Hey! Another chapter!

I just want to say this chapter was a lot of fun to write
it is basically a showcase of how Naruto will be fighting
against bosses in this story
with his MIND
XD

I know, crazy huh?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or League of Legends


Chapter 3: The Genius Prodigy and The Dead Last

Naruto stood before his mirror, running his sapphire blue eyes along the image. He was contemplating whether he was truly ready. Ahri of course, gave him the pep talk of the century, building him up and even tearing him down, just to do it all over again. She wanted him to know that no matter the outcome of the day, the training he went through, the hard work he endured, was not for nothing. Better yet, even if he did lose he still won in a way. It wouldn't be long before he was to leave his apartment and head to the arena; almost four hours remained. More than enough time to have breakfast and digest it all in time for the exam.

Running a hand through his blond hair, he found it was already drenched with nervous sweat. Running through his mind of his various attacks and new techniques, the confidence he had couldn't be broken, but it sure as hell was shaken. He couldn't throw the Orb of Deception at targets farther than five feet; and Charm, the most important ability apparently, always found a way to elude mastery. At least with his concentration and complete attention focused on chakra control, Fix Fire and the two ninjutsu were second nature to him. Better yet, with Spirit Rush, he learned to create extra motes of fire to launch out once he closes distance. With Ahri's constant commendation, she made the boy truly blush in ways no one ever made him.

Now, judgement was calling. It was the day he trained all month for; thirty-one days, non-stop. Save for the few he was hospitalized, of course. He bounced on his heels while sipping at a cup of milk. Eyes concentrated on the form he had, rather than how cool he looked. Setting the glass down, he halted, eyeing himself up and down. Maybe with all the berating and insults thrown his way because of his choice of attire had its merit. But to him, he couldn't just give it up; it was his life, his safety net. It was his first gift and he would be damned if he gave it up…but maybe, just maybe…he might give a new attire a chance.

Orange was bright and absolutely beautiful to the Uzumaki, but maybe some black would make him look slightly more professional (?). Maybe even change the color of his hitai-ate strap. All of these maybes, but not a single confirmation. He sighed in despair, pressing his hands against his knee caps. He fell to the floor running a shaky hand through his spiky blond hair. Ahri was within finally finished with her pep talks and words of confidence. The boy had to hand it to himself. While he may have regretted talking to the Gumiho in the first place, he was starting to enjoy her constant action and that ever so soft voice that echoed within the empty sewer halls that his mindscape was.

In the beginning, he couldn't stand her antics and her constant interruptions, but he was slowly beginning to get used to it. Now, it was more like background noise. It kept him awake and alert at all times without looking like a paranoid freak-show. This is not to say he likes the mental anguish and emotional stress she put him through on a daily basis, but it's more tolerable to an extent. It has become a staple for his days to be normal. Spend four weeks being trained by your inner fox demon, who happens to be the form of a gorgeous woman with a buxom chest, her being annoying, whimsical and preppy, was moot and Naruto was beginning to overlook those…unique features.

Maybe she's like me… Naruto frowned running a hand against the natural whisker marks on his cheeks. She clearly just wants a friend…someone to notice her…

Taking a peek at his mindscape, Ahri was chasing after something he couldn't see. She looked like a puppy chasing after a butterfly. She jumped and giggled, shooting her tails in all directions trying to get better vantage points in the air above. She cheered and laughed and even threw her own Orb of Deception and played fetch with herself…now that the Uzumaki thought about it; this was the saddest thing he's ever seen.

She's alone…

Naruto felt his heart pang.

She's alone…like I used to be…

He sighed once more, running a hand through his hair once more, just for good measure. He rose to his feet, bouncing on his toes. Flashing a couple poses and even flexing his muscles, the Uzumaki was confident that even if he didn't win, he'd give black-haired dick-bag a fight he won't expect.

"Now why stop there, Dong-saeng?" Ahri suddenly piped. "Surprise EVERYONE. Make their jaws drop! I know what they desire. They want a show, so give em' a show!"

Naruto beamed at the fox within. "You're right…we have a few hours before the actual fight…"

With a single thought, a pair of shadow clones appeared with salutes and straight faces. Naruto handed both large rolls of paper slips. Without command or request, the three blonds fell to the floor with brushes and ink, drawing and writing down the most basic of fuinjutsu; explosive tags. Judging by his new strategy he developed with critiques from Asuma and Jiraiya, it will be the greatest surprise for the Hyuuga. They were similar to the Uchiha, for they always relied on their eyes of power; the only way to beat them, was to deceive the eyes.


Naruto walked through the streets, avoiding everyone and everything. Emotion, power and excitement all flittered together in an uneasy concoction. If anyone were to garner his attention, they could be at the mercy of his uneasy stomach and its contents. The damn thing has been grumbling since he'd left home; Ahri assured him that he was just nervous. But him? Nervous? What heresy is this?

"Ahri…are you sure I can do this?" Naruto asked with a slight shake.

The Gumiho in question sighed in exasperation. "For the MILLIONTH time…YES. I am completely SURE that you can do this! What is wrong with you?"

"I don't know…" Naruto took a deep breath. "I feel…wrong…like something will happen today…"

Ahri gave him a strange look. "Uhm…the only thing happening today is you kicking everyone's asses and getting that promotion!"

"I'm not worried about my performance…" Naruto whispered. His eyes perked, taking in the sight of various foreign shinobi within the village. "It's probably nothing but…"

"But nothing." Ahri finished. "Worrying about foreigners and what they might do or what you think they might do will throw you off your edge. C'mon, get into the stadium."

Naruto walked past the large crowd of civilians and shinobi gathered at the southern gate. People parted for him but not one person cheered him on. They were probably too busy fighting with the people standing next to them than to give wishes of luck. Yes…that's what it was. Naruto trudged through the large hallway following the dim light at the end. Normally, people would tell you not to follow the light; this was clearly what they meant. Once he burst into the arena, every eye would be on him. He was the FIRST fight for crying out loud! With courage boiling in his stomach, he stood upright, with his head held high and a victorious smirk spread across his face.

"Tone down the testosterone." Ahri giggled. "I doubt you want people thinking you're a cocky little bastard now."

He grumbled. "I am trying to get my game face on!"

The Gumiho shot a hand to her face, doing her best to hide the beaming smile threatening to rip her face in two. "T-That's your game face?"

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto's smile dropped as he quickly deflated. "I inspired an entire classroom during the first part of the chunin exams with that smile!"

"Well it must be a one shot wonder! Because I feel rather uninspired." Ahri cackled much to Naruto's ire. "I doubt your smile was the icing on the cake."

"At least I did something!" He quickly crossed his arms over his chest. "The bloody people around me were making me sweat."

That was it. Ahri fell back holding her stomach, barely able to catch a breath. "You can handle flayed skin, burned skin and even explosions at point-blank, but you get scared of failing a written test?! BAHAHA!"

"W-Why you…?!" Naruto was at a loss. "Urgh. You're right…"

The fox sat up, wiping a stray tear from her face. "Now I wish you contacted me before the chunin exams; I would have loved to see your forlorn expression when looking at your menial human things!"

"This is why I am so confused by what you want." Naruto deadpanned. "You say things that are insulting and you even call me your 'adorable little human' and whatever a Dong-saeng is…you…you're not even listening to me."

Ahri was on all fours, eyes racing left and right. Her teeth were barred reminding the Uzumaki of Kiba. "Noona? W-What's wrong?"

"I sense…" She whispered to herself. "Kurama…"

"He's h-here?!" Color disappeared from Naruto's face. "I-I'm not r-ready to fight him!"

"Shut up, Naruto." Ahri's voice was dark and menacing. She'd risen and taken the form of the giant demon fox that destroyed his village. "It's not Kurama…but one of his brethren…their chakra is toxic and holds a similar scent to Kurama's…"

"Gaara, right?" Naruto asked.

"Like I know the shit's name." Ahri spat. "The fact he's here…and carries one of Kurama's brethren…it can only mean that we have ourselves an opportunity to get some information."

"Like hell he will sit down to talk about Kurama." Naruto responded with a glare. In Ahri's raging roars and bellowing volume, he missed the wondrous welcome he'd received when he entered the Arena.

"I'll make him talk." Ahri's anger showed no signs of calming down.

"Great."

Once Naruto took his spot next to Hyuuga Neji, he finally took the time to witness the people present. The sand siblings were present; Shikamaru was surprisingly in line before him; Shino waited silently as creepily as usual; the Sound mummy shinobi stood in between the two Konoha shinobi. The Uzumaki took this moment to chuckle softly, gaining the Nara's attention. When Shikamaru looked at him, Naruto could see the pain in his eyes; the sorrow and despair. The lazy bastard had to fight two people without the hour nap in between like he had hoped for.

But once the laughter had died, so did the carefree feeling. Next to the blond, he could feel the Hyuuga glaring at him. The hostility permeated through the air and even through his skin and into his heart. Neji was bringing everything to the table if the sudden skip in heartbeat meant anything. The Hyuuga was clenching his fists, struggling to keep in his anger. Within his mindscape, Naruto could assume that Ahri and the Hyuuga were one and the same. This was too much for the blond. Ahri had not once returned to her woman-thing form.

Given time, he'd wager at least a few more hours before she fell back to her standard, more beautiful state. Her eyes glowed with a fiery rage at the mere instance she felt the chakra. Naruto eyed the fellow Jinchuriki with a weary look on his face. His siblings were also subject to his watchful ire. Strange, he thought, that an entire team of siblings would make it through the entire test with little to no problem most of the way. As far as he knew, Gaara was flawless and blemish free. The Cat-suit make-up wearing guy, the name continued to elude the inquisitive Uzumaki, used his puppets to keep people at a distance. The girl…Temari? Yes, Temari, easily defeated Tenten in an embarrassingly fast and easy manner.

Gaara though, from what the blond could remember, used his sand as some sort of shield against all things offensive. He was practically impervious to physical attacks, unless one moved as ridiculously fast as Lee. Naruto frowned; there was no way that he himself could go that fast, at least not now. The amount of training and body conditioning the young chakra devoid shinobi went through, must have been tremendous. To break the sand walls, tendrils, tentacles and other strange things that look like they belong in Jiraiya's books, took amazing skill that even broke the sand armor the redhead encased himself in.

I wonder… Naruto took a moment to ponder. If somehow I don't add my physical strength to my spiritual strength, I could, in theory, make an Orb of Deception the way Ahri makes it. But how in the hell do I not mix physical strength into chakra to create essence?! The bloody fox didn't teach me that crap saying 'oh I'd prefer it if you just used chakra~'

But if somehow I could make it work…I could rip the spiritual side of his chakra right from the sand. Last I checked, for physical strength to come into play, you'd have to actually have contact with the object; the essence is what controls the physical aspect…so that would break his circle of defense and leave him open for assault! Now onto how I'm going to get the ball to hit him…

I can't throw the orb more than a meter before it deforms and evaporates. Charging up to the guy is practically suicide, especially with how I run now…maybe I should talk to Guy-sensei sometime and ask to join in on his training regimen…I mean it works for Lee? I could work for me too! Oh well…right now I just have to defeat Neji.

A great roar rocked him from his musings. The stadium was packed with people from all over the village and the villages that participated in the Chunin Exams. He was amazed to see this many people, cheering out their various names, raising banners and throwing their hands into their air. It was like a celebration! He did the only thing he could think of; he beamed a smile. People laughed and cried out some more. At the sudden rise of the crowds, he couldn't help himself; his confidence sprang to heights unknown before. The worry he felt before entering the arena had been forgotten.

"Now." A great booming voice echoed throughout the stadium, silencing the thunderous crowd. "Since the end of the last war, the Chunin Exams served as a way to bring villages together, to form stronger bonds between the many peoples of our nations. With peace and great love between Konohagakure and Sunagakure, I would like to say, as the Hokage of this great village, let the fights BEGIN!"

If the crowd was loud before, now they were booming. Naruto could have sworn he felt the ground shake beneath his feet. Stones tumbled as men, women and children stomped their feet, clapped their hands and cheered on the combatants. The blond took a deep, shaking breath. Doing his best to calm the racing heart and churning stomach, he turned to face Neji. Over the roaring and waving crowd, the boys and girl in the center were escorted away, save for the genius prodigy and the dead last.

"Fate has determined this fight from the start." Neji prodded. "You cannot win against me."

Naruto stayed silent, not entirely giving the fellow genin the time of day. Sure he could read the boy's lips but he sure as hell wasn't listening. His hand found its way into his pocket. Blue eyes examined the stands and podiums, eyeing the various shinobi taking seats or standing around. Strange as it was, he was even able to pick up the tell-tale signs of ANBU, having spent some time as a youth running from them after pulling pranks (in hindsight, he found them ridiculous and immature; he could do so much better!), he learned to notice their tracks. Also, it helped that Ahri was helping him out slightly. Maybe his theory-

"Hey, kid!" Genma shouted. "Are you ready-?"

Naruto quickly answered in a haphazard way. "Yeah…"

Anyway; maybe his theory about something happening was right. After all, ANBU wouldn't be taking positions along the stadium rooftops otherwise. But even with his newfound perception, what that event was exactly, was beyond him. He contemplated, completely ignoring the roaring bells, whistles, cries and shouts. He even ignored the incoming palm strike.


"Hey!" Neji cried. "Dead last! Why aren't you looking at me?!"

Naruto didn't even seem to have heard the irate genin. Neji scoffed, clenching his fists before falling into a stance. The crowd continued shouting, and Neji could have sworn they only got louder at Naruto's obvious defiance.

"Alright!" Genma cried over the screaming audience. "Hyuuga Neji! Are you ready?!"

"Yes!" He huffed, bringing his hands up prepared to strike.

"Uzumaki Naruto! Are you ready?!" The jōnin looked at the blond to find his eyes scanning the crowds instead of the fight at hand. "Hey, kid! Are you ready-?!"

"Yeah…"

Neji broke stance for a moment, surprised, appalled even, at the dead last's gall to answer a jōnin like that. He couldn't understand the gall the no name weakling had to not even give him the time of day. Neji growled and waited for the order to begin. As the proctor raised his hand, Naruto's demeanor hadn't changed, almost as if his mind shut down. Not surprising for the dead last.

"Begin!"

Whistles, horns and shouts rang about. Genma quickly jumped back clearing room between the two genin. Neji held steady expecting the foolish blond to attack without thinking like he did with dog breath. But he was surprised to find the Uzumaki not moving or even falling into a defensive position, or any stance at all! It was infuriating!

"GRAH!" Neji sped forward, chakra building in his palm. "Shōtei!"

Chakra exploded off of his bandaged palm as he closed the distance in a near blink of an eye. Ino screamed and a few were amazed at the skill the genin held. As the crowd shouted, the Konoha Twelve, sans the Uchiha, held their breath. Naruto hasn't shown any sign of paying attention to the Hyuuga

But Naruto wasn't known to be the most unpredictable ninja for nothing.


In the shroud of smoke and cold blood, Neji jumped back. A few back flips and even hurling a flurry of kunai for good measure, he landed a few meters away from the large cloud of smoke. Judging by the fight Naruto had with dog breath during the preliminaries, shadow clone smoke shouldn't be as large or last as long as it was at this moment. Even stranger; the smoke was made completely of chakra, leaving everything within and behind in an almost impenetrable shroud, leaving him effectively blind. Whatever hid in there or behind were invisible to his Byakugan. He glared building chakra all around him in an attempt to break through the smoke cloud.

"Take this!"

He whipped around. The voice came from behind?!

Thanks to the dōjutsu, he could see the flurry of kunai and shuriken heading his way. Like the expert ordained by fate, like he proclaimed, he weaved and dodged each flying projectile. Little did he know, he was losing his footing and started moving back. As the kunai continued flying, the Hyuuga grew bored as almost burst out laughing at how simple this attack was. Channeling chakra throughout his body, he spun at amazing speeds, creating a great barrier that looked impenetrable. Kunai and shuriken bounced off making the Hyuuga laugh all the harder.

Once the attacks halted, he cut channeling the chakra and the Kaiten disappeared. "Is that it, Naruto?!"

"No." The boy's voice sounded. "Why don't you turn around and have a look for yourself?"

Neji whipped back, fallen into a stance with a glare marring his face. Naruto stood with a smirk and a kunai drawn. The fool thought he could fight him with taijutsu?! How did he get behind him?! So many questions, so fast but Neji couldn't comprehend. With wide eyes and a steady palm, the Hyuuga faced the foolish blond. "You can keep playing this game, Naruto…but fate has already-"

"Yada, yada, yada." He stuck his tongue out. "Get on with it, bastard!"

Naruto smirked when the Hyuuga held still and steady. It looks like he was going to start off the hostilities.

Wasting no time, Naruto dashed forward, lunging his kunai forward. He was unbelievably close. If it were not for the Byakugan, Neji was certain the Uzumaki would have managed to graze his cheek. With chakra in his palm, he forced the attack into the boy's stomach. With a cry of pain, Naruto was launched back in a painful heap.

"Weak…" Neji gave a hearty laugh. "Foolish of you to engage me in…not again!"

'Naruto' popped into smoke, just like the first time.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!"

Instincts kicked in. Neji shot forward dodging the sudden blast of fire. Of all the elements the boy had, Neji would have never assumed he had the fire affinity. The flames danced and ate through the grass, forcing him towards the edge of the stadium towards the bushes and trees. Without a second thought, he jumped away dodging a great ball of fire before it incinerated the dirt to black. He landed on a tree branch, wiping the mist from the metal plate on his hitai-ate. Pressing a hand against his bandaged arm, he found that parts of the cloth had been singed.

How the hell is he doing this? Neji took a moment to think of the situation.

"I wouldn't stop running if I were you!" Naruto's voice echoed from behind.

How is he showing up everywhere?! He jumped away when he sensed chakra building. Quickly drawing a kunai from his holster, he hurled a kunai right back towards the source of the voice. Judging by the sparks he witnessed, Naruto was also good at deflecting kunai and shuriken. In response, a kunai shot towards the Hyuuga, whizzing through the air, piercing the wind. Neji channeled chakra to his hand mid-air and bashed the kunai knife, sending it flying in the opposite direction. That can't be all…

The kunai spun away, releasing the string wrapped around its handle. Suddenly, a paper tag with seals drawn all over it appeared, waving in the wind. Neji sighed in relief when he realized the kunai was too far away to do any damage to him. Turning his attention to the raging fire behind him, his eyes trailed over to the group of shadow clone surrounding who he assumed was the real Naruto. Drawing a handful of kunai and shuriken, he prepared himself for the perfect counter attack on the genin with a doppelganger fetish.

But.

This was too easy…

From the glowing seal, a pair of kunai sprang forth with paper tags attached. Neji took no notice as he hurled his kunai while still mid-air. To the people in the stands, many had lost their voice and cheers at the reveal of Naruto's abilities. Especially the Hyuuga clan that came to witness the exams. Neji, the genius prodigy of the generation was bested throughout the fight through ruse after ruse. The boy was falling for tricks and underhand tactics, almost as if his Byakugan wasn't real. It should have been obvious at this point that most of the Naruto's he went after weren't even him! But for some reason, the clones were so convincing, not even the Hyuuga could tell which one was the real Naruto.

Suddenly, the pair of kunai appeared next to Neji, the paper tags tickling the back of his neck. Hairs stood and his skin went cold. Unable to hold onto his kunai for another second.

"Fuck-"


Naruto tilted his head slightly. Neji fell to the ground, covered in smoke and burn marks singeing his clothes. But otherwise, the genin was completely alright. Naruto was crouched on a branch watching the entire fight unfold. Much like the way Ahri always squatted, his arms were in between his legs holding onto the branch. The winds were on his side, favorable for another flurry of kunai. It's funny, Naruto was intending to lead him towards the first death trap he'd set for the Hyuuga. From the dark heap of ash and burned dirt, Neji pushed himself from his suffering defeat and pat himself down.

Shutting his eyes, the clones in action went to work. A pair stood before Neji, both going through two different hand sign combinations. One ended with tiger and the other ended with bird. If the Hyuuga wasn't already surprised enough, the boy was certain Naruto had the entire village duped for thinking the boy an idiot. He fell into a stance, blowing chakra through his tenketsu. From what his Byakugan could see, chakra was rushing through his coils, burning through his tenketsu towards his hands. The jutsu the boy was planning on using was definitely going to be something else.

"Kaiten!" Neji cried.

Wind and fire blended together forming an inferno unlike any other and both were basic attacks! Winds spun forcing life and wondrous heat into the simple fireball. It stretched, writhed and began to spiral towards the horrified Hyuuga. In the stands, the three rows closest to the ledge backed away from how hot the arena had become. Within the high walls, if Neji did nothing to defend himself or escape, it would be nothing short of pottery kiln temperatures.

The great blast met with the Kaiten, dispersing at first touch. Chakra exploded outwards, forcing the fire to stretch out even more. Given life, the fire turned, following the opposite of Neji's Kaiten rotation. Neji could feel his rotation slowing down. Heat pierced through the dome of chakra, slowly burning away at the thick shield. In a last ditch effort, he channeled a large portion of the remaining chakra into his defense, speeding his spin. If he was right, his attempt would create winds, with or without chakra imbued, that would force the growing tower of fire to disappear.

"Kai!" Chakra exploded outwards, all the while, still following the previous rotation direction. Like a gorgeous light show from professional jōnin shinobi, the overgrown fireball turned tornado, exploded outwards, dissipating into mid-air, releasing the heat, allowing the cool air to return. Neji breathed heavily trying his best to regain chakra in the midst of the fight, still unknowing of Naruto's true location. His Byakugan had deactivated driving the nail. He took a deep breath, eyes aching slightly.

"Hey…" Naruto's voice echoed. "If I were you, I'd look down."

Neji whipped around, facing the blond. "Fight me like a man instead of hiding in the shadows-!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Naruto raised a finger. "A shinobi never attacks in broad daylight. We're assassins, are you stupid? Oh well…I guess I will have to finish this. Kai!"

Neji snapped his Byakugan open, feeling a rush of chakra from all over the place. Three-hundred and sixty degree vision my ass; Naruto laughed. Surrounding him, there were ten kunai, each with explosive tags attached. Neji stared in fear and surprise; Naruto must have done so during the fire attack! Now that Neji thought about it, these kunai weren't new. He was right back to where he started, but instead, he was trapped within a circle of explosive tags. With how much chakra he used already, using another Kaiten this soon was out of the question. The only way to win was to catch Naruto within his field of divination; as close as possible.

Bringing his arms to his face, the tags glowed faster than he could process a response. The crowds in the stands were horrified and honestly intrigued at Naruto's sudden skill and perception. More so, the Kazekage of Sunagakure. To Hiruzen, the fellow Kage and his deep interest bordering on mild obsession was…unsettling to say the least. The eyes of the Kazekage seemed planted, with glints of fear, excitement and surprise mixed together. While he himself felt the exact same way, the look in the man's eyes was making him nervous.

"What…an impressive genin you have there, Hokage-dono." The man said. "I am taken aback by his skill."

"I am as well…" Hiruzen replied with a smile, all the while taking a few puffs of his long-pipe. "Naruto was called the dead last for a long time, but to see him holding his own, hell keeping someone hailed as a genius on his toes is…astounding."

The Kazekage, judging by the slight curl in his eyes, Hiruzen assumed the man was smiling. "I am looking forward to seeing a fight between him and my son, Gaara. I am curious to see if he can recreate the same results."

Hiruzen tilted his head slightly. "What of Uchiha Sasuke; your interest has been commonly placed mainly on him. What changed your mind?"

"What can I say…?" The man laughed softly. "I judged a book by its cover and missed out on a great story. Now it's time to watch it unfold, I suppose. Speaking of the Uchiha; has he shown his face yet?"

The Hokage shook his head. "Knowing how his sensei is always late, Uchiha Sasuke will more than likely follow suit. Now, back to the fight!"


In the arena, a great explosion shook the battlefield, tearing apart the center of the arena. The crowds jumped and screamed, while most were in awe, amazed by the light show. With the tower of fire gone, a few of the more excited witnesses rose from their seats and held onto the railing to see the rest of the fight unfold. Whoever taught Naruto how to use explosive tags the way he was, is a goddamn genius, a few jōnin and chunin thought to themselves. Many haven't seen such a fight before. The genin of the Konoha Twelve were gripping the railings excited and honestly scared of Naruto's newfound abilities.

The participants of the exams were none too different. They were slack-jawed and even confused of Naruto's abilities. While he wasn't using extreme ninjutsu or amazing taijutsu, he was smart with what he had. He rarely engaged Neji in taijutsu unless it was with a clone with the sole purpose of distracting the Hyuuga and his 'all-seeing' eyes. If the boy's pride and strange way of thinking isn't broken, then the power the Hyuuga coveted and held above all else, their eyes, is all just a light and easily manipulated. But of course, Neji was not the best Hyuuga, nor was he anywhere near the strongest.

Shikamaru watched as a pair of shadow clones engaged Neji, popping and dropping explosive kunai, sending the Byakugan enhanced Hyuuga haywire. While Naruto's strategy was sound, he had yet to see the real Naruto arrive. Every time it would seem that he appeared, it would be revealed to be nothing more than a shadow clone, disappearing at every confrontation after dropping a kunai with some sort of fuinjutsu attached to distract and break Neji's concentration. Whatever Naruto was planning, he was purposely dragging it out. Whether his plans were to distract Neji or prove a point, it was almost as if he was playing.

Once more, a pair of clones gathered just a few meters away from the Hyuuga, still trapped and locked within the center of the arena. They sped through a similar combination of hand seals. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, leaning against the railings. He was going to use the same attack once more. Knowing how Naruto thought; if it ain't broke, don't fix it, was the rule of thumb for the blond. While he might have subscribed to that thought; Naruto has surprised Shikamaru a lot over the last month of training and with Naruto's new abilities and knowledge, this plan of his obviously had more to it. He stayed silent, listening and watching the fight, drowning out the gasps coming from his fellow competitors.

Once the fire shot forth, the ball was stretched by the wind technique the boy learned from Asuma-sensei. Shika tilted his head slightly, taking sight of a few kunai thrown through the fire. Narrowing his eyes, the wind technique had two jobs; feed the fire and make it stronger without using excessive chakra and propel the kunai through the blaze without throwing them off target and following the path of the fire. But instead of the constant use of explosive tags, the kunai had no such thing attached. Neji once again activated his Kaiten, deflecting the jutsu and the kunai this time with relative ease. It was almost as if Naruto was giving the Hyuuga a chance to read his movements and create a strategy to counter.

The Nara didn't know if Naruto was being cocky or had a reason for doing this, but either way, it was suicide. Through the smoke and residual fire, Naruto, or was it a clone, dashed through with a kunai in each hand. Neji dodged the attacks, weaving and even doing his best to land his own attacks. Neither was hitting the other; both were too fast and for some reason, the Byakugan couldn't hit the tenketsu. But…it was then that Naruto made a fatal mistake. Shikamaru sighed in disappointment, lowering his head. The Hyuuga slammed his palm into Naruto's chest, stunning him just enough for him to fall into a stance.

Being a clan heir, Shikamaru has had enough contact with other Hyuuga to recognize the famous gentle fist stance. Shikamaru garnered the attention of his fellow competitors. "Naruto just lost the fight…it was a great run."

"Two palms!"

The strikes were so powerful, they could hear them from the competitor's box.

"Four palms!"

Naruto cried out with obvious pain in his voice.

"Eight palms!"

Chakra exploded through his back, sending shivers up and down those to witness.

"Sixteen palms!"

With hands moving like lightning, Naruto barely had enough time to take a breath.

"Thirty-two palms!"

Naruto roared as the chakra ceased to flow through his body. A couple pops in the trees were seen with shadow clone smoke rising into the air.

"SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!"

Like a flurry of hands and blinding speed, the final attack send a massive shockwave of chakra. Naruto flew back, numb and feeling almost a new man. His arms were weak and he could barely move. Short of breath and options, the Uzumaki struggled to get to his feet. He tried his best to ignore the searing pain pulsating throughout various parts of his body. Neji did his best to hold back his laughter, Naruto was still trying to fight him?! Feeling vain, or even cocky, he deactivated his Byakugan, confident in the damage he had inflicted on the blond idiot. He smiled and gave Naruto a condescending look.

"You were destined to lose…fate demanded it." Neji spoke. "You're a loser, Naruto. You will never progress, you will never rise higher than the positon fate has given you. You have no family, you have no name, and the only thing you have is a handful of childish tricks and underhand tactics. None of that will make you a great warrior. I heard you wanted to be Hokage, so I'll do you a favor today and show you that fate cannot be changed. You will never be Hokage!"

Naruto looked up to the Hyuuga, sapphire eyes burning with defiance. "Your words fall upon deaf ears, bastard. Look around you…look at the crowds, look at the other competitors…"

The boy rose to his feet, wobbly legged and weak. Neji though, quickly shot his foot forward, forcing Naruto to his knees once more. People were at the edge of their seats, watching in silence. "Why do you insist of resisting fate?! I am more than certain you can't even knock this hitai-ate from my head!"

"Your pride and your selfish ideals…" Naruto coughed out, still numb from the Hyuuga's onslaught. "You've revealed your egotistical self-centered cynical bullshit – Ugh!"

"Shut up!" Neji rammed his palm into Naruto's face. "Killing you is allowed, but killing the dead last is like taking out the trash; it'll be nothing more than a chore. Do us all a favor…and surrender now."

Rising from the dirt to face the irate Hyuuga once more, Naruto smiled as blood trickled from his broken nose. "Try again."

Suddenly, Naruto disappeared, revealing nothing but smoke. Neji's eyes practically popped from his head. Like a fish, he was left flabbergasted, mouth gaping and closing. His heart dropped to his stomach and he was certain his bladder had just loosened. How did a shadow clone take all of that and not disappear?! Where the hell is the real Naruto?! Neji clenched his fists, cursing himself for deactivating the Byakugan. Once the veins appeared, many chakra signatures had appeared throughout the shrubs and trees surrounding the base of the arena walls. He gritted his teeth, wiping his arm across his misted hitai-ate plate, surprised at how damp the strap is.

Up in the stands, Shikamaru was silent, regretting his instant assumption of finality. When it came to Naruto, there was no such thing as the end; either someone won, or someone lost. He rested his palm against his pounding forehead, still reeling from Naruto's strategy. Since the fight began with the first flurry of kunai to letting Neji use his sixty-four palms attack, everything was deliberate. The Nara was glaring at this point, trying to decipher each move and attack. It was just such a strange strategy. Most would have gone for kill hits to end the fight as quickly as possible…but…Naruto was dragging it out. For some reason, he has not once shown up to fight Neji himself. Every confrontation was made using clones and ninjutsu and shurikenjutsu.

He couldn't fathom what Naruto was planning. Maybe it wasn't as black and white as Shikamaru thought, but Naruto, even with training with Jiraiya and Asuma-sensei, the boy hadn't shown any signs of intense cognitive function; at least not at this magnitude! Naruto wasn't stupid, but he was more a simple-minded, straight forward kind of fighter. All their spars were very straight forward with him charging with shadow clones and using ninjutsu to supplement his assault, but never did he use them like this! It was clear Naruto was trying to teach him a lesson. Oh right…the promise he made to Hinata…but is all of this necessary, Naruto? Just beat him and be done with it!

Kunai and shuriken rained upon the Hyuuga. Shikamaru watched Neji struggle to deflect them all. Judging by how long it had been since he last used the Kaiten, the Nara assumed that he was dangerously low on chakra. From all sides, coming from the base of the arena walls, the projectiles rushed at the Hyuuga. While Shika couldn't decipher how many exactly, there had to be at least ten shadow clones hurling their armament at the boy stuck to the center. He ducked, weaved, deflected and even made kunai and shuriken bump into each other. With the Byakugan activated, the Nara knew Neji stood at least a sliver of chance against this relentless assault, but it wouldn't be long before the dōjutsu deactivated again.

While Shikamaru originally assumed he deactivated the Byakugan because he wanted to chide and belittle Naruto, it was a simple ploy to hide his lack of chakra. Dramatic and distracting, and quite frankly, it worked. The people still think Neji is holding his own thanks to the power of the Byakugan, there are whispers about the Byakugan coming from the crowd and witnesses, terrified and awestruck by the power of the dōjutsu. But with it working on the masses, it came with its price. Naruto must think that Neji is still dangerous because of his power.

"Where is Naruto?" Shika asked himself.

From the corner of his eyes, the trees rustled and leaves shook from their branches. As kunai danced and shot in all directions from the Hyuuga in the center, something was moving in the shadows. Shikamaru could see the desperation on Neji's face. Every few kunai would explode in smoke revealing a shadow clone armed with a kunai. Through the flurry, they too would throw their weapon before dispelling. As if the problems couldn't get any harder, every few kunai were armed with smoke tags. They would explode around him, covering the area with a thin smoke still leaving him visible like a screen of steam. Once more, the leaves rustled catching Shikamaru's attention.

"This ends now!"

The voice echoed with power and anger. Everyone shot from their seats, covering their eyes from the glare of the sun above. Ascending into the air, a boy dressed in orange was rising at a steady pace. Shikamaru watched with a raised brow and a confused face. Naruto rose his right hand just as he began to reach Neji's position. Chakra coalesced within his palm, combining into a gorgeous blue ball that had its own rotating orbs of chakra. In the Kage box, the two Kage gasped in surprise. Is that the rasengan?! The long-pipe fell from Hiruzen's mouth and tapped on the concrete floor, spilling the burning tobacco embers. Did Jiraiya teach him the rasengan?!

"Take this, idiot!"

Turning his weight to face Neji, Naruto descended twice as fast. The wind beat against his skin as he struggled to get his chakra control right. While the Orb of Deception couldn't be thrown farther than a meter before dissipating, he would take full advantage of this. Channeling chakra around himself, and towards the Orb, he began to spin following the roaring wind. The orbiting balls of chakra merged with the orb. Strangely enough, the ball of orb took a new form, absorbing the different rotations into one, creating a volatile rotating Orb of Deception.

Did he just create the rasengan?! Ahri's jaw dropped. No fucking way…

I have almost no chakra left! I have to do this! Neji channeled the remainder of his chakra into one last ditch defense. "Kaiten!"

Kunai and shuriken were blown back at his defense. If Naruto was on the ground facing the Hyuuga, he would have taken a few steps back and let a pair of clones distract him enough to make him waste chakra. But he wasn't on the ground and with the amount of chakra he had used, he was beginning to feel fatigued slightly. He had no choice but to meet the Kaiten full speed. Time seemed to slow for him as he spun through the air. Shutting his eyes for a moment, he reminisced the memories of the clones destroyed throughout the fight. Naruto took a deep breath; Neji could only see at a maximum of eighty meters; the entire arena was one hundred meters in every direction.

Thanks to that impediment, Naruto placed four clones at each quadrant, examining Neji's movements and skills in a three-hundred and sixty degree view. But the most important detail, the Kaiten rotated to left at a top speed of almost forty-five knots. If Ahri's mathematical tutorials were of any merit, he'd have to counter with a speed similar or stronger in the opposite direction if he is to break through the Kaiten through both brute force and chakra. But he wasn't going fast enough and there were only ten more meters left before he closed distance with the raging dome of power.

With a single thought, the clones stopped hurling their kunai and shuriken and sped through hand seals faster than anyone had ever seen. Time still felt slow to him, giving him the advantage. First, a blast of wind struck him holding steady and spinning him slightly faster than before. But as he descended and corkscrewed through the air, he gained speed and virulent wind in his wake. And he, himself, didn't have to use an ounce of chakra! Struck almost ten times by ten different shadow clones expending their chakra to the point of dispelling was the greatest idea he had!

"Naruto!" Ahri's voice sounded for the first time during the fight. "You're not going fast enough!"

What the fuck?! Naruto's face paled slightly as he barreled towards the rotating dome of doom. What do I do?! If I'm not going fast enough, I could seriously injure myself or even worse; kill myself!

"You think I don't know that?!" Ahri responded with a glare. "Look! You have one choice; you have to remove the physical aspect of the Orb of Deception the instant you are bounced back and release the Orb through the done! It is your only chance to disable him!"

But you NEVER taught me how to do it! Naruto roared.

"It's because I don't know how to do it!" Ahri roared back. "Ever since I've had my chakra; if you hadn't noticed, I've become like you shinobi! I can't split my chakra in two anymore since my master taught me how to use chakra – ugh, why am I explaining this; just do what I said! You have no choice but to do so or else risk everything!"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, chakra screamed from his tenketsu as he rocketed toward the Hyuuga. With his arm extended, the rotating ball of volatile chakra smashed against the rotating dome. Without a thought, Naruto did exactly as he was told. Taking the seemingly frozen time to figure out how to do so, he channeling his strength towards his arms instead of the orb. While it felt like nothing was changing, the ball and him, were spinning violently against the dome like Kiba and his Gatsūga when driven against solid targets. Chakra exploded in all directions breaking both the orb and the Kaiten, sending both genin flying in opposite directions!

"That clearly didn't…" Naruto coughed heavily, gripping the grass. "Go to plan…"

"Shit…" Ahri rested her soft palm against her forehead. "I'm stupid for thinking it could be possible to do that…at least you kept up the orb until the last second; else, we'd both be dead."

"The instant I realized it wasn't doing anything, I channeled more chakra towards the ball…" Naruto growled at the Hyuuga struggling to his feet. "I think it's time to finish this…I think Spirit Rush is in order…"

"No." Ahri narrowed her eyes. "You've been unpredictable up to this point; you've only revealed your shadow clones, shurikenjutsu and skill with basic ninjutsu to make them far more effective together than what they would on their own. I commend you for saving the orb up until now, and thankfully, I suppose, that we didn't get to show what it could truly do. We need to keep our opponents on their toes and guessing."

"So you're saying keep them thinking this is all I can do?" Naruto wondered. "I can see the benefit in that…besides…don't the foreign shinobi seem tense?"

"That's why I don't want all of our cards revealed too soon." Ahri glared at the Hyuuga sauntering up to them.

"Naruto." Neji had a cocky smirk spread across his face. "It seems my hitai-ate hasn't been removed yet. You're still just as much of a loser as I thought. Judging by how slow and weak your chakra flow is, you're beginning to run low, aren't you?"

"What is your problem?" Naruto said through gritted teeth. "You act so high and mighty when you yourself aren't much better. I can see it in your demeanor and stance; you're surprised yourself that you can even walk after all the shit I put you through. I'm certain you're wondering how you're walking and survived the horde of paper bombs I unleashed. Secret; they were not meant to harm you."

Neji looked like he took a blow to his ego. "What?"

"You survived because I wanted you to." Naruto smirked. "Every paper bomb had a purpose to serve; each clone, each word spoken had a purpose to fulfill and damn it, Neji; you fell right into my hands so perfectly. It was almost like I am the genius and you are the dead last – ugh!"

"Shut up!" Neji roared, ramming a Shōtei into Naruto's chest.

But instead of flying back, Naruto's foot shot back. Without the Byakugan active, Neji's jaw was kissed by Naruto's steel toes. He fell back, dazed and head reeling from the attack. The indomitable blond returned with fists and legs spread in a stance. Closing the distance with a quick one-two punch, Neji struggled to defend against the double strike. As the attacks and strikes kept coming, the Hyuuga ducked, dodged and blocked, but he couldn't counter. Just when Neji thought he caught a flaw in Naruto's defense, the boy did something he did not expect.

Naruto fell to the dirt and swept his legs out from under him!

The crowds roared, rising from their seats once more, cheering at the rising action. Neji rolled away dodging an axe-kick just in time. Planting his heel into the dirt, Naruto spun around with his left leg prepared to drop another axe-kick. Without the Byakugan, Naruto made sure not to underestimate the Hyuuga; he was a dangerous opponent with or without his dōjutsu active. Just before his heel could meet Neji's face, he brought his arms up to block the incoming strike just in time. In an attempt to grab him for a submission, Naruto's fist came about, knocking the wits and thoughts from Neji's mind. Straddling his chest, Naruto's fists moved like a jackhammer, beating into Neji's face.

With rage flowing through his body, Naruto's fists crushed his nose, split his lips and bruised both eyes. Naruto continued punching as the crowd fell silent. Once Neji looked like an over-ripened, bleeding tomato, he reached behind the Hyuuga's head and unstrapped his hitai-ate. Beneath it, revealed a green seal that looked both terrifying and intriguing at the same time. But maybe, if Naruto was an idiot, Neji might have indulged him with a story. But the fight was over. Rising from the unconscious genin, Naruto raised the glimmering, black-strap hitai-ate proudly, bringing forth the roars and rumble of a satisfied crowd.

"Lose the attitude…" Naruto sighed softly as he dropped the hitai-ate. "We could be great friends you know…just…drop the shit about fate. Fate exists, but it's the struggle that matters…not the outcome, not the result. Fate isn't set, it isn't finite; it's infinite with infinite possibilities and outcomes, nothing is set in stone…I may not know much about who you really are and your past or your reasons for believing in such a pretentious way of life…but just know…you can change your fate…you can change your destiny…all that matters is if you don't stop fighting…"

Naruto flashed a smile to his friends in the crowds and the competitor's box. Taking deep breaths, he relished in the cheers and screams coming from his newest fans. But just as medic shinobi lifted Neji and placed him onto a stretcher, his legs finally gave out. Feeling like a ton of lead, his arms and legs hung slack and weak.

Wanting nothing more than to sleep after declared the winner, he fell back with a beaming smile on his face.

"What a fight…" Ahri whispered to herself, watching the medic ninja pick Naruto up from the dirt, from within. "I can only imagine what will happen when he fights that Gaara character…you just make me mad Naruto…"

"I want to help you and give you my chakra…" Ahri sighed, resting her back against the metal walls surrounding her in her cell. "I find it cute really…but…Naruto…"

Don't you trust me?


You know what makes me mad?
Ahri literally has soooo few lines in League :(
my plan is to end chapters with one of her quotes but
clearly there is only so much I can work with

le sigh

Anyway! Please! Review guys! I've been eating up your
suggestions and critiques!

A reviewer was confused by Naruto speaking Korean; the only two words he uses, he was told the definition. Seonsaeng and Noona. Serious. lol when there's a lot of korean being used, Ahri is the one speaking

Another reviewer was wondering about the relationship between Ahri and Naruto; no, Naruto isn't seeing her as his beloved teacher; more like a necessity that happens to have a great personality. And by personality I mean rack. LOL I'm kidding.
The way I see it, it's more of a mutual respect for one another since they're learning more about each other and abilities.

Either way! Next chapter will feature another fight! Cool, Cool eh?

Ja ne!

gottahavekyuubi