A/N: Well, time for all that wholesomeness to come to an end. It's time for some combat. It's been far too long.
Chunin Exams, Final Round, Part One
Enjoy!
Naruto took a deep breath as he stared up at the stadium before him. The massive structure would be the shark tank in which the final round would take place. In mere hours, the blonde would be face to face with Gaara of the Sand. The preparatory month had passed incredibly quickly, too quickly for his liking, and the stress of the situation at hand was digging itself deeper into his psyche by the moment.
He glanced at the clock that hung over the entrance of the and swallowed. It was ten-thirty, and the combatants were to be at the entrance at ten forty-five. Arriving early had become a habit for the Jinchuuriki, as being late in any capacity was suicide as a Shinobi.
'I wonder how long it'll be until the others show up. They've gotta get here soon' Naruto wondered to himself. Nearly immediately after the thought had crossed his mind, a voice called out to him.
"It seems we're of similar minds. The early bird gets the worm, as they say" Neji, who had just arrived at the entrance, greeted jovially. The blonde heaved a sigh of relief as he was joined by the Hyuga boy.
"Yeah, I guess. I just don't like being late anymore. I used to be tardy all the time, but I've turned that around. Besides, this isn't something I can afford to risk being late for" he said. Neji nodded and gestured to the large stadium.
"As a young boy, I always dreamed of competing on this stage. I suppose that dream is about to come true. Although, my opponent doesn't seem to be overly interesting" he said. The Jinchuuriki chuckled.
"Can't say the same for myself. My opponent's a little too interesting, honestly" he said jokingly. The Hyuga boy shuddered as Gaara's face flashed through his mind.
"I would have to agree with you on that front. He is excessively dangerous, and I have a feeling that we haven't seen the full extent of his capabilities. His chakra is absolutely petrifying" he said. Naruto shook his head.
"Lee pushed him to the edge of his limits. The limits of his normal state, at least" he said vaguely. Neji raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to elaborate.
"If he's anything like me, which he definitely is, then he has an entire reserve of chakra that he didn't use against Lee. We Jinchuuriki, or at least he and I, are capable of tapping into our demon's chakra supply. I have to think myself into a fit of anger to do it, but he seems like the type of guy who can just use it whenever and however he wants" the blonde explained. The Hyuga boy's eyes widened.
"Are you suggesting that he held back during his battle with Lee?" he asked, disbelief permeating his voice. Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, he did. He was still a hell of a lot weaker than Lee, but he knew that all he needed to do was survive. He didn't need to try any harder than he did. He let Lee exhaust himself, and then he finished him. Smart tactics, really" he said. Neji pursed his lips and wrung his hands.
"He played Lee like a fiddle. He still did appear to be uncomfortable with the notion of being damaged, but he appeared to heal almost instantly once the battle was over. What a difficult puzzle to solve" he said. The Jinchuuriki stretched and looked back to the clock, which now read ten-forty.
"He isn't invincible, though. Lee may have been well on his way to losing from moment one, but he did expose a few weaknesses. Gaara is pretty slow, and he isn't a good striker at all. He's durable, but he's shakable. I can work with all of that" he said confidently. Neji raised an eyebrow.
"Do you believe that you will come away victorious?" he asked curiously. The Jinchuuriki shrugged his shoulders and cracked his neck.
"I'm stronger than Lee is, Neji. He may have had more raw power, but I'm a more complicated riddle to crack. I think you'll be surprised" he said firmly before making his way into the arena building. The Hyuga boy smiled and glanced back over his shoulder, spotting the remaining finalists.
'Such confidence. I suppose self-belief is key in his situation. He's up against a monster' he thought to himself as he briefly locked eyes with the oncoming Gaara, who looked stoically amused. Neji then turned and followed Naruto's example by entering the stadium building. Once inside, he was directed to the left down a fairly long hallway, at the end of which was a door that he was ordered to enter.
He was soon followed by Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru, who all walked the same hall and entered the same room, where Naruto and Neji were now situated. Along with the genin came Genma, who cleared his throat to gain their attention once they were all situated in the room.
"Alright, I hope that you've all prepared yourselves well, because from the point onward, you aren't allowed to leave the stadium. You're locked in. We're going to run through the rules, and then the participants of the first match will begin preparation" he explained, earning a collective nod from the group.
"First and foremost, you will be expected to fight until one or both of you either gives up or cannot continue. Murder is permitted, although not encouraged. Second, outside help of any kind, save for ninken, is not allowed. You will be instantly disqualified if you break this rule in any way. Finally, as implied by the first rule, there is no time limit, and there are no breaks. Much of the month you were given should have been focused on your conditioning, because unless you trust your ability to end things quickly, you're likely in for a long fight" the proctor continued. A murmur reverberated through the small group of genin, but quickly died out.
Genma waited for their attention to fully return to himself before speaking out once more to reveal the first match that would be hosted.
"The first match will be between Neji Hyuga and Kankuro of the Desert. You have one hour to warm up, drink, and eat" he announced. The Hyuga boy and his puppet-wielding opponent then promptly exited the room to do the things that had been listed by the proctor. Once they were gone, Genma continued speaking.
"The second match will be between Shikamaru Nara and Temari of the Desert. You'll be fighting at least an hour from now. How much longer entirely depends on how quickly the first match concludes. You can both take the same leave Kankuro and Neji just did, if you'd like" he said. The shadow and sand kunoichi were out of the room before the sentence had even left Genma's mouth, leaving only the proctor and two Jinchuuriki.
"Given that the two of you are the last people in here, it goes without saying that your match is going to be last. I'm well aware of what the two of you are. You're capable of more destruction than most experienced chunin, and I would like to formally request that you keep things as tame as you can" Genma said. Naruto opened his mouth to agree, but was cut off by Gaara.
"I'm afraid that neither he nor I can agree to such a condition. Combat between Jinchuuriki is entirely uncontrollable. Even if it wasn't, it would eventually become chaotic. While we're on the topic, how did you know that I carry a demon? Have I really been that obvious?" the redhead asked humorously. The proctor narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, you have. By your own design, if I had to guess. Quite the showman, aren't you?" he said. Gaara grinned and turned to leave the room.
"I prefer the term...executant" he said as he exited into the hall. Naruto shuddered as the redhead's presence faded away into the distance. He then looked to Genma, who was still wearing a scowl.
"I have a sinking feeling that there's a hell of a lot more on the line here than just the title of Chunin" the proctor muttered to himself. He then turned his attention to the blonde.
"I'm not supposed to play favorites, but I'd really appreciate it if you beat him" he said. Naruto nodded and took steps to exit the room as well.
"I was already planning on it"
Hinata fidgeted a bit as she waited for the first match of the final round to begin. Said match was scheduled to begin in five minutes time, and it would be between Neji and Kankuro, the brother of Gaara. The heiress was situated beside her father and sister, who were both quietly tapping a foot on the ground impatiently, a common habit amongst the main house of the Hyuga clan. They had been sitting in silence for nearly ten minutes, all three of them occupied with their own concerns and thoughts, though all of their cognitive energy was directed towards the same topic.
"What is your assessment of this match, father?" Hanabi asked, abruptly ending the period of quiet. The clan head stroked his chin for a moment, but soon smiled and allowed himself to relax.
"Neji should completely and utterly dominate this match. From what I've been able to gather about his foe, he utilizes chakra threads to control puppets. A fine strategy against most ninja, but as the both of you know, our clan is well-suited to shutting such a tactic down quickly" he said confidently. Hinata nodded.
"If that's the extent of the threat from this Kankuro, then Neji-san likely ends this within three minutes. Two if he's feeling irritable" she said. After another minute of waiting, the Hyuga were joined by Naruto.
"I figured you would be warming up" Hiashi commented as the blonde sat down beside Hinata. Naruto shook his head and stared down into the arena.
"I'm as warmed up as I'm going to be. Besides, if I need to warm up in the interim, there's still an hour and a half at least until I fight" he replied. The clan head nodded in agreement and sipped water from his canister.
"What are your thoughts on Gaara as an opponent?" he asked suddenly. The Jinchuuriki thought for a moment before answering.
"I think there are specific ranges I have to avoid at all costs, and others where I can have a field day. The fight will be a blowout either way. He can't compete with me up close, and I probably can't survive for too long at a distance. It'll probably be long, too" he explained. Hiashi chuckled.
"You've given this quite a bit of thought, haven't you?" he asked. Naruto gave him a thumbs up and looked to the Hyuga family.
"Yeah, I have. And before I go out and get myself maimed for sport, I'd like to thank you guys. You've all been really helpful, and I don't think I'd be where I am now if it weren't for the Hyuga. Especially you three" he said gratefully. Hanabi frowned.
"What have I done for you? I don't even know you" she asked skeptically, earning a laugh from the Jinchuuriki.
"I appreciate you liking Konohamaru the way you do, weird as that sounds. You're good for him, and even if he refuses to say it out loud, he likes the attention you give him. Although, you could be a little less aggressive sometimes" he replied. The young Hyuga smirked and shook her head.
"Never. I will not allow such a fine young man to slip through my fingers under any circumstances" she said, causing Naruto and her family to shudder.
"Back on topic, you have no reason to thank us, Uzumaki-san. Your saving of Hinata in the Land of Waves has left me indebted to you indefinitely. Now, enough gratitude. The table is being set for the first match" Hiashi said, smoothly changing the topic. The group collectively turned their attention to the arena, where Neji now stood. After a moment, Kankuro entered the arena as well.
Genma, who had been standing in the arena the entire time, gestured for silence from the crowd, signifying that the match would begin momentarily. The proctor then motioned for both Neji and Kankuro to come to the center of the arena, an order that both genin followed.
"How theatric. A gentleman's staredown" Hiashi joked as the boys were given a brief reminder of the rules. The genin then took several steps back and assumed their respective stances. Hinata sighed and rested her chin in her hands.
"If what you've told me is true, father, then the only Neji-san comes out of this looking impressive is if he ends it quickly" she said tiredly. Hiashi shrugged.
"An extended domination has its own visual appeal. An extended display of skill is quite enjoyable to the experienced eye" he replied. The heiress opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again when Neji and Kankuro engaged. The first clash of the battle was indicative of the remainder of the match.
Neji snapped Kankuro's head back with a sharp punch, pivoted around his return-fire, and kicked out his legs. The puppeteer scurried away and reached to unravel the bandages covering the puppet on his back, prompting the Hyuga boy to charge forward to stop him. Luckily for Kankuro, he was able to unleash his puppet to shield himself just in time to deflect the palm strike heading his way. The strike put a sizable crack in the wooden puppet, but was unable to break through it completely.
The sand shinobi then yanked on one of the chakra threads he had attached to the puppet and stepped back. The manipulation of the chakra thread prompted the puppet to swing a bladed arm at Neji, who easily leaned back and away from the strike, evading it completely. The Hyuga boy then leapt back and settled into his stance, seemingly waiting for something specific.
"Dominant first exchange for Neji. He's reading him like a book" Naruto said. Hinata nodded in agreement and smirked as her cousin effortlessly launched Kankuro's puppet into a concrete wall, breaking off one of its limbs in the process.
"He's already severed the chakra threads. This fight is over '' she said confidently. Thirty seconds later, her prediction came to pass when Neji slammed his palm into Kankuro's stomach. The puppeteer coughed painfully and fell to his knees. The Hyuga boy opted not to follow up his strike. Instead, he turned his back to his foe and began his stroll towards the stairs that lead into the arena.
"A walk-off. That takes some real gusto" Naruto said through a laugh as Genma waved his arms over Kankuro, who had still not risen. After a moment, the proctor looked up to the crowd.
"Kankuro is unable to continue! The winner is Neji Hyuga!" he announced, eliciting a roar of approval from the villagers in attendance. Hanabi jumped up from her seat and thrust a fist in the air.
"Hell yeah!" she yelled. Hiashi gave her a stern glare and motioned for her to sit down once again. Hinata glanced down at her pocket watch and then showed it to Naruto.
"One minute thirty-two seconds. Less than two minutes. Not quite as quick as his alleged seventeen second destruction of Kiba Inuzuka, but still quite impressive" she said. The Jinchuuriki nodded in agreement and turned around to greet Neji, who had made his way up the stairs and into the seating area.
"Not bad at all. That was a whipping" he said as his comrade sat down in a nearby seat. The Hyuga boy cracked his neck and smirked.
"That was a little too quick, honestly. I didn't even get to work the stiffness out of my neck" he said as Kankuro was carried from the arena. Hiashi gave Neji a nod of approval.
"Excellent work. Concise and efficient" he complimented. Neji bowed as best he could from his seated position.
"All in a day's work, Hiashi-sama" he said politely. A ten minute intermission was then announced by Genma, allowing the observers of the final round to socialize and buy concessions.
"Nara-san is set to fight next, is he not?" Hinata asked after the announcement. Naruto nodded and pursed his lips.
"Yeah, he is. His fight probably won't be anywhere near as easy as Neji's was. The girl he's up against is stronger than Kankuro. I think he'll win it, but it probably won't be pretty or clean" he said. The heiress sighed.
"If only he were more assertive. He would be legitimately intimidating as a combatant" she said as Hanabi dragged Hiashi away to buy food. Naruto then gazed across the arena to the opposite seating area. After combing over much of the distant crowd, he locked eyes with a metaphorical demon. As he stared into Gaara's eyes, he found nothing but morbid amusement. The blonde shuddered and took a deep breath.
'If anybody is watching over this world…' he thought as his fellow Jinchuuriki silently fed on his obvious discomfort.
'...deliver me from evil'
A/N: Neji would absolutely nuke Kankuro, so I felt like making that one short was a good call. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
See you next chapter! Read and Review!