Crossover: Flame of Recca, Naruto, Hitman: Contracts
Disclaimer: I don't own what other people do. I do own me, though. The Thousand Fist Mountain and Sea belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sama, and the Naruto-verse belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.
Feedback: Sure thing... I like hearing how I can improve :) I also like hearing people's opinions on things. I have a fragile ego and low self esteem -- please review?
BandsThisWasWrittenTo: Radiohead, KMFDM, Rammstein
Pre-fic Comments:
Don't be afraid to have a go at writing your own fics -- the first few might kinda suck, but practice helps. (Everyone has some fics that will only be read by other people over their dead body.) I'll even beta if you email me privately -- alan dot p at -- and help with story ideas.
Again, does anyone know of any Naruto fanfic mailing lists on yahoogroups, or should I start one? Please indicate in your reviews. If I do create a group for Naruto fics, I'll post the link in my bio.
Sorry, but I don't feel like writing a troublesome Second Test arc.
ranma hibiki: There is the physical form divide... how would she go out on a date with him? (Yes, I've got an answer, but I'm afraid that's a secret!)
ColdCypher: Always nice to get a new reviewer. I always try to do something new and interesting in my fics -- otherwise, why bother? I've still got to write my major looking-forwards-to arc, so I won't stop soon. Although, if I work too many twelve hour shifts I may have to pause.
HPackrat: Matora took them thru the shadows... check the last scene of part 14.
As we all looked at each other, Sasuke was the first to speak.
"Moron, why'd you do that," he demanded. "We haven't beat that grass-nin yet."
"We're not here to beat the grass-nin," I shot back. "We're here to get an Earth scroll, keep our Heaven, and get to the tower without anyone being hurt."
Naruto sighed. "Aw, man..."
"I don't feel like pissing around any more," I growled.
I shifted into my half-tiger, half-human form. My pants and shirt strained now against my slightly over two meter frame, as I picked up the other two members of my team.
"Hang on," I said, as I shifted all of us to the shadows.
Sasuke looked around with interest. This was the first time he'd seen Hanabishi's shadow technique from the inside, and he was quite put out that his Sharingan couldn't perceive it. He was hanging onto Hanabishi, while the weretiger was holding Naruto in his left arm.
"Sorry, Sasuke," I said absently. "You haven't trained with the Eikai ball, so the Sharingan won't help you here."
"Oi, niisan," Naruto said. "There!"
I looked at where Naruto was pointing, seeing a shadowed area holding an Earth scroll. The shadowy insides of another nin's pouch, obviously, as kunai and other tools were scattered around the scroll. I reached out, careful not to puncture it with my claws, and handed it to Sasuke. I didn't want to risk dropping it.
"Yatta," Naruto yelled. "Now to get to the Tower!"
"This is too easy," I muttered. "Something has to go wrong."
Sasuke nodded wordlessly from where he was hanging onto my furry back.
The mist-nin paused in the process of bandaging his team mate's knees, which had had the tendons slashed. Looks like he'd be paying a visit to the medic-nin before anything else. He'd just finished applying burn cream to his own wounds. Damn leaf-nin.
"Oi," Ichiro said. "Don't stop."
"Something's wrong," Daisuke said, opening his pouch. "Shimatta!"
"What now," the ninja with the slashed tendons asked.
"Someone pickpocketed me!"
"Aw, maaaaan. Why always us!"
"Stop," Sasuke said, as I ran towards the Tower. Crazy panels of the real world showed, as I ran past innumerable patches of portals to the real world from the shadow realm.
"Can't," I said, not even panting. Being a weretiger was handy, sometimes.
"I want to test myself against the other examinees," Sasuke expanded.
"Do that in the Third Test," I said.
"Third Test," Naruto asked. "What's that?"
"Tournament."
"Cool," Naruto cheered.
"Alright there, princess," I asked Sasuke. "Don't try and feel me up, either."
"Teme!"
"Oi, who's got the scrolls," Recca asked.
"Baka, I do," Fuuko sniffed.
"What do we do with them," Chouji asked. "I mean, we're at the Tower, but nothing's happening."
"We're lucky to have them," Fuuko argued. "Recca-kun almost turned them into charcoal!"
"Hey," Recca protested. "I have perfect control over my inner flame!"
"What about the time Mrs Haruno chased you with her yard broom for burning her washing line down, then," Fuuko asked, pulling out three of her awls, somewhat like senbon but with handles at one end.
Chouji sighed. This was gonna take awhile.
"What did you say," Domon roared.
"I said, I can't believe you have such a weak little bitch in your--what," the other Konoha-nin from another team in Lee's year said, breaking off as his team mate tapped him on the shoulder.
"T-that's Domon the Oni," his team mate whispered.
"Domon the Oni," the nin said, turning back to see Domon cracking his knuckles. The 'Must Kill Torama' shirt with the skull and crossbones didn't reassure him any. "Is it too late to apologise?"
Domon nodded, grinning evilly.
"Could we just give you the scroll and go away," the other nin asked timidly.
Kiba cracked his knuckles, and shook his head.
"Ganbatte ne, Domon-kun, Kiba-kun," Hinata cheered.
"We'll save one for you, Hinata-chan," Domon called out as he happily pounded the living crap out of his nin.
"A-a-arigatou," Hinata said, not really sure how to politely reject Domon's 'gift'.
"I'll get that scroll first, and Sasuke-kun will realise he loves me," Sakura said, hearts in her eyes.
"No, I'll get it first, and Sasuke-kun and I will live happily ever after," Ino argued.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Women were troublesome. "We have to get the scroll before we can impress anyone with it, you know."
Ino hit him on the head. "I know that!"
He sat on a handy treestump and waited for them to hurry up and make up their minds on what to do, so he could go ahead and do what he'd planned on doing anyway.
"Okay, smartass," Sasuke said. "What now?"
I moved the three of us back to the real world, and shifted back into my wholly human form from my weretiger form. "Now, we go into the Tower."
"Suuugoooooi," Naruto yelled, jumping around.
I sighed. "Baka. I'll shift, and hand you the Heaven."
Before anyone could complain or talk any more, I shifted straight to my wholly tiger form, and my jaws opened around the Heaven scroll which I had had in my mouth.
"Well," Naruto said impatiently. "Take it, Sasuke!"
"How stupid do I look," Sasuke said incredulously, one hand in his pouch and checking that the Earth scroll was still there. "I'm not taking something from a tiger's mouth!"
The blonde grabbed the scroll as I opened my mouth to let it go, wiping tiger saliva off on his clothes. "Oi, Matora, what now?"
"Come on," I said as I shifted back to human, "now we go to the Tower."
We had entered into a lobby-like area, with a large banner saying 'If you lack heaven, seek wisdom, if you lack earth, run in the fields, seek advantage. These rules will guide a...'
"Okay," Sasuke said, giving me a flat look. "We're in the Tower, now what?"
"Explore the place," I hazarded.
"What's up with the banner," Naruto asked. "Words are missing!"
"Maybe they ran outta paint," I offered.
"We're wasting time," Sasuke said flatly. He wanted to get to this tournament, to test his strength.
"You de boss," I shrugged. "We'd better stay together, though."
"Hey hey hey, where's a door," Naruto yelled. "There're no doors in this place!"
"There are on the upper galleries," Sasuke pointed out, indicating the floor just above us.
"Anyone got any rope," I asked.
Sasuke walked up the wall by the banner, using chakra in his feet to ensure he stuck to the vertical surface.
"Or we could do that," I laughed, rubbing the back of my head.
"Baka niisan," Naruto laughed, as we followed Sasuke.
Pretty soon, we came across a pair of dormitories.
Well, we came across a dorm with some kunoichi, all half dressed.
After running, we came across a dorm with some guys, who were all noticeably less hostile.
"Hey, niisan," I said to Recca, who looked bored silly.
"'Tora," Recca yelled, bouncing off the bed and over to us. "Who met you?"
"Met? What's this met," I asked. "I was kinda hoping you knew where we had to report to for the end of this stupid exam."
Chouji laughed, happy to have one up on me for once. "Open your scrolls, both at once, to meet the guy for the end of the test."
"Why didn't that stupid examiner say so," I complained. "Niisan, Sasuke?"
Naruto and Sasuke brought out their scroll, and opened them. Sasuke then threw his on the ground as it began to emanate light, hitting Naruto's hands to make him drop his as well. Eventually, Iruka-sensei appeared through a cloud of smoke.
"Hey," Iruka said, arms crossed and eyes closed in a 'cool' pose. He opened his eyes and looked at us. "Long time no see."
"Iruka-sensei," Naruto cheered.
"What are you guys doing in the Tower," Iruka asked, looking around.
"We kinda didn't think to open the scrolls," I admitted.
"Well, congratulations on passing," Iruka said, as he pulled out a watch and looked at it. Mainly for show, I think, as we were still on the first day. "To celebrate your completion of the second test, I'd like to buy you a round of ramen, but--"
"IRUKA-SENSEI," Naruto cheered again, diving for the chuunin to hug him. "WE DID IT!"
"If we had opened the scrolls in the test, what would you have done," Sasuke asked.
"And what if we burnt them by accident," Recca asked. Naruto and I looked at him. "N-not that I did!"
"Those exam takers that open the scrolls, we were under orders to knock them unconscious," Iruka shrugged. "This test was to test your ability to complete missions. And destroyed scrolls are just burnt up paper."
"Imagine what'd happen if that scroll that guy ate opened up in his stomach," I whispered to Naruto and Recca, who both laughed.
"It's kinda a shame you aren't in the lobby, since the motto is there," Iruka said.
"Motto," I asked.
"If you're stupid, study, if you're weak, train," Recca shrugged. "Ne, sensei?"
"Pretty much," Iruka agreed. "Chuunin are at the rank of military captain. You have the responsibility of guiding a team -- the knowledge, stamina and inner wisdom are all needed for your duties. I want you guys to challenge the next test with this motto in mind."
Post-fic Comment:
Sorry this part is short, but I want to stop before getting into the Preliminaries.