Naruto's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)

There was tense silence in the arena as the crowd was blown away by the opening move. For most of it, Gaara's massive sand wave was one of the most impressive attacks seen in the exam. As remarkable as Sasuke or Fuu had been, they had yet to produce an attack entirely on this level. Yet it had been matched and wholly overpowered by Naruto's attack. It made one thing inherently clear to the crowd. This battle would be on another level that was well beyond what could be expected from mere Genin.

There was a tense moment between Naruto and Gaara as they stared. Naruto could feel the bloodlust exuding from Gaara. It was clear Gaara was not intimidated or overly impressed, he seemed to have expected Naruto to be able to do what he had done. Gaara smirked as the sand around him and leftovers from his attacks rose into pillars of moving, thriving sand.

"I'm thankful humanity has not dragged you down to their pathetic level," Gaara remarked with a smirk. "Had that technique stalled you for a single second I would've been disappointed. You wouldn't want that…"

Naruto frowned at this. "Why does it matter if I'm strong? Shouldn't I be inherently worth it as a jinchuriki? You're always talking about how "superior" we are." Truly, Naruto could understand why Gaara would hate "humans," but why did he seem so focused on strength? Why? If he wanted to unite them, why did he seem so prepared to strike him down if he was "disappointing"?

"Don't be naive now, brother." Gaara replied with a frown, as if he was dealing with a rebellious younger sibling who needed chastising, "You know more than anyone what the inherent need for power is. Jinchuriki were created for that sole purpose, power is our birthright, our reason. Without it we can never escape this cycle of pain created by our forefathers nor rise to our true glory. To be jinchuriki is the meaning of power. What these villages use to scare off each other… We can change the world… a world where the powerful rule over the weak. A weak jinchuriki is a paradox, unnatural, and oh-so disappointing. And I'll warn you…"

Naruto flinched as he ducked and dived to his right. This narrowly allowed him to avoid several sharpened strands of sand sent to run him through. He jumped into the air to prevent a small wave that crashed where he had landed. Naruto looked into Gaara's smiling face as he watched the ground around Gaara writhe as his sand whipped itself into a frenzy. Naruto prepared to unleash a counter, but his and Gaara's focus was broken as a loud and dismal roar sounded from the audience. Naruto and Gaara both whipped their heads and lowered focus as nearly all of the civilian audience let their voices be heard. Though each said something different, the message was clear:

"Finally, these monsters are fighting each other. It's unfair to have poor humans fighting those beasts!"

"Kill each other, scum!"

"Kill them both!"

"Death to jinchuriki!"

Naruto landed with a grim frown. He had been confident his impressive performance would've won some of them over. While the shinobi were more neutral, the crowd only saw it as harmful. He supposed a strong monster was worse than a normal one.

"Do you see, brother!" Gaara roared happily. Naruto whipped back to Gaara and used Riptide to block several small globs of sand fired at absurd speeds. The power of which made Naruto slide back. Naruto growled as he charged toward Gaara, who merely cackled in response as he sent several streams of sand barreling toward the blonde. "They hate us! Wish us nothing but suffering! Yet you wish to coexist!"

Naruto did not flinch as he met the streams of sand head-on. He leaped forward as he channeled chakra and readied Riptide. "Uzumaki Style: Seafoam Slashes!" While flying through the air, Naruto slashed the sand streams into fragments. However, before Naruto could draw close enough to attack, he was suddenly stopped in mid-air.

"Your naivety is almost admirable." Gaara stated as Naruto realized his predicament. Even dispersed and in mid-air, the sand could be controlled, and he managed to snag each of his limbs. Holding him up in the air. "You intend to hold back? Do you intend to side with those who hate you? You, Naruto Uzumaki, may just be a fool. I will say this only once. Show me everything, and you may yet live. Though if you refuse…" A large river of sand burst from the ground in front of Gaara. It raced forward towards the held up Naruto. "You may enjoy death."

The sand trampled the held Naruto, before it could fully even settle, it was suddenly condensed into an orb with a crunching of bone and a poof of smoke.

Naruto suddenly burst from the ground below, channeling chakra into Riptide as he attempted a surprise attack from behind Gaara. However impressively quickly a wall of sand rose shifting as it attempted to block the slash. His chakra made a grating sound as he attempted to use chakra surge to cut through it. He had been moving at the highest speed he could in base, and yet Gaara had reacted with ease…

"A mere misdirect? Shadow Clones and slashes from a toothpick? Is this all you have to offer? Perhaps Fuu would be a better ally." Gaara remarked. "I know you can do better, stop making me wait."

"One… thing… I can't stand… cocky bastards… who think they're better than people." Naruto growled. "Luckily, this mere misdirect worked."

"Oh?" Gaara asked with a smile. "Something to show me?"

"Yeah, I can use two kinds of clones, ya know? Boom!" Naruto suddenly exploded, kicking up sand and dust into the air and shaking the arena. Gaara's wall had become somewhat melted into dirty glass, but with last-minute reinforcing from more sand, it had managed to hold out.

Gaara chuckled playfully as he stared at Naruto. "Impressive technique, but that won't be enou-"

"Smashing of the Waves!"

"Smashing of the Waves!"

Suddenly, two Narutos appeared, both disguised as stones left on the ground. Both with glowing Riptides raced forward and slashed in unison from both sides of Gaara. The blades boomed as they managed to cave in the walls slightly. The walls seemed to bubble before they erupted into sand spikes destroying both clones.

"Patheti—" Gaara stopped and looked back to Naruto. During the instant he had defended himself from the last attack, Naruto had been busy. Where one Naruto had stood now, there was an army.

"You said we're playing for keeps, right? Naruto Wall of Steel!" The clones taunted before they all suddenly launched kunai. A literal wall of metal raced toward Gaara as he laughed.

"Better but still pathetic!" Gaara called a massive wall and caught each kunai with ease. "Learn a new trick, brother!" He taunted as the wall became an enormous fort between Gaara and the army of blondes. It was revealed each kunai had an active exploding tag. Gaara laughed as they were about to ignite.

Just as Naruto hoped. His clones did not hesitate as they raced forward, their chakra flowing through Riptide. Each stopped as they stabbed Riptide into the ground before Gaara's defenses. "Hey, brother!" They sounded off, "Tricked you again! Uzumaki Style: Piercing Geyser!" The ground surface began to crack in thin lines that flowed towards Gaara's position.

"Bring it on, Uzumaki! Quantity is not quality! You can't hope to beat my defenses!" Gaara rebuked as his fortress continued to grow.

"That's why I gotta get unpredictable!" Naruto roared. As he finished, the ground beneath Gaara began to glow blue, swell up, and crack. Suddenly, sand burst from the ground, raising Gaara into the air. This was a massive plane of condensed sand seemingly hidden beneath. The clones of Naruto all froze as their combined attack was unable to drill through the previously submerged sand. There simply was much too much sand for the attack to do so. It seemed Gaara had hidden sand beneath him, unfortunately allowing him to block the surprise attack with ease.

"You cling to your humanity. Convincing yourself with morality is worth the suffering we go through. Blindly, you try to convince yourself we can achieve peace and understanding with humans. But you don't realize how deep their hatred is. The only way they will ever treat us fairly is once we crush them beneath our feet. We must use the power and relationships we have been given to improve this world. We must crush them! Only then can we, jinchuriki, ever find peace! If you believe my way is wrong, don't give me a passionate speech! Show me it, prove me wrong, Naruto Uzumaki! Show me the power of humanity!" Gaara ranted as he hovered over Naruto on his massive floating platform of sand.

"Fine." Naruto said as he fell toward Gaara. Gaara flinched as he turned and noticed Naruto so close, Riptide shining brilliantly mere moments from Naruto using it. "Have it your way! Uzumaki Style: Slash of the Riptide!" A horizontal line of chakra fired towards Gaara. Sand formed a dome around him just before the attack closed, causing a small explosion that created a smokescreen at the source of the impact. Naruto fell toward the ground all the while, summoning several clones to use as steps to slow his descent. He stared up at the smoke, wondering if that one had stuck. It had nearly been enough before, surely now that he was stronger it had hurt h-

"Cute." Gaara said as the smoke cleared. His skin appeared to have a thin cut on it. Clearly, Naruto's attack had almost managed to pierce the haste defenses. But Naruto knew it was merely his armor on which he had landed a glancing blow. "You assumed that attack was strong enough to pierce my defenses. That is a fair assumption, but make no mistake. That first time we met, you only came close due to me being so excited. Perhaps you need to die after all? IS THAT WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO MAKE YOU SEE THE TRUTH?!"

Naruto growled at that furiously. He needed to take it up a level…

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Rasa's POV (Kage Box of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)

"Well, my son seems well in control," Rasa said. Yet there was no hiding the smug tone of voice he chose. He knew it to be petty and something he should be above. But the Sand rarely dominated the exams as they did today. Even rarer than the Kazekage lineage had done so directly. When Rasa participated, he was outshined by the litany of powerful fighters of the wartorn ages. Rasa had managed to grow since then, but his son would likely surpass him. Furthermore and rather amusingly, it would establish the Sand as an equal to their competitors. Rasa was more than happy today. "Not to shame the Uzumaki, he has performed admirably and seems more than ready for the Chunin post. But it would take more than a mere Chunin to stand up to my son."

"Seems early to me," A responded gruffly. Rasa had seen him keenly paying attention to the match. And it seemed both the Leaf and Sand holding more promising shinobi in the near future had made him unhappy. It was admirable he attempted to hide such. "We have a couple of jinchuriki ourselves. Their battles tend to be destructive and drawn out. We likely have just begun."

"It is rather impressive from both parties. We do not use chakra the same way as you lot, and as such, we rarely run out of it. Our method of combat is more… efficient." Mifune chimed in. "I thought using such powerful and large-scale techniques in the sequence was supposed to be draining?"

"I forgot it has been years since you fought us shinobi." Onoki remarked with a reminiscent smile. "Even when you did, I don't think we were foolish enough to risk a jinchuriki against you."

Mifune sighed at this. "My land considers the idea of living sacrifices shameful. Both for the parties creating such and the souls damned from such. This means that meetings between samurai and jinchuriki are rare and violent. Even for these exams, there was nearly an incident. My people feel intense hatred for them sadly."

"You consider us shameful?" Yagura replied with a raised brow. "I suppose we somewhat are, myself excluded, of course. Allow me to fill you in, Jinchuriki has several traits that make them unique from humans like yourselves. First, their chakra levels are often high and, in some cases, absurdly boosted by tailed beast chakra. Secondly, their physicality in every way is boosted to absurd degrees. Strength, speed, durability, and stamina all boosted to levels much higher than the host could achieve themselves. Thirdly, they are known for their regenerative properties. If ever a jinchuriki is attempted to be killed, it is a drawn-out and difficult process regardless of the strength of the host. Finally and most troublesome, they often have a unique ability based on their beast."

"What is the point of such power being placed into mere humans?" Mifune asked with a raised brow. "Surely the risk outscales any potential award."

"It was used as a deterrent by my forefather." Hiruzen intercepted. "He hoped that if each village was gifted, it would limit conflict. They are quite destructive, and he figured they would deter war."

"But it was shortsighted." Onoki snidely commented. "It merely gave us new and powerful weapons to use. Fool should've known they would be used, an unused weapon is often considered a waste."

"Idiot didn't consider it fully." A agreed.

Hiruzen sighed at such.

Rasa chuckled. "It matters little. This fight will only continue as long as my son entertains such a thing. He prefers to play with his food. Torturing them mentally and physically before finishing them off. Often with ease that betrays his own age. I have made him into a incredible weapon."

There was a tense silence in the room at those words. Yagura and A seemed intrigued. While Onoki, Hiruzen, and Mifune seemed alarmed.

"Oh, you all seem confused. It's no misunderstanding nor metaphor." Rasa assured the group calmly. "I am entrusted with leading my men, protecting my village and ensuring its legacy. It became clear to me eventually that even with my own efficient leadership, the unique resources we have access to, and even with the unending spirit of my men, that one day my home may need something or someone to protect us and crush our enemies. They needed someone monstrously strong, someone without fear or mercy, someone who could be utterly controlled. I decided to use my final child for such, the only way to ensure they'd be competent."

"I'm dreading hearing anymore," Hiruzen said with the agreeing nod of Mifune. "A father is meant to protect their child, not risk them."

"Let him finish," Onoki countered. "If he wishes to give us information for free, let him."

"My interest has peaked as well." A agreed. "Let him continue, it seems like has some sort of plan."

Rasa chuckled as he continued.

"I decided with my third child to ensure he had the necessary power. I would raise him loyal and useful, to ensure he would be worth my effort, I gave him what I thought was a gift. For years, we had kept the One-Tailed Beast unsealed, with my power, such was viable. But it was time to use it as intended. I had it sealed into my son before he was born. My scientist thought such would lead to a stronger jinchuriki, more naturally attuned with their beast, having adapted to it since birth. This didn't work, in hindsight, it was obviously foolish, but the consequences were much more dire than I had thought. It cost me my wife, and for years, Gaara was sickly. His young body cannot deal with the strain of being a jinchuriki. I resent him, which motivated me to do what was needed… I hired various assassins from within my forces and even criminally, all tasked with killing my son. I expected they may just succeed but hoped my son may prove to have some unseen strength. As I had hoped, my son had something of a mental breakdown. The stress of which allowed him to use his powers. This allowed my son to kill them all and began to distrust those around him. My next step was to ensure his siblings were somewhat distant. It worked, Gaara became powerful and violent, and his hatred of others and my power ensured he did what was necessary for me and, by proxy, Suna as a whole."

"The birth of a hero?" Yagura mused to himself. "Heroes can only be made in tragedy."

"How utterly decisive of you, Rasa!" A roared in surprise and approval. "I forgot how cutthroat you are!"

"Cutthroat and decisive certainly, though I would've chosen inhumane or unnecessarily cruel." Hiruzen chastised. "It is your own blood, have you no shame?"

"Morality is not some simple line to be crossed, old friend. By being "cruel" and "inhumane," I have assured the safety of my people. I claim no objective correctness, merely to have fulfilled a need for my home. Besides, we all routinely sign off on the deaths of hundreds. Let's not pretend our careers are morally right, merely scarcely legal."

"Perhaps, though I feel as powerful, knowledgeable, and influential leaders, we must… limit the damages as it were. Besides, as a father myself, I find it reprehensible to subject your spawn to this." Hiruzen reasoned somewhat angrily.

"While I have no care towards Hiruzen's more sentimental concerns, I have my own," Onoki interjected. "In creating such a son, did you ever consider the future? He will only get stronger and stronger as time goes on. When you finally weaken, won't you fear your death and shortly after overthrowing? My daughter is a fool, but even I know to treat her somewhat kindly. Your children are your legacy."

"A fair point," Rasa admitted with a shrug. "But it matters little. I have dedicated my life to ensuring my homeland will prosper during and after my death. If my spawn becomes worthy enough to replace me, my death will be a small price. For Naruto Uzumaki, despite his skill, there is no true chance against my son. I know his type: proud, brave, and foolish. He will gain some notoriety before meeting a grim death."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

This led to a momentarily silence in the room as the tension slightly increased. Rasa paid attention to Hiruzen and his group. Allies, they might be, Rasa enjoyed taking them down a peg.

Rasa saw as Hiruzen felt Tsunade suddenly tense, he even felt her killing intent and observed a microscopic shift as if to physically interject. But as expected of her, she seemed to hold her temper in, Jiraiya seemed unbothered, even keeping a hand on Tsunade's shoulder in case she lost her temper. But Rasa recognized the stiffness in the usually relaxed man's stature. Knowing his men well, Hiruzen seemed to sigh and interjected less they do so less gracefully.

"Naruto Uzumaki has shown to be an adaptive and impressive young man today. Doubtless that this will be an intense fight. I still would find it foolish to count him out of it. After all, he is a jinchuriki as well." Hiruzen pointed out, his two guards relaxing with him and contesting Rasa's jab.

"This will be interesting, despite being one myself, it's been years since I've heard of two jinchuriki fighting. It is a rarity even in war. I expect an inspiring battle." Yagura said with a smile.

"That I can guarantee." Rasa said with a giant smirk.

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Gaara / Naruto's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)

Gaara could not remember the last time he'd been so excited. He had been fearful that Naruto would have been overwhelmed. It would not be the first time someone had been determined to fight Gaara, only to lose once they realized his superiority. When Naruto had begun without his little wind technique, Gaara feared Naruto was either too scared to try his most brutal or too arrogant to feel such was necessary.

But Gaara cared little, even if it was some plot, it would matter little. Naruto was impressive and one of his own. But no mere Genin could hope to resist Gaara, and soon enough, not anyone…

"So you think I truly stand no chance against you?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. He had shifted into the stance he had shown whenever he got serious, lowering his center of balance and crossing his arms with his tanto pointing toward Gaara.

"Is that truly even a question?" Gaara asked, he had intended to be polite with his brother. But his delight got the best of him, and a small chuckle escaped. "You are not as pathetic as these humans, and you seem more capable than our ditsy sister. You still have a long way to go, you are not a true jinchuriki."

"I never really cared what people called me, ya know?" Naruto said casually. "I know what I am and what I'm not. So even when it hurts, I don't let it keep me down. But it is annoying, everyone assumes I'm not good enough, stupid, or naive. They love to call me weak. I realized that I can't tolerate such a thing to achieve my goals and earn respect for others. I have to prove them wrong. So let me show you, Gaara, just what a human can do! Personal Atmosphere! Dance of the Nine!" The wind howled as it twirled around the blonde. The howl increased to absurd levels as nine clones poofed into existence. Each of them ready and glaring at Gaara intently.

Gaara could not help but cackle from his platform of floating sand. Even as he did so, the sand started to break off into clumps, which slowly became two-foot-long spikes of condensed sand. "Finally, you're going to make this interesting! Show your elder brother what you can do!"

Naruto's POV

Naruto frowned as he heard Gaara's cry. 'I was gonna kick your ass anyway… but now I'm gonna enjoy it… older brother, my ass.' His clones and he took off with a boom of air, all the clones shooting off from the ground. The force of which cracked the ground beneath them.

Each clone zoomed through the air at high speeds. Each posed with a chakra-flooded Riptide prepared to unleash powerful strikes once they came close. Gaara peered down at them, smiling feral as they drew close.

"Racing towards death?" Gaara mocked. "Let me meet you halfway! Piercing Sand Avalanche!" The spikes of sand set off booms as they raced toward the clone. Easily dozens of them sailing forward with the single intent to kill Naruto.

The group of Blondes did not even hesitate as they met the rain of death. Each pointed Riptide forward as if to ward off the sand. The giant spikes of sand mere inches from the first clone suddenly flattened out and dispersed around the clones like they had hit a curved and invisible wall. Naruto smirked when he saw Gaara's shock. "Personal Atmosphere: Directional Surge!"

With a raising of one hand, half of his platform suddenly spread out and filled the sky, blocking all pathways to Gaara and moving to subdue him with the massive amount of sand. It slowly became a gigantic net of sand that began to wrap around the clones. The net of sand was huge, with the gaps between strands closing as smaller strands worked to leave no gaps. "Impressive, but you're caught! Sand Net!"

Naruto felt a shit-eating smile fill his face as his clones and he sliced through the sand with ease. Each turns to face Gaara from above. "Now that was pathetic! Try this out for size! Uzumaki Style: Slicing Wave!" They called in synch as each cloned slash Riptide sent several curved chakra lines converging toward Gaara.

Gaara's smile became so broad it threatened to split his face. With a snap, most of the remaining platform beneath him converged around him, forming a dome. The chakra slices cut into such with an explosion of power. Yet once again, Gaara was unharmed as his dome collapsed, much of it melting from the onslaught of chakra. "No, that was pathetic."

"No!" Naruto countered as he and all his clones pointed their Riptides at Gaara, and they called out again. "Personal Atmosphere: Directional Surge!"

Naruto watched as Gaara flinched and sent a boulder-size glob of sand flying so suddenly. With such speed, it missed Naruto but hit three of the clones. Flying through the air above them, its momentum carried it past them. However, it did nothing for Gaara as the sudden and powerful burst of wind sent Gaara careening through his own sand. Sending Gaara careening to the ground and smashing into it with a bone-crushing thud. Naruto flinched but lowered himself slowly with the remainder of his clones. Before he gasped, he realized there was no injured Gaara but merely a pile of sand. Suddenly, it shot off, managing to destroy another clone. The others and Naruto himself were utterly caught off guard as the massive pile of sand from earlier slammed into them and indented them from the force.

"A sand clone," Gaara informed the downed Naruto, who crawled from the sand and slowly receded back to Gaara. "I could've ended this there, but I wanted to clarify. I guess I won't crush you yet."

Naruto crawled to his feet, somewhat bruised and dazed from the sand landing on him. "You should've done this while you had the chance. Now, I finally have the chance to finish this. Personal Atmosphere: Directional Surge!"

Gaara's sand wrapped around him to protect him but was unsuccessful. The ground burst open, revealing the remaining six clones still active beneath Gaara. The force of the gust shot Gaara through his sand and high into the air. Naruto smiled happily at this before he nodded to his clones. Each aimed their hands at Naruto. "Naruto Sniper!" they called as the real Naruto shot off after Gaara.

Naruto shot forward head first. The wind whipped at his face, and the speed made his spine feel as if it was bending, but he smiled all the same. For a mere instant later, his skull smashed into the ribs of the airborne and stunned Gaara. The redhead cried out in pain as the impact carried them further into the sky. "I figured out your weakness!" he taunted as he grabbed Gaara's top.

"You think so!" Gaara countered. "My sand never leaves me!" Naruto glanced back to see a massive amount of sand a short distance away and gaining.

"I do because you can't defend yourself without your sand! And it's much too slow!" Naruto laughed. "Personal Atmosphere: Jetstream!" Suddenly, the two shot off at absurd speeds, racing even higher into the air. The clouds in the sky were now closer, and the air was becoming thinner and colder. The arena looked smaller in the distance, and the sand was much too far to be of help.

Gaara's POV

Gaara had grown used to life being somewhat predictable. Harsh training pushed by his harsher father. Being shunned as equally as he was feared. Killing those who failed to understand reality. Plotting and biding time until he could engage in his dream. A boring and repetitive life, but one Gaara had grown accustomed to all the same. Yet, as of late, it has been changing.

The change was something Gaara could say in earnest he was a fan of. He intended to restructure society, which would surely lead to a fair bit of it. But it was somewhat startling to experience. The lynch point of such was one Naruto Uzumaki.

Gaara hadn't been entirely convinced at first. Their first meeting had been interesting, and he had been excited about the potential. Yet when Naruto attacked, Gaara couldn't help but worry. Was Naruto not able to meet the standard he had hoped for? Was this the limit to him? To wield the strongest of the beasts was something Gaara felt was the greatest gift one could hope for. Yet Naruto seemed… like them…

His attack had been powerful, sure, but Gaara could tell Naruto had held back, merely attempting to end the fight quickly and without much trouble. Naruto against Gaara had struck without intent, it had shown as well. Gaara was certain Naruto had thought himself quite capable by that showing, it had been merely luck. Naruto acted like a mere human, contrary to their morals and ideals being directly opposed by his. He was happy to serve his masters despite the cruel treatment he received.

Then, it was exposed. Naruto Uzumaki had not even known… not even the people around him had… A jinchuriki who received all the benefits and none of the drawbacks. He, similar to Gaara, had been blessed but had not earned it. Gaara was considerate, he had forgiven such a thing. Ignorance was not a crime, after all, merely a bit of a irritation. Gaara would slay him if he was a human, but his brethren could be forgiven. It had been straightforward to Gaara then. He would test Naruto to ensure he was worthy and valuable for his vision. If he failed, then Naruto would have to pay dearly. But if he passed, Gaara would spare him, the bold ones always snapped with just a little pressure. It would be okay, Gaara knew Naruto would survive it. He had, after all.

Suddenly, Gaara had purpose again, and his dream didn't seem so distant. Gaara's father couldn't have known his order would serve his eventual fall. All Gaara had to do was win Naruto over, preferably Fuu, as well. But Naruto was the main target, he had the most potential. It would prove easy, surely!

But once again, Naruto had changed things, he was worthy! Perhaps even more so than Gaara had ever hoped. Gaara could not remember the last time he felt truly helpless. Only his father could achieve such, which was a rare occurrence. Gaara had avoided it for years.

Yet now, as Naruto flew headfirst into his midsection, the feeling returned. A rare sensation filled Gaara's nerves as the air was forcefully from his lungs. White hot pain flowed throughout as he gasped aimlessly. But Gaara was not afraid! He could feel his sand racing towards them. Soon, it would defend as reliably as ever, and he would congratulate Naruto on his decent attempt. Yet again, that changed all with the utterance of the blonde.

"Personal Atmosphere: Jetstream!"

Gaara felt the pain increase as his vision blurred, and he could feel them zip higher into the sky. His sand grew increasingly distant, unable to catch up to them. Gaara was truly def-

Naruto interrupted his thoughts. "I'll admit it, Sasuke's fight inspired this idea. But I think you'll find I have my original twist to it," He said with a smile as if it were a joke. This was a fight of life and death. How dare h-

Gaara did not see the strike that hit him in the face. He barely felt it, merely heard ringing from the impact and nauseousness. Gaara was actually being overwhelmed! Yes, this fight was what he needed! His body flew even higher, but Gaara felt a pull draw him close before it could escape the range of Naruto's reach. Another powerful blow rocked his ribs, and he heard a crack, not of bone but of his sand armor. Was Naruto managing to break such with his bare hands? Gaara had chosen well.

"Had enough?!" Naruto asked while Gaara flew back.

Gaara now understood why Naruto had held back in the beginning. He had assumed arrogance or ignorance, but now he saw the truth. Gaara underestimated Naruto and hadn't thought he would be such a plotter. His early, paltry, yet amusing attempts had been nothing more than him testing Gaara, seeing how his sand reacted, how strong it was, and its speed—all just to ensure Gaara would be defeated. It was thrilling. Was there a chance he wouldn't win today?

"No." Gaara spat with a smile. "GIVE ME MORE UZUMAKI!"

"Have it your way! Time for some brotherly tough love!" Naruto cried as, with a gesture, he willed Gaara back to him. Gaara smiled all the same. Let Uzumaki try his damndest to breach his defenses. He could feel his sand draw closer. He best take this shot…

Gaara felt so alive…

Naruto's POV

"Have it your way! Time for some brotherly tough love!" Naruto cried as passionately as infuriated. Why did Gaara insist on this? Naruto could feel his killing intent all around them, it was suffocating. This wasn't a fight he could enjoy. It was a fight, a fight he needed to win to communicate his point. Naruto had known this was something he couldn't avoid. He felt obligated to help Gaara, and this seemed to be the only way to do so.

It was good Jiraiya had helped him develop this combo. One designed to finish an opponent, even one with absurd durability like Gaara. Naruto would thank him for such, but he had hesitated to use it. He didn't want to kill Gaara after all, just kick his ass a bit. But Jiraiya had offered him a stern warning, a tip for fighting top-tier opponents.

"Listen, kid." Jiraiya had started after a tough day of training and drinking. It always seemed to make the man more sentimental and advising. In an infuriating way, of course.

"Dude, I'm literally a legal adult." Naruto replied dryly.

"A young adult." Jiraiya corrected.

"Get on with it, old man."

"Anyway, I want to talk to you about how you should approach fights with the top-level fighters you will encounter. There always is one in the exams—a dead ringer, someone who obviously doesn't need to even take them. I remember nearly getting my ass kicked by some Jounin disguised as a Genin. So there's something to keep in mind when facing them."

"This isn't some lame joke, right?" Naruto asked. "I mean, I'll take advice, but you spent the day kicking my ass, so no jokes."

"Shut it, with our training, I'm certain you'll be able to hold your own. But you need to make sure to take the shot given to you. In a fight with a good shinobi, if you can finish it, you finish it. You may not get another chance. As such, you need to form a decisive combination, a cool name for it, and use it as soon as possible."

"Is the cool name really necessary?"

Naruto hadn't been sure of it, but he knew it would be foolish not to heed it to some degree. This combination he had formed at Jiraiya's behest was one he was proud of. Hopefully, it will show Gaara the truth!

"Naruto Style: Uzumaki Barrage!" He called as Naruto zipped back towards him. Naruto pulled himself to Gaara and started the technique with a crushing flying kick to the ribs. With a burst of wind chakra and at his highest speed, he unleashed a follow-up backhand. He smirked as he saw Gaara's "skin" start to crack and fall off. But in another instant, Naruto followed this up with an overhand to his head, an uppercut to the chin, a powerful leg kick that made Gaara spiral in the air, a body hook that stopped the rotation, and a body kick that hit him higher in the air. Sand seemed to rain off the redhead as Naruto continued his high-speed barrage. Naruto unleashed another uppercut to Gaara's face and wrapped his hands around Gaara's head. Sand seemed to be collapsing off Gaara, nearly half his armor broken off, and a look of joy on his face. Naruto paid no heed, however, as he smashed his knee into the smile, knowing Gaara could take it, Naruto ruthlessly followed this up with a series of the same powerful knee strike repeatedly. The last of which sent Gaara flying back, or would have if not for Naruto grabbing onto his top to stop him. "I'm not done!"

"Yes, you are!" Gaara cried as the tiny remaining bit of sand armor wrapped around Naruto's hand and started to constrict. Seemingly, the redhead was determined to stop him. It would fail…

"No! I'm! Not!" With inhuman strength and wind control, Naruto cried and whipped Gaara around like a ragdoll, violently he flung him back towards the ground. The force freed his hand and sent Gaara back toward his sand and the ground at a great speed. "Personal Atmosphere: Jetstream!" He cried and flew towards Gaara, quickly closing in and guaranteed to reach him before the sand. Perfect…

"Fool!" Gaara taunted confidently even as he fell. His sand armor being gone revealed another layer… this gold but partially cracked from the onslaught. "It'll take more than mere punches and kicks to hurt me! You could barely breach my sand armor! My gold is much stronger! You can't hope to overcome it, acting like a human!" As he finished, more gold flew from his clothes, forming the same orb that had nearly killed Hinata. "In fact, I'll smack you out of the sky! Golden Dust Manipulation Seeking Orb!" The orb sounded off with a boom as it raced toward Naruto, who grimly glared at it as he flew toward it.

"We'll see about that! Time to show you what a human helped me create!" Naruto screamed as he pulled out a scroll, releasing a small metal cup. "Time for the finishing blow to the Uzumaki barrage, it's dual technique! First Uzumaki Style: Full Powered Raging Wave!" Riptide began to shine a brilliant blue that Naruto's eyes seemed to almost match. As the golden orb closed in, Naruto impressively reacted and sliced the orb in two with a nearly lazy slash of Riptide. He twirled as he did such in the next instant, being more inches away from Gaara. Gaara cackled as his golden armor shined, Naruto could see his sand closing in. It would be too late! "Time to show the technique I learned just for you!" Naruto screamed as he closed in the wind and swirled around his hand as he thrust his cup toward him. "Here's the other part! Wind Style: Implosive Rejection!" Naruto called, there was a growing sound of a whistle from the cup. The wind howled as it appeared a twister of wind was somehow coming from and somehow seeming to suck in a twister. There was a sound of suction as it came close, and Naruto smiled as Gaara was pulled in rapidly.

"A mere wind technique? My sister is practically a master. Do you think such a thing can breach my armor?" Gaara taunted as he flew in, even helpless, the monster seemed fearless.

"Like I said," Naruto said grimly as Gaara collided with the cup. There was an awful sound as the cup seemed determined to somehow suck Gaara in. "I designed this for you, but it isn't the kind of technique that can be blocked." As Naruto said this, his other arm prepared Riptide for a slash. Suddenly, the cup warbled under pressure and, with a boom, shattered into shards. That seemed minor compared to the calamity of booming wind it unleashed. The mere force ripped trees from below from the ground. Much of the audience shrieked in fear or fell from their seats. The storm above shook the entire arena with an audible rumble. Gaara screamed in pain as his armor shattered, and he was battered by the wild wind, in every direction, more wind was battering him even further. Leaving Gaara frozen in the air and blowing his sand even further below. Naruto did not hesitate as he twirled, preparing to finish the combo. Riptide shined as Naruto slashed ten feet before the airborne redhead. Chakra flooded from the blade and unleashed a massive amount of chakra, which engulfed Gaara. It boomed as it exploded in mid-air. Naruto watched grimly as Gaara fell from the cloud to the ground below. His sand proved the man was alive, or Naruto thought anyway, as it gathered below to catch Gaara, engulfing him into a protective orb and then crashing into the ground with an echoing thud.

Naruto slowly floated to the ground as the orb of sand shifted downwards. Naruto hoped it was over, even Gaara couldn't walk that off.

As the sand flattened, it exposed a battered and burned Gaara glaring at Naruto. He managed to stand, but it was shaky. In contrast with his beaten and exhausted appearance, he smiled wildly. Covered in gold, dust, sand, and blood, Gaara looked as if a demon had clawed its way from the very earth. Even more frightening was what Naruto noticed.

Gaara seemed to be standing straighter as the second went by. His burns seemed to shrink and fade, and the blood or grime didn't go away, but somehow, Naruto could see his minor cuts and large bruises slowly disappear.

"Are you surprised?" Gaara asked with a brow. "Thought you were the only one gifted?" He wondered again merely. "It's become clear you're worthy… now to establish who's in charge here."

"I don't take orders from creeps." Naruto countered hotly. "Also, I won't be joining you. I have my own dreams and goals to pursue! Being a jinchuriki doesn't define me!"

"Oh Naruto…" Gaara said with a wild chuckle. "It's the only thing about you that matters…"

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Temari's POV (Audience Section of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)

"Dear Kami, he's actually losing?" Kankuro asked, absolutely shocked. Temari sighed at this, as good as a shinobi as her brother was, he had always been a bit thick-headed. "I've never seen anyone land so much as a hit on Gaara, let alone hurt him to such a degree. I've seen him kill Jounin with little trouble… You don't think he'll?"

"No."

"No."

Both Temari and Baki answered sternly and dismissively of Kankuro's concerns. Kankuro growled angrily as he glared at the other two.

"I get that you may not care for him, Baki, but Temari—he's our brother. I hate the little creep sometimes, too, but that doesn't mean I want to watch him get torn apart," Kankuro said with a growl.

Baki merely ignored him, not interested in an unimportant discussion. He had never been much of a social man.

"Yes, I would be worried too. Unlike you, however, I don't try to threaten our younger brother," Temari replied sarcastically. "Furthermore, I'm much more informed than you. This fight has just started."

"It's been a while and a hell of a fight. Naruto and Gaara are surely heading towards the final stretch." Kankuro remarked with a raised brow.

"No, this was likely Naruto attempting to end the fight quickly. Unfortunately, he underestimated Gaara. He should've never stopped hitting him. Maybe if he kept up the assault it would've stuck. But now he'll see just how strong our brother has become," Temari countered confidently.

"That's stu-"

"Silence, fool." Baki interjected. "Your sister speaks with wisdom you do not have. Gaara has not shown nearly his full capabilities. Likely, neither has Uzumaki."

"Okay, Gaara is strong, there's a reason Temari and I fear our own brother." Kankuro agreed. "But come on, even he's just a Genin."

"You've never seen your father fight Gaara, have you?" Temari remarked. "You usually leave whenever Gaara gets like that."

"Father always wins." Kankuro countered.

"Yet it is never easy," Baki added. "You also were absent the day our team dynamic changed."

"Changed?"

"Gaara defeated Baki sensei…" Temari chimed in. "It was an absurdly close fight, but he managed it…"

"Bullshit," Kankuro interjected. "Even Gaara couldn't beat our strongest Jounin."

"Yet he did," Temari replied. "We haven't seen anything yet. Our brother has become something… different…"