The mechanical beeping of an alarm clock blared in Naruto's ears. His eyes shot open while he swatted the device with his hand.
As the sound of impact killed the ringing, Naruto sighed.
Today was the day. The finals of the Chunin Exams were mere hours away.
Over the course of the month, he had been training with Jiraiya, whom he dubbed Ero-sennin (Pervy Sage). For two weeks, the Sage had helped the blond train his Kage Bunshins (Shadow Clones). In fact, the man went against his word and actually taught him a technique that was developed by the Third Hokage himself. After that in the span of the following two weeks, Jiraiya taught him how to use the Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu).
He struggled greatly. But when he finally succeeded, he was hospitalized for the next three days. He woke up to find Shikamaru Nara in his room. They later encountered Gaara trying to kill Rock Lee. Thankfully, Might Guy intervened before things could get ugly.
Naruto shivered, truly fearing at what could have happened had Guy not been there.
That Gaara guy...he was a complete monster.
Speaking of monsters, before summoning the giant toad that hosptilized him (Gamabunta), he met the Kyuubi no Kitsune (Nine Tailed Fox). The beast could do nothing to Naruto thanks to the seal. Even still, despite putting up a tough act in front of the biju, Naruto was still scared shitless.
The air around the fox was malevolent, sinister, and it literally Naruto could have sworn that he had forgotten how to breathe during his conversation.
And to make things worse, not only was the fox a complete asshole, but the reason he even ended up in that situation was because Jiraiya chucked him down a fucking ravine.
Note to self, make sure to get back at Ero-sennin tenfold later. Maybe by rating him out while doing his 'research'. Watching the women beat the snot out of him will be hysterical to see.
Unfortunately, the thoughts of Jiraiya being beaten up in a humorous manner did nothing to lighten Naruto's downcast mood.
Can I...Can I really do this? With guys like them...Images of Gaara and Neji appeared in his head. The latter beating Hinata while the former beat Lee, the same guy who beat Sasuke without breaking a sweat.
Naruto forced himself out of bed. Moping about it now was not going to help. He had to just keep moving forward, like he's always been doing up until now.
He gave a small, loud laugh. Only for it to be unheard by the solitude that was his apartment. He had thought that since he fought against the likes of the Demon of the Mist and his apprentice, he could take on anything.
Oh how wrong he was…
Meanwhile
Sakura pulled the ends of her headband, securing it on her head where it rested. For the past month, she had been training with Kurenai while Kiba assisted. On the other hand, Shino opted that he get training from his father. Since Sakura herself didn't have any special clan things to learn, it was only fair to let her get the Jonin sensei.
The training was strenuous, but Sakura felt that it did its part. Very few of the sessions were used to train her Genjutsu and Chakra control. Instead, it was used to amp up her Chakra capacity slightly along with hightening her physical capabilities, things that she was severely lacking in.
And now, today, she was ready for the fights. Her match will be against that Sound ninja named Dosu. 1 month ago she would have been completely shivering in her sandals, thinking that she wouldn't stand a chance.
But now, she thought she could. Sure, Dosu was probably rigorously training as well, but still...it was her time to show what she could do!
"I'm leaving!" She called out to her parents, with her ears picking up the sound of her mother wishing her good luck. Sakura couldn't help but smiled. She really did take her parents for granted...
She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have none.
It made her regret how she used to think of Naruto.
Later-At the Stadium
A bird. Bound to it's nest. Unable to move for whatever unknown reason. Because it did not want to. Because it was scared.
Quite symbolic for today's future events.
The loud cheering of anticipation for the exams. The betting of money on the contestants. For the first mouthwatering match.
The betting was not an integral part of the system for the Chunin Exams. It was just something that people did. Perhaps to make it more intense…
In the past, people would scream, brag, boast during a match. Some of this bickering would lead to verbal and often physical bouts between people of the audience themselves.
This year...would probably be no different. Especially with the people attending the competition.
Promising Shinobi Neji Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha.
Mysterious ones, particularly the ones from foreign villages like Gaara and Dosu.
And then there was that one guy people looked down on.
In the eyes of the villagers it was the most annoying, good-for-nothing idiot who made himself known for his pranks and harboring of a certain Biju.
Heads of the audience began to roll and glares down at a certain blond began to form when the two contestants of the first match were revealed.
Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga.
There was another who was waiting in anticipation and apprehensive of what to expect from today's future events.
Hinata Hyuga, the newest arrival, was this person.
While she had no doubt that both of her teammates were stronger than her, she couldn't help but have an ill feeling. Neji brutally beat her and...he probably wasn't going full strength either.
On the other hand, Gaara put an end to Lee's career as a Shinobi, she later found out. Her heart ached knowing that the dream of the eccentric boy was now crushed, right in front of him. And if Lee lost and barely made it out, who knows what could happen to Sasuke…
Hinata slapped her cheeks. No! She couldn't think like that. Naruto's morale was boosted thanks to a pep talk she gave him at the Third Training Ground earlier that day while heading to the stadium.
And Sasuke...well, although they weren't particularly close in anyway, Hinata had no doubt that the Uchiha will find a way against his opponent.
"Hey, Hinata!" The voice of fellow kunoichi Ino Yamanaka rang in her ear. She met her gaze with a confused look, "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to sit?"
It was then that Hinata noticed that Ino was sitting. There was an empty seat on her right, which she had her hand on as if to invite her. On her left was Kiba, with Akamaru perched on top of his head. Choji sat next to him, munching on some potato chips.
"Ino-san." Hinata murmured as she walked down the stairs to Ino's level. She shimmied between her three former teammates and took a seat next to the blonde Yamanaka.
"How's your condition? Have you recovered from your match yet?" Ino asked immediately with a sincere tone.
The lavender-eyed girl nodded with a small smile, "Yes. They said I shouldn't push myself for a couple of days. Other than that, I'm fine. But…" Her smile turned to a frown as she looked onto the battleground, where she could see the nine contestants standing in a line…
Wait! Nine?
"You're worried about the idiot, aren't you?" Kiba asked the girl, referring to Naruto.
Her left hand twitched as she spoke in a slightly louder tone, "He's not an idiot! He's just smart in his own way…"
The Inuzuka raised an eyebrow, surprised at the girl's sudden defense of Naruto. Sure, the two were teammates so of course she would defend him, but to go as far as to raise her voice...something was off…
A light bulb went off in his head. He let out a grin, showing his feral teeth, "Oh, I see what's going on here! Haha! Who knew…"
His grin was soon replaced with serious features defining his expression. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Neji, "I'll admit, I was wrong about him. Naruto is strong, and he has my respect in some ways. But...against the so-called person who was touted as the strongest Konoha Genin in this batch...I just don't know if Naruto can win."
Hinata remained silent as she stared at the row of contestants once again. Naruto was there, Neji was there. Then there was Shino, Sakura, and Shikamaru along with the gang from Suna was there as well. Not to mention that Dosu guy…
But where was Sasuke?
Hinata looked up, setting her gaze to the other side of the arena. There, she saw her father, Hiashi, with his father on his right and Hanabi on the left.
He was saying to her sister, but she didn't know what. And frankly, she wasn't concerned about that right now.
She looked back down at the arena at what did concern her. Everyone had left the arena. Only Naruto, Neji, and a new proctor named Genma stood on the battlefield.
"Do you have something to say to me?" Neji asked, seeing the look of anger and determination on the blond's face, directed all towards him.
Naruto's hand quivered before tightening with never-ending resolve. He held his fist out forward, mimicking the same action he did after Neji's fight with Hinata.
"I vow to win."
Neji took a step back, shifting his body and holding his hand out. Finally, he topped it all off with the activation of his dojutsu. The intimidating Juuken (Gentle Fist) stance along with the Byakugan etched itself into the brains of all witnessing the match.
"Talking big is one thing. But fulfilling the purpose of your words is another thing. And with these eyes, I can already see that purpose never coming to fruition." Neji said.
"I don't care how dim the odds look. I will win! Especially after what you did to Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, moving his hand down to his side, not removing the confident expression on his face.
Neji raised an eyebrow, "Why are you making such a big deal over the outcome of a match? Its not like you should hold a grudge against me just because my opponent was to weak to properly combat me in a fight."
"Well here's some news for you, big guy! I've got plenty of reason to hold a grudge against you."
And with the end of their rant came: "The first match of the Chunin Exam finals, begin!"
"Alright! Let's do this!" Naruto yelled, running in a straight path towards Neji while pulling out a kunai.
That idiot! Kiba thought to himself from the stands, He has a Hyuga on his team! Shouldn't he know that going in recklessly is just going to make things bad?!
Neji smirked, "Fool. If this is all you've got then there is no point in fighting!" He dodged a swing from Naruto with by leaning backwards slightly.
Just as he had expected from a dropout. Even though he had a member of the Hyuga Clan in his team, he was still ignorant to the point where he would rush in like a bull.
Or perhaps Hinata didn't have it in her to tell him. One or the other…
Dodging Naruto's stream of attacks as if he was dancing, Neji finally decided he had enough. He grabbed Naruto's wrist and tried to whale on his tenketsu.
However, Naruto slammed his leg out, causing the Hyuga to miss his strikes due to an irregularity in balance.
"Eat this!" Naruto shouted, throwing an uppercut to Neji's chin. He felt the grip on his wrist leave as the prodigy performed a backflip high into the air, just barely avoiding Naruto's attack.
"Damn it!" Naruto cursed at his failure to make contact. He crossed his fingers, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Four poofs of smoke later and five Narutos were now standing in front of Neji.
The long-haired Genin narrowed his eyes as he studied the clones. He immediately took note of the fact that there was no way to distinguish between a clone and the real Naruto.
"Get him!" Naruto commanded his team of clones.
"Yes sir!" They all obeyed and charged Neji, cocking their fist back for a punch.
The real Naruto soon followed with them. He kept into the air with his kunai still in his hand.
Neji began to wear a smug expression on his face as he sidestepped and dodged each attack thrown at him. He seemed not working any sweat in the fight, and that was evident by how his hands were by his side the entire time.
The only time they moved was when the real Naruto threw his kunai. Neji grabbed the weapon while it flew towards him, twirling it around his fingers in a quick manner.
Two poofs smoke appeared on the field. Two Bunshins bit the dust.
The battle halted temporarily. No sound was made other than the impact of Naruto's feet hitting the ground.
Two clones left…Neji thought to himself with a bleak expression.
The Naruto in the back punched his palm, "Alright! Let's get wild!"
He and his clones reached into their pouches, taking out five shuriken each.
"I'll be honest. My original plan was to try and land a blow on you by pretending like I didn't crap about your fighting style, letting your guard down by inflating your ego, but it seems that didn't work." Naruto said with a distraught and sad look on his face.
Neji's interest was slightly peaked at this revelation. Normally, going for a risk like that against a user of the Juuken would be suicide. But here this kid was, going along with like there was nothing on the line.
"Hinata told me a ton about the Hyuga's techniques in our first C-ranked mission. Sure it wasn't a lot, but it's definitely enough to know that while you are confident in close combat, all members of the Hyuga Clan suck in long-range fighting!"
And with that, Naruto crossed his arms and chucked his shuriken at Neji, with the Bunshins mimicking his every move.
All three formed the Kage Bunshin sign.
"Now it's time to show you one of my newest Jutsu! Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu)!"
"What?!" Neji along with many other ninja in the sidelines widened their eyes of out of shock as the amount of shuriken thrown doubled, surrounding Neji.
"You've got no escape!" Naruto shouted with a grin. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he relished the prospect of this guy becoming the shuriken version of a pincushion.
"Alright! Kick his ass, Naruto!" Kiba cheered at the top of his lungs, lifting his fist up with a holler.
Hinata's face spread with fear. While she wanted Naruto to win, she didn't want Neji getting severely injured. Even if he had intent to kill in their match, the Side Branch member was his still her cousin.
Her uncle's son.
"Neji-nii-san…"
The shuriken flew through the air, taking a bend down in an attempt to take a snag at Neji's blood.
Unfortunately, Naruto's plan to win would not suffice...
Neji's state of shock soon washed itself away. Regaining his composure with a smirk, the genius planted his right foot on the ground and began to spin at great speeds.
It was time. The Head of the Hyuga Clan was watching this match. He had a put on a show for him…
And prove a point.
Expelling Chakra from his multiple tenketsu, a blue shield formed around Neji's rotating body.
"Hakkesho Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation)!"
This time, Hiashi Hyuga found himself standing up from his seat. His father, was more reserved, but a confuzzeled look still found it's way on his face.
"But how…"
"That move is something only taught to those of the Main Branch…" Hiashi murnured with wide eyes, "Which means…"
Hanabi looked at her father with an eyebrow raised out of confusion. "Which means what?"
"He learnt it by mere sight and memorization…" Was the answer that came out of the Head's mouth.
Hanabi gaped, looking back at the spinning Hyuga with awe. "He's that good?"
The resounding echo of metal crashing against Neji's Kaiten played throughout the stadium with unpleasant clatters. The sharp-edged weapons bounced off, hitting the ground. Some disappeared with a poof while others just let out a thud.
Naruto let out a gasp of shock. "How?!"
As Neji's spinning came to a halt, Naruto had to hold his urge rush recklessly to punch the guy in the face after seeing the smug smirk he bore.
"This is my absolute defense technique, Kaiten. I doubt Hinata-sama has told you about this move. This one of the most sacred techniques of the Hyuga's Main House. She was never on the level to gain knowledge of it."
Meanwhile, the two main overseers of the match, the Kage, had a small conversation of their own.
"It seems the Genin of Konoha are stronger than I anticipated." The Kazekage spoke out loud with a cold, alluring tone, a wicked smile hidden under the cloth covering his mouth.
Hiruzen was not fazed by this way of speaking in the slighest, and instead let out a proud smile of his own.
He nodded his head, "I agree. Neji has shown the natural prowess of a genius unrivaled by any other Genin in Konoha. He reminds me of Kakashi Hatake at the age of five."
"The age of five?" The Kage of the Sand let out a low chuckle, "Surely you jest."
Hiruzen shook his head. "I can assure you, my fellow Kage, I am telling nothing but the truth. Not to say that this generation doesn't show promise. I can see a strong fire burning within each and every one of these ninja, whether they be in the audience or in the competition."
"The Uzumaki…" The Kazekage began, moving onto a different subject, "That move he used...Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. From my knowledge, that was a technique of your creation. Please don't tell me you've picking favorites, Hokage."
"No." Hiruzen responded with a proud smile. "I taught that move to my pupil, who taught it to Naruto.
He was proud of Naruto. Truly proud. Jiraiya taught him well. Making clones of inanimate objects, moving ones that, was an incredibly difficult task.
The Chakra cost is low as a trade-off. Unlike the regular Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, the Chakra isn't split between the clones. So someone with monstrous reserves like Naruto can use many times to seemingly no end.
Hiruzen took a glance at the blue-clothed ninja, causing the Kazekage's eyes widened greatly for whatever reason. He bent his body forward slightly in an unnatural manner. The air around the two Kage was great. Fierce even.
So fierce that their own respective guard would occasionally look at the other to make sure no suspicious move was made.
"If I may, Sarutobi. But...you mean to tell me that blond brat down there is a student of one of your legendary Sannin?"
"Yes…" The old man trailed off, narrowing his eyes deeply at the wide-eyed Kage. "The Sannin…"
The Kazekage shifted in his chair, not taking his gaze off Sarutobi.
"Become Hokage…"
"Hmm?" Naruto stared at his enemy, picking up what he had muttered.
"Becoming Hokage. Your dream. Thinking such a thing is absurd!" Neji said with a condescending smirk, locking eyes with his whiskered opponent.
Naruto rubbed his temple roughly, washing off the drop of sweat that formed. He didn't know why, but he was getting really hot all of a sudden. And it was the kind of heat he felt when under extreme amounts of stress.
He ignored this and responded to Neji, "I swear to God! If you go on about this bullshit about destiny, then I'll beat you up so bad you won't be able to move!"
"Ah. And therein lies the problem. Destiny. I believe it does exist. And you believe it does not. A clash of ideologies. The genius vs the naive idiot. The prodigy vs the failure."
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he continued to listen.
"No matter what you say, destiny will never be denied. After all, there is already proof of destiny. One that's been met by every dead man in the history of the Shinobi world. And one that we all will meet in due time. And that destiny is…"
…
…
...
"Death."
The word struck a chord in Naruto's heart for some reason. His pupils dilated slightly as repetition of the word escaped his mouth.
"Death?"
Neji gave a stone-faced nod, "Correct. Think about the history of this village. Our four Hokage: Hashirama Senju, his brother Tobirama Senju, our current Hiruzen Sarutobi, and finally Yondaime (Lord Fourth). The same four overseers of our village that watch over us today. They didn't become Hokage from trying to become it. They were destined from birth to do it. Destiny chose them."
Neji paused momentarily. He wanted to let this sink in before adding more salt to the wound. It was time the Uzumaki learned from his naive ways.
"This is why your pipe dream of becoming Hokage will never happen. The people of this village won't bat an eye to a dropout like you!" Neji exclaimed with a swipe of his hand. The Hyuga's eyes filled with disdain. Naruto was met with the same eyes his opponent usually looked at Hinata with. "We are all chained to a destiny at birth. And we must follow it...obediently, to the end. It's impossible to try and escape it! Just like how I cannot ever escape my chains. No matter how strong I get, I will never be rid of this mark...not until I die!"
"Can't escape your chains?" Naruto repeated out of confusion.
"So that is something else Hinata-sama didn't tell you about. The division of the Main and Side Branch." Neji's hands went up to his headband as he gripped the ends of it. He began to untie it slowly as Naruto couldn't help but feel his interest perked at what Neji was doing.
At the sight of the removal of his headband, every Hyuga watching the match immediately knew what he was talking about.
The forehead protector slipped of Neji's head, revealing the green cursed colors of the Side Branch. The two lines running across the forehead, stopping mere centimeters away from a big X.
The blond couldn't help but let out a gasp of shock. "What the hell...is that thing?!"
"A Curse Mark." Came the dry reply. "It is something the Main Branch uses the Side Branch in order to maintain control. It represents a bird with its feet caged down to its nest; its unable to ever leave its shackles."
Neji grit his teeth out of anger as he explained his past. About how he was branded with the mark at the mere age of four. How his father was the younger twin to Hiashi Hyuga.
He then went on to the day Hinata was kidnapped during the time when a representative from Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud) came to sign a peace treaty.
The infuriated son of Hizashi Hyuga ended with how his father was sacrificed to protect the Main Branch after an incident known as the Hyuga Affair occurred.
"If my father was the one born first, their roles would have been reversed!" Neji finished as he met Naruto's widened eyes. "Now do you see? Why it is futile to fight against an unchangeable fate."
He was met with silence.
"Of course...I didn't expect you to understand. After all, 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!" Neji snapped, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Naruto took a deep breath. It was hard to comprehend. But now, he could finally understand Neji's hatred and grudge against the Main Branch.
So that was why he snapped at that time...
"DO NOT LOOK DOWN ON THE SACRIFICE OF MY FATHER!"
The words replayed in his mind, sending a chill down his spine at the mere thought of it.
But now. He finally had an answer. Now he didn't have to lie down and let Neji throw insults down on him. He understood. He could finally respond.
"You know...it's kind of sad."
"What?!" Neji narrowed his hate-filled eyes.
"You think I don't understand…" Naruto whispered to himself. He let out a grin, "I have a mark just like yours! And so? What about it? Sitting around doing nothing is going to do shit! I've learned that ever since I became a ninja! And for the record…"
He took a step forward, taking a shuriken out of pouch.
"You're a hypocritical piece of shit! You always criticize me and Hinata especially for trying our best to change our supposed destiny! But you...you claim to believe in your destiny. If that's the case, why are you the one walking away! During your fight with Hinata, I could tell you wanted nothing more than to make her suffer!"
In the stands, Hinata began to hug herself. She hid herself behind her bangs, ashamed for how she never reached out to her cousin. And now, he hated her so much that he wanted to kill her with every inch of his heart.
"Your 'destiny' is to protect her! But you're trying to change that by beating the crap out of her and belittling her every chance you get!"
"Shut up!" Neji bellowed, "Don't act as if you know anything!"
"You're right! I don't know anything. But once you start calling others a failure and looking on them; that's when you cross the line!"
Naruto darted forward, feet making a hard impact against the ground as the wind fought against his body. He grit his teeth and chucked his lone shuriken towards his enemy.
He formed the Kage Bunshin sign, "If you really do believe destiny exists, then you'll have to beat me in this match to prove it! Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
One shuriken multiplied into about fifty as the throwing stars surrounded Neji.
The older boy reacted quickly. While dragging his foot across the ground, Neji began to rotate his body at incomprehensible speeds.
"Kaiten!"
Like last time, the shuriken bounced right off. This time, all except one disappeared when making contact with the ground.
As soon as Neji's spinning slowed to a halt, he saw three Naruto's right in front of him. He let out a gasp of shock.
He had been so caught up in the conversation that he didn't even notice that Naruto's other two clones were still alive and kicking.
By the time he realized, one of Naruto's clones had already connected a punch with his face.
"HELL YEAH! BEAT HIS ASS NARUTO!" Kiba shouted from the stands out of joy.
Neji planted his feet into the ground and recovered into his stance. However, due to being slightly dazed at the fact that Naruto actually hit him, he couldn't react to the kick he received in the chin.
The lavender-eyed ninja was thrown into the air by the force of the kick. And this time, he wouldn't be able to dodge any of Naruto's blows in this state.
"Let's get wild, y'know!" Naruto called out to his clones, who each formed a hand sign to make another clone, making five Narutos in total.
The four Bunshins each jumped into the air, pumping Chakra into their feet to increase the height.
Neji couldn't do anything but submit to Naruto's combo.
The first clone connected his kick, and the other three followed with a kick of their own, continuing to launch the Side Branch member into the air.
"U-Zu-Ma-Ki!" Each Bunshin recited their own syllable.
At this moment, the original Naruto took a giant, quick leap into the air. He shot past Neji's ascending body and attempted to meet him with a kick to the stomach.
"Naruto Rendan!"
The kick connected, but Neji had managed to bring his arms in front of his body just in time. Most of the pain from the strike was absorbed into his arms, but Neji still felt the burning sensation in his arms and his back when he Naruto crashed back onto the ground.
He hissed at the feeling, but he ignored it and immediately rolled away from the original Naruto. He thrusted his hand onto the ground and quickly threw himself back onto his feet. Neji narrowed his eyes as the veins on his eyes began to bulge even more.
"Now!" The brunet murmured to himself as he ducked under a punch coming from one of Naruto's Bunshins. He retaliated with his own palm strike to the chest.
The clone was blown back, letting out a cry of pain before disappearing in a cloud of white smoke.
The other three Naruto clones chose that moment to attack, each throwing their own punch in the hopes of making some sort of contact.
Said connection was not meant to be.
Without even taking a stance, Neji pictured the symbol of the Eight Trigrams.
Juukenho: Hakke Rokujuuyonsho (Eight Trigrams 64 Palms)! Neji thought to himself as he bent forward and performed a graceful yet aggressive spin. The cry of pain from a Naruto clone rang through his ears as he felt his fingers connect with his body.
Two…
Poof!
Neji's head shot up at the sound. He turned on his heel and slammed two more finger strikes into another clone.
Four…
No...not yet.
The sounds of four more palm strikes crashing on the replication of Naruto could be heard throughout the stadium.
Eight…
Poof!
Done. Onto the next!
Whoosh!
Neji felt his hair blow from the ensuing wind from the faker's punch. He easily parried the blow, avoiding connection and carrying on with his combo. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as his attacks picked up with more speed and power, going so fast that those from afar could barely see his hands move.
Sixteen...Thirty-Two…
Poof!
Now for the real one!
Neji took a strong step forward. He pushed off the ground and zipped over to the real Naruto in the span of only one to two seconds.
Before he could even react, Naruto fell victim to the last half of Neji's onslaught.
"Rokujuuyonsho (Sixty-Four Palms)!"
Hinata felt her heart drop as her mouth fell wide open in horror. Neji made the final connection to Naruto's body. The boy was thrown off his feet as bursts of Chakra entered his body to shut off the thirty-two struck tenketsu.
From where the other Main Branch members were watching Hanabi sighed. She knew it would come to this. After hearing of Hinata's condition, she went straight to the hospital to see her. She was surprised to see her sister's belief in this Naruto guy.
So much so that she actually questioned the outcome of the match for some time.
But now the result was clear.
Naruto can barely infuse Chakra now. And if Neji were to block about thirty-two more of his tenketsu, then the Uzumaki won't even be able to mold Chakra at all.
"This match is in my victory. There is no hope for you." Neji told Naruto as he witnessed his opponent rise to his feet. Understandably, as he didn't him with the full brunt force of the Sixty-Four Palms.
"Oh yeah? Well as I said before, you'll have to beat me for that to be true." Naruto said, fighting off the pain throbbing all over his body.
The Uzumaki closed his eyes. At the moment, attempting to infuse Chakra is useless. He can barely do it as it is.
His two Jutsu are practically useless now. So…
That meant there was only one other option.
He didn't want it to come to this, but he couldn't the Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu), as useful as that would be right now. Yes...the other option…
The Kyuubi's Chakra.
He had to call on it. Now. Or else he would lose the match. And he could not afford that! If he lost, how could he look at himself with a proud face anymore? How could he even face Hinata? The person he vowed to win for.
Naruto held up the Ram sign and began to focus.
Deep.
Deep where the blue lake of his Chakra was. No…
Even deeper.
Deeper.
To the depths of hell. Where the hot, burning orange Chakra burned for all eternity.
A perplexed expression wrote itself onto Neji's face as he saw Naruto practically struggling. Trying to just mold a useful amount of Chakra.
"What are you doing? It's useless. All of this is just delaying the inevitable."
"Your right!" Naruto yelled, gritting his teeth so hard that they could break right off. "It is delaying the inevitable. The inevitability of me winning!"
Neji narrowed his eyes. This boy was intriguing. That's for sure. Or maybe it was just his dimwittedness growing on him. Perhaps it was both.
"You...with such an unwavering spirit. Just who are you anyway?"
Naruto couldn't help but grin.
"Who am I?"
He could feel it. It was coming.
"I'm the super-awesome ninja that never goes back on his word!"
Yes! It was here! Victory was once again in his hands!
"My name…"
Now for the last push…!
A orange burst of Chakra burned around Naruto, surrounding and closing in on him.
To Neji, he could just make out the face of a fox being constructed by the Chakra above Naruto. To say that the boy was shocked was an understatement. He was completely paralyzed out of genuine fear.
"What is this...orange Chakra?!"
"My name…"
Neji took a step back as he gasped at the sight, "That Chakra...it's so dense...I can see it...even without my Byakugan!"
The Kazekage's widened his eyes at the sight of the Kyuubi's Chakra. He could have sworn he had placed a seal on the kid's stomach to mess with his Chakra. No one should have known about it…
Hiruzen in the other hand, leaned forward to get a better look at Naruto. Yeah, it wasn't just old age causing him to hallucinate. The boy was truly using the Chakra of his enslaved biju.
With the Sand Trio, Gaara looked with intrigued eyes as he saw the Chakra circle around Naruto. He had this feeling. This guy…
He was just like Gaara himself.
"My name…"
Naruto widened his eyes as the foreign substance flooded his Chakra Network like wildfire. He could feel a smoldering pain on his insides. It was as if water was trying to break down a dam. After a few moments however, something peculiar caught Neji's eye…
"His tenketsu...they're being forcefully opened! But...that's impossible!"
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And I never go back on my word! And when I say I'm going to win this match, I mean it!" Naruto cried out as loud of a voice as he could muster. The Chakra circling around dissipated, seemingly gone for good.
However, the orange Chakra reappeared. This time it enveloped Naruto's body, mimicking his stance and every movement he made.
This power...I feel stronger than the last time. Naruto thought to himself as he blue eyes shifted to his lavender-eyed opponent, who was currently in a state of disbelief.
"Let's test this new power out!"
This statement snapped Neji out of his trance. However, when he returned his focus to Naruto, the 12-year old had already disappeared.
Fortunately for him, his Byakugan could still pick up on his movements. While the sudden increase in speed was a shock, he could still react and dodge.
Like now!
"Kaiten!" Neji yelled, deflecting the shuriken thrown from Naruto, who was now standing on the arena's wall.
When he stopped spinning, Neji quickly picked two shuriken from the air and fished his pouch for two more. He crossed his arms and threw the weapons at Naruto.
Had this been Naruto without the Kyuubi's Chakra, he might have gotten hit by one or two of the shuriken.
But that was not the case here.
He disappeared from the wall, much to Neji's dismay.
Once again, Neji reacted. He made good use of reacting thanks to the reading capabilities of his dojutsu. But he barely dodged Naruto's punch.
However, he held his composure and took out a kunai, prompting Naruto to perform the same action. After both halting their movements, the two Genin jumped into the air towards each other.
They attempted to take a slash at each other with their sharp kunai, but to no avail. All that happened was the sound of metal weapons scratching and clashing against each other.
They both passed each other and landed back on the ground, skidding to a halt and turning around to stare down the other.
"You…" Naruto started, causing Neji to raise his head. "You're very confident in close combat, am I right?"
"Kgh!" Neji grunted as his blond opponent began stomping along the ground towards him.
As he ran, things Neji had said previously played in his mind…
"Become Hokage. Your dream. Thinking such a thing is absurd!"
That's...
"The same four overseers of our village that watch over us today. They didn't become Hokage from trying to become it. They were destined from birth to do it. Destiny chose them."
That's...
"We are all chained to a destiny at birth. And we must follow it...obediently, to the end! It's impossible to try and escape it!"
THAT'S A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!
"It may be the Hyuga 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!"
Naruto was mere inches of away from Neji, ready to deliver a harsh blow.
Shit! I need to use Kaiten! Neji thought to himself as he turned off his foot, preparing to spin.
"I'll change the way of the Hyuga Clan!"
No! It was too late, Naruto had already began to clash with him!
An explosion occurred, enveloping both contestants in a white cloud of smoke. This blocked the audiences view, but if one looked hard enough, they could see two shadows being thrown backwards.
The one thing everything was sure about however, was that they heard what Naruto yelled out in the final moments.
"I make that vow with this right hand of mine!"
Later
He couldn't believe it. He had lost…
He had thought that with his eyes, victory was assured. He had thought that destiny was going in his favor. But he was wrong. Dead wrong.
Now he didn't know what to believe about destiny.
Neji Hyuga...was confused.
After his clash with Naruto, he had thought the idiot was unconscious. However, Neji had made the careless mistake of not activating his Byakugan. The Uzumaki has sent a clone to play dead, while the original went underground and used his enhanced power to punch out a hole.
And then, when it was all said and done, he had erupted from the ground and gave Neji a nasty uppercut to the chin.
Not only were his reserves low, but the kid had packed quite a punch. And that was what confused him. The other times he was hit, he didn't feel it that much. It merely stung for a moment and the pain eased as the match went on.
But this...Neji could still feel the pain as if Naruto had just punched him.
Then there was the conversation he just had with his uncle, Hiashi. He gave him a scroll depicted in his father's handwriting. It entailed more insight on Hizashi's death and that the latter actually chose to die. Not for the Main Branch, but for his brother, family, and the village.
It still didn't make sense to Neji however. Hizashi was a member of the Side Branch. The Side Branch had no choice but to serve the Main Branch. And that was what Hizashi did with his death.
Like always, the Side Branch was used to protect the Main Branch.
But…
The fact that Hizashi apparently did it for family and not the ties of the Main and Side Branches put a whole new perspective on the situation for Neji.
Deep down, he still hated the Main Branch for how he was mistreated along with his father and many other Side Branch members. He still held resentment towards Hinata due to her being in the Main Branch, despite the fact that she was a failure looked down on by the clan.
But now, it was as if a veil had opened inside Neji's heart. A major weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he could rest easier now.
It was still hard to rest, but nonetheless it was easier now.
Perhaps…
Perhaps people really can change their destiny.
The next match was supposed to be Sasuke against Gaara. However, for some reason, the former was running late. Thanks to persuasion from the Kazekage, Sasuke wasn't disqualified. The match was merely postponed.
The third match was Shino Aburame against Kankuro. Unfortunately for the bug user, his opponent withdrew from the match since he didn't want to reveal any of his techniques for the coming invasion.
The fourth match was Shikamaru Nara against Temari. Had it been an actual fight, Shikamaru would have probably won, especially if he had someone with him.
However, he was low on Chakra. Despite catching Temari with his Kagemane no Jutsu, there was no point in continuing. As a result, he surrendered as well, giving Temari the win.
The fifth match that's going to occur right now…
Dosu Kinuta vs Sakura Haruno.
Yo! I'm finally back. Sorry for the long delay, I've just been really lazy recently.
So, this is mostly a repeat chapter. But I decided to add some differences in the Naruto vs Neji fight.
So, Sakura and Dosu probably won't be a long fight regardless of who I make win. At this point, Sakura doesn't much other than Genjutsu. Sasuke against Gaara will literally be the same thing so I'm skipping that next chapter. Obviously, next chapter that means the invasion will begin.
This time though, the Sound Trio will actually be a thing and not killed off like they were. Hinata won't be shafted due to some late match heart problem. And more people other than Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru will get screen time...or is it page time? Meh, who cares!
Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Take care, goodbye!