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Neji's POV (Audience Section of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Jealousy. It was a feeling every side branch eventually felt. It was only natural; after all, they were forced to serve their own family merely based on their parents. Jealousy came, gave way to despair, and for some, including Neji himself, it gave way to resentment.
With the man's aid, he watched the battle below; he had escaped such a cycle. Perhaps not entirely; Neji still resented Hiashi and the elders, but now he recognized wrath, and avoiding it would not be the solution. Instead, he must work towards improving it from within, finding comfort in the knowledge that one day he will not live enviously.
Yet again, the ugly feeling settled into his gut as he watched Naruto battle. Neji knew and thought he had accepted the possibility of losing to Sasuke, even more so that Naruto would likely go further, even defeat Neji if it came to that. But he had assumed the gap was a small one, perhaps furthered by Naruto's unique physiology. Neji had even accepted he was unlikely to be able to match Gaara. His mere presence had managed to shake Neji once or twice after all.
But never had Neji imagined the gap was as large as it was. It filled his gut with shame and disgust. When had Naruto so thoroughly surpassed him? Ino had always been slightly behind them, but Neji had always imagined himself the rival to Naruto. But he wasn't…
No!
Neji would not allow that darker side of personality to rear its ugly head again. He had grown from the hateful young man he had been at the creation of Team Seven. He had grown to enjoy his team- no - his friends and count on them. He was confident the fault lay within and would work hard to close the gap.
Neji wasn't entirely sure the ugly feeling would dissipate so quickly…
"That- that is Naruto?" Ino asked, utterly stunned. Neji wasn't surprised; his other Blonde teammate had seen most of his fights. But this one was much different than his performance before. It had been clear Naruto was holding back a considerable amount in his previous showings. But this match made it clear just how powerful he had become. "Kami, it's like he's a whole different person! How the hell did he get that strong?!"
"I'm not sure," Neji answered plainly, masking his own shock and amazement at the developments. "But it seems he might be the strongest Genin here… other than his opponent potentially."
"Course he is! He beat me after all!" Kurotsuchi chimed in from the left of Ino. "That being said, I could take either of them!"
"Quite the statement, considering he seemed to have held back a significant amount against you." Samui chimed in as she sat as well. She was covered in several bandages but looked otherwise fine. "That being said, I hope he has more to show. His effort so far is cool, but I feel there's much more to come."
"Of course there is!" Fuu chimed in grimly. It was only the second time Neji had noticed her lose her normal happy-go-lucky attitude. "It's a battle of jinchuriki; it never is a quick or easy thing, especially when two clash."
"Don't tell me that!" Ino cried out dramatically. "I was just closing the distance, and now the finish line seems incredibly far away! Surely, I'm not that useless!"
"You said it, not me." Kurotsuchi mocked with a shrug.
"But it is possible to put them down." Neji countered. "Sasuke managed to defeat Fuu after all, and he is no jinchuriki."
"It was more of a match-up thing. Sasuke had an advantage in speed that Naruto seems to lack. Not to mention, he tricked me into eating his hardest hit. Even then, had I been prepared for such, it likely wouldn't have worked." Fuu countered. "I wouldn't look into it too much. Who's winning now. I would be more concerned with who is winning ten minutes from now…"
Ino seemed to growl at this. She glared at Fuu and the others. Neji nearly flinched from the intense gaze of his teammate. "Naruto isn't done yet; Gaara is the one that has to be careful. Naruto is only starting."
"OF COURSE!" Fuu agreed with a cheeky shout. "Naruto is awesome. Besides, I think he might be just as lucky as I am."
"I don't know," Kurotsuchi added with a grin just measured too dark to be well intended. "Perhaps the Blonde bit off more than he can chew. Pale, short, and sandy over there, it seems he's well in control of the match. I can barely keep track of Naruto yet alone the orbs. I think our favorite knucklehead is about to lose this one…"
"Weren't you mere seconds ago confessing your belief in him?" Neji asked, confused. What was this woman's game?
"Yeah," Kurotsuchi admitted with a shrug. "It's Hard to be decisive in a win-win scenario. Either he wins, validating my own loss, or he gets beat, and I get second-hand revenge. I might like Blondie, but he ruined my shot. It won't hurt me to see him get beaten around."
"You basic bitch!" Ino snapped as she stood and marched towards the Iwa kunoichi. With a smile just short of ecstatic, Kurotsuchi rose as well.
Neji and Samui rose and held both back. Neji, his infuriated teammate, and Samui, the amused Kurotsuchi.
"Basic, aye?" Kurotsuchi asked, her smile thinning a bit as her anger grew.
"Sorry, forgot the Blonde friendzoning you is a no-go."
"Rich coming from the hag he beat. Didn't you mouth off about being better only to be proven wrong?" Ino countered as she reached for the woman. "Guess it stung to be shown as the unremarkable bitch you are!"
"He got lucky!" Kurotsuchi hotly countered. "Unfortunately, that luck is done!"
"Guys…" Fuu attempted to interrupt the tensions.
"Naruto may be in danger, but it would be unwise to count him out." Neji chimed in, his support calming Ino somewhat. Kurotsuchi, seeing the energy leaving Ino, stopped as well, rudely snorting at what Neji had said.
"Tch! You all are soft! Wanna believe your friend can somehow stand up to that monster! But news flash, he's just another jinchuriki that just met a better one. You can be biased all you like, but that idiot is fucked." Kurotsuchi snarled.
"Guys…" Fuu tried again.
"Unco-" Samui was interrupted when Kurotsuchi rudely shrugged her away.
"Don't care. Gonna find some real shinobi to watch this with." Kurotsuchi spat.
"Might wanna look at the field…" Fuu tried a third time.
"Go on then!" Ino yelled after her. "They wouldn't want a fake like you around anyway."
"GUYS!" Fuu screamed, cutting through the tension for a moment. She looked around as if to ensure the group was looking at her. Satisfied with their attention, she smiled widely and pointed at the field. "Things are heating up down there~!" Fuu sang happily.
The group of various shinobi all stood and leaned over the railing. The tension between them was momentarily forgotten as they watched the two strongest Genin clash.
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Naruto's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Naruto's body ached as he flew through the forest. The orbs were frankly bullshit. They were faster than hell and nearly broke his bones with each impact. He barely managed to twirl around a tree; with only an instant to react, he managed to reflect another, but the force sent him smashing through the tree.
Knowing better than to remain still, Naruto shot wind against the ground, forcing him into the air and narrowly avoiding three more golden orbs that sought to finish him off. Four more shot off into the sky with him. Naruto groaned as he deflected two spun around one another. The last hit a glancing blow on his shoulder, making him spin through the air. Naruto, through instinct alone, continued his upward path. Seeking refuge in the sky, he suddenly stopped before he could get much higher. Feeling something coarse and dry wrap around his ankle. With a shocked glance down, he saw a long strand of sand emerging from the middle of the forest and connecting to his leg.
'He can control the sand and the gold at once!' Naruto thought, shocked.
The Blonde had little time to consider much else before his vision exploded with darkness. He blinked and regained vision, seeing an orb covered with blood shoot away from him. It must've hit him in the back of the head-
Once again, he was suddenly interrupted as the strand of sand reeled him in with speed and force. Naruto was initially surprised, but regaining his cool, he attempted to slash with Riptide and free himself. But suddenly, two more orbs smashed into him at once. Naruto cried out in pain before he was fully pulled into the forest. He crashed into the ground, shattering the rock below and bouncing from the force. Naruto hit the ground again bodily.
It took him several seconds to get to his feet as he blearily glanced around the surrounding forest. Fully in the middle of it, he could not see the crowd or even Gaara. He grunted as he lowered himself into a defensive stance. Naruto was confident he would not have to go looking for Gaara.
"You seem so determined to live your own way…" Gaara's voice echoed throughout the forest, making it nearly impossible for Naruto to determine where it was coming from. "Determined to live as if you are not what you so plainly are. How foolish of you," Gaara taunted.
"As if you're any better. You're nothing more than a sick brother! Years of abuse and hatred have made you blind. All you are is just some murderous little bitch! At least I fight for something I actually believe in! You claim to want to change the world but in truth you just want revenge. You want power to make people treat you better. That's something you earn!" Naruto roared.
As soon as he finished the sentence, another orb nearly removed his head. Another came low, and he jumped over; without missing a beat, Naruto called out, "Uzumaki Style: Slicing Wave." A slash of chakra raced forward, cutting down a tree. However, there was no reaction, and for leaving his guard open, another orb slammed into him. Naruto stumbled back painfully. Another attempted to follow up, but in a show of inhuman reaction and raw strength, Naruto caught it and whipped it towards another. The two smash into pieces, and neither survives the clash.
"Sick? Is that your way of accusing me of being insane?" Gaara continues, seemingly unbothered by Naruto's attempt to strike back. "I am quite sane, brother. Sane enough to recognize that humans and jinchuriki will never see eye to eye. They believe us to be monsters, ignorant but not entirely untrue. See, insanity is their reaction. Creating creatures such as us and using us as mere weapons? No, our creation wasn't a mistake. The use of us was. We were never meant to be mindless monsters! That suggests we are lesser! Oh, sure, we can be; a good example would be yourself…"
"I thought we were done talking! Come prove how "superior" you are already!" Naruto yelled out. Furious with Gaara treating the interaction like some sort of game.
"Let's not be too quick, brother." Gaara chided calmly. "Talking is preferable to what comes next. But I suppose I can do most of it while you handle the next step in my plan…"
"Which is!" Naruto said while glancing around his surroundings.
"Break you, of course." Gaara replied blandly.
Suddenly, Naruto flinched and barely managed to duck an orb. But another nearly took out his legs. He caught this one before the remaining seven smashed into him at once. Naruto spat out blood and stumbled before the golden orbs seemed to vibrate. Naruto managed to stomp a foot down and regain his sense and balance as the orbs froze.
"Time to show you what this technique truly looks like." Gaara spat.
Naruto growled as he willed his personal atmosphere to repel as many orbs as possible. The orb now doubled in speed, them constantly flying in and out, and they began a cruel barrage of strikes. Naruto did not flinch as focus smothered panic and pain. Riptide became a mere streak through the air as it smacked aside orbs and attempted to split them. The wind howled as, in some cases, it managed to repel the balls. But mostly, it barely managed to slow them.
"As I was saying earlier," Gaara said as he floated within the vision of Naruto. He was standing on a platform of sand, mere feet away from Naruto. Yet, as he continued desperately to survive the seemingly endless assault, he was helpless to attempt to attack Gaara. "Jinchuriki can be rather unimpressive beasts, some simply too wild and others like you. Too weak…"
Naruto's eyes widened in fury, and his speed seemed to increase with such. He managed a better defense but was still slowly smashed by orbs over time. He had to counter this! But how could he? An orb snaked through his guard and nearly knocked him from his feet. But with grit, Naruto managed to stand his ground and continue his desperate stand.
"Oh, you certainly are powerful, by human standards anyway. But you are weak. You refuse to embrace a gift given to you. You are a fool through and through," Gaara mocked.
"I rather…" Naruto blasted five orbs away, deflected a sixth, and tanked the seventh. "Be a fool…" Three smashed into him at once. Naruto kept his stance up and defended follow-up attacks as the force made him slide across the ground. "But at least I'm not a monster."
"But what ARE you?" Gaara asked earnestly. "You refuse to embrace what it means to be a jinchuriki; the humans don't want you; what is there left to be?"
"NARUTO UZUMAKI SHITHEAD!" Naruto roared angrily. With this, he pushed Riptide and his palm out. Using the full power of Personal Atmosphere to blow away all the orbs. With this, he used it to shoot forward, attempting to blitz Gaara. He got within inches before sand once again snared him. It shot him out like a cannon towards the ground. Naruto forced the wind to right himself, but two more orbs suddenly took out his legs and, by proxy, his focus. Grounding Naruto again, the orbs continued their assault. Naruto quickly and desperately rises to defend himself. Gaara chuckles all the while.
"But who is that? Why is he so special to be different from Fuu and me, who live lives defined by their gift?" Gaara interrogates, and Naruto struggles against the orbs. "Is it your determination? I mean, surely not even a child can manage such. Perhaps your bravery? No, it strikes me more as ignorance and arrogance enabling your foolish behavior. Maybe then it's your tough can-do attitude? Admittedly amusing, but to be frank, brother, you are nothing close to what you could be. But fret not."
Naruto slowly was being hit more and more. The absurdly fast and powerful golden orbs beat him into submission over time.
"For I have a plan, not only for myself or you but all our brothers and sisters. A way to end the pain we feel and to ensure that future generations live lives worthy of our kind. First, I had to ensure you hadn't been weakened or tainted by the humans you've clung so desperately to. Second is where we are now; I'll shatter you and, with the pieces, reform you to see the world as I do. To recognize this "curse" they gave us is actually a gift. The power we wield can force this world to change. To force it to be better. Once you give in, we shall do this with each jinchuriki. Forcing their loyalty or sparing them a life of pain by slaying them. Once we gather all nine jinchuriki, we'll use our combined power to reforge this world." As Gaara finished, Naruto was sent flying by all seven remaining balls, hitting him at once and sending him flying out towards the center of the courtyard.
Gaara followed Naruto, his golden orbs orbiting him as they paused their assault. After thirty seconds, Naruto crawled to his feet, holding a cup in hand and glaring at Gaara.
"You think you can force the world to change? Can we make people do whatever we like because we're a little stronger? Don't make me laugh. They would fight us till the bitter end. They would probably win, too, ya know? All because one entitled, antisocial, murderous little brat refuses to learn some social skills." Naruto taunted with a bloody smile.
Gaara frowned but did not answer, merely shoving all seven orbs. Slowly, several strands of sand (in comparison to the gold and Naruto anyway) followed. It seemed Gaara did not like his jab back. Naruto's shit talk always seemed to lead to violence, didn't it?
Naruto merely smiled, glad to finally have a chance. The gold was so fast and dangerous that the sand kept him from gaining distance or attacking Gaara. He had been struggling to gain any ground back. But Gaara's technique had made one thing clear. Personal Atmosphere Level One wasn't going to be enough. But first, to create an opening…
As the orbs closed in, Naruto allowed the chakra to flood the cup again, thrusting it toward the approaching golden orbs and sand. Crying out proudly as he called out his counter. "Wind Style: Implosive Rejection!" The wind howled again, and the cup seemed to warble and warp as the storm formed inside. The air could be visibly seen sucking into and out of the cup at the same time. Gaara's eyes widened as he realized Naruto had goaded him.
Gaara raised both hands as his sand submerged him into a growing orb. The redhead recognized the technique and its power.
"Won't matter!" Naruto assures as the power of the storm within the cup begins to suck in violently, somehow managing to suck several orbs and some sand inside as the cup continues to grow and warp. With a boom, the contained calamity was freed. Gold, sand, and air boomed as it was spat out. A destructive wave of wind and debris smashed into Gaara's last-minute fortress. Naruto's entire arm holding the cup suddenly burst with blood as the sleeve of his jacket was shredded off, revealing the arm covered in a multitude of cups. Naruto wasted no time, however, as his will forced him through the pain.
Naruto lowered his stance and flexed his chakra as his eyes scanned the wrecked forest. Gold, sand, trees, and debris were all that was left of the forest. His scarf seemed to flow as if alive; before, with a poof, a small raccoon was visible on his neck. Unlike most raccoons, it had a golden coat and an intelligent gleam in its eye.
"You ready, Muri!" Naruto yells as he raises his hands in a hand sign, chakra flooding the area around him. The raccoon chuckles wildly as he does, seemingly amused by the powerful winds that blow around them.
"It's about time, bossman!" Muri yelled out happily. "I was worried you'd lose before we'd get to try! Time for the Okama clan to make their grand return!"
"Oh, shut it. I got the chakra and wind nature chakra! It's time for level two!" Naruto yelled as the turbulent area around them grew even wilder.
"As you say, bossman!" Muri answered cheerfully. "Just excited to finally fight with our newest summoner!"
The two cried out in tandem as the sand parted, revealing a mostly healed Gaara. As he marched toward the two, they finally activated their jutsu.
"Collaboration Jutsu: Personal Atmosphere Level Two!"
"Collaboration Jutsu: Personal Atmosphere Level Two!"