Geniuses of Hard Work
The Tournament (Part 3)
"Sounds like you made it an exciting match…Naruto-kun." Kabuto stood inside the inner halls of the tournament arena. To his left was a stairwell but you couldn't take more than a couple steps down it without getting engulfed in water thanks to the flood Naruto had caused.
"Sir!" A seemly normal dressed man came running up to Kabuto and gave a small salute.
"You're late." Kabuto spoke with a cruel tone of voice.
"S-sorry, sir. They blocked off all the entrances and the bottom levels of the arena are shut down because of all that water. They're trying to prevent it from flooding the streets so I had to sneak in."
Kabuto clucked his teeth loudly. It didn't help that there was advanced security running all over the place. "I'll let you off the hook this time than. Give me your report."
"Yes! All the Shinobi from the rest of the continent but one group have arrived!" The man said, still saluting.
"Hmm? Which group isn't here?" Kabuto wondered aloud.
"Those from the cursed seal lab. The group headed by J-Jugo." The man stuttered the man's name, not a fact missed by Kabuto.
"Something wrong?" Kabuto asked. The man shook his head. "Speak freely, I am curious."
"W-well…sir. Orochimaru-sama didn't want to use all of our troops from across the continent. Just the one's stationed here in The Land of Fire. Most of the other bases are for unstable and experimental groups. Frankly, we don't know how they'll behave once they're on the battlefield. Especially Juugo's group."
Kabuto smiled sinisterly when the man finished, causing him to take a step back in alarm. "That's the fun in it though. How are we supposed to truly test them if we don't let them out of their cages once in awhile? We also don't have the support of Sunagakure anymore so I'm compensating for that."
"Yes…but…" The man protested.
"Report back to your division for now and wait for my signal. The time to use the Kyuubi shall be soon." Kabuto patted the man lightly on the cheek.
"Yes sir!" The man turned and began to amble away. After a few steps he stopped and turned back around. "How did the weapon do?"
"It passed my test. It'll benefit us nicely in this battle." The man smiled brightly at Kabuto's answer before he turned back around and vanished into the dark hallway.
Kabuto leaned up against the wall and began chuckling. "Everything is going perfectly. Any information Dosu-kun gives them will be meaningless so he's lucky and gets to keep his life a little longer. If anything it should make this whole thing more interesting. So do try to make this experiment entertaining…"
"…Konoha."
Naruto took in huge gulps of air as he unsteadily stood on his feet. "Damn…if I had access to the fox this wouldn't have been a problem." Naruto's voice came out nasally through his broken nose.
"Naruto-kun!"
"Naruto!" Lee and Hinata ran up to their teammate.
"What's up guys? How was that?" Naruto gave them a bloody smile.
"Most youthful!" Lee patted him roughly on the shoulder. "Can you not hear the crowd screaming for you?" Naruto had actually not been aware at all but now they he tuned into it they were indeed going crazy. They were cheering loudly and screaming his name passionately.
"I don't understand…why are they so happy for me?" Naruto felt tears beginning to brim on his eyes. He had never received such looks of approval for that many people in his life.
Hayate coughed. "It's simple really. You put on a great fight. Plus you went against all odds and beat one of the two favorites for the tournament."
Naruto suddenly smiled brightly. He took a couple shaky steps toward the crowd and struck his hands in the air making a V with his fingers. "That's right everyone! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm well on my way to becoming Hokage! Laugh at me now!" Naruto broke into loud laughter after he screamed that and the crowd got even more riled up in response.
Lee smiled happily at his teammate. Just then he heard someone break the water and he turned to see a couple medics hauling Sasuke out of it.
Hayate coughed again to get their attention. "Since the first round of matches is concluded there will be a fifteen minute interval until the next round begins. Do your best to relax and get prepared for your next match. Please pass that on to Neji as well."
Lee and Hinata nodded before they walked up to their teammate. "Naruto-kun…" Hinata started.
"Hmm? What's up?" Naruto asked as he turned to her.
"How long will it take for you to get back in touch with the fox?" Hinata asked seriously.
Naruto rubbed his chin as he thought about it. "I think the last time it took half an hour. So somewhere around there."
"So that means I just have to last fifteen minutes…" Hinata mumbled to herself.
"I didn't catch that." Naruto looked confused by Hinata's sudden serious look.
She shook her head. "It was nothing Naruto-kun. Let's go back up top on recuperate. It does take chakra to water walk after all."
"Right, let's go." Naruto and Lee nodded and followed her to the Genin box.
Guy was ecstatic. His team had swept the first round and now they were all advancing. "This bet is as good as mine." He couldn't wait to see behind Kakashi's mask.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Guy. If Hinata doesn't win here than it's as good as tied up since your other two have to fight each other." Kakashi's book was nowhere to be seen. He was serious now. "Plus, Neji didn't break a sweat in his fight. All three of your students got beat up pretty badly and I doubt Naruto or Lee are the type to go easy on each other or hold back because they're teammates or because it'll give one a better shot against Neji."
Guy couldn't deny that. It was also a fact though that he preferred it that way. Coming out on top when you were already down would make the victory just that much sweeter. Guy had little fear of losing this bet. His gut told him so.
"Whoa, looks like I missed a lot." Haku scratched his head in embarrassment as Temari glared daggers at him. "I take it that Naruto is responsible for flooding the arena?"
"Where did you go?" Temari ignored Haku's attempt at small talk and got right to the point.
"Oh, well you see, I got lost…" Haku answered meekly.
"Lost where exactly?" Temari's look threatened pain if he answered wrong.
"…on the road of life?" Haku didn't even know Temari had brought her giant metal fan with her until it clubbed him in the side of the head.
"How could he have lost?" Ino was practically on the verge of tears. "There's no way the dead-last got that good!"
"Keep saying stuff like that and I'm gonna get pissed." Kiba growled as he stood up.
"Kiba…" Sakura warned her teammate lightly.
"No!" Kiba shouted. "Naruto saved our asses in the forest at the risk of his own life and this girl just keeps on insulting him without even giving him the credit he's due!"
Ino looked taken aback by Kiba's shouting. She opened her mouth in order to protest but suddenly a group of chips were in her mouth before she could. "That's enough Ino…" Chouji smiled brightly at her. "…even Shikamaru talks about how intense their training is. It's no surprise they've gotten that strong."
Ino spit the chips out and glared at everyone. "You're all against me in this, huh?" She sighed and crossed her arms in front of herself. "Fine, Naruto did pretty good. Happy?"
"I'm never happy." Shikamaru responded dully.
Only a couple groups in the crowd weren't unanimously cheering and to Hiashi's ire, the Hyuuga were one of them. Most of the clan sat there stoically, apparently unfazed by the surprising victory.
"Father, Naruto-ni-san was amazing!" Hanabi shouted as she alone among the clan clapped excitedly.
Hiashi smiled downed at his youngest daughter. "Yes. He did an incredible job. Wouldn't you agree, elder?" Hiashi turned his smile to the old man who he had been talking to earlier.
The older man grunted. "He did alright. I've seen more impressive."
"Oh?" Hiashi's smile turned into more of a smirk. "You've seen a rookie genin flood an entire arena before this?"
The old man let out a huff before he glared at Hiashi. "Do you still have time to be thinking about the last match? Your daughter is about to fight possibly the most talented Hyuuga to have ever been born. If she loses do you know the detrimental effect it could have on our clan's image?"
"I think you worry too much. Hinata won't disappoint anyone." Hiashi didn't bother to call the elder out on his topic change.
"I'm just saying, even if she has to activate Neji's seal, it better be done." The elder let his words hang in the air.
Hiashi didn't give him a response this time. Instead he stared off into the contestant area where his daughter was.
"Stay still, Naruto." Lee ordered as he stood over his teammate. "This is going to hurt."
"I-I changed my mind, don't do it!" Naruto attempted to scurry away but it was too late. Lee snapped Naruto's nose back into place with an audible snap. "Gah!" Naruto howled in pain. "Damn it Bushy Brow, I said no!" Naruto had tears leaking out of his eyes from the pain.
"It was for your own good, Naruto-kun." Hinata rubbed his back as she attempted to soothe him. "You're lucky it wasn't actually broken and just snapped out of place."
"Plus, you did not plan to fight me with a messed up nose, did you?" Lee asked as he looked down at his teammate.
"I doubt it would have mattered." Naruto grumbled.
"You would do better to forfeit anyways. You are out of chakra." Neji said stoically from the corner he stood in.
"What was that?" Naruto glared at the cold Hyuuga boy.
"By fighting Lee you will only take energy from him that he would be better off storing for a battle with me." Neji seemed to think for a moment before continuing. "Not that it really matters, Lee can't beat me anyways."
"You have not even fought Hinata yet. You cannot say for sure that you will win." Lee smiled sadly at his old teammate. He seemed to have gotten even colder than before.
Neji scoffed. "I am a genius. My victory is guaranteed by fate."
"Oh yeah?" Naruto rose to his feet and pointed dramatically at Neji. "Then what about Sasuke and Tenten. Weren't they considered geniuses too?"
"They got too soft. They looked at weaklings like you as friends and that clouded their judgment. Neither you nor Hinata-sama would have won if it wasn't for that. Lee is the only one of you three that rightfully got this far."
"You're really starting to piss me off." Naruto took a step towards him but he felt both his teammates put a hand on him. "What? Come on!" He protested loudly.
"Leave it for the arena, Naruto." Lee smiled brightly at him. "If you want to have a crack at him you have to get through me first. Do not forget he has to actually manage to beat Hinata too."
Naruto clucked his teeth loudly. "If he has to fight Hinata than I guess I won't ever get the chance."
"Heh." Neji chuckled quietly. "That failure won't even touch me."
"Say that again!" Naruto shouted loudly. He was moments from tackling Neji to the ground.
"That failure…"
"The next match between Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Hinata will begin in five minutes! Could those two please report to the arena floor?" Hayate's shout interrupted Neji.
"Well, I guess this will have to wait 'til later." Neji calmly walked towards the railing. Normally he would take the stairs to get down but Naruto had flooded that section of the arena. He grabbed onto the railing and vaulted over without another word.
"Hinata…kick his ass." Naruto seethed as he stared at the spot Neji had just been in.
Hinata smiled sadly at her boyfriend. "I'll do my best, Naruto-kun." She too walked to the railing and jumped over the ledge. She was surprised by how far Naruto had filled the arena with water. She didn't even fall half the distance as before which meant it was actually quite full.
"Your teammate is an idiot, what a waste of chakra." Neji was walking away from Hinata as he spoke.
"Naruto-kun is not an idiot…he just overdoes it sometimes." Hinata attempted to defend her boyfriend. Neji shook his head and kept walking until he was in the center of the arena. Hinata followed after him.
"You feeling alright?" Hayate directed his question towards Hinata.
She nodded. "The poison is more or less out of my system. I will be able to fight when you start the match."
"It's not like she would be able to win either way." Neji remarked snidely.
"Do you just enjoy being an ass or are you trying to make me mad so I'll make a mistake?" Hinata asked sharply back.
Neji raised his eyebrows. He had never once heard Hinata talk to him like that. He observed her carefully and was even more surprised to see she meant every word. "You've become a lot different from the shy, meek girl who used to walk around with her head down…but that doesn't change the fact that you are still weak. Quit trying to deceive yourself."
Hinata placed her hand on a scroll at her hip. Her bow appeared in her hand and the quiver of arrows on her back. "I am not deceiving myself. I'm not the same person I used to be, Ni-san."
"Before this gets any farther let me start the match." Hayate took a hesitant step in between the two of them.
They both nodded to his suggestion. Hayate slowly brought his arm into the air. He turned to the crowd to see that they were waiting anxiously for this battle. "Let the fifth match of Konoha's Chunin Exam Tournament…begin!" Hayate dropped his hand and jumped backwards for the fifth time that day.
This time though it was unnecessary. Neither Hyuuga made a move at each other at all. The only noticeable change was their Byakugan's had activated without even forming the seals.
Neji smirked. "How amusing. You actually believe you've changed. Hanging out with all those losers must have put you at ease about your insecurities."
"Why are you this way, Ni-san?" Hinata suddenly asked. Neji's eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second before they returned back to normal. Hinata didn't miss it though. "Why are you so bitter? Does the fact that I'm part of the main branch really hurt you that much? You know I look at you as a brother anyways."
"I never said I wanted a sister!" Neji shouted, losing his composure. "You know damned well why I despise you! It's your entire fault! You should have just never been born!"
Hinata closed her eyes sadly for a moment before opening them back up and smiling bitterly at her cousin. "But I was born, Ni-san. Things may have happened and there may be tension within our clan but I fully intend to become the heiress and fix that. I would like it if you would help me." Hinata extended her hand towards him.
Neji took a step back; his arms were shaking in anger. "Don't look at me with those eyes…with that pity. I'm a genius! I don't need your help and I don't need to help anyone!" Neji clenched his fists and broke into a run straight at Hinata.
"I feel sorry for you, Ni-san." Hinata pulled an arrow out of her quiver and fired it instantly. Neji, instead of dodging left or right, dove underwater.
If the action surprised Hinata she didn't show it. This time she pulled out three arrows at once and pointed them down. She fired all three simultaneously into the water.
Neji was surprised to see the arrows flying through the water like it wasn't even there. He let out an unintelligible curse and began spinning. The arrows bounced pointlessly off of the Kaiten.
Hinata fired another set of arrows, this time with explosive tags attached to them. Neji kept spinning. The explosions went off and the water began boiling from the heat and the bubbles began carrying Neji back towards the surface. Soon he broke through and Neji's rotation was slowly coming to a stop.
Just as the chakra barrier faded Hinata fired yet another arrow. Neji was still slowly spinning but caught the arrow with expert precision. His eyes winced slightly as he felt a pain in his shoulder though. "What is this?" He looked at the strange seal inscribed on Hinata's arrow. "You passed your Jyuuken to your arrows? How crafty." Neji threw the arrow to the side before he charged forward again.
Hinata went to fire another arrow but her eyes widened slightly in surprise. Everything became blurry, even to her Byakugan. "Genjutsu…" Hinata had to hand it to Neji, it was very rare to find Genjutsu that could work well even against the Byakugan.
She didn't have time to cancel it out so Hinata decided to borrow her cousin's idea. As soon as Neji swung his Jyuuken forward Hinata quit channeling chakra to her feet and she slipped below the surface like a phantom.
Hinata slipped her bow on her back and immediately cancelled the genjutsu. She turned her head back up but something rising from the bottom of the water caught her attention. She focused on it with her eyes and was surprised to see spikes of earth flying at her.
Hinata wanted to curse. If she swam for the surface, Neji would be there waiting to strike but if she stayed down her she would be skewered by the spikes.
Making up her mind quickly Hinata began swimming towards the surface as fast as she could, right under Neji's feet.
The Hyuuga genius let out a smirk as he saw what Hinata was doing. Just before she got to him he activated his rotation again. He would knock her backwards and right into his jutsu. To his surprise Hinata also began spinning right at that moment too, however due to her moment her Kaiten shot upwards, ramming into Neji's and battering him high into the air while still spinning..
Hinata broke the surface of the water, stopped spinning and immediately did a series of backflips, dodging the earth spikes that burst out of the water. She then grabbed onto her bow and fired her last couple of arrows at Neji.
Neji's rotation deflected them easily and the Hyuuga genius fell to the water unharmed. "You're fighting rather aggressively." Neji observed aloud. "You're making me burn as much chakra as I can as fast as I can…you're trying to tire me out."
Hinata let out a small smile. "It seems to be working at least…I know how taxing the Kaiten can be."
Neji's ever present scowl deepened a little. "However, you're all out of ammo. What do you plan to do now? The only thing you've ever been good at is archery. Hardly a great Shinobi skill. I however have mastered not just our clan's taijutsu but earth ninjutsu and genjutsu as well. I am a complete Shinobi. Far superior to someone like you who only as a couple skills to fall back on."
Hinata's smile became bitter as she stared at her cousin. "It takes more than mastering the three Shinobi arts to become great, Ni-san. You're missing the most important thing."
Neji snorted. "I'm missing something? You have the gall to tell me I am the weak one?"
Hinata nodded. "That's right."
Neji glared at his cousin fiercely. "I've had enough of your talk. I'm ending this fight. You made the mistake of standing within range of my divination." Neji shifted his stance and Hinata's eyes went wide.
"There's no way you know that technique…"
Neji smirked at Hinata's surprise. "Hakke Rokujyuyon Sho!" He launched himself forward in a spin.
It was Hinata's turn to smirk though as she formed the ram seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Hinata created a single clone right in front of herself while she took a small leap back.
"Wha-?" It was too late for Neji to stop his attack. His first two strikes landed and the clone let out a victorious smile as she latched herself onto Neji. "Get off me!" Neji shouted as he attempted to throw the clone off of him.
"Juho Soshiken!" The original Hinata shouted as she charged forward with her signature attack. She swung a fist forward, breaking through her clone and nailing Neji right in the stomach.
Neji had never felt a Jyuuken hit like that in his life. He was sent flying backwards where he bounced off the water a couple times. He barely managed to keep himself above the surface. "W-what a technique…" Neji coughed blood as he kneeled on the ground. "…damn it."
He stumbled to his feet but the sound of approaching steps caught his attention. Hinata was charging at him, her technique blazing strongly. Neji quickly ducked under Hinata's newest strike. He fell back into his Jyuuken stance and began deflecting Hinata's blows the best he could while attempting to mix in his own.
"She's mopping the floor with him!" Naruto cheered as he watched Hinata swing with all her might at her cousin.
"Something's not right though." Lee observed aloud.
"What do you mean?" Naruto looked at Lee for a brief second before he turned back.
"Hinata is not fighting like she normally does. She is going all out, trying to push Neji as far as she can. To be honest, she is wasting a lot of chakra doing it."
"Isn't that the point?" Naruto failed to see his teammate's concern.
"…maybe you are right." Lee relented. "That poison must still be effecting her slightly though. She is normally much faster than this."
"She'll overcome that no problem!" Naruto turned back to cheering. "Go Hinata!"
Hinata deflected Neji's Jyuuken with an elbow and threw another chakra enhanced punch. Neji stepped lightly to the side and swung his own palm forward. Again and again they swung at each other, deflecting blows and trying to counter. Neither one was getting very far however.
Finally, Hinata jumped back and put some distance between them. Her justu dribbled out of existence and she was left panting loudly. Neji let out his own tired grin. "Your impatience has cost you. You've about sacrificed all of your chakra. I still have plenty left to fight on however."
Hinata shook her head. "I don't need my chakra to keep going." As she said this her Byakugan switched off. She then settled into a goken fighting stance.
"You can't be serious? What do you plan to accomplish with that?" Neji scowled at his cousin. "You may have gotten a few lucky hits before by putting all your tricks into it but it has cost you! This fight is as good as mine!" Neji charged forward.
Hinata ran forward as well. She jumped and delivered a high spinning kick which Neji blocked with his forearm. Before Hinata could land properly, Neji caught her right in the chin with a Jyuuken strike sending her crashing to the surface of the water. She stumbled up to her feet but Neji was already there, blowing another strong strike into her stomach.
Hinata gave a heavy cough of blood as she stumbled backwards a couple steps. "This is what you get for thinking you could rely on normal taijutsu. Your Jyuuken style is mediocre at best, what possibly made you think you could win with that style?"
Hinata gave Neji a bloody smile. "You know what it is you lack Neji?"
Neji scoffed. "That again? Fine, tell me what it is I lack."
Hinata gave another cough, spraying blood into the water before she was able to look up and answer Neji's question. "You lack the ability to believe in yourself."
Neji narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe in myself?" Hinata shook her head. "You've got to be kidding me. As if that has anything to do with it. No matter how much you believe you cannot change what fate has engraved."
"That's my point, Ni-san." Hinata interjected. "You blame everything that happens in life on fate. You hide behind it."
Neji clenched his fists tightly. "Watch the way you use your words…Hinata-sama." He practically spit the honorific.
"There it is again. You hate me because I was born to the man born just seconds ahead of your father."
"Don't bring him into this!" Neji roared.
Hinata ignored him. "You think your father wanted you to be this way? Bitter and clinging to the family way? You try so hard to play the victim but how do you think I felt? I was the heiress yet I was weak! I couldn't even beat my own little sister. That has changed though and do you know why, Ni-san?"
"I don't care!" Neji shouted as he ran forward. He sent a full charged Jyuuken right into Hinata's chest, knocking her off her feet and onto the water. She hacked up more blood but the resolve still in her eyes spoke so strongly Neji stopped.
"It changed because I believe in myself." She said quietly. "At one point I may have sympathized with your fate theory but now I know it is nothing more than just an excuse you hide behind." Hinata stumbled back to her feet. "You don't have to be this way, Ni-san. Let others help you. Let me help you."
Neji grit his teeth so hard he could hear them grinding against each other. "I don't need your help." He seethed. "So get off your damned high horse and fight this battle!" Neji swung another Jyuuken strike forward. Hinata caught Neji's arm by pinning it against her upper arm and body.
"I'm fighting it with everything I got!" She shouted back as her fist drilled into Neji's stomach. She then jumped in the air and delivered a powerful spinning kick that connected with Neji's cheek.
Neji spun around a couple times but steadied himself. Without even waiting he charged forward. Hinata was already running to meet him.
"I'm ending this!" Neji shouted as he brought his palm back. Hinata didn't respond as she pulled her own fist back. They both swung forward, their hands passing by each other as they flew. Hinata's fist connected with Neji's face while his Jyuuken hit her hard in the gut.
Neji stumbled backwards while nursing his face while Hinata doubled back over. She hacked up even more blood.
"Damn it…I didn't want to have to do this but if you're going to be this stubborn I'm going to have to rely on ninjutsu." Neji formed a seal.
"No…" Hinata shook her head as she stumbled back up.
Neji looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I mean you don't have to go that far, it's okay Ni-san." Hinata turned to the proctor.
"I give up."
"What?" Neji asked. A quiet murmur in the crowd quickly repeated what he just asked.
"Hiashi…what is she doing?" The elder mumbled. To his surprise, the clan head was smiling.
Hayate nodded his head to Hinata. "The winner is Hyuuga Neji!"
"Wait a second!" Naruto bellowed but it was too late. He had hit the water and was running at full force towards them. Lee wasn't far behind. "Hinata! Why?"
"It's been fifteen minutes." Hinata answered simply.
"Huh?" Naruto made a confused look.
"Can you feel the red chakra?" Hinata asked.
Naruto, still looking confused, thought about it for a second. "Actually…I can." Realization then dawned on his face. "Wait, you fought just long enough to give me time to recover?"
Hinata nodded. "I never intended to win. I just needed to buy you the time you needed so you could give it your all."
"Then everything you sprouted earlier was just a trick for time?" Neji shouted furiously.
Hinata turned to him and shook her head. "I meant every word of what I said. I had planned to talk to you about it sooner or later anyways."
Neji glared at her. "So the only reason you fought me at all was so you could give your boyfriend some extra rest time?"
"That's right." Hinata responded blatantly.
"But, Hinata…you could have bought us time and still have managed to won." Naruto tried to sound irritated, but the fact that Hinata had fought just for him made that hard.
Hinata shook her head. "If you hadn't needed the time I would have forfeited right away."
Lee bushy brow's furrowed. "You don't think you could have won?"
This time Hinata just shrugged. "I'm not sure if I could win if I tried. The truth is, I forfeited because I was afraid of winning."
"What?" All three of them asked at once.
"Fighting either of you is the most painful thing I can imagine. I would rather forfeit my match and not get promoted to Chunin than have to fight either of you."
"Hinata…" Naruto stared at her with wide eyes. He then took a couple steps forward and wrapped her in a hug. "…thank you. For the time you bought me. I'll make good use of it."
Hinata smiled and returned the hug. She didn't need to say anything more.
A series of aww's broke out from across the stadium. Lee smiled happily at the two of them.
"Tch, Disgusting." Neji turned on his feet and began walking back towards the Genin box. "What a waste of my time."
"That's just so cute!" Ino had hearts in her eyes as she stared down at the two of them.
"Man! I actually thought she was going to win that one too!" Kiba shouted loudly, breaking Ino from her trance to glare at him.
"She fought hard for her love and all you can say is 'oh, damn she lost!' How despicable!" Ino shouted at the dog owner.
"Ino, quit screaming in my ear." Shikamaru pushed Ino back down into her seat.
"It was a rather surprising twist, though." Choji mumbled as he began digging around for more chips.
"Not all that surprising in hindsight though." Sakura shook her head. "She truly is a great person. I really envy Hinata."
"Envy?" Shino's voice actually showed a little surprise.
"Yeah, to be able to love someone like that where you can do things like what she just did for him. And then to have that love reciprocated and get a hug in front of the whole audience." Sakura let out a dreamy sigh.
"Girls…" Kiba muttered.
The other guys, even Akamaru, nodded in agreement.
"Hiashi, I think you need to talk your daughter about this…" The elder muttered darkly.
"I think you need to not stick your nose into other people's matters. Hinata is free to do as she pleases. She is a Konoha Kunoichi and I respect her decision." Hiashi glared so hard at the elder that he had no choice but to back down for now.
Hanabi meanwhile was smiling obliviously at Naruto and Hinata. "You think I'll get as lucky as Onee-chan?" She asked aloud.
Hiashi patted her head. "That'll be pretty hard but I think you'll manage somehow."
Hanabi nodded happily. "I can't wait."
Hiashi could disagree there though. Hinata was one thing since she had got Naruto, however if he had his way, Hanabi would be well into her twenties before he even let a guy look at her the wrong way.
"Where is she going?" Temari asked as she watched Hinata turn down the medic team and began walking towards the audience.
"If I would have to guess, I'd say her sensei." Haku answered as he watched Hinata vault her way into the stadium. She was immediately swarmed by a crowd of people who wanted to talk to her.
"Isn't that awesome?" Tazuna asked. "They're like celebrities doing so well in this tournament! I should post that I gave that team their first C-rank mission on my next set of flyers! We'd really be wracking in business then!"
"Dad, you have no shame." Tsunami hung her head.
"Actually, I was just thinking of putting up a sign that they eat at our restaurant every day." Ayame rubbed her hands together greedily. "I could make huge tips."
"I could say that I almost killed them on their first mission!" Haku replied a little too happily.
Temari smacked him in the head again.
Hinata finally broke through the crowd and managed to get up to where Guy and Kakashi were standing.
"Hinata!" Guy shouted happily at his student.
Hinata bowed low to her sensei. "I am sorry, Guy-sensei."
Guy patted her on the back immediately. "Sorry? You did great! You won a match and still put on a great show for your second. Needless to say we were all moved by your words too! The strength to think of others ahead of yourself is a huge plus in becoming a Chunin!"
Kakashi's one eye smiled for him as he looked down at Hinata. "I also extend my thanks. While it may not have been much, you broke through Neji's armor a little. It could be an important first step in making him understand the importance of teamwork."
"However, this also means we are all tied up, Guy." Kakashi turned to his rival now.
Guy broke into loud laughter. "As if something like that concerns me! Lee or Naruto, one of them will win this tournament yet!"
"We'll see about that." Kakashi turned his one eye down to the stadium where Naruto and Lee were doing a series of stretches as they warmed-up for the final match.
"You feeling alright for this, Bushy Brow?" Naruto asked as he stretched his legs from side to side. "You got knocked around pretty bad by that Dosu kid."
Lee let out a loud laugh as he bent himself backwards and then forwards. "It is I who am concerned about you! Sasuke-kun not only smacked you around but you managed to completely drain your chakra when you flooded this arena."
"No problem at all!" Naruto pounded his chest proudly. "My chakra reserves are incredible and they've already replenished quite a bit!"
"Heh, it sounds like we will have a good match with both of us able to give it our all." Lee finished his stretches and walked towards his teammate. He extended his hand forward. "Even if you win and get to fight Neji you are still my best friend."
Naruto grinned and clasped Lee's hand in his. "Same to you! Let's show this crowd what it really means to be a genius of hard work!"
"Yosh! Now I am pumped!" They broke their handshake and both jumped backwards. "Whenever you are ready, proctor."
Hayate gave a cough as he nodded his head. He stepped forward and raised his arm. "Let the sixth match…begin!"
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto immediately formed seven clones this time instead of the usual three. Four of them charged forward without hesitation.
"So you are finally taking this tournament seriously." Lee cracked his knuckles as the four clones reached him. Two jumped in the air and attacked high. Meanwhile, the other two were swinging low.
Lee stepped to the side and knocked the fist of the first airborne clone out of the way. It went tumbling past him. Spinning around he caught the second airborne clone in the face with a powerful kick. The two grounded clones jumped at him at the same time. Lee jumped and performed a front flip over them, bringing both of his feet down on top of their heads and kicking off towards the other set of clones.
"Suiton: Mizurappa no Jutsu!" Naruto and his clones stood in a straight line. The inner two had inhaled deeply and breathed out a powerful jet of water that flew right at Lee. Meanwhile, the two outer clones swung the chakra blades they were holding.
"That has no chance of hitting me!" Lee shouted as he continued to charge forward. The jet streams reached him but he easily battered them aside with brute force. He then jumped in the air and made the motion of someone performing a pole vault. While the audience couldn't see it, Lee had just barely dodged the blades of wind from both above and below.
He landed nimbly on the water but before he could charge any father he felt a pair of hands lock onto his ankles. "What?" Lee looked down just in time to see three more Narutos burst out of the water. A forth one was holding onto him. "You actually created eleven clones but four of them were underwater!" Lee was surprised by Naruto's cunning tactic.
"That's right!" The four Narutos Lee had battered away earlier were right behind him. He was surrounded.
"Guess it is time I show my worth!" Lee put his hands out top of the water. He swung his feet upwards, pulling the clone that was latched onto him out of the water.
"Oh, crap!" The clone yelled in surprise as it lost his grip. It went flying into another Naruto. They both disappeared below the water with a loud splash.
Lee flipped himself so he was back on his feet and grabbed the first clone that swung at him. He spun around and threw it into another two, bowling them all over. "Naruto clone hammer!" Lee turned around and grabbed onto the feet of the Naruto that was being swung around.
"I am familiar with that trick, Naruto!" Lee pulled so hard that he picked the other Naruto up with the first and he threw them both. They both went flying into the audience, crashing into the seats that had just been occupied moments before.
The last clone dove forward and latched onto Lee, pinning his arms to his side. "Got you now!" Lee saw a swirling drill made of both water and air flying at him. "Naruto Typhoon no Jutsu!"
Lee gave a small smile. "Naming a technique after yourself, how full of youth!" Lee broke free from the clones grip with ease. He then chamber kicked it back into the drill where it was instantly popped. Lee jumped to the side and then realized he had made a mistake. A second drill made of both wind and water broke free from the surface just in front of him.
Lee did something that surprised everyone, including himself. With a mighty shout, he thrust his hands forward and grabbed onto the drill before it reached him. He didn't stop the drill completely; instead it forced him backwards, his feet skidding across the water.
Lee let out another loud bellow. "I will not let this technique hit me!" His arms were vibrating heavy as he struggled to hold onto the powerful drill attack that was bringing him ever closer into a wall. Lee grit his teeth and while still yelling he pushed the technique upwards with all his might. The drill shifted and flew skywards, spinning magnificently high before it withered away to nothing.
Lee stood panting heavily. Unfortunately he had no time to recover. The seven clones he had thrown aside were up and charging again. "This is getting me nowhere." Lee mumbled to himself out loud. "If I did not have to fight both ninjutsu and taijutsu at the same time this would be no problem."
He looked to the four clones that were using the ninjutsu. The ones using the blades combined their technique with the ones using water and another two drills were on their way.
"What would Guy-sensei do?" Lee asked aloud. The seven clones left using taijutsu were almost on him yet Lee's eyes were closed as he thought. Suddenly his eyes shot open. "I got it! I shall also attack with both the elements and my fists!" He nodded happily to himself.
"What are you talking about?" The first clone asked as it swung. To his surprise Lee completely vanished.
"I shall show you!" All seven clones spun around to see Lee had appeared a distance behind them, placing him in between the clones and the typhoon technique.
"Get ready for Lee Typhoon no Jutsu!" Lee shouted.
"That's copyright infringement!" One of the clones shouted.
Lee didn't listen. He was spinning in place at high speeds. The water at his feet immediately shot upwards flowing around Lee in a spiral until it towered high in the air. Naruto's technique slammed into the miniature typhoon Lee had just created but both drills were battered away pointlessly by the high velocity of the water.
"Damn it, that thing is acting like Hinata's Kaiten!" Naruto yelled in exasperation.
"But it shall prove more effective, because with my awesome skill, I shall now move it!" Lee appeared just outside of his technique, already in the process of delivering a powerful kick. His foot smashed into the typhoon and it went flying at the Narutos that had been using ninjutsu.
"He kicked it!" Naruto and most of the crowd shouted as their mouths hit the floor. The clones that had been using ninjutsu were so shocked that they let themselves get sucked into the typhoon and sent flying into the air. All four of them popped out of existence. Lee's attack then hit the wall and it finally dissipated.
"If the original wasn't there, than that means he was with the taijutsu group." Lee turned and charged at the remaining seven Narutos.
Naruto and his clones finally regained their senses and also ran forward. "Change of plan, everyone gang up on him!" The original shouted. A cry of agreement rang from the rest as they all jumped at Lee at the same time.
"Konoha Senpu!" Lee shouted as he battered away three of them with one swing of his foot. He let out a loud laugh. "This reminds me when we first sparred the day you became a part of this team!"
"I've grown a lot since then!" Naruto shouted as he threw a clone forward. It latched onto Lee with all his might. "I had to rely on Hinata to beat you with your weights, but this time I'm fighting toe to toe with you when you're not wearing them!"
Lee again broke free from the clones hold. He shoved it back into the clone directly in front of him. Just two Narutos were left charging and they came running from the left and right.
"You have indeed grown." Lee smiled as he recollected on the past. Naruto had charged at him with a hundred clones and hadn't got anywhere close until Hinata had stepped in. This time though Naruto was using twelve and holding his own.
He quickly shook himself from his thoughts fast enough to catch the fist of the Naruto on the left. He was just about to bring his foot up to kick the one on the right when the other Naruto quit channeling chakra. He dropped into the water pulling Lee partially down with him and throwing the taijutsu specialist off balance.
"Got'cha!" Naruto's fist connected with Lee's exposed chin and the boy went spinning backwards. He barely managed to land on his feet.
Blood slowly slipped from his cracked lip and Lee wiped it away with his thumb. He then looked down at the bloodstain on his finger. "You actually got me…"
"Huh?" Naruto looked up in surprise. After punching Lee he had pulled his other clone out of the water. The other five were also slowly recovering and lining up with the original.
"That is the first time you ever managed to hit me when we were fighting just with taijutsu." Lee clarified and Naruto seemed to mull the thought over.
Suddenly he brightened up. "You're right! I got you! This feels awesome!" Naruto and all his clones began giving one another high fives.
"I guess this means it is about time I step it up a notch myself." Lee slowly spread his legs out and brought his arms up.
"Finally resorting to the gates, huh?" Naruto smirked as he and his clones took up their stances.
"First Gate: Open!" Lee bellowed. He vanished not even a second later a reappeared with his arm completely through the chest of one of Naruto's clones. He gave a cough of blood before vanishing in smoke.
"What the hell if that was me?" Naruto looked horrified at the brutal way he had just watched his clone go out.
"You have not been doing a good job of hiding which one is the real one, Naruto." Lee smiled as he turned to his friend. "Normally you are much better about it but you are lax with me because I am your teammate."
"Tch, damn." Naruto just realized Lee was right. He had dropped his guard because he was used to sparring with Lee. He was now down to five clones, so six Narutos. That was only half of what he started with a Lee had just finally opened only the first of the gates. It was time to step things up. "You three with me!" Naruto shouted as he and three clones ran forward. They all pulled out chakra blades as they ran.
Meanwhile, the two clones in the back began running through seals again. "I will not let you complete anymore Suiton." Lee was behind them both, one hand on either head. With a violent crack, he smashed their heads together and they both vanished.
"Shit, attack now!" Naruto and his clones turned and they all fired a blade of wind at Lee at the same time.
"Second Gate: Open!" Lee vanished even faster than before. He appeared over top of the real Naruto.
"Kawarimi no Jutsu!" Naruto switched himself out with his clone in time by not even a second. Lee's foot slammed into the head of the clone so hard that he created a massive splash. Again, water was sent spraying into the crowd. The remaining three Narutos rode the wave created by Lee's kick in order to get more distance between themselves and the powerful Genin.
"You were smart in using that technique, Naruto." Lee acknowledged loudly. "Now I am not sure which one is the real you and will be forced to pull my punches."
"That's the idea!" All three Narutos shouted at once. "You wouldn't want to kill me after all!"
"I do know though…" One Naruto felt a shiver go down his back as Lee's voice came from right behind him. "…that you are trying to stall for time. You know that I can only keep the gates open for thirty seconds at a time at the most and have to open another to keep fighting." The clone never got to respond as it was blasted into the wall by Lee's powerful fist. It popped immediately after.
"Just two left." Lee turned and saw the water splitting from either side as blades of wind tore through it on their way to him. "Third Gate: Open!" Lee vanished and appeared next to one of the last remaining Narutos, his fist drilling into his face without preamble. The clone immediately popped without being able to go anywhere.
Lee turned his attention to the last Naruto standing just as a powerful red aura erupted from his body. Lee had to keep himself from letting out a whistle. He had never felt Naruto release this much energy when tapping into the Kyuubi no Yoko.
"No more holding back, Bushy Brow!" Naruto disappeared and reappeared right in front of Lee's face with his fist extended. It was so fast that Lee didn't even get a chance to raise his arms in defense as the attack nailed him in the face. Lee was sent flying backwards and right into the wall.
"Heh, now that was a youthful punch." Lee stepped away from the wall and straightened himself up. "Fourth Gate: Open!" He shouted. A second later and he vanished. Naruto disappeared at the same time.
They both appeared in the center of the arena. Their fists forward. They clashed into each other and a powerful shockwave was blown across the arena and into the crowd. Waves were rolling and splashing and the people in the front seats quickly retreated in fear.
Naruto and Lee vanished into a different location, again throwing punches. Each time their fists connected another shockwave followed.
"Just what the hell kind of battle is this?" Temari shouted as she shivered from the latest blast of energy. "This isn't something two Genin should be capable of!"
"No kidding!" Tazuna yelled as he watched in worry as the two fought. "How can they be so hard on each other, they're friends."
Ayame felt herself smile despite the fact that another tremor just blew by them. "This is just the type of friendship those two idiots have."
"That doesn't make sense." Tsunami chewed nervously on the nail of her thumb as she watched. "I would think they were bitter enemies with this kind of brutal match."
"That's because you can't see them." Haku was also smiling as his eyes expertly tracked their movements. "While they're both serious about this battle and want to win, every time they trade a blow they're smiling at each other."
"Smiling?" Inari asked in disbelief.
Haku nodded. "Smiling just like a couple of idiots."
"Fifth Gate: Open!" Lee roared just before he ran out of time on his last gate.
"Looks like I have to step it up too." Naruto's red chakra flared up even stronger than before. The two boys vanished yet again and smashed their fists into each other with full force.
Naruto and Lee both reappeared at another location just a second later. Naruto swung his fist with all his might and this time, to his surprise, he was just a little bit faster than Lee. His fist buried into his friend's chest…
…only for his fist to go right through him.
"An afterimage?" Naruto realized he let himself be fooled. Before he could move again he felt Lee's foot smash into the side of his face.
Naruto rocketed across and slammed into the wall not even a second later, creating a giant crack in the side of it, allowing for water to slowly begin leaking out. Before Naruto could recover Lee was there again. His foot slammed into the top of his head, sending him crashing into the ground below the water.
Naruto stepped himself up but Lee was already there, his elbow drilling into his chin. Naruto was sent flying back towards the surface. He broke free from the water and continued on even higher.
Lee appeared once more. "Ura Renge!" He bellowed as his fist slammed into his friend. Naruto slammed into the water yet again this time creating a huge tidal wave that flowed into the crowd knocking many of them over and slamming them up against their seats. The crack in the wall that had appeared earlier gave way and what water was left drained out of the stadium and flooded the streets of Konoha.
Lee landed on the ground. The water that was left only went up to his ankles now. Naruto slowly picked himself back up.
"Not bad Bushy Brow…but when I'm using this much chakra that hardly felt like anything." Naruto grinned but then cringed and hacked up a great deal of blood. "Alright…so it hurt a little but not enough to put me down. You're almost out of time too. This battle is about to be mine."
"You should not count your chickens before they hatch, Naruto." Lee changed his stance yet again. "Sixth Gate: Open!" Naruto's eyes went wide in surprise as yet even more power burst forth from his teammate.
"Heh, if you can go that far then I guess I've got no choice but to use my ultimate technique." All the chakra surrounding Naruto immediately began to rush to his hands. In a matter of seconds both hands were covered by two red fox heads made entirely of chakra. "Juho Kitsuneken!"
"Hiashi…that technique!" The elder pulled lightly on Hiashi's sleeve.
The clan Head could only nod dumbfounded. "That is exactly like one of our techniques…the one Hinata uses most."
"Guy!" Kakashi shouted, suddenly furious. "He can't really plan on using such a technique! With that much of the Kyuubi's chakra...tt'll poison Lee's chakra system!"
"It actually isn't a problem." Hinata was the one to speak up. "Naruto-kun cannot see the chakra system. He is capable of dumping chakra into another's body by simply overloading the chakra in his fist, forcing the excess through someone's chakra points when his fist connects."
"So how isn't that a problem exactly?" Kakashi understood what Hinata was saying but it still didn't help Lee.
"Lee is special." Guy continued for her. "His chakra coils and points are too small. The Kyuubi's chakra could never squeeze into such a small space making Lee invulnerable to such an attack."
"…Then why is Naruto using it at all?" Kakashi deadpanned.
"It is still a powerful punch, all that malevolent chakra stored into two points." Hinata once again continued to answer. "While the chakra poisoning will not take effect, the physical damage will still be high."
Kakashi nodded slowly. "Wait a minute though…Lee just opened up the Sixth Gate. Surely he doesn't intend to use Asa Kujaku?"
Guy broke into laughter. "Unfortunately I didn't have time to teach Lee that technique…however, that didn't stop him from coming up with a special attack of his own."
At that moment Kakashi felt a sudden heat erupt from the center of the arena. He turned to see Lee had sprout two fiery wings on his back. "Asa Kujaku: Version Two!"
Kakashi wanted to hit himself in the face. "What is that going to do?"
"When Lee flaps those giant majestic wings he shall shoot forward at speeds so great the ground will shake!" Guy bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"In other words he uses the propulsion from the wings for a super enhanced punch." Hinata clarified her sensei's words.
Kakashi shook his head. "What a disastrous final stand."
"Guess this is it, huh Bushy Brow?" Naruto gave his friend a feral grin.
Lee nodded and returned a weary smile. "It has been the most youthful fight I have ever fought, Naruto."
"Let's go!" They both shouted at the same time. They vanished and reappeared in front of each other, their fists swinging forward. They grazed just past each other.
Lee's fist slammed into Naruto's face and Naruto's fist…
…stopped just short of Lee's face.
The whole crowd watched in complete silence. Lee's wings extinguished themselves and the chakra on Naruto's hands slowly faded away.
Lee slowly pulled his fist back but Naruto didn't fall. "Damn it…" Naruto slowly lowered his fist and stumbled forward. He fell against Lee who stood tall and supported his friend's body.
"Damn it…" Naruto's face was buried in Lee's chest and came out muffled. "I lost…just because I was shorter than you. Guess I really should have drunk my milk."
Naruto slipped to his knees. He then fell sideways and rolled so he was laying down on his back. "Bushy Brow…no, Lee. Kick Neji's ass."
Lee gave Naruto the biggest smile he could. "You got it…Naruto."
"The winner is Rock Lee!" Hayate announced loudly.
Without any hesitation the crowd erupted into the loudest set of cheering yet. Most of them were soaked but that only seemed to increase the vigor at which they yelled.
"Guy-sensei, I'll be right back." Hinata immediately began to take off down the stairs. They had been part of the only people not to get soaked by water.
"Hinata!" Guy shouted and she turned around. "Tell them both that I'm proud of them…I'm proud of all three of you. You guys are the greatest students a man could ask for."
Hinata nodded happily before she continued running towards the arena.
Neji shook his head while he smirked. "Those idiots went all out. This tournament is as good as mine."
"Then I don't suppose you'll mind helping me out for a while would you?" Neji's eyes widened in surprise. He turned around but before he could do anything a man grabbed him by the throat. "It won't take long, I promise." Kabuto smiled evilly.
Hinata hit the floor of the arena and ran up to both of her teammates. "Lee-senpai! Naruto-kun!" She was surprised to see that no medics had run out yet to check up on either of them.
"Hinata!" Lee waved happily. He took a couple steps towards her but stumbled slightly. "Guess opening all those gates was not a bright move."
"Is Naruto-kun okay?" Hinata asked worriedly.
"…My pride hurts a little." Naruto mumbled, clearly still conscious. "I guess not being able to move is a problem too."
Hinata couldn't decide whether to giggle or sigh in relief. If he was able to make jokes than he would probably be up again in no time.
The sound of footsteps caught her attention. She turned to see Neji standing there. She had been hoping it would have been a medic. She saw something that immediately concerned her though. Neji was holding a kunai.
Hayate slowly walked forward. "There is going to be a half hour between matches so you can go rest a little longer if you want."
Neji, slowly and robotically turned his head towards the proctor. His mouth slowly opened. "R-run…it's a trap." The four of them widened their eyes in surprise but no one was able to react quickly enough. Neji threw the kunai at Hayate and just before it reached the proctor it transformed into Kabuto.
Hayate had no time to react as Kabuto delivered a kick so powerful that it sent the Jonin flying straight out of the giant hole in the wall Naruto and Lee had created earlier. He then raised his arm into the air and snapped his fingers.
The edges of the arena started glowing a strange purple light. The light shot skywards, temporary blinding everyone. Then, the light turned completely black and it looked like a giant tower suddenly erected itself from the arena, making it impossible for anyone to see inside.
Kabuto turned and looked at the other four occupants of the barrier he had just created. He gave another evil smile.
"Let's get this show on the road."