Chapter 9: Strategy Is Always the First Casualty
"Naruto Uzumaki versus Tenten."
Tenten leapt from the balcony, gracefully landing two stories below and running to the centre of the arena. Conversely, when Naruto attempted to duplicate the feat, he landed on his head.
"I'm good, I'm good!" he hollered. "This floor is pretty soft!"
"You're fine because your head is as hard as a rock, yeah!" Zaku shouted.
"Good one," Kankurō snickered. A look from Gaara silenced him, drawing curious looks from some of the jōnin.
Naruto watched Tenten carefully. The Oriental girl was a year older than him and much taller, with a lean build made hard by endless training. Her clothes, which he suspected hadn't been changed since the second exam, had a massive stitch running from her left collar bone to the ribs in a quarter-circle. It looked like something had taken a bite out of her there, and if she had taken her blouse off it would have revealed an angry red welt on her left side. Her steel-grey eyes conveyed a bloody determination, something he was sure he could match.
Hayate gave Tenten a stern look. "You can back out if you aren't feeling well," he said, coughing lightly. "We don't encourage throwing your life away frivolously."
Tenten looked at him scathingly. "I am fine," she insisted.
The proctor shrugged. "Okay, Miss. If both combatants have recovered, eh, sufficiently, the match begins... Now!"
Tenten, Naruto soon discovered, had weapons. More weapons than he knew how to use, more weapons than he even knew the name of. More weapons than he could even count, after shuriken made a few Naruto-shaped dents in the wall and floor. Gasping desperately, Naruto was given no respite as Tenten continued to draw weapons seemingly from nowhere and press him relentlessly.
Enough was enough. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto declared, summoning a dozen shadow clones to take the offensive. Grinning hugely, Tenten pulled out a pair of blacksmith's hammers and engaged all of them at once. Yelling war cries, the clones drew their own weapons and engaged, but it soon became apparent that fighting Tenten in close range was foolish.
The real Naruto circled the fight, watching appreciatively as Tenten disarmed and dismembered his clones. It seemed that she had no problem murderously destroying clones, with a speed that suggested she could have easily skewered him with shuriken earlier in the match. He shuddered as a clone's memories returned to him, culminating painfully in a cranial fracture. Those hammers were lethal in the right hands, and Tenten's hands were definitely the right ones.
"Yaaah!" he shouted, jumping back to avoid something with two blades and a chain connecting them as it spun towards his throat. Tenten was laughing hysterically now, her twin hammers cutting through shadow clones like a hot knife through butter. Naruto hastily made another legion of clones, but that just seemed to add to her energy.
"You've made a mistake, Naruto," she jeered, executing a complicated backflip that resulted in two clones impaling each other. With cries of agony they dispelled themselves, returning the feeling of a kunai in the gut to Naruto.
Even as it happened, Naruto could tell she was right. His clones were dying faster now and in more grisly ways, unable to block Tenten's crushing assault without sacrificing limbs and suffering broken bones. She was twirling faster now, deliberately confusing the clones and using them to block one another out. The bottleneck was so efficient that most of Naruto's copies were reduced to standing there uselessly, until Tenten got around to killing them.
Then, she made a mistake. One of the clones lunged in and managed to nick Tenten's thigh, to which she responded by decapitating it with the blunt head of a hammer. Naruto howled in pain at the memory, but something else the clone showed him was vitally important: she was tired. Tenten hid it well, but creeping twitches and lax defences were starting to cripple her. As if in response, Tenten pulled a spiked chain out of her apparently bottomless weapon pouch and used it to shred the remainder of Naruto's clones into smoke.
"You're running out of chakra," she remarked, rolling the chain up and stuffing it back in the pouch.
"I can outlast you, believe it," he countered. "All I have to do is pull out a thousand shadow clones and you've had it."
"Please," Tenten snorted. "A thousand copies of nothing is still nothing. I haven't even used my most powerful attack yet. If you try to make that many shadow clones, I can kill them all without even breaking a sweat."
"Care to find out?" Naruto asked magnanimously. One thousand shadow clones appeared in puffs of smoke around the arena, each carrying a kunai and wearing an expression of murderous fury. Again, space constricted their attack, but Naruto had prepared them for it. They came in organized spirals, bravely throwing their lives away to make Tenten swerve and dodge, creating opportunities even as their died on her blades.
Tenten, true to her word, used her most powerful attack. Two scrolls, full of one-handed weapons and ninja wire, were unfurled in a striking double helix as Tenten leapt into the air. "Sōshōryū!" she cried, and enough weapons to arm the Land of Iron's samurai army slammed into the ground. If shadow clones could bleed, the arena would have drowned in the blood of Naruto's experiment. He doubled over, grunting as the memories of nearly a thousand deaths at once put significant stress on his psyche.
"Ready to give up?" she said carelessly, dropping the spent scrolls to the ground and arming herself yet again, this time with a long-handled nagamaki sword. "Your shadow clones have such a drawback, don't they? Humans were only meant to die once, after all. Keep making them and I'll keep killing them, just until you pass out."
"Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto snarled, again surrounding Tenten with clones. This time, there were only a hundred or so, not enough to justify using the Sōshōryū again. She eagerly began to demolish the clones with her sword, outplaying them at every turn and dispatching the copies with simple blows.
Her sword slid into the thigh of yet another Naruto... and stuck there. The real Naruto, who had evidently replaced himself with a clone and joined the melee, stuck his tongue out at her.
"Surprise!" he shouted.
Tenten stared at him stupidly, until a clone smashed the handle of a fallen weapon into the back of her head. Tenten dropped like a stone, and suddenly all of the were attacking her barehanded, punching and kicking her body until—
"ENOUGH!" Kakashi roared, his killing intent even from the stands dispersing the shadow clones. Most of the remaining genin dropped to their knees, envisioning their own deaths at the Copy Ninja's hands.
"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki," said Hayate, returning to the scene. "For the rest of you, be forewarned that attacking a defeated opponent will result in our intervention. Naruto, the Hokage will speak to you about this during your recovery."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the word 'recovery', then looked down at his leg. The nagamaki was still jammed into his thigh, and the wide blade was spilling blood rapidly. As the standby medics rushed in, he fainted from blood loss.
.:.
"That was unusually violent of him," Neji said stonily. "It seems that fate has decreed him greater than Tenten, by the grace of his true duplications."
"The shadow clone technique is extremely dangerous, both for the user and his opponents," Kakashi agreed. "Myself and the Hokage have tried to tell him that, but I don't think he ever listened. That was the first time his clones died en mass. It probably hasn't done him any good."
"How does that technique work?" Temari asked carefully. "I've seen Konoha ninja fight, but Naruto is the only one who's ever used that ability. Why haven't you taught it to more people?"
"Naruto is a special case," Kakashi answered vaguely. "For most, shadow clones are considered kinjutsu due to the sheer chakra required to make them. I myself can only manage fifty at a time, and only on a good day. The potential for killing yourself or being subjected to the mental stress Tenten put on Naruto is great enough that the First Hokage taught it to a chosen few and sealed the technique away."
"Why has the Hokage given Naruto such a dangerous ability?" the Hyūga asked, curious in spite of himself. "Naruto does not seem tactically proficient enough to make full use of the ability. It was only through grievous harm that Tenten was overwhelmed, and had she been more alert he would have lost all the same. Temari is a keen strategist, and the ability to create shadow clones would do her a world of good."
Temari looked over at Neji. "Was that a compliment?" she asked skeptically. He chose to ignore her.
The screen blinked on, announcing the next match to be Kagari versus Sasuke Uchiha. Kagari, another of Yahiko's students, dressed much like Oboro. The only difference was the band of cloth obscuring his eyes. He ambled into the arena with casual slowness, his skill in navigating the staircase down and knowledge of the location of the centre of the field suggested that his sight wasn't obstructed at all.
Sasuke came in from the other side, and they bowed together. Hayate looked from one blank expression to the other, then shrugged. "I'd appreciate it if neither of you tried to kill the other," he confided. "Begin!"
"Oboro Bunshin no jutsu!" Kagari said, water vapour solidifying into hazmat-clad copies of the Ame genin. In response, Sasuke set his own stance.
"I've been paying attention, and with my sharingan, that makes all the difference. Oboro Bunshin no jutsu!"
Before long, two camps of intangible clones were circling each other. Every once in a while, the Kagari group would make a coordinated shot at the Sasuke group, but the Sasuke group simply remained perfectly unconcerned with their attacks.
"What's going on?" asked Zaku, peering closely at the battle.
"The mist clones are unable to hurt one another, as they are only mist," said Kagari's orange-haired sensei. "However, it is probable that the real ninja is hiding amongst the clones, waiting in ambush for the other to make a mistake. Kagari has mastered the Dochū Eigyo no jutsu, which allows for greater range of movement."
"Underground... fish technique?"
Meanwhile, all of the clones had stilled. It was an eerie tableau, like the battle had stopped completely with no victor. Time stood still. Then, all of Kagari's mist clones dissolved into water once more, followed shortly by Sasuke's.
Sasuke himself emerged from the ground, as if he were climbing a staircase hidden beneath the surface. His left hand was supporting Kagari's body, and his right was clutching at a bloodstain on his black shirt. He dropped Kagari to the ground and shuffled away.
"Winner: Sasuke Uchiha," a confused Hayate announced.
All eyes settled on Kakashi.
"Doton: Moguragakure no jutsu," he said by way of explanation. "Hiding underground is a mediocre strategy, but Oboro used it in his fight against Sakura. Sasuke watched it and figured that his teamates would do the same thing, and when Kagari created the mist clones he knew he was right. Kagari probably suspected that Sasuke had learned the Oboro Bunshin no jutsu with his sharingan, but the handseals for the Projection Fish technique are performed under a disguise. He didn't know Sasuke already had such an ability, and was unprepared for being attacked underground."
"He got at least one good shot in," Yahiko argued.
"He's also dead, or would be if this was real combat," said Kidōmaru, effectively bringing the conversation to a close.
.:.
"Gaara versus Misumi Tsurugi."
The match was over terrifyingly quickly. Misumi was a tall man with dark glasses and a veil covering half his face. By contrast, Gaara was half his height, half his age, and looked pathetically defenceless standing in front of him.
"Begin."
Karura's sand surged forward, grasping Misumi by the ankle and swirling up his leg. Misumi's serpentine body modification allowed him to back away, but the sand dug implacably into his ankle. The result was Misumi standing some ways away, with his leg comically stretched out and until it was covered by the sand. The entire room stared at them, astonished.
Misumi laughed nervously. "I, uh, forfeit?" he said nervously.
"Mother wants your blood," Gaara whispered. The sand, which had thus far benignly held him in place, burrowed into his softened flesh. Misumi screamed as his leg was torn apart, but Gaara wasn't done. The sand rushed upwards, engulfing his entire body and drowning out the cries for mercy as it filled his lungs and clogged his mouth.
"Sabaku Sōsō," he growled, sounding positively demonic, and both Temari and Kankurō shivered. The sand clamped down on Misumi's encased form, crushing the life out of him. Shukaku sucked up the blood of Kabuto's teammate, and with that he was gone.
"Uhh... is he dead?" asked Hayate, talking to no one in particular.
"Yeah, he's dead!" Kankurō shouted from the stands.
The proctor coughed. "In that case... Winner: Gaara!"
.:.
"The next match will be between Neji Hyūga and Yoroi Akadō."
Neji looked at Yoroi the same way a man might look at a bug. Yoroi, like Misumi, was in his late twenties, and Neji was only a year older than Team Kakashi. Nevertheless, a vast gulf of skill seperated the two of them. Neji settled into the basic Gentle Fist stance, and Yoroi backed away nervously.
"I forfeit," he said weakly.
"Fate has decreed that you will lose," said Neji. "If you wish to spare yourself the pain of having your tenketsu forced open, that is your right."
"What the hell was wrong with him?" Zaku muttered. "There's no way that dork could beat him."
Kakashi stifled a laugh at hearing Neji described as a dork. Kidōmaru took the question.
"They're both Konoha ninja," he said. "Yoroi knows that Neji has the byakugan, a dōjutsu that gives the user unparalleled sight and access to a fighting style called the Gentle Fist. Even among Hyūga, Neji is revered as a prodigy, levels above what Yoroi will ever achieve. The fight was over as soon as it was called."
"Doesn't seem quite fair, does it?" said Mubi. "That some people are born powerful, and others are born with nothing."
"It is the responsibility of those with power to protect the interests of those without," Yahiko said gravely. "Even those who have nothing can gain everything, given the right circumstances. Of the legendary sannin, only Tsunade had power and prestige. Jiraiya and Orochimaru were orphans."
"Having a great teacher is no guarantee of anything," Kin argued. "Kidōmaru-sensei is a high-level ninja, but look at us! He barely teaches us anything! I had to beg one of his teammates for genjutsu lessons, and she kidnapped me for two weeks!"
"That's what happened?" Zaku exclaimed.
"She even made me pay afterwards, the bitch," Kin grumbled.
"Winner: Neji Hyūga!"
.:.
The final match between the remaining competitors was Kankurō versus Mubi, the third and final genin from Team Yahiko. In an interesting fashion statement, Mubi had opted to cover one eye and leave the other open, probably hoping to achieve an interesting medium between his teammates but in reality just neutering his depth perception. Kankurō had spent several days repairing Crow, scourging the puppet of the Curse Seal and Torune's nano-sized insects before deeming it safe for use again. The explosive tag launcher had lost its appeal, and so he calibrated the port to fire some more mundane projectiles.
"Begin!" Hayate declared, retreating to allow the fight to start.
Mubi didn't even try to conceal himself with mist clones, immediately allowing the earth to swallow him up. Kankurō snorted, turning around and walking towards the wall.
"Man, don't you Ame losers know how to fight?" he muttered. Mubi jumped out of the ground a few yards away, rushing Kankurō from behind. The Suna genin responded by stretching out a chakra thread, instantly bisecting the mist clone and rendering it useless.
Kankurō reached the wall, acting oblivious to Mubi's growing anxiety, and started to climb the wall with chakra. A few feet up, he took the wrapped bundle off his back and threw it to the ground.
More Mubi clones were emerging now, approaching the wall at random. Every time, Kankurō lashed out with perfect aim, wielding the puppeteer's trademark weapon as a whip to distinguish the clones from the original. Mubi, evidently running out of chakra, devised a new plan on the spot.
Whatever it might have been, Kankurō ensured that his downfall was swift. As soon as the Ame ninja emerged from the earth, Crow sprang to life. The puppet's arms and legs wound around Mubi, bringing him crashing to the ground. Something small, metal and poisonous shot out of Crow's mouth, piercing Mubi's skin and ending the match.
"Winner: Kankurō!" Hayate shouted, before dissolving into a coughing fit.
.:.
Hayate was forced to lie down and rest after the affair, leading to Might Guy offering to act as his replacement. The results were effective, if not ear-shattering.
"EIGHT OF OUR MOST YOUTHFUL STUDENTS HAVE REACHED THE MOST YOUTHFUL FIGHT IN KONOHA!" the green beast shouted. "IN ONE MONTH'S TIME, YOU WILL ASSEMBLE AND TEST THE FIRES OF YOUR YOUTH AGAINST ONE ANOTHER! ONLY THROUGH DEMONSTRATING THE RESULTS OF YOUR TRAINING WILL THE JUDGES SELECT YOU TO BECOME CHŪNIN!"
"How is he using genjutsu without hand seals?" Kin whispered to Neji, who shrugged. The background of a volcano spewing magma into the atmosphere was new, but strange things popped up behind Guy all the time. Even Lee was starting to do it, and he could barely use kawarimi without collapsing from overexertion.
Kakashi took his fingers out of his ears and picked up a small leather bag. "Please draw a number to determine your opponent in the first round."
As Naruto was absent, Kakashi drew a slip of paper marked '2' from the bag in his place. Sasuke drew a '6', and Neji an '8'. Kin and Zaku drew '3' and '5', respectively, and Temari, Kankurō and Gaara drew '7', '4' and '1'.
"FOR ONE MONTH YOU MUST FAN THE FIRES OF YOUR YOUTH! ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE PREPARED FOR THIS MOST YOUTHFUL COMPETITION!"
So, now we have our finalists: Naruto, Sasuke, Temari, Kankurō, Gaara, Neji, Kin and Zaku. I included Team Yahiko (Team Oboro in canon) as a plot device, but now I regret it. The original plan was for Oboro to beat Sakura, but I realized that they're just too gimmicky. I didn't want to write the same fight scene four times, so I had Sakura use an explosive tag leading to a double knockout. I hope Kin is up to snuff as his replacement.
The finals aren't random. I just chose pairings I think I can write the best fights for.
Gaara vs. Neji
Naruto vs. Temari
Kin vs. Sasuke
Kankurō vs. Zaku
Naruto's fight with Tenten is meant to illustrate an important point: the propensity for characters to use shadow clones as 'strategy'. As in, 'you used your secret technique on my shadow clone', or 'you just killed my shadow clone'. That's not strategy, that's just a cop-out. Going in that direction, everybody should have some sort of solid clone technique, and then fights would happen between clones. Then, shadow clones would be a liability, because they transfer the memories of their death. So, shadow clones will be a minor element in this story.