After obtaining sage mode, Naruto tested it out by comparing his rasengans. Though it was stronger than before by a noticeable margin, he was still unsatisfied.
[Why are you still complaining?] Kurama asked
'Well...knowing what a bijuudama can do, I just find this to be quite underwhelming...' He responded with a helpless sigh
[...are you f**king kidding me?]
Why is Naruto comparing the rasengan to a bijuudama! The latter is the condensed chakra of a tailed beast that can obliterate mountains!
[What are you trying to fight!? A tailed beast or something!]
'...I guess I am asking for too much right now, huh?'
[No sh*t!]
Naruto sighed, he didn't know what he should do at this point. He wanted to create stronger attacks, or at least create something that he can use as a last resort when he is cornered.
"For now, I guess, I should just continue training my body" He sighed
[That will be for the best]
Naruto returned home for the day, and spent his nights researching seals, whilst his day time was spent training with Lee and Guy. As a result of this, he ended up with dark circles under his eyes due to sleep deprivation, but whenever he got into researching seals, he couldn't stop himself.
*Bam*
Naruto was slammed into the wall by Ino
"Sleep, NOW!" Ino yelled at him, the moment she realised he had those dark circles, she realised what he was doing.
"I'm almost done, just a bit more, and I'll have this finished" Naruto chuckled strangely as he sat back down and started working on the seal on his table.
Ino sat down beside him with a concerned expression
"Na-kun, the past few days, you haven't slept much at all, I'm concerned" She said as she placed her hand on his...
Naruto's hands stopped for a moment. After a while, he sighed.
"Just...one more, I'll sleep once I finish this last one, kay? This one is essential" Naruto said with a serious expression
Ino tucked her lips, seeings how tired he was, she felt worried that he may collapse.
"Just one then..." She muttered as she leaned her head onto his shoulder
Naruto trembled slightly, but focused back on his seals right after. After an hour, he finally finished the seal, and heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced at Ino, and realised she was asleep as she leaned on him.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he pulled the blanket from his bed and covered the both of them before his eyes slowly closed. Once he did, Ino's lips curled up into a small smile.
-Next day-
*Knock*
*Knock*
*Knock*
Naruto's eyes trembled, with this being his first proper sleep in a while, he was quite annoyed that he got interrupted. Why didn't he get interrupted any other day? Why is it the one day he was sleeping?
He got up from the floor and groaned
"Who is it" He opened the door with his eyes still half closed
When the door opened, he saw Kakashi, as well as his two teammates at the door.
"Guy asked me to check on you since you didn't look so well during training" Kakashi said
However, as Naruto was about to answer...
"Mn, Na-kun, is someone here?" Ino rubbed her eyes and looked over
It is to know that his room is small...very small...so small that the moment the door opens, people can see the entire room. So when Ino spoke, everyone realised she was there, and shifted their eyes over.
"...."
"Well, sorry to disturb you" Kakashi said casually as he grabbed the handle and was about to close the door
Naruto quickly grabbed the handle and pulled it back open
"Hold on now, don't you dare walk off like that as if you know the whole story" Naruto gnashed his teeth and growled.
Sakura covered her mouth as her eyes curved into a crescent
"My, Ino, you act quickly" She giggled
It was only now that Ino realised what was happening, and she quickly jumped up
"Wait, no, I-I-, no! We didn't do anything, we just slept" She hurriedly explained
"Oh~ I see, you slept together" Sakura grinned
"No, I-I mean, yes, but that was it!"
"I see~" Sakura giggled
Naruto sighed
"Ino, you are just making this worst, also, you should probably leave before your father start storming my house, at the rate of his rage is growing, he is going to summon a tailed beast in the village" Naruto said with a helpless expression
Ino waved her hand
"Come on Na-kun, it's fine, father won't-"
*Rumble*
"My-baby-girl-is-here!" She was cut off by the earth resounding roar of Inoichi who zoomed up the stairs on all four, with a vicious glare in his eyes that sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine.
'Even in my time as an Anbu, I have never felt this much pressure' He gulped nervously when he met eyes with Inoichi
Inoichi grabbed him by his shoulder and spun him aside as he appeared at the doorway, face to face with Naruto...
"HOW DARE YOU DEFILE MY BABY GIRL!!!" He roared
Naruto face palmed as he shook his head
"First of all, I won't touch her until she's older, second, I didn't touch her, third, and you need to listen real carefully here, *snap*" He suddenly snapped his fingers, and a seal appeared beneath Inoichi's feet.
*Swoosh*
Ropes shot out from the ground, and bound him up. A second seal appeared, and in that instant, his chakra was sealed...
"...LET ME DOWN!" He roared
"I'll need to say...no, and when I say no, I mean hell no" He replied
His efficiency with seals shocked Kakashi and his teammates, who didn't even know he could use seals in the first place. But then again, they haven't met since the preliminaries, so it was only obvious that they didn't know.
"When did you learn about seals" Kakashi asked
"I'm an Uzumaki, I'd be a fool if I don't learn any" Naruto replied as he stared at Inoichi.
Because at this moment, Inoichi's aura was rising, and even his sealed chakra seems to be showing signs of movement...
"Hey Kakashi sensei" Naruto said
"Yeah?"
"Take care of Inoichi-san for me" He said as he quickly teleported away
"Why?" Kakashi was baffled, but the next moment, the ropes on Inoichi snapped, and for a second, Kakashi could have sworn that his sharingan caught sight of a tailed beast's aura on Inoichi.
'...' He decided to not talk about what he saw, EVER, and ignore it as Inoichi burst forth with great might and speed as he chased after Naruto.
He didn't know where he is, but his gut feeling brought him closer and closer...
"He seems fine, let's get back to training" Kakashi said
"Agreed" The two behind him nodded
All that's left is Ino once again, speechless and a little frustrated that her father is now getting more and more disruptive.
'I'll have mum take care of him later' She grumbled in her thoughts
-Day of the finals-
After a few days, the finals came around, and Naruto was somewhat looking forward to the matchmaking, praying in his heart that he will get paired against Sasuke.
They arrived in the stadium, where many families of nobility arrived to watch as well. Seated at the very top was Hiruzen, the Hokage, and Rasa, the fourth Kazekage...
He could tell from the chakra flow that this wasn't Rasa, rather, is Orochimaru. Hiruzen may not feel it, but with Kurama's help, he was able to catch on quickly.
'I wonder how Orochimaru managed to kill Rasa and even replace him without anyone finding out about it' He glanced towards the other side of the arena, and he could feel an incredibly strong killing intent locked onto him.
'Is Gaara more unstable than before?' Naruto frowned
[Well, it seems he hasn't killed anyone as of late]
'...' He suddenly remembered, he eliminated the sound ninjas, and Choji forfeited the battle, so no one ended up fighting him...
The order of the fights were soon announced:
Sasuke vs Naruto
Gaara vs Ino
Shikamaru vs Shino
Temari vs Lee
Neji was left out due to odd numbers, so he would face whoever wins between Temari and Lee. With that, Naruto walked up to the stadium with a gleeful look on his face.
'My prayer has been answered'
[Brat, let me take over, I want to bully an Uchiha prick]
'Hell no! He's my prey' Naruto growled, though Sasuke would sometimes listen to his ideas, but lately, he's been acting more and more selfishly due to his pride.
[Tch]
Naruto walked up towards Sasuke, who wore a proud smile on his face.
"Naruto, during this month, I have always thought of challenging you" He said with a smirk
"...why?" Naruto had a reason to want to beat him up, but he barely had much contact with Sasuke all this time.
Even during missions, he tends to act alone aside from the fight where they fought against Zabuza.
Otherwise, they don't even spar with one another.
"Humph, all this time, you must have been quite proud to have bested me in all the challenges we faced, and I remained in your shadow, but now, I can finally best you in a proper fight" He said proudly
"..." Naruto sighed, so he felt like he was being outshined...
[That's an Uchiha for you, the pettiest of petty]
'Right...I truly underestimated how highly they think of themselves'
Naruto shook his head and he silently made one promise to himself...
'I'm going to thoroughly crush Sasuke's pride so he'll understand what humility is'
[Do they even have the word humility in their dictionary]
'I doubt it, but that's why I'll teach him it'
Kakashi watched from above as his brows furrowed, he taught Sasuke the Chidori, but he was worried that he'd get pushed to the limits and use it on Naruto.
"Begin"
When the bell was rung, Naruto took out six kunais and threw them in six different directions.
!!!
Sasuke realised that one was heading for him, and quickly raised a kunai to parry it, but the moment he lifted one arm up, Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him with a golden flash.
"You-"
*Bang*
Naruto punched his face and grabbed his collar before throwing him into the air. Sasuke didn't even have time to activate his sharingan as this happened too fast.
*Bzt*
Kakashi watched in shock as Naruto appeared above Sasuke by teleporting to the kunai above him, and he punched Sasuke downwards.
*Bang*
Sasuke was still mid fall when Naruto teleported below him and kicked him on the chest, throwing him towards another kunai.
Sasuke bit down on his lips
"Sharingan!" He activated his sharingan, and turned around mid air, prepared to block the incoming strike.
Naruto rolled his eyes as he threw a kunai into the air before he teleported once more. He teleported behind Sasuke, who didn't expect this action, and wrapped his arm around Sasuke's arms so he couldn't move.
"Buddy, you're coming with me" He smirked as he teleported to the kunai he threw straight up, and flipped Sasuke's body so his head was facing the floor.
"Down you go" He chuckled as he threw Sasuke down as hard as he could
!!!
Sasuke's pupils shrunk as he watched the distance between him an the ground closed rapidly. He gnashed his teeth and made a hand sign as fast as he could.
"Greater fireball jutsu!" He blew the fireball towards the ground right before impact, reducing the speed he was falling at, and rolled down to minimise damage.
Naruto landed on the ground safely as he stared at Sasuke who could barely stand.
"You lost" He said calmly
"I can still fight!" Sasuke roared, refusing to believe he would lose with his sharingan activated.
"I was caught off guard before, but now that we're both on even ground, I won't lose" He said in a low voice as he took out another kunai.
Naruto sighed
"If that's how you want to play" He took out a scroll and pressed down
*Poof*
The executioner blade appeared in his hand. The appearance of this massive blade caused the audience to gasp as they didn't expect Naruto to wield such a big weapon.
Sasuke's expression became grim as he focused his gaze. He decided to go on the offensive so Naruto couldn't put him in a passive position.
He rushed up to Naruto and struck for his hand, however, Naruto merely shifted his blade slightly to the side and blocked the hit. And with the massive blade in the way, Sasuke couldn't see Naruto's legs, which led to him getting kneed in the stomach.
*Cough*
Naruto didn't use the blade to strike him, he merely stood there with his gaze upon Sasuke, waiting for him to strike again.
Sasuke held his stomach as he glared at Naruto
"Why didn't you attack" He growled
Naruto scoffed at his reaction
"Because if I did, you won't even have a chance to strike me back" He replied
His response immediately infuriated the Uchiha, as his pride wouldn't allow for such insults. He threw shurikens at him and dashed forward with his kunai in hand. Naruto sighed as he turned the blade so the flat was facing Sasuke, and swung with all his might.
*Whoosh*
*Ting*
The shurikens were knocked aside, and the pure wind pressure caused Sasuke to nearly lose his footing as the blade barely missed his face.
That moment of pause allowed for Naruto to throw another kick at Sasuke, but this time, he could see it.
'I can see it, I just need to...move!' He screamed, however, he realised one thing
Even if his eyes can keep up...can his body? In that moment, his sharingan began spinning, and his body twisted to the side, barely avoiding the attack. However, his expression was incredibly pale, and his breathe was short.
"Oh? That looks familiar, that's how I usually dodge Kakashi sensei's punches" Naruto chuckled, realising that Sasuke used the Sharingan to copy his movements for an instant.
But that must have drained a lot of energy, as his complexion wasn't the greatest.
"Still going to fight? I can keep going if you want" Naruto smiled
His goal was to completely crush Sasuke in everything he does, from hand to hand combat, to weapon usages. Now...it should be jutsus.
Sasuke gnashed his teeth as he suddenly dashed towards the arena walls.
'Don't tell me' Kakashi felt a sense of dread rise, knowing what Sasuke was going to do
"Grrr, victory will be decided with one hit" Sasuke growled as lightning began sparking on his hand.
Naruto shook his head as he placed his weapon aside. He opened up one palm and...
*Whoosh*
FIve rasengans suddenly emerged, one on each finger. The moment this happened, Kakashi's expression became pale.
'This is insane, Minato sensei was already a genius to use two at once, yet this kid can do five on one hand?' Kakashi was in awe, he didn't even know when Naruto learned this jutsu, nor did he know his chakra control was to such a scary degree.
'A monster...'
Sasuke may be a genius, but Naruto...he was a monster...
Sasuke saw the five rasengans in Naruto's hands and scoffed
'Using quantity to beat quality? Pathetic' He uttered in his heart
"Chido-"
*Bang*
An explosion suddenly happened next to him when he was about to charge. He turned over, and saw a spiral shaped hole right next to him.
"Ah, I missed, well, four more to go" Naruto said as he raised his four fingers, with one finger in a flick motion behind the rasengans.
*Flick*
Another rasengan was shot forward, and struck the other side where Sasuke stood...
*Bang*
Another giant spiral shaped hole was formed...
Three more left...
Sasuke was in so much shock that he just stared at Naruto blankly. When the remaining three were shot, he realised that there were five dents all around him, in a perfect pentagon...
Missed? What a joke, he clearly did it to show off...
He gritted his teeth
"Chi-" He was about to attack, but...
*Whoosh*
Another five formed on Naruto's hand as he was prepared to flick it. Sweat rolled down Sasuke's face, but he resolved himself.
'Once I charge, he won't be able to hit me' He thought as he dug in his heels and charged at full speed.
"CHIDORI!" He screamed
Naruto stared at him blankly, then...
*Fwoosh*
He just tossed all five rasengans at him, all at once! He thought he could only throw one at a time! Why can he throw all five at once!? And what is with that ridiculous power!
One of them is already comparable to his chidori! No, even greater! Yet he is casually making five at a time as he threw them at him!
"HAH!" He charged forward, ignoring the incoming attacks.
Now, all he wanted to do was land a single attack. Land it, LAND IT! It MUST land! He kept screaming in his head, and the five rasengans shot past his face, so perfect that he felt the wind pressure from it, but none of them actually touched him.
His hand appeared right in front of Naruto, victory was in his grasp, he is right there!
*Puff*
Naruto simply teleported away usuing his kunai...
Sasuke was stunned, but he couldn't stop, as his hand kept charging. He kept charging...all the way into the wall...
His hand shot through the wall, and his face slammed hard into it.
"And there we go" Naruto smiled
The crowd became silent, with Kakashi face palming at the sight of Sasuke's results...he knew the chidori would be hard for him to control, but he didn't think he'd end up slamming into the wall like that.
Naruto, on the other hand, still gave him the greatest shock. Just how much chakra control does one need to create five rasengans simultaneously, whilst throwing them without them losing their form?
Sasuke struggled and pulled his arm back out, his face was bruised from the impact, which made Sakura cover her eyes.
"Grr, why won't you fight me properly!" He roared at Naruto, who frowned
"But I have" He replied
"Then why did you not take me head on, always dodging and using cheap moves" Sasuke felt something snap in him, and his anger was at a breaking point.
He awakened the sharingan, but since then, he has only ever been exclipsed by Naruto during training. He has learnt the chirdori, but Naruto easily threw out strange spheres that has a greater impact than it.
"Sasuke, you're just weaker than me, accept it" Naruto said
"I am an Uchiha! How can I be weaker!" Seeing Sasuke refuse to admit it, Naruto sighed
"Well, only one thing left to do then" He cracked his knuckles and walked towards Sasuke
"What are you-"
*Bang*
Naruto teleported behind him and punched his head, knocking him to the ground. He then sat on top of him as he...
*Bang*
*Bang*
He repeatedly started punching Sasuke, who could do nothing but raise his arm to block. But Naruto simply smacked his arm aside and continued to punch him. He made sure it wouldn't harm him too badly, but it would definitely be painful.
"I promised Ino I'd give you a good thrashing a while back, and now I finaally have a good chance to do so" Naruto smirked
Ino heard his words an covered her mouth
'So he was serious about it? Hehehe' She couldn't help but feel giddy inside, to think Naruto was serious about doing it when he said he'd beat Sasuke up.
From the beatdown, it was clear that Sasuke honed only his jutsus, and didn't bother with much physical training, as Naruto was simply dominating him in raw power.
[Hey brat, let me join in]
'You know what, I'm in a good mood, go ahead'
Kurama laughed as he took over his body. He made sure his chakra didn't leak, but his eyes still became slits, with claws on his hand.
[Fuahahahaha, take this Uchiha brat! F**k you Madara! I'll do this to all your descendents!] Kurama laughed in his head as he pummeled Sasuke, but unlike Naruto...he didn't know self control...
After a few hits, Sasuke was thoroughly knocked out, and was bleeding from his mouth and nose.
"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki"
After it was annaounced, Kurama gave the body's control back to Naruto with a satisfied look on his face.
'I can't believe you look that happy after beating up a thirteen year old boy' Naruto gasped
[Humph, I don't care, those Uchihas deserve more than just a beating!] Kurama snorted
The next fight was Ino against Gaara, however, like Choji, Naruto warned her against it. When she heard what Naruto said, she frowned a little, but the worried look in his eyes made her feel much better as she nodded.
"Sure, I haven't seen him fight, but since you of all people is warning me, I'll do it" She grinned
"Bu~t" She leaned closer
She pointed by the side of her cheek
"I want a little reward"
Naruto stared at her, then poked her cheeks.
"Eh? Not that" Ino pouted
Naruto ignored her and started to pinch her cheeks
"What is it then?" He asked, after playing with her cheeks for a while
Ino stomped her feet
"You clearly know! If you don't, I won't surrender and go fight Gaara" She huffed
Naruto sighed, there's no stopping this girl, is there? He placed both hands on her cheeks and pulled her closer, making her heart start beating faster.
"Ino...please don't fight him, okay?" He asked
"Nope~" Seeing that he still didn't do it, she crossed her arms and huffed
Naruto still didn't do it. It's not that he doesn't like her, but he has never done this sort of thing before, and felt a little embarrassed at the thought of it.
"Then I'm going" Ino turned around and was about to walk out when Naruto grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her neck.
He had a helpless look
"Stop pushing me, kay? I don't want you to get hurt" He said lightly as he planted a quick peck on her cheek.
!!!
Ino's eyes widened from shock, her heart beat was incredibly fast and her face was turning red.
She was incredibly glad that Naruto couldn't see her face, or she'd die of embarrassment, she thought she had mentally prepared herself enough when she made that request, but it seems it was still too much.
"Since you did it, I'll forfeit the battle" She stroded forward with a flustered smile, she didn't dare look back or Naruto would see her face.
Ino didn't realise, but when Naruto let go, a small mark was left on her back, which soon vanished.
'I hope I'm just overthinking it'
From the moment he saw the matchmaking process, and realised Ino was against Gaara, a bad feeling was brooding in his heart, as if he had overlooked something...