Pyrrha gathered her own weapons and strapped her shield on to her back before offering Naruto a smile and confident nod.
Feeling a little more comfortable around his team after his explanation on one of his specialties, Naruto decided to show off a little bit by performing a perfect backflip over the railing of the stands, landing perfectly on his feet. Nora, the ever hyper teen she was, happily followed suit by leaping over the railing, Magnahild sitting on her shoulder and a cry of excitement escaping her lips.
Seeing the smiles and laughs that Naruto and Nora were having down below, Pyrhha decided to join in on the little bit of fun by performing a single handed handstand on the railing, tilting her body in such a way that soon after she was gracefully falling to the ground below, feet first.
With her ponytail fluttering in the wind and spear in hand, Pyrrha managed to look simultaneously beautiful and deadly, a thought that had Naruto blushing. As the red headed beauty landed in a crouch, both fists on the ground and her head held down, it gave Pyrrha the look of not a teen girl still training but of a full fledged warrior ready for battle.
While Pyhrra rose to her feet, Ren leapt down to meet with his teammates in a much more subdued manner, merely vaulting over the railing of the stands and landing without a sound.
Nodding at the raven haired teen, Naruto addressed his fellow teammates, "Well I guess the only combination left for us to try out is me and Nora against you two."
While Naruto smirked at being paired up with his fellow hyperactive team member, both Ren and Pyrrha looked noticeably put out by the inevitable matchup.
Honestly the blond couldn't blame them. Nothing against Pyrrha and Ren as warriors, but them winning was just not all that likely. Both Nora and Naruto operated on the same principal and style of fighting - go in and fuck shit up. Naruto had added more to his repertoire and was much more careful with his planning and such since Kurama had been helping to train him, but he was still very much so a frontlines heavy hitter, even without the use of his signature jutsu. Nora was much the same, admittedly with a much smaller arsenal.
The two had much more stamina than most and were also extremely unpredictable. Ren and Pyrrha relied too heavily on a more rigid style of fighting than Nora and Naruto, and that would be a detriment to them.
Still Naruto knew that neither Ren or Pyrrha would simply give up. No the two were going to try and make their hyperactive teammates work for their victory.
Scratching his head, Naruto raised a question that had been bugging him for awhile, "Hey Pyrrha!"
The redhead in question turned to silently acknowledge her captain's call.
"I know Ren and Nora's weapon names, but what's yours?"
Smiling at what she knew to be her blond captain's curious face, marked by Naruto squinting his eyes and crossing his arms, Pyrrha answered, "My shield is named Akoúo and my main weapon is Miló."
Nodding his head and with his curiosity satiated, Naruto made to make his way to where Nora was already getting ready for the spar. However Pyrrha decided to ask a question of her own, "What about your weapon Naruto?"
Naruto stopped in his tracks and stared at his staff for a scant few seconds, seemingly lost in his own memories, before snapping out of it and twirling the shakujo casually as he answered, "Hi no Ishi."
Knowing that names played a significant role in Naruto's home, Pyrrha was curious to know the meaning of the staff's name and voiced as much.
The blond gave one last reminiscent smile at his weapon before answering, "It means 'The Will of Fire'."
Still curious as to the significance of such a name and why Naruto seemed so attached to it, Pyrrha decided to wait until she could get Naruto alone, knowing how secretive the blond could be.
Besides that, it looked like Nora was growing even more impatient by the second, noted by her increased fidgeting. An impatient Nora was a hilariously dangerous Nora.
Finally, as each pair stared the other down from opposite sides of the field, the air of battle began to permeate the air. Of course the feel of it was far different from the battles Naruto had gone through. Those battles where each side wagered not money or an imaginary point, but instead bet their very lives, pride, and convictions.
This was not even comparable. Sure the other members of team NNPR had no doubt seen death already, living in a world where humans were forced into settlements where the fear of death by the creatures of Grimm were very much so a reality.
But there was a key difference. When it came down to it, it was easy for the people of Remnant to peg the Grimm as naught, but mindless beasts of murder, which wasn't too far from the truth. As such killing them was simply a task, like hunting for food.
Naruto however was different. He had seen and lived through war. He knew the difference in battle when your enemy was not some beast or some other quarry, but a human, a human with emotions, feelings, dreams, and aspirations just like you.
This spar was not even close to that feeling of knowing that with the slightest misstep your very existence would cease to be.
And for that Naruto smiled. As he felt his chakra begin to course through his body in that familiar warmth, as he heard Nora yell in excitement, Naruto smiled.
'Maybe coming here wasn't a bad thing after all.'
Sharing a look with Nora, Naruto's smile went from being just that, a simple smile, and instead became the cocky grin he was known for back in his youth.
"Let's do this -ttebayo!"
:::
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