This'll be the last chapter of the series, followed by an Epilogue. If you had hoped I would continue into the events that occur in Shippuden, I apologize. It's just that Shippuden was right around the time I lost interest in Naruto as the plot became too long and ridiculously convoluted for me to follow. Be sure to check out my other works and thanks for supporting my fanfic despite the long delays!
Chapter 70: The Final Showdown (Part 2)
"While you had no family from the beginning, I had to see mine taken away from me!" Tony shouted as he pushed Gelato off the edge of the hole in the boardwalk.
The two landed in the water, but found wooden poles to stand on.
"My own brother…was the one who did it," Tony went on. "He was the guy you met in that hotel, who pinned me to the wall and used that—
"Right, I remember," Gelato interrupted. "And you want to kill him because he killed your family, correct?"
Tony nodded. "That's why I need to become strong, so I can put an end to his life."
"Even if it means betraying the Foglia family, even your friends?"
"We all must make sacrifices at some point." From his shorts pocket, Tony took out the green Foglia family tie he had been carrying this whole time and put it around his neck. "If severing the bond between us will make me stronger, then so be it!"
"Then why wear that neck-tie now of all times?" Gelato asked.
"Because I'm willing to admit you are my equal," Tony responded. "We both have suffered from being alone for so long, and that's what makes us similar. Unfortunately, there's not enough room in this city for the two of us to exist without one destroying the other!"
As a third swirl appeared in each of his Specchio Occhi eyes, Tony split the pole beneath him with his feet and after landing on the water's surface he used a piece of wood to split the one Gelato stood on. Fortunately, Gelato landed and rushed at Tony. Yet as Tony dodged him, he could see Gelato's movements more clearly when they were a blur not too long ago. Using this to his advantage, Tony was able to block Gelato easily and counter his attacks. But when Tony punched Gelato into the water again, several Homunculus emerged. He managed to fend off most of them, until he felt something grabbing his legs. It was Gelato, who leaped out of the water along with a human ladder of Homunculus underneath him. Together, they tossed Tony around like a rag doll and threw him into the side of the bridge.
In response, Tony used the Hephaestus Torch spell to incinerate all the Homunculi until the real Gelato was left. Surprised, Tony grabbed him and leaped down till he touched the surface of the water while Gelato's body was plunged straight into it. Stepping back, Tony leaned against the base of the bridge tower while Gelato drifted away. As he watched, Tony noticed the blue aura that surrounded Gelato before engulf him once more. To his surprise, Gelato stood up and cried out as a cold blue light flashed. When Tony was able to look, he saw Gelato crouched on his hands and feet as his whole body was covered in an aura resembling the serpentine creature from before but with one head instead of several that hissed in his direction.
What kind of nature energy is that? Tony wondered. It's like it has a mind of its own.
Then the serpentine head stretched and stuck the water, sending a small wave towards Tony. He managed to dodge it, and sent a Prometheus Fire ball at Gelato. An explosion occurred, followed by steam as Gelato still stood. He made an unnatural hissing sound from his throat as the head stretched further snapping at Tony with its pointed fangs. This caused Tony to be backed into the hole in the boardwalk from before as the black flames covered his face again. The serpentine head then gripped Tony in its mouth, and tossed him to the other side of the bridge creating another hole that was much bigger than the first one.
"Looks like…I have no choice," Tony said to himself as he got up.
As he walked out of the hole, the black flames engulfed his entire body and transformed him. His skin turned dark gray, his hair grew longer and gray-colored, and a black star-shaped mark appeared on the brim of his nose.
"Your power may be special, Gelato, but not as much as me," Tony bragged, flexing his fingernails which had grown longer. "There's no way I can lose in this form!"
"We'll see about that!" Gelato shouted, and charged toward Tony.
Just as before, the serpentine head stretched. But when it tried to strike Tony again, a large hand protected him. Confused, the head tried to bite the hand, but the hand flicked the head away. As the hand stretched showing webbing between its fingers that was akin to a bat's wing, Gelato noticed that the hand was emerging from Tony's back. Then Tony groaned, and from his shoulder-blade emerged a similar hand with the same kind of webbing. A sudden pain made Gelato look at his right arm, which was twitching underneath the aura as scales appeared on it.
"That power of yours…you're taking a risk using it too, aren't you?" Tony grinned, showing fangs that were similar but not as long as the ones protruding from Gelato's mouth. "So let's end this fight, beneath the Final Bridge (Valley of the End). A fitting name, don't you think?"
Gelato said nothing as he jumped a few feet back while Tony stepped onto the water using his hands to glide down. The two then charged up their attacks, with Tony's Mille Aquile containing black strands of energy while Gelato's Spiralis was made using one hand and contained in the blue aura. Neither spoke a word as they leaped towards one another and their attacks clashed, creating a ball of rainbow-colored energy that covered the two of them completely.
End of Chapter 70