THE CHAPTER HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY EDITED ON 7/16/23

A Saiyan's Return!

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms!"

This was the shout of one Hyuga prodigy known as Neji Hyuga. The Chunin Exams Finals were currently underway, with the first match seemingly ending at this moment. Neji had just executed a main family technique from the Hyuga clan. Doing so on his opponent, which was one Naruto Uzumaki. As the blonde-haired genin flew back, Neji could only smirk as he proved the boy wrong about his belief. Fate was absolute, and he had proved it with his final blow. Those in the stands watched as the whiskered teen was launched back. Many had bets against the kid, knowing that the Hyuga male before him was the Rookie of the Year last year. Only a few people believed in Naruto and believed the kid would win to fulfill his promise during the preliminaries.

Naruto felt all of his tenketsu blocked off, with loads of pain from such a method hitting him all at once. As he flew back, time seemed to slow down around him as he stared upwards toward the semi-clear sky. He watched the few clouds and birds fly around within that blue sky, completely free of worry. When was the last time he allowed himself to be free? When was the last time he stopped worrying about the thoughts of those around him? He was tired of holding himself back. Most didn't understand that Naruto held much more power and strength in him than most thought; he wasn't talking about the Kyuubi. All of his strength from his heritage was sealed away. But why did he do this?

It could have been his fear of not being accepted. He figured that if he didn't appear different, those around him would accept him more and wouldn't fear him. He was wrong. It didn't matter if he looked normal like them. The adults feared him, hated him. They didn't want anything to do with Naruto. It was so bad that a few people tried to beat him. They threatened to harm him, but he never allowed such a thing to happen. Even with his strength sealed away, he was capable of handling himself. However, that raises the question of why he acted as a fool most of his life.

He sacrificed his strength and PRIDE to appease the people, to become accepted by the masses. He became a fool on the outside that allowed everyone to push him around from when he was a brat in the academy to now! Well, no more! If he had learned anything about those of his heritage, then it was that they never gave up their PRIDE as warriors! A warrior didn't hide his strength away and weaken himself. He let his power soar to new heights and became stronger!

It was time.

Time to drop the mask and reveal his true self.

He could feel his body crash and land against the arena floor. He grunted from the impact but didn't show any other kind of reaction to what happened to him. He could hear Neji moving out of his Jūken stance and standing before him. Looking up, he could see the bastard had a smirk on his face while crossing his arms.

"As I've said before, fate has declared me the victor of this battle. Just as it did during the preliminaries against Hinata-sama, learn to stay down, and you won't be in such a position as she was. She was almost killed because she decided against her fate of being a weakling, just like you. No matter what you do or how much work you put into your training, you will forever be weaker against your betters. Just as I will forever hold a curse to keep me in line towards the main family." Neji said while shaking his head with a slight scowl. "Proctor, go ahead and call the match. He's finished." He turned to walk away, but laughter erupted from behind him. The laughter that came from his downed opponent. Turning back around, he glared as the idiot on the ground slowly began to stand on his feet. He could see the grimace on Naruto's face before watching him chuckle and spit blood out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry. It's just…I found what you said funny. All of your fate bullshit and your talks about how Hinata is weak; she's the strongest Kunoichi of our graduating class and anyone with working eyes could see her holding back. If she really wanted to win against you, I have no doubt she could have pulled it off." Naruto said while Neji growled with his teeth grinding against one another. Those in the crowd were surprised at his words about the Hyuga heiress. None more so than Hisashi Hyuga, Hinata's stick up the ass for a father, and the other rookies plus their jonin senseis. They had never heard such faith come from the blonde about the girl who had a massive crush on him bigger than the Hokage monument.

Naruto wiped the blood that was leaking from his mouth. The internal damage from that last attack was slowly being healed away. "And then there's you calling me weak. Saying no matter what I do, I'll forever be like this. Hmph, I'd be angry if it wasn't true." There was a gasp from the audience above, as none would think Naruto would admit Neji was right about his weakness. This was Naruto Uzumaki we are talking about here! The one who constantly claims he'll be Hokage and stronger than all the past Kages. "Though, your words would be truer if it weren't for one simple fact; I have been holding back this entire time." He chuckled while there was a loud gasp heard throughout the stadium, with Neji's eyes widening before he glared at Naruto.

There was no way that this plebeian was holding back against him! Neji was the greatest genin of his graduating year! He had a full year, and more, experience over this whiskered idiot. He would have known if he was holding anything back during their fight. They all knew this boy was the dead last of the academy for a reason; at least Rock Lee had some measure of skill in Taijutsu. This boy had nothing!

"But here's the real kicker," Naruto continued while unzipping his jacket and tossing it to the side, "I have been holding back since even back during the academy." There was a collective gasp again at such a statement. How could he have been holding back all the way since then?! "No one here knows the real me besides two individuals. One of them is the Hokage, and he has been fine with me holding back like I have." Many murmurs erupted within the stadium audience. A few glances were thrown toward the Hokage, with Hiruzen only having a small smirk. It was about time Naruto accepted his authentic self.

Everyone watched Naruto pull his blue shirt off his body, and a couple of girls and some older women in the stadium gained a red tint on their cheeks at seeing his physique. Those who knew Naruto, or at least think they knew this Naruto, knew that he was always inhaling ramen faster than an Akimachi at a buffet. Ramen wasn't the best food to eat every day for every meal. So, it was a surprise to see that he wasn't as scrawny as most thought he would be and that he actually had a muscle-defining frame. Clapping his hands together, Naruto focused his energy. The blockade that Neji did to his tenketsus was being undone.

"So, what! You say you were holding back, but that doesn't change what fate has decreed. It has decreed me the winner of this battle here, and no matter what you do, you will still be weak!" Neji declared towards Naruto while returning to his Jūken stance and prepared to put this commoner back in his place. He may have been part of the branch family of the Hyuga, but even they were above such filth like him. With Neji's Byakugan, he could see the points he had closed off were forcefully being opened again by his rising chakra, but it looked different. The energy looked and felt powerful like a dam was waiting to burst forth. He wouldn't say it aloud, but he felt sweat falling on the side of his head. Where was he hiding all of that energy?!

Naruto chuckled as Neji triggered his last nerve. "There you go again. Calling me weak. You're really starting to piss me off." He said while lowering his hands to glare at Neji, though a confident smirk appeared as he placed his hands to his side and got into a horse stance. "It's time I shut that trap of yours. You can insult me all you want, but the moment you start calling me weak and begin attacking my pride as a warrior, you have gone too far. So, sit back and witness as I unleash my true power!"

(Begin playing Ginyu Transformation by Bruce Faulconer watch?v=nF12Vf_IfBU start at 0:15 or watch Gohan going Ssj2 at the world tournament watch?v=tOiq8KNfcDI Make sure to start at 0:17 to skip the intro the guy had)

The wind began to rustle the trees and Naruto's hair. Genma looked down to the ground before his eyes widened when he saw a couple of rocks shaking up and down. Looking up, he could see the trembling happening closer to Naruto. Whatever the kid was doing, he knew he should probably back up some more.

"hhrrRAAAAAAAH!" Naruto roared with the ground underneath him cracking and sparks of electricity coming off his body. He gritted his teeth with a growl, his stance tightening, and began channeling more energy. This caused the ground to shake and the arena to tremble from the power being outputted. As his energy spiked, a red aura became visible around his form. Neji backed away with widened eyes. He saw the chakra coils within Naruto expand, with his chakra overflowing to the point this power wasn't contained in his tenketsus but in his entire body. Another powerful wave of energy spiked from Naruto that caused the ground he stood from to crater.

Everyone in the stadium had wide eyes and mouths gaped at what they saw. They could practically feel the energy waving off him. The seals visible on Naruto's body turned red—making it look like his entire form was cracking and ready to reveal something else.

"HHHAAAAAAAAAA!" He released a louder roar to the heavens as his power flowed out, making the ground crater even more and causing the violent wind to push back those on the arena floor. His energy created a pillar of red light that flowed to the sky, covering him entirely and blinding everyone there. Everyone had to cover their face, and those who activated their Byakugans were forced to shut them off lest they go blind.

'All that power was hidden away?! To think I could have marked him when I had the chance!' Orochimaru thought. Who knew that the Kyubi Jinchuriki was hiding such strength from everyone that knew him? He would need to find a way to mark the boy. He was too perfect of a specimen to give up now. With both him and the Sharingan, he would become a GOD!

The light faded, and everyone could move their eyes back to the arena floor. When they did, a loud gasp came from everyone, eyes widening at what they saw. Naruto's form had changed! When he said he was holding back, they didn't think it was also the cause of his appearance! Down on the floor stood a now five-foot-two Naruto, the same height as Shino. The muscles on his body seemed to have expanded and been even more defined on his body. The whisker marks on his face became bolder, giving him a feral look. A big surprise came from his hair! It was no longer blonde but a deep crimson-red color. His hair had become spikier, reaching to his shoulders now, and two bangs framed the sides of his face. Like a certain blonde Hokage, everyone loved or hated, depending on who you were. The biggest shock came when they saw a brown monkey tail swinging behind Naruto. It seemed to have broken out of the back of his pants, which ripped some from the power spike and growth, making people think it was physically a part of him.

"No way! Is that…. really Naruto?" Sakura squeaked out. She would deny it later, but her cheeks did become rosey as she drank in her teammate's form. Ino was in the same boat, maybe worse, considering her face was red, just like how Hinata gets. Speaking of the resident female Hyuga, she was now blushing up a storm! Her face was redder than Kyubi's fur. Blood leaked from her nose as her thoughts went closer to the gutter before she finally passed out. Kurenai caught her student, but some, mainly her purple-haired best friend, would notice the tint of pink that showed up on her face.

Naruto was smirking at his opponent, who was forced to shut his Byakugan off unless he wanted his eyes ruined. Closing his eyes, Naruto took a deep breath of fresh air before letting it out with a content sigh. I couldn't remember the last time he was like this and not in his mask-sealed state. Feeling all his energy flowing through him once more made him happy. Rolling his neck, he heard a few cracks and sighed from the released tension. Doing a few stretches, he could feel his muscles relaxing and his body becoming less strict in movement.

"That's much better." He spoke with people noticing his voice was slightly deeper than before. Smirking, he turned his gaze toward Neji before leaving the miniature crater he had made. "Well, Neji, ready for the real match to begin?" He grinned, showing off his longer canines, while Neji just scoffed, got back in his Jūken stance, and turned his Byakugan back on. His power wasn't increasingly rising, making it bearable to stare at him. He did wince from the energy flowing off of him, though.

"Like I said, commoner! No matter what change you go through, fate has decreed that-!" His words were interrupted as a fist buried itself into his sternum.

"You really gotta learn to stop talking so much," Naruto said before smirking and elbowing his chin up before stepping to the side to knee his chest, making Neji gasp for air. Naruto quickly moved for a left hook that made his jaw rattle before Naruto began moving his body faster. His fist became blurs as he punched Neji from each side of his face and body. His legs weren't idle either, as he performed a flip kick and moved into a handstand before spinning his body to drive a heel kick toward his ribcage. He could both feel and hear one of them crack before spinning again and kicking Neji in the jaw, sending him into the sky. Naruto jumped to catch Neji before flipping to powerbomb him into the earth.

"I'm not finished with you yet," Naruto said as he grabbed Neji's leg to start slamming him into the earth back and forth, then tossing him to the side. Neji coughed as he stood back up after being tossed around like trash. He couldn't believe this was happening to him! He was assured he had a victory as Naruto was the class failure! He may have made it here but knew he wouldn't defeat him. Straightening himself, Neji ignored his pain so he could charge at Naruto. Smirking, the blonde waited patiently before dodging each strike Neji tried to hit him with. He danced around each palm thrust while keeping his smirk on his face making Neji growl as he tried harder to hit the blonde idiot. He was mocking him!

"Man, I can't believe I was having trouble dealing with you. Your movements are slow and predictive." Naruto mocked while the Hyuga prodigy that was his opponent glared heatedly and roared as he moved his body faster to try and land a hit on the enigma of a blonde. "If this is all you got, Neji, I'm done toying with you." As he said that, he caught the boy's hand by the wrist and tightened his grip, making him wince from the pressure. Grinning, Naruto moved his other hand and grabbed Neji's whole arm before spinning and throwing him across the arena. Naruto tensed his legs as he flew before running after him to finish this battle.

"I like to call this little move Demonic Rush!" He said before increasing his speed till he became a blur. Neji landed on the ground before standing, shaking his head. When he looked up, all he saw was Naruto appear right in front of him before hitting him with a left hook. He could feel a tooth fly out of his mouth from the power behind the hit. Then Naruto moved fast, hitting him with a hard straight to the chest before doing another punch with his left. He wasn't finished yet as he moved his knee, striking his abdomen before using the momentum to spin into a spin kick before going into a high kick that brought Neji into the air. Clenching his right hand into a fist, he threw it into Neji's gut so hard he thought he would pass out from the pain. Blood and spittle flew from his mouth before Naruto gave him one last punch to the face, sending the Hyuga flying until he crashed into the wall. When the dust cloud cleared, everyone could see Neji was unconscious as his body fell out, imprinted he had made into the wall. A smirk came to Uzumaki's face before turning to walk away. This battle was over.

"Winner of the first round: Naruto Uzumaki!" Genma shouted while having a smile on his face. That was definitely a surprise for the century. He would ensure this kid got promoted as that was the best battle between genin he had ever seen. To think the class clown of his generation was holding so much back from everyone, and only the Hokage knew, while also being okay with it. Chuckling, he motioned for the medics to pick up Neji's body while he watched Naruto walk over and pick up his shirt and jacket. The crowd was silent until cheers from multiple individuals broke out. Then more cheers began to sound throughout the stadium. The Fire Daimyo was one of the ones also cheering and had his eye on that boy. He looked very familiar like he was reminded of someone with similar features. When this was over, he would investigate the boy to find out where he had come from. He would also like to congratulate the boy for putting on a fantastic show and showing that he was more than meets the eye.

"Hiruzen should be glad to have such a strong, promising shinobi. That boy will definitely go far in his life."

Naruto smirked, hearing the cheers as he had his shirt and jacket over his shoulder as he made his way out of the arena and headed up to the fighter's box.

"Feels good to be back."

Yeah, I came back here for a second time to edit things. If I'm updating my old stories again, I at least need to fix this first chapter for this story. I realize the plot hole I made initially about Hiruzen not knowing about Naruto's change when it would have been him to inform Jiraiya about what happened and them working together to help him as he grew older. I also came to fix a lot of grammar and sentence structure cause, whew, boy! I should have known it was this bad the first time. Again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are ready for the comeback of the century for my stories!

School is kicking my ass, but I'm fighting back!

Jangoman, signing out!