Chapter 36

Give It Your All

Tenten saunters down the steps and into the arena with a confident sway one would expect of either a fool or a kage, twirling a pair of kunai in alternating patterns as she calculates a dozen different approaches.

Dosu on the other hand stalks his way out, stiff and hunched as ever, fingers twitching as he runs through a few dozen options for ways to maim a konoha shinobi in their own village, in front of their kage, and get away with it. His jutsu don't allow for much in brutality, focused more on pure efficiency, but he can probably make her endure a lot of pain before she gives in, surely.

Soon enough, they face each other in the center of the arena, and await Anko's signal in silence. The waterfalls behind them babble into the pools beneath them gently. The bamboo sways gently in the breeze blown through the high windows. For all the serenity surrounding them, absolute mayhem waits within.

"... Hajime!" Anko leaps back, and both genin leap into action.

Tenten draws a few quick kunai and flings them out in one swing, but Dosu slips between two and blocks the third with his gauntlet.

Immediately, Tenten stumbles and kneels from the intense ringing in her ears. Her vision splits and blurs, and she barely notices a gray blur rushing her amidst the browns and greens of the arena.

She backs away with a leap and lands against the wall, standing there as she pulls out a scroll. "Nice trick, bastard. Try mine!"

Just as Dosu rushes her on the wall, she jets off with a chakra-enhanced jump and tears across the arena, skidding to a stop on the mulch halfway across.

You don't train daily with two taijutsu nuts and a perfectionist without learning to keep up somehow.

With a quick pulse of chakra, she throws her scrolls up and starts to unload salvo of weapons from them. "Sōshōryū!"

The damage to her ear has her balance and aim off by a good deal, and Dosu is having no trouble ducking between her attacks and blocking a few with his gauntlet. Every deflected kunai or tanto causes more damage, but the occasional burst of caltrops is limiting his mobility and giving her more of an edge by the moment. They remain neck and neck, but Dosu grows increasingly infuriated by her resilience. "Why the HELL won't you just give up already?!"

Tenten starts to chuckle as she throws, and that gives way to laughter as she runs a glowing hand over her ear while pulling a third scroll from her back and flinging it open. Suddenly, a massive cloud fills the arena and blind her competitor and all viewers. Dosu backs away rapidly to avoid whatever's coming, keeping his ears peeled for whatever's to come.

Off to the side, Naruto chuckles as he his eyes gain a crimson glimmer for just a moment. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

"Listen here, you arrogant little shit…" Tenten huffs as she kneels in the smoke. "My sensei, if not being being a laughable fool, could be considered Konoha's second-place sadist off his training regimen alone. My teammates are both taijutsu freaks who run circles around me, literally, and either specialize in breaking bones and concussing or causing insane internal damage. One is a loudmouth with no self-preservation instinct, and the other's a stuck-up elitist. And yet I go home from all of that to relax by working in a room so hot and loud most people would consider it torture."

As the smoke clears, she stands among three unfurled and scattered scrolls. She's completely unarmed, but her hands are prepared in a half tora sign. "You really think a little ringing in my ears is gonna stop me?"

Suddenly, the kunai behind and to Dosu's sides light up. He attempts to run, but they start to explode before he can get more than a few sprinting steps away, slowed down by scrambling straight into a caltrop patch.

He catches a blast in the back and flies forwards, tumbling across the field of weapons and ending up shallowly stabbed and cut by several, including about a dozen caltrops stuck to him and his coat. Where he rolls to a stop, he peeks up to find Tenten kneeling with a tanto to his throat. "Now do I have to blow your ass up again, or are we done here?"

Dosu growls and twitches beneath her. His back hurts like hell, moving at all is painful, but he refuses to give in without getting something out of it. He pushes himself up with his left hand while reaching for her tanto with his right. He intends to block and throw her off with a point-blank sound jutsu.

That falls apart when her reaction time proves far faster, stabbing into his elbow and pinning his arm and weapon to the ground.

Anko hums. "Not bad. Alright, Higurashi Tenten wins! Dosu, stand down and return to the catwalk. A medic will be with you shortly. Tenten, you'll have to give him the tanto for now, the medics will retrieve it."

Tenten sighs and stumbles to her feet. "It's cool, I have hundreds." She wanders back to the stands, quickly met by a medic nin checking her ear. "Ugh, I feel like Neji jabbed me there."

Neji hums. "Normally not a target point we use, but an interesting option most people don't focus on defending."

"Neji, shut the hell up, I'm in no mood for your shit right now."

For once, he's actually silenced. She's been incredibly cross with him ever since the incident during joint training where she slapped him.

On the other end of Konoha's catwalk, Sasuke hums as he eyes the many scattered weapons being picked up. "She knew her aim was too thrown off to rely on accuracy, so she intentionally threw her explosion-carved kunai harder and further, so she could force him to back up into the blast zone. An excellent backup plan, and reliable even when her aim isn't impaired. Turning every move into something multi-purpose by rigging the battlefield."

Naruto's almost got his mouth watering as he leans over the railing. "Imagine what kind of absolute fucking mayhem she and I could do if we teamed up."

Kakashi perks up from his book with a hundred-mile stare and a shiver. "Uuughghguhgugh. Great, it's only a matter of time before you recreate sensei's infamous one-man army maneuver."

"Like I wasn't gonna try anyway."

"The second match has been decided!" Anko calls out from the stands. "Hyuuga Hinata vs Akiyama Hibiki!"

Naruto's eyes quickly turn to his girlfriend as she makes her way down the steps. "You got this! Kick their ass, Hinata-chan!"

She giggles softly as she approaches Hibiki, who stands casually across from her, sunglasses hiding their gaze and masking their thoughts.

"Well, he's pretty confident in you. If you've got his attention, I guess I shouldn't bother holding back, huh?"

She hums and tilts her head/. "I'd prefer if you didn't, actually. I didn't have put much effort into the last two tests, so I'm still feeling quite capable. You might not keep up if you hold back."

"Oh, this should be fun…" Hibiki slowly crouches, legs spread almost into a split with one knee bent as she places one hand to the floor. Her lowered hand glows as she channels her first jutsu.

Hinata slowly shifts into a Jyuuken stance, and as her eyes activate and her facial veins bulge, she loosens her stance. Her hands go limp, and her arms lower, as she brings her left leg further forward.

Neji's eyes narrow as he scrutinizes her technique. "What the hell is she doing? That stance is disgraceful. Is she trying to humiliate the entire clan?"

"Neji, shut the fuck up." All eyes in the stands turn to Naruto, whose eyes are solely focused on Hinata and accompanied by a fanged grin. "You're right about one thing. She's going to humiliate the Hyuuga Clan with how blind they've been about her real potential."

"HAJIME!"

Hinata remains still, but Hibiki blasts the floor with a small explosive jutsu, leaving a patch of fire behind as they vault over Hinata's head. Hinata remains still, keeping her head down as Hibiki flies over, only to turn at the last second and swing both hands towards their ribs. Hibiki backflips away, leaving small glowing spots for a moment with each handstand. Hinata swiftly turns her Jyuuken off as those spots explode ahead of her, as well as another blast from behind where Hibiki started.

Hinata reactivates her eyes just in time to duck away from a palm thrust that sets off a small detonation just behind her head. She uprights herself while waving her left arm overhead and down to her side, forcing Hibiki's arm down as she brings her right arm and forward for a Jyuuken slap to Hibiki's head.

Hibiki grins as it approaches, the side of their head glowing with a yellow heat as an explosion builds.

Hinata's hand glows blue and quickly spreads up her arm. That chakra field feels the blast coming, and her elbow and wrist fluidly twist to back her way and up under Hibiki's chin.

Hibiki's eyes widen as she ducks back away from that strike, only to take it to their chin as they stumble back. A chill runs through their face, and attempting to speak is a sluggish endeavor. "What… the hell did you do to me?"

Hinata hums and waves her hands about as water condenses on her fingertips. "I'm just going with the flow."

As she rushes in to trade blows and a series of gentle smacks and pops of smaller explosions are traded, Neji scowls from above in the stands. His Byukugan activates, and he quickly assesses her technique. "Water chakra jyuuken? Rather than closing chakra points off, it's spreading to multiple around where she strikes and slowing the flow of chakra through all of them."

Naruto chuckles as he watches her take the lead. "And that water chakra is working around the fire in Hibiki's Bakuton, while making it easier to flow around the blasts and adapt hebi style into her Jyuuken. It's just as accurate, but more adaptable."

Kakashi hums as he pulls his headband up to watch with his sharingan. "Snake style is an excellent addition. It's forceful, quick, and very fluid, circular motions that water chakra excels in. It almost looks like the two of them were meant for each other. When did she come up with this?"

"I think it was about two months ago? She's used it on me plenty, and lemme tell ya, those pokes may as well be snake fangs, that shit hurts."

"And the effect of injected water chakra?"

"Don't let it get to your head, or you may as well be under some kinda time slowing genjutsu. From there, you're as good as dead. Take it near your heart? Almost as bad."

Sakura cringes. "Wow, that's… actually kinda terrifying."

Ino leans over the railing. "You go, girl! Kick their ass!"

Hinata grins as she triggers a pulse of water chakra to her feet, spinning as though skating while bringing a twin fang strike in from Hibiki's right.

Hibki counters will far larger blast, bringing both hands together and firing at Hinata's arms to force her back and spin her out of control.

Hinata's eyes narrow as the blast builds, shifting her feet to switch her stance and start channeling into a counter-clockwise spin. The blast accelerates her in the opposite direction, just as water bursts up from below and forms a shrouding whirlpool.

Hibiki rapidly backs away and prepares a blast in each hand while Hinata performs a quick set of handsigns before rapidly palm-striking the water around her. It condenses into a series of three water bullets that fly across the battlefield, only to be blasted apart by two of Hibiki's explosions. The third gets through, but is easily dodged.

Hibiki dodges directly into Hinata's path as she approaches in a low rush, only to be thrown off her feet and sent tumbling into the bamboo thicket by a blast Hibiki uses to correct their course and return to the middle of the arena.

As Hinata skids to a stop, she sighs softly and closes her eyes. "Very well. I didn't want to use this so soon, but I suppose I have no choice here."

"Forcing you to play a trump card this fast?" Hibiki grins. "Aw, you're makin me feel real special now."

"Who said anything about a trump card?" Hinata's smile is almost sickeningly sweet. "I just didn't want to pick up Naruto's habit of using incomplete techniques in the field."

"Hey, come on, low blow!"

She giggles and channels wind chakra to her hands, developing a pale glow from an inch past the tip of her middle finger and down along her pinky to her wrist.

Hibiki's smile fades. "Oh… Well, I guess this is going to get interesting."

"Oh, very. I can tell you're familiar with wind chakra, but you're not very good at it, are you? Otherwise, your explosions would cause much less flame, and be more concussive."

"Let's get this over with, then." Hibiki pulls their gloves completely off, pockets them, and they rush each other. The following trade is rapid, with a series of small, deflecting blasts meant to keep Hinata at a distance and redirect her arms. Twice, her wind blades are disrupted by incoming fire chakra, but she reconstitutes the damaged one while defending with the other.

The constant threat of wind chakra blades has Hibiki on the defensive, and this has them off guard when Hinata lets her wind blades break to replace them with her water chakra coating, which she condenses around one hand to catch a blast and trap one of Hibiki's hands. "Blast style isn't designs foe drawn-out fights. You're almost out of chakra, Hibiki-san."

They stare for a moment, but huff and nod. "Yeah, yeah. You got me." Their captured hand tightens it's grip on Hinata's. "But I've got enough for this." One more blast condenses in Hibiki's left hand, in an underhanded thrust aimed for the center of Hinata's mass.

Hinata reaches with her free hand and pulls Hibiki's arm aside, knowing she could lose fingers if she tries to catch it like the last one. She redirects it for the most part, but feels a searing heat on her right side just beneath her ribs, shredding some of her clothes and burning through the rest. Her jacket and mesh shirt end up with considerably large holes revealing a patch of burnt skin beneath, but she powers through and jabs a water-enhanced palm thrust to Hibiki's chest.

She stops a mere inch from them. "... You lose, Hibiki-san. I could incapacitate you at any moment."

Silence falls, but Hibiki hangs their head and nods. "Good match, hime. I surrender."

Anko nods and calls out. "Akiyama Hibiki forfeits! The winner is Hyuuga Hinata!"

Hinata steps back from Hibiki as her chakra blades dissipate, bowing with a gentle smile. "That was an excellent match, Hibiki-san."

Hibiki chuckles and stretches as they stand, then match her bow. "We should do this again sometime."

Hinata nods eagerly as she stands. "Our skills are quite the interesting matchup. I can see training together being a wonderful way to see some rapid growth."

"Well, I needed a good rival from outside Iwa to deal with. Every good shinobi needs a foreign rival."

Anko nods sagely. "Damn straight. Personally, I always look forward to a chance to kick the shit out of that bastard Ao from Kiri."

Choujuro cringes. "Uh, from what I've heard, that rivalry is really one-sided."

"Well, yeah, I just can't stand how stuck-up he is."

"Me neither." Zabuza grumbles. "The rod up his ass is bigger than my sword."

As Hinata skips her way back up to the stands, Neji scowls at her from across the room. "How the hell did she learn to do any of that?"

Lee is almost squealing with excitement. "Such incredible results! Her training has paid off in ways I could never have imagined! Truly, Hinata is a genius of hard work, just as Naruto and I are!"

"There's nothing genius about any of you. Her technique is asinine, and a disgrace to our entire clan! Rather than accepting her inability to ever live up to the role of heiress, she's entirely discarded everything she was ever taught!"

"Neji…" He turns to his sensei's stern, yet gentle, frankly disappointed glare. "Do not speak ill of your cousin. She has proven herself stronger than your clan's elders believed. I thought you of all people would understand and respect that."

Neji falls silent for a moment, but turns away and stares into the distance. Rather than calming down, all he can do is glare at Hinata as she discusses her battle with Naruto, the two of them obviously flirting with each other.

"Hinata, I swear on the Sage, even Kurama was impressed by how fast you switched between elements at the end there! But I swear, you must have been holding back in our spars." He smirks with a light blush. "I never knew you were that flexible."

She turns red and huffs as she looks away, swaying for just a moment. "W-Well, I need to work on it a bit yet, b-but I have been practicing with a good deal of dancing."

He hums and thinks that over. "... Maybe you can teach me? I-I really have no idea how to dance… but considering Gai has me learning two styles and jiji's teaching me a third…"

"Oh, yes, you most certainly can do it. E-Especially with your clones to help out!"

"Naruto-nii." They both peek down to Youko. "Please try not to overwork yourself, again. Use dance lessons to wind down after everything else at least."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." he sighs. "Still… I probably should learn a few slower, more formal dances for dealing with your clan, huh?"

"Maybe, but…" She smiles and shrugs. "Who cares what they think?"

He grins wildly. "Now what got into you?"

"Well, maybe you've just got me feeling a bit bolder."

"Oh, I can't wait to see where this goes."

Sakura grumbles. "These two are almost too good together."

"The third match has been decided!" All heads turn to Anko and the screen above the Hokage's booth. "Nara Shikamaru vs Inuzuka Kiba!"

Naruto quickly pulls a notebook out. "Alright everyone, place your bets!"

Sasuke cuts in first. "20,000 ryo on Shikamaru."

Hinata sends a threatening smile his way. "I'll match that on Kiba."

Sasuke's eyes narrow as he watches Kiba leap over the railing, whilst Shikamaru takes his time down the steps. "This one's… too close to call."

Shino pushes his glasses up. "Indeed. Although Shikamaru has the advantage on strategy and intellect, and can easily incapacitate most foes, Kiba is familiar with his signature jutsu, and has a very chaotic and unpredictable combat style. And for their newer talents, I can only surmise that they are most likely evenly matched, and neither has any significant elemental advantage."

Sakura's brow furls as she leans into the railing. "Turning this into a battle of attrition where the winner is more decided on who knows who better and who slips up first."

"Or who runs out of stamina or chakra." Kakashi peeks up form his book once more. "But Shikamaru has appeared more driven than most of his clan, and is very economic with bot of those, while Kiba is frequently quite wasteful."

"Like I said." Sasuke grumbles. "Too close to call."

Shikamaru stands across from Kiba on the earthy mulch, right hand in his pocket, left hand hanging limp. Kiba cracks his neck as Akamaru hops out of his hood and hops with excitement. "So, Shika, sure ya don't feel like forfeiting?"

He smirks and twirls a kunai in his left hand. Very few of them saw him draw it. "I dunno. May seem a bit out of character, but I actually feel like winning for once."

Kiba's smile grows into a feral grin. "Now we're fuckin' talking. I've been waiting to see what you can really do!" He tosses a pill to Akamaru, and he catches it and scarfs it down, causing his fur to turn crimson as he grows a few inches taller. A moment later, he turns into a copy of Kiba, and crouch together in a low, bestial stance.

Anko peeks between them, then grins as she leaps back. "Hajime!"

Kia and Akamaru leap into action, forming a spiraling double helix as they tear across the mulched battlefield.

Shikamaru flips through a quick series of handsigns and spits out a massive stream of clear slime. "Suiton: Mizuame Nabara!" (Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field)

The sticky mess produced forcesthe two to divert their paths, but Shikamaru keeps spitting as he unleashes a wild array of the sticky substance in every direction, leaving random empty patches between, but no clear path to approach on foot anywhere.

Kiba skids to a stop and grumbles. "Great, Izumo's favorite. Of course you got him to teach you that."

"Hey, it's a damn useful jutsu. And surprisingly low-cost if you have materials on hand for it." He spits two small pouches out and shakes them to show he'd bitten them open. "A little starch and a humid atmosphere like this, and it gets pretty easy."

"So I can't even count on that draining your lazy ass." He grins. "I was hoping for that."

Shikamaru whirls around and ducks low as Akamaru zooms over his head. "Don't think I'll lose track of one of you that easily, either. Now to keep you two grounded." He flips through a few more handsigns as Kiba catches Akamaru and throws him back at Shikamaru, but it's too slow for his jutsu. "Suiton: Baburu Jiraigen" (Water Style: Bubble Minefield)

He starts blowing a wide array of bubbles of all sizes, scattering them to hover over the entire field of syrup he produced.

Akamaru ends up flying straight through one of those bubbles after being thrown, interrupting his solo Tsuga as it bursts into a mess of the same sticky substance below him and leaves a thin layer coating him, as well as blinding him. He skids across some of the slime and stops in a dry patch.

Shikamaru's shadow is chasing him down immediately.

"Akamaru, get out of there!"

He yaps and growls, an electrical current suddenly enveloping him and breaking down the adhesive, before he drops his henshin, then rapidly leaps through the dry patches and over bubbles to escape. Akamaru barely manages to find a route through thanks to his agility and smaller frame.

Shikamaru crosses his arm and waits in silence as his shadow retracts, surrounded by a minefield of adhesive traps.

Naruto whistles from the sidelines. "Now that's a hell of a way to iron out his biggest weakness."

Chouji chuckles as he munches down another handful of chips. "Mmm… Yeah, he's been waiting for a chance to show this off. Kage Mane no jutsu costs a lot, but when it's normally the only jutsu most of the clan members have, they run out fast and have to be smart about how they use it. But these jutsu cost less and make it easier for him to land it." He chuckles and scarfs down another chip. "And it's only gonna get better!"

All eyes return to the battle as Shikamaru and Kiba both go through a similar set of handsigns. Kiba's ends in with his nails and fangs darkening, with that tone spreading up his fingers and all the way to his elbows, while Akamaru starts to spark on the other side.

Shikamaru hums and ends on a tora sign, before clenching one fist and releasing a dense ball of flame that slowly rises and casts a potent light. "Katon: Yūdō-tō no Jutsu." (Fire Style: Guiding Light) The light source rises from his hand and hovers sixe feet above, casting odd light patterns through the bubbles and making almost randomized shadows as they float about. Guessing their movements becomes increasingly difficult as the bubbles refract and cast Kiba and Akamaru's shadows in directions they can only struggle and fail to predict.

Kiba's eyes widen as he realizes the shadows are becoming too irregular, and he needs to move. He leaps into a Tsuga, using his earth chakra to burrow through the floor and disappear, while Akamaru takes tot he air and starts rapidly popping the bubbles with his lightning-charged Tsuga. The electrical barrier guards him from some of the adhesive, but he's quickly slowing down as he frantically pops more and more of them.

Shikamaru kneels and forms a tora sign, bringing the light source lower and up to his back, casting a massive shadow, before switching to a ne sign and sending his shadow down into Kiba's tunnel. "Kage Mane no Jutsu!" Akamaru tries to reach him faster, but ends up too gunked by the bubbles to control his spin, flopping into a larger syrup trap on the ground with very little chakra left.

Silence falls as Shikamaru kneels and Akamaru struggles to get up, pulling a mess of mulch up, adhered to his left side and paws. Shikamaru pants slightly as his chakra wears thin, bringing his hand to his throat. His own nails would do nothing, but Kiba's… "Can someone with a Byakugan check and confirm that Kiba's trapped with his claws to his own throat down there?"

Hinata activates her eyes and nods somberly. "Kiba-kun is captured in the Kage Mane no Jutsu and poised to claw his own throat out."

Anko nods and calls out. "The victor is Nara Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru sighs in relief and drops his jutsu, prompting Kiba to dig his way out a few feet in front of him. "Damn, Shika. I didn't know you had that in ya."

He shrugs and flops back. "Eh, mom used to be on a team with Izumo and Kotetsu, so once she found out I had a water affinity, it was an obvious course of action."

Akamaru stumbles over and yips.

"Yeah, I know boy, we both need a bath after this one. You especially."

Anko rolls her eyes and whistles to them. "Can you two hurry it up and vacate the arena, please? We have nine more matches to do here."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru kicks himself to his feet, keeping his hands in his pockets as he wanders back up.

As Kiba returns to the stands, slow and despondent, Shino's bugs get to work on consuming the starch syrup to free Akamaru of it, while Hinata pulls Kiba into a quick hug. "You may have lost, but that was a wonderful fight. I have no doubts you'll win next time."

Kiba stares for a moment, but sighs and returns her hug in earnest. "Yeah, it was pretty great. I'll get it next time. Just do me a favor and kick his in the final tournament for me, ok?"

"I'll certainly try." She giggles as she pulls back and returns to Naruto's side.

"You did admirably, Kiba." Shino adjusts his glasses. "Your new techniques are coming along nicely. Although I believe you still need to name those elemental Tsuga. Though I doubt that will be difficult."

"Yeah, but I wanna perfect them before I do. That'll be a bit yet."

Asuma pats Shikamaru's shoulder as he returns. "Well, that's one down. I'm surprised you didn't forfeit at the end there."

"You kidding me? After all the work mom had me put into learning Izumo's syrup trap jutsu, I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't at least make it to the public tournament."

Ino huffs and hunches. "So you really only won because it'd be more troublesome if you didn't."

"Exactly."

"Alright, listen up, runts!" All eyes turn back to Anko. The fourth match has been decided! Haruno Sakura vs Subaku no Kankurou!"

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A.N.: How's that for the first three matches?! I had so much fun writing these, guys. I would have had it up a lot sooner, but autism spectrum-induced chemical sensitivity and a minor CO leak had me debilitated for a week before anyone else noticed anything was up. So there's that.

Also, I've been playing Eastward for my youtube channel and a loot of editing into the finale of my Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe playthrough. Even animated my own finishing move for the True Arena finale! So that was fun.

I have the matches all randomized and picked which I'm saving for last, but I'm still using RNG to decide the matches until then. You guys are gonna love how this turned out, and I'll make sure that even if one of your favorites doesn't get to move forward, they will get to prove themselves awesome.

So, keep reading, drop a review, check out my channel, check out my book, and keep being awesome, guys. See you with a new chapter before April's out!