The crowd stared at their pamphlets in wonder as complex seals on the inside turned into a bracket and basic information on the fighters, while a board appeared next to the proctor in a puff of smoke. Most of the Konoha genin left quickly and headed towards the competitor's entrance to the battlefield after a quick glance, and after the other teams got a closer look at the fights they followed. Genma dispelled the board and stared at the six combatants in front of him before his hand rose towards the sky, causing the crowd to roar thunderously, however, his microphone-enhanced voice could still be heard over the deafening cheers. "The first match is between Team Gai Konohagakure and Team Sakon of Otogakure," the jounin allowed the energy to reach a fever pitch before slicing his hand through the air, "begin."
Lee appeared to be a blur of green as he sped towards Jirobo. The spandex-clad shinobi jumped and attempted to deliver a brutal kick to the left side of his opponent's face, but the bulky teenager managed to lift his arm to block the strike, yet the force behind it sent him skidding back a dozen feet. Kidomaru and Sakon rushed towards the taijutsu specialist's exposed back, but were forced to stop and flip away when several kunai with sizzling tags wrapped around the handle landed in front of them. The explosion sent dust everywhere and blocked the two sound-nin's view of their teammate, but they had other things to worry about as more kunai herded them away from the fight. Neji directed his teammate's throws as the two fled into the grass and she forced them to the sandy dunes on the stadium's south end.
The Oto shinobi regrouped as the Hyuuga and weapons mistress rushed into the grass while Jirobo fought Lee in the center of the arena. The older teenagers eyed the thick grass warily before three blasts of compressed air burst out with the Konoha-nin following the attack. They jumped opposite ways and Neji forced Kidomaru to move further away with more Hakke Kusho while Tenten kept Sakon dodging the fine edges of her kunai.
The effeminate shinobi frantically avoided the countless projectiles pursuing him from every direction. There seemed to be no end to the metallic rain trying to slice through him, so he was confused when it stopped and the kunoichi flipped through the ox, horse, and dragon seals before holding the last, "Raiton: Kaminari Shibari." (Lightning Release: Thunder Binding) The kanji for barrier glowed blue on the handles of three Kunai that were in the shape of an equilateral triangle with the green haired ninja in the center before lightning arced between the weapons and formed a blue pyramid that trapped him. Tenten lips split into a satisfied grin as she dropped the hand seal after the barrier became self-sustaining, everything was going according to plan.
Flashback
In a private training ground near the village wall the genin from Konohagakure and Sunagakure participating in the finals sat with the Hokage. Sarutobi looked over the young shinobi in front of him with an appraising eye before starting, "I'm sure you're wondering why I've gathered you here today?"
The elderly leader lit a pipe before inhaling deeply. Awkwardness permeated the clearing as potential opponents glanced at each other quickly. The Hokage just exhaled and waited while the genin stared respectfully at him, wondering when he was going to continue. 'These children will be Chunin in a months time, and leading squads before the year is over, respecting your leader is necessary, but reverence is foolish and clouds judgment. They need to think proactively and not be afraid to voice their opinions, even to the Hokage. Nobody will be there to babysit them anymore, now they must rely on themselves. Donning the flak jacket symbolizes the safety net being cut away, and it is best they learn this lesson early.'
Sarutobi was pulled from his thoughts when Shikamaru spoke up, "Since all of us will be fighting in the finals I'm guessing it has to do with that, and I know it's going to be troublesome."
A smile crossed the Kage's face at the Nara's response, "Yes, it does involve the finals." Sarutobi's wrinkled face hardened as he continued, "Obviously the genin from minor villages didn't come here with the express purpose of becoming chunin. They wanted to deliver a blow to the future strength of our two villages and send a message, so we shall respond with our own in the third exam. In the first round each one of you shall fight a team from the minor villages, and I think now would be a good time to share the knowledge you all gained from conflicts in the forest."
The Hokage inhaled the fragrant tobacco in his pipe and Hinata used the lapse to interject, "Ano sa, Hokage-sama."
The kindly man smiled at the shy Hyuuga, "Yes Hinata-chan."
The girl's index fingers twirled nervously around each other as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart, though it was hard considering the man in front of her was a living legend, "Um, well, when I was fighting Dosu, the boy who used the sound gauntlet, and, well, his sound attack was broken up by the concussive waves of an exploding tag."
The girl finished speaking and sat down before the Hokage tapped out his pipe, "That's an excellent starting point. Unfortunately I can't let my paperwork pile multiply so I have to get back to the office, but you shall know whom your opponents in two weeks. Until then train hard and think on how to defeat any possible matchup. Now, I'll let you all begin discussing and planning." Sarutobi gave the genin one last smile before disappearing in a cloud of smoke as the gathered shinobi began sharing information.
End Flashback
Lee landed after his initial attack and burst forward after hearing the dull thud of kunai, followed by a distinctive sizzling noise. He easily outpaced the blast while charging towards Jirobo, who erected a hastily formed earth wall. The taijutsu specialist registered the barrier and didn't slow in the slightest, instead he jumped forward while pulling his leg back for another kick. The force of his strike was amplified by the weights and easily shattered the construct. Large chunks of debris forced the heavy shinobi to close his eyes as the spandex clad teen gracefully landed and used his momentum to deliver a brutal jab to the Oto-nin's nose.
Jirobo's bald head snapped backwards with a sickening crack as he blindly swung his left fist in a wide arc. Lee used his hands to gracefully vault over the bulky limb before pushing off and flipping over his opponent. He harnessed the extra momentum from his maneuver and landed powerful heel kick to the back of the heavy Oto-nin's head that sent him face-first into the ground. The chubby teen ignored the pain while trying to push himself up, but Lee didn't waste any motion and leaned back after the strike until he was parallel to the ground and elbow dropped the rising shinobi's neck. The taijutsu specialist did a backwards somersault and regained his feet before raising his leg straight up into the air. Sunlight glinted off the tip of his weights that poked out from his legwarmers as he brought down his foot to crush Jirobo's skull.
Sakon cursed loudly behind the lightning prison even though he wasn't worried in the slightest, barriers were their specialty after all. He knew the flaw in this one immediately and Kidomaru did too, but it never hurt to make your opponents think their plan was effective. It worked too since the Konoha ninja seemed to relax for a split second afterwards, and that's when the spiderlike ninja burst into action.
He threw smoke bombs at his feet before launching random strands of webbing that forced the two to retreat, however, it was only meant to be a distraction. Golden arrows shot out of the smoke and pierced the ground around one of the kunai sustaining the barrier. Neji sped forward and tried to use his chakra to cut through the string attached to the arrows as Kidomaru pulled backwards, but the ground gave first and a chunk of earth containing the sealed kunai was torn out, freeing Sakon. The spider user notched two arrows on the string with two more at the ready and shot them towards the Konoha-nin. It forced the two Oto-shinobi much needed distance and they sped towards their third teammate.
As Lee brought his leg down to end the fight it shifted course and his metal weights deflected several kunai that were heading for his jugular. He turned to see a dense ball of webbing flying towards him as well and jumped back, but the spandex clad boy wasn't the target. It hit the unconscious Sound shinobi before expanding and encasing him in a protective cocoon. Lee made an attempt to crack through it with a hammer-like punch and deliver the killing blow, but it felt like he hit a wall of solid lead. The spandex clad genin tried to recover and jump away, but Sakon used his chakra to burst forward and tackle him.
The Oto-nin used Ukon's limbs to gain the mounted position on the ground, but before he could take advantage a Hakke Kusho impacted his side and sent the effeminate teenager rolling. Lee popped up quickly and returned to his teammates as they faced down their two remaining opponents. Neji coldly eyed them while saying, "You have been outclassed this whole match, and now you are outnumbered as well. I thought you were supposed to be real shinobi."
The two just laughed as an arm and foot burst out of the right side of Sakon's torso. Everyone in the stadium looked on with sick fascination as a nearly identical copy emerged from the Oto shinobi's body, and all three said, "Who's outnumbered?"
The trio stood in a triangle with the twins up front and Kidomaru behind them as Neji and Lee tried to flank around the left. Several golden knives forced them to loop around even farther as Sakon and Ukon adjusted the triangle so the spider user was farthest away from the two attacking boys, but it left him open to Tenten. Kidomaru was forced to leap away as metallic balls landed all around his position and exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere.
The formation was broken and the three scattered before landing in a diagonal line with Sakon in the back left facing left, Kidomaru in the middle looking straight ahead, while Ukon was in the front right and watched their right. Lee sped forward but was forced to dodge a rapid-fire barrage of miniature web balls from the spiderlike teen while his teammates tried to attack from the flanks. He kept jumping around the projectiles as Neji engaged Sakon in close combat with the Jyuuken and Tenten held his brother at bay with a staff. The spandex clad ninja blurred forward and twisted around the web balls, but when he got closer to Kidomaru he revealed it was a feint and dashed right before hitting the unsuspecting Ukon with a chop to the neck that left him prone on the ground.
The remaining two Sound ninja cursed and Sakon wished he split up earlier so they could have used their original formations instead of these modified ones. The effeminate shinobi pushed that thought aside as Kidomaru came over to engage the Hyuuga. He broke off and rushed towards his downed twin as the kunoichi's staff morphed and one end twisted around itself until becoming a sharp point. She threw the javelin at Ukon, but his brother jumped in front of the throw and the tip went through his right shoulder.
The Oto shinobi cursed and grit his teeth through the pain after he fell backwards. The force generated from impacting the ground pushed the javelin back out of the wound, but Sakon barely winced as he grabbed his brother and reabsorbed him. The green haired ninja hissed while rolling onto his injured shoulder to avoid more kunai from the kunoichi, and flipped to his feet just in time to use his left arm to block Lee's kick towards his wound. It left him open though as Tenten managed to grab the downed javelin and shove it into his left side.
The green haired teen coughed up blood as the girl twisted her weapon in the wound before pulling it out and lining up the fatal blow, but a ball of webbing saved Sakon when it smashed into him and formed a cocoon. Seeing his teammates were down Kidomaru kept his distance from Neji and raised his upper right hand, "I surrender." Karin rushed out of the contestant's box as Genma declared Team Gai the winners and announced a short intermission.
Fifteen minutes after the last fight ended Genma announced the next match while Team Ten and the genin from Kusa walked onto the arena floor. The audience cheered when the fighters stepped onto the battlefield, but it was quieter than before, almost like the violence of the first match had sobered the crowd. Asuma's genin paid their lack of applause no mind and faced down the enemy team made up of one girl and two boys.
The girl was slightly taller than Ino and somewhat pale with dark purple hair and forest green eyes that stared at the Konoha shinobi excitedly. Her hitai-ate was attached to a light green belt wrapped tightly around her small waist and held up her brown shinobi pants that were tucked into white tape, which wrapped up her legs and covered her feet in brown shinobi sandals. She had a yellowish green shirt with sleeves that just covered her petite shoulders and brown forearm guards.
The genin in the middle had buzzed brown hair and black eyes that anxiously roved around the stadium as his yellow shinobi sandals shifted in the light grass. He was a head shorter than Chouji and wearing dark green shorts with a thin windbreaker that covered his wiry frame and matched the light green color of the hitai-ate, which he wore as a headband.
The tan boy on his right had a shaved head and wore no shirt, just a thin, dark green vest that was covered in small Kusa symbols that were an earthy brown. His muscular torso had several light scars on his abdomen and chest, and one particularly long one that started an inch to the left of his bellybutton and extended into the brown cloth of his hitai-ate that served as a belt to hold his dark green pants up. Earthy brown shinobi sandals spread out as the genin took a defensive stance when the proctor raised is arm. "The next match is between Team Ten of Konohagakure and Team Four of Kusagakure." The crowd grew louder as anticipation gripped them and Genma's hand sliced through the air, "Begin."
Shikamaru sighed after the proctor jumped backwards and wondered what deities he offended. First he had to fight the one girl in the forest, and now they had to fight one of the teams there was no prior information on. The lazy boy continued grumbling under his breath as Chouji's arms inflated in response to the hand seals the shirtless genin was making. Their opponent placed his palms on the ground after finishing and Shikamaru knew he was an earth user before the two boulders nearly fifteen feet wide flew at Team Ten. The Akimichi's fists easily shattered the chunks of earth as he and Ino ran towards the Kusa team while Shikamaru followed slowly behind, carefully observing the enemy's movements.
The Nara barked out, "Hold it," when he saw the kunoichi pull out red pellets from her pouch, then, "retreat," when she threw them towards his comrades. Ino and Chouji jumped backwards as blades of grass burst through the maroon smoke and tried to pierce them, however the Yamanaka quickly unfurled her whip and snapped it. A fiery sonic boom was launched from the tips and morphed into a small blade that easily sliced through the grass near the poison cloud. The strands grew back incredibly fast, but it gave the two shinobi enough room to regroup with Shikamaru who tossed several exploding kunai through the dispersing gas.
The grass strands moved to intercept the projectiles as the Nara called out, "San." Ino and Chouji flanked wide and ran into the long grass as Shikamaru's shadow split and a dozen tendrils shot towards the Kusa genin. The grass blades quickly retreated into the skinny teen's windbreaker and his team fell back, carefully watching the snakelike shadows.
As they got near the edge of the short grass Ino burst out behind them wielding her tessen, which were glowing an angry red. The strange grass shot out of the Kusa genin's jacket and tried to ensnare the kunoichi, but her weapon easily sliced through the dangerously sharp grass blades before she put on a burst of speed to outdistance the poison gas that burst behind her. The Yamanaka raised the fan in her left hand and prepared to strike the poison user when she saw the tan genin separate from his teammates while forming two seals.
The blonde overloaded her feet with chakra as the earth user slapped his hands onto the ground and burst forward to avoid the jutsu and attack the retreating kunoichi. The girl just smiled as an earth wall sprang out of the ground in front of the blonde and her fiery tessen sunk in. Ino tried to rip it out quickly, but before she could the earth construct sunk back into the ground and her weapon snapped in two as a result. The Yamanaka turned to face the bald genin while shouting, "Bastard," and unrolling her whip. The blonde left her back open and the Kusa genin moved to take advantage, but it became apparent the kunoichi was luring them in when she jumped aside and a ball of meat rolled out of the tall grass and towards the two. The Doton user created another hastily formed earth wall, but the Akimichi smashed right through it and sent the duo flying.
Ino grinned as she faced down the one responsible for damaging her tessen. A flick of her wrist sent the whip snapping forward, but the shinobi ducked below the attack as a small fireball appeared above him. The girl pulled the whip back while her remaining tessen slashed forward and the bald genin tried to roll underneath the strike, but Ino's fan left a wound on his left side that began to smoke and flared an angry red. The kunoichi was about to press her advantage when she heard Shikamaru shout a warning and jumped backwards into the tall grass as several poison pellets landed in front of her previous position. The two other Kusa genin landed next to their wounded teammate and the kunoichi asked, "Can you still fight?"
He grunted before answering, "Yeah, but probably not effectively at close range. I'll just play defense."
The two nodded as they looked at their opponents who also regrouped. They were huddled together as Chouji asked, "Did you see enough Shikamaru?"
Ino continued before he could respond, "Yeah, did you have enough relaxation time while me and Chouji were doing the real work? I notice how most of the plans involve you doing as little as possible."
The lazy genin ignored the blonde's question and looked at his oldest friend, "Yeah, and now I'm convinced the shinobi gods hate me." Ino prepared to continue emasculating him but the Nara cut her off, "Not only was there a lack of information on these opponents, but after observing their fighting styles I can safely say this is going to be a pain in the ass. The bald one uses earth jutsu, and now that he's hurt I guarantee they'll have him hang back and play defense so it will be hard to corral them into shadowy areas where my jutsu are most effective. Meanwhile the one in the windbreaker has dangerously sharp grass that's incredibly flexible and versatile, oh yeah, and the kunoichi uses poison meaning it's hard to use coordinated attacks and plan … scatter."
The three were forced to split up as more poison pellets burst in their area. They found it difficult to regroup as the skinny shinobi's grass chased Ino and Chouji around the circle of short grass while the kunoichi focused on Shikamaru in a concerted effort to get them into the tall blades that ringed around the center field. To make things worse their third teammate received some supplies from the girl and was limiting their dodging options with poison gas and kunai. The Konoha-nin were willing to ambush the Kusa genin from the thick grass, but not fight them straight up in it, and Shikamaru could see this team would be forced to do just that if they didn't push back quickly. The boy looked at the grass strands snaking towards him now, he could easily ensnare the boy with his Kagemane using the grass' shadow, but he didn't have enough time to use it, and even there was it would be impossible to utilize effectively while dodging poisoned.
Frustration got the better of the genius as he futilely tried to slice a blade of grass that was stabbing towards his neck with a kunai, but the sharp strand simply bent with the strike before the blades wrapped around his wrist and began to dig into the skin. The Nara hastily brought his left hand to the trapped one in the ram seal as a chunk of rock took his place. The higher ranked nin in the crowd raised their eyes at that, performing a Kawamiri while held by something or in pain took high levels of concentration and mental fortitude.
Shikamaru appeared about twenty feet behind his blonde teammate while saying, "Buy Chouji some room Ino." The blonde did just that and launched her tessen at the blades of grass. They easily sliced through them and Shikamaru called out, "Bowl them over Chouji."
The Akimichi formed a hand seal used the Baika no Jutsu as the blades of grass tried to slash him, but they found the fat layer too pliable to cut into. Chouji rolled towards the genin with the intent of separating them, but instead the bald one formed a sloped earth wall that launched the Akimichi into the air. The crowd let out a scream of panic when it looked like he was going to crash into them, but he smashed into an invisible barrier that sent him careening towards the ground. The portly teen made a large splash after landing in the mud pit and Shikamaru cursed as he and Ino began dodging again. The Nara knew the Doton user wouldn't be able to block the Baika no Jutsu after Chouji burst through the last earth wall, but they did too and redirected it instead, however, Shikamaru's sharp mind instantly thought of a way to take advantage of it and he shouted out, "Chouji are you alright."
They heard a large gasp for breath before he answered, "Yeah, just a little dirty."
The lazy genin nodded before calling out, "Okay, I think I want to take a nap in the trees."
The strange proclamation threw their opponents off guard as the Akimichi responded, "Rodger." Seconds later he burst through the grass in his Baika no Jutsu from and swerved around the Kusa genin before clearing a trail through the grass for his teammates. Shikamaru took advantage of the respite to explain his plan while the Kusa genin stood their ground.
Seconds later they chuckled derisively as the Chouji rolled at them once more and responded with the same defense. A sloped earth wall launched the ball of chub towards the sky, but the hefty shinobi uncurled and pushed off the invisible barrier before landing on the cliff, and trepidation set in for the Kusa team after the Konoha-nin seized the high ground.
Seconds later they scrambled away as the Akimichi used the Bubun Baika no Jutsu to inflate his arms and started ripping up chunks of earth to throw at them. Shikamaru moved into the grassy ring and watched as Chouji herded the Kusa team into the sandy area where the bald genin couldn't use Doton jutsu. He nodded to Ino who launched five shuriken into the air before going through several hand seals, and when she finished intoned, "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu." The throwing stars multiplied until there were forty and pushed the Kusa genin farther into the sandy area next to the cliff while Chouji opened a sealing scroll.
It seemed like hundreds of balloons were released into the air as the crowd looked on in confusion, however, most of the shinobi quickly realized how much extra shadow was in the stadium now. The Nara made a hand seal and his shadow extended into the patches before creating a swirling maze around their opponents as Chouji began launching boulders once more. The Kusa-nin jumped around while trying to avoid the shadows, but they were only genin and the grass user's long shadow was snagged by the Kagemane as Ino whipped through a series of hand seals ending with the tiger, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu." She formed a circle with her right thumb and index finger before raising it to her mouth and exhaling a large fireball that engulfed the trapped shinobi and continued to burn after his scream died out.
His teammates didn't have a chance to mourn his death though, they were using all their focus to frantically dodge the shadows and boulders so they didn't meet him in the afterlife. Eventually the kunoichi panicked and stopped to pull out several poisoned kunai, but she was unable to avoid the shadows and momentarily lost control of her body as the poisoned tip of her own weapon slid deep into her neck. The last genin stopped and gripped his wound while trying to surrender, but as he called out "Proctor," a boulder landed on top of the him, ending the boy's life.
The shinobi in the stands stood up to clap respectfully along with many Konoha citizens as Genma announced them the winners, yet most of the civilians that travelled from afar and brought their children were shocked into silence by the brutality and killing efficiency of teenagers.
Hiashi watched his daughter walk out with her team and masked his nervousness behind a stoic demeanor. The council was furious when the clan's heiress went off to Sunagakure for training as part of the exchange program. Many of the elders called it foolish to send an unsealed Byakugan to a different village, so Hiashi put his credibility on the line when he forced the request through, now it seemed everything was riding on this exam. If Hinata didn't perform well it was possible he would have to make Hanabi the heiress to convince the elders his bloodline produced strong progeny, and that was something he preferred to avoid. Even though Hanabi was already showing great strength as a fighter she easily swayed by the attitude that placed Hyuuga tradition on a pedestal.
His youngest daughter viewed their customs and history as the source of their strength like most of their kin, however, Hinata never adopted that belief and would be able to change the clan. It was hard to live in the present when the past was revered to the point it became more important, and the problems facing them today were pushed aside. Unlike most shinobi clans the number of Hyuuga on the active roster declined over the past decade, fewer were advancing beyond the rank of chunin, and the percentage of Hyuuga in ANBU was at an all time low despite the value of the Byakugan on such missions.
Their district revenue allowed them to live comfortably, but the clan was nearing the lower threshold of quotas needed to have a council seat and the privileges it bestowed. If the trends continued it was possible they would lose their rights to the district and the tax money. The Hyuuga clan needed an infusion of energy and new life, and his eldest daughter was the one who could do that. She already altered the rigid Jyuuken to fit her flexible body more, and helped lay the foundation of a style that could allow more Hyuuga to learn the Jyuuken and increase the pool of potential shinobi.
Hiashi was even prouder after learning his daughter created a move he considered strong enough to make an official clan jutsu, something that hadn't been done since the Hakke Kusho was added right before the founding of Konohagakure. Hinata just needed to prove her strength here to give those innovations credibility before he could introduce the changes, it would also allow the man to bring his daughter into clan politics earlier.
All this swirled behind his stony face as he watched the two teams take the field. Hinata's squad looked over their opponents, a trio of genin that had the same format of two boys and one girl. The tallest boy was just over six feet and had a wiry frame filled out with compact muscle. Slicked back green hair came down to the base of his neck. He wore a long sleeved grey shirt on with black rippling circular patterns that started around the center of his torso and light blue shinobi pants that were tucked into black tape that matched his black sandals. He didn't possess a hitai-ate, but the Ame symbol was proudly displayed in the center of his chest, inside the first concentric circle.
The other boy appeared overweight and only came up to his teammate's chest. He had short aqua blue hair with concentric circles shaved into it and wore a navy and aqua blue short-sleeved camouflage shirt with white shorts covered in small, light blue Ame symbols. Their Kunoichi teammate was the strangest looking by far. The left side of her head was completely shaved while the tightly braided hair on the right side covered part of her attractive face and was randomly dyed varying shades of red, pink, blue, purple, and yellow. She wore a black tank top with two sets of white concentric circles that over her ample c-cup breasts, incredibly small royal blue shorts that barely covered her shapely butt and white boots stopped halfway up her shins.
The energy in the stadium proved infectious and the crowd started cheering as the two teams took their fighting stances before the proctor's hand sliced through the air. Karasu appeared in a puff of smoke and launched a needle barrage at their opponents, but they split into dozens of copies and the senbon passed through all of them. The puppeteer cursed loudly as Kiba let out a confident laugh, "Don't worry about it."
Hinata activated her Byakugan as the Inuzuka got on all fours while saying, "Shikyaku no Jutsu," and burst into motion. Kiba dashed to the right and dipped his shoulder before the shorter shinobi became visible and was sent flying as the fake images faded, but he managed to roll into the tall grass. The pivoted to face the other two as Akamaru got in the fight and performed a Gatsuuga to interrupt the tall Ame genin's series of hand seals, but as the wiry teen jumped away he split into dozens of copies. Kankuro pulled his puppets in front of him as Hinata pointed to an area of thick grass on the south side of the arena. Several balls about the size of a fist were launched from Sanshouo's mouth that burst into flames when hitting the ground.
The Ame team ran through the tall grass while Team Eight moved to intercept them, but the foreign genin flipped up onto the cliff wall before jumping towards the streams in the north side of the stadium. The tall genin went through more hand seals before calling out, "Suiton: Teppodama." (Gunshot) The boy released several pressurized water balls from his mouth that forced the charging shinobi to separate as he barked out orders to his teammates, "I'll take the Hyuuga, Ai go after the Inuzuka, Satoru fight the puppet user."
They echoed, "Got it Noboru," and burst into motion. Ai ran towards Kiba but quickly stopped to avoid his horizontal claw slash. She dashed forward and got behind the boy before pivoting to throw a kunai at his back. The dog user turned and started running towards the projectile as Akamaru jumped and snatched it out of the air. The kunoichi took a defensive stance and hopped backwards and managed to deflect his left jab out wide but couldn't do anything about a vicious right cross to her chin, however, instead of tumbling away the girl turned into a mass of tentacles that tightly wrapped around the Inuzuka.
Kiba struggled futilely against the bindings until Akamaru bit his leg and broke him out of the genjutsu. The boy realized what happened and was able to roll away as several kunai hit the imprint in the dirt where he was just laying. Ai laughed tauntingly "You may be able immune to misdirection genjutsu, but like most meatheads you still can't break out of a real one."
Suddenly Kiba felt the earth twisting around him until he could only move his neck. The kunoichi charged him with another kunai drawn but the Inuzuka bit the inside of his cheek and broke the genjutsu before head-butting the attacking girl. He was about to take advantage of his counter when roots burst up from the ground and wrapped around his ankle. The boy pierced his palm with a claw and continued to rush forward.
Kurenai's hand came up to cover her face in embarrassment as the jounin sighed. She was an expert in genjutsu and her student had to resort to the most rudimentary way to break free of one. If their promotions weren't already guaranteed after the forest the jounin wouldn't have recommended the boy and made him do remedial training, but she still knew the Inuzuka could get it done. Of course that was getting harder to believe when he exploded in anger, "You stupid fucking cunt, get back here so I can use my claws to make you more attractive."
Ai put up another genjutsu while angrily responding, "Get some manners mutt, that's no way to talk to a lady."
The boy stomped on his toe while his hands fought off an illusion that was attempting to strangle him, "I'll let you know when I see a lady."
"You bastard," she furiously retorted.
Kiba smirked arrogantly at her, "What, with stupid hair like that and those trashy clothes you look like an ugly whore." The girl let out a shriek of rage, but before she could finish her next attack Akamaru jumped on her back she smashed into the ground. As the dog's jaws closed around Ai's throat she cursed herself for letting anger distract her.
Like Kiba, Kankuro was having quite a bit of trouble against the genjutsu his opponent used as well. Now that there was nobody directing him to the real target he had to play the guessing game, but the puppeteer only needed one hit to win. Still, countering was hard while trying to block relentless attacks that were mostly imaginary. The puppeteer brought Kuroari in front of him to block a wave of senbon, but only two fell to the ground. Kankuro kept Black Ant back to protect himself as Karasu flew above the enemies launching senbon at anything that moved and Salamander kept any person—real or illusionary—from getting too close by expelling flames from its mouth.
Still, the Suna shinobi couldn't be aware of every possible attack and several senbon needles were sticking out of his back and sides. Kankuro notice his reactions were slowly getting worse as some Senbon got around Kuroari when he brought it forward and recognized the symptoms of a slow acting paralytic poison. The puppeteer stealthily injected himself with a basic cure all, but frustration was getting the better of him.
The boy began maneuvering towards hiding spots while avoiding the genjutsu copies, and when the images of his opponent seemed to group around a sand dune Kankuro jumped into Salamander as dozens of hidden compartments opened up on his puppets and paper planes made from exploding tags flew around the area. A massive explosion engulfed the dunes and left the sand scorched as most of the shinobi just shook their head at the overkill, but it was hard to argue with results. There was nothing left of Satoru but a blackened corpse.
Hinata faced down her opponent while remembering the talk she had with her father this morning.
Flashback
Hiashi looked proudly at his daughter from the corner of his eye as they drank some tea and watched the sun rise. The man's white eyes returned to the fiery sphere slowly climbing above the horizon while saying, "You know what is at stake today daughter?"
"Hai Otou-sama."
The Clan Head nodded while taking another sip, "Excellent, I know your promotion is guaranteed, however, the elders don't care if you become a chunin. They foolishly care more about a dramatic fight then one cleverly fought. You are trying to demonstrate the strength of your Jyuuken style, so winning a one sided battle won't be enough. You must defeat your opponent on their terms to prove yourself."
The blue haired kunoichi turned to face her father with a determined look on her face, "I understand Tou-sama, I won't fail you."
Hinata was surprised when the usually stoic man leaned over and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders for a second while whispering, "Don't worry about me daughter, don't let yourself down." He pulled back quickly and the two said nothing more as they watched the sun finish climbing over the mountaintops.
Flashback End
The kunoichi looked around and prepared to fight, defeating a Suiton user while surrounded by water should help prove her ability. Hinata let the boy finish a series of hand seals while slowly expelling chakra and waited for the jutsu. As Noboru called out, "Suiton: Suigadan." (Water Fang Bullet) drills of water burst up from the mud around Hinata's feet.
She displaced the viscous liquid when starting her rapid spin and said, "Kaiten." The sphere of chakra easily dispelled the water jutsu and she burst into motion after her spin ended.
The Hyuuga rushed towards her opponent but allowed him to maintain separation while performing seals, and when the boy was done he lifted a hand to his mouth while intoning, "Suiton: Teppodama."
He launched three more pressurized water balls at the kunoichi and she ducked under the first one before barrel rolling over the second, and after she completed the maneuver Hinata brought her palm forward while saying "Hakke Kusho," and a blast of compressed air hit the water ball, dispelling it.
The Hyuuga finished closing the distance and aimed her palm at his stomach, but the boy rolled to the left and her strike hit a rock causing cracks to spider web out. She turned and bent backwards under the sharp edge of a kunai before the kunoichi tried to close several points in her opponent's arm, but Noboru substituted as soon as his attack missed. Hinata heard, "Suiton: Bakusui Sosha." (Exploding Water Colliding Wave)
The Hyuuga heiress jumped onto the small river her opponent created and matched its chakra flow. The Ame genin's eyes widened in surprise as she quickly overloaded her feet with chakra and flipped over him so they were practically back to back. The boy spun to the right while trying to deliver a kick with his left foot, but Hinata leaned back until her head was almost touching the ground before her fingertips closed several chakra points as the limb passed by. The Ame genin kept his weight on his right foot as he completed the spin and brought his left fist around and tried to smash it into the Hyuuga's stomach,
The midnight haired kunoichi's left arm came off the ground as she contoured her body to avoid the strike, then she wrapped the arm around his and used it to support herself while her right palm came up and smashed into Noboru's heart, killing him instantly.
The Hiashi watched proudly as his daughter used the unorthodox style she created to secure the victory, but apparently others weren't so happy as one of his biggest detractors spoke up, "What was that bastardized form of Jyuuken your daughter used Hiashi? Obviously we shouldn't have sent her off to Sunagakure where she would be able to diverge from the proper Hyuuga way and learn such a wretched style."
The Hyuuga Head snorted, "You criticize my daughter for losing in the last exam Hideki, and now you do the same when she wins in this one. Hinata was able to make a skilled suiton user look foolish using that 'wretched style,' and he was surrounded by water. It's apparent that her new taijutsu form still uses the basics of Jyuuken, but instead of blocking to hold ground she dodged to put her opponent into rough situations. She also demonstrated a solid handle on more traditional techniques as well. Hinata doesn't have enough strength to utilize basic Jyuuken effectively, so she apparently adjusted it to take advantage of her flexibility."
Hiashi turned to address other Hyuuga in the section, "Hideto, isn't your daughter having problems learning the basic kata, and you as well Nijito?" The man began to address all the Hyuuga after questioning his clansmen, "For too long have our daughters been left behind, even though some of the greatest Hyuuga warriors were women they had to train so hard to utilize the Jyuuken that their lives revolved around it. None of those legendary kunoichi had a family because they had to sacrifice everything else to achieve their goal. I've overheard many young Hyuuga girls wish to become Kunoichi, yet our style is not fit for women so their dreams are crushed. No more, let us support our daughters." Hiashi smiled inwardly as he watched some Hyuuga, mostly those with female children, think it over. It was still too soon to attack the Hyuuga traditions directly, but he could gain allies in other ways.
Sai looked over their three opponents coolly as the proctor began announcing the fight and leaned closer to the girls as Temari whispered, "How do you guys want to do this?"
Usually the Ne operative would let his teammates come up with plans before doing whatever necessary to help them succeed, but this situation was different, now he needed to demonstrate Konoha's power to the world. "Their skills are more complementary then ours so we should split them up and engage one on one. Temari you fight Zaku, Sakura take the girl, and I'll handle Dosu."
The sandy blonde responded quickly as the proctor was raising his arm, "Let me fight the mummy, his skill is the most dangerous. I can easily keep him at a distance while you and Sakura to finish up the other two."
Sai grabbed a scroll as he patted the pack on his waist, "That won't be necessary, I've already taken some precautions."
Flashback
After hearing about their possible opponents in the finals, more specifically the gauntlet user, Sai knew the perfect person to ask for help, the problem was contacting him. The boy returned to his apartment and pulled out a blank piece of paper before writing. He basically filled up the page before setting his brush down, and after skimming it shook his head and threw it away before taking out a new piece of paper. The artist repeated the process a dozen times before he finally nodded, folded the note, and placed it in the envelope, 'Figuring out what to write to a friend is challenging. Hopefully I got it right.'
The shinobi then hopped out his window and headed towards an affluent suburb outside the main city. He arrived at an average size two story grey house that had barberry and Japanese snowbushes forming a perimeter around the well-trimmed lawn. Sai walked up the gravel path and past a koi pond before arriving at a small deck with an ornate door. The boy paid the intricate carvings no mind and knocked on the polished wood before waiting several minutes. Eventually the door opened and the ink user bowed after seeing his master step out, "What is it you need Sai?"
The Root shinobi stood up and pulled out the letter before asking, "I was wondering if you could get this to Naruto somehow. A potential opponent in the finals uses sound waves and I would like to ask for his help countering them. As of now explosions are the only method and it doesn't seem wise to rely on them."
Danzo nodded while pulling out the letter and read it over. After a thorough inspection he folded it back up and placed it in the envelope before sealing it, "Since the letter contains no sensitive information it can be arranged. I expect a report on the Oto shinobi's skills to be submitted into Ne archives, and one containing the young Uzumaki's solution when you receive it."
Sai bowed, "Of course Danzo-sama, thank you." The man dismissed him with a wave and he went home. The artist pushed the letter from his mind and started training, so he was surprised when there was an envelope with Naruto's name on it resting on his counter, especially because it had only been twelve days since he gave it to Danzo. Sai shrugged and dismissed the thought before he quickly pulled the letter out that had a storage seal at the bottom under his friend's signature. The boy read it over with a smile before unlocking the seal. A thick stack of tags that all had the same complicated design appeared in a puff of smoke and Sai put one aside while staring vacantly at the rest with a small smile on his face until he went to bed.
Flashback End
As Genma started the fight and jumped away Temari unfolded her battle fan and launched a Daikamaitachi towards the Oto-nin. Instead of trying to hold their ground the trio jumped backwards and Team Seven used the opportunity to chase down their designated opponents. Sai unfurled long scroll and slapped the tags he got from Naruto onto the ink birds' backs before bringing them to life. The birds scattered as he animated a cackle of hyenas that rushed towards Dosu. The boy easily destroyed the animals with his gauntlet and charged towards Sai before tapping it again. The pale artist jumped backwards as an ink bird flew between them and the tag went off, creating a sound blast that countered Dosu's.
The Oto genin growled as Sai ran forward with his tanto drawn. The mummified shinobi used his gauntlet to block the tipless blade before striking it with his rings, but the pale ninja dissolved into ink after the sound waves hit him. Dosu turned and saw Sai running at him with a bird trailing and created another sound drill, but the ink creation accelerated in front of its master and detonated the tag allowing Sai to run past unharmed. He swung his tanto forward in a backhand grip, but the strike was blocked by the gauntlet once again, however, this time the Ne operative pushed himself forward and hit the sound genin's stomach with a rising knee. Dosu went tumbling backwards, but was able to flip upright and launch a sound drill towards his charging opponent, yet this one dissolved into ink too.
The bandaged ninja looked around the grassy arena for his opponent but was taken by surprise when ink badgers burst from the ground and piled on top of him. The genin was able to dispel them and sensed the pale artist rushing towards his back, and after craning his neck Dosu saw a bird behind him too. Confident this was the real one he stealthily prepared a kunai and pivoted to meet the charge. As the bandaged ninja raised the gauntlet the bird picked up speed, and after it got in front of Sai a kunai pierced it, ruining the seal. The Oto genin sent a sound wave as his opponent and prepared to finish the fight, but he was surprised when the body in front of him dissolved into ink after the attack hit. The shocked boy let out a gasp of pain less than a second later he felt the cold steel of Sai's blade sink into his lungs. The genin's vision faded to black as he realized the pale shinobi used the bird to make him think it wasn't a clone.
Temari launched another windblast at Zaku as he landed that forced him to jump towards the wide-open desert area before she quickly pursued him with a confident grin. The brown haired genin turned and set his feet as the kunoichi emerged and swung the oversized fan again. The brown haired teen brought his hands together while saying "Zankuha," and the pressurized burst was able to pierce the wide area attack and disperse it. Temari's eyes widened as she saw her attack fail and leapt aside as the concentrated air stream caused the dune behind her to burst apart. The Suna kunoichi growled as she holstered her battle fan and pulled out two smaller ones.
The Oto-shinobi launched two more decapitating airwaves at his opponent and Temari started running. She counted how long the blast lasted, and after it ended the girl restarted at zero in her head while planting her feet and swinging the two smaller fans. Zaku hopped left to avoid the wind crescents while two more Zankuha blasted out of the pipes in his arm. Temari kept track of the length again before countering after he finished.
The sandy blonde continued avoiding the narrow airblasts while keeping track of the timing for a few more minutes before she felt confident in her analysis. The attack he was using could last up to seven seconds before a four second recharge, but the time between shots always varied on the length of the last one. His attacks could also disperse her wind crescents so the kunoichi couldn't keep attacking from a distance and hurt him, but it appeared the genin relied on his ranged techniques so his other skills were probably lacking. Deciding on a course of action Temari prepared to make her move.
Zaku wanted to use the more powerful Zankukyokuha against the girl, but it required a lot of chakra and there was no guarantee it would hit his opponent. The boy grumbled as he looked sideways at the cliff, it was his plan to herd her over there, but it was nothing the boy did could get his opponent into the corner that would make it impossible for her to escape his only wide area jutsu. The genin focused back in when it appeared Temari was preparing an attack with her fans so he charged up a Zankuha to disperse it, but the blonde swung her fan at the ground and created a pair of small whirlwinds that swirled around the dunes, scattering sand everywhere. He tried to use the air streams to clear the air instead, but it wasn't wide enough and only stirred up a little bit of the cloud. The boy prepared to jump onto the cliff face to escape the sandstorm created by the screeching whirlwinds, but as his legs bent a wind enhanced blade sliced through his neck.
Karin made a break for the streams, but the pinkette landed in front of her and slashed with a kunai. The redhead jumped backwards and dashed to the woods battlefield, which made Sakura smirk before entering the copse of trees. The Sound genin cursed as she realized her opponent was intentionally blocking the way to the water, the sensor could still use her suiton jutsu but it was easier and more powerful with a nearby source.
Sakura rushed towards the girl but stopped short and slammed her fist into the ground as the redhead quickstepped backwards. Karin momentarily lost her balance from the tremors and the medic ripped a tree out of the ground before tossing it at her. The sensor used her hands to vault over the trunk and launched two brace of shuriken at the Konoha kunoichi.
The pinkette dodged the first two and caught the second pair before using them to block Karin's attempt to flank and get to the water. Sakura's fist punched into the earth and ripped out a large chunk before throwing it at the retreating girl, forcing her to retreat farther back into the trees. The medic charged once more and Karin braced for another earthquake, but was surprised when the girl started going through a series of seals and dove away when the chakra reached its peak, "Dokugiri."
Sakura released a purplish cloud of gas that forced Karin further back before exhaling another burst that created a noxious smokescreen. The sensor braced herself as she felt the Leaf ninja's chakra fall and ducked behind the upturned tree to avoid the senbon barrage that came through the smoke. The Sound kunoichi swore under her breath when she felt the medic's chakra flare and rushed to get away from the incoming boulders, it was getting annoying how her opponent was able to flawlessly switch from juggernaut to surgeon.
Sakura jumped in the canopy and gave pursuit. The redhead retreated into the grass behind the forest, but it didn't do her much good because the pinkette started raining down more earth chunks throughout the field. Tired of simply running Karin flipped through a series of seals before a ball of water formed in her hands. She jumped in the air to avoid the latest boulder and called out, "Suiton: Hahonryuu," as a large jet of dark blue water shot towards the medic. The redhead grit her teeth when the pink haired kunoichi effortlessly avoided it and cut off the attack before substituting with an earth chunk that was peppered by poisoned senbon.
Karin went through another series of seals when felt Dosu's signature disappear and cursed. The redhead looked over to see Zaku was wasting chakra and not giving the other kunoichi any trouble at all. She was thinking about regrouping with the boy to use as a decoy when Temari created a sandstorm that engulfed them both. The kunoichi knew it was about to be over and quickly went through a series of hand seals, "Suiton: Hahonryuu." The sensor used the jet of water to force the charging pinkette to retreat, and when it died down quickly called out, "I surrender."
The Daimyo of Yu no Kuni was somewhat disappointed after the Oto kunoichi forfeited. She was performing better than her two teammates, but had no chance after they went down. The man was deep in thought as the proctor call the fight. He came here to pick the village he would hire to help put down the bandits infesting his country, and many of his advisors were suggesting Konoha after all four teams won handily, but he was thinking differently.
It was impressive that Oto sent two teams to the finals when more often than not no minor village was represented. The Sound genin had unique skills that allowed them to fight with Konoha's ninja significantly better than the Ame genin and equal to the Kusa squad, but they only had one team in the finals and nobody wanted to get involved in the country's internal conflict. The Daimyo looked at his advisors and snorted inwardly, they had no problem spending his money to get Konoha shinobi, but they were dealing with common criminals, not missing-nin. He didn't need powerful ninja or the bill that came with them to deal with common riffraff.
Karin met the other three surviving Sound participants and Guren in the park near the stadium. The woman didn't even ask about Zaku or Dosu, just turned and headed for the nearest village gate. As they got further away the redhead spoke up, "We're not being followed now, but I don't think they'll let us walk away freely after what happened in the second phase of the exam."
The crystal user nodded, "True, however, they won't try anything close to the village, and once we're far enough away it will be too late for them."
The other shinobi stared at her after the cryptic answer but nothing more was said.
Danzo sat near the barrier squad while reading one of his favorite books. The warhawk looked up when the lead member's head rose, "The first round just ended and five significant chakra signatures have left through the western gate. The first since the start of the finals."
The leader of Ne nodded and walked outside before he placed the book into his robes and carefully smoothed them out. The scarred man looked up as four shinobi flew over his head and started walking into the village, confident the mission would be accomplished.
The four Ne shinobi all wore standard ANBU cloaks and plain white masks that covered their face. They were about half a mile behind the Sound ninja that were headed back to Ta no Kuni and blurred through the trees without making a sound, intent on completing their assigned task. They were almost ten miles away from Konoha's walls and nearing the rendezvous point with a second team outside the kill zone when the captain's head snapped to the left. His subordinates turned to follow his gaze when a white reptilian creature that was nearly seven feet tall and covered with deep crimson splotches burst from the foliage of a nearby tree. The four of them scattered, but his snake-tail sped forward before its fangs sunk into one agent's leg.
The deadly venom did quick work as the reptile sucked the life force and chakra out of its victim while the creature grinned. The three remaining shinobi were braced for an assault, but were still taken aback by its speed when the alabaster monster disappeared before reappearing behind the man on the left. The other two couldn't even shout a warning before Rinji lifted him up by the throat and began crushing his esophagus. The man frantically tried to get free while his teammates rushed the monster, but the snake-tail kept them back with acid shots as the albino beast grabbed his captive's wildly swinging legs before effortlessly ripping him in two and casually tossing the pieces aside.
As their team member died the two remaining Root ANBU retreated to the ground while performing a series of hand seals, and after landing shouted "Doton: Doryudan" (Earth Dragon Bullet) and "Katon: Karyudan" (Fire Dragon Bullet) simultaneously.
A dragon's head made of mud rose from the earth and launched mud balls towards Rinji while the captain exhaled a stream of flames with the face of a dragon that ignited the mud bombs. The fiery projectiles flew at the beast, but he disappeared before they impacted the tree he was standing on and destroyed it in a fiery explosion. The two shinobi barely saw a white streak before the monster reappeared between them. It grabbed the captain by the throat while the snake-tail spat several dripping fangs into the other, causing him to shriek in pain and fall to the ground while the poison did its work.
The captain tried to escape the viselike grip of this creature as it smiled and leaned forward. Four-inch fangs pierced his neck and pumped in slow acting venom and the squad leader wailed pitifully as the creature took its time while sucking at his very life essence.
AN
A lot of finallys after this one, finally I'm back, the 2nd Chunin Exam is finally done, we finally get to see Rinji in action, school is finally over for the summer… I could go on. Anyways glad to get the chapter out, it needed to get done and I really didn't want to. I was able to use it to get back into the swing of things before heading back to Naruto and Jiraiya as well as resharpen my skills. A lot is going on outside of the fighting and we will be taking intermittent peaks back into the village. Sorry if you guys wanted to see the conclusion but I wasn't going to delay this anymore by writing another 20ish pages, hope nobody is too mad. Also, I'd like to thank people for the support they've shown me while I was away, you guys made me want to get back to it.
Jutsu List
Hakke Kusho
Raiton: Kaminari Shibari (Thunder Binding) The user(s) create 3 broadcast points that form an electrical connection. After it is activated the user(s) go through three hand seals that shape the current into a pyramid that is able to sustain itself.
Bubun Baika no Jutsu
Baika no Jutsu
Kagemane
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu
Shikyaku no Jutsu
Gatsuuga
Suiton: Teppodoma (Gunshot) B-rank The user launches several balls of water towards the opponent capable of breaking bones.
Suiton Suigadan (Water Fang Bullet) C-rank The strength of the user determines the number of drills that appear at the target's feet before attempting to impale them.
Suiton: Bakusui Sosha (Exploding Water Colliding Wave) B-rank The user creates a river of water capable of overtaking an opponent and driving them away. The strength of the creator can cause this attack to resemble a Tsunami.
Daikamaitachi
Zankuha
Suiton: Hahonryuu
Doton: Doryudan (Earth Dragon Bullet)B-rank The user creates a dragon head out of earth that launched mud balls at the designated target.
Katon: Karyudan (Fire Dragon Bullet)B-rank The user launches a stream of fire from his/her mouth that takes on the shape of a dragon.