Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.
Notes: The match you've never expected! Neji VS Naruto! BTW, please give comments on the fight description. Anything to improve on, that sort of thing. Thanks. Enjoy this fight! Any questions, I'll try to clear in the next chap!
Edit: Gah, messed up my story format. Curse it! Here's a second upload. BTW, just so you know, Naruto doesn't have any special abilities for the fight. Everything he does is but an illusion, which he masterfully weaves.
Edit2: Fuck FF. I spent a few hours re-uploading this chapter.
Chapter Ten: 64 hands, Borrower of Bloodlines.
Naruto hurried to the bridge, frantically cramming his mouth full with ramen from a cup. His long, white coat trailed behind him. Twirling his chopsticks, Naruto grabbed a single noodle strand that had dropped out in midair, before putting it into his mouth.
He looked up, his mouth bulging, to see Sakura with a weird, semi-disgusted look on her face. The blond swallowed his noodles, before grinning sheepishly and bowing his head deeply.
"Gomen-nasai!"
Sakura smiled at the strange boy's politeness.
"Don't worry. You're not really late."
"Huh? I'm not?" wondered Naruto, before whirling his head around to find his sensei and his other team-mate. "Wait, where's Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei?"
"Well, since you had left so early yesterday, you didn't heard Kakashi-sensei's notice. Apparently, we still need to get ourselves registered as genins, so missions only start tomorrow. So today is just a day for us to prepare ourselves," explained the pink-haired kunochi.
"Ah," said Naruto dumbly. "So. . .I choked on my ramen twice for nothing?"
Sakura laughed. "You could say that, I guess."
Naruto grinned. "So, what are you gonna do today?"
"Well, I'm meeting my friends for some training. Wanna come?"
"Eh, I'm not interrupting anything, right?" asked Naruto hesitantly.
"No, 'course not!" waved Sakura, before dragging the boy along to the training spot. "By the way, nice coat!"
-
Haku stopped the Hyuuga's touch, deflecting the hit with her arm. A jolt of pain stabbed her, but soon ebbed into a less sever sting.
Behind her, Hinata was already on the ground, coughing furiously. Blood trickled from her nose and blood. Her white teeth were smeared in a sickly red. The girl tried to stand, but her shaky knees were unable to withstand her weight, and she fell again.
Haku glared at Hyuuga Neji, whose face was unreadable as his pupil-less eyes surveyed the situation. Behind him, the Hyuuga's team-mates, Tenten and Lee stared on worriedly.
"She is your cousin! What the hell were you thinking! You could have killed her!"
Neji gave a small, dark chuckle. "She challenged me first. I merely fought back."
"Why you. . ." Haku growled, her fist balling up.
"Haku!"
Haku turned around to see Sakura hurrying up to them, a horrified expression on her face when she saw the broken figure of Hinata, and the fact that Hyuuga Neji was near her.
Hinata coughed again, this time spitting blood over the sand. Her hands weakly clutched her chest as the Hyuuga heir doubled over in pain.
"Hinata!" cried Haku. The medic-nin was immediately by her side, lifting her into her sitting position. Her hands were bathed in a deep, emerald green. Haku gently touched her friend's chest while whispering desperately, "Don't fall asleep, Hinata!"
"Weak. . ." murmured Neji.
Sakura crouched beside her friends, after sending a dark glare towards the smirking Hyuuga.
"How is she?"
"Not good. Her tenketsu (chakra points) are tightly sealed. I can't get them open!" Haku said, her voice unnaturally calm. "We need to get her to the hospital!"
"H-hai!" stammered Sakura.
"I'll help, Haku-chan."
Haku whirled around, only to see a clear sky-blue pair of eyes staring back at her. His pale yellow hair was a mess of lazily swept hair. His mask was still as black as ever, hiding the lower part of his face.
"N-Narashi?"
A faint outline of a smile peeked through the thick veil. Naruto went to Sakura's side, shifting the Hyuuga heir's weight into his arms. The blond lifted the body almost effortlessly. He took a few steps to steady himself. Looking at the expressionless Hyuuga Neji, Naruto cocked his head in curiosity.
"I've heard about the Hyuuga, about the two houses within the clan. About how the main house usually abused their control over the branch house.
"Yet now, if an outsider with no knowledge of the prospective heir of the Hyuuga were to stumble here, the person would most likely mistake you for the heir of the main house, while this girl as one of the branch servants, would they not?" the boy said softly, a tinge of amusement in his voice before leaping off towards the hospital.
Neji was left speechless, a strange ache throbbing in him, as if his soul were stabbed, while the two girls followed the blond.
Who is he. . .
-
Haku paced to and fro, occasionally glancing at the closed door.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine."
The girl turned to see Naruto with his reassuring blue eyes.
"But, I was the one who encouraged her to fight! If anything happens to her," Haku trailed off, her voice slightly hysterical. "If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself!"
"Hn. The Hyuuga is strong, because she has you as her friend to count on. Do not worry, for she will pull through it," said Naruto.
At this, Sakura chimed in, her voice low and cracked from crying. "Y-yeah. Hinata will pull through!"
Haku gave a small smile, but it disappeared when she looked at the white doors of the operation room.
"So. . .um, Haku, when did you get here?"
"A year ago, during the demon attack on Konoha. I saved Sakura here and thus became friends with her. Soon, we befriended Hinata as well," she answered distractedly.
"Ah, I see," Naruto replied.
Seeing the two girls seemingly down, he decided to try and cheer them up. "So, hey, since I'm new here, why not I treat you guys to dinner? Don't worry about Hinata, I'm sure she'll be fine, considering Tsunade's the one operating on her."
Haku gave a faint grin. "Ok," she said, her voice soft and worried.
Sakura waved her head. "Sorry, I have a family gathering tonight. Can't make it."
"Eh, oh well, another time then."
The atmosphere soon descended into an awkward silence. Naruto, feeling out of place, left the hospital to fetch some medical herbs from his house.
-
"Neji-san! That was uncalled for!" cried Lee. Tenten nodded furiously.
The Hyuuga merely stared at his team-mates.
"She is your cousin after all!" Lee said. "You should not have attacked her so brutally!"
Neji turned away, and starting practicing his kicks on a tree.
"I never thought you were this heartless, Neji-kun. . ." murmured Tenten softly. "C'mon Lee, let's go."
Neji continued to kick the unmoving tree, ignoring his team-mates as they walked away.
"Hmm. . .team problems, Hyuuga-san?"
Neji whirled around, mentally cursing himself for not detecting the stranger earlier. His Byakugan was activated. Chakra coursed through his veins, forming a intricate and menacing web around his eyes.
Naruto sat on a thick branch, above the annoyed Hyuuga, twirling a kunai on his finger lazily.
"You again," Neji said, his voice flat and unwelcoming. "Who are you?"
"I am a nobody, but you may call me Narashi. Kento Narashi."
Neji narrowed his pupil-less eyes. Recognition spread across his face.
"The last of the genins who graduated this year," he sneered.
Naruto merely smiled. "I'm honoured that you know me, Son of Hizashi, Hyuuga Neji."
Neji growled. "You know my father's name. You know the identity of the Hyuuga heir. And you know my name. Yet you are an outsider. . ."
"You can say I know everything about the Hyuuga clan because my interests lies in studying Advanced Bloodlines," chuckled Naruto. "An interesting power, don't you think?"
Neji raised an eyebrow. "Hn. Whatever it is, Kento Narashi, I request that you leave. I am currently training."
Naurto faked a hurt expression. "Don't you like me, Hyuuga-san?" he drawled, clutching his chest in mock pain.
The Hyuuga turned away coldly, focusing his attention to kicking and punching the tree.
"Ignoring me, Hyuuga-san?" chuckled the blond as he leapt down from the tree. "You know, I heard that the Hyuuga's Jyuken (Gentle Fist Technique) is a formidable attack and beats all other known forms of Taijutsu stances."
Neji paused, his head tilted slightly towards Naruto.
"I challenge you, Hyuuga-san. I wish to feel the power of the Jyuken."
Neji smirked. "You dare challenge me? Have you not seen the power inflicted on Hinata-sama already? Do you wish to die, dead-last?"
"Perhaps I do, Hyuuga-san," grinned the blond.
Neji turned to face him, before settling into a stance. His right arm was stretched outwards, palm facing up while his left was arc over his head, poised to strike.
"It is your destiny to lose. Why do you challenge me, when you know you will lose?"
Naruto smirked. "Destiny is just a term coined by ignorant people to explain the losses they do not wish to accept."
A slight scowl appeared on Neji's face. "You know nothing, Kento Narashi. You will lose."
Naruto did not reply.
Suddenly, the blond disappeared. Several kunai sliced through the air, stabbing the soft mud next to Neji when the Hyuuga sidestepped them. The white-eyed boy ducked low, dodging more shurikens, before leaping to his right. He thrust front, jabbing his fingers forward toward the blur of Naruto. The blond twisted, forcing his shoulder backwards to avoid the painful touch of the Hyuuga.
Inconspicuously, Naruto folded his middle and fourth finger back, loosely pressed down by his thumb, forming a "rabbit finger". Slowly, he slipped his hand behind.
Meditative Battle Stance, Level 3.
His eyes hardened. His pupils were blanked out, fading into an expressionless, dull hue of greyish-blue. Naruto felt his muscles throbbing with energy; felt the way the wind breeze through the leafs and whip around him. His senses multiplied tenfold.
He dodged Neji's first jab and twisted sideways to avoid the second. The fingers of the Hyuuga brushed faintly against his shirt. Naruto felt the annoyance of the Hyuuga through his enhanced empathy and mentally smirked.
Focusing a controlled surge of chakra into his fingertips, the blond slowly shaped a small orb of tightly spinning chakra in-between his thumb and his two fingers. Ducking low, he lashed out at Neji with a sweeping kick, forcing the Hyuuga to jump.
Quickly, Naruto retracted his leg, before pushing forcibly against the ground to propel himself forward, behind Neji. With a subtle flick, the chakra projectile was flung into the pupil-less boy, smashing into his jacket with an explosive force.
The Hyuuga, unable to dodge in mid-air, was slammed to the ground. A small trickle of blood rolled down from the corner of his mouth
He forced me to jump so that he could hit me with that projectile and I wouldn't be able to dodge. Clever of him. . .
Naruto grinned, before rushing forward again. Slipping two kunai into his palms, Naruto swivelled left and right, thrusting them at his opponent. Neji kicked himself back, bending low to avoid a second slash before lunging forward, his hands dangerously sharp and humming with chakra.
"Kawarimi no Jutsu."
A log was smashed out of the way. The Hyuuga growled, irritated that the "dead-last" was stronger then anticipated.
To the left!
Neji kicked himself backwards, inwardly relieved as three shurikens buried themselves in his previous position. His Byakugen scanned the area, and noticed four Narutos leaping around him, flinging kunais, shurikens, and the strange chakra orbs.
What that! Impossible! Solid clones. . .damnit! To force me to use this. . .
Neji felt his chakra pouring out of his opening points. The sand was crunched under his feet as he started spinning.
"Kaiten!"
Naruto widened his eyes as his weapons were flung away by a devastating whirlwind of chakra.
He leaks chakra out from his chakra holes, before spinning wildly so that the leaked chakra would form an impenetrable wall that protects him from all projectiles. Impressive.
Then the blond smirked as he noticed something.
Wait. . .that layout. . .he just helped me advance my attack! Hahaha, I must thank him.
The four blonds looked at each other, before leaping forward.
"Kaiten!"
Three clones were destroyed, and Naruto was flung back. A feral grin was spread on his face as his eyes glinted with excitement.
"Interesting move, Hyuuga-san. But, can you keep it up?"
Then Naruto disappeared into the ground with a Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu.
Neji frowned, before focusing his eyes deep into the ground, but he saw no sign of Naruto.
To the right!
The Hyuuga whirled around while strafing, dodging a flurry of shuriken. His eyes widened as ten Narutos burst out of the bushes, each flinging shurikens.
The shuriken flickered - for a second, they disappeared - before reappearing as twelve more for every one shuriken.
"Kaiten!"
More kunais sliced through the air, multiplying into hundreds.
"Kaiten!"
The ground was littered with broken missiles as Neji stood there, his eyes closed but still seeing as he caught his breath.
The ten Narutos patiently waited for Neji to open his eyes again.
"Jyuken. An elegant and beautiful dance of pain," said one Naruto.
A second Naruto followed up. "But can it beat our Utsurigi Kazoekirenai, Hyuuga-san?"
, Hyuuga-san?"Then they disappeared. Neji narrowed his eyes, when suddenly, Naruto appeared to his left, his hands ablaze with a shimmering blue chakra. The boy swiped at Neji, nearly burning his coat off. Spinning, Neji slid to the slid of Naruto, before pushing his palm outwards, ready to blast a painfully surge of chakra into the boy's body.
But his palm only came into contact with the cold surface of a kunai.
What!
Neji hissed when his oppenent suddenly appeared behind him, lunging forward. The Hyuuga ducked, swinging his torso outwards in a circle. He slammed his hands to the ground, using them as support when he kicked upwards into Naruto.
His feet smashed a shuriken.
What! No. . .I see! He uses Kawarimi no Jutsu to teleport himself around me. . .what a guy. . .
The Hyuuga jumped to his feet, his hands coated with chakra as he blocked a punch from above. He could feel the heat lapping at his fingers, despite the chakra shield.
Suddenly, another flurry of punches was launched at him from the right. Neji pushed hard against the first Naruto, sending himself backwards, narrowly evading the attack of the second clone.
Kuso! His clones!
A flurry of murmurs echoed irksomely in his mind as more Narutos teleported around him. They ducked low, beneath his hands to punch his chest.
"Kaiten!"
A thick, slightly pinkish smoke enveloped Neji. He closed his eyes to protect it from the stinging fog while cautiously scanning his surroundings. Out of the blue, ten Narutos leapt from the ground around him, lashing out at Neji with their flaming fists, before bending low and kicking sweepingly at his legs.
The Hyuuga was forced to jump upwards into the air. Kunais flew past him, barely missing him. Neji hissed as a pain streaked across his face. The cold metal of the kunai whipped past him, barely missing him. Thinking the danger was over, the pupil-less boy widened his eyes in shock when the kunai exploded in a thin smoke that quickly cleared to reveal several smirking Naruto clones.
They started twirling their fingers, twisting them in various shapes while time seemed to pause.
Tiger. Horse. Dragon. Wait what's that? Neji frowned inwardly at the last familiar seal. That combination makes no sense.
Neji frowned inwardly at the last familiar seal.Then all the clones cupped their hands around their mouths.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" they whispered darkly, before unleashing a blazing stream of hot, searing flames.
Kuso!
The fires collided in a massive conflagration, destroying the four clones in the air. The acrid scent of sulphur filled the air.
The Narutos looked up, a mask of confusion on their faces when only a blackened shuriken remained.
Kawarimi! He used Kawarimi!
"Oh fu-" said one Naruto as he turned around, only to see Neji smirking at him.
"Kaiten!"
Four clones exploded in smoke. The rest of the clones leapt towards the Hyuuga, their mouths mouth curled in a maniacal grin while their bodies was bathed in a mystical blue flame. They swiped at him, but their hands only shredded a hapless shuriken to pieces.
"Kaiten!"
Chakra stabbed into them, spreading through them in web-like formations, before tearing the surprised clones apart. The remaining three whirled around, their fist poised to strike when Neji flickered into thin air again.
"Arg-"
Pink smoke exploded outwards, wrapping around the last two Narutos. They narrowed their eyes, coughing behind. Suddenly, a kunai buried itself in a Naruto's neck, while chakra ripped the last to smoky bits.
Heh. . .
The dust cleared and settled, leaving a smirking Neji standing with bits of shuriken and kunai littered around him.
"I've beaten your clones, Kento. What are you going to do now?"
Naruto leapt down from the tree, his arms folded calmly as he stared at the panting Hyuuga with a small, knowing smirk on his face.
"Do you know why many jounins don't use Kawarimi like that, Hyuuga-san?"
Suddenly, a immense searing pain rushed through his nerves. Neji grunted, in shock and surprise as his body failed to work. His knees collapsed inwards, causing him to stumble to the ground.
"Wha-" he croaked, before coughing violently. Blood streaked across his white jacket.
His Byakugan faded, leaving him with a limited vision, with was slowly stained red. He blinked furiously, feeling wet droplets run freely down his face. He tried to stand up by pushing himself off the ground with his hands, but his strength seemed to disappeared, leaving him to fall to the ground again.
He wiped his face with his sleeve jacket, pulling it away bloody. Blood? I'm crying blood!
"Do you see why now? Excessive use of Kawarimi no Jutsu causes sever pain within your body, since you are forced to move at such incredible speed. Although the pain fades away with time, and causes no lasting damage, it already weakens you too much in battle, such that an enemy can easily kill you with little resistance."
Neji cursed. That blond! How dare he! I am a Hyuuga! I will not lose to such a loser!
Unsteadily, Neji slowly stood up. His legs were shaky, but the boy could already feel his strength returning. Chakra poured into his eyes, re-activating his Byakugan.
The Hyuuga smirked. "I never thought I would use this today, Kento, but you have forced me to. Now, you shall see the true power of a Hyuuga!"
What the fuck? wondered Naruto when the pupil-less boy disappeared. Where did that speed come from! And why can't I detect his chakra?
wondered Naruto when the pupil-less boy disappeared.Suddenly, a soft, hissed whisper drifted, almost menacingly, into his ears.
"Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou (Hand of the Eight Divinations: Sixty-four Palms)"
Oh crap.
Agony slit through his veins, knifing through his skin wickedly. His chakra snarled, whirling around in furious circles as more of his tenketsu were forcibly being closed. It howled, its wrath seething through the opening points as wild, raging tendrils.
". . .two hands. . ."
". . .four hands. . ."
". . .eight hands. . ."
". . .sixteen hands. . ."
". . .thirty-two hands!"
Naruto was slammed backwards, into the tree behind. Blood dribbled out from the corner of his mouth.
Neji stumbled backwards, nearly falling to the ground, but still managed to continue standing.
"Do feel that pain now, Kento? That is my power, power which you cannot match. You may have advanced clones and special chakra techniques, but in the end, you will still be on your knees, before a might that you can never conquer. You are destined to lose, Kento," sneered the Hyuuga. "I have one last kunai. One flick, and you die. Do you yield, Kento Narashi?"
Naruto ignored the pupil-less boy as he slowly clambered back to his feet. His blond bangs, shaken loose from his headband in the attack, hung over his eyes, casting a dark shadow on them.
"What an interesting attack, Hyuuga-san. The Hakkeshou! What devastating power it has! To seal off a person's chakra in a matter of seconds and thus cause him an extreme amount of pain. . ." the blond chuckled darkly. "What a magnificent dance it was!"
Neji stood, unmoving as he cautiously eyes his opponent.
. . ."Usually, a Henge requires the combination of a Chicken, a Rat, and a Horse seal to use it. But since you have Chakra chaos, you cannot use such signs.". . .
Then Naruto raised his hands. His third and fourth finger were pressed hard against his palm, while the other two fingers were upright, crisscrossing each other to form a short cross.
Fox seal.
"Have you ever wondered what colour would your eyes be if you weren't a Hyuuga?"
. . ."Fox and shadow seal. The Fox seal doesn't look like a fox, unlike its animal counterparts, for it is a prankster and a trickster by heart, and thus never usually reveals its true form until the crucial moment. That helps contribute to the Henge no Jutsu.". . .
Naruto shifted his hands, crossing his thumbs, and splaying his fingers away from his palms
Shadow seal.
"It is useless to think about such things. Destiny has forced us on a path. We cannot stop it."
"Why do you constrict your life to Destiny?" murmured Naruto.
. . ."Shadow seal. It looks like that as it has no definite shape, only mimicking others. It hides the truth, shields the lies. It is mysterious, and will help you in the Art of Transformation.". . .
"Destiny. Fate. Hn. The moment I was born, I was destined to be a slave to the Main House. Even though I have surpassed them, I will always be below them," Neji snapped harshly, with an undertone of hatred.
"Destiny rules our lives. Everything is pre-written, everything is predicted. People are born into an unchangeable flow. You will lose to me, Kento Narashi, like how I will never be free from the Hyuuga's Curse Seal."
"Destiny, fate. Large words for petty hatreds," intoned Naruto with a tinge amusement. "You have beautiful eyes Hyuuga-san. . ."
Meditative Stance, level 5. Pain suppression technique, activate!
Naruto whipped his head up, reveal a pair of pupil-less eyes, glowing almost eerily as a tangled network of throbbing veins circled them. Neji gasped, lowering his kunai in shock as he took a step back.
" . .may I borrow them?"
"Wha-" He has the Byakugan! Impossible!
The sand was kicked up as Naruto suddenly vanished. Neji spun around, his eyes wide as he saw a long orange blur circling him. Flickers of chakra were weaved around the tangerine streak.
"My chakra. . .it cannot be chained, Hyuuga-san. What would you do now?" a dark laugh echoed around him.
There!
Neji thrust forth, aiming for the orange blur. His hands stabbed into empty air, before being slapped back. Blue fire seared his skin, burning his bandages of.
Neji hissed in pain.
"You are within my Field of Hakkeshou, Hyuuga-san. . ."
What! No. . .it's impossible! The Hakkeshou. . .
"ARH!"
Invisible needles stabbed his body. His jacket was charred, and burned to withering pieces. Pain blanketed him.
". . .two hands. . ."
He felt his chakra being pushed back, and sealed behind a wall.
". . .four hands. . ."
Terror filled his mind as agony embraced him, digging its poisonous claws into his chest.
". . .eight hands. . ."
He felt the foreign chakra of Naruto forcing it, snarling furious while it rushed through his body, tearing the insides out.
". . .sixteen hands. . ."
Neji felt his consciousness fading. Blood covered his teeth, oozing out from his broken lips in copious amounts.
". . .thirty-two hands!"
The Hyuuga was smashed backwards, falling to the hard soil in defeat.
He. . .impossible. . .
Neji opened his eyes blearily, only to stare at a blurred image of a panting Naruto.
"Destiny. Fate. Hn. They are but words, Hyuuga-san. The Hyuuga's destiny of hatred has enveloped the earlier generations of your family," he gasped, slowly catching his breath. "Yet, but hating Hinata-san for something she had no power over. . .you are already immersing yourself in that Destiny of Hatred. To push your team-mates away because they questioned your actions. . .that is Hatred."
Neji closed his eyes.
"You don't understand the pain of having a seal burned on yourself, a seal of burden that cannot be removed, Kento Narashi!" the Hyuuga finally whispered, his voice sharp and cutting.
Naruto gave a small, sad, smile. "Yeah. I do. So what?" The blond crouched, bending near the fallen boy.
"Don't blame Fate and Destiny, or the rest of the world just because of a seal. It is a weak and pitiful excuse," he said. "Quit whining, Hyuuga-san. Your path may be already set down for you, but do you truly know what is that path, Neji-san? If you succumb to the word 'Destiny', a word with no specific definition. . .then you are already a slave, Neji-san. A slave to your own emotions, a slave to yourself."
The boy stood up, but not before leaving a small, shimmering green vial in front of Neji.
"That is a healing vial. Just drink it with water and you'll be fine," Naruto said as he limped away.
Neji looked at the green liquid, slowly swirling in the vial. Gingering, he gripped it, pulling the cap open and gulping it down.
As he faded away into an inky darkness, Neji heard the worried shouts of his team-mates.
Kento Narashi. . .