He Said She Said
Disclaimer: Don't own, not even a little crumb. Don't care to hear about what jutsu should be what and I post once a week. Deal with it.
Chapter 21
Naruto leapt away at the last second using a substitution jutsu with a shadow clone that took the hit that to those that noticed it would have been a killing blow.
Neji looked around, his Byakugan trying to lock onto the blond annoyance but he was unable to find her. He spun about looked at the ground, but still found nothing and increased his range. The damn clones all have the same amount of chakra as her. Neji mentally ranted in disbelief.
The acorn hit him in the back of the neck, the blind spot of the Byakugan. Neji spun around faster than possible and saw Naruto sitting on a branch at the exact angle that would make her invisible.
"You look mad Neji-chan." Naruto said deliberately calling Neji a girl. "Why don't you cool down and think." Naruto said and Neji barely managed to leap away as Naruto activated her final seal and the water dragon tore up a bit of the stadium as Neji kept avoiding it.
XX
In the stands Anko was hooting and hollering and Sakura looked on a moment before asking "Did you teach Naruto that sensei?"
"Hell no!" Anko said with a huge grin. "The old letch did that, why?"
Sakura watched as Naruto now on the ground was manipulating the water dragon keeping Neji on the defensive.
"On our mission to Wave, we met a missing nin that used that jutsu." Sakura said.
Anko nodded. "You can't really be surprised. Naruto loves to learn and if she's seen it you can bet that little g-string you're wearing that she's gone out to learn it."
Sakura blushed at the fact Anko knew what she was wearing, but had to admit when Naruto was a boy she would bug Kakashi to explain jutsu's to him and now with her chakra as it was Sakura bet she must have worked Jiraiya to the bone learning.
The crowd roared and she turned back to the fight to see Naruto create two more water dragons and Neji got drilled. "She's not even calling them out."
Hinata shook her head from next to the pink haired girl. "She is. Naruto-chan is mouthing them, not calling them out like most do." She said, her Byakugan following Naruto's every move, but it was getting hazy and she was having trouble, but didn't voice it as she had an idea of what Naruto was doing.
"Anko settle down." Kurenai said as her friend was getting louder in her cheering, drowning out many people around them.
"THAT'S MY SISTER!" Anko yelled proudly as Naruto still wearing her cloak shushined away from another attack by Neji and launched a series of kunai and shuriken.
"Clever little bitch." Anko said proundly spotting what Naruto was doing.
"Why is that sensei?" Sakura asked.
"She's got chakra strings attached to them." Kurenai said. "Even as Neji's deflecting them, he's making his area smaller as even misses are webbing him in." Kurenai said.
"But won't Neji see them with his Byakugan?" Sakura asked.
Hinata shook her head and shut off her Byakugan. "Naruto's got the area flooded with chakra, it is difficult to see the difference."
Sakura went back to watching and noticed that Naruto was still using the cloak. "Why hasn't she dropped that?" she muttered.
"It's chakra lined. Neji can't see what she's doing under the cloak." Hinata said, and she had to admit Naruto knew about the Byakugan and its weaknesses it seemed and was utilizing them to the fullest here.
XX
On the arena floor Naruto looked calmly at Neji. "Are you finished?" she asked.
Neji snarled as he was panting. The annoying blond had forced him to use his ultimate defense had kept him on the defensive.
This is humiliating. Neji growled in his mind. He deactivated his Byakugan to conserve his chakra. By using the Heavenly Spin, he was consuming chakra between it and his Byakugan.
"I will destroy you." Neji said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fate and all that bullshit." Naruto said as she took a relaxed stance. Pervy Sage helped me perfect the Fox Fist, I just hope Neji's blind to it with all the chakra in the area. She thought as she tapped her toe in her boot.
Neji moved, a chakra powered leap that carried him high into the air, Naruto lost him in the sun by sight, but Neji pulled on several of the chakra strings Naruto set up and she used the flash step that Jiraiya had helped her learn.
It's not the Fourth's Hirashin, but it's the first stage. Naruto thought as she moved in a blur as Neji impacted, and before he turned he was struck in the back of the neck by slender palm that felt way to warm.
The crowd watched as Neji Hyuga slammed to the ground and the blond girl that had been announced as Naruto Uzumaki had moved with speed far above what they could see, it was just a black and yellow blur.
Naruto meanwhile was preparing for Neji to rise but he wasn't. Genma made the count and declared Naruto the winner.
"Um…Genma-san." Naruto said. "I think I hit him too hard you might want to have the medic's check his neck over."
Genma nodded and Naruto once more shunshined away, this time reappearing in the competitor's box. She saw Jiraiya and Asuma and smiled. "Well Pervy Sage?" she asked.
"Don't call me that!" Jiraiya said annoyed, but he grinned. "Nicely done with the Flash Step."
"Thanks." Naruto said and saw that Sasuke wasn't in the arena.
"What the hell?" she muttered.
"The Gaara/Sasuke match has been pushed to the last match of the opening round." Was announced and Naruto gave an annoyed look at Jiraiya who shook his head as well.
"Anyone else would have been disqualified." Naruto muttered. Shikamaru who was next to Naruto grunted, and Naruto knew that the answer would have been too troublesome for him to say.
"Well Shino, you're up." Naruto said looking at the bug user.
Shino just nodded and went to the stairs. He got to the arena and waited. Kankuro called down. "I Give Up!"
Naruto saw that the fan user scowled and the red head with the gourd say something that had the boy with the make up and cat pajama shiver.
The girl with the fan, Temari floated down on her fan.
Naruto saw Shikamaru was about to forfeit and she shoved him over the rail to the arena below.
Shino gave her a look, while behind her Asuma and Kurenai stood with widened eyes. Jiraiya chuckled even as they heard the "Troublesome blond" from below.
Naruto for her part snickered as the other female blond took offense and the match began.
"Asuma-sensei." Naruto said and got the man to look at her. "You really need to motivate the sloth."
Kurenai who had come down to check on Shino giggled as she left. Same old Naruto. She thought as she went back and smiled as she saw Kiba and Anko watching Hinata for her, her gaze took in the position of several branch members of the Hyuga and scowled as they were exactly at the distance the restraining order said.
Taking her seat she patted Hinata and Sakura on the shoulder.
"How is Naruto?" the pink haired girl asked.
"Aggravated that your former third teammate hasn't shown up and has been given leeway." Kurenai said to which Anko snorted. "Anyone else would be tossed out of the tournament. Hell if Naruto had been late five to one says they would be calling for her headband."
Anko looked at where the council sat, then where the Hokage was above them with the Kazekage. She felt something in her gut when she saw the veil covered kage of Suna, and it was a feeling she didn't like.
XX
Naruto knew she didn't reveal much against Neji, but her real battle was against the red head, Gaara. Jiraiya had told her about him holding the one tailed sand demon Shukaku.
Naruto had absorbed everything Jiraiya taught her after they left and she had plans for the sand demon.
I know that Sasuke is no match for Gaara. She thought. It might be a good thing if he doesn't show up. She thought.
She paid very little attention to the fight that was taking place. Shikamaru was pissing off the Suna kunoichi with his attitude.
She sighed when after a twenty minute fight and it looked like Shikamaru had actually won, the Nara heir gave up.
Naruto palmed her face, while Asuma chuckled. He had explained Shikamaru's thinking pose when Jiraiya mistook his hands as a new sign.
"He could have won." She said.
Shino shook his head. "When has Shikamaru put effort into anything."
Naruto blinked, as this was the most she'd ever heard the Aburami say in all the years she'd known him. Then she thought about what he said and nodded. "You're right. Everything for him is just too Troublesome and victory with effort would be the same thing."
Genma announced that the Uchiha had five more minutes and the crowd was getting restless.
"This is utter bullshit." Naruto said.
Shino nodded.
Genma looked at a pocket watch. "The time has expired and Sasuke Uchiha has been disqualified, winner via forfeit, Gaara!"
Boos filled the air as the civilians weren't happy. The ninja gave polite applause, they didn't blame Gaara.
In the Hokage's box the Kazekage had tried asking for more time. "I want my son to earn his position." He said as an excuse.
"Be that as it may, with Sasuke proving unreliable he will not be advancing as a Chunin. And to hold back everyone else because of an unstable and unreliable Genin would be an insult to everyone here." Hiruzen said.
The Kazekage nodded after a moment of silence.
On the arena floor Genma called for Naruto Uzumaki as she was about to face Gaara.
"Good luck kiddo." Jiraiya said.
The blond nodded. "Pervy Sage…"
Jiraiya smirked and Naruto vanished with a leaf shunshin. Asuma blinked. "Just what have you been teaching Naruto?"
Jiraiya laughed outright. "You'd be surprised what she hasn't learned would be the shorter list."
Shino was quiet and Shikamaru let out a light snore. It had been too troublesome for him to head to the stands after his match so he'd stayed with the others.
Temari from her position felt sorry for the blond girl. She doesn't stand a chance against Gaara. I just wonder what team she was on, I don't remember her until the end of the second exam. The fan user thought as the blond stood across from Gaara.
Genma was giving them their last minute instructions. There was tension in the air, and it wasn't from the competitors on the floor.
AN: Semi-finals start. Where is the Uchiha and does anyone really care? There are those who are demanding I alternate stories. (sigh) I gave everyone a chance to vote. Yes HSSS came in at number six. Since I am not done with my other works I'm posting this one as a holder.
My dad is getting better very slowly. We had a setback with his balance and speech, doctor thinks he had a micro-stroke again. I don't get it other than a once proud strong man is now in need of help with things.