Naruto Dragon Ascendant

by Freedom Guard

Orochimaru thought that using the seal would disrupt the Kyuubi's chakra and render Naruto weak and helpless in the Forest of Death in the Chuunin Exams...little did he realize that in Naruto lies a dormant power...older than all the Kekkai Genkai. Story is now in the ice box, will thaw it when non Naruto stories are updated to my satisfaction.

3. Chapter 3

Naruto Dragon Ascendant

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Jump and I am just a writer who is not employed.

Chapter 2

Power Undying…

( ): Thoughts

--------

Original:

'Quality is good, and so is quantity, but what happens when you combine both?'

--------

The village of Konoha…

Naruto walked back to his home as he was accompanied by Fenrix, the day had been very long and hard at the moment as he had witnessed a good numbers of battles, he had been tasked to face Kiba and Akamaru, but the fight did not last long as Kiba, who was not happy with fighting him at his new state and both he and Akamaru did their best but he had easily defeated them….but naturally he didn't harm Kiba too much.

His bracers limited his full power, even his strength, though his strength was greater than it was before when he was not able to awaken his powers and this allowed him to defeat Kiba well enough despite Akamaru's help, he had to admit that Kiba gave as good as he got but with his Dragon Skin, no amount of attacks Kiba and Akamaru threw at him could easily harm him….though it still stung a bit as his scales, according to Fenrix were still developing and needed more time to fully adapt to his body.

The other fights were pretty interesting as he looked on, The fight between Zaku and Shino was interesting enough and Fenrix looked at the battle with a critical eye and knew that the Destruction Bugs were the key to Shino's victory as this allowed him a unique combat advantage over the other foes he would be facing at the moment.

Another fight was naturally the one between Kin and Shikamaru, where his former classmate was proving to be very good in his own right as well as any other ninja despite his apparent laziness through the use of his Shadow Manipulation Kekkai Genkai. The end of the fight was somewhat amusing to Fenrix who had admit he had seen such a move before but said that the ones used by the Nara Clan were not as powerful as the much older form, nevertheless, he congratulated it and considered the Nara Clan to be very good in their use of the old Ascendant bloodline that their clan had in them.

The fight between Ino and Sakura was rather interesting as the two fought it out with whatever skills and abilities they had, Ino was the stronger of the two but Sakura was just as determined and he was surprised with the use of Bushin that was similar to his own, and while the fight had ended in a double knock out and that meant that Sakura was no longer able to compete in the semi finals, he was happy that Sakura finally showed that she had what it took to be a Kunoichi, and he noted the fact that despite their fighting, the friendship that was between the two was still there. Fenrix noted that as well and respected that and said that while this was a simple battle by most if not all standard, it was a good fight, it was also when Kakashi arrived on the scene to see how things were doing.

There were two fights however that got his attention completely and the same could be said for Fenrix.

The first battle was the battle between Hinata and Neji….from the very second the battle started, he was getting enraged by the way Neji was belittling Hinata and the sight of the girl he once thought to be shy, dark, and weird was somehow enraging him, to hear her try to defend herself and the way she looked made Naruto even more angry at Neji's actions, he shouted to Neji to shut up and he then told Hinata to stand up for herself and prove to Neji that she could change no matter what and beat the snot out of him. Hinata did her very best but was beaten however he saw that she had done her best….and she was all right as Kakashi, Gai, and Kurenai stopped Neji from landing a fatal blow.

--------

Flashback…

"Hmph! Typical of the Main Family getting all the treatment…"

Neji however was unable to finish his words when a shout came right at him.

"SHUT UP!!!!!"

Neji barely had enough time to move out of the way as Naruto came right at him with a fist surrounded by a vortex of Wind and the fist ripped through the floor like it was nothing more than kindling, surprising everyone, including Kakashi. Naruto moved away from the clouds, covered in the same tornado aura and his eyes were glowing a bit and his teeth were bare, he lifted his fist and spoke to Neji as the winds whirled about him.

"I am going to rip that damn tongue out of your mouth with my bare hands!"

Fenrix however stepped in and so did Kakashi despite the fact the Jonin had no idea what was going on at the moment.

"Naruto that is enough!"

Kakashi held one side of Naruto's shoulder while Fenrix held Naruto's coiled fist and the senior Dragon Ascendant watched as the bracers quickly reacted and Naruto's powers began to subside and the tornado stopped and the tattoos faded from Naruto's body and the blonde Genin turned to see to Hinata, she tried to say something to him but she fell unconscious. Naruto looked at the blood there from Hinata and touched it and then turned to Neji and snorted and spoke to Neji.

"If you and I ever fight…mark my words, you are going to apologize for what you have said because I will beat the crap out of you like you've never felt before."

--------

End of Flashback…

The next fight was the one between Gaara and Lee, he had thought Lee was fast, but when it seemed that Lee's Taijutsu couldn't match Gaara's sand, lee was told by Gai to remove his weights and then things took a very interesting turn as the weights fell off, the very second the weights hit the floor and actually shook the building he was able to see the Genin go full throttle and he knew just about everyone who saw this with the exception of Neji and Gai were surprised at how fast Lee was moving and hitting, even Fenrix was impressed somewhat. The battle went to Gaara's corner and Lee unleashed his special skill and unlocked his chakra gates and to the shock of him and everyone about, he tore the battle ground like Swiss Cheese in a grinder, but even that was not enough to keep Lee's foe down for the count, Gaara recovered and was more than ready to fight and was able to cripple Lee.

The sight of Lee's body still standing before Gaara and Gai despite the fact his left arm and leg were broken was amazing, the guy was fighting in pure instinct and body memory and Gai was very sad for this, and even Kakashi had to apologize to Gai for not showing Lee more credit as he was very powerful to reach the Five Gates.

All in all, after the matches, he was told that he and the others would have a month to get ready for the soon to come semi-final matches and it was going to be something that he was looking forward to. He was eager to start his training so he won't be left behind, he hoped that Kakashi would be able to teach him, but Kakashi was on a special meeting with the Hokage and just about every other Jonin, Chuunin, and even the clan heads. Despite the fact that he was not very interested in politics, he couldn't help but wonder what that meeting was all about.

As he arrived, he was surprised to see a number of ANBU at his apartment and there was none other than the Hokage himself who seemed to be overseeing some sort of moving program. Naruto wanted to know what was going on and why were ANBU and the Hokage at his house of all things.

"Hey Old Man, what's going on here?"

The Hokage turned and replied.

"We need to have the apartment refurbished and rebuilt in order to make extra room for several other dignitaries, so this place is being rebuilt at this moment by several workers and it has to be cleaned and cleared out. Your furniture and other amenities are going to be stored in the Hokage Tower until then Naruto."

Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit shocked at the news.

"But where the heck am I going to live this time? I don't have enough money to buy a brand new home Old Man!"

The Hokage however gave a sly smile and replied to Naruto's question.

"Valen had made special plans remember? He had a home build for you in secret and it is now yours, Fenrix I believe knows more about it than I do, so it would be best that your guardian explain it to you."

"Valen made me a home? Where is it?"

Fenrix grinned…he had secretly visited the home that his Master had prepared for Naruto nearly years before….normally houses took weeks or months to make….but with a Dragon King….those houses would be done in mere days, but it was also very secret as no one in Konoha had any idea of it's location or what was hidden deep beneath it. It was not a house in the standards of most humans, but something else entirely.

As the two left, Sarutobi looked on and sighed as he looked back at the ninja who were busy packing up Naruto's supplies and gear for him to pick up later. He then thought back on how the discussion with the Jonin and Chuunin went when he told them of the latest developments.

--------

Flashback…

As soon as all the Jonin and Chuunin were in the meeting hall and also the head of the clans in Konoha, as well as members of the Council, he began the special meeting, not just concerning Orochimaru, but also the discovery and awakening of Naruto's Kekkai Genkai and naturally his moving out of his old home apartment and into his new clan house. Naturally a LOT of the Jonin, Chuunin and clan heads were quite surprised by the news that was given to them at the moment and they were still debating what to do with this kind of information.

The same was true for Kakashi as he was still trying to get used to the idea that his Genin team not only had one Kekkai Genkai user, namely Sasuke, but another, who could manipulate Wind in a way that even Asuma could not. Asuma was one of the few Wind users in Konoha and thus was more knowledgeable of the use Wind chakra.

The Clan heads were also interested and were eager to see this Kekkai Genkai of Naruto in action, though many of them were not all that convinced of it's powers.

As the meeting was adjourned, he told Kakashi to stay and turned as there was yet another guest who had remained in the shadow, and Kakashi knew already who it was.

"It's good to see you again, Jiraiya-sama."

"It's good to see you too Kakashi, you've matured a lot since I last saw you, so, how is it dealing with Naruto?"

"He's a handful, that much I can be certain. You know already that he is a clan head?"

"Sarutobi-sensei told me, you realize that as soon as the news comes out, things for Naruto are going to get VERY interesting."

"I know, but what brings you back here Jiraiya-sensei?"

"I came here for mere research, but also to give my report, I know Orochimaru is here and the target is Sasuke, no surprise there, that Kekkai Genkai will seriously interest him with the ability to see and copy jutsus. So what sort of abilities does Naruto's Kekkai Genkai have?"

Sarutobi filled the two of them in and Jiraiya was grinning.

"I can't wait to see this in action."

--------

End of Flashback…

As he walked back to his home, the Hokage couldn't help but wonder just how Naruto would react to the sight of his new home.

--------

In another part of Konoha…

The two Dragon Ascendants arrived in a massive valley a fair distance from Konoha and as soon as they got there, Naruto was not able to see any buildings, and he looked at Fenrix, who just smiled.

"So where is this new home of mine Fenrix-sensei?"

"Allow me to show you."

Fenrix made some gestures and to Naruto's eyes, he saw a shimmering of light and then out of nowhere was a massive hill made of pure stone that had several unique patterns of rock and metal about it and he could have sworn the patterns had a soft but very powerful glow at the moment and there was something about this place that tugged at his senses. He watched as Fenrix touched a wall and the wall seemed to shimmer and there was a long tunnel there.

As they walked through the tunnel, they went deeper into the earth, and finally they arrived at another door and as soon as Fenrix touched the door and pointed for Naruto to do the same, the doors parted and in that moment, they were in the main hall.

Naruto looked at the main hall of his new home…and was impressed to the point his eyes became saucers and his jaw dropped, he thought living underground meant that he was living in some sort of dank, smelly, dirty cave….not this!

The main hall looked like a mansion….in the middle was a beautiful foundation with cool clear water and statues made of pure marble that resembled dragons. There were benches made of solid marble as well which were covered in soft leather. Light was coming through several large openings and was distributed all over the halls by both water and apparently light emitting crystals shaped like trees that glowed softly….giving the place a very soft but strong amount of light….there were underground streams that were moving through and were cool to the touch and to Naruto's amazement were drinkable. The walls were smooth and covered in small gems and inlaid with copper mirrors which appeared to be well polished, as well as silver and gold designs that made the place even more grandiose than before…and in the areas….were healthy trees and bushes….giving out a sweet scent to the cave. The floors were made from tiles that combined, marble, jade, and smooth limestone and were very strong….all in al, the main hall was impressive

Fenrix couldn't help but chuckle at the look of awe in his student's face as he gazed at the main hall of his brand new home. It was befitting someone who earned the favor of a Dragon King as well as the new head of a Clan in his mind. And it seemed the same for Naruto as he moved about and explored his new home's main hall.

"Naruto, we have yet to see the rest of your home, come on."

Naruto nodded and the two of them approached two massive stone doors which had intricate designs and Naruto pressed his hand on the doors as he found himself marveling at it. He was then surprised to see the intricate designs glow pale blue and then the doors seemed to move and slide into the walls, and Fenrix spoke to his charge.

"The doors are at least two feet thick of specially enchanted limestone that are held in place by pure magic, and are only designed to open for the owner of this house…namely you, this applies to all the doors as well in this home of yours….now let us take a good look at your home."

The hallways were also lined with soft glowing crystals and the gentle sounds of water flowing on small canals on the sides of the walls were rather soothing to the ears. On the sides were bowls that had pools of water in them and when he tried some…the water was cool, enriching and fresh, in Naruto's mind, it was amazing.

They arrived and opened another set of doors in before Naruto was yet another hall, a lot larger than the main hall, but in it were beautiful statues made of jade, and marble, as well as metal, there were stone tables in a semi circle there in the middle as well as smaller tables in the sides and benches of stone which had soft leather there as well. There were four large crystal formations that were giving light into the main hall through filtering openings above….the walls were also smooth and supported by pillars of stone and metal which were also smooth and cool to the touch, and there were some trees and bushes which were very healthy and gave a soothing refreshing smell like a fresh forest into the hall. There were chairs there on each table….with one being a little larger than the others as well. And there was a large open floor there as well

There was a massive staircase at the back with several stone doors there as well. On the right were also two sets of doors and there was also another set of doors on the left. Naruto could only say a single word.

"Amazing!!!"

"Yes it is, this is the main dining and entertainment hall, this is where you can have your food and where to feed and entertain your guests as well. The first set of doors to the right lead to the food storage chamber where the food and drink are preserved for your use. The second set of doors lead to main kitchen where your food is prepared….would you like to take a look at them?"

"Oh yeah! I want to see the kitchens!!!"

"Good, I figured you would like that. Come on."

The kitchens were larger than his old apartment, and like the halls, they were very good, clean, well maintained, well lit, and there were kilns, roasting pits, piles of wood, coal, fuel and more. The kitchens also had all the things needed to staff a kitchen such as condiments, dishes, utensils, cooking tools and more. Naruto was impressed greatly at the sight of the kitchen as it made his older kitchen look so small. The blonde Genin looked the place over and he could see that there were some strange symbols on the place and he touched them and the place came alive and it was when Fenrix explained to Naruto how the kitchen worked.

"This place is run by natural energy drawn from the very heart of this world and so it can take care of itself, the symbols you touched will activate this place. All you have to do is to make the dish and when everything is in place, place it in the appropriate cooking device and then place your hand on the symbols and then use the power of your mind to project the dish and how it is made and the cooking device will do the rest. This will also function like any moral kitchen if you want and will for others who come here."

"Cool!!!"

"Isn't it? The storage place is similar to the shape of this kitchen, but as it's name states, it stores food and ingredients and stores them in special containers that only stores massive quantities but can also retain the freshness of all food and drink items that are stored in them, so you can have enough food and drink to feed a large number of people here in great safety. This entire place is protected by the very energy of the world and thus only one who wields the same kind of power can even break through the outer walls."

The two left the kitchen and they went to the other side of the dining hall and entered one of the other doors and they found themselves in a large room and there were blowers, a massive fire pit, piles of wood and coal, bars of metal were there, as well as prongs, large hammers, and a set of anvils. On the other side where there was no danger of fire were books and scrolls in well made shelves of stone and metal, there was even a table that had mortar and pestle, along with vials, powder bags and more. The place was also lit by crystals and had several open vents and a massive chimney on the area above the fire pit. Naruto then noted several molding stones in the area as well as working benches and he couldn't help but wonder just what this place was at the moment and Fenrix was the one who told him.

"This is your special Creation Hall, this place is part armory, part forge, part, alchemist' lab, and part library so you don't need to have too many places to go to. Here you can learn many things on whatever subject interests you and where you can create weapons, armor and more if it helps, as well as potions, and herbal mixtures."

"Why do I need armor?'

"That is entirely your decision Naruto, but keep in mind that you are still very much a hatchling when it comes to you Ascendant heritage so any form of protection will certainly be worth the time to learn so do not thing that you do not need some extra edges in combat should the need come to that. The books and scrolls also have information of the making of potions that can be highly effective for you and others, along with salves, oils, kits, and more using the native ingredients and secretly hidden ones that only those who are taught by Dragons can find. Valen had been in your world long enough to know how to find the places that time and humanity had either forgotten or chose to forget and he stored them here in this place….a Dragon King's wisdom is worth a hundred years worth of human knowledge….so do not take these books and scrolls lightly."

Naruto nodded as he began to grasp the implications of what Fenrix was saying. They then left the Creation Hall and then entered a massive hall that was bare of all the other things he had seen in the other halls, there were only glowing crystals, vents, and several pools of cool spring water in the hall. The floor didn't have elegant tiles but soft flat earth and the walls lacked the designs and more, compared to the halls Naruto had seen, this place was very sparse, and Spartan like in design and form, but he could sense great amounts of power in the place.

"What is this place?'

"This is the Training Hall, this is obviously where you can train using your powers and abilities and as such, this hall is specially filled with hidden wards and symbols that reinforce it. And considering the fact that you will learn to use a variety of powers that will rely on your Ascendant Kekkai Genkai, this place is going to be seeing a great deal of hard use soon enough, that is the reason why this place is specially reinforced to make sure it does not collapse, so don't let the Spartan appearance fool you. We can come back here for your training later, as we still need to see the rest of your home so let's move on for now."

The two left the Training Hall and then they made their way to the staircase located in the back of the Dining Hall and they were in a massive hallway that branched off to the sides and they went to one of the hallways and found themselves before a smaller door and when Naruto opened it, he found a well furbished room with a soft bed with the framework made of stone and the mattress being very soft and comfortable as well as the pillows and the lush covering, there was a well polished silver mirror that reflected Naruto's face and form like glass, there was also a large drawer there made from wood, and there was another door that led to a room that had a pool of water that had a pair of gems on it, one was red and the other was deep blue, and there seemed to be something of a sprinkler on the wall that was overhead near it as well.

"What is this place?"

"This is a simple guest room, the gems on this pool will allow the user to condition the water to be either hot or cold and adapting to human needs, and the sprinkler acts as a shower of sorts, this place has at least sixty of these rooms in this area, simple and functional, but comfortable."

"How does air get in here?"

"The air is regulated by both the plants that are sustained here and drawn in by mystical means so this entire compound is routinely supplied with air so there is no danger of anyone suffering asphyxiation. The same goes for these rooms and the air is able to be regulated to be comfortably cool or warm depending on the desires of the person residing in the room. Let's move on to YOUR room, I think you might find that place a lot more to your interest."

Naruto and Fenrix moved to the hallway and they headed for the large double doors and when those parted….Naruto looked at his own room in wonder as this room was something else entirely. It was spacious and the bed was large, not large in the sense that it was taking up the whole room, but it was a LOT larger than his old bed. The place was well furbished as there were closets made from well carved and conditioned wood, there were also chairs there and a trio of silver mirrors and when he saw his personal bathroom, it was very well made, a large pool there for him to swim in and the water was clean and clear, and there were two gems there, one red, and the other deep blue. There was also a small pool there and both were fed by a spring of water that was still flowing, there were glowing crystals there as well.

"So how do you find your new home Naruto?"

"It's amazing, to think that this is now my own home and Valen made it for me, it's just….amazing."

"This entire compound is the result of Master Valen's preparations for you to awaken to your powers, the reason your powers really took so long to awaken was due to your demon resident."

"Really? The Kyuubi did something to block my Ascendant Blood?"

"That is correct, it had somehow restrained your powers, but it was not going to have an easy time of it, and when that Grass Genin struck you, he had inadvertently broke the Kyuubi's hold on Valen's blood and now you know the result, if he only knew that his plan to disable you has made you stronger, the look on his face would be priceless. Now come, we need to begin your training as soon as possible."

-------

In the Training Hall…

Naruto was in the Training Hall and as they spared with one another, Naruto learned that Fenrix was not kidding that he was a lot better than him as his movements were fluid, prices, and accurate, and his hits were certainly painful and the blonde realized that if he had fought Fenrix as a normal person, he would have been asking for quite a beating indeed., they threw punches at one another and kicks as well and Naruto did his best to hit his Ascendant mentor but Fenrix was no easy mark.

"Come on Naruto, move faster! I am moving normally here, use your speed and power at once!"

The training was very difficult and despite his stamina and agility….Naruto was quick to run out of breath and Fenrix knew it, but he pushed Naruto on and it was there that Naruto got more serious and pushed himself further, showing his dedication, and determination, much to Fenrix' approval of the situation, the more effort Naruto placed on his training, the better he would become, as well as developing the needed control to fully master his still growing powers.

As the two continued to spar, Naruto finally felt his legs give way, but Fenrix caught him and spoke to his student.

"You did well….now let's get a drink."

The senior Dragon Ascendant helped Naruto reach one of the pools and when Naruto took a drink, the water tasted delicious and made him recover his strength and with a nod from Fenrix who then got the blonde Genin and Dragon Ascendant to his feet and he began to explain to him some things.

"Do you recall what you did during the preliminaries of the Chuunin exams?"

"Yes, what about that time?"

"Well, if you are not familiar with the five elemental forms of chakra, I'll repeat for you, there are five elemental chakras in your world, Fire Element Chakra, Wind Element Chakra, Water Element Chakra, Earth Element Chakra, and Lightning Element Chakra. Now each of them has a corresponding level of strength and weakness, Fire can beat Wind as Wind is weaker than Fire and only helps make Fire stronger, Wind however beats Lightning, while Lightning defeats Earth, Earth then defeats Water, and Water naturally defeats Fire."

"Okay, but why are you telling me this?"

"The reason is that this is for the use of Ninjitsu, but as an Ascendant, you have a tie to the natural world which has not been seen here for millennia, and as far as I know, most ninja have one or two elemental affinities, in the case of what I have seen on Kakashi, he has the Lightning Element and for Sasuke, he command Fire which is obvious as the Uchiha Clan are known for Fire Techniques. And while you have your own elemental affinity to discover, you're Ascendant powers are able to draw energy from the very fabric of the elements and the earth itself. As such, you have a gift that many ninja will not easily see. Let me show you just what I mean by that statement."

Fenrix focused his powers slightly and his tattoos came to life and to Naruto's amazement, his tattoos resembled waves of flame or fire like patterns and were colored fiery gold and red and then Fenrix moved his fist to create a large aura of flame that covered his hands.

"So Fire is your Element?"

"No, you are about to see what I mean."

Naruto was stunned as Fenrix merely calmed himself and his tattoos changed form into resembling lightning bolts and spheres that emitted lightning, and color and he began to manipulate the arcs of pure lightning before him in his hands as his tattoos were glowing gold at the moment and the senior Dragon Ascendant then moved the lighting to attack one of the nearby targets….reducing the tall pillar of wood into nothing but charred pieces and Fenrix smiled at Naruto.

"Now you try it….summon your powers and say the word Lightning."

Naruto calmed himself and focused his powers and spoke.

"DRAGON KING BLOOD! RELEASE!!! LIGHTNING!!!"

As soon as Naruto said that, his tattoos activated and the tattoos took the symbols of lightning bolts and spheres, and were glowing golden at the moment and as soon as the transformation was complete, he saw arcs of lightning moving on his hands and he felt no pain as the lightning moved about on his arms and body…

"Wow…."

Fenrix nodded and explained patiently to Naruto just what was going on.

"As you can see….the technique you are using at the moment is what is called Elemental Manipulation. This is what a Dragon Ascendant is capable of with initial training and he or she can use the technique to unleash torrents of fire at their foes, create earth shields for defense, unleash boulders at larger targets, fire currents of pure lightning through the ground and in the air, fire waves of water at their foes, unleash funnels of wind to send their opponents flying, and more."

"Cool!!! You're going to teach me all that? When do we start?!"

"Not so fast hatchling…first there are some basic rules you need to both know and follow before you try this exercise."

"What are those?"

"First, These abilities require that you practice how to shift elements when in a combat situation, using the right element in the right moment can be critical….in simple terms, using the right weapon for the right battle. The second is that you need to develop control, at the moment you still need to say the words in order to affect the shift, a fully trained Ascendant can shift the elements merely by thinking about the shift and what Element they wish to use when the battle field changes. Allow me to show you what I mean exactly by that."

Fenrix then began to show Naruto just what he meant as the tattoos merely shifted into a new style of appearance and color and he was now manipulation a column of Earth that rose from the ground in the training hall, much to the awe of the blonde ninja and Dragon Ascendant, and then he raised two more pillars and then he shifted the tattoos once more and he then unleashed a massive number of fireballs from his hands that blew the first pillar into chunks and then the other one was hit by a massive wave of water… Fenrix then leaped into the air as his tattoos changed to match Naruto's tattoos in the fight with the Rain Genin and he delivered a powerful diving kick to the pillar he was standing on earlier with the Wind on his feet allowing him to slice through the pillar and land before Naruto, who was utterly impressed with he had seen at this moment and time.

"Wow!!!! That was awesome!!!!"

Fenrix nodded and then replied.

"True….but this is using each element separately….when fully trained and mastering each Element without relying on words…Then a fully trained and mature Dragon Ascendant can control all five elements at once and use them for both attack and defense."

"You're kidding!!!"

Fenrix smiled back and then he focused his tattoos and then they took the color of the five different elements and in a moment, Naruto was surprised to see a ring of fire moving around Fenrix, which was joined by arcs of lightning, a sphere of air surrounded by floating chunks of earth and a ring of pure water….all five Elements at once. Fenrix then revealed the power of the technique as he unleashed a combined stream of wind and fire at the very same time and destroyed a nearby pillar of Earth in a heartbeat. He then unleashed water and Lighting in a combined strike with Water going first hitting the other targets with the power of a tsunami and then the Lighting took it's turn and was amplified in power by Water massive pillars of Lightning were seen by Naruto hitting the other targets and they were obliterated instantly. Fenrix then unleashed a massive wave of stone to bombard the other target and then combined Earth and Wind to convert the Earth into sand that was blinding….replicating the very way Gaara fought as well, much to Naruto's amazement.

Naruto was awed and when Fenrix finished using the transformation and the five elemental combination, Naruto was eager to learn.

"Can you teach me that! Please!!!"

Fenrix couldn't help but laugh a bit at the expression on Naruto's face and he knew that while he couldn't teach Naruto that style of combat just yet as that style of elemental Manipulation require years of training, if not decades or centuries.

"Not until you master the basics of all five elements, as you need to do that before you can be able to use the five elements together in unison. What I showed you is but a demonstration and therefore this style of combat is a lot more powerful than even you can imagine at the moment. Now that you have an idea of the kind of training that you are about to undergo, you need to get ready as best you can, you have at least a month to prepare."

Naruto however was not deterred and replied.

"I'll master as best I can, don't you worry about that!"

Fenrix grinned and decided that for the time being he would tell him about being the head of his own clan, he was familiar with the needs of starting a clan and what were the rules and more. He also had to explain some important things about Naruto's Ascendant heritage that was very important and was for his ears alone at the moment, it would soon be revealed to the rest of the Konoha Council, though the Dragon Ascendant KNEW for a fact that the very second they heard about this….Naruto was going to be for a lot more than he could possibly handle, but then again, his student was not the kind to be bothered by odds all that much and that was fine by him.

"Before we get down to training, I suggest we take the time to talk about your new role as head of your own clan, there are some important considerations that you must know so you are better prepared for it. The last thing you need is to be caught doing something indecent which will not only embarrass you but also put your clan in a very bad light."

"All right then….tell me."

"First off is the matter of clan numbers, since you are the very first of your clan, then you will need others to make up your clan, there are two ways this can be done, you can adopt others into your ranks, or you can have a wife and have children who will be recognized as Clan members."

"A wife? I need to have a wife?"

"Of course Naruto, a clan can't survive without the head of the clan having heirs to it you know. But due to the fact that your clan is relatively new to the scene, I believe an old rule is to be used in allowing your clan to grow, and that is polygamy, and before you ask, that word means that you can have more than one wife."

Naruto's jaw dropped at that statement, having one wife to him was surprising enough….but MORE than ONE wife?!

"You can't be serious?!"

"I'm afraid so. There are instances of this happening as clans which are new have to have many blood related members to ensure that the clan's Kekkai Genkai will remain with them and also to ensure that if there are wars, there will be enough of them to fight and survive at the end of the war, this also ensures that the Clan has heirs to take the place of their head leader should anything happen to the leader. Having more than one wife can also help improve not just the already existing Kekkai Genkai, but introduce new abilities that could strengthen the clan, take for example this situation. Suppose you have a child with one of your wives who has exceptional control over the element of Water, the result is that any children born of that union would have a greater affinity for that type of element, thus improving the power of the clan. And considering the fact that your Kekkai Genkai is pure, it works both ways, the child will not only have your powers, but the traits of your wife will be enhanced by your own powers."

"You mean, if they have a Kekkai Genkai, then my Ascendant Blood can make it stronger?"

"Yes, it might also unlock portions of the power that was once thought lost. Take for example, the Byakugan of the Hyuuga Clan, at the moment, the Byakugan is powerful, but in it's pure and un-degraded form, the range was much better and it would eliminate the little known blind-spot that exists there, and it could go a step further by being able to see beyond the physical and see the spiritual and emotional. Now let's suppose that you have a wife from the Hyuuga Clan, who would naturally be Hinata Hyuuga herself as she is the heiress to the clan."

Naruto blushed bright red at the thought of Hinata being his wife…though why he had NO idea at the moment, but despite his face resembling a tomato at the moment, he nodded to Fenrix to go on with his example.

"If she is your wife, then not only will she gain the title of it, but her Byakugan can actually improve a great deal and be much stronger due to your, 'performance' of your duties as her husband, but the child you both will have will have not just a much stronger Byakugan, but your basic Ascendant powers and even the use of some higher aspects of your abilities. Are you getting me so far?"

"Yeah, I am, but this is kind of sudden."

"I understand that, another reason why you can have more than one wife is not just for the mentioned purposes, but it will also cement alliances with other families as the children born from you and your wife/wives from their families will be part of their own as well. This is where some delicacy is important so try to be patient as some clans might become pushy, as your Kekkai Genkai is quite powerful, there will be those who will try to do their best to have their daughters be married into your clan, knowing how to handle these situations with tact and diplomacy will not be easy, but it can be done."

"Okay, but there is something that I can't help but think about."

"That being?'

"My age, I mean I'm only 13 for crying out loud! I can't get married now!"

"True, but just because you are married by law, it does not mean you have to procreate instantly with your wife or wives in this case, get to know them more, learn from them, and be able to see them for who they are as people, that way you are actually building up a good relationship with the people who are going to be part of your clan."

"Okay, but I am still 13, how can I be sure that I can even have kids?"

"You can, your body will hit a certain point in which it will have an accelerated growth spurt so that means that while you are still 13, the growth spurt you will have soon will give you the body of an eighteen or nineteen year old person so you would be legally be able to have children, and your Dragon King Blood has given you quite the advantage in terms of procreation than that of normal men."

"Huh?"

"Have you taken sexual education classes in the Academy?"

"Uh, not really, I was always doing pranks and getting reprimanded to learn anything solid, I just know that men and women can have kids."

"Never mind, we'll reserve that set of lessons on male and female intimacy for another time, now as to what I said about you having an advantage over most men in the regards of procreation is in several ways. The first is that your sperm is capable of allowing women to be one hundred percent capable of having children, meaning that even one drop is enough to guarantee that your wife or any of them your wives will have a child."

"No way!"

"That is true Naruto, I would not lie about that part, the second is that your wife's pregnancy cycle is a lot different than that of normal women, a human child is born is at least nine months, but your child will be born in about half the time without any complications, so in simple terms, you can not only guarantee a full success rate when your wife or wives become pregnant, but your child can be born in the time frame of four months and seventeen and a half days. So in simple terms your clan could produce QUITE the number of children in a short amount of time. The third is that since you have the stamina to last in a much longer time frame than most people, you can certainly give your wife or wives a night they will never forget."

Naruto's nose bled out a fountain of blood at the news while Fenrix was enjoying this at the moment. He couldn't blame Naruto for the reaction he had at the time, since such news was something one did not receive as everyday news. As soon as this news hit the streets of Konoha, he knew that things were going to get VERY hectic, and if it came out to the rest of the world at large, he knew that things were going to get VERY interesting.

He then moved over to Naruto and nudged him with a smile on his face.

"Hey, you're not married yet so you can worry about that later, come on; we've got training to do."

Naruto recovered and was able to get his act together and return to training as they went through the prescribed exercises and as time passed, Naruto was getting into the swing of things.

Hours later….Naruto was once more tired and was eager to have some ramen and they headed back up and as they headed for Ichiraku Ramen Stand, Naruto was eager to finally put his training to the forefront of the month ahead.

--------

The next day, Naruto decided to visit the Hospital to see how things were for Sasuke at the moment, it was then that he ran into Kakashi who apparently had visited Sasuke before. The Jonin smiled at his student and spoke to him.

"Hey there Naruto, you've been busy?"

"You bet Kakashi-sensei, why are you here?"

"I came here to check on Sasuke actually, he's still out of it but the doctors said he's recover well enough on his own at the moment."

"That sounds all right, say, can you teach me a new jutsu, please?"

Kakashi shook his head and replied.

"I don't think I can teach you at the moment, I know about your Kekkai Genkai since the Hokage told me so you need to train in that area first and when you are ready, I can teach you a jutsu that you can use to your advantage. I might train Sasuke harder, but there are reasons for that, and you both have good potential."

"Oh all right, but promise me that you are going to teach me someday!"

"Count on it, by the way, you want to pay a visit to Lee? I hear here's in one of the rooms."

Naruto's face became sad at the thought of Rock lee being the way he was at the moment and what Kakashi said about the dangers of Kinjutsu or 'forbidden' jutsu. He hoped that the tough and strong Genin would recover soon and continue to be a ninja.

"How is he?"

"He'll live, but I don't know about his chances of being a ninja. Gai taught him well, there is no doubt in my mind about that, but for his chances, I just don't know."

"But can't the Medic Nin do something?"

Kakashi shook his head and replied.

"They're skilled, but nowhere near that skilled, the only Medic Nin I know who can do the surgery needed to heal Lee would have to be Tsunade."

"Tsunade? Who's that?"

"One of the Sannin or the legendary Three Ninja Sages, she was the finest Medic Nin in the village of Konoha and was the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage, and she had superhuman strength, she was strong enough to collapse a wall with one hit."

"Wow, so where is she?"

"She isn't here, and no Naruto, she's not a Missing Nin like Zabuza, her case is….different."

"How different?"

"I'm afraid I don't know all the details, the only one who would know would be her teammates."

Naruto nodded and then bid farewell to Kakashi and this allowed the Jonin to relax, had he told Naruto the other reason for visiting Sasuke and training, he had no doubt the Genin and new Clan leader would have been royally angry.

He had recently managed to stop Kabuto from killing Sasuke…the Leaf ninja then revealed that he was a spy and a servant of Orochimaru as well and was a highly skilled one to have killed all of the ANBU guards that Kakashi had requested to guard Sasuke. He noted that very well and despite this, he did his best to convince Kabuto to leave, Kabuto was able to escape, using disguises and elaborate jutsus as well…fooling Kakashi with one of the dead ANBU used as a puppet with his clothes and face on while he had taken the disguise of the same slain ANBU and escaped…Kakashi could tell that despite Kabuto's age and youth…he was not someone to underestimate, so he himself would have to shape up and be stronger than before…and if Orochimaru had such talent at his side…things were not going to be easy.

He however had no doubt that the very second Orochimaru and Kabuto find out about Naruto's hidden powers and Kekkai Genkai, things for Naruto were going to get very interesting.

For now however, he had work to do with Sasuke as he, Jiraiya and the Hokage knew that they had to keep Sasuke's Sharingan from Orochimaru.

As Naruto walked through the floors, he ran into none other than Shikamaru who was carrying a fruit basket.

"Hey Shikamaru!"

"Oh Naruto, what brings you out here?"

"I was planning to visit Sasuke to see how the guy was doing, and also to see Lee, what are you doing here?"

"Sending this fruit to Chouji, he had one streak rib too many if you catch my drift, it got so bad the nurse forbade him to eat anything solid for the next few days. And you know how Chouji will react to that."

"Yeah, that is bad news to Chouji."

"Anyway, it'll be a drag to be carrying this all day, here, grab a bite."

Naruto took an apple and quickly munched it as the two of them began to make their way to Lee's room after getting some directions, however, it was then that both ninja felt something bad in the air, Shikamaru and Naruto looked at one another and quickly moved to see what was going on and as soon as they reached lee's room, they saw just what was going on. As well as who was in the room with the still sleeping Genin.

Gaara, who was about to kill Lee with the Desert Coffin. Shikamaru moved quickly and bound the Sand Genin with his Shadow Manipulation Kekkai Genkai and Naruto moved and quickly hit Gaara right on the face.

"OW!!! Hey Naruto! Don't hit him while I got him bound with my Shadow, you just hit me!"

"Sorry about that!"

(Man, Naruto's got a hell of a right hook, if he had not pulled back, he would have broken not just this Gaara guy's jaw but mine too.)

The sand Genin got up and looked at the two and focused on them as they saw that the Genin was wearing his Sand armor but it was badly damaged at the moment.

"What the heck are you doing here in Lee's room Gaara!"

"Well met again Naruto Uzumaki…I didn't expect you here…I am a bit disappointed I don't get to fight you in the Finals."

"Now isn't the time for that and you know it…why are you here?"

----------

"Hi there Chouji…how are you doing?"

Ino asked as Chouji smiled and saw both her and the fruit basket she had for him in her hands.

(Wow…a pretty girl with food! What a lucky break!)

----------

Back in Lee's room…

"What are you doing here Gaara? I won't ask again…"

Naruto wanted answers and wanted them now, he knew that he couldn't attack Gaara with any of his abilities due to the fact he'd injure Shikamaru as well, along with harming Lee, but he couldn't help but ask just what the heck was Gaara doing here in this room of all things.

"I was going to kill him."

That naturally didn't set well with the two Konoha Genin who glared at Gaara, that is Naruto glared while Shikamaru kept his cool, but even so, he was not liking the situation for the moment.

"What?"

The simple and calm look of Gaara which was mixed with a blood thirstiness was making Shikamaru nervous as he shook his head

(This guy is one cold customer…he's not showing any reaction, even if I have him tied down by my shadow jutsu, I have no doubt if he tries to attack us…I can't stop him too well…the only chance to diffuse this is to bluff him…but why the hell would he want to kill Lee?)

"You already beat him once in the Preliminaries…heck you practically broke his leg and arm and he can't fight anymore, let alone defend himself…yet you want to kill him? Isn't what you did to him back there enough for you? Is this some personal grudge you have on Lee?"

"I have nothing personal against him…, there's no ulterior motive or complicated planning involved with me being here…I just want to kill him, nothing more."

Naruto didn't like that in the least.

"You're insane Gaara…I don't know why the heck you're like this…but right now I don't care…you really lost it."

"Yeah…Naruto's right…you honestly think we'll stand by and let you murder one of our fellow Genin in his sleep and unable to fight back? You're one sick, selfish and twisted psychotic Gaara of the Sand."

"If you both don't stay out of my way…then I'll kill the both of you as well…"

Naruto however glared and his tattoos began to show themselves and traces of chakra began to seep out and he replied.

"I'd like to see you try it Gaara."

"Whoa Naruto! Don't blow a gasket here! Look, we know you are tough and we were there when you crippled Lee with your sand, but we haven't unleashed our full abilities just yet so we have the advantage."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, what you've seen of my family's ability with Shadows Manipulation is just the icing on the cake. Besides, there's two of us here, so take my advice and leave here peacefully."

Gaara however was not intimidated as he spoke back to Shikamaru.

"I'll say it again loud and clear, if you two get in my way…I'll kill you both right here and now…I don't need to wait until the tournament to kill you both."

(Damn…he's like ice…this is not going well.)

"I'd like to see you try Gaara."

"Damn it Naruto! Keep that temper in ice for a single minute! This guy fights like a demon for Kami's sake!"

Naruto glared and replied.

"He can act and fight like a demon all he wants…but I happen to have the real deal right inside of me. I happen to have a demon in me as well, a real one…pure power as well, and you do NOT want to wake it up."

"What the hell are you yapping about now! Let me try to diffuse this mess…what the whole point of getting him mad on us anyway!"

Gaara looked on as Naruto glared back…and he merely closed his eyes and spoke.

"A Demon inside you huh? Then my Demon is as real as your own is."

"What the heck?"

"My birth and my upbringing back in my village of Sand was not something one would call either happy or normal. To make sure I would be born as the ultimate Sand Shinobi to ever be borne from the Land of Wind…my father, the Fourth Kazekage used his Ninjutsu on me, infusing my still unborn form with the power of a Sand Demon Spirit…in doing so a life was lost with my birth…my mother's life. I was literally born as a monster in human form"

Naruto looked on with shock at that as he realized that there was something in Gaara's tone that told him that this was the truth…and it resonated with him…because it was the same as his own life. Shikamaru was also shocked and Gaara carried on.

"The name of that Demon that melded with me was Shukaku, the living reincarnation of a former Sand Priest who died and became evil and was sealed in a old tea kettle."

Shikamaru recovered and spoke.

"A demon based jutsu…but to use it on a baby…before it was ever born? That is one creepy thought. You're father must love you well enough to give you that power."

(Can it be true? Can he really have a Demon inside him…like I do?)

Gaara never showed emotion, but Naruto could tell that there was one emotion in Gaara…hatred.

"Love? You speak of love? Don't think I can be measured in your standards…it's not love I feel for my family…neither is it respect or any of those feelings you people have…the only emotional ties I have for them is hate…I hate my family, I hate them all to my very core…the only thing I ever wanted was to wrap either my hands or the sand in my gourd around their necks and kill them slowly."

"Given life by the death of my mother I was nurtured to be the salvation of the Sand Village, my father taught me all the secrets of the Ninja at a young age and I was treated well enough…pampered and protected and left to my own devices, and for a time…I thought it was love…but that was only the beginning of everything."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"What kind of trick are trying to pull this time Gaara?"

"When the six years passed when I was six years old…my father tried to have me destroyed far more than I care to remember."

The way Gaara smiled and looked quite insane made Shikamaru and Naruto look in shock, both however were not backing away.

"You just said you're father pampered and protected you…was that some sort of lie?"

"It was no lie…those who get to be strong get to be feared and I was feared by everyone in the village. The same jutsu that was used to infuse Shukaku in me had imbalanced my mind in some way…even the most foolish of my village realized that I was…emotionally unstable. My father, the Kazekage created me as his ultimate weapon in battle…but even he saw that I was too dangerous and I became a threat to the very village I was meant to protect and save from disarray…When I was six I became a figure of terror to everyone and in their eyes…I was nothing more than a relic of the past they wanted gone…I was a living monument to their sins that they wanted destroyed. And that meant I had failed the purpose for which I was given life utterly. So I asked myself…what was left for me to exist in this wretched world? What was the point of living now? For living and having no goal is the same as being a dead corpse. But then I realized that everything has a purpose and a goal to stay alive in this world."

(What is this lunatic freak talking about?)

Naruto remained silent and thought to himself.

(I know what he means, I know what he feels…because I was like him too, him and I are no different from one another…we are both demon containers.)

"Then I found the answer…my reason to stay alive was in the killing of all those who are my targets…since it was my mother's death that gave me life…then it is in the death of ours that gave me purpose. I lived in fear of those sent to kill me…but now I do not fear death and I have killed many would be assassins sent by my father in the years, I learned that I truly lived when I fought and lived only for myself and I loved myself…I have no need for others, and also long as there are those alive for me to kill, then I will find some peace and happiness in this overcrowded, wide and wretched world…I will live here for all eternity."

(This guy has lost his mind…he's not human at all…but a freakish monster!)

(I was alone like him…I had no idea why I was alive…until Iruka-sensei came, and then saw me for me, not for the Kyuubi, he gave me a reason for living, then I met the old man, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan…and even Sasuke…but Gaara…he had no one and those who could have helped him turned on him, he had to find his reason to stay living on his own…but he came up with this…to kill in order to live…could I have become like him if it hadn't been for Iruka-sensei being there…could I have been like Gaara too? We're so different…but we're close to being the same…we're literally brothers in a sense…)

"Naruto! Damn it all…not now! This is a drag!"

The reason for that was the sand suddenly came to life and despite Gaara being pinned down by Shikamaru's jutsu, the sand came right at them as Naruto was frozen stiff by what he heard and how much the same he and Gaara were.

Gaara was about to attack but it was then that Gai arrived on the scene and so did Fenrix and Fenrix had a blade of pure Fire aimed at Gaara's throat, and with one pull, the Dragon Ascendant could have easily sliced Gaara's head off.

"I suggest you lay off with your antics Gaara of the Sand. Harm anyone here, including my charge, I will slice your head clean off."

Gaara looked at Fenrix but even though he was emotionless, he mentally took a step back as he saw the dragon like eyes that stared back at him.

Gaara left as pain hit him as Gai told them to wait for the finals, and he turned to speak to them.

"All the same, I am going to kill you, I will kill you all."

As Naruto left with Fenrix and headed back to the fortress home of his, the senior Dragon Ascendant spoke to his student.

"I heard everything, but before you get any ideas, I think that you already have people who care for you. Sakura, Iruka, and Kakashi, Master Valen, the Hokage, and maybe even Sasuke. They are the people who gave you the chance to walk away from your personal hell, Gaara didn't have that, and look at him, those people are important to you Naruto, am I right?"

"Yes they are."

"So you must fight for them, for their sake, not for yourself, remember the things you've learned, and remember what Haku said to you."

Naruto remembered quickly what Haku said about how people gained true strength by fighting for others, and that steeled him to train even harder, if ever he would face Gaara, e would not hesitate to fight him with all he got at this moment and time.

--------

Elsewhere…

"Where have you been Gaara…we've been looking for you!"

Kankurou asked his youngest brother when he showed up, just as they were getting a very bad feeling about what was going to happen if he was out of sight…but he was back and seemed to be no worse for wear.

"None of your business."

Kankurou sighed and kept his cool, knowing that no matter how angry he would get, he was no match for Gaara. Temari sighed as she looked at both her brothers and wondered how it had come to this…they were here not to truly win the Chuunin Exams, but to help the Sound defeat and crush Konoha…the village that they were allied with, and so many died for this peace…the situation was so wrong to her…but there was reasons as well. The feudal lord of Wind Country ordered military cutbacks…forcing her village to downsize their forces and lose a lot of missions that could truly help them in many ways and matters that should be in the hands of her village were handed to the people in Konoha, and that made them weaker in power and influence…that was the reason…why Gaara was born as well, they had to go for quality shinobi instead of quantity. But now they were going back into war…under the order of her father…and the outcome…

Temari sighed as she looked out the window…things were going to be very bad news now.

--------

Days later…

The village of Konoha was currently getting ready for the coming second half of the Chuunin exams. And it seemed that things were well on their way to getting very loud and entertaining at the moment. However, there were some new things that were being discussed in hushed tones by the villagers, namely concerning a certain blonde Genin who had just discovered his own Kekkai Genkai.

Many of the villagers were making rude comments and saying that stuff was just garbage and there was no way a guy like Naruto would have a Kekkai Genkai. The villagers however were getting rather curious on how the soon to come matches would turn out, many talked about the coming match between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of the Sand, to them, that was the kind of fight they were looking forward to….not the fight of the blonde Genin and many of those who were against Naruto thought that he would be beaten down.

They had no idea how wrong they were…

Naruto was busy training long and hard deep within his underground fortress like residence as he was being taught by not just Fenrix, but by Jiraiya as well. The meeting between the Sannin and the blonde ninja did not go well at first, but they were getting along well enough as Jiraiya and Fenrix had a respect for one another….and much to Naruto's shock and surprise, his mentor Fenrix, like Kakashi was fan of the Icha Icha novels.

All throughout his training, he was unaware that while his blood had finally adapted to the powers, his body had not, Fenrix knew this and trained Naruto hard as he knew that Naruto's growth spurt was already taking effect as he was growing taller and stronger than before as his body was being magically adjusted to suit his powers. The changes included a loss of all baby fat and replaced with lean but rock hard muscle, increase in height and also his face began to change into that of a more mature and handsome person. Jiraiya noted that and Naruto could have sworn that the Pervy Sage said something that sounded like he was going to be as handsome as his old man.

He however was so focused on his training that he did not notice and he was enjoying the training as he slowly but surely began to adapt to using not just Wind, but Fire, Water, Lightning, and Earth. He knew that he was to give his all at the moment and he couldn't wait to see what other lessons Jiraiya might give him. The Pervy Sage tested Naruto's use of the Kage Bushin and also his Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu skills and despite his thoughts on the Sannin being a perverted old man, he was happy with the training.

Jiraiya himself was interested in giving Naruto the contract of Frog Summoning, but waited for a better time to train him as his new Kekkai Genkai had to develop first. At the end of the month, he would teach Naruto just how to summon Toads, and he was looking forward to the results of this meeting between Gamabunta and Naruto.

It was during his training that Naruto wished he could use the ultimate move of Elemental Manipulation….

However, during an exercise with his Kage Bushin, the blonde had an idea on a new Jutsu that he could incorporate into battle.

--------

The day of the semi finals of the Chuunin exams…

As the crowds gathered and were now filling the area where the coming Chuunin exams were going to start, Naruto left the compound of his home and was wearing a cloak with his new Clan symbol, the five Elements in Dragon form surrounding the symbol of Konoha, he decided to pay a visit to the old training round, ignoring some of the comments heading at his direction, namely sent by young women.

As he arrived there, he was surprised to see none other than Hinata herself, he was not expecting her here, but he decided to call her attention.

"Hinata!"

Hinata turned and she blushed bright red as she found herself looking at a very handsome young man with deep blue eyes and deep blonde hair that resembled the color of gold, wheat and the sun itself, she felt her heart race and wonder just who was before her.

"W-Who are you? H-How do you know my name?'

"It's me Naruto."

"Naruto? Is that you?"

"Yep."

"B-B-But it can't be…I mean?"

"Why? Do I look ugly or something?"

"N-N-No! But you look so…handsome I thought you…."

Hinata blushed to the point that her face was bright red as she realized just what she had just said but she could not help herself as Naruto looked so handsome that she felt like he was a God in human form at this moment and time.

"Hey thanks, I don't look at a mirror all that much, but if you say so, then it's true. So, how are you feeling?"

Hinata managed to look at Naruto and replied.

"I-I-I-I'm feeling a lot better N-N-Naruto-kun, the doctors said I should be careful but I'll be fine, I hope to see you in action soon."

"Count on it, I am going to make Neji regret ever making all those remarks towards you."

"Thank you, I-I want to say, t-thank you."

"For what Hinata?"

"F-F-For what you said before in the Tower, I knew I would not be able to beat Neji-san. I was always shy and meek, I never had confidence before, even if I trained hard, I was always afraid of losing, of giving my all, but you…when I looked at you, and heard what you said to me to stand up for myself, I felt…I felt so alive and so strong, to know that you were right beside me."

"Hinata."

"I felt like I could fight to the limit and I was worth something. I might have lost, but I felt that I have changed, changed for the better, thanks to you. So I have no doubt you can win Naruto-kun!"

Naruto smiled and spoke to Hinata.

"Thanks, you know something Hinata, I have to tell you what I think of you."

Hinata gasped as she felt her body tense up and her heart beat even faster at the moment as she waited in anticipation.

"W-W-What is it Naruto-kun?"

(What is it you want to say?! Do you like me?! Please…I have to know!!!)

"You know, back then I always thought of you as…"

(What…please…tell me what you thought of me Naruto-kun…I…please I must not faint!!! I have to know!!!)

Hinata felt her heart race at the expectation of what she had long waited for Naruto to say to her…she wanted to know.

"That you were a weird, timid and odd girl."

Hinata felt downcast and wondered of her shyness had finally caught up with her and she wondered if this was what Naruto truly thought of her and she felt even sadder.

However, her thoughts of sadness disappeared as Naruto spoke.

"But now I see you as a kind, strong hearted, brave, and talented person…and I happen to like that a lot, I like people who are like that and seeing you fight was impressive. No matter what anyone says, you will grow up to be a great ninja someday, don't lose faith and keep it up Hinata."

Hinata blushed bright red at the praise and her sadness vanished as she could see that Naruto meant every word to her.

"T-T-Thank you N-N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled.

"No problem, see you at the finals Hinata!"

As Naruto left, Hinata was still blushing as she twiddled her fingers and felt her heart race and her feelings swelled.

(He said it! Naruto-kun likes me!!!!)

As he made his way to the building, he was able to enter despite some problems at the entrance due to the Chuunin there who guarded the doors, as soon as he proved that he was Naruto, he made his way in and was greeted by Fenrix and Jiraiya who were eager to see this fight and show his newly created special ability..

As soon as he entered the ring, he removed his cloak and was dressed in black pants, with orange stripes and wore a simple black and orange striped shirt and vest with the same clan symbol at the back, he ignored the stares, including the one from Temari and focused on the soon to come fight.

--------

In the ring…

As the two faced once another….Naruto was more than eager for the soon to come fight, he was going to make sure that by the end of this round, he was going to beat the holy hell out of Neji and give him the beating he deserves for looking down on people's dreams and aspirations to be better and stronger, as well as proving to others that they were going to able to make themselves into stronger and better people.

The crowds were expecting this fight to be easy for Neji and then they could actually see Gaara and Sasuke face off once Naruto was defeated, some admired the fact that he got this far but they felt that he was going to be easily defeated by Neji. While many of the women were surprised at how handsome Naruto was at the moment, even Sakura and Ino were impressed.

Naruto was focused in the battle and was now ready to give Neji the sound beating he deserved for his words, but for the moment, he wanted to see just what Neji was capable of unleashing with the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist at the moment, so for now, he was going to let the people think that this fight was going to be simple. He however was not going to let Neji think he was going to have this fight in the bag just yet.

Neji however was not that confident, despite his calm stance at the moment, he was cautious in attacking Naruto directly as Naruto's abilities were making him a deadly foe at the moment.

"Begin!!"

The moment the Jonin proctor Genma said that, Naruto quickly attacked with several kunai, one Neji caught and used that to block the incoming attacks, but Naruto was quick to attack and unleashed several fast punches and while Neji evaded them and used his Byakugan to attack Naruto, however Naruto was quick on the uptake and quickly moved out of the way and launched a powerful spinning kick at the side and Neji managed to block the attack, but Naruto was not going to let him get away so easily just yet as he quickly recovered and leaped over Neji and as he landed he turned and launched out a swipe kick the Neji leaped over.

Naruto however followed up with a reverse spinning back kick that hit Neji in the stomach…making the Hyuuga clan member realize that while Naruto was not using his full power, even so he was not someone he could afford to take lightly. The two engaged in several hand to hand combat attacks and while Neji tried to use his Gentle Fist, Naruto was not going to make it the least bit easy for Neji to score a direct hit at the moment.

The fight proved to be a winning one and the crowds watched as Neji and Naruto were fighting their best in the moment before them, for every kick Naruto unleashed as well as every punch, Neji was able to counter, but even then, the speed and power of Naruto's attacks were very good as Neji had to strain his Byakugan to the limits to even things up at the moment. His attacks were getting better, but Naruto countered with quick and effective movements using his hands and arms to block Neji's attack and also his legs to block in effect Neji's kicks.

Naruto unleashed several kunai and shuriken that Neji easily evaded and the two attacked once more and Neji threw several kicks at Naruto, but Naruto leaped away and did a spinning back hand upside down that Neji managed to block and he attacked with a back kick that Naruto blocked in retaliation and when he landed, the blonde Genin launched a powerful series of kicks at Neji who blocked as best he could.

(Not bad….even when not using his powers, he is more than capable of fighting, this fight is going to be a lot longer than I thought, but since he is not using that power, I can beat him with those jutsu. You might have trained long and hard Naruto, and I respect that, but fate cannot be changed, I will win this fight because destiny is on my side.)

As the two separated, Neji attacked with his Gentle Fist and managed to hit Naruto, but Naruto countered the attack by moving backward and grabbing Neji's hand and pulling back ward and landing a powerful elbow into Neji's body which Neji blocked with his other hand, Naruto countered with a powerful rising knee attack which hit Neji in the stomach, Neji however countered with several palm strikes that forced Naruto back….and this was when he made his move.

"Hakkesho Kaiten!!!!"

Neji rotated his body and unleashed a powerful sphere that knocked Naruto back and as soon as Naruto recovered, Neji was not going to finish as he attacked with yet another Hyuuga Clan special attack. Hiashi was impressed and saw how Neji was able to use such techniques that were never taught to him due to being a Branch family member. His daughter Hanabi thought the very same thing as well as her cousin was proving to be a lot better than she thought, but she too was impressed by Naruto's moves, but the second move seemed to guarantee Neji's victory.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!"

Naruto got hit so many times that it seemed that he was going to be knocked out and Naruto moved down to his knees and Neji couldn't help but be impressed at how Naruto fought, he had managed to pull out several hits and the two Hyuuga Clan moves and now it seemed that he would win in the end.

"You fought well Naruto-san, but you have lost."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Accept it, I don't know why you didn't use that ability you showed before in the Preliminaries, but now without your chakra, you can't use it at all. Fate is unchanging and losers cannot be able to change, that is the will of fate."

"Screw that fate and destiny crap! What makes you think that is all true anyway?"

"You really want to know? Very well, take me for example."

"What are you talking about this time?"

Neji then removes the Konoha forehead protector and there on his forehead was a seal in the shape of an X. Naruto looked at it as Neji spoke.

"I had this disgusting mark on me when I was merely four years old and so did my father Hizashi since his own birth. My father was born after Hinata's own father Hiashi and as clan laws dictated…he was relegated to be a member of the branch family….The Hyuuga clan are of two parts…and the Branch Family's fate and destiny are to be the ones who would protect the main branch…I was unaware of it at first…until I saw how they treated my father and me…how we were always relegated to other tasks despite our own talents. This cursed seal was always used for those of the Branch Family who were always destined to be nothing more than shields for the Main Family. This seal was given to me by them on the day when Konoha and the Country of Lightning signed a valuable peace treaty after a war between them and an alliance, a celebration was held that day. The head ninja of the Hidden Village of the Cloud was Lightning Country's representative…the Hyuuga were the only clan not present since it was Hinata's third birthday…and the same day I was branded with this seal."

"Both my father and Hiashi were twins and my father hated the Main Family and never respected them…on the day my uncle was training Hinata and he was able to best her…my father prepared to fight with Hinata to see how much she had grown…but Hiashi activated the seal on my father and my father suffered from it…the seal prevent members of the Branch Family from attacking the Main by limiting their Byakugan and injuring their minds and bodies. Hiashi then told him to never defy his fate as a Branch Family member. That seal protected the Byakugan Bloodline through death…for the seal only disappeared in death."

"One night…Hinata was kidnapped and Hiashi was able to save her and kill the man responsible…and that man was the head ninja of Hidden Cloud…the Lightning Country then stated that Konoha violated the treaty and they demanded the lead of the Hyuuga Clan in exchange for the death of their head ninja…in time the relationship broke down and Konoha gave into the demand of Lighting…but the didn't give Hiashi…they gave my father Hizashi instead…they gave them my father because he was the second born and was fated to die in Hiashi's place…"

Neji then placed back on the forehead protector and then glared at Naruto who glared right back at him.

"The day my father died was the day I learned the truth of life Naruto and I know it to be true! The only truth is…there are those few who are predetermined to be great…I know you're dreams of being Hokage…but you are not going to make it…only those who are predestined can be Hokage…there's only true fate that binds all of us…and that's death…no one can escape that…and all because my father died as a member of the Branch family of the Hyuuga for the sake of the Head Family as it was his destiny and fate as a Branch Family member."

"And now…you're fate has been decided since you became my foe in this match."

Hiashi heard everything…and he knew just what it was that Neji spoke of…in his heart Neji still cursed and hated the Main Family…and he knew why Neji hated them…after all, they did agree to having Hizashi killed in his place…but there was far more to that than even Neji realized…he wanted to tell him the truth…but he doubted Neji would ever listen to him…he had every reason to not listen after all.

Naruto however was not convinced and replied.

"You can tell me that, but nothing will change the fact that I will not lose to you and there is no such thing as a fate you cannot escape, at least I have the courage to fight and defy fate, what about you Neji, still too much a coward to face fate? At least Hinata and Lee had the courage to face and fight for what they dream for, unlike you who hides behind this crappy thought of fate being inescapable."

Neji was getting very angry and made that very well known.

"You know nothing! No matter how hard you train and no matter how hard you dream for it, you can never gain it…because all people are born with an inescapable fate and destiny…only those chosen by fate and destiny can ever be Hokage. And you know nothing about how it feels to carry a mark like this one on me for the rest of your life! I am cursed for all eternity and nothing can change that!"

Naruto however got up and to Neji's shock summoned his chakra once more.

" Spare me your idle prattle and garbage Neji. Now that we're done playing around, we can get serious."

"How?"

"You think I let you get those hits for the fun of it Neji? I just wanted to see just what you were capable of doing with both the Byakugan and the gentle Fist for real, and not that I know just what you are able to do, now is the right time to get serious!"

Naruto got into a combat stance and then unleashed his special ability.

"DRAGON KING BLOOD! RELEASE!!! WIND!!!!"

Neji watched at the tattoos were finally showing themselves and the sight of Naruto being surrounded by Wind made him move back and this got the crowd right by their pants, they had thought that Naruto was done for despite the amazing fight and spirit he displayed before, but now it seemed that the blonde ninja was about to show what he was about to do.

And Naruto did not disappoint as he attacked with several powerful tunnels of Wind and sent those slamming hard into Neji's defense and sent the boy away. Naruto did the same and Neji evaded the attack and charged at Naruto, intent on finishing the fight quickly but if he thought he would be able to attack Naruto up close and attack with the Hakke Rokujuyon Sho once more. He was wrong as Naruto beat him to the second.

Naruto attacked at the same time but with an even greater speed, using the Wind to propel him even faster to close in to attack Neji and he struck with a simple kick. Neji blocked, but paid dearly for it as the Wind appeared on Naruto's leg and sent him back with several tears on the clothes and some cuts on his skin, not enough to draw blood, but to hurt well enough.

Naruto was far from done as he attacked with several blasts of Wind and then moved in and launched a punch and As Neji evaded and prepared to strike, Naruto quickly flipped over Neji and landed his own palm strikes into Neji's back and sent him to the ground. Neji turned and coughed a bit as he felt pain on his body at the moment and spoke to Naruto.

"You were baiting me the whole time."

Naruto nodded and then spoke with confidence.

"Oh yes, I don't have to attack at long range all the time, as you have found out, my abilities also work well in close combat. Besides Neji, what makes you think Wind is the ONLY element I can throw at you?"

"What?!"

"LIGHTNING!!!"

Neji could only watch as the tattoos on Naruto's body transformed and resembled spheres of lighting and lightning bolts and Naruto's body was suddenly releasing lightning bolts all over himself. Naruto then raised his arm and then to the shock of the people above, black lightning clouds appeared in the sky and then a massive current of pure, raw elemental lightning in lightning bolt form lanced down with a massive boom and landed on Naruto, without even harming him and then with a pointing of two fingers, Naruto unleashed the bolt of lightning right at Neji.

Neji managed to roll away and he couldn't help but feel his nerves tingle and his skin seemed to be alive as even though he had evaded the strike, the very air was filled with lightning even as the clouds above vanished as quickly as they came.

Naruto decided to taunt Neji the same way he taunted Hinata to give him a taste of his own medicine.

"You want to try that Gentle Fist of yours on me again Neji? Let me show you just how bad an idea that is."

Naruto did so are he was covered in an aura of pure lightning like a suit of elemental armor and he spoke once more.

"If even one finger of yours touches me, I can hit you with enough lightning to either stun you or cook you alive, how do you plan on beating me?"

"How can you do that?!"

"This is my Kekkai Genkai Neji, I can manipulate all FIVE elements with equal skill and apart from increased physical abilities, I have the ability to be nearly impossible to harm with blades as you already know, but to drive this home…I am also given a higher resilience to injury and to paralysis and even illusion techniques, it means I am immune to Genjutsu and even to a degree, your vaunted Gentle Fist, and you know why, despite how effective it is, you're going to need greater physical strength to use it on me and you don't have it! And that makes your chosen fighting style useless on me. But mine is more than a match for yours."

Neji was stunned and so was everyone else in the ring, Naruto however was not going to give up yet as he attacked and dropped his Lightning Aura and attacked with his Taijutsu and revealed another frightening aspect of his powers to Neji as his punch landed on Neji as Neji was still unable to fight back, he screamed in shock as he was hit by bolts of lightning that quickly stunned him and he was able to move back.

(This is not good! He's able to stun me with just a single punch and I can't attack him, I have to do something fast!)

Neji took out a kunai to give him some defense but Naruto was quick to disable that idea as he focused his lightning into his right hand and to Neji's surprise and that of everyone else, the lightning solidified into a sword of pure lightning and with one strike, Naruto cut the kunai quite easily, however the technique seemed to be imperfect as the lightning quickly dispersed as Naruto landed on the ground from his leap.

The Hyuuga member managed to keep his distance but was treated to yet another surprise as Naruto merely shouted another command.

"WATER!!!!"

The tattoos on Naruto's body shifted once more at the command and resembled streams, rivers, and waves of blue color and Naruto was now using water as spheres of liquid were there on his hands and he then unleashed from the air itself a massive wave of pure water that slammed hard into Neji, drenching him and sending him flying. Neji barely got to his feet as Naruto attacked and while Neji tried to use a sweep kick to knock Naruto down, the blonde ninja kicked upward and Neji watched as a whip of pure hard Water smacked him right in the face and sent him flying to the other side.

He got up and looked to see Naruto smiling the whole time; Naruto was enjoying this fight greatly and planned to show off even more of his abilities in combat. He finally decided to unleash yet another element.

"EARTH!!!!"

Neji looked as Naruto's tattoos morphed once more to take the form of fissures, hills, mountains, and the brown/green color of Earth and then he moved away as Naruto unleashed several walls of pure Earth from the ground with a mere gesture from his hands and he sent the walls at Neji, Neji managed to evade the attacks but he was not given a respite as Naruto attacked with and unleashed a powerful trio of waves made of Earth to imbalance Neji and he landed several kicks to Neji and knocked him back.

"FIRE!!!!"

Naruto's tattoos now resembled flame and was of a deeper red color and he unleashed spinning whips of flame at Neji and Neji got his leg burned a bit and he gritted at the pain and managed to roll away as Naruto unleashed several waves of fire by doing the same move as he had done with Lightning and fired a trio of tongues of flame at Neji.

Neji then realized that Naruto could only use one Element at a time and he calmed himself and tried to find a way to beat Naruto hard. But he was also cautious, he knew that he would have to find some way of hitting Naruto's body hard enough to use the signature Hakke Rokujuyon Sho once more.

--------

In the crowd…

"Damn! I hate to say it, but that was way cool!"

Kiba said and Akamaru barked in agreement, while Hinata was utterly impressed by how things were turning out.

(Naruto-kun, you are so amazing!!!)

"That was, man I never knew Naruto would get this good in a month."

Sakura had to agree with Ino as the two looked on as Naruto was thrashing Neji around like a dog would maul a chew toy.

"Neji is getting really hurt, man, this Naruto is really pouring it on."

Tenten hated to admit this,. But it seemed that Neji had picked a foe that his Byakugan and gentle Fist was useless against, seeing Naruto manipulate Wind got her worried at first, but she knew Neji's special move could counter that, but when Naruto unleashed his power over Lightning and now Water, her thoughts began to change.

Hiashi could only look on in growing amazement as Naruto was busy pounding the very life out of Neji, seeing Naruto stand up to the Hakkesho Kaiten and the Hakke Rokujuyon Sho without ill effect was surprising, but this was something else entirely.

The Chuunin were speaking rapidly to one another and the Jonin were also talking with one another as they saw the power Naruto was displaying at the moment, the villagers were also chatting but many were hooked at this fight at the moment.

A masked ANBU couldn't help but look on at the sight before him.

"How the heck did he do that?! Only the Nidaime was capable of using Water Jutsu without a water source!"

One of the ANBU said as he and his companions looked on. The captain however replied.

"That was no water Jutsu, he is using water differently, he did not use any hand seals and I think, no matter how crazy this sounds, he was able to pull water from the air itself."

--------

In the Hokage's viewing area…

Sarutobi couldn't help but smile at the sight, Naruto had gone far even though he had only a month's worth of training.

"Who is this young man?"

Sarutobi turned to the Kazekage and replied.

"Naruto Uzumaki, who has an amazing Kekkai Genkai, and despite his tender age, is head of his own clan here in Konoha, you saw his new Clan symbol of five Dragons surrounding the Konoha symbol. He is relatively new in his powers, but he is growing….I have a feeling that he might even surpass all the noble families and their own Kekkai Genkai."

"I see…"

(Naruto-kun, where did you get this power? You did not have this when you were in the forest and it is certainly not the Kyuubi's power, you are interesting.)

--------

Naruto smiled as he finally revealed his special ace in the hole…he had been training in secret with this jutsu ever since he had discovered that the Kage Bushin he would normally make could also carry his powers AND that meant that they could use his ability to change the Elements that they were able to wield. He had thought it over and wondered if it could work, he had presented the idea to Fenrix and the senior Dragon Ascendant had to admit the move was very ingenious….

And even the Pervy Sage Jiraiya was impressed by the move and said that what he had planned was taking the use of Kage Bushin to a whole new level. It had been a very hard run to master the style and how to properly use attacks that could work well in conjunction with what he had in mind….it had taken him weeks to master some basic maneuvers

"Here's my special trick….and this is what I have been training in when I use my Kekkai Genkai….I hope you're ready for this."

"KAGE BUISHIN NO JUTSU!!!!"

Naruto created several clones and there were now since there were five opponents before Neji in the ring, Neji wanted know just what Naruto was up to at the moment and he decided to speak.

"Kage Bushin, despite that being a Jonin technique, that jutsu is no Kekkai Genkai…"

Naruto was smirking however; he had been training with this for some time now and now was the time for him to keep his promise.

"No, not on its own, but the Kage Bushin are my aides. I have yet to fully master the ability to manipulate the Elements to the point I can use all five together, but with the Kage Bushin, I came up with the next best thing! DRAGON KING BLOOD! RELEASE!!!! FIRE!!!!"

One by one, each of the Kage Bushin spoke the same phrase….but instead of the same Element that Naruto spoke…they spoke the OTHER four elements.

"DRAGON KING BLOOD! RELEASE!!! WIND!!!"

'DRAGON KING BLOOD! RELEASE!!! EARTH!!!"

"DRAGON KING BLOOD! RELEASE!!! WATER!!!"

"DRAGON KING BLOOD! RELEASE!!! LIGHTING!!!"

The four other Kage Bushin were quick to be covered with the tattoos but the four were armed with different tattoos and to the amazement of everyone in the ring and in the Hokage Box….Naruto was now carrying a full burning flame in both hands, and feet, while the other Kage Bushin were wielding either vortexes of wind, orbs of crackling lightning, flowing springs of water, and chunks if earth floating about.

The gasps and comments on what they were seeing at the moment filled the whole ring as the people of Konoha, the dignitaries, ninjas, and the feudal lords. What they were seeing was utterly unheard of at the moment.

Naruto and the other Kage Bushin grinned as they all looked at Neji who was looking the assembled force and he was stunned at that moment and the blonde Genin replied with a very satisfied smile as he got into position. And the Kage Bushin did the same and as soon as the position was set….it resembled the Elemental chakra table usually seen in the Academy.

Naruto who was currently using Fire Elemental Manipulation was in the lead followed by the Kage Bushin using Wind Elemental Manipulation, then by the Kage Bushin using Lightning Elemental Manipulation, who was then followed by the Kage Bushin using Earth Elemental Manipulation, and lastly by the Kage Bushin using Water Elemental Manipulation.

"Like what you see….this is my personally created Elemental Kage Bushin Formation Jutsu! This is my personal Jutsu and only I can do it!!!! I said I was going to beat you…and now I intend to do just that!!!!"

The five attacked Neji and Neji was quickly on the defensive and tried to fire a number of shuriken, but the Kage Bushin who controlled Earth quickly raised his hands and out of nowhere came a massive wall of Earth that blocked the shuriken and Neji looked up as the Kage Bushin using Wind came from the wall of hardened Earth and attacked him with a powerful pair of Wind in spheres that forced him to move away but Neji had no time to respond when the Earth wall suddenly surged forward like water and the pillar slammed right into him.

"AAAUUUUGGGGHH!!!!"

Neji used his arms to block but he was sent back as a flat pillar of Earth slammed hard into him and forced him hack Neji had no time to relax just yet as another Kage Bushin came right at him with a pair of shuriken and he was able to evade them, but before he could make an attack, this one revealed that it was the one who controlled Water and he merely moved his hands and began unleashing whips of pure hard Water and Neji tried to block, but the Kage Bushin was able to soften the water and it splashed into Neji…it was actually a trick and Neji got hit hard by the other Water tendril which was hard and hit like a whip and send him reeling.

He barely had enough time before Naruto who still wielded Fire was joined by the Kage Bushin who was controlling Wind and the two then forced their hands forward and unleashed a combined blast of Fire and Wind and Neji quickly realized that he was facing serious danger as there was no way he could withstand a combined attack from both Fire and Wind as the massive vortex of fire and wind hit the area before him.

The Hyuuga Branch member barely had time to breath as he barely avoided a massive blast of pure lightning from his side as the Lighting wielding Kage Bushin unleashed powerful arcs of lighting from his arm at that moment. Even so….Neji did NOT get away scot free. Before he could fully escape, the Kage Bushin leaped forward and in a spinning flip brought down a spinning back heel kick that was covered in pure lighting and Neji got hit hard on the side of his body and sent flying back….

Neji gasped as he was covered in crippling lightning that stunned him considerably, but was not going to get a break as he was suddenly hit from the back and sent flying into the air as the Earth Kage Bushin fired a pillar of solid Earth from below Neji and sent him flying upward and then the Hyuuga was unable to counter as Naruto came in with his fists and feet covered in flames and unleashed a powerful barrage of punches and kicks that hit Neji hard and following uppercut and sent the Hyuuga flying once more.

The water wielding Kage Bushin came into play as he leaped upward and unleashed a massive wave of water that turned into a massive hand which grabbed Neji and swung him around the ring and then released him and sent Neji sliding on the earth and when he stopped….he coughed out some blood and he looked to see Naruto and all four of his Element wielding Kage Bushin moving in formation and he couldn't help but try to get to his feet.

Naruto growled and spoke to Neji.

"So? Had enough?"

Neji was not going to give up as he got back to his feet, he was not going to give up at all at the moment, however, Naruto was not the kind to let things go easily and he decided to take it up a notch and he nodded to all his Kage Bushin and then to Neji and everyone else's surprise….the Earth Wielding Kage Bushin became Fire, The Fire Wielding Naruto now wielded Water, the Wind Wielding Kage Bushin became Earth and the Lighting Wielding Kage Bushin became Wind….this effectively made Naruto and his Kage Bushin switch places and since Neji could not tell which was the real Naruto due to the Kage Bushin having the same chakra and making his ability to see even harder where was the real Naruto at the moment.

Naruto however was not giving up yet as he shouted another command.

"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!!"

Yet another group of Kage Bushin came on the scene….this time there were ten of them and sure enough ht newly summoned Kage Bushin shouted the same Dragon King Blood Release command and they were quickly covered by the tattoos and using different Elements…

Neji now found himself surrounded by a much larger number of Kage Bushin at the moment and all of them were wielding a different element and were ready and eager for a fight. The Hyuuga couldn't help but see himself surrounded by those Kage Bushin who were wielding Fire, Wind, Water, Earth and Lightning. He didn't know what to do at this point and time and before he could do anything…

All of them charged at him and he got ready to defend himself but before he could do so….three Kage Bushin wielding Earth hit him with several Earth based attacks….the first included a flying wall of earth, the second several large chunks of earth powerful enough to crush bones and pulp flesh, and the other one was a number of Earth tendrils….Neji managed to evade most of them but his injuries made his reaction time even slower as he was hit by a part of the wall and sent rolling back as the three Wind wielding Kage Bushin attacked in tandem and he was sent flying into the sky with a pillar of wind and Neji was thrashed about, left and right and then three Kage Bushin wielding Water moved upward, being able to fly with the use of water to propel them upwards and then all three unleashed a powerful wall of water that slammed hard into Neji and sent him down to the ground.

Neji tried to get up as he was soaked in water and as he did so….he look up and got a full blow to the face with a lighting covered uppercut and was only able to scream in pain as his body was stunned by the attack and he saw two of the same Lighting wielding Kage Bushin making their move…one leaped over the shoulders of the one that gave him the upper cut and kicked him solidly in the chest and sent him flying back….and the third did the same and followed him in mid flight and flipped in flight to deliver a powerful reverse heel kick covered in Lightning that sent him crashing down to the ground once more.

The crowd could only watch in shock while the other Jonin were very much surprised.

"Incredible….to be able to use all five Elements without hand seals, not mention being able to shrug off that many injuries and hit with even greater force, speed,, stamina, and recovery. I guess my father was not kidding when he said that Naruto's Kekkai Genkai was unique."

Asuma said as he took a fresh cigarette and looked at the sight of Neji being beaten so easily at the moment….when the fight had started it turned from a supposed one sided battle into a powerful free for all fight that was impressive to the core as Naruto fought with a skill that was against the image of him being the class clown. As the fight grew more intense, it seemed that Neji had the chance when he used the special attack of the Hyuuga Main Branch Family….but Naruto not only survived it but shrugged off the effects without any damage and then used his Kekkai Genkai…and this was the result.

"I agree….this is certainly not the Naruto many of us knew back in the day."

Kurenai replied as she gazed at the situation before her….Hinata would no doubt have been impressed as well in her mind as she looked at Naruto who was standing defiant, surrounded by his Kage Bushin who wielded the Elements easily and were more than capable in inflicting massive damage and attacks on Neji at the moment. She was impressed by the way Naruto had fought with Neji and wondered just what sort of training had he been undergoing for the past month to be at THIS level of ability. This was on Kekkai Genkai that in her mind was proving to give even the noble Hyuuga clan's Kekkai Genkai a beating.

The other Chuunin and Jonin were also impressed, at the rate this fight was turning out, Naruto was proving to be more than a match for Neji. If Neji attacked, he would be able to cut or hit Naruto hard enough due to the fact that Naruto's body is a lot harder than normal and was a lot stronger, and Naruto could use the Elements as shields to protect himself in combat….further adding a high degree of ability for the blonde Genin.

His attacks were also deadly as since his Kekkai Genkai allowed him to control elements without hand seals and without harming him, this allowed him to use the elements to further increase his combat damage and the results were obvious with some of Naruto's attacks on Neji, namely the ones where his arms and legs were covered in Lightning as attacks from that had a stunning effect on Neji's body as the energy sent his nerves on haywire…and even forced Neji to stop using the Byakugan.

Hiashi himself was very much surprised by the results….like all the Clan heads, he had balked at the idea of Naruto being the head of his own Clan as such a thing has never happened before in so many years, and he too did not like Naruto all that much, as he too was familiar with Naruto's dark secret. Hiashi also knew of his daughter's long time crush on Naruto for some time as despite his attitude towards Hinata he did keep tabs on her. When he found out that she was attracted to Naruto he was displeased but made no move to stop it….hearing as Hinata would train her best to get not just his approval, but Naruto's own approval and recognition as well.

Now that he saw Naruto's Kekkai Genkai in action against Neji, he couldn't help but feel a bit threatened. This ability was totally unheard of….this Kekkai Genkai descended from the blood some mythical creature that supposedly visited their village and granted it's power to Naruto and many of the clan heads and the ninja, many of them thought of it as something that would be nothing more than a jutsu….but after all he had seen….this was different.

Naruto wasted no time and quickly closed the distance and so did all fourteen of his Kage Bushin, Neji decided to take one last shot at defeating Naruto, but that was not going to work as all the Kage Bushin vanished instantly!

"What?!"

Neji tried to react at that moment but he was too late as the real Naruto who had secretly burrowed his way underground with the use of Earth, making a fifteenth Kage Bushin to take his place and had been able to evade the Byakugan and as soon as he leaped out, he unleashed a powerful right hook that finally sent Neji flying and then he flipped and attacked the a reverse spinning heel kick that hit Neji right in the head, and that was enough to sent Neji to the ground… hitting the ground with a bang as he coughed out blood.

The real Naruto glared and was far from done as he lifted Neji by the neck, and he began to choke the Hyuuga clan member and glared at him and readied a fist.

"You tried to kill Hinata with one strike, I think I should give you same experience to be fair, now die!"

Genma tried to move in but seeing how Naruto had easily demolished Neji, he was more cautious.

Hiashi looked on and felt worried as he was about to see Neji be killed.

Neji couldn't help but feel that this was the end…

But in truth, Naruto stopped his fist a mere inch from Neji's face and he pulled it back and spoke.

"Do you apologize?"

"W-What?"

"I said I was going to beat an apology out of you for those comments you aimed at Hinata and to those whose dreams you tried to talk down, and now that you can barely stand I suggest you give me the apology I asked for."

"I…I…"

"Come on Neji….it's not that hard is it? Or are you too proud to say those words? Pride means nothing here, you're life is MY hands at this moment. How does it feel to know your life now hangs in the hand of one who used to me a failure?"

Naruto then released Neji and spoke to him as Neji to the ground.

"Do you know how many times I failed the Graduation Exams?"

Neji looked at Naruto who glared back at him and the blonde continued.

"I failed many times, and all because the one jutsu I couldn't master was the Bushin Jutsu….weird isn't it? I am able to make as many Kage Bushin that I want but I couldn't even make ONE Bushin back in the Academy."

"Let me tell you something Neji, you think I don't know what it means to carry a mark for the rest of your life? I do, I carry a burden that I have to live with for the rest of my days, but unlike you, I don't accept the fate handed down to me. Do you think you know the pain and grief of being cursed?! YOU KNOW NOTHING!!!!"

"You don't know what it feels like to know that every time you turn your back, people call you a monster, demon, idiot, and worse. You don't know how it feels to have them look at you as if they wished you were never even born! You have no idea how lonely, isolating, and depressing it feels to know that every day you have to go back home and be alone for the rest of your life!"

"I had to live like that for twelve long years! You didn't have to, you're a Hyuuga, one of the noble family even if you are one of the Branch family. Everyone only has to hear your name and they look at you with respect and admiration, you were BORN with that talent and ability. You didn't have to claw and fight your way out of the dirt be where you are, you didn't have to try and fight to prove you are more than everyone thinks you to be. Not like me!! Or Lee, or even Hinata even if she is a Hyuuga like you!!"

The villagers were silent, even the ones would have spoken against Naruto were rendered dumb, they had thought this battle would have been simply a defeat for Naruto and would be quick as they were eager to see Sasuke Uchiha in combat but the titanic battle they had witnessed had changed their minds. They had thought that Naruto was going to be easily beaten by Neji, despite his supposed Kekkai Genkai, which they laughed at and called it nothing but a weakness before the Byakugan of the Hyuuga. But now they were taking their words back, because not only did Naruto withstand and survive, but outright demolished Neji, who was last year' Number 1 Genin.

"Before My Kekkai Genkai awakened, I had few friends, and everyone treats me like dirt, like I am useless, like I am nothing but trash to be ignored. Not this time, I have made it here to this very ring, and now I have beaten you, the one who think fate cannot be changed. An old friend gave me a message and it taught me an important lesson. Fate is something that we make for ourselves. As long as I have the will to fight, the courage to stand, and to prove that I can break free from my chains, then fate or destiny is something I forge for myself. So don't you dare preach all that crap about destiny being set to me or anyone else because it's nothing but garbage. If one like me can be able to defy fate and destiny, stand tall and shake the very foundations of heaven itself, then what about you?"

Neji was silent as he saw a bird fly freely into the sky and he knew that he was defeated and spoke.

"I…I apologize."

"Good, now we're even."

Genma could tell that Naruto was done and spoke to the crowd.

"The winner is…Naruto Uzumaki."

--------

To be continued…

--------

Author's notes:

Well, this was done, and the reason for the delay was due to the blackout of the internet server here in my home town….things are getting to be very much back to normal at the moment. But this has allowed me to have time to focus on proper writing at the moment as I have been best by a number of situations and more that tested my patience. Not to mention the Ati-Atihan festival looming in the back ground has added to my concerns as guests will be filling into my home soon enough and my family have to play host to a large number of relatives and visitors….I just hope my home does not collapse at the weight!

Speaking of homes….what do you think of Naruto's brand new home?

Not too shabby eh?

I have to admit that I'm no architect so I had to design the place myself….but following the tradition of underground mansions, this went out rather well in my mind at least, I can have changes placed in soon enough though for now, that is the basic layout.

I borrowed some of the fighting styles of Avatar the Last Air Bender for Naruto's new fighting style which is Elemental Taijutsu. However, unlike Aang, Naruto can kill using the Elements while Aang avoids killing unless his friends are harmed.

In using Elemental Taijutsu, Naruto's Taijutsu skills are even greater as he can infuse elements into his attacks with devastating results, both in normal state and advanced, his normal punches and kicks can be amplified by the Element he commands.

If he uses Lightning in a normal state, it can stun and disable targets, and in a perfected state, it can slice through objects with highly powerful results, as well as shock the air and allow Naruto to call lightning storms into battle.

Fire can burn targets, incinerate them, and even melt through earth and melt metal if Naruto controls it properly, Wind can be used to knock people and objects back with explosive force, while perfected can slice through objects in a very fine level, Water can be used to overwhelm targets, and if perfected, can be used to freeze them solid, showing that Naruto's use of Water is not the same as Haku's Kekkai Genkai and unlike Water benders from Aang's world, he can pull water directly from either his own body or in the air itself making him similar to the Nidaime of Konoha.

Earth can be used for defense and even be used to form crystal armor if Naruto needs a secondary later of protection, as well as creating tremors and fissures in the Earth itself, as well as creating tendrils, pillars and walls of Earth to defend and attack with.

Another technique Naruto creates in the battle is his Rai-Ken or Lightning Sword, but since his control is limited and not fully matured, the sword dispersed quickly, given time, Naruto could easily master this ability to form solid weapons of not just Lightning, but the other elements as well.

The ultimate form of Naruto's Elemental Manipulation is the ability to combine all the Elements into a cohesive form, however, he does not have the experience and aptitude to do that, unlike his Dragon Ascendant sensei Fenrix, so he uses his Kage Bushin instead and while this does not allow him to use the Elements all at the same time, this allows him tactical flexibility and mobility as the Kage Bushin can also switch Elements like he can and attack in tandem with either each other or the real Naruto.

Also he is able to summon Gamabunta, but how did that turn out? We shall see in the coming chapters.

As you can see, Orochimaru was watching the whole thing and now he has developed a keen interest in Naruto and no doubt wants to use Naruto's blood to increase his powers and still get the Sharingan, so you can bet Naruto and Sasuke are going to be in for the fight of their lives soon enough as the invasion begins. How will Gaara stand up to Naruto in the next chapter and how will the Clans of Konoha react to seeing just a portion of Naruto's powers?

Wait and see!

For the time being, I will be working on the latest chapter of Naruto Deserted Island so expect an update for that story soon!!!