Placement Exam: Second Round
The next match was between Usagi and Naruto, as Karasu had warned that his match with Sasuke would likely cause too much commotion to keep their exam under wraps. Tsunade watched as she treated Kiba's wounds from his match with Inu. Usagi felt like her heart would burst from how hard it was hammering. She was terrified that she would lose control over the Nine-tails fragment inside her while fighting against the actual Jinchuriki of the Nine-tails. It helped that Karasu was present, as she knew he was capable of entering her mindscape and subduing the Biju within. He gave her a reassuring smile when she looked at him nervously.
"If I may, Lord Hokage, there's something I should do for Usagi before the two of you begin," Karasu said to Naruto, who nodded his approval.
Karasu walked up to Usagi, bringing his right hand up. Usagi lifted her shirt up to her ribs as white flames appeared on each of his fingers. He gently pushed the flames into her abdomen, reminding Naruto of the Five-Pronged Seal that Orochimaru had used to limit his ability to use Kurama's chakra. In truth, it was a similar technique, though it was only meant to limit the Nine-tail's ability to influence Usagi's mind. She let out a moan as Karasu's fingers pressed against her flesh and the flames soaked into her skin, leaving no outward trace.
"Thank you," she whispered as Karasu pulled his hand away and she lowered her shirt.
"Don't worry, I'm right here if something goes wrong," he answered as he turned to walk back to stand beside Sasuke and the others.
"Ready?" Naruto asked her, to which she nodded and adopted a battle stance similar to Inu's.
Naruto decided to test her without Kurama's help as they started, as did Usagi. He was impressed with her basic Taijutsu skills, Usagi using a strange, but powerful, variation of Gentle Fist. She wasn't slamming chakra into his points with the precision of the Hyuga, but she was still pumping chakra into her hands with every strike. Naruto felt his arm go numb after she struck his bicep, sending him to his knees with a well-placed strike to his thigh. He drew power from Kurama and retaliated, going after her with a flurry of strikes. Usagi managed to dodge most of the hits, tapping into her own piece of Kurama to bolster her defensive abilities before shifting back to offense.
They continued to clash for several minutes, everyone watching with bated breath to see what the outcome would be. Red chakra began to bubble out from Usagi as the match continued, forming a shadow of the Nine-tails around her body. Her eyes became feral after being pushed back by a powerful strike dealt by Naruto. She struck his torso with a flurry of Gentle Fist attacks, the arms of her chakra shell seeming to lag behind as they remained in a ready position while she struck him with her bare hands. Naruto was sent sliding backwards under her onslaught, blocking what he could. The Nine-tail's chakra shell jumped into action as she finished her physical combo, striking with a speed that even Sasuke found difficult to follow.
Naruto was sent flying into one of the thick trees around them, the wood splintering loudly from the force of the impact. Usagi was waiting as his body fell to the ground, unleashing a savage flurry of strikes while focusing all of the red chakra around her into her fists. The technique reminded Tsunade of her own fighting style, no small feat on its own, but to use that style with the Nine-tail's chakra made it all the more impressive. Naruto was beginning to struggle under the flurry of blows, forcing him to fully draw on Kurama's power and enter his true Jinchuriki state.
The battle went more in his favor after that. Ultimately, Naruto's full power proved to be more than Usagi could handle. She refused to give up, though, not when she knew how important this exam was.
"That's enough!" Tsunade and Kakashi shouted as they saw Naruto preparing a Rasenshuriken, Karasu stepping in to stop Usagi as he noticed the Nine-tail's mind threatening to overthrow her own.
"You did great!" Naruto exclaimed as he approached Usagi, the praise making her cheeks flush with color.
"But I didn't win," she protested.
"Don't worry about that. Forcing me to use that much of Kurama's power is a victory in itself," he said excitedly.
"Thank you, Lord Seventh," she replied with a small bow and a smile.
"What was that technique you were preparing before Lady Fifth stopped the match?" Karasu asked, referring to Naruto's Rasenshuriken.
"Oh, that's my special Rasengan, called the Rasenshuriken," he replied proudly.
"It gives me an idea," Karasu said as he got ready for his match against his Uncle.