22Alright boys (and girls, if there are any) this is something that's been in my head for awhile and i needed to get it out. So here it is! Just some forewarning, Naruto may be a bit out of character, but i'm ganna try to stay as true to him as possible. Also, this is set IRL, so there's that. I've found that it is rather intriguing to write and so far every story i've read with the same setting i've found largely enjoyable. hopefully , you'll find this enjoyable too!
This story was inspired by 'Never Back Down' by fox sage123, which is pretty similar, so if you like this go ahead and check him out. Also, give AizenTheGoat a look if you haven't! He's got an absolutely killer NBA fic out that helped me finish this up. He's also got plenty of other stuff if you don't feel the IRL, so go show him some love if you got the time!
Thats all ive got to say for now, so enjoy the first chapter and tell me what you think at the end!
Disclaimer: I don't own shit! All rights go to there respective owners!
Early 2009
Naruto walked leisurely through the hotel halls in London. He whistled a happy tune and put a little bit of bounce in his step as he walked into the elevator.
The young fighter was feeling great, he only needed to cut 2 pounds before he was on weight, with weigh-ins being tomorrow there was no better he could feeling. Not only that, but his training was going extremely well too. He felt fast, strong, and durable.
Dressed in a simple black tracksuit and sneakers, Naruto was headed out for a run. He didn't plan to let this bout go more than two rounds, but he'd prepare his cardio anyway.
Anything could happen in a fight after all.
Ding!
The elevator sounded off, telling him he had reached his desired floor. The doors slid open and Naruto stepped through… Right into another person.
The new individuals belongings clattered to the ground. "Ah man, I was really looking forward to that…" a distinctly English feminine voice spoke
Naruto looked to the floor, a small to-go box lay face down on the floor. It's chocolate contents, splattered across the floor like a messy crime scene. Kneeling down he picked up the box and closed it.
"Sorry bout that, I can totally get you a new slice. The kitchen here bakes a pretty mean slice, at least that's what they told me." He looked into the eyes of the woman before him apologetically.
The woman had to look up a bit now that Naruto had stood up, she was quite few inches shorter than him. She smiled slightly back at him and shook her head, her brown hair whipping itself at the action. "No, that's ok. I probably shouldn't have gotten it anyway, maybe that was a sign?" She spoke kindly, but Naruto could clearly see disappointment.
"Damn, now I feel bad." Before Naruto could speak up again, the woman stepped past him and pressed her floor number.
"Do me a favor and trash that for me? Thanks!"
"S-sure, no problem." With a quiet thanks, the doors slid shut and Naruto was left with a basically empty styrofoam box. Looking between the box and the brutalized cake on the floor Naruto sighed, "I'd better get someone to clean this up."
Naruto walked to the front desk and informed them of the mess in front of the elevator. The receptionist was kind with him and told him she'd get someone to handle it. She even offered to throw the box away for him. He happily agreed to that and handed over the box.
Having taken care of the problem, Naruto left the hotel lobby for his run. All the while, his mind on the pretty brunette he'd met and the cake he'd spilled.
Naruto shook his head of those thoughts, there were more important things for him to worry about now. Like his fight. Last thing he wanted was to get distracted right before a fight that would put him at 5-0.
Silently he decided; if he saw the woman again, he'd get her a slice of cake out of fairness. If he didn't see her, oh well. He offered, she declined. Nodding to himself, Naruto decided that was the best plan for the situation.
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"Move your head more! You wanna get the shit knocked outta you kid?!" Naruto shook his head at his coaches words. He'd been with this old man since the dawn of time, well his time at least. Old man Hiruzen had taken him off the street years ago, and drug him into the world of combat sports.
He hit the pads quick and dodged when the older man swung out. Hiruzen called out the combos he wanted, and Naruto threw them without fail. Loud smacks reverberated upon impact, but the teen felt like he could go faster and stronger.
Things had been going great so far. He finished his run but felt like he could do more. In response, his coach told him they could hit pads. Not only would it keep him sharp, but it would help cut that extra pound or two as well.
The two continued with their drill before a beeper went off. Naruto separated and took in several deep breaths as his coach debriefed him on his protégés performance.
"Ok we're done here. Listen you can drink some water, but no sodas, no punch, and no food. Got it? We can sweat off any remaining pounds tomorrow before the weigh in."
Naruto nodded his head at the coaches words. It sucked that he had to go to sleep hungry but he'd had worse weight cut experiences, so he'd survive. After that, the 17 year old was dismissed by his coach and left to his own devices.
Naruto looked at himself in the mirror of the gym, which conveniently, the hotel had inside it. It was quite spacious, which was what allowed him to do his drills in the first place.
The teen turned away from his reflection and sat down with his back against a wall. Bringing a gloved hand up, Naruto bit at the strings trying to loosen them up enough to take off.
It took him a couple of seconds, but he finally got a hand free. He used his now free hand and made quick work of the other glove.
"Ahh, me hands were getting hot in there…" He mumbled to himself. Naruto wiped his hands against his plain black shorts and simply sat silently, with his eyes closed.
After a minute or so, Naruto reached for his bottle of water. As he picked it up, he noticed the total lack of weight. A lone blue eye peeled open and confirmed his suspicion. He had finished his bottle of water, not a single drop remained.
"Oh well… I'll just go down to the bar and get a cup of water."
Having made his plan, Naruto placed his gloves and towel in a small backpack he brought with. After all his stuff was gathered, he stood up and started his trek to the bar. Naruto exited the gym, politely holding the door open for another man that walked in.
It wasn't long before he made it to his destination. By this point though he was beginning to feel a little self conscious. Everybody else in the room was very well dressed. He on the other hand stood in a black compressed long sleeve shirt, with matching compressed pants under a pair of black nike shorts with an neon orange check. He definitely wasn't dressed for the occasion.
"Hi! What can I get for you?" The Bartender asked kindly. The woman not noticing, or caring, for his current attire.
"Uh, just a cup of water please."
"No problem!" With that, the young woman departed, set on getting his cup of water.
Naruto placed his bag down and took a seat at the counter, no point in standing when he didn't have too. He swiveled back and forth a bit as he waited for his drink. Chatter and soft music pleasantly filled the background as Naruto sat alone.
"Oh, It's the cake killer!" A woman's voice spoke out. Naruto spun his chair around and saw it was the same woman from before.
Naruto smiled, "I thought I apologized for that?" The young man jokes back.
The brunette shrugged and took a seat to the left of him, leaving an empty seat between the two. He seemed like a nice kid, but you could never be sure these days.
"Who said I accepted it?" At that moment, the bartender came back with his water. She set it down and politely asked if there was anything else she could do.
"Actually, can I get a slice of chocolate cake?" She nodded and left to put the order in. Naruto looked over at the woman expectantly.
She nodded and leaned forward on the table, "Apology accepted." She said. She then turned to the bartender and ordered a martini.
As the tender mixed her drink for her, she turned to Naruto and extended her hand. "My names Emilia." She introduced herself.
Naruto gently took her hand, "Naruto." Emilia looked surprised at his name.
"I thought you were American, given the blond hair and blue eyes… And you're English is good. Not proper, but good."
"Oh no, I'm American. I'm from Texas actually, born and raised. My parents were Japanese though." He explained.
Emilia looked a bit excited at the mention of Texas, "Oh! Texas is with all the Cowboys right?"
Naruto laughed and nodded, "Well, yea. They're not so common anymore, but they're there." Emilia nodded slowly and took a sip of her Martini.
A silence lulled between the two, and just before it could be awkward, a warm slice of chocolate cake was set in front of him. Sitting right next to the cake, a generous scoop of ice cream. Naruto thanked the woman and she left.
Naruto slid the plate and utensils over to Emilia, "Have at it, this one's even got some ice cream with it!" The young man's mouth watered, it smelled delicious and it looked the part too. The presentation was on point.
Wasting no time, Emilia grabbed a spoonful of both the cake and ice cream. "Mmh! Delicious!" The warmth of the cake and the chill of the ice cream were just delightful! It seemed this place did have some great cake.
Emilia grabbed the complimentary extra spoon and held it out to the blond, "Would you like a taste? You're buying after all." She offered
Naruto held his hands up and shook his head, "Oh, I couldn't. I'm on a diet, thank you though." Emilia looked him up and down disbelievingly. Noting his trim and clearly fit appearance, due to the compressed clothing he wore.
"A diet? Please, you already look like you're in quite good shape."
Naruto laughed at the misunderstanding, "I'd love to, really, it looks super good. But I've got a weigh-in tomorrow and can't be above a certain limit. I'm still a pound or two off. About one kilograms, by metric." He elaborated
The brunette made an 'o' face, "Oh. So you're a fighter of some sort then? You look a bit young to be fighting don't you?"
Naruto shrugged and answered, "I'm 17. in some places you've gotta be 18, in others you can be younger."
Emilia look at him surprised, she wasn't educated about all the rules but she would've thought, you had to be at least 18 years of age. Deciding she wasn't as informed on the matter, the woman decided that she'd leave it alone. "I see… Why come way out here, instead of staying in the states?"
Naruto swiveled his seat to face her, "I signed a contract. The organization I signed with, is having an event here and offered me a fight. I've always wanted to come to London and I needed a fight, so why not?"
"Wow, that's interesting. My brothers really into fighting. Boxing and that MMA stuff. He's actually going to see a fight this Saturday, I think." She took another scoop of desert as she finished.
"If that's the case, maybe I'll see him there? As far as I know, WFA is the only organization with an event this weekend."
The two talked a bit more, before Naruto got curious about her. "So, what are you doing here. At the hotel I mean."
The woman smiled and responded happily, "I'm on a vacation. I just finished a job, in America funnily enough, and I took the plane back to London. My parents and brother met me here, and we've been vacationing together ever since"
Naruto looked interested, "America huh? What do you do?"
"I'm an actress." She spoke with pride as she saw the a surprise and admiration in the teens eyes.
"No way?! That's awesome. I wanted to be an actor, but I was absolutely horrible at it. They wouldn't even let me be in my elementary school play. Seriously, not even a tree."
They shared a laugh at that, before Naruto continued, "What were you filming, if I'm allowed to ask that."
A little bit of her pride shrank away, "It's a scifi movie, called Triassic Attack. I didn't have a very large role but it paid decent enough, and I get a certain amount every time they run it in tv…"
"That sounds good. What else have you been in?"
Emilia began to shrink back into herself. She didn't have a large filmography at the moment, and it was kind of embarrassing to her. The woman was trying to get herself started but it was becoming a struggle to find work. In fact, the only reason she got the Triassic part was because the original pick pulled out.
"Well, I've done some commercials, and I was in an episode of The Doctors…" Naruto could hear the enthusiasm leave her voice as the conversation carried on.
"Don't be so down about it, for all you know, this could be your breakout film!"
"You think so?"
Naruto nodded sagely, "Absolutely! Jennifer Aniston had Friends, and you'll have Triassic Attack."
"I think she had more than just Friends on her résumé…"
They shared a small laugh before Naruto checked his phone for the time. "It's getting pretty late, I should probably head out now… It was fun speaking with you Emilia. Good luck with your acting!" He said as he stood up.
"Good luck with your weigh-in."
Naruto thanked her and said his goodbyes, "See ya around!" With that said, he grabbed his bag and left the bar. He was beginning to feel the workout catch up with him, and his body was dying for some rest.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Official weight, 70.3 kilograms!" A rep from the athletic commission called out. 70.3 kilos was the equivalent to 155 pounds, so the young man was exactly on weight.
He flexed on the scale for a second, letting the small amount of press that was there get their photos. It was a bit odd letting people take pictures of him in his underwear, but he supposed this must be what's it's like to be a model.
As soon as the photographers got what they wanted, he gathered his discarded clothes and stepped off the scale. A worker pulled him to the far side of the room, where he'd weight for his opponent to finish weighing in.
It wasn't too much longer before, a Mexican man was escorted through the doors of the room. His head was shaved and his torso was littered with tattoos. The most distinguishing one being the large eagle he had across his chest.
"Official Weight, 70.3 kilograms!"
The older man flexed for the camera's before stepping off and walking to Naruto halfway for their face off. Naruto strode up and met him, as he came upon him he held his hand out as a sign of respect.
His opponent discarded his hand shake, instead he immediately squared up and put his lead fist in Naruto's face.
Naruto shrugged it off and entered his own southpaw stance. Naruto was taller, but the Mexican was noticeably thicker. No doubt he'd have pure strength advantage. But Naruto never counted himself out, he'd been told he hits deceptively hard. That coupled with his phenomenal defensive instincts, equaled a W in his eyes.
"Welcome to hell boy. You picked the wrong time to play Karate Kid. I'm ganna have fun separating your head from your shoulders."
With that the staredown ended and the Mexican strolled away, leaving Naruto alone. His trainer handed him some sweatpants and a hoodie, which he gladly put on. "What was that about?" The wrinkled man spoke
Naruto shrugged and answered as they were ushered out of the room, the main event still had to weigh in so they needed to leave. "I have no idea, he started talking smack out of nowhere."
The blond slipped on the provided clothes and stretched, "He can say what he wants, I'm not too worried about. Now let's get some food, I'm starved!"
He trainer laughed and patted him on the back, "That's the spirit boy! Tell you what, first meal's on me!"
Naruto's devilish grin soon had the old man re-thinking that statement, "Heh. If that's the case…"
"Maybe I shouldn't have said that…?"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto moaned as he rubbed his belly, "I think I ate too fast…" He had eaten 3 peoples worth of food. His coach looked somewhere between impressed and disgusted.
"With how much you eat, it's a miracle you can hit 155 so easy. Then again, you ain't done growing. You might not stay at 155 forever." He added that last part as an afterthought. Naruto stood respectably at 5'8.
He definitely wasn't the tallest in his weight class but he wasn't the smallest either, his opponent this Saturday being exhibit A. Naruto had already had his growth spurt, but that didn't mean he was finished growing. Hiruzen expected maybe an inch or two in height and maybe one in reach. Not that he needed his reach to grow. His protege had a freakish reach for his height, 73" at just 5'8?
Last he'd heard, reach was supposed to be equivalent to height. Naruto was five inches above that. But, some extra advantages never hurt. The fighter and coach would count whatever blessings they could get. Besides, chances are that the higher level they faced the longer reaches people would have. The coach sighed and decided he'd think about that stuff another day.
"Alright, I'm done here. Take my card and pay for all this once you've finished. No training or anything like that today, it'd do more harm than good to overwork ourselves today. Enjoy yourself kid! Go out, talk to some ladies! But no sex! I hear it's bad for stamina!"
Naruto stared at him amused as he popped his form in his mouth. "Well, thanks for the warning… And food."
The old man nodded, "You're welcome! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some reading to do." A perverted smile graced his face as he spoke.
The young protege looked unimpressed, "Yea, 'reading'. Get outta here you perv." Naruto air quotes the word reading as he mocked Hiruzen.
"Don't you judge me boy!"
Naruto lifted his hands mocking surrender, "No judgment here! None at all." He snickered to himself as the geezer excused himself. No doubt he was going to 'read' that book.
Blue eyes rolled themselves, but then ultimately they fell onto a large cinnamon bun sitting neatly on a plate. Patiently, it waited to be devoured by its blond buyer. The bloated feeling that consumed the teen earlier, gone. Not even an inkling of it was left.
Naruto grabbed a fork and stabbed at the edge of the bun. He then grabbed a small knife and cut off a bite sized piece. "Mmh!" His eyes seemed to sparkle at the cinnamony goodness.
This was pure bliss. He learned how to appreciate food early on, but food never tasted better than after a weight cut. No more dieting, no more dehydrating. Just consumption.
Now that the first fight had been finished, it was time to move onto the fun part; the fight.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Fight Night
Naruto stood in a waiting room, wearing a Nike t-shirt and his black fight shorts. At the moment, doing some basic drills with his coach. They were minutes away from his fight, the one before his just had to end first.
The teen didn't do anything too strenuous or tiring, just some minor pad work and shadow boxing. A knock at the door stopped his movements and a stadium worker poked their head in.
"Mr. Uzumaki, it's time. Please follow me." He spoke.
The teen nodded and his team followed him out of the door. Naruto could hear Hiruzen talking, probably giving him tips and reminders, but he easily tuned the old man out. Instead, he was clearing his mind of any thoughts or emotions.
They came upon an opening that led into the stadium. The worker stopped them and told them they'd signal when to go.
Naruto took a breath and opened his icy blue eyes. "It's game time."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The Clarke family sat giddily in their seats, or the boys did at least. The last fight was an exciting one, a real slug fest, if a bit bloody. Emilia and her mother weren't really into fighting, but they could be entertained by a good scrap every now and then. If they had to choose though, they prefer boxing. It just seemed less violent and significantly less bloody.
"This is a lot more bloody than boxing, huh? Are they always like that?" Emilia asked her brother, who was still hyped up on adrenaline from the last fight.
The man shrugged, "Not all of them, that one was particularly bloody. I think it looks worse than it is, especially since we're so close!" The family had gotten luckily and sat five rows back from ringside, so they had some pretty good seats.
Emilia nodded and turned to her mother, "Are you enjoying yourself, Mum?" She asked. She knew her mother didn't like things that were violent, heck, the woman looked away when people got physical in football (the rest of the world kind).
The woman smiled slightly at her daughter, "Well I can't say I enjoy watching people beat each other, but I'm not bored if that's what you're asking."
"If it makes you feel better dear, it's really very safe. They've got doctors everywhere and the refs jump in as soon as necessary." Her husband rubbed her shoulder, trying to give her comfort.
His wife wasn't a fan of combats sports, but she enjoyed spending time with the family. His daughter on the other hand, seemed to enjoy boxing. So mma was really hit or miss, he imagined it would take the right kind of fight to gain her interest.
Before he could make any conversation, the lights dimmed and a bit of The Notorious B.I.G blasted through the speakers.
Your reign on the top was short like leprechauns As I crush so-called willies, thugs, and rapper-dons
The packed stadium cheered as the song hyped them up and the fighter made his walk to the octagon. From her spot, Emilia could see fans leaning over into the provided lane showering the fighter in pats and praise as he walked by.
Soon enough he arrived at the side of the octagon and a ref checked him over, making sure he had a mouth piece and cup. Emilia took notice of his large, distinctive chest tattoo. If she was honest he looked a bit intimidating, it made her glad she was glad she was just a spectator.
The refs cleared the Mexican fighter and he entered the octagon, circling it to get feel. The man made a few trips around before he settled into his side of the octagon. His team settling into his corner beyond the cage, making sure they were prepared for the fight.
Bouncing on the balls of his feet the Mexican did some light shadow boxing, keeping his muscles warm. As he waited for his opponent to enter the octagon, the lights dimmed once again and the walk out song played.
Only this one was much more iconic and crowd engaging, Emilia noticed.
Boom Boom Ch! Boom Boom Ch! X4
By this time, what must've been the whole stadium, stomped and clapped in sync with the classic song. Even the Clarke's did so, to get into the spirit of things.
Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday You got mud on your face, you big disgrace Kicking your can all over the place (singing)
Naruto walked out of the tunnel, face stoic but deeply engaged. Fight fans reached over barriers as he walked by, he clapped his hands against theirs in appreciation. The teen even felt somebody pat his head.
"We will, we will rock you We will, we will rock you"
What must've been the whole stadium sang it, Emilia wondered if one could hear it blocks away. Looking toward the trail the fighter was to take, the actress noticed a familiar head of blond hair.
"Hey, I know that guy! He's staying at our hotel!" Emilia spoke over the roaring of the crowd to her mother.
The woman looked back at her daughter amused, "Really now? He seems very charismatic, the crowd loves him!" She said in reference to the backing the song gave him.
Emilia felt a tap on her shoulder, she turned around to meet her brother, "That's the guy you were talking to at the bar right?" He shouted in surprise. This crowd was going crazy, they could feel the vibrations in their feet and chest.
She nodded at her brother and leaned in, "Yes, I was just telling Mum that! He told me he was a fighter but I figured he'd be on earlier before we came, not on the main card…!" The woman had thought he'd be on the undercard and possibly an opener. Those tended to have the least amount of crowd cause they were the least well known fighters. Given his age, she figured that's exactly where he'd be.
"That's bonkers! You've gotta introduce me if he wins!"
Emilia rose an eyebrow and giggled, "What if he loses?" She received no answers and rolled her eyes. Looking over she watched Naruto take his shirt off, leaving him only in his plain black vale tudo shorts with a neon orange monster emblem on his left leg.
He seemed a bit different than he did when they met. Though she supposed that would be normal, he was getting ready to step into a cage with another man. That mindset must be very different.
Well, she hoped he didn't lose. He seemed like a nice guy when they met, and he seemed to connect with the fans. More than the other guy did at least, the Mexican shrugged off the fans as opposed to Naruto's embracing.
Emilia watched the teen circle the octagon, not unlike his opponent did before him. As he walked around the cage he lifted his hands up in the air, palms open, gesturing to the fans.
A roar of approval met his actions and Naruto settled into his corner. The teen leaned into the fence and let it bounce him forward. As he did this a well dressed man trotted to the center of the octagon, with a microphone in hand.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight we have a lightweight bout. Introducing first; in the blue corner! We have a mixed martial artist with a professional record of 7 wins and 2 losses. He stands at 5'7", weighing in at 70.3 kilos. Fighting out of California, USA! Presenting, 'El Jefe' Santiago Ramírez!"
Santiago stepped forward and raised a hand, the crowd cheering in response, before he stepped back. The announcer mimicked the same lines for Naruto, changing up the height, weight, and origins fittingly. When finished, the ref signaled the two to the center of the octagon.
The two met with a referee in the middle of them, having a final face off. "Alright boys, here's how it is. Protect yourself at all times. And obey my commands at all times. We've reviewed the rules in your dressing rooms, let's have a good clean fight. If you wanna touch gloves touch them now." The ref gave the typical pre fight instructions before he backed up.
Naruto put his hands up to touch gloves, but Santiago had no intentions of touching up. The teen didn't let it bother him and instead backed up to his corner, ready for the fight to start.
"ARE YOU READY?!" the ref asked both parties and both nodded.
The blond stood patiently, as cool blue eyes stalked his opponent. This man was ganna get mauled.
Ding ding!
"FIGHT!"
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It was a very odd sensation, Emilia thought. Typically, the young woman was never too emotionally invested in fight. Sure she had a favorite to win, but never had she not wanted to see someone lose. She just wanted to see a good, competitive, fight. Till now at least.
The fact that she knew the guy, even a little bit, who was in the cage fighting was surreal. It left her giddy, yet anxious. He was nice enough, and that last thing she wanted was to see the teenager get beat to hell.
Emilia gasped as Naruto slipped a punch and backed off a bit. "Close one!" She thought. She then winced as the two traded punches, though they didn't seem to be too damaging.
From her side, her brother nudged with an elbow. "Come on, don't be so scared! He looks skilled, and he'll get paid even if he loses!"
That little tidbit didn't really relax the woman, but she still thought she might as well enjoy the match. It'd be an insult to the fighters after all.
So, biting back the odd anxious feeling, she cheered as Naruto landed a nice hook.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto breathed steadily as he slipped and countered his opponents straight right. The man seemed to have trouble adjusting to his southpaw stance and unorthodox striking. But despite knowing he had this advantage, Naruto was patient. He wouldn't just bum rush the guy and get caught, he was smarter than that.
Naruto threw a jab, that landed dead center on Santiago's nose. He went to follow up with a straight left but pulled back at the last moment, dodging a wild hook and repositioned himself. The teen could hear his adversaries fist tear through the air. It was a menacing sound, but it didn't bother him.
Santiago followed his hook with a heavy leg kick to the outside of Naruto's lead leg. A loud smack echoed through the stadium. Due to a fair amount weigh being on said leg, Naruto stumbled a bit but quickly was able to set back in his stance.
"OOH!" The crowd and Santiago's corner cheered and praised the kick. The man himself, even looked satisfied with the strike.
As he stalked him, Naruto looked him in the eyes and shook his head, telling the man his kick was ineffective.
"You sure?!" Santiago spoke
Naruto nodded, "Absolutely. Here, try it again!" The teen stopped talking him and patted the outside of his thigh, gesturing Santiago to kick him again.
The Mexican bit his mouthpiece in frustration, "This arrogant little prick!" He tried to catch the blond off guard with a switch kick to the head.
Naruto saw it coming from a mile away and easily leaned back, letting the strike fly uselessly. The spectators ooh'ed and awe'd at the verbal and physical exchange.
"You've got three minutes Naruto! Stay patient, and pick your strikes!" He heard Hiruzen yell. Mentally filing that away, Naruto feinted a left.
Santiago reacted and lifted his hands up, which left an opening up in his stomach. Naruto capitalized and smashed his lead fist into the belly and followed it with an rear over hand.
Santiago's head snapped back like a bobble head and he stumbled back into the fence. The crowd went wild, and Naruto's heart began to race. The ref sprinted in ready to stop the fight at a moments notice.
Naruto closed the distance and threw a lunging rear left hook with all his weight on his front foot. He rotated his hips effortlessly and transferred all his weight from his fist into Santiago's skull. He could practically feel the man's brain rattle around inside his head.
Like a puppet cut from its strings, the Mexican fighter crumpled lifelessly to the floor in a tangled heap of limbs. The ref immediately put himself between Naruto and Santiago, to stop any more damage from occurring.
The crowd went absolutely wild, the whole stadium shook with excitement. Naruto ran to one side of the cage and sat atop with one leg on each side of the fence.
"YOU FUCKING ROCK KID"
"YOU KILLED THAT MOTHERFUCKER, HE IS DEAD!"
"YOU DA BEST!"
Praises from ringside were shouted, and Naruto showered himself in it with a smile. He raised his hands up embracing the crowd, and they in turn embraced him.
It wasn't long before, he was pulled off and stood in the center of the ring with the ref.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! The referee has called a stop to this fight just 2:30 into the very first round! For the winner, by Knockout, NARUTO UZUMAKI!"
END!
Chapter one is done boys (and girls, if there are any here).
This is my take on an irl Naruto being an mma fighter. I'm ganna do my best to have fights be as competitive as possible without it getting confusing or without making him seem op or something. He's definitely got weak points and once we start facing high level comp, it'll be exposed.
Now as for a pairing, there are INFINITE possibilities. We could do real people, animated people, all that good stuff. Personally leaning more towards celebs. If you didn't realize before, Emilia is indeed Emilia Clarke. I've been a fan of hers for awhile and honestly she's in here as a bit of a fail safe. She could be a close celebrity friend of Naruto's, or maybe a future love interest. Who knows?! Anyways, I'm certainly up for suggestions so don't be afraid to let me know what you're thinking.
Suggestions go for structure too, as in the fight scenes or even character interactions. I re-did the fight scene a couple of times, all of which I enjoyed but didn't know if it would read the same way i envisioned. I also read over the character interactions and couldn't help but cringe just a little. Unfortunately that's my level as of now, but hopefully we get better as we go on!