Chapter 14 – Sasuke's Crushing Defeat & Gaara vs. Fu – The Invasion Begins
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but bring a hand to his face and sigh inaudibly at everything that had just happened down in the ring. Not only had Naruto used some of the Kyuubi's chakra to save himself, but he had also revealed a secret that he, personally, felt the people weren't ready to accept just yet. The way the current Hokage saw it, they still needed time to accept Naruto and come to terms with the fact that he's truly a good person and a fantastic shinobi, despite his age and rank.
Sadly, the proclamation Naruto had just made had perhaps come at the absolute worst time. Not only did many people still distrust him, but there were other factors playing into these worries as well. Firstly, this proclamation came during the final rounds of the Chunin Exams, when people were pumped up for battles, not speeches. The fact that Naruto paused in the middle of a match to talk most likely didn't sit well with many of the people.
Second was the fact that right before the he gave his little speech, Naruto had harnessed the Kyuubi's chakra. Granted, it was only a miniscule amount, barely enough to raise alarms with the shinobi of the village, but it was still enough to frighten most people. After all, the Kyuubi attack still haunted them to this day, and the fact that Naruto would dare to use such a terrible and frightening power had to have rubbed the villagers the absolute wrong way.
Finally came the fact that, due to how everyone viewed Naruto and decided to treat him, there was a very small chance that people would actually accept what he said as the truth. In fact, the chorus of "Liar!" and "Demon Scum! How dare you sully the name of the Yondaime! Somebody should execute you right now for your lies!" said it all. It didn't help that most of the audience was now cheering for Sasuke to win, despite the fact he had turned traitor and made it fairly damn obvious already. They wanted Sasuke to kill Naruto and continued to chant the words: "Kill Naruto!" over and over and over again.
Naturally, taking everything and putting it all together would give only one conclusion: there was absolutely no chance in Hell that the people would believe Naruto's story now. Hiruzen was just glad that nobody was throwing anything at Naruto in an attempt to distract him long enough for Sasuke to run him through and end his miserable existence. Of course, given enough time, and depending on how the match went from this point on, that could all change. All he could hope for at the moment was that things remained as they are, otherwise he would have an all-out civil war on his hands, and with the impending threat of Orochimaru and the invasion he had planned, that was just something the village of Konoha, and the Hokage himself, just did not need at the moment!
Oh Naruto, why did you have to do this now? You couldn't have picked a worse time for this! But more importantly, at least for me, is the fact that you showed today that you still have a hard time keeping your cool when dealing with situations such as this. However…
Sighing to himself once more, the Sandaime Hokage thought over Naruto's achievements since he became a Genin and nodded his head in thought. It was clear that he would have to give the matter of whether or not to promote Naruto to Chunin some more thought.
Arena Floor – Naruto, Sasuke, & Genma
Sasuke found himself smirking as the audience cheered for him to kill the 'Demon Brat'. Refusing to take his eyes off his clearly powerful opponent, the Uchiha rubbed his shoulders and did what he could to stem the bleeding from his wounds. "Hmph. You, the Yondaime's son? Don't make me laugh. That's quite the story dobe. It's too bad it's just a bunch of lies. It's pathetic that you have to resort to making up something as farfetched as that to try and make yourself feel important."
Realizing his wounds would cause him quite the problem in this fight, Sasuke decided to try and rile Naruto up a little more in an attempt to throw the blonde knucklehead off just enough to make this an even fight again. "Look around you dobe. Listen to their cries of hatred. I've abandoned this village, forsaken these idiots, and they're STILL cheering for me to end your life. They all clearly know the truth. You're just a pathetic little wannabe brat that has to pretend in order to make himself feel special. Tch. The truth is you're nothing Naruto. Nothing at all. Everyone here knows who your superior is, and you're looking at him. Kneel dobe, and apologize for ever thinking you could stand up to me. Tell them the truth, tell them what you are and that you never deserved to become a ninja in the first place. If you do, I might just let you live."
On the sidelines, Genma just couldn't help but facepalm; not only at Sasuke's arrogance, but at the sheer idiocy he was displaying at this very moment. If the Uchiha could only realize that he was doomed, he would turn tail and run as far and as fast as he could right this very moment.
Sadly, that wasn't the worst of it. Looking up at the people of the village, the proctor couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of rage fill his very being. These people still refused to see the truth of things! Here he was, the son of the Yondaime, having just proclaimed the truth behind his very existence and the person he is, and they decided to act like this! Chewing harder on the senbon in his mouth, Genma continued to shift the thing around in his mouth until the poor thing was covered in teeth marks. Glaring around at all of them, all the bastards that dared badmouth such a good, young lad, he couldn't help but fumble around in his pouches, occasionally fingering some of his shuriken and kunai. However, rather than start killing the bastards as they deserved, Genma realized it was his duty to watch over the fight, and did his best to maintain his focus so as not to miss a thing.
Naruto sighed heavily, threw up his arms and shook his head from left to right a few times before he finally spoke again. "There's really no point in me getting upset with any of you. After all, why should I get angry with you? You're all just ignorant. Not your fault; you're a bunch of idiots after all." Seeing Sasuke practically snarling at this, the blonde couldn't help but grin. "Ah well. I didn't think anyone would listen, buuut, it was worth a shot. I know the truth, and that's good enough for me. I have friends, family, beautiful, lovely fiancés…how in the heck could I possibly complain right now? Sooo, go ahead and keep trying to rile me up again Sasuke, you won't have any luck."
With another shrug of his shoulders, Naruto went into his battle stance once more and began focusing wind chakra into his feet and fire chakra into his fists. "Shall we begin Sasuke? I'm sure Gaara and Fu are waiting to begin their fight. I'd rather not keep them waiting any longer than I have to." In an instant, Naruto vanished and reappeared next to Sasuke's left side, quickly finishing the last hand seal needed for his jutsu. "Ryuu Gouon: Kaen Renpatsu! (Dragon's Roar: Flame Barrage!)" Throwing his right fist forward, the flame chakra intensified to an incredible degree, forming the image of a fire dragon's head as it struck the Uchiha hard in his face, searing the skin on his left cheek.
Before Sasuke could even hit the wall, Naruto appeared next to him again and unleashed another punch, this time with his left fist. This one sent Sasuke high into the air, searing through the back of Sasuke's shirt and burning his skin terribly. As the bastard Uchiha flew higher into the sky above the stadium, Naruto prepared for his next strike. Focusing wind chakra into his fists this time, Naruto waited for Sasuke to begin plummeting before leaping above him and striking his opponent as hard as he could in the chest, sending the punk flying faster towards the ground.
Right as Sasuke struck and the crater formed in the ring, Naruto focused fire chakra back into his hands and began thrusting his hands forward again and again, sending a barrage of fireballs down upon his opponent, eliciting a loud series of screams from the raven-haired boy. For those crying for Naruto's death just moments before, this moment caused them to cease their screams of rage and watch in sheer terror at what was happening to their 'beloved Uchiha'. There was absolutely nothing they could do but sit in their seats and watch, hoping Sasuke would be okay.
With Sean, Kin, & the others
Sean hadn't said a word ever since Naruto told everyone who his parents were. Instead, the Uzumaki clan head kept his face in the palms of his hands and, no matter what his friends and clan members tried to do to get him to open up to them and just talk, Sean didn't even budge. When the crowd began shouting for Sasuke to end Naruto's life, the Uzumaki male shuddered and shook his head from left to right a number of times before finally removing his hands from his face slowly.
"It's all my fault. The Hokage was right; I should never have told him. He wasn't ready to know, he isn't mature enough, just…just listen to them. This isn't how it was supposed to be…" When he felt hands on his shoulders, shaking him in an attempt to get his attention, Sean slowly turned to look into the eyes of his friends. "It's really all my fault…"
As Sean failed to respond to their attempts to get through to him, the crowd around them began to quiet down. While Jima, Anko, and Kin continued to try and get through to their loved one, the others returned their attention to the fight taking place and watched as Naruto unleashed a new jutsu upon Sasuke. The cries of agony coming from Sasuke had even them cringing.
Breathing out a puff of smoke after taking a long drag on his cigarette, Asuma leaned back and let out a slight chuckle. "Well, it's good to see Naruto's crushing that stuck-up punk. Now if only we could figure out what the hell to do about Sean, we'd be just fine. Unless we can snap him out of it soon, we're going to have to change our plans for the invasion up a bit."
Kakashi sighed and nodded his head. "You have a point. After learning the plans from Temari, the role Sean was given was of vital importance. His summons are going to be a huge help, but if he can't recover from this shock, I guess we're going to need to think of something else. Jima could probably handle it, but Hokage-sama wanted her to remain with us." Sighing again, the silver-haired jonin brought a hand to his face and shook his head. "I don't think any of us truly expected Naruto to shout that out right in the middle of his fight. He's kept his secret all this time, he showed such remarkable restraint, and now he just…he pulls this? What was he thinking?"
Kurenai shook her head and decided now would be a good time to speak her thoughts on the matter. "I understand where Naruto's coming from though. He's been put through so much already, and it was obvious to me, no matter how much he tried to hide it behind his façade, that what Sasuke said during that mission to Wave really bothered him. Having to hide who his parents were from everyone was tough enough, but hearing that from Sasuke?"
Sighing heavily, the beautiful, crimson-eyed jonin sensei just shook her head again and turned to look at the still shocked Sean. "Like Sean, Naruto never had any family growing up. He had very few friends, and was constantly being persecuted by the villagers. Just knowing who his parents were gave him strength, and I'm sure it still does. But, hearing somebody like Sasuke, who was treated like royalty by the village, given everything he could want, even graduating at the top of his class…that punk said such horrible things about his parents without even caring to think about who they might have been. I'm sure it brought up some terrible memories for Naruto, and I'm sure that what Sasuke did and said today, combined with how the crowd's been reacting to this fight since the beginning? I honestly can't blame him for shouting it all out the way he did. How could I when I've been with him as his jonin sensei for all this time?"
Those who were listening nodded their agreement to that sentiment before turning their gazes back to Sean and the three trying to snap him the hell out of it. However, the event that took place next shocked them all. Jima grabbed Sean's face and slammed her lips against his, kissing him fiercely for a good few minutes as his eyes widened and the Wind God tried to process what was happening. When he began to respond in a rather 'positive' manner by returning her kiss quite passionately, even the calmer members of the group couldn't help but blush at the intimate moment shared between the two.
When Jima finally moved back, she whacked her cousin upside the head and smirked at him. "'bout damn time you finally snapped to your senses. You feeling better now?" However, before Jima could even get a response, she felt an incredibly cold chill run up and down her spine. Slowly turning her gaze around to the others, she saw everyone looking at her with blushes and questioning looks. "What?" When they simply shook their heads, Jima moved her gaze to Anko and the cold chill began to intensify greatly. "Ummm…I can explain?"
While Sean sat there looking gobsmacked, but incredibly pleased, Jima and Anko found themselves delving into a rather loud, fierce argument. However, none in their group decided to pay them any attention. It was simply a matter better left to them to solve on their own. In Kakashi's mind however, he simply wished he had a pen and paper so he could jot down notes on the events taking place. This would make a best seller if only Jiraiya-sama could see this! Sean, you are a lucky man indeed my friend.
Kurenai sat there staring at Sean for a minute before she finally sighed and tried flicking him in his nose to get his attention. When the man didn't respond, she found herself sighing deeply before glancing towards Jima and Anko for a time. Taking some time to think about the situation and everything that had just happened, the lovely lady turned her gaze to Asuma, frowned, and said: "Sorry Asuma, but somebody has to do something."
Before Asuma could even ask Kurenai what she was talking about, Kurenai moved closer to Sean, wrapped her arms around Sean, pulled him close, and kissed him deeply, just as Jima had done just moments before. Once again, everyone around them froze and went practically bug-eyed at this. Asuma could feel his heart shattering, but his mind kept a rational line of thought and replayed her words she had spoken just before she did this. Is she just trying to snap Sean out of it like Jima before her? Or…could there possibly be more to this…?
Once more, Sean returned the kiss, but he seemed more hesitant this time, even confused. While he hadn't thought about Kurenai in that way before, he did care deeply for her as a friend, and certainly found her to be a very attractive woman. His attraction to her went beyond just physical beauty. During time spent with her, Sean got to learn more about her, and found her to be not only an interesting person, but also caring and sweet. Kurenai was an intelligent woman, and he was continually impressed by her on the missions they underwent together during his time with Team 8.
Feeling his heart fluttering slightly, Sean returned Kurenai's hug, broke from the kiss, and rested his cheek against hers. "Thank you Kurenai. For being there for me. I know this couldn't have been easy for you. Go ahead and talk to Asuma. I'll let him know there's nothing between us, you were just doing what you had to do. But, umm…it might have to wait a few moments. I think I need to talk to Jima and Anko before they attack you or each other." Nearly sweat dropping at the looks he was receiving from Asuma, Jima, and Anko, Sean released Kurenai and turned to discuss things with his girlfriend and cousin.
While Sean spoke with his women, Kurenai turned to Asuma and smiled apologetically at him. "Asuma, I'm sorry. I can assure you there's absolutely nothing between us. You know you're the only man for me." Hugging him, Kurenai could instinctively understand that he was upset at her actions. However, she also felt that her boyfriend would understand and forgive the two of them for what just transpired between them.
As Kurenai waited for Asuma to speak, she could feel her heart racing slightly, and found herself thinking back to the kiss, a lot more than she thought she should be. Maybe…I shouldn't have done that. It felt…good. And when he responded, I didn't expect to feel that way. Maybe Sean and I shouldn't be around each other for a while, I don't want to get confused. I have feelings for Asuma, that should be enough, right?
Meanwhile, Kakashi, ever the pervert, found himself chuckling perversely as he began digging around in Asuma's pockets in search of a pad of paper and a pen. Finding nothing, he began searching the packs of his fellow companions until he finally found what he was looking for. Uncapping the pen, the jonin sensei of Team 7 quickly began jotting down notes on everything that had just transpired. Gold! This is pure hentai gold! Jiraiya-sama is going to HATE that he missed all of this! Sean, you are going to be the inspiration for many a book, I'm sure of it now!
Naruto vs. Sasuke
As Naruto finished his attack and landed back on the ground, he glanced around at the crowd and narrowed his eyes hatefully at the bastards that were calling for his death just moments before. "I really can't understand how you people can still defend this guy. C'mon people, take the hint! He's betrayed all of you. He's gone with Orochimaru, and considering the snake for a hand, I'd say he's really turning into some kind of sick freak. Give it enough time and he'll turn into another snake with a fetish for small boys. So, take my advice, keep your sons safe from harm. Teach them that it's not okay to play with grumpy Sasuke's. Otherwise, they may just find their pants around their ankles and a Sasuke in their naughty place. Just a bit of helpful advice."
Turning his attention back to Sasuke, the blonde ninja found himself frowning as he shook his head. "Really Sasuke, how the heck did you turn out like this? So your brother butchered your precious clan? You're so stuck on revenge; you lost sight of everything that's truly important. You really don't make a very good ninja." Sighing, the young genin prepared to use another jutsu, only to suddenly hear his name being called. Glancing back, he could see his fiancés, Hinata and Fu in the competitors' area, and Sakura and Haku up in the stands, all cheering for him.
When Naruto heard them shouting that they supported him and believed in him, shouting words of encouragement, as well as telling him that the villagers would come around and realize the truth soon enough, the blonde lowered his head and let his bangs cover his eyes. "I really do love you girls."
Letting a smirk show itself on his face, Naruto turned back to Sasuke and formed a Rasengan in his right hand. "Okay Sasuke, let's see how you handle this. I've always wanted to try this one on you." With a slight chuckle, he watched as Sasuke shakily rose to his feet and tried to shout something to him, but in all honesty, Naruto just couldn't care less what it was so he tuned his opponent's words out. Waiting for his opponent's next move, the blonde ninja slipped around Sasuke's punch, ducked under his kick, and quickly thrust his arm out, slamming the Rasengan hard into the Uchiha's chest. Laughing, Naruto watched the entire time as Sasuke went spiraling through the air and crashed hard into the wall yet again.
Before preparing anything else, the young genin turned his gaze to Genma to check if the man was going to try and stop the match anytime soon. When the proctor simply gave him a nod to continue, Naruto couldn't help but give him a grin, which Genma responded to with a smile of his own. That was all the sign Naruto needed to see to show him that Genma wasn't going to stop this fight until he absolutely had to. In the meantime, he was going to give Naruto all the time he needed to make the spoiled brat pay for everything he had said and done.
As the young blonde quickly went through a familiar set of hand seals, he couldn't help but hear his name being chanted again. However, these voices weren't familiar to him, so he couldn't help but glance around as he continued performing the hand seals and focusing his chakra for what he had in store for Sasuke next. What he saw shocked him so much that he lost his focus and caused him to lose his jutsu before it had even begun. "W-Why are they cheering for me…?"
In the Audience, just a moment ago
A familiar pair of people sat fairly close to Sean's group and couldn't help but smile at their antics. They had grown used to seeing things such as this when it came to Sean & Naruto, but they didn't expect to see such similar antics from the people Sean was with now. Turning to each other, the man burst out laughing and nodded his head. "It's good to see they're so relaxed, isn't it Ayame?"
Ayame giggled and nodded her head in response. "Just a few minutes ago, Sean looked like he would never snap out of it. And now look at them. I'm glad he and Naruto have such good friends." Looking back towards the fight taking place down below in the ring, a frown adorned her pretty face and she couldn't help but shake her head. "I'm honestly more worried about Naruto. You heard the crowd earlier, they were chanting for his death!"
Teuchi sighed and nodded his head at that. "It's disappointing. He wants their respect, but they still refuse to give it to him. I'm sure not everybody feels that way though." It was then that Teuchi's face lit up as an idea came to him. With a small grin, he turned to Ayame and nodded once more. "Alright, let's prove to Naruto that not all the villagers are like that. You with me Ayame?"
Ayame smiled brightly and nodded. "Of course Dad." And with that, the two of them turned to watch the fight once more. After Naruto hit Sasuke with the Rasengan, they smirked a moment before they cupped their hands around their mouths and began shouting for Naruto to kick Sasuke's ass.
Naruto
Apparently their plan had worked perfectly. Mere moments after the two of them had begun cheering him on, did numerous others in the crowd come to life and begin shouting words of encouragement to him. Naruto could feel tears stinging his eyes, but he quickly blinked them back and adorned a small smile as he quickly went through the same hand seals and shouted out the name of his next jutsu. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Slamming his palms to the ground beneath him, Naruto winced a bit as the dirt kicked up and began to swirl around him.
When everything finally began to settle, the blonde opened his eyes again and smiled at the creature he had summoned. "Hello there Ryuken, glad to see you. Would you mind terribly helping me kick his ass?" Pointing at Sasuke, who was struggling to stay standing after climbing out of the hole in the wall, Naruto found himself smirking. "Don't mind the state he's in, he can take a lot more punishment before he kicks the bucket, I'm sure. We just need to teach him a lesson he won't soon forget. Know what I mean?"
Ryuken was a much smaller dragon than the one Naruto had summoned back during the mission where he had met both Jima and Fu, but that didn't stop him from looking any less intimidating. Standing on two powerful hind legs, this wind dragon had four swords strapped to his back, each one just as deadly as the last. Oddly enough, this dragon wore an eyepatch over his left eye, a clear scar running from the top of his head to just below his nose ran right along where his eye would be, so it was obvious that the dragon had lost his left eye during a battle of some sort. However, how long ago this was or how he received such a terrible injury was unknown to most that knew him. Another thing to notice was that this dragon looked both nimble and strong, the defined muscles a clear indicator that he had strength beyond that of a regular being.
Turning his eye upon young Naruto, Ryuken sighed and nodded his head. "As you wish, Naruto-sama. But I would much rather have a more challenging opponent the next time you call me. There's no sport in crushing the weak, especially when they've already been defeated." With that, the dragon drew two of his swords, the other two floating out of their sheathes to hover in the air beside him.
Naruto chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head before giving Ryuken his signature grin. "Sorry about that Ryuken. I know it's not any fun for you, but…" Sighing heavily, Naruto began to tell Ryuken about everything Sasuke had done before and during this fight.
When he was finally finished regaling Ryuken with the tale, Sasuke was stumbling towards him, using his katana for support. "S-Stop…ignoring me dobe…" Before he could even take another step more, the dragon summon was in his face and Sasuke's blood was splashing upon the dragon's broad chest. Glancing down, the Uchiha saw a large, diagonal gash in his chest and he fell to his knees, unable to muster the strength to continue standing. "W-What…?"
Glaring down at the young Uchiha, Ryuken bared his fangs and stabbed him through his shoulders, causing the young punk to scream so loud that many people had to cover their ears and wince, unable to even watch the fight any longer. "I see why he summoned me now. The Namikaze boy was a good man. Never met him personally, we wind beasts hadn't viewed him as a worthy candidate to wield our power. But, we watched, and we saw him for what he was. Naruto-sama is the Namikaze boy's son, and having you speak such terrible words about Naruto-sama and his parents is something we will not tolerate. You're not even worthy enough to stand before him, and you are certainly not a worthy being to be speaking ill of Naruto-sama and his parents."
Snarling now, Ryuken used his swords currently embedded in Sasuke's shoulders to lift the Uchiha off the ground to the point he was now eye level with the mighty dragon. "I've been given specific orders not to kill you, and I will obey them. But before then, I shall let you know true pain young Uchiha." When Sasuke chose to spit a glob of blood in Ryuken's face, that only infuriated the dragon more. "I see. You truly don't know how to respect your betters, do you boy? Very well then, let us begin."
In the stands
At this point, very few people could even stand to watch the fight taking place any longer. They had heard and listened closely to Ryuken's words, and the reality of what he had said was taking its toll on all of them. Many of them began to realize for the first time that Naruto had actually been telling the truth, and they couldn't help but wonder how his father, the Yondaime, might react if he knew just how terribly they had treated his son. Still others were in disbelief, trying to convince themselves it wasn't true, but failing miserably in their efforts.
Sean heard them conversing amongst themselves, and couldn't help but shake his head. Now the bastards start to realize just how wrong they all were. It took Master Ryuken confirming what Naruto said for them to finally believe. How stupid can these people be?! Grumbling angrily at their idiocy, the Wind God focused his eyes on the fight below and found himself shaking his head in a state of almost disbelief. "Sasuke, you would even disrespect Ryuken-sama? You are truly a beast beyond hope. It would take some kind of miracle for Ryuken-sama not to kill you after what you just did."
The others finally stopped bickering amongst themselves, and Kakashi finally stopped his perverted actions, and all focused their gaze on Sean and the fight taking place below. No, fight wouldn't be the right word to describe what was happening now. Instead, this was one combatant butchering the other in ways that no man…well, almost no man…truly deserved. Sasuke? He was an exception, one of the few that really, truly deserved what he was experiencing in the ring below them.
Kin tugged on Sean's sleeve to get his attention, and when he turned to her with a quizzical look, she glanced back towards the fight below. "Sean-sama, as much as I hate to say this…isn't this going a little too far? I don't think he's even CONSCIOUS anymore. I hate him just as much as the next person, but…I…I don't want Naruto to kill somebody out of hate like this. It doesn't feel right to me…"
The Wind God sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back as he did. "With the way Sasuke chose to disrespect Ryuken-sama, there's nothing that can be done about it now. The Wind Beasts are proud beings, but the wind dragons, Ryuken included, are even more so than the others. I'll admit, they're so prideful that it can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but…" Sighing again, Sean opened his eyes and watched sadly as Naruto struggled in vain to 'control' Ryuken. "At this point, it would take a miracle for Sasuke to actually survive this."
Kakashi found himself frowning behind his mask. "Couldn't you do something about it Sean? You're far more experienced with the Wind Beasts than Naruto-kun is. They trust you, they listen to you, there has to be something."
Sean chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, if I wanted I could knock Ryuken out cold. But, why would I do that?" Donning a cold smirk, Sean turned his gaze back to Kakashi and chuckled darkly. "The Uchiha boy's been asking for this. I don't plan to stop this anytime soon."
The others stared at Sean with mixed looks. Some with a look of disbelief, others in horror, but in the case of Anko and Jima, they simply grinned right along with him. He was right, Sasuke really did deserve to suffer, and if Sean didn't want to stop it, who were they to try and force him to do it?
Kurenai shook her head. "S-Sean, I know you hate Sasuke, but this is just too much. Think about Naruto, you can't just let this happen. If you can do something, you should do it."
Sean sighed and shook his head. "Sorry Kurenai-san, but I need the Wind Beasts to cooperate with me for my part in the invasion. If I were to attack Ryuken now, it would only cause unnecessary tension, and I'd rather not have them being difficult when I go to do my job. Sorry, but that's the actual truth of it. That's why my hands are tied at the moment."
Kurenai's eyes widened at that and she nodded in understanding. "That…does make sense. You may be kind of sadistic, but you love Naruto. You've always watched out for him, so…it didn't make sense for you to refuse to do something simply because of a grudge you have with the Uchiha."
The Wind God nodded before turning his gaze back to the fight. "I had you guys going there, didn't I? Should've seen your faces. I swear, you really do think badly of me sometimes, don't you?"
Kakashi eye smiled and nodded slowly. "Only when you give us reason to Sean-san." The group shared a few chuckles at this point before returning to watching the fight below. Still, I do hope that's all it is. Ever since your encounter with Orochimaru, you've been…angry. It's not hard to see that you want answers from him Sean…
With Naruto, Ryuken, & Sasuke
"Ryuken! Please stop already! I told you not to kill him, but it seems to me you're trying to do exactly that! Why won't you listen to me?!" Naruto had been pleading like this for some time now, but Ryuken simply snarled and continued his relentless assault on the already beaten Uchiha.
As Ryuken was preparing to deliver the finishing blow to Sasuke by severing his head, a masked man suddenly swooped in and rescued him. Landing some few feet away, the masked man clutched Sasuke tight and glared fiercely at Ryuken. "I'd say that's more than enough, wouldn't you beast? I'll be taking him now if you don't mind."
Right as Ryuken went to attack, the masked man disappeared in a Shunshin and left the Wind Beast standing in the ring alone with Naruto and Genma. Turning to his summoner, Ryuken bowed his head and apologized. "My apologies Naruto-sama. I'll be leaving now. I did not mean to lose my temper as I did." And with that, the wind dragon disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a flabbergasted Naruto standing there with Genma at his side.
The proctor couldn't help but sigh and shake his head as he announced Naruto the winner of the fight. "You know that you probably won't make chunin after this, right Naruto-kun?"
Naruto sighed and nodded his head solemnly. "Yeah. I'm sorry Genma-sensei. I guess I still have a lot of work left to do before I'm worthy of that rank. I'll get going now. I hope the next fight doesn't turn out like this one just did…" With that, the blonde left the ring and trudged slowly up the steps to the waiting area.
Sighing heavily as he watched the young Uzumaki-Namikaze boy leave, Genma shook his head and turned his gaze to the competitors' waiting area. "Alright. Now that that is over with, let's get right on with it. The next fight is Gaara vs. Fu. Please enter the ring and get ready."
With Fu & the other competitors
Hinata and Fu stared at each other for a moment before they turned their gaze towards the stairs. As Gaara disappeared in a Suna-Shunshin (Sand Body Flicker), the two of them watched as Naruto came into view and hurried over to him, hugging him tight. "I have to go to my fight, but…please cheer up Naruto-kun. I don't want you to be sad. Even if you don't get promoted, don't beat yourself up over it. These things happen, and no matter what, I think you were great. I'm sorry, but I really have to go before Genma-sensei gets all grumpy."
Fu planted a quick kiss on Naruto's whiskered cheek before turning and running to the edge, leaping off and landing in the ring gracefully across from her opponent. Shortly after she did this, Hinata led her fiancé over to watch the fight. "Naru-koi, it's okay. I'm sorry all of that happened. But…look at it this way: you don't have to hide your secret anymore. Everything will turn out for the better, you'll see." Resting her head on his shoulder, Hinata wrapped her arms about her beloved and the two of them prepared to watch Fu's fight with Gaara.
With Sean's group
As Fu and Gaara entered the ring, the jonin looked at each other and nodded. "Well, it looks like it will be starting soon. We'd best be getting ready. Sean, we'll see you later?" Anko questioned, clearly not happy that she'd have to be away from her sexy hunk (as she liked to call him from time to time) so soon.
Sean shrugged his shoulders and rose from his seat. "Of course. I'll take care of things in the village with the others. Kin, stay here with Jima and Kakashi. I don't care if you want to fight beside them, just be careful. Your opponents won't be kind to you just because you're young. You betrayed them and they'll definitely attempt to take your life if you get sloppy. Jima, Kakashi, please take care of my clan member. Anko-chan, sorry about having to leave so soon." Wrapping his arms around Anko Mitarashi, Sean gave her a passionate kiss and pinched her ass just to make her jump. "Heh, we'll have to go on a date later honey." Winking at her, Sean disappeared in a Kaze-Shunshin (Wind Body Flicker) leaving her standing there in a bit of a daze.
Jima frowned at that and muttered to herself quietly, "Damn, kinda wish he'd do that with me too." Unfortunately, Anko seemed to have heard her, and they were soon bickering with each other once more, much to everyone else's amusement.
Kin sighed and shook her head. "How is it everyone here can be so damn calm knowing what's about to happen?" Choosing to put that out of her head, the ex-Oto nin turned her gaze to the fight starting below.
Gaara vs. Fu
As soon as the fight began, Fu was forced to dodge numerous tendrils of sand that continued to assault her. Her opponent was obviously out to finish this fight quickly for some reason. Taking a quick glance into her opponent's stoic face, she couldn't help but notice where his gaze lingered. Naruto. He wants to fight Naruto! Oh this bastard! He's not even taking me seriously! Fine, I'll show him not to underestimate me!
Focusing chakra to her feet, Fu quickly blurred out of sight and moved into Gaara's defense, throwing a punch only to have him block it with a wall of sand. Grumbling at how quick he was to defend, Fu was forced to dodge another assault and wait for her chance to get at the psychotic bastard.
When the mint-haired young lass found her chance, she pushed more chakra into her feet and appeared behind Gaara, thrusting her hand forward once again. As expected, her opponent's sand blocked her attack, but she didn't relent. Instead, she thrust her wind-coated right hand through the wall of sand and attempted to strike her opponent that way, only to have him melt away into sand as soon as he was struck. "Shit!"
Quickly manifesting her wings, Fu shot up into the sky away from the numerous sand spikes that shot up right where she had been standing just mere moments before. "Well, that was a little too close for comfort. I could've been a soon-to-be-Uzumaki shiskebab! Mmm, have to admit, the idea of being 'impaled' by Naruto sounds kinda nice." Realizing that her mind was beginning to wander, Fu quickly shook those thoughts from her head and forced herself to focus on the fight at hand. "Fu, focus. You can try to coerce Naruto into giving you some sexy time later. Now it's more important that you kick this guy's ass!"
Nodding, the Nanabi jinchuriki began to try and think of a plan as she watched her opponent reappear in the center of the arena, a small dome of sand sprouting up around him. Hm, well that's interesting. Whatcha plotting now Mister Grumpy?
Deciding to forget about that for the time being, Fu grinned and glanced over at Naruto, deciding to continue hovering in the air where she was so she wouldn't put herself at risk of attack while she said what she had to say. "Naru-koi, I've got a proposition for you!" Seeing she had his attention, the mint-haired girl grinned deviously and rubbed her hands together. "If I kick his ass and win this little fight, you're going to have to do anything and everything I want after taking me on a date later, got it?!"
Seeing Naruto nod almost hesitantly, the jinchuriki giggled perversely and nodded her head, clearly satisfied with his response. "Good, because I've got big plans for us honey! Now, watch me crush this guy! I'm going to earn me some Naru-koi sexy time damn it!" Practically feeling everybody sweat dropping all at once in the audience, Fu smirked and nodded, once more satisfied with herself. "He can't take it back now. I'm going to have so much fun! Now Gaara, c'mon!"
With Naruto, Hinata, and the other competitors
Naruto began to feel a cold sweat running down the entirety of his body. "W-What in the hell did I just agree to Hinata-chan?" Looking into her eyes, a feeling of panic swept throughout his being and he collapsed to his knees from a mixture of all the feelings he was currently experiencing.
Hinata sighed and knelt down beside her lovely Naru-kun. "Knowing Fu, it could be just about anything Naru-koi. I trust you not to go too far with her, so I don't mind if she gets to 'play' with you for a little while. But remember…" Leaning in close, Hinata pressed her assets up against him and grinned devilishly to herself as she brushed her lips up against his ear. "I'll be the one to take your virginity." When her fiancé turned the brightest shade of red she'd seen him yet, the ex-Hyuga heiress giggled to herself and kissed him sweetly on the lips. "It's good to see I can have that effect on you darling. Now, let's enjoy the fight while we can. You know what's happening soon."
As Naruto and Hinata talked amongst themselves, Naruto obviously a deep shade of red, judging from his constantly changing body color, Temari found herself fidgeting in the background, her hands clutched together as she glanced this way and that. That's…how can they say such things in front of so many people? I couldn't possibly do that! But…I can't help but wonder… Keeping an eye on the blonde jinchuriki before her, Temari found her thoughts racing.
The Suna kunoichi's thoughts ranged from worries about the invasion that would be starting in just moments to thoughts of what a relationship with Naruto-kun would be like. At one point, she began blushing as she envisioned the Konoha genin caressing her body, running his hands up and down her arms slowly as he teased her neck with sweet, butterfly kisses. The passionate kiss she envisioned them sharing and the intimate moments that came after only further intensified her blush. It wasn't until she was being shaken by her brother that she noticed Kankuro had neared her again and was trying to find out just what the hell was wrong with her this time. Now I want some Naru-kun sexy time…
Gaara & Fu
As Fu relentlessly assaulted Gaara's dome of sand, tearing through it little by little, causing far more damage, far too fast to keep him from fully repairing it, the Nanabi jinchuriki just could not stop giggling perversely as she thought about everything she'd make Naruto do to her! When she finally zipped back and formed two immense javelins of wind in her hands, the orange-eyed lass went wild-eyed and pumped some of her bijuu's chakra into her technique before tossing both javelins forward. "I'M GOING TO GET ME SOME NARU-SEXY TIME!"
While some would like to say that it took some effort for the javelins to pierce through the dome, they couldn't. It was obvious that in her crazed state of mind, Fu had put so much power behind her attacks that poor Gaara just didn't stand a chance of stopping them. Instead, a terrible, blood-curtling cry echoed throughout the arena. Many people covered their ears, while others watched the fight in anticipation.
When the sand dome finally crumbled and collapsed to the floor around her opponent, Fu saw the state he was in. The javelins had pierced his chest and thigh, drawing enough blood to form a small pool at his feet. Cocking her head to one side, the Nanabi jinchuriki slowly floated down to the ground and watched as Gaara seemed to be losing what little sanity he had. It wasn't much longer before she felt the air around her become heavy with malice. Truly focusing now, the mint-haired girl watched as Gaara shook and cried, all the while undergoing some kind of horrible transformation. "Well, this certainly isn't good."
However, before anyone could even comment on the situation at hand, Kankuro dropped to the ring with Temari and the both of them quickly fled the arena with their younger sibling. Before she could give chase, the jinchuriki felt a powerful genjutsu coming over her and quickly flared her chakra to dispel it before anything could happen. "Tch, well I guess it's starting. Too bad, I'd love to stay and kick some ass, but I want my Naru-sexy time and to get that, I have to finish kicking his ass! NOW GET BACK HERE GAARA!" And with that, before Genma could even say a thing to her, Fu rushed off after the Suna trio, a mad look in her eyes.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi
As chaos began to erupt throughout the arena and the rest of the village, Hiruzen couldn't help but glance around at the strange barrier that had been erected around him after being carried off by Orochimaru and his goons. It was obvious that this particular barrier wasn't just meant to keep people out, but it was more specifically meant to keep Hiruzen in.
With a sigh, the elderly Hokage shook his head at his old student as he began to speak. Instead of paying him the slightest bit of attention, Hiruzen pulled his hat and robe off and laid them gently down upon the ground. Almost instantly, a poof of smoke erupted from these items, clearly shocking not only Orochimaru's Sound Four, but the Snake Sannin himself! When the smoke cleared, there stood Jiraiya in all his super pervy glory. "Didja miss me Orochimaru-teme? You didn't really think we'd just let you have your way, did you?"
Grumbling to himself, the Snake Sannin slapped himself in the face and slowly dragged his fingernails down across his face. "Son-of-a-bitch. I didn't need this. Not now. I still haven't completely recovered damn it!" Glancing at his opponents, the Sannin decided he needed to even the odds fast, otherwise things were going to take a very, very bad turn for him. After all, Orochimaru had come too far for his plans to fail now!
Hiruzen and his student watched as Orochimaru quickly went through some hand seals before slamming his hands to the ground and shouting out the name of what was supposed to be a forbidden technique. When coffins began to rise from the ground, each with a different number, Jiraiya & Hiruzen's eyes widened as the realization of what was happening registered in their heads. They each quickly stopped the number 1 and 4 coffins from rising by using different jutsu, but the number 2 coffin couldn't be stopped in time. Out came Tobirama Senju, looking just as Hiruzen remembered him from way back when.
Orochimaru smirked at his small victory. Granted, he didn't get exactly what he wanted from this jutsu, but he still managed to do what he set out to do: he evened the odds. Quickly appearing behind the Nidaime Hokage, he embedded a kunai wrapped with a sealing tag into the back of his skull. Giving his orders to the ex-Hokage, Orochimaru focused his attention on his old teammate. "While our old mentor is stuck trying to fend off his teacher, why don't we finish things Jiraiya? It's been so long since we last had the chance, wouldn't you say?"
Jiraiya grumbled as he tried to formulate some kind of plan that would allow him to quickly take out Orochimaru, or at least incapacitate him long enough so he could help the Sandaime. After all, he promised he would keep Hiruzen Sarutobi safe, but if he was stuck fighting Orochimaru while the old man was stuck fighting the Nidaime Hokage of all people, the super pervert wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his promise, let alone win the fight! "Tch. Fine, it looks like I'll just have to take you out fast and help Sensei. Let's get this over with Orochimaru!"
Kin, Jima, & Kakashi
Asuma and Kurenai had left a few moments ago to defend more of the unconscious villagers from the invading army. Glancing up at Jima and Kakashi, Kin found herself feeling nervous and began to quiver where she stood. When she felt a hand upon her shoulder, the young Uzumaki clan member looked up into the eyes of Jima and Kakashi.
"Relax Kin-chan. Stick with us and you'll be just fine. Even if you're afraid to kill, do your best to keep yourself safe. The two of us will protect you and the others around here. You don't need to kill anyone if you aren't comfortable with that yet. Use your skills to knock them unconscious if you can and stick close to us." Seeing Kin nod in response, Kakashi eye smiled at her and nodded. "Good. Now, get ready. Here they come."
Glancing quickly to her left, the ex-Oto nin deflected a couple of kunai aimed her way so they landed harmlessly on the ground. Despite being scared, she also knew that she couldn't let them harm the people of the village, nor could she allow herself to get sloppy and cause accidental harm to the villagers she was trying to protect. Sean-sama and Jima-sama trained me hard so I'd be ready for this kind of situation. I won't let them down!
Hinata, Ino, & Shikamaru
Hinata and Naruto watched as Temari and Kankuro quickly went to Gaara's rescue. They couldn't blame Temari for worrying for her brother and rushing to his aid the way she did, but they also knew she wouldn't interfere with the two Konoha jinchuriki unless she absolutely had to in order to save Gaara's life.
Looking into each other's eyes, Naruto and Hinata hugged each other close, kissed each other quickly, and turned away from one another. "Hinata-koi, we know our roles. Take who you can find and escort any and all civilians you find to safety. Once they're all out of harm's way, your group will protect them while Sean-sensei and the others repel the invaders. I'm off to help contain Gaara. Fu and I can handle him. It's two jinchuriki versus one after all. Doesn't mean it'll be easy though."
Hinata smiled sweetly and gave him another quick hug before beginning to walk away. "Be safe my love. We'll keep everyone safe. Do what you need to do." With a smile, she listened as Naruto replied in the affirmative and rushed off to assist Fu in stopping Gaara.
When Hinata reached her fellow genin, the now known Hinata Uzumaki (after all, she was refusing to go by her given, family name any longer) nodded. "Ino-chan, Shikamaru-kun, we have our duties. I'm sorry you didn't get to participate in your fight, but it's time. We have to escort the civilians to safety. Ready?" When the two nodded, Hinata smiled as the three of them shunshined out of the arena to begin their duties.
However, that's where the current problem comes into the picture. While escorting a mother and her children towards the designated location, a group of Oto and Suna ninja surrounded them. Sighing to himself, Shikamaru glanced around and counted their numbers silently to himself before glancing sideways at Ino. "Ino, guard the civilians. When you see an opening, get them to safety. Hinata and I will join you just as soon as we've dealt with this group. I don't need to remind you to be careful." Seeing her nod, glad that she wasn't even trying to argue at this point, the Nara heir adorned a rare smile as he turned to face his opponents. "This is going to be very troublesome, but there's naught that can be done about it now. As proud Konoha ninja, there's no way we can let you harm innocent civilians. Still, it's unfortunate you came across the two of us. You'll soon see why."
Sean
Sean had been waiting patiently for the attack to begin. He had his assigned duty, and he was currently keeping watch for what he knew would be coming soon. When he saw large puffs of smoke in the distance, the Wind God smirked to himself and disappeared in a quick Kaze-Shunshin, reappearing closer to the summoned creatures.
However, as he was getting ready to summon his own beasts, a group of Oto-nin suddenly surrounded him. Sighing angrily at this small problem, the Uzumaki clan head adorned a scowl and glanced at the obvious leader of the group. "If you idiots know what's good for you, you'll run. NOW." When they simply chuckled in response and were ordered to attack by their commander, Sean shook his head and smacked his face. "I did try to warn you idiots."
Naruto
When Naruto finally caught up to Fu, he saw that she had been stopped by Gaara's brother, Kankuro. It appeared that a fight was about to begin, so the blonde genin chose that moment to step in. "Fu-chan, why don't you go on ahead and continue your fight with Suna's jinchuriki. I'll handle Kankuro here. After all, it wouldn't do to have your 'Naruto-sexy time' lost now, would it?" Smirking at his fiancé, Naruto soon found himself engulfed in an incredibly tight hug and being pelted with kisses all over his face before receiving one long, passionate kiss.
Blinking a few times, the young man watched as Fu rushed off to continue beating the crap out of Gaara before he remembered what he was doing and where he was. Turning back to Kankuro, the Uzumaki heir frowned and drew forth his kodachi blades he had received way back during his first C-rank mission. "Kankuro-san, I really wish you would have listened to your sister." Smirking as he looked into the Suna shinobi's eyes, Naruto pointed one of his blades at his new opponent. "You may be a friend Kankuro-san, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to kick your ass. You chose the wrong side and you're going to regret it. Please don't hold this against me…friend." In an instant, the blonde genin shifted his foot just slightly and disappeared from sight, moving in for his first attack.
A/N: Yeppers, the invasion has FINALLY begun! Sorry if it seems there were some ooc moments, but this is how the chapter flowed out of me, and I'm personally pretty satisfied with how this chapter turned out. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you look forward to what's coming next.
I kind of couldn't help but leave off with small cliffhangers for each group at the end of this chapter. Don't be too upset. Well...unless you consider the fact that the next set of chapters for this story aren't for a while yet, then...yeaaaah. Please don't kill me! XD
Instead, there's a bunch of stories I've thought up that have been plaguing my mind for a long dang time now. If you'll check my schedule on my profile page, you'll see a list of mystery fics. I won't spoil what any of these are for now, but I promise they won't take too much time away from my current stories. I plan to work on all stories equally, and I hope you are looking forward to reading all of them. ^^ If you're curious, I can tell you this: mystery fics #1 & #2 are both crossover fics for the same anime series & game. One was a challenge presented to me by a friend, the other is something I thought up myself. Hopefully they'll be just as good for you to read as my current stories. ^^ If you enjoy my current stories that is! lol.