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Naruto Uchiha: The Prophet with the Cursed Eyes
Konoha, Day of the Final Stage
A pair of bleary blue eyes opened reluctantly as slumber was ripped away from their owner. Naruto groaned softly as he blinked a couple of times to see if he could possibly sleep any longer but his body would not allow him that luxury this day. Naruto sat up slowly letting the single blanket he was using pool around his waist revealing his bare torso. Glancing to the clock Naruto saw there was still another four hours until the final stage of the Chunin Exams even begun. Naruto sighed softly running his hand through his raven locks while releasing the seals on his window allowing the sunlight to filter through the glass pane. Naruto rose from his bed stretching out some of his more frequently used muscles with a quick grunt.
'One more day and then the firestorm will fall around me.' Naruto noted silently as he walked into the shower and prepared himself for the day ahead. 'One more day and then this village will remember its pariah but now the wolf has grown his fangs and is not afraid to use them.' Naruto continued to think on what the future had in store for him as he finished his shower and dressed himself. Naruto now dressed and hygienic took a step out on to the large balcony he had built during his third month in living in the complex.
A small caw invaded Naruto's ear and soon after Naruto felt there was an additional but small weight rested upon his left shoulder. Naruto turned his head and let his eyes linger on Suisei his new familiar. With a small smile Naruto ran his finger gently across the gleaming black feathers on the back of her neck and lower back. Naruto wasn't sure what he would get when the old crow told him he would be getting a partner but after talking with Suisei and getting to know her Naruto knew he couldn't be happier. "How was your night Suisei?"
The young crow cawed happily under her new friend's gentle ministrations inching closer to Naruto's cheek. "It was absolutely wonderful Naruto-kun, thank you getting that tree for me!" Suisei replied to Naruto's question through their Soul Link. Initially she was worried since she wanted to stay close to Naruto but did not want to be confined inside of the apartment but Naruto quickly remedied the small problem with the help of a shadow clone which bought a small tree that could fit the fledgling crow and put it right outside of Naruto's bedroom which was where the balcony was located.
Naruto smile grew just a tad as Suisei scooted on closer to his face not minding the action one bit. Naruto slowly walked back into the living area of the apartment with Suisei sitting on his shoulder enjoying the ride. In truth Naruto's apartment only had three main parts to it which where the main section that held the bed rooms, wash rooms, kitchen and such basically a whole house. Above that was where Naruto would store away any information he had acquired that could be considered sensitive, under tight lockdown by some Fuinjutsu of course. And beneath the main area was where he had created his training ground which was quite the mess at the moment.
Naruto slowly looked back at Suisei and noticed that her Sharingan was blazing and she was staring right back into his eyes. He didn't want people to try and experiment on her in case they found out of her having his bloodline. He doubted they could catch her but it never hurt to be cautious. "I'm not sure how much chakra it takes for you to keep those going but I'm going to teach you how to activate and deactivate them at your leisure. You know how to control the flow of your chakra yes?" Suisei merely nodded. "Good then just temporarily stop the slow to your eyes and they should turn off since we are no longer in Kurohane."
Suisei closed her eyes in concentration and did as Naruto instructed, momentarily halting her chakra from reaching her eyes. There was a slight sting and when she opened her eyes again they had returned to their normal charcoal color. Seeing Naruto's nod of approval Suisei hopped up on top of Naruto's head and nested in his black hair. She didn't know why but she just liked it there, plus it had a nice view. "What are we going to be doing today Naruto-kun?" Suisei asked Naruto curiously since he seemed to be focused in on something and as her new partner she wanted to stay with him as much as possible.
Naruto leaned back into the loveseat he had taken up and with an amused smile looked up at the crow with a red stripe on her beak, or at least tried. "What do you mean 'we'? I will be going to the Chunin Exams today even though my fight won't be until tomorrow." Naruto said plainly but that was clearly not the answer Suisei was looking for if the scoff he got through the Soul Link was any indication. "Is there a problem Suisei?" Naruto inquired curiously though he had an idea of what it was. Naruto could almost feel Suisei glaring into his hair which she had taken to resting in.
"Yes there is a problem mister. I am your partner so I need to accompany you to these exams." Suisei cawed at Naruto in a tone that made it seem like her logic was the most indisputable thing in the world. Naruto clearly had other ideas on this matter.
"No you cannot come with me. Besides you would be in danger since you are not combat ready yet." Naruto said sternly as he looked out the window into the village. It was true that the first year between a crow and their partner was sole for building an accord, trust. That was when Naruto felt and oppressive fear deep within his soul. It was that feeling when a woman was smiling an overly sweet smile that promised pain if the wrong answer was given.
"Are you saying you wouldn't protect me if someone tried anything? I mean I will be with you the entire time." The tone she used was very dangerous and Naruto knew it but fear would not have an influence on his feelings. Suisei too felt it through the link that Naruto would keep her from harm from anyone who attempted to harm her, especially with how they shared their similar pasts. Suisei bobbed her head in approval of Naruto's feelings since it just showed how right she was. "See, that is exactly what I thought. It is settled I am coming with you Naruto-kun."
Naruto sighed softly and rubbed his temples not because of Suisei's triumphant cawing but the irritation of working with a female crow. "Tiresome female…" Naruto muttered softly thinking Suisei would not hear him over her celebration but he was wrong. Suisei who did hear him narrowed her eyes before starting to peck viscously at his head while pulling out small strands of hair. Naruto's eyes widened in pain and he quickly sprung to his feet uttering random profanities from the pain until Suisei decided he had enough punishment. The young raven haired, crow wearing shinobi had a single thought as he wore a deadpan expression.
'What a wonderful way to start the day…'
"I heard that!"
Suisei replied through the link getting Naruto to groan and the Kyuubi who was awake to let out a deep chuckle at Naruto's life.
The crowd roared exuberantly as the participants filled into the stadium each person cheering for their sentimental favorite. The stands in the top ring of the stadium were frequented with those who hoped to make it big by placing a bet on a long shot. There were five chairs on the northern and southern ends of the stadium. The north end was reserved for the Kage and the southern end was for the daimyos. There were three proctors standing in front of the Chunin hopefuls. Most of the Genin were taken back by the sheer magnitude of the event; those who weren't were Naruto, Gaara, and a few others. The Leaf Jounin chewing on a senbon used chakra to magnify his voice and quiet down the crowd.
"Hello everyone and welcome to the 30th International Chunin exams, I am the head proctor Genma Shiranui. I would all like you to rise out of respect for the Kage who are about to make their entrance." The Jounin of the special squad meant to guard the Hokage requested as all eyes filtered to the northern section of the stadium.
The first person to enter the Kage's Booth was a beautiful woman who had a small smile on her face as she peered out at the crowd. Her green eyes showing a general warmth as she waved, her auburn hair falling down to her shins. Underneath the blue and white ceremonial robes of the Mizukage was a long, blue dress that went past the knees and was closed with a zipper on its front underneath that was a layer of chain mesh. This was Mei Terumi, the Godaime Mizukage of Kirigakure no Sato. She was the wielder of a dual bloodline and was the woman who took over directly after the Yondaime Mizukage was overthrown. She took her seat on the far left.
The next person to enter was a very shot, old man who was levitating to make up for his height deficiency. The man's face was covered by a very angular beard and mustache, thick eyebrows and a very large nose that held a red color to it. The elderly Kage wore a jacket that was yellow and green in design with a red collar labeling all high ranking shinobi in Iwagakure. Under that jacket was the typical Iwa flak jacket to provide more protection. This man was Onoki of both Scales and he too was in the robes made for the Tsuchikage. Onoki took the seat to the far right.
The next man was a muscular, dark skinned shinobi who a very serious expression on his face almost as if he couldn't be bothered to look at the adoring crowd. The man had a small blonde mustache and beard on his face which had prominent cheek bones. The Raikage unlike the other Kages only wore his white and yellow Kage robes showing off his muscular frame. Ay wore a series of golden bangles that hung from each wrist as well as a golden belt with a boar's face engraved into it around his waist. Ay plopped down in the seat next to Onoki and rested his chin in his hand, clearly bored.
The next man too wore a serious expression as he calmly walked into the Kage's Booth with his hands hidden in the sleeves of his Kage robes. The man had short, auburn hair that was spiky in its nature. Unlike Mei this man's hair was closer to black than it was a vibrant red like the young Mizukage's hair. Underneath the Kazekage robes he had closed up was a black jacket and pants with mesh armor under that. The man glanced at his fellow Kage and took the seat that was next to the Mizukage with proper posture and closed eyes.
The finally Minato came from the corridor and stood in front of the chair in the center in his usual clothing except instead of his white cloak he wore the white and red robes of the Hokage. "Hello everyone and welcome to my home Konohagakure, you are about to witness the talent of the next generation. It is these fine young shinobi that will be tasked with your protection in the future and will no doubt play roles that even we now can't wrap our minds around. Before we start the first match of the first bracket please welcome the daimyos of each land." Minato said with a hand gestured to the opposite end of the stadium where the feudal lords soon took corresponding seats of their Kages.
Ay was the first to speak breaking the silence he and his fellow Kage fell into while watching Genma and the other Jounin explain the rules of the exam. "I already know who will win it just a matter of formalities." The muscular Raikage said with a grunt as his eyes scanned the line of Chunin.
"That would be?" The Tsuchikage asked with a dry drawl seeing as how the brat from Kumo he had met before had yet to break from his arrogance. Onoki watched a grin threatened to split the Raikage's face.
"That would be Yugito. She is not only the Jinchuuriki of the Two Tails but she trained under my partner Bee who you all know has absolute command of his tailed beast!" The tanned man took the obvious chance to boast about his Jinchuuriki's strength and by proxy his own.
The Mizukage smiled softly as she looked down at the young shinobi down on the field where she momentarily locked gazes with Naruto who was calmly scanning the booth as well, ignoring the proctors' instructions. 'Who is that boy and why is he looking at the Hokage with such void eyes?' The Mizukage then cursed herself for not looking at the booklet of competitors before she came to the stadium. "My, how very humble of you Raikage-dono…" Mei said with a calm tone but the slight was evident.
"If I had to bet my money would be on young Chojuro. He is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist after all. That and he was trained by two of the other swordsmen. I have high faith in him." Mei gave her own pick with nothing but confidence in her soft voice ignoring the scoff from the Raikage.
"My granddaughter has all of the skills necessary to win this tournament but she needs to get it through her head that her overconfidence will be her downfall." Onoki gave his own pick with a bitter grumble since his granddaughter was almost as cocky to the point of a Kage level complex where he glanced at the Raikage.
"That may be true Onoki-dono but I have a hard time seeing my son losing. Gaara has been groomed since a young age to be the ultimate weapon. The pure power behind his attacks is truly staggering." The Wind Shadow said in an even tone of voice but still confident nonetheless. A number of failed assassination attempts on his son founding that confidence.
"I have heard that your boy is quite unstable in the mind…" Onoki pointed out with a small smirk on his aged face. The Kazekage frowned but did not comment on that point. He turned his eyes towards the blonde Hokage. "Who is your pick, Hokage-dono?"
"One of my daughters, the first match is about to begin."
Combat Field
"Will the Genin please make their way to the Combatant's Booth while Neji Hyuga and Akatsuchi remain?" The kunoichi Jounin from Kumo asked getting the field to clear out aside from the two fighters and the Jounin. "Neji Hyuga are you ready?" A nod from the Hyuga prodigy was the answer. "Akatsuchi are you ready?" A second nod was the answer. "Hajime!"
Neji stood there confidently as the crowd watched with baited breath at the thought of the exams finally started. Neji stared at the larger Iwa Genin with his white eyes that were meant to see everything. It was these eyes and his ego being inflated from being called a prodigy despite coming from the branch family that created the incantation of hubris that now took the field. Akatsuchi was contrasting Neji to Hinata and was very surprised in the contrast in their demeanors and he wasn't even aware of their blood relation that ran deeper than mere clan mates. Neji closed his eyes and shook his head an arrogant gesture if there ever was one in a mono on mono fight.
"These eyes can see much more than a chakra network Iwa Nin. These eyes blessed on me can see the outcome of this battle. Fate has deemed you unworthy and because of this you will lose to me." Neji stated smugly with an overconfident smirk across his pale skin, obviously looking down on the Iwa shinobi. Akatsuchi too his credit remained with the same smile that was dopey in nature that he came in with. Now it wasn't any mental training that kept him calm despite the compassion of him and dirt. No it was just simply who the large man from Iwa was, an easy-going spirit.
"You know what Hyuga-san you aren't very kind are you. That lady from your clan Hinata, I think… she was much nicer maybe stronger too." Akatsuchi commented with a smile directed at Neji who dropped his arrogant visage in exchange for a seething glare. The mention of the Hyuga princess made the usually calm Neji's blood boil under his skin. His dojutsu seemed to awaken with his latent family issues. To Neji being compared to someone who lived the life of royalty while not deserving it was ridiculous and why because his father was born a few moments later than the current clan head.
"An outsider like you knows nothing!" Neji shouted seeing red in his usually all seeing eyes as he rushed forward with malcontent for his opponent. Akatsuchi who was already aware of what the Gentle Fist could do a person backpedaled to keep a respectable amount of space between he and Neji. However a charging Neji quickly shortened that distance despite Akatsuchi's attempts to make it otherwise. Within Akatsuchi's guard Neji lashed out with a number of hand strikes before Akatsuchi managed to bring his guard up using his forearms. A rare frown took over the large Iwa teen who was quickly becoming tired of being Neji's punching bag.
Acting out with a quick leg sweep that got Neji to open up his base and slightly alter his perfect form Akatsuchi was able to throw a quick jab straight to Neji's chest getting the Hyuga prodigy to slide back with a small grunt. Neji quickly quelled the minor pain and glared down the larger man as he positioned his hands at the ready again. Neji ignored the stinging sensation in his hands from what felt like striking solid rock. Akatsuchi moved in deceptively quick and pressed on Neji who was forced to use his superior speed to avoid being struck by Akatsuchi's powerful punches.
Neji who was evading most of his opponent's blows was fed up with being put on the defensive in a Taijutsu fight, his area of expertise, or so he thought. Intercepting an attack by the wrist Neji quickly retaliated with a flurry of strikes aimed at the tenketsu around Akatsuchi's chest. By the time the quick strikes were over Neji was panting from exertion and hopped back to create a moment of rest. Neji watched with a pleased smirk as Akatsuchi's shoulders slumped along with his head. Neji now with a second wind so to speak reassumed the arrogant stance he had taken at the beginning of the match along with a slow shake of the head.
"I told you that fate had deemed you the loser of this battle and you only hastened that by engaging me in hand to hand combat. Not even an Uchiha would think of fighting a Hyuga in a prolonged Taijutsu battle. I have closed most of your chakra points it is over."
Neji said to the seemingly paralyzed Akatsuchi who had still yet to move a muscle since Neji relented with his barrage of palm strikes.
In the stands
The Leaf Jounin of the teams participating all were seated within close proximity to each other to watch their students do battle, even Kurenai whose students were defeated in the Forest of Death. Of course there was friendly banter between each Jounin with their own thoughts on who would win the whole tournament, as well as a few friendly wagers. Even Kakashi who was always fashionably late was there on time despite Sasuke's match which wasn't until day two. A threat to his most cherished Icha Icha by a certain red haired wife of the Hokage would do that to a man, a perverted one.
"Man that sure is one arrogant brat you got there Gai." Anko one of the Jounin who didn't have a team comment with a chuckle. Currently the Leaf's Snake Mistress was carelessly polishing dango by the stickful with her feet up on the empty seat in front of her. A seat which she threatened a man in front of her to vacate with an all expense paid trip to the T&I department.
"Yes Neji-kun does have a problem controlling his arrogance despite my best efforts to change that. I believe being called a prodigy in such an illustrious clan like the Hyuga has only fueled that superiority complex. Plus the fact he is a branch member only serves as a bonus to young Neji's desire to act as he does." The usually bubbly and energetic Gai said with a grave expression on his face just didn't seem to fit the green spandex wearing Jounin.
"Why would Neji be fueled by the simple fact that he isn't a main family Hyuga like Hinata. That seems like a rather childish reason? That seems out of character for someone like him." The red eyed Jounin Kurenai asked curiously looking over to Asuma who was sitting next to her with a smoke between his lips as was the norm.
Asuma let out a small sigh that served to release some smoke into the air as well much to the chagrin of the people behind the chain smoking Jounin. "That's right you weren't a Jounin yet so you might not have heard about the specifics. I'm sure you remember when Hinata was almost kidnapped by the Kumo advisor… well in the end we needed to send Kumo a corpse with the Hyuga bloodline which happened to be Hiashi's brother and Neji's father Hizashi."
"Kumo was quick to deny any activity in the attempted kidnapping and made it known we struck down one of its most veteran shinobi. They demanded a dead Hyuga in return which Minato-kun agreed to but with a twist. We put a few seals on the body that would destroy the Byakugan then fade away." Kushina finished the story with a frown marring her face since she was never on good terms with the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
Combat Field
"Proctor you may as well call this match. I have struck far too many of his chakra points for him to continue much less be in any combat effective position." Neji stated confidently as he looked over to the proctor from Kumo who he didn't even notice thanks to the tunnel vision effect of the battle in front of him. The Kumo kunoichi serving as the proctor heard the Hyuga's words but gave no response as she focused in on Akatsuchi whose only movement was his steady breathing. She was about to call it in favor of the young Hyuga when movement was caught within her peripheral vision in the direction of the Iwagakure Genin.
Then to the shock of the previously smug Hyuga, Akatsuchi simply rolled his shoulder getting a pop as the bone went back into place. Akatsuchi looked back up and smiled at Neji who still and a surprised look plastered on his face. "Oh that kind of hurt there, Neji-san. I am impressed at how much strength there is behind those blows." Akatsuchi who could see the dumbfounded look on Neji's face decided to shed a little light on the matter. "Well I guess I can tell you since you're the only Hyuga I can fight here. You see I had to fight another Hyuga in the forest where she broke through my Earth Armor a few times so when I knew that I had to fight you I just increased the strength of the armor around my chest area."
"It doesn't matter what your counter measures may be you will lose fate has decreed it to be. Just gi-" Neji was cut off when he caught the sight of a spear made of earth quickly honing in on his position. Neji couldn't move in time but thankfully the spear only nicked his cheek leaving a cut there which was dripping red with his prodigious blood. "W-what?" Neji asked in a slight stupor at the feel of his own blood. Neji had no time to question what was happening as three more earthen spears threatened to impale him if he didn't act.
"Kaiten!" Neji shouted almost desperately as he began to spin in a clockwise motion while releasing chakra from each of his tenketsu. This feat earned shock gasps from the section of the Hyuga clan that was observing in the stands. A few were appalled that a branch member knew a secret art from their clan while a few more open minded people like Hiashi were impressed at what Neji managed to do. The spinning created a revolving dome of chakra that grinded the spears into nothing but dust. Eventually Neji's spinning came to an end and very quickly he opened his eyes as he stopped his rotating.
Akatsuchi saw him open his eyes and quickly surmised that in order to fight the disorientation such high speed rotation would create he needed to close his eyes. A second weakness Akatsuchi found was the sheer amount of chakra necessary to pull of the technique since it was pure chakra. The third was the lack of mobility that hampered Neji as he performed that technique. Each of which Akatsuchi planned to take advantage of with the next attack. Akatsuchi stomped on the ground getting three spears to shoot into the air each of which he quickly gripped and threw at Neji.
Neji who was panting got another Kaiten fired up in time to guard against the spears that each the dome of rotating physical energy at varied times. Akatsuchi quickly got behind the dome of spinning chakra and waited for it to come to an end. Neji not able to hold the chakra any more due to exhaustion searched for Akatsuchi's presence and realized that the Iwa Nin was behind him. It was too late because Akatsuchi managed to finish the hand signs for his own jutsu as Neji started to turn to face the Iwa shinobi.
"EarthRelease: Stone Golem Technique."Neji watched as a large humanoid stone was spewed from Akatsuchi's mouth before he bit down separating it from his person. The golem then encompassed Neji in a strong embrace that Neji tried to break from but couldn't find the strength to break from the firm hold. The golem squeezed down on Neji frame eliciting a pained shout from the Hyuga prodigy. The pressure got to be too much as the moments passed on and eventually Neji fell limp in the stone humanoid's arms.
"Winner by knockout, Akatsuchi!" The Kumo Jounin shouted after checking up on the unconscious Neji getting a roar from the crowd. While not flashy with the jutsu it was still an excellent hand to hand combat battle.
Combatant Booth
"That is what happens when one gets too reliant on one skill instead of creating an arsenal to use." Naruto said as nothing more than an observation getting a sound of approval from Suisei through their Soul Link and a nod from the diver helmet wearing kunoichi who managed to take space next to him as the other was taken by a wall.
Yugito and a shinobi with a Kiri headband made their way down the steps towards the field as Akatsuchi came back up to the congratulations from his comrades. Sasuke who heard Naruto's words and in his narcissistic ways twisted it to fit him took a shot back at Naruto. "Why do you have a bird on your shoulder loser? Becoming some sort of bird watcher?"
This earned a pair of admiration filled squeals from the Uchiha's most loyal of fan girls which in turn got a groan from the Nara who couldn't believe one of those people were his teammates. Lee shouted of how Sasuke's words were quite un-youthful which the avenger ignored in favor of staring at Naruto with his Sharingan activated in an attempt to intimidate Naruto. The crow let out a low caw at the arrogant Uchiha.
Naruto did not bother to take his eyes off the battle field as he leaned on the wall with Suisei on his shoulder to keep a more professional appearance. "Who this is, is of no importance to you. Just hold your tongue and your beating shall come soon enough." Naruto said impassively as he idly stroked the back of Suisei's head with his finger.
Gaara who was at the other wall staring at Sakura with eyes that could murder thought with a bloodlust. 'Don't worry mother. Soon we shall have the pink haired one's blood on the sand. Soon…'
Combat Field
Yugito and the boy named Hin-Tao simply stared at each other for a few tense moments each coming up with their own battle plans with the proctor from Konoha just calling the start of the match. While the boy from Kiri went over his own options Yugito was having an audience with her own demon. 'What do you think we should do for this guy Nibi?' Yugito asked the being who had more than a few centuries of experience on her and was willing to share it. "Considering the format of the tournament I say that we keep our skills hidden for the most part until the later rounds where the more difficult opponents will be."
Yugito nodded mentally since that was the usual strategy in a tournament where you had to battle multiple times. 'That makes sense but what do you suggest that I do to win this match?" Yugito asked keeping a keen watch on Hin-Tao just in case he made a move while she was in an internal audience with her demon. "Take a slight amount of chakra from me and use your claws and natural flexibility to try and overwhelm the boy. If that doesn't work then we can always adapt as the situation calls." Then almost simultaneously both the kunoichi from Kumogakure and the shinobi from Kirigakure nodded their heads.
Channeling a bit of the yokai from the Two Tails into her nails getting them to grow into claws Yugito dropped down much like a cat would her slitted eyes staring intently at Hin-Tao. The shinobi from Kiri took imitative and began to run through a few hand seals. Yugito rushed at the shinobi hoping to stop him before the jutsu was complete. "Water Release: Water Bullet!"Hin-Tao then released a concentrated glob of water from his mouth that was fired towards Yugito. Letting out a low hiss of agitation Yugito flipped backwards to avoid the water crashing down on her.
Hin-Tao started to repeat his hand signs to allow another water projectile something Yugito didn't allow this time. Already upon the Kiri teen she brought her claws down in a swiping motion forcing him to release the series of signs to cover himself with his arms. Both fighters could hear the slashing sound of Yugito's claws easily tearing through the fabric of his clothing. Hin-Tao reached into his pouch and armed himself with a kunai in each hand and tried to hold back the claws from gouging out his eyes. The pair reached a stalemate with Hin-Tao holding back Yugito's claws with his superior strength.
'Just a little bit more…' Yugito hissed out mentally reaching out for just an ounce more of the Nibi's demonic chakra, which she was granted. Reacting to the up in power Yugito's claws glowed a dark blue as they started to cut through Hin-Tao's kunai much to the boy's horror. With a snap the kunai were cut clean through and the pointed ends fell to the ground and with a quick follow Yugito slashed Hin-Tao across the chest with some of the remnants of the demonic chakra seeping into the open wounds. The energy transfer went unnoticed by most in the arena including Hin-Tao himself.
Combatant Booth
'This fight is over. I guess it was too much to hope for that boy to push Yugito to reveal any of her more lethal skills. It can't be helped I suppose.' Naruto could feel the confused feelings Suisei was emitting through their Soul Link. 'Yugito is a Jinchuuriki much like me. Our chakra's or should I say the Tailed Beasts' chakras are corrosive to anyone except a Jinchuuriki. If that boy continues to try and call on his chakra he will kill himself.' Suisei who took in the information like a sponge wondered why she didn't get affected if Naruto's chakra was meant to be acidic but saved that question for another time.
"Ya, kick that's guy's ass Yugito!" Karui the brash kunoichi she was had no problem with voicing her confidence in Yugito, loudly. Omoi nodded his head in agreement but chose not to make he appear like an idiot like his flat chested teammate. Plus if he even said what he thought Karui no doubt would have given him a very painful beating.
Samui who was standing next to Omoi on the rail shook her head exasperatedly since Karui was too much like her hot headed brother. "I seriously wish you two would act cooler sometimes…" Samui whispered under her breath getting a smirk from Kurotsuchi who was standing next to her but no comment.
"Tao is just outmatched. He may have a few jutsu up his sleeve but he can't get enough space to use them." Chojuro said with a slightly disappointed sigh in his friend's performance thus far. Haku nodded her head in agreement since it was clear that Hin-Tao just didn't have the speed to defeat Yugito.
Sakura who saw Sasuke watching Yugito intently huffed since she thought the Kumo kunoichi was trying to steal her love. While in truth Sasuke was just trying to use the copy aspect of the Sharingan as much as possible. "That Kumo girl thinks she can steal my Sasuke-kun? Well she's got another thing coming!" Sakura said with a determined shake of the fist. TenTen who saw the whole thing palmed her face wondering if there were more fan girls than kunoichi left in Konoha.
Combat Field
Hin-Tao was panting; his breathing was much more labored than it was before as he held his hand against his bleeding chest. The Kiri flak jacket was now decorated with four, long slash marks that ran diagonal in their course. "T-that stings…" The teen's voice was hoarse as he tried to sound serious but the pain that wormed its way in was evident. It was clear to the Kirigakure Genin that he could not defeat his counterpart from Cloud with speed so he needed power. With that thought in mind he clasped his hands together and started to mold his chakra like he had down a hundred times while Yugito watched with a serious expression in play.
That was when a sudden pain coursed through Hin-Tao's entire body causing him to fall onto his knees as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. Hin-Tao had to use his hands to keep himself from falling flat on his chest as another wave of pain crashed through his entire being. 'What's happening to me? I saw her… she didn't move from that spot.' Yugito sighed softly as she cancelled the chakra keeping her nails up like claws as she stared at the struggling Hin-Tao. As if she read his mind Yugito told Hin-Tao of what was happening to his body.
"My chakra is special to the point where if it enters a foreign body it becomes corrosive. I injected my chakra into you when I cut your chest. If you continue to try and use your chakra for the next few days the pain will continue to magnify until it kills you." Hin-Tao frowned since it was clear that he lost but at least he would live to try and get stronger. Yugito walked away back towards the booth as the medics came to check on the prone body of Hin-Tao.
"Winner by technical knockout, Yugito Nii!"
Combatant Booth
"Yosh after such a wonderful display of youth I will need to try my best to stop my own flames from burning down the entire stadium!" With one last shout of youth Rock Lee leaped over the rail and down on to the field where a resounding shout of youth coming from the crowd resonated with Lee's earlier shouts. TenTen who was his only teammate in the viewing area due to Neji still being in the medical ward couldn't make herself any smaller than she was at the moment. She groaned wondering if it would kill her bushy browed teammate to be normal for once in his life. Yup… most likely.
"Well he's an odd one." Kurotsuchi said good naturedly as a sweat drop grew on the back of her head watching Lee go about doing push-ups as he waited for her. This earned her a nod from Akatsuchi and a slight snicker from the diver helmet wearing kunoichi. With one last amused shake of the head Kurotsuchi made her way down to the field using the more conventional way. "I'll see you two in a few." Kurotsuchi said confidently as she disappeared from sight. TenTen chose not to comment on the girl's confidence and would let Lee's ability speak for itself.
Sasuke's hands tightened around the railing as his red eyes focused in on Lee still with the vivid memory of his defeat prior to the first stage of the exams. During the month or so he had to train Kakashi had used Lee as a base to improve his Taijutsu skills so it was only natural for Sasuke to want to fight Lee after he planned on tearing through Naruto in his first match. He was confident that with his Sharingan now capable of keeping up with his body that he could easily handle the Gai look alike. He was Sasuke Uchiha after all.
The diver wearing Iwa kunoichi gathered her courage and looked at Naruto with a lovely smile and tapped him on the shoulder to gather the teen's attention. Naruto blinked a few times when he felt someone touching him; turning slowly he looked at the woman next to him with a polite smile. "Hello Naruto-san." The girl greeted Naruto showing none of the nerves she was currently feeling at just talking to her crush.
"Hello…" Naruto returned the greeting but faded at the end seeking the name of the kunoichi who suddenly struck up a conversation.
"Oh forgive me. My name is Yuna!" The now named Yuna replied in the same soft tone and sweet smile that made Naruto smile in return.
"Hello Yuna-san. How may I be of assistance?" Naruto asked with the same polite smile on his face as he glanced to the field to see if the match started where Lee was going on about youth which even seemed to amuse the proctor giving Naruto some time to talk to the Iwagakure kunoichi. Naruto seemed amused when Yuna fidgeted slightly under his naturally intense gaze even if there was no malcontent in his blue eyes to make her squirm.
Yuna could see the mirth that was dancing in Naruto's blue eyes and did her best to not blush in embarrassment. Taking a calming breathe Yuna faced Naruto with a small smile and a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Well I heard back in the room for the first exam about your qualifications and I was wondering what you thought about the fight?" Sure it wasn't anything big but it gave her a chance to start a conversation with the young son of the Hokage. It was a start and that was all that Yuna felt she needed.
"Flatterer…" Naruto chuckled softly when her blush darkened for just a moment but still gave Yuna his assessment. "Well I do not know much about your teammate aside from the fact that she is the Tsuchikage's granddaughter so I assume she has her skills. Lee he is an interesting character and no not just his personality, though that is part of it. Lee can not use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu due to a disease affecting his coils but his Taijutsu is brilliant as is expected when Maito Gai is your sensei." It was then that Yuna cut Naruto off and finished his assessment for him and managed to get just what he was about to say.
"The winner will be the one who gets the other to stick to their strength."
"Precisely…"
Combat Field
"I hope you are ready Kurotsuchi-san because I can no longer hold my flames of youth back!" Lee stated as he folded one arm behind his back with another bent up over his chest. The happy go lucky look in Lee's eyes hardened but the joy was still easily detectible. Kurotsuchi stood there dumbfounded at the fact that he was talking about the flames of youth even after the match started. Kurotsuchi blinked out of her stupor and dropped into her own Taijutsu stance not wanting to do more than she had to. Lee's grin widened exponentially seeing that the Iwa princess was about to exchange blows with him.
At Kurotsuchi's silent nod to begin Lee exploded from his stance aiming to hit Kurotsuchi with a flying kick in the face. The Iwa princess shifted at the last moment and took Lee by the shin pulling him down into an incoming fist. However, Lee was ready and gripped the fist before it could harm him and threw Kurotsuchi into the air. The princess from Iwagakure curled into a ball midflight and righted herself skidding across the ground with a small smirk. From that exchange alone she could tell Lee was fast and strong, which meant a good fight for her.
Frowning Lee rushed in again crossing the field with surprising speed to the audience and leaping at his opponent with a number of powerful kicks. Each attack failing to make any meaningful contact Lee spun out with one powerful kick, one of his signature moves, Leaf Whirlwind. Kurotsuchi's lips pursed into a fine line seeing how much damage that kick could do to her head which was where the attack was aimed. Not panicking Kurotsuchi broke the position of the free leg that was folded away getting Lee to cry out in surprise as his momentum was thrown off center.
A small grunt escaping from Lee's gritted teeth as his back collided with the unforgiving ground Lee looked up to see a shadow falling over him. Kurotsuchi fell with a loud battle cry as she dropped a falling axe kick straight to Lee's head. Lee was quicker however and rolled out of the way of kunoichi's kick and before she could realize that her kick missed Lee had already delivered a powerful elbow to her gut making her gasp breathlessly. Lee followed up with a powerful two punch combo knocking Kurotsuchi to the ground where she sprung back up after tumbling a few feet away.
Kurotsuchi looked at Lee with a confident smirk as she rubbed away the scoff marks on her cheek from Lee's last punch. Lee gaining more confidence thanks to his successful attacks exploded from his spot kicking up a wave of dust from the speed behind his muscle. Kurotsuchi looked around in alarm seeing Lee just disappear, eyes widening when she sensed Lee standing behind her. Her instinct to spin around and be face to face with her opponent was even too late as Lee ushered Kurotsuchi into the air with a swift kick to the lower spine that had her cry out in pain.
Not even a moment later Lee was behind the airborne kunoichi mimicking her body positioning perfectly using The Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. The power of Lee opening the first gate without verbalization left Kurotsuchi stunned and vulnerable to Lee's attack. The wrappings around Lee's hands slowly snaked around Kurotsuchi and encased the kunoichi in a tight cocoon that Lee hugged to his chest. Beginning to spin violently Lee and the immobilized Kurotsuchi began to spike down towards the ground. The crowd held their breath as the collision with the earth below created a loud explosion knocking dust rock into the air, hampering sight.
Lee was the first to emerge from the shroud of dust kneeling a few feet from the small crater panting slightly due to exhaustion. The proctor looked over to Lee to find him staring intently at the site of impact with an unreadable determination on his face. The stadium had fallen deathly silent as they waited for the dust to part so they may see the results of the Second Green Beast's devastating Front Lotus. The cloud of dust finally cleared and the crowd gasped in horror at the sight of the Iwa kunoichi's legs sticking straight up and her upper body lodged into the ground.
Lee had his head tilted to the side not because he had just severely hurt a shinobi with his move but because the impact of the Front Lotus had felt different than it should have. Lee's eyes widened as Kurotsuchi's legs started to stir and the earth around her upper body began to crumble away. The Iwa princess let out a small sigh as she sprung back up to her feet with an irritated expression in play. "That was pretty close good thing these darn earth golems are so sturdy and can take what you were dishing out. But next time you should hold off on releasing those bindings." With that Kurotsuchi quickly closed in on Lee and delivered a mighty uppercut of her own leaving Lee on his back with a startled expression.
Lee managed to gain motor control over his mouth and nodded his head taking what Kurotsuchi said to heart. Kurotsuchi began to perform hand signs for the first jutsu of the match when she decided to ask a question of her own. "Say… how come you have not used a jutsu yet? I mean pure Taijutsu can only get you so far!"
Lee's black eyes were suddenly filled with a raging fire that made Kurotsuchi take a step back when he looked at her with said eyes. Lee was now standing up with his thumb up and his teeth gleaming in the traditional good guy pose. "I'm glad you asked! You see I was born with absolutely no talent for Nin or Genjutsu so it is my dream to prove to the world that I can become a genius with my hard work and Taijutsu!" The overwhelming passion in his voice managed to convince a few people in the crowd he could but Kurotsuchi was not one of them. Her expression in a word was skeptical.
Kage Booth
"While normally I disagree with my foolish granddaughter I believe her to be right in this matter. That boy should just give up or become an academy instructor." Onoki said with a small shake of his head at the foolish Bushy Browed Chunin hopeful. A shinobi was meant to be able to use the arts of Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. If a person could not do so then they were not capable to be a shinobi, simple as that.
"Now I don't know about that Tsuchikage-dono. If you recall Maito Guy uses solely Taijutsu and is in fact training young Lee. To simply dismiss the boy because of conditions of his birth would be a foolish descision." Minato responded with a calm smile knowing just how powerful Gai is and just how similar Lee was to the elder Bushy Browed man.
"That is true Hokage-dono however back to the purpose of these exams neither Rock Lee nor Kurotsuchi has shown any reason to be promoted to Chunin. I mean they are just running at each other and seeing who can hit harder and faster." The Mizukage pointed out with a small smile on her lovely face.
That assessment got an affirmative grunt from the hulking Raikage who was more than interested in the impressive Taijutsu using Genin. "As impressive as the boy is with his hand to hand combat it is not enough. He isn't thinking logically and that could get any team he is part of killed. He needs more seasoning." That statement got a round of nods from the Kages assembled.
Minato looked over to where Gai was standing up with a large grin and a thumbs up as he peered down at his favorite pupil. Minato smiled when he heard Gai shout for Lee to take them off, already familiar with how Gai trained.
Combat Field
Lee's eyes widened momentarily at getting permission to remove the weights hidden behind his orange leg warmers. Kurotsuchi had other plans as she shot off a ball of flames at Lee that when it neared Lee's position exploded confusing Kurotsuchi since that shouldn't have happened. That was when Lee appeared suddenly in front of Kurotsuchi and hit her with a rising kick that took the young Iwa teen off her feet. Lee appeared over Kurotsuchi's rising form and slammed her back towards the earth with another powerful heel kick. Kurotsuchi's eyes shut in pain as her mind tried to understand how Lee had suddenly gotten so much faster.
Kurotsuchi growled and got back to her feet and went through a series of hand seals before even Lee could close the distance. "Yōton: Lava Globs!" And true to Kurotsuchi's words five globs of scorching hot lava were fired at a startled Lee. Fortunately Lee's new speed was more than able to make up for his momentary pause at seeing a Yōton user. Lee went for a straight punch but it was blocked by Kurotsuchi and Lee was forced to retreat when he felt the skin on his knuckles start to singe. "Your flames of youth burn quite hot Kurotsuchi-san! I too shall raise the intensity of my flames!"
"Stop moving around so much so I can douse those flames you seem so proud of your fuzzy eye browed freak! Water Release: Water Trumpet!"Because Kurotsuchi had focused in on performing her technique she missed the absolutely scandalized expression on Lee's face when she threatened to extinguish his flames of youth. Thanks to those words Lee froze in place as the trumpet blast slammed into his forearms but Lee managed to hold firm against the watery onslaught. Lee could see that training with Gai had started to pay off since the pressurized water had barely even shaken the nerves in his forearms.
Kurotsuchi seethed seeing Lee was unharmed after taking the brunt of her jutsu; she couldn't hurt him, him a shinobi with no talent, it was infuriating. "Take me seriously damn it! Take this fight seriously!" Kurotsuchi demanded angrily stomping on the ground to vent the frustration she was currently experiencing. That and as a way to arm herself with a few spears of earth which she tossed at Lee showing just how varied her jutsu arsenal was. Lee watched the spears honed in on him and gave Kurotsuchi a resolute nod since he was not one to toy with his opponents.
Sprinting out of his crouched position Lee closed the distance that spaced Lee and Kurotsuchi on the field interrupting Kurotsuchi from performing her Yōton jutsu. "Rising Leaf Wind!"Lee shouted dare I say youthfully as he slammed the sole of his ninja sandal into her jaw. True to the Taijutsu's name Kurotsuchi shot into the air much like a leaf being carried by a current of wind. Lee using the strength in his leg muscles leaped high into the air higher than Kurotsuchi was but she was closing in fast. "Searing Tiger Kick!" Lee performed a spin while curled up in a ball and lashed out with a heel kick to the back of her neck knocking her out on contact.
Lee watched as Kurotsuchi spiraled down into the ground while hanging limp due to the lack of being conscious. The moment after the Iwagakure princess hit the ground Lee landed on his feet lightly finally being able to relax. The proctor quickly ran over to Kurotsuchi and checked her pulse and sighed seeing that she was only knocked out especially after that nasty looking kick. The proctor shook his head and looked and Lee with a grin getting a grin from the enthusiastic green wearing shinobi. The crowd was already going crazy from an overflow of excitement. "Winner by knockout, Rock Lee!"
Combatant Booth
"I can't believe she lost. Man what a disappointment…" Yuna whined childishly seeing Kurotsuchi being taken off on a gurney by the medic squad stationed solely for the purpose of treating the fighters. Akatsuchi finally not wearing that eternal smile nodded with a stern look on his face knowing just how tough that guy could be as a soon to be enemy. Naruto looked at Lee who was smiling brightly at the crowd with a newfound respect for the boy's talents and determination.
"Wow I didn't know that Lee-san was that strong!" Sakura exclaimed in shock getting her best friend Ino to nod in agreement. At first look one would cast off Rock Lee as a goof and someone who would be cannon fodder but his display just destroyed any thought that Rock Lee was negligible.
TenTen huffed at Sakura's words but there was obviously a very proud smile on her face as she watched Lee run towards the stairs. "Of course Lee is strong! He along with the rest of our team trained relentlessly under Gai-sensei for a year and a half to be prepared for this exam, unlike you rookies."
"Gai, as in Maito Gai, the Leaf's Noble Green beast?" Kakugyo asked seemingly no one still dressed in dress clothing and a bright yellow tie.
"TenTen time has no real purpose when stating how ready someone is. All that matters is how much work someone is willing to put in. A shinobi who works three hours one day at an urgent way will out do a man who works a whole week at a content pace." Naruto said rather blandly since TenTen had insulted him when she insulted the rookies. The other rookies all grinned at the frowning TenTen and nodded their heads even if Naruto didn't apply. "And yes Kakugyo-san Lee is Gai's student if the clothing wasn't enough of a giveaway." Naruto said with a dry look at Lee who had just returned to the booth.
Naomi and Narumi both shivered just imaging having to train under Gai to the point where you basically became a clone. A scary thought indeed.
Combat Field
Gaara stood there motionless with his arms crossed over his chest and a bored look on his face that did not quite reach the red head's eyes. His eyes showed nothing but a cruel gaze that wanted, no demanded the blood of his foe. The amount of killer intent that the Kazekage's youngest son was emitting was enough to unnerve the Kumo kunoichi who was lucky enough to be the mediator for this match. Despite his Mother's almost reverent need to see the blood of his enemies Gaara was able to maintain the eerie calm that just fit his character. The Jinchuuriki of Shukaku was ready to kill someone.
Sakura was standing before Gaara on shaky legs as the killer intent really started to affect her, even more so due to the proximity. The pink haired daughter of the council woman started to seriously think about taking Naomi and Narumi's advice to forfeit the match for her safety. Being this close to Gaara she could see the crazed look in his eyes which she couldn't find in anyone living in Konoha, not even in Naruto's usually glacial blue eyes. She could faintly remember the proctor asking her if she was ready even if it was moments ago she couldn't for the life of her remember why she nodded her head.
Then like a cobra that was ready to strike the cork that was sealing the gourd on the Sunagakure's Jinchuuriki shot out like a bullet. Just out of sheer luck the small projectile missed Sakura's forehead and drilled right through her pink hair earning a delayed gasp from the terrified Leaf kunoichi. The spirit infused sand wavered out of the gourd violently as it loomed around Gaara ominously making Gaara grin bloodthirstily. Sakura's bit down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood snapping her out of the fear induced paralysis that Gaara's demeanor and killer intent forced upon her psyche.
'I can't lose here! I can't look so pathetic in front of Sasuke or else he will never love me like I do him. Even I can tell he values power. I just need to show him the power of my emotions! Thank you Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san…' Sakura recited to herself her fortitude slowly increasing as she channeled chakra into her fist before striking the ground and releasing all the energy at once. Gaara showed no surprise but was forced to leap back as the ground beneath him became jagged and upturned. Gaara snarled at the fact that he had yet to dye his sand red with the pinkette's blood.
Sakura tried to turn heel and run when she saw the sentient sand start to rush towards where she was standing. Sakura continued to avoid Gaara's pursuit for the better part of a minute before she felt a sudden jerk around her ankle that made her fall to the ground. To Sakura's growing horror she was being reeled in towards a grinning Gaara, not wanting to go down without a fight Sakura tried to throw another chakra enhanced haymaker when she was close enough but her fist was swallowed by a wisp of sand. The sand slowly crawled up the entirety of her arm all the way up to the shoulder.
"Sand Coffin!" Gaara's gravelly voice uttered with a sadistic glee as he called out the technique that would bring forth his victim's blood. The pressure of the sand quickly compressed down on Sakura's arm creating a sickening crunch that made many of the Genin up in the booth wince and write uncomfortably. Sakura's eyes slammed shut and her mouth opened to scream out in pain but nothing came out showing just how great the pain was. Gaara though was not sated and soon his sand started to advance on Sakura's body. Gaara would make sure that his Mother was happy by giving her all of the blood she could ever hope. Then he would be loved.
The proctor had seen enough and knew that the pink haired girl was in no state to continue the fight from the demon from the Hidden Sand. She frowned seeing that Gaara would not be exercising any restraint meaning she would need to act. The proctor then fired a quick lightning release technique using the elemental advantage to force the sand to disperse momentarily. Using a Shunshin to get to Sakura then to get her to the medics in the tunnel before Gaara tried to kill her once more the Kumo kunoichi reappeared on the field. "Winner by technical knockout, Gaara Sabaku!"
Kage Booth
"That boy is quite blood thirsty. He is your son correct, Kazekage-dono?" The Mizukage asked watching the replay of the end of the match with a frown across her usually smiling face. It was clear that Suna's Jinchuuriki had no restraint and was focused on killing something that could get him killed instead.
"Yes Gaara has always been like that but I can overlook the slight abnormalities in his way of thought because he more than makes up for it in raw power. He was trained to be a weapon just like all Jinchuuriki should be." The Kazekage said firmly letting his eyes close thus missing the nod he got from the Tsuchikage and the sour looks from the Hokage, Raikage and Mizukage.
"Hmph… Jinchuuriki can be used in other ways than a mindless weapon Kazekage. All this shows is that you have a loose cannon that can backfire at any moment while I have the perfect Jinchuuriki using normal training." The Raikage boasted truthfully but still the arrogance in his gruff voice was unmistakable. The Kazekage leaned back into his chair further meditating on the younger man's words.
"The topic of Jinchuuriki aside… who do we believe to be fit for a promotion thus far?" Mei asked trying to change the subject since Kiri had yet to locate the Rokubi and the Sanbi had yet to reform despite Yagura's death. Mei figured it would be best to further that topic for Kiri's sake.
"Though we have only seen one fight from each I believe Akatsuchi and Yugito would be strong candidates to be promoted to Chunin. Akatsuchi showed an excellent level of preparation and execution while Yugito was able to control the flow of battle." Minato said offer his own evaluation of the talent displayed so far. "While Lee despite his victory showed absolutely no tact and could have been easily killed by a seasoned Chunin. Gaara despite his impressive control over sand shows little restraint so more is needed before I can truly say."
The rest of the Kages nodded their head in agreement.
Combat Field
"The first match of bracket two will now commence. Karui versus Kankuro Sabaku… begin!" Genma proclaimed with a swift hand chop as a gesture to begin as well.
Karui allowed herself to grin maliciously at the war paint wearing puppeteer from the Village Hidden in the Sand. An eminent danger flashing across the red head's amber eyes as she armed herself with the sword that was resting on her back. Kankuro too plopped something in front of him, it was the object he had wrapped up on his back. The smug grin that Kankuro was giving Karui made her anger flare up violently. "Don't worry Kuro-hime after I cut up your pretty little face you can use that make up to cover the deformities!" Karui taunted Kankuro giving her sword a quick brandish.
Kankuro who was just as hot headed as Karui started to growl at the infuriating woman from the Land of Lightning. Karui's smirk widened seeing the twitch of Kankuro's brow telling her that her words were striking home. "That's it you flat chested bitch I am going to send you back to Kumo inside of a nice, warm body bag!" Kankuro responded with his own pointed yet true insult. Kankuro could have sworn he heard someone tell him in the form of rap that, that was the wrong move but shrugged it off. Kankuro smirked seeing how Karui's eyes became shadowed by her red hair.
"I am going to kill you! Kumo Front Beheading!"Karui's rage filled dash caught Kankuro by surprise since he thought the girl would be stationary. Acting fast Kankuro attached his chakra strings on to the back of large object in front of him. Karui's eyes widened went a puppet came ripping through the bindings with a blade protracted from its mouth aimed for her forehead. Bringer her sword up Karui parried the stab forcing Kankuro to pull his puppet Crow back to keep some form of defense against Karui who obviously preferred close range combat. "Makeup and dolls, Kuro-hime, I can't say that I am all that surprised."
"I'll make you choke on those words Kumo trash, actually just die!" The crowd was baffled by why these two young ninja hated each other so much since all of the matches outside of Gaara's were rather tame. Kankuro had two of his fingers twitch slightly and the elbow joints on Crow popped open and fired a dark purple sphere from each opened tube. Karui immediately indentified those spheres as poisonous and leapt back to avoid being swallowed up by the toxic fog. Kankuro with another slight inching of his fingers dislocated Crow's jaw and a plethora of kunai were fired from the puppet's gullet into the cloud of hazardous fog.
Karui who was a good few feet behind the cloud of poison heard the kunai being fired from Kankuro's doll as she so fondly called them and held her sword up using her training to deflect the kunai hence saving her from life as a pin cushion. Karui stopped her skillful movements when there was a lull in the kunai. Realizing that Kankuro was waiting for the fog to part Karui went on the offensive timing her jump perfectly to come down on Kankuro who was looking around for the red headed swordswoman. Karui's eyes gleamed with excitement feeling her victory growing near.
Kankuro's eyes narrowed, he could not find the foul mouthed red head from Kumo which he found odd seeing as there wasn't many places to hide in the arena. The puppeteer's danger senses went off and he looked up to see Karui falling down with the tip of her sword pointed directly at his shoulder. Cursing Kankuro quickly manipulated Crow to not only defend him but call upon a hidden blade to stop the kunoichi's sword if only for a moment. Karui grinned since Kankuro's move was rather obvious and with a slight change in her grip she readjusted the angle at which her steel fell. "Kumo Side Beheading!"
With one quick slash Karui landed on her feet and a moment later the arm with the hidden blade on it fell to the ground cut clean off. Kankuro clicked his tongue on his teeth and went to repair the easy fix however a gleam out of the corner of his eye forced him to bring Crow in front of him once more. Kankuro ducked quickly when he saw that it was Karui's blade that was threatening to behead him like it had already done to Crow. Kankuro was beginning to get nervous seeing as Karui was slowly getting closer and closer to him which would end with him losing.
Kankuro glanced around for the arm and head that he had lost to Karui's blade in hopes that he could somehow find them and get Crow back to full functionality. His scavenge was cut premature when he looked down at the shinning point of Karui's sword at his neck. Kankuro silently cursed his luck, out of everyone in the tournament he was matched off against her and she was a close range fighter to boot. Kankuro finding the bladed arm behind Karui managed not to smirk at his new chance for victory. Kankuro moved his hand in what he thought to be a discreet way however Karui saw it coming and grounded her heel down on his hand.
Kankuro groaned in pain feeling a few of the smaller bones in his hand being crushed underneath Karui's foot. Kankuro looked up defiantly only to wish he had not when he saw the smug smirk on her tanned face. Kankuro hissed lightly when he felt the edge of Karui's weapon cut into his skin just enough to draw the crimson liquid of life. "Give up Kuro-hime or you will be the one going home in a body bag." Karui offered which only served to rile up Kankuro even more but only this time there was nothing he could do aside from conceding.
"I su-submit."
"Winner by verbal surrender, Karui!"
Karui quickly put away her sword and let a wide grin spread across her face as she basked under the crowd's admiration. Karui ran around the stadium once blowing kisses to the handsome men she found in the stands with no shame.
Combatant Booth
Samui slapped her palm against her face and looked away from the scene of her teammate making a fool of herself with obvious embarrassment. "I really wish Karui would be cool sometimes." Samui stated even temperedly getting a slight nod from her white haired squad mate who was looking down at Karui with a deadpan.
"But with how she acts it only makes you look cooler in comparison Samui-san." Naruto said with a small grin directed at the busty, blonde kunoichi. Yugito chuckled seeing Samui's eyes shimmer with appreciation. Yugito knew just how much her best friend valued the cool appearance and having someone else compliment her coolness was greatly appreciated.
Karui made her way back to the booth while Kankuro went to find his sensei in the crowd as the proctor called for the next combatants. Naomi being one of those combatants walked over to Naruto unsure of how this was going to go but determined to do it. "N-Nii-san I'd feel a lot better if you'd wish me luck…" Naomi muttered lowly looking down still somewhat uncomfortable with Naruto's intense gaze.
Naruto looked at the daughter of the Hokage whose head was bowed with an unreadable expression in play. Narumi watched on wondering just what Naruto would or wouldn't say since he and Naomi were never on friendly terms. "Luck should have no affect on your battle. The work you put into getting to this point should be more than enough to get you through this should it not?"
Naomi's eyes widened and her head flung up to see Naruto standing there with his eyes closed and no facial emotion what so ever. Eventually Naomi nodded her head with a small smile since Naruto didn't insult her. Sure he didn't do what she asked but he did reassure her in his own way. The message?
Trust in your training…
Combat Field
TenTen stood there glaring at Naomi for reasons that Naomi could only speculate since she had not even met the girl before the exams. TenTen who was staring holes through Naomi was going into a whole inner monologue. 'A girl like her is given everything just because she had the right parents. Power, popularity, a lavish life style those were all things Kami bestowed upon her and her siblings. While my father and I are forced to scrape by with the funds he gets from the weapons shop. It took me hours upon hours to perfect my aim and now it is time to show everyone watching just how true my path is!'
The moment the word go left the Suna proctor's lips TenTen had already began her barrage of kunai and shuriken each with a terrifying accuracy. Naomi's eyes widened not expecting the bun wearing kunoichi to be so gung ho with her attack but none the less she cart wheeled over to the left and out of the space of the weapons barrage, flashy yes but effective. Naomi didn't have time to press forward as a second barrage was already raining down on her forcing her to retreat further along the field. Naomi silently wondered just how many kunai and shuriken TenTen had seeing her already armed with more.
"Stay still would you!" TenTen growled showing her frustration getting Naomi to blink from the audacity behind her request. Focusing back in Naomi raced forward avoid a handful of kunai that flew by her cutting a few strands of her vibrant red hair. Naomi now close enough threw a closed fist towards TenTen jaw however training with a team of Taijutsu experts paid off for the clan less kunoichi. Leaning back at the last moment TenTen forced Naomi's fist to soar harmlessly over her face before she quickly brought her knee up striking an unprepared Naomi dead in the stomach. The pain tolerance developed in training with her mother helped Naomi shrug off the strike and score a slug straight to the side of TenTen's skull.
Frowning at the outcome of the short lived Taijutsu exchange TenTen decided to stick to her strength, her weapons. Rolling a scroll over her forearm TenTen unsealed two Fuma Shuriken and held one in each hand. Naomi who was near the trees that they put into the area quickly took shelter behind the thick wooden trunk as the sound of the large shuriken thumped and imbedded themselves in the wood. TenTen frowned at seeing Naomi hide in the woods but quickly smiled having a thought on how to draw out the hiding Leaf kunoichi. TenTen pulled out a new scroll and held it horizontally directing it at the trees.
From the scroll came a large metal sphere with metal spikes protruding from every few inches on the metal sphere. With a small yell and a pulse of chakra the dangerous metal orb flew at the trees bouncing off the tree trunk showing an explosive note already sizzling…
Boom
The metal sphere exploded in an impressive display of fireworks completely destroying the trees that were nearby. A shadow raced from the wreckage one that the crowd, Genin, Jounin, Kage and TenTen all picked up on. TenTen was already in pursuit refusing to give up the advantage she had gained. Both TenTen and Naomi came to a sliding stop in unison only with TenTen holding yet another scroll in her arms. "Ninja Art: Metallic Dragon!" TenTen stomped on the scroll and out came a large dragon completely black consisting of shuriken and kunai. The dragon exploded forth the metal scratching on metal making it seem like a shrill roar as it slammed down on Naomi.
Naomi's family minus Naruto were all displaying a great amount of concern when the dragon rose up showing Naomi riddled with kunai and shuriken. TenTen smirked as the dragon lost its form showering an unused portion of the field in ninja tools. Just as TenTen was about to proclaim her win Naomi went up in a poof of smoke. TenTen looked around in alarm seeing her defeated opponent no longer in place. Naomi appeared behind tenTen and swept her legs out from under her causing the weapons user to fall onto her stomach. Naomi followed up with a swift yet devastating axe kick straight to the center of TenTen's spine getting the girl to cry out in pain. Naomi then kicked TenTen in the ribs getting her to roll a good ten yards away coughing up small amounts of blood.
TenTen glared up at Naomi from her position on the dirt floor of the arena panting hard as blood trickled from the corners of her lips. Standing up with a determined cry TenTen threw another wave of shuriken with great velocity towards Naomi. Not being able to get away from the wide wave of brought her hand in front of her. TenTen watched in shock as the shuriken all missed their marks by mere millimeters.
In The Stands
"Impossible TenTen never misses her mark! She has always had perfect aim!" Gai shouted in disbelief matching the emotion of Neji who was seated nearby with Team Eight who had been sitting by the Jounin since the start of the exams. Gai looked over to Kushina who had a knowing grin on her face.
"Come now Gai surely you didn't think Minato-kun wouldn't help Naomi-chan with her Wind Release did you?" Kushina's grin grew seeing Gai's look of disbelief and with a small pump of her fist she shouted out for her daughter.
"Finish her Naomi-chan!"
Combat Field
'I m-missed but I never miss! It must have been a fluke I can miss again! I won't give up after coming so far.' With a new determination TenTen threw another barrage of kunai at Naomi and once more the wave of the kunai was too wide for Naomi to avoid. TenTen watched with a keen eye refusing to miss again on her pride as a markswoman.
"I've had enough of this TenTen. I have more fights to worry about good match." Naomi went through a few hand signs and gathered her chakra for her first and only Ninjutsu of the match. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough." TenTen's eyes widened as the kunai were blown back at her by the strong wall of wind created by Naomi. Bracing herself TenTen was cut by a few of the kunai while some bashed against her putting her in a slight daze which Naomi used to create a Shadow Clone and in unison clone and original threw themselves at TenTen with spin kicks crushing their shins against opposite sides of TenTen's cranium in tandem.
The proctor went over to check on TenTen before stating the results which everyone could see. "Winner by knockout, Naomi Namikaze-Uzumaki!" Naomi gave a slight bow to the crowd before returning to the booth.
Combatant Booth
"I knew you would win Naomi-chan!" Narumi chirped brightly immediately hugging her sister in congratulations. Naomi nodded happily returning the hug while looking over to Naruto hoping to get something from the man she wanted approval from. Naruto gazed at her intently and just when she thought he would do nothing he nodded in respect for what he had seen. And how could he not in comparison to the other kunoichi of his village. He made note to ask Itachi if all girls were fan girls when he was a Genin as well.
Genma called for Fu and some mummy from the small village known as Otogakure which had an interesting contraption on his arm. The mummy got a small pat on the back from his shinobi teammate as he walked down the stairs. Fu let a sad frown come to her face seeing her teammates shun her and with that she followed the Oto mummy. Fu paused feeling a hand on her shoulder turning around slowly she was met instantly with Naruto's blue eyes. "You got this Fu-chan."
Fu's orange eyes brightened visibly hearing someone supporting her and the fact that it was Naruto only made it that much better. It was this reassurance in front of everyone that made her feel even more sure about his words on the training ground. Fu acted on instinct wrapping Naruto in a quick hug before running off not giving him a chance to respond in kind.
Narumi and Naomi looked at their brother in shock since they had never seen him give any form of affection to anyone. Sasuke glared at Naruto still waiting to tear through the first obstacle in his path. Yuna glared down at the smiling Fu jealous that she had been able to hug Naruto something she wanted to do. Naruto ignored all the different emotions in the booth and stroked the back of Suisei's head earning a small thank you through the Soul Link.
Combat Field
Fu raced forward the burst of positive emotion from Naruto's support fueling her attack style which may or may not be a good thing. Chomei watched Fu with a small grin on his bug face glad to see what he saw as a daughter so happy. As soon as Fu got within a couple of feet of Dosu the Oto mummy brought his arm up and flicked his fingers against the contraption. "Melody Arm: Tune." The muffled statement from Dosu was drown out from the strange melody that came from the metal on his arm. Dosu watched as the chakra infused music pulsed out towards the racing Jinchuuriki.
When the melodious tune invaded Fu's ears she immediately halted her advance with a small cry of pain she leapt as far back from the bandaged wrapped shinobi. Fu went down to one knee and dabbed the blood that was trickling out of her ears while looking at Dosu inquisitively. 'What was that?' "That Fu-girl was music infused with chakra. He used sound to attack your body. An easy counter to that is plugging your ears with your own chakra." Fu mentally nodded thankful for her biju's advice and guidance. Fu did as Chomei suggested but came up with a plan that would make Dosu think she was still vulnerable.
Rushing back in with a determined expression only faster Fu raced in with a fist hooked to strike Dosu against his bandage covered cheek. Dosu shook his head at the futile effort and brought his arm again only this time his other hand was holding a kunai. "Melody Arm: Concerto." This sound was different from the first because instead of a singular note this sound felt like an entire orchestra. Fu paused and let her body tense before uttering a fake cry of pain to lure her enemy in looked at Dosu with a mock pained expression as her orange eyes shimmered with anticipation.
Dosu took one more step towards Fu and that was all the mint haired kunoichi needed for her plan to be sprung. Fu threw her arms at Dosu and with a small grin on her pretty face that had Dosu raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Nanabi Secret Art: First Hive!" At Fu's command and by proxy Chomei, the king off all insect life beetles were flung out at the startled mummy. These beetles were even more durable and powerful than the Aburame's bug partner. Dosu waved his arm at the hive of insects getting them fly away of being swatted by the metal device wrapped around his arm.
The once void of emotion eyes of Dosu were now filled with irritation and anger all of which was directed at his opponent from Takigakure. Dosu quickly jumped in front of a kneeling Fu with his arm raised over her head with a grin straining the fabric wrapped around his face. "This is the end for you girlie… Melody Arm: Grand Finale!" Dosu dropped the metal contraption on top of Fu's head making her wince from the impact but to his shock there was no sound coming from his Melody Arm. "What's happening? Why is there no sound!?" Dosu shouted which came out muffled.
Fu grinned from under his arm looking right up ay him with the look of someone who had just executed a plan perfectly. "It looks like my hive has nested inside of that musical appendage of yours." Dosu looked down to see the beetles from earlier falling out of each hole in the metal effectively plugging up the musical device. Dosu moved to kick the bug girl for ruining his moves but found his legs to be immobile. "And that would be my Nanabi Secret Art: Second Hive." Dosu looked down to see two huge centipedes wrapped around his legs coming from the ground bellow him keeping him in place. When Dosu looked up Fu was gone and then his world went black.
"Checkmate mummy dude." Fu said with a grin as she moved her hand from the back of his neck letting him fall to the ground in a blissful state of unconsciousness. The centipedes retracted back into the ground and the beetles disappeared into the tree line. The sight of an air force of bugs was enough to make a few of the civilians watching skin crawl. The proctor went over to check on Dosu and saw he was suffering from extreme chakra exhaustion so he hurriedly called for the medics. Fu looked up to see Naruto giving her a small smile that made her blush resulting in some teasing from Chomei.
Combat Field
A Few Minutes in to the Fight
Yuna watched as the blue sky overhead slowly changed and morphed into the black sky of the night. Yuna blinked with a blank expression as smoke rose up into the air showing a house on fire with screams of panic permeating the air. This sight was something familiar for the diver helmet wearing kunoichi from Iwa but didn't startle her one bit. Yuna watched as a small child ran into the burning home with tears filling the small child's eyes. The small pond on the side of the house ran black with the soot from the ash of the burnt house.
Yuna took a deep breath and turned her back on the raging inferno taking a few steps away allowing her to look into the star filled sky with a longing gaze in her eyes. The focused look was replaced by a faraway look, a look of love but also a look of loss in her gray eyes. Yuna shook her head getting the focused look back in her eyes as she remembered just where she was and what she was doing. "This is the Genjutsu you chose for me? You don't even have enough control to show me my true nightmare just the beginning."
Yuna allowed a mischievous smirk to cross her beautiful face as she held a single hand sign her own chakra flaring up from use. "Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change!" Kin blinked once because one moment she was moving in to kill the Iwa chick who she trapped in her Genjutsu then the next she was walking into a dark room going deeper and deeper. She didn't know why she was walking further in but she just couldn't help it, like something was drawing her in, enthralling her. It was the literal fly walking into the spider's parlor situation but with the art of illusions.
Kin gasped in fright when she came to look at the back of the man who frequented her nightmares. She questioned herself for the reason of his appearance as she tried to sneak off before he noticed her however the man's head turned mechanically showing his gold eyes and pale skin then unnerved the Oto Genin. This man was the leader of Otogakure, one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru. The man had taken her sister figure Tayuya from her when they were children and he hated him ever since. But there was always that lingering fear that the snake man would come back and take her as well to do Kami knows what.
Then Orochimaru gave Kin a disturbing grin that made the kunoichi take a step back and to her horror her back collided with a wall preventing her escape. Orochimaru slowly morphed from a man into a giant white snake with the small gold eyes but purple rings around those golden eyes. The snake bared its fangs and with one long hiss it launched itself and at a screaming Kin and then everything went black. Yuna strolled up to Kin with her hands folded behind her back and poked her with her toe a few times getting no response. "Uh I think she's out…"
Genma sweat dropped as he cleared his throat. "Winner by knockout, Yuna Neira!"
And that was day one…
Review Response: Naruto did not sign the Toad Contract. Not sure what that review was about. I am still not sure if I will have Suisei be able to perform some of the Sharingan techniques but I am leaning towards yes. They will have shared vision IF Naruto activates the Rinnegan, which hasn't been decided yet. I can assure you Naruto is their son, no matter how much he may dislike it; the black hair is just a recessive gene.
Yes I had Naruto turn away all help that would tie him in with his family. Naruto declined the contract civily because he was in a hurry to go to Kurohane. (That was the shadow over the sun thing, the summoning.) This is Naruto's drive to become powerful on his own and separate him. It is also the constant battle he has with his pride. A problem for all Uchiha…
Naruto is not going soft on his family people. He is just realizing some things but that does not correlate with forgiving it is just understanding. Ya know, the whole 'I understand but I still don't like it' kind of thing. Yup I kept Tsunade out of Chapter 6 it kind of goes with the 'if you push Naruto he pushes back' line.
The Salamander Contract seems to be popular eh? That could work since they wouldn't have a summoner… I think I can make it work but we shall see.
The pairing with is fluid with how my whim goes with the story so I can't say for sure what I will have as the pairing. But in the end it will most likely be a multi-pairing.
AN: Here is the next chapter and let me tell you I didn't expect it to be so long! Any who here is the first series of fights. Next chapter Naruto re-enters the limelight as the village pariah, the Hokage's son and an Uchiha! How will Naruto handle wearing so many hats? Don't know but we'll find out. Thank you for the overly positive reviews and your thoughts. You have no idea how easier that makes it to write this! Leave a review and have a nice day! Ja Ne- Matt
Also I have taken down two of my stories due to author dissatisfaction. Some people may not like it but reading them I just don't like the difference in quality. I apologize for the inconvenience.
