Danzo sat at the head of the stadium with Hanzo sitting on his right side, and Yagura sitting to his left. Sasori was sitting on the other side of Yagura with Orochimaru by his side, chatting quietly. Danzo was slightly annoyed by this. Orochimaru was supposed to be his personal bodyguard at the moment, and he was talking to Sasori and that Kabuto boy. Danzo shifted his gaze to Yagura's bodyguard, Kisame Hoshigaki. The Hokage couldn't say he felt one hundred percent safe around the blue skinned swordsmen.
"So," Danzo spoke, "Yagura-sama, tell me about this Tobi fellow."
"He's an annoying pest," Yagura replied sternly, almost annoyed. "But he's still a skilled shinobi…"
"Why hasn't he participated in the Chunin Exams sooner?"
"My, aren't we nosey," Kisame stated. Danzo glanced up at the grinning shark that turned back to Yagura. "Lord Mizukage has had a long travel here. I'm sure you could understand lord Hokage that Yagura would like to relax for awhile and not be bothered with such pointless questions." Danzo narrowed his eye on Kisame before looking back at the expressionless Mizukage.
"Very well," Danzo murmured. "My apologies lord Mizukage." The short Kage nodded once, keeping his eyes fixated on the arena below. Danzo observed Yagura for a moment before looking up at his pale skinned guard, "Orochimaru, come here now."
"One moment," Orochimaru faintly whispered to Sasori. The Kazekage nodded then looked forward as Orochimaru walked towards Danzo. "Yes lord Hokage?" Danzo motioned for Orochimaru to come closer. The Sannin leaned forward, his face inches from Danzo's.
"Are the ANBU set up," Danzo murmured.
"Yes my lord, we have nearly half of the ANBU in and around the stadium. I still don't understand why we're setting up such robust security measures though my lord."
"With an unstable Jinchuriki and a boy that looks like our late Yellow Flash, you think I'd leave something to chance." Orochimaru nodded solemnly, not questioning Danzo's intent. "Do me a favor while you're chatting with Sasori: keep an eye on Kisame Hoshigaki." Orochimaru's eyes moved to the side, barely catching the burly blue man. "I'm not entirely certain about him…"
"Of course lord Danzo," Orochimaru whispered. "But you needn't worry yourself. Nobody will try anything and live to tell about it." Danzo nodded then waved for Orochimaru to move away. The Sannin straightened up then walked back over to Sasori. Despite Orochimaru's assurances, Danzo couldn't help but feel that something would go amiss.
In the stands, Higure leaned forward, shaking his head at Sakura's tardiness. He also mentally questioned the shoulder-less attire she wore. Higure then looked over at Zaku, sighing when he saw the boy wearing a turtle neck. Zaku did boast he'd bring them back. Last, but not least, Higure focused on Naruto. In an instant, he knew that he was Minato's child. Higure knew that blonde hair all too well. The light haired brunette sighed as he looked to the side, seeing a large, hooded man standing next to him.
"Is this seat taken?"
"Of course not," Higure replied. "Please, sit." The man nodded then took a seat next to Higure.
"Looks like there are some promising looking Genin," the man spoke. Higure simply nodded, keeping his eyes on the contestants. "Is there anyone down there that you know?"
"My niece," Higure replied, pointing at Sakura. "The girl with the short pink hair." The man looked hard for a moment before nodding. "She's fighting against Shikamaru Nara in the second match."
"If he's anything like his father, your niece is in for quite a fight." Higure nodded in agreement, paying no attention to the fact this stranger knew Shikaku Nara. Hell, who hadn't heard of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio?
After the explanation on the rules, all the contestants except Neji went up into the stands. The young Hyuga waited, just like everyone else, until the tardy Sasuke Uchiha arrived. Time went by slowly, and the crowd as well as the contestants started to become impatient. Danzo was well aware of the people's restlessness, but he didn't want to disqualify his prized Uchiha just yet.
"Can we hurry this along," Yagura murmured. "I came here in order to see the Chunin Exams, not stare at some blind child." Danzo shifted his eye to the Mizukage then quickly rose to his feet.
"Attention my people," the Hokage bellowed. "In light of Sasuke Uchiha's absence, we will skip the first round as of now, and move onto the second one."
The crowd was surprised, but relieved that something was finally going to happen. Danzo sat back down in silence. Granted he didn't want to skip Sasuke's match, but if he wasn't going to risk an alliance with the Mizukage for it. The Jinchuriki Kage was known for his short temper and impatience.
Sakura was beyond nervous. It was bad enough she had to fight the village's smartest Genin, but now she was in the first match, and in front of such a large crowd. She hated to admit it, but she had a slight phobia of being the center of attention in front of such a large crowd.
"Come on Sakura," Dosu said, "We ain't got all day. Go down there and lose already." Sakura snapped her head around, glaring at her teammate.
"I hope you lose an arm against Gaara." The kunoichi quickly turned on her heels then went towards the stairs.
In less than two minutes, Sakura made it down to the arena, standing across from a bored looking Shikamaru. She took a moment to steady her nerves, but the faint roar of hundreds of people chattering reminded Sakura that there was a huge crowd watching her. Whether or not Shikamaru knew about this little fear, Sakura didn't know, but she figured the boy would find out sooner or later. Still, Sakura couldn't imagine how Shikamaru could use that against her. Then again that's what made Shikamaru so dangerous in combat. No doubt Shikamaru was running countless tactics in his head right now of how to easily best Sakura. The kunoichi shook her head, trying to suppress her paranoia.
'Calm down…just calm down Sakura…'
"Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, are you both ready?" Sakura nodded, as did Shikamaru. "Very well, begin!"
Sakura immediately sprung backwards, pulling out a pair of shuriken from her pouch before she hurled them forward. Shikamaru huffed then simply took two steps back as the shuriken imbedded themselves in the ground. Sakura landed on the ground, sliding back to a halt. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes then took a step forward. In response, Sakura took a step back. The lazy genius huffed before he craned his neck to the side with a light crack.
"So, you're smart enough to keep your distance," Shikamaru stated. Sakura cringed slightly with annoyance. "You should know that won't be enough though." Sakura's emerald eyes moved up for a moment before looking back at Shikamaru. The lazy Genin moved his head up, noticing that the sun was right above them. 'Great, she's noticed that little detail. What a drag.' Shikamaru lowered his head, then gasped with shock. Sakura's fist shot forward as Shikamaru barely managed to pull his head back. The boy stared at the kunoichi's fist with a shocked expression before forming a hand sign to activate his jutsu. Though his shadow stretched out and touched Sakura's, Shikamaru soon realized that his jutsu wasn't working. 'Damn genjutsu!' Shikamaru looked around, realizing that he was surrounded by a series of Sakura's. 'She's a Genin, and though she's skilled with genjutsu, this can't be higher than a C-rank, which means breaking it should be easy.' The boy closed his eyes as he formed another hand seal, "Release!" The copies of Sakura disappeared. Much to Shikamaru's surprise, the kunoichi was nowhere to be seen. "Damn it, what the hell is going on?" The boy looked forward, seeing a hole in the ground where Sakura stood. "Awe damn it!"
A massive explosion went off underneath Shikamaru's feet, erupting a tower of dust and smoke. The Genin flipped out of the smoke with nothing more than a few scratches. The boy landed a few feet away from the massive hole in the ground caused by the explosion, and sent his shadow forward. No matter where she was underground, as soon as his shadow touched the darkness he'd have her. The ground broke apart near the wall behind Shikamaru. Sakura leaped out of the hole quickly, landing in a crouched position on the wall before she sprinted. Shikamaru turned around to get a better look at Sakura. The tunnel the kunoichi dug allowed his jutsu longer range, which meant he had the advantage. Sakura looked back with a worried look, seeing Shikamaru's shadow catching up to her. Quickly, she leaned to the side, placing something on the wall before the shadow caught her. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, unable to see clearly what Sakura placed on the wall. A tiny flicker of flame shot his mind into alarm: a paper bomb. The explosion did two things: interrupted Shikamaru's jutsu, and blew Sakura back safely outside of the jutsu's range. Sakura grunted as she hit the ground, rolling over a few times before stopping. Shikamaru scowled as she recalled his shadow, staring annoyingly at his opponent. Sakura groaned as she rose to her feet, shaking her head clear of the ringing and deliriousness.
"Impressive," Shikamaru admitted, "If not totally stupid." Sakura smirked, some blood trailing down the corner of her mouth. "Women, I swear…" Shikamaru carefully noted something: when Sakura threw the shuriken and when she placed the explosive tag on the wall she used her right hand. The boy assumed that, due to her unusually baggy sleeves, that she was hiding something in her right hand. 'Can't take any chances…I need to find someway to get close to her. But she loves to use explosives, and I don't want to end up in bits and pieces. Wait…yep, got it.'
Shikamaru took a small breath before charging forward. Confused by this thoughtless move, Sakura immediately hurled a few shuriken forward. Shikamaru stopped to carefully watch and avoid the throwing stars. As soon as they passed by him, the genius Genin continued forward. Sakura narrowed her eyes before throwing a pair of needles forward. Shikamaru stopped again, watching the needles closely. He couldn't help but notice something: the needles were fatter than normal needles should be. One thought instantly popped into his mind, setting off alarms. Without wasting another second, Shikamaru quickly dove forward as the needles passed over him, sticking into the ground before exploding behind him.
"Paper bombs around the needles," Shikamaru grunted before rolling to a stop. "Can't say I saw that coming." The boy turned back to Sakura, who was now further up the wall. 'I didn't have time to use the explosion like I wanted. But I think I've close enough distance, and I don't think she realizes she set herself up.' Shikamaru smirked before extending his shadow forward.
Sakura gasped with shock as she felt her entire body becoming unresponsive. The kunoichi moved her eyes down, seeing a shadow she casted down the wall. "Damn it," she cursed.
"Sorry Sakura," Shikamaru stated with a cocky grin. The boy jumped backwards, causing Sakura to jump forward off the wall. The kunoichi landed across from Shikamaru whose eyes narrowed on her. "I didn't think you were stupid enough to get caught like that. Care to explain?"
"I-I was thinking that your jutsu had to connect to my feet, not my shadow," Sakura admitted bitterly to herself. "I guess it slipped my mind." Shikamaru huffed, seemingly agitated by Sakura's ignorance.
In the stands, Higure sighed with disappointment, leaning forward as he placed his chin in his hand. "Looks like its game over for your niece," the hooded man sitting next to Higure spoke.
"Looks like it…"
Zaku and Dosu watched the match with almost pleading looks in their eyes. "Come on Sakura," Zaku murmured.
"She's on a team with us," Dosu snapped. "She's got to have one more trick up her ass somewhere!"
"But she's captured by Shikamaru's jutsu," Zaku added sourly. "I think it's over…" Dosu sighed, placing his hands on the railing before he rested his chin on it as well.
Naruto's jaw was tense as was his jaw. "Come on Sakura-chan…"
Shikamaru raised his left arm, causing Sakura to raise her right arm. The kunoichi looked at her arm with shock before closing her eyes tightly, trying to fight against the jutsu. This confirmed to Shikamaru that there was something in her hand. "Let's see what you're hiding shall we…?"
"Wait, please don't!" Shikamaru paused, much to Sakura's relief.
"Why not?"
"F-for your own safety."
"Sakura, in case you forgot: I control your every action. Whatever you're hiding in there can't be used against me." Shikamaru put his hand on his wrist and clenched it into a fist. Sakura did the same, but grabbed her sleeve in the process.
"Don't," the kunoichi cried, closing her eyes shut tightly. Shikamaru huffed then pulled Sakura's sleeve up past her elbow. To his shock, there was some type of device strapped to Sakura's arm.
"What the hell," Shikamaru questioned. Sakura's eyes snapped open and a wicked smile crossed her lips as a snapping string was heard. A series of kunai with pink bags attached to the ends and needles, all with explosive tags wrapped around them, were launched from the device. "Damn it!"
Shikamaru started pacing backwards with a look of alarm on his face. Sakura copied Shikamaru's movements, but had a wide smile on her face. Eventually, Shikamaru paced Sakura out of his own jutsu, much to the relief of the kunoichi. Shikamaru pulled out a few shuriken then hurled them forward, cutting the bags on the kunai open. Rose pedals flew out from the bags, much to the confusion of the Genin. However, he caught a glimpse of one of the pedals, seeing it had the symbol for a paper bomb on it. Shikamaru's eyes widened with shock before the kunai with paper bombs came by and exploded in the center of the rose pedal flurry. There was a chain of explosions that went off, once again engulfing Shikamaru in dust and smoke.
"Whoops, did I do that," Sakura questioned mockingly. Shikamaru slid out of the side of the smoke, his jacket torn and tattered even more so than before. "Oh crap. How do you keep surviving those?"
"I wouldn't be much of a Konoha shinobi if I didn't now would I?"
Higure's eyes were wide with shock. Not only was he alarmed by the amount of explosives his niece had managed to use in a five minute period, but the fact that she also used her enemy's own jutsu against them was another reason for his surprise. The man sitting next to him laughed, his tone obviously amused.
"Damn, that's some niece you've got there!"
"Yeah," Higure agreed softly.
Sakura's teammates were laughing, surprised and excited for their comrade. "I told you she had another trick left," Dosu exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah, she's not out of the woods yet. Shikamaru is still kicking in case you didn't notice."
"Yeah, but she's managed to out maneuver him so far! That's got to count for something right? Hell everyone always said Shikamaru's intelligence was already at Jonin level. She's keeping up with him so far!"
"That's because she's planned ahead of the match," Zaku stated sharply. "Shikamaru's plans can come to him in an instant. So unless Sakura wrapped her entire body in paper bombs, I think she's done outsmarting him." Dosu narrowed his eyes at Zaku before turning back to the fight.
"You're an ass…" Zaku's shoulders slumped as he glanced over at his partner.
Neji couldn't help but smile at how many twists and turns Sakura was had up her sleeve. And the fact that it had literal meaning was all the more amusing. "Alright Sakura," Naruto shouted.
Sakura blushed, barely able to hear the blonde shouting at him. The kunoichi took a deep breath, calming herself as she focused solely on Shikamaru. Surprisingly she found herself able to block out the crowd by concentrating on Shikamaru. Hopefully this display of dealing with a genius whose IQ was ridiculous for a boy his age would be enough for the judges to declare her a Chunin. If not, she still had one more plan in mind.
Shikamaru stared at Sakura with tired eyes. He couldn't deny that she had impressed him with her level of preparation. The fact Shikamaru didn't plan ahead of the battle was a mistake on his part, and he was smart enough to admit that. Still, he wouldn't be making the mistake of pulling up anymore of the kunoichi's sleeves anytime soon.
"You ready to finish this Shikamaru," Sakura questioned. The boy huffed then put his hands in his pockets.
"You gonna give up now that you're out of tricks?"
"Now who said I was out of tricks?" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes skeptically. Sakura reached back behind her waist. Shikamaru's eyes widened with alarm before he shot his shadow forward.
'Damn it!' The boy noticed at the last second Sakura was out of range. Shikamaru quickly rushed forward, his shadow stretching as far as it could go. However, Shikamaru wasn't nearly fast enough. Sakura pulled out three white balls in her hands before she threw them forward. Shikamaru gazed at the strange balls as they came towards him. 'What the—FLASH BOMBS?' The bombs went off right in front of Shikamaru's face. The boy cried out, shielding his face with his arms. Unable to see, and the radiating light preventing any shadow to be formed, Shikamaru quickly processed what would happen next.
A fist impacted the side of Shikamaru's face, throwing the boy onto the ground with a heavy thud. Before he could move, his arm was pulled behind his back and held in place as a foot stamped his wrist to the ground before Sakura sat on his back. The kunoichi used her other hand to place a kunai at the back of Shikamaru's neck. Unable to move or perform any hand signs, and still partially blind, Shikamaru knew it was game over.
"How troublesome," Shikamaru groaned beneath Sakura. "I give…" Hayate nodded then raised his hand high above his head.
"The winner is: Sakura Haruno!" The crowd started to roar as they cheered. Sakura grinned and blushed bashfully as she got off Shikamaru's back. She helped the boy to his feet.
"Are you okay Shikamaru?"
"Just fine," the boy replied with a smile. Sakura blinked with confusion before narrowing her eyes at the boy.
"You seem happy that I beat you…?"
"Well, sort of. I figure the competition this year is way too crazy for me. I mean you got Sasuke, some blind guy who defeated Hinata, and a bloodthirsty Jinchuriki, as well as that Tobi guy who for some reason can't be hit. I figure if I tried out for the next Exams I wouldn't have to deal with so many troublesome opponents."
"So…you basically threw the match against me…?"
"If you wanna see it like that," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "I wanted to at least make an impression on the judges, but I wasn't really fighting to win either. Still, you gave me one hell of a run for my money. I could've had anyone else beaten in two minutes flat. But damn it, you nearly blew me apart every minute of that match." Sakura chuckled as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Sorry about that…"
"Don't be. Hell, you came to the battle more prepare than I was. I just hope for the next person you fight that you ran out of explosives." Sakura grinned deviously before winking.
"Not by a long shot." The lazy genius rolled his eyes before he turned and walked towards the exit. Sakura smiled then waved to the cheering crowd before following Shikamaru's path.
"The next match: Ryu vs. Zaku Abumi," Hayate announced.
"Your turn big guy," Dosu stated. Zaku grinned as he flexed his hands. "Try not to hurt Kitten's boyfriend too badly."
"No promises!" Zaku jumped off the railings and landed on the ground, waiting for his opponent.
Across the arena, Naruto leapt from the stands just like Zaku. The two Genin walked forward then stood across from each other with Hayate looking back and forth between them. Both shinobi, despite themselves, couldn't help but grin at the prospect of fighting in front of such a large crowd cheering for them.
"Ryu, Zaku Abumi, are you both ready?"
"Ready," Naruto replied. Zaku nodded in agreement.
"Very well, begin!"
Zaku shot forward without sparing a second and thrusted his fist at Naruto's head. The blonde quickly jerked his head to the side. Naruto threw his fist forward. Zaku spun to the side and threw a high kick. Naruto raised his arm to shield the side of his face, bracing himself as Zaku's blow landed. The blonde grunted before pushing his opponent's leg away. Zaku spun away as he planted his foot on the ground and smirked at Naruto. The blonde craned his neck from side to side before taking in a small breath.
Zaku raised his arm high above his head before slamming his hand into the ground. Naruto had no idea what the boy was planning until suddenly he was thrown into the air by a powerful blast of wind. Naruto cried out as he was launched off the ground. Zaku pulled his hand out and grabbed four kunai, two in each hand, and hurled them at Naruto. The blonde saw the knives coming at him and then twisted his body around in midair as the blades passed by his spinning body. Zaku scowled before rushing to where Naruto would land.
The blonde hit the ground facing Zaku and immediately fell into a crouch. Naruto spun around as his opponent's blow missed and then kicked the back of Zaku's knee. The black haired boy fell onto his knee and hands. Zaku snapped his head around, seeing Naruto about ready to strike him. Zaku used the wind holes in his hands to launch himself back, slamming his body against Naruto's. The two boys flew back before hitting the ground and rolling away from each other.
Dosu watched the match in silence from the stands until he heard Sakura running up behind him. The kunoichi used the rails to stop herself before she breathlessly asked, "What'd I miss?"
"A mediocre bout of taijutsu," Dosu replied bluntly.
"Who's winning?"
"It's even so far." Sakura took a deep breath before she looked back at her blonde crush and black haired teammate.
Zaku rushed forward once again, prompting Naruto to brace himself. The black haired Genin stopped a few yards away however before throwing his hand outward. For a split second, Naruto didn't know what he was doing until a forceful blast of wind threw him back. The boy hit the ground and rolled back head over heels before digging his fingers into the ground to stop himself. As soon as he looked up, Naruto saw Zaku rushing at him again. The blonde, not knowing how much time he had left, stood up and crossed his arms over his body. Zaku threw both hands out this time, screaming loudly as he launched another blast from his palms. The force of the wind was greater this time, sending Naruto sailing off the ground before he smacked into the back wall. The impact was strong enough to leave a few weak cracks in the wall. Naruto groaned as he fell to the ground, landing on his hands and knees. Zaku grinned before he flipped forward onto his hands and launched himself off the ground. He landed on the wall above Naruto, who turned around and looked up with shock. Zaku threw his hand forward, sending a constant wave of wind down on Naruto. The blonde cried out as the weight of a boulder was pushed down on him.
"You can give up," Zaku shouted over the hissing sound of his palms. Naruto groaned, cracking one eye open to hopefully see some way out of his predicament. "Give up kid!" Naruto screamed in defiance as he tried to push himself up, but to no avail. 'Damn it…' Zaku's attack suddenly died down. No longer feeling an immense weight on him, Naruto flipped onto his feet and shot himself away from Zaku. As he landed on the ground, Naruto stumbled forward before falling on his side. Zaku fell off the wall and landed on the ground, staring at his opponent lying on the ground. "Hurts don't it?"
"Just a bit," Naruto replied, giving a pained smirk before he started to get up. "I think I learned a little bit about your jutsu though." The blonde stood straight before turning his head to the left, staring at Zaku with a cocky smirk. "Your jutsu has a certain range, which is why you were rushing me awhile ago. And as just shown: you can't keep up the blast forever. It has a set time limit before it stops."
"Well, not really. If I keep it up for too long my arms could be blown off. If these wind holes weren't incomplete then I could definitely keep it up for a longer period of time. As for the range, I was just trying to get closer to improve the force. I was running, hence when I launch my attack it has more force behind it." Naruto crossed his arms, turning his body towards Zaku.
"Prove it: hit me right now from this range." Zaku smirked then mentally formed the distance between the two. He had no idea whether the blonde did it on purpose or not, but he was only an inch out of distance. If Zaku blasted him, all Naruto would feel would be the equivalent of a breeze. Zaku let out a small laugh before crossing his arms like Naruto.
"Alright, you got me there. I lied to try and throw you off."
"Now all I've got to do is stay out of your range and I'll be set," Naruto stated. Zaku huffed before lowering himself into a combative stance.
"Good luck with that kid…"
Zaku charged yet again, pulling out three shuriken between his fingers. Naruto lowered himself down, ready to spring at a moment's notice. Zaku threw the shuriken forward. Naruto spun to the side, narrowly missing the shuriken. As Naruto faced Zaku's direction, the black haired boy threw his fist forward. Naruto knocked Zaku's arm away before ducking away. Zaku turned and went after the blonde, aiming his palm at him. Naruto's eyes flared with alarm before he threw his upper body backwards. Naruto's clothes fluttered as the blast missed his body. The blonde placed his hands on the ground then threw his legs up underneath Zaku's armpits. Naruto screamed as he lifted Zaku off the ground with his legs and threw the boy over his body. Zaku held his arms out in front of his face just before hitting the ground. The two boys rolled onto their feet and faced each other in a crouched position.
Zaku narrowed his eyes with agitation. He was getting nowhere fast with this boy, and so far it seemed more like a brawl against two school children than a battle between two prospective shinobi. At this rate he'd never impress the judges enough to be promoted to Chunin. Ryu on the other hand had that impressive moment where he learned two things about Zaku's jutsu in less than two minutes since the match started. Why couldn't the judges have been there during the preliminaries? His move against Shino had impressed the Hokage himself. Now if he tried that he'd probably be ripped to shreds by one of the many leaders watching the match now, or their bodyguards. A thought occurred, causing Zaku to grin.
"Oh yeah, that'll work." Naruto tilted his head with curiosity as Zaku reached back and pulled something out. "You know what this is?" Naruto narrowed his eyes, focusing on a ball in his opponent's hands. "It's a smoke bomb. And guess what I can do with it?" Before Naruto could even think about guessing, Zaku sent a pressurized blast through the smoke bomb. The blonde gasped with shock as he was surrounded by smoke in less than a second. Zaku quickly threw the empty bomb shell to the ground then rushed forward.
Naruto covered his mouth as he coughed, unable to see anything. 'Great, gotta hurry up and get out of here Naruto!' The blonde moved to run, but was quickly punched in the face. Naruto staggered backwards, readying his fists but was quickly punched across the face again. The boy cried out and then was punched in the stomach and then twice across the face. Naruto fell on his back and groaned, 'Even better.' Naruto rolled backwards onto his hands, standing in a crouched position before leaping into the air. Unbeknownst to him, Zaku attempted to strike, but missed. The black haired boy looked up with confusion as Naruto formed a series of hand signs. "Wind style: vacuum pulse!"
Naruto threw his head forward, roaring as he unleashed a massive wave of wind from his mouth. The smoke broke outward, dissipating and fading as it moved throughout the arena. Zaku had his arms shielding his face as the wind blew down towards him. Naruto closed his mouth then spun towards the ground to increase his momentum. Zaku groaned as he removed his arms and looked up, an expression of shock coming across his face. Naruto screamed as he threw his fist across Zaku's face, throwing the boy into the ground with incredible force. Naruto hit the ground rolling while Zaku just hit the ground. The Jinchuriki rolled forward, spinning around as he stared at the black haired boy who just rolled onto his knees. Blood trailed down the corner of Zaku's mouth. The boy scowled before wiping the blood away while Naruto simply smiled.
"Wind style eh," Zaku questioned. "I wish I'd known that before I used a smoke bomb." Naruto's smile widened into a grin before he cockily huffed. 'We're getting nowhere. This is one huge stalemate. I need something. Well, I do have…but I was planning on saving that for someone like Gaara or Sasuke. But…Sasuke isn't here is he. And if Dosu really is as fast as Lee now then he might beat Gaara after all. Damn it, I'd hate to waste this…but…' Zaku reached back, causing Naruto to tense up in preparation. The black haired boy pulled out a strange looking seal. Naruto narrowed his eyes to try and read the symbol on it.
"What is that…?"
Zaku hurled the paper forward, using his wind holes to send it flying forward. Naruto's eyes widened as he jerked his head back, watching the paper seal as it moved over him. Zaku quickly formed a hand seal then screamed loudly. The seal suddenly erupted in a flash of bright chakra that surged like lightning through Naruto's body. The blonde screamed in agony as pain surged through every part of his body. Zaku mouthed 'one, two' before running forward. The seal's chakra surge stopped, allowing Naruto's smoking body to drop to the ground. Zaku slid to a stop in front of his opponent, ready to strike him back down in case he got up. After a few seconds, Zaku relaxed when Naruto didn't move. Hayate walked forward, staring at the incapacitated blonde for a moment.
"The winner is Zaku A—what?" Zaku looked at Hayate quizzically. There was a gust of wind that blew past Zaku, causing the boy to snap his head forward. Naruto was slowly raising himself off the ground by his feet alone. Zaku's eyes were wide with shock, as were the eyes of everyone else in the stands.
Yahiko scowled, leaning forward with shock, 'No…not now Naruto!'
Jiraiya hissed softly under his breath, 'Damn it. Looks like our cover may get blown too soon!' Higure, unknowingly sitting next to Jiraiya, had a confused, pondering expression on his face.
Zaku took a hesitant step away from Naruto, a cold sweat running down the back of his neck, "There's no way you should be moving after that…"
Naruto stood up, his back arched backwards and his head and arms hanging limply. In the blink of an eye, the blonde snapped his head up and slammed his fist into Zaku's face. The boy let out a muffled scream into Naruto's fist before flying backwards. Zaku bounced off the ground twice as he flew back before he was stopped when he smashed into the stone wall. Dust and tiny stones flew out from the wall, causing Hayate to gaze with shock and bewilderment.
Danzo's single eye was focused solely on the blonde now. Orochimaru leaned forward, a sadistic glint in his eyes, "Isn't that proof enough that this boy is Minato Namikaze's son? Our village's long lost Jinchuriki?" Danzo simply raised his hand to silence the Sannin. Orochimaru's smile vanished before he scoffed with agitation, leaning away from the Hokage.
"Wh-what just happened," Dosu questioned. Sakura had her hand over her mouth, shocked at the sight of her teammate being smashed through a solid stone wall. "That was Zaku's chakra tag. Even a Jonin couldn't recover that quickly after having it used on them!" Sakura remained silent, letting her hand drop to her side as she watched Naruto carefully.
Naruto's eyes zeroed in on the cloud of dust that consumed Zaku. The blonde quickly closed his eyes and groaned, trying to suppress most of the demon's chakra. Luckily he didn't raise a shroud like usual, using just the tiniest bit of the Kyuubi's chakra. When Naruto reopened his eyes, they were his normal deep blue, but his pupils were slit like a fox's. He doubted anyone would notice, especially since Zaku was more than likely knocked out.
"Slicing sound wave!" Naruto's eyes widened as a bolder came rocketing towards him. The blonde leaped into the air, spreading his legs apart as the rock flew beneath him, slamming into the opposite wall. Naruto landed on his feet and stared at the cloud of dust carefully. "Now look what you've done…" Naruto could hear footsteps approaching, and quickly readied himself. Zaku slowly emerged from the dust with his head lowered. Some dust trailed behind his body, looking almost as if it was trying to pull him back in. "I haven't used this in a long time…"
Dosu and Sakura's eyes now widened with shock before they looked at each other with the same, fearful look. "He didn't," Dosu murmured. The two snapped their heads back, staring at their teammate on the ground.
"I seriously hate using this though," Zaku continued. The boy snapped his head up, revealing his face to be covered with a series of flame looking tattoos over half his face. "Looks like you've left me no choice though Ryu."
"W-what the hell is that," Naruto questioned.
Zaku slowly began to lift up his arms. Naruto's eyes widened, but he quickly calmed himself once he realized he was out of Zaku's range. The black haired boy had his arms fully extended outward before he snapped his hands up. Zaku cried out as he unleashed a massive blast of wind from his hands. Naruto's eyes widened briefly before he was thrown back with incredible force by his opponent's blast. The blonde flipped head over heels before he spun around and planted his feet firmly into the ground. Naruto's feet grinded against the dirt as he pulled his arms across his chest. He stopped when he twisted his foot to the side and, with a forceful cry, swung his arms outward. The ground shook as a massive shockwave was unleashed. Zaku crossed his arms over his face to brace himself as he took the full force of Naruto's attack. The boy slid back at an alarming rate, but kept his feet planted on the ground. He was only stopped when his back touched the wall. Lowering his arms, Zaku smirked at his opponent's new, mysterious power.
Danzo shifted his eye over to Orochimaru who was visibly stunned by what he was witnessing. "Tell me Orochimaru, what was that you said about this boy being useless exactly? A failed experiment as I recall?"
"A-Anko," Orochimaru stammered. "She must've helped the boy to deal with the curse mark. But he shouldn't be able to control it like this! It's impossible!" Danzo huffed before turning back to the fight. This match was becoming more and more interesting by the second.
Anko's eyes narrowed and her mouth was pressed into a tight line. She raised her arm up, looking at the watch on her wrist, 'You got five minutes Zaku…'
Zaku lifted his foot to move forward. Naruto tensed up. As soon as his foot hit the ground, Zaku vanished in a blur. Naruto's eyes narrowed, focusing on the blur coming at him. Zaku's figure stopped next to Naruto, fist cocked back and ready to go. Naruto lifted his arm up as Zaku's strike hit against his forearm. A massive shockwave was unleashed, rippling throughout Naruto's body and into the ground, causing it to shake violently. The blonde grabbed Zaku's arm and yanked him forward. The Jinchuriki screamed as he started to spin around, stepping towards the nearest wall. Finally, Naruto released Zaku, throwing the boy towards the stone wall with the speed of a bullet and the force of a wrecking ball. Dust and debris flew out of the wall upon impact. Naruto showed no expression, simply staring at the wall. Something caught the boy's eye as he looked down, seeing the dirt pushing upward. His eyes widened with the realization that Zaku was tunneling underground and quickly started moving backwards. The ground exploded upward as Zaku came flying towards Naruto. The black haired Genin screamed as he threw his palm forward, aiming at Naruto's head. The blonde jerked his head back, lifting himself off the ground as a gust of wind whooshing past him. A chunk of the wall, dangerously close to the front row spectators, was suddenly blown apart.
Dosu and Sakura snapped their heads towards the now destroyed chunk of the wall then rushed towards the spectators. Sakura knelt down to a few citizens that were thrown out of their seats, "Are you all okay?" The spectators groaned then nodded. Dosu's eyes were focused on his teammate as Sakura checked on the people
"You're getting out of hand with this Zaku," Dosu stated quietly.
Zaku threw his other hand forward, unleashing another tremendous amount of wind that smashed Naruto into the ground. The earth caved in under the boy's back, dipping him down into a newly formed crater. Zaku placed his hand on Naruto's chest, gripping his shirt tightly. The blonde looked at his opponent's hand then gasped as he stared into Zaku's now blood thirsty eyes. The black haired Genin cackled as he hurled Naruto across the stadium. Naruto bounced across the ground once, then twice, and then slammed into the wall. Zaku reached back, pulling out two kunai with a string of explosive tags on the end of each. The boy chuckled before hurling both the knives forward, using his slicing sound wave to give the weapons more momentum. The blades went into the cloud of dust and then set of a series of nearly a dozen explosions, turning the dust into a shroud of smoke. Zaku sneered madly, opening and then clenching his fists.
The explosions gently rocked the wall of the stadium, causing Sakura and Dosu to look in shock. Sakura got off the floor then rushed up to the railing, looking at the cloud of smoke and flame. "H-he didn't lose control already did he," Sakura asked.
"It's only been a minute," Dosu murmured in response. "He shouldn't be like this yet! Something's wrong!"
Danzo's tired looking eye focused on the cloud of smoke and then back at Zaku. Orochimaru looked at the Kage, noticing the faint curiosity in his eye. He was one of the few people who could notice that look in Danzo's eye. "That's another reason I dubbed him a failed experiment. He lacks control over the curse mark and goes into a savage, bloodthirsty rage."
"And that's the reason I don't give you more people to experiment on," Danzo hissed quietly.
"Danzo…" Orochimaru and the Hokage looked over at Hanzo. The Rain's leader had his unique eyes focused on the fight, not looking at either of the Konoha higher-ups. "Is there any chance that Orochimaru would want a few prisoners I have to experiment on?" Danzo narrowed his eye while Orochimaru gasped with surprise.
"Why would you make such a generous offer lord Hanzo?"
"This curse mark is…interesting if it can be controlled," Hanzo replied. "In your alliance so far I have one of the weaker military forces when compared to your own village. If I had even a battalion of shinobi with this mark I'd be able to stand on the same level as the rest of you, in military might of course." Danzo kept his eye focused on Hanzo for a moment. Amegakure's leader was one of Danzo's oldest and most trusted allies, but that didn't mean he was above the old Hokage's paranoia. Danzo looked back to the fight before replying.
"We'll see…" Hanzo nodded, focusing back on the fight.
Zaku's sneer vanished as he stared, almost absentmindedly, into the cloud of smoke. Before he knew it, Zaku was thrown back by a wave of wind that sent him flying across the stadium, bouncing and then sliding across the ground. Naruto was shown with his arms extended far out to the side, eyes red, wide, and focused angrily at Zaku. The Jinchuriki closed his eyes, concentrating on suppressing the demon within him before reopening his once again blue eyes. Zaku groaned as he got up, holding the side of his head, trying to control the power of his curse mark.
"Damn it," Zaku hissed, placing a hand over the mark on his shoulder.
"What's the matter," Naruto questioned, trying to keep his voice sounding normal. "Giving up already?" Zaku groaned, clutching his shoulder as sweat started coming down his face. The markings on his face started to light up like flames and spread across his face.
"Damn it," Zaku fell to his knees before looking up. "Anko sensei!"
In the stands, said Jonin shot out of her seat, heading towards the arena. The curse mark started spreading faster over Zaku's body. The boy screamed in agony as the mark started covering every inch of his body, changing the color of his skin even. Anko landed on the ground and began making a series of hand signs while rushing forward towards Zaku.
"Anko," Hayate shouted, moving to intercept the Jonin. "You can't be-," Anko jumped in the air, spun around and kicked Hayate across the face without losing a beat. She'd apologize later to the oblivious proctor, but now her main concern was Zaku.
"Sealing jutsu," Anko quickly bit her thumb, drawing a small amount of blood. Zaku screamed, his eyes widening as he glared at the approaching Jonin with an animalistic look in his eyes. Half of Zaku's face was darkened by the curse mark, and his eye changed colors as well, the iris being yellow and everything else around it turning black. Zaku threw his arm forward, attempting to strike Anko. The Jonin flipped over her student's strike, forming the last hand seal and smearing the blood from her thumb across her palm. She landed then slammed her palm on Zaku's curse mark and used her other hand to make a hand sign. "Serpent's seal!" Chakra pulsed under Anko's palm, causing Zaku to scream in pain again. The curse mark started to receded back to its origin, changing Zaku back to normal. As soon as the seal completely withdrew, Zaku collapsed to his hands and knees.
Hayate just got off the ground from Anko's earlier kick. He and Naruto both stared with confused and shocked looks over at Zaku and Anko. The black haired Genin panted heavily and then looked up at Naruto. Zaku smirked as he panted heavily, "Yeah, okay, I give up."
"The winner is Ryu," Hayate announced. The crowd cheered at the conclusion.
Naruto blinked, his pupils back to their normal rounded shape. The blonde laughed bashfully then waved to the audience. "Hey." Naruto turned to the voice, seeing Zaku being carried with his arm over Anko's shoulder. "Good match. Sorry about throwing you into the wall, trying to blow you up, and slamming you into the ground." Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's no problem," the blonde replied. "Just warn me next time you have something like that curse mark that makes you go crazy." Zaku smiled then extended his free hand out to Naruto. The blonde smiled then grasped his opponent's hand and shook firmly.
"Sensei, take me to my team," Zaku demanded with a tone of authority. "I wish to say my final goodbyes to Dosu!" Anko batted Zaku in the back of the head, causing him to laugh a bit.
"Idiot," Anko murmured before walking towards the exit. Naruto smiled then waved before they turned around. The Jinchuriki jumped then cheered again as he headed towards the stands where Neji and Kiba were. As they walked through the stadium, Anko looked to Zaku, "What happened?"
"I don't know," Zaku murmured, knowing she referred to his loss of control. "As soon as I traded blows with him, my curse mark just took over. It's like there was something about him that snapped something inside me." Anko remained silent, staring straight ahead. Zaku moved his eyes over to his teacher and then back to the ground. "I'm sorry sensei…"
"It's not your fault kid," Anko replied softly. "You shouldn't have been given such an unstable burden to begin with." Zaku's head moved to Anko with a questioning look. The Jonin had an upset look on her face, and in her eye was burning fury.
"Don't," Zaku snapped, realizing what she was planning behind that scowl. "You can't go pissing off Orochimaru for me. It was my fault for activating the curse mark to begin with, not his!" Anko remained silent, not even glancing at Zaku. The boy sighed, lowering his head to the ground. He knew that Anko would confront her former master regardless.
Outside, Danzo tried to stall and wait for Sasuke again, but to no avail. He use an excuse of checking on the audience members Zaku almost injured to stall for time and trying to patch up a few pieces of the stadium from the last fight, but even those excuses didn't last forever. He didn't want to disqualify Sasuke, but if this last match concluded and Sasuke wasn't here, he'd have to forfeit automatically.
"Lord Hokage," Sasori called out, leaning forward in his throne. Danzo looked over, seeing the Kazekage with a smug look on his face. "Could we get things moving please? I wish to see my Gaara's match." Danzo huffed, looking back at the vacant arena. "It shouldn't take more than a few seconds I'm sure," Sasori continued, leaning back in his seat.
Danzo never cared much for Sasori. He was just a means to an end, and that end was getting Sunagakure within his grip. The only reason his alliance with Sasori was worth anything was due to Orochimaru and the puppeteer's friendship.
"Very well, begin the next match," Danzo murmured.
As soon as Hayate got the message, he called for Gaara and Dosu. Suna's Jinchuriki and Dosu stood across from one another, the latter hunched over and the former standing tall with his arms crossed. "Dosu Kinuta, Gaara, are you both ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," Dosu muttered. Gaara simply nodded.
"Very well: BEGIN!"
And that's a wrap for this chapter. Next chapter, SHIT'LL HIT THE FANS! And then after that SHIT'LL CONTINUE TO HIT THE FANS! And after that…well, it'll stop hitting the fans. BUT THEN IT'LL HIT THE FANS AGAIN! And by fans I mean you people reading this now. Muahahahaha! But I'm joking, so no worries. Well, anywho, hope you enjoyed the fights, and I hope you enjoyed the twists and turns in the battles. If not, don't shoot me. Shoot the person who reviewed before you. No, wait…that'll discourage people from reviewing. Shoot someone who makes you angry. No wait…that'll get me in trouble with the authorities. Well…just do something that doesn't involve shooting me. Bye now! Leave a review on your way out!