Konoha’s
Guardians : Book I : Awaken
Chapter 08 – Historic Myth,
a Fox Fight
“Wake
up Sakura.”
What…
“You
must wake up or you may miss your teammates match.”
Teammates…match…THE
MATCHES. And with that her eyelids snapped open to reveal emerald jade.
Sakura glanced around quickly and then bit her lower lip. She was no longer
on the main level of the arena, but sitting against the wall on the surrounding
balcony. I lost then?
“So you’re finally awake Sakura?”
Sakura’s eyes immediately focused on the beaten looking blond sitting to her left. Ino… “I… lost?”
“Pfft—I’m the one who wants to cry. To tie… with the likes of you.” Ino answered softly. “Here—” the blond girl offered Sakura her head protector.
Sakura accepted it; although she felt confused… we tied, but how…
“Sakura, you made it. You bloomed into a beautiful flower.”
“Ino…” Sakura whispered unsure of what to say.
“But next time we fight, you won’t come out of it with just being knocked out.” Ino boasted as she turned her focus onto the arena. Sakura smiled. “Besides I have no intention of handing Sasuke off to you.”
Sakura’s head whipped to the side as she turned to glare at Ino. “That line—I’ll return right back to you.” Sakura growled as the two glared and then turned sharply away from one another at the same time.
At the moment, they heard the examiner announce the end of the fifth match. Sakura turned to watch the screen, but relaxed when Naruto’s name wasn’t displayed.
“You fought very well Sakura and you do yourself honor not using the powers of the phoenix when you didn’t need them.”
But in the end I lost… Sakura responded.
“It doesn’t matter because you chose to fight that fight using your own strength. You have the true heart of a phoenix. Just as your teammate is a kyuubi.”
Kyuubi!!
You mean Naruto!
“Yes.
Your teammate has fully bonded with the guardian of the fox clan, otherwise
known as Kyuubi.”
But
I don’t understand—a nine tailed fox demon attacked Konoha over twelve years
ago and the demon was sealed within Naruto how can he have bonded with a guardian
of the same name?
“I do not know all that happened at that time and you will have to ask Naruto himself at some point to see if Kyuubi has told him. But had the Yondaime Hokage tried to seal Kyuubi in any other then the child he was meant to bond with, it would have killed both child and guardian.”
So
then Kyuubi had chosen Naruto even before he attacked Konoha…
“Yes.
We know as soon as our chosen partner is born, but that isn’t what I have
to tell you right now. Before we bond any deeper, I must tell you that my
power and our bond do come with a price, a price that you cannot escape. However,
if you would rather not accept it, then I can break our bond now.”
Sakura’s
mind whirled. A price? What kind of price could Hitori
mean? Can you tell me what the price is?
“That
price is to fight.”
To
fight? –
“I
am a Clan Guardian, sometimes called a Spirit Guardian. My clan is that of
the phoenix. My powers are those of flame, renewal, and healing. My fate is
to fight against Chimera and stop it from destroying the mortal realm. However,
I cannot do this job alone. As a Clan Guardian and one who took part in a
bonding a millennia ago, I must have a human partner to help me. That partner
is you and while our bond is formed, I cannot force you into my battles unwillingly,
though even if you do not look for them they will find you.”
I think I understand, but what is Chimera? Sakura asked as she watched Shikamaru’s fight against the female Sound-nin without really seeing it.
“Chimera
is a being formed by pure malicious intent and the lack of all order, in other
words—chaos. It appeared in the mortal realms nearly eighteen hundred years
ago and the Clans have been fighting it ever since.” Hitori answered.
But
if it appeared so long ago, why are you choosing me now? Why not choose someone
then?
“Because
we defeated it then after bonding with humankind. Chimera was
sealed and the mortal realm recovered. When the humans that the Clan Guardians
had bonded to passed away, the Guardians also passed out of the mortal realm
never to return, or so we thought. Then nearly five hundred years later Chimera
made an attempt to escape and it was then that the Guardians discovered we
could also return, but only by bonding with a human once more. The bonds were
formed and Chimera was kept back, but barely. At that point we decided the
Clans needed to keep in touch with humankind outside of the Guardian bonds
and so the summoning contracts were formed. Those contracts served a duel
purpose for they kept the Clans and Humankind working together and they allowed
the clans to keep a more careful eye out for any further attempts made by
Chimera.
Twice more since that first escape attempt, Chimera had tried and failed and now once more Chimera is making an attempt. For barely thirteen years ago, at the time Kyuubi’s partner was born, it unleashed its keys, agents sent to posses humans and use them to unleash Chimera and at the same time keep the Clan Guardians from bonding and making their way to the mortal realm. Kyuubi set out after them, being the only Guardian able to slip into the mortal realm, and it was right at the point of his partner’s birth. What exactly happened we don’t know, but Kyuubi ended up sealed within his partner rather then simply bonding to him and at least one Key had escaped his hunt.” With those words Hitori fell silent, unsure of how Sakura would respond to all the information she had just been given.
I want to help—so much of what you’ve said reminds me of shinobi legends I was told when I was young—and if I can help, I will. I will help you Hitori. Sakura answered, slowly at first and then with firm resolve. She sensed a wave of gratitude from the phoenix and couldn’t help but smile.
“And
I will help you.”
That was when Sakura’s focus returned to the arena and
the preliminary matches being held within—just in time to see her teammates
name being displayed on the screen.
Naruto’s eyes fixed on the screen. “Finally!! It’s my turn!” Now I can show them!! He thought to himself and then crouched for a moment to take Zurui out from under his jacket where the kit had been sleeping and set him down next to Sakura. He didn’t want the little guy to accidentally get hurt. With a shout he leapt down the arena floor to take position opposite of Kiba, the only other student at the academy louder then him. It was then he noted that the puppy Kiba always had with him, was still with him in the arena.
“It’s like we’ve already one! So lucky, eh Akamaru?”
Bark!
Naruto glared. “Shut the hell up! And Kiba—don’t bring a puppy. It’s in the way!” Idiot is underestimating me. Naruto growled to himself.
“Idiot, Akamaru’s fighting with me!” Bark!
Naruto grumbled as the examiner confirmed that animals were allowed. “Fine. You need all the help you can get!” Naruto then shouted, after all he wasn’t the same Naruto Kiba remembered from the academy. Kiba seemed to smirk at him.
“Keh. Akamaru, you stay back. I’ll fight him alone.”
Naruto smirked in return.
“I feel bad for you—so I’ll end it in one punch.” Kiba claimed raising a fist.
“Then I’ll do the same.” Naruto answered with a huge fox grin. If Kiba thinks that I’m going to go down easily—He’s got another thing coming.
“Stop acting so tough!!” Kiba shouted, echoed by an agreeing bark.
“Then please begin.” The examiner stated and stepped back.
Naruto steadied himself and watched Kiba as the slightly louder boy went into immediate action with a jutsu and charged him. Naruto put up a light guard and took the hit, flying back into the wall. He grunted and then mentally grumbled. It was taking him longer then usual to bounce back, yet another side affect of whatever it was that Snake-freak had done to him. A fight he thought a moment ago wouldn’t be all that bad had suddenly taken on a new level of difficulty with his chakara hampered. He snorted as he heard Kiba tell the examiner it was over. Yeah right, Kiba wouldn’t know what hit him if that was the case. He climbed to his feet from the rubble and glared at Kiba. “Don’t underestimate me!”
Naruto smirked as he heard Sakura cheer him on. Sakura knew…Kakashi-sensei knew… the others they probably didn’t even guess.
Kiba seemed stunned for a moment and then laughed. “You say as you bleed? I told you to stop acting tough!” Kiba told him, still obviously sure of himself with Akamaru backing up his statement with a few sharp barks.
“I let you hit me to test your strength. So you should stop fooling around and use your dog or whatever.” Naruto responded, wiping the blood dribbling down at the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
“You’ll regret that!” Kiba snarled. “Let’s go Akamaru!” And then the two charged. Naruto tensed, letting them come to him. His eyes followed Kiba’s movements and he frowned when he spotted the smoke balls just before they were thrown at his feet. What the! Naruto crouched ready for an attack as the smoke engulfed him, but instead he heard a growl and yap, then nothing and the smoke cleared. Naruto’s eyes opened wide as he spotted what had stopped Kiba, or rather Akamaru’s attack. Between Naruto and Kiba one small fox kit stood over Akamaru, his jaws on the small nin-pup’s throat.