Naruto: Journal of Hope
After the second half of the Chunin Exams Naruto is passed over by Kakashi to train Sasuke. Angry, he storms out and runs far away to an almost forgotten place. There he stumbles across a journal, written by his mother and holding the secrets of his lineage. Inspired by his parents' love, hope and dreams, he decides to become the Ninja his parents believed he could be.
Chapter XII: Yondaime's Legacy
Outside the stadium, hobbling on a set of crutches was Rock Lee, who had been critically injured a month ago by Gaara. He had just been discharged from the Hospital and was now on his way to see the final rounds with his Sensei, Maito Gai. The two guards at the entrance smiled as they welcomed the two.
"Welcome back Gai, you two best be heading in, the next match is about to start," the guard informed as Gai nodded.
"Yosh! Thank you, How did the first rounds of the Chunin Exam go!?" Gai greeted the two guards.
"Well, the first few rounds have been completed, however, Sasuke Uchiha has been disqualified due to him not arriving on time, so now Gaara moves on to the next round," the guard said as Gai and Lee were surprised.
"I see, I didn't realize my eternal rival's tardiness would rub off on his pupils, how unfortunate," Gais said as Lee looked over to them.
"Then what about Naruto and Neji's match?" Lee asked with great curiosity.
"Now that one was a surprise, the Hyuga lost to Naruto. To be honest, my money was on the Hyuga," the Guard informed as Lee was stunned.
"Neji…lost?" he said with disbelief before slowly smiling. "I see….good going Naruto," Lee said as Gai looked upon his student and nodded. "But wait, if Neji lost and Sasuke was disqualified, doesn't that mean Naruto fights against Gaara next?" Lee asked as the guards nodded.
"That would be the case, you know I have to admit I didn't think the kid would've been able to defeat the Hyuga Prodigy of all people. But from the way he took down Neji so effectively, maybe he has a chance?" the Guard said as Gai nodded.
"I see…well then, come Lee, let's go see how Naruto will handle Gaara," he told his apprentice as the crippled Lee nodded and hobbled into the arena.
Meanwhile - Arena Floor
Sasuke and Kakashi were somewhat dumbfounded, as they had just been informed that due to arriving late, Sasuke had been disqualified from the finals. It was a little surprising, to say the least.
"Eh?" Was Kakashi's response as he and Sasuke stared a little dumbfounded. "...did you say, Sasuke…was disqualified?" Kakashi asked as Genma nodded.
"Unfortunately, you failed to show up in time, so he was disqualified. We were going to postpone his match until you arrived, but some of the Shinobi leaders didn't believe in giving special treatment, so he was disqualified," Genma informed as Kakashi nodded.
"I see…so then, who will Gaara be fighting?" he asked as Genma pointed behind him to see Naruto standing before them, although he had to blink when he saw how different Naruto appeared compared to when he saw him a month ago. "Naruto?" he asked as Genma nodded.
"Real surprising actually, he managed to beat Neji with little effort. Whatever you put him through must've been worth it," he said as Kakashi felt a bit of panic in his chest.
'This is bad, I was certain that Sasuke would be given an exception for running a bit late. I didn't count on him being disqualified. I spent the last few weeks teaching Sasuke the Chidori to combat Gaara's Sand defence, I neglected the possibility of Naruto making it to the next round. Damn it, I should've taken the time to train Naruto as well. It's not that I didn't believe he could, but I figured that even if he lost against Neji it would've been a valuable lesson for him…but now that he's up against Gaara, and he doesn't have the Chidori or any Jutsu capable of penetrating Gaara's defences…shit, this is bad…' Kakashi mentally panicked as Naruto walked up to Sasuke.
"Hey, you okay? I'm sorry you got disqualified…" he said as the Uchiha stared at him with his usual cold expression.
"It's fine…I should've gotten here on time. I guess there's nothing I can do about it…" Sasuke said as he flexed his left hand. "I was hoping to use my new Jutsu on him. But I guess that won't be the case…" he said as he looked over to Naruto. "But that doesn't mean I won't want to fight you, next time I expect to go against you one-on-one…" he said as Naruto stared and nodded.
"Same, but next time be here on time," Naruto said with a smirk as Sasuke nodded. "Hey, Sasuke…" Naruto said as the Uchiha looked back at him. "Don't suppose you have any tips for me?" he asked as Sasuke stared at Naruto before shoving his hands in his pocket.
"Simple…don't lose…" he said as he walked off to the stands. Naruto stared at his retreating form as he nodded.
"Naruto…" he heard as he turned to see Kakashi and grinned at his sensei.
"Hey Kakashi-Sensei, didn't think I'd make it this far, huh?" he said to his teacher who nodded.
"You are constantly full of surprises, I will give you that and I'm impressed and proud that you made it this far. …but listen, I think it would be best if you drop out right now," he advised as Naruto's eyes widened. "I realize I should've taken the time to train you as well, but I spent the last two weeks helping Sasuke get ready for his fight with Gaara. The training I put Sasuke through was designed to counter Gaara's abilities. I don't know what Ebisu has taught you, but I don't think it will be enough against his power. Please, heed my advice and drop out. Gaara is an unstable person that will seriously injure you like he did Rock Lee or worse…please, I'm not asking you because I don't think you can win…I'm asking you for your safety…" he said as Naruto stared at his sensei.
On the one hand, he should be angry that his Sensei was telling him to quit. After a month of not seeing him and being dumped by another teacher while he trained Sasuke. Only to be told to drop out at the last minute was infuriating. If he was the old Naruto, he would've been shouting his head off at the man. But, that wasn't entirely what Naruto was anymore. Kakashi had been training Sasuke specifically to fight against Gaara, and probably even figured out a way to bypass Gaara's defences. Sure Naruto had some ideas, but Kakashi might have had a more effective method. And after reading his mother's journal and knowing the many people Kakashi had lost in his life, as well as the injuries Gaara gave to Lee, it made sense.
He didn't want to lose him the same way.
However, Kakashi knew nothing of what he had been through, and although Kakashi would think it was his pride talking, he had another reason to fight Gaara. He knew what it was like being a Jinchuriki but had taken a darker path. He had to save him, even if it meant kicking his butt…
"With all due respect Kakashi-Sensei…but I can't drop out," he said as Kakashi went wide-eyed. "I know it's not because you don't believe in me, but rather you don't want me to get hurt like Lee. But there's another reason I have to face Gaara…" he said as he looked up in time to see Gaara making his way to the arena. "...He's exactly like me long ago if I hadn't had people that care about me, and I need to help him…" he said as Kakashi stared a little bewildered at him.
This was not the answer he expected from Naruto. He was expecting a rather explosive tirade from the young man. But this, this wasn't what he expected. It seemed that in a month he had undergone a massive change in not just his appearance but also his mentality.
'What had Ebisu put him through in the last month? No, this isn't Ebisu's work, this is someone else…' Kakashi thought as for a moment, a brief second, he saw his Sensei and Obito in the young boy and blinked the phantoms away.
"Sorry Kakashi, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the arena. The match is about to start," Genma informed as Kakashi looked conflicted.
"...Okay, but Naruto, be careful. If things get too hard, quit. There's no shame in forfeiting," he advised as Naruto nodded.
"I know, but I need to do this," he said as Kakashi started to walk away. "...and Kakashi-Sensei," he said as Kakashi stopped and looked back. "After the Exams…we need to talk, alone…" Naruto said as Kakashi raised a brow but nodded before he flickered away.
Stairway
Sasuke and Shikamaru were walking back to the viewing box, as they made their way up the stairs. "So, Naruto…how did he do?" Sasuke asked as Shikamaru walked behind him.
"Honestly, the way Naruto fought against Neji wasn't like the Naruto we knew before. There was some level of tactic and patience this time. It was like he was a new person but still the same old Naruto. Whatever Kakashi taught him must've paid off," Shikamaru said as Sasuke shook his head.
"He couldn't have, Kakashi was training me the entire time," Sasuke informed as Shikamaru raised a brow at this piece of information.
'Then, if Kakashi didn't train Naruto…who did?' he pondered as the mystery surrounding Naruto's transformation became more and more elusive. Suddenly they stopped as they spotted Gaara standing at the top of the stair, a dead crazed look in his eye as his hand twitched and sand slowly started to leak out from his gourd.
"...I was to fight you…" he said as Sasuke glared and Shikamaru was practically paralyzed with fear. "I was to fight you to prove my existence…" The sand began to grow larger as Sasuke's left hand twitched, as if ready to form his chakra. "...But now…now I can't…" he said as the sand took on a monstrous shape and Sasuke prepared to use the Chidori. "I need to prove my existence…" his eyes darted around crazily as Sasuke's hand started to spark.
Until the Sand slowly seeped back into the gourd and he slowly walked past him. "...I will prove my existence…" he said as he walked past him. "...Once I kill your friend…I will come for you next…" he said as he walked down the stairs.
"Only then, will I prove my existence…"
Sasuke and Shikamaru stared at the crazed Shinobi, as Shikamaru was shaking with fear, while Sasuke glared at the one he was supposed to fight.
"Hey, where are you going? The viewing box is this way," Shikamaru said as Sasuke ignored him.
"I'm going to find Kakashi…I want to see what Naruto's learned in the past month…" he said as Shikamaru stared and sighed.
"Man…this is such a drag…" he said as he followed him.
Stadium Stands
Meanwhile, Gai and Lee made it to the stands they spotted Asuma and Kurenai, as they were about to watch the match. Just as Kakashi appeared behind them, making his way over to the other genin sensei.
"Hey, Gai, long time no see," he greeted with his usual smile.
"Yosh! My eternal rival! I'm sorry to hear one of your students was disqualified! But you must feel an immense amount of pride for your other student to make it to the finals!" Gai said as Kakashi nodded, although there was a hint of worry in his body language
"Yep, Naruto certainly took me by surprise…" Kakashi admitted before he noticed Sakura. "Oh, Sakura, sorry for not contacting you for a while," Kakashi said as Ino glared at him.
'Yeah, Sakura must be pretty pissed at him for that,' Ino thought before Sakura shook her head.
"It's okay Kakashi-Sensei…however…Sasuke's mark, is it?" she asked as Kakashi nodded.
"It's under control Sakura, don't worry," he assured her as Sakura nodded with a breath of relief, while Ino raised a brow.
'Mark? What are they talking about?' Ino questioned before Kakashi turned his attention to the ring where Naruto was currently waiting for Gaara to emerge. Sasuke and Shikamaru soon arrived as they walked up to Kakashi and Gai.
"Sasuke-Kun!" Ino shouted with joy, while Sakura looked worried for her teammate, who ignored them both and looked out to the match.
"Sasuke…" Sakura muttered as the Uchiha just stared at the arena. Kakashi eyed this before turning to Sakura.
"So, Naruto won against Neji, how did he accomplish that?" Kakashi asked as Asuma and Kurenai walked up to him.
"We were going to ask you the same thing, I've got to admit even I was impressed with how much he's progressed in only a month. What did you do with him?" Asuma asked as Kakashi narrowed his gaze.
"That's the thing…I didn't do anything with Naruto. I left him with Ebisu to work on his Chakra Control for the month," Kakashi admitted as Asuma, Kurenai and Gai's eyes widened slightly at this.
"What? You didn't do anything with Naruto for a month!?" Sakura asked her sensei as he nodded.
"It's true…" Sasuke said as they looked at him. "Kakashi was with me the entire time, I haven't seen Naruto till today…" he said with his hands in his pockets. 'So…how much stronger have you become, Naruto?' Sasuke thought as he stared at the blond. Meanwhile, Kurenai, Asuma, Gai and Kakashi continued their conversation.
"Kakashi, no offence to Ebisu, but there's no way he could've gotten Naruto to that level so quickly. You had to have taught him something," Kurenai said as Asuma shook his head.
"Also shouldn't you have trained both of them? Sure, Sasuke had a challenging and potentially unstable opponent to face, but that's a moot point now that he's disqualified," Asuma lectures as Kakashi sighed.
"Yes, I can see that error in my judgment. But if I'm honest, I assumed Naruto would lose to Neji. Despite the fact he was his opponent, he's still a leaf shinobi and it would've been a valuable lesson to him. That not every battle can be won," Kakashi said as Gai shook his head.
"Well Naruto won, and now he's up against a very dangerous opponent. One that crippled my student…" Gai said as he looked at Lee's injuries.
"...I know…which was why I taught Sasuke a technique that would work against Gaara. But now that he was disqualified…I may have just doomed Naruto," Kakashi said as he felt worried and shame.
"Well, Naruto surprised us with his fight against Neji, maybe he'll pull another rabbit out of his hat and win? Because if he doesn't…" Asuma said as he looked down at the boy. "Then I'm afraid this will be as far as Naruto will ever go…" they all turned to the stadium arena as Gaara emerged in the arena he and Naruto soon stood face to face with each other. The two of them glared at each other as Naruto mentally went over the aspects of his plan against Gaara, while Gaara was mostly focused on killing the blond so that he could kill Sasuke next.
"The Semi-Final rounds of the Chunin Exams will begin, between Uzumaki Naruto and Gaara of the Sand Village!" Genma shouted as he raised his hand. "Ready…" he said as Naruto brought his hands up, while Gaara's sand began to leak from the gourd.
"BEGIN!"
As soon as the match started Gaara unleashed a stream of sand from his gourd, and Naruto jumped back ready for the attack when Gaara suddenly lurched over. "Don't…get so angry…" Gaara suddenly said as Naruto raised a brow. "I know…I promised you another's blood…" Gaara spoke as Naruto narrowed his gaze.
'Is he…talking to the One Tails?' Naruto questioned while Temari and Kankuro looked concerned.
"It's started…He's begun talking with 'that'...this is bad…" Kankuro whispered as Temari nodded.
"I've never seen Gaara act like this before a fight…why hasn't the Kazekage sent the signal yet?" Temari whispered as Shino watched the two from a distance with suspicious eyes.
Naruto glared as he reached into his pouch. 'I don't know if he's using the One-Tails Chakra yet, so I can't waste the Suppression Seals…in that case, I just need to focus on getting rid of his Sand…' Naruto thought as he threw several shurikens and shouted.
"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!'' Naruto shouted as the Shurikens multiplied and what was three became over thirty.
"The Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Kakashi sounds intrigued. "I didn't realize Naruto knew that Jutsu,"
"That's the least of it, keep watching…" Asuma said as Gaara instantly brought up his sand it caught the shurikens in their place.
The Sand took on the form of multiple Gaara's as he used the sand to create clones. The Clones then threw the Shurikens back as Naruto quickly went through some hand signs before shouting.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Naruto shouted as a large slab of earth shot up and blocked the incoming Shuriken.
"Earth Jutsu!? When did he learn that!? He could barely do the tree-walking jutsu!" Kakashi said, astonished as Asuma nodded.
"Caught us by surprise too, that's not the only Jutsu he knows. He can also use Wind Style: Great Breakthrough and the Exploding Shadow Clone Jutsu. Honestly, we thought you taught him those Jutsu?" Asuma said as Kakashi shook his head.
"No, and Ebisu doesn't know those kinds of techniques either…" Kakashi said as Sasuke watched the match with great interest.
Naruto crossed his fingers as he quickly summoned several shadow clones he nodded to them, a plan already formed in their heads. Two clones run out from cover, throwing several Kunai as Gaara uses his sand to block the attacks. Meanwhile, another set of Naruto jumped out from the Earth Wall, and they too threw Kunai at the Sand, getting close to Gaara but was stopped by the sand. However, the Kunai had explosive tags on them Gaara's eyes widened and moved the sand out of the way, as it detonated and cost him a chunk of sand.
"Explosive tags, clever, but I doubt it will be enough…" Sasuke said as he watched the match, his eyes focused on his teammate in action.
Naruto quickly went through hand signs before he sucked in a breath of air. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!" he shouted as he sent a large gust of wind at Gaara, who used his sand to block out the wind.
"Annoying…" Gaara said, before two clones sped up behind him, and were prepared to attack before sand shot up from the sand at Gaara's feet and threw them back as they exploded. "Exploding Clones…that won't work on me…" Gaara said as he was unamused with this tactic.
"This is bad…" Kakashi said as he watched the fight. "I trained Sasuke to use Lee's Taijutsu and his Speed to combat Gaara's sand defences. And as far as I know, Naruto doesn't have Lee's speed or Taijutsu skills. The Earth and Wind Jutsu may provide him with some advantages. But without the Chidori…Damn it…I screwed up…" Kakashi said as he worried about the fate of his sensei's son.
"It's not over yet, Kakashi," Kurenai said as she and the others watched on. "Something tells me Naruto hasn't used all his tricks yet…" she said as Hinata looked on with worry.
"Naruto-Kun…please be alright…" she said hoping for the best.
Naruto jumped back as he used more Clone Shurikens to hold off Gaara and keep him distracted. Gaara was more or less unimpressed with the current display and wanted nothing more than to end him. But, he had also seen the exploding clone technique and was more cautious. He was not going to make the same mistakes as the Hyuga.
"Alright, time to test my theory…" Naruto said as he patted his scroll. "Guys! Let's do it!" he shouted as his clones nodded. Naruto chucked one of his scrolls to his clone, while the others sent more shurikens at Gaara, who effortlessly blocked them with his sand. But as they did, Naruto and a clone jumped into the air as they both held a scroll in their hand.
"Okay…let's change up the playing field…" Naruto said as he unfurled the scroll to show a complex sealing array on the paper.
"What is Naruto up to?" Ino asked as Sakura shook her head.
"I have no idea…" she said as Naruto grinned and slapped his hand on the back of the scroll and shouted.
"Release!" they shouted as from the scrolls huge amounts of water were released and came crashing down, the water was equal to the size of the arena and the whole lower section of the arena began to flood. The water rose till it reached halfway to the stands.
"What the!?" Gaara shouted as the water quickly crashed into him, and he was forced to use his sand to block the incoming waves of water. But soon the bottom section of the arena was flooded and he was forced to make a small footing for himself on top of the water with his sand.
"What the heck!? He had a lake in those scrolls!?" Kiba shouted as Tenten turned to him.
"It's not very orthodox, but in theory, you can seal a large amount of water in a Scroll. But why would he do that?" Tenten asked as Gai and the other Sensei watched intrigued.
"What is he up to?" Asuma asked as he and the others were just as curious as the rest of the crowd. Naruto and his clones soon landed on the surface of the water, as they used their chakra to remain afloat. They formed around Gaara as they went through hand signs, as Kakashi's eyes widened.
'That's not the Wind Jutsu hand signs,' he noted before the clones finished and they shouted.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!'' They shouted as they converted the chakra in their stomachs to water and then shot highly pressurized blasts of water at Gaara, the water impacting against the sand as Gaara growled in annoyance at the water pelting his sand.
"He can use Water Style too!" he growled before another Naruto shot a Water Bullet at him, and he was forced to use his sand to defend himself. "What is he up to!?" he growled in annoyance as more clones fired water bullets at him.
"Water Style too? How could he have learned that in only a month?" Kakashi said as the other sensei blinked.
"That we didn't know about," Asuma said as he watched the clones shoot more water bullets at the sand, while another clone went in with wind-enhanced Kunai knives... "Now that I think about it…after I gave him the pointer on Wind Chakra, he said something about Earth and Water…so that means he also possesses Water and Earth Chakra…interesting," Asuma said as Kurenai nodded.
"But the problem is Water isn't as effective against Earth, Naruto should know this…" Kurenai said as Kakashi narrowed his gaze.
'This isn't random…Naruto's tactics aren't like his old ones. First, he flooded the arena with enough water to force Gaara into making a small platform with his sand, now he's barraging him with water Jutsu. Is he…is he testing Gaara's sand, but why?' he thought as he observed the match while Sasuke looked on with an intense focus.
"Mother wants your blood…" Gaara said as he grew more annoyed. "You're starting to bore me…" he said as he sent a wave of Sand towards Naruto before he noticed something. 'My Sand…it's not moving fast enough…' he noted as the sand was not as fast as before, as Naruto dodged the attack. "Damn, it…the water…" he growled before more of his sand was being pelted by water.
"Hey…is it me…or is Gaara's sand moving a bit…slower?" Kiba asked as he and Hinata watched the fight.
"You're right, it's not as fast as before…wait, is Naruto…" Hinata realized as Kakashi's eyes widened.
"I see…that's what he's doing…" he said as Asuma, Kurenai and Gai looked at him.
"You know what he's up to?" Asuma asked as Kakashi nodded.
"It's rather ingenious, but by flooding the area with water, he's forced Gaara to use his sand to make a platform to float on. He could've used the Water Walking technique, but he seems entirely reliant on his sand. Because of this he is both using and limiting the amount of sand he has. And then Naruto uses the Water Jutsu to make Gaara's Sand wet. Doesn't seem like much, but I'm guessing that Gaara's sand is unique and made of a special blend of different sands to increase speed and durability. But despite that, it's still sand, and when you get Sand Wet…" Kakashi explained as Sasuke nodded.
"It becomes more clumped up, and I'm guessing harder for Gaara to control," Sasuke said as he observed the fight. "I can't believe Naruto thought of something like that…" he said as he smirked.
"This is bad…if Gaara's sand becomes harder to control then it might push him over the edge and he could resort to…" Temari said as Kankuro nodded.
"Damn, it…what is the old bastard waiting for?" Kankuro cursed under his breath. While up in the kage Box, the 'Kazekage' watched the match with interest, as he smirked under his mask.
'Wind Style, Water Style and Earth Style, I must admit I did not expect this from the Nine-Tails Brat. Perhaps he might make a good test subject if he is captured. After all, the power of the Nine-Tails might prove useful once Konoha has fallen…' Orochimaru noted as he smirked. 'Let's just see what else this child has in store for us?' Orochimaru thought with interest as he delayed the invasion a bit longer to see what else the child had to offer.
"Keep it up! The Sand's getting slower! This just might work!" Naruto shouted as Gaara growled in annoyance he curled the sand around him and unleashed a ring of sand as it expanded and took out many of Naruto's clones. "Shit!" Naruto yelled as he was knocked back by a ring of sand, the sand quickly reforming around Gaara, albeit more clumped up from the water barrage and the arena flooding.
"Uzumaki…Naruto…" he growled as he felt the One Tails screaming in his ear for blood. "You're starting to annoy me!" he shouted as he sent a wave of Sand at Naruto, who cursed and had no choice but to bite his thumb and use the blood in his hand signs.
"DIE!" he shouted as Naruto slammed his hand onto the water's surface, just as the Sand nearly crashed into him and a large explosion of smoke and water vapours erupted into the air.
"Naruto!" his friends yelled as Gaara smirked before suddenly something shot out of the smoke and landed on the top far side of the wall.
"Phew, that was close…" Naruto said as he looked down beneath him. "Thanks for the save Gama," Naruto said as he stood on top of a medium-sized Toad in Battle Armour.
"It's my pleasure, Master Naruto…" the Toad said as the toad got many reactions from the crowd.
Those who were young or inexperienced in the ninja arts were baffled by the sight of a large toad that suddenly appeared in the arena, while the more experienced Shinobi instantly recognised the summon and instantly knew the implications of Toad being here. It was surprising, to say the least.
"What the heck! Where did that come from!?" Kiba shouted as he and the others stared at the toad.
"Ew! A toad! Gross! How did that get in here!?" Ino shrieked at the sight as Chouji's mouth was hanging open and his chips fell to the floor.
"Damn, it…this just got a whole lot more complicated…" Shikamaru said as he knew the implications of Naruto having summoned a toad, a summons that had not been seen in Konoha since the Fourth Hokage. "This is going to be a huge drag…"
"Shit! What the hell is that!?" Kankuro hissed as Temari narrowed her gaze.
"This...is unexpected…" Temari said as she looked up at the Kage box. "What is the Kazekage waiting for?" she questioned, while Shino stared at the medium-sized toad under Naruto's feet.
"...Interesting…" Shino said as Sakura turned to Kakashi who was staring at the sight with his eyes wide open.
"Kakashi-Sensei, where did that Toad come from?" Sakura asked as Kakashi narrowed his gaze.
"I see…Now it makes sense…" he said as Sasuke raised a brow.
"What is it, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked as Kakashi and the other senseis understood the implications.
"I know who trained Naruto. That Toad can only be summoned if Naruto has signed the Toad Summoning contract. The thing is, there's only been one person who possesses that particular Summoning Contract. He's known as one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, a man that trained the Fourth Hokage himself. Master Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku…" he said as Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Ino, Lee and Hinata's eyes widened.
"What!? But why would some like him want to train Naruto of all people!? Why not Sasuke!?" Ino asked, shocked beyond belief.
"It's the only explanation…Jiraiya is one of the Leaf Villages' strongest Shinobi, but it does beg the question…why did he choose Naruto of all people to train?" Kurenai asked as Asuma stroked his beard.
"But still, even if it's Jiraiya, there's no way Naruto would have improved that much in so little time?" Asuma said as Kakashi had a feeling.
'So, he returned after all these years…I see…if he took over Naruto's training, then things might work out after all. He trained Minato Sensei after all, maybe he taught Naruto something that he can use to defeat Gaara…I hope?' He thought while Sasuke stares with an intense gaze.
'So…that's who trained you? A legendary Sannin, one of the strongest in the Leaf village…' Sasuke gripped his fist. 'If Naruto was able to get so strong under a Sannin…then maybe…I can find one as well and get them to train me. I need more power…' Sasuke thought about the possibility of growing stronger to kill his brother. Meanwhile, in the Kage box, Orochimaru curled his fist as he glared at the toad with hatred.
'So, that explains it…that stubborn oaf Jiraiya has returned to the village. Damn, it, I didn't expect him to be back so soon, but if he took the Nine-Tailed Brat under his wing, that might explain his rapid growth. The invasion might be in jeopardy…however,' he thought with a slight grin. 'If Sasuke sees this boy had learned under a Sannin, then there is no doubt he will seek me out in exchange…this may work out for me after all.' Orochimaru thought darkly as he smiled under his mask.
'So, now they know you have trained under Jiraiya. How will you proceed next, Naruto?' Sarutobi thought as he watched the match with great interest.
Naruto looked down at Gaara who was eyeing him. "Man, this guy is tough. Even with his sand all clumped up, he's still able to use it effectively. However, it's not as fast now so that might give us a chance. Listen, Gama, I have an idea. Can you do Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
"If you perform the hand signs, I can share my Chakra with you and then I can use the Shadow Clone technique. What do you have in mind?" Gama asked as Naruto leaned down and whispered into his ear. "I see…it's risky, but it might work…" he said as Naruto crossed his fingers as they synchronized their chakra.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto and Gamma shouted as several Naruto and Gama Clones appeared. Gaara's eyes widened as he got his sand up in defence. "Let's go, Gama!"
"Right!" Gama shouted as he leapt into action, literally. The Gama Clones jumped around the Arena as Gaara sent his sand to attack them, only to miss as the Toads managed to jump out of the way.
"Pesky vermin!" Gaara growled as he sent more sand out to attack Naruto. Suddenly the Clones went through hand signs before the toad's throat bulged.
"Wind Style: Toad Oil Bullet!" Naruto and Gama shouted as they fired a huge glob of oil straight at Gaara as he blocked the oil with his sand.
"What is this…is this…Oil?" Gaara said before another Naruto and Gama clone fired another Toad Oil Bullet as Gaara defended himself from the attack.
"What is Naruto thinking? Why did he switch from using Water Jutsu to Oil?" Kiba asked as Kakashi narrowed his gaze.
"He can't possibly be thinking…" he thought as Gaara glared at him.
"Your attacks are useless…this battle is pointless…" Gaara said as he glared at Naruto.
"Maybe, but the thing about Toad Oil, is that it's highly flammable. More so than regular oil. So my attacks may seem useless, but pointless…" Naruto said as he flicked open the lighter he kept in his pocket. Gaara's eyes widened as he looked at all the oil that was spread around him, and even the ones that had soaked into his sand. "Not so much," Naruto said as he threw the lighter at the oil, setting it ablaze as the flames rushed straight for Gaara. Having little choice left, Gaara quickly had the sand envelop him in a sphere of Sand as the fire quickly surrounded him.
"Damn, it…he's forced Gaara into using that Jutsu," Kankuro realized as he recognised the sphere of sand surrounding him,
"Damn him…" Gaara said as he used the sand to protect himself from the blaze. Inside the confines of his cocoon, Gaara growled in annoyance as he felt the One Tails stir beneath his soul. "...Yes…I agree mother…I'm going to kill him, crack his head open…so that all his blood will spill out…and you can have it all…I'm always a good boy… let's do this mother…" he said as he began to activate the seals that would allow the One Tails to emerge…
"Alright! Now for the next part!" Naruto shouted as all his clones surrounded the sphere and went through the hand signs before shouting. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!" they shouted as they fired a huge gust of wind, creating a flaming vortex around the sphere of sand.
"What!?" Gaara said as he was interrupted as the sand around him began to get hotter. "Hot-hot! Hot! Why is it getting so hot!" he shouted inside before he grunted as he unintentionally interrupted the Jutsu.
"That's insane!" Kiba shouted as he and the others had to shield themselves from the heat. "It's like a freaking oven! What the heck is he thinking!?" Kiba shouted as Kakashi narrowed his gaze as he realized what Naruto was up to.
'I see…so that's your plan Naruto. Since he doesn't possess a Lightning Jutsu to penetrate the Sand, he's planning on breaking through with brute force. The fact that Gaara had to use as much sand as he could to keep himself afloat. Which means that there won't be enough to protect himself fully. Then by combining the Toads Oil and Wind Jutsu, he used extreme heat to change the sand's silicone molecules from Sand…' The flaming vortex lasted for several minutes before the flames soon died down and the sand around Gaara's sphere was glowing hot red.
"Into Glass…" Kakashi said as he smirked under his mask. "That's certainly unpredictable…even for you…" he said as Naruto glared before shouting.
"Now! Water Style: Watter Bullet Jutsu!" he and the clones fired water at the sand, steam hissing off contact as the sand rapidly cooled until the surface of Gaara's sand was now rough glass. "Now!" Naruto shouted as the clones threw explosive tags at the front section of the dome of glass, as they sunk into the glass before detonating in an explosion that sent glass and sand flying everywhere. Gaara was thrown out of the sand as he tumbled across the water's surface, the sand moving on its own to catch him from sinking into the water.
"You bastard…" Gaara grunted, as he slowly got back up. However, erupting from underneath the Water, Gaara had no chance to counter as Naruto's fist struck him straight in the face and caused blood to fly out of his mouth. His sand armour had been severely damaged from the blast and explosion as he crashed back down into the water.
"Holy crap! He did it!" Kiba shouted as Akamaru barked, while Hinata felt relief. Sakura and Sasuke were staring at their teammate wide-eyed as he punched Gaara directly in the face. Kakashi himself had to nod at this.
"Well…it's not exactly precise or graceful as what Sasuke and I planned…" he said before he smiled. "But then again, that's completely your style, Naruto…" he said as he felt pride for his student.
"Crap…no way…" Kankuro said as he and Temari stared wide-eyed.
"Impossible…he broke through Gaara's absolute defence…with brute force…" she said as she stared at the blond ninja as he glared at his fellow Jinchuriki. Naruto landed on the water's surface, and Gama landed beside him as he nodded.
"Thanks for the help Gama, you can head back now, I've got it from here," he said as Gama nodded and returned to Mount Myoboku. "Now…" Naruto said as he reached into his pouch for one of the suppression seals. "Let's get this seal on you before anything else happens…" Naruto said as Gaara slowly stood up from the water and panted heavily, his face hurting beyond belief as his hand clutched at his nose.
Until he felt something warm and sticky drip down his nose and he saw small dabs of red land in the water.
"...What…what is this…" Gaara said, looking at the small drops of red liquid, as Temari, Kankuro and Baki's eyes widened in fear.
'Shit! Not good!' they panicked as Gaara removed his hand and saw something he had seen a thousand times before, but never from himself...
Blood
"B…Blood?" he said as his hand began to shake. "Is this…my blood?" instantly he could feel his heart beating more rapidly than before, as it drowned his hearing before he screamed. "BLOOD! IT'S MY BLOOD!" he screamed to the heavens as the sand suddenly warped around him, taking on a monstrous form as his right eye was changed to a gold colour, with black sclera, and a four-point star with four dots on each side.
"W-What is that!?" Sakura yelled as the sand became a thing of nightmares, as Hinata looked up in fear as she felt her heart race in fear.
"Kakashi, what is that!?" Gai yelled as Kakashi shook his head.
"I don't know, but something tells me it's not good!" he said as the sand wrapped around Gaara, and soon his right arm and the right side of his face were transformed into something horrifying. Naruto was frozen solid as Gaara's body began to change, the sand quickly forming around him as he slowly lost control of the monster inside.
'Shit…don't tell me, that's…' Naruto thought before Gaara now stood before him, his right arm covered in a sand version of the One Tails, as Gaara's right side was now covered in sand, and a single tail swished around him.
"...The One Tails…" Naruto said as Gaara looked up and grinned madly. Genma looked at the creature with worry, as he felt fear looking at the monster in front of him.
'What is this?' he asked as he debated on ending the match.
'Damn it, this is not good. Gaara started his transformation,' Baki thought as he looked up at the Kazekage's stand. 'Why isn't Lord Raasa or Kabuto signalling the attack yet?' Baki asked himself as Gaara's sand-like tail swished behind him. Orochimaru was grinning under his guise as he looked at the One Tails Jinchuriki.
'So, this is the One Tails? How very interesting…I'm surprised that the Nine-Tailed Brat managed to push the Sand's Jinchuriki to this state. I was hoping for Sasuke to test his mettle against such a formidable opponent, and see how long he would last before succumbing to the Curse Mark's power…but this is rather entertaining itself…' he looked down to where Kabuto was stationed and sent a subtle hand sign to his loyal assistant. 'Let's just see how this plays out, eh Kabuto?' Kabuto noticed the subtle gesture and nodded behind his Anbu mask and waited.
'Understood, Lord Orochimaru…Let's see what else you are capable of…Naruto…' Kabuto smirked as he grew just as curious about the match between Gaara and Naruto.
"I…want more…" Gaara said as his eyes were now crazed and he raised his monstrous right arm. "Show me more! Uzumaki!" he shouted as he sent the elongated appendage at Naruto, who cursed and dodged out of the way.
"Damn it! So this is the One Tails Chakra!" Naruto cursed as the Sand arm crashed through the wall and opened a hole large enough for the water to go rushing out. Soon the arena was only an ankle deep's worth of water as Gaara grinned madly at the boy.
"You pushed me this far…no one has ever pushed me this far…I thought…I could only prove my existence if I thought the Uchiha…" Gaata said, drool rolling down his mouth as his eyes were replaced with crazed demonic eyes. "But you managed to hurt me…make me bleed…if I kill you…I will prove my existence! Show me more! Uzumaki!" he screamed as he lunged at the blond who was fortunate enough to get out of the way.
"Damn! This guy is insane!" Naruto shouted as he crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted as several more clones of him appeared. "This guy's using the One Tails Chakra, we need to get the seal on him!"
"Right!" The clones shouted as they drew Kunai Knives and channelled Wind Chakra into them. Gaara seemed to cackle at this as he reared back his sand arm.
"Yes! Show me more! Prove that I exist!" he shouted as he stretched his arm right at Naruto, who dodged with his clones. The clones rushed towards him with their Kunai Knives as she they attempted to slash at Gaara's back, only for the sand tail to block their attack, and then throw them back.
"Pathetic! Is that all you got!?" Gaara screamed before two more clones jumped in front of him.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!" they shouted as they shot two large pressurized water blasts at Gaara, who was blown back from the force. But his sand arm carved itself into the ground, as he stopped just shy of the wall.
"That won't work on me!" Gaara shouted as more of his body was covered in sand. "Show me that my existence has meaning!" he shouted as he sent sand-like projectiles at him.
"Shit! Evade!" Naruto shouted as he and the clones attempted to dodge the barrage of sand projectiles. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!" He managed to create a wall of earth to protect himself, as the projectiles pelted the arena, while several clones were destroyed.
"Fight me! Fight me! Prove my existence!" Gaara screamed as more and more sand covered his body, as he started to take on more of the One Tails Form.
"Shit, this guy is insane…" Kiba said as he watched the sand ninja slowly lose his sanity. "I thought he was scary back in the forest, but this is a whole other level…" Kiba said as Hinata looked even more worried than before.
"Naruto-Kun…" she said as she feared for the safety of her crush.
"Holy cow…this is insane…why doesn't he just give up? He had a few good moves, but this Gaara is way too strong?" Ino asked as Sakura swallowed the fear in her throat.
"I don't know Ino, but I do know this, Naruto doesn't give up…even when the odds aren't in his favour…" she said as she worried for her teammate.
"This isn't good, this Gaara has completely lost his mind, why hasn't Genma just called the match yet?" Asuma asked as Kurenai shook her head.
"I don't think even Genma is brave enough or strong enough to stop this match. Not to mention, Naruto still hasn't thrown in the towel. By all accounts, this is still an official match. It doesn't end till either one of them surrenders…or dies…" she said as Kakashi gripped his fist.
'I warned Naruto this could happen, but he didn't want to listen…damn it…I should've done more, Sensei…please forgive me…' he chastised himself, while Sasuke glared.
"Damn it Naruto, this isn't like you. Stop acting like a scaredy cat and face him," he said as he watched his teammate/rival fight for his life. Meanwhile, Naruto was catching his breath as the sand barrages stopped and he rested against the mud wall he made.
"Damn…this guy is nuts…" Naruto said as he hid behind the earth wall. He looked down as he took inventory of his equipment. "I only have a few more explosive tags left, some Shuriken and Kunai, and I'm out of the Storage Scrolls that contain water…I'll admit this is not good…He's too strong…I don't know if I can beat him…" Naruto questioned himself, as he peeked out from the wall and glared at Gaara. But as he did, he looked into his eyes and he saw familiarity in them.
Eyes he once had long ago.
'...His eyes...they have the same loneliness mine had in the past…in the past…' Naruto's mind drifted back to the past, as he sat alone on the swing. Parents and adults glared at him, while he stood alone. 'When I was young…I hated everyone that glared at me, never knowing why they hated me so much…when I found out about the Nine-Tails, their glares became so much colder, so much more painful…I hated it…' Painful memories of his childhood came rushing back, as he remembered the cold stares and hatred and contempt they showed for him.
But then memories of Iruka treating him with kindness, Kakashi watching out for him, his rivalry with Sasuke, the times Sakura was nice to him and the fun conversations he had with Hinata flowed through his mind as he felt a warmth inside.
'But, now I have people that I care about, people that I have to protect. Because if I don't, I'll go back to being alone again…' he dreaded the thought as gripped his fist. 'And I'll never go back to that life!' Naruto thought with determination, as he tried to come up with a plan. He then noticed the sand wasn't fully covering his feet as his eyes were drawn to the tail and he came up with an idea. One that he had a feeling would be just the thing he needed.
Meanwhile, Gaara noticed the look in his eyes had changed, and for some reason, it annoyed him. Why, why was he looking at him with those eyes? They were not the eyes that held fear in them like all the others that he had faced, they were not the eyes of hatred that he had long since grown to despise. It was almost like…
Like he understood him?
Back with Naruto, he took out a Kunai and an explosive tag and wrapped the tag around the handle as he got ready to attack. He then summoned several clones and they nodded.
"Let's do this!" he shouted as he and the clones jumped out from behind the wall.
"Holy shit! Is Naruto insane!?" Ino screeched as she watched Naruto still attempt to fight against an insane Gaara. "Why doesn't he just give up!? Gaara's way too strong!"
"Naruto doesn't know when to quit," Sakura said as Ino turned to her. "That's just how he's been…" she said while Hinata clutched her shirt in worry.
"Naruto-Kun…be careful…" Hinata begged.
Gaara grinned as he stretched his arm towards Naruto. However, two clones got in the way as they used their bodies to block the attack. Another clone grabbed Naruto by his collar and then threw him over the arm as he sped towards Gaara. Gaara attempted to swat the boy out of the air before Naruto created two more clones and they stopped his other arm, while the real Naruto flipped over his back and landed behind Gaara. The Kunai in hand, he thrust it forward.
'Wait…don't tell me he's going to…' Team 7 thought as Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Secret Hidden Leaf Village Jutsu!" he shouted and shoved the Kunai up his backside.
"Thousand years of Death!"
Practically everyone stared in shock, some even falling over from the shock, such as Kiba, Ino, Choiji, Shakamaru and nearly Shino. While Sasuke and Sakura palmed their faces, Hinata hid her face behind her hands. Kakashi himself nearly fell over as his fellow Jonin blanched, turning to him with a look as if to say 'Seriously?'. Even the Hokage had his eyes slightly bulging at the sight, while Orochimaru gave a blank stare.
"Can't believe he thought that was a real Jutsu…" Kakashi bemoaned, while Gaara turned back to Naruto who just stared at him and grinned nervously.
"Oh, this is going to hurt…" Gaara then slapped Naruto across the face with his tail as he soared up towards the stands as slammed into a pillar, before catching himself on the railing. "...Ow…" he said as he pulled himself up.
"Naruto you idiot! Why did you waste your moment on a stupid Jutsu like that!?" Sakura yelled while Naruto slowly got up, grinned and said…
"...Boom…"
A large explosion overtook Gaara he was almost thrown off his feet. Eyes widened as they did not expect that. When the smoke cleared, Gaara's form was damaged as the right side of his sand was dropping badly.
"Holy crap! What just happened!?" Kiba shouted.
"I see…Naruto figured that Gaara's new form was more durable, except for underneath where the tail was, so he used a seemingly stupid Jutsu to hide the fact he had a dangerous explosive tied around the handle!" Tenten said as Kakashi let out a small chuckle.
"Who would've thought he'd take a small joke and turn it into a dangerous weapon? You are the most Unpredictable Hyperactive Ninja of them all, Naruto…" Kakashi said as Gaara groaned in pain.
'Damn, it…who'd have thought he'd target my weak point with such a pathetic attack…my sand took most of the damage, but my right side has become too unstable…' Gaara thought as his sand defences were severely weakened.
"Crap! What the hell is this guy!? I've never seen anyone push Gaara like this before!" Kankuro shouted as he and Temari were just as stunned.
"Me too, I-I didn't think it was possible…who is this guy?" she asked as they noticed Naruto got back up, keeping his hand on the railing.
"Ow…that was risky…but worth it…" Naruto groaned as he looked down at Gaara and he saw the damage he had done. But despite that, he still stood there standing and was getting ready to keep fighting.
"You're kidding me, even after an attack like that he still wants to keep going?" Kurenai asked as she watched Gaara growl loudly. "That kid's a monster…" she said as Asuma nodded.
"I agree, it's clear he's not some ordinary genin…" he said as he looked over to Naruto who was getting back up, despite the harsh crash he just suffered. "And something tells me, Naruto knows that…'' he said as Naruto stood up.
"He's still not down…I need to keep going…" Naruto said as he got up, but held his side where his ribs hurt.
"Whoa wait a minute…Naruto!" Kiba yelled as he turned to him. "What the heck are you thinking man!? This guy's way too tough, just quit now, there's no reason to keep fighting!" he shouted as Ino and Sakura nodded.
"He's right! Just forfeit the match, you don't have to risk yourself like this!" Ino shouted as Naruto looked over to them and then back to Gaara as he shook his head.
"I can't…not yet…" he said as their eyebrows raised.
"What do you mean!? Naruto, this isn't worth a promotion! Just tag out! If you keep going you're going to get yourself killed!" Sakura shouted as Naruto kept his eyes on Gaara.
"I know, but...There's more to this than just getting promoted…" he said as he looked down sadly at Gaara. "I know what Gaara's been through, I know what that life is like…that loneliness…I know what it's like, and I thought that was the reason he was strong…but no, that's not strength…that's just sad and I know what that's like…" he explained as Kakashi looked upon his student, who knew what Naruto was talking about. Hinata as well, as she had long since watched him from afar and felt her heart ache for him.
"But not only that…if he keeps going on like this, he'll hurt someone…" he said as he placed his hands together as memories of Haku swirled in his mind and he recalled the ninja that helped to forge his Ninja Way. "And I made a promise, that I'd never back down, never give up…and most of all…" he started to build up his chakra as he glared.
"That I will protect my friends no matter what!" he shouted as Chakra exploded off his body in a blaze of blue fire. Everyone was shocked by the amount of chakra that rolled off his body.
'Holy crap! How does he still have this much Chakra!' Kiba thought as he watched the chakra roll off him like flames.
'No way! H-How can he have so much chakra!' Ino was just as stunned, while those around her had to shield themselves from the chakra that swirled around him.
'This chakra! How does he have so much!?' Sakura asked as she watched Naruto who stood before her. Sasuke himself was staring with disbelief as he saw the power radiating off him.
'So much chakra…Is this…Naruto?!' he asked as Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai were nearly as dumbstruck as the others, but they hid it better.
'I knew he had a great amount of chakra, but not even I thought it was this much. Naruto…is this your power, the one you want to protect your friends with?' Kakashi questioned. Even Hiashi was stunned by the amount of chakra radiating off him.
'This child, this is not the Nine Tails power, this is all his natural chakra. What is he?' Hiashi Hyuga thought as looked upon the massive amount of Chakra that was rolling off the boy. He was even tempted to see it with his Byuakan but feared that he could go blind just from staring at it.
While up in the Kage box Orochimaru grew more intrigued by the chakra radiating off the boy and he considered having him captured to experiment on. The research he could gain from such a subject could help him make Sasuke the perfect vessel. Meanwhile, Sarutobi smirked as he watched the child of his successor.
'This is it Naruto…' Satutobi thought as he watched him 'Show then all that you can do…' he cheered as Naruto crossed his fingers and shouted.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted as a large explosion of smoke covered the arena before the smoke cleared and eyes went wide at the massive amount of Naruto clones all around the stadium.
"Holy crap! How the hell can he make so many shadow clones at once!?" Asuma shouted as he and Kurenai were just as stunned,
"This - this is impossible! There has to be at least a thousand clones!" Kurenai said as she had never seen anyone create so many clones, while Gai seemed to smile brightly.
"Truly His Spring Time of Youth is like nothing I have ever seen before!" Gai said as Kakashi looked out amongst the clones.
'Always going overboard, eh Naruto? I haven't seen this many clones since the Wave mission…' he thought as
"W-What the…who the hell is this guy!?" Kankuro shouted in disbelief as he and Temari stared in shocked awe.
"What kind of Shinobi does the leaf village have!?" Temari said as Naruto's friends stared in awe.
"What the hell!? Since when can he make so many clones!?" Kiba shouted as he looked at all the clones.
"Those aren't just regular clones Kiba, those are one hundred per cent solid clones…" Hinata said as he looked at her crush. 'Naruto-Kun…you're so amazing…' Hinata admired as he stood strong before them.
"Whoa…I never thought Naruto could do all this…" Sakura said as she looked at Naruto. 'Is this…Naruto?' she asked herself, while Sasuke himself was staring at the many clones as he too was just as stunned as everyone else.
'Naruto…how much stronger have you become?' Sasuke asked as Naruto slammed his fist to his palm before pointing at Gaara.
"Okay! Let's take him down!" Naruto shouted as his clones pounced into action. Several of them threw shurikens as Gaara brought up his left arm in defence. But that was just a ploy, as Naruto swept in from underneath and kicked Gaara into the air. But then the clones that just kicked went through hand signs as they shouted.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!" they shouted as they blew a huge gust of wind at Gaara and sent his body soaring into the air. Gaara was discombobulated as he shot up into the air. Only to be met by a barrage of Naruto as they flashed through hand signs and shouted. "Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!" they shouted and barraged him with pressurized water shots that damaged his sand even more.
'W-What's happening to me!? How am I losing!' Gaara thought before his eyes widened at the many Narutos above him as they slammed him with so many punches he lost count.
"Uzumaki! Thousand Combo Barrage!" they shouted as they pummeled him with fist after fist. "Now!" Naruto shouted as he and the clones simultaneously went through hand signs. "Water Style: Watter Bullet!" They shouted and barraged Gaara with multiple water blasts until he slammed into the ground with enough force to crack the earth. Gaare then lay in a small crater, his body sore and his sand becoming more unstable.
"N-No way…h-he's beating Gaara…" Kankuro said as he stared in disbelief.
"This…this is not good…" Temari said as she looked in fear. "If this keeps up, then he'll-!"
"Alright! He's down! Quick, let's get the Suppression Seal on him!" Naruto ordered as he and his clones rushed to put Gaara down.
'This-This is impossible…how…how can I be losing to someone like him…where…where did this strength come from? And why…why are his eyes so different…' Gaara tried to understand as he lay on his back. His mind flashed back to the hospital when he saw fear in the Uzumaki's eyes, only now they were replaced with determination and strength. 'I…I can't…I won't...' Gaara's pupils became small as he lost his mind.
"I WON'T LOSE TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU!" Gaara shouted as a massive amount of Sand erupted from the ground and warped around Gaara as it shot up from the ground. Taking out multiple Naruto Clones at once and sending Naruto smashing into the wall.
"W-What the hell!?" Naruto managed to groan out, while the sand continued to rise until it busted a large section of the Arena wall, and forced Genma back until he was at a safe distance.
"What is going on here!?" Genma shouted while Orochimaru smirked under his mask.
'So…it's finally here…not what I planned, but this will have to do…' Orochimaru grinned as the dust enveloped the stands.
"What the hell!?"
"What's happening!?
"I can't see a thing!" some of the stadium audience shouted as they were momentarily blinded by the dust.
When the dust settled their eyes were wide with terror, as everyone looked up to see a massive creature that was made of sand with blue markings etched along its body, with a single tail swishing back and forth with black markings on its face and eyes, with dull yellow iris.
"What the hell is that!?" Kiba shouted as Hinata's eyes were wide with fear.
"O-Oh, God! What the hell's going on here!?" Ino shouted as Sakura looked up and shook with fear.
"Naruto…is fighting that…oh god..." she said as Sasuke himself couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Crap, this isn't good," Kankuro hissed while he, Baki and Temari looked up in fear at the giant Tailed Beast.
"This is bad, where the hell is that signal!?" she hissed as well, while Shino looked over at them.
'Signal? Wait, did they know about this thing?' Shino questioned as he looked up at the giant Tanuki.
"Kakashi! That's!" Gai shouted as Kakashi nodded.
"Yes, there's no doubt…" he said as he and the other Jonin looked up in horror, as memories of 12 years ago flashed through their minds. "A Tailed Beast…right in the middle of the village!" he said grimly as everyone stared up in terror.
'So, that's the one tails…then this is how the Sand was planning to invade us…' Sarutobi thought as he slowly turned to the Kazekage who did the same. A tense atmosphere in the air, as they prepared to make the first move.
'So…it's almost started…about time…' Baki thought as he got ready to attack with his men. While Kabuto and his men were about to start the Genjutsu.
'I guess this is all you can do, sorry to see you go so soon, Naruto…' Kabuto smirked as Naruto looked up in fear of the giant.
"So that's…the One Tails Tanuki…" Naruto said as he looked at the giant Tanuki. Gaara looked down with his gigantic form as he glared at Naruto.
"You pushed me to this form…I never thought anyone could push me to this form!" Gaara shouted as he raised his gigantic arm. Suddenly Naruto found himself surrounded by sand as it curled around his form.
"What the hell!" Naruto shouted as the sand quickly wrapped around him. Genma tried to rescue him, but Sand blocked his path.
"Naruto!" his friends yelled as Sasuke and Kakashi cursed as they activated their Sharingan.
"Shit, hold on Naruto! Gai, help me!" Kakashi yelled as he, Sasuke and Gai made to save his student, only for a wall of Sand to block their path. Kakashi and Sasuke both charged Chakra into their hands as they tried to use Chidori and Raikiri to break through the sand. But the sand was too thick and they barely got through.
"Damn it! He's blocked us!" Gai cursed as Lee looked up in fear as well.
"I…I was fighting that…" he said as he gripped his crutches, while Tenten herself quaked in fear. Hinata, on the other hand, was shaking in fear. Not for her own life, but for Naruto's as she saw through the sand as it curled around him.
"No, Naruto-Kun!" she panicked as she was scared to death of the fate of her crush. Meanwhile, Naruto was trying to claw his way out of the sand, but it was an impossible task.
'Damn it! I can't stop it!' Naruto cursed as he clawed at the sand. 'Shit, shit, shit! I'm almost out of Chakra, I can't get free! Shit, I'm going to die! I-!' But then he stopped when he saw the wall of Sand and he instantly thought about his friends as he stopped struggling and instead wiped some blood off his chin and went through a series of hand signs.
"This is your end!" Gaara shouted as he got ready to use the Sand Burial Technique.
"Naruto!" all of his friends and senses shouted as Gaara squeezed his hand. Until…
"SUMMONING JUTSU!" Naruto shouted and a large explosion of smoke blew away all the sand, and everyone had to shield their eyes.
"Seriously! What now!" Kiba shouted as he tried to block the smoke and sand with his arms.
"I have no idea!" Ino shouted as she and everyone else shield themselves from the smoke. But when the dust settled their eyes widened as now in front of the giant Tanuki stood a massive toad of the same size. But not just any toad, it was the boss of the Toads.
"Gamabunta!" Sarutobi shouted as he saw the Boss of the Toad Summons.
'Impossible! A child summoned the Toad Boss!' Orochimaru was thrown off his game as he saw the giant toad in the middle of the arena.
"Holy crap! That's a huge Toad!" Kiba shouted as he and everyone else were just as stunned.
"Did…did Naruto summon that?" Sakura asked as she and Sasuke stared up in awe.
'Is this…Naruto's power?' Sasuke stared up in disbelief as he clenched his fist tight.
"I don't believe it…" Kakashi said as he and the other Jonin couldn't believe their eyes as the Boss of the Toads stood before them. But then his eyes narrowed in on the boy standing on top of his head as his back faced the crowd. And for a moment, a split second, Kakashi could've sworn to see his Sensei before him. 'S-Sensei?' he said before it returned to Naruto who stood before them on the toad's head.
"I made a promise…" Naruto suddenly spoke as everyone snapped their attention to the boy. "...That I will protect everyone I care about..." Naruto said as he looked up with determination burning in his eyes and shouted.
"And I never go back on my word!"
And scene. Wow, that was a long chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. Some of the fights were a bit re-hashed from the original, but I felt it was natural to Naruto's style, mixed in with his new tactics and Jutsu. Now I am aware that Orochimaru may have had some pull in keeping Sasuke from being disqualified, but I wanted to play out a 'What if' scenario, in which what would happen if Sasuke was disqualified and Kakashi realised that he may have neglected the possibility of Naruto progressing further than expected. Also, before people say the glass thing wouldn't work, Sasuke's fireball Jutsu wasn't powerful enough, but Toad Oil and Wind Jusu I feel could eat up glass rapidly, and it only takes a few minutes to heat sand. Also one of Gaara's weaknesses is he finds it hard to control sand when it's wet. I looked it up. But also Naruto's methods are more 'explosive' and loud compared to Sasuke's quick and more precise styles.
Also, it's fanfiction and anime, anything is possible.
Also, I'm not Kakashi bashing, but it seemed to me like an oversight on the potential problem Kakashi would have to face if Sasuke was disqualified and Naruto had to face Gaara in the semi-Finals. So hopefully this was enjoyable to read.
But now, Naruto and Gaara are about to go head to head, and the Invasion is about to begin. Leave a review and tell me what you think. I love reading your review. And stay tuned for the next chapter in…
Chapter XIII: Invasion of Sand and Sound