Chapter 19: Awesome I Am
Nara Shikamaru VS Sabaku no Temari
The tension in the arena was palpable as Shikamaru Nara stepped into the ring, facing Temari of the Sand. The events leading up to this moment had left a heavy mark on him. Choji's brutal murder at the hands of Gaara had instilled in him a newfound grittiness, a silent but fierce determination to honor his fallen friend. The usual lazy and carefree Shikamaru had transformed into a shinobi with a purpose, a resolve that burned quietly but intensely.
Temari stood across from him, her fan at the ready, a confident smirk playing on her lips. Despite the grudge he held against her brother, Shikamaru couldn't deny the raw attraction he had for her. The way she carried herself, the strength in her gaze—it was intriguing, to say the least.
Ino was attractive too, but that was his permanent sister.
"The fighters for the next match are Nara Shikamaru and Sabaku no Temari. Are there any objections?" the proctor announced.
"No," Temari replied, her eyes locked onto Shikamaru's.
"No," Shikamaru said, his voice calm but determined.
"Very well. HAJIME!"
The match began with both fighters assessing each other. Shikamaru's mind was already working, analyzing Temari's stance, her weapon, her potential strategies. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight. Temari was no pushover, and her wind techniques were formidable.
"Well, well," Temari said, opening her fan slightly. "You seem different from the last time I saw you. More determined."
Shikamaru shrugged, his eyes never leaving her. "Yeah, well, life has a way of changing people. Especially when your best friend gets murdered."
Temari's smirk faltered for a moment. "Yeah sorry about that. My brother can be... ruthless."
"You could say that," Shikamaru replied, his tone icy. "I should hate you too, you know."
Temari's eyes softened, but her voice remained steady. "And do you?"
Shikamaru paused, considering her. "No. You're not him. But don't think I'll go easy on you because of that."
Temari chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
With that, she swung her fan, sending a powerful gust of wind towards Shikamaru. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"
Shikamaru leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the slicing winds. He quickly formed a hand sign, preparing his own counterattack. "Kagemane no Jutsu!"
His shadow shot forward, stretching across the arena towards Temari. She anticipated the move, jumping back and spreading her fan wide to block the shadow's advance. Shikamaru smirked, using the opportunity to move to a better position.
"You're gonna have to do better than that," Temari taunted, launching another wave of wind blades at him.
Shikamaru dodged again, his mind racing. He needed to find a way to trap her, to use her own strategies against her. As he maneuvered around the arena, he noticed the shadows cast by the various obstacles and structures. If he could just get her into the right position...
"You're pretty good at running away," Temari called out, her eyes narrowing. "But you can't hide forever."
"Who said anything about hiding?" Shikamaru retorted, forming another hand sign. "Kage Nui no Jutsu!"
Shadows erupted from the ground, forming tendrils that lashed out towards Temari. She swung her fan, cutting through them, but it was enough of a distraction for Shikamaru to close the distance between them.
"Got you," he muttered, his shadow connecting with hers.
Temari's eyes widened as she realized she was caught. "Impressive," she admitted. "But can you maintain it?"
Shikamaru grinned, sweat dripping down his face from the effort. "Long enough."
With their movements synchronized, Shikamaru walked Temari towards a nearby wall, intending to pin her there. But she wasn't giving up so easily. She concentrated, forcing her chakra into her fan.
"Fūton: Dai Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"
The powerful wind technique broke Shikamaru's shadow bind, forcing him to retreat. Temari took advantage of the momentary break, launching herself into the air and sending another gust of wind his way.
Shikamaru barely had time to react, throwing himself to the ground to avoid the attack. He quickly assessed his options, realizing he needed to change tactics. He couldn't rely solely on his shadow techniques; he needed to outsmart her.
"You've got some guts, I'll give you that," Temari said, landing gracefully. "But this is where it ends."
Shikamaru smirked, his mind racing. "We'll see about that."
He formed a series of hand signs, preparing a new strategy. "Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu!"
His shadow extended towards Temari again, this time aiming for her neck. She jumped back, but he anticipated her move, his shadow following her in a serpentine pattern. She swung her fan, trying to cut through the shadow, but Shikamaru's precision kept her on the defensive.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," Temari said, her breath coming in short bursts.
"Just doing what I have to do," Shikamaru replied, his focus unwavering.
Their battle continued, each move countered with another, each strategy met with an equally clever response. It was a dance of shadows and wind, a battle of wits and wills. Shikamaru could feel the strain, but he pushed through, his determination fueled by the memory of Choji.
Temari's fan swung again, sending another gust of wind his way. Shikamaru ducked, rolling to the side and forming another hand sign. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"
Shadows wrapped around his kunai, launching them towards Temari. She deflected them with her fan, but one of the kunai grazed her arm, drawing blood.
"Nice shot," she said, wincing slightly.
"Thanks," Shikamaru replied, not letting up.
As the battle raged on, the crowd watched in awe. The intensity, the skill, the sheer willpower on display—it was a match that would be remembered for a long time. The spectators could feel the weight of Shikamaru's determination, his drive to honor his fallen friend, and it resonated with them.
In the stands, Ino and Asuma watched with bated breath. Ino's hands clasped tightly together as she silently cheered for Shikamaru. Asuma's expression was one of pride and concern, his gaze never leaving his student.
"You've got this Shikamaru," Ino whispered, her voice trembling.
Back in the arena, Shikamaru and Temari were nearing their limits. Both were breathing heavily, their movements slower but no less determined. Shikamaru knew he had to end this soon. He had one last trick up his sleeve, one final gambit to secure his victory.
"Let's finish this," Temari said, her voice firm despite her exhaustion.
"Agreed," Shikamaru replied, forming a final hand sign. "Kage Yari no Jutsu!"
His shadow formed into a spear, thrusting towards Temari with incredible speed. Temari's eyes widened, but she stood her ground, swinging her fan with all her remaining strength.
"Fūton: Kakeami no Jutsu!"
The wind net collided with the shadow spear, the two techniques clashing in a burst of energy. For a moment, it seemed like neither would give, but Shikamaru's determination pushed his shadow forward, breaking through the wind net and pinning Temari against the wall.
"It's over," Shikamaru said, his voice a mixture of relief and exhaustion.
Temari nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Looks like you win this round."
The proctor stepped forward, raising his hand. "The winner of this match is Nara Shikamaru!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, the tension finally breaking. Shikamaru released his shadow bind, collapsing to his knees as the exhaustion caught up with him. Temari walked over, extending a hand to help him up.
"You're one tough opponent," she said, her tone sincere.
Shikamaru took her hand, pulling himself to his feet. "You weren't so bad yourself."
They stood there for a moment, catching their breath, the tension between them easing. Despite the grudge he held against Gaara, Shikamaru couldn't deny the respect he felt for Temari.
"I should fucking hate you, you know," he said, his voice soft.
Temari's eyes softened. "I know. And I'm sorry for what my brother did. Truly."
Shikamaru nodded, accepting her words. "I'll see you around."
"I'm looking forward to it," she replied with a genuine smile.
As they left the arena, the weight of the match lifted slightly, but the resolve remained. Shikamaru had honored Choji's memory, proving that even in the face of tragedy, the bonds of friendship and the will to fight on could shine through.
Son Goku VS Hyuga Hinata
"Alright." Genma nodded back, "The next round of the Chunin Exams shall commence immediately. If you are not Hyuga Hinata and Son Goku, get lost."
Naruto and Sasuke both watched as their "most hated" rivals made their way to the ring. Tensions were still high despite the month that had passed, and neither party made any effort to break the ice.
It was still fuck Goku and fuck Hinata. Little did they know, the chasm between their powers would only increase that rift...
"Kick his ass Hinata!" Kiba shouted out from the stands.
Nobody else really had an opinion about who they wanted to win except for Shino who was Hinata's other teammate, but too quiet to express that fact. The crowd however, desperately wanted Hinata to utterly demolish Goku. Rag doll him. Make an a example of him.
She was the heavy favorite.
Genma raised his hands to silence the now seated crowd.
Hinata and Goku had taken to opposite sides, and the latter slipped into his signature Kame stance. Hinata took the standard Jyuken position.
"Ready?" Genma asked, holding his senbon in his hand, both genin nodded to the examiner.
"Alright then, hajime!"
Genma leapt back immediately, but neither genin moved to attack.
The boy spoke up, "Let's give them a show, okay?"
"Right," Hinata replied, an uncharacteristic grin of excitement gracing her face. "Can't wait to show you what I've been working on."
"Me too!" Goku shouted, "Hold nothing back!"
"Hai Goku-sensei."
ZOOOOOOM!
Goku darted at the waiting Hyuga girl with a speed that surpassed his previous fight with Lee, whose heart was pounding out of her chest.
Her entire clan was in attendance, particularly her father and younger sister. She could not afford to show anything but promise here, despite her temporary exiling. Eventually, the clan would have to place her in the Branch family, as any Hyuga in the confines of the village was essentially clan property. Despite being free from the ire of her superiors, she still was not free from political obligation.
And thus, she still needed to prove her worth. Even greater than that, she wanted to prove herself to her best friend. He was the ultimate goalpost, the main goal she strived toward reaching in many facets of the game.
His power, his ability, his confidence, his humility, his compassion, and above all his fighting spirit.
He was a star and she wanted to shoot for it with everything she had. Her admiration for others such as Naruto paled in comparison to her budding love for Son Goku.
He was so cute and adorable too, that played its own factor.
Nevertheless, she wanted to defeat him to prove both Goku and herself correct about everything they had talked about in the past few months.
She was awesome.
With that, she activated her Byakugan.
Hinata easily deflected Goku's initial strikes, knowing that he couldn't move into any of her hand blocks without risking injury. And then seven Goku's began to creep into her field of vision, the patented Zanzoken.
With the utilization of the afterimage technique, the Saiyan aimed to confuse his best friend. However, the Byakugan was all-seeing, and thus she could not be fooled. Hinata had spent enough time in close proximity with Goku to know what was real and what was not.
"Hakke Kusho!"
The girl thrust her left palm forward, a burst of chakra meant to catch Goku in his tracks. It worked.
The Saiyan braced for impact with a cross-guard, negating any serious damage. Before he could do anything else, the girl fired another vacuum palm.
And another. And another. Goku found himself hard pressed to dodge, each wave of chakra increasing in speed and potency. And then a light bulb flickered on inside of his head, fight fire with fire.
Skidding to his far left, Goku concentrated ki into his own palms.
"Hakke-"
"Kiai-"
"Kusho!" "Wave!"
The two forces of ki and chakra clashed, creating multiple shockwaves that shook the exam stadium.
"I knew you'd master it!" Goku commented during the exchanges, "You're a genius!"
"I had a good teacher," she sweetly responded, causing the Saiyan to grin. "Now try to keep up! Basuto!"
"Basu what?"
Hinata seemed to vanish to the eyes of the crowd, Goku was barely able to track her movement being caught off guard by the suddenness of her energy spike. He whipped around and was only just able to duck the resoundingly fast kick that came from the other Konoha genin.
"You're in range!" The girl announced, whipping around in midair to kick at the dodging Saiyan. Landing, she followed up with a resounding palm strike to the stomach, and Goku gasped in surprise, rolling away from the strike.
The Saiyan rolled away, finally coming to a stop in the dirt, coughing a bit. Hinata was awesome!
The girl knew in order to press her advantage, she could not afford him a chance to recuperate. Taking a page out of her former friends book, she made the cross seal.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Two clones formed next to Hinata, and they all pounced. However, Goku's fighting spirit began to manifest in the form of a sparkling glint in his eye. Even if he wanted his bestfriend to win, she would have to take it from him.
"You're awesome, I'll give you that," Goku started, before smirking antagonistically. "But it's still not good enough!"
"We will see, Son Goku."
Hinata took the offensive side at a ridiculous pace; she was so fast that even Lee at his absolute best would have trouble keeping up?!
The boy seemed surprised by this speed as well, Hinata's Jyuken strikes were quick and well timed, Goku was nearly hit by a few especially given that there were three pair of hands instead of two.
Despite this, the two combatants continued to dance around each other.
And by dance, it meant blitzing the entire stadium, untraceable to just about everyone. Worse than fifth gate Lee.
BOOOOOOM!
SMASSSSH!
CRACCCKOOOOM!
WHOOOOOSH!
SKIDDDDDDD!
The effects of Gravity Training, Senzu Beans, One Month, and Son Goku.
Meanwhile in the stands, Hinata's father and sister, Hanabi, were watching the fight with veiled interest.
"Hinata-neesan is doing well," Hanabi commented.
"Doing well, is an understatement." Hiashi replied with a frown, "She...she's awesome! Damn."
"Hinata sure has gotten fast," Ino observed from the area the genin and teachers were watching.
"No kidding..." Sakura remarked, awestruck by what she was seeing.
"Those two...Lee didn't stand a chance!" Tenten stated in disbelief.
How could two genin be so strong?!
Down below, Hinata was becoming frustrated with her inability to hit Goku.
Despite the extra hands, despite her training, despite her tenketsu being unlocked, she was still not on his level.
The problem was, she still had to think about her movements, Son Goku was an animal. Fighting was natural for him, more natural than anyone else on the planet.
POP! POOOF! PSSSHH!
In sequential order, Goku rock, papered, and scissored all three clones into smoke.
Front flipping in an acrobatic display, the Saiyan attempted to bring his leg down on Hinata's head.
BOOOOOOM!
The blow...was blocked?
Despite the ground cratering beneath her feet and the stadium rocking even worse than before, Hinata stood firm with a cross-guard, her arms shaking with rigor.
Her Basuto Modo promptly subsided, as she no longer had the wherewithal to uphold such a stamina inducing jutsu. It served no purpose, as even with the enhanced physical attributes she was still inferior to her best friend.
She still had to win the match, however.
Pitched, honorable combat would not get her across the finish line. However, she was not a Martial Artist.
She was a kunoichi, and that meant by all means necessary.
Trickery it would have to be.
Using Kawarimi to escape her best friend, she substituted herself with one of the numerous, large pieces of rubble that had been concocted from previous matches. Creating distance between the two, she whipped out a deck of kunai and flung them at her opponent.
Raising an eyebrow at the switching of strategy, Son Goku plucked them out of the sky like nothing.
What was she up to?
And then came a shuriken laced with energy that he could detect, and he ducked, not wanting to damage his hand in catching it. That was all the time she needed.
Guiding her jutsu like a remote, her fingers moved in numerous directions behind her back until...
BOOOOOM!
A vacuum palm erupted from the ground and SMASHED Goku's jaw with as much force as Hinata could put into, launching him into the sky.
Jumping after him with an insane leg drive granted to her via training, she gathered more chakra into both of her hands. This would probably be her final act, as she still did not have limitless stamina nor chakra, even if her reserves were exponentially higher than she could have ever imagined.
Seeing his friend coming for him at a rapid pace, Goku smiled. She had come such a long way.
Instead of pretending to be more hurt than he really was, the Saiyan flipped backward and met Hinata's momentum, catching her wrists and then flipping onto his back, double kicking the girl further into the sky, shooting through the clouds themselves.
Her gamble had failed, Goku was just too much of a beast. Oh well, she would try her best anyway!
Using his ki at jet fuel, the Saiyan rocketed toward his friend and reared back for another strike.
"Ha!" Hinata drove a palm into Goku's left arm, however the boy ignored the jolt of pain, instead striking Hinata with a lashing right hook. It hit her square in the cheek, delivering village-crushing punishment that pushed her away from the Saiyan and perpendicularly deeper into the abyss of the cloud.
Not taking time to admire the view this time due to the ringing of her head, Hinata concentrated enough to fire two Hakke Kusho blasts at her opponent.
Goku weaved between the two waves due to his newfound ability to fly, but he was caught off-guard by Hinata jetting towards him via a chakra burst from her feet.
She can do that?
DOOOOOOSH!
The girl headbutted him in the torso with all she had, absolutely rocking Son Goku's world. He felt genuine damage.
In another timeline, it could be attributed to Goku headbutting Piccolo Jr. in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai despite being mortally wounded, which won him the match.
Spitting up saliva and a little blood, the Saiyan smiled with glee afterward. Hinata...was beyond awesome.
As Goku began to recover, he noticed her friend began to free fall back to the exam parameters. Unconsciously!
In a moment of deja vu, the kind-hearted Martial Artist dove toward the ground at breakneck speeds.
With only a second to spare, the partially battle damaged Saiyan manage to scoop the limp Hyuga into his arms and descend back to the ground.
The crowd, had absolutely nothing to say. Silence bore down on everyone. Since when could shinobi fly? Were they watching Kami?
TUKKKK!
Goku's boots clicked on the ground, the girl in his arms still out for the count. He knew she was alive, but he still had that lovable look of concern.
"i..." he stammered with compassion. "Proctor-"
"R...Right," Genma said from his position peeking behind the Sandaime, using the Shunsin to appear back in the confines of the arena.
"The winner is Son Go-"
POOOF!
Goku was holding a chunk of the stadium?
And then a kunai was pressed to his neck as someone coiled around his body like a pole dancer.
Hinata Hyuga had officially gotten the drop on Son Goku. Nobody knew the girl had an ounce of deceit in her bag, except for her. And it worked wonders.
"I win," she muttered into his ear, her left arm wrung tightly around his neck while her right arm possessed the kunai at the top of his throat, right beneath his jaw. Her legs curled around Goku's waist, giving him no room to escape without a gargantuan effort.
An effort that they both knew he could pull off if he really wanted to.
However, as Goku contemplated blasting her off of him, the kunai pressed ever so hard. She had to be dead serious, otherwise she would lose emphatically.
"Heh," Goku replied, smiling at the pressure situation. "I-I didn't think you'd stoop so low."
"I didn't have a choice, Goku-kun." Hinata said in a sultry tone, "You're so strong. Too strong. But I will still win. Forfeit, or else."
The Saiyan, despite his life-force sensibility, could not determine whether or not she was willing to kill him or not.
He had let his guard down, and now he paid the price.
"I don't have much of a choice huh?" Goku said, feeling the kunai attempt to nick his skin and draw blood. He waved the white flag. "Proctor, I forfeit the match!"
"Good choice," Hinata whispered sweetly, kissing the boy's left cheek for a prolonged period of time. After removing her lips from his face, she voided the seductive act, dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes sore as she did not know what.
"Winner: Hinata Hyuga!"
Goku crouched down next to his exhausted opponent, and smiled at her. He was beyond proud. That was the most fun he had since Master Roshi himself!
She smiled back despite her physical turmoil, opening her mouth to speak her mind. "So, how did I do Goku-sensei?"
"Beyond awesome," was the quick response. And then the Saiyan outstretched his arm, giving her his hand. "Here, take my hand. We gotta get outta the way."
"I-I can't really feel my legs."
"Alright, piggy back ride it is!" And with that the Saiyan scooped Hinata onto his bag before walking off toward the designated waiting area. "Don't let go."
"Never going to..." she trailed off, closing her eyes and nodding off to semi-sleep.
Goku was shocked hearing the loud applause from the crowd, and he smiled while giving them a slight wave.
- A Few Minutes Later -
"SASUKE!"
"NARUTO!"
The two rivals pulled out their respective projectiles and flung them at one another, making sparks fly. They then landed on the ground, proceeding to run parallel to each other in the large arena. More projectiles flew and they began closing the gap between them. The Uchiha launched a swift jab at his opponent, but the jinchuriki grabbed his wrist just in time.
Naruto was forced to release the Uchiha as the power of the kick Sasuke sent at him shot him tumbling along the ground. Sasuke gave chase instantly.
Somehow reorienting himself, Naruto turned his tumble into an exaggerated slide, spraying water with fuuinjutsu as he went.
Guessing what Sasuke was going to do, Naruto threw a fast punch back the way he'd come without even being able to see properly. He guessed correctly as his fist collided with Sasuke's heel. Jumping apart, Naruto flashed through four hand-seals that had become permanently ingrained into his memory.
"Fuuton: Kiryū!" Naruto snapped out, swinging the deadly jutsu to where he sensed Sasuke trying to sneak up on him.
"Damn!" Sasuke growled as he was forced to retreat a step to avoid being slashed or blown away. Jumping high and far away before Naruto could locate him, Sasuke went through a series of hand seals that he cherished because his father had taught them to him. "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"
Blowing a raging ball of fire from his mouth, Sasuke smirked as he watched Naruto take the most obvious route to safety. The blonde jumped in the hole in the ground directly behind fireball exploded when it hit, throwing up spray that took most of its power away.
Landing easily on the grounds rigged surface, he waited patiently for the blonde to resurface. Sasuke knew he was giving Naruto time to plan out his next move, but that was alright. He always did enjoy a good challenge in his fights.
Fifty blondes surfaced rather than one. The blondes began a long series of hand seals. Sasuke watched as chakra began swirling in the mud under their feet, gathering into vague shapes.
When Sasuke turned to his left and right, he realized he had been played. The clones on each side shouted the same jutsu.
"Fuuton: Kiryū!"
The air current made the sealed water turn into solid ice, covering the Uchiha and making him stick to the wall. The Uchiha gritted his teeth in anger as his face also got covered with ice.
Thank Haku being alive for the ice release mimicry inspiration! Goku effect.
Chuckling, the Uzumaki turned to the proctor. "Um proctor-san, Sasuke won't be able to continue the ma-"
Was all Naruto got to say as a bullet-like Katon jutsu hurled towards him in fury.
"Not quite, dobe," Sasuke announced. His Sharingan glared brightly and Naruto gulped.
"I'm not even hurt," he continued, his red eyes staring down at Naruto's blue eyes. "and you're almost out of breath…Don't tell me that's all you can do. I was just starting to enjoy myself."
Snorting at Sasuke's cocky attitude, Naruto growled, "Isn't that suppose to be my line?"
"Maybe if you were in my position," Sasuke answered, his scowl growing.
Pushing himself to his feet, Naruto dropped into a defensive stance as he waited for Sasuke to move. But his opponent just continued to stare, his sneer turning into a knowing smirk.
"You shouldn't have done that jutsu combo," he observed. "Just makes my chances of winning higher."
"Yeah?" Naruto snapped, shifting to an offensive stance. "Well, you should know me well enough to know that I hate giving up."
"You're going to need a lot more than determination to win this!" Sasuke said, dashing forward and kicking Naruto powerfully in the chin. The sudden pain and unexpectedly fast attack had Naruto almost completely unable to defend himself as he sailed higher into the air.
Suddenly he sensed Sasuke below him. The Uchiha was poking him gently in the back, letting Naruto know he was there.
Rhetorically speaking, the Uchiha spoke, "You said I should make my own jutsu, didn't you? …Tell me what you think of this one!"
Then he struck, once again aiming for Naruto's blind spot. But this time Naruto was more prepared. He brought his arm up just in time to block the vicious kick to his side. Sasuke smirked underneath him. Using Naruto's shove to propel himself, Sasuke whirled around and slammed his fist into Naruto's throat.
Gagging as his air pipe collapsed momentarily, Naruto couldn't stop Sasuke as he spun around again and punched him in the chest. The blow was strong enough to knock any air in his lungs out, forcing his air pipe open. Rendered unable to move, Naruto could only watch as Sasuke performed the final ritual kick to his abdomen. The kick, coupled with Naruto's return to the ground, was almost powerful enough to crush his spine.
Catching himself before he fell to the ground and skidded away, Sasuke was able to spring lightly away. Looking up as soon as he came to a halt, Sasuke saw Naruto grasping his stomach and convulsing awkwardly with strangled cries of pain.
"Shishi Rendan," he said blandly, pride welling up inside him.
Where a few months ago he might have believed that his Lions Barrage was unbeatable, he was now humble enough to admit that it only truly worked so well because Naruto hadn't expected it. If there was a second time, Naruto would be prepared to counter it.
"Quite superior to your Uzumaki Naruto Rendan, isn't it?"
Naruto made no response. He only rolled over and awkwardly climbed to his knees, head bowed down and resting in the dirt.
"We'll see about that! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Hundreds of clones formed and they all converged on one being: Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke cursed his big mouth, and weaved through hand seals. He hated wasting chakra, especially against a chakra monster like Naruto who had reserves way beyond his own. "Raiton: Raimei." The Uchiha clapped his hands together, obliterating 90% of Naruto's clones with a thunderous clap of lightining chakra.
The rest of the clones took advantage, sweeping the Uchiha off his feet. However, Sasuke pulled out a kunai and sliced the other clones out of existence.
Then the blonde came from above, try to slam his elbow on the Uchiha's head. Sasuke expected this and back flipped away from the blonde. Now the blonde was in his striking range, able to be hit by one of his favorite jutsu's.
Naruto had similar thoughts, though with a wind jutsu. The two weaved through hand seals, and the Uchiha finished his signs much quicker than his blonde haired best friend because he was Sasuke. "Raiton: Shuurai!"
The almost lightning speed attack struck Naruto with the force of a truck to a human, sending the Kyuubified blonde soaring through the air until he impacted the stadium walls, making a crater. Electric spasms fried plenty of nerves to the point that it should've killed Naruto. The only reason the blonde hadn't died was the same reason Sasuke used such a lethal jutsu: The Kyuubi.
That reason alone meant that the jutsu wouldn't kill his best friend.
The blonde continued to shake vigorously until he opened his eyes. They were darkened and completely slit. A shroud of chakra surrounded the jinchuriki, making a tail out of its vengeful energy.
"You're gonna get it now teme! Fuuton: Daitoppa!"
Caught by surprise, Sasuke was blown clear to the other side of the stadium. He made yet another crater into the rock wall upon impact. Pushing himself out of the crater, Sasuke forced himself to stand. But the wind was so powerful that it was like wading through a river. The Kyuubified version of the Great Breakthrough was even more powerful, making the Uchiha struggle.
Shielding his eyes from the winds, he gazed at Naruto slowly standing up, the chakra washing off the blonde being enormous. He watched as the flaming silhouette condensed down around his body.
When the winds suddenly ceased, Sasuke almost stumbled forward. But he paid it little mind as his eyes tracked Naruto's blurred form. The boy was sprinting across the ground so fast that he was leaving a trail of dust behind him.
Ducking under the boy's initial lunge, he whirled around to plant a kick into Naruto's back. He missed as the blonde bounded up the side of the stadium for a short ways. Abruptly turning around, Naruto dashed headlong into Sasuke's back. The powerful blow sent him plummeting into the ground below.
He had just enough time to push himself up onto his hands and knees when Naruto was beside him. The blonde threw a vicious kick that landed solidly into his stomach. The kick sent Sasuke flying through the air. Ignoring the pain, Sasuke rolled in midair to watch as the blonde sprinted across the ground underneath him.
Flashing through hand-seals, Sasuke launched a fast Goukakyu at the running blonde. Obscured by his jutsu, he was unable to watch as Naruto flashed through his own hand-seals. Forming a tornado of wind around his body beforehand, Naruto jumped powerfully up towards the Uchiha and the approaching fireball. Sasuke watched amazed as his Katon jutsu suddenly seemed to explode with overwhelming power as the fires met the winds.
Naruto was little more than a faint orange-black blur as he sped towards his opponent. Seeing the look in Naruto's eye, Sasuke knew he wasn't playing around this time. Utilizing all the speed and power he possessed, he leapt away from where he stood as Naruto reached it, arm already descending and the punch to the ground threw up more debris.
Springing forward, Sasuke rushed him in a similar fashion.
Bouncing back and forth as they sought to hit the other while dodging attacks, the boys bodies were lost from sight momentarily from all the smoke and dust they were kicking up in their lightning fast movements. Then Sasuke finally landed the first hit.
It sent Naruto sliding across the ground as he somehow was able to remain on his feet. Dashing up to him again, Sasuke proceeded to pummel his teammate relentlessly. Bringing up his arms to block as best he could, Naruto used the second's withdrawal of his hand to escape in a surge of speed. Even with his Sharingan tracking and predicting Naruto's every movement, the speed Naruto was traveling at rivaled his own. A speed that he wasn't used to countering against besides with Kakashi. That was how Naruto was able to land a strong kick to Sasuke's back when he reappeared.
The kick sent Sasuke spinning around to face his teammate involuntarily. As he spun, Sasuke threw out his fist in hopes to clobbering Naruto. Instead the elusive blonde ducked, planting his hands and shoulders firmly to the ground before swinging his feet up. He caught Sasuke in the stomach and sent him flying to the air. Launching himself off the ground with just a simple pulse of chakra, Naruto connected his knee to Sasuke's gut.
Bending over almost unnaturally upon impact as his breath rushed out his lungs, Sasuke was rendered completely unable to block the double hammer blow to his back that sent him plummeting down to the dirt. Recovering in time, Sasuke spared himself a rather painful impact with the ground by catching himself. Taking several deep breaths, he glared up at Naruto before launching himself up at the blonde with the same method.
Two fists collided with enough force to cause the air to waver and send out considerable shockwaves. Ignoring the minor echoing sounds that was coming from the impacts of their fists, Sasuke rolled over Naruto's body as his own continued on its earlier path. As he passed behind him, he swung his legs back and hit Naruto solidly between the shoulders.
Naruto rolled backwards from the blow but regained his footing. The two oppositions had to smirk, the fight was very fun for both of them.
"Yo teme, I think we should just go back to good ole fashion fisticuffs, nothing crazy. Orochimaru could be plotting anywhere right now," the blonde whispered.
As much as Sasuke wanted to refute his statement, they both knew Orochimaru was somewhere doing something.
"Hn. Either way, I will be victorious," Sasuke said with clarity, wiping away a trail of blood trickling from his bottom lip.
- Elsewhere -
'It's time,' Kabuto decided. 'The Suna Jinchuriki is moving again.'
The genjutsu he was going to use was relatively simple, but with the area that he had to cover made it fairly difficult to utilize.
Only the hidden Oto, Suna, and Konoha-nins in the audience that were expecting such a thing were prepared for it. Everyone else, including most of the Rookie Nine, failed to realize what was happening to them. All they were aware of was their eyelids growing heavy and sleep consuming them. Only Shikamaru, Hinata, Sakura, Shino, Temari and Kankuro and the two genin in the arena noticed it.
Oh and Son Goku remained completely unaffected.
Up in the Kage Booth, both of them immediately noticed the genjutsu taking effect. Almost simultaneously both slowly turned to gaze at one another. He was sure of the other man's intentions. But Sarutobi still clung to the hope that the Kazekage wasn't a part of the attack.
But that small hope was crushed the second the man's bodyguards leaped to his side. With a sneering voice, he said, "Shall we…?" before a bomb erupted in the heart of the stand, making it crumble.
White feathers suddenly began descending from nowhere like rain. At that very moment two explosions rang out, one in the Hokage box and one that sounded like a crash with a hiss appearing.
The unnoticed masked Anbu suddenly moved out and flashed towards important characters in the crowd, deadly weapons in hand. The jonin immediately acted, blocking the assault.
"Defend the nobles! We're under attack!"
Sakura watched in horror as the various chunin, jonin, and ANBU from Konoha, Suna, and Oto all fought a vicious battle among the stands.
It was pure chaos. The Konoha-nins were outnumbered one to two because they had to fight both Suna and Oto-nins. If they were lucky enough to survive one battle, they would be immediately faced with another with no time to recover. Of course, the Oto-nin numbers were the only true advantage they had when compared to the quality of the Konoha and Suna shinobi.
Little did they know that this invasion did not just consist of shinobi...
They were informed that the likes of Son Goku was still alive and at large by Orochimaru, which did not go unheralded throughout the war room. He was the biggest threat to their conquest of the Dragon Balls, which meant either he had to join their side or die.
And given the state of human affairs, it was safe to say the boy needed to be eliminated.
Thus, Mercenary Tao officially got hired to assassinate him!
It was also a great opportunity to field a few androids and test some of the weaponry that had been in "secret" development over the years. For too long, the shinobi's had dominated the world in the wake of King Piccolo's demise, but with the advent of technology it was bound to change. Archaic thinking would never compete with the brilliance and forward nature of scientific advancement.
And Gero planned to make a statement. Incapacitate and reel in Son Goku, dead or alive, and annihilate Konoha as a bonus. The DNA Orochimaru had gathered would be enough for the development of a potential secret project, but it paled in comparison to having the actual specimen to work on. Who knows, perhaps Son Goku could become the first cyborg that the world had ever seen!
The Red Ribbon Army is here!
So open up the door for them.
Who is it?
Red Ribbon Army.
They're here!
- On The Floor -
"Teme."
"Dobe."
The two genin were about to engage again when white petals started falling. They both quickly dispatched the genjutsu without any effort. Then the explosion reached their ears. Inside the arena, they could feel various chakra signatures flaring to life as muffled shouts began drifting out. Even inside the village, they could hear sounds of fighting. There was even a gigantic crashing sound with the distinctive voices of giant snakes in the distance.
"What the hell is going on?" Naruto shouted, obviously.
"War. Naruto, Sasuke." Genma said, catching their attention. "This will be classified as an A-rank mission. I need you two to capture the Suna group. Kill them if you have to, consider this your first mission as chunin."
Genma then took out a red pill from his pouch. "Oh and what are your Chakra levels right now?"
"I have about half of my reserves left," Sasuke muttered.
"I feel fine," Naruto added.
Genma popped the pill to the Uchiha. "Here, eat up. This should replenish most of your chakra. Now go!"
Sasuke gave the jonin an appreciative look before swallowing the pill, replenishing his chakra.
The duo rushed after the Suna Genin in earnest, completely blowing past Baki in a burst of speed, who was distracted by Genma's interruption.
- With Son Goku -
"Huh?"
There was an explosion. And then another, and then many more to follow.
The village was clearly under attack.
"Hinata, you gotta wake up," the boy said to his previous opponent who rested soundly on his seated body. "We're under attack!"
The girl stirred, eyes slowly opening up at the command of her best friend. Upon hearing another thunderous BOOM, she awoke with a sense of urgency. Focusing chakra into her irises, she activated his kekkei genkai.
"Byakugan!"
"What do you see?"
And she scanned as far as her 359 degree eyes could see, seeing incessant turmoil and warring at every corner. There was no shortage of death to make note of. The homogeneity of the environment only confirmed one thing: war.
"Hundreds...no thousands of Oto and Suna shinobi. And...robots? Tanks? With a strange R and R logo on them, I don't know what they are. But there's a lot of them!"
"R and R?"
A streak of proverbial electricity ran through his head as everything went dark.
"No...not them again."
The fatigued Hyuga looked at her best friend with an expression of concern. Anything Goku regarded as serious had to be classified as beyond serious.
"What about them? What are they?"
Goku gritted his teeth, memories and recollection resurfacing in his mind. "A group of bad guys as far as I know. One of their guys killed a whole tribe and stole my Dragon Ball! He's the reason I need to go make a wish."
"Who is he?" The girl asked tersely, what if he was around?
"Tao Pai-Pai, a mercenary."
"And he beat you?"
"He woulda killed me if not for the Dragon Ball."
The situation went from serious to perilous. IF the threat was beyond the likes of Son Goku, what chance did she or practically anyone else have?
BOOOOOOM!
A random android emerged from said explosion, standing before the duo in terminator like fashion. This was unheard of in the shinobi world and throughout world history! What were the civilian cities up to, how far had they come?
"TERMINATE: SON GOKU."
And then the robot rose one hand, and the hand transformed itself into a cannon. Slowly, red energy of plasma began to form within the chamber, creating...
A laser! What in science fiction Hagoromo sage Kami was this?
"Can you fight?" The boy asked the girl, looking at her with concern despite the threat in front of him. The girl slowly shook her head, all her energy had been used in fighting him during their match. She went beyond her limits in attempts to match her best friend, and it fruitfully worked after a few kunoichi tactics.
However, fighting anybody else at the moment was beyond her capability, unless her life depended on it.
Son Goku negated those circumstances with his presence.
"I'm sorry Goku," the girl muttered, looking down at her ineptitude. "Forgive me."
"Don't sweat it," he responded. "I got this."
SKEWWW! The laser had sounded off.
Shoving his friend out of harms way, Goku weaved the blast and then jumped toward the android with his right leg outstretched, ripping directly through its face in a complete and utter demolition job.
That laser was really fast, faster than lightning itself! Photon particles were no joke, without his training perhaps he wouldn't have evaded it!
Not wasting another moment, Goku scooped Hinata into his arms and jumped out of the stadium. He needed to get her to safety!
And yet, hordes of Red Ribbon Army robots changed their targets from Konoha citizens to him!
Gun fire, lasers, grenades, everything in the book was launched at the agile Saiyan, who kept cutting it closer and closer with every rep.
Buildings were on fire, snakes were hidden in the grass.
Jutsu of all five nature types were being hurled.
Kunai, shuriken, shrapnel, senbon, ice, bullets, blood, limbs, heads, corpses, you name it!
"Shinobi life sucks! I just want..." Goku began, stopping his momentum to pivot away from an impending bomb attack. "To fight strong peopleeeee!"
Shifting the petrified damsel in distress into his right arm, the Saiyan jumped onto a roof and cocked back his other arm, generating golden ki in his left palm.
"Kame Sandan!"
The bullet of ki annihilated everything coming for him and his friend that happened to be directly in front of him. And then seeing two tanks aim fire at him, the Saiyan began to reach the limits of his patience and kindness.
He was tired of his holding his friend and being targeted all the same!
Blitzing toward one of the tanks, Goku with an uncharacteristic growl grabbed the turret with his left hand and launched it outside of the village walls. And then jumping high into the air in order to avoid fire from the second vehicle, the Saiyan crashed down onto its head with his boots, evading the ensuing detonation in time to save Hinata from its residue.
Speaking of the girl, enough was enough. It was war and fatigued or not she trained too hard to be a liability to her partner.
"Goku," she said after he landed in a shadowy alley within the village between buildings. "Do you have a Senzu Bean?"
"I should have one more, good idea!" The boy set his friend down before running through his orange pockets for a brown bag.
Pulling it out, he plucked one more bean as promised. He grinned, he could finally test himself against all those bad guys!
"Goku-kun, watch out!"
"Dodon-Pa!"
Hearing both of those lines uttered nearly in sync, the Saiyan immediately dropped the bean and shielded Hinata with his body, taking the full brunt of the yellow streamline blast in order to protect her from devastation.
He could NOT risk her health at this point in the game, she came first.
When the smoke cleared and the attack subsided, Goku ate the blast with minimal damage, but the same could not be said for his cheat code.
The Senzu Bean was incinerated.
"Tch," Goku grounded out, agitated beyond the norm. "You couldn't have waited a few minutes?!"
"No, I have a job to do Son Goku," a man wearing a pink 'KILL YOU' garment affirmed.
The boy turned around, setting his eyes on a familiar foe. He could never forget that face, ever.
He then smirked in gritty fashion, thoughts of revenge beginning to corrode his typically positive cognitive processing.
"And what's the job Tao? Kill me?"
"I'm surprised you managed to deduce that considering your lack of intelligence in our last encounter. Pray tell, how did you survive? And who's the bitch?"
The boy's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter! And don't you call her that!"
"My apologies. Let me tell you something though," Tao chuckled, raising a finger aimed at the girl. "You are my only job today! But the bitch… she will be for fun. You both can be happily ever after in hell!"
The mercenary carried on, the same golden aura from before cloaking his stretched index finger. "There will be no third chances. I will get paid handsomely!"
Hinata looked between the two men, and could tell there was genuine hatred between the two parties. For as sweet as she had come to know Goku, she could have never fathomed that negative emotions such as revenge, loathing, and killer intent would have existed within him.
This was a stark reminder for her that he was human.
Sort of.
"Hinata."
The vocalization of her name made her perk up.
"Remember the promise! I'll protect you with my life." A thumbs up was given and the boy smiled at her with such earnestness despite his negative stance, that butterflies went rampant within her stomach.
How did he keep doing this to her?
"But try your best to get outta here, this could take a while. I'll catch up as soon as I can. Be safe!"
"Hai, I'll be fine just worry about yourself for now," she said, turning her head toward the object of her affection with her own smile. "See you soon, Goku-kun."
With a fist bump, she left-
"Oh no you don't!" Tao said, preparing to cut off her escape.
WHOOOOOSH!
- Elsewhere -
In just ten minutes, they had actually gotten a surprisingly great amount of distance between them and Konoha. They had almost even begun to believe that they had escaped. However, the black-clothed Uchiha and orange Uzumaki from earlier who arrived in front of them proved them wrong.
For a moment, the two sides just stared at one another. Then Kankuro handed the unconscious Gaara off to Temari.
Removing his bandaged puppet from his back, he said, "Temari, take Gaara and go."
She didn't need any further prompting. But she did spare Kankuro one last glance before running off. Sasuke glanced at her but Kankuro quickly grabbed his attention as he continued in a resigned voice. "Guess there's no helping it…I'll be your opponent."
Before either side could even ready themselves, another voice spoke up. "No…! I'll be your opponent!"
Standing on the limb of another tree was Aburame Shino.
"Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke," Shino said before Sasuke could question him. "You both should go after Gaara. Why? My kikaichu indicate he's much too strong for me to handle on my own."
"Stay safe, Shino," Naruto said out of respect for his sacrifice. The Uchiha nodded at him.
And then without a word, Naruto and Sasuke leaped away instantly, leaving the two combatants to start their fight.
- Back With Son Goku -
The mercenary was cut off himself.
"I don't think so Tao," Goku harshly snapped, suddenly appearing just inches in front of his deadly foe. "Your fight...is with me!"
The ground around him shattered beneath, giving in as a metallic blue aura of energy dazzled around the Saiyan. Shooting forward with unreal speed, before Tao could even fathom what was happening, his Dodon-Pa had faded from his finger as Goku's hand squeezed his fingers.
"Nomore. I'm gonna be your last target…" He added, strengthening his grip further.
"H-how did you become so fast?" The famed mercenary questioned his foe, wincing in pain as his feeling in his hand faded as it was crushed. Was his vision failing him or was this insolent child actually that fast to begin with? And this pain…
"I-I didn't even see you move! What happened? Did Gero make you an android?"
"Unlike you, I trained! That girl that you disrespected, she helped me more than she could ever know!"
Goku responded with venom, slowly crushing the man's wrist to powder.
His pure-hearted nature, for the first time since being an Oozaru, hung in the balance!
"Agh, no amount of training could ever be so effective," Tao spat out, his wrist still in the Saiyan's grip.
"You can't beat me anymore, there's no way in hell you're leaving here," Goku said with authority at the man as he roundhouse kicked him through the building nearest to them both after loosening his grip. He was itching to fight.
"One more thing, don't ever call Hinata a bitch ever again!"
"I can do as I please, you insolent child!" The mercenary spitefully countered, pushing himself to his feet.
So the boy wanted to fight to the death huh? "The Red will pay me handsomely for both of your heads!"
"They won't get the chance to," Goku replied, staring fiercely at Tao. "Consider yourself fired!"
"You twat!" Tao crazily screamed, a maniacal grin cloaking his face. Another second later, the sinister martial artist charged his opponent.
Closing the distance between himself and Goku, Tao threw a barrage of dozens upon dozens of strikes at his opponent. Usually, the first hit would kill his target...
His smirk faded as he witnessed the boy effortlessly avoid every punch, leaving behind only afterimages in his place with his great speed.
"H-How are you so fast!" Tao gulped. This has never happened to him before! "Nobody has ever dodged a single one of my killing blows!"
"You're so stupid," Goku muttered, driving his fist firmly into the coldblooded assassin's exposed gut. The Saiyan watched with a frowned expression as he doubled his opponent over in pain. "Did you think I wouldn't train and come back for a rematch? Maybe you lack intelligence!"
"Shut up child, you will suffer and then die," Tao spewed out, his teeth clenched as he aimed his stretched finger at the Saiyan before him.
"Try blocking this, you insolent bug! DODON-PA!"
The mercenary yelled, his voice consumed with rage as the very same beam of light that had stripped Bora's life shot from his finger and charged towards Son Goku.
Goku saw this and formed a cross-guard with his arms, preparing to brace for the blunt of Tao's oncoming energy attack.
The yellow beam of energy that was the mercenary's Dodon Ray attack smashed into the Saiyan, attempting to burrow into his skin and go right through him. However, Son Goku was a different beast compared to his younger self. He was officially awesome!
The ray died down as Goku stood unfazed and unperturbed. The results of his training shocked even him.
Conveniently, a wave of gas, smoke, dust, and debris washed over the two during the blast's lifespan, convincing Mercenary Tao that he had won.
"Not so tough now, are you?" The pink clad mercenary snickered as his blast died down.
He had put everything into the Dodon Ray, the brat couldn't have survived that. No one could have!
Now, he had to take the body back to the Red Ribbon HQ per the doctor's orders. "Oh, and kill his little white-eyed girlfriend too."
TUKKKK!
The boy landed in front of him, back turned and hair flowing wildly.
"Hey," Goku's voice boomed after he had leapt from the cloud of dust, practically unharmed from the attack.
Before Tao could even register his disbelief, he was knocked onto the ground by the ferocious warrior. Arising and pulling Tao up by his collar, Goku's memories began to flood once more.
Upa. Bora. The Karinga Tribe. Bora's death. Bora's head speared. Upa's pain. Upa's loneliness.
The Saiyan's thoughts led to his ki spiking to life, a beautiful display of metallic blue flames flaring around his body. He would pay!
"How'd you survive that?!" Tao cried out, astonished by the warrior's unfazed presence.
He spat out a wad of blood and a few teeth and looked into his hand, also shocked at how much blood had been drawn in the single strike. Whoever this child had transformed into… no such warrior should have existed.
"SHUT UP!" Goku replied, relinquishing his grip on the human.
Without another word, the boy was on the offensive, absolutely demolishing the Mercenary without his customary mercy. His opponent screamed in raw agony as he was battered and broken from the assault, ribs shattering upon impact from heavy, motivated blows.
The boy front-flipped over Tao's head and then contorted his body at a rapid speed...
CRACCCCK!
The roundhouse kick nearly ripped Tao's jaw off, entrenching him deep into the Konoha grounds.
"I'm ending this here and now!" The turtle student firmly stated as he rushed in and uppercutted the assassin into the air.
"Ngh," Tao winced, internally screaming at the pain he was in. He then shifted his focus back to Goku, who was charging cerulean ki into cupped palms.
The man's eyes widened as his cold heart dropped, realizing that the end had come. The boy did not look merciful here.
"KamehameHAAAAAA!" Goku screamed into the heavens, thrusting his signature blue colored blast of energy soaring towards the mercenary.
The energy wave smashed into Tao, breaking through layers of skin and muscle as what remained of the crippled but skilled mercenary was sent scattered into the wind.
Tao Pai-Pai, was dead. Killed by Son Goku.
Afterwards, Goku relinquished his aura, resisting the urge to take a break. The war was still at large, and life force signatures were dropping like flies. He needed to save as many innocent lives as possible, and enjoy the fighting while he was at it!
More battles! More blood! Time to feel alive! And then...
"When this is all over, I have to get the Dragon Balls and wish Bora and his family back," Goku exclaimed, focusing on the tasks at hand.
The Red Ribbon Army indirectly caused Bora's death and Upa's pain, so it was only right he stole the Dragon Balls back and returned the favor.