The First Emperor (rewrite) Chapter 4, a Naruto + Fairy Tail Crossover fanfic

Chapter 3: "The Tournament Continues"

"-It's quite strange that the Hyuga clan hasn't been insulted," Shikaku observed, his brow furrowed and a thoughtful expression on his face, as he tilted his head and brought a hand to his chin. He watched as several people looked at the Hyuga council and Hiashi with a certain suspicion. He narrowed his eyes, as if evaluating the situation. "You wouldn't dare bribe the presenter, would you, Hiashi?"

"-Of course not," the aforementioned Hyuga patriarch defended himself, his voice full of indignation and offense, as he frowned at Shikaku. "I am also surprised by the fact that..."

"-Baki Hanma!" The moment his nephew's challenger's name was revealed, each and every member of the Konoha delegation couldn't help but pale. Their faces lost all color, and their eyes widened, filled with horror and disbelief.

"-I think even the narrator isn't such a horrible person as to mock a dead man," Shikaku commented again, with a somber voice and a serious expression on his face, earning a glare from Hiashi. Hiashi clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of anger and frustration. Sure, he knew the no-killing rule was more of a suggestion, but he doubted they would really kill Neji or that they hadn't insulted him solely for that reason.

-Kage Booth-

"-They brought the damn ogre's son!" all the Kages exclaimed upon hearing that, of all the monsters they could have unleashed in this tournament, the empire chose to bring the son of one of the ten damn heavenly kings. Their faces contorted in expressions of horror, disbelief, and deep fear, remembering Yujiro Hanma's reputation and the strength of his lineage. Okay, he was the weakest in terms of total power, but in terms of raw physical power, Yujiro was, according to all reports, only surpassed by Gilgamesh of Uruk himself and the Emperor himself.

"-It was a last-minute addition," Maria mentioned, with a calm and professional voice, although with a slight tremor that betrayed her own concern. "We originally had another fighter planned, but he had a slight unforeseen event and, since we didn't have more time to hold a last-minute qualifier for a new fighter, we chose to ask the pocket ogre to participate in the tournament." She shrugged, trying to downplay the situation, although her gaze reflected the gravity of the matter. Honestly, I wasn't sure why Lord Zeref put Pickle to sleep, but I wasn't going to complain. After all, the only real reason for trying to bring the primitive man was for him to eat Rock Lee's leg. Baki, on the other hand, would put on a better show.

XXXXX

Baki was, as many expected, a young man who was... actually, he was quite short for what one would think of the ogre's son. He had reddish-brown hair and brown eyes, wearing only red sports shorts. Although that wasn't what stood out most about the young man, but rather, he actually had a large number of scars all over his body. The scars, marks of countless battles, told a story of violence, survival, and a strength forged in combat.

"-Because this match is between two members who possess a visual ability that allows them to see inside the human body, only in this case will the use of the Hidden Nations fighter's Kekkei Genkai not be grounds for penalties," the announcer paused, clarifying an important point of the rules, in a monotonous and professional voice. "(Basically, Baki has the same ability as Yujiro to see people's weak points, and it's an ability that cannot be deactivated, so that's why I chose to let Neji use the Byakugan). So you can use your doujutsu without any penalty," the announcer's voice, amplified by the microphones, resonated throughout the stadium.

Again, the drums started and increased in speed as both fighters prepared. The rhythmic sound of the drums created an atmosphere of tension, anticipation, and an imminent explosion of violence. Neji adopted the classic Gentle Fist stance while activating his Byakugan. His eyes, white and pearly, fixed on Baki, analyzing his every move, searching for any weakness, any vulnerable point. While Baki, on the other hand, adopted a pose he learned in his training fights with Uncle Naruto, who fought in a way similar to the Hyuga (let's remember that Qin can see breaking points), being a much looser pose. His body, relaxed but alert, swayed slightly, as if ready to react in any direction, with a carefree confidence on his face.

"-How do you know that stance?" Neji asked in shock. His voice, full of surprise, disbelief, and a hint of confusion, echoed in the stadium. After all, he recognized that stance; it was the stance Naruto had used in his fight in the Chunin Exams.

"-Ohms... one of my father's friends taught it to me," the young man declared, with a calm voice and a carefree smile, as if Neji's question had no importance, shrugging indifferently. "I guess you didn't expect to see Uncle Naruto's stance on someone else," he commented, with a hint of amusement and sarcasm in his voice, unaware of the hell he was about to unleash. The spectators gasped in surprise, and a murmur of disbelief, confusion, and speculation ran through the crowd, spreading like a wave throughout the arena.

After all, although spoken softly, the silence in the arena was enough for everyone to hear it. Not to mention that his words had been heard and captured by the cameras, and his words were broadcast all over the world. And the moment everyone heard the ogre's son say the name of their missing hero, and not only that, call him his uncle and a close friend of the ogre himself, they simply had an answer as to whether he was alive or not. A murmur of surprise, excitement, and hope ran through the crowd, spreading like a wave throughout the stadium.

The Namikaze family was filled with hope. Their faces lit up with a mixture of joy, relief, and longing, as if a light had turned on in the darkness. Gaara smiled genuinely, happy to know that his friend was still alive, as were his siblings. An expression of affection and loyalty took over his face. Mei, Ay, and Onoki, honestly, didn't care much about the situation in general. They shrugged, with indifferent expressions on their faces. If they had the opportunity, they would offer him a place in their village. They nodded, considering the possibility.

Unbeknownst to them, not far from there, the Emperor felt a strange and inexplicable desire to punch the mini-ogre in the face. He frowned, feeling a pang of irritation and annoyance. Oh well, he would find out why later.

The gong sounded again. Baki, quite effectively utilizing the Interceptor Fist fighting style mixed with the rudimentary Turtle Style that Naruto had improvised in his time to defend himself against the Hyuga in their battle during the Chunin Exams ten years prior, moved with a surprising agility. The spectators watched attentively, analyzing Baki's movements. In fact, to the surprise of many, Baki was actually better at using the style than Naruto himself, because his varied knowledge of many other martial arts learned during his mission to surpass his father simply made him a quite unpredictable opponent.

"-Your fighting style is very different from the one he used against me," the Hyuga clan prodigy mentioned, his voice full of surprise and curiosity, as he watched Baki intently.

This caused Baki to shrug, with a carefree expression and an indifferent smile. "-Obviously, styles evolve over time," he said as if he were talking to a mentally challenged person, or perhaps a small child. The truth is that with the Hanma clan, it was difficult to tell. "Uncle Naruto explained it quite simply, actually, I still remember his words: 'Mini-ogre, everything changes, it's simply the natural order of things. If living beings change, why should our arts be different?' And to be honest, I completely agree with him. I mean, he explained about your clan and it's completely stupid that they impose the Earth Style on all users when each of you is different. Okay, most have Earth affinity, but what about those who don't? Hell, I even invented a couple of Gentle Fist styles based on Fire and Wind affinity, and I don't even have chakra." An expression of pride and satisfaction took over his face as he spoke of his achievements. "Not to mention that I learned it from someone who isn't even a damn Hyuga." He shook his head, with a mixture of disbelief and contempt for the traditions of the Hyuga clan.

XXXXX

-With the Konoha group-

"-That's definitely bad," Hiashi murmured, somewhat worried about the future of his clan. His face contracted in an expression of concern and doubt as he brought a hand to his chin, deep in thought. If Baki really learned their clan's Taijutsu based on Naruto, someone who wasn't even a Hyuga, and not only that, but was also able to create several new variants... well, it could only mean one thing, and that was that the empire had many of the village's secrets. All because Naruto knew the village better than anyone. A shadow of guilt and remorse crossed his face as he thought of Naruto. Damn it, his damn pranks, dismissed as a joke by most, had given him knowledge of practically everything in the village. He clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of frustration and regret.

XXXXX

"-Be that as it may, you are within my range," the Hyuga announced, his voice full of determination and confidence, as he adopted a fighting stance. "Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms!" And with that, just like with Naruto before him, he began to deliver his best combination of blows until he reached sixty-four. His movements were fast and precise, like a deadly dance. However, Baki didn't even move despite the brutal force of Neji's blows, who stepped back, his face contorted by effort and frustration. He jumped backward, waiting for his opponent to surrender or say something.

"-Um, I told you I don't have chakra, old man," Hanma informed the Hyuga, with a calm voice and a bored expression on his face, as if he were explaining something obvious to a small child.

The Hyuga, not sure if he wanted to believe that, simply did what he was asked, and to his surprise, this guy was, in a way, like Naruto. That is, he didn't have a single chakra point in his entire body. Nor did he have that strange energy running through his body like the black-haired shinobi who had demonstrated the ineffectiveness of his style against those who were pure brute force ten years ago. Neji's eyes widened in surprise, feeling a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and a growing fear as he analyzed Baki's body. It was quite nostalgic from a certain point of view.

"-Even without chakra, those blows knocked down Naruto, and his body was far superior to yours," Neji commented in shock, his voice full of disbelief and astonishment, as he remembered Naruto's strength and compared it to Baki's.

"-Oh, that. Yeah, Armament Haki, Uncle Naruto practically broke the damn thing," the ogre's son commented, with a casual voice and a carefree smile, as if he were talking about something trivial. "During the unification war, he discovered that your will can manifest in three different types of abilities. Armament Haki is one of the ones he uses the most, and he taught it to me a few years ago. Of course, I'm quite rudimentary in comparison, but I can still use it quite skillfully. And well, Armament Haki cannot be considered a bloodline limit, and since it's mostly used by hand-to-hand fighters of all kinds, it's considered a martial art... though barely." He shrugged, downplaying his explanation.

And to show what he meant, he simply created a film, this time much more noticeable, around his body, causing shock as they saw his abdomen turn almost pitch black. The visible energy, dark and dense, covered his body like an invisible armor.

"-Uncle Naruto describes Armament Haki as your will to strengthen your body, being able to become as hard as diamond. After that, he went completely crazy and did real savagery with it, but for me, honestly, the basics are enough," a proud and satisfied smile appeared on his lips as he remembered Naruto's teachings. "And since the manifestation of will and anyone can learn it if they dedicate enough time, I haven't broken any rules." He looked at Neji with a challenging expression.

The Hyuga certainly didn't like knowing that there was something outside that could actually make their Taijutsu completely useless. Their faces contracted in expressions of worry, frustration, and deep fear at Baki's revelation. Rather, it had left them completely shocked and stunned, especially because if what the boy had said was true, then the damn Naruto could not only do the same but was also capable of doing much more than simply creating an armor of his own damn will over his body to nullify the Gentle Fist. What kind of monster was Minato's son to do things like that? They wondered, feeling a mixture of fear, admiration, and respect for Naruto. Assuming, of course, that he was Minato's son, that is.

"-Whatever, enough talk." With that said, Baki simply launched himself at Neji, with explosive speed, like a predator pouncing on its prey, with a powerful forward charge followed by a sequence of rapid blows aimed at the Hyuga prodigy's body. His fists moved like a whirlwind, seeking vital points with brutal precision.

Neji wasn't even able to see most of the blows, receiving a good portion of them. Neji was overwhelmed by the speed and force of Baki's attacks, unable to defend himself adequately. Fortunately, they weren't meant to kill, only to paralyze, as he was striking his nerves, or so Neji thought as he felt his right arm quickly go numb and he was no longer able to use his left arm at all. An expression of pain and frustration took over his face as he felt the paralysis in his arms.

This was the ultimate proof of the Hanma's power. Lacking magical or any other kind of abilities, they reached the top of the food chain, or at least were in the highest rungs, solely based on pure brute force. Having to overcome users of magic, of Yomi, users of special powers, of spiritual energy, or those who fought using mutations, technology, or other monsters of physical ability. That's why his family was forced to evolve over time to survive in the more than chaotic and savage world, something that, sadly, seemed not to have happened in the hidden continent.

Baki continued to move his fists at great speed, giving the appearance of having multiple arms that riddled Neji. Baki's blows, like an incessant rain of projectiles, impacted Neji's body, giving him no respite. Neji didn't have the slightest chance in this fight from the beginning, because blow after blow, Baki deprived him of the ability to even move. Neji staggered, unable to defend himself, feeling his body go numb under the barrage of blows. In fact, he had even managed to lift him off the ground with pure brute force and refused to let his feet touch the ground, at least until he finished his combo with a powerful uppercut to the jaw that sent him flying backward. Neji was thrown through the air, like a rag doll, before falling heavily on his back, barely able to maintain consciousness. His body lay on the ground, motionless, with a lost gaze and ragged breathing.

"-Neji Hyuga cannot continue," the announcer said, with a neutral and professional voice, as he observed Neji with a mixture of indifference and professionalism. "Winner, Baki Hanma," he announced the result in a monotonous voice, showing no emotion.

"-Wait..." Neji, with a thread of a voice, barely audible, and an expression of desperation on his face, needed the question everyone wanted to ask at that moment answered. "Your Uncle Naruto, does he have eyes like stars?" His gaze, full of longing and hope, locked onto Baki.

Tsunade had informed them, Naruto's eyes were unique in that sense; asking about other characteristics was foolish, and they didn't know if he had kept his family name or changed it.

Baki simply nodded his head. His expression softened slightly, as if he understood the importance of the question. However, he cut off Neji's and the others' hope.

"-Since I don't see him in the stands with his wife, I can only assume that, as always, he ended up getting lost and right now he's walking around like a headless chicken," a mocking and exasperated smile appeared on his lips as he thought of Naruto's disorientation. "I guess that's why Queen Arturia didn't want him left unsupervised. It's not that they can control him, he's simply a free spirit." He shrugged, downplaying the matter.

Neji could only nod, with an expression of disappointment and resignation on his face. The shock of knowing Naruto was there was simply too much to say anything else. Soon, the stretcher arrived and took the Hyuga prodigy away, leaving much more uncertainty and unease in their delegation. The members of the Konoha delegation looked at each other, with expressions of worry, frustration, and a growing sense of hopelessness.

-With the Konoha group-

"-Troublesome, if the queen wanted him supervised, that only means he's close to the imperial family," Nara Shikaku thought, his brow furrowed and a worried expression on his face, as he brought a hand to his chin, deep in thought. His mind, moving at a mile a minute, analyzed the implications of the situation. "That probably means the emperor doesn't have a good view of the village."

"-My brother is here!" Mito celebrated, with a voice full of joy, hope, and an uncontrollable emotion, as she jumped in place, with a radiant smile on her face. "All the more reason!"

"-Are you an idiot or what?" Hanabi cut her off, with a cold voice full of contempt, as she looked at Mito with an expression of disbelief and annoyance. "You heard what the son of a heavenly king said, the queen wants him under supervision. I highly doubt that someone who is friends with those monsters is weak, so the only reason why he needs protection is so that one of their best fighters isn't forced to encounter you. Congratulations to your mommy and daddy for making things even more fucked up." Her gaze, fixed on Mito, was icy and full of reproach.

It was a bit unfair to blame them for the now practically impossible relations between Konoha and the empire, but Baki's revelation had shattered her older sister. A shadow of guilt and remorse crossed Hanabi's face as she saw her sister's reaction.

Older sister whom she had to hug to offer comfort. Hinata clung to Hanabi, her body trembling and silent tears running down her cheeks. The love of her life was so close to her, but much further away than ever, respected by someone of the level of the Ogre himself, and backed by the imperial family. But the worst of all is that, finally, after learning something about him, knowing that he was still alive, he had already given his heart to someone else, she had lost him... and there was nothing she could do.

-Kage Booth-

"-Is it true that Naruto is one of you?" Gaara asked Maria, with hope in his voice, as he looked at her with an expression of longing and expectation.

Receiving only a confirming nod.

"-The best of the best, only the heavenly kings rival him. A ray of sunshine that illuminates the most desperate being and capable of making people follow him to the very hell to achieve a goal. He is the reason why the whole world united under a single banner. The loss of some was our greatest gain." Maria's voice, full of admiration, respect, and deep gratitude, resonated in the booth. After saying that, she looked back at Minato and spoke with a bit of mockery in her voice, "-Don't you think the same?" she asked with her mocking smile, as she looked at Minato with an expression of challenge and reproach.

And, of course, Minato could only clench his jaw in a vain effort to calm down. His face twisted into a grimace of pain, frustration, and helplessness, as his hands closed into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Given his current situation, it wasn't the time to explode. Besides, what kind of monster was his son...? How was it possible that he was even stronger than the monsters that were the ten heavenly kings? Why wasn't it mentioned in the empire's chronicles, if that was the case? A mixture of disbelief, fear, and deep concern seized his mind as he asked himself unanswered questions.

-Imperial Box-

"-Looks like Baki put on a good show, huh?" Naruto's voice made both Koyuki and her companions jump in their seats, startled by the emperor's sudden appearance. Only to then turn towards the seat that, until just a couple of seconds ago, had been completely empty.

"-Where did you come from?" Koyuki asked. Her voice, full of surprise and confusion, was barely a whisper. In a way, she was happy that he was okay and hadn't gotten into trouble, but... how the hell did he appear out of nowhere, literally?

"-That's a funny story... Honestly, ballads will be written about my journey through this country in the future," Naruto said with a grin from ear to ear, full of mischief and amusement, as if he were remembering an exciting adventure, while slightly lifting the bandage from his eye to be able to watch the next fight closely. He didn't know why, but the voices in his head had brought him to this place at this time and wanted him here.

"-You got lost," Zeref and Arturia commented dryly, in unison, with expressions of resignation and amusement on their faces. It was well known that Naruto claimed the voices of the world always guided his path, a cheap excuse to never admit that he had bad orientation. Oh, they knew about Naruto's ability to hear the voice of all things, but they doubted they would help someone go to the place where they were needed at that specific moment.

"-. . . " Naruto remained silent, not responding to Zeref and Arturia's words.

"-Hahaha, never change, love," Nealie said to him, with a voice full of affection and amusement, as she leaned back and let her head fall onto his shoulder, with a playful smile on her lips.

XXXXX

"-And now, ladies and gentlemen of the audience," the announcer resumed speaking once the presence of the emperor himself in his box caused the chatter to stop. His voice, full of enthusiasm and professionalism, resonated throughout the stadium. He found it terribly funny that people were talking without knowing, or rather understanding, that "the great emperor" and "Naruto Uchiha" were the same man. Oh well, he wasn't paid to reveal something obvious like that, only to be the announcer of the fights. "The last match of today is about to begin. From the hidden nations, from the biggest whorehouse of the elemental nations, son of one of the stupidest people in the world, and a cheap slut, Menma Namikaze!"

"-Retract that!" Menma shouted, his voice full of anger and humiliation, as he approached the announcer, more than pissed off, his face flushed and his fists clenched. Only for an incredibly heavy presence to be felt in the place, one that brought each and every shinobi to their knees. Menma fell to the ground, unable to withstand the pressure, his face pale and his body trembling.

"-Menma Namikaze," the voice was calm, but no less deadly for it, and it was a voice that made man, woman, or child, it didn't matter, everyone turned towards Koyuki's VIP box, where the black-haired man with tattoos on his face, Zeref, was speaking while observing Menma with his piercing and terrifying crimson red eye. "If you wish to continue in this tournament, you will take a step back right now." His voice, full of authority and an implicit threat, echoed in the stadium.

Menma could only grit his teeth, both out of fear and anger. His body trembled, torn between the desire for revenge and the instinct for survival. Who did that guy think he was to prevent him from taking his rightful revenge? What the hell had he done for his mere presence to bring him to his knees? Even so, the needs of the village came first, so, as best he could, he simply nodded, with a barely perceptible movement of his head, swallowing hard. This caused the black-haired man's almighty presence to disappear from the entire stadium, allowing everyone to breathe again. The spectators slowly rose, with expressions of relief and fear on their faces.

"-Continue with the tournament," the same black-haired man spoke once his foolish "brother" took a couple of steps back, with a cold and authoritarian voice that admitted no discussion.

"-Now, coming from beyond our sun, she's not just a girl, she's a super girl, the last daughter of her race, coming from the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El!" The announcer's voice, full of enthusiasm and anticipation, resonated in the stadium as Kara Zor-El entered the arena.

Soon, Kara Zor-El entered, receiving cheers from every single spectator of the empire, both on this side of the Great Wall and outside of it. A wave of applause and cheers echoed in the stadium, greeting the Kryptonian. At first glance, she was a girl of 23 years or so, blonde hair down to the middle of her back, sapphire blue eyes, and a slender figure with modest breasts. Not that those were her best features; those were her long and well-shaped legs, which were accentuated by a pair of red knee-high boots and her red miniskirt. To cover her torso, she wore a short-sleeved blue blouse with the symbol of the House of Zor-El on her chest. Kara smiled confidently, waving to the crowd with a gesture of her hand.

"-Hey, sweetness, aren't there any men in the empire?" Menma asked, with an arrogant voice and a lewd smile on his face. That is, of the four fighters so far, all had been women, incredibly beautiful, yes, but women at the end of the day.

"-Seriously, you just got humiliated by the great man and you're just going to act like an idiot again?" the young woman, Kara, mentioned, with a raised eyebrow, looking at Menma with a mixture of disbelief and contempt.

Gong!

However, before Menma could respond, the gong sounded, marking the start of the match. And without wasting any more time, he lunged forward, throwing an uppercut to the Kryptonian's jaw, with an expression of confidence and determination on his face, smiling brazenly the moment the blow landed.

"-Ah, my hand!" But it didn't last long. His smile turned into a grimace of pain and surprise as he felt the impact of his fist against Kara's jaw. After all, the only thing stupider than fighting a Hyuga hand-to-hand if you were a chakra user, was trying to punch a Kryptonian, at noon, on a sunny day, and who on top of that was friends with three sun gods.

"-Actually, nothing," the blonde, Kara, commented, shrugging her shoulders, with an indifferent expression on her face, as if Menma's blow hadn't affected her in the slightest. "It's just that elementals are so weak." A mocking smile appeared on her lips.

That was true, each and every elemental was fucking weak, with two notable exceptions, of course: Shanks and Naruto himself were two monsters, unique anomalies on this earth.

Cutting off these thoughts, the blonde counterattacked by giving him a jab to the jaw, causing a chilling crack to be heard. The sound of the bone breaking resonated in the stadium. A more than unequivocal sign that, at the very least, she had shattered his lower jaw. Yes, shattered, there was no way that thing hadn't been destroyed by the sound it had made.

The Namikaze could only stifle his cry of pain as he held his jaw tightly and took a couple of steps back, his face contorted in agony and his eyes full of tears, not understanding how the hell this had happened. The fact that he was literally the weakest member of his generation, yes, even the lazy Shikamaru was physically stronger than him, never crossed his mind.

-VIP Box-

"-Hahaha, it cracked, it cracked!" Mordred, like any child, couldn't help but find the extreme violence incredibly amusing, clapping and laughing enthusiastically, enjoying the spectacle.

"-They really had to pair him with a Kryptonian," Arturia wasn't trying to sound compassionate in the slightest. Her voice was cold and full of contempt. Simply, a Kryptonian deserved a better challenge than a pathetic weakling like Naruto's little brother.

"-It was him or my brother, and I wanted to face my brother," Naruto commented casually, shrugging indifferently. He wanted to face Sasuke, to see the last vestige of his past.

"-Forgive my ignorance, but what's the deal with her being a Kryptonian? Whatever that is," the Sannin, Tsunade, asked, her brow furrowed and an expression of confusion on her face, not understanding the importance of Kara's race.

It wasn't Naruto, Arturia, or Nealie who answered, but Zeref, who explained the situation of the planet Krypton.

"-Kryptonians are a very special alien race, possibly the most powerful in the entire universe, leaving aside this idiot and his ridiculously broken ritual technique," he said this while pointing at Naruto, with a mixture of exasperation and amusement in his voice. Who simply shrugged, with a carefree smile, as if he didn't care about Zeref's opinion. His technique wasn't as broken as Zeref thought. "They have a rather unique ability: they can take energy from dwarf stars, quasars, and pulsars. And well, Kara has a rather notable peculiarity, and that is that she is friends with the sun god Apollo, shares a lover with Amaterasu, and Karna likes her. In other words, our sun, which is a baby star by galactic standards, nourishes her more than others, and on top of that, the sun gods, even if Karna is only a demigod, simply increase the effects of the sun on her, which actually makes her much stronger than her cousin Clark," Zeref explained, with a didactic tone and a serious expression on his face.

"-Let's be fair, Clark is broken, Apollo is just an idiot, Amaterasu plays favorites, and no, Karna is simply indifferent," Naruto commented indifferently, shrugging and with a carefree expression on his face. He liked Clark, but they weren't exactly close. He was Kara's lover, yes, but that didn't mean he got along with her cousin. They were cordial, of course, but not friends by any means. Just in-laws with a cordial relationship.

For the moment, he simply focused on the fight once more, turning his attention back to the combat, with an interested expression on his face, where he saw Menma attempt a axe kick at the, in a future no longer, last daughter of Krypton. Without her even flinching at the direct blow to her pretty face. Kara didn't even blink at Menma's attack. In fact, quite the opposite, she took advantage of the moment and simply grabbed the redhead's leg and began to mercilessly slam him against the floor. A cruel and satisfied smile appeared on Kara's lips as she punished Menma.

As soon as she stopped slamming him, she simply picked him up again and slammed him again, repeating the action about six more times before releasing him forcefully once more. Causing the blood and teeth of the Namikaze, who simply no longer had any strength to defend himself, to splatter everywhere.

"-Hey, little guy, aren't there any men in Konoha?" Kara was much more hurtful by focusing directly on the village and not the entire continent. Her voice, full of mockery and contempt, echoed in the stadium. After all, Naruto respected Gaara; he couldn't call him a friend as such, after all their relationship was limited to "I beat you up, straightened your path, and then you helped me with a bone-throwing lunatic," only that makes us friends, at least from Naruto's perspective. However, that didn't take away from the fact that he respected the man who had straightened the path of his life and was now a better man. "Yes, supposedly the best of Naruto's brothers. I would suggest you give up, after all you have no chance of defeating me." An arrogant and challenging smile appeared on Kara's lips.

They were going to give it to him, the Namikaze was stubborn. So much so that even if it was barely, he was able to get up and showed off his rather poor level of Senjutsu and began to attack the daughter of Krypton. Menma got up with difficulty, his body trembling and his face covered in sweat and blood, but with a spark of determination in his eyes. He actually managed to have a bit of an effect. After all, he was able to cut a little above her left eyebrow.

"-So, you're going to play rough, then I'm going to play rough too." And with that said, Kara lunged forward forcefully, with an expression of fury and determination on her face.

Menma only felt as if... actually, he had no comparison for what he felt. His body shuddered with the impact, and his mind went blank. The impact was much stronger than anything he had felt in his life. Hell, the charge, even if it was just a normal tackle, had enough force to send him flying off the platform, embedding him in the wall behind it. Menma was thrown through the air, like a projectile, before crashing against the wall with a thud. And he wasn't even able to hear the loud crack of his ribs being fractured, or rather, turning to dust.

That was true, each and every elemental was fucking weak, with two notable exceptions, of course: Shanks and Naruto himself were two monsters, unique anomalies on this earth.

-VIP Box-

"-Hahaha, it cracked, it cracked!" Mordred, like any child, couldn't help but find the extreme violence incredibly amusing, clapping and laughing enthusiastically, enjoying the spectacle.

"-It was him or my brother, and I wanted to face my brother," Naruto commented casually, shrugging indifferently. He wanted to face Sasuke, to see the last vestige of his past.

It wasn't Naruto, Arturia, or Nealie who answered, but Zeref, who explained the situation of the planet Krypton.

"-So, you're going to play rough, then I'm going to play rough too." And with that said, Kara lunged forward forcefully, with an expression of fury and determination on her face.

To be honest, Kara didn't even hate the guy, she was just a girl who liked a good challenge. She shrugged, with an indifferent expression on her face. She had heard about Sage Mode from Naruto, who described it as a great power boost for shinobi. However, facing him in Sage Mode and having him be so weak that a truly powerful blow from her, and even then it was just a simple mockery of her brother's strength, who with one blow could not only make her stumble but even knock her out, simply felt quite annoying. She frowned, feeling a pang of frustration and disappointment. After all, she had hoped that at least the damn brat would be at least a worthy shadow, which he wasn't.

"-Um, I think he's still alive," the announcer said, with an uncertain voice, as he approached Menma's motionless body and observed him with a mixture of concern and disgust. While poking Menma with the same stick he had used to poke Kiba to check if he was still alive. "Kara Zor-El wins, please enjoy the games and the festival that has been prepared to celebrate this first day of the tournament. Remember that tomorrow the second day of the tournament will begin," he announced the result in a professional, albeit slightly trembling, voice and hurried away from Menma's body.

Without him knowing, only the imperials would enjoy said festival. An ironic and bitter smile appeared on the lips of those who knew the situation. After all, the shinobi villages had many things to think about right now.

-Konoha Inn, that same night-

"-Of the three, the worst, without a doubt, is Menma," Kushina mentioned to her husband, her voice full of worry, frustration, and deep sadness, as she sat on the bed, her gaze lost in the distance. "That woman completely broke his jaw, the lower jaw is fractured in three parts and the upper one has no repair whatsoever, it's completely pulverized. Besides that, he has four broken ribs and all the others are splintered. Kiba, on the other hand, has a broken lower jaw, just like his knees. Neji only has contusions." She sighed heavily, feeling the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.

Minato simply sighed, tired, both physically and mentally. He ran a hand through his hair, with a gesture of exhaustion and frustration. He was aware that everyone in the Land of Spring would honestly be hostile towards them, but not this much, especially towards his eldest son. It was quite evident that absolutely everyone completely hated him. His bloodlust in the arena, each and every one of them wanted him dead. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered the intensity of the hatred he had felt. How the hell had his son managed to overcome this situation without committing suicide? He wondered, feeling a mixture of astonishment, admiration, and deep guilt.

Speaking of the now man, they now finally had reliable news of his whereabouts and that he was still alive. He was even apparently married to someone, if Baki's words were credible. He was here, literally just a few meters away from them, but given the emperor's refusal to receive a delegation and that, from what they had said, he was guarded 24/7, surely by the same heavenly king who roamed the town from time to time, they should simply wait for the tournament to come to an end. An expression of frustration, helplessness, and longing took over his face.

-The Next Day-

Punctual as a clock, at the same time as the previous day, the arena was already overflowing with contestants ready and willing to resume the qualifiers, or in the case of the hidden continent, to start winning matches and reverse the crushing performance the empire had given the day before. The participants gathered in the arena, with expressions of determination, nervousness, and anticipation on their faces. Apparently, Kara's comment about "you shinobi are so weak" never crossed their minds.

"-And now, on the second day of qualifiers, we will move on to the first match of this day. Coming from the distant mountains of Kumogakure, one of the most loyal men to the current Raikage, his right hand and faithful, Kumo's ace in the hole, Darui!..."

Naruto, for a moment, couldn't help but think that this man, in some way, was what would come out of a relationship between Kakashi and Shikamaru, only one of them would have to have black ancestry in their veins, because the brash young man was dark-skinned, with brown eyes and lazy-looking blonde hair, who stood in the center of the platform to wait for his opponent. A slight smile, tinged with curiosity and amusement, appeared on Naruto's lips as he observed Darui.

"-And coming from the Kingdom of China, from the distant Valley of Peace, the current Grand Master of the Lotus Order, the most skilled Kung-Fu warrior and one of the mentors of our very own emperor... Master Po!" The announcer's voice, full of enthusiasm and anticipation, resonated in the stadium as Po entered the arena.

The presentation, the fact that the man was from the same kingdom that had given birth to someone like the emperor, that he was named as his master, simply made people have great expectations about this so-called Po. The spectators leaned forward, with expressions of anticipation and curiosity on their faces, waiting to see something extraordinary. But when they saw him, the only question that came to their minds was...

"-That... is a panda," Ay was the first to ask the question that everyone in the stadium had, his voice full of disbelief and confusion, as he pointed at Po with a trembling finger. That, that was clearly a panda, a big one, quite tall, but still fat... wearing traditional Chinese clothes, well, the pants, but he was fat. He wore a traditional red and green shirt with the dragon emblem, but he was fat... did he already mention he was fat?

"-He's not just a panda, he's the panda," Maria couldn't help but defend the young Kung-Fu master, her voice full of pride and respect, as she looked at Po with admiration. "After all, without the young man's teachings, his emperor would never have found his own inner peace, or the mastery of Chi... well, the latter probably yes, the emperor was a prodigy, but he would have had to do it the long way and not through inner peace and self-acceptance." A smile of satisfaction and gratitude appeared on her lips as she thought of Po's influence on Naruto's life.

And Maria wasn't the only one who had these opinions, because without exception, every single member of the empire cheered for the panda master. The cheers and applause resonated in the stadium, full of affection and respect for Po. They, of course, knew the truth behind the man's abilities and how much he had to struggle in his beginnings in the martial art to reach the rank of master. Being seen as a failure, having to face the one who was called by many as "the best Kung-Fu master," only after the great turtle master Oogway, facing a past and not knowing who he was to find inner peace, and facing a resentful spirit sacrificing his own life to end him... An expression of admiration and respect took over the faces of the imperials as they remembered Po's story. Yes, the young panda was no longer in the realm of the living as such, because he had transcended in that battle, becoming a spiritual warrior in the most literal sense of the word, who protected the Valley of Peace and, more currently, the lands of all of China.

(Wow, Po is really badass with all this said, and yes, I refuse to acknowledge the fourth one as canon. Phoenix: "Which fourth one?"). The author lets out a note in parentheses.

"-Alright, let's finish this," Darui muttered, his voice full of determination and a serious expression on his face, trusting more in the opinion of his elemental compatriots.

"-If you only look at my appearance, don't doubt that you won't see my savagery coming," the panda warned him, with a calm voice and an enigmatic smile, as he adopted a relaxed stance.

Who, in reality, was confident. After all, he highly doubted that this man would heed his warnings.

Gong!

And then Darui instantly regretted his previous words, because with a huge belly flop, the "Dragon Warrior" sent him flying backward at least twenty feet to the last section of the platform. The impact resonated in the stadium, and Darui was thrown through the air, with an expression of surprise and pain on his face.

"-Shit, I didn't see that coming!" exclaimed the Kumo shinobi, completely furious, his voice full of frustration and surprise, having fallen for such a childish trick. And when he was about to charge forward to fight, something fell on top of him. Darui was left breathless, feeling a crushing weight on his body. Of course, it was none other than Po, demonstrating that while he was perhaps a bit overweight, even for a panda, that didn't take away from the fact that he was fast and agile.

"-See what I mean?" Po joked, with a funny smile and a playful expression on his face, lifting himself up a bit, only to moments later drop his... pandaness... again on poor Darui. Who couldn't even scream when a giant panda fell on top of him, effectively knocking the air out of him. Darui was left breathless, his face pale and his eyes wide.

Then, Po jumped backward and, without letting the Kumo ninja breathe, did a few more katas and, upon finishing them, curiously at the same moment the dark-skinned man stood up, the panda punched the air.

"-Panda Fist." And with that technique, a large current of hyper-compressed air struck the Kumo shinobi's face directly, sending him flying another six feet backward. Darui was thrown through the air, with an expression of surprise and pain on his face. And now Darui was only about thirteen feet from the edge of the platform. However, the Kumo shinobi barely had time to avoid a kick aimed at his stomach from the Kung-Fu master, who smiled at him amusingly. Darui moved quickly, dodging the kick by a narrow margin. There was no longer any condescension or apathy in Darui's gaze; that only meant one thing, and that was that now the fight would be serious.

-Konoha Delegation-

"-Now I understand why they call someone so... peculiar a master. The panda, without a doubt, has well-earned the title of grand master," Gai mentioned, with an expression of astonishment and admiration on his face, as he attentively watched Po's movements.

Thinking to himself out loud.

"-What do you mean, Gai-sensei?" Tenten asked, with a confused expression on her face, tilting her head, curious about her master's explanation.

"-Look at his movements," the bushy-browed man requested, pointing at Po with a nod of his head. And by concentrating better, his student, like almost all the shinobi, understood what Gai meant. He continued his lesson: "The panda clearly knows he's fat, he should be slow and clumsy, especially crude in fighting. However, his movements are the complete opposite, and that gives him a great advantage when fighting, because his opponents assume he's clumsy. No one would expect him to be someone so fast and agile, and that, without a doubt, will cost you the fight. Furthermore, he uses his body as it is and bases his fighting style on it, he uses his fat as a weapon, and given how well developed his style is, we could say he is a grand master of the martial arts," Gai explained, with a voice full of admiration and respect for Po.

The man certainly couldn't help but admire the panda.

-Kage Booth-

And while Gai gave his lecture on, analyzing Po's fighting style, Ay was fuming, his face flushed with anger and frustration, as he clenched his fists tightly, seeing Darui being dominated by him. Po's clumsy and unpredictable style seemed to be a Drunken Fist Taijutsu style, but without the need to be drunk. His movements were very unpredictable, but it seemed he had control over his clumsy movements, which made Darui look like a damn rookie.

The Kumo Jounin threw an axe kick that the master blocked by crouching, a hook to the liver that was blocked before launching effectively, when the fat man stepped very hard on Darui's right foot, making him hop around while grabbing his stomped foot. Darui howled in pain, hopping on one foot and grabbing his injured foot.

And when he finally managed to land a devastating blow, Po had used the force of Darui's blow and the natural elasticity of his belly to somehow give him a double hook to the body using the power of the received blow's inertia. Which, by the way, shook the Kumo shinobi hard enough to make him spit blood. Darui staggered backward, his face pale and his gaze lost, spitting blood from his mouth.

-Back in the Arena-

"-I think I went a little overboard," the master said somewhat sheepishly, with a guilty expression on his face, while scratching the back of his neck with one hand, embarrassed. "Well, I think I should finish the match once and for all."

And it happened again. He began to do katas, this time being more agile and fluid, looking more like a dance than Taijutsu exercises. Upon finishing them, Darui had already recovered from the pain and positioned himself to reverse the course of the fight.

"-Ox Strike!" The Kumo man tried to give the panda a direct hook to the stomach. However, the panda easily blocked it with the palm of his paw. Po stopped Darui's attack with a smooth and effortless movement. The worst part was that he seemed to have his eyes completely closed.

"-The fight is already over," Po declared with complete serenity, with a calm voice and a serene expression on his face, and before Darui could know what he meant, Po swept his feet, throwing him off balance. And before he could even touch the ground, the Kung-Fu master did a split before striking with his right palm, giving him a powerful blow that sent Darui flying to be only two steps away from the edge of the platform. Darui was thrown through the air, with an expression of surprise and pain on his face, before landing heavily near the edge of the platform. And to make things even more ridiculous, the panda simply stomped on the platform, causing the dark-skinned man's already precarious balance to be lost and him to fall off the platform.

"-Darui has fallen off the platform, therefore Grand Master Po wins the fight," the referee announced.

After the announcement, the panda's completely calm and serene face turned into one of pure joy, completely opposite to his previous serenity. Po jumped and waved his arms, with a radiant smile and an expression of jubilation on his face. In fact, he even started blowing kisses to the arena and thanked everyone for coming to see the fight. His gestures were exaggerated and full of enthusiasm, like those of a child celebrating a victory.

It was quite disconcerting for those from Konoha to watch the fight. In a way, it reminded them a bit of Naruto. Of course, his reaction to Neji's defeat was much more reserved, simply raising his arm in a sign of victory, with a slight smile and a serene gaze, but considering how reserved he generally was, it was a genuine display of his joy at that moment.

As he left, Po was severely scolded by... okay, that was weird, a red panda less than a quarter of his size was scolding him for celebrating his victory in such a childish way. The red panda moved energetically, gesturing with his small paws and with an expression of reprimand on his face.

"-Personal note: talk to Shifu about taking life easy," Naruto murmured to himself, with an ironic smile and a thoughtful expression on his face. He had to talk to the master of the Jade Palace to calm his attitude a bit. Okay, he had relaxed quite a bit in recent years, but he was still quite bitter on some subjects.

"-Good luck," Arturia couldn't help but scoff, with an amused smile and a slight shake of her head. Shifu was certainly too old to change his way of being and acting at this point. It was a miracle in itself that the old master had achieved his inner peace and, therefore, his character had relaxed quite a bit.

Back in the arena, once again the announcer climbed onto the platform.

"-Alright, it's time for two heavyweights to face off. From Otogakure... Yugo." The announcer paused, with a grimace of disgust as he mentioned Yugo's village of origin. "-What, wasn't he something like an uncontrollable beast?" he asked the people in the imperial box, with a voice full of curiosity and disbelief. Who simply shrugged, with indifferent expressions on their faces. This whole matter really didn't give a damn to them.

Somewhat embarrassed by his description, a young man with messy orange hair and almond-shaped eyes, wearing black shinobi pants and a white shirt, entered the arena. Yugo stepped onto the platform hesitantly, with an expression of nervousness and fear on his face. Something that contrasted greatly given the Pale Sannin's reputation. It was the serene face of the shinobi from his "village."

"-And now, from the empire, directly from Jump City, the former student of the Dark Knight, and the current leader of the Titans, Dick Grayson!" The young man who stepped onto the platform was the complete opposite of his opponent. Quite tall, they wouldn't deny it, but small compared to his opponent. He had black hair and light green eyes, wearing black pants, a blue shirt, a black jacket, with military boots and a yellow belt. Dick stepped onto the platform with a firm and confident stride, with a confident smile on his face. He was one of the people who could genuinely be considered attractive, and many women sighed defeatedly when the young man got a girlfriend, especially because, although polygamy was legal in the empire, the girl was extremely possessive of her man.

"-You better surrender, I don't wish to hurt you." To the surprise of many, the Oto shinobi, Yugo, actually seemed terrified at the prospect. His voice, full of fear and uncertainty, echoed in the stadium.

However, Dick simply smiled amusedly. A confident and slightly arrogant smile appeared on his lips.

"-I've faced bigger than you," the young man mentioned simply, and it was true. He remembered his previous opponents, with a mixture of nostalgia and determination. Mammoth was much bigger and stronger than this man, not to mention Gizmo and his robots.

The sound of the gong started the battle again, and Dick was the first to move, giving Yugo a couple of kicks to the knees. His movements were fast and precise, like those of a feline attacking its prey. Who fell heavily onto them. Yugo groaned in pain, feeling the impact of the kicks on his knees. This was one of the tactics his mentor had taught him when he still wore the Robin mantle (yes, he was Nightwing now) against enemies who were bigger than you: you should always limit their movements, and that should always be his first step, if possible.

Of course, the Oto shinobi didn't live this long being a fool, and of course, he noticed that his opponent had based his entire strategy on disabling him. Yugo gritted his teeth, with an expression of frustration and determination on his face. So he tried to counterattack quickly. He got up as best he could and delivered a devastating jab to the jaw, which managed to connect with the young man, Dick, who was sent flying in a very spectacular way. The impact resonated in the arena, and Dick was thrown backward, with an expression of surprise and pain on his face.

However, he landed after regaining control of his fall, with impressive agility, like a cat landing on its feet, causing cheers from the empire upon seeing the former circus acrobat's maneuver. The spectators of the empire applauded and cheered, impressed by Dick's skill.

-Spectator Stands-

"-Booyah! That's it, old man, show 'em who's boss!" exclaimed a dark-skinned young man very loudly, who was covered from head to toe in rather heavy clothing, although curiously a red glow showed from his eyes. The young man jumped and waved his arms enthusiastically, cheering Dick on fervently.

"-That's it, Nightwing!" exclaimed another young man, this one much smaller, who, however, surprised several, as his skin and hair were completely green and he had pointed ears. The young man smiled excitedly, clapping and cheering for his teammate.

Next to this young man was a purple-haired girl with a white cloak, who cheered for her leader in her own way, lazily waving a small flag with the Titans' symbol from side to side while reading a book. Her face remained expressionless, and her eyes were fixed on the pages of her book, as if the fight didn't interest her in the slightest. For her, the fight was a mere formality, so she would save her cheers for the real fights.

On the other hand, the last member of the original Titans, a beautiful red-haired young woman with orange skin and green eyes with sclera a lighter shade of green, was the one who put the most effort into cheering for her boyfriend.

"-Go, Dick, break his fucking legs!" exclaimed the more than excited young woman, her voice full of enthusiasm and a wild smile on her face.

"-Star, no bad words," the purple-haired girl scolded her without looking up from her book, with a monotonous voice and an annoyed expression on her face.

"-Sorry, but this is so exciting," the red-haired woman said with an evident blush... or the equivalent of one on her pretty face, with an embarrassed smile and an apologetic expression on her face.

To be honest, all the members of the empire found it terribly funny. After all, it wasn't every day you could see Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven acting like the young people they were, and not the team of heroes that protected Jump City. The spectators of the empire watched the scene with amusement and affection, enjoying the interaction between the Titans.

Back with Dick, he was more than used to this kind of treatment. After all, most of the opponents he had faced in the empire always surpassed him in size and strength. That's why, and to his opponent's bad luck, that blow, in reality, wasn't enough to really hurt him. Dick recovered quickly from the blow, with a determined expression on his face.

What was actually making him a little nervous, as well as Orochimaru, was that the longer the fight went on, the greater the risk that Yugo would lose control and be disqualified due to his little anger management problem. An expression of concern crossed Dick's and Orochimaru's faces as they thought about Yugo's instability.

That's why the larger man went from having a real strategy to trying to knock out the black-haired man, a rather poor strategy that left too many, and very large, gaps in his defenses. Gaps that were quickly exploited by the leader of the Titans. Who, after a vain attempt at another jab, the former student of Batman grabbed Yugo's arm and, using a Judo lock, used the power behind his opponent's blow and his weight to send him flying to the right side, which was the closest edge. And without letting him recover, he launched himself with a flying kick that almost threw him out of the arena. Dick's movements were fast, precise, and fluid, like those of an expert martial artist.

Yugo, of course, managed to barely stay in the arena, his body trembling and his breathing agitated, clinging to the edge of the platform. And he tried once again to regain control of the fight and, to do this, he attempted a kick to the jaw that Dick managed to block with difficulty, with a quick movement of his arms, feeling the impact of the kick, before moving quickly to gain a more advantageous position. He swept the leg that wasn't raised, knocking him off the platform... Dick took down Yugo with a quick and precise movement, making him fall off the platform. The fastest victory so far, without a doubt. On the other hand, speaking of Batman's student, he tended to prioritize efficiency over spectacle.

"Yugo fell off the platform..." as always, the announcer began with his message, with a monotonous and professional voice, only for the Oto shinobi to interrupt him with a chilling scream, a guttural and furious scream, that froze the spectators' blood, only to then transform into a creature that exuded a great bloodlust. His body convulsed and transformed, adopting a monstrous and threatening form.

Subsequently, with a jump, he climbed back into the arena and Dick, in response, only moved away without paying attention. Dick moved calmly and confidently, showing no sign of fear in the face of Yugo's transformation. And everyone saw why, because before the young man was reached by the now beast, everyone heard a loud crack. Only to see how, out of nowhere, the beast had stopped its charge just before reaching the young man of the empire.

When the beast fell to the ground, everyone saw what happened, this being that Kori, Starfire, had simply moved at great speed to simply break his neck with a single blow to the head, ending in that way the young life of the only fighter that Orochimaru managed to sneak into the tournament. Starfire stood in front of Yugo's inert body, with a cold and determined expression on her face.

"Thank you, Kori," Dick mentioned, with a calm voice and a slight smile, breaking the deathly silence that fell after everyone witnessed what legally speaking was a murder, one broadcast worldwide, no less.

For the inhabitants of the elemental nations, they were actually simply completely silent, because they saw how in a matter of simple instants the orange-skinned girl went from the stands to the arena and broke the neck of the much larger and monstrous opponent as if it were nothing more than paper. Making one thing clear: in reality, no one from the empire was taking the fights seriously until now, each and every one of them was simply playing with them. The spectators of the elemental nations looked at each other, with expressions of horror, disbelief, and deep fear on their faces.

In fact, this revelation only caused one thing in the Namikaze family, because from what they had heard from fragments of conversation here and there, Kara and that girl, Kori, had fought in the empire's qualifiers, with Kara obviously being the winner and, from what they knew, it was by a fairly wide margin. In other words, if the woman had really wanted to, she would have killed Menma with the same ease that this woman had used to kill one of the strongest men in Orochimaru's service. A shiver ran down the Namikaze's spines, feeling a mixture of relief, fear, and deep concern for the future.

"Hmph... maybe we should take a break," Naruto commented, with a calm voice and a thoughtful expression on his face. After all, seeing a murder was quite traumatizing for a good part of the audience.

"Kuroka told you to classify this as R," Arturia reprimanded him, her brow furrowed and an expression of reproach on her face.

"Isn't it?" The question was genuine. Naruto tilted his head, with a confused expression on his face. Naruto really had no idea that this, in reality, wasn't R-rated. And, of course, Zeref could only limit himself to sighing while muttering about "idiot dwarf demons" and their inability to understand what R means: not suitable for children.

End of chapter.