AN: Howdy all, here's the next installment of PoK. Not feeling particularly talkative today. So while I'm sure there's stuff you should probably know, I'm just going to go right into it. Read and enjoy.
PS - We own nothing. Tumblr page exists (see author's page).
PPS - Dictionary is below. Seems like a lot of words, but it's all review. And honestly, I think you all should know them by now (well at least some of them). Jutsu list is mostly review so it's only up here. Also, review corner down below with a simple author's note at the bottom. Enjoy.
Denshi jisho (review)
Otouto – little brother
Nani – what?
Arigatou – thank you
Hontou – really?
Doumo – thanks
Ganbatte – good luck/ do your best
Gomen – sorry
Haori – outer jacket
Hitai-ate – forehead protector
Tenketsu – chakra points/pressure points
Baka – idiot/fool
Jutsu list
Kage bunshin – shadow clone
Misu bunshin – water clone
Kage fuuin no jutsu – shadow seal technique
Eight trigram sixty-four palm – Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou (which is mentioned but not in so many words)
Juuken – Gentle Fist (new)
Replacement roulette – kawarimi no ruuretto (This peeves me to write roulette like this, but BR made me do it. This is not a Japanese word, but a borrowed word, so it's really just roulette. As an American, we'd pronounce it roulette. The only reason it's written that way in the dictionary is because this is how it is written in katakana (but really because BR made me).) – props for this term go to euroteres man do I love that review (BR13)
Arc – Chuunin Exams
Chapter Twenty Nine – The Calm before the Storm
Grass crunched under Haku's sandaled feet as he walked alone along the outskirts of Konoha. Today was the Finals for Naruto-kun's Chuunin Selection Exam. In mere hours Naruto, his clansman, his family, would be pitted against the greatest challenge of his life and while that did not worry Haku, he knew that Naruto did not possess his same calm disposition.
No, Naruto-kun had left hours earlier with barely a word, slipping out the door of his small apartment while Inari-kun had slept on in his guest futon. Knowing what the boy faced, the heavy weight on his mind, Haku had let him go without protest. He'd needed the space to think, needed those few hours of peace to mentally prepare for the challenge ahead. For nothing but his very best would be enough to face and defeat his Princess.
However, that had been hours ago. Breakfast had come and gone without a single sign from his clansman and Haku knew then too that the time for self-reflection had passed. So when he'd finished feeding Inari-kun, packing a small snack that the blond could munch on following his match, he'd moved to leave. Now was the time that he was needed most. Now he would instill Naruto-kun with the same confidence that Haku himself had in the younger boy. He would give him reason like the blond had once done for him not so long ago.
Cleaning the last remnants of the morning meal, he'd left Inari-kun in the capable hands of one of his own clones. They'd had strict instructions to meet up with Iruka-kun and his rather eccentric girlfriend while he went after Naruto-kun. They'd reunite in the stands when he'd finished with his current task, whatever that might be.
Hopefully his clone had the integrity to last the entirety of his conversation with Naruto-kun. While not an extremely long length of time, his kage bunshin wasn't nearly as good as his misu bunshin. Despite Naruto-kun's confidence in him, he wasn't entirely sure that it would last if their conversation took longer than he expected.
Of course he wouldn't go so far as to say he didn't like the jutsu. After all, it did remind him of the time he'd spent with Naruto-kun. Hours spent training and talking and traveling about the village, learning that particular bunshin technique had been just one of the many aspects of his time spent with Naruto-kun during their three and a half week stay.
For nearly a month, he'd had such a unique and interesting experience here with Naruto-kun. His energetic personality, infectious in its vibrancy, could make even a cold, dreary day into something wonderful. Which was why he was glad he'd decided to take this trip with Inari-kun to see the blond in the first place.
Inari-kun of course had been thrilled, his spirits lifting just at the sight of his Aniki. In truth, Haku had been planning to bring Inari-kun to Konohagakure before the news of Naruto-kun's placement in the Finals had reached Wave. Nothing more than a small byline below the name of his opponent, the announcement of Naruto-kun's success had been more than enough for the small village of Wave to celebrate. And while Wave celebrated, Haku had made the decision to accelerate his plans and leave early.
He'd done it for Inari-kun. He'd needed something more, an extra push to motivate him further, to push him through that last hesitance separating him from fully embracing his shinobi training. A light depression had descended upon the boy almost immediately following Naruto-kun's departure. And there had been nothing he nor Tazuna-san nor Tsunami-san could do to change it.
Obviously, it was no surprise when Tazuna-san had agreed whole heartily with his decision. Even in just the short time Naruto-kun had been in the small village, he had touched their lives with his genuine care and good cheer. Visiting Naruto could only be a good thing.
After all, Naruto-kun had laid the foundation for his life in Wave. A little lonelier than he was used to after his perilous life on the run with Zabuza-sama, it was still something more. The beginnings of a family that he'd thought he'd never have again following his master and mentor's passing. And Naruto-kun was such a big part of that.
In the end, Haku had felt that they would both benefit from the visit. There was just something about Naruto-kun's presence that could chase away the loneliness like a bright and sunny day. Besides, he'd been interested in getting a copy of the Uzumaki volumes housed in the Konoha library. Not to mention, he had a long list of things to get straighten out for the Uzumaki Clan housed in Wave. So there was really more than one simple reason for why they'd needed to go and visit the blond.
So, he and Inari-kun had left Wave for Konoha nearly as soon as news about the Chuunin Exam Finals had arrived. Following the small celebration Wave had managed to organize, he'd set out with Inari-kun in tow. Sending a letter ahead of them to Kakashi-sensei via one of the special scrolls the older man had given him, they'd swiftly gotten on the road. And after two days of travel they'd found themselves at the gates to Konoha where Naruto-kun had welcomed them with open arms.
And their time within the Village had been great. Filled with excitement even though Naruto-kun himself hadn't been able to spend much time outside of training with either of them. They'd had more than enough to do to occupy their time. At first Haku had joined his training with Gai-sensei. Sakura-chan and Gai-sensei's student Tenten-chan's presence making the experience somewhat enjoyable. However, he'd quickly found Gai-sensei's training methods were counterintuitive to his own fighting style.
Of course that hadn't stopped him from training with Naruto-kun after his morning workout with Gai-sensei. Even so, those few hours amounted for only a short portion of the day which had left him with a host of free time to address his other reasons for visiting the village. After all, he certainly couldn't rely upon Jiraiya-sama to help him solve any of his concerns with starting the Wave faction of the Uzumaki Clan. Unfortunately, the older man wasn't much for training advice outside of fuuinjutsu. Instead, he'd settled on perusing the wealth of knowledge that the Konoha library could provide.
Unfortunately, he'd underestimated the amount of useful information that the library had held. And what meager funds he'd brought with him hadn't been nearly enough to make copies of all the material. Thankfully, Naruto-kun had been happy to give him access to his bank accounts. They'd even found time to establish a proper Uzumaki Clan account, well, he and one of Naruto-kun's clones. Linked directly to the blond's already open account, Haku was sure it would be essential for when the Uzumaki Clan in Wave, as fledgling as it was, had a true income of their own. Until then of course, Haku was going to have to rely heavily upon Naruto-kun's funds. As modest as they were.
It was probably all for the best. Limited as he was, Haku had been sure to only get copies of tomes they absolutely couldn't live without. He'd taken two weeks of careful research to gather the list of tomes and scrolls they would need. After which, he'd been surprised to receive a message from the Hokage-sama himself.
Although Haku had taken some time during his stay to sort through all of Naruto-kun's mail, finding several message from the Hokage-sama addressed to Naruto-kun all unopened as the blond didn't seem to realize what his mailbox on the first floor of his apartment building was for, this was the first time anyone had sent him a message. Surprisingly enough, the Hokage-sama had given Haku special permission to preview the Konoha ninja library as well.
Over this past week, Haku had the added pleasure of carefully combing through the archives in his search for training exercises more suited to young ninja. As it was, the methods Zabuza-sama had used on him had been far too harsh to use on anyone but another prodigy.
He'd found a number of useful training methods along with the basic katas for several different styles. However, Haku had not been able to decide on just one of the basic styles to teach his potential students. As a result, he'd been unable to afford any of the basic katas. The cost of even three different styles being far too much for his sensible nature to allow such an exorbitant purchase. So, he'd passed over those focusing on the other techniques that would be indispensable for beginning ninja training.
Fortunately enough for him, when he'd mentioned it during one of Naruto-kun last training sessions with Gai-sensei, the man had jumped at the chance to assist. More than willing to donate the beginning katas for fifteen different taijutsu styles. The generosity had been greatly appreciated.
While he'd been busy in the library, other Uzumaki Clan errands, or training with and without Naruto-kun, Inari-kun has spent much of his time playing with a group of Naruto clones. Each night Inari-kun would fill them in on his adventures, his exuberant attitude bringing even more life to their dinner table then Naruto-kun's normal energy could provide. Haku remembered one particular recounting more starkly than the others. A brief encounter with another little boy also playing with a host of Naruto-kun's clones, but Inari-kun hadn't touched on the incident in-depth.
It left Haku with the sense that Inari-kun hadn't wanted to share his time with his Aniki, even if it was only with clones, and as result hadn't bothered to really engage the other boy. Perhaps, Haku would need to work on Inari-kun's social skills a bit more. Not that he had much experience in the matter, but he didn't want the boy to suffer in any way.
Altogether, the more than three weeks the two of them had spent with Naruto-kun had been some of the most enjoyable he'd had since the blond had left Wave. They'd taken meals together, talked at great length while watching the stars just as they had in Wave, and visited the Konoha bathhouse together. It was refreshing. That time they spent together, just being in each other's presence. It reminded him what family was. How good it could feel.
And Naruto-kun was the family he'd craved since losing his own. He was the core of a comradery he'd missed. And while no one could replace Zabuza-sama, he felt that the family they made together helped him to move past that lost. Each day he spent with Naruto-kun was another day that the pain felt less. He hurt less. Missed less. Smiled more. And he knew that Inari-kun shared the same sentiment.
Although he'd known the blond for only a short time, Naruto-kun had quickly found a way into his heart. He meant the world to him. Which was why he was off to make sure the boy he considered his little brother was alright.
The fight ahead wouldn't just be a physically taxing battle, a struggle that would test the limits of his strength. No, it would be just as mentally straining, a test of Naruto-kun's strength of will as he pushed past all that everyone thought he was capable to win the respect of the world. This wouldn't be just any match, not when he was facing the very same Princess that Haku had heard so much about. This was so much more.
Entering the thick forest that surrounded Konoha, Haku remembered his first reaction to finding out just who Naruto-kun's Princess was. The Hyuuga heir, or Koushi-sama as everyone outside of Naruto-kun and his teammates seemed to call her, was an imposing figure that even he had known about even on his life on the run with Zabuza-sama. Then he'd known her as a very important political figure. One with the same power and influence that his master had envied, craved as it would have made it that much easier to accomplish his dreams.
Given her background and the likely extent to her formal training, Haku couldn't say he was surprised that she was the highly favored kunoichi picked to win the whole tournament. But she was more than just Naruto-kun's first opponent. She was the very person for whom Naruto-kun fought. The drive that pushed him to train harder. From the way he always spoke about her, he doubted that the blond thought she could do any wrong. To Naruto-kun she was magnanimous. Both in skill and personality. She was currently larger than life and Naruto-kun was to fight her first.
Haku shook his head at the emotional turmoil he was sure the blond was going through. He needed to find him. Naruto-kun should not be alone this close to the start of the fight. He could not allow the boy to doubt his abilities. To question himself like Haku knew he would. Not when they both knew that he was more than ready for this match. Haku had faith that Naruto-kun could and would win today. He'd show the Princess of Konoha his true strength, and she would bow to it as he had.
Haku had but one fear for this upcoming match. A fear so strong and so possibly real that he could not so easily dismiss it. And that was the thought that Naruto's Princess might not take Naruto-kun seriously. He could only hope that the Princess would not underestimated his otouto. That was no way to win a fight like this. A fight that had so much meaning and purpose. It would prove nothing, and only destroy Naruto-kun's trust in her. And Haku dreaded what that might do to the boy.
Turning a corner, slipping between several trees, Haku found the blond in deep thought standing by three wooden stumps. It was the same place Naruto-kun had become a Genin. He'd shown Haku and Inari-kun this place the first full day they'd stayed with him. They'd spent all night here talking about the battle that ensued here until Inari-kun had fallen asleep between them. For the most part, Haku was sure Naruto-kun had exaggerated a large portion of the battle, but it mattered little. The importance of this place had not been lost on Haku then, so he was not surprised to find him here now. "I thought I'd find you here."
"Haku-chan." Naruto-kun turned to him slowly leaning against the farthest stump with his arms crossed.
"Nervous?" Naruto-kun nodded sheepishly at the question. "Good. If you hadn't been, then I would have been worried."
Naruto-kun smiled briefly at the comment letting his arms fall to his sides as they shared a moment of silence Haku in no hurry to break it. "What if I lose?" Naruto-kun question softly as he stared at the fallen leafs covering the ground.
"What if you win?" Haku countered never once shifting his attention away from the still down turned face.
"I don't stand a chance against her Haku. She's…" Naruto-kun started, a frustrated hand running through his hair. "She's Hyuuga-hime, the Princess of Konoha."
Haku paused in thought enveloping them in silence once more. He needed to word this just right. Naruto-kun was standing at the edge of a cliff seconds away from falling and there was only one way to bring him back down. Turning away from him, he looked up, studying the morning sky with a calculated gaze. "It's a beautiful day, isn't?"
"Hai."
"Too beautiful even."
Naruto-kun nodded along before stopping abruptly, "Nani?"
"This day, this bright and sunny day, reminds me of the day I awoke alone after the battle at the bridge. The sun was beaming strongly leaving the sky bright blue and the animals scurrying cheerfully about the forest." Haku closed his eyes as he found himself once again back in time, on that day. His turmoil and hurt just as clear to him now as it had been then, "I wanted the day to represent the uncertainty, the loss, inside of me."
"Haku-chan…" Naruto-kun looked away his shoulders slumped as he took in Haku's words.
"I thought the world had ended, no I wanted the world to end. My dreams were gone, so too should my future." There was silence as they both contemplated what he was saying about the past and the present.
"You're not alone, Haku-chan. Not anymore."
"Hai. Thanks to you and Tazuna-san, I found a new home, a new purpose." Haku turned back to Naruto-kun. "That day, I thought the gods were mocking my loss. But I soon realized that was not the case. Naruto-kun, the beautiful day was not mocking me, but telling me that all was well. In the end, that cheery day was a representation of my future. Bright and promising."
Naruto-kun shook his head as if to deny the similarities, "This isn't the same."
"Isn't it?" Naruto moved to speak, but Haku stopped him with a quick hand, "What happens if you lose? You asked me that earlier. We both know the answer. If you lose, Naruto-kun, you may never have the opportunity to fight the Princess of Konoha again. You may never get the chance to show her your strength, to show the world why you two are best friends." Haku paused as he let his words sink in, "No one will believe you are equals."
"We are," Naruto-kun replied softly. It was unconvincing even to Haku's ears who already believed them to be true. The Princess of Konoha was Naruto-kun's equal, now if only he could see it as well.
"It's a dark concept. The thought of losing your dreams. But Naruto-kun, what happens if you win?"
Naruto looked away and up to the sky as if to find the answers there, "She's Hyuuga-hime, she's just so strong."
"And you are Uzumaki Naruto, a seal master of Konoha. Does your own abilities mean nothing? All you've trained for? All you've worked for?"
"I'm nowhere near a seal master, Haku-chan."
"I've seen what you can do, Naruto-kun. You may not be a seal master yet, but you're skilled in fuuinjutsu. So very skilled that I honestly believe your mastery will be here very soon. I know you are ready for this match."
"How? How can you be so sure?" Naruto-kun's eyes begged for an answer, begged for hope.
"Because of this," Haku replied easily as he pointed to his kimono. He'd hand crafted the fabric a light orange with clouds and waves spaced throughout. No store housed this color or pattern, but knowing Naruto-kun Haku could not make official clan robes in any other color or pattern. The back had the now familiar Uzumaki Clan seal. Inari-kun wore a smaller version of this kimono today while he'd made Naruto-kun a shirt out of the material. With their limited funds he'd had to use cheap fabric, far too cheap for the head of their clan, but for now it would have to do.
"A kimono?" Naruto-kun questioned, confusion clear in his voice.
"This kimono is a symbol of my new family, the family you gave me. Naruto-kun, I am sure you will win, because I know what you fight for. I mean no disrespect, but the Princess of Konoha will not be fighting for something so meaningful. To her, this will be just another battle, nothing more. True strength comes from having someone to fight for, to train for. That is the source of your strength, Naruto-kun. You fight not for yourself, but for others. Your Princess will see that, and in doing so bow to your strength as I have." At that Naruto-kun's smile returned to his face. His eyes the bright, radiant blue that Haku had become so accustom to seeing.
"Arigatou Haku." Naruto-kun stepped forward, placing a grateful hand across Haku's shoulder. His smile was soft and spoke to his gratitude far more than any words ever could.
"I know you will never give up because that is not who you are. Your goals drive you forward. They push you to new heights. And this fight will be no different. It means so much more to you, and for that, I know your true strength will shine through." Naruto-kun nodded in agreement, his energy returning. "I'd quote master pranking rule number one, but that would seem to cliché. Instead I think number fifty-six would be better."
Naruto-kun looked up at him in surprise, "Hontou? I didn't even think you liked that one."
"While the concept of the rule as originally written seems unnecessary in most instances, I'm starting to see the advantages that it possesses. This fight means something to you, Naruto-kun. And I know you will put everything you have into it, you will go big or go home."
"Yeah, all or nothing," Naruto-kun replied before he seemed to lose himself in thought. A faraway look covered his features as he stared out unblinkingly. He patted Haku's shoulder again as he came too, "That gives me an idea. Doumo Haku-chan, you're the best!"
Naruto-kun moved to leave in a hurry. "Ganbatte Naruto-kun, and try not to be late," Haku called out to the retreating blond.
Naruto-kun did a half turn to give him a thumbs up before he was off once more. Haku shook his head. He really did hope he arrived on time. He hadn't realized how bad the blond was with time management until these past few weeks. Oh well, there really wasn't anything he could do about it now. Turning Haku made his way to the arena. Inari-kun was waiting.
Naruto raced through the trees as he made his way to the arena. He was going to be late! "Kuso!" He cursed himself as he bound from one tree to the next, barely skimming the treetops before rushing forward as fast as his legs would carry him. Unfortunately, his clones hadn't managed to get into place just yet, which was why he was left running like his life depended on it now. If only his clones would send him the signal already, then he'd be there in no time.
And really, this shouldn't have happened. Who put blood replenishing pills in the fridge of all places? He'd been sure he'd told his clones to put it away with the rest of his ninja gear. Heck, it should have been obvious that that was the place it should go even if he might have forgotten to mention the exact location! Dang it, but it really shouldn't have been that hard. They were his clones for kami-sama's sake. They should just know!
Worse yet, it seemed the clone who'd done it was either already gone or unwilling to confess. That or the clone had simply forgotten he'd done it, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that a trip back to his apartment to pick up some last minute supplies had taken ten times as long as it should have. And if his clones didn't get into position, he wouldn't just be late, he'd be Kakashi-sensei late. And that would be a new low.
In a flash, new information popped into his head as he leapt to the next tree. Finally, the signal. Activating the now familiar seal, Naruto switched places with his clones down the line. Completing each jump along the path almost instantaneously. Now used to the weird pulling sensation, Naruto had no trouble landing, able to keep his balance in any spot without worrying of the disorientation he'd faced when he'd first started using the technique. And in seconds, he was outside of the arena, dashing under the large archway at a dead run. He wasn't out of the wood just yet. This was no time to relax.
Running full till, he made his way into the arena proper. Already he could hear loud voices ahead, a steady stream of commotion as the proceedings seemed to have already begun, but he didn't slow. Entering the room, Naruto sked to a stop, just missing taking out Shikamaru in the process.
"Ah, Naruto-kun, so nice of you to join us." Naruto checked the time, glancing at the watch resting on his wrist at the sound of the comment. 'Dang, six minutes late,' he thought before glancing back up. As his eyes trailed upwards, he spotted Jiji standing over the arena looking down at him, amusement clear in his gaze.
Sitting in the balcony with Jiji was a large tan muscular dude that Naruto was pretty sure was the Raikage. At a closer look, Naruto could make out the ripped sleeves of his Kage robes, although he wasn't sure where his hat was. On the other side of muscles, was a hooded guy that was wearing the full Kazekage robes. No doubt about who he was. While Naruto couldn't make out his face, a white cloth covering everything but his eyes, like Jiji he wore the Kage hat proudly atop his head.
There were two odd men out on the other side of Jiji who were clearly not Kages. Next to Jiji was some old guy wearing a really fancy kimono and a silly looking hat. What he was doing there, Naruto had no idea. He certainly didn't look like he was from Konoha. Next to him, however, Naruto recognized a man who was definitely from Konoha. He was, after all, a Hyuuga. Of course this dude didn't look like just any Hyuuga. No, this Hyuuga was decked from head to toe in white, which was odd because Naruto had gotten the impression that Hyuuga didn't wear the color. At least the only Hyuuga he'd ever seen wearing that was Hyuuga-hime and that was only recently with just her haori.
Squinted up at the man, Naruto thought he'd remembered one other Hyuuga that wore a lot of white. And really, this guy certainly seemed familiar. Actually, now that he was really looking, Naruto was certain he'd seen this guy before. All at once, the tall figure that always walked in front or beside Hyuuga-hime came to mind. 'Kuso!' That was Hyuuga-hime's dad! What a time to show up late! 'Way to make a first impression,' Naruto thought grumpily to himself.
Shrugging Naruto started to find a spot in the arena that didn't make him stand out like a sore thumb. He couldn't change the past, he'd just have to show the man what he was made of during his match with Hyuuga-hime. That would have to be enough.
Before he could move, a deep voice spoke down from the balcony, "He should be disqualified along with the other one." Naruto's head shot up at the comment trying to place who it had come from with a body. He needed to know so he could better frame his argument because he certainly couldn't get disqualified now. Not before the fighting had even started!
How did Kakashi-sensei get out of being late to things again? Suddenly an idea popped into his head. He had the perfect plan. "Gomen Jiji. I was on my way, like thirty minutes ago, when this huge black cat crossed my path. Kakashi-sensei is always telling us that if you see a cat like that you've got to back track and go another way. And since I didn't want to affect my luck today I couldn't risk Sensei's advice being wrong!"
The crowd was silent for a moment before laughter broke out, "Hey! Luck's a serious thing!" At least Kakashi-sensei made it out to be important enough to be hours late to an event. Maybe he should have tried another excuse. Kakashi-sensei had taught them so many.
The little granny excuse wouldn't work because everyone and their granny would be here. Let's see, couldn't use the lost on the path of life. Jiji would see right through that one. He could've always use the Hyuuga Police excuse, they were certainly known for randomly booking him for no apparent reason like all the time. Sure they'd kind of stopped once he'd become a Genin, but they hadn't stopped completely. He had a whole host of clone memories to attest to that. But since he was fighting against Hyuuga-hime he was pretty sure no one was going to believe that. At least not today. Dang, the cat excuse really was the best one he had. He should have never doubted master pranking rule number seven, the first excuse is always the best excuse.
"That's fine, Naruto-kun," Jiji replied before turning to the others within the balcony as he continued, "Another ten minutes and then we'll start."
"Agreed." The Kazekage's voice rang out along with Hyuuga-dono and fancy pants.
The Raikage gave a scowled, but growled out his agreement nonetheless.
Jiji sat down as Naruto sighed in relief. Kakashi-sensei's excuses really did work. Looking around Naruto had to stop himself from getting to close to Hyuuga-hime. Unfortunately, this was not the time or place to start a conversation since they'd be fighting against each other pretty soon. Instead, he counted the competitors currently here. Although he was glad he wasn't the last one, he was curious who could possibly be later than him.
He'd already noticed Hyuuga-hime and standing next to her was her teammate, bug guy. The two members from the Kumo team were here. The guy from Oto had made it. Check. The members of the Suna team were all here. Another check. Even Shikamaru had made it. That seemed like everyone, but… Naruto looked sharply around again. No way, Sasuke, the early bird wasn't here yet.
Naruto had to bite back a laugh at the irony. Sasuke had never arrived later to an event then him before, never. But now that he was being trained directly under Kakashi-sensei, he was going to have his first tardy. Naruto held back more laughter at the thought. While he wasn't sure why Sasuke would still be with Sensei, he clearly was. If there was someone who was going to be epically late, it would be Sensei. Naruto should have known the Chuunin Exams wouldn't be any different for Kakashi-sensei. He'd probably even be late to his own funeral.
Naruto settled into his position with a large smile still plastered to his face, not even a meter away from Hyuuga-hime as he waited. Hopefully, they'd be here soon enough. He was ready to get this show on the road.
Almost exactly ten minutes later, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke arrived.
"Cutting it close, aren't we, Kakashi?" Jiji spoke at their arrival. Naruto wasn't even sure when he'd gotten back up. Sneaking old man. He nodded in Naruto's direction as he continued, "Save us the black cat story. Your other student happened to run in to it as well."
Kakashi-sensei looked over at Naruto, a smile in his uncovered eye, "I've taught my students to avoid bad omens." He shrugged as he continued, "What can I say, we're a very superstitious team."
Naruto turned red in embarrassment, he was sure Sakura would have had something to say to Sensei at that. She probably had to hold herself back from commenting even now. Even so, he wished he could see her face. At least the peeved look on the Raikage's face made up for it. "If you're done. I'd rather not be here all day."
"Hai, we would like to begin," fancy pants spoke out waving an ornate fan in his face.
"Hai, of course." Kakashi-sensei disappeared in a whirl of leaves, probably to go into the stands, leaving Sasuke behind.
Jiji smiled in amusement before turning to address the audience, "Well ladies, gentlemen, esteemed guests, I welcome you all to Konohagakure for the Chuunin Selection Exams. You have managed to come here to bear witness to these young Chuunin hopefuls. Some of you have gone to great lengths to attend, traveling great distances to get here while others not quite so far. But to each and every one of you, I give a heartfelt thank you for making that trip. Now that all of the competitors have arrived, we will now begin the matches for the final round between the eleven candidates who have advanced from the preliminaries. Please sit back and enjoy."
An unfamiliar man stepped forward then, a sheet of paper in hand as he showed them the bracket. Naruto wondered briefly where their last examiner had gotten off to as he found his name second next to Hyuuga-hime's, who had position one. He was actually pretty sure that they were supposed to have the same examiner from the prelims.
Shaking the thought from his mind, Naruto traced the rest of the bracket noting once more that Sasuke's match against face paint would follow his. Followed by bug guy and the only Oto-nin to make it this far. Shikamaru would probably forfeit his fight. That Suna chick did look rather vicious with her fan. There was just no way Shikamaru would willingly fight against her. Kumo sword girl was lucky enough to get a bye, while her teammate was unlucky enough to be placed against Gaara. All in all, nothing had changed. He was still in the hardest part of the bracket. If he was going to win it all he'd have to fight four times, while the sword girl would only have to fight twice. Clearly he'd gotten the short end of the stick.
"Listen up, all of you. This is the last exam. The landscape may be different, but just as with the prelims, there are no set rules. You fight until one of you dies or admits defeat unless I determine that a clear winner has already been decided. In which case, I'll stop the match before anyone's killed. Understand?"
The rules were just as clear as they had been before. Looking over at Hyuuga-hime's hitai-ate, the polished shine of the metal attached to a white cloth, the edges of a thicker black cloth just peeking through underneath, he wished not for the first time that he could see her eyes. He'd once felt that he could read so much more from her pale gaze, and right now, he'd give anything to know what she was thinking. How she felt about fighting him.
Of course she made no outward reaction to the rules, but he hadn't expected her too. Always a calm pillar of strength, he knew she didn't rattle easily. But that didn't stop him from looking. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for, nonetheless, his gaze locked with the blank shine of her hitai-ate. He knew only one thing for sure. And that was the fact that this, this fight, this battle, this was going to be one heck of a fight.
"Alright then, match one, Koushi-sama and Uzumaki Naruto, you two stay down here. The rest of you, proceed to the waiting room outside of the arena. I'll call for the next match as soon as we're ready."
Naruto turned to face Hyuuga-hime fully, placing another meter of distance between them as the other competitors moved around them. Only vaguely did their movement register with him as they left the area. "Ganbatte, dope," Sasuke spoke softly to him as he passed, a hand ghosting across his shoulder in the process. Naruto nodded once in thanks, but didn't bother to redirect his gaze. Sasuke would understand. He had to give his all to this match, his complete focus.
Across from him Hyuuga-hime waited, her arms hidden beneath the white sleeves of her haori as they met neatly before her. While her hitai-ate covered her eyes, he knew she could see him just fine. Maybe not like he could see her, but it would be good enough, better even than most. There would be no hiding from her gaze, no holding back for either of them. Not this fight.
Soon enough she'd activate her Byakugan, enter into the famed gentle fist, and then the fight would truly begin. He'd be in a fight for his life, but Haku-chan had been right. Here on the battlefield, he had everything at stake. He had far more to lose than she ever could, and that fact would take him to victory. Because while he had far more to lose, he also had so much more to gain. And he wasn't about to quit now.
"Hyuuga-hime! Princess of Konoha, fight me with everything you've got so that everyone can see why we're best friends!" Naruto shouted, pointing to the audience to make sure they were all listening. This fight wasn't about winning or losing, not to him. No, this fight was about proving to the masses, proving to Jiji, proving to himself, that they were equals. That they were best friends. And nothing would stop him from seeing this through.
Hyuuga-hime nodded in agreement before falling into the gentle fist fighting stance. Naruto grinned at the familiarity of it. Over the past month, he'd dedicated several clones to the sole task of studying that form, each move and every twist. If it wasn't for Gai-sensei, he'd likely know it better than his own style. If Hyuuga-hime was the master of the style like he knew she was, then there would be no surprises in the way she moved.
And sure, that didn't necessarily mean he'd be able to go toe-to-toe with her, but he hadn't spent so much time working on his own taijutsu for nothing. No, he'd spent the last month on more than just fuuinjutsu and strategy. Slipping into his own stance, he knew that his taijutsu was better than ever. He was better than he'd ever been. He was ready. Ready to show the world what he had. Ready to prove to everyone what he already knew. He was…
"Ready, began!"
And the fight was on. Reacting quickly to the attack he knew was approaching, Naruto forced chakra to his legs as he leapt back, familiar hand sign already formed as he narrowly avoided Hyuuga-hime's attack.
"Kage fuunin no jutsu!"
Dozens upon dozens of clones littered the area as Hyuuga-hime came to an abrupt stop, immediately falling into the beginning stance to the technique that Naruto was now very familiar with, the Hyuuga's famous sixty-four palms technique. He'd since learned the proper name for the move, but for the life of him he just couldn't recall it.
Of course none of that mattered. No, what mattered was the fact that Hyuuga-hime was now posed to destroy his seemingly randomly dispersed clones. And it was exactly what he'd wanted. Seamlessly switching positions with a clone on the far edge of the field, Naruto just barely made it before her attack unleashed, hands moving in rapid fury as she destroyed his surrounding clones. But he was unworried. None of his clones had been active enough to create an information overload and when the smoke cleared he'd get an accurate measure of her range. Really it was a win-win situation. After all, there had always been the very real possibility that she'd just let him place his clones and seals without interruption. Either way, he got something from it.
Naruto grinned widely as the smoke finally lifted, the short rush of memories telling him that while she'd managed to destroy well more than half the clones he'd summoned, he'd still had a little under a quarter of the number remaining. A quarter of which that had immediately laid their own seal before quickly dispelling or henging into a mirror of the seal they'd just placed. Even now he could feel the pulse of his hidden clones littered about the field. Ready and willing to switch out with him if the need ever arose which he had no doubt that it would.
Shifting in his spot, Naruto glanced around him to note the four clones still remaining around the outer edge, each a mirror of his own fighting stance as they stood at the ready. His body hummed at the feel of the Randomizer seal activating with a pulse on his back, responding to the four identical seals already self-applied to the backs of his still remaining clones. They were all aware how important this fight was. They couldn't afford to enter into this battle without that seal. Not now. Not when the stakes were so high. His replacement roulette fighting style was the only thing that would keep in afloat in this battle to come.
Focusing on the fight ahead, Naruto shifted his gaze back to Hyuuga-hime. There she stood unmoving surrounded by a ring of seals and henged clones, their makeshift fighting circle, ready for anything. Nodding slightly, Naruto signaled his clones. He was more than ready to give it his all.
As one, Naruto rushed forward, his clones a mirror image of his movements. Confident in his taijutsu, he continued his rush, not slowing for a second as he attacked. Leaping high into the air, one of his clones mirroring his actions, Naruto came down hard, his right fist pulled back as he fell upon his opponent. The familiar pull shifted his position to the left of Hyuuga-hime, now on the ground, his momentum pushed him to a crouch. Shifting his weight, Naruto kicked a leg out from under him as he attempted to sweep his opponent from her feet.
Ever nimble, Hyuuga-hime shifted out of the way, half turning in the opposite direction of his leg sweep while simultaneously twisting out of the way of his clones attack. The first two missed completely, their momentum taking them several steps past her position before they could stop themselves while the last two met with two gentle pushes, redirecting their blows away from her. Undeterred, Naruto leapt to his feet, shoving a knee into the space where her gut would be while his clones quickly regained their bearings, spinning on their heels as they slammed backwards elbows and fists into her form.
The pull of the next switch came as his knee was being forced down and away from her, the forceful push to his body stronger than he'd anticipated yet lacking the chakra that was inherent in each juuken strike. Frowning briefly at that knowledge, Naruto strengthened his base, pushing off against his right leg, bringing the left one straight up and then down heavily atop his opponent. The ax kick missed its target completely as Hyuuga-hime easily side stepped the attack, her hands moving in a fury as they blocked the barrage of punches and kicks coming from his clones.
Finishing the motion of the kick, Naruto twisted in his spot, elbow thrown as he attempted to catch Hyuuga-hime in her side. With one smooth step forward, she missed the attack, shifting her weight as she deflected the combined attack from two clones before moving again. This time stepping outside the low sweep of one of his clone's leg as Naruto continued the motion of his body, twisting completely as he turned to face Hyuuga-hime's constantly moving form all the while pulling his left fist back ready to attack.
This time Naruto knew he'd finally connect, her attention clearly more focused on the never ceasing clones that were forcing her steps into the path of his descending fist. Inches away from connecting, Naruto's vision blurred, or at least that's how it appeared, before he was sent flying across the arena. Hitting the ground hard, a flash of memories assaulted him as the near simultaneous destruction of all of his clones filtered across his mind.
'Wow, she's fast,' Naruto thought as he struggled to his feet. He'd barely made it to his knees, hands firmly planted into the ground, before the coughing started. Blood spewed from his lips with each violent cough as he struggled to his feet. Short of breath, Naruto stumbled forward, placing his right foot directly within the puddle of his own blood.
He'd barely seen the attack coming, but he'd been sure he'd managed to move just enough for her to miss his tenketsu. Of course that didn't explain why he could barely breathe, his right lung surely collapsed. With his left fist, he violently pounded against his chest, attempting to force air back into the lung causing him to cough once more. The rough sound accompanied by his own thick red blood as it spilled from between his lips.
Always quick to heal, it didn't take long to refill the lung with air. Spitting out what would not likely be his last mouthful of blood to the ground in front of him, he finally pulled himself back to his feet, smearing the blood beneath him in the process. Gaze finally lifted up, he met the hard stare of the metal of her hitai-ate, a smile etched across his lips. "Gotcha!" he announced, voice hoarse but strong as his grin widened.
Almost immediately Hyuuga-hime's right arm, the same arm she'd used to try and close his tenketsu, collapsed at her side. Completely limp, it glowed red briefly before the light disappeared. Naruto's grin widened as the evidence of his seal, now placed firmly onto her arm, dissipated. Her chakra now blocked from the tips of her fingers to just below her elbow, Naruto continued to grin. "The muscle thing will go away soon enough, but the chakra…" He shook his head in answer happy with the outcome of his seal even if he was the only one coughing up blood. "You're not forgetting about my Gentle Fist now are you?"
New and improved by the combined work of his clones and Ero-sannin, Naruto was happy with the now battle ready seal. Its decreased size allowed him to cover nearly his entire body with the small seals, but of course that wasn't the aspect of the new seal that he was the proudest of. No, he'd gone one step further. He made it Hyuuga proof by having it only activated with the application of chakra. Even with her powerful Byakugan, Hyuuga-hime'd never see the seals coming.
But more importantly, she wouldn't be able to tell where the rest of the seals were currently located. If she continued to use her juuken, she'd seal off her own chakra for him. Naruto grinned at his achievement. While he'd had several clones study every tenketsu, no matter how small, he couldn't possibly cover them all. No, he'd picked all the important ones and a handful of random ones so she'd be trying her luck with every strike to his tenketsu. Effectively, he'd made the true power of the Hyuuga's juuken practically useless.
Across form him, Hyuuga-hime switched her stance, leading now with her left foot as her still functioning hand slid a kunai out of her haori in one smooth motion. Now nearly a complete mirror of her previous stance, Naruto assumed she'd come to the same conclusion. He expected no less from her.
Cracking the stiffness from his neck, Naruto summoned another batch of clones to fight at his side. Without hesitation, they placed the Randomizer seals on their backs completing the necessary seal combination so that they could be ready to re-enter the fray. 'So far so good,' Naruto thought as he palmed his own kunai. Everything was currently going according to plan. 'And the first round goes to me!' he continued with a wide smile before rushing back in to attack.
おまけ(Omake)
"Oh, I can't believe that Baka! How can he be late to this?!" Sakura raged, lifting a hand to point angrily at the arena floor below.
"I'm sure he had good reason," Ino replied, shrugging nonchalantly as if she couldn't care less.
"Well, that idiot isn't on your team. His inability to show up on time reflects poorly on all of us."
"Yeah, like that lazy ass isn't an embarrassment to all Konoha shinobi?" Ino waved her hand in Shikamaru's direction.
"At least he managed to get here on time."
"Yeah, barely."
"He should be disqualified along with the other one," the Raikage shouted clearly upset that not one, but two of the Konoha ninja had been late to the Finals. Sakura sunk further in her seat as she thought about the other missing shinobi. How Sasuke could succumb to Kakashi-sensei's bad habits was beyond her. She'd thought that at least he was stronger than that.
"Gomen, Jiji. I was on my way, like thirty minutes ago, when this huge black cat crossed my path. Kakashi-sensei is always telling us that if you see a cat like that you've got to back track and go another way. And since I didn't want to affect my luck today I couldn't risk Sensei's advice being wrong!" Sakura slipped further into her seat as the crowd surrounding her burst into nearly uncontrollable fits of laughter at the blond's excuse, "Hey! Luck's a serious thing!"
"So that's what that Sensei of yours is teaching you," Ino joked, knocking an elbow into Sakura's side as she chuckled quietly to herself.
"Don't start," Sakura warned before Hokage-sama moved to speak again.
"That's fine, Naruto-kun," he replied before turning to the others within the balcony as he continued, "Another ten minutes and then we'll start."
"Agreed." The Kazekage's voice rang out along with Hyuuga-dono and the Fire Daimyo. The Raikage scowled in his seat, but growled out his agreement nonetheless.
"So is your Sensei ever on time?" Ino asked after a moment of silence.
Sakura rolled her eyes at the question, crossing her arms as she set further back into her seat. "Kakashi-sensei? No, that man would be late to his own funeral. I'm not even sure why I'm surprised."
Ino laughed at the statement before they settled into light conversation waiting for Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke to arrive.
Almost exactly ten minutes later and they finally arrived.
"Cutting it close, aren't we, Kakashi?" Hokage-sama spoke at their arrival. He nodded to the blond knucklehead before continuing, "Save us the black cat story. Your other student happened to run into it as well."
Sakura sighed at the statement, hoping beyond hope that Kakashi-sensei wouldn't add anymore embarrassment to the situation as he eye smiled before moving to speak, "I've taught my students to avoid bad omens."
Sakura huffed in growing anger. She could not believe this man. 'Who the fuck does he think he is?!' her inner voice raged as her Sensei attempted to make light of his tardiness. 'Can't he just apologize like a normal team?'
He shrugged before continuing, "What can I say, we're a very superstitious team."
At that she nearly leapt from her seat, actually, she did leap from her seat, stopped only by the firm pull at her waist as Ino held her back, one hand firmly covering her mouth preventing her from screaming something she might later regret. Of course that didn't stop her from screaming violently into her friend's hand. Livid that her Sensei would dare include her in his inability to show up on time. She had more than a few choice words she wanted to impart on the man. Most of them curtesy of her internal monologue.
"If you're done," the Raikage interrupted, clearly not one bit amused by the proceedings. "I'd rather not be here all day."
"Hai, we would like to begin," the Fire Daimyo added, his ceremonial fan firmly in place as it covered the lower half of his face.
"Hai, of course," Kakashi-sensei nodded before disappearing in a whirl of leaves, leaving Sasuke behind.
"Are you done?" Ino asked, not bothering to remove her hand before she received some kind of positive response. Sakura sighed deeply, deflating in Ino's arms as she nodded her head in ascent. "You know, it's not the end of the world if you're a little late."
Sakura huffed as she plopped back into her seat, "It is when you have no respect for those left waiting for you." A vein popped on her forehead as she remembered the last time she was left waiting. "I bet that pervert was just reading from that book of his," she nearly growled, grinding her teeth in the process. If she ever found out that was the case, then she vowed to dedicate the foreseeable future to burning every last one of his perverted books. He'd regret the day he ignored her in favor of his porn.
KJ's Corner (review)
(1) The various levels of thank you. Yo, mi amigos! As you've guys and gals have probably already noticed we use several different words for thank you to denoted differences in personalities and gratefulness. In fact, I've even gone over them in a previous culture corner. But you say, 'KJ that was so long ago', so I'll give a brief overview again. So here's the cheat sheet: doumo (どうも) arigatou (ありがとう) doumo arigatou (どうもありがとう) arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) doumo arigatou gozaimasu (どうもありがとうございます). Naruto almost always uses doumo (thanks). So when he uses something more, that moment means a little bit more.
(2) Honorifics the review. So, honorifics are used in a variety of ways. They denote relationships between individuals, and can show respect and honor to a person's position (whether you know them personally or not). We use honorifics to show relationship development and characterization. With all that said, we write in a third person limited narrative, which means scenes are in one character's point of view at a time.
For whatever reason BloodRed13 wants me to describe when you can drop honorifics. Normally, you don't drop them. But it can be dropped as way of insult (if not personally close to the person you are not using honorifics for). Even between friends, honorifics are normally used. However, they can be dropped between friends from time to time.
Honestly, the only reason Naruto doesn't use them often is because he grew up (mostly) ignored, and doesn't realize how rude it is to omit them (he knows to a point, but when you grow up alone there are things you don't pick up). Naruto's team is rude to each other in a fond way (could go in more detail, but I don't feel like it). I'm pretty sure the only character in this story that drops honorifics to show closeness is Haku, and he's only done it a handful of times.
(3) Dope, a review. BR13 wants me to also mention, again, that we aren't using dobe (which means the lowest ranking/ the worst in the context of tests), but the English word dope (meaning idiot).
AN: Real quick, Naruto's fighting techniques it the replacement roulette (name curtesy – ahem, stolen from, cough cough – of euroteres), and not the seal. The seal for the technique is just the original mid-distance substitution seal with a slightly modified randomizer seal layered on top of it. It only works if you have both seals and you have to have at least two of these combined seals in an area for it to work. So that's a thing. See you next week for some more action.