Please Enjoy and I only own Ami and her unique Justus. The chapters of the story will occasionally combined some episodes in to one. Please review to let me know your thoughts
Chapter 18: - A Failure's True Power
The day had finally arrived, it was time for the finals of the Chūnin exams, all had been peaceful and quiet until Naruto ran into the stadium we were to fight in, whilst be chased by a herd of bull.
"Hey wait, where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he looked about. I was also curious as to where the ravenette had wandered off to as he hadn't been seen since he went missing during my first visit to the hospital.
"I'm fighting Dosu but he's missing to," Shikamaru stated.
"I don't think he'll be coming," I muttered. Before our conversation could continue we were told to stop fidgeting and stand still by the proctor of the final exam. I watched as the Kazekage walked in and my hands clenched into fists, allowing my nails to bite into my skin as I clenched my teeth.
"Welcome all and my deepest thanks for coming here to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for this years' Chunin selection. We have come to the final competition between the nine candidates who made it through the preliminaries. We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed, now everyone enjoy," The third Hokage's voice rang out across the stadium.
"Oh there's one more thing before we get started," The proctor told us. He pulled out a sheet of paper and held it up for us to see, it was a revised version of the tournament match-ups, showing that Shikamaru was going to fight Temari and that I would fight the winner of their battle.
'I thought so.' I thought, as my gaze drifted over to Gaara. Naruto asked about what would happen to Sasuke and the proctor said that if Sasuke didn't show by the time his match was called then he would be disqualified.
"Alright listen up, the terrain's different but the rules are the same as before, that is there are no rules. The match continues until one candidate acknowledges defeat or dies. That being said, if I determine a match is over, I can step in and stop it at any time and no arguments permitted. Understood?" The proctor explained. All of us understood the rules clearly, the proctor called out Naruto's and Neji's names as they would be the first ones to fight, the rest of us headed up to a secluded balcony to watch.
As I was passing by I clamped a hand onto Naruto's shoulder and nodded at him, he nodded back and I left him to fight. After arrive at the balcony I began to look around at the stadium seats and I spotted some interesting figures, several ANBU Black Ops were stationed around the stadium 'Now what do they know that they're not telling.' I wondered in my mind, before turning my attention back to the match.
The boys squared off against each other, Neji questioned Naruto about anything he wanted to say, but Naruto simply repeated the promise he made during the preliminaries. Neji activated his Byakugan and assumed the gentle fist stance
"So much the better for me, I can't wait to see the look of despair on your face when you learn that your foolish vow is impossible to keep," Neji insulted Naruto.
"Are we going to stand here talking all day?" Naruto questioned as the wind seemed to pick up around them, summoning up a cloud of dust. "Let's get going. Show me what you got," Naruto pushed, eager to start a fight.
"Alright let the first match begin," The proctor declared as cheering from the crowd got louder. Things became tense as we waited for one of the participants to make a move, the sun glared down on the village, reminding me of the day that I came to this village.
Naruto make the first move, throwing several kunai at Neji, who dodged one and caught the other two. Naruto charged in and dodged the returned kunai, but as he threw out his punch Neji deflected it, Naruto swung up one of his legs and then jumped, spinning out of the way and went in for another assault which Neji easily blocked.
Naruto continued with his frontal, headstrong attack not thinking about Neji's Byakugan. The Hyūga then got in close and slammed his pal into Naruto's chest, disrupted Naruto chakra flow, which allowed Neji enough time to attack one of Naruto's chakra points and sent the blonde rolling backwards, luckily Neji had failed to hit the chakra point.
"Do you understand now? You have no way of beating me," Neji taunted the blonde. However this only encouraged Naruto even more.
"Get real, I was just checking you out, that's all. Ok now that we're warmed up, we can get started," Naruto responded, as he rose to his feet. He then make a familiar hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto declared. Puffs of smoke appeared around Naruto, fading away to reveal four Naruto clones. Each Naruto then withdrew a kunai from their pouch and held it in front of them.
"No matter you can't hide for long," Neji stated, completely undisturbed by the jutsu.
"Well we'll just see about that," The Narutos shot back.
"If you're coming then come on," Neji taunted the blondes. The blondes then warned Neji to never underestimate him, they then charged forward. Two attacked him first but Neji jumped over them, before diverting another two, the final one charged in, catching the Hyūga off guard by kicking him in the chin and sent him flying back… or so it seemed.
Neji smoothly landed on his feet, the attack having missed its' mark, two Narutos then went into attack however Neji jumped into the air and sun around, before striking both Narutos with his feet dispersing the clones. Another two went for an attack but Neji blocked the attacks and then dispersed those two clones, leaving the real Naruto alone.
"You thought you could be Hokage, it's absurd, never. These eyes of mine show me many things. One thing they shown me, people's limitations are set, fixed and unchangeable. Only a fool waste time trying to become something he'll never be," Neji berated Naruto, greatly angering the blonde in the process
"A fool? Here we go again, who are you to judge what a person can or can't be?
"Do you think anyone can be Hokage, that all it takes is a little hard work? Open your eyes, of all the shinobi in all the world, think of how few ever become Hokage. They were born destined to become Hokage, it is not something you become merely by trying to become it they were chosen by destiny," Neji ranted, and this sent a foul feeling into my stomach
'So was I destined to be a killer?' I wondered, angry at the boy's one sided view on things.
"Each person is given his own path to follow and he must follow it, obediently, to the end. There is only one destiny we all share equally… Death," Neji finished ranting. Anger rose up within me like a volcano about to explode due to the Hyūgas ignorant words
"Yeah so what? You can think that way if you want, people always tell me I just don't know when to give up," Naruto shot back at Neji before summoning more Shadow Clones. The clones charged in for a full force assault, however Neji easily dodge, blocked and counterattack every single strike and kick that was thrown his way.
"You think I can be fooled with a trick like that?" Neji questioned, before he charged through the throng of clones. I saw that he was heading for the Naruto that had remained at the back since the attack began. Neji got in front of Naruto and struck his fingers just below Naruto collarbone. "You're the one keeping out of range for fear of me striking your chakra points, like his. The more the others attack, the more you stand out for holding back," Neji explained. The clones then disappeared and Neji stated the Naruto he had attacked was the real one, however he was soon proven wrong, when the Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Two more Narutos then charged at Neji from behind, surprising the Hyūga… if only for a brief moment before a swirling vortex of chakra began to envelope him in a protective shield, forcing the two attackers began. When the spinning stopped a shallow crater encircled the area of were the chakra shield had spun.
Naruto got back to his feet and created more Shadow Clones, they attempted to attack Neji again, however his spinning chakra shield appeared again and flung all the clones and Naruto away from him.
"This is the end for you. You're in range and you can't escape my Eight Trigrams," Neji declared. I was confused by his statement and it appears so was Naruto, as he rose to his feet. "Gentle Fist Art – Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," Neji stated. He took a stance, with his legs being shoulder width apart and bent slightly at the knees and his arms were stretch to the full length, positioned at different heights which gave the illusion of weighing scales and the fingers were pointing to the sky.
He then broke the stance and charged in, landing a series of blows across Naruto's body, which the blonde was unable to block or dodge. Small bursts of chakra radiated from the contact and at the final blow Naruto was sent flying back. The proctor approached the two combatants and declared that the fight was over.
"I have now struck all 64 of your chakra points, you're lucky to still be breathing," Neji insulted the blonde. Naruto then began to force himself up and Neji continued to insult and berate him, calling him a fool for believing that he could be Hokage through hard work. However Naruto, being the stubborn knucklehead he is, rose to his feet prepared to continue the fight.
"Stop this madness, you'll only get more of the same. I have nothing against you personally," Neji told Naruto.
"Ha! That's touching, you're going to make me cry. Anyway I've got plenty against you," Naruto shot back at the boy.
"I don't know what you mean," Neji responded.
"You don't? And here I thought you were mister know-it-all. You don't remember what you did to Hinata? The way you worked on her with you mind games, tearing her down when she worked so hard to get here," Naruto explained to the boy.
"Never mind that, it doesn't concern you," Neji responded, attempting to bat away the problem as if it was nothing.
"You mocked Hinata calling her a failure. All that stuff about the great Hyūga Clan, main household, branch families. WHO CARES?! It doesn't give you the right to decide who's a failure! That's what I've got against you," Naruto shot back, his voice rising at the end showing how angered he was.
"Very well if you're so interested, I'll tell you about it. The Hyūga Clan's heritage of hatred. For generations the main household of our clan has practiced a secret Ninjutsu, known as the Curse Mark Jutsu. The Curse Mark is the symbol… of a bird locked in its' cage, it's the mark of those who are bound to a destiny they cannot escape," Neji began to explain. I could see the pain shining so clearly in his eyes as he spoke, he reached up and undid his forehead protector, revealing that seared onto his forehead was a green X and two line with hooks on the end reaching for the X.
"That's the Curse Mark?" Naruto question, upon seeing the emblem.
"I was four years old when the leaders of my clan branded this symbol onto my forehead with their Curse Mark Jutsu. On that same day a great celebration took place in the Hidden Leaf Village after many years of war a peace treaty had at last been reached with the Land of Lightning and they had sent the head cloud ninja to sign the treaty and join in the celebration," Neji continued to explain.
"Everyone was there to welcome our old enemies, every Genin and Jōnin in the Leaf Village. Only one clan was absent, the Hyūga Clan, because this was the day on which the heir to the main household was to turn three. It was Lady Hinata's third birthday," Neji continued, he then turned around and it seemed he was looking at someone in the audience, it turned out this man was Hinata's father.
Neji went on to explain that his father and Hinata's father were twins, but since his was born second he was made a branch family, Neji also explained that some nights later Hinata was kidnapped but her father saved her and killed the man, however the man had been one of the cloud ninjas that signed the treaty. For recompense to the breaking of the treaty the Hidden Cloud Village demanded Hinata's father's body and they got it… except that it was Neji's father instead.
Neji reattached his forehead protector, and after Naruto told him that his father's dead had nothing to do with destiny, Neji went in for the attack. He thrust out his hand and it slammed into Naruto's chest, sending the boy rolling across the ground.
"Proctor, it's over," Neji told the man, before turning his attention back to Naruto. "You're a failure," He told the blonde and began to walk away.
"W-Wait," Naruto called out as he struggled to his feet. "Don't walk away from me. I'm not done yet, I don't quit and I don't go back on my word. That's my Nindō my ninja way," Naruto continued as he held himself up.
"Ha, I've heard those words before," Neji spat back and Naruto.
"You and your stupid destiny, well if you believe it, why are you the one walking away," Naruto shot back at the brunette. This comment only served to anger Neji.
"You impudent little brat. Why waste my breath explaining it to you? We are all given a destiny at birth and it's pointless to fight against it. You don't know what it's like to be branded with a mark that sets you a part, A MARK THAT CAN NEVER BE WIPED AWAY" Neji hissed out, anger and pain filled every inch of his face as he spoke.
However Neji's words couldn't have been any more opposite, Naruto did bear a mark that made everyone hate and fear him for no reason other than being a Jinchūriki. I looked at Naruto as his shoulder heaved up and down, the only sign of him actually being alive, for once the blonde was deadly still apart from that one movement.
"Oh yeah, I know what that's like, well big deal, who cares," Naruto spoke up. This angered Neji but Naruto kept going by saying that Hinata only wanted Neji's respect and that Neji himself was going against his own destiny because of when he tried to kill Hinata.
"I have blocked all sixty-four of your chakra points, how are you planning to keep fighting when you can't use your chakra against me. It's fitting that you sympathise with Hinata because you're about to share her fate," Neji informed the blonde.
"Oh really. You think that Byakugan of yours sees everything? You know everyone's weakness? Right?" Naruto taunted Neji.
"That's right, but if you think you're the one to prove me wrong well be my guest," Neji taunted back. Naruto eagerly accept the challenge and widened his stance a little, I had to wonder what my teammate was going to do as all his chakra was blocked off.
"Proctor this has gone on long enough, I suggest you stop the match. If he's foolish enough to continue to fight, I will not be responsible for what happens to him?" Neji spoke up after a few minutes of stillness. However shortly after that Naruto formed a hand sign and despite Neji telling him it was hopeless Naruto continued to use the hand sign.
"Cause people call me a failure… and I'll prove them wrong," Naruto responded to Neji's questions. Suddenly the same shift in the atmosphere as from the Forest of Death occurred and I realised that whilst Naruto's normal chakra was locked up the chakra of the demon inside of him wasn't and this was proven correct when faint wisps of red chakra began to encircle Naruto.
The chakra only became more intense allowing everyone to finally see it, the other participants were shocked by the chakra's appearance with Gaara being among them. The chakra writhed and lashed like tails before eventually cooling and disappearing before returning as a cloak around Naruto's form.
'He strong, stronger than before.' I thought, as the battle continued. Naruto had moved at such a fast pace that Neji barely had time to block the shuriken Naruto threw at him with his chakra shield which was called Rotation. Neji then returned the weapons with some more, but Naruto's speed allowed him to easily dodge them.
Naruto then launched a strike, which Neji barely managed to dodge, they both drew kunai and threw the weapons at each other, the kunai collided in mid-air and ricocheted backwards. Both boys then jumped into the air, grabbed their weapons and clashed in the air, before landing on the ground.
"Ok you, so I hear you like close combat?" Naruto questioned, before he charged in. "It maybe the Hyūga way to cave into destiny but it isn't mine, if you think it's futile to fight then don't, just stand there and take it. I'll change the way of the Hyuga clan after I become Hokage," Naruto declared as the two clashed, Neji's Rotation just starting as the chakra increased the force of their attack.
A loud explosion rang out as debris and dust flew up into the air, blanketing the battlefield in a shroud, when the dust finally cleared I saw that there were two craters in the ground and both were still smoking. A hand emerged out of the crater nearest to the proctor and the person pulled themselves out, revealing it to be Neji.
Neji slowly approached the other crater, struggling to walk, showing the extent of the damage. Within the other crater as an unconscious Naruto, Neji once more began to talk down to Naruto however he didn't get very far because the ground underneath him cracked open and out came Naruto, who swiftly uppercut Neji, sending the older boy skidding backwards.
"I can't move," Neji called out. I knew this battle was over with Neji unable to move and Naruto still standing the blonde was the winner, the Naruto in the crater was revealed to be a clone and that there was a hole hidden underneath the clone. Neji and Naruto had a small chat and Naruto was declared the winner and everyone began to cheer for him.
'Incredible. Naruto truly is one of a kind, and if he can change what he was 'destined' to be so can I.' I thought finally feeling like there was truly someone I could believe in since my ninth year of life.