章 54: V2: The Art of Ninja Combat
The fifth round was about to begin: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Hinata.
Just as Hinata was about to step into the arena, a team of ninjas from Konoha's repair squad emerged from the sidelines. They were dressed in their standard issue uniforms.
The ninjas quickly got to work, their hands moving in sync as they channeled their chakra. The ground began to rumble and shake as they unleashed a series of Earth Style jutsus. The broken wall that had been damaged in the previous match began to transform.
Rubble and debris lifted off the ground, rising into the air.
The ninjas finished their jutsu, slapping their hands onto the ground. In an instant, the wall was restored to its original state, looking almost good as new.
The crowd erupted into applause as the ninjas bowed, their mission accomplished.
Hinata's eyes widened in awe, momentarily distracted from the upcoming match.
"Wow, they're amazing!" she exclaimed.
Hayashi chuckled and nudged her forward. "Go get 'em, Hinata. You've got this."
Hinata's eyes softened as she nodded. This was her chance to prove herself, once and for all.
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As he leaned against the railing, Hayashi's eyes drifted over to Hanabi and Hiashi. He'd already pinpointed their location with his Observation Haki during their earlier fight.
He'd made a point to showcase his strength in front of Hiashi, knowing that if the Hyuga clan head didn't respect his power, it would create problems with Hinata.
Hayashi's gaze shifted, and suddenly Hiashi's piercing white eyes locked onto his from across the way. Hanabi was watching him as well.
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On the field below, Hinata and Naruto faced off against each other.
Genma asked while toying with the senbon in his mouth, "Ready, kids?" Then, with a nod, he shouted, "Begin!"
"Yes!" Hinata's veins bulged around her eyes as she dropped into the Gentle Fist stance. "Naruto, I won't hold back! Please give me your best."
"Heh, you got it!" Naruto grinned, his mind already racing with ideas.
Hinata was the first to move, gathering chakra in the soles of her feet. She suddenly shot forward like a bullet.
Naruto's eyes went wide. "So fast!"
He hastily formed the hand seal for his signature technique. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Seven clones materialized in puffs of smoke, charging at Hinata alongside the original Naruto.
Her running steps paused momentarily. She turned sideways, her fingers and palms shooting out like arrows. Too slow, too many openings, she thought.
"Pufff! Hsss-"
One of Naruto's clones burst into smoke as Hinata's strike connected.
"Air Palm!" she shouted, spinning around to unleash a powerful blast of compressed air at the real Naruto and his remaining clones.
"Gah!" Naruto cried out as the concussive force slammed into him, sending him flying backwards. His clones rapidly dispersed, vanishing into thin air.
But as the smoke cleared, Naruto's grin widened. "Not bad, Hinata! I'm just getting started!"
Naruto stumbled to his feet, coughing and gazing at Hinata in awe. "Whoa, that was amazing!"
Taking a deep breath, he formed a cross with his index and middle fingers. "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
A large cloud of smoke erupted, and dozens of shadow clones materialized around Naruto.
The clones charged forward, and surrounded Hinata. She stood her ground, her eyes narrowed as she tracked their movements.
They came at her from all sides, but Hinata took them down one by one.
Just as she thought she had the upper hand, they simultaneously whipped out kunai and threw them at her. Hinata dodged each projectile with ease, but the clones didn't stop there. They raised their kunai again, only to strike themselves, creating a thick smokescreen.
As the smoke swirled around her, Hinata activated her Byakugan, hoping to pierce through the haze. But she soon realized the smoke was laced with a potent mix of spices and irritants.
Her eyes stung, and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. In that brief moment of disorientation, the clones struck. They hurled small pellets that burst on impact, releasing a thick mist that further obscured her vision.
Hinata's breathing grew labored as the irritants burned her lungs. She could still make out the clones' movements, but their forms wavered and distorted, making it hard to pinpoint their exact locations.
Gritting her teeth, Hinata deflected the incoming kunai and shuriken with her Gentle Fist strikes. The clones kept coming, seeking any opening in her defenses. One kunai managed to graze her arm, drawing blood.
Hinata's Byakugan suddenly detected a shift in the earth beneath her feet. She realized, too late, that the clones had been digging tunnels while she was distracted by the smokescreen.
Before she could react, two clones burst from the ground, grabbing her ankles. They wore goggles, protecting their eyes from the smoke.
"Got you!" they yelled, trying to restrain her.
But Hinata spun with incredible agility, slamming one clone with a palm strike and quickly dispatching the other with a burst of chakra.
More clones erupted from the ground, their kunai at the ready. Others closed in from all sides, unleashing a hail of kunai and shuriken.
Hinata reacted swiftly, gathering her chakra as she shouted, "Revolving Heaven!"
The smoke parted around her rotating protective sphere.
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Hanabi's eyes widened in disbelief. "That doesn't seem possible..." she trailed off, stunned.
She stared, her mind racing to comprehend how her seemingly frail older sister could possess such strength. It was as if Hinata had transformed before her very eyes.
Hiashi's face was stern, but a hint of a smile played on his lips.
"Well done, Hinata," he said. "You're finally living up to your potential."
Years of training with Hayashi had transformed Hinata. The results were clear to see. She'd mastered the Gentle Fist, but more importantly, she'd adopted his work ethic and discipline.
Sharing meals, naps, and grueling training sessions had reshaped her into a new person. But whenever Hayashi was around, Hinata's former timid self would occasionally resurface.
But now, her mind was focused.
Her Byakugan scanned the clones, searching for the real Naruto. She'd studied his movements, knew his patterns inside out, and could predict his next move.
All she needed was a fleeting moment of opportunity to land a hit. She was ready to strike.
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As her defense began to falter, Naruto and his clones launched their assault.
"Now!" Naruto shouted, pulling out a massive shuriken from a scroll and throwing it at Hinata while she was distracted by his clones.
Hinata's eyes widened in alarm as she swiftly countered with her air palm. A blast of compressed air erupted from her palm, deflecting the massive shuriken as it sailed dangerously close.
But it was a feint!
In the split second Hinata focused on the shuriken, Naruto flickered behind her with a kunai in hand. He lunged forward, seizing the momentary distraction.
Hinata's Byakugan allowed her to see the kunai strike coming, and she spun to deflect it at the last moment. But Naruto's grin only grew wider.
"Gotcha!" he shouted triumphantly as the kunai burst into a cloud of smoke, revealing another Naruto clone that grabbed Hinata's arms, restraining her.
Then, another Naruto emerged from the smoke, his fingers weaving hand seals as he charged towards the immobilized Hinata.
"I'm not holding back, Hinata! Shadow Clone Slam Barrage!" he declared.
A massive horde of clones descended upon Hinata, unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches from every angle. Hinata grunted, struggling against the barrage as Naruto's clones unleashed everything they had.
But Hinata remained calm, her Byakugan piercing the restraining clone's chakra points with a burst of chakra, causing them to disperse. Freed from its grasp, she pivoted, then raised palms to deflect the remaining clones' strikes.
Naruto's eyes widened in alarm as he recognized the familiar technique. "Oh no, not that again!"
"Air Palm!" Hinata cried, unleashing a powerful blast of compressed air in a spherical wave.
The clones were blasted away, their goggles clattering across the ground as they dispelled in clouds of smoke. The immense shockwave slammed into the real Naruto as well, cracking his goggles and leaving him stumbling back.
Hinata flipped, skidding to a halt in a low crouch as the smoke began to dissipate around them. Naruto landed heavily, coughing from the force of Hinata's counterattack. He ripped off his damaged goggles, wincing as the clearing air stung his eyes.
As the haze parted, they locked eyes across the arena, panting heavily. Naruto grinned fiercely despite his battered state. "Heh...not bad at all, Hinata."
"Thank you, Naruto," Hinata replied as she studied him intently. "I won't hold back now."
With that, she blurred into motion once more.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," Hinata shouted.
Naruto desperately formed a wall of clones, but Hinata's strikes pierced through them with pinpoint accuracy. "Two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms..."
Naruto grimaced, feeling the chakra strikes disrupting his chakra points with each blow. There was no opening, no chance to counter as Hinata's palms struck with precision.
"Thirty-two palms...sixty-four palms!"
Then, with one last, powerful strike, Hinata unleashed her technique.
"Air Palm!" she shouted, unleashing a blast that sent Naruto flying backward. He could only gasp as he was launched backwards, unable to defend against the attack.
He crashed to the ground, his body forming a small crater as dust erupted around him.
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How much do you guys like this V2? There aren't many readers, so maybe I will drop, halt, or reduce the chapters so I can write more for V1 and my original work. I don't have much time for a while because of work and university stuff.
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