"Beginnings are such delicate times."
-"Dune" by Frank Herbert
Chapter 12
Alea Iacta Est
"Alright, today's the day." Naruto grinned, absently fitting on his ninja sandals, smoothing down his orange jumpsuit.
---
"The day of the tournament has arrived at last." Tatewaki Kuno mused, tapping his bokken against the ground lightly. Nearby, his crazed sister laughed manically.
---
"Today's the day I'm going to beat you, Saotome." Mousse boasted, standing outside of the Cat Café.
"Oh hush now, and hurry up or we'll be late." Cologne chided, turning back towards the inside of the Cat Café. "Shampoo? Are you ready yet!"
"Yes great grandmother!" Shampoo replied, stepping outside and into the sunlight, wearing a sleeveless Mandarin gown, one of her usual one piece dresses that hugged her slender form nicely.
She smiled. "Shampoo ready to win!"
---
"Don't get cocky." Akane muttered. "Just because you've gotten stronger doesn't mean everyone else hasn't."
"Aw, come on Akane." Ranma complained, grinning carelessly. "I could wipe the floor with all of 'em no sweat."
---
"Ranma's probably thinking he'll win easy." Ryoga murmured, brow furrowed as his face contorted in agitation. "That cocky bastard!"
"Hey, calm down." Ukyo said soothingly, grasping the hilt of her giant spatula. "Save that for the tournament."
Ryoga breathed out calmly, nodding. "You're right." Together, side by side, they stepped into the stadium and prepared to face whatever would come.
---
Sasuke smirked from a nearby building, watching as the other fighters begin to shuffle into the stadium. There were a few worth noting, besides the ones he had already established (Ranma, as well as that fanged one, Ryoga).
There was a giant of a man, bald with fish lips and a mustache, which made him look remarkably like an ugly, disfigured catfish. He carried a large green bundle on his pack, with pieces of wood sticking out.
Another fighter of note was a muscular young man around Ranma's age, with dark hair with bangs that spilled out over a white bandanna. He wore something that looked similar to camouflage clothing.
There was another giant of a man, this one wearing a mauve uniform and hat, which bore a single gold star upon it. What made him more threatening was the massive shamshir sword he bore upon his back.
A hooded young man stalked through the crowds as well, wearing the arrogance of one who considered all opponents beneath their level. He had seen that arrogance in Neji Hyuuga (though others would say that the Uchiha also possessed this quality), and made note of him.
He spotted Naruto's straw-gold hair and ridiculously loud orange jumpsuit weaving through the crowds, and his smirk widened.
---
Happosai chuckled to himself from atop the stadium, where even Sasuke hadn't spotted him yet. So many promising fighters, so much fun to be had.
"Let the games begin."
---
"This is the valley where the Aburamae have noted the Bikochu still exist." Shino explained having been designated team leader for this mission. Kiba stood behind him, looking bored as he absently stroked Akamaru's fur. Hinata hefted her own pack, gazing down into the massive, bowl shaped crater.
Sakura clenched her fist, her jaw set tightly. I'll find you both... I promise.
"We only have a limited time span to find the Bikochu. If you spot it, alert the other members of the team immediately." Shino turned towards Sakura. "Do you have something of Naruto's?"
Sakura nodded, removing a kunai that Kakashi-sensei had found at the Valley of the End. "This is his. It's been in the Hokage's evidence room ever since Naruto disappeared, so it should still have his scent."
"That'll do." Shino stated, already looking back down, into the bowl-like valley. "Let's move out."
---
In the valley below, unbeknownst to the four Leaf genin, three pairs of eyes watched and studied them carefully.
"Who are those four?" Jibachi Kamizuru murmured, careful to keep his glasses out of the sun, lest the glare alert someone to his presence. He was slender and blonde, with a rather nasty expression on his face.
"Who cares." Kurobachi Kamizuru replied arrogantly, his wild, unusual dark hair and much bulkier appearance a counter to the more civilized look of his clansman.
"I care." Their leader and only female teammate, Suzumebachi Kamizuru butted in, glaring at Kurobachi with a reproving look. "Haven't you noticed? That boy with the sunglasses is an Aburamae."
At the name of Aburamae, the two males stiffened, shoulders tensed, identical looks of anger and fury upon their faces. "An Aburamae? Here?" Jibachi hissed, the nasty look on his face becoming darker. "Well, that's just a bonus to finding the Bikochu."
"Fool! That's probably while the Aburamae is here!" Kurobachi snarled. "This is bad... we can handle four genin, but if the Leaf is interested in this place, it could pose a problem for us."
"Not necessarily." Suzumebachi said slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face. "With an Aburamae here, no doubt they'll be able to find the Bikochu quickly and easily."
"Isn't that bad? After all, we need the Bikochu to find our clan's secret scroll..." Kurobachi began, but was cut off by a withering look from his female teammate.
"You idiot!" Suzumebachi snarled, looking irritable. "Once they have the scroll, all we need to do is take it from them by force."
Comprehending looks dawned upon her clansmen's faces, and Suzumebachi smiled darkly. "We'll let them do all the work."
---
"Welcome martial artists, one and all, to the first ever Grand Tokyo Martial Arts Tournament!" the announcer shouted, his voice ringing out throughout the massive stadium. "Before we begin the actual tournament, we will have preliminary matches to decide who will enter the tournament."
"Preliminaries? Surely they jest. The great Tatewaki Kuno has no need for such introductions." Kuno said arrogantly.
"These are going to be boring," Naruto muttered, arms crossed behind his head, a bored expression on his face. The looks on many of the other fighter's faces seemed to agree with the statement.
"Alright fighters, report to your designated arenas, which is listed on your ticket. Good luck to all of you!"
---
Ranma eyed his opponent warily. The young man had messy, chestnut brown hair and matching brown eyes, and wore a simple, sleeveless black shirt and black pants.
"My name is Syaoran Li." He greeted formally, bowing low.
"The name's Ranma Saotome." Ranma replied, giving his own bow.
"I wish you luck, Ranma Saotome." Syaoran said, and then was suddenly on the offensive, attacking with an unusual type of kick, placing his hands on the ground and using the momentum to do a cartwheel like attack.
Ranma dodged narrowly, only to be forced to block another powerful, straight kick from Syaoran.
His eyes widened as he felt the force behind the kick, and Ranma's mouth set into a determined line. This guy Syaoran was strong.
But no one was better than Ranma Saotome.
---
"You must be kidding! I come all the way out here for this tournament, and my first fight is against a kid?" the green haired youth smiled mockingly. He was dressed in a black open gakuran, a standard Japanese school uniform, beneath which was a bright yellow shirt.
"Hey, shut up!" Naruto snarled. "Who are you calling a kid!"
"Show some respect for your elder's kid!" the older boy replied irritably. "The name's Issei Tsubaki, Captain of Jindai High School's Martial Arts Club!"
"Who the Hell cares!" Naruto shouted, and charged forward, fists raised. "Just fight and I'll show you who's a kid!"
Tsubaki crouched, grinning as he raised his own fists. "Alright then kid, but you asked for it! Secret Art: Dynamic Strike!" in a blur of motion, his ponytail whipping behind him, the karate expert lunged forward, fingers folded just above his palm in an attack reminiscent of the Hyuuga's Jyuuken.
He's fast! Naruto barely avoided Tsubaki's attack, even feeling the wind whip past his cheek from the attack.
But Naruto wasn't about to take being called a kid lying down.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Tsubaki blinked, fists raised as he stared at the four more Naruto's who had appeared in the ring. "What the- What kind of freak are you!" he shouted, eyes wide.
The Naruto's merely grinned, and slid forward, moving so fast that Tsubaki barely registered that they were underneath him, legs bent at the knee, ready to strike-
"U!"
"Zu!"
"Ma!"
"Ki!"
"NARUTO RENDAN!"
---
"You're good." Ranma said slowly, eyeing Syaoran from across the battle platform. "You keep using those kicks though... are they all you can do?"
"I was trained to fight using kicks." Syaoran replied politely. "They have worked well for me so far."
"I'll agree to that." Ranma muttered, remembering the scrapes on his arms from the glancing blows Syaoran had landed. He looked up, his voice gaining volume and strength. "You've put up a good fight, but I don't intend to lose here."
"Then come at me!" Syaoran shouted, charging forward yet again, his foot lashing out in a powerful kick.
His eyes widened as Ranma disappeared suddenly, and, barely a second later, reappeared directly in front of Syaoran, fist raised.
"This is the end! Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" again and again, Ranma's fist rained down upon Syaoran's chest and abdomen, a series of solid thwacks of flesh hitting flesh over and over again ringing out.
Finally, Ranma relented his assault, and Syaoran fell backwards to the floor, unmoving.
"The winner is Ranma Saotome!" the announcer shouted, and Ranma flashed a V sign, before turning towards Syaoran.
"Hey. You alright man?" Ranma asked, holding his hand out for the other boy.
"Yes. You were a tough foe... I see I'll have to train harder for the next time." Syaoran replied, nodding and smiling. Before he could say anything else, a loud voice cried out.
"Syaoran!" a cute, girl with light brown, almost auburn hair rushed over to Syaoran's side, kneeling next to him, concern filling her brilliant emerald green eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Sakura, I'm alright." Syaoran said, smiling as he stood up, turning towards his opponent. He grasped Ranma's still outstretched hand and shook it tightly. "Ranma Saotome, was it? I'll remember that for when we meet again."
"You too." Ranma replied, nodding his head. This tournament was already getting good...
---
"And the winner is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto grinned, absently grinding his foot into Tsubaki's back. "Now, I think you owe me an apology."
Tsubaki shouted as he felt Naruto's heel dig into his school uniform, eyes wide with pain. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry alright! You're not a kid!"
Naruto's grin widened. "Damn straight."
---
Sasuke leaned against the wall, waiting in a large, comfortable lounge area where the other winners of the preliminary matches were trickling in, one by one, giving Sasuke a chance to analyze and gauge them all.
Naruto, Ranma, that boy Ryoga, Akane, the girl with the spatula (Sasuke wasn't particularly pleased to see her), the old pervert Happosai, the old lady Cologne, her great granddaughter, a young man in white robes, Mr. Saotome, Mr. Tendo, as well as numerous others were all inside now.
"Welcome, winners of the preliminary matches!" the announcer, a young, handsome young man said loudly into his microphone, standing in front of a large screen. "Now that all of the preliminary matches have finished, we will now proceed to show you how the order and structure of the matches.
"The winner of each match will be decided by knockout or surrender. There is no time limit." The announcer explained. "Anything short of lethal force is accepted."
A few relieved looks crossed some faces, particularly Genma and Soun's.
Sasuke frowned. He'd have to be careful with the Chidori then... if it came to using that technique, anyway.
"You have been divided up into two different divisions, which will each fight on alternating days. The champions of each division will go on to face one another in the final match." The announcer continued. "Now, each of you come up here and take one of these tickets. This will tell you which division you will be placed in."
"I've got division two!" Naruto shouted, waving his ticket in the air.
"Me too." Akane cheered, waving her ticket as well.
"Ah, the lovely maiden Akane Tendo has joined my division? It can only be fate."
Akane rolled her eyes, looked annoyed. Ranma scowled. "Kuno, how the heck did you manage to make it through the preliminaries?"
"Surely you jest. Tatewaki Kuno is the future champion of this tournament. He won't be stopped at the preliminaries." Kuno said arrogantly, running his hand through his hair.
"I'm in division two also." Ukyo commented, and exchanged a terse glance with Akane, who gritted her teeth. The okonomiyaki chef turned away from her rival and towards a rather puzzled looking Lost Boy. "Ryoga, how about you?"
"I'm in division two with the rest of you." Ryoga replied.
"Well, I guess all of you could be my next opponent then." Cologne murmured, smiling as she eyed the younger fighters.
"You're in our division?" Akane blinked, feeling a bit of fear in her heart. Improved though she was, Cologne was on a level that was only surpassed by Happosai... and possibly Ranma, now.
"We are as well, Akane, so don't worry." Soun Tendo smiled, gesturing towards Genma.
"I guess I'm the only one of us in division one then." Ranma muttered.
"Wrong." Sasuke interrupted, smirking. He waved his ticket, which had the number one emblazoned upon it.
"Ohohoho! Ranma darling, it's been far too long!"
Ranma shuddered, and let out a peculiar mix between a groan and a moan as he leapt away, narrowly avoiding a glomp from a strange looking girl.
She was pretty, in a sort of foreign way, and the scandalously tight teal leotard she wore revealed a curvaceous body. But the slightly insane look in her eyes was far from attractive, and Ranma looked only repulsed by her presence.
"Both of you are in this?" Ranma demanded, pointing first at Kuno, then at the new girl.
"But of course. Surely the rising young star of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics world, Kodachi Kuno the Black Rose, cannot help but be victorious in the end." She let out another annoying high pitched, insane laugh.
"Kuno?" Naruto blinked, looking slightly afraid. "Don't tell me..."
"Yeah. They're brother and sister alright. Both of 'em a pair of nutjobs." Ranma muttered, annoyed.
"Ni hao Ranma! Shampoo be joining you too!" the Chinese Amazon added, attempting to embrace Ranma, who only narrowly ducked away.
"Beware, Ranma Saotome." Mousse said ominously, waving his ticket, also containing the number one. "If you face me, this time I will defeat you!"
"Or it could be me!"
Ranma groaned. "Oh no, not you!"
Happosai grinned. "You'd best watch yourself, Ranma. I'm still the Master of Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"Master, schmaster." Ranma waved his hand in dismissal. "I can take you, old man."
"The old man is mine, Saotome."
Ranma stiffened, and every head turned towards the dark brown haired young man in the corner.
He wore a sleeveless, forest green Chinese shirt similar to Ranma's, with a strange looking sash tied to him. Dangling from each of his ears were earrings, which were at times covered or looked attached to a single strand of hair that fell and framed his cold visage. His light blue-silver eyes were filled with a particular malice.
"Well, well, if it isn't Pantyhose Taro." Ranma grinned tauntingly.
"Don't call me that!" Taro snarled, fist clenching.
Naruto chortled, pointing at the older boy and laughing. "You're name is Pantyhose?"
"SHUT UP!" Taro roared, pointing violently towards Happosai. "It's all that old man's fault! He named me, and by village law, only he can change it! However..." he smiled thinly. "He promised me that if I won the tournament, he'd change my name. He swore on his perversity."
And with that, he did an about face, stalking off without another word. As they watched Taro's retreating back, another voice called out.
"Oi. Saotome."
Ranma blinked again, turning towards a bandanna wearing young man with long black bangs hanging over said bandanna, the same one in the military-like attire Sasuke had spotted and marked earlier. Up close, the resemblance to camouflage attire was even more obvious; he wore a sleeveless, tight fitting black shirt, showing off his muscular shoulders, with green straps over his shoulders that looked almost military. Completing the military look were jungle camouflage pants.
"Ryu? Ryu Kumon?" Akane asked, looking surprised.
Ryu nodded, still eyeing Ranma. "I'm not surprised I ran into you here. You'd best be prepared, Saotome." He flashed his ticket, which bore the number one. "This time, I'm not going to lose."
"Great. Just great." Ranma grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "Just one more person who wants to take me out. This is gonna be more trouble than it's worth."
"Hi Akane."
Akane whirled around, eyes widening as she registered who was standing in front of her. "Natsume? Karumi?"
The one who greeted them, Natsume, nodded, her finely sculpted, elegant features carrying a tiny smile. Her brown hair came down in a long ponytail, save for a long strand of hair that ran down next to each of her ears. Her white gi was in perfect condition, a testament to how quickly she passed the preliminaries. "It's good to see you again."
"It is! Big sis and I were really hoping you'd be here!" the other one, undoubtedly Karumi, nodded and grinned. She was a younger than her sister, with softer features and a much cheerier look on her face, but the hair and the eyes made them easily recognizable siblings. She wore a grade school uniform, as well as a red ribbon in her brown hair.
"Who are they?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Oh, that's right." Akane was a little surprised at herself. It felt as though both Naruto and Sasuke had been in the Tendo household for much longer than a month.
"Naruto Uzumaki, meet Natsume and Karumi." Akane said, smiling slightly.
"I'm pleased to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki." Natsume bowed deeply, her features calm and placid.
"Hey, no need to be so formal!" Naruto grinned, one hand on the back of his head as he laughed.
"Hi, Naruto!" Karumi said, grinning with a smile that outmatched Naruto's.
"So how did you two meet Akane?" Naruto asked. "After all, every person I meet in this place seems to have a grudge against someone."
Natsume, just for a moment, looked rather uncomfortable.
"Naruto! That's a bit personal, don't you think?" Akane scolded, not wanting to dwell on the last time she had met up with these two girls. The sound defeat she had suffered at their hands was just one more reminder that she was at a level below the other martial artists in Nerima. Even though she was able to defeat them later on, it was still a testament to that disheartening fact.
"No, it's fine, Akane." Natsume said quietly. "You see, for many years, both my sister and myself were under the impression that our father was Soun Tendo. We came to the Tendo Dojo to take Akane's inheritance for ourselves. However, both she and Ranma managed to overcome us."
"Now we're looking for our real father!" Karumi chimed in, still looking upbeat. Natsume, on the other hand, looked rather uncomfortable, as if waiting for Naruto's harsh judgement.
"Wow. I really hope you find your dad someday!" Naruto smiled genuinely, and Natsume was caught off guard, her elegant features betraying a look of surprise.
Before they could speak again, a voice rang out over the speakers.
"Has everyone gotten their tickets?" the announcer asked, looking toward the ticket master for confirmation. When the ticker master nodded, he continued, "Very good then. Now please, write your name on your ticket and submit it into the machine here."
He gestured toward a machine against the wall; a large, unassuming thing with a single slit that was undoubtedly where the ticket would go.
After this had been done, the announcer said, "Very good. Now, the machine will randomly select the fighters for the first matches of the tournament. Only those in division one will fight tomorrow."
Every eye fixed upon the machine, waiting for who would kick off this tournament.
Ranma's fists clenched.
Happosai smoked his pipe idly.
Ryu Kumon gazed anxiously at the machine.
Sasuke watched with mild disinterest.
A cheery ping resonated from the machine. "And we have our first matches of the tournament!" the announcer smiled, gesturing toward the large screen that dominated the wall behind him. "They will be fighting in this order."
Sasuke Uchiha vs The Dojo Destroyer
Ryu Kumon vs Natsume
Sanae vs Kodachi Kuno
Mu Tzu vs Sentaro Daimonji
Shanpu vs Mikado Sanzenin
Happosai vs Asuka Saginomiya
Sotatsu vs Copycat Ken
Ranma Saotome vs Principal Kuno
"Who's Sasuke Uchiha?" a massive, bald, fish faced man bellowed, gazing about with a malicious look in his eyes. It was another of the fighters Sasuke had noticed earlier- the one who carried the large green bundle of wood. His frame was utterly, ridiculously huge, covered in an equally large gray gi.
"I assume that you're this "Dojo Destroyer" I'll be fighting, then." Sasuke said, looking bored as he stepped right in front of the Dojo Destroyer, who was more than three times his size.
"You little punk! I'll crush you!" the Dojo Destroyer snarled.
"Whatever." Sasuke muttered closing his eyes and turning away.
The larger man roared in outrage, but the announcer quickly cut in, "Any fighting between competitors outside of scheduled matches, as well as sabotage, is strictly forbidden, and will result in immediate disqualification."
Reluctantly, the Dojo Destroyer relented, pulling away, but still glaring at the Uchiha's back. "Just you wait, you little bastard. I'm going to grind you to a pulp!"
Sasuke didn't even respond, and kept on walking.
"Wow, Sasuke's pretty confident." Akane commented, looking rather uncomfortable at the spectacle.
"That Dojo Destroyer's tough. I don't know if Sasuke should be takin' him so lightly." Ranma observed, gauging both fighters.
"Nah." Naruto muttered, watching Sasuke's back with a grave look. "Sasuke's strong. He wouldn't lose to a blowhard like that."
---
"Have you noticed?" Kiba asked quietly, his voice much lower than normal.
"Yes." Shino stated clearly, inclining his head toward Hinata and Sakura. "Did you?"
"I did." Hinata replied, nodding her head. Which was expected of her- after all, she was Hyuuga.
"I suspected, but unlike the rest of you, I don't have a special Bloodline Limit to sense anything more than a bad feeling in my gut." Sakura replied, a little envious of Team Eight's advanced tracking abilities- but that was their specialty, after all.
What was our speciality, Sakura wondered. The other teams had abilities that were synchronized with one another- Team Seven, on the other hand, was made up of an utterly disparate group of talents that were far from synchronous.
"We're being followed." Kiba muttered, looking uneasy. "What do we do?"
"Act as normal. Continue searching for the Bikochu. If they become hostile, then we will deal with them." Shino said calmly, and Sakura was suddenly very glad he was team leader for this operation. The Aburamae was like ice. Nothing rattled him, nothing at all.
"Understood." Hinata, Kiba, and Sakura nodded.
---
"They've noticed the Rock ninja."
"Hmm... quite perceptive for a group of mere genin. But then again, with their Bloodlines, I'm not surprised."
"They haven't noticed us, eh?"
"They are just children."
"I hate this waiting. Why do we have to wait for those kids or those stupid Kamizuru ninja to find that bug?"
"Why waste our energy? They are specialized in finding this sort of thing, after all."
"Hmph."
"Patience. There's no need to rush."
"Yeah. After all, we do have three years, don't we?"
"Yes. We will have what we need, eventually."
---
Sasuke frowned, crouched atop the Tendo's roof. Sleep wasn't coming for him this night, not yet. The skills of the other fighters, the battles waiting to be fought...
No, he wouldn't be sleeping so easily this night.
The Dojo Destroyer... Sasuke scoffed. The man looked like he relied on pure strength to crush an opponent.
With his speed, that man would never even touch him.
Confident in his immediate future, Sasuke's thoughts turned to what lay beyond the tournament. If they got to this China, what then? He doubted it would be so easy as simply going to the blacksmith and asking them to fix the magic mirror.
How long would it be before he was back on the same world as his brother? And how much longer after that before his family's souls could finally rest in peace?
Sasuke frowned again.
"You're up late, aren't you?" Naruto's voice was low, so as not to wake up the rest of the household.
"So are you." Sasuke replied, without turning.
"I'm not the one fighting in the first round tomorrow." Naruto shot back, using his arms as a pillow for his head as he laid down upon the roof of the Tendo's house.
"Save the worry for the weak." The Uchiha commented darkly.
"I'm not worried, you bastard. I just don't want you losing before I get a chance to crack some sense into your skull." Naruto replied, eyes closed.
"Tch. You're still on that?" Sasuke said, annoyed as he glanced at Naruto. "I told you, from this point on our paths are going in separate directions."
"And who the Hell said you could decide where my path goes? Or Sakura-chan's, for that matter?" Naruto snarled, sitting up sharply as he glared at the other boy. "You made her cry, you asshole."
Sasuke's face was unperturbed. "I'm not responsible for her feelings." He said slowly, his voice as flat and unfeeling as a knife's edge.
"You son of a bitch!" Naruto growled, grabbing the collar of Sasuke's shirt tightly, balling it within his fist. "I can forgive you for a lot of things, even betraying the Leaf." He hissed, eyes locking with Sasuke's own. "But you made Sakura-chan cry, you bastard! And that's something I won't forget."
"Did she ask you to come for me?" Sasuke asked, his voice quietly cruel, his words cutting through Naruto's rage like a white hot knife.
"... she did." Naruto admitted softly. "But what's more, I promised her I would."
Sasuke was silent for a moment, and Naruto released him from his grip, letting the Uchiha resume his position, crouched on the rooftop.
"She said she loved me, you know." Sasuke's voice was quiet, and once more, devoid of all feelings, as though he were talking about something as unemotional as the weather.
Naruto's face only betrayed the slightest hint of emotion, a rare showing of restraint. "I thought she might have said something like that." He replied, his throat tight.
"She even offered to go with me." Sasuke continued, as though Naruto had not spoken, his voice remaining calmly apathetic.
"I see." Naruto murmured, looking away.
"Still want to keep that promise?" Sasuke asked cruelly.
"Yes." Naruto's voice was unshaken and unbowed, strong as the foundations of the earth. "I don't break promises, and especially not one's to Sakura-chan."
Sasuke glanced at the blonde ninja, shaking his head slightly. "You care far too much for your bonds." He commented thinly.
"You care about yours just as much." Naruto shot back. "You care about them so much you think that cutting them off will make you stronger. You think it'll take away the feelings you have toward those people you care about. Well, it won't."
"I told you before. It's too late, Naruto. I've chosen my path." Sasuke said directly, his voice unchanged, still unfeeling.
"It's never too late to change." Naruto replied softly, his eyes and face gaining years of maturity in the moonlight.
Sasuke found himself led to believe those words, a feeling that had been felt before, by Haku, by Neji Hyuuga, by Gaara of the Desert.
And then it was gone, and Naruto yawned loudly. "Well, I'm off to bed, bastard. You should go to sleep too."
But even as Naruto left Sasuke up on the roof, his words stayed.
It's never too late to change.
Author's Notes
Techniques
Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Punch)- A series of punches so fast that they can look like a single strike. Gets its name from the training style, involving pulling Chestnuts from a fire without being burned. Often called the Chestnut Fist.
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)- Forbidden ninjutsu that only the highest ranked ninja are supposed to know. The chakra and strength of the user is distributed equally among the number of clones, and each and every one of them has a real, physical body, making it impossible to tell which is the original. Each clone can only take a single hit before disappearing, however. Also, this technique is dangerous because of the division, and because of the great amount of chakra necessary to make it properly effective.
Uzumaki Naruto Rendan (Uzumaki Naruto Combo)- Naruto's first personalized taijutsu technique, utilizing the cloning ability of his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. One Naruto delivers a right cross, sending the opponent backwards. After that, three Naruto's slide under the opponent and kick the opponent into the air. The finishing blow comes from a fifth Naruto coming down on the airborne enemy with an axe kick, sending them crashing to the ground.
Who wants to play "Spot That Anime Character"? Name the non-Ranma ½ characters who appeared in this chapter!
Anyway, my gameshow host personality aside, a few things to note.
Alea Iacta Est is Latin for "The die is cast", supposedly said by Caesar as he cross the Rubicon river.
Natsume and Karumi come from a Ranma ½ OAV. Details on their fighting style and abilities will appear in the coming chapters.
Ryu Kumon appeared in the manga. He learned the Yamasenken from his father's scrolls (who happened to gain them from Gendo Saotome), and defeated Ranma with them. Ranma eventually learned the other half of those techniques, the Umisenken, and defeated Ryu, sealing both techniques away for good.
The Dojo Destroyer is a one shot anime character. More on him and other characters next chapter.
Well folks, the first matches of the tournament are out. Place your bets now!
