The night after the game against The Knights of Queen, everyone was gathered together for dinner where coach Kudou told them that their next game was against Argentina. Coach Kudou explained that unlike The Knights of Queen, the Argentinian team is known for their iron wall defence and they will be making preparations for the game the following day as Fuyuppe had the idea of letting them have a day off after the match which made everyone happy and thanked her
The next day everyone wandered around the town area and looked at souvenirs for their friends. Naruto was walking with Aphrodi looking at some keyrings. "How many are you getting?" Naruto asked as he saw Aphrodi gather lots of different types of keyrings, ranging from ones that look like water to wings
Aphrodi turned to Naruto and said "One for each of my teammates back at Zeus"
Naruto smiled and nodded and asked "You getting one that represents them I suppose?"
Aphrodi nodded and asked Naruto "Are you getting something?"
Naruto shook his head and told him he would look for something else as a present before they saw Endou drop his multiple scope ice cream on the floor making the duo laugh a bit.
For the rest of the day, the team enjoyed themselves and saw the exciting things on the island. The next day the team went back to training with them feeling more relaxed than before. Genda approached Kogure and Tobikata and asked if they wanted to practice a blocking move together which they agreed. Genda and the two others tried their hardest to get their move down but couldn't get it down properly
Soon they took a break with everyone on the side talking to one another, soon Kidou decided to ask Naruto a question about the Argentina team"Naruto, how strong do you think the Argentinian defence is?"
Everyone looked towards Naruto and waited to hear what he had to say, "Based on my experience, they are proficient at what they do. I tried many times to beat Teres in a one on one match but could never score a single goal against him, his defensive capabilities are second to none. I learnt everything I know about defending from him, but unlike me who trained in other positions as well, Teres focused on his defending so he will only be that much stronger. But the scariest part of their team is their distribution, each member of the team is capable of bringing the ball forward, like a world-class midfielder so do not think that all they could do is defend" Naruto told them
Kidou then said "So not only are we playing against a team that can shut down attacks with ease but a team that can attack without much issue either. This is going to be difficult"
Naruto nodded and said "While their attack is weaker than their defence it is still nothing to scoff at. Their strikers have some serious kicking power, it could even match the likes of Tobikata. Their hissatsu shooting techniques are also as good as ours, if not better"
Everyone was shocked at this as Tobikata's kicks alone were quite strong but if what Naruto said was true then they were going to go against a team that are a powerhouse in a physical sense
Naruto smiled and told them "But they have a weak point to their game that we could exploit"
The team all looked at Naruto and began to wonder what the weak point was, "What is the weak point?" Kidou asked
"They rely too much on Teres. I'm not saying they aren't good without him but their defence is centred around him, meaning if we can get separate him from the others then we will have a much easier time scoring against them" Naruto told them
Kidou then asked "But they will expect us to do that won't they?"
Naruto nodded "That's the only option we have. Even with our strongest shots like Dragon Slayer, Glaciar Gungnir, Maximum Fire and Last Resort won't get past Teres. They know that if the teams they play against want to score their only is to get around Teres so they no doubt have a way to stop that from happening'' Everyone didn't know what to do as they have seen the power Last Resort had and could only imagine how strong Teres had to be
Before their break ended Fudou asked Kidou to meet him after practice for something private. After practice, those two left to do their own thing while the others went back to their rooms to relax.
The next couple of days continued with the same theme, they would practise with everything they had but one day Sakuma, Fudou and Kidou were not concentrating in practice and were sent away. Endou followed after them as he wanted to know what was wrong with them, they didn't return for the whole day
That morning the team saw that the schedule for the Argentina game was moved up in advance. They saw no sign of Endou and the others and had to leave for the game without them, there was also no sign of coach Kudou or Hibiki anywhere. Everyone hoped that they would meet them at the stadium but that was not the case as they were nowhere to be found
They all started to warm up and some even looked nervous but the Argentinian team were relaxing as if they were back at home. The referee then called for both teams to the pitch, everyone was a little bit nervous as they didn't know what to do but had no other choice but to go and play. Kogure wanted to know what was going on as Endou and coach Kudou were nowhere to be seen, Tsunami then told him and everyone else that they were national players for Japan just like Endou and it was their responsibility to carry the feelings of their countrymen.
Naruto nodded and called everyone over as he put on the captain's armband and said "Everyone listen up, I'm going to announce the starting eleven"
Everyone focused on him
"Goalkeeper - Genda
Defenders - Tsunami, Kogure, Tobikata and Kabeyama
Midfielders - myself, Kazemaru and Fubuki
Forwards - Aphrodi, Gouenji and Hiroto
Kazemaru you will use your speed to dribble past the defenders and play the ball to the three forwards, myself and Fubuki will hold in the centre and cut out any attacks when possible" Everyone nodded at the line-up and ran onto the pitch
Naruto and Teres went to the referee for the coin flip, "I look forward to seeing how much you've grown Naruto"
"I look forward to seeing how strong you've gotten as well Teres" Naruto responded
Japan was given the kickoff, Aphrodi and Gouenji passing the ball back to Naruto. Naruto then passed the ball to Fubuki who brought the ball forward before passing the ball to Hiroto who had the ball taken off him by an Argentinian midfielder.
Naruto quickly took the ball back before running forwards and using Flying Raijin to get past the defenders. Naruto was now free on goal but Teres had anticipated it was in front of him
"It seems you've mastered your father's move Naruto" Teres said
Naruto nodded before passing the ball to Goeunji who was about to shoot but was stopped by an Argentinian defender who quickly passed the ball off to a midfielder who was running down the field before passing the ball to one of their strikers. Hiroto managed to intercept the ball but it was immediately taken off him by a defender who used Zig-Zag Flame(The defender slides in a zig-zag manner with flames underneath his feet as he steals the ball)
Tobikata intercepted the ball and passed it to Fubuki who ran forwards on his own and managed to get past two defenders with speed alone before another defender used Zig-Zag Flame and took the ball off him. The Japanese players continued their one-man approach over again which again lead to failure
Kabeyama had taken the ball of a midfielder before running forwards, he was about to pass it to Aphrodi but Hiroto told him to pass the ball to him. Hiroto then received the ball and started taking command of the team by giving orders to them which allowed Gouenji to use Maximum Fire which was stopped by Terrace who used Iron Wall(Summons a giant iron wall)
"You call that a shot? Even elementary kids make better shots than that" Teres said while rubbing the back of his head before whistling which made the Argentinian players all get ready to run which shocked the Japanese team
Naruto quickly yelled to them "They're going on the attack now. Everyone get ready"
The Japanese team quickly got focused and waited to see what would happen next, Teres just shook his head before kicking the ball forwards to a midfielder who made quick passes with the rest of the team and managed to get past the Japanese defenders. Their striker was now one on one with Genda, the striker then slid their legs on the ground before spinning around and kicking the ball from the bottom making it spin with fiery energy. After that, he kicks the ball towards the goal which is followed by a spinning stream of flame(Hellfire) Genda used Power Spike to stop the shot but was unable to stop the shot
0-1
Japan restarted the game with the Argentinian players still on the offensive, Hiroto jumped over a sliding tackle but had the ball taken off him by Zig-Zag Flame. The Argentinian players then made quick passes again and gave it back to their striker who used Hellfire again and scored past Genda
0-2
The Japanese players were shocked at how fast they considered a goal, they then resumed the game again. Naruto received the ball and ran down the pitch and used Kyuubi Strike which was met by Terrace's Iron Wall. Teres stopped the shot and said "You've certainly grown Naruto but it is a shame you didn't join us. Unlike us, your team can't use your skills to its maximum potential"
Naruto clicked his teeth in annoyance and tried to take the ball from Teres but Teres managed to hold onto the ball before passing the ball to his teammate. Kazemaru quickly shot the attack down with a sliding tackle that sent the ball out of play but hurt his leg with the tackle and had to be taken off the field as the halftime whistle blew.
Both teams went to their respective dugouts to discuss their plans for the second half. Naruto looked at everyone and said "We're going to change things up for the second half" everyone looked at him as he continued "We were caught off guard by how fast they can change the momentum of the game which lead to us coinciding two goals but now that we have a moment to calm down we should be okay"
Everyone nodded at Naruto's statement as it was quite frightening how quick the Argentinian team went from defence to attack. Genda gripped his water bottle with anger before turning to Tobikata and Kogure and saying "We are using 'that' move"
Both Tobikata and Kogure looked at him with different expressions, Tobikata nodded in understanding while Kogure looked at him with wide eyes and sweet coming down his head and said "But it's not complete yet. What if it fails?"
Tobikata told him "What are you so afraid of? It's okay to mess up! Give it everything you have!"
Everyone looked at him and was amazed that he would say something like that but he told everyone he thought it would be something that Endou would say which made them laugh a little and shake their heads
Naruto then told everyone "For the second half, Aphrodi and Hiroto will move to the midfield with Fubuki while Someoka and myself will join Gouenji as forwards"
Everyone was shocked to hear this as the last time Naruto was a forward he was like a different person and afterwards said he didn't want to be a forward anymore. But one look at Naruto's facial expression said he wasn't backing down. Gouenji walked up to Naruto and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and said "Okay, if that's the plan, then all we can do is support you"
Naruto smiled a little and nodded at Gouenji and the others as they went back onto the field. Just before they went back on Naruto grabbed onto Tobikata's shoulder and said "Tobikata I need you to do something for me"
Tobikata looked at Naruto and nodded, "If I go too far and hurt our teammates, promise me you will stop me" Naruto said with a no-nonsense type of look
Tobikata looked wide-eyed at him and asked "Why are you asking me to do this?"
Naruto looked down as he spoke "Endou told me about the time he saw you beat four people with a single kick and I know that the others will not stop me no matter what so I'm asking you, someone, who had done bad before. You are the only one I can ask about this"
Tobikata didn't say anything for a moment, then said "Okay, if that's what you want then I'll help you" Naruto looked back up at Tobikata and smiled and said his thanks before both of them went onto the field
The game started with Argentina taking the kick-off and kicking the ball to Tsunami who passed it to Goeunji who ran forward and was surrounded by seven Argentinian players while the remaining players marked the Japanese players. The ground that Gouenji was standing on turned into a sandpit(Hissatsu Tactic - Andes no Arijigoku). Gouenji started to run forward but was finding it difficult, soon enough the sandpit disappeared and the Argentinian players allowed Goeunji to run past them. Gouenji wasted no time and used Maximum Fire but was stopped by Terrace's Iron Wall again
Teres then said "My, my, right towards me? What a shame. Try to kick it in a better place next time" before kicking the ball to Someoka who was the next one caught in the Andes no Arijigoku but before he could shoot, he had the ball taken off him by a sliding tackle.
The Argentinian players then went on the attack once more to score another goal to crush the Japan team's spirit. Their forward used Hellfire but this time Kogure and Tobikata were standing next to Genda. Tobikata and Kogure then jumped and started spinning around one another(like The Birth) once they reached the height of their jump they brought their feet back as wind gathered around their feet before kicking the wind down to Genda. While they were in the air Genda had his arms crossed as a small circle of a yellow aura formed in front of his arms. Once the wind comes down it surrounds Genda in a small tornado, Genda then uncrosses his arms as a dome is formed with harsh winds flowing around. As the ball went into the down the winds pushed the ball in multiple directions, making it slam into the side of the dome, the top of the dome and finally the ground where it lost all its momentum and floated in front of Genda which allowed him to grab it without any issues(Eye of the Storm(I don't really know what to call it so if you have a better name for it please let me know)
Genda smirked before kicking the ball to Naruto who ran forwards and used Flying Raijin to get the Argentinian players before Teres ran forwards towards Naruto before stopping a creating a purple dome around him and Naruto. Naruto tried to get out with Flying Raijin but every time he tried to leave he was knocked back in(Defensive Zone)*. Teres then slide tackled Naruto which allowed his team to get possession of the ball
Everyone was shocked as they didn't think anyone could have stopped the Flying Raijin, Teres looked at Naruto and with a carefree attitude said "I knew one day you might have been able to pull off your father's signature moves, so I came up with a way to stop you just in case we played against each other again"
Naruto growled at Teres and saw that his team was again on the defensive, Naruto got to his feet and sprinted down the field and slide tackled the Argentinian player who had the ball before running down the field straight at Teres and ignoring the goal. This time Naruto continued to charge instead of using the Flying Raijin, both Teres and Naruto had their feet on the ball and fought for dominance. Teres was crowned the winner of the dual as the ball glowed a yellowish colour before blasting off into the sky and sending both Naruto and Teres back before falling back down where Teres was allowing him to control the ball with his feet
Teres then started to juggle the ball on his right knee, angering Naruto. Naruto ran towards Teres and tried to get the ball back but Teres would move out the way and bait Naruto in before moving out of the way again. Naruto kept trying to get the ball back but Teres had enough and kicked the ball to Tsunami who tried to go on the attack but got tackled which sent the ball out of play. Teres then turned to Naruto and said "I had hoped you would have improved but it looks like you still aren't strong enough"
Naruto looked devastated and started pounding his hands on the floor as everyone else in the Japanese team was looking down at the floor in sadness as they couldn't see a way to win. Seeing this Fuyuppe ran towards the touchline and said "What's wrong with all of you?" Everyone now looked towards her, "This match isn't over yet! Don't tell me you're giving up already!"
"But we can't break down that defence" Kogure said
"So what?! No matter what happens, you never give up, isn't that Inazuma Japan's football?! That's how you were able to win the preliminaries and against the Knights of Queen, isn't it? Please! You've got to stand up once more! Fight back!" Fuyuppe told them
Haruna and Kino joined in with Fuyuppe and told the team to get back onto their feet, slowly but surely the team started to pick themselves up again and get ready for the throw-in. Kabeyama and Kogure told the team that they will bring the ball forward for the others to shoot and score, everyone was reluctant but Hiroto said it was okay which made everyone besides Naruto who was still growling at Terrace agree upon it
Tobikata took the throw-in and gave it to Kogure who dribbled the ball forwards, he was then caught in Andes no Arijigoku. While Kogure was inside the trap he started changing the direction he was running in which forced the Argentinian players to become more reckless and attempt to tackle him. Kogure then spotted an opening and tried to pass the ball off but he got tackled which made everyone think he lost possession of the ball, but Kogure used his hands to hold himself up and used his excellent ball control and juggled the ball into a better position for him and passed the ball to Kabeyama
Kabeyama was now the next person to be caught in the Andes no Arijigoku, Kabeyama had brought the ball just short of the penalty box before he was closed in by the Argentinian players. Kabeyama seeing no other option held the ball between his feet and jumped past the blockers and passed the ball to Fubuki who ran as fast as he could to try to invade the Andes no Arijigoku but was unsuccessful
Fubuki tried his hardest to escape the trap but found it extremely difficult, he was focusing solely on how to get out of the Andes no Arijigoku that he didn't see the Argentinian defender take the ball off him. Fubuki didn't back down and managed to get the ball back and made a quick turn around to face the Argentinian goal and made a quick pass to Naruto who was free in space
Naruto then called for Gouenji and Aphrodi and used the Wrath of Ra, Teres tried to get into a position to stop the shot but was knocked aside from the shot. The Argentinian goalkeeper started to slap his hands outwards which generated lots of red hands that formed a wall(Million Hands) but the shot proved too powerful for the goalkeeper to save it.
1-2
The Japanese team were on cloud nine and couldn't be happier, especially Naruto who was screaming in happiness as he finally managed to score past Teres. Teres on the other hand was in a state of shock as it was the first time anyone had gotten past the Andes no Arijigoku
The Japanese team were ready to go back to their half but the final whistle blew indicating the end of the game, they soon gained looks of despair and slowly walked off the field. Naruto had tears running down his face as he thought that today was the day he would finally beat Terrace but in the end, it seems like it wasn't his day.
Teres walked over to Naruto and held out his hand and said "Your team did well today Naruto. I admit that I was wrong about them, there are some good players in your team. I look forward to seeing where you place"
Naruto shacked Teres' hand and said "Next time, I will beat you"
Teres smiled and said "We shall see"
The team got changed and got onto the caravan, the mood was heavy with everyone blaming themselves for the loss. Fuyuppe decide to speak to everyone and said "You may have lost today but we still have more games to go so don't give up just yet"
Everyone thought about what she said and agreed with her. Naruto then told everyone "She's right. We may have lost today but we still have a chance of winning the whole thing and becoming the best in the world. Now let's get back and practice so we never lose again!"
"Yeah" everyone cheered, as they all regained their spirits back and vowed to themselves that they will become stronger than ever so they don't lose again
Naruto then looked at Genda and asked him "Where did you come up with that technique?"
Genda's eyes hardened as he said "It was a move that was thought of before Royal played against you guys the second time. After the game where we forfeited against you, Kageyama wanted to make sure that we could stop you as he suspected that you had more power than you showed in the game so while Kidou and the others practised Koutei Penguin 2gou, me, Kazumichi and Masaru practise Eye of the Storm as a way to stop any shot we faced. Kageyama thought that if we could combine Power Shield with Cyclone we could theoretically block any shot we face. Although we couldn't pull off the move as we couldn't get the timing and power right, I wanted to at least give it a go as it was a strong move, even if it was created by that man"
Naruto nodded and said "Well it paid off and I must say I think I might be hard press to score against that"
The others agreed and congratulated him and the two others on having such an outstanding move.
Some time has passed and the team waited outside their accommodated area for Endou and the others to show up, soon enough they arrived with Endou running towards them. Everyone was glad to see them, Endou then explained to them that Kageyama was on the island and had taken over as the Italian coach which shocked everyone. Genda asked if Sakuma and Kidou were alright and why they didn't tell him about Kageyama
Kidou and Sakuma told him they were fine and they apologised for not telling him but they didn't want him to freak out as they didn't know for sure if it was him or not, which seemed to calm Genda down a bit.
Soon silence followed then Gouenji stepped forward and apologised to Endou for losing which m d everyone who played lowered their head a bit but Endou told them to cheer up as they still hadn't lost their chance to make it to the finals. Kidou then said that if they win the next two games then they should be fine which made everyone pearl up a little
Endou then praised Gouenji, Aphrodi and Naruto for scoring the goal past Teres which was impressive to see. He also praised Kogure, Kabeyama and Fubuki for showing their courage and fighting spirits when going against the Andes no Arijigoku, as well as praising Genda, Tobikata and Kogure for their new hissatsu technique. Sakuma and Kidou also praised the defensive trio for pulling off the move that they saw was impossible which made the trio smile the brightest
While Endou praised Kabeyama, Kogure and Fubuki, Kabeyama told him that it was all thanks to Fuyuppe which got her to blush. They told him that it was thanks to her words that they managed to pick themselves up to fight to the end. Fuyuppe tried to say something but stuttered as she didn't think she would get praised for what she did. Endou smiled and told her "I'd expect nothing less from Inazuma Japan's manager" which made her more happier
Endou then turned to the team and said that they should aim for complete victory and that they were going to practise tomorrow which made the team more determined.
The next day everyone was giving everything they had at practice with the defenders closing down the players quicker, the midfielders moving the ball in quick succession and the forwards increasing their striking proficiency. Everyone also focused on their defence as they realised doing the Argentinia game how easily they were caught off guard and lost possession and conceded goals against them
The following day they watched the game between Italy and England. In the first half, it looked like England was going to win as they seemed untouchable but in the second half then the Italian team seemed to change gears. It seemed like the Italian team could see through every move the English made.
Kidou and the others who were coached by Kabeyama could tell that it was because of him that Italy was able to change so quickly. They then all went to practice again but one look from them and coach Kudou could tell that some of his player's heads were not completely focused on practice and decided to call it off to let them calm down.
The players then left the field, Naruto walked with Aphrodi back to their rooms where Naruto saw that Aphrodi had a determined look on his face. Before they went into their own rooms Naruto asked "What's wrong?"
Aphrodi turned and said "It's the whole thing with Kageyama. I know I shouldn't completely blame him for what happened with Zeus as we should have decided against using the aqua of the gods but just looking at him makes me despise what happened in the past"
Naruto nodded and said "I understand. You resent him and yourself for using the aqua of the gods, which is understandable but remember that everyone makes mistakes. You saw a way to make you and your teammates become the strongest team there is and in a moment of weakness, you accepted the offer from him, as you thought that you were doing it to help your team achieve that goal. So don't blame yourself for that as anyone would make the same mistake. The problem does go to Kageyama as he not only researched the drug and knew what it could do and used it on kids that he could exploit. Now why don't we go have some fun and clear our minds"
Aphrodi nodded and said he'll go, they both then changed and walked around the island and spent the day having fun. The next day the team found out that Fuyuppe went to the hospital which shocked them but were grateful that she was okay, coach Kudou then arrived. The team then lined up and apologised for not being one hundred per cent, coach Kudou accepted their apology and told them to practise.
AN1 - Eye of the Storm - I hope you like it as I had many ideas going through my head about what type of move I wanted the trio to pull off and I decided to go with this one. I also hope you like the explanation behind the move as I liked the idea of Kageyama
AN2 - Defensive Zone - I decided to give Teres another Hissatsu move as I believe it shows how good of a defender he is and how he is able to stop anything in his way
AN3 - the match - I tried my hardest to think of ways of showing this game but I was completely stumped and this is the best I could come up with. Sorry if it was not what you were expecting and I promise to do better
AN4 - oliversanchezleon - I will like to thank oliversanchezleon for the idea of Naruto using Last Resort and getting injured by using Glacier Gungnir. I am sorry I didn't thank you earlier as it slipped my mind which I'm sorry for but thank you and everyone else for the suggestions for this story
AN5 - What's next - There are a few more matches left before the original series is over and I would like to say what I plan to do in the future. After the final match between the original Raimon vs those who joined afterwards, I plan to make a new story which covers Ares/Orion. If you have suggestions for that series let me know.
I don't know if I plan on doing anything with GO as I don't know what to do with Naruto. The best I can come up with is he joins Endou in coaching and stays with them to the end. For Chrono Stone, I guess I can make a team which combines both the GO players and the Originals. As for Galaxy, I have no idea whatsoever. So don't expect anything from Go to appear
I hope you enjoy and have a good day