NARUTO
Nox Noctis Ingredior
The Third Test Part 2
Preliminary Round 7…
Neji skidded to a stop, panting, bruised, and covered in sand as he glared heatedly through his activated Byakugan at his stoic opponent. Gaara stared right back at him, his face cracked and splitting from the blows Neji had managed to land on his Sand Armor. His ultimate defense rose up once again, readying to ward off another assault from the Hyuuga, who was struggling to get through the boy's shield, and costing him dearly.
Naruto watched on silently with his arms folded, analyzing Gaara's shield and the way it moved, while also taking in Neji's fighting style. By the time this fight was over, one of them would be moving onto the next round, and the blonde knew that when he got through, it was most likely that he would have to fight one of them. Sakura and Hinata were watching on with similar interest, and were stunned by the speed Neji was actually able to dish out with his Gentle Fist style of fighting, on top of the effectiveness of Gaara's sand barrier, which seemed to act off its own accord.
"Gaara-san is strong," Hinata exclaimed, surprised at seeing her supposedly invincible cousin struggling in his bout. Sakura nodded his head, looking over at an unsurprised Naruto.
"You knew about this?" she asked. Kin also looked over at Naruto, both of them seeing him smile and nod his head affirmatively.
"Gaara's primary defensive and offensive weapon is his sand," he stated, gesturing to the clouds of particles floating around the red head. "He has an incredible amount of chakra, even for someone of his age and caliber, which in turn is fed into the sand and gives it a life of its own. He keeps it with him at all times, and can stretch it as far out of range as he allows it. Heh… he has become so familiar with it that he knows the limits and strengths of every single one of his techniques. There is no one else in Sunagakure that can manipulate sand, save for him…"
"S-So… is it like a Kekkei Genkai, or something?" Kin asked.
"Years ago it was… but nowadays, fully fledged Sand Manipulators are hard to come by," he informed, watching as Neji rushed his opponent again, attempting to get by his opponent's defensive wall of sand. The red head backed up and threw his hand in front of him, a wave of sand pouncing off of the ground and making a grab for the Hyuuga, only for him to slip away at the last second, and barely avoid getting crushed by the mass of particles.
Gaara spun around on the spot and thrust both hands in front of him, taking careful aim with his sand and having the waves of it hovering around him form a protective shell around his defense range. Neji leapt straight at him through the wall of sand, smashing it like a Ming vase and skidding across the grainy floor beyond it. He thrust out with a palm strike, only for a pillar of sand to shoot up between him and his intended target, smacking him back into the remains of the sand shell of a wall. The Hyuuga back-flipped away, avoiding more of pillars jutting out after him.
Getting a safe distance away, Neji turned right and sprinted in an anti-clockwise direction around Gaara. He ran a semi-circle around and came at Gaara on the other side. However, he once again avoided a blast of sand flung at him, and was pursued relentlessly by it, forcing him into a full lap around Gaara in the opposite direction, before he shot forward again in an attempt for another strike.
However, a bigger wall got in between him and his opponent, and Neji could do little to get through it. Responding to the new defense, he retreated to get a better scope, looking up as the sand wall parted, revealing Gaara standing behind it, assumed in a defensive stance and glaring fiercely at the Hyuuga. The brown haired teen raised his palms into his most preferred style and glared back.
"No matter how many obstacles you put between you and me, I will overcome all of them," Neji stated, defining his stance again and bracing for an attack that could come at any moment. "Do you truly believe you can beat me like this? Hiding and cowering away from your opponent; unable to fight for yourself?"
"Do you say that as a genius or as a person blinded by his own ambitions and misconceptions?" Gaara asked in his ragged, monotone voice. His brow furrowed, as he easily recognized the fires of anger and defiance blazing in Neji's eyes. "Ninja, who pursue victory to satisfy their lust for blood, or to simply elevate themselves above others, is not deserving of the title of shinobi. Our duty is to our kin and to those we care for…"
Neji smirked. "Who do you fight for then? Surely not for yourself?"
Gaara stayed silent for a moment. He then briefly glanced over at Naruto and his friends, then back to his siblings, who were staring down at the battle with concern for their younger brother's wellbeing. A few short seconds later, the Suna Genin looked back at Neji, his expression softened somewhat.
"I fight to protect my friends and family. That is my decision… my choice," Gaara replied. The Hyuuga frowned as he listened to his opponent, shifting to the side a bit, only for the wall of sand to unexpectedly react to his movements. A large hand formed and wrapped itself in the air, threatening to strike at him if necessary. "A good friend once told me that 'fighting to protect others is not weakness; it is something that makes a person strong, strong enough to overcome their own weaknesses. Friends are people you love and look out for… people who can help you get back to your feet, and keep on fighting.' Whether or not we choose to fight to protect those we care for, will reflect upon you as a person, and can greatly affect your life."
"It's pointless," Neji said, adjusting his stance, and preparing to attack. "You cannot change your fate, no matter what you do! Fighting for the sake of others is meaningless because we are all bound by rules, obligations and duty, which ascend above free will. The freedom of choice is only a petty dream for weak fools!"
"I can see that you are like me… you carry a heavy burden of your own; a mark that is hidden behind a mask of anger and self-control," Gaara commented, forming a hand sign. "Do not belittle others just because they choose to fight for something else they believe in."
Neji lunged with his form blurring as he sprinted towards Gaara; the hand of sand encasing the red head exploding outwards and forming a round shield, which hovered right in front of the boy's mid-area. A split second later, a lance shot straight out of the shield, sand feeding into it to increase its length at a high velocity. The Hyuuga dodged right and continued forward, ducking and weaving through spikes shooting out along the length of the lance, attempting to slow him down, as he progressed forward unto his opponent.
Gaara leapt back and raised his right hand, a spiral of red sand forming above his palm. It then shaped and transformed into a highly dense dagger, the boy holding it behind him once it was created, and threw his other, free hand forward, as he stepped back for added distance. As soon as he thrust his left hand out, streams of sand shot out from behind him from his gourd and at Neji, looping and expanding, before converging upon the brown haired boy. The Hyuuga leapt straight over the point on which the sand collided with a loud bang, and landed atop of the thick streams. Using them as a bridge, he sprinted along the stream of sand and right over Gaara's defense, diving down at him, his right palm held back and ready to strike.
"Right into my trap!" Gaara shouted, stepping back and thrusting his left hand upwards. He clenched his fist, and a pillar of sand with a fist attached shot up from the ground in front of him. Neji flew right into its side, and pushed on through. His wind chakra helping him cut through the mass, the Genin exploded through the defense and struck a palm straight for Gaara's face.
Nothing stood between him and his target now.
"This match is over!"
"You're right…" Gaara replied.
Unexpectedly, with surprising agility, Gaara ceased control of his sand defenses and swiftly grabbed his opponent's wrist, maneuvering the strike away from any vital points. He twisted the arm as it flew past him and kicked at Neji's forward foot, tripping him forward. With his right hand, he brought it around and thrust the sand blade into the boy's shoulder, easily piercing straight through it. With rarely shown taijutsu prowess, Gaara tossed Neji flat onto his back, blade still impaled.
The Hyuuga gritted his teeth and bit back yells of agony, as he attempted to withdraw the blade, but was hampered by his opponent, who stood over him with pillars of sand floating around him, ready to defend if necessary.
Neji was at Gaara's mercy.
"Yield…" the Suna Nin demanded, glaring harshly. Neji spat as he sat up, hand still attempting to pull the curved knife out.
"Why don't you just finish it? I don't need your mercy!" Neji growled. Gaara grunted and stepped away, the sand blade in his opponent's shoulder suddenly being yanked out by an invisible force, earning a loud shout of pain from the victim. The blade then disintegrated back into sand and came to hover around the red head's form once again.
"Killing you won't make you see," Gaara stated, crossing his arms and allowing his sand to return to him. "You won't learn anything from it unless you experience it for yourself first hand… that people aren't bound by destiny. Life isn't just some straight line… it's a road that curves, winds, turns and bends at every step. By taking action, an ordinary person, even a genius such as yourself, can truly reshape your future." The Suna Nin backed off, still glaring at his opponent, who panted on the ground, covering the gaping hole in his shoulder.
The Hyuuga did nothing from there except sit, with the Genin teams on the balcony around the arena watching and listening to the conversation transpiring. Naruto had to smile at Gaara's own sense of morality and ideals, while applauding at his friends increase in strength from the last time they met. Lee was ecstatic at the fight that had taken place, along with everybody else, the crowds staggered at its sheer fury. Temari and Kankuro were also smiling on the sidelines, recovering from the terror of the fight. Even though their younger brother was in control of his actions, he was still a force to be reckoned with, both physically and mentally.
After a while, Neji got up and turned heel, limping out of the area and back to his balcony, Gaara watching him leave. Ryoko stepped forward, clearing her throat and raising a hand towards the Suna Nin.
"The winner of this match by opponent's concession, Gaara!" the swordswoman exclaimed. She smiled at the victorious Genin, who nodded back to her politely before returning to his balcony where his siblings stood. Baki congratulated him upon his return, and after receiving gratitude and comments from his brother and sister, went on to see who would be fighting next.
The scoreboard lit up; at the same time Neji slunk past Naruto's team. As he headed back to join his sensei, the blonde member of team seven stepped up and called out to him.
"Hey, Neji…"
The Hyuuga stopped and looked back at the spiky haired kid, who smiled a small smile in his direction.
"That match could have gone either way in a second," Naruto stated. "Keep at it… and maybe some day… things will be different…"
Neji stared at him for a moment, unable to conjure up any form of reply. The Uzumaki stepped back and gestured towards Hinata, who had come to join him at his side.
"I think you two should talk…" the blonde exclaimed, grinning. "It's been years after all… things have changed…" Hinata smiled kindly at her cousin, who hesitated for a moment at approaching or even looking at the soul heiress to the main branch family of the Hyuuga clan. However, after some careful thought, the boy nodded back and Hinata stepped forward, the two of them moving out of ear shot to talk. Naruto and Sakura looked happy to see Neji finally communicating with Hinata.
"Alright… the next fight will be between…" Ryoko looked up towards the board above the statue, as the next two random names bleeped into view. When everyone looked up towards the light up, excitement immediately bubbled to the surface when Naruto's name popped up alongside Kabuto's. "Well, well, well… if it isn't the brat and Kabuto! Come on down…"
Naruto smirked when he saw his name. Adjusting his straw hat, he leapt over the side of the railings and landed care free on the concrete floor below. As the floor hands quickly swept away the field of debris and repaired whatever damage they could, Kabuto made his way down and took up his position in front of Naruto at an appropriate distance. In the middle of them, Ryoko stood by and looked from one combatant to the other, both of them staring at each other.
Everybody was anticipating the next fight. Those who knew Naruto were eager to see him battle, while those who were aware of his own skills wanted to see how he actually fought to gain an upper hand if they ever crossed blades with him. The Jonin paid particular attention to both Genin, finding interest in the one who had copped out six times in a row, but favored this one above the others to actually stay in the game. However, aside from Jonin suspicions on the blue haired teen, the Genin were hyped up to see this next battle.
Even Tenten had come around mid-way through Neji and Gaara's fight to see how the remaining battles would turn out.
"Sweet! So it's Naruto and that guy, huh?" Tenten exclaimed as she leant over the railings, looking down at the blonde eagerly. "Who do you think will win?"
"Naruto, easy!" Lee exclaimed. "I know he will win! He won't quit! Just watch!"
"Things can change in a dramatic environment, Lee!" Gai said, but then grinned widely and held up a fist. "But if you stay true to your youth, then you will definitely move forward!"
"I'm not so sure about the guy Naruto is fighting," Kakashi said, raising his hand and locking his fingers around his chin in thought, as stared analytically down at the glasses wearing Genin from Konoha. "He's had less then a dozen C-Rank and D-Rank missions, and nothing else. But after spending such a long time as a Genin, it's strange he hasn't moved on until this exam…"
"I think Kabuto looks like a really nice guy," Kiba exclaimed. "He smells right to me!"
"Looks can be deceiving," Sasuke said, his waist and chest all bandaged up, thanks to Kakashi. Arms folded, he looked over at his teammate. "You should know that better then anyone…"
"Wait till the fight starts… then we'll see what happens," Shino said, hands in his pockets and passive expression in play.
Team 10 looked on with much enthusiasm, much to Shikamaru's chagrin. Choji and Ino wanted to see Naruto's fight, seeing as that he made such a big impression on the Rookie 9 back on the escort mission. If he has gotten stronger since then, then this fight was definitely going to be an explosive one.
The Sand Siblings stood by patiently, also interested to see how the fight will unfold, while the Kiri Shinobi stood silently with a little less interest. They looked like they wanted to get this over and done with so that they could move on with whatever it was they were planning.
Ryoko grinned when she saw Naruto shift about nervously, easily making a judgment call on his mood.
"Eager to go I see?" Ryoko asked, earning a nod from Naruto and a neutral shrug from four-eyes. "No objections? Very well then…" The Konoha staff fixing the arena cleared out on her order, and immediately, once the floor was emptied of all nonessential staff, she raised a hand and dropped it. "Begin…" The swordswoman leapt back, giving herself plenty of space between herself and the two; knowing full well that the blonde Genin was a hard fighter.
Naruto stepped back a bit, but maintained his standing position as his smile turned to a frown, and his glare hardened on the teenage boy, who was taking the whole thing in stride up to this point. Kabuto just stood there, hands on his hips and grinning as the blonde prepared himself.
Silence fell and anticipation brewed as the audience waited for either one to make the first move.
"Let's make this a fun one… Naruto-kun," Kabuto exclaimed, pushing his glasses up his nose as they began to slip.
"I'm not here to play games," Naruto stated, his tone serious as he glared at the taller boy from under the shadows of his hat. "I'm here to win."
"Oh… you're so sure of yourself?"
"Don't act smart," the blonde snapped back, yet managed to maintain his cool. "It may have taken me a while to recall your face, but I've figured out who you are…" A smirk crossed his lips. "Orochimaru's spy…"
Kabuto's head perked up when he heard the whisper and furrowed his brow, expression also becoming serious. Being found out by this by meant that there was more to him then meets the eye, and in response to this new threat, he took a stance.
"How did you know?"
"On one of my last trips I made to Danzo's office, I happened across the old hawk's file on Orochimaru while I was combing out Itachi's… and your picture just happened to be sitting comfortably right inside of it," Naruto stated, flicking his wrists. Clusters of silver shuriken fell into his hands, and flashed as he spread them like cards between his fingers.
"So what do you intend to do? Kill me?" Kabuto hissed, a sneer similar to his master's spreading across his lips. "Do you honestly think that a shinobi of your rank can beat a Jonin level ninja? I've killed hundreds of ninja more powerful then you without even batting an eye… so don't think I will treat you any differently. With the information you've got on me, I'm afraid I won't be allowing you to live any longer."
"Well… now that you mention it," Naruto said, smirking. "Kumogakure is paying a million ryu to the person who can bring in your head. After you kidnapped children with Kekkei Genkai abilities from their village to be used for your master's experiments, I shouldn't be surprised. I think it's time for me to collect…" the blonde exclaimed.
The two of them shared one more glare…
And then… they exploded into action…
Naruto swiftly threw his clusters of shuriken at Kabuto, the stars curving through the air at a high velocity, literally cutting streams as they approached. The medic nin ducked just in time to avoid, and as soon as he dropped down onto all fours, threw four kunai at the blonde, aiming high. The spiky haired shinobi leapt out of the way, at the same time, grabbing three kurai from his bandoleer and tossing it at Kabuto, meeting the oncoming shuriken thrown immediately after the kunai.
The airborne weapons clashed in mid-air, sparks flying. Before they could even hit the ground, Kabuto dashed forward, hands a lit with blue chakra. Naruto retreated the moment he spotted his opponent's immediate movements, tossing kurai and shuriken in the teen's direction to slow him down. Kabuto batted the blades aside one after the other, as he covered ground in just a matter of milliseconds.
Naruto back flipped when the boy lunged at him, landing against the side of the wall just below his team's walkway. He immediately kicked off of it, and flew straight at Kabuto, sending a straight kick at him. The blow landed against the medic nin's parry, when he blocked with his arm, but then the blonde did something unexpected and stepped on his face. Using his nose and forehead as a stepping stone, Naruto jumped over his opponent. Kabuto staggered back a bit, but then glared behind him as the blonde landed, his right lens cracked from the kick off.
Upon hitting the ground in a crouch, Naruto glanced behind him to see Kabuto rushing at him, chakra scalpels blazing. Smirking, the blonde spun around and leapt backwards through the air, cocking his wrist and causing a ball weapon to suddenly fall from his sleeve and into his waiting hand. In the blink of an eye, Naruto threw it. The weapon turned out to be a bola, which entangled Kabuto's ankles and tripped him. He fell flat forward, hitting the concrete ground hard.
Kabuto didn't have time to even groan in pain, as he looked up to see Naruto charging at him, kunai drawn. Reacting fast, the medic nin rolled over and lifted his legs, using his chakra scalpel to cut through the rope, before swiftly leaping back to his feet. He spun around with a roundhouse kick, hitting Naruto from the left, who blocked the powerful hit with a parry. The blow deterred the blonde and pushed him onto the defensive, Kabuto then lashing out with his chakra scalpels, attempting to hit his opponent, but missing as Naruto swiftly evaded the attacks. Eventually, after pushing the blonde back with enough hand to hand combinations, Kabuto managed to drive Naruto back into the wall on the other side, directly beneath the Sand Siblings.
Naruto glared as he watched Kabuto lunge in, a grin present on his face. When his opponent was in mid-strike, the blonde rushed forward and dived between the medic nin's legs, spinning both his legs in a cartwheel kick, which knocked the enemy off of his feet, through the air, and to the ground. Naruto quickly leapt back up to his feet and lunged at the downed Kabuto, his right hidden blade appearing in a flash.
However, just as Naruto came in for a hit, the supposedly staggered Kabuto unexpectedly shot body-first straight into the ground, disappearing into a small crater, while leaving disheveled concrete and flying dust in his wake. Naruto ended up hitting nothing but soft dirt, and blinked in surprise.
"That's…"
"Hiding like a Mole technique," Asuma said, blinking in shock. Everybody at this point was astounded by the speed of the fight displayed so far, with both Naruto and Kabuto moving around in blurs.
"Man, they're fast," Ino said. "I can barely keep up with them."
"This Kabuto is stronger then he looks," Shikamaru noted.
Anko was watching on with a smile at her student's strength, with Sakura, Kin and Hinata cheering in the background.
Spinning around, Naruto watched as Kabuto appeared on the far side of the arena by the statue, digging himself out of the concrete. When he managed to pull himself out fully, he wiped his lip of the blood trickling out, a result of his failed strike. He was not only bruised from Naruto's kick, but had also lost a tooth when he hit the ground with his face.
"He's stronger then I thought…" Kabuto murmured, holding up his right hand, his chakra scalpel appearing once again. "I'm not as nimble as the boy and am certainly not that good at taijutsu… but I'm definitely faster and stronger then him…"
Taking in a deep breath, Naruto yanked his hand out of the ground and withdrew his hidden blade. Taking aim, he dashed at Kabuto and leapt forward, landing half-way between them and thrusting his right hand out in an empty palm strike. But instead of chakra flying out, clusters of arrows suddenly shot out of his sleeves, and he fired three strikes at the boy. Kabuto blinked in surprise and leapt to his left, avoiding the first barrage. Drawing a curved kunai blade, he leapt to his feet and blocked the rest of them, catching the last arrow in his hand.
He looked at the projectile he caught closely, noting that they were simple serrated edges with no poison. A hissing sound caught his attention, and he looked down at the arrows that had landed around him, the feather ends wafting smoke. He then looked at the one he caught, eyes widening when he noticed the familiar markings etched on the feather tips.
"Paper bombs!"
BOOOOM!
The explosion that followed rocked the entire structure, the walkways shaking from the shockwave, and everybody covering their faces from the debris. Naruto stood back and watched as the blast of smoke and debris covered the entire statue and the area surrounding Kabuto, and waited as the smoke died down. The stunned crowds looked back, wondering if the boy was still alive after that attack. Team Kabuto's Jonin leader, the pale Konoha shinobi, looked down with a bit of concern, quite intrigued by the blonde Genin's strength and resourcefulness.
As the smoke began to lift, everyone in the area thought that Kabuto was done and dusted. But then, Naruto looked up in shock when he saw kunai attached with paper bombs suddenly come flying right at him out of the cloud. He ducked as the three kunai flew over head, the tags beginning to sizzle. As soon as they abseiled over him, they detonated safely behind him, Naruto clutching the top of his hat as the blasts of wind whipped around him. Glaring up, he saw Kabuto appear, kneeling in the middle of the crater, his clothes a bit singed and skin burnt.
The moment he saw his kunai detonate, he then leapt forward and tossed his next barrage at Naruto, this time they were genuine scalpels. The blonde leapt backwards through the air, avoiding the first five. Kabuto took aim at the boy as he flew backwards through the air, and tossed another barrage of scalpels at him. Naruto, unable to move in mid-air, was surely a sitting duck, as noted by his shocked expression. However, quickly forming a hand seal, a puff of smoke exploded in front of him, a clone jumping in front of him to take the bullet. That clone then placed both feet against the original's chest and pushed the original back down to the ground, while the copy took the barrage right in the chest, and disappeared upon being hit by the sharp blades.
"Clever," Kakashi commented, nodding his head at Naruto. "Knowing he can't maneuver without help when already moving in one direction through the air, he got a clone to change the direction of his descent for him…"
The original Naruto landed, skidding across the ground to a stop. Reaching the other far side of the arena, he glared up towards his opponent, who was now dusting himself down amidst the rubble of the floor.
"Kabuto's a medic ninja… a good one at that. I've never seen anyone use chakra scalpels in combat so effectively, aside from Baa-chan…" Naruto thought, while remaining knelt down on the ground where he was. He watched as Kabuto stepped casually out of the rubble and adjust his glasses. The blonde sweated nervously as his mind ran through some scenarios. "I'm having a great deal of trouble fighting this guy. I have to avoid every attack he throws at me. If he touches me with his hands he could cripple me… and even worse… I think his kunai and scalpels are laced with poison…"
Naruto winced when a cut on his shoulder stung him, the wound slowly closing up as the Kyuubi got to work fighting against the toxins in his blood stream. He had managed to catch a blade in the opening sequence of the fight, and after the first few minutes, the effects were beginning to take its toll. "I think it's a paralysis poison… but I know my body can handle it…"
Kabuto drew another cluster of kunai from his pouch and readied them, with Naruto furrowing his brow.
"I have to kill him…" The blonde then exploded into movement, beginning to sprint across the arena floor, charging at the four-eyed Genin.
"Take this!" Kabuto shouted, throwing barrages of kunai one after the other at his opponent rushing him. The blades cut through the air at a high velocity, definitely capable of causing significant damage if they hit.
Naruto continued sprinting towards his opponent, ducking and weaving past one kunai thrown at him after the other, while maintaining course. When he saw a whole barrage flying in his direction, he tipped his head forward and angled himself in his sprint, so that his straw hat shielded his entire upper-body. He ran head long into the kunai barrage, the blades effectively being deflected and knocked back by the armor plating on the roof of Naruto's straw hat.
Kabuto blinked in shock at the unexpected hat shield and continued throwing kunai at Naruto, stepping back. The kunai clanged loudly as they bounced harmlessly off of Naruto's hat as he sprinted forward. When he was within five meters of Kabuto, the blonde suddenly leapt through the air and spun like a corkscrew, keeping his head and hat pointed directly down at Kabuto. The medic nin threw kunai up at his opponent as he sailed right over him, but his blades once again bounced off of his shield.
A second later, Naruto landed on Kabuto's other side. Keeping his hat in position, he rushed forward again as Kabuto tossed kunai one after the other at him with no effect. Just as he was about to throw another one, the blonde caught his wrist and held, pushing it back. Naruto looked up and glared, pulling Kabuto forward and, with a great display of strength, side-kicked the older teen in the stomach, throwing him back with the force of the blow.
Kabuto back-flipped away, before coming to land a safe distance from his opponent, who now held the kunai he had confiscated off of him in between his fingers.
The spy then grinned cockily, with Naruto raising an eyebrow at his opponent's sudden gleam, and looked down. At his feet, he saw explosive tags patted to the ground, beginning to burn. Naruto had but a split second before they detonated, the blast of fire consuming him. Kabuto grinned and slapped his hands through a quick series of hand seals.
"Fire Style: Mist Blaze Dance Technique!" Kabuto shouted, inhaling sharply before exhaling a blast of visible wind. The wind engulfed the flames, effectively adding fuel to the fire. The fiery blasts of smoke detonated once again with even more force, the blast sending smoldering debris flying in all directions and rubble everywhere. The crowds looked on in shock, save for Gaara, Shino and the Kiri Shinobi, as the explosions would have definitely finished Naruto if he was caught in the middle of it.
When the fiery clouds lifted, Kabuto grinned when he saw the damage made; the large crater in front of the cracked statue, with the floor spaces that weren't reduced to rubble suffering blackened burns from the heat of the explosion. However, after a minute or so, the medic nin became a bit put off when he noticed that his opponent wasn't amongst the rubble. There were no traces of him whatsoever, the crowds blinking in surprise and worry. Soon, everybody was looking around, wondering what had happened to the blonde.
The Third Hokage, watching on in great interest, then looked up, with Gaara, Kakashi, Anko, Asuma and Shino following soon after.
"Look!" Ino shouted with her eyes directed up. Everybody looked up when she shouted, including Kabuto, the entire crowd now spotting Naruto hanging from the ceiling… well… to be more accurate, standing on it.
Arms folded and a little bit scorched from the explosion, the boy was glaring angrily down at Kabuto. The medic nin frowned and adjusted his glasses on his nose.
"How the heck did he get up there? That's one hell of a jump…"
"You're pretty quick on your toes," Kabuto commented. Naruto frowned even more. "But know that I'm not too impressed!" He stepped forward and threw a cluster of senbon up at the boy.
The blonde sprung back into action and sprinted forward across the ceiling, avoiding the senbon barrage and heading in Kabuto's direction. However, Naruto then unexpectedly dropped from the ceiling, spinning around and tossing a barrage of shuriken down at Kabuto. The older teen drew his curved kunai and blocked them, watching as Naruto spun upright in his fall. Just as Naruto did so, the blonde then unexpectedly back-flipped in his descent, throwing a kick.
A flash of light caught Kabuto's eye, and he blinked in shock when he noticed that Naruto had a hidden blade concealed in his sandal, and he had just thrown it. The kunai whipped through the air faster then his previously throws, but Kabuto blocked in, regardless.
Just as he did so, two hands suddenly shot out of the ground and grabbed his ankles, Kabuto looking down to see a shadow clone of Naruto grabbing him. Distracted for just those few seconds, the glasses wearing boy was unable to react fast enough when the original Naruto lunged right at him, right arm held back and hidden blade flashing into view. Kabuto held up his arms to block, but was struck right in the chest when Naruto struck out, both of them falling to the ground, with Naruto on top of him.
Naruto growled as he held his blade in place, with Kabuto biting back both the pain and a coughing fit. The blonde had punctured his lung.
"Dammit, I missed his heart!" Naruto thought.
Just then, Kabuto's right hand came up from his blind spot, chakra scalpel blazing. Caught off guard, Naruto received a killer blow to his chest, causing him to jump off of his opponent. Landing a safe distance away, the spiky haired boy clutched his chest and collapsed to his knees, his breathing becoming heavy and ragged.
"My lungs… shit!" Naruto rasped, panting.
Kabuto chuckled, despite having a punctured lung and got up. Everybody was shocked that he could still stand after suffering such a blow, and was even more so when the wound over his chest began to close up and heal, blue chakra wafting off of it. The medic nin was strolling passed Naruto's attacks, despite being caught off guard by a lot of them.
"You think you can beat me with a few fancy tricks and hidden weapons?" Kabuto asked, chuckling and wiping the blood running out of his mouth. He casually strolled over to Naruto, the boy still kneeling on the ground, panting and clutching his chest. "Though I admit I've never seen a Genin use them before, you are too weak…"
Naruto frowned as his opponent stood over him, watching as he raised his right hand threateningly, and activated one of his chakra scalpels.
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, gripping the railings and leaning over; scared for her boyfriend's well being.
"Oh no…" Kin and Hinata also looked on in concern as their teammate and comrade was brought to his knees before the taller boy. All of his friends were worried for him, Sasuke, Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and the Sand Siblings. The Jonin were a little bit anxious as to what Kabuto was going to do next, wondering if he was going to take this fight a little bit further. Even the Third was visibly distressed.
"I never knew I'd say this… but… I think he's done," Kankuro commented. Gaara furrowed his brow, hoping that his oldest of friends would be able to pull through this, while Temari laced her hands together and gritted her teeth, praying that the blonde would get up.
"You are no better then your friend Lee. This match is as good as mine…" Kabuto exclaimed, his glasses flashing in the light of his chakra.
Naruto, despite the pain, grinned at the boy and chuckled, blood trickling down from his mouth. "Dream on four eyes! I'm not done yet!"
Kabuto gasped in shock when Naruto unexpectedly sprang back to his feet. Attempting to stop him, Kabuto went in for a jab, but was put off when Naruto stepped on his upper right thigh of his forward leg, then stepping on his chest, then the arm coming in for that hook, knocking him off balance. The blonde then finished it with a swift, powerful roundhouse kick to the man's face, knocking him cart wheeling to the side. Everybody gasped in shock at the sudden movement and at the blow Naruto managed to land.
"Whoa!" Choji exclaimed.
"I did not see that coming," Gai said, blinking. He then grinned and thrust his fist forward. "Good one Naruto!"
Kabuto, landing rather painfully, glared up at his opponent, who, though still clutching his chest, was back on his feet.
"How?" He then noticed blue chakra radiating off of Naruto's fingertips of the hand clenching his trench coat, tapping at separate points around the wound inside his cavity. Kabuto blinked in astonishment. "That's…"
"You're not the only one who knows healing techniques," Naruto stated. "I may be abysmal at the concept of surgery, but I know quite a bit of field-medical jutsu…"
"Kabuto clotted the airway passages around Naruto's lungs in the bronchi area, preventing him from breathing properly," Anko thought, as she looked around at the astonished expressions of the Genin standing around. She smirked. "Familiar with the structure of the human body, Naruto used his own version of the chakra scalpel, Ninja Art: Feather Touch, to undo the knots and get his breathing back to normal…"
"Not bad… for a novice," the leader of the Kiri Ninja commented, his students nodding their heads in agreement.
The Jonin leader of Kabuto's team grinned widely and looked down at the blonde haired boy, who has yet to crumble under his best, right-hand man's skill and strength. Kabuto was an incredibly formidable ninja, in a league entirely of his own, and even though the older teen was just playing with Naruto, he apparently still had his hands full with the blonde.
"This one is proving to be a very promising candidate…" the Jonin exclaimed, licking his lips excitedly. "Naruto-kun… Sasuke-kun…Kiba-kun…Hinata… all of them will prove useful to me in the future…"
Kabuto, not wanting Naruto to fully recover, pulled out his curved kunai and lunged, striking with a hook. Naruto met him half way with a tanto drawn, and clashed blades with the glasses wearing boy. The medic nin lashed out at him, with the blonde countering on every swing, sparks flying between them as they leapt around the area, locked in blade-to-blade combat.
Skidding away from each other, Naruto repositioned his blade in his hand, same as Kabuto, who smirked at the boy.
"How long do you expect to keep this up?"
Naruto frowned and charged, lashing at his opponent. Kabuto grinned and dodged to avoid, and struck down at the kid who overshot his strike. However, when he expected to hit, the blonde surprised him once again when he suddenly vanished right in front of him. Startled, Kabuto backed away and looked around the air space in front of him, finding no trace of the boy. However, he heard a footstep 'crunch' behind him and spun around, blocking a strike from the boy who appeared only for a brief second, but then vanished in a fade-out effect. Kabuto blinked in confusion and quickly switched to the defensive, looking around wildly. Everybody standing around on the walkway was also startled, including the Jonin, who were attempting to follow the blonde Genin's movements.
"What the?" Asuma sputtered.
"Where is he?" Shikamaru looked around, also puzzled by Naruto's sudden disappearing act.
"I can't see him? What the heck is Naruto doing?" Shino asked, looking over at Sasuke and Kiba, who were also thrown off by the boy's disappearance. "Kiba, can you sniff him out?"
The brown haired by nodded, and looked over at his teammate. "He's still there… but… it's like he's everywhere. I can't pin him down…" Kiba replied, sniffing the air, and attempting to hone in on Naruto's scent signature. "Yeah… he's definitely still there…"
Neji and Hinata activated their Byakugan to try and find Naruto, but other then Kabuto dancing around from left to right, blocking kunai strikes as indicated by the sparks flying through the air with every swing of his weapon, there was no trace of Naruto. Kakashi lifted up his headband and tried to find Naruto, with Sasuke doing the same, both of them bewildered by the turn of events.
"How is he doing that?" Kakashi asked.
Anko smirked, and so did Sakura, both of them recalling the blonde's newly created teleportation jutsu.
"The improved version of the Chameleon Techniques," Anko exclaimed. "It's not as practical in terms of long range combat as of yet, but still clever…"
Kabuto growled and spun around, blocking another strike, which came in just too close for comfort.
"What the hell!" he shouted, unable to attack, let alone see his opponent long enough to land a blow. "Where the hell are you?"
A sharp pain hit his back when unexpectedly, the sound of 'twangs' were heard when arrows became impaled in his back shoulder, staggering him forward. Naruto then suddenly appeared right in front of him, and slashed across at his chest with his tanto blade, drawing blood. Staggered, Kabuto backed off and collapsed to his knees, looking up at Naruto, who was now standing in front of him assumed in a fighting stance, his blade covered in blood.
"What… the heck… is that technique?" Kabuto hissed.
"An old one, actually…" Naruto exclaimed. "It's simple; basically I use the light of day to my advantage to hide from you in plain sight…"
"But… how?" Kabuto spat, gritting his teeth and clutching the wound at his chest as it slowly healed.
"I'll evaluate for you," Naruto said, grabbing his trench coat and emphasizing the pure white of the outside. "It's a chameleon technique. The human eye sees on a color spectrum of 0 to 14, with zero being white and fourteen being black, with all the other colors in between. If you were to convert the color spectrum to a grey scale, white and black remains the same, whereas the rest of the spectrum is a hazy grey. The human eye can only see things from six upward to nine, the Sharingan and Byakugan forward upward from five to ten, and Rinnegan four and upward to eleven. I take advantage of the color zones zero and fourteen only, because humans can't see anything in those colors. It's like staring directly into the white of the sunlight or trying to see in the pitch black of night. Light doesn't discriminate between color, which means that I can stand here… and you can't see me…"
Kabuto gasped in shock when Naruto suddenly vanished right in front of him again. He lunged forward and attempted to strike, but ended up missing him entirely. He huffed furiously, getting tired of this cat and mouse game.
"That's impressive," Kakashi commented, eyes wide. His students also joined him in their gawking. "He's invented a technique that can make any eye, no matter how good it is, blind…"
"Hmm… impressive," the Third Hokage thought, smiling brightly. "Just like his father, innovative…"
"While you can't see me, I can see you as if you were wearing black and standing in white light," Naruto said, appearing out of thin air behind Kabuto. The teen glared behind him, striking at him again, only for Naruto to hop back a tad, which resulted in his opponent missing clumsily. "Also, because I blend in with both light and shadow, I can use those two elements to travel from one spot to another without being seen…" He disappeared again, and a few seconds later, he reappeared on top of the hand-seal statue. Kabuto and the audience wasn't able to locate him for a solid several seconds till he spoke up, his voice loud enough for everybody to hear. "This is what truly defines a shinobi, a warrior of the night that cannot be seen. And the best thing about it, only I can use this technique…"
Kabuto growled and took a stance. "So that's why he is wearing bright colors… I can't even see him, even if he is standing right in front of me…" Kabuto sweated nervously, watching as Naruto then suddenly faded from the statue, and appeared on the ground twenty meters away a few seconds later in front of him. "He's dangerous…"
Naruto frowned and threw both his arms out, his hidden blades shooting out of his sleeves.
"You're mine!"
Kabuto grinned and raised his hand, watching as Naruto rushed him and then vanished right in front of him. However, this didn't mean the teen was about to give up. Concentrating hard he timed to dash and, at the last second, dodged to the side. Swiping his hand across, blue chakra wire shot out of his finger tips like a net across the arena. Upon its full extension, it jerked violently, and suddenly, Naruto reappeared, caught in the wire.
"You may travel with the light, but that doesn't mean you're impervious to attacks," Kabuto exclaimed, wrapping the wire around Naruto as he stood trapped, struggling against the bounds. "Your attack pattern is too predictable, and you still maintain your body's shape and form when you refract the light! You may be invisible, but not invincible. That's its main weakness."
Naruto glared over at the boy as he struggled against the wire. "Well… that's one flaw…"
Kabuto grinned, but then blinked in shock when Naruto suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, and the real one reappeared right behind the teen, smirking.
"I can still use my clone jutsu with it though…"
Naruto lunged, Kabuto spinning around fast, chakra scalpel blazing around his curved kunai. With a yell of anger and a powerful swipe, the glasses wearing by struck just as Naruto lashed at him with his kunai. However, the counter from his opponent caught the blonde blindly and unexpectedly, with Naruto yelping in pain when he rushed past in continuing his strike. But his strike didn't hit, it only cost him.
Kabuto grinned as blood splattered through the air, and he looked behind him. "Your attack pattern is easy to follow. You attacked from behind four times already…"
Everybody gasped when they saw Naruto's right arm fly off from its host, and hit the ground some ways away, blood splattering everywhere. The Jonin teachers and the students were all shocked at what had happened.
"NARUTO!" Sakura cried.
"His arm!" Hinata shouted, gripping the railings tightly and staring down in horror. Kin was doing the same thing, unable to speak at the sight of her savior's right arm being taken clean off.
"He sliced his arm off," Anko hissed, gritting her teeth angrily. "The bastard…"
The Sand Siblings were also shaken up by the sight, with Gaara stepping forward and preparing to jump in. A lot of the other Genin were considering doing the same thing, but after Naruto staggered to a stop, he held his other hand out and shouted at them, rather angrily due to the pain.
"DON'T YOU DARE STOP THIS MATCH!" Naruto roared. He then glared over at Ryoko, who was looking at him, stunned. "I'm not giving up! This is my fight! I will finish it!" the boy concluded, before gripping his stump of a shoulder in agony. Kabuto chuckled as he looked at the boy's state as blood leaked down from what was left of his arm, before glancing down at the rest of it on the floor. The teen fixed his glasses as he sheathed away his bloodied kunai.
"You should just give up, Naruto-kun," Kabuto exclaimed. "No matter how many tricks you pull, you won't be able to beat me. Hell, we could do this all day if you still had your arm attached." The boy grinned maliciously at the blonde. "But now… you won't be able to perform any jutsu for the rest of your life…"
Naruto panted heavily as he stood where he was, noting the blood covering the floor and the amount there was. However, the sight did not deter him at all, and the blonde grinned up at the glasses wearing teen. Kabuto raised an eyebrow at him in return, surprised the kid wasn't crying or anything.
"Man, I can't believe this happened to me again," Naruto exclaimed through gritted teeth, earning blinks of surprise from everybody watching. "I mean… sure I lost my left hand and my right leg, but now my right arm? Geez… I'm going to look like friggin Frankenstein by the time I'm eighteen…"
"What?" Kabuto blurted.
"Only this time I don't have Baa-chan to fix my up…" Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "I always pissed her off whenever this happened… guess I'm the only one to blame." He then looked back up, closing his eyes and sighing. Unbeknownst to everybody else, the blonde was having a quiet feud between him and the beast he had caged inside of his stomach, the demon now fuming in the black void of Naruto's mind. The fight only lasted for a few seconds, but Naruto eventually returned to the land of the living, a smile still worn on his face. "Guess I'll have to grow it back now…"
Kabuto laughed at him. "You've got to be kidding me? Grow it back! You naïve fool!" the teen laughed incredulously. "I don't think you fully understand the gravity of your situation. You must have lost a whole lot more blood then it looks…"
"Oh, I understand it clearly…" Naruto shot back. Smiling, he looked up towards the balconies where everybody stood, watching on in fear and shock. His friends were scared for his well-being and his life, the Genin hanging onto the railings, and watching the drama unfold. Looking into their eyes, he could tell they ere all desperate to help, but he didn't want to inconvenience them, not now, and certainly not during his fight.
"Sorry, Sakura-chan… Hinata-chan…" he looked over at the Sand Siblings, grinning. "But I'm going to have to show you my ugly side for once… it's not going to be pretty…"
"Uhh… what is he talking about?" Kankuro asked, looking over at Gaara and Temari, both of them having their full and utter attention on Naruto.
Naruto turned back to Kabuto. "You're in for a surprise…" the boy formed a hand seal, as if he were gathering chakra. His opponent grinned.
"Don't bother using any jutsu. You can't anyway…" the boy stated.
"Oh really?" A wide smirk formed on Naruto's lips. All of a sudden, he began flipping through hand seals, much to Kabuto's shock, with his one good hand. Everybody else also looked on in surprise, watching as the blonde began performing a jutsu, using recognizable hand seals formed by the left hand and its digits.
"One hand?" Tenten gasped.
"B-But that's… impossible!" Lee shouted.
"I've never seen that before," Asuma blinked, watching on in unease. "After losing his entire arm, there is no way he will be able to maintain consciousness for long…" A lot of the Jonin present were astounded, the Third Hokage also slightly awed by the display.
"He must have picked that up from Haku," the old man exclaimed in his head.
"What does he plan on doing?" Choji asked, furrowing his brow. "No human can grow their arm back…"
Naruto grinned when he heard the comments coming in, forming his last hand seal and assuming a stance.
"I'm an impossible human… not normal at all," he quipped. Gritting his teeth, he concentrated his chakra around his stomach, and redirected it towards his arm. Blue wind energy began radiating off of him, with Kabuto becoming a little bit concerned at the amount of chakra being dished out by the boy. He stepped back, watching as blood spurted from the open wound and ceased, followed by a strange, bone crunching noise to accompany the sounds of twisting wind forming around the blonde.
Growling in agony, Naruto concentrated as hard as he could without passing out. As his chakra level skyrocketed, the ground at his feet cracked and split. Then, all of a sudden, a new arm shot out of Naruto's shoulder, replacing the one that was cut off. Blood splattered everywhere as the new, blood red appendage appeared.
Kabuto gawked, eyes widening in shock. This expression caught on with everybody in the entire room, including the proctor, the Third Hokage, the Kiri Shinobi, and everybody else who had never seen a person regrow a limb. It was truly a shocking, terrifying and amazing sight. However, the best was yet to come.
As Naruto's eyes repeatedly flashed between the colors of blue and red, bubbly, red chakra began to waft off of his newly grown, blood red arm, blue chakra also surrounding and sheathing the red. This unusual chakra surrounded the new limb and took shape, and what looked like three tails, suddenly grew out of Naruto's shoulder. His trench coat burned away, and the blonde removed his straw hat, allowing the tails to whip about freely. Several seconds later, the rest of the body growing out of his arm appeared
At first the crowd thought it was a person, but then when it grew ears and developed a more toned form, it turned out to be the Four-Tailed upper body of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Its yellow eyes glowed brightly and its teeth bared threateningly.
Aside from Naruto, the demon was pissed.
"Whoa!" Ryoko jumped back at the freakish sight, grabbing her sword. "Stranger danger!"
"W-W-What the hell is that?" Ino piped, peering over the railings, terror struck.
"You got me there! But whatever it is, that is not a normal sight," Kiba commented, eyes wide.
Sasuke, Shino and Kakashi were silently gawking, eyes wide and sweating profusely. Team Gai was in a similar state of shock and disbelief, with even the eccentric members unable to come up with any snappy lines or comments. Team 7 was just as shocked as everybody else, Sakura and Hinata staring horror struck alongside Kin and Anko. Those with a doejutsu attempted to analyze the manifestation growing out of Naruto's limb, but they were unable to determine what it really was. Even the Sand Siblings were speechless, staring down at Naruto, all of them stunned and in states of disbelief.
"W-What the hell is that demon?" Kabuto shouted, leaping back and drawing a kunai as he glared at the blonde and his…'friend'. "It can't be, but it is. No doubt…"
"That's the spiritual and physical essence of the Nine-Tailed Fox," the Third thought, furrowing his brow. "The only one to have been able to gain this much control over the demon was Mito Uzumaki, and even then she had trouble. But Naruto is way too young to be able to control the Kyuubi, let alone have it heal a fatal breach in the container. When on earth did he learn how to produce and control its power to such a degree?"
The Kiri Shinobi above stared in astonishment, even Eclipse. The blind girl was shaking from head to toe, feeling the immense amounts of dark energy spilling onto the arena. The one who was twitching and fidgeting the most was the hooded student with the staff on his back. He was watching the fight with absolute intent and interest, unable to believe that there was another one like him in this village.
The pain subsiding, Naruto grinned and let some more of the Kyuubi spill out, the rest of the Four-Tails' body dropping onto the ground. It crouched right next to Naruto with its forth tail still attached and keeping it linked to Naruto's newly grown arm, while the other three tails whipped around behind it, angrily. It growled that haunting, menacing threat, letting Kabuto know he was in big trouble.
"I don't normally rely on my prisoner, but I only bring him out when necessary," Naruto stated, sweating a bit as he glared from under the shadows over his eyes. "Maybe I should let him have a go at you…"
Kabuto growled and lunged bringing his kunai around to strike at the boy. But the fox quickly got in the way and lunged at the medic nin. With a loud growl, it lashed out at the enemy, its arm extending and stretching. The enlarged hand struck Kabuto full on like a train, and ran him straight into the wall on the other side of the arena. The shockwave to follow shook the entire building, before the demon manifestation retracted its claw.
The Kyuubi growled as it downed the dangerous Genin, before suddenly retracting back into its host. Naruto and everybody else watched as the Kyuubi got sucked back into the limb, before disappearing entirely. The cloak of red chakra and blue chakra surrounding the blonde's arm vanished, leaving a perfectly new, re-grown limb. Naruto chuckled and flexed them arm as if nothing had happened, feeling new muscles he had never used before move his wrist, hand and fingers.
"Ahh… that's better," Naruto exclaimed, turning to look up at his friends and showing them his new hand. "Look! New hand! I love my new hand!"
He was unable to get a response. Everybody was still gawking at him as if he had just come back from the grave.
"Sue me why don't you, geez," Naruto shook his head and glared back at his opponent, who was still splattered against the wall.
Kabuto, his chest and stomach deep-fried by the Kyuubi's burning paw and poison, pulled himself out of the concrete and staggered forward, panting heavily from sustaining such damage. The blonde Genin grinned and circled round, watching as his opponent limped around as well, both of them exhausted and glaring at each other.
"You're a… freak… a monster," Kabuto spat, blood dribbling from his mouth and accompanying his slurred words.
"Look who's talking," Naruto breathed out, catching his breath from his recovery. His vision started to blur as a result of unleashing the Kyuubi's chakra and shaping it with his own. "You kill for a living, whether they are ninja or innocent people, and you call me a monster? We're one in the same you and I…" He stopped, and turned towards the teen with a sneer on his face. "The only difference between you and me though is that when I die, I sure as hell won't be riding the same boat as you…"
Kabuto growled and activated his chakra scalpel for the last time, glaring at the brat through bloodied eyes. "I'll kill you for this…" With a yell he charged, bringing his hand around to deliver the final blow.
Naruto grinned and rushed forward as well, bringing his right hand back, and preparing to strike. He didn't plan on using his assassin's blade this time.
He had something else in mind…
Noticing the two ninja charging at each other, everybody snapped back into reality and watched closely, wondering who was going to win this one. The signs that the battle was drawing to a close was ever present, and the audience held its breath in anticipation.
"Go Naruto! Beat him!" Sakura shouted.
"Naruto-kun… you can do this!" Hinata also yelled.
"Go for it, Naruto!" Kin shouted. Anko grinned, watching her student finish with a running start.
"Go gaki…"
The rest of the Genin broke out into cheers as well as Naruto approached his opponent, his grin widening as a result.
"So I'm not a lost cause after all…" Naruto thought, at the same time, ducking underneath Kabuto's strike. "They still cheer for me… even after that…" With a shout, the boy lunged up with his left hand and grabbed Kabuto's face, holding him tightly and thrusting forward, holding the teen back, who stared in shock down at the blonde. With his free hand, Naruto kept Kabuto's chakra scalpel out of reach.
Inside, Naruto was smiling. "You can't ask for better friends…"
"W-What…" Kabuto choked, Naruto's hand pressed up against his face.
"I've always wanted to try this!" Naruto exclaimed, gritting his teeth and concentrating what remained of his chakra. All of a sudden, Kabuto started crying out in agony as he felt the inside of his head suddenly turn into mulch. Seconds later, the medic ninja's eyes exploded, with blood and pieces of brain shooting out of his eyes, nose, ears and mouth, when blue chakra began swirling in a high rotation inside his own head. The blonde Genin grinned at the results and lifted the teen off of his own feet, despite being much shorter, and threw him back across the arena. "RASENGAN!" The boy roared, literally turning the inside of Kabuto's head and brains into soup.
He threw Kabuto away, whatever was left of the boy staggering back across the arena. Finishing the attack, Naruto spun around and sent a side-kick into the boy's chest. At the bottom of his kicking foot, a small ball of blue chakra spun, signifying a second Rasengan forming at the base of his foot.
"Uzumaki Rasengan Kick!" He thrust it straight into Kabuto's chest, the blast of wind erupting seconds later propelling the boy through the air and straight into the hand statue. The Genin's corpse twirled and spun violently, before hitting the statue's fingers and breaking through the solid rock. Seconds later, he, along with the rubble that was the remains of the finger, collapsed to the floor into a disheveled and uneven pile, one on top of the other.
Naruto panted and lowered his leg from the kick, returning to a normal standing position.
Everyone stood stunned for a few seconds. This then erupted into applause and cheers, mostly from the Sand Siblings, Team 7, and Ryoko down on the arena floor, who threw both her hands up in excitement.
"GOAL!" she laughed, pointing towards Naruto. "Winner of this round, Naruto! Way to go, brat!"
"YOSH! Well done, Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed.
"He's gotten much stronger from before," Asuma said, smirking. "His style and speed has improved, and he's got an awesome roundhouse kick to boot…"
"Well, that was scary," Shikamaru groaned, still shaking in his sandals.
"I sure don't want to get on his bad side," Choji said, gulping. "You know… that thingy… whatever it was…"
"That was so hot!" Ino exclaimed, clapping her hands together and cheering happily, love hearts dancing around her. This earned an odd look from Shikamaru and Choji.
"Seriously?" they both inquired, stunned.
"Go Naruto!" Tenten cheered. "You showed him who was boss! Unleash the beast! Don't let anybody pick on you!" It was at that second to last statement that had Neji sigh and look away in embarrassment.
"Am I, Sasuke and Shino the only ones who don't go all out on exclamations…" he then looked up and stared strangely at Kiba and Shino, who were both cheering.
"Awesome bout! Where's the second round?" Kiba cheered, Akamaru, who had finally woken up, barking happily.
"Way to go, Naruto!" Shino bawled happily. Neji groaned and slumped over.
"I'm alone…"
Sasuke was clapping, but still a little bit creeped out by the fact that Shino was actually bawling with happiness. Kakashi was himself as usual, characteristically eye-smiling and nodding his head at Naruto in congrats.
"He's starting to act more and more like his father…"
In spite of all cheering, Naruto was really unable to respond to any of them when he suddenly passed out and collapsed in the middle of the arena, a sleepy smile on his face and swirly eyes.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Omake
"Yo, Zabuza-sensei!"
The designated swordsman, who was happily walking down the road with his head buried in the latest Icha Icha book, glanced around when he heard his name called. He recieved quite a surprise when he saw Sakura and Hinata run up to him, both of them looking quite happy and energetic today.
"Oh, it's you two brats... what's up?" he asked.
"We just wanted to ask you... how did you first meet N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, we're just going around asking people how they first met Naruto, and what did they first think of him and stuff, you know," Sakura exclaimed, fidgeting nervously. "It's because well... he's been all around the place... it's hard not to be curious."
"Oh, so you want to know how I first met the gaki?" Zabuza queried, shutting his book and pocketing it. He then held his chin in thought, looking away. "Okay, let's see if I remember... oh yes...!"
Flashback... seven years ago...
"Ahh... this is nice," Naruto exclaimed, as he and his sensei sat comfortably in the hotsprings, towels on their heads and the hot steam floating around them. The six year old blonde was really enjoying the springs, his happy, go lucky nature allowing him to openly comment about it and bond with his master. "I should come here more often..."
"Yes, the hot springs in the Hidden Grass Village are something else brat," Jiraiya quipped, raising a sake glass to his student. "Remember, vigorous exercise comes hand in hand with relaxation. This is important, so learn it well..."
"Yes, sensei!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto then spotted a tall man with a huge sword on his back, kneeling beside the bamboo fence that divided the girls half from the guys half of the springs. He was giggling to himself as he peered into the uncensored live-action show known as 'babe watch'. Naruto became curious and looked over at his master.
"Sensei, what is that man doing?"
Jiraiya looked on over as well, blinked, then looked back, a proud grin forming on his face. "My boy, that gentleman is practicing the most noble art bestowed upon everybody at the hotsprings! It is called, researching!"
"Researching?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, lad! Researching! Sometimes, people find it hard to get through life, and when they come to the hotsprings, they look for 'inspiration' to keep them going. The beauty of researching is the most thrilling and dangerous of escapades, but it is well worth every second!" Jiraiya said, taking a sip from his sake. "In just a moment, I too will be Researching, all for my latest, upcoming book!"
"Oh... okay!" Naruto paddled over to where the tall man with the Zambatou, and pushed himself out of the hot bath, walking up to man. The tall stranger with the gauze masked looked down at the boy, who grinned up at him. "Can I do some Researching too mister?"
"Oh... umm... sure... strange... boy," Zabuza murmured and stepped back, Naruto hopping over and taking a look.
It took only one glance to change the fates of both men...
"Hey, there are naked girls in here...!"
End Flashback...
"...and immediately after he said that, both me and Jiraiya were beaten to within an inch of death by Tsunade and hospitalized for a week!" Zabuza exclaimed, dusting his hands down and folding his arms. "Yes... we were two of the many casualties of Researching, but it was well worth it to teach the boy the risks of such a great venture!" He looked back down at the two girls to see both of them seething angrily, and glaring daggers up at the swordsman. Cracking their knuckles, they advanced on the much taller swordsman, who sweated nervously and backed away. "Uhh... was it something I said?"