Four girls Naruto didn't promise to avenge in the Chuunin Exams and the one he did.
i.
She stumbles to her feet and stares blankly – eyes unseeing – at Ino. Her lips move slowly, maybe to snarl an insult or plead for forgiveness no one will know, but before she can utter a syllable Sakura falls. Her body contorted in a graceless heap and pink hair sprawled out like an aura.
Naruto does not leap down to her body and stare at her like he's seeing her for the first time, instead he grins at her and cheers, " You kicked ass Sakura-chan! Way to go!"
Sakura grins weakly before Kakashi picks her up and carries her back to the observers stand.
Naruto says nothing else.
ii.
He doesn't want to commend Ino, acknowledge how bad she hurt Sakura-chan, so he doesn't. He waits for Shikamaru to move – predictably – to stand next to Ino and look down briefly, as if to scan her and make sure she's not in danger. Not dying.
Naruto smirks over at him and whispers, " You gonna take care of her, genius?"
Shikamaru doesn't have to respond. The way his face flushes says it all.
iii.
She arcs backwards, slamming into the ground, and cut by all her own weapons. The silver shines brightly against Naruto's eyes as he stares at the broken body of Tenten. The blonde boy blinks slowly before asking Neji, eyes still locked on the Sand Nin, " Did you believe in her?"
Neji scoffs at him and does not respond. Naruto thinks he should have believed.
Maybe that's what Tenten needed.
iv.
Sand ninja's can go die for all Naruto cares. He doesn't particularly like the glint in any of their eyes or the way their mouth curls at the edges when someone gets hurt.
Naruto doesn't care much for them.
So when Temari is defeated it's all he can do not to break out in a happy dance.
+1
She's breathing in the smell of the blood choking up in her throat and smiles at Neji. Naruto can't tear his eyes away from the girl who has been beaten, bruised, and all but defeated when the only response she gives to the boy who is telling her she's worthless is, " You are suffering far more than I, Neji-niisan."
If he hadn't been paying attention to the Hyuuga girl he wouldn't have seen the way she looks up at him with wide white eyes before turning back to Neji and charging – head first – back into the fight she can't win.
He grips the bars harder and screams something – anything – at her and when she grins, somewhere in all this hell, he wants to run down and ram a kunai into Neji's eyes and wrap her in a hug.
So when she falls, like all the Konoha kuniouchi before her, broken and bleeding and dying, Naruto runs down to her. He looks at her while she asks him if she's done well, if she's changed through the blood and blackness. He wonders why she would ever need to change but doesn't get the chance to ask when Neji spouts off some serious bullshit and something inside Naruto roars.
He swipes blood – hinata'sbloodshouldneverbethere – on his fingers and swears to beat the Hyuuga who dared lay hands on Hinata. But if Neji knew what that symbol truly meant then he would bow and beg to be spared.
Kyuubi, through Naruto, has not just forsworn victory; he has promised death to any who harm his intended.
Naruto, of all the will in the world, swears vengeance for the girl who won this battle.
And his heart.