Back again with chapter 4! Hope you all enjoy it! Cheers!
Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or "Mortal Kombat," they belong to their respective owners.
Forging Bonds
In Outworld's Street Market
"Keep your eyes on alert people, we're on lookout duty for any signs of Kotal Kahn or how to contact him," stated Cassie calmly, leading the group through a market.
Takeda, Naruto, Kung Jin, Jacqui, and Cassie were currently wandering in Outworld after being given their mission by General Blade. After being teleported from their technology on base, they had arrived in the realm.
"Seeing that teleportation portal pop up for the first time was pretty unique. Would love to learn that skill and travel freely among the realms here," thought Naruto as he walked along with the group.
"Honestly, the people here look similar to us. I thought they would look bigger with sharp teeth. Plus, the sky has a normal color, I was expecting a dark gray to be honest with you," stated Takeda as he looked around in amazement.
Jacqui chuckled in response, "You need to lay off the horror movies." Neither knew how close Takeda was to his prediction if they knew what a Tarkatan was.
"So, Naruto, how does it feel using our world's technology?" asked Jacqui. She wanted to get to know their new team member a bit better.
"Oh, this thing?" Naruto then touched the communicator situated snugly in his inner ear. "It's honestly pretty amazing you can speak through this over long distances. Really handy and I personally like how you can't really feel like it's there."
"Right? They're pretty nifty if you ask me!" said Takeda. He remembered when he first received his.
Naruto was given his own communicator by General Blade before the team made their way to Outworld. It would give him the ability to speak to his squad if they got separated or needed to communicate in general. After tuning it to the right frequency and testing it out, he was pretty excited about it. All he needed to do was tap it lightly to activate it and it would automatically contact each squad mate. He could also alter it to specifically contact an individual if needed. The wonders of advanced technology.
Hearing the conversation taking place behind her, Cassie smiled and spoke, "Hate to cut the chit-chat team, but we need to see if we can find any ways to contact Kotal Kahn. We could be on the verge of war here and we need to make haste."
"I've been meaning to ask..." spoke Jacqui, "After hearing what Li Mei said, we could possibly be facing an invasion. However, that would violate the Reiko Accords! Why would Outworld risk a conflict with Earthrealm?"
"Who knows?" shrugged Takeda, "But I've also been thinking… If Outworld is our ally, why didn't they help us back during the Netherrealm War? Back when Quan Chi was causing problems along with his team of…" Takeda looked over at Jacqui and tried to find a better word to describe the people that her father used to associate with.
"Revenants. They're called revenants. Just like how Jacqui's dad used to be." smugly answered Kung Jin over his shoulder.
"Fucking asshole…" whispered Jacqui.
Seeing how he didn't mean to push her buttons as much as he did, Kung Jin stopped his pace and so did the others. Turning around, he answered his teammate's questions, "We don't have an alliance with Outworld, instead, we have a non-aggression pact. We don't attack them, they don't attack us, and vice versa. At the end of the day, Outworld is not our ally, not truly."
"Hey guys," Naruto chose this moment to speak up with sharp eyes, "I'm sensing a large group of people heading our way, and they don't feel friendly."
"Wait feel? What do you mean by that?" questioned Takeda.
Seeing how the people would soon reach them, Naruto answered in the quickest way possible, "I can feel people's emotions."
Surprised at this information, Takeda was not able to further comment as a cowboy and a group of Outworld soldiers intercepted the Earthrealm team.
"Neat trick you have there pal. I could hear your warning from back there." stated the western warrior.
The cowboy then straightened himself out and spoke with authority, "Now, name why you're here. Make it convincing or we might have to kill you."
Seeing the potential for bloodshed, Naruto discreetly put a kunai into his left palm. He needed to be ready in case things went south.
"Wait a minute! I can read you, that means you're from Earthrealm!" exclaimed a shocked Takeda. He activated his mind-reading abilities that he learned from his father, and now they were paying off.
"You're right, I'm from Earthrealm. But Kotal Kahn is my employer, and he's from Outworld. So guess what? I'm from Outworld." the cowboy then placed his hand on his revolver. "I believe I said to name your business, you have one last chance."
Cassie then spoke up, "We're here on Raiden's approval, we need to speak to Kotal Kahn. We're here as diplomats. I have Raiden's official seal with me here."
Cassie then reached into her back pocket and revealed the seal given to her by Raiden as proof of his complicity. However, the man in front of her didn't look convinced at all.
"That's a great 'seal' you have there, but to me, it looks like I can buy twenty of those from the vendors here."
Kung Jin finally had enough and spoke, "Look, you can kill all of us if you need to. But, if we're right in what we're saying, your 'employer' can cut your wage if you get what I mean. However, if you take us to him, we can tell him you subdued us and have the luxury of being promoted by your boss. What do you say?"
Weighing his options, the cowboy spoke after a few moments. "Stay close. In case you do any funny business, just know you died to Erron Black. I give my name out so you can have the honor of knowing your executioner should you do anything."
The now-named Erron Black led the group of Earthrealmers to his employer. He made sure that his fellow soldiers were surrounding the group as they walked, he couldn't risk anything going wrong.
There was about a minute of awkward silence before the group came upon an execution occurring. A man was propped up on a pedestal made of stone, with his hands tied to the ground. His neck was exposed over the pedestal and it was clear they were going to decapitate him.
While Erron Black kept his constant walking pace, Kung Jin and surprisingly, Naruto slowed their walking speed slightly. They both wanted to hear why the execution was happening.
Three executioners were standing near the immobilized man. Two of them were brandishing sharp blades while the third was reading his crimes aloud to the nearby civilian crowd.
Opening his scroll, the man began to speak, "This man is sentenced for the crime of theft. To gain without approval, is to steal from the hand of Kotal Kahn himself. This crime cannot go unpunished, therefore, the only answer is death!" finished the executioner as he closed the scroll.
"Please, PLEASE! I only stole because I was starving! It was one loaf of bread!" pleaded the man, as tears were streaming down his face.
"Sentenced to death for petty theft!? How is that right?" yelled Kung Jin to Erron Black's back. The cowboy, hearing this, turned around and stopped.
"Careful boy, you're not in Earthrealm anymore. The laws you know don't apply here, keep walking," responded Erron Black.
After a few moments of walking by the group, Kung Jin couldn't take it anymore. He split away from the group and shoved civilians aside to reach the imprisoned man. Erron Black noticed this instantly and let out a loud whistle, a sign to bring in more warriors. Many more warriors.
"That idiot! He's just disregarded the mission!" said an irritated Jacqui.
However, in the back of the group, nobody noticed Naruto's conflicted feelings. The shinobi in him was telling him to let the man die and continue on the mission. After all, Takeda had a point, risking war over a bread thief was stupid.
But, he also understood where the man was coming from. As a young child, Naruto had to steal at times to survive because hunger was very prevalent in his childhood. The third Hokage had given him a daily allowance, but what the old man didn't know, was that many merchants up-charged Naruto for everyday products. The hate for the Kyuubi was much stronger when Naruto was a child. This was how many villagers got their 'revenge' so to speak. Because of this, items such as toothpaste, clothing, and food were often more expensive than usual for the blonde. He had nights where he was groaning from hunger in his bed and often cried from the pain. He even learned to ration incredibly small amounts of food for this very reason. As a kid, Naruto never knew when his next meal would be assured.
So hearing the pleas from the crying man, Naruto was torn. He had been in that man's situation many times before and empathized with him. Before he could come to his own decision, Kung Jin had decided to act and Erron Black let out a loud whistle.
Seeing these events transpire, Naruto made his decision, he would aid Kung Jin.
As he was running to the execution platform, Kung Jin knew he wouldn't make it in time. Both executioners had their blades raised and were about to deliver the fatal blow. Even if he fired an arrow, it would be too late. Shoving civilian after civilian away, he could only watch with wide eyes as both executioners brought their hands down.
CRACK!
The sound of bone breaking was heard as two kunai impaled themselves into the chest of both executioners. The kunai had been delivered with such force that not only did it embed itself in the chest of the would-be killers, but it also snapped their sternum.
Turning over his shoulder, Kung Jin saw a heavily-breathing Naruto with his hand outstretched. It was clear, he had thrown both kunai with one hand in a split second. Nodding his thanks, Kung Jin began to deal with the final executioner and helped set the man free.
Having the rush of bad childhood memories had done more damage to him than he would like to admit. Taking a trip down that memory lane never had done good for him. It was also the reason he was breathing hard, childhood starvation was a feeling that never really left him.
Cassie, Jacqui, Takeda, and even Erron Black were surprised at Naruto's actions. Cassie's team was more shocked at his decision to help Kung Jin while Erron Black was more surprised he could aim with such precision and speed at the distance he was at.
It took restraint from Naruto to ensure the kunai did not cut clean through the executioners, he tried to make sure they weren't lethal blows. After all, it was hard to explain you were an ambassador to a foreign leader if you went around killing his people.
Naruto immediately turned to his squadmates and let out a tired smile, "Sorry to get us into even more trouble team, but I couldn't let that man die. I've been where he's been before."
While not supporting the actions of their shinobi squad mate, each member could understand where he was coming from. However, if one looked close enough, Cassie sported a deep frown and could only imagine the horrors the blonde never mentioned to her.
"Just how bad did you have it Naruto?" thought the military Sergeant.
Takeda used this moment to try and make their teammate feel better, "Well don't worry about it, we would've gotten into this mess anyway after Jin ran off. I'm just happy you didn't make his effort in vain."
Naruto gave the man a smile and said a small 'thank you.' He was glad somebody was in his corner.
They then all turned to the sound of rushing footsteps. At last, the warriors that had been called by Erron Black's whistle had arrived plus the ones that were already here to begin with. It looked like 300 warriors had surrounded the Earthrealm team in the courtyard. The odds were definitely not in their favor.
"You all, handle the ones here. I'm going after wonder boy." spoke Erron Black before he ran off to Kung Jin.
In the distance, among the civilian crowd, gunshots could be heard from Erron Black's scuffle with the bow and arrow user.
"Stay back and let me handle the bulk of the force guys. After all, I owe it to you all," spoke Naruto before he summoned clones to take care of the warriors that arrived.
While he could summon an entire army of clones if he wanted to, Naruto didn't want to cause even more panic than had already ensued. Showing off dominant power could scare an authority figure like Kotal Kahn, and that would lead to mistrust in the future. He didn't want to make Raiden's job any harder than it needed to be.
Naruto, along with his clones, only aimed to incapacitate the Outworld warriors. He didn't need to go around killing Kotal Kahn's men and destroy what little trust Outworld had with Earthrealm on his first official mission. This would be a little more time-consuming for him as he had to fight with the right amount of restraint so as to not kill these fighters.
With no time to waste, the main Naruto jumped high and landed in the middle of the fighting. He would try to take down as many as possible without using lethal force. Instantly, 30 warriors converged upon him with 30 more ready to take their place. It would be a long fight.
However, despite Naruto's quick work and his clone's help, there were still many soldiers left unattended. Seeing this, Cassie, Takeda, and Jacqui handled those that Naruto could not.
Soon enough, they saw Kung Jin running back towards them, victorious from his battle.
After launching a brutal flying kick and knocking out her opponent, Jacqui turned to the man.
"So, how'd it go with Mr. Cowboy over there?"
"Oh please, he was easy to beat once I disabled his toys," said Kung Jin
Before they could talk further, a loud rumbling could be heard and felt in the ground. Cassie and Takeda then finished off their opponent to look over at the source of this ruckus. Cassie's team, minus Naruto, all turned to see an unusual sight.
A large man, nearly triple the size of Erron Black, appeared from within a dark tunnel. He was also carrying a smaller-sized girl on his upper back.
Naruto also looked over after finishing his last opponent and squinted his eyes at the weird sight.
Takeda looked at the large behemoth of a man, and pondered, "Okay, what the hell is that? A large man and small girl?"
With the kombat still occurring around the team from Naruto's clones, it was a chaotic scene overall. Grunts of pain and sounds of fists being thrown were only adding onto the battleground's intensity.
The girl upon the man's back was the first to speak of the duo, "Hooray! My name Ferra, his name Torr!"
Ferra then did a quick hop and shouted out, "We make you no more! Prepare for destroy-urrrrah!" With a childlike manner of speaking, Ferra then gave a quick tap on Torr's shoulder. This likely indicated the initiative in kombat. After giving his roar of approval, they began sprinting at the Earthrealm team.
Seeing the danger involved, Cassie switched into team captain mode. She remembered Sub-Zero's words about being a leader, and she would prove that now. After seeing that Naruto was too far away at the moment to help, she made up her mind.
"Jin, you stay back and provide support! Jacqui, you take point! Takeda, you're with me!"
After giving out her orders, all three members minus Kung Jin began charging the large brute.
Jacqui initiated her battle by using some hooks, but Torr's strength stopped her blows with his large forearms. They absorbed the shock and he didn't even seem affected by the power.
"No way! Even Sub-Zero felt my hits! And my gauntlets are cranked up more now than they were fighting the Grandmaster!" thought a shocked Jacqui.
Torr, seeing his opening, grabbed the soldier and planned to snap her back upon his knee. Kung Jin, seeing this, shot an arrow straight into his wrist to avoid this happening. After grunting in pain, Torr dropped Jacqui to the ground as dust rose up from the impact. Torr ripped out the arrow and snapped it in half.
Next up, Takeda arrived to deliver a fast elbow strike to Torr's midsection. Torr, not even feeling the blow, grabbed Takeda by his head and slammed him into the ground. He then followed this up with a rough stomp to his chest.
Not willing to see his friend's chest cavity possibly get caved in, Kung Jin fired an arrow into Torr's left shoulder before he could deliver a second stomp. This only aggravated the brute and he snapped this arrow as well. Takeda was able to quickly roll out of the way.
To help take the heat off Takeda, Cassie emerged with a sweeping leg kick, that literally did not move the giant. Not one to be discouraged, Cassie shot up with a sweeping uppercut which connected to the brute's jaw. She could tell that actually did hurt Torr due to him grinding his teeth in anger, but only slightly. Feeling angered, Torr grabbed Cassie with both arms to prevent her from getting away. He held her up high above his head so Ferra could finish the job. Unfortunately for her, just as Ferra pulled out her metal claws, a bow flew into her leg and knocked her off the brute.
Being instantly concerned for his companion, Torr threw Cassie away and allowed Ferra to come back up, although with a slight limp this time.
Having enough of Kung Jin's arrows, Torr rushed the Shaolin warrior. Kung Jin prepared himself.
Torr swung with his left fist, but Kung Jin managed to duck the blow and swing his both into Torr's ribs. Hearing a slight hiss of pain, Torr brought both hands down to deliver a slam.
To this, Kung Jin rolled out of the way and sniped Ferra off Torr's back once again, this time hitting her in the side.
Torr, having enough of this, brought his partner back up, ripped out the two arrows embedded in her, and threw her at Kung Jin.
She landed on the Shaolin warrior's chest and tried swiping at his face, which Kung Jin constantly dodged.
"You big meanie! Me and Torr make you go bye-bye! Rrrraaa-heeeo!" stated Ferra as she tried to hit the Shaolin in the face. Seeing his distracted state, Torr ran up and grabbed Kung Jin's leg. He then yanked hard, forcing the Earthrealm fighter to land on his back with a slight 'oof.' After realizing her partner was in control of the fight now, Ferra hopped off Kung Jin and onto Torr's back once again. Now that his partner was safe, Torr let loose.
Letting out a primal roar, Torr raised Kung Jin by his leg and slammed him down into the ground. A back and forth, like a child throwing a tantrum with their toy, ensued. This occurred for about five seconds before Torr blinked at his hand. He now held nothing. He looked around for the man he had in his grasp seconds prior.
Kung Jin coughed hard but thankfully, there was no blood. This at least told him he didn't have any serious internal bleeding… yet. Looking up from his disoriented state, he saw Naruto holding him up in a sitting position. Looking at the blonde, had to ask the question in his mind, "...what happened? I was getting thrown around a few seconds ago?"
"I had to use high-Jonin speeds to quickly release his hand and grab you at the same time, and then I brought you here so you could recover." Seeing Kung Jin's lost look, he simplified his explanation, "I traveled at a really high speed so he couldn't register me grabbing you and leaving him a present behind. Now, you're here."
True to his words, both Kung Jin and Naruto saw Torr looking around for the Shaolin fighter. They were about sixty feet away and behind the large man.
"Damn, he traveled that fast, that quickly? He must really be holding back… now I really feel like an ass for doubting him when he first arrived…" thought a humbled Kung Jin.
Seeing Naruto keeping a constant watch on Torr's searching gaze, Kung Jin spoke up.
"Hey Naruto," seeing he got the blonde's attention, he continued, "… I'm sorry for treating you harshly at first. You really came through for me, especially helping me free that man earlier…"
Naruto then responded, "Don't worry about all that, it's water under the bridge. Besides, it's hard for me to keep grudges against my friends."
Seeing they were considered friends now, Kung Jin gave a smile but a violent cough interrupted them. "Damn, getting thrown around like that really bruised me up."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that by the way. I was so caught up in fighting I didn't notice the team getting taken down...," he then looked over to his right seeing Takeda help Cassie and Jacqui up. He then looked back at Torr, "But don't worry, I'll be sure to pay him back…"
Leaving a clone behind to help Kung Jin, Naruto stood up and began walking to the behemoth. Kung Jin spoke up from where he was sitting, "Just be careful, this guy is crazy strong. He's eaten a lot of my arrows and even Jacqui couldn't really hurt him."
Giving a thumbs up in response, Naruto spoke, "Don't worry, I can handle him."
Even though Kung Jin had not known Naruto long, or even well, the words he spoke made him believe in him. After giving a small nod, Naruto began hurrying his pace to the brute.
"This monster has hurt my friends, and it could have gone worse if I didn't intervene when I did… a mistake I won't make again…" Naruto then fastened his headband and tucked in his necklace, "After what he did to my team, he's gonna pay. I've been wanting to let loose in this world for a while now, and now I can. I'm about to make this fucker pay…" Seeing Cassie get up with a pained expression really pissed Naruto off. Nobody would hurt his friends while he could help it, nobody.
"Hey, big and ugly!" shouted Naruto as he walked to the duo. Ferra and Torr then turned around to see a blonde-haired man walking to them. They weren't intimidated in the slightest.
"Looking for my friend? Well don't worry, I got him out of here and now it's just you and me!" said Naruto with a hard gaze.
"Grrrr-raa! You make toy go away! Now you go away!" shouted Ferra before Torr roared his agreement.
The large behemoth then began charging the shinobi. Despite the obvious dangers, Naruto stood still and awaited the man.
"What is he doing!? He's just standing there! He's leaving himself wide open!" exclaimed a worried Cassie Cage. She was standing with the support of Takeda and Jacqui.
Takeda shook his head, "I'm not sure, it seems unnecessarily risky."
Cassie just bit her lip in worry as she saw her friend be potentially crushed. Despite the amount of stories she heard from the shinobi, she just didn't know how this would play out. Seeing was believing as they say.
One thing was for sure, Jacqui, Cassie, Takeda, and Kung Jin were keeping their eyes glued to the fight. This would be their first chance to see how their teammate fought.
With a roar that came from deep within, Torr jumped and put all his weight, strength, and power into a punch aimed at the blond's face. He wanted to get this over with, he had been fighting for a while now. To everybody's surprise, Naruto did the most unexpected thing. He caught the punch, with his open palm.
Everybody stared with wide eyes, they were stunned. Torr, who threw them all around and ate Jacqui's punches, was stopped by a man less than half his size. Naruto had held his palm out to catch the punch, and it did.
Even Torr was rattled by this occurrence. His mouth was slightly agape and Ferra, for once, didn't have anything snarky to say.
"That's your best?" retorted a bored Naruto, "I guess it isn't much… now let me show you what happens when you hurt those close to me…"
Naruto then disappeared in a blur of speed and reappeared after giving a vicious uppercut into Torr's right pectoral. He dug his fist deep, twisted and pulled it out in one fluid motion. Torr fell back slightly and groaned in pain. However, the blonde wasn't even close to being done.
In another blur of speed, he delivered a leg kick that snapped Torr's head to the side. It was so quick and hard, that it even forced Ferra to fall off his back. Torr, a man who weighed heavy enough to shake the ground, was sent flying in the air. After soaring for a few seconds, Naruto threw a kunai alongside the back of Torr's prone form and teleported to it. This was him using the Hiraishin.
After appearing behind Torr in mid-air, Naruto grabbed the very same kunai he teleported to and used it to slash his opponent's Achilles tendon. This was done in both of his legs in less than a second. Naruto then gave a right punch into Torr's back that sent him straight up. Again, Naruto threw his kunai and teleported above the brute. To end the combo, he gave a nasty spinning elbow into the behemoth's nose. A sickening crunch was heard, signifying it was broken.
This also sent Torr flying back into the earth. When he landed, a small crater was formed due to the amount of force Naruto put into his blow. With a graceful landing, Naruto stood in front of the fallen warrior.
He then sealed away his kunai and began to talk, "Even if you survive this fight, you now have lifelong injuries. You'll never be able to fight like you did." The Achilles tendon slash in both legs ensured his words would ring true. If Torr survived, he would be crippled for life.
Torr didn't even respond, he was barely breathing. Nobody knew if he would survive or if he would succumb to his injuries.
"… Is it bad I kinda found that hot?…" asked a stunned Cassie Cage.
"I feel like that's a kink you got from your mother," responded Jacqui.
"Ew gross," said a disgusted Takeda. He didn't want to think of that.
Kung Jin, after recovering with the limited knowledge Naruto's clone had on healing justus, stood up and thought, "I am so glad I am friends with him now…"
Naruto then Shunshined behind the downed Ferra and gave a quick neck chop to knock her out. He didn't feel like dealing with her, and couldn't find the heart in him to kill what he considered a "kid."
Afterward, he jogged to his teammates, followed closely by Kung Jin, to offer his support.
"Here, let me help you out. I don't specialize in healing, but I've learned enough over the years to help out with basic injuries. This will help soothe your pain and repair muscle tears." spoke Naruto as he began to channel healing chakra in his hands. He then hovered them over Cassie's injuries as she stood.
"Gonna be honest with you man, that was some cool stuff," spoke Takeda, "I've seen some great ninjas, but none of them can do what you can!"
Naruto gave a chuckle and retorted his thanks, it felt nice to be appreciated. Kung Jin then approached and began making conversation with his team.
Just as Naruto finished up healing Cassie, Jacqui, and Takeda, they all turned to see his clones finish fighting the remaining forces. Not needing them anymore, Naruto poofed them out of existence just to learn that each fallen warrior was unconscious, not killed. This was a relief because it was one less problem to worry about.
Soon, a large group of more warriors busted into the courtyard with a yellow-skinned lady leading. She began to speak, "This one is named D'Vorah," she then gestured to herself, "..and you have all interrupted Outworld matters."
She scanned the group before landing her eyes upon a mutilated Torr and an unconscious Erron Black. "You are all Earthrealm residents, correct?"
Seeing no harm in answering her question, Cassie gave a quick nod.
Not wanting this to be turned into something bigger, Jacqui spoke, "We only wish to speak to Kotal Kahn, we-"
"Silence!" spoke D'Vorah, "This one is most surprised at the… 'diplomatic' way Earthrealmers treat foreign emissaries."
However, D'Vorah sensed something that made her smile. She then turned her eyes to Naruto and said, "Our hive tells me you are the most powerful of the group… you make a fine specimen.." she then licked her lips sensually.
"Uhh… thanks…." responded Naruto, warily and disgusted.
"The hive would make good use of him…" thought D'Vorah.
Getting back on track, D'Vorah looked at Cassie, "Nonetheless, the consequence of interrupting Outworld business, is death… if we did not follow the Reiko Accords. But since we do, we will bring the emperor, you all will wait here."
D'Vorah then made her leave to get Kotal Kahn while Cassie's team remained in the courtyard. Cassie then took this moment to address Kung Jin.
"Can you please tell me why you broke protocol during this mission and went off on your own?" said Cassie while taking a deep breath.
Kung Jin then replied, "Because, not all thieves are beyond saving."
After explaining the reasons behind his actions, each squad mate besides Naruto, came to an understanding. Kung Jin once stole an important family heirloom from Raiden, only to be given a second chance by the Shaolin monks. Now, wanting to know why the shinobi would back him up, Cassie turned to Naruto.
With a softer gaze, she spoke, "Then can you please tell me why you backed him up almost instantly Naruto? We understand you've been in that position before, but we need a further explanation." She didn't want to do this, but the military training instilled in her required her to know why a teammate would not follow orders.
Naruto, seeing how he needed to fully explain his actions, closed his eyes in preparation. "What I'm about to tell you isn't wonderful, but I need to explain where I was coming from."
The blonde-haired shinobi then went on to explain how his childhood wasn't the best. The nights of starvation and hunger plagued him occasionally as a child. This nearly brought a tear to Jacqui's eye and even Kung Jin was rattled by this information.
"Damn dude, you really had it rough…" thought a saddened Takeda.
"I really just had to go and make him re-open old wounds huh…" thought Cassie, hating how this was the second time she did it.
Before anybody could say anything, Kotal Kahn arrived with his personal entourage. The emperor walked until he was a few feet in front of the group, eyeing his fallen warriors as he passed them.
"You required my presence, I have arrived. Speak now before I lose my temper…" said Kotal Kahn with authority.
Cassie then explained the situation with Li Mei's village and how they sought asylum in Earthrealm. However, she focused mainly on Mileena and how she had pushed back Li Mei's forces with ease. Kotal Kahn then spoke after digesting the information told to him.
"While I did not know of this event, I do know of one thing. I did not bring any Earthrealm fighters into my empire to stop an act of justice from being carried out today," spoke Kotal Kahn, referencing the man who was freed.
Kotal Kahn then started pacing around with his hands behind his back as he spoke, "Furthermore, what proof is there that you are not allied with Mileena? Her strength could have earned her more allies for all I know."
Naruto then thought, "...He's ruling out of fear, paranoia even. Everyone is out to get him in his mind unless proven otherwise… the effects of a civil war…"
"No, we're definitely NOT allied with Mileena!" spoke Kung Jin, "We're not even sure if the power she has now is connected to Shinnok's amulet or if-" Before he could continue, Kotal Kahn cut him off.
"Shinnok's amulet?" said Kotal Kahn, "The very same weapon that Earthrealm swore to protect? The item that even Raiden employed his personal wards against to prevent it ever getting loose?" shouted an enraged Kotal Kahn.
"...All this talk has only convinced me you are allied with Mileena," he then turned to D'Vorah, "Carry out the justice Outworld demands, execute them all…"
Kotal Kahn then turned around and began to leave while D'Vorah readied her herself.
"This one will spare the blonde for last, he will benefit the hive…." thought D'Vorah as she kept her eyes focused on Naruto.
Feeling that the situation was now officially out of control, Naruto decided he needed to help his team. Remembering a critical piece of information that Johnny Cage had told him, he decided to put it to use now.
"Kotal Kahn!" shouted Naruto, gaining the emperor's attention with a look over his shoulder, "I demand a trial by combat! This is to erase any accusations you have that we conspire with Mileena!"
Turning around, Kotal Kahn scoffed, "And you are? I've never seen you here before?"
"It doesn't matter who I am, just know I was sent here with Raiden's approval. I am a defender of Earthrealm. Now, fight me! Or risk having dishonor be placed upon you!" replied Naruto with his head held high.
Each one of Kotal Kahn's warriors, including D'Vorah, looked at the blue-skinned emperor. They were awaiting his decision.
Grinding his teeth in frustration and knowing he had been placed into a corner, Kotal Kahn spoke, "I accept. However, know this, the duel is to the death!"
Both fighters walked up to each other and stood a few feet away. All the people nearby gave room for the fight to happen.
"Kick his ass, Naruto!" thought Cassie as she closed her fist.
"Oh yeah, that emperor is in a world of trouble now!" thought a grinning Takeda.
"He's going to win easily…" whispered a confident Jacqui Briggs.
"I wouldn't want to fight him even on my best day," said a smiling Kung Jin.
Seeing that his teammates had full faith in him with his emotion-sensing ability, Naruto smiled. It was now up to him to show their faith was not unfounded.
"Prepare yourself Earthrealmer!" Kotal Kahn then sprinted at the shinobi.
Naruto didn't want to make this fight drawn out, he wanted to end it quickly. Kotal Kahn needed to understand there was no time to waste, every second they delayed, was another second Shinnok's amulet could be in use.
Kotal Kahn threw a left hook followed by a left boot kick to the chest. In both instances, Naruto blocked both attacks. He used his elbow to block the hook and caught the foot heading to his chest. After releasing the leg, he then shoved the emperor back a few feet. Stumbling back, Kotal Kahn decided to change his strategy.
"He wants to humiliate me in front of my people? I will show him no mercy!" thought Kotal Kahn as he grabbed the Macuahuitl from his back.
Naruto, seeing this, grabbed two kunai from his weapons pouch and placed them both in his hands. He then added a very thin layer of wind chakra to add more power into his blows as well as strengthening his blades.
"O-washtah!" with a quick shout and a raised hand, Kotal Kahn shrouded himself in the sunlight. This would boost his attack power and heal any wounds he sustained quickly.
This time, it was Naruto who charged the emperor. With both sides settled in their own right, a clash ensued. Each time Kotal Kahn would swing his Macuahuitl, Naruto would be ready to block the blow. After swinging low, Naruto was able to hop up and slash into the emperor's right shoulder and lower torso with both kunai.
After hissing in pain, Kotal drew upon his own blood and healed the wounds inflicted by Naruto.
"I see, he combined the power of his sunlight and has a variation of blood absorption to heal his wounds. I'll just have to hit him hard and fast so he can't take advantage of this." This thought ran through Naruto's head in about a second mid-battle, showing how seriously he had taken his training over the past three years.
Not willing to let Naruto get close again, Kotal dashed backward and summoned a Sunstone with his hand raised in the air. In one hand, he held his Macuahuitl, in the other, the Sunstone. He then launched the disc at the ninja with great precision. Naruto, seeing this, decided the fight had gone on long enough.
As the disc flew towards him, Naruto threw the kunai in his left hand high into the air and performed a front flip. In slow motion, Naruto grabbed the disc while front-flipping before it could fly past him. After he landed, he spun with vicious velocity and threw the Sunstone back into the emperor's face, hard. In fact, the impact was so great in shattered the Sunstone into dust upon contact with the warrior's head.
The impact rattled the emperor's head backward and resulted in him having a minor concussion. After stumbling around, Kotal looked at the shinobi. Feeling disoriented, Kotal was not prepared for what happened next. In a perfect display of timing, the kunai Naruto threw high into the air moments ago and landed into his waiting palm.
Then, Naruto dashed at high-Jonin speeds to finish the fight. Kotal, still dazed from his own projectile back-firing on him, didn't see what was coming. Before he could call upon his sunlight for health, Naruto was upon him.
Naruto counted the number of quick slashes he inflicted upon the emperor's body as he did them. "One, two, three, four, five, six…." This occurred for a total of twenty-eight gash wounds on the Osh-Tekk.
Everybody on the sidelines were stunned at what they were seeing. This ninja had just displayed some of the finest moments in a fight they had ever seen.
"...This guy just keeps surprising me in the way he fights. It's almost like each move is calculated and thought out. Always thinking a step ahead of his opponent…." wondered an amazed Kung Jin.
"Okay… now I can see the appeal Cassie was talking about…" thought a surprised Jacqui Briggs. Seeing Naruto fight up close was much more impactful than from a distance.
Naruto then ended his barrage of slashes with a final cut through the emperor's wrist, severing the tendons. This caused Kotal to drop his Macuahuitl and stumble back in surprise. He couldn't even register the amount of pain he was in because it all happened so fast.
Seeing the emperor disarmed, Naruto then stored both of his blades back into his weapons pouch, ran up to Kotal, and delivered a hard somersault kick into the Osh-Tekk's jaw. This caused the man to fall back, groaning in pain from his injuries. His prized Macuahuitl was lying beside him, unable to be held.
Naruto then looked around him as the people staring were surprised. A majority of Outworld people were floored at what they saw. Their emperor, a man who had been considered a 'god' by some people, was flattened by a young adult from Earthrealm.
"...This one will be sure to remember this 'Naruto'… he is most troubling indeed…" thought a worried D'Vorah, no longer confident she could battle the blonde.
Kotal, looking through his dazed state, spoke at the kombatant looming over him. "Go ahead, kill me. It is your right as trial by kombat…"
Awaiting the shinboi's decision, everybody perked their ears. Finally, Naruto spoke, "No emperor, I won't kill you. Instead of taking your life, I ask for cooperation. Let us work together to track down Mileena and take the amulet back if she does have it. We don't want war with you."
Naruto then gestured to the many warriors spewing around the courtyard. "We did not come with the intention to kill or harm your people. In fact, if you look closely, each one of your warriors is still breathing emperor. They are unconscious, beaten, but not dead…" Naruto then looked towards the fallen form of Torr, "...however, I cannot be certain that one is still alive. He caused our group disrespect that had to be re-payed…"
After looking around and seeing D'Vorah nod, indicating the blonde was speaking the truth, Kotal made his decision.
Kotal, feeling defeated but honored, slowly stood up and nodded his head. Grimacing in pain and holding his side, the Osh-Tekk spoke, "Hear me! I declare the charges of conspiracy by Earthrealm to aid Mileena as false! They are now void."
Holding his hand out, signifying there were no harsh feelings involved, Naruto awaited to see if Kotal would reciprocate the gesture. Suffering a bruised ego is difficult for anybody, but not if the safety of your people comes first. Kotal then brought his own arm out, bloodied and sore, into grasp with the blonde. What he did not expect, was his wounds to steam and heal nearly instantly. Even the headache that was forming was gone. The taste of blood in his mouth, the tendons in his wrist, all of the damage was gone.
Seeing Kotal's questioning gaze, Naruto spoke, "I delivered what my people call 'healing chakra' into your system. Your wounds have been sealed and healed. Consider this gesture of good faith, further proving Earthrealm does not mean your rule any harm…"
While Naruto wasn't lying, he wasn't saying the entire truth. In actuality, he sent a quick spark of Kurama's healing chakra into the emperor when their hands connected. It wasn't much and it would burn out soon from his body, but it was enough to heal the damage inflicted.
"It's really hard to hate this guy. Even when he whoops your ass, you can tell he's being genuine…" thought Kung Jin while shaking his head and hiding a smile.
"Very well, Earthrealmer. I see your point. We will aid you in finding Mileena and removing the amulet from her grasp. I am in your debt." Responded Kotal, looking deep into the blonde's eyes. He could respect the power of someone, but he respected humility even more.
With that being said, Cassie spoke up. It was time to take over the situation as team captain.
"Seeing as we have come to a new 'agreement,' I'll be sure to let General Blade know." After speaking, Cassie pulled out her phone and began typing rapidly. After a few more moments, Cassie got ahold of her mother.
With Sonya, on Base
After being given a quick debfried by her daughter, Sonya spoke into her phone while walking deeper into the refugee camp she was investigating. "Excellent work Sergeant Cage. Stay with Kotal Kahn and see what you can find out. Tell Naruto he also has my praise, he might have just saved us from another war with Outworld. General out."
After putting away her cell phone, Sonya stopped her walking pace to look at the entirety of the refugee camp. She needed to track down Kano and apprehend him.
"General, over here!" shouted two soldiers carrying a body bag upon a stretcher. Sonya walked over, opened the bag, and began to asses what she was seeing.
"We found her not too long ago in the refugee camp, General."
After looking closer at the victim's neck, Sonya instantly knew what happened.
"It looks like she was a victim to one of Kano's 'neckties'…." she then zipped the bag up, "...Keep searching for more evidence, keep your eyes peeled…" Sonya then walked deeper into the camp.
Feeling a slight buzz in her pocket, Sonya held up a communicator that was given to her by the thunder god. A few moments later, Raiden appeared in holographic form with his arms crossed.
"What's the update Raiden?" asked Sonya.
"It appears Shinnok's amulet was taken without my notice. It was replaced by a duplicate. I cannot say for how long we were deceived."
"Fuck, just what we needed.. even more bad news..." whispered Sonya.
Raiden then jerked his body to the left, as if something garnered his attention. He then turned to Sonya and said, "Something has taken priority. I will return when-" Before another word could be said, Raiden disappeared from the communicator.
"Just great, now we lost Raiden," muttered an annoyed Sonya. She then put away the device and spoke to a nearby group of soldiers.
"Lieutenant, gather your best men and take a squad to Raiden's last known location. We need to ensure nothing has happened to him. Report back to me once completed, dismissed."
With their orders given, a quick 'yes ma'am' was heard before these soldiers marched away to complete their mission.
Looking to her left, Sonya then saw her ex-husband walking up to her. "What's the report from Colonel Flagg?"
"Straight to business huh?…" after not getting a response besides a hard stare, Johnny continued, "I asked him what the camp security was looking like," Johnny then crossed his arms. "He then told me to things were fine and to 'fuck off.' So then I had to spend the next ten minutes hearing him whine about how I was the punishment he had to endure due to your orders. So, in summary, General, camp security is currently at 'fuck off' status, does that satisfy you?" replied Johnny with a snarky finish.
Not dignifying a response, Sonya waved off Johnny's comments and walked away. Johnny decided to catch and get ahead of the walking General. He then turned around to speak to his ex-wife.
"You can't just brush me off like you've been doing. I'm also a part of this operation." spoke a serious Johnny Cage.
Sonya, seeing she was blocked from walking forward, began to respond, "And if it was up to me, you wouldn't be here at all. It wasn't my decision to include you."
Johnny, finally having a built-up feeling of emotion, let it all out. "And THIS is why we couldn't work out in the first place! You just go off, get deep into your work, and forget about the people around you!"
Sonya, not wanting to hear this right now, began to walk around Johnny. However, Johnny was not having it and grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her back.
"Unhand me cage, or I can get you in trouble for battery against a military General!" spoke Sonya.
"That's fine, lock me up, but you're going to hear what I have to say first!" Johnny then released her elbow but kept a firm gaze. "You weren't there when I needed you, and that's fine. But you weren't there when your daughter needed you either and that's inexcusable!"
"Bullshit!" snapped back Sonya, tired of hearing this, "I was just in her life as much as you were!"
"Were you Sonya?" asked Johnny with a firm frown, "Do you remember when we split up? How young Cassie was?"
"What does this have to do with anything?" asked Sonya, feeling frustrated.
"When we first split, Cassie needed a mom. She needed a woman to show her things I couldn't. She needed someone that would show her motherly affection…." Johnny then started getting red in the face from anger, "...But instead, all she got was a cold, loveless bitch for a mom. You weren't there when she had her first kiss, you weren't there when she had her first boyfriend, and you weren't even there to send her off to her high school prom! I was, not you!" Johnny then pointed his finger at the General.
Johnny then continued, "There were nights when she was waiting for you to come to pick her up on a scheduled court visit for the weekend, and you were 'too busy' to see her. Do you understand how that must have made her feel? Feeling like her own mom didn't want to spend time with her?"
Sonya, remembering these events, began to well up with tears in her eyes.
"She would come home and ask why all the other kids at school would have moms who would play with their children, but not her own. I damn near cried out of frustration for her…" Johnny then took a deep breath to calm himself, "…She even saw the court documents I left out on my personal desk one night by accident… she saw that you didn't try to file for custody Sonya. That really crushed her. I had to spend all night with her just so she could go to bed that night…"
Sonya, letting a few tears fall out, silently wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt. She never thought letting work control her would have such a nasty effect on her daughter.
Johnny, seeing his ex-wife's state, decided to wrap up. "And you know what the worst part is?… She still wants your affection, your approval. And yet, you still give her orders like she's a piece of gum on your boot. I've seen dogs get treated with more love than you give your own daughter…" Johnny then finished with one last comment, "...If you don't want her, that's fine. She's always going to be my daughter and if you don't want to be her mother, don't act like you do…"
Johnny then walked off, finally getting the feelings off his chest that he held over the years.
Sonya, seeing as nobody noticed her presence, walked into a nearby bathroom to freshen up. Instead, she leaned on the wall and began to cry her eyes out. It took all of her willpower to not sob loudly and instead choke them into her arm. She didn't realize she had treated her own daughter so harshly. It made her feel like complete shit, like a worthless human.
A flashback popped into her head. Back when Earthrealm was still in the Netherrealm war. Back then, she and Johnny were nearly inseparable. They always had each other's back and cared deeply for one another.
Back then, Johnny had nearly turned into a revenant due to Quan Chi's sorcery, but she had fought off the sorcerer long enough for Raiden to counteract his spell. This was the same incident that freed Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Jax from Quan Chi's control.
Even during her pregnancy, Johnny was always there to attend to her needs. It was only after Cassie was born that Sonya began diving back deep into her work. This would eventually lead to her separation from Johnny.
As everybody conducted business as usual such as walking around the camp and investigating claims, nobody heard the highly-praised General sobbing in a bathroom. She needed to come to terms with what her ex-husband said before she could go back outside. For once, her family came before her job.
ANNDD we are DONE! Thank you all for taking the time to read this chapter of The Warrior That Shined!
I hope you liked more of the family drama that I promised in the last chapter. We also got to see Naruto fight more in this one which I also hoped you liked.
I aimed to try and show Naruto's more charismatic side in this chapter. We always see Naruto make friends out of enemies and I tried to do that with Kotal Kahn.
Be warned, just because a character's chapter occurs in the game, does NOT mean I will have them dominate the next however many fights they need. They could lose, they could win, or they could have their fight completely stolen by another character! Who knows?
Please feel free to review and share your thoughts on the story! Would love to see what you have to say!
Anyway, that's a wrap for this chapter! Chapter 5 will be coming out soon, so be ready! This story is progressing as quickly as I can pump out these chapters, so I'll try my best to not slack behind!
Thank you again! Bye!