A.N.: A little idea had settlet in my head and wouldn't go away until I wrote it down. To those who follow Little wooden men, don't worry, I'm still working on that one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd give the whole series a makeover.

Screw fate! (also known as Use Your Brain no Jutsu!)

It was the first match of the Chuunin selection Exams finals. The Great Arena in Konoha was filled to the brim, expectation was in the air and in the middle of the circular area two genin were facing each other, eager to beat their respective opponent into the ground. Or at least one of them was. The other couldn't be bothered to soil his noble thoroughly manicured fingers on something as mundane as a duel with a supposed outsider. He might even knot his hair if he fought. He started preaching instead.

"Fate is inevitable," Hyuuga Neji stated. "Nobody can escape fate, it's pointless. Fate has already declared that you will lose to me so just give up and spare yourself the pain. Fate dictates that once a loser is always a loser. Fate…"

"Let me ask you something, Neji," Uzumaki Naruto interrupted the bitter prodigy's monologue. He was looking forward to dragging his arrogant face through the dirt, but he wasn't against having a little verbal spar before. Especially if he was assured of his victory. He had a full month since first hearing Neji's signature tirade before his match with Hinata to come up with a suitable response. It took some wracking his brain, but he had found an obvious fault in the Hyuuga Branch member's reasoning and just the right way to point it out. He had considered every possible argument the long-haired youth can come up with and devised a counterargument. He couldn't wait to reap the fruit of his effort.

"What can a dobe like you possibly have to say to me," the genius Hyuuga scoffed derogatorily. "I don't have time for your nonsense."

"And I'm supposed to have time for yours," Naruto's temper rose, but then he remembered his plan and forced himself to calm down. "Well, back to my question: imagine a situation. You are on a mission with your team and you ran into a group of enemy shinobi of superior skills hell bent on killing you all. You are facing against a jounin. Would you just give up and let him kill you and your teammates because fate decided that a genin can't defeat a jounin?" Naruto was proud of himself that he managed to recite his speech without a single stumble. The crowds went silent. Everybody was curious about the dark-haired boy's response.

"What?" Neji blinked in confusion.

"What," Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you can say? I thought you were a genius, maybe I was mistaken. Or perhaps you haven't heard me the first time? Then let me repeat: You are..."

"Stop," the older genin interrupted. "I have no time for your blabbering. I don't answer to you."

"What blabbering? I asked you a valid question," countered the blond. "And your sensei and teammates seem eager to hear your response." The jinchuuriki pointed up into the stands. Sure enough, the rest of team Gai was leaning over the railings awaiting his next words. "So would you answer them or are you just a stuffed up jerk who cares only about himself?"

"You know nothing about me," shouted Neji enraged.

"Don't I? Your refusal to answer is telling me a lot. So let me tell you what I see when I look at you with my eyes: You are a coward who's hiding behind fate to cover up his own weakness." Naruto looked into his eyes challengingly, daring the other boy to disprove him.

"You are a dimwit who cannot possibly understand." Neji couldn't believe they were actually having this conversation. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. The blond failure should have shouted some nonsense and he would then use him as target practice for his Juuken. But having an actual intelligent conversation with Uzumaki of all people, that just felt surreal. Not to mention that the question had cut close to home.

"Try me," Naruto prodded. "And when we're at it, what is your answer to my question? I'm still waiting and so is your team. I'm not letting it go until you answer, dattebayo."

"I'll fight," the Hyuuga said.

"Hah," the Uzumaki shouted excitedly. "So you admit fate doesn't decide everything?"

"No," he denied. "I'd fight because it's my duty. Duty is inevitable. Fate is inevitable. The result would be inevitable as well."

"So you would do something that is destined to fail," the foxy boy inquired. "And here you were telling me I should just give up."

"That you should," the white-eyed boy confirmed. "Your defeat is inevitable."

"And we're back at the beginning." Naruto rolled his eyes. "You just have to drone on about fate, don't you?"

"So are you going to give up already," Neji asked impatiently. "It is your fate to lose to me. A loser can never beat a prodigy, fate wouldn't allow it. That is the way the world is. Everybody's fate had been decided at birth…"

"And what's that fate," the orange-clad boy interrupted.

"Fate says you will lose to me," the Byakugan wielder stated, now clearly irritated. Maintaining cool Hyuuga exterior was getting increasingly difficult.

"And just how do you know? Have you spoken to that 'Fate'?" The obnoxious failure looked at him daringly.

"Of course not." He was getting tired of it. The dimwit simply didn't understand, every his word was proof of it. But then, Neji never expected him to be capable of understanding such a complex concept. He was the Dead last after all. Or that was what the Hyuuga told himself.

"Than just how do you know," the blond refused to let the point go. "Maybe this 'Fate' had decided that you will lose to me."

"Aaaaah," Neji roared. He had just had it. "Screw fate, I'm going to kill you!" And the match finally started.