AN: (While clawing out of the pit of writer's block and laziness) "Not...done...yet...!"
Disclaimer: See previous chapters
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"RRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Goro's roar (scream?) was drowned out by the increasingly louder roar that came with the power of the jutsu exploding, engulfing in both Goro and Naruto in a orange-red sphere of light and throwing about several pieces of debris from the lair. Many of the audience covered their arms and faces as a result; even Raiden lowered his hat down to shield his face. Those who were further away had to look away from the bright light of the jutsu and Shang Tsung himself had a look of surprise through upturned eyes. The light of the jutsu slowly faded out, giving the onlookers a chance to see the aftermath. At first, only a blur of a single figure was seen through the dust and smoke. As the scene began to clear, the recognizable color of orange and black came into focus, making the identity of the kombatant clear.
"Naruto!"
A very weary Naruto stood upright from the dust, breathing heavily and barely registering Sakura's cry. The orange aura was no longer present around the young ninja and his hand was greatly scorched with burns from the excessive chakra use, which added to the previous injuries he had from his battle with Goro.
Speaking of which…
The audience turned about in search for the champion, ultimately finding a massive hole at the far end of the lair. At the bottom of the hole were the large legs of the half human-dragon, unmoving and dangling outward, the only evidence of his presence. As the audience remained silent, two shadow monks moved out of nowhere from the shadows and stood toward the hole, peering down at the fallen champion. After a moment, one of the monks turned toward Shang Tsung and slowly nodded. With a grim nod in return, the sorcerer lifted his hand.
"Naruto Uzumaki wins!"
To say that Naruto had improved was a huge understatement, Kakashi mused thoughtfully as the ladder to the lair was lowered down in order for Naruto to climb out. Once more, he proved himself to be the number-one unpredictable ninja in Konoha, and his tactics against the now-former champion showed as much, particularly in those last moments. Through his crafty use of his clones, Naruto kept the attention of Goro off of him. Though Goro was capable of detecting Naruto from his clones, it wasn't immediate, not like the visual jutsu of the Sharingan or the Byakugan. Even more so, he had them create a smoke screen as well as using the shadow of the lair to further conceal his presence, giving him the moment to meditate while in his chakra state in order to control his clones well enough to create a new jutsu.
A difficult feat indeed…
There was still an internal struggle that the jinchuuriki had to deal with, but it was enough for him apparently to fight well against the champion. Actually, better than enough as evidenced that he was able to use the Kyuubi's power while keeping his focus. Even with the strong influence of the violent intent, Naruto was capable to use the Kyuubi's power without going feral.
'He really has gotten stronger.'
The chill mist that emanated from the Lin Kuei became thicker, the only sign of his anger...at himself. When the championship match commenced, Sub-Zero had positioned himself well enough to make a fatal strike against Shang Tsung. It was only a matter of patience and timing...
…lost by a simple distraction.
His focus on the sorcerer was briefly shifted away toward the match itself, in particular, the climax. Watching Naruto's actions against Goro captured the attention of the Lin Kuei warrior, whom he had earlier found the boy to be a soon-to-be another victim, now showed a power and ability that he found interesting.
Evidently, too interesting…
The perfect moment to slay Shang Tsung, the moment when Naruto blasted the champion, had been completely lost to Sub-Zero, all thanks to a lapse of focus. By the time Sub-Zero realized his mistake, the match had already been declared. He could have struck then, but with an unfocused attacked, Shang Tsung could have sensed it and countered and he would have been slain simply because from that lack of focus. An arrow diverted at the last moment even slightly will miss the target completely.
The chill mist thickened further…
His only move now was to continue on and wait for another opportunity to be opened to him. Second chances are rare in his line of work, but he was still in an optimal position to strike. And as far as he can see, the sorcerer has yet to take notice of him. Given that the tournament has taken an unexpected turn, no doubt Shang Tsung's attention will been more on climax of the tournament. But such attention will put his guard up, something that the Lin Kuei had to wait for him to drop. And the fact that he made such an error in the first place is, in his opinion, intolerable.
And, unlike Tundra, he doesn't care for mistakes…
Liu Kang gave a light smile at these of Sakura hugging Naruto after he exited from the lair. Evidently, it was a very strong hug as Naruto groaned as he received it. Not that Sakura cared as she in-between crying in relief and vocally threatening to bash him into the ground for being so stupid. Clearly, the lessons Naruto had learned had paid off. Even still, the fact that the dominant champion of Mortal Kombat was defeated after generations of victories by a youth half his size (and more than several times his age) astounded him. That, along with one current realization…
That Naruto Uzumaki…is the new champion of Mortal Kombat.
'No.'
He didn't know whether that thought popped into his head of its own volition or if it came up when Raiden stood beside him, but it was there nevertheless. Even as the crowd clapped in applause, the Shaolin monk spared a glance at the thunder god.
"It's not over yet, is it?"
"We both know the answer to that" was the short reply.
With a slow breath, he turned his gaze toward Shang Tsung. Surely losing his champion and the tournament should have rattled him. It would spell failure for him to lose the tournament after getting so close to total victory. But despite the few moments of surprise with regards to the match itself, the sorcerer seemed unconcerned for the most part. But it was here that he remembered and understood why Shang Tsung was unfazed. The sorcerer himself was a former champion, thus by the rules of Mortal Kombat, he had the right to compete if he chooses to. It seemed unfair that tournament organizer and headmaster could also fight as a competitor at any part of the tournament, but Mortal Kombat has been skewed enough for the sorcerer to make use of these technicalities as he fit, at least without directly going against the Elder gods.
A snake through and through…
"That was quite the fight, kid. Ever thought of being in an actor career?"
"Wow, you really think so?"
Despite the bruises (which were quickly fading away from both Sakura's and the Kyuubi's healing), Naruto's expression perked up with interest at Johnny Cage's comment. That interest was quickly slapped out (literally) from the back of his head from Sakura, causing the young jinchuuriki to wince as rub his head in pain.
"Owie… What was that for, Sakura?"
"For being an idiot" the pink medic-nin fumed. Interestingly, Sakura didn't hit him nearly as hard nearly as she normally would have, even in comparison to how hard she would have hit him before her training with the Fifth Hokage, something that Naruto realized (between pained rubs). It probably didn't help that some in the crowd around them began to snicker at the display, and even Cage was holding back a grin.
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
The crowd was sharply silenced by the call from the grandmaster, now was slowly stood up from his throne above the audience. His gaze on the young ninja, he held out his wrinkled hand out and beckoned, "Step forward."
His face hardening at the sight of the sorcerer, Naruto stood up and began to make his way toward him, passing everyone else in the process. Before he made his way to the stairway, however, he heard the voice calling him softly from behind. Kakashi's voice…
"Be on your guard."
Acknowledging with a slight nod, Naruto continued on. Even if Kakashi hadn't said anything, Naruto's senses were already putting him on edge. Even after defeating Goro, Naruto still felt uneasy (and this is not from the sinister energy that was still in the air). This is the same feeling he felt when his eyes first locked with the sorcerer. As though he wasn't looking at him as a threat or even as a person…
More like a meal…
Reaching to the top, Naruto stood on the precipice of the throne balcony with Shang Tsung across the opposite side on his throne. The demon sorcerer stood up and took a step toward Naruto, taking a slow gaze at the audience before returning his eyes toward the shinobi. His lips lifted slightly up into an almost warm smile.
"Congratulations on your victory. You have earned the right to claim the title as champion of Mortal Kombat. However…" The smile subtly morphed into a devious smirk, "…as per our agreement, I now exercise my right to challenge for the final match of the tournament. Starting now!"
And that's when the chaos started…
"What the-? What's going on?" Sakura cried out.
"An earthquake?" Cage added. "I didn't know we were in L.A."
True enough, the entire ground suddenly began to rumble and shake. A strong shaking, but not too violent, not enough for the entire area to start alter and shift, which what was happening right now. As everyone looked about in surprise and panic, Shang Tsung stretched out his arms wide upward. The skies above began to swirl and spin, centering into and slowly becoming what appeared to be a black vortex. The malevolence and glee of the sorcerer was etched on his face as he boomed aloud and announced.
"Final Kombat Begins!"