26 Naruto : Domination: Chapter 26
Learning to open another gate was just plain stupid, I could not learn to do so reliably in a month, so I should just focus on raising my tolerance? I thought.
...
But how to do it? Only physical training would not grant me any significant power up with only a month of work.
Work smarter not harder. I tried to remind myself.
Like I often did when I was lost, I ran over my own recent thoughts. Super Saiyan...
"Didn't Goku do some shit before his fight with Cell that allowed him to stay blond without issues? And a normal Super Saiyan had anger issues, while my chakra gets turbulent with the gates opened..." I muttered.
Only one way to know for sure. I thought.
And so I started my new training.
...
A month later
The Hokage and his entourage arrived with little warning. Literally appearing out of nowhere in front if Iwa's main gate.
My team and I were waiting into the plaza after the giant stone doors when it happened, and the happy chatter of the market and carefree civilians turned into an excited one.
Most of the older people paled realizing that a Kage with a group of ninjas hopping out of nowhere at your home's doorstep was a threat, nothing more, nothing less.
Onoki himself had come flying, literally, from his tower, not a second after one of the chunin guards had made known the outsiders' appearance.
The stone doors opened and Kakashi appeared at our side. I raised an eyebrow in his direction, but he simply stared towards the entering entourage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi spearheaded the group in his ceremonial white and red robes, his hat hiding his piercing eyes.
Walking behind the Hokage, on the left Guy sensei was wearing his serious face along with his usual attire, while Tsume Inuzuka was... stalking forward, with a cautious expression on her face.
Her one-eyed, four-legged companion gave a deep growl to the Haimaru brothers, who had smelled Hana and were having difficulties in staying put.
There was also a detail of six Anbu guards, but really, after Sarutobi and Guy's sensei presence they felt kind of dim.
I could feel their presence only because they wanted to be seen. It probably would have been rude otherwise, keeping your presence hidden in a visiting hidden village? Bad form.
The Tsuchikage was... short. His hat as large as his shoulders, but he too was letting himself be perceived. And he was so damn heavy, even when floating in the air.
I was too far to overhear what I supposed were customary greetings between Kages, but I was floored nevertheless. Rapping in Japanese should not exist. It's a crime, period.
Strolling through the gates and approaching the two Kages, and accompanied by six of his Anbu, Killer B.
Dark skin and a muscular build, as well as blond hair and a goatee. On his right shoulder, he had a tattoo of the kanji for "iron" (鉄,Tetsu).
Is that the Iron Armour Seal that was used to seal Gyūki into him? I wondered.
Killer B wore oval-shaped sunglasses, his village's standard one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, and a long, red rope belt tied around his waist, the standard Kumo hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck. And he actually carried seven swords on his back.
At that point I had stalked over to greet my Kage, along with my teammates.
"...ut I told him,
I won't overstep the line,
and it will be mighty fine!" he happily rapped on.
I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, and the sheer potential for destruction held within Iwa's walls made me a bit skittish.
Two Kumo jinchuriki, two rival Kages, likely two Iwa jinchuriki around somewhere. It was a bomb ready to go off, and one of the heavy hitters was rapping bullshit.
I couldn't avoid thinking that if Iwa and Kumo had struck a deal, they could cut Konoha's head without hassle, before moving the war to my home country.
I was bowing to Sarutobi when another voice joined the chatter.
"Well, hello! I am not late am I? But how could I, after all, the gallant Jiraya is always in the right place at the right time!"
The situation had just taken an important turn.
If for the better or the worse, I couldn't tell just yet.
...
After the brief greeting of our own Kage, and more importantly of the Haimaru brothers and Guy sensei, we dodged the rowdy behavior of Tsume and moved to the arena.
A few jonin-sensors from Iwa checked our identities and let us into a balcony that let us watch the matches. The terrain was... rocky, but it had a small stream of water running on one side of it. Stream might have been a bit generous, it was more like a trickle.
I let my gaze fall upon the honor balcony, where the Kages and Killer B sat, along with the Kiri representative. I didn't recognize him, but I knew little of Mizu no Kuni. I knew nothing beyond the sanbi-jinchuriki-kage being under genjutsu and oppressing the people. And that their next Kage would be a total babe.
My eyes roamed over the crowd waiting to assist to the pointless bloodshed and found my sensei talking to Shin, who was slumped back in his seat.
He really is enjoying his sake, the lazy cunt. I pointed it out to Hana, which frowned in disapproval. She was still bitchy because she had too little time to play with the Haimaru brothers.
There were eight of us, Hana and I from Konoha, Yugito from Kumo, one weedy shinobi from Kiri, and three from Iwa. I glanced at the giant display where our names were being swapped around normally, choosing the couples of the matches.
My name flashed along with another that I didn't recognize, but the way the Iwa kid was rolling his shoulders with anticipation identified my first adversary for me.
I would be in the opening match, the Kiri shinobi against the Iwa Kunoichi would follow, Yugito would face the other Iwa shinobi, and lastly Hana would square it off with the last Iwa nin.
I briefly touched the big scroll hanging on my back, and glanced over my attire before walking down into the arena.
I had pulled all the stops and put on the results of the shopping spree I went on once I had returned to Konoha from patrol duty.
I wore a form-fitting black shirt with a deep hood and long sleeves under a traditional armor, very similar to the one Tobirama used to wear, only without the fur.
My standard cargo blackish pants were wrapped around my calves by white bandages, and I wore black sandals. I had finally understood why so many shinobis and kunoichis preferred them over boots of every kind.
The feet needed to breathe, I found out during our week-long speed run when I didn't have time to change socks.
I had two kunai pouches strapped around my left tight (one contained kunais with paper bombs wrapped around the handles), spools of ninja wire in a big pocket, senbons in a pouch on my right tight. A belt was strapped around my shoulders, holding in place at the height of my waist a big scary scroll.
Forearms and shins guards were in place, while I stopped wearing gloves. My hitai ate was on my forehead, showing to the world my allegiance. But I actually wanted it there. Hell, if I could wear a helmet without impairing my movements I would have.
My weights were in a scroll with my other belongings, tied around Alpha's neck. That dog was awesome.
I reached the middle of the arena and tuned out the proctor and the crowd, taking in my adversary.
Iwa shinobi. 17. 175cm 65kg. No remarkable features, wrappings around wrists suggest heavy punch-based taijutsu, but the shoulders look underdeveloped for it. Likely a trap.
Basically, I knew nothing about him, I briefly regretted not spending some of the last month gathering info on the enemies I would be facing, but I had been too thrilled by my training to care.
My preoccupations and disgust for being paraded in an arena faded into the background of my mind, I was focused, and acutely aware that mistakes of any kind could cost me my life.
Every sound that wasn't made by my opponent was erased from my awareness. Even Hana' shouts of faith in my skills.
...
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