The Yondaime's Legacy
Chapter 14: Chunin Exams Preliminaries
Author's Notes:
My previous omake confused some of you to think that the pairing wasn't confirmed. This isn't true. I only used Haku for the omake because she had the necessary powers to fit the Christmas theme.
Previously:
"Let the preliminary stage of the final exam begin!"
"But first, anyone wants to forfeit? It won't affect your team now," Hayate asked. Kabuto forfeited, that sneaky bastard. Also, Yugito's two teammates left.
The electronic board began flashing through the remaining twenty names.
"Uchiha Sasuke versus Yoroi Akado."
The two shinobi jumped down from the balconies and landed before the proctor.
"Hajime!"
Akado ran towards Sasuke and placed a hand on his forehead, sucking chakra. The Uchiha did not take kindly to this and grabbed his arm.
Swinging hard, he slammed Akado into the floor. The genin glared at him and tried to sweep him, but Sasuke jumped up and avoided it.
Akado stood up. Sasuke ran towards him and kicked him skywards. The Uchiha then jumped up after him.
"Kage Buyo!" he shouted, then punched and kicked the older teen in mid-air. "Shishi Rendan (Barrage Of Lions)!"
Lastly, he came down with a chop to Akado's stomach, hand crackling with electricity.
The older teen blacked out.
"Shosha: Uchiha Sasuke! Aburame Shino versus Abumi Zaku! Hajime!"
"Haha, watch out! I'll beat you with a single punch!" Zaku taunted. The stoic Aburame was unfazed.
"Let me show you the power of insects..." Shino said, and the sound of buzzing filled the arena.
Zaku snorted. "Then let me show you the power of sound. Zankuha (Decapitating Airwaves)!" he shouted while thrusting out his hands.
A giant wave of air shot towards Shino, who merely stood there and took it head on. When it collided with the Aburame, he dispersed into a swarm of insects.
Zaku felt his chakra being drained quickly, and turned around. It was too late, for Shino's hand had already risen.
Millions of insects swarmed the Oto-nin like a tornado, producing a loud buzzing noise. Thicker and darker purple lines of even more insects spiralled up the tornado.
"Kikaichu: Sunagi (Parasitic Insects: Pupa)!" Shino uttered. The tornado exploded, then the insects re-entered his sleeve.
Zaku was lying on the floor, out cold. Medics carried his body away on a stretcher as Hayate announced, "Shosha: Aburame Shino! Sabaku no Kankuro versus Tsurugi Misumi! Hajime!"
Kankuro took off the wrapped bundle on his back and set it on the floor.
Misumi ran at the puppeteer and jumped onto him. Then using a jutsu, the Oto-nin dislocated his own joints and used chakra to wrap around Kankuro.
"Forfeit, or I'll break your neck!" Kankuro smirked in response, before breaking into multiple parts.
"A puppet?" Misumi thought. The puppet's arms wrapped around him, crushing his bones.
The bundle on the floor opened, revealing it to be the real Kankuro. His hand was aglow with chakra, chakra strings attached from his fingertips to the puppet.
"Just think how much more flexible you could become if your bones are crushed," he said, then squeezed his fist. Every single bone in Misumi's body broke.
Hayate declared, "Due to his opponent being unable to continue, the winner is Sabaku no Kankuro. Next match: Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino! Hajime!"
The two girls jumped into the arena and faced each other. Ino rushed towards her, to which she sidestepped and punched her face with her chakra-enhanced strength. Naruto winced.
Ino got up with a hand cupping her bruised cheek. Sakura ran towards her while throwing her senbon, planting it in her pressure points as Haku lectured.
The Yamanaka collasped onto the floor pathetically, put into a near-death state by Sakura.
Medics took her away as Hayate called the match. "Shosha: Haruno Sakura! Next match: Nii Yugito versus Yuki Haku!"
The two kunoichi walked down the stairs and stepped onto the platform.
"Hajime!"
Haku disappeared, reappearing near Yugito in an attempt to sweep her legs. The agile Kumo-nin backflipped away and brought a hand seal up to her mouth.
A fireball shot out, heading for Haku. Within a few one-handed hand seals, an ice mirror appeared and blocked the fireball.
Yugito narrowed her cat-like eyes. She ran at Haku and began engaging her in taijutsu. Both were good; while Haku was fast in her speed, Yugito was very nimble and had good reflexes.
In the end, Yugito's stamina as a jinchuuriki won out as Haku felt tired and couldn't avoid the kick to her stomach.
"You're not bad for a kunoichi. Unlike those fangirls I keep hearing about that spoil our names," Yugito praised.
Haku nodded in acknowledgement before flashing through a set of hand seals. Ice mirrors surrounded Yugito in a house-like formation.
"Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho!" Yugito began throwing fireball after fireball in an attempt to escape, however it was useless.
Haku began a relentless rain of senbon on the Kumo-nin. She did not expect red chakra to wrap around her target and expel all the senbons with force.
Then the chakra exploded in a wave, shattering the ice mirrors instantly. The creature emerging from the debris stunned everyone present. It was the Nibi in all her glory.
Haku shouted, "I forfeit!" Yugito, hearing this, reversed the transformation back into herself.
Hayate shook his head. "Genins these days, not knowing when to use low-level techniques... Shosha: Nii Yugito! Next match: Tenten versus Sabaku no Temari! Hajime!"
With her wind ninjutsu, Temari deflected Tenten's weapons easily. Since Tenten was a weapon specialist, she stood no chance. It was simply her misfortune.
The match ended when Temari used the "Futon: Kamaitachi no Jutsu (Wind Style: Sickle Weasel Jutsu)" and injured her with a tornado of wind blades.
"Shosha: Sabaku no Temari! Up next: Nara Shikamaru vs Tsuchi Kin! Hajime!"
The Oto kunoichi grew a tic mark on her forehead when she saw her opponent yawn.
"Mendokuse na..." Shikamaru complained, earning a glare from Kin. "Shut up and fight, lazy-ass!"
"Ninpo: Kagemane no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu)!" Shikamaru called, his hands in the Rat hand seal. A shadow line shot from his shadow and raced towards Kin's.
She wove strings and bells around Shikamaru and caused a genjutsu to affect him, making him see multiple copies of her. He couldn't tell which the real one so he couldn't aim the shadow jutsu...
Or so she thought.
"Kagemane seiko!" Shikamaru said, smirking. "But... How?!" Kin asked, unable to move.
Shikamaru released the jutsu slightly so that she could turn her head. The strings she used earlier also had shadows, and since they came from her, their shadows were linked to hers. The genius Nara had used this strategy to connect his shadow to hers, thus successfully paralysing her.
"Owarida!" Shikamaru called and drew a kunai from his holster. Kin, forced to copy his actions, did the same.
Shikamaru aimed at her head and threw the kunai from the right side. Kin did the same while aiming at Shikamaru, and the kunais didn't clash. Instead they flew towards their targets.
The strategist bent his back sharply, avoiding the kunai a la Matrix. Kin copied his action - however her back was near the wall. Her head impacted with the wall and knocked her out.
Shikamaru released the shadow possession.
"Shosha: Nara Shikamaru!" Hayate declared, impressed at his strategy though it was expected of a Nara.
"Mendokuse, now I have to take part in the finals," he drawled, dragging his body up the stairs.
Naruto shook his head at his laziness.
"Inuzuka Kiba versus Sabaku no Gaara!"
"Proctor, I forfeit!" Kiba shouted. Naruto didn't blame him. He had heard the gory tales of what Gaara did with his sand.
The redhead growled at not being able to kill something. "Winner by forfeit: Sabaku no Gaara! Next: Hyuga Hinata vs Hyuga Neji!"
The cousins locked eyes. Naruto activated his Sharingan discreetly - he might be able to pick up some Juken (Gentle Fist) moves.
"Hajime!"
"Byakugan!" both Hyugas yelled. Veins became visible at the sides of their eyes, which had turned a pure white save thin black lines marking their irises.
The two began an impressive taijutsu brawl, Juken vs Juken. "Hinata-sama, Fate has already declared me the winner. Forfeit, or you shall suffer," Neji warned.
Hinata stuttered, "I-I won't give up! That is my nindo!" The Branch House member glared at the heiress.
"Then suffer you will," Neji said coldly. He lunged at Hinata who took a step back. As they exchanged quick blows, bursts of chakra were visible to the spectators.
The girl was slowly losing ground, shown when she took a blow to her chest. Her cousin span around and delivered a kick, followed by a vicious uppercut.
Hinata sprayed blood across the floor with trails of it flowing from her mouth with her sprawled on the floor. Naruto glared angrily at Neji. He didn't have to resort to such violence.
"I told you, once a loser, always a loser. Give up," he said. Hinata gave him a look full of determination despite her condition, sitting up. "I told you, I won't give up!"
Her cousin jumped towards her for the last time. "Juken!" he shouted, a burst of chakra shooting from his fingertip and entering her heart.
He was about to finish her off when the proctor and the four senseis from Konoha sprang into action, restraining him.
He scowled. "So this is the special treatment the Main House gets?" he asked. "No, you have clearly won the match. There was no need for your extra violence," Kakashi answered. Medics entered the arena and quickly brought Hinata away.
Hayate announced in distaste, "Shosha: Hyuga Neji! The next match will be Uzumaki Naruto vs Rock Lee!"
The boy with the bowl cut that looked like a mini-Gai entered the arena enthusiastically. "I'm Rock Lee, Naruto-kun, and our battle shall pit my flames of youth against yours!"
The blond smirked. "Fine. I will only fight you with taijutsu." Gai shook his head. Naruto was playing a dangerous game.
"Hajime!"
Lee was off, starting with a roundhouse kick. "Konoha Senpu (Leaf Whirlwind)!" he shouted. Naruto blocked it and winced at the impact.
The blond's hands quickly shifted to his opponent's leg. Grabbing it and spinning around, he slammed Lee into the ground.
Lee planted his hands on the ground in a breakfall, then shot out his other leg in a mule kick.
Naruto jumped back, so Lee used the momentum from his failed kick to right himself to a standing position.
The jinchuuriki grinned. This was getting interesting.
"Konoha Daisenpu (Leaf Great Whirlwind)!" Lee shouted, starting with a low kick that was blocked. He then rotated, going for a middle kick followed by a high kick. Naruto still blocked the strikes, but he didn't expect the blunt force behind the last strike which was a heel drop.
It sent him crashing into the ground. When he got up, Naruto said, "Payback time."
He disappeared them reappeared behind Lee, performing a speedy roundhouse kick. "Konoha Goriki Senpu (Leaf Strong Whirlwind)!" His opponent wasn't fast enough to block it, so he took the kick head on. A mistake on Lee's part, he realised as he was flung like a mere rag doll across the arena.
Naruto was not done, in fact he just started. He shifted to the offensive and quickly pummelled Lee into the ground again and again.
"Lee, take them off!" Gai yelled from the balcony. "But Gai-sensei, you said I could only take them off when my precious people or nindo was threatened!"
"This is an exception, Lee!" Gai shouted, giving a nice guy pose with a thumbs-up and his teeth gleaming.
"Alright!" Lee replied, jumping to the top of the statue of the Third's hands. He took off his orange leg warmers, revealing a set of weights underneath.
When he dropped them down, they landed in a giant crater with a loud boom. "Gai are you crazy?" Kakashi scolded. "He can handle them!" Gai replied.
"Weights, huh? Well... Fuinjutsu kai!" Naruto said. Instantly, he felt lighter. Much lighter.
Lee disappeared in a show of speed, attacking with a large variation of strikes. Naruto kept up with him easily now that his weights were gone.
Lee furrowed his brow in frustration. "Lee, how much weight do you carry?" Naruto asked as he deflected another punch and retaliated with a kick.
"Hundred kilograms in total!" Lee answered as he tried to deliver another punch. The crowd was thinking that Lee might have overdone it. Might.
"Well I carry two hundred, per leg," Naruto said. The spectators went bananas. How the hell was he walking?!
"That is most youthful, Naruto-kun!" Lee replied, then he realised that it would be bad for him.
The boy backflipped far away, then put his hands in a cross-guard. "Forgive me for this, Gai-sensei! Kaimon, kai! Kyumon (Gate Of Rest), kai! Seimon (Gate Of Life), kai! Shomon, kai (Gate Of Pain), kai! Tomon (Gate Of Closing), kai!"
His power and speed increased by seven hundred percent, with his skin turning red. A blue aura surrounded him.
"Gai, what the hell were you thinking? Teaching him the Gates?" Kakashi asked. Gai replied, "It's his last resort to save his precious people and guard his nindo. Nothing is more important than that!"
Kakashi sighed. If he thought that was bad, the next thing that was going to happen was worse.
Naruto smiled. "Two can play this game. Hachimon Tonko: Dairoku Keimon, Kai (Eight Gates Released: Sixth Gate Of Joy, Release)!"
Immediately, a green aura shot out and surrounded the blond. The ground around him cracked from the sheer power exuded, steaming hot with vapour trails.
He disappeared from view.
Reappearing underneath Lee, he kicked him up with so much force that he nearly hit the ceiling.
Naruto jumped up after him. "Asakujaku!" he yelled, surprising everyone who knew this technique.
"What?! He knows that move?!" Gai practically hollered. But instead of scolding him for using such a dangerous kinjutsu, he shouted, "How youthful!"
The speed at which his punches connected with Lee's body caused so much friction that his fists caught fire, adding to the damage done to Lee's body.
Somehow, Lee still seemed to be conscious; it must have been the Gates and his natural durability, knowing Gai he would have pounded that into his student the first chance he got.
"Lee, forfeit now!" Naruto warned. The stubborn youth (no pun intended) shook his head. "I must push through."
Naruto sighed. "You leave me no choice. Kyomon (Gate Of Shock), kai!" He elbowed the teen into the air, once again following him.
He first gathered the air around him into his fist through a hand seal, followed by another which was responsible for increasing its pressure to extreme levels. The third and last hand seal resembled a tiger head; this was responsible for the Shape Transformation of the highly-pressurised air into a tiger.
The whole jutsu didn't require chakra, for it was pure taijutsu. Naruto opened the mock mouth of the hand seal, shouting, "Hirudora!" The white tiger with blue eyes surrounding him roared and shot off towards its target - Lee.
Gai could only watch in horror and fascination as his student was "swallowed" by the tiger which slammed into the ground, bursting into a giant tornado.
Naruto landed safely and closed the Gates. Hayate sighed. "Seriously, what's with genins these days? Not knowing how to use less power..."
Naruto grinned like a Cheshire cat, though inwardly he was worried about Lee's condition. He hoped he had not killed him.
"Shosha: Uzumaki Naruto! The last match is Akimichi Choji versus Kinuta Dosu! Hajime!"
"Do your worst, fatso!" the Oto-nin taunted. Choji narrowed his eyes. His buttons had just been pushed, hard.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I'M JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY, OK!" Choji yelled. Forming a hand seal, he shouted, "Baika no Jutsu (Expansion Jutsu)!"
Then he jumped forward while tucking himself into a ball. "Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank)!"
The Oto-nin thrust out his bandage-wrapped arms, which were still recovering from being broken by Sasuke. "Zankuha!" Air blasted out in an attempt to slow down or even stop the technique, however it wasn't a clan technique for nothing.
Choji kept on rolling, and eventually overcame the air. He shot up and slammed down on Dosu, who jumped back to avoid the ball. When his back neared the wall, the Oto-nin sidestepped the rolling ball like a matador against an angry bull.
The ball ploughed into the wall, stuck. Dosu took the change and plunged his arm into the ball. Flicking his gauntlet, sound echoed through the entire body and knocked Choji unconscious.
"Shosha: Kinuta Dosu! With that, the Third Test preliminaries are over!" Hayate announced, "See you in one month at the Konoha Chunin Exams Stadium for the Finals! Dismissed!"
The remaining genins filed out of the room.
Naruto walked up to Yugito and chatted her up on the way home. "Could you show me around Konoha?"
"Sure!" Naruto replied cheerfully, taking her hand. He took her on a tour all around town, from the beautiful Survival Training Ground which blossomed with sakura trees, to his favourite spot in Konoha - atop his father's stone head on the Hokage Monument, watching the sunset.
"Woah, it's beautiful..." she said, taking in the breathtaking view. "Just like you," came Naruto's flirtatious reply.
"Oh? Are you trying to flirt with me?" Yugito asked cheekily. "That I am. Will you... go out with me?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"No," she answered curtly. Watching the expression on his face, she burst out laughing. "Just kidding. I will."
Naruto smiled and hugged her tightly. Then he jumped off the Monument, bringing both of them down before they disappeared in a yellow flash.
They reappeared at Ichiraku Ramen for dinner. After some light conversation and twenty miso ramen bowls each, they left the stand contented.
"I had fun tonight. I guess we could go for a second date, Naruto-kun," Yugito commented. Naruto grinned happily. "Does that mean you're officially my girlfriend?"
She nodded in agreement. The blond male then brought her to the hot springs for a relaxing "unwind time" after the Exams.
Only to find a giggling man in his fifties, spying on the female section of the hot spring.
He was tall, with waist-length spiky white hair tied back into a ponytail with two bangs framing his face. He also had red lines that ran down from his eyes and wore a horned forehead protector with the kanji for "Oil". He wore a green short shirt kimono and matching pants; under which he wore mesh armour that showed out of the sleeves and legs of his outfit. His outfit was completed with hand guards, a simple black belt, traditional Japanese geta (wooden sandals), a red haori with two simple yellow circles on each side, and a giant scroll on his back.
Yugito was burning holes into his back. She was about to step up when Naruto stuck out a hand, blocking her.
"I'll handle this, with six words," Naruto whispered, winking. She raised an eyebrow, interested to see what he would do.
He formed the Tiger hand seal and approached the man from behind.
"Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ogi..."
"Sennen Goroshi (Leaf Secret Taijutsu Technique: A Thousand Years Of Death)!"
Omake: Extras
"This is an exception, Lee!" Gai shouted, giving a nice guy pose with a thumbs-up and his teeth gleaming.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Holy shit, it's the Seishun no Yuhi (Sunset Of Youth)! EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" Naruto yelled.
Everyone except Gai and mini-Gai shut their eyes tight, hands over their ears and squatting in a position one would usually take to avoid a grenade explosion.
"Is it over?!" someone asked. "No...!" Naruto warned but it was too late for the foreigner, he was knocked out immediately by the youthfulness of the setting sun.
This cursed genjutsu, not even the Sharingan could break it. That was the beginning of the legendary S-rank kinjutsu known as the Seishun no Yuhi, an unbreakable genjutsu that would later be documented in the forbidden Scroll Of Sealing.
Author's Notes:
Sorry, late again. I may not be able to do daily chapters anymore as school reopens next year. However, I'll still update within a week at maximum, unless there are problems with my phone or if I'm overseas. By the way, I think that I'm the only author who gave a Japanese name for Gai and Lee's sunset genjutsu. I might be able to update the next chapter before New Year's Day. If not, goodbye 2014! I'll miss you!
Until tomorrow,
Ja Ne