Chapter 20: Let The Finals Begin!
The 11 finalists stood gathered in the middle of the arena, the crowd slowly calming down from all the cheering it's members did so far. Standing a few feet before them was a tall, brunette man dressed in the traditional Konoha shinobi uniform, with a dark blue bandana tied around his head, and a toothpick in his mouth, more for aesthetic rather than picking out his breakfast from his teeth. When he raised his hand, everyone in the crowd fell silent, listening with rapt attention as the proceedings started down below.
"First of all, I will like to start things off by welcoming everyone in the audience that have made the time to view today's proceedings. Some have ventured from kingdoms near and far, and as a member of the Fire Kingdom, I would like to take the time out to thank you all for coming!" said the brunette, his formal words earning him a nice smattering of applause and shouts from the audience. He ignored them, turning his attention to the 11 teenagers standing before him.
"Welcome finalists, my name is Genma Shiranui. I am a tokubetsu jonin and the official referee for today's final competition," he said after plucking out his toothpick, which turned out to be half a senbon needle. "I will keep this short and simple. Just like in the preliminaries, you 11 will compete in a series of one-on-one matches until one of you is left standing. Killing is not illegal during these finals, but we do encourage you guys to not murder your opponents as you progress through the competition. . ."
I feel so targeted . . . Afraid one of us will go berserk and make this shindig go haywire? It's so nice to know that the organizers are looking out for yours' and the other brats' well-being.
Gaara ignored the tanuki's sarcastic commentary, choosing to pay attention to what the official had to say.
"Overall, the rules are the same as they were during the preliminary matchups. If you are knocked unconscious, you lose. If you decide to forfeit, you lose. If you outright quit, you lose, and if I determine that you have no way out of your situation, I will call the match in the opponent's favor." said Genma, looking into the eyes of each and every competitor to make sure he was getting his point across.
"Now then, originally, there were supposed to be 12 of you competing today, but due to the death of the Sound genin Dosu Kinuta prior to today's proceedings, that's no longer possible. . . We've went from a final that saw three kingdoms being represented, to a duel between two."
"Wind against Fire, Suna against Konoha . . . this should be fun," Kankuro mumbled as muttering could be heard from the crowd. "I bet the betters are having a field day . . ."
Dosu's death had slowly been making the rounds around the village in the weeks since his body was discovered, so it wasn't new to anyone who had been in Konoha for a while. However, those who had only recently arrived to the village were completely caught off guard, generating a buzz within the audience that didn't stop until Genma, again, signaled for silence.
"Going by established Showcase rules, when one finalist is unable to compete for any reason in the final segment of the competition, the opponent he or she was supposed to face will automatically go to the next round." Genma addressed the finalists and the crowd before turning to the princess.
"Princess Shizuka, you were supposed to face Kinuta first, but since that is no longer possible, you officially move on to the second round. Whoever wins the matchup between Princess Temari and Lord Nara will be your opponent," Genma further explained before turning to face the other finalists. "Also, because we have one less fighter to deal with, as it stands, if everything goes as we expect it to, there will be a three way battle for the final match instead of the simple one-on-one. . . If you care about winning this entire competition, you better try your damn hardest to be one of those final three."
"Now then, let's get this first round started. . . Naruto Namikaze, Neji Hyuga, remain where you are. The rest of you, make your way to the viewing area upstairs."
The applause was loud as the nine other finalists made their way out of the arena, leaving Naruto and Neji to face each other in the ring. The viewing area itself was just under the lowest level of the main stands, giving the group a view that ensured that they wouldn't miss out on anything happening down below. There were plenty of seats for everyone to enjoy, however, wanting to scope out the competition, they opted to stand or sit on the railing for a front row seat.
"Alright, who ya got everyone?" Haruka called as she sat on the railing. "Who you got winning this match? Our blonde crown prince, or the stoic, pale eyed striker?"
"It's too close to tell Haruka," mumbled Nanami as she looked at either boy. "They're definitely not known for genjutsu, so don't expect to see much of that in this match. I would be surprised if either busted a genjutsu out though."
"Neji has the slight advantage in taijutsu due to his Byakugan and knowledge of his clan's Gentle Fist technique. However, Naruto has the definite advantage in ninjutsu. . . This will likely be one of the more balanced matches today," Shino uttered, the normally silent genin speaking for the first time in a while. "It should be interesting to see how things turn out."
"This is going in Naruto's favor, no question." said Sasuke, the barest traces of a smirk showing on his face, his eyes unmoving as he watched the blonde below.
"And how can you be so sure about that?" Kankuro bluntly asked as he turned to look at the raven-haired teen. "I know you guys are part of the same unit, so don't you think you sound a little biased towards your teammate?"
"I understand why you may think like that, but trust me, I meant every word that I just said," said the Uchiha, glaring at the puppeteer before turning his eyes back to the arena. "Naruto can come off as dimwitted at times, but trust me, he's a lot more dangerous than he lets on."
Considering who he has to share his body with, Duck-butt definitely isn't lying on that one . . . Shukaku mumbled as he watched everything through Gaara's eyes, his attention moving to the dark-haired boy that was watching the prince with an indifferent gaze. Still, the Hyuga brat looks like he'll be a tough one to beat. His match with his cousin didn't show me much, but he should give the prince a run for his money here, even if he is heavily reliant on taijutsu.
"Namikaze, are you ready?" Genma asked as he turned to the blonde.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" was the prince's confident answer as he stretched out his arms. Genma simply nodded as he turned to Neji to ask the same question. The quiet Hyuga simply nodded as he got into his traditional starting stance, ready to get things moving.
"All right then. Let the first match begin!
Neji was in attack mode as soon as the proctor finished his announcement, his fingers ready to strike Naruto's tenketsu as his Byakugan came to life. Naruto, anticipating the attack, immediately went through a few hand signs, disappearing into a large cloud of smoke that obscured the prince from view once he was done. When the smoke finally cleared, everyone was shocked to see what Naruto had summoned below.
"Woah, that's a whole lot of orange . . ." Temari mumbled, her eyes wide in disbelief as she looked down at the multitude upon multitude of orange-suited clones standing at the ready. "What the hell is this? Some kind of genjutsu...?"
"Did you not hear what Nanami just said princess?" Shikamaru lazily asked as he let out a yawn, earning him a short glare from the blonde. "Naruto's has little to no skill in genjutsu. What you're witnessing is the use of a jutsu that's become his specialty over the past few months: the Shadow Clone Technique."
The three siblings looked at the sleepy-eyed teen in various degrees of shock, well, Temari and Kankuro did. Gaara simply nodded, accepting the explanation without questioning it. All three had heard of the jutsu, and practically every kingdom had their own version of the technique. They had seen it in use many times over, but this was the first time any of them had seen it be used to such an extreme degree.
"How is that even possible?" Kankuro grouched as he looked back at the battleground. "The technique is taxing as hell on a person's chakra because of how evenly it splits the chakra up among the bodies. Most can handle creating two or three at a time, but there has to be a hundred down there, at least!"
"Naruto has always been known for having chakra reserves that were larger than the average ninja's, a lot larger," Haruka teased as she turned to look at Neji, who had stopped in his tracks as soon as the smoke cloud appeared. "It's technically forbidden for anyone to use the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique over the recommended number because of how taxing it is. . . However, Naruto, and anyone with Uzumaki blood for that matter, tends to be an exemption to that rule, including my blonde, pigtailed friend here."
Well that's enlightening, but it makes sense . . . Shukaku mumbled as he watched as some of the clones started attacking Neji. One of the major traits of the Uzumaki clan is their large chakra reserves, which allows them to do things the average ninja can't. Live longer, complete harder jutsus better, their excellence in fuinjutsu . . . It's a major reason why the clan is as feared as it is respected.
"Naruto, he doesn't even look remotely tired . . ." Gaara mumbled as the clones started to attack en masse. "It's as if he's barely used any chakra to make them."
And I don't even sense a hint of Kurama's chakra coming into play either, which means he isn't helping so far," Shukaku chuckled as they watched Neji start plowing his way through the orange crowd. "That brat is using the Shadow Clone technique in a way that would kill most people immediately, and he's not even breaking a sweat. . . In terms of stamina, that's fucking impressive!
"The amount of chakra he is using may seem like a large amount to us, but it's miniscule to him. I have large chakra reserves, but Naruto's seems to be in a league of its own," Gaara thought as he crossed his arms. "If he wins, he'll likely have plenty of chakra left over for the upcoming matches, including all of the Nine Tails'."
His sister is in the same boat, don't forget that, my redheaded flesh bag. And she looks like she relies on tailed beast chakra even less than he does . . . Shukaku mumbled as the redhead snuck a look at the blonde. She was watching the match with quiet interest, occasionally whispering her thoughts to either of her teammates, never moving her gaze from the battle below. Either way, be prepared for a long, protracted battle if you do end up fighting either of them. In terms of chakra levels, they will obviously have the advantage over you.
"Duly noted, and what do you mean by 'if'?" Gaara asked as Neji finally found the real Naruto. He moved to strike the blonde in his chakra points, but the crown prince was quick to act, substituting himself with one of his own clones before the Hyuga could land a strike. "My match against Sasuke is right after this . . ."
Which means that once you win your match, you'll go against my brother's host in the next round . . . If Gaara fell back into his mindscape right now, he would have come face-to-face with a tanuki that was grinning from ear-to-ear. This is getting good . . .
"You really are that eager to face your brother again . . ."
Does it show that much? Like, really?
Gaara cut the connection after that, preferring to pay attention to what was happening down below. Neji had whittled down Naruto's clones by a lot, having expunged little chakra to do so. However, he didn't get out of it completely unscathed, sporting some nasty scratches and bruises along his arms. Along with the real prince, there was 20 clones still viable to fight, all watching the Hyuga warily as they waited for the next move.
"His strategy has been sound so far." said Nanami as she watched the battle keenly. "Thanks to his heritage, Neji is a close combat fighter by default, so Naruto has been keeping his distance as best as he can thanks to his clones."
"He's been trying to overwhelm Neji's Byakugan with sheer numbers," Shikamaru mumbled as the clones started to surround the Hyuga. "For him, it makes sense. With his huge reserves, Naruto can afford to expend so much chakra to his clones. On the other hand, Neji has been doing a decent job in taking the clones out while using as little chakra as needed with his pinpoint strikes . . . Sooner or later, one of them has going to make a big move. Whoever does will likely win this match."
"I think Naruto is about to try one," mumbled Haruka as all the Narutos started rifling through their packs. Some pulled kunai while others took out sharingan, launching them straight toward the Hyuga caught in the middle. Neji, knowing that he couldn't defend against them all with just his bare hands, smirked before rapidly spinning, creating a large blue dome that deflected all of the launched projectiles with ease. Some were launched back so hard that it ended up popping some of the clones. ". . . Maybe not."
"The Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven," said Shizuka as she shook her head. "Should have known that Neji would pull a move like that."
"What exactly is the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven?" Kankuro couldn't help but ask as he turned to the now-speaking princess.
"It's supposed to be a secret taijustu technique of the Hyuga Clan; a technique that allows for the expulsion of chakra from all the tenketsu points to act as a repellent for any and all incoming attacks. Spinning around creates a protective dome of chakra around the Hyuga, and the strength of it is entirely dependent on how fast the person can spin."
"It's meant as a way to compensate for their natural blind spot. However, I didn't expect Neji to pull this off, but considering he's a prodigy of his clan, I should have figured he would do something like this," Shikamaru mumbled, feeling all eyes on him. "The Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven is as Shizuka said. It's supposed to be a secret technique, so secret that only the clan head and his or her heir are supposed to use it."
"Last time I checked, Neji isn't the heir to the Hyuga clan." Temari mumbled as she narrowed her eyes.
"He isn't," Shizuka calmly mumbled as Neji stopped spinning. "By his clan's own traditional rules, Neji's not supposed to be taught the Revolving Heaven. However, that doesn't mean he couldn't learn about the technique by himself."
So, the long-haired brat went around his clan's traditions to learn the higher-grade techniques on his own. Smart kid . . . Shukaku mumbled as Neji leaped into action, laying waste to the remaining clones. Makes you wonder what he still has in store for the blonde brat.
"Not much I think," Gaara mumbled as he noticed Naruto's smirk. "The Hyuga seems to be a bit one note in terms of his fighting style. Naruto's supposed versatility could win him the day.
And win it, he did.
Naruto launched a couple of kunai toward the Hyuga, but Neji had dodged them both by moving his head out of the way. Later that day, he would realize that he should have blocked them with his hands instead of simply weaving out the way.
He had realized seconds too late that Naruto hadn't thrown regular kunai at him, but the special three-pronged kunai his father made famous. Before the Hyuga could let out a curse, the prince disappeared from view, reappearing behind him with a glowing blue spiraling orb of chakra in his palm. Neji managed to turn around to prevent the attack from going into his spine, but he was too slow to block the attack from landing a direct hit in his gut.
Not done, Naruto pushed the attack into Neji's stomach, sending the pale teen into the ground in a large cloud of smoke and debris. When it eventually dissipated, Naruto was standing tall, his hand a little scorched on the right palm, while Neji lay on the ground, completely unmoving in a small crater that broke under his weight. The damage to his jacket was striking, cause in the center, where fabric was supposed to be, was a shredded hole, showcasing the scorch marks that decorated his stomach.
Genma, who had been watching off to the side, came over and looked over the two. Now realizing that the Hyuga was thoroughly unconscious, he raised his hand.
"Neji Hyuga is unconscious and can no longer continue. Naruto Uzumaki is the winner by total knockout!" he exclaimed, and the crowd, who had fallen silent as the final portion of the battle played out, exclaimed and cheered, a lot of that fervor coming from the pro-Fire faction of the audience.
"Damn, so he knows both the Hiraishin and the Rasengan?" Shikamaru mumbled as he shook his head. "Naruto really is becoming too troublesome for his own good."
"He was only taught the basics, but the growth is definitely there," Shizuka mumbled as she brought a hand to her chin. "My brother still has a lot to improve on though."
"Damn, we just saw Naruto pull off two of his father's most famous and feared jutsus. . ." Kankuro mumbled as a sweat drop appeared on the side of his head. "He only knows the basics, and he can already do this much damage . . . Glad I don't have to face him next."
"You wouldn't be a match for him anyway. Your puppets would be shredded if his Rasengan ever got close to them," Temari absently mumbled, her thoughts still on the match she just witnessed. ". . . Just imagine how powerful he'll be once he gets older and more practiced with them."
"And whoever wins this next match gets to have the privilege of facing him next," Gaara mumbled as Genma looked up at the participants' area. "This should be interesting."
It's not just going to get interesting flesh bag. This is going to be downright fun!
"Gaara Sabakuno, Sasuke Uchiha! Please make your way down to the battleground!"
"We'll see about that Shukaku . . ."
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