Chapter 3: The Russian Bear and the Unpredictable Ninja
Naruto Uzumaki had a problem.
Well, technically, he had several.
He was seventeen years old, stranded in another universe, unfamiliar with the local currency, and had absolutely no idea how to get home.
But at this particular moment, those problems were taking a back seat to something considerably more embarrassing.
His chakra was leaking.
Again.
Naruto sat across from Grace Jones, better known in the fighting world as King, and frowned as he concentrated on the energy circulating through his body.
Ever since arriving in this world, his chakra had been behaving strangely.
Not dangerously.
Not uncontrollably.
Just annoyingly.
Small amounts escaped through his tenketsu without conscious effort, dispersing into the surrounding air.
Ordinarily, he wouldn't have worried.
His reserves were enormous, and the amount escaping was insignificant compared to what he possessed.
Unfortunately, King had noticed.
And Naruto was beginning to understand that allowing mysterious energy to leak from his body while sitting across from a professional martial artist wasn't exactly the best way to make friends.
Come on. Back inside.
He closed his eyes and took a slow breath.
The chakra circulating through his coils responded.
He carefully redirected the escaping energy, drawing it inward and tightening his control around the relevant pathways.
Within moments, the leakage stopped.
Naruto opened his eyes.
"There!"
King raised an eyebrow.
"Finished?"
"Yep!" Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that. My control's a little bad sometimes."
King studied him over her glass.
"Your control?"
"Yeah. Sometimes a little energy slips out without me noticing."
"That happens to fighters who haven't properly mastered their Ki."
"Something like that."
King leaned back.
"At least yours isn't strong enough to damage the surroundings."
Naruto laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah! That would be bad."
Especially considering how fragile everything around here is.
He remembered accidentally cracking a tree on the mountainside.
The thought of doing something similar to the bar's furniture wasn't particularly appealing.
King, meanwhile, wasn't entirely convinced by his explanation.
She had sensed his power earlier.
For something supposedly uncontrolled, it had possessed an extraordinary density.
What puzzled her most was that Naruto had withdrawn the energy almost instantly once he concentrated.
That suggested he wasn't incapable of controlling it.
He simply wasn't paying attention.
What kind of training produces that much energy and leaves someone careless enough to let it escape?
She decided not to ask.
For now.
Naruto leaned forward.
"Anyway, about that tournament..."
King sighed inwardly.
Of course.
The boy had apparently decided that understanding an entirely new form of energy wasn't nearly as important as finding someone to fight.
He reminded her of certain martial artists she knew.
Unfortunately, those comparisons weren't especially reassuring.
"There's a competition being held nearby," she explained. "And if you're looking for a strong opponent, you might find someone worth challenging."
Naruto's eyes brightened.
"Who?"
"Zangief."
Naruto blinked.
"...Bless you?"
King stared.
"What?"
"Nothing!"
She shook her head.
"Zangief is a Russian professional wrestler. He's exceptionally strong, even by the standards of experienced fighters."
Naruto listened more carefully.
"How strong?"
"His physique is among the most formidable in the martial arts world. He's incredibly durable, and his wrestling techniques are extremely dangerous at close range."
"Sounds fun!"
"Fun is not the word I would use."
King placed her glass on the table.
"His movements are relatively straightforward, but that doesn't make him easy to defeat. One solid hit from Zangief can hurt more than ten strikes from me."
Naruto whistled.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
He leaned back, considering that information.
King was clearly a powerful fighter. Her earlier kick had demonstrated impressive precision and energy control.
If Zangief possessed substantially greater physical strength, he might provide an interesting comparison.
Naruto grinned.
"Can you beat him?"
King looked amused.
"Why?"
"Just curious."
She considered the question.
"Two times out of ten, I'd say."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"That's pretty specific."
"Different opponents require different approaches. Zangief has tremendous power and durability, but my speed and kicking techniques give me advantages I can exploit."
"So you can win, but one mistake could cost you the fight?"
"Precisely."
Naruto nodded appreciatively.
He liked that answer.
It reminded him of how different ninja techniques countered one another.
Raw strength wasn't everything.
Speed, strategy, timing, and compatibility could completely change the outcome of a battle.
"All right!" he declared. "I'll go fight him!"
King looked at him.
"Just like that?"
"Why not?"
"You don't even know where the venue is."
Naruto opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
"...Right. Good point."
King allowed herself a small smile.
"There's an underground fighting venue several blocks from here. Zangief occasionally participates in exhibition matches there."
"Awesome!"
"Don't get too excited. Beating one famous fighter won't automatically earn you an invitation to the King of Fighters tournament."
Naruto's enthusiasm dimmed slightly.
"It won't?"
"No. You'll need to establish a reputation against different opponents. One victory, even an impressive one, isn't necessarily enough."
"Huh."
"And there's something else."
"What?"
"King of Fighters is a team competition."
Naruto stared.
King waited.
"A team?" he repeated.
"Usually three fighters."
Naruto looked genuinely offended by this revelation.
"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"
"You never asked."
"That's not fair!"
"It's perfectly fair."
Naruto slumped in his chair.
Great.
Wonderful.
Another complication.
He was having enough trouble finding someone willing to exchange his money.
Now he needed to find two people willing to fight alongside him.
In a world where he barely knew anyone.
Naruto looked up.
Then smiled.
"Hey, King."
She immediately became suspicious.
"What?"
"Want to join my team?"
King blinked.
For several seconds, she simply stared at him.
Then she laughed.
It wasn't a loud laugh, but the genuine amusement surprised even her.
"You certainly don't waste time."
"What's wrong with asking?"
"Nothing, I suppose."
"So?"
"So you should establish your reputation first."
Naruto grinned.
"Does that mean you'll consider it?"
King folded her arms.
"I haven't decided whether I'll participate in the next tournament. And even if I do, I won't commit to a team based on a conversation in a bar."
"Fair enough."
"Win some matches. Show me what you're capable of. Then perhaps we'll discuss it."
Naruto smiled brightly.
"Deal!"
King shook her head.
There was something strangely familiar about his enthusiasm.
He reminded her of Terry Bogard and Ryo Sakazaki.
Not because they behaved identically.
Terry possessed an easygoing confidence born from years of experience, while Ryo approached martial arts with relentless discipline.
But Naruto shared their enthusiasm for challenging strong opponents.
And, apparently, their tendency to make important decisions without worrying about all the details.
"One more thing," King said.
Naruto stopped halfway out of his chair.
"Yeah?"
"Don't underestimate Zangief."
Naruto's grin softened.
"I won't."
For a moment, his expression became surprisingly serious.
King noticed.
Then the smile returned.
"Thanks for everything, King. I'll pay you back!"
"You don't owe me anything."
"Maybe not, but I don't like leaving favors unpaid."
He rose.
King watched as Naruto reached into his pocket and withdrew a small wad of yen notes.
He placed them on the counter.
"That should cover something, right?"
King glanced at the money.
Then at Naruto.
The boy had previously seemed unfamiliar with Japanese currency.
And yet he now possessed several notes.
"Naruto—"
"See you later!"
Before she could finish, he was already heading toward the exit.
King stared after him.
Then slowly looked at the money again.
Where exactly did he get that?
A troubling possibility occurred to her.
"He stole it, didn't he?"
She rubbed her forehead.
Of course.
Why wouldn't the mysterious teenager with terrifying energy and questionable geographical knowledge also have suspicious money?
King sighed.
She didn't know whether he had actually committed theft, and she wasn't about to accuse him without evidence.
Still, something about Naruto's circumstances bothered her.
He didn't seem malicious.
If anything, he seemed unusually openhearted.
But he was clearly hiding important information.
And in her experience, people with unusual powers and mysterious backgrounds had a tendency to attract enormous trouble.
She had encountered enough dangerous organizations and extraordinary fighters to know that appearances could be deceiving.
Akuma was proof of that.
The Mishima family was another.
King gazed toward the door.
"Just what have I gotten involved in?"
Naruto was running.
Ordinarily, that wouldn't have been particularly noteworthy.
He ran everywhere.
But this time, he was discovering just how strange the physical differences between worlds could be.
His feet barely touched the pavement.
The city stretched around him in a blur of lights and shadows.
A passing car appeared almost stationary as Naruto accelerated past.
A pedestrian blinked, vaguely registering a gust of wind before continuing down the sidewalk.
Naruto moved across rooftops, leaped between buildings, and occasionally used a brief burst of chakra to change direction.
It was exhilarating.
Almost too exhilarating.
"Man, everything feels so light!"
He launched himself across a narrow street.
The jump carried him considerably farther than expected.
Naruto twisted in midair and landed lightly on another rooftop.
"Okay. Still need to work on that."
His body remained perfectly capable of controlling its movements.
The problem was adjusting the amount of force he used.
A jump that would have carried him a moderate distance in the Elemental Nations now threatened to send him sailing much farther.
He could compensate, but it required attention.
And Naruto was currently far more interested in the upcoming fight.
Zangief, huh?
He wondered what kind of wrestler the man was.
Back home, taijutsu specialists came in countless varieties.
Some relied on speed.
Others emphasized overwhelming force.
Still others specialized in joint locks, grappling, counters, and attacks against vital points.
Might Guy was a perfect example of what extraordinary physical conditioning could accomplish.
Naruto had seen enough of the green-clad taijutsu specialist to know that muscle and determination could become genuinely terrifying when combined with sufficient training.
And if Zangief was as physically impressive as King claimed...
Naruto smiled.
"This should be interesting."
Then his expression grew thoughtful.
A strong fighter might also provide an opportunity to understand Ki more clearly.
Naruto had already worked out the basic similarities.
Ki appeared to resemble the physical-energy component involved in producing chakra.
Chakra combined physical and spiritual energy, whereas the Ki he had sensed seemed to emphasize the body's vitality and physical force.
The two systems weren't identical.
But there were enough similarities to make him curious.
If fighters here could develop enormous physical strength using Ki, perhaps they possessed methods worth studying.
And Naruto had always enjoyed learning useful techniques.
Especially techniques that made punching things more effective.
He spotted the entrance King had described.
A reinforced metal door stood beneath an old building.
Several muscular men waited outside.
Faint music and shouting drifted upward from below.
Naruto slowed.
"Found it."
The entrance guard was enormous.
Not Zangief enormous.
But enormous enough that most ordinary teenagers would have reconsidered their evening plans.
Naruto approached with a friendly smile.
"Hey! Is this where the fights happen?"
The guard looked him over.
"Invitation?"
Naruto blinked.
"Uh..."
The guard sighed.
"Figures."
He pointed toward a device mounted beside the entrance.
"Put your hand there."
Naruto examined it.
The machine resembled a small scanner, complete with a glowing display and several unfamiliar symbols.
"What's it do?"
"Energy screening."
"Energy?"
"Checks whether you're a fighter capable of using Ki. We don't let ordinary spectators wander into restricted sections."
Naruto nodded.
That made sense.
Sort of.
He placed his hand against the scanner.
The device hummed.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then several lights flashed.
A low alarm chirped.
The guard examined the display.
His eyebrows rose.
"Well, I'll be..."
Naruto tilted his head.
"Something wrong?"
"No. You're clear."
The guard stepped aside.
Naruto smiled.
"Thanks!"
He descended the stairs.
Behind him, the guard looked at the scanner again.
The reading had been unusual.
Not necessarily the strongest he had ever seen.
But strange enough that the machine had briefly struggled to classify it.
He shrugged.
"Martial artists..."
Then he returned to his post.
The underground arena was loud.
Very loud.
Naruto had attended celebrations, witnessed battlefield explosions, and endured Jiraiya's singing after several bottles of sake.
Somehow, the crowd beneath the building was competing with all three.
Hundreds of spectators surrounded an enormous fighting cage.
Bright lights illuminated the ring.
Electronic screens displayed the competitors.
Cameras recorded every angle of the battle.
And in the center stood a mountain disguised as a man.
Naruto stopped.
"...Whoa."
Zangief was gigantic.
A massive Russian wrestler with a thick beard, a broad chest, and muscles piled upon muscles.
His red wrestling trunks and heavy boots did very little to diminish the impression that someone had taught a bear to stand upright and join a professional wrestling league.
Naruto stared.
Then looked at his own arms.
Then back at Zangief.
"Okay, that's just ridiculous."
He had seen enormous men before.
But Zangief's physique was extraordinary even by those standards.
And his Ki...
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
Now that's something.
The wrestler possessed a considerable reserve of physical energy.
It moved throughout his body, reinforcing his muscles and strengthening his already formidable physique.
Naruto could sense it radiating from him.
Unlike King's controlled bursts of Ki, Zangief's energy seemed thoroughly integrated into his physical movements.
As though his body itself had become a weapon.
He's stronger than Guy physically.
Naruto smiled.
Then a terrible cracking sound echoed through the arena.
CRACK!
His smile disappeared.
Zangief had seized his opponent, lifted him into the air, and driven him into the mat.
The impact was brutal.
The smaller fighter screamed.
His body went limp.
The crowd erupted.
"ZANGIEF! ZANGIEF! ZANGIEF!"
Naruto stared at the fallen man.
His enhanced senses detected a heartbeat.
Alive.
But badly injured.
What the hell?
Medical personnel hurried toward the cage.
The spectators barely paid attention.
They were too busy cheering.
Naruto's expression darkened.
He had fought powerful opponents before.
He had witnessed terrible injuries.
But the sight of people celebrating while someone lay unconscious and broken disturbed him.
This wasn't a battlefield.
These people had come here to watch.
To enjoy themselves.
And someone getting seriously injured apparently counted as entertainment.
Naruto clenched his fists.
These people are crazy.
Zangief, meanwhile, watched the medical staff carry his opponent away.
His expression was serious.
He had not intended to cripple the man, but his opponent had refused to surrender and had attempted to force his way out of a dangerous hold.
The resulting injury was unfortunate.
Zangief turned toward the crowd.
"WHO IS NEXT?"
His enormous voice thundered through the hall.
The audience roared.
"WHO DARES CHALLENGE THE RED CYCLONE?"
Several spectators shouted encouragement.
Others laughed.
No one immediately volunteered.
Naruto looked toward the injured fighter being carried away.
Then back toward Zangief.
He stepped forward.
"I do."
His voice wasn't particularly loud.
But Zangief heard it.
The giant turned.
His gaze fell upon a blond teenager standing near the cage.
Zangief blinked.
Then laughed.
"HAHAHA! YOU?"
Naruto grinned.
"Yep!"
The crowd began murmuring.
Some laughed openly.
A teenager challenging the Red Cyclone?
This promised to be entertaining.
Zangief folded his enormous arms.
"Boy, do you know who I am?"
"Zangief, right?"
"Indeed!"
"Good. Just making sure."
The wrestler grinned.
Naruto pointed at him.
"Now, I hope you're not just a giant lump of meat. I'd be disappointed if all those muscles were only for show."
The crowd fell silent.
Then erupted into laughter.
Zangief stared.
For a moment, his enormous face remained unreadable.
Then—
"BWHAHAHAHA!"
His laughter shook the cage.
"GOOD! VERY GOOD!"
Naruto blinked.
That wasn't quite the reaction he had expected.
Zangief slapped his chest.
"I LIKE YOUR SPIRIT, LITTLE MAN!"
"Hey! I'm not that little!"
"YOU HAVE COURAGE! BUT COURAGE ALONE WILL NOT SAVE YOU FROM THE STRENGTH OF THE RED CYCLONE!"
Naruto smiled.
"Guess we'll find out."
Zangief's expression became more serious.
"Be careful, boy. I will not go easy simply because you are young."
"Wouldn't want you to."
The Russian wrestler nodded approvingly.
"THEN ENTER!"
The announcer was practically vibrating with excitement.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WE HAVE AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGER!"
Naruto stepped inside the cage.
The door slammed shut behind him.
"AN UNKNOWN YOUNG FIGHTER HAS CHALLENGED THE MIGHTY RED CYCLONE!"
The crowd cheered.
"YOUR NAME, KID!"
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
The announcer blinked.
Then recovered.
"NARUTO UZUMAKI! THE MYSTERY CHALLENGER!"
Naruto sighed.
Why does everyone keep making me sound suspicious?
Zangief rolled his shoulders.
His muscles shifted beneath his skin.
Naruto could hear the man's heartbeat, slow and powerful.
His Ki circulated steadily.
The wrestler smiled.
"READY?"
Naruto settled into a relaxed stance.
"Whenever you are."
The bell rang.
DING!
Zangief moved first.
For someone so enormous, his acceleration was impressive.
He lunged forward, swinging an arm in a powerful lariat.
The attack carried enough force to shatter ordinary bones.
Naruto watched it approach.
Too slow.
He stepped aside.
Zangief's arm swept past his face.
Naruto slipped behind him and delivered a sharp kick into his back.
THUD!
The impact sounded like someone striking a thick leather drum.
Zangief stumbled forward.
His enormous body slammed against the cage.
Metal rattled.
The audience gasped.
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Huh.
That kick had carried enough force to crush an elephant.
Yet Zangief had absorbed most of it.
The wrestler turned.
His grin had become considerably wider.
"FAST!"
Naruto smiled.
"Pretty sturdy yourself."
"AND STRONG!"
Zangief cracked his neck.
"THIS WILL BE FUN!"
He charged again.
This time, he extended both arms and began spinning.
"DOUBLE LARIAT!"
Naruto blinked.
Seriously?
The Russian wrestler became a rotating whirlwind of muscle.
His outstretched arms swept through the air with tremendous force.
Naruto ducked beneath the first rotation.
The second passed overhead.
Then he dropped into a sliding kick aimed at Zangief's shin.
Let's see how you handle this.
His foot connected.
But not as expected.
Zangief shifted his weight.
Ki surged downward through his body.
The wrestler's leg became as immovable as an anchored pillar.
Naruto's kick failed to destabilize him.
Oh?
Zangief's arms suddenly dropped.
"GOT YOU!"
Two enormous hands descended toward Naruto.
If they closed around him, the wrestler would have an excellent opportunity to demonstrate exactly why grapplers were so dangerous.
Naruto twisted.
His body slipped between Zangief's reaching arms.
He sprang sideways, planted one foot against the mat, and launched a kick toward the wrestler's head.
BAM!
Zangief's head snapped slightly to the side.
He grunted.
But remained standing.
Naruto landed several meters away.
Okay. That's impressive.
Zangief straightened.
He rubbed his jaw.
"GOOD KICK!"
"Thanks!"
"BUT NOT ENOUGH!"
Naruto grinned.
"Oh, I've got plenty more."
Zangief lowered his center of gravity.
His eyes sharpened.
"YOU ARE FAST, NARUTO UZUMAKI! BUT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND WRESTLING!"
Naruto tilted his head.
"Really?"
"EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE LEAVES AN OPPORTUNITY! ONE MISTAKE, AND I WILL CRUSH YOU!"
Naruto studied him.
The giant wasn't simply boasting.
Zangief possessed excellent timing and positional awareness.
His earlier attempt to catch Naruto after the sliding kick had been a carefully calculated counter.
He knew how opponents reacted.
He understood balance.
And most importantly, he could use Ki to reinforce his body at precisely the right moments.
He's like a much bigger version of a taijutsu specialist.
Naruto thought about Might Guy.
Their techniques were different.
Guy emphasized speed, precision, and explosive movement.
Zangief relied on tremendous durability, grappling, and overwhelming physical power.
But both had built their fighting styles around extraordinary conditioning.
Naruto respected that.
Unfortunately, he had another problem.
The cage was small.
Very small.
Not in ordinary terms.
For professional wrestling, it was perfectly respectable.
For Naruto Uzumaki?
It might as well have been a storage closet.
If he seriously increased his speed or used larger techniques, the surrounding structure wouldn't survive.
And there were hundreds of spectators nearby.
He couldn't risk hurting them.
Guess I'd better finish this quickly.
Zangief spread his arms.
"COME, BOY! SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN REALLY DO!"
Naruto's grin widened.
"Okay, big guy."
He lowered his stance.
"You asked for it."
Zangief sensed the change.
The teenager's posture had barely shifted.
Yet something about him suddenly felt different.
His eyes grew sharper.
His movements became completely still.
And for one fleeting instant, Zangief felt an unfamiliar pressure settle across the cage.
What...?
Then Naruto disappeared.
Not literally.
But to most spectators, it looked that way.
One moment, the blond teenager stood several meters away.
The next, he was directly in front of Zangief.
The wrestler's instincts reacted.
His arms moved to intercept.
Too late.
A sphere of swirling blue energy formed in Naruto's palm.
RASENGAN!
Naruto drove the technique into Zangief's abdomen.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact thundered through the arena.
Zangief's enormous body lifted from the mat.
His eyes widened.
Air exploded from his lungs.
The audience screamed.
The Red Cyclone was flying backward.
Straight toward the cage.
Metal supports groaned as the giant approached.
Naruto's expression tightened.
Oops. A little too much.
But Zangief wasn't finished.
"RRRRAAAAGH!"
The wrestler roared.
His Ki surged violently.
His feet slammed toward the mat, tearing through the surface as he forced his body to resist the momentum.
Then his enormous hands closed around the spinning sphere of chakra.
For one extraordinary moment, the Rasengan continued rotating between his palms.
The violent energy tore at his skin.
Zangief's muscles bulged.
His arms trembled.
"YOU... WILL... NOT!"
With a furious roar, he brought his hands together.
CRACK!
The Rasengan collapsed.
Blue energy burst outward in a harmless shower of fading sparks.
Zangief staggered.
His back struck the cage.
The metal bent.
But held.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Naruto stared.
"...Whoa."
Zangief breathed heavily.
His abdomen throbbed.
His palms were injured.
And for the first time that evening, he had encountered an attack that genuinely frightened him.
Not because he feared pain.
Pain was an old acquaintance.
But the energy contained within that technique had been extraordinary.
If the boy had aimed higher, or used greater force...
Zangief shook the thought away.
Then he laughed.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The audience flinched.
Naruto blinked.
"Uh... you okay?"
Zangief straightened slowly.
He examined his injured palms.
Then looked at Naruto.
"WHAT WAS THAT TECHNIQUE?"
"Rasengan."
"RASENGAN?"
"Yep!"
Zangief grinned.
"INCREDIBLE!"
Naruto smiled.
"You're pretty incredible yourself. Nobody's ever crushed one of those with their bare hands before."
Zangief laughed again.
"THEN YOU HAVE NOT MET THE RED CYCLONE!"
The crowd finally erupted.
Cheers shook the arena.
Spectators shouted Naruto's name.
Others chanted for Zangief.
The announcer looked as though he might faint.
Zangief raised one enormous hand.
"ENOUGH!"
The crowd quieted.
He looked down at Naruto.
"YOUR NAME. AGAIN."
"Naruto Uzumaki."
Zangief nodded.
"I WILL REMEMBER IT."
Naruto smiled.
"Same here, big guy."
The Russian glanced around the cage.
Then at the damaged floor.
"THIS PLACE IS TOO SMALL."
Naruto chuckled.
"Yeah. I noticed."
"WE CANNOT FIGHT PROPERLY HERE."
"Not without wrecking everything."
Zangief's grin became fierce.
"THEN WE SHALL FIGHT AGAIN! SOMEWHERE WITH ROOM ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US!"
Naruto extended his hand.
"Deal."
Zangief seized it.
The difference in size was ridiculous.
Naruto's hand practically disappeared inside the wrestler's enormous grip.
But the handshake remained firm.
Neither attempted to overpower the other.
For now, that wasn't necessary.
The audience applauded as the two fighters separated.
The match had ended without a formal victory.
But nobody watching could deny what they had witnessed.
An unknown seventeen-year-old had challenged one of the world's most physically formidable wrestlers.
He had matched Zangief's strength well enough to impress him.
And he had unleashed a technique that nearly sent the Red Cyclone crashing through the cage.
For Naruto, the fight had been an enjoyable introduction to the martial arts of this world.
For Zangief, it had been an unexpected encounter with a truly remarkable opponent.
For everyone else?
It was the beginning of something much bigger.
The recording spread quickly.
High-definition cameras had captured everything.
Naruto's extraordinary movements.
Zangief's counters.
The mysterious blue sphere of energy.
And the moment the Russian wrestler crushed that sphere between his hands.
The footage passed through underground fighting circles within minutes.
Bookmakers argued over the result.
Professional fighters demanded information about the unknown challenger.
Several organizations began investigating.
And in a private room far removed from the noisy arena, two people watched the recording in silence.
A young man with dark red hair sat before a large screen.
His expression was cold.
His eyes followed Naruto's movements with intense concentration.
Beside him stood an attractive woman who leaned forward slightly, studying the footage.
"What do you think, Young Master?"
The man didn't immediately answer.
On the screen, Naruto accelerated toward Zangief.
A blue Rasengan appeared.
The Russian wrestler was thrown backward.
The video froze.
The woman smiled faintly.
"He's rather unusual, isn't he?"
"Yes."
The man's voice was quiet.
"His movement is excellent. His speed is exceptional."
"And that strange technique?"
The young man studied the frozen image.
"Interesting."
Purple flames flickered to life around his fingers.
They danced across his hand without burning his skin.
A dangerous smile slowly appeared.
"He is good."
The woman glanced toward him.
"Are you interested in recruiting him?"
The red-haired man stood.
"No."
He closed his fist.
The flames vanished.
"I want to fight him."
The woman sighed.
She had expected that answer.
"Of course you do."
The man walked toward the door.
His smile widened.
"Naruto Uzumaki..."
He repeated the unfamiliar name thoughtfully.
"Let's see how strong you really are."
And with that, he disappeared into the corridor.
On the screen behind him, the recording resumed.
Naruto Uzumaki and Zangief shook hands.
Neither of them knew that their brief exhibition had already attracted the attention of someone far more dangerous than the underground audience could have imagined.