Strength

"Guys this is completely unnecessary," said Neji.

Nobara agreed, telling the overly cocky villager to stand down, but Shivaroku put his hand up.

"No…this is completely necessary. You all seem to have a misplaced idea of what a Shinobi is as well as what true strength is," said Shivaroku with a fire in his eyes.

Neji sighed, Tenten blushed at how cool Shivaroku was, and Lee pumped his fists in the air, excited about Shivaroku's principles.

"Very well then. Since you both clearly want to fight, why not go to the arena. That's where the competition will be held," said Nobara.

Shivaroku and the villager agreed, and everyone headed to the arena. The arena was quickly filled as all the villagers were eager to see one of their own beat up a Shinobi. Shivaroku and his opponent stepped into the ring, and Nobara stood in the middle of them as referee. Atrebus stood just outside the ring with a stoic face and crossed his arms. Neji, Lee, and Tenten stood next to him. While Lee and Tenten were cheering Shivaroku on even before the fight started, Neji stood there a bit irked that everyone was wasting time in finding the statue.

"Welcome everyone. Today we will witness a fight between Hidden Leaf Shinobi Shivaroku," bellowed Nobara, as the crowd booed and heckled Shivaroku, "and our very own Kinshi of Kununa Village." The announcement of Kinshi's name spurred roars of excitement from the spectators.

Nobara continued, "The rules are simple. This is hand-to-hand combat. The Shinobi is not allowed to use any chakra-based techniques. No weapons are allowed. Winner is decided by knockout or when I believe one fighter is not able to continue anymore. Do you two understand?"

Shivaroku and Kinshi nodded. Shivaroku took up a fighting stance while Kinshi just stood there.

"BEGIN!" yelled Nobara.

Kinshi began to flex his muscles and show off his incredibly fit build, flaunting his strength and taunting Shivaroku, claiming Shivaroku wouldn't be able to even scratch his body. Shivaroku saw through these taunts and retorted back, saying, "If you're so strong, why don't you get it over with already? Unless you're bluffing and you're actually too weak to attack me."

Shivaroku's counter taunts irritated Kinshi, making him rush towards Shivaroku. Kinshi cocked his arm back for a mighty punch, but just as his fist was about to make contact, Shivaroku slightly moved his head to the left, allowing him to dodge the punch. Nevertheless, Kinshi's punch was strong. Neji, Lee, and Tenten could feel the force of that punch from just the wind that resulted from it. Kinshi then used his other arm to gut punch Shivaroku, but again, just before the punch landed, Shivaroku dodged.

Kinshi growled, irritated that his punches were not successful. Kinshi rushed towards Shivaroku again, but this time, he threw a barrage of punches at Shivaroku. He was fast for someone so bulky, but not fast enough. Shivaroku was also smaller than him, making it harder for him to make any contact. Shivaroku dodged all the punches with ease. His team of Genin were astounded at the raw speed that he possessed. Neji used his byakugan to view Shivaroku's chakra networks. To his surprise, no chakra was being used in the fight.

"Are you gonna fight more or are you just gonna keep dodging like a coward?!" yelled Kinshi.

Shivaroku then decided to get a little more serious. He caught both of Kinshi's arms. The spectators were in awe, that someone like Shivaroku could just easily catch Kinshi's punches. Kinshi couldn't break free of Shivaroku's grasp, so he tried to kick Shivaroku in the stomach. Suddenly, a loud thud echoed throughout the arena. Kinshi's eyes widened and was gasping for air as he looked down to see Shivaroku's knee in his gut. Shivaroku released his grip on Kinshi's hands, and Kinshi staggered back while clutching his stomach.

"What…the hell…was that. I couldn't even see him attack me," thought Kinshi as continued to breathe heavily. He then looked up at Shivaroku and said, "You! How the hell did you do that? You must be using chakra! Just like a Shinobi to just cheat in battle."

Shivaroku looked Kinshi dead in the eye. Neji spoke up, "You're incorrect. Shivaroku is not using any chakra at all. I can use my byakugan to sense when and where chakra gets used. What you just experienced was his raw strength and speed."

"What?! You're bluffing!" yelled Kinshi.

Shivaroku slowly walked over to Kinshi until they were less than a foot apart. Shivaroku continued to look right at Kinshi and said, "Why don't I slow down a bit so you can keep up." With that, Shivaroku threw his arm up and landed an uppercut on Kinshi's chin, throwing him backward towards the edge of the ring. Kinshi stood up, and in a panic, he tried to punch Shivaroku again, but Shivaroku swiftly dodged once more, immediately countering with a kick to Kinshi's ribs.

"Like I said…you don't know what true strength is. You think strength is based on the size of your muscles or how arrogant you are. No, it is the will too keep going. To endure anything that comes at you. Strength is in the body as well as the mind. Without that strength, I would not have been able to gain this much power and skill in my lifetime," said Shivaroku.

The spectators looked at each other as they started to understand Shivaroku's words. Atrebus continued to stand and look stoically at the match, cracking a slight smile.

"Whatever. Sure you may be strong, but you're still a Shinobi. Your kind is dishonorable!" yelled Kinshi.

"That's enough, Kinshi!" yelled Nobara, but Shivaroku stopped Nobara from continuing.

"I became a Shinobi only just recently. Yes Shinobi use deception. Yes we try to take out enemies from behind. Yes we rely on stealth. But what we do always comes with a risk of death. To protect our village and those we love as much as possible, we need to stay alive as long as possible. However…don't you dare say that we are dishonorable. We would all gladly lay our lives down for our village, and there isn't anything more honorable than that."

Neji, Lee, and Tenten all smiled at the way Shivaroku defended the Shinobi. Nobara walked over to Shivaroku, grabbed his arm, and lifted it up. "The battle has been decided. Shivaroku wins."

To his surprise, all the spectators began clapping for Shivaroku, recognizing his true strength and resolve, but Shivaroku was not done yet.

"Elder Nobara, may I speak to the village openly?" asked Shivaroku.

Nobara nodded and told the spectators to quiet down so that Shivaroku could say a few words. "People of Kununa Village. I humbly ask for your forgiveness. I do not mean to disrespect you, but I feel that many of you are blinded. You seem to want to get stronger just so you can win that statue. But in the quest for that statue, you have all forgotten the true meaning of strength. Strength comes from within, and it is heightened when you want to protect those you love."

Shivaroku then looked towards Atrebus, who was smiling at Shivaroku. "And I think the only two people who understand that are your leader and Atrebus. That's why Atrebus stole the statue."

That last sentence drew unimaginable uproar from the crowd as they yelled harsh things at Atrebus. The other Genin were in shock and looked at Atrebus. Atrebus looked down, as he realized that he would be punished for such a crime, but Shivaroku interjected.

"No stop! Don't be mad at him! He was trying to do you all a favor!" yelled Shivaroku.

"A favor? He stole our village's prized possession! He committed a terrible crime!" yelled Kinshi.

"Is it a crime to make you all strive to be better?!" yelled Shivaroku. The crowd quickly silenced themselves. "None of you have been more united. None of you have been more determined to get stronger until that statue was taken! Think about your first champion. There was no statue until after he won your fighting competition. He didn't have such a superficial goal for gaining strength!"

"Shivaroku is correct. In the last few decades, we have forgotten the true meaning of strength. Elder Nuna and those of his generation knew it, which is why they never stopped in their quest for strength. They trained hard every day to protect our village," said Nobara. "Atrebus may have gone a bit too far, but what he did has opened my eyes to the flaws of our lifestyle." Nobara walked over to Atrebus and put his hand on his shoulder. "It is why, he is the perfect choice to be the next Village Elder."

The other villagers had looks of surprise. Many of them already felt Atrebus should have been the next Elder anyway. Shivaroku smiled at Atrebus, who smiled back. After about thirty seconds of silence, Kinshi yelled, "Atrebus for Village Elder!" The rest of the villagers joined in and began cheering for Atrebus. Shivaroku jumped off the ring and walked back towards his friends, who all gave Shivaroku looks of approval.

The next day, the statue was back in its rightful place. The genin walked into the Elder's hut to see both Nobara and Atrebus waiting.

"We want to thank you all for your help, Hidden Leaf Shinobi," said Nobara.

"Especially you Shivaroku. You have reminded us all of what true strength is," said Atrebus.

Shivaroku was a bit embarrassed at the praise and rubbed his head sheepishly.

"The village may still not be too keen on Shinobi as a whole, but you four definitely have sparked some change in their opinions. Maybe some day we can forge a strong alliance with the Hidden Leaf," said Nobara.

Neji agreed and shook Nobara's hand, and the team of Genin took their leave.

Just before the stepped out of the tent, Atrebus stopped them. "Wait. Before you leave, how did you know I was the one who took the statue?"

Neji, Lee, and Tenten all looked at Shivaroku, since the same question lingered in their minds. Shivaroku said, "Well, I have a sensory ability that allows me to sense power. The two guards that were in the hospital were among the strongest of your village, yet they were taken down from the front very easily. Naturally, I tried to sense those who were stronger, which included you, Elder Nobara, and a few others in the village. What made me absolutely certain that it was you was the way you explained your village's lifestyle to us at when we first met. I could tell that you were disappointed in the way the other villagers viewed strength. And when you smiled at my speech in the ring, I knew that it was you."

"You Shinobi really are something else. Maybe we ought to start teaching the villagers about strategy," said Atrebus as he laughed heartily.

The Genin smiled and finally took their leave. On their way back to the village, the four of them were discussing the events of the mission.

"You surprised me several times during this mission, Shivaroku," said Neji. "You are strong and wise, and I am glad to have you as a comrade."

"Can we just talk about how COOL you looked during and after that fight? It made you like a hundred times cuter!" yelled Tenten as she rested her arms on Shivarkou's shoulder. Shivaroku blushed at Tenten's compliments and laughed sheepishly.

Just then, Neji got up in Shivaroku's face with a glare and a fire in his eyes. "Uhm…what's up Lee?" asked Shivaroku.

"I want to fight you! Hand-to-hand combat!" yelled Lee.

"Lee, we just finished a mission," said Neji.

"I know but I want to see his true strength!" responded Lee.

Shivaroku chuckled and said, "Alright. I accept."

This excited Lee, as he said, "YES! It will be glorious! Why don't we have a match tomorrow!"

Shivaroku agreed and laughed. Neji sighed, realizing that Shivaroku is still a bit immature, and Tenten facepalmed.

Tomorrow, the legendary battle between the two greatest taijutsu Genin would ensue.