Chapter 8 - The First Look
Shizuka Namikaze vs Hiyori Muguruma
The names displayed on the board elicited the largest reaction from the competition so far. Most of it was rather subdued, but there were a few who looked rather eager to see one of the royal children in action. Others took it as their chance to see what the Fire Princess was capable of, ready to store what they were about to learn for a later date.
After all, it's not every day you get to see a royal actually fight, regardless of how old they are.
"Hmm, I guess it's not common for the royal twins to show off their skills for an audience." Kankuro mumbled, a little annoyed with the reaction in the room. "All this talk is making me think a swarm of bees are coming our way. It's getting annoying!"
"It can't be helped Kankuro," said Baki, who was doing a better job at ignoring the noise as he folded his hands behind his back. "It's common for royal families to keep the skills of their children a closely guarded secret for as long as they can. A royal child's skill set wouldn't become public knowledge until they were trained enough to defend themselves properly. The only reason your father ended up revealing your skills to the royal court earlier than expected is because of that training exercise that went too far years ago. . . It was quite windy that day after all."
"What happened that day wasn't my fault and we both know it," said Kankuro, quick to get on the defensive. "Temari started it when she thought she saw a spider crawling up her fan! All hell broke loose after that!"
"I didn't think I saw it. I did see it, and it was massive!" Temari countered as the conversation turned to her. "I wasn't going to let that thing run around in the palace, especially since it was as big as a small dinner plate! I had to kill it."
"But you ended up extensively damaging the main training ground in the process," Kankuro pointed out, a smirk starting to spread across his painted face, while an embarrassed blush appeared on his sister's. "You scared the living daylights out of some of the maids as they were walking by at the time!"
"Hmm, I remember that day well . . . Fleshbag, are you ever going to tell them that the spider your sister was trying to kill was your creation, all because you really wanted to see how well you could toy with your sister's emotions simply out of boredom?"
"Nope," Gaara stated flatly. "I never will, and with you sealedinside me, you won't either."
"Thanks for the reminder. You didn't have to rub it in you know . . ." The tanuki growled. He never liked being reminded of his current predicament."That's just puttingsalt in the wound right there."
"Good. . ."
The murmuring along the balcony eventually quieted down, but the anticipation was still palpable as everyone waited for the competitors to come down to the floor. A short, silver-haired girl dressed in a simple dark green kimono top, black shorts, and matching sandals grabbed the railing and swung herself down from the balcony with little fanfare, landing with an almost ungainly grace as she awaited her opponent to join her.
Most of the room's attention wasn't even on her. Their gazes were on the blonde who was calmly walking toward the stairs.
"At least we know she likes to take her sweet time getting to places . . . Ryuna better be telling her vessel to pick up the pace already! I'm starting to get impatient here!"Shukaku grumbled, proving once again why he wasn't the most patient of the tailed beasts.
"Leave it to you to come to conclusions without thinking things through first . . ." Gaara thought as he kept his eyes on the blonde. "No action is done without a reason behind it Shukaku. She could have easily jumped over the railing like her opponent did, but she chose to take the stairs . . . Why do you think she would do that?"
"She couldn't be bothered with it?!"
"Think deeper dammit. . ."
"Hmm, how bout no?!"
"It looks like the Fire Princess is employing a little psychological warfare here," Baki mumbled, unknowingly sparing Shukaku from hearing Gaara's response.
"Psychological warfare you say?" Kankuro asked, a little oblivious to what the turban wearing jonin was talking about.
"I think I see what you're getting at Baki. The princess is subtly trying to make her opponent uncomfortable. The longer she takes to get down there, the more likely a little inkling of doubt will seep into the other girl's head. . . The drawback, however, is that the longer the princess takes, the more time the other girl has to plan," said Temari, turning her gaze to Muguruma, who was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, a slightly unsure look dotting her face. "Oh wait. She is unsettling her, slightly."
"Her headband indicates that she's from the Grass Kingdom . . . Good luck to her I guess." The puppeteer grumbled as he folded his arms along the railing.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, as if he just came up with a sudden plan. He smirked as his eyes found who he was looking for along the balcony before turning to his team, his mind already working through the plan he was forming. "You know what? I'll be right back."
"Wait, where are you going!? The match is just about to start!" Temari cried out as she watched her brother from the corner of her eye. She refused to fully take her gaze off from the floor, where the girls scheduled for battle were now standing feet away from each other, giving the proctor their full attention as he repeated the rules for their benefit.
"I'm going to make a new friend. . . Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
Baki was going to order him to stay put, but the sounds of metal clashing stopped him before he got a single word out. He looked down to see the two girls exchanging strikes, with the Grass kunoichi using a standard kunai, and the princess using a wakizashi. "A wakizashi?"
"It came from a seal on her left wrist. Didn't even need hand signs to unseal it," Temari explained. ". . . This battle has barely started, but you can already see the difference in how they fight. The Grass girl's abrasive and blunt in her style. There's a noticeable lack of finesse in her movements. On the other hand, Namikaze's a lot more fluid. She's stronger and more precise in her movements."
"I usually don't agree with you humans, but your sister is making a good point,"Shukaku mumbled."In fact, the brat looks like she's toying with her opponent more than actually fighting her."
". . . Or she could justbe gauging her skills, waiting for the right moment to strike and end this battle." Gaara countered.
As if Fate had heard his very thoughts, Shizuka found her opening.
She struck Muguruma right in her chest with a well-placed kick to her sternum. The hit sent the Grass kunoichi flying through the air for a few feet, eventually landing back first on the hard ground with a harsh thud.
The Grass kunoichi didn't stay down for long, using her momentum to flip herself back onto her feet. When she was back to her full height, she took a deep breath, involuntarily starting a coughing fit so strong that she ended up coughing up blood, and a decent amount of it at that.
"FINALLY! Someone drew blood . . . Sweet kami that took too long!"
"I'm happy you finally got your wish." Gaara sarcastically grumbled, shaking his head as the Grass kunoichi spat out another lob of blood.
"Damn, that must have been a hard kick if she's coughing up that much blood," Temari mumbled, rubbing at her own sternum. "Makes me glad that I wasn't paired up against her in this round."
They watched the Grass kunoichi as she went through a set of hand signs. When she was done, chakra surrounded her hands, becoming pointed along the tips of her fingers, similar to a feline's claws. A small, bloodied smirk stretched across her face as she launched herself forward, narrowly missing Fire Princess' shoulder. The royal may have only dodged the attack at the last second, but she was well prepared for the next strike, dodging a strike to her chest.
"She channels chakra to her hands to make her jabs extra sharp. That's a skill usually seen in those that have some knowledge in medical ninjutsu." Temari mumbled.
"Indeed," Baki stated, agreeing with his charge's statement. "However, knowing medical ninjutsu isn't going to be enough to defeat the princess . . . I don't think the girl even realizes that the princess is still messing with her. She's playing right into her hand."
"But what is she leading her into...?" Gaara thought, his face void of emotion as he continued to watch the proceedings.
He finally got his answer once the princess created some space between herself and Muguruma. Without needing any hand signs, a chain made from pure chakra erupted from the palm of the princess' hand. She launched it right at the Grass kunoichi, but the girl dodged the high-speed attack, leaving it to crash into the spot she was previously standing in.
A decent sized crater now stood in her place. "What the fuck was that!?"
"Language Gaara!" Baki was quick to reprimand the redhead, but Gaara shot him a nasty look in return. Baki promptly ignored it. "And as for your question, what we are witnessing is the Adamantine Sealing Chains, a trademark fūinjutsu of the Uzumaki clan."
"The Uzumaki Clan . . . The clan of the Fire Queen," Temari concluded as she snuck a look at the Fire King. He was standing with the proctors of the two previous rounds on the balcony across the room, watching his daughter keenly as she started using her chain as a whip. His face was emotionless, but his blue eyes did convey some of the pride he held for his child.
She ended up looking away, knowing that she has never gotten such a look from her own father. "What exactly do these 'Adamantine Sealing Chains' do?"
"It's a technique that can be used in a variety of offensive and defensive purposes," Baki calmly explained as the Fire Princess resealed her wakizashi. "Rumor has it that the technique, when used in the right hands, is strong enough to restrain a bijuu."
"Hah! I'd like to see anyone try using those chains on me!" Shukakucackled. "I bet you I could bust out of them with ease."
"Well, since there's a possibility that both the Nine Tails and the Ten Tails were restrained with those chains, how in the world do you think you would have done much better?"
"The fuck. . ? Way to ruin the mood you redheaded flesh bag! Can't you just let me dream, just this once?!"
"You never let me dream. Why should I let you?"
"Uhm . . . Damn you and the good point you're making!"
Bringing his attention back to the match, Gaara watched as the Fire Princess broke the chain off the palm of her hand, twirling it around like a bo staff. She quickly went on the offensive, her movements so fast that her opponent barely had enough time to deflect her relentless attacks effectively.
It almost made Gaara feel sorry for her opponent . . . almost.
"She's picking up speed. Her opponent can barely block her now," said Temari, who looked more interested in the match than ever before. She visibly winced when Shizuka smacked the end of her staff hard against Muguruma's cheek, sending her flying right into the wall. She hit it so hard, spider web-like cracks erupted from the spot where she made impact. "Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark . . . The princess must possess some serious strength if she's able to cause damage like that."
"Ah, the perks of being a jinchuuriki,"Shukaku mumbled as Shizuka's staff dissipated into thin air. "Physically, Ryuna's jailers tend to be the strongest amongst the jinchuuriki. One punch from her will surely send you flying if you're not careful."
"I'll remember that for when I may actually have to face her." Gaara flatly stated, though now knowing this new bit of information, the redhead was quick to note it for later.
Down on the arena floor, the Fire Princess was going through hand signs as she sucked in a deep breath, her eyes locked on her opponent. Her gaze was that of a person that knew she had the battle won. It was only a matter of time.
"Wind Style: Dragon Gale Jutsu!"
Like a roaring lion, or a dragon, in her case, the princess launched a torrential gust of wind from her mouth. The attack struck her target dead on, launching her opponent right back into the wall with so much force that it knocked her unconscious.
Proctor Gekko didn't hesitate to appear at the fallen kunoichi's side. He checked her pulse before standing back up, his face not betraying anything.
"Muguruma is unable to continue. Winner: Shizuka Namikaze!"
The room was silent as he made his announcement. While everyone absorbed what they just witnessed, Shizuka took in a deep breath before using a shunshin to reappear beside her team.
"Dragon Gale Jutsu?" Temari mumbled, sounding intrigued as she watched as the medics placed Muguruma on a stretcher, the room coming alive with voices and whispers once again. "I've never heard of that technique before."
"Me neither. Must be an original jutsu of her own making. . . Quite impressive to say the least," Baki admitted, bringing a hand to his chin. "It's definitely a powerful technique, but still, you can see that she was holding back in that battle."
"If that was her holding back, I do not want to see what she's like when she goes all out."
"Oh, so now you finally come back?" Temari mumbled as Kankuro finally returned to their group. Her words made the puppeteer scowl, but she wasn't deterred. "What happened? Wait, let me guess! You struck out in the friend-making department?"
"Uhm… I guess you can say that," the puppeteer grumbled as he walked up to the railing. "I thought it would be easy to strike up a conversation with Naruto, but I was wrong on so many levels."
"Naruto . . . Wait, you approached the Crown Prince of the Fire Kingdom?! That's who you suddenly tried to be friends with?" Temari asked, disbelief lacing her tone as Baki and Gaara looked on with blank stares on their faces. "What were you thinking!?"
"What you tried to do has potential political ramifications, depending on what the two of you discussed of course," Baki explained. "Care to explain your actions?"
"Well, I was thinking that if I managed to befriend the prince, or at least converse with him in some way, he would let slip some info that could have been important for the duration of this competition," Kankuro explained, squirming under his team's gaze. "I figured that since I'm a fellow prince, I would have a good chance in talking to the guy."
"And what? Were you hoping to get info that would give you a leg up on the competition?" Gaara asked, his voice as blunt as his stare, sending shivers down his brother's spine.
"No… I was hoping he would give up info that would give us a leg up on the competition," Kankuro clarified, though it didn't help to lessen the glares the rest of his team was giving him. "C'mon, don't look at me like that! At least I tried to gain some intel!"
"By doing it in the most obvious way possible!?" Temari asked, her words making Kankuro visibly blanch. "Oh yeah, what a nice effort on your part, little brother."
"Anyway, were you able to get anything from the Fire Prince?" Baki asked, ignoring Temari's blatant sarcasm.
"Well, I tried to," the puppeteer eventually admitted, now actively avoiding his siblings' eyes. "Hey, Naruto may look like a loudmouth dressed in a kill-me-now color, but he's definitely not someone who betrays his allies' secrets. . . I couldn't get anything out of him."
"Did you at least sense something off about him when you were near him?"
Gaara knew his sister asked that question due to her concerns in regard to the tailed beasts. Hell, he would have asked the same thing himself, but it just wasn't his style.
"Well, despite the way he looks, he's not dumb enough to be blatant with his power," Kankuro grumbled as he brought a hand to his chin. "When you feel his chakra, it seems so normal, too normal. However, when you take the time to look deeper, you can feel something just hiding underneath the surface. Like it's itching to get out, but something is stopping it from doing so."
"I see," Baki mumbled as he noticed that the board had already decided the next matchup. "What you said only helps to confirm the concerns your father had about the royal Fire family. Now then, you're going to have to push your encounter with Prince Naruto aside for now Kankuro, cause your match is next."
"It is?" he asked, quickly turning around to look at the board. "Misumi Tsurugi. Who the hell is that?!"
"He's the glasses-wearing Leaf shinobi making his way to the proctor." Temari answered, sarcasm lacing her voice as she pointed to the black-clad genin making his way to the official. The tall ninja was indeed wearing glasses, but the rest of his face was kept hidden by a black cloth. "Now that I think about it, I believe he's the teammate of the guy that faced the Uchiha earlier."
"Well, if he's anything like his teammate, I better watch out for any unwanted surprises." The puppeteer announced, walking away with a wave of his hand.
"Knowing that lughead, he'll use his usual strategy against his opponent." Temari grumbled, already looking irritated before the match even started.
"Kankuro does tend to be a bit predictable when he fights. However, his strategies have worked in his favor up till now. It may work again this time," Baki pointed out, being part insulting, part hopeful. "You know what they say: if it isn't broke, don't fix it."
Gaara stayed out of his sister and sensei's bantering. His attention wasn't on his brother's match either, though he made sure to give the impression that he was.
Honestly, his mind was still on the last match, particularly on the person who won it.
Ever since he first saw her, he couldn't completely figure Shizuka Namikaze out.
He knew that she was the ten-tails jinchuuriki, and after seeing her fight, he knew that she was a capable kunoichi. However, he couldn't seem to get a concrete read on her as a person.
Throughout the five-day rest period, Gaara had discreetly observed the blonde, watching her go from lively and friendly one minute to quiet and aloof in another. With each new person she faced, came a different way of interacting with him or her, highlighted by subtle changes in her demeanor that never gave away her intentions.
She was a mystery that continued to plague him.
"She's quite the puzzle for you, isn't she?"Shukaku asked, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying what he saw within Gaara's thought process. "You seem interested in her. Almost perplexed. . ."
"Interested in her?" Gaara thought, sneaking a look at the blonde, only to quickly avert his gaze when he saw her staring right at him, curiosity dancing in her eyes.
"Yeah, and from that look she was just giving you, I think she may be a little interested in you too."
"Shut up you damn tanuki!" Gaara grumbled, cursing himself when he heard how weak his inner voice sounded in response.
"I have a good feeling a little blood is running to your cheeks right this minute . . . If only the sand armor wasn't up. I would have loved to see how your siblings would have reacted to seeing their baby brother blush for the first time in forever . . . This is your first blush at a girl right?"
"Shut. Up."
A/N: Leave a comment if you like!