024
"Man it sure is packed in here."
Sakura let out a low whistle as she surveyed the venue. It was a modestly sized stadium that could seat roughly a thousand or so people and had a circular field at its center. It was mostly barren save for the lone oak tree and the few splotches of grass littering the ground. The day of the Chūnin Exam Finals had finally arrived. "I'm just glad we found some good seats."
"Well we can thank Hinata for that!" Kiba barked with laughter. "We pretty much skipped that entire line!"
"Yeah, who would've thought being part of such a high profile clan came with benefits like that." Choji said as he stuffed his face with another handful of potato chips.
"Y-You guys p-please...it's embarrassing enough as is!" Hinata timidly exclaimed, trying to disappear into her jacket and failing miserably. When they were standing in line to buy tickets, a group of Hyūga branch members noticed Hinata standing in the back and offered up their place instead. Of course this was a lot to take in at once for the shy Hyūga heir. She was aware of the gaping rift between the branch and main family, but she was generally adored by both. Which is why they insisted on swapping places with they're heiress. And by insisted, that meant escorting her directly to the front. Hinata was much too soft spoken to object but it was Sakura that convinced her otherwise, mostly because they had all been invited as well simply for being friends with the quiet girl.
"It's ok Hinata. It's like I said, sometimes you have to just go with the flow," Sakura grinned, rubbing her friend's shoulder reassuringly. Hinata wasn't one to flaunt the power or influence of her clan for selfish reasons. She was much more caring and down to earth compared to the other members of the main Hyūga family. But there was no time to dwell on that. With all of them having been eliminated from the Exams in one form or another, it was their job to support their teammates that had advanced to the Finals.
"Tch...I can't believe I lost to that orange bastard." Kiba growled as he glared at the flyer in his hand. It had basic information as well as a schedule for the day's events. But the feral boy's attention was locked into the match line-ups listed in the center.
Match 1: Naruto vs Neji
Match 2: Zero Two vs Kankurō
Match 3: Temari vs Shikamaru
Match 4: Sasuke vs Gaara
Match 5: Ino vs Shino
"Wow Ino and Shino are lucky. Since there will be an odd number in the second round, whoever wins their match get a bye." Choji noted as he looked over the schedule.
"Wish I could say the same for my team. Naruto and Zero Two are going to be pitted against each other in the second round." Sakura's frowned.
"Zero Two maybe, but I'm not so sure about Naruto. That Neji guy is pretty strong." Choji commented as he retrieved a fresh bag of chips from his pouch.
"Yeah that dead last might have been able to beat me but there's no way in hell he can beat Neji. You guys all saw what he did to Hinata right?!" Kiba snarled, causing the aforementioned Hyūga to sink in her chair. He was rewarded with a swat to the nose that sent the dog boy reeling.
"How could I ever forget..." Sakura growled lowly, annoyed by the Inuzuka's lack of discretion. They were all forced to helplessly watched the older Hyūga beat his cousin within an inch of her life. "But even still, I'm not worried." Sakura smiled as she placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder, drawing her gaze. "Naruto made a promise after all."
"Don't kid yourself furball! It's probably just that stupid tail of yours!"
"You very well may have a point..."
Naruto attention was suddenly drawn to the silent Hyūga at Sakura's side. "Hey Hinata, you're looking a lot better today. Hopefully you're not still in pain."
"T-Thank you Naruto-kun," Hinata stammered, feeling proud of herself for not shying away or losing consciousness. It was easier to talk to the blond now that she only viewed him as a friend, rather than a crush. "There's still a f-few bumps and bruises, b-but I feel a lot better. The hot springs are really helping."
"That's good at least. I know you guys are family and all, but your cousin is a real asshole for what he did to you. Unfortunately for him, he got matched up against me in the first round so I'll definitely kick is ass for you."
"N-Naruto-kun..."
The blond blinked in surprised when he saw tears trailing from her pearlescent eyes. "Whoa, sorry if I upset you Hinata, I don't mean to get in your business. I know we aren't the closest of friends or anything, but Zero Two is fond of you guys. I already have to fight the guy, but now I have even more of a reason to kick his ass, so you can count on me. It's the promise of a lifetime y'know!"
Hinata's breath hitched at his words, and she was having trouble finding her own. Naruto still had a huge and caring heart as he did when he saved her from bullies all those years ago. The heiress managed to recompose herself, but couldn't trust her voice at the moment so she returned his gesture with a soft smile of her own after wiping away the remaining stray tears.
"Tch...talk about a dork," Ino scoffed, turning her back to her fellow blond in an effort to hide her smirk. "I'm gonna tell Zero Two you're out here fighting for the honor of other girls."
"I am not!" Naruto exclaimed as fear slowly crept into his system. "You know she takes things out-"
"Oh Zero Two~!"
"D-Damn it Ino I swear to god!"
"Of a lifetime." Hinata retuned the pinkette's smile with one of our own.
"If you guys know anything about Naruto, it's that he doesn't break promises. Besides, you guys are judging him from our time back in the academy, whereas I've spent the last four months on the same team as him. Not to mention that him and Zero Two spent the last month training under Lord Jiraiya so who knows what kind of crazy skills he's picked up since then." Sakura smirked. This Neji person had to be incredibly strong if even memberships the main family acknowledge his skill. But it was hard to imagine Naruto losing to someone like him when he had the power of the Nine-Tails on his side. Of course, no one else in their age group would have knowledge of that and she didn't have the right to spread it.
"Tch, whatever," Kiba spat. "Let's see you keep that same energy when that idiot is sitting up here in the stands with us after the first round!"
"You mean the same "idiot" that put you in the stands?"
"S-Shut up Choji!"
Zero Two silently landed near the group of Genin assembled in the center of the stadium and quickly made note of the awkward atmosphere. The tension was so thick she didn't think she would be even able to cut it with her new technique. To her left was the trio of Sand siblings while while Shikamaru, Ino, Shino, and that girly cunt from the Hyūga clan stood to the right. The only people missing were her beloved and Sasuke. 'Well I can't say I'm surprised about the Uchiha. He was training with the Scarecrow after all. God, I wish Darling was here,' the rosette pouted. Zero Two caught sight of Sakura waving emphatically at her from the stands and returned her fellow pink-haired companion's gesture with mock salute.
"Where's the idiot?"
Zero Two blinked at the familiar voice and spun on a heel to find Sasuke standing behind her. 'Wow I didn't even sense his presence until he spoke.' He was clad in a black cloak and she almost didn't recognize him because of how his hair now fell over his eyes due to the absence of his headband. "Huh...and here I thought you couldn't look any edgier than you already did."
"You didn't answer my question," Sasuke eyebrow rose inquisitively as he took in his teammate's new appearance. She still wore the same black body suit, only it was now strapless and exposed her cleavage, unlike the original halter style top. Her blazer was replaced with a lightweight crimson parka jacket that cut off at her elbows and she wore a pair of matching leg warmers. Gone was the ornate butterfly obi, instead replaced by a simple crimson sash. Glistening red horns peaked out slightly from beneath her hood, and he could've sworn they'd grown longer since he'd last seen her. "Where's Naruto? I figured as the tumor that's constantly growing out of his backside, you of all people would all know," the raven-haired teen snorted.
"Don't make me kick you ass before you even get a chance to fight," Zero Two scoffed, jabbing the stoic boy in the arm. "Ara Ara...you're not as scrawny and frail anymore I see~!"She smirked as she took note of the Uchiha's now sturdier physique. "Doesn't compare to Darling of course, but still impressive."
"You still haven't answered my question," Sasuke rolled his eyes, the hint of agitation in his voice bringing a grin to the rosette's features.
"Now, now Sasu~chan~! You and Naru~chan can have a play date after the Exams," Zero Two spoke saccharinely as she waved a finger at the taller boy. "Darling will be along shortly. He wanted to make an entrance."
"An...entrance...?"
"Mhm~! It's gonna be badass y'know!"
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?"
"Welcome everyone and the deepest of thanks for making your way out to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for the Chūnin Exams." The Hokage's voice boomed throughout the stadium. "The final selections for the ten candidates who made it through the preliminaries will begin shortly. For security purposes, we do ask that no one leaves until all of the matches have concluded. Now please everyone, enjoy!"
"Hokage-sama," the Kazekage called out from behind the elderly leader, drawing Hiruzen's attention. "You said ten. Yet I only see nine combatants. There's one that's unaccounted for."
"Ah yes..." Hiruzen chuckled dryly, before turning his gaze towards the clouds. "I'm sure he'll turn up shortly."
"Alright you guys, my name is Shiranui Genma and I will be your proctor in this stage. The rules will be the same as the preliminaries, in that there are no rules," the proctor announced. He was built roughly the same as Kakashi, had chocolate eyes, and brown shoulder-length hair that hung about his face. He wore the standard Jōnin outfit and his forehead protector was tied around his head like a bandanna. "The match will continues until one of you dies, admits defeat, or I stop the match myself."
"Hey..." Sasuke gave the rosette standing next to him a slight nudge. "Do you sense that?"
"Yep~!" She grinned, directing her gaze skyward.
"Is it what I think it is...?" the Uchiha queried as he followed her gaze.
"Yep~!"
It didn't take long for the others to detect the massive source of chakra closing in on the stadium. Genma's eye immediately snapped upwards and much like everyone else, he could only stare in confusion at the crimson mass that was plummeting towards them. Alarms started going off in his head as it drew closer. 'Wait...could this be what Jiraiya-sama warned Hokage-sama about...?'
Temari and Kankurō, having experienced this same terrifying sensation before, were frozen with fear while Gaara merely glared at the object. As it drew closer, it began to take on a more humanoid shape, which caused something to stir within the redhead. 'Mother will have your blood...'
The fireball of chakra suddenly pick up speed, bringing a grin to Zero Two's face as it barreled towards her. Many of the bystanders stared on, some in awe but most in horror, as the mass of evil energy threatened to crash down on the rosette. Sakura felt an unsettling wrench in her stomach, but it quickly subsided when she noticed the look of jubilation etched onto her friend's face. She could only think of one reason for Zero Two to smile like such. 'There's no way...don't tell me...'
By now, a figure could clearly be seen enveloped in the haze of chakra and its maniacal laughter echoed off the walls of the venue. But much to everyone's surprise, it stopped just in front of Zero Two and exploded. The resulting tempest immediately dispersed the crimson nebula to reveal Naruto, who was levitating just above the ground with an obnoxious grin plastered across his face. "Hi Hime!"
"Hi Darling~!"
Zero Two dove at the blond, who had been anticipating her to do so, and he caught her effortlessly. With no proper footing, Naruto used her momentum to spin them around as the rosette's mouth crashed into the blond aeromancer's, eliciting a few suggestive whistles and cheers from the crowd. The tender moment was cut short when Naruto suddenly let out a sharp cry. "Ow! Did you...did you just pinch me?!"
"That was for disappearing on me this morning!" Zero Two huffed. She had awoken to an empty bed and a note from her beloved stating that he had some last minute training with the old pervert and he was going to make a "grand" entrance.
"Well Pervy Sage woke me up at like four in the morning and I thought you'd be too tired and not want to come," Naruto relented as he rub his now sore nipple. He really hoped that wasn't going leave a bruise.
"I'll always want to go with you!" The rosette's pouted.
"Alright geez, I got it. Just don't hit me anymore," the blond grumbled.
"No promises~!"
"This is hardly the time for your usual antics," Sasuke spoke up, making his presence known.
"Sasuke! Long time no-" Naruto froze momentarily, carefully taking in his friend's new appearance. "Huh...and here I thought you couldn't look any edgier than you already did."
"Right?!" Zero Two exclaimed.
"You're hardly one to talk," Sasuke scoffed at his words, brow twitching in annoyance. Like his mate, Naruto also had a brand new get up. The most notable and surprising change was the lack of the color orange. His entire outfit was a soulless shade of black. The blond now donned a mesh shirt with fingerless opera-length black gloves that were wrapped in studded red leather straps, baggy pants, and sandals. He also wore a hooded short-sleeved jacket that had the Uzumaki insignia inscribed on the back. His hair was also noticeably longer and shaggier.
"Yeah well, I lost a bet with Pervy Sage and the losing condition what that I wasn't allowed to wear orange anymore," Naruto grumbled, irritation evident in his voice. It didn't help that Zero Two kept one of his only jackets left and liked to mockingly wear it around the apartment.
"Pervy...Sage...?"
"It's a long story."
"Well save it for later. I won't allow any of your hijinks to interfere with the Exams Uzumaki," Genma interrupted, leveling a stern glare at the blond.
"Ahaha...Genma-san long time, no see. How's life?" Naruto chuckled nervously. He'd been purposely avoiding the Jōnin ever since he put laxatives in his pumpkin broth two years ago. Maybe he'd forgotten about it by now.
"I don't want any shit from you Uzumaki."
Nope, he definitely still remembered.
"Heh well my match is first, so I'm where I'm supposed to be. Let get this show on the road already so I can win y'know!"
Genma briefly maintained his glare on the now squirming blond before turning to address the other genin. "Alright everyone except for Uzumaki and Neji, clear the field. We're behind schedule enough as is."
"Give em hell Darling~!" Zero Two beamed before stealing a kiss from the unsuspecting blond. "If you finish things quickly, there might be a reward in it for you later~!" The rosette winked, a satisfied grin forming at the sight of her beloved's blushing features.
"Make you don't take too long. I don't want to hear any excuses about you being tired later in our match," Sasuke spoke and he lifted a hand towards his rival.
"Ha! I'm gonna breeze through this match in no time y'know! I'll be waiting for you in the finals," Naruto bumped his fist against the Uchiha's, mirroring his friend's confident smirk.
After giving the two teens five minutes to stretch, Genma made his way to the center of the field and cleared his throat. "We will now commence with the Chūnin Exam final selections." He announced, eliciting excited cheers from the crowd. "The first match will be between Uzumaki Naruto and Hyūga Neji. Are both combatants ready?"
Naruto bounced on his heels, his body feeling light after finishing up his calisthenics. "I was born ready y'know!"
"Fate has already determined for me to be the victor. There's no point delaying the inevitable," Neji responded coolly as he settled into a stance.
"I'm so gonna enjoy kicking your ass y'know!" the blond grinned.
Genma withdrew a hand from his pocket, lifting his arm above his head before sharply bringing back it down. "Begin!" He immediately flashed away, signaling the start of the match. Neither teen budged, instead opting to stare each other down.
"Well if you aren't going to make the first move, then allow me," Naruto smirked before tossing a volley of kunai at his opponent. Neji was quick to brandish one of his own and easily deflected all of them. Without missing a beat, he spun on his heel and caught the foot flying towards his neck. His fingers began to glow with chakra and he struck down Naruto, causing the blond to burst into a cloud of smoke.
"Man...it really is like you have eyes in the back of your head." Naruto whistled. "I swear you clans with the freaky eyes."
"The Byakugan allows me to through anything and everything. Your petty tricks will not work here." Neji glared.
"Is that so?" Naruto grinned. "My eyes change too when I get serious y'know." His vibrant sapphire eyes were suddenly stained crimson as his pupils elongated. "You fancy you have an absolute defense over there I see."
"A nameless orphan like you has no chance of standing up to it," the older boy scoffed. "Everything in this is world is set on a predetermined, unchangeable path. The will of fate cannot be swayed and it has already been decided that I will be the victor."
"Fate huh?" Naruto mused with a smirk as wind began to gather around him. "So if I kick your ass here and now..." With one step, he was face to face with Neji, surprising the Hyūga with his speed. "That means I'm strong enough to overcome even Destiny right?" Naruto's knee sailed towards the unsuspecting Neji's face, but he was able to quickly come to his senses and block it at the last moment. He went to counterattack but was surprised when the blond before him seemingly evaporated and his presence reappeared behind him. Neji lashed out with a strike but Naruto flashed away once more.
"Heh, guess you saw that one too."
"Nothing escapes my sight!"
"We'll see about. Let's dance!"
"What exactly is Naruto up to?" Sasuke queried. His Sharingan was meticulously tracking his teammate as he attempted to overwhelm the defensive Hyūga. "He's surrounded by chakra."
"Huh?" Zero Two blinked. "Oh right, the Sharingan can see chakra too. It's a technique Darling came up with three weeks ago. He calls it Kamikaze. He emits chakra from his body and converts it to wind chakra. Depending on the amount he releases, he's able to manipulate the chakra to propel himself, speeding up his movements. Considering Darling's immense reserve of chakra, it a technique that only he is capable of using." Zero Two grinned, practically salivating at the thought.
"He's just burning through chakra at this rate." Sasuke scoffed. He acknowledged newfound speed, which was comparable to Lee's now. His movements were a lot smoother and more precise, but it seemed he still had that bad habit of rushing into things senselessly.
"Pfft, Darling is merely toying with him right now." Zero Two smirked. "He'll get serious once he's had his fun, and that girly prick won't even last five minutes."
"So he has something else up his sleeve I take it?"
"He's the best prankster in the village for a reason y'know~!"
Neji gritted his teeth, biting back curse as a sharp pain raced up his side. With well-trained reflexes and muscle memory drilled into body through countless spars with his overzealous teacher and teammate, he was able to keep up with Naruto, but the blond was getting faster with each passing second.
"Oh~? Looks like I caught you with that last one. Guess I was "fated" to land that hit y'know," Naruto laughed. "Let's see how you handle this then. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Smoke exploded around Naruto and quickly dispersed to reveal an additional four copies of the blond. "All together now boys!"
'Damn it...he evenly distributed his chakra between the clones. Not even the Byakugan can differentiate between them.' Neji cursed as he found himself surrounded. There a Naruto flying at him from multiple angles and his Gentle Fist couldn't defend against such an assault. 'Guess I have no other choice than to use it.' Neji waited until the cluster of blonds drew close enough before expelling chakra from every tenketsu in his body.
"Huh?" All five Narutos chorused, blinking confusion. They were mere centimeters from landing a strike when they were intercepted by a cloud of chakra.
"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"
Neji spun at an incredible speed, using his expended chakra to form a barrier around his body that repelled the attackers. The force was great enough to immediately dispel the shadow clones and Naruto himself skipped across the ground before quickly recovering. 'What the hell was that?! Wait...why can't I feel my chakra?!' It was at this moment that he finally noticed that his Kamikaze had worn off and he couldn't call forth any chakra to reactivate it. 'While he was spinning that bastard actually managed to-'
"You're within my divination."
Naruto caught sight of Neji taking a stance, but had no time to react as the Hyūga shot forward at blinding speed. The helpless jinchuriki was left to the mercy of the older Genin's onslaught. With each consecutive strike, more and more of his chakra points were closed off. Neji's brow furrowed angrily as he channeled chakra into his hand, drawing it back for one final strike. "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" Naruto's body was sent careening across the field and crashed into the wall, causing web of cracks to form around the crater. The crowd erupted with cheers as Neji threw one last sneer in the blond's direction before turning towards Genma. "You can call the match He won't be waking up any time soon."
"I'm not so sure about that..." Genma said, his eyes trained on Naruto's unmoving form. He could've sworn he heard the boy make a noise. It was small and subtle at first, but soon even Neji picked up the sound of someone chuckling. It was soft and unnoticeable at first, but soon burst into a full blown maniacal laugh that was loud enough to quell even the roaring crowd.
"Man...Pervy Sage wasn't kidding," Naruto groaned, spitting out a glob of blood as he peeled himself from the wall, just barely managing to stay on his feet. "That hurts like hell."
Neji's expression remained calm and collected, but even he was left stunned. 'How the hell is he still awake, let alone standing?' He settled into the Gentle Fist stance once more and glared at the tenacious blond. "You should have stayed down. I can't guarantee your survival with this next attack."
"Funny you should say that..." crimson chakra seeped out of Naruto's body, enveloping him in a dark miasma. Both Genma and Neji flinched are the sight of the demonic red eyes that pierced through the cloud of chakra. It was dispersed by a forceful gust of wind that revealed Naruto, who bounced on his feet before shrugging the stiffness out of his shoulders. "I was thinking the same thing." He held his arm above his head and wind slowly began to coalesce around him. "Regalia." Gales swarmed around the blond's form before uniting in his extended palm. A small black shaft began to take shape, appearing to be the grip of a weapon of sorts. A doubled-edged blade grew out of one end of the long handle and extended out for at least half a meter. But what was most surprising was its twin that formed on the shafts free end shortly after. With a flick of his wrist, Naruto flung the double-bladed sword at the startled Neji. Thanks to his wind affinity, it wasn't impeded by air resistance and actually managed to pick up speed. By the time Neji came back to his senses, his body was already in motion to intercept the attack.
"Rotation!" A barrier of chakra rose up around the Hyūga, easily deflecting the blade. When he came to a stop, Neji felt his heart skip a beat when Naruto appeared in front of him wielding a turbulent gale in his right hand that took on the form of a claw.
"Since you like to spin so much…" The blond smirked. "Lemme help you with that. Wind Style: Beast Wave Palm!" He caught the unsuspecting Neji with a powerful uppercut that sent him flying into the air. Without missing a beat, Naruto caught his sword and immediately sent it after the ascending Hyūga as chakra surged to life in his other hand.
The senbon Genma was gnawing on fell out of his mouth as he stared disbelieving at the pulsing orb of chakra the blond was wielding. 'There's no way...it can't be!' His eyes widened even further when Naruto vanished in a flash of yellow light.
Regalia easily caught up to Neji and Naruto reappeared next him, seizing the sword once more. With grace thought to be beyond the blond's capability, Naruto spun and slammed the ball of chakra into Neji's abdomen. "Rasengan!" The force of the blow alone was enough to make the long-haired teen lose consciousness and his limp form exploded violently away from Naruto, crashing into the ground with a thunderous clap. A pleased grin made it's way to the blond's features when he heard the cheers of awe and excitement elicited by his performance. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he mounted Regalia, using the weapon to surf the wind currents it generated back to the ground.
Genma was fairly certain that Neji was currently unconscious, but for the sake of formality, he was going to check anyway. His entire body was littered with bruises and if he had to guess, the boy had quite a few broken, if not shattered bones. But he was breathing which meant he was alive, so that was good. "Hyūga Neji is unable to continue. The winner of the first match is Uzumaki Naruto!" The entire stadium shook from the crowd's thunderous roar. Naruto, taking a page out of his mate's book, indulged himself in the praises of the masses.
"Shannaro~!" Sakura exclaimed with a pump of her fist. "Way to go Naruto!"
"That's my Darling~!" Zero Two beamed.
"What in the actual fuck was that?!" Sasuke stared at his rival with wide eyes. His Mangekyō spun in confusion, trying to make sense of the blond's movements. Naruto wasn't simply moving fast. He had completely disappeared and reappeared at another location. "A Time and Space technique?!"
"That's a secret~!" the rosette grinned.
Sasuke's gaze returned to the exorbitant blond with further confusion. What the hell was that ball of chakra? And if he wasn't mistaken, that was the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Jutsu, a technique for which he became well renowned for during the Third Great Shinobi War. But why would Naruto know how to use it? How the hell did he even learn it? Honestly, if you looked close enough Naruto did sort of resem-
"No way..." Sasuke blinked. Before he could form another word, a small finger pressed itself against his lips.
"It wouldn't be much of a secret it you blabbed about it," Zero Two winked at him.
"Who the hell did you guys train with and what the fuck did they teach you...?" Sasuke stared warily at the rosette. Her grin widened, almost as if she could sense the stoic teen's unease.
"A dirty old pervert. Don't ask, because I don't want to talk about it," Zero Two stiffened and her killing intent spiked for the briefest of moments, which was incredibly off putting because her smile never broke form. "All you need to know is that we're a lot stronger than we were a month ago so don't feel too bad when you lose~!"
"What do you take me for?" Sasuke scoffed. "You think I've just been sitting around on my ass for the last 30 days?"
"Well you were with the scarecrow, so I'm definitely inclined to believe so."
"That...is a fair point..."
Naruto was so absorbed in the cheers being thrown his way that he didn't even register that Genna was behind him until he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Ah! G-Genma! W-What can I do for you?" Naruto inquired nervously. He must've wanted payback for the pumpkin soup. They did say revenge was a dish best served cold. They also said you should dig two graves, whatever that meant.
"Not nearly as elegant as when he did it, but I think he would be proud nonetheless."
Confusion set into the boy's features. Genma has been an elite bodyguard for the Hokage for quite some time now. He wouldn't put it past the jōnin to be aware of his heritage. "Yeah well, it kinda takes a lot out of me right now," Naruto chuckled. He had improved his chakra control considerably, but he could only perfect it so much given how much chakra he had. Kurama told him before that one jump drains about a five percent of his chakra, and it always left him slightly disoriented. The most successive jumps he's ever made was three, and he immediately passed out after. It wasn't a technique that he could rely on in an actual fight, but it definitely made for in hell of a surprise factor. "I don't know how Dad ever mastered this when using it once makes me want to blow chunks. But I'll catch up to him soon enough y'know!"
"I'm sure you will," Genma laughed before turning away from the blond. "Besides, it's not as bad once you get used to it."
"Ha, I bet. I'll have it down-wait." The wheels in Naruto's head slowly began to turn as his mind finally processed the older man's words. "How the hell would you know that?"
"We will now proceed on to the Second match."
"Oi Genma."
"Would the next two participants made their way down."
"Oi!"
I'll be honest
This chapter was finished back in April when the world first went on timeout but I was essential and had to keep going to work. Without getting to deep, my phone broke so I had to get a new one and I lost the entire chapter. After that I got too mad to write it again so I started doing my art courses (trying to switch from traditional to digital). I truly want to write my own comic (already have concepts) but I keep procrastinating and using what's happening with the world as an excuse.
Working on that now, hence I managed to retype this entire chapter yesterday, give or take a few sentences. Zero Two's fight was supposed to go here as well but I didn't want a super long chapter. I honestly an't say when the next will be, but I'm definitely not gonna make you guys wait seven months again. And before you ask, I'll cook something up for Thunder Maidens as well. Lastly, if you PM and I don't respond, don't take it personal. I don't get notifications anymore and I don't know why. Looking into that too.
As always, R+R