A/N: First, apologies to those expecting OH... again. It's still my main focus, and I am writing more of it (on a daily basis, usually), but I've had several things crop up- like possibly moving and having my glasses break after a loyal 15 yrs of service- that have prevented me from having it quite complete and up to snuff. Suffice it to say, next week will almost certainly be OH again.
2 more for the buffer (which shows I haven't been focusing on TROLL, since it hasn't gone anywhere in 5 updates...).
Anyway, thanks as always to my beta, Mouse, and his eternal patience with my frequent typos.
There is a response (not a long one) to a couple of reviews I got recently for this story which I'd like to make public- somewhat because PMs were disabled for this reviewer, and somewhat because I disagree with what he said and it may be a large problem (in one respect). If anyone's interested in reading, anyway.
Otherwise... Enjoy!
Edit: I uploaded this... about 4 weeks ago. I guess I just forgot to add it to the story. Sorry. lol I'm still putting another one after this. :)
Chap. 5 An Elite Match: Jonin vs... Not.
"Did you feel that, Gai?" The quiet voice of the speaker belied the tension both Jonin felt as they lay hidden next to each other in some undergrowth.
The entire match had seemed... well, just a little off from the beginning. It wasn't that they were worried, per se. Both of the Jonin knew their students, while each gifted in their own way, were not truly a threat to themselves if they went all-out. Well, maybe Naruto if he started using the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox more than was strictly wise (ie, at all), but Kakashi knew that the Hokage would put a stop to things if it got that far. After all, in Naruto's eyes (and everyone else's)... if he was pushed that far, he'd already lost.
"Yes, just a slight tremor, right before the explosion. From pretty deep underground, I'd wager," the bowl-cut Jonin grinned, "Haruno-san has picked up a few jutsu even you didn't know about, it seems."
Kakashi grinned, "Well, technically Sakura hasn't been my student in almost three years, Gai. I'd be a little surprised if she hadn't learned something new, especially under Tsunade-sama. Still, that's a pretty dangerous combination. It doesn't seem like we'll be able to get to her easily, if she's hiding that far below ground."
Beside the scarecrow, the much bulkier Maito Gai gasped, "Kakashi, you wound me! Your devilishly hip attitude is one thing, but to call into
question my abilities? Surely you haven't forgotten that I am now two ahead in our string of contests?"
Behind his mask, the normally-easy going Jonin frowned slightly, "No, Gai, I hadn't forgotten... as much as I'd like to. But who knew you were able to out-eat an Akimichi? Anyway... you think you can get to her without causing serious injury?"
Gai nodded, "Indeed, Kakashi," while standing from his position and flexing more muscles than were strictly necessary for the 'nice guy pose', "In fact, I believe a technique I recently started teaching Lee will be able to get her out in the open easily enough. Give me a signal, and I'll take about... three seconds to have her up on the surface, where you can move in for the kill."
"Ma, 'kill' is a little harsh, isn't it, Gai? She's only a Chunin, and my cute little student!"
In response, the bulkier Jonin slapped the thinner one across the shoulder, forcing it to dispel in a puff of smoke.
"First Gate: Gate of Opening... Open!"
Several dozen feet away, a white-haired Jonin grimaced as his clone's destruction fed the memories of its and Gai's conversation to him. At once, though, he started counting. If Gai felt the need to open even one of the Eight Gates, he should probably take the fight a little seriously too... after all, it had been a while since Shizune had checked in. Since Tsunade had not called the match, that must have meant at least one of the others was still out there. And with Naruto involved... one just never knew what was going to happen next.
A moment later, a surge of chakra from Gai's fist slammed into the ground, creating a visible ripple which spread out far past where Kakashi still lay in every direction. The effect on the surface was minimal, but he could feel the impact and kinetic force, both chakra-fed, ripped through the soil and bedrock further down violently.
The pressure Kakashi could feel beneath him let up considerably, then sharpened quickly. He had just enough time to get to his feet and jump away before the earth underneath him crashed upward, followed by a dirty but well-maintained fist covered in a glove made from supple black leather, reinforced with studded steel plates.
When the dirt settled, which took several minutes, Kakashi was unsurprised to see a slightly winded, quite filthy, and very put-out Haruno Sakura standing at the top of a mound of loose dirt higher than he was. "Ma, Sakura... you should bathe more. You'll never get a man at this rate."
Sakura, though clearly annoyed at the jab, refused to take the bait. Instead, she spent a few more seconds spitting dirt before glaring in Kakashi's direction, "That was cheap, Kakashi-sensei. The whole battle field is useless for Earth jutsu now! At least all the ones I know!"
The lackadaisical Jonin only smiled behind his mask with a shrug. "I had nothing to do with it, believe it or not... that was all Gai. I just wanted you out in the open. I have to say, though, that was a good idea. The Hiding Like a Mole jutsu is pretty lethal when you combine it with an attack like what you've learned from the Hokage."
The medic stood up taller for a moment with a smile, "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. I thought it was a pretty good tactic myself, I'm surprised it took Tenten to think of it. But now that my secret's out, you can bet she and Naruto will be here to back me up."
Just then, a shrill whistle echoed through the new clearing. Tsunade's voice rang over the area, "Jonin Shizune is out for the match! The fight will resume when I blow the whistle again, in... fifty-two seconds!"
Sakura's grin widened, only to fall again a moment later when she recognized the green-clad man stepping from the brush behind Kakashi. Gai had clearly opened a gate already, if the visible chakra streaming off him was any indication. One Jonin, maybe, she might have been a match for in close combat... but not two, and especially not these two. All she could do now, when the whistle blew again, would be to stall and delay... and hope Naruto and Tenten got to her fast enough to keep the two better fighters from creaming her.
(O)(O)(O)
"Primary Lotus!"
The cry from two hundred yards away had Lee, Neji, and everyone else who'd seen the jutsu in action before cringing. Neji actually flinched and shut off his Byakugan momentarily. "My apologies... it's just too gruesome."
"What?!" Ino cried, "Surely they wouldn't-"
But Hinata interrupted, "No, Sakura-san is all right. It's just... there isn't much left of the area. Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei didn't give her a chance at all, and N-Naruto-k-kun- I mean, N-Naruto-s-s-san and Tenten-chan are still a ways off."
Kiba scowled, "I know this is a combat spar, but still. Isn't the point of this to see how good Sakura, Naruto, and Tenten are? It's not just to team up and squish them, is it?"
Shikamaru groused, "Such a drag... you really don't get it? That is the point. They're trying to test tactics too, and if Sakura, arguably the weakest fighter on the team, is left alone and vulnerable, that's a weakness the Jonin should exploit."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the whistle blew again, giving the watchers a full minute to calm down, and for the medics on standby to evaluate the injuries of those in the fight.
As Sakura was carried off on a stretcher (despite her vociferous complaints about it), Ino couldn't help but remark, "Two on two now. Naruto and Tenten are gonna get slaughtered, now that both medics are out."
Most of their circle of friends agreed. Two, however, dissented, though neither said a thing about it.
The female of the two only had one thought on her mind. Do your best, Naruto, and I'm sure you can win!
The male? Well, his thoughts were considerably more in-depth, but he just didn't care to explain any more. Even thinking about Naruto at all was just too troublesome.
(O)(O)(O)
An explosion caused by several explosive tags in a chain setup caused both Gai and Kakashi to spring into action. Both Jonin lunged forward, knowing, perhaps, that their best chance was taking out the younger ninja quickly. Since the fight was limited to non-lethal moves, their best attacks were forbidden, and the younger duo had the stamina to outlast them... or at least, Naruto had the stamina to outlast Kakashi, and Tenten probably did too.
No one really wanted to think about how long a fight on just endurance and chakra reserves would go if it was between Gai and Naruto.
The Chunin seemed to have been prepared for the onslaught, and had summoned a wall of sharpened steel spikes, which had appeared already sticking up dangerously in a forest of sharp pointy bits to impede the Jonin's progress.
Naruto, on the other hand, seemed to have been taken by surprise. The delaying tactic from the tool-user, though, gave him the chance he needed to recover... sort of.
The Jonin had, without communicating, pushed off each other, sending Kakashi high and over, and Gai low to slide beneath the dangerous parts of the instant tiger-teeth barricade.
The masked ninja came down with his right leg extended in an axe kick, attempting to bury his whiskered student's head into the ground before he could react.
Tenten was now just as surprised by the speed with which the two rivals had worked together to go around her trap (and in the fastest, most efficient way possible, too!), and was now hard-pressed to defend herself against her taller, stronger, faster Sensei... not least of which, because almost everything she knew about taijutsu she'd learned from him. At least, she thought, I have my bo. The two younger ninja had walked confidently into the shattered clearing where Sakura had been taken out. None of the four of them were Genjutsu users, they all preferred a straight-up fight, so why mess with that? Besides, if they did try it, Kakashi's Sharingan and Gai's experience and speed would likely overpower their own more feeble attempts. So a brawl it was, as Naruto had put it, mano y man...a? Whatever, she didn't need to know that far-distant language anyway.
A third parry in less than a second made Tenten focus once more on the battle. She had, on occasion, been able to tag Gai with one weapon or another. He was fast, incredibly so, but he was not perfect, and she was fast and skilled in her own right. The fact that he hit her far more often than she him was irrelevant... she had to take the chance. Staying power or not, she did not trust Naruto to be able to stand up to the kind of punishment Gai-Sensei dealt out. At least she was used to the training.
But the fourth parry, this time of a headbutt (What the hell is he doing?!), shattered the steel-lined staff, and cracked into Tenten's hitai-ate with resounding force. The follow-up knee that crashed into her side just below her floating ribs sent Tenten tumbling through the air, dazed, toward Naruto.
He, unfortunately, was not up to the task of catching her. Not while he was dodging phoenix-shaped fireballs, water bullets, and lightning-fast strikes.
As a result, she impacted Naruto hard enough to send the clone flying ten feet before the shock dispelled it. She, 'fortunately', had been able to bleed most of her momentum from that impact, and fallen on her back to slide a few meters across the loose ground away from Kakashi, who stood staring down at her.
"Owie..."
"You might want to surrender now, Tenten-chan," Kakashi drawled, "I knew that was a Shadow Clone all along, and so am I. The real me's probably taking out Naruto right about-"
The explosion was far more powerful than Tenten had planned for, despite the blonde warning her the night before that his biggest attack was really powerful. Kakashi and Gai had both been knocked off their feet, and the scarecrow she'd been facing had taken a spinning tree limb across the chest.
It did not, however, dispel afterwards. Instead, the real Kakashi sat up, wincing, and wheezing slightly, "Oohhhwww... thzat heeeewwt. Kwaaaked maah sternuhm."
Tenten used his injury (because no Jonin could fake spreading blood like that through their shirt... not easily, anyway) to get to her feet and summon another set of weapons, her dual broadswords. The wickedly-curved and more-wickedly sharp blades glinted cruelly in the sunlight, but Tenten didn't particularly care. No lethal techniques just meant she couldn't decapitate either of them. A little bit (ok maybe a lot) of bleeding would be a fair trade for the beating they'd given her..."
"You okay back there, Naruto?" she called. Sixteen voices, from all around the clearing, called out some variation of yes.
She could see, out of the corners of her eyes, the bystanders and watchers picking themselves up and inching closer again, though many of them were maintaining much better cover than they had been. Six Narutos walked out of the trees next. Three headed toward Gai, who watched them warily but apparently unconcerned, two toward Tenten, and the last toward Kakashi.
Tsunade continued to watch dispassionately as Naruto helped his old sensei, who seemed wary (probably wisely so), to his feet. But when Kakashi tried to let go and resume combat readiness, the blonde kept a tight grip on the other man's wrist. "Oh, Kakashi-Sensei? Did you know the man who invented the Great Clone Explosion was Ero-Sennin?"
The white-haired man's single visible eye stretched comically wide, and he jerked away. Naruto's clone, displaying surprising strength, dug in it's heels and took hold of Kakashi's arm with both hands. "Not so fast, Kakashi-Sensei! You haven't seen how super-charged I can make it yet! Don't you want to see?!"
"Uh, no," the tall man said, clearly desperate to escape, "I think I'll see it later, thanks. You can let go, now... I'll-"
"But Sensei!" the clone cried, louder now, "I just want you to see how strong I've become! How can anyone else acknowledge me if my own Sensei won't let me strut my stuff?!"
"No, no, I believe you, Naruto!" Kakashi cried, still trying to yank his hand away, while the other moved up to his headband.
Across the clearing, Gai facepalmed. Kakashi... was an idiot. That wasn't a clone at all... even he could tell that, and he didn't have Kakashi's Pinwheel Eye. Yes, facepalming may have been an unyouthful gesture, but... he felt it warranted in this case. Naruto was making a fool out of the elite Jonin... or at least, he would be in a minute.
Kakashi had just gotten the headband half-way off his Sharingan when the kunai poked him in the back of the neck. "I win, Kakashi-Sensei," the one in front of him said with a smile, letting go at once. The whistle blew.
Kakashi lifted the headband all the way off, the tomoe spinning.
He whimpered.
"I've said it before, Naruto... the number one, hyperactive, unpredictable- really unpredictable- knucklehead ninja. That's definitely you. Congratulations. I thought you'd try and steal my Icha Icha to bribe me with, or something."
The clone behind him sniggered. "You mean this Icha-Icha?"
Kakashi spun. The clone was, indeed, holding the yellow-covered Volume Three... and then it grinned wickedly.
"You wouldn't..."
"I so would. But... you already surrendered. So here you go." The clone tossed the book back to Kakashi, who caught it deftly and cradled it to his chest, sobbing with relief. He sank to his knees as the minute rest after someone was taken out continued to count down.
While the clone and the real Naruto gave each other repeated high-fives and fist-bumps as they congratulated each other on their quick thinking and teamwork (while fleeing Kakashi as fast as they could without letting him know something was up), Tenten watched in amusement. Kakashi was really into his books if he didn't notice the third shadow clone... especially with his Sharingan active.
Tsunade blew the whistle, and several things happened at once.
Gai called out, "Second Gate, Gate of Healing: Open!"
Tenten dropped her scimitar-like weapons and summoned a towering shield with spikes on the bottom, which she thrust into the ground and cowered behind.
The Naruto clone bravely sacrificed itself throwing it's master (who had apparently forgotten or not known his plan) to the ground, dying in the process.
Kakashi? Well, he got his already-wounded sternum exploded.
The book? The innocent (yeah, right) book? It was, of course, another clone under Henge... and yes, Naruto really did know the Great Clone Explosion technique.
While Tsunade performed the necessary emergency procedures to keep Kakashi from needing really urgent care and the regular medics and medi-nin arrived on the scene, Tenten and Naruto stood and resumed their ready stances. Gai had, in the brief span, opened the third gate, the Gate of Life, as well. Things were not looking good... but they still had one trump, one last move to try... short of getting beaten to smithereens by the super-powered taijutsu grandmaster, anyway.
But neither really considered that a viable 'tactic', no matter how likely it was to happen if Gai was this serious.
Even two on one, they had no chance if he was opening more than one gate.
Knowing the plan as well as he possibly could, Naruto attempted to spam Shadow Clones at Gai until his time limit of using the Gates ran out.
Unfortunately, he had based that calculation on Lee's limit, and not the much stronger Sensei's... who apparently had no limit. Because two hours later, some of the crowd were getting bored with watching clone after clone (or dozens and dozens at a time) be crushed under the might of, well, Maito Gai, only to be recreated or reborn a moment later by the chakra generator that was Uzumaki Naruto.
Tenten, however, appreciated the rest... if she was going to do this, really going to do this, she would need time to prepare... not just the trick itself, but mentally.
How long does one take to prepare to go against everything they stand for, anyway?
"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limits: Open!"
And then Gai was gone, into a vividly green blur. A flash of viridian later, so were the clones, and Naruto was slumping to the ground, unconscious.
Tsunade blew the whistle just in time to save her from Gai's onslaught. And by 'just in time', I mean that Gai's knee stopped two inches from Tenten's nose. The Sensei, however, even with five gates open, had the self-control and discipline to stop himself in an instant. Tenten was quite grateful in that moment for all the training Gai did. He went back to a neutral position, and Tenten took a single step away, allowing him to look- really look- at her.
Because while he'd been distracted by Naruto, she had put the final, horrifying phase of their master plan into effect.
It was a technique only she could pull off, at least in the middle of combat.
She thought she might call it ex-quip, but something about the word, a combination of equip and exchange, rang of... was that plagiarism? Anyway, it was a natural evolution of her tool and weapons summoning. All she'd done was seal and unseal one outfit, exchanging it for another, so quickly that she couldn't be seen through the smoke in the interim.
Several members, all the members, of the crowd gasped in near-simultaneous shock.
Oh, how the mighty had fallen... Tenten, proud kunoichi of Konoha, had stooped lower than anyone thought she ever would.
She was clad... in green spandex.
The orange legwarmers were, for her, at least pink instead of the orange her teammate tightly-fitting, far too revealing, green spandex all the same. The very same suit, in fact, that she'd worn when Naruto had demolished her clothes in Uzu.'
"Gai-Sensei," she cooed after the echoes from Tsunade's whistle faded. The man in question seemed so distracted, so overcome, that she felt she had plenty of time to lay it on thick. "In Uzu, I had the chance to... see the error of my ways. I... I wore one. And I liked it. Can I have one of my own, now? Pleeeeeeease? I want to be youthful, just like you and Lee."
The insects (not that any were left after the fighting had started) were silent.
The silence in the clearing was deafening. The wind had stilled in the trees.
Watchers, both civilian and ninja alike, stared, aghast. Stared in abject horror at the very idea...
In Konohagakure that day, ninety-two people, with one exception, everyone who could see it directly, shared one simultaneous thought... and then blanked the image from their minds forever. Not another green one...
But Lee's shout spurred their Sensei on. "Yosh! Tenten-chan, I knew it would work! You have finally discovered the raging power of youth!"
Gai twitched. "Tenten..."
"Yes, Gai-Sensei?" she asked, smiling and forcing her eyelashes to flutter. Kami, I feel so dirty... is this what a whore feels like?
"I am... so proud of you!" The volume of the cry shook the trees into motion again.
But as Gai spread his arms to envelope his female student in a hug, Tenten took a lesson out of Naruto's book from the ramen stand last night.
That lesson? No such thing as a cheap shot.
Crack.
Gai's eyes rolled up into his head as he fell backwards, clutching his groin.
He did not so much as whimper before he hit the ground.
Then the whistle blew, and Tsunade's voice echoed through the area,"Well, their methods might be a little unorthodox, but I can't deny it... the kids won!"
Then all she could remember was the horror, the shame, the unbearable agony, of being forced to wear that... that thing.
Without thinking about the consequences, Tenten immediately ripped the offensive green monstrosity off her flesh, and threw it as far as she could, shuddering. "Ugh..." she moaned, before realizing why the men in the group were not cheering... and why the women were urging her to 'put some clothes on, Tenten!'
The elation from defeating the Jonin was, understandably, a little short lived for the brunette.
At least I still have my cute, garden-variety combat-skivvies on... I hate my life...
A/N2: First, check the poll on my profile. It's fixed now, and I need responses as it concerns this story.
This is the review(s) response I alluded to in the earlier AN:
I won't name the name of the reviewer (no need to do so in a public forum, I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything), but his comments have lead me to make these clarifications:
In response to his(?) first review: Not according to my source(s). Both of the maps that I use for Naruto research (of which I do a considerable amount for every story I write) show Wave being off the east coast of Hi no Kuni, and slightly south of Konoha- that makes is southeast (more east than south, and the more accurate direction would be east-southeast, or east-due-southeast).
Wave is also east of Hi no Kuni- but when the story was written (even that first chapter) it was further south on the same map (which has been edited since publication... or at least since I wrote the chapter a few months ago). It is still, however, south-east of Konoha, and east-southeast of Wave, which used to be Uzu.
In response to the second review: No, this Naruto is not a moron like in canon. He is, in fact, quite intelligent... in an unconventional way. As, I would think, this chapter starts to illustrate (more than the last did, anyway, or the 2nd). He is a bit oblivious (and anyone who thinks a 15-16 yr old boy is not is sadly underinformed- I've been there, I was an idiot back then too), but he is far from stupid. Notice the verbal byplay between he and Tenten in Ch2 (which is the chapter that earned this review, by the way, if I recall correctly). He's not dumb- he's running circles around one of the more intelligent kunoichi verbally. That's not something dumb, unintelligent, or uneducated people can do very easily.
That being said, he is both like and unlike canon. Jiraiya took his training a bit more seriously in TROLL than he appears to have in canon, as did Kakashi (and before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, though to a lesser extent obviously). He's not a genius in every-day life. He's not Shikamaru.
But he is tactically, strategically, and in some ways socially brilliant. Look how he uses his clones even in canon. Not just as canon fodder (though it looks that way at first glance). Except chapter 1-2, he uses them to analyze and probe his opponents' strengths and weaknesses... and figure out a way past them, mid-battle. How many opponents does he catch by surprise? Even those who should never be surprised by him (Neji, Sasuke)? That's genius, no two ways about it.
Socially... He's a bit awkward. He's a kid who grew up essentially alone. But he also empathizes and sympathizes better than anyone else around, and that... can do things to/for people.
Anyway, this same reviewer also said the story wasn't for him, then favorited it a chapter or two later, so I'm not coming down on him/her- I'm really not- just pointing out a few things he/she may not have noticed and saying 'don't judge the story based on 1-2 chapters'. Like all of mine, the characters grow and change over time... as the story evolves as well.
Thanks, that's all, sorry for the rant (that wasn't a rant), etc etc. Have a nice day! And until next time... bonjour!
Read, review, and check the poll out on my profile. It's related to this story... and while I don't do it often, it's also related to the plot. Specifically, the ship. Do I keep it strictly NaruTen as I was mostly planning? Do I bring in Shion (before NaruTen happens) do keep his Shippuden promise? Or do I do a poly 3-way (as I did in Late Blossoms, and am working on in OH) with Naruto, Tenten, and Shion all at once, as my Beta has been urging me to do?
The error with the poll not appearing has also been fixed, by the way, so if you tried before and couldn't, it works now. ;)