Fear? A strange emotion to say the least. Fear drives us…brings us closer…creates bonds and destroys barriers. From fear can spring hope, strength, and even love. I…do not feel fear. I believe myself to be eternal…and am now trapped here…with you, stripling, to either permit or deny me access to that which is beyond this place inside of you.
The young man had been listening quietly to the musings posed from behind the large cage in front of him. "I am not afraid of you." He practically hissed this as he raised his head, his blue eyes blazing.
A wave of heat blew past him, rustling the blonde locks upon his head. Red energy was interlaced with the wind and seemed to linger around him, mixing with his eyes and giving them a brief tinge of violet.
Yet…we are one. As I need you…so do you need me. I am you…you are me…you need my chakra…I offer it to you freely…so why are you here again?
The young man tightened his fists until the bones within them creaked in protest. His knuckles crackled and his skin groaned like aged leather as fingers were squeezed against palm. "I am not you, you damn fox…" The red chakra began to flow into him…become one with him. "I am Naruto Uzumaki…and as long as you're staying here…you're going to pay rent!" The young man's eyes became red and his canines enlarged. Claws sprouted from the ends of his fingers and dove into the skin of his palms, flowing crimson down the lengths of the calloused fingers.
Naruto's eyes sprung open from where he'd landed after being hit with the water-jutsu. The situation came back to Naruto instantly; He was in the Chuunin exams. His opponent was an incredibly strong water ninja who had just used his strongest jutsu.
Naruto stood and bared his teeth. "I'm not losing to you today…" Power surrounded the young blonde as he rose to his feet.
"Im…Impossible!" The water ninja looked to the stands, searching for the eyes of his sensei.
His trainer's eyes were wide as well, focused upon the impossible image of a battered leaf ninja rising to his feet. The elder water ninja had given his student a special seal, allowing the younger ninja access to the chakra of all elder water ninja in attendance. It should have been impossible for any one ninja to exhaust the chakra of four elder shinobi…but here stood Naruto, flowing with an impossible abundance of chakra while his opponent had barely any left at all.
In the stands, two sets of pale eyes watched Naruto rise to his feet. One set which had been hidden behind a pair of very delicate hands filled with tears of joy. "Naruto-kun!" Hinata Hyuuga smiled and blushed as she realized she'd cheered out loud.
"Yes!" This had been from the other set of pale eyes, Neji Hyuuga. He was also cheering for Naruto yet was much less abashed at his outburst.
"Okay!" Another loud cheer came from Neji's left. "Get him, Naruto!" This was Rock Lee, his bushy eyebrows lowered in concentration. "I will not take my eyes off of Naruto so that his opponent knows who I am rooting for!"
"Lee…I think he already knows…" Neji moved his eyes back to the fight below and sighed heavily.
"Jeraiya…" Tsunade grimaced. She recognized the kyuubi's chakra and could see the three tails sprouting from the red surrounding the young blonde.
"I'm watching, Madame Hokage." Jeraiya clenched his fist and prayed that Naruto would not lose control…it had become harder and harder to contain the nine-tailed fox each time the demon's immense power was called upon.
The water ninja looked back to the opponent in front of him, then to the left and right, trying to think of anything he could do to stop what was about to happen next.
"Enough screwing around!" Naruto charged forward with a roar. "You're finished!"
