Normal speech
Thought
Nine-tails/Other big voices
InnerSakura
A/N:
Disclaimer
I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. This is merely for my, and hopefully everyone else's, enjoyment. Thank you!
Recap:
Hayate: Winner, Shikamaru Nara!
Naruto: Even that lazy bum Shikamaru managed to win his match… When is it gonna be my turn?
Lee: I would also like to be given the chance to prove myself… especially to Sakura…!
Sakura: What!? You don't have to do that, I'm a nobody… honest… Instead, you should do your best and make sure that you don't get yourself hurt by trying to prove yourself like that girl down there… *watching as Kin is carted away*
Dosu: Hehe… so I'm the only one left…
Kiba: There are only a few people left… There's the Sound-nin, me, you, Naruto, Chouji, Neji, that Lee guy, and that brat from the Sand… As long as I don't have to go up against that guy then it's all good…
Neji: This year's rookies are more impressive than I first thought…
Hayate: Now the next match…
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Rock Lee
Rematch
Naruto looked at Lee who was standing right next to him and smiled. Lee returned the smile before jumping from the railing. Naruto was about to do the same but was stopped…
Sakura: Wait a minute Naruto!! Are you sure you're up for this…? The last time you guys fought, he gave both you and Sasuke a hard time… and now you're in worse shape…
Naruto: Don't worry, Sakura… I feel fine and I'm confident that I'm gonna win…
He jumped down and met Lee in the center of the arena…
Naruto: Looks like it's finally here! It's my time to shine!!
Lee: I had hoped to face the remaining Sand-nin, but I am still happy that we get to continue our fight…
Naruto: Same here and this time… no excuses!!
Hayate: The 7th match… Naruto Uzumaki vs. Rock Lee…
Gai: Heh… I feel sorry for your student Kakashi… He has to face Lee 1 on 1. Though I'm sure that he is pretty good, as I've witnessed, he's no match for Lee…
Kakashi: *silence* … Hm… did you say something?
Gai: Ooh… just like my eternal rival to be cool, calm, and collected…
Kakashi: I had heard that this Lee kid had given both Naruto and Sasuke quite a run for their money… If that's so then Naruto may need a miracle in order to win…
Kiba: That guy Lee's got all the luck!! Why couldn't I have been the one to face that little pipsqueak…!!
Hinata: So… you think you could beat Naruto if it were you down there?
Kiba: Hm…? Well yeah… I'm not trying to knock him and say that he's weak or anything, but… not too long ago he needed help just to make it to the tower entrance. Even if he's had time to recover, there's no way that he could pull out a win… Poor Naruto… the guys gotta be the unluckiest person on the planet…
Hinata: …Um… I… I don't think that Naruto is that weak… Remember in the forest, how he saved us numerous times. He used a lot of chakra and was still able to keep going… though… he doesn't look to be in good condition right now…
3rd: So… it's finally Naruto's turn. I'm sure that he's been waiting for this opportunity to show what he could do… He's been training night and day since I gave him that new scroll. I wonder if he's learned anything from it and whether or not he's going to showcase it here…
Hayate: Begin!
Naruto did look to be somewhat out of it as he didn't even seem to respond…
Lee: … Na… Naruto…? Are you… ok? You do not look well… Maybe you should forfeit now so that you do not get hurt…
Naruto: Don't worry! I feel just fine… You should be more worried about yourself because I'm not holding back…
Lee: Very well… I applaud your spirit and it will be my pleasure to defeat you.
Lee took his stance with his left hand behind his back and his right out in front as if inviting the opponent to attack… which Naruto did…
Naruto: Get ready… 'cause here I come…!!
Naruto led off with a slow punch which Lee simply sidestepped. Naruto continued with his slow attacks before Lee finally threw a punch of his own. Naruto was easily toppled and he seemed to be struggling standing back up…
Kankuro: Heh… pathetic, and to think that I was actually worried about him before…
Sakura: I knew it… his movement is very sluggish. There must be something wrong… He should give up while he can…
Kakashi: He probably should, but you know Naruto… he's extremely stubborn. Giving up probably hasn't crossed his mind since he applied for this exam. It's just the way he is…
Lee: Why don't you just give up Naruto? I understand your determination… but right now… you are fairing much worse than I expected you to…
Naruto: You'd like that, wouldn't you…? Well tough…! I may not be at my best right now, but I just have to get my barrings… What's more… I don't care if I lose, but know this… it won't be an easy win on your part… and that's only if you win…!!
Lee: Very well then Naruto… I shall not take it easy on you any longer. I will go all out…
In one swift kick to the body, Lee sent Naruto crashing into a wall. Once again, and unbelievable to everyone else, he picked himself up. He shook the cobwebs from his brain and smiled…
Naruto: I think that kick helped… I've been debating whether or not to go all out or to hold back. Now I realize… it would be a mistake to not give it my all against you… Get ready…!! *slipping the sleeves off of his tail* …'Cause now it's my turn!!
Once again Naruto charged but this time he seemed to be moving a lot faster than he was before. When he got close enough Lee intended to knock him back with another kick, but Naruto evaded it…
He ducked under Lee's right roundhouse kick and delivered an elbow to Lee's back. Lee quickly turned to see a punch aimed for his face so he picked up his guard. Blocking it on one side, Lee redirected Naruto's attack and delivered a punch to the abdomen, the chest, and…
A punch was intended for Naruto's face as well, but he blocked it with his left and reared back to deliver a devastating blow to Lee's face. As it connected, Lee stumbled back but Naruto kept coming as the two kicked and punched with the other avoiding and evading. Neither could seem to gain any leeway as the fight dragged on…
The two were showing excellent close quarters combat as one would attack and the other would defend. Lee attempted to punch Naruto in the gut but it was caught by Naruto. Lee followed up with a punch to the head but it too was blocked. Naruto saw an opening and shoved both hands, open palmed, into Lee's abdomen, pushing him back…
Lee slid back a few feet and looked at his opponent. Naruto had a look on his face that said that he was now completely serious. Lee was having a tough time with Naruto and he hadn't even been using ninjutsu. That's when he realized…
Lee: I see…! You plan on defeating me with nothing but taijutsu… You indeed are a formidable opponent, but… you will not succeed.
Naruto: I realized that also, and well… there's been a change in plans. If I continue on like this, I may not make it to the next round… sooo……
Naruto crouched down and unraveled his tail from his waist. With one hand on the ground and one out to his side, Lee and anyone else who had seen him do this realized that it was the same move that he had been doing…
Kankuro: Here it goes again… Hopefully I'll get to actually see it this time. I'll figure out his trick and if he tries to use it on me I'll be ready…
Lee: That stance…! He was about to use it against me in our three way match up… but I did not get a chance to see it…
Sakura: I've seen what he can do with this move when it comes to movement, but I still can't figure it out… If I watch closely this time…
Intrigued, Neji activated his Byakugan…
Neji: His chakra… its pace has quickened. His entire chakra system has gone into overdrive…!
Before everyone's eyes, Lee was knocked to the ground as if he were hit by something, but… Naruto was still in the same spot. That's when they realized… he was no longer there but standing where Lee once was. Still in his place however, was still an image. No one could figure out exactly what it was that Naruto was doing…
Kakashi: That technique…!
3rd: So I guess that second scroll I gave him was useful after all…
Lee sat up with a look of bewilderment. He could see Naruto standing in front of him and in the distance another Naruto that began to fade away.
Lee: I do not understand… How is it that you were standing over there… and then you are here while you are, or were still over there…?
Naruto: It's one of the new techniques I learned from a scroll my grandpa, the Hokage, gave me… The one I just used is called… "Shadow Star"!
Lee pulled himself to his feet once again and prepared for another attack. The tension mounted as they stood there, waiting for the right time to strike. As he waited, Lee tried to figure out how to counter Naruto's jutsu but… he blinked...
As he opened his eyes he soon realized that he had made a mistake. There before him stood an image of Naruto ready to punch him, and the real one… had just swept him off his feet. He was in the air with his legs higher than his head. If he were to land like this it would not be good for him. Luckily, and unfortunately, Naruto kicked him across the room in mid-hover…
Once again Lee got to a vertical base, only to be knocked down again and again. Naruto was winning this fight if Lee wouldn't do something drastic. Since he could not clearly see Naruto's movements, he would improvise. As he could see that Naruto had made his next move, due to the clairvoyance of an image, Lee began to punch and kick wildly in hopes of landing at least one blow…
Though Lee was doing this it still did not help. Naruto still found an opening and attacked…
Naruto: FERAL FISTS!!!
Lee felt what seemed to be a right to the head, a left to the body, another right to the head, followed by a sweep of his left leg, and a spinning heel kick by Naruto. He stumbled and struggled to keep himself on his feet but was met with a similar combination. This time he was smashed into a wall. He managed to pick himself up and made a hasty retreat to the top of the statuesque ninja hands…
Sakura: Why is Lee only using taijutsu? So far it isn't really working. The best thing for him to do is to use ninjutsu and keep Naruto at a distance, right?
Gai: It's not that Lee doesn't use ninjutsu… he can't. Lee has almost no skill for ninjutsu or genjutsu. When I first met him, he was nothing. He had no talent at all. So the only techniques left for Lee as a ninja are taijutsu…
Sakura: Huh…? But without the use of ninjutsu or genjutsu, how can he possibly…?
Gai: LEE!!! TAKE THEM OFF!!!
Lee: BUT... BUT GAI SENSEI…!! ITS USE IS… ONLY FOR A TIME WHEN I MUST PROTECT MANY PRECIOUS PEOPLE, ISN'T IT?!
Gai: It's alright!! I'll allow it!!
Immediately Lee pulled down his leg warmers to reveal weights and removed them…
Lee: Alright!!! Now I can move easier!!
Sakura: Weights…? There's no way that's gonna help…
Lee dropped them from the statue and everyone watched as they crashed into the ground. Many jaws dropped the length from the rafters to the ground as the impact and the explosion surprised everyone…
Gai: LEE…!! GO!!! EXPLODE!!!
Lee: YES SIR!!!!
Even more surprising was how Lee disappeared in an instant. Before anyone knew it, he had reappeared right behind Naruto. As Naruto turned around, Lee lunged forward and connected with a hard right to Naruto's face. Naruto was skipped across the room. He made his way to his feet only to be pummeled again and again…
Gai: … He can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu… That's why… he spent all his time on taijutsu… He worked hard and concentrated everything on it. *hearing blows landing* …Even if he can't do any other jutsu he won't lose to anyone… He's a taijutsu specialist.
Naruto was being knocked around the entire room as Lee continued his assault. One more good punch and Naruto crashed into a wall. He picked himself up and shot a smile at Lee…
Lee: … I see you are alright. It seems that we both are capable of taking a beating and continuing to fight the good fight…
Naruto: Yeah… and I'm really starting to enjoy this, but I can't hold back any more…
Naruto began to remove his hoodie revealing a dark blue short sleeved shirt. Everyone seemed to be baffled as he seemed to be struggling with it before finally getting it off…
Kiba: What a goof… Struggling with his jacket just made everything he's done up 'til now a joke…
Naruto dropped his hoodie and in a similar fashion to Lee's leg weights, it crashed into the ground…
Once again, many of the spectators found their jaws hitting the ground…
Kiba: What… What is with these two…?
Lee stood ready as Naruto took his familiar stance. In one bat of the eye, it appeared that Naruto had surrounded Lee. Upon further observation, Lee determined that they were in fact just images. They were however, peculiar images as some appeared to be smiling, at least one was patting its butt, and the rest looked as if they were not taking the fight seriously…
Taking in the sights of all the Naruto images, Lee was blindsided with a punch to the jaw. He turned in time to see the next one coming and avoided. The battle waged on all over the arena while everyone else could barely keep up…
Ino: Wow… They're so fast that my eyes can't follow…
Kurenai: Is this the same goofball I've heard so much about?
Asuma: What did Kakashi do?
Chouji: Looks like this isn't the same Naruto that we used to know…
Shikamaru: I wouldn't go that far… He may be stronger than we remember, but he's still all over the place…
Once they stopped moving around, everyone found them at the center of the arena all battered and bruised. Lee looked to have taken the worst of it and it looked like he was desperate. He looked to his sensei and nodded…
Lee unwrapped the bandages on his wrists. Naruto knew what was coming and tried to avoid it at all costs, but it was no use… he was kicked into the air by Lee. The only problem was that Naruto wasn't soaring through the air. To solve this, Lee continued to kick until he had gotten Naruto to the desired height…
Gai: Even the normal Lotus is self-damaging. All these extra kicks are dangerous for Lee too… End it here Lee!!
Lee: I am sorry Naruto… but this… IS THE END…!!
The bandages wrapped themselves around Naruto's body and Lee grabbed on tight…
Kakashi: This is a bad situation… Should I step in and save him… or should I just wait and see…?
The two began to rapidly spin and shot to the earth…
Lee: PRIMARY LOTUS!!!
Dust was kicked up and filled the entire arena. No one could see a thing and many began to worry…
Kiba: Oh man…! With that kind of impact, there's no way Naruto could have survived it…
Hinata: What?! You don't think he's…… He can't be…
Sakura: Naruto…?
After a grueling match and a devastating manuever, is the match over?
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Next chapter: ............