Chapter 41
Fighting for Respect: The Final Rounds Begin!
Naruto and Sasuke were late.
Amari exhaled a long, impatient sigh, frowning in mild irritation at the entrance of the arena. Of course they're late. Why wouldn't they be late? It's not like today was really important or anything. She groaned internally. Why are my teammates so troublesome?
Every seat of the circular stadium had been filled by enthusiastic spectators, all eagerly awaiting the spectacle of battle to come. Below the spectators, past the tall concrete walls enclosing the stadium on the untouched battlefield stood the participants of the Chūnin Exams. The final competitors who arrived on time stood in a row before the audience, silent and ready for what came next.
Everyone except Naruto, Sasuke and Dosu.
Dosu's arrival didn't matter to Amari. He could have returned to the Sound Village or abandoned shinobi life altogether for all she cared. Good riddance.
The whereabouts of her teammates concerned her. They should have arrived already. Even if she wasn't obsessed with punctuality, their distinct absence to the finals unsettled her immensely.
Those two boys, their desire to win this whole tournament was greater than hers. Both spent the last month preparing to go all the way to the end to be the indisputable winners. To test their strength against stiff competition, opponents who possessed great skill or enormous power, or both.
Naruto wouldn't miss the chance to show his growth and gain the acknowledgement of those in attendance. This was his chance to prove he wasn't just the prankster desperately trying to get people to acknowledge his existence; he was a shinobi of the Leaf too, and a hard worker prepared to take himself to his limits to defeat a prodigy.
Waiting for him in the second round could be Gaara, the boy who promised to kill them all, or Sasuke—his friend and rival. Either battle would force him to fight at his best, but he wanted Sasuke to win. Not just because he was his teammate, but to earn his teammate's respect and prove he wasn't a loser anymore. Should he pass through to the finals, there were two opponents he hoped to face: Mimi or Amari.
Although Amari was his best friend and someone he secretly considered a rival to overcome, Naruto wanted to fight Mimi first. She had beaten him so easily before, made a fool of him really. Beating her was a chance at redemption and one more step towards being strong enough to defeat Amari in his eyes.
Sasuke intensely wanted to test his strength, skill and eyes against his first opponent. Gaara of the Sand, the boy who handicapped Rock Lee and made it through the Forest of Death without a single scratch on him, was the perfect opponent to push him to overcome his limits. Lee thoroughly thrashed him when they first met, and from what everyone witnessed or learned of his fight against Gaara, the Sand shinobi shouldn't even be standing here.
That made him a dangerous opponent worthy of caution and excitement. And, though he hadn't admitted it out loud, as a Leaf shinobi he felt a responsibility to pay Gaara back for what he had done to Lee. The bushy-browed shinobi fought tooth and nail to protect him, Naruto, Sakura and Amari in the Forest of Death, risking his own life in a test where they were enemies.
It fell to the Uchiha to avenge a comrade; it suited Sasuke perfectly.
And then, beyond Gaara, waited the opportunity to fight Naruto—his nuisance turning friend and rival—or Neji Hyūga. After learning from Naruto what the Hyūga called his clan-sister during the move, it was in Neji's best interests to lose to Naruto.
And beyond them were two kunoichi he wanted to meet in the final round: Mimi Inuzuka or Amaririsu Yūhi, the two kunoichi who surpassed their boy counterparts in the Academy and continued to hold the titles of being the strongest of their class and teams.
Mimi would prove to be an impressive foe, but Sasuke wanted to fight Amari most.
Who better to test an Uchiha than another powerful Uchiha?
No. Neither of them would risk missing out on this grand opportunity to fight the toughest shinobi of the Exams. So where were they?
Amari supposed Sasuke's lateness came down to one factor—Kakashi. Her sensei, as much as she admired him as a mentor and a father figure, rarely showed up on time to anything. Everyone knew it, everyone expected it. However, if he did not arrive soon with Sasuke, the Uchiha boy would be disqualified.
Why does Kakashi-sensei always have to be late?
Then there was Naruto. Sasuke, due to his secret location and Kakashi, possessed a legitimate reason to not arrive on time. Her knuckleheaded teammate, however, did not possess such an excuse. Either he forgot when the finals would start, or…
The half Nara casted a sidelong glance to the back of Gaara, his parting words in the hospital ringing in her mind.
"All the same, I will kill you. Just you wait. I'll kill you all."
Amari growled silently. If you laid a hand on Naruto, I swear I'll kill you.
From her turned around position, Amari had Mimi and Shino on her left while on her right it went Shikamaru, Neji, Gaara, Kankurō and finally Temari. Genma stood in front of them looking up at the populated arena, rolling the senbon in his mouth thoughtfully as he waited patiently for permission to begin.
Amari exhaled another sigh and hugged her arms around her belly, anxious on behalf of her teammates. Nothing could have happened, she tried easing her fears. Naruto was under Anbu guard since we moved him and Sasuke's stuff into their new home. And Sasuke had Kakashi-sensei.
Then why weren't they here?
"Think they skipped out?" Shikamaru asked her quietly, watching her anxious form from the corner of his eye.
Amari shook her head, still frowning, still hugging herself to keep her greatest fears at bay. "No. They wouldn't miss this even if they were ordered to."
She thought about saying "Only death could stop them" but the thought was executed for treason.
"Relax, 'Risu. Watching you get all wound up is making me nervous, and I'm not even their teammate," Shikamaru mocked a complaint to lighten her mood.
A weak smile formed but didn't fully reach her eye.
Another minute of no arrival passed.
Amari chewed on her bottom lip and felt her fingers dig into her sides. Where were they? Why hadn't there been any sight of them yet?
Glancing up towards the private booth of the stadium where the Hokage sat, she noticed the seat next to him was still empty. Even the Kazekage was late. It worked in Naruto's and Sasuke's favor; the final rounds wouldn't officially begin until the leader of the Sand Village arrived.
Amari returned her onyx eye back to the entrance, immediately squinting in uncertainty at what she was seeing. There appeared to be a cloud of dust kicked up into the air chasing after a sea of orange beyond the entryway.
"Is that…Naruto?" Her confused voice acquired the attention of Mimi, Shikamaru and Shino, who all turned to face the entrance.
"Has he finally arrived?" Shino asked.
"What's with that dust cloud? Looks like bad news," Shikamaru said.
The naked eye wouldn't be enough to discern the situation. Amari channeled chakra into her left eye and activated her Byakugan, extending her vision towards whatever was approaching. At the same time the Inuzuka sniffed the air.
Amari recoiled in disbelief. "What the…" It had to be an illusion, or a prank. Naruto couldn't actually be…
"The hell?" Mimi's eyebrows rose in shock.
Nope, it was real. Mimi could smell what she was seeing. Amari deactivated her eye, sighing in exasperation as she did.
"What is the matter?" Shino asked.
"Bulls," Amari answered in a flat voice. Naruto was late and currently in a frantic sprint to outrun a herd of furious bulls.
Her best friend was such a drag.
"And lots of them," Mimi followed. "I think that Goofball pissed off an entire herd of them."
"What? Seriously?" Shikamaru was dumbfounded by the answer. Both kunoichi nodded. "How does that idiot always outdo himself? Sheesh. And now if those bulls get in here we'll have to deal with them. This is all such a drag," he sighed.
The horde of clones, and undoubtedly Naruto as well, tried to storm through the entrance together instead of dispelling; the sheer idiocy of their plan couldn't be overstated. They pinned themselves against the walls, pushing and clawing one another in frantic desperation to escape the raging bulls hell-bent on goring the idiots for their sins. In the process the clones trampled one another in a mess of panic, shouts and horrified screams.
Screams didn't save them, nor did their inability to think clearly. The horde of bulls charged into the horde of clones, dispelling the majority in a flurry of stamping hooves and pointed horns. Unfortunately for the real Naruto, he didn't have the luxury of dispelling after taking damage. The lead bull struck him and sent her teammate hurtling through the entryway, into the arena and sliding across the dirt and grass to be within a few feet of Amari and Shikamaru.
Safe! A part of her mind shouted, thoroughly entertained at his ridiculous entrance.
The impressive blow dazed him. Naruto didn't appear to be on the same continent anymore, let alone the same planet; nonsensical groans left him as he laid chest first in the dirt.
Both Nara's heaved heavy sighs and approached his sides to lift him up onto his feet.
"What a drag," Shikamaru mumbled, throwing one arm over his shoulder to support the knucklehead's weight.
"How do you manage to get yourself into ridiculous situations like this?" Amari asked rhetorically. She didn't expect an answer, nor did she believe he actually had one.
Naruto suddenly awoke from his daze and broke free of their support, accidently shoving the two Nara's away. "Guys! You won't believe this, but there is a huge herd of stampeding bulls coming right for us!" he exclaimed.
The hit clearly didn't teach him about volume control.
"Actually they were run off by a group of ninjas after they sent you flying. Nice entry nonetheless, Goofball. Ten points," Mimi grinned, getting a bark of agreement from Aoko.
The boy went to argue but then took note of his location, their fellow Genin and proctor. Amazement and relief were followed by concern and confusion. Cerulean eyes darted around in search of the missing Uchiha, who still hadn't arrived yet.
"Hey wait, where's Sasuke?"
"Late, of course," Amari grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Naruto's arrival and mostly unharmed appearance rid her of most her anxiety; it meant Sasuke's absence came down to Kakashi's penchant for tardiness, nothing more. "We both know Sensei is probably waiting to make some giant entrance. Troublesome adult."
"Hey! Knock it off!" Genma interrupted their little talk. He didn't raise his voice particularly loud; it still came out in his normal laid back way, but the command beneath it silenced and straightened the group of Leaf shinobi instantly. "Quit your fidgeting. Stand up straight and present yourself proudly to the spectators."
Amari, Naruto and Shikamaru rejoined the row and did as they were asked. The fun and games were over. It was time for the tournament to begin.
"You guys are the heroes of this final competition," their proctor stated.
Above them, and above the spectators in the private booth, the Kazekage finally arrived to join Lord Third. After a short greeting, the Hokage approached the railing of the balcony of their booth.
"Welcome all," he projected his voice across the arena, "and our deepest thanks for coming here to Konoha for this year's Chūnin Selection Exam! We have come to the final competition between the ten candidates who made it through the preliminary rounds! We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed! Now everyone enjoy!"
Ten candidates? There should be eleven with Dosu. Unless…
Genma pulled out a new tournament schedule from his flak jacket. Everything remained the same, with the exception of Shikamaru's and Temari's position on the board. Dosu's name and position on the chart no longer existed, wiped clean like an eraser clearing off a chalkboard.
"Temari, huh," Shikamaru muttered under his breath. "Great. I have to fight a girl again. How troublesome."
Shikamaru vs Temari replaced the original fight between Leaf and Sound, and whoever won that match would fight whoever came out on top between Mimi and Amari.
So he did take his leave…She furrowed her brow. That makes no sense. Why would he forfeit when he was triumphant in his match? He had plenty of reasons to stay.
"There has been a slight change in the matchups, but this is the official line-up. Everyone take one last look at who you'll be facing," Genma ordered.
I don't like this…Something isn't right.
"Question." Naruto raised his hand.
"What is it?" Genma asked, placing the tournament sheet away in his flak jacket.
"I was just wondering what will happen to Sasuke if he doesn't show up."
"If a candidate is not in the arena at the time his name is called…" The proctor flicked his senbon to point up with a small bite. "He forfeits the match."
Naruto lowered his hand and said nothing else. Amari could see the same uneasiness she felt piercing its fangs into him too.
There was nothing they could do about it now.
I guess we'll just have to put faith in Kakashi-sensei doing what he does best.
Making a dramatic late entry.
Genma put his hands behind his back, straightening his posture and hardening his eyes to befit the role of a commander. "All right, listen up. The terrain is different but the rules for the matches are the same, which is to say there are no rules. The match continues until one of the opponents acknowledges their defeat or dies." His eyes shifted across the line of Genin. "That being said, if I determine a match is over, I can step in and stop it at any time." The brown-haired ninja's eyes locked onto Amari's. "And no arguments are permitted."
Amari furrowed her brow and pursed her lips in a pout. I'm stubborn, but not that stubborn. Sheesh.
His eyes left her to encompass the group. "Understood?"
There were no arguments from the Genin. They knew the rules and were prepared to finally put their month of training to the test. The terrain wasn't the cold and unforgiving concrete floor and walls of the preliminaries. The stadium encircled rather than boxed in the combatants; the main field consisted of trimmed grass, patches of compacted and flat earth and trees lining the wall beneath the majority of the spectators.
"These are the opponents for the first match: Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyūga. Those two stay, the rest of you will go to the waiting area until your match is called," Genma said.
The waiting area was an open alcove a little higher than halfway up the tall walls, adjacent to the spectator seats.
Everyone moved to depart as ordered.
"Good luck, Naruto," Amari whispered to him before following after Mimi, Shikamaru, and Shino.
Please remember your training, Naruto. You know frontal assault against Neji is a bad plan with his Byakugan and ability to shut off your chakra points. You're going to have to use all of your strength and intelligence in this one if you plan to win.
Amari sat down on the floor in the waiting area, dangling her legs over the edge of the balcony and kicking her heels against the wall in no particular rhythm. Shino stood on her left, Shikamaru on her right and Mimi after him. The Sand siblings stood away from the Leaf shinobi, watching on with disinterest to the entire affair.
"You think he has a chance?" Mimi broke the silence.
"Who, Neji? No, not really," Amari answered without blinking.
Below, Neji took up his Gentle Fist stance.
Mimi chuckled at her. "Heh, very funny. Seriously Amari, Neji may be a prick, but we both know he isn't a pushover. You fought him yourself, and you saw what he did to Hinata. You're not worried he'll do the same to Naruto after the little spat you two had, just to spite you for sticking up for Hinata and threatening his life? He knows how close you two are."
Amari's heels halted their nonchalant kicking. "Of course I'm worried. I'm a worrier by nature," she answered, no longer jesting. "And you're right about Neji not being some average punk anyone here could just walk over. His keen sight with the Byakugan is incredible, and his ability to pinpoint and strike chakra points in the heat of battle isn't something to roll your eyes at.
"It's true he may take out his aggression towards me on Naruto to spite me for what I said and did. That's on me, and I'll own that and apologize to Naruto for the rest of my life if that happens." She shook her head. "But don't count Naruto out so easily. He may be a goofball, but he's a fighter too. I believe in him. I know he can overcome the odds against him here, because this battle isn't just about a promotion to him. Naruto has more to lose here than Neji does."
Mimi sent a quizzical look her way. "More to lose? What makes you say that?"
"Why does Naruto have more to lose? Because: He vowed on the blood of Hinata to win," Shino's analytical voice answered instead. The trio of Leaf shinobi turned to face the Aburame, who appreciated their attentiveness. "There is also his dream to become Hokage to consider. Should he win, he will earn the acknowledgement of his peers and be one small step closer to achieving his dream."
Shino didn't break his sunglass covered gaze from the field below them. "Then there are Neji's statements about failures remaining failures. Naruto will wish to prove those wrong. Why? Because: He has been called a failure by his peers since his days in the Academy, yet he is now here in the finals of the Chūnin Exams while many of them are not. He even beat Kiba—my own teammate and your cousin.
"To have achieved this feat should not be ignored, no matter how insignificant it may appear in the grand scheme of our shinobi careers. Now he has a chance to face a true genius. Defeating Neji will give those who still doubt him no choice but to acknowledge how far his hard work has taken him. We should all watch him carefully and cheer him on." Shino turned his head to look at the trio, light shining off his black sunglasses. "He is our comrade, after all."
"Exactly, Shino," Amari agreed, nodding. "Exactly."
The match began with Naruto making the first move. He grabbed three kunai and threw them at Neji. The Hyūga reacted without blinking, grabbing the first kunai to reach him by its hilt, blocking the second to impale into the ground nearby with the newly equipped kunai and then using the hoop end to catch the third blade in front of his face.
Mimi snorted and leaned her forearms onto the railing. "Show off."
Naruto charged ahead, turning his body as he ran to dodge the kunai tossed at him and dashing in to punch Neji. The blow didn't land; it was blocked and pushed aside by his opponent. Now he was vulnerable to counterattack, open completely for Neji to strike down. Thinking on his feet, Naruto found his footing and jumped away to recover before Neji could capitalize.
His opponent waited in his previous position for the next move. Just like I told you, Naruto. Gentle Fist can be used aggressively, but Neji doesn't usually allow his emotions to guide him to attack first. He lets his opponents close in, placing themselves into close-quarters where he has the advantage.
Naruto didn't have long-range options besides his ninja tools, and he wouldn't use them wastefully; he couldn't if he planned to win. Those first three blades proved the simple act of throwing them at his opponent wouldn't be enough.
He was still testing his opponent out, she could tell. The focus in his cerulean eyes wasn't that of the Naruto who got chased by bulls into the arena; this was Naruto finally using his brain to his advantage.
Without a Nature Transformation jutsu under his belt to hit hard or use as a distraction, Naruto was all but required to fight fist against Gentle fist; a taijutsu battle against someone far more proficient and elegant in the art.
I should really approach Kakashi-sensei about figuring out Naruto's affinity to get him started on Nature Transformation, Amari thought. Shadow Clones couldn't be Naruto's only trick forever. They needed to start getting more strategic pieces in his command. Sakura, too.
But if he went in throwing punches and kicks at random, he'd only exhaust his own stamina as Neji wasted none of his own, or he would leave himself open at the worst time. One opening was all Neji needed, if he wanted to end this quickly.
Naruto stood up and carefully stalked a half-circle around Neji, cerulean eyes sharpened like blades as he stared into the emotionless lavender eyes of Neji's Byakugan.
"Holy crap. I think the Goofball is strategizing, Aoko," Mimi said in surprise.
Aoko barked.
"Yeah, you said it. He's adapting as he grows. I didn't even have to get my hands dirty when he charged me like an idiot, but now he's actually thinking through his plan of attack. Heh," Mimi grinned, "he's not as blockheaded as I thought."
"I think you're giving him too much credit too soon. He's still the idiot that got chased by a herd of bulls, remember?" Shikamaru drawled lazily.
Mimi snickered. "Hehe! Good point, Slacker."
Naruto stopped walking and brought up the clone seal. Four clones appeared around him and pulled out kunais.
Good start, Amari thought. Without that other seal on your stomach, your ability to create Shadow Clones is no longer as restricted, and your chakra control training makes you five indistinguishable from one another to his Byakugan, and mine. If you attack fiercely enough he'll lose sight of you, keeping you relatively safe.
Not fully, though. Numbers alone didn't guarantee Neji losing sight of him or not landing one blow with his Gentle Fist on the real Naruto.
The clones charged in ahead of the real Naruto. Neji, patient as ever, waited for them to get within arms distance then jumped up, pressing his hands on the backs of the first two clones to reach him to flip forward. The moment his feet touched the ground again the other two clones tried to attack from his sides. Using their momentum against them, he blocked their attacks and guided their attacks further away from him.
Naruto darted in among the controlled chaos and tried to land a high kick right underneath Neij's jaw. Neji appeared to be hit by the strike, his jaw lifting and his feet lifting off the ground, but it was all a ruse. He pretended to be hit and jumped into a backflip out of range of the real Naruto.
He landed back on his feet between the clones, who hadn't waited to attack again. Neji, essentially working with his eyes closed in a deep meditation, jumped into the air again, spinning his body as he did. Two hard kicks landed beneath the jaws of the clones, dispelling one and knocking the other away.
The other two clones dashed in from behind. Tactically sound against normal enemies, but with Neji's Byakugan he had seen them act before they reached striking range. Again he used their momentum against them, guiding the blade wielding hands in front of him effortlessly and nailing them both with strikes of his palm, dispelling them.
The Hyūga stalked over to the one clone that had not been dispelled, picked him up and jabbed him lightly with his palm, eliminating the final clone. Neji turned his body to face the real Naruto, his back turning to the kunai impaled into the ground.
That same kunai dispelled, revealing a clone wielding a kunai it tossed right at Neji's blind spot.
Nice one, Naruto!
Neji, sensing the clone, spun around in surprise and saw the kunai within a foot of his face. Reflexes kicked in, his body twisting just enough to move his face and neck out of the way of a finishing blow, but not unscathed. The blade sliced right across his shoulder, opening the first real wound of the battle and taking a few strands of his long hair with it.
"Damn," Amari muttered. He reacted as quickly as she expected, but she hoped it could land itself in his shoulder. It would have made his taijutsu harder to perform, increasing Naruto's odds of victory by a small percent.
Still, she was proud of Naruto. Every action he took furthered his overall plan. The first kunais had all been clones, but two had been discarded by Neji and disappeared off the battlefield when no one had been paying attention. His stalking to a new position had been intentional, forcing Neji to turn his back to the one kunai and forget about it by attacking him fiercely with his clones.
His clones were a distraction. Naruto's attempted strike, while worthwhile if it would land, fueled the distraction further, making Neji and everyone else believe he intended to win by brute force and numbers alone. After his strike failed he returned to his original position and waited for Neji to face him again, springing his real trap.
A good first move by Naruto. Hopefully he kept at it.
The single blow left Neji growling and seething with rage. He grabbed at the wound on his shoulder and flicked his eyes briefly to Amari, snarling even fiercer at the sight of her before returning his attention to Naruto.
"I should have known that half-breed would teach you about the Byakugan. How dare she. The secrets of these eyes do not belong to her," he growled under his breath. "No doubt she taught a fool like you how to use the Shadow Clones for more than just punching bags. You're too inept to figure it out on your own," Neji spat louder.
Naruto dispelled his clone. "Hmph, actually she didn't teach me that last trick. I figured it out on my own, through my own hard work. Not that you'd ever understand what that's like."
A verbal lance that struck hard.
"You're a genius, right? You have a natural gift so you think that's an excuse not to work hard, and then you sneer down on others who do and put them down because you think you're so much better than them."
The Hyūga's stare hardened, a tight scowl on his lips, but he did not speak.
Naruto shoved his fist out in front of him. "That's why I'm going to beat you today! I'm not fighting alone." He pressed his thumb over his heart. "I've got back-up from Hinata's and Bushy Brows wills, because like me they've had to work harder than everyone else to get this far. I won't let them down!
"No Hokage fights alone, that's what the Old Man taught me. Even when it's one-on-one, a Hokage carries the wills of their comrades and precious people with them; that's where we get our strength from. That's why when I beat you today it won't just be my fist that delivers the final blow. It'll be Hinata's, Bushy Brows, Amari's, Mimi's and everyone else you ever hurt all knocking you down for the count!"
Mimi and Amari smiled to themselves, and somewhere in the stands the Hokage and Hinata did too.
Neji sneered at Naruto and let his hand fall from his shoulder. "No Hokage fights alone? Do you honestly think you have a chance of becoming Hokage? The idea would be laughable if it wasn't so absurd. It will never happen. These eyes of mine show me many things. One thing they have shown me is that people's limitations are set—unchangeable. Only a fool tries to become something they can never be. Fools like you and everyone else you named in that little speech of yours."
"Fools, huh? Here we go again with the same broken record. Who are you to judge what anyone can or can't be, huh?!" Naruto demanded.
"Do you think anyone can be Hokage? That all it takes is a little hard work? Open your eyes, you fool. Out of all the shinobi who live in this world, how many of them have become Hokage? How many others have shared your ridiculous dream but never reached it? Those who become Hokage are destined for the position; it isn't a place you can reach by merely trying to become one. Every Hokage was chosen by destiny."
Neji lifted his searing, lavender gaze to Amari. "Just as you are not destined to be Hokage, those half-breeds cannot change their fates. They will forever be regarded by society as the stains of their Clans; born to be weaker than those of full-blood, and seen as fools for their persistent struggling to prove their half-breed blood isn't a weakness."
Amari and Mimi both glared back at him.
"Heh, shows what you know," Naruto retorted, a light, disdainful chuckle in his voice. "Amari and Mimi already proved being born into two separate Clans doesn't make them any weaker, and they're sure as hell stronger than you."
Neji's eyes shot back to Naruto's in an instant and clashed their bladed hatred against her teammate's righteous armor. "Man, and they call you a genius? You don't even understand their reasons for getting stronger. You're too blinded by your own arrogance and this garbage about destiny to really see why those two fight so hard to be the strongest they can be."
Naruto jabbed his finger at Neji. When he spoke next, the chuckle was gone, replaced by a low and deadly serious voice Amari hadn't heard since he threatened to kill Mizuki. "You're the one who needs to open his eyes and stop being an idiot. Mimi's your comrade, your teammate. Yet you don't know the slightest thing about her, do you? You just see her as a half-breed, as if that really defines who she is and what she stands for.
"You don't know her struggles. You don't know her pain. You don't know what drives her. Those special eyes of yours don't see anything at all except your own skewed idea of the world, looking down on her as some kind of other, as your so-called society sees her. The same thing goes for Amari."
"You just don't get it," Neji spat, lifting his nose in superiority. "Each person is set on a path by destiny, and they must follow it obediently! Spit your drivel about their reasons all you like, but it doesn't change the single fact they will never find acceptance. They are tainted by half-breed blood. That is their destiny."
"Grr! Just shut up already!" Naruto yelled, stepping forward aggressively and clenching his hands into fists. "So what they weren't born full-blooded to any Clan! That doesn't give you or anyone else the right to treat them as less than human!" He shook his head and loosened his fists. "It's you and anyone who thinks like you that doesn't get it. You say they won't be accepted when they will always be accepted. Not by unimportant people like you, but by us—their family and friends. So leave them the hell out of this!" He swiped his arm through the air.
"Kick his ass, Goofball."
Naruto…Thank you.
Neji shook his head in obvious disbelief at what he perceived as a ridiculous argument. "There is but one destiny we all share equally: Death."
"This kid is a real downer," Shikamaru sighed. "First he pisses me off then he drags me down with this melodramatic talk about destiny and death. It's so troublesome."
"Try being on the same team as him," Mimi smirked. "As crazy as Lee and Guy-sensei appear, their energy really keeps his depressing speeches at bay. Most of the time, anyways."
"Eh, their too energetic for me. Their idea of training is way too much work, and they don't know how to kick back, relax and think about nothing."
Amari sent a teasing look at her cousin. "Doing any sort of training is too much work for you."
"This tournament has been too much work for him. Why? Because: Shikamaru prefers not to exert himself so long as he can help it," Shino commented.
"He's right," both Nara's agreed in unison. Amari had a laugh in her voice while Shikamaru spoke plainly about his laziness.
Her Shika was a lazy cloud watcher at his core. Just an average guy trying to have an average career. Anything more was too troublesome.
No doubt his goal in this tournament is to work just hard enough not to get scolded, but not enough to get promoted. Amari wished him the best of luck, although she did wish he'd take it a bit more seriously. I guess I just have to be the motivation for us both, even if this is all a bit of a drag.
"Well you can think like that if you want, but people always tell me I don't know when to quit!" Naruto brought his hands up into the clone seal again. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A large amount of clones appeared around him, around thirty or so, prepared to pummel the condescending attitude out of his opponent. Together they charged in, every single clone doing their best to land a blow by overwhelming the Hyūga with sheer numbers.
It was to no avail. Neji moved in a dance, calculating every dodge and every blow he landed with unmatched precision while keeping his blind spot covered. He relied on his technique drilled into him and his dōjutsu to overcome the numbers game.
After knocking away three clones one after another, he sprang forward too fast for the clones to stop him. He glided through the Naruto army like a guided kunai straight for his chosen target—a Naruto sticking on the outer ends of the clone army.
Does he know which one the real Naruto is? Amari clenched the vertical railing tightly in concern.
Neji stabbed his fingers at and landed a blow to Naruto's heart.
"Neji, if you do to him what you did to Hinata…" Mimi's gloved hands clenched the railing too.
The clones began dispersing rapidly as Neji dropped his hand and took a step back. The Naruto he stabbed coughed up blood and bent at his waist, arms dangling like dead weight.
"I told you it was pointless," he chastised.
"Oh yeah?" Naruto raised his head, blood streaking down from the corners of his mouth. "And I thought I told you not to count me out."
The Naruto in front of Neji suddenly dispersed. From behind Neji, the real Naruto and the final clone he didn't dispel jumped at him with their fists cocked back.
"You thought I was too much of a chicken to attack you myself, huh?! Well think again!"
"Ha-ha! Nice one, Goofball!" Mimi cheered.
"Go Naruto!" Amari joined her.
"Interesting," Shino commented. "So, he used his first attack with his clones to create the perception of a cautious approach to not engage Neji in his range of attacks. In this second attack the clone was used to perpetuate this same idea, luring Neji into a trap and away from the real Naruto, opening him up for a counterattack. Very well thought out for Naruto."
"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed.
Naruto's fist closed in on his opponent, about to lay him flat with wills of his comrades. As the window for a counterattack closed, Neji spun his body away from Naruto.
Amari sensed before she saw the huge release of chakra from him.
A rapidly spinning dome of blue chakra encompassed Neji, catching the clone and Naruto, repelling them away from him with tremendous force. The clone popped when it slammed into the ground. Naruto tumbled across the battlefield; he pushed himself up into a seated position, a bewildered look on his face.
It…It can't be. Amari's eye was wide, her heart beginning to slam against her chest rapidly in anxiety.
Neji stopped spinning. His chakra faded but he appeared uninjured and as calm as before, not a single hint that the technique affected his reserves in anyways. Around him was a dome shaped crater, dirt and earth shredded by the rotating chakra he used to repel Naruto.
"How the hell did he do that?" Mimi sounded as astonished as Amari felt. "That was just like your Ultimate Defense."
Yes, it was, at least on the surface level. But there was a vast difference between her technique and his; Neji's actually worked perfectly.
"He…he figured out a way to reach deflection speed without simply rotating his chakra, and without the heavy cost on his chakra." And without relying on Sharingan. Her fingers curled tighter around the railing as she activated her Sharingan.
This is bad. This is really bad. That move… It's a real Ultimate Defense. It's flawless. It doesn't exhaust his chakra in one move; it won't damage him when he repels attacks.
Everything she had been trying to do with hers. How many days had she spent thinking about it, and still it was imperfect. But Neji…Neji figured it out. He pieced together a way to use his chakra as a defensive shield and weapon without chakra exhaustion or recoil damage.
Naruto hopped back on his feet and created more clones to circle his enemy with him. Again the clones charged in. Again Neji rotated his body rapidly to create a spinning dome of blue chakra to repel them away. The clones dispelled and the real Naruto slammed to the dirt again.
Not a single flaw. Not a single place to attack from where the chakra couldn't repel him from.
"Amari, have you analyzed how his attack works?" Shino asked, noticing her Sharingan.
"Yes," she nodded, red eye fading for cool onyx. "When I use my Ultimate Defense, I have to release a large amount of chakra through all of my chakra points. From there I rotate it around my body as fast as I possibly can. My eye is what solidified it and gave it its shape, and as we said before, it's imperfect. It harms me when I use it and drains me of my chakra.
"What Neji is doing is similar in practice with the slightest of tweaks. It's so simple, yet I never even thought about it. As he rotates his chakra, he rotates his body the same direction to gain enough momentum to block and repel attacks. By gaining that momentum he essentially turns his chakra into a giant, impenetrable shield that bashes away enemies."
An impenetrable shield no ninja tools, ninjutsu or taijutsu could penetrate. She could feel her heart plummeting off a cliff alongside Naruto's chances to win.
"It's not chakra exhaustive in one or two uses either because he's controlling the size of his sphere to the tiniest amount of chakra, where I expelled every drop I had to make it strong enough to defend us and solidify it."
"A true Ultimate Defense," Mimi murmured.
Neji took up a new pose, spreading his arms out to their full length and extended his left arm towards the ground in front of him while his right extended towards the air behind him. He squatted down slightly and pinned his eyes on Naruto.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," Neji said.
He darted in, spinning on the dirt and landing two strikes to the stunned Naruto's chakra points. "Eight Trigrams: Two palms!" He didn't waste time going back in, his hands moving at almost untraceable speeds to anyone watching without a dōjutsu. "Four palms!"
The strikes continued at such speed and ferocity that it didn't take a genius or Byakugan to know he was shutting down every chakra point he touched.
"Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms!"
The final strike sent her teammate flying back and sliding across the dirt. Crimson blood ran down his chin from his mouth as he laid there motionless, face down on the ground, the fight in his body appearing to be gone. Slowly, steadily, Naruto's body trembled against his attempts to stand back up, arms and legs struggling to hold his weight.
Genma approached the two and inspected the downed boy carefully, gauging his ability to continue fighting.
"I have now struck sixty-four of your chakra points. You're lucky to still be breathing." Amari growled at Neji's patronizing voice. "Well, must be frustrating to learn how hopeless this little dream of yours was. You thought you could succeed through hard work alone. That's only an illusion."
"Shut up…" Amari grit her teeth.
She tried to bite her tongue.
It didn't work.
Naruto's trembling body fought against his desire to stand again. Man, his entire body felt weak, as if the muscles in his body had become freshly cooked ramen noodles from Ichiraku. Beyond the weakness was pain; he could feel every single chakra point in his body at once, all feeling as if someone pressed a hot poker to them.
Was it really pointless to continue? How could he even get past that defense of his to land blows? It covered him on all sides and made it impossible for him to land a blow, and it didn't appear to exhaust him like Amari's Ultimate Defense had. And his chakra, he couldn't even feel it.
How was he supposed to keep fighting if he not only couldn't stand, but couldn't play the long game and exhaust Neji of his chakra by forcing him to use his Rotation over and over again with clones?
Damn it. Naruto curled his fingers into the dirt.
He promised Amari he'd win. He swore on Hinata's blood and meant every word of his vow to win.
Damn it! His teeth ground together as a drop of warm crimson blood dripped off his chin into the dirt.
This couldn't be how this ended. It couldn't.
"Forfeit. Hard work isn't enough to change your destiny. It's pointless to struggle against the inevit—"
"Shut up!" Amari's voice cut through the air, making Naruto's eyes bulge in a bit of shock. "Don't listen to him, Naruto! Look at how far Lee and Hinata have gone on hard work alone!"
He lifted his head barely enough to see Neji's legs in fuzzy vision. His appearance changed to Lee's, his left arm and leg bloody from Gaara's sand, face holding no emotion as his will alone stood him up on unconscious feet. Bushy Brow.
Next to appear in his mind was Hinata holding her side, her breathing labored after Neji's strike to her heart. Yet she still stood up and continued to press on to the very end, all to gain some self-respect and respect from Neji. Hinata.
Those two, they were just like him. They struggled, fought and clawed to get better, to be worthy of the title of shinobi despite their faults. They didn't give up even when their bodies gave out. To give up now would be a disgrace.
"Look how far you've come, Naruto! Look around you! This is everything you've strived for since the Academy!" Naruto grunted. She was right. Everything he had gone through, all the pain, the suffering, the loneliness before meeting Amari, Iruka-sensei and Team Seven; all of it fueled his dream to get here, to take this next step on his journey towards becoming Hokage.
I can't give up. I won't give up.
"You may be feeling at your weakest right now, but remember your own words: You carry the wills of your comrades and precious people with you; mine, Mimi's, Hinata's, Lee's and everyone he ever hurt are still with you! You still have strength left! I know you do! Now get back on your damned feet!"
"She's right, Goofball! You swore on Hinata's blood to win, right? Time to make that vow mean something! Pick yourself up, find the embers in your heart and reignite them! You're carrying our wills behind your fist, so get on your feet, make a fist and punch that arrogant jerk into next week!" Mimi cheered him.
Renewed strength and resolve filled Naruto. He clenched his hands into fists and commanded his body to stand again.
"I expected another foolish cheering fest from that annoying brat, but I didn't expect Mimi to lower herself even further," Neji growled.
"Shut up!" Naruto made it to his hands and knees and then onto his feet. "There…There is no way I'm giving up here."
He wouldn't go back on his vow, and he wouldn't let Amari or Mimi down. They were placing their faith in him to defeat Neji on their behalf; they believed in him. Even now, when defeat seemed certain, they went out of their way to rekindle his strength with their own.
"I believe in you Naruto. Always have and always will."
I won't let you down, Amari. I said it then and I meant it.
Neji watched him rise, baffled. "It's not possible. How are you even standing?"
Naruto exhaled an exhausted laugh. "I told you already, I just don't know when to quit," he said tiredly. All right, he was on his feet. Now what? His body still wasn't cooperating fully with him, and he didn't have any chakra accessible. How am I going to turn this around? Think like Amari. Think like Amari.
"Stop this madness," Neji coerced. "You'll only get more of the same if you keep fighting. I have nothing against you personally."
Naruto barked a sarcastic laugh. "That's touching. You're going to make me cry." Neji scowled. "I don't care if you've got nothing against me personally. I have plenty against you."
"I don't know what you mean."
"You don't? And here I thought you were Mr. Know-it-all. The so-called genius. You don't remember what you called my friend? How you called her a bottom-feeder parasite? Or how you mocked her to my face, calling her half-breed over and over again to cut her down until she isn't even human anymore? Or how you did the same to Mimi?"
Dormant rage provided a hint of energy and strength to his noodle limbs.
"You don't remember what you did to Hinata, huh? How you worked on her with your mind games, tearing her down when she worked so hard to get here!"
Neji's face remained blank, as if those points meant nothing to him. They probably didn't. He didn't care what he said to Amari, or how he insulted his own teammate or how he hurt Hinata. It infuriated Naruto he could be so cold.
He was thankful he had run into Hinata before the finals, even if it led to him being a little late and to the madness Konohamaru dragged him into.
In their little talk she told him it was his and Amari's cheering that pushed her to keep fighting, and how she was able to be happy with herself because of their encouragement. If he hadn't known that, he probably would have lost his cool completely at Neji's apathetic attitude.
"Never mind that. It doesn't concern you," Neji dismissed.
Naruto growled. "That's where you're wrong. It does concern me because they're my friends. You mocked Hinata. You called her a failure. You even tried to kill her! All that stuff about the 'great' Hyūga Clan I had to hear; Main Branch, Side Branches, who cares?! It doesn't give you the right to decide who is a failure. It doesn't give you the right to insult Mimi and Amari because of their heritage or to try to kill Hinata!"
Neji's scowl deepened on his face. "Very well, if you're so interested I'll tell you about the Hyūga Clans heritage of hatred!"
Neji went into detail explaining the source of his hatred. For generations the Hyūga Clan practiced a secret ninjutsu called the Curse Mark Jutsu, placing it on all of the Branch Family members. It is a seal to show a bird locked in its cage, a mark to show people who are bound to a destiny they can't escape, according to Neji.
Naruto would have been more skeptical if his opponent hadn't taken off his forehead protector to reveal a green X in the center of his forehead with two green lines going from the edge of his forehead towards the X, creating a hook at the opposite end without touching the X in the center.
"I was four years old when the leaders of my Clan branded this symbol onto my forehead with their Curse Mark Jutsu," he explained, voice hollow of all emotion. "On that same day a great celebration took place in the Leaf Village. After many years of war, a peace agreement had been reached with the Land of Lightning, who sent head Cloud shinobi to sign a peace treaty."
Apparently everyone had been there for the peace treaty, all except the Hyūga Clan. They remained in their compound to celebrate Hinata's third birthday. On that same day his uncle, Lord Hiashi Hyūga, had branded the mark on him since Neji's father—Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi Hyūga— was born seconds after Hiashi, designating him to be a member of the Branch Family.
Their family bond was nothing like what Naruto imagined how a family should be. He had never known his parents or what having a family was like, not until he met Amari, Iruka and Team Seven. Sure he and Sasuke argued a lot, but he imagined these bonds were what having siblings, a father and an uncle who showed up late all the time were like.
The Curse Mark wasn't for decorations. As Amari had told him about her own eyes, people sought the power of the kekkei genkai of the Hyūga Clan—the Byakugan. The Branch Family was meant to protect the secrets of the Byakugan and the Main Branch. The marks were to keep them in line, to fulfill their "destiny" as demanded by those of the Main Branch.
"And those rules, they're messed up," he recalled Mimi's words. "It's subjugation of innocent people. Kids who never had a choice. All for the 'greater good' and 'the safety of the Byakugan' as they justify it. Families are torn apart. Divided down a line old men created years ago."
"We live with the fear that they will use this Curse Mark to turn our brains to jelly at any time they wish," Neji continued. His dispassionate eyes left the ground to meet Naruto's again. "Fear. That is what we live with every day. Only in death are we free from it. This is how the power of the Byakugan is kept sealed away. Only the Hyūga hold the form of this unique kekkei genkai, and of course there are many who would steal it from us." His lavender eyes shot briefly to Amari, glaring at her. "Like your friend did."
Naruto grit his teeth as his temper flared. Unfortunately Neji kept talking, and the daze Naruto found himself in made it hard to correct his mistaken belief about his friend.
The Branch Family served to protect those who hold the secrets and the keepers of the secrets—the Main Branch—obediently for the rest of time. That was their destiny, until the day they had murdered his father.
One night someone had entered the compound and abducted Hinata but was stopped by Hiashi, who killed him instantly. Who was this person who tried to kidnap Hinata? The lead Cloud ninja who had just signed a peace treaty.
It was another painful reminder of why Amari's secret had to remain that way. They were trying to get the Byakugan for themselves, and when that didn't work they tried a new method. The threat of war was on the rise as the Cloud leaders fervently denied they had anything to do with it and accused the Leaf of going against the treaty.
The Leaf wanted to preserve peace. Knowing this, probably even planning it, the Cloud demanded that they were to be given the life of the one who killed their shinobi to prevent the war.
A life for a life.
Of course this would then land the Byakugan in their hands regardless, so instead of Hiashi being sent, Hizashi was slain instead, preventing the Byakugan from falling into their hands.
Neji stared down solemnly at his forehead protector still firmly in his left hand. Where before he appeared hollowed and cold, he now showed more emotion than Naruto had ever seen from him. The loss of his father, it still hurt.
"They were so much alike. But their destinies had been determined long ago when one was born a few seconds after another." He looked back up at Naruto, eyes hardening again. "And this match is the same. Your destiny was set the moment I was chosen as your opponent."
"Funny thing is, I get why Neji is so angry. I get where he's coming from."
Naruto did too. Damn it, he understood why Neji was so callous and cold. He felt for him, where moments ago he had only felt contempt. His own father was killed to protect the Byakugan and preserve peace. There was no justice in that, especially when the Cloud were lying to get their way. And his belief in destiny, he only believed that because the crap had been fed to him as a child to keep him in line.
"It's your destiny to lose to me here."
Naruto took a few deep breaths to keep himself from passing out before speaking. "Oh yeah, we won't know that until you beat me." He took another breath. Stay awake. Stay awake. Come on. "Okay, so your father was killed a long time ago. I know it wasn't fair and you're upset about that. I understand. I really do. But that has nothing to do with destiny. If you think I'm buying that then you're wrong."
"You will never understand," Neji told him resolutely. He activated his Byakugan again and charged in quickly, striking his chest with another hard palm. Naruto cried out in pain and fell hard to the ground.
Darkness crept into his vision, trying to seal him into unconsciousness. Not yet. Come on. Stay awake. I'm…
"Proctor, call the match." He heard the boy scoff. "You're a failure."
I'm not done yet. He shoved the darkness away and once more commanded his body to stand again. No, he refused to lose here. To lose meant confirming Neji's belief in the world. The only way forward…the only way to open his eyes was through him.
Naruto grabbed at his left side, legs trembling beneath him and mouth sucking in air to fight against unconsciousness.
"Wait, don't you dare walk away from me. I don't quit and I don't go back on my word, that's my nindo, my ninja way," Naruto said.
Neji just leveled him with a flat stare until finally he breathed out a condescending chuckle, sneering at him. "Heh, I've heard those words before. It ended the same way this will."
Now he remembered Hinata's stand against him.
"You and your stupid destiny!" Naruto growled.
This battle…It wasn't just about a promotion or his need to win to prove himself. This was a battle of their different ideals. Hard work against prodigious talent. Guts and willpower to change against unshakeable destiny.
No. He didn't just want to win; he outright refused to give up. No matter what it took he would win their personal war.
"Well if you really believe in this destiny crap, why aren't you the one walking away?! Cave into your destiny already if that's what you believe!"
Because he wasn't caving to it. Deep down, even if Neji didn't realize it, he was trying to rebel against his so-called destiny. That's why he was here. To prove a point to the Main Branch.
"You impudent little brat. Why waste my breath explaining it to you? We are all given a destiny at birth and it's pointless to fight against it." The boy's voice began to shake with volatile anger. "You don't know what it's like to be branded with a mark that sets you apart. A mark that can never be wiped away!"
A mark that branded him? A mark that could never be wiped away? No, he did understand that. He understood that better than anyone else here. He had been branded long ago and set apart from everyone ever since. People had stared at him like he was the monster he contained; they scorned him, bullied and shouted at him for something he never asked for. For a reason he hadn't understood.
All the tears he had shed, all the lonely nights wishing someone would just give him a chance or be nice to him, to treat him as a person instead of a monster. He still carried that pain with him today.
But I…
"Oh yeah. I know what that's like," he spoke lowly. He met the gaze of the Byakugan wielder, then his lip quirked up in a smirk. "Well, who cares?"
But I still found someone.
Rage took over Neji's eyes. "You worthless little—"
"Man, you think you've got troubles? I've got news for you, Neji: You're not the only one branded around here." He breathed in a few quick breaths then hissed out a breath. "Tch, listen to you talk like you're the only one who knows suffering. Like you're the only one who has ever felt the pain of loss. Did you ever consider how much Mimi has suffered? She lost her parents too, you know. And stupid people treated her worse than you ever could because of where her father was from.
"And Hinata, did you ever think for a moment that she was suffering just as much as you are? She's your cousin, your own family, but you treat her as if she's the one responsible for your father's death. It's not her fault her father was born ahead of yours. But you still resent her for it. You disrespect her even when she is trying so hard to improve herself."
Naruto spat stringy blood onto the ground. "All she wanted was your respect, that's what she was fighting for even though it almost killed her. And what was that all about anyway? I thought it was your destiny to serve the Main Branch, not beat it to a bloody pulp! After all you said about how you can't fight your destiny, you don't really believe in it either, do you?!"
Much to his dismay, everything else he planned to say was disrupted by a few pained and bloody coughs.
The Hyūga simply smiled at his pain. "I have blocked all sixty-four of your chakra points. How are you planning to keep fighting if you can't use your chakra against me? It's fitting you sympathize with Hinata because you're about to share her same fate."
"Oh really? You think that Byakugan allows you to see everything, you know everyone's weakness, right?"
Neji activated his Byakugan, a predatory smile on his face. "That's right. But if you think you are the one who is going to prove me wrong, then come on."
"You got it. I already know your arrogance blinds you, and I've got my friend's wills backing me up. We're going to prove that you're wrong about a lot of things!" Naruto steadied his stance. Yeah, easier said than done. Doesn't feel like I have any chakra at all. I haven't felt this wasted on energy since that time training with Pervy Sage.
A light bulb went off in his mind.
"You have two types of chakra, but to use it you have to use up all of one to access the other, thus increasing the total amount of chakra you can use," the Pervy Sage's voice played through his mind.
That's it. I can use the Nine-Tailed Foxes chakra. Naruto closed his eyes and began to focus in on the chakra. All right you stinkin' fox. If you're there then lend me your strength!
"Proctor, this has gone on long enough. I suggest you stop the match. If he is foolish enough to continue I will not be held responsible for what happens to him," Neji said.
The proctor blew air out his nose, unimpressed by the Hyūga's demanding attitude. "Fine."
Naruto chuckled as he felt his strength returning. I'm not done yet! He brought his hands into Tiger as a focusing point to get the Nine-Tails chakra to rejuvenate his entire body.
"I told you it's pointless," Neji scoffed at his actions.
Neji obviously couldn't see it yet, but Naruto could feel it; the power of the second chakra he wielded surging through his chakra network. He let out a wordless yell of effort. I can do it. I won't lose!
"I vow to win," he had vowed on Hinata's blood.
"Why bother? You have no chakra to use."
I can do it!
"I…I've always quit when others told me I couldn't do something. But when you and Amaririsu cheered me on, I…I finally found the courage to stand up for myself. You two inspired me to do my very best, and because of that I've gotten a little stronger. Thank you."
For Hinata…
"The loser beating the gifted genius through sheer will power; now would not that make for a more exciting match? Of course if you fight him, that is fine too."
For Lee…
"Pick yourself up, find the embers in your heart and reignite them! You're carrying our wills behind your fist, so get on your feet, make a fist and punch that arrogant jerk into next week!"
For Mimi…
"I believe in you Naruto. Always have and always will."
And most of all, for Amari, he refused to lose here.
"Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?" Neji asked pointedly.
The chakra entered his system fully and rejuvenated strength to his entire body. Naruto snapped his eyes onto Neji. "Because people called me a failure. I'll prove them wrong."
Genma had been about to ask Naruto if he could continue, though he considered stalling to irritate the Hyūga kid for being demanding. And for spending more time trying to dissuade Naruto from fighting than actually engaging him in combat.
This was the Chūnin Exams, not a coffee break.
Anyway, as he was about to ask Naruto over his status, the air around the kid began to shift. The very air became warmer. His veteran senses picked up the shift of wind on the air; it slowly circled around the kid. Chakra. Powerful chakra began to irradiate off of him, and even Neji squinted as his eyes picked up what Genma already felt.
The chakra then gained form. Reddish-orange chakra exploded around him. The warm, sting of the angry chakra brushed against his face, causing him to squint as he watched it lash around wildly.
Genma grunted in shock. That chakra… He examined the kid carefully and watched open wounds begin to heal on their own, faster than any wound could naturally. No doubt about it. He's channeling the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox, but when did this kid learn to even harness that power?
He was glad to not be a Sensory Type like Kurenai or Miyako, or even like Amari. At this close distance, the volatile chakra his limited senses picked up on would be extremely intense. Immobilizing for a rookie. Genma, worried, glanced up towards the waiting area to check on Amari. The only sign she could feel what he felt was the white-knuckled grip on the railing, but nothing more.
Stay strong, Amari. It's mandatory for you to keep from locking up when or if he ever uses this chakra in battle around you.
A sudden pulse of energy from the kid snapped Genma's eyes back to the combatants. His hand instinctively came up to protect his face from the dust kicked up by the massive output of chakra.
Heh, Genma smirked despite the vile chakra. Looks like this kid isn't out of this yet. The twisting and lashing chakra calmed steadily and formed a smaller chakra shroud around the kid. Talk about turning things around at the last second. Neji didn't see this one coming.
Naruto's foot shifted imperceptibly to anyone who didn't possess years of battlefield experience or dōjutsu, and then he was gone.
The kid gloves were officially off.
He suddenly reappeared high in the air adjacent to Neji, the momentum of his speed and jump they never saw carrying him towards a nearby wall. The Hyūga turned to face him once his Byakugan vision caught him.
Shurikens hurtled through the air at Neji. The Hyūga boy used his Rotation again, the shield of chakra bouncing the handful of shurikens up into the air. As he slowed down, four of the seven shurikens dispelled into clones, each wielding two handfuls of shurikens.
"Take this!" they cheered.
The opportunity couldn't be more perfect. Neji's momentum worked against him here; as he slowed, he couldn't easily pick up speed again to unleash another Rotation. It left him vulnerable, unable to use his impenetrable shield in time to deflect the many shuriken spinning through the air towards him at different speeds.
Although it wasn't anything like Amari's Ultimate Defense in chakra toll, this incredible technique still required a demanding amount of chakra control and chakra to perform. No doubt Neji didn't want to overuse it, especially now that Naruto found his second wind.
Gracefully, Neji hopped away from his previous position, weaving in and out of the shurikens towards the falling clones to eliminate them with Gentle Fist. The Clones popped as he reached them, leaving Neji to skid to a stop and snap his attention back to the real Naruto, who had landed on the wall and launched right at Neji.
Neji equipped shuriken of his own and threw them at the boy. Mid-flight Naruto vanished in sheer speed, and as he did the three other shuriken—which surrounded Neji—dispelled to reveal more clones.
He's going all out.
The trio dashed in, their fists cocked back to pummel their opponent. Neji dispatched them with a Rotation, but as his momentum slowed down again the real Naruto reappeared next to him.
The punch that surely would have ended the match then and there narrowly passed by Neji as his reflexes dodged his face out of the way. Neji's eyes were wide; the sudden gust of air from the power of the technique, he felt it in every bone of his body. Naruto didn't disappear again; he equipped a kunai and spun back around to continue his aggressive assault.
Neji barely dodged the first swipe, unable to react fast enough to grab a blade and block in time. His opponent didn't give him any breathing room whatsoever, following after and slashing with the intent to win a war.
With this new ferocity, Naruto disabled Neji's Rotation completely—an intelligent and purposeful plan. Even though his slashes didn't find flesh, his renewed assault didn't give Neji the footing to performing a repelling Rotation to grant him space.
Neji planted his back foot and dodged the blade, and as it sailed wide he shot his palm forward to end the battle with a single strike. This time it wouldn't be so easy, though. He wasted his opportunity by talking to a stubborn kid who wouldn't give up even if it meant death.
Naruto's new speed came with increased reaction time. As the hand neared his heart, he slid back across the dirt, pushed back from his front foot to escape. Sliding on his heels, Naruto threw his kunai at his opponent. Neji mimicked the attack with his own kunai.
The blades met and disengaged one another, sending them spinning into the air back towards their original wielders. Naruto halted his slide and jumped into the air with zeal, snatching the blade as Neji did the same. Passing each other through the air, the distinct clang of two blades meeting echoed across the arena.
Now this was a bit more entertaining than the previous speeches, in Genma's spectating opinion. The job wasn't going to be as dull as he thought.
The pair slid back on their heels away from one another, eyes never leaving their opponent. "Okay you," Naruto spoke up, a dangerous tone to his voice. "So I hear you like close combat, huh? Let's put that to the test!"
Naruto bolted in after Neji. His chakra surged again and tore the ground up as he ran, one particular step bursting a hole into the ground.
I should probably move.
Genma jumped back and out of the way onto the branch of a tree and braced his hand against the trunk. Whatever Naruto had in mind, it was going to be big.
"It may be the Hyūga way to cave into destiny, but it's not mine! If you think it's futile to fight, then don't! Just stand there and take it!" Blue chakra began to swirl around Neji as he started his motions for his Rotation. "I'll change the way of the Hyūga Clan!" Their blades met in the midst of the Rotation, combining the force of their chakras into a large, blinding shockwave. "After I become Hokage!"
The resulting explosion of their powerful chakra sent dust flying everywhere. Even in his tree Genma had to cover his face. The ground rumbled beneath him like a sudden earthquake had unleashed its havoc on the Leaf.
Yeah, definitely something big.
The dust settled and revealed two craters with no sign of either Genin anywhere. Genma jumped back down and observed the areas in astonishment. Man, that's some chakra that kid's got to cause this. There's no way Neji could have…
A hand shot out of the opposite crater he hadn't been looking at. Neji struggled to claw his way out of it, coughing up dust the entire time.
Or not…
Despite pulling himself onto his feet, the way Neji staggered forward and heaved pained breaths revealed how severely injured the attack left him.
His appearance from there could only mean the crater full of smoke opposite of Neji contained Naruto. No way he'll be able to fight much longer if Naruto is okay. Then again neither may be able to fight if Naruto received just as bad as Neji did.
The smoke surrounding the crater dissipated. Within it laid Naruto, unconscious. Genma kept his face neutral against a frown. Damn. Looks like Neji's Rotation also takes the energy of his opponents chakra and turns it against them. Gotta hand it to you, kid, you did put up one hell of a fight regardless. Even if you didn't win, you have your head in the right place when it comes to your loyalty to your friends and comrades. You've got nothing to be ashamed of.
"Sorry," Neji panted, "but this is reality. You're a failure."
Genma rolled his eyes. No wonder Kakashi has it out for this kid. Skilled as he is, he's not ready to be a Chūnin with an attitude like that.
"This match is ove—"
The ground beneath Neji exploded up at him, and from within it an orange blur came.
To Neji, it wasn't just Naruto he saw burst forth from the ground like a demon out of hell. First he saw his opponent, his determined cerulean eyes and snarl of effort, but as his fist closed in on its target he faded. One by one, one after another as clear as the blue sky above him, Neji saw Hinata, Lee, Mimi and Amari take his place, their fists coming right for his jaw, and in the final moment Naruto returned.
Then Naruto's left fist slammed right under Neji's jaw, backed up by his own strength of will and the wills of his friends—as promised.
Neji spat up blood as he flew and slammed to the ground. Naruto didn't appear in any better shape when he landed on his two feet. One knee about buckled, blood dripped from open wounds on his hands and forehead, dripping down over his left eye. He breathed heavily, but he still stood on two feet in front of his opponent, who laid spread eagle on the ground.
"I-…can't move," Neji grounded out.
"That was…from me…and my friends to you, with interest," Naruto panted.
The Naruto clone in the crater popped. Beneath him was the same hole his foot created moments before. Genma smirked, amazed by the final gambit. He used his clone as bait, and in the mess of everything he dug his way through that hole he created earlier to get beneath Neji.
Even when he was getting pummeled he never stopped planning his next move. He never lost his faith in his ability to win, and Amari's and Mimi's pep talk rekindled any of the fire lost in him. Naruto knows instinctively that believing in yourself can give you the power to change your destiny, and how the wills of your closest friends provide strength in times of need. On top of that he's got one hell of a left hook.
Naruto staggered closer to his opponent, cerulean eyes unbreakable and unflinching in that burning determination he showed, but not unfriendly.
"I should have known you would use a Shadow Clone. It's your specialty, after all. I was careless," Neji tried to dismiss his loss.
Another reason he wouldn't be promoted.
"For the record, I failed the Graduation Exam three times, 'cause there was this one jutsu on the exam I could never get down no matter how many times I tried or how much Amari tried to help me. It was the one jutsu I just couldn't get a grasp on. My clones were pathetic. That's right, I flunked the Shadow Clone Jutsu every time.
"So don't come whining to me with this destiny stuff. And stop trying to tell me you can't change who you are. You can do it too, because unlike me you're not a failure. And finally there is one last thing you're wrong about."
Naruto took in a large inhale, his breath still escaping him. "I wanted to argue this earlier but you kept talking. Amari's secret we're meant to keep, she didn't steal it like it was some kind of trophy. There's a reason she has that scar on her face, and it isn't a happy story. She and her only friend Ryu were betrayed by someone they trusted and Ryu…He was fatally wounded and had one of his eyes stolen from him in that battle."
Naruto's voice lowered in solemnity. "That person left Amari for dead after cutting her left eye. But in those final moments of life Ryu had, he transplanted his final eye to her. It was a gift, you see. A gift to help her fulfill his dying wish."
"What wish?"
"To stop the person who stole his other eye and to see a better future for them. So don't go thinking she stole it for power or secrets or anything like that. If it was up to her, she'd give it back in a heartbeat and remain half blind if it meant she could hold Ryu in her arms one last time. But since she can't she's fighting hard to make him proud, to let him see through his own eye the future he didn't get to see in person, you know?"
Neji didn't answer.
"Amari's lost a whole lot. She lost her friends, she lost her real family. She…she carries a lot of pain within her heart. Mimi too. They may not act like it, they may smile and laugh still, but that's because they fought really hard to be able to smile and laugh again."
Naruto's blue eyes became like fire. "So stop calling them half-breeds. They're Mimi Inuzuka and Amaririsu Yūhi of the Leaf; they're our comrades and deserve your respect."
Genma smiled at the boy and raised his hand. Well said, kid. "The winner is: Naruto Uzumaki!"
The crowd came unglued for the kid no one believed had a fighting chance, unaware of the deeply personal matter just discussed.
Genma turned his gaze to Amari, who was beaming down at her friend.
Its bonds like yours that keep your allies strong and the Will of Fire alive in Konoha.
Reminds me of the old days, when Miyako was alive.
Naruto had been stunned by the adoration of the crowd at first, but the cheers and clapping led to him running around, cheering and laughing as he hopped up and down with the excitement of a child on a sugar rush. Genma shook his head, smirk in amusement. Incredible. Even after that fight he still has the energy to run around. That kid has amazing stamina.
Seeing that Neji was still unable to move and brooding in defeat, Genma decided it was best to offer some words of advice. He closed his eyes and rolled his senbon around a little, seeking the correct words to get the kid back on the track of success as the medics arrived.
"Even a caged bird is smart enough and will be able to open its cage with its beak." He opened his eyes again to see the boy already on the cloth stretcher. "The dream of flying and breaking free, it's too great to resist. But this time you lost."
The medics took him away.
And next time you'll learn how to break free.
Review Response to Guest reviewer: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're loving this story and hope you like the new update!
Review response to Guest reviewer Mikan26: Thank you! I'm glad you're loving this story, and don't worry, there will be Sasuke POVs coming in the future.