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