Disclaimer: See first chapter.
AN: Two things, most of the other preliminary fights are part of this update and there's a note at the bottom of this chapter. Read it if you want. It's just a small rant.
"You damn brat." Asuma restrained himself from lunging at the blonde not too far from him, his hands gripping the railing in front of him. They couldn't handle his grip, becoming thinner and thinner from the pressure on them. "You damn brat." He growled the words again as he looked down at the arena, at what was happening. "I'm going to kill you." It was the only thing he could say, a verbal promise, to make sure he didn't snap at what he saw below him. "I'm going to make you pay for this. For everything you've done in your miserable life, you're going to pay when I get my hands on you."
Ino was beaten into the ground against numbers she couldn't hope to face. The clones of the blonde he was going to kill laughed before most of them turned to the original. Amusement shined in blue eyes he could so swiftly grow to hate.
"Praetor, she is pathetic!" Ino tried to rise but the blunt end of a pilum was driven into the back of her neck by a clone and she was forced to the ground. Her attempt to resist, to force her way back up, drew a cry of pain when another pilum was brought down on her head, forcing her to the ground. "She is nothing without those fools she calls her team!"
"I wonder if I've given you my response now, Sakura-chan." Naruto looked away from the clones and towards the still Sakura. "You once told me not too long ago that teamwork is vital yet all I see before me, the result of teamwork, is a weak fool. She is nothing but beaten and broken by my men. I told you once that nothing, especially not that vile thing known as teamwork, could stand against my glorious Legion yet you failed to see the truth then! Gaze upon the truth you refused now Sakura-chan and see the might of my glorious Legion!"
"HOO!" Their blades met their shields as they shouted. "HOO!" They began a near deafening rhythm but did not carry over the voice of their Praetor.
"Look at that pathetic girl and see why teamwork is so worthless when compared to the might of my magnificent, my unbeatable, my glorious Legion!" He laughed as his hands took hold of the railings in front of him, the sound echoing in the near silent arena. "All of you take in the sight of what teamwork creates! A weakness like no other! Nothing can compare to the folly that is a dependence on something so pathetic! Only the weaklings that pollute these lands have the audacity to band together in a vain attempt to challenge the strong of this world! All you must do to see my words are true is to look upon that beaten form below you! Look upon it and see why teamwork is so worthless against my mighty Orange Legion! All of you look and tremble as you see the future of all those who seek to use such a pathetic thing as teamwork against my glorious Legion! Look as you see the results of teamwork against the incalculable might of my grand Empire!" His voice took on a near rabid quality, his eyes becoming unreadable blue pits as he fell to his frenzy. "Look and be disgusted! See weakness and know it dwells in each of your foolish hearts if you believe in teamwork!"
"Graze upon the Praetor of a Legion and the Caesar of an Empire and know you will be squashed like ants before my might!" He threw his head back and laughed without end.
"HAIL CASESAR!" The men that faced him shouted their agreement, clashing their swords with their shields faster and harsher, producing a louder and louder beat. "HAIL CAESAR!" Applause born from steel instead of flesh filled the silence just as much as Naruto's laugher. "HAIL CAESAR!"
"Girl, forfeit." The centurion crouched down next to her, took hold of her face with one hand and looked into blue eyes lighter than his own. "Do not make me have to do worse than I must." The centurion drew his blade with a near flourish, placing the tip before blue eyes. "It is a shame to take the sight of one such as yourself but I will if I must."
"…" A silent glare was all his threat earned and, for some indecipherable reason, he smiled.
"So be it." He returned the blade to his side and, with his now free hand, beckoned two of the men with him over. "Take hold of her arms. You," He brought over another and pointed to her platinum blonde topped scalp. ", keep hold of her head. It does not matter if she closes her eyes to me, my blade is sharp. She will only darken her sight herself much sooner."
She struggled but it was pointless. Naruto's clones were strong. She tried to pull her arms free and only made the clone holding each chuckle. She tried to turn her head, thrash from side to side, and she felt as if she was held by a vice as a reward for her efforts while fingers dug into her hair, the side of her face. She struggled and could do nothing but make the centurion before her laugh.
"Hold still girl." He flipped the blade in his hand, his free palm laying itself on her forehead. "If I miss, I'll simply take a pound of flesh from wherever my blade may strike." He shrugged. "Eventually, you will forfeit from the pain, I have no doubt of that Yamanaka."
She screamed as she struggled, trying to rip herself free, attack the clones holding her down, she tried everything but nothing worked. The centurion only laughed more as he drew his arm back.
"ENOUGH!" Sakura took hold of his arm before he could plunge the blade into Ino's eye. "Let her go!"
"We cannot." The centurion looked at her with the same eyes Naruto would. He did not rip himself free of her grip. "She must forfeit."
"She isn't going to." Sakura looked into the defiant eyes of Ino, the girl still struggling. "Proctor!" Her voice carried over the sound of metal striking metal. "I forfeit the match!"
"Sakura-chan!" The centurion ripped his arm free, his sword pointed towards the prone Ino. "I can end this now!"
"No." She pushed past him. "Let her up!"
An indecipherable look crossed the face of each clone, a hundred identical faces bearing the same unknown expression.
"You will regret this, Sakura-chan." The centurion, and his men, vanished in a cloud of smoke with those words.
She didn't answer. Green eyes met blue and she turned away.
'I'm so sorry Ino.'
"Ino Yamanaka wins her preliminary match!" Hayate's voice followed her exit.
"Tch." Naruto voiced his irritation, one hand coming up to sweep back his blonde hair. "I go through such work for her and she doesn't even appreciate it, hardly seems to notice it at all even." He chuckled as he lowered his hand and turned to the Legate of his Legion at his side. "Go find her Legate. I will arrive later once my match is over with."
"I will find her, Praetor…my mistake." A grin came over his face as he bowed his head with a clenched fist over his heart. "I will find her, Caesar." Naruto's grin told the Legate all he needed to know of such a title. He vanished with the Body Flicker.
'How shameful of you Sakura-chan, giving up when your opponent is so close to defeat. To instead take such a disgrace as defeat upon yourself, upon my Legion, is disappointing. I thought you would understand but it seems you do not possess brilliance in all things.' Naruto shook his head as he returned his focus to the arena even if a different grin took hold of his lips. 'I will need to show you why mercy is such a foolish thing sooner rather than later.'
The Praetor of the Orange Legion and Caesar of the Uzumaki Empire was not left alone for long, within twenty seconds of his Legate departing, one of his Praetorians stood on either side of him.
'Ino…' Asuma looked at his student as she was helped up the steps by both of her teammates. 'Dammit.' He cursed more at himself than anyone else at the state she was in. She had won the match but she certainly didn't look, or probably feel, like a winner.
"Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame are to come down to the arena." Hayate looked towards where Kurenai stood, Kiba all but growling as he looked towards where Naruto stood, flanked on either side by his clones, and Shino looking on impassively before he turned and walked away from the railing.
"We have a match Kiba. Focus on it." Shino spoke all he needed to say as he walked past the Inuzuka. Kiba closed his eyes, taking a moment to breath, before following after him.
"Ah, the mutt and the bug man fighting one another? I can find some amusement in a dog being brought to heel I suppose." Naruto's voice carried down to the arena and Hayate sighed before looking up to the Hokage who nodded.
"Change of plans. Naruto Uzumaki and Zaku Abumi are to come to the arena." Hayate looked up to the blue eyes of the Genin and didn't like what he saw in them. "Let's get this over with."
No one protested the sudden switch.
Naruto didn't bother with the steps, climbing over the railing and landing on a crouch on the arena floor. His opponent, an Otogakure Genin, followed his example and brought his palms together as something close to glee crossed his face.
"I can't wait to shut you up brat." Zaku rose from his crouch and Naruto chuckled as he walked up to Hayate, discarding his cape and pressing it into the hands of a suddenly appearing clone that retreated up the steps he should have taken.
"You will regret your birth boy." Naruto stopped next to the Tokubetsu Jonin and his opponent did the same. Hayate began listing off the rules but, once again, Naruto ignored him. His eyes never left the sneering face of his opponent. "I will enjoy making you learn such regret with my own hands."
"I don't know why I bother with these rules." Hayate spoke mainly to himself before coughing into his hand. "Begin!"
Zaku threw his arm up into the air, leveling the palm with Naruto's chest.
"Dec-"
"Pathetic." Naruto moved faster than most of the watching Genin could see, his hand suddenly taking hold of one of his opponent's arm around the forearm. "Your technique, your strategy, is too clear." Naruto's grip tightened as he began to force the arm he held out to the side. "I know about the tubes in your arm."
"So? That doesn't change a damn thing!" Zaku threw his other arm forward, a blast of air throwing Naruto away from him but the Praetor of the Orange Legion and Caesar of the Uzumai Empire grinned as he landed in acrouch not too far away. He seemed more excited at the fight than anything. "I'm going to crush you no matter how big you talk or what you know."
Both of Zaku's palms faced Naruto before the Genin was simply gone from sight. Zaku turned too late to stop the blow from the Uzumaki. He stumbled back but didn't fall from the simple blow to the chest from Naruto's palm and it was clearly what the blonde wanted. He didn't press his attack, he allowed Zaku to regain his footing and come at him with a shout, throwing one hand forward and releasing another wave of air. He grinned as Naruto landed but it was far from perfect. He nearly stumbled, came close to falling to the ground if he didn't throw his arms out for balance. He was hunched over regardless, his eyes clenched shut for a moment before they opened.
He glared at Zaku after a moment, shaking his head, and rising to his full height. His hand fell to his side but only took hold of the hilt of his blade before he released it. He instead moved a single foot back, placing his side to face Zaku as he rose his free hand up.
Bring it. His fingers curled inward and Zaku answered.
'50/50 mix of air and sound.' Zaku drew both his hands up, gathering Chakra to fire a much stronger blast. He threw himself forward in a dash, vanishing from sight, and appeared behind Naruto a moment later. The Uzumaki actually leaned forward, completely dodging the point blank blast that would have ripped him apart. The blonde's mouth turned up in a smile as he rose back to his full height, his back still facing Zaku.
He was rendered harmless from his shock.
"You dare to believe the Caesar of an Empire would take a blow to the back?" Naruto's voice was a growl, his voice all the intimidation he needed to keep the Genin frozen from action. "You dare to believe I would allow such a cowardly tactic to scar this flesh?"
He spun and backhanded Zaku away, the Genin sent flying from Naruto's surprising strength. His foot was caught before he could fly far, Naruto's blow sending him from a vertical stance to a horizontal trip through the air. He ripped him back, throwing him to the ground behind him as he turned with the Genin. His fist came down next and Zaku narrowly rolled out of the way of a blow that pulverized stone into dust.
'What the hell is this guy?' The Otogakure Genin wasn't attacked further, Naruto taking time to brush the dust residue from his shoulder instead. The sight made him enraged.
"Decapitating Airwave!" Zaku threw one hand forward, unleashing a visible gale of air with a high pitched screaming noise following it.
"Tch." Naruto folded his arms over his chest before he simply jumped over the blow, flipping in the air and landing behind his opponent.
The two were back to back for only a moment.
Zaku spun, a kunai drawn with blinding speed and swung towards the Uzumaki's neck. A raised, and armored, forearm was all that was needed to stop the blow. Zaku's shock was nearly audible when the fractured head of his kunai fell to the ground, Naruto's armor bearing no blemish.
Once again, the Uzumaki only grinned.
"Fool." Naruto shifted, his hand taking hold of Zaku's wrist as twin abyss of blue locked with fearful black.
'What the hell is this kid?' Zaku struggled to pull his hand away and found it to be folly. He could do nothing to rip himself free of the Genin's grip.
"Let go of me you damn brat!" Zaku threw his other hand forward, planting it on Naruto's armored chest. "I'll put a hole where your heart should be if you don't let go right now." A brief silence came to the arena floor as the Oto Genin glanced at where his hand rested. He blinked. Zaku suddenly grinned as he realized the situation at last, his panic fleeing. "Better yet, how about you just give up?"
"Give up?" Naruto threw his head back and laughed just like he had done a few minutes earlier. It was loud and boisterous, something that made Zaku seethe with anger. "You fool! You dare to believe that a Caesar would do such a thing? Disgrace himself before the threats of a slobbering dog like you!" He laughed again before he lowered his head, meeting Zaku's eyes once more. Nothing shined in them, they held no glimmer of falsehood or the truth as determined by mortals. What they held instead was a type of universal certainty in what would soon happen, no doubt in them. "Go on then mutt, unleash your attack."
"Suit yourself, dumbass." Zaku sent a surge of Chakra down his arm, air roaring down the tubes in his arms.
Naruto dodged the blow.
"I warned you." He had turned to the side faster than Zaku could see and a palm thrust threw the Genin back. He was sent skidding across the floor once more like before and hit the wall of the arena across from the Uzumaki and where he once stood. He groaned as he rose back to his feet, one hand coming up to cradle his no doubt bruise he would have on his chest.
"Come now dog." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest once more, a sneer befitting a conqueror on his face. "I have not yet struck you harshly. Consider all I have done gentle with what I have in store if you continue to disobey your Caesar."
"Bastard." Zaku threw one hand forward, another Decapitating Airwave lurching forth and ripping through the air.
Naruto didn't bother to dodge it. His hair was thrown back by the wind he did not avoid, his armor vibrated across his form as sound traveled through it, and he himself seemed to shimmer in a haze brought on by the shifting air around him. His feet remained planted on the ground even if the tiles around him cracked, chipped away, outright blown apart at some places. He remained exactly where he was even as he no doubt experienced disorientation. The only sign of such a thing was the brief closing of his unfocused eyes. He opened them once more just as quickly.
His hair was the only thing knocked out of place. He had ran a hand through it to bring it to order during his announcement of his title of Caesar and now it hung around his head in a spiked mess like before.
'What the hell?' Zaku glanced down at his hands as Naruto's grin remained in place, the immobile statue of a Genin merely observing his opponent. 'This kid is ridiculous! There's no way he should still be standing after a direct shot! No way!' Once again, he glanced to his hands and clenched his fingers. 'I should have wiped him out with that attack, cracked his head open on the back wall but he's still standing.' He glanced towards the blonde that he had been matched up against and couldn't keep the fear off his face. 'What is he?'
"What the hell is going on?" Asuma wanted to punch the wall behind him but already he was being watched. He knew it. He couldn't have an outburst like that and expect to see Choji and Shikamaru fight. "Why is that kid still standing after an attack like that?"
'How is he doing that?' Shikamaru closed his eyes as he sighed. 'Any person hit by that, Shinobi or civilian, is going to be feeling it. Choji couldn't take it when we got caught by these Sound guys so how come Naruto is still standing? Anybody else and they would be disoriented, probably spewing their lunch all over the ground, but he's standing there still as statue. How?'
"You think you're great, don't you kid?" Zaku growled the words as he brought his hands up, bringing them together with his palms pointing towards the Uzumaki. "I don't care what you want to call yourself but nobody is going to be able to survive my next attack, hm! Don't even bother trying to dodge it! I'm going to turn you to dust wit-"
"All I hear are the mad snarls of a mutt." Naruto's voice carried over Zaku's in mid-proclamation. "Silence yourself before I make you howl when I strike you next. You clearly will not learn from gentle blows that draw your pathetic yelps."
'This guy is about to be atomized with the next one.' The Sound Genin focused his Chakra once more, most of it going to this attack. 'I'm done playing games with this arrogant brat."
"EXTREME DECAPITATING AIRWAVE!" Zaku roared the words as a visible blast erupted from his hands, the arena floor torn apart as the air blast traveled forward towards the Uzumaki. A grin was on the Otogakure Genin's face as he saw his victory. The dazed Uzumaki could do nothing and so was consumed by his attack without issue.
"Stupid arrogant brat." Zaku grinned as he lowered his hands, nothing left of his opponent. "Should have learned when to keep his mouth shut."
Zaku heard the sound of a pair of sandals striking the ground simultaneously behind him but failed to turn around in time. An armored forearm clubbed him in the back of the head as Naruto grinned at him as the Genin stumbled and attempted to turn, only ending up on his back on the ground. His attempt to rise was met with the blade of a pilum to his throat, the Praetor of the Orange Legion making sure to cut into the side of Zaku's neck with the razor sharp blade.
"Rise if you don't value your life fool." Naruto pressed the blade inward, Zaku afraid to flinch from the look on his face. His arms laid flat on the ground, palms down. Any attempt to move, any attempt to channel Chakra to his hands for another attack, and Naruto would draw the blade back. He knew it and so his hands were very, very still. His eyes held planning behind them.
"Don't even think about it." Naruto shifted his grip, drawing more blood from Zaku with a hiss. "Do you think I'm not aware of your plan?" The Uzumaki chuckled before he was a blur.
Zaku screamed when Naruto stomped down on his hand, breaking it in too many places to count. His attempt to throw the other hand over it in his agony was stopped when the pilum embedded itself into the ground, going through said hand to do so. Another pilum appeared in Naruto's hands seconds later and he once again pressed it to the Genin's neck.
It was the opposite side this time.
He didn't bother speaking, only slowly beginning to press inward and drawing a greater and greater stream of blood from the neck as he did so. The boy looked into the dispassionate eyes of Naruto, blue eyes holding truly nothing in them, and had no choice.
"I forfeit." It was a whisper.
"Louder mutt." He drew the pilum across his neck to show his displeasure.
"I FORFEIT!" The twin pilums vanished from sight. Naruto turned without acknowledging his defeated foe any longer. In twin bursts of smoke, a Praetorian stood on either side of him as he ascended the steps to reach the viewing area once more.
"Naruto Uzumaki wins his preliminary match." Hayate looked down at the Sound Genin that Naruto had left. Blood pooled beneath his hand and wrapped around his neck as if it was a collar. He turned to the Hokage and saw the old man's eyes follow the leaving form of Naruto.
'You're lucky the old man likes you kid, very lucky.' Hayate turned his eyes back to the arena as the Genin was taken away.
"Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame are to come to the arena!"
AN: I...I do not like this chapter for whatever reason. The fight isn't the issue. I feel the announcement of Caesar can be done better but my mind refuses to see past what I've already written down. I don't feel like I can make that bit any longer without making it drag on but I want to do something to it. I have no idea what. I ignored the feeling and kept writing but returned to it several times. I thought of changing it, reconsidered, and moved on again. It kind of kept happening for a while until I forced myself to ignore any misgivings I had about it. I needed to keep going and decided to just focus on something else. Probably not the best strategy but its the one I came up with.
Anyway, this rant is over with. Enjoy the next six chapters.