Kapitel 17: chapter 17
***Flashback***
It had been two weeks since the preliminaries and Naruto finally decided a small break from training was in order to keep a promise he made. After making arrangements he left his house that afternoon and made his way to a remote training ground where he found the one who asked him for an audience. She stood in the middle of the clearing, polishing her battle fan as she waited. "Temari-san...What is it you called me out here for?" He waited patiently while she finished the spot she was polishing before storing the fan on her back once more and turning towards him.
"Naruto-san...I was hoping I could talk to you about..." She turned away suddenly. "I really shouldn't be talking about this, but...Konoha is going to be attacked during the finals."
"I see."
She turned to him again, confused. "You sound awfully calm considering that news." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"I had suspected something big would happen. A new village attending chūnin exams, along with your Kage and a jinchūriki." It surprised Temari that he knew what her brother was, but she hid it as well as she could. "It was pretty obvious it was going to happen. Since you've confirmed my suspicions and given us the date, we might be able to be better prepared, but...I'm more concerned about why you are trying to help us. You clearly have issues with this village if your performance against Tenten was anything to go by." Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion as Temari again turned away.
"That was different. I was frustrated, in part, but I also wanted to show off a bit...Being a Kage's daughter has its disadvantages, not that you'd know. I don't really get to hang around with anyone other then my brothers and my sensei. I guess you could say I found someone I was interested in here and I was trying to impress him. I think I only made him angry though. I was hoping this would make it even for what I did to that girl." She lowered her head a bit. It was the closest to a confession she was willing to come out with.
"Well I can't say what this guy would see from this, but you have my thanks regardless. Good luck in the finals Temari-san." Naruto leapt off into the trees as Temari spun around to get another word in, but the boy was already gone.
She sighed to herself. 'Story of my life'.
Naruto sped towards the Hokage tower with his new information and arrived just as the old man was about to leave. "Hokage-sama, I need a quick word with you." The old man nodded and stepped aside from the door to allow the boy to enter. "Hokage-sama, I have been informed that there is to be an invasion during the finals of the chūnin exam,."
"Hmm, that is disturbing. Who was it that gave you this information, and why?
"Temari-san from the Suna team. As to her reason, it seemed to be somewhat of a personal matter that is inconsequential."
"I would like to question her further, but this close to the exams, taking her from her team would be far too suspicious." The old man pinched the bridge of his nose. If he were to take the Kazekage's daughter and interrogate her he risked an international event. Forget an invasion, they would be able to make demands if it was just a trick. "What would you do Naruto-kun?"
"Prepare for what we know already, and what we can assume."
"What we know is that Orochimaru is around and that he's the Kage of sound. He could definitely be leading an invasion if he has a country behind him, but even he can't gather a force big enough to take on Konoha by itself, so that would mean..." The old man picked out the information he could deduce.
"Suna." Naruto finished for him.
"Our alliance has been tight of late. It would be possible that my old student swayed them to his side. It is disturbing though to think that Kazekage-sama would side with such a traitor." The Hokage was disturbed by the thought. They had worked hard for the treaty with Suna, but he may have been a bit too greedy in taking missions from the Kaze no Kuni Daimyo.
"It would be that most rational reason as to why Temari-san would have known about any invasion at all. I'm certain her team has a large part to play in it."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Gaara-san is...like me." Naruto patted his stomach with on hand and watched the Kage's eyes widen in realization.
***End Flashback***
It was now a full month after the preliminaries and many things were going on in Konoha that got all of the citizens excited, almost enough for them to forget that they didn't have a council representing them anymore. Not that things changed much after those pompous morons were taken out of the picture. Now though they had so many more new customers and new people to talk to about upcoming events. There were issues of course with some tense relations between certain countries, but all in all it was just like a big festival. Street-side stalls sold treats and had games to play, while adults walked around and took in the sights.
In the shadows however, preparations were taking place. The Hokage had spread news of the possible attack to those that remained on the council and proposed that they take the possibility of an attack seriously as there will be far too many important people around to risk being ignorant. Thus, various ninja were busy setting up traps and ambush points, coordinating strike points or keeping evacuation routes clear. They wouldn't start that process until the attack happened though in order to keep the guise up that they were unaware. The risk to the civilians was considered acceptable in order to keep the village as a whole safe. For those that would be contending in the main events though it was an experience in and of itself.
Naruto was up earlier then the others, as he had much more to prepare for. As if being in the finals for the exam wasn't enough, he also had taken it upon himself to go all out today when the attack happened. Thus he was now wearing some custom black cargo pants with numerous pockets that were quickly being filled as he shoved massive amounts of sealed supplies in them. He had enough weapons to make Tenten jealous and stacks of premade seal tags of all types. Explosive and smoke bombs, spools of ninja wire, soldier pills and ointments made specially by Haku and Hinata. Kin had offered to help them, but due to her lack of knowledge she was only able to bottle the concoctions up and label them. She seemed happy enough though to help in any way she could, but Naruto was a little irked that she still called him -sama.
Still, he didn't get to see much of them over their month break. Ino was forced to help her parents run their flower shop while they prepared decorations for the festivities, and no one had seen hide nor hair of Tenten. It was assumed she was helping Neji train from his fight with Naruto. Haku and Kin were normally busy training in the back yard or sparring with Hinata while Naruto was either off training somewhere with Jiraiya, talking with the Hokage about something or another regarding his training or the invasion, locked in his office or just nowhere to be found at all. He knew this irritated them, but all he would tell them about it was that it was necessary.
They saw the other two members of team eight once during the break, and that had to be explained to him by a grinning Haku.
***Flashback***
"So what was the other thing you wanted Harume-chan?" Haku asked, then got even more curious as the girl got a deep blush. Something she never thought she'd see on the tomboy's face. Harume gulped and leaned in to Haku's ear, whispering so only they could hear. Haku's head shot up and stared into her friend's eyes. "N-no way, really?" When Harume nodded Haku smiled devilishly. "Leave it to me." They both shifted their eyes across the balcony to a specific teen leaning against the wall further down the room.
Harume and Haku were training for Haku's finals match when they saw Naruto come out with Shino. Both stopped their spar instantly, opting to take a break while there were witnesses around. As close as they all were, Haku, Shino and Naruto were still competitors in the finals, which meant that they could very easily end up fighting each other. The two boys simply walked over to the training area and tested a few seals. Some had obvious results while others were not so easily identified, either way Shino seemed to accept the results as Naruto handed him a scroll. When the two made to go back inside though Haku called out to them.
"Hold on Shino, we need to talk to you. No Naruto, you can go back inside." She had to hold in a laugh at the range of expressions surrounding her. Naruto looked confused, but accepted his fate with a shrug. Shino looked intrigued as he walked over to the two girls.
Harume on the other hand looked slightly horrified as her wide eyes glanced between Haku and Shino. Finally she decided that speaking to the instigator was the best course of action, so she turned to Haku and whispered sharply. "You aren't seriously going to do that now are you?" Haku just grinned and nodded in response. "No! You can't! I'm not ready yet. Besides we've been training and I'm all sweaty, you can't ask him now, it'll be embarrassing." She pleaded.
"Ask me what Harume-san?" Shino's even response was enough to send the poor girl a couple feet off the ground in surprise.
"Uhhhummm...We just...wanted to know if...if you wanted to help us train. Yeah, that's it. We wanted to know if you would help us train right Haku?" Harume prayed that the ice user would save her from humiliation just this one, but when she saw the glint in the girls eye she knew it was too late. It was her own fault though. She'd called in too many favors in already since asking Haku to help her with this little issue it seemed.
"Shino-san, Harume-chan wants to know if..." Haku had to dodge a bit as Harume suddenly got a second wind for their spar.
"Don't you dare Haku."
"If you don't tell him then I'm going to."
"I'm not ready." Harume pleaded.
"You're never ready. You had better get ready soon or someone else will be." Haku scolded her just before landing a heel in her opponent's gut.
Harume fell to her knees, grasping her stomach gritting her teeth in equal amounts pain, humiliation and aggravation. She knew Haku was telling the truth. Despite the other girl's worldly experience Haku had vowed to not waste her second lease on life. She choked back the sobs that wanted to show her frustration before standing. Clenching her fists she scowled at her friend before turning to Shino. "Shino...Would you like to..." She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath she bowed low to the boy. "Would you like to go on a date sometime?"
"..."
"..."
Harume chanced a glance up to find Shino looking over at Haku before slowly turning his head back to her. "That would be...acceptable. I will let you know when." So few words, then he turned and left.
Harume wanted to cry. 'Just acceptable?'
"Congratulations Harume-chan. I think he likes you too." Haku was grinning like mad from the scene.
"What do you mean? He said it was 'acceptable'. What kind of answer is that?!"
"Well, going by the blush he had, I'd say a good one. Come on." Haku grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the house.
"Where are we going? Don't you have to train?"
"No offense Harume-chan, but you dress like a boy. We're going to get you some real clothes for when you go on your date."
It was the straight truth. Harume, while decent looking, never flaunted what she had. The term 'tomboy' often came up when people would describe her. She wasn't against getting dirty, and she'd done more than her fair share of hard work. Because of those tendencies she often wore regular ninja pants and whatever comfortable shirt was available when she got dressed. Just like her clothes, her hair was never stylish, or even particularly tended to at all. It was a little too short in the back to put into a ponytail, but long enough in the front to frame her face. Two red colored bangs came in front of her ears, just barely keeping her vision free while the rest was tiered down and kept her natural black from the crown of her head where it was at least three inches, to the nape of her neck where it was trimmed to almost skin level.
'A d-date...with Shino-kun?' The whole event seemed to hit her at that moment and shortly after her smile was matching Haku's as they switched positions. It was now Harume who was pulling Haku through the house as the latter called out for Naruto to come open the gate for them.
***End Flashback***
Finishing his rounds in the office, Naruto debated a moment before heading to the hidden basement and picking up the one item that he decided would only be shown at the right time. That time was coming up soon, he could feel it. It wasn't quite here yet though so instead of wearing his mother's sword he sealed it into another scroll all by itself and stored it in the pocket closest to his heart. This way it was in a place of comfort, close enough to reach easily if needed and in a place he was sure to guard well since it was a vital point. While he was down there he also replaced the two scrolls he had been training from this past month in addition to his training with Jiraiya and all of the other tasks he put on his own shoulders. It was a busy month for sure, but it would all pay off soon. Resealing the room he made his way back up and out of his office to find the girls now up and quietly eating breakfast.
"Good morning everyone." He said cheerily, getting groans in response from the girls who had just recently woken up. They looked at him and saw that he wasn't dressed to impress today. No, there was only one possibility for his attire. Naruto was ready for war. They had heard of the possible invasion and they too worked hard to get stronger with Naruto giving them quick pointers on how to train to get the most out of their month when he was able to. None of them slacked off knowing that one more minute, one more second of training could mean the difference between life and death in the coming fights.
"Naruto-kun how can you get up so early? You were up later then us last night and we know you were training." Haku half glared at his too cheery for the morning attitude.
"I'm used to not getting much sleep. I guess it's just another one of my talents to go with the high stamina and chakra." He flinched as he mentioned the last part. Every time he mentioned his stamina he could practically sense them drooling in their heads, often bringing back memories of their looks the night he relapsed. Thankfully they never acted on their dreams since then, so he didn't get sent back to the hospital from more mental trauma.
"Naruto-sama if you keep teasing us like that...*yawn*...you're going to regret it." Kin's threat was hardly a threat at all as she lazily waved her cereal spoon at him causing him to snicker a little at her effort.
Hinata just finished her cereal and put her dish in the sink before giving Naruto a quick kiss and heading to her room. She didn't need to be up so early since she wasn't in the finals, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to see her boyfriend before he left. Of course asking for more then a kiss was pretty much out of the question judging from the the fact that she looked like she was about to fall asleep standing. "Make sure to cheer loud for us Hinata-chan!" Naruto called after her, getting a groan in response causing Naruto to laugh again and the other two girls to giggle as well.
Once the girls were finished they went to their room as well to prepare while Naruto ate. Since Kin was staying with them she opted to sleep in Haku's room allowing Hinata her privacy which she gladly accepted, being less accepting of female to female interaction even if it was just sleeping in the same bed. After Naruto finished they were on their way. He no longer had to worry about locking the gate on the way out. It had been one of his projects during the break. It could now be opened from the inside by the girls, so they could leave anytime. He hadn't done anything outside yet, as he wasn't sure how to go about making sure that they wouldn't get extorted by anyone trying to get in. That meant getting in required that someone inside had to open the gate for them or Naruto had to open it for them. This usually wasn't an issue since Naruto often left a clone around to alert him in case guests showed up. Another key seal that was planned out was one to check for genjutsu by having the user pulse chakra through it which then pulsed through the air to disrupt the jutsu enough to confirm it's presence. This had caught a few ninja already attempting to use a henge to trick those inside into thinking they were a friend. Most of them just went on their way a little angrier then when they came, often throwing out a few insults before leaving. Others just didn't learn and tried to hop over, those of course were detained and sent to have a one on one with an interrogator. That made Ibiki and Anko happy as they got to sharpen their skills, and test out some of Naruto's bag of tricks that he had lent to them after his run in with Ibiki. Most of its contents they absolutely loved since they caused minimum bodily harm but wrought a huge amount of pain. Basically meaning they could interrogate high profile prisoners while leaving little proof of their actions behind. That's not to say that every method the blond had was new to them, but there were a few items that they had to admit were...inventive.
The three went through town hand in hand in hand as they weaved through the crowd being in no rush to get to their destination. After awhile though it got a little tiring getting bumped around and having to apologize so often when they did the bumping, so they took to the roofs and ended up getting to the grand stadium quite a bit before they needed to, tough they weren't alone. They considered the other contenders as a warning explosion went off overhead. Five minutes until the start. The stands, which weren't yet filled, would be standing room only soon. None of that really got their attention though. It was the other contestants that were standing there watching them in turn that put them on edge.
Temari, Kankurō and Gaara were woken at sunrise by their sensei. They new the drill and they would be the first ones in the stadium as per their plan. They wanted ample time to study their opponents after all since they hadn't seen most of them for a month. Kankurō had made it habit at this point to sleep in the same room as Temari since their sensei, Baki, was getting on all of their nerves. It was clear he had his own agenda while he was here, out of the eyes of the Suna council and the Kazekage. He had tried numerous times to catch the girl alone. From the shower, which after the first time he walked in on her she stuck to the public bathhouse and only when others were in as well. Not that she needed to worry since her scream brought Gaara into the picture quickly. Baki learned quickly not to follow her into the bathhouse after a few beatings of a severity normally only reserved for a certain sannin. During the night when Kankurō was 'asleep'. He found that karasu could still be dangerous when he pinned Temari to the bed during the night to find that her arms sprouted blades. Unfortunately he didn't get any permanent injuries from the event, but he stayed away from the room long enough for them to secure it to the point that it would alert them instantly if he tried that again. He even tried following her into the bathroom a few times, earning everything from the door slammed in his face to a mule-kick to the groin. The chances he got were few and those that he did get were ruined, so he was in an understandably, if misguided, foul mood.
"You two go on ahead. I need to discuss something with Temari before she leaves. A little tip I found out about her opponent." A sad excuse and he cursed when Kankurō came back in the room and sat down obviously not buying it. Temari smiled at her sensei. "Dammit I want to talk to her alone."
"Forget it you pervert. I'm not leaving you alone with my sister you damn pedophile. Now you can either tell her this tip or let us leave. Of course there's always the other thing you have in mind, but I'm betting the Konoha ANBU would be here in seconds if I shot an explosive ball out the window." To illustrate his point he had one of his puppet's arms wiggle out of the bindings and point towards the window.
"Tch. Forget the tip you can lose to that punk for all I care. Now get out of my sight and don't forget the plan!" A red faced Baki went into his room to prepare, slamming the door behind him.
Temari sighed. "Thanks again Kankurō."
"No problem nee-san. Let's go." They left the room and sped downstairs to catch up to Gaara before he had a chance to go out of control in the crowd. He had been a bit more unstable since the preliminaries and they didn't want him to get too far out of their sights.
Kankurō leaned over to his brother a bit. "Just remember the plan Gaara, once the attack starts you can have all the blood you want." The comment caused the boy to smile and lick his lips while the action in turn made Temari and Kankurō very nervous. Distancing themselves from the boy a little more they made their way to the stadium. There weren't too many people around this early other then those setting up their stands for the day, but those that were on the street gave the three a wide birth as they felt the aura rolling off the redhead. As they expected they were the first to arrive so they simply took up places around the waiting room.
Sakura never went to sleep the night before. It wasn't because she was nervous, well she was a little bit nervous because she would have to impress her Sasuke-kun, but that wasn't what kept her up. No, she stayed up to run through any possible strategy she could think of to beat her opponent. She had spent so much time trying to find the raven haired boy, who seemed to have disappeared even though she knew they wouldn't keep a finals contestant from participating just for trying to get what should have been given to him...would they? She couldn't be sure of much anymore because her main vote of confidence was also no where to be seen. Ever since those ANBU took her mother she hadn't seen her or heard anything about her. Whenever she asked about her all she got was a disgusted look and a cold shoulder. Even the Hokage just avoided the question, telling her that it wasn't her issue to worry about and she should be concentrating on the exams.
She had seen her opponent fight though and knew the girl was hanging out with Naruto-baka now so clearly she would be no threat, but it never hurt to be prepared for future opponents. This is what she had been working on for the past day and night. How to get around each of her opponents defenses and obliterate them. The only thing she didn't take into account were her own skills since she spent too much time daydreaming about the Uchiha even when she was 'being serious'.
Looking at her clock she realized it was time to show those weaklings who was superior. Grabbing her supplies she headed out the door, not even bothering with breakfast. She didn't want to put on any weight in case Sasuke-kun looked at her. It was difficult to make her way to the stadium. She was so light that the crowd easily jostled her around the street. Often making her go in the opposite direction she had wanted to go. When she tried to order the people to move out of her way most just ignored her. Others scoffed and turned away. She didn't know what their problem was so she just did her best to get through and manage to make it to the stadium earlier then she needed to be. The only other people in the stadium when she got there were the Suna team and some of the audience.
Neji showed his calm and collected exterior as he walked down the streets of Konoha. Inside though he was furious. He had done a little research into his opponent and found out about his academy life. He tried to find more about his missions and current training, but like the rest of the ninjas' data should have been, Naruto's files were restricted. Moreover the kid seemed to like his privacy a bit more then most would think was healthy. Even when he did emerge from his house his destination was another restricted area. The council room, Hokage's office or he would simply disappear around a corner and seem to vanish before Neji could catch up. He would have used his Byakugan, but during exam time its use was forbidden from him as all training during this time was meant to be done in secret and advantages like the byakugan used for spying were prohibited. Of course if the target chose to train out in the open that was their fault. The same rules would apply to the Aburame bugs, the Uchiha sharingan and even the Yamanaka mind jutsu had one made it to the finals.
It was infuriating to him to know that he knew nothing about his opponent. Hinata was easy since he had grown up around her and she was well known as being the heir to the clan. Her skills were also well known, but as soon as she had left his view that was no longer the case. Judging from her skill increase in the preliminary match she had gained more strength in the time she was out of the compound then she had acquired over years of training inside. Then there was that style she used. Not quite Jūken, but not quite different either. Logically she shouldn't have given him such trouble. She shouldn't even have gotten up from his first strike, hell she shouldn't even have lasted long enough for that first strike. She was getting strong, fast and he had no idea how other then that she was staying with that boy, but that couldn't be why. He was the dead last of his class. He had only graduated because of a fluke that no one had any knowledge of. No, she had found some way to become stronger that no one else knew of.
His opponent though was a complete enigma past his academy days, and that irritated him. Plus him using only taijutsu in his preliminary match didn't give any hints either, but in the end it wouldn't matter. Fate would prove him the victor today. A dead last had no hope against a prodigy. Instead he concentrated on his true opponents. Uchiha Sasuke the last of the Uchiha clan and Sabaku no Gaara the boy who defeated his teammate Lee and could have very possibly ended the boy's ninja career. The Uchiha was arrogant, but based on what he saw in the forest the boy was strong when those strange marks showed up. Had he not been so foolish he would have stuck around to watch the rest that happened, but after seeing Sasuke fight he had all the information he really cared about on those present at the time. Gaara on the other hand had a defense much like Neji's own. He smirked at the thought of going toe to toe with the Kazekage's son and showing the stuck up main branch just how strong he was. It was at this point he realized that he had made it to the stadium, so he went to the waiting room and sat down. Not caring who was already there since fate had already predetermined that they would lose to him.
Dosu was upset. First Kin gets taken by that blond prick and isn't seen or heard from at all, except for her easy win in the preliminaries. Then Zaku died after failing his match. Now he was all alone and the previous night he had a visitor telling him that Orochimaru wanted him to drop out of the exam for the greater good of their main goal. He was too pissed though and ignored the order, telling the messenger that he could go get his ass pounded by their Kage for all he cared. The messenger of course didn't take it well, but there was little the man could do after the door was slammed in his face. Now Dosu just finished strapping on his weapon before heading out into the village. He had no time for the trinkets and treats of the pathetic civilian stands and simply headed right for the stadium, pushing his way through the crowd. He came to the waiting room, took note that there was still no Kin there, then went to a corner to sit down ignoring the glares he got from his opponents.
Shikamaru wished he could have just slept in, but he'd already pushed it too far and his mother came in and more or less beat him out of his futon. All the while she yelled about the cursed lazy genes in the male Nara and how he needed to find a girlfriend who would set him straight. Checking his gear once more he slipped out of the house before his mom could send another volley of shouts, or worse, household objects at him. Sighing he walked through the streets towards the stadium. He only stopped once to pick up a little breakfast before moving on. He was far from stupid. The second he was out of his house he knew his parents were following him...well his dad would be getting dragged along while his mom followed him. If they managed to catch up to him then he would be in for another round of scolding. Keeping his steady pace he soon entered the stadium just as the warning went off. He simply dismissed it and ignoring those glancing at him on his way in he just leaned against a wall and closed his eyes to wait.
In the Aburame compound Shino was already up and talking to his hive as he ate his breakfast. Even after his parents came in no one spoke a word. When he finished he stood up and headed for the door. As he was turning the knob, two insects flew out in front of him. He nodded to them and went on his way. It's not that his parents didn't like talking to him, that was just their way. The fact that they had sent insects to him so early in the morning was enough for him to know that they were wishing him luck. Unlike his peers the boy headed straight for the roofs, taking the path that would be the quietest as he hopped towards the stadium. He heard the warning sound for everyone to head that way and hurried along, lest he be caught in the crowd when he needed to be in the waiting room. For a ninja though, this was still an easy task, so upon arriving at the stadium he simply blended with the crowd and cut off into the waiting room where the rest of the contestants were.
Sasuke heard the warning go off, but he was far from finished training. As soon as he was let out of his cell by the bandaged man he often saw with the two advisers he immediately went to his sensei and demanded he be taught until the finals. Kakashi had initially refused, but after hours of nagging he caved and told the boy that if he didn't stop his bitching that he would slam a chidori through his head. For emphasis he created one of the crackling balls of chakra and slammed it into a nearby tree. Immediately after he realized his mistake as he shot his eyes to the Uchiha to see the boy grinning with his sharingan ablaze. He knew then that he was trapped. He had to teach the boy how to wield the jutsu properly or it would kill him, which of course would have caused a witch hunt to find the cyclopean ninja as most of the village revered the Uchiha for his eyes. (Neither knew of the council's arrest yet since they had left shortly before the civilian council was taken into custody.)
Resigned to his fate, Kakashi reluctantly trained the boy and taught him his limits for chidori. Which of course the boy foolishly tried to surpass and ended up suffering from chakra exhaustion and crying about Kakashi needing to find a way for the jutsu to use less chakra. Today though Kakashi had heard the warning as well, but really didn't want to take the boy to the stadium, and it was apparent the boy was in no hurry to go either. With any luck they would miss the exam completely and the Uchiha would be disqualified. Sasuke had no such worries though since he knew he couldn't get disqualified. Hell he could probably get his two guardians to just hand him the chūnin promotion if he wanted, but right now he had a different goal. He wanted to get back at Naruto for all of the humiliation the dobe had caused him. He had been dreaming for weeks now of how he would shove the lightning blade through the boy in various ways as all the world stood in awe of his power, then afterward breeding himself an Uchiha army and taking over the village before going out to slaughter his brother. Such mad dreams, but it drove him to train until the last possible minute.
The proctor for the final portion of the exams entered the room, causing all heads to turn towards him. He took in the combatants around him as they returned his gaze. "I am Shiranui Genma. I will be your proctor for this portion of the exams. The rules from the preliminary matches still apply here so no screwing around like you did there. I am not as lenient as Hayate was."
"Sir where is the other proctor?" Kin asked.
"He was unable to come today, so I am the proctor. That is all you need to know. Now, follow me into the arena so we may present you to those you will be entertaining."
As the ninja made their way out of the room Kin's arm was grabbed by Dosu. "Where the hell have you been slut! We had orders to stay at the hotel!" He was forced to let go though as a hand gripped his own shoulder and clamped down, hard.
"I don't think she likes your filthy hands on her mummy-san. I suggest you move along before I decide to christen this arena with your blood. I'm sure the crowd would love the exhibition, though I would hate to take Haku-chan's opponent away. I think she was looking forward to filling you full of holes. Her and Kin-chan have gotten to be good friends after all." Naruto narrowed his eyes at Dosu, who in turn met his gaze for a bit before shaking his arm free.
"It matters not. I'll simply deal with her in the finals, along with you." The bandaged genin stalked off after the others, intent on following his own rules not. After all, in Oto it's the strong that make the rules.
"Thank you Naruto-sama." Kin leaned over and kissed him before they followed the rest.
"Anytime Kin-chan."
• • •
The stadium was packed, more then packed, people were standing on the steps and in the upper walkways to see the young ninja that would soon be fighting for their promotions. As the Hokage welcomed the contestants and the audience, notable people were shifting anxiously in their seats. As this was an international event, the issues with the councilors and the Uchiha were kept top secret so as to not make the village look weak to the public eye. Instead their seats were occupied by some of those who had made it through the forest but lost in the preliminaries. Quite an honor for them since it put them right next to where the numerous Daimyo sat. Those from Konoha looked towards their friends with admiration, jealousy and in at least one case hatred. Upon discovering the seating arrangement, Kiba had rushed to the stadium that morning as fast as he was able to in order to get a seat next to Hinata, but she hadn't come until later. When she did finally show she was with Ino, Chōji and Tenten whom casually surrounded her when they saw him there. They could see the desire that was still in his eyes, but they could also see his numerous bandages and the splint on one of his legs not to mention some other minor cuts and bruises around his exposed skin. The jacket he normally wore no longer existed, so he had arrived in a normal, short sleeved shirt leaving his arms exposed.
"Kiba-san, are you ok? Those injuries didn't come from your match with Naruto...They're too new." Chōji ended up sitting next to the boy by silent agreement, but didn't mind since he didn't really have much against the mutt, and tried to start a friendly conversation.
***Flashback***
Kiba came home only a few days after the preliminaries. He was still hurting a bit from what Naruto had done to him, but nothing he couldn't handle. That was all to change in a few seconds as he stepped over the threshold into his house. Instantly he was grabbed by both arms as Akamaru was pulled out of his coat. When he went to yell at his assailants he was met with the cold, hard stares
and barred canines of his fellow clansmen. As dense as he was it didn't take him long to figure out that his retraining was about to begin. If this rough handling wasn't enough of a sign then the visages of his mother and sister as they appeared in the landing more than drove the point home. Bother looked dead serious as they glared down at him.
"Take him to his new room. Strip him and chain him up." No sooner had the command left Tsume's mouth then he was hauled through the house and out to a lone building on the compound grounds. It was so sparingly used that they had a little trouble taking the lock off the door. A small testament to just how severe his actions had been. As the doors opened into the near pitch black room, he paled for the first time since he was grabbed. Not much could scare him, but the thought of being in this place, alone, for any long period of time was horrifying.
The room itself was fairly large, but to a free-roaming spirit like an Inuzuka it might as well have been a bento box. The space wasn't so the detainee could stretch their legs though. No, it was for the real action of the retraining, so those that would be administering his punishment would have room to move around. His area consisted of a five foot chain attached to a thick metal post that was secured from the floor to the ceiling. The floor, where he would be spending his nights, was bare, uneven rock. Hard, unforgiving granite that held a similar texture to sandpaper. Moving too much on a surface like that would no doubt leave scrapes with ease but the large stains on its surface hinted that the rough surface would be the least of his worries.
His attendants once again grabbed him tightly and hauled him over towards the post. Fighting was futile as they now had a few spectators to see his initial humiliation. As soon as he was locked into place they set about unceremoniously tearing his clothing off his body, headless of the memories that may have been lost along with his favorite jacket. The slight chill that came with the darkness was enough to raise goosebumps on his now naked flesh, not that anyone cared.
Once the men were finished they took the rags that had once been his ninja gear and strode out of the building, moving aside at the door to allow the next visitors to enter. Kiba now stood defiantly facing his mother and sister. 'So it begins. Was what I did really so bad to deserve this?'
"Inuzuka Kiba, you have disgraced this clan on numerous occasions through selfish actions with only your desires in mind." He was slightly caught off guard when it was his sister that spoke instead of his mother, but quickly took a neutral expression again. "This being the case, it has been decided that you are to go through retraining. As the current clan heads son you will be given no leniency until three days before the chūnin exam finals. At that time you will be healed until it is deemed that you are in capable defense form then released on a trial bases. Should the retraining be proven ineffective then the time will be lengthened until you are considered a capable and obedient clan member once again, or you are broken." Hana's cold tone sent shivers down the boy's spine. It was obvious that she held him fully accountable for his actions, actions that she deemed inappropriate for a human let alone her own brother.
Having said her piece, Hana took a step back in order for their mother to have the full stage. If Hana's voice sent shivers down his spine, his mother's look made it want to crawl away and hide. Tsume sneered down at the boy as though he were an Iwa-nin who killed her dog. "Until a time when you can realize and repent for your actions, you are no longer my son. You will stay in the compound as part of the clan, but you status as a possible heir is revoked until further noticed, and possible permanently." She turned on her heel and signaled the retraining to begin as more clan members stared to file into the room.
Only a few would be in with him at a time, but it wouldn't mater as they had been instructed to use him as they would a training dummy. Their only restriction was to keep him alive and still able to do his ninja duties once healed. To help them accomplish that task, a medic nin was stationed with him to heal anything too serious, but was instructed to interfere only when the boy's career or life was in serious danger. As the door closed Kiba gave those about to punish him a smirk, trying to keep up his bravado. "Do your worst." As if it was their signal, they did just that. Kiba's cries of pain would ring out randomly through the hours for the next few weeks as he was repeatedly beaten into submission. His howling would strengthen the resolve of many of his clansmen and serve as fuel for the adults to keep their children in line for years to come.
***End Flashback***
Kiba looked at Naruto once again and sneered. "It's nothing. Leave me alone." He snapped back. Chōji just shrugged and went back to eating his chips
Ino leaned over to Hinata and Tenten to whisper her thoughts. "He still hasn't learned his lesson? My god he's dense. Almost as dense as that bitch Sakura. Whom, by the way, is going to get her ass completely handed to her." The three shared to chuckle making Kiba glare at them, but that just made them laugh harder. The foreign ninja from the preliminaries that decided to stick around just looked at them with some confusion, but brushed it off.
The Hokage was finishing his speech and had exchanged a few brief words with the Kazekage, who was sharing the kage box with him, as Genma reexplained the rules just in case someone wasn't listening as well as showing those gathered that they had indeed been informed. "Ne, Shiranui-san? Sasuke-kun isn't here yet. Shouldn't we wait until he arrives?" Sakura asked the proctor.
"No, He still has some time left until his match, though showing up a little late will hurt his overall results. If he is too late for his match, then he will be disqualified." The man said as he swished a senbon around in his mouth.
Sakura looked horrified. "You can't do that to Sasuke-kun! He is the best ninja here. You have to make him a chūnin. Which of you weaklings was his opponent again? Oh yeah you! The Suna guy. If Sasuke-kun doesn't come by your match time you have to forfeit!" Gaara just looked at her, then looked away.
"O...K...Anyway, the first match will be Uzumaki Naruto against Hyūga Neji. Everyone else go wait in the the contenders' area until your match is up. Those two I called stay here and we'll get this show on the road." The three waited until everyone was safely off the field then Genma looked toward the Hokage booth and, after receiving a nod, knew it was time to begin. "Uzumaki Naruto are you ready? Hyūga Neji are you ready?" Each boy nodded in turn as they stood staring each other down. "Begin!" As Genma jumped away the crowed cheered and the first match of the finals was underway.
"Uzumaki Naruto...You were the dead last of your class. Every aspect of you're ninja career has been hidden and you seem to not even want to leave your house. Are you afraid Uzumaki? You should be. Fate has already determined that I will defeat you just like I defeated that disgrace, Hinata. Come, I'll end this quickly." Neji got into his fighting stance and activated his byakugan.
Naruto just waited until he finished and smirked. The only part that had affected him throughout the speech was when Neji mentioned Hinata. "Hyūga Neji...Prodigy of the Hyūga cadet branch family. Every aspect of your ninja career was accompanied by that stick up your ass which you don't seem to be ashamed to bring out in public. Are you after Sasuke-chan too? I think you are. Fate is a bunch of bullshit that had nothing to do with your pointless grudge against Hinata-chan. Come, I'll give you one free hit." He matched the boy sentence for sentence, never breaking stride and in the end just stood there without a care in the world.
Up in the stands Hiashi smirked. 'Foolish boy. No one insults a Hyūga like that and lives.' While down with the young ninja watching, four girls were smirking even more then Hiashi.
Neji moved forward cautiously, but saw that Naruto closed his eyes. Without missing a step he rushed forward and landed a few Jūken strikes on the blond's arms and legs, causing him to collapse to the ground with a grunt. "Foolish little pest. Did you really think that offering one from my clan a free shot would end in your favor?" He looked over his shoulder. "Proctor I will leave this call up to you. If you do not call the match I plan on humiliating him, completely." He saw the man smile and mistook it as a go ahead. Turning back to where Naruto was laying he reactivated his eyes just in time to dodge a strike from behind. "How?!"
"Oh come on. You didn't really think I was sparring all this time with Hinata without learning how to protect myself from your little tricks did you? I'll be nice though and not give away that secret here." He looked up towards where the main branch of the Hyūga were sitting. "Consider this the only favor I'll ever do for you Hiashi-teme." Those that knew who the clan head was, were horrified at the honorific the boy gave to the man. Luckily Hiashi was able to maintain his stoic demeanor, though he did grip his armrests a bit tighter.
"You dare insult Hiashi-sama like that? You will pay dearly, failure." Neji rushed back in, but was blocked when several clones popped into existence. He could see behind them where Naruto took up a spot near the wall, leaning against it. Furious, Neji began the rampaging execution of any clones that got in his way as he headed for the boy. Everything from Jūken strikes to jumping roundhouse kicks were used against those close enough, while kunai were thrown seemingly haphazardly around and into clones farther away. All this time his main focus was on the blond at the wall.
"So that Uzumaki boy can use kage bunshin? That's pretty good for someone his age, and being fresh out of the academy. Maybe this match isn't as simple as we thought Kotetsu."
"Yeah Izumo, but that Hyūga is making quick work of them. It doesn't matter how many clones the brat makes, if they can't land a hit they're pointless. Kage bunshin isn't exactly a basic jutsu either. It uses a lot of chakra, so if this keeps up Uzumaki will just fall over from exhaustion."
"True, but he doesn't even look like he's breathing hard after all of those."
Neji finally broke through the line of foes and sprinted towards the wall where Naruto stood calmly looking at the sky. "It's Over!" He extended his arm and hit his palm dead center on Naruto's chest causing the boy's eyes to go wide as he coughed. "This is why you will never beat me. No wonder you were dead last. You can't even pay attention when your life is on the line. Now you will pay the price." Neji drew his arm back again, intent on smashing another strike into his head and end the disgrace for good. He got as far as his own ear before he heard Naruto chuckle. "Laughing at the end? Just like the joke your life has been."
"Hai, hehe, my life is a complete joke...so is this. Bunshin Daibakuha!." A flash of blue, then an explosion rocked the stadium and a large cloud of smoke obscured the two fighters. All around the stadium people were trying to see what happened, but were rewarded when the smoke cleared only to show an unharmed Neji standing in a crater with another, larger crater where Naruto once stood. *clap* *clap *clap*. Neji spun on his heel to see Naruto standing right in the center of the stadium, completely unharmed. "You survived. I'm impressed." With a motion of his hand Neji was once again surrounded by clones. This time though they didn't wait for him to come to them. They charged him...all at once.
Kunai slashed through the air and headed toward the young prodigy. With so many coming he was going to be hard pressed to deflect them all...unless. "Hakkeshō Kaiten!" Another burst of blue chakra flashed and now everyone was able to see just how the Hyūga had survived the explosion. Every Naruto that was attacking was sent flying back before dispelling. This left Neji and Naruto staring at each other just like they had been in the beginning
Hiashi was now flopped back in his seat in disbelief. 'He knows Kaiten? How! That is only taught to the main branch...even Hanabi doesn't know it yet, and I definitely didn't teach it to that weak little traitor Hinata. Did he learn it on his own? Unbelievable. Now I know why the village considers him a prodigy. I have to make sure he stays loyal to the Hyūga at all cost. I suppose it's time to give him his father's letter.'
"So that''s how you survived. Nice trick, but it won't do much if you can't get near your opponent, and so far the only hit you've gotten on me was the one I gave to you. Do you have anything to say?" Naruto said as he walked towards Neji.
"...You are within my divination." Neji took up a new stance, confusing Naruto, but completely shocking the Hyūga in the stands.
"Not possible..." Hiashi whispered, confusing his youngest, and now only, daughter.
Hinata was also wide eyed that her cousin knew such a technique, and when asked what was going on she suddenly began to cry a little. "No...Naruto-kun!"
"Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!" Before Naruto could react, Neji was in his guard and pounding away at his body. A sadistic grin crossed his face as each hit connected, proving that this was no mere bunshin. When the beating was finished Naruto was shot backwards from the force of the final strikes. Once more Neji turned to the proctor, but this time kept his byakugan active to ensure Naruto wouldn't get up. "Examiner, it's over." Genma looked from the boy to his downed opponent and smiled again.
Struggling, Naruto hoisted himself to a sitting position. "What? You're running away? This was just starting to get fun." With a bit more difficulty he rose to his feet, swaying a little from the strain and spitting some blood out of his mouth.
"You should have stayed down Uzumaki. Examiner, I plan to kill him. Stop me when you wish." Neji's veins thickened as he pumped more chakra to his eyes in his anger.
"Blah, blah, blah. You talk as though you're actually going to beat me."
"Don't waste my time. All of your tenketsu are closed. You have no more access to your chakra in order to fight with."
"I don't?" Naruto started making hand signs, which would have made Neji nervous if he wasn't able to see that there was no chakra response. As Naruto tried to activate the jutsu nothing happened. He wiggled his hand a little acting like something might slip out If he tried to force it. "Huh, what do ya know, you were right. Well that could be a problem...'
"You see it is hopeless. We are all bound by a fate that we have no control over. Your fate, is to lose to me."
"Well I'll just have to change that fate then. It doesn't seem to go well with my plans." Naruto relied casually.
"Change fate?" Neji scoffed. "As if such a thing were possible. You don't know what you are talking about because you've never had to care about such a thing. Those of us that have proof of fate...know better." Neji removed his hitai ite and showed off the seal on his forehead.
"Ah the infamous caged-bird seal. Yeah, I hear it has all kinds of nasty little tricks in it. Like how the head family can torture you or kill you just by activating that seal. Man that must suck to live every day of you life wondering if the family you serve might decide you did something wrong and hurt you for it. Of course I'm sure they'd only kill you if you did something really wrong. So sad, tough luck, get over it." Naruto grinned at the Hyūga across from him whose eyes were now nearly bloodshot from rage. "As if you're the only one in the world with such a burden...Maybe if you looked outside your own ego you'd see that others are suffering too, sometimes from 'fates' far worse. You know what they do? They get on with their lives." Naruto got into a fighting stance and it looked to the crowd like he was trying to mold chakra again.
Inside Naruto's head he new he was in a tight spot. The only way he could open his tenketsu before was from channeling chakra from a different part of his body to the damaged area. With no access to chakra at all it would be impossible. That was when he remembered one of the things Jiraiya had made him learn to do. Delving deep inside his subconscious he contacted the only help he could. 'Fox, if you can still hear me, I could use a little help out here.'
"Why do you try so hard? I already told you that is pointless. Your tenketsu are dead and won't open for another..." His words died in his mouth and he watched as a new chakra seemed to begin to spin in Naruto's gut. The reddish chakra began to spread throughout Naruto's system and it didn't take a genius or a prodigy to see that the tenketsu were popping back open.
"Because, you hurt one of my precious people, and you called me a failure." With a burst of orange, chakra exploded from Naruto but quickly regressed back into him. "With a little help I can open up my tenketsu again, and now that that's done..." Naruto drew his katana causing a few cries from the stands some of which came from the preliminary eliminations area.
Kurata, Taniguchi and Higoshi (Who was allowed to sit with his teammates since there was room available.) were out of their seats in an instant, knowing exactly whose sword Naruto held. "That sword belonged to Kafu! How the hell did he get it!"
Kiba answered reluctantly, since he heard the most about it. "He killed some Kiri missing-nin on his way to a mission." He may have been willing to give away that Naruto killed the guy, but he'd be damned if he was going to say that it was on the way to help team seven.
"N-no way...Kafu was a jōnin...No genin could beat him." Kurata looked back at the blond holding the black blade.
"Kafu was good enough to be in the seven swordsmen, and make them eight. The only reason he wasn't was because they tried to overthrow the Mizukage before he could join their ranks. That sword is one of the strongest I know of, and is actually the exact opposite of one of the swords of another of the swordsmen. If he finds out how to use that thing he's going to be a force to be reckoned with..." Kurata said before the three Kiri-nin looked at each other and nodded. In a flash they were gone from the booth and out in the stadium.
"Stop right there you three!" Genma called, but they just headed straight for their target. Unfortunately they were only able to get about as close as Neji before they were heard and Naruto changed his facing to put all of them within his view.
"Oh, hello. Umm... Can I help you?" Naruto looked genuinely surprised to see them there.
"We've come to reclaim the rightful property of Kirigakure no Sato. Give us that blade or we will be forced to take it via any means necessary." They begun to advance when four ANBU dropped down and surrounded Naruto, facing away from him. A bit of an unusual situation for him, all things considered.
Naruto looked up to the Kages' box and saw the Hokage shouting something at his attendant who nodded and started barking orders into his headset. It kind of irritated him though. "Ne. ANBU-san. I kind of have a match going on right now, so could you please leave?" He tried to be as polite as he could.
"Uzumaki-san, Hokage-sama has ordered us to keep you safe from this attack. Ninja of Kiri, go back to the stands or we will be forced to detain you all. It is in direct violation of the rules of the exam for anyone to be on the field except for the competitors and the proctor." The ANBU leader watched as the three Kiri-nin seemed to be weighing their options.
"Ne, ANBU-san?" Naruto walked right up beside the man with his hands casually behind his head. "Aren't you violating that rule by being here too?" He looked up to the Hokage with a smile and a wink, then watched as the old man hesitated before speaking to his attendant again, who in turn looked shocked and tried to argue but at a stern look from Sarutobi relayed his orders. The ANBU on the field shot their heads up to the man who in turn nodded.
Glancing once more at the Kiri-nin, then to Naruto the head ANBU sighed. "Very well Uzumaki-san." Then in a softer whisper that he thought the boy couldn't hear, "You're going to regret this when you're all diced up demon."
"Oh you don't have to be so worried about me ANBU-san. Now scurry home." Naruto made shooing motions, once again shocking the crowd at his lack of respect. The lead ANBU glared at him, but shunshinned away before he did something he would regret, forcing his team to follow his lead. "Now where were we? Oh yeah!" sorry to keep you waiting Neji-san, but now we can get serious." He got into a fighting stance.
"You plan to fight all of us...? You're very brave Naruto-san. Stupid, but brave."
"Now, now...Taniguchi-san was it? No need for insults. I'm just trying to make the fight a bit more fair. You three are on Neji's team so feel free to attack me as you please. Four genin against me should balance the scales a bit more." The three didn't need any more of an invitation as they sped in.
Neji on the other hand was a bit confused, but decided to wait it out. Either way seemed like a win-win situation to him, so he just moved away from the fight and began to recover his strength.
The first to reach Naruto was Taniguchi who attempted to go for a leg sweep, which Naruto just jumped over, then to a rising kick to Naruto's chin. Again Naruto just dodged out of the way before throwing out a taunt. "Is that the best you've got?" He slashed his sword over his shoulder just in time to hear the telltale clang of metal on metal. He turned his head just enough to look into Higoshi's eyes. "If you aren't silent enough, then anyone can stop you." He quickly jumped out of the way with the two nin following suit as three balls of water splashed down where he had once been. "Attacking while I'm occupied, now that's more like it. There's only one problem though...You forgot what I can do."
In an instant there were three more Naruto's. Each facing one of the ninja. "Hah! These will be easily defeated. Come on guys lets blow through em!" Kurata began another jutsu while their two close combat specialists readied their weapons and charged in. Noise and pain was all they got for their hard work. Despite the fact that they were only up against clones, they miscalculated Naruto's strength. Unlike them he had made it to the finals, hardly breaking a sweat to do so considering how much he limited himself in his match against Kiba. Meanwhile they got sent packing in the preliminaries easily, one of them not even strong enough to be in those fights.
Taniguchi was the first casualty as he flew right past Kurata faster then he had ran in. It surprised her enough to throw her off balance and miss with her new volley of water orbs which gave the clone she fought plenty of time to use her own jutsu against her. "Sūiton: Teppōdama!" The orbs hit her dead on and she joined her teammate on the ground.
Higoshi growled. "You're going to pay for that, bastard!" He whipped out a pair of tonfa and rushed in. Out of the three this was the only one that Naruto wasn't sure about, so he just readied his sword and stood waiting for whatever came.
A blur of steel on steel ensued as the two exchanged blows. Unlike his teammates, Higoshi was actually rather good with his specialty. He began to push the clone back with his ferocious strike, getting excited that he was winning. "Perhaps if you knew how to use that sword you would be able to beat me."
The clone looked at him like he was stupid. "I'm just a clone dumbass. That means this sword is a clone too. Even if I did know how to use it, that would be pointless information since it's traits aren't copied. All it is with me is a piece of sharp metal. The traps that the boss set up though are another story..." By the time Higoshi realized what the clone said it was too late. With one more step a net shot out of the ground and wrapped itself tightly around him. "And that is why you are a dumbass, dumbass." The clone kicked the tonfa away from Higoshi and dragged him over to his now bound teammates. "Just sit around for a bit. Maybe you'll learn something." With that the clone dispelled itself along with the other two.
At the sound of the clones dispersing Neji looked up to find Naruto standing, once again, in the middle of the stadium. He walked up to the boy who seemed to be meditating without a care in the world. Activating his byakugan he confirmed that Naruto's chakra was indeed in a state of rest. "Neji, if you're going to stare so hard, people are going to start wondering about you..." Neji jumped back into his fighting stance.
"So you were just playing possum."
"No, I just thought a little relaxation would help. I actually fell asleep for a second there, but my clones dispelling woke me up. Those Kiri-nin were kind of weak, huh?" Naruto stood and started going through some hand signs as some growling was heard from his bound captives.
"Sorry loser, but you won't be able to do that. Once again you are within my divination. Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!" Neji smirked but it faded as he saw Naruto complete his jutsu. Necessity overcame thought though and he dashed forward.
"Sorry Neji-san, but that won't work a second time...Tenrai Kagami." Naruto calmly settled into the same stance as Neji and to everyone's amazement, and Hiashi's utter fury, began to do the exact same moves as Neji. Palm for palm, poke for poke, every strike was canceled out by an equal force meeting it. The most infuriating part of it all for Neji was that the entire time Naruto's eyes were shut. When the sixty-fourth strike hit both boys never moved. Their fingers were touching each other mid strike but neither gave a sign that they had another move planned. At least not until Naruto opened his eyes.
'That damn demon has gone too far! How dare he copy the Jūken. I'll have his head on a plate by morning if it's the last thing I do.' The poor armrests of Hiashi's chair were now little more then splinters from his powerful grip.
Hanabi watched her father closely, taking in his obvious hatred for the blond that looked to be easily beating her cousin. 'He's stronger then nii-san...'
"Sorry Neji, your attack will not work on me. Now how about you forfeit and save yourself some embarrassment? Or you could stay and I can see if I can pull that stick out for you." Naruto at his best, stood taunting someone else in front of everyone.
"How did you know the Rokujūyon Shō? That is a Hyūga main branch technique!" Neji was seething almost as much as Hiashi, though for a very different reason. His hatred stemmed from being so easily handled by someone he thought was a talentless runt. "Hiashi-sama will have you executed for stealing clan secrets."
Naruto took a step back in mock shock. "I would never." Before Neji could call him a liar he was right back in the game. "That jutsu I used is one of a kind. My own little creation. I'll give you a little tip on it though, it's best if used against only one opponent, and only if I have more chakra then them." He grinned at the Hyūga. "Now let's end this." Naruto readied his sword and rushed in while Neji hurriedly pulled a kunai out of his pouch. "Don't worry Neji, when I become powerful enough I'll wipe that seal of yours away, just like Hinata-chan wanted to do when she became clan head."
A simple statement, but the shock from it was evident. Neji froze on the spot. 'Hinata wanted to...free us?'
He came back to reality though when Genma called out. "Winner Uzumaki Naruto."
Neji stood there now with a blade lined up at his throat and Naruto now behind him. He looked over his shoulder with hatred in his eyes at the blond. "You, tricked me."
"No, I never once lied. Hinata did want to remove the seals. She wanted one big happy family, not one of half slaves. It hurt her every time her father made her use one of the cadet branch members for anything. Why do you think she learned to do most of her own chores herself."
Neji couldn't deny that. It was well known among the cadet branch members that Hinata was the only main branch member that would do her own cooking and cleaning at times. She would never let one of them dress her unless it was for a very formal occasion and the dress was something she couldn't physically do herself. She was by far the most independent of the main branch Hyūga. He stayed silent for awhile, even after Naruto had lowered his sword. Then took a quick look over to the preliminary fighter's area. He saw Hinata looking directly at him with a gentle smile on her face. It was the same one she always tried to give to the cadet branch members, but also the same one she gave to her few friends as well. "Perhaps...perhaps fate was against me today."
"No, I was against you today. Fate is just the coward's way of not facing life. There are things that we cannot avoid, like who our family is, where we are born, what wars we get involved in...but those are because of other peoples' choices. We are allowed to make our own choices for everything else in our lives though. Who we love, what our occupation is or how strong we want to become."
"If you two are done now, we have more matches to get started." Genma said casually, though internally he was more then impressed with the blond's actions. He showed strength, speed, intelligence and knowledge of his own strengths and weaknesses. Then there was his obvious leadership from how he handled the ANBU. Sure, he had looked like a nervous little kid, but any ninja could see the determination in his eyes. Then taking on three, well technically four, opponents at once and coming out fine was astonishing for a genin even if he was a little scuffed up from Neji's one successful attack. So far they had one, very good, chūnin candidate. The only slip he made was against the first Rokujūyon Shō, but he showed a great, and possibly the only way to counter it.
"Eh heh sorry Shiranui-san." Naruto scratched his head and started to head off the arena floor soon followed by Neji who was still deep in thought, but stopped when he remembered something. "Oi Genma-san, you might want some ANBU to clear out those three" He pointed over to the three Kiri-nin who were still trying in vane to get free of their bonds. "They don't need a cell, just boot em out of the stadium." After Genma nodded his head he once again ran for the competitor's box.
As soon as they entered the box, Naruto was glomped by two people. "Naruto-sama that was amazing! You took out four people like it was nothing!" Kin said from his right.
"Yeah that was impressive, but I'm betting you could have done it faster." Haku added from his left.
Naruto just laughed a little as he winced from his injuries. "Come on girls, show some respect. Neji fought very well too."
To the Hyūga's surprise both girls detached from Naruto and come over to him. "Good job Neji-san."
"You put up a good fight. Had it been someone other then Naruto-kun you probably would have kicked their ass!"
Now it was Neji's turn to be embarrassed. "Umm...Th-thank you."
"Hah, as if anyone could do better then Sasuke-kun. Just wait till he gets here. He'll make what you did look like an academy taijutsu lesson, and you'll once again be dead last." Sakura snorted. Naruto had to grab his two girlfriends before they made any sudden decisions that would end in Sakura being thrown out of the box.
"Haku don't take Kin's fight away from her. Kin, save it for the stadium."
"Hah, as if some Oto-nin reject could beat a Haruno." Kin glared at the girl's comment, but did nothing.
"Neji-san I suggest you go to the infirmary and get some rest. You look like you're about to fall over." Naruto advised.
"Thank you Uzumaki-san. I think I will do that." Neji bowed to them and left the room, a bit unsteadily. Whether from physical or mental exhaustion was anyone's guess.
Other people in the box were lost in their own thoughts during the exchange though, and most could have cared less about the pink haired girl.
'Man, Naruto really is strong. That jutsu alone was impressive. To turn someone's attacks against them? It's a double edged sword, but I can see where it would be a problem in the situations he said. Still...I wonder just how strong he is. I know I'm definitely not going to fight him.' Shikamaru had already calculated his chances against Naruto, and they weren't good from what he saw.
'So that's where Kin's been hiding. She got herself a little leaf boy toy, and she's sharing? Never thought I'd see that. We'll at least she has some decent taste. He was pretty strong. However he's not strong enough to beat Oto. Soon you will know just how wrong your path was Tsuchi Kin...' Dosu glared at the trio with murder on his mind, only outmatched by the red head nearby, but his thoughts were only on spilling as much blood as possible.
'He still hasn't shown off much. He's smart. If he wasn't so young I'd swear he was a jōnin at least. Well they did have that young Uchiha that was quickly promoted. Did they already know our plans before the exam already started? Hell, I don't care anymore. That was just pure strength in someone younger then me. It's too bad Gaara looks like he's ready. I would have liked to get closer to him...' Temari looked away from the scene a bit saddened that she couldn't be part of it. With a Kage for a father and a psychopath for a brother most boys were afraid of even getting near her. Those that did want to get close were only looking for power, like Baki.
The only one who didn't seem to be caring about how strong Naruto was, was Kankurō. He was too busy thinking with a different head. 'Man two girls at one. If we weren't about to kill each other I'd be asking him for tips...'
Their thoughts we broken as the proctor announced the next match. "Haruno Sakura versus Tsuchi Kin."
"Hah this should be easy. Let's go slut. I don't want to be out there too long. I need to be here when Sasuke-kun arrives!"
"Don't worry pinkie. When I'm through with you I'm sure he'll be more then happy to visit you...in the hospital." Both girls glared at each other before heading down to the stadium floor. Kin stole one last look at Naruto and received a nod in return. Her grin instantly went ear to ear. 'Oh I am so going to enjoy this.'
A/N: I know some people are going to say that Naruto was overpowered in his fight, but consider this: Naruto's clones beat three people who couldn't make it to the finals with tricks that no one had seen him use before. The last one even had to use a trap that the real Naruto planted in order to win. Sure he beat the crap out of Neji, but he also got his in return, and in such a way that he almost thought he'd lose until he tried using the Kyūbi's chakra. After that he was able to surprise Neji long enough to get within his guard and get a technical kill shot. Naruto will begin to show his vague skill level in the next few chapters, but there will still be nothing definite since he's always learning or improving on something he already knows.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein