"The Greatest Idea Ever"
By Quick-n-Popular
Disclaimer: "Naruto" and its characters are not properties of mine.
A/N: Let the games begin. This one was a fun and challenging way to write. I hop you all enjoy it.
Chapter Eleven: A Farewell to Innocence, Part Two
With the following day being the start of the finals of the Chuunin Exams, the hustle and bustle of the village of Konoha was rather lively this morning. Among the crowd was Tsunade who was looking over a statistics sheet supplied to her by one of the other gamblers she met at the betting booths. There were some surprising favors in this year's exam but, not surprisingly, the clans and powerhouses were given the best odds out of the examinees. The Legendary Sucker mused about how preferences never seemed to change after all these years.
Planning on visiting a bar before deciding on her bets, Tsunade made a detour through an alleyway and made her way until she heard the gasping of someone who definitely was in some sort of pain. The Slug Sannin's first instinct was to ignore it as she didn't want her presence known to her sensei and the old fossils on the council, lest she get roped back into helping the village. However, just as she was going to continue on, she paused and sighed in irritation.
Despite her uncaring attitude, she had a creed as a medical professional. She wouldn't turn away from someone in dire need.
Thus, she deviated from her destination and followed a series of weaving alleyways until she came into an area where there were two people. One was a man in garb that didn't stand out too much, collapsed on top of a girl with long black hair. It wasn't a rape seen as both were clothed and the man was not moving while the girl below him seemed to be gritting her teeth in pain. Tsunade came right over and lifted the man off the girl and placed him on his back. There, on his chest, was a kunai protruding from where his heart would be. It was easy to see that the man was dead.
Turning to the girl, Tsunade noticed that her wounds from, obviously, fighting the man were serious but not too serious. If she got her wounds treated then she wouldn't risk dying from blood loss. Thinking on different ways to approach this without announcing her presence in the village, the medic was stopped by the girl who grabbed her wrist in desperation.
"P...Please. H-Help me…"
Tsunade sighed in exasperation before nodding to the girl and began healing the girl's wounds with her chakra. Moments later the girl was out of danger.
Kin Tsuchi, realizing as such, was without her usual arrogant personality as she thanked the woman who she didn't know the identity of.
"Thanks…."
Tsunade nodded, "You just got lucky, brat. No thanks needed."
Kin closed her eyes and was feeling really tired and before she passed out said, "I'm not used to be treated this well...I hope this village survives...since they have someone like you…"
Later, Tsunade decided to leave the girl at the Chuunin guard station where Kin was later taken into custody.
In the afternoon, Naruto was feeling rather good about himself as he completed almost all of the things Jiraiya wanted to teach him. Summoning seemed to be the trickiest as Jiraiya had wanted Naruto to use the Kyuubi's chakra to go beyond with the summoning. However, before they could go any further, they ran out of time and Jiraiya decided to approach it at another time after the exams.
Besides Toad Summoning, the other hardest ability to learn was that of his mother's chakra ability, or, as Naruto learned, an Uzumaki ability. It was worth it though, in the blond teen's view as he now had two things of his deceased parents he could use in order to honor them and hopefully make them proud in the great beyond.
Jiraiya gave the day before the finals a day of rest for the Genin. So, Naruto, still full of energy was walking around the village before finding himself at the Totosai Weapons Store like so many times before. There was a sign out front promoting a sale in lieu of the Exams which didn't surprise the blond teenager. Knowing that unless he was there to make a repair or shop, Shin, Tenten's father, would most likely ask Naruto to come by another time. Another reason Naruto usually came by here was to check up on Tenten as she was absent ever since getting instructions by that Anko woman who kind of freaked Naruto out.
Seeing as he had little to do here and if Tenten was at home she'd probably be resting, Naruto turned on his heel and was about to leave when he heard the door to the weapons shop open and the Weapons Enthusiast's voice shouting behind her shoulder.
"Yeah, I know I got it, Dad! Quit badgering me about not being able to help out more! I got the Exams and a woman who's determined to make me bleed every time I see her, on my back already!" The girl slammed the door shut behind her and exhaled in exhaustion before her eyes saw Naruto not so far from her home.
"Naruto! Perfect timing, I need a target to vent off on, come and be my live training dummy for a while!"
Naruto paled but before he could make a run for it, the girl disappeared in a body flicker technique before reappearing next to him with her hand grabbing a hold of his jacket so he didn't escape.
"Did I say you had the option of saying no?" She said, smiling sweetly.
Later, a severely nicked Naruto with cuts on his body and a satisfied, smiling, Tenten were leaving the training area.
"Ah, I've worked up an appetite with that little exercise." The Kunoichi said, stretching.
"How about-"
"No, I've been to Ichiraku's enough. Pick someplace else, Naruto."
The blond, scratching at his itching cuts, thought for a moment. "Well, there's that place that Chouji always eats at, Yakiniku's Barbecue."
Tenten nodded, "Alright, let's go there."
The two teens went at a leisurely pace before arriving at the restaurant. There were quite a few others there but the place wasn't packed. Coming up to the counter the two of them ordered with Tenten getting a hamburger while Naruto ordered some spare ribs. The two ate in silence and then talked over the drinks of the restaurant.
"The finals are tomorrow it looks like." Tenten sighed wistfully.
Naruto nodded, "I wonder how many of us are going to be promoted to Chuunin?"
Tenten shrugged, "I don't know, maybe no one. Your Kenjutsu sensei did say that could happen."
Thinking about Hayate made Naruto smile. Tenten, seeing his smile decided to ask him something she has been wondering.
"By the way, speaking of senseis; what's it like being trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin?"
Naruto looked up and thought before grimacing, "He's a good teacher, whenever he's not being a pervert."
"A pervert?" Tenten asked, surprised.
Naruto nodded, "You know those little orange books with the adult covers that people like Kakashi-sensei read? He's the author of those."
Tenten's eyes widened before she looked away in wonder. "Huh." However she looked back to Naruto as he was refilling his drink from the pitcher on the table.
"I hope he's not teaching you how to write smut."
Naruto looked indignant, "Hell no. It' bad enough that he's trying to get me to admit that I-" Naruto's mouth shut tight and he looked away in embarrassment.
Tenten looked at him curiously. "Admit? Admit what?"
Naruto's thoughts derailed and he tried to think of an excuse to get out of this line of questioning. However, thinking about it objectively, he was avoiding something that he'd have to think about more as he and Tenten continued to get together at times like these.
Swallowing his nervousness, he answered the patiently waiting Kunoichi with a question of his own.
"Say, Tenten, can you tell me something? If you do, THEN I'll answer your question."
Tenten nodded slowly before shrugging. "Sure. Go ahead."
Naruto decided to try an innocent, in-direct, way of asking. "Did you find any guys at the Academy attractive when you were there?"
Tenten cocked her head to the side, "What?"
Naruto turned his head away in embarrassment, "A stupid question, really."
The bun-haired girl didn't rebuke him for asking it, though. It really caught her off guard. She shrugged before answering, "Well, it's certainly something I wasn't expecting." She sighed, "I don't really know how to answer it because I can't tell you if there were any boys I thought looked good. I wasn't looking in the first place."
Naruto exhaled a sigh of relief, "Because you want to become a serious Shinobi, right?"
Tenten nodded, "There were a lot of girls in the class who did like to look for and talk about those things but it didn't interest me." Tenten chuckled dryly, "Why are we talking about this, again?"
Naruto smiled ruefully, "I guess, it's because…" He took a breath, "I'm interested about you."
Tenten looked at him in silence before a teasing smile spread across her face, "Naruto Uzumaki, are you trying to put the moves on me?"
Naruto's face turned beet-red before he looked at the table and started stammering, "W-W-Well, I mean, WHY NOT? You're pretty, smart, and the toughest girl I know!"
Now it was Tenten's turn to erupt in an embarrassed shade. By the time the waitress came back to refill their beverage pitcher, the two hadn't spoken a single word to each other and were avoiding eye-contact. Tenten was the one to break the silence.
"You've impressed me too."
Naruto looked up so fast it was amazing he didn't suffer whiplash. "Huh?"
Tenten sighed as she leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling, "Your drive to improve, your eagerness to take in everything that I taught you and how you stuck with it." She looked at the blond teen in the eyes as she smiled, "You're amazing, Naruto, and a very nice guy."
Naruto ended up smiling with her and the two stayed that way, smiling as they looked at one another. However it was broken by a trio of voices at the table behind Tenten.
"I'll bet you they're not real." said a voice, a male speaker.
"Of course they're real. Why are you even asking that?" Came a girl's bewildered voice.
"Some people might emphasize themselves by adding them." Came a bored voice.
"I'M going to FEEL them. I'll prove to you they're fake." Came the first speaker's voice, determined.
"Wait! You shouldn't-!" warned the girl.
Suddenly a pair of small hands came and firmly grabbed the hair-buns on Tenten's head and started tugging upwards. Tenten closed her eyes before she ground out, "Let. Go. Of. My. Hair!" She then swung her elbow behind her into the gut of the person who let go of her buns as he clutched his stomach in pain just as he fell to the floor.
Naruto looked on in tired exasperation as he saw that it was none other than Konohamaru, whose friends Udon and Moegi went to his aid.
After the three kids apologized for intruding on their meal, Naruto and Tenten left Yakunikus in a more solemn mood. However, after a point of putting some distance between them and the barbecue place. Naruto finally spoke.
"I didn't answer your question on what that Ero-Sensei of mine was trying to get me to do."
Tenten sighed, "Let's leave it for another time." She then smiled and slugged Naruto in the shoulder, playfully. "I had a really nice meal with you, Naruto. Despite the sideshow that came with it."
Naruto grinned, "It wasn't too bad."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Kakashi Hatake was humming happily to himself as he read his favorite book while walking to the bar to ave to some drinks with his fellow Jounin. Having just finished preparing his female student, Sakura, for her match against the Aburame boy; he was due for some down time.
Turning a page of his book, his lone eye came up and he saw a pig in a vest running towards him in a panic as some little kids chased after it with sticks. Behind them, the pig's owner, a medium-height woman with brown hair was calling for both the pig to come back to her and for the kids to stop harassing it.
In one fell swoop, Kakashi saved the piglet and then performed the body flicker technique, disappearing from the confused children and reappearing behind the woman, who caught sight of him and the two then went out of earshot of the children.
"Thank you for saving Tonton, Kakashi-san!" The woman, smiled brightly.
Handing over the pig, Kakashi did his 'eye smile'. "All in a day's work." He then looked at her curiously, "I am surprised to see you here in the village, Shizune."
Shizune nodded, "Well, my master disappeared on me a while back and I've been trying to find clues on where she's gone to."
Kakashi looked surprised, "They brought you here? Tsunade-sama is in Konoha?"
Shizune nodded, "I over heard some gamblers talking about a woman matching her description asking about the betting pool in this year's Chuunin Exams." Shizune sighed, "No matter how many times I try to make her stop, she still does gamble."
Shizune then asked Kakashi to let her know if he sees or hears about the Slug Sannin as she imagines that her master was probably roaming around in some sort of disguise.
The Next Day the finals of this year's Chuunin Exams came into full swing and the attendees lined up to the gate while some of the gamblers lined up to the betting booths. Tsuande leaving one of them, considered thoughtfully on who she decided to bet on just on a whim. The blond Uzumaki kid was the 'Dark Horse' contender in this as he wasn't someone of prominent clan status nor was he a powerhouse, so he wasn't the odds on favorite. However, due to nostalgia over the people who she remembered being the boys parents, she decided to do something she normally avoided doing, bet on emotion.
She reflected on this as she got to her seat in the arena.
At the start of the finals, Genma Shiranui, the new proctor filling in for Hayate; made the announcement of the start and to call for Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga to come to the arena floor. Neji walked down with unperturbed confidence, while Naruto had a look of fierce determination.
As the boys stood apart, waiting for the signal of the match, in the stands There was chatter of anticipation. Many were of the notion that Neji was to win this with no trouble because of his clan and being a former prodigy. However, there was a growing interest in Naruto as he had surprised many by his new found skill with a sword and his tactics in beating Kankuro of Suna. Among those of the competing boys' age group it varied as well.
"He got lucky last time. This time he might not." Ino stated next to Sakura. Naruto's pink haired teammate shrugged. "I wouldn't bet on anything just yet."
Over in another section, sitting with her father and younger sister, Hinata closed her eyes and made a silent prayer.
Tenten, with her teammate, Rock Lee, watched with interest and decided on not siding with either contender.
Now, Genma raised his voice, the senbon needle in his mouth rolling to the corner of his mouth but not falling out; "First Match: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuuga. Start!"
He then lept back as Naruto used six kage bunshin and, using his clones in tandem; drew their swords as they attempted to surround Neji.
Neji calmly and effortlessly, dodged Naruto's clone's slashes and delivered strikes which dispelled them. Naruto, the original, created two more and had them turn their swords into the nodachi form and attack the attack the Hyuuga prodigy in a pincer maneuver. Neji, calmly, activated his byakugan and took out a kunai to block the overhead swing from behind him and then pivoted to avoid the frontal assault in front of him before dispelling both clones and began running toward the original Naruto.
Naruto, amazed by the speed and tenacity of the older boy, waited till Neji came into range before feeding chakra into his sword bringing out the flame form and made a horizontal slash to push the Hyuuga away. Neji, however, dropped to the floor and performed a leg sweep which tripped Naruto and had caused him to fall on his back. Neji capitalized on this and struck out at the chakra points on the blond's sword arm, canceling out the chakra feeding the sword. Then, he kicked the sword out of Naruto's hands and was about to make another strike to the Uzumaki's other charka points but Naruto aimed a kick upwards and managed to hit Neji below the chin, causing his body to come go backwards and stumble.
Naruto, taking the advantage, got back to his feet and tried to put some distance between them as Neji recovered.
Neji, rubbing his chin, stared down at Naruto, "Why do you fight? This match has already been decided, now that I have incapacitated you. You can't feel your arms, right?"
Naruto nodded but still smirked, "Yeah? So what?"
Neji sighed, "It means that the fight will end in the next couple of moves. You have no hope and are fated to be defeated by me, someone who you never had a chance against."
Naruto scoffed, "Who died and made you Kami? Fate is something you make for yourself."
Neji said no more and once again settled into the Gentle Fist form. "You're in my range of divination…"
Neji suddenly appeared in front of Naruto but before he could strike, Naruto's spiky blond hair suddenly grew and wrapped around the boy with the spiky hair with the strands of hair turning into sharp spikes protruding from the sides. Neji, caught unaware, grunted in pain as he now had multiple cuts all over his hands and knuckles.
In the stands, a murmur of amazement stirred about at the change of pace and the jutsu that the, seemingly, incapacitated Naruto performed. Chiefly among those was Hiashi Hyuuga, clan head, watching his nephew who was about to perform a Main House form the Gentle Fist, which he wasn't supposed to know, but was now even more astounded by the Uzumaki boy's counter.
Back on the arena floor Neji went farther back scowling as he looked at his now bleeding hands before looking to his opponent whose hair was thinning back to its normal length.
"Why?"
Naruto, whose hair was now back to normal, said, "Why, what?"
Neji grit his teeth, "Why are you trying so hard to defy your fate!"
Naruto cocked his head, "What I want to know is why YOU'RE so determined to be called this, so-called, Fate's bitch? What's up with you?"
Scowling, Neji took off his headband revealing a seal across his forehead.
"THIS. This is why! Everyone born into the Branch House of the Hyuuga Clan is fated to be branded with this seal that kills you slowly should you fall out of line. We're fated to be beneath those who lord over us. Even my own father couldn't defy HIS fate to take the place of the Clan Head when another village asked for his head!"
A quiet, uncomfortable, silence washed over the audience. However, Hiashi was closing his eyes in thought.
Naruto, having already heard of this story from Hinata but not of the particulars felt taken aback. However, something came to his mind that he wanted to point out.
"But why aren't you fighting back? You are already by showing how strong you are, right? Hinata wants to reach out to you and maybe together you could change the way of your clan. When I become Hokage, I could help both of you!"
Now it was Neji's turn to be taken aback but stubbornness dies hard and he rushed to reengage with the blond teen as he threw out a kunai at the boy. Naruto, not really surprised that Nejin didn't want to talk anymore, took out one of his kunai, knocked away the projectile weapon and started feeling the Kyuubi's chakra opening up the chakra points on his arms that Neji had previously closed.
Watching with his doujutsu, Neji was mesmerized by the weird second chakra circulating in the boy's body from a seal that the other teen had on his stomach. He couldn't fathom what he was seeing.
Naruto, now having his arms back in use, poured his own chakra into them and focused on molding it into a long, hard, stretchable chains which he then cast out using the same method that Yugao had taught him using chakra strings. These chains wrapped around Neji's arms tightly.
Neji, unsure of what exactly he was seeing but now in a gritted panic, tried to dislodge his arms from these confines. However, his blond haired opponent then pulled on his end with surprising strength causing the Hyuuga prodigy to come rocketing to him. Naruto then drew back his hand in a fist and punched hard against the Hyuuuga's jaw causing him to bounce several times against the ground before he stopped. The chains dispersed but Neji couldn't make any move as he didn't have the strength for it.
However, he was awake and as he heard Naruto's name called out as the winner of the match, he saw the boy looking down on him silently before he said.
"You know….I was unable to make a proper bunshin to pass the Academy three times. I had to get help in order to get this far. If you, who doesn't have these holdups can go as far as you have, there's no way "fate" or anything else can hold you back either."
Neji didn't didn't reply, be it lingering stubbornness or that he was in such pain, he couldn't tell. He heard Genma remarking to him that 'even a caged bird will continue trying to peck its way free until it's finally able'; before he was carted away by the medic nins.
In the stands, Hinata silently thanked Naruto for what he said to her cousin while her father silently left the stands to talk to his nephew.
Tenten, smiling, also gave her unheard thanks to the blond for giving something her teammate could strive for.
To be continued…
A/N II: The Chuunin Exams continue next chapter. Look forward to it and please review in the meantime.
Thank you for reading!
Q-n-P