Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A Fire Within

Flashback

Hinata's POV

-There he is, as usual. Naruto-kun always trains on Wednesdays. I hate this! Why can't I tell him how I feel? Why can't I step out from behind this boulder so he could see me? I want him to see me, don't I? Ahhh! He almost looked this way! That was close. Wait….Is that Naruto with a…..with a……no way…..with a sword? He's wearing new clothes too. Hmmm… something's strange.-

Hinata watched from behind a boulder about fifty yards from where Naruto was. It was true, he did have a sword. New clothes as well.

The sword handle was bandaged up with what seemed to be the same material Rock Lee used for his arms. The blade was straight and thin, including the handle, the sword probably stood up to about five feet high. The handle took up one foot of the space. The blade was not dull, it glimmered with the reflection of the afternoon sun.

Naruto's clothes were almost completely different from his usual abnormal orange jumpsuit. He wore a T-shirt that was faded navy blue. On the front it had a whirlpool just like his normal clothes. The back, however, was plain. He had a leather brown strap that crossed above his left shoulder and went down to his right hip. Apparently that was his sheath for his sword. He wore what seemed to look like jeans but made of a different material. They were cut once they had passed the knees by a few inches. He was also barefoot.

It was one week from the final exam of the Chunnin exam. Naruto had promised that he would beat Neji, however, she wasn't sure at all. After all, Naruto was powerful, but Neji was the number one rookie ninja in his class. Naruto was also a flunkout in the academy who had just recently became a gennin.

Naruto was different today, not himself. He wasn't showing his obvious clumsiness as he usually did. He moved swiftly slicing through the air as if he had an actual opponent. The moved with and like the wind. He leapt into the air here, and dived to the ground there. His movements were so precise, yet so…so….flowish.

The blonde teenager then charged at a boulder with his sword. He sliced, but Hinata couldn't catch the movement with her eyes, yet she heard the sword. She heard it cut through thin air as if Naruto were waving a stick, but she did not hear it hit anything at all.

-Maybe he missed- Hinata thought. But second later Naruto walked five steps away from the boulder and the top half then slid off. The cut was perfect, as if it had been made by machine and not by man. Hinata was amazed and happy at the same time. She almost shouted for joy until she realized that Naruto didn't know she was there.

Normal POV

CHUNNIN EXAM DAY

The stadium was full, full of room, and full of energy. All waiting for the first match to start. They held the fight schedules in their hands. They all laughed at the fact that the dumb Kyubi kid was going to fight the Hyugga prodigy. They all thought that the first battle would be humiliating and hilarious at the same time. Hinata was on her way to the stadium when she spotted Naruto who was hyper as usual.

" Hey, Hinata-san, I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind keeping my sword fighting a secret for now. I wouldn't like anybody to know about it until I show it to everyone."

Hinata blushed and wiggled her fingers. " Ok Naruto-kun."

Naruto walked through the doors and into the battlefield full of greenery. It was peaceful, yet exciting. The fact that all the best shinobi fought here to be promoted to the simple level of Chunnin. Naruto wore the clothes that Hinata had recently saw him in, and not his orange jumpsuit that everybody was so used to seeing him wear. He had his sword in his hands not loosening his firm grip he had on the handle.

Neji soon entered the battlefield a few minutes later where his opponent was waiting. He smiled for he could already see his victory that was sure to happen.

" It's over Gennin." Neji said as he lowered his upper body to fight. " Byakugan!"

" I'm definitely going to win, a true shinobi never goes back on his word!" Naruto said as he rushed at Neji with his sword above his head. Once Naruto was in range, Neji used his heavenly spin to knock Naruto back and his sword on the opposite side. Neji prepared his stance once more.

" You can't beat me, this match was already decided from the moment you were randomly chosen to fight me during the preliminary's."

" One move is all it takes, now it's over." Naruto said as he got up and wiped the blood that was dripping down his chin from his mouth. He ran at Neji once more, but this time unarmed. Before Neji's heavenly spin could reach Naruto, he jumped into the air above the chakra defensive and offensive shield, landed on the other side, grabbed his sword, then charged at Neji the MILLISECOND his barrier was down.

Neji still had time to act, he stepped aside to avoid Naruto's attack and then took two fingers in each hand and struck Naruto in two places.

" Two points, four points, eight points, sixteen points, thirty two points, and finally, sixty-four points!"

Naruto flew forward and landed on the ground losing his sword again in the process. He rolled five times then stopped himself and stood up slowly.

Neji smiled saying, " I've sealed your chakra holes. Now you cannot use any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Since you can't get near me, the match is no over."

Naruto stared at Neji for a long period of time without muttering or shouting a word. He then said, " I don't need chakra to beat you, you'll see." He went over to where his sword was lying flat on the ground and lifted it up.

He slipped off his ninja sandals and threw them over near a bush a few yards away. " You may think being barefoot may not make much of a difference. But without them, I can move with the flow and anticipate your techniques even before they occur to you. That's how I'm going to beat you."

Neji smirked. Naruto rushed at him shouting loudly. Poof! Naruto disappeared and reappeared inside the barrier.

" What how?" Neji asked. But it was too late. Naruto's blade came up and sliced Neji's Konoha headband in two. Neji was unharmed, but shocked. The headband fell on the ground in two pieces.

Naruto didn't wait to see what Neji would do, he jammed the hilt of his sword into Neji's stomach, then head making Neji fly back a few feet and slide on the ground causing dirt to rise.

When Neji was on the ground staring at the sky still amazed that the most untalented shinobi could beat him, the number one Gennin.

" I used Kawarimi No Jutsu and replaced myself with a big rock. That's how I got inside the barrier. Then I just sliced your Konoha headband. You are right. This match has already been decided. You see, the reason I'm the worst ninja in everything, is because I spent hardly anytime training anything but my skills with a sword. I've finally gotten a chance to prove myself."

Present Time

BAM! Sasuke was slammed into the tree by Shikaku, the one-tailed demon's hand. Gaara had half his body already enveloped by the demons choice element. Sasuke followed Gaara through the forest after having leaving the Chunnin exam in mid-battle. The whole thing, was a plan to assassinate the Hokage and take over Konoha. Sakura was tied up in a tree and unconscious. Naruto was ready to fight, it was his turn. Sasuke turned out to be no match, however, that would not be the case with Naruto, not a chance.

Naruto ended up catching up with Gaara and Sasuke in no time. He stood ready and drew his sword out of the leather strap tied around his upper body. He held the bandaged handle with both his hands out in front of him. Gaara looked at Naruto with bright yellow eyes. Naruto could tell Gaara wanted to kill him. They were both ready to fight.

Without a single word, Gaara leaped off a tree branch towards Naruto. Naruto stepped to the side and swung his sword sideways to inflict damage to Gaara's back. Naruto wasn't ready to kill anyone yet. However, the sand shield automatically defended the attack.

Naruto jumped back as Gaara whirled around swinging his tail.

" Your friends have all failed, what makes you think that you are capable of defeating me?" Gaara said with a devious smile.

" Because," Naruto answered. " I know the pain you've went through, you and I, we are so alike, yet so different. I had people acknowledge me one by one. However, you stayed a demon in everyone's eyes. I know how that feels. Plus, I'm pretty good with a sword."

After the small speech Naruto had given, he jumped up towards Gaara. Gaara met the blonde shinobi in the air.

Naruto ducked as Gaara's demon-form arm came swinging horizontally at Naruto's head. Naruto then landed on a tree branch as Gaara landed on the branch opposite of the one he was standing on.

Naruto looked serious then smiled saying, " I'm going to start trying now. You'll find that I'll be a lot better now." He took off his sandals and lightly placed them softly on the wood next to him.

He turned towards the tree trunk and back up until he was at the very edge of the branch. He then took a running start and with the speed he was going, he ran up the tree branch, and did a back flip. He then jumped on the branch that Gaara was standing on. He swung his sword sideways again but the sand blocked just like it had last time.

However, Naruto didn't stop there, he ducked while spinning around and attacked Gaara's legs. No use, the sand was there a millisecond before Naruto's sword came within of foot of Gaara's body. Naruto still didn't give up. He rolled around to face Gaara's left side. But this time he did not swing his sword, he pulled out a kunai and then threw it at Gaara's anal area.

" WHAT! HOW DID HE KNOW THE ONLY SPOT THAT WASN'T PROTECTED?"

Naruto jumped back and watched in laughter as his opponent pulled the kunai out of his butt. His prank had worked. Not only that, but now, Gaara had a weakness.

In one second, Naruto's smile faded and he became serious. " I'm going to end this now."

He charged at the raged Gaara and struck the sand. However, the sand not only blocked it, but Gaara formed the sand to make a large hand that grasped Naruto's whole body but his head. Naruto's sword dropped all the way back to the ground. (Which was more than fifty feet)

Naruto gasped in pain from being squeezed with immense force.

" You will PAY!" Gaara said evilly.

Suddenly, a blue flash of lighting came from behind Gaara following the voice of someone Naruto knew very well.

" Chidori!" Sasuke shouted as he slammed his fist full of blue lighting Through Gaara's sand shield, and into his back blowing a whole through Gaara's body. Sasuke pulled his hand out and fell down like Naruto's sword as well. Luckily, Naruto's best friend landed on a humongous pile of leaves which broke his fall and left him unconscious.

" Sasuke!" Naruto cried wasting the breath he had left from being squeezed.

With Sasuke's help, Naruto was set free from the hand made of sand and fell to the wood again. He charged at Gaara but even though the sand was still there to shield the red-haired shinobi, Naruto's anger gave him strength. That strength forced the sword through the sand and into Gaara's right leg.

Gaara screamed in pain from the two fresh wounds he had just received. He growled and the sand forced Naruto to let go of his sword as Gaara pulled away from the blond with blue eyes.

" How?" Gaara asked. An arm made of sand floated alongside of Gaara holding Naruto's sword.

Naruto smiled, " You won't be able to defeat me with my own sword. TAJYUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

The hundreds of Naruto's all sat, stood, and hung from the tree branches all over the forest. They all surrounded the one person that they had to face.

" You know, after my many, many years of practicing sword fighting, I created a couple of techniques of my own. They aren't that great and everything, but I've practiced them enough so that they can do quite a bit of damage. They are just Taijutsu attacks added with a bit of Chakra here and there. I've never used these attacks on actual humans or used them without a sword. So we'll see how it goes. I just want you to know that I'm going to give it my all!" The real Naruto explained as all the bunshins got ready and shouted at the same time, " GET READY, HERE I COME!"

Five Naruto's rushed at Gaara attacking the sand making no progress what-so-ever. Gaara simply just destroyed the Bunshins in one swipe with his arm. The arm made of sand was helping out too. Slashing at Naruto's here and there.

After maybe fifty Naruto's were gone, Naruto finally said something other than the usual war cry. " You know, I'm going to start hitting with some real force now."

One single Naruto rushed out from the back and held his arm back ready to hit Gaara's shield with an open palm. However, before he struck it, blue chakra gathered all around his right arm and overwhelmed his palm. He struck with such force that Gaara's sand shield cracked leaving it venerable at that spot. But in less than five seconds, the sand regenerated and hardened itself once more. That Naruto was sliced and disappeared with a poof.

Naruto then spoke, however, the voice was hidden, it was impossible to tell who was speaking for there were so many Naruto's. " Just a little something to teach you, different combinations give all different types of damages to your opponent. The last time I barely cracked it, this time…I'll definitely go through it. Can you feel something in your wounds? It's called pain, get used to it, because PAIN is just what I'm about to bring you…"

Three random Naruto's jumped from the crowd and they all gathered chakra at certain spots. They stuck over and over with different combinations cracking the sand shield everywhere, leaving the shield no time to regenerate itself.

BAM! One of the Naruto's foot burst through the sand and slammed into Gaara's face sending him flying into the trunk of a tree nearby. However, that only encouraged all of the Naruto's.

The sand hand with Naruto's sword helped, but it was not enough. The actual Naruto came up and destroyed the floating arm and taking the sword. Gaara was now powerless being hit here and there with extreme force. He was being tossed around from one end to the other. He stood no chance. Finally one of the Naruto's gave him a flying sidekick to Gaara's chest which sent him flying again at a tree trunk. When he hit the trunk, the force was so powerful that I caused Gaara's gourd of sand to shatter leaving sand to fall all over the place.

Suddenly, Gaara lifted his hands which created the humongous amount of sand to fly everywhere. For moments it was impossible to see one foot ahead of you. But when the sand stopped blowing everywhere, Gaara was gone. All the Naruto's disappeared leaving the actual Naruto clueless looking around holding his sword tightly in his right hand.

Gaara was gone. However not for good…The sand and the sound had successfully assassinated the Hokage. However, they did not completely destroy Konoha, there was collapsed buildings everywhere, but there was still hope for all the shinobi who lived in that village.

Little did Konoha know, however, that trouble was heading their way…

Author's Note: Plz R&R! I hoped you all like this one. The next chapter I will write will be in the POV of Samurai Champloo. Don't worry, they will meet in the third chapter. If you like this story then you should read War of the red dawn. That is another fanfic story that I have created. Plz bare with me and review as much as possible and tell me how I'm doing. Flames are accepted.