I'm back in action! Finally after my long break, I will continue (and hopefully finish) this ark. Sorry to keep you all waiting but I promise that it is worth the wait. I have the next 10 chapters outlined and ready to type. And I will be typing during all of my spare time. So without any further comments, let's begin.
Forest outside Hidden Leaf Village
A strange figure cloaked in a gray robe stared at the walls of the Hidden Leaf. "Soon you will be mine, traitorous Leaf." The man laughed softly and started walking towards the wall. Four shinobi clad in white robes with huge purple rope belts appeared behind him. One of them spoke. "My Lord, we are at your command." The strange man nodded. "Good. Be ready to execute the 4-man barrier on my mark."
Chuunin Areana
Everyone knew who the next contestants were. It was the most anticipated battle; the one everyone came to see. The proctor called forth the last two semi-finalists. "Gaara of the Sand and Sasuke Uchiha." The crowd roared with excitement as both ninja appeared on the field almost instantly.
Naruto looked up and saw their eyes. Neither of them were showing fear. They were almost the same person. "I've got a bad feeling about this."Naruto decided to stay seated on the floor but he kept his eyes on them while he regained his chakra. The proctor raised his arm, and the fight began.
xXxXxXxXxXx Down with the Sickness by Disturbed xXxXxXxXxXx
Sasuke ran at Gaara. "I'm going to end this fight as quickly as possible." Gaara didn't move but instead waited for Sasuke. Sasuke readied his fist in the air and attempted to punch Gaara. As expected, the sand from his gourd came up to protect him at the last minute. Gaara folded his arms as the sand lashed out at Sasuke.
Sasuke dodged several strands of sand before jumping forward for another hit, this time with his foot. He kicked hard and was blocked by the sand again. Sasuke ran around Gaara throwing several shuriken and kunai, looking for an opening. After cicling Gaara twice, he jumped into the air and made a few hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." A giant fireball impacted the sand shield from above.
Just as the smoke started to clear, Sasuke threw more shuriken and one broke threw. However, as it hit Gaara, a crack appeared on his skin. Sasuke stood up straight. "So that is your ultimate defense? A fast sand shield and a sheet of sand covering your body." Gaara decided to go on the offensive and waved his arms to manipulate the sand. He hurled it at Sasuke in the form of imitation fireballs but Sasuke dodged each one with ease. "Ha, is that all you got?" Sasuke smirked. Just then, he felt a thud on his leg. The sand had come back around to grab his leg! He tried to shake it off but was unable to. He was submerged in sand in moments as Gaara waved his arms. "Sand Coffin!" The sand around Sasuke was compressed. But no blood came out.
The crowd was silent. They turned to one another to with questions. "Is that all? Did the Uchiha really lose?" Just then, a bright light came from inside the coffin. The sand exploded outward and Sasuke dropped to the ground. The crowd cheered and waited for the next move. Sasuke looked up at Gaara. "You're done." Before Gaara could think, Sasuke was charging at him with a blade of lightning emerging from his hand. The sand came up to defend him but it Sasuke was too fast. "Lightning Style: Senbon Sword!"The sword stabbed right through Gaara, peircing his chest. Gaara stood there, his mouth open in shock.
Sasuke smirked but just as he thought he won, Gaara started to crack. His body cracked all the way through until finally, it crumpled into sand."What is this?" Sasuke jumped back and cancled his jutsu. He waited for Gaara to show himself. A shadow loomed over Sasuke and he looked up. There, in the sky above him, was a giant ball of sand.
"Fuck!" Said Sasuke as he made a few handsigns. Before he could finish his jutsu, he was interrupted by mini sand bullets that were shot from the sphere. He dodged as many as he could but a few got to him and cut through his arms. Sasuke quickly recovered and jumped up high, above the sand sphere. "It's time to finish this." He said as he made several handsigns. The bullets kept coming but he dodged them in mid-air and held his hand out. "Lightning Style: Lightning Senbon!"
Thousands of lightning-imbued senbon needles flew at the sphere. To everyone's surprise, they cut right through the sand, poking several hundred holes into the sphere. Sasuke landed and the sand started to fall. Sasuke let his guard down for just a second, and the sand that hit the ground exploded into spires of sand that shot right towards him. Sasuke took one to the chest. Luckily, he braced for the impact by surrounding his body with lightning.
The force was enough to send Sasuke flying into the wall of the areana, but it could have been worse. He looked up and saw the rest of the sphere of sand remain intact as it settled to the ground again. Sasuke decided to step it up and use his ultimate move. He made a few handsigns and shouted, "Fire Style: Flame Ring!"Extremely hot fire surrounded the sphere as Sasuke charged while making more handsigns.
He threw one hand forward and held the other at his side. "Lightning Style: Lighting senbon!"The senbon flew towards the sphere and just as they started to impact he held out his other hand. "Lightning Style: Senbon Sword Tansformation!"A sword emerged from his hand and at the same time, the senbon he shot earlier fused into one beam, connecting with his sword. The 15-foot long sword pierced the sphere.
Gaara loocked over at his shoulder. "What is this?" He smelled a familiar odor. One that he smelled when he killed. "Blood? Blood! BLOOD!" The crowd went silent as Gaara screamed a blood-curdling scream. "BLOOD! MY BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING!" The sphere around him fell to the ground as Gaara's body started to grow. It became rigid and started to become coarse like sand.
xXxXxXxXxXx End Song xXxXxXxXxXx
Before anyone could do anything, a green flash appeared on the field and headed straight for Gaara. "Three Pronged Seal: Suppresion!"Gaara's body stopped transforming and started to revert back to normal. Someone screamed out. "It's Naruto! He stopped Gaara." It was true. Naruto was standing in front of Gaara with his sealing jutsu on his chest. Gaara crumpled to the ground and remained unconscious.
The crowd was in an uproar. They shouted. "Cheater! Disqualify him!" Naruto looked around and went to see the proctor. "Please excuse me sir. I recognized what was happening to Gaara and I wanted to stop him before it got out of control. He is a jinchuuriki and it was starting to grab ahold of him." Several other Jounin were on the field now, examining Gaara and listening to Naruto.
The proctor nodded. "Is that so?" He looked over to Gaara, then to another jounin. "Go tell the Hokage and Kazekage what you have heard and find out if it is accurate." The jounin nodded and was gone in a flash. The proctor turned to Naruto. "You know, if you are wrong then you will be disqualified for interfering with this match." Naruto nodded. "Yea I know."
The jounin returned. "It is all true. The kazekage confirmed that Gaara is in fact the one-tailed jinchuuriki." The proctor nodded and then spoke to the crowd. "Attention everyone, I have just received word that Naruto's actions were indeed necessary, and that both the Hokage and the Kazekage agree that he shall not be disqualified." The crowd started to "boo" as Naruto started to walk off the field.
The proctor attempted to calm them down. "Avid spectators: would you have Naruto disqualified and the final fight be a forfeit? Naruto has in no way altered the outcome of this fight. The medics have said that Gaara's wound was lethal if it was not treated immediately. Surely you would like to see the seal user Naruto face off with the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke?" The crowd started to cheer. "Alright then, the next battle will start shortly."
Sasuke walked off the field and avoided Naruto's gaze. Naruto decided that now would be a good time to find Hinata. So he went up to the stands. He received weird looks and before he could find Hinata, her father, Hiashi, found him.
"Naruto." Said Hiashi's cold voice. Naruto turned to look at Hiashi. "I hate to admit it, but that was an impressive jutsu. Three Pronged Seal was it?" Naruto nodded. "Uh, thank you sir." Hiashi looked away and stared at the open field. "I'm going to be honest with you, I don't trust you with my daughter. Your affiliation with Itachi Uchiha disgusts me." Naruto looked down at the ground. "I know…"
"But," Hiashi turned to look at Naruto, "you have become a strong ninja. Although a genin, you have the discipline of a jounin, and I respect that." Naruto looked up to meet Hiashi's eyes. They were no longer cold and unmoving. There was a hint of warmth coming from them. "Thank you Mr. Hyuuga. I know that it will be awhile before anyone in the village trusts me again, but even after the incident, my team has remained on my side. Hinata included."
Hiashi nodded. "Yes, she has. Naruto, promise me one thing." Naruto nodded. "Sure, what is it?" Hiashi became serious as he stared directly at Naruto. "I know I can't keep my daughter from seeing you, but I want you to promise me that you will never put her in harm's way." Naruto smiled. "You can count on it. I won't let anyone touch her."
Hiashi's face softened. "You are a good kid Naruto, as far as I know. Good luck with your next match." Naruto smiled. "With all due respect sir, I would like to see Hinata before my match starts." Hiashi nodded. "Of course, she is with Kurenai somewhere." Naruto thanked him and left.
Naruto hurried and finally met up with Hinata and Kurenai. They were talking to Shino. "Naruto, glad to see you are still alive." Shino said as he shifted everyone's attention to Naruto. Naruto smiled. "Yeah, they let me stay in but just barely. By the way Hinata, I just talked to your father." Hinata froze. "What did he say?" Naruto smiled, "Well, he complimented me on my jutsu and said some other things. He mainly just wanted to make sure he knew my intentions."
Hinata looked confused and Kurenai giggled. "Well, good luck Naruto. I've got to meet up with the other jounins." Kurenai smiled and was gone in a flash. "How does she do that?" Asked Naruto. "Hinata and Shino shrugged and they all talked for a bit.
"I hope you do well Naruto. Sasuke is no push over. Watch for his lightning." Shino turned around and walked away. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and pulled her to where they would not be heard. "What's wrong Naruto?" Naruto frowned. "I wanted to make sure I tell you something before my fight." Hinata watched and waited. "Sasuke is strong, and even with all of my training, I might not be able to beat him." Hinata protested, "But Naruto! You are so much stronger and faster than him!"
Naruto shook his head. "No, he matches my speed and more than likely has more strength." Hinata looked confused. "But he barely beat Gaara and—" Naruto interuppted her. "Sasuke was playing with him. He was only using part of his strength. I could tell he was holding back." Hinata frowned. "So what are you saying?"
Naruto sighed. "The Nine-Tails might take over. Sasuke can…will kill me if he wins. I garuntee he is still pissed at me for all of that time in the academy." Hinata hugged him tightly. "Naruto please don't say that!" Naruto hugged her back. "If IT gets out, I won't be myself. I'll try to keep it caged, but I can't promise that I can hold it."
Hinata started to cry. Naruto hugged her tighter. "Hey, don't cry. I'm not one hundred percent sure that he is as strong as I think. I just wanted to let you know what could happen." She sniffed and pulled back. "I know Naruto. Please be careful." Naruto smiled and hugged her again. "I will."
They walked to the entrance and seperated. Hinata went to her seat and Naruto walked to the spectator box. He decided to place a precautionary seal on himself. He then walked out into the areana. Sasuke was already there, waiting. As soon as Naruto was in place, the proctor looked at both of them. First at Sasuke, then at Naruto. The proctor sighed and looked up at the stands. "This is the final fight and will decide the winner of the chuunin exams. The sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha verses the Fuuinjutsu user trained by Itachi Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki." The crowd cheered loudly and the proctor signaled for the fight to begin.
xXxXxXxXxXx Break by Three Days Grace xXxXxXxXxXx
Sasuke and Naruto charged at eachother. "First, a test of power." Naruto thought as he threw a punch. Surprisingly, Sasuke matched his punch and their fists connected. The impact created a shockwave that rippled through the stands. Both of them kept at it. Their fists connecting on every hit, each time producing a shockwave. They started to punch faster. Soon, their fists were not even visable and there was a constant barrage of shockwaves.
Naruto was the first to back up. He took a breather and Sasuke did the same. "Now, a test of speed." Naruto was a blur as he appeared in front of Sasuke. He smirked as he lashed out with his right leg. Sasuke jumped back and ran towards Naruto. They exchanged a few punches and kicks then backed off. They ran at eachother at the same time, moving so fast that everyone saw only a blur as their fists met once again. "You are extremely annoying Naruto." Sasuke said as he pushed his fist forward. Naruto matched his strength in this tug-of-war and smirked. "We are evenly matched." Sasuke laughed. "Not even close brat."
They both jumped back and Sasuke made some handsigns. "Lighting Style: Lightning Senbon" Thousands of electrically charged needles flew at Naruto. Naruto did his best to dodge but a few connected and sent a jolt through his body. "Argh, what was that?" Sasuke stared at him. "My senbon are much more intricate than simple charged needles. They send out electrical signals that cause numbness in the area they hit." Naruto slowed his breathing. "Well, that is a cool trick. But it will take more than that to beat me." Naruto made a handsign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."Twenty clones appeared in a puff of smoke. They all charged at Sasuke who was less than impressed.
He dodged each one effortlessly, killing them in the process. He then ran at the real Naruto with a giant white blade. "Lightning Style: Senbon Sword."The blade pierced Naruto. Before Sasuke could react, another Naruto was behind him. Sasuke looked unamused. "What is thi—" But Sasuke was slammed into the ground by Naruto's fist. The Naruto that was hit by the sword disappeared is a puff of smoke. "I'm not stupid. I knew that clones would be too easy for you so just sat back and waited for you to let your guard down." While he was saying this Naruto was making handsigns. Two clones were holding Sasuke down. Naruto touched Sasuke's arm. "Single Prong Seal."
A seal mark appeared on Sasuke's arm where Naruto had touched but before he could pull away, Sasuke's body was engulfed in lighting. The two clones were destroyed and Naruto was shocked and was thrown back by the charge. Sasuke stood up and laughed. "Did you really think that one little seal could stop my chakra flow?" Naruto stood up and held his arm. It was numb. "A puny little jutsu like that will never beat me." Sasuke ran at Naruto and punched him in the gut. Naruto flew back and hit the tree. Sasuke stood back and watched as Naruto struggled to stand up. Naruto was determined not to lose. "Naruto, you know you can't win. So why even try?"
Naruto inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times to catch his breath. "Because I never give up." Sasuke laughed and started to walk towards Naruto. Naruto tried to hit Sasuke but was easily blocked and Sasuke held him against the tree. "It's time to die, Naruto." A white blade emerged from Sasuke's opposite hand. Naruto closed his eyes. He heard Hinata scream and instantly opened his eyes. Just when Sasuke stabbed with the blade, Naruto disappeared. "What!" Sasuke said as he withdrew the lightning blade.
He turned around to see Naruto, unscathed, staring him down. "But how?" Sasuke screamed. Naruto laughed. "You should really be more careful Sasuke. You didn't pay attention to how many clones I created. If you were using your sharingan you would have known that I made extra clones both times." Sasuke shook with anger and activated his sharingan. "Finally, a test of jutsu." Sasuke ran at Naruto, eyes ablaze and threw several shuriken. Naruto dodged them effortlessly. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."Two clones appeared by Naruto. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" A huge fireball flew towards Naruto. He and his clones dodged the fireball but Sasuke was ready for them. He quickly took out the two clones and threw a flying kick at Naruto. Naruto twisted his body out of the way while making handsigns and time seemed to slow down as he set two fingers on Sasuke's leg. "Two Pronged Seal."Sasuke felt a pain in his leg as he fell to the ground.
Naruto jumped back and created twenty more clones. "Sasuke, it is time to end this." Sasuke stared at him with red eyes full of anger and hate. The clones formed a circle around Sasuke and each one jumped off of another. Leaving ten clones on the ground and ten high in the air. Each of them threw a single shuriken. "Shadow Shuriken Jutsu: Barrage of One Thousand Steel!"Twenty shuriken multiplied into four hundred shuriken in the blink of an eye. Sasuke acted fast. "Fire Style: Flame Ring!"A small ring of fire erupted from the earth around him to block the shuriken. He then tried to dodge as many falling shuriken as he could but he was too slow. The shuriken impaled him and he fell to the ground.
xXxXxXxXxXx End Song xXxXxXxXxXx
Naruto huffed and bent over. He had used a lot of chakra. When he looked up, Hinata was standing in front of him. She smiled and came towards him to give him a hug. "Ahhhhhhh!" Hinata screamed in pain as a white blade pierced her chest. She fell to the ground and Naruto stood in disbelief. "Hinata!" He tried to move but he couldn't. His feet were stuck in mud. He looked up and saw Sasuke standing there, over Hinata's crumpled body. "I win, Naruto." Naruto's eyes filled with tears as he cried in rage. "SASUKE!" An orange substance started to leak from his body. Naruto grew fangs and bent down on all fours.
The chakra broke the image. Hinata was no longer on the ground and Sasuke was farther away from him, watching. Sasuke flinched. "He broke my genjutsu. Cursed beast." Sasuke still had a seal on his arm but not on his leg. When Naruto had dodged his flying kick, he trapped him in his jutsu. "You are going to be tough to take down."
The stadium shook and Sasuke looked around. He saw a figure approaching the Hokage and Kazekage. "Who is that? Why is no one stopping him?" He looked to the spectators. They all looked asleep. "They are all under a genjutsu. What irony." He turned back to look at Naruto and prepared for the worst.
Chuunin Areana (Kage Box)
A figure appeared in front of the Third Hokage. "It's good to see you again, Sensei." The Third looked up at the figure. "Orochimaru…"
Chuunin Areana (Spectator Box)
Hinata was one of the first to break the genjutsu. Immediately she noticed Naruto. An orange substance that she had never seen before was seeping from his body. Her eyes widened in fear. "What are you, Naruto?
Hope you all liked this chapter. Sorry it took so long for me to get back on this but I promise to work more. I almost have this entire ark outlined so stay tuned for more. PLEASE REVIEW!