Chapter 14: Chapter 14
"The two of you may begin now" Genma yelled before flipping backwards and away from the two genin.
Naruto ignored the excited roar of the crowd as he stared intently at the Sound Ninja that stood before him.
His cheerful demeanor from a few moments earlier was replaced by a fierce look of determination as eyed Dosu from head to toe.
'Oi this guy could be a pain in the butt, he did take out Choji with one attack in the prelims' he thought.
"Interesting...I was lead to believe you were the sort to charge first and ask questions later." Dosu said his voice somewhat muffled before he began to pace back and forth as he studied the blonde.
"I suppose you can only believe half of what you hear..." Dosu mused before he finally stopped in place his outline blurring a moment before he sprung forward swinging his gauntlet as he neared the blonde.
Naruto's hand slipped into his kunai holster and it seemed as if his nerves got the best of him as one of the kunai clattered to the ground as he managed to raise another one up just in time to intercept the gauntlet.
"What was that...he shouldn't be making mistakes like that now." Sasuke said frowning as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Perhaps his nerves are showing...and it was just a mistake..." Shino said quietly.
"It is the first time any of us have fought in front of so many people...you might be right. I have to say I feel bad for him, he surprised all of us by beating Kiba, but this guy might be too much for Naruto" Sakura added a moment later.
'Troublesome blonde...that wasn't a mistake...what are you up to ?' Shikamaru wondered as he leaned lazily against the rail, his thoughts were interrupted by a surprisingly confident Hinata that stood, but a few feet away.
"No Naruto-kun and I didn't train this hard to make mistakes like that now." Hinata said earning a surprised look from the trio and a glare from Neji who stood several feet away.
"Once a failure...always a failure.." Neji stated coldly before smirking. However his words did not have the effect on his Cousin that he had anticipated, instead she simply smiled and shook her head.
"Your wrong Nii-san, just watch and see" she said before she turned to look back at Naruto.
'I believe in you Naruto...you can prove them all wrong' she thought as she leaned forward and gripped the railing tightly.
Naruto and Dosu were currently in a stalemate with Naruto holding back Dosu's gauntlet with a single Kunai.
"To be so small your surprisingly strong...though it seems you've already made a mistake." he said as he applied more strength and began to slowly force Naruto towards the ground.
"I think your getting ahead of yourself...you haven't won yet.."Naruto said offering a grin to the sound genin.
"Oh I think I have...sometimes one mistake is all you need to make in a battle..." he said as reached out and placed his offhand onto his gauntlet before he began to channel chakra through the Gauntlet.
Immediately an ear piercing sound shot out of the gauntlet and right into Naruto. Rather then incapacitating the blonde as the Sound genin had expected the blonde before him poofed into thin air earning a shocked look from Dosu and the other onlookers.
Not even a half second passed before another poof was seen from the ground where the Kunai had been dropped only moments before. As the Kunai disappeared it was replaced by the missing blonde genin who rocketed upwards before uppercutting the much larger boy in the chin sending him flying backwards, however Dosu caught himself in midair and somersaulted backwards landing uneasily on his feet as he studied the blonde.
Naruto grinned wildly. "So I was right...that gauntlet of yours is the main source of your strength. I figured as much after watching what you did to Choji, so I decided to get in close and see what it was made of." he explained.
Dosu actually chuckled as he looked at his gauntlet noticing only the smalls of scratches on his surface. "In other words you never intended to beat me with that exchange...you were only testing my gauntlet. Quite clever...I must admit, even down to utilizing a clone and a henge to fool me. However you now know that my Gauntlet won't be broken easily and I assure you I won't be deceived again. I would advise you to forfeit." he suggested.
"No way...I didn't come this far to back down now...this match is far from over he said as he began to form several hand signs.
"Hnn I should have known he was up to something, you better pull something out of your hat Naruto. You better not lose until I get a chance to fight you." Sasuke said with a smirk.
Lee pumped his fist. "Yosh that's the spirit Sasuke! I look forward to our match and showing you the power of youth" Lee yelled exuberantly earning sweat drops from most of the other genin and a glare from Gaara.
"Lee-san calm down..." Sakura said as she tried to calm the hyperactive genin.
The conversation around fell on deaf ears for Hinata who still leaned against the railing starring intently at the match.
'Ano...what will you do now Naruto-kun?' she wondered to herself.
"You're wasting your time..."Dosu said as he crouched before holding out his gauntlet.
"Heh we'll see about that " Naruto said as he finished his hand signs and summoned another three clones into existence before he held out his palm.
One of the clones leaned over and with both hands began molding chakra into his palm.
As a few moments began to pass the chakra in his hand began to take shape and become visible...
"Kid what are you thinking...you know you don't have that Jutsu down completely. Now's not the time to be experimenting with shadow clones." Jiraiya said as he folded his arms across his chest and frowned.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the Toad Sage. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked.
Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah...it's exactly what you think." he said as he remembered back the last month of training.
*Begin Flashback*
"Gah I just can't do it..." Naruto exclaimed.
"Ano...I'm sure you'll get it eventually Naruto-kun." Hinata said quietly.
"Kid there's a reason why that Jutsu is an A rank technique. Give it some time and worry about finishing it after the exams." Jiraiya said.
Naruto frowned a moment. "It's just so hard...it's like trying to look into two directions at once..." he said pausing as his eyes widened, after a moment a smile spread across his face.
"Heh I'll get that Jutsu down in no time...But I'm ready to continue our other training Pervy-Sage" Naruto said.
Jiraiya just shook his head before smiling. "Alright you two we still have a lot left to do and we don't have much time left..." he stated before he reached for the scroll on his back.
*End Flashback*
"So Naruto wasn't able to finish that move? " Kakashi asked.
Jiraiya shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of...then again the kid had this look in his eye...who knows he is the most unpredictable Ninja I've ever known, I just hope he knows what he's doing. That sound ninja won't give him another chance if he fails." he said.
Kakashi simply eye smiled. Fail or pass he was sure that his Sensei would be proud to see Naruto right now...
"What is that ?" Sasuke asked as he stepped forward peering down at the battle below.
A few of the other Genin looked on curiously while Hinata looked incredibly nervous for a moment before she took a deep breath.
"Naruto-kun is about to show you his new technique..." she stated her eyes never leaving the blonde.
'You can do it...I believe in you.' she thought as her small hands gripped the railing to the point that her knuckles were white.
'Incredible the chakra is so concentrated it's visible' Dosu thought his one visible eye widening as he unconsciously took a step back.
Naruto gritted his teeth as he looked down at the sphere of chakra that was now formed in his right hand. It was incredibly unstable, if he failed to hit his mark or lost concentration he doubted Dosu would give him the chance to attempt this a second time.
Dosu finally relaxed. "I see...that move must be quite powerful, however you expending so much energy and concentration to maintain it. There in lies it's weakness" he stated as he grabbed his gauntlet with his other hand and began to channel chakra into it. After a few moments the entire gauntlet began to reverberate before Dosu held it out in front of him.
"My arm will render you unconscious before you can ever hope to strike me down." he stated
Naruto took a deep breath. 'Well I guess it's time to get creative then' he thought as he looked to the clones surrounding him.
One of the three clones sprung into action as it dashed forward towards the sound Ninja and his deadly gauntlet.
As it reached within the proximity of Dosu's gauntlet's effect, it was destroyed within a matter of seconds resulting in a poof of smoke.
The smoke served to obscure Dosu's line of sight for just a moment, Long enough for the blonde genin to act. Utilizing his remaining two shadow clones the two clones hoisted the original Naruto in the air before hurling him forward towards Dosu...
As his vision became clear Dosu held out his arm channeling his chakra through his gauntlet as Naruto soared towards him hoping to repel the blonde or stop him before he reached him.
Naruto gritted his teeth as the sound waves began to reach him, he focused all his attention into maintaining his attack as he finally reached his mark as he collided his ninjutsu into Dosu's gauntlet.
"RASENGAN" he yelled.
A loud explosion was heard as all the onlookers could only wait to see the result of the exchange as the smoke began to clear.
As the smoke finally cleared Naruto could be seen on one knee looking disoriented with blood coming out of his ears but otherwise alright, Dosu on the other hand was laying on the ground several feet away struggling to move, his entire gauntlet lay shattered in pieces around him. To the surprise of those watching the sound genin made his way to his feet with some difficulty before focusing his one visible eye on Naruto.
"I concede..." he said after a moment earning a look of surprise from the blonde.
"What? But why?" Naruto asked as Genma could be seen approaching the duo.
"As you said my Gauntlet was my main source of power with it shattered and with as little chakra as I have left it would be pointless to continue."
Naruto nodded numbly as Genma stepped forward.
"Dosu Kinuta concedes the fight, Naruto Uzumaki is the winner" Genma stated earning a brief pause among the audience before surprisingly a resounding applause could be heard. Though one cheer could be heard above the rest and from an unexpected individual.
"Way to Go Naruto!" Hinata yelled earning some surprised looks from the surrounding genin.
"I can't believe this is the same Naruto from the academy" Sakura said her eyes wide as starred down at the blonde. 'Then again all of team 7 has changed...maybe more so then any of the other teams, Naruto has grown as a Ninja, Sasuke seems a lot friendlier now, and Hinata she was never this confident at the academy. I wonder which of them has changed the most.' she wondered as she looked from Naruto to the other two members of team 7.
"Indeed it seems he has grown leaps and bounds."Shino noted quietly.
'Naruto you've grown much stronger, but if I know you, you've got a lot more in store. I'll just have to win my match...now more then ever I want to fight you.' Sasuke thought as a smirk spread across his face as he saw the blond approaching the waiting area.
From the stands Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged a look.
"Heh well I'll be not who I had put money on, and to top it off the Kid managed to learn a powerful A rank Ninjutsu." Izumo said as he leaned back in his seat.
"Izumo you do know that was the Rasengan, the Fourth's own attack, what I can't figure out is how that pipsqueak managed to learn it." Kotetsu said frowning as he crossed his arms.
"Eh I wouldn't put too much thought into it, Kakashi is his Sensei, and wasn't he on the Fourth's team?" Izumo asked.
"Yeah I guess that would make sense, but still using shadow clones and the Rasengan...it's not something you see with a Genin. Hard to believe this kid was apparently the last of his class." Kotetsu mused.
"Well I'll be the kid the figured out how to look both directions after all. I can see it now...The Toad Sage trains another future Hokage" Jiraiya said before laughing out loud.
"Umm you do realize that I'm Naruto's real sensei don't you?" Kakashi asked as he lazily looked over at the Toad Sage seated next to him.
Jiraiya continued to laugh boisterously before he looked over at Kakashi. "Huh did you say something Kakashi?" he asked.
Kakashi sighed. He now finally knew how Gai felt around him.
The crowd finally began to die down and after a monetary pause Genma looked up at the waiting area.
"Can I have Rock Lee and Sasuke Uchiha down here for the next match." he said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and studied the duo.
'This should be an interesting match' he mused to himself before his gaze shifted over to the blonde.
'I didn't really expect that blonde kid to win, if nothing else this exam is proving to be anything but predictable' he thought to himself.
"So...Its my turn, I've been looking forward to this" Sasuke said as he looked over at Lee who looked exuberant.
"Yosh!" Lee exclaimed pumping his first into the air before flipping down to the ground below.
"Hehe good luck Sasuke, you better win or you'll never here the end of it." Naruto said with a wide grin.
"Ano Sasuke do your best..." Hinata offered with a small smile.
Sasuke smirked. "Yeh I'll be back in no time.." he said as strode forward stopping as pink haired kunoichi touched his shoulder as he passed.
"I know you can win Sasuke-kun..." Sakura said offering him a shy smile.
Sasuke paused looking at her a moment before actually smiling. "Thanks Sakura" he said before he turned and jumped down to the battle area. He landed on the ground and walked over to the middle of the field next to Lee and Genma.
Gaara was watching Sasuke from the waiting area like a lion watching its prey. He had a evil murderous expression upon his face.
'Not good. I haven't seen Gaara this way in quite a while.' Temari thought to herself.
"H…hey Gaara, about the plan, do you under-."
"Shut up fool, I know." Gaara cut her off.
'Mother he is but one that I shall feed you very soon' Gaara thought as an evil glint could be seen in his eyes as well as a dark smirk.
"Alright the two of you know the rules, without any further ado let the second match begin." Genma stated before he sprang back away from the two genin.
Sasuke not wasting any time hurled several shuriken at Lee, who quickly reacted by flipping backwards with a series of quick handsprings. After a few moments Lee darted forward in a flash before leaping into the air.
"Dynamic Entry" he yelled
Sasuke eyes widened as he barely managed to react in time as he held his arms out in front of his body just as Lee's foot collided into him pushing him back about fifteen feet. Lee flipped backwards a moment before taking his typical Taijutsu stance.
Sasuke felt a pain shoot through his entire frame as he studied Lee.
'After all all this training,and it seems like I still can't afford to hold back against Lee. He has speed and strength on his side, but I can utilize his weaknesses to my advantage' he thought before he jumped backwards, in the process creating a larger gap between him and Lee. As he stared at Lee he began focusing Chakra to his eyes before activating his two tomoe Sharingan.
"Guy Sensei told me about the Sharingan and what it's capable of, but I'm not afraid. If I can defeat you Sasuke I can finally prove myself to Sakura-chan and furthermore I can have the chance to confront my rival, and prove to him that a genius of hardwork can defeat a natural born prodigy." he said his eyes looking up at the waiting area for but a moment before looking back at Sasuke.
Sasuke was surprised he hadn't really expected to converse much with Lee.
"You must be talking about Neji...hnnn to be honest Lee I hope it's not you or me that defeats Neji. I guess we'll just see, as far as everything else, lets save the small talk for later" he said as he shifted his feet before he began to form a series of hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu." Sasuke shouted.
A huge fireball with great force came barreling towards Lee. As the fireball grew close Lee leapt into the air unaware he was playing into Sasuke's hand. As Lee was in the air he caught sight of Sasuke too late as the Raven haired Ninja kicked him further into the air before disappearing.
'impossible...Sasuke's speed...how could he improve this much' Lee wondered though his thoughts were cut off as Sasuke reappeared behind him shadowing him as he continued soaring upward through the air.
"Feeling a sense of Deju Vu I bet..." Sasuke said smirking as Lee tried to elbow him only for Sasuke to dodge and counter attack as he flipped Lee in midair.
"Barrage of Lions." Sasuke shouted.
Using the downward momentum he began a series of quick and powerful blows before he planted his knee into Lee's stomach just as they came crashing down into the ground. Sasuke flipped away from his adversary trying to judge the damage he inflicted, only to be surprised as Lee rose with little difficulty.
"Give up already Lee you can't win against me, not again" Sasuke said hoping Lee would indeed forfeit so he wouldn't be forced to expend anymore energy.
"Yosh you certainly are confident Sasuke. However Guy Sensei has always taught me to train hard, but to never use more strength then is needed to accomplish a task. Though it seems like I need to show you the truth power of youth" Lee exclaimed as he began reaching for his leg weights.
'So Lee was holding back all along even during our first match, this isn't good...I might have to use it.' Sasuke thought as he glanced up at Kakashi up in the crowd.
As he looked back Lee was gone and only a split second passed before he felt a fist be buried into his gut sending him flying backwards. Sasuke landed quickly wiping some blood from his mouth as he starred at Lee.
'His speed has increased exponentially...I have to remain focused. My Sharginan should still be able to see him, but if I'm careless he could finish me off...I refuse to lose again' he thought growling before he darted away from Lee and all the way to the other side of the battle area until he was standing vertically upon the wall. He performed a few hand seals and then began concentrating chakra into his hand. Sasuke's chakra started to appear visible by the spectators of the fight, "Alright here I go." Sasuke said to himself.
He ran down the wall onto the ground charging straight for Lee, Sasuke slammed his Chidori right where Lee was standing only moments before only to meet thin air now as the Green beast was nowhere to be seen.
'Dammit the Chidori is powerful, but against someone as fast as Lee, I don't know if I can find an opening to strike' he thought as he released the Chidori and turned just in time to collide fists with Lee.
The duo began a Taijutsu exchange that lasted for about ten minutes, Lee had the advantage in pure speed and strength, however Sasuke's reflexes and counterattacks were proving effective as he began to catch the Taijtsu specialist off guard time and time again until finally Lee managed to land a blow forcing Sasuke backwards.
Lee held both of his arms out by his sides before a swirl of chakra could be seen visibly circling around his body as his muscles began to bulge.
'What is that?' Sasuke wondered his eyes narrowing as he studied Lee.
'Whatever it is, it requires concentration, he's rooted for a moment... it's time I try the Chidori again' he thought as he held out his right arm and began to channeling chakra with the use of his offhand.
Kakashi's one visible eyes widened as he looked over at Might Guy who had a wide grin on his face.
"You taught Lee the gates? Gai you know how dangerous that is." he said disapproval slipping into his voice.
Gai frowned for a moment before looking over at his rival. "No more dangerous then teaching Sasuke the Chidori and not to worry Lee knows his limits. He won't open more gates then he has to." he said before he looked back at his pupil.
'You must feel pushed to the brink Lee, I hope you can get the job done quickly, you know what will happen once that initial surge of power and speed have worn off.' Gai thought as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Gate of Opening" Lee yelled.
Sasuke dashed forward not waiting a moment longer for Lee to finish as he cocked his hand backwards and slammed his extended hand towards Lee, at the last moment he shifted his strike using only his palm to avoid a fatal strike.
The surge of energy behind the strike sent Lee skidding back across the ground, but by some miracle he managed to remain upright though breathing deeply before he spoke again as the chakra output around him increased.
"Gate of Healing." He cried.
Moments later all of his wounds both superficial and serious began to heal much to the surprise of Sasuke.
"Gate of Life" Lee stated as his voice began to grow deeper as his skin turned a deep red.
Sasuke's eyes widened. 'This is incredible...I can't match this power. To think someone without Ninjutsu or Genjutsu could be his powerful...wait maybe that's it. I have but one chance and I'll have to wait till his chakra is no longer spiking' he thought.
"Gate of pain...Gate of Limit" Lee yelled his voice booming across the field as his hair began to spike up.
Sasuke took a ready stance as he tried to anticipate the super powered Lee's next move.
"Sasuke this is the first time I've ever been forced to go all out, you've been a worthy opponent" he stated.
"As have you Lee" Sasuke said his eyes locking with Lee's for a long moment.
'But it's time to finish this' they both thought at the same time.
Lee vanished from sight before reappearing in front of Sasuke and delivering a super powered lightning fast kick. To his amazement the raven haired Ninja dodged it.
'Impossible...that must have been luck' Lee thought as he disappeared before appearing behind Sasuke this time.
"Leaf Rising Wind" He yelled as he tried to hit Sasuke and launch him upwards, again he proved incapable of making contact with the Uchiha.
Strike after strike Lee found himself incapable of landing a blow on Sasuke as time continued on he felt his body beginning to grow weary as the aftereffects of opening the gates began to settle in.
He finally collapsed to one knee as he studied Sasuke who stood silently a few feet away from him.
As he was panting he watched in amazement as the Sasuke before him vanished and he felt a cold piece of metal being pressed to his throat. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Sasuke standing there.
"But How?" Lee asked between breaths.
Sasuke frowned. "Unfortunately Lee...I realized I have a long way to go before I can defeat you in a Taijutsu match. When you finished powering up, the moment we met eyes before you attacked I cast a genjutsu. You've been fighting an illusion, I knew if I could cast it on you I could let you wear yourself down and force you to surrender." He said.
Lee smiled sadly. "I thought it was strange how you could dodge me with that many gates open, I had no idea I was even in a genjutsu." he said.
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah I know someone who struggles with Genjutsu as well, I realized with your new power and speed it was my only option."
Lee bowed his head. "For what it's worth Sasuke this was an excellent fight...I concede to you." Lee offered.
Genma stepped forward before waving his arm towards Sasuke.
"Winner Sasuke Uchiha." he stated to which a loud roar of applause soon followed.
Sasuke lowered his kunai as he held out his hand to Lee.
The defeated genin smiled before taking Sasuke's hand and rising to his feet.
Genma allowed a smile as he watched Sasuke help Lee across the field and towards the waiting area.
'This Genin are something else, it's amazing to think this is the first exam for each of them. I honestly have no idea who will win.' he thought as he shifted the senbon in his mouth before looking towards the stands as he prepared to call the next Match.