Author's Note: 𝟭𝟴, M/M, Mpreg, Mates, Limes & Lemons later on, so be forewarned
𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙎𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙠𝙚'𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑
As I walked, the peaceful sound of my breath hitting my ivory mask gave me strength. I was following Naruto's tracks into a forest that I knew was enemy territory. It may not have been the smartest move but dealing with the blonde had rid me of all rationality. Over three days, I knew him to be chaotic, impulsive, and loud...
And yet...
I couldn't bear to let him go. I had been walking for an hour and his tracks had disappeared, leaving me to wonder what to do next. I came across a part of the forest that led to a large cave. I paused to consider whether or not to enter, but ultimately decided it was necessary. As I made my way through the cool cave, a gust of wind greeted me and as I reached the end, I found two corridors branching off in different directions.
First, I examined the options on the left and right. Both paths were shrouded in darkness and difficult to distinguish, but I ultimately chose the left one. As I made my way down the long tunnel, I began to second-guess my decision. However, my doubts were dispelled when a faint light shone through the end of the tunnel, revealing a dense covering of branches and shrubs.
When I was able to break through that's when I heard the sound of soft chatter and some bubbling sounds like a witch's cauldron but as I swatted the wall of branches away breaking through. I was accosted by thick steam, making it hard to see, but as the sound as I stepped down my scandal landed on something wet and slippery like a giant wet cobblestone.
"Hey watch it pal!" As I looked down, I noticed a shiny bald head beneath the sole of my sandal. When I looked up, I saw at least ten demons lounging in the hot spring, many of them unclothed. They were all staring at me, especially the one I had accidentally stepped on. I quickly jumped back, putting some distance between us.
"You stink of human!" One shouted.
All glowing eyes were on me, and yes, I was indeed the only human there. I had to suppress all nervousness deep within me. I knew they could smell fear amongst other things.
"My clothes," I stated calmly.
"Eh?" The bald one that I literally just stepped on said.
"The human I killed. I took his clothes." I repeated in the same deadpan way.
"Oh... he must have been a smelly bastard."
I had to remove my hand from the Kunai secured to my thigh. I wanted blood. But after inhaling and exhaling deeply I pacified my temper wouldn't do killing Naruto's people.
I watched as the demons went back to relaxing. A little voice in the back of my head nagging me. There was no way it could have been that easy. Right?
"You're welcome to join us."
"Maybe later... I'm looking for someone."
"Oh?" There was a prying ring to his voice.
If I could stay calm and composed, I might be able to locate Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki-" I began. Suddenly, the bald Kitsune sat upright.
"You're going to be late." He said.
"Hm?" Late? Well, that was a vague statement.
"You're one of the fighters, right?"
"Uh, yeah sure.'" I could only hope this didn't bite me in the ass later.
"Well, the ceremony should be starting soon."
"It slipped my mind..." I pretended as if I was going to leave, but paused and placed a finger on my mask I asked in a humorous yet bashful way, "Could you jog my memory again?"
The demon sighed sinking back to his repose state, "You kits never take anything seriously. Are you going to fight for the right to bond with the prince and become his mate or not?"
"That's right I'm going to be late," I said with as much enthusiasm as someone would when remembering something important.
I paused again faking embarrassment. "Which way is the ceremony again?"
"It's in the center of the village..."
"Thanks," I said and started to leave the hot spring, but not before hearing the demon mutter 'dumb smelly cub' under his breath.
This village was massive, maybe even as big as Konoha or even larger. I easily located the arena this was the center of attention for sure! I noticed several enthusiastic fighters nearby. However, some of them seemed wary of me and even pinched their noses while glaring at me. I reassured them by stating, "I'm wearing human clothing," which made a few of them laugh.
"The smell alone could kill your opponent's. Good strategy." Said one loud brunette kitsune with shaggy hair.
I felt my fist clench as my right eye began to twitch with annoyance. I did not smell bad! I showered every day dammit!
Just before we were to walk out on the stage, a white-haired demon appeared. Several fighters addressed him by name in greetings, since this was not their first time.
"Hey, Jiraiya!"
"Ah, Kiba back again I see." The one called Jiraiya said with a hardy chuckle giving the brunette a pat on the shoulder.
In an instant, his face went serious. "Alright, who's all participating?" He then pulled a large scroll from his robes and began to roll it out and use the quill he had to point at each opponent. There were females, males, and demons that resembled anthropomorphic animals which was a horrifying sight. Jiraiya paused when he reached me. My dark pools merged with his, and then he aggressively jerked his quill in my direction. "You! The smelly one what's your name?" I hear some fighters chuckle at that.
"Sasuke..." Sighing, my mood was exacerbated by this new nickname.
"Kay," he jotted my name down before leaving. He filled us in on what was acceptable, his tone was bored as if he did this many times before. Now that I was aware of the rules, no shuriken, no kunai, no Kenjutsu, and no Bojutsu... blah blah blah... No weapons were allowed. This was mainly hand-to-hand combat, with no abilities, no special abilities, no weapons just sheer strength, stamina, agility, and wit.
After Jiraiya finished explaining the rules, he permitted us to proceed. He motioned for us to follow him to the arena's center, where all the round winners would get the opportunity to battle the Prince. As we entered the arena, I noticed the rough texture of the sandstone beneath my feet, which would undoubtedly hurt if someone were to be slammed onto it. I immediately began scanning the area for the blonde.
I looked at the balcony that's when I saw him his gaze found mine. He looked shocked to see me there, but I felt the urge to give him the thumbs up which caused him to scoff and cross his arms. He abruptly jerked his head to the side. I'm guessing he was still mad at me. That was when I noticed the redhead next to him, he had leaned over whispering something at the blonde. I felt my throat go dry. Was this the powerful Kurama? I saw his artwork in his nine-tail form, but he appeared human. He didn't even have fox ears; his ears were normal but pointed. The moment I was hit by his glowing embers, his demeanor seemed suspicious but deadly all the same. My action put me on his radar.
As the rest of us crowded on the sidelines to watch the show, Jiraiya announced the first two to fight. It was the one who called me smelly, Kiba I think his name was. He was a good fighter feral and kinda cocky. I must've analyzed his entire moves. He was having fun with his opponent who was a bear-looking creature thing. The fight was quick and I'd admit I was impressed that he won. There were two more fights before mine when I lost interest.
"Smelly one you're up next," Jiraiya called snapping me from my reverie.
The arena buzzed with anticipation as the crowd eagerly awaited the clash between me the new guy and a formidable-looking fighter. I could feel that the air was thick with tension, and the scent of sweat mingled with the metallic tang of adrenaline. There we stood at opposite ends of the vast, circular stage; our eyes locked in an intense stare.
As the signal to begin was gestured by the white-haired announcer, we sprang into action. My opponent was a tall and muscular warrior, who I could tell relied on brute strength and raw power. He charged forward with thunderous footsteps, his fists clenched tightly, aiming to overwhelm me with a relentless barrage of punches.
Each blow carried the weight of his determination, but his movements lacked finesse. As for me, on the other hand, I was nimble and an agile combatant. I was able to sidestep the oncoming onslaught effortlessly, my body danced in fluid motion, this technique I copied from Naruto. I was able to weave through the punches, barely being grazed by my opponent's attacks. I was able to showcase my impeccable reflexes and footwork. With each evasion, it was easy to counter with precise strikes and targeting vulnerable points with surgical accuracy.
As the fight progressed, my strategy became evident. Instead of engaging in a confrontation, I exploited my opponent's weaknesses, utilized his momentum against him, and redirected and deflected the force of his strikes. With well-timed dodges and expertly executed parries, I wore down the larger fighter, evading his attacks and conserving my energy.
There was frustration etched across that boxy face, his muscle bulging as his repeated attempts to land a decisive blow proved futile. I remained calm and collected, capitalizing on my opponent's growing exhaustion and mounting mistakes. Sensing an opportunity, he seized the moment.
With a lightning-fast combination of strikes, I then unleashed a flurry of blows, targeting my opponent's exposed areas. I struck like a viper, my attacks must have felt like a blur of speed and precision. The crowd erupted in awe as the muscular fighter staggered backward, his defenses crumbling under the onslaught.
In a final masterstroke, I delivered a devastating blow to my opponent's midsection. The muscular warrior gasped for air, doubled over in agony, and crumbled to the ground. The crowd erupted in thunderous applause, their cheers echoing throughout the arena.
Thus, I Sasuke Uchiha emerged victorious, not through sheer strength alone, but by exploiting my opponent's weaknesses, combining speed, agility, and precise strikes to overcome the larger, more powerful adversary. My strategic approach, coupled with unwavering focus and impeccable technique, secured my triumph.
Glancing over at Naruto I noticed he was leaning forward in his seat. His expression was hard to decipher. Despite this, I had won my round and was excited about the opportunity to fight him. I wondered how he would fare after six consecutive fights!? Each winner would get a chance to fight him at the end, as the fighter-against-fighter round ended. We waited with bated breath for our chance at the goal.
This time Jiraiya allowed us to volunteer who would go first.
"I want to go last," I said before anyone had a chance to speak. This gained the other six fighters' attention, my decision, to them may have seemed foolish because if one was to win then the fight would be over and done. I analyze these winners... They were good but not Naruto good. He was on a level of his own. The spar in the woods was different I shouldn't have kicked dirt in his face I wanted to fight him fair and square. This time.
I was ready.
"Alright let's begin!" Jiriaya cried. I watched much to Kurama's chagrin. Naruto jumped down to the stage in an obnoxious display. He began to crack his knuckles and neck.
"Let's get this over with! Who's first?" He shouted and scanned all six of us. His blue pools lingered on me longer than they should. I knew he had questions. And I had the answers.
One of Kitsune's with raven hair pinned up in two buns stepped forward. She struck her pose ready to fight. It was strange watching people fight for Naruto's heart.
I found myself rooting for Naruto and each time he wiped the floor with his opponents each time they stepped forward the sooner they walked away in defeat. I felt my heart race each time, it was hard to remain calm and composed when the competition was fighting for the person to whom I was already engaged to. A memory of the breathless blonde saying I accept your proposal flashed through my mind, it was that annoying cadence that snapped me from my thoughts.
Kiba was up, "Watch and learn cubs." He mocked while giving me a teasing wink.
I. Hated. Him!
It was easy to tell Naruto was having fun with Kiba. They were enjoying the spar both smiling at one another like two people who knew a secret. I was more than thrilled when the brunette lost.
It was now my turn. I inwardly smirked at all those long faces, but as I and Kiba passed one other we deliberately bumped shoulders. Red-faced he took a seat with the other defeated fighter.
All eyes were on us now the crowd watched with muted excitement, but as I looked at the blonde.
He on the other hand glared Kunai at me.
Naruto was still mad, and I knew this fight was not going to be easy.
"Whoop his ass boo!" Kiba shouted.
Did I mention I hated him?
In my brief distraction, Naruto chooses to strike first with a barrage of hits to my upper torso. He kept close like last time, but I evaded his strike keeping myself firmly on the defensive.
In the aftermath of a failed attempt to find an opening, I had to devise a new strategy. Despite his lack of hesitation, I was determined to show him how serious I was. He was more agile than any Shinobi. He was able to land a few more punches and kicks, forcing me to back away, but I was determined to come out on top. I used a combination of techniques I had studied to counter his blows.
By gaining some distance, I was able to quickly analyze his fighting style, adding more to my memory and devising a foolproof plan. In order for me to win this fight, I knew I had to stay one step ahead. During our interaction, he aimed at my vital areas. However, I managed to evade his strikes by rolling with the movement and using my hands to defend myself. As we continued, our hands were entangled in a foreign dance, and I noticed that his moves were becoming predictable.
I knew I had to make my move soon or else this fight would drag out longer than necessary. "You still mad at me I see."
"Shut it, bastard." He practically howled.
I would play off his anger. The angrier he got the less precise his moves were.
"Are you gonna cry?" I taunted, from behind my mask. As his punches switched to wild lashes he looked like an angry cat to me. He bared his canines at me.
"Fuck you!" He cried. He slashed my arm drawing blood. His emotions would be his downfall.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" My tone was condescending, and he paused for a minuscule second as he tried a sloppy overhand.
I had found an opening for a counterattack and quickly dashed to the side while jumping back. I was able to land a punch on Naruto's stomach after dodging the wild attack he launched. He stumbled back in surprise those blue eyes were wide as I took flight.
I lept into the air twisting into a spin, bringing my foot down hard onto his skull. I used every ounce of strength I could muster this strike was all I had. It was the split second of surprise that gave me the chance to connect my foot with his head without him dodging it. I looked around and saw the arena was engulfed in dust and sand as if an explosion went off the impact rocked the stadium. The ground was splitting asunder, and I could see pieces of rock and sand scattered throughout the arena, gripping my knees for dear life as I struggle to catch my breath. The arena was still enough to hear the flap of hummingbird wings.
Slowly I stood to my full height my eyes landing on the balcony, where Kurama was standing. I watched him from behind my mask. His face was shrouded in shadows, but those glowing demon eyes stood out. They stared directly at me.
Let's see if Sasuke was able to reinstate his claim! And does Kurama know? Jaja we shall see
til then.