Naruto: Game On
Chapter 3: Fight Club
WAIT!
Before you read, 2 things. 1) There's a more detailed A/N at the bottom where I talk about the story, how i plan to update, etc. 2) thx for reading!
(If you don't care about comment responses feel free 2 skip to story now)
Lump response: No need to worry. I'm not gonna stop writing this until it's done or I'm dead. I posted it so I'm gonna finish it.
NarutoBeatsGoku: As a fan of both franchise that name hurts and offends me! Lol, jk! Glad you like the story and yeah, it feels kinda weird to me as well. I'm planning on overhauling the game format soon just to make it a cleaner and more user friendly. Also, I'm not sure if there was a typing error or i just have selective dyslexia but, it didn't show the names of the girls you recommended. I could guess who some are based off how they relate to Naruto but i'd still like it if you say them again, so I can know for sure.
Wolfreapper: Interesting choices and good reasons. I wonder if you guessed any on my list? Only time will tell…
Ezeakel: Glad you think it's readable. I worry about grammar problems constantly. I try to check what I write but i'm not a big fan of proof reading chapters. I plan on going back and fixing some stuff in the last two chapters soon. If you catch anything here let me know. Also, I don't want 2 over complicate the game trust me. I'm a perfectionist, although lazy, when it comes to me doing stuff though. So, my brain instinctually over complicates it. I'm working on a detailed yet streamline final version to introduce hopefully soon. Lastly, I get the stigma with the creation ability. I've read stories where it's like Naruto breathes "A special skill has been created through a special act". Mine won't work that way I assure you. Even some of the no-duh ones like hyper-stride (inspired by Huntik: Secrets and Seekers) are a little different than what's normal (In this case: channeling chakra to the legs) and will serve a purpose. You won't see too many of those to begin with though, so it should be fine.
Soledge1: I've never heard of that series before. I'll look into it. Thx 4 reading.
Unwanted Writer: Pretty sure I responded well enough in the PM chat he had. Thx 4 reading though
darkstel: Once again, I could have selective dyslexia but I'm assuming you were talking about Unwanted Writer's review. In that case calm down! No need to accidentally get into a internet war rn. We talked about our opinions on it and are cool. Anywho, to address your comment. There's not much to say since you were mainly presenting your counter argument to another review which is fine. However, I would like to say I like the way you justify why certain pairings work/don't in regard to cannon and, to a lesser degree, my story. However, I do raise one counter argument to Kohona gaining another Jinchuuriki. (Just in general and not harem related). In my mind no other village has the right to be up in arms about it beyond "file that down for the important shit to know folder". My reason for this exists in the form of Iwa, Kumo and to a lesser degree Kiri. The 1st 2 each have 2 a piece with both from the later having full control. The 3rd had a kage jinchuuriki and another they let roam the wilds. Logically, I see where you are coming from though. Also damn! Poor Temari got no love from you! Lol, thx 4 reading.
Now b4 I wrap this up there's just one tiny little thing that needs to be addressed asap…. *Sigh*... Haku's gender.
Now wait! Before you get torches and pitchforks i'm letting one thing be known. In THIS story Haku and Naruto will not be anything beyond close friends with each other at any given point in time. However, Haku WILL be a GIRL in ALL my stories and i'll give a brief explanation as to why.
I was introduced to Naruto through fanfiction, seeing as I never actually watched the entire series (and probably never will. Hey! Don't judge me. 700+ episodes is intimidating as shit and if I crack after only 200 episodes of fairy tale I doubt I'd fare much better with Naruto. Especially since I know most of the main cannon events anyway.), and in most of the stories i read Haku was a girl. After learning more about Naruto I discovered her "cannon" gender and immediately rejected that shit! I don't know what type of weed Kishimoto was smoking when he decided to make a character that effeminate yet be a man, but I want none of it. Let's not forget that in Shippuden Edo-tensei Haku is literally wearing lipstick! If you really have problems accepting that fact, then let's compromise. The Haku in my stories isn't the one from cannon. Instead it's his distant cousin who he shares a name and face with. Nothing more! So, in conclusion Haku won't be "a Thai transvestite", at least to me, in my stories.
Okay! Im good now. Not angry or being homophobic. Just needed to clear the air with that one. Now everyone knows what lies ahead.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the mentioned works.
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You have slept on your bed. HP and Chakra fully restored.
'Ugh, I don't wanna get up. Bed too comfy….'
Relying on that train of thought the blond Uzumaki closed his eyes once more and waited for the gentle embrace of sleep to claim him once more.
...and waited
...and waited
...and waited some more
"Alright! I'm up!" Said the agitated child. He usually had no problem going back to sleep and even more strangely, the grogginess he felt moments ago was completely gone.
"Must be gamers mind," muttered Naruto. Figures the stupid game wouldn't let him sleep. He took a moment to sigh before casting away the negative attitude. Last night, after his landlord's rude appearance, he took some time to think about his situation and just how special it really was. His life WAS a game. He could have COMPLETE control over his life if he so chose. It would also give him a much clearer route to his goal of being a kage.
Yesterday he had been unexpectedly given a gift. One that changed his life drastically in a matter of minutes. He tried going with the flow, but the sheer insanity of the idea had eventually got to him. As evident by his courtyard outburst. However, he realized that in the end it was just adjustment disorder and he would get over it soon enough. Besides, it seemed as if the gamer thing had more positives than negatives.
May as well make the most of it.
With that train of thought finished he stood up and quickly got ready for the academy. He brushed his teeth and threw on his jumpsuit before shooting out the door like a blond bullet.
(Time style: 8-minute timeskip no jutsu)
Naruto arrived at the academy only 8 minutes after he left the apartment. That was definitely a new record! Although he did have to credit that to his use of hyper-stride. Which was now level three by the way.
Putting those thoughts away he walked into the building, ignoring the glares of a few teachers and headed to his class. When he entered he was surprised to be the only one there. He took a seat in the top right corner of the class and waited for the others to come. First was Iruka. Who didn't notice him. Followed by Hinata who in turn was being tailed by the duo of Sakura and Ino.
The two fangirls were arguing over something, but he couldn't be bothered to find out what. He did however make a note to talk to the Hyuuga heiress at the first chance.
He watched a few more students entering before feeling himself grow unusually bored and unfocused. His vision faded in and out as he began to doze off. He vaguely noted the arrival of the Prince of Brooding before his vision faded to black.
(Time style: 12-minute timeskip no Jutsu)
Naruto's eyes fluttered open before shooing away the message about him waking up. He blinked a few times before noting that the whole class was now here and Iruka was preparing to give his lecture for today. However, it was Iruka's next words that clued him in to something.
"Has anyone seen Naruto?" Questioned the teacher. He was taking role and the blond had yet to walk through the door…. or so he thought.
No one noticed him. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He was about to announce his presence when….
[Sneak] skill has been increased to level 100-error! Error! Wrong ga- Error!
'This game and its glitches man…,' thought the blond. He then heard someone talk.
"He probably slipped on a puddle outside his door and knocked himself unconscious."
That came from Sakura.
A few students giggled.
"It hasn't even rained lately forehead," was Ino's response.
Sakura smirked, "That's the point Ino-pig."
The students who giggled before outright laughed this time and more joined in. That was until a quiet voice washed over the room.
"Ano, you shouldn't say things like that about N-Naruto-kun, Sakura-san," came the quiet voice of the shy Hyuuga heiress.
Sakura blinked and was about the say something before Ino beat her to it.
"Shut your trap little mouse. We can talk about the baka however we want," said Ino snobbishly.
Hinata lowered her head in response. This pissed off several people. Iruka and Naruto in particular. Iruka because he knew she was a sweet girl just trying to look out for a fellow classmate and didn't deserve to be talked to like that. Naruto because she had willingly defended him despite never having any interaction with her in the past as far as he could recall.
Both Naruto and Iruka were about to unknowingly intervene at the same time when something surprising happened. Hinata raised her head. This time with a warm smile in place…. or at least it would've been warm if not for the aura of death coming off the girl. This wasn't a friendly smile. No, this was the smile of a murderer. Seeing the change in Ino's eyes Hinata spoke.
"Now Yamanaka-san, I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that. However, I highly advise YOU to shut your trap before I'm forced to hurt you," said Hinata with ice in her voice. The tone promised pain to all who didn't obey.
The entire class paused. Some in shock. Others in utter terror. This was not the Hinata they were used to. The year beforehand she had never really talked much. She was always quiet and off to herself. She never opened her mouth, never tried to make friends and didn't really communicate with anyone. The biggest reaction anyone had ever seen was that she would blush if Naruto was mentioned.
This caused the vast majority of the class to assume she was a shut in. A timid, shy little thing that was not to be bothered. It was safe to say that no one had ever seen this side of her. This made the whole class realize that they truly didn't know her and that maybe they should reevaluate their opinions.
The person who was addressed, one Ino Yamanaka, was the most shook out of everyone in the room, and rightfully so. At least, in her mind anyways. Hinata, the class mouse, talked to her that way? She couldn't comprehend it! What made it worse was the aura. The dark, nearly suffocating aura the girl let off made it hard to think, and the majority of it was focused on Ino.
The blond tried to have words form in her mouth only to fail miserably. In the end she just lowered her head with a whimper while muttering a barely audible "I'm sorry" in the process.
Seeing the blond girl submit, Hinata let up on the killing intent she was leaking. A neat little trick she picked. Regardless of how she learned it. She then put on a decidedly neutral face before focusing on her sensei.
"Can you please continue with the lesson Iruka-sensei?" Questioned the irate girl.
Jumping out of his own surprised state, the aforementioned teacher quickly cleared his throat before replaying, "Yes, we can Hinata. Also, Sakura and Ino, we WILL be talking about this later. There was no reason to talk about your classmates like that. Especially since one of them isn't even here."
So, they still didn't know he was here?
"I get why Ino-pig is in trouble, but I was just making a harmless joke sensei!" Cried Sakura. She really didn't want to get in trouble.
"What you did was just as bad Sakura! In fact-" Iruka was cut off.
"Nah, it's cool Iruka sensei," came a familiar voice.
The whole class looked up to the corner of the classroom where Naruto was in surprise. He spoke again but this time it was different.
"It's perfectly ok to say something offense or rude about someone as long as it's a joke. Isn't that right Sakura-san," said the blond in a blank, monotone voice.
His tone of voice took everyone by surprise. They were all used to the sunny all the time Naruto.
He was always cheery, and everyone knew it. This put people off even more than Hinata's outburst did. Hearing him speak in such a lifeless manner just seemed wrong.
Iruka was the first one to snap out of his trance, "But Naruto-"
"No, it's cool sensei. She's fine, I'm not mad," said the blond. 'Disappointed is a lot more like it.'
She saw the fault in Ino for insulting Hinata but when he was involved it should just be passed of as perfectly acceptable?
Ok then.
He couldn't blame her though. Could he? She was only doing what everyone else did, and it's not like her parents taught her any better. People made such a habit out of insulting and disrespecting him he had gone numb to it. If he was being honest, if it wasn't for the fact he was already pissed at Ino he probably wouldn't have even made a big deal out of it.
Meanwhile, it turned out his words had the same effect on Sakura as Hinata's did to Ino. Seeing as she had bowed her head before letting out a quick sorry.
Iruka looked towards Hinata intent on asking a question only to see she had reverted to her more shelled off personality and was looking off in the distance. He sighed and shook his head before speaking, "Alright then. You two are off the hook this. Be grateful."
Both girl's mood seemed to lift ever so slightly.
"Also, how long have you been there Naruto?" Iruka voiced his last question.
As if someone flipped a switch, the happy go lucky blond was back.
"When I got here the door was unlocked but no one was inside," replied the child.
Iruka blinked owlishly.
"Oh," was his reply.
He cleared his throat before continuing, "Alright class, let's get back on track!"
And that they did. Within the next 2 minutes Iruka was in full lecture mode and half the class was paying rapt attention while the rest where in blissful unconsciousness.
(Time Style: 5 hours later no Jutsu)
Iruka had just finished his lecture on chakra theory and taijutsu style origins when it appeared that the more…. sleep inclined…portion of the class sensed that he was done, because the moment he finished, they started awaking.
Iruka scanned his eyes over the faces of each of his now fully alert students before making an announcement.
"I was going to save this for a little later but given this morning's events, I figured it might be a good way to blow off some steam. To finish out the day we are having a taijutsu practice session," said the teacher, shocking everyone.
Once his words sunk in the class broke into a mix of cheers and groans. The cheers came from the more hyper and or physically active kids and clan kids. On the flipside of things, most of the groans came from civilians who weren't well versed in fighting and the lazier clan's kids.
If one listened closely they could hear the faintest whisper of what sounded "Troublesome teachers" over the roaring in the classroom. Keep in mind that you also had to block out the cries of "NOOO! I just got my nails done!" as well.
While Iruka's announcement caused organized chaos for most of the class, one special blond got a notification.
[Side Quest Unlocked]
Win your ones(*): Iruka has announced a surprise taijutsu session. Don't get cold cocked!
Objectives
Beat your opponent with 50% health remaining
?
Completion Rewards: 1k ryo, 1.2k xp, +200 rep with Iruka, +400 rep with all classmates
Failure: 200 ryo, 500 xp, +50 rep w/ Iruka, -100 rep w/ most classmates
Accept?
[Y/N]
'For some reason this doesn't surprise me as much as it should,' thought Naruto
With a quick mental flex, he accepted the quest and was on his way out the door following behind Iruka, who had gathered the students while he was sidetracked.
(Scene Change: Academy Training Ground)
Much like the day before, Naruto and co. where at the training grounds again. However, this time they were a few dozen yards from the target practice area and were instead in front of a circular wooden platform that served as the sparring arena.
"Alright kids listen up! There are going to be two brackets. One for girls and one for boys respectively," began Iruka.
"The matches will be randomly selected one on one fights for fairness. This isn't a tournament so the one fight you get is the only one you have to worry about. To win you need a ring out or have me call the match. Remember this also isn't a graded assessment as I haven't formally begun your taijutsu training but still do your best. I'll be comparing what you do now to what you do later in the year," finished the teacher.
With his peace said Iruka then drew two slips of paper. He called out two names and Naruto saw two kids step up. They met in the middle and performed the seal of confrontation before backing up a few feet from each other.
With chop of his hand Iruka signaled the start of the match.
As the fight waged on Naruto had to it admit, it seemed good. Both boys had decent physique for their age and were competent fighters. It wasn't some supercool high-octane fight like a lot of shinobi have but it was a slugfest and that made Naruto feel right at home.
The match ended with the slightly smaller kid landing a blow to the face of his opponent followed by a shoulder charge that pushed him out of the ring.
Iruka gave both boys a proud smile and congratulations before calling two more names. This time two girls took the stage. One was a long-haired brunette and the other was a black-haired girl rocking a bob cut.
Their bout was a little more interesting. Instead of going for a brute force style win, they skated around each other. Only landing grazing blows and light taps. An odd kick was even thrown around here or there. In all, it was a vastly different experience from the first match.
It was clear to all those present that they both had talent.
It honestly looked like it would be a tie until the black-haired girl grabbed the blond by the hair and pulled…. hard. Those watching couldn't stop themselves from cringing. They all knew that had to be incredibly painful.
Needless to say, the black-haired girl won.
Two more people were called and stepped up. Once again, Naruto didn't know their names but that was probably due to him spending the majority of the year prior out of the classroom. That's why he really only knew those who stood out in some way or another.
The two boys who were called up stood a fair distance away from each other before a drop of Iruka's hand started the match. Shortly after the first punch was thrown it was obvious this match wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting as the other two.
The two youths fought well enough but that itself was the problem. They didn't know how to fight. They lacked the fines and ability the two girls prior displayed and they also didn't have the same intensity and instincts as the first two boys. That lead to them mainly shoving each other around and a lot of poorly thrown punches, most of which missed by miles.
To a street rat like Naruto it wasn't impressive. The match even ended disappointingly, with both of them whining after taking like three hits!
After that match Naruto felt himself start growing exponentially bored and dozed off. Time passed, and matches came and went. Some lost and some won. Eventually the blond awoke again, and just in time it seemed.
A familiar Aburame and Nara had entered the arena.
'This should be good,' thought Naruto. Based on what he knew of each clan, the Aburame were very competent and strategic fighters that loved to play reserved. Their tactical genius was only truly matched or outshined by the Nara, whose naturally high IQ and aptitude for tactical planning was-... Dammit! He used to many big words and his head hurt! Well, they're just really, really smart.
"The next match will be between Shikamaru Nara and Shino Aburame! Are you both ready?" Questioned their sensei.
Shikamaru sighed before looking between Shino and his sensei. After some time, he voiced his question, "Man, what a drag. This doesn't count for a grade right sensei?"
Iruka looked at the Nara skeptically. He was no fool. He knew Shikamaru's game, but he would humor him for now.
"Yes Shikamaru. It isn't for a grade but at least put up somewhat of a fight!" Yelled Iruka.
"If you say so."
With that the two combatants took center stage and performed the seal of confrontation before backing away from each other. They eyed each other up before Shikamaru called out to his opponent.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but don't take it easy on me Shino." said the Nara.
The aforementioned student's eyes rose ever so slightly in shock. Aside from their outstanding smarts, the Nara were known for their unmatchable laziness. Shikamaru was THE prime example for that. He was debatably the smartest Nara, based on potential, born in a long time and could make the sloth sin itself jealous.
It went without saying that Shino was shocked, but he was also surprisingly honored that the Nara chose him as the person to go all out on. He would return that honor by making sure he gave him a fight to remember.
Shino bowed his head in acknowledgement before setting into his stance. His opponent following suit.
Iruka dropped his hand. The match began.
Shikamaru locked eyes with Shino for a split second and for the briefest moment regretted what he was going to do. Their eyes remained locked for a second longer before Shino launched towards him. He followed suit, but admittedly slower.
Shino started strong. Launching off a left-handed haymaker that was amped up by his momentum. Shikamaru felt his hair blow back some as he ducked under it. He popped back him just in time to block a roundhouse aimed for his midsection.
The blow pushed him back several feet, but he was no worse for wear. "Maybe shouldn't have told him to go all out," No sooner than the Nara finish his sentence was Shino upon him again. This time he unleashed a flurry of punches.
Left, right, left, right, left, left, right hook, left, right, right. Repeat.
Shino put his all into the combo taught to him by his father. What puzzled him and everyone else watching was how Shikamaru was retaliating.
He wasn't….
He was simply avoiding the blows by the skin of his teeth. A head tilt here and a sidestep or duck there. Followed by the occasional deflection.
Shino knew it was a good thing to have his opponent on the defensive, but this seemed weird somehow. The evades weren't clean. Far from it. They were messy as could be. He struggled to duck and dodge every blow sent his way and that was the problem.
His form was too off to not get hit at least once. He was doing this on purpose.
Iruka was the first to catch on to it. Followed shortly thereafter by the clan kids and taijutsu savvy students. Naruto even caught onto it thanks to gamers mind acting up.
The question on everyone's mind though was "why?". Was he trying to fake his opponent out before going in for a surprise offensive or could it be something else.
It seemed even Shino had caught on to since he threw deliberately lazy and poorly executed punches towards the Nara to test his reactions. They proved the same.
Shikamaru noticed the change in Shino's behavior rather quickly. "Well I've been found out. Time to show what I got," said the Nara. With a sudden burst of movement, he pushed back Shino, repositioned his feet and lunged forward with a right hook locked n' loaded.
At least he would have had he not tripped over his own feet and tumbled backwards.…. clean off the arena.
"Well crap. Guess I lost. Your win Shino," said the Nara lazily. He pulled himself up, nodded and walked back into the crowd of students. He had accomplished his goal. Put up just enough effort to show he was skilled but not do anything to troublesome.
Everyone took a moment to blink. They couldn't believe their eyes. Had that really just happened? There was no way….
Naruto was trying to get his jaw off the floor after witnessing the abrupt conclusion to that short fight. I mean it had barely been going on for a minute! And he was really just going to end it by tripping?!
At that moment his gamers mind made him take note of something.
During the fight, when he pushed Shino away, Shikamaru shifted his feet and then looked down at them before attacking. He did that on purpose! Naruto knew the Nara was lazy but cheating someone out of a fight was low.
After taking a look around the blond noticed he wasn't the only one who figured it out.
Many were shaking their heads or groaning and Iruka had to actively stop his eye from twitching as he announced Shino the winner.
Naruto didn't need gamers mind to tell the boy wasn't pleased at his "victory". The angry buzzing emanating from him spoke for itself…
"Next Match. Haruno Sakura V.S. Ino Yamanaka!" Announced Iruka.
That shocked everyone out of their stupors. The two self-proclaimed leaders of the "Sasuke Fan Club" going head to head. This was going to be a train wreck. A funny train wreck but still a train wreck.
It didn't stay quiet for long as the murmuring and whispering about who would win quickly arose amongst the students. The two made their way to the arena. Jeering at each other the whole way with taunts of "Forehead", "Pig brain", "Pinky" and "Blond ditz" to name a few being thrown around.
They reached the arena and squared off against each other. The animosity between the two could be cut with a knife
Iruka looked between the two, strangely nervous, before chopping his hand downward and starting the match.
…..
Neither moved. Instead they simply stared at one another. Eyeing each other as if they stared long enough the other would spontaneously explode.
Then with a sudden unanimous cry of "SASUKE-KUN IS MINE!" lunged at each other with the ferocity of two pissed off cats.
*The ensuing fight was so brutal and downright wrong that the author would've felt dirty actually writing and vividly describing it so it has been skipped*
The fight….no war, had come to its bone chilling conclusion. The power struggle that had just ensued shocked and deeply disturbed all present. Even Iruka himself had changed on a fundamental level. He would look into bringing a counselor to class one day soon. He might also schedule a private appointment or two for himself.
These two small girls….no creatures, had just gone to levels of wrong that even the vilest of rouge kunoichi would despise.
Hair had been pulled. Clothes had been ripped and shredded. Make-up smeared, and lips bloodied. Words were tossed out that no 9-year-old child should know of. Hell! Iruka didn't even no some existed! And the aggression….
No little girls, or children in general had a reason to be that aggressive with each other. They tore into one another with every fiber of their beings. Even as each was on the verge of passing out they still attacked each other with the intent of causing pain and asserting dominance.
Iruka tried to split them up earlier into the brawl but he himself came out with several deep gashes and scratches on his arms and vest. And he was a chuunin for crying out loud!
At some point during the fight, Sasuke, the specimen the girls were fighting over, had disappeared. His absence went unnoticed by all. Except for one.
Shino.
The ever vigilant and stoic child had been protected from the sheer absurdity of the nightmare the others were forced to witness by his sheer rage at the outcome his match. It was this lack of a distraction that allowed the angry boy to notice that the Uchiha had slipped away to far corner of the field and was curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth facing away from the battle.
If he strained his hearing with chakra he swore he could hear crying and whimpers of "Make them go away nii-san. I'll even forgive you."
Under the jacket collar that covered most of his face, Shino smiled that day.
At some point during the war for supremacy, Kiba made the mistake of calling it the catfight to end all catfights. No one knew if it was said to ease the tension that had built or if he was just dumb. The end result was him being maimed by most of the girls in the class. Even if all of them and everyone else secretly agreed with what he said.
Eventually after the war machines wore themselves down Iruka was able to cool their jets. Quite literally seeing as he dumped ice water on the two to get them to stop.
The girls themselves each looked like they had fought 50 starving leopards each and lived. They were covered in scratches and their clothes were nonexistent save the essentials. Plus, prior to the water being dumped on them they were caked in so much blood puberty would've been jealous.
Naruto saw their condition and was torn between blushing at their state of dress and shaking his head. Some small part of Naruto had wanted to root for Sakura, but he had remembered her earlier comment and chose to stay neutral.
His eyes briefly flicked towards Hinata and he swore he saw a sick sense of satisfaction behind her "horrified" face...
Scary.
Iruka quickly whisked the girls away towards a female teacher he had called on earlier to take them to the infirmary and get them some more clothes.
With the two terrors out of commission, everyone let out a breath they hadn't known they were holding. Those two had gone waaaay overboard and they all knew it.
That day a bond had been broken. However, sometimes, the strongest bonds are the ones that have been broken and re-forged.
Iruka gave everyone a few minutes to recover from that traumatic event, himself included, before calling the next match.
Ironically enough, the next up was Sasuke and some kid named Mira. Mira seemed nervous that he was fighting Sasuke. He must not have been confident in his abilities.
The Uchiha however, strolled up with his usual arrogance and "I don't give a fuck" attitude. However, inwardly he was grateful no one noticed his little "leave of absence".
For an unknown reason some might say, Shino's small smile grew three sizes that day.
Iruka called the match and it went as Naruto expected.
Mira got creamed. No questions asked. It was obvious he had no training in taijutsu or fighting experience in general and paired against Sasuke…. he had no chance from the start.
Up next was Kiba and Choji.
They both seemed excited to fight but of course KIba just had to take a jab at Naruto.
"Lucky you weren't paired against me brain dead," said the boy mockingly.
Naruto bit back, "You're right. I'd probably catch fleas."
With that the second double clan heir fight began.
Unlike its predecessor, this one was actually very good.
Both Choji and Kiba were very good fighters and brought different skills to the table.
Kiba was fast and strong but, he was also reckless.
Choji was the polar opposite. He was patient and delivered powerful blows but, the size of his body lowered his speed significantly.
The fight had a certain pattern to it. Kiba would rush in head long and rain in blow after blow on his rotund opponent but get overzealous. That in turn would lead to Choji landing one or two solid blows that repaid Kiba nearly in full.
The gradual shifting around the arena and extra blow or two aside, this cycle would continue with relative sameness the duration of the fight.
Eventually it came to a close though. Choji may have been able to shrug off a lot of the blows and hit way harder than Kiba but in the end of it; Kiba hit Choji a lot more and his pain tolerance wasn't high enough to tough it out.
Make no mistake though. This wasn't a clean victory for the Inuzuka either. Seeing as he was on his last legs in the energy department. Not to mention that he was bleeding and bruised in quite a few areas as well.
Naruto was pretty impressed. It was safe to say they had the best spar so far. Sakura and Ino's "disagreement" didn't exactly count as a "spar". He was really hoping his matched up to the two clan heirs.
The blond focused back in on the arena and saw that Hinata was up against a girl named Ami. She looked like your average civilian student, but she had a bit more muscle on her than most of the other girls. Implying that she liked to pick fights.
His assumption proved true when he saw he she engaged the Hyuuga heiress. The girl was bullish. She threw nasty looking punches that he knew would hurt if they connected. She didn't fight with much grace, elegance, or nimbleness. She much preferred to simply overpower her opponent.
It wasn't Ami that Naruto found himself paying attention to however. Instead he was much more focused on Hinata and the way she fought. Much like Shikamaru had in the earlier fight, Hinata was avoiding any and all hits that came her way. However, that was where the similarities end.
Unlike the Nara, who had made sloppily and needless moves, Hinata danced around her opponent with grace and elegance. Every hit Ami sent her way was either gently skirted around or pushed off. She also didn't pull her punches. Any opening she saw or created as exploited just as fast.
She swayed back and forth. Constantly in and out of Ami's guard. Sending quick and powerful palm strikes every few moments. The girl was nearly helpless to stop it. It was like swimming against a calm river with a deadly undercurrent.
She was calm, collected and had confidence in spades. Every move she made held nothing but confidence and determination in it. She had complete control over this spar and she knew it.
It made him wonder why she was so secluded and "shy".
At some point Naruto found himself completely entranced by her nearly melodic movements. Then, as quickly as he had entered the trance he was broken from it by Iruka declaring Hinata the winner.
He realized that he had probably been staring so he averted his eyes and hoped no one noticed. He felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
He wasn't alone. The object of his curiosity had caught him looking and was blushing herself.
Not that he would never know though. Seeing as he was called up next alongside another kid named Shun.
The moment Naruto reached the arena he knew this guy didn't like him.
"I get to beat you up again? Oh, this is gonna be great. Just a shame Kaza and Yuuto won't be here to join in this time," boasted Shun.
'The hell is he on about? Do I even know this guy?' questioned the blond. He decided to take a closer look at Shun in hopes of jogging his memory.
He had black hair with it slicked down in a bowl cut and was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with dark gray athletic pants that cut off at the ankles. He stood about a head taller than Naruto and had a lean build. Naruto could also see the faintest hints of muscle tone on his arm and legs.
He also had dirty brown eyes that shone with arrogance as he stared at the blond boy. The look was completed with his arm being crossed condescendingly and the iconic "jackass smirk" gracing his lips.
The more he looked him over was certain he was that he knew the guy from somewhere, but he wasn't sure.
"Are you two ready?"
That came from Iruka. Looks like he was about to start the match.
Naruto nodded his head and took his stance. Feet shoulder width apart with his right foot placed forward while turning his body on angle towards his opponent. Topping it off with his dominant right hand stretched forward ever so slightly while holding his left closer to his face to guard
This was how the blond fought. Before he was given an apartment by the Hokage he was a street rat. As such, he got into a lot of fights with kids all the time. He never had anyone teach him how to fight so he relied on what came naturally. This was the most basic and primitive style of unarmed combat. It was hard wired into everyone's brain from the moment they were born whether they knew it or not.
That's why it suited Naruto perfectly.
It was wild, adaptable, and hard hitting. Just like the Uzumaki.
Naruto cocked an eye as Shun fell into a similar stance. Only, his was slightly more refined.
"This is gonna be fun," thought Naruto. "Let's be smart about it though. Observe."
Name: Shun
Rank: Academy Student (+25% exp gain to lv10)
Title: None
Affiliation: Konoha
Level: Lv5 next lv=?/?
HP: 1,050
CP: 360
VIT: 15(3)
STR: 12(2)
DEX: 5
INT: 3
WIS: 3
LUK: 3
Effects: Hardy (+3 VIT & +2 STR) Bully (-50% to all reputation gains)
'Oh, come on! His strength is way higher than mine!' Naruto wanted to cry. That meant this was going to be a test of endurance. That also meant it was going to be painful for him.
Oh well. Let's get this show on the road!
"Good to go sensei!"
Shun had similar thoughts.
"Ready to cry to mama loser?"
Given…. His lack of one…that stung…
'Yeah...he's gonna bleed.'
Iruka's hand fell signaling the start of the match and the two boys took off.
Naruto was the faster of the two, so he covered twice as much distance as Shun and met him on his side of the ring. He used the built-up momentum to launch a devastating right cross, but he didn't count on Shun ducking it
That got him socked clean in his gut.
Naruto stumbled back from the force of the blow but managed to shake it off just in time to raise his arm and block a punch to his head from the left. In return he was gifted with a right cross that left him dazed.
Naruto was then hit with a left jab that closely followed by another right.
And another.
And another.
And another.
Shun then launched a kick at the confused blond's stomach that sent him tumbling to the ground.
The blond rolled to stop in the center of the ring and quickly checked his health.
'2,133/2370? Damn! That much gone already? Not letting him do that again.' The blond rose to a knee and looked at his opponent.
"That all you got? You're worse than last time! At least you put up a decent struggle then!" There he goes again. What the hell was he talking about and why couldn't he remember it?
'I gotta come up with something to deal with this dude and I might know just what that something is.' Naruto put his other thoughts on pause as he formed a loose plan of attack.
He coughed out a tiny bit of blood as he rose to his feet. He wiped it away as a smirk formed on his chin. "That really all you got? I've met kittens that hit harder than you!"
"Ha! I must have hit you a little harder than I thought. I mean you're the one coughing up blood at the start!" Shun could hardly contain his laughter.
"No, I'm serious. You hit like a bitch dude. Did Kiba teach you how to fight?"
"Hey!" Looks like Kiba was mad.
"Bastard!" Oh, seems Shun was too.
Naruto braced himself as Shun lunged at him in anger.
He raised his arms to block the right thrown his way before leaning his head to the left a bit. The blond felt air rush past his face and heard the woosh of Shun's fist just missing his face.
Naruto caught his next punch in his left hand and then repeated the process with the next punch and his right. He then quickly used his newly found leverage to pull himself towards his opponent and butt heads.
The maneuver dropped Naruto's health by another two percent and dazed them both. However, Naruto was able to recover much faster. Just what he was hoping for.
The blond quickly used the opening to its fullest by introducing Shun's eye to his fist. The blow was enough to snap Shun out of his daze, but he couldn't defend himself from the onslaught the Uzumaki unleashed.
He followed his eye gouging right with a left hook to Shun's temple. Followed by a strong right jab to the gut. Naruto then grabbed Shun by the shoulder with his left while repeatedly unloading his right fist into the bully's gut.
He slammed it home once more before letting it sink into his stomach. Shun keeled over his fist and spit out blood. He looked at the blond with rage and pain evident in his eyes.
"That feel good?" Naruto smirked as the words came out his mouth.
Shun pushed off Naruto with a angry grunt. "You are gonna pay for that!"
He regained his bearings before charging the blond child. A favor that Naruto was all too happy to return.
They met in the middle of the ring. Both slamming into the others face with their right fist. Each of the boys holding the other at bay. They remained frozen like that for a for a few fleeting seconds before pulling their arms back.
Then the two entered into a classic slugfest. Meeting each of their opponents blows for one of their own. If Naruto threw a right, then Shun with match it with a left and if Shun threw a right it would be matched with a left.
Shun's blows hurt a lot but Naruto was no lightweight. Plus, he was the faster of the two. In the end these two factors are what allowed him to gain the upper hand in their exchange.
This was evident by the fact that Naruto started pushing Shun back. For everyone blow Shun landed, Naruto met him with a one-two combo that hurt just as much. Every time it connected Shun would take a step back and the Uzumaki would advance.
The sound of flesh meeting flesh hung in the air as the two boys warred on.
The crowd of children watching the fight were trying desperately not jump out of their metaphorical seats. This was by far the best fight today…...minus that "incident" from earlier.
Most of the kids were amazed at how long they had maintained such a vicious exchange of blows. However, Iruka along with the clan kids and some of the more fight savvy civilians were judging who the better combatant was.
They did this by comparing how the two fought. Shun hit hard, could take a punch and had decent fight sense. Naruto wasn't as strong but still hit hard for his size, was fast, and seemingly knew perfectly well how to rely on his body.
Iruka was the first to realize who had more potential out of the two. In that regards Naruto took the cake. The deciding factor in it was that Naruto was doing this well purely off instinct. With Shun it seemed as if someone had drilled in his head how to behave in a fight. So Iruka's verdict was that if Naruto could match someone "trained" like Shun with instinct alone then with training he would dominate him.
The others were reaching their own conclusions about the fight as well.
Kiba thought they both weren't bad but was surprised by the blond dopes skill. He was still alpha though. He knew it.
Shino was wishing he had got the Uzumaki as an opponent. He was better than the good for nothing Nara and Shun seemed unsavory to the academy student. He also seemed like he would put in genuine effort into the fight.
The aforementioned Nara was sleeping.
Choji was loving the fight. He thought Shun was mean though. And why was he hungry?
Sasuke…. he couldn't care less. He was better. Period.
Hinata was the most excited out of them all. It took her awhile, but she remembered the jackass Naruto-kun was fighting. How could she have forgot? He's the reason she calls Naruto "Naruto-kun" now. She was glad to see her crush pummeling him.
"GO NARUTO!" Maybe it was the excitement from watching this fight, the leftover over adrenaline for her earlier match or what happened in the classroom earlier, but Hinata wanted to express her excitement.
Well, whatever may have caused it, the blond certainly wasn't expecting it.
'Huh? Is that Hinata? Is she cheering for me?' Naruto had just pushed Shun a few feet away with a strong uppercut when he heard her voice. Needless to say, he was shocked to his core. He hadn't expected anyone to root for him at all.
'Why would she be chee- urk!" His thoughts were cut off as Shun capitalized on his distracted state and sucker punched him dead in the gut.
He didn't stop there though.
In a manner similar to Naruto's headbutt from earlier, Shun grabbed the blond by his shoulders but he didn't headbutt him.
No.
Instead, he kneed him dead in the crotch.
"OOOWWWW! You-grk! You bi-Dammit! You bitch!" The pain was unbearable. His body felt like it was on fire.
That had been a low, low blow and everyone knew it. Even the Uchiha winced.
Iruka was tempted to jump in but he knew that he was training the kids to be ninja and they fight dirty.
However, it seemed that the cruel tactic gained Shun the support of some kids who had less than positive views of Naruto.
Cries of "Go Shun!", "Kick his ass Shun!" or "Show the brat whose boss!" rang out from the crowd of kids.
Shun feed off it.
He leaned down to the blond and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "You see that? They're cheering for me," he snarled. He punched him in the gut before pulling him up and putting him in a choke hold.
"Gaah! Le-let me go!" Naruto struggled against his grip, but he was still trying and failing to regain his strength. He struggled more, but Shun tightened his grip, making the small amount of strength the blond had regained leave him even faster.
In the end it was an exercise in futility. His supply of oxygen was being cut off and after a minute or so of struggling his vision was growing spotty.
'Dammit! I'm really...gonna lose...like...this?' The blond's hands had fell to his side seconds ago due to lack of energy. He was in pain, angry, upset and frustrated all at one time.
He was about fail his first quest for fucks sake! The fact that he failed by losing a fight to a prick was just insult to injury. He wanted to struggle but he didn't have the fight left in him.
His strength was fading but the biggest killer was that he had lost his will to fight. Shun had him facing the crowd while he choked him out. That allowed the boy to get a good look at his classmates and see their reactions.
Shun's small group of supporters had grown to roughly half of the class. That meant 25 people, most of which Naruto had never truly interacted with, were happy he was getting his butt kicked by a jerk they didn't even like. The rest were deafly silent. Most likely waiting for him to lose and then break out in cheers.
What they hell had he done to any of them? The answer is what made him stop struggling.
Nothing.
He hadn't done a damn thing. But their parents probably told a different tale. They most likely told them he was a good for nothing trouble maker. A thief, a liar, hooligan, mongrel, monster or anything else negative they could think off.
He'd seen them do it in the past. He usually didn't think about such things, but the memories were resurfacing now, and it was costing him.
Iruka once again found himself in a catch 22. He saw the look on the blond's face and knew what was causing it, some of it anyways, but he couldn't just tell his students to shut up. They technically weren't doing anything wrong. Cheering for someone wasn't against the rules.
Shun's group was cheering even harder at the sight of the Uzumaki giving in. However, the other half of the class, the quiet ones, were singing a different tune. Naruto has assumed wrong about them, not that they would ever know. They weren't silent in the name of some sick manner of torment to inflict on the blond's psyche. In truth, they were quiet because like him or not, they couldn't stand to see him to lose a fight he was winning against a bully to such a cheap trick.
Hinata was livid. She was mad at Shun for his rotten trick and her classmates for rooting for the ass. "Naruto! Don't you dare listen to them or lose to that jackass! I know you can win!"
Her words registered in Shun's ear long before they did Naruto's and he snorted before sneering. "Aww! Look at that. The spoiled little princess is cheering for you. Surprised she hasn't ran away and hid yet. She can swap places with you if she wants though. I'm not against hitting girls," he finished with a chuckle.
Kiba heard Hinata's cry as well as what Shun said due to his closeness to the ring combined with his advanced hearing and threw in his own two cents, "Oi! Wake up idiot! You're only allowed to lose to me Naruto!"
He in turn caused Choji to speak up and cheer for Naruto, followed by Shino, then the recently awoken Nara and then the rest of his previously quiet classmates.
Meanwhile, Naruto's brain was just catching up on the outside conversation due to restricted blood flow.
'Is….that..Hinata...and Kiba?…..and Shino, Choji too? They're cheering for me? They think I can win? They believe in me!' That realization gave him a ray of hope. All his classmates didn't hate him. The memories started to fade, and he started to remember who he was instead of who they wanted him to be.
He was Naruto Uzumaki. Future Hokage, prankster, gamer, and most stubborn person in Konoha.
"Let…..me…..go," he breathed out in a breathless whisper.
"What was that? I can't hear you," that was Shun.
Naruto sucked in what tiny amount of air he could before trying again.
"I said-!" His chakra flared and he rammed his elbow into Shun's side. This made him loosen his grip slightly, letting more air seep into the blond's lungs.
Air! He could breathe again! That discovery drove Naruto to repeat his action.
"Let! Me! GO!" Each word represented a blow to Shun's side as well as an increase in strength. On the final blow Shun stumbled back and released him. Naruto quickly turned and punched him in the face.
This caused him to stumble back in pain. Further increasing their separation.
The gamer quickly checked his health. Noting that it had dropped severely, reaching only 55%, and Shun hadn't fared much better. His health only at 56%.
This had to end now. He was hurt and recovering from oxygen deprivation. Plus, his health was nearly in the failure zone. He couldn't keep this up.
"This ends now Asshole!"
He charged Shun and tackled him to the ground. Throwing punch after punch at his face. The blood pounding in his ear blocked out the noise of the crowd behind him. Cheers and boos alike. At this point he was solely focused on knocking out this bastard. Eventually the roles flipped and Shun was on top. Naruto took a few hits but ended it by ramming his knee into the boy's gut. He then shoved him upwards with his arms before pulling in his legs and kicking him off and away.
Naruto then sprung up and launched forward for the final time. He cocked back his right fist mid dash and unloaded a devastating punch directly on Shun's face.
The blow hit like truck and sent him flying clean out of the arena.
"Winner! Naruto Uzumaki!"
Those rooting for Naruto all cheered and were even joined by a few of Shun's supporters who had simply been enjoying the fight. Meanwhile others grumbled and moaned in disappointment.
Hinata ran up to Naruto and hugged him. Screaming "You did It!"...only to realize what she did and run away blushing into the crowd. Not to be seen again that day.
Said blond only blinked owlishly before falling on his butt and sighing. Regardless of how strange that was, she was right. He won, and he felt damn proud.
He caught a glimpse of Shun picking himself of the ground and saw his health. It read 420/1,050. He only had 40% left. Naruto then checked his own to compare. He saw 1,232/2,370 which meant he passed with barely 52%. He won by the skin of his teeth.
Iruka chose this moment to approach Naruto. "Hey you okay Naruto?"
"Huh? Yeah I'm alright," replied the tired blond.
"Are you positive? Is "down there" okay?" Iruka was concerned and persistent. For good reason of course.
"Yes sensei! I'm okay and "down there" is fine!" Naruto laughed as he answered. He honestly was kind of surprised though. He had thought his "family jewels" would suffer much longer than they did, but as it turned out, the pain was almost entirely gone.
Little did he know, a certain fuzzball took pity on him and express healed his "wound".
Iruka sighed before continuing. "If you say so. Anyway, I'm proud of you Naruto. You fought hard today."
Naruto beamed as Iruka turned and started walking away. He called out to him as he left. "Don't forgot about our training session this weekend!"
"No need to worry. I won't!"
Quest complete:
Win your ones(*)
Objectives complete
Beat your opponent with 50% health remaining
Hidden Obj: Impress Iruka and classmates
Rewards: 1k ryo, 1.2k xp, +200 rep with Iruka, +400 rep with all classmates
Bonus rewards: 1k ryo, 1.2k xp, +200 rep w/ Iruka, +400 rep with all classmates
"Fifth quest down. Nice!" Exclaimed the blond happily.
After he looked over his rewards Iruka called the class over to release them for the day.
The first thing Naruto did was go home and sleep.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Rank: Academy Student (+25% exp gain to lv10)
Title:
Ryo: 6500
Stat points available: 7
Affiliation: Konoha
Level: Lv5 next lv=2900/3750
HP: 2370/2370
CP: 2100/2100
VIT: 27 (10)
STR: 8
DEX: 6
INT: 10
WIS: 9 (5)
LUK: ?
Effects: ? (+10 VIT, +5 WIS & 100% exp gain to [?] skill) ? (+120 HP & +100 CP Per lv) Pariah (-25% to Konoha reputation gains) Kami's Blessing (9999999% increase to luck skill)
Bio:
Naruto Uzumaki, a child whose origins are shrouded in mystery and false truths. He is the pariah of Konoha and as such he has been hated and treated unfairly by the Village all his life for reasons unknown. Due to this he developed a love of pranking and video games to alleviate his loneliness. Despite it all he still has hope in the people of Konoha and is driven by a unbreaking will and pure heart. Naruto strives to be a ninja of his village but has been handicapped every step of the way thus far. Rather he will crack under pressure and fall into darkness or rise above his oppression and forge a legend all his own remains to be seen.
A/N:
So, you guys enjoy? I hope so. How were the fight scenes? Good, bad? Descriptive or vague? Too long or too short? I feel like the fights were kind of long and exaggerated in some cases considering it was only academy students, but it was the first fight scenes I wrote so I wanted it to be good. It also sucked be limited to just basic fist fighting.
Fun fact. This was originally meant to be the first part of chapter 3. I had only planned this being 2-3k words and then a bunch of other stuff happening but then I got to writing and bam! 8k words.
Could you guys also give me some feedback on how the characters feel to you right now. (As best you can with what limited stuff you have to work with)
In general just critic me on my writing so far. Tell me what you like, and what you don't.
Also, as far as my UPDATE SCHEDULE goes: I'm going to try for at least once a month until I get us through this first Arc (about 4-7 more chapters). From there I'm going to take a step back and really try to flush out the story in full. That includes plot lines, both main and side, character bios and sheets, game functionality, jutsu and skills, etc. I won't pause updating for any longer than 3 months unless the unavoidable happens during my "brainstorm period" and I'll let you know if something does. After that I'll be back to hopefully monthly and maybe even bi-weekly uploads.
Originally, I wasn't even going to post this until i had the first Arc done and the rest of the story fully planned to the exact number of kunai thrown. Buuuut, I posted chapter one just to see how it would format on FFN and b4 I could remove it people started reviewing and commenting and I said fuck it! So, we are doing it live! And tbh, I kind of like that. It means your feedback can influence how the story goes a lot more.
If I could scan the contents of my brain and place them in a google doc then the story would already be 70% done by now. I would just need to add the finer details. However, that's impossible and I find the act of typing itself to be boring as hell. Its also why I don't like rereading my work on here. I know for a fact that it's going to be one of my biggest challenges writing this. But I started this some I'm going to finish no matter what. It may take 6 months or 6 years but im not stopping until I've written every arc I have planned out done the epilogue scene.
On a side note does anyone happen to know how to give non-cannon jutsu japanese names Like how Rasengan is Spiraling Sphere and Chidori is One Thousand Birds because some jutsu just sound cooler in one language or the other and while English come naturally, badass Romanized japanese doesn't.
Lastly, expect some edits to come to the three chapters posted in about a week or so. Just tidying up grammar and typos and maybe responding to some new comments.
Inferno'sLegacy out!
Edited 8/31/19