Disclaimer: All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.
If someone were to tell Nara Shikamaru; even as halfhearted praise, who always wore a bored look on his face at best and a scowl of annoyance at worst, that he was unfazed by everything, one of the hallmarks of a fine shinobi, he would be humble enough to admit that; no, he can still indeed respond normally to external stimuli. Fear, anxiety, excitement, happiness, he had a pretty normal range of the emotional spectrum. He simply had a wilful preference to be apathetic to what plainly disinterested him.
Those who knew of him would vouch that this propensity was that he was lazy, or unmotivated.
That was partially apt, but the truth was far more complex than that.
For as long as he could remember, nothing seemed to interest him all that much.
A new toy his parents would buy him, before they stopped when he would barely touch them. Being enrolled in the Academy, before his mother would be on his back constantly from neglecting his studies. The latest issue to Shonen Champ that a classmate or neighbor kid would buy. He'd pay it no mind save for a glance or two.
He was not interested. Really, he wasn't.
Things would take a slight turn when he met Chōji, then Ino.
And, of all people, Naruto.
Before, nobody seemed to matter to him barring his immediate family, but he felt a queer sense of ease and attunement whenever he was with any one of them. The first two were patently obvious due to later finding out of the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition, but Naruto seemed to resonate with him just as much as the first two, the town troublemaker. But, he wasn't always. The first time he laid eyes on the blonde, he was sitting alone in the old playground on a bench at the very far end, being ignored by kids and adults alike. While not peculiar at first glance, it would be the same scene that greeted him every time he felt like cloud-watching with Chōji, or doing the bare minimum of swings and seesaws.
When they first tried to approach him, an old lady promptly stepped up before them, and when they tried to sidestep past her, she moved in sync to block them.
Stay away from that boy. She told them.
Now, Shikamaru never cared much for the opinions of others, especially those of adults. When he asked her to move or why they needed to keep their distance, she only gave vague, barely coherent answers, practically skirting the issue. The sheer oddity of it all was that she seemed nervous the entire time, eyes shifting as if she was being cautious or wary of something.
Or, someone.
Taken aback that a complete stranger would tell them; no, warn them to stay away from a kid about their age, that wasn't even doing anything spurned them to seek some counseling from their parents. He could still recall the moment he brought the blonde boy up after dinner that very night. He immediately took note that broaching the subject caused his mother and father to pause, with Yoshino exiting the dining room without a word after exchanging a look with her husband, leaving them alone. Shikaku proceeded to give his son a look that seemed to last for the entirety of the night, causing the latter to believe that he had done a fax paus.
Did he come to you first?
No, he answered.
He kept watching his father's reaction, the man's gaze falling for a moment before locking eyes with him again.
I don't see why it should be a problem.
That had been it before he too vacated the room, leaving him to his thoughts.
The next time they were at the playground, he and Chōji approached the lad, with nary an old woman in sight to hinder them. Initially, he just stared at them blankly, as if waiting for them to say something else.
Or, do something else.
It was Chōji the most who tried to break the boy out of his shell, but all attempts ended in failure when he left without saying a word.
The following days, Naruto would sporadically be present and absent. When they called him, he'd ignore them. When they came near, he'd leave.
It came to a point that they thought of giving up, but for some reason, whenever they caught sight of Naruto, they'd keep pestering him regardless. Like they couldn't help to do so. This stalemate perpetuated until one day, Ino came along with them, where they once again found Naruto sitting at the same spot.
You know you're being creepy, right?
Naruto looked up from his stupor, and his gaze fell on her, wordlessly scrutinizing this new face that had her hands tucked behind, and a smile drawn across her lips.
No wonder the other kids don't want to play with you.
Ino, showing the early signs of what would be her imperious attitude for years to come, could only smirk at him.
If that's the case, why not ask around yourself?
This seemed to get an actual reaction from the boy.
I already did that.
Ino's smiling face didn't waver.
Really? Didn't your parents ever tell you not to fib?
Like a flip had been switched, a scowl supplanted the brooding, and for every barb Ino threw his way, it deepened along with his heaving chest, fuming.
You must think you're too good to play with us, don't you?
Her tone carried more of a mocking tenor to it instead of resentment, as if the boy being by his lonesome was a show of arrogance. Like he could afford to. Like it was his own choice.
Rather than cry or lash out; atypical to kids their own age group, Naruto kept breathing heavily through his flaring nostrils, seeing red. He slowly stood up from the bench and stepped up to an unflinching Ino, who seemed to derive even more amusement from him falling for her provocations.
You…You…
Naruto seemed to be torn, as if ready to accost the haughty girl, hands set to grab her, his mind jumbling.
Until he spun on his leg and stormed off, incensed.
Ino, brushing the confrontation aside, left as well.
The next day, Shikamaru and Chōji returned to the playground without Ino, when two water balloons dropped on top of their heads without warning, before Naruto himself dropped down from his hiding spot atop a tree, the triumphant smile on his face telling.
They gave chase, which evolved into a game of tag, hide and seek, which concluded with them dunking the mischievous blonde's head into the canal as revenge.
From them on, they would regularly meet and hang out.
Right until a rift had been formed in the early years of the Academy, when Naruto began to perceive the gap between them.
At present, Shikamaru wondered if another rift between them would form; not because of how secretive the young Uzumaki had been, but if his spine would still be intact the next time they saw him.
He would be lying if he said that he hadn't been flummoxed with all that had transpired in just half a day, in what was supposed to be his period of repose. That very morning, halfway through another one of his mother's sermons and rants about how less and less she got to see his father, he wasted no time in collecting Chōji, intending to just laze about and enjoy the cold spell. Meeting up with Naruto wasn't part of the plan, but so was being treated to a picnic, the food making him consider if his old lady needed to relearn everything she knew about cooking.
After more or less cleaning out the generous spread, he had more than enough energy to spend the rest of the day performing the daunting task of waiting for the sun to set on Konoha. It might have even been a magnificent sight to behold, rather than the tarnished skyline of their beloved village. Or, watching one of his friends battling with some monster, and getting blown the fuck out of sight by said monster.
He and Chōji would have gladly pursued, had they not been glued in place by terror. As Academy students, shinobi-in-training, they had been told in no uncertain terms by teacher and parent alike that they would no longer be mere children by civilian standards after graduating, but rather soldiers in service to the village.
Death would be a very real possibility.
Not a matter of "if", but of "when".
Now, in the heart of an unlikely battlefield, he and Chōji understood that this was but a preview of what awaited them in the foreseeable future.
Or, what he hoped was but a mere preview.
The only inkling of comfort, to his chagrin, was that his old man and his team was here, along with the Hokage and a kunoichi tending to the Jōnin they rescued.
He could only stand, frozen as he and Chōji watched their fathers. Inoichi made eye contact with the ice ogre from the corner of the latter's gaze, causing him to position his hands in the signature seal of his clan's jutsu.
"Shinranshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Disturbance Technique)!"
His chakra flared as he transmitted it through the air and straight into his target - only for his eyes to widen shortly.
He was quiet for a moment before composing himself. Panic was the last thing they needed. "It didn't work," he muttered.
Shikaku and Chōza understood that he needn't further clarify. Bokomon had explained to them during one such meeting that Digimon were immune to jutsu that heavily relied on chakra. Genjutsu mostly, but certain ninjutsu as well. To prove it, the scholar himself volunteered for a demonstration, which understandably made them hesitant. Confident that he'd be unaffected, Bokomon waved off such concerns. And, indeed, when Inoichi used his clan's basic mind reading techniques, he couldn't so much as glimpse into the Digimon's mind.
Or, rather, there was nothing there for him to glimpse into.
It was almost like trying to read an inanimate object. Bokomon was as flesh and alive as they were, but further testing started to throw doubt into that classification.
Outwardly, yes, but our bodies are but mere shells, vessels. The true mind and soul is our Digicore.
Waxing philosophical aside, it threw them for quite a loop that there existed beings that were naturally immune to jutsu barring the more straightforwardly offensive kind.
Chōza took action immediately, as there was only so much Shikaku could do when he still had sufficient chakra, with the added strain of how physically strong their adversary had proven himself to be. He leapt up high into the air belying a man of his size and clasped his palms together.
"Baika no Jutsu (Multi-Size Technique)"
In a puff of smoke, he had grown instantly in size, a head taller than the very Academy building, his toes nearly touching the ground, before proceeding to tuck his body into a ball and getting into a roll.
"Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank)!"
Wheeling in midair, he landed with a loud thud, shaking the earth beneath everyone's feet before he barreled towards Hyougamon, who didn't expect this bizarre attack from such a human. In a panic, the ice ogre tried to pull himself free from the unseen force confining him at such an inopportune time, forcing him to erect a platform of ice to divert his trajectory, only to fall flat when Chōza bulldozed it like nothing when he was only a few feet away.
"Oh please," Shikaku thought with a snide smirk. "That old trick?" It might have had a better chance of working in their younger, more inexperienced days, but Chōza had grown wise to obstacles as part of perfecting his Human Bullet.
"Go, dad!" Chōji cheered his father on, with a more subdued Shikamaru standing next to him.
No, no, no! "That's just what he wants!" The Nara heir cried out.
"Eh?" Chōji sounded, pausing in confusion.
Hyougamon's panic twisted into a sneer as large spikes of ice emerged in front of him as his back was still facing them, curving in like claws all the way behind him as they hooked into an advancing Chōza, stopping him in his tracks.
"Damn," Shikamaru clicked his tongue in admonishment.
"You boys needn't worry," Shikaku assured them, silently commending his son's intuition.
True to the man's words, Chōza, who was still for a mere moment, spun in place with an unforeseen acceleration, catching Hyougamon off guard. The heavyset shinobi powered through the blockade and pounced on the ogre, sluing him underneath.
Being ground into the dirt, Hyougamon kicked his arms and legs down after mustering some strength through the haze of pain, flinging his attacker off.
For him to toss Chōza from that position… Shikaku credited the beast, as only a strong few could claim to have accomplished such against the Akimichi Head. Granted, that was generally easier to do when flat on one's stomach, having a firmer anchorage.
In the brief window of focus, Hyougamon erected more ice pillars from head-to-toe which Chōza landed on, offering a gap from which to escape. Once again, however, he stopped short of crawling out, the confining sensation returning as Shikaku once again used his Kagemane.
Hyougamon growled in frustration as he kept monitoring the weight bearing down on the ice, his reprieve beginning to give way as his limbs were being locked down.
"This should be enough." Chōza needed to conserve chakra. Breaking out of his state in a puff of smoke, Hyougamon was once again taken aback, giving the clan head ample opportunity to pull another jutsu while he still had air time. "Bubun Baika! (Partial Multi Size Technique!)"
He wound his right arm back as it grew in size before slamming it down on his incapacitated opponent, then flinched. He retracted his fist with some blood gushing out, revealing a thick layer of ice spikes blanketing Hyougamon's back as a defensive shell. Chōza retreated with a shunshin.
The ogre was now doing his damndest to break free by pulling with all his might, before erecting mounds of ice to forcibly lever him up by his hands.
Stumbling to his feet, he gingerly lifted one leg to test if he was still ensnared, and found that he wasn't to his relief. I gotta get away from here. Hyougamon barely caught Chōza charging at him like a raging bull, the man taking a deep breath and reinforcing his knuckles with some chakra, growing in size once again before the massive fist crashed against him, his spine taking the full brunt of the mighty blow as he was sent hurtling, the shell failing him.
I haven't been punched so hard in a long time. He opened one eye, feeling weightless as he found himself sailing through the air, momentarily numb to the pain.
He grinned. Perfect. His plan was birthed the moment the fatso went giant. Now, all he needed to do was-
He stopped in midair, killing his train of thought as he felt something tug at his arms and legs, right before a still giant Chōza; having leapt up after him, slammed his massive foot down in a fierce downward axe kick.
Shikaku let out a breath, releasing his jutsu a split second before his teammate made contact, having stretched his shadow to trick the ogre into thinking he had broken free. I only have enough chakra for one more. His clan's signature jutsu was already being tested with the limited light the weather afforded him, the shadows thin and fleeting.
The force of Chōza's landing ruptured the ground, and caused nearby buildings to crumble. When the dust settled, a victorious Akimichi Head stood over a prone Hyougamon, foot still firmly fixed.
"He did it!" Chōji cheered in pride for his father, while Shikamaru still felt a sense of unease hanging over him, which was shared by Shikaku and the Hokage.
"Stay down," Chōza warned, before sensing a change in the air. He immediately retreated again, shifting back to his normal size.
"Dad? What's wrong?" Chōji asked as his father landed from across where the Hokage and Anko were guarding them.
"Hokage-sama, Anko, take the boys and get out of here now!"
Bokomon poked his head out from behind Anko's legs, and watched Hyougamon's battered body slowly rise from his heap, wobbling for a moment before going eerily still. Silently, he slowly turned around, and that was when the scholar's eyes caught sight of something that made his stomach drop.
Clumps of Hyougamon's disheveled hair could be observed falling over his face, hunched just slightly so that they could barely get a good profile, with the injuries he sustained from battle starting to show. But, that wasn't what made Bokomon balk in dismay and horror, but at what was sticking out of his chest.
"A…A Bla…A Bla…B-B-B-B-BLACK GEAR!"
"A what?" Anko looked down to the scholar inquisitively, he gaze following him as he scurried past ahead of her in a frenzy.
"Y-You fool! Why would you have that?!" he asked pressingly as veins started to pop all over the creature's body, stemming from what appeared to be a small black sprocket stabbed directly into the thorax.
A guttural growl escaped from Hyougamon as he seemed to be twitching in immense discomfort, his muscles convulsing like mad. "It would have been better for me to just finish this job without having to, but you all forced my hand, as they say. Even with the discount Etemon offered, this was expensive. Best get my money's worth, if anything." When he looked up, they all froze, as even from a distance, they could see the bloodshot eyes that were staring back at them, filled with the promise of death.
"Leave now, we'll-"
"ALL OF US NEED TO CLEAR OUT NOW!" Bokomon declared emphatically, cutting off Shikaku.
"Ease up, Dough Boy, we-"
Bokomon snapped his head to the kunoichi, and said with abject fear dripping from his every word, "No, you don't understand. The Black Gear is a powerful stimulant that grants Digimon a boost in power."
"So, they're like-"
"NO! They are not like Hyōrōgan!" Bokomon stammered, alternating his sights on the kunoichi and Hyougamon, and went slackjawed when a familiar glow started to emanate from the ice ogre.
"Oh, so that's what you mean," Anko nodded in clarity, remembering the little detail that Digimon could evolve. "I'm guessing with how close you are to jumping out of your own skin, he's…"
"He's gonna go Ultimate!" Bokomon explained. "But not just any Ultimate. If my guess is correct, he's gonna-"
The glow enveloping Hyougamon intensified, as did his glee as he started to cackle maniacally. "YES! I can feel it. The power coursing through my veins!" He spread his arms out, balling his hands into fists, head thrown back. "Literally. It hurts like hell, but it's a good kind of pain. Nothing compared to the world of hurt I'm gonna be dishing out, once I-"
Pop~!
His rant was cut short as the light died down as sudden as it came.
"..."
"..."
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"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Well…that was…something."
It took a minute to register for everyone that Shikamaru was the one who said it.
Hyougamon could only stand, frozen in a dramatic pose for what was supposed to be his moment of glorious ascension. "Wha-...what? What…" He blinked several times in confusion, before looking down at his body. All of his injuries were gone, and now that the pain had subsided, he felt reinvigorated. What was distinctly missing, or unchanged however, was that he was still a Hyougamon.
"That was…rather anticlimactic," Anko pointed out, just as put off as the rest of the humans.
Bokomon was nonetheless relieved, but no less confused. "That shouldn't be right. He should have evolved." He pondered on it for a moment. "Wait, could he have-...Hey! Did you really receive that Black Gear from Etemon?!"
Hyougamon, in the midst of wondering where he went wrong and why the Black Gear didn't work, was studying the now seemingly useless trinket between his trembling fingers after pulling it out, the indent it left mending. "That should have worked…why? Why didn't it?"
"Hey!"
Hyougamon looked up from his examination, irritation crossed with disappointment. "What?!"
"Did you buy that from Etemon?"
"Yeah, I got it from that chimp! He's the only one who mass produces this shit!"
"Did you…happen to buy the cheap kind?"
"It was at a discount!"
"No, it's not. He gave you the cheapest he had in stock, which can only grant evolution if the user happens to not be tired," Bokomon explained. "Otherwise, it's no different than getting a pick me up."
"Etemon, that son of a-" Hyougamon cursed, his chest heaving. "That's not right! I used a Black Gear before."
"That must have been before the production of the recent batch that's more cost effective but less potent," Bokomon added. "I regularly keep tabs on the black market, so I know what I'm talking about."
As the implications began to sink in, Anko let out a belly laugh. "You got scammed, big guy. He got you hooked and now he's handing you nothin' but the cheapo low-grade schlock!"
Hyougamon had to concede to that point as he silently chewed on his situation. Etemon had not once mentioned that tiny little detail at all. He probably expected the mission to not be that much trouble for him.
"So what now, blue balls?" Anko asked snidely. "You gonna give up?"
Hyougamon looked to the side as he mulled it over, the open mouthed scowl soon breaking out into a grin. The duplicity alone effectively voided his contract, which meant he wasn't going to get that sweet three hundred million, but he still had something to fall back on. Bokomon and Hiruzen sensed this, but right as they were about to get a word in, the ice ogre acted fast, launching himself up with an ice pillar.
"He's going after the kid," Anko deduced.
"Not if we get to him first," Shikaku elected, Inoichi and Chōza ready by his side.
"Question is, where he could have landed," Anko added.
"The Hokage Monument."
All eyes turned to Bokomon, who proceeded to explain, "Terrified as I was, I calculated the speed and trajectory in the direction he was going. He should be at the Hokage Monument. Hm, right above his father's head, give or take."
"You sure you don't actually have a supercomputer for a brain?" Anko remarked backhandedly.
"His father?" They all turned to Shikamaru, who glanced drily at the Hokage. "I should hope not. No offense, sir."
All things considered, Hiruzen really couldn't hold it against the lad even if he wanted to. "None taken, Shikamaru-kun." He sighed, exchanging a glance with his Jōnin Commander, who nodded.
Shikaku folded his arms and locked eyes with his son, his tone as even as it was sincere. "Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato."
They expected the boys to express some level of surprise, and indeed, this would have floored almost anyone not in the know, but the two heirs were nothing but unreadably blank, save for Shikamaru, whose signature scowl furrowed with exasperation.
Chōji, on the other hand, marveled as he turned to his best friend. "Wow, Shikamaru, you were right on the money."
The adults sweatdropped; they already knew?
"Gasp, how could you have figured it out?" Anko quipped flatly, folding her arms under her chest. "It can't be the hair and the eyes. No way."
"Not deliberately," Shikamaru admitted. "Just something I said at random. It's a long story."
"Well, we'll have plenty of long stories once we take care of blue balls," Anko voted. She caught Guy and Kakashi rising to their feet. "You two good?"
"Unfortunately, I doubt we'll be of much help at our current state," Kakashi stumbled. Guy himself had to accede, as they were already feeling the aftereffects of opening the Second Gate, much less the drain on their chakra and body heat.
"What does that guy even want with Naruto?" Shikamaru questioned. "All we heard was some minutia about a world inside a computer, and virtual monsters, and whatever this place is." He gestured to the AR Konoha. "What's Naruto got to do with it? Oh, and why does he look like something out of a lame Super Sentai knockoff?"
"You boys will get your answers, I assure you," Hiruzen told them, actually knowing what the last one was from his grandson. "But for now, we must move. Naruto-kun is in danger."
Get up.
He could hear it.
Get. Up.
A voice.
You can lie down when you're dead.
Through the fog, he could see a figure. Dark, and burly.
Perhaps placing that seal on you was asking for too much.
The figure loomed closer, then retreated.
There. Try not to hold back.
"Osu…" Naruto slowly opened his eyes as he stirred, a dim and cloudy sky greeting him. He blinked twice to clear the fog of his vision before gingerly sitting up. He stared aimlessly ahead for a moment before scanning his surroundings, and saw the familiar sight of the village skyline. Yet, something was different about it. Looking down, he found himself sitting near the edge of the cliff, right above his father's head.
What was he doing again…?
He looked down at his hands.
Was he in the seal?
You wish.
What…
The short term memory loss will pass. Give it a few minutes. There was a pause, before Kurama spoke again. Okay, you might not have a few minutes. Evolve now!
"Huh?"
Peering over his shoulder, the ugliest face he had ever seen looked back, the imposing creature's right arm wound back.
"Hey, kid, so about that Spirit," Hyougamon said, grinning from ear to ear.
Naruto blinked, and it was there that it all came back to him, and not a moment too soon as he jumped away from the ogre nearly crushing him with his fist. Thinking quickly, he felt the familiar shape of his D-Scanner clasped between the fingers of his right hand.
"Spirit Evolution! Agnimon!"
Assuming his Digimon form from willing it, Agnimon ducked a left straight from Hyougamon as soon as he touched ground.
Huh, so I can evolve like that, too? Who knew?
Focus.
Right, right!
Entering into his range, Agnimon embedded a straight punch into Hyougamon's gut.
"Blergh!" The ogre was sent flying until he crashed into the nearby treeline.
"Eh?" Agnimon blinked, looking down at his fist in amazement. "I couldn't have hit him that hard."
Fool! Keep your head in the game or you'll lose it!
Hyougamon burst out of the heap of debris, never losing his smile, an ice club in both hands.
This was no longer a job.
This was a fight.
Agnimon sidestepped the lunge of the club and ducked when it swung in his direction in a fluid motion. He arched his upper body to balance on one hand, stabilizing with his other as he got into a spin.
"Fire Slide!"
He swept a flaming leg to trip the giant, who evaded by stepping back, his reach allowing him to smash his club down, but Agnimon tucked his legs together after his rotation to fling himself for a kick with both feet, shattering the weapon and connecting squarely with the monster's groin. Hyougamon slid back from the force, staggering a few steps, coughing. 'The hell?!'
He shook his head to collect his bearings, more surprised than hurt, though the pain was there. "Wha-What is this?! Y-You weren't this strong before!"
Agnimon righted himself before his bewildered adversary and took a boxer's stance. "Dunno, but I'm not complaining!"
The two then became locked in a brawl for dominance, with Agnimon ducking and weaving Hyougamon's flailing arms and wild hooks, slipping in a punch for every opening afforded to him with his confounding speed.
All the while, he took note of the key difference. 'What's going on? I feel…lighter. Like…it's easier to move.'
"Snow Punch!"
Whirling on his heel to dodge it, Agnimon once again entered Hyougamon's range up close by taking a fluid step back before jerking his head up, forcing the ogre to block with both arms before the blow could reach his chin, which would prove to be a mistake, failing to intercept the warrior's right elbow going for his side. Not done yet, Agnimon pivoted his right foot to Hyougamon's, throwing off his balance once more.
"Salamander Break!"
Agnimon twirled in place, arms spread in a lariat, with Hyougamon unable step out of range as he endured a whirlwind of punches within a tornado of flame, ending with a leg to his knee, which he hoped to block with, only for the kick to win out, the sound of bones and joints surrendering.
Falling on one knee, Hyougamon willed an ice pillar to jut out right as Agnimon went for a finishing blow. Lurching his head to the right, the warrior of fire's range of motion was disrupted, giving Hyougamon ample chance to swing his fist overhead, encasing it in ice. "Ice Punch!"
It struck Agnimon on the face, the reinforced blow increasing the damage as he was sent barreling back to collide with a tree, shattering it and slamming against the next.
'I have to finish this now.' Hyougamon engaged, channeling cold energy into his left hand. "Hyougan Nage!"
Forming a ball of ice, he flung it straight at Agnimon, who smoothly evaded the projectile in a blur of movement. Hyougamon's eyes widened at how insane that was. The kid was surely incapacitated, looking as prone as a ragdoll, but he moved out of the way like nothing. The ogre was undeterred as he swung in his right without missing a beat. "Snow Punch!"
Agnimon sidestepped the attack outside, veering sideways and ducking to aim a jab at Hyougamon's side, but the latter knocked the fist away before it could connect, then countered with another punch. Agnimon smirked, intercepting with a pivot inside. "Crimson Knuckle!"
Hyougamon used his forearm to block the red hot punch, riding out the burn. "Snow Barrier!"
A large wall of ice split the ground beneath them, nearly bordering the entire mountain range and reaching past the cliffside. Agnimon stumbled back from the rumbling, placing some distance from the erupting glacier.
"I can get my ice to be hard as steel, runt," Hyougamon boasted through shortness of breath. "There's no way you're gonna break this." He needed time to recover his stamina. Even with the boost from the Black Gear, he had wasted too much energy to evolve on his own. He should have from the beginning, but hindsight could be a cruel bitch. "Oh, and I'd just love to see you try and melt your way through. We'll be here all day."
What'd he say?
Who cares?
Agnimon shrugged, unable to hear Hyougamon due to the thickness of the ice impeding the sound, before tapping deep into his Digicore, bringing out all the fire he could muster. Taking a deep breath, he focused the energy into both fists, then lunged at the wall. "Million Gatling Burst!"
As Hyougamon was busy recovering, he looked up, hearing what sounded like dull thuds. 'Hmph! No way is he gonna break through. Waste of time. Go ahead. Tucker yourself out. By the time I get some of my strength back, you'll be at my mercy-'
Agnimon blasted through the allegedly impenetrable wall in an explosive manner, his fists blazing. Hyougamon only had enough time to see this before his vision was flooded with a deluge of fire, distinctly shaped like a rain of fists.
The warrior of fire roared, doubling in his efforts the moment he caught sight of Hyougamon's silhouette, the burn of his arms as intense as the speed his punches traveled, each and every one connecting.
Hyougamon was so overloaded that he went numb halfway in the assault, until he could no longer feel at all, dissolving into scrambled code.
Agnimon stopped the barrage once he realized he was only punching air, hunching down with his hands on his knees. "I…I did it…" He watched as his body absorbed Hyougamon's leftover code, followed by a small flash of light as something formed in front of him.
'An egg?'
The largest egg he had ever seen, no bigger than a football, light blue in color and etched with white stripes. It gracefully landed on the ground.
A Digiegg. That's Hyougamon. Or, what's left of him, set to be reborn again.
"Funky," Agnimon said between breaths.
"Naruto-kun!"
He turned around right as he was cocooned in code, dispelling his evolution, leaving only an exhausted Naruto to receive the entourage.
Minutes Earlier…
Sarutobi Hiruzen, even when he was skirting close to his seventies, was by no means beholden to his age. Under the ideal conditions, he could still tangle with the best of them and then some, all for the sake of his beloved village and those he loved. Following recent events, he had come to reevaluate his shortcomings. Not all of them, for who could ever say they were perfect. No, he was never that arrogant. Okay, maybe a little, but things change as one grows older.
Now, as he stood before the Hokage Monument, that still stood proudly as a testament to Konoha's unwavering spirit in this bleak parallel world, a sight that he had shared with comrades, friends and students alike; three of them with him at that very moment, he couldn't help but notice one thing.
A large ledge of ice had cut into the mountain near perfectly, and whose face but his was split down the middle.
Why couldn't it have been Tobirama? Or, hell, Minato. They wouldn't have minded. Was this a sign? Was the universe trying to tell him something?
Looking further up ahead, they could hear the heavy sounds of clashing at the top. "Looks like Short Man's got his hands full," Anko remarked. They all nodded decisively to one another, with the heirs and the two other Digimon in tow.
With Piyomon flying, Bokomon had to be carried by Anko under one arm. The shinobi dexterously capered up the cliffside, and upon arriving, they were treated to the sight of Agnimon in the midst of destroying part of the barrier with a blistering flurry of punches so fast, the friction and heat of his element combined wreathed him in flames, creating a cloud of steam as the ice seemed to dissolve instantly.
"Whoa, look at Naruto go!" Chōji couldn't help but remark in amazement for them, the ground beneath trembling from the intensity of the high speed impacts.
Guy echoed the sentiment. "Indeed! It looks like I've just found another rival as much as a student! I'm getting some of my vigor back just looking at it!"
Once he was through, from their corner, Agnimon slipped out of sight, refusing to slow down, and judging from the sounds of him pounding into something, it was an easy guess.
When the sound stopped about half a minute later, they all ran to check, finding Naruto the only one standing, hunched down and breathing heavily, right before he changed back to normal.
"Naruto-kun!" Hiruzen called.
The blonde peered over his shoulder to see them approaching through the gap he made.
Falling on his rear, Naruto leaned back on his arms. He didn't say anything, just that it was obvious he was tired. "Well, Short Man, looks like you stuck it out. How do you feel?" Anko said as she stepped up to the boy, hands on her hips.
Naruto panted, "H-How do you think?"
He perked up a little at the sight of Shikamaru and Chōji. "H-Hey…pretty crazy day, huh?"
"No shit," Shikamaru deadpanned.