Disclaimer: See previous chapters
Avatar Eddy – Thank you. But sorry to say, Kahn will not be fighting in this one, as it is based off of the first tournament. But whether he makes an appearance or not… hmmm
kurifugari – Hang on, hang on, it's coming, it's coming…!
The Ayatollah of Awesomeness – Pretty much. And as for your question, the Mother Realm is basically another name for Earth Realm. I'm not too sure on the details, but from I know (or think I know), Earth Realm is more than just any realm. It is like the central realm or something like that, which is why the Kahn wants it so badly. I'm not sure where I heard it from but it seems like a good idea to go with.
undaed15 – I'll do what I can.
SulliMike23 – *Wisely staying silent on the matter*
-0-
"Raiden-ojii-san?" ("Old Man Raiden?")
Naruto almost missed the sweeping roundhouse kick that came at him and managed to duck before it took his head off. Jumping back, Naruto blinked as he came to the complete realization that Raiden was actually his opponent, a fact that left him stunned to say the least. His shock was shared by his teammates, who were watching on the sidelines. It was enough of a surprise that he made an appearance, since they hadn't seen him since before they first arrived here.
But to see that he was to be Naruto's…opponent?
'Is this even legal?' was the thought that ran through Sakura's mind. Kakashi was the first to break out of the shock, remembering that it was possible for Raiden to compete if he so desired, with two stipulations. One, he wouldn't be able to fight in Final Kombat, so competing for his realm would be negated. And two, he would have to use a mortal body, which would diminish his powers to an extent and give the opponent a chance at victory.
An apparently slim chance, as Naruto was now discovering…
Dodging another kick aimed for his head, Naruto scrambled back from the thunder god. At this point, the young ninja decided that he would have plenty of time to be confused later. Right now, he had to fight. Jumping back against a stone pillar, Naruto launched himself at Raiden, fist reared back. Raiden casually blocked the blow, but once Naruto touched the ground, the boy immediately wheeled forward, his leg stretched up in a high axe-kick. Raiden sidestepped the attack, but was quickly assaulted by a second Naruto who hopped over the first one and launched a kick, striking Raiden in the chest.
'Mm… He uses that technique well.'
Raiden staggered back, but didn't fall as the Naruto who hit him rushed in for another attack. But before he could, Raiden grabbed the boy in the chest and held him up. Surges of electricity shot up from his arm and into Naruto, causing him to cry aloud. That was soon followed by a sharp kick from the thunder god, knocking Naruto into the air, who then exploded in a puff of smoke. Unsurprised, Raiden refocused his attention on the real Naruto, who was charging at him the same way as his clone had.
And vanished…
Naruto was surprised as Raiden teleported a foot away from him, disappearing and reappearing like a sheet of light. And if that wasn't enough, Raiden brought his hands up and shot them forward, sending out a bolt of lightning at the young shinobi, which hit him dead on and sent him down to the ground.
"Guah!"
Grumbling, Naruto returned to his feet as sparks of electricity still flowed on him briefly. Being struck with Chidori once or twice, Naruto remembered how painful lightning-based attacks were, but that didn't necessarily help deal with the pain of being hit by one. Shaking it off, Naruto glanced up at his opponent, only to see him charging another lightning bolt in his fingers. Moving fast, Naruto rolled forward, narrowly dodging the bolt as it soared and hopped back to his feet. His fingers crossing into seals, Naruto's form soon multiplied from one to seven and all of them surrounded Raiden in a tight circle.
"You're going down, ojii-san!" they pointed.
Raiden smirked, electricity sparking from his eyes. "I don't think so."
The Narutos charged…
Following the shadow monk, Johnny Cage made his way to the next match, his thoughts filtering on his progress in the tournament thus far. When he had been informed about Mortal Kombat, he figured it wouldn't hurt for him to enter. If anything, it would boost his popularity as well as sales for his last movie. If he was fortunate, he might find the inspiration here for a new movie. He had already seen enough here at this tournament to actually get a project like that off the ground.
But more than that, Cage wanted to get out, per say, and take on actual opponents. He may be a world-class movie star, but at the core, he was also a world-class martial artist. That required a honing of skills and tournaments were the best place for that, especially free-for-alls like this one. The exertion, the adrenaline rush, just the feeling of standing before an opponent and finding out just what you were really made of.
But…
Lately, he's been getting a bad feeling about the fighting here. Part of that was due to that particular free-for-all element. Recently, the matches he had seen with the other participants have been turning a little…bloody. That was to be expected, sure, but only to a limit. But apparently, this tournament didn't have such a restriction, not when kombatants could actually kill another for victory. A few of the fighters here had actually done that, including that large, sword-wielding, shark guy (what was up with that anyway?) that he had fought in the last round.
What concerned him was the fact that he felt some of that same violence in himself. He may have been a fighter at heart, but had his limits. But this place, this tournament, was causing those limits to blur in his mind. It unsettled him, but it wouldn't keep him from competing. He just had to keep his cool and focus and he would be able to win this thing, regardless of how weird it was.
Entering the ring, Cage soon faced his opponent, who to his relief, looked like a normal enough person, albeit on the shady side. His opponent was a broad-figured man with short hair and beard, wearing black pants and a sleeveless shirt. By his appearance alone, Cage saw him as high level thug (he seen enough of them in his own movies), but what caught his attention mostly though were the gloves the man wore, embedded with small spikes around the knuckles. It didn't take much for the action star to determine that this guy would be looking to make him bleed. The two settled in stance and Cage removed his shades.
'Alright, let's dance.'
'This is worse than fighting Ero-sennin!'
Panting, a semi-beaten Naruto gazed up as he eyes his opponent, who didn't look any worse for wear and was simply standing there in wait. So far, everything Naruto had tried up to that point had failed, miserably. He had even gone as far as using his Taju Kage Bushin No Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique), only to have them practically pounded in by Raiden's attacks, both physically and by his lightning. The memories of his clones as they were pummeled by the thunder god still made him wince in thought.
But he wouldn't give up.
Raiden's eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed the resolve in the jinchuuriki to continue fighting. So far, Naruto had been doing as Raiden had expected. But more was needed in this tournament than guts (although it helped), and now Raiden had to find out for sure. If he was honest, Naruto worried him a bit. Although chosen, the beast that dwelt with him made it possible that Naruto could very easily become a tool for evil. And Raiden couldn't let that happen, not if he could help it. But there was only so much he could do and even though the fate of the Mother Realm as well as all realms depended of the outcome of the tournament, the rules that set in place limited his interference.
It was for mortals after all…
Raiden's musing were cut short when a shouting Naruto charged at him. Raiden took a step back and blocked the first blow, fully expecting to see a shadow clone or three come at him. But instead, Naruto continued his assault, whirling about in the air with his leg outstretched and flying toward Raiden's head. Raiden ducked and circled around the boy as Naruto rebounded, producing two kunai in his hands and letting them fly. Raiden easily dodged them and prepared to counter when a sudden poof caught his attention. He was only able to turn partway, but he already knew what had happened.
"Gotcha!"
The kunai Naruto had thrown were in fact transformed kage bushin, both of whom now managed to grab hold of Raiden's arms. Wasting no time to see how the thunder god would react or escape, Naruto quickly crossed his fingers into seals, creating four more clones. The group speedily surrounded Raiden and attacked, shouting all the while.
"U!" "Zu!" "Ma!" "Ki!" ("Na!" "Ru!" "To!")
The clones kicked Raiden skyward, sending him up into the air, while the real Naruto leaped up behind him, spinning like a wheel until he was just above the thunder god and then he let his heel drop down hard on his head
"Naruto Rendan!" ("Uzumaki Barrage!")
Raiden slammed down onto the ground hard while Naruto landed softly away, his kage bushin dispersing. With a deep sigh, Naruto allowed himself a smile. It has been awhile since he used that jutsu and he was glad it was even more effective than when he first used it. But that proved to be too soon a hope as Raiden's body dematerialized into energy and reformed back to a solid body, standing upright as though he had never been knocked down at all.
"You honestly believe you can win this tournament with such childish pranks?"
Naruto frowned and took a defensive stance as Raiden began to venture closer, not looking any worse for wear. Just then, Raiden went on the attack, rushing in and lashing out with a wide punch-side kick combination. Naruto narrowly dodged the punch and flipped away from the kick. But as he got his footing, he was suddenly alerted to a loud cry and turned about to see Raiden actually fly at him, arms and hands stretched forward, and slam right into his midsection. A loud gasp shot out the young shinobi's mouth as they flew on, until Naruto's back was smashed into one of the decaying wall in the area and then his body continued on through it. Bricks and debris scattered about as Naruto rolled backward into another area.
Forcing air into his lungs, Naruto gasped and rose up weakly, seeing his opponent stride evenly toward him. Naruto had to do something or he was going to lose. Unbidden anger began to surge through him and the jinchuuriki felt a growl leave his throat, surprising him. Raiden seemed to regard this, but continued to advance. Shaking off his sudden rage, Naruto stepped back and readied himself for the next attack, only to take notice of his surroundings. He was no longer on solid ground, but rather on wide stone bridge overlooking a deep pit.
A pit with long spikes lined on the bottom…
Stretching his arm out, the Lin Kuei warrior tested out its flexibility and felt that much of the numbness it had sustained had finally subsided to where it wouldn't cause him any problems in his next fight. He should be considered fortunate that he hadn't had another match since his defeat at the hands of Kakashi. Clearly, the copy-nin had improved over the years, but that was to be expected. As was his leaving Sub-Zero alive after the match. He knew enough about Konoha ninja to know that they didn't kill wantonly. Not to say there wasn't a threat that Kakashi would have killed him, it was simply a matter that odds are, Kakashi wouldn't if it could be avoided.
A marked difference from the Lin Kuei…
Very few warriors embodied the essence of death as the Lin Kuei had. Taught from the beginning the various methods of how to end a life, the Lin Kuei were assassins of the highest caliber, death-dealers to any who crossed their paths. And who or what their targets were never mattered. If they were to steal something, they would without notice. And if they were noticed, the unfortunate party would be silenced. And if their targets were living beings, they wouldn't live for much longer, no matter how well they were protected.
Which was why he was there now…
Taking out a sorcerer would be a difficult task, even for one of the Lin Kuei. Sorcerers were very crafty creature and quite difficult to kill, at least by traditional means and Shang Tsung was no different. If anything, the fact that he was heading the tournament as well as being a former champion himself made him even more dangerous. Such a person would have great power and fighting prowess.
Perfect…
It was a well-known fact that those who were at the top became complacent, became lax. The stronger you were, the more you began to believe that you were invincible. That would mean that at some point, and there would be a point, Shang Tsung would drop his guard. And it would be a moment Sub-Zero would not miss. And the sorcerer would not see it coming, especially since his focus would be on tournament victory through the current champion, Goro.
All Sub-Zero had to do is wait and be patient.
Losing one bout didn't matter so long as he was victorious from here on in. Failure was not an option and he would see to it that Shang Tsung met his end. And as the shadow monk came to direct him to his next match, he solidified that thought in his mind. Yet, he was unaware that, not too far away, a second, similarly clothed, but differing color figure was having the same thoughts with regards to him.
Watching patiently and waiting…
Waiting for the Lin Kuei to drop his guard…
Stepping onto the bridge of the pit, Raiden faced down the jinchuuriki as the boy gazed about to see the new battlefield they were in, which worked out well for Raiden. This change in the battlefield would serve his purposes well enough. Nothing would bring out a beast more than being cornered and this pit stage would do that just fine.
Still frowning/snarling, Naruto readied himself for Raiden's next attack, but a compulsion of rage compelled him to attack first. Raiden watched as the red chakra flared out of Naruto as he charged with great speed, but he had been expecting that. Naruto's fist shot out at Raiden's head, but Raiden quickly tilted to the side, evading the chakra-enforced fist and his leg snapped up suddenly, hitting Nauto in the face.
Although the blow dazed the boy, Naruto recovered quickly and with an opened hand-now claw, Naruto razed his hand across Raiden's chest. Raiden staggered back, his robes torn from the attack and Naruto pressed further with another claw slash. The thunder god jumped back, just barely evading the attack from the jinchuuriki. Landing at the edge of the bridge, Raiden narrowed his eyes, with sparks shooting out of them.
"Very well. Hard way it is, then."
The rage-fueled Naruto lunged at Raiden once again, moving faster than before. But in the last moment, Raiden disappeared, dematerializing again and then rematerializing behind Naruto, who slammed down into the bridge, leaving a crater in it. Annoyed, Naruto turned about, only to be quickly struck by another lightning bolt that hit his chest. It took a bit longer for Naruto to recover, but Raiden wasn't leaving it up to chance as he wheeled through the air with a double kick. Naruto's transformation would only get worse, Raiden knew, and if he didn't put him down now, it was quite likely that he never would
Both kicks hit Naruto, but he wasn't stunned as badly as before and the jinchuuriki immediately stretched his arm out, the chakra shroud now stretching out in the form of a claw that grabbed Raiden around his torso. Pulling back, Naruto reeled in the thunder god and smashed his fist into his face, sending Raiden rolling on the bridge floor. This time, Raiden didn't materialize to his feet, but rather picked himself up, only rising halfway. But he sensed Naruto's charge toward him and slowly clenched his fist.
CRACK!
A fierce uppercut accompanied by a crack of thunder impacted Naruto's jaw, and this time, there was cry of pain that came out from the boy as he was knocked clear across the bridge ground and over the side. Amazingly, Naruto managed to catch the edge in the last moment and grab hold, preventing himself from falling into the deadly pit below. As he hung there, Raiden walked over to the edge and looked down at the flailing boy, while his fingers crackled with electricity in readiness to finish him off. But Naruto manage to gaze up at Raiden and it was in this brief meeting of gazes that caused Raiden to turn about and declare..
"I'm done."