Chapter 35: The Duel
Previously:
With that, the Akatsuki leader's hologram vanished, the real self walking off to plan evil and destruction in his former village.
Sasuke would be there too.
Three Days Later
It was Saturday morning. Naruto jumped out of bed, putting on his best suit. It was time to fight the Raikage.
After slipping into his cloak, he stroked his roguishly handsome face while looking in the hotel room's mirror. Smiling, he took off like a jet all the way to the Raikage's office, cloak fluttering in the wild wind.
He knocked on the door, slightly nervous yet excited at the prospect of pitting his skills against a Kage. "Are you sure about this, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.
"I know he's an old-fashioned man... I'll have to ask him if I can have his blessing for Yugito's hand in marriage after the duel, despite us being engaged already," Naruto explained as Ay stepped out of the room.
"Ah, I see you're ready. Let's go!" the Raikage said, walking the master-student pair to the arena. Crowds were started gathering there, expecting a huge beatdown of Naruto.
However, some have heard of the story and sided with Naruto, surprisingly. Jiraiya body flickered to the booth to observe the match, along with Bee and Mabui, who was the proctor.
"This is a match for Uzumaki Naruto to get the Raikage's blessing for his marriage to Nii Yugito... hajime!" Mabui announced.
The councillors gasped. The demon bitch was alive? Well, she wouldn't be married if she depended on some kid who couldn't beat the Raikage.
Both participants disappeared in a flurry of speed, surprising the audience. Loud booms resounded where blows connected all over the arena.
Then, they reappeared, Ay panting slightly. "You're not bad, kid. But if you really love Yugito, I'd suggest you get serious. You'll never get my blessing until you beat me. Tough luck, my friend."
Naruto clenched his fist. "For Yugito... I will scale mountains, swim across oceans, traverse a thousand continents... you're nothing."
Disappearing in a short burst, he slammed his fist into the Raikage's stomach, only for it to be blocked narrowly by Ay's hand which swiped down.
However, the blow still caused the Raikage to fly back to the other end of the arena, shocking the crowd. "This kid..." some of the Kumo jonin thought.
"Tsk. I see you took my suggestion to heart," Ay said, before dashing at high speeds to the blond, intent on returning the favour.
Naruto's bright blue eyes warped into a familiar pattern, before fluidly sidestepping the Raikage. Ay turned around quickly, charging back at him.
The two began engaging in unarmed combat, each blow sounding like an explosion to the crowd. In the end, Naruto sent the Raikage back with a stare from his divine eyes.
The propulsion force flung Ay back, uprooting surrounding trees as well. Ay dug his feet into the ground, keeping his balance. "Raiton: Jibashi!" Ay shouted, sending waves of high-voltage raiton chakra towards Naruto.
Naruto replied with, "Futon: Daitoppa!" The Raikage smiled as he avoided it, before rushing towards Naruto. Once again, they clashed, destroying the terrain with their violent motion.
Jiraiya smirked knowingly. Naruto had only used taijutsu and a bit of ninjutsu. Suddenly, a naked blade caught the light, blinding Ay and the audience temporarily.
A series of slashes, and the Raikage was wounded. He growled. The white streaks were still visible in the air, evidence of the tanto's movement in that moment of blindness.
Naruto grinned. He hadn't spent many days polishing and sharpening the blade for nothing then.
"You leave me no choice, boy," Ay said, emitting copious amounts of raiton chakra which covered his body. "Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Armour)!"
The Raikage disappeared, before slugging Naruto right in his stomach. The blond was thrown back, surprised at the increase in speed. "Use your Hiraishin," Minato spoke from the mindscape, "I avoided that previously with my Hiraishin."
Naruto thought, "Ok, here goes nothing." When Ay shouted, "Raitoningu Sutoreto (Lightning Straight)!", rushing to the blond with his fist out, many of the people thought Naruto's fate was sealed.
Quickly, Naruto stomped his foot on the floor, while letting go of a kunai that materialised in his hand. At the last moment, he flung another kunai at the side.
The Raikage's eyes widened as his fist came closer. "Blond hair, blue eyes, the Shunshin... it's the Kiiroi Senko!" a jonin cried out from the crowd, causing assent from the crowd.
A distinctive loud noise sounded off as Naruto teleported away, confirming the fears of everyone present - except Jiraiya.
The Yondaime had a kid. Who could use the same blasted jutsu.
As he appeared at the kunai that was flung away, he teleported back to the kunai that he let go just now, which was right behind the Raikage.
Now with both kunai in hand, he was in mid-air behind the Raikage's vulnerable back. However, Ay had been tricked once as well by Minato, so he knew well enough to turn back to face the possible onslaught.
He did. But... he didn't notice the jutsu-shiki on the floor, where Naruto had stomped on earlier.
The Raikage was shocked as a flash of yellow appeared right behind him, revealing the smirking Naruto.
The blond did a mule kick, sending Ay flying twenty meters back, face-first in the floor. "How...?" the Raikage thought.
"Let's turn it up a notch, shall we?" Naruto said as he scattered his specialised kunai all over the arena.
Orange markings formed at the side of his eyes, while a bar grew at the centre of his Sharinnegan. The Raikage dusted himself off, before lunging at the sage.
Naruto ducked narrowly, realising that somehow, Ay had increased the power of his armour as he could now see sparks of lightning jumping around every now and then.
"Rariatto (Lariat)!" Ay shouted as he ploughed Naruto with his strong arm. The blond jinchuuriki was sent spiralling back, having the wind knocked out of him.
Naruto hacked and coughed, blood dripping from his mouth. "That was a pretty hard blow," he thought, his ribcage was slowly repairing from the damage.
The Raikage shot off towards Naruto, a raiton-charged fist aimed at the blond. Just when he reached the jinchuuriki, said person's eyes glowed a bright purple.
Ay was shoved violently back by an invisible force - Naruto's Shinra Tensei. The muscular Raikage was thrown back a hundred metres, enough time for Naruto to stand back up and recover from the Lariat.
Ay rushed back towards him, only to be kicked up into the sky by a reverse roundhouse kick. Naruto launched several kunai at him, which first merely grazed his skin.
However, Naruto teleported to them in mid-air yelling, "Hiraishin: San no Dan!" Grabbing a kunai after teleporting to it, he slashed Ay. Then he teleported to another, and repeated the process with other kunais.
All this time, they were 10 metres off the ground, their feet never once touching it. Finally, Naruto teleported to the only kunai above and behind the Raikage.
Spinning around, he backstabbed Ay, causing him to shoot to the ground. Dust was thrown up as a giant crater was created. Suddenly, there was a loud crackling sound. The sound of... lightning.
An irritated Ay climbed out of the crater, lightning now sparking everywhere on his raiton armour. "Shit just hit the fan... Ay-nii-san had to resort to his final form, fool ya fool?" Bee thought.
Without a word, the Raikage disappeared, and barreled into Naruto, who got flung back a few feet. "Raitoningu Sutoreto!" Ay yelled, slamming his electrified fist into Naruto's gut.
Naruto was too slow to dodge it. But his brain wasn't. It was working in overdrive, and at that single moment, one word resonated clearly in his mind.
"Kamui!" Naruto spoke in a rush, his eyes glowing red. Ay's hand and subsequently the arm ran right through him, passing like water through a sieve.
The Raikage was shocked. In his final form, his fastest punch couldn't land on Uzumaki Naruto?
"For the one I love... Let's end this, Ay-sama," Naruto spoke through his teeth, cloak igniting. "Yo Nine got that power, bro!" Bee rapped, much to the Raikage's annoyance.
Naruto disappeared. In a flash, he reappeared behind the Kage and kicked him, though his foot slightly stung from the electricity.
Slamming his palms together, he opened them, revealing a small gravitational field. Red and blue orbs gathered rapidly, forming a small Bijuu Dama the size of a tennis ball.
"Cho Mini... Bijuu Dama (Super Mini Tailed Beast Bomb)!" Naruto shouted, holding the super-compressed Bijuu Dama. "Oh man... if that thing was released from Naruto's hands... it would be severely unhealthy for the Raikage," Jiraiya thought.
Naruto jumped right into the air after Ay and planted the bomb right in his chest. Naruto immediately teleported to the ground, turning back to watch as the highly-compressed Tailed Beast Bomb detonated, releasing a giant explosion which rocked the arena.
Then the Raikage landed on the floor, in a crumpled heap. Ay grunted, but raised a thumbs-up, signifying his life was still intact.
Naruto walked over to him. "Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life? Say yes, say yes, 'cause I need to know."
The Raikage looked at him seriously, and whispered, "You had my blessing from the beginning. Protect her well. If you dare even make her cry-"
"It won't happen. Except tears of joy," Naruto cut in. "Good," Ay said, accepting the hand that the blond jinchuuriki offered him.
Mabui announced, "Uzumaki Naruto wins!" The council was seething with rage. Their Raikage lost to a gaki who was much younger than him?
Back At The Office
"Here's an alliance," Ay said, handing over a scroll. "I expect that we will be working with each other a lot in the future."
"It's my honour, Raikage-sama," Naruto said, bowing. "Bye, Nine! See you next time, fool ya fool!" Killer Bee rapped horribly.
Naruto gave a small smile. Turning to the Raikage briefly, he said, "Remember what I told you last time about the council.", walking out the door.
"I will," the Raikage smirked. As expected, a council meeting was called after Naruto and Jiraiya had departed from Kumo for home.
"Ay-sama! What's the meaning of this?! How can you let that demon bitch be-" a councillor was speaking when the buff Raikage grabbed him by his collar.
"One does not simply call Yugito a 'demon bitch'-" he said, pausing temporarily to slam the offending piece of flesh in his hand into the wall, killing him instantly, "-without getting butchered by the Raikage. Who's next?"
The remaining councillors shivered in their seats involuntarily. However, one elder was stupid enough to test his luck.
"Ay, let me remind you of your power in-" the elder said before he was silenced by a bolt of lightning coursing through him, frying his brains.
"This... is a f****** military dictatorship! You shall address me as 'Raikage-sama' or 'Ay-sama', or risk ending up like him!" the enraged Raikage yelled.
"I hope I made myself clear! Understood?" Ay shouted. "Yes... Raikage-sama..." The councillors murmured, fearing for their lives.
"I said... UNDERSTOOD?!" screamed the Raikage. "HAI, RAIKAGE-SAMA!" the councillors answered quickly.
"You're dismissed," the Raikage said, turning away towards the door. What they couldn't see on his face, was a smirk plastered on it. "Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto."
On The Road To Konoha
Naruto sneezed. "Someone must be thinking about you, gaki," Jiraiya teased.
"No wonder you don't sneeze," Naruto replied with a witty comeback. "Must be Yugito, I wonder what she's up to," he thought.
In The Konoha Weapons Shop
"Hey Tenten-san!" Yugito greeted cheerfully. The girl slouching behind the counter immediately perked up. "What can I do for you, Yugito-san?"
"Can you guide me to buy a sword?" Yugito asked curiously. "Alright, which kind do you want? We sell katanas, ninjatos, tantos and chokutos." Tenten said, pointing at the different types.
"Hm... I'm thinking of extending my reach as I am mostly a short range fighter," Yugito said thoughtfully, "How about a katana?"
"Great choice," the weapons girl answered, bringing her to a section of the store. "Here are our most prized katanas, choose one," Tenten prompted.
"This one," Yugito said, pointing to a beautiful blue sword. It had a black saya (sheath) with dragon carvings on it, while the katana itself had a blue tsuka (hilt). It had gold diamonds planted into it, while the sheath had a cord of emerald glass beads wrapped around it.
Tenten laughed. "That's a good choice, Yugito-san. The blade is made of Damascus steel, high quality metal with pattern welding. The sheath is constructed with oak wood from an ancient tree, while the inside is a velvet cushion allowing the sword to be drawn quickly. It would usually cost a lot of money to purchase, but I will give it to you for free if you can answer my question."
"What?" Yugito asked suspiciously.
"Is it possible to make Naruto bleed?" Tenten asked timidly. Yugito looked at her incredulously. "Why would you want to know that? Yes, it is possible of course, but only for Kage level shinobi. However, I can make Naruto-kun bleed... without touching him at all."
"Oh? Tell me!" Tenten asked excitedly. "It only works for me though, watch me when he returns," Yugito said deviously.
"Alright, here's your sword! I can teach you the Konoha sword style if you like!" Tenten replied, handing her the expensive sword. "Thanks, see you later in the evening," Yugito said, moving off to set her plan in motion.
Going into a clothing store, she bought a yellow sun dress, a hat, and a blue blazer. Then she got a length of green rope, to act as a sort of belt. Going to the Yamanaka store, she proceeded to purchase a white yarrow, which symbolised everlasting love and also, it complemented her hair well.
After storing the items at home, she left for training with Tenten. Secretly, she combined it with the Kumo sword style, creating a new style with the best of both worlds.
Four Days Later
Naruto and Jiraiya approached the gate. At the same time, Yugito had put on her dress, blouse and hat. Tying the rope around her waist, she inserted her sword in between the two loops, securing it. After putting the flower in her hair and wearing sunglasses, she stepped out the compound and headed towards Ichiraku Ramen to have lunch.
"Naruto-kun here killed all the members of the Akatsuki except Madara, Itachi and Sasuke," Jiraiya said, before asking for the ANBUs to leave. "And the only reason why Itachi survived is because he's my spy. As for Sasuke, we didn't encounter him during the mission."
"Good job," Tsunade praised. "I even got an alliance from Kumo!" Naruto said, handing over the scroll. Then Tsunade scowled.
"I heard about your duel with the Raikage... don't you ever do anything like that to worry me you hear?" Tsunade yelled, sending a chakra fist in Naruto's direction.
His eyes morphed, and temporarily, he became intangible with the power of Kamui. The fist passed right through, much to the anger of Tsunade.
"The hell... those eyes..." Tsunade commented, slightly placated by her own curiosity. "It was for Yugito," Naruto answered calmly.
"I understand," Tsunade said, she knew Naruto would do anything in the world for Yugito. "You're dismissed. However, Jiraiya isn't. Stay here and explain."
Naruto laughed and walked off, while Jiraiya cried anime tears at having to deal with the wrath of the Legendary Sucker.
"Can't wait to see Yugito! But first..." Naruto thought, rubbing his belly. "Ramen." He dashed at top speed towards his favorite food stand in the world.
Fifteen bowls of Ichiraku! "Yo Teuchi-jiji! Give me fifteen bowls of miso ramen!" Naruto shouted happily as he lifted the flap of the stand's cover and sat down.
At that moment, he noticed a mysteriously beautiful stranger sitting at the right. She was wearing a blue blazer with a yellow sun dress underneath. The sun dress showed off her creamy legs and smooth arms. Her hair was a pale blond that looked slightly familiar, and it was flowing down her back. Also, she wore a hat, and sunglasses that obscured her eyes.
"Hi! Have I seen you around?" Naruto asked, trying to start a conversation. A smirk played on this person's lips as she turned to face him, revealing a generous part of her cleavage.
"I wish you did earlier," she flirted in a silky voice. Naruto blushed, and the girl removed her hat. A head full of beautiful blond hair showed itself, along with a flower that complemented the colour.
She smiled at his reaction and grabbing both his cheeks with her hands, she slammed her lips into his with full force, surprising him.
Now, Naruto wasn't a pervert, but getting kissed by a super beautiful girl wasn't helping the blood trickling down his nose go back up. Then he thought, "This is wrong."
Naruto immediately freed herself from her grasp, and said, "Please don't do that again. I already have a girlfriend."
It warmed Yugito's heart to know that he was so loyal to her, despite all that this persona had done to seduce him. "Can I do it again... if I am your girlfriend?" Yugito asked rhetorically, pulling off her sunglasses.
Black eyes met blue eyes. Their lips met once again with passion, a reunion of lovers.
From a distance further away, Tenten turned away from the lovers, giving them privacy. Well, technically, Yugito had caused Naruto bleed without touching him in anyway that meant harm.
She grumbled about being cheated of the sword, but a deal was a deal.
Back In The Stand
Seventeen bowls of ramen were placed on the table for their two favourite customers. Both Naruto and Yugito whispered, "Itadakimasu!", before tearing into their meals like this ramen stand wouldn't exist tomorrow.
Little did they know how true it was when the ground started quaking, the sounds of battle coming from the gates.
Naruto looked at Yugito, who stared right back at him. Giving each other a brief look, they sped towards the sounds after paying.
"Nice katana, Yugito-chan!" Naruto said as they dashed to the commotion. Yugito gave a thumbs-up. "And by the way... you look good with your hair down," he whispered, eliciting a blush from his belle.
Naruto's face twisted into a scowl as he saw what the center of the commotion was.
Killing Konoha-nin, were Uchiha Sasuke and Madara.
Author's Notes:
Disclaimer: I don't own Rude, it belongs to MAGIC!. I hope you guys actually got the references, it was especially obvious when Naruto beat Ay and asked him the question in a weird way that you wouldn't normally say. For those who don't know the song, it's quite popular at the time of writing; on the billboard chart top 20 in fact. Well, I managed to squeeze in one chapter before my paper examinations start on next Tuesday with English Literature, so this is it for now, the next chapter will probably be the week after next's Wednesday. I'm still looking for an artist on Deviant Art, though now that I've written this chapter, whoever is interested can also draw Yugito in the sun dress and blazer. Again, please PM me before you do anything for the full list of accessories.
Until tomorrow,
Ja Ne