The time for training was over. Jariya had taught him as best as he could and Naruto felt that he was ready.
He stood in the ring silently, gazing over the immeasurable amount of people looking down from the stands above. He stood next to 6 others, all of them his competition. It seemed that some people were missing. As he looked towards his competition he realized that Sasuke was absent.
Sakura gazed down into the arena and she began to worry. "Where are Naruto and Sasuke? They can't miss this."
Ino looked to her friend in confusion. "Naruto is right there Sakura, standing next to Shikamaru."
"What?" Sakura once again looked into the stadium and glanced to the figure beside Shikamaru. The figure in question looked up into stands and revealed his face. It was definitely Naruto but something was off, the clothes didn't match.
To Sakura's suprise he wasn't wearing his regular orange attire but instead had black shinobi pants and sandals and a chain mesh shirt underneath a blue hooded jacket with the hood up. His sandals were the strangest though as they seemed to have a sort of metal trimming.
'Is that really Naruto?' She wondered
Naruto began to wonder about Sasuke's whereabouts. 'It isn't like Sasuke to miss something like this, even if he had to drag himself here.'
"Alright everyone pay attention, there were some slight changes to the matchups, this is the new roster, take a good look at it."
Everyone analyzed the matchups and after a minute the proctor spoke up once more "The terrain is different than the preliminaries but the rules are the same, the match continues until one contestant either forfeits or dies."
"The contestants for the first match are, Naruto Uzumaki and Neji hyuga, the rest of you can head to the waiting area."
The four others walked off leaving Naruto and Neji alone in the arena. They stared one another down each remembering the last words they'd spoken to each other.
"You got anything to say to me?" Neji sneered.
"Only what I told you the last time! I vow to win!"
Neji analyzed everything about Naruto looking for signs of weakness, he found none.
'He has the look, he's determined and more sure of himself. No matter, destiny has decided me the winner.'
"Let the first match of the finals begin!" The proctor announced.
"I can't wait to see the look of despair on your face when you realize you made a promise you can't possibly ke-"
Neji could not finish his sentence as Naruto flashed in front of him and landed a punch that sent him reeling. He quickly recovered and planted his feet, clutching his nose. He glared at Naruto who was in the same position with his fist still extended.
"I'll show you what happens when you fight destiny!" he roared. Neji broke out into a run and jabbed at Naruto who slapped it away and threw a counter punch. Neji dodged it and once again jabbed at Naruto's chakra points.
They continued this close counter exchange untill Neji gained the upper hand, landing a blow on Naruto's shoulder that sent him rolling back a few feet.
'I missed' Neji thought. "Do you understand now? You have no hope of beating me." he said.
Naruto scoffed "Get real. I was just checking you out is all." Naruto rose up off the ground and formed four clones.
Neji could see the chakra networks of each clone and he noticed they were all identical. All four Naruto clones pulled a kunai and surrounded Neji. The original Naruto stayed back and watched as the clones charged in and as his opponent easily dodged attacks from all sides and danced around his clones as if they were untrained children.
One by one his clones were dispatched by Neji and his gentle fist technique.
'This guy... he must have eyes in the back of his head'
Neji looked over to Naruto menacingly. "Why keep fighting? You were decided the loser once I was picked to be your opponent" Neji stated.
Naruto scowled. "All this talk about destiny, it may be the hyuga way to cave into destiny but it's not mine!" Naruto said with conviction.
Suddenly Naruto's body errupted with energy. You could see small arcs of electricity all around him, and larger ones jumping from from limb to limb and from his fingertips to the ground.
Although his hair was covered by the hood he was wearing you could tell each strand stood straight up.
Neji looked in awe at his opponent. 'What is this?' he wondered. He analyzed Naruto closer.
'Lightning jutsu. No... it's different... it's real! But then where could it be coming from?!'
If one were to look closely they would see something shifting underneath Naruto's blue hood.
"Round number two" Naruto mumbled as he rushed forward towards his enemy.
Naruto blurred out of sight and appeared only inches in front of Neji. Every muscle in Neji's body tensed and he struck out at the blonde blur, reacting on instinct alone.
Naruto ducked under the strike and drove his fist deep into Nejis midsection.
Neji flew back a few feet and rolled to a stop. Naruto's punch had caused some serious pain but what worried him even more was the electric current he could feel coursing through him.
As he tried to rise back up to his feet his body began to convulse violently, resisting each attempt to move.
'Good' Naruto thought. 'His nerves are shot'
"What did you do to me?!" Neji roared in frustration.
"Wouldn't you like to know" Naruto said mockingly.
Neji could see him gearing up for another attack, but he still couldn't maneuver well.
Naruto shot fowards again, rearing back his leg to kick Neji in the chin. Neji had no other option than to just go limp and drop like a sack of potatoes. He fell to the ground and avoided the attack which sailed overhead.
Neji rolled away as best as he could. Naruto continued his offensive onslaught and Neji continued to stumble and dodge untill he once again had full contol over his body.
Neji jumped up onto his feet and scowled at Naruto. He was scuffed up from all of the attacks but he could still fight.
'So my cloak isn't as potent as Seiteki's attacks. I just need another solid hit, but this guy's like a slippery snake' Naruto thought.
Neji also took this moment of calm to analyze his opponent. He realized that whatever this cloak was it increased Naruto's speed and strength while also making each attack debilitating.
'It is a quite deadly technique.' He thought.
'But there must be a way around it.'
Both fighters were ready for another bout. They shot foward and began trade blows, each one dodging the others strikes knowing how dangerous they were.
Naruto threw a punch aimed at Neji's head. Neji slipped it and aimed a strike at a chakra point in Naruto's shoulder. Naruto dodged to the side and sent a kick towards Nejis midsection.
The kick was moving much faster than his punches. 'Must use rotation!' Neji thought.
He began to emit chakra from his whole body but the attack was too fast. The kick struck him and sent him stumbling. Naruto pressed his advantage and attacked again, but to his surprise Neji dodged it and created some distance between them.
Naruto looked in awe at Neji who seemed to be checking the nerve response in his limbs. Nejis was surprised as well when he dodged that attack, he suddenly realized that the chakra he emited for his rotation dampered Naruto's electrical cloak.
Now Neji had the upper hand. For the first time he went on the offensive. He ran at Naruto and as Naruto lashed out with another kick, Neji coated his arm in chakra and caught it in the crease of his arm.
Naruto's eyes went wide as Neji began to strike the chakra points in his leg. Naruto brought his other leg up and kicked at Nejis head. Neji blocked it but it rocked him and he released his grip on Naruto.
He used this opportunity to escape, but the damage had been done. Naruto's leg was beginning to tense up.
Naruto increased the distance between them once again. it seemed that for now the battle would continue this way, with short bursts of action and then separation.
To engage in close combat for an extended period of time was dangerous for both contenders.
Neji had recovered from the kick and was now analyzing Naruto in the same way. If the battle continued this way one of them may very well drop dead.
'His legs are dangerous' Neji thought
'I can't believe he already found a way around my cloak!' thought Naruto.
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"I can't believe he's really going toe to toe with Neji Hyuuga! And he's holding his own!" Shouted Ino.
Sakura was staring down at Naruto in awe, she couldn't believe that person in the arena was her goofy teammate.
'The teammate I always put down for being weak.' Sakura thought solemnly.
"I guess Naruto's a lot stronger than you thought huh Sakura?" Ino said turning to her friend.
"Yeah, I guess so"
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It only took a minute but Naruto and Neji were both ready to fight once more.
It was Naruto who closed the distance. When in range Naruto threw a right hook trying to catch Neji by surprise, but his opponent was prepared.
Moving his head out of the way Neji struck chakra points in Naruto's arm as it passed by. In realization Naruto quickly retracted his arm and kicked at Nejis left side.
Nejis eyes went wide as the lightning fast kick struck him, but not before he could damper the effects of the cloak. When the kick landed Neji fliched and Naruto used this split second to press the advantage.
Naruto landed two solid hits into Nejis gut and one straight to his face that snapped his head back. Neji brought his arms up to defend.
Naruto saw this and started to lauch another kick. When Neji once again saw Naruto's leg moving at blistering speed he brought his arms down to defend, fearing the power of his kicks, but it was a feint.
As soon as Nejis arms were out of the way Naruto stopped his kick and pummeled him with as many punches as he could to his face and body.
'I have to turn the tide!' Neji thought in fustration.
Neji coated his hand in chakra and as Naruto threw another powerful punch Neji caught it and retaliated with a palm stike to Naruto's jaw that snapped his head to the side and dazed him.
'What happened?' Naruto thought. 'Wasn't I just winning?'
The crowd in the stands were roaring and buzzing with energy seeing the intensity of these hand to hand bouts.
Neji, now having the upper hand, struck as many chakra points as he could in Naruto's chest and arms.
Naruto could feel every blow land, he could feel at least 10 or 12 strikes. Growing frustrated Naruto suddenly jumped into the air and brought up his knee to meet Nejis chin.
Neji quickly tilted his head and jumped back. Naruto saw this as an opportunity and once more retreated to a safe distance.
Naruto began to cough up some blood and he dropped to a knee breathing heavily. There was a strange wheezing sound coming from him and he realized that it was now very hard to breathe.
As he looked over to Neji he could see that blood and bruises covered his face and as he looked even closer he could see Nejis entire body shaking and convulsing slightly.
'He was able to adapt quickly in order to stay in the fight, if I dont change tactics now one of us is gonna die.' Naruto thought.
Naruto strained to get to his feet.
'I wasn't expecting to use this in my first fight but there's no helping it.' Naruto thought.
Naruto began to slowly reach for his hood.
Neji looked on curiously but stood tense and ready for another fight, but what happened next stunned him, as well as the rest of the crowd.
The stands were full of cheering people and excitement but now it was deathly quiet. Each member of the audience was stunned into silence.
Naruto had pulled down his hood to reveal Seiteki, a lump of blue laying in his blonde hair. Suddenly being exposed to light made him perk up.
Seiteki blinked a couple times and took in the area.
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There was complete silence up in the stands. The audience stood there, mouth agape, staring down at Naruto.
Then people began to whisper.
"What is that?"
"What's he doing?"
"I think that's a dragon!"
Sakura's eyes widened as she overheard that last one. She looked to Naruto in amazment now.
'How strong have you gotten Naruto?' She wondered.
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Neji stared dumbfounded at the creature before him. He'd never heard of anything like it, and yet, there it was in the possession of someone he'd deemed a non-redeemable loser.
"Seiteki, keep him where his is" Naruto said to his summon.
Seiteki let out a low growl in confirmation and Naruto brought up his arms and crossed his fingers.
Realization flashed through Nejis mind as he saw the hand sign. He began to close the distance but a bolt from seiteki almost too fast for him to dodge zipped by him and stopped him in his tracks.
Neji locled eyes with the summon for a split second before a barrage of eletric bolts were sent hurtling towards Neji.
It took everything he had to dodge them and he couldn't move toward Naruto at all. Naruto on the otherhand was struggling to gather his chakra. So many of his chakra points were closed off he didn't even really know if he could make shadow clones, but he was trying. He just needed some time.
Neji struggled to dodge these lightning shots but he knew he needed to stop Naruto from making clones.
He quickly backflipped to avoid a shot and in midair pulled out two kunai. He planted his feet and before Seiteki could fire more shots, launched them at Naruto.
Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and three clones appeared in front of the original, two of them holding a kunai.
Seiteki shot up into the air and Neji followed his movement. Just then the two clones threw the kunai and rushed foward. Neji was able to dodge one kunai and catch the other.
'Perfect' The Narutos thought collectively.
Seiteki fired another shot but with his Byakugan he saw that the aim was off so he kept his focus on the clones.
Neji's eyes widened as he felt pain shoot through his arm.
'The kunai!' Neji roared.
He hastily dropped the now electrified object but it was too late, the nerves in his arm were shot and the clones were upon him.
He took the jyuuken stance as best he could with one arm. As the first clone rushed toward him Neji spun and kicked the clone in the head that sent him sprawling to the ground.
'One down' Neji thought as he heard a poof.
The two remaining clones engaged him together while the original stood back. Neji could only dodge their attacks as he waited to regain movement in his other arm.
He now found himself surrounded by the three Naruto's in a sort of triangle. He remembered how in the beginning of the fight Naruto's clones rushed in.
'I can use rotation to dispatch of all of them simultaneously' Neji thought
Just as he suspected they all charged forward but as Neji began to expel his chakra and rotate his body Seiteki shot a bolt that stunned him.
The Naruto's continued their charge and took hold of Neji, capturing both his arms putting him in a headlock.
"Now Seiteki!" The original yelled.
The dragon began to plummet at an incredible speed and he was headed straight for Neji. Seiteki smacked into Nejis chest with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs and he latched on.
With Seiteki now in place the original released the headlock and watched as his summon began to glow and spark violently. Within the second Neji and the clones were enveloped in a sphere of electrical energy and the clones dispersed.
Neji fell onto his back smoking slightly and Seiteki took to the sky once more. Neji stared up to the clouds dazed and tired. He could see a dark silhouette soaring through the sky.
A bird free from its cage.
"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki!"
The stadium erupted into cheers and shouts of congratulations. Naruto simply looked up to them and smiled one of his rare genuine smiles.
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