Disclaimer: See previous chapters

-0-

'I almost felt that…'

Within the mindscape of his host, 'he' sensed the failing battle between said host and the monstrous champion. To think someone had that kind of force for him to take notice was impressive, and a bit unsettling. Even now, he could see the brat was struggling not to lose consciousness from that blow, even with his aura protecting him.

Honestly, he didn't really care about the fight, short of entertainment value. However, during the course of the tournament, he quickly felt that something was unusual. And it wasn't until Naruto's fight with that water-nin that he realized it. His rage, which was always simmering to the edge of his psyche, was repeatedly slipping away from his control.

Again, he didn't have a problem with going on a rampage, but this wasn't being done by his own volition. This prompted him to take more than the usual attention, at which he learned about the violent intent that was being created in the atmosphere, likely from the sorcerer. Once again, it didn't bother to him as a release of intent makes it easier to awake from his seal. If anything, the sorcerer was doing him a favor and making it easier to do so and be free.

And that's where his objections arise…

He only wants Naruto to break if he is the one doing the breaking. He wants to be the one to break Naruto's persistent will with his own rage and will, without a handicap. Having Naruto resign to his will in the midst of a fight is one thing; it showed weakness in the jinchuuriki part. But the fact that Naruto's will was already weakened just didn't sit well with him for some odd reason. It's no fun fighting prey that is already beaten a battered beforehand.

His pride would now allow it otherwise…

His attention now on Naruto's struggle to consciousness, he peered closer to his prison at Naruto's semi-dazed form, with his lips rose into a feral snarl/smirk as he did. As annoying as this child was, it is only fitting to revive him in like-matter. And with a deep breath, he roared…

'Get up, you brat!'

On the ring outside, Shang Tsung was quite surprised (along with many others in the audience) when Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped opened and reflexively smashed his feet into the face of the champion. Goro's grip lessened enough for the boy to break free, but not without a piece of his jacket being torn in the process. Regardless, Naruto managed to roll away and land on his feet and hands in recovery, the red chakra shroud around him diminishing greatly, and the feral eyes of the Kyuubi reverting back to Naruto's natural blues. Despite the initial surprise though, everything is happening according to the plan.

His plan…

It was a plan that was assured the moment Naruto agreed to face Goro. Granted, he had planned to set up the jinchuuriki to face him in the last match of the championship, but this works just as well too. The tension will be lessened and as a bonus, Shang Tsung will have an option available to him should things go the opposite way. But that would be unlikely. Goro is and has been the champion of Mortal Kombat for several generations for a reason. Between his fighting prowess, his linage as prince of the Shokan, and under Shang Tsung's own tutelage, Goro has proved to be indomitable.

This match will be no different…

Still, there may be one other slight wrinkle to plan, but he has already taken steps to deal with that problem as well. He's not one to say his plans were foolproof, but he did make sure that his bases were covered, more so than before. By all rights, Earthrealm should have been conquered by Outworld long ago, had it not had been for that detestable monk. Much to his satisfaction, Goro took care of that nuisance in the following tournament.

Brutally, as he fondly recalls…

Overall, there was little to worry about. He would keep his eye out for potential problems, but as far as things are concerned, soon this tournament will be over with Outworld's victory. Soon, Raiden's 'chosen ones' will be trampled and crushed by the inevitable assaults from the merciless realm. And focusing on the jinchuuriki, there was one other thing that will soon be clear regarding Naruto.

One way or another, his soul will be his…

'Stubborn boy…'

That was the thought of the Lin Kuei as he watched the fight from an undisclosed location. While his attention was mainly on his objective, the sorcerer, his interest was piqued Naruto's recovery from Goro's attack. By all rights, that hit should have done the job, or at the very least, Naruto shouldn't have been able to retaliate as quickly as he did.

Perhaps something to do with that feral energy he had felt from him earlier?

It didn't seem an issue now as said power seemed to have diminished greatly. Still, Naruto's resilience was something the Lin Kuei had to take notice of, if only for a moment. But resilience alone will not stop the wrath of Goro upon him. If he was to guess, then Naruto probably has another two minutes of life left.

At the most…

Since that would likely be the case, Sub-Zero returned his attention back to his target. The sorcerer was focused on the match, which means he was exposed and vulnerable now. Still, he would be patient. The right moment will be ready and he will strike the moment it arrives. Even now, his chill power was materializing an icicle dagger into his grip in anticipation. The best moment he figures, would be the moment when Gorodelivers the killing blow on his opponent.

And Sub-Zero will do the same to his…

Shaking away the rest of the cobwebs from Goro's blow, Naruto worked out scattered thoughts that were in his brain. One moment, he was fighting Goro, delivering his Rasengen into the core of the champion; only have it deflected, much to his shock. The next was the shock and pain from the massive foot that stomped down on him, taken all the breath out of him and probably breaking a rib or three. That was then followed by the feral rage of what he could only assumed was the Kyuubi emerging. It seemed that all that time he had trying to control that anger quickly slipped away.

Or did it…?

He wasn't sure if it was the blow to the head by Goro (which really, really hurt) or now, but it felt as those someone…was yelling at him to wake up? He still wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it was enough for him to revive and break away from Goro's grip. Even more so, the usual rush of violent energy seemed to have lessened somewhat, although it was still present. And his counter-attack against Goro didn't do much as the champion had already recovered and was giving Naruto a look of murderous intent. And despite what had just happened, it was an intent that Naruto was still struggling with even now.

-"It may manifest itself in your anger, but you have to remember it is still your anger…"-

-"Breathe… focus…and reach out…"-

Remembering the words of the Shaolin monk, Naruto took a long moment and slowly inhaled and exhaled, calming the violent intent within. In retrospect, it was no different than dealing with chakra, channeling said intent through his body (a realization that made him feel a bit like the idiot Sakura usually accuses him of being), and true to form, the red chakra seemed to flare up again. Oddly enough though, the chakra tail seemed to wrap around Naruto and spiraling about, no longer in its usual chaotic blaze, but rather it looked like a rising candle fire.

Steady and concentrated…

It was at this point that Goro made his move, quickly and steadily approaching Naruto with fierce anger in his eyes. Apparently, the quick (and desperate) move from the jinchuriki was more than enough to irk the Shokan prince as he rushed in at Naruto. Naruto quickly and repeatedly dodged Goro's attacks, with the champion's fists smashing and shattering the pavement beneath. In the last evasion, Naruto narrowly dodged Goro's blow, but once again, due to the force of the champion, the air backlash knew him off and Naruto wound up rolling to the side.

Advancing toward Naruto once again, Goro pressed on his attacks, forcing Naruto into a shrouded corner of the lair and awaiting for a careless counter from the jinchuuriki. And true enough, as Goro edged closer, Naruto suddenly threw out an entire pouch of smoke bombs, concealing the cramped area in a smoke so thick that it forced the champion to step back. A moment later, several glowing blurs shot out of the smokescreen, flipping away from the wall and launching several shuriken at Goro.

Annoyed by the ploy, Goro deflected a few of them with his upper arms, but a few of them slashed his skin, with one or two of them embedding into his arm. Further annoyed, Goro stamped down on the ground just as the ninja and his copies touched down. The result was a mild shockwave that stunned them enough for Goro rush in and clothesline two of them, naturally popping away. He appeared ready to attack the remaining ones when he suddenly whirled about and redirected his attention elsewhere.

The smoke…

Realizing that the thick smoke was probably concealing the real Naruto, Goro ignored the clones and, with a deep breath, spat out a concussive fireball. The blast hit the surface from within the smoke and revealed Naruto's body being tossed about from the result. Naruto rolled on the ground and right up to his feet, but rose up right in front of Goro, whose lower hands quickly snatched up the young ninja with the upper arms lifted high to smash Naruto down just like his previous victim.

'Naruto!'

Sakura covered her mouth in near-horror, but Goro paused in his intended assault. Kakashi noted that Goro must have seen that Naruto's red chakra shroud was absent, meaning he was likely holding another clone. Seeing that, Goro quickly flung the captive clone toward the remaining five, hitting one and causing both to pop away. With four left, Goro closed in on them and they charged at him in return.

Mid-way, Goro suddenly leapt mightily over the air, surprising the copies with his agility. Landing in the midst of the clones, the champion then spun around quickly, his four arms outstretched and his body flying around like a top. More like a cyclone, as the centrifugal force threw the clones off their feet. While they were off-balanced, Goro rushed in, grabbed two of the closest by their faces, and smashed them together. Despite being clones, others watching the match winced visibly as they were brutally dispelled.

Seeing that there were two left, Goro was still unsure where the true Naruto. None of the clones he battled had that radiated energy he had before. 'Could he be using a doton (earth-style) jutsu?' Kakashi had wondered in those same lines. It was when the thick smoke began to clear, revealing the burning glow of Naruto's chakra. Goro snarled, seeing as how he had been deceived by the young ninja, who was currently seated on the ground in a meditative stance, his eyes furrowed closed in concentration. He began to breathe another fireball when the two remaining clones grabbed hold of Goro's legs, interrupting his attack.

"Now!"

Suddenly, multiple pops rang out and a new squad of Narutos emerged. Kakashi blinked in surprise before realizing where they came from. 'The shuriken… He must have transformed his clones into shuriken.' Now enraged, Goro prepared to charge through the clones in order to reach their source, but had forgotten the two earlier clones, which were previously on his legs, now grabbing hold onto his lower arms like a bar, swing upward, and simultaneously kick their feet straight into Goro's face.

"Grrraahh!"

Howling in pain, Goro covered his face in muffled pain and anger. Although normally able to deal with and control the violent intent from Shang Tsung's machinations, it still has a strong effect and Naruto's irritating attacks was more than enough for him to tolerate. His anger has reached past its limit and although he would be disobeying his master's command, he only had one care now; this boy's brutal death. Removing his hands, he expected to see the useless horde of clones rush at him, at which case, he will brush past them and demolish the boy. But he didn't expect that as soon as he looked down, a pair of clones was already at his midsection.

Driving in a Rasengan …

The jutsu expanded right in Goro's midsection, pushing him back, but by only one step. He had dealt with this power already, so resisting it wasn't a problem. Focusing on his inner might, he repelled the justu with a roar, dispersing the energy and throwing the clones backward from the force. Only, they weren't thrown, but rather they deliberately jumped back to get out of the way, as a second Rasengan quickly smashed into Goro's once again, in the same spot. And once again, the champion resisted and repelled the technique, albeit with a bit more effort.

Only for a third Rasengan to immediately crash in…

This time, though, Goro couldn't stop the jutsu fully and opted simply to endure the energy, digging his feet into the ground as he held his ground. The energy soon subsided enough for Goro to look in shock as another pair of clones rushed in, bearing yet another Rasengan, striking in once again in the same spot on his body and exploding. Digging his feet deep into the dirt, Goro stretched his arms out and grappled with the Rasangan, forcing the energy to shirk and recede through sheer force of will. The power was intense, but the champion was beginning to adapt to it he kept on.

Enough to see Naruto come at him with a fifth Rasengan…

This Rasangan, however, had two major differences. The first being that the Naruto wielding it was in fact the true Naruto as evidenced by the chakra shroud. The second was the color, orange-red like the chakra. However, the size of the Rasengan was the same as the others, not gigantic like the first one from before. The new Rasengan impacted within the receding Rasengan, cycling and merging together like a drill, all the while Naruto's hand was digging deep into the energy.

"Naruto-jutsu! Tsukisasu Rasengan!" ("Naruto Art! Piercing Rasangan!")