The Fourth Hokage sat between his two advisors, Hiruzen and Fugaku, as every Konoha ninja sat before them awaiting instructions. The final stage of the exams began in just a few short hours and it was crucial that all shinobi be prepared to fight.
"Thank you all for coming. I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news to deliver. Just a few hours ago, the body of Hayate Gekkou was discovered by the Police Force near Kikyo Castle," he explained solemnly. Shocked murmurs and gasps filled the room.
"Why do I feel like Orochimaru had something to do with this?" Anko grunted, her eyes hard as she thought about the kind of person her old sensei had become…the person she once used to want to be like, the one she admired most, and ultimately the one who ended up killing her teammates and putting that Curse Mark on her neck before tossing her away when she wanted nothing to do with his crimes.
Kakashi, who was sitting next to her, silently agreed but also thought it right to speak out, "Perhaps, but it's something we shouldn't jump to so easily. We suspect Hayate was trailing an Oto nin, Kabuto Yakushi who had infiltrated the chuunin exams. He's obviously working for Orochimaru, but we also don't have physical proof of that," he added.
"Shouldn't we be canceling these exams, Hokage-sama?" A fellow chuunin questioned. "It's clear that he's after something specific and the chuunin exams are a way for him to meet that goal, so wouldn't it be better to just send everyone home?"
"Yes, that probably would be better. Unfortunately, Orochimaru has been a wanted nin for quite some time now, and this is the first time he's made his appearance in years. It's not something we can just let slip by, but more importantly, he threatened us to not call them off," the Hokage began, "These exams have brought all Allied Shinobi together, so we are responsible for more than our own people."
This seemed to placate those who were having doubts about continuing and they waited for their leader to go on.
"In the beginning, we were sure that Orochimaru did not have the manpower to attack any village, but our opinions of that have recently changed, especially with the infiltration of Kabuto Yakushi and the Oto ninja. In addition, he is a very strong individual and one of the Legendary Sannin which means his allegiance is widely sought after as opposed to having him as an enemy. Lastly, he has a particular grudge against Konoha and despite it being a peaceful time, there are many lands that still hold hatred for our part in the war."
"But what about the treaty? Would any of them really chance breaking such an agreement and jump-starting another war?!"
Kakashi sighed. "When it all boils down, the Alliance Treaty is really at the same level as a verbal agreement…just as the last war demonstrated."
"In any case, we don't have solid evidence to support any of our theories, so this is really just speculation," Minato reminded.
Fugaku cleared his throat. "A number of Uchiha Police and the last active Anbu squad have been dispatched to each land in order to collect more information," he announced. "It's important we gather everything we can before acting, as that could be what any enemy is hoping for."
"Until then, I have complete faith that each of you here before me will protect the village at any cost. Should there be any attacks, I know we'll be ready. I have extra security set up, but our forces are spread thin due to the exam. I ask you all to be on high alert so that we may act accordingly should our enemy make himself known."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" They all said in unison, bringing a smile to Minato's face.
Hinata woke up to her sister cuddling into her side and sleeping peacefully and felt herself reluctant to get up. It didn't happen often, but Hanabi would occasionally climb into her bed in the middle of the night. Normally, Hinata sensed her but her sister wasn't anything close to a danger to her and her body remained relaxed. When she was younger, she didn't have much control over her reflexes, though she was much better about it now. Her body responded to threats.
She looked to her window and saw that the sun hadn't begun to rise yet. Slowly, she got out of bed and pulled the blankets up on Hanabi before kissing her head. She pulled out her standard shinobi clothes and quickly got ready, strapping her ninja tools and making sure she had everything she could possibly need. She was tying her hair up just as she left her room, quietly shutting the door behind her. The Hyuuga household was dead silent. The only person other than herself who was probably up during this time was likely her father.
The day before, he had called her into his office after dinnertime to give her encouraging words that sounded more of what they expected of her tomorrow as a Hyuuga. She knew he had given Neji the same speech earlier and accepted his words with a bow of her head and an obedient "yes, Father." Truthfully, she didn't want to let her lineage define her and make her too prideful.
After slipping her sandals on, she left her home and slowly began to make her way to the arena where the final stage was set to take place. She still had a few hours, so she decided to take her time. She and her teammates decided to meet up an hour before it started at their usual training grounds, but she opted to visit the arena first on her own.
She thought about Itachi as she walked through the empty streets, with only the sound of her light footsteps echoing around her. Itachi apologized for something that hadn't happened yet and it left her confused as to what he could possibly mean. Her gut told her that Orochimaru had big plans for today, but she only had her instinct to go off of. If she was wrong and reported it to the Hokage, she would be responsible for exhausting resources. But if she was right and she did nothing…she'd rather get a scolding than carry the guilt of not saying anything on her shoulders.
She activated her byakugan and hoped that Minato was in his office early or late, but deflated when she saw he wasn't home or anywhere she could see within her byakugan vision. She could go in person but Naruto would have a lot of questions that she wasn't able to answer. Resigned, she replaced the clip in her hair with the one Shisui gave her. She hoped that Minato saw it in time to meet her in private. He wasn't going to want to miss Naruto's match, she knew, but maybe just before or after her own match.
She needed to express her concerns and tell him of her source's regret for today.
Slowly, the sun began to rise and owners began opening up their shops and stands for everyone who was going to be making their way to the arena. During this time was terrific business for the shops in the village. The chuunin exam helped their village flourish both financially and politically. Her old sensei was very smart and though he seemed to loathe being in politics, he excelled in it. He made difficult decisions daily while also having to watch his back around his own people, especially when people like Danzo and his organization were part of that group. She praised his willpower because she would have killed him the first chance she got if she were the Hokage.
Sighing, she understood why Minato hadn't done that the moment he found out. It was the same reason the Third Hokage had done nothing but demote him and "disband" his foundation. Danzo had many loyal followers who would not sit by and let his death happen or go with vengeance, which would only serve to put innocent civilians in harm's way as well as many shinobi. If what she'd heard about the organization was correct, Danzo only recruited the absolute best of the anbu, who also held certain jutsu or kekkei genkai, to be part of it.
In the end, she knew Minato was making the right decision by waiting and gathering evidence but she was still frustrated by it. She would just have to trust in her old sensei and do what she could.
When she found herself standing in front of the arena she was going to prove herself in later that morning, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. She trusted in her abilities and her will of fire, but it was Sasuke she was worried about. If Orochimaru truly had something planned, then he was in danger, as was Naruto. In the forest, she had seen him put a seal on top of Naruto's that messed with his chakra, though she didn't know until his match against Kiba. Her teammates were going to be high-risk all day until the exam came to a conclusion.
"Orochimaru," she muttered, "you won't get to them." She turned away from the arena to head to the training grounds to await her teammates.
Her teammates arrived a couple of hours later to her meditating on top of the middle training log. They shared a brief look, but then Naruto did a double take and couldn't stop himself from laughing, interrupting Hinata and causing her to look as well.
"What are you wearing?" He laughed.
Sasuke glared and shoved his shoulder. "It helps me move better," he snapped.
Naruto couldn't stop his giggles. "You're wearing a one-piece! You might as well get a green jumpsuit like Lee and Guy-sensei," he guffawed. "There's no way your parents actually let you leave the house like that. C'mon, you snuck out, right? Did Kakashi-sensei tell you that it looked good? You couldn't even wear a belt to make it look better?"
Sasuke stood there with his arms crossed as Naruto went on and on. He looked at Hinata who's face was slightly red and her lips were wobbling as though she was trying to keep from laughing. He gaped at her.
"You, too? Seriously?!"
Hinata covered her mouth as she giggled. "I'm sorry. He's just making it funny. I think it looks good on you," she admitted. "It's a good color." Honestly, she preferred the way white and blue looked on him, but she understood that he probably needed a change for such a huge fight. Maybe she and Naruto should've also changed their attire, though she had started wearing her hair up in a high ponytail but they had already seen her hair like that.
"Don't lie to him, Hinata!" Naruto laughed, practically gasping for air. "There's seriously no way you think that looks good. It doesn't even look like a solid black, more like a dark gray!"
"Naruto, that's enough," Hinata said, getting to her feet on the top of the training log and putting her hands on her hips. "Important matches are happening today, and you shouldn't be making fun of your teammate like that."
Naruto's laughter almost immediately died down at Hinata's tone. "Okay, okay," he said, clearing his throat. "I'll stop. Sorry for laughing."
"I guess I'll accept your apology," Sasuke uttered.
"I'm not apologizing to you," the blonde clarified. "I was apologizing to Hinata, for making her upset." Sasuke smacked Naruto on the back of the head and put his hands in where his pockets should've been, but then he remembered his change in attire. "Hey!"
Hinata sighed tiredly at their fighting, but it felt nice to be near them again. She saw Sasuke often, but the entire team hadn't been together since Sasuke was released from the hospital. She jumped off the training log and landed soundlessly in front of them.
"It's nice to have the team together again," she admitted, smiling at them. "When we're chuunin, we won't officially be a team anymore. We'll be going on missions with other teams sometimes and maybe even leading a team of genin." It made her sad, after being by their side for seven years.
Naruto put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "Probably, but we'll always be a team. We're gonna be so great that we'll all be specifically requested, you know!"
Sasuke smacked Naruto's arm off, but he grinned. "Naruto's right. We'll always be together, all three of us." Despite being apart for the last month, everything was the same between her boys and she felt relieved, especially after Naruto's confession and Sasuke's reaction to it.
"Yes, you're both right. Let's get going," she said. "There's nearly an hour before it starts. Oh, we should take our weights off first!" The two boys made a sound of realization and all three stood in the middle of the training field taking off various weights.
As they walked to the arena, they made light conversation about what they expected from their matches. They all agreed that it wasn't going to be enough to just show off their talents, they needed to show they were capable of critical thinking and strategic moves. They needed to showcase their intelligence, which caused Naruto to visibly pale.
"You're smart, Naruto," she assured him. "Especially on the battlefield. You're going to do great!"
Naruto blushed. "Aw, thanks, Hinata. You're gonna do awesome, too!" He leaned forward to nod at Sasuke. "You'll do good, too, jerk."
Sasuke scoffed but grinned to himself. "Same to you, loser."
"Oh, I heard Kushina-sensei left for a mission yesterday," Hinata hummed. "I'm sorry she won't be here to see you fight."
Naruto shrugged. "Eh, it's okay. It kinda sucked when she told me, but that's just the life, 'ya know?"
"Hina-chan!" Hinata turned around to see Konohamaru running at her at full force. She caught him easily when he jumped into her arms, much to her teammates' dismay. "Today's the day you become a chuunin!"
Hinata giggled and set him down before patting his head. "Thank you for being so confident in me, Konohamaru-kun. Your support makes me very happy!"
The boy's face lit up with a huge smile and he hugged her again. "I'll be cheering for you from the classroom. I just know you're gonna win the entire thing and wipe the floor with everyone!"
She blushed at his adoration of her. "You're so sweet," she said, patting his head. "Where are Moegi-chan and Udon-san?"
"I was on my way to meet them at this food stand somewhere. I wanted to ask you to come with me, but I know you're busy," he replied sadly.
"Thank you for thinking about me. I'll see you after the exam, okay? Have fun with your friends!" Konohamaru gave her another hug before waving goodbye, never once paying mind to her teammates.
"That kid's going to think he has a chance with you if you keep indulging in his behavior," Sasuke sighed.
Hinata gave him a flat look. "He's a child," she pointed out.
"He's, like nine or ten," he countered. "Not that much younger."
"He's not even a genin yet."
Naruto shook his head in exasperation at Sasuke's ridiculous worries. "Dude, you're in a legal and blood-binding contract. No one's gonna be able to get between you guys," he said.
"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke snapped.
"All I'm saying is that it's not very attractive to be jealous of every single guy she comes across, especially when one of those guys is a kid."
Hinata tilted her head at that, noting Naruto's maturity.
Sasuke regarded those words for a moment before huffing and crossing his arms, but he knew Naruto was right. He needed to get his insecurity and jealousy in check or Hinata would grow tired of his behavior.
Naruto glanced at his best friend and smiled when he saw him taking his advice to heart. Sasuke had shared his feelings with him that night of the announcement, but the Uchiha was letting those worries affect his attitude and behavior toward Hinata, and that was something Naruto would not allow to happen if he could help it. Hinata reached out to him and squeezed his hand gently as she gave him a warm smile, silently thanking him for looking out for them. Naruto returned her gestures.
"So, Hinata, are you ready to see me wipe up the floor with your brother?" Naruto asked smugly.
She giggled. "That kinda thinking is gonna lead to your downfall," she reminded him.
He waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. Just be ready to scrap him off the ground when I'm done."
"Naruto!" She gasped. This caused him to laugh.
"I'm just kidding. I'm not gonna underestimate him," he assured her. "I know how strong he is. You'll cheer for me, right?"
"I can't cheer for anyone because it's my brother against my best friend!" She admitted. She was thankful when they arrived at the arena because Naruto looked ready to protest. "Let's go in!" She pulled her teammates in after greeting the two chuunin stationed at the door.
When they walked in, they immediately realized they were the last ones to arrive—even though they arrived earlier than the scheduled time—and instantly got in line. The stands were crowded but not yet filled and it seemed the Kazekage had also already arrived as well as the surrounding Lords and the Fire Daimyo himself. Hinata caught Minato's eyes and nodded her head slightly, hoping to draw attention to the clip in her hair. She knew she succeeded when his eyes briefly moved up before returning to her eyes.
She turned to the stands and searched for her family, her eyes scanning the seats, before facing forward and keeping her back to the crowd. It was then that she realized their proctor had changed.
"Excuse me, sir?" She politely called out. The chuunin, who held a toothpick between his teeth, lazily turned to her. "Where is Gekko-san? I hope he isn't too sick." She felt a bit worried about the man as he seemed to be really sick the last she saw him during the preliminaries.
"...I'll be your proctor for the final stage, Genma Shiranui," was all the man said. "The matches are about to start so fall in line."
She turned to her teammates. "Maybe I should make him a basket of some of my medical supplies and we can deliver it to him," she suggested.
Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe Kakashi-sensei knows more about him. Hey, that Oto nin isn't here," he said after remembering that he owed him a beating.
Naruto looked around. "I guess maybe he decided to drop out?"
Hinata shook her head. "He didn't seem like the type to back away from any challenges… unless his leader asked him to," she thought aloud. "I think we should be on alert." Her teammates agree with a single nod and they wait for the exams to begin.
"Now, everyone, face forward and greet your spectators," the proctor said. As they all looked up, the crowd, which had only gotten bigger, cheered for them. "You guys are the stars of the final round."
Now that it was beginning, the group of genin stood tall and presented themselves calmly and confidently.
Sitting at the highest and most secluded spot of the arena were Minato, Hiruzen, and the Kazekage. Normally, it would just be the two Kage, but Hiruzen had become something of a close friend to the Kazekage, so Minato had another chair brought up for him.
As the Fourth Hokage looked over the competitors, he smiled proudly at his own team and especially his son. He'd seen how hard he trained with Jiraiya and Kushina had told him all about his time on Gamabunta's head with excitement. Minato had been thoroughly impressed, but not at all surprised. His son had immense potential that he still had not all tapped into, and he couldn't wait to see what the future brought.
Looking to his other pupils, Hinata and Sasuke, he felt they also had some untapped hidden potential as the inheritors of the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans. Minato's eyes went to Hinata's hair and he took in the sight of Shisui's clip in her hair just as she looked up to meet his gaze with a long, serious look. She had new information she needed to give him. He needed to find time to meet with her privately, but it would be difficult as her match was right after Naruto's. Perhaps after.
"Looks like it's almost time to begin," he said to his neighbors.
The Kazekage tilted his head. "I hear that Team 7, I believe they're called, is a force to be reckoned with. You taught them yourself, didn't you, Hokage-sama?"
Minato chuckled. "They're very good, but I'm afraid I can't take all the credit! My wife played a huge part as well as their current sensei," he explained. "The remaining Suna nin are also very strong. I believe they're your children, correct? You must be very proud." He wasn't going to mention the way the red-haired shinobi had been glaring at him from the moment he came into view.
"Yes, they're all very strong. They, too, had an incredible teacher," the man replied.
"I look forward to watching them fight. With that being said," the Hokage said as he stood up, "it's time to begin." He walked out to the railing and cleared his throat as he looked out into the crowd.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming to witness this year's Chuunin Exam here in Konohagakure!" He announced, his voice booming throughout the arena. "We will now begin the matches of the final round for the eight who made it through the preliminaries! We ask that everyone watch until the very end!"
The crowds cheered again in excitement.
Down in the arena, where the genin stood, the proctor began explaining the rules of the final round.
"Before we begin, I wanted to show you all the new lineup. Due to the number of competitors decreasing, one person will have to fight an extra match. The competitor that is no longer here was supposed to be in the fourth match of the day, as such the winner of the second match will be fighting the one left, is that clear?"
Either Hinata or Shino were going to be fighting an extra opponent due to Dosu mysteriously dropping out. It was gearing up to be even more challenging than they all expected. Genma put the slip of paper up and gestured to the field they were standing in.
"The location and terrain have changed, but the only rule is that there are no rules. Same as the preliminaries. The matches will continue until one or the other dies, or acknowledges defeat. However, I have the right to stop any match I deem over myself, and no arguments on my judgment are allowed. Understood?"
They all waited for him to continue.
"Now, for the first match… Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga. The rest of you will go to the waiting area."
Hinata squeezed Naruto's forearm as she walked past him, silently wishing him luck. She was conflicted about not cheering for either of them, but it was the only way to be fair to both of them. She shared a smile with her brother before facing forward and following the other up the stairs to the side and into the waiting room.
Neji and Naruto stood across from one another, both wearing smirks on their faces.
"Is there anything you wish to say before we begin?" Neji asked.
Naruto scoffed. "I vow to win, Neji. I'm not letting anything stop me from reaching my goal…not even my best friend's brother, you know!" He declared. The Hyuuga's smirk widened and he instantly activated his Byakugan.
"That works just fine for me. I look forward to your look of disappointment, when I'm declared the winner."
"Enough talking," Naruto hissed. "Let's get started!"
Genma raised his hand. "First match, begin!" He stepped away to the side as Neji and Naruto got into their respective fighting stances.
They stood there for a long moment, just watching each other and waiting for the other to make the first move. Neji had just begun inching closer when Naruto quickly sent three kunai toward the Hyuuga, who easily dodged them. The Uzumaki, having expected that, ran at him at full speed before throwing punches. He smirked when he realized that Neji's fighting style was different from Hinata's. He never released chakra from his hands while blocking so his hands and arms weren't growing numb. Sending chakra to his feet, Naruto jumped high over Neji's head and sent a plethora of explosive tags around him.
Neji was caught off guard and barely had time to jump back out of the way before they exploded, kicking up a thick layer of dust everywhere. Naruto flickered forward confidently, despite knowing Neji could clearly see him, and again began engaging in hand-to-hand combat once he made it out of the cloud of dust.
Suddenly, Neji got up in Naruto's face and managed to strike him with the Palm Bottom. He attempted to go for one of Naruto's tenketsu, but he managed to shift his body and drop to the ground before rolling away. The Hyuuga seemed shocked that he'd missed but shook it off. Naruto rolled his shoulder to test it out.
"It's clear you have no way of beating me if your first move was to attack a Hyuuga head-on," Neji taunted.
Naruto stood up with a wide grin. "It's adorable you think I was doing anything other than testing you out," he replied. Neji's eyes slightly widened. "I trained with Hinata for seven straight years and she's much more brutal than you when it comes to fighting." Naruto summoned up four shadow clones, making sure to distribute his chakra evenly between them. "Besides, Hinata makes sure that I don't even land a hit on her either. Feeling a little different, Neji?"
His opponent's expression went from confusion to shock instantly. "My chakra…but how?"
Naruto grinned. "Just a little bit of fuinjutsu. Don't worry. It doesn't take much, I just did it to see the look on your face," he explained.
Neji gritted his teeth and rushed forward to attack the clones. As he took out the first clone, he was promptly sent flying back by the clone exploding upon impact. He realized the clones had explosive seals on their back just as the remaining came rushing for him. Naruto stood in the back, watching everything with clear and analyzing eyes, never taking his eyes off of his opponent.
When Neji saw that they were close enough, he lowered his body and began spinning clockwise. "Rotation!" The Naruto's exploded as they made contact while also keeping him safe from the fire and kickback. As soon as Neji had taken the stance, Naruto recognized the form and began moving when his opponent started spinning. Naruto summoned around one hundred clones—He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the shocked exclaims and gasps coming from the crowd—and they all armed themselves with multiple shurikens.
When the rotation stopped, Neji was met with a hundred shadow clones surrounding him as they drew their arms back to release shuriken. He barely had enough time to do another rotation. His speed threw Naruto off and the Uzumaki had to change his strategy. Rather than calling off his clones, he let them slowly descend from the air to bombard the Hyuuga when his rotation was completed while rushing for the Hyuuga himself.
Neji smirked and went straight hand-to-hand with any clone that came into contact with him, instantly making them pop. Naruto hadn't put any explosive seals on them, causing Neji to believe that there was a limit. The real Naruto, in the middle of the clones, threw shuriken at him, weaving them back around with wire strings when the Hyuuga ultimately dodged them. He knew there was no way for his opponent to dodge both the shuriken and his clones at the same time. While Neji was fast and had the byakugan, his body wasn't fast enough to do what he needed it to do.
Cursing to himself, Neji did another Rotation but Naruto could see that he was slower, by just a bit. Neji's stamina wasn't anywhere near his own and it was beginning to show. Naruto let go of the wires and kept his eyes on the Hyuuga as they flew off somewhere in the distance.
"All right, Neji, it's time to end this," he said. "It's gone on long enough."
"You have no chance of beating someone from the Hyuuga clan," Neji said, slightly out of breath.
"Thinking like that…" Naruto yelled as he crouched and put all his strength into his feet before shooting toward the Hyuuga. Neji couldn't move back fast enough and he caught a punch to the gut. He coughed up a bit of blood as he was sent back through the air before sliding to a stop on the ground. He lay there unmoving for a minute. "It's exactly why you're going to lose this match."
Naruto stood a few feet away from Neji's still body before his widened in shock as the Hyuuga slowly stood up with a smirk, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"What?" Naruto finally asked, wanting to know what Neji seemed so confident about.
"You're in range," Neji said as he centered himself. The Uzumaki's brows pinched with confusion. He didn't recognize that stance, which meant this was something Hinata had not yet shown them.
Up in the waiting room, Hinata let out a soft gasp when she saw Neji's stance. "Are you willing to go that far, brother?" She asked herself quietly. Beside her, Sasuke reached out and put a hand on her back.
"What move is that?" He asked.
"Naruto will not be able to escape it and all of his chakra points will be shut down. He'll be unable to fight," she explained.
Sasuke sighed and looked down worriedly at their teammate. "So, in other words, this match is over…"
Back on the battlefield, Naruto raised his brow and got into a defensive stance. "In range for…what?"
Neji smirked. "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" The Hyuuga closed in and began thrusting his fingers. "Two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms, thirty-two palms, sixty-four palms!" In quick succession, he struck Naruto faster than the eye could keep up. Naruto didn't have any time to protect himself as his chakra points were being shut. In the end, the Uzumaki fell to the ground.
"If you thought I wasn't going to realize you were trying to make me use all my chakra, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought," Neji said. "All your chakra points are shut now and you can't move. This match is over, Naruto."
Hinata's hands clutched the railing tightly and willed her teammate to get up, but he was unmoving. She could do nothing but look on with sorrow-filled eyes as Genma walked closer to the pair.
Just as the Jonin was about to announce the winner, everyone was shocked to see Naruto shifting and slowly getting to his feet.
"What?!" Neji gasped.
Panting, Naruto looked up at him with a serious gaze. "You're not an idiot, Neji. I know you probably saw through my plan the moment I started putting it into play," he breathily laughed. "But I wanted you to get comfortable."
Neji glared. "And what can you possibly do without your chakra?" He asked incredulously.
Naruto put his hands together in a hand seal and began pulling at the fox's chakra inside of him, demanding for it to aid him. If he lost this fight, he was going to personally deal with the tailed beast.
"It's useless!" Neji sneered.
Naruto yelled out as he mustered up all the strength he could call upon, and soon he could feel it. The absolute power but without losing himself to it. Red chakra began forming around his body and wrapping around him like a protective armor. All of the spectators watched with amazement—and some fear—as they felt an intense sensation pouring out of the young boy.
Higher up, Hiruzen looked to Minato with shock. He hadn't known that the young Uzumaki boy was capable to tapping into the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra at will, and without losing himself to the evil that it contained. Minato, smiled proudly to himself, thankful that his sensei had worked so hard with his son to help him capitalize on the beast within him.
In the arena, Neji's activated byakugan caught sight of a pure evil within his opponent. "What…what the hell are you?" He questioned aloud, much too quiet to hear over the sound of Naruto's yelling, and the chaos his red chakra was causing.
Once finished, Naruto summoned shadow clones and they all armed themselves with kunai. "It's time to end this, Neji!" Naruto growled. Faster than ever before, Naruto and his clones seemed to vanish due to the massive increase in his speed and appeared behind the Hyuuga. Just barely, Neji managed to dodge and weave through every attack thrown at him.
In the waiting room, Hinata and Sasuke watched in awe as their best friend used this chakra after his points had been shut off. Both had their doujutsu activated, watching the fight closely for different reasons but equally with concern.
"I've…never seen him like this before," Hinata stated quietly.
"It was much worse in the Land of Waves when you got hurt," the Uchiha admitted. "But, now, he seems to be in control of it."
Hinata felt assured after hearing this, that Naruto was still there and not lost to the power trapped within him. They watched closely as Naruto relentlessly attacked Neji, impressed at the speed he was moving in.
Neji was barely keeping up, and when Naruto rushed at him with another kunai, he knew he was on the last of his legs and he needed to protect himself. He managed to do another Rotation just as he clashed with Naruto, which resulted in a huge explosion. The arena was clouded with dust, leaving everyone but the Hyuuga Heiress wondering what was happening as well as an eerie silence.
"What's happening?" Sasuke asked Hinata.
"They flew back and were slammed into the ground," she replied. "They're both down and not moving." She held back a smirk, keeping what she was currently seeing from the boy next to her.
When the dust finally cleared, the crowd could only see two holes in the ground and couldn't see who was in which whole…until Neji slowly crawled out of his. The Hyuuga grunted and panted as he stood tall. His chakra had been exhausted and, as a result, his doujutsu was deactivated. He made his way over to the other dent in the ground to see Naruto lying there passed out.
"See?" Neji panted. "I told you it was useless. The Hyuuga will always prevail." Just as he finished, the ground beneath him began to rumble. Alarmed, Neji looked down to see a fist coming out of the ground. Naruto pushed himself out of the ground and sent his remaining strength into his fist as it made contact with Neji's chin. The hit was so strong that it sent Neji flying back more than ten feet.
As Naruto landed on his feet, the Naruto lying in the hole popped. And the real one stood tall before the downed Hyuuga.
"I—I can't move…" Neji said through gritted teeth. "But—But how?"
Panting, Naruto smiled down at him, but it wasn't smug or boastful. It just simply was. "Neji, you're strong and talented. You're pretty much a genius, you know. But you're too prideful, in your eyes, and as a Hyuuga, and something like that will only lead to your inevitable loss. This time, it was to me but it could be to a real enemy next time."
Neji could do nothing but stare at him with serious eyes.
"You're the protector of someone very precious to both of us and that someone precious also cares about you a great deal. Remember that."
Genma tilted his head, chewing on his long toothpick, as he regarded the two genin for a brief moment. The Uzumaki had every opportunity to have a chip on his shoulder with his father being the Hokage and his mother being of the once great Uzumaki Clan as well, but he remained humble, worked hard with his training, and never once took his enemies as less-than himself. The Hyuuga was going to remember this lesson for the rest of his life, he was sure of it.
He raised his hand. "The winner is Naruto Uzumaki," he announced. The crowd burst into a roar of cheers, happy with the outcome.
In the waiting room, Hinata and Sasuke quietly rejoiced although the Hyuuga looked as though she was about to burst with happiness. The Uchiha was impressed with Naruto's strategy and knew he needed to step up his game when they all fought. Between his two teammates, he genuinely didn't know who would win. Within the last month, every time he thought about it, he couldn't find a clear answer.
Sasuke wrapped his index finger around her pinky and she smiled at him gently in return. Whatever the outcome was, he was prepared to fight either.
Minato clapped for his son along with the Third Hokage and the Kazekage.
"Your son is very talented, Hokage-sama," the Kazekage said.
The blonde bowed his head slightly in gratitude. "Thank you for your kind words. He's always been very serious when it came to his training," he explained. "I am very eager to see your son fight as well. His match against Rock Lee in the preliminaries was definitely something."
He didn't want to mention just how unsettling Gaara's lust for blood was that day—or all the time actually—and he opted to just praise the Kazekage for his job in raising them.
"You're too kind," the Kazekage replied. He looked back down to see the medics carrying the Hyuuga boy away on a stretcher as Naruto jumped up into the waiting room to greet his teammates.
"Naruto, you did amazing!" Hinata said, pulling him into a tight hug.
Naruto returned it enthusiastically. "Thanks! I expect the same from your match, alright?"
Hinata nodded against his shoulder. "Yes."
After pulling away from the hug, Naruto bumped his fist against the one Sasuke was holding out to him. "Good job, loser," Sasuke said with a smirk.
"Thanks, jerk," he replied back easily.
Hinata looked across the arena to the door that led to the infirmary. "I wish I had time to go see Neji," she said after a moment of silence. "He fought very well."
Naruto hummed in agreement. "He almost had me there for a moment. If I didn't have that fox, it would've been over. I was lucky," he replied solemnly. "I was only able to come up with that plan because of that trump card."
"You still did well with all the tools you had on you," Sasuke said. "That's what matters."
Shikamaru made his way over to the group and tapped Naruto's back, causing the Uzumaki to look at him. "Hey, good match," he said, a lazy smile on his face.
Naruto grinned. "Thanks! Are you ready for your match after Hinata's?" He asked
The Nara sighed. "I suppose. No matter how troublesome it'll be."
Hinata giggled. "You'll do great, Shikamaru," she assured him. She knew he rarely applied himself, but he was extremely capable and talented. She didn't doubt him one bit.
Shikamaru grinned at her and tilted his head lazily. "Thanks. No offense to Shino, but wipe the floor with him, okay?"
From the other side of the room, Shino adjusted his glasses. "None taken."
Hinata smiled apologetically at the bug-user. "Sorry, Shino-kun," she said bowing her head. "You know Shikamaru's humor."
"Don't be sorry. We're going to have a good match," the Aburame replied.
From the arena, Genma raised a hand. "Will the next contestants please make their way to the arena? Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuuga. We will begin momentarily."
Sasuke put his hand on her waist, getting her attention. They shared a look before nodding to each other, no words exchanged as they knew what was expected of her. Her eyes moved over to her other teammates, her best friend and she shared the same look with him.
"Would you like to take the stairs together, Hinata-san?" Shino asked.
"I'd love that. Thank you," she replied. She was actually just going to walk down the side of the wall to make it faster, but she didn't mind walking down with her friend/opponent.
"You've got this, Hinata!" Naruto yelled excitedly before letting out a soft yelp when Sasuke smacked the back of his head.
"She's right there, you don't have to be so loud," Sasuke scolded. Hinata smiled at their relationship and used that distraction to swallow a pill she made for today's match before she began heading down to the arena with her opponent.
With the Kage, the Kazekage turned to Minato once again. "The Hyuuga girl is also one of your old pupils, yes?" He asked though it was clear he knew the answer. Lots of people knew the famous group of students the Fourth Hokage had trained, with Kakashi and Team 7.
"Yes, that's right. She's a very sweet girl," Minato said. "She perfectly represents the Hyuuga Clan."
"Sweet as a kunoichi?"
"You'll see when the match starts. I think you'll change your mind," The Fourth chuckled. In the beginning, though seeing her potential from a very young age, he had also thought her too soft to live a life as a shinobi. When Hinata started to come into herself more, with the help of new friends and her relationships with the Uchiha Brothers, he realized that it no longer applied to her. That she could still be a terrific shinobi and gentle by nature as well. The Hyuuga Heiress had somehow found the perfect balance.
Shino and Hinata stood across from one another in the arena, and Genma stood between them off to the side.
"Second match, begin!" The proctor announced. The crowd grew silent as they waited for the competitors to begin fighting.
"Good luck, Hinata-san," Shino said.
"To you as well, Shino-kun," she replied. "I apologize in advance for any of your friends I may hurt." She knew how much his bugs meant to him. She had attended many funerals held for his kikaichu beetles back in the academy and rubbed his back as he tried to hold it together. Everyone thought him strange and sometimes creepy because of how attached he was, but Hinata thought it showed how much he cared. To care about something or someone to that degree was admirable to her.
Shino tilted his head at her words but said nothing more and he stood there and waited for her to make the first move. Hinata thought to use her byakugan but she didn't want to depend on it just yet, though she would have to eventually to keep track of his bugs.
Hinata focused her chakra and sent it out from all points on her body just in case he'd planted one or more on her when they were walking down to the arena together. Three kikaichu fell to her feet, lifeless.
"You seem to be knowledgable," Shino said easily. "I expected nothing less; however, they have already given me enough of your chakra."
Hinata got into her variation of the Gentle Fist, timing to see how long it took to affect her opponent if it did. She hoped it did. Quickly, she threw a few senbon toward him before moving in to attack him head-on. Shino deflected the weapons with a kunai and used a wall of bugs to take the gentle fist hits for him. Many bugs dropped to the ground between them, but Hinata didn't stop.
In between her hits, she constantly slapped explosive seals on the wall before jumping back and activating them, causing a multitude of bugs to disintegrate. When Hinata first realized that her pill worked, it was when Shino began panting so harshly she could hear it—though perhaps her heightened hearing made it so loud—and she allowed herself to smirk, just a little.
"What…" Shino panted. "Your chakra, it's tainted."
"Not quite," she answered. "I made a special medication that would be harmful to your beetles for when you inevitably sent them to take my chakra. When it transferred back to you, it would perhaps make you feel a bit fatigued and/or sick."
"Poison? You poisoned yourself? Without knowing if it would work on me as well?"
Naruto clung to Sasuke's shoulder, shaking him. "Poison?!" He hissed. Sasuke wanted to shove him off, but he couldn't deny that he was just as worried.
She shook her head. "I've had plenty of time to grow an immunity to the amount. It does not affect me anymore. You, on the other hand, I'm afraid it won't be pleasant for the rest of this match." Up in the waiting room, she could almost feel the relief radiating off of her teammates.
Shino couldn't help but smile behind his collar. "You're extremely smart, Hinata-san. But I'm afraid you'll still lose this match despite handicapping me. Prepare yourself."
Now, Hinata knew it was the perfect time to activate her byakugan. The veins around her eyes bulged out and no sooner than it was activated was she gasping in pain and stumbling back. Instantly, her eyes were off and she was doing her best to keep her eyes open, leaving everyone confused.
Still hanging off of Sasuke's shoulder, Naruto squeezed him tightly. "What the hell is going on?" He hissed. Sasuke, clenching his fists, leaned forward over the railing a bit with his sharingan activated, wishing that it was the Byakugan for the first time in his life. He was positive the Aburame had done something to render it useless against him, but he didn't know exactly what that was.
Hinata looked at him, impressed and excited. His kikaichu beetles had flooded the arena and underground as well, causing her byakugan to be essentially useless due to the imminent flow of chakra surrounding her. It was overwhelming and she knew this battle had to end quickly. She expelled chakra from all points on her body once again and did her best to not seem so uneasy. But she was.
She kept on her toes as Shino began throwing kunai at her. She diligently dodged them or caught them in mid-air and sent them back towards him. He constantly kept her moving in circles around him and she figured it was to exhaust her quicker and give her no time to expel chakra from her body or attack him with her gentle fist. But she found herself leaving explosive seals around him faster than she thought she was capable of.
"C'mon, Hinata! You can do it!" She heard Naruto cheer her on from the waiting room. She smiled but kept her focus on the Aburame as he didn't let up on his attacks and began integrating his bugs into them as well.
When she found the opportunity, she thrust her palm out and sent a Vacuum Palm toward her opponent, but he blocked it with a bug shield that held out. The attacks seemed to come to a stop from Shino's side and Hinata knew he was gearing up for something big and she braced herself.
Finally, thousands of bugs shot out into the arena from underground and Shino's sleeves, causing Hinata to grit her teeth. Quickly, she summoned two shadow clones and they flew off in different directions, separating the huge cloud of bugs. She had one more combination to use and then her chakra would be too low to have any effect on her opponent. She knew Shino was very strong and calculated, which was why she had to think outside of the box for the last month to come up with different moves that would throw the Aburame off guard. It was her only chance at beating him.
Her hands moved in a blur and she inhaled deeply as the bugs surged toward her. She got into position and spun into a rotation just as the bugs made contact with her barrier.
Sasuke, from up in the waiting room, was barely able to contain his surprise at her combination and he hoped it worked. Naruto raised a brow in his direction and the Uchiha leaned in. "She's going to use the fireball jutsu," he explained. "With her rotation."
Naruto's eyes widened in awe as he focused back on the match.
In the middle of Hinata's rotation, she got the memories of her shadow clones and knew it was time for the next part of her attack when the rest of the bugs would be gunning for her. She let out a stream of fire and integrated it into her rotation, causing the fire to grow stronger due to the wind she was creating.
Shino stared wide-eyed at the move his opponent had created. I was something he'd never seen before, and his poor kikaichu beetles were paying the price for his recklessness. He'd never thought she would throw elemental moves at him, but he should have known seeing as one of her teammates was a fire user who utilized his fireball jutsu often. He could do nothing but watch both in awe at Hinata and horror as his bugs disintegrated right before his eyes.
When she finally came to a stop, a majority of Shino's bugs were either dead on the ground or had been burned away due to her Fireball Rotation. The crowd around them cheered, but all she could focus on was Shino.
"Most impressive," he said, his voice just barely steady.
She put her hand up in a seal. "Just wait until you see this," she said as she set off the explosive seals that she had littered around the area. She had done her best to avoid hitting certain spots and focusing on where she could make sure Shino had landed, since he seemed to stay right across from her, no matter where she landed. It was time for the final parts of her combination.
The multitude of explosions caused Shino to fly back and land on the ground with a hard thud outside the cloud of dust that had been kicked up, giving her enough time to rush for him while focusing her chakra to the front side of her body. Just as Shino was getting back to his feet and getting ready to launch more attacks, Hinata came to a hard stop and let out a loud grunt as she sent chakra out of her body and toward her opponent.
This was a move that was still fairly new to her. Practicing it in secret, she knew it was capable of traveling five feet currently and she had to get that close to him. Because it was still new to her and she hadn't quite perfected it, it needed to be used as a final move as it took up a great amount of chakra. It worked just as the Vacuum Palm did, and would incapacitate him if he didn't dodge it in time.
Shino was sent back with a painful grunt just as Hinata dropped to the ground, panting and exhausted. She looked down at her hand and couldn't help but smirk at the kikaichu beetle that had managed to get her. Both competitors lay there, unmoving until Hinata slowly got to her feet and stood tall after having dealt with the bug. She was exhausted, sweating, and covered in dirt, but she had never felt better. She was able to showcase a few new moves and show off her strategizing abilities.
Genma walked forward from where he had moved away from the explosions and raised his hand. "The winner is Hinata Hyuuga," he announced. As the crowd cheered loudly, he could do nothing but watch as the Hyuuga girl slowly made her way to her downed opponent as though she couldn't hear them.
The proctor's eyes widened as she got to her knee beside the Aburame and she activated her byakugan as her hands glowed blue. He knew her chakra was nearly depleted and she was exhausted, but he found it admirable that she was still checking on her opponent—a friend, from the way they spoke to one another—before the medics came.
"I'm sorry I was so rough with your kikaichu, Shino-kun," she said, checking his chakra network to make sure the move landed as she hoped it would. She found herself smiling when she saw he was perfectly fine, though he was going to be unconscious for a bit. She worked to undo the blocked tenketsu that would speed up his regaining consciousness.
When the medics came, she explained that he needed chakra network maintenance and that she had already unblocked all but a few. They thanked her and carried Shino away on a stretcher. Once her friend was in capable hands, she turned to the crowd and bowed her head in thanks with a bright smile. She was exhausted and needed to rest, but she had won her first match. For now, she was done.
The Kazekage turned to Minato once again. "It looked a little iffy there for the Hyuuga, but did you know she'd pull through like that?" He asked.
"Hinata-chan is a very capable fighter. Those moves she used, I'd never seen them used together before and that finishing jutsu was something completely new, even to the Hyuuga Clan," he explained.
"How creative," the Kazekage replied. "This generation of Shinobi are quite strong."
"The new generation will always surpass the old," Hiruzen added, with a proud smile. "It's nice to see, to know that the future will be taken care of long after we're gone."
Minato smiled easily. "Yes, that's right. Our job is to guide and teach but, ultimately, they are the ones who will greatly surpass us." Then he turned to the Kazekage. "I believe your daughter is fighting next. I'm sure you're very proud."
"Temari is a very skilled shinobi. I believe you'll find yourself entertained."
"Hinata, that was freakin' awesome!" Naruto said when he and Sasuke went to meet her on her way up. "You've been training real hard, huh?"
Sasuke sighed at the volume of Naruto's voice, but he moved past the Uzumaki to look over Hinata's body. "Are you okay? Are you sure you don't need to see a medic or go lie down for a bit? You have an extra match, after all."
She smiled sweetly at their worry but shook her head. "I'll be fine after some rest and meditation up in the waiting room," she assured them. "But thank you both for coming to meet me." Naruto put his arm around her shoulder as they walked back up the stairs.
"Hey, what did Shino do that affected your byakugan?" Naruto asked curiously. "That really caught us off guard. We've never really seen anything overpower it before."
Sasuke leaned in a bit as he was curious as well, his index secured around her pinky as he decided not to give Naruto a hard time about touching her so casually for now.
"Ah, it turns out Shino-kun had planted a lot of his beetles starting from the end of Naruto's match when I shut off my doujutsu. I'd been training my eyes to see very little traces of chakra in order to prepare and the amount of bugs overwhelmed my eyes," she explained. "It was very smart."
Sasuke hummed. "I saw your face right after that," he said, causing the two to look at him curiously. "You looked excited, as though you were having fun." Hinata blushed and Naruto laughed.
"It was extremely enjoyable," she admitted. "I used to be terrified of enemies and I hated hurting people…I still do, but the dance you and your opponent create together, that is what's fun."
Sasuke chuckled as they headed into the waiting room. "That's what's perfect about it," he replied, removing his finger from her pinky as they came into view of the others.
Shikamaru walked up to her and lightly punched her shoulder. "That was a great match," he said. "I'll admit I got a bit worried toward the end there, but you came out on top. Get some rest for now."
She bowed her head. "Thank you," she replied. "Your match is next."
He nodded. "You'll be cheering for me, won't you?" To her left, Sasuke silently scoffed and looked away. He thought the Nara was being a little too bold for his liking, but he was one of Hinata's best friend's and he didn't want to take any friendships away from her.
Earlier, Naruto had been dead right. He needed to trust Hinata to make her own judgments on what friendships she wanted to keep. As it was, she didn't seem to sense Shikamaru's feelings for her. She hadn't even been aware of Naruto's until he admitted it himself, and he thought the Uzumaki had been very transparent about it. If Shikamaru never told her, she would probably never know. But…he knew how difficult it was to hold something like that in.
He knew the truth would come out eventually, and he didn't know how to prepare for that.
"Of course!" Hinata assured her friend. "You've got this, Shikamaru." Shikamaru glanced at Sasuke before nodding at the Hyuuga and going back to his spot to wait for his match to begin. Hinata, now ready to rest, took a seat on one of the benches near the back and promptly closed her eyes to begin her meditation and recharge.
She sat with her back straight and focused on healing her body with her concentration.
Sasuke and Naruto sat on either side of her to keep watch and make sure others stayed away during this time. Hinata could meditate anywhere she deemed safe, but she often asked Sasuke, Naruto, or both to keep watch if they were out on a mission. Though her senses were excellent, she knew there were still plenty of talented people who could go by undetected, but her teammates were there to have her back.
We hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! So I know I said this was going to be the last chapter of this arc but, while editing, I realized that the word count came out to nearly 15k words. I thought it would be best to split it, just as I did with the prelims. What did y'all think of Naruto and Hinata's fights? I'm still very new to writing fight scenes (and I had the anime to guide me with Naruto vs Neji), so hopefully it wasn't too bad. I hope to continue improving!
I didn't think I was gonna be able to post tonight, but I'm glad. I also realized very late that I had marked the next update to be on the 6th of January. I went back and corrected it, but I'm sorry if that threw some people off!
Please leave us some reviews and let us know what you think of the story, how it's going, and/or any predictions you have! They motivate us :))
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 01/06/24