Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto franchise or any of its characters.
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[—NTLS—]
Chapter Forty Seven: Sun Wukong Part I
The energy of the stadium was nearly tangible. The monkeys roared, shouted, and banged against the edges of the borders that confined them in the audience section. It was even worse than the finale of the Chuunin Exam, which had been the most nerve-wracking event of Naruto's life in terms of pure pressure placed on him. The monkeys gave a different energy to the fight—a primal feeling that emanated across the entire stadium. It was as if fighting was in their blood.
Sun Wukong still had an insufferable smile on his face, one that annoyed Naruto to no end. "Having second thoughts?"
"Why would I be having those?" Naruto asked impatiently.
Sun shrugged his shoulders. "You're about to lose in front of hundreds of my kin. Anyone would be worried."
He's incredibly overconfident. The blond thought with a thoughtful frown. I can maybe use this to my advantage. I currently have more information than he does about his ability. Level nineteen, the same as me, but with much more focus on dexterity than the other stats. Of course, higher stats don't necessarily always translate to fighting ability but it still is important to observe.
"Aren't going to talk, are you? Whatever, I'll just beat the crap out of you so that Enma can finally leave me alone. All that 'Being a summon is a great honor' was starting to get annoying. Don't tell him that I said that, hehe," Sun said abashedly, scratching his cheek with a finger.
He kind of reminds me of myself, in a way. Naruto realized after finally understanding where he felt like he had seen Wukong before.
He looked around himself for a better feel of the battle arena. The stadium itself was similar to the Chuunin Exam's stadium, though somewhat smaller and also made of wood. The durability of the wood wasn't to be questioned, obviously, as the integrity of the iron giants that birthed the forest wasn't to be questioned. Especially the progenitor of the entire population—the Heart itself.
"Both combatants must prepare for combat!" The monkey announcer shouted loudly. His voice was modified somehow with the usage of some sort of jutsu that Naruto couldn't particularly recognize. He assumed it was some sort of wind release technique that carried the sound further away than it normally did, but he wasn't entirely sure. "The fight will begin on the count of ten."
"TEN!"
If the crowd wasn't loud already, they were even more so now.
"NINE!"
The monkeys surrounding them on all sides joined in on the countdown, their voices combining to form a greater, coherent sound that rattled the air itself. They stomped their feet in tandem, along with the slapping of arms against their chest at the same time. The chanting began low, like the rumblings of a distant storm, as the monkeys raised their voices in guttural harmony. Their song, primal and haunting, echoed across the stadium. They stomped their feet in rhythm, their hands beating their chests and clapping together as they worked themselves into a fervor. The rhythm built, growing louder and faster, as their chant became a frenzied war cry that filled the arena. It was a call to arms, a battle hymn that connected them all, their voices blending into a single, unbreakable force. The sound shook the floor below Naruto, sending goosebumps down his forearms as his adrenaline took control of his body.
"FIVE!"
Naruto looked over at Hiruzen one last time, who simply gave a thumbs-up and a wink.
"FOUR!"
"THREE!"
Wukong twirled his staff once more before settling into an open stance of sorts that left several openings, but in a way that it felt like he was allowing them on purpose.
"TWO!"
Naruto reached into his pockets, digging out small, pin-pointed swords.
"ONE!"
And threw them into the air.
"FIGHT!"
[Activating… ]
[Skill: Seven Swords Dance, Acrobat Kenjutsu- Lvl 3 Activated!]
[Usage drains 12 MP Points each minute. User can use this skill for 45 seconds without draining MP.]
He caught the swords in their respective places. Naruto had managed to level up the skill by a single level, though he hadn't truly worked too hard on it compared to his other skills such as Rasengan.
I can only use this skill for forty-five seconds without the wastage of any MP. He had learned from his fight with Kabuto just how important the conservation of Mp was to his own survival, and that it was only through dumb, sheer luck that he managed to get through that ordeal alive. That and the support of literally a legendary Saanin.
WHOOSH!
Naruto tilted his head to the side as some sort of projectile launched towards him with almost untraceable speed, taking over the place where his skull was just a moment ago.
The projectile then proceeded to move backward and into the waiting hands of Sun.
It wasn't a projectile…it was the staff!
Great, his staff has the ability to extend and protract however he wants it to. Naruto thought with a grimace. But no, there has to be some trade-off. It must cost him some amount of chakra, no matter how small the amount. Chakra
wouldn't give anything away for free. I would hope so, anyway.
Naruto leaped to the side as the crimson pole extended forward once more, this time expecting the attack to come.
"Great dodge!" Sun Wukong shouted, cackling. "You have to do better than that, though!"
What?
[Ding!]
[Warning! Mild Bloodlust detected!]
Naruto twirled backward, swiping his blades around as a clawed, furry hand reached for him from behind. His swords pierced through the solid skin of the smiling monkey, who disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Shadow clones? No, it's something different, but the function is the same.
He took off running toward the original as soon as possible, knowing that standing there would be no use against someone who could use clones. Naruto, who was probably the most frequent user of shadow clones, knew it was idiotic to stand idle against someone who heavily utilized them. Especially against someone with great amounts of chakra, which was something Sun held, albeit not to the level of Naruto but still a rather large amount.
Moving around with the swords in the crooks of his most important joints was annoying, but something he was used to. While his movement was slower, it was also more unpredictable. "Go with the flow," was what Bee had said at the time.
Let the swords guide you, and don't force any movements.
Easier said than done.
Eleven or so more clones appeared in front of Wukong, all of them holding similar staffs in their hands. Naruto leaped into the air, dodging the sudden explosion of length that headed towards him. He let go of the needle sword that was in the crook of his leg, sacrificing it for the sake of greater mobility. The one thing about the staff that Sun held was that it only grew in size in a single direction. That meant he could easily predict where the weapon would be header. The issue was that he was now stuck in midair without much space to move.
Naruto landed on one of the extended poles, almost tripping as Sun purposefully extended it even further to make him lose his footing. He pumped chakra into the soles of his feet as he attached himself to the rapidly elongating staff that carried him away from its owner. The Jinchuuriki let go of the wooden weapon, falling downwards and grabbing onto one of the other staffs which was retracting backward into its original size.
He released his hold at the last second, dropping into a roll and continuing his onslaught on the clones. The first clone (whose staff's retraction Naruto had used to get there) swung his shorter pole in a wide sweep.
Naruto jumped over the attack and leaped into the clone, plunging the kunai in his mouth into the chest of the clone, dispersing it into a cloud of thick smoke. Using the mist as a brief cover, Naruto allowed the kunai nestled in the crease of his elbow to drop before grabbing it by the hilt and roughly throwing it straight toward the eyes of another clone.
Another one down.
I don't have the time to deal with all of these clones right now. Naruto internalized. The urge to use one of my shadows or even shadow walk is killing me. Zabuza's sword would be really useful right now if I'm being honest. But there's no point in complaining..l have to get the job done.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto intoned with a resigned sign.
He had wanted to use his signature technique a bit later but knew that dealing with all of Wukong's surprisingly sturdy clones wouldn't be too easy. A dozen clones formed around Naruto, looking forward with determination toward their enemy.
Naruto took a step forward. "Cover for me while I go for original,"
The clones nodded in unison. "Yes, boss!"
With that, Naruto went around the clones, leaving them to fight each other. He headed straight for the original Sun Wukong.
Wait a second…
Is he snoring?
Sun rested with his back against the floor of the stadium, his legs crossed in front of him and his arms creating a makeshift pillow underneath his head. His staff lay carelessly by his side. And Naruto's ears weren't false, for the brazen monkey loudly snored without a care in the world.
Naruto could do nothing but gawk at the gall of the brat before him. What the…I don't know where to be pissed or be impressed at the balls he has got.
Never mind, I'm definitely mad. That's the type of stuff that I DO!
"Hey! Get up!" Naruto yelled annoyedly.
Wukong groaned in his sleep, twisting and turning on the floor. "Not yet, please! A few more minutes! I'm having such a nice dream…"
Naruto rushed forward, descending a heel kick straight for the monkey's chest.
Sun rolled away at the last second, turning his roll into a flip to get onto his feet. The ever-present smirk on his face was still there. He wagged his finger back and forth. "It wouldn't be that easy, would it?"
Naruto shrugged. "Didn't think so."
Ugh…this is getting boring. Let's make a rule, shall we? No more clones, how about that? I can tell you have a boatload of chakra, and I do too. Let's have a fair one on one without any distractions."
The blond nodded his consent. Sure, I could eventually win by overloading him with shadow clones.
He has a lot of chakra, but still nothing compared to how much I have.
But winning like that is so…
…lame.
Sun dashed forward without another word, his staff spinning from one arm to the other without any noticeable effort on his part.
Activate Uchiha Clan Taijutsu!
[Activating… ]
[Skill: Uchiha Clan Taijutsu- Lvl 5 Activated!]
[Usage drains 8 MP Points each minute. User can initially use this skill for 2 minutes without draining MP.]
He didn't pay any attention to the notification, focused more on the enemy before him.
Sun swung the staff over his head in a full spin before allowing it to extend forward mid-spin and straight toward Naruto's chest, which was the largest target. Knowing he didn't have enough time to bend his knees to dodge the strike, Naruto jumped over the pole and landed on his feet as quickly as possible.
The pole retraced its path backward, striking Naruto on his shoulder with a loud smack. Naruto absorbed the impact as best as he could, unpleasantly shocked at how much pain was lacking through his upper limb from such an underpowered strike. What is that staff made of? He asked incredulously to no one in particular.
The monkey's amber, glowing eyes sparked mischievously as his staff simply disappeared into thin air.
That can't have been a jutsu! The monkeys seem to have their own unique abilities…
"YATTA!" Sun shouted as he got on all fours and launched forwards, his claws bared outwards.
The rest of the warrior monkeys watching from the stands roared in approval.
Naruto noticed firsthand just how unpredictable Sun was. Not only was he abnormally quick, but every move he made was erratic to the maximum degree. He moved like he was in the jungle, utilizing his claws to his advantage while mixing in traditional martial arts at the same time.
Regardless, Naruto could still react properly.
He dodged an incoming fist, before countering with a hook of his own that struck Sun perfectly in the jaw, rotating the monkey's entire body to the right with the sheer force that he managed to put in it. Sun ate up the attack, but he didn't stop there. He absorbed the force and utilized the converted momentum to his advantage. Thanks to his newfound position, his tail was closer to Naruto than ever before and wrapped around Naruto's hand like makeshift handcuffs.
The blond felt the sudden urge to use Shadow Walk and escape the situation but didn't even have the time to contemplate the consequences before a foot slammed into his lower jaw, thrusting him into the air with a loud groan of pain that came from his own mouth. A roundhouse kick struck the side of his ribs with immense force, propelling him to the side as he bounced multiple times on the wooden floor before regaining his balance.
Sun was there once more.
Activate Gentle Fist!
[Activating… ]
[Skill: Hyūga Clan Taijutsu- Lvl 1 Activated!]
[Usage drains 15 MP Points each minute.]
Naruto parried the first attack with a simple redirection using the palms of his hands. Of course, it wasn't just his bare hands. That would be idiotic. Trying to counter an attack that was pumping with chakra without any chakra of their own would be a stupid thing to do. Similar to trying to stop a raging elephant with a wooden cage—what was the point? The point of parrying in the Gentle Fist style was to flood one's hands with chakra and push the other's appendage with as much minimal contact as possible. Naruto wasn't at all an expert at it, but knew from observing Neji what the correct method was. He was sure that the Hyūga was more accurate with the chakra usage than he was, but couldn't care right now.
Naruto pushed his knee forward at the same time, surprised to notice that Sun had done the same thing. Their knees collided in the middle, and Naruto winced at the impact because his opponent was wearing some type of sturdy armor that refused to budge.
Sun grinned at the impact. "Hurt, doesn't it?"
Naruto laughed through the locked position they were in, neither of them willing to give up. "You wish."
The blond thrust his left hand forward, noticing how Sun went for the same thing. Good.
SLEIGHT OF HAND!
[Activating… ]
[Skill: Sleight of Hand Lvl 1 Activated!]
[Usage drains 10 MP points, with a cooldown of ten seconds.]
A kunai appeared magically in his hands.
Sun's eyes widened, but it was too late. The kunai plunged through his palm, immediately bringing out crimson red blood that splattered everywhere. Naruto forced the monkey to let go of the locked position, before pushing forward to utilize the sudden advantage that he held.
Wait…what is he doing?
Sun Wukong looked at the blood flowing across his hand with amazement. "Ah…excuse me. It's been so long since I've bled. I was just interested in the feeling. The last time was when old Enma trained me, I think. No one around my age is too much of a challenge, you see. But hey, you're pretty strong…"
A stream of energy burst outwards from Sun, who stood with his arms outward as he bathed in the feeling of his own aura extending outwards and meeting with the world. Naruto could only watch with awe as the monkey in front of him seemed to become one with nature, harmonizing his energy with the beat of the forest itself.
And then suddenly, the energy streamed all into him.
"Speaking of Enma…"
And then Wukong began to change. His arms began to widen, his legs extending outward, and his hair whitened before Naruto's very eyes. His tail grew longer, swirling side to side as the now humongous frame of Sun towered over Naruto. The figure of Monkey King Enma stood menacingly before him. Something told the blond that this wasn't a mere Henge jutsu being utilized.
Sun's voice was now a mix of his and a deeper one. "I think it's time I go all out."
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes.
He began to laugh.
It wasn't just a regular chuckle, either. It was a full-blown, tears-falling type of laughter that confused Sun to his core.
"Sorry, sorry," Naruto repeated sincerely, managing to control himself after a few seconds. "Believe it or not, I'm just laughing at my luck."
"Why?"
Naruto tilted his head as if the answer was obvious. "You can literally transform. Plus you have an awesome staff. More importantly, you're going to be my summon. How could I be luckier?"
Fuck the stats.
Sun narrowed his eyes at the perceived insult.
I'll go all out now, too.
He brought a hand up, before slowly clenching it into a fist. Without a moment of hesitation, Naruto brought his knuckles down to the ground.
BLACK FLASH!
[Black Flash Lvl 1 Activated!]
[A phenomenon where space warps when chakra is applied within one-millionth of a second of a physical blow. When the user manages this feat, their chakra appears black, and the force of their attack is raised to the power of 2.5.]
Red.
Black.
That was all Naruto could see.
The moment the Black Flash took hold, everything around him seemed to collapse into a blur. His body tensed, and then, without warning, his arm shot forward with a speed that defied reason, breaking the air with a force that felt like thunder. The world around him slowed as if time itself were struggling to keep up. His movements were a violent streak of darkness, an unnatural force pulling at the very fabric of reality.
Flickering in and out of existence, the edges of his form distorted like a mirage. A crackling, dark energy surrounded him—an eerie, pulsing aura that made the air shimmer and warp. His eyes burned with a cold, unnatural glow, the only sign of his consciousness in the madness of speed.
Cracks appeared through the ironwood Naruto just punched through, spreading slowly outwards like vines.
…
The stadium went dead silent.
Naruto felt the Black Flash amplification of his senses overcome him. His senses were in overdrive, and every drop of chakra felt in tune with his soul.
He slammed his fists together with a loud smack. "Let me show you just how strong your future summoner is, Sun!"
[—end–-]
Yo!
My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters or THREE WEEKS ahead (chapters 48, 49, 50) and support my endeavor to become an author. So if you can't wait for the next update—check out:
P a treon . com (slash) PaladinKaladin
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! (Shorter, I know, but it was the best place to stop it without it being awkward.) Sun has some of his classic abilities along with some other ones. The chakra system of the monkeys is slightly different from what the shinobi use, which will be explained later on.
The mini-arc "Sun Wukong" will be concluding with the next chapter!
QUESTION OF THE DAY!
If you could change ONLY one thing in the Naruto series, what would it be? It can only be a singular thing or idea.
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Chapter 48 is releasing on Tuesday, 24th of December. Around 2 PM Washington DC time.
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