บท 53: Beginning of an end
The morning of the Chunin Exam finals had arrived, and the village was excitedly buzzing. The stadium was packed, and every seat was taken by civilians, shinobi, and visiting dignitaries. The days leading up to this had been a blur of training and late night meditations, preparing for what I needed to do today.
I could still feel the edge of exhaustion from a week of relentless training with Anko. But I wasn't complaining. And then there were the nights spent meditating, connecting with Moonhydra. Only the Storm Release head was awake, but that was enough to give me an edge. Moonhydra's lessons were intense, it was hard since she couldn't really show me the hand signs because well she didn't have hands. She didn't hold back though, her voice echoing through my mind every time I messed up a hand sign. The other heads were still asleep, though sometimes they would sleep talk, so I couldn't tap into their power yet, but that was fine. I had what I needed for today.
As I walked into the arena, I felt a ripple of tension in the air. I glanced around, noticing the Third Hokage sitting high up in the Kage's box, that usual calm smile on his face as he surveyed the crowd. Today would be his last day, though. I knew what was coming, what Orochimaru had planned. And frankly, I couldn't care less.
He'd made his choices, just like everyone else. If they led him to his end, that was on him. As the first match was called.
I leaned against the arena wall, watching as Naruto and Lee stepped onto the field, both brimming with energy. This was going to be interesting. Naruto, all fired up and ready to give it everything, and Lee well they both were about to give it their all no doubt.
As the proctor signaled the start, Lee didn't waste a second. He charged forward, his speed catching Naruto off guard. I could see Naruto's eyes widen as Lee closed the gap in an instant, landing a clean hit that sent him skidding back across the dirt.
"Come on, Naruto, you can't just stand there," I muttered under my breath, half amused.
Naruto quickly scrambled back to his feet, shaking off the impact with that usual stubbornness. "You're fast, bushy brows," he shouted, grinning despite the hit. "But you haven't seen anything yet!"
Typical Naruto. He formed a shadow clone, then another, until there was a small crowd of Narutos, all charging at Lee from different angles. Lee, unfazed, moved as he kicked and punched each clone, dispelling them one by one until there was only the real Naruto left, dodging a series of blows as he tried to find an opening.
The crowd was loving it, cheers erupting every time Naruto managed to dodge or throw a punch that got close. I watched, knowing Naruto, he would always make things interesting.
Lee's face was focused, and as I watched him launch another attack, pushing Naruto back, Lee was one hell of a ninja with just his taijutsu.
The back and forth was impressive, a blur of punches, kicks, and dodges as the two continued to clash. Lee's speed was ridiculous, but Naruto was just as tough to knock down.
As the fight between Lee and Naruto ramped up, I could tell something big was coming. Naruto had managed to back Lee into a corner, and for a moment, Lee looked caught off guard. But I knew better.
Naruto, grinning, wiped some dirt from his cheek and called out, "Hey, Bushy Brows! I bet you'll have to take off those weights if you wanna keep up with me!" His tone was light, but his eyes were serious. He'd pushed Lee to a point where he knew the usual tactics wouldn't cut it.
I crossed my arms, watching closely. "Here it comes," I muttered under my breath. I'd seen enough to know that when Lee was forced to remove his weights, things got intense. Naruto had no idea what he was in for.
Lee looked at Naruto in his eyes as he unclipped the weights around his legs, letting them drop with a heavy thud that kicked up a cloud of dust. The crowd gasped, and Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he realized that the real fight was just beginning.
"Oh, so that's how it is?" Naruto said, still grinning. But then his expression turned mischievous, and he raised his hand in a seal that I instantly recognized. *Oh no…*
With a puff of smoke, Naruto's **Sexy no Jutsu** activated, and, to my complete horror, I found myself staring at multiple versions of myself in the most revealing outfit imaginable. The image was so dead-on, down to every detail, that I felt my face go hot. To make matters worse, Naruto's clones posed with their fingers to their lips and batted their eyes in Lee's direction. He really had seen me in the bathhouse that day.
"Hey, Lee-kun," the clones chorused, voices sweet and teasing.
I could barely hold back my rage, my fists clenched at my sides as I yelled, "I'm going to kill you, Naruto!"
Beside me, Hinata, who'd been watching the fight let out a low chuckle. She leaned over, clearly amused and, from the way her eyes lit up, perhaps enjoying Naruto's little display more than she should.
"That's actually… kind of accurate," she remarked with a smirk, her gaze locked on the clones. I shot her a glare, but she just shrugged, a slight blush on her cheeks as she tried to stifle a laugh.
Meanwhile, Lee was struggling, his face bright red, a massive nosebleed starting to flow. He glanced in my direction every few seconds, clearly embarrassed. And from the looks of it, the sight of those "me" clones was too much for him to handle. He tried to shake it off, muttering something about "youthful spirit" and focus, but it was obvious that he was distracted, much to Naruto's advantage.
Around us, several of the other girls were fuming, giving Naruto annoyed looks. Tenten even crossed her arms and huffed. "Honestly, does he have no shame?"
One of the other genin muttered, "I mean, I wouldn't mind if Ayumi really looked like that," which earned him an elbow in the ribs from a nearby girl.
Naruto took the momentary distraction to his advantage. While Lee was still trying to regain his composure, Naruto dashed forward, landing a solid punch to Lee's jaw. Lee staggered, clearly dazed, as Naruto kept up the pressure, grinning all the while.
But just when it looked like Naruto had the upper hand, Lee refocused. The embarrassment on his face faded, replaced by pure determination. He took a deep breath, wiping the blood from his nose, and with a burst of chakra, he opened the first gate, then the second. His aura flared, and even Naruto seemed taken aback as Lee powered up, his eyes sharp and focused.
"Your tricks won't stop me, Naruto, Gate of Life Open!" Lee declared, He charged forward, his strikes landing cleanly on Naruto, who barely had time to dodge.
Despite Naruto's earlier advantage, Lee's increased power and speed pushed him back. The crowd was on the edge of their seats. But Naruto, wouldn't give up. He took each hit, bouncing back as he kept spawning more shadow clones.
The fight ended with Lee landing a powerful kick, sending Naruto sliding across the arena. The proctor stepped in, announcing Lee the victor. The crowd erupted in applause.
As the dust settled and Lee walked back to the sidelines, he gave me a quick, bashful glance, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes, though I was smiling. Naruto, bruised and defeated, was grinning too, despite his loss.
"I'll get you next time, Bushy Brows!" he shouted, waving as he headed off to nurse his wounds.
I sighed, shaking my head as Hinata smirked beside me. "Quite a show, wasn't it?" she said, her voice calm but with a hint of satisfaction.
"Yeah," I muttered, my face still red from Naruto's ridiculous jutsu. "And I'm still going to kill him."
The announcer's voice rang out through the arena, "Next match: Tenten vs. Hinata Hyuga!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement as the two stepped onto the field, each one giving the other a respectful nod. Tenten looked determined, already aware that Hinata was no longer the shy girl she once knew. After witnessing Hinata's fight with Sakura, she knew this would be no easy match. I couldn't help but smirk, knowing that Hinata was fully prepared to dominate.
Hinata's gaze was steady and confident as she faced Tenten. She'd trained hard over the past weeks.
The proctor called out, signaling the start of the match, and the two wasted no time. Tenten went on the offensive, drawing her weapons and threw them at Hinata, who, however, dodged and weaved through Tenten's attacks, her Byakugan activated.
The crowd watched, impressed by Tenten's skill, but it was clear Hinata wasn't about to let her get the upper hand. Tenten jumped back making some space between her and Hinata.
But Hinata didn't give her the chance and closed the distance. Tenten was forced to go on the defensive, as she tried to counter Hinata's relentless attack.
Finally, Hinata slammed her finger tips multiple times into tentens body causing the girl to fall limp on the ground.
The proctor raised his hand. "Winner: Hinata Hyuga!"
Hinata stepped back, calm as ever, as Tenten was carried out by some medic nin.
The announcer's voice called out, "Next match: Ayumi vs. Gaara of the Sand!"
The crowd went quiet. As Gaara stepped onto the field, his eyes were already fixed on me with that unsettling hunger for blood. I'd seen him fight before. But I knew that look all too well, it was more than just wanting to win. Gaara wanted to kill me. The thought sent a chill down my spine, but I pushed it aside. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.
In my mind, Moonhydra's voice echoed softly. "Feast on his chakra, Ayumi... it will be powerful, filling. I sense a presence within him—a beast... It calls to me." I could almost feel her excitement as if she was feeding off the thrill of the hunt through me. But the reminder of the One-Tail made me all the more cautious. He was a jinchuuriki, and that added a layer of danger I couldn't ignore.
The proctor looked between us, hesitant, before giving the signal. The moment he did, sand began to swirl around Gaara, creating a barrier between us. His gaze never left me, that twisted smile spreading across his face as the sand seemed to grow and expand, like it had a mind of its own. I could feel my nerves, but I had a plan. I'd prepared for this.
"Gale Palm Strike Jutsu!" I shot forward, wind chakra slicing into his sand, breaking through some of it in bursts. The sand reformed quickly, trying to catch me as it circled back, reaching out like claws. I moved again, sending more bursts of wind to break his defenses, each strike sending fragments of sand scattering. But no matter how much I broke apart, his sand kept re-forming.
Gaara's grin widened, his eyes alight with something dark, almost eager. "This… this is exciting!" he called out, his voice low, as if he were savoring every second. "Finally, someone who doesn't break right away."
The longer I lasted, the more intense his sand became, shifting and moving with an unnatural speed. I pushed forward, dodging and countering each move he made, but it was taking more and more to keep up with his attacks. I could feel him enjoying the way I fought back.
I cast a quick glance toward the Hokage's viewing box, where the Third sat next to Orochimaru, who was posing as the Kazekage. He threw another wave of sand at me, and I managed to dodge it, barely. I could feel my own energy dipping slightly. This wasn't going to be an easy fight not that I expected it to be.
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