Chapter 11: The Fight Begins

The day had finally arrived. Minato got up earlier than usual that morning, enjoying the unfamiliar sound of silence in his home. The sun had only just risen over the village, creating an aesthetically pleasing blend of colours in the early morning sky. Minato took a moment to savour it, as he knew that he wouldn't have much spare time that day.

He quickly showered and dressed before checking in on Naruto on his way out of the door.

"Fast asleep! Unbelievable!" Minato thought. "I think I'm more anxious than he is. Or maybe he's just exhausted from all the training I've put him through? Whatever the case I best not wake him, he's going to need all the energy he can get today."

Minato walked past his own room on the way to the front door and caught a quick glimpse inside. It was so tempting to just go back to bed for another hour or two, even if it was just to lie next to Kushina for a little while longer. Yet, he knew that he just didn't have the time. He'd gotten up early for a reason, and with a slightly dented conviction he walked out the door.

As he walked through the streets of the village, Minato noted that it was already quite warm outside. It was to be expected in Konoha in the summer but that didn't stop it from being slightly irritating. Although, it was still nothing compared to the sweltering heat of Suna and Minato was thankful that he at least didn't have to deal with that.

As he continued to head towards his destination, he noticed that he wasn't the only person awake. Several shopkeepers were already outside, cleaning and decorating their premises for a huge day of celebration ahead. There were also several Chunin out and about; putting up banners and flags to create the carnival atmosphere that traditionally came with the final exam. He gave everyone either a polite nod or a small "hello" on his way past. Even amongst the very few people he had spoken to thus far, he could sense the excitement. He just wished that he could join in with their enthusiasm; all he had was a sense of trepidation and fright in the pit of his stomach.

"Now, where was the exact spot?" Minato wondered, as he walked up the top of the hill.

It had been many years since he had to have a meeting in that specific place and, even though he usually had a very good memory, Minato had to admit that he was struggling. He felt slightly guilty, after all, the place had meant a lot to him once upon a time. Heck, in truth it still meant a lot. After a few minutes of trudging through a forest like area, he finally found it.

It was just as beautiful as he remembered. It was like something out of a children's storybook; with the luscious green grass, a small waterfall pouring into a stunningly blue lake and the sounds of woodland creatures scurrying about. Best of all, one of his favourite people in the world was sitting next to the lake, with two mugs in his hands.

"Seems like Kakashi is rubbing off on you a little" Jiraiya chuckled, as Minato walked over to join him. "It's not like you to be late."

"I guess my memory isn't quite what it was" Minato replied in an equally good-natured tone. "So, this what it feels like when you start getting old, eh Sensei?"

"You're a little more cocky than you used to be" Jiraiya commented, still laughing. "Whatever happened to that polite little kid, the one who used to do everything I said without complaint and hung on to my every word?"

"He's still here deep down" Minato said, as he took the mug intended for him. "I guess he's just had to hide for a while, he never was that good at dealing with confrontation that involved words."

Without thinking, he took a large swig of the drink he had just been given. He then promptly spat it back out and started coughing.

"Some things never change" Jiraiya laughed, as he gave his student a pat on the back. "You never were a drinker, I think you did the same thing when you first tried Sake now that I think of it."

"That was embarrassing" Minato wheezed, his throat still burning. "I was following your advice about how to impress Kushina, suffice it to say it's the last time I did that."

"The way to get women was the one thing I couldn't teach you" Jiraiya mused, clearly starting to get lost in nostalgia. "Everything else, you learned at this very spot."

Minato grinned as he turned his mind back through the decades. He could recall the many days and evenings spent there, hearing Jiraiya's cheers as he showed off one technique after another, laughing with the toads as Sensei recounted one of his many legendary stories and generally preparing and looking forward to the road ahead. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't slightly yearn for those days, back when everything was so simple, so easy. He had no responsibilities or worries and all he had to think about was learning the next jutsu.

"Everything did seem easier back then," Jiraiya said, as if he had read Minato's mind. "Maybe it was, take the Chunin Exams for example. Even as recently as when your students took them, they were a much more subdued affair."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing that they've changed" Minato replied. "We should celebrate them, it's a big day in a Genin's life. If there's one thing I'm looking forward to today, it's to see Naruto's face as he steps into that stadium. To see his face light up in excitement as he hears the crowd chant his name, for me to be overwhelmed by feelings of pride. It might make this whole thing worth it."

He could see Jiraiya smile as he took another sip of his Sake. His Sensei then raised his glass towards him.

"Good luck to Naruto then" Jiraiya proposed as a toast. "Although if he's anything like you, he won't need it. Well, unless he's going after women that is!"

Minato shook his head disapprovingly, although he wasn't too serious about it. He wanted to take things lightly as they sat there; Jiraiya had asked him to meet him here "for olds times sake" after all. He knew that it was an excuse to try to keep him calm; it had bee a testing few months. Still, he had one bit of official business he needed to discuss.

"Any news from your contacts in Kumo?"

Jiraiya considered the question a moment, trying to weight up whether to answer or not. Eventually he gave in, just as Minato knew he would. He never liked letting anyone down, a trait that Minato had gladly picked up from him.

"Nothing out of the ordinary there" he said slowly. "The impression that they get is that the Raikage is looking to shake things up. He wants to surpass Konoha, so he's making drastic changes, which explains his somewhat erratic behaviour as of late."

"I see" Minato responded, as he felt a small wave of relief sweep over him.

At the very least it appeared that everything was well for the time being and he could enjoy the day to come. He decided to accept Jiraiya's toast and even took another sip of his Sake. He was sure that it was going to be a good day.

"So, Dad isn't here?"

Naruto was quite disappointed to find that his father had already left by the time he woke up. He felt stupid for feeling a little upset; after all while he was growing up Minato was often gone early in the morning. He supposed that he'd just gotten used to seeing his Dad so often over the past month and he'd hoped to get some words of encouragement on the most important morning of his life.

"He is the Hokage Naruto, you know how busy he is today" Kushina said sympathetically, as she knelt down before her son and adjusted his headband. "Still I'm here aren't I? Am I not good enough now?"

Naruto laughed and then did something he hadn't done voluntarily since he was very young. He reached out and hugged his mother tightly. Feeling her hugging him back was so very calming and just what he needed to settle his nerves that were threatening to consume him.

A loud knock on the door interrupted the moment and Naruto heard Asuma shout to him loudly.

"I suppose I better go" Naruto muttered. "Shikamaru will moan if he has to stand around waiting, then he'll moan when we have to walk to the stadium."

"Well, I'll see you when I get there" she replied softly. "I'll be in the crowd with Mikoto so you might not be able to spot me, but just know that I'll be watching over you and rooting you on."

"I knew that anyway," Naruto said, before psyching himself up a little. "Just make sure you get there soon or else you won't get a good view of me kicking everyone's ass!"

With that, Naruto gave Kushina one last quick hug before running to the door. He just wished that he were truly as confident as he sounded because in his head he was nothing but terrified of the events to come. Of course, this didn't stop him telling the exact same lie to his team.

"Ever the modest one, aren't we Naruto?" Shikamaru deadpanned. "Part of me doesn't want you to win you know? I can't even imagine how massive that ego of yours will be."

Asuma and Hinata both shot him a discouraging look, causing him to lazily go back on his words and protest that he was only making a joke. Naruto was the only one able to conjure a laugh at the words, appreciating Shikamaru's honesty for once.

"You just need to remember everything we went through over the last month and you should be fine," Asuma said. "The main thing you have to worry about is knowing when to use which jutsu but that's just a case of keeping your head."

Naruto nodded in agreement but in all honesty his mind was a million miles away. He remained in this state of pondering as they walked towards the stadium. He largely ignored the noise of the crowd as they navigated their way through the packed streets and he didn't turn his head to take in the decorations. He wasn't even taken in by the beautiful aromas emanating from the café's around the village. He was determined that nothing was going to distract him.

"Well, here it is" Asuma said, as they reached a back door to the side of the enormous stadium. Naruto could hear the excessive amount of chatter coming from within and the thought of how many people were in there made him feel sick.

"Only Naruto and I can go in, sorry guys."

"Yeah we know" Shikamaru muttered.

"Good luck Naruto!" Hinata said, giving her teammate a huge grin.

"Good luck then I guess" Shikamaru added a few seconds later, when he realised that everyone was looking at him. "Just promise me something though."

"What?"

"Don't let that ass Sasuke win, whatever you do."

The four of them shared a small laugh before Shikamaru and Hinata gave a final goodbye and left to take a seat in the stand. Asuma and Naruto walked through the door and entered a narrow hallway.

"According to your Dad there should be a room just around the corner" Asuma said, as he lead Naruto through the hall. "That's where we all wait for a while until the matches are ready to start."

"I never heard about this before" Naruto said. "Did your Sensei have to do this?"

Asuma shook his head slowly, as they reached the end of the hall.

"It's something your father has introduced this year. I think he wants there to be a calming influence on the contestants before they have to go out there" Asuma commented. "Anyway, here we are."

Naruto walked through the doorway and in to a small, plain room. There were a few chairs, a table with water bottles and snacks, all of which appeared to be left untouched, and plain white walls with no windows. Naruto wondered whether it was once used as an interrogation room, it certainly would fit the bill for it.

There were already six people in the room by the time Naruto joined them. Neji stood off to the corner alone with his eyes closed in concentration. Gaara was having a quiet conversation with his Sensei and he flashed Naruto a weak smile as he walked in. To their left, Kakashi was engaged in a conversation with Gai, as Sasuke stood close by.

Naruto and Sasuke caught eyes for a brief second but with their intense gaze, they communicated everything that needed to be said between them. Naruto also noticed that Sasuke's outfit was a slightly darker shade of blue and he had adorned his forearms with metal plates. He also saw a kodachi strapped to his back. He recognised the outfit from somewhere but at that moment he couldn't quite place it.

"Well, look what we have here" Asuma chuckled. "Didn't I think we'd see you until just before Sasuke's fight, Kakashi."

"Yeah well, Fugaku can be quite insistent" Kakashi commented. "He demanded I get here on time, he even came and got me from my apartment before I could leave this morning."

"What a smart guy" Asuma deadpanned, before turning to Gai. "So, why are you over here and not with your student?"

"I've learned a lot about Neji after being his Sensei for two years. One of those things is that I know he's not like Lee and myself" Gai said, sounding slightly disappointed by that fact. "He needs everything to be quiet and calm, that's when he's at his most effective. My youthful charm gets in the way of that, so we agreed to just let him prepare on his own."

Naruto eyed Neji for a moment but he didn't receive a response, the Hyuga steadfastly refused to open his eyes and acknowledge anyone. Sasuke and Gaara were both similarly unresponsive, the Sensei's were the only one's in the room doing any talking.

"Seems like only yesterday we were going through all this for the first time" Asuma sighed. "Where did those years go?"

"Hey, we're still young" Gai said defensively. "We don't have to get lost in our memories just yet, we can still look to the future!"

Asuma and Kakashi just looked at each other and laughed.

"If I remember rightly, I won that exam" Kakashi added. "We had a pretty interesting final fight, didn't we Gai?"

Mercifully, Hayate walked in to the room and interrupted another of Gai's "youthful" speeches.

"Can the first two combatants please follow me and make their way to the stadium? The remaining contestants and their Sensei can go to the viewing booth to watch the battle."

Naruto went with Asuma, Gaara and his Sensei towards the viewing area. He looked back and saw Kakashi engaged in a tense conversation with Sasuke. Neji was being given a most youthful speech from Gai, who had apparently decided to drop his earlier tactic of leaving his student alone. Neji didn't seem to appreciate this.

A few minutes later and Naruto walked out on to a balcony high up in the stadium. It was the first chance he had to see the stadium and, more importantly, the size of the crowd. He found it incredible; he couldn't believe just how many people there were. Some people held banners, many were stood up and cheering. It made him thankful that he didn't have to fight first; he just might have frozen under the pressure.

"It's a lot, isn't it?" Gaara said softly, as he joined Naruto at the edge of the balcony.

Naruto could feel temptation rising within him. An opportunity had presented itself; he could plant a seed of doubt in Gaara's mind right there, before the battle even started. It would make it easier to win the battle for sure; Gaara wasn't the most confident person at the best of times. It was the kind of tactic that a real Shinobi would use.

"Eh, it's not a big deal" Naruto shrugged. "I think I'll just block them all out, pretend they aren't there. Besides, once you're in the middle of battle that's all you'll be able to focus on anyway."

The young Suna Shinobi seemed to perk up after that. As Minato and the Kazekage made speeches regarding the importance of bonds between villages and introducing the candidates, Kakashi and Gai walked in. They were both smirking and shaking each other's hands confidently.

"What's this about?" Naruto enquired, but Kakashi blew him off with a vague answer regarding "Jonin things."

"Here come our boys" Gai declared, having to practically shout over the sound of the screaming crowd.

Sasuke walked with swagger and confidence, he even gave a lazy wave to the crowd. Neji seemed to prefer a more laid back approach, although Naruto didn't detect any sign of nerves. In fact, it's possible he was the more confident of the two.

"Here we go" Asuma said, as Hayate dropped his arm to declare the beginning of the match.

Sasuke made the first move, throwing a handful of Shiruken. Neji blocked with a kunai before making his counter. Sasuke jumped backwards continually while launching more and more projectiles as he did so. Neji was unfazed by this for the most part, although his apparent frustration at failing to catch Sasuke was starting to show.

"Seems your kid knows how dangerous Neji is in close quarter combat" Gai said. "He's wise to stay away but he can't do so forever."

"He doesn't intend to, just watch" Kakashi replied defensively. "It's all part of the plan."

Sasuke made seals and readied his first jutsu. After breathing in heavily, he unleashed a burst of fire. Naruto was stunned; it was way larger than anything he had ever produced before. He could even feel the heat from so far away. He knew that Neji was in trouble; it would be tough to dodge something so wide. To Naruto's surprise, Neji didn't have to.

"Hakkesho Kaiten!"

Neji disappeared in a swirl of powerful chakra that repelled all of Sasuke's flames with ease. When he stopped moving, there was a fairly large crater left in the dirt.

"I don't believe it" Kakashi gasped. "We never accounted for the possibility that Neji would be able to do that. Did Hizashi break tradition and teach Neji those techniques?"

Gai shook his head proudly.

"Hizashi doesn't know those jutsu, they are reserved for the main clan after all" Gai said. "Neji learned how to do this himself."

Naruto was impressed. The jutsu seemed very difficult, yet Neji learned it without any assistance. He didn't think he would have been able to master any of the jutsu he had recently learned without the help he received.

"Looks like Hiashi doesn't believe that" Kakashi noted, as he nodded towards the two Hyuga, who were involved in a rather heated discussion. "Regardless, Sasuke should have what it takes to get around this, he just has to be smarter."

At first, it seemed that Kakashi's prediction would be proven to be incorrect. All of Sasuke's attempts to hit Neji proved futile, Neji's defence was impossible to get around. Kakashi looked to be a little worried about it and tried to change the subject to settle his nerves.

"I'm surprised that someone like Neji would do this" he commented, looking over at Gai. "He's so into the rituals of the clan, so passionate about his role. It's quite out of character for him to go against them like this."

Gai stared at the ground, a guilty look spread across his face.

"I might have given him a little push," he said slowly. "That boy is possibly the most talented I've ever taught, it seemed cruel that he couldn't reach his full potential. One day, he was explaining to me what he believed the theory was behind the techniques and I suggested he try it out. Before we knew it, he'd mastered them all."

"Well, whatever the case just watch what Sasuke's about to do" Kakashi said. "He's about to end this match."

This time, Kakashi's prophecy came true. Sasuke's speed suddenly increased dramatically, Neji could barely keep up. Every time he finished rotating, Sasuke would dive in and Neji could only barely dodge. After multiple attempts, Sasuke seemed to have had enough a withdrawn his kodachi. When Sasuke attacked, Neji blocked with his own kunai.

"Seems thing didn't go to plan" Gai laughed.

"Nope, this match is as good as over" Kakashi responded simply.

It took a couple of seconds to realise what he meant. Sasuke's kodachi started to give off a blue glow, before sparks of lightning surrounded it. It then cut clean through Neji's kunai and the tip of the blade struck Neji's torso. The young Hyuga was left on the ground and unable to move.

"Such chakra control" Asuma gasped, mesmerized by what had happened. "Naruto, you've really got some competition here. Wait, this means you taught Sasuke-"

"That's right" Kakashi nodded. "I also taught him how to channel it, to a certain extent. I only had a month after all."

Hayate then declared Sasuke the winner. The response to this was deafening, the crowd was clearly impressed by what they had seen. Naruto could feel the pressure on him increase, as son of the Hokage he would expected to top that.

"I guess it's our turn then" Gaara whispered, as he moved to go down to the arena.

"Yeah" Naruto stammered, as he felt sweat fall from his brow. "I guess it is."

Minato clapped loudly as his son walked in to the ground. He felt that he needed the encouragement; he could tell just by looking at him that his son was terrified. He wasn't as skilled at hiding his emotions as he thought.

"Hopefully this one lives up to the hype now" the Kazekage said. "With the short bracket this year, they need value for their money."

Minato frowned at the jibe; he'd heard nothing but this since the Kazekage found out about the qualification. Minato had felt justified at the time; he just hadn't expected that there would be two double knockouts to shorten the number of contestants.

The crowd didn't seem to have any complaints though. Everywhere he looked he saw smiling faces and heard people singing chants for their favourite contestants. Even the Shinobi seemed a little more laid back, he even thought he spotted Gai handing Kakashi a small amount of money.

"Good luck Naruto" Minato thought, knowing that his message would reach Naruto in some way.

Minato inhaled deeply as Hayate declared the start of the match. Naruto was cautious to begin with; he drew a few Shiruken and waited. Gaara responded in the same way, although the sight of his sand lingering in the air was much more ominous. Naruto then threw the kunai and was then quick to move. Gaara's sand predictably blocked both the Shiruken and Naruto's attempted taijutsu barrage.

"So far so good" the Kazekage laughed. "He'll have to do better than that to get past Gaara."

Minato knew that Kushina would come back with a cocky retort to that remark but he bit his tongue and simply grinned. It was nice to hear the Kazekage actually praising his son, definitely provided quite the contrast to their first meeting.

The crowd let out a gasp as Gaara caught Naruto's leg with his sand. Fortunately, Naruto was able to quickly create a clone that was able to pull him free. It was a good counter to a tricky situation but Minato knew that his son had been careless there. As the Kazekage said, he would have to do better than that.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto seemed to have the idea that he would be able to overwhelm Gaara's sand with sheer numbers. This was promptly proven false as Gaara demonstrated the true extent that he could manipulate his sand. The sand came together and created a dome like structure, although the sand wasn't too compact. It completely protected him from all angles, meaning that everything Naruto did was fruitless. However, Gaara then demonstrated that he had more than simple defensive capabilities.

"That was very impressive" Minato conceded, as the sand formed small bullets that destroyed each of Naruto's clones.

"Better than even I expected" the Kazekage beamed. "He's progressed unbelievably well, I have to admit that your approach is effective."

As if to prove his father even more right, Gaara made his move. He grabbed Naruto's leg and threw him across the arena, although he did cushion the blow with more sand. Still, it was obvious that he had injured Naruto with the blow. The sand that had protected Naruto then turned on him and wrapped itself around his body. Naruto panicked and started struggling with his hands.

"No common clone will have the strength to pull him from this vice" the Kazekage was delighted to inform Minato.

"Good job he's not going to use a clone then" Minato grinned.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Naruto slammed his palm in to the ground hard. A white smoke covered him for a few seconds, before being blown away to reveal a yellow toad a slight bit bigger than Naruto was. The toad wore some light body armour and had a small tanto attached to his waist. He grabbed Naruto and was able to beat the sand away to free his master.

"No way, someone so young!" the Kazekage yelled in shock. "How does he even have the chakra to do that?"

"Good genes from his mothers side" Minato grinned. "One of two techniques I taught him this past month, we'll see whether he has to use the other."

Naruto summoned his clones again and moved to surround Gaara. They all launched Shiruken at him from all angles, forcing him to resort to his dome of sand again. This appeared to be what Naruto was waiting for as he commanded his toad to make an attack. The toad responded by bringing his hands together and firing a jet of oil at Gaara.

"Damn it" the Kazekage cursed under his breath. "So that was his plan."

"Very impressive Naruto" Minato nodded. "You used the oil to make his sand wet and far heavier. He won't be able to move it anywhere near the same amount of speed, leaving him much more open to attack."

Naruto wasted no time in attacking a now much more vulnerable Gaara. His small army of clones moved in and attacked together, literally tearing pieces off Gaara.

"Another layer of defence?" Minato wondered aloud.

"Sand armour, Gaara uses it when he's vulnerable" the Kazekage said moodily. "The fact that he's resorted to it is worrying, he can't maintain it for long either."

Naruto proceeded to make his final move. One of his clones kicked Gaara up into the air and the rest followed. One by one they each struck a strong blow, smashing chunks of sand off each time. The attack ended with Naruto smashing his foot into Gaara's torso and Minato though he heard him scream part of his own name but was too far away to tell for sure.

"I think that's it" the Kazekage sighed. "He lost too much of the sand there, he would have felt the full force of the last blow. Oh well, he gave it a good go at least."

Hayate ended the match a few seconds later. The crowd roared once more, satisfied with what they saw and pumped for the next match. Minato stood up and clapped and had to physically restrain himself for doing anything more undignified. Although, he could spot Kushina in the crowd not showing the same concerns. Naruto, rather than acknowledge his admirers, stood by and helped Gaara on to the stretcher. The very sight brought him great joy.

"Well, this will make for a very entertaining match at least" the Kazekage commented, sounding a little more upbeat. "That Uchiha boy was also incredibly skilled, the future of your village looks very bright."

Minato was about to return the compliment when he was interrupted by the arrival of an ANBU. Judging by the way he kept his distance, Minato knew that he wanted to say something in private.

"What is it?" Minato whispered, apologetically turning his back to the Kazekage.

"Lord Hokage, we've just received a sealed letter addressed directly to you" the ANBU replied quickly.

Minato frowned in concentration. Convention dictated that he should personally go and unseal the letter but he also knew that doing so would mean that he would miss the final match.

"Okay, go and unseal the letter and report it's contents back to me immediately" Minato ordered, to the ANBU's surprise. "There's no way that I'm going to leave now, during the biggest moment of my son's life."

Naruto had been surprised by how quick he had transferred from one round to the other. He felt like complaining about how Sasuke had an advantage due to the time but soon shut up. The medics healed his injuries immediately and did such a good job that he felt no pain at all. He was even given a pill that restored his chakra, although he couldn't stand the taste. Before long, he was stood in the tunnel next to Sasuke and staring out towards the battleground once more.

"Ready for this then?" Sasuke asked, with a sly undertone.

"More ready than you that's for sure" Naruto retorted. "I've been waiting to settle things with you."

"Same here" Sasuke said dismissively. "Still, good luck all the same."

Naruto was left perplexed by Sasuke's words and didn't immediately get a response, as Minato's announcement meant that they had to go out. He walked side by side with Sasuke and was met with a deafening roar from the crowd. He looked up in to the stands, looking at the blur of people waving to him. He gave a big wave back, which brought a rapturous response from those he was looking at. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Sasuke doing the same thing. As Hayate called them over to meet in the centre, Naruto spotted a small wave of red hair in the crowd. For some reason this made him laugh, which made for a strange sight as he prepared for the fight.

"You both know the rules, so I won't bother going through them" Hayate stammered. "Just shake hands and then get ready for battle."

Naruto took Sasuke's hand and then walked closer in order to speak to him.

"What was that about wishing me luck? Are you trying to mess with my head?"

Sasuke shrugged, though not in the sly way Naruto might have expected.

"I've realised recently how stupid it is holding grudges like that, we're both Leaf Shinobi at the end of the day" Sasuke replied. "Still, don't get me wrong. I full intend to grind you into the dirt here."

Naruto grinned at the familiarity there, and silently promised that he would try to do the same. The two then took a few steps back and stared each other down. The anticipation that had been building since the start of the day quickly piqued during the few seconds before Hayate gave permission to start. Naruto had to stand on the tip of his toes to contain his excitement, he screamed at Hayate in his mind.

"Begin!"

Both young Shinobi skipped the warm up and went straight into a taijutsu slog. They ducked dodged and sent powerful punches and kicks at each other's limbs. They didn't let up for the first couple of minutes; both were determined not to give the other a second to breathe. The deadlock didn't break until five full minutes after the fight began, as Sasuke landed a decisive blow to Naruto's stomach. Naruto was sent flying backwards and landed hard on his back.

"Don't get too confident with that, just because those eyes of yours gave you an advantage" Naruto declared, pointing at Sasuke's Sharingan.

"If I were you I'd stop making excuses and pay more attention to what's going on," Sasuke replied, as he launched an inordinate amount of Shiruken.

Naruto desperately dived around and impressed even himself when he dodged each one. He was about to boast, before he noticed Sasuke move his arms.

"What's he holdin-"?

Naruto hadn't even seen the wires attached to the Shiruken and consequently failed to stop them from wrapping around his body, binding his arms. Sasuke drew his kodachi and Naruto knew he was in danger.

"I have to get out of this" Naruto thought, as he desperately wriggled his hands towards his weapons pouch.

Sasuke moved in for the win but Naruto was able to just about reach his kunai in time. Without thinking, he simply pulled the blade upwards and cut through all of the wire. He then quickly dived to avoid Sasuke's attack.

"Luckily I grabbed the right one" Naruto thought, as he looked at the special kunai in his hand.

During his training, Naruto had realised just how special the kunai is. He'd suspected it before hand, but he had found that everything he wanted to do was just easier when he was wielding it. He had wondered if it was built to be in tune with his chakra or something, although he also wasn't sure if that was even possible. Neither his father nor Asuma would reveal the true secret behind it. He was told that he would "realise it in time."

Whatever the reason, Naruto knew he had an advantage with the weapon. He channelled his chakra through it and attacked once again. Sasuke dodged the first few strikes but soon realised that he would have to do more than that. He withdrew his kodachi and lit it up with lightning element. The two brought their weapons together and created a small explosion of chakra.

"What?" Sasuke yelled out, as his kodachi was split clean in half.

"Learn your basic elements Sasuke" Naruto said condescendingly. "Wind beats lightning and consequently, I beat you."

"Talk about getting overconfident" Sasuke remarked. "This'll shut you up."

Sasuke made a dramatic backflip in the air. He bit into his finger and positioned himself so that his head was facing the ground. He made the required hand signs and his palm pointed towards the ground. The white smoke appeared on the battlefield once more and when it cleared, Sasuke was stood on top of a majestic hawk.

"Well, you're just full of surprises aren't you?" Naruto said.

"You're not the only one who was taught how to summon by his father" Sasuke responded. "Now then Naruto, who was it that held the advantage?"

Naruto cursed under his breath. He was right, Naruto had no way of reaching Sasuke so far off the ground and his long range ninjutsu was likely to be ineffective, especially as Sasuke has fire techniques to respond with.

"That's it" Naruto realised, as if a light had just turned on in his head.

He made a summon of his own and was instantaneously joined on the battlefield by the same toad as before.

"You want to overwork me Naruto?" the toad grumbled.

"Sorry Gamaki, last time today I promise" Naruto said, somewhat sincerely.

"So, it was Wind you said wasn't it?" Sasuke called down. "Well, I guess this time I have the elemental advantage. Let's see what you can do with this. Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

"Now!" Naruto called out to Gamaki.

The toad responded by spitting more oil, although this time he shot a single mouthful rather than the stream he moved before. The events that followed were predictable. The oil ignited and moved towards Sasuke at alarming speed. Both the young Uchiha and his summon could properly move in time and the hawk's wing consequently caught on fire. The hawk screamed in pain and Sasuke jumped back to the ground. His summon then disappeared and he was left alone.

"How was that for a response?" Naruto asked, referring to Sasuke's taunt mere seconds before.

The crowd screamed in delight at this and Naruto even allowed himself to take a moment to show his gratitude. He wondered what he had worried about before, he was having more fun during the battle than he expected.

"I told you to pay attention!" Sasuke repeated, as he sent yet more Shiruken at Naruto.

This time he was able to actually see the wire attached to them and shook his head, appalled at Sasuke's desperation.

"The same trick won't work twice," Naruto yelled back, as he deflected the Shiruken with his own.

"Who says it's the same trick?" Sasuke replied, as he deflected the projectiles Naruto had deflected just a second earlier.

Naruto realised what Sasuke had done just a second too late. The Shiruken flew behind Gamaki and wrapped around the giant toad. Knowing that the toad's strength would see it break free fairly quickly, Sasuke took the wire in his mouth and acted quickly.

"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!"

A great flame ran along the wire and engulfed Gamaki. Naruto screamed out for Gamaki to retreat, it wasn't worth him injuring himself. The toad was way ahead of him, disappearing before Naruto could full get out his command.

The crowd applauded Sasuke's genius but Naruto spotted something more important. His opponent was panting, it was obvious that he was feeling tired. Unfortunately, Naruto was also feeling the fatigue of back-to-back battles, despite the healing that was given to him. Judging by the way things were shaping up, Naruto knew that the next attack would be the last.

"I need to make it count then" Naruto thought, but hesitated. "Can I use it here though? In such a battle? This could cause some serious harm, I don't want to injure him that badly, just enough to win. No, I have to do it, I'm sure Sasuke isn't planning on holding back. I'll do it appropriately, that'll be fine."

Naruto held his arm out to the side and concentrated on the chakra in that limb. He could feel it shooting up his arm and resting in the palm of his hand. When he felt that he had enough, he worked on the next step; rotation. He moved his left hand over his right and began to move it around. Soon enough, a small and concentrated ball of chakra sat there. He confidently looked up at Sasuke, and was stunned at what he saw.

"He's holding lightning in his hand?" Naruto realised, as he listened to the sounds of birds chirping echoing around him.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto, similarly confused by Naruto's technique. Then they both caught each other's eye and there was instantly an understanding. They knew there was this going and neither was scared. This was it; it was finally time to see who would reign supreme. The clash of their ultimate techniques would decide it all.

Naruto took off at pace, leaving his Rasengan by his side. Sasuke's arm was much lower down, almost ground. They both sped up as they approached each other, looking to make a maximum damage on impact. They pulled their arms back and once they finally got close enough, they pushed their palms right at each other. Rasengan and Chidori bore down on each other and came within millimetres of touching.

Then it all stopped. Naruto felt a hand grab his wrist hard, and he could tell by Sasuke's moan that the same had happened to him. It took Naruto a second to realise who was holding him in the vice like grip, it was not until he looked up and saw his father.

"Dad, what's going on?"

Minato didn't respond to begin with, he was looking at the ground, his face filled with sadness. Naruto scoured his mind trying to think what he'd done, or what they'd done. Was this because of the techniques, had they gone too far?

"The Chunin Exams are hereby cancelled" Minato yelled out, to the annoyance of the crowd.

Several sections booed and let their annoyance at this decision be known. However, this soon died down when Minato yelled out again.

"I have just received word that forces from Kumogakure and Iwagakure have attacked several outposts on the borders between the Land of Fire and various other nations, as well as outposts belonging to the Land of Wind. With this act, I can announce that the Fourth Shinobi World War has begun."

A/N: This chapter was originally going to be longer and include some war prep, but the battles ran longer than I thought so I'll include that kind of stuff in the next chapter. I'm really excited for the next part of the story, as this is what I've been writing towards since the start.

Next Chapter: Conflict