Sasuke was not happy.
First, putting the cursed seal into control, as his teacher put it, knocked him out for three days. This by itself wasn't too bad since he would be up for the third exam. But not even one hour after that, he was told, like everyone who passed, that they would have to hold preliminaries to thin their numbers. Sasuke could feel that his body wasn't ready for that, the consequence of being in a bed for three days. And to top it all, he was chosen for the first fight, against Chouji.
Clearly, he had pissed off too many people in another life, because this exam was nothing but hell for him since the second exam started.
As soon as the start of the fight was announced, Sasuke had activated his Sharingan. He wanted this done as soon as possible and he wasn't going to take any chance. Letting Chouji do the first move, he saw him on the other side executing one of his family's jutsu and growing into a giant ball of destruction. A giant ball of destruction that then started to roll fast towards him for a very obvious purpose.
Muttering a curse, Sasuke jumped sideway to avoid him. Chouji turned to his right and faced Sasuke again in another attempt to flatten him, but the dark-haired genin was ready this time. Placing himself closer to the wall, he jumped away at the last second, making Chouji roll himself into the wall.
"Chouji! Give up or you get a fireball, you have two seconds!" Sasuke shouted, already making the first handseal.
"Wha-!? No, wait, I give up, I give up!!" Chouji screamed. Apparently, the idea of ending like grilled meat made the decision quite easy for him.
After the jonin declared his victory, Sasuke climbed the stair to join his team. Naruto and Sakura congratulated him and Kakashi simply smiled at him, if his eye was any indication. That didn't stop him from glaring at his teacher.
"Now what did I do to deserve that look?" Kakashi asked, still smiling.
"You know exactly why. What would have happened if I hadn't woken up?" Sasuke said.
"Well, you would have been disqualified since you wouldn't have been able to fight. But since you're up and you won your fight, there's no problem right?"
Sasuke was still grumpy, but he didn't answer. The next match was announced and Shino and one of the Sound genin, Zaku, were already ready to fight. He always wondered how the Aburame boy fought and he knew it would be interesting to see.
"Now this is what I wanted to see!" Yukari cheered, comfortably seated in front of the television with a cup of sake in hand.
On the screen, Shino already had trapped Zaku. He simply waited for him to either give up or attack, which would give him the victory no matter what happened.
"I agree." Yuyuko said, also with her own cup. "It is nice to see others fight when you don't know what to expect. The outcome can even be a sudden surprise."
Just as she finished speaking, Zaku's arms exploded as he tried to attack. Shino wasted no time knocking him out right after that.
"Was it really necessary to destroy his arms?" Youmu asked while rubbing one of her arms, a bit afraid of the idea of one of them receiving the same fate as Shino's opponent on the screen.
"What better way to ensure victory than to make sure your opponent cannot attack?" Yukari commented, not disturbed by the sight at all.
"Aww, don't worry Youmu. If you lose an arm someday, I'll find someone to reattach it for you." Yuyuko said.
It wasn't as comforting as Yuyuko hoped for, if Youmu's shudder was any indication.
"Next match: Kankuro against Kin." The examiner announced. The two genin announced walked into the arena, face to face with each other.
"Oh, him…" Naruto, remembering the first encounter with the team from Suna, "What does he carry on his back anyway? If it's a weapon, shouldn't he have taken it out?"
"That means he has a plan." Kakashi answered. "Not all weapons are as obvious as a kunai or a shuriken."
It was as Kakashi said. Kin tried to distract him with a bell tied on one of her senbon that caused him to look behind and she immediately plunged a kunai into him. Right after she realized there was no blood, 'Kankuro' released a gas that put her to sleep.
"Too easy." Kankuro stated as he revealed himself.
The next match, Misumi Tsurugi against Kiba Inuzuka, wasn't as short, but it was another case of underestimation. Misumi, after announcing he wouldn't go easy on him even if they were from the same village, immediately attacked and used his strange bloodline to ensnare Kiba with his limbs. As he told Kiba to surrender or else, Akamaru, completely forgotten by the older shinobi, took the occasion to bite him in the ass. With Misumi's grip on him relaxed as he screamed in pain, Kiba shook himself free and said he wouldn't go easy on him either. That statement was followed by a rather savage beating that ended when Misumi became unconscious.
"Fifth match: Tenten versus Naruto."
"I didn't think I would fight you now…" Tenten commented, facing Naruto in the arena. "You won't go easy because I'm a girl, right?"
"I got beaten up by way too many girls to even think of that!" Naruto retorted, sliding a leg behind him.
"Begin!" Hayate announced.
"Well, I won't feel bad for going all-out either then!" Tenten shouted, immediately jumping back and sending a volley of kunais aimed at Naruto.
Instead of jumping back, Naruto took a kunai from his pouch and threw it. It impacted with one of Tenten's own kunai and both were knocked aside. Naruto himself didn't move after the throw, letting two kunais nips his clothes. The rest of the volley struck the floor.
Tenten, with her hands full of shurikens, was surprised to say the least.
"Why didn't you jump back?!"
"And let myself open for your next attack? No way." Naruto answered. "I'm used to projectiles. There's no way just a few kunais will make me move."
"There goes one plan." Tenten thought. The first attack was meant to scare him by aiming for an area instead of just Naruto. As soon as he jump, becoming defenseless in the air, she would have sent another volley, all aimed for him this time. However, he immediately saw the weapon that would hurt him and knocked it aside, nullifying the whole attack. And what bothered her most was the speed at which he reacted.
His claim wasn't a bluff: it was the complete truth.
"So I just need more, right?" Tenten asked, taking out a scroll. "As you wish then."
"Of course, I'm not just going to stand, you know?" Naruto remarked as Tenten's went to unfold the scroll.
"Oh really?" Tenten asked.
Naruto's hand formed the seal of his favorite technique. "Yes really."
Both grinned for a moment. Then all hell broke loose.
"What the heck? Since when was Naruto so good?" Shikamaru asked, honestly surprised.
He wasn't the only one. On the arena, Naruto sidestepped, spun and ducked around almost everything thrown at him before returning fire. Then he would stop, make clones and run straight at his opponent while his clones fired at her. Tenten would then be forced to jump back and evade the energy bullets aimed for her before starting to throw weapons again.
Sasuke observed all of it with the Sharingan. What his eyes told him surprised him a little.
"Kakashi-sensei, is he really doing what I'm thinking?" He asked, not sure what to think of his observation.
"You mean anticipating the trajectory of all the projectiles? Yes, that's what he's doing." Kakashi answered.
"You mean he can see where they're all going to hit?" Sakura asked, surprised. She knew Naruto had gotten better, but to that point… "But he's not even looking at them all the time, so how does he do it?"
"You know how Naruto uses his own projectiles, right?" Kakashi asked. At Sakura's nod, he continued. "Think about it for a second: if someone taught it to him and Naruto trained with that person, how long do you think it would take to be used to dealing with long range attacks?"
"That's…"
"Naruto doesn't observe: he doesn't have the time to. He's instinctively glancing at every object going in his direction and the path they'll take. Then he'll dodge with minimal effort to save his stamina and still be able to react to something sudden."
"That's… completely crazy." Sakura muttered. "And he's doing it like it's so easy."
"Well, his opponent can only throw so many weapons at a time too. If she had the same ability as Naruto, maybe it would be a different story." Kakashi added.
Nearby, Tenten's team was also discussing the current fight.
"Gai-sensei… Can Tenten win?" Lee muttered, observing the fight without his usual enthusiasm.
"I cannot say. Naruto has the advantage in the number of projectiles and stamina. To top it all, he can send his clones to harass her and still attack from a distance." Gai said. "She needs to find a hole in his offense if she wants to win."
That part, however, was far easier said than done. While Tenten was fast, thanks to Gai's training, Naruto mostly attacked the area she was in. Already, she took a fair share of hits.
On the other hand, Naruto seemed to have no trouble evading the thrown weapons. Even when he let them pass dangerously close, his face didn't show any sign of shock. And he certainly didn't have to worry about running out of projectiles, as far as Gai knew.
Another part of his mind started to word a request to the Hokage for permission to teach Tenten the Kage Bushin technique. She would never be able to create as many as Naruto, but the boy already proved how useful just a few could be for someone like Tenten.
But that was for another time and he returned his full attention to the fight when Naruto used a clone as a step to move above his student.
"Kage Bunshin Sign 'Cluster Shot'!"
Tenten was caught off-guard and barely had time to move her arms to protect her head as she and the floor around her were showered in a large amount of bullets.
"Gah!" Tenten thought as the merciless attack went on. "Even if I won't die from this, it still hurt like hell!"
As Naruto landed after the attack, Tenten unconsciously put one knee one the destroyed floor, trying to regain her breath. Her clothes were torn at places and she herself started to feel numb.
Not good at all. And Naruto had the gall to still be breathing normally.
"Guess I have no choice… I wanted to save it for the finals but it's my last chance. " Tenten said, taking two scrolls and placing them at her sides. As soon as this was done, she started forming handseals, going through them as fast as she could.
Naruto was actually wary now. Despite avoiding injuries, it took concentration to dodge so many weapons. Tenten was accurate and he was thankful she didn't use a clone to throw more at the same time.
It wasn't like he could side-step a whole bunch of them at once after all. Not enough space to fit in meant he would have to jump away.
Another problem was that unlike danmaku, weapons don't simply disappear after they hit something. The floor was now littered with many weapons Naruto had no intention of accidentally stepping on. Not only he had to watch for projectiles, but also where he moved.
And now… Two scrolls and executing handseals for this? This didn't look good. If her throwing speed became faster, he wouldn't be able to keep up. A part of his mind compared the situation to a danmaku battle: An unknown spell card could reverse the whole battle. Except that instead of a spell card, it was a jutsu.
But a spell card could be stopped before it even started…
However, the distance between him and Tenten was too great. Even if he started running now, he wouldn't reach her in time. Besides, there was also the possibility that she had a counter prepared against people who would try to stop her. She did look awfully exposed after all.
So he had to not only be fast, but be fast enough so that Tenten didn't have time to react. As his mind searched for a way, his instincts screamed that he already had something.
But that was something he never really intended to use. At least, not outside Gensokyo. Naruto knew he wasn't the same as before and he trained to use it, but he wanted to avoid relying on it if he could. And yet… He wouldn't be able to beat Tenten right now without it. As much as he didn't like it, losing would be even worse.
"So… just for a moment then." Naruto decided. He let go of some of his control on himself and moved. He felt his fingers turning into claws and his senses getting sharper, but he didn't concentrate on that.
Just as Tenten jumped up with both scrolls in hand, she realized Naruto was suddenly just under her. Right after, he jumped up and kicked her in a somersault with enough strength to make her drop one of her scrolls. Not only that, Naruto had put enough strength to send her crashing into the ceiling. Despite the pain, Tenten decided to stick on the ceiling rather than fall down.
But just as she opened her eyes, Naruto pulled out another spell card.
"Kage Bunshin Sign 'Cluster Shot'!"
Some of the shots hit the ceiling, but most hit Tenten directly, unable to defend herself from the assault. As soon as the assault was done, Naruto saw Tenten starting to fall, unmoving. Before she hit the ground, Naruto caught her bridal-style.
"Should have expected for you to hold something back too…" Tenten muttered. That last attack hit her hard and she was unable to move.
"Hey, you were great too! If you want to, we can have a rematch anytime." Naruto said.
Tenten tried to see some sarcasm in his face, considering how Naruto led the whole fight, but he seemed to genuinely have enjoyed it.
"Sure. "Tenten answered, smiling. "You won't win so easily next time."
"Winner: Naruto!"
"He was holding back." Yukari said.
They hadn't missed the fight, of course. But even if Naruto had won without too much trouble, Yukari was disappointed that Naruto still didn't acknowledge himself after his decision. And because of that refusal, he wasn't fighting with everything he had.
"He still needs time." Yuyuko said. "Whatever you may think, Naruto is still a child."
Yukari didn't answer, choosing to frown instead. She understood what her friend said, yet it didn't do much for her feelings.
Looking at the screen, she saw the reactions from the fight. The team from Sand looked fairly bored, even if Naruto's sudden gain of speed was unexpected. At the very least, the most interesting of them was still looking at Naruto with wide eyes.
He probably recognized what Naruto used, given how familiar he was with it.
Some of the others Leaf kids were still in shock. Despite knowing Naruto wasn't weak, it was another thing to see it. But even with the surprise, they congratulated Naruto for his victory.
The others members of Tenten's team had different reactions. The boy with white eyes said nothing, taking care of his teammate that Naruto had carried up instead. The teacher congratulated Naruto for his fight, but promised that it would be far different the next time. The last one did the same as his teacher, but said he would certainly enjoy a match with him.
Then Yukari's eyes noticed someone in particular. And she couldn't help but smirk.
Hinata looked like a nightmare had just come to life.
Kurenai carefully eyed her student, having an idea of what she was thinking but unable to offer any support. Only because she didn't know what to say.
And all of this because of that woman... no, that demon. That day, she had arrived only to find her already talking with Hinata. Because she didn't do anything yet, she simply watched from a distance.
And when that horrible laughter started, it was already far too late to realize her mistake...
"Haha... Ha ha ha... Oh my, how can it be….Ha ha ha! Is it even possible for you to be even more PATHETIC?"
She was as dumbstruck as Hinata was by the words and the laughter. How could someone simply question her on a subject so sensible only to laugh and insult her afterwards? But she was a jonin and it did not take long for her to clear her shock, realize the effect this would have on Hinata and run towards her student, intending to stop the laughter.
However, it was for naught. She wasn't getting nearer and it took only an instant to realize she was under an illusion.
"Who…?!" Kurenai muttered, seething. There was someone out there helping that demon destroys Hinata's self-worth?!
She immediately made a seal and muttered a Kai, only to realize this had no effect. She decided to attempt the same with more chakra before a female voice stopped her.
"Do not do this. Otherwise, I will be forced to act."
"Show yourself!" Kurenai shouted, trying to find the creator of the illusion. The voice seemed to have come from everywhere.
"As you wish." The voice said again, right next to her.
Kurenai was surprised, but she quickly turned to confront the genjutsu user. Whoever it was, she intended to identify the person, get out of the illusion, take her student away and try to control the damage that was no doubt already done and go to the Hokage. Under her anger, she was prepared to do all that, no matter who it was.
She was prepared. But she could do nothing but pale when she saw the figure. A figure possessing nine fox tails.
"Ky…Kyu-!"
"No, I am not." She stated. "I am Ran Yakumo, Shikigami of Lady Yukari Yakumo."
This didn't do much to calm Kurenai. Considering the carnage of the Kyuubi, it was somewhat understandable. And this person stated she was a servant? That her master was stronger?!
Her musings were cut short as Yukari had stopped laughing. From a distance, Kurenai could see her looking directly into Hinata's eyes with a smile full of malice.
"You wish to be like Naruto? This coming from someone has weak as you? What a joke!" Yukari said, cruelty dripping from her words. "How can someone like you DARE to think of being like him when you don't even try to do something about it?"
"I…I…"
"That bitch…!" Kurenai muttered in a snarl, her hands moving. What was she doing? She had to break the illusion and stop this at once!
But a hand grabbed her arms before she could form a seal.
"I told you, do not do this." Ran said. "My mistress asked that none interrupt her. If you use too much chakra, the girl will notice. I will put you unconscious if I need to."
"And why should I do as you ask?"
"Would you rather be able to try something after lady Yukari is done or do you prefer to be unconscious and only be able to act much later? I won't stop you from listening, but I cannot let you disrupt them."
Kurenai almost bit her lip in frustration. As much as she hated it, the correct choice was quite evident.
"I do know about you, you know?" Yukari continued "Instead of becoming stronger, you lament on how weak you are. You observe Naruto in silence instead of doing something about your own personality. You simply dream while Naruto works to get what he wants. Am I wrong, little girl?"
Given how Hinata looked like she was about to break down and cry, it was evident Yukari's words were having an effect on her.
"Bu… But I-"
"But NOTHING!" Yukari interrupted. "You hate being a weight to others and yet you remain the same! Your team failed missions because of you and you don't learn from them!"
"I do train!" Hinata shouted, "I want to be stronger! But no matter what I do, I don't change!"
"Then the way you train must be useless. Did you really try everything or do you simply give up before finishing?" Yukari replied, smiling coldly again.
Hinata didn't answer her. It was an unfair question after all, since the border youkai already knew the answer.
"Last question now…" Yukari said, knowing Hinata would not answer her last question. "If Naruto could see you now, do you know what he would think of you?"
"W-What Naruto-kun would thing?" Hinata repeated, unsure of the question.
"Yes. What do you imagine he would think of you? I promise this is the last question."
Hinata bit her lip in hesitation, trying to think of an answer.
A little away, Kurenai's killing intent was completely out of control as she could do nothing but watch.
"That… Why are you stopping me from going to Hinata's side?" She asked, turning to Ran. "Are you telling me you support his?"
"It is not my place to decide if my master's actions are right or wrong." Ran said, avoiding the question.
"He… Naruto-kun wouldn't like me, right?" Hinata answered. A moment passed, Hinata waiting for a reply. When she realized none was coming, she took it as a sign to continue. "Naruto-kun moves forward while I walk in place… He is not mean enough to say things that will hurt but he'll be disappointed anyway, right?"
"A surprising answer." Yukari said. "Don't you dream to be with him?"
"Even if I do, it wouldn't happen now…"
"Right, right… You aren't foolish it seems." The blonde youkai said, nodding at her answer. "However, your answer is still wrong."
"H-huh?"
"I asked 'if Naruto could see you…'. Didn't you ask yourself if he would see you in the first place?" Yukari explained.
"Wh-What are saying?" Hinata asked, confused.
"Naruto, during the his Academy days, was interested in Sakura. These days, do you think he is still interested in her?"
Now that Yukari had said it, Hinata did realize that it was true. But she couldn't think of anything of something that happened to make it so.
"No, he isn't…" Hinata said, still trying to find a reason.
"That's because his interests changed, obviously. I can assure you he met many girls far stronger and smarter than Sakura him since graduation. Why would he hold Sakura so high then?"
"But… Why is being smarter or stronger change his interests?" Hinata asked.
"Silly girl… Naruto likes girls who are strong of course!" Yukari said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Back in the Academy, wasn't she the top student while he struggled simply to not be last? And now that he meets girls who are stronger, girls who aren't afraid to fight, work and train… How can he even see you if you yourself stop him from noticing you?"
Hinata would have been hit with a sledgehammer, you wouldn't have noticed the difference. Her mind tried to accept what she was just told. As much as she tried to deny it, Yukari had very good points.
Why didn't she try speaking to Naruto before? Why not help him when he needed it? When he was alone? When she knew how lonely he was?
The only answer to these was fear. The fear that Naruto would not accept her. That he would label her 'weak'. That the person she admired so much would view her the same as her family.
"Why?" Hinata muttered. The tone was uncharacteristically low, even for her.
"Why what?" Yukari asked back.
"Why did you come here to tell me all this?"
Kurenai wondered the same. Why come out of her way for this? What did Hinata do so that there was a need to act and crush her dreams and hopes into dust?
"I was really tired of seeing you around. Don't you have anything else to do instead of stalking people?" Yukari answered. In an amused voice. As if it was obvious. As if no other reason was needed.
Kurenai almost couldn't believe what followed next. In a sudden movement, Hinata lunged forward, her palm aiming for the heart of Yukari. Just as it was about to strike, two gaps opened in the air opened. One swallowed the threat, the hand disappearing into the gap. Only to appear to strike Hinata's own stomach, as the second gap opened just in front of it.
The counter was unexpected and Hinata took her own attack full force. She was pushed back but still managed to stay up, enduring the blow.
When she lifted her head again, the metallic and very sharp tip of Yukari's parasol was pointed at her neck.
"So weak… So, so weak. An attack that was supposed to contain your anger couldn't even make someone fall. Did you rush it or did you just stop thinking? Either way, I start to wonder why I even bothered to counter it."
Yukari moved her parasol away and started to walk away. Hinata did not try to attack again, simply watching her walks away.
"Ah, I almost forgot…" Yukari said, stopping for a moment. "I should probably answer your attack before I left."
Before Hinata could understand what she said, another gap appeared in front of her. A grave marker appeared out of it, slamming Hinata hard in the stomach and sending her to the ground. She didn't get up, trying to regain her breath.
Yukari walked away, leaving Hinata on the ground. Reaching the immobile form of Kurenai, she stopped to address her audience.
"I am done with her. Try to have her become stronger at the very least…"
"You soulless bastard…" Kurenai muttered, seething. "You think you can just get away with this? How could you say all of this to her and use Naruto against her?"
"Because I do not like her. Didn't you hear me just before?" Yukari answered, surprising Kurenai. Even if her consciousness was trapped in an illusion, it seemed that the Border Youkai could still see and address her."How could I even start liking someone with a will so weak? As for getting away with this… I must admit I am curious to know how exactly you will try to make me pay. You are not entertaining the hope of actually defeating me, are you?"
"Beating you? Why would I need to when-"
"Because I can't let this reach Naruto's ears, you know? If you were to try talking about this… An unfortunate accident would have to happen."
Yukari didn't even try to hide her smirk while Kurenai was shocked into silence by the threat.
"You… To go this far just to crush her spirit with lies…
"Lies?" Yukari interrupted. "You think what I said isn't true?
Then tell me: What I said to that girl, where was I wrong?"
It took days before Hinata's self-confidence returned to what it was before. But even the low amount she had could shatter at any moment. And for Hinata to see words from someone else becoming facts was shaking the core of Hinata's being.
Kurenai put a hand on Hinata's shoulder, causing the young girl to stop trembling and look up to her teacher.
"Calm down. Do you really think everything she said is the truth?" Kurenai asked her student.
Hinata didn't say anything, but she calmed down a little, to Kurenai's relief.
"Next match: Gaara versus Yoroi." Hayate announced.
Gaara calmly walked down the stairs to the arena while the other man raised an eyebrow at the unexpected match. Glancing at the person behind the Sound team, he only received a smirk back. Shrugging, Yoroi also walked down the stairs.
If his master Orochimaru found this so amusing, he might as well see if his bloodline worked against the monster.
"Begin!"
Wordlessly, Gaara sent a stream of sand coming from his gourd towards the leaf ninja. The lack of words probably indicated that he didn't care one bit for his opponent and just wanted this over with. Yoroi examined the sand for a second before extending an arm and activating his technique.
As the sand passed near his hand, it fell down on the floor and stopped moving. As the attack was linear and rushed, Yoroi had no trouble stopping it.
Gaara tilted his head on his left, the only sign of curiosity he displayed over what just happened.
"This is a chakra absorption technique." Yoroi explained. "Since there is chakra in your sand to move, I simply need to take it to remove your influence from it. This way, your attacks won't work against me."
Gaara didn't look troubled. Instead, more sand came out of his gourd and moved it in a circle around the ninja.
"What if I attack you from all sides then?" Gaara asked.
Yoroi looked around. Indeed, if all of it rushed him at once, he would be done for. So there was one thing left to do now.
"Examiner, I give up." Yoroi announced. He hadn't expected to win in the first place. In fact, he was supposed to lose anyway. There was no need to suffer injuries or lose his life in a useless fight.
Gaara didn't look too pleased with the surrender, but a sharp word from his teacher had him move back the sand in his gourd and walking back up. Yoroi simply left the arena, having no reason to remain.
"Next match: Temari against Shikamaru!" Hayate announced.
Both of them walked to the center of the arena, though Shikamaru was like someone doing something against their will.
"How troublesome… Why did I have to get a girl to fight against?" He muttered, clearly not enjoying his bad luck.
Such a comment had a predictable and immediate effect on Temari.
"Are you looking down on me, you chauvinist?!" She asked in anger.
"Of course not." Shikamaru answered. "It'll be a pain especially you look like someone who worked hard so that people wouldn't look down on you."
Anger left place for shock as Temari did not expect that kind of reply. When she got over it, she quietly laughed to herself before smirking.
"Look like not everyone in your group is blind after all." She said. "Why don't you just surrender if it's too much for you?"
Shikamaru didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes to think about it.
"You know, that doesn't sound too b-"
"Shikamaru, what the hell?!" Ino screamed "If you give up now, I'll make your life hell, you hear me!"
"…So much for that plan." Shikamaru muttered. "Troublesome woman…"
"Begin!" Hayate said, starting the fight.
The two ninjas did nothing at first, each waiting for the other to do something.
"Aren't you going to attack?" Shikamaru asked. "I thought guys were supposed to let the girl go first."
"You wish." Temari replied.
"Fine then." Shikamaru said, making the handseals of his family technique.
His shadow moved forward, aiming directly for Temari. The Sand shinobi reacted and moved to her right to avoid the shadow. Right after, she took the fan from her back and swung it, aiming for Shikamaru.
The gust of wind provoked by the fan lifted Shikamaru from the ground and sent him slamming into the wall behind him. He grunted in pain from the impact, but he was back on his feet right after.
"I don't know what your shadow can do, but there's no way I'm letting it touch me." Temari declared. Her fan was partially open, showing one purple circle.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru commented. "Why isn't your fan completely open?"
"I'll let you guess why. But know that once the three stars appear on it, the match will be over."
Shikamaru didn't answer the taunt. Instead, he sent his shadow forward again. And again, he aimed directly for Temari in a straight line.
In a repetition of what just happened, Temari once again avoided it and sent another, but much stronger gust of wind, slamming Shikamaru harder than before on the wall. The fan displayed two stars this time, but Temari wasn't looking confident.
"There's something wrong." Temari thought. "There's no reason for him to repeat the same attack the same way if the first time failed."
She reviewed what happened so far while Shikamaru took his time getting back up. She simply dodged a straight attack two times. If he did the same thing a third time, she would no doubt do the thing again.
"He wants to surprise me with something new while I intend to finish him. Since he doesn't look like someone to attack himself, the surprise is probably in his shadow." Temari concluded.
Prepared, she readied herself for the next attack. As predicted, Shikamaru attacked the same way again. She dodged again, but she started running to put more distance between her and the shadow.
A tendril had emerged from the side of the attack and moved to grab Temari, but she made sure to run fast enough to not let it get close enough. It pursued at a fast speed, becoming the head of the attack while doing so, but Temari didn't let herself get caught.
"I knew it… A surprise attack while I swing my fan? But I don't need to stop moving to attack!" She declared, preparing herself to swing her fan again for the final blow.
But just as she was ready to swing her weapon, she stopped.
"W…What?! Why can't I…"
"Who said I needed to grab you directly to win?" Shikamaru said. As he spoke, he moved his arms as if he discarded something from his arms. Temari found herself forced to repeat his actions and threw her fan away.
"I just needed to grab a shadow connected to you." Shikamaru explained. He looked at the fan, noticing it was now fully open. "Three stars, the match is over. Thanks for carrying a weapon so big."
"He… He waited until my weapon was completely open and made the biggest shadow possible!" Temari thought, understanding his plan minus one last part. "But I was running faster than your attack! Why did it catch up now, even with my fan?"
"It wasn't moving at full speed. You simply assumed it was." The Leaf genin said, now walking toward his opponent and forcing his opponent to do the same. Once she was in front of him, he stopped.
"Even if we move the same, there are still differences." Shikamaru said. "I have a weapon pouch on my leg. You don't."
"So you can just take something out and point it at my neck…" Temari finished for him.
"Exactly."
"There's no need for that." Hayate said, moving between the two combatants. "It's pretty clear now that the match is decided. No objection?"
"…None." Temari muttered, unable to think of any way to escape the technique.
"Winner: Shikamaru Nara!"
"Not bad." Yukari commented, still watching the fights with Yuyuko and Youmu.
"I agree." Yuyuko commented. "He had her completely fooled."
"Let's hope the next match will be as entertaining." Yukari said, as the examiner was ready to announce who would fight next.
"Sakura versus Ino!"
This fight was not just a simple fight for the two of them. It was a fight to prove their worth. A fight each of them wanted to show to the other how much they had grown. A struggle that started in the past, left boiling and was about to be done right here, right now. If anyone could measure willpower at that moment, they would be surprised by how much Sakura and Ino wanted victory. Truly a titanic-sized emotional match!
But that was for those who knew the two girls. For everyone else, it was just a long match.
"Yuyuko-sama, Miss Yukari… The match ended in a draw, so you can wake up now." Youmu meekly said, dismayed at the sight of the two older youkais asleep on the table.
On the screen, the next genin to fight were already decided.
"Hinata versus Neji!"
Author's notes: I am one of the worst updater ever. This fic reminds me why exactly I wanted to stick to one-shots. Well, after backing out and then coming back, there's no other choice for me but to finish this.
The chapter is a little smaller than usual. It seemed like a good point to stop and the wait as been long enough anyway. The next one will be longer. And I can at least promise it won't take half a year again. Truly, I am too easily distracted.
Now I ask for the Hinata fans to please not murder me. Yukari's goal was to crush her self-esteem so that she'll never approach Naruto and you can't say Hinata was strong before this point.
As usual, hope you enjoyed the read, hope you'll leave a review and notify me of any mistake by PM.
