Chapter 3: Pre-Chuunin Battle

Naruto sat on top of his house, he was mad as hell, and not just because Neji had left or Ten-ten had died. He was mad because he had been looking for that guy for about a month and he hadn't seen him anywhere. It was like the guy was avoiding him! Naruto decided it would be best to cool off with some ramen. It was like Iruka-sensei told him. "A hot head will get a ninja burned." Or something like that. Anyway, he walked down to Ichiraku's for a bite of his favorite ramen.

He got there and ate it all in 10 seconds flat.

"More please!" he said happily. Ichiraku's always made him feel better.

"Another coming up!" said the owner, a kindly old man whom Naruto had grown to like.

After Naruto had finished his tenth bowl of ramen he paid and left. He was heading back to his house when he heard a strange noise. It sounded like someone speaking with something over their mouth. It was coming from a house next to him. He arched an eyebrow at the strange noise. He realized the sound was coming from the top floor in a house. He jumped onto a tree and peaked through the window. It was that genin kid! Uh, Jamus? Yeah! And he was with someone else. Naruto tried to get a good look at the other man but it was impossible. Jamus' hand was over his mouth. Naruto moved along the branch so that he could hear what they were saying.

"I know you had something to do with it so just admit it," said Jamus calmly.

The man started speaking incoherently behind Jamus' hand while wildly shaking his head. Jamus then placed his thumb and middle finger on both of the man's temples and squeezed. The man cried out in pain against his gag and thrashed around, but Jamus had too good a hold on him.

"Hey, stop it!" shouted Naruto. He crashed through the window just as Jamus turned around to face him. He bounced on the floor of the room and punched Jamus in the face. Jamus slid across the floor, away from Naruto and the man.

Naruto smiled smugly at Jamus. 'So much for mister super genin!' he thought. Suddenly, he saw at slight movement out of the corner of his eye. He jumped away just as a kunai knife embedded itself in a wall a short way from where he'd just been standing. Naruto turned and his eyes widened. The man had thrown the kunai.

"Wha? Why are you attacking me?" Naruto managed to say shakily.

"You are in the way," said the man simply in a low quiet voice that sounded somewhat nasally. The man had a scar on his forehead and his temples were very red. His eyes were dark brown and his hair was black, but graying. The man started to make seals.

Naruto acted fast, placing his two pointer and ring fingers in a cross.

"Shadow-Clone Jutsu!" he shouted. Five other Narutos appeared to either side of him just as the man completed his seals.

"Earth Style! Rock Fists Jutsu!" As he finished shouting this rocks came flying into the room and attached themselves to his hands till they were completely covered. Not an inch of flesh was visible on either hand. The man smiled, and Naruto frowned in frustration.

A Naruto charged the man, but was beaten aside and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The man pounded the ground with both fists, which caused such a rumble, all the Narutos fell over. The man attacked, punching the closest Naruto in the face then doing the same to the next one. Both vanished in puffs of smoke before the final two Narutos regained footing, but it was too late. The man's strategy was perfect, he had both Narutos by the neck and started squeezing. One vanished almost instantly. The man smiled a murderous smile.

"My name," he said "the last you will ever hear, is Jhi. Remember it, and tell everyone you meet in hell to fear it." Then Naruto vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Jhi's eyes went wide. "What? They were all clones?" Then ten Narutos burst through the floor and started to point and jeer at him.

"We fooled you!" One said holding his gut.

"And it was so easy too!" Laughed another.

"The…look on…your face!" choked out one right in front of Jhi. Jhi's face reddened with anger.

"Laugh it up while you can!" he raged, "But I won't fall for anymore of your tricks."

Suddenly all the Narutos were quiet and serious. Then one finally said, "Too late," and hands burst through the floor grabbing onto Jhi's legs. As he looked down all the Narutos rushed him, grabbing his arms, chest, neck, and pretty much anything they could find, all except two.

Jhi stood watching the two sweat dripping down his face. With all the Narutos on him he couldn't move. Then one smiled, "It's over," he said simply and normally. Then he stretched out a hand toward the other Naruto. The other then acted like he was hitting the firsts hand, but pulling back a short distance away. He did this several times very fast, till a blue glow began to form in the firsts hand. It started to take a ball shape and then solidified. It was chakra! So strong that it was visible. Jhi did not want to get hit by that, but he hadn't been getting what he wanted for a long time.

The second Naruto disappeared leaving the first all alone with a ball of chakra in his hand.

"Who are you?" asked Jhi, his mouth dry.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" The blonde haired youth replied. "The future Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village! Believe it!"

And with that he attacked shouting, "Rasengan!" The chakra collided with Jhi, making all the Naruto clones disappear and sending Jhi spinning into, and through, the wall.

Naruto walked over to the wall and looked down at Jhi. Jhi got up immediately and ran away, into the forest.

Naruto's first feeling was that of pride, for having beaten that ninja, but it quickly changed to shock. He had never seen anyone get hit by his Rasengan, and then just get up and walk, or in this case run, away. That man was obviously holding back. Naruto smiled, but that was Ok, he was too.

Naruto spun around to Jamus, but he was gone! He must have left while Naruto was fighting. Naruto frowned and gritted his teeth. 'That coward!' he thought to himself, 'I wanted to fight him, not some retard who doesn't know how to thank someone for saving their life!' Oh, well, they would fight soon enough, in the chuunin exams!

Naruto's eyes widened, "Oh no!" he said out loud, "The exams are tomorrow and I haven't gotten any sleep!" He looked around and found a clock, it read 12:23! "It's past midnight! There's no way I'll be awake enough for the exams!" Naruto sprinted home as fast as he could and went immediately to bed. The long awaited for exams had now become a dreaded test Naruto knew he wasn't ready for.

Daylight came swiftly, and with it, the start of the Chuunin Exams!