Onoki didn't like Madara. Actually, scratch that, I may have given him PTSD while dealing with him.
It was really difficult to stick to one version of how the 'rival' from Iwa reacted to the offered mealtime, but he seemed to really really be unable to find calm when around my family. One would already know Madara wasn't planning to be a good and friendly guest towards the guy, but I was slightly stunned when I caught some subtle and yet fairly sharp remark from my own mother on the matter.
Onoki picked up on those, but where Madara was one of unquestionable dislike towards anything that he once planned to kill during the war, the woman that was Minako merely laid out a few ground rules that a more than delighted Onoki decided to follow through. No fighting in the house, no talking about fighting which would devolve in fighting in the house, no mention of the war, no mention of nationalistic zeal which would spark talking about fighting and then fighting- she really went on to set up a mostly peaceful setting, but one that didn't exactly prevent Hanzou from being fairly upset with Onoki.
In his eyes, rightfully so, Onoki represented that part of Iwa that had known the best parts of the war, those of moral-elevation, but not of the hideous experimentation that led to his current conditions. He didn't mention them, not at the table, but the glares weren't ignored and provided for a fairly tense lunch. Time passed, the lunch was over, and the rest of the day allowed me to unwind and further plan things out for the spar planned for tomorrow. I wasn't thinking of bailing it, not when I had a distinct belief I was within the conditions to outmatch Onoki in most everything.
The real reason for concern was any unknown Jutsu which he could have learned to unbalance me. I didn't expect anything truly tide-turning, but I wasn't letting this leave me unguarded for any surprises. I had to be vigilant and careful. More meditation further cleared my mind and I felt ready to also start training Senjutsu for real. I had already gotten far with meditation and I felt tempted to channel some Nature Chakra into my body and gauge how to handle the flow to get a proper hold. There were two possible outcomes from that decision: either the transformation turned me into something like it did with Jiraya, except its Phoenix style, or I got something close to Naruto's Sage Mode.
Good news is… I got neither. I didn't exactly break through within just a day, but I set up the basis for two major rules through this big step: first, I wasn't going to rush it. A small mistake and I was screwed; second, I was going to give it just enough time within my own schedule. I saw no reason to rush it as it tended to just leave me more stressed out than normal training. After all, I was trying to convince my body to absorb familiar and yet unusual energy while also trying to make it easier for it to adapt to it. I thought about using seals to help me with that, but it would defeat the purpose of adapting my body to it. I just needed to let this happen naturally. Only after that I could see some potential with my seals. Maybe a way to keep some reserve Natural Chakra to use to rekindle my Sage Mode like Naruto did when he fought Pain.
Still, I was ready for the brawl and it soon happened. It was me, Onoki and a fairly large number of people watching this whole thing unfold. The first battle was technically meant to be a 'testing ground' to win the others. That was how I saw it, but I was surprised to see that wasn't how Onoki looked at it. It was the first battle he had with me in years, and he sure planned to handle that score the best way he could. By kicking my ass with everything he got. Not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting things to be this intense in the first battle. Then again, I hadn't planned for the Hokage and the Tsuchikage to actually watch this thing unfold. Mu was the Second Tsuchikage- Shocking, I know, but he didn't seem mad for how things went last time I dealt with him. I couldn't say the same for Reira and Hirotada, but both kept themselves from doing anything stupid which could renew the war. Yoshiko was there too and she was being fairly loud… cheering on me. I had nothing wrong with that beyond the loudness, and I could see how it ticked off Onoki a fair bit during the fight.
The battle began with Taijutsu. Quite standard stuff, and it gave me some insight on the pace and power the older boy was going for. He was slightly stronger in dealing damage without boosting his own might with chakra, but he didn't seem to carry the speed to turn that into something relevant until I was able to dodge and exploit his half-exposed stance. It wasn't outright hideous, but I could pick up enough openings to return viciousness back to the one carrying it to me. I struck the most, but it would be a lie to say I was spared from any sneaky attacks that managed to get me through my guard, but those weren't as concerning as my attacks were to Onoki. Eventually he pushed away, using some kunai to keep me distant for a moment, but looking surprised when I managed to move fast enough with my Wind Armor. Eyes wide open, the boy pulled up a wall made of stone, but it broke with ease and with that so did his own efforts to win the first fight. One hit in the guts and he crashed on the ground with a terrible belly-ache. I could have been a bit more malicious and struck him with a stronger Wind Armor, but I saw this as the better outcome.
First battle won, and Onoki didn't look deterred to go for more. Konoha cheered, some of Iwa and the Tsuchikage did too but for the latter it felt more of a formality in the name of peace. Mu praised me, and 'chided' Onoki, with the brunet looking miffed but not beaten down to try again. And what worried me was that his sensei seemed really compelled to see him win. I didn't expect any surprises beyond the field, but I was quick to start looking around whenever I was walking Konoha's streets. I just had this willing I had to keep vigilant for the time being and also focus on a new starting strategy. I think what really unnerved me was how tentative Hashirama's praise felt. 'You did good', I could tell he wasn't convinced of it himself. That conversation still brightly stuck in our heads whenever we were around each other. I didn't get demoted, but that whole scene still had me frustrated. I thought meditation and solving my problems were going to help- but no, it just made me less pliable to consider reconciliation. I could understand the reasoning, not the means. And I wasn't willing to just bow down to any request of that kind. With that first brawl giving Onoki some insight, I wasn't planning to go through the same strategy and expect him to not plan something against it. So, I spent a few hours thinking what he was going to do next. Since I gave him no chance to use his other techniques, I could say he was going to start flashy to see if he could one-up me by outpowering me with some cool jutsu.
So, I started to study once more my anti-Dust plans, knowing that those were going to be even more relevant now than before. I had a few ideas, some of which I knew could work, others were mostly ideal but not practically applicable. To make an example of the latter group, I could technically overpower it via a max-power Wind Armor due to the barrier destabilizing the technique, but I couldn't be completely sure of it through the intensity of the Wind Chakra and how much that would drain out of me. I wasn't planning to go all out, but I had two specific ideas I planned to exploit since I was 98, maybe 99% sure that those would work on any Dust Release jutsu. So, a new day goes by. I rested at home for a few hours before meditating and tapping into Natural Chakra, and then went to bed early to be ready for the next day.
I was in a good shape, like the day before, and I managed to get to the training field we were using as early as I did with the first battle. Instead of the large crowd of people serving as an audience, there were just Tobirama, Hiruzen and Yoshiko. Plus three Iwa-nin chosen by the Tsuchikage to act as his representatives on the field. The little redhead was quickly cheering for me, a detail that felt less pressing than it had been the day before for both me and my opponent as we show little interest in that matter. A few seconds of tension passed after we took our fighting stance, and then we both jumped towards each other. The close-quarters lasted a minute at best, with Onoki trying to feign that he was trying to push for a repeat of last battle, but pulling out to finally use his trademark technique. A football-sized cube formed in his palms and he tried to get a quick hit on me as he threw the technique before backing away.
Instead of trying to stop it, I decided to exploit its small size to actually get a quick fright out of him. I picked my Flying God shuriken, threw it towards him and purposely missed him and then used the technique to 'blitz' over the approaching Dust technique and appear right beside him. Onoki looked actually scared by this development and this time his quick-barrier managed to stop any attack since I had nothing to bolster my means to breach it. He backed away again, this time relying on Earth jutsus to keep the most distance away from him. It was a slow win for me, but I would be lying to say that I could have capitalized better on that shock I gave him. Nonetheless, I had Onoki beat by chakra exhaustion with how many jutsus he was relying on. Another defeat, but he hardly felt defeated as he swore the third match was his. Now, anyone would think this was the classic boast of a thickheaded moron, but… I have to confess that this isn't how it turned out.
Third spar, things were set to be either a repeat of Round one or two. I was prepared for both. So prepared that I was surprised when Onoki started the match by throwing shurikens at me. I jumped away, preferring to keep some distance if he was planning to try something with his equipment… but then I frowned when I saw him rush towards me with his fist coated in rocks. I was confused on what he was trying to do, but then, as I landed, I was given a rude awakening in the form of something tight wrapping around my left leg and forcing me to stop from backing away. I was stunned when I looked down to see that he had managed to take a brief pause to slam his palm on the ground, using a Jutsu to manipulate the earth under my feet to shift and wrap around my leg. I tried to push the limb out of the rocks, but it just wouldn't budge.
The distraction worked, and I barely raised my arms up to block the attack as the brunt bruised my arms, but the impact sent the back of my head slamming down onto the ground. That was an instant knockout with some bleeding. Luckily Hirotada moved in just in time as the win was assured and everyone, even Tobirama, looked ready to retaliate for the vicious response. Everyone was tense and mad but… I wasn't. This was on me, I could have easily reacted to this issue the moment it came up rather than be stunned by the suddenness of that situation. I had been lulled in a false sense of security which made me underestimate my opponent right when he had the means to score a quick and yet painful win against me. I should have seen it coming with how intense things had been and, truth be told, me not being angry didn't mean I was not going to exact revenge on him.
After getting my each checked for any unexpected damage which might have been missed during Hirotada's intervention, I just took it upon myself to actually return the favor with extra flavor. Onoki was excited for the win, but he didn't press on the fact he did so with that much damage. In fact, it felt like he was genuinely restraining himself over that. Very odd considering the bad blood between Konoha and Iwa, but good enough for me to not turn up too violent for the fourth match. I just wasn't planning to let this slight go unpunished, and I knew it was time to pick the pace up. Knowing that I was no longer dealing with a slow-paced mind but one that was adapting with each situation, I began setting up plans and counter-plans for what I had seen. I wasn't sure it was all Onoki had to offer in combat, but I could tell these things he used on me, techniques and Taijutsu moves, were primary within his fighting style. Remove those, and he was as good as beaten.
After engaging with some meditation to clear my mind and turn any irritation into part of my driving force to win, I started to finally get close to my Senjutsu training's completion. I started to handle the flow better, to the point where a distracted Kiara, trying to play around with a ball I brought for her to play with either Calli, Kurama and Matatabi, tensed up in surprise when instead of perceiving me 'she felt like a new phoenix had appeared in my stead'. It had been momentary, and yet she was stunned by such a bizarre feeling… before engaging in intense hugging and telling me that it was great that I was becoming like her, and mentioning matching clothes and all of that. Yep, I felt like my sanity had long given up around the inner workings of her mind.
Still, nothing within the training gave me any advantage for the fourth fight. Only clarity and determination. With all set to turn the Fourth fight as the final important one, I proceeded to be the one to take initiative. Much to my surprise, instead of a large crowd or representatives, it was the Tsuchikage and… Madara. I was a bit surprised by this circumstance, confused as to why these two would be there, but then I realized it was because they were our senseis. It was a match that Mu definitely announced being the ultimate one in terms of learning and training. The pinnacle of fighting between the two styles and the one which would determine which pupil was ready to go the 'next step'. I think it was more of a ceremonial BS, yet I didn't pay enough attention to actually care for a response. I had a moron's butt to kick.
Instead of Taijutsu, Onoki found himself hard-pressed when I relied on Kenjutsu. I had studied swordsmanship at a slugger pace, mostly because Madara lamented how I should be honing this kind of skill by finding someone that was more accustomed to this schedule. A samurai would be ideal, but it was rare to enter in contact with one of those considering how isolationist they are. It was going to be rough, but I definitely had some ideas on how to infiltrate their land. The issue would be to convince one to actually teach me some more.
Onoki's unease further increased when I pulled my puppets to intensify the pressure I was putting him through. He definitely didn't expect getting ganged up out of nowhere, and for me to have kept these kinds of moves from him up to this point. I felt confident it had played well on my hand and I was reaping good results from the amount of bruises I was leaving on his body. Still, Onoki was far from beaten as he decided that if he couldn't win by a balanced approach, then he was going to brute-strength his way into the matter. Jumping away and using a smoke bomb to blind me temporarily, he used the high provided by his flying jutsu to rapidly muster chakra and prepare something to strike me with. When the smoke vanished, I was forced to pull my puppets back in their seals as I saw something they wouldn't have been able to beat back.
It was a large pyramid and its upper point was aimed at me like a large spear-point. Very threatening as it was the biggest Dust Release projection I've ever seen, and the one I couldn't dodge due to its size and speed. Something that Onoki was well-aware about from the smug grin on his face as he finished preparing it. Now, I could have tried to use Hide-like-a-mole to get out of there unscathed, but I had the feeling that was what my opponent was thinking of me doing so he could do something to capture me and defeat me again. So no, I stood my ground as I knew this was where my seals would finally come up to play. I mustered a piece of paper I had been saving up for the occasion and then proceeded to activate it before bracing for impact.
Seals can do so many things, but one element many tended to ignore was the capacity to allow a user to manipulate parameters within incoming techniques. If a seal can absorb a fireball, why shouldn't it be able to do the same with Dust Release? And that's where the question came up and the many reasons why nobody tried in the show manifested. That sounded extremely easy and quick to nullify such a devastating attack, but that's where I realized the issue.
Dust Release is a double-planned technique with multiple steps within each of those: First phase was tied to the formation of the Dust Release frame as its particular forms were not casual. especially since it relied on three-dimensional constructs to consolidate three affinities at once. The reason why it had to be three-dimensional constructs was not only a matter of stability, but because there was also a matter of self-preservation as the second phase relied on the jutsu enduring and persisting beyond any effort to try and stop it.
Yes, some elements were erased once entered within the limits of the constructs, but not all elements could be broken up due to specific details. In this case, I wasn't planning to destroy it from the inside, but to tear it from the inside out. The paper I was holding held multiple Kanji which had been cleverly set to a definite intensity for a single purpose. 'Suck dust out' as ferociously as possible. Four powerful vacuum seals had been further bolstered by a special seal which provided Wind chakra to each of those for the sake of boosting the power behind those. The effect was immediate as the pyramid started to collapse before our own eyes. Shock appeared on Onoki's face when the construct collapsed and he was slightly unprepared when I switched to my Wind Armor, soared up in the sky and approached him. Knowing how his reaction time was nothing short of brilliant, I took an extra step while approaching. Just as he tried to create another construct, his body froze as my Sharingan successfully planted a genjutsu that stopped his body from moving just for the time needed for me to drop the finishing hit. The punch stung, but definitely hurt the least compared to being slammed on the ground from a rapid fall several meters above the ground.
That got to sting and Mu was quick to pick his student up, leave a polite praise for that win and leave me with Madara. The Uchiha paused as he got close enough to me, and grasped my arm as he helped me to one of the benches nearby. I thanked him, he just sighed and told me to rest a moment as I had depleted most of my chakra reserves in that fight. I thought this was it. With Onoki suffering considerable damage, that would have been the last match for this long week, but I was surprised when I found him waiting the next morning, no one watching us in the field as we just… sat down by the grass, lying and then talking. It was oddly expected from both at this point, and I just felt like this was fitting to close this troublesome fight for good. I was so close to falling asleep when the chatting started, the wind and grass putting me in a nap-mood.
"The Tsuchikage told me not to fight today. He said that I proved my worth already," Onoki pointed out and I hummed.
"You did."
"I lost three times."
"And won once. And cleverly so."
He huffed. "It wasn't satisfying."
"Winning isn't always about feeling happy afterwards," I argued dryly. "Sometimes we just don't get that much."
"I know that… it's just that I feel like I could have done better," He pointed out and I shrugged.
"Then train to work on your flaws and get better."
"You're saying this as if this is any easier,"
"You know my dream is to become the Tsuchikage after my sensei. Just like Gramps."
I slowly nodded, but I provided no answer to that.
"Do you plan to become one of the future Hokage?" The question was a bit frustrating and I sighed.
"No."
He lifted his upper body up to stare in shock at me. "What?! Why?"
"Why would I want to suffer through paperwork?" I asked back. "It's not that pleasant of a job anyway."
"You would be known as the strongest-"
"And handle the nagging of people that think they know better than specialists on the field," I interjected flatly. "You can be the strongest without being a Kage."
"...So you wouldn't be the Hokage for that?"
"I feel like you have a reason I don't have, Onoki-kun. After all, you are planning to become Tsuchikage because you feel honored to be on the steps of individuals like your sensei and your grandfather," I replied without hesitation. "And I hope you understand it's not just being 'the strongest'."
"O-Of course!" Onoki answered strongly. "It's the people. They all are small pebbles on their own, but together they represent a mighty mountain that makes Iwa great."
…
"I swear, it's impressive how easy it is for people to come up with metaphors tied to the various main elements their village is tied to," I pointed out with a frown aimed at the sky. "Like, roots and trees for Konoha, pebbles and mountains for Iwa."
The boy snorted. "It's… I guess old people really like philosophy. Even sensei is sold to that idea. It's… frustrating at times. But kind of 'important' to hear from time to time."
"It's packed with the wisdom of the Warring States, which is… quite belligerent. And we should really start to work on preventing new wars."
"People want lost lands back home," Onoki reminded, still staring at me. "They will lament that it's a wound on Iwa's mountain."
"One that was deserved. Just like the wounds you and I get from fighting so much."
…
"You think that's so simple?" The brunet inquired with a fascinated tone. "That war is like a one-on-one fight?"
"Is it not? I mean, I would say it's more of a spar than a battle to the death as the loser still lives to see another day in most occasions and what they lose is merely tied to a bet. You bet on your strength, your nation's strength and it can either go well or go bad."
"And the loser should just… accept it?"
"Did you 'accept' defeat when I beat you in the first matches?" I argued and he huffed.
"I trained up and-"
"Then train up and solve your problems with what you have. We didn't kill your capacity to recover as a nation and be prosperous with the right investments," I reasoned flatly. "It sounds simple, but planning training is that. The rest of it is applying it and getting results done."
"...And that should be it? To just invest 'right'?"
"Yep."
The rest of the quiet time spent together went on without further exchanges, with Onoki eventually asking me one last thing before departing to return to where he is staying in Konoha.
"Also… can I visit for lunch?"
I blinked. "I thought you didn't like it."
"The people do leave me awkward but… your mother's nice. And her food is delicious."
"I'll forward the compliments to the cook, and sure."
It felt like I had solved this situation the best I could, with Onoki still being a rival, but not one that was going to cause me any trouble in the near future. But I wasn't done just yet. There was one last place to check now that I was free and… I had promised Madara I would have put an effort into it.
And boy, I knew I needed to do it.
"Why are you here?"
Gura's voice was duller than last time, and she looked skinnier as she definitely skipped meals in her confinement. It's been a while since I dealt with her, and… If I have to be honest, I wasn't completely sure this was a good idea. But it didn't have to be good, it had to be right.
"I wanted to talk."
My comment seemed to shake her off from part of her depressing gloom, her eyes narrowing at me, her sleep bags evident as she had trouble resting after what happened last time and I couldn't help but feel the irony of it. I was the one that didn't want anything to do with her, and yet now I was there to talk with her.
"Why? I thought you didn't want to see me again."
…
"I was angry when I said that. Angry at you for a reason you weren't at fault for," I reckoned calmly, refusing to appear apologetic even so for a moment.
I may have been harsh in some aspects, but some of that rage was still justified. And she knew that from the way she looked away.
"I've nothing to say. I'm nothing."
The conviction behind that kind of response left me sour in my mouth, as if I had just swallowed a bitter pill I didn't know I was trying to ingest. I expected disappointment, but this degree of depression just left me upset with her quick decline into non-existence. So, I just decided to strike back at that feeling and see how truthful it was within her mind.
"Tht's quite the stupid question. After all, you have a name."
There was a pause after that, I could say that Gura thought I had something else to say and waited. But then, as I failed to provide a continuation, she huffed in annoyance.
"And?"
"And then you can do the rest."
The girl frowned. "What? What rest?"
"Well, things like you are Gura, you are a short girl-"
"Not that short," She rebuked in a rare moment of anger within her own gloom.
"You are a not-tall girl with silver-hair with blue streaks, blue eyes and an interesting affection for Sharks?"
"I'm half-shark," Gura corrected. "Still, why does this matter?"
"Ain't those details something?" I remarked with a smug look, gaining a frown from her as she thought about it.
"Well, yeah but-"
"And they are all are part of-"
"Me. Yes, I'm a group of somethings, but I am nothing as a living being. I'm not worthy of what I have right now, I was used and now… now I'm here. Like a dumbass."
"You are a bit of a dumbass."
"H-Hey! I thought you were trying to make me feel better."
I frowned. "I don't recall ever saying that. Just that I wanted to talk with you and know more about you."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
It sounded extremely stupid, to the point where Gura was giving me a dead look for a while, but soon her tough expression mellowed and she sighed loudly.
"...Fine. What do you want to know?
I smiled at her cooperation and decided to go for something very simple.
"What's the first thing you remember of your free life?"