Gaara readied himself for a battle he is sure never to forget. This was not a battle to the death , this was a battle for the chuunin title and to who is the stronger between the two former Youkai containers. He closed his eyes letting the sand defenses immediately activate with a mental command.
Naruto watched Gaara activate all of his sand defenses. He quickly drew a deep breathe and performed one of his favorite jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" As five shadow clones appeared right beside the real Naruto each held a black rose. Naruto gave Gaara a small smile as he charged forward followed by the 5 clones. They held the roses high up in the air then swung them in a vertical arc as the rose quickly transformed into the rose whip.
Naruto and his clones surrounded Gaara who had begun to perform sets fo handseals after set of handseals. "Fuuton:Yaiba no Suna Kaze[Wind Element: Balde of Sand and Wind" Gaara said as the wind gathered in his arm and created a sort of blade combined with sand and wind. Naruto quickly used his whip to attack Gaara from every direction. The shield of sand quickly went into Gaara's defense , making it hard for Naruto to actually hit him.
Gaara decided it would be good to be on the offensive rather than defensive so he immediately jumped forward swinging the blade in his hand. Naruto leaped backwards as a cut appeared on his shirt , bits and little grains of sand sticking to Naruto's shirt. Naruto cursed lightly but quickly looked backat Gaara who again attack with his blade.
Naruto flipped backwards to avoid Gaara's attack while he threw a few punches and kicks at Gaara.
Both skidded a few feet backwards , showing evidence of a hit from each other. On Naruto three more cuts were visible on his sleeveless shirt and 2 cut's on each arm. Gaara's shirt had rips on it while cuts and bruises can be seen on his left leg and right shoulder. Gaara smirked at Naruto which earned him a grin from the blonde teen.
"Let's stop playing around now" Naruto said as he quickly sli into the Uzumaki Combat Fighting stance.
Naruto bit into his right thumb and smeared blood on his left cheek. Gaara look a little puzzled at wha Naruto just did but completely ignored it as he himself crossed his arms and waited for the blond teen to attack. Naruto quickly race towards Gaara using his speed in hoping to get pass Gaara's defense. As Naruto closed in on him , Gaara quicly performed a single handseal. "Suna Bakuhatsu!" Gaara said with no emotion as his sand came to life and blew Naruto backwards.
Naruto shook his head in confusion. 'What the hell happend?/ One second he was closing in Gaara to punch him the next second he finds himself stuck up a tree. Naruto quickly got down the tree only to find Gaara standing beside him with a finished set of handseals. "Suna DangoDan[Sand Dumpling Bullet]" Gaara said as clumps of sand rose up from the ground and shot towards Naruto. Naruto quickly the rose whip close to him and begun swinging the whip wildly to deflect the sand clumps being shot at him.
Naruto quickly ran at Gaara, he then flipped forward using his hands to start spinning wildly. "Uzumaki Style Annihilating technique: The Chainsaw!" Naruto yelled as the spinning tornado that he turned into bagen to battle with Gaara's defenses. Gaara meanwhile took the oppoturnity to use his Suna Otori and sink into the ground. Naruto leaped out of the small tornado he created and shot forward towards Gaara.
Naruto threw a punch at Gaara who then crumbled into a pile of sand as the force of the punch cracked it open. 'Nani?' Naruto thought as he quickly closed his eyes and searched for Gaara thru the abilities that Kyuubi gave him. "Found you" Naruto said as he quickly plunged his whole arm into the ground. "Doton: Doryuuha[Earth Element: Earth Dragon Wave]" Naruto yelled as the ground erupted ejecting a very very confused Gaara and a large amount of earth following him.
Naruto quickly pulled out some shurikens and quickly threw it in the direction where Gaara flew. Without waiting for the projectiles to connect Naruto ran towards the wall at top speed. Quickly gathering chakra onto his feet , Naruto began to circle the large arena wall as he continued to run. His hand started to glow darkly as he continued to gather chakra in huge amounts.
Meanwhile Gaara stood in the middle to the arena , his hands were a blur as he worked to finish the long series of handseals for his jutsu to counter whatever Naruto might use on him. Naruto who in the mean time was watching Gaara'a action as his speed increase gradually, quickly used his real speed vanishing from everybodies sight. Gaara saw what Naruto did and immediately slammed his hand down on the ground and yelled out his jutsu for all to hear. "Absolute Offense: Avalanche of Shukaku!"
The sand around Gaara including the ground rose up into the air blue markings interwined with the sand as it continued to rise up into the sky. Naruto meanwhile leap into the air as the jutsu he was gonna do finished charging up. Naruto quickly positioned himself downward ,quickly descending down towards the calm Gaara.
Naruto shot downward like a peregrine falcon would come down from above to catch it's prey. Naruto already noticed that as he came down not far behind him was the huge sand avalanche that Gaara had created. Naruto quickly thought of the next move and smiled abit as he neared Gaara.
"FIST OF ABSOLUTE DARKNESS!!" Naruto roared as his fist connected with Gaara'a shield of sand then pass it and finally hitting Gaara's face. A huge crater formed as the sands crashed down on them. On the last second Gaara and Naruto were engulfed in a veil of darkness.
The crowds were holding their breathes in excitement waiting for both fighters to emerge. Finally the sounds of fist meeting each other was heard from up above. A veil of darkness immediately unwrapped itself revealing Naruto who quickly spun around and drove his knee into Gaara. Gaara quickly reovereed from the attack and commanded his sand to wrap around Naruto.
Seeing as there is no escape from Gaara's sand , Naruto quickly performed a series of handseals. "Katon: Goukayou no jutsu!" Naruto then blew out the large fireball at the approaching sand and Gaara. Both of them plummeted to the ground with loud crashes and a huge dust cloud enveloping the crater that then grew even larger due to the impact from both teens.
Naruto crawled out of the crater, his shirt completely torn apart from the impact of his fall. Gaara meanwhile slowly crawled out of the crater as well. Both of them still had a nice amount of chakra but their strengths and fatigue were getting to them. Gaara hadn't been able to get any sleep because of the excitement. Naruto meanwhile was just plain tired..He didn't get any sleep either.
"Tired?" Naruto asked calmly , his chest rising and falling while Gaara just nodded and slid into a loose fighting stance. "Let's finish this Gaara" Naruto said while he held his hand behind him. The Rasengan started to take form as Naruto continued to gather chakra into the spinning sphere in his hand. Gaara watched Naruto as the blond teen ran towards him at top speed. Not knowing what Naruto might do , Gaara created his absolute defense from the minerals and the sand on the very ground they were standing on.
"Saikou Zettai Bougyo · Shukaku no Tate [Absolute Highest Hardened Defense · Shield of Shukaku]" Gaara said as the fat body of a miniature Shukaku wearing a sand sakkat appeared before Gaara. Naruto just continued on and slammed his left fist into the shield. Gaara smirked as he felt the power of Naruto's punch from behind the shield. 'There was a lot of power in that punch. Good thing I used my shield' Gaara thought as he continued to hold the shield.
"RASENGAN!!" Naruto yelled as he rammed the spinning sphere into the shield. The rasengan, with a power of a thousand typhoons , began to eat away at the sand in the shield. Naruto gritted his teeth as he felt the burning pain as he continued to push the rasengan deeper into the shield. 'Even the strongest shields can be broken if you attack it's center' Naruto thought as the sand sprayed around him.
Naruto then used his other arm again to attack the Shield. "Berzerk Knuckle!" Dark blue energy covered his fist as he rammed it into the shield. Naruto felt the sands recolleting in the places where it was lost. Naruto closed his eyes and continued to pour on the power as the shield once again began to be destroyed. Gaara was starting to sweat from the way Naruto was attacking him. The shield suddenly exploded as Naruto's Rasengan and Berzerk Knuckle combination finally got thru Gaara's absolute defense.
Gaara quickly took a step back trying to hide his exhaustion from Naruto and the crowds. Most of his chakra including the demon chakra that he held was all used up. Naruto also had very little chakra left from his last attack. Both jutsus had taken much of his chakra and his exhaustion was getting to him. Naruto used all of his remaining strength to speed towards Gaara and punch him with the very very last of his strength. Gaara threw a punch as well at Naruto to try and even up the odds of him losing tha match. Hist fist connected with Naruto's face. Naruto's fist was still flying towards Gaara and connected.
Gaara unable to dodge the attack, flew backwards into the crater rolling to a stop at the center. Naruto was breathing rather hard from his exhaustion.
Aoba immediately announced Naruto as the winner who raised his hand in acknowledgement. The crowd roared in excitement and applauded Naruto's win.
Next Match: Konohamaru vs Hyuuga Hinata.
Hinata stood in the middle of the arena thinking about what to do against someone with a summon. Konohamaru meanwhile was abit nervous about fighting Hinata as well. Firstly Hinata was a Hyuuga meaning dangerous in hand to hand combat. Secondly She was Naruto-niisan's Girlfriend and if he beats her up too badly Naruto will beat him up or administer intense pain to him.
Naruto meanwhile just smiled from the observation booth while he rested to regain the lost chakra and strength for his next match to whoever won the next match. Tsunade and the Tsuchikage were watching the 2nd match of the 2nd round to see who wins the match.
Aoba started the match by leaping onto the arena wall and yelling "Match Begin." He didn't want to be caught in the fight of the two.
Konohamaru quickly went on the offensive , by advancing on Hinata with a fury of Kunais and Shurikens. Hinata quickly ducked low and moved her body fluidly trying to evade the projectiles. She also saw Konohamaru charging towards her with a chakra enhance fist. Hinata's Byakugan flared to life as she moved her hand to intercept the fist. Konohamaru quickly spun around ramming his other elbow towards Hinata's face.
Hinata brought her arm to block the attack and throw a punch of her own. Konohamaru also blocked the attack with his left arm while trying to land an attack on Hinata. Hinata easily evaded Konohamaru's attack and threw a few punches and kicks at Konohamaru.
Konohamaru leaped backwards knowing that if he kept on using Taijutsu alone he would eventually lose the match. He quickly performed a hand-stand and quickly spun his body around while arcing his legs in a sweeping motion[Think of Eddie from TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT] Hinata quickly jumped to avoid Konohamaru's sweep but she was unable to block Konohamaru's incoming second sweep which knocked Hinata backwards.
Konohamaru immediately leaped forward and quickly performed the hand seals for the jutsu. "Konoha Shuriken!" Konohamaru used his chakra to send the now sharpened leaves to fly towards Hinata. Hinta ameanwhile started to expel a large amount of chakra from all over her body. She waited for the leaves to come closer to her.
"HAKKESHOU KAITEN!" Hinata yelled as she started to spin like a top as her chakra deflected the leaf shurikens and created a small crater after stopping her spin. Hinata immediately charge forward at Konohamaru. The boy quickly was thrown into the defensive as he desperately moved backwards trying to evade Hinata's deadly strikes and chakra enhanced fist.
Konohamaru quickly leaped into the air his hands moved on their own as he completed a series of hand seals. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu[Water Element: Grand Waterfall Skill] Konohamaru wince in pain as he created the water form his chakra that immediately created a spiral as it shot towards Hinata. Hinata tried to defelct the water technique but the speed of the water was too much for her.
Hinata spat out water as she got up on trembling legs. Konohamaru meanwhile was tired from the huge chakra usage. Hinata quickly went back on the offensive as she aimed a palm strike towards Konohamaru's chest. Konohamaru meanwhile reach out using reflex alone and caught Hinata's hand. He quickly pushed Hinata back only to meet Hinata's heel which sent him flying backwards.
From the stands Hiashi watched his eldest daughter fight with pride and determination. His gaze immediately went towards the observation booth where Naruto was cheering on both fighters to give it their best. 'My daughter has gained her confidence because of Uzumaki Naruto' Hiashi thought as he returned his gaze on the Arena where Konohamaru and Hinata were on their last strengths.
Hinata knew that her only chance to win the fight was to use the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou on Konohamaru. Konohamaru meanwhile knew that the only way to win was try and knock Hinata out. Konohamaur took a deep breathe and began to quickly gather chakra into his fist. 'This is my only chance to have a battle with Naruto-niisan.' Konnohamaru thought as he felt the winds on his fist began to roar like a raging tornado.
Hinata quickly went into the stance for the jutsu he was about to perform. "You are within my field of Hakke!" Hinata announced as Konohamaru just lowered his gaze and charged forward surprising the Hyuuga Heiress in his boldness to take on the most devastating technique of the Hyuuga Clan head-on.
Hinata not wanting to disappoint her opponent quickly begun her attack. Konohamaru also ran with all of his remaining strength and chakra. Konohamaru reached Hinata first adn threw his desperate attack at the still advancing Hinata.
"KAISER KNUCKLE!" Konohamaru yelled as he rammed his fist into Hinata's stomach causing the Hyuuga to wince in pain for a few seconds. Hinata ignored the pain as she started her own attack on Konohamaru.
"Two Hands" Hinata let her body move faster for better results.
"Four Hands"
"Eight Hands"
Sixteen Hands"
"Thirtytwo Hands"
"Sixtyfour Hands"
Konohamaru flew backwards from Hinata's final attack. He held onto his chest as he flet himself start to loose consciousness. 'Kuso I guess I won't be fighting with Naruto-niisan today' He thought as he coughed up a bit of blood and collapse on the ground.
Hinata meanwhile was celebrating that she was going to win the match when she watched Konohamaru fall to the ground. She leaped into the air when the pain from her opponents attack came back with a vengeance. She tried to pour chakra into the pain from her stomach but she had run out of Chakra to heal herself. Hinata took a step forward towards Konohamaru when her vision started to blur.
Hinata fell backwards , her back hitting the ground with a hard thud as she lost consciousness.
Hiashi and the crowd were at a shock as to what just happend. The crowds stood up in an uproar demanding what happends now. Aoba inspected the two downed fighters to see if both of them are alright. He checked for their pulses and found that the two were merely resting. Although Konohamaru suffered from internal injuries due to the attacks , Hinata suffered a wound in her stomach and a few bruises here and there.
Aoba stood up fixing his sunglasses as he took one look at Tsunade and nodded. "2nd match Draw." The crowds cheered since the fight was still abit enjoyable.
Tsunade and the Tsuchikage immediately went down to congratulate Naruto in winning the tournament. Tsunade was very happy about winning the bet although in the back of her mind She knew something is wrong since she won. Remember If she starts winning there is bound to be something wrong that will occur. The fighters were given time to rest before they were presented to the crowds and judges.
Meanwhile on the border of Fire Country.
Between the border that was now in shambles as a large snake slithered thru the thick forest. Not far from the gigantic snake was the sound army with their faces covered by a mask. Orochimaru rode on top of the huge snake as Konoha came into view. 'It's time' Orochimaru thought as he signalled for Kabuto and his troops to advance. "Commence the attack!! Take no Prisoners and Leave no Leaf-nin Alive." Orochimaru ordered as he prepared himself to battle the 5th Hokage and maybe some other Kage from the other villages.
Back at Konoha
Naruto was celebrating his win in the tournament although he wanted to fight Konohamaru or Hinata since he wouldn't backdown from any challenge. Tsunade has a huge grin on her face and was hugging Naruto tightly while saying something about winning a bet.
Merrymaking before a Storm Hits....Orochimaru is almost at the gates of Konoha..will Konoha fall this time?? Watch out in the next chapter
Please vote to who gets the Chuunin Rank...