A/N: Okay, I know it's been a long time since I last updated this story, and some time since I got a new chapter up for ANY of my stories. Please check the author's note at the end of this chapter for an explanation on why this happened. There's also going to be more information to explain why I might be a little slow updating my stories for a while. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the chapter. *bows*
Chapter 13 – Kiba's Folly & Naruto vs. Sasuke; Naruto Finally Lets His Secret Slip!
Naruto, Hinata, and Fu approached Temari, who appeared as if she was simply trying to shrink into herself at the moment. It was clear she was in a state of distress, and Naruto had a good idea as to why. "You couldn't convince them not to go through with the invasion plans, could you?" Naruto asked her in a whisper.
Temari looked into her fellow blonde's blue eyes and nodded slowly. "I tried and tried and tried. Baki-sensei told me that if I'm so uncomfortable with it that I can just sit out while he, Gaara, Kankuro, and all the others went through with everything. They absolutely refused to listen to me. I don't know what to do Naruto-kun. I don't want to betray them, but I don't want to go through with this either. I've made friends here and I don't want to see them hurt. You, Seanie, your fiancés, Hokage-dono; you've all been really great to me and I…"
Before she could continue, Naruto gently wrapped the Suna kunoichi into a hug and patted her back. "Calm down Temari-chan. Just calm yourself and relax. If it helps, I do have an idea of sorts." Temari, blushing somewhat from the embrace, just nodded her head to signify that she was listening. "Don't join in the fight. Period. You won't be helping us fight off Suna and Oto, but at the same time you won't be attacking us either. In this way, by staying out of the upcoming battle, not only will you not have blood on your hands, but you won't be betraying your family either. Make sense?"
Temari hugged Naruto tighter and nodded. "That makes perfect sense. But…" Pulling back from Naruto, she shook her head and looked around at her friends with a frown. "What if somebody I care about gets hurt, or worse, when I could have saved them? I'd still feel the guilt."
Fu stepped forward at this point and flicked Temari in the forehead before grinning broadly at her. "You're over-thinking things Temari-san. While it may be true that if you have the power and you didn't do anything to stop something from happening, there's not much you could really do in this case. You tried to stop this from happening already and failed. You did your best." Seeing the looks the others were giving her, Fu shrugged them off and chose to continue regardless. "Anyways, you're not responsible for anything that happens from this point onwards. But more than that, simply trust in the ability of those you care about to survive this. Your friends and loved ones will be fine, believe it! Right, Naruto?"
Listening to the girls giggle at him, Naruto found himself groaning. "Sure, sure. Make fun of me why don't you? Here I am just trying to help and now I'm being teased. See if you two get anymore kisses for a while."
Hinata giggled a little more at this before she hugged her fiancé close and kissed him sweetly on the lips. "Oh hush Naruto-koi. You don't really mean that and you know it. Besides, I think we succeeded in cheering Temari-san up, don't you?" Turning to face Temari, they both saw her smiling and Hinata watched as her blond fiancé perked up at that.
Naruto hugged all three girls close and was about to speak up again before they noticed Kankuro approaching. Deciding it would probably be a good idea to just let her go so she could talk to her brother, Naruto and his fiancés turned and walked back to the railing so they could watch the fight. It looked like it had just started, so they definitely hadn't missed much.
Meanwhile in the stands – Kin
As the fight got underway, a certain ex-Oto kunoichi looked up into the face of her current companion. The fact that Kin was nervous about the invasion and Orochimaru's plans wasn't exactly hard to see. In fact, it was practically written on her face that she was terrified; not only of what Orochimaru might do to her, but also to her new friends in Konoha!
Taking a deep, calming breath, Kin gently tugged on one of the man's sleeves that sat next to her. "Sean-san?" When he shot a quick glance her way and nodded his head, she smiled a bit before turning to watch the fight as well. "Are you absolutely certain everything will be okay? I'm worried…"
The blue-haired man shook his head a moment before giving the girl's hand a squeeze. "Just relax Kin-chan. If you're worried for your safety, don't be. There's a reason you were left in my care. Orochimaru can't get to you so long as you're with me. It's true he defeated me, but he wouldn't risk coming after you if it meant he had to fight me again. It would be a waste of energy and time for him. So you're safe, I promise." Looking into the eyes of young Kin, he offered her a warm smile before nodding back towards the fight, signifying that he wanted her to watch it while they talked. "Besides Kin-chan, Orochimaru's goals are bigger than one kunoichi that turned against him."
Sean smirked to himself when he saw Kiba attempt a new tactic when his first one clearly failed miserably. Chuckling to himself at the ingenuity of the two vastly different fighters in the arena, the Jonin couldn't help but enjoy the fight. It promised to be a good one and he was sure that at least one of them was bound to make Chunin, if not both.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Sean pushed those thoughts from his head as he decided to assuage Kin's fears a little more. "If you're worried for Naruto and your friends, don't be. The Uzumaki clan, Naruto's fiancés and yourself included, are strong. There's absolutely no need to worry for their safety. As for the rest of the village, we've already prepared as best we can. The civilians will be fine, and the invaders will be repelled, I promise." Sean was speaking softly in the case that somebody might be eavesdropping. After all, it wouldn't do for anyone to overhear their conversation now, would it?
Kin thought about all she had heard so far about her companion and found herself nodding in agreement. It's true. As long as I'm with him, I should be safe. Then again, Sean also makes a really good point. What do I matter to Orochimaru's plan in the long run? All I was was an expendable pawn. Sighing heavily, Kin found herself feeling saddened at that thought. "You know something Sean-san?" Noticing him glancing at her again, Kin squeezed his hand and offered a small smile. "Coming to the realization that I don't really matter all that much really sucks."
The green-eyed man laughed softly at that and shook his head before pulling Kin into a one-armed hug. "Now that you're a member of the Uzumaki clan, you don't need to feel like you don't matter ever again. Even if we're not related by blood, we're family. So cheer up and enjoy the matches while you can." Sean leaned in closer to Kin and lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "And when the invasion begins, stay here with Jima. I've got my orders, so she'll be here to fight beside you. Understand?"
Kin nodded slowly and looked him in the eyes for a moment before turning to watch the fights as he instructed. "Alright Sean-sama. Just be careful alright? Jima-san and I will be waiting for you." Smiling up at the Uzumaki clan head, she watched as he smiled back and gave her a brief nod before they returned their attention to the battle taking place in the arena.
I would prefer to be up there with Hokage-sama. I want another shot at Orochimaru. I want to learn all he knows about my family, my parents' whereabouts, and me. Sean thought silently to himself, a scowl appearing briefly on his face, quickly masked by another smile so he wouldn't worry Kin. Jiraiya, you'd better do your damn job and keep Hokage-sama safe. If I find out you decided to skip out on your duties just so you could go peeping or something, I swear I'll cut your balls off!
Five minutes earlier – Start of Kiba vs. Shino battle
Kiba found himself grumbling about Genma being a stupid hard-ass. Jerk. All I was trying to do was psyche my opponent out a little. What's the harm in doing that? Then again… The young Inuzuka heir looked across at his opponent and frowned. Shino doesn't seem phased in the slightest. Ugh. Maybe Genma-sensei was right and I was just being stupid. Fine. I'll just have to prove myself in battle and crush Bug Boy here.
Sighing to himself, Kiba smacked himself on the cheeks a few times and shook his head. Okay then, time to focus. Might be a good idea to try a few attacks to see if anything works. I can come up with an idea after that. Right as he was about to move in for the attack, the feral-looking boy noticed Shino slip something out from the sleeves of his jacket. Narrowing his eyes, Kiba found the items to be a pair of tonfa. However, unlike regular tonfa, these had numerous small holes at points running down the entire length of the weapons. Weird. I don't like this.
Shino meanwhile, simply maintained his stoic façade as he watched his opponent. He knew that Kiba could make a fierce opponent, and not just from his taijutsu abilities alone. When Kiba and Akamaru worked together, it was as if you were fighting two opponents at once. Knowing he was in a disadvantageous position, Shino quickly formulated a strategy that would hopefully allow him to not only defend himself from whatever attacks the Inuzuka would throw his way, but would also allow him to siphon off some of Kiba's chakra in the process. Hence the strange tonfa he had withdrawn from storage seals located within the sleeves of his jacket.
These tonfa were special. Not only were they made from an incredibly sturdy material, but, as mentioned before, they have holes scattered throughout the tonfa. The best part was the fact that they made perfect chakra conductors, meaning he could easily strengthen the tonfa to the point they could withstand most any attack so long as he knew what he was doing and what to watch out for. As for the purpose of the holes? Well, that's another ingenious quality to these particular tonfa. While blocking attacks, Shino's kikaichu would spread out through the inside of the tonfa and sneakily sap the chakra of his opponents as the battle raged on.
They had been tested quite thoroughly already, thanks to the help of one Yugao Uzuki. Despite how hard she and Kakashi had trained the members of Team 7 during the time she became their assistant sensei to the beginning of the Chunin Exams, Yugao had also helped the young Aburame develop a fighting style with these tonfa that truly suited him. However, due to the limited amount of time they had together before the Exams would begin, he hadn't had the time to perfect this fighting style before they begun. Now, however, after having that month off to train not only with his family, but with Yugao and others as well, his style with these tonfa had improved greatly.
Kiba knelt down beside Akamaru and patted his head softly for a moment. After speaking a few words to the pup, the man/beast duo used a combination of the Jūjin Bunshin and Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four Legs Technique) and prepared for their fight. Glancing quickly at his partner, Kiba chose to whisper a few words to him. "Akamaru, be ready. I'm going to test the waters a bit, see what Shino can do. When you see a chance, attack; preferably from a blind spot if you can. We need to catch Shino off guard; otherwise I doubt we'll make much progress here. Be careful buddy."
Nodding at each other, Kiba took a few steps forward before suddenly dashing off to the side. In a matter of seconds, he began zigzagging before finally spinning his body and attacking Shino with a Tsuga. As expected, Shino blocked with one of the tonfa, but, sensing the danger, Kiba quickly moved away and spun around to face his opponent after his feet touched the ground. "Shit. The bugs! I see what you're doing with those stupid things!"
Shino raised an eyebrow before glancing down at his tonfa. Stupid things? How…quaint. With a simple shrug of his shoulders, the young Aburame once more hardened his tonfa with earth-natured chakra while slipping his kikaichu down the inside of these hollowed out weapons. The spiky-haired individual watched as Kiba tried another Tsuga, only to be blocked again. However, rather than try to sap away at Kiba's chakra, Shino spun on his heel and slammed the other tonfa into his opponent's head, sending him tumbling along the ground.
Without a word, Kiba rose and spit some blood onto the ground. Glancing at his opponent, the young Inuzuka thought about what he could do to gain some kind of advantage over his opponent. Okay, so he can do more than block and send his kikaichu down the inside of those damnable tonfa to steal my chakra. That hurt. I remember he uses Doton jutsu from our time in the Land of Waves. Shino probably strengthened his tonfa with his earth-nature chakra, so that would probably explain why that last attack hurt so much. I could try some Doton jutsu, but that probably wouldn't get me anywhere. Sean-sensei taught me a few things I could try, though…
Nodding to himself, Kiba glanced to Akamaru and nodded his head slowly. I hope you're ready buddy. You've been waiting for a chance to attack and I'm going to give it to you. Beginning another charge, Kiba zipped off to the side before attacking from behind. "Futon: Shinpiteki Tsuga (Wind Release: Mystic Passing Fang)!" As Kiba began his rotation to begin his attack, the wind around him began to pick up until a volley of dust had kicked up into the air around him. Within an instant, he was spinning towards Shino at speeds previously unreached by many members of the Inuzuka clan. In the process, his attack was further powered by wind chakra, making it so Shino had no choice but to leap away.
After hitting the ground again, Shino rolled for a short distance before propelling himself back onto his feet and spinning around, preparing himself for whatever attack Kiba might throw at him next. However, as soon as he turned to face his enemy, Akamaru barreled into him from behind. What neither Kiba nor Akamaru could have suspected was for Shino to suddenly burst into a large collection of kikaichu, all of which suddenly shot forth and tried to attach themselves to Akamaru, who was still in the form of his master, Kiba.
"Oh no you don't! Jūha Shō!" Quickly bringing his arm up over his head, Kiba slashed down and sent a large wave of wind chakra forward, quickly cutting down the kikaichu Shino had left as a trap for Kiba and Akamaru. The problem that had presented itself to the two of them now was: where had their opponent disappeared to? Underground? Above? In the trees? Knowing the insect user, he could be anywhere and that only made him that much more dangerous. My best guess would have to be that he's hiding in the trees. But I can't just enter recklessly. I smell him and his damn insects all over this arena, so my sense of smell isn't going to help me here. If I could have landed just one blow and drawn some blood, that would have helped! Damn it!
Sean & Kin
Sean found himself smirking as he watched Kiba and Akamaru try to pinpoint Shino's hiding place. "Well, at this rate, Kiba's going to lose this fight."
Kin looked up at the Uzumaki clan head curiously at this comment, obviously wondering what he meant. "So far it looks like it's been a pretty even fight. What do you mean Kiba's going to lose? He clearly has power on his side, and with his abilities, I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up winning this fight."
The blue-haired man chuckled softly and shook his head in response. "Power doesn't mean everything Kin, I'm sure you know that. Shino's the kind that plans many moves ahead, similar to the Nara clan. Between the tonfa and his Mushi Bunshin (Insect Clone) that he switched with, he's already set a decent trap for Kiba."
Kin once again looked confused. "What do you mean? With that clone, he's already revealed his best trick, hasn't he?"
Shaking his head again, Sean nodded his head back towards the field as Kiba charged straight towards the trees in the field. "'fraid not Kin. The Mushi Bunshin was something he wanted to show Kiba. It's to make him wary, question his every move. 'Will this Shino turn out to be a bunshin too? Is it safe to attack?' Those are questions that are most likely eating away at Kiba right now. Revealing his tonfa at the beginning was another step towards getting under his opponent's skin. Those tonfa are clearly an incredibly dangerous weapon, and Kiba realized it almost immediately upon attacking. I doubt Shino will use the tonfa for the rest of this battle; after all, they've already done their job. Why use the same trick when he's got an entire arsenal at his disposal?"
Kin frowned at that and continued to watch the fight taking place below. Kiba had just knocked Shino from the trees, but it turned out to be just another clone. "The way you make it sound, it's almost as if he's just toying with Kiba. He's leading Kiba around by his nose and has essentially already won."
Sean nodded at that and folded his arms across his chest. "As powerful an opponent as Kiba makes, when he's faced with an opponent smarter than him, capable of outwitting him the way Shino is capable of doing, that poor Inuzuka boy just doesn't stand a chance. It doesn't help Kiba any that Shino has Kakashi as his jonin sensei." Laughing lightly at that, the blue-haired jonin just shrugged his shoulders and nodded back towards the battle. "Just watch Kin-chan. You'll likely think up some new tricks of your own by watching this fight. I can practically guarantee it."
Back to the battle
Kiba had finally found Shino and had sent the bug boy flying out of the trees and into the floor of the arena with a powerful punch enforced by earth-natured chakra. As Shino tumbled along the ground, Kiba soon barreled towards him with Akamaru, the two of them spinning into a Gatsuga as they neared him. Quickly flipping to his feet, the Aburame allowed a small smirk to play at his lips as he prepared the necessary amount of chakra for his next move. "Earth Release: Rock Shelter!" Slamming his hands to the ground, a dome just large enough to encase him sprung up from the ground just moments before Kiba and Akamaru could reach him.
As Kiba and Akamaru hit it, they were forced to veer off course and landed opposite one another on two different sides of the dome. What really concerned Kiba was the fact that there were four vertical slits in the dome; one facing Kiba, another facing Akamaru, and two more on the other 'sides' of the dome. As he watched the slit facing him, Kiba could hear the sound of buzzing come from inside the dome, and he had a feeling that if he or Akamaru got too close that a swarm of kikaichu would wash over them and drain them of their chakra in no time.
Growling at this, Kiba quickly glanced over as Akamaru rejoined him at his side; now back in his puppy form. "I know boy. We have to figure out how to destroy that dome and get to Shino before he finishes preparing whatever he has in store for us. Not only is that thing sturdy as heck, but the damn thing's as smooth as…as…meh, I can't think of a decent analogy or whatever the heck that thing's called. My point is this: when we hit it with our Gatsuga, we were sent off course, away from the damn thing. To make things worse, it looks like we didn't even scratch it. But…hey, wait! I have an idea. No, wait, that won't work. We'd just end up trapped inside the damn dome with him. Fuck! You got any bright ideas Akamaru?"
The ninken (Ninja Dog) chose to just give his master a look that basically screamed 'Are you stupid?!' before barking something to him. Kiba chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "You make a good point Akamaru. Sean-sensei did teach me some useful jutsu for just this kind of situation. How could I forget about such jutsu?!" Hearing Akamaru barking again, Kiba looked down and narrowed his eyes. "It is not because I'm stupid! Why are you insulting me?" Once more, the ninken barked and Kiba sighed heavily before turning away in a huff. "Everyone's always treating me like I'm an idiot. I just never thought I'd get that from you Akamaru."
Naruto, Fu, & Hinata
Everyone watching the fight from the competitors' waiting area began to sweat drop at the antics of the ninken and its master. Fu turned to her fiancé and shook her head in disbelief. "I hate to ask a question with such an obvious answer, but…is he stupid? Kiba's down there arguing with his dog and they're giving Shino all the time in the world to prepare whatever he has in store for them! How stupid can one person get?!"
Naruto found himself laughing at that. Grinning at Fu, he pulled her in close and gave her a nice, passionate kiss before nodding his head. "This is just how Kiba is. Despite the situation he's in, this just goes to show that he's relaxed; that he's comfortable at the moment." Shrugging his shoulders, he could tell Fu was going to say something, so he simply waited for it.
Fu quirked an eyebrow before looking down at Kiba and the battle still taking place. "So, in other words…he's just stupid?"
Her blond fiancé just laughed harder at this and nodded his head in the affirmative. "Yep! I wouldn't change him though. I like Kiba how he is." Laughing more, the Uzumaki hugged his fiancés close and grinned. "Now, let's enjoy the fight. It's obvious how this fight will end, but I plan to enjoy it all the same."
Kiba & Shino – Arena
Kiba and Akamaru finally stopped their arguing and were preparing for what was to come. Akamaru had once more taken on Kiba's form using the Jujin Bunshin and was currently waiting for his moment to strike. The young Inuzuka heir focused his chakra and went through the required hand seals for what he was about to perform. Kiba was hoping that this jutsu would be enough to pierce through the earth dome Shino had erected; after all, he wasn't a master of wind jutsu like Sean-sensei was. With a heavy sigh, Kiba raised his right hand, palm facing out, and stared calmly at the earth dome. "Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique)!"
Two vertical blades of wind shot forward from Kiba's outstretched hand and tore through Shino's protective barrier, cleaving clear through it before finally hitting the arena wall on the other side. Upon doing so, they finally dispersed, not having anywhere near enough power to tear through the wall. What Kiba and Akamaru didn't expect was for the entirety of the earth dome to suddenly crumble as a result of being damaged in the way it was. "This doesn't look good, does it boy?" Akamaru simply barked in response and the two tried to prepare themselves for whatever might be thrown their way next.
When the dust finally cleared, they could see three Shino's standing across from them, each one with their palms flat to the ground. "Akamaru…we're in trouble. Move!" The two of them quickly jumped to either side to escape the earth spears that suddenly shot up from the ground where they were standing. Upon landing, Kiba looked at the spears and blinked a few times. That's…weird. With three Shino's using the jutsu, shouldn't there have been more than that? Why did they just stop there?
Sean & Kin
As Jima, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and others joined the two of them, taking their seats around them, Sean sighed and shook his head. "Kin, I'll assume you've noticed as well?" Seeing the young girl nod slowly, he grinned. "Good. Still, have to admit I didn't think Shino knew any Genjutsu. Impressive. Kiba's truly been trapped. Unless he realizes that he's been caught, then the battle will end soon. It's a shame, I thought he'd put up more of a fight than this." With a shrug of his shoulders, the Wind God glanced at their new company. "So what took all of you so long?"
Kakashi simply eye smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Just some last minute preparations. Don't worry too much about it; we've been watching the fight. Just took us a little while to find the two of you in the crowd. As for Shino's Genjutsu, it's indeed a clever strategy. He combined Genjutsu with Ninjutsu. I'm not sure what Kiba's seeing, but the match should still be entertaining. Just watch."
Sean shrugged again, but nodded anyways. "I have a feeling that Akamaru will figure it out and snap Kiba out of it. Kiba still tends to be kind of stupid sometimes. You can't really deny that fact either; after all, the dolt was arguing with his pup earlier." Frowning at that, Sean watched the battle closely and shook his head. "Despite his improvements, I don't see Kiba being promoted. Shino has a good chance, and I'd even give my recommendation towards it. But Kiba? Hmph. He still needs some improvement before I'd recommend him for a promotion."
Kurenai sighed sadly at that and nodded her head. "As much as it pains me to say it, as the boy's Jonin sensei, I have to agree. Kiba's doing his best to think on his feet and strategize, and he's done a good job, but he's still not ready for a promotion. Still, he has done a good job and I'm proud of him. As for Shino, I'm still not entirely sure if he's completely worthy of a promotion, but he's a very talented young man. What do you think Kakashi-san?"
Kakashi Hatake turned his head and smiled beneath his mask. "Shino has my recommendation. He hasn't shown us anything yet. His chakra control is impressive, and he's also highly intelligent, able to come up with incredible strategies and thinks many moves ahead as well. Shino Aburame has talent with Doton jutsu and his clan jutsu as well. The boy's taijutsu could still use work, but he's impressive. Despite Genjutsu not being his forte, he's picked up on the few I've taught him surprisingly quickly. All-in-all, I'm very proud of my student and I'm sure he'll make Chunin by the end of these Exams." Nodding proudly, he turned back to watch the match taking place.
Kiba & Shino – Arena Floor
Kiba continued to evade jutsu after jutsu that was flung his way, all the while trying to figure out just what was going on. After all, there were three Shino's on the field, but it felt like only one jutsu at a time was being flung his way. At the same time, none of the jutsu were ever targeted at Akamaru, it was always him. Sadly, no matter what Akamaru tried, each Shino he hit burst into a swarm of kikaichu before reforming into Shino once again. This continued to happen with all three Shino's, and that just perplexed the young man even more!
Damn it! I just can't figure this out! What the hell is going on here?! If I can't figure this out, I'm going to lose and badly at that! Sighing heavily, Kiba scratched at the back of his head before throwing up an earthen wall to protect himself from another of Shino's jutsus. Unfortunately for him, the jutsu appeared to just pass right through his jutsu and struck him hard in the chest, sending him crashing backwards and tumbling along the ground.
When Kiba finally came to a stop and was able to stand again, he groaned and spit a small amount of blood from his mouth. Before he could even do anything, Akamaru leaped at him and bit Kiba hard in the ear, drawing blood and forcing Kiba to let out a scream. As he went to pry Akamaru off of him, the pup let go and began barking at him to look at Shino again. Blinking a few times, the young Inuzuka looked back at Shino and was forced to do a double-take. "What?"
Little Akamaru began barking at him again, and Kiba shot a quick glance down at his pup before refocusing his gaze on Shino once more. "A genjutsu huh? That was pretty clever of him. I'm glad you saw through it buddy. I just couldn't figure it out, no matter how hard I thought on it. Thank you." When Akamaru barked in acknowledgement of his thanks, the duo began to prepare their next jutsu.
Sadly, before the two could even finish their preparations, they heard Shino's voice from behind them. "I'm sorry, but the battle is over. You put up a good fight, both of you." Right as the two turned to look his way, they both felt an overwhelming feeling of weakness take them over before passing out right where they stood.
As Shino's kikaichu returned to him, the insect user turned to Genma and nodded his head. "If you would please call the match Mr. Proctor, it would be most prudent. After all, our match lasted a while and I'm sure the people would like for the next match to start soon, if not immediately."
Genma nodded and announced Shino as the winner of the match before watching as Kiba and Akamaru were carried off to the hospital wing of the arena where they could recover. After a moment, he looked up at the crowd, shooting a quick glance to Sean and the other sensei, nodding to them as he began to speak, announcing the next match. "As Temari's opponent has dropped out of the competition…" That feels incredibly weird to have to say, knowing exactly what it is that happened to the small fry. "She will have to face the winner of this next match in the next round. So, without skipping a beat, let's get right to it!"
Hearing the crowd cheering, the proctor let out a frustrated sigh. Do these idiots really not understand that the little bastard's gone traitor?! They're still cheering Sasuke's name, despite the fact he's a little bastard. Assholes. "Sasuke Uchiha vs. Naruto Uzumaki! Please take your places in the arena!"
With Naruto & the other competitors
As his name was called, Naruto let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. Quietly, he muttered Sasuke's name before he felt two hands placed on both of his shoulders. Glancing back at the two grasping his shoulders, the blonde ninja couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry about it Naru-koi. Whether he shows up or not, whether he's turned traitor or not, it doesn't matter. You'll win, and what he decides to do afterwards isn't on you, okay?" Hinata leaned in close and kissed his cheek before releasing him.
Glancing to his other side, Naruto waited for Fu to speak. When she finally did, the green-haired lass released a breath before kissing him softly on the lips and releasing him a moment later. "Don't let his actions or words bother you Naru-kun. Just go down there and kick that little prick's ass. It'll be an easy match for you, my dear fiancé." Smirking, Fu gave Naruto's ass a pinch and watched him blush a deep red as he glanced around at the others around him, most of them smirking or chuckling lightly at him.
With a sigh, he wrapped his arms around his two beloved fiancés before releasing them and leaping down into the ring, using a bit of wind chakra to lighten his fall so he wouldn't hurt himself as he landed. After taking his place in the center of the arena, the young Uzumaki glanced around, just waiting for his opponent to make his appearance. Alright Sasuke, where the hell are you? I know you wouldn't dare miss this fight.
With Sean, Kin, & the others
Kin frowned and looked up at Sean. "So, when do you think Orochimaru's new pet is going to show himself? I'd like it if we never even saw that jerk again, but…"
Sean chuckled softly to himself and closed his eyes. "I do believe our little 'friend' is already here. He's just being an idiot, like always."
Soon enough, Sasuke appeared behind Sean, trying to run him through with his new sword. When it never even touched him, appearing to have been blocked by some invisible wall, Sasuke blinked a few times before he watched as the wind-user turned his head just slightly to glance at him with one eye. "Damn you, you stupid bastard! I'm going to kill you for everything you've done to me!"
Sean smirked wickedly before turning back to look down at the arena. Soon enough, Sasuke was lifted off the ground and enveloped in a sphere of wind, the only part of him not inside it being his head. With a simple flick of his wrist, the Uchiha was brought around to float in front of the Uzumaki head. "Does Orochimaru know you planned to 'assassinate' me, you little child? I doubt he'd be too happy with you acting out like this."
As Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, Sean reached up and flicked him in the nose. "Don't speak, dumbass. You see, I've had just about enough of you. It would be so easy to crush you like the bug you are, right here, right now, for alllll to see. But y'know what? You've got a fight to get to. Shouldn't you focus more on that, rather than trying to kill someone far, FAR out of your league? Heh, can't touch me, and you think you're capable of fighting Itachi? Don't make me laugh. Go on now Sasuke; enjoy getting your ass handed to you by Naruto. Have fuuun." With a malicious chuckle, Sean flicked his wrist once more and Sasuke was sent crashing into the arena floor below, much to the dismay of his many fans, all of which were now cursing Sean's name as they usually chose to do when it came to Sean and his actions towards Sasuke.
With a shrug of his shoulders, clearly not caring in the least what the idiots thought of him, Sean glanced around at his friends and family. Quirking an eyebrow at their facial expressions, the Uzumaki decided to voice the so elegant question popping into his mind. "What?"
Kurenai sighed and shook her head. "You sure love to rile up his fans, don't you Sean? Don't get me wrong, not saying you did anything wrong, but you need to be careful. Simply tossing him into the ring would've been enough, but you really do enjoy pissing his loyal followers off, don't you?"
Sean chuckled at this and simply nodded his head in response. "Yep. Still, I think my point got across. The little punk stands no chance against me or his brother. Also, it appears that he has a new hand. You guys notice that too?"
Kakashi nodded and looked down at the two combatants in the arena. "Of course. It's hard not to when he's brandishing a long katana with two hands and aiming it at the back of your neck. I suppose it's a 'present' of sorts from his new master. My question is: what's this new hand capable of?"
Sean simply shrugged and returned his gaze to the arena floor. "Whatever Sasuke's capable of now, it doesn't matter. Naruto's going to crush him like the bug he is. It's just too bad my little cousin probably won't kill the prick. That's something I'd very much love to see. Naruto's a bit too nice sometimes, buuut…what can ya do?" At hearing the others sigh, Sean grumbled a bit and didn't even bother asking them what their problem was this time.
In the Ring
As Sasuke landed in the ring, he skidded back, dust kicking up as he tried to stop himself. Brushing himself off, the Uchiha snarled and glared back up at the man he so hated. "One of these days I swear I'll find a way to end his life." Sasuke muttered to himself. Glancing over at Naruto, the Uchiha smirked. "Well dobe, I suppose I could go ahead and start by destroying you. I doubt Orochimaru would have any problems with me ending you here and now."
Naruto sighed and shook his head as Genma narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha. "You really just don't give a shit who knows, do you teme? It doesn't matter, a match is a match and I plan to showcase what I've got. I do plan to be promoted to Chunin, even if you don't give a shit about any of that."
Sasuke chuckled darkly before shrugging his shoulders, trying to get more comfortable in his loose, white shirt. Brushing off his dark blue pants, Sasuke then chose to tighten the rope-like sash around his waist to keep his clothes in place. Chuckling a little louder, the Uchiha activated his Sharingan and moved closer to the Uzumaki. "Well then dobe, shall we begin? Proctor, you'd best start the match, otherwise I might just start without you."
Genma moved the senbon around in his mouth, chewing on it more out of his frustration. Shooting a quick glance around at everyone in the stands, it was obvious that Sasuke hadn't spoken loud enough for any of his precious 'Sasuke-lovers' to hear. It seemed his confession was only meant for Naruto's ears; Genma just happened to be around to 'overhear' as it were. Sighing, the proctor raised his hand and brought it down swiftly, giving a shout of "Hajime!" before leaping backwards, out of the way of what was sure to be an intense, and most likely, bloody fight.
As soon as the order was given to begin the fight, Sasuke pivoted his left foot and moved so fast it appeared as if he had simply disappeared. However, trained ninja and his opponent, Naruto, were able to follow him easily. Regular citizens and inexperienced Genin however, were unable to follow his movements.
The Uchiha came at Naruto from the right, swinging his katana in an arc that was clearly meant to sever the blonde ninja's head from his shoulders. Leaning back just enough so that the sword would go just inches above his face, Naruto quickly formed the hand sign for his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and created twenty clones around them. In an instant, right as Sasuke was bringing his sword down for a killing blow, Naruto performed a Kawarimi and switched places with one of the clones.
Glancing around, Sasuke grumbled as he tried to pinpoint the real Naruto out of the fakes. Damn it! I hate when he does this! Taking a defensive pose, the raven-haired young man began to defend himself against the clones, just waiting for the real one to show himself as he cut down clone after clone.
Soon enough, the real Naruto appeared next to Sasuke and, with wind chakra wrapped around his fist, backhanded Sasuke, sending him flying across the field and crashing hard into the wall. Releasing the chakra around his fist, the blonde turned fully to face his opponent, dispersing his clones as he waited for Sasuke's next move.
It wasn't long before Sasuke appeared in front of Naruto and began engaging him in a fierce taijutsu battle. He had slipped his sword back into his sash and decided it would be better to face Naruto in an area he felt himself to be superior: taijutsu. As it was, the two were blocking each other's blows, and for each hit they took, the other repaid it in kind. Snarling at his opponent, clearly angry that he was having this much difficulty so early in the fight, especially against someone he viewed as a pathetic weakling, Sasuke activated the second tomoe of his eye and sped up his assault.
Naruto winced as one of Sasuke's blows struck him hard in the shoulder. Despite moving in a way that lessened the blow to a miniscule amount of damage, it still stung something fierce. That new hand is something else. I didn't expect one of his punches to actually sting this much. Something's off and I need to find out what it is before I end up losing this fight!
Performing a quick Kawarimi with another clone he had hidden elsewhere in the ring, Naruto rubbed his injured shoulder and frowned as he felt something warm trickling down his fingers. Pulling his hand away, the blonde looked at the blood now running along his fingers, slowly dripping to the ground. "What the hell?"
Before the Uzumaki heir could even finish thinking on what had happened to cause such a wound, Sasuke was in his face again. Forced to reengage his opponent in a fierce taijutsu match once again, Naruto gritted his teeth and fought through the pain. It didn't help that Sasuke had decided to activate the third tomoe in his eyes. It only meant he was predicting Naruto's moves more and more, and landing more hits on the blonde-haired ninja.
Naruto gritted his teeth slightly as he felt more of the same wounds dotting his body wherever Sasuke struck him with that new hand of his. Irritated at this development, especially after all that he had been through already, Naruto enshrouded himself in a veil of wind before unleashing a powerful enough force that sent Sasuke flying backwards once more, crashing headfirst into the wall again.
Now that he had a moment to breathe, Naruto took a look at one of his wounds and blinked a couple of times. "What the heck? These look like snake bites. What in the world is going on?"
It was at this point that the blonde was forced to dodge as a rather long snake shot towards him. Quickly flipping to his feet once more, Naruto directed his gaze towards his opponent, only to watch as the snake retracted itself back into Sasuke's sleeve. The disturbing part of all this was the fact that as soon as the snake returned to Sasuke, he saw that the snake hadn't actually come from his opponent's sleeve, but from his hand! "Oh man, that is disgusting! You used a fucking SNAKE to replace your hand?! How the hell does that even work?!"
Sasuke chuckled as he rubbed his snake hand. As it reverted back into a flesh-and-blood hand, the Uchiha just grinned a moment before finally speaking. "I have Orochimaru and his precious four-eyed lackey to thank for this new hand. It wasn't easy getting used to having a snake for a hand, but it does come in quite handy in situations such as this. I'm sure you've found out by now just how effective this new hand is. However, simple snake bites aren't the best it can do. You see, the venom it injects into my opponent's bodies whenever I strike them with my fist? It's quite lethal. This match is already mine dobe. I have the antidote with me, but if you want it, you have to forfeit and admit that I'm your superior in everything. I'm better than you dobe. I'm stronger, faster, smarter, and one day I'll prove that I'm Sean's better as well."
Naruto chuckled as he felt himself growing weaker by the second. "That'll never happen, teme. And I'm afraid I don't need that shitty antidote of yours, you stuck-up prick. I have something far better on hand to take care of shit like that." As he finished speaking, the blonde could feel the venom being purged and his wounds being healed. Mentally thanking the fox for taking care of the problem, Naruto focused his attention back on Sasuke. "Now that I've figured out that little trick of yours, what do you say we try that again, hm?"
The raven-haired boy bit hit bottom lip in frustration. What the hell is going on here? The dobe shouldn't even be able to stand by now! Something's not right here. Frowning to himself, Sasuke charged forward, only to receive a rather powerful fist right to his face, sending him crashing backwards into the wall again. Snarling as he pushed himself out of the dent in the wall, Sasuke glanced around for his opponent. Shit, what the hell is going on?! He wasn't this fast a few moments ago!
With Sean
Sean found himself chuckling loudly to himself as Sasuke struggled to keep up with Naruto's clearly superior speed. Every now and then, Naruto would reappear and land a few blows on Sasuke before moving away again before the Uchiha could retaliate. The sight of this only had him laughing harder. "I'm sure the idiot's realized it by now, but damn is it fun to watch Naruto enhance his speed with wind chakra. Damn glad I taught him that trick."
Kurenai frowned and patted Sean on the shoulder. "Aren't you at all worried about what happened earlier? Who knows what else Sasuke has up his sleeve? Um, no pun intended."
Sean turned to look Kurenai in the eyes and smiled disarmingly at her. "No worries, no worries. Naruto will be just fine. He and the fox are working together, and if needed, Naruto has the ability to call upon some of his, hmm…for the sake of secrecy, let's call it his 'occupant'…well, he can call on some of his 'occupant's' power to assist him. Everything will be just fine, I promise."
Kurenai sighed and simply nodded her head in response, not even bothering to say another word. Instead, Kin decided it was time to speak up. "How can you always be this calm? Especially after fighting you-know-who and barely getting away intact? You know what he's capable of, and I already informed you about some of his strongest soldiers. So…why?"
Sean simply smirked and shook his head as he looked back to the fight. As Naruto's wind jutsu and Sasuke's fire jutsu clashed in the ring, the wind master chose to smile. "As 'skilled' as Sasuke is, he's arrogant. He's been led to believe that he's something truly special by so many people, and Orochimaru isn't going to lead him to believe any different. Meanwhile, Naruto has worked hard for almost his entire life just to prove that he's somebody worth respecting. No matter the situation, he's strived to become stronger, smarter, faster…he's a tough kid. Sasuke on the other hand is constantly under the belief that he's the best, that nobody could ever beat him, and all that other crap he's usually spouting. While people believe Sasuke to be a natural-born genius, Naruto's a genius of hard work. Now, out of the two, whom do you think would win?"
Kin found herself smiling at her new clan leader's explanation and nodded in understanding. "There's no way Naruto could possibly lose to such a loser. You really do make a good point Sean-sama."
Sean chuckled softly to himself and patted Kin gently atop her head. "Good girl. Now watch the fight and enjoy."
Naruto & Sasuke
As the dust began to settle after the explosion, a result of the combatants' jutsu colliding as they did, Naruto coughed a bit before rubbing his aching shoulders. Okay, I guess that means my Futon jutsu are out. I'd try some of my Katon jutsu, but Sasuke's clearly superior in that regard. Tch, having to admit that leaves a terrible taste in my mouth. To emphasize this point, Naruto spit on the ground at his feet and grumbled a bit. He chose to keep his senses sharp, just in case Sasuke chose to attack him through the smoke. No Futon, no Katon, what else do I have? Well, Rasengan, Kage Bunshin, Toads, Wind Beasts…I have a damn good arsenal still available to me, huh?
Sadly, before Naruto could even think of another plan, the ground beneath him rumbled for just a moment before three large snakes burst from the ground and wrapped themselves around the young blonde. Now, these snakes weren't the size of some of the snake summons he had seen Anko use before, but these snakes were each the size of at least two men and their grip on him was anything but weak or slack.
Wincing from the pain, Naruto collapsed to his knees and began struggling just to stay conscious. The tighter the snakes squeezed him, the harder it became for the young shinobi to focus, or even breathe. As the smoke finally dissipated, the blonde narrowed one of his eyes at his opponent, the other eye clenched shut, a natural reaction to the pain. "T-Teme. It figures your new master would teach you s-something like this. I should've expected as much."
Sasuke smirked as he stepped closer to his rival. The Uchiha was brandishing his sword once more as he approached, occasionally giving the blade a few test swings. "It's such a shame dobe. Those nameless parents of yours, the ones that didn't even care for you…" Smirking evilly, Sasuke stepped in front of Naruto and raised his sword, preparing to deliver the finishing blow to the Uzumaki. "You'll never even get to see them in this lifetime. All this time and you never even got to be with a true family. So pathetic." Snickering to himself, the Uchiha moved to bring his blade down through Naruto's skull. "In the end I can't even blame them. No parent would want you for a child! Farewell dobe!"
Before the blade could even get close to Naruto, wisps of visible chakra grabbed the blade and Sasuke both and flung them in opposite directions. The sword clanged against one wall of the arena while Sasuke tumbled along the ground, eventually crashing into the wall across from where his sword had landed. It wasn't long before Naruto was back on his feet, a cloak of red chakra enveloping his body.
Raising his head just slightly, Naruto looked directly at Sasuke before unleashing a bestial roar and tearing the snakes apart with inhuman strength. "There you go again Sasuke, talking about my parents as if you really knew anything. Well now it's going to cost you. I'm fucking sick of it! I'm sick of you always badmouthing me, those I love, Sean-sensei, and my parents! I'm sick of how the villagers always treat me. If all of you knew just who my parents were, if you had known from the fucking start, I doubt I'd have gone through half the shit I've been put through all my life. Heh, now look at you. You had a family at the start, but they turned out to be just another bunch of fuck-ups, right Sasuke?"
As Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glared hatefully at Naruto, the blonde chuckled darkly. "As far as I'm concerned, it seems it was a good thing they were wiped out. Itachi did us a fucking favor." Cracking his neck, Naruto let his chakra cloak dissipate before he closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh of frustration. "Doesn't matter though. I know who my parents were, and I know what happened to them. And since I'm so fucking sick of people like you saying shit, I think it's time I finally fucking say something. How does that sound to you, you loser Uchiha?"
With Sean & the others
Sean, understanding exactly what was about to happen, quickly shot up out of his seat and began to shout down at his younger family member. "Naruto, don't you dare say anything yet! It's not the time for that!"
Kin was shocked at the sudden shift in behavior that Sean underwent. Looking into his eyes, she saw him frantic, clearly panicking as he thought about the consequences of Naruto's actions and his incoming words. "S-Sean-sama? What's wrong?"
When Sean didn't react to her words, Kin looked back at the other Jonin and voiced the same question to them. When she received nothing conclusive in response, Kin huffed and turned to watch the match once more. Damn it. So focused on the match and what's happening that they won't even answer a simple question. I guess I'll have to just pay attention and see what the hell's going on.
With Naruto & Sasuke
Naruto shot a quick glance up to his clan leader and offered a quiet smile in response. Shaking his head, the young Uzumaki eventually smiled sadly up at Sean and watched him collapse back in his seat before bringing one of his hands up to his face and groaning into it. Laughing to himself quietly, Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke and took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly.
"Sasuke, you were told more than once that you didn't know the truth of things. But apparently you didn't learn your lesson. It's pointless to try and lecture you on something so simple though. After all, such simple things are clearly beyond your limited intelligence." Smirking at the reaction that bought him, Naruto formed two spears of wind in his hands and threw them at Sasuke, piercing both his shoulders and pinning him to the wall. "Don't try to move. You're going to sit right there and listen to this. They should hold just long enough for me to finish speaking, so listen well."
Naruto tuned out Sasuke's screams of pain, as did Genma, who was clearly enjoying watching the little punk get what was coming to him. "I'm going to say this loud enough for everyone here to hear me. It's about damn time that everybody learns the truth. So, here goes."
Glaring hatefully into Sasuke's eyes, Naruto began speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. My full name should be clue enough for all of you here to figure out just who my parents were. For those of you in disbelief or too stupid to come to the correct conclusion, my parents are Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. That's right, the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash), the 'vanquisher' of the Kyuubi, is MY father! The Yondaime's son, and you've all treated me like I'm nothing more than a monster. Tch. Look at yourselves, YOU'RE the monsters."
Shaking his head, Naruto released another sigh before he turned his gaze to the floor of the ring. "I was just a child and you assholes beat me, starved me, and more. Jiji and Sean…they were the only ones to really show an interest in my well-being in the beginning. Teuchi-ojii-san and Ayame-nee-chan came soon after. With help from all four of them, I would like to think I've become a good person. I've made friends, I've learned a lot, and I've made some decent accomplishments so far. I'm proud of myself, and I'm not sure I would be able to say something like that if they hadn't reached out to me and treated me with such kindness."
Chuckling quietly, Naruto watched as the spears of wind dissipated and decided it was time to end his little monologue. "For now, I suppose we'll all have to put off the inevitable discussion, threats, accusations, and more that would usually follow after such a proclamation. We have a fight to finish Sasuke, and I plan to win. After all, I can't let you get away with a few small injuries. For one thing, you're now one of Orochimaru's little pawns. For another, you tried to kill Sean-sensei. And finally, you deserve to be crushed for insulting my parents yet again." Cracking his knuckles, Naruto donned a devilish grin and began going through hand signs for another jutsu he had hidden up his sleeves. "I'll try my best not to kill you Sasuke-teme. So do try and put up a good fight!"
A/N: Okay, as I've mentioned before, my health isn't all that great. After I got the newest chapter of Secret of the Sexy Technique uploaded, I actually did begin work on this chapter. I had almost finished up the Kiba vs. Shino fight before things got bad. In the beginning, a bunch of personal problems were causing me a lot of stress, and that just continued for a long time. I'm still under a lot of stress, but it actually began to affect my health again, and it just became worse and worse.
Sadly, I've been experiencing some serious health problems for a while now and it's been rough trying to deal with it all. Some of you may already know that I have a seizure disorder. I am both epileptic and I have pseudo-seizures, and despite having medication to help me control this particular problem, there are times when my seizures progress to a point where my medicine just doesn't control them completely anymore. To drive this point home, I actually had another really bad seizure just about a week ago. Since then I've been disoriented and I've been in a lot of pain. Not quite sure what the hell happened, but I have a feeling I hurt myself somehow during my seizure.
Aside from that particular issue, I have more health problems that have been plaguing me. I'd list everything that's been going on, but then this Author's Note would probably end up fairly large. ^^;; My big point here is this: give me some time and please, PLEASE be patient with me. Things have been really rough for a while now, and with all these health problems I'm sleeping a LOT. When I'm awake, a lot of the time I'm really disoriented, and half of the time I can't even see straight these days. Fairly obvious I should go get some damn help, I know, but...yeah. *sighs*
Please just bear with me everybody. I haven't given up on these stories, nor have I forgotten about you fans of my stories. I'll get more chapters up when I can, and hopefully you all enjoy them. Have a good day, and look forward to chapter 14 of RoNUN coming up next!