And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 24!
I'm sorry for the late update, last week kicked my ass so hard. School just tore me apart with all of midterms and crap going on. It was a whole thing. Midterms, projects, meeting with people…it all just sucked. I wanted to get the chapter out Saturday, but I got distracted by a group project where I had to meet on Saturday (Which really is not how I like to spend my weekends) and then I just forgot to do it Sunday.
I messed up in the last chapter, but there is no way that any of you even noticed. In the Karui vs Kiba fight, I had intended for Kiba to win, but I instead had Karui win. I guess this was from my own lapse in attention. I didn't realize I did it until the next day when I was double checking the list of fights and saw that I had Kiba listed as one of the victors. It isn't that big of a deal, but I still had to change a couple things because of it...*shrugs* Oh well.
Holy shit. Twilight Key is now the ninth most followed Naruto/Kingdom Hearts story. That is pretty awesome.
Dark Natsu Dragneel: Yeah, I thought of that. I like that idea, but I have another that would also work for that pairing if I didn't have him go to Destiny Island.
Woffie: Didn't see that response coming. And I specifically avoided using any gender for the Kyūbi up until now to leave that option open. :P
animecollecter: Probably single.
KaiserUltima: I'm not planning to go to other worlds until the time skip. And Aqua is still an option.
Golden feathers Edward: That would be so boring! I might have a few canon fights, but not everything!
dotJKLO: That made me laugh a bit. Sorry, but that was absolutely intentional!
lusic: Thanks! I'm happy to know that this story was your first pick. Welcome to one of the best crossover categories on the site!
Anyways, on with the story!
I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts or anything else. I'm just a broke college student...
Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Biju/Diety Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Biju/Diety Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Jutsu/Magic/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here
Sai (Konoha) vs Dosu (Oto)
Sai blinked when he saw that his name was chosen for the next match, but he immediately turned towards the others the next moment.
His teammates grinned at him. "Good luck out there, Sai. You've fought this guy before, so nothing he does should be able to surprise you." Yakumo smiled at him. Naruto nodded in agreement.
"She's right. You've got this in the bag. Just be sure to be careful of that arm of his." He grimaced at the memory. "He only got me with it a bit once, but it still knocked me off my game for a second."
Sai looked between the two of them before a small smile appeared on his face. "Thank you, your words are appreciated." He told them.
Yūgao grinned at him as well. "I know you're ready for this. But still, there is never anything wrong with knowing when to give up. This is actually the time to do it if needed, you won't have that luxury in real battles."
Sai nodded to her. "Understood." And with that, he turned and started walking towards the stairs.
Down in the Arena
Dosu tilted his head at his opponent once he reached them. "Well, I suppose that we are going to have a rematch, eh?"
Hearing this, Sai nodded while plastering a smile to his face. "Indeed. Let's have a good fight." He got into a battle stance.
"Hm...Yes, let's." Dosu got into his own battle stance before looking to Hayate and nodding.
Nodding in return, Hayate got to business. He called out while raising a hand. "Match nine, begin!" He quickly lowered the hand before jumping out of the way.
The moment that they got the go ahead, Sai was forced to jump back in order to avoid the swipe that Dosu sent at him. Seeing that he was about to try again, Sai jumped further back to get some more time to make a few ink creations.
"It's not that easy!" Dosu followed after him, not letting up in his assault. Sai was forced to continue dodging in order to avoid all of the attacks. He knew that blocking would still result in falling victim to the attack, so his only option was to dodge. "I had some time to think after our last fight." Dosu said. "It is obvious that I was so overwhelmed because of those ink creatures that you had. But what would happen if I didn't give you the chance to make any?" Dosu asked.
'That is unfortunate.' Sai thought to himself as he dodged another blow. 'It would appear that he is smarter than I initially thought he was.'
Back with the Others
"Well, that certainly isn't good..." Yūgao said quietly.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Thank you for clarifying that for us, sensei..." He muttered.
"Ara? Did you say something, Naruto-kun?" A sweet voice asked from behind him, sending shivers down his spine.
"No, of course not." Damn, she was doing that more often lately...
"Oh, how silly of me." She shook her head with an amused smile while Naruto sent a light glare to the snickering forms of Menma and Saito. "But really, things are going to be a lot tougher for Sai if he can't use his ink creatures..."
"It doesn't help that he can't block any strikes due to the risk of still being affected by the technique that guy is using..." Yakumo added quietly.
"That too..."
Back in the Arena
'Well, this is a problem...' Sai thought to himself as he dodged another swipe. 'Although his form leaves much to be desired, there isn't any point to me spotting openings if I cannot get close...While it is true that I do not have enough time to summon any of my ink creatures, it is also true that he is unable to land a blow on me…This is now a battle of stamina. Whoever tires first loses.'
Keeping that in mind, Sai simply continued to dodge all of the poorly executed attacks that Dosu sent at him. Unfortunately, Dosu seemed to have some decent stamina. He was still going at full strength when Sai started to tire.
Dosu chuckled as they continued with the same pattern that they have been using. "So, how much longer do you think you will be able to last?" Another strike was dodged. "It is pretty obvious that this is getting us nowhere. You can't get close and can't create any of those things, and I can't land a hit. But the thing is…" He suddenly sped up! Sai was caught slightly off guard, causing his reaction to be delayed. "…You don't look like you can last much longer." He swiped at Sai, and it grazed his shirt as the artist jumped back.
Landing on his feet, Sai stumbled for a bit as a feeling of nausea assaulted him. 'That truly is unpleasant…' Using the chance, Dosu closed the distance again while Sai was still recovering. Knowing what was coming, Sai quickly opened his mouth. "That's enough. I forfeit." He declared.
Hearing this, Dosu instantly halted a couple feet away. He glanced to the side where Hayate was standing, waiting for the ruling. Hayate coughed before speaking up. "Very well." He raised a hand towards Dosu. "Winner, Dosu of Oto."
Dosu relaxed and stood back up into his normal slouched postured. "Good choice, it would have gotten a lot worse if you didn't give up."
Sai plastered on a smile and sent it his way. "Thank you, I believe it was a good choice. It was obvious that you were capable of lasting longer than I could." Dosu stayed silent for a moment, before nodding and turning back towards the stairs.
"It may have been different if we were working with our teams…" He walked away.
Back with the Others
Yakumo sighed. "Oh, that's unfortunate." She said.
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but it was the smart choice to make. While Sai's stamina is decent, he was never a powerhouse about it. His fighting style doesn't require him to be. While the same could be said for his opponent, being a close range fighter made him have more stamina." It was at that point that Sai rejoined them. Naruto sent a small smile his way. "Better luck next time, eh Sai?"
The black haired boy returned the smile. "It would seem so. I apologize to you both for failing you." This made both of his teammates frown at him.
"Sai, you haven't failed us in any way. Yeah, you didn't win, but that doesn't mean you failed us. You shouldn't think like that." Yakumo admonished him. Naruto nodded next to her.
Sai blinked at them in surprise before his smile grew a bit. "I see…" Yūgao smiled at the interaction from her position next to Kushina. A feeling of pride swelled in her chest.
"Glad you understand that." Naruto said. He then turned to the screen as more names began to cycle through on the screen. In his head, he was going through a list of who was still left. 'We are now more than half way done. Gaara has already gone, so I would consider the biggest threat as already over with…' It was then that the screen displayed the next two names. Seeing who was up next made Naruto frown a bit.
Narumi (Konoha) vs Kabuto (Konoha)
Narumi pumped a fist a bit. "Yes, it's show time-ttebane!" She whirled around to face the others. Menma smirked at her.
"Good luck out there, sis. You should aim to perform as well as I did." This made Narumi roll her eyes.
"And here I was impressed that you won without doing any major bragging…" She said. Narumi then blinked in surprise when she heard a groan from nearby.
"Ugh…what hit me…?" The group turned towards the wall to see that Sakura was starting to come around. The pink haired girl blearily opened her eyes, only to freeze when she became aware that she was the center of attention. "Um…Hi?" She provided.
Kakashi sent an eye smile at her. "How nice of you to join us, Sakura-chan."
"Yeah, you and Ino have both been out of it for a bit." Narumi said with a grin.
Sakura blinked when she heard this. "Ino?" That was when she noticed the blond girl next to her. "Oh, did she lose too?" A pause. "And what happened to her hair?!" She exclaimed in surprise.
Misa sent her a smirk. "She cut it off in her fight to trap her opponent." This response was rewarded with an incredulous look.
"She was actually willing to go that far to win?" That didn't sound like Ino…
"She said that if you could do it, then so could she." Sakura was stunned by this. She turned back to the girl next to her, a small smile pulling at her lips.
Narumi bound forward. "But really, that was amazing, Sakura! I never knew you had that in you!" She praised. Sakura blushed a bit when she heard this, and it got more pronounced when the others echoed similar thoughts. She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a cough.
"If both combatants would please enter the arena…" Narumi blushed a bit.
"Whoops, almost forgot…" She waved at them. "Wish me luck!" She started to walk towards the stairs, but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turing, she was greeted with the face of her older brother. "Nii-chan?" She asked. She was curious as to why he was giving her a serious look.
"Be careful out there, Narumi." He still didn't trust Kabuto. Something about him just made Naruto uneasy.
Narumi grinned at him. "No need to worry! I got this!" Her cheerful attitude made Naruto smile a bit. Seeing him nod, Narumi turned back towards the stairs and continued walking.
Back in the Arena
Kabuto smiled at Narumi as she approached. "Well Narumi-san, I hope you don't beat me down too hard."
The redhead smiled back. "Come on, Kabuto-san. You shouldn't give up before you even try." She jumped into a battle stance. "Show me what you can do-ttebane!" She exclaimed with a massive grin stretching across her face.
Kabuto sighed, but the smile was still present on his face. "You're right, you're right." He got into a battle stance. "The best of luck to the both of us." Narumi nodded in agreement.
Seeing that the both of them were done talking, Hayate raised a hand. "Match ten, begin!" He lowered his hand before quickly jumping back.
The moment the match started, Kabuto rushed towards Narumi while his hands flew through some hand seals. When he finished, his hands were shrouded in blue chakra. Not wasting another moment, he swiped his hand at Narumi.
Seeing the danger, Narumi bent backwards to avoid it. At the same time, she kicked up towards his hand with one leg, catching the underside of his arm and forcing it into the air as he let out a pained hiss. Despite being deflected, Kabuto brought his other hand forward towards his opponent.
Not halting her momentum for a moment, Narumi continued with maneuver and turned it into a cartwheel to avoid the next strike. The moment her feet touched the ground again, she rushed forward and sent a punch at Kabuto. He saw the attack coming and stepped to the side to avoid it while reaching a hand out towards Narumi's arm.
Not wanting him to touch her with that technique, Narumi suddenly bent to the side to slightly change the direction her body was moving in, allowing Kabuto to miss the mark. She quickly regained her balance and grabbed onto Kabuto's over stretched forearm before using her hold on it to flip Kabuto.
Deciding it was best not to fight it, Kabuto allowed himself to be flipped, only to flip around in the air and land on his feet. He smiled at his opponent. "You are really good at avoiding attacks, Narumi-san."
Narumi stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, it doesn't help that your Chakra Scalpels provide me with some extra motivation to not let you touch me…"
Kabuto blinked before the smile on his face grew a bit. "Oh? You know the technique I'm using?" He asked her. She nodded in return.
"It's kind of hard not to when they are one of Baa-chan's favorite way to train us…" She shivered. "That along with her monster strength…"
"Ah, I guess I should have guessed that you would have seen them before because of Tsunade-sama." He got into a battle stance. "But enough of that. Shall we continue?" He asked her.
Grinning, Narumi decided to be the one to start them off and rushed towards him.
Back with the Others
"Huh. Guess that means he's a medic-nin, or at least has some training as one…" Menma said quietly before shrugging. "But that isn't a problem. There's no way that he will be able to hit Narumi with them."
Sakura smiled a bit. "That's true. Narumi has always been really good at avoiding attacks, especially with her flexibility."
Shino adjusted his glasses. "Narumi-san's combat style has always revolved around her ability to avoid her opponent's attacks while countering with some of her own. As such, it stands to reason that Kabuto-san would have difficulty landing a hit on her."
"But what happens if he does land a hit?" Saito asked, only to have Menma hit him upside the head with a glare.
"Shut up, there's no way he will." He nodded towards the fight. "Look, Narumi is completely dominating out there. While no attacks are landing on her, she keeps dealing out her own blows as she dodges. Give it a little more time and she will win this."
Naruto smirked at his brother. "And how many times has that exact strategy managed to work on you, Menma?" The embarrassed blush he got was all the answer he needed.
Back in the Arena
Kabuto panted a bit as he stood across from a grinning Narumi. "It really is hard to land hits on you…" He winced when he shifted his stance a bit. "You have landing hits while dodging down to an art…"
Narumi shrugged a bit. "Well, it only really works when I'm actually able to move out of the way. It would really suck if you managed to land a hit on me."
Her opponent let out a small laugh in return. "If only it was that easy." His eyes flickered to the side for a moment. He sighed before dropping his stance and stopping his technique. Looking to Hayate, he spoke up. "I give up. I'm running low on chakra and I'm tired. At this rate, I'm going to collapse." He said.
This admission made Narumi blink in surprise before a pleased grin spread across her face. Hayate nodded and raised a hand towards her. "Winner, Narumi of Konoha!" Cheers broke out at that announcement.
Kabuto smiled and walked over to Narumi before extending a hand. "Good match." He said. "Congratulations on winninig."
Narumi shook his hand with a sheepish grin. "Thanks. And it was a good match. If you were up against someone else who didn't have dodging as such a large part of their style, you probably could have won."
A sigh preceded the response. "Maybe, but maybe not." He shrugged. "I'm satisfied with how far I've gotten. This just wasn't my exam." He nodded at her. "Good luck in the future exams. And the same to the others." Narumi blinked in confusion.
"Why can't you tell them that yourself?" She asked him. Kabuto gave her an amused look.
"Have you forgotten that both of my teammates are currently in the infirmary? I haven't gone to see them yet because I had yet to fight. But now I am able to."
"Oh yeah…"
He gave her a small wave. "See you around, Narumi-san." He turned and left. Following this, Narumi also turned and walked away.
The moment she got to the top of the stairs, she was greeted with an excited Sakura. "Great job, Narumi! That was a flawless win!"
Narumi grinned back. "Thanks! But I think I just got a little lucky. Kabuto-san was still tired from the forest. His team only just got back before we gathered here, remember?"
"Oh, that's right…"
Naruto's gaze followed Kabuto's form out the room. Once he was gone, he turned to Narumi with a smile. "Great job, Narumi." Menma nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, but some of these people were thinking that you might lose." He shot a smirk at Saito. "No faith in you, whatsoever."
"What was that?"
Saito cowered upon seeing the glare that Narumi was sending his way. He rapidly shook his head in denial. "That's not what happened! Don't listen to that jerk!" He shouted.
"Would you people please quiet down a bit?" The group turned when they heard a groggy voice speak up. "How is a girl supposed to sleep with all of this noise you're all making?"
Asuma smirked a bit. "Nice of you to rejoin us, Ino. You've been out of it for a little bit."
Ino just stared at him blankly for a minute as she processed what he just said. Her eyes soon widened as she looked around. "The fight! What happened? Did I get him?" She asked.
Narumi shook her head with a sad smile. "Sorry, you didn't. Turns out the makeup boy was using some kind of puppet to fight. You thought it was him, so you used your jutsu on the puppet. In the end, you kind of knocked yourself out…" She finished as she rubbed the back of her head.
The blond girl gaped. "I was fighting a puppet the entire time?!" Her face morphed into a scowl. "I was so sure I had him!"
Yakumo shrugged. "Well, better luck next time, right?"
"Hmph. I wanted good luck this time." She looked around again. "So, how long was I out?"
"Troublesome. You weren't out that long. Only two fights have passed. Sai's and Narumi's." Shikamaru said, causing Ino to perk up.
"And? What happened?" She prompted and looked between the two in question.
Sai plastered a smile onto his face. "While Narumi-san was able to come out victorious, I was not so fortunate."
"Oh, that sucks." Ino looked over to Narumi. "But nice going, Narumi! Who did you fight?"
Narumi grinned at her. "Sai-san had to fight one of the Oto genin while I fought Kabuto-san." She shrugged. "I think that I won partially due to circumstance."
Menma snorted. "You dominated the entire time, stop being so modest about it. Brag a bit."
Narumi opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off. "They're about to determine the next match, pay attention." Kushina told them. They turned to the screen as more names began to cycle through before stopping.
Neji (Konoha) vs Chōji (Konoha)
The instant the names were shown, Hinata stiffened in place. Chōji on the other hand, paled when he saw who his opponent was. "Oh, great. I get to face the scary guy from the forest…" The Akimichi mumbled.
Shikamaru looked at him. "Be careful out there, Chōji. The guy is pretty tough, but I know you can handle it."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "He's right. I know you've got this, Chōji." He said with a grin.
Hearing the confidence that they had in him brought a smile to Chōji's face. He nodded at the two of them before turning and walking towards the stairs.
Back in the Arena
Neji had left for the arena without a word, choosing the peace of waiting for his opponent to arrive over the shouting of his teammate and teacher. He turned his stoic gaze when Chōji arrived. "So you are my opponent? I suppose I should be grateful." He said.
This insult made Chōji flinch, some of the confidence he gained leaking away. But he soon adopted a determined expression, but it was still easy to spot the nervousness he held. "Say what you want, but I'm going to prove that I can do this."
Neji scoffed. "Are you sure you are capable of doing anything? Your fate is to lose to me here and now." He shook his head. "Save yourself some trouble and forfeit now before you get hurt." Up in the viewer's area, Gai adopted a rare frown when he heard his student's words.
Chōji flinched again upon hearing this. He opened his mouth to respond but was cut off. "Hey! Why don't you shut the hell up-ttebasa?!" Chōji's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to face the source of the shout. He was greeted with the scowling face of Menma. "Why do you have to be such a jerk? Are you that afraid of getting your butt kicked?!"
"Tch. As if that is a possibility. I admit you and your siblings may present a challenge to me, but not the likes of him." Neji nodded at Chōji as he said this. "Although…" His eyes shifted to Hinata, who flinched again. "There are others who would present an even smaller challenge…"
"What was that?!" Kiba couldn't believe the words coming out of this jerk's mouth. "Chōji, kick this guy's ass! Make him regret ever speaking!" Some of the others shouted similar thoughts.
Bolstered buy amount of support he was getting, Chōji steeled himself and got into a battle stance. Seeing this made Neji scoff again. "It is your choice to fight against your fate, but it is useless in the end." He slid into his own battle stance. "I shall prove to you why that is."
Seeing that the both of them were ready, Hayate nodded and raised a hand. "Match eleven, begin!" He jumped back and out of the way.
The moment the match began, Chōji thrust a punch out, confusing some of the spectators. "Partial Expansion!" He called. The confusion was instantly changed into surprise when Chōji's arm grew in size as it reached across the arena. But unlike the earlier genin who only stretched, Chōji's arm also grew in all around size.
Seeing the attack coming, Neji simply stepped to the side and out of harm's way. Not being deterred, Chōji brought the hand back before lashing out with a leg that grew in size as well. "Again!" Neji simply jumped over the leg as it swept across the room.
"Is that it? You will need more than that to beat me." Neji said with a smirk.
Chōji frowned when he was told this. Deciding on his next move, he drew back the leg and formed a hand seal. "Expand!" He shouted. Eyes widened when Chōji's body instantly grew in size, forming a shaped reminiscent of a sphere. He quickly tucked in each of his limbs. "Human Boulder!" He declared, before chakra started to shoot out of his body and he began to rapidly spin in the direction of Neji. Chōji used the spin to speed towards his opponent.
Neji scoffed again. "That still is not good enough." He declared as he jumped out of the way. Bam! Chōji smashed into the wall behind Neji as he was unable to turn quickly enough. Not deterred in the slightest, the boulder that was Chōji started to spin in the opposite direction before speeding towards Neji again.
Back with the Others
"Troublesome. This isn't going well for Chōji…" Shikamaru muttered as he gripped the railing.
Menma sent him a confused look. "What are you talking about? Look at Neji-teme! He can't even get close! There is nothing he can do."
Naruto shook his head with a frown, but didn't take his eyes off the fight. "But Chōji can't get close either. Neji-san is able to dodge everything with ease. I'm pretty sure he is just waiting for Chōji to tire out." He glanced at Shikamaru. "The Expansion techniques are really chakra consuming, right?"
Shikamaru nodded absently. "Yeah, Chōji can't keep it up forever. He may have some decently sized reserves, but it still takes a lot. Look at the chakra that he is using to propel himself. You can tell just by looking that it's a lot…" This admission made the others look back to the fight in worry.
Back in the Arena
Neji watched with a smirk as Chōji missed again and ploughed into another wall. His smirk grew when he saw that instead of starting to spin in the other direction to try again, the jutsu was released as a panting Chōji fell to his hands and knees with sweat dripping down his face. "Well, do you realize the futility of this now?"
Chōji looked up to him with a light glare, but it was greatly offset by the obvious fatigue he was experiencing. He struggled to his feet. "It…isn't over…yet…" He panted out as he finally managed to stand, but he stumbled a bit before catching himself.
The smirk on Neji's face grew. "Oh yes, I do believe it is." And without any further words, he sped at Chōji.
Seeing the oncoming attack, Chōji rushed to defend himself, but was not fast enough to do anything to stop the palm thrust to his chest. "Gah!" Chōji stumbled back while clutching his chest. He soon fell to his knees.
Neji shook his head. "Do you see how futile it is? I do not even need to use my bloodline to finish you. Any basic attacks will suffice." He raised a hand. "Such as this." And without any mercy or hesitation, he quickly struck in multiple places around Chōji.
"Arg!" Unable to do anything to stop the attack, Chōji was forced to take all of the damage. Eventually, the attacks stopped and Chōji crumbled the rest of the way to the ground.
The Hyūga turned away. "That's enough." He looked to Hayate. "Proctor, I do not believe that my opponent is in any condition to continue the fight." Hayate nodded before raising a hand towards Neji with a cough.
"Winner, Neji of Konoha."
With that done, Neji turned and began to walk towards the stairs, but he soon stopped and turned his head to look at the Naruto and the others. "I told you it was futile. All this trouble could have been avoided if he had just given up and accepted his fate."
Back with the Others
Menma was gritting his teeth in rage as he tightened his hands around the railing. "That bastard! I'm absolutely going to kick his sorry ass!" Shikamaru was glaring at Neji in silence from his spot, but his eyes soon averted him to follow Chōji's unconscious form out of the room.
"Language." Kushina said absently with a frown on her face. "That kid does have a serious attitude problem. I'm honestly surprised that someone like that is on Gai-kun's team…" She said.
Naruto watched Neji walk back to his silent team with a heavy frown. 'I can't detect anything now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is in danger of falling into darkness at some point if he doesn't get some sense beat into him.'
"Do you think Chōji is alright?" Ino asked worriedly.
Her teacher sighed. "He should be fine. Hayate was down there watching the fight, he would have stepped in if he saw that any fatal blows were being attempted. I'm pretty sure Gai would have stepped in as well. Not to mention me." He looked over the faces of the genin before clapping his hands. "Ok, enough of that. You can go check on Chōji later. Right now, focus on the screen." Some of them reluctantly nodded before turning to the screen as the next pair of names were selected.
Lee (Konoha) vs Naruto (Konoha)
Naruto blinked in surprise when he saw his name was selected. "Oh, I guess it is my turn…" He said.
"Heh, this should be good." Misa smirked at him. "I remember seeing him around the academy a few times even though he was in the class below me. He isn't worth mentioning when it comes to ninjutsu and genjutsu, but I hear that his taijutsu is really up there. You'll need to work hard to beat him."
The crimson blond recalled the brief display he saw before the first exam along with the info that Kabuto gave them. "I would say so, yeah." A sad sigh escaped his lips. "Especially because I don't have my sword…"
Narumi sent a bright grin at him. "Don't worry about it, Nii-chan! I know you've got this-ttebane!" Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by an earsplitting shout.
"YOSH! The time has come for me to fan the flames of my youth!" Lee jumped onto the railing and pointed at Naruto. "Naruto-kun! Let us give this battle everything we have!"
Gai quickly joined in on the shouting. "Yes! Such an excellent idea, my youthful student! I know that combined, both of your flames of youth will shine brighter than anything ever seen before!"
Back with the others, Naruto shivered. "That doesn't sound like a good idea to me…" He said quietly.
Menma sent a sympathetic look at his brother. "Yeah, I wouldn't be too excited to get near that either…"
"Oh, don't be so mean. Lee-san is just very…exuberant…" Yakumo defended weakly.
Yūgao smirked at Naruto. "Who knows, Naruto. You may come to admire that exuberance and wish to be like that yourself…"
Dull heterochromatic eyes met hers. "You would be ok with me showing up to all practices and missions dressed and speaking like that?" Naruto asked her. Yūgao took a moment of silent thought before shivering and shaking her head.
"Never mind…"
"That's what I thought…"
Kushina stepped forward with a nervous smile. "Good luck, Naruto-kun. Be sure to do your best, but try not to get too hurt…" Naruto looked at her for a moment, holding back a confused frown, before he nodded and started to head towards the stairs.
Back in the Arena
"Yosh! It would seem that we are going to be able to fight each other after all, Naruto-kun!"
A slightly amused smile tugged at Naruto's lips. While it was slightly unnerving, there was still a somewhat amusing quality to Lee. "It would seem so, Lee-san." He slid into a battle stance. "Let's have a good match." He said.
The grin on Lee's face grew even wider. "Yes, let's!" He slid into his own battle stance, but blinked in confusion after a moment. "What happened to your sword, Naruto-kun? Do you not wish to battle with it?" He asked.
Naruto sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, it was destroyed in the forest. I will have to do without it. But don't worry. I am confident in my other abilities as well."
Lee grinned wider again. "Yosh! How youthful of you to not have to rely on your blade!"
"Um…Thanks?"
Hearing that the talking was finished, Hayate raised a hand. "Match twelve…" He coughed again. "Begin!" He jumped back and out of the way.
The instant that Hayate finished, Lee blurred as he rushed at his opponent. Once he was close enough, He jumped into the air and whirled around while lashing a leg out at Naruto. "Leaf Whirlwind!" He called.
Naruto, already having prepared himself for speed after seeing how fast Lee was before, was able to react quickly enough to raise an arm to block. Naruto grit his teeth in pain when he felt the force behind the kick. 'Holy crap, he is freaking strong!' Lee stared with wide eyes at someone actually managing to block his strike. Taking advantage of the moment, Naruto quickly shifted his arm and gripped Lee's leg. With a grunt of exertion, he turned and flung Lee into the nearby wall.
Jolting out of his surprise, Lee grinned again before twisting in the air and landing with his feet against the wall. Not wasting a moment, he jumped off the wall and sprung back at Naruto with a punch ready.
Now knowing just how strong he was, Naruto instead chose to quickly step out of the way before he lashed out with a kick to Lee's side. Expecting such a counter, Lee placed his other hand on the leg as he dodged it and used it to vault over Naruto and land behind him. Using the surprise of his opponent as an opening, Lee sent another kick to Naruto's back.
Although slightly surprised that such a move was used against him, Naruto was able to quickly shake off his surprise and dive forward. But he was not fast enough to completely dodge the blow. Wham! Naruto was sent forward as the kick impacted, but he was able to recover and spin around in time to dodge the follow up blow and send a punch to Lee that connected.
Seeing that Naruto was going in for another strike, Lee quickly jumped back and out of the way. He landed and got into a battle stance as a huge grin formed on his face. "This is truly surprising, Naruto-kun! Not only are you keeping up with me, you are also able to block my strikes! That is very impressive!"
Naruto grinned a bit as he shifted his stance. "Thanks, but you are seriously strong and fast. I knew about the speed a bit based off of what you did before the first exam, but the strength surprised me." Naruto was extremely thankful for the physical training that Urahara put him through now. Without that, he was pretty sure that he would have been greatly outclassed. Naruto crouched lower. "Shall we continue?"
Lee nodded with a grin. With a nod of his own, Naruto was the one to rush back in.
Back with the Others
Sakura watched the fight with wide eyes. "Wow. They are both so fast!" She said.
Yakumo smiled when she heard this. "Yes, Naruto has always been very fast. It is something that he has trained himself in a great deal." Her eyes shifted to Lee. "But Lee-san is pretty fast as well…I think he may even be a little faster than Naruto."
Yūgao hummed in agreement. "He is a little faster. And stronger too. While Naruto is very impressive, he doesn't focus on only taijutsu like his opponent does. He also trains in his skills with a sword along with his other techniques. But, because he doesn't have a sword, it became a lot harder for him…"
Some of the genin traded glances, but didn't say anything. Noticing this, the jōnin traded their own looks, also staying silent. The silence was soon broken by Narumi. "So what does that mean for Nii-chan? If he doesn't do something soon, he will be overwhelmed, right?"
Yūgao smiled at her. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure Naruto has an idea or two to stay in the running."
Back in the Arena
'Well, crap. This isn't going too well…' Naruto winced a bit as he was forced to block another strike before retaliating with his own. 'I can't beat him in taijutsu, so I will need to think of something else…' After a moment, he decided to try and catch Lee off guard. Seeing that Lee was coming back to attack again, Naruto thrust his hand forward. "Fire!"
Lee's eyes widened in shock as a fireball suddenly shot at him. He instantly changed the direction he was moving in to the side, but was unable to dodge the blast completely. "Gah!" Lee jumped back to inspect the damage done to his arm. After assessing the damage, he turned wide eyes to Naruto. "That is truly amazing, Naruto-kun! You are able to bring the flames of your youth out as an attack!"
Naruto sweat dropped. "Yeah, sure. Let's go with that…" Glancing around, Naruto noticed the surprised looks many of the people in the room were giving him. He sighed a bit. 'Well, there goes that secret…' He looked back to Lee when he started to get up.
"But even so, I am not out of this yet!" Lee rushed forward at Naruto, ready to jump out of the way of any other attacks. Naruto watched him get close, and moved out of the way of the kick sent to his head. Ducking down, Naruto sent an uppercut to Lee that was also dodged. Seeing that Lee was about to counter, Naruto raised his other hand, making Lee's eyes widen. "Fire!" The fireball was dodged as Lee sprung back.
Not deterred in the slightest, Naruto rushed after Lee. Once he was close enough, he sent a strike at Lee. Lee raised an arm to block it, only to blink in surprise when it turned out to be a feint as Naruto rotated his body around him while using the momentum to add strength to his kick.
Although not expecting the feint, Lee was able to catch it and used the grip to tug Naruto closer while bringing his hand back to punch, only to abort this action in favor of releasing his opponent and jumping away as Naruto raised his hand again. Landing a good distance away, Lee grinned at his opponent. "The threat of your flames of youth keeps me on my toes, Naruto-kun! I am unable to get close for too long or risk being burned!"
Naruto shrugged a bit with a smile. "Well, I guess it is a risk you'll have to take…"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Naruto blinked and turned to the source of the shout, Might Gai. The green clad jōnin gave Lee the thumbs up with a dazzling smile. "Go ahead, Lee! Take them off!"
Lee blinked in surprise before raising a hesitant salute to his teacher. "But, Gai-sensei…You said that would be a last resort. Only too be used when the lives of very important people were at stake!"
Gai nodded. "That's right, I did. But this is an exception!"
A smile formed on Lee's face. "I understand. Thank you Gai-sensei!" And with that, he jumped away onto the nearby statue before sitting down and rolling up his pant legs. Naruto blinked in surprise when he saw what Lee had on.
'Weights? He does that too?' His mind went back to Urahara's words when he first gave Naruto the weights. 'That's right…Urahara said that he got the idea from seeing the 'flames of youth' of someone…' He observed as Lee took of the weights he had on both legs.
Finally managing to free himself of the weights, Lee stood up and held the weights out to each side. "That is much better! I will be able to move freely now!" He dropped the weights. The eyes of everyone in the room tracked the weights as they fell to the floor. Nobody was expecting what happened next. Boom!
Eyes all around widened at the massive impact that the weights created upon hitting the ground.
'You have got to be shitting me!' Who the hell uses that much weight?!
Back with the Others
"You have got to be kidding me…" Menma muttered with shock.
"I must be dreaming. There is no way that's real…" Narumi followed.
"How the heck does he even move with that much weight on him?" Misa asked weakly.
Behind them, Kakashi sighed as he brought a palm to his face. 'That's just too much, Gai…'
Asuma's expression soon changed from surprised to amused. "Wow. I definitely didn't see that one coming. Gai really pushes him pretty hard, doesn't he?"
"That goes beyond pushing him. How does a genin even do that?" Kurenai asked. "If he was that fast with that much weighing him down, I don't see how he will have any trouble now…"
Yakumo frowned in worry. "I'm sure Naruto will think of something…" She looked back to his teammate to see his eyebrow twitching at the absurd thing he just witnessed. Soon though, he jumped back onto the other statue on the opposite side of the room before crouching down. "Look, Naruto is up to something." This made the others turn to see Naruto rolling up his sleeves a bit.
Ino frowned in confusion. "What is he doing?"
Narumi squinted to get a better look. "It looks like…He is taking something off of his wrists…wristbands?"
Yūgao smirked when she saw the way that Naruto had to grab the wristbands. "Not just any wristbands, weighted ones."
Menma's eyes widened. "What?! You mean Aniki had on insane weights like Lee?!" The purple haired jōnin shook her head.
"I really doubt he had on anything that extreme. He probably had on some decent weight, but nothing like Lee." They watched as Naruto sealed away his wristbands.
Back in the Arena
Naruto looked back to his opponent after he sealed away his wristbands. 'There is no way I will be able to keep up on my own now, even with chakra boosting me. If I want to win this thing, I will need to tap into some twilight power to boost my body…' Naruto closed his eyes for a moment as he concentrated. Slowly, a breeze started to shift around him as he summoned the twilight.
Somewhere in the viewing area, a predatory smile slowly spread on a hidden sannin's face as he detected the shift.
Being careful not to use too much or else risk creating visible signs of twilight, Naruto opened his eyes and looked back to his opponent who was watching him. "Ready when you are."
This proclamation brought the grin back to Lee's face. Without any further words, both of them disappeared in a burst of speed. Bam!
The two of them reappeared in the middle of the arena where they both had a hand that was extended in a punch, while another was raised to catch the punch of the opponent. Lee's grin grew even wider. "I am truly amazed, Naruto-kun. I would never have thought that you were holding back so much! You're strength seems to match my own!" The grin grew. "But…" He disappeared.
Wham! Naruto was sent flying to the side as a heavy punch met his cheek. He was able to quickly recover and land on his feet to see that Lee was grinning at him. "While you are as strong as me, I do not think that you are quite as fast as me."
Naruto wiped away the blood that was dripping from the corner of his mouth. "No, I think that you still have me beat there. You really are insanely fast."
Lee nodded. "Yes, I truly pride myself on my speed." He crouched low. "Let me show you why!" He blurred forward again.
Naruto instantly ducked down to avoid the kick to his head that nearly hit him. Using the chance, Naruto sprung back up with a strike of his own, but Lee blurred away again. Bam! Naruto was knocked to the side when Lee landed a blow.
"Gah!" Naruto quickly spun around and landed on his feet, only to be forced to dive out of the kick Lee sent at him. Not wasting a moment, Lee was instantly in pursuit of Naruto. He quickly caught up to the blond and delivered a devastating blow to Naruto's chest. Naruto grunted in pain, but still sent a retaliatory strike that was dodged when Lee jumped away.
Naruto was left huffing and clutching his chest. 'This really isn't going well. I need to step up my game soon or it will all be over…'
Back with the Others
"Come on, Nii-chan! You can do it! I know you can-ttebane!" Narumi cheered.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "I am forced to question the confidence you have in Naruto-san. While I agree that he may be the strongest out of those in our class, it would seem that he is unable to keep up with Lee-san."
Narumi spun around with a ferocious glare on her face, making Shino actually flinch a bit. "What was that?" She asked dangerously. She was about to tear into him, but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She shifted her glare onto the person, but faltered when she saw it was her mother. "Kaa-chan…" She said.
Kushina sent her a stern look. "Calm down. What he says is completely true. And even if it wasn't, he is allowed his own opinions."
"But…"
Misa smirked over to Narumi before looking back to the fight. "Hey, relax. This is Naruto we're talking about. I'm sure he still has a thing or two up his sleeve to turn this thing around." Narumi sighed, but relented as she turned back to the match.
Back in the Arena
Naruto ducked as Lee sent another fast strike to him, quickly followed by another, but this one was dodged too. Naruto smirked a bit. 'It looks like I'm finally adjusting to his speed a bit. I still have a lot of trouble keeping up, but it is still an improvement…' Deciding to try going on the offensive, Naruto quickly raised a hand. "Fire!" A fireball shot out at Lee.
Lee's eyes widened before he jumped out of the way. He landed a good distance away with a grin. "I almost forgot you could do that, Naruto-kun! That was very close!" He crouched. "But it won't be enough!" He blurred away.
'Damn it! What does it take to hit this guy?!' Naruto was doing his best to deflect all of the blows raining down on him, but he was unable to block and avoid them all. A punch to the gut slipped past his defense, soon followed by one to the shoulder, then one to the face. A frustrated growl began to form in Naruto's throat. He had enough of getting punched around! 'Enough of this!' Another blow to the face sealed the deal. "That's…E…nough!"
Lee was momentarily blinded by the flash of light that suddenly surrounded Naruto, but a sharp cut to his chest was made him quickly jump away. Once he landed away, he was stunned to see that Naruto was giving him a heavy frown with some kind of strange weapon in his hand. Looking down, Lee saw that there was a cut that went across his chest, obviously made by the strange weapon. He looked back up when he heard a frustrated sigh.
"You know, I really didn't want to use this. But if I want to get out of this, then I need to stop trying to fight you with what you're good at." Naruto got into a battle stance. "If taijutsu is your specialty, then kenjutsu is definitely mine." He rushed forward.
Back with the Others
"What? What kind of weapon is that? It looks so stupid!" Kiba shouted.
Narumi quickly sent him a glare. "Don't say that. That weapon is awesome! It's what Nii-chan used in the forest after his sword was destroyed-ttebane!"
Menma nodded in agreement with an amused look on his face. "While I agree that it is pretty stupid to lower your over the looks of a weapon, you have to admit that sword looks pretty weird."
From his spot next to him, Saito was observing the keyblade in great interest. "I've never seen a weapon like that one before. I wonder what it is…"
Asuma glanced to Yūgao. "You have any idea? I can't say I've seen something like that before."
Yūgao frowned as she shook her head. "I have no idea. Naruto has never used that before in any of our training sessions. I didn't even know he had it, I thought he only had that black sword. What about you, Kushina? Care to tell us what it is?" No response was given. Yūgao shifted her gaze to see Kushina frowning in thought at the sword. "Kushina?"
Kushina didn't hear any of this. All of her attention was on the weird blade her oldest son was holding. 'Why does that blade look so familiar? I swear I have seen something like it before…' But she just couldn't remember where. The argument the genin were having grew in volume as Kiba started yelling.
"I don't care what you say! There is no way that a sword made to look like a key is an actual weapon!" This made Kushina's eyes widen.
'A key? Where…That's it!' Her mind went back to the drawings that Naruto used to make when he was younger. A lot of them were of people who fought with giant keys! 'That's one of those key weapon things that Naruto used to dream about! But…Where did he get one? Did he make it? And wasn't it just a dream?' She was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and was greeted with the slightly worried face of Yūgao.
Seeing that she had her attention, Yūgao spoke up. "You alright?" She asked.
Kushina gave a hesitant nod before turning back to the fight. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." She was going to look over those drawings again when she got back home.
Play Fairy Tail OST Lightning Flame Dragon Roaring
Back in the Arena
Now that he had his keyblade, Naruto was the one that was pressing the attack while Lee was forced to dodge. Lee already knew from the cut on his chest that the strange weapon in Naruto's hands was dangerous, so blocking was out. All he could do was dodge. A grin soon resurfaced on Lee's face. "It would seem that you now have a sword to use. But do not think that you will win now." He disappeared in a blur of speed, only to reappear behind Naruto. "I am still in this to win." He sent a punch forward.
"Arg!" Lee quickly jumped back after his arm was cut into. He sent a shocked look at Naruto, who smirked.
"Don't think that I will keep letting you hit me. I'm getting used to your speed. You're still faster than me, but the advantage my blade gives me makes up for it." He got into a battle stance. "So. What are you going to do?"
The grin on Lee's face only grew. He looked over to the balconies. "Gai-sensei! I am requesting permission to use that technique!"
A frown formed on Naruto's face. 'That doesn't sound good…' He shifted his gaze and saw that Gai was giving a serious look to Lee. After a minute of thought, he opened his mouth to respond.
"I give you permission! But only the first two!"
The grin on Lee's face kept growing. "Thank you, Gai-sensei!" He looked back to Naruto. "Prepare yourself, Naruto-kun! I shall end this match with this next move!" He crouched a bit and crossed his arms. "I hope you are ready!"
'Ready for wha-' Whoosh! Naruto was completely unprepared for the sudden spike in chakra that Lee released. His eyes widened. 'Oh crap.'
Lee was gritting his teeth as he concentrated. "Gate of Opening. Open! Gate of Healing. Open!"
'That's a lot of chakra!' Naruto tensed in preparation.
"I hope you are ready for this, Naruto-kun! This will be the end of our fight!" Lee immediately disappeared in a blur of speed. Wham!
Naruto was sent reeling by the force of the blow to his side. 'Oh kami, he actually got stronger and faster!' Bam! Another blow soon followed. Not wanting to go down so easily, Naruto grit his teeth and attempted to counter, but all of his slashes were dodged.
"It is no use, Naruto-kun. You cannot keep up with me as I am now."
'Like hell I can't!' But no matter what he tried, Lee kept on moving out of the way while pushing him back. 'Damn it! I need to go faster!' Another dodged swipe coupled with another punch landing on Naruto. 'This isn't good enough! I need to be faster!' Another dodge, but it managed to create a small slice on Lee's shoulder. Naruto didn't falter as chest was punched. 'Come on! I can move faster than this!' A cut was made on Lee's arm. 'Faster. Faster. Faster. Faster!' Unnoticed to all but one in the heat of the battle, Naruto's eyes began to glow a bit.
'Faster!' Crash!
There was stunned silence throughout the room as Naruto moved his head out of the way of the strike that Lee had sent at him, causing Lee's arm to get embedded into the wall. Lee was too shocked that Naruto had actually managed to move completely out of the way to do anything. Using the chance, Naruto quickly acted. Wham!
Lee grunted at the sudden strike to his abdomen sent by the crimson blond. Using the surprise of his opponent against him, Naruto instantly grappled Lee and slammed him into the ground. Eyes widening in alarm, Lee instantly moved to get up, but stopped when he felt cold metal on his throat. Eyes widening even further, he followed the length of the strange blade back to its huffing owner.
End Music
Naruto stood over Lee with the tip of his keyblade ready to impale him. "You…lose…" He panted out.
The green genin just stayed in place in silence for a moment while panting. When his brain finally caught up to what happened, a rueful smile appeared on his face. "It would appear that I do. You have defeated me, Naruto-kun." He turned his head towards Hayate. "I forfeit the match!"
Hayate took a moment to just stare at the two of them before he managed to collect himself and nod. He raised a hand to Naruto. "Winner, Naruto of Konoha." Stunned silence greeted this announcement before cheers erupted in the balconies.
Sighing in relief, Naruto moved his blade away and offered Lee a smile and a hand. "That was a great match. You really had me on the ropes for most of it."
Lee grinned at him as he accepted the hand. "But I still lost. But I do not regret it! It was truly an honor to do battle with you! I am going to learn from this, and use it to grow stronger." He pointed at Naruto. "Next time, I shall be the victor. Of that you can be sure!"
Naruto sweat dropped. "Right…"
"Yosh! I shall go consult Gai-sensei on my match! He can tell me what I did wrong! My flames of youth may have been bested by your own, but they have not died out! I wish you luck in the rest of the chūnin exams, Naruto-kun!" And before Naruto could reply in any way, Lee was speeding off.
"…Ok then…" With a tired sigh, Naruto dismissed his keyblade and turned towards the stairs. The moment he made it up to the others, he was bombarded with congratulations from all around. He raised his hands to try and quell the noise. "Right, thanks. But Lee-san was really strong, I nearly lost back there…"
Yūgao grinned at him. "Well, it isn't really that surprising, especially given how Gai deemed it ok to teach him the inner gates, but you still did great." Narumi then bounced over to him.
"You were awesome, Nii-chan! You both were moving so fast! I couldn't even follow you guys with my eyes during some parts-ttebane!"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I wasn't even able to keep up for a lot of it. I think I just got luck in the end there with the adrenalin or something…"
Kiba rushed forward. "Enough about the speed! Sure you were fast, but whatever! What was up with that weird sword you were using?!" This question made Naruto flinch internally.
"That was…Just something that I got a while back. I don't normally use it because I have my other sword, but I obviously had to use it now." He could see that many of them still had questions, so he decided to change the subject. "I'm going to take a quick nap now. Only for a bit. Wake me up after a match has gone by."
Menma snorted. "Of course you would want to take a nap during the chūnin exams."
Naruto smirked at him. "Well, I'm tired after that. I'm sure that if Shikamaru had already gone, he would do the same thing."
"Troublesome…" He didn't deny it.
"Now then, if you'll excuse me…" And without any further words, Naruto walked over to the wall and sat down on the ground against it and closed his eyes. Sleep soon overtook him.
A Little Later
"Nii-chan, wake up. A match has passed." Narumi's voice woke Naruto from his sleep. The crimson blond yawned as he came back to awareness before blinking at his sister.
"What happened in it?"
"It was Shino-san against the annoying Oto genin. Shino-san won." That wasn't a surprise. Naruto nodded and got up and looked at the giant screen as it selected the next two names.
Kin (Oto) vs Yakumo (Konoha)
Naruto looked over to his teammate. "Well, I guess you two will be getting a second round…How confident are you?" Yakumo smiled at him.
"I will be back within five minutes." Naruto blinked at that. Wow, she must have something planned. Naruto's eyes were drawn to the bag she had on her back.
Yūgao grinned at her female student. "While it is good to be confident, don't let it go to your head."
Yakumo sighed and nodded. "I understand…" She looked at the others. "Wish me luck!" She turned and started to walk towards the stairs.
Back in the Arena
Kin grinned as she watched her opponent approach. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this, bitch."
Yakumo simply raised an eyebrow before responding. "And how are you so sure that you will come out victorious? As I recall, you were defeated fairly simply before."
The answer was preceded with a growl. "I'm going to rip your tongue right out of your mouth!" She got into a battle stance as she pulled out senbon.
"I would like to see you do that." Yakumo pulled the bag off of her back and rummaged through it for a moment. Soon, she found what she was looking for. "Ah, there it is." She pulled out some kind of rolled up scroll before putting her bag back on and turning to Hayate. "Ready."
Quirking an eyebrow at the lack of a battle stance but having a feeling he knew what was about to happen, Hayate nodded and raised a hand. "Match fourteen, begin!" He didn't even bother jumping back.
The moment the go ahead was given, Kin started the motion of throwing the senbon, but froze suddenly. Her eyes were stuck on the item that Yakumo had unrolled and was presenting to her opponent.
Everyone was silent as they waited for something to happen. "AAHH!" Eventually, the silence was broken by Kin suddenly dropping her senbon as she gripped her head and screamed while falling to her knees. Yakumo just watched as her opponent passed out without her lifting a finger before turning to Hayate with a raised eyebrow. Hayate nodded before coughing and raising a hand.
"Winner, Yakumo of Konoha." He announced.
With a satisfied nod, Yakumo put away her scroll before turning and walking back to the stairs. When she reached the others, she was greeted with silence, making her look around to see the surprised, and in some cases unnerved, looks she was getting. "What?"
Naruto shook his head with an amused smile. "Nothing. Nothing. You don't mess around, do you?"
"Why should I? I didn't want to spend any more time than necessary down there with her." She looked around again. "Was there something wrong with what I did?" Multiple gazes were immediately averted while the amused jōnin watched. Their attention was soon drawn when screen started to cycle through names again.
Omoi (Kumo) vs Hinata (Konoha)
"Eep!" Hinata squeaked when she saw that she was chosen. Her nervousness only grew when she saw who her opponent was. She shakily turned to look when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Kurenai gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. I know you will do great." Kiba was quick to put forward his own opinion.
"Yeah! You'll be awesome, Hinata!"
"I am confident you will perform well." Shino added.
Hinata blushed under all the encouragement. "T-Thank you…" She said quietly. The other genin were quick to wish her luck as well. Soon, Hinata's eyes shifted to Naruto.
Seeing her looking his way, Naruto grinned. "Go out there and show them what you've got. I know you will kick some serious butt."
Hinata's eyes widened, but a determined glint soon flashed across them. "Right." She turned and began to walk towards the stairs.
Back in the Arena
Hinata walked to her spot across from her opponent as her nervousness came back. She jumped a bit when she heard her opponent sigh in despair.
"Oh no. What will I do now? Out of all the people here, I have to fight a Hyūga. And she is obviously a main branch one…What if I beat her, and the Hyūga clan gets angry? They will want repercussions. And then the Inuzuka will support them because of those insults Karui said earlier. That will be bad. That will definitely lead to war. Then I will be deployed, and the-"
"Oh kami, would you just shut up and fight?!" Karui shouted from her spot.
Omoi slumped even further before he looked at Hinata. "Would it be ok for you to just forfeit now? I don't want to hurt you, so that would be great. Plus, you don't really look like much of a fighter…"
This last remark made Hinata flinch again. "Uh…um…" She looked around nervously. Eventually, her eyes locked with another pair of pupil-less eyes in the balconies. Seeing her looking his way made Neji scowl even more, which in turn made Hinata flinch again. "I…" Hinata looked down as her hair shadowed her eyes. "I…" She took a deep breath. "I won't give up!" She declared, stunning everyone in the room.
Hinata raised her head, showing determined eyes. "I refuse to give up when everyone else is fighting! I won't be the one to back down." She activated her bloodline, making the veins around her eyes bulge and slid into the Hyūga battle stance. "I won't give up, no matter what you say!"
Omoi blinked at her before slumping even more. "Such misfortune…" He got into his own battle stance.
Seeing that the both of them were ready, Hayate raised a hand. "Match thirteen, begin!" He quickly jumped back.
The moment the match began, Hinata rushed at Omoi and sent a palm thrust at his chest. Omoi was able to dodge the strike and counter with a punch. Hinata quickly maneuvered to the side of the strike before inflicting multiple jabs around Omoi's arm.
"Omoi, you idiot! Why would you get close?!" Realizing his mistake, Omoi quickly jumped back to gain some distance. Hinata didn't pursue, instead choosing to slide back into a battle stance. Once he landed, Omoi pulled back the sleeve of his top to inspect the damage done to his arm. Just like he expected, several marks were forming around his arm where he was struck.
A sigh escaped from Omoi. "Man, that was stupid of me. I forgot who I was fighting." He looked forlornly at his arm. "What if this is permanent? What if I'm never able to mold chakra with this arm again? I will have to learn how to use jutsu with only one arm now. But I may fail. And the-"
"Focus on the match!"
Omoi slumped again. "Stupid flat chest, telling me what to do…" He muttered.
"What was that?!"
Ignoring her, Omoi reached for the katana on his back. "I didn't want to use this because I may hurt you too badly, but I don't really have a choice." He slid into a battle stance. "I will try to make this fast." He the rushed forward.
Seeing the attack coming, Hinata dodged to the side before trying to close the rest of the gap. Not wanting her to get close, Omoi used his momentum to send a kick at her, but it was easily dodged. Wanting to use the extended limb against him, Hinata moved her hands towards Omoi's leg, only to be forced to jump back as the sword made another swipe.
Not wanting to give her a chance to readjust herself, Omoi instantly followed after her with multiple swipes. Although she was dodging most of them, small cuts were still forming in various places on Hinata. This pattern continued for the next few minutes with Hinata only managing to land a few blows. Soon, a panting Hinata stood across from a winded Omoi.
Omoi tilted his head. "Ready to give up yet?" He asked her.
Hinata shook her head defiantly. "Never…" Omoi sighed again.
"Of course not." His expression hardened. "I'm going to end this now before you get hurt too badly." Before Hinata could react in any way, Omoi rushed forward with a horizontal swipe. Frowning, Hinata jumped out of the way, but was shocked to see a bolt of lightning shoot off the blade and after her.
"Wha-AH!" Hinata screamed as the electricity struck her, but she managed to land on her feet before falling to her knees. She began to get to her feet, but she was obviously struggling.
"That's enough. You have done well, but I am ending this." Hinata stiffened at the voice behind her. But before she could do anything, a strong strike hit the back of her neck. She struggled to remain conscious, but it was a losing battle as her world turned dark. She soon collapsed forward.
Omoi sighed again as she sheathed his sword and looked at Hayate. "Am I done?"
Hayate nodded and raised a hand. "Winner, Omoi of Kumo."
Hearing this, Omoi slumped. "Hopefully the Hyūga clan won't be too angry with me…"
Back with the Others
"Aw, Hinata lost…" Sakura said sadly.
Kiba was growling nearby. "That jerk just got her with a cheap shot! How could anyone expect lightning to suddenly shoot off of a sword like that?! I be-"
"Kiba, that's enough." Kurenai cut him off. Seeing that he was about to protest, she continued. "Hinata lost fair and square, it is unfortunate, but it still happened." Her expression softened. "She put up a great fight, but her opponent was just stronger." Kiba sighed and nodded reluctantly.
"That was a great fight?" Multiple glares were turned to the source, but Neji just ignored them all. "That was pathetic. She was unable to do any real damage to her opponent."
Menma glared along with some of the others. "What the heck is your problem? Why do you need to be such a jerk about everything?!"
Neji scoffed. "Just because you can't handle the truth does not make it any less true. She lost, as was her fate. It only shows just how wort-"
"Neji, enough." The stern look his teacher gave him and the tone silenced any further comments. With a huff, he turned away.
Although some of the others looked as if they wanted to speak, the looks the jōnin gave them kept them quiet. They turned their attention to Hayate when he coughed.
"We will now be having the final match. Would Shikamaru of Konoha and Wataru of Konoha please enter the arena."
Shikamaru sighed as he slumped his shoulders. "Troublesome. I just want to go home…"
Naruto smirked at him. "Hey, think of it like this. The sooner you finish your fight, the sooner we can finish the exam." This did little to encourage Shikamaru.
"Don't be such a lazy bum, Shikamaru! Go down there and fight!" Ino admonished with her arms crossed. Shikamaru only sighed again, but a hand on his shoulder made him turn his head to see a smiling Wataru.
"Come on, I would like to get this over with as well."
"Troublesome…"
Back in the Arena
Wataru grinned at Shikamaru. "Well, Shikamaru. I never really expected for you to be my opponent. Would it be asking too much for you to just give up?"
His opponent looked to be considering it for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "I would love nothing more than to do just that, but there are certain troublesome women who would never leave me alone if I did that."
"You're damn right, you lazy ass!" And there goes Misa…
The grin on Wataru's face grew. "Well then, I guess I have no choice. But you know, I would like to at least have you try if we are going to fight…"
"That's too much work…"
The grin turned into a smirk. "Oh? And what if I am able to convince you to do so?"
Shikamaru raised a lazy eyebrow. "How would you do that?"
Wataru shrugged. "Oh, I don't know…But perhaps me doing you a favor would do the trick?"
"Like what?"
"How about I pay to for that limited edition kage shogi set that I know you have your eye on?"
Instantly, the entirety of Shikamaru's attention was zeroed in on Wataru. "What?"
"I said I would pay to for that limited edition kage shogi set. The one that they have at the board game shop? I know, given your passion for shogi, that you would want it. But I doubt you have bought it due to the high price." The smirk was only growing. "If you give this fight your all and defeat me, then I will buy it for you."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course."
A grin formed on Shikamaru's face. "Fine. I'll fight you with everything I have. Just don't complain when you go broke." He got into a battle stance before nodding to Hayate.
Wataru laughed. "I'll be sure to hold it in." He too got into a battle stance before giving the ready signal.
Back with the Others
Ino could do nothing but bury her face in her hands as Naruto, Misa, Chōji, and Kiba laughed. "I can't believe that idiot. Getting eager to fight over a stupid board game."
Asuma found the entire situation very entertaining. "Well, you can't say it didn't do the trick, Ino. Shikamaru looks like he is ready to go now."
"Ugh! You're all just a bunch of idiots!"
Back in the Arena
Hayate looked between the two combatants before coughing and raising a hand. "Final match, begin!" He quickly jumped back.
Not wasting any time, Ikusa's hands flew through some hand seals. "Fire Style: Exploding Flame Shot!" Shikamaru was forced to dive to the side to avoid the fireballs that were suddenly flying his way.
"Troublesome. Although I agreed to fight, how am I supposed to win this?" Shikamaru muttered with a sigh. Taking in the situation, a plan soon formed in his head. "Might as well end this quickly…" The moment the volley of fireballs ended, Shikamaru rushed towards Wataru.
This action stunned Wataru for a moment, but he soon recovered and sent more fireballs at Shikamaru, who managed to dodge out of the way of each. "What do you plan on doing with a frontal assault? It isn't like I will let you get close!" Wataru soon jumped back in order to gain some distance, but Shikamaru kept his rush up. Deciding the best option was to just keep on backing up, Wataru did just that as he continued to fire fireballs at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru was silent as he continued to rush forward while dodging the flames. 'Just a little more…now!' Without wasting a moment, Shikamaru formed a hand seal. Instantly, his shadow darkened and shot at Wataru.
Seeing the oncoming danger, Wataru prepared to jump back again, only to freeze in place as he realized where he was. Sending a quick glance behind him, he saw that he was nearly under the balcony. He sent a smirk at Shikamaru. "Oh, so that was your plan? To have me place myself under the balcony where you can use the shadow cast by it to your advantage? I almost forgot you can do that." He jumped to the side. "Not gonna happen!"
"Tch." Shikamaru recalled his shadow before quickly following in pursuit. The previous chase resumed as Shikamaru dodged more fireballs while Wataru tried to hit him while backing up. Soon though, Wataru was forced to stop as he realized he was in the corner of the room. Using the chance, Shikamaru formed the hand seal again and sent his shadow forward.
Wataru smirked at the sight. "Just because I'm in a corner doesn't mean I have nowhere to go." He crouched. "After all…I can still go up and over!" He sprung up and over Shikamaru, before landing on the side with an ever growing smirk. He slowly raised a flaming hand towards Shikamaru. "Now you are the one with nowhere to go. You should really give u-"
"Shadow possession, success." This declaration stunned Wataru.
"What? How? When?!" He quickly tried to jump back, but found that he couldn't move. Shikamaru turned to look at him with a smirk on his face while Wataru struggled. "When did you do it? I was fine a second ago!"
Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, look at the ground in between us." Wataru did so, and was stunned to see that their shadows were connected.
"But when?!"
The smirk on Shikamaru's face grew a bit. "Well, you were right to keep me away, but you were thinking in a three dimensional view. That isn't what's important here. I only need for our shadows to touch to get you."
Wataru frowned in confusion. "But they never did! You never got close!"
Shikamaru shook his head. "You're still thinking in terms of distance. Think back on the fight from a top down point of view, as if you were watching it from above. What did you do in the end?" Wataru thought back to a minute ago. He was in the corner with a shadow rushing at him, so he had to dodge. He couldn't dodge to either side, so that meant he had to…His eyes widened.
"I jumped over you. Our shadows connected then…"
"Exactly. Now then, do you give up?"
Wataru sighed with a resigned smile. "I guess I do. I know that I'm essentially your captive right now. I've lost fair and square."
"And the shogi set?"
This made Wataru laugh a bit. "I will keep my word and pay for it." Shikamaru nodded with a smile.
Hearing the forfeit, Hayate raised a hand towards Shikamaru. "Winner, Shikamaru of Konoha."
Shikamaru sighed and released the technique, a sigh escaping his lips. "Man, that was troublesome…" Wataru walked over to him.
"Maybe so, but I still enjoyed it." A smirk grew on his face. "And I'm willing to bet that Misa got a kick out of watching you actually jump around for a bit."
"Tch." They both turned to Hayate as he spoke up.
"This concludes the final match. I now ask that all those advancing to-" Another cough. "To the next stage please meet in front of the stage."
Few Minutes Later
The sixteen victors of the preliminaries were lined up in front of the stage facing the Hokage and the proctors. Hayate soon stepped forward. "I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for coming this far and qualifying for the final exam."
Naruto looked around again to reconfirm who was moving on. His eyes were soon drawn back to the front when Hayate continued after a cough. "The Hokage will now speak to you about the next step."
With a nod to Hayate, Minato stepped forward with a smile. "The final exam is pretty straight forward. It will be a tournament. As I said before, many people come and view the chūnin exam finals, often coming from distant places. They all come to see you fighting for each of your respective villages with everything you have." He looked at each of them. "That is why the final stage will be held a month from now." Quiet chatter began when he said this.
'I guess that's a good thing. Gives me some time to prepare…' Naruto's eyes shifted to Gaara, but were drawn back to the front when Minato continued.
"Think of this month as a chance to prepare not only your body, but your mind. You can use this to study up on your opponent and plan accordingly."
'Meaning we will be learning who we are up against here and now…'
"I would like to allow you all to leave here and now, but there is one more thing that we need to do." He nodded to Anko. Seeing the gesture, she nodded back before walking forward with a box in her hand. "Each of you will be drawing a paper from the box that Anko is holding. Don't crowd around, she'll come to you."
"Don't take too long, maggots!" Multiple sweat drops were made.
After everyone drew a number, Minato nodded. "Starting from the left, tell us the number on your paper." He looked to Neji. "You first."
Nodding, Neji held up his paper. "One."
Following his lead, Tenten spoke up. "Six."
Shikamaru sighed. "Fourteen."
"Eleven." Shino said evenly.
Menma smirked. "Two." His eyes met with Neji's.
Nodding with a grin, Narumi spoke up. "Seven!"
Naruto held up his number. "Four."
Yakumo smiled. "Thirteen."
Sasuke looked at his paper before looking away in disinterest. "Ten."
Kankurō smirked. "Twelve."
"Sixteen." Temari said.
"Nine." Gaara said quietly.
Samui looked to the side. "Three."
Karui grinned. "Eight."
Omoi sighed. "Five."
"I have number fifteen." Dosu finished.
Ibiki nodded as he noted each number. After he got each of them, he turned the clipboard around to show them a tournament bracket with each of their names. "Here are the pairings."
"Match one, Neji of Konoha vs Menma of Konoha." The two of them never stopped glaring at each other.
"Match two, Naruto of Konoha vs Samui of Kumo." Samui and Naruto looked at each other before looking away.
"Match three, Omoi of Kumo vs Tenten of Konoha." Tenten grinned while Omoi sighed.
"Match four, Narumi of Konoha vs Karui of Kumo." Karui smirked, making Narumi glare.
"Match five, Gaara of Suna vs Sasuke of Konoha." Gaara looked over to Sasuke who looked back with a smirk.
Naruto sighed. 'Just great. The two people here who I would call unstable are going to be fighting each other.'
"Match six, Shino of Konoha vs Kankurō of Suna." Shino just adjusted his glasses while Kankurō smirked.
"Match seven, Yakumo of Konoha vs Shikamaru of Konoha." Shikamaru sighed while Yakumo rolled her eyes.
"Match eight, Dosu of Oto vs Temari of Suna." The two of them looked at each other.
"These are the pairings for the tournament a month from now."
Shikamaru raised a hand. "Does that mean that only one of us will be promoted?"
Minato smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. All of you can become chūnin, or none of you. You will each be judged based on your performance. Obviously, those who advance will have more chances to show that they should be promoted. Any other questions?" None were raised. "Then you are all dismissed. I will see you a month from now!" He disappeared in a yellow flash.
There we go! All done with Chapter 24!
I really do apologize if the end seems a little rushed, but I really wanted to get this thing out as soon as possible.
Little late to ask this, I know, but what do you guys think of my grammar and sentence structure? I noticed a few chapters back that I start a lot of my paragraphs with the name of the person that talks in it. Ever since then, I have tried to tone that down a bit. Does anybody actually care? I felt like I was doing it too much, but it is just what comes naturally to me.
Original plan was for Naruto and Lee to fight and Naruto has trouble with the darkness during it due to the curse mark. But whatever, I like this too. I obviously put more effort into that one though.
Naruto finally openly used his keyblade!
Prelims are over! Finally! Training month is next!
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943