Naruto's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Naruto stared at Kurotsuchi, not paying attention to Kakashi stating the rules. He had always enjoyed a good fight. Neji and Ino often teased him that he was some sort of berserker. But the truth was fighting simply made things simpler. Naruto felt he could understand someone better in combat, and as long as things were kept safe, he could work through grief painlessly… for the most part, anyway. Perhaps that was why he was so excited to fight Kurotsuchi.
Kurotsuchi had seemed intent to fight him as well. Not because she hoped to kill or hurt him like Gaara. But more of a competitive urge. Naruto could behind such. Happy to hear of his dream to be Hokage, she had seemed determined to gauge their progress by determining who was stronger.
Naruto supposed he could see where she was coming from, but it seemed so… weird. They had the same dream and ambition; the singular difference was the title for the position and the village it would grant them dominion over. Why did it matter who was stronger? Why should their fight have anything to do with proving someone superior? Naruto simply wanted the two to do their best; he wanted to win, but he didn't think that would make him better.
Why did Kurotsuchi decide to become a Kage? Had it been out of a desire to be beloved like himself? The drive to be the best? Why did Naruto feel as if her answer would upset him? Naruto had never been an over-thinker. He would get to the bottom of this.
"Hey, shortie! Come on, already, the fight has started!" Kurotsuchi roared, knocking Naruto out of his inner musing. "I don't want any excuses from you when I'm done kicking your ass!"
"Keep joking." Naruto replied with a small smile. "I was just thinking, can I ask you something?"
"Yes, I'm single, and no, I'm not interested." Kurotsuchi said with a raised brow.
"Ya not interested." Naruto countered, with a slight frown now. "I was just wondering why you decided to become Tsuchikage?"
"Why? It was expected of me; I'm the granddaughter of Onoki of the Scales. To become anything less would shame my family. Besides, I want to prove to that old bastard I'll surpass him and everyone else."
Naruto seemed to frown a little deeper at this. "But you don't need to surpass anyone to do that. Why do you seem so keen on being superior to people?"
"Keen? No, I'm not keen on it, but that's how the world works. They are people in this world who are simply greater than everyone else. Then there are those who are born weaker than everyone else. If you want to be remembered as anything more than another body, you gotta prove you are better than the rest. Give them a reason to remember you, as a bar they can never surpass. I want to leave behind a legacy just as my grandfather has done. And in the process, serve my village well." Kurotsuchi explained. "Not that it matters much, but I can tell you don't like my answer." She finished with a shrug.
Naruto cracked his neck as he drew Riptide and did some slow stretches. "No," He started as he now eyed Kurotsuchi intensely. "No, I don't." His mind wandered to his time training with Jiraiya.
"I haven't thought to ask yet, brat." Jiraiya mused as he lay lazily on a branch. He sipped greedily from a bottle of sake as Naruto and a clone of Jiraiya were engaged in a vicious Taijutsu spar below him. "Why do you wanna become Hokage anyway? You realize just because Minato did so, you don't have to as well."
"No, of course not, you damn drunk pervert!" Naruto growled angrily after crawling up to his feet after a particularly harsh beatdown from the clone. "I just wanna become the kind of person everyone can count on. Make the Hidden Leaf a better place to live. Prove everyone who looked down on me wrong. Become the best, I guess. It never really mattered to me what my dad was. I never intended to become a copy of either of my parents anyway. I'm my own man."
Jiraiya nodded somberly as his clone whipped Naruto violently into a tree. "So it's an ego thing for you. You want to become Hokage to fix your reputation and show your worth. Figuring you can help out the village in the process."
Naruto slammed back into the clone with a flying knee; done with enough force, the clone slid back. "So what? Something wrong with that?"
"Not quite, but your thinking is, well, naive, I would say." Jiraiya countered.
"How s-" Naruto was interrupted as the clone landed a powerful body shot on him, silencing him as he crumbled into a ball of pain.
"Assuming you were gonna say how so." Jiraiya continued with a smirk. "You can't fix your reputation or treatment by becoming Hokage. A Hokage is beloved by the people of his village long before he is given the mantle. And if you're becoming a leader out of spite, you've already failed."
"How the hell would you know?" Naruto argued sourly. He didn't get much enjoyment out of someone challenging his dream. "You're no Kage; or some great leader. I'm not even sure what your rank is. Sannin is just some title they gave you for whatever reason." Naruto offered a challenge of his own.
"Technically, something like an Anbu, I guess." Jiraiya chuckled with mirth. "And while I may not be some grand leader, I've known plenty, both great and bad. Only the bad ones follow the motivations you mentioned. If your only reason to achieve accomplishments is to prove others wrong, what will you do once you've done so? How far will you go to prove them wrong? How will you even do so before becoming Hokage? Why would you be a better Hokage than someone else if they were equally powerful? Equally Wise? Wisdom and Power are merely aspects of a good Kage. The two alone don't make one. To become a great Kage or leader you must master yourself and win the hearts of you fellow brethren."
Naruto was stunned into silence.
"See? Becoming Hokage is a fine dream, one I think you are capable of one day, brat. But you need to recognize that becoming Hokage isn't just an accomplishment or a way to display your legacy. It's about becoming someone so beloved and needed they feel the need to give you the reins. At which point we, as your people, will expect you to serve not only loyally but effectively. How you'll improve the Hidden Leaf as all the predecessors have before you. Will be the determining factor on whether your remembered well or poorly. Consider all of this, figure out the answer to those questions for yourself." Jiraiya lectured with a smile. "Only then will you be something close to a good leader."
Naruto blinked and refocused on the tense Kurotsuchi. "You're not worthy of your dream yet." He declared bluntly. Jiraiya had made him see that more clearly. He felt compelled to challenge her flawed vision of their dreams. "And unless you change your attitude, you never will be."
Kurotsuchi's eyes narrowed at this, and she lowered herself to a more aggressive stance. "Let's see about that Shortie."
Naruto's eyes hardened as he grumpily sighed. "I'm not even that damn short." Naruto blinked, as soon as he did so he heard the sudden air shift. 'The match has already started. Let's see what you got.' Kurotsuchi dashed forward as soon as she saw Naruto's guard lowered.
Naruto leaned his head to the left, managing to sway out of the way of Kurotsuchi's punch. He quickly trapped her arm with one arm and used it to attempt to throw her directly onto her head. Kurotsuchi, showing a surprising level of flexibility and acrobatics, managed to land on her legs in a bridge form. She quickly lashed out with a flexible kick for his face as well. Naruto deflected it using Riptide and attempted to stomp on her head. Kurotsuchi rolled away, firing off kunai rapidly. Naruto pursued her doggedly, deflecting each with Riptide with skill and ease. He then spun in a circle, aiming for a slash to Kurotsuchi's ankles. She jumped over the slash with a flying knee aimed at his face. With one arm, Naruto caught it, and the two both let go, each aiming for a head kick. The two kicks met with a loud, painful, sounding thud. Naruto proved to be the more vigorous blow, knocking Kurotsuchi off balance. As she stumbled back Naruto slashed for her torso. Which she sloppily leapt back from. Seeing this Naruto swept her legs, grabbed her arm, and hauled her with his impressive strength as he did. He threw her bodily towards the stony part of the field. His power and angle of throw caused her to rise and fly away from him. Towards the hard ground area of the Courtyard.
'She's no slouch regarding close combat, but I think I have the advantage.' Naruto mused. 'She didn't show any jutsu, but it's safe to assume she uses Earth Style. Better to keep this fight in my preferred range.' As he organized his thoughts with one hand, he summoned ten clones. The group of clones did not hesitate, immediately chasing after their airborne foe.
She managed to flip upright in the air and, with a skid, managed to land on and stay on her feet. As the Naruto's closed in, Kurotsuchi smiled, showing she had finished a series of hand signs. "Earth Style: Quivers of Earth!"
Several straight and sharp lines of stone emerged from the ground, racing toward the clones. Two of them, who were close to her, could not react. The thin lines of earth speared from them with silent poofs. The rest continued their charge as one dived towards the incoming earth spikes.
"Uzumaki Style: Casting Net!" The clone cried as it slashed several times; this led to a blue net of chakra flying forward, slicing through the stone projectiles as it met them. The rest of the clones surged forward to the pressured Kurotsuchi. As they did so, she summoned stone on her fist with a whisper from her, fearlessly Kurotsuchi charged forward to meet their attack.
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Ino's POV (Medical Ward of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Resting after the intense conversation between Tsunade, Naruto, and herself wasn't easy. Tsunade's words seemed so sure; there was no dishonesty in them. And to Ino, there were only so many others as qualified to give advice as Tsunade.
There were very few famous kunoichi, even fewer that Ino felt comfortable holding as a role model. Tsunade was one of their few. As far as anyone knew, she was the only female S-ranked kunoichi. Furthermore, she did so without venturing into the darker side of kunoichi. As such, she and many other up-and-coming kunoichi idealized the woman as the prime example of a woman's potential in a shinobi's world.
Hearing an idol of hers being so cynical and defeated had been disheartening. Ino had felt her heart drop as the conversation went on. Even more so when not only had Tsunade detected her hidden feelings for the blonde. Then, warn her not to pursue them. Ino hadn't decided to pursue a relationship, nor had she even fully decided if that was what she wanted. Yet now she couldn't help but feel like Tsunade had a point. She had decided to walk off such thoughts for now.
As soon as Ino had left the section for the medical ward she had runned into some familiar faces. An exhausted Yuno and worried-looking Choji walked towards her.
"Ino!" Yuno called, her usually friendly and teasing tone replaced with an all-business voice. "Have you seen Kiba?"
"We've been looking all over for the guy but can't find him." Choji added.
"Worse yet, Sakura and Lee said his room looked like he had been attacked. Sakura, Lee, Gai, some samurai, and ourselves are looking for them. But we're worried something bad happened to him."
"Umm, no, sorry," Ino said with a frown. "Any way I can help?"
"Well, we could use someone else covering the ground. The Iron Arena is large, and we want to ensure he isn't being kidnapped or hurt somewhere nearby." Yuno explained. "It's strange though, it almost looked like some kind-" Before she could finish, smoke suddenly exploded around them with a boom. The injured Ino and Yuno were sent flying back from the cloud of smoke as yells could be heard from Choji. Before the two women could do much, two guards arrived and bravely dived into the giant cloud of smoke. Before both were sent flying back, the armor was dented, and bones likely shattered. They cried out in pain breaking Ino and Yuno from their stupor.
Ino hesitated, not wanting to dive into a bad situation. But Yuno, with a howl, dived in as well. Ino flinched as her screams joined Choji's before suddenly the smoke converged, condensing before, in mere seconds, it was gone entirely. There was not a trace remaining of Choji or Yuno. Ino was frozen for a few seconds, confused about what to do before the shock wore off. She first checked on the two samurai, noting neither injury was life-threatening. Before she glanced at the spot, her two friends had been. The smoke covered the surrounding area, which had scratches and cracked concrete throughout. Even a couple small puddles of blood. Ino gasped as her mind took in the scene. Before she could panic much, several samurai arrived on the scene. Some stopped to aid the still-conscious samurai, who did a better job than Ino at describing what had happened.
'I couldn't even help.' Ino thought miserably.
"Two more Genin are missing in our land. This may prove troublesome; the Hokage would be within his right to hold us accountable." One of the arriving samurai noted.
"Save it for now; we must keep searching." Another replied before the group ventured off. One female samurai stayed behind to help Ino back to the medical bay.
But Ino felt barely any pain; she mostly felt numb.
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Kurotsuchi's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Kurotsuchi had known this fight would be a good one. Naruto had admittedly impressed her in his battle with Tenten. She had figured in the Trial of Janus Naruto was simply a clown, someone fun to be around but not a shinobi to be careful of. Naruto had shattered that perception; in fact, it had made her slightly annoyed. Because Kurotsuchi was still determining if she could beat him based on his fight with Tenten. Naruto hadn't seemed particularly challenged during the battle and, upon taking it seriously, had utterly overwhelmed her. Kurotsuchi would've struggled against Tenten. She had doubts she could've done much better. But more than frustrate her, it had excited her. Kurotsuchi had seen an opportunity, the opportunity to defeat someone who had the same ambition as her. Someone who seemed incredibly powerful would serve as her stepping stone. All she had to do is prove herself better.
Though this was ridiculous! Naruto had dominated their first exchange using pure physicality; now he seemed to be countering her ninjutsu using pure kenjutsu and damn clones! She jabbed at a clone who swayed around it, helpless it was to dodge the gauntlet around her fist, suddenly spiking out and impaling it. She twirled as she held her hands together. The gauntlets became a large club that smacked several more clones away. She tore it apart, forming blades as she blocked the slash of two more clones. Kurotsuchi's eyes widened as another appeared before her, its blade coated in chakra; she also felt another behind her! 'He's faster than me! Worse yet the clones make it impossible to hold my own!'
"Smashing Waves!" The clone yelled in unison as they slashed toward Kurotsuchi. Desperately, she formed her gauntlets into shields. She raised both to her front and back to block the slashes. This managed to stop the blades, but the chakra still boomed with energy, destroying the rest of the clones and stunning Kurotsuchi, leaving her slightly singed and dazed. Before she could fully recover, Naruto unleashed a powerful and harsh kick to her ribs. She spat blood as she flew away. Before Naruto could pursue her further she seemed to sink into the earth. Kurotsuchi took the time to breathe and reassess the situation.
'This is ridiculous; up close, he's picking me apart; I need to limit his movements to guarantee I can hit him with one of my stronger techniques. Time to stall; let's see how easily you deal with this, Shortie!' Kurotsuchi thought as she weaved hand signs underground.
From the surface, Naruto saw none of this, instead feeling a slight tremble of the ground; this was the only warning as suddenly a large portion of the ground beneath him writhed with large earthen hands. Each erupted from the ground and attempted to swat or crush him.
"Earth Style: Gaia's Grasp!" She called from her hiding spot. Naruto jumped back narrowly, avoiding a hand directly underneath him. He leaped again to prevent another, but a third caught him mid-air. It sent him high up in the air, avoiding the rest but leaving him wide open for the last two that surged forward to clap Naruto, crushing each bone in his body. Kurotsuchi rose as this happened, using her hands to direct the stone. He summoned two clones, each grabbing an arm and leg, spiking him towards Kurotsuchi.
"Naruto Spear!" Kurotuschi flinched before Naruto crashed into her painfully. Head collided to head as the two "future Kages" crashed into each other. The force of which caused the two to bounce and skid. Naruto beat her to her feet and rose Riptide to finish the fight. Before he could one final hand of Gaia burst from the ground blind siding him. Naruto twirled through the air painfully; Kurotsuchi watched as he summoned several clones to cushion his collision with a tree. The clump of clones crashed through the tree. But they somehow managed to ensure the original come out barely damaged, only showing minor cuts and bleeding which seemed to be already healing.
'He's wearing me out just like he did her.' "Luckily, I have something for powerhouses like you! Earth Style: Earth Golem!" She called as her creation rose from the earth below. Easily twenty feet tall, it was a rough resemblance to an Iwa Shinobi, though it made up for this simple appearance with intimidation, it was large and roughly assembled with both stone and metal.
She watched as Naruto eyed it warily, as she predicted he intended to eliminate it rather than risk it. 'This should buy me a little time. I doubt I can land a clean enough hit to keep him down. Better to win by disabling him!'
"Let's see it! Show me that technique you used on Tenten!" Kurotsuchi roared. "Show me why you'll become Hokage! Show me your village isn't inferior to mine!"
Naruto nodded solemnly as he raised a hand sign. "Personal Atmosphere: Level One" Like his bout to Tenten, wind surrounded the blonde. Gust of it sent dust and lightweight objects flying through the air; Naruto's eyes almost seemed to shine as he gazed at the large construct before him. The breeze seemed to be utterly wild and uncontained if not for its waning influence, slowly waning as it got further from the blonde. "I don't care about proving my home to be better than yours. They both mean the world to us, and I have no interest in saying otherwise. I'm fighting you only to prove my power, not superiority. I won't fight you to prove the Leaf is better than the Stone, but I'll fight you to see which of us is stronger. It won't mean the victor is better, merely further ahead than the other."
Kurotsuchi was stunned by his point. She thought it over before she suddenly burst out into laughter. Rising from the earth as she did so. Momentarily forgetting her own strategy to face the blonde. Kurotsuchi wanted to gauge his honesty. She was shocked to see he meant his words. "I've never met anyone quite like you, Uzumaki. Maybe you have a point; prove it by beating me!" Kurotsuchi screamed as her Golem surged forward with some unseen signal. It ran forward and attempted to punch Naruto. Naruto jumped up, twirling around the punch with precise control. Seemingly unbothered by gravity entirely. As if he was merely willing his body through the air. The giant spun and attempted to swat the blonde. But Naruto seemed to jump against the air, to dodge the strike and fly toward the creature.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
'Good luck hurting it like that, Shortie. Even with your monster strength, my Earth Golem can tank explosive tags.' She thought as Naruto reared back his fist to punch the giant. He roared as he did so, speeding in and unleashing a powerful punch to the Golem's head. This splintered the stone throughout the head and made the construct stumble back. Kurotsuchi couldn't believe her eyes. 'He is hurting my golem with his bare hands?' Naruto did not rest; after his punch, he once again seemed to jump against the air; shooting off like an arrow, he slammed feet-first into the Golem's upper arm, breaking it off. He appeared to skid against the air somehow, bodily stopping his own momentum and shooting off again with a kick to one leg, which broke it off, and a powerful hand chop to the other leg made the giant golem fall. 'Is he secretly the son of Tsunade the Slug Sannin?!'
"Size doesn't matter when it's that weak!" Naruto teased. As he did so, the Golem managed to rise behind him silently. This left him open for the somehow fully formed Golem to slam him into the ground, not unsimilar to swatting a fly. Naruto painfully climbed to his feet, feeling sore. 'Best to avoid getting hit by that thing again.' The beast seemed determined to repeat the action as it marched towards him to continue smashing him.
Naruto seemed to skip up into the sky. Glaring at the Earth Golem for his airborne view. He now bled from a cut above his right eye. Naruto thought over the Earth Golem. It was undoubtedly an impressive jutsu, and it seemed to be able to repair itself. Jiraiya had talked to him about complex techniques, summarizing almost any technique could be countered. If a man was creative and gutsy.
Jiraiya laughed bodily as the blonde struggled to drag himself free from his jutsu. "Ya "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld" is one of my favorites. It's easy to avoid if you know it's coming, but it can be shockingly effective if used correctly.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, drunk!" Naruto yelled, still stuck ankle-deep in the dark mud. "What kinda mud is this anyway! I can smash concrete with my bare hands but can't escape this!"
"Rumor has it, this is the mud one can look forward to in the afterlife, a grim preview of what awaits most shinobi. In truth, it's a mixture of mud and chakra, which makes it sticky and incredibly durable." Jiraiya explained.
"Ya, well, it's so stupid; you keep catching me in it. How am I suppose to learn from you if you keep trapping me in this shit!" Naruto complained.
"Blame yourself for falling for it. I use it every spar and you seem unable to avoid it. Find a way around good techniques, brat; it separates the greats from the average." Jiraiya lectured.
"Sorry Shortie! My Golem can heal pretty quick! Better do something better to keep him down!" Kurotsuchi taunted. Naruto merely nodded as he summoned six more clones. Each suddenly were turned headfirst facing the Golem. The clones were each frozen in the air as if in the grasp of a large invisible being. Suddenly, each shot forward as an arrow; the slow Golem could do nothing as each impacted relatively ineffectively. Causing craters in the summon but little else. Kurotsuchi smiled before Naruto offered his own. It was clear he needed to destroy the golem in one go to stop it. Luckily overkill was something Naruto might as well specialized in.
"Naruto Artillery." He said calmly as the Walking Landmine Clones exploded, destroying the entire Golem in a chain series of explosions. Before the chunks could begin to reform Naruto smiled as Riptide glowed with power. "Uzumaki Style: Raging Wave!" A large blast of chakra blast into the construct. Destroying the remains left from his previous attack. Kurotsuchi was stunned as Naruto landed softly in front of her. Riptide in hand and seemingly glowing eyes locked onto her.
'He took apart an Earth Golem Casually?' She thought with shock. 'I suppose it's good I have one more trick.'
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Guren's POV (Border of Land of Fire)
Guren eyed the group of Leaf Anbu; she had battled many in her time as Orochimaru's heavy. They often lacked the power individually to be a threat to her, but in groups, they were capable of facing most. They had been tracking them since their little foray in the Leaf. And if Guren had set it up correctly would have seen the trail lead them outside of Leaf Jurisdiction. She watched warily as they followed such, up until it lead to the technical line of their territory. They surely reasonably assumed she had left the land to escape them. Guren was amused how easy it could be to avoid shinobi.
It died rather quickly. After all was she truly all that better herself? While they might mindlessly serve a village, Guren had mindlessly served Orochimaru. The stress of which lead to her fleeing the man. Surely she could find peace away from him. How hard could that be.
Apparently harder than she had thought, Guren had tried hard to live peacefully after her disappearance. After Orochimaru's assault on the Leaf, she knew he would assume she had fallen. One could hardly be blamed for losing to an entire platoon of Anbu after all. To make an earnest living and simply live freely without harming others. Yukimaru had often attempted to persuade her to do so before his demise. And she figured living his dream would allow her happiness, perhaps offering her and the deceased Yukimaru peace.
Guren had found no peace in peace. Despite living the dream Yukimaru had wanted for them, it had been meaningless without him there to enjoy it. Guren had made a decision at that point to get revenge against Orochimaru. To kill the man who had ordered the death of the one person who had meant anything to her.
Quite the goal she had set for herself and plotting it had taken. As one of Orochimaru's former most trusted subordinates, she knew how difficult doing such would be. At least, at first. Finding allies had been easy; reaching out to a surviving Dosu and Zaku bore fruit immediately. Both recognized the death mission the Sannin had sent them on and knew alone they could do little more than be silenced by Orochimaru. Tayuya had been lucky; she had been disloyal for a while and often vented to Guren; at first, Guren had simply allowed it due to her needing companionship. In time, they became earnest friends, and Tayuya decided to aid her in her goal. The other two were more complex but useful all the same.
Once she had some allies (even if they were relatively weak), she knew she needed to set up a situation even Orochimaru would struggle to slither out of. Guren had been surprised by how easy this had been; by reaching out to two parties, she had arranged for them both to attack Orochimaru (unknowingly) simultaneously.
From there, she wanted to ensure the wild car wouldn't ruin her ploy. Kabuto Yakushi is the right-hand man of Orochimaru and the most lethal man in the Sound, except for the Sannin himself. Sure, Guren and Kimmaro had been individually stronger than him (something she now knew had not been entirely accurate), but he was more helpful. He used his intelligent mind, cruel intentions, and healing abilities to be their equal. With him around, Guren doubted Orochimaru could fall; Kabuto simply was too good at his job, Guren supposed. If he was around and well he very may be the difference between Orochimaru living or dying.
Now, with Kabuto taken care of, Orochimaru would be vulnerable. Well more vulnerable since Guren was aware Orochimaru would need to switch bodies soon. He had selected his next body a while ago. But she knew it would take him time to return to full power.
Guren returned to their temporary camp; Dosu was tending to his prosthetic foot while Tayuya cleaned her flute. Upon her arrival, both looked at her.
"We lose the tree huggers?" Tayuya asked. "Getting to meet my cousin was nice, but those nice guys drive me nuts. Like they can't all tell their faker than shit."
"We certainly did," Guren said with a ghost of a smile. "Rest for now; we don't have long before we need to move."
"See, that's what confuses me," Dosu complained. "You suggest we fight Orochimaru, which is already a death sentence. But you suggest we do so while other powerful groups do so. If you wish to commit suicide, must you include us?"
"I hate to agree with Shit Mummy over here." Tayuya said, ignoring Dosu's less-than-polite response. "But this seems risky."
"For one, we must attack with another party and/or parties doing so as well. We lack the strength to kill Orochimaru otherwise. Furthermore, we simply have to pick our moment well. Knowing our former master, he'll somehow find a way to escape the situation. We will ensure when he does so, the exhausted Sannin runs into an ambush."
"Okay… but even if that Snake bastard is greatly weakened, he'd make easy work of the three of us. Hell, even with that creep Zaku, we'd be lacking the firepower." Tayuya countered.
"We are not alone; two more will join our side. Besides, I have been planning this for much longer than you know. Kabuto was a test; I'm now confident that I can kill Orochimaru, assuming he's significantly weakened of course." Guren assured. "For the sake of the many he has harmed, for the sake of our lives he's ruined. Orochimaru the Snake Sannin will perish." She promised the group darkly.
"You wouldn't be moving subtly unless you believed you had a shot. You earnestly believe that the three of us and two strangers can somehow ensure the death of Orochimaru. Seems fanciful. But it works for me all as well." Dosu replied evenly. "I can see plain as the day my group was to perish to test Naruto Uzumaki. Either we achieved an unreasonable victory, died, or would be killed for failure. Orochimaru has always been the type to tie loose ends; it's best to ensure he does not have the opportunity to do so to me."
"Bastard has been targeting the Uzumaki with Ikam for years. Behind my own back. That being said, you best not lead us to early death, you bitch." Tayuya agreed.
Guren didn't bother answering. They all could feel they may not live much longer. She wouldn't lie to her new allies.
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Naruto / Kurotsuchi's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Naruto landed, staring intently at Kurotsuchi. Her summon had been a powerful technique that screamed of either stalling or desperation. Based on Naruto's overwhelming performance thus far, he would guess both. But what was her gambit? Why did she think the time would aid her? Best to finish things before she could utilize them.
Naruto stepped forward, prepared to use his superior speed to close the distance before Kurotsuchi could use whatever she was hiding. The earth below him splintered before Naruto could wholly lean into the step. His balance was thrown for a loop as the ground beneath him gave way. It exposed a hollow chamber of earth quickly, the cavern or pit was the size of the arena.
'She used the time I spent fighting the Golem to create a subtle space beneath the ground.' Naruto thought as he dropped ten feet in nearly an instant. Naruto smiled at the impressive trap as he flexed his ankles, willing the chakra-controlled air around him to shoot him up and out of the man-made cavern. Naruto shot forward toward the surface, only for the sunlight on the surface to be blocked out. He saw an absurd amount of dark gray substance falling from above. The substance seemed to cover the sky above him, globs falling like rain on a stormy day. 'A trap that lowers my mobility option. Followed by a technique that is widespread? It must be some kinda restraint technique similar to Pervy Sage's annoying swamp jutsu.' Using his Personal Atmosphere, Naruto spun around and kicked back toward the bottom of the trap. 'Need a way to repel the attack and attack her at once. Otherwise, she'll simply continue spamming attacks. No one should be able to see me down here. Suppose it's time to use it; thanks for the help, Pervy Sage.'
Kurotsuchi's POV
Kurotsuchi had spent years mastering the Earth Golem technique; hers was a lesser version of Onoki's. She and most other shinobi lacked the raw chakra to use the complete Golem. As such, she had could only summon a much weaker and smaller one. Even with such in mind Kurotsuchi had defeated Chunin and pressured Jounin with the technique. It was the achievement that convinced Onoki to send her to the exams. Kurotsuchi had known whoever she may fight would run into trouble once she used it.
Naruto Uzumaki had turned one of her aces into nothing more than mere stalling. But Kurotsuchi was self-aware; she knew she was a tad bit arrogant. Onoki often told her it was something their family struggled with. As such, she had another ace. Molding the battlefield was a familiar skill for Iwa shinobi or kunoichi. It was why they had been feared in the Great Ninja Wars, and Kurotsuchi had known it would be helpful against more troublesome opponents. A pitfall without some sort of kill mechanism wasn't the most effective of traps. Kurotsuchi could think of a method to make it much more effective.
"Lava Style: Ash Stone Seal Rain!" Kurotsuchi roared as she spat out a litany of globs. "Let's see you counter thi-"
Suddenly, it seemed like the sound was muted for the entire arena. There was a violent sound of air whistling and whooshing. The perimeter of Kurotsuchi's pit cracked around the edges. Suddenly, the loud sound of wind stopped with an earth-shaking boom. Before, just as suddenly, the dark gray substance shot out of the pit, impacting Kurotsuchi with great speed. Naruto shot out shortly after standing in the air and staring down his opponent. Kurotsuchi was bound to a tree, only her head and left arm free from the mass of her own jutsu that pinned her. Naruto walked through the air to draw close to Kurotsuchi.
Naruto's POV
He stopped before reaching her with a smirk on his face. "Man, Kurotsuchi, I didn't realize how scary you could be." Naruto said, voicing a mix of genuine respect and childish teasing. "But I think this fight is mine."
Kurotsuchi growled angrily as she attempted to pull herself free. She lacked the skill to use one-handed jutsu, and even if she could, Naruto was more than close enough to ensure it would mean little. "No… way… I… can't… lose to some Leaf…"
"Why does it matter where we're from? We share the same ambition, have the same career, and enjoy a good fight." Naruto interrupted her with a confused frown. "We're so similar; so why can't we simply be friends while we both push on for our homes instead of focusing on differences and superiority. I think you should work on uniting people and serving selfless. We can't be a great leader unless we're great people. Something I think we're both far off from." Naruto lectured seriously.
Kurotsuchi sighed heavily, forced to hear his words and recognize her defeat. "Maybe we are, but today, you showed you ahead of me." She said begrudgingly.
Kakashi appears, smiling subtly at Naruto to show his pride. He poked at the bound but was yet to surrender to Kurotsuchi. "I assume you surrender?"
"Never." Kurotsuchi replied stubbornly. Seemingly heedless of her position, she struggled as if she could free herself.
"Riiiiight~?" Kakashi replied with humor. "Anyway, since you are completely defeated."
"I resent that hippie!" Kurotsuchi roared.
"Naruto Uzumaki is the victor!" Once again, this was met by meager applause, most of the audience unwilling to support the outed jinchuriki. It mattered little. Naruto made up for their silence with his own cheering.
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Fuu / Sasuke's POV (Contestant Section of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Fuu nearly buzzed with excitement! These exams so far had been nothing short of everything she had expected and even more! She had met and befriended Naruto, Saumi, Omoi, Karui (she thought so anyway; it was hard to tell with someone so grumpy.), and even Bee. Fuu had never heard of rap music before but thought it was fantastic! Fuu wasn't expected to win the exams; her village didn't care for whatever business it may bring, and as such, she didn't feel nearly as much pressure as the others.
Fuu had learned to enjoy combat; she didn't fight or train often, and her village saw her mainly as a necessary evil and, as such, hadn't offered her much training. Little did they realize that Fuu was lucky, just like the "beast" they sealed in her. Chomei hadn't taken kindly to being imprisoned yet again. So when a young and naive Fuu attempted to befriend it, Chomei resisted. But the earnest and stubborn Fuu won the "beast" over. Chomei, the caring creature it was, had decided to train Fuu. Chomei had told her a jinchuriki had no choice but to defend itself in this world.
Fuu had become strong enough for her home's fear to grow. Strong enough for Fuu to lose fear in combat. Fuu knew that as much as she liked humans, they simply lacked the staying power Chomei offered her. Fuu had decided to focus on social problems and allow her power to coast through the exams.
Fuu may have been well, herself. But she recognized now these exams, even for someone as lucky as her, were not to be underestimated. Rock Lee, her first opponent, had required her armor. Neji, Naruto's friend, had been defeated by her next opponent. And from Naruto's words, Neji was a rival to him.
Fuu usually wouldn't bother with this kinda fight, but Neji had seemed nice, Naruto was doubly so, and Fuu was confident she could beat Sasuke. Avenging her friends, friend, seemed like a great way to support them. All Fuu needed to do was focus and not play around. If that failed well… she was lucky.
Sasuke's POV
Sasuke cracked his neck as he walked down the halls of the Iron Arena. He knew most would feel tension and anxiety build at a time like this. But Sasuke felt more focused and alive than ever. For years now, Sasuke had trained and toiled uselessly towards his goal. His inquiries never led to any significant evidence. Shisui and his mother insisted the failed Uchiha Coup held no mysteries, and he had yet to redeem his clan.
But today was different from most other days. Today, Sasuke could move confidently; today, Sasuke was actively progressing toward his ambition. Sasuke felt his chakra seem to stir excitedly within him.
His performance in the match versus Neji had been impressive; it would likely give Sasuke the needed reputation for the promotion. Yet his competitive edge had been stroked, and Fuu had easily defeated Rock Lee. Something even he doubted he could've done. Sasuke could tell Fuu would be his greatest challenge yet. An actual test of his skill and drive. Better yet, jinchuriki were known for their power and endurance. He could likely afford to use even his lethal techniques. 'Besides, most of my kit was exposed earlier.' Sasuke reasoned to himself. Best not to hold much back in this fight. He arrived calmly and timely into the courtyard. He witnessed his smiling and seemingly excited opponent stretching from across him.
Her nonchalant attitude was grating to him. Sasuke was confused by how she seemed so relaxed. Had she not seen him systematically take down the genius of the Hyuga? Move at speeds even Jounin could envy? Did she not realize who she was facing? Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he slid into a ready stance. Now that the Ash Step was exposed, he would rely on it until more was used. 'Think you above the Uchiha?' Sasuke thought bitterly. 'I'll show you and everyone else you all wrong.'
Fuu's POV
With a shout of "start," Kakashi leaped back from the two to allow them to begin. Fuu's eyes followed him as his body flickered far enough to be out of the way. She looked back to her opponent to wish him luck, only to flinch as a foot filled her vision. Fuu flew back, completely caught off guard by the strike. Sasuke appears beneath her, kicking her into the sky. Fuu reflexively activated her wings to stay in the sky. Still, Sasuke was waiting above her, kicking her with chakra to send the friendly young woman crashing violently into the ground.
Sasuke spared no mercy for her; instead, he called out even more violence.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke called. When Fuu climbed to her feet, it was only to greet the explosive fiery ball. With a boom, dust kicked into the air, momentarily masking the fate of Fuu.
"Not bad, emo!" Fuu complimented. "Hopefully, you got more than that! I've never met someone as fast as you!" Battle without malice was delightful! The rush of combat without the breathtaking hatred was intoxicating. Sasuke was clearly just as, if not more powerful than Lee! How exciting!
Sasuke offered no response, merely blurring forward, slamming his knee into Fuu's face with incredible speed. Fuu did not fly this time or even budge. Sensing a shift, Sasuke attempted to blur away right as Fuu grabbed his ankle. Before Sasuke could initiate this technique, Fuu whipped the Uchiha violently away. Before Sasuke could collide with a tree, he faded out of sight.
"You must've activated that jutsu you used to survive Rock Lee's barrage." Sasuke remarked; his voice sounded as if it was coming from around the forest area; Gaara made desert and stony areas. Fuu whipped her head around, confused, attempting to locate Sasuke. "Time to test this technique."
Fuu had no time to respond; six fireballs flew from the forest. Each seemed to be fashioned after a demonic-looking face. Fuu dodged each with ease, frowning at the lack of luster attack.
"Easy to dodge, aren't they?" Sasuke questioned. "Fortunately, they are relentless." Fuu continued to dodge the fireballs, noticing they didn't stray off like regular projectiles. Instead, they circled back around to continue to assault her. "My Demonic Flame Lanterns pursue the chakra signature of their target until they hit it. Furthermore-"
Fuu continued her desperate scramble to avoid the lanterns. She stomped the ground to kick up a large lump of stone and kicked it into three projectiles. To her shock, they didn't explode on contact as most jutsu would. Instead, it seemed to dissipate as a hit before reforming once it had passed through.
"They will not engage until they are in contact with said chakra. They pack quite the punch, I'm sure you can tell."
Fuu growled as she ducked two, jumped over two more, and saw one waiting before her. Fuu fearlessly clashed with the lantern, resulting in a large boom and a slightly singed Fuu flying back. The other five attempt to converge on Fuu, but with a gasp of pain, Fuu takes off into the sky. The lanterns pursue further but need help to catch the speedier, more mobile Fuu.
'Chomei, can you track him for me? This is a nasty technique, and I'm gonna pay him back!'
"As you wish, my friend." Chomei agreed. "Southwest area of forest hidden on top of one of the trees. May I suggest a variant of your beetle mode."
'Sounds like a plan. Let's see how he likes flames!' Fuu agreed as she suddenly flew forward at great speed. As she did, she suddenly homed into the section of forest Sasuke was hidden in. She suddenly lost her wings and fell in his direction. "Stop hiding; I'm too lucky for that!" Fuu screamed as she pointed both hands together toward Sasuke's spot. "Chomei Style: Bombardier Beetle Form! Bombardier Style: Full Power Boom Lance!"
Suddenly, a beam of explosive power shot from her hands into the forest. There was a silence before suddenly, a fourth of the forest Sasuke chose as his hiding spot explodes violently, ripping trees from the ground and causing a large fire. Trees outside of the explosion splintered and collapsed from the force. A cloud of dust rose into the sky. Fuu switched back into her primary beetle mode while Kakashi stopped the fire from becoming a forest fire.
Suddenly, Chomei screamed out to her.
"Diabolic Ironclad Beetle Now!"
Fuu trusted her friend more than even herself. As soon as Chomeas told her to, she shifted into her Beetle Mode's third and final form. She felt a massive impact hit her back as soon as she did. Even with her incredible defenses, she felt painful burns and explosive force that slammed her into the ground smoking.
Across from her, Sasuke appeared; he had not escaped the massive attack unscathed. The young Uchiha was covered in cuts and burns. "I did not expect this level of competition from you." Sasuke said earnestly. "To think you're from one of the smaller villages. Perhaps it's not only the Uchiha who have an unfair reputation. Fuu of the Waterfall, thank you for the challenge, but I cannot lose here."
Fuu rose from the crater, cracked her neck, and dusted herself off from ash and dust. "This is fun; I didn't expect you to be able to hit me in a way that actually hurt." Fuu was similarly covered in dirt and the occasional burn but looked noticeably better than Sasuke. "Hopefully, that wasn't your best shot; something like that won't work on me."
Sasuke did not respond at first, merely flexing his hand. "Besmirched Flambe Reappearing Death." He started as a familiar fiery katana formed in his hand. "You've seen nothing yet." He stated simply.