I do not own Naruto
Two days later, arena of training ground 44's tower
Two days had passed with little fanfare. Sasuke and Sakura had complained about the lack of good sealing paper and their inability to replenish their Kibaku Fuda stashes, but there was little they could do about it. As a personal favor, Anko-san had visited their safe houses and grabbed everything they had left there while they had stayed at the tower and spent some quality time with the Kusa team. The Hokage had visited a couple extra times, asking a few more detailed questions regarding their fight with Orochimaru, his snake and the Oto tam, going so far as to bring in a blonde man that Naruto recognized as a Yamanaka to delve into their memories to search for extra clues. During those visits, Hiruzen had hinted at the fact that Naruto's team might become their recommended team for any future mission in Kusa or in joint operations with a Kusa, much to the joy of the two Uzumaki. Naruto felt a bit bad for letting the identity of his father slip, after all the effort the man had put into keeping the secret, but neither Naruto nor the others made any reference to it, so… perhaps he could wait until the Hokage gave him his promotion? He was sure he would get promoted, and his friends could just pretend he told them a few days later, right? No harm no foul?
At the moment, all of the ninjas that passed the second test were gathered in the arena, where the Hokage had explained the true reason behind the chunin exams and wished everyone good luck.
A sickly Hayate Gekko had introduced himself as the proctor of the third exam and explained that, due to the large number of people who passed, a set of preliminaries would be necessary.
Sasuke looked around, noticing Kabuto. While it made sense for him to be there, he was certain that he would throw the match. When he saw the man forfeiting he was a bit surprised at how brazen of a display it had been, but couldn't say he was surprised.
The large screen had sprung to life, sorting through names until it landed on two:
Akado Yoroi
vs
Uzumaki Karin
Naruto smiled at the redhead, before following the rest of the group to the upper level
"Now that I think about it, it would have been nice to have Koiji-san as the proctor of the second exam." muttered Naruto.
"Oh? You didn't like my exam?" asked Anko in a mock hurt tone.
"It's not that. If Koiji-san had been the proctor, it would have been a full reunion of team Kushina. I just thought i'd be nice." he replied in an apologetic tone.
"Now, begin!" shouted Hayate, jumping away from the two fighters.
Karin pulled out a set of senbon, throwing them at Yoroi, who had opted for the same tactic. Both genins dodged the projectiles, with Karin throwing more senbon while Yoroi was swiftly charging the kunoichi, ducking under the flying projectiles. Soon, the two clashed, their battle devolving into a grappling match where Karin was clearly losing.
"Yoroi is an idiot." commented Risu, Byakugan activated.
Naruto turned his head toward his teacher.
"Why is that, sensei? He's winning." asked Sakura.
"That boy has the rare ability to siphon chakra from others, and he's using that ability in the worst possible way. It's like he's never heard of chakra overload."
"Uh, sensei… we've never heard of it either…" said Naruto sheepishly.
"Nor would I expect you to. It's a very rare condition that only applies when a body receives far more chakra than what they can handle. It's extremely rare, but once it occurs, the chakra coils don't just expand, but start to crack. And once the coils crack, the body starts to leak chakra like a fountain, unable to keep it contained. Within a few seconds, the body runs out completely and dies."
"That's horrible!" shouted Kiba, who overheard the whole conversation. "Isn't there anything Yoroi can do?"
"He could use chakra. Just use some powerful techniques to reduce the pressure on his coils, either coming in melee with reduced reserves or even simply by shooting chakra out of his system like in the water walking exercise. Kami, the Dama no jutsu would be perfect in this situation, but Yoroi isn't doing anything of the sort. Therefore, he's an idiot. He probably thinks he can handle Karin's chakra and knows nothing about the Uzumaki's massive reserves. Moroshi-san should have trained his team better."
Sasuke smirked. "So Karin got lucky with her opponent."
"Luck has nothing to do with this. Do I have to remind you that these exams are a publicity stunt for the Daimyos?"
Sasuke's head snapped toward the man. "The selection is rigged?"
"Not in any way that can be proven. But you have to admit that Karin's chains are exactly the type of flashy move that makes for good spectacle. The fact she apparently can only use them once before running out of chakra makes for good drama."
He turned to look at his students. "Yoroi has a powerful technique that, while useful in the field, is going to bore the Daimyos to death. Is it any wonder that the organizers don't want him?"
Down in the arena, Karin managed to escape from Yoroi's grasp. She was tired, but she knew Yoroi wasn't doing well. She could almost feel the strain on his chakra coil, the first cracks of excessive pressure building up. Could the man not feel it? How was walking toward her with confidence, unaware of how close he was to actually dying? Someone born with the ability to siphon chakra should have ample training in feeling their own reserves!
"Stop squirming and surrender already!"
Yoroi lunged, grabbing her head and draining chakra for the last time.
A wave of energy washed over Karin, temporarily blinded Sasuke's Sharingan and pushed a cloud of dust away from the Konoha genin. Risu watched Yoroi's coils exploding in fascination. He was probably the first Hyuuga to observe the phenomenon. He knew the clan elders would demand a detailed description about what he just saw.
The proctor examined the body, waved the medical staff and put a white sheet over the corpse.
"Winner of the first match is Uzumaki Karin!"
Karin nodded, shocked by Yoroi's total inability to notice what was going on. Was there something wrong with him? Pensive, she joined her team and was promptly hugged by Ryuzetsu, with Fuzaku patting her head.
The screen flashed through different names.
Akimichi Choji
vs
Fuzaku
"A strength match, then." commented Risu, more for the benefit of his students than anything else. "Not a bad way to go. The Akimichi clan contains some of Konoha's heaviest hitters, while Fuzaku is clearly a brawler. They are banking on Choji being stronger to monopolize the Daimyo's attention on Konoha"
"Now, begin!" shouted Hayate.
Choji flashed through hand signs and cocked back his fist.
Bubun Baika no jutsu
As he punched forward, his fist grew in size, matching the rest of his body. Fuzaku widened his stance, buckling under the pressure but holding on and grabbing onto Choji's giant fist. With a war cry, he turned around, dragging the Akimichi's body across the ground and threw him across the arena, slamming him into a wall.
"It seems your village has underestimated Fuzaku-kun." smirked Ruyzetsu in pride.
Choji dodged to the side, avoiding Fuzaku's flying kick before jumping away from the wall.
Fuzaku did not let him get away, jumping after the boy with a vicious gut punch that launched Choji sprawling to the ground. Fuzaku jumped in the air, preparing to dropkick the enemy.
Bubun Baika no jutsu
Choji's fist connected with the boy mid-air, launching him into the ceiling.
"I kinda see why the Daimyos like watching ninja fighting now." muttered Sakura.
Fuzaku stood up, clinging onto the ceiling before unrolling a sealing scroll, freeing a small waterfall onto Choji's face, blinding the Akimichi. Before the water stopped, he launched himself from the ceiling, spinning mid-air in a dropkick that landed square on Choji's face, knocking him out.
"Winner of the second match is Fuzaku!"
"Yes! Kusa rules!" shouted the man, before being ushered out towards the stairs.
Risu smiled. "That was a very creative use for your water supply, Fuzaku."
The man smiled, accepting the compliment.
"You three should take notes. These matches are bound to give you a lot of ideas for new tactics." said Risu, his team nodding in agreement.
Sabaku no Kankuro
vs
Tenten
Risu frowned "Someone wants to suck it up to the Kazekage."
"You think Tenten is going to lose?" asked Sakura.
"Of course she will! The Sabaku have Jiton and can control metal. He's the worst possible opponent for Tenten." declared Naruto.
"I'm fairly certain the boy can't use Jiton. But we'll see if I'm correct" commented Risu.
"Now, begin!" shouted Hayate.
Tenten unwrapped her scroll, launching a salvo of weapons against the Suna nin.
Soshujin no jutsu
Kankuro stood immobile as the weapons halted mid-air and dropped to the floor. Tenten threw another salvo, increasing their numbers, the projectiles once again halting mid-flight and falling to the ground.
"If that's all you can do, you should give up now." commented the Suna boy.
Tenten lowered her scroll in frustration, unsealing a pair of swords and lunging at the Suna boy. Before she could land a strike, however, the same weapons that she threw at Kankuro sparked to life, jumping at her face. Tenten dodged to the side, preparing to swipe when she heard the metallic sound of her blades being caught by a pair of floating sickles. She jumped away, frowning when she saw Kankuro surrounded by her own weapons, floating around him in a tornado of blades. She dropped her swords.
"I give up" she said finally.
"Winner of the third match is Sabaku no Kankuro!"
"See? Told you he could use Jiton!" declared Naruto.
Risu turned to Sasuke "What did you see, Sasuke?"
"I'm not sure. Lines of chakra grabbing the weapons. Was that Jiton?"
"Chakra strings! See? I told you he is a puppeteer!" declared Sakura.
"Well done Sakura. The boy is indeed a puppeteer, one that was actually hiding inside the bundle on his back."
"He what?!" shouted Naruto.
"He dressed up a puppet to look like himself and hid his body in the bundle. It's a very old school trick written down… Sakura, do you still have the scroll I gave you?" asked Risu.
"I haven't finished it." said Sakura sheepishly.
"Finish it fast and pass it to your teammates. All of you need to familiarize yourselves with that fighting style in case you'd end up facing him in the finals."
The trio turned to look at the screen.
Aburame Shino
vs
Yamanaka Ino
"Ino's technique aren't flashy enough?" asked Naruto.
"Hey! have some confidence in Ino, she wasn't that bad!" declared Sakura.
"But her clan techniques rely on controlling an opponent's mind. The Aburame hosts entire hives of insects within their body, even if she takes over Shino's body she won't be able to control the swarm. It's not going to be easy for her." pointed out Risu.
"Now, begin!" shouted Hayate.
Shino's insect flew out of his coat, flying en masse toward a terrified kunoichi, flinging shuriken with reckless abandon trying to chase away the swarm. Her efforts proved useless as the insects reached her.
"I forfeit!" she shouted.
The insects stopped, flying back into Shino's coat as Hayate declared the winner.
"Winner of the fourth match is Aburame Shino!"
"And that's what happens when you don't have an effective counter move. When dealing with Shino's bugs, Sasuke has his Gokakyu no jutsu and his Engeki no jutsu, but you two will need some wide area attacks that can deal with the swarms." commented Risu.
"Kibaku Fuda?" asked Sakura.
"Possible. But they won't help you if the bugs get on you, so Kibaky Fuda alone won't be enough." He pointed at the screen.
Nara Shikamaru
vs
Ryuzetsu
"Time to make this a sweep! Go Kusa!" shouted Fuzaku.
Ruyzetsu smiled, jumping off and graciously landing on the arena floor.
Shikamaru muttered, complaining about fighting a girl, only to receive a slap on his back from Ino.
"C'mon Shika! You gotta defeat her for Choji and team 10! Show her who's boss!"
With a deep sigh, Shikamaru walked down to the arena, taking his place in front of the Kusa kunoichi.
"You know… You can always surrender." offered the girl.
"I wish. Unfortunately, fighting you is much less troublesome than what's going to happen to me if I don't, so…"
"I see. If it's any consolation, I promise to use the blunt side of my sword. Consider it an olive branch between two allied nations." said Ruyzetsu with a smile.
"Now, begin!" shouted Hayate.
Ryuzetsu dashed forward, sword drawn in an horizontal strike. Shikamaru tried to jump backward, but the girl was faster, striking his arm with the back side of her sword like she promised. Shikamaru grunted in pain, palming a kunai to defend himself from her strikes. His left arm was in a world of pain, but he forced his hand into one of his pockets, drawing out a smoke bomb.
The two fighters were encased in a black cloud, and the sound of metal clashing could be heard across the arena, before the sound of bones breaking could be heard echoing in the arena.
Shikamaru emerged from the smoke, clutching his side and immediately flashed through hand signs, readying himself for Ryuzetsu's attack.
Shunshin no jutsu
Shikamaru turned his head, the white haired girl appearing behind him, charging in for another strike.
Kagemane no jutsu
Shikamaru's shadow shot forward, connecting with Ryuzetsu's, and her body tensed up, stopping barely a meter from Shikamaru, sword raised over her head to strike.
Shikamaru moved back, Ryuzetsu following his movement.
"You know, I think you broke something." He moved his hands, with Ryuzetsu following his movement and placing her own sword at her neck.
"Are you going to surrender? I'd very much like not to kill you." said Shikamaru.
Ryuzetsu sighed "Fine. I surrender."
"Winner of the fifth match is Nara Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru wobbled towards the infirmary, one hand limping at his side while the other was clutching his ribs.
"Don't worry, Ryu-chan. That was a difficult match for anyone. You almost got him" said Fuzaku, patting her shoulder.
Before Naruto could say something to the Kusa kunoichi, Risu stopped him, pointing at the screen.
Uzumaki Naruto
vs
Tsurugi Misumi
Naruto jumped in the arena, landing with a loud impact and a big smile on his face. Misumi walked down the stairs at a calm and calculated pace.
"I'll say it only once: if I put my jutsu on you, it's over. Give up immediately." said the older ninja.
Naruto scoffed, slipping into an offensive stance and drawing Ashina's swords.
"Now, begin!" shouted Hayate.
Kage Bunshin no jutsu
Naruto's side of the field was enveloped by a cloud of smoke. Misumi didn't wait, flashing through hand signs for his own jutsu
Nan no Kaizo no jutsu
"That's an interesting one. Not too much of a surprise considering the guy's sensei" commented Risu.
"Why is that?" asked Sakura.
"That technique is considered a signature move of Orochimaru." He said, much to the shock of his two students. "Moroshi-san, Misumi's teacher, was once Orochimaru's student, together with your lovely proctor Mitarashi Anko. I wasn't aware that the man had passed down this technique, but considering how much Anko's fighting style resembles Orochimaru's I should have probably guessed as much."
"But what does this jutsu do?" asked Sasuke, activating his Sharingan while glaring at Misumi
"Increases flexibility. May sound dumb, but wait until you see it in action."
In the arena, a group of six Narutos had emerged from the smoke.
As soon as the smoke disappeared, Misumi flashed through hand signs again
Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no jutsu
Naruto lunged forward, his clones circling the newly created copies and lunged at the man. With a surreal movement, the copies of Misumi started to twist, limbs bending at unnatural angles and twisting, coiling around the Narutos like a mass of slithering snakes, locking every single one of them in a chokehold.
"This technique allows me to twist and fit into any space. I don't know which one is the real you, but if you don't give up I'll squeeze harder and start breaking necks until you either give up or die."
Kage Bunshin no jutsu
With a shout, another six Naruto clones appeared right next to six very confused Misumis, sword drawn and aimed at the neck.
"I think it's your turn to give up now!"
Declared Naruto, his figure shifting into visibility.
"He used the smoke of the Kage Bunshin as a cover to hide with the Shinkiro no jutsu." commented Kurenai, delighted at how well the boy had used the genjutsu she taught him.
"I give up." frowned Misumi, freeing the Naruto clones.
"Winner of the sixth match is Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto jumped in happiness, before running up the wall to join his teammates.
"Well done Naruto" congratulated Sakura.
"How did you modify the technique to make that much smoke?" asked Sasuke.
Naruto scratched his head "I made loads of clones and dispelled them to keep up the smoke. I've been trying to make my Kage Bunshin create a smoke screen so I can mix with my clones for a while, but every time I try that, I just end up making more clones instead."
"How many clones did you make?" asked Karin.
"I don't know… something around two hundred? I had to make a lot because they had to keep popping for the smoke."
"Maybe we can work on that after the exams. After all, your teammates have almost enough chakra to learn their own clone techniques, I'm sure you have more than a few tricks on how to use them."
"Are we learning the Kage Bunshin?" asked Sasuke, surprised. Wasn't that a jutsu reserved for the jonins?
"Of course not. I'm thinking Iwa Bunshin for Sakura and probably a Mizu Bunshin for you. They're weaker tha Kage Bunshins and cannot use jutsus, but that doesn't mean that they aren't an extremely versatile tool in your jutsu arsenal."
Their musing was interrupted by Lee's screams, forcing them to look at the boy in spandex, then at the arena floor and lastly at the screen.
Sabaku no Gaara
vs
Rock Lee
Notes
Te preliminaries are here!
I realized I never got to exploit the seed I planted with Yoroi, so I'll say it: his chakra drain ability was granted to him, it's not natural. At least it is in this story.
Yes, the preliminaries are rigged. Why wouldn't they be? It just makes sense given the circumstances.
Most of the fights should be pretty self-explanatory: Karin has the advantage against Yoroi (probably the only one she has an advantage against); Choji vs Fuzaku is a raw strength match (they wanted just one of them in the finals and they underestimated Fuzaku); Shino vs Ino was a gentle way to have Ino drop out without injuring her, Shika vs Ryuzetsu was to help shika (the idea being: pretty easy to catch someone with your shadow if they're running towards you); Naruto vs Mizumi is an easy win for Naruto: a grappler vs a dude that can make thousands of copies (aka: put the guy that excels at 1v1 combat and force him into a 1v100 match).
Gaara vs Lee is too iconic, I just had to keep it
New jutsus:
Bubun Baika no jutsu: partial expansion jutsu
Soshujin no jutsu: the jutsu puppeteers use to levitate and control blades. If they can levitate and launch blades, they should also be able to stop them
Kagemane no jutsu: shadow possession jutsu. You should already be familiar with it
Nan no Kaizo no jutsu: the jutsu Orochimaru uses to be... weird, I guess. I was surprised to learn this thing has a name
Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no jutsu: water clones
Shinkiro no jutsu: genjutsu, makes you invisible when you don't move. Thought about mentioning it since I haven't name-dropped it too often
Answering PM/Reviews
No, the names of the jutsus are correct. The "no jutsu" part literally means "technique of/art of", you can put tag it to any jutsu (except taijutsu moves) and it is correct. Rasenshuriken; Futon: Rasenshuriken; Rasenshuriken no jutsu and Futon: Rasenshuriken no jutsu are all correct. Sorry if you don't appreciate the format I chose, but I'm not changing it.
I have no idea what gave you the impression that you need to shout the jutsu name, you don't. The fact that you don't is pretty obvious in the manga, most of the times the name of the jutsu is outside of speech bubbles, meaning it's just there for the audience to recognize it. Which is exactly what I'm doing: if you don't think my description is good, you can hop onto Narutopedia and see what exactly the jutsu does