Disclamer: If I actually owned Naruto, he would be a badass in the cannon. The Ocs I do own ARE badass.
Vote poll: As of the moment this chapter is posted, the voting poll will be closed. I thank you all who have voted. You can see the final results at the top of my page.
Author's apology: I'm sorry this one took SO DAMN long to come out. I had a few problems with this one, and it wasn't the fight scene. It was introducing, in the most mysterious way, my oldest ever OC. Far far older then any other OC I've ever had, but strangely, has NEVER been written into any of my stories. The reason is simple. This OC is a dear and very personal one to me, and is the main reason this story even exists in the first place, besides attempting to make a bad-ass Naruto.
Most of the OC in this story, and my other stories, is a part of my personality. Try to figure out what each OC represents. There are, as of this chapter, 6 OCs in this story that represent a part of me, not including Gin Mekami (He technically hasn't been scene yet). Good luck finding them all! (Note: ANBU don't count)
Now on to the fic...
–
Chapter 18: The end of the chuunin exams
The war between the sound, sand, and leaf... actually, it's not really a war anymore, it's just more of a clean up job for the leaf. Sure the Leaf nin were still outnumbered by 3 to 1, but it really didn't matter.
Moral for the sound was low, and even completely disappeared when that they heard about their now dead leader. Some were even defecting and giving up on the spot, others were crying out for their dead snake leader, and even more were committing seppuku on the spot once their minds were freed from his influence. Some were rallied up by their commanders to keep fighting, but everyone knew it was just suicide facing the leaf now.
For the Sand, it was more of just falling to their knees in disbelief. To hear that the commander, leader, the one who guided the village day-in and day-out had been killed by the very ones who you thought were allies in this war, well, how would you feel? Yes, he wasn't the best leader Sand ever had, but he was still someone who held power and was looked up to in respect for that.
For the Leaf, hearing that both of the pillars of power for the enemies were taken out in one fell swoop by their own pillar of power, their morals were boosted to high spirits. Many were smiling and thinking that the battle was already won, now all they had to do was clean up the last of the mess.
The front gate was no exception. In fact, it was where the nastiest of the battles had happened. Most of all three of the armies had been located there, even if most of the participants there were considered cannon fodder for the Sound and Sand. Along the main road to the front gate to Konohagakure were bodies of both sound and sand. Some were twitching, trying to hold on to life. A few of the older ones in the battle didn't bother, and just stared at the clouds waiting for the darkness to come. Some Leaf nin bodies were among the bodies, but a majority were sound.
However, not all bodies on the road were corpses or becoming one. One figure was walking among the carnage, not paying any attention to the blood and gore around it. An ANBU nearby was watching said figure walk along them main road to Konoha. The figure was short, child like in build. The flowing black dress that reached the figure's knees was a simple one meant for a child with frills on the shoulders and just above the stomach. The figure's calf length flowing platinum hair swayed behind the figure's 8 year old female body. The figure suddenly stopped walking, turned it's head towards the observer, and the ANBU was staring straight into my pure blue eyes. I gave the Anbu an innocent smile.
One word escaped the ANBU's mouth. "Shit..."
–
After eating in silence at the ramen stand set up in the arena, the three made their way back up to the audience stands. When Naruto, Hinata, and Shino finally made it up there, an ANBU appeared next to the three. "Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata. You are to come with me." He started walking for the hallway that lead to the arena floor.
Naruto shrugged, and the two started walking down when Shino's voice stopped them. "Give them a grand show, you two."
They both looked over their shoulders, and Naruto gave him the thumbs up. "You better believe we will." They then ran off to catch up to the ANBU.
–
The Hokage and the Daimyo were talking about various subjects. Well, it was more the Daimyo talking. "So, I was about to put my hand into the hole-"
"Oh, look. The exams are starting!" The hokage said in a revealed tone.
The concrete ceiling for the arena slowly opened up. When the crowd could see the whole arena again, three teens were standing all facing each other. On Naruto's shoulder was Kina, on Hinata's Hiraku, Akamaru being told to stay on the sidelines, and finally on Temari's shoulder... was that a weasel? She was currently petting the little thing. Of course, the Daimyo instantly had hearts for eyes.
There were two grown men standing outside of the circle that the teens made.
One was Shiranui Genma, and the other was Gekko Hayate. They both nodded to each other, and then faced the crowd holding a bird sign.
Genma spoke up first, "Welcome to the final round of the third chuunin exams!" The crowd cheered.
"Behind us are the three finalists who will compete in a battle royal!" said Hayate.
"We thank you all for staying with us as we repaired the field."
"Before we start the final round, we will explain the rules for the final match!"
"Hayate and I will act as proctors for this round as watching a three way battle is too hard for one person."
"With that being said, if one of us says that a participant is done for, then that is final. No ifs, ands, or buts. The match will continue until only one is left standing."
Then both said at once. "We hope you enjoy this match!" And they bowed. They turned around.
"Are you ready?" Genma asked all three of them.
All three nodded, determination to win in their eyes.
Both men raised their hands up. "HAJMIE!" The brought them down, and then disappeared.
Instantly, before anyone else could move, Naruto brought his hands up into a ram sign. "KAI!"
The next moment, everyone froze. Kina's eyes widened. 'That's all ten seals at once. Naruto isn't going to seriously use it... he is.' Evil mental laugh. She turned, and jumped off of Naruto's shoulder, and disappeared in the nearby brush.
Naruto spoke up while looking at Hinata. "Before the exams even started, we agreed to go all out. Well, here I am!"
Naruto was currently standing up straight with a smirk on his face. Surrounding him was a massive blue aura. Blue waves rippled along the ground from Naruto's feet. His clothes were slightly floating due to the massive amount of energy being let loose.
Hinata was the first to come out of shock. She activated her Byakugan, to keep her eyes on both of the competitors. She leaped back into the trees, knowing that any attempt to find her position would be futile as the amount of energy laced in the air would make it difficult to detect her hidden energy.
Temari was still stuck in her position. She had NEVER felt this much chakra at once, and it had overloaded her senses to the point that her sight was fuzzing a little. She instantly backed off into the trees in hopes of trying to find out why this boy had so much.
Hinata asked Hiraku mentally, "Why does he have all that chakra?"
"It's because of his seal. The fourth hokage made it so that Kina's yokou could be changed into a more potent version of chakra. This, of course, threw any control he would've had out the window. Maybe that's why he worked so hard on those chakra control exercises." Hiraku answered.
"So, how do we counter it? That much chakra flowing off of him has to be used for something, he wouldn't just waste it all." Hinata said.
"This is just speculation on my part, but it could be that he doesn't have any chakra control right now." Hiraku answered.
"No, there has to be something. Do you know anything about the Mizu Kanryuu style? He's boasted it about it to me several times." Hinata said.
"No, I'm sorry. In retrospect to how old I am, Kina is far older. Also, I learned everything I know from humans, and some gods. I don't know anything that 'normal' demons know." She said back.
"How do we get past that barrier he's made then? Is it possible that he could run out of chakra soon?" She asked.
"No. Kina is the kyuubi, remember? And if Kina's energy is being converted into his chakra, and he has high regenerative abilities as well, then he could keep that up for hours. In other words, while he does have a limited amount of chakra, about double S rank at that, his regeneration rate is very high, giving him near infinite chakra. His endurance is far higher then yours, so wearing him out would also be a bad idea." Hiraku answered.
"So what do we do?" Hinata asked.
"Let's observe for a little while. Stay on the defensive for now, and dodge whatever he flings at you. I'll tell you if I have a plan." Hiraku said mentally.
Hinata nodded, and looked down to the field.
Meanwhile, with Temari.
'Why does he have so much chakra! It's absurd, it's so much! What can I do against that much chakra? What about Taijutsu? No, he's proficient in it, and my senses are dulled being near him. Genjutsu? No, I'm not very proficient in it, and the amount of chakra he's giving off would make it hard to cast anything on him, much less holding it. He could break it with a swipe of his hand.' She thought. 'Ninjutsu us my only option. Think Temari, what's in my arsenal? I could use that, but let's wait for him to run low on energy first.'
With Naruto.
He was just leisurely standing there, waiting for when the air would finally be ready for him to manipulate with. The longer he stood there, the easier it will be for his seventh sense to gain a foot hold. 'It's only a matter of time.'
"Don't get cocky, gaki!" Kina yelled at him mentally. "Keep all of your senses up. Until Seventh sense is up, you can't detect them."
"Hai." Naruto's face grew serious. He needed to buy time. "What should I use? Fuinjutsu, ninjutsu, or taijutsu?" He thought to no one.
He smiled.
He put his hand in his jacket, and pulled out a slip of paper. On it looked to be four very complicated seals created with a special red mix available only to advanced users.
Jiraiya thought back to one of the days that he was training Naruto.
Flashback
Jiraiya and Naruto were sitting in a clearing with many books opened to various pages around them. Jiraiya and Naruto were looking at a piece of paper Naruto had put before Jiraiya. The old pervert was carefully studying the seal his apprentice had made.
"Not bad kid, but you do realize that these two symbols cancel each other out, right?" Jiraiya said, pointing to a specific part of the seal.
Naruto smiled. "I know that!" He pointed to another part of the seal. "That's why I placed these ones here."
Jiraiya looked at the seal closely. His eyes widened at the double usage that another set of symbols would do if activated. He smiled. The complexity of the seals his protege were making were increasing every day, if not by the hour. The kid had a natural talent for the seals, and he was trying to figure out WHEN the boy would find out about the time displacement seals his father had created, and how the boy would implement them. He looked over the symbol once again. "I must say, this one is much more complex then even a trained eye perceives." He paused, looking at the symbol. "I think you're about ready to take the advanced seal test."
"Advanced seal test?"
"Yes, right now, with the seals, symbols, and complexities we have studied are only at the intermediate level, which is what you are right now. The next level will be even harder, and the test for it is more difficult then the average test I give you."
The silver haired kid smirked. "Bring it."
Jiraiya chuckled. This kid was a wonder in the making.
End flashback
The kid slammed the paper onto the ground, and activated them. The seals flashed in a bright blue light, and then died away to show that the paper had disappeared, leaving black markings in the ground. The kid's smirk grew. He thought back to his first days of fuinjutsu training.
Flashback
The kid was looking at the book of seals given to him by his perverted godfather. The book wasn't hard, and he was getting everything down pat.
Just like talking about a devil, his sensei for the session walked up to him. "So gaki. Any questions yet?"
"Yeah, just one. Is there any limits to seals?"
Jiraiya's smirk turned into a full blown smile. "Gaki, if there's one thing that makes seals so damn useful, it's the fact they can do Anything."
"Anything?" He started to create some of his wildest dreams.
End Flashback
"Anything.. Fuinjutsu: Shouheki."(Seal technique: Barrier) He smirked. He stood right back up, but kept his foot on the almost hidden seal on the ground. He had just bought his time. Due to using so much chakra though, his body didn't have the aura of absolute anymore, but he was still leaking chakra at a steady pace, and slowly lacing the air around him with it.
Temari studied what the silver brat did. While she wasn't proficient in any seals, she knew that wasn't all for a bright light. He was just standing there, waiting for them to come at him. She assessed her situation. The exam was on a no time limit, no holds barred match. Meaning anything goes as long as two people were fighting. She didn't know why, but she had a very bad feeling that time would only work for the boy. She fingered her kunai pouch behind her, and put a hand on her little weasel's head. If there was one thing you should never give a strategist, it's time.
Hinata was perplexed. Her secret crush had just done something to do with a large amount of chakra. So much so that she would have been exhausted trying to even use half the amount he just used when he slammed the object onto the ground, and that was saying something because she had huge reserves for most gennin. 'Why would he have used so much chakra?' She wondered.
Hiraku answered for her, 'It's a fuinjutsu, and a pretty advanced on at that.'
'Fuinjutsu? You mean like the caged bird seal?' She wondered.
'Yes, but the nature of this one feels light.' Hiraku answered again.
'Light?'
'There are many different types of seals. Light is just one of them. Light seals are mostly defensive or supplementary in nature.' Hiraku thought back.
'So, he's just put a big bad defensive wall between me and him, didn't he?'
'Assuming he's a seal user, then yes. Attack him at a distance. You'll see what I mean.' Hiraku said.
Hinata did just that. She threw several kunai directly at him.
When the kunai was just a bare five feet away, a dim light shined just beneath Naruto's right foot, and a wall made from rock appeared between him and the kunai. The kunai bounced off of the hard rock, and then the wall disappeared. Naruto was slowly looking around for the source of the kunai.
The problem with him releasing all his chakra seals was that all of his senses are thrown off in the beginning. After a few minutes his senses would be back to normal, actually better then that, but until then he was at a slight disadvantage. He didn't like releasing all of his chakra seals, but he had agreed to go all out, and going all out he shall. People assume that having more chakra is equal to being a badass. Well, that's completely and utterly wrong. In fact, Naruto always envied those with high amounts of natural chakra control, and it peeved him every time he thought about how many "Years" he spent using clones to get to where he was now. If it wasn't for the Kage bunshin then he wouldn't be anywhere near as good as he is now. Though, the hard work made it worth it in the end.
He grunted, now wasn't the time to get lost in thought. A rock barricade came up from the ground to protect his backside. He whirled around to see who threw it, but he saw nothing but grass in that direction. Another to his right, and he saw a flash of white and blue.
"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"(Sickle Weasel Technique) A blast of wind flew at him from behind him, and the seal below him glowed white for a small instant before the blast of cutting wind was neutralized.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and saw Temari cursing, and then moving to get out of the line of sight. Naruto flashed a hand sign. "Fūton: Daitoppa"(Wind style: Great breakthrough) The blast of wind was directed to wear Temari was going, and since the girl was in mid-jump, couldn't dodge the incoming wind.
She waved her fan once channeling chakra through it. A single sickle of wind cut the incoming wind in half. One side of the Daitoppa hit Temari in the legs, throwing her off her trajectory, and making her smack into a tree with her stomach. She peeled off the tree, and then fell 10 feet to the ground completely winded. She clutched her stomach trying her hardest to breathe, but it was only coming in short gasps.
Naruto turned his attention back to trying to find Hinata. He turned just in time to see a kunai trip a wire on one side of the stadium. This set off three kunai to launch straight for his position from one side. He turned again to look for where the first kunai came from, only to see three waves of shuriken heading for his position.
"Hit him!" Hinata yelled in her mind. Hiraku nodded, and then raced forward surrounded by lightning. The kitten raced, but was intercepted by Kina.
Naruto smirked. The three kunai and the waves of shuriken were deflected by two separate walls of stone.
Hinata narrowed her eyes. 'Wait a minute, why did Kina need to intercept Hiraku? It couldn't be.' "Hiraku, I'm going in to try and attack him head on."
Hiraku didn't respond as she dodged Kina's chakra wave attack. Hinata dashed out of the foliage and raced towards Naruto.
The silver haired boy turned just in time to see Hinata coming right at him. He mentally cursed. The seal on the ground only protected from projectiles, not from head on attackers. He dashed backwards just as Hinata was going to hit him with her taijutsu. He evaded five more dash attacks before jumping up into a tree. He crossed his arms over his chest, and then threw them outward. "Karada Joseki."(Body expelling) A wave of chakra lashed out from the boy, and Hinata, who had jumped up to attack him, was forced back to the ground. The boy threw a fist out, and Hinata dodged to the side, just in time to see a small crater form right where she was.
Hinata dodged more attacks as Naruto launched wave after wave of impacts at her until she was just outside of his range. He dashed forward, and appeared just in front of Hinata, and was about to attack when he saw a small weasel drop a kunai on the ground in between them. This kunai had an explosive tag attached to it. Both fighters dodged backwards just in time as the explosive tag went off. Both fighters were thrown from the cloud of smoke, because of the blast, but both looked okay to continue fighting. That was, until they both heard another tell-tale hissing sound of an explosive tag right behind them. Naruto dashed to the right, and he appeared on the other side of the stadium. Hinata went stock still, but then faded away only to reappear right above Naruto halfway through an axe kick. Naruto brought both of his arms up to block the kick, and Hinata pushed off of Naruto's arms and did a mid-air flip backwards, landing a few feet away from the boy.
Temari smirked. 'Hehe' On the ground in front of her was a pile of explosive tags strapped to a wire. There were several piles of ninja wires, and a kunai attacked to one end of each. She bit her thumb, and smeared blood on her fully open fan. 'Now to wait for the perfect moment to strike.' Her small weasel appeared on her shoulder, and she petted the weasel on it's head. "Good job, Kutrina-chan." The weasel mewed, and then licked Temari's face.
Naruto and Hinata reengaged in taijutsu. Hinata dodged a high impact by going under his arm. She brought her arm in an upward diagonal slash across Naruto's chest. Naruto blocked the hand's path with the side of his arm, and went to kick her head. They traded blows like that for a while, and a smile slowly grew on their faces. Naruto had yet to be hit by the girl's slash attack, but even blocking them made Naruto's arms hurt slightly. Getting a full blast across his chest would hurt like hell. Similarly, Hinata had yet to get a full impact during their fight, but near misses made the air pressure much heavier, and was starting to wear her body down due to going from high to low pressure constantly.
They was slowly making their way across the stadium flow, until they felt a large chakra spike from the woods nearby. Explosive tags on the ground gone unnoticed flared and exploded in waves around the two in the center of the stadium. Just when the explosions were closing in on the two, the seal on the ground below Naruto's feet flashed purple and the explosions went outward instead of hitting the two.
Temari's voice rang out then. "Kuchiyose: Katamari!" A giant weasel broke through the layer of smoke surrounding the fighters with a giant sickle.
Time seemed to slow down to Naruto as he saw the weasel bring up the sickle to cut both of them through. Naruto brought up his hand, and channeled just the right amount. Naruto caught the giant blade with his bare hand, his arm strained to hold it away from him. Time sped back up, and both weasel and fox-boy growled at each other.
The air around Naruto hummed with energy. 'Finally!' He yelled in his mind. Just then, several wires with explosive tags wrapped it's way around both fighters as the weasel backed off into the dissipating smoke.
When the smoke completely cleared a blond sand-nin was brushing the fur of the giant weasel with her hand, and a smirk on her face. "Forfeit."
Naruto chuckled. "No." and then focused on the air around him. The air quickly turned into a small tornado, and tore up the wires and tags. Hinata channeled chakra into her body, and cut the wires and tags with pure chakra.
Katamari had a surprised face. Temari stepped back. "Crap." She retreated back into the forest, along with the giant weasel.
Hinata did as well. She had no clue Naruto could do THAT. He just made the wind move out of pure thought. She smirked. "Hiraku. Time to sun bathe." The cat smirked, and disappeared, only to reappear on top of the hokage balcony. She stretched in a very cat like way, and then curled up under the sun. Hinata sat down, and closed her eyes to draw in Natural energy.
Naruto's eyes widened when he felt Natural energy being drawn to a point, and then being beamed to Hinata. "Crap, I had to forget that Hinata's a sage as well!" He went into his coat, and brought out another seal.
Flashback
"So what's my test?" Naruto asked.
"Well, considering what you've learned, this test should be doable, but barely." Jiraiya said. "Your test is to specifically block Sage Mode. Nothing else."
"Why only sage mode?" Naruto asked.
"Well, Natural energy is the hardest to control, and as thus, hardest to block. You can barely keep the natural energy locked away in those seals on your arm. If they're cut up at all, all the natural energy would be released uselessly. Also, you must do this without placing any seals on me! You have to figure out how to stop Sage mode, when I'm clear across the clearing. Got it?" Jiraiya smiled evilly, like somehow figuring the kid wouldn't pass the test.
Naruto thought about it for a while. "How long do I have to prepare?"
"2 hours. You have only that much time to study, prepare, test, and apply." Jiraiya said. "Oh, And I'm pretty good about gathering Natural energy, so this one will be tough." With that Jiraiya, stood up, walked across the clearing, and then sat down in a meditative state. He closed his eyes, and breathed slowly.
Naruto looked down at the books on the ground. "How do I seal sage mode without sealing him?" He picked up a book, and got to work, trying to figure out how to block the sage.
About an hour later
'Let's see.' Naruto's thought train began as he was reading a particular seal. 'Chakra signal. This seal applies a heavy chakra induced atmosphere in a 1 meter range around the seal, making it look like someone is there when they actually, aren't.' He paused in thought trying to see if he could make that work in another way. He grinned, and flipped back a few pages. 'Chakra Distribution. This seal distributes chakra to other seals.' He smiled, an idea was forming.
End flashback
Naruto slammed the seal onto the ground like last time, and like last time, a small flash, and the red ink turned black. The paper stayed though, and a trail of smaller seals started to seep out of the main seal and onto the ground around it. The characters then started to fly directly up into the air. The seals displaced themselves randomly around the field and created a 'forest' of seals all around the field. The air hummed with energy for a brief second, and then the seals started to glow blue.
Hinata suddenly felt cold. The energy building up inside of her to create sage mode was suddenly gone! She opened her eyes and gasped. Lines of blue chakra was standing up at random places. The lines all converged to a seal that was on the ground that was under Naruto's hand. Naruto slowly stood up.
"Like my Anti-sage seal, Hinata-chan? I created it with battling sages in mind, and I doubt the town would survive both of us going into sage mode." Naruto stated calmly. "The best part about this seal is that I only have to place it on a solid surface, and the seal does the rest!"
Hinata chuckled. "I admit it, Naruto. You're good. But that wont stop me!" She mentally cursed though. The only way to beat him now was to use THOSE techniques. She really didn't want to use them, but she would never back down in front of Naruto. She stood back up, and carefully considered her distance from him. She had to get this right.
Temari gawked at the sight of the seals. She walked up to one, and reached out to touch it. She felt no force, and her hand went right through the seal. It was like a bushin, you can see it, but it's not there. She furrowed her brows, and looked back to Naruto. Katamari looked up to her. "Temari."
She looked back down at her summon. "Yes?"
Katamari looked back to the fox-boy. "Take caution." The giant weasel wasn't a very talkative one, and was more of a social introvert, but the girl understood him.
"Why? Is he dangerous." Temari asked, and Kutrina mewed.
"Hmm. He created a vacuum inside a tornado." Katamari responded.
Temari gasped. "But, I thought it was impossible to make a vacuum without hand signs!"
"You? Maybe. A master?" He looked back to Naruto. "No." He answered.
Temari inhaled. Wind masters were few and far in between, and were feared above all else in the desert. She knew what Katamari was saying. This kid was a wind master. If he could create vacuums without hand signs, and still fight normally, then there wasn't much she could do against him. Hell, even fire users were pitiful against wind masters. But hell, the kid before her was younger then her. 'Maybe he's one of those prodigies?' she thought.
Temari sighed. "Alright. I guess that's all the help I need today, Katamari-kun." Katamari nodded, and disappeared in a poof of smoke. She looked up to a proctor that was standing on the wall. She jumped up, and ran along the wall till she was near him. "I give up. They've got me beat in everything, and I'm out of chakra."
Genma nodded. "Temari has forfeited. Only two contestants remain!" He shouted out. He turned back to the girl. "Go get some rest. Be in the center of the stadium once the battle is over." He then looked over to Hayate, who nodded and disappeared. Hayate needed to gather the other contestants.
Up in the kage box
A Dog ANBU appeared near the Hokage. He put his hand up to his mouth, and whispered something into the old man's ear. Sarutobi's eyes widened greatly as his face grew paler. He turned to the ANBU. "Are you absolutely sure it was her!" He asked.
The ANBU nodded.
The hokage looked much older then he really was at that moment. "You can't stop her, just keep an eye on her as much as you can."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." And the ANBU disappeared.
The old man looked out over the village. "I hope to kami herself that I can last until Tsunade can make it here."
Uzu smirked behind her mask.
The Daimyo looked to him. "What are you talking about?"
Sarutobi looked over to his fellow leader. "A disaster is going to happen soon, Daimyo-dono."
"Oh, it can't be that bad, Hokage-dono."
"You're right. It's much worse." He looked back down to the arena.
Down in the arena
Hinata and Naruto turned to each other after they heard the proclamation of the proctor Genma. They both nodded, and then dashed at one another. Naruto punched an impact dead center of Hinata's body, only for her to stop suddenly, and then disappear, only to reappear above and behind Naruto in a mid axe kick. Naruto jumped forward and turn around, only to dodge to the side as Hinata launched a slash attack. The fox-boy jumped back a bit, and then wind swept Hinata away once she got close to him.
Naruto concentrated on the air around him as he breathed in slowly. He stretched his hand forward, and a blast of wind flashed at Hinata. Hinata slashed at the air before her, cutting the wind in half. Hinata breathed out slowly only to gasp as she saw more wind flying at her this time in the form of blades. She planted her feet into the ground, and spun on her heel. She spread her hands out flat with the thumb going straight into the air, and the pinky facing the ground. A thin strands of chakra flew out of each of her fingers as she spun. While this all happened, Hinata called out the name. "Yoken bouseki!"(Foresight: spinning) As she spun, thousands of chakra strands got longer and twirled around her, effectively destroying the wind attack.
Up in the stands
Hiashi's heart stopped as he saw the technique performed. His face got paler, and he stuttered for a moment.
Hanabi looked up to him, and asked, "Otou-sama. What's wrong?"
Hiashi broke out of his stupor, and looked at his youngest daughter. "N-nothing, Hanabi-chan." He looked back at Hinata. "Nothing's wrong. Yet."
Down in the arena
Hinata finished her spinning, and let her hands fall to her sides. The strings of chakra dissipated into thin air.
Back up in the stands
Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief. 'Good, she doesn't know about that move yet.'
Back in the arena
The battle continued. Neither fighter willing to give up. Naruto used his high control of wind to keep Hinata at a distance, and Hinata kept using her slashes to go through the wind attacks. Both were smiling, and looking like they were having fun.
Hinata suddenly went still mid-attack. Naruto's eyes widened when she disappeared, and looked around for her, only to get a slash across his back. He stumbled forward, the pain from the attack was small, but he was breathing a bit more now. "Nice one, Hinata-chan. How about this?" Suddenly the wind turned into a tornado around Naruto, and then disappeared along with Naruto. Hinata kept calm, and searched for him with her Byakugan. She saw large flashes of chakra all over the place, but never caught sight of him. Naruto appeared under her already halfway through a kick to her chin. Hinata didn't react in time, and was kicked into the sky.
Hinata did however perform another Yoken bouseki to keep Naruto away from her, which succeeded, and the girl landed. She rubbed her chin. That kick seriously hurt. Both fighters chuckled a bit, before Hinata went still, and then both Naruto and Hinata disappeared. Hinata reappeared moments later in the dead center of the arena. She threw several kunai and shuriken out onto the field, and then focused on her elemental manipulation. Lightning arched from her hands to the metal weapons on the ground. Hinata then focused on the chakra flashes she was seeing with her Byakugan. She couldn't see any kind of pattern in the flashes. Suddenly, she saw Naruto right behind and above her halfway through a drop kick. Hinata brought both of her arms up, still charged with lightning, and blocked it. Her arms gave out from the attack, and Naruto ended up kicking her in her shoulder hard. Naruto didn't get away with it though, as he was severally electrocuted. Both fighters moved away from the other, and turned to face their opponent.
The sun was starting to get low in the sky by this point in time, and everyone had been there for more then 7 hours now. "Hinata, why don't we finish it off with one last move?" Naruto asked.
Hinata thought about it, and nodded. "Sure why not. I've wanted to use this for a while now anyways." She crossed her arms over her chest, and relaxed her hands. Lightning started to arch off her relaxed rands into the ground below.
Naruto chuckled, and lifted his arm up to the side. Lightning started to arch off of Naruto's hands as he concentrated on on his technique.
Both focused on each other for while as the lightning became more intense between the two.
"Raiton!" Both started.
"Kei!"(Whip) Hinata dashed forward with a long whip in each hand made of pure lightning, and lashed out with both of her hands when she got close.
"Eihi!"(Eternal Light) Naruto dashed forward with a palm made of lightning. When he got close to Hinata he pushed his hand forward, and a ball of light shined out.
The two techniques collided, and every watched had to close their eyes from the sheer light. After a few moments, people peeled their eyes open to look down at the arena.
Naruto and Hinata were standing with their backs facing each other, and their hands in the final positions for each of their jutsu. Naruto had two whip like burn marks going across his chest. Hinata had a severe burn in her stomach. They both stand up, and turn around to look at each other.
"Well, looks like I lose." Naruto stated, and then blacked out due to the fact that the lightning had overloaded his nervous system.
"Not really, Naruto-kun." Hinata fainted from her eyes being overloaded from Naruto's jutsu.
Genma dropped down into the arena, and checked both kids. He sighed, and called for the medics. He stood up, and looked to the audience. "This match is a draw between Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto."
The crowd cheered. It was a good fight, with an outstanding end.
The Hokage landed in the arena, and walked up to Hinata first. He turned the girl over, and put his hand on her eyes. His palm glowed green for a moment, and then he moved his hand up to her forehead. Hinata's eyes fluttered open for a moment. "Ho-hokage-sama!" She saw the old man smiling down at her.
"Well done, Hyuuga-san. You fared quite well against Naruto. Wait while I wake him up." he said, and then got up, and walked over to Naruto. Hinata stood up slowly.
Sarutobi touched the back of Naruto's neck with a little bit of electricity, and Naruto immediately shot up. "Huh? What happened?"
"I'll explain in a moment." Sarutobi said. He looked over to Genma, and said, "Bring them out here."
Genma nodded, and then disappeared.
Sarutobi helped Naruto standup. He noticed that the burn marks on Naruto's chest had disappeared. He looked back to Hinata who was looking as cheeky as ever, despite the fact that she still had a nasty burn mark on her stomach.
A few minutes later, and Naruto and Hinata talking about how each jutsu of theirs worked, the rest of the contestants along with Genma and Hayate walked out onto the field. They had all of the contestants line up just like they did before the battles. The only one missing really was Mubi the Ame nin who had fought Tenten in the first rounds. He didn't make it.
Sarutobi looked at each of the Shinobi and Kunoichi lined up before him. Sarutobi held his hand out to his side, and a folder appeared in his hand, courtesy of the ANBU handing it to him.
"The promotion to chuunin is a big step from genin. As a chuunin you will be expected to lead genin and chuunin teams on several different missions going as high as a High B ranked mission. You will be expected to keep a cool head, an open mind, and be able to compensate in situations. Beware. Being promoted to chuunin has many responsibilities, and will be a new type of weight on your shoulders then what you're used to. If you're promoted today, you show that you can be trusted with these responsilibities. Just because you're strong, doesn't mean you can lead a team." He looked each one in the eye as he talked, making sure he had their attention. Even the Nara was paying attention to this. No wait, he's spaced out. Nevermind.
Sarutobi opened his folder, and walked up to the first one in the line. He read the page quietly for a moment, and then looked up.
"Higurashi Tenten. You showed excellent quality in guiding and helping your team through the first two exams, however you didn't step up, and contradict your leader, Hyuuga Neji, when you know you should have in the forest of death. During the Preliminaries you showed skill, dexterity, and the ability to think on your feet. During the first round of the third exam, you showed finesse and skill in your blades. During the second round, you showed bravery and determination to fight,a nd you never backed down. By the count of 4 votes and my approval, you are hereby promoted to Chuunin!" Might Gai appeared right next to the hokage, and handed a Chuunin's jacket to the girl. Tenten accepted the jacket, and put it over her shoulder. She waved as the crowd applauded her. Gai disappeared/
The Hokage moved to his right, and stood before Hinata. He flipped the page over, and read silently for a minute. He looked up. "Hyuuga Hinata. In the First exam, you passed without letting a single point be marked against you. In the second exam, you made suggestions and points out to your comrades when you thought something would work better. You also showed that you can listen as well, and that is a great quality in a leader. In the Preliminaries, you showed strength that no one knew you had, and then some. In the first rounds of the third exam, you showed that you know where your limits are, and I noticed that even though you took it easy, you never let your guard down. In the second round, you fought with a style that hasn't been scene in quite a long time, and you showed grace that no one has scene for over fifty years. In the third fight, you showed control that no one else here has, and great knowledge in taijutsu and ninjutsu. By the count of 5 votes and my approval you are hereby promoted to Chuunin!" Kurenai appeared next to the Hokage, and handed a chuunin jacket to the girl. Hinata accepted the jacket, and put it on. She blushed and bowed to the audience as they applauded. Kurenai Disappeared.
The Hokage moved to the next Contestant. He looked over the profile for a bit, and then looked up. "Inuzuka Kiba." He paused. "In the first exam, you were never caught, and you never showed fear during the trick question. In the second exam, you showed that you had quite the awareness around you, but you declined in listening to your comrades as much as you should have. In the Preliminaries, you showed quick thinking, and planning ahead of your opponent. In the third exam, you showed great endurance for someone your age, but you lacked control, and you also lacked being cool headed. You didn't listen to you partner. You only received two votes. You did not get the promotion." Kiba nodded, but he steeled his eyes and smiled. There was always next time.
The Hokage moved over to the next person, and studied the paper for a minute. He looked up, and smirked. "Nara Shikamaru!" He said louder then usual. The boy jerked his head up, and looked around. A small "Mendokuse" escaped the boy's lips. The Hokage inwardly chuckled. "In the first exam, you never got caught, and showed that you knew what it took to pass, nothing more, nothing less. In the second exam, you showed that you had great care in not getting into any 'troublesome' situation, and that you lead your team quite well, and easily passed the test. In the Prelminaries, you did the bare minimum to pass, using strategy and a cool mind over panicking. In the third exam, you showed great mental prowess and planning in on the field strategies, and even long term strategies. Even though you lost, in the eyes of a shinobi you won. By the count of 4 votes and my approval you are hereby promoted to Chuunin!" Asuma appeared next to the Hokage, and handed the boy a chuunin jacket. The boy muddered "Mendokuse" and put the jacket on. He didn't respond to the applause, and just tilted his head forward to go back to semi-consciousness.
Sarutobi moved over to the next contender, and studied her profile. "Sabaku no Temari." The girl tensed as he looked her in the eye. "In the first exam, you were caught once. In the second exam, you showed that you had the need to get things done in an orderly amount of time, instead of lolling about. In the Preliminaries, you showed great strength in elemental manipulation and grace. In the First rounds of the third exam, you showed a tactical mind backed by real strength. However, in the eyes of Shinobi you had lost your first round. You made up for that in your second round, when you showed you had timing and stealth. A deadly combination. In the third round, you once again showed great tactical strategies using the fewest resources possible. You backed out, because you knew you were at your limit. A good ninja knows how to fight. A great ninja knows their limits. By the count of 7 votes a note will be sent to the Suna council with our recommendation for promotion to Chuunin!" Temari blushed, and bowed to the audience. They technically couldn't promote her, just give their recommendation. The only ones who can promote is a kage of their village. No one else.
The Professor moved to the next fighter, and studied his profile. "Akamichi Chouji." The boy stopped snacking on his food. "In the first exam, you showed that you trusted your comrades by believing in them the entire time. In the second exam, you showed the willingness of self-sacfricie to protect your friends. In the Preliminaries you showed strength and determination. In the third exams, you showed that speed and strength are equal matches. You received three votes. Not enough to be promoted." Chouji looked down. "You, however, have received my approval. You will be placed on a Trial period of four months where you will have to show that you can lead, and help your comrades. At the end of the trial, you will be rejudged based on what you have shown and if you are fit for the title of full chuunin. You have been given title of Tokubetsu Chuunin!" Asuma appeared next to the hokage again, and handed Chouji a chuunin's vest. Chouji smiled. Hey, it was better then not getting anything for all his trouble.
The leader of the leaf then moved to the next fighter. He studied this one closely. "Rock Lee." The boy ten went into a salute stance. "In the first exam, you showed that you can trust your allies, but you were caught three times. In the second exam, you showed aptitude, and the strength to help those in need. In the Preliminaries, you showed that you have great knowledge in Taijutsu. You followed you sensei's commands smoothly. In the Third exam, you showed that speed can overcome strength, and you did it with style. In the second fight, you showed that you know when your situation can go dire, but you did not show that you can handle it. You received 5 votes, but you did not gain my approval. You will be given title of Tokubetsu Chuunin and go under the four month trial, at the end of which, you will be rejudged to see if you are fit for the title of full chuunin." Lee cried tears of joy! He wouldn't have to run around Konoha 600 times on his hands. Gai appeared next to the Hokage, and handed the boy his Chuunin vest. Lee bowed to the audience at the waist, and continued to cry.
The Hokage moved to the next person in line. He looked at the page for this boy, and then scowled. He turned to look back at the audience, and then at the boy again. "Before I go over this boy's performance, I would like to tell everyone here a story." The people in the audience exchanged confused glances. "Long ago, a boy came to our city. He was a poor orphan who didn't even have the slightest chance of becoming great in many people's eyes. However, that boy stumbled across our very own Jiraiya, the toad sage, and was apprenticed under him. The boy became great, and learned quickly under this man. After some time, he met a girl, and with her help, became the very thing enemies of Konoha feared. He had shown love, compassion, self-sacrifice for the greater good, a welcomed leader, a friend to the people, and a man with a kind heart. Naruto, you are the son of that man." Naruto's eyes widened greatly.
Many people in the audience glanced at one another trying to figure out who that was. If he was strong enough to make enemies cower, then he must've been famous, right? Some people were eventually putting two and two together, and became pale. Many shinobi and kunoichi were starting to wonder why they didn't see this before.
"Uzumaki Naruto. In the first exam, you showed that you never panicked, even faced with your worst subject. In the second exam, you showed great leadership skills, as well as the want to get things done quickly. You also showed that you were capable of making sure your comrades always kept up with you, and you listened to your friends when they had advice. In the Preliminaries, you showed that when provoked, you did not take the bait, and instead turned the bait on him, and took out the enemy as fast as possible by exploiting their weakness and tearing through it with pure strength. In the Third exam, you showed that you had cunning, trickery, and the ability to provoke your enemies with ease. In the second round, you showed that you know when you have to rely on your partner, and you even brought a new technique that was never seen before. In the third rounds, you showed a great knowledge of Fuinjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu. You showed that you have fast thinking, and the ability to stay calm in high stake situations. By the count of 6 votes and my approval, you, Namikaze Naruto, are hereby promoted to Chuunin!" Everyone was stunned. Sure some suspected it, but to have it confirmed by the hokage himself just made it seem surreal.
The boy they loved to hate. The THING they had all detested was the son of the greatest Hokage that Konoha had ever had.
The entire stadium was a stunned silent, as Kurenai handed the chuunin jacket down to her student. The boy grinned, and accepted the jacket. He took hit on overcoat off, put the chuunin jacket on, and then put the overcoat back on.
A fast clap sounded as the fire Daimyo stood up, and cheered for Naruto. "Go Naruto!" The Daimyo shouted. Soon, some of the people in the audience started clapping as well, and after a few minutes, the entire audience stood and clapped for the boy. The boy had a grin on his face that you couldn't wipe off with a katana.
Sasuke standing next to Naruto just sneered at him. 'So what? The dobe is still just a dobe. Names don't mean anything!' He just stood their silently, waiting for the chuunin promotion that he's sure to be handed to him.
Sakura just blew a raspberry. "If a dobe like Naruto can get a promotion, then Sasuke can too! Sasuke is dreamy, and the best Ninja out there in that line!"
Ino on the other hand, started to question her belief in just about everything she's done up to then.
Sarutobi nodded to Naruto, and moved on to the next contestant. "Uchiha Sasuke." Sarutobi started, but stopped as he read the file again, and again, and a third time to make sure. He blinked, and looked up once at him. "In the first exam, you were never caught. In the second exam, you ignored your teammates at all times, and just went on your own, expecting your teammates to follow. You never looked after your teammates, and showed arrogance at every turn. In the Preliminaries, you fought to show off, and when you used your doujutsu, you didn't use it when it would be the most efficient and gloated when you could. You were also easily trapped when your attention was on something else. In the third exam, you showed arrogance once more, and once more showed inefficiency by using you jutsu when it wasn't the most efficient. You highly underestimated your opponent, and even used a loud assassination technique in the wrong situation. You received 2 votes," 'Both of which were the 'advisors'.' " and did not receive my approval. You are staying a genin." Sarutobi moved to go on. Sasuke, however, was furious. He was an 'elite' an Uchiha! He deserved that promotion more then anyone else! (You can't spell Uchiha Sasuke without Hypocrite!)
Sarutobi stood in front of the last contestant. He looked over the file. "Sabaku no Gaara. In the first exam, you showed very good stealth when you needed it. In the second exam, you showed instability and no care for human life, but you lead your team well and kept them in line. In the Preliminaries, you showed that you will never panic in any situation, and prevail no matter what. In the third exam, you once again showed instability, and disregard for human life. You received no votes, and did not get my approval. You will not get our recommendation to your council." Gaara nodded. After the recognition that his 'brother in sacrifice' got, he could understand. This showed him once more, that fighting for others was stronger then fighting for one's self.
The Hokage moved off to the side. "Will the newly appointed chuunin move forward, and bow once more for the audience?" The Audience applauded as the chuunin bowed. After they did so, he motioned the chuunin to him. He spoke in a low tone. "Temari, you will meet me in my office tomorrow at 10 A.M. for you recommendation scroll, bring your brothers and pack your bags. You'll be leaving tomorrow. The rest of you, come to my office in three days at 10 A.M. for a list of your duties and your swearing in as official leaders. Dismissed." They nodded. "Naruto stay here." The others left out the exam door. "Just stand by me." He said to Naruto, and the fox-boy nodded. "Will The two Tokubetsu Chuunin step forward and bow?" They repeated the process as the audience cheered for them. Sarutobi motioned the boys over to him. "Meet me in my office in four days at 10 A.M. for your list of duties, and what is to be expected of you for a full promotion. Dismissed." They nodded, and left as well. He motion the last of the genin to come to him. Once they neared him, he spoke. "Meet me in my office in two days at 10 A.M. for team reassignments. Gaara, you will meet me tomorrow in my office at 10 A.M., bring your brother with you. You'll be leaving town tomorrow." They all nodded. "Dismissed." And the genin left. Sarutobi turned o the audience. "I thank all of you for coming to the Konohagakure Chuunin exams! I hope you all had a great time, and I wish to see all of you in the future!" He bowed to the audience, and the audience took that as the chuunin exams were over. Sarutobi turned to Naruto. "Naruto meet me tomorrow at 11 A.M. on top of the hokage monument." Naruto nodded, and left.
He had a lot to think about. Especially now that he knew a little bit more about his parents. Along his way home, he missed the confused stares, and the steeled glances in his direction. When he reached his apartment, he took one glance at it, and then at his father's face on the hokage mountain. He decided to see how good ol' dad was doing. He smirked, and dashed across town.
A few minutes later, we find our hero sitting on top of the fourth's head, just watching the sun set. He just wanted to relax. He felt a weight on his shoulder that belonged to only one.
Nelrim's deep voice rang out. "I see you've been promoted. Congratz, kid. You earned it. Through all the blood, tears, and sweat, you worked harder then any other these past few years. I look forward to seeing how you'll take your next step." With that, Nelrim left.
Kina popped into Naruto's lap, and she stared straight up at him. "Nelrim's right, kid. Congratz. You're just one year out of the academy, and you've already made the push for the next step into your future. Relax today and tomorrow. You've earned it." with that, Kina laid down in his lap, and watched the sunset with him.
To be continued...
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A/N: PHEW! This chapter is DONE! FINALLY! This is version number FIVE! FIVE! I redid this chapter FIVE F***ing times, and you want to know something? I'm damn proud of this chapter. It might not've been the best chapter I had, but it was probably one of the hardest for me, for multiple reasons. Not only did I have a major case of writer's block, but I also had a hard time coming up with an introduction to my OC.
Read, review, worship the log, tell me how I did, bow to the log, and have a fun day!
Poll results are on my profile. Please see it. If you refuse, I'll be posting results on my next chapter anyways.
No Omake this time. Too troublesome.
Ja ne~
~Snipa