Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 19 – Hardworking Geniuses

Konoha Arena

"How much time do I have left?"

Naruto was waiting outside of the main entrance to the Konoha arena. The day, like any other, was nothing short of perfection for a fight between high-quality ninja. Packed to the rafters, all were excited for the matches to come. Money and drink was being spilled around every corner.

Despite it all, Naruto was anxious for it. The challenges ahead could prove fatal. However, that couldn't stop the excitement that was growing deep in his gut.

Jiraiya peeked into the arena grounds. "There's six of them already there. Ten minutes until the finals actually start. I'd suggest you go soon," he said.

Naruto looked to his older brother who was observing Rock Lee in the distance. "Naruto. This will be a tough match no matter what way you approach it. Lee is trained by Gai. He's dangerous. Just be smart and think on your feet. Your imagination is a deadly weapon of itself," Kotaro said.

Naruto grinned. "Easy for you to say. I'm a bit nervous of all this," he admitted.

Kotaro laughed. "So are we! Jiraiya and I don't want to be seen as fools if you lose badly," he said.

Jiraiya hummed in agreement. "He's right you know."

Naruto scoffed at the two of them. "What's the prize of winning the finals?" he asked. The information was never released to him.

Jiraiya sighed. "It's five hundred thousand ryō. But the money isn't important. Winning and showing off your skills is key to this," he warned.

Naruto nodded his head. "I know, I know. You don't have to tell me twice. But come on! Why couldn't they give a million ryō?"

Jiraiya laughed lightly. "Why would Konoha want to give kids lots of money? They don't. Half a million is plenty for a kid like you," he said. "The bets made by the upperclassmen will be outrageous I tell you two. The Daimyō could bet half a million and it wouldn't even dent their wallets."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Jiraiya. He then heavily exhaled. "That's a cheap move. This whole thing is a pain in the ass," he complained.

Kotaro sniggered at Naruto's words. "Shikamaru would say it's troublesome. I'm surprised he's standing there before you Naruto. Seems like he's eager, well more eager than he usually is," he said.

Naruto smiled. He was glad that his lazy friend actually showed up. "Do I have to do this when I want to become a Jōnin?" he asked.

Both Jiraiya and Kotaro shook their heads no.

Naruto clenched his fist in joy. "Sweet!" he said loudly.

"If you want to be a Jōnin, you either get promoted through a field promotion like I did or if another Jōnin sponsors you and you pass a test," Kotaro explained. "The test however will only be testing only you and it only takes up one whole day. I was an invigilator for a few people."

Naruto looked at Kotaro with curious eyes. "Did any pass?" he asked.

Kotaro shrugged his shoulders. "Some did. Some didn't. It wasn't just me that tested them," he told Naruto. Kotaro's words were lacklustre. "The majority do fail but they can have another try soon after."

Naruto claps his hands loudly and a fierce grin appears on his face. "Alright! I'm going now. Wish me luck," he said as he started to walk to the grounds.

"Good luck," both men said before disappearing off themselves.

Naruto knew that they body-flickered away to their own destinations. He knew where Kotaro was going to, he was going to the stands above to watch the fights.

But he had no idea for Jiraiya. The man was very secretive when it came to his location. It was something Naruto didn't like about Jiraiya. Jiraiya always liked to decide where to meet and when to do things. It was like that for Naruto's training.

However, Naruto had a member of the legendary Sannin train him, so he didn't complain too much. He also had to admit that he learnt a lot under the tutelage of Jiraiya. Things that will help him today and his future career. The detrimental price however was that he also learnt many, many things that was pure nonsense.

It didn't take long for Naruto to note down that Jiraiya was an optimist. He was too, but the things Jiraiya said made Naruto a little uneasy. He talked about a prophecy, one that would take place soon. Naruto didn't listen to it too much, the only part that he liked was about peace. Peace all around the world.

Right now, it was only a pipe dream. And Naruto couldn't do a damn thing about it if he was just a Genin. He needed to be higher on the ladder. This examination, this final, this is the place and time to settle for it. To become the Chūnin that he is supposed to become.

Naruto walked on the dirt battlegrounds towards his other Genin and the exam proctor. Naruto made his way to Shikamaru who was on the end of the line of Genin.

Naruto turned his eyes to the proctor and saw it was someone different. A man with a similar forehead protector in the form of a bandanna. However, the knot was in front. The man ahead of him was chewing on a wooden senbon needle.

Naruto knew who it was. Shiranui Genma. Naruto had met him before while the man was visiting his house, obviously for Jōnin business with his brother.

Genma gave Naruto a slight nod. He had a smile on his face while chewing on his senbon. Naruto gave him a wink to acknowledge him.

"I'm glad you're finally here. I was getting bored. This whole thing is a drag," Shikamaru moaned out.

Naruto turned his head to see his friend looking annoyed. He could just tell that Shikamaru wanted to just run away from all this. However, Shikaku and Yoshino would kill him. Naruto shuddered to think what Kotaro would do to Shikamaru. He knew that Kotaro was excited not only for his match, but for Shikamaru's as well.

Naruto smiled at Shikamaru. "I wouldn't miss this even if I was sick. I'm itching to fight!" Naruto admitted. His fists were already closed and shaking.

Shikamaru sighed heavily. "I will never understand you. I don't even want to be a Chūnin," he said.

"Why don't you forfeit right now then?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru grunted. "You have to wait until it's your round apparently. It's so if you do give up, everyone can shame on you," he said.

Naruto laughed lightly. "I would hate that. I'd rather fight," he admitted.

"Hm. I'm not you. Where's Sasuke? He's the only one not here," Shikamaru said.

Naruto looked along the line of Genin. Shikamaru was correct. It was himself, Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee and Two of the Suna Genin, Temari and Gaara. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto grew worried. Sasuke was looking forward to this more than most. To test himself against the strongest. It's something he wanted deep inside. Naruto knew that despite Sasuke's cursed seal affecting his thoughts and emotions, Sasuke wanted to test his meddle, for his aspiration in life. It was in Sasuke's blood, an Uchiha's blood. It was the same with Naruto. The Uchiha and Uzumaki loved to fight!

"Sasuke will come. He's trained hard for this," Naruto said with confidence.

Shikamaru scoffed at the words. "Whatever. It's his fault if he's late and gets disqualified. I just hope I don't have to do much work in my match," he said.

Naruto looked at Shikamaru with interest. "Did you learn any new jutsu for today?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru nodded sluggishly. "Oyaji and Aniki helped train me. Oyaji did work with our clan jutsu and Kotaro-aniki just did some physical exercises and chakra training," he said.

Naruto sniggered. "Some? It was painful, wasn't it?" he asked.

Shikamaru nodded sluggishly again. "He's a monster. He doesn't understand restraint. One time, he made me do chin-ups. But then he just palmed me straight in the gut because he said my form was bad. He ruined a whole week for me," he said.

Naruto started to laugh hard. "Oh!? That's sounds like Nii-chan. But admit it, you're stronger now after his boot camp," he said with a sly grin.

Shikamaru nodded his head depressingly but had a wry smile on his face. "I'm not saying anything, but it explains how you're so strong physically. I wouldn't want to do that training though, it's too much work. Only an idiot would do that much work."

Naruto groaned. "You're so lazy," he said. "A bit of exercise is good for you Shikamaru."

Shikamaru looked at Naruto's waist. His eyes widened when he saw Silver, Naruto's new short sword.

"You're finally got a weapon of your own. I'm sort of excited to watch you now. Let's hope you have other skills to show off," he said.

Naruto grinned. "I have plenty of skills to show off. After all, this is the main stage, our performances will have to be the best."

Genma coughed. All the Genin turned their focus to him. "The finals are about to start. Just wait for Hokage-sama to announce it then we will get on our way. All I need you guys to do now is to look good for the crowd."

Konoha Arena Stands

"Haku-chan! Come on, we have to get to our seats before the match begins!"

"I'm following you as fast as I can Kotaro-san!"

Kotaro and Haku went down the steps of one of the five main stands of the Konoha Arena Stands. The arena originally had three but this year they had to expand it by two to accommodate the more than expected numbers. Surprisingly, they could have built another large stand and still have a full house.

Tickets were sold to gain entry to the finals. Free tickets were distributed if you are the Sensei of a Genin or someone of high-status, such as a Daimyō.

As Haku is a guest of the Mizukage and Kotaro is a well-respected Jōnin of Konoha, they got free tickets.

Kotaro was leading Haku down to where Asuma, Kurenai, both of their Genins, Sakura and Anko were sitting. He knew it would be better to stick together and discuss how the matches play out with friends rather than himself.

"Kotaro! Down here!" Asuma shouted. It didn't take him long to take a pack of cigarettes out and light one up for himself.

Kotaro raised his hand to show he heard. "Haku-chan. I have a few people I would love for you to meet," he said to her.

Haku nodded with a smile. "Hopefully they'll treat me as nice as you have Kotaro-san," she said.

Kotaro's face quickly turned serious. "No. They're all assholes," he said. His face suddenly grew a silly smile. "I'm just kidding."

Kotaro moved down to the second last bottom row of the seats. It seemed like they got some of the best seats of the house. They were all close to the action. The Genin were just in front and the Jōnin were behind them.

"Asuma, Kurenai, Anko and the Genin, I would like you to meet a friend of Naruto's and mine. Treat her nicely, she's a smart and strong girl," Kotaro said as he let Haku sit beside Asuma.

They all looked at Haku with interested eyes. It made the Kiri girl nervous. She swallowed her built-up salvia and had a surge of confidence flow through her. "I'm Yuki Haku, a Chūnin of Kirigakure. Pleasure to meet you all," she said with a smile.

Everyone said their greetings to Haku all at once, making the whole greeting a mish-mash of noise. Haku smiled and nodded her head, pretending she could understand everything. She sat down beside Asuma while Kotaro sat beside her. There was only a single empty seat beside him to his right.

Sakura squints her eyes and focuses on Haku. "You look sort of familiar," she said. "Have I met you before? Wait, how could I? You're a ninja from Kirigakure."

Haku shook her head with a sweet smile. "No. We have met. I was the ninja who tried to kill Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san on the bridge," she said with no hesistation. She didn't realise what she said would affect the two girls in front of her since they keep Sasuke close to their hearts..

The shocked faces of Ino and Sakura came as soon as they heard the words.

"Haha, seems like she's already shooting herself in the foot," Asuma said. "Kotaro, you sure do attract strange people."

Kotaro grunted. Asuma was not helping out at all. In fact, he was only adding to the fire.

Sakura pointed her finger at Haku and had gnashed her teeth. "Then why are you here!? You were working for a shady crime lord. That should be a crime in itself!" she said.

Ino gasped. "She did!? How can someone so pretty do such a vile thing?" she wondered.

Anko laughed hard after hearing Ino. "Girl, you know it's one of a kunoichi's greatest weapons. Seduction and playing innocent is an art that can make a S-ranked mission easy. Isn't that right Kotaro?" she said with a sly grin.

Kotaro narrowed his eyes on Anko. "I don't whore myself around like you do Anko. I have some self-respect. You should be more Kurenai, some of her prudishness might rub on you one day," he said.

"Hey!" Anko, Asuma and Kurenai said all at the same time.

Kotaro focused on Asuma. "I get those two, but why you Asuma?" he asked.

Asuma grunted before giving him a wink. Kotaro sighed from the response. It only told him that'll he'll find out later.

Haku giggled. "You guys are funny," she said between laughs. "Zabuza-san and the others aren't like this."

The Jōnin smiled. They made her comfortable.

Sakura turned away. Kotaro knew she wasn't comfortable with Haku here. He didn't care too much about it though. Haku was in his care, he had to make sure that she was happy and enjoying herself. Mei would try to melt him if he didn't. That was something he would try to avoid for the rest of his life. Mei, although sweet in nature, had a vicious side to her.

Kotaro saw Kiba and Hinata talking to each other. The two were beside Chōji, talking only to themselves. He decided not to bother them. Despite Kiba being in his care at the hospital, he felt that he made the Genin uncomfortable with his presence. He didn't know the reason why. Kotaro must likely pointed it to being Naruto's big brother.

"The matches are about to begin you guys. I say sit back and enjoy the ride, this might take a while," Kotaro said with an excited grin.

Everyone agreed with a nod.

"Is this seat taken?" a feminine voice asked.

Kotaro hummed before turning his head to the source of the voice. "No, you can sit there… Why the hell are you here?"

Haku looked to see Kotaro's face. It was terribly pale, as if he saw a real ghost. But there was only a woman with white hair done in a pony tail with deep dark blue eyes. She was wearing a dress that revealed her arms and legs. There was an orange ribbon tied in a bow around her hair knot. Haku thought the woman was extremely pretty.

"Something wrong Kotaro-san?" Haku asked.

"Yes Kotaro, something wrong?" the woman said in a sweet voice. She saw that she attracted the attention of the other ninja. The women were wondering who she was while Asuma and Kiba were looking at her attractive appearance.

"Well... If it isn't Hea-"

The woman quickly grabbed Kotaro's wrist and pulled him off his chair and to the side. Kotaro was surprised from the sudden speed and force. Her pull made him go into the air.

Kotaro felt her lips come very close to his ear. "Don't call me that here. Just call me what you usually call me," she said in a stern tone.

Kotaro pulled back his head narrowed his eyes on the woman. "Fine, Niko. Why are you here?" he asked. "It's dangerous for you to be in Konoha."

Niko hummed. "Are you worrying about me, huh? Well don't be. I could take on everyone here and survive. I would struggle with you and maybe that Kakashi person, but the majority here are no problem. Why I'm here, that's because I wanted to the fights and to see you again," she said.

Kotaro barked out a laugh. "See me? Sure, you did. Come on, think of a better excuse than that. Why didn't you send a letter or something?" he asked.

Niko shrugged her shoulders. "Didn't want to. I though a surprise would be nice," she said.

Kotaro rubbed his face in agony. With all the different nations fighting in the exams and watching in the stands, it was already a pressure pot ready to explode. With Niko, or her true alias Hearts, one of the Four Kings that rules over the Underworld across the Mainland was here, Kotaro had no idea what to do.

Thinking about it now, he shouldn't be surprised if the only reason she came was to visit him, she was the type of woman to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, no matter what. It only made her more dangerous.

Kotaro sighed. "Well, the fights are about to begin. We should sit," he said.

Niko nodded. "That's a great idea!" she said enthusiastically.

Kotaro groaned at her. "Just shut up and sit," he said as he sat back down beside Haku.

Niko smiled at him and sat beside him. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" she asked him.

Kotaro growled. "Fine. Asuma, Kurenai, Anko, all you Genin and Haku. This is my friend from the Capital. Her name is Niko. Please treat her nicely," he said with a sour tone.

They all said their hello's apart from Sakura and Ino. Both girls were staring at Niko with curious eyes.

Niko narrowed her eyes at them, making them flinch. She was a woman that loved attention, she didn't mind the two girls staring at her. However, she wanted to have a bit of fun.

"What are you two looking at?" Niko asked them with a tempered tone.

"You're so pretty," Ino said.

Sakura looked at Niko's arms. They were muscular and well-defined. Something she rarely saw on a woman in Konoha. "You look strong as well," she said.

Niko's narrowed eyes softened, and a confident smile appeared on her face. "I am very pretty. And these are because of hard work and training. I have to keep strong for my goals," she said.

Asuma focused his eyes on her. "You seem familiar Niko-san," he said.

Niko looked over to Asuma. "Do I? The Capital is a big place you might be confusing me with someone else."

Anko leaned back on her chair and finished off her dango packet. She got bad vibes off Niko and needed a sugar boost before asking anything. "How do you know Kotaro?" she asked.

Niko smiled at the question. "I'm glad you asked. The first time I saw him was just over two years ago. I didn't talk to him, and I only saw the back of his head. Kotaro went to the same bar soon after, since he was on another mission and we started talking," she told Anko.

Asuma smirked. "You never told me you had a girlfriend," he said, while slapping Kotaro's shoulder.

The assumption was so ambiguous that even Chōji stopped eating his crisps and started listening to the conversation.

Kotaro scoffed at the comment. "Because I don't," he said with certainty. "I would have if I did. First Jiraiya and now you Asuma, everybody in this village is so damn nosy," he complained.

Niko laughed. "That doesn't mean that you didn't try, right?" she said with a knowing smile.

"I don't want to talk about that!" Kotaro said depressingly. "And definitely not in front of people."

"What happened?" Kurenai asked. The rest were waiting for the answer as well.

Niko latched herself on the depressed Kotaro and pulled herself closer to the group. "We started talking more and more since Kotaro kept coming to the Capital. After a fun day, he said something like, 'We should get some drinks and do something exciting'," she said. "I was flattered but it wasn't going to happen."

Kotaro peeled Niko off him and put her in her seat. "Alright that's enough!" he said with a fluster. "Hokage-sama is about to speak. Everyone shut up and listen to him."

The others were laughing at Kotaro's expense. The redhead obviously didn't want those memories to resurface.

Kotaro saw Niko laughing herself. He felt like a right fool at this moment. He shifted his body, so he was the only one talking to her. "You just had to bring it up, huh?" he asked. "Embarrassing me like that."

Niko nodded with a smile. "The topic came up itself, it's not my fault" she said, her eyes and facial expression were playing the innocent card.

Kotaro growled at the answer. She obviously had some influence in it and she knew it. Niko wanted to embarrass him in front of his friends. It was an accomplished mission now.

Kotaro finally having the chance, looked at Niko properly. She looked different from before. "New outfit?" he asked.

Niko nodded. "Yes. I thought a nice dress would be good for a day like this. But then I remembered this was a ninja village, so I got a battle dress. Best of both worlds," she said.

"And that orange ribbon tied at your pony tail, what's that for?" Kotaro asked.

Niko smirked at him. "It's to show I'm supporting Uzumaki Naruto in this tournament. Orange is his favourite colour."

"How'd you know that?"

Niko laughed lightly. "Remember, you told me before," she said.

Kotaro didn't remember saying that at all. In fact, he didn't think he mentioned much about Naruto to anyone outside of Konoha. One off-handed comment was made in Niko's presence and that was it. There seemed to be a lot hidden under her words. A hidden agenda that he will get to the bottom to.

Kotaro sighed. "We're having a long talk after the finals. No excuses. But for now, let's enjoy Naruto's fight," he said.

Niko smiled. "Good. That's one of the reasons on why I came here," she said. She shifted back in her seat, getting more comfortable. Resting her left arm on Kotaro's shoulder despite his growl, she yawned. "I made a large bet of half a million ryō on Naruto to win the whole thing. The odds will give me a great turnout if he does," she said loudly.

Asuma bit hard into his cigarette bud when he heard the amount. Kurenai, Anko and the Genin weren't doing much better.

"Are you crazy? Half a million is too much!" Asuma said.

Niko shrugged her shoulders and scratched her cheek with right hand. "So? I have faith in Naruto. He's a special kid. I can see it."

Kotaro chuckled, making Niko look at him with curious eyes. "What will you do if he loses?" he asked. Kotaro had total faith in Naruto and the training he had undertaken, but the question popped into his head.

"Well, you'll just have to make it up to me somehow," Niko said to Kotaro before turning back to see the arena grounds. Her arm still resting on Kotaro.

Kotaro gulped slightly. He didn't know if that was a death threat or not. The woman resting on him was one of the most powerful people in the village currently. Having seen her power first hand made him know for sure that Niko is someone you never want to be on her bad side ever.

Luckily, he always seems to be on the good end of things. Kotaro's fear is that he doesn't know how long that will last. Niko is a woman, a King of the underworld, someone who can easily rival a Kage.

Haku pulled on Kotaro's sleeve, making him look to her. She looked worried.

"Is Naruto-kun's first opponent strong?" Haku asked. Kotaro could clearly see in her eyes that she wanted Naruto to win with all her heart.

Kotaro nodded. "Rock Lee is a strong Genin. His taijutsu is outstanding. He would rival most Chūnin and some less experienced Jōnin if they only fought hand-to-hand."

Haku bit her lower lip. "That doesn't sound good," she said.

Kotaro laughed at her words. "Don't worry Haku-chan. Naruto will get stronger when he's against a strong foe. It's in his blood. He'll show everyone here the true power of the Uzumaki," he said.

Kage's Balcony

Hiruzen was watching the sky. His pipe hung loosely from his lip. The air was filled with a smoky aroma. To his left was the Yondaime Kazekage, Rasa. He was completely covered from head to toe in his Kage attire. It made him suspicious of him. His guards also radiated an uneasy aura.

'What is he hiding under that mask?' Hiruzen thought as his eyes focused on the cloth mask that covered most of the Kazekage's face.

Hiruzen sighed and then looked to his right. Terumī Mei was relaxing in her chair with her two bodyguards either side of her. Momochi Zabuza and the famous Ao of the Hunter nin department. He didn't need to be told that these two men could fight a battalion on their own and survive. They were strong ninja.

Hiruzen saw that Mei was looking at the Genin with keen eyes. Her eyes were directed onto Naruto. She was obviously excited for his match. He knew the reasons why already.

Hiruzen put his hand up and his bodyguard, Namiashi Raidō, who put his ear down to listen to his leader.

"There's still no sign of Kakashi or Sasuke?" Hiruzen asked.

Raidō shook his head. "I'm sorry to inform you that neither Sasuke or Kakashi have been located despite multiple ANBU teams being sent out, Hokage-sama," he said.

Hiruzen exhaled heavily. "No matter. His match is the last of the four. If he doesn't come before that, something will have to be done," he said.

Raidō nodded. "Of course, Hokage-sama," he said before going back to position.

Hiruzen breathed in and out before laughing to himself.

The Kazekage focused his eyes on Hiruzen. "I wonder what has made you laugh Hokage-dono? Is it something to do with the missing Genin?" he asked.

Hiruzen smiled, but underneath the joyous expression, the comment annoyed him. "No. I'm just excited for these matches. I suppose I should start it soon."

Mei smiled at the news. "I think that would be a brilliant idea. I can't wait for the opening match. Naruto-kun and this Rock Lee will hopefully have a wonderful fight," she said. "Are you interested in your daughter's and son's matches Kazekage-dono?" she asked.

Rasa smirked underneath his mask. "Of course, I am. They will show that Suna shinobi are powerful and not to be looked down. Also, I will be able to watch how an Uchiha fights. It is exciting indeed."

"Indeed, it is," Hiruzen said as he got off his chair. "Sasuke's match is already built up to be one of the tournament. We'll see how it all plays out soon enough. Now, it is time I finally do the honours."

"This must be tiring you down Hokage-dono, maybe you should consider choosing the Godaime Hokage soon before it's too late," Rasa, the Kazekage, said.

Hiruzen laughed at the comment. Raidō, Mei, Ao and Zabuza all focused on the Kazekage. They were baffled that the Kazekage would even suggest that.

Hiruzen got to the balcony edge and coughed into his fist. "Don't worry about that. Everything is planned for the future. Someone is already in consideration," he said, surprising the two Kages and their subordinates.

"Can I ask who?" the Kazekage asked.

Hiruzen shook his head. "Now that will be silly to do that. Let's stop talking about this and start the fights. The people are waiting."

Zabuza leaned close to Mei's ear. "Mei-sama," he said.

"Yes Zabuza."

"I got a bad feeling about him," he admitted. "Something is fishy."

Mei nodded. "I feel the same. Keep your wits about you but act calm and natural. Let's enjoy Naruto-kun's match."

Zabuza pulled back before nodding to her. "Let's hope that the brat wins."

Hiruzen coughed again, making the Kage, their subordinates and the loud crowds quiet down to listen to his words. The man's mere presence was able to halt the insane volume.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. It gives me great honour to see everyone here to watch the Chūnin exam finals. The matches will show us the eight that passed the preliminaries. Sit back and enjoy the show. Let the matches begin!"

Konoha Arena Battleground

Naruto gulped. The crowds cheered to the top of their lungs that the arena floor shook. His heart was racing, palms sweating. The fire in his gut was growing rapidly. He wanted to fight, he was ready.

Shikamaru pulled out some wax from his ear. His index finger was mucky afterwards. Flicking it off, he then groans. "If they keep that up, this whole thing is going to be troublesome," he said to Naruto.

Naruto giggled. "I want them to cheer my name when I win the first round."

"Alright you lot," Genma said, gaining their attention. "Same rules apply here that were in place in the preliminaries. There are no rules. Got it? First match is between Naruto and Rock Lee. The rest of you go to the waiting room balcony over there," he ordered.

The five other Genin turned around and walked towards the waiting room.

"Good luck Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted to Naruto before going up the stairs.

Naruto gave him a thumbs-up. He was pumped. The fight couldn't come any sooner now.

Rock Lee stared at Naruto with an excited smile. "Naruto-kun. Your older brother, Kotaro-sensei, helped train me before. Gai-sensei made sure that I know that you are a challenge to be never underestimated. I knew that from the start, but I can't help but feel excited for our fight. I will win, but let our fight be a great one!" Lee said with shaking fists.

Naruto grinned. "Oh? Well to tell ya the truth, I've been waiting for this since I started training." Naruto's body leaked out his excited chakra, the wind blew around the two Genin, causing a swirl to form. A whirlwind grew from the dirt ground in the arena. It blew up to the crowds. The tension was growing. "Let's stop the talking and begin already!"

Rock lee positioned himself in the stance of the Strong Fist. He was ready to battle.

Watching him carefully, Naruto's eyes knew the time was now. Second nature came, and his body went into his Whirling fist fighting stance.

The crowd cheered loudly as they saw the two Genin stare down each other. Naruto and Lee were ready, the crowd was ready. There were only waiting for one word.

"Begin!" Genma said before jumping back quickly. He was already well warned that this was going to be a fast-paced match.

Rock Lee started the fight off with high acceleration. Hunching down and launching forward, Lee closed the distance between Naruto and him in little time. Jumping into the air, Lee twisted his body to perform a high spin kick. His target was the left side of Naruto's head.

As the kick was coming close to Naruto's head, Naruto leaned back quickly to let the kick pass by him. Naruto knew Lee can perform a second attack just as fast as the first one.

Naruto somersaulted backwards twice before landing on his feet and skidding on the ground. His back was now close to the arena wall. Without wasting time, Naruto threw multiple shuriken at Lee while he skidded, to make sure that his opponent couldn't run after him.

Lee watched these shuriken come to him quickly. They were all travelling in different paths but they all had the same point of target. Lee's chest. Lee took out a kunai from his holster and deflected the shuriken with ease.

The shuriken went straight into the ground. As soon as the last shuriken dug into the ground, Lee went after Naruto once again. While running, he placed back his kunai as he was preparing his next attack.

Naruto watched as Lee came closer and closer to him. He had to think of something quick.

Thinking of a quick plan, Naruto jumped back towards the arena wall. It was made out of reinforced concrete. A tough material that can absorb a lot of punishment. Naruto rested his back close to the wall and then waited for Lee to come to him.

Lee came in quick with his right fist pulled back, ready to strike. Launching his fist forward, Lee aimed to smash Naruto's face into the wall.

Using his quick reaction time, Naruto moved his head to the side and lifted his right foot up. The punch slid past him and hit the wall behind him.

CRACK!

Spider web cracks were made as Lee's fist went deeper into the wall. It was clear that Lee had a monster of a punch. Lee grunted in little pain. The concrete wall was not something you should punch and not expect to come out pain free.

Naruto was glad that it wasn't his face that got the hit. It seemed that Lee wanted to end things quickly. Naruto assumed that Lee was warned that he has a wide variety of attacks. With Naruto's trickster mind, giving him more time would only lead to Lee's loss.

Taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him, Naruto smashed the bottom of his right foot into Lee's chest. It was not his strongest attack as he was in a standing position, however it was strong enough to make Lee jump far back to a safe distance away from Naruto.

Naruto felt the momentum shift into his favour. 'I can't let him get away!'

Naruto made his way to Lee. He was now close and personal, moving his body to leg sweep Lee, hoping it would trip him up. Naruto's grappling prowess could prove handy if he gets the chance to show what he is made of by putting Lee to the ground.

Lee jumped up to dodge the incoming leg sweep. He landed on his hands and used them to springboard out of the way and go high into the air.

Naruto saw Lee was now vulnerable since he was high in the air. Lee's skills only allowed to fight in close range. He couldn't perform any mid to long range attacks bar shurikens and kunai. Also, Naruto knew that it wasn't Lee's style to fight with these tools often.

As he sucked in air and expanded his lungs, Naruto weaved through six hand seals, ending in Dog. 'Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere,' he thought.

Naruto blew out multiple cylindrical projectiles of compressed wind. The projectiles were powerful, but they sprayed in all different directions.

Lee saw the incoming attack and raised his arms to cover his face and upper body. Shifting his body in strange positions to dodge the majority of the attacks. Lee's control over his flexibility was remarkable.

One projectile struck Lee's arm. The force pushed him back far, he then landed on the ground where he skidded back a few paces. Blood leaked from his new cut and covered his arm. His sleeve was also partially ripped. The damage was minimal, but it made Lee realise the disadvantage he put himself into. Naruto was no ordinary opponent. He was someone never to underestimate, similar of how he thought of himself.

The rest of the cylindrical projectiles of compressed wind pierced through the concrete walls, creating circular and elliptical holes of where they entered. It was a powerful jutsu that Naruto hadn't completely mastered yet. More practice was still needed.

The five stands filled with the people cheered loudly. The fight has been entertaining so far, but it seemed that Naruto's jutsu really set them off. Despite it being horribly inaccurate, it was a crowd-pleaser of a move. Showing off your skills was an important element in this exam, Naruto was ticking it off his list with his variety of moves. Becoming a Chūnin was more important than winning the competition.

Lee grunted before exhaling heavily. "I see I really can't hold back against you Naruto-kun," he said. Lee then somersaulted backwards and jumped onto the wall, skidding upwards and using his chakra to stick onto the vertical surface.

Naruto watched carefully as he Lee slowed down and stopped. He was just a few metres away from the edge of the wall. The arena walls were taller than some of the buildings in Konoha, Naruto could see that Lee was quite the height off the ground.

"What is he doing?" Naruto wondered. He kept his hands close to his sides, waiting to react to whatever Lee had up his sleeve.

Lee relaxed his breathing; his body's tension was washing away. Suddenly, he focused his eyes onto Naruto and smiled at him.

The whole audience was waiting for Lee to show what he has prepared.

Konoha Arena Stands

"What is that Lee kid doing?" Niko asked as she watched the match. She was enjoying it so far, she felt confident that Naruto will win this one through. Her money was on the line after all.

Kotaro watched as Lee pulled up his orange leg warmers, there were two thick and wide beige belts strapped around both his lower legs. His eyes widened, and a gasp escaped his lips. Niko, Haku and Asuma noticed the change in him.

"Gai, you sly bastard," Kotaro said as he watched Lee take the belts off him.

"What do you mean by that Kotaro-san?" Kurenai asked. The others were wondering what he meant as well.

Kotaro growled to himself. "Some time ago around the time that Gai became a Jōnin sensei. He said he needed some heavy weights to help train his taijutsu, for his legs. He asked me to make them by adding adjustable seals to individuals weights to an already existing pair of leg weights. Those there are the same pair," he told them. "He tricked me… He gave them to Lee."

Kotaro turned his head to one of the other stands. There he saw Gai beside a sitting Tenten. Gai had a confident smirk pointed straight at him. Gai believed that this was Lee's victory now.

Asuma sighed. "Sure, they can't be too heavy, can they?" he asked.

"Just you wait and see Asuma. This could turn for better or worse now."

Konoha Arena Battleground

"Yosh! Now I can move around a lot easier now!" Lee said loudly as he stood on the wall, with the weights in his hands.

Naruto was thinking a mile a minute now. It seemed that both he and Lee were in the same situation. He still had his body weights still activated. Lee wanted to bring this to the next level.

CRASH!

Two huge dust clouds appeared where the leg weights landed. It seemed the weights were so heavy that they created two small craters on the arena ground.

Naruto gulped from the show that happened in front of him. He knew Lee was strong and loved his training, but this was just insane. He had to admit that Lee had 'Guts' in the bucket loads.

A sacred rule to all shinobi is that usually the one who makes the first move, gets the advantage in battle. Naruto knew he had to put pressure onto Lee before the latter gets used to his new lightweight body. If he didn't, Naruto could be looking at a loss, and fairly quickly at the look of things.

Thoughts ran through his mind, old memories of training popped up.

Sweet little brother, if you really want to show off your speed. Send chakra to your legs, build it up quickly, then explode and rush to your target to attack. Too little, it won't work, and you'll waste your chakra. Too much and you will rip your muscles and tendons completely apart. Now let's have some fun and sprint!

Naruto got into a sprinting ready position and leaned forward. Remembering his training, he sent chakra all around his legs. He could feel a pressurised power building up in his hamstrings, quads and calves.

Naruto focused his eyes on his target on the wall, Lee. "Let's go!" he shouted. Naruto launched from his spot, making a dust cloud blow behind him. The audience were shocked to the incredible acceleration that Naruto showed.

Naruto ran to Lee's wall and didn't lose stride as he climbed up to Lee's position. Naruto started juking left and right as he was climbing up, hoping that Lee's eyes will be focusing on his unorthodox movements.

Naruto went into Lee's personal space and hunched down. He used his left arm to push away Lee's right arm. Having his fingers glide over Lee's eyes, Naruto was distracting him for his next attack. Naruto's right fist was following its path, ready to strike Lee straight in at left jaw with a right swing.

Lee smiled at Naruto despite being in a tough spot. In a mere moment, Lee moved himself from the spot and jumped fast off the wall, he then landed on the ground. To the centre of the arena battleground.

Naruto didn't want Lee to escape him so easily. Crouching down to the wall, Naruto sent chakra to his legs once again. Aiming himself to a spot in front of Lee, Naruto rocketed off the wall. Once he was close to the ground, Naruto used his hands to steady himself on the ground, he then twisted his body.

With his face to the wall he just jumped off and looking away from Lee, Naruto somersaulted back once and performed an overhead kick, aiming for Lee's head. Naruto carried all his momentum from his launch, putting it all in his right foot, ready to hurt Lee hard.

Lee moved from his spot again and dodged the attack, much to Naruto's despair. Naruto balanced himself in the air and landed safely. It didn't last long as the blur of Lee appeared to his left side. Naruto leaned slightly away and raised his left guard just in time to block the attack.

Lee moved away and now appeared behind Naruto, getting ready to do a high spin kick. Naruto read it effortlessly and ducked quickly.

Right now, he needed to think of a plan to hamper Lee's speed, so he could deliver a well-placed attack to seriously damage his opponent or even knock him out. The first thing he needed to do was to get some space away from Lee.

Lee steadied himself after his spin kick and proceeded to launch a side kick. Naruto crossed his arms in his crouched position. He took the attack and used it to skid away from Lee. The kick was not as powerful as Lee's other ones since he only had a standing start. Naruto utilised it, so he could get some breathing space from Lee and think of his next move effectively.

Lee disappeared from his spot and reappeared to Naruto's right side. All with his pure speed. Putting all his body-weight and strength, Lee focused his punch and aimed it for Naruto's right cheek. Pushing it through, Lee hit Naruto's face. Surprisingly, Naruto didn't even try to defend.

Lee smiled, this was his chance to finish things off. However, it was all just a ruse. As soon as he pushed his fist further, Naruto puffed into smoke a log appeared in his place, taking all the damage that Naruto should have received. The log exploded from the impact of Lee's amazingly powerful punch. Bark and shrapnel covered the grounds.

Lee looked around to find where Naruto has gone. The pressure that he applied was now washed away with Naruto's escape. Lee didn't know what to do now, apart from waiting for Naruto to appear to him. He was thinking that Naruto has cooked up some trap for him to fall into.

Lee chose not to move from his original spot in case he set off the trap. However, right there and then, he was a sitting duck. A terrible position to be in.

The crowd quieted down once Naruto had vanished. They were waiting for the next act to the show happening in front of them.

Lee heard footsteps behind him and got into position. Lee turned around and was surprised to see Naruto so close to him so quickly. It seemed that he wasn't the only fast one on this field.

Naruto and Lee exchanged blows, no clear hits were taken as their defensive guards were impressive. Each attack from one another was reacted expertly and they moved themselves for the best possible block.

Naruto fighting style, the Whirling fist, starts with he fighter going at the same pace as the opponent and then hitting them with an attack with explosive speed, faster than the other expects. The problem was that Naruto couldn't utilise this, as Lee was simply too fast to use it.

It didn't help that Naruto's reach was shorter than Lee's, as Lee is far taller than Naruto and had longer limbs.

Lee did his famous Konoha Whirlwind kick attack. Naruto took the brunt of the move and decided to skid away from Lee. It didn't surprise him that he went quite the distance after Lee hit him.

Naruto grunted in pain but ignored it. He'll suffer the pain later, right now, he had to beat Lee. Naruto took out a scroll from his pouch and unfolded it. There was a seal array for the storage of weapons. Naruto believed it was time to put his new training to the test.

Naruto flowed chakra to the seal. A large puff of smoke appeared over the seal. Naruto quickly threw the scroll away as he had no use for it now.

Lee moved from his spot with pace, his body moved naturally to create an attack. A left back heel kick was already in motion. Lee moved in close and rested his balance all on his right foot. Rotating with as much power as he could muster at that moment, Lee moved his left foot in a massive arc, just to strike at Naruto's head. A dangerous move and a sure knockout move if there is contact.

Lee felt pain flow straight through the length of his leg. Looking at his left foot, he saw his answer on why. A metal staff was blocking the path to Naruto's face.

Lee retracted his foot and jumped back, to make distance between him and Naruto. As he landed, he gave his left foot a quick shake to try and ease the pain. It soon went away.

Naruto showed off his staff by spinning it around in large curves, he stopped and then struck one end into the ground. Some of his chakra was absorbed into the staff, and as it landed, a blow of dust blew in all directions. To Lee, it made Naruto look more intimidating than he was before.

Even though the staff was much taller than Naruto, the short ninja looked very comfortable with the weapon. Naruto trained hard for it as well, it helped that he had a knack for it, similar to his lockpicking. It came naturally to him with the training.

The staff was a great weapon, it easily absorbed his chakra and it gave Naruto the range he never had with his fists. It also helped that the staff had a secret that most would never suspect.

Lee was now feeling uneasy. Tenten was the only ninja he has ever had experience with that used a staff or even was experienced in bōjutsu. It scared him that Naruto could react to his attacks and block appropriately. Tenten could never react quick enough when they sparred for real. This was new territory for him.

Putting his growing fear aside, Lee ran towards Naruto with the intent to hurt. He appeared to Naruto's right and feinted a left punch. He then disappeared and appeared to Naruto's left side and already had his right fist ready to strike. He tried to move as fast as he could and to not lose his balance. This caused Lee to have tunnel vision and only see what was happening in front of him.

SMASH!

Lee spat out blood. He looked down and saw Naruto's staff hitting all across his abdomen. A direct hit. He took a gamble and it didn't pay off. Lee was frustrated that Naruto could predict where he was going to attack. Naruto didn't even need to watch him move, he already knew where the attack was coming from. Lee jumped back, and then tried again.

Moving to Naruto's rear side, Lee slid his foot across the ground, creating a dust cloud and a loud noise. He was hoping to create a distraction. Lee then moved and appeared to Naruto's left side. Feinting a high kick, he moved his right leg up high, pretending to try and hit Naruto's head. As it was a fake, Lee put his foot back to the ground before disappearing and reappearing to Naruto's right side.

In the meantime, Naruto twirled on his feet and swung his staff at first low and then high. The long range of the staff made life hell for Lee. Lee had to stop his attempt to attack and roll back to dodge the end of Naruto's staff.

As the end of the staff passed over him, it suddenly moved much faster. Lee saw Naruto spin again and shift his arm and grip. Lee saw what Naruto was doing and immediately jumped back. It was a double attack, based on the Uzumaki taijutsu style. The second attack was much faster than the first.

Lee watched as Naruto finished his spin, causing a whirlwind of dust to form around him. The crowd cheered loudly. The fight has been extraordinary in terms of taijutsu and weapons use. Both sides seemed to still have plenty of energy.

Naruto felt the time was now for him to finish the fight. He didn't plan on doing this so soon. Saving it for his potential final fight for Sasuke or Gaara. But Lee wasn't going to go down anytime soon. To Naruto, this match needed to end now. His mind also wondered to the warning he was given yesterday. Kotaro was a lifesaver to Naruto after spying on Lee over the training period.

Make sure to end it before Lee unleashes his true power. He will resort to the Gates if he is cornered!

Naruto breathed in and relaxed his racing heart. He needed to be calm, the decisive moment was about to come.

Naruto held his staff so it was horizontal, completely parallel to the arena battle ground. He threw it up into the air where it hovered above his head, spinning smoothly. With his left hand, Naruto formed a one-handed Ram hand seal and expelled the chakra out of his right hand.

Split!

Lee and the audience gasped once they saw Naruto's staff completely split perfectly in half. As the shortened staffs dropped, Naruto gripped onto them. His eyes focused onto Lee, his determination was oozing out of his aura.

"Lee, it's time to end this!" Naruto shouted. He was dead serious.

'Now is the time. Come on and give it to me!'

Naruto felt that his body was being taken over by an enormous presence. The Kyūbi was releasing its chakra to him. It was an agreement they made over the training period, it seemed that the Kyūbi was rather happy obliging after thinking about it for some time. Naruto would never forget its horrifying cackle after it agreed on that day.

Naruto knew it was dangerous, but he needed this to finish Lee off quickly. Keeping his willpower strong and his objective clear, Naruto controlled the small amount of the amazing chakra that the Kyūbi gave him.

Lee saw Naruto's pupils turn into slits. The irises stayed blue, but something was happening. Something big.

Lee, Naruto-kun has a special power. Once you see it, don't hesitate. Do what you need to do to abide and protect your ninja way.

The words of Gai rung through Lee's mind. This must have been the special power that he mentioned. Lee was willing to throw his life away to protect his ninja way, he was willing to do anything to make sure his dreams come true.

Lee narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, forming a X shape.

The two Genin focused, the ground started to crack up and small rocks went up into the air. The air was starting to push back from the forces emitted.

Red chakra covered Naruto's body and waved about in nine red tails. Naruto's nails elongated, become sharper and deadlier. His fangs showed their deadly edge. Soon after, the chakra wrapped itself around Naruto in a thick red shroud of pure destructive power. His half-staffs absorbed it as well, they also radiated this intense power.

Blue chakra covered Lee's body, his skin getting redder and darker. A green aura shrouded his body, his sweat evaporating because of the increase of his body temperature. Veins starting to appear all over his face. His large pupils disappeared, everyone saw that his eyes were completely white.

The forces emitted from both Genin were so powerful, there were growing dust clouds enveloping the inner rim of the arena wall.

"AAAHHH!" Naruto and Lee shouted as they felt their bodies suffer in pain. Their powers were growing tremendously but their bodies were suffering the price for it.

The crowds became quiet as they were all stunned from the show of power that was displayed to them.

Konoha Arena Stands

In the stunned crowds, there were whispers firing all around the stands.

"What is going on with them!?" Ino asked, looking between the Jōnin for a clear answer.

Asuma's cigarette dropped from his mouth. Crushing it under his foot, he turned his head to Ino. "Lee is releasing the Eight Inner Gates," he said. "This whole fight is insane!"

'And not just that. Naruto is also using the power of the Kyūbi… Naruto,' Anko thought. A cold sweat ran down her back. She was worried for the blond, she took a real liking to him.

"The Eight Inner Gates?" Sakura asked.

"The Eight Inner Gates, specific tenketsu points that limit the flow of our chakra. Opening a gate increases the flow and power to that person," Kotaro explained. "It's an incredibly hard feat to achieve. Opening all eight gates allows even the worst of the ninja to surpass the Kage. That's how amazingly powerful it is. It works incredibly well with the Strong Fist fighting style, which is aimed to overpower and break bones."

Haku watched with concerned eyes over Naruto. She knew what was going on. "Naruto-kun, don't lose yourself," she said.

Kotaro patted her shoulder, making her look to him. "Don't worry Haku-chan. Naruto is in control. Can't you see it?" he said.

Haku didn't know what to do or think.

Niko rested on Kotaro's shoulder again, much to his digression. "I never knew that Naruto was that kind of special," she said.

Kotaro narrowed his eyes on Niko. "Don't push it. If you know what's happening, keep your mouth shut and we can talk about it later, when we're alone," he said.

Niko hummed in agreement. She liked that idea. "Definitely over some Sake as well."

Asuma took out a new cigarette and lit it. "Lee is going to make his move now, he's at the Third Gate," he said.

Kotaro shook his head. "No. Not yet, he's going one step further beyond to the Fourth Gate," he said. Kotaro stood up and moved to the rails quickly. "Come on Naruto, stop wasting time and kick Lee's ass now!" he yelled out.

"You don't need to shout!" Asuma barked out.

Kotaro grunted before turning his head to Asuma. "How else would he hear me then?"

Konoha Arena Battleground

Hearing the cheer of his brother, Naruto reversed grip his half-staffs and was about to attack. However, Lee hunched forward and blitzed his way to Naruto. He moved so quickly that the audience struggled to even see his blur.

Naruto saw him coming. The Kyūbi's chakra has enhanced his senses and his reaction timing to new and amazing levels. Despite his reaction and senses being at an all-time high level, Naruto knew that Lee's release of the Eight Gates enhanced his speed to a higher level compared to his own.

Knowing now that it's too late to be able to dodge successfully, Naruto sent his chakra to his feet, to keep him grounded for the incoming attack. He had to take a hit to dish out an even stronger one.

Lee came in and struck the Naruto's chin with his mighty upward kick. Naruto grunted in pain and felt that he was going to fly in the air. However, his feet stuck in place and he wasn't blown away from his spot.

Dropping his left half-staff, Naruto gripped Lee's ankle and pulled him up from the ground. Lee was now in the air and parallel to the ground with Naruto hovering over him, ready to attack. Naruto began a five-strike combo on Lee. Two shots in the abdomen, a left punch to Lee's liver, a right to Lee's left ribs and finally a fierce left palm strike to Lee's chest.

The Kyūbi enhanced strikes blew Lee into the arena grounds. This surprised Lee and Gai, they thought no one could hold up against The Eight Inner Gates.

Naruto grabbed onto Lee's hair and threw him from the crater that he created with Lee's body. Lee flew across the battlefield and landed in a tumble once he had hit the ground.

Naruto watched Lee get back up with no resistance, no hesitation. Naruto only knew a little bit about The Eight Inner Gates. One thing he did know was that the fourth gate, The Gate of Pain, already creates excruciating pain for the user, so his attacks must not be affecting him too much at that moment.

Naruto grabbed his half-staffs off the ground and launched himself at Lee. He could feel his chin repairing itself at an incredible rate with the aid of the Kyūbi's chakra. It was most certainly damaged from the spectacular kick from Lee. Naruto had to make sure to pay him back for all this.

Naruto and Lee ran at each other. The ground around them broke apart and spiderweb cracks appeared all around them. Dust raised up as they exchanged fists.

The fighters never stayed in the same spot for more than a few blows. It moved to various locations in the arena ring. Naruto and Lee fought on the ground one minute, on the wall the second and encountered each other in the air in the third. This was a ferocious battle and one that the crowd were loving.

Lee's impactful punches and kicks created craters whenever he struck the ground or wall. Naruto's attacks were just as fierce. Gusts of wind were made whenever Naruto swung his half-staffs.

From the air where they were fighting, Naruto used Lee as a launchpad to go to the ground. Landing safety, he began to mould chakra for a jutsu. He never tried a jutsu with the aid of the Kyūbi, but there's never a better time than the present.

Naruto saw Lee jump all around the arena, from wall to wall. Naruto knew he only had one shot to actually hit Lee, his opponent is simply too fast to hit, Naruto had to time his attack perfectly.

Throwing his half-staffs to the distance, he thought of his next attack. As Naruto ran through the five hand seals, ending with Snake, and built up air into his lungs, he watched Lee move around the walls with pace. Lee showed a pattern in jumping around in a square, always hitting the same corners.

'Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!' Naruto thought as he released a focused and deadly stream of compressed wind. It blew straight to the predicted spot of Lee was going to land. Naruto hunched forward and pulled back his left arm to increase the speed of the stream of wind. This was more powerful than any other time he did this jutsu. It was also a lot harder to control.

The stream of wind hit the wall with force, the gales and gusts flowed in all directions. Spreading across the arena wall, Naruto's jutsu transformed from a focused point attack to an area attack. Naruto knew that he might not have had a direct hit on Lee but surely, he got him in the waves of wind.

Naruto stopped his jutsu. The wind eased up. Naruto focused on the spot where he attacked and saw three large divots in the wall. Naruto gnashed his teeth, it seemed that Lee escaped.

The sound of skidding was heard behind Naruto. Naruto turned around while keeping his head low. Immediately seeing Lee, Naruto started his attack.

Lee knew he couldn't let Naruto trample him. He went in with his fists.

In the middle of the arena battleground, Naruto and Lee were in the middle of a close-combat bout. The two were beginning to feel strained due to the dangerous methods they used to attain the power they're currently using.

Seeing an opening in Naruto's defence, Lee kicked Naruto straight in his abdomen. Naruto, grunting in dire pain, skidded back. Lee didn't waste time and closed down the distance between him and Naruto.

Lee pulled back his left fist and then punched Naruto straight in the face. At this time, Lee pulled back his right fist and then punched Naruto in his ribs. He swore he heard a bone crack.

Lee tried to pull back his right fist, but he couldn't. Looking at it, he saw the bloody hand of Naruto gripping on it for dear life.

Naruto grinned as the time to finish this once and for all has finally come. He was hoping for Lee to be knocked out but the taijutsu expert simply would not go down.

Using the last of his Kyūbi chakra, Naruto flipped Lee over his shoulder and smashed him into the ground. The ground split in half with the impact. Naruto then twisted Lee's right arm, and applying force, he broke Lee's arm. It was a struggle, but Naruto made sure he knew it was definitely broken.

Lee screamed horrifically. The pain of The Eight Inner Gates and the pain of a broken limb was just too much not to scream about.

Naruto couldn't get out of the flow. He grabbed the back of Lee's head and smashed it into the ground with all his might. He had to make sure he finished off his unbelievably tough opponent.

Blood leaked from Lee's nose and the cuts on his face. Naruto's Kyūbi shroud disappeared, and he breathed heavily. Lee's chest was still breathing but it looked like he wasn't going to move another muscle.

Genma appeared via a body-flicker and picked up Lee's head. Both he and Naruto saw the droopy closed eyes and a sluggish smile. Lee was unconscious. The fight was over.

Genma stood up and raised his right hand. He then pointed his hand to Naruto. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto," he announced loudly.

The crowd shouted and screamed. The match was fantastic, and they absolutely loved it. It was an incredible opener. Most were wondering how in God's name the other matches could hold a candle to this one.

Medical-nin came onto the grounds with a gurney in hand. They picked up Lee and placed him onto it.

"We have to get him to the hospital. The arena infirmary doesn't have the facilities to take care of him properly," one of the two medical-nin said.

Naruto made himself known to them. "Oi, make sure Fuzzy eyebrows is in a room near Nii-chan's office. He'll take care him good," Naruto told them after he spat out some blood.

The two medical-nin nodded. They then ran off with Lee in hand, hoping to secure a private room for the brave Genin.

Genma sighed, the crowd were cheering loudly. "Looks like they want the next match now. Oi Naruto," he called out.

Naruto turned his head to Genma. "What?"

Genma tilted his head to the stairs. "Get to the balcony or go to the main stands. The next match is about to start soon."

Naruto nodded and went off his way. He knew that his next match will be round five. He would have plenty of rest time before it came. With that in mind, Naruto made his way to the main stands to get a pep talk off his brother.

Naruto was feeling as high as a kite at the moment, but he knew that this could be dangerous. The cheers didn't help so he needed a dose of reality to hit before his next match. A part of him wanted to be congratulated. He knew he deserved the praise.

Naruto waved to the crowds, which made them roar to a louder volume before he climbed the stairs to the main stands. He knew that Kotaro and the others will be in the central stands, underneath the Kage balcony. He made his way through the empty corridors.

Finally, he arrived at the central stands. Every seat was completely filled. It seemed that his fame was short-lived because as he went down the stairs, nobody said anything to him. It might have been for respect to give the fighter space, but Naruto just wanted one compliment.

Naruto saw a spikey red hair close to the bottom of the stands. Smiling, he made his way down. The pain that he felt after the fight was easing up significantly. The Kyūbi's healing factor was taken for granted. Naruto swore he would be in a hospital bed right now if it wasn't for it.

"Nii-chan!" Naruto said as he made his way to their row of seats. His voice was filled with joy.

Kotaro heard the voice and stood up, turning around, he looked at Naruto with the biggest grin. "Naruto! Well done! That was an amazing fight. Excuse me Niko, I gotta hug him!" he said as he made his way to Naruto, delivering a bone-crushing hug.

"Ah, Nii-chan! That's sore," Naruto said as he pushed his way out of it. Once he was free, he saw a woman come up to him and ruffle his hair. Naruto looked up and saw white hair and dark blue eyes. And a smile that warmed his heart. "Niko-neechan!?"

"That was a fine match Naruto. I'm impressed with how strong you are. I'm sure all the ladies around here are as well," Niko said, her smile not fading.

Kotaro narrowed his eyes on Niko. He then sighed deeply. "You two met already it seems. I bet not too long ago as well," he said. "Naruto is a god damn magnet for troublesome people," he muttered under his breath afterwards.

"What you did you say?" both Naruto and Niko asked simultaneously.

Kotaro bared his teeth. "Nothing. I said nothing," he said in a defeated tone. He watched as the other Genin and Haku came over and started to congratulate Naruto. Niko went back to her seat and watched Naruto with a smile.

It made him wonder what her agenda was with all this. Kotaro knew they met before. Most likely in the training period that Naruto just came back from. Naruto did say to him last night that he did venture through the capital and met an old fortune-teller and a smart pretty lady. Kotaro could never have imagined it was Niko, or rather Hearts, one of the 'Four Kings' of the Underworld.

The news was unsettling. However, he could clearly see that Niko liked Naruto. Kotaro knew how she treated those that she didn't like, it made him worry if he or Naruto made her upset in the future. It could be their end.

'If we keep on her good side, we could think of it as protection,' Kotaro thought.

Kotaro sighed. This whole situation was troublesome to say the least. He didn't hate Niko, no far from it. She was an interesting and strong woman. Very resourceful in many ways. She only came into power not too long ago, but she made herself known across the Underworld to be feared.

The only problem Kotaro could see was that their connection to one another, Naruto included, could harm them. Naruto or himself could face trouble in Konoha and she could face trouble in what she dealt with in the future. It was certainly not something he wanted to think about.

Kotaro made his way back to his chair and sat down.

"How're you doing?" Niko asked. She shifted her body to face him. Her question was genuine.

Kotaro nodded with a wry smile. "I'm actually doing really good. Don't take this the wrong way, but I was shocked to see you today. But, I am glad that you did come," he said.

Niko smiled. "Me too. It was totally worth the long trip to Konoha just for this fight. Naruto is extremely entertaining," she said.

Kotaro lightly laughed. At that moment, a question popped into his head. "Why do you find us so entertaining? Or interesting to that fact? I've been wondering about that for a while now," Kotaro asked.

Niko sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders. "I'll tell you when the time is right. Not when people are around."

Kotaro clicked his tongue. "A private matter, huh? Suit yourself," he said. Kotaro stood up and looked to Naruto with a smile. "Naruto. Even though I love that you're here. It would be better if you went to Shikamaru and where the other Genin are."

Naruto heard the words. "Alright Nii-chan. See you guys," he said as he ran off.

"Good luck Naruto."

"Naruto give it your all!"

"You can win your next one Naruto!"

"I believe in you Naruto-kun!"

"Show what your made out of!"

"You can do anything you put your mind to Naruto-kun!"

The words of Sakura, Ino, Chōji, Hinata, Kiba and Haku were heard. Naruto smiled and waved at them as he left the stands and went back to the corridors.

Racing to the end, Naruto went to the small room that was reserved for the competitors. Entering he saw all five of his fellow Genin stare at him. Naruto quickly shuffled past them and made his way to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru groaned once Naruto got to him. "I thought we part of the uncool group but you're a part of the cool group now," he complained.

Naruto looked at Shikamaru with confused eyes. "What are you on about?" he asked.

Shikamaru groaned further. "All those people cheering for you. They loved you out there," he said.

Naruto hummed in agreement. "They did, didn't they? Haha, they just loved me fighting. Not me myself," he said.

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "I don't know if everybody noticed, but you used some special power. What was it?" he asked quietly.

Naruto became quiet, his expression dropped its joy. "Shika… Not now. I will tell you, I swear," Naruto whispered.

Shikamaru focused on Naruto. "You promise?"

Naruto nodded energetically. "I promise!"

Shikamaru sighed and then smiled. "I expect to hear about it soon. Even though it's all troublesome, I'll find out about it after the exams," he said.

Naruto chuckled to himself. "I just hope you won't hate me when I tell you," he said.

"Naruto, we're best friends, right?" Shikamaru said. "Why would I ever hate you?"

Naruto grinned. "You're right. We are best friends!" he shouted, making everyone around him focus on him. Naruto giggled in awkwardness and scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"Would Aburame Shino and Hyūga Neji come to the battlegrounds," Genma said. His voice was amplified with chakra. A necessity for this competition, the thousands of people watching were making a ruckus.

Naruto watched as both Shino and Neji leave them. The next match was about to begin.

"This is getting interesting, I wonder how this one will play out."

~ 0 ~