Rune Soldier Naruto
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Rune Soldier Louie so let's just leave it at that all right?
Chapter 6
Arena Spectacle
( ): Thoughts/Conversation with the Kyuubi
(( )): Kyuubi's voices
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In the city of Ohfun...
Naruto was currently having a light meal with Ila in their favored tavern as Ila played with a small amount of magic wood that she had purchased in the Magical Supplies area in the Merchant Quarter. At the moment the two were relaxing after another round of work, in Naruto's case, he was back to hitting the books, training in the Shinobi arts, and keeping his magical skills up. As for Ila she had been working on some new magical projects that had peeked her interest, as well as her desire to learn as much as she could about magic, the red haired magician then turned to her ninja companion and spoke as he was eating his food.
"So the mission in the ruins was all right?"
Naruto nodded at that.
"Pretty much, the priestess did well and Melissa's not so bad at the moment. Anyhow, what's been going on with you Ila-chan?"
Ila smiled at that and replied.
"My studies are going well, plus those projects I've been working on have really helped out a great deal in giving me the chance to put those lessons to good use. So how about you Naruto?"
"Hmmm….still doing well, though I still think that it will be a while before Melissa and her group get to trust me well enough."
Ila sighed at that and looked at her long time friend in the Academy, she could tell that despite his resistance to her actions, Naruto was attracted to her, and she was more than willing to do what she could to make him like her back. She was hoping to start planning out something at this moment.
That line of thought was broken as a number of people, namely the female patrons began to sigh and several male patrons began to gasp as a man walked in, no doubt wearing armor of some sort that made noise, this got the attention of both Naruto as well as Ila. Naruto was curious at this and decided to focus his attention on the new arrival.
The man wore silver plate armor and had some sort of cape on his shoulders, he had blonde hair that was long and well groomed, and Naruto had a feeling this guy would pass off as a salon and shampoo model back in his world, he had a sword there and had the classic good guy looks on him, this was the reason most of the women with the exception of Ila were sighing like giddy school girls.
(Why is this beginning to remind me of my Academy days again?)
Naruto however knew better than be swayed by good looks alone, that much he knew ever since dealing with some pretty guys in his time. He believed that as long as the warriors had the skills to go with the looks, then they were worth the time to admire. Despite his dislike for Sasuke, he knew that at least with his abilities, the guy was able to back up his words as well as the looks when the women back in Konoha used to swoon over his former team mate back in the Academy. Neji also was considered good looking namely by his team mate and girl friend Tenten and since his friend was Jonin he had the skills and ability to back up the looks.
There were other pretty boys in his world as well, such as Kimimaro, Haku, Temujin, Kakashi, and even Sai as well. Those guys in his world might have made women swoon with good looks, but unlike this peacock of a nut in armor, they had good substance in them to make them deadly fighters. This guy was stating to all that he was a true man and a gift to women everywhere, this made Naruto want to close his eyes and wish he was having a bad dream.
The man in question then spoke to them.
"Judging by your clothes, I can surmise you two are sorcerers?"
Naruto snorted at that and replied.
"This is the only tavern close to the Magic Guild's location you know, so it makes sense mages would come here for their off hours."
The guy ignored him and quickly directed his attention to Ila and gave her an arrogant smile and spoke in a very pompous air that made Naruto wish to submit him to the Thousand Years of Death attack to shut him up, he might even try sending the guy out of Ohfun using the chakra he had the same way Kakashi had done that jutsu on him when he met the Jonin in that bell test all those years ago. THAT was something he wanted to do to this guy considering what he was saying to Ila.
"I can see from your expression that you are taken in by this dashing knight of Ramliearth my fair sorceress, but I am afraid that my heart belongs to someone else, but I do not have any problem with you being taken by me, I am used to such actions..
Ila gave a look of confusion as well as disgust, in her mind, she already found a man worthy of her attention and that was Naruto himself, why on earth would she want this arrogant man in tin plates? However she did take notice of the sword he had with him and so did Naruto.
As for Naruto himself the idea of doing the Thousand Years of Death attack this arrogant knight to get rid of him at this moment was getting VERY tempting, but he focused on the sword as well as Ila did. There was something odd about that sword he was packing, and he had a feeling that this could be the key to figuring out this person.
It was then that this man asked directions to the temple of Mylee.
Naruto couldn't help but wonder why the nut would ask directions to the Temple of Mylee, did he know any of the Priestesses there? The moment he realized that the crazy loon had his heart set on someone in the temple he couldn't help but pray to the kami for the salvation of the woman in question.
Who among the Priestesses of Mylee in her right mind would be engaged to this nut?!
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In the Temple…
Melissa had just finished another sermon on the virtues of having a champion and being able to serve that champion. It had been trying since she recalled all the things that happened when she had Naruto as her champion, and while she did recall the things he did that went against all she had been able to read about valiant champions, but she then recalled the times he had been doing the right things and had to agree that maybe she could learn more about Naruto.
As the blonde priestess sat in the tall gazebo, she was greeted by Genie and Merrill and they talked about the only male member of their group. Merrill was the first to start out about Naruto and what he has done in the group.
"You know, I still might not like him, but he's certainly got some skills, no doubt being trained as an assassin helped in that. I've never seen anyone use that kind of magic before with the Toad Summoning bit not to mention the scrolls he uses."
Genie nodded and also spoke.
"True, not to mention I have yet to see him use that sword he has with him, those hand to hand combat skills he has certainly does not match any tavern brawler style I know of, though I still think they're no match for a skilled warrior with a well made and balanced weapon. Still I want to see what else he has under his sleeve as the old saying goes. If he can use that sword well, I might decide to change my tune."
Melissa nodded and thought about what Naruto said to her in the ruin when she asked him about why he became a ninja.
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Naruto: If you must know, I've always wanted to be a ninja since I was a kid as it was a good chance to really be able to be someone in my land. And besides that, both my parents were ninja too and they were the best in their time until my mother was pregnant with me, but they both died when I was born so I grew up an orphan for most of my life. In that regard you're lucky, you might not have agreed with your parents but at least you have them around.
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"I agree in that regard, maybe Miss Jenny was right about me having to take time to know him more, for one thing, I learned he was an orphan growing up."
The two were surprised by this as they had thought that Naruto had a family where he came from, they were about to ask for more details on the matter, until they heard Naruto's voice.
"Hey Melissa, you around?"
They turned to see Naruto as he was being accompanied by Ila, but then Melissa froze like a rock in horror as she spotted a certain armor wearing knight with blonde hair and a cape, the very second she recognized him, she began to speak out in shock and terror.
"I-It can't be!"
Genie and Merrill were shocked by this and wondered what had gotten into Melissa, they tried to find out what was going on before them and just where did Melissa know this particular person. Melissa however spoke slowly and then shouted out the name.
"Conrad?!"
"My darling Melissa!!! I have come for you!!"
Naruto and Ila looked on at what was going on before them as Conrad moved past them was before Melissa
Genie and Merrill were somewhat surprised by the whole thing going on before them as the new arrival. The two then spoke to each other at that moment.
"Who the heck is this jerk?!"
"Does Melissa really know this person?!"
The swordswoman then spoke to Naruto.
"Where did you run into him?"
"The prancing screwball here went into the tavern me and Ila-chan were sitting in and he was asking for the directions to the Temple of Mylee so we came here, don't blame me on this, I'm just as confused as you two are."
It was not long before Conrad began to spout all sorts of nonsense that had everyone, including Melissa in shock while Naruto spoke out first when he heard Conrad say something about some form of flowers that made no sense to him, while he considered flowers nice, the ones Conrad spoke of turned his stomach.. And that was saying something as it took quite a lot to turn Naruto's stomach of all things, one of the things that came close to doing just that was when he had to eat the food Fukasaku made for him when he was training in the Senjutsu Arts back on Mount Myobokuzan . To most that might seem odd, then again, they never had to eat cooked, stewed, fried, and boiled bugs and larvae before.
"Toilet Cockroach Flowers?! What the hell are those?!?!"
Conrad didn't seem to notice and continued to woe Melissa while the blonde priestess in question looked like she was either going to slap the man silly, hurl the contents of her stomach, stomp away like a mad bull, or wish she could just die and fade away on the spot. Naruto hoped she was not going to do any in any order. Merrill then spoke to him at this moment.
"I feel like I'm watching a bad play in Community Theater."
Genie nodded and she herself wondered what the heck was going on while Ila was trying her best not to hurl at the naturally odd way Conrad was acting, to think that this guy fancied himself as a knight, he resembled something out of a mental asylum.
As Naruto watched the while situation play itself out, he couldn't help but feel the urge to laugh, but he restrained it as best he could as he see that Melissa was not in the mood for jokes at her expense and if there was one thing his life had taught him, antagonizing a woman in a bad way was asking for a beating. He recalled how badly he got pummeled by Sakura on a few occasions as well as several other times as well. Besides that he had already began to make some progress in getting Melissa to trust him so he was not going to mess that up just because he found this whole thing somewhat funny.
However he would have to be a total blind man to not see the humor in this whole mess, here was a knight in shining armor before Melissa and instead of being happy to have one, Melissa was downright revolted. He had a feeling there was more to this that what he was seeing since there seemed to be some history between the two of them..
It was not long before the Kyuubi itself got involved. The demon fox looked at this man and despite the fact that it was a thousand year old demon entity; even it found this display rather disgusting by all standards.
((Kit….do you have any idea who this nut-job is?))
(Not a clue at all, though I can tell that Melissa knows him, though considering the way she's acting I think she wishes she hadn't.)
((That makes two of us then…something about that sword makes me curious.))
(You sensed it too?)
((Yeah, I got the feeling this loon is using some sort of magical artifact, though what that is I have no idea t that moment.))
The mental conversation between the two was suddenly broken when Melissa suddenly grabbed him by the arm and spoke to Conrad.
"You can go back to Ramliearth and find someone else Conrad!"
"What?! Why? Melissa, who is this sorcerer supposed to be to you?"
Melissa glared and replied.
"This is the man chosen for me to serve as my champion Conrad."
"What?! Impossible!!!"
Naruto was shocked by this sudden turn of events when Melissa grabbed him by the arm and he looked at Conrad who looked like his entire world was falling apart and, due to the conversation between him and the Kyuubi coupled with the memories of meeting people with over inflated egos he met over the years, he was unaware of the fact that this man was the reason Melissa had left her family in the first place to join the Priests of Mylee. He was her fiancé the same man that she was supposed to marry.
Naruto sighed and replied a bit at that.
"There's truth to that actually, Melissa was given a message by Mylee saying I'm the man she's supposed to serve as her chosen Hero….not that I have much choice myself at the moment. But I'm okay with it for the time…."
"No! This can't be! How can you pick him over me Melissa?! How can he compare to my good looks! My long legs, My ability to write poetry….he's just a commoner mage!!!!"
Naruto didn't know whether to cover his ears to tune out the racket of Conrad's ranting or beat Conrad senseless to shut him up as the man was insulting him as if he had a right to do that just because he was a knight of Ramliearth. But Naruto had no issue with this man and he was not going to let insults be the reason for beating up someone who was weaker than a hundred year old donkey.
"That is the truth Conrad, Mylee, The God of War gave me a divine message showing that Naruto Uzumaki is the man who is my Chosen Hero and as he is my Chosen Hero he is the man I will serve and no other."
Conrad was utterly stunned and looked as if he was going to commit suicide or something close to it.
"I hope that you will understand and find someone else to love you back in Ramliearth Conrad."
Naruto could tell however that this idiot was not going to back down without a fight, and sure enough, Conrad did not disappoint the ninja/mage.
"I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS!!!!"
Conrad then turned to Naruto and pointed his hand at him.
"YOU! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL OF HONOR!!!!"
Naruto was surprised, this guy was asking him to take part in a duel?!
"What?"
"YOU HEARD ME YOU LOW BORNE PEASANT MAGE!!! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL OF HONOR FOR MY LOVE MELISSA!!!"
"Now hold on here, didn't you already get the hint that…."
"Naruto will accept this challenge. If you win in the battle then I will go with you to Ramliearth…and be your wife, but if he wins, then you will have to swear to leave me alone for all eternity."
That made the blonde Chuunin turn like a bullet and look at Melissa with an absolutely shocked expression. The ninja/mage took a second to or two to digest just what had happened and he was not liking the implications before him.
Melissa was about to say more but Naruto then spoke to her.
"I need to talk to you right now Melissa, and NO arguments."
Something about Naruto's voice told Melissa to do as he asked, as soon as they were some distance away from the others, Naruto turned to face Melissa and he had a very sour look on his face as he stared the Priestess.
"You want to explain to me exactly WHY you dragged me into this?"
Melissa then spoke seriously, the appearance of Conrad had rattled her greatly when she saw him, she had thought that leaving her family and becoming a Priestess would finally rid her of her unwanted suitor, but now it seemed that Conrad had found a way to bypass it and that was something outright frightened her. She managed to get her words into order and speak to her irate champion.
"You remember back in the ruins a few days before, when I told you that I left my family to avoid something they planned for me?"
Naruto thought about that and then recalled what the screwball knight had said, declaring Melissa as his bride to be, he quickly put two and two together and looked at her incredulously.
"Wait a minute...he's the reason you left your family?"
"Yes! They wanted me to marry Conrad when I was older, but the very second I saw him I despised him! He's so arrogant, snobbish, completely irresponsible, and worse, he's got the worst kind of vocabulary I have ever heard!"
The look of utter revulsion in Melissa's face as she spoke about Conrad was more than enough to tell Naruto that she's got a real axe to grind with this man, it confused him as to why didn't Melissa just said no to the whole thing. She was a member of nobility after all and had every right to say no to the whole thing.
"So why didn't you just put your foot down and said no to the whole thing in the first place?"
Melissa looked at Naruto with a look of sadness and replied.
"I tried! I tried to tell my father to call off the whole thing! But he insisted and nothing I said changed his mind. Conrad's family were very influential and there was not much my father could do match their standing in the society, so I decided to leave and become a Priestess of Mylee. Please Naruto, I can't have Conrad as my fiancé!! It's against my will!!!"
"So what exactly do you want me to do about it? Kill him in that duel or something?"
"NO!!!! Just fight him and defeat him so he can leave me alone!!!"
Naruto shook his head at this and rubbed the bridge of his nose, of all the things he could get himself into, being dragged into some sort of old romance gone wrong was the least of his worries. This whole mess was not his doing and yet here he was, being dragged into this whole mess by Melissa out of desperation, this seemed to begin to remind him of the time he and Kiba as well as Akamaru had to escort this one guy who had a very unhealthy obsession with a tea cup, that mission was a real pain since they were risking their lives for a guy who couldn't care less about them with the exception of the safety of the tea cup, this was beginning to remind him of that mission though that ended without too much trouble. He gave Melissa a glare at that point and spoke.
"Listen here Melissa, I did NOT agree to be stuck between the two of you on this plan of your respective fathers. And I certainly did not agree to fight Conrad for you at the drop of a hat. Can't you handle this one on your own? You're smart enough to figure something without dragging me into this aren't you?"
Melissa wished she could at this moment, but just as she was about to say anything else to try and convince Naruto to help fight in her name against Conrad out of desperation, the man in question barged in and spoke to Naruto with a direct challenge.
"You there! You may be Melissa's champion but when I show to the world that I am the better hero for Melissa, not you! Unless you accept my challenge for a duel I will expose you as nothing more than a fraud and a weakling for trying to take what is rightfully mine!"
THAT was enough to get Naruto really angry as he glared at the pompous idiot in the fancy armor, the blonde ninja/mage decided to give the blonde idiot a very serious glare and give him a fierce smile that was devoid of any pleasantness as he spoke very seriously.
"Let's get one thing straight Conrad, you remember those words you just said, because when I'm done with you…YOU are going to be the one leaving the arena in pieces. I accept your challenge Conrad so you better have an undertaker ready to take your measurements for your casket!"
Conrad didn't know why but he felt a slight shiver run down his spine but he put that aside and maintained his own appearance, he had every confidence he would have the advantage in the coming battle to win back his bride to be and replied.
"So be it! I will see you in a week sorcerer, and soon you will bow down to my superior skills!"
As Conrad left the temple grounds, the fact that they were in holy ground and near the Temple of Mylee was the only reason Naruto didn't just grab a kunai and shove it deep into Conrad's posterior AFTER subjecting him to the Thousand Years of Death. It took some effort for him to restrain himself as he glared deeply at Conrad, vowing to pound that arrogant ass into the dust for that insult. However, he did take the time studying this opponent of his to be sure that he was right in his suspicions, and sure enough, he was.
Melissa could see from Naruto's face that he was very much enraged, and she couldn't help but feel very worried by this, she had seen Naruto angry before, but this time he looked enraged enough to be able to kill someone, while she did despise Conrad deeply she was not angry enough to want the man dead, who knew what could be the ramifications of that if Naruto decided to murder Conrad. She saw that Naruto's eyes began to look a bit more….feral for some reason and that seemed to frighten her, she reached out and touched Naruto's shoulder.
"Naruto…."
The blonde ninja turned at her and gave her a very icy glare. This lasted for a moment or two until Naruto spoke very seriously
"I was starting to trust you Melissa, and then you drag me into this?! You want me to fight a man without even giving me a chance to agree or not to the whole thing?!"
Melissa tried to speak but Naruto was not in the mood for a discussion, he was really irate at this moment, but managed to calm himself a bit. He then looked at Melissa seriously and spoke carefully.
"You are going to tell me everything Melissa, I want to know just what is it you dragged me into this, I DESERVE that much at least."
Melissa nodded, she acted out of desperation at this moment, and now she was starting to regret this whole thing in involving Naruto in this mess.
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In Genie's house the next day…
As soon as Naruto was informed of the whole debacle that led to Melissa leaving her family and joining the Priestesses of Mylee, he had to admit that there was some logic there, he recalled his mission escorting his favorite actress Yukie Fujikaze, only to find out that she was a real princess by the name Koyuki Kazahana. She was cold, bitter, and also emotionless, until the truth came out as to what had happened when she was a young girl when her uncle led a revolt that killed her father. She had changed ever since they had been together, him protecting her and all. At the end of it, she became the leader of her Country and supported his drive to be Hokage someday. He couldn't help but smirk a bit as he still had that picture of him recovering in bandages in a hospital being kissed by her.
Of course she and Melissa were different in their problems, but even Koyuki-hime would have run away if she had been forced to marry someone like Conrad.
"All right, I can understand why you want to avoid marriage with him, so just HOW good is this guy anyway?"
Genie wanted to know that as well since she was curious just what that nut was capable of. However Melissa replied with a very confident smile on her face.
"I have no doubt that you can beat Conrad Naruto."
"Oh really? Is there something you're not telling us?"
Melissa filled them in and that was enough to convince Genie and Ila, Naruto however just kept his cool and focused on what he had already observed concerning Conrad. It was then that Merrill burst into the house, panting and out of breath.
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Later…
"Are you sure Merrill?!"
"I'm positive Melissa! Conrad took those four thieves out with only one strike with his sword, I'd say that he'd be able to give Genie a good test with weapons training. And I can bet that he might even give Naruto a challenge."
This was something that Melissa was shocked about
Naruto however was very intent on finding out as much as he could as he spoke to Merrill about what exactly was it that she saw Conrad do, this was the right time to see if his suspicions and no doubt Ila' own as well about the sword Conrad had with him.
"Did Conrad say anything in particular before the fight between him and the thieves?"
Merrill thought about it and replied.
"I heard him say something before the fight started and just when he took out those thieves with that sword of his, let me think, it sounded like 'It's time you and I dance together, shall I lead?' or something like that. That's about it, though I swear I saw something glow in the hilt or that could have just been the light of the moon on the sword."
The blonde ninja/mage nodded and turned to Ila.
"That particular phrase sounds familiar doesn't it Ila-chan?"
Ila nodded at that as she finally got the idea on how Conrad was able to beat those men, all the while Melissa seemed very worried by all this and Merrill spoke to Naruto.
"Conrad's no pushover Naruto, but now he's not someone to look down on in my mind, and yet you don't seem to be the least bit worried
Naruto snorted and replied.
"I'm not the least bit worried about that."
Merrill looked at Naruto with some surprise as he seemed to be totally unfazed by what she had seen Conrad do with those thieves, she had seen that man fight with the same level of skill as Genie. She recalled how easily Naruto had fought with her and Genie before, but the rules of a duel dictated that he fight with swords and without magic along with his hand to had combat moves, in her mind this placed Naruto in a serious disadvantage.
"Are you sure? You sound confident Naruto but like I said, this guy might not be a pushover you know."
The blonde Chuunin snorted and replied.
"I was able to study him when he entered the tavern where me and Ila-chan was sitting in minding our own business, you saw that sword of his Ila-chan?"
Ila nodded as she recalled seeing Conrad's sword.
"It was a well crafted blade but now that we know just what sword it is, we can bet that he's not a real threat in himself."
."That's very true, if he was a real warrior as he claims, he would never resort to using that kind of sword....not to mention that guy stumbled in the temple grounds as well as in the tavern when we met him when he walked away, both those times told me a lot more about him as well."
Genie raised an eyebrow at that and asked the blonde Shinobi/Mage what exactly he was trying to point out about Conrad.
"What does his stumbling about have to do with your doubts about his ability as a knight?"
Naruto looked at Genie with a raised eyebrow and explained.
"You saw the kind of armor he was wearing right Genie?"
"Yeah, it was heavy plate armor, commonly used by knights, what about it?"
"The only way someone could wear that kind of armor and move around with it without much difficulty is that someone in question is one with exceptional physical strength, stamina and endurance. When he stumbled in both those times it would have been easy for him to be able to stand up and move on without any difficulty, but he stayed there for a few moments as if trying not to fall down, and it took some effort for him to stand up again. That is not the way a person who is physically able to wear plate armor should act....unless he has something to hide."
Genie thought it over and wondered if Naruto was right about that, she had seen him stumble before and that was something that seemed a bit odd though she placed that aside, she had worn armor before in the past when she was a soldier of Ohfun before and had stumbled more than once until she developed her body's muscles to handle the extra weight. But now that Naruto brought it up….
"So you're suggesting that Conrad's wearing the armor for show?"
"Yep, remember that after that idiot began to run away from us in the temple grounds, he began to walk right afterwards and when he ran when he saw us looking at him? If he DID have the physical abilities to wear that armor, why walk? Sure you can get tired after a while but he should have made it out of our sight and he had no problem getting back his energy."
Melissa thought about that and then began to recall that she had seen the same thing as well. She then began to suspect something and turned to Naruto as she spoke to find out what he was going at.
"Are you suggesting that Conrad is somehow cheating in some way Naruto?"
The blonde ninja nodded at that as Ila turned to speak to him.
"We might know the kind of sword he's using Naruto, but there is still the question of what are you going to do about it, that weapon can hurt you if you let it you know?"
Naruto grinned and replied.
"Conrad thinks he's all that, I'm going to prove him wrong in the best way possible and I'm going to make him wish he never picked a fight with me of all people. I can handle this fight all right Ila-chan so don't worry about the whole thing."
"Naruto...."
Naruto turned to Melissa and replied to her soon to come request.
"No, I'm not going to kill him if that is what you have in mind Melissa, I'm just going to give him a real good beating as well as try to pound some sense in that empty head of his. I doubt it will work at all anyway, since he might come back again to annoy us all, but I have no doubt I'll have some amount of entertainment beating the stuffing out of him every chance I get."
Merrill then spoke.
"You do know that if you're wrong, he could be a lot more than you bargained for."
Naruto laughed at that a bit and replied.
"No need, compared to some people I know back in my land, this Conrad's about to get a serious lesson in humility. My friend Rock Lee and his sensei Gai might be off the wall with their antics at times, but compared to Conrad, those two are absolute warriors instead of peacocks like Conrad, and they have both the abilities and all the right moves to be at the top of their game."
Melissa however had to ask.
"Do you know how to use a sword Naruto?"
Naruto decided to be truthful and replied.
"Yeah, I have some good skills with the sword that I have despite the fact I limit my use of it since I only need it if the situation calls for it, I might be a bit rusty, but I am good in using a sword in combat."
Melissa sighed a bit at that but Genie was not entirely convinced.
"I don't want to rain on this parade, but until we get to see your sword skills in action Naruto, I don't think you can take this Conrad lightly even if he is cheating in some fashion. Besides, the rules of the duel arena state that you can fight with swords only, I doubt magic or those…hand to hand attacks of yours will work."
Naruto grinned and replied.
"I am a ninja remember? And like any good ninja I keep my skills with weapons a secret until the right moment. Conrad might think he's got all that, but compared to some of the weapon masters I know of in my land and in other places I've been to, he's nothing but a novice. He'll be in for a surprise that he is bound never to forget, that much I can promise you."
"But Naruto…."
Naruto looked at Melissa and replied as he stood up.
"Melissa, you said to Conrad that I am your Chosen Hero right?"
"Yea I did."
"And you don't doubt Mylee at all right?"
"No…"
"Then you will have to trust me here and now."
"But…."
Naruto looked at Melissa seriously and spoke once more, being serious about this.
"You trust Genie and Merrill since you've worked with them for years, but here, they can't help you, only I can, and you will have to trust me on this one. Besides, when I make a promise, I keep it as it is my way of the ninja."
"So…do you trust me in that I will beat Conrad in five days time or not?"
Melissa wanted to say something at this moment, but Naruto was right, he was the only one who could stand a chance in this fight if he was wrong with his thoughts on Conrad's abilities, there was no way Genie and Merrill could interfere in any fashion, However, she began to think of what she had seen Naruto already do, while she still doubted Naruto's abilities in hand to hand combat and his supposed sword skills, the stuff she had seen him do, and what she was told by Head Priestess Jenny told her that maybe it's about time she trusted her hero the way she should.
"I trust you Naruto."
Naruto smiled warmly at that and nodded.
"Then that's all that matters, I'll be training with my Kage Bushin for the next few days, and when this duel is over between me and Conrad, you might get your own personal scroll Melissa. See you all later."
Naruto left, leaving Melissa to think about her decision, Genie hoped that Naruto's thoughts on the matter concerning Conrad were right on the target board. As for Merrill her mind was already on how she could get the most profit out of this situation that they were in.
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Naruto began to train with his Kage Bushin and decided to follow the rules of the arena, just to prove that he was a man of his word, unlike Conrad who he already knew was cheating like mad. Though he still favored his other abilities, as well as his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu training which suited him more, he had been busy perfecting his skills in Kenjutsu, or in this case the art of the Sword, he had trained with a number of weapons already but chose to use the chokuto sword that that Jenny had fashioned for him.
The sword resembled Sasuke's own version of Orochimaru's sword the Kusanagi, but unlike that sword or Sasuke's Naruto had fashioned his to use his chakra and over time he had recalled Sasuke's own style of using the sword, plus the styles used in this world that he had seen as well as the styles he had seen in his world.
This allowed Naruto to be able to fashion his own style of combat with swords that he added to his already existing abilities, besides, while there was no doubt in his mind that magic was out of the question, that certainly didn't mean chakra was out or any of his ninja skills.
As he made his Kage Bushin to begin his training for a week before the coming duel, he couldn't help but grin as he had a special jutsu that worked with kenjutsu that he wanted to try out, and poor Conrad was going to be the lucky or rather unlucky test subject.
He was going to enjoy this…
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Conrad however was utterly confident of his victory over Naruto that he began to start preparing to smear the name of the ninja/mage the best way he knew how, as he got ready for the duel he had no doubt that his victory was assured, after all, he was a nobleman warrior while Naruto was a lowly sorcerer.
He had no idea just how wrong he was!
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In the arena five days later...
As soon as the day arrived, just about everyone in Ohfun turned in to the arena to see the soon to come battle between Conrad and Naruto , in that same day, Merrill was making a killing selling tickets and taking bets on the outcome between Naruto and Conrad, many of the crowd supported Conrad and were betting that the handsome knight would win the day over the sorcerer who stole his beloved from him, there was no doubt that Conrad had been busy fanning the fires in Ohfun for the past few days to get the crowd on his side. Some however who knew Naruto, including a number of his fellow magicians were betting on his success, along with a number of the tavern owners who knew Naruto well. However, the vast majority of the people were on Conrad's side and were more than happy to spread the rumors Conrad made about Naruto.
Naruto heard about it and cared less for it, to him, the cheers of the crowd that saw him win in battle with Neji in the Chuunin Exams back in Konoha as well as the cheers given to him by his village's residents after the battle with Pain, then with Madara, Danzo, and Sasuke were far better than the cheers given to an obvious fake since those cheers he got were genuine and not false. He cared less also for the bad mouthing that Conrad's supporters aimed at his direction, since he was keen to prove them all wrong about Conrad. He relished the thought of just how he was going to have fun with the coward at this day.
As he was waiting in the area, Ila arrived along with Master Carwess and Jenny. The two senior members of both the Magic Guild of Ohfun and the Church of Mylee then spoke to Naruto who was currently cleaning his sword with a cloth to make sure there was nothing to inhibit his ability to draw his sword.
"Greetings Naruto, are you ready for this coming battle?"
Naruto smiled and nodded.
"Yep, this fight is going to be rather interesting, but I have confidence that I can win this fight."
Carwess however spoke to Naruto.
"You seem to know something about Conrad that no one else does, what is it Naruto."
Naruto looked at Ila and both of them nodded and filled the two in on what was going to happen, what the two told Carwess and Jenny was more than enough to get them worried for Naruto, Jenny couldn't believe that the man who had challenged Naruto to this duel of honor was himself an honor-less man himself while Carwess also showed his dislike for the situation as he thought that someone like Conrad who was a knight had much better sense than this. Not to mention they had heard the rumors that Conrad had spread into the city and they were not happy with it either.
"This is nothing more than a sham! I should put a stop to this at once!"
"I agree with Master Carwess Naruto, this man is lacking in ANY form of honor and integrity and should be banned from ever being a knight."
Naruto however spoke gently to his trusted friends and surrogate family in this world.
"Don't call it off Carwess-sensei, Miss Jenny, this match should not be called off merely because Conrad is going to cheat."
Jenny was curious as to why Naruto insisted that the fight push through despite the fact that Conrad was already cheating and spreading false rumors about him. The same could be said for Carwess and Naruto could see that and replied.
"I told Melissa to trust me to beat Conrad, the one issue I have with Melissa is that she can't trust me because I am a ninja and I don't fight the way she expects a hero to fight, she thinks that I should fight like a knight and all. But now I told her to trust me that I will beat Conrad in my own way, and despite her problems, she decided to trust me, that means a lot to me, it means that I can prove to her that while I am not the hero she dreamed of, I can be the hero that she will need. Besides that, I am going to prove to everyone here in Ohfun that just because a man wears shining armor, carrying a sword, riding a horse and looking like a god, he is NOT a hero or a kind hearted man, it's time the people learn to see beyond the good looks and more to see just who the real person is underneath the armor."
The two thought it over and nodded but Carwess made it clear to Naruto about the ramifications of his decision to continue the fight.
"All right Naruto, but remember that you will not be allowed to use magic in this duel."
Naruto grinned and replied.
"No problem, besides, I will be using my chakra at some point and as far as I know, Conrad said nothing about any rules in this fight so I have free reign."
Carwess and Jenny shook their heads and grinned a bit, the Magical Negation Bracelet that would be used in this match was not used to stop chakra since it was not arcane in nature, technically Naruto was already cheating, but considering the fact that Conrad was cheating in spades already, Naruto was not cheating by a long shot.
It was not long before the whole arena was full to the brim and therefore the battle was about to begin, both fighters were to get ready to
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In the arena…
As soon as Conrad walked into the arena, his supporters were cheering him on while the men were eager for him to win back his beloved from the foul sorcerer. The women were dying for the scene of the heroic Conrad defeating the foul sorcerer Naruto and claiming the bewitched woman of his heart and going off to be married. This was something Conrad no doubt had been working on for the past five days when he should have focused on figuring out how to beat Naruto, he was so wrapped up in the applause that he hammed it up, making more of the women in the crowd cheer him own.
However, not ever woman was on Conrad's side as a number of people who were a mix of merchants, tavern owners and guards who worked with Naruto were in the mood to greet the young mage, not to mention a number of students of the magic Guild who were friendly with Naruto were also around to cheer him on, and of course, Melissa, Merrill, and Genie were there along with Ila, they however were not alone as three young priestesses talked to one another.
"Do you really think that Naruto's a bad person?"
Joan asked her comrades and Janet replied.
"I don't think so….he certainly doesn't act like it in my point of view."
Anna then replied.
"I guess we can watch, it would be something of great interest to see how good Naruto really is without magic right?"
The other two nodded while Melissa spoke to Ila.
"Is Naruto ready for this?"
Ila nodded.
"You bet he is, he's more than ready for this fight, plus I have no doubt he has a to expose Conrad for the fake he really is. You might have fun with this as well Melissa."
Melissa hoped that Naruto would keep his promise to win against Conrad, so much for her sake rode on this battle. She wished she had never placed Naruto in this mess since he was very much angry at the whole thing, but he wanted to trust him and she decided to trust him at this moment, she waited as Genie and Merrill were also ready to see the battle unfold before them the swordswoman wondered just what kind of skill Naruto had with a sword.
It was then that Naruto walked out, still dressed in his usual attire but had left his Toad Summoning Contract scroll and wand behind and only had his sword on his back as well as his pouch on the back as well as his kunai holster. The very second the blonde ninja/mage appeared into the battle field of the arena, Conrad's supporters in the crowd began to boo and hiss at him, calling him all manner of names that were not the least bit friendly.
Naruto ignored them all, except the cheers of the group of people he could consider friends and comrades, those cheers mattered more to him than the boos and hisses made by those who were being done by supporters of the fake knight he was about to fight. As soon as they were facing one another it was then that Jenny began to speak the ancient rites to start the match and allow Mylee to look favorably on the battle before them all.
All the while Melissa looked at Naruto, hoping that he would win, and would keep his promise to her to defeat Conrad without killing him.
Jenny noted that as she finished the rites and smiled a bit as she nodded to Carwess and silenced the crowds.
(You're going to learn more about Naruto than you know Melissa, be ready for a ride, he might not be the hero you dream of, but he is a hero already, he is a legend in his world, and I have no doubt he will be a legend here as well.)
Carwess then took into the arena a sating cushion with what appeared to be bracelets, these were easily recognized by Naruto as Arcane Negation Bracelets, these were similar to the same ones he had been slapped with before, but these were designed to stop a spell cold, dispel it and also shock the person from using magic of any form.
Carwess then spoke to all involved including him and Conrad.
"This is a duel of honor and will place the two contestants if a battle where their skills with the sword, physical strength, endurance, and stamina will be the deciding factors in this battle. Since both combatants are skilled in the ways of magic, these will serve to restrict any form of magic to be used in this battle, refusing the placement of the Arcane Negation Bracelet in this match is an automatic forfeit of the match. Do you accept these terms Naruto Uzumaki?"
Naruto nodded, he had promised to Melissa he would win and as a future Hokage, he keeps his promises as long as he could manage this.
Carwess smiled at that slightly and placed the bracelet on his student.
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Melissa gave a sigh of relief at the way Naruto accepted the bracelet. He made a promise to her to beat Conrad if she trusted him, and it seemed he was keeping his promise.
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Carwess then turned to Conrad and spoke.
"Sir Conrad, do you accept the bracelet and the terms of this duel?"
Conrad gave his best smile and replied as he extended his own arm.
"I accept this bracelet to prove that I have long since given up the ways of magic and I will fight with all the skill and gallantry of a knight of Ramliearth and Melissa's TRUE chosen hero as well as her true husband to be!!!"
The supporters of the man cheered while Ila however snorted, and even both Carwess and Jenny gave slightly hard looks at the man in question.
Naruto mentally snorted at Conrad's declaration.
(Yeah, you won't need to use magic Conrad, since you already HAVE a source of magic that cannot be restrained by the bracelet…but we're about to see just how good a fighter you really are once I put my plan in motion.)
Naruto growled at the pompous actions of Conrad and replied.
"Hey pretty boy! Why don't you do less flapping of your tongue and get serious here?"
Conrad snorted and ran his hand through his hair once more and spoke in that same arrogant tone.
"That is yet another sign of my superiority of being Melissa's true hero and champion mage, I relish the art of being poetic in battle to inspire…."
Naruto however had enough of the noise and decided to do something about it as he took out his sword but left the blade in the sheath and had secretly locked the sheath into place to keep the blade from getting released, the sheath was specially made with light but highly durable alloys and specially treated and fire hardened wood s it was more than able to take heavy punishment, just the kind of punishment he wanted to inflict on Conrad.
He then pointed the sheathed weapon at Conrad and replied.
"Rule 1 in battle Conrad,, there are only two kinds of people who waste their time yapping in the battle field, the idiot, and the corpse…which are you?"
Conrad then replied as he drew his sword at Naruto, unhappy with his words.
"Very well then, since you dare to mock my talents, I shall fight you now, but why is your weapon sheathed still? Do you think you can beat my skills as a knight without showing steel?"
Naruto sneered at Conrad and replied.
"The only time you will ever see my sword's edge is when you prove to me you can actually fight with that weapon you carry around."
Conrad glared and replied.
"Very well then, you shall regret those words Sorcerer, for it is time that you and I dance together, shall I lead?"
Naruto snorted and saw the gem glow and he replied as he quickly spun his sheathed sword and held it by the handle in a reverse grip.
"Then you should know something Conrad…"
Before Conrad could reply, Naruto closed the gap and used the flat side of his sheath to move aside the sword and then he lashed out with a strike to the sword arm on the elbow, making Conrad cry out in pain as he reflexively lowered his sword arm, this allowed Naruto to close in the gap and then swing his sword to Conrad's face, whacking the handsome idiot hard on the cheek, Naruto then moved back, aimed the sheathed blade tip at Conrad and struck twice, once between the eyes and then to the chest in rapid succession, forcing Conrad back and the Naruto attacked with a powerful reverse moving overhead swing with his still sheathed weapon in a reverse grip in his left hand striking Conrad on the shoulder once more as the knight staggered back as the blonde ninja/mage finished his sentence.
"I'm a lousy dance partner."
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Gasps of shock where heard as everyone saw something they had never thought they would see, a mage beating a knight….with a sheathed sword?!
Genie was flabbergasted at the sight before her and so was Merrill and Melissa, with the exception of Jenny and Carwess as well as Ila.
(How did he attack that fast?! And hit that hard with a sheathed sword?!)
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Conrad shook his head as the pain from the attacks hit him, he then glared darkly at Naruto and shouted as he readied himself.
"You dare to mar my face?!"
Naruto spun his sheathed weapon in his hands in a very skilled display, tossed it up and caught it in a reverse grip with his right hand, pointing the sheathed tip at Conrad.
"Hah! Conrad, I think that you should keep in mind that I am using the sheath of my sword to cover the blade, if I did strike you with the full blade you would already be dead!"
"Why you!!!"
Conrad attacked once more as Naruto moved through the attacks with patience and grace as he continued to smile arrogantly at the angry knight, Conrad might resemble a force of nature with a sword to the others, but Naruto was different as he moved quickly and carefully, finding the areas in which to move to avoid the attacks thrown at him by Conrad.
Conrad tried to attack with an overhead side slash but Naruto rolled forward past Conrad and whacked him with his sheathed sword on the back of the head. This enraged the blonde knight as he turned to attack, planning to cut the ninja in half, but Naruto merely flipped over him and Conrad tried to attack with another slash as soon as Naruto landed, the blonde ninja leaned backward with amazing grace, a result of his intense training in the arts of the ninja, avoiding the strike and then moving forward as Conrad tried to recover and whacked Conrad on the stomach and then reversed his grip on the sword and sent the weapon's sheathed blade slamming tip first into Conrad's jaw.
"AAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!"
Conrad backed away as Naruto moved his still sheathed sword to his left hand. The blonde knight growled and spoke in venom coated tones.
"You foul sorcerer! How dare you strike me in such a cowardly fashion?!"
Naruto laughed at Conrad and replied with his hands outstretched and replied.
"Temper, temper, I was under the impression that a knight would be able to keep his temper in check…besides, if I was using my sword without the sheath covering the blade right now, I could have easily sent my sword deeply into your skull through your chin and turn you into a knight shish kabob. If I can do all that to you with my sword sheathed, what do you think would happen if I unsheathed my sword and did those same moves on you all over again?"
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Genie had to agree with Naruto as she looked on, fascinated by the way Naruto was fighting with his still sheathed sword. She had never seen a sword being used while the sheath was covering the blade yet Naruto seemed very skilled with it, had he used the sword without the sheath, Conrad could have been killed a hundred times over!
Merrill was stunned and so was Melissa, Anna, Joan, and Janet were awed by that sight before them.
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The battle went underway with Naruto continuing to goad Conrad on while avoiding the Knight's attacks with his sword as the blonde ninja/mage dodged and weaved his body to the moves made by Conrad. The knight tried a powerful stab but the blonde literally split downward, shocking the audience and Conrad as well, that was enough for Naruto to lash with the tip of his sheathed blade on Conrad's wrist to move the blade as from him as he quickly spun his legs in a very acrobatic display none had ever seen before as it created a dust storm that blinded Cinrad as well as hid Naruto. (1)
As soon as the dust settled, Naruto reappeared still spinning his whole body until he was on his toes the blonde pushed himself forward and sailed over Conrad but not before placing his sheathed sword before Conrad's face and watched him right at the throat making the blonde knight cry out in shock at the attack and he nearly fell over as Naruto moved the blade away and then landed on his feet and pushed his sword backwards with the tip hitting Conrad right in the back, and the tip of the sword was right there the heart would be.
Naruto grinned as he gave a nudge to help Conrad get back on his feet and the blonde Shinobi/Mage laughed as Conrad turned to face him, he face twisted in absolute fury.
"Confounding coward!!! Fight me like a real man!!!"
Naruto snorted and dared Conrad to strike him, the blonde knight roared as he attacked, Naruto once more goaded him on as he avoided the attacks and then moved in as Conrad tried to stab him, but Naruto used his sheath to hit the flat side of the sword and move it aside, allowing him to strike Conrad at the armpit, Naruto the moved backward, and suddenly thrusting forward stabbing the tip into Conrad's throat, choking the knight and then following with a hard whack on the stomach region as he then leaped over Conrad and turned to deliver a hard strike to the back of the head, making Conrad stumble again.
Naruto taunted Conrad once more.
"Come on Conrad, you said you easily defeat me, a lowly mage. Yet here I am twisting your boxers around and making you look like the proverbial jackass!"
"HOW DARE YOU?!"
Naruto however knew that now was the right time to expose Conrad and with that in mind, he placed his sword back into his belt at the back and gave Conrad a smile.
"All right then, how about you take your best shot right her, I won't dodge or block at all. Let's see you try and take me out now you fake knight."
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Melissa was shocked by this sudden turn of events and tried to tell Naruto to not do it, and both genie and Merrill thought that Naruto had lost his mind!
"What in the name of the Gods is he doing?!"
"Has he lost his mind?!"
.Ila however turned and replied.
"Relax, Naruto would never expose himself like this unless he has a plan. He said for you to trust him, so trust him now."
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Conrad roared at that and charged at Naruto who seemed to still taunt him with his smile, he had no idea why the blonde mage was doing this, but will pay!!!!"
"DIE!!!!!"
The knight struck and the sword buried itself deeply into Naruto's side and the crowds gasped and Conrad smiled in triumph, he had won!!!
Naruto however grinned at him, not showing any sign of pain and replied.
"Not bad….you finally got a hit, but I hate to spoil your happiness, but you failed."
Before Conrad could reply, Naruto poofed away….revealing a neatly dissected log before the shocked Conrad. The crowds were stunned by this sudden surprise, they had thought that Naruto had lost his mind and was committing suicide when he allowed Conrad to slash him like that but now it seemed that Naruto was not there at all!!!
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Melissa and her friends as well as Joan, Janet and Anna were surprised to the core at this, what the heck had just happened?!
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Conrad looked at the log with shock, he looked to see that his word had no blood and he shouted out.
"WHAT MANNER OF FOUL SORCERY IS THIS?!"
It was then that Naruto spoke.
"Sorcery? You've got it all wrong Conrad, I'm still here in this ring, and I have to admit you look like you've seen a ghost or something, you forgot to take your iron again, I suggest you cut down on the pastries and try eating some proper health food, it would do wonders for your body."
Conrad looked about and shouted once more.
"SHOW YOURSELF?!"
"Why are you shouting so much? I'm still here and no, this is no spell, if it was, the bracelet would have shocked me and deactivated the spell. You really should stop shouting Conrad, you're going to break your voice doing that. Though I wish you will do that so I don't have to listen to your oh so annoying voice.""
Conrad looked about to find Naruto and deal with him, but for some reason he couldn't find the blonde champion of his beloved Melissa and it was getting his nerves as he looked at the cut tree log before him.
"Come on out sorcerer and fight me like a real man!!! Or are you a coward?"
"Coward am I?"
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The others wondered just where Naruto was at the moment and they tried to locate him, but Ila knew that Naruto was there, he used this trick on Foltess more than once when he was being annoyed by the Academy teacher. And he used this to play hide and seek with her when they were still fellow students, she never could figure out how he did it, but she found it to be fun.
Genie was confused, Naruto's voice was there but he wasn't, something was not right at the moment in her mind. Merrill looked about and was also as confused as her and Melissa.
"Where the heck did that blonde mage go?!"
Genie was also curious as to what was going on as she scanned the area to look for Naruto. There was no doubt that he was in the arena as his voice was clear and strong, but if this was not a spell, then what was it.
Melissa was also confused, Naruto was there but not there. If this was not magic, then could it be?
Ila however replied.
"He's around, he should surprise Conrad soon enough."
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Naruto decided to let Conrad vent things out and then he decided to end the charade as Conrad's words were getting annoying.
"All right Conrad, you want to know where I am?"
"Yes you coward!"
"Fine then, I'm right underneath you....DOTON!!! SHINJU NO ZANSHU NO JUTSU!!!"
Conrad barely had time to react when Naruto's hands came right under his feet and grabbed him and dragged him down to the ground in a shower of stone and dust and when that cleared, there was Conrad in the ground, with only his head on top of the ground and his sword on the ground.
"What the?!"
It was then that a patch of ground moved and was actually cloth and when it was thrown aside and there was Naruto who moved out of another hole, grinning like a happy monkey. He used an old favorite of his back in the Academy which was the Cloak of Invisibility Technique, it was very basic, but if there was one thing Naruto knew to be true, basics were the foundation of every successful ninja. Plus while it had taken a while for him to master that jutsu of his late sensei Kakashi, he found it very useful and this was very interesting to see.
He had also used the same jutsu that Kakashi had pulled on him before when he had managed to restrain the Jonin with his Kage Bushin and it was the Kawarimi No Jutsu.
The blonde Shinobi had planned everything from the get go, when he had done the spinning to create the dust storm, he had been able to use the Kage Bushin No Jutsu to have one Kage Bushin take his place in the arena while quickly covering up the hole with the cloth and supporting it with some heavy earth, the hole was big enough for him to make another Kage Bushin who dug his way to where Conrad was going to be quickly, guided by the Kage Bushin who turned into a log after being struck by Conrad.
Naruto remained in the hole to goad Conrad a bit more and then used the second kage Bushin to do the Shinjuno Zanshi No Jutsu on Conrad. And it seemed his plan had worked perfectly.
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Melissa and the others were wild eyed at this, what sort of spell was this one?! Even Ila herself was surprised by what she had just seen, while Jenny and Carwess smiled at the sight as Naruto seemed to have turned the whole battle into his direction.
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Conrad spat out the dirt in his mouth and looked in shock at Naruto.
"How did you?!"
"Ahhhh, now that would be telling Conrad. I don't reveal all my secrets in one day you know."
The blonde knight tried to struggle free as Naruto walked up to him with a grin and then sat down to face his foe as the others watched in absolute shock as the blonde ninja spoke to Conrad.
"So Conrad….how's the view from down there? You want to know something important? If this was a REAL fight, I could easily decapitate you or torture you right about now."
"You foul sorcerer, you cheated using magic!!!"
Naruto laughed and showed his arm with the Magic Inhibitor Bracelet.
"Exactly HOW could I have cheated using magic with this on, besides, I'll wager a bet you also cheated….right about…now"
Naruto flipped backwards from his sitting position as the sword that Conrad wielded suddenly attacked him, without Conrad holding it at all!
"What the?!"
"What's going on here?!"
The crowd looked on as they saw Conrad's sword moving and attacking without the knight holding it, making them even more confused as the blonde ninja/mage continued to dodge and evade each attack of the sword while Conrad was still buried up to his neck in the grounds of the arena. The blonde Chuunin then spoke out to as he evaded several slashes easily.
"Now we see just how you were able to beat those thieves a few nights before without any possible effort and why you acted like you can win this fight without magic, since your sword is a magical sword! Namely it's a Dancing Sword type!"
Conrad gulped at this, realizing that the ruse had just been removed.
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In the audience…
Merrill looked on with some surprise as Genie commented.
"An enchanted sword, and a Dancing Sword no less…no wonder he seemed to be so skilled at first."
Ila nodded.
"Yep, Naruto was right about Conrad cheating, the Dancing Sword is powered by the gem in the hilt and is able to use the style that is imprinted into the gem's essence. However, Naruto had been to Ramliearth before and knows the style used by the swordsmen in the area there and knows just the best way to expose Conrad as a fake."
Melissa then realized that Naruto was indeed right about Conrad actually cheating this whole time, all through simple glances at Conrad's sword as well as his posture with the armor on. She looked at the fight as Naruto seemed to be just lazily dodging each attack through at him by the Dancing Sword, each slash was easily evaded as the blonde ninja kept ahead of the weapon.
She turned to see Carwess and Jenny smiling at Naruto's antics and actions in the arena, they were entertained by the events happening before them as if they had already known that Naruto was going to win this fight long before it even started.
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The blonde sighed as he evaded yet another slash for his head and spoke.
"I think everyone knows now that you are a liar Conrad so why don't we get down to the real fight?"
Naruto then took out a shuriken from his thigh holster and with his training in throwing kunai, he hit the gem dead on, shattering it and stopping the sword from attacking him again, with the power source gone, the sword became nothing more than a regular sword. It was then that Naruto moved to Conrad and struck the ground around him, freeing the knight from the ground and allowed him to get up as the blonde ninja looked on at him.
Conrad looked at his depowered Dancing Sword and cried out.
"MY FATHER'S DANCING SWORD!!!!"
Naruto snorted and took out his chokotu sword, but this time, the blade was exposed, showing that he was now going to fight seriously as he had his weapon in a reverse grip in the same way Sasuke used to hold his own sword.
"Quit your whining coward….now that this charade is over, we can get down the real fight."
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Melissa looked at this with a very interested eye and so did Merrill, Genie was eager to see what Naruto could do this time now that he was no longer using his sheathed sword to attack Conrad, she had to admit that Naruto's abilities with the sheathed weapon was rather good, but with the way Naruto was positioned and his blade now revealed, he was serious now.
Ila was interested to see the outcome as well, she had known that Naruto was merely playing around with Conrad until the time was right to reveal Conrad's lies.
With that over, the real fight was going to start.
Jenny and Carwess looked on with a good deal of interest.
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Conrad looked on at Naruto who still had his single edged sword in a one handed reverse grip, his now powerless Dancing Sword lying between him and the blonde Shinobi. Naruto grinned as he got into combat position which was him moving his left hand in a jutsu style position before his chest while his right arm was back behind him with his sword in a vertical position behind him as he taunted Conrad with a smirk.
"Pick up your sword Conrad so this duel can get underway."
Conrad was sweating hard as Naruto looked at him with a smile that was devoid of any friendliness. He tried to think of a way to escape this kind of a fight, he didn't have any form of real training in the art of being a swordsman or a knight; he relied only on the Dancing Sword to see him through.
"W-Why don't we have a duel with magic instead?"
Naruto snorted at Conrad's attempt to weasel his way out of the mess he got himself into, Naruto despised liars more than anything, Haku had lied to him before, but the young man he met so long ago had his reasons for lying and they were valid ones, but Conrad was the worst and he made that very plain to the blonde idiot before him.
"You are not walking away Conrad. You said you don't NEED magic to be eat me, yet here you are using a magic sword, and now with it out of the way, you WANT to use magic?"
He looked at the audience who were on Conrad's side before and who were calling him all those names and he spoke to them.
"This is some hero huh? He said he won't use magic to beat me, but instead he's now asking to use magic in this duel, a hero, a real hero is never supposed to back away from a promise right? A REAL hero is the kind who fights with honor and courage, to never surrender and find a way to gain victory despite the odds stacked before him or her. This guy is no hero, he's nothing but a liar and cheater. He tried to ruin my name while he himself is no hero to begin with, relying on the skills imbued in his Dancing Sword and having no real abilities or skills of his own! The skills I used have no need to use magic and I certainly have not used my wand in this whole battle because if I did, the Magic Negation Bracelet would have stopped me from using ANY magic, so who's the real fake now?"
The crowds were silent as Naruto looked at Conrad once more and spoke to him evenly.
"Pick up your sword….prove to me you can actually fight Conrad, because here and now we are going to see if you really have what it takes to be a warrior of Ramlierath."
Conrad got the sword up as Naruto began to move in with his sword still in the reverse grip he had it on the first time. Naruto was quickly attack as he charged in at high speed, All Conrad could see was a blur of orange, red, and black as Naruto unleashed a massive barrage of attacks with his word with powerful swings that proved too quick for Conrad to block at all. The attacks were slashes and thrusts that Naruto aimed to overwhelm Conrad and it was showing as Conrad barely had the real strength and dexterity to block them all as cuts appeared all over his armor.
Conrad was in shock and terror as Naruto continued to attack him as he tried desperately to defend himself from the attacks that Naruto continued to rain down on him as the blonde ninja/mage then decided to taunt Conrad with a powerful slash at his pretty boy face, balrely missing it by the width of a hair..
"What's the matter Conrad, can't fight properly yet?"
Naruto moved in and jammed the pommel of his sword into Conrad's chest and forced him back as Naruto flipped backwards and attacked with a powerful rising reverse swing of his sword that left a wide gash on Conrad's armor like it was nothing but tin foil, Naruto moved to return his sword into a normal grip with both hands and followed with a powerful slash to the mid section which once more cut through the plate armor. Naruto took his time in attacking Conrad at this point, not cutting the flesh underneath but enough to give Conrad a taste of what a real sword fight was.
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The crowd could only watch as Naruto continued to press the attack while Genie was utterly surprised at the way Naruto was fighting, she had never seen moves like that before in. She had seen Naruto use the single straight edged sword in a reverse single handed grip and wondered why he held that sword in such a way, and now she could see that he was very capable with such a style and his moves were unlike any sword style she had seen before, but considering the gashes on the armor Conrad wore, this style was undeniably deadly.
"Wow…."
Merrill was flabbergasted as the fight was moving along.
Genie then spoke.
"I had to admit….Naruto is good, if Conrad didn't have that armor on, he'd be dead a dozen times over."
Ila grinned and nodded.
"Yep, Naruto's using his abilities to his best level, and as far as I know, that style is a creation that belongs to him alone, so only he knows how to used it in combat."
Jenny and Carwess smiled at the fight going on before them.
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Naruto then leaped towards Conrad and then spun himself around like a top as his word was on his side, attacking Conrad with the agility that he had perfected over the years, forcing the man back, as soon as he landed on his feet, Naruto moved quickly to Conrad's right side, with his sword in the reverse grip on his left, allowing him to slash Conrad's armor in the middle of the chest region, had there not been armor in the area, the attack would have cut a deep gash on Conrad's right side. Naruto turned around and quickly lashed out with a powerful slash on the back of the armor that Conrad had on, ripping the dusty cloak clean off..
Conrad tried desperately to attack Naruto as he turned around and struck with a blow, but Naruto decided to fight back and he flipped backward to avoid the strike but as soon as he landed he flipped forward and brought his sword down on Conrad's head, as the fake knight was unable to attack in time.
Everyone gasped as the way Naruto brought down his sword towards Conrad's head meant that this strike was downright lethal, but Naruto quickly reversed his chokuto sword, revealing the blunt portion and whacked Conrad on the head like a mallet.
"AAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!"
Conrad staggered back as Naruto then lashed out with a powerful thrust of his sword's pommel right to the face and forced Conrad back once more and then Naruto focused his chakra into the blade as the blade was covered in blue energy that crackled like fire. The crowd thought he was using a spell and so did the three young priestesses.
"Naruto's using a spell?!"
"But that's dangerous….if he does it."
"Then the Negation bracelet would stop him cold and shock him!"
Ila however replied.
"No, there's no way its arcane magic, I think he's using the energy that he was taught to use back in his land, and they call it chakra."
Melissa recognized the energy well enough and so did Merrill and Genie, but this was the first time they had ever seen Naruto use it with a sword. The swordswoman was interested to see this possible technique in action at this moment, her interest in Naruto's weapon skills getting even higher. Merrill herself was also eager to see what else Naruto would do at this moment.
Naruto then spoke to Conrad as he placed his sword in a normal single handed grip which turned to a double handed grip before him.
"Now let's see you dodge this attack Conrad, I've wanted to test this out in a while and you're the lucky victim for today!!!!"
(Mommy…)
Naruto then moved in with high speed and before Conrad could counter…
"KENJUTSU!!!! HEINGATANA RENDA!!!!"
Conrad tried to fight back, but then Naruto came in at high speed, with his chakra enhancing his speed both in feet and hands as the crowd only saw Conrad being enveloped in massive arcs of glowing light and the sound of metal briefly meeting metal in only a moment, Naruto then reappeared next to Conrad with his sword in the same reverse grip in his right hand and Naruto spoke.
"You've lost Conrad, let me show you why."
With that Naruto gave a light whack on Conrad's armor and then the results of the attack which would have translated in rune to be Flying Swallow Sword Barrage were seen as Conrad's sword was reduced to ruins as it fell apart in sections, leaving only the handle still in Conrad's hands as his fancy but now badly gashed armor cracked and fell to pieces all over him, falling off like leaves on a tree, a very skinny and sickly looking tree at that as Conrad was revealed.
Naruto couldn't help but snicker and then laugh at Conrad as he placed his sword away and returned it to the sheath on his back as he looked at Conrad.
"Man….you are one sickly character, no wonder you moved so slowly in that armor and Melissa said you sucked in getting stronger and you were slow!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
The crowd looked on and comments began to fill their, most of them negative but this time, they were directed at Conrad, not Naruto.
"YUCK!!!!"
"WHAT IS THAT?!"
"HE'S SO SKINNY!!!!"
Genie and Merrill couldn't help themselves and they burst out laughing while Melissa herself as well as Jenny also were laughing to their heart's content at the sight of Conrad. The crowd was soon to join in as Joan, Anna, and Janet also began to laugh.
Conrad could take no more of this humiliation, the respect and admiration he had gained through his false skills were long gone and now he had been given the worst beating of his life in front of all the people in Ohfun, with that, he turned to run away, but not before glaring at the blonde ninja/mage who was still laughing at him and grinning like a happy monkey as well.
(YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS YOU PEASANT!!! I WILL WIN MELISSA FROM YOU YET!!!!)
As soon as Conrad was gone and out of his sight, Naruto stopped laughing looked about and then bowed to where Jenny and Carwess were and then to the rest of the audience cheering his name.
"NARUTO!!!! NARUTO!!!"
As Melissa laughed she couldn't help but look at Naruto who stood there in the arena, she gambled with trusting him, and he won despite his actions, while it would be a while before she could consider him as a real hero in her mind, her opinion of him was rising a bit more.
Jenny saw that and smiled as Naruto was greeted by Ila who made it to the arena floor.
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To be continued…
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Author's Notes:
Now that was a good fight, as you can see, Conrad picked the WRONG man to fight, and it might seem that while the group might not fully trust Naruto yet, this would move Naruto up the ladder even more. Of course, Conrad will NOT give up without a fight and he will be back.
Next we see the results of the battle and Merrill is about to learn the deadly effects of being TOO greedy.
One of the signature moves of the Brazilian martial art Capoeria