Hey everyone. Sorry for the long wait. I've been dealing with some things IRL.
RedTheVairant: I'll answer your reviews in order.
1) Yeah, that doesn't make any sense. Between all of Naruto, the fillers, the movies, running out of material? Things start off canon aside from Naruto having the chains and Fuu being in the exams, but changes will ripple out from this, as you've probably already noticed. There's one other change I'm considering, but haven't decided on it yet. Rest assured, the story will veer away from canon more and more as it goes on.
2)... Um, was that a real response? Because I almost thought it was a troll. On the off chance it's not, I'll answer.
You do realize the whole reason the Uchiha and Senju clans, not to mention the Uzumaki and Hyuuga, exist is because the Otsutsuki blood does dilute over generations of interbreeding with other races? First you had Kaguya, then Hageromo was clearly not fully Otsutsuki, given how different/smaller his horns were, his lack of their unique hair color, and how, despite being much more powerful than a human he was weaker than his mother, and then his children could pass off for regular humans and, while powerful, were weaker still, and so on. There's no reason Hamura, his twin's, lineage would work differently.
3) Uh, you do realize Nagato and Obito don't count, right? They didn't develop their own Rinnegan. Madara put his already awakened Rinnegan eyes in Nagato's eye sockets, and then Obito took them from Nagato's corpse. It's no different than Kakashi having the Sharingan. The only ones to actually awaken the Rinnegan are Madara and Sasuke, both Indra incarnates who acquired either Asura power(IIRC, Kabuto injected Sasuke with Hashirama's DNA, and if not, he got Hageromo's power, which would be better anyway).
4) Perhaps, but that's the kind of person Naruto is. He cares about his loved ones first and foremost, but still wants to protect the village.
Anonymous guest: I didn't forget, my inspiration has yet to return to Legends of Two Jinchuriki.
CaptainJack04: Thanks. I think dialogue is my weak point, so it's nice to hear that!
TakamaruRules: 1) Yeah, that might be the case. He hadn't planned out Itachi's arc by his first appearance either.
It really should have.
Thanks!
2) That actually does sound like a good idea. Although, that still wouldn't explain why Toneri's comparable in strength to Jubi Jinchuriki Madara as opposed to post-revival Madara.
3) I agree for the most part. Not sure he was on good terms with Son Goku, but otherwise.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"He quit because he used up all his chakra? Seriously?" Naruto asked in disbelief, his eye twitching as he gripped the railing. His sight was honed on Shikamaru, casually walking back to the booth as if he didn't just send the audience into an uproar.
Sakura put her hands on her hips, scowling at the blond. "We don't all have enough chakra to throw out shadow clones like kunai, you know? Besides, he probably didn't want to screw her over. It doesn't look like he planned on moving on to the next round anyway."
Naruto turned to glare at her as he pointed down into the arena. "And it's better to take a fall when you're two seconds from winning? Isn't that throwing the fight? Forget going on to the next match; I'd be insulted if he pulled that on me!"
His pride wouldn't have stood for it had he been on either side of that. Naruto might have called off the next fight if he didn't think he could go through with it, but forfeiting when he'd already won? And he'd be pissed if anyone ever handed him a win like that.
He failed to notice Hinata flinch at his words.
He then looked up at the crowd, which was still in an uproar. "And they don't sound too happy about it either."
"Well, to be fair, Ino probably feels the same way." Sakura mused before chuckling a bit. "I wouldn't want to be Shikamaru when she gets a hold of him."
"Hmm?" Fuu looked at them curiously. "What's Ino going to do? I thought she was nice. Didn't you tell me Ino used to support you back in the academy?"
"Ah, yeah," Sakura replied, rubbing the back of her head. "It's just that she can get a bit fired up when she thinks someone's being stupid. Or lazy. Especially if she cares."
"And that's probably about what she'll think of this stunt; lazy and stupid," Naruto said with a nod.
Meanwhile, up in the stands-
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT IDIOT THINKING!?" Ino yelled as she shook Choji back and forth, her mouth set in a snarl and her eyes solid white pits of rage.
The chubby genin just chuckled at the antics of his teammates.
Naruto chuckled. "Yep, he's in for it. But he probably knew that already."
"It's time for the Third Match! Naruto Uzumaki vs Hinata Hyuuga."
"Looks like you're up," Fuu said, turning to him. She then looked between him and Hinata and raised a fist. "Do your best out there, you two!"
"Heh. Like I'd settle for anything less," Naruto replied, punching his open palm with his fist.
"Let's show them what we've got, Hinata!"
"U- um," Hinata replied nervously. Her eyes briefly turned away before she took a breath and closed her eyes. Then, she seemed to settle herself a bit and gave him a determined look. "Right."
"Good luck out there!" Fuu said as they made their way to the exit.
"Knock 'em dead, Naruto!" Sakura said.
"You can count on it!"
The two walked in silence as they made their way down to the arena. Hinata trailed behind Naruto, the blond thinking of blowing everyone away with how he'd grown since his academy days.
As they neared the exit, Hinata spoke up for the first time since they left the fighter's booth. "Um, Naruto?" She began, drawing his attention. He stopped. She fidgeted and looked away like she always seemed to.
He always thought that it was strange how someone who wanted to be a ninja would be so shy. "Yeah, Hinata?"
She looked at him, then to the wall, then met his eyes. "Um, let's do our best."
Is that all? Didn't they already agree to that? Naruto smiled and nodded. "Count on it." He raised a fist in encouragement. "Give it your all, and don't hold anything back. We've made it too far to screw up now." She nodded. "This is my chance to show everyone I'm not who I was back in the academy. And I bet you've got people you want to make proud too."
Hinata nodded. "My clan... and..." She trailed off. He looked back, but she was looking away again.
He shrugged. Weird. "Well then, make them proud. And don't pull any punches because I won't." He put his hands behind his head.
"Yeah... that would be... disrespectful, wouldn't it?" The Hyuga heiress replied distantly. He looked back, but she was staring at the wall again. It seemed like her mind was somewhere else for a second. Then she looked back at him and then to the arena ahead.
They stepped out into the arena, and the sound of the eager crowd washed over them.
Naruto glanced around, looking at all the people in the stands with a grin.
Time to give the visitors a show and make everyone see he wasn't the dead-last that he'd been in the academy.
The two genin soon took their places on either side of the proctor. Naruto tensed, his eyes hard as he prepared to fight. To make the Old Man proud and show everyone he was ready to be a chunin, the next step on his road to becoming Hokage.
Hinata took a deep breath and steeled herself before matching his determined look. Finally, both slipped into fighting stances, hers mirroring Neji's.
Naruto had wondered what this match would have in store. Kakashi-sensei made it a point to teach them more about the clans of Konoha after learning his students didn't know much about them outside of the Uchiha and Senju.
Not even Sakura. That had been a shock. Kakashi mentioned he was going to bring that up with the Hokage.
He knew now just what the Byakugan did and that the Hyuga all used a style based around it. He also knew why Hinata had been so shocked during his match with Neji; her cousin had used techniques he shouldn't have been able to. Between clan drama and just being as young as he was.
Neji was a prodigy, and Naruto beat him. And if Hinata had to use the same style as him, there's no way she wouldn't come here with some tricks up her sleeve.
Sitting amongst the few members of his clan that came to see their clan's former heiress, Neji found himself reflecting on fate. Not for the first time, either.
Mainly on how cruel and unfair it could be. Dictating some would be born to wealth, power, talent, sometimes egregiously all three. While others are born paupers, fighting all their lives to make something of themselves. Whether or not they'd succeed was also the province of fate.
Some people had the freedom to choose their path. Or, at least, it seemed that way. While they seemed to have many potential paths they could walk, fate had already decided for them. But at least they seemed to have freedom. They could hope that their efforts would bear fruit.
And some, like him, had their destiny made plain from the moment of birth. No other paths, no possibility of fortune smiling on them, no matter how they tried. Or how much they hated their fates.
"Watch, Hanabi," He heard his uncle say just a few seats down. "It is time to see if your sister has improved since I left her in the care of her sensei."
In other words: 'since he washed his hands of her after she lost to Hanabi.' Not that he blamed him.
"Yes, father," was his cousin's reply.
Neji wanted to scoff. People didn't change. Not at the core. Hinata was still the weak girl who fell to her little sister.
And yet, fate had smiled on her enough to make it to the finals, where he fell short.
But perhaps that wasn't a fortune. After all, Hinata had to fight the boy who defeated him in front of her immediate family and countless others.
Well, at least this would cast aside any doubts on what she was.
Naruto tensed as he waited, thinking back to his fight with Neji and all he'd learned about the Byakugan as he ran through his plans for the match. Then, for the first time Naruto could remember, the blue-haired girl held his gaze. He didn't doubt she was doing the same.
Finally, the proctor raised his arm. "Begin!"
The veins around Hinata's eyes bulged as she summoned her Byakugan and charged, while at the same time, Naruto formed a cross-shaped hand seal.
Immediately, the blond was obscured by smoke as two shadow clones burst into existence.
The two clones ran forward to meet Hinata as the third stayed back, running through hand seals. 'Wind Style: Air Bullets!'
Naruto inhaled deeply before breathing out a stream of air bullets. The Hyuga girl weaved around them as the copies closed the distance between them.
Hinata drew a kunai and tossed it straight at the ground between them. Naruto saw it had a smoke bomb on it right before it went off, and the three vanished in the smog.
Taking a page from his book, Hinata shot out of the cloud as a blur a second later, using Body Flicker to close the distance.
She struck him right in the center of the chest.
And then he burst into smoke, leaving her wide-eyed and off-balance.
Of course, the real one would hang back. Use the clones to get a feel for her and avoid close combat. That's just common sense. Plus, it's what he did for Neji.
Exactly why he used that chakra-infused smoke to cover him as he switched places with one of his clones.
The real Naruto immediately capitalized on that opening and fired a wind bullet at her back. But unfortunately, Hinata couldn't regain her balance quickly enough to dodge, and the orb slammed into her back, sending her flying.
As she tumbled across the ground, the remaining clone immediately shot forward. It kicked her back while chains grew out of Naruto's back and dug into the ground.
Hinata managed to recover at the last second, planting one hand on the ground and throwing herself back as the chains burst from the earth around her.
The chains rose into the air before turning and coming down on her. Hinata dodged to the side while the remaining clone shot forward.
It came at Hinata with a jab aimed at her chest as the chains vanished. She side-stepped the attack, then ducked when the clone jumped into a sweeping kick.
The Hyuuga girl ducked down to evade the blow but was forced to jump back as more chains cut through the air and tore through the ground.
Hinata charged toward the real Naruto, the clone in pursuit. Naruto smirked. 'Bad move, Hinata,' He thought as he and the clone both made a single hand seal, prepared to trap her in wind jutsu.
And his thoughts of victory were dashed at that moment. It happened too fast for him to react.
Hinata kicked off the ground and spun, and Naruto had just enough time to see streaks of blue at her fingertips. He saw something leave them and raised his left arm just in time. The blond winced as pain lanced through his arm before it went numb. A glance down revealed the attack for what it was.
'Are those needles of chakra?' He wondered in disbelief as they faded almost instantly. Then, a pop alerted him to the destruction of his clone. The memories of its final moments revealed it had been taken out by the same attack.
The blond grit his teeth as he jumped backward. Chains burst from his back. They swung forward in a wide arc, spread out and leaving no room to dodge, forcing the Hyuuga girl to jump back.
As Naruto landed, thankful for some breathing room, he flexed the fingers on his injured arm.
It was just as he feared. All he could feel was a tingling numbness. His fingers were slow to respond to him.
Despite the situation, Naruto smirked. "Good move, Hinata. Here I thought you guys only fought up close and personal."
Hinata smiled and blushed? Just from that? Odd. But she soon schooled her features and prepared to resume the fight.
Ok. So, Naruto was pretty much down an arm and couldn't use any jutsu. Not even his shadow clones. Against someone from a clan that was deadly in close-range combat.
Well, he'd been hoping for a fight that would push him. Let him show everyone what he was made of. It looks like he got what he'd wished for.
Hinata charged, and chains burst from Naruto's back as he drew kunai with his good arm. Four chains dug into the ground while two arched through the air and sped towards Hinata, while the blond threw his kunai into the mix.
The Hyuuga girl ducked and weaved around the attacks, jumping from side to side to dodge the chains bursting from the earth as she closed the distance between them. The blond held his last kunai in a reverse grip, using it to block as she sent more chakra needles his way.
Then she was upon him. Naruto gritted his teeth and moved backward, shifting from side to side as he dodged her palm and finger strikes and retaliated with swipes of his kunai. He barely kept himself out of the barrage of blows she threw his way.
She ducked under a swipe of his kunai and launched a strike aimed at his chest, but the blond managed to block with his injured arm, briefly feeling pain lance through the tingling numbness.
Naruto kicked himself back and threw his kunai, then flipped back further. As he landed on his hand and tensed it to spring himself farther, Hinata ducked under the dagger and charged forward. He launched himself back while Hinata closed the distance.
Then her eyes widened when she saw the seal tag he'd planted on the ground.
He smirked and made a one-handed seal, and a small twister burst out of the tag and slammed into her chest. She was driven into the air with a cry of pain as Naruto landed and sent his chains out to ensnare Hinata. "Got you now, Hinata!"
The wind dissipated, and Hinata opened her eyes, determination on her features as the chains neared. Then, the girl's arms moved. They rapidly swept through the air, so fast they vanished from the naked eye. Her hands left thin lines of pure chakra in their wake, forming a net. His chains made one loop around the barrier but were repelled, knocked down, and away.
Naruto gaped as Hinata landed. 'What was that!?'
Naruto wasn't the only one surprised, as Neji's jaw had dropped. 'That's impossible... that was...'
"Father... what was that jutsu?" He heard an equally bewildered Hanabi ask nearby.
"I... don't know," The man Neji so-despised admitted. "I see its workings; she created arcing blades of chakra that formed a barrier around her... a versatile skill. It shares some similarities to Rotation, but it may actually be superior. It can't be restricted, and it's equally useful as an attack as it is a defense. But... there's no such technique in the Hyuuga clan's repertoire."
Neji turned to see the man looking astonished as a hand fell from his chin. "This is... your sister must have developed that technique on her own."
She... how? How could Hinata, a pariah of the main house ever since she allowed her younger sister to defeat her in a sparring match, have come far enough to develop such a technique?
He grit his teeth, frustration at once more being in the shadow of the Main Branch welling within him.
Naruto's eyes were wide as Hinata landed. 'What was that? That didn't look like any technique Kakashi described!'
He didn't get it. So why use that Rotation technique when you had that? It seemed like the all-around better jutsu if you asked him.
Well, for the most part, anyway.
No time to think about it. Hinata vanished with a Body Flicker the moment she landed.
Senses screaming from the subtle sensation of displaced air behind him, Naruto flung himself forward as his chains sprung from his back.
The blond half-turned to see Hinata leaping away to avoid his chains.
He continued to move backward, jumping and spinning as he threw a hail of kunai with his good arm and conjured more blade-tipped chains.
The Hyuuga girl charged through it all, drawing closer as she weaved around the kunai. The chains she just batted away with small barriers of chakra blades.
Naruto grit his teeth as she neared. She shot forward, her palm held back, and a single chain burst from Naruto's back. It wrapped around a tree and yanked him away just as she came within inches of striking him.
Hinata ran forward... and Naruto smirked.
She had just enough time to look shocked as he made a one-handed hand seal.
A seal became visible on one of the kunai he'd thrown earlier. It glowed briefly before five seal tags sprang forth, hovering in the air in a five-point formation before unleashing a combined wind blast.
Straight at Hinata's back. Too wide to dodge. She turned her head, her eyes wide.
And made no move. It looks like Hinata didn't know Rotation. Too bad, in this case, it would have worked, but that net wouldn't.
It slammed into her back and drove her forward. Naruto saw his chance and sprang forward with his fist held back, slamming his fist into her stomach as the wind started to dissipate. She bent along his fist with a cry, flecks of blood leaving her mouth.
He spun into a kick and sent her sprawling to the ground, his chains bursting forth and digging through the earth.'
This time, she couldn't recover quickly enough.
The chains wrapped around her and pinned her to the ground.
Seconds passed as she struggled, but there were no signs of her breaking free.
A few seconds later, the proctor called it. "Hinata is unable to battle. The winner is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto let out a breath. That was closer than he'd expected. Good thing he took another bit of Kakashi-sensei's advice to heart; 'always try to have an ace in the hole.'
He walked over and dispelled his chains, holding out his hand with a smile. "That was a close one. Great match, Hinata."
Hinata felt her cheeks burn as she willed herself to take his hand shakily. 'His hand feels warm...'
"T- thank you, Naruto," She managed to say as he helped her to her feet under the cheering crowd. Not that they were really on her mind at the moment.
Naruto complimented her on their fight.
It had been hard to steel herself to fight him. Hinata was always so self-conscious around him. She always felt like she was two steps away from turning into a blushing, studdering mess.
She usually was.
But, she'd found the resolve to move forward. She'd had to; the idea of embarrassing herself in front of Naruto had been too much to bear.
Not to mention how her clan might react.
Now though, as they were walking out of the arena...
She looked away from him with a small smile and cheeks that felt like she was trying to use a fire jutsu.
She'd impressed him. What should she say? Could she bring herself to say anything? What would he think of her silence?
Not for the first time, she wished she could be as vocal about her feelings as the other girls in their class.
"U- um..." She mumbled and almost froze when Naruto looked back in her direction. But she couldn't miss this chance. "Y- you were great out there, Naruto. You've really grown from the academy."
"Thanks. Same to you, Hinata." Naruto replied with a smile. At her. She felt her cheeks burn hotter. "You know, I can't say I ever thought you were a pushover back at the academy, but I always thought you were a little weird."
Hinata cringed.
"But you were really cool out there, Hinata! That barrier thing was awesome! I know it's not as easy as talking about it, but you should try to be more confident like you were back in the match."
This time Hinata did freeze. For a few moments. Then she realized she was falling behind and walked brusquely to close the distance.
"T- thanks. I'm glad you think so," Hinata replied before looking down, her gaze honed on the floor. It was hard to talk about this, more so to Naruto, but she couldn't let herself stop now. She didn't know if she'd be able to start again.
"I-... For a long time now, I've wanted to change. To be someone my clan could be proud of. Someone who people wouldn't look down on..."
"Yeah, I know what that's like," Naruto replied with a frown. Then he rubbed the back of his head. "But I don't need to tell you that. I'm sure you remember what I was like back in the academy."
"A- actually, I..." She swallowed and forced the words she'd wanted to say for a long time out. "I always admired you back then." He looked back at her with wide eyes, and she quickly turned hers to the wall. "I mean... no matter what happened, you always pushed forward. You never gave up, no matter what everyone else said or how bad things got." She managed to meet his gaze. "I... wished I could be like that."
Naruto blinked, then grinned sheepishly. "Wow... I don't know what to say. Well, that makes me feel better about those days. And if what I saw out there means anything, I'm sure you'll get there too."
Hinata beamed, warmth filling her chest.
Silence fell over them, and Hinata replayed that conversation in her mind. Naruto believed in her. Maybe her dream wasn't so far away after all?
But as she replayed his words, something he'd said earlier came back to mind, and her mood fell.
'And it's better to take a fall when you're two seconds from winning? Isn't that throwing the fight? Forget going on to the next match; I'd be insulted if he pulled that on me!'
She thought back to the day she fell out of favor with her family. So far that she feared more than once that they might move her to the Branch House.
The day she'd sparred with her five-year-old sister and lost. Lost because she couldn't bring herself to strike her.
Hanabi had been cold to her, like the rest of her family, since that day. She'd thought she was looking down on her, like the rest, but...
'Did she... realize that I wasn't really fighting back? Did she... feel insulted?'
Naruto glanced down at his arm as he and Hinata neared the fighter's booth. His hand seemed a bit more responsive. He thought.
He hoped this wore off by his next match.
As the two entered the booth, all the other genin, sans Gaara, turned or glanced at them. Fuu immediately came to them with a bright smile.
"Great match, guys!" The mint-haired girl said. She then turned to Naruto, looking amazed. "And great move there, Naruto! One step ahead the whole time!"
Naruto smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Looks like he'd impressed her. Nice! "Well, I was just following my sensei's advice. Nothing special."
The Taki kunoichi giggled. She then gave Hinata a commiserating look. "Sorry that you had to join me in the loser's circle, Hinata."
"I- it's ok," Hinata replied. "I- I think I did well enough."
Naruto opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the proctor. "The next match is about to begin. Sakura Haruno and Rock Lee, come to the arena!"
"Your turn," Naruto said to his pink-haired teammate. He raised a fist to her. "Good luck out there!"
"Do your best, Sakura!" Fuu added.
"Thanks, guys," Sakura said before taking a deep breath. She then looked at Lee, who seemed a bit reluctant.
"Sakura," The teen with the plus-sized eyebrows began with his eyes closed. "I remember what I said to you earlier, and I will stick to that." He then looked at her with determination. "But I came here for a reason. Like Naruto, I, too, was dead last in my class. I came here to face those who stood at the top and prove that hard work means more than raw talent. I cannot back down after making it this far."
"And I won't disrespect the amount of work you put in to make it this far. I won't hold back."
Sakura took a breath. "Thanks, Lee," She replied. "Because I have something to prove to myself too. I don't want you to go easy on me, and don't expect me to back down."
Naruto smiled at Sakura's resolve. Then he noticed Fuu walking up beside him. "So, what was that all about?" The mint-haired girl asked.
"Hm? Oh, Lee promised he would protect Sakura. He's kinda got a crush on her." Naruto answered.
"Oh," Fuu began before crossing her arms with a frown. "I heard about stuff like that from Shibuki. That's gotta be rough on Lee."
'You heard? Haven't you at least seen this sorta thing before?' Naruto wondered, giving her a look of confusion as Sakura and Lee walked out of the booth. 'I mean, there must have been some kind of drama at Taki's academy at some point...'
Sakura took a deep breath as she stood across from Lee, the proctor between them.
She crushed the nervousness welling up inside her. Compared to standing in the mist in Wave, waiting for an attack. To face the Sound Genin. To fight a woman that they later learned was Orochimaru. This? This was nothing.
That's what she kept telling herself, at least.
And yet, she couldn't help but worry a bit as the crowd eagerly awaited the match above.
This was someone who'd managed to fight and even get the upper hand on Sasuke. Sure, he hadn't gone all out back there, but she was sure Lee didn't either.
Did she have a chance? Was she going to embarrass herself in front of all these people?
She couldn't let herself think that way. This was her chance. Her chance to prove to everyone who knew her in the academy that she'd grown.
Herself included.
She had a plan. She'd trained hard to get here. Even if she lost, Lee would have to work for it.
Sakura steeled herself, focusing on the fight ahead of her as she waited on the proctor.
Finally, he gave the command. "Begin!"
Lee immediately charged forward, and Sakura immediately punched the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and debris. Lee leaped forward into a spinning kick.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
His foot tore through the smog to reveal... nothing. Lee continued with his moment and landed on his feet, sliding to a stop. He frowned when he saw the hole in the ground where Sakura once stood.
"That technique again," Lee noted.
There was no way Sakura would try to take Lee head-on. Not when he was able to overwhelm Sasuke. That was just asking to get taken down, hard.
Luckily, she did have a few cards up her sleeve.
Lee jumped backward as Sakura burst out of the ground beneath him, her fist aimed at his chest.
The green-clad genin landed on his feet and shot forward as Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and let fly a volley of senbon. Lee ducked and weaved around the needles, brushing one volley aside with his arm as he neared her.
The pink-haired girl formed a hand seal, and Lee immediately vanished in a burst of motion. One instant, he was a few feet away, and the next moment he was in the air, his foot digging into Sakura's chest.
Only for it to pass right through her.
Lee had just enough time for his eyes to widen before a prick on the back of his leg shattered the genjutsu. He leaped away, hand standing before pushing himself into the air and landing on his feet. He grasped at the back of his leg and pulled out four needles.
Needles dripping with light purple fluid.
"Poison," Lee noted, gritting his teeth as he tossed them aside before looking at the hole.
The pink-haired girl smirked as the first part of her plan went off without a hitch. Now, she just had to keep away from him until the poison did its work. Still, she had to keep him on his toes. She couldn't risk that he had some jutsu capable of reaching her.
Plus: the more he moved, the faster the poison would go through his system.
To that end, Sakura quickly dug her way to the other end of the arena before rising out of the ground as quietly as she could. Hidden in the brush, she weaved a series of hand seals.
Lee saw Sakura burst from the earth. He launched himself at her, rapidly closing the distance as she threw more needles in his direction. He closed the distance, his eyes darting this way and that. Searching, if she guessed right, for anything amiss.
Ducking beneath a volley of needles, Lee shot forward and threw a punch at Sakura's stomach. The younger genin managed to side-step the attack. She ducked under a sweeping kick and leaped backward, drawing more needles.
Lee vanished once more in a burst of speed as the needles reached him, appearing behind her. "Leaf Hurricane!"
His leg swept out and phased through her torso as she vanished. Lee landed with a curse. Then his eyes widened. He shifted slightly, just a bit off-balance.
Sakura smirked. 'Looks like it's starting to work...' She then made a hand seal before drawing more senbon.
Before Lee's eyes, dozens of copies of Sakura rose out of the ground. Almost like the kind-of tactic Naruto would have employed way back before the Wave mission.
Of course, these were all just illusions. To keep Lee moving and buy time while the poison wore him down and conserve her chakra.
She'd put in a lot of hard work over the past few months, but she'd been very behind there. Her once abysmal reserves were now decent. Not great. She couldn't afford to use jutsu the way Sasuke did, never mind Naruto.
She'd wind up in the same tree as Shikamaru.
She was lucky that Lee didn't seem skilled enough in genjutsu to break her technique. She'd guessed he wouldn't be. From what Lee said when he sparred with Sasuke, he seemed to focus on taijutsu.
As Lee dodged around attacks that weren't there, Sakura moved through the brush, searching for the best spot to mix an attack in. She'd have to reapply the jutsu, but that was a small price for speeding this up.
Then Lee leaped high into the air, curling in on himself as he spun. He reached into his leggings and pulled out... leg weights?
'Seriously? Did he wear those into a fight? Tenten wasn't kidding about how far he goes with this stuff...' Sakura thought as Lee let the weights fly. 'That could make a big difference, but it shouldn't be anything I can't...'
Then the weights hit the ground, and Sakura had to stop and gape.
The pink-haired girl could feel the ground shake as twin crashes echoed through the arena. Two clouds of dirt and debris erupted from the places of impact, high enough to go over the arena's edge, fissures in the earth where the weights dug into the ground visible at the base.
'Seriously... SERIOUSLY?' She thought in disbelief.
And then Lee moved.
He vanished from sight. There was no sign aside from the dirt he kicked up as he moved with speed rivaling the Body Flicker Technique. In a few moments, he'd torn through all her illusions.
'I have to get-!' "There you are!" Her thoughts were interrupted as Lee appeared beside her.
Sakura barely had time to react before Lee's foot slammed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her lungs and sending her flying. She hadn't even touched the ground before she felt a strike on her back.
Blow after blow was landed, sending her back and forth across the arena. Pain reverberated through her body as she was thrown all over the place like a pinball.
What kind of training had Lee gone through to get this fast!?
Then, her chance came. Lee stumbled, the poison doing its work, and she bounced along the ground. She forced her body to move, pushing herself off the ground mid-bounce with her right hand while Lee righted himself.
She wasn't going to get another chance!
As Lee fought the poison, Sakura put her hands together in the snake seal, pushing her chakra out from its network throughout her body. 'Earth Style: Earth Spear!'
Lee vanished once more at her as her skin darkened and she tensed. This time, the blow came to the back of her head.
Sakura barely felt it, and she heard Lee let out a pained grunt.
She was still driven forward, falling over herself, but this time she was ready. Sakura twisted her body and landed on her feet, turning to a bewildered Lee.
Sakura went on the offensive, shooting toward him with her fist cocked back and held high. He vanished at the last second, and her fist flew straight to the ground.
The resulting impact was about the same as when Lee released his weights.
And within the resulting explosion of dirt and torn chunks of earth, Sakura released her technique and used Hidden Mole Jutsu to dive back underground.
Earth Spear was an effective all-around technique. It hardened the user's skin to diamond strength, making you almost invulnerable. Your fists included, and the earth chakra flowing through your muscles made you hit harder. A lot harder.
There was just one problem: the drain on her reserves.
She wasn't sure she could outlast Lee if she tried to use it for anything but short bursts. Best to just hide away and wait out the poison.
Sakura closed her eyes and sensed what was going on above ground. Moments passed as Lee waited for her to reappear.
Then, her eyes shot open. Lee started to move. And he moved so much faster than before. Worst, he began to tear into the ground, striking the earth with so much force it created fissures over fifteen feet deep.
Deep enough to uncover her.
She moved to dig deeper when the earth around her erupted. She quickly found herself flung into the air, a blow on her chest driving her higher.
Then, Lee appeared behind her, bandages wrapping around her form and holding her to Lee. Then they spun, so quickly the world around them blurred.
"Primary Lotus!" She was slammed into the ground, and everything went black.
"Sakura!" Naruto yelled, gripping the railing as he stared into the cloud of dirt with wide eyes.
His concern was mirrored by Sasuke and Fuu, while all the other genin present sans Gaara looked shocked.
When the cloud cleared, Sakura lay unmoving in the center of a crater. Lee, meanwhile, was on his hands and knees. He tried to force himself up, then he collapsed.
"Looks like that wore him out," Giichi noted. "Man, you Konoha ninja don't do things by halves, do you?"
"Poison needles," Kankuro observed. "She got him good at the start. That last stunt must have pushed him over the edge."
The proctor looked from one to the other before raising his hand. "Neither combatant can continue; the match is a draw!"
Medics soon came and made their way towards the two genin.
"Oh man, I hope Sakura's ok," Naruto muttered. The medics didn't raise any alarms. That was a good sign.
"She's a lot tougher than she used to be," Sasuke said, his eyes on his pink-haired teammate as they looked her over. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Yeah. Remember what I told you; no negative thoughts. Sakura will be fine," Fuu said. She then looked down into the arena. "But man..."
"Hm?" Naruto looked at her curiously.
Fuu's head shot up, a fist at her chest and fire in her eyes. "Lee's speed was out of this world! When I get back to Taki, I'll have to work twice as hard to catch up!"
"Wha-? Seriously?" Naruto asked.
"Of course! I pride myself on my speed, but Lee totally blows me out of the water! I've gotta step up my game!" Fuu said, pounding her fist into an open palm.
Huh. Looks like Lee got himself a rival. He couldn't blame her. He'd probably take it the same way if someone tried to out-prank him.
"The next match is Giichi vs Kankuro!" The proctor called out.
Kankuro made a strangled sound before raising his hand. "I forfeit!"
"Huh? What the hell!? You came all this way, and you're about to throw in the towel without even trying!?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
He wasn't the only one either. Everyone else was giving Kankuro looks of disbelief.
"You're just going to back out? Now?" Giichi asked.
"Eh, what can I say? I've had some problems with my puppet. If I went out there right now, I probably wouldn't make a good showing." Kankuro said.
Naruto went to say something, but the proctor continued on.
"In that case, the next match is Sasuke Uchiha vs Gaara of the Sand! Combatants, come down here."
Naruto grit his teeth. No time to worry about whatever was going on with Kankuro. Gaara was already walking to the door.
"Be careful down there," Naruto said.
Sasuke nodded. "I know." He then turned to follow Gaara.
"Sasuke," Fuu began as he passed her. Naruto frowned. She looked worried. "If things get too hairy..."
"Don't worry about me," Sasuke interrupted her. After a pause, he added, "But thanks... and sorry about before. I've got more to say, but that'll come later."
"What was that all about?" Naruto asked, looking to Fuu.
Fuu looked away, "Just a talk we had. I was worried... you know, after what you told me about Gaara. I had a trick up my sleeve for him, but..." She shrugged.
Naruto frowned. "Well, we'll just have to hope for the best. But I'm sure things won't get that bad. I mean, the proctor's right there." Naruto pointed out, and she nodded.
The mint-haired Taki kunoichi walked to his side and peered into the arena as they waited for the next match.
Kakashi leaned back in his chair and closed his visible eye.
That match had gone better than he'd hoped. He'd remembered Lee back from his academy days. How hard he worked to prove himself even back then. And then Gai got a hold of him. The Third Hokage couldn't have made a better choice for the boy.
He was glad to see Sakura knew she couldn't have fought Lee head-on. She'd come up with a sound strategy: use genjutsu to make an opening, put him on the clock with poison at the first chance, and then use genjutsu mixed with real senbon mixed in to keep him away from her while the poison did its work, maybe land some extra hits. She couldn't know if he had any way of unearthing her after all, which he did, and the genjutsu should have kept him at bay.
He'd never have expected anything like those weights, either. Gai was really too much sometimes.
She hadn't won, but she fought well. Showed she had a good head on her shoulders. And fighting to a draw with an opponent with more training and experience under his belt, given where she'd been mere months ago, wasn't a small feat.
He nodded, proud of her. Those three had come a long way. He wished it hadn't taken something like Wave, but sometimes people needed an eye-opener like that. Himself included.
Kakashi hoped she saw it that way. Sakura's self-worth still hadn't completely recovered from realizing her faults.
He turned to his rival, who watched as they took Lee from the arena and closed his eyes. He imagined he felt about the same about his genin, if not more so.
Your genin team became a part of your family. He'd known that from his own, and it was the same now, even if his role was different. And Lee was like a son to him. He knew how much the boy's dreams meant to his self-proclaimed eternal rival.
It was amazing how far the boy had come, given all that was working against him.
"Our students fought well, didn't they, Gai?" He asked.
"... Yeah," Gai nodded. And then he was his old, fired-up self again. "And I'm sure the lessons they learned here will push my team to even greater heights!" He then turned to Kakashi. "Keep pushing your students, Kakashi! Or my students will leave them in the dust."
"Don't worry, I planned on it."
The copy-ninja then looked back into the arena, where the next match was soon to start.
Now, this was a match that had him concerned. Death wasn't common in the Chunin Exams outside the second stage. But with someone like Gaara, it was a real possibility.
Gai then stood up and began to walk away, "Checking up on your Lee?" Kakashi guessed as he reached into his pouch. Despite the wording, it wasn't a question. When Gai turned to answer, Kakashi threw a vial at him. "Here," He said as the green-clad jonin caught it. "It's the antidote to the poison Sakura used. That should work better than a general neutralizer."
Gai nodded and started to turn away. He stopped and looked back at the Copy Ninja. "Can your student handle this, Kakashi?" Gai asked. "I don't doubt your teaching, but he's only been a genin for a few months."
"He's ready," Kakashi answered. He was sure of it.
Then, his and Gai's eyes turned toward the crowd for a brief moment. There was something odd.
There were too many ANBU in the crowd...
Sasuke couldn't help but smirk as he stood across from Gaara. His Sharingan blazed to life as he matched the redhead's apathetic gaze.
Another strong opponent. The perfect test for his growth. It had been half the reason he'd come to the exams. The last match may not have turned out the way he'd wanted, but it had done just that. Much as it had smarted to see Fuu just break his genjutsu, the match had pushed him. Reminded him that he had a long way to go on that front and others.
He wouldn't soon forget the lesson that embarrassing start had taught him.
And this promised to be even more of a challenge.
So what if Gaara was dangerous? It was no worse than facing down Zabuza. And nothing compared to his true enemy.
He spread his feet apart and slipped into a fighting stance while Gaara stood still. A slight shift at the Suna ninja's shoulder drew his attention, and the cork on his gourd popped off like a champagne bottle. Sand erupted from it and wound around Gaara. Shifting, ready to defend him.
The crowd was silent, as eager for the match to begin as Sasuke.
The proctor raised his arm. "Begin!"
Sasuke opened the fight the same way he had the last; the Sharingan's genjutsu. Gaara had met his gaze, and Sasuke pressed that advantage.
This time, he didn't stand idle. He ran to the side, drawing shuriken between his fingers. He let them fly at the redhead, who was still staring where he'd been.
Sasuke frowned as the sand shifted, snaking through the air and batting away the metal stars. He let out another barrage of stars before putting forming a hand seal. He vanished with a Body Flicker, reappearing in the air on the sand genin's other side.
He aimed a kick at Gaara's head, only for the sand to block his blow. He followed up with a low kick with the same result before jumping backward, lobbing a kunai with an explosive tag at the Suna genin.
The dagger dug into the sand before it erupted. And even though Gaara couldn't have seen the tag, even though he should still be trapped in Sasuke's illusion, it formed a barrier that shielded him from the blast.
Huh. The sand really did move like it had a will of its own. It protected him, even if he wasn't aware of the threat.
Well then...
Sasuke reached into his pouch and drew three kunai. He let the daggers fly before weaving hand seals. 'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!'
He inhaled deeply and breathed out a ball of fire that barrelled toward his foe. Gaara simply stood still with his arms crossed as the kunai embedded themselves in his sand.
Sasuke smirked, just as he'd hoped. He made a hand seal as the fireball neared its target.
The kunai erupted into small tornadoes that soon merged into one. Then, the fireball hit.
A twisting spire of flame erupted. The proctor jumped back, shielding his face from the heat as embers danced in the air.
He'd have to thank Naruto again for that one, given that they were rivals in this tournament. The blond had put that aside, given what he was up against. He just hoped it was enough. He didn't have many other tricks for countering the sand.
When the fire faded, Sasuke frowned. Gaara was nowhere in sight. There was some glass, so it looked like the heat had been enough, but...
Sasuke's eyes widened, his instincts screaming at him. He kicked himself back just in time as sand burst forth from the earth. He dodged from side to side, weaving around tendrils of sediment. He ducked under one and sliced it with a kunai before tensing his legs, one final jump taking him over a dozen yards away.
From the pool of sand, Gaara rose, staring at him.
Except he didn't look apathetic anymore.
His mouth had widened into a smile that screamed bloodlust. Narrowed eyes gazed at him with sadistic intent.
He remembered Kiba's warning. So, he was showing his true face.
Looked like that hadn't worked either. Sasuke could see why he'd supposedly never been hurt before.
He was running out of options here...
He didn't want to use his last trump card if he didn't have to. He remembered being told about Kakashi's mistake back in Wave.
A jonin needs to rely on his genin for backup against random thugs because he blew all his chakra when he didn't have to... Well, at least reminding himself about that made him feel better about how he opened his first match...
The sand rose and formed a shield in front of Gaara before sand pellets burst forth. Sasuke gritted his teeth. He ducked and weaved around the bullets of sand and used a kunai to deflect more. Once more, his instincts screamed danger. He vanished in a Body Flicker, just as sand burst from the ground under his feet.
The sand immediately sped towards the Uchiha heir when he reappeared. Sasuke drew four kunai by their rings, flipped them in the air, caught them between his fingers, and launched them at Gaara.
The sand once more shielded Gaara as Sasuke reappeared behind him. The Suna genin didn't even turn around to look at him as the sand began to move.
Sasuke smirked as he formed a hand seal.
Tags on the kunai erupted... into water. Gaara's eyes widened as his sand darkened, soaked with the water. Falling apart as it turned to mud.
The jutsu to seal and unseal objects was so simple that Sasuke wondered why it wasn't taught in the academy. Drawing up the seals? That was another story, but most ninja tool stores sold the most basic sealing scrolls.
Sasuke blurred into motion, and the sand, weighed down by the water, couldn't move fast enough. He landed a kick right on Gaara's chin.
He moved to follow up, but more sand, dry sand, rose from the ground. Clicking his teeth, Sasuke threw an explosive seal that stuck to Gaara's arm before kicking off the redhead, flinging himself out of the sand's reach. He formed a hand seal as he leaped backward, and Gaara was enveloped in an explosion.
Sand burst from the ground behind him, a wall threatening to swallow him whole. He vanished with the Body Flicker just before it could fall him.
He reappeared on the arena wall in a crouch, glaring down at Gaara.
The smoke cleared to reveal Gaara standing there, hunched over. He'd barely budged. Sasuke frowned as he noticed the sand wielder was covered in... cracks?
Gaara looked up, a crazed expression as sand flowed over his body, seemingly melding into it as the cracks filled in. In only a few seconds, what damage there was had vanished.
"An armor... of sand?" Sasuke murmured. 'Great, he's got another layer of defense behind the shield.'
It was then that the redhead changed tactics. The sand retracted, flowing towards Gaara like water and forming a dome. More particles flew together and formed a small orb in the air. Then, it changed colors and turned into... an eye?
Sasuke clicked his teeth. The sand had compressed itself. It had to be a lot harder than it had been. And considering how none of his attacks had worked so far...
'Guess I'll have to use my trump card after all...'
Fuu gripped the railing as she stared down into the arena, her gaze honing in on the dome of sand.
'That's... it's like my cocoon...' Fuu thought to herself with a worried frown. Her strongest defense. Near impossible to cut through without a chakra flow technique. Even resistant to chakra absorption.
But why would he use something like that now?
Sasuke's attacks had all failed to break through Gaara's defense. If it was her, the only reason she'd summon up her cocoon was if she was building up to something big.
It was something she might have done before she got better at using her trump card. Or as much of that power as she could draw out anyway.
'What's Gaara planning?' She wondered, Chomei's warnings running through her mind. 'He can't mean to...'
"Fuu?" Naruto's voice drew her attention. She turned her head to see him giving her a concerned look. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah," She said with a nod. "Just... worried, you know?" Fuu looked back down into the arena. "Why use something like that when you've already got such a strong defense? He's up to something..."
Naruto frowned and nodded. "I thought so too..." He then looked at her again. "But Sasuke knows what he's doing. I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve." He said reassuringly.
'I hope so...'
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. If his other attacks didn't pierce Gaara's defenses, there's no way they'd work on that.
One option is left.
Sasuke formed the ox, rabbit, and monkey hand seals before grasping his left wrist. 'Chidori!'
Lightning covered his hand, bolts arcing off as it glowed blueish white light. A strange sound emanated from it like birds chirping.
Sasuke charged, running straight down the arena wall and then across the ground, clearing half of the arena in only a few seconds as he sped toward his target.
He saw subtle movements in the sand before spears lanced out to skewer him. His Sharingan read them all, and he ducked and weaved between them as he thrust his arm forward.
It tore through the sand. Sasuke barely felt any resistance as it pierced Gaara's shield. He reached in as far as he could before releasing the technique.
His hand had dug into flesh. He could feel warm liquid running down his arm, and the sand had stopped moving entirely. He'd got him, but how much damage had he done?
Then, there was a scream from within the cocoon of sand. "BLOOD! IT'S MY BLOOOOOOD!"
Huh. Sasuke guessed he shouldn't be surprised if Gaara had never been wounded in his life.
Then the sand began to shift. Sasuke's eyes widened as something grasped his arm. It wasn't sand; it felt more like... a claw? Pain shot through him as its grip tightened. It felt as if it would crush his bones.
With a cry of pain, he channeled lightning through his arm, loosening the death grip on him enough to throw himself back.
But he couldn't have expected what he saw next.
It had indeed been a massive claw grasping him. It was a brighter yellow than the sand, covered in blue lines, almost like veins, as it hung limply. Startling enough by itself, but his Sharingan showed him more. He could see its chakra.
Crimson chakra, filled with bloodlust. More potent than any Sasuke's eyes had seen before.
Naruto gripped the rails, looking down into the arena with wide eyes. 'That... this is like...' Like something Jiraiya had told him about when he'd been training him.
Teaching him how to use the Kyuubi's power.
'Don't tell me he's...!?'
Fuu leaned forward, her expression panicked. 'That's... was he actually going to...?!'
Then, it retreated back into the shield. And an eye peered out from the hole he'd made, glaring at him balefully.
But it wasn't Gaara's.
A yellow orb, sitting in a pool of black. The pupil was shaped like a four-point star, with small spots lying between its arms.
An inhuman roar echoed from the orb of sand. Air whipped out from the cocoon as Sasuke stared in shock at the heart of the storm.
Then it ended. The sand melted away, revealing Gaara, clutching his shoulder as blood ran down his arm.
And then, there was an explosion of smoke at the Kage's booth, drawing his attention away from Gaara. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw chakra signatures, strong ones, moving quickly through the crowds.
Sasuke's gaze scanned the stands above as a sense of foreboding filled him.
I figured Hinata would really buckle down to make sure she didn't embarrass herself in front of her crush, so she's a bit ahead of her canon self now too.
The Sakura vs Lee fight did not turn out how I originally planned it. Sakura was originally going to lose outright, but it kinda wrote itself like that. I realized; she could just dive too deep underground for Lee to reach her and let the poison do its work. I also didn't want to end the fight with Lee pummeling her without his weights when he's fighting poison. A single moment could give her the chance to recover after all. So, this seemed like a nice compromise.
Ended a bit like canon, but I couldn't think of much else at Sasuke's disposal that would actually punch through the sand. At least he actually tried other things besides the technique he can only use 2-3 times a day before he's completely drained of strength and only used it as a last resort for dealing with Gaara's defense, rather than showing off his new speed then using it.
Hope you enjoyed it! Please review.