Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters in this fanfiction.

Chapter 5

"So when do I fight?" Sasuke asked as he glared at the retreating back of his blonde teammate.

"You don't," Genma informed him.

Sasuke turned his glared to the shinobi before him, "I am here, I am the last Uchiha, and I will fight!"

Kakashi looked at Sasuke and sighed, "Sasuke-kun, we were late and you were disqualified, I'm sorry but that's just how it is."

Kakashi could tell immediately that Sasuke was about to explode and wisely placed a hand over his mouth before giving Genma an eye-smile and disappearing with his charge in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi and Sasuke reappeared in the stadium sending Kakashi a death glare who finally realized he was still covering his student's mouth, "Whoops!" he said before removing his glove covered hand.

"How dare you! I was supposed to fight Gaara! YOU told me I would fight Gaara! YOU…"

"…Should have seen the fight with Gaara-san" Maito Gai suddenly said as he appeared next to Kakashi.

That statement caused both Kakashi and Sasuke's heads to snap straight to the spandex wearing jonin.

Taking a deep breath and accepting that he was about to open a can of youth-filled worms Kakashi asked the question on both of their minds, "Uh, Gai-san, what do you mean?"

"It was a most youthful fight! The flames of Youth of both Gaara-san and Naruto-san shined as if a thousand suns were lit in the middle of the arena! Gaara-san's use of his sand was most impressive but it was useless against Naruto's teleportation ability! It was as if the Yondaime had been reborn among us! He's disappear and reappear right where he needed to be, he acted as if he knew where everything were going before it got there, it was such an amazing vision of YOUTH!"

Kakashi stared at the spandex wearing jonin in shock for a moment before looking past Gai to Asuma Sarutobi who grinned at the silver haired man before decided to take pity on him, "I won't lie Kakashi-san, it was pretty incredible to watch. He used something like the hiraishin, he just vanished in a flash of yellow light and the next thing we see is his opponent flying into the wall. No one could follow him, he was teleporting Kakashi, just like the Yondaime!"

Kakashi stared at his fellow jonin trying to process the information he had just received. His student. Naruto Uzumaki. The deadlast of the academy and village pariah had somehow resurrected the technique that had made his sensei famous and allowed him to almost single handedly defeat an entire enemy shinobi village.

And I told him he needed to work on his chakra control. Naruto… what have you been hiding from us? Kakashi wondered to himself.

As the adults spoke the young Uchiha felt his pride take blow after blow, Why does Naruto get this power!? I should have been given this ability to kill him!

Sasuke felt a pain in his neck and moved his hand to the cursed mark that resided there but despite the pain he also felt the allure of his power. It was as if it was reminding him of the time in the forest. Of the power it offered, the strength it could grant him if he chose to use it.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched them carry Gaara out of the arena in a stretcher and his ears began to register the words being spoken around him.

"That was incredible! I bet he'll make chunin with power like that!"

"Do you think he's his son?"

"What an amazing ability, I feel safer knowing the leaf has such power in it."

"Were we wrong about him all this time?"

It felt like dozens of conversations were taking place about his blonde haired teammate. Conversations which should have been about him! He should have fought Gaara and if he had the entire village would be speak about his power, his clan, his sharingan!

With Naruto

Naruto smiled as Jiraiya told him how proud he was as they walked up the stairs. He could almost feel Sasuke's glare on his back coupled with Kakashi's dumbfounded gaze. Naruto was still trying to sort his feeling out about everything. He had wanted his teachers respect for so long, he wanted the man to pay attention to him the way he did Sasuke, but now that he had that attention it just didn't feel important.

Naruto still wanted the attention, he still wanted Kakashi to brag about him as his student but then he'd feel his godfather's hand on his shoulder and the smile he had on his face. Everything Naruto could have ever asked for was right there next to him. Whenever Naruto looked into Jiraiya's face there was just something special there, a love for him he had only imagined before. Jiraiya was proud of him whether he won or lost he would still be proud but more than that, Jiraiya loved him.

Sure, he was still angry with Jiraiya for not being there for him when he was younger and he still needed to sort his feelings out completely but for the moment Naruto just basked in the glow of his godfather's presence.

"Well kid, I need to get back to the old man, you rest up while you can. After you win this thing we'll go out to the celebrate with all the ramen you can eat!" Jiraiya told him with a big smile on his face.

Naruto grinned up at him and grabbed the older man in a crushing his, "You got it godfather," he whispered into Jiraiya's coat.

Jiraiya smiled and rubbed Naruto on the head tenderly before separating and returning to his old sensei.

As Jiraiya returned to the kage box Orochimaru found himself at a cross-roads. With Gaara eliminated he doubted his forces would be able to actually destroy the village. And if Minato's son ever became truly involved in the fight he could wipe out their entire attack for within moments. But it was obvious the gaki couldn't control his power yet and it was tiring him greatly. He needed to strike now, before the child got his power under control. He had no choice.

As the stadium buzzed with anticipation of the upcoming final matches they all noticed hundreds of feathers suddenly drifting down from the sky as a massive explosion rocked the kage box.