Author's Note:
Hello again everyone!
Welcome back to another chapter of "A Ninja Doesn't Street Fight". Sorry for the delay. Their were issues with the flow of this chapter that I wasn't satisfied for a while.
This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to add what I wanted to here, to the next chapter instead.
Anyways, thank you all so much for over 500 story followers and over 400 favorites! My story is now officially in the top 4 stories in terms of Followers in this category, and top 5 in Favorites as well. I'm glad a lot of you enjoy it.
With that being said, please enjoy Chapter 10, Chapter 11 is on its way and hopefully, much faster as well.
See ya Soon!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is associated with Naruto, or Street Fighter. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto and Capcom respectively. Other than my OC's, all rights and characters/special appearances belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 10: The Start of the Tournament
Forest outside of Metro City, 10am, February 14, 2009
With Bosch, Zack and Luke:
"Ah the great outdoors. Despite my love for streaming and cities, there is nothing like experiencing nature's beauty firsthand." On a hiking trail, we find Zack, with Luke and a still limping Bosch making their way towards their destination.
Their reasoning, to meet with Naruto.
For the past few days, Naruto informed them, as well as the sisters, that he will be taking the next few days to train independently for the tournament. Chun Li, also a VIP guest to the tournament, was more than happy that her student and friend is doing this. Li Fen was also really excited as well.
This is where we find our new friend group, the guys are trying to find Naruto through the coordinates that he sent them.
"I've visited more countries than both of you combined, but nothing beats the fresh smell of pines in our beautiful country." Luke states, with one arm helping a still injured Bosch to move around, and a GPS in the other.
"*Groaning* I just wished we picked a path that wasn't so steep." Of course, Bosch knew he should still be resting, but he really wanted to see what Naruto has been working on for the past few days.
After moving along the path for a bit more, the coordinates tell them to break off the main trail, after about 10 minutes of walking, they come across a massive clearing. It was filled with craters of different sizes, trees cut down, rocks turned to rubble, and all sorts of forest trash. Sitting on a stump, they see the one they were looking for.
As soon as they step into the clearing, the atmosphere changed. It was as if nature's energy was…stronger? More potent? the remaining grass seemed greener, the trees that weren't cut down were healthier, and the air seemed cleaner.
Shaking the sensation to the side, they make their way towards Naruto. He was sitting in a meditating pose, wearing a sleeveless black mesh shirt, exposing his right arm, his trademark orange cargo pants, and headband on his forehead. He was in deep thought, probably didn't even notice them there.
They were proven wrong when suddenly, his eyes opened, and was seen jumping high into the air, carrying with him several flower petals, creating a trail. As he began to descend, he made his landing in a crouching pose, not so much a sound was heard, then righted himself up, getting into a stance that none of the guys have seen him get into before.
It looked like a combination of Luke's pose, with the hand positioning and stance, but with adding motions of having his palms out in front of him, similar to Chun Li. What followed afterwards was a series of kicks, punches, chops, and movement that were both strong, and fast. With each strike, the petals that were lifted into the air by his jumped, followed through with his attacks.
Finally, Naruto finished his combo with a leg sweep, that seemed to launch a small slash of wind, cutting the tops of grass blades, before hitting the base of the tree, leaving a slight mark on it. The leg sweep then led to him going into a crane stance for a brief moment, before, adding Chi (Actually Chakra) to his planted foot, and doing a long back flip, heading back towards his stump, before bringing his powered-up leg down in one motion, shattering the stump.
Naruto, by the time he finished it, was seen looking at the group, and smiled at them, before relaxing and getting out of the stance. This gave the cue for Luke, Bosch, and Zack to get closer.
"DUDE! That was so cool. I've never seen you move like that before. Not even when you fought Mad Gear!" Zack, ever the novice to fighting, was really enjoying what he saw.
"Well, I got to say Naruto. I agree with Zack. Your movement was fluid, dare I say graceful." Luke was now more than certain that Naruto will be just fine in the tournament.
"What style is that Naruto? Who taught you it?" Bosch was very curious. He's seen that stance before, or at least a version of it. Thanks to seeing Naruto's memories, he can tell who inspired Naruto.
Naruto, still smiling, rubs the back of his head, "I actually just came up with it myself. It draws heavy inspiration from, I believe it's called Wing Chun, but I incorporated kick boxing and a little bit of Luke's style, It's my original fighting style!" Truth be told, while Wing Chun is similar, his real inspiration was from the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, as well as his frog kata as well.
For the past few days, Naruto mastered Sage mode once again, something that was bugging him for a long time. However, once he did, he realized that he wanted to try improving his already solid taijutsu. The Frog Kata, while extremely powerful, was used at its best with Sage mode.
The Frog Kata was damn near flawless, with really good offense, and even better defense. However, Naruto knows that its drawbacks are that, despite it being really good, its mainly a defensively focused taijutsu. Naruto wanted to also incorporate more offense into it, which is why he decided to combine it with the Gentle fist. A style that, while also defensive in nature, was much better in terms of offensive output. Thus, his new taijutsu style was born.
(Author's Note: While it's never explicitly stated, Hokage Naruto uses a different style than he did when younger. It's fair to say that since he married a Hyuga, he incorporated some of the clan's style into his own. Which is this style as well.)
"I'm calling it, Whirlpool or Uzumaki style!" Was it weird naming it after himself? A little, but to be fair, a whirlpool best encompasses what his style is all about. Raging power, with a fast offensive prowess, and a strong defense with unpredictable counterattacks. A perfect combination for him.
"I like it. Sounds both tough and cool." This was the comment that Luke stated, but all of them agreed with.
*Sigh*"I still can't believe, that after a few short weeks, you've become your own fighter. I'm just so proud to be your teacher." Luke then sends Naruto his own trademark smile and a thumbs up as well.
"I also agree with Sensei, I just wished I'd stayed with you. Maybe I could've learned alongside you more." A bittersweet comment, but the Bosch of today has grown since the Bosch of yesterday, hopefully that changes.
Naruto, while gathering his things, made his way towards Bosch, "Don't worry Bosch, you are more than capable learning. Who knows, maybe once Luke is done with you, I can teach you some of my moves as well." They smiled at each other, before Zack made his presence known.
"Sorry to interrupt, but today is a very busy day, especially for you Naruto. We need to head back to the city. We'll show you what we have in store for you there, alright Naruto?" Naruto and the rested nodded and made their way out of the forest and into the city.
Phew, almost didn't sense them coming. They almost saw me in Sage Mode. Regardless, I now took one big step in the right direction. Don't worry Kurama… I'm almost ready to help. In truth, Sage mode was one of his highest priorities to learn since it is the key to solving the problem between himself and the tail beast.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Zack yelling at the group to follow him, only for himself and Bosch to look at Luke's GPS, which is telling them to go in the other direction. Something that Zack, quickly tried to play off as a joke.
Metro City, Chinatown,
12pm, With Li Fen and Chun Li:
A typical day was occurring in Chinatown. The sisters were seen doing their usual activities, Chun Li was finishing up her classes, and Li Fen was seen sitting under the Chinese Pavilion, looking over some stuff on her laptop. Though she did seem slightly more cheerful than usual.
Over the past three days, Luke, and two other friends of Naruto, Bosch, and Zack, came to Chinatown to inform them of Naruto's entrance into the Novice Tournament that was happening at the Mike Haggar Stadium. Chun Li, one of the VIPS listed to arrive, already knew the specifics of the tournament, but was more than ecstatic at the news that one of her students and friends is making their first real leap into the world-class fighting tiers.
Li Fen, while also very excited to see Naruto fight, was thinking of how to use this to her advantage. Not only was the Novice Tournament a perfect way to connect with Naruto, but it also happens to be on the same day as one of the most romantic days of the year.
In other words, this was Li Fen's chance to make a move on Naruto.
The first day of the Tournament, the 14th, is mostly preliminaries due to the large amount of fighters that signed up. The main focus of the day will be introducing the fighters that qualified for the actual tournament, but also to allow ticket holders time to explore the many stands, and amenities of the new stadium. The Main Tournament will be occurring the following day on the 15th.
For the past three days, Li Fen was preparing. Getting new clothes, learning to do a more advance style of makeup, and even visiting the salon to have them work on her nails and skin earlier in the day. She just hopes that her efforts are enough to get his attention.
She snaps out of her thoughts when she notices the very same blonde she was thinking about, approaching both Chun Li and her, along with Zack and Bosch. At the same time, Chun Li noticed this as well, and told everyone they were dismissed early for the day. She as well as Li Fen, who closed her laptop and made her way to stand next to Chun Li, waited as the guys got closer.
"Naruto, it's been a while. How was your short training trip? Did you feel like you did enough?" Chun Li asked. Luke also informed her and Li Fen that he will be training on his own elsewhere for the tournament. So, naturally she was curious.
Naruto smiled and nodded his head, "It was great. I definitely am ready for the tournament. You both will be surprised by my new skills." He says before giving his trademark foxlike grin.
*Giggles*"I look forward to seeing it." She pauses as she looks over the others, "I've notice that Luke isn't with you all, is he busy?" She was kind of hoping to talk to Luke and discuss how they will approach the media.
"Not to worry Ms. Chun Li! He just went to his gym to pick something up, said that he will meet us at the Sushi restaurant on this block. I think it's the one that Naruto knows?" Zack stated, who up to this point was helping Bosch remain standing.
"If you all want, we can head over there to continue our chat. I'll even buy for everyone!" Zack stated with a cheerful tone, earning a nod from everyone. They made their way to the restaurant.
At the Sushi Restaurant:
Once they entered the restaurant, let's just say that Chun Li being present lead to some more pampering, with a private booth isolated from the public areas. Naruto was sitting across from Chun Li, who had Li Fen next to her on her left. Bosch was to Naruto's left, and Zack was to his right. Chun Li than picks up where they left off,
"So, what brings you all here? Looking for some advice Naruto?" Chun Li states, but Naruto shook his head in response,
"No actually. I wanted to tell both of you something," He made sure to get closer to both Chun Li and Li Fen, since they were standing next to each other, "I wanted to inform you both that I will be entering this tournament under a different name; my vigilante name." Chun Li's eyes widen a little at the news. Naruto did vigilante work? Since when?
Before she could ask questions, Li Fen stated out loudly, "Oh you mean your Kurama Persona, right?" All eyes were drawn to Li Fen from the rest of the group. Naruto on his part, was shocked at the fact that she knew of this. He'd never told anyone other than the guys and Marisa. How did she figure it out?
"Why are you all so shocked? It was kind of obvious that Naruto was Kurama." She then opens her laptop and showcases a slightly blurry pic of Naruto in his Kurama attire fighting on a rooftop with some gang members. Chun Li looks at the picture, than back at Naruto, the pic gives a good look at Kurama's head, and upper body.
"Hmm, yep that's you Naruto." Naruto, snapping out of his shock, refocused and began to ask Li Fen, "I've never told you guys that name; how did you figure it out?" He made sure to add things that made it hard for him to be identify, didn't he?
*Sigh*"Well for starters, your hair. No one has blonde locks like you." She points to the full head of hair in the pic, clearly matching up with Naruto's own.
Ok, fair so far,
"You also never take off that headband of yours, which appears again on Kurama." As Li Fen states, this, she once again points to the headband, which is the exact same one on Naruto head right then and there.
"And thirdly, the Yellow Crane grunts members talk about Kurama all the time. Stating that he knows Jiejie's moves, but struggles with the "Spinning Bird Kick", something I know you struggled with as well. Really, you did a pretty bad job at hiding your identity. I won't be surprised if some of the locals have connected the dots" The more she speaks, the redder Naruto's face became.
Damn…he was an idiot.
Back in the elemental nations, the headband wasn't always something that matter during stealth or hiding identities. Everyone had a headband. Thinking it over, he's realized his terrible mistake. He is the only one that has the headband with a metal plate. Making him stand out like a sore thumb.
"I-I'm… Embarrassed." Yeah, Naruto can't hide the clear blunder he just made. Oh, despite missing them, he is certain his teammates and teachers are laughing at him for making suck a rookie mistake.
He's embarrassed, now's your chance to comfort him. Li Fen slid her laptop to Chun Li, who continued to look at it, before she leaned over the table towards Naruto, who now was leaning down, having one hand covering his face in shame. She places her hand on his right shoulder,
"Hey, don't be too upset, if it makes you feel better, Kurama can still be your fake name! I mean, just cause we know your real name, doesn't mean others do." This caused Naruto to calm himself down and smile at Li Fen, who blushed due to being so close and the receiver of such a look.
"Heh, your right Li Fen. Thanks for cheering me up." He finishes it by patting her head, causing the girl to blush even more.
Chun Li suddenly jolted in place, as if she remembered something, "Oh that reminds me. I'll be right back." She slides out from the table to go and get something.
Zack than speaks up, as he also now has a laptop in front of him, "Alright, regardless, Kurama is still your name as it is how I registered you. We'll just need to be more careful with the headband." He then types something on his laptop, causing Li Fen to snap out of her blushing state, and head over to see what Zack is doing,
"Ok, how does…this look!" He then turns his screen around to show Naruto a logo. The logo was a drawing of the face of a red fox but was facing forwards. It was seen with bright blue eyes, sticking out from the reds around it. Then there the Leaf symbol on Naruto's headband as the background shape in black, with the fox head in the center, the name "KURAMA" was seen under the logo in all caps and in red and black.
Naruto, while he liked it, was kind of confused, "Why do I need a logo?" It's just a tournament, not like he is promoting a business.
"Well for two things, first is merch. You are already hitting it big on my streams, so this is to start capitalizing on your image. The other reason, is for your, Entrance Video!" What followed was a short animation of the logo slamming onto the background, before an edited video of the many fights Naruto, as Kurama, has had over Zack's streams.
Naruto was more confused.
"You see, the tournament gave the fighters the option of submitting an entrance video, to get the crowd hype. Of course, it was more expensive an-" Zack was cut off by Naruto.
"If it cost money then I don't think we need to do it. Entering the tournament was more than enough." He wasn't too keen on the idea. Zack has already done so much for him; how could he possibly ask him to pay for this.
"Naruto, I took the responsibility of being your manager because you became a close friend to me. As much as it benefits me, I believe that the world deserves to know that you are one badass dude. Plus, you can consider it a thank you. My streams with you have been doing wonders for me and my channel, can't take all the credit after all." Sighing, Naruto knew he wasn't changing Zack's mind. Plus, he himself has zero idea on how internet culture worked, so he'll trust Zack's judgement on this.
Li Fen then spoke up, "Um, not to burst your bubble, but why wasn't there any audio?" While the video is cool, and it makes Naruto(Kurama) look really cool, it's missing sound." Zack just scratches his head, "I am still trying to pick a song. Honestly, I brought it up now to see if anyone had any ideas?" Naruto shook his head, not having that much knowledge over music. Li Fen was seen thinking, before sliding her laptop in front of herself and began typing. Zack than looked at Bosch, "Tch, I'm not very versed in music. Other than some local tunes that my sister likes, or her dance routine songs, but none of them scream "big entrance" sorry". Bosch states, like Naruto, not too familiar with musical artists.
After a couple of minutes of Zack picking songs and letting Naruto hear it, Li Fen spoke again, "Aha, got it." She then disables Bluetooth so that the rest can hear the song. It started off as very beautiful, but powerful, with a single violin playing its heart out, however, after it's solo ended, a whole orchestra of strings began to play alongside it. Soon, electric beats and boom sounds followed, leading to a very cool sounding beat drop.
"Wow, this is perfect! It sounds like it was inspired by Asian music, but with modern technology as well. What's the name of the song Li Fen." Zack askes, very much liking the song.
"It's called "The Rising Sun". It's a Japanese inspired piece. Since Naruto once lived in Japan, I think it fits. Plus, the title perfectly capsulates Naruto's appearance and personality". Capsulate was an understatement. It was as if this song was meant for Naruto.
"Hey, this work's great with my video of Naruto… You know, you're really good at these things Li Fen. I know this may seem weird, but do you want to help me help Naruto?" Li Fen, put some thought into it, "Like a secretary, or an assistant?" She asked Zack, who nodded in return.
"Of course. You and I can work on building Naruto's empire. This job is going to be a lot more complicated than I originally expected, so having someone like you will really help me out. I can even provide payment as well." She thought about it more, but what really sold her, was the idea that she can now spend even more time with Naruto.
"Hmm, ok! Deal! I would be more than happy to help." She nodded, before both Zack and her stuck out their hands to shake them.
They both looked at Naruto, who, also nodded, "Thank you Li Fen. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but I'm no good with "trends" or "internet culture" or even most pop culture things. So, this really means a lot." All she does is smile back.
Before they continue working on the entrance video, two voices called out to them,
"Hey guys!/I'm Back!" It was Luke and Chun Li. They were walking together, with both of them carrying a bag with them. The other's didn't notice, but Chun Li and Luke gave each other a side glance, almost like they are suspicious of the other's bag.
Once they got to the group, they sat down on the same side, with Luke taking the empty seat to Chun Li's right, sitting across from Bosch, and both brought their gazes to Naruto.
Luke was the first to speak, "Naruto, I have something for you". He then hands him the bag to Naruto, who takes it, "Consider this a present. After all, you did graduate from my advance course, the first in a long time to do it." Naruto nods his head before opening the bag and pulling out the item.
A sudden gasp left his mouth as he can't believe what he is seeing. In his hands, was an exact replica of the Hokage's cloak, more specifically his father's. The all-white cloak, with flames at the bottom, were an exact one-to-one, the difference being is the red kanji on the back, "九尾の狐" which translates to "Nine-Tailed Fox" was proudly plastered on the back.
Naruto had tears forming in his eyes, a bitter memory of the life he once had, however, the other's took it differently, "Woah Naruto, are you ok, do you not like it?" Luke said a bit concern once he saw what his gift was doing to Naruto
Naruto quickly recovers, wiping his tears and smiles instead at Luke, "No, no, I love it. It's just, well it reminds me of someone from my past," He states, careful not to reveal too much. Bosch, who was to his left, was also in shock, mostly cause he knew the significance of that cloak. Damn sensei, you have no idea how much this one gift means to Naruto. Luke didn't have a single clue as to what Naruto's real past was, but damn was it almost impossible to for him to pick a better gift.
"Oh ok, you had me worried there for a second. Well anyways, like I said it's a gift. Infact, it's still not complete, try turning it inside out." Doing as he was told, to his shock, the cloak also was an inverted one as well. Meaning he can wear the outside or the inside. The inside of the cloak was near replica of the normal one, with the differences being that the red flames being replaced with blue ones, and the Kanji were instead replaced with Bucklers Basic Training Course's Logo.
"Wow, this look's awesome. Thank you, Luke!" Now Naruto couldn't be happier, He had a new piece of wardrobe, one he'll happily wear during the tournament.
"Don't mention it, I knew you were going to try and cover your identity, so that is why I had it custom made, so you can wear as both Kurama and as Naruto." Luke knew that if he was going to gift Naruto something, he wanted to be sure he can wear as both. So having two designs on the same cloak was the best way to do it.
Luke then looked at Chun Li, almost in a mocking way, he then mouthed to her, "Beat that" while everyone else was still looking at the cloak.
Chun Li grew a tick mark on her head as he puffed her cheeks in frustrations, oh, so you want to play like that. We'll see whose gift he likes more. She than brings the bag up on the table as well, getting everyone's attention on her,
*Clears throat* "Naruto, I also have something for you." Naruto then carefully folds the cloak back into the bag and sets it to the side. As Chun Li, with a soft smile hands him her bag. He then looks in and pulls out a,
"Wow! That looks so clean!" Zack stated. In Naruto's hands, was a dark blue, traditional Kung Fu top. The top had no sleeves, and like Chun Li's own shirt, had golden trims and edges. There was also Kanji on the back of it, in gold, but it was in Simplified Chinese. It read, "春美人" or "Spring Beauty". A reference to Chun Li's nickname. On the front, over the heart, in smaller kanji, it also read, "意志" or "Willpower". It was a very elegant looking shirt.
"W-Wow, I, it looks so nice. Thank you, Chun Li-Chan!" Naruto states with excitement, looking like he could hug her. Chun Li was too busy grinning smugly at Luke, who grumbled and looked away. Chun Li then looked towards Naruto and being on receiving end of such a brilliant expression, couldn't help but blush. Woah, since when has Naruto looked so…. Having some conflicting thoughts, she shakes her head and just accepts the gratitude from Naruto.
Suddenly, he does hug her. "I'll be sure to wear it with pride at the tournament!" Ok now, she was starting feel something. Her face gets even redder, as her blush extends to her ears. For some reason, the genuine happiness and affection that Naruto is displaying, is really affecting her,
What is this? Its almost like how I feel when I hug Li Fen, but this is different, much different. I can't help but want to continue to make him smile… I, I don't want this to end…
*Knocking* "Order up!" And like that, the waiter announces his presence
As Naruto puts his clothes away in their bags, and begins to chow down, so did everyone else. They all continued to talk about how Naruto's debut is going to go, even Zack and Li Fen finished the Titan Tron video."
However, while Chun Li was eating, she couldn't help but feel like questioning her reaction towards Naruto's affection. Something that she will have to meditate on in the future. Meanwhile, a certain teenager, puffed her cheeks in frustration, realizing that her plan is officially now or never.
Metro City, Mike Haggar Stadium, 5pm
With Naruto and Zack:
The time has officially come. The Novice tournament will begin in 30 minutes. Right now, Naruto and Zack are seen walking together, towards the newly built stadium.
The Mike Haggar Stadium was a sight to behold. An incredibly advanced arena, with state-of-the-art technology, as well as an enormous amount of space for any event ranging from sports to concerts.
In front of the stadium, is the ever famous, Urban Park. One of the largest community parks within the city. Many come to enjoy the tiny oasis of nature within the metal forest that is the city. At the center of the park, near the artificial lake, was a massive golden/bronze statue of the great mayor himself.
A symbol and tribute to the sacrifices he made to keep the gangs of Metro City at bay.
As they take in their surrounds, we see that Naruto's outfit has changed. Gone was his red sweater, and in its place was his new white cloak given to him by Luke. Naruto's head still proudly showcasing his headband, as well as his black facemask. A key difference is that the oni design was now in a shiny gold instead of luminescent orange. His gloves also had their designs of a sun and moon recolored to gold. Underneath the cloak, we see Naruto wearing Chun Li's gift as well, the cloak covering some of the writing on the top. He also had a short-sleeved black mesh shirt that slightly extended past the cloak's sleeve to be visible on his forearms.
To finish off the look, he had on black combat pants with knee padding and a golden line going down the side of each leg, and of course, his black sandals. He decided to leave his sword at home, since for one, he doesn't really use it, and also due to no weapons being allowed at the stadium.
As Naruto continues to walk with Zack, he notices that people were staring at him. Some with confusion, but most were curious. His outfit did standout, but he believes that its something else. For the first time, his bandaged hand is exposed to the world. The few times he is without a shirt or in short sleeves, he does notice the stares, but many don't think much of it and the times he exposes it are few and far between.
(Author's Note: Basically, as "Kurama" his bandaged armed is covered by the long sleeves of his sweater, simply exposing his hand. Now, people can see that the whole arm is covered, though not knowing why.)
To be fair, his outfit does match, except for the cloak, while he has a lot of blues and blacks and golds, his white, red cloak also clashes with it. Though it's better to play it safe than to use the inside.
"Alright Nar-Kurama. We are here!" Zack states as they finally turn the corner of the block and see the ground level of the Stadium. It was bustling with people enjoying the several booths and carts. Well, the normal citizens were. There were also a lot of potential opponents. Fighters from all across the U.S and even the world, are mixed in with the crowd. Coming in all shapes and sizes.
Naruto and Zack push their way through the crowds, before finally making it to the start of the grand stairs, to gain entrance to the Stadium. They notice that at the top, were several security guards, standing near the entrance, they were standing near a sign on a sandwich board that said, "Registration Table Inside, Fighters and Managers Only After This Point!" in big red lettering.
Making their way upstairs, Naruto and Zack approach the guards, Naruto showing his yellow bracelet, and Zack showing his bright blue one. Fighters, managers, staff, and citizens attending the event were given different bracelets. Fighters were given yellow, managers were bright blue, staff wore red and white, and citizens/attendees were green. VIPS were given a black and golden bracelet.
Receiving a nod, security let both of them through, so on they went towards the registration area. Right in front of the entrance was a large gathering of fighters and brawlers. Some were lazing around, others were meditating, some were mean mugging their fellow competitors, and some were warming up. They all came in different shapes, sizes, and of course experience.
"Wow. There are a whole lot of fighters." Zack states as he tries to count the amount of people there. It must be close to 500 at least!
Naruto looks around, before spotting an employee standing in front of a table, "I think I see the registration table." He points in the direction of the table, leading the way as Zack gets somewhat distracted with some fighters staring at them.
The table was inside of the stadium, since the entrance was really big and not covered, they were able to easily make their way over. The inside was very modern. With a lot of moving, flashing lights, LED screens showcasing the many future events that are being hosted, advertisements from brands, and even a highlight reel of Mike Haggar himself, delivering justice (I.E., the loading cutscene once you leave the subway.). Once they got closer, they began the process.
Standing behind the counter, was a young woman. She was dark-skinned, with her black hair in a natural curly afro style, wearing a red t-shirt that has the stadiums logo for staff written in big white font. She also had khakis and grey tennis shoes. She was of average build but was ever so slightly taller than the average girl.
She smiled at them and began, "Hello! Here to register for the Novice Tournament?" Receiving a nod she continues, "Alright then! My name is Cathy, and I will be helping you all out. Now which one of you is the fighter"? Naruto raises a brow before raising his hand. Wouldn't it be obvious? Only one of them was in gear.
Realizing the slight blunder, she sheepishly rubs the back of her head, "Oops, yeah that much would be obvious huh?" She coughs in her hand softy to regroup, "Ok then, stop me if you heard this before… this tournament is for new fighters… it's being held as an exhibition event for the real thing happening in Nayshall…" They already knew that, but waited to see if she was going to say anything else.
"However, that isn't actually entirely what it is… This tournament is also a standard system ran by some big corporations around the world." Ok, new information is always good. "This tournament's name, "The Novice League", is actually a tier or a rank. Fighters that classify under this tier, are rated as beginners, or least experienced. There are other tiers as well, but they all depend on your record. The better you perform, the more likely you are to move up." She states, to let them digest the information so far.
Interesting. Its like rank play in any video game. Separating players, or in this case, fighters, into different ranks based on performance. Zack understood the analysis since he himself plays some rank games on stream.
"New fighters, no matter what, must first enter a Novice Tournament, before they can be properly assess and then be placed in their appropriate tier. Countless tournaments are held everywhere around the U.S, however, the one's that are going to be hosted here are going to be the promotional tournaments. Meaning those that win the tournaments hosted here will be granted a chance to jump right into the tier that best suits their skills." With all of that information out of the way, Naruto and Zack looked at each other, before nodded, making sure they let her know they understood.
"Now since this is the first of its kind, the winner for this tournament only will gain a spot in the largest tournament hosted in Nayshall and the cash prize. Got it?" Cathy finally states, making sure not to forget mentioning this part. She receives nods from both Naruto and Zack.
"Perfect, now, fighter… may I see your phone…" She states, before Naruto, looking confused, hands her his phone. She takes it and begins to go to the app store, "Registration is being done on our app. With the app, we will be able to send notifications of future events, as well as updates on your current rank. Also, it will handle most of the technical stuff that the tournament will have such as placements and matchmaking. Lastly, the app is a good way to receive alerts or even watch some of your fellow competitors fight in their matches as you wait for yours." As she explains, she finishes the download, hands his phone back so he can create an account before she continues to register him.
"Ok, your almost done…just need to confirm your information… wait… you're THE Kurama!?" She flipped the phone back to Naruto to confirm his information, before realizing who she'd been helping. "That means your BarraCudda! OMG you look so different in a suit!" She states, not realizing that she is in front of two famous people
She was a fangirl. For both of them!
Slightly startled at her reaction, Naruto nodded his head, before flinching at the sheer speed she displayed by going around her table and essentially placing her face a little too close for his liking,
"I'm your biggest fan! Your highlights of beating down gang members are so cool!" She then quickly pulls out her… Bra? It appeared to be a spare.
It was sports bra, colored in baby blue. She also had a Black marker in her other hand, "Can I PLEASE get an autograph." Ok… someone seems a little too unhinged. Deciding to be a nice guy, Naruto agreed, though was trying to figure out how to sign the bra. She then tells him to sign over the right cup. With a slight blush, he grabs the bra, and writes his name, "Kurama" in kanji and then a nine next to it. He hands the bra over to her, who was practically shaking. She than thanked him, turned around to take a quick selfie with him and her signed bra. Before continuing the registration.
Once that whole…. Interaction was done, she told Naruto to simply wait until they make an announcement. She then kept Zack behind since he needed to do manager things in order to get Naruto ready if he makes it to the second day.
As Naruto begins to look for a place to stand, he notices a lot of the competition was staring at him. Most were trying to put on a strong façade and try and intimidate him. Some even channeled their own chi as well to create an aura.
Naruto just thought it was cute, before unleashing a tiny bit of Kurama's chakra.
The room grew heavy. A chill went down everyone's spines as they all avoid making eye contact with Naruto as his eyes, while still blue, his pupils were in slits. Creating an almost predator type aura.
Let's just say, his fellow competitors stop trying to intimidate him and left him alone as he found an empty bench near the entrance.
30 Minutes Later,
At the bottom of the main staircase of the Stadium,
During the 30 minutes of waiting, Zack found Naruto and told him that his part is done. He brought his streaming gear and is planning to set up in the fair, where both Luke and Bosch are waiting for him. He'll be watching Naruto fight through the app and possibly in person depending on his opponent, whatever that means.
After going their separate ways and a few good lucks, he descended the stairs, heading towards the fair.
Naruto then hears a loud siren noise coming from just in front of the entrance of the stadium. A rather formal looking man, with brown hair, tan-skin, and a trimmed beard/mustache combo, was wearing an all-black suit with the Stadium's logo on the back. He was waving a megaphone around, which was making the noise, trying to gather all fighters. He had security around him as well, 3 guards to be exact.
"Can I have ALL fighters descend the stairs and meet in the center of our fair. Right in front of the grand staircase." He states, now using the megaphone to speak with the crowd. Getting up, Naruto joins the giant mass of humans as they make their way to the meeting spot. As they do, the normal citizens gather around the meeting spot, patiently waiting for the preliminaries to begin.
Finally, the fancy man stood in front of all the fighters. He ditched the megaphone and got out a microphone, that seemed to be connected to speakers all over the place.
"*Ahem* "Hello and good evening, everyone. I am the director of this Stadium. I first want to say thank you all so much for coming. This grand opening of our facility could only be possible with everyone's support." As he states this, the crowd, and the fighters clap.
Once they finish, the director continued, "Now, I am going to be explaining the day's agenda. As some of you know, today is simply the preliminary rounds. Due to the large amount of fighters today, we need to… trim down the contestants for the main tournament that is happening tomorrow." This got the group of fighters talking and whispering. "As of right now, there are 512 of you today. There will be 4 preliminary rounds today, meaning by the end of the fourth round, we will have our final group of fighters for the main tournament. Understood." The responded with light chatter.
Ok, so that means I need to win four times to qualify. That doesn't sound too bad. Before Naruto could continue to think, the director continued again,
"Now, here is how we run things. First thing's first, this is apart of the "Beginner's Tier" or Iron tier's promotional event. Our tournaments hosted here will follow guidelines set by the international rules and ranking systems followed by everyone around the world." Ok the lady at the front has explained this part already, "We have a total of 7 tiers, Beginners or Iron tier, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and masters/legends tier. Those that fall in the Platinum tier or higher get a chance to participate in the grand world tournament now being held in Nayshall!" The director states, as some of the newer fighters get some clarity on how this is going to work.
"For this tournament ONLY however, those that qualify for the main event tomorrow, will automatically be promoted to a higher tier, depending on their performance. And the Winner will get a spot in the Grand World Tournament in Nayshall as well as the cash prize." This got cheers and roars from the fighters.
Getting the crowds attention again, the director then states, "Now enough about the background, lets get these rounds started!" Cheers and clapping was heard once again, "Alright, alright, new fighters, this is how the first 4 rounds work. The ENTIRE area around the Stadium is your arena. Any spot, such as on our ground, or in Urban Park, or even near the stores is free game for being your stage. There are currently a good number of Iron ranked fighters amongst you all. If you already have an Iron rank, you will get a seniority benefit of picking the location and time of your match from the app itself. Remember, select a time from the listed ones on the app. Our new fighters that are matched up with Iron ranks, you will have to oblige to the seniority rule under any circumstance. Understood?" This got some nods from the group, so the director continued.
"Ok, as we all know, fatal attacks, weapons, criminal offenses such as sexual assault or rape are prohibited and will cost you dearly. Same goes for greatly damaging local businesses, public buildings, or even the crowd. Likewise, spectators, please keep at the very minimum, 30ft of space between yourself and a match. Failure to oblige will lead to severe punishment. Finally, matches are only one and done rounds, first to be deemed unable to fight by our A.I referee in your apps will lose. Am I clear?" The man states, getting the entire area to nod together.
"*Hmph* Then let the rounds begin! Once the fourth round concludes, all fighters that qualify must meet back here by 8:30pm. Those that fail to qualify must head to the registration table to officially get your rank and performance report. Finally, good luck to you all, and may we have a fantastic event!" Cheers and claps were heard as the Director puts away the microphone and heads back towards the stadium.
Over the speakers, a random sounding voice says that viewers should practice safety protocols, and that fighters will begin to receive instructions through the app. Soon fighters started to spread out. Some already paired up and began their match within the fair itself.
Naruto then receives a notification on his phone. He opens the app and sees a location, as well as his opponent's profile and summary. His first opponent is a man by the name of Wyatt. He is a rather tall Caucasian male, with blonde hair, green eyes, and has a red headband. His build is similar to that of a quarterback. Not too big or built but does have some muscle on his frame. He appears to be around his late 20s. According to the information on him, Wyatt has performed well in the last tournament in his home state, coming within the top 4. He's decently experience, with a total of 3 years spent in the Iron tier.
Wyatt has chosen the fighting spot to be in front of a Sumo Soup restaurant near Urban Park Metro Station. Naruto decided to make his way over to the store, to get his first match started. As he made his way over, he received a text from…Luke? It read,
"Hey man, I see that the tournament has begun, how are ya feeling?" After replying, Luke then types, "Make sure you prepare. Sure, it's a newbie tournament, but don't go in thinking your opponents are slouches." After relying with a thanks for the support and advice, Luke suggests visiting the RV/truck and even the Sumo restaurant. The Truck apparently is a famous tourist attraction spot, and the restaurant is relatively new.
Naruto makes his way to both. He's not really interested in the truck/RV. So, he decides to skip it and head to the restaurant. He then see's Wyatt standing in the middle of the sidewalk, stretching, and warming up. A nice crowd is beginning to form as customers began to take notice that a match was close to starting. Since Wyatt hasn't seen Naruto yet, Naruto decided to head to the nice-looking lady near the front entrance of the restaurant.
Apparently, since the owner won't be coming in until the tournament starts, they are simply doing take out orders and not letting people dine inside. While this restaurant isn't too close to his own in Chinatown, he also wanted to scope out and see what prices look like and what else they sell.
After looking through a couple items, he decides to place an order for the Chanko Stew pot. The lady said that it would take roughly 45 minutes to an hour for the pot to be done. Naruto paid and then decided to head towards Wyatt. Making his way through the small crowd around Wyatt, he then notice's Naruto's presences.
"Huh, so your my opponent." He then gets up from his stretch, fully turning his body towards Naruto. "Kurama, right? Heh, sorry pal, but I ain't no novice. It sucks that you got matched up with me, but it had to happen to someone." He then pulls out his phone from his bag, and presses a few times on his screen. While this is happening, Naruto also gets a notification from his app. It is telling Naruto to select "Start Match" which will then turn his phone into a recording device, to ensure no trickery was being done. Wyatt began again, "I just need to qualify, and I will finally get out of this tier, and earn more respect from those around me, Are you ready, Kurama?"
Finishing what he needs to do, Naruto rests it next to the floor, against the wall of the restaurant, before also getting into a relaxed fighting stance. (Author's Note: Picture Luke's stance SF6, with Chun Li's open palms from her SF6 stance.)
"*Bzzt* Contestants Wyatt and Kurama set and ready. Match will start in 3…2…1…FIGHT!" A voice coming from their phones states, as it appears their phones are recording the match as well.
Wyatt made the first move, going for jumping punch aimed for Naruto's head. Naruto was going to wait until the last moment to dodge, but apparently the lady in front of the store had some spices on her clothing, cause at a unfortunate time, Naruto's nose began to twitch.
*ACHOO* As soon as Naruto sneezed, it caused his head to move forwards, into the punch. Wyatt connected with Naruto's temple, the sound of his bare fists slamming against Naruto's cheek resonated, causing some in the crowd to flinch.
The two fighters stayed in this position for a solid 4 seconds, before Wyatt slowly pulled his hand back, which is now really swollen, and twitching a lot.
*Scream* While screaming his brains out, Wyatt grabs his right hand with his left in pain. He is also seen rolling around on the ground. Then the crowd's attention moves towards the other, who looks completely ok. Many began to whisper amongst them. And of course, a few were laughing at Wyatt.
That…Didn't hurt? Huh, the more your know Snapping out of his shock. Naruto notices that Wyatt has his back towards him. He was kneeling down still cradling his right hand. Naruto decided to end this quickly. He walked closer to Wyatt. Once he was standing behind him. Naruto raised his hand and delivered a chop directly to Wyatt's neck. Knocking him out, effectively ending the fight.
"*Bzzt* Contestant Kurama Wins. Please stand by as a team member confirms the win." His and Wyatt's phone states, as the crowd slowly dispatches. Most were a little disappointed over how one-sided the match was, but many left happy at seeing such a hilarious conclusion.
Who gets beaten by a sneeze?
After about 10 minutes, a team member with medical drones, wearing the standard red uniform came by and confirm Naruto's win. They then carted Wyatt away, back towards the stadium. Naruto also noticed that his meal would be ready at any time, so he decided to wait at the restaurant. Since the team member also told him that not even half of matches were completed, so he'll need to wait a bit more.
One down, just 3 more to go… it should get harder, right? Naruto is starting to wonder; just how much more advance he is compared to everyone else. Perhaps he'll need to hold back even more.
Metro City, Chun Li's home,
6pm, with Li Fen:
Inside the home of Chun Li and Li Fen, we see a rather modest apartment. Nothing too big, but also still nice. In one of the room's, it appears to have water vapor leaking from under the door. Running water is heard, indicating someone is in the shower. Soon, the water stops running, and out comes the younger of the two sisters Li Fen. In a big fluffy towel wrapping around her upper body and cover most of her thighs and going down to her knees. She also has another towel on her head, drying out her hair.
She makes her way towards her room, humming a song and begins to change.
Li Fen, for the better part of the week, has been preparing for this day. Why you may you ask? Well, today she will enact her plan.
Naruto has always been extremely attractive to her. He's very handsome, but he also just, meshes so well with her. Hanging out with him has always been fun, even if he doesn't know she considers their one-on-one hang outs as dates. With the tournament, and more importantly the fair, Li Fen saw a perfect opportunity to officially ask him out.
His matches won't end until around 8:30pm. However, she is more than confident that he will qualify for the main event. So, with that in mind, she began to prepare. She went on secret shopping sprees, away from Chun Li's eyes to get a more, elegant, and mature outfit. She also visited the salon and spa for a proper pampering, and grooming.
After a bit, she is seen now wearing a pink bathrobe. She is now using the same towel that was wrapped around her head to finish drying her hair manually with her hands.
She then sits in front of her white desk for makeup, which has a decently large mirror. She noticed that her normal style of makeup was a little too cute for her liking. She loved her normal makeup, but see wasn't trying to be cute today, she was going for maturity and sexy. Which is why she paid extra attention(read: spied/copied) to how her Jiejie does her makeup, so that she can do it herself. Of course, it didn't hurt to borrow some of her items for her own usage. Just for today.
Luckily, Chun Li has already left for an interview at the Stadium. Giving Li Fen the chance to get ready. Once her hair was dry, she spent the next 30 minutes to style it into her normal buns. She then spent the next 45-60 minutes, to apply her makeup. Normally, she doesn't spend too much time on her makeup, roughly 20-30 minutes, but this was a new style, and a more complicated one at that. Credit where credit is due, her Jiejie does this style everyday and is very good/efficient.
Once that is done, she then heads towards the changing screen in her room, where her outfit for the day was hanging. Brighter and warm colors were always her favorite. Bright blues, yellows, pinks, reds, and even white consisted of a majority of her wardrobe. This outfit however was different.
Her outfit was a Qipao dress. The sleeves reached her mid bicep, and the dress just covers her knees. The dress also had a slit going down the right side of her leg to just below her hip. This allows for movement, and for her to show off some leg as well. The dress had a golden Sakura tree branch going across the chest from the left side, and another branch going down to her stomach. Golden petals were decorated all around the dress as well.
Below the dress was her footwear for the day, a pair of red lace heels, where the laces would wrap around up to her shins. She chose the heels to compliment that red nail paint on her toes and fingers.
One quick change later, she is now fully dressed and ready for her evening. She went to the full-size mirror on her closet door to see how'd she look.
*Whistle* I look good! I almost don't recognize myself anymore. She then does a few poses to show off her still growing body, When Naruto sees me, I bet he'll be floored! Sorry Jiejie, but I think I wear your makeup better! With her confidence up, she grabs her red panda purse, her phone, and her keys and locks her apartment before heading off.
She took out her phone to order a ride to the fair, before also looking at the time, Woah, I didn't expect it to take me two whole hours to get out of here. She thinks looking to see that it was almost 8pm. She orders her ride, before sitting in the apartment lobby to wait for it to come.
A couple minutes later, a modern looking black Sedan with tinted windows rolled up. She confirmed with the driver, an old man, and got in, on her way to the fair.
I can't wait for this night to begin! Naruto, you best be ready, cause I am on the hunt.
Li Fen was ready.
Metro City, Urban Park entrance from the Stadium,
8pm, with Naruto:
One hour into the preliminaries, Naruto has already won 3 of his four matches so far. The second opponent was a young boxer girl, who only had one tournament of experience before. She had solid form, but wasn't able to match Naruto's speed, nor power. Naruto made sure however to hold back more, leading to him knocking her out with a well-placed palm strike to her solar plexus.
Naruto's third opponent was…interesting. He knew that technology was far more advance than anything he has seen in his past, but he'd never picture a day where one of his opponents would be a sentient, Fridge?! Who knew that kitchen appliances wanted to become professional fighters.
Anyways, the Fridge was actually very tricky to deal with. It fought by throwing things it had inside of it at their opponent. Also, he noticed that the fridge had a huge boost in armor when it didn't open its door.
Naruto ended his match with it by using a move he picked up from Rock Lee. His signature "Front Lotus or Frontal Lotus" was a good way to quickly take out the Fridge's armor. And it worked, the Fridge didn't stand a chance.
So, this is where we find Naruto. His opponent scheduled their match be the very last one of the day.
His opponent was very experienced, at least that is what he is reading. Her name was Ranfan, a 20 something year old Japanese woman. She was a looker, with fair skin, purple hair styled into an afro, blue eyes, red lips, and glossy pink fingernails. She was said to of join the system back in her teens and has over 6 years of experience in the Iron Tier. Her past 10 tournaments ended with her coming very close to if not winning them back in her prefecture.
What he found strange is that, despite having a lot of experience, Ranfan has never made the jump to any of the other tiers. With the main reason being she performs rather poorly at promotional tournaments or doesn't impress enough.
Regardless, Naruto decided to treat this girl like all his other opponents, just with a bit more caution since, she is clearly an experience fighter regardless of her rank and he shouldn't let the rank blind him.
He should know, he was the poster child for surpassing one's rank expectation.
He noticed that the location of their fight was to be on the bridge over the artificial lake in the middle of Urban Park. Interesting. Naruto begins to survey the area, looking for his opponent. Then, he notices a pretty large crowd near the edge of the bridge. He couldn't make out what was going on, so he got closer.
He then sees his opponent, sitting on the edge of the bridge, her legs dangling off of the bridge and into the water. Once he pushed through the crowd a bit more, some noticed him and started to back off as well, since everyone there were waiting for the final match of the day. This is when the girl turned her head towards him and smiled at him. She started to sit up and finally turn her whole body around.
"Well, you must Kurama, I got to say, I like what I see so far." Ranfan was wearing a blue tank top, and green cargo pants that was rolled up past her shins and just below her knees. She was barefooted as Naruto notices her feet were wet, since, she was just playing in the water, and her red sneakers with white laces were sitting a couple feet away from them.
Ranfan did not look like a fighter. From what Naruto can see, she is lean, but her body looks more like a super model than an athletic one. He also notices a lack of wear and tear on her clothing or on her skin. No bruises, scars, scratches or even patches of dirt. It's almost like she hasn't been touched at all during the matches.
Now Naruto was even more curious as to how she performs. He then takes out his phone and does the same thing he does at the beginning of the previous rounds, and sets away, next to his opponent's stuff. She also follow suit, getting her phone ready to start the match.
Once the robot began to speak, she starts to talk over it, "Alright handsome, please be gentle with little ole' me." She states, while resting her left palm under the left side of her chin and winking at Naruto seductively/flirtatiously.
Naruto gulps, lightly, tensing his muscles as he is unsure of how to approach this. Usually, he can get a read on his opponents, but right now, she is throwing so many different messages that it's getting confusing.
What the hell are you up to lady? Finally, both start to her the robot count down to their match,
"*Bzzt* Contestants Ranfan and Kurama set and ready. Match will start in 3…2…1…FIGHT!" Naruto got into his stance, and like his previous matches, decides to play defensively, waiting for Ranfan to make her move.
However, all she did was move slightly closer to him, placing her left hand on her hip, and adding a bit more sway to her step than normal. Once she was slightly out of striking distance, she stopped. Though now she leaned forward, hand still on hip, and move right hand to her lips, and made a kissing motion, while winking, before blowing it towards him.
To the crowd, the pose was erotic and good eye candy, to Naruto, it confused him even more.
However, Ranfan saw a Naruto loosen up ever so slightly, and began to rush at him. She launches at him, with a spinning side kick aimed for Naruto's right side of his skull. Luckily, despite being caught off guard, he was still way faster than her, and simply raised his right forearm to block it. She then pulled back her leg, and spun on her heel, to use the same leg and go for the left side, Naruto simply raised his left forearm afterwards, finally she followed through, crouch down, and jumped up to try and land a double-handed overhead hammer fist strike to his head. Naruto then crossed his arms and blocked said attack with his forearms again. She then backed off, realizing that her distraction didn't work.
Naruto than rushes her and goes for a palm strike right for her chest before he notices the sheer terror written on her face. She lets out a blood-curdling scream, almost like she was about to be murdered, throwing Naruto completely off guard, and causing him to stop right as he was going to connect. He blinked, owlishly, before decided to instead, lightly slap her on her left shoulder.
There was a brief pause, before she falls to ground, on to her knees, before she spreads her legs apart, almost having her butt touch the ground, and begins to scream once again while holding on to her left shoulder.
"*Whining and screaming in pain*"Oooohh, you brute! It hurts! It HURTS!" She then starts to cry as tears begin to form and fall from her eyes. Naruto is now completely confused and shocked. He then begins to look around rapidly as he begins to here the crowd turn on him for apparently hurting, "a sweet innocent lady" or "abusing such a beautiful woman.". Just what the hell is going o-
"Ha, gotcha!" Naruto then feels a blow land on his right kidney, and looks down to see that once crying Ranfan, was now smirking at him as she landed a Chi-powered straight punch to his side. It felt very similar to Luke's Flash Knuckle. Due to dropping his guard completely, he actually felt this one, and stubbled back while holding on to his side and groaning slightly.
"He, he, he, he, Its over sweetie!" She then charges another attack, and charges at Naruto. Luckily, Naruto recovered quickly and caught her extended hand. He then pulled her slightly to his right, before using his shoulder to connect with the side of her body. She is then seen losing her balance and falling into the artificial lake. Naruto stopped his groaning, and went back to the center of the bridge, waiting for his opponent to get out. After a few seconds, she remerges from the water, and begins to walk towards the bridge and pulls herself up.
She is now dripping wet, her clothes clung uncomfortably against her frame, yet her hair stayed the same somehow, just looked slightly wet. Suddenly, while controlling her breathing, she gets an idea.
With a mischievous smile, she starts to speak, "My what a bad boy you are. Look at me, I'm all wet. Looks like I need to get rid of these old things." As she says this, she grabs the bottom of her blue tank top, and begins to remove it. Once it was off, everyone went silent.
Suddenly, several wolf whistles were heard as she tosses her top near her shoes. Those whistles turn into nosebleeds as she takes off her pants as well. All that was left was her pink frilly bra and matching swimsuit panties as well. She then strikes a pose, "What do you think, is pink a good color for me?"
Not even Naruto, the king of unpredictability could've seen this coming. A healthy blush appeared on Naruto's face as he begins to stammer and twitch at his predicament.
Well… I was right that she looks more like a model… she's really hot…wait…I get now! This is how she's done so well! His inner desires were immediately crushed once Naruto steeled himself and connected some dots.
I just need to play along… making sure his true intentions weren't notice by Ranfan, he continued to play the role of squeamish, embarrassed, and aroused boy. "*Chuckles* You tough guys are all alike" Ranfan states as she begins to walk towards him, her bare feet smacking against the stone bridge floor. As every step she takes towards Naruto, Naruto's takes a step back. His face has a blush, though it isn't as prominent as it was earlier, and began to sweat slightly as well.
Finally, Naruto gets to the edge of the Bridge and begins to pretend to slightly lose his balance as he looks between her and the water. This act is getting old, might as well end it. Ranfan states in her head, seeing that Naruto is completely distracted by her looks, she decides to end it. She begins charging up her Chi into her fist and sprinted towards Naruto, cocking her fist backwards, ready to deliver the final blow.
Right when Ranfan was about to connect with Naruto's face, Naruto sudden tensed, and dodged, losing the blush, and getting serious once more. Ranfan missed, which also was influenced by Naruto knocking the attack away. She caught herself before she went into the water again. Furious, she turned around trying to continue her assault.
Unfortunately, Naruto was waiting for her.
As soon as she turned around, she was on the receiving end of a spinning roundhouse kick connecting with her cheek. Naruto held back significantly to ensure no real damage was done, but the blow still knocked her out cold. The momentum of the kick launched her back into the water, though this time, her body is seen floating on the surface, as she is seen face planted on the lake. Bubbles form near her face.
"*Bzzt* Contestant Kurama wins the final round of the day! Please stand by as a team member confirms the win." Naruto, feeling a little sorry for what he did to the girl, jumps in the water, and carries her bridal style, back to her stuff. He also placed his ear next to her mouth to see if she was still breathing, while also lightly pressing down on her chest to get her to cough up any water she took in.
Once he knew she would be ok, he then took off his cloak, and wrapped it around her form. Not wanting anyone else to get a free show anymore than they did. Minutes later, another female staff came by. She and the drones, quickly got Ranfan on a stretcher, placed a blanket over her, giving Naruto his cloak back, and carried her off along side her belongings.
Then Naruto gets a text message from the director through the app. The director is requesting all fighters to gather where they originally met at the start of the rounds, in front of the grand staircase.
Naruto took his time to get there, mostly due to the awe-struck faces of many kids, and young teens who seem to know who he is. Likely fans of both Zack and him. He waved at the young fans, trying to be a nice guy as he makes his way to the grand staircase. Some of these kids though, had other ideas.
Suddenly, a large group of pre-teens and teens, rushed towards him. Most were young boys, but a decent amount of them were girls. All were to trying to talk to him, grab him, or even become friends with him.
It seems I am more popular than I originally thought. Truthfully, the Kurama persona wasn't something he created to gain popularity. It was to be his fake identity. But if he was to believe some of the kids, many thought he was some super-hero, with an awesome costume, and an even cooler fighting style.
Suddenly, two older teens, one a boy and the other a girl, looking close to around Li Fen's age, approached him with different things. They looked to be twins since their appearances were sibling like and also looked to be around the same age. The girl had her pure white sneakers in her hand, and the boy had a skateboard. Both asked him to sign their items.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a pen or marker, so he tried to tell them that, but then the boy pulled out a black marker, giving Naruto no excuse but to sign it. He sign the bottom of the skateboard, which was very plain and had nothing on the bottom but its wooden color. The girl requested the signature to be on the side of the shoe for both. On the left shoe, the left side, and the right shoe, the right.
Doing just that, they thanked him, both stating that they will be watching him fight tomorrow. As the pair walked away, Naruto was now bombarded by the other kids wanting him to sign stuff as well. Ranging from shirts, to pants, to shoes, hats, gloves, and even underwear from both genders which were mainly requests from the older more mature teens.
Oh, now I'm going to be late. Is this what's its like to be popular…Its annoying. Looks like the director is going to have to wait on him since he may be here for a bit.
End Note:
And that's that!
If anyone knows who Ranfan is, Congratulations! Your Old!
On a serious note, I made some changes to the standard opponents our playable characters went through to create some more excitement. Wyatt is the only cannon fight from the World Tour mode and from that point in the story.
I will try to make Naruto's power level and skills more certified by the next chapter.
At the very least, the preliminaries are done, and now we can move forward to the main tournament!
Li Fen is around 16-17 of age while Naruto is 23. At best, it's a 6–7-year difference, but I have some plans for this little story line.
Unfortunately, Bosch didn't get to shine quite as much this chapter, but that's due to me finding a suitable role for him, since at this point, he is absent from the main story and won't appear until the end. I do have some plans with him though.
Anyways, next chapter should be the conclusion of this tournament arc. I'll try to get it out sooner this time, since my schedule is a lot less busy now.
Thank you all so much for the love. Feel free to comment on my story, I'm always looking for improvements.
I hope to see ya very soon. BYE! ^_^