This is a challenge from Storylover213. I don't own any of it. Focus will be back on Naruto instead of team 7.
Chapter 9: the finals.
The month between the preliminaries and the finals had gone pretty quickly.
While the month had gone by all the participating genin had been training insanely.
Kakashi was disappointed in himself when he heard tells of the training that they had received from Naruto. The younger blonde had taught his team in two months more than what he had taught them in the entire time he had them.
Sakura and Ami tried to go to Kakashi for training since they figured he would have learned his lesson. Unfortunately he was already gone by then to train Sasuke for the finals. When they didn't they went to Naruto for help. He was hard to find, but they managed to track them down. Naruto then focused on enhancing the girls' chakra control further.
While training Naruto told Sakura about chakra scalpels and how they were helpful in combat. It was then that Sakura mentioned fusing that technique with Tsunade's super strength. The idea ran through Naruto's brain about the fusion and the two thought of ways to combine to the two moves.
As for Ami the girl tried to find a way to fuse lightning chakra with her iron traps as well as how to set them during the battlefield quickly and efficiently. To help her with this Naruto gave her a special belt with different scrolls. The scrolls had metal traps in them that had special seals that stored lightning chakra. Naruto gave her a specialized jutsu of his own making called, "Lightning Style: Lightning Flash." The technique focused lighting chakra in her hands and when clapped causes a bright flash of light that temporarily blind opponent, allowing escape, a sneak attack, or an opening for a powerful technique.
When that was done Naruto also gave them a jutsu to help in their coming battles.
AN: Thank you again Bearybeary for the inspiration.
For Sakura it was Earth Style: Gravel Gauntlet. The technique formed boxing gloves around the hands made out of chakra. Now the gloves were strong enough to break bones, but that was only if you added enough chakra. If you didn't…it would still hurt like heck.
Ami got Lightning Style: Electron Whip. The technique formed a whip made of electricity on her fingers. When struck an electrical surge goes through the body of the target and causing them to become paralyzed for about 40 seconds.
Eventually Sasuke came to Naruto demanding a jutsu from him. Naruto grinned in response and gave him one. The thing is it wasn't powerful and was mostly used as a joke. When Naruto showed it to Sasuke it he faked molding chakra and used his fire manipulation powers to fire a huge surge of pure white flames. Sasuke, without his Sharingan, didn't see this and took the technique. While he thought it was a powerful technique the fire jutsu was actually pretty weak. It was called, "Fire Style: Flame Pellet". It would fire a few fire balls about the size of a marble. They could explode, but it would only be with the force of a firecracker. What Sasuke didn't know was that Naruto had a second jutsu to go with that technique that turned the little pellets into small grenades. Naruto didn't teach him that one though, because he wanted to see the look on the Uchiha's face when the jutsu failed.
When he wasn't helping the good members of his team Naruto was training with his new weapons. Naruto found that when he used Ice tiger his control over wind and ice jutsu was greatly increased. Naruto learned that with the Shell Crashers he could add earth chakra to them and was able to smash them through the hardest of materials. Naruto learned with Crashing Fire he could ignite the two weapons on the edge of the chains and then send the flames hurling with a single strike. Crushing Dragon had the same powers as Crashing Fire except it didn't have as long as a reach and the flames didn't burn as hot.
Naruto eventually learned to summon the animals himself not using enough chakra to summon the bosses of the contracts. He actually formed a deep partnership with three tigers from Aki's clan. They were called the Frozen Fangs for their ice jutsu and their incredible skills in combat.
The tigers also came handy when he wanted to intimidate some girls away from him.
After his date with Tsume things had gone well for the two. Kiba was initially shocked that Naruto was dating his mother and was considering fighting him, but remembered that Naruto was a jonin for a reason. That and having his mother threaten to rip his colon out and shove it up his butt was a good reason too.
A lot of Naruto's fan girls were upset when they learned that Naruto was now off the market. Some of them even plotted to sneak into the Inuzuka compound to assassinate her so Naruto would be single. That idea was lost to them when the girls who tried were found outside the hospital with multiple broken bones, burns, and a lot of bite and claw marks.
After that nobody tried again.
The chuunin exam finals…the central arena…
The entire village had come to see the finals. A lot of them were potential customers to the villages wanting to see who they should hire for mission and all that other stuff. Among them were the Konoha 12 members who didn't make it.
In a special booth overlooking the arena were the Hokage and the Kazekage.
In the ring stood Ami, Neji, Gaara, Sakura, Temari, Kankuro, Shino, and Shikimaru.
Naruto looked down from the stands with Tsume standing next to him.
"Shame Kiba isn't down there," Tsume said as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, "I would have loved to see him fight."
Naruto chuckled and said, "That's what he gets for underestimating one of my students."
Ino was nearby watching the fight intently. She wanted to see Sakura fight so she could prove that her losing was a total fluke. Unlike Sakura Ino had yet to get out of the fangirl stage. She saw her loss as a major blow to her chances with Sasuke…even if they were nonexistent in the first place.
"All right," a man with a senbon in his teeth said, "My name is Genma. I'll be the proctor for the finals. Now there has been a slight change up in the line up so learn the set up."
The man held up a new roster showing who was fighting who.
Ami vs Neji
Sasuke vs Gaara
Sakura vs Temari
Kankuro vs Shino
Shikimaru vs winner of round 3
Shikimaru sighed in his head and thought, 'Great my troublesome opponent may be gone, but I still have to fight one of two troublesome women. What a drag.'
After everyone went over the roster Genma said, "Okay the first match of the Chuunin exams finals between Ami and Neji. Those two stay, but the rest of you got up to the designated area."
The two ninja stayed down in the arena and Genma said, "The first round with Neji versus Ami will now begin. Are the contestants ready? Begin!"
Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and charged at Ami intent on ending the match quickly as fate smiled upon him. Ami quickly dodged the attack before she grabbed Neji's arms and pulled making the boy stumble. Ami then focused chakra into one knee and brought it up slamming the appendage into Neji's stomach making him cry out in pain. He was then knocked backwards by a powerful punch to the face.
"You are stronger than you look," Neji said, "It seems fate has allowed you to challenge me."
Neji shot forward and aimed a few strikes at Ami. The girl dodged them, but Neji changed his tactics and pulled his arms back not allowing her to grab him again. At the moment Ami was glad her training included dodging enhanced punches from Naruto.
As she dodged the trap mistress in training took a few pellets out of her pocket. When she dodged a strike aimed for her shoulder she threw the ball in Neji's face. The balls burst sending a liquid over his face. Neji screamed in pain as he felt his eyes sting.
'Trickster rule no. 1 think outside the box,' Ami thought as the lemon juice in the balls took effect on Neji's eyes sight.
As the Hyuuga prodigy's eyesight began to clear he found himself punched in the face, kicked in the gut, before a round house kick sent him sprawling.
A lot of people were surprised that fan girl was actually kicking butt especially since she only passed the academy on academics. Her parents however beamed down at the arena in pride at seeing their baby girl take on one of the more powerful clans of Konoha and winning.
While Neji was down Ami went through hand signs before calling out her jutsu.
"Lightning Style: Feathers of the Thunderbird!"
Ami pushed her hands out as electric feathers shot out of her hands. Neji saw this and cursed.
"Rotation!"
Neji spun on his heel forming a dome of chakra that blocked the feathers and sent them flying in different directions. While Neji was still spinning Ami pulled a scroll of her belt and opened it revealing it to be blank and set it out in front of her before kicking the dirt making the topsoil cover the paper.
When Neji stopped spinning he yelled, "You little piece of filth!"
Neji charged blindly in a stance the watching Hyuuga knew. It was for their most powerful technique. In his blind rage Neji didn't watch where he was going and stepped on the hidden parchment. Three curved metal spikes shot up and bit into Neji's ankle just below the tibial artery. The lighting seal on the trap sent a volt of electricity through the man's leg making I go numb.
As Neji cried out in pain he heard Ami call out a technique.
"Lightning Style: Electron Whip!"
A whip made of lighting focused on her fingers and shot off wrapping around Neji shocking him and paralyzing his body. He was then the victim of a lighting chakra enhanced haymaker that knocked him straight out.
"Winner: Ami."
The Hyuuga were shocked. One of the strongest clans in the village…humbled by a civilian born ninja. Ami's parents were hugging each other and jumping up and down with joy at seeing their daughter fight so well.
As Ami went to the contestant's box certain members of the crowd were talking.
"That kid was a Hyuuga right?" one man asked, "I thought they were supposed to be strong?"
Another civilian said, "Maybe clan name doesn't mean much in terms of power like it used to back in the day."
The other civilians nodded as they heard this.
In the kage booth Sarutobi said, "Interesting. She showed excellent use of lightning jutsu and skills with traps. Quite impressive f or a former fangirl isn't it?"
The kaze kage nodded and said, "One of Konoha's strongest clans humbled by a civilian one. This should be a real eye opener for the clan."
In the arena Genma said, "Okay will the Gaara of the desert and Sasuke Uchiha please come down to the ring?"
Gaara appeared in a blast of sand and waited for a few minutes. When he didn't show the Kazekage turned to the leader of the leaf village.
"It looks like he isn't going to show," Sarutobi said.
"Hokage-sama I ask tha you hold off the boy's match until later," the Kazekage said, "Many people came here to see the Uchiha survivor fight."
The old man turned to the younger kage and said, "And if Sasuke were to arrive late at a battlefield his comrades would be dead. I cannot allow such behavior to be seen. It makes my ninja seem incompetent. I will allow the Uchiha to fight at a later date, but he will not receive promotion."
The kazekage nodded as he heard that. From the corner of his eyes the hokage could see a dark smirk form under the man's mask, one that he remembered all too well. The old man made a discreet sign and a few ANBU moved into the arena as discretly as possible.
A chuunin came down and whispered something into Genma's ear. The senbon chewing man nodded and announced, "The battle between Gaara of the desert and Sasuke Uchiha will be postponed. However due to his tardiness the Uchiha will not be receiving any promotion."
A few of the Uchiha butt kissers cried out in distaste and anger at hearing that he Uchiha wouldn't be getting any promotion. Some of his more insane fangirls made a motion to go up to the kage booth and complain to theold man. That was when one of the more logical ones mentioned that doing so would be suicide when facing their leader. The group immediately stopped after that.
"Now then," Genma said as the civiians settled down, "The next match between Sakura Haruno and Temari will begin."
Temari and Sakura entered the arena with Temari brandishing her battle fan and Sakura brandishing her Nunchaku.
"Hajime!"
The pinke haired Kunoichi shot forward swinign her weapons. Temari swung her battlefn intent on ending the fight quickly with a single blast. Sakura simply went through hand signs quickly.
"Earth Style: Earth Shatter Dome!"
A lot of rocks shot up from the ground and blocked the attack. Sakura then went through more hand signs.
"Earth Style: Stone Spears Assault!"
The rock Sakura brought up from the ground sharpened and were sent flying at Temari who waved her fan again this time slicing the rocks to pieces.
Sakura ran nimbly through the boulders and was upon Temari in an instant.
Temari dodged the punch aimed at her face and blocked the sudden kick to her stomach. She was then caught off guard by a right cross to the face that cracked a few teeth. This was one of Temari's flaws. While she was great at mid to long rage combat her close up fighting was not that effective.
Sakura jumped back and Temari fell into her hands.
As soon as Temari's fan opened up Sakura shot forward with green chakra forming on her hands.
"Chakra Scalpel!"
As soon as Sakura's hand made contact with the fan the whole thing was ripped apart with a huge slice going through the paper and almost slicing.
Sakura then brandished her nunchuka and slammed the pair of weapons into Temari's stomach making the woman double over in pain. She was sent skyward by a powerful knee strike to the face and was then grabbed by the throat and slammed on the ground with a loud crash. Sakura then got on top of Temari and stomped down on her head knocking her out.
"Winner: Sakura Haruno!"
There was cheering from the village. They were dominating this tournament. Kankuro was looking down at the arena in shock at seeing his older sister being beaten so easily. Apparently the village wasn't as lame as he had been lead to believe. He was really hoping the plan went well after this.
Sakura's parents were looking down in pride at their little girl.
"The next match between Kankuro and Shino Aburame will now begin," Genma announced.
Kankuro thought, 'Crud! I'm not supposed to show my puppet aster jutsu until after Gaara's match. Curse that arrogant duck haired prick!'
Somewhere else the Uchiha sneezed.
Kankuro looked out over the ring and said, "Proctor I withdraw."
The entire arena let out cries of outrage and some started yelling at Kankuro telling him that he shouldn't have even shown up today. A few even made clown references to the guy making him burn in rage.
"Well then," Genma said, "the next match between Shikimaru Nara and Sakura Haruno will now begin."
While Sakura was heading down to the ring Shikimaru was considering withdrawing. At least he was until Shino snuck up behind him and pushed him over the railing of the booth and sent him down into the arena.
Everyone looked at the boy who said, "You didn't see anything."
Down in the arena the fight began and was pretty one sided. Being a Nara Shikimaru had this strange fear of women. As soon as the match began he immediately began dodging every last attack that Sakura threw at him. Sakura seemed to pick up on this and even sent a few chakra scalpels his way to freak him out.
"I withdraw," the Nara heir yelled, "I withdraw! Just get this troublesome woman to stop!"
Sakura stopped punching, but then sent the man flying upward by a powerful kick to the chin sending him flying.
Shikimaru hit the ground knocked out. While he was a dark aura was seen up from the boy's mother Yoshino.
Just as the Nara was taken off the field to check for brain damage there was a large surge of wind and in a torrent of leaves Kakashi and Sasuke appeared. Sasuke was now wearing all black with bandages around his arms and legs.
"Are we late?" Kakashi asked eye smiling.
Genma answered, "Yes you are. Your match was postponed and the Uchiha has been denied promotion due to his tardiness."
Sasuke heard that an instantly fumed. How dare that old man keep him from being promoted to chuunin. The Uchiha then calmed down and thought that when he showed his supreme skill then the old man would change his mind and give him the rank that he truly deserves.
He was cut off from his self praising thoughts as Gaara appeared in a swirl of sand.
"All right," Genma said, "The match between Gaara of the desert and Sasuke Uchiha can finally begin. Contestants ready? Hajime!"
The cork on Gaara's gourd popped off instantly shot off and the sand inside of it formed a clone of Gaara.
Sasuke vanished from sight and slammed into the clone making it burst into small pieces. Gaara gasped as he remembered his fight with Lee.
In the stands Gai asked, "How did Sasuke learn my style so fast Kakashi? His bloodline was sealed."
Kakashi answered, "I tied a bunch of rocks to his hands and legs and made him run laps."
Gai did seem a little upset since he had still stolen his style intead of learning it in a sense.
In the arena Gaara was getting clobbered by a bunch of punches from Sasuke. Eventually Gaara formed a dome of sand around him. Sasuke slammed his fist into the dome only to find himself cradling and injured hand and bleeding knuckles.
Sasuke then jumped backwards and ran up the wall of the arena using chakra.
The boy then went through hand signs for a jutsu that Naruto immediately recognized. The blonde ran over to Kakashi, ripped the book out of his hands, and then lifted him up into the air with absolute rage burning in his eyes.
"You taught him that jutsu? Are you insane?" Naruto yelled.
Kakashi looked nervous and said, "H-He's facing that Gaara psychopath. He is going to need all the help he can get."
Naruto slammed Kakashi into the wall and yelled, "He may be going against a psychopath, but that is still no reason to teach a genin with a slightly unstable mind an assassination jutsu!"
Upon hearing that Ino, who was nearby, asked, "An assassination jutsu?"
Naruto dropped Kakashi and said, "That technique is called the chidori. A jutsu based on the rasengan used by my father. The technique focuses chakra into his hand and allows the user to plunge it into someone. The only problem is that Sasuke needs to see the target to use it!"
Sasuke then launched himself down and called out, "Chidori!"
The lightning attack pierced the dome and hit something. Sasuke felt a warm liquid ooze over his hand and knew he had hit Gaara.
"What is this?" Gaara asked, "Blood? Blood! My blood! YOU MADE ME BLEED!"
A deformed arm shot out and swatted Sasuke away like a fly.
Sasuke looked at the dome and saw through the hole he made there was a yellow eye with four diamonds in the iris.
At that moment white feathers started to fall down around the arena and the kage booth exploded into smoke. Immediately ANBU burst out of nowhere into the arena and released the civilians from the genjutsu that had taken them.
Naruto grinned and said, "Let the games begin."
Omake: Alternate Gaara fight.
When the dome of sand formed around Gaara Sasuke pulled out the "powerful technique Naruto taught him.
"Fire Style; Flame Pellet!"
The marble sized ball of fire hit the dome with little force and exploded. Very weakly I might add.
There was a deep silence and a wind blew through the area.
Gaara burst from his dome and yelled, "YOU DARE INSULT ME WITH SUCH A WEAK TECHNIQUE? DIE!"
Sasuke was then violently crushed to death by Gaara.
A brief funeral was held and since no one could think of anything good to say the process was short. Sasuke didn't really have a lot of money to be buried because Itachi took the clan finances when he left the village so Sasuke was just thrown in a random hole and buried. He would have gotten support from his fan girls, but after the weak jutsu his support fell fangirls included.
Orochimaru eventually died due to his inability to find a good host body so he eventually died out. His powers went to Kabuto, now called Kabutomaru, but with the pedo snakes brain in his head the guy went mad and killed himself in a deluded fit of madness.
Itachi heard of what happened to his brother and, in private, laughed himself to death.
All in all Sasuke was more useful to the village in death then in life.
Cut! Okay that's pretty much it for now. The invasion has begun and Sasuke, will most likely, die at the end of this. Let me know what you think. See you next time.
