章節 53: Phase 11: Frog In A Well
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
I'm also occasionally chilling in JaxWolf4's (Author of Nah, I'd Adapt and Zenin Days) Discord Server. It's a chaotic lobotomy mess. Not for the faint of heart.
Here's the link:
Disc: HrPrTeam
(Credit to Honoured_Writer & bigslime & Castană de Crăciun for the Beta Reading Labor!)
-Story Start-
-Third Person POV-
There had been five matches thus far, all of which had scarred the arena in one way or another.
Yet...
Lee's single movement had almost surpassed them all in terms of devastation.
The ground erupted with a thunderous crack as Lee launched himself forward, sending a swirling cloud of dust and debris hurtling outward.
A cloud of dust and debris immediately cast into the air with great velocity.
Followed by a simple statement, "I had planned to use it against Neji! But you have proven to be more than a worthy adversary for it!"
Few if any of the Genin present had managed to glimmer even a fraction of his speed as he appeared in front of Akira with righteous fury.
His muscles tensed and skin red, he appeared downright grotesque as his body bent to launch a flurry of fists at Akira.
With such a drastic increase in his strength and speed, Lee forced Akira into the defensive.
His dark green eyes raced to trace the movements of Lee's arms as he weaved and blocked each and every punch he could.
The wind blew wildly as Lee was pushing Akira back, and despite being now stronger and faster than Akira - the skill difference had not been surmounted.
With sweat trickling down his face, Akira was being pushed back and yet the troubled smile on his face was still firm in confidence.
Seeing an opening in the onslaught, Akira ducked under a punch and withdrew a kunai attempting to slice Lee's wrists.
The red-skinned Lee countered with a strategic yet risky move...
A splatter of blood followed as Akira's eyes widened momentarily once he noted that... Lee allowed the kunai to pierce his hand, locking Akira's wrist in an unrelenting grip that radiated raw, determined strength.
Lee's grip was tense, and his 3rd Gate-boosted strength had not allowed Akira to overpower him in the struggle.
Realizing this, Akira attempted to headbutt Lee to which the Taijutsu Specialist met with a smile, despite Akira donning a headband while he didn't.
The headbutt was audibly loud, and the crowd could not utter another word but silently expressed their awe at Lee's mind-bogging 'Genin' Taijutsu and Akira's skill to hold his own against it.
Lee's grip on Akira's hand had not waned and the Taijutsu specialist bent his body to launch a powerful kick, expecting Akira's only move to be to block or dodge.
Both of which, he intended to overpower.
Sniffing out an opportunity, Akira had extended the nails on his right hand, the same hand which was held by Lee.
And in a gruesome spill of blood, he pierced the Genin's hand by tightening his own hold on Lee.
Lee only bit his lips for a moment at the agony, and yet...
'He's not letting go?!' Akira screamed in his mind.
"YOU SON OF A-" Akira roared out and internally clicked his tongue in frustration as Lee hadn't ceased his movement for a second.
Chakra spread throughout Akira's body, tightening specifically on his abdomen, where Lee had aimed to brace for impact.
'I can take this. But it's better to stop it!' His eyes narrowed at the leg whose muscles bulged.
Simultaneously his left hand charged with Chakra flew to retaliate against Lee's likely final devastating attack.
"LEAF BRUTAL HURRICANE!" Lee shouted with all his vigor, all his effort.
With that, Shatter Fist was met with the Young Leaf's Brutal Hurricane.
At first, it appeared to be an even match, as all held their breaths; particularly Might Guy whose eyes were tinged with concern and pride in his student.
Yet...
Lee hadn't put his back into it.
"FOURTH GATE! GATE OF PAIN! OPEN!!!!!!!" At that announcement, a loud tear in Lee's muscles could be heard even from a distance.
And with it, his strength and speed increased once more.
An increase that let Lee's kick overpower Akira's fist and swipe it away with a painful crack of his knuckles.
The kick hadn't ceased in its trajectory bolting towards Akira's abdomen at breakneck speed, which Akira could only helplessly react to with his eyes wide.
No matter what he wanted to do, it was far too late for him to react as it hit him solidly with the strength of a freight train.
With a loud guffaw, Akira spat out blood immediately as his body was sent flying towards the walls of the arena.
Yet Lee hadn't let loose as he followed him with fervor, and to not grant him even a moment of levity and knowing well of the consequences of opening the Eight Inner Gates...
"FIFTH GATE! GATE OF CLOSING! OPEN!!!!!!!!" Lee's eyes twitched from agonizing pain, yet his determination was unprecedented as he pushed forward.
His muscles tearing and his bones were on the verge of snapping and fracturing.
...
Akira's sharpened instincts cried out to him as he was about to reach the wall and did his best to ignore the pain in his abdomen.
Lee was flying towards him with speed he couldn't match on his own.
...
He needed to stop holding back.
While airborne, Akira's hands blurred to make the shadowgraphic hand sign of a dog's head as he murmured, "Divine Dogs."
Meanwhile, Lee bolted towards him in slow motion, as adrenaline coursed through Akira's veins.
Overloading the summoning once.
Twice.
The shadows below Akira upon activation twisted and melded in lightning speed, forming the figures of Level 3 Noc & Mir.
"YAY! SHADOW PUPPIES!" A bubbly hidden rain girl exclaimed happily amid the deathly silent arena.
Noc & Mir's horned and healed figures stood in resolute defiance of the human bullet headed toward their master.
Lee's eyes narrowed upon recognition of the Famed Nara Kekkei Genkai and narrowed his focus on them.
His fifth gate-boosted strength served as greatly superior to the wolves as he avoided bite and horn strikes with incredible dexterity.
Yet, they were an incredibly problematic match-up for him.
Each time he had come close to hitting them, they liquidized and reformed to try and strike him.
The best he managed was a snarled whine as he kicked one of them away only to be met with the counter of the other twin wolf.
Lee's body trembled and convulsed from agony, and he knew his time in this state was not for long.
He had to get rid of them quickly so he could deal with Akira who had stabilized his launch and was running towards him.
Or better yet... deal with the three of them at once.
With gritted teeth, Lee exerted his whole effort once Akira joined the offensive, leaving Lee now on the defensive as he fought three opponents at once.
Lee's muscles protested once more, but he launched his Taijutsu technique nonetheless.
Sneaking below a bite and a horn strike, he met Akira's punch with his own, bending his own body painfully to kick him away.
The twin wolves immediately used that offensive as an opportunity to counter-attack, to which Lee replied immediately by standing his ground firmly and doing a wide spinning kick that was awfully similar to a Hyuga's Rotation Technique.
The wolves immediately liquidated to avoid the damage, but that was what Lee had expected to occur.
Akira had rolled to stabilize himself and was met immediately with Lee in his face.
"REVERSE LOTUS!" Lee yelled as Akira dodged and blocked another flurry of kicks and punches, only to get overwhelmed by the 5th Gate Lee's superior prowess.
His eyes followed Lee's movements when others could not, yet he could only defend himself in this scenario.
And, with a resonating crack, Lee's fist met Akira's face sending him flying - a spit of blood and a tooth from the devastating blow.
...
However... if one were to slow down time, one would see a smirk on Akira's face as the punch hit his face.
The only reason, Lee had hit him in that decisive moment...
Was because he left one of his hands to form a hand sign.
A shadowgraphic hand sign of a snake head, as he murmured silently, "Great Serpent Totality - Merged Beast Quetzalcoatl."
Without overloading the Chakra, Akira unleashed his only totality upon Lee.
Right from under Lee's shadow, a familiar obsidian feathered snake to all present Genin albeit of a much smaller size and with less dense scales emerged and shot into the air.
Lee's sprint toward the airborne Akira ceased as he tried to counter only to helplessly grab onto the roof of the snake's mouth so he did not swallow him.
A reverberating impact echoed from the roof of the arena as the Jonin and proctors stood by to make sure no debris hit the spectators.
The cloud of smoke and debris cleared to reveal the struggling Lee holding onto the snake's mouth with determination as unbearable agony spread through his body.
And his eyes could only widen as from the depths of the snake's dark mouth... Lightning crackled.
With all the strength he could muster in his boosted state, he roared, "WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" In a show of incredible effort, he pushed the snake's head aside and avoided a blast of lightning that scorched the roof as he began to fall.
Only for twin wolves and Akira to meet his fall.
Preparing to meet their charge, his body tensed in another attempt only for...
His muscles to disobey him, to refuse his defiant orders to make his stand known.
His limit was met.
Noc and Mir firmly bit down on Lee's limbs as he cried out in torment at the two wolves latching onto his arm and leg as they fell down, and Akira ceased his own offensive upon noting the situation.
The combatants fell onto the floor with a resonating impact, Akira landing silently on the soles of his feet, whilst Lee landed on the ground with a pained expression and two wolves tightly clamped on his limbs.
The large winged serpent had grotesquely melted into liquid shadows meanwhile, as Akira could only stare at the bent and agonized figure of Lee as Noc and Mir held him down.
His skin had slowly morphed back into its usual color, his figure bloodied and his muscles trembling - indescribable agony coursing through his whole being.
Blood seeped from the injury Akira's nails had caused as well as from Noc and Mir's teeth.
Once more, the crowd was deathly silent - but that did not stop them from concluding the outcome of the match from the simple overview of the state of the combatants.
Akira had won.
Lee, whose breaths were hitched, his eyelids begging for the chance to close and rest, nevertheless kept his gaze on his opponent.
Even with two wolves latched onto his limbs tightly; even with the agonizing repercussions of using up to the 5th Gate coursing through his body...
He made his stand.
Trembling but resolute, Lee forced himself upright, his burning gaze locking onto Akira as if daring him to make the next move.
Even Noc and Mir's eyes widened as the Genin rose up despite their jaws clenched tightly on his limbs; his rise caused both large wolves to be lifted in the air as well.
Akira hesitated, silently commanding Noc and Mir to hold but not strike.
With a troubled almost aghast expression, Akira admitted with an exasperated chuckle, "You... are one crazy idiot. I didn't think that was possible given I thought Naruto was the craziest idiot."
Taking those words at face value, Lee managed a tiny smile and... took a step forward as he got into a stance, the two wolves still latched onto him, and his blood decorated the ground below, "It is not... over." He breathed out slowly.
Akira frowned at that admittance, "It is." He shook his head, raising four fingers, "Four times. There were four times prior to your usage of the Eight Inner Gates when I could have defeated you."
Tilting his head, he elaborated to all those present and Lee himself, "The Eight Inner Gates -an extraordinary technique that could elevate anyone beyond their limits, albeit briefly, while rendering them practically immune to Genjutsu."
"But, it has a few glaring weaknesses. It lasts for a short period of time and most of the time after the effects are over, you are helpless and vulnerable upon reaching your limit. The counter is simple... a defensive position or jutsu to outlast the Gates user and you are good to go." He seemed to be lecturing the Taijutsu user.
"Oh, and that's not even mentioning that you can't use any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu in that unique state."
"Well as for this whole mess...hiding in my shadows until that technique was over would have been a boring victory, wouldn't it?"
At Akira's cold and gleeful admittance, Choji's eyes widened, "I wondered why he hadn't just hidden when he could!"
Shikamaru had a neutral, yet annoyed expression, "To make things more interesting..."
Ino frowned in mixed emotions, "That's... really unlike him, right?"
With a shrug, Akira turned to the defiant figure of Lee who still stood strong with a genuine admittance, "Though, I really underestimated the power of the Eight Inner Gates. I have been on the brunt side of up to the 2nd Gate. But to think Five of them could make you Jonin level, albeit for a short period of time... disturbing." He shook his head.
"Well done, though. Even I have only managed to learn to unlock up to the 1st Gate. You truly are a genius for managing five at our age." He clapped amid the contemplative silence.
What Akira had neglected to mention was that he stopped trying to learn beyond the first gate simply because it did not allow him to wield his Kekkei Genkai at all while using it.
...
Eeerie silence enveloped the arena once more as the only sound was the blood dripping from Lee's injuries and his weary breaths.
"Thank you for the compliment but... come at me! This is not ove- GAAAAAAAAAH!" Lee's determination was met by Noc & Mir's tightening of the jaws to which Lee tried to punch their snouts, but his limbs were weak and protested any attempt of movement.
Finally... the Shinobi Who Forged His Headband With His Fists fell to the ground, unconcious yet determined.
His will was strong, but his body was weak.
A contrast that plagued Rock Lee for his entire life.
And a contrast he had been attempting to remedy for his entire life, as well.
...
Hayate's expression was a grim line of respect as he noted Lee's determined frown even when he fell unconcious.
"Winner by knock-out. Nara Akira... medics get to him, immediately!" He roared out as the Medics on standby ran to lift Lee's unconcious and injured body, Noc & Mir melting into shadows amid the announcement.
Might Guy immediately appeared in front of the stretcher that held Lee, a troubled yet proud smile on his face as he looked down upon his prized student, "You did well... my youthful student, now rest." He whispered with a tearful gaze.
"Are you certain you don't need any treatment? Those blows must have done some damage." Hayate firmly questioned Akira.
"At most, I lost a tooth, no big deal. I'll be fine with a little rest." Akira rejected the offer, turning to look at the stretcher that held Lee, only to meet Guy's neutral gaze.
Though, with those cracked knuckles, he'll be struggling to throw a proper punch for a while.
A hint of concern crossed Akira's features, he didn't want to be on Guy's naughty list, of all people he could garner the ire of.
In fact, Akira had hoped this fight would only improve Guy's opinion of him.
'Since... Might Guy's cooperation is vital, but not necessary.' Akira recalled one of the projects that could deal with the upcoming debacle.
"Nara Akira. I thank you, for meeting Lee with all your effort. For letting him prove his Youth! For not hurting him too badly!" He stated with a quick, enthusiastic motion that reverberated throughout the arena.
...
Akira could only blink, 'That's not called being hurt too bad?' He scrutinized the injuries he had incurred upon Lee.
While he could have done much worse, that was still... very bad.
'Poor Lee.' For the first time since they fought, Akira greatly pitied the Taijutsu Specialist carried off in a stretcher.
Nodding, Akira replied with a friendly yet haughty smirk, giving his due respect, "No problem. I had great expectations of him, and he easily surpassed them... more than I can comfortably admit." He snorted.
With a final thumbs-up from Guy, Akira made his way back to his team, each step steady albeit strained as pain flared in his abdomen, allowing himself to relax his tensed limbs.
-------------------------------
Everyone could easily admit, that this match was the most explosive, entertaining, and most certainly...
Concerning of them all.
Neji did his best to suppress his stupor at witnessing Lee's hidden trump card, "He... planned to use that against me?"
The Gentle Fist coupled with the Byakugan was an incredibly impressive defensive style of Taijutsu.
Wielded by Neji, it can be even called the 'Ultimate Defense'.
Yet, in the face of a force of nature, would it be overwhelmed?
Neji, regrettably, was uncertain of the answer.
But his gut told him that the answer is a resounding - Yes.
What's more...
The one who faced said force, endured it and triumphed over it with narrow an injury...
"Can they even be called Genin? Both of them?" Tenten expressed aloud what all had in their minds.
Sasuke's display was one thing.
But Lee's 5th Gate prowess and Akira's triumph over it.
Truly, they were all Frogs In A Well.
...
The Rain Genin Team stood pale as they watched Akira leisurely make his way back to his team, one of them glaring at their excited teammate.
"How can you be so happy?! One of us or all of us are gonna have to face that... thing!" Haruto blurted out as he pointed at Akira with great distress.
She huffed, "Hmph! I got to see my Shadow Puppies and I'll be damned if I don't get to see them again!"
"...What if he doesn't summon them?" Her other tired teammate inquired.
"I can ask nicely~?"
"How did you live this long?" Haruto genuinely asked.
...
Sasuke had a firm frown in place as he observed Akira approach, his mind flashing at the spectacle he had just witnessed.
Kakashi had quickly gotten over the absurd sight he had witnessed, child monsters weren't something foreign to him considering he used to be one.
"What's with the long face?"
"I'm not sure I could have beaten Lee myself. The Eight Inner Gates makes one immune to Genjutsu right?" Sasuke admitted, recalling Akira's short lecture.
Kakashi made a so-so gesture, "Immune to most Genjutsu. The Eight Inner Gates disturbs the fundamental method by which Genjutsu operate; the overflowing Chakra 'floods' the system and washes away the foreign Chakra that casts the Genjutsu."
"If you can take that into consideration and cast a Genjutsu strong enough to withstand that flow, it'll stick."
Arching an eyebrow, Sasuke asked a matter-of-fact question, "Speaking from experience?"
Sighing, Kakashi nodded reluctantly, "Unfortunately, yes."
Despite doing his best to not make eye contact or send any form of glance at Might Guy.
Through their youthful bond that surpassed the 4th dimension, Guy sensed that Kakashi was speaking to him, so he threw him a bright thumbs-up and a toothy grin.
Which Kakashi thoroughly ignored as his most troublesome student arrived by his side.
Akira greeted them with a small smile, "How was it?"
Sasuke waved him off, "Cut the crap, your whole body hurts."
Akira shrugged, "That it does, but I've been through rougher treatment."
"Hn. I'm surprised he got you to use your Kekkei Genkai."
"Same here." Akira nodded sagely.
Kakashi hummed, "I appreciate you not fighting using your preferred method of combat." He insinuated with a hint of genuine relief.
What was he thinking, anyway?
Arching an offended eyebrow, Akira retorted, "I'm not a lunatic. That's a fighting style aimed at killing, I'd never use it on a fellow Leaf."
Looks of doubt from both his Sensei and Teammate prompted a snicker and a smirk from the Nara Prodigy.
'A treacherous bastard doesn't count as fellow Leaf, right? Because the plan might need some adjusting.' Akira thought to himself as he absentmindedly looked at Yoroi who stood blissfully unaware.
-------------------------------
With little delay, the matches continued as usual.
The screen flashed to showcase the 7th match:
[Match 7 - Nanako Neri VS Choji Akimichi]
"Yakiniku is on me if you win!" Akira immediately called out to his good friend without a moment's hesitation.
Choji's features immediately hardened at that exclamation and he turned to look at Asuma, "Your offer still stands, Asuma-sensei?"
With an uneasy grin, Asuma nodded, "That's right."
Nodding firmly, the serious-looking Choji turned to Ino, "It's up to you after this." He declared his victory and left for the battlefield.
"Double Yakiniku means double the motivation..." Ino murmured and facepalmed at her eccentric teammates and childhood friends, Choji's back suddenly appearing thrice as large as he strode with purpose.
She then turned to glare at Shikamaru, "At least there's a way to motivate him, you are just hopeless, though." She admitted.
Looking at her with dismay and irritation, Shikamaru replied simply, "What did I do to you, woman? I won my match, what else do you want?" He groaned.
Ino couldn't really retort, concern crossing her features.
She had to win her own match, didn't she?
A concern Shikamaru immediately noted with a sigh, "Troublesome."
-------------------------------
"Winner by knock-out. Akimichi Choji!" Hayate gestured at the motivated Akimichi.
His visage appeared nothing less than wrapped in grandeur.
Standing atop his Grass Village opponent, his foot firmly stomping on his beaten opponent's chest, the Akimichi raised a fist into the sky.
Not a word left his mouth as he silently left the arena to arrive beside his teammates.
Letting everyone digest the poor match-up that just ensued.
Nanako Neri was barely Genin, in the face of a Clan Heir such as Akimichi Choji.
He got rolled.
Literally.
Choji ran him over with his Human Bullet Tank Technique exclusive to the Akimichi.
"W-Wow... that was merciless, he didn't even call you fat." Ino couldn't help but mutter as Choji approached with a stern expression.
"No, but his eyes said otherwise," Choji grunted with righteous fury.
Turning around, he regarded the relaxed figure of Akira with a questioning glare, disregarding the situation surrounding the lately sketchy Nara.
Raising his hands in a placating gesture, "I'm keeping my promise." He called out.
Choji only nodded and turned to look at Ino with a manic look, "Your turn, Ino."
She glared at him harder, "Stop being a creep, and then I'll do it." Hissing at him with her classic Banshee Glare.
Sobering up immediately, Choji returned to his chill and friendly state, "Sorry, Ino..."
Shikamaru inquired genuinely, "He'll still nag you if you lose your match, Ino." He reminded.
Frowning, Ino folded her arms in protest, "Where's your trust in me?" She asked with an offended tone.
Shikamaru easily admitted, "We're a team of lousy Genin with a lousy Sensei." He pointed at Asuma.
"I'm adjusting the curriculum to the times." Asuma smoked his cigarette with a relaxed smile.
"You mean letting our parents handle our training?" Ino snarked.
"They teach you the clan techniques, I teach you teamwork... in an arena format, the Ino-Shika-Cho formation isn't possible. In the real world, however, this isn't a concern." He lectured simply on the stupidity of tournaments when it comes to Shinobi Combat.
While he had a point, it still resulted in...
'Me being a lackluster fighter.' Ino could only bite her lips.
Was it the fault of her educators?
Was it her own fault?
It didn't matter.
What she had concluded upon watching the matches thus far, especially Akira's fight against Lee...
She had thought herself a decent Genin, but compared to them... even compared to her own teammates.
Right now...
She was weak.
'Even now, Sakura managed to reach Sasuke while I'm nowhere close to reaching... him.'
Contesting Akira in strength was never on her mind, but... holding him back wasn't on the agenda either.
Oh, and what mixed emotions that boy caused her.
His engagement was one thing, but his latest actions... she's so confused, horrified.
Shikamaru did not appear too surprised, and Choji was rather quick to accept Akira albeit burrowing his concern and internal conflict.
Is she the strange one?
The weak, emotional one?
And, as if it was time to answer those very questions, the next match flashed onto the screen:
[Match 8 - Nana Miyazono VS Ino Yamanaka]
At the announcement, Ino's features hardened in determination as her eyes shot toward her opponent who easily announced her presence.
With a shiny Hidden Rain headband and a proud bubbly expression, Nana proclaimed her delight, "Yay! My turn!"
Practically bouncing her way down the stairs and towards the arena, Nana stood impatiently as Ino approached with a grim line on her face.
"Ino, good luck." Choji's usual friendly exterior was nowhere to be seen, as the stakes involved were beyond mortal comprehension.
Arriving beside the stoic Hayate, Ino tied her Leaf headband tightly, her eyes not leaving her shorter and similarly aged opponent.
Scrutinizing Nana's appearance - short, almost malnourished looking, wavey dirty purple hair and blue eyes she appeared as harmless as could be.
Or so, Ino judged.
The dirty appearance prompted a cringe from a particular girl from the Sand Team.
With a nod and a look at both opponents, Hayate was about to start the match as he raised his hand, only for a protest to stop him in his tracks.
"Wait! Can you give me a sec?" Nana pleaded with a cutesy expression.
Arching an eyebrow, Hayate nodded and murmured with a cough, "Go. On."
Taking a bite of her finger to draw blood, she swiftly slammed her palm into the ground.
Ino reflexively stepped back, whilst Hayate appeared unfazed.
Many others spectating the match recognized this international jutsu.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Nana shouted as a cloud of smoke covered a small area around her.
The smoke quickly cleared to reveal a red spotted salamander the size of the average Inuzuka Ninken.
Said salamander immediately questioned his situation, "Where in the Elemental Nations am I? Nana, this place has got bad moisture!" He whined and accused the girl in front of him.
"I'll take you outside after this, Lou-kun. We're in a forest so bear with me and help me beat up a fellow gal and we'll head out immediately!" She pressed her hands together to plead with the now-named Lou.
...
A collective deadpan formed in the present audience, whilst some hummed in curiosity.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had kept mostly a neutral stance on the matches thus far, his interest only peaked in Lee and Akira's match.
But this sight...
"Hanzo's student? I can't fathom the man taking in any apprentices in his current state." He whispered to himself.
Ino's face twisted in exasperation, "Umm, Hayate-san... is this allowed?" She pointed at the scowling salamander.
The salamander turned with his scowl at Ino, her words earning her his ire, "What's your deal? Calling a proud Salamander 'this'? You humans lack respect and manners, I ought to teach you some manners, little missy." He wagged his lizard tail in a chastising manner.
Ino's mouth fell at the sudden verbal onslaught and her anger was on the rise.
Lou turned to his pleading summoner, "Alright I'll help ya out. It is a noble Salamanders' duty to teach proper manners... but do act on your promise, Nana." He nodded.
With a smile, Nana stretched her hand toward Lou and the salamander quickly climbed up the girl and wrapped himself on her neck like a large scarf.
Amid Ino growling in fury, Hayate's disappointing answer calmed her down.
"There are no rules against the use of summons or ninken. Otherwise, Nara Akira or any Inuzuka present would have been disqualified."
Frowning, but nodding in hesitant acknowledgement, Ino readied herself for the battle getting into a stance.
Nana smiled confidently, Lou's little head resting leisurely on her right shoulder, "No hard feelings, right, Ino-chan?" She called out with familiarity.
Reciprocating the gesture, Ino smiled in good sportsmanship, "Same goes for you, but I don't think your lizard deserves the same treatment." Her eye twitched.
"Bite me." Lou taunted.
Growing impatient himself, Hayate's hand swung unceremoniously, as he announced the start of the fight and both fighters raced toward each other.
-------------------------------
"The roof... it's all so bright and empty." Ino grumbled as she lay flat on her back, her figure covered in shallow injuries and her entire body ached.
The battle hadn't lasted long at all.
In terms of Taijutsu, she was evenly matched with Nana.
But the problem arose when that pesky Salamander got involved.
Spitting pressurized water at her when she dodged or struck.
And when she threw her kunai to try and separate the two; the damned salamander blocked it with his tail, letting it pierce the tail and simply discard it and regrow another in less than ten seconds!
A trap to try and get Nana to stand still so Ino could use her Clan's Technique?
Nope!
Pressurized water blasts straight to her face!
With enough damage done, Ino could only helplessly lay unmoving on the ground, calling out a hopeless, pained, "I give up."
Hayate nodded as he gestured for the medics, "Winner by resignation. Miyazono Nana."
Ino could only close her eyes and hold back tears of self-loathing while the medics made their way to lift her.
Nana approached with a sweating expression and a smidgen of injuries on her figure, "Great match Ino-chan! I would have probably lost without Lou-kun."
"Didya learn your lesson, improper missy?"
"That's rude, Lou-kun. How will I get close to a Clan Heir from the Leaf if you ruin this for me?" She pouted.
Ino mostly ignored all those words of encouragement.
Except, for the reminder of her status.
Clan Heir Of The Yamanaka.
What an embarrassing display.
Losing to a no-name from the Hidden Rain?
Nothing against Nana, but Ino couldn't help but realize that absurdity.
She should be leagues above the average Genin, at least, in her age group.
Nana looked to be her age, at least?
Even so...
'I call Shikamaru lazy... yet he won his match and I...' The bitter realization tasted horrid in her mind.
Sakura grew rapidly, whilst she...
As the medics arrived and lifted the Yamanaka Heir on the stretcher, Nana couldn't help but pout that she was ignored but proceeded to shrug and head towards her team.
"Outside! Keep your promise or I'll feed you to Ibuse!"
"He listens to no one but Hanzo-sama, that's an empty threat, Lou-kun~"
...
Lifting her eyelids as she was being examined by the medics and Iryoninjutsu applied to her, Ino noted that her teammates went to visit her given none of them needed to stay since all of them had finished their respective matches.
Choji's expected grim or disappointed expression was nowhere to be seen, a reassuring almost sad smile on his face, "It was a nice try, Ino." He nodded in encouragement.
Shikamaru settled a tired gaze on her, "Don't be too hard on yourself." He sighed as if able to read her inner thoughts.
Seeing the support and the suppressed disappointment Choji had veiled, Ino held back tears as she simply sadly mumbled, "This sucks..."
Shikamaru pinched his brows, suppressing a great migraine, "Everyone's losing their minds."
Having only gently observed from the side, Asuma approached and patted Shikamaru's head encouragingly, "Not losing their minds, Shikamaru. But changing, and growing. It happens to everyone, especially at your age."
Shikamaru couldn't help but let loose a groan he had held back for a while, "I'd have preferred no one would change... If one could even call it that." He selfishly admitted staring at the ceiling of the infirmary room.
Asuma mentioned, "You might like the changes, I believe losing her match will do wonders for her."
"I'm not sure I will enjoy the changes," Shikamaru admitted with a deep frown.
Settling a weighted look on Shikamaru, Asuma offered with narrowed eyes, "If you're having trouble with anything... you can tell me."
Shikamaru nodded, "If it gets to that, will do."
"I doubt it's a problem you caused, you stay out of those." Asuma humorously mentioned.
Shikamaru groaned once again, "I'll keep you informed... leave it alone for now." He scratched his pineapple hair with a frown.
-------------------------------
Yet, the matches and preliminaries were indifferent to the struggles and subtle changes occurring in Team 10.
The next match quickly flashed on the screen:
[Match 9 - Honami Watase VS Ken Toge]
It was an unfortunate drawing, as the two Sound Shinobi were on the same team.
Facing each other, Ken immediately announced his withdrawal upon facing his teammate, Honami.
"I surrender."
Hayate seemed unimpressed and nodded nonetheless, "Winner by resignation. Honami Watase."
-------------------------------
[Match 10 - Kouki Kasturagi VS Karin Uzumaki]
"Uzumaki?" Sasuke repeated.
Kakashi nodded, "The red hair."
"I know that... but is she closely related to Naruto?" He added with a tiny hopeful look, disregarding the fact Naruto was blonde.
Akira hummed as he recounted the possibility, "Uzushiogakure was the Uzumaki clan's home and ally of the Leaf. Having been destroyed, the Uzumaki survivors were scattered around the nations. She might be distantly related, but unlikely to be a direct cousin."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "If the Uzumaki are allies of the Leaf, certainly some of them migrated here."
Akira nodded, mentioning, "The First Hokage's wife was an Uzumaki, but now that you mention it, other than Naruto there is no record of other Uzumaki in Konoha."
"One of his parents should be an Uzumaki, but given his hair it's certain the other was a blonde." Akira hummed.
Sasuke's eyes turned to Kakashi, "What do you think?"
Kakashi's expression was the definition of neutral, though a hint of sorrow lingered beneath his lone eye, "Mah, who knows?"
...
Akira and Sasuke exchanged knowing looks, "He knows something." Akira confirmed.
"Hn." Sasuke agreed.
"We should introduce her to Naruto," Sasuke suggested.
"Awfully thoughtful of you Sasuke," Akira teased.
Nodding with an almost melancholic air, Sasuke mentioned, "She might be his only family left."
Humming, Akira nodded, "That might be true... but it's better you handle that endeavor."
"Why?"
"It'd be a bit awkward if I approached her."
Sasuke frowned, fitting the puzzle pieces together to form somewhat of a conclusion, "I see..."
He did not, in fact, see anything.
...
As those talks went on, a blindfolded boy from the Hidden Sand Village faced the Grass's red-haired girl.
Standing in front of one another, Karin had a grim line on her face as she seemed to have noticed something about the Sand boy.
And without a hint of hesitation, she hesitantly raised her hand, "I-I surrender."
Akira frowned, "Two surrenders in a row... but as long as her team stays..." He stated under his breath.
Kouki frowned, "Pathetic. to not even try to fight?"
Karin shook her head, stating depressively, "Why try if I know I'm going to lose."
Huffing, Kouki spat to the ground, "Even more pathetic. Now I am glad I did not fight such a detestable Shinobi." He turned around with those parting words, leaving the Uzumaki to stew in her thoughts as she looked at him with pure disdain.
-------------------------------
Karin wasn't sure what prompted that dense and warm blob of chakra with a perplexing and familiar cold almost slithery aspect to his chakra to approach her isolated self as she stood separated from her teammates.
"You're an Uzumaki." A statement.
Hesitantly, Karin nodded hesitantly, her guard tightened in the face of the infamous last Uchiha, "Yeah... do you... need anything?"
Surely, he didn't want to get healed or something, he was the teammate of that... absurd 'Genin' now recognized as Nara Akira who ran around like a lunatic and mayhaps had a semblance of gratitude and let her team pass with ease.
...Or so the theory in her head goes, she'd rather not have anything to do with that guy.
He nodded, "I have a friend who is also a Uzumaki."
Blinking at that information, Karin's eyes lit up for a moment, before guarding herself once more.
She shook her head, "We're from different villages. He might be from my clan but... it doesn't matter."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he seemingly ignored her words, "After the preliminaries, I'd like you to meet him."
For a moment, Karin's eyes twitched as her weak voice grew stronger, "What are you playing? Matchmaker?! I said I don-"
She calmed herself upon realizing she was being loud, "No. I don't want anything to do with anyone."
...
An incredibly awkward and uncomfortable silence enveloped the two of them.
As Karin could only sweat and look trepidly at the stoic Uchiha who hadn't said another word.
"Hn." He grunted his understanding, turned around, and left.
...
'...Thank goodness.' She breathed a sigh of relief as Sasuke left her to her devices.
Her eyes turned to her oppressive teammates who were approaching her upon his leave.
"Can't be bothered dealing with this..." She braced herself mentally to deal with them once more.
'Isn't Nanako injured from fighting that chubby Leaf Genin? Why's he...' She frowned at the thought.
-------------------------------
"How'd it go?" Akira inquired.
"She doesn't want anything to do with us or the potential Uzumaki relative given our Village differences," Sasuke informed quickly.
"Perfect. We just gotta tell Naruto." Akira mentioned.
Sasuke agreed with a smug smirk, "He'll do the rest himself."
Kakashi could only watch this interaction from the side, internally pitying the foreign Uzumaki girl.
What Sasuke neglected to mention though, as his eyes narrowed at the distant figure of Karin being pestered by her so-called 'Teammates' - was her isolated situation.
He's got a lot on his plate, 'Naruto will handle it.' He confirmed his trust in the stubborn blonde.
Since he'll be busy with the Prodigy who was standing oh-so innocently beside him.
And what he and his confidant believe has yet to come...
-------------------------------
[Match 11 - Mei Nakamura VS Reigo Shinohara]
Genin from Hidden Sand and Hidden Rain respectively.
It was a match of Poison Specialist against Shuriken Specialist.
Through the usage of a subtle Genjutsu to hide a decisive throw, Mei's wrists were nearly sliced cleanly by Reigo's shuriken, forcing her to surrender and lose the match.
"Reigo-kun! Nice job~!" His teammate Nana gave him a wry grin and a thumbs-up.
"Shut up."
"Haruto-kun.... why does he hate me?" She pointed at herself with an innocent pout.
"Shut up." Haruto answered curtly.
"...I'm gonna cry."
"Don't worry Nana, you're my second favorite human." Lou admitted with a proud nod as he still lay wrapped around her neck.
-------------------------------
[Match 12 - Hinata Hyuga VS Kanto Mizuna]
Although lacking the expertise and grace with which Neji wielded the Gentle Fist, Hinata performed admirably.
Having disabled Kanto's limbs after avoiding his kunai and strangely enough Fire Jutsu given he was from Suna, her victory was assured.
"Winner by resignation. Hyuga Hinata." Hayate announced tiredly.
"Well done, Hinata!" Kurenai clapped loudly.
Kiba smirked, "Now I'm getting impatient... I wonder when's my match."
"ARF!" Akamaru barked his eager agreement.
"We might have to face each other. Why? Because given the number of matches left, the chance of us being picked to face each other is inevitably growing."
"Heh, I'd like to see how that ends for you." Kiba donned a cocky smirk.
"In your loss." Shino stoically confirmed with naught a glance sent Kiba's way.
"Hmph, we'll see..." Kiba snorted.
-------------------------------
[Match 13 - Tenten Higurashi VS Haruto Hayasaka]
Evidently, through this match... A Weapon Specialist counters a Lightning Style Specialist.
Given all Haruto's rather rudimentary lightning-style jutsu was avoided by the girl whose surrounded by Taijutsu freaks, so she was no slouch in terms of movement.
And trying to block a variety of weaponry with lightning style only charged the damn things and resulted in him practically strengthening his opponent.
Tenten had intelligently drawn out conductive weaponry.
And it resulted in the poor situation of him lying breathless on the ground with Tenten's katana inches from his throat.
"I- surrender." He breathed out in exhaustion, his chakra having run out.
Hayate announced the victor, "Winner by resignation. Tenten Higurashi."
"PHENOMENAL DISPLAY OF YOUTH, TENTEN! IF LEE WAS HERE HE'D PRAISE YOU TO THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES! WROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Tenten had to bury her face in her hands despite pride swelling up in her chest, "Please... stop..."
"Noooooo you ruined our win streak Haruto-kunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!" Nana cried out in utter dismay.
"Why do you humans form companionships with humans more pathetic than yourselves? I find that ridiculous." Lou had done little to muffle his voice as he declared rather loudly and rudely.
"...Shut up." He ground his teeth at the mix of shame and embarrassment.
However, as a result of this match and the remaining uneven participants...
Shino met Kiba's gaze through his shades.
"Well, let's see if it'll turn out interesting." Kiba grinned.
-------------------------------
[Match 14 - Kiba Inuzuka VS Aburame Shino]
Kurenai's expression soured at that match-up as she sighed loudly, turning to look at the grinning Kiba and stoic Shino.
"You boys play fair, alright? Recall that you are still teammates, friends, and fellow Genin of the Leaf... some of the matches here overlooked that fact."
Kiba snorted, "Heh, don't worry Sensei. I'll go easy on Shino."
His eyes narrowed, "Is what I would have liked to say, but you're no slouch like the others here."
Shino gave a rare admittance himself, "Likewise." He nodded as the two of them headed down the stairs with subdued excitement and silence between them.
Hinata frowned in worry, "That means only one of them can reach Chunin. I just hope they don't go overboard..."
Kurenai patted the girl's hair, "Yeah, but boys will be boys." She shook her head helplessly.
The best she could do was warn them.
...
"Wait... what about me?" Karin's teammate and the last Genin to not participate in a match pointed at himself in bewilderment.
-------------------------------
After thirteen whole matches, the arena was unrecognizable.
With the exception of removing tools, shuriken, and hazardous substances, the arena was not being repaired at all.
A scarred mess.
Scorched, ripped apart, severs, cracks, and much much more.
Now though?
The addition of nearly a sea of Chakra Bug corpses irked most of the people present.
The Aburame weren't really a well-liked Clan simply due to their... unique way of fighting.
But...
The crowd ignored that unease in favor of silently digesting the sight before them:
A knocked-out Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, Shino standing with hitched breath in front of the two.
It took some effort, but Shino proved greatly superior.
Both Kurenai and Hinata held mixed feelings, not knowing who to cheer for.
But the fight had gone rougher than both had imagined, prompting the Sensei and Hyuga to jump down and tend to Kiba alongside the medics.
"Winner by knock-out. Aburame Shino." Hayate announced with a nod and sigh of relief.
...
Why did he sigh in relief?
Turning his gaze at Shigeo Shigeri of the Hidden Grass, he pointed at him lazily, "Given that luck is also a major factor in the survival and part of a Shinobi's ability to thrive. You pass. You will be drawn among the matches for the seven matches of the tournament, if your luck persists, you will only have to fight in the Finals."
Blinking at the attention and answers to his unspoken questions, Shigeo could only nod sheepishly in understanding.
Hayate then directed his attention at the crowd, "The preliminaries have ended. All winners of their own respective matches must arrive here below in the next thirty minutes to draw the matches for the Chunin Exam's Tournament held in a month's time. Take this time to refresh yourselves."
-------------------------------
Neji Hyuga.
Ayano Tachibana.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Yoroi Akado.
Shikamaru Nara.
Akira Nara.
Choji Akimichi.
Nana Miyazono.
Honami Watase.
Kouki Katsuragi.
Reigo Shinohara.
Hinata Hyuga.
Tenten Higurashi.
Shino Aburame.
And finally... Shigeo Shigeri.
These fifteen Genin stood with differing injuries and expressions in a line in front of the box of lots.
Some confident.
Some hesitant.
Some excited.
Some... Overtly friendly?
"Hey there Akira-kun! Can you summon those shadow puppies just for funsies?" Nana waved happily at Akira, disregarding the notion of reading the room.
He politely refused with a lifted palm, "Sorry, I'm engaged-"
"Silence." Hayate sternly ordered the both of them.
"Sorry..." Nana's shoulders slumped.
With a gesture from Hayate, "Now, by the order of the matches, all of you are to head to the box and take out a single slip of paper."
He took out a slip with his own name, "According to the drawn name, that will be your match. If you draw out your own name or the name of someone whose match had already been picked, you will have to draw out another slip of paper." He explained in quick motion, coughing in between sentences.
Doing as prompted, Neji approached first drawing out a slip of paper, and then it was Ayano, then Sasuke, etc...
Eventually, according to the names drawn, the matches for the tournament dated in exactly a month for this day were presented for the whole crowd of spectators and the already keenly aware Genin who held trepid expressions given some of them had, less than stellar perhaps dreaded match-ups:
[Match 1 - Nana Miyazono VS Kouki Katsuragi]
[Match 2 - Sasuke Uchiha VS Neji Hyuga]
[Match 3 - Shino Aburame VS Reigo Shinohara]
[Match 4 - Shikamaru Nara VS Yoroi Akado]
[Match 5 - Shigeo Shigeri VS Akira Nara]
[Match 6 - Honami Watase VS Ayano Tachibana]
[Match 7 - Hinata Hyuga VS Choji Akimichi]
As everyone processed the matches, Hayate elaborated, "Tenten Higurashi will be fighting in the finals."
He then turned to the present Genin, "Prepare for your matches well, you have a month. Train, make proper countermeasures, rely on your teammates, superiors, and instructors." He gave a final word of advice.
"Everyone... dismissed." He bowed politely.
...
Each opponent made eye contact with the other, some more trepid than the other.
Particularly Shigeo Shigeri whose luck had completely reversed as he gulped in the face of the friendly wave of Akira.
'Well, not that these fights or the exam itself matter in the grand scheme of things, but I guess this works in terms of conserving strength, I won't have to surrender against him.' Akira shrugged.
But he smiled internally, 'Grass, Rain, Sound, and Sand... things have worked out more than I had pessimistically envisioned. Good.'
A month until the Konoha Crush.
And in that month, Akira had much to do and handle.
'Well, I better get to business once I get out of this place... only a matter of time before I get an earful from the old coots... I need to narrow down on Jiraiya's time of arrival as well as seek out Hiruzen privately for an experiment... Tiger Funeral as well...' He mentally noted all the things that needed to be done.
Much to do, indeed.
And without further prompting...
The 2nd Phase and Preliminaries of the Chunin Exams have come to an end.
Already, though...
The consequences reared their ugly head.
-------------------------------
The grotesque corpse of Gaara came into the eyes of his would-be Sensei.
A grim line set on his face as he could only mutter in righteous fury.
"We've lost Shukaku..." His fists clenched to the point of drawing blood.
But in the context of the Chunin Exams...
Could he even retaliate against Nara Akira?
Was this simply an unfortunate situation?
That Gaara had run into a monster of a far greater degree than himself?
Or... there was an underlying agenda?
No... not only Gaara, but his siblings and many others too according to his reports.
Either case, he'll have to hear it from the mouths of the hospitalized Sand Siblings themselves.
...
In the end... it truly was an unfortunate yet great loss of war potential.
An unlucky accident, and nothing more.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Hey there.
Been a while.
I'm for real real.
Now, some parts (Alot) might seem rushed, and they are.
AINT NO WAY I AM WRITING ALL THOSE FIGHTS.
RAAAAH.
Speaking of fights, Akira was in over his head trying to fight 5th Gate Lee.
5th Gate Lee was still beating him even with Noc & Mir & Solid (Quetzalcoatl lvl 1) lmao.
But, given Akira still held more cards under his sleeve and could have simply... just hidden until that broken shi ran out, Akira is the winner in 9/10 matches.
Only time he'd lose is if Lee manages to rock his shi fast enough before he realizes he's getting cooked.
Anyway!
We're done with this whole part, and the next few chapters will be about Akira's preparation and the overarching consequences of his lil sadistic stupido mess.
After that it'll be the culmination of everything prepared from Phase 1 and prior to the start of the Chunin Exams.
Will Akira succeed?
Will the Sasuke & Shikamaru tag team figure him out and stop him?
Or maybe they'll even join him?
Who knows!
Cause I don't.
Bu bye!
Love ya!
-Down here is the copy paste stuff-
If ya'll feeling frisky and rich you can donate to my P. A .T R 3 0 N to show some nice and kind support.
Here's the link:
patre0n.com/BurgerNoTomatoes
As always people! If you see any inconsistencies, wrong information, Illogical statements, etc... Notify me, please! I'll fix it ASAP! And or explain it later on in case I had planned to make it vague in the first place.
Also, all comments, reviews, constructive criticism and so on Are much appreciated! I especially love Constructive criticism because it allows me to improve the story in real time! I try my best to follow your advice!
I enjoy responding to you all! So do send them comments! Also, ideas are also welcome! I'm not that creative so assistance from you guys is always nice! Yup!
I hope you lovely people have a fantastic rest of the day/week. And I'll see you in a week's time or so :P
If I fought a chimp, I'd probably lose. Here's this week's random fun fact.
-Author's Note End-
— 新章節待更 — 寫檢討
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票