So sorry. I lied. This will not be the Naruto/Rock Lee fight. See, I've discovered just how hard it is to try to write a fight scene like this and not sound like an idiot. So I'm gonna use a different method. Flashbacks. Heh, heh.
Anywho...
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
The sound of a slow trickle of water seemed to be the only thing holding him in existence. Darkness shrouded his eyes. Silence covered his ears. No smell met his nose. There was only the steady drip... drip... drip...
Dim, grainy images met his mind's eye. On a bridge, covered in mist. People, many he knew. Doing ...something? With shuriken? Being trapped within a tomb of ice mirrors. Pain... So much pain...
But they faded into blackness, as they always did, leaving him alone again within his silent, dark prison. And still the drip continued, like some unsleeping, eternal sentinel, forever guarding him from that which would bring him pain.
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
"Are you gonna lie there forever, kid?"
A new voice, rough and uncaring, trying to pull him out of his peaceful slumber. Yet, ...the words seemed to hang, echoing within the emptiness. Another image greeting his mind's eye, this time of a giant prison door, with bars reaching absurd heights. The floor was invisible beneath a murky layer of ...water? Mist? Hard to tell. The bars were coated with rust and some sort of growth, both of which gave off an eerie glow in the dim light.
"Hey, kid! Wake up!"
Behind the bars, within the pitch blackness, two balls of flame appeared. They elongated and grew clearer, revealing thin, black vertical slits down the centers, like
(fox eyes. )
A broad half-moon of teeth spread itself out beneath those eyes. Only at that moment did the seal on the jail door become clear. Only at that moment did the last vision come. A man with grey hair, standing in a tree
(Mizuki...? )
telling him why he was an outcast. Why everyone hated him.
(and Iruka...? )
Because sealed within his body was the spirit of the...
xxxxXxxxx
He opened his eyes, finding himself lying on his back. A strange, stone ceiling rose high above him, pieces decayed by the years, some moldy. A single flourescent light shone a dim, greenish light into his face. He felt wet, like he was lying in water.
In one rush, the memories of his final moments of conciousness came back to him. The Wave Country. Letting Senshi take over. Quickly defeating the masked boy. Watching Sasuke get killed. Then it all went fuzzy. Then it all went black.
He sat up, wincing at the pain that came from everywhere. Glancing down, he saw that his beloved orange and blue outfit was littered with small puncture holes and, judging by the pain underneath, he was, too. The water he had been marinating in fell off him in a small torrent, breaking the silence into many little pieces. His hand went to his head, making sure it was still on his shoulders, when the voice came again.
"Finally you're awake. ...And you look like shit."
Uzumaki Naruto shakily stood to his feet, drenched back still dripping from his nap. He pushed his lower back forward while bending backward, allowing his spine to pop and crackle pleasantly. Looking around with newly awakened eyes, he found himself in the same room from one of his visions. Three solid stone walls, and a fourth, vertical jail bars. In the center of the bars, a newly placed seal.
When Naruto saw the bars, he suddenly wanted very much to go back to sleep. His eyes were greeting by the same eyes of flame from his vision. Evil seemed to radiate from them, flowing out between the bars like a red fog. And suddenly he knew. He just knew. "Kyuubi."
"I guess you are awake. It only took you a few months..."
The image of Ishida Senshi came to him, forcibly taking control of his body from the fox-demon. The eruption of power. Naruto himself, lying motionless of the submerged floor of Kyuubi's prison. "A few months..."
"I've been trying to wake you the entire time. Do you know how annoying it is when the only person to ever visit you is asleep in front of you?"
Naruto was still trying to comprehend what happened. "If I've been in here that long, what happened out there?"
"You think I know? I can't see everything, kid."
"Do you know how I can get back there?"
"...Maybe."
xxxxXxxxx
The small cot gave a weak protest as Hayasa sat down on it. She sighed, the scene that she had just witnessed still very fresh in her mind. She looked across the room, her violet eyes examining her friend and comrade who was lying asleep on the other cot. Naruto's clothes were almost destroyed, and his body was littered with scratches -- everything else was covered in bandages. He had lost his forehead protector long ago, almost from the fight's begining. Even after putting up such an intense struggle, he looked so peaceful...
"Still asleep?" Sakura had just walked into the room, trying to be quiet.
"Yeah. Out like a light." Hayasa's voice was slow and soft, as if lost in thought.
The pink-haired kunoichi walked back out, ever-so-softly closing the door behind her. /Not that it would make much difference... He could probably sleep through a bomb blast... / This thought gave Sakura a sudden case of the giggles. She silently walked down the hallway that led to the main arena. Or what was left of it.
When Naruto and Rock Lee entered the center floor, everyone pretty much knew who would win. Rock Lee was an amazing taijutsu fighter who, as far as anyone knew, stuck with that. Only his own team knew that hand-to-hand was Lee's only method of fighting. Naruto, on the other hand, was only known for his loud mouth and prankster nature. Oh sure, he could preform a few complicated jutsus (like Kage Bunshin), but that was not something you really took seriously with him.
The fight began as expected. Lee struck first, landing several blows that would have sent many chuunins to the medic. Lee, for his part, also knew of Naruto's reputation, and therefore didn't exert his full power. He would later regret that...
Sakura stood on the side walkway of the arena, staring silently into the now-empty space. The roof, which had stood rather high and tall, giving one a quiet sense of security, was gone. That's right. Gone. Small pieces still remained attached where the roof met the walls, but now they only served as perches for the local birdlife. The night sky was now seen clearly, more so than the shinobi had ever seen it before in her life. Of course, there was also an ungodly draft that was felt throughout the entire structure.
In the silence, Sakura could almost hear the sound of the battle still ringing. The crash of two incomprihensible forces colliding like bombs going off.
For the first part of the fight, Naruto acted as he always did: like a fool. He let himself be hit repeatedly and then, to make sure not to make himself look too helpless, he 'tried' to fight back. He would later admit that he was just trying to get a feel for his opponent.
It didn't take long for the blonde to drop the act once he felt confident enough. It took even less time for the rest of the shinobi in the room to notice. His stance changed, his power seemed to increase, hell, his whole fighting style had totally changed, ...and his eyes were different. No longer the smiling eyes of a boy, Naruto had the eyes of a seasoned warrior.
"Quite a day, huh?"
Sakura was startled out of her daydream by Kakashi's voice. The jounin seemingly appeared out of nowhere. As ususal. "Yeah," she said while trying to catch her breath, "it sure was."
The two of them stood quietly together for several minutes. If there was something either of them wanted to say, they had apparently changed their minds. Off in the distance, a chorus of crickets came to life, their endless melody droning on, as if trying as hard as they can to tell the rest of the world that they were there.
After almost half an hour, Sakura spoke up. "I guess the preliminary rounds are over, eh?"
Their laughter echoed distantly inside the arena, drifting out into the emptyness of the night sky.
xxxxXxxxx
The drip continued, heedless of the occupants of this small prison cell. It had dripped ever since the room had been created within the boy's midsection, and it was not about to stop now. Naruto, however, was wishing very much that it would stop. It was starting to drive him crazy. That, and his ...cellmate.
"Okay, pretty-please, with whipped cream, sugar, and a freakin' cherry on top!"
Kyuubi was almost laughing too hard to respond. Almost. "You forgot the hot fudge! -snicker snicker-" And with that, he started off into another round of howling laughter.
The blonde sighed, bowing his head. The stupid fox had been taunting him about how to get out for 6 days, and they hadn't been getting anywhere. "I guess I'll just go back to sleep."
"Spoil sport."
"You're the one laughing at me!" Naruto was upset to the point that tears were starting to form at the corners of his eyes.
"Fine then, you win, ya baby. If you really want to know how to get out of here, listen up..."
xxxxXxxxx
Sakura and Hayasa were both asleep on their own cots. Once morning came, Team 7 would head back to the village, and if Naruto was still asleep, they were to carry him. His injuries were mostly healed, but they had to leave if repairs and rebuilding were to start. After all, the place was trashed.
Both kunoichi had the same dream. They dreamed of the fight.
The dust from the fresh rubble was still settling as the two fighters stared at each other. Their breathing was a little heavier than normal, but otherwise they showed no signs of fatigue. The room was silent, mainly because no one could believe what they were seeing.
Rock Lee was able to attack so fast that he was almost a blur. Naruto was suddenly able to match that speed. Lee could knock his opponent from one side of the arena to the other with one blow. Naruto had done just that to him. It was unreal -- It was like Naruto had become another Rock Lee!
Back in Konoha Village, in the medical ward, Rock Lee was lying in bed, also wrapped in several bandages and splints. Dispite his mummy-like appearance, he still squirmed about in his sleep, reliving the hour that felt like an eternity.
"Lee! Take them off!"
The young fighter's round eyes looked up at his sensei, a clear question forming in them. "But Gai-sensei, you said that..."
"Go ahead! I'll let it go this time!" As if to put his stamp of approval on it, he flashed his grin/thumbs-up combo, his pearly whites glinting in the sunlight.
Lee's attention turned back to Naruto. The blonde had a puzzled look on his face. "If you'll excuse me for a second..." He then proceeded to sit down and pull off his leg warmers, revealing a set of weights wrapped around his shins. He unstrapped them and stood up, still holding them in each hand. "Ah! Much better! I can move around easier when these are off!" With that, he dropped them.
Even though they only traveled a total distance of about 3.5 feet, they still impacted the ground hard enough for Naruto to feel it. "Damn! Those things must be heavy!" His face showed genuine amazement. "Well I guess that means I get to take mine off, too."
The blonde sat down, just like his opponent, and pulled up the legs of his pants, revealing the exact same set of weights strapped to his shins.
Lee's face was red with indignation. "Y-y-you can't do that! That's MY training style! You're copying me!"
Naruto shrugged and stood back up, now unhindered, sighing, "Hey, whatever works..."
Before, the two were at near-blur speed. Now, they were beyond it. Only higher-level ninja were able to follow their movements now. Also those with specialized eyes, such as Hyuuga Neji. The rest were left to stare at empty space that seemed to be exploding itself. This was the beginning of the end for the poor roof.
Naruto awoke with the sun that morning. He sat upright, stretching his hands to heaven while letting his back pop like so many firecrackers. As he looked around, he saw the two girls still asleep nearby. He had to stiffle a giggle when Sakura gave a light snore.
He spun around, swinging his legs over the side of the cot so that they could stand him back up. His face grimaced and a hiss escaped his lungs when he went to put weight on them, though. Nothing felt broken, but rather like... like a stick that had broken once, but then got glued back together. He limped his way out the door, down the hall and into the bathroom. After being asleep for a day and a half, he had some ...business to take care of.
xxxxXxxxx
"Are you sure this is the only way?"
"Hey, you want out, don't you?"
"Of course I do!"
"Do you see a door?"
"No..." Truth was, he was sure that there had been a door in this room sometime in the past, but it was a solid room now. Too much like a tomb...
Naruto was now closer than he wanted to be to the door. To the demon. He could see Kyuubi's massive paw just on the other side of the bars. Just the thought of having to touch him...
"The longer you stare, the longer you stay!"
"Bite me!"
/Careful, boy... you might just get your wish... / The demon fox's eyes narrowed.
xxxxXxxxx
It was now a week after the fight. The teams had been sent back to their respective villages to await the final rounds. (no other eliminations were needed -- many forfeited before the last fight had even ended). Sakura, Hayasa, and Naruto had all returned to their respective homes, each continuing their training in the way they knew best. Kakashi decided that, at least for now, he would let them all rest. God only knew what would happen to him if he pissed Naruto off...
"Say what?"
Lee had just done something to himself. They had been fighting for some time, then all of a sudden Lee was ...alright. His strength had returned and he seemed as healthy as ever. "I said, I released the Open Gate so that I could keep fighting. That's the first of the Eight Gates Manipulation."
Naruto's eyes went wide with shock. "You mean... you can open the Eight Gates?"
"Well, " Lee's eyes fell slightly. "Actually, I can only open five. Not all eight." His face suddenly shot forward, his own look of shock greeting the blonde. "Wait a minute. How do you know about them?"
Naruto didn't answer. His head was lowered and he was laughing lightly, the way someone does when they've just realized something amazing. "If I had known you could open gates, I would've had more fun with you earlier."
The shinobi adjusted his stance again, this time standing straight up, hands dropped to his sides, head leaned forward slightly. He closed his eyes and said "Well, since you've already opened the first gate, I'll skip it and go to number two." Instantly, his body was surrounded by a flame of blue-white chakra, an intense force that took everyone, including his own teammates, by suprise.
"Second... Energy Gate, Open!"
The energy rippled off of Naruto's body in waves. His clothes fluttered with the force. His hair whipped wildly in all directions. It was a scene that would engrave itself in the minds of everyone who ever considered him a weakling. And this was only the beginning...
Within the Hyuuga residence, Neji splashed his face with water from the family well. The icy cold of the water temporarlily took his mind off the fight. The boy had been training harder than ever since getting home. He had a new goal. In the past, before Sasuke's death, he had also had a goal. To regain the title of number one rookie. But that was the past. Now there was Naruto...
He grunted to his feet, wiping his face off with a towel. Gruffly, he turned back to his training, pushing harder than ever, driven by the memory of Rock Lee's defeat at the hands of the number one loudmouth ninja.
Silently, just around the corner that led back to the house, Hinata watched her brother as he worked. She, too, was thinking about how different Naruto had been. The fun-loving, happy, speaks-his-mind blonde idiot that she had watched for years was ...someone else.
-------
Naruto sat in his apartment, at his table, chowing down on a decent sized bowl of ramen. Yes, even he was thinking back to that fight. /It's funny. He was able to open five gates, --which he did-- but I still wasn't satisfied. I only got to number six before he fell. That and I tore the damn roof off. I have a good feeling they'll have a talk with me about that one later... / His stomach glorped in approval. /Then there's Naruto. I haven't checked in on him in a while... / Once again, his midsection let itself be heard. But that's when it began to hurt. Naruto clutched his stomach, which suddenly felt like it was twisting up into little knots.
/Just like before. With the rotten milk. /
Huh? What the? Rotten milk? A faint memory came to him as the pain grew worse. He had downed the remains of some bad milk ...how long ago? Months? Years? He didn't know. The blonde fell out of the chair, both arms wrapped around his middle, groans of pain migrating from his gut. What he did remember was the pain. Just like now. Just like...
And just like that, it was over. Naruto stood back up, a little groggy, staggering a little from side to side. Slowly, he looked at his hands... as if he had never seen them before. His voice echoed slightly in the empty room as he said "...I'm back."
"What the... Naruto? You're awake!"
"Yes, I am! I am back!" The blonde jumped a few feet into the air, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, God! I've missed the real world."
"Okay, yes, you're back, woo-hoo. You wanna tell me how the hell you forced yourself back into control?"
"I had some help. The fox demon."
Silence.
"Yeah. We lent each other some power, and he helped me out of that prison. I think it had something to do with that seal on the door..."
More silence.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"What have you done?"
Senshi stood ankle deep in murky water, staring at the same doors Naruto had just spent a week arguing at. The seal was gone. The door stood wide open. The room beyond was completely empty. "What have you done?" The question echoed in the vast empty space that had once held the mighty Nine-tailed demon fox.
Well, for those who don't know my reputation, I have a tendancy to lag a good month or three between chapters. I give my usual apologies and beg your patience.
I've finally thought of an ending! I don't promise that it will come anytime soon, though. Keep a look out for the next chapter as we begin the War of the Fox.
Oh, yeah. R&R!