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: Karma To Burn
Pre-fic Comments:
Okay, there is one hell of a divergence in this part. If you have issues with it, think seriously over the emotions, memories, and capabilities of the participants before reviewing it. Man, writing up the matchups for the tournament was a pain.
Inu-Angel Z: Thanks for the comment review... I don't mind at all if I'm on your rec list!
"Lonely love is blind to ashes
Lonely love is blind
Lonely love is blind to ashes
Lonely love of mine."
Karma To Burn, "Mt. Penetrator"
After that, we basically had a lot of time to kill until the remaining teams made it to the Tower -- either with, or without their scrolls. Surprisingly, Shikamaru's team made it to the Tower a day after us Hanabishi brothers. Unsurprisingly, they used stealth to win the day.
Naruto and Recca played a lot of Rock Paper Scissors. (They also wound up in a lot of fistfights, claiming the other cheated when they lost.) Chouji wavered between the small canteen and the dormitory, where my two brothers argued. Sasuke brooded on top of the Tower, staring out over the forest, as if searching for something or someone.
Fuuko and I decided to look through the old library, deep within the Tower.
I gasped, as I carefully took down the book I had spotted.
"What is it," Fuuko asked, looking up from the scroll on wind jutsu she was reading.
I felt that my face was pale, as I looked down upon the faded green cover, and the fading title. "Nothing, Fuuko. Nothing at all."
She sniffed, not believing me at all, as I took the book to read it.
"This is very, very deep shit," I whispered in English. "'Of Bound Summons'."
Shikamaru yawned.
He'd like to be staring at the clouds, but if he left the Tower, he'd be attacked by other Genin thinking he had a scroll. If he sat on top of the Tower, he'd have to deal with broody bishounen. Dealing with said pretty-boy's fangirls was bad enough.
So he was looking for a sho-gi set. Hanabishi Matora, while not the best player by anyone's estimate, was nevertheless better than staring at the ceiling. (He'd given up on his team mates, after they tried to ram the pieces down his and Asuma-sensei's throat, once.) Kirisawa Fuuko, while not quite as capable as Hanabishi, was also passingly good.
"What's this," he said, uncovering a go-ban. The board for playing go was very heavy and solidly made, designed to sit on the floor rather than on a table, and the top of it was stained in blood. "Blood stains?"
"Can you hear my voice,", a strange voice called out.
Shikamaru looked up. It didn't sound like anyone he knew. "How troublesome."
"You can hear my voice, can't you," the unseen stranger whispered.
The shadow ninja stood up, hands in his pockets, looking around. "Come out."
"You can. You can," the voice whispered, sounding triumphant. "All powerful God, I thank you."
Feeling the presence of someone behind him, Shikamaru turned to see a tall man, with long purple hair. Clad in voluminous flowing robes and a tall, brimless hat, the man appeared beautiful rather than handsome.
Somehow, Shikamaru thought to himself, I just know this is going to be "Troublesome."
Three or four days later, after more genin arrived with scrolls in hand, Iruka-sensei instructed us to go with him.
"Hey, 'Tora," Recca called out. "'Tora. Hey, Matora!"
I couldn't hear him. Recca ripped my headphones off, and repeated the message.
"Okay, I hear you," I said, rising to my feet as I put the book in a pocket and stretched. "Lets go, then."
Iruka led us to a large arena. At the front, two large stone hands forming the Ram seal were in front of wooden panels built into the far wall, and two high galleries lined the sides of the stone floor. On the small dais before the seal stood the jounin-sensei and Examiners, with the Hokage standing in front of them. 'Kaa-san was also standing with the jounin, clothed in her traditional kimono with her hair in a bun.
"Hey, I bet our sensei could beat yours," Fuuko whispered to Domon, smirking as she did so.
"No way," Domon retorted. "Kurenai-sensei could whip Gekkyou's butt in no time!"
"Sasuke-kun's team passed, too," Yamazaki Ino exclaimed, eyes drinking in the sight of the Uchiha.
"Don't you mean Matora-kun," Naruto shot back. "'Niisan did all the work in the Second Test."
"Stop disrespecting Sasuke-kun," Sakura roared, hitting Naruto.
"Hey," Anko said, from where she stood by Hokage-sama. "Stop unless you wanna be disqualified. Hokage-sama will now explain the Third Test. Listen carefully."
"I bet you ten that he's going to lecture us," Recca whispered to Domon.
"You're on," Domon hissed back.
"For the coming Third Exam," Hokage said, then paused. "But before I explain that, there's something I'd like you to know."
Domon cursed, handing Recca some money, as Hokage explained that war was the shape of friendship for the ninja, and the Exam was a replacement for war among the allied countries. The battles of the Third Exam took place in front of influential leaders, who took away impressions of strong villages (and thus business worthy ones) from the Exam.
"I don't care what it is," a redhead from the Sand growled. "Just hurry up and tell me what this 'life risking battle' entails."
"Yes, I'd now like to explain the Third Exam," Hokage said, "but..."
"Hey, that's my job," a lazy voice said, as a blonde man with his hitae-ate in a bandanna appeared next to the short leader. He also had a senbon hanging out of his mouth like a half-used tooth pick.
The man then explained that there were too many genin for the Third Exam, which was a public tournament. To whittle down the numbers, a Preliminary would take place there and then. After prompting that people could retire without endangering their teammates' chances of passing, Kabuto of the info cards from the first test stepped forwards, opting out of the Exam.
"Right, let's get going," Genma said. "The prelims, like the main event, is one on one matches. Fight like it counts -- because it does."
He paused to move the senbon to the other corner of his mouth. "Since we now have exactly 24 entrants, we will have twelve matches and the winners will advance to the Third Test. The rules are anything goes -- knock out or death wins. If, though, the match is clear, we will jump in to stop the corpses piling too high."
One of the wooden boards on the far wall pulled up, revealing an electronic scoreboard. "This is the device that will govern your destiny, ne?"
VS
HANABISHI MATORA
"Now, you two come to the front," Genma said. "The two participants are Hanabishi Matora and Uchiha Sasuke. Are you ready?"
"Gimme a moment," I said, as I pulled out the sheath-scroll and brought out my zanbatou. Resting it on my shoulders, I put the scroll away. "Ready."
"Yeah," Sasuke said dispassionately, only his eyes giving him away.
"Now, we will be starting the first match," Genma said. He pointed at the galleries. "Will everyone except for the two participants move to the upper level?"
Once everyone else had moved up to the galleries, Genma moved back a pace. "Now... please begin."
The first thing Sasuke did was move back, pulling out a kunai as he brought forth his Sharingan eyes.
I leapt upwards, pointing my zanbatou towards one of the lines in the ground. My eyes flashed amber as I stabbed it into the concrete, crazy long shadows emanating from the weapon.
"That was pointless," Sasuke said.
"Not really," I said, slipping into the shadow cast by my weapon. As soon as my hands were out of sight, hidden in the shadow world, I began to mold the chakra for that technique.
"Hatake, who do you think will win," Hokage said, lighting his tobacco pipe.
"Sasuke," Kakashi said immediately. "With his Sharingan, he'll outread Matora."
"You're missing something," Kagero said. "The Sharingan will do him no good if he can't see him, and Sasuke has a huge vulnerability that my son can take advantage of."
"He does," Sakura asked, confused.
Down on the arena floor, Sasuke circled, watching the shadow cast by the massive zanbatou stabbed into the stone floor. He knew that his opponent would emerge from a shadow somewhere, probably cautiously.
He gasped, as he sunk into his own shadow.
A slight smile grew, as the Mindrape took hold of Sasuke. I slowly changed things, rather than jerk him into something and tip him off. Two summons I had prepared beforehand were effortlessly merged into the jutsu -- I had created it, and knew every nuance.
Sasuke looked around. He was in Hanabishi's shadow world, and the shadows of the real world cast windows through which he could see the Arena.
"This is the grey area between the world of the living, and the world of the dead," Hanabishi called out. "Here, as one trained by the Eikai Ball, I control all."
Kakashi groaned slightly as Sasuke's features became slightly scared, looking around.
"The world of the dead!," Sasuke called out.
"He's caught," Kagero said simply.
"Nii-san has this match down," Recca smirked.
"Pretty much," Hanabishi said. "They call to me, you know. Dead souls."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "M-m-my family!"
Hanabishi nodded.
"Bring them to me," Sasuke demanded.
Hanabishi nodded again, and the forms of his parents materialised in the black world of darkness before him.
"Otousama! Okaasama," Sasuke cried out, running towards them with tears flowing freely from his eyes.
The form of his mother caught him in a hug, clinging to him tightly. "Sasuke-chan... I've missed you..."
"Okaasan," Sasuke whispered, clinging to her. "I-I-I train hard, every day, to avenge you..."
"We've seen this from the final resting place," Sasuke's father said. "How far will you go, though?"
"I would do anything for you," Sasuke cried out. "I would eat the fruit of the devil if I had to!"
"Sasuke," his mother said, hugging him tighter.
"Include betray our clan," his father said. "The Uchiha have always been the foundation of the Konoha Military Police -- to protect and to serve Konoha! Not to serve the clan! When we broke from the Hyuuga, it was to leave clan powergames to serve the Hokage."
"Otou-sama...," Sasuke trailed off.
His father, unused to emotional displays, awkwardly hugged Sasuke without removing him from his mother's arms. "I... love you, my son. Honour our memory, and avenge us by ensuring that our family traditions live on, rather than squandering it through bloodlust, fratricide, and the finality of death."
"I... I will," Sasuke said. "I will prove the loyalty of the Uchiha clan to Konoha, and ensure it's continuation!"
Sasuke's breath was ragged, as he slowly returned to the real world from the shadows. He looked up, to find Hanabishi looking at him.
"My birth father and village was murdered when I was one," I said quietly.
"I... I didn't know that," Sasuke whispered.
"Not many do." I smiled at the ceiling, as two bound summons were unbound.
Thank you, a ghostly whisper echoed throughout the room.
"I was glad to," I returned faintly.
Don't forget, my son, another disembodied voice whispered. Never forget.
"I won't," Sasuke said, so quietly that Hokage almost didn't hear. His voice strengthened. "Hokage-sama, I entered this exam for the wrong reasons. Examiner, I surrender!"