Kicker

by The Swordslinger

After his defeat at the Forest of Death against Orochimaru, Naruto finds himself crippled by the snake. With his arms no longer able to use chakra and thus leaving him unable to use jutsus, what is he to do? Simple, take what he has, use his youth, and kick his way through any hardships, literally! Warning: may become longer or not. No bashing and no pairings.

1. Chapter 1

I OWN NOTHING

Considering any negative comments I get regardless of what I do having the same importance to me as blowing bubbles with my spit, here's something I did out of spite to my boredom.

Author's Note: I'll skip some of the canon bits, to avoid retreading stuff we already know from it or to avoid scenes that could go on for too long if they don't change canon.

Recommended music for the battles:

1st fight: Fatal Fury Special OST - Let's Go To Seoul! (Arranged)

2nd fight: Ys vs. Sora No Kiseki: Alternative Saga OST - D.A.Y. / BREAK

XXXXXX

In the middle of a large forest a battle had come to an end. The traitorous snake known as Orochimaru had thoroughly mocked and beaten Team 7, and had an idea on what to do with one of them.

"You were a thorn on my side, Jinchuuriki Boy." He said to the child before him as the tiny blond charged at him, "I could have used someone like you, but I fear at this point you'd be a handicap to Sasuke-kun."

Naruto was hung up by his wrists by a snake, unconscious, and still breathing. And then, it was like a lightbulb appeared over the serpentine man's head as he stared at the kid's arms. The boy had tried so hard to punch him, claw him even, do everything he could with a single jutsu skill that required his hands. Without those arms, he'd be useless.

"W-What're you doing to Naruto?!" Sakura asked, fear all over her face after seeing her teammates utterly beaten and knowing she had no chance of winning.

Orochimaru cackled, "Tell me, young girl, does this boy pride himself in his strength?" he raised both hands to the kid's shoulder, making him hiss at the contact, "Because from now on, he will be even more of a dead weight to Sasuke than you."

The last thing Naruto knew was that he was screaming so hard he feared he'd howl himself deaf. The pain was so excruciating, like a thousand needles swam through his bloodstream all over his arms right to his fingertips. It was like countless papercuts deep in his skin, all of them tearing through his muscles.

And then, he was finally let go to fall either to his dead or whatever horrible condition he'd be in if he survived the fall.

Naruto's mind was so overloaded with pain he passed out with a single thought, his arms felt like lead. No, his arms felt dead. He could feel them twitch, he knew he was able to move them, and yet it all felt empty. It was indescribable, he had trained so hard, done so many push-ups, practiced countless hand signs, and punched as hard as he could his enemies it felt like something was missing.

He slept a lot, and in his dreamless sleep he still felt like his arms had just died…

It was a relief when he finally woke up and, with a terrified gasp at the start, he stretched his arms. He allowed himself a deep breath before curling and uncurling his fingers… and that's when he felt something odd.

"N-Naruto!" Sakura started, running to him, "You're ok…?" she asked slowly.

"My arms feel all weird…" he took off his jacket to rub his muscles, feeling his biceps and, once again, that odd feeling of something being dead. And then, his memory hit him, "Wait! What happened with that venomous bastard?! Where are we?! How long was I asleep?! And… why is your hair so short?"

Sakura groaned, "Yeah, you're still the same loudmouth… Well, it is a long story, and…"

"Hello." Said a familiar face with glasses and a white ponytail, "I can't believe you're really awake after everything that happened."

Naruto blinked twice in surprise, "K-Kabuto?!" he pointed at the spectacled man, "What're you doing here?!"

The Sound shinobi smiled softly, "I couldn't help it. I saw your teammates carrying you and decided to check what was up…"

Things went quiet, and Naruto didn't like it, "What is it…? Come on, you two are worrying me…"

Sakura chuckled awkwardly, "You see… We… We treated you, we dealt with a lot, and found out, you…"

Kabuto spoke firmly, "Your arms will never be the same." He put on a face of pity, "After that fight you guys had, whoever fought you used a very dangerous jutsu on you. Apparently, since you were sleep, they took all the time they needed to destroy your arms' chakra network."

Naruto started to sweat, he didn't like it, "What's that mean?"

Kabuto sighed, "Naruto… your arms can never use chakra again." He could see the boy's heart break and sink in slow motion, so he continued, "That means you can't use hand signs, you can't summon clones, and even if you tried to punch someone your strike wouldn't hurt them as much as before."

"This is… it's a joke, right?" Naruto started with a smile and a weak chuckle, but no one was laughing, "Come on, Sakura-chan, tell Kabuto to stop joking here!"

"It's true!" she said, looking down, "You… I saw what happened to your arms, Kabuto showed and explained it to me, and it's all true! You can't fight like this, you-"

"Calm down, Sakura." Kabuto said with a straight face before turning to Naruto, "Your best option, for you three, would be to forfeit…"

Naruto snapped, "Screw that! I can't! I won't! I didn't come this far just to give up even if I can't fight like I used to!"

Kabuto held the boy's shoulders to calm him, "Listen, Naruto, right now your teammates have next year to try this test again, but you can't… If you aren't doing this for yourself, then do it for them. Right now they have a chance, and you'll just-"

"Then I'll find a way to fight!" he shouted louder than ever before turning to his bubble gum haired teammate, "Sakura-cha- No… Sakura!" said girl trembled, not once had he ever addressed to her that way, "I won't give up, and I won't weight you or Sasuke down… I want to do this to become a Chuunin! I refuse to give up when everything I wanted to do was to be Hokage! It's… It's all I have!"

Sakura wanted to speak, but saw her teammate's eyes about to tear up, so Kabuto spoke, "You three still haven't found a scroll and you're in no condition to fight. Even I aren't much of a fighter. Naruto, be serious, if you go out there like this, you will die."

"Like I care!" Naruto shouted defiantly, "If what you say is true, then I can't let this stop me or my team! No, I won't let it stop me!" he stood up and reached for his jacket, but didn't put it on.

The other two shinobis stared in awe as Naruto threw it down, took off his headband, and wrapped it around his right biceps. He was now wearing only a black muscle shirt and his orange pants, and without the headband keeping some of his golden spikes up some of them started to fall down, covering his forehead. They were about to ask what he was doing, until Naruto ran to the nearest tree and kicked it.

Sakura watched the insane amount of chakra Naruto put on his foot, and watched as he left his sandal's sole imprinted on it, "W-What are you doing?" Kabuto asked, just as confused.

Naruto clenched his fists and turned to them, "If I can't use my arms… I'm going to kick everyone who gets in my way!" he affirmed his exclamation by turning to the tree and he started kicking it with his shins, making bark and splinters fly, "Whoever it is we have to fight, I'll beat them up using only my legs! I'll have to use every kick I know until they kiss the dirt, and if that doesn't work, I'll kick harder and faster!"

Kabuto grit his teeth, momentarily getting out of character in his acting, "What a monstrous will…"

Sakura on the other hand could only stare in awe at the boy's determination, but… "Naruto, stop!" she cried while he kept on kicking wildly, "You'll only hurt yourself! It's fine, really! Sasuke and I can wait another year and you can look for a way to fix your arms, so please, just-"

"No!" he shouted, kicking the tree so hard his shin dug into it before he pulled it out with a roar of anger, "I'm tired of being unable to help, I'm tired of losing, I'm tired of being the dead last, and I'm tired of…" this time he spun around, turning his back to the tree and aiming his right heel to its trunk, "…feeling weak!"

Before anyone could say more, even Naruto was surprised at what happened… He didn't just kick the tree, he snapped it in half! It wasn't a tree as big as the ones in the forest, it was a normal tree, but still to see a kid just break it like a twig with a kick was extraordinary and terrifying.

Sakura's jaw nearly hit the floor, a newly arrived Sasuke felt his bladder loosen up, and Kabuto felt cold sweat on his body as he gaped, 'This… This can't be… Orochimaru-sama told me so himself. His plan was to make them lose this competition now and make it all this kid's fault, that way Sasuke would come to him. But this is wrong, he should give up! How- Wait, his arms can no longer use chakra… so his body uses it all.'

Unlike the others, Naruto grinned, "Alright! I'm going to win this!" he cheered and ran to the nearest tree, kicking it wildly.

"What's gotten into him? I thought he'd be devastated by the news." Sasuke said, approaching the group.

Sakura shook her head to get her thoughts recollected after the shock, "I think he's like a maelstrom indeed… if the water can't find a way around something, it will flow somewhere else. But this is ridiculous."

After snapping another tree in half, Naruto turned to his team and the spy with a wider grin than he ever had before, "Let's go get ourselves that second scroll!"

"Don't be so reckless!" Kabuto started, trying to get the boy to give up, "You can't use jutsus without hand-signs, and your attacks are limited to just kicks. You can't just expect to win in so little time like this!"

"Wanna bet?!" the first rule to remember about the blond is that it's pretty dumb to try to get him to give up.

Seeing how the boy wouldn't stop charging forward regardless of his new condition the group decided to continue.

XXXXXX

It wasn't long to find a way to where they had to go to, and it took even less time for the group to get in trouble with some masked shinobi using illusions to trap them.

Once they realized the trap and seeing a horde of clones surrounding them, it should have come as no surprise that Naruto wanted to fight. But what was surprising was the plan he had. While the others used clones of their own to hide and rest, they left Naruto and the clones to fight the enemies.

"What do you think you can do that your friends can't?" one of the masked shinobi asked him, "We've seen what happened, we know what you can do. There's no way you can win this."

Naruto grinned, "Like I care!" he shouted and raced at them, throwing a savage kick at the nearest clone, "From here to the end of my life I promise to never lose to anyone!"

Of course his masked opponent tried to block the kick, grab the leg, and break Naruto's hopes along his limb. What he didn't expect was that the force behind that strike broke directly through his arms and most likely broke seven ribs. The real masked shinobi sweated when the clone crashed into one of the gigantic trees of the forest and remained there. However, Naruto was doing all the fighting on his own.

They rushed at him, and were greeted with the boy kicking, jumping, dashing, flipping over them, and striking with all his might. Clones collided against clones. Masks flew and the horde of enemies started to thin out while Naruto's battle cry seemed to get louder the more he got into the fight. At the end, when everyone was fully healed, Naruto's teammates and Kabuto looked at the scene before them.

The three real enemies stood before them, with a panting and badly bruised Naruto in between both parties. The blond had deep cuts on his arms and torso, but didn't look too bothered. His legs were covered in blood, partly his from kicking non-stop regardless of what weapons his enemies had. It allowed them to take down the enemy team before they could further harm the whiskered child.

Kabuto was just stunned, 'He outlasted three genjutsu users using only his kicks… What a monstrous will indeed…'

Everywhere around them there were marks of the blond boy's kicks to prove one Naruto Uzumaki would never go down easily. Pieces of his jacket were scattered all around him, showing his arms and some heavy cuts on his chest. Despite all the pain and dizziness from blood loss he should be suffering, the boy still had a winning smile.

Said boy allowed himself a sigh of relief after he and his team finally got the scrolls they needed, and sat down on the floor with a slight wince. His pants from the thigh down were caked in blood and covered in cuts, but due to the fox's chakra those wounds were already healing up. A deeper look would allow one to see his reckless fighting would leave scars, but he didn't care.

Things proceeded smoothly once they reached the tower and got to meet Iruka, but the teacher couldn't help but notice something, "Naruto?! What happened to you?!" he rushed to the boy, who had been shocked to see his teacher from the academy appear out of the scrolls.

Sakura answered, "Naruto… saved us…" she explained, "If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have made it."

"He was too stubborn to give up." Sasuke admitted.

Naruto grinned, "I'm fine, Iruka-sensei, honest… I just need some new clothes."

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy, Naruto…" the teacher started and then explained what would happen now that all the shinobi that made it had arrived.

Naruto didn't feel like fighting, so he sat down on the balcony of the arena where their next trial to earn their right to be a Chuunin would take place. Everyone did notice how bloody Naruto's clothes were, and how his body was covered in scars that, due to how long the fight lasted, were taking their time to disappear.

Sakura actually approached him, "Naruto, come on, you have to quit…" she told him in a whisper, "You've gotten this far the way you wanted, so just stop and go back home. You can try again next year the same way you did now, but you can't win in that condition."

Naruto groaned and took off his headband again, wrapping it over his right biceps, "Then let me ask you something… If you had one chance to date Sasuke, just one… would you let it go because you can't walk?"

She grew flustered, and soon angry, "It's nothing like that! Naruto, you-"

"Would you?!" he asked her, this time with some anger of his own, which once again shocked her, "Tell me, if you have the chance to do what you want, would you really let it go? You already let Sasuke fight, so why don't you let me fight even if I'm like this?!"

As he shouted that, the next match was announced, it was Naruto against Kiba.

Said Inuzuka boy grinned, "This will be easy…" he jumped at turned to the referee, "Hey, why don't you let me win? He can barely stand up."

Hearing that, Naruto ran to the railing, stepped on it, and jumped down with a glare, "You were saying?!" he snarled at the dog boy, clenching his fists.

Kiba shrugged, "I won't blame you if you quit, because I can actually become Hokage." He taunted, "You just spend your time being a clown, and now look at you! Even I can tell there's something wrong with you and I'm not talking about all that blood. Whatever happened to you in the forest can't let you stand."

Naruto took a stance, spreading his legs, his knees bent, and his hands up. He had his right side facing Kiba, right fist up at the same level as his chin, and his left fist covering his stomach. Kiba chuckled and got into a stance of his own with Akamaru at his side.

Any other time, Naruto would have called on Kiba having a partner helping him, but decided against it for another reason, his pride, "Stop talking…" he growled, having grown tired of people telling him he can't do anything ever since he first remembered, "Yap all you want, because I promised myself I won't lose to anyone ever again!"

Kiba howled with laughter, "Are you serious?! How stupid can you be?! What if you actually faced a Kage the way you are now?!" he laughed some more, but stopped when seeing Naruto's glare hardening, making him sneer, "Fine. Akamaru, let's teach this punk a lesson or two!"

NARUTO UZUMAKI VS. KIBA INUZUKA

GO FOR BROKE!

ROUND 1!

BEGIN!

Naruto watched the dog turn into an exact copy of his master, and both rushing at him. With a battle cry, both pet and master had turned into spinning drills of claws. The blond was about to withdraw, side-step the charge or at least take a step back and away from the incoming tornadoes, but the others were right. After so much fighting his legs were reaching a limit of how much they could take.

"Shit, not now!" Naruto cursed at his legs trembling.

Hinata covered her eyes when Naruto got the full impact of one of the trademark techniques of the Inuzuka clan, his body flying and spinning in the air before landing with a heavy thud.

Kiba grinned and beckoned Akamaru, "Let's go, boy, it was-"

His train of thought ended when Naruto jumped out of the hole with fury in his eyes, "I'm!" he started, flying right at the brunet with a leg pulled back.

Kiba yelped, "What the Hell?!"

"Back!"

Time seemed to slow down for the Inuzuka boy. He brought up his arms to try to block the strike, and when Naruto's shin connected with his arms he had to bite back a yelp of pain. When time flowed again, Kiba couldn't even yelp when Naruto's leg collided with his ribcage, kicking the air out of his lungs. The other shinobi watched Kiba flying back into a wall with a look of shock on his face, leaving a crack on it.

"W-What… hit me…?" the stunned genin asked upon sliding down on his rump, too shocked by what happened to properly process it.

The sound of Naruto's feet snapped his attention back to the blond, who was trying to remain up on shaky legs. The Uzumaki's knees wobbled back and forth, and yet he was determined to not let them hit the floor, "Taunt me all you want, say anything you can throw at me… but don't think for a second that I will let you win that easily!"

Kiba forced his body up with a grunt and his furry partner's help, "How did you get so strong?"

Naruto grinned, "I've been practicing on my kicks lately…" however, his legs were about to crumble.

The Inuzuka growled, pulling out a pair of pills for himself and his partner, "I can't believe I have to do this, but you asked for it." he and Akamaru ate them, and while Kiba's features became more animalistic Akamaru's fur started to grow red.

Grinding his teeth, Naruto forced his legs to stay still, ready for the incoming attack. Once again, dual drills of claws rushed at him, ready to tear him to pieces. Many thoughts rushed through the Uzumaki boy's mind, like how unfair things were, the question of how would he survive this, and the desire to just kick Kiba in the face.

Kiba's attack collided full force, and he could see blood fly from the wound he and Akamaru gave the blond. He grinned in victory at the sight of Naruto's body being flung back against a wall. The referee had been about to declare Kiba the winner, too. However, time once again seemed to slow down when Naruto's eyes snapped wide open, focusing on Kiba.

It was like being stared at by a predator, paralyzing and with that effect of taking the air out of someone. Maito Gai himself could tell there was a fighting spirit in the blond the likes of his student.

When Naruto hit the wall, he rolled his body so his feet smashed on it, creating a large web-shaped crack, "If I can't stand, I'll find a way to fly!" he shouted and bounced off the wall, dashing at high speeds right at Kiba. Said feral boy growled and jumped out of the way, only to see Naruto kick the ground where he'd have landed to give chase right away at the same speed.

"Shit!" Kiba cried, ducking under a kick.

He had been about to lash at Naruto, but the blond had already jumped once again to another wall, his legs bent like those of a frog before, with a battle cry, he lunged at the Inuzuka yet again, giving chase like that. To make matters even worse for the Inuzuka, it was like Naruto were actually flying, bouncing around every surface he could to chase right after him for a kick, but that was a mistake.

"What's he doing? He's just making himself too predictable." Temari commented with narrowed eyes.

Kiba turned at the point where he knew Naruto would come at him, "Stop playing around! I'll end this game if you can't quit being a stubborn idiot!" he and Akamaru rushed again as one.

Naruto grinned, "That's what I wanted!" he shouted while Kiba went directly to collide against him, and readied his leg, "I won't fall, not now or ever!"

Kiba and Akamaru were about to turn Naruto into minced meat, and were too late to realize something. As Naruto flew directly at them for a head on collision, the blond had stored so much chakra on his legs that it appeared like blue flames were licking his bloodied pants.

The resulting strike created large gales of wind that kicked dust all over the arena, and the echoing sound of two faces getting smacked on with a shin followed soon after. Everyone in the balcony could only gape when Naruto's leg not only stopped Kiba and Akamaru dead in their tracks, it also sent them flying back!

This time, when Kiba collided against the wall behind him, he and Akamaru crashed right through for a nice little sleep.

The referee rushed to see if they were alive, and seeing them breathing and unable to move unless they visited a hospital he turned to the whiskered boy.

Naruto was down on one knee, but he still breathed and managed to remain conscious, even though his body was drenched in sweat.

It didn't take a genius to know who won.

"I…" Naruto started, trembling and worrying the referee.

"Hey, is he ok?" Shikamaru asked his sensei, "I mean, I always wondered if he was human, but this is the first time I'm wondering if he's undead or something."

"I…" everyone stared at the blond, who lifted his head up with a large grin before pumping his fists into the air, "I did it!"

Ino sighed, "Well, he's still the same knucklehead, though…" she stared at him and smiled, "Even for a moment, he seemed to turn a bit manly."

Naruto was about to be pulled by the medics out of the arena, but knowing his condition the boy forced himself to his feet, "H-Hey! You shouldn't stand like that, you need to-"

"I'm fine!" Naruto lied, stomping his foot on the ground, "I will watch the fights, ok? You can check me out when it's done."

The medics wanted to say something, but it was clear the boy wouldn't listen, so they decided to let him do as he pleased, he kind of earned that.

XXXXXX

The matches went almost like those who knew more than met the eye had predicted. The final roster of fighters had been decided, and Naruto was proud to be one of them, but there were consequences.

"Orochimaru-sama, what did you do to that Jinchuuriki boy?"

Once they were at a relatively safe distance from the other shinobi, Kabuto finally questioned his master's decisions.

"It's an old, abandoned procedure to ensure a tighter chakra flow." The snake Sannin explained, "Back in the day when some shinobi wanted to improve their strength they willingly removed a part of their chakra network. Of course, that was a handicap, but it allowed them a far easier access to more chakra … However, it was only because they completely destroyed the chakra network of their legs."

Kabuto was interested, "So it gave them greater upper body strength, right?"

"And allowed them to still use jutsus by using their hands." Orochimaru continued, "It was a sacrifice some took. They had to train their legs rigorously to keep up with other shinobi, and it made them unable to walk on trees or water but made their strikes far heavier and made using hand signs a breeze."

"But since you took his arms, he can't perform any jutsu he had mastered." Kabuto concluded.

The pale man cackled briefly, "That Jinchuuriki can still fight, but no longer can he hope to surpass those that can summon fire at will…"

"You still gave him a bestial lower body strength, Orochimaru-sama." The spectacled spy retorted.

Orochimaru scoffed, "And it's all he'll ever have. The likes of Sasuke-kun can use countless jutsus, while he will just weight down our dear Uchiha boy. When Sasuke-kun realizes it, he will come to me. After all, what can a little crippled kid do against the likes of someone who has been blessed since birth?"

Said boy was resting on his own bed, pondering on everything that happened after the matches. His legs, after being forced to fight for however many hours it took him to get his team a clear shot to get the scroll they needed, had been aching. Cuts, bruises, and of course the strain he put his muscles through to kick Kiba and Akamaru in the face… It felt worth it, he couldn't lie about that.

Several things happened, almost all battles had ended with blood, he was approached by the makeup wearing Sand shinobi who he did not trust or like in the slightest, and Hinata had… "I have to find a way to be stronger…" he growled, lifting his pants and looking at his legs.

After a good night's rest, his flesh was healed like nothing had ever happened, mostly thanks to the one residing in his gut. However, the fox's chakra couldn't help his clothing, so he was forced to wear his orange shorts for warm weather and, since he had nothing else, a black muscle shirt. Like before, he had his headband wrapped on his right bicep, and thus his hair had become changed from an urchin into a messy mop.

And he had to find someone that could train him, someone that could understand his dilemma, someone… that was youthful.

After entering Rock Lee's hospital room he found his sensei, Maito Gai, about to leave, "Oh, Naruto." He had lost some of the spark in his eyes, "Are you here to visit Lee too?"

The blond nodded, "And for something else…"

The fuzzy browed man sighed tiredly, "I'm afraid it's no use, Lee's sleeping right now, though I had to…" he shook his head, "Sorry, I shouldn't be this pessimist with someone my student considers his rival."

Naruto perked up, "I… I see, I'm glad to hear it!" he was surprised, but to hear something that nice was a welcomed change of pace, "Listen, Super Fuzzy Brow-sensei… I need you to train me."

Despite how bushy his eyebrows were, Gai would never take anything related to them as an insult. What he did was take the last sentence with surprise, "Wait, wait, wait! Are you serious?! Naruto, you will face one of my own students in the final part of the exams! I-"

"I can't use chakra…" Naruto told the man, flexing one arm, "At least, my arms can't use chakra anymore."

That was intriguing to say the least, "Explain yourself, please." The green clad man said in a serious tone not even a certain scarecrow saw much of.

"Back at the forest there was this weirdo disguised as a genin. He attacked us and decided to destroy my arms' chakra network for fun…" he growled that part out, nearly spitting out venom before staring at the youthful Jounin in the eye and trying to be the most serious he could ever be, "That is why I need your help, Gai-sensei. You and Lee made it this far without chakra, and… I also want to be that sand bastard."

Gai tensed, but his expression remained stoic, "You attempt to avenge Lee as well?"

Naruto nodded, his fists tightened so hard his knuckles turned white, "Neji, Gaara, and that freak at the forest, they all rely on something they take for granted. You and Lee worked hard to get where you are, so I want to show them, no, I want to show everyone what I can do with what I have."

"An impressive speech." Another voice said.

It was then that Naruto noticed someone else had visited Lee, most likely pulled by their sensei, "Neji…" Tenten started, frowning at her teammate.

"You're actually begging your enemy's teacher to help you beat him?" Neji mocked, "Not only that, you just admitted how weak you've become… I am in awe, really. I mean, how dumb do you need to be to see that fate itself isn't going to grant you any favors?"

"Then let's make a bet!" Naruto shouted at the Hyuuga boy, his glare so hot it could melt steel, "We will fight in a month at the tournament, and if I lose, and that is a very big IF, then I'll quit being a ninja!"

Neji smirked while Tenten and Gai gasped at what Naruto just said, "Putting on such bravado will get you nowhere… But fine, let's see if you really can keep your word. I accept." He shrugged, extending his hand, which Naruto shook. The Byakugan user noted how the blond tried to break his hand with his grip but didn't let it show, "What happens if I lose? Do you want me to apologize and say you're stronger than me?"

"And you'll do so on your hands and knees!" Naruto declared before pulling his hand back, "And…" he pointed at Gai, "You'll have to wear Fuzzy Brow's frog suit for five years!"

Neji was taken back, he even took a step back, "Wait, what?! I didn't agree on-" he glared at Tenten who started to giggle, failing to conceal her laughing fit with her hand on her mouth.

"You already shook hands, Neji." Gai said… while in his mind images of him and his two male students frolicking in a field of youth wearing his trademark green outfit made him nearly tear up.

Naruto sealed the deal with one taunt, "What's the matter? Scared?"

Neji and the blond locked glares, managing a very strained smile, "I won't let anyone know what happened to you… so that I can destroy you utterly when you have to face your fate."

"I'll look forward to it." Naruto said with a forced smirk.

The two brown haired teens left Naruto and Gai to talk of the former's new training regime… and once out of the hospital, the lavender eyed boy had to stop for a few seconds to hold his hand with gritted teeth. Even without chakra, Naruto's grip had been strong enough to make the Hyuuga's façade nearly fall.

XXXXXX

Gai had one simple question when he and his new disciple reached the middle of a clearing in a forest of the Leaf to start training.

"Are you sure about this, Naruto?" he finally dropped the bomb, "You could have asked Kakashi for help, I bet even with your arms the way they are now he could teach you something."

Naruto shook his head, "Nah, I bet he'd actually dump me to train Sasuke to fight that ring-eyed freak." And cue a sneeze from said scarecrow, "Besides, I've seen the way Lee can throw some kicks, so I want to learn that."

Gai hummed, "You're asking me to simply train your legs, but that would leave you at a disadvantage."

"It's the only strength I have." Naruto countered.

Gai nodded, "You're right, but it's also a weakness, a weakness we have to balance." He grinned, "Luckily for you, you chose the right master for it. If your legs are the ones that will do all the attacking, then your arms should help them regardless of whether you use chakra or not."

After saying that, the man lifted his right foot above his head at an angle Naruto would have thought impossible, "But you didn't use your arms at all!"

"Don't be fooled, look at them!" Gai said with his beaming smile, and the kid finally noticed the guard the man had, "When I threw my kick, I not only kept my arms up to make sure my guard wasn't down even when I attacked, but…" put his foot down and stretched his other leg, perfectly parallel to the ground, "…I can also use them to keep my balance like this."

Naruto stared at his arms before nodding, "Then where do we start?"

Gai grinned, and Naruto knew he'd be in for a hellish training, but if he could put his foot on Neji's face it'd be worth it.

That day Naruto kicked the air for about twenty thousand nine hundred and eighty seven times. All the while he had been listening to Gai telling him that if he couldn't do a kick properly he'd have to try another a certain amount of times. The blond understood why Lee was so strong, but not once did he complain, not even when he wanted to.

When the sky was dark and the only light was from the stars, Gai finally tried to stop Naruto, "You're still nowhere close to finding your balance, but you're improved your technique a bit. Tomorrow we shall start stretching exercises to give you the flexibility needed for more advanced techniques, then-"

"Let's do it now!" the sweat drenched blond exclaimed, although he regretted it for he had already been out of breath, "I… I can't get as strong as… you or Lee… if I don't push myself like you…" he took a deep breath before stepping forward to the green clad man, "So please, don't let me stop until I fall down!"

Gai looked at the boy, his clothes were completely soaked with sweat and his legs were shaking from the exhaustion, and yet those blue eyes still had a lot of life in them.

"Well said!" he gave the kid his trademark Nice Guy pose, complete with shining teeth.

Naruto returned the thumb up.

From then on things had turned quite intense, not only from the intensive training but other events like meeting Gaara in Lee's room and hearing how much of a nihilist he was.

Though it gave Naruto more of a reason to train and put up with whatever Gai could throw at him until he passed out. Surprisingly, Naruto didn't go down easily even if it was Gai the one training him. Maybe the rumors of the Uzumaki clan having a lot of vitality weren't just rumors. But the youthful Jounin still found ways to give the kid a few visions of what Hell could be like.

Without a functioning chakra flow his arms had to be trained extra hard so push-ups became as regular as squats and kicks.

At least Gai did tell him how to walk on water to better control his legs' chakra for more efficient kicking.

But then some of the man's ideas were highly questioned by Naruto.

"A diet?!" Naruto nearly cried.

Gai flashed him a smile, "Fish, salad and water from now on, Naruto-kun! If you want your muscles to use all their strength, you will need to eat food which nutrients will help you for this entire month."

That was one, the other…

"We have to build resistance on your abdomen!" the man shouted at the blond currently hanging from a tree, tied by his legs and moving his torso back and forth to strengthen his abs and back. Sadly for him, Gai was ready to greet him with a punch to the gut every time he was done to get him to build that resistance.

And there was one time in which he had to climb a waterfall by running… without chakra.

Naruto could only groan every time he woke up. He was barely at his apartment anymore, it was actually clean from one time he pondered to take a rest from the training, and his fridge had only fish, salad and bottles of water in it. He still went back to the clearing to take whatever pain the green clad man would dish out until he passed out.

In the middle of their training, Gai had an odd idea, "Naruto, I know you wish to defeat Neji this way, but despite your condition you have one advantage Lee and I don't."

"What is it?" the boy asked, pausing from kicking a huge boulder into pebbles.

Gai grinned and pulled out a small slip of paper, "You'll have to hold this between your fingers… Uh… between your toes, and channel some chakra into it."

Naruto did as told, putting the piece of paper between his toes and focusing his chakra on it, seeing it do something quite surprising, "It split up!"

"That paper is used to determine the kind of chakra a shinobi uses, yours is wind. Lee and I can do stuff like walk on surfaces and water but we can't do jutsus as complicated as a fireball. I just thought to give you an edge in your fight with Neji, and it seems it's a more literal one than I imagined." Gai then put a hand on his chin, "Lucky for you, I know the man that can teach you, but he may be busy training his own student…"

"Who is it?!" the blond asked, before a thought hit him, "Wait, can I ask you a favor?"

The bowl cut wearing man leaned his head to the side, "It depends, though. What are you worried about?"

"You see how much I've changed, right?" Gai nodded, "I'd like to keep this a secret for now, Gai-sensei. I want to surprise everyone with how much I've changed thanks to you. So I'd like you to ask this guy how to use wind chakra."

There was something Gai could respect on that. Naruto lost a lot and wanted to show everyone how much he changed for the better despite something that would have broken others down. It was a will to keep on fighting, to truly change fate, that showed how filled with determination Naruto truly was.

Of course, Gai agreed and had to add wind chakra training to their regime… It was quite odd to see Naruto press a leaf between the soles of his feet before moving to bigger stuff, but it showed how far someone could go for their dream.

And on the final day of training, when the night covered the entire place, Gai approached the blond, "You've done exceptionally well, my new disciple. Lee and I decided to reward your efforts, whether you win or lose."

Naruto was taken aback when the man handed him a package, "Wait, Lee and you bought me something?"

Gai gave him a thumb up, "Like I said, you have a long way to go to master this style you've taken, but we thought you could use something to help with your defense. Open it."

Naruto did and nearly squealed in joy at what it was, "Thanks, Gai-sensei! I mean it… Thank you!"

He gave the man a deep bow, which Gai replied with one of his own, "It's a teacher's duty to help a person to surpass their limits. I can't wait to see how far you go."

"I'm not planning on stopping, not now or ever!" he pulled his gift, a pair of gauntlets to reinforce the use of his arms for defense, "If Lee is going to become a great Jounin with taijutsu only, I'll become Hokage using only my feet!"

The man roared in good hearted laughter, "Well said!" however, his laughter slowed down and his features softened, "Naruto… can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?" the boy asked curiously.

Gai sighed, "When you face Neji, there is something you must know about him. With how much you've grown, I think you're the one that knock some sense into him… That is why I want you to promise me that no matter what, when it's time for you two to fight… you won't let anything he says get to you."

"I…" Naruto started, looking down, "I can't promise that, sorry… I don't care what he may have gone through at this point, after the way he acted I just want to show him how full of crap he is."

Surprisingly, Gai smiled, "I see, you have very strong beliefs… Ok, I'll tell you…"

XXXXXX

The day of the final part of the Chuunin tests had arrived and everyone was ready, except for two, Sasuke and Naruto.

Some people were worried, but Tenten had to address her sensei at her side, "Gai-sensei, are you sure this is ok? Neji is your student, and Naruto's his opponent."

Gai beamed, "A teacher's job is to help those that seek for him, and both are shinobi of the Leaf."

"I can see your point, but even if you helped him, there's no way Neji could lose." She sounded a bit sad, "I… I've had a hard time helping Neji train knowing of that bet. At first I thought Naruto would come and try to talk his way out of it, but… if he loses… I don't… I don't think I could see that."

Gai laughed, "My cute little disciple is like Lee and I, so don't worry, even if it's impossible or laughable, he will push through. And if the world tries to shove him down, he'll push harder!"

Lee, who had been taken on a wheelchair by Gai to see the match, was burning, "I can't wait to see the fruit of Naruto-san's efforts! I bet his youth must burn even more passionately than ever if he was with you through this ordeal, Gai-sensei!"

"You bet, Lee!" the man boomed with a laugh, leaving Tenten to sigh at the duo's father-son antics.

"I hope you're right." She mumbled.

Meanwhile, Sakura was fretting, "Come on, you two…"

"What's the matter?" Ino asked as she approached her, "You know Sasuke won't lose easily… or are you worried about Naruto?"

Sakura sighed, "I'm…. not sure… I guess I worry more about Naruto now…" she looked down, "I should have never let him go this far. He'll only hurt himself."

That worried the blonde, "What do you mean? Did something happen to him?"

Sakura was about to reply but the referee cut her off, "We can't delay this any further, if Naruto Uzumaki doesn't arrive for the first match, his opponent Neji Hyuuga will win by-"

"Dynamic…"

Every fighter, mostly Neji, tensed at hearing that voice, the brunet whipping his head to look at the large gates to the arena, "Is this a joke?" he thought that the blond would have quit when he realized his mistake.

"ENTRY!"

He certainly didn't expect to see the doors get kicked open by a flying Naruto, who upon landing skidded to a halt before looking up with a grin at the others that made Gai and Lee proud.

Several things happened when the cloud of dust that Naruto's feet kicked up on his landing settled down. Most kunoichi, including Tenten and Temari, blushed. A certain smoking Jounin felt his cigarette slip from his lips. Everyone else was confused if not shocked at the sight. Hinata's little sister Hanabi realized why her sibling acted the way she did while Hinata became redder than a tomato. Chouji even stopped eating.

Kiba had to rub his eyes, "Is that… Naruto…?"

Said boy did notice some changes as the result of his training when one morning he looked at himself on the mirror. He had trained so rigorously he didn't even glance at himself and just changed out of his pajamas until one day. At the moment he was clad in only his boxers and then he could finally see the transformation, he had lost a lot of weight. His arm could fit in his boxers, for starters.

At the time he hadn't recalled that he started using his headband as a waistband when in one training session his clothes felt loose. Not only that, his arms were still lean but heavily marked with muscle, his shoulders had broadened a bit, he had an iron hard six pack, and steel pectorals.

Last but not least, he had let his hair grow into a messy mop that was slowly covering his ear, so he pulled it back to see that his face had lost a good amount of baby fat. After getting that shock out of the way, the boy went to the nearest for a new set of clothes. Gai had been surprising at seeing him, but ended up giving him another Nice Guy trademark grin.

The boy that arrived at the tournament had blond hair pulled back in a spiky mane that reached his chin. His strong arms could be seen fully since now he wore only an orange vest with his clan's symbol on his back and pouches for kunais and shuriken. His heavily trained legs were hidden by a pair of black baggy pants with a pouch for kunais on his right leg, and his feet were covered by steel-toe black combat boots.

His headband rested on his right biceps once again, and his arms were now guarded by Gai's present, a pair of black, fingerless steel gauntlets. The armor was thin but looked really sturdy, and one could tell by the way Naruto walked that he had confidence in them.

Then the blond chuckled dumbly while rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry about the wait… I ran up into some bulls."

True enough, about a couple dozen bulls were on the other side of the gates… with Naruto's boots imprinted on their bodies.

"That is quite the interesting shinobi you have there, Hokage-sama." The supposed Kazekage told Sarutobi.

"Indeed, though I'm having trouble believing who he is… He's changed quite a lot." The old monkey admitted.

Naruto grinned sheepishly at the referee, "I'm not too late, am I? I have a bet I came to win."

He and Neji shot each other glares, and the referee knew things would get out of hand if blood didn't start flying.

Soon both were face to face, Neji taking his traditional stance the Hyuuga clan kept passing on, and Naruto in a different one. Naruto's legs were spread with his left foot forward, the knees bent, and he had his left hand down at his waist's level while keeping his right near his chest while facing forward. Neji could tell by the way his opponent got into position that there was a clear improvement.

NARUTO UZUMAKI VS. NEJI HYUUGA

THE LIGHT'S PIERCING THE DARK EYES!

ROUND 1!

BEGIN!

"I'm amazed you still want to fight me… But this is as far as you can go." Neji said, focusing on his opponent, "You can actually save yourself the humiliation and simply give u-"

Neji was unable to finish that sentence when Naruto disappeared in a blur of speed, forcing the Hyuuga to use his clan's eyes to find him. Naruto hadn't disappeared, he had jumped straight at him, "Will you shut up?!" the airborne blond roared with his right foot lifted above his head, bringing his heel down on the Byakugan user.

The brunet stepped back, clenching his jaw when the younger boy's heel managed to scrape his cheek. But that wasn't enough to make his pride hurt. Naruto's heel hit the floor after missing its mark, the blond landed doing a perfect split with the entire length of his legs on the ground. The instant his boot touched the ground, Neji could feel it shake with a crater the size of a grown man's torso beneath the kid's foot.

Neji would have attacked there and then, but Naruto effortlessly pulled his legs back together, standing up with great ease before taking his stance again, this time grinning. The crowd was already starting to whisper about how the blond dead last had managed to harm a prodigy without getting hit first. Feelings mixed in awe and disbelief, though Neji's were pure anger at both himself for his carelessness and the blond.

The brunet scoffed, "It seems you really like pushing your luck."

"It's what I live for!" Naruto enthusiastically replied.

Naruto didn't waste any time again, he straight up ran and started throwing kicks. Neji would have chortled dismissively at such strikes any other time, but when Naruto's right leg had been about to meet one of his paralyzing strikes the younger shinobi's other leg was up. Despite his training, Neji knew he couldn't take hits from the blond, not after what happened to Kiba, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Neji side-stepped the strike, belittling himself briefly for letting the blond get this close to him. It was a grave mistake, for the blond hadn't tried to kick him with his left leg, instead he used the momentum to spin his body around and bring up his right leg. This time, Neji had to use both hands to take the strike and attempt to stop it, his palms colliding with the smaller genin's shin. And that was his mistake.

"Grk!" Neji audibly cringed when the Jinchuuriki's leg connected with his defense, bending his arms back despite the amount of chakra he poured to paralyze the limb and push Naruto back.

"Ora!" Naruto shouted when his shin finally made contact with Neji's ribs, making the Hyuuga lose his breath and almost return his lunch, "Urya!" this time Naruto brought his other heel to his opponent's gut, "Get!" he howled, lifting his right foot and aiming the upper side at Neji's face, "Bent!"

All that Neji knew next was that he was spinning in the air, his equilibrium completely gone before he finally smashed against something, a wall that had been a good thirty feet behind him moments ago. The audience was stunned into silence while the Hyuuga slid off, still breathing but looking beyond shocked and slowly but surely growing enraged.

"H-How…?!" Neji growled, "Do you think you can… change what life has done to you…?! You can't even use your arms for fighting or jutsus!"

Everyone watching was even more stunned at such a revelation.

Naruto just smirked, "It's simple…" he got into his stance, as did the furious Neji, "I simply don't care!"

"What?!" Neji felt like a vein was about to pop in his head.

"I don't care whether it's the rules of nature or whatever, what matters is what I do here and now with what I have!" the blond then returned the glare he was receiving from his opponent, "Keep whining about how fate does things all you want, because I will do what I want with my life, starting by making you eat your words!"

"Don't act so self-righteous!" Neji shouted back, "I hit you, and soon you won't be able to move at your full speed."

Naruto brought up his right knee, all the while locking glares with the brunet, "I didn't train my legs for nothing… There was only one thing I cared about when I asked Gai-sensei to train me, just one. If I couldn't get through your defense with my own tricks, I wanted to break it with my kicks!"

Things seemed to go weird when everyone watched Naruto crouching, his legs bent with his knees above the ground, his chest near the ground, and one hand on the floor. Before anyone could question if he was serious or criticize him for that odd pose he leapt. The blond jumped right at the brunet like a frog, but unlike a frog he rolled his body in the air, bringing his feet up to slam them down on Neji.

"Not good enough!" Neji shouted, raising his arms to stop Naruto's feet from hitting his face. "You're too easy to read, you fool-"

"Ora!" Naruto shouted midair, lifting up his feet and slamming them down in a rain of kicks, "Ora, ora, ora!"

Neji ground his teeth while forcing his hands to parry each of the younger fighter's kicks. The whiskered genin's legs moved in a blur, at times even disappearing from view with every new kick Naruto delivered. Neji noticed his opponent was getting faster and faster, trying hard to kick his face in. Finally, Naruto had to land for he couldn't remain in the air forever, and both combatants took their distance.

"D-Damn you…" Neji cringed for his arms were covered in bruises.

"Did you think I'd train for nothing?" Naruto retorted, "Be as proud as you want of what you have, but if you believe I'll let you toy with people because of it, think again!" he bared his teeth, "Gai-sensei told me of you, of what happened to the Hyuuga clan and your father… But you know what?! You can keep clinging to that as much as you want and keep blaming fate for it!"

Neji wasn't angry anymore, he was livid, and he charged at Naruto, "Stop being so self-righteous!" he shouted, chakra swirling around his body.

Naruto slammed his left foot forward, bending the knee, "And you need to grow up and leave the past behind!" he spun his heel, "Instead of blaming fate, make your own future!"

Neji spun his body around, creating a perfect cocoon of spinning chakra that he intended to blast Naruto with. The blond for his part spun his body around, turning his back to Neji. The Hyuuga advanced, his chakra spinning with fury to crush the blond and send him flying back. The whiskered Uzumaki used the momentum of his waist turning to stretch his right leg backwards, aiming his heel at the brunet.

The air rippled around the entire arena, kicking dust and leaves from the nearby trees up into the air. At the Kage booth Sarutobi had to hold his breath at what he saw. Naruto's foot was covered in chakra, wind chakra. The instant his kick connected with the chakra cocoon, it cut right through like a knife on hot butter.

All Neji knew next was that a heel had been firmly connected with his chin, and next his body was sent flying back. It was then that Neji felt the full force of Naruto's legs, and the contestants, the referee, and the entire audience felt their jaws fall when the Hyuuga flew high into the air before crashing down on the stands. The referee could only gape at the sprawled genin on the stairs, said boy's mouth gaping in shock.

"D-Dammit… " the Hyuuga boy cursed, trying to lift his head, "H-How did he… get so…" he let his head fall down in exhaustion, it was clear Neji wouldn't move for the time being.

A certain Jounin placed a new cigarette in his mouth, lighting it up, "So that is why Gai asked me to tell him how to use wind chakra…"

Ino felt her jaw reach for the floor, "That can't be Naruto… since when did he get so hot?!"

Kiba gulped, "I'm glad I didn't face him here…"

Chouji actually lost his grip on his bag of chips, speechless.

Shikamaru grumbled, "Damn it, no way am I fighting him…"

Gaara simply stared intently at the blond, but the hint of an eager grin appeared on his face.

Kankuro watched in disbelief, "That pipsqueak really got stronger."

Little Hanabi Hyuuga felt like she understood why her sister crushed on the Uzumaki.

Sakura was as shocked as Ino, "Is there even a limit to what he won't try to do?"

Hinata smiled, happy that the blond won.

Temari for her part watched in interest, "Not bad…"

"That's the training of someone that knows how to enjoy their youth, Tenten!"

The poor brunette sighed, knowing she'd hear comments like that for a bit from her sensei and teammate.

Finally, Naruto lowered his foot with a grin of pride, before energetically bringing his arms up, "I did it!"

Just as he cheered, the entire crowd burst into applause and cheers of their own, amazed at the strength of the blond shinobi.

XXXXXX

And that's my rap!

I hope you all enjoyed this. I've been practicing Lima Lama for some time, a Polynesian martial art that involves some good kicks. Unfortunately, I'm not very flexible despite my long legs, but little by little I feel like I'm growing stronger.

Thanks to that training I no longer feel afraid of many things, and I can even take some punches quite well from more experienced classmates. It doesn't mean I'm a tank, but I can at least stand pain more. It's a long way before I can do any crazy stuff, but seeing how much I've grown from a wimpy guy who'd never stand up for himself to someone who is unafraid to taking a punch, I feel glad I started training.

Thus, the idea for this came asking myself what would happen if Naruto had a handicap. I myself need glasses, which gives me a disadvantage when I'm sparring without them. Then I found some combo videos of Regal Bryant and Kim Kaphawn, and this came to mind.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Swordslinger out!