Chapter Forty-Six
The Thunder Train rocked gentle on its rails, almost giving Gaara the illusion of his mother rocking him in some alternate past where his mom had miraculously survived. He looked out the window, seeing the rolling meadows and forests giving way to the outskirts of Konoha. Officially, the train wasn't supposed to enter service until next week. However, it was in the middle of its shakedown period, and being the Kazekage, he could us the tests as an excuse to transport himself, Matsuri, and his baby son to Konoha without too much scrutiny.
The Village Hidden in the Leaves had grown, much as his son had grown, even in the span of time since Gaara last had business here – Naruto's wedding. If only my village had had a stable leader like Lord Forth was here. Part of Gaara never lost his slight jealousy of Naruto's family. Naruto's parents had been everything his own hadn't been – both to his village and his family. It's the past now.
"You have that look on your face, love," Matsuri spoke with sweet concern as she rocked their son.
"Which one is that?" he feigned ignorance.
"The one where the world is going to hell and you're trying to defuse it before it blows up in everyone's faces."
"You're perceptive as ever," Gaara nodded.
"Any yet, you're too afraid to tell me."
"Afraid, yes, but not so much that I won't tell… I just think I need some back-up when explaining this mess." The train shook slightly with a stop. He stood grabbing the base for the stroller and their baggage. The station was just off the west gate, and true to his request, Shikamaru and Temari were standing at the western gate. Shikamaru wore a navy-blue field uniform without the green vest he'd normal wear. Temari meanwhile, wore a maroon tunic and black shorts. If Gaara squinted particularly well, he could detect the slightest of baby bump.
"Lord Kazekage, we are honored by your presence," Shikamaru bowed.
"Gaara, please, just Gaara," he protested. "I'm trying to keep a relatively low profile."
"Big brother, Matsuri, you both look so good!" Temari smiled, "As does Jun'Ichi!"
"Say hi to your Aunt Temari!" Matsuri waved the baby's arms in a playful motion.
"It's good to see you both, too," Gaara replied.
"Gaara, what brings you here so suddenly?" Shikamaru asked.
"Officially, a test run of the Thunder Train as well as the Iron Shinobi Competition." Gaara paused, eying their surroundings, "Unofficially, we should talk in private."
"Does the Nara compound work?" Temari asked.
"Perfectly," Gaara replied.
About twenty minutes later, they were at the front door, greeted by Yoshino and Shikaku Nara. "Lord Gaara, I hadn't a clue we'd be expecting company," Yoshino Nara apologized.
"Please, Lady Nara, there is no need to be overly formal," Gaara raised a hand in protest.
"We aren't used to having a Kage visit," Lord Shikaku said, "much less a foreign one."
"We will make quarters at our embassy to not inconvenience you," Gaara spoke as Matsuri lifted their son from the stroller with an audible protest.
"Nonsense, we just finished refurbishing the nursery for our future grandchild," Lady Yoshina spoke up, admiring Gaara's son, running her fingers through his mane of redwood hair. "Please, we'd be honored to host our in-laws."
"Lady Nara, we don't wish to impose," Matsuri spoke up.
"There is plenty of space in the compound," Shikamaru spoke up. "We can easily accommodate the three of you however you'd like."
"Thank you," he bowed his head, "for the hospitality." Gaara stared his brother-in-law in the eyes, "Please, Shikamaru, I have a request."
"Name it," Shikamaru spoke up.
"I must speak with Naruto and his wife, discretely. I heard he'd be back today. It's urgent."
Shikamaru wordlessly pulled out his phone and texted. There was a short interval, but the phone chimed again. "He'll be here in twenty minutes," Shikamaru said. "I told him to come to the house once he got in."
"Perfect," mild relief came over Gaara.
"Gaara," Temari's voice hinted she'd caught his unease, "what has you so on edge that you'd request to speak to Naruto and not the Hokage?"
At her question, Yoshino and Shikaku Nara straightened. "I intend on bringing the Hokage in, but I also do not wish to raise such a high profile."
"High profile?" Shikaku asked.
"A Kage travelling to visit family and watch the Iron Shinobi Competition won't raise eyebrows. If I were to conduct a private meeting with Lord Kakashi, it might invite scrutiny."
"What kind of scrutiny?" Shikamaru's voice was tense, filling with worry.
"The kind you don't want when something potentially world-devouring is cooking under our noses." Everyone froze at the comment. "As you can see, I think Naruto and Hinata would be higher priority to bring on board; they may be better to explain our predicament to those in power."
A pall of silence fell over the assembled crowd, only broken by the innocent cooing of Jun'Ichi. Gaara eyed his son, envying the innocence and naivety his boy's green eyes had. My son, I hope your story doesn't turn into a nightmare the way mine has.
Naruto arrived at the train station with Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke when his phone buzzed. The text read:
VIP at the house, urgent you come.
"We have a detour," Naruto said, showing everyone the text. They exited the train and arrived shortly at the Nara Compound, still dressed for the beach. As the front door opened, Shikamaru admitted them to a traditionally furnished sitting room with a low table and pads for everyone to kneel on. At the far end of the table was a face careworn, if still optimistic, young man. "Gaara!" Naruto called out, running around the table to his friend.
"Naruto," Gaara wrapped him in a bear hug. As Gaara pulled back, he gestured to the kneeling pads, "Please sit, everyone."
Naruto knelt to Gaara's left, with Hinata to the left of Naruto, Sasuke sat across from Naruto, and Sakura next to Saskue. Shikamaru closed the door to the room and knelt at the head of the table opposite Gaara. As the door snapped closed, the air of the room became heavy, and dreary foreboding sat on Naruto's shoulders, "So, you can feel it, too," Gaara said.
"Gaara, what is it?" Naruto stared at his friend, deep with concern.
About a week ago, Shukaku confided in me that it sensed something, something that doesn't make sense."
"What?" Hinata asked.
"He sensed the signature of another Divine Tree like that thing you all ran into in the Land of Sound."
"How—" Naruto's words cut off in his throat and his bladder tightened. If they're already growing another tree, another Ten-Tails, their plan has already been in motion for some time.
"I was about to ask you the same question," Gaara responded. "You had once mentioned that there were more of them, but your explanation left something to be desired."
Naruto chewed his lip, exchanging looks with Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Shikamaru. "Gaara, what we have to tell you may seem a bit unreal."
"You're talking to a man who is a Jinchuriki of a tailed beast," Gaara reminded him.
"Gaara, when we were on the Moon, we… we met someone who warned us about the Ōtsutsuki."
"Someone? Who?" Gaara asked, eyes trained on Naruto.
"Queen Serenity, or at least, her ghost," Hinata explained. Gaara remained unmoved.
"She warned us that the Ōtsutsuki were a parasitic race of aliens. They continuously devour a world's chakra until the world withers and dies in some misguided belief that it will turn them into gods."
"Queen Serentiy warned that her people had run afoul of them in her time, almost a million years ago," Sakura added.
"The story is so fantastical," Gaara tented his hands in front of his face, "So, there are more of them, and they are planning of finishing what Kaguya started." He stared at the group with a troubled look chiseled into his stony face, "What are they waiting for?"
"We've been trying to answer that for some time," Shikamaru spoke up, "piecing together clues."
"Kaguya was trying to create a Zetsu army to repel an invasion," Sasuke said, "And we have pretty good authority her mate, Isshiki, is the ringleader this time."
"Her mate?" Gaara asked.
"Apparently she betrayed him, marrying a human emperor, and birthed Hagomoro and Hamura," Sasuke shrugged, "By all accounts, a person named Jigen is probably a host for this Isshiki character."
"Host?"
"Remember we said they were parasitic," Hinata's voice shook, "They have the ability to place what is called a Kama mark on other beings. The mark begins to overwrite that person's existence. That person essentially becomes a carbon copy of that Ōtsutsuki. Usually, one Otsutsuki sacrifices the original to make the Divine Tree flower and bear fruit. Consuming it drains the planet of some or all of its chakra."
"This is most troubling," Gaara replied, looking down at his hands. "Also, the fact that Shukaku saw fit to warn me."
Kyuubi, why didn't you warn us?
"Dude, you two have spent the last week getting it on almost non-stop. I couldn't tell If I was feeling a damn thing or not!" Nine-Tails' reply seemed sincere. "This sucks!"
No shit!
"No, that One-Tailed weenie is never going to let me hear the end of this! For once, he was more attuned with the world than I was!"
"Naruto?" Hinata tapped his arm.
"Nine-Tails told you just now?" she nodded in reply. Naruto looked back at Gaara. "Gaara, you asked what they are waiting for; do you have an idea?"
Gaara bit his lips for a moment, "I'm afraid I'm only able to speculate, but they must be waiting for something big."
Naruto leaned back in his chair, "The Iron Shinobi Competition, the Chunin exams…" the words rang hollow. "Dammit."
"What is it?" Shikamaru asked.
"Something my grandpa said, that they were waiting for something immovable in time," he shook his head. "But I can't think of anything that is truly immovable."
"It's something to do with you two," Sasuke blurted out. "Think about it, all Isshiki would have to do is eliminate one or both of you, and no Himawari, and the future reverts completely."
"Maybe they can't undo the effects of time travel?" Sakura added.
"Or maybe they lose regardless," Hinata added.
"Who is Himawari?" Gaara asked. Oh shit. "Naruto, am I missing something?" Gaara's stare penetrated his being. Naruto had kept this secret from his friend for years.
"Himawari is my daughter… my future daughter… Gaara, this might be hard for you to hear."
"Future daughter," Gaara was incredulous. "Naruto… you're being serious!"
"It's true, Gaara," Hinata nodded. "Our daughter from somewhere around twenty years into the future traveled back and made a significant change in the timeline, and we are living in the effect of that change rippling through the timeline."
All color drained from Gaara's face, and he rubbed the seal tattoo on his forehead. "What changed?"
"Gaara…" Naruto struggled to find the words to describe the hellish, unfathomable difference from his current life, "… my parents… they died at my birth in the original timeline. Hinata was never a jinchruiki, and I grew up alone as an orphan."
Gaara's mouth fell open, and he shivered, horrified. "My god!" he again touched the seal on his forehead, "All the misery… you mean it was actually worse!"
Naruto nodded. If dad didn't survive, there was no one to fix the seal on you, my friend. "We don't know much more than that," Naruto shook his head.
"Then, that has to be it," Gaara said.
"I don't think so," Shikamaru spoke up, breaking the tension in the air, "at least, not all of it."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked Shikamaru.
"The Ōtsutsuki have some level of temporal awareness according to Queen Serenity. It wouldn't be a stretch for them to figure out what altered time in the first place." His face cracked in concern, "But if it was simply about preventing Boruto and Himawari being born, why not move on you two now, or any other point in time when you both were vulnerable?"
Naruto thought back to all the times he and Hinata had been on the brink of death: freezing to death in the woods, Hinata after the New Year's duel with Hanabi, Naruto after being impaled in Blood Prison, Hinata after getting typhoid fever in Blood Prison. "There has to be something we're missing."
"In any case, that is what actually brought me to Konoha," Garra continued.
"To warn us?" Naruto asked.
"And to offer my help."
"Help?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Naruto, my friend, believe me when I say I mean no disrespect by this, but you have the sometimes-annoying habit to trying to fix everything yourself."
"It's true," Shikamaru and Sasuke said in agreement simultaneously.
"Whose side are you two on?" Naruto glared at both men.
"The same side you are," Shikamaru smirked, "We'd just prefer it if you didn't cut us out of the loop the way you did with Kakashi a few weeks ago."
Seriously! "You had to bring that up?!" Naruto protested.
"Had you been Hokage and I had taken some unsanctioned action like what we did," Sasuke interjected, "would you not have been upset had I not warned you about it?"
Naruto opened his mouth, but words failed him initially, "Look, I'm not used to being in the wrong."
"Naruto," Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder, "nobody is saying you were wrong exactly. But everyone is right, we have to do this the right way. And if you're going to succeed Kakashi someday, you're going to need to accept criticism from those close to you and those who may not agree with you."
"Well said," Gaara nodded, "Now, about my offer."
"What do you propose?" Shikamaru asked.
"I suggest for one, we do consult the Hokage and inform him of our situation, discretely. Given that the Iron Shinobi competition is tomorrow, probably wise to wait until afterwards."
"For two?" Sakura asked.
"I propose we low-key establish a training regimen for all of us to simulate fighting against unfamiliar opponents of extreme strength. The Sunan Desert and the Forests outside Konoha would be an excellent choice. With the advent of the Thunder Train, transport shouldn't be an issue for those of us without Flying Thunder God Technique."
"What about B?" Naruto asked.
"We should reach out to him, now that we are the four remaining jinchuriki. We also may want to see to warning the other tailed beasts of what is happening. If the Otsutsuki are growing a new Ten-Tails, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to have it absorb the existing beasts."
"Gaara," Naruto spoke up, "there is more, and I cannot stress the sensitivity of what I'm about to say." Gaara nodded in reply. Naruto got up and removed Queen Serenity's wand from their baggage. Before he said anything, it began beeping in a rapid tempo, much more rapid that it had been around Hanabi. "What the devil?"
Gaara's eyes focused on the wand, "Is that… is that real?!"
"Yes, Gaara," Hinata nodded. "We retrieved it from the Land of Whirlpools. It is Queen Serenity's wand."
"Why is it beeping?" Gaara creased his forehead.
"We don't know yet," Naruto explained, bringing it closer to Gaara, "but there is something special about people it reacts to," Naruto gestured the wand toward Shikamaru, only for it to lessen in tempo. When he pointed it toward Sasuke, the tempo increased rapidly. "I get the odd feeling that this will be important." Naruto set the wand down on the table.
"Well, can you set up that meeting?" Gaara asked.
Naruto stared down at the still beeping, flashing wand. What are you trying to tell us? "Yeah, I'll try and set it up for tomorrow evening."
Kushina Uzumaki knocked gently on the door to Konohamaru's apartment. She remembered having butterflies over Naruto's first mission, Naruto's Chunin Exam, her Jonin-Sensei qualification with Konohamaru, and countless other events. Much to her surprise, the door opened, "Hey, Mom," he looked perplexed, "what are you doing up so early?" It was 0430.
"I know you like to get up early, warm up," she shrugged, holding a still sleeping Akane. "I figured I could walk you down to the staging area."
"Konohamaru?" the voice of Hanabi came from the apartment, sounding bleary and unfocused.
"Go back to sleep, I'll see you at the finish," he said, stepping out into the hall and closing the door. He wore a black field uniform except for his blue scarf he so often wore. "Mom, I swear, it's not what it looks like," he raised his hands and blushed.
"Even if it was," Kushina replied, "I wouldn't have any room to talk." She smiled gently, "Just be safe, both of you, for when that time comes." They walked down the silent hallway of the apartment building, out into the pre-dawn streets. "You ready?" she asked.
"Ready as I can be, Mom."
"Then you will win," Kushina smiled adjusting the still sleeping Akane. Just looking at her second son, Kushina couldn't believe how far he'd come in just over a year. He'd gone from being in a wheelchair, to using crutches, walking unaided, and eventually running. And you're going to let him go into danger again.
As they walked the still darkened streets, the oppressive thought sat heavy on Kushina's shoulders, heavier than Akane. Konohamaru would be in real physical danger today. Given with what's coming, how is that different from any other day. "Have you seen your brother since he got back?" she asked.
"He stopped by, wished me luck, late last night," Konohamaru said. "I could tell he and big sis were still worried, but I think they know I know the risks."
"Konohamaru, promise me you'll be safe out there!" Kushina pleaded as they rounded a corner and were most of the way to the east gate.
"I'll be careful, Mom," he assured. Confident as ever, at least there is that.
"I put you and your brother in danger so many times…"
"Mom, we're shinobi living in a world that is constantly in peril," he shrugged, "Sometimes good people get hurt, and sometimes bad people get away with things. After a while, you have to make peace with that uncertainty."
"As a mom," her throat tightened as she held back tears, "It's one of the hardest things to make peace with."
"I know, Mom," he nodded. They were at the staging area at the east gate. "A shinobi always does his or her best; now is my time to do my best, for the future!"
"Take care, son, give 'em hell!" Kushina gave him a parting hug.
"RUNNERS, ON YOUR MARKS, GO!" The announcer's voice signaled Konohamaru's first step of some fifty-thousand ahead. He was surrounded by shinobi from every country, some older, some younger, some bigger, some smaller. Don't worry about the others in this stretch, worry about yourself! He moved a steady pace off the line, moving a decent click without pushing. This early, trying to push things was an amateur mistake. With roughly forty-two kilometers ahead, speed off the line didn't matter.
Somewhere around kilometer ten, Konohamaru noticed the lead runners falling behind. After another kilometer, the first person he could see drop off to the side marked the first person to throw in the towel that he'd seen. Keep on it, one leg in front of the other until there is no more trail! The trail began sloping as it entered the forested sections of the Land of fire. His muscles burned as he pounded the ground, trying to maintain his form to maximize forward momentum up the trail.
Marker thirteen was the first obstacle on the course. It wasn't much, just a ten-meter climbing wall with a rope on the opposite side to climb down. Due to safety reasons, the umpires only allowed one group to climb at a time. Konohamaru, bided his time, marching in place and stretching his legs to keep them warmed up.
Somewhere in the second or third group, several people fell. At least a handful of people waiting decided to tap out, having overestimated their endurance. Minutes stretched into an eternity, and it was finally his turn to climb. Despite the urge to rush and make up lost time, slipping and falling would be an instant disqualification. The temptation was there to use chakra to stick to the wall directly, and some others did so, but this was an endurance race to be followed by a long swim and a combat tournament. Using chakra now would only leave you weaker as the race progressed.
His arms and legs burned, but he reached the top, grabbed the rope, and he rappelled down. After hitting ground, he took off again with rubbery legs. One foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other. Konohamaru reached for a water bottle on his belt, taking a short squirt to stay hydrated. He'd scarcely noticed that the sun was up over the horizon. Keep moving, it's going to be getting hot sooner rather than later!
By the time he reached kilometer twenty-two, other competitors were dropping out in droves, now. Some people reached their limits of pain they could endure. Others hadn't paced themselves and blew all of their energy trying to get an early lead. Konohamaru untied his scarf and tied it around his head, turning it into a sweatband. He reached for one of the pockets of his uniform and extracted what looked like a gummi candy. He slowed his pace, popped it into his mouth, and pulled a different bottle from his belt, one with a flavored sports drink. He chewed, swallowed, and put the bottle back in its holster. He began to run again.
As he reached the halfway mark, he eyed the next obstacle. A series of ropes were strung across a ravine. Normally, the path would wind down, around, and then back up to the opposite side. For him and the competition, the ropes were the way across. The ravine was maybe a hundred meters wide and maybe thirty deep. A fall from here wouldn't likely be fatal, but it would definitely cause significant injury.
A variety of traversing techniques were used. Thankfully, Konohamaru didn't have a long wait – many had dropped out at this point. Still on the ledge of the near side of the ravine, he dropped to his knees, hooked his arms around the rope, and inched himself forward until he could hook his leg over the rope. Hooked in place, gravity took hold, and he hung slung off the bottom of the rope. Don't linger, go!
Inch by precious inch, he clambered across, knowing empty air was the only thing between his back and the ground below. Inches became kilometers, but he continued to move slowly across
"AHHHHH!" the sound of someone losing their grip, followed by the THUNK of them hitting the ground. Konohamaru closed his eyes and grit his teeth. You're at least halfway, now is not the time to lose it! He forced rubbery legs and arms to clamber along the rope digging into them, leaving friction marks. Konohamaru opened his eyes, seeing the edge much closer, but he also saw the most challenging part – climbing back up the ledge from his underslung position.
He reached the ledge and reached out with his arm, careful to keep his legs and other arm hooked around the rope. Swinging his arm toward the edge, he missed the first time. However, the second time, he found his grip. Now the hard part! One hand secure, he released his arm around the rope and shimmied until his second hand was on the ledge.
Exhausted arms began shaking as they dragged him onto the ledge until his head, chest, and finally abdomen were resting on solid ground. Only now did he release his legs and crawl on his stomach away from the ledge. For several seconds, he lay on his stomach, exhausted and wanting to go home and crawl into bed. What's a matter with you! Get up or you'll never be able to!
Hands dug into the ground, and overused muscles fired as they protested his abuse of them. He got upright and staggered away from the ledge. Thankfully a hydration station was only a few meters beyond the ledge. Konohamaru greedily grabbed a cup of sports drink and sipped, followed by a cup of water. He reached into his uniform pocket for another gummi and chewed and swallowed. Slightly renewed, he resumed running - one foot in front of the other.
Hanabi was still asleep at Konohamaru's apartment when a knocking came at the door. A quick scan of Byakugan showed Hinata. Despite the night's sleep, Hanabi was still groggy from too many nights of long study sessions followed by too little sleep. The sun was already through the window, and she looked at her watch 0930. Crap! He'll be at the lake for the swim in less than an hour!
Hanabi called out that she'd be out in a minute, splashed her face with water from the sink, and quickly brushed her hair. She hadn't even changed out of her black scrubs that she'd slept in the night before. "Sorry, I must have overslept," she said to her sister.
"I remember," Hinata was all smiles, "those days." She eyed the old apartment. "I must say, you two seem to be doing well with the space."
"Big sister, I'm not moved in permanently," Hanabi protested.
"Didn't say you were," Hinata replied. "Now, take my hand and let's go."
Hanabi took her sister's hand and they teleported to a picnic spot that was beside the lake where the Iron Shinobi had to swim. "Hey pretty ladies," Naruto greeted with a wave.
"Big brother, Konohamaru might be a bit jealous if he heard you call me that!" Hanabi giggled. They sat on the blanket. Naruto opened a nearby picnic basket and offered Hanabi and Hinata an onigiri, and Hanabi snatched it and started eating. "Heh, you're not hungry, are you?"
"I hadn't had breakfast, neither did Konohamaru." Hanabi explained through a mouth full of rice ball.
"I can't say I completely blame him, but I wish he'd taken something down other than those gel candies as fuel," Naruto replied.
"Agree," she took another bite of onigiri. Despite being simple, it was a pleasure to actually sit and eat without a looming deadline, if only briefly. Hanabi had the clinic entrance exam next week. A few weeks later, the Chunin exams would happen, and she'd be on standby to deal with minor injuries.
"HERE THEY COME!" someone shouted from a nearby blanket. Of the some two hundred competitors to start, there were maybe two dozen left. Hanabi scanned with her Byakugan, grateful to see Konohamaru. As he reached the start point of the swim, he removed his footwear, untied his blue scarf, and removed his field uniform. The items were taken by competition staff to be returned at the end.
Now he just wore athletic shorts. His chakra signature was clean for the moment, and he appeared to be mostly uninjured aside from the rope friction marks on his arms and legs. The rest of him was toned and lean, the product of a year of rebuilding from ashes. Come on boy, go for it!
The competitors lined up, each two arm's lengths separated, and they hit the water. The group was maybe a dozen meters from shore when the first person began to founder and required rescue from the safety patrol in small boats. Konohamaru chugged along, clearly exhausted by the marathon obstacle course he'd just run. While she worried about him, Hanabi at least knew the other competitors were as bad off, if not worse, than he was.
Around the halfway mark, more shinobi began struggling, and struggling began turning into foundering en masse. In confused scramble of multiple rescues, Hanabi fought to keep her vision focused on Konohamaru. "Come on, boy, you can do it!" she whispered. She couldn't imagine the level of pain he was in, and frankly, didn't want to imagine it. After watching him suffer through paralysis and physical therapy, Hanabi had come to understand pain and suffering on a level she'd never understood as a young girl.
Near the opposite bank of the lake, all the remaining competitors began struggling. At first, Hanabi worried they had swum into another obstacle. As several swimmers began flopping about aimlessly, at least one began paddling in away from shore. The truth was much more insidious – exhaustion was hitting all of the competitors now. Everyone's chakra signature flashed an unhealthy red as exhausted muscles began to cramp and brains were tortured from the mental gymnastics of filtering out pain.
Hanabi held her breath, thankful to see Konohamaru reach the shore and crawl out of the water. He remained hunched on his hands and knees, heaving deep breaths. He looked like hell, but so did everyone else. After a struggle, he got to his feet and headed for the last part of the challenge. Now the hard part. Naruto began packing up the picnic, "We better get to the arena."
The arena was the same that hosted the Chunin Exams year after year. By the time Konohamaru and the other competitors reached the arena, there were only a dozen people left. After a quick check by medics, three competitors were disqualified for medical reasons, leaving only nine, including Konohamaru.
Right now, everything from his eyeballs down hurt. The muscles in his arms and legs moved like modeling clay, and he was having intermittent micro cramps. His stomach was trying to eat itself from the inside. Every instinct told him to throw in the towel, go home, take a hot shower, eat something, and fall asleep for the next week. You got this far! Now ain't the time to give up!
"A ninja never gives up," he said to himself as he exited the locker room toward one of the four tournament rings. Because there was an odd number, competitors were selected by drawing lots. With one person randomly sitting out each round, those selected would eliminate one another, and then the survivors of the group would redraw lots to determine the next seeds.
"Everyone, a reminder," the umpire called out, "the match lasts for ten minutes. Victory conditions are knockout, submission, or by decision if neither condition is met. All techniques are permitted, but no weapons and no lethal force." As he drew his lot, he was matched to an opponent. Konohamaru sized up his opposition – a fellow hidden leaf shinobi, maybe a year older than he was. The other man had dark black hair, brown eyes, and a solid build. They walked out to a the tournament ring in silence. "Gentlemen, bow to me," both bowed to the umpire, "Bow to each other," they obliged. "FIGHT!"
Konohamaru wasn't a fan of ceding the initiative, but he let his opponent open the match with a high side-kick, easily batted aside. A quick glance to his surroundings confirmed, one or two competitors opened with chakra techniques. Rock Lee had won against such opponents during the last two tournaments despite his limited chakra affinity. Like the rest of the competition, this was a test of strategy and endurance, not raw strength – using chakra this early would leave him dangerously weaker as the matches progressed.
He dodged a series of follow up hand strikes followed by another spinning roundhouse kick. Come on, burn up all that energy! His opponent was exhausted, he was exhausted, and there was less than ten minutes to sew this up.
As hoped, his opponent lost patience and good sense, and lunged for Konohamaru, hoping to make use of his superior size. Konohamaru side-stepped and pivoted out the raging bull's path. Konohamaru sprung his trap as the man lunged forward through nothingness, brining a solid knee into the man's solar plexus. His opponent shuddered as the impact knocked the wind from him. Now off balance, Konohamaru barely had to summon and muscle to throw the other man, causing the man to land on the ground with a solid THUD.
Konohamaru backed off, letting the man struggle to summon the will and strength to get upright without success as the umpire began the count: "ONE, TWO…" Konohamaru paused to look at the other rings, of the two opponents that used chakra this early, only one was still standing. In the third ring, the bell sounded, indicating a decision was needed by the umpire and surrounding judges – no knockout or submission.
"NINE! TEN!" his umpire called out, refocusing Konohamaru's attention. "KNOCKOUT!" The umpire took Konohamaru by the wrist, bringing his arm overhead, "WINNER!" The crowd cheered. Now isn't the time to admire your own dick! Focus! Everyone retreated to the sidelines where medics checked everyone. One of the victors collapsed, being dragged off by medics. There were now four competitors left.
Once again, there was the drawing of lots. This time, Konohamaru was against a much larger man from the Hidden Cloud Village. The man was bald, had much more greater muscle mass that the last one, and he easily outweighed Konohamaru by a hundred pounds.
Before Konohamaru could even begin to formulate a plan, the umpire called out an unwelcome, "Gentlemen, bow to me." Konohamaru unconsciously obeyed. "Bow to each other," he turned and dipped forward mechanically. His head was swimming, and he had no idea in hell how he was going take this guy down. "FIGHT!"
The man charged like a rhinoceros, plowing into Konohamaru before he could react. Konohamaru flew back several feet scraping, his back and limbs on the sandy ground of the ring. He lay stunned for a moment, flat out on his back. A shadow grew in his vision. Oh fuck! Konohamaru barely managed to roll out of the way of a downward axe kick that would have caved in his sternum. The ground shook as he clumsily stumbled to his feet.
His opponent swung with his left arm, and Konohamaru barely leaned backwards out of the man's reach. A loud SWOOSH split the air in front of Konohamaru's face as his opponent's fist and arm flashed across his field of vision. The man came at Konohamaru for a second strike. The man's haymaker strike left plenty of warning, but blocking it was like trying to stop a concrete pillar from falling on you. Somehow, he found the strength to blunt the strike and then make a follow up of his own into the man's elbow.
The man stumbled back momentarily, eyes burning with fury that Konohamaru had the nerve to do anything but be battered into bits. His opponent again surged forward, grasping Konohamaru in a bearhug before body-slamming both of them into the ground.
By some miracle, Konohamaru could still feeling his arms and legs. Then he heard the count: "One, Two…" If he didn't get this off top of him now, it was game over. "Three…
The man rested his full weight atop Konohamaru's chest, making it hard to breath. No time to fight clean! Konohamaru shot his arms up, grasped the man by the neck, and dug both thumbs into the sides of the man's windpipe with all his force. "Four… Five… Six…"
His opponent's eyes rolled back as the extreme pressure on the man's carotid arteries starved the man's brain, and he fell to the side, dead weight. It took all Konohamaru's might, but he managed to roll his now unconscious opponent off over his shoulder, "Seven…" The continued count sent Konohamaru's heart into his mouth as he pushed and stumbled, "Eight… Nine!"
He was on his feet, unsteady. Unfortunately, his opponent was stirring. While the man looked fuzzy-headed, Konohamaru knew he couldn't win if the man got back up, "One… Two… Three…"
The man was already on his side, using his arm to push up. While anger was still clear on his face, Konohamaru could see the man's lack of focus. "Not today, asshole!" Konohamaru placed a forward kick into the man's face, jerking the man's head backwards, and sprawling the man back onto his back. While a cheap shot, this wasn't a sparring match. His enemy had nearly crushed him. "Five… Six… Seven…"
The man moved again, struggling to regain his senses. Despite Konohamaru's concern, he didn't close to strike again, knowing if the man took him down it was all over. "Eight… Nine… Ten!" The man failed to rise as the umpire called, "KNOCKOUT!"
The wave of relief almost put Konohamaru flat out as well. He'd survived two rounds, and now there was only one round between him and the champion's belt. The medics checked him over. Some particle of him wanted to throw in the towel, to go home, or be medically disqualified. A ninja never gives up, and a ninja always does his best! Dad and big brother's mantra reinforced his will for one more round.
The umpires walked him back to the ring, and he finally saw his last hurdle. The man was a few centimeters taller than Konohamaru and sported a similar build. The man also sported a left black eye and considerable swelling around his face. Bright red blood leaked down the left side from the large hematoma over the man's left eye. Even still, Konohamaru dared not underestimate anyone who made it this far. His opponent was Sunan, and while the man looked pretty beat up, Konohamaru had no doubt he was probably on the same footing.
"Gentlemen, bow to me," the umpire called. Once again both me responded without hesitation. "Bow to each other," Konohamaru bowed, sizing up his last opponent. "Fight!"
The man didn't attack at first, preferring to keep his guard up and circle, forcing Konohamaru to likewise pivot. After a few seconds, he recognized the man's strategy; he was trying to run the clock down in hopes of scoring points for a victory by decision. Konohamaru took stock of himself – his chakra was spent, he was covered in abrasions, and a solid hit would likely be his undoing. Nevertheless, he closed the range and attempted a high side kick, careful to remain out of range as he tested a theory.
As expected, the man's hands flew up through the air, slicing through nothingness. Shit, wind style hand strikes. Any one hit from them could break bones. The man followed up, trying to goad Konohamaru into a brawl as the man's lethal hands and feet slice the air with a violent WHOOSH at each swing. Konohamaru, in turn, began dodging and skirting outside the man's range.
Well, shit, pure taijutsu is out. Even if it hadn't been, Konohamaru would have given advantage to his opponent. Konohamaru eyed the game clock, almost five minutes spent, and only five minutes left. He wouldn't survive sudden death overtime, and he was pretty sure he'd lose by decision if he brawled with the man. He continued to dodge to the man's annoyance. About the only advantage was now the man was exhausting what little chakra he had left.
"Come on little brother, just like I taught you!" Naruto shouted from the stands
"Go son, take him down!" Lord Fourth joined in.
"I believe in you, boy!" Hanabi's voice soothed his aching joints and skin.
Just like I taught you, of course! Konohamaru grinned and began making hand seals. Come and get me you son of a bitch! His opponent lost his normal composure and began to charge. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Konohamaru completed his seal. "Transformation, Sunan Pin-up Spectacular!" There was a puff of smoke as his opponent charged. The smoke cleared, and the man charged at a now naked shadow clone of Temari. "Hey big boy," the clone winked and posed, "how about you get down on your knees and worship your princess!"
Konohamaru's opponent froze, blood suddenly dripping through his nose as he stumbled to a stop before the nude clone. "RASENGAN!" Konohamaru summoned the last of his chakra, emerged from his opponent's flank, and rammed the swirling mass of wind chakra into his helpless opponent. The airburst almost knocked Konohamaru over, but he managed to stay upright. His opponent, on the other hand, was thrown to the opposite side of the arena.
Astonishingly, the man was able to get to his knees and feet before the count reached ten. However, he soon dropped to a knee and slumped his head forward. The man was heaving, and he raised his right arm overhead unsteady in a sign of surrender.
The sensation of his arm being jerked up nearly caused Konohamaru to shit himself. "Winner by submission, and this year's IRON SHINOBI… KONOHAMARU SARUTOBI!" The announcer boomed over the sound system. The words he longed to hear for almost two years resounded in his head. He half expected to wake up in bed or in the hospital with it all having been a dream.
Naruto and his parents ran out from the stands, as did Konohamaru's biological parents, and Hanabi. "Little bro, you did it!" Naruto wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Son!" both sets of parents embraced him from all sides. Tears leaked from Konohamaru's eyes. His limbs went flaccid as everyone propped him up.
"Hey, Iron Shinobi," a female voice called, he looked to see Hanabi holding a large leather belt with a decorative iron relief mounted at the front. "The judges said you probably are looking for this!" she held out the champion's belt.
"Hanabi!" He lunged forward with the last of his strength, wrapping exhausted arms around her.
She hugged him back, "Gods, you reek!" she laughed.
Konohamaru certainly could smell himself, but he wasn't about to be outdone, "You're not exactly a bouquet of roses, yourself!" He sniffed her hair, "Did you shower?"
"Nope!" she laughed. "Now come on, your admiring public wants to see the champion!"
He finally released his hug and held the belt overhead. The crowd went wild with cheers. "Mr. Sarutobi!" TV reporters entered the ring, shoving multiple microphones in his face, "Do you have anything you want to say now that you've won?"
"This is… the greatest day of my life!" he blinked away tears. "Everyone who was cheering me on, thank you!" the crowd cheered even louder. "But I have to give special thanks to those here beside me! Mom, Dad, Lord Fourth, Lord Fifth! I love you all!"
"We love you, too!" Kushina shouted in reply.
"Big brother, Naruto, my sister-in-law, Lady Hinata, but most of all my beautiful girlfriend, Hanabi!" The crowd erupted in Awww as he put his arm over her shoulder. "Hanabi, you didn't let me quit! This belt belongs to you as much as me!" Again, another round of cheers came up.
"What now," a reporter asked, "now that you've won?"
"I…" dizziness swirled his head, "I'm hungry! When do we eat?!" he laughed and the crowd joined in laughing.
"Big sister booked us all the chef's table at Ichiraku's, champ!" Hanabi said to his ear, her words almost as heavenly as the thought or ramen.
After a long celebration dinner, Hanabi found herself with Konohamaru back at his apartment. His parents, her parents, and the Uzumaki-Namikaze family all offered to let him stay for the night. "You sure you wouldn't rather stay in your own bed at home or one of the guest rooms at the Hyūga Compound?" she asked.
"Hanabi, this is home, and this is my bed," he groaned, struggling to remove his outfit – athletic shorts and a t-shirt Hanabi had brought him to change into after the competition. "And I've had enough circus to last a long time!"
"Fair enough," she watched him struggle to get his shirt up, "You need a hand with that?"
One more failed attempt, and he surrendered, "Yeah."
"The Iron Shinobi," she laughed, taking his shirt in he hands, "and he can't even undress to claim his reward!" She kissed him as hands ran under the shirt and pried it over his head and arms.
"Ha-Hanabi!"
"A promise," she kissed him again, feeling herself heat up, "is a promise!"
She traced her tongue along his, but there was a weak pressure pushing her back, "Hanabi, I can't!" he groaned.
"I made you a promise!" she heaved, still horny.
"I know, but… not like this," he shook his head.
"Not like… you don't want to?" she asked, heart sinking.
"I do want to, a lot!" he explained, "However, I'm covered in rope burns, sand burn, and feel like I fell out of a top floor window."
"Boy, promise me," she kissed him again, "Promise me there will be a first time!"
"There will," he took her hands, "but preferably not when I'm in pieces!"
"Good, now that that is out of the way," Hanabi began untying the drawstrings of his shorts.
"Hanabi, what are you doing!"
"You smell!" she tugged down his shorts and boxers. She could see he'd otherwise have no qualms about sex had he not been beaten to a pulp.
"Hanabi, you're…"
"It's nothing I haven't seen!" she stood up and smiled, "Though I admit, it looks better when you're on your own two feet!" she kissed him, this time guiding his hands under the material of her scrub top.
He massaged her stomach for a moment, and his hands crept up, tugging material with them. As the shirt came up, stopping just below her arms and breasts. "I can understand your apprehension," she pulled the shirt the rest of the way.
"When we do it for the first time, I'd like to be able to move my arms enough that I don't need help undressing you!" he sucked at her left ear as his hands snaked around her back and began working at the clasps of her bra. After some clumsy fumbling, the pressure holding her girls in place released, and the simple black bra slid down off her arms.
Anxious to be bare, Hanabi pulled the string to release the knot on her bottoms, and she shucked them down her legs. "Now then, how about we make our way to the shower?" They both raced to the apartment's shower, turning on the water, and climbed under the hot, soothing rain. Hanabi clung to his back for several moments as the warm water ran down their bodies. She closed her eyes, savoring being here at the end of the road that began two Decembers ago. She'd been arrogant, bratty child, and now, she was a young woman.
She grabbed Konohamaru's bath cloth, applied bodywash, and began cleaning the two of them off. As she washed his chest, he stared with his dark blue eyes. He took her hands in his and held her close again, kissing her. "Thank you," he whispered.
"No, thank you," she said.
"For what?" he asked with a slight laugh.
"For being here, for not giving up – for being the reason I didn't give up." He kissed her again and held her in his embrace.
Author's notes: Hi everyone, and thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Due to a series of commitments, I probably won't have another update until around Christmas. To anyone celebrating Thanksgiving next week, Happy Thanksgiving in advance. As always, I'll see you next chapter. Stay health, stay safe.