Chapter 13

Chunnin Exams – Final Battle

The second phase ended exactly after five days, as told before. Of the 145 participants that took part in the second phase, only 23 managed to make it to the tower. And after the declaration of the first phase of the examination, the number was reduced to 16. Normally the gap between the second phase and the third phase was one month but for the first time in five years, the third phase of the examination was set to start just after a week.

Though this was of no concern to Naruto, whether the exam started immediately, after a week or after a month, he couldn't care less. For now, he had to report Kabuto to the Hokage, but due to the rules he had to stay inside the tower until the second phase ended. And finally after five days, he was free. And the first thing he did was to meet Hiruzen.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You have made me proud of yourself. You managed to complete the second phase in just thirty minutes, while the last record was of over five hours. Very well Done." Hiruzen said.

"Thanks, but I could have completed the exam in less than 10 minutes." Naruto said.

"How so?" Hiruzen asked.

"The thing is that I had collected both the heaven and the earth scroll within the first 7 minutes and the time it took me to reach the tower from there was just 108 seconds. But due to some intervention, I was delayed by 20 minutes." Naruto said.

"That is no problem, you still set an unachievable record. And a shinobi should be always ready for unforeseen circumstances." Hiruzen said.

"I know, but whom I fought was anything but gennin. His movements were precise and his chakra was too refined for a gennin. And I highly doubt that he was a spy, working for the infamous Snake Sannin. But unfortunately, before I could finish him, he escaped using the Reverse Summoning." Naruto said as Hiruzen's eyes widened at the mention of Orochimaru.

"How could you say that he was working for Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asked.

"Because he had the Snake Summoning Contract." Naruto said.

"I see, that is a problem then. Everyone with Snake summon is related to Orochimaru in some way or another. What is it that he wants from the village now?" Hiruzen said.

"Revenge?... Well, that is for you to think about. My job is done here." Naruto said as he left the room quietly.

Now Hiruzen had a new problem to solve. He wasn't certain what does this meant. What did his former pupil wanted from the village now? Weren't the lives he had taken enough? Or is there something else? Countless questions ran through Hiruzen mind.

7 Days Later

For Naruto, these seven days passed like nothing. In the seven day break, Naruto worked on the biggest problem of his Domain Expansion, that was that he could only use it while staying still. If he moved from his position, his focus on the technique will be disrupted and the technique will end. And to overcome this problem, he had to both meditate and refine his chakra control. For the whole week, he practiced the former. And before Naruto realized, the day of the final phase of the Chunnin Exam was here.

A curving wall swept in and around the circular grounds, while the ceiling was rounded and open. The ground was covered in dirt, and trees grew here and there. Scaffolding stretched out horizontally, protruding from the top of the wall, where a large number of spectators watched the matches on which the futures of the gennin depended: daimyo and people from the ruling classes in all lands, officials from the villages in the ninja world, chunnin, jonin. Among them were even the faces of black marketeers who had disguised themselves, and snuck in. Hiruzen himself was the judge of this examination with Shikaku and Kakashi as advisors.

Which village would stand with the responsibility for the future of the ninja world on its shoulders? Everyone held their breath as they watched over the battles of the young ninja. This place, where capable gennin from every village risked their lives in battle, was a microcosm of the battlefield. Not infrequently, the fights here were directly connected with the power structures among the villages several years later.

There were supposed to be four rounds in the whole examination, and the winner of each battle will ascend to the next round. The objective of this examination was to impress the Judge as much as possible.

"To repeat, there are absolutely no rules. The contest continues until one side admits defeat. However, when I judge that continuation is impossible, the match will stop there." The proctor of the third phase, Asuma Sarutobi, announced.

The other 15 ninjas were sitting in the examinee area which had a clear view of the battlefield, while Naruto was sitting with Sasuke in the stands, eating ramen.

"I don't think you should eat just before a fight." Sasuke said.

"Nah, they are all a bunch of weaklings. I doubt that they even hold a candle against me." Naruto said before slurping his ramen.

"Hey, I have an idea. How about a bet? Naruto said.

"A bet? About what?" Sasuke asked.

"If I win this round with just using these" Naruto said showing his chopsticks "you will have to train with me and Gai-Sensei. And if I couldn't then I will do as you say. Deal?"

"Deal." Sasuke said with a smug face.

"For the first battle of the first round, Naruto Uzumaki and Toshiro Norimaki, enter the arena." Asuma announced.

"There it's my turn. Watch closely." Naruto said as he finished his bowl of ramen.

Suddenly a bolt of Purple Lightning fell in the middle of the arena, and after the lightning faded out, Naruto Uzumaki in all white clothing was standing there, holding a chopstick. After that, a boy twice as old as Naruto came from the entry gate with a grin on his face wearing the Takigakure protector.

"Begin." Asuma said signaling them to start the fight.

"What? You going to attack me with that chopstick?" Toshiro asked in an angry voice.

"Why, yes of course. Why else would I bring a chopstick here?" Naruto asked.

"Why you punk!" Toshiro roared before dashing at Naruto. As soon as he reached a certain distance, he tried to kick Naruto's head from the side. But Naruto had already reinforced both his limbs and his chopsticks with Earth Release Chakra, so he simply held Toshiro's leg with his left hand and delivered 3 precise stabs on his thigh with his chopsticks.

After delivering the attack, he let go of Toshiro's leg and jumped back. Much to Toshiro's surprise, he couldn't sense his right leg at all, and was having difficulty in even standing up.

"What happened?" Toshiro asked.

"Pressure Points." The two words were enough to explain the whole incident.

"Now, surrender and I will spare your life." Naruto said as he directed his bloodlust towards Toshiro, who was already in a kneel down position.

"I will never accept this." Toshiro roared in fury as he began forming some hand seals. But Naruto disappeared right before his eyes and reappeared behind him, his chopsticks covered in Shiden. Naruto was holding the chopstick right behind his head, ready to end Toshiro's life in an instant.

"Naruto Uzumaki wins." Asuma announced the match before Naruto could proceed.

"I spared you on purpose, because you are not worth killing." Naruto whispered into Toshiro's ears before breaking the chopstick as he started to walk away.

"I will never forgive you for insulting me and my village." Toshiro yelled as he charged at Naruto, but he was quickly knocked down by Asuma before he could reach Naruto as he simply shunshined to Sasuke after walking some distance.

"I win." Naruto said with a smug face.

" 'kay" Sasuke pouted.

With Hiruzen

"That was impressive." Hiruzen said.

"Yeah, and when you consider that he has even gone all out, this becomes even more unbelievable." Kakashi said.

"What are your thoughts, Shikaku?" Hiruzen asked.

"Well, he is a chunnin material. But I would like to see one more match before giving any statements." Shikaku said.

"Yeah, he has so much to show. What you saw now was just the tip of the iceberg." Kakashi said.

"We'll see about that." Shikaku said.

xXx

The number of ninjas was halved after the first round, and now there were only 8 ninjas left for the battle. After winning his match, Naruto left the arena with Sasuke, so he had no idea about the others' abilities. In all the rounds, his match was the first.

"First Battle of Second Round. Naruto Uzumaki and Tahomaru, enter the arena." Asuma announced as a purple bolt of lightning again fell on the arena, signifying Naruto's arrival. A timid looking boy wearing a yellow and orange kimono entered the battlefield carrying a Katana. He was wearing the Kumogakure protector.

"Begin!"

"A swordsman? I guess I will cross blades with you." Naruto said as he unsealed his Ninjato and activated his Domain Expansion. Seeing Naruto take out his sword, Tahomaru fainted in fear.

"Huh, he is out cold." Naruto turned his head towards Asuma to confirm. But as he turned his head, he did a 90 degree backbend in order to dodge Tahomaru's swing, who came at him at a blinding speed while being unconscious. (A/N: Matrix bullet dodge scene.)

"That sure was fast… but I am faster." Naruto said as lightning cranked up around him. Tahomaru turned again to attack Naruto, but this time, Naruto was all prepared. He repeated the same movement and back bended. When Tahomaru passed over, at a speed that even Itachi had trouble picking up with his Sharingan, Naruto slid his Ninjato up, cutting Tahomaru in half, from his head to his groin. All of this happened in a split second.

None of audience picked up what happened and some Uchihas who did, didn't bother to explain. One moment, Tahomaru was attacking Naruto and the next instant, he was cut in half.

"Darn it. You stained my clothes, not to mention my hair." Naruto said as he sealed back his Ninjato. His whole body was dyed red by Tahomaru's blood.

"Now he really is out cold." Naruto said to Asuma before he Shunshined away.

"Alright, Naruto Uzumaki wins." Asuma declared the match. This was the first death of the day, and Naruto got the blood.

'The poor kid was passed out when he was cut down, what a pity." Asuma thought.

With Hiruzen

"How about this?" Kakashi asked.

"Okay, he can be promoted to Chunnin. No, let me rephrase it, He MUST be promoted to Chunnin." Shikaku said.

"Well then. He will be." Hiruzen said before signing a scroll of promotion for Naruto.

"What about the rest of his matches?" Kakashi asked.

"Let him play along, there is no need to stop him." Hiruzen said.

"By the way, when did he learnt using a Ninjato?" Hiruzen asked.

"After returning from the Land of River, he asked me to teach him kenjutsu." Kakashi said.

"I see." Hiruzen said.

xXx

In the third round, only four people were left. In this round, Naruto was to fight against Naori Kakei, a female gennin from the Kirigakure.

"Alright, first battle of the Third Round, Naruto Uzumaki and Naori Kakei, enter the arena." Asuma called out.

A purple lightning bolt fell again, and the next instant, Naruto was there, still covered in blood from the previous match. Naori also came to the arena using the normal shunshin.

"Begin!" Asuma called out as Naori took out a pair of kunai, but Naruto was simply standing there.

"Don't you have any sense of danger?" Naori asked as she shot both the kunai at Naruto. Seeing the kunai approach, Naruto simply raised his hand, with his fingers crossed and his hand covered in Shiden. The moment, the kunai came close, Naruto's Shiden shattered the kunai into countless pieces.

"If you are aiming this attack at me, then you are right, I don't feel any danger at all." Naruto said, but a sizzling sound came from the handle of the kunai, and the next moment a paper bomb attached to the kunai exploded. But before explosion could reach Naruto, he jumped back just in time to avoid it.

"A mixed attack of projectile and explosion, not bad." Naruto said as Naori approached him with a Katana in her hand. Naruto noticed her approaching and unsealed his Ninjato, engaging her in a kenjutsu exchange that lasted for half a minute before Naruto reinforced his Ninjato with Shiden and shattered Naori's katana.

"You still up for fight?" Naruto asked pointing his Ninjato at Naori.

"You bet, I am." She said but before she could do anything, a chain appeared around her legs, tying them, and were connected to Naruto's hand.

"Release!" Naori stopped her chakra flow but nothing happened.

"You were in a genjutsu before, and that genjutsu was masking the chain's presence. Now that I have released it, the chain is visible to you. And before you ask, I attached them during our little kenjutsu exchange." Naruto explained and Naori's face was covered in a horrified expression as if she knew what was coming next.

Naruto held her from her legs using the chains and then smashed her to a tree, breaking it in the process. He then smashed her to the ground twice, shattering almost every bone she had. "You going to give up?"

"Never." Naori said with a faint smile.

"Fine then, DIE." Naruto said coldly as he picked her again but this time he was going to smash her to the wall of the arena. If Asuma didn't intervene now, her death was certain. She would be smashed like a mosquito.

"Stop!" Asuma yelled just in time. If he was a second late, it would have cost Naori her life.

"Naruto Uzumaki wins." Asuma declared the match as Naruto finally dropped Naori on the ground and shunshined away. Almost all her bones were broken into multiple pieces, and some had even made their way into her vital organs. The level of permanent injury Naruto had caused to her, there was a high possibility that she would never be able to continue her career in this field.

"Such brutality!" Shisui said. Both him and Itachi along with Tenzo were supposed to look over the examination and were currently doing the job from the shadows.

"I think I know why he did that." Itachi said.

"Why?" Tenzo asked.

"The final phase of the chunnin exams is just a way for the villages to show their power. And Naruto showed the whole world once again that Konoha is never weak. And this was probably related to what happened in the second phase. What he did now was necessary evil." Itachi said.

"I see." Tenzo said.

xXx

For the fourth and the final round was between Naruto Uzumaki and Shikari Nara.

"For the Fourth and Final Round of the 144th Chunnin Exams, Naruto Uzumaki and Shikari Nara, enter the arena." Asuma called out as a Purple Lightning Bolt fell again, signifying Naruto's arrival. Shikari simply walked out from the entry room.

Both of them were standing before each other, ready to spill blood.

"No hard feelings, okay?" Kakashi said to Shikaku.

"Don't worry, Shikari isn't foolish enough to take on Naruto." Shikaku said.

"Begin." Asuma yelled as Naruto directed all his bloodlust and Chakra pressure towards Shikari, making him fall on the ground instantly.

"I forfeit." Shikari said before Naruto could do anything.

"You sure?" Asuma asked just in case.

"Yeah, I quit." Shikari confirmed.

"Naruto Uzumaki wins the 144th Chunnin Exams with absolute excellency. Congratulations." Asuma announced as a smile appeared on Naruto's face.

By this time, it was drilled in the spectators' mind that if a Purple Lightning falls, the enemy is destroyed. Naruto had, all by himself, produced the aura of death that wafted through the entire arena. He had demonstrated an incomprehensible power, and the ninja from all lands now knew his unfathomable strength. Naruto turned his back on the arena and started walking away as the crowd erupted in applause.


Author's Note

Here are Chunnin Naruto Stats with respect to Jonin [in base, i.e. without Kurama's help].

Age: 8 Years

Height: 4 feet 4 inches.

Chakra Control: 10/10

Ninjutsu: 9/10

Taijutsu: 8/10

Genjutsu: 10/10

Kenjutsu: 4/10

Fuinjutsu: 8/10

Intelligence: 10/10

Now, here Naruto basically soloed the whole examination. And this should be believable as Naruto is training under Kakashi, Hiruzen, and Gai. He is currently around Jonin level but his hax give him a really good advantage, and this is the reason he was able to defeat Kabuto. Also, regarding the next few chapters, as many of you would have guessed, he is going to join ANBU. There will also be a four year time skip, so be prepared for that. There is nothing in these four years and I am not in any mood to stretch the story. And are you guys interested in OC villains, basically to fill Sasuke's place as an antagonist, because one will be introduced sooner.

And as for Naruto's personality, you can say that he is like Gojo [Jujutsu Kaisen] and Killua [Hunter x Hunter]. He isn't like a spoiled brat. He could be cold and apathetic when needed but most of the times, he is a sweet little kid. And he also likes to taunt and irritate people to get the best of them. And about that Tahomaru guy, I was just trolling Zenitsu [Demon Slayer], so don't get offended. See ya in the next chapter, don't forget to review in mean time.