ch 3

Naruto and Senjii took their seats in the stands allocated for the fighters. The previous day no one had paid Naruto any attention. Today was a different day. All eyes were on his, some angry, some curious, others delighted. It was the delighted ones that worried Naruto.

He saw the face of one particular fighter whose eyes were locked on his, his mouth open in a feral grin, salivating. That one seemed to be trembling with excitement at the thought of fighting Naruto. Naruto swallowed, hard. It was the reigning champ who was staring at him.

They sat down and looked around the stadium. The master of ceremonies had been right. Far from being emptier, the stadium was more packed. Every seat was filled, and the area where Naruto destroyed the day before had been replaced with makeshift bleachers that strained under the weight of hundreds of people.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we continue the Kumite!" The MC screamed, to the delight of the fans.

Naruto held tightly onto the Bo staff in his right hand, base resting just on the outside of his right foot. He tried his best to remain calm, but this was just too exciting. He had a new technique to try out in actual combat. Naruto couldn't wait. If this worked, he'd be on his way to getting stronger, strong enough to fulfill his dream.

2 hours later

"Naruto versus Victor Karas!" The MC shouted. The crowd was immediately in an uproar. Many people had come hoping to catch a glimpse of the power they had heard about or seen already yesterday. Naruto's opponent walked into the middle of the arena, and waited.

Naruto sighed, and clenched his fist around the Bo staff. He rose and bent his knees. He sprang from the bleachers into his starting position in the middle of the field. A small circle of dust surrounded him.

Naruto held onto his Bo, pointing straight up and resting on the ground next to him like a pole. He breathed in and out deeply. Preparing his Chakra.

"Fight!" the MC shouted then ran off the field, clearly not wanting to get caught in any kind of backlash.

Victor Karas was a middle aged man with scars over most of his body, he had clearly seen years of battle. He sneered at Naruto. "What you going to do with that stick boy?" He drew a sword from his waist. "I'm going to slice that toothpick then peel the skin off your bones."

Naruto smiled, at least he didn't have to worry about hurting a good guy. He lifted the Bo and held it across his body, palms extended. Victor charged at him, but Naruto wasn't playing. He wanted to use this move immediately, couldn't hold the chakra build up in anymore.

He brought his foot forward and pushed his right hand forward quickly, flicking the Bo towards Victor.

Victor Karas, even though he was still a good twenty feet away from Naruto, felt as if someone had hit a sledgehammer into his side. He went sprawling into the sand.

He got up and spit out a bloody tooth. He grinned. "Is that the best you got?" he laughed.

Naruto looked puzzled then smiled. "No. I was just getting into position." Victor stopped laughing.

The crowd was deathly silent, waiting.

Naruto gathered his Chakra and exhaled, feeding it into his hands, and then the Bo. He raised it and jumped forward landing in a crouch. Naruto brought the Bo down in a sharp swing, slamming the end into the dirt. "Tenshi Sutoraiku " He shouted. An arc of wind followed the path of the Bo, shooting like a shark's fin along the ground unbelievably fast towards Victor Karas.

He had no time to jump out of the way.

The wind hit him full on and he stood there taking it at first. The wind shredded his clothes; flung his hair back and spread eagled his arms. He screamed into the maelstrom as his grip on the ground couldn't hold anymore and he was flung backwards. He hit the wall of the stadium and the wind kept battering him.

There was a sharp crack and a huge gully was etched into the stone wall of the stadium where the wind hit it. In a matter of seconds, it was over. Victor Karas fell in a heap to the ground. The section of the stadium that was hit creaked loudly then split in two, the left half sliding sideways slightly.

Naruto stood up and grinned. It had worked perfectly! He could hear Senjii shouting from the stands. "That's right! That's how we do it! Woo hoo! Go Naruto!"

The stadium erupted in applause.

"Winner! Naruto!"

As Naruto took his seat next to a smiling Senjii, he saw several people approach them. Senjii stopped them with his eyes and put out his palm. They nodded at him and one by one, pieces of paper were slipped into his hand. They then turned and left.

Naruto looked at him puzzled, and he whispered in response.

"Jobs. You've proven yourself more than enough to get the interest of several people who want jobs done. So we go through their requests and see which you want to do."

Naruto looked excited. "But I thought I had to win for people to notice?"

Senjii laughed. "Naruto, in two strokes you destroyed your opponent, and cut the stadium in half. I think people will notice you. People far and wide will notice you."

Naruto's eyes glazed over for a second, a million thoughts going through his head. Would Konoha find out? Would they be proud or would they hunt him down? Would his friends even care?

Senjii's next fight was against a fellow swordsman. It was a majestic sight, more like a dance than anything else. His opponent's face was mostly covered except for his eyes. A long red scarf flowing behind him as their swords clashed in the sunlight.

Senjii's black suit was looking the worse for wear as the fight wore on, slices appearing in the material. Of course his opponent had them as well, with small cuts and drops of blood for good measure.

After fifteen minutes of this, the MC's voice cut in. "Fifteen minutes! Would the combatants like the option of Anshitsu?"

The two swordsmen stopped and stepped away from each other. They both nodded. In a flash, the scarfed opponent had pushed his scarf up over his eyes, tying it tightly. Senjii had pulled out a kerchief and did the same, effectively blinding himself.

Naruto's mouth dropped open. What was he doing! But he could see Senjii's feral grin as he grasped his swords tightly and crouched. Anshitsu means Dark room, so they'd be fighting blind Naruto guessed.

The crowd became hushed to the point where you could hear the gravel shifting under the fighters' feet. Senjii and his opponent - Murusaki something Naruto remembered – slowly circled each other. In a flash, they rushed each other, and like before the swords clashed, the ringing of cold steel sending shivers down Naruto's spine.

It took a few more minutes, but Naruto could see Senjii was getting the upper hand, the cuts on his opponent were getting bigger, while Murusaki was scoring less hits on Senjii.

There was a quick series of clashes then it was over. Murusaki had leapt back several feet, clutching his left arm. Blood oozed between his fingers from where Senjii's sword had slashed him. Senjii stood back and smiled contentedly.

Murusaki raised his hand and gave a signal to the MC. He had forfeited.

"Winner, Senjii the Dark Blade!"

Naruto grinned. His friend had a very cool nickname. He watched as Senjii walked over to the MC and spoke to him. The MC nodded and spoke again.

"Due to damage inflicted in this match, Fighter Senjii will not continue in the Kumite." The crowd seemed slightly disappointed.

Senjii walked over to where Naruto was and sat down. Naruto turned on him. "Why did you drop out? You were winning every match!"

Senjii turned to look at him with a tired smile. "Well, I don't know if you noticed, but there are only four of us left. Which means I'd have to fight you in a few minutes. I could probably hold my own for a while, but I really don't want to be on the receiving end of your Wind Strike. We've got several jobs lined up and I need to recover if we want to do them."

Naruto nodded. His friend was very practical. That was good, Naruto thought, because I'm very impulsive. Would my unpredictability slow me down in being a good leader? From starting my own village? Naruto shook his head, now was not the time for such thoughts.

With Senjii out of the fight that just left the reigning champ Guerrera and his opponent, a small man who used a weird animal style martial art that Naruto had seen before, but not to this extent.

Naruto had only one word to describe the match. Brutal.

Guerrera was the fastest person Naruto had ever seen, despite his huge size. He practically rammed into his opponent, as the man was about to fall backwards though, Guerrera had grabbed his arms and thrown him into the air. He had then leapt into the air and somehow gotten the man's arms behind his back, and his legs hooked. They came crashing down to earth, the small man underneath a pushing Guerrera. They landed with a sickening crunch.

The masked champion got up and walked away, not even looking back.

"Winner Guuuueerreerraaaaa!" the MC articulated. "We will break for five minutes then the final match will begin! Naaaarruuuuto versus Guerrreerraa!"

Naruto felt the nervous energy build up inside him. He'd soon be fighting for his life against a much stronger opponent. He smiled and turned to a similarly smiling Senjii. "I feel so alive right now."

Senjii nodded at his friend, leader, and kindred spirit.

Naruto stood in the middle of the arena, looking at how huge Guerrera was. His hand tightened on his Bo staff.

"Fight!"

No sooner had the MC shouted those words and moved out of the way had Guerrera catapulted his huge mass towards Naruto. Honestly if Naruto hadn't been expecting it, he would have been bowled over.

Unfortunately for Guerrera, he had been expecting it, so all Guerrera hit was a Shadow Clone. It vanished in a puff of smoke. Four Naruto's erupted from the ground around where Guerrera stood. Guerrera growled and brought his hands together with a loud clap. Naruto's eyes bulged as he saw familiar signs being formed, although with slight differences. Lion, Bear, Boar…was that an Ox?

With a grunt, Guerrera doubled in size. He went from a towering seven feet tall to a massive fourteen foot giant. His muscles seemed to take on a harder quality. Naruto's eyes squinted. The man looked slightly armored at this point. He could see why he was feared.

The four Naruto Clones took their position and raised their staffs. As one they all performed the same move as before.

"Tenshi Sutoraiku " They shouted in unison. Four staffs slamming into the ground. Four arcs of air racing to Guerrera.

The masked fighter jumped impossibly high, straight up. He avoided all four blasts and landed back where he began. The Narutos frowned and prepared for another move, when Guerrera blasted his way towards one of them. With the smash of a giant fist, one clone dissipated.

Naruto began the move for another Tenshi Sutoraiku, but before he could take the first step, the other three clones were destroyed and Guerrera was behind him.

"You move too slowly young one." Naruto swing the Bo, but too late. He was backhanded across the face. Naruto spun madly around a few times before landing in a heap not far away. He blinked his eyes open, thinking he'd never felt a punch like that before.

He looked around; his Bo was by the feet of Guerrera. With a smirk, the fighter stepped on it and smashed it in two.

Naruto stood up slowly. His face becoming a mask of rage. "That Bo was a gift." Anyone looking closely would have seen his pupils become slits and his whiskers become deeper. What everyone did notice however was the waves of Killing Intent rolling off of Naruto. The spectators became silent as the anger became palpable. Even Kenjii shuddered at the foul feeling he could practically taste coming from Naruto.

Guerrera felt it too, and a smile split his face. "Finally you're getting serious. Come little one, show me what you can do."

Naruto growled and charged his speed much faster than before. A white blur closed the distance between the two. Guerrera's eyes opened wider behind his mask. Naruto's punch connected with his gut, the force of the charge, plus his Kyuubi enhanced chakra sending Guerrera flying. Before he could land, Naruto was under him on all fours.

With a growl Naruto kicked him skyward. He leapt upwards to catch Guerrera in mid air.

In a blink of an eye though, the masked fighter had twisted and grabbed Naruto in a body lock. It felt like a vice to Naruto, who struggled to break free.

"Foolish. Grappling is my art. I hope you survive this, you fought well."

Guerrera twisted Naruto and himself so that he was in a sitting position in mid air and Naruto's head was between his legs. They began to spin madly as they plummeted towards earth. Naruto panicked, this felt very much like Lee's Lotus, and he didn't want to feel that impact.

He struggled against the hard muscles of Guerrera, his Kyuubi chakra pushing his body its limit; he started to feel his grip loosening, but too late.

Wish a crash, Guerrera planted Naruto head first into the ground below. There was a collective wince from the crowd, followed by rousing cheers and jeers for the reigning champion.

The MC walked over to where Naruto lay and Guerrera stood over him. Naruto was out cold, a small trickle of blood running down his nose. He was still breathing though, so the MC nodded at Guerrera.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of this Kumite! Guuueerrrreeerrraaaa!"

The crowd roared its approval while Senjii rushed out to the middle of the arena to collect Naruto.

One Month Later

Jiraiya drank his sake quietly at the end of the bar. His expression kept most people away from him, the one or two who had ventured close enough to bother him had felt the brunt of his bad mood.

He had seen nor heard no trace of Naruto for months. He had left Konoha so far behind that most people in these areas had never even heard of the Fire Country.

Jiraiya had no more interest in the loose women he had before, no more time for frivolities. Life had lost its taste and bitterness had taken hold. His charge, the only living relative of his student, the boy he had begun to train had been run out of his home. Jiraiya scowled, if only he could find him, he could take care of him, raise him properly.

"…that Naruto sure was powerful though, those wind attacks were really something."

Jiraiya almost choked on his sake as bits of conversation from down the bar floated towards him.

"Yea, too bad he had to face that giant Guerrera in the finals. I think he would have won against anyone else." One of the two men talking replied.

Jiraiya moved towards them unnoticed.

"No one can defeat Guerrera. It's impossible. That kid though sure was something. I'd hate to go up against him in a fight myself."

Jiraiya stood behind both men and clamped his hands down on the back of their necks. A genuine smile crossed his face. His first clue.

"Gentlemen. I believe we should have a talk over some sake."

Naruto eyed the small stone flying through the air, his eyes narrowing to slits to focus on it.

"Kaze Senbon!" He said as he sent a single needle of wind racing towards the stone. Not for the first time, he missed completely.

Tenchi looked on with severe disapproval on his face. "You must focus on the object harder Naruto. Finesse comes with much practice."

Naruto scowled. " I've never thrown a real senbon before. So how am I supposed to throw a wind one? I've only ever thrown Kunhai!"

Tenchi looked down at Naruto and shook his head. "Naruto, you relied too much on your staff in your match with Guerrera. What if you are disarmed? You need to be able to create your own weapons with your hands and wind chakra. The easiest one to start with is Senbon! If you can't even make this work, we can go no further." With that he turned and walked away from Naruto, leaving him looking at his new sensei's back.

Naruto picked walked over to the pile of rocks and picked up a handful. He threw them in the air and formed the Wind Needles and threw them again. Missed. Again…

Jiraiya looked on from the shadows as he Naruto tried again to hit the stones. His face was serious as he considered several options. Naruto had found a new teacher, granted the man was not a Shinobi, but he could not have found a better substitute.

"It has been long since you graced my house Sennin." Tenchi stepped out of the shadows behind Jiraiya.

Jiraiya did not turn around, "How is he doing Tenchi?" He asked with genuine concern in his voice. He watched Naruto struggling with the Senbon, determination in his eyes.

Tenchi rubbed his chin and sighed. "He's a brave young man. He has a lot of heart Jiraiya, and he has a goal. He fights and strives to reach that goal. I think he will go very far."

Jiraiya shook his head. "You know what I meant."

"He's at a crossroads. He could go either way. Who he becomes will depend greatly on the six months I think."

"I would like to be involved in his training." Jiraiya spoke up. "There are some Jutsu of Minato's he should learn, as his birthright."

Tenchi nodded. "Whenever you are ready to introduce yourself, do it. But I'd rather you wait until he finishes his exercises for today. I think he's finally starting to focus."

They watched as Naruto hit three stones with Wind Needles, splintering them into dust. He let out a whoop and jumped around celebrating. Jiraiya smiled sadly. So much spirit for someone banished from his home, so much heart.

Sakura stared at the gates of Konoha. Everyone else thought Tsunada had left weeks ago but there she was, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder, Shizune walking behind her. They had disappeared, but clearly hadn't left as yet.

On an impulse, Sakura ran towards her. Tsunade had come because of Naruto, she shouted at herself in her head. She too believed in him.

"Mistress Tsunade! Please wait!" Sakura shouted as she ran up to them.

Tsunade turned to face her, her face softening as she looked at Sakura. She knew Naruto had a crush on this girl, that they had been friends and teammates. She cursed inwardly though, if only she had left weeks ago, but she needed the research papers she had found, and some items she wanted that were hidden away. If she ever saw Naruto again…

"Sakura?" She asked with just that name.

"Tsunade, I have a request. Please?" Sakura's eyes welled up with tears. She closed them hard and sought the courage. "Please, take me with you."

Tsunade rocked back on her heels with surprise. "What? Why would you want to come with me?"

Sakura sobbed. "I'm weak. I…I've lost two teammates...two friends." She sniffled then rose her head resolutely and looked Tsunade right in her eyes. "I will find them. I will save them. I need to get stronger, and only you can show me how."

Tsunade stared dumbfounded at Sakura. She had no intention of going to look for Naruto, she was just going to her secluded hideaway house for a while until Jiraiya found the boy. No real plan, certainly not being a sensei to anyone.

But Sakura's plea reminded her so much of her own state after Orochimaru betrayed them, and Jiraiya went off hunting for him. In fact, it was like looking in a fun-house mirror and seeing yourself decades younger. Her mind processed it for a full minute before she turned her back on Sakura.

"I'm walking east, I hope you can pack fast and catch up to me soon apprentice, I will not wait for you."