A/N: EDIT! I'm not going to keep writing this if all I receive are flames. Look at the reviews. Its clearly more than one person at this point.
I have a sick grandmother to take care off, and I'm very ill myself; all this stress is bad enough for my health...!
PLEASE READ THIS NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY? Some things need to be said.
First, I apologize if this seems short. My body's all but shot at this point.
You can thank Devil May Cry for the chapter title. Song really got me going, even with my illness rearing its ugly head.
First, the fight scene below is...well...intense. Hope that doesn't bother anyone T _ T Second,, the people have spoken. This chapter was originally going to be QUITE different, but I wasn't happy with it and rewrote it. And finally Third, I should warn you, we'll be hitting a hefty time skip soon. Not in this chapter of course, but soon. That's always been the plan, but I didn't want any of you to be caught off guard by it.
Now for your questions~!
Q: Mercy, m'lord! Please spare Gaara! He knows not what he does!
A: *zips lips*
Q: Did you write Sasuke out of the story?!
A: No. Our broody boy has a purpose in this tale. I haven't written him off. To say anymore would spoil things, however.
Q: So...I know this may have been asked before, but is Salem the villain her?
A: I wouldn't call Salem an antagonist per se...she's more a force of nature than anything else. Her very presence drives the story forward. She's unwittingly set a chain of events in motion that will forever reshape the Elemental Nations as we know them. Whether that's a good or bad thing...well...that remains to be seen.
Q: Won't you reconsider your stance on Boruto?
A: I'm afraid not. As stated in another story, I don't want anything to do with said series as it is now. Naruto, as a show/manga got me through some very tough times when I was young. In a way it helped shape the man I am today. It taught me that strength of will, kindness, and friends are things to be cherished.
To see "Boruto" yank the proverbial rug out from under us, pull an about face and just trample all over that for no reason other than shock value galls me. I'm not bashing it. If you like Boruto, that's fine. Many of my readers and fellow authors rather enjoy it thus far. But it simply isn't my cup of tea.
Alright, you've listened to the ramblings of this old man long enough. That ought to do it.
As ever I don't own ANY references, quotes memes or themes. Not a wit, not a one.
We're going full TFS here and I regret absolutely nothing! Here we go~!
"He is mine, now. Body and soul. You cannot have him."
~Salem.
The Time Has Come
Shikamaru won his match handily. Just as Naruto expected.
In another life, his friend might have forfeited out of a sense of laziness or duty. Not so here. His victory must've lit a fire in him; because he absolutely dismantled Temari. Poor lass didn't even last five minutes before he got ahold of her with his shadow. In all honesty, it was a little frightening. And a reminder. Shika could be a right clever bastard when he wanted to be. He didn't want to fight him. That brain of his was scary. Given time and resources, he was sure Shikamaru would find a way to beat even him. Thankfully, they were on the same side.
A rueful grin tugged at the corner of the blond's mouth as he leaned over the arena railing and watched his old friend saunter back up the steps.
Shikamaru caught him staring and inclined his head in a slow, if wary nod.
Naruto's grin grew. "See? You really can be scary sometimes."
An elbow found his ribs and he laughed at it.
His mind did the math for him as the sullen Nara slipped away for a well-earned rest. Shino had won his match by default thanks to Kankuro's forfeit. He would be facing Shikamaru next. Of Sasuke there was still no sign. Not even a word. The proctor acted as if the Uchiha hadn't made it to the finals at all. His disqualification seemed to be all but set in stone. With Temari's defeat, that left...
Gaara.
A dull knot of irritation coiled in Naruto's gut at the reminder. He knew what that one was capable of. He'd seen it firsthand. Could he kill him? He thought so. Should he? Death, despite what Salem might say of it, was not always the answer. Now that his anger had cooled, he found he pitied his fellow jinchuuriki. Loneliness and pain and twisted Gaara into something monstrous. In another life, the same fate might have befallen him. No, he decided with a shake of his head, death wouldn't solve anything.
It might soothe his ego in the short term, but something told him he would regret killing Gaara here today. Regret it 'till the day he died.
So, what, then?
Naruto touched a finger to his chin and pondered the matter for a moment. He might pity Gaara, but he couldn't let the redhead get away with all he'd done. The boy was out for blood. One way or another, some would be spilled today. Such a shame. In his current state, Gaara was too dangerous to be underestimated. If only they were friends...
Like a thunderbolt from on high, an idea struck Naruto. Blue eyes fluttered in a slow blink.
Well, now. That was crazy enough to work. He liked this idea-no, he liked it a lot!
"Will Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara of the Sand please report to the arena?"
He blew out a breath and stood. "Alright, then. Game time."
They wanted a show? He'd give them a show.
(.0.0.0.)
Could he win?
Salem believed that Naruto could, if only because she was intimately aware of his limits. He was her Contractor, after all. He held a fragment of her power within him, the might of magic coursing through his veins. He was a part of her now, and she, him. She could feel fresh mana radiating from him as he descended the steps to meet his foe, sense the confidence burning within him.
She could not help him here. He wouldn't allow it. Victory or defeat would be his and his alone.
Naruto wasn't immortal. He wasn't invincible. Ridiculously difficult to kill perhaps, but difficult nonetheless. If that...creature caught him, he might have some difficulty. She'd not seen this "Gaara" in battle before herself, but her knight had been most descriptive about his abilities. Anyone who wielded sand to such a degree was one to be wary of. Still, she believed in her Contractor. He would triumph. He must. The alternative was not one she wished to consider, and this. unacceptable. If by some miracle he fell, she would burn this village to the ground.
For a moment, Salem's disguise slipped. She mastered it quickly, but slip it did.
Red eyes fixed on the distant, tiny figures standing in the arena below.
A thread of breath escaped her lips, and with it, a word. "Win!"
(.0.0.0.)
He would have blood.
Gaara knew it in the twisted pit that served as his soul. One would stand. One would fall. One would live. One would die. Here. Now. Today. This very moment! His pulse hammered wildly in his chest, like the drums of a great marching army. He did not care about the invasion. None of that mattered now. He didn't care about any of it. There was only the smiling blond before him. Only the blazing afternoon sun blazing down upon the two of them, only the tension in the air.
Because, you see, Gaara understood.
They were both monsters. Killers. Murderers of men. They were the same. For all his prattle, Uzumaki was no different than he. When pushed to it, the whiskered warrior was a killer. He would rip and tear like no other. Nor for love of his self, but another. Not for love of his self, but love of another. It was all the same to him. His inner Monster balked at the sight of her. He wasn't sure why.
Gaara decided he would have to kill that girl too, of course, when he was done here. It was only polite.
The proctor was speaking to them now; the words a blithering animal bleat. How long must he speak? It had been nearly two minutes now. Gaara ignored him. The talking man didn't matter. None of this mattered. Only the brawl that was to come. How he had longed for this day; a day to test himself, a day to truly cut loose...!
Without warning, a raven fluttered down from the stands and alighted upon Naruto's shoulder.
Gaara frowned at the strange creature. "What is that...?"
His prey hummed. "None of your concern."
His chakra throbbed a warning and reluctantly, Gaara turned his attention elsewhere. A small, satisfied smile tugged at his lips. He'd been discreetly funneling his sand into the ground for quite some time now, creating yet more of to use in the battle to come. Soon enough, the arena would be one giant trap. There would be no escape. He was certain of his victory. Uzumaki had surprised him; he was more than the sum of his parts, more than he had first thought him to be. But he would fall all the same.
"Watch me, mother." he rasped. "I'll make you proud...
(.0.0.0.)
Orochimaru was giddy.
Such a strange feeling. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like.
Wearing the face of another was no difficult for one such as he, and so he had been able to hide his initial displeasure well, but there it remained. Beneath the guise of the Kazekage he had simmered and seethed as all his plans began to unravel. For reasons he couldn't understand, Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake had vanished to parts unknown. His minions could not find them. He could not track them. It was...troubling.
And then came his disqualification, despite his veiled argument to delay it. Blasted Sarutobi! Foolish, senile old sod!
He'd considered dropping the pretense of disguised altogether and just attacking outright, invasion be damned. And then came the Uzumaki boy.
Orochimaru thought he knew what power was; he had amassed a great deal of it himself after all. But this...this was new. Such fascinating abilities. He'd not seen the like before. His curiosity thus aroused, he regarded what followed with great interest. Was it possible to take a jinchuuriki as a host? He'd not tried such, fearing the destruction of his very soul. But that speed...that power...if cultivated properly...the possibilities made him shiver. He could find Sasuke later. He still lived. He could feel it.
That blasted Uchiha was his main target of course, but surely it would not be remiss to have a backup?
Yes, the more Orochimaru thought of it, the more certain he became. He wanted him.
And then all hell broke loose in the arena below.
(.0.0.0.)
Two monsters squared off against one another.
There was no witty banter here. No snarky comments. No stinging rebuke.
Placid blue eyes met crazed green. Neither yielded. Neither moved. Neither blinked.
Genma took one look between the two young men, opened his mouth to chastise them, then thought better of it. Perhaps he sensed the malice between them. Maybe he didn't have death wish. Who could say? Regardless of either, he did his duty. An open palm rose with languid grace until it was all but silhouetted against the sun. It hung there for a single second. One. Then two. Now three...!
"Begin!"
The bird took flight from Naruto's shoulder. He vanished.
Sand swarmed forth to meet him.
And the world erupted.
Searing light burned the world white. Gaara flew out of it and crashed back like a flung stone, his body skidding and skipping helplessly across the arena. A cloud of sand burst forth from his gourd to catch him as a mother might her son, righting him before he could reach terminal velocity. He pulled himself upright with a scowl, shards of sand armor flaking away from his cheek. Hazy jade orbs narrowed in confusion. Pain flared in his joints, but his armor held as he climbed back to his feet.
"What...was that?"
Naruto didn't answer that question. Instead, he cocked his head. "You've been alone for an awfully long time, haven't you, Gaara?"
Something deep inside Gaara flinched. "Be quiet."
"Nope." A small, sad smile plucked at those whiskered cheeks. "I don't think I will." as he looked on in silent consternation, the blond raised a wrist just before his mouth. "You've been alone all this time, with nothing but a monster for company. "Not even your family loved you. That must've hurt." his changed, then. It gained an edge. "I was like you once. I was alone. I didn't have anyone. But the funny thing is...
He bit down on his wrist. Blood spattered at his feet, pooling as the world looked on.
A horde of Grimm emerged from within. Dozens of them, standing silently at attention awaiting their master's orders.
...pain makes us stronger. I've got a family of my own, now. So whaddya say?" tan arms spread wide to encompass the swarm behind him. "Wanna hug things out?"
Gaara clutched at his head. "Stop talking...!
He didn't. The words kept coming.
"Its alright, Gaara. I forgive you." the chatty blond offered him a palm in friendship. "I'll be your brother." How dare he say such a thing. "I won't cower like Temari or Kankuro. We'll tear shit up together; make this world pay for what it did to you. How does that sound?"
It did not evoke the reaction he desired. Gaara blinked, momentarily taken aback.
What lunacy was this? There could be no bonds of friendship here. They were going to kill one another. They should. They must! If the blond held back, then he would be slaughtered, like the rest. And yet his words rang true. His hand was right there, waiting and willing to be grasped. Despite his best efforts, Gaara felt his left hand twitch. He gripped his wrist with the other until he felt the bones begin to creak. The pain centered him for a moment. Madness reasserted itself a heartbeat later. It was too much to hope. No! This was a trap!
Lies and tricks! Deceit! It was his eyes. Those damn eyes! He didn't trust them! He couldn't!
...I don't believe you."
Naruto sighed. "Then you have my pity."
Gaara's shoulders convulsed in a full body spasm.
"I mean, really, do you want to die alone that badly? Its a little sad...
With a throat-rattling scream, the last fraying thread of Gaara's sanity snapped.
Why couldn't he be quiet?! Talk, talk, talk! That was all he did! No more talking! No more words! No more anything! Only blood!
"Sand Coffin!"
The sand was his will, and his will as the sand. It obeyed. A wave of scouring dirt and debris crashed forth, swallowing Naruto whole. He didn't even try to dodge; he was still smiling, arm still outstretched when the desert took him. It swept over him from head to toe, leaving only his face exposed to the world. With a flick of his wrist, Gaara sent him rocketing into the air. A crazed titter fled from his lips as the crowd gasped. His hand clenched into a claw to annihilate him completely. No more talk! No more words! Only pain!
"DIE! Sand-
A low, muffled voice rose over him. "Release Restraint Level One."
Gaara blinked. "Level what-
Blue balefire howled to life within the confines of Naruto's dusty prison, obliterating the coffin before it could crush him to a bloody pulp. It simply ceased to be. Shards of tinkling glass fell to the ground, lending the air an almost musical chime. A small, distant part of Gaara thought it sounded pretty. It silenced the crowd for a moment, but only a moment. Everyone went wild.
Naruto alighted opposite him, eyes alight.
"Have it your way, then. I offered you friendship, and you spat in my face." he cracked his neck with a snarl. "Fine. I'll just beat the crazy out of you."
This was different from before. He wasn't wearing a mask. His body hadn't changed yet. But his voice had. His eyes had. They were glowing, burning with unholy radiance that threatened to escape the lids entirely. It licked at the edges of his whiskered cheeks. His smile seemed sharper now somehow, less diligent and more crazed.
And then came the rest of it.
His skin lost its color with frightful speed. That spiky blond hair became an ashen silver, throbbing red veins manifesting themselves through his snow-white skin. Blue eyes bled red as the whites of his eyes became pure shadow. Ghastly plates of spiked red-and-white rimmed bone grew from his chest and shoulders, forming a crude sort of armor there. His fingers sharpened into claws, knuckles sheathed by heavy plating. But worse still was his face. There was no mask this time, no bone white facade to shelter his smile, no pearly barrier to conceal his smile. Did that mean anything? He wasn't sure.
Behind him, the Grimm knelt before their master.
Something stirred in Gaara's chest. He wondered what it was.
Strange. Very strange. He did not recognize the feeling. Was this...fear?
"Ohhh, brother, my brother. You finally understand." A pair of pale finger rose, pointing at him. Light built at the tip of the digit. "You're playing with the big boys now."
And then there was fire.
It bloomed without word or warning, lancing through Gaara's sand to slashing across the ride side of his face. His right eye darkened forevermore. He toppled back with a shriek, clutching at his ruined visage. Something spattered his hand, a strange red liquid he'd seen so many times, but never upon himself. Blood. His blood. His brain trembled. and his already fractured mind broke even further.
A high, reedy shriek broke the afternoon. "Blood! Its my blood...!"
Gaara was Neji's opposite in every way. Emotional where the later was cold. Aggressive rather than focused. In absence of any physical prowess, he sought to overwhelm his opponents with the brute force of his element, so like his namesake. His forte was ranged attacks and waves of slithering, smothering sand. He'd never thought to defend himself with anything but. His skills in close quarter combat were downright negligible. He wasn't able to defend himself against what followed.
Not in the least.
Naruto surged forward, tumbled under a wave of sand, skirted another and flicked a quick jab at his face. It smashed through his guard and caught him in the throat, silencing his screams to send him a-tumbling. Sand lashed out again, desperate to protect its master. Naruto raised a hand and his eyes burned with scarlet flame. Sand became molten glass. There was no transition between one moment and the next; it simply ceased to be sand entirely. He crashed through said glass and drove his skull into Gaara's forehead.
The boy recoiled with a grunt. It didn't end there.
Naruto pursued him, driving a bone-plated fist into his gut. Vomit fountained forth. Naruto didn't relent. A hand closed around Gaara's singed hair as he doubled over, yanked him up, and cast him down just as quickly. His sand followed sluggishly, seeking him, only to fail as he was kicked away yet again. A bolt of light flickered out, skewering the jinchuuriki in the thigh. Gaara gurgled in pain.
Another kick sent him sprawling.
"C'mon!" his foe stalked after him. "You were talking all that good shit a second ago. Then I tore your eye out!" his smile had so many teeth. Too many teeth. "What's wrong, Gaara? Just grow back your sand!" a booted foot planted itself in the ground, fracturing it. "Summon up your demon! Hit me! Fight me!" his arms spread wide again, twitching with glee. "Give me a hug!"
Hug him!? Not a chance in hell! The ground beneath the monster's feet became so much sand, sucking at his ankles.
"I don't need you!" he howled back! "I don't need anyone! I love only myself!"
Naruto leaped away. "Is that so? Lets test that, shall we?
Blue eyes blazed and a gust of wind slapped Gaara in the face, driving him back and down to the sandy floor of the arena.
Gasping for breath, he looked up to find Naruto racing into the distance, shooting up the high wall with singleminded intent. In a moment, he was but a tiny speck in the distance. But he could still be seen. And what Gaara saw there caused him to coil his sand about him. The boy had found fear at last and he found that he didn't like it. Not one bit. He needed to run. Needed to hide. Wrap his sand about him so tightly that no one could ever reach him, ever hurt him again.
He'd only just begun to do so when a pale hand stretched out toward heaven.
In an instant, the sun was swallowed by clouds as the skies grew dark once more. This time, Naruto didn't release them. The world grew dark, darker, darkest. An almighty rumble of thunder shook the world. Rain began to fall. Slowly at first, but then with gusto, fat heavy drops spilling down into the arena like a divine flood. And still Gaara tried to cocoon himself in dry sand while he could. Layer upon layer, until the rain could no longer breach his defenses. Something told him it wouldn't be enough. It didn't stop him from trying.
And yet, over that fear, he felt something else.
"Gaara!" The young man who called him Brother shouted at him now, voice rising over the wind. "Stay right there! I'm going to knock you right out of that delusion of yours!"
Crazed eyes narrowed to vivid ruby slits. Something took shape in Naruto's right hand, his palm still held up to the skies. Gaara squinted at it as the last of his sand closed around him. It looked like a spear. No. Not a spear. A lance. A mighty weapon forged of wind and lightning, glimmering bright and angry and green. Naruto swept it back and the magic within his hands sang like nothing else. The storm howled, as though the gods themselves were baying for blood. The stalemate couldn't last. And it didn't.
With a roar, Naruto rocketed down the wall and hit the ground running, bringing his lance to bear.
"GAARA!"
Gaara snarled and summoned the strongest defense he could muster.
"UZUMAKI!
And so it was. An unstoppable force met an immovable object.
Lightning crashed down with a howl of thunder.
Everyone went blind.
A/N: Hoooo boy, its coming!
Not really a fight chapter, more a setup of what's to come.
Had to hold off on a certain Salem scene for obvious reasons, but there we are.
At the end of the day, Naruto is still Naruto. He's not a madman drunk on power, and while his temper may rear its head from time to time, he's usually able to stamp it back down with only a little difficulty...until someone mocks Salem. Right now, he's gone full passive-aggressive mode, mocking Gaara to get a rise out of him, to make him loose, sloppy even.
Its gonna be one hell of a brawl.
Soooooooo In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly? It Keeps A Man Alive...
And of course, here are some previews for your care and time~!
References are references as always and I own absolutely nothiiiiing!"
(Previews!)
Salem clapped slowly. "And so it begins."
There was no word of warning. The attack simply began.
Orochimaru threw his head back and laughed. "Fascinating! Truly fascinating!"
R&R~!