Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version:
Hey everyone, hope you're doing good. Anyone who's a wrestling fan, keep an eye out for a specific reference. Normally I try to avoid Fourth Wall breaks and bury references for only a select few hardcore fans of a series to get it. Or otherwise make sure it fits. But this time I admit it was a bit forced, but I just couldn't help myself. Sometimes, ya gotta have some fun and the opportunity was there!
Chunin Exams Arc Part 2:
Chapter 50: The past brought forth
x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x
Naruto searched the horizon anxiously, looking for the first glimpse of the Hidden Leaf. Beneath him Tatsuya's sinewy form wound through the air. Icy fingers of wind combed through his hair. The dragon's pale blue scales blended perfectly with the sky, making them impossible to spot.
It had been two days since they'd left Ryuugo Lake, and they'd still yet to reach the village.
'Maybe I underestimated the distance.' Perhaps, he should have left earlier. There were only a few hours before the finals began, and he was drawing awfully close to the deadline.
As they drew nearer to the Leaf, Naruto's mind wandered to his first opponent. He was still intent on teaching Neji a lesson for how he'd acted towards Hinata. However, he'd begun to wonder why Neji acted the way he did. His hatred toward Hinata was abnormal. It was a burr nagging at Naruto's brain, he'd be sure to ask before they fought.
In the distance, Naruto spotted a large brown dot. It soon resolved into to the Hokage Monument. Relief flooded through him as he spotted the tangled spiderweb of buildings and forest spread out from the base.
He patted Tatsuya's neck to draw his attention. The dragon turned to him, slit amber eyes blinking curiously. "What is it Naruto?"
"Set down along the road over there, no need to draw attention." Naruto pointed towards a spot a mile from the village gates.
"Understood." Tatsuya grumbled.
With an extra burst of speed, the dragon's scales glittered like diamonds in the sun as he darted through the air. Two hours later Tatsuya set down gently on the road leading to the Leaf. Naruto leapt gracefully from his back and set foot on the ground for the first time in hours. He offered the dragon a deferential nod.
"Thanks for flying me, I couldn't have made it without you."
"Goodbye, until we meet again." Tatsuya returned the nod. Then with a rustle of scales, he disappeared into a column of smoke.
After the dragon was gone, Naruto set his sights on the village gates, just visible in the distance. He took a brief moment to take in the familiar scent of pine needles and oak leaves. It smelled like home. Though there wasn't long to reminisce, he had to hurry!
A trail of dust kicked up behind him as he used a seal less Teleportation to take off in a blur of movements. The distance melted away beneath his heels. Within five minutes, he shot through the village gates and onto the rooftops. In the distance he could spot the towering form of the Leaf Village Stadium.
The stadium rose high into the air, a towering round form painted red. It's walls sloped upwards like a dome, but the top was open, as if some giant sword had perfect sliced the top off. Curved pillars rose like ribs along the outside, anchoring the structure. On the east side stood three grand stands with traditional tile rooves that upwards at the corner.
The sight of the stadium eased his mind, letting the teleportation fade and continuing at a normal pace.
It was a local landmark, and the sight of his Final Exam. The muscles in his thighs coiled as Naruto leapt from roof to roof, racing across oblong eaves and square rooftops alike. A half hour later he finally alighted in front of the stadium.
Naruto took a moment to gather his bearings. The main entrance –a set of iron-bolted oaken gates painted black–was bustling with activity. Excited patrons held up their tickets to gain entry. Everyone was dressed in their finest robes and the air was awash with conflicting perfumes and colognes mixed with the smell of cooking meats from vendors.
His destination, meanwhile, was a dozen yards to the right, where a pair of chunin guards stood watch over a smaller set of gates. One with chin-length chestnut hair, while his partner favored a darker brown cropped close to his head. As he approached, they called out a greeting.
"Well, well, Naruto Uchiha, you're the last to arrive. Cutting it a bit close there, huh?" The chestnut haired one joked.
Naruto rubbed his hair sheepishly. "Just got back from my training, kinda lost track of time."
His partner smiled good-naturedly. "Well head on in."
Naruto passed the guards and into a long, dark tunnel. As he walked, he could hear the growing roar of the crowd. It shook the walls and made the ground tremble. Finally, he came to a second set of doors and pressed through.
He stared in awe, as he entered the arena floor. It had to have been designed by a shinobi, because the arena looked as if someone had transplanted a training field in the middle of the city. A wide-open earthen field, surrounded by patches of trees. And surrounding it all, a long, tall stone wall jutted fifty meters into the air. And above the walls, were the three stands, white pavilions packed with people.
The other competitors were already there, along with a scruffy looking jonin with chin-length brown hair, who wore a bandana forehead protector while chewing on a wooden Senbon.
They turned to him at the banging of the doors. Mostly, they looked the same. The exception was Sakura. She wore a sleeveless version of her red qipao dress, though she'd added a pair of elbow pads, along with tight-fitting black gloves. She looked at him teasingly as he joined the competitors.
"Figures you'd wanna make a grand entrance."
He flushed, though quickly thought of a way to get back at her. "Well, I just got lost on the road of life." The annoyed twitch of her eyebrow told him his impression of Kakashi had done its job. Next to Sakura, Sasuki steadfastly ignored his arrival.
The lazy jonin glanced backwards "Hey, straighten your backs, and face the crowd proudly. You're representing your villages."
Naruto took the man's advice and stood up straight. He could feel the rest of the final's competitors line up beside him. His sharp eyes swept the crowd. He spotted Kakashi, alongside Guy-sensei and Lee and his teammate Tenten. They were all in the largest set of stands, which was directly underneath the VIP viewing box. In that, perched high over the stadium, is where he knew gramps was, alongside the Kazekage.
As the scruffy Jonin turned around, Naruto was struck with a realization. Hadn't that sickly man Hayate said he was the proctor for the Third Exam? What had happened to him?
When he asked as much from the new jonin, the man's expression was drawn and grim. "Unfortunately, he got injured in the month break. So, I had to step-in. My name is Genma."
Something in the way Genma delivered the news made Naruto wonder if it was a little more serious than an injury.
Though the situation was quickly shaken from his mind when Genma pulled out a pocket watch and looked it over. "Looks like that time." Genma muttered to himself. In a louder voice, he spoke to the competitors. "Naruto Uchiha and Neji Hyuuga are in the first wildcard matchup, the rest of you can go wait in the competitor's box." Genma Instructed.
Sakura paused a moment to offer him an encouraging smile, before following as the other competitors departed through a small door set into the base of the wall. They were headed for a balcony set into the wall that oversaw the field.
Finally, he was alone with Neji. Naruto stared at his opponent with a hard gaze. He could still see Hinata's crumpled form lying on the ground after the boys win. How her blood had stained the floor and filled the air with that awful iron smell.
"Have I offended you in some fashion?"
"You could say that." Naruto said slowly. "Before we begin, I've only got one question for you. Why did beat Hinata down so bad? She's your cousin, and all she wanted to do was prove she could be strong."
Neji scoffed, as though the very notion offended him. "What business is it of yours? What happened was between us, as members of the Hyuuga Clan. It was the result of something decided long ago, before Lady Hinata was even born." Veins bulged at the corner of Neji's pale white eyes, shooting into the center of his Byakugan. "All this talk is meaningless. Let failures be failures. We are people with talent, fated to rise above riffraff like that. However, today you'll taste failure. I WILL prevail."
Naruto tightened his grip on Senbonzakura's hilt. Fate, failure? He couldn't stand the way Neji talked of others. As if you could never change yourself.
Neji stepped back, placing one foot behind the other, with a with a flat hand arching high over his spine. Chakra thrummed at his fingertips, as Neji prepared to launch forwards and strike. Naruto's Sharingan spun, predicting the path of Neji's hand as it knifed through the air, seeking a decisive early blow. Naruto weaved through the strikes and struck back with a firm kick to the ribs that sent Neji stumbling backwards.
"You're too slow." Naruto commented snarkily. Neji's expression tightened in fury, the boy charged forward with a barrage of blows.
Naruto saw Neji coming and flipped out of range, drawing Senbonzakura as he went. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."
The silvery petals of Senbonzakura shot out, glinting, and glimmering in the sun. They shone with a pink light as Naruto quickly formed them into dozens upon dozens of needles. With a simple wave of his hilt, the needles shot towards Neji at the speed of sound. To his astonishment, Neji began to dodge and bat the needles away. Understanding the need to press the issue, Naruto swept the empty hilt of his sword through the air. The needles sprang apart into individual petals and attacked in sweeping waves.
For but a moment, he thought his petal blades were about to break through. Then Neji began to spin, rapidly deflecting each end every petal as Chakra poured from him in spinning dome that tore into the earth.
Naruto regarded the spectacle with curiosity, as the petals were deflected in a shower of sparks. 'It reminds me of the Rasengan, only across the entire body. Course, I can think of an obvious weakness. He'll run out of chakra eventually.. After trying to pound through the defense with a barrage of hammer blows from his blade petals. Naruto gave up that pursuit.
Neji showed no sign of stopping, and he didn't intend to just sit there and let the defense stand.
He judged the rotation of the sphere. With his Sharingan, he easily picked apart the rotation and power behind the jutsu. "Here goes nothing." Naruto channeled chakra into the palm of his hand, forming a swirling ball of chakra rotating in the opposite direction as Neji's defense. He silently thanked Jiraiya for teaching him how to do the technique properly. It was so much easier!
He shot forward like a cannon ball and slammed the Rasengan into the barrier. The chakra screeched as it ground against each other. Slowly, eventually, whisps began to unravel from the spinning orbs.
Before long, Naruto Rasengan began to unravel, as did Neji's defense. Whisps of chakra trailed off him as Neji came to a lurching stop. In a desperate bid, the Hyuuga lunged forward into an odd stance, one arm extended backwards overhead, the other at his knees. Neji shot forward and struck repeatedly, over, and over, and over again. Naruto dodged every single blow. It was shockingly easy, after training in the grueling conditions of Ryugu Lake for three weeks, he was stronger and faster than ever before.
Once Neji had worn himself down, sweat dripping from his brow, Naruto shot forwards. He battered Neji, sending swift debilitating blows to areas that made it hard to move like the solar plexus and liver, even the joints. He ended with a snap kick to the jaw that sent his opponent flying.
Neji went downlike a pile of rocks, and he didn't stir. The Hyuuga's Byakugan was deactivated, and he lay on the ground in a panting, unmoving heap.
Naruto approached his downed opponent and staring down into the furious silver eyes. "For your information, once upon a time, I was a loser too. Struggled to learn anything. But now look at me. A failure just kicked your ass ten ways from Sunday. Nobody is fated to be anything; we decide our own paths."
For several moments, there was silence as Neji contemplated his words. Slowly, the boy's fury faded, replaced by resignation.
"You wanted the know why I hate Lady Hinata?"
With shaking hands, he reached up, and removed his headband before unwinding the tape around his forehead. What was revealed was manji symbol with hook-like endings, and a pair of opposing straight hooked lines. Neji let his head fall back to the ground with a gentle thud.
"–Well look no further. This seal allows the main family to control branch members with indescribable agony. I bear this symbol simply because my father was born after Lord Hiashi."
"That's why you hate her?" Naruto questioned, outraged. The seal was horrible, an abomination, but Hinata had no control over such a thing, and he knew she was too gentle to use such a seal.
Neji scowled at him. "I've far more reason than that!" He declared. "Eleven years ago, when the Hidden Cloud was negotiating with us for peace, the Hyuuga Clan was chosen to host their delegates. We performed our duty, all in the name of peace. And our reward was their head ninja trying to kidnap Lady Hinata. He failed and died at Lord Hiashi's hand, but that wasn't the end of it.
"They demanded a retribution for the death of their men. Only the life of Hiashi Hyuuga would suffice. Only, it wasn't him that died that day. Instead, my father was murdered by the head family to protect the secrets of the Byakugan. Tell me how is that fair? Why must I and my father be punished for Lady Hinata's weakness. I wanted to prove that I was strong enough to surpass even the main branch in strength. But I should have known better than to fight my fate."
"That's … some heavy stuff. Still, it's stupid to blame Hinata. You claim to believe in fate, yet you fight it? You need to pick a lane." Naruto replied. He finally looked to the proctor. Neji had yet to show any sign of getting up. "You gonna call it or am I gonna have to knock him out."
He asked with a raised eyebrow. Genma took a moment to regard Neji carefully. When it was clear Neji wouldn't move, Genma held up his hand. "Winner of the match and first Wildcard moving forward, Naruto Uchiha!"
He announced in a loud, clear voice. Naruto paid the moment little attention. Somehow, he felt empty in his victory. It hadn't given him the satisfaction he wanted. In the end, though he disliked Neji's attitude, he couldn't hate him. Naruto saw too much of himself in Neji. Burdened with a seal he never asked for, stigmatized for it. Part of him couldn't help but wonder, had he not found the people close to him, would he have ended up like that? It was too disturbing a thought to bare much contemplation.
Naruto slowly made his way upstairs through the same door he'd seen the others slip through. The stairs within the concrete wall were quiet, lit by small but powerful electric lights. The air was stale and cold. He made his way up five flights of stairs, his only companion the echo of his footsteps and ever so faint roar of the crowd, still celebrating his win no doubt.
Finally, he came to a crossroads where two large halls intersected. A quick scan with his sensing told him that the hallway to his right was the correct way.
Eventually, he came out onto a bright balcony set within the wall. The other competitors were there, mostly minding their own business. To the far side on his right, the Sand siblings were quietly chatting. Well, Temari and Kankuro were, to be more accurate. Gaara was staring hard at something in particular. A chill went down his spine when he followed the redhead's gaze and realized he was staring at Sakura.
'That boy … he's giving off an awful bloodlust.' The Nine-Tails commented. Not that Naruto needed it. He could practically feel it rolling off Gaara in waves.
Then there was Shikamaru, Shino, and Samui. Each was in a different corner of the room keeping to themselves. It looked like Shikamaru might be attempting to sleep against the wall. Shino, meanwhile, stood still and silent in the back left corner. Samui, meanwhile, was staring at him. Naruto shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. He wondered, what was going through the beautiful blondes' mind.
Finally, there were his teammates. Sasuki and Sakura were chatting quietly near the center of the railing. As he approached, he failed to catch what Sasuki was saying. Though he couldn't miss the quick glance she shot at him, or the conflicted look in her eyes–part anger, part regret–that he saw.
"Good luck, I'm taking a stroll." He overheard her mutter quietly, before she quickly stalked away towards the entrance he'd just come through.
Naruto failed to stop the frown that appeared on his face. Though he quickly forgot it as he saw Sakura seemingly waiting nervously. He forced a smile as he walked up to her. She didn't deserve to be dragged down by whatever rift was still between Sasuki and him. 'Not when she's about to face that psycho.'
"Hey Sakura, you ready for your match?" He asked pleasantly as he walked up to her.
The pink-haired girl seemed to shake off her nerves and gave him a confident smile. "Sure am. The plan Yamato-Sensei came up with is simple, but brilliant. Only an idiot can mess up a strategy revolving around three jutsu. And you know I'm no idiot."
He nodded slowly; his smile became more genuine as he realized her confidence wasn't forced. It was the real deal and not the same as the overconfidence he'd seen in others like Kiba. 'When did Sakura start carrying herself like Sasuki and I?' It seemed the surprises with his teammates' shift in personality weren't about to end any time soon. He should get used to it and accept it as just a fact of life. 'Yeah!'
Sakura suddenly stiffened, as Genma's lazy voice rang out, loud and clear. "Sakura Haruno and Gaara of the Desert, make your way down to the arena for the Second Wildcard!"
The rest period had ended, and it was time to the fight Naruto had been most anticipating besides his own.
Gaara stood up straight from his place against the wall, and disappeared in a swirl of sand, just as he'd done in the preliminaries. And just as then he reappeared on the arena floor, quietly muttering to himself with a manic look. 'He must be worked up.' Naruto shoved his concern to the back of his mind. If Sakura was so confident, he'd be confident in her as well. So, he gave her a teasing grin.
"You gonna let him show you up? Why don't you go join him."
His pink-haired teammate nodded swiftly. "Good idea. He's not the only one who can do a Teleportation." Sakura gave him a wink, then disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms.
Naruto felt heat flood his cheeks. Perhaps it was her newfound confidence, but he'd never noticed just how pretty Sakura was.
He shook his head wildly, like a wet dog, trying to rid himself of the distracting thoughts. Right now, he should be supporting Sakura and worrying about more important matters!
His gaze was drawn to the arena, as he saw Sakura reappear in the same swirl of cherry blossoms. He was impressed by her ability to shift the material used. It was the mark of having learned the jutsu to a different degree than most Shinobi ever did. Then again, Sakura had always excelled at nailing down the technical aspects of a jutsu, even before she grew stronger.
He glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps, surprised to see Samui coming towards him. "Naruto, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you about something very important, in private."
Down below in the arena, Genma called a beginning to the match. "If both shinobi are ready?" Genma looked at Gaara and Sakura. The former offered him the barest hint of a nod, still muttering to himself. The latter gave him a much more pronounced and confident nod. "Then begin!"
Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, but I kind of want to watch my teammate's fight, you understand, right? We can talk after it's over and I know she's safe."
"I understand indeed." Samui agreed with a nod, silently retreating a small distance to watch the fight. With a sense of relief, Naruto quickly turned his attention back to the match.
He was just in time to see Genma leap backwards, disappearing into the outskirts of the battlefield. The reason became clear seconds later when Gaara's sand shot out of his gourd like water and sped towards Sakura like a roaring wave. His stomach leapt into his throat as he saw the wave of sand engulf Sakura. Before he had a chance to blink, Gaara squeezed his hand shut and the sand compacted, forming a pillar around Sakura's form. Naruto thought his heart would never beat again, as it skipped two whole beats.
'Is she alive?' He resisted the urge to jump down and check. Only because of the lack of blood leaking through the sand. A second later, he thought to check for her chakra.
To his eternal relief, he sensed it immediately. Though it was odd. It seemed to be circulating through her in an unusual way. Slow moving, and firm. Like stone. He activated his Sharingan to inspect the sand and saw the same foul chakra as usual running through it. Unlike a Byakugan user, he couldn't penetrate the sand with his gaze, much to his frustration.
Gaara gained a quizzical look. The sand began to retract in waves. A surprising sight was revealed as the sand retreated. Sakura, standing there. Not only was she alive and unharmed, but her entire body, from the tip of her toes to the ends of her hair, had turned a deep dark brown. With a start, he realized it was stone. Naruto quickly racked his brain for what it could be. His grandfather had loved making him read book after book and scroll after scroll of jutsu, and then quizzing Naruto on it. The purpose was so he could recognize as many jutsu as possible when he came across them. Thus, a name for the technique instantly came to mind. 'Earth Style: Iron Skin. She's learned such a powerful jutsu in a month?'
True to his newest promise to himself, Naruto didn't let the jutsu surprise him too much. This was why Sakura was so confident. She could withstand nearly any attack that wasn't lightning with that jutsu. Even his wind would have trouble breaking through if he didn't put effort into it.
But it soon became clear Sakura didn't intend to be on the defensive the entire fight. She took advantage of Gaara's confusion and began to charge forward.
Her feet glided across the sand thanks to surface walking, as she began to race through hand seals. "Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!"
Sakura's voice rang out, loud and clear as a bell. Spikes of earth jutted upwards, they raced towards Gaara and tried to impale him. While everyone else was focused on the attack, Naruto found his attention drug to Sakura by his sharingan's predictive ability. He blinked in surprise, as he witnessed a few seconds before it happened, Sakura sinking into the ground as if it didn't exist. He felt a cold finger of dread go down his spine.
'That jutsu, it's the same one Orochimaru used to sprout from the trees!' Sakura suddenly emerged from the stone wall and began to silently charge the short distance to Gaara's back.
Her fist was cocked back. She unleashed like a spring-loaded blade. Gaara's sand rose to defend him even without his bidding, yet the sand was blasted apart by Sakura's sheer power. With a start, Naruto realized the Iron Skin didn't just increase her defense, it increased her physical force by increasing her mass.
Gaara spun in surprise. He instantly lashed out with his sand, but this time Sakura blasted through the hasty wave as if it wasn't even there. For a brief moment, he was certain she was about to connect. Then Gaara collected his wits.
He attacked with a much more ferocious wave of sand. Sakura was forced to briefly retreat into the ground. She popped up behind Gaara seconds later, but this time he was on to her. A deluge of sand quickly moved to meet her, forcing Sakura to move through the ground once more. As she continued to try and get close to striking Gaara, unleashing the occasional spears of earth to throw him off kilter. Yet, it was never quite enough.
Suddenly, a particularly violent wave of sand blasted Sakura backwards towards her original starting place. Naruto's eyes widened, as he witnessed a tiny trickle of blood trail down her arm from a small cut. 'But that shouldn't be possible … unless her chakra is running out!'
He'd hardly noticed, but Sakura's chakra had steadily been draining. She was practically running on fumes from trying to keep up using three relatively high-level techniques at once.
Thankfully, Sakura herself seemed to notice the issue. Before Gaara could think to attack again, her hand shot into the air.
"I surrender. My chakra is too low to continue!" She said loudly and clearly.
Genma reappeared, giving Gaara a warning look. For a single instant, Gaara stared at the man with a rage-filled glare. After tense moments, he turned and began to walk away, his sand slowly retreating back into his gourd.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath. For just an instant, he'd thought had gone made enough with bloodlust to continue. Thankfully, it seemed he had just enough control to stop. Though he took note of the fact Gaara clutched his head and muttered furiously to himself. There was something … off about that guy.
The crowd went wild. Despite the fact the match ended in surrender, it had been an exciting one, and Naruto wasn't surprised a crowd chalked full of former and current shinobi, as well as those who admired and hired them, appreciated it. He clapped along enthusiastically.
He was very happy to see Sakura disappear in her new Teleportation and reappear in a spray of blossoms.
Naruto didn't want to think about what might have happened had she tried to return the same way Gaara did. He was quick to offer her his congratulations. "Wow, way to go Sakura! You actually went toe to toe with Gaara. Even Lee didn't put up such a complete fight against him. You're really catching up to Sasuki and I."
Although Lee had done more damage to Gaara, he'd taken far more damage too. Sakura had escaped with a scratch, something he couldn't fathom her doing when the match was first announced.
Sakura flushed slightly under the praise and offered a shy smile. "Thanks, that means a lot coming from someone like you."
A pronounced clearing of someone's throat drew his attention off his teammate. He was annoyed, until he realized it was Samui, who jerked her head towards the exit to remind him of his promise. Naruto supposed it was fair, he had promised to help her after all.
"Sorry I have to leave so soon, I promised Samui I'd talk to her about something important after your match." He told Sakura apologetically.
Sakura's happy expression fell ever so slightly. She looked at Samui rather coldly. "If you're sure …" She said uncertainly.
He couldn't help but wonder what that reaction was. Luckily, there wasn't time to ponder. He had to quickly follow after Samui as she turned and paced out of the room. He tried not to pay too much attention to her swaying backside underneath her skirt.
Naruto followed quietly behind, as Samui led him down several different hallways. Finally, they stopped beside a small alcove. They were deep within the wall at this point, the noise of the crowd was only audible if you strained your ears. He stood somewhat uncomfortably, nervous to be alone with Samui. Said nervousness skyrocketed when the first thing she did was reach into her deep cleavage and begin to rummage for a few seconds, eventually pulling out a storage scroll. Naruto swallowed nervously, his heart hammering in his chest, throat dry, and pants uncomfortably tight. 'Jeez, I thought that was just something in the movies that women kept things there! How can she do that in front of a virtual stranger?'
Samui broke her blank expression to give him a chagrined smile. "These things are at least useful for something, besides getting in the way and giving me backaches."
"I … um …" Naruto wasn't used to being so flustered. He floundered for something to say and eventually landed on the scroll. "So, what did you wanna talk about, what's with the scroll?"
His fellow blonde smiled, as though she could read his mind and realized how embarrassed he was. Though the smile quickly shrank into a very stoic and sober expression. "The scroll is a gift … and an apology, for a certain clan in this village. I believe you are familiar with the conflict between my village and the Hyuuga?"
That thoroughly drove away his embarrassment, like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on his head. He was not eager to get in the middle of anymore political intrigue, Naruto would do anything to avoid that.
"And what exactly do you want to talk to me about? Seems like something you should be taking up with them." He replied diplomatically.
Samui shook her head despondently. "I have attempted to seek an audience with Lord Hiashi Hyuuga for the entire time my team has been here. He has rebuffed every attempt to meet. The truth is, I am desperate. This is something of a side mission I'm to complete while here, possibly it is more important even than my advancing in rank and may reflect upon my chances at promotion accordingly."
Naruto furrowed his brow. "I still don't get what this has to do with me."
"I was just getting to that. From my observations, you are a sensor, a powerful one, yes?" Naruto nodded slowly, getting an inkling where this might be going. He didn't like it. Samui smiled at his answer. "Good, and I've also noticed you seem to hold much respect and status with your peers. Shinobi especially, respect you. It was my hope you might not only help me find Lord Hiashi but help break the ice so I may get before him. It would be extremely cool; I would be in your debt."
Naruto frowned. The way she'd approached him, and the desperation she was showing. It made him uncomfortable; it wasn't in his nature to turn his back on someone in need.
He got the distinct impression she knew it, too. Now, it was his turn to smile with chagrin. 'I do believe I've been manipulated.' He thought with resignation.
"Very well, I'll help you. Give me a minute to locate him." Though she knew he was a sensor, Samui had no way of knowing that he could differentiate people with unique abilities, which helped immensely in locating people whose chakra he wasn't familiar with. He could easily locate Hiashi given the unique feel of the Byakugan, something he'd grown very familiar with due to Hinata and Neji. Naruto closed his eyes and stretched his senses outwards. 'I'm looking for a telescopic sensation behind the eyes.'
There were six in the arena. Hinata was in the stands, along with one significantly weaker one and one slightly weaker. Then there was another weaker one somewhere deep in the bowels of the stadium. And near to that, the two powerful ones. He felt fairly safe that one of them was Neji, the other, more powerful one, must be Hiashi by process of elimination. Though he was slightly confused and worried why Neji was in the same room with a man he seemed to despise and another Hyuuga guarding the door. He opened his eyes rather quickly, it was probably best he check on that, not just because of Samui's request. He didn't like Neji, but after learning what that seal did, he wasn't keen to potentially leave the boy at his uncles mercy.
"Come, I've located where I believe he is, follow me." He said stiffly, his mind occupied with the new conundrum.
It was Samui's turn to follow after him quietly as he guided her through the tangled net of corridors. Halfway to their destination, he froze, as he sensed a sudden spike of familiar dark chakra.
'Gaara is busy sating his bloodlust, be on guard.' Nine warned him.
Despite not being a sensor, when he looked back Samui seemed to eye the dark corridor ahead warily. Perhaps Gaara's chakra was so intense even she could feel it.
"Don't move and stay on guard." He warned her, perhaps unnecessarily.
Seconds later, terrified screams pierced the air. It was the sound of men crying out for their lives, but knowing it was futile. Disturbing crunching and squishing sounds soon followed. Finally, footsteps echoed through the corridor, slow and methodical.
His body instinctually tensed, his hand went to Senbonzakura's hilt, prepared to draw it at the slightest hint of danger. From within the darkened corridor, the menacing figure of Gaara slowly emerged. His face was stained with red droplets. From the heavy smell of iron in the air, Naruto knew it was blood.
He seemed not to notice them, as he slowly passed by. A bead of sweat trickled down Naruto's temple. It felt like someone was sitting on his chest, he couldn't breathe, didn't dare to move lest he provoke Gaara and begin a fight in such confined corridors. Eventually, mercifully, the footsteps retreated, as did the feeling of the chakra.
Once he was certain Gaara wasn't about to come back, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and released his death grip on Senbonzakura's hilt.
Naruto glanced to Samui, who seemed to be shaking. Whether in fright or from relief after being so tense, he couldn't say. "Let's … let's move forward. Try to ignore what we see if you can. I'm sure as a kunoichi you've seen and done worse, just like me. I'll send a clone to report this."
Samui nodded wearily, she was holding it together well. He proceeded to create the clone he promised, and it immediately disappeared in a Teleportation, already knowing its orders.
He proceeded slowly, expecting, but still grimacing at the sight of the crushed and twisted bodies in the middle of the corridor. You couldn't even recognize the men, and there was a disturbing lack of blood given the terribly twisted limbs with bone shoved through the skins surface, open tears in the flesh from head to toe. Where had it gone?
Naruto forcefully pulled himself away from those thoughts and resolutely continued forwards, deeper, and deeper into the stadium. They descended staircases and crossed through halls, until they were at the ground level. Finally, they turned into a corridor with a pale-eyed Hyuuga waiting beside a door.
He was fairly sure this was meant to be one of the areas they treated fighters in. Though he didn't know where the doctors were, there were only three signatures in the area.
The Hyuuga looked their way, his forehead covered by a cloth. He eyed Naruto curiously, though his gaze turned cold when he spotted Samui behind him.
"I do not know why you are here Naruto Uchiha, especially with her. But I'm afraid you must turn back and leave. The Lord Hiashi is conducting important business with his nephew."
Naruto grit his teeth and bit his tongue until he could speak civilly. The snideness in the Hyuuga's voice ground his gears, but this was a diplomatic matter. He knew from what he learned from Gramps he had to proceed accordingly. When he was Hokage, he'd have to deal with this all the time. There was going to be no better chance to get some experience.
"I realize how the situation might look, but please, step aside let us in. We're here for an important diplomatic matter, to try and fix the problems between the Hyuuga and Cloud. Samui has assured me her intentions are true, and I've got … certain abilities from a … certain source that tell me she's being truthful. Don't you wanna help make peace between your clan and the Hidden Cloud? I swear, I won't let anything happen in there, you've got my word."
He paused, and took a deep breath, waiting tensely for his answer. The Hyuuga looked as if he'd swallowed something unbelievably sour. His eyes darted between Samui, Naruto, and the door. After what seemed an eternity of deliberation, his tense posture relaxed slightly.
"Very well, I will trust you in this matter Naruto Uchiha. But mark my words, if she attempts anything in there, the Hyuuga Clan will ensure you are fittingly punished." Without waiting for a reply, the Hyuuga turned and cracked open the door quietly. He poked his head through and began to speak, his voice too quiet to hear. Inside, a much louder voice replied, heatedly, though slowly calming. After several moments, the Hyuuga retracted his head and motioned them forward.
Naruto stepped forward gingerly. The moment he was inside the room, his eyes darted to Neji. The boy seemed fine, though there were some tear tracks on his face, and an unfurled scroll was by his side on the hospital cot.
Both Neji and Hiashi stared at them with cold anger. Naruto shifted uncomfortably and motioned Samui forwards. "It's your turn from here." He insisted.
Samui nodded sharply and stepped forward. To his surprise, she immediately fell to her knees and pressed her hands and forehead to the ground in supplication. He was so surprised he wasn't even tempted to glance at her skirt, which was riding perilously high.
"On behalf of the Raikage, and the entirety of the of the Hidden Cloud, I offer you a most humble apology for our village's shameful actions nearly twelve years ago. It was a terrible tragedy, and we acted in a deceitful manner that was unbecoming. In order to ease the tension between our villages, and specifically, with your clan, the Raikage has asked me to present you with a small token of our remorse. I've been assured, he's been excellently preserved, and his body repaired from any … abhorrent actions done to him by our village."
Without any more preamble, Samui spread out the scroll before her, and applied chakra to the seal there. Naruto had just enough time to curiously take in the figure for "human" in the center of the storage seal. He blinked in surprise at what appeared amidst the smoke.
A perfectly preserved body, identical in every way to Hiashi Hyuuga. There wasn't even a mark on his forehead. The man lay so still and peaceful that he might be sleeping, though Naruto knew better. This was Hizashi Hyuuga, Neji's father.
Naruto bore witness to a sight he never thought he'd see. The stoic Hyuuga, especially Neji, had tears pouring down their cheeks. He felt uncomfortable, seeing the normally unflappable men practically bawling.
Hiashi collected himself as best he could. After wiping the tears from his face, he squared his jaw, and spoke in a slightly wavering but powerful voice. It was deep and strong, the voice of a man who'd led his clan in war. "I … thank you for this gift. The loss of my brother's body has been a heavy weight for my clan for many years."
He paused and regarded Samui with speculation. She raised her head and stared into his face contritely.
"Again, I offer my deepest apologies. I know it cannot atone for the terrible crime our village committed, but I hope this will ease your heart, and perhaps lead to peace between us in the future. The Hidden Cloud has no more taste for war or reaching beyond our means, not anymore. That was the ambition of a different Raikage. Our leader A does not share his father's ambitions."
Hiashi nodded slowly. "Very well, I cannot promise you will have the peace you seek, but I shall consider it. You may leave now. I must prepare to at last lay my brother to rest."
Samui nodded deferentially and stood slowly. Before she turned to leave, she offered one last, deep bow to Neji in particular. "I must not forget to apologize to you specifically, Neji Hyuuga. After all, it is you who suffered worst from our actions. You have my deepest condolences if that is worth anything. I too have had to bury a murdered parent. I comprehend you suffering, especially because you could not bury your father as I buried mine."
With her final piece said, Samui turned on a dime and swiftly prepared to leave. Naruto hurried to follow, offering one last nod to the two Hyuuga.
When they passed him, it was clear the guard had been eavesdropping. He offered the tiniest nod of respect to Samui, and a much deeper one to Naruto.
Together, they made their way back towards the fighter's box.
"Maybe, we should take a different way to the fighters' box, and let's hurry, I want to see Shikamaru's match before it starts." Naruto said gave him a quiet nod of agreement. Together, they soon found a path around the gruesome tunnel and into familiar halls, only a few minutes from the fighter's box. Here, Naruto paused, and glanced at Samui.
"That was a heck of a thing you did. It takes a lot to show such contrition to a man you've never met, over a matter that happened when you were still a toddler. Thanks for that, I'm glad they can ease their minds a bit."
His blonde companion nodded slowly, he thought he saw a tear sliding down her cheek, but Samui was quick to turn her gaze away. He let her gather herself in silence. "It was nothing, merely the truth. I truly understand and sympathize with the grief that boy has gone through. I have buried both my parents, my brother raised me for over half my life, though he was merely a genin himself at the time."
Naruto accepted the words in silent support. After Samui had composed herself, they proceeded forwards. They finally arrived in the box, and Naruto settled in to wait for the next match. He was brought up short by a playful voice.
"Well, hey there, dear fiancé."
x-x-x-x-x-x- NTUC -x-x-x-x-x-x
Naruto and Sakura's matches have both passed, and the reason for the Clouds' presence is revealed! How will that effect things going forwards? It'll be a while before we get an answer for that. Next chapter, more fights, and a matter resolved?
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