Want To Be Friends
"That was an awesome fight!" Fū excitedly exclaimed with flushed cheeks. "I had a lot of fun, Hana! Oh, and by the way, how did you transform without using any chakra?!"
Hana felt her face turn a shade of crimson; she was embarrassed because earlier, she had been ready to rip Fū's face off. But now, standing in the aftermath of their sparring, she found herself admiring the girl.
"I took a special food pill from my clan," she admitted sheepishly, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
Fū tilted her head and curiously asked, "A food pill? What's that about?"
Hana cleared her throat and shared what "military ration pills" were.
"They're special pills that nourish and replenish the body. They're jam packed with powerful stimulants and nutrients that are almost instantaneously absorbed. With just one, you can keep fighting for three days and three nights without rest."
Fū dumbfoundedly asked, "Wait, is that allowed?"
"Well, yes and no," Hana continued with a small smirk on her face. "It's technically against the rules, but you forgot to read the fine print. The pills can't be consumed during the match, but no one ever said I couldn't take them before the match started."
That was how Hana was able to transform. She not only took the food pill before the match, she had also stored the energy until the right moment.
Fū's jaw dropped in recognition as she asked, "So you were able to pull off that transformation without using any chakra at all?"
"Exactly," Hana chuckled at her response. "It's not just any ordinary food pill, either. This one allows me to transform without draining my reserves!" It's then that she understood how fortuitous the encounter was. "Had I known how strong you really were, I might have tried to plan my strategy differently. I could have lasted days in a taijutsu-only fight with you!"
The two shared a laugh, signaling a subtle friendship blossoming. Hana felt lighter; there was no animosity left between them. Fū's enthusiasm made her feel more at ease.
"You know," Hana began with a more playful tone, "you remind me of my younger brother." She said this, referring to Fū's confident brashness which bore similarities to Kiba.
"Who's he?" Fū asked, feeling a tad confused.
"Some things are better left unanswered," Hana responded coyly, glancing down. It's then that Fū understood what Hana was hinting at.
"Was he... someone important?" she ventured cautiously.
"Yes," Hana softly replied with a note of sadness in her tone. "He was important to me." A moment of silence passed between them.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Fū sincerely said.
Hana shook her head, dismissing the melancholic turn. "It's alright; it's in the past now, and he was avenged by those who were cheering for you."
Her words caused Fū to look back at Margaret and her friends. She hadn't been aware of how deep the bonds were in the Leaf Village. When she turned to Hana, she saw her fragile yet beautiful smile.
Hana extended her hand once more and said, "We might have been opponents today, but I think I can call you a friend now."
"Definitely!" Fū replied, shaking Hana's hand enthusiastically.
The crowd, recognizing their newly forged amity, applauded their scene. As the noise and their cheers faded, Hana trudged back towards her group—the Inuzukas—who waited expectantly, ready to congratulate her despite the loss.
"Great job out there!" her teammates cheered, patting her on the back.
"Yeah, Hana! You gave it your all!" the dogs barked. They obviously couldn't speak, but that's what she interpreted.
"Thanks, everyone," she replied with a buoyed spirit. Though she had lost, the battle had been worthwhile, and Fū had shown her a kinder side of competition.
"I can't believe how well you fought," Gaku commented. Gaku was a Jōnin who had once fought alongside the fourth Hokage. "Your match was incredible."
"Again, thank you… Let's head back to the village now," she suggested, feeling content and a little worn from the excitement.
Meanwhile, Fū had returned to her group, where Margaret and Jada were waiting to warmly welcome her.
"Fū! That was a fantastic fight!" Margaret exclaimed. She beamed with pride, clearly impressed by her performance.
Fū matched her energy before looking at the black-haired girl next to her.
"It's the first time we've met, huh? I'm Jada, Jada Uchiha. Marge told me a lot about you. It's so cool to meet another Jinchūriki!"
Fū's eyes sparkled with delight as she said, "Nice to meet you, Jada. You're so beautiful!"
Seeing Fū's injury, Margaret took the initiative to heal it. She performed the basic healing technique, mending her wound almost instantly. Arthur took note of how quickly her restoration speed was.
Before Fū could express her desire to be friends, Jada beat her to it and asked, "So, want to be friends?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" Fū beamed, feeling happiness from the day's events.
"Wow, you really are friendly!" Jada replied, chuckling. "I like that."
"Of course I am! This tournament has been so much fun!" Fū replied.
"And you fought really well too," Margaret added as the trio began to chat more casually. "But what if you ever wanted to join the Leaf Village? You could really make a difference there."
Jada smacked her forearm, prompting the girl to rub it slightly.
The abruptness of Margaret's question caught Fū off guard as she said, "I mean, I'm flattered, but I'm loyal to my village. I wouldn't just leave—there are important people I fight for."
"Of course, we respect that," Jada chimed in. To Fū's surprise, it felt good to be supported by new friends. "But don't be a stranger! Come visit us! That way, you can see where we live and meet Naruto. He fought in the second match, and he's a Jinchūriki like you."
"You're friends with him?!" she exclaimed. Of course, Fū had missed the fact that Naruto had been part of their group due to the amount of cheers he had received earlier. "I've never met another Jinchūriki before! I'd love to meet him!"
Then Margaret chimed in cheekily and said, "I think you two would make great friends. Allow Jada and I to introduce you guys on a personal level."
When Jada heard those words, she immediately knew what Margaret was hinting out—she wanted to pair Naruto with Fū!
"Shh!" Jada interrupted, reaching over to playfully punch Margaret's arm again. "Stop fantasizing about different pairings already! It's going to be Naruto and Hinata, and that's final!"
Fū giggled at their banter, unaware of what they were discussing. It was refreshing to see how lighthearted they were.
Margaret then declared, "Since you won your match, Fū, we'll probably be fighting in the next round. And I'm excited! I hope you make me go all out!"
"I can't wait! I'm getting hyped just thinking about it!" she replied. "Now let's go meet Naruto!"
As the trio prepared to move on with their way, Fū's caretakers suddenly approached. Their strict expressions were the complete opposite of the girls' behaviour.
"Fū, you can't leave the arena!" one of them insisted firmly. "You need to rest after your match." In truth, they were being overprotective since she was a Jinchūriki and that they didn't want her acting rashly.
Her lower lip jutted out as she showed her clear disappointment on her face. Then she pouted, saying, "But I want to meet Naruto! Please!"
Her caretakers exchanged bewildered looks at her unusual display of emotion. Seeing her exasperation, Jada and Margaret couldn't help but chuckle.
It took a bit more convincing, but eventually, her group relented and allowed her to slip away, nodding cautiously as their expression softened toward her.
They finally made their way towards the bustling section where Naruto and his friends were gathered. Jada and Margaret walked alongside her, and Fū's heart was pounding—she could hardly believe she was finally going to meet Naruto Uzumaki.
Come to think of it, the two had only met once. And that was after Fū had already died from having her Tailed Beast extracted by the Akatsuki. While their encounter was short lived, many fans wondered what would have happened if Naruto met other Jinchūrikis like himself early on.
As they approached, Fū could make out the distinctive whispers of Naruto's energetic tone. She peered into the group and spotted his spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes. Beside him stood a stern-looking boy with long hair pulled back—Neji. And beside Neji were Rock Lee and Iruka.
She had recognized most of them since this group had already fought in the matches.
William stood nearby, nodding in greeting as they approached.
"Hey, Naruto!" Margaret yelled. "We're here to introduce you to someone!"
Naruto glanced over with curiosity showing on his face as he asked, "Who is it?"
"Meet Fū," Jada answered, waving enthusiastically. "She's also a Jinchūriki like you!"
Fū stepped forward, and her eyes locked onto Naruto's as she said, "Hi! I'm Fū! It's so cool to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you!"
Immediately, Naruto felt his cheeks heat up. He stammered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and said, "Uh, hey! Nice to meet you too!"
Fū didn't seem to notice his awkwardness. Instead, she launched into a rapid-fire chatter, "I've never met anyone like you before! You have a Tailed Beast just like me! Oh, this is so amazing! You're really popular here in the tournament, and everyone says you're super strong! I had to come here just to meet you!"
Naruto blinked, feeling slightly overwhelmed by her straightforwardness. "Th-thanks, I guess?" he replied. He then exchanged a glance with Neji, Lee, and William, who all watched with amusement.
"Naruto, I think she's really awesome!" Margaret exclaimed and grinned ear to ear. "Her energy is inspiring just like yours!"
Seeing Jada make the letter "x" with her hands, William became confused. It took him a second to understand what Margaret was trying to do, so he quickly pulled Naruto to the side and advised him to play cool.
"Yeah, but it's kinda weird how fast she's talking," he whispered back to William, scratching his cheek with an awkward laugh.
Just then, Neji stepped in and said, "Hey, Fū. It's wonderful to meet you. Maybe take a breather? You're kinda overwhelming."
Fū blinked and, after understanding she was talking too fast, chuckled sheepishly. "Oh! I'm sorry! I just get really excited!" She took a deep breath, managing to slow her pace. "I didn't mean to freak you out. It's just that…"
"We get it!" Jada interjected, exchanging glances with everyone. "You're just super enthusiastic. It's great!"
"Yeah! Fū, I think it's really cool how excited you are!" Naruto finally grinned back, this time more at ease. "We're both Jinchūriki here."
"Exactly!" Fū exclaimed with open eyes—though at a much more reasonable speed now. "So, what's your Tailed Beast? Mine is Chōmei! She's the Seven-Tails; a beetle that allows me to fly!"
Intrigued, Naruto leaned forward and said, "Chōmei? Hey, that's cool! Mine is the Nine-Tails, and his name is Kurama."
"I heard about him! He's the fox! Right?!" Fū beamed with interest as she connected the dots. "Wow, that's so cool! I've always wanted to know more about your Tailed Beast. Do you have a positive relationship with him? I mean, you know his name!"
"Yeah, things didn't start off great, but now we're pretty much inseparable," he replied.
As the group continued to chat, the bonds of friendship slowly began to tighten. In that moment, surrounded by new friends who understood her struggles and triumphs, she knew she'd made the right decision to come here.
As the groups began to scatter, the announcer cleared his throat, drawing the crowd's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We're ready for the next match of the tournament! Please direct your eyes to the monitor!"
The screen turned on, and Arthur straightened. He already knew who was going to be fighting: "Lars Alexandersson vs. Monga."
This was more than just another match; this was a character who no one had ever seen fight. Yes, he was in a video game that many fans had played, but they had never witnessed something like this before.
This was also something worth Arthur's time—a chance to study Lars in action up close. If the Tekken fighter failed to impress him, then this entire tournament would have only slightly wasted his time.