Well here's chapter 21, up and ready! WHOO HOO! Anyway the trees have yet to take over and I know they're just waiting for us to drop our guard... ok back on topic... WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS POINEALY MIND NUMBING EFECTS. NOT RECOMENDED FOR THOSE WHO DONT ALREADY HAVE THEIR MIND IN THE GUTTER. ...If you haven't already guessed this will probably be the dirtiest yet cleanest chapter in my story (evil grin) 4...3...2...1... ONWARD!!
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As Naruto looked up at the screen he paled slightly and instantly gulped.
HAKU
VS
KABUTO
'Crap crap crap!! Kabuto, I swear, if you so much as do one Jutsu over Chuunin level, I WILL kill you!' Naruto thought angrily as he glared daggers at the silver haired nin
"My my touchy aren't we?" Kyuubi said, trying to lighten the blonde's mood. "Calm down and stop leaking killer intent everywhere. Just watch closely and make sure that Haku isn't in any deadly danger. Don't go jumping in without even thinking. I know what you're feeling towards this man, but just remember that he hasn't done anything YET." Kyuubi said thoughtfully.
'I know, I know, but it's just so infuriating knowing I can't do much of anything to help... well, at least not without drawing in further suspicions...' Naruto closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing to try to calm himself down. He heard someone sit down beside him and opened his eyes to see Hinata. Naruto looked down to Tsunade who nodded as he motioned questioningly to Hinata. 'At least she didn't get as beaten up this time...'
Kakashi come up behind him and Sasuke was inching closer to him as well. Naruto looked to everyone in confusion and was about to say something when the examiner shouted for the competitors to begin. Naruto shot a quick glance to Shikamaru before glaring down towards the match.
Kabuto and Haku instantly jumped back away from each other. Kabuto threw a kunai towards Haku, who simply bent back to dodge. Kabuto jumped forward and tried to kick Haku, thinking the boy had let his guard down. As Kabuto's foot lashed forward, Haku went into a handstand. Haku quickly flipped around and kicked Kabuto in the head as he righted himself. Kabuto hit the ground hard but grabbed another kunai and blocked an incoming senbon from Haku.
"I would like to finish this quickly." Haku said as he jumped back from Kabuto.
"The feeling's mutual." Kabuto grunted as he sprung forward.
'He's not even trying! That's a relief...' Naruto thought as he sighed out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'They both seem to be holding back, although they're still putting forth a small bit of what they can really do.' Naruto watched as the two blurs collided every now and then, sending sparks and dust before they seemed to vanish out of sight again.
The air began to grow steadily dryer as the battle raged on. As Kabuto and Haku broke apart, Kabuto panted slightly while Haku had begun doing his hand signs and water appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Kabuto watched looking somewhat confused as ice started forming around him. "Crystal Ice Mirrors!" Haku called as his image appeared on the inner sides of the dome.
Sasuke shuddered at the site of the dome. Naruto smirked now feeling a little more relaxed knowing that Kabuto was hiding his true strength. "Remember Sasuke, what happens in the ice dome stays in the ice dome!" Naruto sung.
Sasuke twitched as his blush reappeared. "Sh-shut it!" Sasuke stammered.
Haku had begun to explain the nature of his bloodline and was tossing the odd senbon at Kabuto as he did so. "-and there have only been two people who have escaped from this Jutsu: Naruto and Sasuke, due to...umm, well, I promised not to say what happened, but my teammates were the only ones who ever escaped." Haku finished, all the Haku images going shifty eyed at the fact that even bringing it up he would probably get yelled at... or questioned. Depending on who got to him first.
"Quite a nifty little thing this..." Kabuto said looking around at the mirrors. "Thing 'bout ice though... fire melts it." He said as he made a few hand signs and blew a fireball towards the nearest mirror. The mirror had a single bead of water roll down it which refroze before it hit the ground. "Wh-what? How?!" Kabuto asked, stunned.
Haku just smirked as he threw a few more senbon. "Don't worry, I won't fully penetrate your vital points. After all, the purpose of this match is to make you unable to move, not kill you." Haku said, earning a few glances from the audience.
"You won't be able to keep me here forever! Something like this has to be taking a lot of chakra if I stand firm long enough." Kabuto grunted as a senbon pierced his arm.
"This technique is almost unbeatable. There are no holes in its design." Haku corrected as he threw more senbon and he moved from mirror to mirror. Kabuto was able to block a large number of the projectiles, but still, a small number got through mainly because of how many Haku threw at once.
Sakura watched on amazed at the speed of them both before she realized somthing. "Hey i thought he only had a few senbon left after the stuff that got taken away at the forest entrance. Not to mention what he used in the forest..." She said to no one in particular.
"Ah, yes, but there is a weapon shop near the food court." Kakashi said, smiling slightly.
Sakura blinked a few times before recalling a small stand hiding at the back of the food court, near the odd looking potted plants. "Oh. I thought that was a bar or something..."
"Swallow this!" Kabuto said as he blew a number of fireballs at a single mirror. Not much happened and Kabuto got impaled by a few more senbon while his hands were busy unable to block.
"Not good enough! You've got too many openings!" Haku taunted.
"You know, this has to be the dirtiest battle..." Kakashi commented thoughtfully.
Naruto shook his head and turned to ask Hinata something, and realized she had fainted. "Guess she's not Haku-proof." Naruto sighed, looking at the unconscious bright red girl.
Shikamaru sat, mouth slightly gaping at how calm everyone on team 7 sounded towards what was coming out of Haku. "I take it this is a normal occurrence?" He asked. Everyone on team 7 nodded.
"He's an innuendo magnet, and makes everyone else contract it." Sakura explained, not meeting his gaze.
As Kabuto watched Haku's movements, and blocked several more needles that came his way, he got an idea. He ran for the mirror behind him, only to be shot back by an onslaught of sharp and pointy objects. "If I can only rap my hands around it, I can pull myself out!" Kabuto determined, glaring at the slight gap in the mirrors.
"You won't be able to grab hold onto the edge of my mirrors that easily." Haku stated, throwing a needle into Kabuto's arm. "However, if you do manage, all I need to do is turn what you've grabbed onto into water and you'll slip right off."
"Damn" The young man hissed in pain. "That's gunna be stiff tomorrow." He grumbled as he glared at his opponent.
"This attack pushed deeper into your flesh. You probaly wont be able to use that arm for awhile" Haku said throwing a few more needles at Kabuto's dead arm for good measure.
Kabuto tried to hold onto a kunai with his dead arm, but he fumbled it and it fell to the ground with a clang. "It seems the climax has begun." Kabuto started to say as he stood up. He blinked a few times. "To the battle." He added quickly.
"Never mind his ice ability. His specialty is making people say dirty things without realizing it until it's too late." Naruto mumbled.
"I still have a chance to squeeze the life out of you!" Kabuto yelled as he began to throw kunai of his own.
Haku thrust a senbon towards Kabuto. Kabuto dodged and planted a kunai in the nearest mirror, an explosive tag attached to it. As it exploded, little bits of metal got shot back at Kabuto. "It's always most pleasing to defeat people who don't see it coming" Haku said as he threw a needle at Kabuto, effectively making his leg collapse beneath him.
"And now Kabuto's on his knees..." Sasuke said smirking.
"This is pleasurable to watch!" Kakashi piped up deciding to have fun with the current situation.
"GO HAKU!! KABUTO SUCKS!!" Naruto cheered.
Anko twitched as she looked to all of Team 7, not knowing what to do. Or who to hit first. Sakura sighed. "If you can't beat em... COME ON HAKU! STOP PLAYING WITH HIM AND FINISH IT!" Sakura screamed with a smirk on her face. Anko went wide-eyed as she made a mental note to give Kakashi a nice 'firm' talking to.
Anko blinked. "Great, now they've even got me doing it." Kakashi smirked as he turned to Anko, about to speak. "NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR IMPUT!" Anko screamed to the Jounin. Kakashi just laughed and turned back to the match.
Haku was beginning to slow down within his mirrors. This didn't go unnoticed by Kabuto. "Ah, and here I thought you could go on like that forever!" Kabuto watched and threw a kunai at Haku, just grazing the nin's leg. Kabuto smiled. "Looks like you'll need to pull out of the competition soon!"
"I will beat you! Then it'll be you who'll be doing all the pulling!!" Haku declared, throwing a few more weapons.
"You can try, but I won't let you get me laying down!" Kabuto jumped up best he could to dodge. Haku quickly jumped down and gathered a few senbon that were on the ground replacing his supply. Kabuto had thrown a few more kunai grazing Haku again in his leg.
Kabuto then got an idea. He threw several kunai at a single mirror as the kunai all sailed by the gaps they were caught and swung back wrapping the mirror in wires. Kabuto then blew a fireball to combine with the explosive tag attached to the kunai and wire. A large explosion made the audiences' ears ring as Kabuto was bombarded by shrapnel. Kabuto's mouth fell open "It's harder than I thought!"
Kabuto was about to try something else when Haku irrupted him. "Stop squirming and just taste your defeat!" He said, pining Kabuto's limp arm to the ground with a few senbon.
As Kabuto tried to retrieve his arm from the needles, his other one got pinned down. "I never was a fan of bondage." Kabuto mumbled to himself before yelling back at Haku "I'm not done yet!" Kabuto tried to use his leg to kick Haku as he jumped out of his mirrors.
"It seems you are now on the bottom, and I am on top" Haku declared, putting a foot firmly on Kabuto's chest. "Now, would you like to be stiff and rigid, or limp and hanging?" Haku asked as he fingered the point of the senbon he was holding. Haku didn't wait for an answer and threw the senbon, hitting Kabuto in the neck and making him pass out. As soon as Kabuto's eyes closed and his head fell to the side, the mirrors shattered and rained down in a crystallized state but melted once it hit the ground. "No matter how fast you are, I am always faster." Haku said smugly before he walked away towards the stairs. The examiner was bright red and in a slight state of shock murmuring to himself and a few of the medical nins around him. "Are you going to have a mass debate about what just happened or just announce the winner?" Haku asked as he passed him towards the stairs.
"Umm, ri-right. Haku, w-wins." He stammered out before coughing a little.
"Good job Haku! You totally blew him away!" Sakura said smirking.
"Thank you! I'm glad I had you all behind me. To be honest, I was worried I wouldn't be able to beat him. I sensed a lot of power from him..." Haku said, plopping down behind Sakura and Sasuke. "I always was better at battles where I can be in and out quickly."
'Thankfully Kabuto wasn't even trying, but still, why did he throw the match? More importantly, what does he think he's accomplishing?' Naruto thought with a sigh.
"Well, it's not like you can just go up and ask him. Nor can you really spy on him either... Well, not without causing trouble."
'No I can't... However, Tsunade should be able to keep watch on him, or at least order someone to keep watch on him claiming it's a medical thing...'
"Let's just hope he doesn't try anything until the second half of the exams though..." Kyuubi said thoughtfully "But just to be safe, try to find the 'super pervert' as soon as possible."
'Right. At least this time, when things happen, I'll be ready for them...'
Shikamaru was watching Naruto as he stared off into space, nodding and making faces as if he was trying to figure out something or having a conversation. The brunet shrugged it off quickly after noticing that the next match had started. Lee and Gaara were currently fighting with their all, trying to best the other. Once Naruto snapped out of talking with Kyuubi, he began to intently watch the fight below him, trying to pinpoint the place where he should intervene. His eyes began to dart nervously between the two below him as Lee took off his enormous weights, making Sakura gasp, and the fight continued.
Soon the moment came when Lee was about to be trapped by Gaara's sand. Naruto jumped down and went to pick Lee up off from where he fell unfortunately Gaara's sand grabbed onto Naruto's right arm and left leg.
"The match is over! You're the winner, but if you continue to attack Lee you will be disqualified!" The examiner said as a snap was heard coming from Naruto. Garra smirked and released his sand thinking he had caused some serious damage. A few people in the audience paled and screamed his name. Lee's eyes widened as he realized what Naruto had saved him from.
Naruto, however, just smirked back at Gaara. As the sand receded, fine white dust fell along with it. "Waaayyy better then a steel guard." Naruto smirked as he rolled his wrist. His elbow cracked as he was finally able to straighten his arm. "Gaara, was it? I must thank you for getting that thing off of me." And with that he began to walk up the stairs feeling Gaara's killer intent and anger rising. Naruto was walking with a small limp from his leg being slightly crushed but it wasn't anything he knew Kyuubi couldn't handle.
When he got back to where his team was, the next match had begun. As Naruto looked to his team, Sakura was the first to voice the thoughts of almost everyone nearby. "You should really get a new cast put on, or at least have a medic nin look your arm and leg over." She said, eyeing the blonde's right arm wearily.
"Bah! Not to worry! I'm a quick healer!" Naruto said rolling his wrist for emphasis. Sakura quickly grabbed his arm and pressed and squeezed a few spots down hard. When not a sound was heard from Naruto, she blinked.
"I've heard of fast healing but that's ridiculous. A day to heal a broken bone? Even with a medical ninja's help, you'd normally be out for at least two weeks minimum." Sasuke stated, glaring at the blonde.
Naruto just shrugged while Kakashi just eye-smiled "Ahh, don't worry. Naruto's just always been a fast healer. Call it his specialty if you will." Naruto glared at the Jounin and inwardly smacked his forehead.
"Also, against Kiba, it's almost like you knew his weakness. And you seemed well prepared to use it to your advantage." Shikamaru mumbled.
"I like pulling pranks, which is why I had the stink bomb, and I knew he had a really strong sense of smell if that's what you mean."
"I was surprised as well. Normally when Naruto fights he ends up chasing his tail a bit before finding out how to beat his opponent. More so playing by ear to the unexpected..." Kakashi said thoughtfully.
Naruto glare intensified on the Jounin and a twitch made itself known on his eyebrow. "Don't you start too..." He growled, making Kakashi recoil in mock innocence.
Kyuubi laughed "Dont forget to keep an eye..."
'Shhhuuuttt Iiiitttt!!'
The Hokage had choose that moment to begin explaining what would happen next with the Chuunin exams. "We will hold the second half in precisely one month! Use this time wisely to rest and train appropriately. Now, can all the winners of their matches please come down and grab a piece of paper from this box!"
Naruto put his hand into the box and pulled out the same number as last time. He gave the number back to the examiner, who noted his name and number down. Soon they had a chart with all the Chuunin hopeful's names on it. As they looked to the chart, Naruto smirked.
NARUTO VS NEJI
GARRA VS SASUKE
KANKURO VS SHINO
TEMARI VS SHIKAMARU
DOSU VS HAKU
Naruto glanced at Neji, only to have him glare at his gaze. "You're going down, Neji" Naruto said, pointing at the stoic nin.
"The fates speak differently, however. Your loss is imminent." Neji said simply. "A dropout can never best a genius."
"Well then... We'll see who comes out as the victor when the time comes, but until then, use this time wisely and prepare for your upcoming battle." The Hokage interrupted the conversation. "Dismissed."
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And there's chappie 21. Hope you enjoyed it! Please R&R and Remember to always throw out the green and fuzzy things that grow in the fridge...never ever eat them...or smell them...
THANKS HELKAT!!
beta spot: Meow. (grin) (purr)