(A/N Welcome back to the second chapter of Untold Story: Uzumaki Naruto. I hope you all will enjoy the second chapter as well. I would appreciate feedback.)
Summary: Naruto had enough and drops his mask during the Chunin exam. A Jinchūriki, who had enough and was the host of the strongest Bijū wouldn't be good for the 5 great nations. Soon everyone would know that you shouldn't mess with Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchūriki of the strongest Bijū. The question is: Will he bring destruction, or will he just want to life in peace?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Warning: English is not my native language. Be aware of possible errors.
"Speech."
'Think.'
"Bijū/Summon Speech."
'Bijū/Summon Think.'
Chapter 2: Finals Part 1
Naruto looked around. He was in a dark corridor with metal walls. Tubes could be seen everywhere, some of which came out of the wall and disappeared into the floor or some that ran along the ceiling.
'How did I end up here? I went to sleep, didn't I?' Naruto looked at the floor and narrowed his eyes. The ground was minimally covered with water. What made him so serious were the colors in the water.
He could see blue chakra flowing in the water. He could see it flowing along the ground and eventually disappearing into the darkness. He couldn't explain what's going on here.
Naruto walked down the long hallway and stopped after 2 minutes. Several new passages were visible on each side. He looked at the individual corridors and wondered if any of these corridors lead out here.
A deep growl echoed through the hallways as Naruto wanted to take a closer look at one of the hallways. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. He got goose bumps when he heard that deep growl. He could feel a massive chakra signature.
It's overwhelming. He never felt such an evil and massive chakra. Naruto swallowed once and slowly walked in the direction of where that growl was coming from. Any normal shinobi might not approach that growl, but Naruto just had to go there.
He didn't know how to describe it. It was as if an invisible force was calling him. He thought he felt this chakra before. He just couldn't remember exactly from where. He calmly walked down a long corridor and continued to follow the sound.
He could see light at the end of the corridor. From his position in the middle of the corridor he could already see that there was a large room at the end of the corridor. After a short time, Naruto came into the huge room and looked around. Just like in the small corridors and everywhere else, the walls were made of some kind of metal, and you could see some pipes running along the walls.
At the end of the huge room were 2 massive doors with bars. The door looked like it was from a prison cell and where the lock should be there was a piece of paper with the kanji for "Seal" on it.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he approached the two massive doors. He already had an inkling of where he was, and he didn't like it. That would also explain why he could see chakra in the water that was on the floor. He seemed to be in his subconscious.
Naruto could see it now. Behind the two massive doors was everything baptized in darkness except for the red chakra which was in the air behind the two massive doors. This chakra was oppressive and full of hatred. Naruto knew what hate felt like well enough himself. After all, he hates a lot of people from this village. But he had never felt this amount of hate before. Except for one time where he lost control against Haku and used the Kyūbi (Nine-Tailes) chakra. There he was even stronger than a Tokubetsu (Special) Jonin. A Jinchūriki (Power of Human Sacrifice) being had saved his ass a time or two.
Naruto was aware of one thing. Without the Kyūbi he would have died long ago. During his training he had felt the fox react to his anger and hatred. It was strange to feel something inside him. Something that wasn't himself.
"So, you came." A deep and resonant voice rang out, opening 2 massive red eyes with black slits. Naruto could see exactly how the mouth of the Kyūbi moved. Slowly and steadily its mouth opened and then it closed again. He could also see the huge teeth.
Naruto stayed silent and just stared into those massive eyes of the monster that attacked the village in the past and that's why he had such a shitty childhood. That fox in front of him was the reason why he had never made friends. He was the reason why he had no more parents.
Still, Naruto owed him his life more than once. Without the Kyūbi he would have died long ago. That's exactly why he didn't look at the Kyūbi with hatred right now even if he probably should but then he wouldn't be better than those fucking villagers.
"I like your look human. You seem to accept your hate." The Kyūbi looked straight into Naruto's eyes and as he spoke, a slight breeze emanated from the cage.
Naruto huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why shouldn't I accept my hate? It's because of it that I've survived for so long." Naruto was telling the truth. The Kyūbi knew that. After all, Naruto could only use his chakra if he was full of hatred and anger. Especially the hate had to be there, otherwise Naruto would not have been able to subconsciously access the Kyūbi's chakra. The fight against Haku was the best example.
There he was filled with hatred because Haku fatally injured Sayuri. He never really liked her, but the two became friends on the mission. Both could understand each other about some things. Of course, he never dropped his mask, but in some situations where just he and Sayuri were alone, he could at least partially drop his mask. Of course, after the fight against Haku and Zabuza, everything was back to normal, and both just fought again.
But when he saw Sayuri throwing herself in front of him to protect him from all the Senbon, extreme hatred welled up inside him. So much hatred that he was unknowingly using the Kyūbi's chakra and doing so in large amounts. So much so that even the Kyūbi's head manifested in the air.
"Did you bring me here Kyūbi?" Naruto asked. He didn't know exactly what it was, but since he'd answered he didn't feel that uncomfortable feeling anymore. The pressure that was put on him was gone.
"You will soon encounter the Jinchūriki of the Ichibi (One-Tails). You have gotten stronger in the last month, and you have changed enough that I would be willing to share my chakra with you."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that statement. He genuinely wondered what he was doing that made him so likeable in the Kyūbi's eyes. He had just told him that he could use a small part of his chakra at any time.
"What's the catch?" Naruto asked. "You will certainly not just share your strong chakra with me. You hate us humans too much for that." Naruto could feel it. This hatred was like a bottomless pit.
TheKyūbi seemed a bit satisfied because you could see his teeth for a moment and Naruto heard a slight laugh. Though, for a beast the size of the Kyūbi, that wasn't a light laugh. The laughter echoed through all the corridors in his subconscious.
"You're not stupid, kid. That's one of the reasons, why I'm willing to share my chakra with you." The Kyūbi straightened up and as he did so, the darkness behind the two massive doors vanished. Now Naruto could see the red fur and the 9 tails, which were wagging back and forth behind the Kyūbi. The Kyūbi took a step forward and raised its front right claw. He pointed a claw at the paper that was on the lock on the door.
"If you loosen this paper a little, you give me the opportunity to feel and hear everything that you hear. After 13 years I want to hear more than the endless silence in this cage. If you loosen the paper, I can also share my chakra with you in small amounts without you having to be full of hate." the Kyūbi explained. His teeth kept showing as his huge mouth opened and closed.
"How do I know to trust you?" Naruto wasn't sure if he should accept this offer. After all, with just a little loosening through this paper, he could completely loosen the seal or loosen the seal enough to release the Kyūbi.
"Even with that paper gone, those two doors would still keep me from escaping this cage. This piece of paper is only there so that someone other than the Fourth Hokage could loosen or tighten that seal. With this piece of paper on the doors, it is not possible for anyone to tamper with the seal from the outside."
"So, these two massive doors are the actual seal?"
"Yes. Whether I want it or not. Until you have the key and open the seal, I can't get out of your body. Many dangers await and if you die, I die too. You're different from other people and I'm willing to give you small amounts of my chakra so you don't lose."
Naruto met the Kyūbi's eyes and remained silent. Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten far enough in studying Fūinjutsu (Sealing jutsu) to be sure that the Kyūbi wasn't lying to him. However, it would be foolish not to accept this offer. He had the strongest of all Bijū (Tailed Beast) sealed within him, and this being would be willing to share a small portion of his power with him.
"Alright. I accept your offer." Naruto went towards the cage and the water started to form a kind of staircase in front of him. He did not question this formation of water and climbed the steps of water until he was standing directly in front of the seal.
"Unclip a small corner." Naruto picked up the piece of paper and slightly unclipped the corner. He released it again and then looked at the Kyūbi. The Kyūbi briefly closed his eyes and then opened them again.
"It's done. From now on you can use a small part of my chakra at any time. You should know how to do that." The Kyūbi then laid back down and closed his eyes. He focused on the things Naruto sensed. He hadn't felt anything but this emptiness for 13 years. Naruto bowed and after that he just disappeared, and the water fell to the ground again.
Naruto woke up and straightened into a sitting position. He looked down at his hands and briefly closed both eyes. He could feel it. He could feel his own chakra and the much stronger chakra of the Kyūbi, which was at the level of his stomach. Naruto opened his eyes again and then stood up. He wanted to visit Lee today and see how he's doing. He took a shower and when he was done, he made himself something to eat.
While he was with Master Chen, it was always meat and vegetables. Naruto had bought noodle soup yesterday, which he could easily make himself within a few minutes. He enjoyed the food of the gods in peace and then looked at his watch. Hospital opening hours for visitors began in 20 minutes. This meant he could walk through the village in peace and take his time. Naruto walked into his hallway and put on his black sandals. He then tied his headband around his arm and took the key and left his small apartment.
He made a hand sign "Henge!" (Transformation) Naruto was enveloped in smoke for a moment and right after that he looked different than before. He didn't want the villagers to see him like that or potential opponents in the finals. He could well imagine that Dosu, Gaara and all the other participants were also in the village. Though he's not so sure about Satsuki Uchiha.
He calmly walked away and closed his eyes a bit. His senses prevented him from running into anything while he enjoyed the sun's rays on his face. It was a pleasant feeling.
The hospital was too quiet for Naruto's liking. When he went to the lobby to register, he saw no staff. Nobody was at the registration and that meant that he had to put his name on a list.
Naruto raised both arms and made a hand sign. His henge dissolved in a cloud of smoke. Naruto sensed something ominous in the hospital and he narrowed his eyes. He walked down the empty corridors and the only thing that could be heard was his footsteps. Nothing else could be heard, although staff should be walking around everywhere at this time. He didn't like that fact at all. Not at all.
He turned the next corner and felt that feeling again, which he felt in the entrance area. It came right out of the room where Lee was supposed to be. Naruto walked to the room and held out his hand. He grabbed the doorknob and pushed it down. He opened the door and saw that Lee was slightly covered in sand. Right next to the bed, Gaara from Sunagakure was standing, holding one hand over Lee and the other was on his head.
"Hey." Naruto's voice seemed to break Gaara out of a kind of trance as his body stopped shaking and his eyes went emotionless again. Naruto could see how Gaara's eyes had a weird look.
The sand, which had been vibrating before, was now calm again and didn't move a bit. "What are you doing here?"
Gaara looked closely at Naruto. Gaara could sense when someone was strong, and this guy who didn't exude anything in the preliminary round now exuded power. "I wanted to put him out of action."
Naruto's eyebrows were still narrowed, and his gaze was focused. "Do you have a problem with him or what's the point? You already defeated him in the preliminary round."
"I have no problem with him. I'm just going to incapacitate him. That's all and that's what I'll do." Gaara just wanted to raise his hand again until he suddenly couldn't move anymore. 'What? I can't move anymore.' Gaara had turned to Lee, but for some reason his body moved back to Naruto.
As he turned to face him, he saw someone new. It was Shikamaru Nara using his Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu) on Gaara.
Naruto glanced at Shikamaru out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks for showing up, Shikamaru. You're a little late."
Shikamaru just nodded while also looking at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. He didn't recognize him at first , but he recognized him as soon as he saw his face. Shikamaru had to say that Naruto really changed drastically over the past month. He was wearing completely different clothes, but he still wore an orange jacket. However, the black fur collar gave the orange jacket a certain look that looked good. Just like himself, Naruto also wore a mesh shirt underneath his open jacket, but unlike Shikamaru, Naruto's mesh shirt was long-sleeved and not short like Shikamaru's. For now, he concentrated on the person he tied up with his Kagemane no Jutsu.
"If you interfere, you will end up like Lee. Do you understand that?" Gaara's voice was completely devoid of any emotion.
"Would you like me to tell you something? You must have had a completely lousy education. You're totally selfish." Shikamaru had sweat all over his forehead and for a good reason. This feeling he got while looking at Gaara triggered fear in him. Gaara was like a ghost to him.
'It's time I came up with something.' "We both saw how you fought against Lee and that's why we know exactly how strong you are. Keep in mind that there are two of us now and that we didn't show everything in the preliminary round. In the last month we got both stronger and to put it plainly: You're at a pretty big disadvantage here, Sandman."
Gaara looked unimpressed at Shikamaru "I'll say it again slowly. If you interfere, it's your turn."
Naruto remained silent, which Shikamaru noticed. He had noticed from the beginning that Naruto was completely different than a month ago. Even in such a situation, Naruto would normally utter a word and yet he was completely calm for the moment.
Gaara closed his eyes "You're absolutely right. I had a lousy education." Gaara opened his eyes and began to tell his story. At birth, Gaara's father transferred the ninjutsu from himself to Gaara and as a result Gaara became a sand spirit. The spirit of Shukaku, which slumbered in a monk before him, slumbered in him.
In Gaara's childhood there was only love withdrawal, contempt and punishment. He was spoiled and his father had given him insight into the deepest secrets of his jutsu in order to make Gaara a model child.
From his sixth birthday onwards, his family started trying to get rid of him. Gaara was emotionally unstable and that's why his father made the decision to get rid of him. It went on like this for years and Gaara wondered what he even lived for. He didn't see a point and that's why he gave himself one. He started dominating other people and defeating everyone. When he had that sense of power, he could stay calm, and he felt alive. This feeling confirmed his existence. Everyone feared him without any real reason, so he gave the people a reason.
Shikamaru couldn't believe his ears, he just couldn't believe this story. 'This guy has a screw loose.'
Naruto hadn't even said a word. He just looked at Gaara the whole time with a look that didn't reveal any emotion.
"Then we're more alike than I first thought." Naruto's voice disturbed the silence that prevailed after Gaara's story.
"I will now tell you my story Gaara. Listen carefully."
The sand had started to move after Gaara's story, but now it was completely motionless again and just laid there as if it were normal sand. As if it didn't want to crush someone right away.
"I trust you, Shikamaru. You are the only one I would trust with this story, and I ask you not to tell anyone about it." Naruto looked straight at Shikamaru and smiled ever so slightly.
'Naruto, what do you want to have in common with this freak?' Shikamaru nodded. He didn't dare to say anything. He couldn't wait to see what Naruto would say now.
Naruto looked at Gaara again without batting an eyebrow, much like Gaara. "13 years ago, this village was attacked by a monster with 9 tails. This monster destroyed a large part of our village and killed many villagers. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze fought and defeated this monster. According to the official version, that anyone can read in a book." Naruto closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they had changed slightly. His pupil was now a vertical slit, and his normally blue eyes were blood red. "But in truth, the Kyūbi was sealed in a newborn."
Shikamaru's eyes didn't dare look away from those crimson eyes. It seemed odd that Shikamaru didn't seem surprised. He wasn't a member of the Nara clan for nothing and had an IQ over 200. He always had his suspicions, but he never thought it was the truth.
Gaara's eyes widened briefly, showing emotion for the first time since Shikamaru and Naruto had seen him. The sand of Gaara reacted to his emotions and started moving away from Lee and was now around him as if fighting Lee.
"When I was a child, everyone in the village looked at me with hate-filled eyes. In the eyes of the villagers, I was the reincarnation of the monster that killed the villagers' family members. I was ignored, and some days I was beaten up and if I hadn't the Kyūbi inside me I would not have survived those days. I never had a father or mother to take care of me, I was supposed to be raised in an orphanage, but that orphanage kicked me out at the age of 4 and from there I lived on the streets for a whole year before someone found me and from there, I got a roof over my head." He closed his eyes and when he opened them again his normal eyes were visible again.
Shikamaru's breathing calmed down a bit. Even with the conscience that this was Naruto in front of him, his body automatically reacted and made his heart beat a little faster and this also stimulated his breathing.
The sand, which had been swirling around on Gaara before, calmed down and disappeared back into the vessel on Gaara's back. Gaara's eyes were emotionless again, but you could see that Gaara's full attention was on Naruto. Nobody had ever Gaara's full attention. Not in that sense.
"When I got into the academy, I had hope. I figured that I might finally make friends there or be recognized by someone. I tried my best in class and was rewarded with admonitions and expulsions. From that day I started wearing a mask. I made myself look like an idiot to let the villagers know I was a loser and that I was a loser so I could be really sure that no one would harm me."
Shikamaru got confirmation for his suspicion again and he didn't like it at all. Sometimes he hated it when one of his guesses was true. He had known from the start that Naruto only wore a mask. He'd never known exactly why. However, it was also much too annoying for him, because he got along with him from the start anyway. Shikamaru wasn't sure but something had drawn him to Naruto, and he just had to befriend him. In hindsight, he and Choji were later the only friends Naruto even had in the academy.
"When I became a shinobi, I was watched by other shinobi all the time. Everyone was a bit scared of me and everyone didn't want me to become too strong." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"The person responsible for this is none other than my father."
Now Gaara and Shikamaru's eyes widened. Naruto opened his eyes again and crossed his arms in front of his chest like Gaara usually does. "The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze is my father and just like you, I had a pretty miserable education and shitty childhood because of my father."
After that, the room went quiet. Nobody said anything. Shikamaru just looked at Naruto. His opinion of Naruto had completely changed. Before that, Naruto was always someone who had something certain about him. He seemed to be hiding something that Shikamaru found interesting. He didn't know why either, but he always had more energy and a good mood when Naruto was around him.
The respect he was developing towards Naruto couldn't be described. Naruto went through hell, there was no other way to describe this life. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like if he had been in Naruto's shoes himself. He didn't want to imagine it either. That Naruto didn't end up like this freak after such a life was a real miracle. Shikamaru vowed at that moment that he would always be a good friend to Naruto and that he would do more with him. Even if that should be annoying.
Everyone just stood there for 10 minutes and said nothing. Shikamaru had resolved his Kagemane no Jutsu long ago and after 10 minutes Gaara just started walking past them. "I will see you at the finals… Naruto Uzumaki." This was what Gaara said before walking out of the room.
"Naruto..." Shikamaru didn't know what to say. He was just speechless, but somehow not. He just didn't know what was wrong with him.
Naruto smiled at Shikamaru. Shikamaru had never seen that smile before. It wasn't that wide grin he always had on his lips. It just oozed with warmth and honesty. "We're here to visit Lee, aren't we? We should stay and keep him company. Maybe he'll wake up."
Shikamaru sighed and then just smiled awkwardly and shrugged. "It's annoying, but that would probably be for the best."
Naruto smirked a little at probably his best friend and went to Lee's bed. He opened the window and let fresh air into the room. When he turned around, Shikamaru had already set up a shogi board. "You play shogi?"
Shikamaru told him how he was taught that by Asuma. "Sensei Asuma is a pretty cool person." Shikamaru could only agree with his friend.
"Been a while since I've played a round." Naruto sat down across from Shikamaru and looked at the game board. "A very long time when I think about it."
Shikamaru didn't even ask why Naruto could play shogi. He just accepted it and was curious to see how good Naruto was at the game. Now that Naruto's mask was off, Shikamaru had a lot to learn about his comrade. He could learn a lot from just one round of shogi.
"Age before beauty." Naruto snorted slightly and placed the first stone. Shikamaru liked that reaction. The Fake Naruto would have yelled at him now, but the new one seemed to be giving calm and subtle reactions.
Shikamaru also placed his first stone, and it quickly became clear that the new Naruto was pretty calm. He didn't make stupid comments about anything or shout around stupidly. When the two talked from time to time, nothing stupid ever came out of Naruto's mouth. Naruto gave his constructive opinion on something and was able to logically justify why he held that opinion.
Overall, Shikamaru really liked the new Naruto. This Naruto was calmer and not annoying as much. He reminded him a bit of Asuma, who was also quiet. However, you could have a normal conversation with both of them. Even to the point that it didn't completely annoy Shikamaru. That meant something. He liked the brief moments where he and Naruto exchanged ideas on certain topics or where they just briefly commented on each other's moves and what they thought of it.
So, several hours passed, during which the two just played shogi in Lee's room and didn't let anyone disturb them. Lee slept peacefully the whole time, as if sensing the presence of his comrades and feeling safer because of it.
Maito Gai overheard the conversation and stayed out of the room the whole time. He suppressed his presence so that none of those present in Lee's room could sense him. He was shocked. Shocked by the story Naruto told about his childhood. He never knew that Naruto had such a miserable childhood. He would need to speak with the Hokage about this. He was just happy that Naruto was after all that still a Shinobi from Konoha, who valued those around him, who helped him. He saw it in his eyes, when he gave Naruto the weights of Lee. Naruto was someone who didn't trust anyone so fast anymore. You first need to gain his trust and respect. Since Gai helped him in the past, he didn't need to gain his trust first. But his eyes showed enough for Gai. Naruto would never be the same as before. When someone wants something from Naruto, this person would need to give Naruto a good reason why he should help the person. He disappeared shortly before Gaara went to the door.
Naruto and Shikamaru had once again started a new game of shogi, after which they both just got something to drink from a vending machine. "Thank you Shikamaru."
Shikamaru looked at Naruto and Naruto smiled gratefully at him. "Even now, you don't treat me any differently than usual. No matter what happened, you always accepted me for who I am. I thank you for that." Naruto just had to get those words out of his head. He had never thanked Shikamaru and that meant he finally had to do it. Especially today, when he's already gotten rid of so much.
Shikamaru scratched his cheek a bit uncharacteristically. When he took his hand away again and put a stone back from the game, he suddenly yawned. "I should be honored that you see me as someone special."
Nothing more needed to be said between the two after that. They both knew they could rely on each other and that meant everything to them both.
There was a lot going on in Konoha. Everyone in the village had a smile on their face. Every problem was forgotten, and everyone was happy. It's like Konoha was brimming with happiness. Especially shopkeepers and generally people who sell things in Konoha were some of the happiest. During the Chunin exams, many people came from outside and of course bought a lot in the village. Whether it was food or clothing. The profit was always high during the time.
Many people made bets on who would win today. The final round was just around the corner, and everyone was excited. Many just wanted to eat, drink and watch the exciting fights. Some also wanted to make money and that's why bets were made. It's not surprising that something like the fights gets wagered on. That's what the exams were for.
A few hours ago, the streets were pretty crowded as usual, but now there wasn't a soul to be seen on the streets of Konoha. Only on the roofs were isolated shinobi to be seen, who kept watch as usual.
There wasn't a single seat left in the stadium. For some, the stadium was a bit too small because not everyone could get in.
The Daimyō from the Land of Fire and other bigwigs were in a special area specially designed for these VIPs. Even with these bigwigs who wield much power, bets have been made.
One thing everyone in the stadium agreed on was that the final Uchiha would be the main attraction of the day. That's how everyone in the audience saw it, except for a few who also knew about the qualities of the other participants. For example, many knew about Neji Hyuga, and everyone had placed a bet on him as well.
The son of the fourth Kazekage was of course also on everyone's mind. After all, he was said to have never been injured. None of the normal villagers knew that Gaara was injured against Lee. Even most of the shinobi who didn't make it to the prelims didn't know.
Of course, the Jonin Sensei and the Genin who didn't participate in the final round were together and looked down at the arena together. Everyone was excited to see how their team members would fare.
One person in particular was worried about Naruto. We're talking about Sakura Haruno, the other person on Team 7 alongside Satsuki and Naruto. She never had a high opinion of Naruto at the academy, nor later. Naruto had been the class clown and a failure in her eyes. He always screwed up and always had problems with it afterwards.
When she got into a team with him and Satsuki, she quickly realized that there was more to Naruto than meets the eye. In the beginning she had still saw him with the same eyes as in the academy time. Everything changed when they passed Kakashi's test out of sheer luck.
She had accidentally seen Naruto after the fight taking care of some children. She didn't think Naruto had anything else on his mind than becoming Hokage, eating noodle soup and causing nonsense. It was there that she saw the real Naruto for the first time. For the first time ever a glimpse of what Naruto could be like. Not that she was aware of it there. She had changed her mind a little bit there, but overall, her opinion was still the same.
On the mission where they had to protect Tazuna, Naruto had taken over in a moment and seemed so much more mature and not at all like an idiot. She had the greatest respect for him at that moment, but when the dangerous situation was over, he was already arguing with the Uchiha again. The two just got at each other's hair the whole time.
It was there that she had really realized for the first time that Naruto wasn't just the loser as everyone thought. Behind this "failure" was someone with good strategic thinking and the ability to quickly analyze and react to situations. He was even able to fight Zabuza on his own for a short time so Sayuri could get Kakashi out of that prison from water. Naruto didn't fight like a novice in the fight, no he fought with precision and with a cunning she had never seen before. He took advantage of every situation Zabuza gave him, and this made Naruto even able to hurt Zabuza. Well… Zabuza wasn't going all out because he wanted to play with the 3 Genin of Team 7. If he would have gone all out, they would all be dead today.
The next time was in the Forest of Death where they all met Orochimaru. As with the fight with Zabuza, his nature had completely changed, and he was able to help Satsuki to hurt this snake freak. He saved her more than once, too, whether it was from those Chunin, from Zabuza, or from a few Genin in the forest.
She had long since understood that Naruto was not who he claimed to be. He didn't make it easy for Sakura either. Whenever she asked him about something like that, he would make one of his stupid remarks and Sakura always had to suppress the urge to punch her teammate over the head.
She once had a crush on a classmate like many other girls. However, once she saw his true nature, that crush quickly evaporated. She had started noticing Naruto since the mission with Tazuna, and something has steadily changed in her since then. She felt more and more attracted to Naruto every day.
Sakura also had her beloved long hair, which she treasures so much and all thanks to Naruto. In the Forest of Death, he did something that prevented her from losing her long hair. So does Ino, who was next to her and looked down into the arena. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have shorter hair.
Sakura could already see everyone except her two teammates. She was worried about Naruto for 2 reasons. One was that he might not come in time, and the other reason was Naruto's opponent. Neji Hyuga wasn't considered the strongest genin in the village for nothing. His mastery of the Jūken (Gentle Fist) was frightening. He never lost a match against a genin, including Lee.
If Neji easily beat someone like Lee a month ago, how strong could he have gotten now? She found out that Naruto wasn't trained by her sensei. He disappeared into the mountains with Satsuki and that's why she wondered how Naruto had been training in the last month. She herself had finally understood in the Forest of Death that she had to become stronger. So far, she's always been useless in battles where it really counted. She had a good academic background and had perfect control of her chakra, but other than that she couldn't boast. The little knowledge about genjutsu that she got taught by her sensei wasn't that special. She could only do one rank E genjutsu and otherwise she only had the jutsus from the academy that every shinobi could do. She actually wanted to ask Naruto if she could train with him. She just didn't find him that month.
She had asked many people if they knew where Naruto was, and nobody knew. Not even Hinata, who also spent a whole day looking for Naruto with her Byakugan. Her injuries were as good as healed after 2 weeks. It was all made possible by this genin named Kabuto. He was the chief doctor's adoptive son, and it was through him that Hinata's heart injury was treated quickly. Without him, she would still be so weak. She's back to full strength now, and that made Sakura happy.
"I think someone's coming through the gate!" Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and then looked down at the arena. There, someone with blond hair, an orange jacket with a black fur collar, black pants, and blue eyes walked into the arena. Sakura started smiling. 'Here you are at last!'
Sakura looked closely at Naruto and blushed. Naruto looked so different than before. He looked damn hot and this new hairstyle suited Naruto perfectly if you ask her.
"Is that Naruto? Damn, he's changed!" Kiba leaned forward to get a better look at Naruto. Naruto had changed so much that he didn't even recognize him. Only the orange jacket, the marks on his cheeks and his blond hair made him recognize Naruto.
"Let's hope he's gotten stronger too. Otherwise, Neji will wipe the floor with him." Kiba didn't want to admit it, but he really underestimated Naruto in the preliminary round. He was beaten and still he just hoped for Naruto that he would get much stronger. After all, his opponent was none other than Neji.
Naruto walked towards the contestants and saw the person supervising the exam this time. It was someone else than in the preliminary round, wearing the same outfit as most of the jonin and like the man in the preliminary round, he wore the headband like a headscarf. The metal plate only pointed backwards and not forward.
"There you are, I thought you wouldn't come anymore." Shikamaru looked annoyed as usual, and Naruto looked into his eyes for a moment while saying "I got held up."
Then he looked at Gaara, who also looked at him and nodded to him. Naruto also nodded back and 2 people in particular looked closely at Naruto. It was Gaara's siblings who wondered what was going on with their brother. He's been acting strange since yesterday. Did that have anything to do with this Naruto?
Naruto noticed that Satsuki wasn't there. It looked like Kakashi was taking his time again and that's why Satsuki wasn't here yet. He didn't care if the two think they're going to be late, then the two of them should do it that way.
He stood next to Shikamaru and looked up once. He saw all the grandstands and all the spectators cheering and shouting. The mood was pretty good, and Naruto was curious when his new haircut would be mentioned by someone. It could also happen that everyone simply ignored this fact. To be honest, he didn't expect anything less from the villagers.
He had come to terms with the fact that the Fourth Hokage was his father the day before yesterday. He still didn't know what to make of this person. He had such a shitty childhood because of his father. He acknowledges that this man was his father and that's all there was to say. He didn't love this man and didn't feel any connection to him, besides the fact that this man's blood runs through his veins and thus made him part Namikaze. However, he would never recognize or accept this name. He was proud to be an Uzumaki and he would never take any other name.
Naruto saw a sort of special balcony above the middle stand where the two Kage were sitting. In addition to the Hokage, there was also the Kazekage from Sunagakure. 'It looks like things are starting slowly.' Naruto saw the Hokage stand up and announced the start of the final round and then passed the floor to Genma. The man in charge of this round.
"Pay attention." Genma took out a sheet of paper and unfolded it. "Due to some incidents, the participants in each battle have been changed. You have to take a closer look at who your opponent is." Genma's senbon, which he always had between his lips, naturally moved with him when he spoke. It was sort of a trademark of him, everyone knew the habit of the jonin. At least to someone who knew him.
Every participant looked at the sheet and they could really see there were changes in the fights.
The first fight didn't change, Naruto and Neji still fought there. In the second fight was the first change. Before that, it was planned that Shino would fight Temari. Now Temari and Shikamaru were fighting there. In the third fight, Gaara and Sayuri Satsuki face each other and in the last fight only Shino and Kankuro would remain.
When Genma was sure that everyone looked at everything, he put the paper away again. "So, watch out." Each of the participants present looked at Genma. "You will surely have noticed that this terrain is a bit different than in the preliminary round. The rules are still the same, which means that there aren't any."
"The fight continues until one of the contestants is defeated and that victory is acknowledged. That is the end of the fight. Any questions?" He waited a bit, and when Genma didn't get any questions, he continued.
"The first match is between Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga." As the devil would have it, Neji was standing next to Naruto and they both looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes at the announcement.
"The other participants now go to the waiting lounge." All participants began to move towards the stairs leading to the waiting lounge.
"Good luck." Naruto smiled when he heard Shikamaru's voice. He just nodded and he knew exactly that Shikamaru saw this.
Naruto and Neji took a few steps away from each other and turned around. Now they both just looked at each other and waited for Genma to start the fight. However, the tension and the atmosphere were not as high as one might expect from the first fight.
Everyone knew Naruto's stories, his pranks and much more. He was still seen as a complete failure by the majority of viewers and that's why many just looked at the two participants with not many expectations. Many were sure that this would be a quick fight. After all, Neji Hyuga was praised as invincible. No Genin should be able to beat him.
"I wouldn't have thought that this boy would make it to the final round." Kotetsu sat right next to his childhood friend, Izumo, and openly spoke his mind and that of many others as well.
"You're right, it must have been luck. Naruto doesn't stand a chance against Neji." Izumo only confirmed this fact and was curious to see how this fight will go.
"I would not be so sure about that." The two got a little startled when suddenly Hayate appeared next to them in his normal gear and his katana on his back.
"Hayate, what do you mean by that?" Kotetsu was really curious what Hayate thinks.
"Just look at Naruto and tell me what you think of him?" He coughed a little and then looked down at the arena again. 'I will be eternally grateful to you Naruto Uzumaki.' Hayate had seen what Naruto could do. At least part of it. This was when he was lying on the ground bleeding and almost dying. He had heard about the invasion and was spotted. Naruto appeared in front of Hayate at that moment and distracted the two Anbu from Otogakure and right after that he disappeared with Hayate using the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique). He showed up at the Hokage with Hayate and there Naruto and Hayate told everything. That was the day Naruto was supposed to meet Master Chen. Because of this incident, Naruto arrived at the grave quite late. Naruto didn't get what it was about, though. He just brought Hayate to Hiruzen and then he was asked to leave the room. All he knew was that there were enemy ninjas in the village, and he prevented Hayate from dying. He couldn't kill those two anbu from Otogakure, since he wasn't at their level. But with Kage Bunshin and a smoke grenade, the distraction was good enough to flee with Hayate.
"He looks different, you're right. His hairstyle looks different now and suits him better, but what are you trying to tell us Hayate and why do you have your katana on your back anyway?" Izumo was slightly confused.
"Forget everything you think about this boy and start wondering when the fight starts." Those were the last words before Hayate disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other in confusion. Neither said a word because they both knew Hayate well. He would never say that without a reason. Both of them just looked down at the arena and tried to watch this fight without prejudice. The interest of the two was definitely aroused.
"Any last words?" Neji grinned. He has no fear or doubt of his victory. He was chosen by fate to win here, and he would. You couldn't change fate, Neji knew that.
"Brace yourself Neji. The storm that's coming will shake you to your core." Naruto closed his eyes and when he opened them again his eyes weren't the same as before. Neji noticed the change and immediately activated his Byakugan.
"Then try your best. Nice that you have such self-confidence." Still grinning, Neji went into the basic Jūken stance. "You will experience a disappointment today, like so many times in your life before Naruto."
Naruto himself got into his own fighting stance, which was similar to Neji's. Naruto's right foot slid back slightly and his left foot forward. He made a fist with each of his hands and had one fist far from the body and the other close to the body.
Neji had to say he was a little impressed. This basic position left no gaps, and he could only assume that Naruto had now learned a correct style over the month.
Naruto's hair suddenly started to wiggle back and forth, as did Genma's and Neji's hair. It seemed as if the wind would pick up due to the eye duel between the two opponents. Dust kicked up and seemed to blow around the 3 people in the center of the arena. As if a small mini tornado were being created and the three people were standing in the middle. The wind also hit the grandstands quickly and many spectators held something in front of their eyes to avoid getting anything in their eyes.
The wind also reached Sakura and the others. Her long pink hair was blowing in the wind and so was Ino's long hair sitting next to her. Both had been reminded yet again that they still have their beloved long hair, and both were happy about it. Even Kiba and Choji's shorter hair was blowing.
The wind blew in the face of the Hokage, who was smiling. He looked down at the arena and wondered how far Naruto had come. He knew exactly what happened in the first two weeks. After all, Neko had always told him everything. However, what Naruto had learned from his old friend Chen in the last two weeks was unknown to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen could remember Neko's individual reports and was glad that he once took 5 minutes to talk to Naruto, although he didn't have time at the time. Naruto seemed to have finally dropped his mask after all this time. Hiruzen had often tried to talk to him and tried to convince him that he should drop the mask. Up until a month ago Naruto had refused, always with the same reasoning. The encounter with Orochimaru finally seemed to make Naruto jump over his shadow.
"The first fight starts now. Begin!" When Genma was announced, it got loud again. Even with little expectation of an exciting fight, the spectators cheered loudly and looked forward to the fights. The Chunin selection exams were always a highlight, which took place every six months. The fights were always pure entertainment, whether they were a little fast-paced or a little quieter. The ordinary villagers saw such fights only at such big events.
The stadium went quiet again, waiting for the fight to finally start. Neji and Naruto just looked at each other and didn't move a bit.
Hiashi Hyuga was the head of the Hyuga clan and sat more centrally on one of the stands with his youngest daughter. He was curious to see how strong Neji had become. "Look at Neji properly. Nobody inherited the Byakugan stronger than Neji. It's even stronger in him than in Hinata."
"Huh?" Hanabi looked at her father "Stronger than my sister's?" Her father nodded and added "Maybe even stronger than yours."
"Really?" Hanabi looked into the arena again and didn't just look closely at Neji. She was also interested in the guy her sister was watching. She had often seen her sister with activated Byakugan watching this boy from a distance. She wanted to know what her big sister admired or thinks about this guy.
Naruto jumped back a bit and out of nowhere he had 4 shuriken in his right hand. He threw them and sent the shuriken flying at Neji from multiple directions. Neji saw the action and drew a kunai from a pouch. He deflected the shuriken, creating multiple yellow sparks and the familiar sound of metal on metal.
Naruto landed and braced himself as Neji was running towards him. Neji was a specialist in hand-to-hand combat, so why try to keep his distance? This would be stupid.
When Neji and Naruto collided with Neji being the one running towards Naruto, a small taijutsu fight started. The good thing was that Neji currently only used his palms in his attacks and didn't use any chakra. Should he fill his fingertips or palm with chakra and attack with it, Naruto could only dodge. If he tried to ward off these blows with his fingers or the palm of his hand, he would suffer internal injuries. That's what Naruto took from the fight of Hinata and Neji.
Naruto jumped back, landing on one hand, then pushing off and then landing safely on his feet again. Neji had gotten faster in the month; Naruto could already tell that much. If Naruto hadn't done this strength training, it might be the end of it now.
Neji went back to a basic position and waited. He almost managed to hit one of Naruto's Tenketsu (Pressure Points) but Naruto managed to dodge it in time. 'Next time.' That was his simple thought.
"Was that all Naruto? Where's the storm that's supposed to be brewing, hmm?" Neji grinned and looked Naruto straight into his blue eyes. "Admit it, you don't stand a chance against me at all. You are and will always be a failure."
Naruto also went back to his starting position "Get ready."
The exchange of blows so far had only been brief, but the spectators could see that both opponents had a lot to offer. At least that's what ordinary civilians thought. The Chunin and Jonin, also sitting among the civilians, were not impressed yet. They knew exactly that both opponents were just testing each other out and that the fight was only just beginning.
Both opponents charged at each other again and this was a bad idea from Naruto in the eyes of the shinobi. They would say he should keep fighting at range. Just like in the beginning, with shuriken.
Kiba stood up and yelled slightly, "What's that idiot doing there? Neji can't be beat in close combat! Why is he attacking him directly?"
"Shut up Kiba! Naruto knows what he's doing!" Sakura yelled at him slightly and then watched the fight again. She knew that the others have no idea of Naruto's true strength.
"I hate to say it to Sakura, but Kiba is right. Nobody can beat Neji in melee, he's unbeatable in that area and you'll see that shortly." Tenten knew Neji well, after all she had been on his team for a whole year now. She knew how strong Neji was and why he was the strongest genin ever.
Naruto deflected 2 punches from Neji and then turned around once. He lifted his leg and let it shoot forward like a spear. Neji, of course, saw everything with his Byakugan and jumped backwards. Naruto lowered his leg again and stood ready. Neji landed safely and then pushed off. He charged Naruto again.
Naruto stood by and took a stand. He narrowed his eyes and deflected the first palm swipe from Neji. Naruto then parried a low kick and then leaned back to avoid a finger from Neji. Naruto fell backwards and went into a windmill at the same time. Neji jumped back, dodging Naruto's kicks.
Naruto pushed away from the turn and whirled around in the air, clutching several shuriken in his fingers again. He threw the shuriken at Neji and in response Neji threw his own shuriken at Naruto.
The shuriken flew briefly through the air before hitting each other's shuriken's. The familiar sound of metal on metal followed several times, each with momentary yellow sparks. Naruto landed on the ground and immediately dodged Neji's next attack.
Neji thrust his arm forward, wanting to close a Tenketsu on Naruto's right shoulder with his fingers. You could see blue chakra pooled at the fingertips. Naruto barely dodged and then had to catch Neji's other hand with his own.
Naruto turned and held Neji's hand tightly. Neji was lifted off the ground and flew away as Naruto threw him away. Neji twisted in mid-air and drew a kunai from his holster over his hip. He blocked several shuriken and kept an eye on Naruto with his Byakugan the whole time. Naruto immediately rushed towards him.
Neji had to say that Naruto was really good. He had become extremely fast. As he had done. Naruto was just as fast as Lee without his weight. Neji really wondered what kind of training Naruto had done. Normally he should have hit Naruto long ago, but so far Naruto had been able to block, dodge or deflect every attack.
Naruto swung his kunai and Neji did the same as he hit the ground. Again, punches, kicks and other attacks were exchanged a few times. This time everyone could also see yellow sparks now and then. Naruto blocked Neji's kunai and then caught the wrist of his other hand. He and Neji now stood there with a firm footing and tried to push away.
After a few seconds, both broke free at the same time and jumped away. Both slid a little across the floor and stopped after a few seconds. They both looked into each other's eyes, ignoring everything around them.
Genma was still standing in the arena, having moved away from the center. He had to say that Naruto really had changed drastically. He's not sure why, but he had a feeling that the Jinchūriki of Konoha would conquer this fight. This is what his gut feeling told him, and 90% of the time his gut feeling was right.
Of course, he had recognized the resemblance as soon as Naruto entered the arena. He was a young version of the Fourth Hokage. Only a blind person wouldn't see the resemblance in that look. Especially with the longer hair. Without the whisker marks, Naruto was Minato in young.
Hiruzen wasn't disappointed when he saw Naruto hold his own against the genius of the Hyuga Clan. He knew he was making the right decision when he contacted Chen. Taijutsu was one of the first things you learn at the academy for a reason.
He was curious whether Chen had also taught him his own techniques. Chen was known for some special Taijutsu techniques that only he could master. Not even Hiruzen knew these techniques. He had a feeling that Chen had taught Naruto one or two of his own techniques besides the normal Taijutsu techniques.
"Wow. Naruto has gotten really damn fast." Ino said. She couldn't even see Naruto when he charged and approached Neji. It was just like Lee vs Gaara's fight. The other genin, with few exceptions, could not see him either.
He also seemed to have completely changed. She had heard from Shikamaru what happened in the hospital, and she couldn't believe it at first. The complete idiot and class clown Naruto was said to have changed completely. But now that she saw it, she believed everything.
Kiba just nodded when he heard Ino's comment. "You're right." Kiba was glad that he didn't have to fight Naruto now. The guy's as fast as Lee without his weights. At least that's what Kiba thinks.
Sakura cheered for Naruto like a good team member should. "GO NARUTO! YOU CAN DO THIS!" Of course, she also did this because she loves him. She was sure that her Naruto would win this fight. He was much stronger than any other Genin. She just knew that. The extreme progress this month was proof for her. She knew before that. As a genin, Naruto was able to hold his own against Zabuza for a short time.
Naruto's leg gave a little twitch and that was all Neji needed. He could at least see everything with his Byakugan. He saw exactly how Naruto charged from a standing position, even kicking up dust. It was amazing how fast Naruto had gotten in the last month.
Neji deflected a punch and countered with a palm strike. His hand just got deflected and right after that Neji had to duck. A second Naruto appeared out of nowhere behind him and that in the air. Naruto's kick swept over Neji and immediately thereafter Neji rolled sideways.
Naruto and his Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) now stood next to each other and looked at Neji. Neji could see exactly how the real Naruto and his Kage Bunshin had the same amount of chakra. So even Neji with his Byakugan couldn't tell which was the real Naruto.
Naruto and his Kage Bunshin took a stand and so did Neji. Now Neji had to fight against 2 Naruto. His eyes widened when he suddenly felt a fist in his stomach. He looked down in disbelief and saw Naruto's arm. His fist dug straight into Neji's stomach and immediately afterwards he punched his right shoulder, then his chest and finally he gave Neji an uppercut. Neji gasped as his head snapped skyward. He lifted off the ground briefly and that's when the Naruto ducked in front of Neji and another Naruto came flying with his leg outstretched. Neji gritted his teeth and turned away in mid-air.
He landed safely on both feet, hitting the Naruto who now attacked him with 2 strikes to the chest with his palm. He knew right away that this wasn't the real Naruto. The Kage Bunshin just went up in smoke and right after that, Neji saw the real Naruto with his Byakugan. He stood where he landed. After Neji dodged his flying kick, Naruto had spun in the air and landed on both feet.
'So even his Byakugan can't detect my speed when I use Soru (Shave).' Naruto had just used a taijutsu to move so fast. With Soru it was possible for him to move extremely fast. So fast that even many Chunin in the arena didn't see him anymore. This taijutsu was the ultimate speed taijutsu. When Naruto gets faster, he would also be faster with Soru. He could become one of the fastest Shinobi in the future with enough strength training und with this technique.
"Impossible." Kotetsu couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen Naruto just move. He had been too quick. He just disappeared and immediately appeared in front of Neji with his fist already inside his stomach.
"Did you see anything?" Kotetsu looked at Izumo and he just nodded. "Yes. Naruto briefly disappeared and right after that he appeared in front of Neji. I can't believe Naruto got so fast."
Kotetsu looked into the arena. Neji and Naruto just stood there and didn't move. "He must have used some jutsu. That wasn't his normal speed, which he was just using."
Izumo nodded. "I'm beginning to think Naruto could win against Neji. But so far Neji hadn't used any of his techniques."
Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw Neji holding both his palms together strangely. He could see the air gathering between his palms. Naruto got into a special basic position and stood ready.
Neji threw his arm forward "Hakke Kūshō!" (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm) Neji unleashed a barely visible vacuum wave from his palm, attacking Naruto with it. Everyone could see the vacuum wave racing toward Naruto.
Naruto made a quick kick "Rankyaku!" (Storm Leg) Naruto unleashed a wind blade with his kick. His attack hit Neji's Vacuum Wave and both attacks negated each other with a small explosion.
The black cloud of smoke disappeared immediately and now it was quiet in the arena. Nobody had ever seen these jutsus before. Neji had been developing his jutsu over the past month and Naruto had learned his jutsu from Master Chen.
The Kazekage looked at Naruto with interest. He had, of course, seen Naruto move. He's not a Kage for nothing, but to be able to move so fast at 13 was amazing. It wasn't the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique), that much was for sure. He wondered what kind of jutsu that was.
Asuma Sarutobi was currently seated next to Kurenai Yuhi. He had already heard from his father that Naruto was trained by Master Chen. He was next to Hiruzen and 3 other people the only one who even know about Chen. Everyone else thinks he's dead.
'This Rankyaku can create a wind blade… just unbelievable.' Asuma simply shook his head, amazed at what Master Chen had created with only Taijutsu. It wasn't even in combination with some other technique like Gai could unleash a volley of small fire balls when he used Asakujaku (Morning Peacock) but he could only do this when he used another jutsu in combination.
"Give up Naruto. You can fight it as hard as you want. You will never win against fate. I was chosen by fate to win this fight." Neji looked into Naruto's blue eyes and Naruto laughed in response.
Neji got a little angry when Naruto was so obviously laughing, taunting him. Naruto stopped laughing and looked at Neji with an amused look. "You really are pathetic for a shinobi."
"Do you really think that everything depends on fate? You said last time that I'll be a loser forever." Naruto pointed at Neji. "It's just weird that I don't have a single injury and you have a nice bruise on your body."
"I don't care about fate Neji. You're a complete idiot, always blaming everything on fate." Naruto's voice suddenly appeared behind Neji.
"If you think fate has made you the winner, then you don't have to do anything." Naruto dodged 2 punches and sidestepped to dodge another kick. He took a quick step forward and put his hand on Neji's chest.
"Shōgeki!" (Impact) Naruto held his right shoulder with his free hand and concentrated. There was a loud bang like an explosion and immediately afterwards Neji slid backwards uncontrollably, panting and spitting saliva.
Neji could feel exactly how a pressure wave shook his whole body. It was as if Naruto's palm sent a shock wave into his body. It was similar to the Jūken, with the effect being much greater than a single hit from a Hyuga.
Neji slid all the way to the wall and slammed into it. Neji spat out some blood and got down on one knee. He couldn't believe that a simple touch could have such an effect. He gritted his teeth and looked at Naruto. He was still standing there with his arm outstretched and his free hand on his right shoulder.
Neji stood up on shaking legs and glared at Naruto with anger. Naruto dropped both arms beside his body and just looked at Neji. Shōgeki was a taijutsu where you send a shock wave through your opponent's body, causing internal damage. There was always a loud bang like an explosion while the user of this Taijutsu creates the shock wave.
Naruto narrowed his eyes when Neji suddenly stopped shaking. He put himself in a special position and then stormed off. Naruto straightened into a basic stance and stood ready. Neji's gaze was no longer full of anger. His gaze was focused and aimed directly at Naruto.
Naruto blocked the first 3 punches and then countered with his own punches. A ferocious Taijutsu match ensued between the two using everything. Naruto immediately notices that Neji was now faster than before. Naruto looked at his lips and could see blood.
Neji seemed to have bitten his lip to hide the other pain. He now attacked much more precisely than before and much faster. Naruto had some trouble blocking and dodging all the attacks on his own.
He just dodged such a punch and immediately afterwards he got a palm from Neji against his chest. Naruto gasped as the blow hit him squarely. The air was knocked out of his lungs with the blow. He slid back a bit and looked at Neji.
Neji was in a weird position that everyone knows. Naruto's eyes widened as Neji disappeared briefly and appeared right in front of him. He jabbed his arm forward "Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!" (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) Naruto couldn't react in time and kept getting hit with finger jabs, closing one after the other Tenketsu.
At the end of Neji's jutsu, he pushed Naruto away with both palms one more time. Naruto grunted in pain. He was inattentive for a moment and that was his fault. He could have simply dodged with his Soru, but he had reacted too slowly.
Neji gasped briefly and then stood up straight. He grinned when he saw Naruto. He was lying on the floor clutching his chest, panting a bit. Neji looked down at Naruto and Naruto looked into his eyes too.
"Listen Naruto. No matter what you do. You cannot win against fate."
Naruto slowly got up and looked at Neji. "Are you done? I only hear you howling about fate. You are a shinobi and not a little kid Neji."
"You're a clueless nutcase, what do you know about pain?" Neji got a little louder and the anger in his voice was very clear.
"I'm not supposed to know what pain is?" His head was bowed slightly forward, and a shadow was seen covering his eyes.
"What do you know about fate? You have no idea what it means to wear a seal!" Neji began to tell the story of his clan and the division into main and branch families.
Meanwhile, Hiashi and Hanabi watched and Hiashi sometimes just closed his eyes. Hanabi looked at her father and partly couldn't believe what was being said there.
Neji had removed his headband and there was the seal that could be seen on his forehead. The seal was placed on every member of the branch family at the age of 4.
"Through my father's sacrifice, a war could be prevented with the Land of Lightning." Neji looked at his headband in his hand and squeezed it lightly. "All to protect the main family! But the family members with the seal have no choice." Neji's voice was full of anger and yet it was calm. "They were twins, yet their fate was sealed by the order of their birth."
Neji ties his headband back around his forehead and then looked Naruto straight into his eyes. "Your fate was sealed when you came into this arena and competed against me."
"Are you ready?"
Neji's eyebrows pointed inward, and his anger was clearly visible on his face. "You want to tell me about pain? You don't know what it's like to be beaten up by the villagers and wake up in the hospital. You don't know what it's like when you have no one and wonder every day what the point of your own life is."
"Come on Neji, you're not the only one with a shitty past. Unlike me, you had someone to raise you when you were a kid. I've always been alone in my life and had to see how I survive the next day. You think everything is fate? I shit on fate and change what I don't like."
Naruto closed his eyes and focused on the other chakra in his body. The chakra that was much stronger. "Neji. You'll understand now that you didn't stand a chance against me from the start."
Neji narrowed his eyes when he suddenly saw chakra flowing all over the body again and it wasn't the normal blue chakra. Red chakra suddenly appeared from the region of the abdomen and began to flow through Naruto's entire chakra network.
Naruto opened his eyes after a few seconds and Neji could see Naruto's blue eyes are now blood red with a black slit. However, they were only there for 2 seconds before going back to normal.
"Get ready." Naruto disappeared and appeared right in front of Neji. He thrusted his fist forward and before he could hit Neji, blue chakra appeared around Neji. Naruto narrowed his eyes and was thrown backwards from the swirling chakra storm that was just surrounding Neji. Neji was spinning, chakra swirling around him. "Kaiten!" (Rotation)
Naruto looked at his hand and saw the scratch. He looked at Neji and waited a moment until he stopped spinning and became vulnerable again. 'He's pouring chakra out of his entire body and spinning around quickly, blocking everything. Quite a strong defense. But it is only as good as the user.'
Hiashi Hyuga narrowed his eyes. He knew Neji was gifted. He even managed to develop a completely new technique. No other Hyuga could do Neji's ranged technique. He seemed to create a vacuum between his palms, and he shoots out that vacuum in the form of a wave. Neji had even managed to master the Kaiten, although nobody had shown him this jutsu. Normally only members of the main family could use this jutsu.
He would have some things to clear up with Neji after the fight. He evaded responsibility long enough and now he must take care of his brother's son.
Before Neji could even stop, Naruto just disappeared and was nowhere to be seen. He's currently using Soru, moving around the arena so quickly that few could spot him. Anyone below a jonin could see nothing. To this group it looked like Naruto had teleported away and Neji was now standing alone in the arena.
Neji let his gaze wander, trying to spot Naruto with his Byakugan. But he just couldn't see anything. He saw everything. But he didn't see Naruto. His eyes widened as suddenly a foot bit into his back, and he flew away.
A Kage Bunshin appeared right in front of Neji and caught him and then lifted him into the air before smashing Neji into the ground. Neji gasped and made a face. The impact was painful. He hadn't used the Kaiten in time.
"Rankyaku!" Neji's eyes widened as he saw Naruto spring up in the air and unleashed a wind blade with his kick. The wind blade flew through the air and raced at Neji.
"Damn it!" Neji was barely on the ground, so he couldn't turn for the Kaiten. He was just letting chakra flow out of his entire body and just hoping that would protect him.
The wind blade hit Neji, destroying the ground around Neji somewhat. A cloud of dust rose and there was no sign of Neji. Naruto landed on the ground and looked over to where Neji was lying.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and saw a shadow slowly rising. 'So, my Rankyaku can't break through his defenses. So, I must get close.' Naruto would have liked to learn a Katon jutsu, but he just didn't have the time anymore. It took him too much time to improve his taijutsu and to learn the special taijutsu techniques that Master Chen showed him.
Naruto charged forward and ran right into the cloud of dust. Nobody saw what was happening in there. Genma could hear metal hitting metal a few times and then there was a loud bang like an explosion.
Neji flew out of the cloud of dust and after several meters hit the ground. He coughed and writhed in pain. Naruto had just hit him again with Shōgeki and caused him more internal injuries. Neji could hardly move. He grimaced and suppressed the urge to scream. Several ribs were broken on Shōgeki's second hit.
The spectators had been quiet throughout the fight. They all couldn't believe how much action there was in this fight, and no one wanted to miss out. Especially because sometimes Neji and Naruto would just disappear from the viewer's eyes.
They all believed Naruto was going to lose straight away. But everyone was wrong and many even hoped that Naruto would win from a certain part of the fight. The fight had been madness.
Ebisu sat a little behind Kotetsu and Izumo. He overheard the two talking about the fight.
"Naruto is absolutely insane. He's extremely fast. I didn't think he would get that strong. He was even able to evade the effects of Neji's jutsu." Kotetsu smiled as he saw Naruto running out of the cloud of dust.
Izumo nodded "You're right. Naruto has become extremely strong in that one month. It's hard to believe but it was a really good fight. Naruto is really great."
Ebisu adjusted his glasses again and then looked at Naruto as he got out of the cloud of dust. It was really impressive how strong the little boy who taught Konohamaru this special jutsu had become. He had thought Naruto was nothing more than a failure. He had to say that Naruto did well. He seemed to be a completely different person. He hadn't even done a prank or anything else in the whole month. No one had even heard of him. He had changed. Ebisu now saw this with clear eyes. He misjudged Naruto and wondered if Konohamaru would one day become as strong as his role model.
Konohamaru saw Naruto as a big brother if Ebisu got it right. Until now, he always had the view that this would not be good for Konohamaru. After all, Naruto was the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi and at some point, he might lose control. But he now believed that Naruto could control the fox's chakra somewhat.
He couldn't think of any other way Naruto could otherwise use chakra again after being hit by Neji's jutsu and many Tenketsu being locked in his body. He must have used the Kyūbi's chakra to open his Tenketsu again. He even felt a strong chakra emanating from Naruto. He only seemed to have used it to open his Tenketsu. Immediately afterwards the feeling disappeared again.
"Now what is Neji?" Naruto stood right in front of him, looking down at Neji. Neji tried to move but he just couldn't. You could see the blood coming out of his mouth. He had no more strength. It's a wonder he could move like that after Shōgeki's first hit. That just showed that Neji wasn't considered the strongest genin for nothing. If Naruto hadn't met Master Chen and if he hadn't finally decided to drop his mask a month ago, Naruto would have lost. There was no doubt about that.
"You made a serious mistake Neji. You underestimated my clan and what we are capable of. Fate had nothing to do with this fight. You were just weaker than me and that's all there is to it."
The whole stadium was silent until Genma announced the winner. Genma smiled and then raised his hand. He knew Naruto will win. The Hyuga brat didn't stand a chance in his regard. "The winner is Naruto Uzumaki." At the announcement, Genma raised his hand to Naruto and the whole stadium raised their voices and cheered.
Nobody in the stadium expected Naruto to be that good. Nobody would have thought of it in their wildest dreams, except for a few.
"YOU ARE THE BEST!" Sakura, of course, cheered for Naruto as well. She knew her Naruto would win and now the others saw it too. She was so happy at the moment that Naruto won, and she showed it.
"Dad, how did this happen?" Hanabi asked her father while looking at him. Hiashi just closed his eyes. "This is due to the fact that Neji's opponent was stronger, Hanabi. There will always be someone stronger than someone else and Neji met the person stronger than him today." This fact was so simple and yet so true that Hanabi could only look into the arena. Everything was logical and yet she would never have expected Neji to be defeated.
Naruto turned and headed for the stairs. He had already said everything he had to say. He didn't want to deal with Neji any longer. He proved to him that fate never takes hold of anyone. Either you are satisfied and leave everything as it is, or you change something in your situation. Naruto had shown it all how this works. A month ago, he was known as a loser, but now a lot of people were starting to respect him.
Even if every shinobi in the village eventually respects Naruto, it wouldn't change Naruto's mind. He had a few people he cared about, and he didn't really care about the others. You must earn his respect and trust first.
Many shinobi knew about Naruto's childhood and very few really intervened when Naruto was beaten up again by some villagers. Naruto could still clearly remember all the faces that helped him back then and also those that ignored him back when he called for help.
(A/N I hope you all enjoyed the second chapter. How was the meeting between Naruto and Kurama? How was the meeting between Naruto, Gaara and Shikamaru? How was the fight between Naruto and Neji? I would appreciate feedback. I just hope you all have a nice day! Enjoy your life, smile and laugh a lot, help your friends and family! I wish you all the best. See you at the next chapter.)