Sasuke's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Sasuke wielded the blade of flames as he eyed his opponent. Despite the competitive clash, Fuu seemed mostly undamaged and not tired at all. Meanwhile, Sasuke had used a fair bit of his chakra. He had thought the lanterns would be the finish to this fight. After all, dealing with the technique was powerful and challenging, and he had managed to hide away while using it. But she had homed in on him rather quickly. And even when the jutsu did land, it wasn't incredibly effective.
'I wasn't expecting this level of competition from her. I figured she was a tank but would be dealt with easily enough. It's clear to me now that isn't the case. She's durable enough to take on powerful ninjutsu head one with minimal damage. Her flight makes her quick and mobile in unpredictable ways. She also has access to some powerful insect-based forms. So far, she seems to have a basic one, more of an all-rounder form; when she unleashed that powerful explosive attack, it seemed like she lost her wings. This newest form allowed her to tank five of his demon lanterns. So, there are three forms. She has an all-rounder, which increased her offense and defense to roughly a similar level, an offensive one that gave her access to ranged attacks, and a defensive one that seemed to improve her already impressive defense. I must destroy her now before she finds a way to end this. Before she can switch!' Sasuke decided as he blurred forward.
Sasuke appeared behind Fuu; as soon as he did so, Fuu spun, attempting to backhand him, but met nothing but air. Sasuke had already reappeared before her, lunging forward with his blade. Fuu gasped as it stabbed her shallowly. With a screech of pain, Fuu jumped backward through the air to get distance; it merely played into Sasuke's hand.
'Good, I didn't think her armor would provide much defense against Besmirched Flambe. The heat simply burns from within. Which is perfect. She sacrifices speed and mobility for armor, a critical flaw when I can bypass it. And without your pesky wings, I have air superiority!' Sasuke thought as he flexed chakra all throughout his body. 'Need to use the body flicker at maximum efficiency. This fight goes to UCHIHA!'
"Fiery Reappearing Shadow Sever!" Sasuke called. Fuu was defenseless as Sasuke moved at a speed that no one under Jounin could keep up with. Merely appeared as a glowing red line that slashed mercilessly at the airborne Fuu, who screamed out pain during the barrage. Fuu landed bodily at the end of such, Sasuke standing in front of her coldly.
"Kakashi, this woman is done," Sasuke said as he marched forward. "It'll be a miracle if she even survive-" Sasuke was interrupted as a cheerful voice yelled.
"Not yet~!" Fuu called cheerfully as she flew forward fist-first into Sasuke's back. 'She switched forms at some point!' Sasuke spat out blood as Fuu smashed into him at speed. Sending the confident Uchiha sprawling forward before he blurred and appeared across from Fuu. Wiping the blood off his face and spitting some out, the Uchiha eyed Fuu coldly.
"How the hell are you even alive?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "Your insides should be cooked!"
"Oh, I'm so lucky!" Fuu cheered. "It hurt for a while, but with Chomei, that stuff never sticks!"
"That makes no sense! You can't luck your way out of being internally immolated!" Sasuke roared, confused and angered by the seemingly unstoppable Fuu. "Also, who the hell is Chomei…" Sasuke paused as he thought. His Besmirched Flambe reappeared in his hands as now slightly battered Uchiha eyed her down. "Your beast… must make you durable, but that can't be all… you can heal." Sasuke reasoned out loud.
"Sure can!" Fuu agreed readily. "It'll take more of that to keep me down."
"Good for you. But now it's my turn for a trick. Look me in the eyes, Fuu." Sasuke said as his Sharingan spun wildly.
"Umm, sure?" Fuu said, confused as she did so. "It's cool. Your eyes can spin, I guess?"
Sasuke didn't bother to answer. Instead, he blurred to her left, fainting another lunge. Instead, he blurred above her and slashed at her head. Fuu managed to lean out of the way of this and fly upwards, seeking safety in the air. Sasuke growled as he chained his body flicker to pursue her upwards. As he did, he would blur in or out of range, slashing with Besmirched Flambe at Fuu. Yet the jinchuriki dodged and weaved each slash. Now freed of her defensive mode, she seemed fast enough to react to his attacks. The two continued their dance into the sky well above the arena. Eventually, Sasuke decided this was a waste of chakra and began to fall toward the ground while seemingly wielding his Flambe like an arrow notched in an invisible bow. "Take this! Arrow of the Besmirched: Phoenix Arrow!" Sasuke said as the blade flew forward as if shot from a bow. Fuu flinched, not expecting it to be shot, and was hit dead center. With a gasp of pain, she spat out blood and began to fall as well.
Sasuke appeared above her, now wielding another Besmirched Flambe. "This is finished." He promised as he spun and prepared a mighty slash. The blade seemed to turn blue and swell as he did. "Besmirched Despair: Brillant Disdained Flame!" As he slashed, the blade exploded outwards with blue flames. Fuu, just having recovered from the arrow, merely screamed as she was covered in the explosive flames. Before, with a boom of chakra, she was coated in a glowing cloak, which made this chakra noticeably stronger. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and, with a grunt of pain, flew through the powerful blast of flames. Sasuke flinched at this, not expecting to tank one of his more powerful jutsu. He desperately formed another Flambe, but as he slashed it at Fuu, she caught it in her hand like a regular blade. Sasuke was shocked into silence. 'How can she hold it! The beast chakra can interact with it?!' He had little time to ponder as Fuu grabbed and held the blade with strength. Sasuke desperately pulled but could not free it. While Sasuke did so, Fuu's other chakra-covered hand seemed to form a construct that looked like some kind of horn.
"My turn, emo!" Fuu declared. "Herculean Punch!" She yelled as she slammed the fist into Sasuke's face, sending him careening towards the ground. The Uchiha was at first stunned. But gasping with pain, Sasuke body flickered against the force, which managed to bleed off some speed, considerably lowering the impact of his body and the cruel, hard earth. Even coating himself in chakra, Sasuke barely held consciousness as the effect sent waves of shock through his mind and body. Sasuke groaned in pain as he crawled to all fours and bodily managed to stand. Fuu could be seen standing in front of him, patiently waiting.
"By the way!" Fuuav chirped as if she had not very nearly killed him. "Chomei says your genjutsu won't work on us. Apparently, Chomei can free me from any you do land!"
Sasuke flinched at that, now understanding how Fuu was contesting his Ash Step. While it allowed Sasuke impressive speed and mobility, the most vital part of it was the subtle Genjutsu Sasuke used in tandem. The subtle Genjutsu technique made the technique seem even quicker and made it so even those who could match it struggled to keep up. The two used in tandem made his approach almost impossible to detect or react to in battle. But if Fuu was immune to his Genjutsu, it made sense that she would have the raw speed to respond. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he lowered his stance.
"It seems things are getting interesting," Sasuke said with a slight smirk. "What do you fight for?" Sasuke was stalling slightly. The decisive blow from Fuu had nearly knocked him out and may have broken some of his ribs. His chakra reserves were roughly half-depleted. And apparently, he needed a new strategy for his opponent. Luckily, she didn't seem intelligent and likely wouldn't notice his ruse.
"Fight for?" Fuu asked, confused. She felt much happier now that she had landed a solid strike on the Uchiha. "Um, well, for fun, I guess… my village kinda forced me here. So mostly just having fun until it's over."
"Fun?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. "You're doing this for fun? Then why fight so hard?"
"Like I said, my village forced me here; I assume if I fail, it'll be held against me. I can't really afford my village to like me any less." Fuu finished with a nervous chuckle. "I also figured I could make some friends. And it worked! So, ya, I'm mostly here for fun. Besides, I doubt anyone other than the other two stand a chance; I'm too lucky."
Sasuke's entire body tensed. These exams meant so much to him; he needed to prove himself, prove the Uchiha wasn't fading, gain power, gain influence. It was no exaggeration to say this was the most significant task he had endeavored to do. Fuu was here for mere fun and friends. Sasuke could admit to liking both of these to some degree. But it was no proper motivation. Fuu wasn't fighting for anything…
"Then I'm afraid I can't lose to you. I never could," Sasuke said, his voice now dark. The air around him seemed to grow hotter, and his eyes spun even faster.
"Um, but I'm way stronger. So why not?" Fuu replied earnestly.
"There's a difference between us." Sasuke continued as he raised his hand. A second Besmirched Flambe appeared. "You don't want to lose. I can't." Sasuke blurred forward, slicing at Fuu's head and legs at the same time. Impressively, Fuu jumps while scrunching to avoid both slices. With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself forward, which Sasuke managed to evade narrowly with another body flicker. He appeared above her, but with shocking speed, Fuu flipped around, kicking Sasuke higher into the air violently. Before suddenly, the man recovered from the blow with mere grit, Sasuke surged forward, slashing both blades from the left and right. Fuu managed to catch the right one, but the left slash landed. Slicing a burning line through her midsection. Fuu flinched in pain, allowing Sasuke to weave hand signs. Before he could finish, Fuu called out in pain.
"Chomei style: Lucky Instance!" Fuu called out. Sasuke flinched; he remembered what this did to Lee, and as his chakra surged suddenly, his jutsu lost control. Sasuke could only offer a single syllable word before the technique backfired, causing an explosion that sent Sasuke flying and stunned Fuu for an instant. Fuu smiled. The small blast barely hurt her as she powered through the blast and flew forward to pursue the injured Uchiha. Sasuke flew into the forest, crashing into a tree with a dreadful thud. Fuu prepared to finish him, aiming a punch for him as he collided with the tree. Sasuke fought off unconsciousness with willpower alone, and mere instinct had him blur away in time to avoid Fuu's punch. The power of which tore the tree down. Sasuke attempted to use trees for cover, but Fuu flew through tree trunks as if they were paper. The branches, trunks, and fragments flying through the air added to the threat the Uchiha had to avoid. Sasuke's impressive acrobatics and use of Ash Step to prevent the calamity.
He flew out of the forest into the sandy part of the arena. Desperate for space, he turned and managed to dispel one Flambe as he aimed at the other. Fuu emerged from the forest, flying headfirst towards a Phoenix Arrow. Fuu could not dodge or catch the attack; instead, she screamed.
"Chomei Style: Lucky Instance!" The arrow somehow spun around and instead raced for its creator. 'This is bullshit!' Sasuke ducked this as he landed but was helpless to stop Fuu from smashing into him headfirst. He skidded along the ground as Fuu stomped forward. Sasuke rose slowly, bleeding from all over and covered in burns; he stared at Fuu.
Fuu stopped with a frown. "You were entertaining, even if you seem a bit judgmental. I've had quite a bit of fun. But I think this fight is over." She replied simply.
"It can't be. I won't let it be. If only I knew you were going to be so powerful." Sasuke complained as he formed a pair of hand signs. "I would've used this from the start. Fiery Presence: Kagutsuchi." Fuu raced forward to stop this but was flung back by a massive explosion of flames.