I'm so not feeling well since yesterday.

Warnings and standard disclaimer go here.

Chapter 52: Clash of prodigies

Ayame stood near the stadium where even though it was crowded, she would still be noticed by the person she wanted to notice her- Akemi. It wasn't that she had a crush on him. No, she still didn't like him because he was too talented and intelligent for her taste. She just wanted to make him acknowledge that although she had no skills in being a kunoichi she definitely had a talent for modeling. Yes, she was no longer a kunoichi. After their battle where the boy had shown his flame phoenix, great changes were made in their team. She had quit from being a ninja and became a model. She became popular instantly. Wataru, on the other hand, had volunteered to go back to the academy so he'd learn better. Akemi continued with his path and took the chuunin exam with 2 random people who had failed the previous exam. Of course, without a doubt the Uchiha became chuunin after that and now at the age of twelve, he was about to take the last set of jounin exam – combat.

Ayame took a haughty stance as she saw the boy with his two teammates walking towards the stadium. She knew they wouldn't miss her and posing as if she was being photographed for the front cover of a fashion magazine, she waited to be seen. But much to her irritation, the three didn't even glance towards her direction and she glared at them before she stomped off to cool her head.

"Are you sure the Ayame girl isn't stalking you?" Akira asked teasingly. Although he hadn't glanced her way, he could still see her thanks to his 180 degrees vision.

Ryouji chuckled, "It's more than coincidence that she's in places where you are."

"Whatever," was Akemi's indifferent reply.

The playful Ryouji clucked his tongue, "Don't be like that, Akemi. After all, you'll get married someday."

"But it won't be her."

"I wonder about that," Akira asked and arched an eyebrow when he received the Uchiha glare.

While the two continued to tease him about the girl-who-couldn't-be-a-kunoichi, he tuned them out and proceeded in planning on what symbols he'd used for his next jutsu. Although he would be up against a shinobi from the Hidden Village of Cloud whose reputation seemed to precede him, he couldn't find himself getting anxious. As far as he was concerned, he was ready. He was born ready.

-SasuNaru is love-

The impatience and restless among the audience gathered increased more as the exam got closer to the last battle which was the main attraction. When Chouji's voiced thundered over the place announcing the last battle, a rush of excitement rippled through the crowd. This was what they were waiting for- a clash between prodigies.

"Aren't you disappointed that it isn't Kankuro's son against Akemi?" Naruto asked the Kazekage who shook his head. Whenever his nephew comes to Konoha or Akemi visits the Sand village the two dedicate most of their time at the training grounds sparring against each other. Gaara witnessed the spars too many times to be not disappointed. "Those two know each other's fighting habits so well enough it would cause boredom to settle over these people."

Naruto's reply was drowned out from the cheer that erupted the moment the jounin-applicants walked into the battle arena. Yuuzuki who was one of the visible ANBU keeping watched over the place, looked down to see his brother who looked as calm and serene as an undisturbed water surface would look. The lad didn't look overconfident but just confident of his skills and capabilities.

Nice aura, ototou.

Below him, his girlfriend and his subordinates' lovers were squealing at Akemi's charms at the same time shouting battle suggestions that were too sadistically violent to be used in an exam combat. Rolling his eyes at their extremely high tension and blaming it on stress, he looked around and spotted his otousan who was also one of the guards dispersed in the crowd. Sitting on the front row were Kisho and his friends who he assumed were shouting encouragements. He also saw Miki and other medic-nins standing at the sides of the battle area. He looked at his brother again and mentally said, we're watching you, Akemi so do your best.

Temari, who was now the referee of the fight, reminded them of the rules before giving them the signal to start.

The two shinobis started with taijutsu. At first, their movements were slow and their attacks weren't strong because both of them were assessing each other.

Almost a minute later, their tempo increased and so was the power of their offense. However they couldn't find an opening to deliver the blow and others began to wonder if this fight would be drag to a long clash.

Akemi increased his speed but even then Kumo managed to block his attacks so calmly as if he could read his movements. He almost faltered when he thought about that. He tried to look past those dark glasses for signs that indeed, he was reading his movements but found the lens were darker than he thought.

He leaped away to put distance between them and he regarded his opponent who stood quietly and serenely. The lad's face was devoid of any emotions as he patiently waited for Akemi to attack. But when no attack came he said calmly, "if you won't attack then I will." He moved forward.

The young Uchiha smiled while tapping his toes against the soil before he burst forward to meet Kumo. Few people made sounds of surprise and awe as Akemi became almost a blur.

What they didn't know was that such speed was just one-third of his real one. Being shorter and lighter than most boys of his age, Akemi realized he was at disadvantage. But instead of whining and sulking he decided to use it to his advantage. With his height and weight, moving fast would be as easy as ABC.

Kumo flipped back to evade a powerful kick to his face. He gasped as he heard a crack that was too loud for his ears. His hand automatically came up to his shades just as it shattered under the force of Akemi's attack. He was a bit shocked because his shades were never broken in any battle much less by an opponent. He then thought that perhaps this lad named Akemi was better than from the talks he had heard. Looking at him, he said, "impressive."

As their eyes came in contact, Akemi gaped. Temari too. The young Uchiha thought his movements were being read when in fact they weren't.

Kumo chuckled. "Is my being blind hurt your ego?"

Different reaction swept through the crowd at this statement.

"When we lost one of our senses, the others would make up for it," the Cloud shinobi explained. "And I sharpened my senses more. As long as you're within my three meters of range, I would feel, hear, smell and even taste you." He wasn't exaggerating when he said that. Of all of his senses, hearing was his sharpest. He could even hear the flexing of the muscles as if they were being shouted.

The infamous Cloud zone, Akemi thought. He knew he was at a disadvantage. Whether his attacks would be long-range or short-range it would be useless.

"Have you lost your fighting spirit now that you know of my disability? I don't need your pity," he almost snarled. For someone who was born blind, he always seeks a fair treatment. He didn't want to be pitied. He was tired of being pitied and being thought of as useless. He wanted to prove that even with his disability he could serve his village like everyone else.

To learn that a blind person could be as good as him or perhaps better hurt his pride at the same time amazed him. Kumo was better than some of the ninjas he knew. "Pity you?" he snorted. "I'm impressed that you got this far." He pointed at him even though his opponent won't be able to see it. "Despite your disability, I won't hold back!"

Kumo smirked, "just as I wanted."

Then he moved. He knew Akemi had an advantage when it comes to speed and was more powerful than him but the boy's heartbeat told him he was confused and troubled. He should be, because he had never fought a blind ninja before and he had no techniques to defeat him.

How are you going to cope up, Akemi? Sasuke wondered.

Akemi crouched down, disappeared and appeared at Kumo's left side. He delivered a punch at the slightest opening when he screamed as his body shook greatly. With an effort he bounded backward. He could still feel his skin tingling unpleasantly.

"You almost got me there," Kumo commented. The boy had increased his speed once more.

Akemi looked up to see the zone crackling with whitish violet light.

"The reason why the zone is dreaded is because of the electric particles I created with my chakra. To be electrocuted… even if the charge is small is unpleasant, right?"

Akemi's hands leaped in a series of signs while activating his sharingan. The blind shinobi smiled at the rush of chakra that reminded him of a raging river.

The young Uchiha's flame phoenix appeared and attacked his opponent. But that wasn't the only technique he had summoned. Kisho and his friends held their breath waiting for-

"There it is!" they chorused excitedly. "The balls of hell."

The crowd cheered as balls of fire shot out from the ground and Kumo was forced to leap in the air and evaded the orbs at the same time careful of the phoenix. Suspended in the air, twisting his body gracefully made him looked like an acrobat rather than a shinobi. Unable to keep evading them, he did a hand sign and a wave of electricity exploded from him destroying the phoenix and the fireballs at the same time making everybody's hair stand a bit.

My turn. Kumo smiled before he started snapping his fingers.

"Shit," Akemi muttered as he scrambled away from the flashes of lightning.

"That's unexpected," Ryouji commented, getting more worried.

"I wonder what he's thinking," Akira said. They had known their friend to have a habit of fighting at the same time thinking of plans but to him, at that moment their friend seemed too strained to think.

"Uchiha looked desperate," Yuuzuki heard one man commented and he had to agree. But they weren't aware that it was in desperation that Akemi seemed to grow stronger and exceed his current self.

Akemi arched his back as a bolt of lightning hit him. He looked at the sky, his vision getting blurry. Is there no way to beat him? He thought and in few seconds he heard voices.

"Enjoy your combat," his otousan said last night.

"Go and get wild," his chichiue said before the exam started.

"When we meet again, you'll be a jounin," Yuuzuki told him in a light teasing voice during breakfast.

"Niisan, it's not like you needed it but," Miki held a talisman for success, "during my mission we passed by a temple and decided to buy one for you."

"Niisan, remember what I said about beating you and aniki?" Kisho asked. "Until that time comes, you aren't allowed to be defeated by anyone."

"I pity the person who'll fight you," Ryouji said.

"Victory would be a cinch. After all you aren't called as the master of the game for nothing," Akira added.

Wishes, hopes, expectations, prayers and trusts... he won't let them crumble. He remembered his Chouji-sensei's words.

All problems have thousands of solution. But if you can't find them then make your own.

Make my own.

He'd make his own solution because that was what a master of the game does.

Before Kumo could snap his fingers, Akemi released a good amount of chakra which reminded the former of a volcano explosion rather than a raging river.

The crowd sighed at the sight of golden red dust floating beautifully in the air unaware that it was a genjutsu. A second later, all ordinary citizens and lesser ninjas slumped asleep while the others managed to release it.

Kumo wondered why the arena became suddenly silent. Was this due to the chakra his opponent released a second ago?

Neji nodded approvingly. The crowd with their cheering had helped the blind shinobi in detecting Akemi's position but now that they were asleep, Akemi had gotten rid of one of the disadvantages. The only obstacle that remained was the Cloud zone.

Akemi smirked. He made a hand sign and in a burst, his clones appeared. Naruto grinned at his son's kage bunshin.

Kumo concentrated. If he was right the number of clones was approximately around a hundred. He could hear everybody's heartbeats but the one who had the loudest was the one standing farthest from his left. He smiled and he made sure to pay attention to that sound for it will lead him to his opponent.

Sixty-five percent of the clones attacked and Kumo countered them with splendid with taijutsu and ninjutsu while moving towards the real Akemi. With a shout he focused a beam of electricity on the younger shinobi. He heard a poof and a sick feeling started pooling on his stomach.

He had been tricked. Perfectly.

Before he could do anything, he froze when he heard a whisper.

"It's over."

For once he was confused. How come he wasn't able to detect him? He got his answer a second later. He couldn't feel Akemi's chakra. His stealth was perfect but even still he should have heard his heartbeat, right?

"My maximum speed allows me to disappear from anybody's detection. But in your case it's a bit difficult."

"But you manage."

The Konoha shinobi nodded. "You said you could smell, hear, feel and taste me. That's because my scent is distinct but if I created clones and surround you with them..."

"Then your scent would become ordinary. And detecting you would be difficult and with your god-like speed it's impossible."

"Exactly," Akemi agreed.

"And to confuse me more you made me believe that clone was you. You moved in your maximum speed the same moment you created your clones."

"Don't use your chakra anymore. I have hundreds of fire shrapnel planted on the ground and they're hazardously sensitive to chakra that isn't mine."

Kumo sighed. "You win. You were, no, are splendid."

Akemi smiled. "You too. You made me work hard." He moved away and released his remaining clones and fire shrapnel.

"Akemi, don't forget to release the genjutsu on the crowd," Temari reminded him before announcing the winner. Most of the crowd looked irritated that they weren't able to follow the fight but no matter how they complained, it was useless. So they just had to content themselves to listening to those who witnessed it blow by blow.

-SasuNaru is love-

The next afternoon, the result of the exam was announced. There were only eleven shinobis who became jounin. Five of them were Maki- Kankuro's son, Kumo, Akemi, Ryouji and Akira.

When the two new jounins stepped inside the Uchiha mansion, they were greeted with cheers and showered with confetti. The two stood in front of their respective kages, waiting. The two leaders nodded at then in recognition of their skills and talent and approval of their new status. After that they went to their parents.

"I almost thought you couldn't do it," Kankuro said teasingly as he clamped his son's firmly.

"Amazing performance," Sasuke commented as he tousled his son's hair.

Akemi growled and slapped the hand away. "I told you not to touch my hair."

"You did?" Sasuke teased and repeated the action making the others chuckled.

They all moved to the banquet room where a feast was waiting for them.

Being the wife of the host, Naruto ensured that the food and drinks were flowing. And the others' wives and Iruka helped him.

"You haven't eaten properly, Naruto," Iruka said as he entered the kitchen carrying empty plates.

"You should eat now," Temari told him.

"Just let me finish slicing this squid and-" he paused as the knife was taken from him.

"Leave the slicing to me," Tenten said with a wink and pushed the blonde away.

"But-"

Ino waggled her pointer finger, "no need to worry. We aren't strangers so there's no need to make things formal and we aren't really strangers in this house so we'll manage."

"But if you want to make things perfect, leave it to Hinata. After all being the wife of a clan leader too, she's used to this, right Hinata?"

Hinata smiled and nodded to Sakura. "Leave it to us."

Naruto looked resigned, "well if you say so."

"Yes, we say so," all of them chorused before they pushed Naruto out from his kingdom.

-SasuNaru is love-

Past one in the morning, Tsunade and all male adults except Naruto were drunk and asleep. Kisho and his friends were sleeping in his room already. Akemi and his group were also in the former's room still talking. Yuuzuki and his age group were still awake but had retreated to his room. The teenage girls went to Miki's room if the squealing was any indication and then there was the loud chorus of 'no way' coming from that direction.

Yukina blushed as everybody gaped at her. It wouldn't be a surprise if few of them would probably hate her for dating Yuuzuki. She looked at them and gulped because the surprised look on their faces was now replace with predatory grins.

"Details!" they all chorused as they dove towards Yukina, wanting to squeeze all details from her.

While the teenagers were doing what teenagers as normal as them were doing, the wives were cleaning the banquet room as well as the kitchen.

"Here let me have it," Junko said, taking some of the blankets Naruto was bringing from him. The two then started draping it on everybody's sleeping forms.

"Sorry for causing trouble," Shino's wife said. Even though everybody's residences were near, they still ended up spending the night at the Uchiha mansion. They were too drunk to go home much less walked to the guest rooms.

The blonde chuckled, "no need to apologize. It's been awhile since everybody had as much fun as tonight and it's not always this place gets crowded."

After that he left to prepare the guestrooms and beds although something tells him these ladies would gather in one room and talk away while he and Iruka would spend the rest of the night together in one room.

"What are you grinning about?" Sakura asked as she joined him.

"Nothing. It's just nice to know that all the people I care about are here at my home," he replied, while straightening the beds.

Sakura nodded.

"When I was a child, I never thought to have such a big family much less a family." His head snapped backwards when a pillow hit him on his face, hard.

"What was that for?" he demanded while nursing his skin.

"You're getting depressing," Sakura replied then softly she added, "this family... it's your reward for staying strong and never giving up."

Naruto looked at her with wide blue eyes.

"Sakura-chan."

Once again, he was hit with a pillow.

"What now?"

"Because you're about to cry. Are you sure you're not drunk?"

The medic-nin smiled as the blonde laughed childishly.

TBC

Akemi isn't really arrogant. He just has this right confidence that can be mistaken as arrogance. I always pictured Akemi as someone similar to Sasuke but still retains his individuality. Everytime I think of Akemi, I'd say to myself "I want Akemi to be stronger and indepedent. Someone who struggles by himself while at the same time knowing that he can turn around and ask for support from his loved ones." I'm not so sure if I can really draw this kind of Akemi with words but I'm trying. And the reason why I'm talking about this is because... It's just a spurt of the moment. THanks.