Courage And Strength!

"Winner… Naruto Uzumaki!"

"WHOHOO," cheered Lee, raising a fist, "Go Naruto!"

Naruto grinned and then waved cheerfully up at his teams. Sasuke maintained his composure, but his lips curled into a smile, while Kakashi continued to read his book. Kisame scowled, obviously pretending to be disinterested, while Itachi and Haku remained as emotionless as ever. Naruto's eyes briefly rested on Neji, who blinked, before turning away. He then flashed a smile at Sakura, "Oi, SAKURA! I WON!"

"Now that feels good," agreed Sakura, clapping a stunned Ino on the back. The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, looking down at Naruto as if he never properly noticed him before.

"Amazing," said Shino. "Somehow, Naruto beat Kiba with that technique."

Kurenai threw a glance at Kakashi, 'Geez… what kind of method does Kakashi use to teach Naruto? I can't believe this same kid was the class dunce.' "Hey, Asuma," she said, grabbing her Jounin colleague by the arm.

"Wha?"

"Hey, is it just me, or has Naruto's abilities…like shot off the charts?"

"Ahh," mumbled Asuma. "Yeah, you know…umm…I wonder what Kakashi does to him. Maybe it's that super special training technique he was bragging about a few years ago, but could never show because he always failed his team."

Curious, Kurenai threw Kakashi a glare, as if to get his attention. The silver-haired copy-cat remained tightly absorbed into his book, however, and Kurenai was forced to turn to Naruto, who was coming up.

Beside her, Hinata was fidgeting with a small box. 'Oh my god…he's coming…he's really coming over here. What do I do?'

"Easy as pie," bragged Naruto, as he sprinted up the stairs.

As he got closer, Hinata's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. 'He's here…ah…should…should I give this to him?'

"H-hey…Naruto…" She nervously held out the box, before closing her eyes.

Kurenai smiled. 'Hinata? Well well…'

Naruto stopped in his tracks, just about to pass Hinata by. "Huh? Oh, Hinata. Yeah, what's up? Sorry for pounding Kiba up like that. Huh? What's this stuff?"

"An ointment for wounds," replied Kurenai.

Naruto squinted at the box, before taking hold of it. "For me? Wow, awesome…thanks Hinata. Don't you think you should give this to Kiba, though? I'm sure he needs it more than I do." He made to return the box, but now that Hinata was rid of it, she seemed determined not to hold it again.

"N-no…I-I have another one…"

"You sure," asked Naruto?

"Just take it, Naruto," said Kurenai. "And say…" But it was too late. With a bow, Naruto had already bounded off to rejoin his teammates, who clapped him on the back. Team Seven's members were all set. Down below, Kiba was being removed by a medic team. He remained conscious, but a look of pure disappointment was on his face.

'Don't be sad, Kiba,' thought Kurenai, 'it seems you're opponent was a worthy one after all. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You fought honorably.'

Meanwhile, a whir on the screen indicated the next pair was being chosen. Neji scowled when he saw the pair. 'Damnit…curse my bad luck. And here I thought I could actually use some of my new techniques.'

Neji Hyuuga vs. Hinata Hyuuga

Hinata's eyes shot open, and she shot an involuntary look at her cousin. Neji returned the look, but he quickly turned away, before leaping down into the arena. Next to him, Naruto was no longer smiling. A dark look passed over his eyes, as he stared down at Neji. 'So, Neji, what kind of stunts are you gonna pull now?'

As Hinata slowly walked down the walkway towards the stairs, Kurenai squirmed uneasily. She did not like this match up one little bit. 'Hinata…be careful…'

A few moments later, Neji and Hinata were facing each other.

"I…never dreamed we'd find ourselves fighting each other…Lady Hinata," said Neji, letting his lips curl into a smile. "This is a…surprise."

Hinata gulped, "Neji…big brother…"

High above, Kakashi explained to Kisame, Zabuza, Haku, and Itachi the situation with Neji and Hinata. "Both of them are members of Konoha's oldest and most illustrious family, through whose veins flow the most elite and accomplished bloodline…The Hyuuga Clan. But they're not quite brother and sister."

"Interesting…so…these are the famous Byakugan users," growled Kisame, excitedly, "I always wanted to fight the Byakugan. So, how are these two related?"

"Well…it's complicated," answered Kakashi, "I guess you could say they're related in the same way…that a tree branch is related to the trunk."

As Kisame tried to ponder what this meant, Itachi turned, "Isn't that Neji the son of the Hyuuga sent to his death?"

"That's correct," replied Kakashi.

"I don't get it," said Kisame, "branch and trunk?"

Before Kakashi could elaborate, Lee had raised a finger, "Aha! I shall explain! Hinata is a member of the main branch of the Hyuuga Clan. Neji is a member of the clan that supports it."

"So, I wonder how these two will manage to find the will to fight each other," said Kisame.

Kakashi glanced down below, "I imagine…not very difficult…if I remember the clan hostilities right." 'And yet,' thought Kakashi, '…this Neji is from the future…perhaps he has overcome that particular hatred.'

"Huh, clan hostilities," asked Haku? "Similar to mine?"

"Not quite," said Kakashi, scratching his head, "Lee. Why don't you explain?"

"Yosh! For many years, there has been a certain strain between the two branches of the Hyuuga Clan. I don't know the details, but it seems that the main branch made all sorts of rules and decrees that favored only the main branch. This was to retain the purity of their blood and to preserve the family line. The branch members still burn with hatred and humiliation from it."

"Well…won't this be entertaining," said Kisame.

Back down, Hayate nodded, "Well…please begin the match!"

Sliding his right foot slightly, Neji readied himself. "Lady Hinata…Are you ready? I shall not go easy on you. Prepare yourself!"

With a frightened look, Hinata took a step back.

Neji's grunted, "With eyes like that, you'll never become a shinobi. You're all sweetness and light, Lady Hinata…a peacemaker. You are easily led and not a leader. Show some confidence and prove to me you truly want to advance yourself to a higher level. Because… unless you break through that barrier, that you yourself have erected, you'll never conquer me.

Hinata's eyes widened, "I-I…"

"Don't allow yourself to be the pampered little baby of the main branch. They say a leopard can't change its spots. At one time, I used to believe in those words. But then, I was defeated… badly…by a boy who failed his graduation exam three times."

Hinata gulped, 'N-Naruto…? Naruto beat Neji?'

And I was told, "Even a caged bird, when it smartens up…will try to open the cage door with its beak, never giving up its dream…to fly free again. You are that bird…free yourself from your self-established weakness and fight me."

"Well," mumbled Naruto, smiling, "looks like I don't have to worry after all."

"This ceases to amuse me," said Kisame, grumbling, "all this mushy mushy talk … wake me up when it's my turn."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed. 'Well, looks like Neji is not as bad as I first made him out to be. And yet, he is going to be a hard match for Hinata.' "Go, Hinata, you can do it!"

"YEAH HINATA," shouted Sakura, Lee, and Naruto, "you can do it! HINATA…HINATA…HINATA!" Their cries and shouts rang across the room, echoing off the walls.

'T-they're cheering me on,' thought Hinata. She looked ahead, and there, Neji was smiling.

"Looks like you have quite a cheering section," said Neji. "And…your eyes have changed now. You seem to be taking this a little more seriously. I'm glad. Don't hold yourself in such a shameful way to the Hyuuga Clan. And now…we fight."

With that, Neji lowered his body into the traditional Hyuuga fighting stance. Hinata, taking a deep breath, did the same. "Thank you, big brother. But, why are you helping me?"

"Well, let's not get into that," said Neji. "Byakugan!" The familiar veins popped out around Neji's eyes while his pupil narrowed a bit.

"Byakugan," shouted Hinata in a similar manner. "Big brother…let's fight!" Both ran at each other at the same time, stopping short, just within striking range. What followed was, to all of the observers, the strangest exchange of thrusts, pushes, and parries, they had ever seen.

At the same time, both fighters circled each other, thrusting their palms out, before quickly bringing it back to prepare for another thrust. At the same time, they ducked and side stepped each other, looking for an opening.

"What a boring fight," said Sasuke, who had never in his life seen a Hyuuga vs. Hyuuga battle. "Geez and we still have what? Four more bouts after this. Yawn…."

"All they're doing is gently tapping each other," noted Haku, "they can't possibly be doing anything more than scratching each other." As he said this, Hinata got under Neji's strike and struck him in the shoulder. With a groan, Neji slid back against the ground, coming to a stop some five feet away.

"Ah," said Lee, "but a scratch would be all it took for one of them to win."

"What do you mean," asked Haku? "You see," said Lee, "unlike the Taijutsu that Master Guy and I train in, which is all about bruises and broken bones – a style that is called Goken or "ferocious fist"… The Hyuuga Clan employs Juken, "or gentle fist." Their methods involve striking a person's chakra system, through which chakra flows. By striking that, they can also damage a person's internal organs, leading to a breakdown from within."

"Impossible," said Haku, "the chakra network is said to be invisible. How could they possibly see it?"

"The Byakugan, I suppose," said Itachi, "its perceptive ability must be something to be able to detect the chakra network."

"Yes," agreed Kakashi, "the Juken style… where the user channels his/her own chakra through the portals in their hands into an opponent's body, damaging their chakra network. There's no way to strengthen the internal organs, so anybody struck with that kind of blow is going to succumb."

Down below, Hinata whirled around, almost slapping Neji in the head. Neji gently went with the blow, sliding his right, before thrusting his palm out to stop it. As he did this, Hinata whirled the other way, and struck out with her palm, catching Neji in the stomach.

"She's pushing him," said Shino.

"No," said Kurenai, one moment before it happened. Neji had intended for the blow and had taken it. While Hinata's hand was outstretched, the Hyuuga genius thrust two fingers into Hinata's shoulder, and the other hand struck Hinata's chest.

"Game over," said Neji. Hinata coughed violently, before she gently slid to the ground. "I didn't strike your heart too much so you should be okay. But, I'm glad that you picked yourself up, Lady Hinata. It was a pleasure fighting you. Proctor," he said to Hayate, "call the match."

Before Hayate could respond, Hinata thrust out her palm striking Neji in the ankle. "Not yet…I'm not done yet, big brother." And with a speed that surprised Neji, she bolted up, and thrust with her right hand. Instinctively, Neji's let his hands take him over, stopping the thrust and jabbing two fingers upwards towards the arm.

A change had come over Hinata's body. It seemed rigid and she was gazing emptily ahead. "My attacks…they have no effect on you," she said.

Neji nodded, "allow me to show you." And he pulled up Hinata's sleeve revealing her arms. Small red dots could be seen along the length of the arm. Hinata gasped, "You mean? This whole time…since the very beginning?"

"Yes…I can detect the Tenketsu…chakra points. I have struck every single node in your arms and legs. You won't be able to use the Gentle Fist Style for the rest of this match."

"Tenketsu…impressive," said Itachi. "He is only a branch member and yet he is stronger than the main branch."

"What Tenketsu are we talking about now," asked Haku.

"Remember the chakra system we were talking about, Haku," asked Kakashi. "The Tenketsu…or 361 points along that same network... They are no larger than the size of pin. In theory, if you can strike the Tenketsu, you can halt or enhance the flow of an enemy's chakra. To be able to, in the heat of battle, perceive and strike so accurately, is beyond normal."

Down below, Neji flicked his finger and Hinata fell down onto her back. "Lady Hinata…you have fought bravely. Cease your attempts…I have clearly won the match."

"N-no…," mumbled Hinata, as she struggled to stand. Neji winced.

'You idiot,' he thought. He glanced upwards at Naruto, who frowned. He raised his eyebrows and then nodded towards Hinata.

"I see," said Neji, "you will not give up, will you?"

"I…n-never…go back on my word…" Neji's eyes widened. "…Because that too, is my shinobi way!" She too glanced upwards at Naruto, 'and in front of Naruto…I can't bear to look uncool.'

Neji tilted his head, "Your shinobi way, huh? Hmph! Then, allow me to show you my shinobi way! Lady Hinata…keeps this up and you will be a splendid Konoha Shinobi. However, it is high time that you meet defeat. Here I come!"

And with a speed that Kakashi couldn't even keep up with, Neji materialized in front of Hinata. A series of seventeen strikes later sent Hinata flying into the air. Before she hit the ground, Neji easily caught her. "Almost Lady Hinata…but you're not quite there yet." Setting her unconscious form down, he stepped back and stared back at Naruto, who nodded at him.

"Seeing as Hinata is unable to continue," said Hayate, coughing, "Neji is the winner!"

A medic team rushed out along with Kurenai to check on Hinata. "She'll be alright," said one of the medics, "she's just low on chakra. She'll wake in about an hour or so."

Kurenai nodded, "alright…" She turned once more to look at Neji's retreating form. 'What was up with that guy? Why was he trying so hard to help Hinata? Not that I should complain, but this merits investigation.'

Meanwhile, Lee was getting psyched up. "Yes! It's finally my turn." He glanced over at Gaara, who responded by giving him a wink."

On the board, the next two names were announced.

"Sameki vs. Kinjo"

Itachi kicked a sleeping Kisame in the head.

Groaning, Kisame slowly woke up. "What the…? Why'd you do that?"

"It's your turn…"

Kisame brightened, while Lee glared disbelieving at the screen. "Wha? Really? Finally it's my turn," shouted Kisame. "So who am I fighting? Huh? Oh, that's one of those Cloud Shinobi Twins…Kinjo, huh? Should be fun…"

"Here we go," said Sasuke, "now we can see just what those Cloud Shinobis are up to."

"Agreed," Replied Naruto, "Saizo, Kinjo, and that Rock Shinobi Kyo… hmmm…I wonder what they're thinking."

Down below, Kisame and Kinjo faced each other. "Kinda odd seeing an adult like you taking the Chuunin Exams," said Kisame, "what kind of baby are you?"

Kinjo snarled, "What your mouth, brat. You'd be a fool to underestimate me."

"Ho ho," said Kisame, bored. "You're not worth my time."

"What's that shark-for brains," countered Kinjo, taking notice of Kisame's appearance.

A vein popped in Kisame's skull, "what'd you just call me, fat ass?! Proctor, start the match already."

"Yes, please do," said Kinjo, with equal anger. Like Chouji, he was chubby, not fat. "We'll see who the fatass is after I'm through with you, shark-head."

"Uh," mumbled Hayate, "alright…begin!"

With a snarl, both warriors lunged at each other, before dishing out their strongest punch. "Good block," shouted Kinjo, when Kisame parried his punch, "I'd hate to see your brain spill out on the wall so quickly."

Kisame countered, but his punch too was parried, "Hah! The only thing we'll see is your chugly face implanted into that wall over there."

Steaming mad, Kinjo back flipped away from Kisame, before placing his hands together. "That's it! I'm gonna slice you into bits. Ninja Art!"

"Too late," shouted Kisame, dashing in, and swiping with his forearm. Initially, it appeared that he had missed, but a moment later, a dumb-struck Kinjo was punched into a wall.

Groaning, Kinjo stood, "W-what the?! Where did my chakra go?"

Kisame chuckled, as he showed off some kind of fleshy substance on his arm. It was, in fact, part of the Samehada Sharkskin, which he had dismantled in fear of discovery of his identity. He had placed parts of it on his arms, allowing him to continue to slice through opponent's chakra. "This thing right here…it cuts through chakra. The air was ripe with yours and I cut it all away."

"What," shouted Kinjo, "you second-rate thief… How dare you do something like that to me? Still, I still have tons of reserves left. Take this," he shouted. "Ninja Art!" Lightning emerged from Kinjo's hand, taking the form of a blade. "Dodge this one, huh?"

Leaping forward, Kinjo took a swipe, which Kisame easily dodged. As he did so, however, sparks flew out from the sword, hitting Kisame in the chest. With a groan, the mist assassin crashed to the ground; his shirt smoking.

"Haha, I forgot to mention," said Kinjo, "my blade can send of electricity at will. Even if I don't hit you with the full power of the blade, I'll still get you with the aftershock. Besides, you can't dodge forever."

And with that said, Kinjo dashed forward again. He swung upwards this time, forcing Kisame to jump back. This time, as Kisame was shocked, Kinjo formed a hand sign, "Lightning Style: Spark Ball!" Ball of electricity formed around him. With a wave, they all crashed into Kisame, knocking him back and sending his body into convulsions.

When he stopped, Kinjo landed near and held his blade over Kisame's head. "And now…the end." As he raised the lightning blade up and as Hayate readied to call the match, Kisame's mouth shot open, "I don't think so!"

And, quicker than Kinjo could react, Kisame blasted out a torrent of water that carried him all the way to the ceiling. The electricity reacted with Kinjo's blade, sending currents running through its user's body. As a follow up, Kisame leapt up above Kinjo and sent him back down with a smash to the stomach.

With a crash, Kinjo hit the ground. He groaned, but began to stand even as Kisame used another of his own techniques, "Water Style: Exploding Shockwave!" From his mouth, Kisame spewed out a stream of water, which began to expand until it formed a seven foot tall tidal wave.

"Shit," cursed Kinjo, "Lightning Style: Thunderbolt Strike!"

Up above, Naruto turned away, not bothering to watch the result of the fight. "That guy is an idiot…sending a lightning based jutsu straight into an oncoming water style jutsu. He's done for."

"Eww," said Sakura…

Down below, Kinjo had just managed to shoot off his attack, when the wave covered his body. The thunderbolt, hitting the water, spread through quickly, even diverting back to its caster. As Kinjo screamed in agony, Kisame cut off the stream coming from his mouth and leapt away, before thrusting out his arm to deflect a single bolt that had broken through his attack.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullets! Hah!"

As Kinjo stood up, he met a face-full of water shot off with a powerful force. The strike sent him flying into a wall. He would not be spared, as a series of liquid bullets crashed into various parts of his body. By the time Kisame was done, Kinjo resembled nothing more than a chewed and bent-up toy.

Hayate briefly examined him, before standing up, "Kinjo is unable to continue. Winner of the seventh match. Sameki!"

"W-wait," grumbled Kinjo, raising a finger, "I-I'm not…done yet."

Kisame scowled, "Pathetic…"

High above, Sasuke said the same, "Pathetic is right. And yet…something is strange about all this."

"You saw it too," asked Naruto, with a calculating look?

"Yeah, there was no way Kisame should have been able to win that easily. We predicted he would win, but I would have thought he would have to fight a little more thoroughly."

Kakashi joined in, leaning his head to catch their hushed conversation. "So, you think even Kinjo threw the match?"

"Maybe," said Naruto. "I don't know yet, but Kinjo isn't as weak as he demonstrated. Perhaps he underestimated Kisame…but…I don't know. We'll see what Shinjo, Saizo, and Kyo pull off next."

Kakashi set down his book. His eyes wandered over to where Shinjo was, in his opinion, harshly yelling at his younger brother. Next to them, Saizo was smiling at him. Kakashi scowled, 'So that's Black Lightning Saizo…of Hidden Cloud village. They say his techniques rival my Chidori. He has already earned himself an S-rank in our Bingo Books. What the heck is he doing participating in a Chuunin Exam? Hn, well I can't complain. Naruto and Sasuke here both exceed even that. But this worries me… I'll have to watch very closely these last few matches.'

Nearby, Lee suddenly jumped up and cheered, "Finally, it's my turn…huh?"

Naruto's mouth dropped too. "Wha?" for Lee's opponent was not Gaara, but Saizo himself, 'Oh shit…'

"Well, here I go, Master Guy," shouted Lee.

"Go Lee," cheered Guy, giving him a thumbs up. "Do your thing."

"Yes Sir," shouted Lee, before hopping over and down to the ground below.

On the other side, Gaara's eyes narrowed. 'interesting…'

Nearby, a cloud materialized under Saizo, and he gently and slowly floated down to the arena. His eyes drifted over to where Lee was throwing out punches into the air. "Hello there. My name is Saizo. I hope you give me a good fight." His eyebrows rose gently as he jumped off his cloud and bent down into a fighting stance.

Lionheart: Whew, sorry for the delay, but I had a project the first week and last week I just decided to take a break. Updates will continue regularly starting from today. Thanks for waiting and see you next time.

Only four more battles to be covered and they will most likely be done in one huge chapter next week. Stay tuned.

Lee VS Saizo the next battle…what will happen?