Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys it's here! It's Here! Naruto vs. Neji is finally here guys and I'm super excited about this chapter. I'm very proud of how this chapter came out and I do have to mention that this is the longest chapter I've done in a very long time. A lot gets resolved and wrapped up in this chapter so in the end it was ultimately necessary for the continuing plot.
With that being said the match between the two was epic to say the least and emotions were swirling around for all to feel. Hold onto your seats guys and take it all in.
(Also Season 5 Premiere of RWBY) Get hyped people!
So sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Chapter 58
Uzumaki vs. Hyūga
It was time… it was early in the morning and the stadium was jam packed full of people. The stadium or Coliseum as some would call it was a massive construct. It was one of the biggest buildings in the entire village, right up there in terms of size with the Hokage Administration Complex; the Hospital Complex; The Monte Carlo Casino; and the Hidden Leaf Archive Building. To simply put, it was a massive structure that could house at least nearly half of the village's populations if all of the seats were filled properly and more if you packed them in the stands with the people standing.
The arena itself was massive as it was a large circular dome enclosed by massive concave walls that curved towards the top. The inner walls of the stadium were made of concrete plates while the outside of the stadium was constructed out of rich and expensive redwood wood panels that followed the curvature of the walls itself. The main building attached to the area was separated into three segments. The central building overlooked the stadium and was quite large in size and had an inner area enclosed by thick columns that housed the stands for where the spectators could watch the matches. This section also included the area where all of the VIP's, business men and women, Feudal Lords, and other important individuals could sit and get a good view of the matches. Above them in an upper veranda was an enclosed VIP section where the Kage could watch the matches by themselves.
The two separate buildings attached to the main one was slightly smaller in size compared to the main building and had a smaller sized roof. All three buildings had gold colored shingles that showed off the grandiose nature of the stadium. These two sections housed solely the middle-class spectators and general viewers who paid to come to the event.
The arena itself where the competitors would be fighting was a battlefield designed with the theme of the Hidden Leaf in mind. It was massive, being at least 100 yards in diameter or close to 360 feet and was a flat open field filled with ankle length grass and arid dirt patched scattered randomly throughout the area. On the boarders of the arena where the walls of the stadium rose up, thick congregations of healthy bustling trees sprung up into the air providing ninjas of the leaf with a sense of home and the added home field advantage.
"Hinata over here!" Sakura shouted out as she spotted the Hyūga Heiress walking down the aisle searching for a seat. She wasn't alone though. Henrietta and the other girls from Section 2 as well as Aria were in attendance and the chestnut-haired girl had her arm linked with Hinata's to help steady and guide the sick girl who while feeling much better and allowed a day away from the hospital was still physically weak. She would need a guide for the day and Henrietta was all too happy to help her best friend.
Quickly joining up with the pink haired girl, Hinata noticed that her teammate Kiba was there as well alongside Ino and Chōji who lost their matches. Tenten was present as well and so where all of their Jōnin Sensei's. The two Chūnin Izumo and Kotetsu were in the stands near them as were many of the clan heads. Lord Hiashi was a row up from them well within the view of his daughter and Hanabi was right next to him. On the top row of the stands Dino was sitting with his own company of friends and acquaintances chatting away to his heart's content. You'd think Shoko would be up there with them but in fact she was down in the row sitting next to Hiashi right above the row Hinata and the others were sitting. She would hang out with Dino later after Naruto's match. But another searing point of why Shoko wasn't sitting up with her boss and colleagues was for one simple reason. Balalaika herself was sitting next to Dino with her infuriating smirk in place which was driving Shoko up a wall. The Hidden Stone's King Pin was holding a conversation with the old Mafia boss of the Leaf and the two were laughing and joking around as if nothing was amiss.
"Boo!" A familiar voice shouted as Sakura screamed in fright causing several people sitting nearby to look back in alarm. It was Chaos and she had her arms wrapped around Sakura's neck right now. "Chaos! What are you doing? Shouldn't you be with Naruto?" This was the general thought plaguing everyone's minds as they witnessed the psychotic and unnerving smile cross the little Angeloid's face. This was a common place thing for those who know the little girl but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable for most of them. When Chaos was ready, she could be a very creepy little girl.
"It's simply silly… Dada said he wants to fight Neji all on his own without our help." Chaos responds as she watches Iris sit down in a nearby chair. She was so small that she only took up half the space in the seat. "Will he be okay by himself down there?" Chōji mumbled as he started on his first bag of chips. "He'll be fine… he doesn't need us to beat Neji. He just needs to fight wisely and he'll emerge victorious." Iris spoke as she hugged her precious teddy bear to her chest in a cute manner. There was an unusual seriousness to her voice but luckily her eyes weren't changing colors. Chaos chose this moment to leave Sakura's personal space and invade the space of her own twin sister as she appeared in the chair right next to Iris without any warning. Iris had a playful annoyed glare on her face as her sister smashed her cheeks against her own. The two Uzumaki twins were sharing the one seat by themselves due to the fact they were so small they couldn't take up the full space the seat provided individually. Iris sighed with a roll of her eyes as she wrapped her one free arm around Chaos's waist and pulled her even closer. She knew this was going to be a long day, especially since the tiny terror was shaking in barely restrained excitement.
"Is Eva down there with him?" Aria asked in curiosity since she couldn't see her fellow supernatural creature anywhere. "Nope!" Eva answered in a cheerful and bubbly voice as she popped up in front of Hinata's face. If the Hyūga heiress wasn't so used to Eva's antics she would have fainted front shock right then and there. But luckily the girl only jumped a bit in mild surprise. "Eva! You're not down there with Naruto?" Hinata asked in surprise as everyone including her would have thought Naruto would want his other half and special partner with him when he goes into battle. "No, Naru wanted to do this all on his own. He doesn't need my help. So how are you doing sweetie? Feeling any better?" Eva answered as she gave Hinata a peck on the cheek and asked how she was doing.
"Eva… not out here!" Hinata squeaked in embarrassment as her face turned bright pink. She quickly grabbed the tiny fairy and placed her inside her hair so that others couldn't see her. The little winter fairy was laughing her wings off and the others around them had amused expressions on their faces.
"Eva please try to stay hidden. We don't need people to start asking to many questions." Shoko deadpanned with an exasperated shake of her head. She couldn't help but face palm at the little fairy's exuberant behavior but decided to accept it. This was who Eva was as a person. "I'll be fine; besides I've been getting better and better with my invisibility spell over the years thanks to you, no one can tell where I am." Eva stated as her voice could be heard coming from Hinata's hair. She was completely invisible hidden beneath the simple illusion that her species are capable of using. She's become so proficient with it under Shoko's guidance that by visual standards she's completely undetectable.
"Just be careful okay." The retired kunoichi sighed while pinching her own nose. The little girl was a handful sometimes. "So, Hinata what did you mean by "Not out here"?" Ino asked with a sly smile as she did take note of the girl's word choice. Hinata's flushed cheeks turned several shades darker as she understood what her friend was trying to say. Hinata's stuttering habit returned with a vengeance as she started to fiddle with her fingers. She had no words for Ino as she became even more embarrassed by the snickering laughter coming from her friends in Section Two. They weren't helping matters either.
Chaos gained a predatory like gleam in her eyes as she turned to put her two cents into the conversation. "I see Big sister and Hina kissing all the time. Eva always kisses Hinata." The tiny terror enjoyed the look of betrayal and shock that crossed Hinata's face as she absorbed the girls despair. It tasted delicious. "I've even seen Hinata return a kiss to Eva once or twice myself." Iris piped up which sent a mortified Hinata into a near catatonic state as she wasn't expected sweet Iris to rat her out like that. Iris decided to pass the time with getting in on the action. It was rare that they would prank Hinata since they normally exclude her from their list of victims.
Everyone else was laughing at this point at Hinata's misfortune that grew to its final stages as Eva showed herself to give the girl another kiss on the cheek. In secret Eva as well as Naruto were really worried for Hinata since her health was in jeopardy due to Neji's actions. It wasn't easy for the two blonds to leave Hinata at the hospital all month without being able to see her. They wanted to do everything they could to make her happy and to distract her from her health issues.
Hinata's face started to glow bright red from the level her blush was reaching. She's outdone herself today by beating all of her old records and she had Eva and her friends to begrudgingly thank for that. On the inside though her friend's actions were dissolving her of her nervous apprehensions regarding the fight she was about to witness. She was scared for what might happen. Realistically she didn't want any of them to get hurt but she knew deep down they were going to fight each other with everything they had and someone was going to come out of this match the loser and bruised up. It was inevitable.
"You're too adorable." Eva giggled in delight as messing with her best friend who she affectionately refers to as her girlfriend is one of Eva's favorite pass times. Eva would have continued her teasing of her girlfriend if not for the prevalent sound of a man clearing his throat behind them. It was Hiashi of all people and he had a raised eyebrow while watching the interactions between his daughter and her supernatural friend. He was still getting used to Eva's rather affectionate behavior with his daughter. It wasn't a common thing in the world and especially in such a public place.
"Father! I'm so sorry… I…" Hinata stuttered horribly as she couldn't even form words to say to her own father right now. She was mortified and embarrassed beyond belief by the situations she was placed in. The Clan Head's expression was rather unreadable but those around him with the exception of Shoko missed the tiniest upturning of his lips into a bemused smile. "It would seem this is yet another side of you I've yet to discover. I think we have much to discuss once these exams are all over. The nature of your relationship to the Uzumaki is most interesting." The old Hyūga said as Hinata felt like she could die right then and there. She didn't think it could get any worse than this. "The Uzumaki would be allowed to join us of course." Hiashi added in as an afterthought that made Hinata curl up into herself. She spoke to soon. That made it even worst.
Shoko couldn't help but crack a smile at this. It would seem her old friend did have a humorous bone in his body. In the stands above them Balalaika was watching the proceedings with a predatory like gleam to her eyes. "I assume you're here for young Uzumaki's match am I right Balalaika?" Dino asked as he took a sip of his ever-present tea. He never went anywhere without it. It also was a very ironic coincidence that his favorite kind of tea just so happened to be Jasmine Tea. Many who knew the old man would deadpan at this very on the nose preference.
"Of course, Lord Dino. I'm betting on him to win this match. I have the utmost confidence in his abilities." The scar faced woman purred as she lit a cigarette in her mouth. Her eyes were intimidating yet predatory like as she watched a Jōnin step out onto the field. He would be the host and referee for these matches. "Abilities you've never seen before…" Dino commented idly as he watched the young woman grin. "Abilities I can't wait to see." Balalaika fired back with a purr of anticipation.
"Why would you bet on that boy Lady Balalaika… the Hyūga boy is obviously the better choice." A snobbish noble asked as he questioned the powerful woman. Balalaika hid a vicious sneer behind a fake smile as she turned to the arrogant man. "Never judge a book by its cover, you'd do well to remember that." Balalaika warned with a silent but deadly undertone to her voice. This man instantly wasn't in her good graces. "I'm betting 5 million that Naruto Uzumaki will win." Balalaika insisted much to the shock of all those around her. "Five million!?" Murmurs and harsh whispers broke out amongst the wealthy merchants and VIP's because of Balalaika's bold statement but many were unconvinced that Naruto could beat Neji. "I vote for Neji Hyūga. I highly doubt the Uzumaki boy has what it takes to beat the Hyūga prodigy. I bet 10 million." The arrogant man lauded in a haughty voice as he fanned himself with an expensive looking paper fan. Balalaika took a deep breath as she was seconds away from killing the snobbish man next to her but in the end, she was able to briefly hold onto her self-control. "Never underestimate an Uzumaki…" The powerful woman whispered to herself in a softer tone as she traced the scars across her face tenderly. "Is that so… we'll see who wins this once it's all over then." Balalaika said in a fake facade as she shook hands with the arrogant noble.
Dino subtly gazed out of the corner of his eyes at that speculative transaction that just occurred with a knowing look before going back to his tea. He looked down a few rows below him to see Shoko looking back at him and particularly Balalaika with mistrust embedded in her eyes for the Hidden Stone native. Dino shook his head slightly in a warning tone which caused the purple haired kunoichi to huff and aggressively turn around in her chair. Shoko wasn't happy.
"It's time… they're about to start." Shoko motioned as she pointed to the arena below. "Hello and welcome to the Bi-annual Chūnin Exams Third Phase. My name is Genma Shiranui and I will be your host and proctor for these 1 on 1 elimination rounds. So… with that being said I hope everyone here in attendance will greatly enjoy the spectacles displayed today by our promising Chūnin hopefuls. That is all." Genma announced while using chakra to enhance the range of his voice to reach everyone up in the stands.
Genma Shiranui was a Special Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf and a longtime friend of Shoko and those of her generation. He was a very calm, impartial, collected, proud and casual individual who was easy to get along with but highly reliable when you needed him the most. His skills are tried and tested and he's even respected by his superiors such as the Elite Jōnin of the village. He along with a select few others were handpicked by the Fourth Hokage to be a part of his own personal bodyguard squad which is a further testament to his skills as a shinobi.
Genma is a relatively tall man standing at a height of 5'9 which was around the average everyone in the village falls to. He has brown, shoulder-length hair which hangs about his face and prominent brown eyes. He wears his headband like a bandanna with the metal plate facing behind him, and the standard Jōnin outfit and a senbon in his mouth which was a trademark of his to those that know him.
After announcing that the Genin participants would line up in front of the crowd, Genma pointed to a side door that the group of Genin filed out of. Immediately, several people took notice of a problem with the line-up. Only nine competitors were walking out onto the field. Three were missing. 'Where is Naruto…?' Shikamaru thought as he stood in line with the other eight competitors. All three sand siblings were in attendance with Gaara having his usual murderous glare in place. The lazy genius made sure to stand on the opposite end of the line from the ticking time bomb. Neji Hyūga was standing in a rigid stance looking up into the stands where his uncle Hiashi was sitting, giving the man his own smoldering glare. Shoko saw this as she glanced at the Clan head sitting next to her. She had no real opinion she'd like to readily share on the matter between the family members but she would easily admit that it's now spilled over to affect Naruto and his family.
Shino was standing next to Shikamaru which was a blessing as the two friends exchanged pleasantries with each other. They didn't see much of each other during the one-month break. Shino's father Shibi Aburame the Clan Head of the Aburame clan had his son off on a training trip as well to prepare him for the Chūnin Exam finals so sadly many people haven't had the chance to see each other all month. Kurotsuchi, Samui, and Karui were all standing in this impressive line as well and they looked prepared for their matches. The trio of girls received quite a few boos from the crowd as there was a certain amount of prejudice being directed at them as the Hidden Cloud were not particularly welcomed in the Hidden Leaf after all of their repeated attempts at kidnapping individuals of special interests and deceiving the village… and the Hidden Stone were just flat out not welcomed in the Hidden Leaf.
"Wait… what's going on? Where is Naruto?" Hinata asked in concern once she didn't see her best friend amongst the competitors. "Yeah, where is he… and where is Sasuke?" Sakura agreed as she couldn't see the last of the Uchiha Clan anywhere either. 'Where are you sweetie… did something happen?' Shoko asked herself as she gripped the arm rest of the chair she was sitting in tightly. She was trying not to show her concern as she's well aware of the fact she's prone to losing her composure whenever her anxiety hits. The veteran kunoichi looked up behind her into the rows above to see Dino staring back down at her with a mischievous look in his old eyes. He took a sip of his ever-present tea and winked at her. 'What's going on?' Shoko thought as she turned back around in her seat to look around the stadium. Her father figure knew something she didn't and now she was on the lookout for whatever it was. Curiosity kills the cat and Shoko was well aware of the fact she was a curious and inquisitive person by nature.
'Where are you Naruto… what's going on my boy?' Hiruzen thought to himself privately as he also took notice of the fact his surrogate grandson wasn't among the Genin. "Sir… Sasuke Uchiha isn't here as well. We can't seem to get a hold of him or Kakashi Hatake. With the time that has passed, he could very well be within Orochimaru's grasp and if that's the case we'll never be able to find him." Hiruzen's aid advised as he bent down to whisper in Hiruzen's ear. This was Raidō Namiashi and he was Genma Shiranui's teammate and fellow member of the Hokage Guard Platoon. Raidō's most distinct feature is probably the weal-like scar on his face, running across the bridge of his nose and down across the left side of his face. He has brown spiky hair, dark eyes and wears the standard attire of the leaf shinobi complete with a headband and the standard issue Jōnin Flak Jacket.
"I understand… start the matches." Hiruzen said as he closed his eyes to pray. He opened them seconds later as his colleague showed up. The Fourth Kazekage Rasa of the Gold Dust was here fully decked out in his ceremonial robes being flanked by his two body guards. The two Kage exchanged pleasantries and somewhat friendly banter before settling down to enjoy the matches to come. Raidō looked on in suspicion at the Kazekage as the word play and conversational banter the two-powerful shinobi just shared was charged with uneasy tension. If Hiruzen took notice of any of this the old man didn't display any of it.
"Ok the first match between Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyūga will begin shortly." Genma Shiranui announced as he signaled for the other Genin to leave the battlefield. Only Neji stayed as he crossed his arms. He still didn't see Naruto but what he failed to notice was the fact the clouds were shifting and changing rapidly. Almost unnaturally in nature.
"Well, where is he?" Neji demanded as he glared at nothing in particular. Genma looked up at Raidō who nodded for him to proceed. 'I know Dosu was found murdered during the month break by an unknown assailant but what is holding up the Uzumaki and Uchiha kids? I hope nothing fishy is going on here.' Genma noted to himself as he took his job as a leaf shinobi seriously. If anything was happening with fellow members of his village, he'd want to know and would want in on the action. He'd help them no matter the cost.
"I'm right here!"
It was sudden but the main entrance gate opened up and a thick cloud of fog and cold frigid air rolled into the stadium. A silhouette of a figure could be seen walking out of the fog onto the battlefield and once everyone got a good look at who it was there was an uproar in the stadium. It was Naruto and he looked completely different to people who don't know of his side profession.
Naruto was wearing different clothing to his traditional orange and blue fatigues. He was wearing a pitch-black two-piece suit with a black belt holding several pouches filled with his ninja equipment. An ash black colored flak jacket vest was on over his black shirt and his shirt was sleeveless allowing his shoulders to be seen. His pride and joy… his tattoo of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia was on full display to the world as his dark navy blue jaded eyes stared into the skull of Neji who was shocked by this unexpected and drastic change in look to his opponent.
Condensation and mist were emanating from Naruto's body that was lowering the temperature in the entire area giving him an eerie feeling. But the most noticeable feature to Naruto that had everyone the most shocked was the face he wasn't wearing his headband. His Hidden Leaf Headband wasn't tied around his forehead. It was without a doubt the most important artifact for any true Shinobi. It is their pride and joy and a part of the identity as a ninja. Naruto didn't have his one on right now and that was a powerful message.
"Oh Naruto…" Hinata whispered as she placed her hand over her mouth in mystified shock. She never would have expected her closest friend to do something like this, in hindsight she should have seen this coming based on the look she saw in his eyes yesterday. He was trying not to show it, but he was planning something… and now everyone knew what it was. "Oh my…" Shoko was just as shocked as she quickly turned back in her seat to look behind her. What she saw was Dino looking back at her with the mischievous twinkle that was already in his eyes shining brightly now. He looked like a kid in a candy store.
"Is this kid…?" Genma whispered in shock as he spied the tattoo on Naruto's upper arm. He was well aware of the criminal underworld and the governing body that rules over it. So, to see a mafia agent be a kid so young was a major eye opener for the veteran Shinobi. He's never actually met Naruto before but he knew of him. But never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined the boy would be a part of the mafia.
Murmurs from the crowd was filling the air as many wealthy individuals who were privy to the knowledge of the mafia's existence and important role in their society started to gossip amongst themselves. They were beyond shocked to see a mafia agent participating in a shinobi related contest. Even more surprising was Naruto's age. Those closest to Dino started to bombard him with questions that the old man navigated his way out of expertly. In the Hokage's box Hiruzen was just as baffled as everyone else as his pipe nearly fell out of his mouth. 'Naruto what are you doing? Did Dino put you up to this… but that look in his eyes, I think this is personal. He's thinking like a true mobster right now. This is personal so he's going to handle it face to face.' Hiruzen speculated as he sat back in his chair. He would have never thought in a million years he'd see such a bold spectacle in the middle of a Chūnin Exams.
"I knew this year's Chūnin Exams were going to be very exciting Lord Hiruzen but I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would be anything quite like this." The Kazekage commented in a voice of amusement, shock, and enthusiasm. Hiruzen chuckled at this as a way to provide a response and to mask his own shock. "Yes, I agree Lord Kazekage. We like to carry a few surprises up our sleeves here in the Hidden Leaf." Hiruzen joked as the Kazekage looked on with a barely contained gaze of interest at Naruto who walked out to the middle of the field.
"What is this? What are you doing?" Neji asked as he looked Naruto up and down in contempt. The same could be said about Naruto who had a cold look in his eyes. Today was the day he and Neji would finally cross paths and not only would it be the first time… Naruto was going to make sure it would be the last time.
"It's simple Neji. I'm here to keep my promise to not only Hinata but the one I made to you as well. I will beat you today." Naruto said as he didn't dare look Neji anywhere but in his eyes. Genma could feel the tension in the air and it was leaving even someone of his sizable caliber uncomfortable. "Where are your normal clothes? Do you think this wardrobe change will cause the rift between us to close?" Neji sneered as he wouldn't admit it aloud or to anyone else but the change of clothing and atmosphere around Naruto made him a bit intimidating and unnerving. "No Neji, the gap between us won't get small. On the contrary it's gotten larger." Naruto retorted as the first strands of chakra started to hum beneath the surface of his skin. The grass directly underneath his shoes started to freeze over but to the naked eye this was unnoticeable.
Neji's eyebrow twitched at this comment as he felt insulted by the insinuations Naruto's words carried. He refused to believe that he was inferior to Naruto in any category of the Shinobi Arts. He's spent the better half of his childhood training to perfect the arts of the Hyūga Clan and their world renown Gentle Fist Taijutsu. He's a prodigy and master in many of its advanced forms and applications. Not to mention his standard shinobi training and skills that he's perfected. He's put in too much time and effort throughout his life to simply be upstaged by a clan less orphan. In Neji's eyes Naruto was nothing more than a scoundrel and good for nothing who tainted the already poor excuse of a Clan Heir in Hinata and to an extent her younger sister Hanabi.
Neji never considered Naruto anything of significance and always thought he held Hinata back. Of course, over the last month he's had a lot to think about… especially in regard to Hinata's unexpected and unforeseen overwhelming strength during their match. He never saw her like that before and most definitely he's never in his life seen anything quite like the abilities and techniques she was using after she got serious and released her mysterious seal. She nearly beat him if not for a few tricks up his sleeve and the fact her newfound strength came with a time limit. She was pushing her body way past its limits, which was further amplified by the fact she was fighting another member of her clan which made it detrimental to her maintaining this powerup.
"I notice you don't have your headband on. What's that about? You don't feel you deserve to wear it?" Neji couldn't help but ask as it was one of the most noticeable things in Naruto's appearance right now. Naruto frowned at this statement but shrugged it off as he siphoned out more chakra. "I'm not wearing it for a simple reason Neji. I don't have to. This isn't a fight between ninja. You couldn't respect Hinata as a ninja and put her down at every chance you could. You constantly called not only her but me a failure. So, since you won't respect us as Shinobi despite all the overwhelming evidence stacked against every statement you've ever made I won't fight you as a Shinobi. You treat us like trash, so I'll fight you the same way I deal with the disgusting trash I come across in this world. I've got a personal vendetta against you Neji and the way we handle it in my line of work is to crush the person who steps on our toes." Naruto said as his eyes grew dark in hate and rage. It was time.
As shinobi Hinata and the others could hear far away by channeling chakra to their eardrums to enhance their auditory senses and because of that Hinata was able to hear everything Naruto and Neji were saying. Hinata's eyes gushed with tears as she curled in on herself. She couldn't believe the lengths Naruto was going to for her and their pride. He was going above and beyond for her and she knew just how important this was to him. He was revealing himself to the world as a member of the mafia. Under normal circumstances that wasn't allowed as the general public and low-level shinobi world shouldn't know the true nature of the mafia unless they become directly involved with them. This was a special occasion so she could only assume he was fine if the look in Dino's eyes could be any evidence. She never had the pleasure of meeting the important man before but she knew from how much Naruto's talked of him that he is Naruto's boss.
Naruto was taking a big risk and was doing it all for her. That thought made her heart beat faster to the point it felt like it was going to break out of her chest. But at the same time, it made her weakened heart flare up in pain. Hinata couldn't believe she was genuinely getting heartache over her best friend's actions. She thought this joke to herself in private but the pain that flared up in her chest prevented her from enjoying any possible amusement. Henrietta was quick to tend to her best friend as she wiped her forehead of sweat and helped massage her back. Shoko aided Hinata by placing a soothing hand glowing in green chakra over the heiress's chest to eliminate the pain she was feeling. The indigo haired girl thanked her friends for this but silently thought to herself how much could she take of the emotionally charged atmosphere this match was creating.
Neji backup in unease at this as he was overwhelmed a bit by Naruto's killing intent as well as his convictions. Neji was starting to get the picture now, Naruto was serious. "Fate won't allow that Uzumaki… we are all given a destiny at birth and it is futile to fight against it. You and Hinata were destined to be failures and you can't change that." Neji ranted as he clenched his fist in anger, he took offense to how Naruto addressed him. "Neji I'm only going to tell you this one last time. Fate is decided by the individual… don't lump me in with your twisted views. People's greatest strength is the ability to adapt and change themselves. We are constantly improving and reinventing ourselves to be better. If you were so tied down by fate then how was it that you were able to get so strong. You're one of the strongest Genin in the entire village yet you claim you are held back by destiny." Naruto said as Neji gritted his teeth at hearing the logic Naruto spoke. There was some truth to it.
"I have many dreams Neji, one of which is to become the Hokage of the village one day. You claim that I'm a failure but I'm going to prove you wrong. I won't reach the top because it's my destiny and fate, but because I'm going to work my hardest and earn that position. I'll show you fate doesn't control us." Naruto said as he slid into a Taijutsu style. He was ready. "Once this is over I'll show you that you can't escape your fate." Neji replied weakly as he couldn't come up with anything else to say. Naruto's words were shaking him to his core. His beliefs were frazzled.
"Are you ready to go now?" Genma asked as he got between the two hostile Genin. He was ready to see a brutal fight. "Any last words…?" Was Neji's reply. "Yeah, I vow to win." Naruto said as Neji activated his Byakugan in response to this. It was finally time.
"First round match of the Third Phase. Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyūga will now begin." Genma announced for all to hear as the crowd grew rowdy once this was said. They were waiting for this ever since it was first announced nearly a month ago. They wanted to see the famed prodigy of the Hyūga clan in action. Many expected him to dominate the match. There were barely anyone betting in Naruto's corner.
As soon as the words left Genma's mouth to begin the battle a massive amount of chakra exploded from Naruto's body that nearly jump scared half the people in the audience. Neji stumbled back in shock as he covered his eyes from the dust that kicked up out of nowhere. "Double Acceleration!" Naruto's entire body was shrouded in dark navy blue translucent chakra that raged out of control around him as tiny slivers of Eva, Iris, and Chaos's energies could be seen swirling around the towering mass of chakra.
"Tempest Turn!" Naruto chants as four translucent clones spawned off of the chakra cloak and sped off across the field heading straight for Neji who to his credit immediately put up his guard as his Byakugan was working overtime trying to tell him what to do. These clones were unlike anything Neji's ever seen before. The only part of the clones that were visible to him was the portion of them that was made up of chakra. To a small certain extent, he could see the tiniest slivers of Yōki mixed into them, but as for Iris and Chaos's energies he couldn't see them at all and it was causing a weird and unexplainable distortion with the clones. The same type of phenomenon Neji always sees around Naruto whenever he channels his chakra.
Naruto finally found a new name for this unexplainable technique that first started cropping up back in the Forest of Death. He's worked hard to bring it into fruition and now the fruits of his labor were paying off with a brand-new technique and an all new branch of skills for his sacred High-End Skills Jutsu's.
The clones were very fast as they made a b-line straight for Neji who slid into his perfected stance of the Gentle Fist. His eyes were focused in on the task at hand and the palms of his hand were ablaze with chakra as he engaged the first tempest clone that got into range. The clone was very agile and fast as it slid into Neji's guard and threw a punch that the genius deflected with a wave of his hand. Neji slammed a vicious palm thrust into the clone's chest causing it to explode in a violent explosion of kinetic energy and compressed chakra.
Neji was thrown back by this and into the waiting arms of the other three clones who all tried to attack him in his seemingly vulnerable state. Neji aimed to prove them wrong as he corrected himself within the blink of an eye. All three clones engaged Neji at close range but payed the price as the boy took them out one by one with pin-point accurate shots. He was putting the Gentle Fist Style to use but that would do nothing to help him as Naruto disappeared in a controlled yet violent burst of speed that was so fast Neji briefly lost sight of him.
This entire engagement happened within 10 seconds at most and in one instant after disappearing Naruto now stood behind Neji with a kunai made out of ice pressed against his neck. "… and just like that. It's over." Naruto whispered in a deadly tone as his dark blue cold eyes burrowed into the back of Neji's skull. The branch member could see Naruto's eyes perfectly fine thanks to his Byakugan and the cold look in them froze his body in place as he wasn't expecting the sheer amount of speed Naruto just displayed.
'Holy crap! I could barely track the kid after he took off. What kind of technique is that?' Genma thought to himself as his eyes widened a bit. He's never seen a technique quite like this before and he had to admit that he was highly impressed. "He's mastered that new technique… it's impressive." Shoko spoke as a proud smile came to her face that mimicked that of a proud mother. She knew he'd get the hang of it soon. It was a fitting name to a great new technique. "How is Naruto so fast?" Ino asked in shock as she's never actually had the pleasure of seeing a fresh Naruto in the heat of combat before. The only two times she's actually seen him fight he was both injured and exhausted and as such never used all of his abilities.
"It's his signature technique that he developed all on his own. With it he can manipulate the kinetic forces in his body and move at accelerated speeds instantaneously and double it when needed to. But this is another new technique he's developed." Hinata answered as she was both surprised and not surprised to see Naruto develop another technique for his prized original technique. It was always a matter of time since he's never once stopped training and practicing with his technique and he would always practice it with her whenever they had full out spars. The rest of the crowd was stunned into silence once they saw the finesse in which Naruto trapped Neji. That level of skill was not something the crowd would have thought the blond-haired nuisance capable off. While the prejudice and hate that Naruto faces by his very own villagers have gone down a lot since he became a ninja, it didn't actually mean it disappeared. People were just less vocal about it and decides to keep their opinions to themselves. They still don't see Naruto for who he truly is.
"Damn he's fast!" Kurotsuchi commented with a whistle as she and everyone else were up in the competitors waiting box watching the match kick off. They all remembered Naruto's match against Kiba in the preliminary rounds and most of them were quite impressed with his showcasing but they also recognized the fact he wasn't fighting at full strength. This time he was and he was using his full might. None of the foreign teams have ever witnessed Naruto using his High-End Skills before so they were in for quite the treat. "Impressive." Samui whispered as she tightens her grip on the metal railings.
"Are you going to ask me to surrender so soon?" Neji asks as he can see just how dangerous the look in Naruto's eyes really was. "Not even close." Naruto growls as Neji reacts immediately. Expelling chakra from all the pores in his body Neji blows Naruto back out of his personal space as he spins around just in time to catch the kunai Naruto threw at him out of reflex. Naruto didn't want to kill Neji, even though that thought did cross his mind at least once or twice. He just wanted to seriously hurt the boy for what he's done so with that being said Naruto summoned his twin swords made out of ice into his hand. He never uses his swords against his comrades in any serious fights. Even in spars he holds back significantly and blunts the ice the swords are made of so that he doesn't hurt them. But not today. The swords were razor sharp as Naruto flickered right into Neji's guard with the Body Flicker Jutsu. He wanted to see just how good Neji really was.
"Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance!" Naruto laid into Neji's defenses with everything he had without pulling any swings as he tried to go for the attacks that would disable the use of the Hyūga's arms. He wouldn't go for strikes around or above the neck and he wouldn't try to stab the boys heart out but he was going to make sure to skirt the line of his own self-imposed rules. Coming in with dozens upon dozens of strikes Naruto was showing off his impressive Kenjutsu abilities that were captivating the audience and the few sword wielding shinobi amongst them as Naruto danced around Neji's form while raining down blows from every conceivable angle. To Neji's credit he was using his incredible flexibility and skills to deflect and parried any strike Naruto sent at him. But he couldn't stop all of them and the cuts and scratches across his arms and stomach was the proof of that.
Naruto would admit that he was quite impressed by Neji's skills in deflecting his strikes as even Hinata has a lot of trouble in stopping his attacks from landing. But Neji was doing far better. "So, you can use Ice Style huh? I wasn't aware you had a Kekkei Genkai." Neji conversed as he sent concentrated micro bursts of chakra into Naruto's swords each time he came in contact with them which was enough to shatter Naruto's swords with each pass. But with each pass that happened Naruto would just simply reform his blades in an instant to reengage the boy who has grabbed so much of his anger.
"There's a lot you don't know about me." Naruto replied as he switched up his sword style to a faster paced barrage as he twirled his swords around his wrist in dazzling ways as he pushed forwards with his assault on Neji who was being pushed back much to his annoyance. Naruto saw his opening come to him in a split second as he channeled his chakra without the use of hand signs. "Wind Style: Stream Jutsu!" Activating the beginner level technique Naruto blew a small thick stream of air into the ground in front of Neji that blew a dust cloud of dirt and dust up into the air and right into Neji's face. The boy genius coughed as he jumped back out of his opponent's immediate range and began rubbing his eyes of the small dust particles that blasted him in the face.
"Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu!" Naruto was relentless as a barrage of dozens of sharpened icicles flew out of the dust cloud at a high rate of speed which Neji managed to deflect with minimum injury while Naruto charged back in with his swords ready to carve the boy up but this time Neji was going on the offensive. The second Naruto got in close Neji shattered his swords with pinpoint precision as he started to lay into Naruto who growled in annoyance. "Wind Style: Hurricane Fist!" Naruto wasn't about to be outdone by his opponent as his fist became surrounded in violent swirling winds as he traded fierce blows with Neji who was showing a masterful display of the Gentle Fist Art.
Neji blasted a palm strike pass Naruto's face as the blond haired Uzumaki locked his arms with Neji's to prevent him from landing anymore strikes. Naruto landed a brutal elbow shot to Neji's chest that he then followed up with an uppercut to Neji's chin which dazed the boy and allowed Naruto to finish up with a judo toss that threw Neji off his feet. The Hyūga landed roughly on his back which stunned him for a quick moment. Naruto immediately went in for his next attack while he had the advantage. "Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!" Slamming his foot into the ground Naruto sent a trail of fast moving ice across the ground towards Neji who gritted his teeth in anger. Neji scrambled to a ready position and coated both of his palms with chakra. The Hyūga launched one palm forward to stop this dangerous and unique technique that Naruto was sending at him and in the end, he got the desired result he wanted. It was a powerful strike that Neji unleashed and in a second the ice trail coming for him was blown apart.
"Gentle Fist Art: Palm Heel Strike!"
Neji jumped to his feet in a heartbeat and using his remaining hand slammed a powerful palm strike to Naruto's stomach that had Naruto coughing up a wad of spit. "I see you still got some fight in you." Naruto grunted as he deflected Neji's second attack while launching a barrage of ice kunai at Neji's form who used the Body Flicker Jutsu to evade the entire assault. "There's more where that came from Uzumaki. You have many abilities at your disposal but don't think for even a second that it will be enough to beat me! Especially without the help of that strange miniature girl who seems to know you and Hinata." Neji berated as he slid into his Taijutsu form once again.
"Heh… is that so… I hate to break it to you Neji but I don't need my other half's help in beating you. I'm strong enough on my own. Acceleration!" Naruto challenged as he took off with incredible speeds that Neji had trouble tracking. Instead of trying to guest where the blond bullet would show up next Neji took matters into his own hands. Surging a potent dosage of chakra into both his palms the brown haired Hyūga prodigy slammed one palm into the ground so hard that the entire land around Neji's feet fractured and lifted into the air with tremendous force. It was the same tactic he used on Hinata in their match. Naruto who was ready to make his move ran straight into this eruption of earth that threw him off balance.
This was the opening Neji was looking for as he took his second palm still surging with chakra and launched it directly at Naruto's chest. With his enhanced reflexes Naruto saw this coming as his own fist became coated in a dense layer of chakra out of instinct alone that he sent forward at the very last second.
"Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow!"
"Accel Punch!"
The two attacks met in the middle of the fighters with a thunderous boom that sent shockwaves of chakra across the field and an explosion of dirt and rocks high into the air. Both Genin were flung back by this violent upheaval that sent them to opposite ends of the arena. Their feet dug trenches in the ground as they each slowed to a stop with grunts of pain. Their clothes were ripped and torn from the beating they were giving each other but the glares they were sending each other were beyond potent.
'These kids are nuts… they've got such crazy and destructive techniques. These guys are no mere Genin at all.' Genma thought to himself as he braced himself against the shockwave that was created from Naruto's and Neji's clash. As a Jōnin he was more desensitized to such powerful displays but in his line of work even he knows that its not to common to come across such spectacles in real world ninja combat. Only in certain situations were there are high level ninja involved and powerful Jutsu's being thrown around do such things happen.
Balalaika's eyes became half lidded as a subtle smirk was growing across her face. She was heavily enjoying this match right now. The look on the nobles faces near her were also a sight to see and it was only doing wonders for her mood.
The arm Naruto used for his Acceleration Punch was blistering red as the chakra points all along his arm were shut off and especially around his fist. Neji on the other hand only had bruises from the kinetic wave of energy Naruto's punch naturally gives off.
"Not bad… but it's clear to the both of us that you were more hurt in that clash. You have so many abilities yet they're wasted on a failure like you. They won't help you with this match." Neji commented as he sucked in breathes of air. "I bet you feel real tough right now Neji… it's taken you this long to inflict any real damage on me yet with Hinata you had to nearly put her to death just to win. Your issues with your family will ultimately make you weak." Naruto countered as he saw the look of anger and rage come across Neji's face.
"You want to know why I hate the main branch so much… I'll tell you why!" Neji growled in anger as he explained the entire history of his clan and the events that transpired on Hinata's third birthday. It was a compelling and heart wrenching story that made Naruto feel twinges of sympathy for the Hyūga member but he still couldn't excuse the unwarranted hatred he held towards Hinata.
"It's a sad story Neji… it really is but the only thing that I can take away from all of that is your twisted and misguided views on what happened that day and the years to follow." Naruto spoke as he formed and theory in his head. "You're projecting your trauma from back then onto your ideologies now. You have this obsession with fate when in reality it was just a shame that your father was born second. It was the death of your father and the circumstances that followed that twisted you into the person you are today and made you so skilled and strong. There's no guarantee that if you were born into the main house hold you would be as strong as you are now. Fate can't decide that for you. You despise those who you view as weak and who try to improve themselves when in reality your jealous of them for having the strength to try when you yourself feel you do not." Naruto spoke his mind as he saw the pain and anguish cross Neji's face.
He broke him. He tore down all of Neji's emotional barriers and hit him at the heart of the problem. It was the biggest bitter pill Neji's ever had to swallow but now it was staring him straight in the face. "You… you… bastard! How dare you! You know nothing about me! You know nothing at all! How can you presume to know how I felt as a child!?"! Neji raged as his body shook from the pain he was feeling in his heart. If he were any other person he'd be reduced to tears by now but Neji was holding on for what it's worth.
Naruto smiled a small sympathetic smile as he felt some of the anger and resentment he was feeling for Neji wash away with the state the boy was in now. "Let's just say I'm great with children." Naruto hinted cheekily as he powered up his chakra again. Neji forced his emotions back in check as he surged his chakra throughout his body.
Both young Genin took off across the field in a dead sprint as they approached each other within the blink of an eye. Neji was the first to strike as he sent a powerful palm thrust forward at Naruto who anticipated this predictable attack from a Hyūga. He had an answer to this act of aggression as his chakra flared. "Tempest Turn!" Naruto shot off his new clone to intercept the incoming attack that worked like a charm as Naruto was able to outmaneuver Neji and flank him to his back.
Neji was getting serious now as he simultaneously struck the clone and Naruto at the same time dispelling the clone in a burst of energy and sending Naruto flying. "I'm not done yet." Naruto growled as he slid across the ground to gain back his traction. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Nearly four dozen clones spawned onto the field which shocked Neji as he's never seen so many clones before. He tensed as he rigidly slipped into the Hyūga's famous Taijutsu style. He had his work cut out for him.
'So many clones… how does he have so much chakra to be throwing around?' Neji raged in his mind as the army of clones swarmed him in seconds. The boy wasn't a prodigy of the Hyūga clan for nothing though. He began displaying a masterful showing of Taijutsu as he tore through the army of clones who were throwing everything they had at him which in the end wasn't enough as Neji was systematically decimating the clone army who could do nothing but rush to their deaths.
"This is getting insane." Ino whispered as she saw how hectic the fight was become. They were throwing everything they had at each other and then some. "I wonder how long Naruto can keep this up." Shoko whispered as she unlike the majority of the crowd watching could see the strain on Naruto was inflicting on his body. He's used up a tone of chakra since the fight began and using his High-End Skills was draining him of his monstrous chakra reserves. Especially his brand-new Tempest Turn technique. It was a fresh technique that he just finished learning, but he hasn't mastered it yet. He was wasting chakra with it and the many other intense techniques he's been using. Neji wasn't much better off but he's limited in the amount of techniques he could use to begin with.
'The real one is hanging back because of this.' Shoko noted as she saw a small group of Naruto's hanging back from the main group that was engaging Neji and losing. It wasn't the most noticeable thing in the world but to a trained and veteran shinobi like her this was as plain as day. Naruto was slowly but surely starting to feel the strain on his system. 'Please be alright Naruto…' Hinata prayed as she had her hands pressed together tightly. She was the most familiar with Naruto's fighting style and mannerisms so even she could tell that the real one wasn't among the group of clones attacking her cousin. Hinata just got done explaining to those surrounding her what happened in her childhood as Neji spoke about it and because of that it dragged up a lot of unpleasant memories from her past. This match was starting to become too much for her.
'That's the real one… the one hanging back.' Neji spotted as he broke free of the crowd of clones and shot straight at the real Naruto whose eyes widened in surprise. 'I've got to defend myself.' Naruto thought as he clapped his hands together in his signature style for his Ice techniques. "Ice Style: Sticky Ball Jutsu!" Naruto's body immediately became shrouded in a layer of frost that had sharp spikes jutting out from the surface of his skin. He looked like a porcupine or a human sized mace. "Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow!" Naruto's defenses weren't up to par as Neji completely shattered the impromptu defense Naruto tried to muster. Naruto flew back with a grunt of pain as his few remaining clones moved in to intercept Neji who was ferociously pressing his attack.
Naruto only had four clones left after Neji tore through his army of shadow clones and now they were rushing to help the original. Naruto groaned in pain as he jumped out of the way of Neji's latest attack which was right on time as Naruto's clones formed a perimeter around him cutting off any chance of escape. "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" All four Naruto's shouted as they spewed forth gallons upon gallons of water that formed into massive walls around Neji. He was completely surrounded and seconds away from being submerged in crushing waves of water.
'I'm completely cut off on all sides. I have no choice but to use it now.' Neji realized as he flared his chakra out for all to see. Naruto could sense this spike in chakra as well as see it through the water and his eye widened in disbelieve at what happened next. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation!" Neji pivoted on his dominant foot and began to spin at dizzying speeds until he was an unrecognizable blur. The massive cloud of chakra that he was expelling from his body began to rotate with him until it too was spinning at mind numbing speeds. Once he got going the shell of chakra turned into a dense sphere of spinning chakra that was kicking up dirt and harsh winds all around it. In seconds, the towering walls of water slammed down onto Neji with a thunderous crash but to Naruto's and everyone else's shock the defensive barrier held up perfectly fine and soon enough the water itself was spinning alongside Neji's shield which was blowing back the excess amounts of water flooding in. Naruto's attack was completely blocked.
"That's the Rotation… how could he have learned it?!" Hiashi exclaimed in a voice of controlled shock, it was more like disbelieve than anything else. The look in his eyes were of disbelieve and a little hint of pride. His nephew learned this technique all on his own. It was highly impressive. "Father… I thought only main branch members could learn this technique?" Hanabi asked as she turned to Hiashi to see the look of discomposure on the normally stoic man. "It is Hanabi… but somehow your cousin has learned this technique all on his own." Hiashi noted as he couldn't take his eyes off of the match before him. "To think a young man of that age could master one of your clans most secret techniques… it's a showing of talent that should be rewarded Hiashi. It's only a shame his anger and resentment was the fuel he used to learn it." Shoko said in a troubled voice as she gazed at her old friend. Hiashi himself had no comment to this as he frowned in regret.
'Neji… is that how you managed to avoid the last attack I gave you in our fight. The floor was dug out in a smooth shape. You used the rotation at the very last second.' Hinata realized as she gazed down at the battle with worry reflecting deep in her lavender colored eyes.
'I need to do something to get through this shield. This must be the secret technique of the Hyūga clan Hinata told me about years ago. The one she said she couldn't master.' Naruto thought as he surged more chakra through his body. He winced a bit in discomfort as he noted he was starting to run low on chakra. His new Tempest Turn technique was still too new to be used in combat and he was abusing it a lot during this fight. The chakra requirements and skills needed to perform it were starting to reflect on his stamina and energy.
"Break through!" Naruto shouted to his clones as they switched tactics. "Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!" The clones shouted as they depleted the remainder of their chakra to use one of Naruto's most favorite techniques. Thick trails of chakra shot off from the clone's feet that connected with the water still being deflected by Neji's defense. In an instant, the water turned to sharp jagged pillars of ice that smashed into Neji's chakra shield and even still it was proving to be ineffective as the sound of crushed ice could be heard in the stadium. Large chunks of ice were sent flying as Naruto's latest attack was repelled with little difficulty whatsoever. It looked like it was an ultimate defense.
"It's no use in trying to break this technique. It's the ultimate defense in the world." Neji bragged as he came out of his spin with a cocky look in his eyes. A perfectly dug out groove was in the ground around him as slushy water and ice could be seen at its edge pooling around the circumference of this new hole. There wasn't a scratch on Neji from any of Naruto's attacks and this caused a frown of anger to wash over Naruto's face as he tensed his body. "We'll see about that!" Naruto challenged as he took off yet again in a dead sprint for Neji who had an arrogant smirk on his face. He seemed to have restored some of his composure and confidence by unleashing this technique. It was his pride and joy.
Launching several volleys of ice kunai and shuriken Naruto watched as Neji once again activated his rotation. His projectiles were predictably deflected which Naruto was betting on who was already in the air from a brief burst of his Accel Turn. Positioning himself right above Neji's shield Naruto dove down while coating his fist in a dense layer of his Yōki rich chakra. "Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu!" Naruto roared as he slammed his fist into the top of the rotating sphere of chakra and a massive growth of ice sprung to life in an explosion of chakra that rippled across the field in shockwaves. 'There they go again with these crazy moves.' Genma thought to himself in exasperation as he braced himself a bit to withstand the pressure of the shockwaves coming straight at him. These two Genin were tearing the place apart.
Neji's rotation was holding up against one of Naruto's more stronger attacks but the blond-haired mafia agent noticed a dip in the speed of the chakra sphere. His attacks were having an effect on Neji's so called ultimate defense. "Tempest Turn!" Naruto shouted as he launched up to four of his special clones at Neji's shield. The translucent clones suicide dived at the rotating chakra sphere and exploded in burst of kinetic energy that did manage to destabilize Neji's balance. But it would do very little as Neji was prepared once he saw Naruto land roughly on the ground. Chakra exhaustion was right around the corner for the Uzumaki which is an ironically statement if he knew his heritage but the fact remained Naruto used a lot of chakra during this fight and now it was starting to catch up with him.
"You're within my field of deviation." Neji declared as he switched up the fighting stance he was in. It was very bold and imposing as he zeroed in on Naruto who was trying to get to his feet. "That stance! It can't be… first the Rotation and now this!" Hiashi exclaimed as he nearly jumped to his feet in shock. This was too much for him to take.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji roared to the heavens as he charged Naruto before he could even blink with a burst of speed he didn't think Neji had in him. Naruto's body felt like it was lit of fire as Neji rained blow after blow across his body while chanting the number of palms he was using in the technique. It was like sharp needles piecing his chakra points as he felt them forcibly shut down all across his body. Naruto's body convulsed in pain as Neji pounded a total of sixty four of his 361 chakra points closed.
Naruto's body went limp as he collapsed to the floor like dead weight. He couldn't even move a muscle and his entire body was growing numb and paralyzed by the pain he was feeling. It was unlike anything he's ever felt before. Never before when he's sparred with Hinata has he ever felt the same amount of pain that he was currently in right now. It was unbearable and agonizing.
"NARUTO!" Hinata screamed as she and everyone else in their group were wide eyed and slack jawed at the devastating move Naruto just suffered through. They couldn't believe it. It was a rare sight for any of them to see Naruto so beaten before but this was one of those times when they would have to accept it. "Naruto…" Shoko whispered in concern as she accidentally broke the armrest to her chair because she was gripping it too hard. Her heart was racing as she felt the urge to hop the railings and check on her partner but she was trying her best to hold herself back. Balalaika had a minute frown on her face as she gazed down at Naruto with barely concealed intense curiosity. Her look said it all. Her eyes were willing Naruto to stand back up and she wouldn't take no for an answer. It was only because of her intense focus on Naruto's current condition that was preventing the powerful woman from outright killing the snobbish man next to her who was now bragging and boasting in naïve arrogance.
Iris was dead silent as a tense look was in her eyes. Her whole body was coiled and stiff as she bit her lower lip. Her father was laid out on the ground from one of the most devastating techniques in the entire world. Very few people in the world could survive being hit with this powerful technique. Chaos's eyes were red right now as her scanners analyzed Naruto's body in a heartbeat. A giggle escaped her lips as she saw the state her father was in… it was a weak and faint giggle that was completely different from her normal ones. The tiny terror was worried.
Hinata's heart chose this moment to give out as she just couldn't take the scene of Naruto incapacitated on the ground. The Sixty-Four Palms technique can kill a person if targeted on the right areas of the body and Hinata had no doubt Neji didn't pull his strikes. The Hyūga heiress grabbed her chest in pain as she started coughing up blood.
"Hinata!" Henrietta cried out in alarm as she grabbed Hinata's convulsing form and tried to stabilize her. The rest of her friends reacted in concern to this as Shoko snapped out of her concerned daze for Naruto and immediately attended to Hinata's declining health. "Hinata!" Hiashi was up in an instant and Hanabi wasn't far behind as they watched Shoko lay Hinata out on the floor in front of the seats. "Don't worry I got her, she'll be just fine." Shoko pacified to those around her as she immediately took charge of the situation. She went through a small chain of hand signs so fast that the others around her couldn't even see her hand movements anymore. "Iryōjutsu: Mystical Palms Jutsu." A glowing green hand was placed down on Hinata's chest and immediately color could be seen coming back to her face as her coughing fit died down. It was a close call but Shoko came through at the right time and now Hinata was going to pull through with no difficulties at all.
Iris who was sitting near Hinata was gazing at the sickly Hyūga with a passive gaze while a subtle frown marred her face. She didn't make a move to help as she knew Shoko would take care of Hinata but her mind was focused on more specific matters concerning the heiress. Her eyes were shaded green as she gazed at the indigo haired girl.
On the field Neji slowly made his way over to Naruto with a small limp in his step. Neji was tired and he didn't know how much more he could take if the battle were to continue. His chakra network burned from exhausting the use of his Gentle Fist Style that was so heavily reliant on expending chakra through the body as well as physical speed. He glared down at Naruto who was dry heaving and gasping for breath. Neji hit him several times in the chest and he could feel his lungs writhing in pain and suffering. This wasn't good. Naruto knew he was starting to near his limit and if he could get up he'd only be capable of fighting for a little while longer. His next set of actions were going to determine the outcome of this match and deep within Naruto's heart he knew he had to win.
"Do you see it now… this is your limit. This is the furthest reach of your destiny." Neji apathetically stated as his eyes bored a hole into Naruto's skull. A hint of his earlier emotional pain could be seen in eyes from when Naruto hinted at his insecurities. Naruto's eyes weren't as cold as they were before but he was glaring back as best as he could, it was hard to draw breath but he couldn't just accept Neji's words laying down. He didn't believe in being controlled by an all-powerful destiny and he most definitely did not believe in using such ideals as excuses for his failures.
"Proctor call the match!" Neji ordered as he deactivated his Byakugan. "My point stands… you're nothing but a failure." Neji sneered as he began to walk away. He was done with this whole ordeal. Naruto on the other hand wasn't. Neji didn't get far as Naruto slowly climbed to his feet with exertion clear on his face.
"Is that all you can say, if you believe in destiny so much then why are you the one walking away? You haven't beaten me yet." Naruto challenged as he watched Neji pause and turn around with a glare firmly set in place. "You got a few good shots in during this match and one big one just now. But do you honestly believe that's enough to put me away for good? Is that the extent of your destiny?" Naruto probed maliciously as a look of anger stretched across Neji's face. Naruto was using his own words against him.
"Have you ever stopped to think and consider how Hinata must have felt in all of this. It's not her fault Lord Hiashi was born first and your father second." Naruto began but he was cut off by Neji whose anger was getting the best of him at this point. "Is that right! You have no idea what it's like to be branded with a mark that can never go away! A mark that defines you and sets you apart from those around you like a curse! You know nothing at all!" Neji yelled as he seethed in anger at Naruto's continued defiance of his words. He truly believed in what he was talking about and he wouldn't have Naruto's ignorance deter him from it.
"Hehehehe! Oh, I know about that alright. I know all about having a mark that sets you apart. So, what… big deal." Naruto callously said as he watched on as Neji was practically ready to explode. "After all your stupid talk about destiny for all these years I get the feeling you don't believe in it yourself. I thought it was your destiny to serve the main house, not try to kill it. Face, it Neji… you're suffering on the inside and you just want to finally be free of it. It's nothing to be ashamed of and quite frankly I can relate. You say this is as far as my destiny can take me… we'll… I'm going to prove you wrong and free you from your pain. In the end, I know that will give Hinata the closure she deserves." Naruto said as he placed his hands into the ram hand sign.
"Such nonsense… proctor this match is over. All sixty-four of his chakra points are blocked. If he comes at me again I won't be held responsible for his death." Neji said in an unstable tone as Naruto's words once again hit home. He would never admit that what Naruto was say was actually getting to his heart, the heart that he vowed to block away, and completely bury a long time ago. These were words no one has ever spoken to him, simply because no one's ever gone this far against him or for him. No one's ever cared this much for whatever their reasons may be and Neji didn't know quite how to handle it.
"Oh, don't right me off just yet! I've got a few tricks still left up my sleeves." Naruto countered as he saw Genma beginning to move. 'It feels like I don't have any chakra left and if that's the case my Yōki will be useless as well. I won't rely on Iris and Chaos's energy either. I think it's time I start using the power that was given to me at birth. One way or another I have to own up to the fact that I'm a Jinchūriki. If not, I may end up like Gaara.' Naruto thought to himself solemnly as he dug deep within himself and appeared before the Nine Tails seal.
"Alright fox, if you're awake right now… I need your strength." Naruto spoke as a low growl could be heard emanating from the darkness within the cage. A powerful and intimidating glowing red eye stared Naruto down who didn't flinch. The fox was smiling a malicious smile, Naruto could tell and the ominous red chakra associated with it was seeping through the bars. Naruto knew what was coming next and he was ready for it. Just this much of the fox's chakra was well within his ability to control and it was more than enough to beat Neji.
It was time to win.
"You have no more chakra left to use. This is hopeless." Neji dissuaded with a shake of his head. He thought this was foolish. No one can mold chakra after having sixty-four of their chakra points blocked. It's never been done. "Is that so… didn't I just tell you that I have a few more tricks up my sleeves?" Naruto taunted as he concentrated as hard as he could. 'This is going to hurt a bit.' Naruto thought as the nine tails chakra started to forcibly reopen all of his blocked chakra points. It was a painful process but it had to be done.
"I'm only going to ask you this one last time. Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?" Neji asked as he watched on as Naruto seemingly appeared to be struggling with molding his chakra. Naruto smirked as the last of his chakra points were reopened. He started directly into Neji's eyes, all the way down to his soul. "Because you called us failures… I'll prove you wrong." Naruto relied with all the confidence in the world as he made direct reference to him and Hinata. Regardless of all of his personal stakes and grievances against Neji, at the end of the day he was still doing this for Hinata's sake.
Neji on instinct alone snapped on his Byakugan in retaliation to Naruto's statement and he was just in time too as a fountain of chakra exploded from Naruto's body shocking everyone in the stadium as they didn't think he had any left in him. Copious amounts of red sinister chakra were swirling around in the air creating gale force winds that nearly blew Neji off his feet. The sudden release of this volatile chakra blew Naruto's vest off exposing his shirt underneath as well as kicking up tons of dirt.
Nine thick bands of chakra flowed around Naruto causing alarm and panic to spread throughout the crowd as nervous filled whispers rippled throughout the stadium. "The Nine Tails Chakra." Hiruzen whispered as he stared in surprise at his surrogate grandson. He wasn't expecting Naruto to have such control over its power. 'This is the Tailed Beast Initial Release Form. Naruto's gained mastery over it?' Shoko thought as she wasn't fully aware Naruto could control this much of its chakra. "Is this like what happened back in the Forest of Death?" Ino asked in fright as everyone in the stadium could feel the dense and slightly oppressive chakra baring down on their shoulders.
"What happened in the Forest of Death?" Shoko asked in morbid curiosity as she was able to pick up on what the blonde Yamanaka Heiress had to say. It caught her attention immediately as she thought back to what Naruto told her of his experiences in the forest. All he said was that he lost control but he never went into deep detail about what happened. He glossed over that whole ordeal.
"I… uh…" Ino stuttered as she didn't know what to say. She's never spoken to Shoko before so she had no idea how to interact with the woman and when you add on the fact she was generally uneasy about what she saw back in the forest it made it extremely hard for Ino to even speak. "Ms. Shoko it's kind of a long story." Hinata spoke softly as her voice was horse and straining from the lapse in health she endured a few minutes prior. "Tell me." The purple haired woman said in a serious tone as she did not like the fact her partner hid something from her. They would be having a talk about this later.
While everyone else was either shocked or amazed by this bizarre phenomenon happening down on the field only one person had a different reaction. To no one's surprise it was Balalaika. Her eyes were wide open and showed true giddiness as she slightly shook in her seat. 'There's no doubt about it. This chakra. It's the Nine Tails Chakra. He has access to its power.' Balalaika grinned as she could barely contain excitement and joy. 'It's just like Kushina.'
While this was going on the stadium itself was experiencing a change in weather. Dark storm clouds rolled in without warning darkening the sky and dropping a blanket of snow onto the surrounding area. The nine bands of energy surrounded Naruto in a sphere before dissipating into a flickering aura of red chakra that clung to his form like a second skin. Naruto could feel an immediate difference in strength when comparing this dosage of chakra to the other times he's called upon the Nine Tails Chakra. This felt more focused and controlled as well as more potent. All the other times it was wild and uncontrollable.
'This power is stronger than the other times before… I like it.' Naruto thought as a smirk came to his face as all his injuries healed themselves on his skin. He knew that if he pumped a little more energy out his eyes and facial features would change to be more reminiscent of the Nine Tails but Naruto thought that was unnecessary. This was enough.
'Is this even chakra? What is he?' Neji thought as he felt snow dropping down onto his head. It was black instead of the ordinary white color it was supposed to take and it even burned a little. Nothing was natural about this energy flickering around Naruto's body.
"Here I come!" Naruto shouted as he simply disappeared from his spot as if he wasn't there to begin with. It took Neji nearly 10 seconds to register in his mind that Naruto was no longer in front of him, the blond was just that fast. With his Byakugan Neji was able to see that Naruto was up in the air behind him to his 7'o clock position. Three shuriken made of ice were in his hands and in seconds Naruto threw them at Neji far faster than he ever thought possible. The Hyūga felt his muscles strain as he ripped his body into depth defying spins that would leave anyone dizzy.
"Rotation!"
The shuriken predictably bounced off the rotation chakra shield and in seconds Neji plucked the three throwing stars out of the air with nimble fingers before reaching into his utility pouch to pull out three of his own. "Take this!" Neji yelled as he threw all six shuriken back at Naruto who disappeared in the blink of an eye. "What?" Neji was having difficulty keeping up with this new speed of Naruto's which was even faster and instantaneous than his Acceleration Technique.
'I can't keep up with his speed!' Neji panicked in his mind as he felt his body move without his brain even being consciously aware of it. He just dodged a high-speed fist from Naruto on instinct alone which was the right thing to do as Neji could feel the energy ripple off of the punch. Naruto could tell that Neji was becoming overwhelmed and that was working right to his favor as he rapidly fluctuated his chakra to add on his High-End Skills. "Accel Punch!" Naruto was as quick as lightning in his attacks as he threw the kinetic punch forward with the intention of slamming it directly into Neji's chest but the skilled boy at the very last second managed to deflect Naruto's punch off course forcing it to release its stored-up energy harmlessly into the air. While initially annoyed by this, Naruto didn't wait even one second to have a comeback to this attack. Taking his other hand in the blink of any eye Naruto charged up another potent punch filled with kinetic energy that he instead slammed directly into the ground near Neji's feet kicking up large slabs of earth and debris that obscured Neji's view of the blond-haired mafia agent who transitioned into his next attack.
"Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as large spiky pillars of ice ripped through to the surface of the ground that was not the normal clear color. This ice was amethyst colored and was moving faster than the normal technique. Neji noticed this too as he strained his burning chakra network to gather chakra to his palms. Throwing his palm strike forward Neji roared to the heavens themselves as he blew apart the encroaching ice caps coming at him. Naruto blazed out of the debris field in the blink of an eye and engaged Neji at close range with ice kunai in hand. Neji returned this favor as it became a close quarters knife battle that was an intricate battle of death that enthralled the audience who were on the edge of their seats with the many close calls that were going on between the two and the knifes that were coming within inches of stabbing each other.
Ducking under a knife strike by Neji Naruto spun his hip around and judo tossed Neji over his shoulder before he could stab him again. Slamming the boy to the ground Naruto flipped his knife around and tried to stab the Hyūga while he was on his back but the brown-haired boy was having none of it. "Substitution Jutsu!" It was a snap decision by Neji that once again saved his life as he substituted with a large slab of upturned earth behind Naruto. The boy wouldn't even have a chance to do anything as Naruto's reflexes were at an all-time high right now. A trail of ice escaped Naruto's foot as Neji tried to approach him from behind. "Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!" Amethyst colored ice broke through the surface of the ground right below Neji's feet that started to encroach on his body with its frigid cold aura.
Neji was already use to Naruto's Kekkei Genkai and so he didn't even bat an eyelash at fracturing the icecaps that were threatening to seal him away. He used a semi Rotation to blow the ice away and free himself from his captivity which was a move Naruto could appreciate but not in the context of this battle. Both boys stared each other down as they would hate to admit it but a begrudging amount of respect was forming between them in the midst of this battle. No fellow Shinobi has ever kept up with him when he uses the Nine Tails Chakra. But Neji was going toe to toe with Naruto and matching him in fighting prowess. Naruto wasn't conceited enough not to give Neji the credit he deserves. He was a powerful and talented fighter and for that he has his respect.
Breaking off both boys threw the kunai knifes at each other which collided in midair between them. Kicking off the ground at the same time both Genin grabbed their respective knifes out of the air and clashed at the apex of their jumps with a loud clang and visual metallic sparks flying between them. Landing on the ground both boys slide across the ground digging trenches into the ground with their feet to stop their momentum. They locked eyes once again as they knew they were reaching their limit. Naruto felt right at home right now. Snow was falling in the stadium and the temperature was cold and frigid, just the way he liked it. Neji was feeling the effects of this atmosphere as he was having a hard time not only seeing Naruto through the blanketing snow but also moving in this environment as he's never experienced fighting in the season of winter before. Most Shinobi of the Leaf haven't.
"This is it Neji… you feel it can't you… this match is coming to an end." Naruto panted as his stamina was slowly withering away. The Nine Tails power was intoxicating and rejuvenating to Naruto but it also diminished his stamina over time and makes him extremely tired.
"Yes… it is time to decide this match and once it's over our destinies will be determined." Neji said as he slipped into the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist for the last time. He was ready and Naruto was in full agreement. "Here I come!" Naruto roared as his chakra shroud flared to life for one last time as he took off at full speed across the arena. His feet were tearing the ground apart as Neji went to meet his charge. 'Everyone is given a destiny at birth and it is futile to fight against it.' Neji's words rung within Naruto's mind as he felt the last traces of anger he had towards Neji fade away and be replaced with just raw determination. Determination to prove to the Hyūga boy that destiny isn't something that can shackle you down.
'Face, it Neji… you're suffering on the inside and you just want to finally be free of it. It's nothing to be ashamed of and quite frankly I can relate. You say this is as far as my destiny can take me… we'll… I'm going to prove you wrong and free you from your pain. In the end, I know that will give Hinata the closure she deserves.' Synonymously Naruto's words echoed in the back of Neji's mind as well as he felt the tiniest amount of tear droplets gathering in his eyes. Never before has anyone pushed his ideals this far. He was at an emotional crossroads within his life and he didn't know which direction he was going to take. The only thing that he was certain of was that Naruto Uzumaki has changed his life.
"Even us failures can stand tall Neji! If you feel like you're a bird trapped within a cage then let me bust it down! Put your faith in me once I become Hokage and put your faith in Hinata once she becomes Head of the Clan. We'll change the way of the Hyūga Clan with you by our side!" Naruto roared as he clenched his fist back with his kunai in hand.
Neji hesitated at the last second due to this as he felt a pang of anguish assault his heart in the heat of battle. Naruto's words meant a lot. Even if he didn't want to admit it. 'I don't want to lose… I can't…' Neji protested in his mind but this defiance was so much weaker than it originally was at the start of the match. His spirit was changing. Naruto threw his fist forward with all his might as he roared to the heavens. Neji wasn't far behind as he spun the fastest he's ever gone.
"Vermillion Accel Punch!"
"Rotation!"
Red vs. Blue. Red meets Blue. The symbolism was there as the two boys collided in a titanic final clash that shook the very foundation of the stadium itself. People felt a jarring force rippled through the stadium and the seats itself as a massive explosion engulfed the battle field in pitch black smoke and dust. Gale force winds ripped through the coliseum and out into the surrounding area which served to scare away many of the birds and wildlife that live in the dense forests that intermingle throughout the village.
It took nearly a full minute for the tremors to stop and for the land to settle but when it did a large crater was in the middle of the arena with two smaller man sized and shaped holes on opposite ends of the destroyed earth. 'These kids aren't human… I'm convinced of that fact now.' Genma thought with a sweat drop on the back of his head as he had to shield his eyes from the copious amounts of dust and dirt flying around.
The special Jōnin was hesitant in his movements as he approached the edge of the crater the two powerful Genin created as his eyes swept the area looking for any signs of life. He knew the match was over by now and now he was just looking to see who was left in a condition to properly continue.
"What happened? Who won?" This was the thought that was running rampant throughout the entire stadium as every single spectator in attendance were on the edge of seats with anticipation coursing through their veins. The whole audience were silent as the dust settled for everyone to see the outcome.
A hand. A hand could be seen breaking through the surface of the ground where the smaller man-sized hole could be seen. For the moment, it was indistinguishable from any of the two fighters but soon enough the rest of the body emerged and to the shock of the crowd Neji was the one to emerge from his earthly imprisonment. Copious amounts of dust and dirt were caked up on his clothes and skin and more scrapes and bruises than the eye could see littered his body from head to toe.
Neji coughed up blood and spit as he sucked in deep pockets of air to rejuvenate his aching lungs as he walked across the expansive crater to Naruto's hole with a very noticeable limp in his gate. He could barely walk and he was out of chakra as evident by the fact his Byakugan was deactivated. "Neji won…?" Kiba whispered in disbelieve as he turned to look at Hinata and the look on her face said it all. She was devastated and hurt. "Naru…" Eva murmured in fright as she gripped Hinata's hair in apprehension. She was frightened and nervous of her other half's potential condition. He could be critically hurt.
Naruto's defenseless and still form could be seen in the spread-eagle position within his own hole. He wasn't moving a muscle and it looked as if he were unconscious. "In the end… this is the limit of your destiny. It's impossible to truly be free of our fate. This match is over Naruto Uzumaki." Neji wheezed as he held his ribs in pain. It was a shame that his Byakugan wasn't on or else he could have foreseen what was to come. A small tremor was the only warning and indicator Neji would have before his entire world was rocked by a devastating uppercut that came from underneath the ground. Naruto's fist slammed into Neji's jaw with such force that the teenage Hyūga flew nearly 10 feet in the air before limply falling to the ground a few feet away in ragdoll like heap.
The entire coliseum was stunned into shocked silence as Neji didn't move a muscle after going down. Naruto was standing tall towering above him and Neji was down for the count. Naruto was in just as bad of a condition as Neji with notable injuries around his hands where it was evident he dug a hole underneath the ground with his bare hands. "I can't move." Neji groaned as his entire body was paralyzed from the skull rattling shot to the jaw. The fact he was even conscious was a feat in and of itself.
'He used his clone like bait to lure in his enemy for a final trap. Even during the hectic commotion of their final clash and being drilled into ground, he never stopped planning a head for his next move. He held absolute confidence in his abilities and his tactics and never wavered once. He instinctively knows what the power of believing in himself can achieve. In my books, he's deserving of a promotion to Chūnin. If that's not the qualities needed for one then I don't know what is. On top of the he has one hell of a left hook.' Genma noted with a grin on his face as he nodded to Naruto in a newfound bout of respect.
"It looks like this is it." Naruto huffed in excruciating exertion as he stood above his fallen opponent. "I started out with nothing… I'm an orphan with no real blood family of my own. I struggled just to find scraps of food to eat since the orphanage I lived in didn't want to serve or take care of my basic needs. One day on my fourth birthday I suffered a terrible tragedy that left me near death and the very first person I could call friend dead. By all rights I shouldn't be alive today but I met my other half. My partner. The little Fairy you had a run in with. She saved my life and gave me the spark of hope that I could have a family. After her I met the second person I could call friend and the one who's been with me ever since. It was Hinata. Those two combined along with many others gave me hope that I could have a family. The one dream that I have that's more important to me than becoming Hokage and being accepted by our village is to have a family. With them by my side I'm well on my way to completing that dream. I started out with nothing but through my hard work and determination I was able to forge bonds and grow stronger than I ever would have thought possible. They make me as strong as I am today Neji. If a so-called failure like me can grow to be so strong than certainly a genius like you with an entire clan at his side should be well ahead of me." Naruto said in the most heartfelt tone imaginable as he reached out with his hand for Neji to take it.
Every shinobi in the crowd felt a pang of sympathy in their hearts for Naruto as they were able to hear what he was saying. They were moved by his powerful words and slowly but surely their opinions of him were changing. This epiphany was slowly being shared with the rest of the crowd as the word was spread to those who couldn't hear what was being said between the two Genin.
That was the final straw. Neji couldn't take it anymore as he started to cry. Tears of pain, anguish, and relief were pouring out of his eyes as he took Naruto's hand and clasped it tightly. The crowd erupted into a thunderous applause as everyone could feel the raw and untapped emotions flowing off of the two fighters. It was too much for them to take. Naruto in one swift movement pulled Neji to his feet and embraced him in a tight hug to keep the boy from collapsing. He didn't resist as he weakly encircled his arms around Naruto's shoulders in return.
The crowd grew louder at this gesture as every other sound within the stadium was drowned out by the chorus of clapping and cheering from the hundreds of people in attendance. If it were possible for the crowd to become even louder than they already were then they would be soon as Genma chose this moment to announce the winner.
"The winner for the First Round - First Match of the Chūnin Exam's Third Phase is Naruto Uzumaki!" The crowed lost their minds at this as chants of Naruto's name could heard running rampant for all to hear. A medical team could be seen rushing out onto the field to tend to Neji and Naruto in an act of further sportsmanship picked Neji up and gently placed him down onto the stretch the medics had with them. "I don't see any more hatred in your eyes. You came into this match hating me." Neji commented idly as he looked into Naruto's eye and didn't see an ounce of resentment or hatred anywhere. Naruto smiled a small smile as he gave Neji a response. "The same could be said for you. I told you I'd free you of your destiny. It wasn't my destiny to hate you for the rest of my life. People are always changing and improving themselves Neji and now that you're free of your own chains you can experience this too." Naruto said as he watched more tears fall out of Neji's eyes.
"You and Hinata should be able to move on from this now. You can be a real family again and experience the same power that I feel every day. You can do it and the next time we fight… we can fight not only as friends… but as… Shinobi of the Leaf." Naruto said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his headband. He tied it securely around his head for the whole world to see which caused the crowd to go to the next level of insanity with their cheering. "I'd like that a lot. Thank you, Naruto Uzumaki." Neji said softly as he was carried away by the medics to be treated. The last thing he saw was Naruto's small smile staring back at him.
Eva and everyone else were screaming their heads off in cheering for Naruto as Hinata was reduced to tears at Naruto's actions. He had done it. He kept his promise to her. Shoko had small tears in her eyes as she clapped as hard as she could. 'That's my baby boy. Kushina… Minato… are you watching? Can you see your son now? Can you see what he's done.?' Shoko thought to herself in tears of pride and joy. She was over the moon with her happiness right now. "Well I'll be damned. That Uzumaki kid is fantastic. I like him." Kurotsuchi said as her eyes zeroed in on Naruto and his Tattoo of the Jasmine Dragon Mafia. A grin was on her face as she trailed her eyes up and down his muscular form. She liked what she saw. Samui had a cool expression on her face but you can tell she was staring at Naruto with a lot more intensity than what was needed.
Two people were also in the audience that no one took notice of before. It was Fū and Karin. They were sitting next to each other and were clapping just as hard as everyone else. They were highly impressed with what they just witnessed and the looks in their eyes didn't need to be explained at all. They wanted to talk to him.
Chaos and Iris were cheering as loud as they could but because of the fact everyone was distracted by the spectacle going on in front of them no one noticed how Iris's eyes were a vibrant emerald green instead of blue. Lady Sōkyoku was the one clapping for Naruto.
'He has it… it's him. I've found what I've been looking for all this time. Kushina… your son has it.' Balalaika thought to herself as she laughed a genuine laugh of happiness and joy. The only thing that brought her mood up ever further was the fact she watched as the rich noble next to her emptied out his pockets in shame. This was a great day for the Kingpin of the Hidden Stone.
'I sense a promotion in your future Naruto. Well done my boy.' Hiruzen thought with a pleasant smile that dimmed a bit as he caught the unhealthy gaze of curiosity coming from the Fourth Kazekage next to him. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed in suspicion at this but he'd let it go… for now.
Hiashi saw all that he needed to. The patriarch of the Hyūga clan rose from his chair with a purpose etched into his heart. Hanabi turned to her father with a questioning gaze in her eyes. "Father… where are you going?" The little girl asked. "To do something I should have done a long time ago Hanabi." Hiashi stated with unreadable emotions in his voice as he watched Neji get taken off the field. His gaze lingered for just long enough to catch Naruto's actions. The Uzumaki looked up into the stands and directly into Hinata's eyes. The look in his eyes held intense emotions of passion, love, respect, and devotion. Much more than what a simple friend should have for another and Hiashi could see the same reflected in his daughter's eyes who was crying tears of joy with her hands placed over her heart. A permanent blush was on her face as she gazed down at her closest friend with an intensity that he hasn't seen since his wife was alive. Naruto rose one single hand up into the air and gave Hinata the thumbs up. This wasn't just his win… this was theirs… this was for her.
Hiashi cracked a smile as he caught the look in Shoko's eyes who was looking at him in amusement. "I expect for you to bring that boy over for dinner after the exams… we have much to discuss." Hiashi said in passing as he walked pass Shoko who started to chuckle. Hiashi would bide his time patiently… for now he'd let Naruto have his moment with his daughter.
He deserved it after all.
Because Naruto Uzumaki won.
Jutsu Library
1.) Double Acceleration - The first variant of Accelerating Turn that works the same way as the original. The user stores up kinetic energy in their body but the difference is at this point. The user separates the built-up energy into two separate pockets surrounded by a shell of the user's internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), the two bubbles of kinetic energy is pressed up against each other and concentrated at the user's feet creating which in turn creates tremendous amounts of pressure on the body. Once released the added pressure results in a massive shockwave of kinetic energy that propels the user forwards at incredible speeds. The user then releases the second and final bubble of kinetic energy after the first gets depleted allowing them to speed back up again. Because of this there is a brief amount of lag in between each jump but the lag spike is so short that only experienced fighters would be able to notice or counter it.
2.) Tempest Turn - Tempest Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then giving form to that energy using their internal energy and shooting it out of their body. With this technique that is unique to only Naruto he can create multiple afterimages of himself that function similarly to Shadow Clones. However, they cannot interact with their environment like normal Shadow Clones. They are literally made up of the energy cloak Naruto creates whenever he activates his Accel Turn. The after images energy wise are indistinguishable from their creator but visually they have a light blue glow to them. The copies have a sizable speed advantage but they are not moving at the same speed as when Naruto uses Acceleration. Also, the copies take up so much energy that Naruto can only create up to four copies with this move. Also, while using this move to its fullest Naruto is unable to use Acceleration because all of it is being used to maintain Tempest Turn.
High End Skills - Naruto firmly believes that he can increase the speed of his Acceleration technique. He believes that he's only scratched the surface of the techniques power and speed. As such he has dedicated himself to coming up with variations of his original base technique Acceleration. The first branch will be a direct off shoot of the base technique and as such when using it he calls it Accel Turn. However, Naruto believes with some creativity and ingenuity as well as his stubbornness and drive he can create other branches that use variations of Acceleration. So with that in mind he decided to name this new branch of skills and potential skills under the banner of High End Skills because of the difficulty and skill needed to use them.
3.) Body Flicker Jutsu - A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.
4.) Kenjutsu: Arctic Blade Dance - Naruto's own version of Shoko's Hazard Blade Dance. By using his twin swords made of ice Naruto reenacts the same attack as Shoko but the difference is that crescent waves made of ice are launched from his swords with each swing and they will flash freeze anything they come in contact with.
5.) Wind Style: Stream Jutsu - By blowing air from their mouth, the user is able to change direction while in mid-air at high speeds. It may also be used to blow up a dust cloud, concealing one's location and movements. It can also be used to attack an opponent.
6.) Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu - A Jutsu that Naruto can use that allows him to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them.
7.) Wind Style: Hurricane Fist Jutsu - A low level Wind Style Jutsu that causes swirling winds to form around the user's fist. Although it is a Ninjutsu it is mostly used in Taijutsu combat to augment the users punching strength. The winds generated by the Jutsu are strong enough to launch opponents away and send them flying. The winds can also be concentrated in the user's hands to palm thrust opponents or to grip, catch, or push things away from the user.
8.) Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu - This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.
9.) Gentle Fist Art: Palm Heel Strike - This attack consists of a quick, precise thrust of the user's palm to an opponent's body. Like other Gentle Fist techniques, it sends chakra into the target to cause internal damage which will temporarily paralyze an opponent.
10.) Acceleration - Accelerating Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then releasing that kinetic energy through an opening in the shielding their internal energy is creating at the bottom of their feet allowing the user to reach and utilize explosive high-speed movements.
11.) Gentle Fist Art: Body Blow - A technique born from their innate ability to expel chakra from every Tenketsu on their body, a member of the Hyūga clan can hit their opponent with a blast of chakra that will send them flying away from the user. It was also shown that this technique can be used with pin-point accuracy to target the weak point of a technique.
12.) Accel Punch - The only known technique of Acceleration. By molding all of the chakra in the cloak to his fist Naruto can discharge a massive burst of both chakra and kinetic energy that can demolish at this point in time almost anything. However, at this attack can be canceled out by an attack of equal force of makeup.
13.) Shadow Clone Jutsu - A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones, the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones' entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the number of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.
14.) Ice Style: Sticky Ball Jutsu - A move that Naruto uses that allows him to generate spears and icicles of ice out of his body directly from his Chakra Points. He can use it to impale anything that is constricting him or tying him down. It cannot shoot out of his body however. It is limited to just jutting out of his body.
15.) Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu - This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth, and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.
16.) Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation - A secret taijutsu that is orally handed down only within the main house of the Hyūga clan. This technique utilises the chakra control gained through Gentle Fist training to release a huge amount of chakra from all the chakra points on the user's body. It is also a defensive manoeuvre to compensate for the Byakugan's blind spot as the released chakra blocks any possible attack on the user. After releasing chakra from every tenketsu in their body, the user then spins rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a rotating shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any nearby attackers. The user can also actively control the size and power of the sphere to suit the situation. The technique is also capable of reflecting an opponent's chakra against them. This technique is only effective when rotating, since the chakra itself is not enough to stop a physical attack thus if they cannot spin, the user becomes vulnerable. The chakra rotation can be disrupted by chakra threads, which slows down the user, binding and tangling them in the webbing for example, and ultimately forcing them to stop.
17.) Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu - A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work (Preferably by the feet) the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.
18.) Ice Style: Icicle Impact Jutsu - A Jutsu that Naruto developed that allows him to slam into an area and create a massive construct of ice that breaks apart and cuts deeply into anything in the surrounding area with millions of little icicle shards. It is an area effect Jutsu that covers large distances.
19.) Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms - The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms is a taijutsu that should only be passed down in the main house of the Hyūga clan. It is a manoeuvre of the Gentle Fist fighting style.[2] With the Byakugan's near 360° field of vision, the user envisions an Eight Trigrams circle. Then the enemy within this circle is hit with a series of violent blows. By striking sixty-four of the tenketsu throughout the opponent's Chakra Pathway System, their chakra flow is stopped, making them unable to even stand. Once someone is within range of the user's field of divination, the user assumes a Gentle Fist stance and begins to deliver the attack. Each set of strikes is done at an exponentially increasing pace and strength. The attack not only disables the enemy but also knocks them back with every set of strikes.
20.) Iryōjutsu: Mystical Palms Jutsu - This medical Ninjutsu allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chakra from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it very useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. It is vital to match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. This requires a great amount of chakra control, and because of this, only a few highly skilled medical-ninja are able to use this technique.
21.) Substitution Jutsu - One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.
22.) Vermillion Accel Punch - A special variation of Naruto's Acceleration Punch technique. While cloaked under the influence of the Nine Tails Chakra Naruto activates his Acceleration Punch to deliver a powerful punch that is enhanced to destructive levels that can clash evenly with powerful defensive techniques like the Eight Trigrams Rotation. The true power of the technique is unknown since Naruto called upon it in a situation of desperation.
Author's Note (A/N): I don't know about you guys but I think that this chapter turned out great. I created so much build up to this fight that I'm happy it paid off with the end result. Naruto has to watch out from now on since he's attracted the attention of many individuals. This is going to have a big impact on his future.
How does everyone like the resolution between Naruto and Neji. It started out with them coming into the fight hating each other and in the end they come out of it with a newfound notion of respect, understanding, and friendship. "Talk no Jutsu" for the win!
Last but certainly not least I want to thank my long time reader Yukicrewger2 for the great suggestion in having Naruto fight Neji in his mafia uniform. As Naruto explains in the chapter it sets an interesting precedent and opens up a new dynamic in Naruto and Neji's grudge against each other. Thank's for the great suggestions as always Yukicrewger2.
Next Chapter: Chapter 59 (A Leaf in the Wind)
That's the end of Chapter 58 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 10/12/2017
