Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any other copyrights involved in this story.
Chapter 9 - Itai! That Hurts! Naruto vs. Misao!
"WOW, there's so many people here!" Naruto exclaimed.
"You just noticed that, idiot?" Sasuke jeered.
"That's the fifth time he's said that," Sakura groaned from the arena, for she could hear Naruto's loud voice all the way up in the balcony, where he stayed at with Sasuke.
Actually Naruto had a point; there were even more people at this year's finals than the last chuunin exam. Even the fighting arena appeared to have been increased in size. In addition to the forest and the sand, there was now a small lake on the fighting grounds. The increased amount of people was probably because of Sasuke's return to the scene. As of now, everyone wanted the Uchiha battle to commence, but before that, they had to deal with…incredibly boring battles.
Sigh…I hate to admit it, but all of the battles so far have been boring…, Sakura lamented. The battles that occurred last time were far more interesting, like when Naruto pummeled Neji, or when Shikamaru pulled a "dark horse". This year, however…these guys seriously needed practice.
But at least now we'll get to see some real action! thought Sakura happily as she proudly announced, "Now the next match will be…UZUMAKI NARUTO VS. MAKIMACHI MISAO!"
There was a flood of applause, particularly from the "original twelve", who were anxious to see Naruto's performance after the two and a half years. Tsunade and the other jounin leaders also cheered as well.
"Yeah, Naruto!" cried Kiba.
"The Flames of Youth burn within you!" yelled a fire-y eyed Lee.
"You can do it!" shouted Chouji.
Hmm…it's troublesome…but oh, what the hell… "Go Naruto!" yelled Shikamaru.
"Show me what you are made of…" Neji grinned.
Naruto gave a loud cheer and actually jumped off the balcony railing and landed into the arena. Following suit, Makimachi Misao did the same thing.
The two fighters went to their sides and faced each other.
So, you're one of the "aliens"…, thought Naruto, not knowing what to refer to the girl except "alien". Hmm, that's weird; I don't sense any killer intent within her…
"Uzumaki Naruto, hn?" Makimachi Misao inquired.
Naruto, who had not expected her to talk, immediately launched into his typical personality, "Yeah, that's right! I am Uzumaki Naruto! Before we start, I'm going to promise you that I will win! Because that's –
" – Your ninja way, correct?" Misao flatly finished.
Naruto totally did not expect that, "Uh…um, yeah! So try your hardest, because I'm –
" – Going to beat me? You shouldn't toy around with words, kid," Misao stomped on his words again.
Sakura knew something had to be done, or else Naruto would lose his cool, "Alright, both of you stop talking now! Let's hurry up and start the match!"
Naruto grumbled, but Misao said nothing.
Naruto…do your best, thought Sakura. "Alright, let the match begin!"
"oooaaaaaaaHHHHHHH! Naruto immediately charged at Misao.
What the crap is that idiot doing? Baka! Sasuke thought frustratingly.
Naruto was so close to Misao before he realized…
What the…where the hell did she go!
"Behind you."
Naruto whipped his head around to see –
"OH SHIT!"
In a span of two seconds Naruto did two things:
KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!
And then –
KAWARIMI NO JUTSU!
The kunai that was inches from Naruto's sliced right through his head.
Oh no, Naruto! Sakura cried out in her mind.
But just then –
Poof!
The little smoke cleared to reveal – Naruto!
What the shit…was that? Sasuke was stunned.
Impossible…Naruto knew this? Kakashi was also stunned.
The others were quite stunned as well.
"Ka…Kakashi, you're the technique expert; tell us what the…what the hell he just did!" Gai said while staring in awe.
"Sh-shunjutsu...," Kakashi shakily replied.
"Shunjutsu?" Gai repeated.
"Also known as 'Instant jutsu'. It's another branch of jutsus that only a few people can fully explore. Shunjutsu does not have a specific set of jutsus like taijutsu or ninjutsu, but instead it is made up of jutsu combinations." Kakashi explained.
"Jutsu combinations?" Kurenai asked.
"As in, a mix of two or more jutsus from any of the three branches – ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu. The combining jutsus can combine only if they can 'link' with each other. For example, because Naruto was able to 'link' his Kawarimi no Jutsu to his Kage Bunshin Kawarimi no Jutsu because he had created a clone which he could instantly switch places with. The user must also have full mastery of at least one of the mixing jutsus. In Naruto's case, since he had mastery over Kage Bunshin, he therefore did not have to form the Kage Bunshin hand seal, therefore allowing him easy access to Kawarimi no Jutsu. In the end, the two combining jutsus will form a new jutsu made up of the original jutsus." Kakashi explained further.
"Although…since it's an 'Instant' type, that would mean there is speed involved, correct?" Gai asked.
"Yes, you would need a tremendous amount of speed for it to work, because the combining jutsus have to not only 'link', they would have to occur almost simultaneously. Because a kunai was inches away from Naruto's head, he had to force himself to instantly use those two jutsus at the same time. Although, for Naruto to do something like this…he's really an unpredictable guy...," Kakashi mused.
"Or maybe he was just lucky," Asuma piped up.
"Yeah…that could be it too," Kakashi agreed.
Unbeknownst to Kakashi, Neji had managed to catch every word.
Shunjutsu…? thought Neji curiously. Very interesting…
Sasuke, on the other hand, was concentrating on something else.
Naruto…did a 'shunjutsu'? wondered Sasuke if that was even possible. A while ago, he couldn't even do a bunshin properly, but now…damnit!
On the arena floor, Sakura was also stunned.
A-amazing…, thought Sakura admiringly. I have to learn that too!
"That…that was…so AWESOME!" Naruto cried, still astounded that he was still alive. "I created a new jutsu without even thinking about it! This is just too cool!"
But that was scary! Naruto thought fearfully. The moment she shot a kunai at me…her killer intent shot up like crazy! It was enough to cut my soul into a million pieces! I've never felt anything like this before…
Naruto stared at his hand – it was shaking.
This is worse…, he thought – and he also found out he was breathing a little hard. This is even worse than fighting Orochimaru…. She can miss on purpose and still hurt me with her chakra…so this is what Kakashi-sensei was talking about…
"Nice trick, can you do it again?"
Naruto turned around to respond – to see another kunai right in front of him!
UH…KAGE BUNSHIN KAWARIMI NO JUTSU!
The kunai hit Naruto's head dead on, but from the moment it struck, everyone heard another poof! sound, and when the smoke cleared, Naruto was still there!
"Hmm…Kage Bunshin Kawarimi no Jutsu…has a nice ring to it," said Kakashi thoughtfully.
"To create a new jutsu in the middle of a battle is certainly an admirable feat, Naruto-kun," Misao replied.
"But that jutsu looks like it takes a lot out of you, doesn't it, Naruto-kun?" She teased.
It's not the jutsu, thought Naruto feverishly as he tried to stop his hand from shaking so much. It's her chakra power…it feels like it's cutting away at mine every time she does something…, Naruto noticed he was breathing even more heavily than before.
But there's something odd about her chakra…Naruto pondered as he tried to regain composure. It doesn't seem to connect with her….
Naruto, using as much energy as he could, managed to grin and said, "If I look tired, it's because I'm tired of this battle being so boring! Come on, let's kick it up a little bit!"
"That last sentence just sentenced you to your grave…," Misao smiled coldly.
Naruto watched while he panted, as she once more disappeared into thin air…