The Chuunin stadium in Konoha had nearly refilled as the midday break had come to an end. Everyone was back in their seats, and Naruto rejoined the sand-nin on the upper balcony. Tsunade returned to her own balcony and was surprised to see her old friend waiting for her.
"It's about time you got here, Jiraiya," she muttered at seeing her fellow Sannin.
"Oh Tsunade…don't be mean. I came a long way to be here today; I hear my apprentice is participating this year and wanted to see him."
"Well you already missed his first match. He took down Kakashi earlier this morning."
"Kakashi? My…my…so the boy has really improved. I bet that was a great fight to watch."
"It would have been except Naruto took him down in under ten seconds," the Hokage said with a slight smirk.
Now, the old pervert was really interested.
"Ten seconds, you say? I wonder what kind of training he's been doing since he left that could make him improve so much. So…who did you pick for his next opponent?"
"I originally picked Neji, but the council overrode my decision. Or more precisely, Danzo – along with Homura and Sotaru I imagine – forced the council to change it."
"Who did they pick?" Jiraiya asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Tsunade answered flatly.
"Hmm…then this is going to be a very interesting day. This must be another one of fate's little ironies that those two would be fighting today. More importantly, I think those two want to finish this fight once and for all."
"Naruto told me that he wanted to fight Sasuke, but I made him promise not to blow up the stadium. Those two could wreak havoc if their fight became upscale enough."
"I don't think Naruto would allow it to get to that point. He always has a few tricks up his sleeve. I taught him everything he knows," Jiraiya said with an arrogant smile.
"I'm sure…like how to be a master pervert. Thank God he's head over heels for Sakura, or I'd have to worry about him along with you."
"Awww…how sweet of you, Tsunade. I had no idea you worried about me so much," he teased and leaned closer to her.
"The hell I do! I'm merely protecting the young women of this village from being scarred for life by you spying on them bathing."
"You wound me, Tsunade; I'm merely conducting research for my books. Do you have suggestions where I might do that? I hear they just opened a new bathhouse recently; I think I should pay it a visit – make sure it has nice viewpoints," the old man said with a perverted smile.
"Over my dead body!" the Hokage growled and yanked on his long, white hair. Jiraiya leaned even closer and deliberately invaded her personal space.
"Don't say that, hime, I prefer your body alive and well," and his eyes trailed down her form. He blatantly stopped at her large breasts and leered happily.
"Knock it off," she growled and punched him into the side wall.
Jiraiya picked himself up and brushed off his clothes.
"No matter how far I travel, you're still the best, Tsunade."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You've still got the best right cross I've ever seen, and you've still got the best rack I've ever laid my eyes on. Too bad you won't let me get to know them better," he nearly pouted.
Tsunade should've been irate, but she almost laughed at the downtrodden look on his face. Only Jiraiya would be ridiculously depressed because he'd never seen her breasts.
"Oh, stop moping over there and pull up a chair. Naruto's match is next, and I know you'll want to see it."
"Alright, you win, hime," the frog hermit grumbled and sat down next to her.
"By the way, Jiraiya…" she trailed off, and he looked at her with slight frown on his face.
"…if you behave yourself, I'll consider changing how familiar you are with me."
The old man's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, and his frown immediately turned to a full smile.
"Really?" he gulped while trying not to drool.
"Yes. But remember, I said that I would consider it only. Don't get ahead of yourself; you have a long ways to go yet before I consider it."
"Name it, hime, and it's yours. You know I'm your personal slave," he nearly purred.
"Watch it, you old pervert, you're gonna make me change my mind," she teased right back.
The two old friends laughed together, and Tsunade pulled out a sake bottle from her robes.
"Where did you get that? I thought alcohol wasn't allowed in here," Jiraiya stated.
"I swiped it from the restaurant I had lunch at," the Hokage replied.
"Tsunade, you stole it!"
"Of course not. I left the money for it on the counter. Besides, I'm the Hokage. Who the hell's gonna take it from me?" and she pulled out two small saucers.
"I do so love the way your mind works, hime," Jiraiya laughed as he took one of the saucers from her. She didn't answer him - merely chugged down the alcohol and refilled her cup as she waited for the next match to begin.
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Naruto took a deep breath as he waited for his match to begin. He stood just outside one of the entrances to the arena; he knew Sasuke was waiting on the opposite side. The blonde calmed himself and focused his mind; he was not going to be acting like an idiot in this fight. A lot of people were used to seeing almost a playful Naruto when he fought because he enjoyed competition. However, this was about more than just enjoying himself; he owed Sasuke for insulting his mate. He had said goodbye to Sakura a few minutes ago, and she had given him a long, hard kiss that made his head spin.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road."
Naruto heard the proctor call his name, and he stepped out into the light. He could hear the roar of the crowd as he walked towards the center of the arena. He saw Sasuke waiting for him with his trademark blank expression. Naruto advanced towards his opponent; his own expression hard as stone.
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The proctor stepped between the two opponents, and he could see the anger festering between the two of them.
"We will now commence the next match – Sasuke Uchiha vs. Naruto Namikaze. Are you two ready?"
"Sir, before we begin…" Naruto trailed off.
"Is there a problem?"
"No sir, but I suggest you leave the battlefield and join the crowd."
"What are you talking about?"
Naruto turned to face the proctor, and the jounin gulped as he saw the fire in the young man's eyes.
"I do not wish for you to be harmed during this fight, sir. It would be better if you were not on this battlefield. You will see that Sakura Haruno is standing over by the first row of seats. Please join her."
"What are you doing, dobe?" Sasuke growled.
"Making sure there aren't any innocent victims in our fight, teme."
The proctor glanced up at the Hokage, and she nodded her head to Naruto's suggestion. The jounin made his way over to where Sakura was standing and jumped over the barricage around the battlefield area.
"Alright, young lady, what is going on here?" the proctor nearly demanded.
"Nothing sir. Naruto merely did not want any innocents hurt during this fight."
While waiting for the match to start, Sakura had placed seals up and down the barricade. Kyoko had shown how to do this and explained what it was used for. The pinkette affixed the last seal in place, and a wall of chakra shot up in front of the crowd forming a barrier.
"Now, no one will be hurt by accident, sir."
The proctor didn't know why she had done this, but since the Hokage approved it, he wasn't going to make a fuss about it. Looking at the two shinobi waiting for his word, he raised his hand above his head.
"Let the match…begin!" he shouted.
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Sasuke and Naruto didn't move. They merely stared at each other with hard expressions on their faces. The two former teammates glared at one another trying to read any of their opponent's actions.
"So dobe, it's finally time for me to put you in your place; you've been pampered by the Hokage and that old pervert for way too long. It's time that you learned that you are nothing compared to an Uchiha. You even had to use a fake name to enter this competition."
Naruto smirked inwardly but did not say a word. So, Sasuke didn't know about his lineage; he would enjoy enlightening him – but not just yet.
"Why did you have your pink-haired whore put up that silly barrier?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he would not lose his concentration. He knew that Sasuke was trying to manipulate his emotions, but he was going to show everyone here today exactly what he could do.
"I know you wouldn't be satisfied with just a match of taijustu, Sasuke. This way, we won't hurt the people watching while we fight. Let's finish what we started at the Valley of the End."
"Don't you remember, dobe? I beat you that time, and I will beat you again today."
"Sasuke…you know the truth is that neither one of us won that fight; it was draw. That's why you can't stand talking about."
"You seem to forget, dobe; you were left lying unconscious on the ground."
"And you seem to forget I had to help my team fight through a squad of Orochimaru's minions before I even got you. I'm not saying it wasn't a fair fight, but don't think for one second you're better than me. If you want to try and put me in my place, Sasuke, stop whining like a petulant child and come get me!" the blonde challenged.
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The Uchiha charged at him with almost blinding speed. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan to read Naruto's movements so he could attack his weak points. Just before his fist connected with the side of the blonde's head, Naruto's hand shot up and caught his strike.
"Nice try, Sasuke."
The Uchiha growled and commenced a barrage of hand and leg strikes, but Naruto countered them all. He didn't attack Sasuke merely parried his onslaught. This continued from one end of the arena to the other as the two shinobi clashed together.
Sasuke eventually jumped back and flashed through a series of hand signs. Naruto recognized the configuration and raised his hands. Concentrating his wind element into his hands, two blades of solid chakra ignited in his palms. You could hear the screeching from the blades as the compressed wind chakra shrieked angrily.
"You're so stupid, dobe. Wind element won't help you against this – Fire Element: Flame Burst!"
Cupping his hands in front of his mouth, Sasuke shot a stream of fire aimed directly for Naruto. The fire spread out dramatically into a nearly ten foot wide wall of flame storming towards the young shinobi.
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Up in the stands, people watched in awe as the technique was unleashed.
"Is Sasuke crazy? He's gonna kill him!" Ino gasped.
"I don't think so, Ino. Trust me, Naruto knows what he's doing," Sakura stated from her seat next to her.
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Naruto waited until the approaching flames were exactly where he wanted them before he began his plan of attack. Increasing the intensity of the blades in his hand, he waited until the screech reached a certain pitch, and he knew he was ready.
"Wind Element: Sonic Blades Scream!"
Naruto reared back and flung the two blades directly at the incoming fire attack. Sasuke nearly grinned at his opponent's actions because he knew that wind element could not beat fire element – at least not usually.
The two attacks collided, and an unearthly scream shattered across the stadium making everyone cover their ears. Sasuke Uchiha watched in horror as the wind blades ripped through the wall of fire and blasted him head on. He was thrown clear across the arena and slammed into the far wall. The shockwave from the collision shook the entire battleground, and the crowd was stunned speechless.
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Up on the balcony where Gaara was standing, his sister and Shikamaru were observing this match with wide eyes.
"Damn…what the hell was that? I'm a master of wind, and I've never seen a fire jutsu defeated like that," Temari gasped.
"I'm not to sure myself; that should not have happened. The fire should have gotten stronger from the wind. How did Naruto do that?" Shikamaru stated with a shake of his head.
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Naruto stared at the aftermatch of his counterattack and saw Sasuke lying face down on the ground. He calmly walked across the field but remained on his guard.
"Get up, Sasuke, I know that didn't hurt you badly enough to stop you."
Sure enough, the Uchiha easily stood back up to his feet, but his face was a mask of anger.
"How the hell did you break that jutsu? Wind element does not defeat fire element."
Naruto smirked at his opponent's frustration and figured he might as well explain.
"You are correct, Sasuke. Normally, wind element would only strengthen fire element. Unless, of course, the wind is traveling at a certain velocity."
"Stop speaking nonsense, dobe. Answer the damn question!"
"Have you ever seen a shockwave blow out a fire or cut through a river to make a path. When wind reaches a certain speed, it can cut through virtually anything. Once it reaches critical velocity, it passes the speed of sound, and a shockwave known as a sonic boom is created. You recall seeing similar things when large chakra attacks are used; the shockwaves from the attacks destroyed rocks or cut through trees. All I did was focus my wind chakra into a compressed state and built up its speed. Where do think that screeching noise was coming from? Haven't you ever heard the wind howling before? Once the wind in my blades reached the speed I needed, it was only a matter of aiming them correctly and releasing them. When they impacted with your flame attack, yes, the wind did help strengthen the fire, but the shockwaves released from the compressed chakra being unleashed easily blew out your jutsu, and the remnants blasted you into that wall over there. That good enough of an answer for you, teme!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke was speechless; he couldn't believe what he just heard. The scary part was that everything Naruto had just said made perfect sense.
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"Hot damn, did you see Naruto just now? That attack was awesome," Ino said with a happy smile.
"I understand what he is talking about," Chouji said with a nod of his head.
"You do?" his girlfriend ask in surprise.
"Yes. Remember when we first saw Naruto use his Rasen-Shuriken. After the impact of his attack, there was a massive shockwave that nearly blew us all way."
"You're right. I'd never felt anything like that."
"Neither have I. And also, when he was gathering chakra for the technique, did you see the wind flowing around him. Did you see how it cut through some of the rocks? That was due to the speed and intensity of the wind chakra he was gathering. Naruto has discovered a very unique way of countering attacks; it should not be possible though."
"That's what he does though," Sakura cut in with a wide grin, "he makes the impossible possible."
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"So you learned a new trick, Naruto; that won't save you from my Sharingan's power."
"You rely too much on your precious eyes, Sasuke, and it is your greatest weakness."
That made the Uchiha mad, and he raised his Sharigan to its third level.
'Just wait, dobe, I'm going to destroy you from the inside out.'
Chakra pulsing from his eyes, Sasuke unleashed his next attack. Naruto suddenly saw his surroundings change, and everyone disappeared. He felt very cold and somewhat depressed.
'Genjustu. I knew he would do this,' the blonde thought silently.
The scenery around him was pitch black until something flashed in front of him. It was the sight of Sasuke on a large bed with Sakura bent over in front of him. He was thrusting into her from behind, and the pinkette was screaming in pleasure.
"That's right, my little bitch, this is your favorite position isn't?" Sasuke growled as he fucked her harder.
"Yes, it's my favorite; I love it," the Sakura in front of Naruto moaned.
"Nice try, teme, but it's not going to work!"
The blond shinobi did not even hesitate. Forming two wind blades in hands, he walked up to the couple and cut them in half. The illusion disappated, and Naruto was left in darkness again.
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Sasuke was agitated. He was certain that image of him fucking Sakura would drive Naruto crazy with anger. He decided to change tactics and peered deeper into Naruto's mind. Suddenly, a hand reached out and wrapped around his throat from behind. Managing to turn his head enough to see his attacker, the Uchiha was astounded to see a pair of familiar, blue eyes.
"Naruto…how…how did you find me?"
"You forget, Sasuke, this is my mind you're in right now. That makes finding you a piece of cake."
"Impossible! My sharingan parylyzes your mind and submits you to my will; nothing can withstand it!"
"Your arrogance is another weakness you have, Sasuke; sharingan is not an all powerful technique. The basis of how sharingan works is its genjustu mastery. The core of genjustu is using your willpower and chakra to make an opponent see what you want them to see. However, if your opponent has a fighting spirit and will as strong or more powerful than your own, the genjutsu will not form properly, and you will be at the mercy of your opponent's mind. Here's a small taste of that!"
Naruto squeezed his hand tighter around Sasuke's throat, and the young man started gagging.
Back in the real world, the two shinobi looked to be staring at each other. That is, until Sasuke appeared to start being choked by an invisible hand.
"What is going on with Sasuke?" Kiba asked dumbfounded.
"I can sense a genjutsu on the battlefield, but it carries the chakra markers of the Sharingan. I don't know why Sasuke is the one who is in pain," Hinata answered as her Byakugan surveryed the scene.
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Even Danzo was rather stumped as he observed the odd exchange. He knew that the Uchiha had locked the Kyuubi brat in his genjutsu, but the blonde should be the one writhing in pain.
'What the hell is going here?' he growled silently.
He could hear the Root-nin around him muttering as well. They were all wondering just what was happening down there.
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Naruto looked up at his prey with deadly eyes. He could probably kill him like this, but the victory would be hollow to him. He didn't want to beat Sasuke just in his own mind; he wanted to beat him for real. Quickly pinning his opponent to the ground, Naruto pressed his advantage and drilled two of his fingers directly into Sasuke's eyes.
The screamed that shook that place did not sound human!
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The real Sasuke's hands shot up to his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground screaming in agony. His sharingan instinctively deactivated bringing both combatants back to reality.
After several minutes, Sasuke managed to reopen his eyes and saw Naruto standing over him impassively. He immediately got back to his feet; rage burning in his eyes.
"You bastard, how dare you do that to me?" he hissed.
"What's wrong, Sasuke? Can't handle a taste of your own medicine? You never expected me to have the fighting spirit or will to break your genjutsu, did you?"
"Who the hell are you," the Uchiha shouted.
"I am the same Naruto you have always known; I merely know who I am now. My full name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze; I am the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze."
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as the last name reverberated in his mind; he knew that name. He could hear gasps coming from the crowd as they recognized the name as well.
"Yes, Sasuke, it is just as you realize…" Naruto trailed off as he turned to look at the crowd.
He saw most of the people – including the council – staring at him impatiently. He saw Sakura with a quiet smile on her face, and his friends looking at him with utter surprise. He saw Tsunade smiling proudly at him along with Jiraiya. Reaching the last person he wanted to look at, Naruto stared Danzo directly in the eye.
"…I am the son of the fourth Hokage!" he shouted for all to hear.
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Author's Notes: Well guys, slight pause here. I know some of you wanted me to have Naruto simply decimate Sasuke, but I decided to try and make it more where Naruto has to counter what Sasuke throws at him – beat him at his own game. Next time, we'll finish the fight, and I think you'll like the ideas I've come up with for it.