KG: I'd like to thank everyone's opinion on the matter of the question I asked in the last chapter. Now then, for now this will be a Naruto x Samui x Ayane fic. And should, I repeat, SHOULD I try anything else then I'll bring Kyoko into it. Now then moving on to more important matters.
Land of Iron Stadium, evening
People watched the long process of battles take place in the second round as they found the stadium floor to be a lot more tricky. Most people couldn't even keep their balance on the platform long enough to fight, but that was the fun in it.
Naruto and Anko sighed as they continued to watch the fights take place. They still hadn't had their turns to fight, but neither had Ayane either, but they did have more than enough motivation as they saw a few people die at the tournament. It did make them frown that some people really killed their teammates in order to advance to the next part. The blonde could feel his rage boiling slightly from seeing the killing, but he held it in. Killing was allowed so there was nothing he could do if it was like that. As far as he knew, Ayane remained emotionless to it all. Her gaze would go colder if a kill took place, but she seemed like the person who had seen it all so Naruto figured that she just wasn't letting it bother her.
"I'm so gonna mess him up when I see him," Anko said glaring at a dark haired man as he walked off the platform with an insane grin on his face.
"I see he pissed you off also. It's rare for you to want to get into Anko-nee," Naruto told her and the purple haired anbu snickered with a small nod. She could feel the need to have some 'fun' with her target if she ever got the chance to meet him. Meanwhile, Mifune stood to his feet and held out his hand.
"The tournament with have a small intermission. All contestants are allowed to roam around for an hour before they are to return. All those who don't return will be signed as forfeited," Mifune yelled before he walked away from everyone along with his guards. So on that note, everyone got from their seats to go stretch their legs or to get something to eat so they could enjoy the tournament some more.
Naruto stood to his feet while Anko turned to him with a slight smile on her face. As Naruto walked away, she grabbed his sleeve jerking the blonde a little bit making him turn around.
"And where are you going?" she asked while Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a small smile.
"Umm I'm just going to walk around. I'll see you later Anko-nee," Naruto said as he walked off. Anko shook her head at her student as she wondered if he could ever stay still, but a good stretch of the leg muscles did seem like a good idea to the Snake Mistress plus she was getting kind of hungry even if she didn't want to admit it.
"I guess I'll go get something to eat also," Anko said putting her hand in her trench coat pockets before walking off towards who knows where.
Meanwhile, Ayane got up from her seat also and sought to acquire some nourishment also. She did notice Naruto walking off, but didn't bother with it. He was just another face in the crowd of people that she would have to fight. Even if Muramasa said that he was interesting. She had to admit that the blonde in intrigued her somewhat. Despite her mindset, she'd really want to see him in the finals just so she could mop the floor with him.
"Well guess I'll leave also. Gotta be back here soon though," She said in her thoughts before vanishing.
With Naruto
The blonde genin was currently drinking a cup of water from a small vendor who was selling them. He sighed in relief before looking out the window to see the snow falling down heavily. It looked like a blizzard outside and he was so thankful to not be out there. Naruto turned his head and glared as he saw the same dark haired man who won his match. Naruto didn't know his name as he might have faded out at the time, but he could still remember that face. It was almost impossible to forget actually. Multiple people stayed away from him.
Naruto averted his gaze from the man before he looked to see Mifune, the leader of the Land of Iron, appear with his guards. The master swordsman took a glance at Naruto and eyed him up and down. The blonde decided to wave to the man giving him a pleasant greeting to which Mifune slightly waved back. Him and his guards quickly vanished around the corner of the small room that a few people were in.
"Well at least he waved to me. I wonder what his problem is," Naruto said to himself before finishing his drink of water and throwing the cup away. It was then that Naruto saw the dark haired man snicker as he rubbed his hands before he disappeared around the corner. Naruto narrowed his eyes and followed behind him. Something was wrong with this guy and the blonde wanted to know what it was.
"Hmmm I have another 50 minutes before I need to get back to the stadium so I'll tail him for a bit," the blonde said as he walked behind the man. He watched him move through the passageways of the stadium with a small, but wicked smile on his face. He walked off and Naruto stood behind a wall. He moved his head slightly to see the man stop in the middle of the hallway. The blonde gulped at the thought of being spotted so easily before he saw the man rub the back of his head.
"Dammit, where the hell was it?" he asked himself while Naruto watched him try to remember whatever it was. It didn't take long before he gasped and continued to walk off with a smile. Naruto sighed in relief before he walked after the man. He felt so secret doing something like this, but he was a shinobi so it something like that.
Soon the blonde felt a touch on his shoulder and gasped as he pulled out a kunai. He quickly twirled his body and stopped the kunai inches from someone's neck. He glared at the person who, unexpectedly, snuck up on him. He didn't even see it coming. Soon his gaze softened at who it was. It was Ayane who was kneeling right next to him with her cold, red eyes glaring into his own.
"What are you doing here?" she asked and Naruto rolled his eyes as he pointed to her.
"Are you kidding? That's my line. I'm tailing that dark haired guy who massacred his opponent. He's up to something," Naruto said looking over the corner of the wall. Ayane did the same as they saw the man walking off.
"In case you forget, but you have a tournament to get to," she said to him and Naruto looked at one of the clocks that was on the wall and gazed at the time.
"Still got 45 minutes. So how did you know that I'm following this guy?" the blonde asked and Ayane looked over his shoulder. She saw the man's retreating form before glaring back at Naruto.
"Simply saw you walking off in the same direction he was. My eyes just happened to do that. Oh and just so you know, his name is Ronan Yasuki. At least know the name of your opponents before you tail them," Ayane said and Naruto pouted at her.
"Hmph, I don't want to hear that from a girl who closes her eyes every time there is a fight," Naruto responded to her and Ayane glared at him.
"Don't try and turn this back on me," she whispered to him while Naruto waved her off. He quickly left his spot and followed the man before he lost his target. Ayane moved behind him as the two stayed on the man they were talking. It was then that they finally made it down to the lower levels of the stadium where...the boiler room was. It was a little hot with the steel pipelines running through it along with the a few bits of steam coming out of it.
"How much time left?" Naruto asked, but Ayane shook her head as she wasn't sure what time it was at this point. She hopped onto the pipes and followed Ronan while Naruto traveled along the ground. He glared as he saw Ronan stop. Both he and Ayane glared before they saw Ronan take a small rope and give it a tug. Immediately steam whistled out of the pipes before he dropped through the floor. Naruto widened his eyes while Ayane dropped to her ground with her high-heeled shoes making a small clanking sound. Naruto came up behind her as he looked around.
"Now do you see why I'm following him?" the blonde asked and the purple haired girl from the Mugen Tenshin clan nodded.
"I suppose you were right. He is acting strange. Hold on for a minute," Ayane said as she rummaged around her clothes. Naruto sighed and leaned on a pipeline as he took out a piece of paper. He quickly wrote on it before he bit his thumb.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," The blonde said slamming the ground. Immediately a snake appeared while Ayane eyed the creature. She glared back at Naruto before looking through her stuff.
"Please pass this to Anko-nee for me alright?" Naruto asked and the snake bowed as it took the piece of paper in its mouth
"Asssss you wisssssh Naruto-sama," The snake said before vanishing out of sight. Meanwhile Naruto watched Ayane pull out a book and she flipped a few pages. It looked something like the bingo book, but Naruto wasn't sure what it was.
"I figured as much. Ronan Yasuki is from the Yasuki clan. Their a shady clan and nothing is really known about them. They've been convicted of theft, robbery, smuggling and some other things. It's no wonder he's shady," Ayane said and immediately a poof came back with the same snake as before. It handed the blonde the note before dispelling. Naruto opened the note and twitched his eyebrow.
"I've got no idea where you are, but you'd better hurry. We have thirty minutes left in our break so you'd better get your ass over here or you will rue the day little brother.
Anko,"
Naruto chuckled before he put the note away. He glanced back to see Ayane staring at him with a confused expression on her face while Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"We've got thirty minutes left. So let's hurry up. If he's really as you say he is then we'd better not lose him," Naruto said and Ayane furled up her scroll. She'd feel better investigating this thing by herself, but Naruto had started before her so technically she was only helping him out with his own investigation. She quickly passed him before huffing.
"Just don't get in the way," she replied to him and Naruto snickered as they each stood where Ronan had stood not too long ago. Naruto grabbed the small rope before turning to Ayane who nodded. He pulled the handle and they both dropped through the ground just like Ronan. It was then that a few figures appeared from behind the corner as they narrowed their eyes.
"Are you sure that the two of those kids came in here?" Mifune asked and Muramasa nodded with a smile on his face. He stroked his beard before he lightly chuckled.
"Well it seems you were right. Imagine my surprise when I find you here," Mifune said and Muramasa grinned while he dawdled into the room.
"They are just like we were when we were their age," he said stroking his beard again.
"I don't want to imagine your youth, but I know what your saying. They both show promise for being the youngest to enter this tournament. It would be a shame to disqualify them for trying to protect everyone. Which is something my samurai should be doing," Mifune said while he held his sword. Muramasa was the same way. He'd love to see both Ayane and Naruto fight it out some more.
"Say, can there be replacements in this tournament?" he asked and Mifune turned to the old blacksmith. He saw a small gleam in his old eyes before he folded his arms.
"What did you have in mind?" Mifune asked and Muramasa smiled as he saw potential in two unlikely people. Two people that he knew would fight if it would keep Naruto in the tournament. Muramasa whispered to Mifune and the samurai leader narrowed his eyes before nodding.
"I agree. That is a good solution I guess. Those two are lucky they know you," Mifune said as they walked off before chatting to each other about something that wasn't heard.
With Naruto and Ayane
The two stood on the platform as it descended further and further away from the stadium by this time they both knew that they wouldn't make it to the tournament since they weren't sure if this would go back up or not so they decided to at least get something done and that was to continue to pursue Ronan.
"You know this is all your fault right?" Ayane asked as leaned on a small wall. Naruto turned to her and raised an eyebrow. Out of all the things she could've said, that wasn't one of the things he thought.
"How is this my fault? If I recall, you came after me. I didn't make you do anything," Naruto said folding his arms and Ayane sighed. She placed a hand on her hip and sighed. He had a point there. She remembered that she told herself, what he did wasn't any of her business and yet here she was following the blonde to who knows where. She really didn't have any right to accuse him of anything.
"It's still your fault," she said with a small smile on her face. Naruto pouted at her as he looked out to see a large boiler dome. It was fully mechanical with multiple springs going back and forth. In the center was a large bowl filled with fire as it dumped metal into it making it burn.
"Where is this?" the blonde asked himself, but Ayane gave him an answer.
"It looks like we're underneath the Land of Iron. Mifune-dono probably makes his weapons here. Do you see Ronan?" she asked and Naruto shook his head. He looked around the as they were still going down in the platform.
Since he had nothing to do, Naruto decided to take the time to observe Ayane. He looked at her attire going from the top to the bottom. If he were honest with himself then he'd really say that she looked like another Samui in different clothes. She definitely had the cold attitude down along with the cold stare, but in her eyes Naruto could see something. He could see the loneliness, hurt and sadness that came from being rejected. He felt like Ayane was something like him, but he didn't know if that was true or not. She was definitely serious enough though.
"So why did you follow me anyway?" Naruto asked and Ayane closed her eyes. She thought over that question for a few moments before turning around.
"I don't really have a reason for it. I could also ask why you seemed so interested in my fight. It wasn't anything special," Ayane said and that immediately got Naruto talking.
"Are you kidding? Don't sell yourself short. You were amazing. Not even half the guys in this tournament could move as fast as you did," Naruto complimented and Ayane simply accepted it since she wasn't used to that many appreciations for her skills.
"Well thank you I guess. It seems we're coming to the end of the line," Ayane told him and Naruto looked down to see that she was right. They came to the bottom and stepped off. The two ninja has lost sight of Ronan and both cursed before they walked around. There wasn't anyone in the room so they seemed to be safe, but both were on high alert for anything.
Naruto and Ayane came up to the middle of the boiler room where the large bowl was. The blonde placed his hand on it feeling the slight warm while Ayane walked a bit further.
"Hey, can I ask you a question?" he asked the purple haired girl making said girl give a small sigh before turning around.
"I thought you wanted to investigate, not interrogate," she said half jokingly making Naruto slightly snicker.
"No that's not what I meant. Just a simple question is all," Naruto said and Ayane nodded. She wasn't sure if this was the time for jokes or questions, but she didn't mind it so long as it wasn't too personal.
"Tell me, why are you sad?" Naruto asked her and Ayane raised an eyebrow. She turned around and her was surprised to see the slightly serious eyes that Naruto was looking at her with.
"I'm not sad. I don't know what you're talking about," Ayane told him as she stopped walking Naruto narrowed his eyes before looking straight into her eyes. The purple haired kunoichi glared at him and Naruto sighed.
"Your eyes. I see a lot of sadness in them. Why is that?" Naruto asked and Ayane widened her eyes before quickly breaking her stare from the blonde jinchuuriki. She turned her head away and closed her eyes.
"It's not something you could understand nor is it something that I'm going to tell you. Now if you're done let's go," she said walking off and Naruto glared at her. He sighed before he walked off with her since she wasn't in the mood to talk to him now.
Back at the Stadium
Anko wondered where the hell Naruto was as she hadn't seen him at all. The tournament had started and everyone was back, but the weird thing was that Mifune didn't publicly say that Naruto was disqualified. She also saw that Ayane girl was gone also. It was weird. Maybe her brother was finally becoming a man. The Snake Mistress snickered at the possibility of that happening, but then Mifune stood to his feet when the announcer called.
"Naruto Yuhi-Uzumaki vs Taro Satou," the announcer called and the man stood waiting for his target. Anko gulped while Shikamaru and Hinata were confused. The blonde was no were to be found before Mifune stood to his feet.
"Naruto Yuhi-Uzumaki is performing a service to me for the time being. In his place I sincerely ask that his one of his teammates take his place for the time being," Mifune yelled making Hinata and Shikamaru widen their eyes. Muramasa turned to them and smiled.
"Well are one of you going to do it?" he asked and they both glanced at each other before they looked back at the stadium. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head and sighed.
"Man so troublesome. That's just like Naruto. Oh well, he wants to fight that girl in the finals and so I guess I'll help him out, but he'd better pay me back for this," Shikamaru said as he got to his feet. He raised his hand and everyone watched him come onto the field.
"Naruto better pay me back for this," Shikamaru said as he took out a kunai. Taro had no problem with this before the announcer coughed in his hand.
"Umm alright then. Until his return, Naruto Yuhi-Uzumaki will be substituted with his teammate, Shikamaru Nara," the announcer yelled and the fight between the Taro and Shikamaru began while the stadium watched. Muramasa turned to Hinata and gave her a pleading look.
"Umm Hyuuga-san do you think that you could sub for Ayane-chan. She's in the same boat for your friend," Muramasa told her and Hinata blushed. She rubbed her two fingers together and gulped.
"B-But I'm no good at-," She paused when Muramasa handed her a kunai. She looked at him and the blacksmith gave a pleading look for her to help. Hinata knew how much Naruto wanted to fight Ayane. She could tell that some of the stadium wanted to see those two fight also. She was interested in it also. It would be kind of nice she figured.
"Umm alright I guess," the Hyuuga heiress said and Muramasa smiled with a sincere thank you for her help while they watched Shikamaru fight it out with the Taro man.
With Naruto and Ayane
The two late contestants were walking through the room in silence. They hadn't said a word to each other for a whole ten minutes. Ayane walked behind Naruto with a small aggressive face. She was so pissed off right now. Who did this blonde think he was to come into her life like this? She didn't even know the damn guy. She also didn't know why she was angry, but that question really pissed her off; however when she stopped to think about it she did wonder how he knew that she might've been sad.
Ayane was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't see Naruto stop his footsteps before she walked into him. The purple haired kunoichi gasped before she backed up.
"Ugh why did you stop?" She asked and Naruto put a finger to his lip telling her to be quiet. She seemed confused by the action before the blonde pointed towards a small room. She looked over his shoulder to see Ronan talking with someone.
"Do you have what I want?" the man asked and Ronan grinned madly as he took out a small scroll from his pouch. He handed it to the mysterious man before he closed his eyes.
"I hope you know that I lost a year's worth of a rare metal alloy to deliver this to you," he said while the mystery man took the scroll.
"Don't worry about unnecessary details. Once our operation is complete we will behead the leader of the Land of Iron. His head will look good on my wall. Now take your money and get out of my sight before someone sees us," the man said and Ronan chuckled before licking his lips.
"Well that won't be a problem. I'll just take care of two little birds who seem to have overheard us," Ronan said making Naruto and Ayane widen their eyes.
"He knew. We got played," Naruto said before the two shinobi jumped back from the wall and ran for the platform. Ronan grinned like mad as he took out his weapon which was a a long staff with two heavy metal clubs with spikes on them at both ends. He smiled as the two running shinobi as they tried to get away from him.
"Dammit how could I not see it?" Ayane asked as she berated herself while Naruto cursed also. He turned around to see the man throw his weapon at them both before Naruto grabbed Ayane.
"Get down!" he said as they hit the floor. The weapon crashed into the platform making it crumble in front of them. Naruto and Ayane cursed as they both hopped to their feet.
"Now it's your fault," she said taking out her kodachi. Naruto took out his demon wind shuriken that he got from Sasuke as Ronan came up to them. They saw the other man disappear as they cursed.
"Two little shinobi who are in over their heads. Provide me with some entertainment," He told them both as Ayane and Naruto glared at him.
"Any ideas?" Naruto asked and the Mugen kunoichi sighed.
"We'll have to use some teamwork. Neither of us can beat him on our own. This shows I need more training," Ayane said while Naruto stretched out his hand.
"We both do, but you also need to lighten up. Sen'ei Tajashu( Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)," Naruto yelled out as multiple snakes few from his jacket and shot at Ronan. The Yasuki clan member backflipped away from the attack while Naruto narrowed his eyes. Ayane eyed him in slight awe before she threw an incendiary kunai towards the target. Ronan quickly dodged the kunai before Naruto and Ayane jumped in two directions. They turned to each other and nodded. If they weren't going to fight in the finals, then at least they could fight together for the time being. They turned back to Ronan and scowled.
"Well I have some good opponents this time. Well Kirikochi wants your blood," Ronan said before he jumped in the air and passed Naruto and Ayane. They looked back to see him pick up his weapon before they growled. Naruto would like nothing more than to get Anko for help, but with the platform destroyed he wondered if there was any way of her getting down to help them.
Ayane narrowed her eyes at the man before she quickly regrouped with Naruto. Ronan charged them both before they backed up away from him, but they underestimated his reach as he slammed Ayane in the back with his weapon. He gave an insane grin as he sent Ayane flying across the room. Naruto cursed before he added chakra to his feet and dashed for the Tengu girl. He quickly caught her before she made contact with the wall.
"You alright Ayane?" Naruto asked and the purple haired girl cursed before she got out of Naruto's hands.
"I'm fine. I don't need you to worry about me," she said before she dashed off while Naruto sighed. Damn she was stubborn now that he thought about it.
Ayane jumped into the air and brought her kodachi forward only for them to be parried by Ronan. She narrowed her eyes at him before she backflipped away. She calmed her nerves before she saw Naruto rub past her. Ronan smiled as he swung his weapon and Naruto, but the blonde ducked under it in time making Ronan gasp.
"Here, try this on for size," Naruto said as a snake furled from his sleeves. It quickly ran over Ronan making the man curse before it bit him on the neck. He gasped out before he felt his vision get hazy. He saw the blonde going through some more handsigns as he yelled.
"Fuuton: Daitoppa," Naruto yelled sending a large wave of wind towards Ronan before he slammed the man into the wall making him huff. Ayane widened her eyes before she regrouped with Naruto again while the blonde got to his feet.
"Look I don't know if you're used to being alone or something, but it's like you said. We're not going to beat him by ourselves so stop trying to handle everything on your own!" Naruto told her making Ayane glare at him. She wanted to say something, but she decided to stay silent.
"Don't take your eyes off you opponents kiddies. You just might not live to regret it," Ronan said as he got behind them in a flash of speed. Naruto gasped and so did Ayane and before the two could rebound in time, they were slammed in the back of the neck knocking them both unconscious. Naruto dropped to the ground and so did Ayane. Ronan chuckled before he dusted himself off.
"Well that jutsu was only a small one so no big deal. Can't get too worked up over kids," he said as he carried the two shinobi away to who knows where.
Mindscape
Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes. He quickly stood to his feet and looked around. He felt like he was in a sewer of some kind. It felt so weird.
"Where the hell am I? Where's Ayane?" the blonde wondered before he felt something calling for it. It wasn't loud or threatening. Just a simple call. He followed the noise left and right. He took a corner and after a little bit of walking a light blinded him before he gazed up to see a giant cage. He noticed the word seal in the middle of it, but what he finally noticed was a red headed man with whisker marks in a red kimono. He had his nine tails waving around behind his humanoid body. His fox ears present on his head, but Naruto was listening to the nice melody that the man was playing. He had a flute in his hands as he played it with a calming presence. Naruto stayed on the other side of the seal as he watched the man play his instrument.
"Oceans apart day after day. And I slowly go insane. I hear your voice on the line. But it doesn't stop the pain. If I see you next to never. How can we say forever? Wherever you go,whatever you do. I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks, I will be right here waiting for you," He sang through his flute and with his words as the sounds washed over Naruto. The blonde sighed and listened to the soothe music.
"I took for granted, all the times that I thought would last somehow. I hear the laughter, I taste the tears, but I can't get near you now. Oh, can't you see it baby? You've got me going crazy. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks, I will be right here waiting for you," the man sung again slightly oblivious to Naruto's presence. The blonde's blue eyes brightened in some relief of the sound. It was like he could forget all the troubles that he was having already.
"I wonder how we can survive, this romance, but in the end if I'm with you I'll take the chance. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes,or how my heart breaks, I will be right here waiting for you. Waiting for you," He finished his song and put the flute away from his mouth. He stood up before seeing Naruto looking at him. The blonde passed through the seal bars while he clapped.
"That was great. How did you do that?" he asked and the man with red, slitted eyes gave a simple smirk. He held up the flute like it was no big deal.
"It's nothing. Just lots of practice. Well it's about time my container came to me," he said and Naruto widened his eyes.
"You're Kyuubi?" he asked and the man nodded. He noticed Naruto's eyes get cold before he sighed. He turned to the blonde before walking past him.
"Calm down. I have no interest in harming you. I also didn't do anything to your village so as for your people hating you well that's not all my fault," Kyuubi said to him and Naruto raised an eyebrow. He wanted to be mad, but something about the fox made it wash away.
"So...who was the song for?" Naruto asked and Kyuubi imagined a boulder making it appear before he sat down on it. He folded his arms and closed his eyes.
"It was for my wife, Nibi-chan. She always loved that song," Kyuubi said and Naruto widened his eyes. The Kyuubi had a wife? If he wasn't shocked before then he could be now. Kyuubi noticed his shock and rolled his eyes.
"What? You didn't think that I was the lonely type of person. Well sorry for disappointing you," Kyuubi said and Naruto scratched his cheek.
"No that not it. It's just that you aren't nearly what I've heard about you. People said you were a vicious, demonic, malevolent beast that terrorized places with one swipe of his tails, but you're all mellowed out," Naruto replied and Kyuubi sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You stupid humans and your stupid judgements. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that then I'd already be the richest person in the elemental nations. Since you seem confused then I'll tell you. One, I don't associate with humans. Two, I'm demonic, but I'm not vicious nor am I malevolent unless I need to be. Three, I could do all that destruction, but that doesn't mean I would," Kyuubi finished and Naruto nodded.
"Now then, tell me why you're here," Kyuubi said and Naruto told him everything. His team-up with Ayane Tengu, Ronan and his plot for the Land of Iron, him getting knocked out and ending up here.
"And that's it," Naruto said making Kyuubi laugh at his container while Naruto pouted.
"Sorry kid, but that's hilarious. How could you let your guard down against someone like that. Plus I saw the teamwork between you and that girl. Yeah, you two suck. You have about as much teamwork as I did back when I started to play this flute," Kyuubi said shuddering at the experience.
"Oh? And how was that?" Naruto asked while Kyuubi glared at him. The blonde glared back with his cold stare while Kyuubi looked at the flute.
"Let's just say that even though I play it a lot, I still hate this flute to death," Kyuubi said to him making Naruto chuckle.
"I see, but what am I supposed to do?" Naruto asked as he walked in circles before Kyuubi motioned him over. The blonde walked to him before he used his two fingers to jab him in the forehead.
"First thing is to calm down brat. Now if you want a simple strategy then go with this-," Kyuubi whispered in Naruto's ears and the blonde widened his eyes. He turned to Kyuubi and smiled.
"I'm so sorry for all those times I called you all those names. You're a genius!" Naruto told him and Kyuubi closed his eyes and absorbed the praise.
"Damn right I am. Now get going kit. You and your little girlfriend have to wake up now," Kyuubi said while Naruto blushed.
"She's not my-," Naruto stopped as he was booted out of his mindscape by Kyuubi making the bijuu chuckle like mad in his little jail.
Outside
Naruto opened his eyes before he rubbed his head. He looked up to see the ceiling and saw his hands chained to the wall. He looked across from himself to see Ayane strapped to the wall also. The purple haired girl moaned before opening her eyes. She widened them also as she looked at their predicament.
"Nice to see you awake too," he told her and Ayane glared at Naruto before rolling her eyes.
"Great, I can't believe this. Why didn't you follow my lead?" she asked and Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. She did the same to him waiting for an answer to her question before the blonde did his best to throw his hands up in the air.
"Oh, well so sorry. I didn't realize that we had a plan besides you rushing in to get the mess beat out of you," Naruto returned and Ayane balled her hands to fists.
"It was obvious. You should've seen it. I said there was no way I could take him on so you should back me up," Ayane said and Naruto huffed.
"I know next to nothing about you. I don't know how you think or how you work with others, which obviously sucks. Here's what I know. Your name is Ayane Tengu, you like Kodachi, you're from some place called the Mugen Tenshin Clan and you study the Hajin Mon style whatever that is," Naruto said to her and Ayane sighed. She knew he was right. She knew nothing about him and he knew nothing about her. They got beaten because they didn't know anything about the other. How could they have teamwork when they knew nothing about each other.
A deep silence fell over the two as they calmed down. Ayane closed her eyes while Naruto did the same. They had no idea where they were nor did they have any idea of how long they'd been out. They both sighed again before staring at the other before they turned away. Now wasn't the time to be fighting.
"I'm sorry for what I said," Naruto told her and Ayane looked up at the blonde before she looked down.
"I'm sorry also. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me. None of this was your fault. It was all mine," Ayane said, but Naruto chuckled at her making her pout at him.
"Anko-nee taught me something. She said that as a team we succeed together and we fail together. It's no one person's fault. It was my fault just like it was yours. Say, let's start over. Right here, right now. Hello, I'm Naruto Yuhi-Uzumaki," Naruto started and Ayane squirmed her lips. For the longest time she'd never known anyone like Naruto. She could've used his positive attitude at the beginning of her life. She sighed and did her best to smile.
"Hello, I'm Ayane Tengu," she returned and Naruto began again.
"My mother is Kurenai Yuhi, the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha. I'm a genin at Konoha. I've never told anyone this before, but...I'm the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi," Naruto said to her making Ayane look at Naruto in awe. It's no wonder he saw loneliness in her eyes. He had to have gone through the same thing growing up.
"My mother is called Ayame. I don't like talking about my family relations. My existence has been a bit of a...hollow one," Ayane said and Naruto widened his eyes. He saw Ayane's eyes with sadness in them like the last time as he sighed. Ronan hadn't come back and they weren't going anywhere at the moment.
"Mind telling me? It's none of my business to pry, but my existence has been a bit of a hollow one also. You probably don't look for sympathies so I won't offer mine, but please tell me," Naruto pleaded and Ayane bit her lower lip. She kept so much to herself that something like this was rather...weird. She'd never let her emotions show this much, but something about Naruto made her trust him. She'd only known him for what? Two days? That hardly counted for anything.
"Fine, but you tell a soul and I can think of a lot of things to do to you," Ayane told him and Naruto nodded while she looked away.
"My birth wasn't meant to happen. It was all from something that shouldn't have happened. I told you that my mother was Ayame, but my father-," she said with extra spite that Naruto noticed. He glanced at her as she continued.
"My father, his name was Raidou, he...raped my mother," Ayane said making Naruto widen his eyes. He balled his fists so much at that word.
"That incident gave birth to me. It's because of that act that my village hated me. I was called 'the cursed child'. Do you know how hard I worked? Just to make people change their minds about me. I was adopted by my Foster father, Genra. He's the one who trained me in everything that I knew. Him, Hayate, and Kasumi were my only real family, until that day. I was never raised by my mother, but one day she told me the truth about everything. I'll just say that I didn't take it well. I started and still sort of hate Kasumi, my half-sister. She got the easy life of being treated like royalty while I had to show everyone how great and useful I could be. Day in and day out I tried my best to train and hone my skills. Once day I'm going to become the leader of the Hajin Mon Sect. Count on it. I was always told to bottle up my emotions, never let anyone see me cry, laugh, or mad. It would just get in the way. That was the iron code for all Shinobi. Right now I'm trying to work as a messenger to Murai-sama of the Shadow Ninja Clan," Ayane finished and Naruto looked at the ground. He tried to rub the back of his head, but the chains made it difficult.
"I see, man I've never heard that before. I'm sorry that I didn't know or that I asked you about it earlier," Naruto told her and Ayane sighed.
"I'm just trying to get over it in my own way," Ayane said before she looked at Naruto. She seemed curious about him also even if she tried to hide it.
"So what about you?" she asked and Naruto looked up. He sighed and began his own story.
"Alright, my birth was...well, dangerous. I don't know my real parents. Jiji, or my Hokage, told me that they died during the Kyuubi attack," Naruto told her and Ayane nodded. Even where she was from she heard about the bijuu and their rampages, but she let him continue.
"The Kyuubi attacked the village and destroyed almost everyone and everything. In the academy they taught us that the Kyuubi was defeated and killed at the price of the Yondaime's life, but that was a lie. He just sealed it inside a baby boy. One to care the burden of the village. He sealed it in me and from the time that everyone found out about it, they hated me. I was treated like the demon itself. People would find any reason to go and attack me. They would do so much to me that a majority of my time was spent in the hospital," Naruto paused to catch his breathe while Ayane glared. At least her villagers ignored her, but this was just brutal.
"One day I was beaten for no real reason just like any other day and taken to the hospital where I meet my reason for living. My mother, Kurenai Yuhi, adopted me as her son. She told me about Kyuubi, how I was just the container and not the being itself. So I took it upon myself to train with my mother and sister, Anko Mitarashi. It was thanks to them that I learned genjutsu, the Hebi-style taijutsu, ninjutsu and why I'm even here. Even so, there are still people in the village who hate me," Naruto said and Ayane nodded. She looked at the ground again and sighed.
"So how? How can you smile? Why are you so nice?" she asked and Naruto raised an eyebrow. He thought that over before smiling.
"Because I'm like you," he said and while Ayane knew that much she would still like to hear the why part.
Naruto could see the confusion edged into her face before he smiled and decided to continue to finish his own story and stopped keeping her in suspense.
"Because like you, I want to prove everyone wrong. I'll show them that I can be a fantastic shinobi on my own. That they were all misguided. I'll show them that I can become the Hokage of Konoha," Naruto said with a sure smile on his face while Ayane rolled her eyes.
"Hokage? An idiot like you? Don't make me laugh," she snickered while Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"Well miss 'I want to be the leader of the Hajin Mon Sect' I doubt you could do that," Naruto told her and Ayane glared at him.
"You're lucky we're in chains or I'd make you cry," she returned with a small smile.
"With those flimsy arms? Yeah right," Naruto retorted and the two glared at each other before they lowly snickered.
"Well we won't achieve our dreams by sitting here will we?" Naruto asked and Ayane shook her head.
"No I guess not. We won't see each other in the finals either," she said to him and Naruto nodded as they each did a backflip and leaned their feet on the wall while standing upside down. Naruto struggled for a bit, but he reached the bottom pocket in his pants and pulled out a kunai. He added chakra to it before slashing the chains off as they fell to the ground.
Ayane did the same as she took out a small kunai and broke her bondage chains as they fell to the ground. Naruto and Ayane smiled to each other before the blonde held out his hand. Ayane grabbed it and shook it.
"Ayane, I know it hurts trust me, but don't hate Kasumi for it. It's not her fault neither is it yours. Just remember that," Naruto told her and Ayane bit her lip. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I'll...try that Naruto, but let's focus for right now," Ayane told him and Naruto completely agreed. Naruto rummaged through his pockets and a small little bracelet. He put it on Ayane's wrist and gave her a thumbs up.
"Never give up Ayane-chan. We'll definitely make them all see us for who we are," Naruto told her and Ayane nodded. She smiled as she took off her purplish headband that she was wearing. She pulled up Naruto's sleeves and wrapped it over his arm.
"This band symbolizes the strength between friends and the want to get stronger. Never give up Naruto," Ayane said and they both nodded to each other. They two ran out of their cell and immediately came into a small hallway.
"Alright what do we know so far?" Ayane asked and Naruto looked around.
"We know that Ronan is trying to usurp the Land of Iron. If that's the case then he never left this place which means we didn't either. The tournament is still going on and no one knows of his actions at this point," Naruto responded and Ayane nodded.
"Alright let's see. We where in the middle of the boiler room and it's still hot so we shouldn't be far. Now we just have to find where Ronan is and stop him," Ayane told him and Naruto agreed.
"By the way, can I tell you and idea?" Naruto asked and the purple haired kunoichi nodded. Naruto whispered in her ear and Ayane narrowed her eyes before placing a finger to her chin.
"It will require some things to be done, but that's doable," she said and Naruto was happy that she agreed with Kyuubi's plan.
"But we have to find him first," she said and Naruto nodded as he closed his eyes. He did a few handsigns while Ayane wondered what he was doing.
"Anko-nee taught me a good trick from the snakes. It might not be much, but I hope this works," Naruto said and opened his eyes. His eyes were slitted like a snakes as he looked at the ground. He could see the heat coming from Ayane's body and then looked down.
"By concentrating a type of chakra into my eyes I can be like a snake and sense the heat. This way," Naruto told her and he ran off. Ayane followed him as they went through a sequence of corridors before they came back to the boiler room where Ronan was as he was busy climbing the platform since it was broken.
"Damn brats making me late. Now I have to fuckin' climb this thing," Ronan said as Naruto and Ayane smiled to each other. Ayane threw her incendiary kunai as it came in front of Ronan. He looked down to see them smiling at him before the kunai exploded sending the man to the ground with a large slam while they glared at him.
"You two are really getting on my fuckin nerves. Why don't you just die?" He asked as he slammed the ground with his weapon. He made the ground crumble and shake violently before Ayane hopped into Naruto's hand. The blonde hoisted her into the air sending her high above the battle. She did a few handsigns as she glared down at Ronan.
"Hijutsu: Rekkū Jinpū Satsu( Hidden Technique: Torn Sky Blast)," Ayane yelled as she sent as she sent a high lightning wave towards the ground before Ronan dodged the shot with a huge backflip. Naruto quickly crossed his fingers and yelled.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," the blonde yelled and quickly two clones appeared as they caught Ayane and then let her down. They quickly charged at Ronan before the real Naruto threw his demon wind shuriken at the traitor. Ronan easily parried the shot before he saw two kunai coming at him. They quickly cut his skin as they embedded themselves inside. Ayane smiled at her accomplishment before the Naruto clones jumped on Ronan while the real Naruto held up a single handsign while the kunai in Ronan's body smoked. Ayane narrowed her eyes before she snapped her fingers.
"Kai," They both yelled as Naruto's clones exploded and so did Ayane's kunai making a loud boom before they cursed.
"He's not down yet. Ayane do you have anything else?" Naruto asked and the girl nodded.
"Yes, but it's a last resort move. Plus I'll need some time to get it ready," she said and Naruto nodded. He took out a short sword and made three clones.
"Then take as much time as you need. I'll keep him busy," Naruto told her and Ayane sighed.
"Just be ready to try and avoid it," she said as she backed away for a few feet and went through more handsigns as she focused her chakra. Seal appeared around her while she tried to focus as fast as she could.
Meanwhile, Ronan growled at them both before he twirled his weapon over his head and then slammed it into the ground.
"You damn brats. Don't get cocky!" He told them before he charged at Naruto. The blonde weaved his handsigns and immediately the dust kicked up around him. He swung at it only to see that Naruto and Ayane were. Ronan looked around for them both, but they were gone. Soon the ground started to quake violently around him as the man felt his center of balance get thrown off. He fell to the floor while the rubbing soon stopped. However his torment didn't end as the ground above him started to fall. Ronan crushed a falling brick before he seethed.
"You think this can take me down well you've got another thing coming!" he yelled to nothing before the entire floor collapsed on him. Ronan groaned from the debris before he looked to see he was at the peak of a mountain. He gasped as he felt the cold air chilling his body.
"At the bottom of this mountain are wolves waiting to pick you apart at the seams. They must be hungry," Naruto said coming behind him. Ronan cursed as he swung at the blonde, but he was gone then reappeared behind Ronan.
"Fall into the wolf trap," Naruto said as he pushed Ronan off the mountain. The man yelled as he was sent flying to his doom before he opened his eyes to see Naruto smiling at him.
"Genjutsu: Idainaru Keikoku( Illusion: Great Mountain Valley)," Naruto said with a smile before Ronan got to his feet.
"Damn you brat!" he yelled and Naruto was braced for a fight before he heard Ayane yell.
"Naruto, move now!" Ayane yelled and the blonde quickly made a clone that sent him high into the sky.
Seeing that her partner was out of the way, Ayane finished her time gathering her energy and opened her eyes showing their seriousness.
Ninpo: Hajin Shinzan( Ninja Art: Supreme Deity Quaking Mountain)," Ayane yelled as she slammed the ground with her fist. Making it quake violently in a massive explosion that engulfed the entire room.
Back with the tournament
Hinata was fighting in Ayane's place with an unknown opponent before everyone felt the ground shake violently. They immediately hit the floor while the earthquake made itself known. Shikamaru hit the ground and so did Hinata. Anko hit the floor also from the shock wave.
"Man this is troublesome. Naruto really owes me big time," Shikamaru said while Anko chuckled.
"Haven't you been in an earthquake before Gaki?" Anko asked him and the Nara head said no to her.
Soon the shaking stopped and everything settled down. The people murmured amongst themselves while Muramasa secretly chuckled to himself while he stood back in his seat.
"Oh looks like Ayane-chan is having her fun if she had to use that move. I hope she's alright thought. It is dangerous after all," Muramasa said mentally while Mifune calmed everyone down. Some people wanted explanations, but the leader told them that it would all be taken care off. Immediately the tournament resumed and everyone got back to watching even though most were still confused.
Back with Naruto and Ayane
The smoke covered the area as Naruto coughed. He waved the dust away from him before he opened his eyes. He widened them to a large degree only to see Ayane on one knee with her fist in the ground. She huffed like mad while Naruto ran up to her. He sighed in relief that she was alright.
"Ayane, that was amazing," Naruto said and the purple haired kunoichi huffed. She knew she'd get a lashing out by Genra if she told him about this, but that was beside the point. The two looked across them them to see Ronan slammed on the floor with his mouth open like he had the shock of a life time.
"Thank you, but that took a lot," she said before she lightly stumbled. Naruto caught her and smiled.
"I'm sure it did, but now we'll leave and take his evidence with us. I think that Mifune guy will be alright with this," Naruto told her and Ayane nodded as they walked off. Luckily they had found a small staircase where the platform was that went upstairs. Naruto flung Ayane's arm over his shoulder and the two scaled the stairs. It was so stupid that they never noticed them before. How low was that?
Naruto and Ayane scaled the stairs and in about an hour or so they made it out of the main boiler room and back to the place where the steel pipes were. They walked through the hallway where they had been stalking Ronan. They walked through and came back to the resting area. Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"How late do you think we are?" he asked and Ayane rolled her eyes. She really hated that word, but there was nothing she could do about it. They were late and thus, they were disqualified.
"Late enough to not hurry up to the stadium," she said making Naruto chuckle while she did the same although it was a bit painful since her side was still hurting from getting hit at all.
The two shinobi came up to two guardian samurai who looked at their horrid condition. They gasped and quickly tended to them.
"What happened to you two?" one of them asked while Naruto handed him a scroll.
"This was given to a contestant. His name is Ronan Yasuki. He was going to try and overthrow the Land of Iron with someone else," Naruto told them making the samurai gasp. They took the scroll from Naruto and looked it over.
"Where is he?" they asked while Ayane smiled.
"Down in the boiler room laying unconscious," she said before closing her eyes. The two samurai of the Land of Iron narrowed their eyes before they went to investigate. Meanwhile Naruto and Ayane sighed.
"I guess I won't see you in the finals," Naruto said and Ayane nodded. Suddenly he shuddered making her turn to him.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked and Naruto gulped.
"I'm gonna be paying that ridiculous amount of money for those kodachi upgrades. Dammit that sucks for me," the blonde said and Ayane painfully chuckled at him before Mifune showed up.
"Well that is a shame isn't it?" he asked making the two turn to him. He smiled at them both while they looked at each other before turning to him.
"I heard what you two did. Shame you missed the tournament and your turns," he said making them both sigh before they decided to forget about it.
"But, you've done the Land of Iron a great service. I was suspicious of Ronan, but you two did a good job in handling the situation. Even if you really shouldn't have," he said making the two blush in embarrassment. He sighed before he patted them both on the shoulder.
"Just this once, you both get an exception. Don't miss the rest for tomorrow. Now go get your sleep. You have good friends who covered for you both. Now get going, but when the tournament is over I want you both to appear before me," Mifune said as he walked off. Naruto and Ayane widened their eyes before they turned to each other.
"See you in the finals?" he asked as he held out his hand. Ayane looked at it before she took it and shook it. She closed her eyes with a small smile.
"Don't think I'm gonna lose to you," she said and Naruto smiled with a nod. They rested the day away before Naruto spoke mentally.
"Nice plan Kyuubi, how did you know she had such a technique?" Naruto asked while Kyuubi opened his eyes.
"Please, given her attitude I knew she had something like that. It was all a matter of simple plotting. You two did good. Now rest brat so I can play this flute," Kyuubi said and Naruto closed his eyes before he received a bonk on the head making him jump while Ayane opened her eyes. They both turned to see tick marks all over Anko's face. She snickered while Shikamaru and Hinata looked rather ragged. Naruto gulped while Anko grabbed his collar.
"Naru-kun, come with me for a second," Anko said as she dragged him off while Naruto winced. She took him around the corner making Naruto gulp.
"No Anko-nee, I can explain dattebayo. Just wait! What are you doing with that kunai!" Naruto yelled out while Shikamaru and Hinata closed their eyes. Ayane sighed while she rubbed her head. Naruto really was a weirdo after all, but he that didn't mean he wasn't a fantastic shinobi by her standards.
KG: Alright people, one I wanted Ayane to lose a bit of her cold demeanor to Naruto. Like he was someone she could relate to and share some pain with. As for Ronan I made him strong to serve the purpose of teamwork between them. You can't expect great teamwork from people who just met or just started to fight together. I also didn't want any awkwardness between them. Yeah I had Ayane reveal her past to Naruto a little easily, but the reason for that will need to be explained later plus I like Naruto's power of getting people to like him in a short time. Trust me on that part. Kyuubi's a bit more mellow than canon. I won't lie here, I don't know all the complete facts of Ayane's life. I also don't know at what age she learned Art of the Raging Mountain God. I also wanted to started a small friendship between the two shinobi as they try to achieve their goals. I would say that Ayane's feelings for Naruto will develop after Samui's to make this fair. That's all I've got. If you didn't like it then I'm sorry for that.
