto Sechs, slashing him with his claws on the way down. And due to the force of the attack, Sechs dropped the Titan Blade. Thinking that he had won, Momotaro seemed to fly up again and prepared for the finishing blow.
But Sechs had his own transformation. The upper portion of his arm opened up and a cylinder came out it. His hand turned flat and his fingers seemed to recline. Once it was done, Sechs pointed his mechanical arm at Momotaro and fired a high pressured, supersonic stream of water that cut right through Momotaro's Bujū Sōkō like a knife cutting through warm butter. Momotaro fell to the ground, bleeding and gasping in pain.
"Now to finish it," declared Sechs as he pointed his gun arm at the fallen warrior. Once again, water shot out of it, but before it hit Momotaro he was covered with steam. It was too late for Sechs to realize that while he had been falling Momotaro had reached for one of his Kibi Dango. When the transformation was over, Momotaro looked like a brown were-wolf with white colored hair. His claws were also sharper now, like inch long blades attached to every finger.
"Bujū Sōkō: Maken no Sō!" said Momotaro as he flexed his fingers. "This is my fastest and favorite form. AND NOW YOU DIE!" With that, Momotaro raced towards Sechs. He knew there was no way he could turn his arm back to normal in time to make any hand signs. He smirked as Sechs pointed his gun like arm at him, ready to fire the third attack. Like it would work now that he was immune to that jet stream. A blue light then shot out of it and shot towards his heart. And then it went right through him! Momotaro fell to the ground while continuing to slide, only to stop at Sechs feet.
"Baka," said Sechs as he began to manually turn his arm back to normal. "This arm can also fire the chakra saved up in it for a one time blast."
"Splendid," cried Koto. "And Sechs is the winner!"
-x-
It was late at night in the village of Konoha. Most of its people were asleep. The few that weren't were on guard duty, having sex, or trying to get some sleep. All but one and his name was Sasuke. He was currently in the former home of Uzumaki Kushina that he had managed to find. There had to be something that Danzo, whoever he was, had missed. With his Sharingan activated, he was sure he could find something that was hidden. Yet so far he had found nothing in the small, cozy kitchen and sitting room.
Once again, Naruto was on TV and that fact pissed the hell out of him. Everyone in the village was talking about it. How Naruto had a chance to win first prize. How strong he had gotten since his academy days. All anybody wanted to talk about was Naruto. Never mind the few whispers he had heard about Itachi being in the area. No one seemed to care that the man that murder his clan was close by and nothing was being done! No, not when Uzumaki Naruto was too busy showing off!
Sasuke walked into a room and scanned it. Apparently it had been intended as a baby room, judging by the crib. Right above it, painted in raid, was the name Naruto with a large spiral underneath it. Also, all over the walls, were hand drawn pictures of a chibi woman with word boxes next to her. In some cases she was making a V for victory sign and in others she had her arms bent to make a heart. She said things like "Kaa-san loves you, no matter what!" and "True strength is not measured by how little you fall but in how many times you get up!" and "Never give up and never go back on your word!" Several toys were in the corners of the room and there was also a bookcase full of old picture books.
Sasuke felt sick just standing in this idiotic room and was about to leave when he noticed something. There was some strange chakra in the spiral above the crib. There was so little in it making it hard to detect, but it was there. Sasuke moved over to it and realized that something was sealed in the wall. Quickly he bit his thumb and then pressed it against the spiral. It glowed for a second and then in a poof came a large scroll and a letter. Picking up the letter, Sasuke began to read.
'Dear Naruto-kun,
'If you are reading this letter than you have just graduated from the academy! I am so proud of you! And I know that you aren't taking crap from anyone!
'Members of our clan have signed this summoning scroll when they have reached adulthood. And now, your time has come. May you sore high on the wings that will help you realize your dreams. Hey, that had a rhyme to it!
'Love, your Kaa-san'
At the bottom was another hand drawn picture of the same chibi woman who seemed to be blowing him a kiss. Sasuke crumbled up the letter and threw it in the corner and then went right for the scroll.
"My, my," said a voice from behind Sasuke. He turned around and saw Kabuto standing there with a small smirk. "What do we have here? Has the Uchiha clan fallen so low as to needing to steal from his teammates?"
"What are you doing here?" demanded Sasuke as he got ready to fight. He had heard from Kakashi that Kabuto was a traitor and knew to keep his guard up. But Kabuto just kept looking down on him.
"I was looking for you," he said simply. "Orochimaru-sama has taken an interest in you and would like to extend to you a very generous offer to become his student."
"Why should I go with him?" asked Sasuke as he lowered his guard a bit. The next thing he knew was that Kabuto had kicked him right into the wall.
"That's why," said Kabuto. "This village is making you weak. Right now the strongest genin in this village is Naruto-kun." Sasuke growled when he heard that. "In fact, little Hinata-chan, who was kicked out of her own clan due to her weakness, is currently stronger than you are. If you stay here, your dream of killing Itachi will never come into being. Is that what you want? To let the man who killed your family walk free until some nobody takes his life?"
"No one can kill Itachi but me!" roared Sasuke as he got to his feet.
"Pity," said Kabuto. "Right now Naruto-kun is closer to being able to defeat Itachi than you are. And he has been getting special training from Jiraiya of the Sennin. Don't you think that you deserve the same treatment at least? If you do then you should head to Oni no Kuni before the Oni Tournament ends. But, if you are content to be trained by someone of Kakashi's level then stay here." And with that, Kabuto vanished as if he were being burned from existence.
Sasuke stood there in that room for a while. He knew that Kabuto was a traitor, but he was strong. And so was Orochimaru who had killed the Hokage. The things he could learn swarmed through his head as Sasuke picked up the summoning scroll and then strapped it to his back. Slowly, Sasuke walked towards the door and then turned around. He glared at the room full of love that seemed to be mocking him. He gathered his chakra and sent out a ball of fire that caused the room to catch on fire. And with that, Sasuke left the building knowing that soon fire fighters would arrive on the scene.
-x-Translations-x-
Kibi Dango: Strange Beautiful Sweet Dumpling
Bujū Sōkō: Maen no Sō: War Beast Armor: Armor of Demon Monkey
Bujū Sōkō: Machi no Sō: War Beast Armor: Armor of Demon Pheasant
Bujū Sōkō: Maken no Sō: War Beast Armor: Armor of Demon Dog
Raiton: Youkai Himei: Lightning Release: Phantom Scream
Yami Aitemu: Gyaku Tama Tebako: Dark Item: Reverse Jewel Hand Box
A special thanks to my beta: Vorago Atrox
