Naruto:Death's Second Chance

by Le loup de Kaiser

Ever since the attack of the Kyubi, Naruto was shunned as ‘Konoha’s Demon’ when he was born with the Kyubi sealed in him. His life was miserable beyond grief. NaruHina, Naruto/Bleach Crossover.

25. The Chunin Exams

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Ever since the attack of the Kyuubi, Naruto was shunned as 'Konoha's Demon' when he was born with the Kyuubi sealed in him. His life was miserable beyond grief. Time passed by and he has slowly proven himself as its jailer instead of its incarnate. But despite this, love never truly touched the young jinchuuriki's heart until death came over him.

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A/N: I do not own Naruto, Bleach or any other canonical characters. If I did, I wouldn't be here in FF now would I?

A/N: (Drops the minigun and saw all the sleeping haters and former fans upon piles of rubble.) Here's another great chapter for you guys. With the plot thickening and deadlines knocking on my head, I managed to write this out.

Barkeep: How'd you manage to do that while punching them full of tranq bullets?

I can multitask... I think. But now that the fans are either asleep or happy with the pace, I can work on the next set of things to do. This will be a very exciting chapter. It might span into the next chapter if I can't squeeze it in all here. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter while I help the disgruntled barkeep cleanup his bar... before he rants about how he lost the girl of his dreams to his idol in his former occupation as a manga artist.

Barkeep: Hey! Say one more word and I'll make sure you type your story in the back of your spine…from the front!

And he's pissed. (Shows the barkeep a picture of his girl carrying a baby with his manga idol beside her making said barkeep weep anime tears.)

Talking
'thinking/flashback'
Kyuubi Talking/Jutsu
'Kyuubi Thinking'

Chapter 25

The Chunin Exams

The sun peeked its face over the horizon…

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Just before dawn could shower its radiance upon the streets of Konoha, The young blonde awakened from slumber. He quickly got out of bed, took a bath, dressed in his attire for the day, and checked his armaments. He still had his utility belt on with its pouches filled with medical equipment, a mirror, smoke bombs, a few flash bombs and one hundred exploding tags. He still had his quadruple kunai holster now filled with senbons instead of kunai since he still had his three summoning seals on both his arms. He then tied his black hitai-ate on his forehead and let his bangs flow down upon it. His hair was combed to look tamer and lost its prominent spikes. Especially since it grew a little bit more over the past month. (Think of Ky Kisuke's hair. Not the Overture version.)

'I guess it's time. I really wish I could see Hinata today. She's been training for the last few weeks and now I'm worried.' The young blonde thought as he looked out his window. He then stepped out of it and walked along the sky towards the small forest of Konoha Fire Lilies in his backyard. When he was just above the largest Konoha Fire Lily that glowed with a blue light, he then dropped down next to it and saw the beautiful tree that now bore several of the white, semi-transparent fruits. He looked around and saw that many more Konoha Fire Lilies had grown to be as big as a young tree and bore several fruits of the same color. Eventually, his presence attracted a lot of kitsunes that came out of hiding in their burrows underneath the trees of the Konoha Fire Lily.

He then smiled when he saw them and one kitsune among the many had two tails. Naruto instantly recognized the kitsune and said, "Yo, Kohaku! What have you been up to while I was busy?"

The odd fox then stood on his two feet and put his other arms on his hips and said, "I've been training! I'll be the best nin-kitsune in the world!"

Naruto crossed his arms and said, "You better be. Who knows? You might be the next Kyuubi. Don't be a bad breath psycho like him though."

His firey tenant then grunted, Some master you are. I need a new job.

Naruto then pulled out a scroll from his white jacket and gave it to Kohaku and said, "When the genjutsu begins, take this to the Hokage Tower and do the jutsu I taught you."

Kohaku then did a handseal and a puff of smoke covered him. When he emerged from it, he was wearing a shihakusho with a hole in his back to allow his tails some room to breathe while he had the scroll tied to his back. He then did an odd salute and said, "Ryokai aniki-taicho! What about a message to hime-sama?"

Naruto then looked back at the blue tree and remembered the time he danced with her before he gave her a goodnight kiss and brought her home. He then closed his eyes and said, "Tell her that I miss her and I want to see her again."

Kohaku nodded and said, "I'll be sure to finish the mission. Gambare aniki-taicho." With that, Kohaku left in a shunsin of fire.

Naruto then took a whiff of the fresh air and walked back into the house and right into the living room where Ichigo, Chad, Rukia, Ishida, Inoue, Renji and Urahara were preparing. They were wearing their civilian clothes but the looks in their eyes said that they were ready to fight.

Ichigo then said, "So what happens after this is over?"

Naruto then said, "I still have to defeat the elemental gods so its up to you guys what you want to do. I will come back to run the division but don't count on me staying there permanently."

Renji then said as he rubbed his knuckles on Naruto's crown, "The old man said before we left that we got to pull you back. I don't give a shit if I have to drag you back by your tongue but we're not leaving without ya."

Inoue then said, "Abarai-kun is right. We're not the only ones who are sad that you're leaving us. What about your parents and your division? They're important too."

Naruto was a bit shocked but then he rubbed his head and said, "I thought about that too. I'm really torn right now since I can't leave this place and stay with you guys at the same time."

Rukia then said, "It's alright. You don't have to decide yet. But whatever decision you make, it's alright. We will always be your friends."

Urahara then said as he took his cane from the floor, "Although I'd like to talk some more, lets finish our mission."

They nodded and Chad said, "Let's go to our positions."

Ishida then said, "Right. Naruto will be participating in the chunin exams so that leaves us to do the outside work until the signal."

Renji then said, "When the sound and sand armies come rushing in, Urahara-san will activate the shield generator and the reiatsu generator underneath the Hokage Monument and lock the armies inside allowing no escape. Then, Rukia and I will support the West side to allow the guards to retreat back and hold the line and take the fight into the streets."

Ichigo then said, "After the signal, I'll activate the reiatsu generator in the Hokage Tower and stop as many sand and sound shinobi as I can and clear a path for the main troops to the West wall while Chad, Ishida and Inoue bring the civilians in the Hokage Monument and then take down the shinobi in the arena."

Naruto then said, "Don't forget. We need to protect Sarutobi-jiji. He died twice…I'm not going to let him die again. And as much as possible, don't kill the Sand shinobi. They still are our allies."

The rest nodded and Urahara then said as he turned around, "Well then, I'll go check on the generators."

Naruto then shunpo'd out of sight and they all split into different directions to wage war upon the joint effort of Suna and Oto.

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While Naruto's world was facing imminent war, Sereitei was at peace while Shuhei Hisagi was rallying the troops into training in a grassy meadow. They were only one hundred strong since being disbanded, but the ones that remained were the battle-hardened veterans with the experience and scars to show for it.

The hundred strong-division faced the scarred man with a look of concern on their faces. Hisagi then said, "Today we'll be training in urban warfare. You will split into two groups—one with a red band on their left arm and the other with a blue one." He then pointed to the left, a hill filled with trenches and broken down, modern day buildings. "The red team will use the training guns and kido as their weapons while the blue team will use only the training swords. Red team will attack the building to claim the flag while blue team defends."

One shinigami then asked, "Fukutaicho, I remember this training very well. Are the rules the same as before?"

Hisagi then said, "Hai. Like before, the training guns and swords won't kill but are made to sedate and drain the opponent instead. The stronger one's reiatsu and resolve is, the less likely will he fall asleep. And like before, all kido will be restricted to all Bakudo and Hado number one only. Once the first battle is won, then the two teams will exchange colors. After that battle is won, then the two teams will revert to the same colors and exchange roles with red team the defenders and blue team as the attackers."

Another shinigami then asked a question. "Fukutaicho, I don't understand the purpose of this training. Why do we even bother using the Kido guns?"

Hisagi then faced him and said, "You're the new recruit, right? This was our training method when the Taicho was running the division. It builds teamwork and efficiency against various odds."

The new recruit then asked, "If that's the case, then why aren't the other divisions doing the same? They stick to their zanpakuto with their lives and wear the same uniforms. What makes us any different?"

Shuhei then replied with an assuring voice, "Do whatever it takes to protect those closest to your heart no matter what the odds or the cost. This was Namikaze-taicho's order to us as a division. By this principle, we live and die as a division. It is this principle that has kept our bonds strong and our hearts humbled and pure. I still believe in this principle and will uphold it until we go and support Namikaze-taicho in his battle against the elemental gods."

The division looked among themselves and nodded at each other before they faced Hisagi. One of them then said, "You don't have to remind us Shuhei-san. Even if only five of us remain, we'll gladly give our lives to our Taicho. If it was worth it for him to sacrifice himself for us countless times…"

Another shinigami then said, "It hell as is worth it for us!"

Shuhei saw and heard them cheer like the band of brothers they are. He then thought, 'He would cry his eyes out if he saw this right now. Hold on…we're coming for you.'

Meanwhile, Genryuusai stood upright at the back of the monitoring room. The rectangular room was filled with computers lined up in several rows with shinigamis seated in front of each one. The shinigamis typed away as the commander-general focused at the largest monitor in the front of the room. Normally, the ten feet by ten feet monitor would show the two worlds namely, Soul Society and the Real World. While the main monitor showed those two worlds, the smaller computers would show the details of each world such as, climate, temperature, over all reiatsu percentage, souls, hollows, as well as a birds eye view of the worlds if necessary.

However, this wasn't a normal day. This time, the large screen showed the world of Naruto and was currently viewing the entire continent in search of more than just the missing captain. Rather, their focus was on the location of the elemental gods.

Currently, the commander-general kept a keen eye on the screen for any anomalies that would usually occur whenever something this grand would occasionally step into their black and white lives. But his focused gaze was interrupted as his lieutenant and his newly appointed third division captain, Namikaze Minato, entered the scene with a natural grace until one shinigami on the computer lines then said, "We found the Cinder Bird!"

The old warrior then said, "Where is his location?"

The shinigami then put it up on the screen. An area in Hi no Kuni just three hundred meters in diameter was blinking red on the large monitor. The shinigami that reported in then said, "Sir, he hasn't moved from his position in seven years. What should we do?"

Minato then cut in and asked the commander-general, "Genryuusai-sotaicho, if I may, shouldn't we go down there and question him? With my son's involvement into this affair, it is safe to say we are within jurisdiction to handle this case."

The old warrior kept his silence. The shinigamis at the computer lines then started to get negative readings on their monitors.

The first division fukutaicho then looked over one and said, "Genryuusai-sotaicho. There is another wave of hollows that plans on taking over a village known as Konoha."

Minato then said, "That is my village. Naruto is there sotaicho."

The old warrior then sternly said, "No. I will not allow anyone interfere with the mission of the ninth division captain. His mission is to stop the reawakening of the elemental gods. No one is to interfere with his mission. Kami-sama requested him personally."

Minato bowed his head in defeat as the rest of the shinigamis looked to the commander general with respect, confusion and fear. The old warrior was cunning and impatient but was also respected and feared as a leader by his subordinates who, in that room, promptly returned back to work while Minato walked out, prepared to go against Kami himself if needed be. He was normally a patient and calm man but this wasn't the time to wait.

The former yondaime thought as he walked towards the third division headquarters, 'It doesn't matter if it was Kami-sama's command. I can't leave my son and village to the hands of Orochimaru, Suna, Hollows and Elemental gods. I'll just do things myself.'

When he reached the front of the third division headquarters, Izuru Kira was there, waiting for him. The two blondes made eye contact and the younger one was a bit startled that his lieutenant was expecting him. Kira then said, "Welcome back taicho. The taicho of the fifth division is waiting for you at the Senkai Gate."

Minato then said, "Eh? She's there?"

The two then rushed to the Senkai Gate behind the main complex and saw a young, brown haired woman with her hair tied in a bun on the back waiting for them just in front of the aforementioned gateway between worlds with two guards standing by the gate. What was unusual about her was not her now narrowed and more mature eyes, but that her Haori was a permanent color of crimson and reeked of a metallic smell wherever she went. She still kept her zanpakuto by her side though her hands were tucked into the sleeves of the other, the way cultured Chinese people of old would do. She then walked towards them as Minato then said, "Hinamori-san…What's the meaning of this?"

Hinamori replied, "We were ordered to go to your world and prepare for battle."

Minato then asked in confusion, "We?"

"Yes, We…" said an energetic redhead behind him. Minato looked and saw it was his wife Kushina who spoke. But she wasn't the only one there. Hitsugaya was also with her along with Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika.

Minato was really surprised now. "Matte. (Wait) You're all going there?" He saw the looks on their faces and saw their determination.

Hitsugaya then said, "We will accompany you to your world and explore it as instructed by the Sotaicho. We were also ordered to find any connections the elemental gods still have with that world and find their masters' weaknesses."

Minato then said, "But he said that we shouldn't interfere with Naruto's mission."

Ikkaku then said with a smile, "Who said anythin' about interfering? We're just exploring the place."

It hit the former yondaime like a ton of bricks. 'We can't interfere with Naruto's mission but we can freely enter and exit without restrictions. And because of hollow threats to that world, we are completely in control over it and we can locate the elemental gods directly and make a direct attack at their allies and connections.'

Kushina saw the look in her husbands eyes that said he understood what this course of action meant. She then walked up to him and said, "We won't let our child fight his battles alone. He has family and friends he can count on, ne?"

Minato smiled and said, "Hai. He does." The third division captain then faced the Senkai gate and told the guards at the gate, "Open the gate. We will move out."

The guards then did as they were told, allowing the light from the gate to shine brightly in their faces without blinding them.

Izuru then walked to the guard on the left of the gate and said to him, "Please inform the twelfth division captain to prepare for departure to Namikaze-taicho's world."

The guard bowed in compliance and walked towards the twelfth division while a pink haired spy from the eleventh division skipped from her hidden position in one corner towards the eleventh division headquarters to inform her captain of what was going on. Yumichika knew that they were being followed and said out loud, "It seems that things will get chaotic down there. But even disorder can look beautiful."

Hinamori then said with finality, "Even if she told him, he wouldn't be interested unless there was someone who could face him in battle. Mina, Ikimashou." (Everyone, let's go.)

They then faced the shining gateway and walked into it, disappearing from view as they stepped through.

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At this point, everyone was wide-awake, ready to tackle another day. One person however, did not tackle the day with as much energy because she trained herself to the bone for the past few weeks to catch up to her beloved. She woke up from her futon to gaze her sleepy eyes to the sliding door that was left open with a composed, male figure standing there with a cold look in his eyes. "Wake up. It shouldn't take long for you to get dressed so we will wait for you, Hinata."

Hinata's lavender eyes by this time gained focus and saw her father standing there with his calculating face, set like stone. She got up and said, "Hai, Otou-sama."

Her father stood there by the doorway and watched as she quickly folded the futon with care.

He watched as she fixed it in place by the corner with the pillow on top.

He watched as she went into her dresser and quickly rushed into the bathroom to take a quick bath.

And he watched the empty room and shook his head in disappointment.

The cold man then thought, 'She is the spitting image of you in every way. From her looks, to the way she acts, and even her heart and mind. But as the clan head, I cannot allow her to be submissive. She will hate me, but she will learn and grow. Hopefully, very soon.'

The pitter-patter of footsteps behind him tugged him back to reality as Hanabi behind him said, "Chichiue, we will be late if we take much longer."

Hyuuga Hiashi faced her and said, "Let us go then." He didn't even bother to look back as he took his other daughter outside the complex and into the empty streets towards the arena where the last exam would be held. However, Hinata knew that he left, and came out of her bathroom to see him no longer by the door. It hurt her to hear him walk away, but nevertheless, she then put on her regular clothing except for the Hyuuga jacket. Afterwards, she went to her small desk by the corner, faced the mirror there, and contemplated.

She looked at her face, imagined her mother and thought, 'Okaa-san…Otou-san has never shown kindness since you left us. If only I can see you again. Maybe then you could tell me why he is the way he is. I'm afraid that if this goes on, he would banish me once he knows of my relationship with Naruto-kun.'

She sighed as she closed her eyes and said, "It still amazes me that Naruto-kun chose me. I never thought that he would choose someone like me over someone like Sakura-san." 'But I wouldn't have it any other way though. I wish I could do more for him. But why am I thinking this? Maybe it's because, just hearing his voice and seeing him is not enough for me.'

She then opened her eyes again and thought, 'That's right…it isn't enough. I want to know him. I want to share my life with him and gain his in return. I want to be close to him. What is his favorite color? When does he get angry? When is he sad? When is he happiest? The little things like that. But am I really the right one for him?'

And like her father, she was also ringed back into reality when she saw in the mirror, Kohaku, in a small shihakusho fitting for a fox. She then turned around and asked, "Anata dare?" (Who are you?)

Kohaku then said, "It is I, Kohaku-sama! Here to give you a message from Aniki-taicho!"

Hinata was a little nervous when she heard the word 'message' from Kohaku. She blinked as the two-tailed fox scratched his back to remove the annoying itch of the fabric rubbing on his fur. The Hyuuga heiress contemplated some more. 'Naruto-kun has a message for me. Maybe he's worried about me. No, it is not a maybe. I haven't spoken to him for the past few weeks when I was training. I shouldn't have worried him.'

When the small fox finished his sub-venture, he then went straight to the point of his mission. "Hime-sama, Aniki-taicho wants to see you. He's on his way to the arena as we speak."

Hinata heard him and thought, 'I should go there. He needs me.' she then stood up and said, "Arigato Kohaku-san. I must go now."

The Hyuuga heiress left in a hurry. At this point, Kohaku's mission was half-completed. With the mission in mind, he then shunsined in a cloud of smoke. The two tailed fox had his mind on the mission while his master had his heart set out on a different route.

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Naruto had reached the training area where he had first became a genin. He gazed upon the bed of grass that the three training logs stood upon. He then looked at the sky and saw its blue nature surrounded by grayish-white clouds that reflected the struggle in his heart. He then thought, 'To live under this blue sky is comforting, but lonely. If only I knew how to handle all of this pressure and responsibilities. The weight of three worlds are on my shoulders…as well as the hearts in them…I really have no idea how to deal with this at this point.'

Naruto then turned around and saw Hinata there, just three steps behind him. They gazed at each other and Naruto then asked, "Hina-hime, why did you come here?"

Hinata replied as she looked down, "I don't know. I just felt I should be here."

Naruto looked to the side in nervousness. He didn't expect this but neither did she. And strangely, both looked at each other at the same time with the same gaze…the gaze of concern.

"Gomenasai…"(I'm very sorry.) the both of them replied, astonishing the other. After a brief pause from the shock, Naruto then walked a bit closer and said, "No, I should apologize. I was the one at fault, not you. I should have put you first instead of the mission."

Hinata then replied, "Iie(No)... It was my fault. In my passion to get stronger, I failed to put you in my heart."

Naruto's heart was struggling to say what he wanted to say. But somehow, he felt that he should ask her what was tugging her heart. "Don't blame yourself Hinata. It's not your fault. I understand you want to get stronger, but you could've asked me for help. I'll gladly help you any way I can."

Hinata pushed her pointer fingers together to relieve some of the stress in her heart. "I know I could have. But if I did, I would just be bothering you."

Naruto saw her old habits returning and it wasn't good. 'Was she that desperate for strength? No…It's deeper than that. I can feel it. She must be worried that she wasn't adequate for me.' He then swallowed to steady his heart and said, "Hinata, you are irreplaceable to me. It doesn't matter to me if you are weak or strong. You are just Hinata and that is more than enough for me." The Hyuuga Heiress was-wide eyed at what she heard and gazed into his deep, cerulean eyes. She found no hesitation in his words or his heart. The young blonde then continued. "It doesn't matter that you have weaknesses or flaws. I think that those are what make you yourself. And they're beautiful to me." He then smiled and said, "Aishiteru Hinata."

Tears started welling up her eyes and she fell deeper in love with him than before. She wanted to return his love, but instead, she steeled her heart and said, "Arigato Naruto-kun. Demo, I will still be stubborn so please listen to my selfish requests."

Naruto closed his eyes and said, "Gomen, but I will also be stubborn and even though I will listen, that won't stop me from showing you how much I care."

Both felt a great weight lifted from their hearts and now could look each other in the eye properly. Naruto then said to her, "We should talk more often like this."

Hinata nodded and said with a small smile, "But I want to hear your problems more though."

Naruto replied, "But don't we always talk about that?" He walked closer to her and held her hands in his only for her to leave his grip and turn around, confusing him greatly.

Hinata shook her head lightly and said, "No. I meant your other problems. You always try to avoid anything about yourself that sometimes, your problems are showing because of that. I want to help you as well." After she said that, she faced him and showed seriousness in her expression. She was determined to help him and nothing…not even him would stop her.

Naruto drooped his head slightly, sighed and said, "You're right. I'm worried about all the mistakes I've made. Every action has a consequence, and I can clearly see it more than ever. I wish I knew exactly what I was doing so that I could see where I was going. I need Shikamaru's brain for things like this."

Hinata then said, "I don't think that would help. Shikamaru-san wouldn't know how to deal with so much responsibility all at once…at least will be bound to make mistakes and get stronger from them." Naruto this time was wide-eyed as she continued. "When I watch you, there is this impact on my heart. You always fall and get up without effort. You are used to falling and failing that it doesn't matter anymore and you just learn from it. You are not perfect. But you still keep flying towards where you want to go and it inspires me so much. I believe that you are stronger than anyone because of this. To be able to have that attitude despite the weight on your shoulders is more than inspiring."

Naruto replied with awe, "Sugoi... I never thought about that... Arigato Hinata. I feel confident again."

Hinata smiled as she saw her love brighten again. And in time too. The fireworks begun lighting the sky, indicating that the matches were going to begin. Naruto then quickly ran to Hinata and hugged her tightly and gave her a light kiss on the lips before he let go and said with a charming smile, "I hope you can make it to watch my match."

Hinata blushed at what he just. Although she didn't show it, she was half expecting it to happen. Despite that fact, she still kept her composure and replied nonetheless. "I will Naruto-kun. I believe in you."

Naruto then turned around and shunpo'd out of sight just in time for Kiba with Akamaru in his jacket, to come into the clearing. "Sorry I was late Hinata. Shino's match is later on so…"

Kiba saw the star struck look in her eyes and was confused. Hinata then turned around and said, "Kiba-kun, let's go to the arena. I want to watch the first match."

Kiba replied, "Hey, Hinata, are you sure you can still move after that training?"

Hinata nodded and said, "Hai. It was only meditation so it wasn't that bad."

Kiba replied with a frown, "Meditation? You were fighting Kurenai sensei in the dark on top of water while she placed a genjutsu on you. What kind of meditation is that?"

Hinata was about to speak when Kiba cut her and said, "Look, we all have our secrets including your relationship with Naruto." Hinata's had a look of shock on her and Kiba picked that little detail up as he continued. "What? We didn't notice? You stuck too close to him that even I figured it out."

"Kiba-kun." Hinata replied.

The dog-boy then said, "Next time you want to do some crazy training, count me and Shino in. We're a lot more useful than you think. Just don't do anything weird like summoning a shinigami or something like it."

Hinata sweatdropped as she thought, 'Kiba-kun…I might as well be one since I've been seeing my inner spirit very often.'

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Meanwhile, the arena was packed to the brim with people of all walks of life. In the wide space of the arena, Neji, Shino, Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru stood in one line leaving only Sasuke and Naruto to complete the set. Gekko Hayate was the examiner this time around since Haku was on duty alongside Anko to escort the people in Konoha, the moment Oto and Suna would strike.

In the stands, Ishida, Ichigo, Inoue, Chad, Rukia and Renji sat in several key areas in the crowd to ferry and protect the people at a moments notice.

In the VIP box where the feudal lords sat, a silver-haired boy in elegant red robes, watched the stage with a shine in his eyes while his two guards sat beside him with an ever-watchful gaze behind their masks.

One of the nearby feudal lords then asked the boy, "I'm surprised you would watch the match, Hikaru-sama. Wouldn't you normally be in the capital, arranging peace treaties and making efforts of diplomacy with the other nations?"

Hikaru then replied with a child-like smile, "Getting out of that office is good once in a while. Also, I heard that this year is filled with really good fighters."

The feudal lord nodded in acknowledgement and continued getting in the good graces of the young boy, as did other surrounding lords of the land. Of course, there was another person who was trying to keep good relations and that was Sarutobi in his private seating beside the empty chair where the Kazekage who he knew was Orochimaru in disguise, was to be seated. It was a hard choice for the old warrior to face his former student. But unless he did, then Konoha wouldn't be safe from harm. Tensions were high as he looked down into the arena.

And in said location, it was a tense time and Shikamaru could feel it despite the fact that he lives in his brain more than his rarely used heart. But then again, he seldom really puts effort in his mind so it is hard to really define how he thinks or feels. Only he knows and at the moment, he was too anxious to think of anything else. The lazy genius looked around from his position on the line and thought, 'Hey now, we're missing quite a lot of people here.'

Ino in the stands beside Sakura, also felt the same way as she said, "What are the others doing? The matches are going to begin soon."

Sakura then thought with concern, 'What's going on, Sasuke-kun? And Naruto is gone as well.'

However, the young blonde was close to the arena and stopped using shunpo and started running normally to avoid attention. The guards at the entrance noticed him and one said, "Hey, they've already begun the entrance ceremony."

Naruto replied as he walked inside, "Arigato! Watch out for snakes."

The guards were puzzled by what he meant but tossed off the thought as Naruto entered the stadium. He walked with confidence as all eyes focused on him.

Ichigo then said from his position in the stands, "So he finally got here. Looks like everything is set." 'I'm sure he won't mess up. We can take it a bit easy.'

And Murphy's Law struck again with Naruto tripping in midstep and falling face flat just in front of Shikamaru. Ichigo then thought, 'Matakun, is he really reliable?'

Shikamaru looked at the downed blonde and said, "What kind of entrance was that?"

Sakura shouted in delight, "Naruto!"

Ino frowned and crossed her arms. "He's totally late."

Shikamaru then helped him up and said, "Mendokusai." (How troublesome.)

Naruto got back to his senses and said, "Am I late? Then again…"

The young blonde looked around with a quick glance, surveying the audience. 'Ichigo is near the left exit of the left box…Rukia is in the right exit of the left box…Renji is in the crowd of that box…Ishida is in the right exit of the right box…Inoue is in the crowd and Chad is in the left exit of that box leaving the shinobi to protect the feudal lords and the hokage.' With everyone in position, he then said, "Huh? Where's Sasuke?"

Shikamaru replied, "The Dosu guy who was supposed to fight me isn't here either."

Naruto took another look at the crowd. He hoped she would be there watching him. And when he took another look at the box where Inoue was, he saw his beloved there gazing at him with those beautiful lavender eyes as she stood by the steps alongside Kiba. Even if it was far away, their eyes met and they both knew it. The young blonde felt his heart strengthen and thought, 'I'll avenge you Hinata. I did it once and I can do it again. This time, I won't ignore you. I'll make you the happiest girl on this world. I promise.'

Suddenly, Gekko Hayate, in between coughs, said to the two boys, "You two shouldn't stand around like that. Get back in line."

The genins looked back at the crowd as the sickly nin said, "You will be fighting for the entertainment of these people. Show them your confidence and strength."

Sarutobi from his position, looked on with a neutral face while the shinobi attendant beside him said, "Several ANBU teams are searching for him, but he is nowhere to be found. He may have fallen into Orochimaru's hands already."

Sarutobi replied, "Wakarimashta." (I understand.)

Just as he said that, the snake himself, clothed in the Kazekage's garments, walked to his seating while being escorted by two sand shinobi.

Sarutobi faced the man from his seat and said, "Look who we have here. Kazekage."

They made some idle talk for a moment but Sarutobi wasn't budging in his politeness. After a few laughs (all of which on Sarutobi's part) the Hokage then stood up and faced the balcony. He took a deep breath before announcing, "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming to Konohagakure's Chuunin Selection exam today." All eyes were either sharpened, or in wide-eyed expectation as the Hokage continued. "We will now begin the main matches with the eight that have passed the preliminaries. Please enjoy the matches."

The Kazekage counted off the heads in the arena below and said, "If there are supposed to be eight, it seems that one is missing."

Sarutobi said nothing as he returned to his seat and Hayate started the instructions. "There are some things I need to tell you before the matches." The sickly nin then pulled out of his pocket a folded piece of paper and then unfolded it for their eyes to see. Naruto didn't marvel knowing what was on it.

The paper showed clearly the line up of the matches with Naruto and Neji as the first fighters, Gaara and Sasuke the second, Kankuro and Shino the third, leaving Shikamaru and Temari as the remainders.

"There's been a change in the line ups." The sickly nin said with a cough at the end. "Please check to see who you are going against."

Shikamaru looked at the paper with surprise. 'I had more matches than others the last time I looked. Did that Dosu guy retire?'

Naruto then said, "Hey, Sasuke hasn't arrived yet. What happens to his match?"

Hayate replied, "If he doesn't come by the time his match starts, he will be disqualified."

They listened with intent knowing that things still can get ugly. Hayate coughed and said, "Listen up, although the landscape is different, the same rules apply as in the preliminaries; there are no rules. The match will end when someone dies or gives up. I will also stop the match when I decide to do so."

Naruto then took a deep breath as Hayate said, "The first match is Namikaze Naruto and Hyuuga Neji. Everyone else, please return to the waiting room."

The rest marched onward and up the stairs to the waiting room while two other people marched down the stairs to some open seats in one of the boxes.

"Hey Hinata, there are some open seats here." Kiba said as Hinata walked down the steps.

She replied, "Okay." She then sat on Kiba's right side. The dog boy replied with a little excitement in his voice, "I can't wait to see this."

Hinata looked down upon the stadium until she heard the person on her right say, "Don't worry, he'll win the match."

Hinata faced the person and saw a smiling Inoue in a yellow blouse and red shorts. Hinata smiled back and said, "I know he will."

Inoue faced the arena and said in a voice only Hinata could hear, "He's always had a habit of being unpredictable, but in a good way. However, what makes him strong is his heart. And that is what grants him strength." Inoue's words assured and encouraged the Hyuuga Heiress even more than a few hours ago.

Of course, another girl wasn't assured because Sasuke wasn't there yet. Ino then said to the worried pink haired girl, "I understand that you're worried about Sasuke-kun, but why don't you cheer on Naruto a bit."

Sakura replied with a small smile, "Ino, he doesn't need to get cheered. But alright."

Ino faced the arena and said, "Even if he's got an arsenal of jutsu, he won't stand a chance against a guy like Neji."

Two more nins couldn't agree more as Kotetsu and his partner started conversing negatively against the young blonde behind Hinata who was quickly brimming with anger that she mustered to control. Inoue put a reassuring hand on Hinata's right hand and said, "Anything can happen in a fight. Who knows? He could win in the most unpredictable way possible."

Kiba then thought, 'It's just as that lady said. You'll be surprised if you underestimate him gentlemen. He's far too unpredictable to estimate now.'

Akamaru then whimpered into Kiba's ear. Kiba then looked to the corner behind him and saw a cloaked member of ANBU watching over the match. He then heard another whimper from his loyal charge and thought, 'Why are the ANBU here? Did something happen? And what did he mean by "scary ghosts around?"'

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Back on the arena, Neji and Naruto stood opposite the other. Naruto's eyes were burning with emotions and Neji saw this.

"You look like you want to say something." Neji replied with a cool air of arrogance surrounding him.

Naruto kept his concentration. He showed his right fist to Neji and replied, "I told you before, I will win. By this blood she shed, I will win. Don't underestimate a kitsune…Especially one with more than one tail."

Neji activated his Byakugan on instinct and began to read Naruto. 'His eyes tell me that he is totally confident in himself. He is not hesitant at all. But at the same time, he is trying to keep himself in check.' Neji smiled very slightly when he saw Naruto's emotional state. 'As I expected, he underestimates me and hasn't accepted his fate.'

The stoic boy took his fighting stance while Naruto simply stood there, with his arms down. Neji then said, "That makes things even better. When you find out the true reality, I will enjoy seeing your discouraged eyes."

Naruto replied coolly, "I pity you…Neji. You can only see what the wind does not blow!"

A gust of wind blew over the stadium as Naruto started channeling reiatsu to his hands and feet. Neji caught wind of this and everyone could see it clearly that Naruto was on fire this time and wasn't going to hold back…or at least that's what it seems.

Hayate said, "Now, let's begin. The first match between Namikaze Naruto and Hyuuga Neji…hajime!"

Naruto then widened his stance a little as Hyuuga Hiashi in his seat said to his daughter beside him, "Watch closely Hanabi. There is no one else who has inherited the Kekei Genkai of the Hyuuga as strong as him. Your older sister does not even compare with him."

Hanabi faced him and said, "Even more than onee-san?"

Hiashi replied, "And, most likely, more than you."

Naruto shut his eyes as he thought, 'Kyuubi…the Byakugan must have a weakness. Do you know anything?'

The older fox replied, Think too much and he'll have the upper hand. Just hit him from behind. He can't see what the wind carries.

Naruto then opened his eyes and with his determination set, he went on the offensive.

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Naruto's Fight

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Naruto quickly reached into his pocket and threw three kunai at Neji. The stoic boy, deflected the first with his right hand causing it to spin, fall and stick to the ground, hilt facing up. He quickly caught the second with same hand and caught the third by the point using the metal ring on the hilt of the kunai. He then held on to the second kunai as he let the last one he caught make a quick revolution and fall harmlessly, sticking into the ground with its hilt up as well.

Taking advantage of Neji's distracted state, Naruto instantly did a Kawarimi.

Neji quickly spun around and threw the kunai at Naruto who tried to strike from behind. The young blonde evaded the kunai and continued the charge. Neji saw this coming and thought, 'Predictable. He's as foolish as he looks.'

But Naruto used reiatsu to empower his feet, increasing his speed. Neji couldn't react fast enough and was roughly shoved by the young blonde to the log he substituted with. Neji saw from his three hundred sixty-degree vision, the log with an exploding tag on it. He leaped out quickly and avoided the explosion. He kept calm as he looked at Naruto who did three, one-handed seals.

Neji was amazed by what Naruto was doing. He didn't expect Naruto to be that strong. But he kept his resolve and thought, 'A powerful idiot, but an idiot nonetheless... I will be able to defeat him easily.'

When he landed back on the ground, Neji suddenly felt a sharp emptiness in his left leg. It was as if his left leg was no longer there. Naruto charged and swung both his arms down to reveal his hidden kunai and armed them in a reverse grip on both hands.

While he was running to Neji, he thought, 'The trap is set. If you can't find a weakness…then make one!'

Naruto attacked Neji and swung his blades left and right, up and down to cut up the arrogant boy. Neji, being experienced in close quarter combat, blocked, parried, and dodged every strike made. As Naruto swung his right arm in an arc to cleave Neji's head, the stoic boy tried to step his left leg in to give a palm strike to Naruto's right ribs. However, that empty feeling in his left leg took its toll when he couldn't move it at all. He still tried to strike but was an inch short allowing the excess chakra to graze Naruto who evaded to the left side and give a left side kick to Neji in the right ribs. The stoic boy just moved with the flow of Naruto's attack and made it look like he was hit.

Sakura saw this and said, "He got him!" Unfortunately, she saw the next milliseconds that he wasn't hurt at all disappointing her to no end while Ino looked on impassively.

Neji fell over and made a one-handed handstand into a backflip to quickly get up while Naruto returned his hidden blades and tapped the first of the summoning seals on his wrist. This allowed him to grab two kunai from his sleeves which he then quickly threw at Neji who swatted them down. Both kunai were deflected just slightly to the side, allowing them to stick to the ground with the rings of the kunai facing Neji. One was slightly off balance, the ring facing Neji's left hip, while the other faced his right foot.

Naruto felt the aftershock on his right ribs, despite the attack not hitting him directly. Neji saw the slight change in Naruto's right side and said, "Even a grazing wound will hurt. Now you understand that you have no chance of winning."

Naruto smiled and said, "That was just a test to see how strong you are. The real battle starts now."

Naruto then charged once more to attack Neji who stayed in his unbreakable defense.

Kiba saw this and shouted, "Baka! Doesn't he know that that won't work?"

Sakura got up from her seat and said, "No, Naruto! You're smarter than this. What are you doing?!"

Naruto then jumped midway to Neji to give a leaping, left-leg sidekick to the right side of Neji's face.

Neji then thought, 'He knows that he's clearly outmatched in close quarter combat from the look in his face and his previous actions. All I have to do is move to the right, he'll fall, and then he'll learn that he cannot change his fate. His mistakes in judgment are his undoing.'

Neji saw the kick coming and tried to shift his weight on his left leg, bend his left hip, and move his right foot as planned, but found that he was unable to and ended up receiving the kick to his face.

The crowd was shocked by what just happened. A hush fell over the crowd and the hit was heard throughout the stadium with slight echo. Nearly everyone present was shocked, especially, Hyuuga Hiashi, who thought in disbelief, 'He was hit in the face?! And by such an obvious attack pattern!'

Ishida knew what Naruto had done and thought, 'Naruhodo. (I see.) He's using Neji's pride and strength against him and filling the gaps with his own strengths. That boy there doesn't stand a chance if he's as blind as Naruto just said he is.'

Neji was sent skidding to the side and stopped just in front of one of Naruto's fallen kunai, the empty ring facing him. The stoic boy thought as he opened his eyes, 'How?! How was he able to hit me?' as he got up, he continued to think. 'That empty feeling before I froze in my left leg... right foot and left hip. It must be the reason he was able to attack me... but how did I get paralyzed in those areas?'

Neji then took his stance again, despite the numbing pain in his left leg, hip, and right foot. However, as he faced Naruto and took his stance, he accidentally tipped over the kunai stuck to the ground: now behind him. When he tripped, and tipped it over by accident, the numbing pain in his left leg subsided.

Neji sharpened his gaze and calmly stated, "I see. Those kunai you threw weren't just for testing me."

Naruto took a fighting stance and said, "Sou desu. (That's right.) Mukaze no jutsu. It allows me to burn your chakra field whichever way the kunai faces. Even at long distances."

Shikamaru from the stands thought about what Naruto just said. 'Burning his chakra field? Of course. Every living object emits a chakra signature. Shinobi tend to emit more because of their training so they must struggle to keep it from being sensed by other shinobi. So then the real question is how did he burn Neji's chakra?'

Neji gave a cold gaze at the young blonde and said, "Your jutsu is effective as long as I am within range. I still have the upper hand." 'How did he use the kunai to burn the chakra field I'm emiting? If he can create a hole in my vision, I'll be in a disadvantage. I have to take him down quickly.'

Naruto replied as he did a one handed seal, "We'll see. Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Five clones were formed around him and the crowd looked on in amusement as Sakura thought, 'Smart move Naruto. Now you have an advantage.'

Hinata looked on with confidence in her heart. 'Naruto-kun…You can beat him. You have him trapped with your first move.'

Rukia said as she looked, "He'll win for sure now."

Kotetsu smirked. "What an interesting guy."

"The Kage Bunshin no jutsu is a Jounin level technique." Izumo added. "I didn't know he could use it."

"Now we don't know who will win." Kotetsu finished.

Neji kept his stance as his Byakugan looked through Naruto and his clones. 'Kage Bunshin? I see. If the chakra is distributed equally among the replications…even my Byakugan cannot tell which is the real one.' "But there is only one real one. Come if you wish."

Naruto then charged with his clones in tow. Naruto lagged back while the first two clones attacked head on only for Neji to leap over them. The other two tried to attack from both sides, only for Neji to parry them to the other side. Naruto and his remaining clone attacked next. The original came at him from the front and gave a flurry of attacks. Neji parried and dodged his move. When the stoic boy tried to give a palm strike to Naruto's left armpit, the young blonde ducked allowing his clone to make a handstand on his back and give several kicks the way a break-dancer would. Neji fended off the strikes until he was kicked in the face and sent back where he was caught. One of the clones caught him by the left hand and threw him into the air to another clone who was about to give a haymaker to the stoic boy, only for Neji to spin in the air and give a sharp kick to the face of the clone, causing him to disperse, but that was not enough.

When he landed, the other four clones attacked. While one punched, another kicked, and the last two aimed for strikes from below. Neji parried the attacks and struck back with palm strikes of his own to the chest of one, the shoulder of the other, the stomach of a third, and the neck of the last, causing them to all disperse.

Neji then faced Naruto and said, "Become Hokage, eh? You can't like this. I can figure out a lot of things with these eyes. Your talent is determined when you're born. In other words, everything is predetermined at birth."

Naruto replied, "I don't believe in predetermined destiny. Your destiny is what you make it. Not what is handed to you. I'll prove it, Neji."

Naruto then did another one-handed seal and said, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Now twenty clones surrounded him. When all where in gear, the one-man army surrounded and attacked Neji.

Two clones came from above and below. Neji shifted his weight to his right leg and jumped, giving a left kick to the one above and used the momentum to land on the one below, giving a snappy, pinpoint-strike to the chest before leaping off. The stoic boy then maneuvered through the beautiful chaos with evident practice, ducking and spinning, avoiding the fist of yet another clone behind him. With his left leg in between the legs of the clone, he spun his body upward while giving a left backfist to the clone's chin. This caused him to flip over before dispersing, allowing Neji a temporary shield and time to step his right foot over his left and give a quick set of punches to the next clone in range.

Neji ducked, dodged and gave smooth flowing punches, leaping over more clones, causing the once organized attack pattern of Naruto to fall apart.

Neji paused for a moment and said, "I told you that I'm not that stupid." He then ran quickly, glancing over a stationary clone in the back, 'I already know which one is the real one.'

Neji ran to the clone in the back and with a swift stab with his outstretched right hand, he pierced the left breast of the clone.

Hinata gasped a little as she saw what occurred.

Neji kept the attack in place as he calmly mocked the surprised clone, "The one who attacked the least because he feared his tenketsu would be hit…the more you attacked me, the more that one stood out. You're the real one."

Then all the clones dispersed into smoke, including the one Neji hit, shocking the stoic boy from his concealed triumphant attitude.

Neji looked around and saw that the smoke left by the clones where still present. He then heard the real Naruto say, "Ninpou, Kuchiyose, Fuuton, Tsuiga no jutsu!"

The smoke surrounding Neji then swirled around him like a tornado before engulfing him. The crowd simply marveled in awe at what they saw. Shikamaru, who had been running scenarios in his head impossibly fast before, saw this and said, "...Oi! What's going on?"

Kiba chuckled and said, "Yahoo! Now there's the Naruto we know."

Hinata's thoughts were on the words Naruto had just spoken and suddenly went wide-eyed at what she heard. 'Oh no! he's using a summoning technique. Then that means…'

A sickening crunch sound was heard and the released smoke formed over Neji's arms, legs, and shoulders. But when the smoke receded completely, it revealed six, wolf-sized kitsunes of different color with their fangs already deeply within Neji's limbs and shoulders.

Neji looked at the foxes with a grimace and said, "These are…"

Naruto was standing a few feet in front of him. The young blonde said to the pinned Hyuuga, "That's right... I warned you about underestimating a kitsune."

Everyone that witnessed this was shocked beyond belief. They could not believe their eyes. At first thought that they were just dogs or wolves, but when they noticed that most of them had more than one tail, they were confused.

Neji then said as he struggled to get free, "Impossible!?! I have never heard of a summoning contract with foxes!"

Naruto replied, "Wait till you hear my life story. Maybe then you'll think about how there's no such thing as impossible. Kakashi-sensei has a contract with dogs, so foxes aren't so bad."

The crowd that heard this began to murmur between themselves, others watched in interest, and even fewer were vocalizing their confusion. Renji took note and said to himself, "Bringing out the big stuff is much more interesting. What will you do now, Naruto?"

Naruto paid the rants no heed, although some of his friends were confused by just why the crowd was suddenly alive with mild panic and confusion. Eventually, Sarutobi then stood up and shouted, "Enough! Let the match continue." He looked to the box seat where the feudal lords sat. It was obvious he was looking for assurance in his decision. The feudal lords were a bit concerned, and justly so, but when Hikaru nodded at Sarutobi, the feudal lords did the same. The crowd quieted down a little after this, allowing the match to continue as scheduled.

The young blonde then said to Neji, "It's pretty easy to sneak up on you when you have holes in your sight."

Neji's eyes widened despite the pain as Naruto replied, "It isn't hard when the first jutsu I used is still active. You were still in the range of my jutsu before I activated this one…"

"What?!" Neji mumbled in pain. Naruto then used the wind around him and started hovering, three inches off the ground, surprising everyone, including Orochimaru. The young blonde looked back at Neji, "The first jutsu can burn your chakra field at long ranges because it's medium is wind."

Shikamaru then thought, 'I understand. The Byakugan is able to see in a three hundred sixty degree range and Naruto knew that from the start. He couldn't beat him if Neji could see him. So he found a way to break his line of sight by creating holes in his vision so that he can sneak in. But knowing Naruto, it's more than just breaking in.'

Naruto then pulled out five kunai from his pocket. But what was strange was that they were glowing blue. The young blonde replied, "These were the kunai that I used awhile ago. The first jutsu not only drains your chakra using the wind. It also stores it along with the wind element."

The five kunai then started spinning around in the air and then around his wrist in a fan like, counter-clockwise motion.

Izumo was shocked. "Another wind based jutsu? ...Is he a wind elemental?"

The Kazekage in his seat then said, "I've never seen a shinobi who uses wind like that. There's a lot of talent in Konoha." '...A little too much in fact.'

Sarutobi didn't reply but he was surprised as well. In the private boxes however, the feudal lords looked on in amusement. Hikaru was pleased and said, "Looks like we will be having a party later."

Naruto then did five one-handed seals with his left hand, causing the spinning kunai to spin even faster. The wind started sucking in his right hand and it picked up fast enough that dust and stray leaves started to gather into the mini torrent in his right hand. Naruto then charged up his fist and said, "Neji, the wind always blows things away. But when it does the reverse, it hurts even more."

Ino then said, "What a powerful jutsu. I can feel it from here. Neji is a sitting duck."

Sakura nodded and swallowed. "Naruto…is just too unpredictable."

Neji wasn't finished yet. He channeled his chakra into body and spun wildly creating the Kaiten. The jutsu roughly brushed the foxes aside causing them to fly out and each one disappeared back to the world they came from. Hyuuga Hiashi was shocked beyond belief. He suddenly said, "That is…"

Hinata then said, "Hakkeshou Kaiten. He's using a jutsu only passed down to the main family to defeat Naruto. By releasing chakra from the tenketsus in his entire body and spinning like a top, he creates an absolute defense."

Inoue replied resolutely, "Even a shield has its breaking point. I'm sure Naruto will find a weakness."

Then Kiba spoke up, "You have a lot of faith in him. But that idiot is surprisingly smart so he probably does know how to defeat that jutsu."

Naruto gazed at Neji and said with unwavering determination, "Your shield of pride has its limits. I will show you those limits."

Neji gazed hard at Naruto with his vein-throbbing eyes while the crater he left started clearing of the dust. "Naruto, do you really think you can defeat me? You are in the range of my divination."

Naruto replied before gliding to Neji, "I won't give up. I will win!"

Neji saw the young blonde coming and just the fact that he was gliding in the air was surprising enough, but the fact that he was moving exceedingly fast as well was even more surprising. He had no choice. He channeled his chakra and said, "Kaiten!"

Naruto spoke just before he shoved the mini tornado at Neji, "Fuuton, Hae!"

The absolute attack clashed with the absolute defense. The Kaiten continued to blow chakra and wind while the vacuum whirlwind pressed on further in its sucking power. Naruto pushed hard and had successfully broken through the Kaiten. Hiashi Hyuuga was amazed and could not believe his eyes. The main family's most powerful skill was recreated by someone of the branch family without any knowledge of its existence! But to make matters more confusing, an attack created by an absolute nobody broke through it and its heralded tradition!

The attack's collision sent both Neji and Naruto sailing back a few meters. Neji nearly hit the wall, but managed to re-align himself with the ground just before his Byakugan deactivated.

Naruto, on the other hand, flew back a fair distance and regained his balance in the air before landing back down on solid ground. The kunai that once hovered around his right hand had disintegrated with the torrent it formed.

If one would look now, they would see a small crater, almost six inches deep with a blast groove facing the young blonde, in the middle of the two combatants.

Hinata was astonished. "Sugoi! He defeated the Kaiten! Naruto-kun broke through it."

Kiba had his mouth agape. "Sugoi…he broke through with ease."

Sakura and Ino were speechless as was Tenten in the stands who thought in bewilderment, 'Neji worked hard on creating that shield, and Naruto defeated his ultimate defense! Neji…now what will you do?'

However, not everyone was surprised by the ability the young blonde showed. Shikamaru found something odd, 'Nothing makes sense. He's fighting with a little more finesse because his opponent is on a different level, and it looks like he's waiting for something... but what?'

Naruto then shook his head and muttered, disapproving of his actions, "That was a little too much." 'Neji is lucky that jutsu I used is only half of the real jutsu.'

Naruto once again hovered three inches off the ground and skated towards Neji. The stoic boy however saw this coming and smiled a little despite the fact that his chakra reserves were low.

When Naruto was in range to strike, so was Neji.

"This is it," Said the stoic boy with a barely-contained smirk, "You are within the range of my divination."

Naruto suddenly hesitated as Neji's Byakugan reengaged. The stoic boy saw the Taoist symbol of the field in his mind and crouched in a way so that his left arm pointed towards Naruto, and his right arm faced the air. The stance was so that his entire left side faced Naruto and the young blonde knew this move. But at the speed he was moving towards the stoic boy, it was unavoidable.

Neji suddenly shouted, "Hakke, Rokujuyonshou!"

Hiashi panicked. "Is he going to…"

Neji then spun in place and narrowly avoided Naruto's fist as he planted three fingers from his right hand at the middle of Naruto's collarbone and at the same time three fingers from his left hand at the young blonde's waist. Those were the first two strikes.

"Four strikes!" Neji declared as he struck the left shoulder, left breast, right breast, and solar plexus in quick succession.

"Eight strikes!" the stoic boy continued and made the stated pinpoint strikes to the upper body and thighs of the young blonde.

"Sixteen strikes!" Was the next cry of Neji as he gave the barrage of chakra-induced strikes to Naruto's tenketsu.

"Thirty two strikes!" was the next command. Naruto was no longer in control of the wind underneath him and was now lifted in the air by the striking strength of Neji.

"Sixty four strikes!" Yelled Neji as he gave the last wave of attacks to the young blonde. This time, Naruto was sent back flying a few feet away from Neji. But at the end of the attack, Neji's Byakugan deactivated, and he fell to his knees.

Izumo suddenly said, "He must be on his last leg. Doing a successive number of taijutsu combinations is really taxing to your body and chakra reserves."

Gekko Hayate was about to call the match when Naruto slowly got up. Though groggily.

Neji gave him a cold stare of triumph as he steadily got up, though the drain on his chakra and body was noticeable. He said, "I have hit all sixty-four tenketsus in your body. You cannot stand up anymore. Doing so now will kill you." Naruto didn't reply as he fell to his knees, assuring Neji of his place as the stoic boy said, "Mortifying, isn't it? You are on your knees against a power you cannot face, finding out how truly powerless you are. It is only an illusion that hard work makes dreams come true."

Naruto smiled at him though the bruises were clearly seen. Deterred, he was not. In fact, he was stronger than before and Neji was taken aback as the young blonde got up and stood straight.

"It can't be. This can't be…" Neji said in shock.

Naruto replied with a smile, "I told you, don't underestimate a kitsune. I can surprise you in more ways than one... And I don't give up so easily."

Neji said impassively, "Stop fighting. It's going to be the same even if you continue. I have no grudge against you."

Naruto replied, "I do, however. You hurt Hinata…even though you're stronger than her, your eyes say that you're weaker than a lowlife. You mentally attacked Hinata when she was trying her best!"

Neji replied, "This has nothing to do with you."

Naruto said, "It does! She's my friend! She's someone precious to me and I won't back down when my friends are hurt. Even if the one who hurt them shares the same fate."

Neji was confused by what he said. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto replied with concerned eyes, "I know about the bird cage seal. I know about why you are so mad at her family. Yes, you went through all that pain but that doesn't give you the right to step on others! Don't become one of them! Accept the fact that despite how unfair life is, you can change it! You have to stop running away and start facing your problems. Don't give up so easily!"

Neji frowned as his hatred suddenly flooded out when he said, "You can never truly know the pain of my fate! The fear of death that the main family gives to the branch family is worse than you can think. This cursed seal will only disappear after my death…and it seals up the Byakugan ability. It was the most efficient way of keeping the secrets of the Byakugan Kekei Genkai sealed away forever, and my father died in the place of Hiashi-sama to avert a war between Konoha and Kumo! It was an unjust price to avert a war all because they wanted the secrets of the Byakugan so badly. When they failed to kidnap Hinata-sama, they asked for Hiashi-sama's dead body. But Hiashi wasn't the one given. It was his role, but he was spared sacrifice. It was MY FATHER who had to pay the price of the fate given to him. The fate given to me. So instead, my father took his place all because it was his fate."

Naruto steeled his heart as he thought, 'Once again, the threat of death…what is with these people and the fear of dying? Don't they see that death is just the beginning? Then again... I feared death once, so I shouldn't think that way.'

Neji regained his awareness and focused his renewed anger and pride on Naruto when he said, "Your fate says that you will lose to me. That... I can guarantee."

Naruto retorted, "Sorry but you already rattled my ears with that last attack, so all I'm hearing is you crying about a problem you can't seem to solve alone. If that's the case, then we can help you." Naruto makes a gesture implying the people of Konoha around them. "I too shed a lot of tears and I do know what it feels like. After this match, we can cry together. Now isn't the time to close these doors. I'm trying to help you here."

Neji shook his head and said, "You are pathetic."

The stoic boy then rushed at Naruto and gave him a strong juken blow to the stomach, forcing Naruto to fly a little and fall on his back.

Neji fell to his kees once more and thought, 'I drained too much chakra. I should still have more than enough energy to fight the next matches. So why am I so winded? But at least it's over.' "Examiner, It's over." He said to the standing Gekko Hayate.

Naruto stood up again and said, "Sorry, but a coward's attack is weak. I won't give up. Hinata never gave up despite her suffering and nor should you. I won't let you walk away without a fist to your chin to wake you up."

Neji replied, "You know nothing. Your sixty-four tenketsus are closed. What can you possibly do?"

Sakura then thought, 'That's right. How will Naruto fight without chakra?'

Hinata looked on and noticed something odd. She looked a bit harder and saw that Naruto was slowly fading into the wind…literally. She then remembered something vital and smiled. Kiba then asked her, "What's up?"

Hinata replied, "Naruto-kun has already won."

Naruto said to Neji, "It's over. You've lost. In truth, you've been fighting the wind. You can't cut something intangible…sayonara."

With that, Naruto faded into the wind. Neji was shocked.'No seals-' But before he could react, the original Naruto suddenly appeared beside Neji's left side. Neji saw him in the corner of his eye but it was too late, even to blink when Naruto gave him a right uppercut to his chin. This sent Neji into the air. While he was still in mid-air, Naruto pulled him by the left foot with his right hand and yanked him down for Naruto to give a square solid punch to his face with his left fist. Neji crashed into the ground face up and with a sickening crunch that could only be a bone cracking. His impact caused, a large crack to occur on where he fell. Depleted of his strength, and more importantly, chakra, Neji sank into the ground, too weakened to move, as if lifeless.

The crowd was stunned by what they saw. What just happened?

Neji said from his groggy and drained state, "How?" he looked to where the examiner was standing and saw that he wasn't there. And to clarify things even better, the real Gekko Hayate appeared from one of the trees.

"The aftershock of that wind attack was strong enough that I was blown to the tree branches. What happened?"

Neji tried to put things together and asked, "How? When did you…"

Naruto replied, "When you fought my second wave of clones, I made a Kawarimi with one of my specially made clones—the Kaze Bunshin. Everyone was so engrossed in our battle that they forgot that my first jutsu was still active and I used half of the chakra I absorbed from you to create him and then switched with him to watch how things went from the bushes."

Neji was dumbfounded as well as everyone. Naruto continued his explanation. "I knew that it wasn't enough to drain you a little, so I had to take it all the way so that you wouldn't be able to get up at all. My clone wore you out and the only reason I didn't attack you from behind was because your Byakugan was still active. So when I saw that the referee was knocked out, I made a henge and took his place at the moment."

Ino then said, "He beat him without really having to try!"

Sakura nodded and said, "His tactical skills are umm... well beyond average. Even during our Genin Exam with Kakashi-sensei, he really pulled it off. Sugoi."

Neji then said, "I see now. Your favorite shinobi jutsu, eh? I was careless."

Naruto replied, "Save your strength. You're out of chakra. I didn't get this jutsu by chance. I failed three times in the academy finals. Unluckily, the shinobi jutsu that was given in the finals was always the shinobi jutsu that I hated the most. The Bunshin no jutsu was the move I sucked at." Neji was at a loss for words from his prone state. Though he was fading into unconsciousness, he still had enough strength to hear Naruto.

The young blonde continued. "Stop complaining about fate and saying how it can't be changed. You're different from me. You aren't a dropout."

Gekko Hayate knew what to say now. "I declare Namikaze Naruto as the winner of the first match."

The crowds cheered on as Naruto looked to the blue sky and say, "There's an old saying…'Ao wa ai yori idete ai yori aoshi.'(Blue comes from indigo, yet it is bluer than indigo.) It means that the student will always succeed the master. If fate has become your master, then as the student, exceed it. Because fate can only teach you so much until you become something more. Remember that Neji…"

And with those final words, Neji's consciousness fades to black.

Inoue cheered on along with the crowd and said with a happy voice, "Yosha! Naruto-kun won!"

Hinata smiled and said, "Congratulations Naruto-kun!"

The young blonde looked to the stand where Hinata was and thought, 'I won Hina-hime. But this time, I did this for you.'

Naruto then moved up to the waiting room where Shikamaru said, "You really never run out of surprises."

Naruto replied, "Well, that's what its like when you're the underdog." 'Good thing I didn't tell Neji that I used reiatsu to use my jutsus. If he found out that the reason he's drained of chakra is because of the reiatsu based clone he's been hitting and my half formed assassination jutsu, I'd never hear the end of it.'

Back in the stands, Renji said to himself, "Che. He's finally gotten what he wanted. But that was amazing." 'I got fired up after all that. I can't wait to fight the Oto nins and the hollows.'

Sakura frowned a little as she thought, 'He's gotten stronger again. It's like he grows up everyday. I'm envious of you now. When I see you fight, it makes me think that I should try my best too. That's an amazing thing.'

The medic nins then hauled Neji back into the first aid room where Hyuuga Hiashi waited on him. The moment the medic nins left the unconscious Neji on one of the beds, Hiashi asked them to leave and closed the door, leaving Neji with Hiashi.

However, someone else was also in that room. Tokage, in Oto-nin gear and a gas mask, awaited in one of the corners behind the white curtains where she had her chance to act upon this fragile moment.

Hiashi looked upon the unconscious genin and remembered the real reason for Hizashi's death. Looking at his nephew was a reminder of that day.

Hiashi pulled out a scroll from his hand and looked at it with deep sorrow. But as he contemplated with the old memoir, he suddenly was grabbed from behind and thrown to the floor. He didn't have time to react as his body became paralyzed while Tokage straddled him.

She said to him with a calm yet confident voice, "Ninpou, Sasori no Houyou. Thanks to your well developed chakra coils, the poison's effect worked efficiently."

Hiashi tried to wiggle out but found that every time he tried to move his muscles, he felt even more pain in his body than before. Tokage then placed her left hand on his chest and said, "The more you struggle, the faster the poison reacts to your metabolism. I want to make this as easy as possible."

Hiashi felt the venom suck his life dry as he asked with a raspy voice, "How dare you! What do you want from me?" but then it occurred in his mind a plausible reason which he asked to confirm. "Are you here to steal my eyes and the secrets of the Byakugan?"

Tokage replied, "I don't have any use for your eyes. But your life is mine."

Hiashi wasn't shocked with what he heard. However he was shocked when Tokage leaned in from her straddled position and grabbed his face with both hands as her face came in closer to his. The only thing hindering her face and his was her mask.

The normally stoic shinobi then said, "Do I make you nervous? I'm nervous too. It's my first time to kiss a man. But it will be your last. Want to try it out? A kiss of farewell?"

She then lifted her mask to reveal her coy face. Though her sharp, green eyes whispered 'cold killer', her pretty face and slight, coy smile said otherwise. She had a slight blush to her face as she moved in for the kiss of a lifetime. But before she could kiss him goodbye, the door to the room was kicked open and Ishida fired an arrow of reiatsu at the assassin. Tokage quickly leaped out of the way and threw a paper talisman at Ishida. The Quincy fired a volley of three arrows in defense but the talisman sudden glowed and deflected the arrows back at him. He strafed to the left and avoided the deflected arrows by leaning at the wall near the doorway. But doing so, allowed Tokage to rush out and leap out of one of the nearby windows in the hallway and outside into the village below. Ishida quickly moved to the open window, aimed and made a precise shot at the falling figure that was the assassin. The arrow homed in struck her at the back of her head. However, she suddenly transformed into a monitor lizard that splattered into the ground outside the arena.

"A Kawarimi." Ishida said. He then rushed to Hiashi's side and tried to help him up as he asked, "Daijobu desu ka?(Are you alright?)"

Hiashi was sweating as he struggled to get up but the pain was unbearable and he fell to his knees. The stoic man then said, "That woman is from Otogakure. I need to inform Hokage-sama."

Ishida replied, "I don't think so. By the looks of it, you've been poisoned. It looks like its fast acting as well. I'll get the medics and inform Hokage-sama for you. Stay here and don't move."

Ishida then helped him up and laid him to rest on the second bed in the room before rushing out to warn the Hokage.

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Back in the private boxes where the fake Kazekage sat, guarded by two sand shinobi, Sarutobi contemplated on whether he should act or not. He had the upper hand. Even if relations should fail between Suna and Konoha, things would be different now. He knew what he should do and why he should do it. Yet there was this feeling in his heart that kept him from striking at his student.

Orochimaru then broke the silence. "The crowd is noisy."

Sarutobi replied as he looked at the arena, "That was a nice battle."

Orochimaru looked to Sarutobi and said, "Yes, that too but…the next match is something the head ninja and the feudal lords are highly anticipating."

Sarutobi looked a bit distraught at the thought but he knew he shouldn't falter lest he makes a mistake. The old Hokage then thought, 'Although an early attack was the best idea at the time, but now…things are playing right into his hands and furthermore, we are facing an unknown threat in ours. Orochimaru has Konoha hostage. There are hollows at our doorstep and a mastermind behind them. I couldn't send Naruto alone and we are facing a battlefield even bigger than us. In the end, time is repeating itself. History cannot truly change…'

Orochimaru then said, "By the way, I did not see him at the opening ceremony, but he is already here, correct?"

Sarutobi replied, "Hai." But his guard then whispered in his ear, "We still have not located Sasuke. And there is the Orochimaru thing. Perhaps we should disqualify him before everyone causes an uproar."

But back in the stands, people were in an uproar. The team of Ichigo were starting to get annoyed by the crowd but couldn't do anything to shut them up at this point.

Ino and Sakura were worried with what was happening. Sasuke hasn't shown up yet making the blonde girl say, "What happened? Is Sasuke-kun here for the next match?"

In the private balcony of the contestants, Shikamaru said as he looked at the crowd, "What's that guy doing? Is he planning not to come?"

Shino, aloof as always, replied, "A wise man keeps away from danger. He made a good decision."

Naruto then laughed a bit and said, "What are you talking about? He'll definitely come. He's the type of guy who'll take the stage without knowing how cool he looks and realize how awesome he is."

Gaara then looked at Naruto with his cold green eyes. The young blonde looked back and saw the sadness in the jinchuriki's permanent frown. There was a tense atmosphere between the two and Shikamaru noticed it.

In fact, the tense atmosphere sparked an idea in his head. The lazy genius then quietly asked Naruto, "Hey, who are you, really?"

Naruto smiled at the lazy genius and said, "Namikaze Naruto. It's all in my name."

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "I know about the three-pronged kunai. Although I didn't make it to the bet, I know that it was a jutsu of a great shinobi."

Naruto nodded and said, "So you know its history and use."

The lazy genius eyed him and said, "However, how is it that you know of a jutsu that was long gone along with its creator when he died thirteen years ago?"

Shino suddenly paid attention to the two boys' conversation amidst the rallied cries of the crowd. Naruto showed no hint of fear amidst Shikamaru's well pointed question.

The lazy genius kept a steel gaze at the young blonde. "Naruto…you have connections with people who have powers beyond anyone's imagination. And they have a relation with all the events going on around us. And then there are spirits known as hollows underneath Konoha…"

Naruto paid attention and thought, 'He's finally figured it out. Using only small pieces of information and cold clues, he's finally adding everything up. That's Konoha's brain for you.'

Shikamaru continued his deduction. "You left a good trail but no one could follow it because it lead to something too improbable to understand."

Shino suddenly asked, "And what would that be?"

The crowd rioted so loudly that only those three boys heard when Shikamaru said, "Naruto, are you…a shinigami?"

Events unfolded in more ways than one. And for Naruto, that posed question made things evidently harder for him as secrets reveal themselves in unexpected ways. As the war begun with a small skirmish, so the battlefield is set in The Chunin Exams.

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Phew! I finished this chapter. Although I feel like I got something wrong though.

Barkeep: You got a message from your mentor. (Hands a small, folded piece of paper to me.)

What could it be? (Opens the note and begins reading it aloud.)

"Dear Le loup de Kaiser,

Your story is doing very well but there are some things I'd like to point out.

Firstly, you got the characters personalities wrong. Not all of them though. Just a few. You are 80% correct so don't worry. But since your story has gotten this far already, just continue on. Don't panic. You have to get rid of that habit of panicking or else you will never learn.

Second, make your chapters shorter so it's easier to read. It will also be easier for you. This is my only real complaint.

Finally, add another twist. Your satirical elements and black comedy will get tiresome if you overdo it. Make something unexpected like Naruto becoming a hero again. (You can make him a hero again. It's not impossible. Don't get frustrated.)

I hope I was helpful to you. Please do the suggestions, not try. (May the Force be with you… XD)

-Akara ne"

Barkeep: (raises an eyebrow.) Your mentor is really pushy. But somehow I want to believe him for some reason.

That's my mentor for you. SHE, is very persuasive. She's like a female version of Canon Naruto.

Barkeep: Whatyda mean?

Imagine your long lost crush, Tenma Tsukamoto. (Barkeep nods) Now imagine her with an IQ of 182 and can read a person accurately just by how they write alone. WITH EASE.

Barkeep: (Jawdrops)

That's only the tip of the iceberg. By meeting you, she'd be able to also know your next actions, why you do them, and dig out your lifestory. What's even scarier is that she is very charismatic as well as persuasive. It doesn't help that she's 90% correct most of the time.

Barkeep: People like that actually exist?! But Tenma…(Thinks deeply)With that personality(Thinks even harder and sweats)…That's insane!

Good thing she doesn't use her charisma to take over a small country. (With her, it's possible. Seriously.) I'm glad she's into helping people. (I hope she didn't see her message pasted here) She's book smart and street smart though she tends to play dumb to catch people off guard making her unpredictable. Ya, I know. My Naruto sounds the same. Actually, that's the whole point. I based Naruto a little bit from her so that I can prove that a person like Naruto can also be book-smart making him a dangerous person to mess with…Now I have the perfect villain in mind!

Barkeep: Hey! Wrap it up! And can you get me her number? I need help in my love life.

Ahh, why not. It'll be like watching Dr. Phil seeing you get advice from her. Now I'm hungry for pizza. Do you got any on the menu?

Barkeep: Gave the last slice for tonight to that creep over there.(Points at a man in a red trenchcoat with white hair and a guitar case under his table.)

Hey! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the other fic I'm working on!

Dante: You haven't even signed me up yet. My contract said I don't get paid if I don't have screentime. What's a show without the star?

Yeah, about that…you know what, who gives a damn? Let's just end this chapter. I'll fix that contract of yours later.

I'll work my butt off on the next chapter. Jaa matta.

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Fuuton, Mukaze no jutsu(Wind release, Zero wind technique)- a wind technique that uses kunai as a medium to create a vacuum line. Whatever opponent gets caught in that vacuum line, their chakra gets sucked by the vacuum line and it is stored into the kunai.

Fuuton, Hae(Wind release, South Wind)- a wind jutsu that consists of a tornado on the arm where it is channeled. Its sucking power is its source of strength and takes away any defenses the target has.

Ninpou, Sasori no Houyou(ninja art, Scorpion's Embrace)- a paralysis technique using poison from a mere touch of the skin. It rapidly infects the opponent by attacking the chakra coils through the tenketsus of the opponent. The faster the metabolism, the faster it infects. The potency of the poison increases when the victim moves.