Fight Against Destiny
Gathered in the designated corridor, the Chunin-hopefuls worked to suppress their nerves and/or excitement before they were called out onto the arena floor. It would not be long before they stood in front the large crowd that had come to witness the wins and losses of these up and coming Genin. Within a short period of time, they would learn if they had the right stuff, or if still had a long way to go. No matter that case, everyone's in for more than they expected...
Walking out onto the arena floor, Naruto felt his nerves nearly on edge as much as the time they'd spent fighting against Zabuza. Though there wasn't any mist to hinder his field of vision, he couldn't pinpoint the location of his anxiety anywhere in the stadium. No matter what he tried, he couldn't shake the sensation that there were too many unfamiliar faces in the crowd.
Turning to voice his opinion, he found that his fellow teammate was not to be seen amongst the other Genin. "Hey, where's Sasuke at? That idiot best not have run out, because I'm looking forward to shoving my foot in his-"
"Naruto, please be quiet. This is all troublesome enough as it is." Shikamaru had said this before the blonde could finish voicing his distaste for Sasuke's tardiness, which only furthered his irritability.
Turning to face the lazy person next to him, he began to take all of his aggravation out on the shadow manipulator. "Shikamaru, you're only pissed because you have one extra fight compared to the rest of us. If you had your way, you'd be at home, sitting on your ass and looking up at the freaking clouds!"
Rubbing his temples, Shikamaru looked away from Naruto and concentrated on ignoring the loud mouth. 'Not like he has to fight 3 times just to get into the finals. If I didn't have to worry about Ino chewing me out for quitting, I would indeed be at home, watching the clouds. How troublesome...'
"You two, stop being children and actually stand up straight. You've got an obligation to give the customers a show." This said, the Jonin that had replaced the sickly Hayate as referee faced the crowd with a cocky smirk upon his face. 'Doesn't get much better than this.'
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In the upper levels the stadium, the third Hokage sat in the VIP box provided to him and any other Kage that wished to view the Chunin exam's finals. Thinking to himself that this batch of Genin was one of the better groups that they've had in quite some time, he failed to notice as the fourth Kazekage sidled into the booth.
"Hello, Sarutobi." The Kazekage spoke from beneath his wide-brimmed hat and his off-white veil. "I hope I'm not intruding by inquiring to sit with you during this joyous occasion."
Turning his attention from his inner musings toward his Suna counterpart, Sarutobi smiles and waves his hand towards the seat beside him. "Of course not, my old friend. You should know by now that what's mine is yours."
Beneath the veil was a very toothy smile that went unseen, however the third Hokage did take note that the Kazekage's eyes had a strange look about them that he didn't remember being there before. Playing it off on stress and old age, Sarutobi turned back to the arena floor and wait for the show to start.
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Turning back to the Genin, the Jonin referee spoke to the teens to inform them of a few things. "Here's the updated schedule for the tournament. Remember it, because I won't be showing it again."
With his usual lazy appearance written all over his face and body, Shikamaru turned to the chart a short while after the others only to see that the only changes that took place affected him solely. 'What's going on? Did that sound nin drop out? Something's not right, here.'
"That's all good and junk, but what happens since Sasuke's not here?" Naruto's question seemed to only further annoy the referee, though the others felt it was a valid question. Perhaps, if he had said it in a more polite manner, the results wouldn't be so bad.
Eye twitching slightly, the referee fought to keep a cool head when dealing with this snot-nosed brat. "When his round comes up, he will be disqualified if he hasn't yet arrived. Oh, and you'll be disqualified if you ask me one more stupid question. Am I making myself clear?!"
Seeing the crazed look in the man's eyes, a chill went down the Genin's back. "Sir, yes sir!" Quickly turning away from the Chunin exam's referee, Naruto walked mechanically away to hide amongst the other combatants, where he instantly hunched down with a bashful look on his face.
From up in the stands, an isolated group of people laughed at Naruto's expense.
"Naruto, you haven't changed a bit!" The feral looking teen nearly pissed his pants while laughing, his canine companion barking merrily from atop his head.
"Oi! Shut up, dog breath!" Naruto shouted up at the boy he'd previously defeated in a one-on-one match, shaking a fist to emphasize his words.
Startled out of his laughter, the Inuzuka sat forward and glared daggers and the blonde moron. "What did you just say to me, your orange loving queer boy?!"
A snarl upon his face, he laughed viciously while continuing to goad the boy. "Hah, and who was the one that lost our last match? I seem to be a little foggy on the details. Do you remember?"
"You little shithead! I want a rematch! No way you could get lucky like that again!" Pointing a challenging finger towards the ramen loving boy, Kiba growled predatorily.
Letting his fast land in his palm, he continued to poke and prod the boy. "Oh, that's right! I did win that fight, didn't I? Well, that would certainly explain why I'm down here and you're up there." Snickering at his own wit, he hadn't noticed the man behind him until he was smacked on the head with a clipboard.
Turning an indignant glare upon the man, he began to swear at the man. "Oi! What the hell's your issue?!"
A demonic glint showing in the man's eye, he grinned evilly at the now fuming boy in front of him. "Was that a question? If so, I'd be more than happy to-"
Panic filling his veins, he quickly waved his hands in front of him in a disarming fashion. "No! No, no, no! I was just thinking out loud to myself. Please don't make me leave!" Clapping his hands together, he looked up at the man with a pleading look on his face.
Seeing the puppy dog look coming from the boy in front of him, the proctor kicked himself for being unable to follow through with his threat. "Fine, fine. Just stand there and shut up. It's time for your match, anyways." As if they had actually been able to hear him, the entire arena's noise began to decrease in volume.
Coughing slightly before raising his voice, the proctor turned to face the Hokage up in the booth to make sure he had the green light to begin the matches. Seeing a slight smile on the elderly man's face and slow nod, he raised his hands above his head to gain the audience's attention.
"First match is Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji. All other fighters, please head up to the contestant box to wait for your turn." Giving the Genin around twenty seconds to get situated, he then turned to the two fighters. "Are you two ready?" Seeing the Hyuuga's smirking face and the blond's dark glare, both of them standing in a fighting stance to indicate that they were ready, he nodded. "Let the first match... BEGIN!"
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Back up in the VIP booth, the two Kages sat in eager silence while waiting for the match to begin.
Breaking the quiet period, the Kazekage spoke up. "It seems that the loud-mouthed brat will finally be shut up by his superior. How long do you think it will take for the Hyuuga boy to win, Sarutobi?"
A slightly knowing grin on the man's face, the third Hokage looked back at the fourth Kazekage. "Don't count Naruto out just yet. He has a knack of rising against the odds and surprising everyone. Just you wait and see."
Noting the man's simple words held an almost caring tone to them, he had to ask the man about it. "Why is it you hold the boy in such regards? You speak of him as if he's of your own ilk, which I know not to be the case."
Sitting back in his seat, the older man looked down at the aforementioned boy and sighed. "While he may be a pain in my neck, he does have a great deal of redeeming qualities. Even in the worst situations, he always looks for the best in things. After all the time that I've known him, he's become almost like a grandchild to me. While not related by blood, he's still quite precious to me." Smiling down at the boy, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. 'You're turning out just like your father, brat. I'm sure he'd be proud of you.'
During the conversation, the Hokage noticed the referee looking up at him for confirmation to start the match, so he nodded slightly. "Shall we hold off on this until after the match? I can't help but feel excited for some strange reason...."
A focused look in his eyes, the other kage looked down at the two boys with an interest he'd not shown until this time. "Yes, let's."
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Hearing the man in the middle of the ring announce the beginning of the match, Naruto tensed his muscles and stood firmly in his place.
Tilting his head to the side, the pale-eyed Hyuuga smirked at his opponent. "Looks like you have something to say..."
Putting out his fist and glaring darkly at him, he made a bold proclamation. "I told you before... You're definitely going down!" Without a speck of fear in him, he stared down the boy with a noble family.
"Hehe... That's what makes it worthwhile." Raising his hand with fingers closed, the older boy turned his palm towards the blonde. "It will be fun to watch you fall apart when you discover reality."
A vicious grin on his face, he lowered his stance. "Stop all the blabbering! Let's fight!"
Staring into the other boy's eyes, he remembered what he'd been taught about the Byakugan. 'If I get too close, he'll press my points and I won't be able to use jutsus. I'll just have to fight from a distance.'
Using a tiger hand seal on both of his hands, Naruto crossed his arms and called out the name of his technique. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Jutsu) Creating four separate shadow clones, all five versions of the boy drew a kunai from behind their backs.
Activating his clan's bloodline limit, he examined the five figures before him to locate the real one, only to find they all had the exact same chakra pathways and levels of chakra.
Even with this daunting revelation, the Byakugan wielder smirked at the (in his opinion) worthless excuse of a ninja. "They may be the same, but there's only one true body in the end."
~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~
Okay, please don't kill me - I realize that it's not much different from the original story. I had difficulty writing it because it felt repetitive. The next chapter will have all the fights, but will be far more interesting. I thank the two people that gave me reviews, even though one was kind of rude. Thank you all for reading, and please review - reviews help me to improve the story.
The only time Japanese will be used is for stuff like Byakugan, jutsus and titles (ie. Hokage, Kazekage, etc.). I do this because it makes it easier for everyone that reads.
Read, rate and check back next friday for more!
