Chapter 124: Aftermath Part Six!
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Naruto's POV (Iron Festival - Land of Iron)
The Chunin Exams had wrapped up with less than a bang. Gaara and Naruto's match had been eventful and killed any chance of another brawl. Naruto had been beaten pillar to post, and Gaara was exhausted and disqualified. They had crowned Sasuke as the champion as the last legal competitor. The Uchiha seemed utterly pleased with this, and by the roar of the crowd, they approved as well. Naruto supposed no one liked a match end like theirs, or jinchuriki, one of the two.
But Naruto did not honestly mind. His goal of winning the exams faded once his mother told him the truth. Oh, Naruto had been determined to win regardless, but he was okay with losing to someone like Gaara. It's not like anyone else could've lasted as long as he did! But it did sting to see his performance written off as tragedy or unlucky. Naruto had nearly won, damnit!
His anger didn't last however. After the long and painful tournament, they were given little time to rest, and various shinobi officials and sensei motivated their students to clean up and prepare according to Samurai standards. Which Naruto had been confused by, Neji, ever the pompous jerk, had, of course, filled him in kindly. In his own unique way of course.
"The people of the Land of Iron are disciplined, honorable, and humble," Neji began. "The differences between the Land of Iron and the other Lands are more than the Samurai. Even the civilians are a bit formal and withdrawn; we of the Hyuga respect such and have developed some of our customs from their culture."
Neji's words proved more than true. Apparently, the Land of Iron heads all celebrations in twos. One is a more casual and business-driven time for people to cut back, relax, and enjoy a rare time of indulgence. Such was called the Iron Fair; the celebration afterward is called the Iron Festival, a more formal and official affair. Known for the practiced dance of the samurai, a somber but infamous dance that the Iron People were famed for.
Naruto was amazed at the difference. The Iron Fair had seemed similar to most fairs he had been to at home. But the Iron Festival was a different animal entirely. From before, the stall-ridden land had been cleared, smoothed, and free of snow. It was lit by a litany of lit torches, long iron poles wrapped neatly in some sort of cloth that burned brightly and set off warmth. Despite the cold air and snow surrounding them, the entire area felt warm and dry. However, such was never a concern in the first place. For the center held a giant iron construction that held oil-soaked wood, occasionally cared for by samurai in absurdly ornate kimonos that would dance by or dutifully add fuel or wood to the blazing inferno the odd iron brace contained. The partygoers also danced around the flames; their movements seemed precise and rhythmic, yet no music played. Instead the samurai who tended to the flames hummed a slow deep melody their voices merging and making it loud. They swayed and shimmied in sync as if completely in tune. Something was entirely captivating about it. Though as Naruto watched longer, it seemed it was mostly locals, the other visitors, like Naruto, seemed out of their element and slightly confused. They danced as well, but in small groups and in their own way.
Of course, Team Seven had come together, something Naruto had been initially ecstatic about; even Kakashi had promised to come! Kushina had to return to the Leaf; having both of their jinchuriki out and about was risky, and she was being escorted by a disappointed Jiraiya per orders of Hiruzen. His mother had seemed oddly excited about him coming to the festival. Now Naruto knew why; the Iron Festival was considered a formal event and, as such, had mandated attire; all guests were to wear simple one-color kimonos. Supposedly, it represented nobility and humility, but Naruto preferred regular clothes to these infernal robes. Not to mention Neji had to assist him with the damned thing. Of course, Ino and Neji had no such problem as clan members. Neji had chosen a white one, Ino a purple one, and to the horror of the other two, Naruto had gleefully chosen an orange one. But as "formal" as they called it, it seemed intrinsic and fun to the Blonde.
It was funny; Naruto had never really yearned to travel. It never occurred to him, but now that he had finally experienced it. Naruto would say he was more than a fan. The Iron Fair had been a surprisingly enjoyable event. It had been interrupted but had worked out relatively well despite that. This was a much more lively event with tangible excitement. One thing that made Naruto smile involuntarily was that Ino joined in, and though Neji did his best to hide such a thing, he also enjoyed it. They had grabbed drinks; various servants walked around dressed even less lavishly than the visitors, and they handed out sake, water, or even freshly cooked meat speared on thin, dull slivers of Iron. They watched the dancing transfixed for a while before Naruto spoke.
"Man, that looks crazy! Kinda jealous I don't know the dance, looks like they're having fun." Naruto complained good-naturedly. He had never been a dancer or was very motivated to learn it. But he felt somewhat envious watching the locals enjoy their chaotic but controlled dance.
"It certainly seems complex. I've had a fair amount of dancing experience and hesitated to hop in there." Ino joked good-naturedly. "Looks like we're out of our element, Blondie, even our favorite gen-"
"Actually," Neji countered with a smile that was giant for him. As a well-regarded member of the Hyuga clan, I have been informed about various customs from various groups we have a tie to."
"Is the Hyuga clan's famed trade deal with the Iron real? What do the two exchange?" Ino asked curiously.
"They allow access to certain metals that are rich in this land that we use for various purposes. In exchange, we offer them some seals that they otherwise would struggle to produce, not that we are masters but more than skilled enough to be of use." Neji lectured with pride. Now it's time I made the two of you look bad." Neji taunted as he walked towards the thriving mass of dancing people, soon joining them with effortless grace.
Ino and Naruto watched owlishly as the crowd, now with Neji in tow, continued to dance around the flames. The swaying steps, contrasted by sharp swings of their arms, there was clearly a rhythm for the dance; the two, as practiced and dexterous ninjas, could detect such. However, the feeling of inferiority and awkwardness led Ino and Naruto to a predictable conclusion.
"No way in hell I'm letting Neji punk me like that!" Naruto yelled defiantly. Naruto wasn't much of a dancer, but it couldn't be that hard.
"Yeah, I'm an heiress anyway! I am a master of dance!" Ino roared with pride, similarly wounded by Neji's teasing.
Naruto felt his smile grow massively as Ino and his hand and hand raced into the writhing chain of dancing people. Naruto's eyes flew around wildly as he quickly took in the steps of the dance; easy enough, the solo dancers and Neji seemed to be doing a more complex version of the dance. It simply had too many steps to copy as he did it, and Ino seemed similarly concerned from a brief dance. However, Naruto noticed that the couple danced more straightforwardly, with fewer steps, and seemed to count on the dancers to make it whole as a combined effort. Naruto once again glanced back at Ino, the two's pride having been challenged; the recent drama between them was forgotten, but instead, determined to prove Neji wrong, they joined hands as they began the complicated struggle of the dance. They were rusty and stood out for a few seconds. Something Neji made clear when he danced by purposely smirking and taunting as he did.
The Hyuga may have made this mistake, for the two proud blondes doubled their efforts. With Ino's absurd flexibility and grace, Naruto's boundless energy and speed soon allowed the two to outshine the other pairs. Neji saw such a mere smile, and Team Seven began dancing in utter joy, encaptured in the celebratory mood and the tireless people of Iron. Nearly all the dancers eyed Naruto worriedly, but either too drunk to care or simply confident he was under control, danced as well. Some even whisper of the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi being… different from the others. But the few who had this revelation kept it to themselves. The crowd, in fact, gave a berth around Team Seven, seemingly not willing to come too close to the blonde. Naruto felt the good mood dim momentarily before smoke suddenly erupted around Ino, Neji, him, and even some of the crowd. The dancing stopped as the crowd panicked before the smoke suddenly faded, revealing what had joined them…
"Kakashi-sensei!"
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Ino and Naruto called out happily; Neji merely nodded. Naruto was convinced he often pretended to be unaffected. Smug bastard…
"Yo!" Kakashi called cheerily. Before the Jounin danced wildly, it wasn't the dance they had been doing; it needed to be looser and unrefined. However, Kakashi's pure gusto and charisma won the crowd over. Naruto smiled even more comprehensively; it hadn't gone over his head that Kakashi's display had distracted the crowd. They danced again, and soon, Ino, Neji, and Naruto joined. Naruto couldn't remember the last time he had fun!