Naruto threw himself into improving himself with a reckless disregard for the idea of rest or moderation, Maemi encouraged this as she knew his body could recover from the kind of training that would cripple most people. It would take far more than a month to ever come close to the speed Rock Lee displayed without weights on, but he was getting close to being able to move normally with them on at least.
The blonde had decided to repair his damaged kimono, shortening it to use it's own orange fabric to replace the damaged sleeve. He considered whether or not to replace the Uzushio spiral, and ultimately he decided to replace it with a bright purple symbol of Slaanesh. His hair had also grown longer again, not as drastically as the sudden length gained in Takigakure no Sato but still faster than natural. No amount of brushing seemed to tame the blonde spikes, but it was pulled back in a thick ponytail.
Maemi had also suggested navy blue umanori hakama, insisting they'd be good pants to go with the redesign of his kimono and would hide his new leg weights better. The Muse had also helped wash the blood out of his purple sash, teaching him the kind of chemicals that helped remove blood since it was something a shinobi should be aware of.
The loose outfit was good for stashing his various throwing weapons in, and he regularly wore his katana in his sash. His hitai-ate, mesh undershirt, white haori, arm guards, and plated finger-less gloves completed the outfit. He'd actually attached the gloves to the arm guards since he intended to wear them together anyway, and as near as he could tell they were the same kind of cloth and armor, so they were more like long armored gloves with no fingers now.
"Naruto-kun?" The voice startled the blonde with it's familiarity and he turned in surprise to see a familiar dark haired boy with a very pretty face, dressed in a pink yukata.
Naruto grinned widely, "Ha-" he began to greet cheerfully, too excited to see the pretty boy to wonder what he was doing in the village.
"Haruka!" Haku interrupted quickly, "Yes, it's good to see you again, Naruto-kun." he said, glancing around to make sure there weren't many prying ears as he approached and leaned in, "In light of you reaching the finals, I've been permitted to come watch you compete," he began carefully, "my, uh, Otousan, couldn't make it so he sent me, his daughter, to see which village is best fit for protecting his assets." the pretty boy said, hoping the blonde got the hint.
Naruto looked confused for a moment before nodding, "Ah, right," he responded, clearly struggling to follow, "so you came to see me win!" he decided on, his mind latching onto that detail.
Haku sighed but couldn't help but smile at the cheerful blonde, "Correct." he agreed, "Although, what's with the horns?" he asked curiously, looking at them in confusion, "A new decoration? You've changed your appearance a lot." he pointed out, "I'd almost say you're trying to copy my style." he added with a faux pout.
Naruto laughed, "I was thinking of you when Maemi-chan helped me pick the clothes out." he confessed, scratching the skin around his right horn with a grin, "The horns aren't decoration though, these things burst out of my head after I killed this really strong enemy!" he explained excitedly, "Crazy guy, even blew himself and the area we were fighting in up after I landed a mortal wound on him. Since I defeated him, Slaanesh-kaasama blessed me with these horns y'know!"
Haku inspected the horns with an interested expression, "Remarkable, your Kajo no Kami is quite fascinating." he said, reaching into his own yukata to pull out a carved wooden symbol of the same god worn around his neck, "Consider me a fan." he added with a smile.
"That's great!" Naruto said joyfully, "We should celebrate, want some ramen?" he offered, gesturing vaguely in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen.
Haku raised an eyebrow, "Are you asking me on a date, Naruto-kun?" he asked with a teasing smirk.
"Yeah!" Naruto agreed eagerly with a shameless grin, the dark haired boy's smirk dropped into a surprised expression for a moment before he failed to suppress an amused giggle.
"Well, I suppose it would be rude to refuse," Haku agreed with a smile, "aren't Ninso supposed to be ascetics though?" he questioned.
Naruto's expression turned blank as he considered that, "I don't know what that word means." he said honestly.
Maemi snorted, "Don't worry about it, asceticism has nothing to do with a Kajo no Ninso." she commented, amused by the interaction between the two girly looking boys, "If anything, Naruto-sama practices the opposite. Slaanesh-sama encourages indulging your appetites." she explained, giving the dark haired boy a sly smirk.
Haku gave the younger boy and his Muse a bemused smile, "Well I see no reason to refuse, I could go for a bite... and I'm hungry too." he said, Maemi decided to help make sure that didn't go over the dense head of her master and the blonde blushed at the mental image his Muse projected into his mind.
"I'd offer the same, but my teeth a really sharp now." Naruto responded with a grin and a pointed finger at his abnormal canines, viewing the flirting as a challenge at this point. A game of chicken, and Naruto didn't play to lose.
"Then it's a good thing you're the masochist and I'm the sadist." Haku responded in kind with a gentle smile that did not match his words. Maemi was impressed, usually Naruto flustered people or was rebuffed. The Muse figured the two must have good chemistry.
Naruto giggled in response, he decided that flirting was even more fun when the other person reciprocated, "Well I hope you don't wuss out like last time then you big softy, I'm not made of glass y'know." he said as he started leading Haku towards his favorite ramen stand.
Haku sighed, "I doubt I could go much rougher on you than last time, you really did come close to dying." he said, enjoying their game of double meanings as much as the blonde was.
"I was fine!" Naruto insisted, struggling to think of a way to continue making it seem like their fight had been something far more erotic than it was.
"Damn, for such a girly boy you have some game." A new voice interrupted, startling both of them. Haku was worried they were talking to him for a moment, that his cover was blown.
Naruto blinked at the white haired older man, struggling to remember his name, "Super pervert!" he decided on after a moment, pointing rudely as he announced his chosen name for the man. Haku just stared incredulously at the younger girly boy, wondering if he needed to protect him from the strange man.
Jiraiya just rolled his eyes, recognizing it was his own fault for calling himself that in front of the horned boy, "It's Jiraiya." he reminded the genin, noticing curiously how the dark haired of the two tensed up at the name.
"That's boring though." Naruto retorted with a shrug, "Anyway if you wanted to see me shirtless again you can wait your turn." he added shamelessly, crossing his arms.
Jiraiya sighed as Haku recoiled from the older man who rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I was inspecting your chakra." he said in an exasperated tone, speaking the half-truth smoothly. It wouldn't do for him to discuss the fuin containing the Kyubi no Yoko in public, especially not in front of someone he didn't know.
"Whatever," Naruto responded with a shrug, it was all the same to him, "did you actually want something or are you just cock-blocking?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and Haku almost choked on his own spit in surprise at the words.
Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at that, "Damn kid, you got balls," he praised in amusement.
"Wanna see?" Naruto asked with a grin.
Jiraiya shook his head, "Nah, I'm not into young boys." he retorted, "Not even the kind who look like girls." he added, "I was just curious since you're in the finals and the betting odds are really against you." he added.
Naruto grinned, "I've got that whole tournament in the bag already, the others just don't know it yet." he bragged confidently, "Besides I need to eat, so if you'll excuse me I have a date with a beautiful sadist." he finished with a smug smirk. Haku just smiled with a giggle at the compliment.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow but shrugged, "Alright, you kids have fun. I've got some beauties of my own to enjoy." he commented with a lecherous grin as he left.
As soon as the man was gone Haku breathed a sigh of relief, "I had no idea you were on such terms with one of the Sannin." he said, looking at the blonde with newfound awe.
"Who?" Naruto asked obliviously.
Haku stared incredulously at the blonde, "Jiraiya, that's the name of one of the Densetsu no Sannin, S class shinobi." he explained, wondering if he misunderstood something.
Naruto blinked owlishly, "Oh..." he said simply, considering that for a moment, "Oh!" he exclaimed in realization, "I had no idea." he confessed with a carefree laugh as the two continued towards the ramen stand.
Once they were there at Ichiraka Ramen, Haku ordered a simple miso ramen. Naruto considered his options, "Oi, Teuchi-jiji, can I get a tonkatsu with as much flavor as you can pack in it?" he requested, "All the bells and whistles! Extra meat too!" he added with a hungry grin.
Teuchi raised an eyebrow at the request, "A special order huh? Well I'm sure I've got some spices that would work." he mused, starting to work on Naruto's special request as Ayame prepared a miso ramen for Haku.
"So," Haku began while they waited, "how has your training been going?" he asked, finding it a slight shame that the only things he knew to ask the blonde boy about was training as far as small talk went.
Naruto seemed happy to talk about it at least, "Great! I've been training to move my body faster and faster!" he began excitedly and proudly, "Maemi-chan said I should work on my chakra control more, even with her help my chakra is apparently really erratic, but Iruka-sensei showed me the water walking exercise and my control is way better now." he added, "Oh and I've been working on a new Kajojutsu!" he finished proudly.
Haku deciphered that Naruto was having difficulty with this new jutsu due to his chakra control, but decided not to comment in case of listening ears, "It sounds like you're going flat out." he commented instead, "What about recreation? Have you been doing anything besides training?" he asked.
Naruto frowned as he considered that, "Uh, watering my plants I guess." he responded, scratching the skin around his right horn as he thought about it, "I've been having fun training though, as long as it's not the boring stuff like reading." he added with a shrug.
"I see, well you sounded quite confident you'll win." Haku commented as his order of miso ramen was placed in front of him, wondering if there was a way he could help the young blonde figure out something to do for recreation.
"Oh yeah," Naruto confirmed with a confident nod, "Sasuke or Gaara might be real contenders, but my first opponent I'm pretty sure I could kill easily." he said arrogantly, "Unfortunately I promised someone I wouldn't kill him, he's lucky he has such a cute relative looking out for him but he really doesn't deserve it." he added, frowning as he remembered why he wanted to make Neji suffer.
Haku hadn't started eating just yet since Naruto didn't have his bowl yet, "Neji Hyuga right? He did something to anger you?" he asked, remembering that one of the tenets of Kajo no Kami was to abandon wrath. Zabuza didn't really approve of that one.
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, he nearly killed the same girl who asked me not to kill him." he revealed as his own bowl of ramen was placed in front of him. His words surprised Haku, but the two said their thanks for the meal and began to eat. The blonde's eyes widened at the mix of flavors he couldn't properly fully identify, but he enjoyed it and hummed with pleasure without pausing.
Haku ate his own food in a far more measure manner, "Isn't it a little odd to be talking about a girl while you're on a date with someone else?" he asked in a teasing tone.
Naruto almost choked on his ramen before laughing, "Sorry, I think it'd be nice if you two got along though. I could buy you both ramen!" he offered with his usual carefree smile.
Haku raised both eyebrows at that, "Openly trying to date two people at once? Very bold of you." he commented, "So is this what you meant by indulging appetites?" he directed towards Maemi, who simply grinned in response with a very subtle nod.
"You don't want to?" Naruto asked, smirking confidently.
Haku was taken aback by how forward the young blonde was, and he was hesitant to refuse, "Well it doesn't matter, I won't be in the village long after the tournament." he commented, deciding to avoid the question since he couldn't stay in Konoha anyway, "I'll be cheering you on though, and it's nice to enjoy your company so casually." he added with a kind smile.
Naruto pouted at the answer for a moment, "Well when I'm Hokage you can come and live in the village regardless of what anyone says or thinks." he decided with a firm nod. Haku wondered if the blonde actually understood what he was promising, but he decided not to hold the younger boy to his word. The dark haired of the two did like hearing the words, he just doubted the possibility of them. He still wanted to help Zabuza fulfill his dream before considering a place like Konoha home, but he decided not to bring that up.
The two effeminate boys in traditional dress finished their meals and parted ways, Maemi had been hoping it would go further but she took some pleasure in the fact that Haku was definitely interested in the horned blonde.
Sakura took a break from her own training to visit Lee in the hospital, having startling Ino by showing up to buy flowers. The blonde Yamanaka was still nervous around her, Sakura couldn't really blame her after what happened. She'd also noticed Ino had a faint scar on her forehead, but the shape was nothing like the mark on Sakura's own forehead.
As if Sakura didn't have enough to make her self conscious about her forehead now she had the mark of some Ikari no Kami there too, she wore her hitai-ate over her forehead constantly now. The kunoichi had also sharpened the axe she'd bought and wrapped white bandages around the rather simple wooden haft, and her father had helped tie a simple leather chord to the two holes. Sakura didn't carry the axe around much though, but the tutor Kakashi had gotten had helped her train with it. Ebisu really was a pretty decent teacher.
As well as the axe her sleeveless qipao now had short mesh sleeves emerging from underneath, hinting at the armor she now wore. Her parents seemed to recognize she was taking being a shinobi more seriously too, and had bought her a pair of han kote made of mesh to match her new armor and weapon choices as a congratulatory gift for getting so far in the exams on her first attempt. The simple gauntlets were made for shinobi so they didn't cover the fingers, but they did go over the backs of her hands to be tied in place with thin leather cords.
To the surprise of the pink haired kunoichi she ran into Naruto at the hospital, "What are you doing here?" Sakura asked with curiosity.
Naruto turned in surprise, "Oh, hey Sakura-chan!" he greeted with a grin, "I'm here to visit Hinata-chan again," he answered, his words letting the pink haired girl know he'd visited her more than once, "she did something for me that should help me crush Neji so Maemi-chan said I should bring her a gift." he added.
Sakura raised an eyebrow, wondering what Hinata could have done to help Naruto and looking for the gift, "You brought her a white lily?" she asked, surprised since the blonde didn't seem the type.
Naruto continued to grin as they walked, "Yeah, Maemi-chan said flowers are a traditional gift for someone recovering, and it matches Hinata-chan's eyes y'know." he answered. Sakura couldn't argue with that, she was bringing Lee a daffodil after all.
Sakura was surprised to find another of the rookie genin on their way up the stairs, "Shikamaru-san?" she asked and the lazy Nara turned, "Are you visiting someone too?" she asked.
Shikamaru sighed, "Yeah, it's a pain but Choji gave himself indigestion by eating too much barbecue." he answered and Naruto snorted at the lame reason for being hospitalized, "He isn't the type to get visits from girls so I came to keep him company." he added with a shrug, "What about you two? Did Sasuke get hurt training or something?" he asked.
Naruto laughed, "I don't know, I haven't seen him." he answered, "I'm here to give Hinata-chan this." he explained, lifting the white lily he was carrying.
Sakura hesitated a moment, suddenly embarrassed to be bringing a flower to a boy in the hospital that wasn't Sasuke, "I figured Lee-kun probably isn't getting many visitors besides his sensei and Tenten-san," she decided on being aloof, she didn't want rumors spreading if Shikamaru told Ino who she took the flower to, "so I came to bring him this." she finished, lifting the daffodil she'd brought.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the two, "Huh, I guess even your team of monsters is interested in romance." he said dryly, flinching at the sudden glare Sakura gave him, "Relax it's just a joke." he quickly amended, he was starting to think Sakura was even scarier than his mother. Thankfully he head had recovered from the frying pan when she found out he'd quit in the preliminaries.
Lee's room was first, Shikamaru and Naruto figuring they'd pop their head in since they were there anyway. Naruto actually intended on teasing Sakura, consequences be damned, but what the three saw startled them. Gaara standing over the resting form of Lee, his sand creeping over the body of the still injured genin.
Shikamaru swiftly caught the redhead from Suna with his Kagemane no Jutsu as Sakura and Naruto leaped in, surprisingly Sakura moved just a bit faster, as Naruto was wearing his weights, and slammed a vicious left hook into the side of Gaara's head as her right hand was still holding the daffodil. The Nara boy winced as he stumbled back from the blow too, noticing sand chipping away from the face of the eerily calm genin he was grateful the boy hadn't actually been hit full force while he was connected.
"What the hell is your problem!?" Sakura snarled angrily as Naruto halted, the blonde shifting his own flower to his left hand in case he needed to use Shifuku no Kurushimi.
"Hey, don't go throwing punches like that, I felt that through Kagemane." Shikamaru reminded Sakura, frowning when the girl didn't even respond. He decided the pink haired kunoichi was definitely scary.
"What were you trying to pull?" Naruto asked when Gaara didn't respond to Sakura, narrowing his eyes.
"I wanted to kill him." Gaara answered plainly, his calm confession to what was effectively attempted murder startling Shikamaru, but Sakura just intensified her glare as she felt her rage rising.
"Why would you want to do that?" Shikamaru asked nervously, "You won your match against him already!" he pointed out, "Do you have a personal vendetta against him?" he asked.
"No, nothing like that." Gaara answered, "I just want to kill him because I want to kill him." he explained calmly.
Sakura was beginning to wish she'd brought her new axe with her, "Are you trying to piss me off!?" the pink haired girl snapped, feeling her head throb in protest to resisting the urge to resort to violence, "You're trying to kill a defenseless opponent who can't fight back and is resting!? Have some shame you fucking worm!" she spat, satiating her urge for violence a little with the words.
Shikamaru flinched at the kunoichi's provocations, "This guy wasn't raised right." he muttered to himself, understanding that something was very wrong with Gaara but unsure what.
Gaara actually seemed taken aback by the words of the irate kunoichi, if only for a moment, "If you try to interfere, I'll kill you too." he warned calmly. Shikamaru frowned, considering their options.
"I've been curious if my jutsu can cut through your sand..." Naruto mused out loud, he was doing a far better job remaining calm than Sakura. Shikamaru was really confused by the shift in team dynamics from the other two Konoha genin, he wasn't sure what to make of it but he decided to try de-escalating the situation.
"I've seen you fight," Shikamaru spoke up, "so I know you're strong. But it's three against one here, you're at a disadvantage." he explained carefully, "If you swear not to harm Lee and leave now, we'll let you go, no harm done." he finished, trying his best to negotiate.
"I'll say this once more," Gaara responded calmly, "if you keep interfering I'll kill you." he reiterated his threat, startling the Nara genin.
Sakura grit her teeth, "I won't say this again, touch Lee-kun or anyone else who can't fight back and I'll rip out your skull with my bare hands, coward." she snarled angrily, "You act all scary, but you're encased in more armor than any of us, you're just a scared baby who needs his sand to do all the fighting for him!" she snapped, Gaara's eyes narrowed dangerously at the insults.
"Hey!" Shikamaru cried out in alarm, "Quit egging him on, don't forget he has monster-like strength!" he warned, giving away his bluff from a moment ago.
"Sakura-chan is right," Naruto said, his fingers on his right hand twitching with anticipation as he smirked, "this monster is just a baby. I bet he's trying to kill the only opponent who ever landed a real blow on him because he's terrified of them recovering." he guessed, earning the glare of the boy on himself.
Gaara closed his eyes, "A baby monster huh?" he questioned before he opened his eyes, "That's one way of looking at it." he agreed, surprising the other three genin, "Just like you said, I wasn't raised right..." he began, "In the process of my birth I stole the life of the woman I was supposed to call Okaasan. In order to create the worlds strongest shinobi my Otousan used fuinjutsu to implant an incarnation of sand in my body. I was born a bakemono!" he explained with the same eerily calm expression.
Now that Shikamaru was aware the calm expression was a facsimile created by the Suna no Yoroi, it was much more uncanny to him. Naruto seemed curious about the story, but Sakura continued to glare angrily.
"Known as Shukaku," Gaara continued, "it was the ikiryo of a corrupted elder priest of Suna that had been sealed inside a tea kettle." he explained, Naruto and Sakura both startled by the information. One recalling the Imp inside Sasuke and the other recalling what he'd been told about his own situation a while ago.
"Using fuinjutsu to allow something like that to possess a fetus?" Shikamaru asked, "Going that far is just crazy." he commented nervously, finding the story alarming for different reasons. His words made Naruto frown in concern, the blonde slowly coming to the realization that he and the red haired boy were alarmingly similar, "What kind of parent does a thing like that?" the Nara wondered, "What a twisted love." he added.
"Love?" Gaara asked, "Don't judge me by your standards." he scolded, "Let me tell you what the word family means to me," he began, "mere hulls of flesh connected by hatred and murderous intent." he continued and those words shocked all three of the other genin, "My mother's life was sacrificed so that I could be brought to life as the villages greatest masterpiece, and as Kazekage's son," he continued to explain, "I was taught hiden ninpo, raised in isolation, spoiled and overprotected. At first I thought that was love... Until the incident."
"What incident!?" Shikamaru asked, not even sure if he wanted to know. Gaara stayed silent for a moment longer.
"Get on with it!" Sakura snapped, her patience far thinner than it had been before Khorne marked her.
Gaara suddenly grinned madly, "For the past six years, ever since I turned six, my Otousan has been trying to assassinate me." he answered and all three conscious Konoha genin stared in shock, "I've lost count of how many attempts he's made." he added.
"B-but you just said you were spoiled by him!" Shikamaru stammered, the idea of a parent trying to kill their child sickening him, "So what do you mean?" he asked.
Gaara continued to grin, "A presence that is too powerful becomes a presence that is feared." he explained and the words rang true to Naruto, "Having been born through jutsu, my mind is unstable. It seems the fools of Sunagakure finally noticed my emotional instability," he continued, explaining his emotional and mental instability with an ease that disturbed the listeners, "to the Kazekage I was a powerful weapon, but I became a liability that he couldn't control. Prior to turning six I had simply been handled with care, like any other hazardous instrument. To Suna, I am now a relic of the past that they wish to erase and forget. So, for what purpose do I exist? Why am I alive? At first, when I asked myself such questions I had no answers." he continued and Naruto couldn't help but feel sympathy, "But while I continue to live, I need a reason. Otherwise I might as well be dead."
"What is he talking about?" Shikamaru mumbled, himself and Sakura having a far more normal upbringing and unable to empathize with such thoughts. But Naruto understood all too well, the blonde had felt similarly before Iruka had showed him some kindness, even as late as before he'd met the divinity that was his god Slaanesh for the first time.
"So this is what I came up with," Gaara continued to explain, "I exist to kill all humans other than myself. Living in constant fear, knowing I could be assassinated at any moment, I finally found inner peace. By killing those who sought to kill me, I was able to discern a reason for living and justify my own existence." he explained with a smile, "I would fight only for myself, and love only myself. If all other people exist only to magnify that love, then there is no world more splendid than this one. They allow me to experience the joy of living, for as long as there are people out there for me to kill, then I will not cease to exist."
"Go soak your head before I soak it in your own blood you whiny baby!" Sakura snarled, unmoved by the story and angered by the words spoken. Shikamaru jolted in alarm as Gaara's eyes widened and the sand rose up like a tidal wave.
"Enough!" Gai interrupted as he stomped into the room, his presence finally halting Gaara, "The finals start tomorrow. Don't be in such a hurry, unless you want to become a patient here." he warned.
Surprisingly Gaara actually did respond to this threat, looking uncomfortable with the sight of the jonin. The sand retreated into his gourd and the boy from Suna retreated from the room, "I'll kill you all, just you wait." he grumbled as he left.
Shikamaru sighed in relief once the murderous genin was gone, "You two really are crazy." he complained as he collapsed against a nearby wall. Sakura just huffed and put the flower she'd bought in a little vase next to Lee's bed, Gai smiled at the kind gesture from the short tempered girl.
For a moment Gai thought Naruto had brought his flower for his injured pupil too, not that he was judging but he thought it was strange. Then Naruto turned to leave, "Well I'm going to go see Hinata-chan, you guys coming?" he asked, Gai figured that made much more sense.
"I think I'm going to stay within line of sight of the jonin." Shikamaru said dryly, visibly shaken up by the encounter with Gaara.
"You go ahead, I'm going to watch over Lee-kun a bit longer." Sakura said, reigning in her temper.
Naruto shrugged and continued towards Hinata's room, but met the girl on her way out of the hospital instead, "Ah," the blonde vocalized as the white eyed girl stared at the flower he was holding, "I guess I left bringing this to you too late." he said with a bashful laugh as he scratched the skin around his right horn, "Oh well, I got it for you anyway." he added with a shrug as he offered the white lily.
Hinata's face turned pink as she hesitantly accepted it, as if the flower and Naruto would disappear as soon as she touched it, "I love... it." she said quietly. The purple eyed boy just laughed again.
"Man, you must really like white lilies then." Naruto commented, "Since you're better do you want to get ramen?" he offered, "I think I'm ready to kick Neji's butt tomorrow." he added with a confident grin.
Hinata nodded so fast her head was spinning, following the blonde boy in a daze. Naruto talked about how great the food at Ichiraku Ramen was on the way there, and to the surprise of the blonde the small girl ate even more than he did.
Naruto inspected his outfit in his mirror before going to the arena for the exam, starting to notice that he looked like some kind of bull or ox yokai samurai. The clothes had been mostly Maemi's idea, but he let her pick them because he liked them. The blonde decided to forgo the training weights he'd been wearing, and was amazed at how light he felt after practicing with them for almost the entire month.
Maemi was still apparently annoyed she couldn't tame his wild hair, and had started comparing it to the mane of a lion. With the horns, extra canines, and slit pupils he looked even more bestial than Kiba did. Naruto had noticed his face had become more like a girls since the mission to Takigakure, noticed it a while ago, but with how much he admired Haku he was actually kind of fond of being a pretty boy. It even gave him ideas for new jutsu.
With his outfit in order Naruto sat patiently as Maemi applied certain finishing touches, a mix of perfumed oils dabbed to his wrists, neck, and clothes to confuse the senses of Kiba should the Inuzuka get as far as fighting him in the finals. The scents also served to delight his own senses. As well the Muse applied what she insisted was war paint, but it seemed more like the make up of a geisha than a warrior in a kabuki play, yet incorporated designs of both with dark purple lipstick and eye lining combined with bright pink swirls.
After making sure his weapons and armor were all in order Naruto made his way to the arena with a confident grin and a bounce in his step, Maemi following close behind with a smug grin of her own. With three aspiring chaos champions in one tournament the eye of the gods would be on the fights, the Muse had done her best to give Naruto as many advantages as possible and he had far more chakra than any normal human his age. Maemi was pretty sure Naruto actually had more chakra than the Hokage, but kept that to herself just in case she was mistaken.
The Imp of Slaanesh was confident in Naruto's abilities, well his fighting abilities at least. His ability to read and write kanji were still borderline nonexistent and even his katakana were subpar. His combat abilities were great though, and he'd developed some preternatural charm. Even his chakra control was far better than it used to be, although much of that could be attributed to the Muse herself balancing out his energy with her own.
When Naruto arrived he stood in line up with most of the other competitors, "Sakura-chan, where's Sasuke?" he asked quietly, not able to see the other genin of their team anywhere. His face paint earning some confused looks from the other genin, although his teammate seemed intent on ignoring it.
"How should I know?" Sakura snapped, her new axe hanging from the leather cord under her left arm with the blade facing forwards and away from her body, "I last saw him a month ago." she added with a frown, hiding her worry for the teammate she had a crush on beneath anger. She decided not to ask about Naruto's make up, knowing that whatever answer he had would only incite her temper.
"Quit fidgeting back there and face the guests, please." A proctor with a senbon in his mouth whom neither of them recognized requested as he stood at attention in front of them. The man wore standard Konoha uniform, his hitai-ate covered the top of his head like a bandana, he had shoulder length brown hair, and brown eyes. Naruto thought the man was rather plain looking.
In the audience Ino sat with her team near Hinata who sat next to Kurenai as Asuma sat on Kurenai's other side, the Yamanaka wondered why the shy Hyuga was holding a white lily but figured it wasn't her business. Sakura's parents had taken the time off to watch their daughter compete as well, the pink haired man and blonde woman sitting together. Ino was pretty sure she heard them bickering over a pun of all things.
Haku sat quietly in the audience, trying not to attract attention to himself as he played the part of a merchants daughter. His 'guards' hadn't done much, but were a disguised Gozu and Meizu as they would be far more inconspicuous than Zabuza himself and it would be strange for the daughter of a merchant to be alone without guards.
Hiruzen sat on a stone chair next to two other stone chairs that had been prepared, the leader of Kusagakure no Sato was no Kage but Hiruzen saw no reason to snub them. He was still curious about whether or not sending Karin Uzumaki had been an intentional ploy, but to his knowledge they shouldn't be aware of Naruto Uzumaki being Jinchuriki. If Kusa was aware of that, or even that they had an Uzumaki among the genin competing, it would imply that Kusagakure had kept a closer eye on Konohagakure than he'd initially believed.
Of the two foreign village leaders the Kazekage was the first to arrive with two guards, "Ah, well well, Kazekage-dono." Hiruzen greeted, the other Kage was fully covered up in his robes and hat with a veil over his face, "You must be tired from your long journey." he commented.
"Oh no, I'm happy to make the trip." The Kazekage denied, "Of course, you're still hale and hearty, but the trip might have been much harder on you, Hokage-dono." he ribbed lightly, "Perhaps you ought to choose a successor soon..." he suggested.
Hiruzen laughed, "Well don't bury me yet! I hope to continue for another five years at least." he retorted, "Now we're simply waiting for the head of Kusagakure no Sato, I was certain he and his retinue should arrive before you." he mused.
The Kazekage shrugged, "Well, his own genin is in the last round. Perhaps he doesn't care for the other matches." he pondered, "Shall we start without him? I imagine the dignitaries here to see the fights will get antsy if we make them wait too long." he suggested.
Hiruzen frowned, "Hm, well I do not wish to snub him, but he is the one who is late." he agreed with a sigh as he stood up, "Ahem, ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, welcome and heartfelt thanks for gathering here in Konohagakure no Sato," he began to call out loudly for the audience in the stands to hear him, "for the Chunin Selection Examination! We will now begin the final round between the ten candidates who advanced to this stage! Please sit back and enjoy!" he announced with a smile, proud that so many of the finalists were from Konoha, though with the sheer number of applicants and being the hosts it was to be expected.
"Ten candidates?" The Kazekage questioned, "One seems to be missing." he said dryly, seemingly concerned with the missing Uchiha. The Hokage was concerned as well, the possibility that Orochimaru had done something to the heir of the Uchiha clan was likely. Hiruzen could only hope Kakashi knew what he was doing, if the man had inflicted the boy with his tardiness then the Hokage intended on having words with the jonin.
The new proctor turned to face the nine genin who were present, "Listen up, all of you. This is the last exam." he began, "The landscape may be different," he said and Naruto glanced around, it seemed like the arena had been built around one of the parks, "but just as with the prelims there are no set rules. You fight until one of you dies or admits defeat." he continued, "Unless I determine that a winner is obvious, in which case I'll stop the match before someone is killed, understand?" he finished with an opening for questions.
Naruto frowned, "Sasuke isn't here yet, so what's going to happen there?" he asked, he was curious about fighting his teammate, especially now that the Uchiha was a champion of a rival Konton no Kami.
"If he isn't here in time for his match, he'll lose by forfeit." The proctor explained, and when no further questions arose he continued, "Alright then, the first match between Naruto Uzumaki," he said and the blonde frowned slightly at the use of the clan name still, "and Neji Hyuga is set to begin. You two stay down here, the rest of you go to the waiting area in the stands." he finished and the other seven genin cleared out as Naruto and Neji took positions across from each other, Maemi standing behind the blonde if needed.
Hinata frowned as she heard some older Konoha shinobi saying that Naruto shouldn't stand a chance against Neji, this seemed to be the consensus among many. The shy Hyuga girl saw her father, Hiashi, sitting with her little sister, Hanabi, and wondered what they would think of the match. She also wondered if her guess as to what Naruto had planned was accurate, but she dared not voice it even if she was right.
Naruto stared Neji down for a moment and the Hyuga smirked, "You have something to say?" he asked the younger genin, although the lack of nervousness or unease from the horned blonde was surprising. Neji convinced himself that the purple eyed genin simply lacked the mental capacity to understand he should be worried.
"Yeah, if you survive this, you'll owe your life to Hinata-chan." Naruto said plainly, "I really just wanted to carve you up, but doing that would upset her. So after I crush you, go beg her forgiveness and be grateful that she's exactly as sweet as you said." he explained confidently, pulling his sheathed katana from his sash and handing it to Maemi.
Neji activated his Byakugan, frowning at the way Naruto met his gaze without fear or hesitation. The Hyuga genin of the branch house frowned and narrowed his eyes as he realized that his blonde opponent had absolute, unshakeable faith in his own abilities, that there wasn't a doubt in Naruto's mind about the outcome of the match.
Hiashi turned to his younger daughter, "Watch closely, the blood of the Hyuga flows thick in his veins." he said calmly, praising the skills of the branch house boy and hoping his daughter learned something.
"Yes, Otousama." Hanabi agreed, focusing on the match as the new proctor announced they would be starting.
Neji smirked, "Well, it's more fun if you're confident anyway." he began as he crouched into the Juken stance, "I can't wait to see the despair in your eyes, when the truth finally dawns on you." he taunted.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I set aside despair, perfection doesn't need useless things like that." he retorted, crouching into the same stance Neji did. His choice of stance startled the Hyuga, not just his opponent but those in the audience as well. A wave of murmuring among the proud clan began, but Hinata just had her theory confirmed.
"Are you mocking the Hyuga!?" Neji snapped angrily, baffled not only that Naruto would try to fight him with taijutsu, but with the Hyuga-ryu. Juken was not something taught to outsiders, even the Sharingan shouldn't be capable of copying it. The movements and stances perhaps, but there was too much subtle chakra control for even the vaunted Sharingan to copy the taijutsu that was reliant on the Byakugan.
Naruto grinned in response, "I would never mock Hinata-chan," he retorted, "well maybe a little teasing," he confessed with a chuckle, "but no, I'm mocking you, Neji." he explained, baring his fangs with the width of his grin as he felt the malicious intent from his opponent.
Neji grit his teeth, "It would take more than a month of training to reach my level, especially with a taijutsu that I have spent my life mastering." he lectured, "I don't know what gave you the foolish idea to copy me, but it won't do you any good."
Naruto laughed, "Copy you? No, that would be flattery. I got the idea from Hinata-chan! Her fighting style was so beautiful, it's a shame she was too kind to really put the hurt on you." he responded, "Unfortunately for you, I'm not as nice." he added with a feral smirk, enjoying riling up his opponent. The malicious intent he was inciting was singing to him, the Tatakainouta had already begun. He couldn't risk taking his combat stimulants so early in the tournament, if they wore off against someone like Gaara or Sasuke he'd be in trouble and he was confident he didn't need them against Neji.
The Hyuga boy scowled and charged first, hands ready to strike. Before he came within range for arm strikes however, Naruto's left leg snapped up and towards his neck with alarming speed. Neji narrowly pulled back to avoid the full blow but the sole of the sandal still grazed against his chin and a burst of chakra from Naruto's foot had him stumbling back in surprise, despite this he managed to land two counter strikes against the lower leg of the blonde with his hands.
"Damn you are fast," Naruto laughed, seemingly unconcerned by having two of his tenketsu sealed up, "but you're too stiff. Juken is really beautiful, but I think your movements are too rigid to be truly perfect." he lectured with a grin, shifting into a cat stance with his arms up as if it was a variant of the Juken stance.
Neji glared at his opponent, "You damned brat, you know nothing of the Hyuga clan-" he began to rant.
"The Hyuga are currently considered the strongest clan in Konohagakure no Sato," Naruto interrupted, "separated into a main house and a branch house, Hinata-chan is of the main house and you are branch house." he continued calmly, "Famed for the Byakugan, a dojutsu Kekkei Genkai rumored to be capable of seeing for miles in any direction with perfect clarity, and renowned for the Hyuga-ryu: Jukenho that attacks the keirakukei with chakra strikes." he listed off, "That's all I know, did I miss something?" he asked with a mocking smirk.
Those who knew the blonde were shocked he was able to concisely list such things, the blonde was usually an academic failure who needed everything explained to him. Neji just sneered, "You want to know what you missed? Fine, I'll tell you the hateful legacy of the Hyuga!" he spat, "There is a Hiden Juinjutsu passed down in the main house." he began.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that, "Juinjutsu?" he questioned incredulously, he'd only seen the one and he hadn't seen the Hyuga variant his opponent spoke of.
"This Juin represents a Kago no Tori," Neji continued, "and it is proof that some people are bound to destinies which they cannot escape!" he insisted as he pulled off his hitai-ate to reveal a stylized manji with two hooks flanking it, "When I was four years old, this abominable mark was branded to my forehead with Juinjutsu. That day a grand celebration was being thrown in Konoha. There was a lavish ceremony in honor of the pact of peace being signed with the shinobi of Kumogakure. Every shinobi in Konoha was in attendance, from genin to jonin, but we Hyuga were absent. By coincidence that day was also the day the heir of the main branch turned three, Hinata-sama's birthday." he continued with a slight glare towards Hiashi in the audience, "My Otousan, and Hinata-sama's over there, were twin brothers. However because Hiashi-sama entered the world first, he was the heir of the main house, while my own Otousan was relegated to the branch house. When the heir of the main branch turned three years old, I was branded with this Juin and became a Kago no Tori." he explained.
Naruto frowned, "Okay but why though?" he asked simply, the purpose of the Juin or it's function still lost on the blonde. He was pretty sure his opponent was beating around the bush, so at least his lack of understanding wasn't his own fault for once.
Neji scowled, "This Juin is no decoration, it signifies the threat of death imposed by the main branch upon the branch house. This Juinjutsu can easily kill any member of the branch house at the whim of those in the branch house. It only fades upon death, and only after it has done it's job in sealing away the Byakugan. Countless people covet the Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuga, and this Juin is designed so that the corpse of any branch house member may not be used to unlock it's secrets. It serves the purpose of turning the branch house into a shield that cannot disobey the main branch." he explained at length, "My Otousan was killed by the main house." he added darkly.
Naruto looked confused, "What?" he asked. In the audience Hinata looked down in concern, feeling her chest hurt as she worried the blonde would start to dislike her as well because of what the main branch did.
"One night," Neji continued, "someone tried to kidnap Hinata-sama. Hiashi-sama rushed to the scene and killed the perpetrator, none other than the Kumogakure no Sato no Shinobigashira, with whom Konoha had just signed peace treaties with. It became clear they were after the Byakugan from the very beginning, however, even though their own ninja got caught and killed in their failed plot, they insisted it was Konoha who broke the pacts by killing him and began making unreasonable demands. War very nearly resumed, but in order to avoid war, Konoha made a deal with Kumo." the boy explained in detail, "Kumo demanded the body of Hiashi Hyuga, and Konoha accepted this condition." he said, confusing Hanabi since she was sitting next to Hiashi, "War was averted, thanks to my Otousan, who was sacrificed to protect the main house. He was murdered to serve as Hiashi Hyuga's body double!" he snapped.
"Are you stupid?" Naruto asked bluntly, shocking the listeners, "You're whining to an orphan about this shit y'know. I don't even know my parents, their identities aren't just a mystery, they were kept from me and are still being kept from me." he pointed out, "Also, seriously? Hinata-chan has a jutsu that could kill you easily and she still fought you fair and square? Damn it she's so nice!" he ranted, "Beautiful, simply beautiful, appearance, style of fighting, and personality are all way too beautiful." he sighed, the current subject of his adoration flushing as red as a beetroot and coughing slightly. Haku pouted, just a bit jealous of those words.
"How dare-!" Neji began only to startle at the killing intent from his opponent.
"How dare I?" Naruto asked with a glare, "How dare you! Hinata-chan tried her best to fight you fairly with Juken even though your own skills are considered that of a genius, but for someone hailed as a genius you're a fucking moron!" he snapped, "If Hinata-chan wasn't so sweet you'd be dead and she'd be in these finals instead of you, dumbass, fool, moron, idiot!" he ranted and Neji's left eye twitched at the barrage of insults, "You talk about fate, and despair, fuck that! I don't believe in fickle shit like fate! I'm the Kajo no Ninso! Champion of Slaanesh-kaasama! If you want to resign yourself to fate like a coward or wallow in despair like a wimp then go have your pity party somewhere else, I'm here to win!" he declared, his painted lips parting in a feral and confident grin as his pupils contracted into thinner slits.
Neji shook with rage at the mix of being personally insulted, having his philosophies insulted, and having his troubles brushed aside as if they were nothing, "You want to see the difference between us?" he asked, shifting his stance, "Then let us finish this." he said firmly. Hiashi's eyes widened in surprise at the stance, recognizing it as one of the hiden taijutsu of the main house of the Hyuga.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, he didn't recognize the stance but he'd trained for this. With a burst of chakra from his right foot he leaped towards Neji with speed that almost rivalled what Lee had shown against Gaara, landing on his left foot and sweeping his right leg low towards his opponent without twisting into it. Neji was startled by the speed and attempted to bunt the kick that seemed like a feint with his left shin, wincing as Naruto's chakra ripped into the keirakukei in his leg.
The Hyuga powered through the pain and attempted a strike with each hand but was startled when Naruto thrust his palms into his fingers, matching his chakra bursts with much stronger and denser chakra. Neji winced in surprise at the burning pain in his fingers, wondering how the blonde had anticipated so accurately where he would strike. Then Naruto stepped in and delivered a burst of chakra with a palm thrust to the heart, Neji flew back with a stunned expression from the speed and force of the blow.
The audience watched in stunned silence as Neji hit the ground and coughed up blood from the impact, "How's that for the difference between us? Dumbass jerk!" Naruto said with a smug smirk. He decided not to explain that his ability to hear the Tatakainouta was what actually allowed him to pull that off, he'd trained hard to develop the speed required to match Neji so he could better dance to the violent song.
Neji was more surprised than anyone, he'd been beaten with a Juken strike by someone who shouldn't even have been able to use it. He couldn't even lift his arms, "It seems," he began with a cough, "that I misinterpreted your fate." he mused. The Hyuga couldn't even take solace in the fact Naruto hadn't managed to actually strike any tenketsu, the raw damage to his keirakukei done by the bastardized form of Juken the horned blonde used was enough to lay him low.
"Cut the crap!" Naruto responded, "I failed the genin graduation exam three times! Fate has nothing to do with it, I beat you because I tried harder to become perfect!" he lectured, "That which causes me trials will yield my triumph! My heart will never ache with despair as long as I fill it with gladness! I will only lose if I give up, so I will never lose!" he ranted, "I will become Kanzen no Shinobi!" he announced loudly with a thrown right fist in the air.
To Naruto's surprise the crowd cheered, the blonde looked around with a startled expression at the applause he received. Only one Hyuga, Hinata, was applauding him, and she looked weak even from the distance Naruto was at. Then Naruto realized he could clearly see every face in the crowd with alarming clarity, his eyes picking out surprised and impressed expressions. He could even hear individual praises that people were saying to each other over the din of the applause, the blonde was overwhelmed for a moment before he grinned proudly.
Hiashi frowned, he knew that the elders of the Hyuga would be confused, concerned, and aggravated by Naruto's bastardized use of Juken. Although he'd seen the truth of it, Naruto had reverse engineered the internal damaging aspect of the Juken and his strikes lacked the precision of true Juken. It had been enough to tilt Neji, but what had truly won the fight was the speed and power the blonde wielded, far above that of a normal genin his age. Hiashi decided he would attempt to tell Neji the truth about the death of his father, Hizashi Hyuga who had chosen to die rather than let the village go to war.
Maemi smiled proudly, although the sealed tenketsu in Naruto's left leg were a concern he'd won his match with barely a scratch. Among the other contenders, Kiba was baffled and exchanged a glance with Shino as the two now understood why Naruto had wanted a diagram of Neji's keirakukei. Hinata could barely believe Naruto had actually spent a month practicing something that would only work against a single opponent, but she couldn't help but smile as of course only Naruto would put that much effort into a superfluous skill in order to prove a point.
Translation: I actually forgot to list this one from last chapter, Jumon - Incantation, the closest word I could find for referring to a magical spell that wasn't a variant of Maho.
Ikiryo - Living Ghost
AN: For those curious, I'm not changing anything regarding Shukaku, the belief that he's a ghost is a mistaken assumption among the people of Sunagakure no Sato. In universe the Biju were supposed to be rather vague and not well known, regarded as powerful and scary spirits. But also when Kishimoto first wrote Shukaku in the story he likely hadn't fleshed out the idea of the Biju entirely yet, so there is that.