Chapter 16: Hajime
- In Hokage Tower -
"So he's returned," Hiruzen mumbled, although everyone else in the room heard him.
"Unfortunately," Anko grunted in disgust. "And apparently someone challenged him without dying."
Hiruzen maintained a neutral expression, already knowing what she was referring to. "Where did this assertion come from?"
One of the Anbu decided to chime in. "The deeper we went into the forest, the more devastation became visible. There was only a three kilometer wide crater, no corpses or remains."
Another Anbu nodded, "The amount of power that shook and lit up the whole forest was amazing! Whoever took on Orochimaru is far above genin level."
Hiruzen turned in his seat, a knowing look on his features, "Son Goku."
"Son Goku? The kid from that incident five or six years ago?" Anko asked despite knowing the answer.
"I remember that, I was there trying to take out the Great Ape." One of the Anbu noted. "No wonder he had that kind of potential..."
Anko interrupted before further conversation could commence, "You really think that brat could stand up to a Sannin?"
She then crossed her arms with disbelief. "He doesn't look anything special."
"Despite his appearance, that boy is anything but normal. Before he returned to the village, he trained with Kame-sennin for a multitude of years. Later, he bested Uchiha Sasuke without using a single jutsu."
Anko's eyes widened a bit.
Hiruzen continued, "Soon after, according to reports by Yugao, he played an instrumental part in killing Oroka, an S-rank missing-nin that worked for the Akatsuki."
Anko snorted derisively, "So the kid's got some feats, so what. None of that proves he could take on Orochimaru."
"Of course it doesn't," Hiruzen admitted, making Anko give him a questionable look, "But the proof is in the pudding. Orochimaru was lucky to escape with his life. That blue ki attack if not properly controlled could have leveled the entire village."
The room went silent. So that brat was responsible for that blast...
A whistle broke the silence, "That is a frightening amount of potential." An Anbu said in astonishment. "If he ever turned evil..."
"Indeed," Hiruzen mused, looking at nothing in particular. "As much as it pains me to say, we are going to have to monitor his progress. If he ever turns on us, we need to be ready."
"Do you think he's Orochimaru's target?" Anko questioned abruptly.
"After their fight, there's no doubt my former student is interested." Hiruzen said in a thinking manner. "Who his original target was is still a mystery, but my guess would have to be an Uchiha, meaning Sasuke."
"Makes sense to me." Anko said, "Which means that we will have to keep a close eye out for Sasuke."
Hiruzen nodded.
"And having the Sharingan would help accelerate the process of achieving his goals," The Hokage finished. "But while the exams are going, I want you all to conduct an investigation. I sincerely doubt that Orochimaru's working alone."
- The Next Day -
"What day is this?" Goku asked his bestfriend. "How much longer till the next exam?"
"Just two more days," Hinata answered with a giggle. "Good thing we already passed."
"Mhmm," Goku gave her a grin. "Anyways, I'm starving!"
"I'm kind of hungry myself," Hinata said with a slight blush in embarrassment.
"Great," Goku started, grabbing the girl's hand and pulling him off the futon. "Let's go eat!"
Goku and Hinata then rushed out of the room. As they exited their room, they noticed another team of genin in the hallway. The duo turned their attention to the members of Team...what?
At least they knew it was another team from Konoha.
The first and most apparent member of the team was a boy with very thick eyebrows wearing all green spandex with orange leg warmers. He wore a red forehead protector as a belt and he had a bowl-cut styled hair. The second member of the team was a girl with brown hair that was put in two buns. She wore a pink sleeveless blouse, dark green pants, and blue sandals. The final member was a boy with long black hair that wore it in a ponytail. He wore a khaki shirt, dark brown shorts, blue sandals, and he had bandages over his right arm and right leg.
"We were not the first team from Konoha to pass! I'll make sure to do another thirty laps around the village to make up for it!" The boy wearing green spandex stated.
He then rushed forward to Goku, whom seemed to be fixated on his bandages. "It's a pleasure to meet you three, my youthful competition!"
"Huh?" Goku gave him a strange look out of confusion.
"May I have your name?" He asked, getting in the Saiyan's face. The one in question could see the fire coming out of his eyes.
"Son Goku," Goku answered with clarity. "And you are-"
"My name is Rock Lee! And these are my youthful teammates, Tenten and Hyuga Neji!"
"Hey," Tenten greeted them with a wave.
'Hyuga?' Goku recognized the name. Their eyes darted back and forth between Hinata and the other boy, Neji.
The girl was avoiding eye contact with the boy as Neji was glaring at her.
"Hinata-sama…it seems you have passed the second exam," the branch member said after a period of prolonged silence.
"Hai, Neji-niisan." Hinata answered, her voice curt but firm.
"Niisan?" Goku seemed confused. He didn't know his best friend had any siblings.
"Hmph. Your teammates must be really something, considering how fast you passed."
Neji's eyes then turned to study Goku. "You are not one of her teammates, the Aburame or Inuzuka. Who are you? Why are you with her?"
"Again, my name is Son Goku. And I'm with her cause' she's my best friend," he responded nonchalantly.
"Best friend? I assume failures must stick together. I must say, I can't wait to test my strength against your genius teammates Hinata-sama," the Hyuga stated, a smug grin on his face.
"Excuse me?" Goku questioned with narrowed eyebrows, knowing within himself he could dispatch Neji in a flash. "Hinata is anything but a failure and neither am I. Who are you to say otherwise?"
"The more appropriate question is who are you to say otherwise?" Neji returned the question. "I looked at your chakra network, and there simply isn't one. Just because you passed the exam does not change who you are. Ki is archaic and abandoned, which deems you a failure by default."
"But that is just your opinion, Neji," Lee stated. "Anything can be changed if you work hard enough. Any failure can become a genius of hard work if they put forth the right amount of effort!"
"This is really happening again," Tenten groaned, not wanting to hear the argument between her two teammates.
"Try as hard as you may, we cannot change who we are. No one can change fate," Neji answered dismissively. "Am I not correct Hinata-sama?"
"I..I think you're wrong nii-san," Hinata replied, knowing just what her best friend was capable of.
"You may have been born in the main branch of the clan, but you will always be the weak failure you've always been." The older Hyūga continued to speak, ignoring her answer. "That is why Hiashi-sama removed you from the compound. You were deemed worthless."
This caused the Hyuga to clench her fists, being reminded that her own father viewed her the same way Neji did.
- Flashback no Jutsu -
"I have requested that you be placed on a team with the Uchiha and the Aburame. Their skills will supplement yours best. Our family has great influence over the village, including the academy. You should be grateful for my benevolence on your behalf."
"I want to stay with my friends."
"What did you say?"
"I said I want to stay with my friends, tou-san. Especially Goku and Naruto."
"Hyuga Hinata. For years I have invested in your training."
"For years I have tried to rid you of your pathetic weaknesses."
"For years I have held out for the day you would be worthy of your birthright. And for what?"
"You refuse my kindness. You rebuke my advice. You allow your younger sister to surpass you. You are worthless."
"Get out."
"Goku and Naruto..."
"What about that mongrel and demon?"
"They aren't anything like you said, tou-san,"
"I see the duo has gotten to you too. That mongrel known as Goku should've been executed on the spot for what he did years ago. And the demon child should have been dealt with twelve years ago when...Until you prove yourself worthy of the Hyuga name, do not return to this compound. Trash does not belong in my family."
"Hai tou-san."
- Present no Jutsu -
Having recalled that experience, she had yet to find out why everyone hated Naruto, let alone Goku...that irked her to no end.
She would have to ask at some point.
"Don't you say another word about her," Goku said in a dangerously low tone, ki threatening to seep out of his body as he put his arm around Hinata's waist. "I don't care if you believe in fate, but keep it to yourself. Anything can be changed if you put your mind to it."
"YOSH!" Lee rushed back over to Goku, his eyes seemingly gleaming with excitement. "You are a genius of hard work as well? How very youthful! I hope we get the chance to spar at some point Goku-san."
"Count on it!" Goku replied, not removing his arm from his friend's waist, causing a tinge of pink to cross her cheeks. "Meet me somewhere after this exam."
"AHEM!" Tenten coughed loudly, causing everyone to stare at her. "I'm sorry to break up this discussion on hard work and fate and stuff, but my team just finished the second exam and I feel like we should finally get a room and lay down!"
Neji nodded in agreement and, after giving one more glare to Hinata, walked down the hallway, the female of their team in tow. Lee gave an elaborate bow to the members of Team Four and Team Eight before following behind his two teammates.
The duo were alone again.
"Lee's cool!" Goku said, finally removing his arm from it's position of the Hyuga's body. He then grinned. "I can tell he worked HARD, possibly even harder than myself! And he's got a great mentality. With the right amount of willpower, anyone can change anything."
"I agree," Hinata muttered to herself, looking away from her best friend.
"Was that Neji guy really your brother?" The Saiyan asked.
"That's my cousin," she answered. "He wasn't always like that, certain events caused him to change."
"Whatever reasons he has, I won't allow anyone to say those things about you," Goku said with a Lee-esque fire in his eyes. "For his sake, I hope we don't fight."
"Arigato Goku," Hinata said, smiling at the words Goku just uttered.
"Come on. Let's go eat!" Goku replied with enthusiasm.
- Two Days Later -
Time went by faster. The five day time limit ended and all the genin teams were led to a large open room similar to an auditorium. Altogether, seven teams had passed: six from Konoha, and one from Suna. Nineteen genin had passed.
In that short period of time, Kakashi looked at Sasuke's curse mark and sealed it, notifying him that the seal was completely dependent on Sasuke's willpower. In other words, the curse mark would only activate should the Uchiha will it to, otherwise it should no longer hamper him.
The team had rested, regained their chakra, and were fully prepared for the next challenge that awaited them. However, they were surprised when they walked into an arena.
"This is not what I was expecting…" Sakura mumbled, her eyes wide. As they fell into line with several other teams they looked around, trying to see who was there.
Not including themselves there were five other teams there. They frowned.
"Not a lot of people passed this test," Sasuke pointed out, whispering.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Ino's team and Goku's team passed with us though, so I'm fine with it."
Naruto nodded as well, his eyes scouting the room as well. "I agree Sakura-chan."
'All the rookie teams passed.' Neji realized before his eyes focused on a glare towards Hinata.
'Looks like all the relevant teams passed.' Sasuke noted with a smirk as his eyes wandered from Neji to Rock Lee to Gaara to Goku.
On a raised platform, the Sandaime Hokage stood at a podium. The jonin senseis of the six genin teams were standing by his side along with the Chunin Exam proctors. All of them were staring at the Genin intently.
'I never thought I'd see the day when nineteen brats passed. Anko, you were soft during your exam.' Ibiki inwardly noted. '…or perhaps the candidates this year are even better than I thought.'
'Out of the 79 people to start, 19 people actually made it in time.' Thought Anko frowning. 'When I said I'd cut them in half, I was thinking more like single digits.'
"Your team passed Kakashi," Guy said, a smile on his face.
Kakashi nodded. "Of course they did. Were you expecting them to fail?"
Guy simply smiled. "They don't look too bad, or perhaps they just got lucky. But with my team thrown in the mix yours is doomed to failure."
Kakashi glared at him. "Guy…" he said, a dangerous tone taking over his voice.
Guy nodded. "They're newbies Kakashi."
Kakashi was silent. Guy looked at him. "Kakashi?"
Nothing. "Kakashi?" Nothing. "Kakashi!?"
"Huh, did you say something?"
Guy turned away, tears falling down his face.
Kakashi eye-smiled.
"I'm so hungry!" Goku complained, his stomach growling due to skipping breakfast that day. Hunger be damned however, he was excited that only the relevant people made it to this portion of the exam. From Team Seven to the Gaara guy, there were plenty of people who might offer some sort of challenge for him.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "This is such a drag. Why are there so many left?"
Hinata spoke up. "Well everyone that's still here is deserving of it. Sasuke-san's the Rookie of the Year, Naruto-san rivals him, Gaara-san is incredibly strong, Neji-niisan was last year's Rookie of the Year, and Son Goku is Son Goku. No wonder they all passed."
Hiruzen smiled at all of them.
"Alright you maggots, pay attention. Lord Hokage's going to explain the third exam," Anko called out, causing the chunin-hopefuls to cease any conversation. "Lord Hokage, they're all yours."
She bowed.
Hiruzen nodded, walking forward. The teens then listened up as the Hokage spoke.
"Congratulations all of you for completing the second exam," Hiruzen announced. "You have been brought here to prepare for the next portion of your evaluation."
And then there was a slight pause before he continued.
"First before I tell you what the Third Exam entails, I want to tell you what this test is all about. Listen closely now, it's something all of you should understand. I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams."
Many of the genin had confused looks grace their faces.
"Why do you think our countries hold these exams, in conjunction with the others? It's to raise the ability levels of shinobi, and increase friendships between allied or neutral nations to be sure, but do you surely understand its true purpose? The exams are, so to speak."
"So to speak?" Tenten mumbled, so that no one would hear her.
Hiruzen sighed. "They are a representation of the battle between allied nations."
The genin seemed to be shocked at this, several of them sharing confused looks.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kiba asked.
"Now, if we look at our history, all the countries that we are currently allied with, were once neighboring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to ensure the survival of more shinobi, those nations picked champions to do battle on the behalf of their countries, in a mutually selected location. That was how the Chunin Selection Exams originally began."
Naruto nodded. "Well, that's all great and all, but why do we have to go through these exams then? I mean, it's not like we're doing this to pick chunin to go fight."
"Well actually, there is no question that part of the point of these exams is to select shinobi worthy of becoming chunin, that's just not the whole picture. These exams also allow for a case where shinobi can carry the pride of their nations on their very backs, and fight against other ninja for their very lives."
"The pride of their nation," Hinata mumbled, awe in her voice.
"Many leaders, and prominent figures from various countries are invited to attend this exam as guests, and also possibly to seek shinobi to work for them. This exam will determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And, most importantly, those rulers will watch your battles, and take note of the strengths that each ninja, in each nation, is developing. If there is a gap in power between the countries, the strong nations are inundated with request for their ninja, and conversely the request to countries that are deemed weak, decline in missions. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better our nation when it comes to negotiating with neighboring countries. So it's important to show how much military strength our village has."
"Okay but even so, why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?" Kankuro called out.
"The countries strength is the village's strength, the village's strength is the shinobi's strength, and the true strength of the shinobi is only achieved when it is pushed to its limits, such as a life-or-death situation. This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of its shinobi and hence, the strength of the nation itself."
"So that means killing is on the table," Shikamaru mumbled, glancing the bloodthirsty expression on Gaara's face. "Troublesome..."
"It's because this is an exam where your life is on the line, that it has meaning. And it's this meaning that for the strength of the nation that your forerunners fought in this exam. It's truly a dream worth striving for."
"But then why did you use the expression friendship before?" Ino asked.
"But you've only remembered half of what I said. You also mustn't have the wrong idea of the exams meaning. This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying, in the world of the shinobi that is friendship."
Several of the Genin frowned, just now coming to terms with the dark life they chose for themselves.
"The third exam is a fight for life with the pride of your village and your dreams at stake."
Hiruzen let that sink in.
"Hmph. Well he sure convinced me," Naruto said.
Goku cracked his knuckles in anticipation. The life or death aspect didn't bother him in the slightest.
"Any test is fine, just tell me what the details of the exam are already. I can handle anything you throw at me," Gaara said in an aggravated tone.
Hiruzen nodded. "Very well then. Now, listen closely, I'm going to tell you exactly what you'll all be doing on the third exam."
However a shinobi appeared in front of him, his head bowed.
He was a sickly man with brown hair that was covered by a Konoha forehead protector that was worn like a bandana. He wore the traditional Konoha shinobi uniform, including the flak jacket. He also had katana strapped on his back.
"Forgive me Hokage-Sama…" The man spoke with a cough. "But…ahem…allow me, Gekko Hayate, to continue from here."
"Proceed," The Sandaime permitted.
The man, Hayate, stood up and turned his attention to the genin teams. He raised his hands as he coughed again before he started to speak again.
"As you have heard, my name is Gekko Hayate. While…ahem…it is good that so many of you had passed, it also proposes a problem. Too many of you have passed." He told them, still coughing. "Therefore…ahem…we are going to hold a preliminary exam right now to determine who will participate in the third exam!"
"Huh?" Naruto mumbled.
"A what?" Sakura asked.
"Preliminary!" Shikamaru shouted out. "Just what do you mean by that?"
"I'm sorry, excuse me, but I really don't see the point. What's this preliminary all about? Why can't we just all move onto the third exam?" Temari asked.
"Uh," Hayate began, making Temari think he didn't actually know the answer. "Well you see, the first and second exams might have been too easy. The fact is we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the Chunin Exams, a preliminary exam can be held at any stage, in order to reduce the number of competitors remaining."
"But is that fair?" Ino spoke up.
"It's just that at this stage we have to speed things up a bit. As Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come from all over the world to see only the best, so if there are any of you who feel like you're not in top physical condition, now is the time to back out," he said, before breaking out into another fit of coughs.
"The preliminary's start immediately, so make a smart decision."
Kiba piped up. "Come on, you mean right now?"
"We barely finished surviving the last exam, don't we get a break?" Another Genin asked.
"No, we don't," Shikamaru said aloud, although he sighed.
Everyone was looking at him now.
"Look, it's a drag, but the fact remains that we had time to get here, and if you failed to do so you don't deserve the chance to rest. Look around, some teams look rested because they got here early enough, for example the Suna team or Team Four. The fact remains, if you didn't get here early enough you can't reap the rewards, although it's a drag."
Hiruzen smiled at the boy, nodding. He might grow up to be brighter than his own father.
"Oh yeah, *cough*, the winners will be determined by one-on-one combat, sudden-death. So like I said if there's anyone who wants to bow out now is your chance," Hayate repeated.
One hand rose.
Kabuto gave an apologetic smile. "Okay, you got me, I'm out."
Hayate nodded. "Kabuto Yakushi of the Leaf Village right? Okay, you can go on and step back."
Kabuto nodded. "Gotcha."
There was a reigning silence over the arena, so silent you could hear a mouse walking on cotton. Everyone was looking at Kabuto, yet no one looked more disappointed than one Son Goku.
"Seems to me I've seen that one before. If memory serves, this isn't the first time he's dropped out before a battle. What kind of game is he playing?" Hiruzen asked aloud, not even bothering to lower his voice.
"Anko," Ibiki drawled, looking at her with barely hidden annoyance.
The womans eyes widened briefly before she nodded. "Right."
She quickly flipped through some papers before she found the file she was looking for. "Kabuto Yakushi. Says here he's, failed six times in a row."
"What do you have on his background?"
"His time at the Academy is not what you'd call impressive. Average grades, took him a full three times before he passed the graduation exam. As far as the missions he's carried out since then, it's been two C-ranks, and 14 D-ranks. It's not exactly a battle record to write home about. However..."
Anko paused, making everyone look at her.
"Go on."
"There's something before his time in the Academy?"
"Huh?"
"Do you remember the child? The one who was found after the Battle of Kikyo Pass. The only survivor."
"I remember the story. It was said a small boy was found among the enemy dead among the battlefield. He was found barely alive and brought back from a jonin among the medical units. You're saying this is that boy?"
While the conversation was happening, Kabuto gave a small wave to everyone he spoke to before the first exam before walking out the building.
Hayate coughed. "Now then, does anybody else want to quit?"
A period of silence reigned, with tension so thick it was palpable.
"If no one else is planning on leaving, then…ahem…I'll explain the rules of the preliminary exam. It will be series of one versus one fights." Hayate explained as he pointed a finger upwards towards a large screen on the ceiling. "That screen will display two names at random. When your name is shown, you will fight against the other person chosen. The winner will move on to the third exam and the loser will fail." Hayate's explanation was interrupted by another cough.
"…there will be nine matches in total. Since there is an even number of you, everyone will be forced to fight."
"That's a bunch of bull!" Kiba shouted. "That means someone who is well rested will have the advantage over someone who just arrived!"
"Call it whatever you like, but you're not going to change the system." Hayate stated firmly. "This round is not an exercise. You will fight until one dies or concedes defeat, or is considered physically incapable of continuing the contest. Naturally, those who are losing are encouraged to forfeit to avoid a fatal outcome. Furthermore, as proctor I'm given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches."
Hayate coughed again. "I might occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless, to save as many lives as possible. Now it's time to reveal what fate has been chosen for you."
'I hope I get Neji,' Goku thought.
'Goku…I have a rematch with you soon.' Sasuke thought.
'The Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Son Goku. Mother will enjoy their blood.' Gaara mused evilly.
"The preliminary exam will begin now!" Hayate declared.
The screen lit up and names started flashing on the screen. All the genin focused intently on the screen. A full minute passed by before the screen stopped on two names.
UCHIHA SASUKE VS YOROI AKADO
"Alright now, those whose names have been drawn, come forth."
Sasuke and Yoroi walked forwards towards Hayate, before turning and facing each other.
The bottom half of Yoroi's face was greatly concealed by the mask that hung from his nose to below his neck. He wore sunglasses and his forehead protector was worn much like a bandanna. He wore a high-collared, sleeveless, navy-blue shirt with a short-sleeved, white one underneath, a simple obi around his waist, pants, sandals, and fingerless gloves.
"The first match. Yoroi Akado, and Sasuke Uchiha. Are there any objections?"
"None here," Sasuke called.
"No," Yoroi mumbled out.
"None? Good, because you don't have a choice unless one of you two want to forfeit."
"Alright then. Let's begin the first match. Everyone who is not participating, go up to the stands that you can see are positioned around the place."
They nodded, everyone splitting and going up to stands.
Kakashi patted Sasuke on the shoulder, but said nothing else, vanishing and reappearing next to Naruto and Sakura.
"Kick his ass till he's black and blue Sasuke!" The other two members of Team Seven roared.
"Right. Let's get this over with," Sasuke said, although he gave a light smile.
And then...
"HAJIME!" Hayate initiated.
Yoroi shot forwards, a kunai in hand. Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow, easily dodging the slice before launching a punch that slammed into Yoroi's stomach. Yoroi coughed up spit before he flew backwards, skidding against the ground.
"Is that the fastest you can go?" The Uchiha asked with mock concern. "I won't even need my Sharingan for this."
Yoroi snarled, his hands being coated in blue chakra. He shot forward, his legs pumping as fast as they could carry his weight.
Sasuke simply frowned, easily avoiding the hand, before he glared at Yoroi. "Give up if you don't have a death wish." He stated, before flipping over Yoroi, avoiding another thrust.
Yoroi howled, his body shooting forward. Sasuke continued his effortless dodging.
"Don't mock me Uchiha! I'm not gonna play with you any longer!"
Sasuke scoffed, landing. "If you say so."
Yoroi charged forwards, both of his arms cocked back, his hands covered in that blue chakra. Sasuke smirked, ducking under the wild swing from Yoroi.
And then he struck.
The Uchiha whirled around and slammed his fist into Yoroi's throat. Gagging as his air pipe collapsed momentarily, the fodder genin couldn't stop Sasuke as he spun around again and punched him in the chest. The blow was strong enough to knock any air in his lungs out, forcing his air pipe open. Rendered unable to move, Yoroi could only watch as Sasuke performed the final ritual kick to his abdomen. The kick, coupled with his return to the ground, was powerful enough to crush his spine.
Catching himself before he fell to the ground and skidded away, Sasuke was able to spring lightly away.
Looking up as soon as he came to a halt, Sasuke saw his opponent grasping his stomach and convulsing awkwardly with strangled cries of pain.
"Shishi Rendan," Sasuke capped off, naming his new found taijutsu combination. "Give up or else."
Yoroi growled, trying to raise his hands, however he noticed Sasuke slowly but surely begin to walk over to him, kunai in hand.
"Wait! I surrender alright! I surrender!"
Sasuke smirked, placing his kunai back in its holster. "Good choice."
Hayate nodded, before he broke into a fit of coughs. "Winner: Sasuke Uchiha."
Sasuke jumped toward Naruto, who was rejoining Sakura, along with Kakashi. He landed, a smirk on his face. "I told you I would win. I didn't even use my Sharingan."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "I knew you would, I just never knew it would be so easy for you. I hope my opponent isn't a weakling like yours."
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. I hope so too, that way I can get amusement from seeing you and Lee or Goku fight."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You're assuming that Lee or Goku and I will fight."
Sasuke shrugged. "You've got to admit, those would be interesting fights."
SABAKU NO GAARA VS AKIMICHI CHOJI
'Oh no,' thought Goku. He glanced at Gaara across the room and spotted the sadistic gleam in his eyes. 'This might not end well.'
Gaara used the Shunshin no Jutsu to move to the arena floor.
Gulping slightly, Choji headed down to stand in front of his opponent.
"The fighters for the second match are Akimichi Choji and Sabaku no Gaara. Are there any objections?"
"No," said Gaara flatly.
"No sir," said Choji.
Whatever confidence he had was shattered by the look in Gaara's eyes.
"Very well. HAJIME!"
Choji immediately clasped his hands together. "Baika no Jutsu!"
The boy's body expanded with chakra before it exploded outwards, enlarging in size. He smirked before he channeled his chakra once more.
"Nikudan Sensha!" Choji's arms, legs, and head were sucked into his body before he began to slowly rotate, picking up speed as his body created friction.
"Take this!" he roared despite his shape.
And then his momentum was completely stopped by a wave of sand.
Choji despite spinning into the sand in a boulder like form, he was not as hardy as one, not that it would have helped.
The sand began to lift the poor Akimichi's body into the air, making the boy halt his futile spin.
Oh no.
Choji froze, his body shuddering in fear as he shrunk down to normal size forcefully.
The crowd was silent as Choji's body was enclosed inside more and more sand.
"Sabaku Kyū."
Suddenly, before anyone could think to prevent Gaara's next moves, the sand had overtaken Choji's body completely.
OH NO.
"Your blood is most unsatisfying," said Gaara blandly, closing his fist. "Sabaku Sōsō."
Choji Akimichi, the most pleasant of all the rookie nine, didn't even have time to scream before he died.
He became the meat he consumed so often. Preyed upon by the predator known as Gaara of the Sand.
He was dead.
"The poor boy should have withdrawn before the fight started," said Hayate without emotion, walking back over towards Gaara.
All that was left of Choji was blood and gore.
Ino, Shikamaru, and several others were staring at the scene before them with eyes full of shock and terror. Sasuke grimaced, Goku was unnerved at the gory sight, Hinata turned around immediately before it happened, and the jonin except Sarutobi Asuma were impassive.
And Naruto… well Naruto had a sad look in his eyes.
"The winner of the second match is Sabaku no Gaara," announced Hayate. "Now, can we get someone in here to clean this mess up?"
Gaara gave a slight nod of acknowledgement before he rejoined his team with the body flicker.
Ino, meanwhile, was on her knees, clutching her stomach with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Ugh… that's… horrible," she muttered. "What kind of monster is that guy?! Choji..."
"CHOJIIIIII!" Shikamaru cried out in anguish, hands squeezing his temple. "What the fuck man?"
As the blood and gore that had been a teenage boy only a few minutes ago was cleaned away, Sasuke looked away from it, turning a glare on Gaara.
That wasn't killing an enemy in combat; it was murder, plain and simple. There wasn't any other way to really look at Gaara's actions. Despite his lack of a real relationship with Choji throughout his years in the academy, he still grew up with him as a contemporary.
The cold and callous nature of the murder reminded Sasuke uncomfortably of Itachi.
In a way, he didn't know what was worse: the man who killed his entire clan to test his strength, or the creature that killed merely for the sake of killing.
Goku did not know how to feel. On one hand Gaara needed to be taught a lesson in the value of life, on the other hand what he did was legal. He had no personal connection or attachment to Choji, so while his death was unwarranted it did not grasp at his heart strings.
Maybe he could wish him back with the Dragon Balls? If the Dragon Balls were even as true as prophesized, that is.
The silence that followed Gaara's return to his team was suffocating. Ino's sobs echoed through the arena, a painful reminder of the brutality they had just witnessed. Shikamaru, usually so composed, was trembling with rage and despair. His hands clenched into fists, and his teeth ground together as he tried to process the horror of his friend's death.
"How could they let this happen?" Ino's voice was a broken whisper. "How could they let him kill Choji?"
Asuma's face was a mask of barely restrained fury. He had seen many things in his years as a shinobi, but this... this was something else entirely. He placed a comforting hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, but his eyes were locked onto Gaara, filled with a cold, simmering anger.
"This isn't right," Shikamaru muttered, his voice thick with emotion. "Choji didn't deserve this. He was just trying to prove himself, just trying to be strong for us. And now..."
Naruto, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally found his voice. "We can't let this slide. We can't let someone like Gaara just walk away after what he did."
The jonin, despite their usual stoic nature, were visibly affected. Kakashi's eye narrowed with a mix of sorrow and anger, Kurenai bit her lip, struggling to keep her emotions in check, and Gai clenched his fists, his usual exuberance replaced by a grim determination.
Hayate, his usual calm demeanor fractured by the events, turned to the remaining genin, regaining face. "The exams must go on."
The announcement did little to ease the tension. Ino's sobs continued, a haunting background to the unfolding drama. Shikamaru's mind raced, trying to think of a way to bring justice to his fallen friend. His usual strategic mind was clouded by grief, but even through the haze, he knew one thing for certain: somebody had to kill Gaara if it wasn't by his own hands.
As the next match was called, the atmosphere in the arena was heavy with unspoken emotions. The genin were hardened by the brutal loss of one of their own. The Chunin Exams, meant to be a test of skill and strategy, had turned personal.
Gaara's eyes, devoid of remorse, scanned the crowd, and for a moment, they locked onto Goku's. The Saiyan's eyes blazed with a fire that promised retribution. Gaara might have won the match, but the war was far from over.
In the stands, the now Konoha 11 plus Goku and their sensei silently vowed to make sure Choji's sacrifice would not be in vain.
Gaara's ass was grass.
HARUNO SAKURA VS HYUGA HINATA
Hinata and Sakura glanced at each other with blank expressions, though a hint of nervousness was present in the eyes of the latter. Hinata had been kunoichi of the year in terms of combat, and it wasn't even close. While she spent all of that time being a useless fan-girl...Hinata had been serious about training and being a quality shinobi.
As much training as she did over the past few months, there was no doubt in her mind Hinata herself trained just as hard. How could she hope to beat someone who could rival her other two teammates over the years? It was surely a match-up nightmare for her.
On the other end of the spectrum, Hinata was confident in her ability to win. While she could tell that Sakura improved in nearly all aspects, there wasn't a conceivable way she could beat her. The constant training with Goku had been insane to say the least, but its fruitfulness came in with her physical characteristics. She was significantly faster than Sakura, and there wasn't any doubt about her being more powerful in every single way.
And even if those things didn't favor her, she knew she couldn't lose...as that would only prove her father, Neji, and the rest of her clan correct. If she wanted to debunk Neji's conceived notions about destiny and the beliefs of her clan, she needed to win. Period.
'I don't stand a chance…' Sakura thought, staring at her opponent uneasily, who looked eerily calm. 'Maybe I should give up...'
The girl activated her Kekkei Genkai and leaked a bit of killer intent. Maybe she could goad Sakura into forfeiting...
"You don't stand a chance."
Sakura gaped, "Can you…?"
"No, I'm not a Yamanaka," Hinata shook her head, "But your face is an open book."
Up in the viewer's area, Tenten turned to Neji out of curiosity, "What does she mean Neji?"
"It seems even a failure like Hinata-sama has that ability," Neji stated with his arms crossed in contempt. "Those with the Byakugan can read emotions based off facial expression alone. And in this case, she's right about Sakura."
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called encouragingly, "You can beat her no problem! Don't let her psych you out of the fight!"
Sakura heard Naruto's words, but was finding it hard to believe that could be possible. Yet, with Naruto's words came some measure of belief, despite the odds her winning being slim to none. Meaning, despite whatever chance she had of winning...
She had to give all she had.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her opponent. "This is your last chance," Hinata said abruptly, "I won't lose to you."
"Not a chance," The rosette said defiantly, her spirit showing itself. "I have to try!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you," was the curt response.
"HAJIME!" Hayate moved backwards to give them space.
Hinata took an offensive Jyuken stance.
'Since when was she such an arrogant teme.' Sakura thought darkly. She took a basic defensive stance, from what she knew about Hinata's fighting style, as she knew she couldn't let her opponent touch her, let alone hit her.
And then...
Hinata's Byakugan surged to life; more veins erupting around her eyes as she charged towards the Haruno. Sakura took the chance to jump back, throwing her senbon at her opponent to distract the girl, which resulted in Hinata swatting the senbon out of the air as she weaved through the seals for her jutsu quickly.
"Suiton: Hahonryu!" Sakura called out, a mass of water surging from her outstretched hands towards Hinata.
The Hyuga weaved through her own seals at this before jettisoning a quick fire ball from her mouth, cancelling out both attacks and creating a thick smog in the arena.
No doubt the Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu.
How did she learn it? Blame Sasuke.
Sakura simply frowned a little before grabbing a few more senbons.
Hinata took that moment to jump through the smog created by the cancelled jutsu's, her arm pulled back with her palm facing Sakura as she attempted to thrust her hand into the rosette's chest.
Sakura narrowly dodged the blow, grabbing a senbon in a stabbing position while throwing the senbon she had already grabbed. Hinata deftly avoided the senbon before she was placed on the defensive by Sakura's surprisingly fast and precise stabs – kind of similar to her own taijutsu style.
It was meant to use combo strikes to key areas specific body parts and once the opponent was able to retaliate getting away before coming in again, developed by a medical ninja specifically for medical nin.
However, this opening didn't last long as Hinata grabbed the assaulting hand the moment Sakura's momentum had slowed even the slightest, momentarily pausing the pink-haired kunoichi. This pause allowed her to deliver a firm palm strike to Sakura's midsection, delivering an immense amount of pain as she closed off a few of her tenketsu. This action caused the rosette to spit up a bit of blood as she skidded across the tiled floor, panting in agony.
The Hyuga simply stared at her staggering form, analyzing the situation at hand. Maybe now her opponent will concede defeat. "You still want to fight?"
"Is that...is that a question?" Sakura said as she rose back to her feet, coughing during her speech. It was morphing from just a business match into something personal; a silent rivalry being formulated through combat.
All her life she wanted Sasuke's attention, and now she realizes she held silent feelings for her blonde teammate...both of those things that her opponent has had before. In the academy days, Hinata trained with Sasuke and Naruto often and they were friends, and there were even subtle hints that Hinata had a crush on Naruto.
Even though that may have changed over the course of time, she was still envious of her in that regard.
Especially because she too had begun developing feelings for him, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
Hinata was a standard, a level that she wanted to reach. And what better chance than in this exam?
With that, Sakura began to sprint in a seemingly "aimless" direction in order to increase distance between herself and Hinata. If she could keep a distance between them, Hinata wouldn't be able to defeat her and she wouldn't be able to beat her, not easily.
Hinata was reading her opponent rather well and based on her analysis she had a great chance of winning this fight.
'It looks like Sakura is trying to make this a ranged fight where she thinks I'll have a disadvantage.' Hinata thought to herself, sizing up her opponent in anticipation for her next move.
"Running away?" Hinata questioned, "Range won't save you."
"We'll see about that!" was the loud response.
Kakashi had taught her one jutsu that would work in this situation, but she didn't have the chakra reserves to keep using it. There were other methods that she could use for long ranged combat… but Hinata's eyes would allow her to see any trick that came.
Hinata had four things that made her superior. Speed, Kekkei Genkai, jutsu's, and chakra reserves. However, she also had weaknesses, and Sakura knew that strengths could be reduced. It was time to get tricky.
Instead of continuing to avoid Hinata, she shifted gears and charged directly at Hinata with her kunai raised.
The female at hand struck out with lightning fast palms, but she disappeared with Kawarimi, replacing herself with one of the chairs that a jonin proctor had been sitting on.
Hinata paid no mind, spinning to Sakura's new location behind her, and blasting straight through the chair that Sakura replaced herself.
"You won't escape this one," she claimed, spinning again and attacking without any more restraint, actually connecting viciously.
"Huh-?" Hinata had struck the girl solidly in rib area, and she grimaced in pain but didn't relinquish her effort, instead managing to stab the Hyuga hard in her left shoulder.
"Agh!" The Hyuga hissed in pain, using her other hand to slightly heal the rather significant wound immediately before an alarming amount of blood could be lost.
Sakura bounded away, she hadn't gotten away unscathed, coughing up more blood from Hinata's successful hit in her rib area. Inspecting the searing sensation in that area, she too quickly utilized the Mystical Palms technique to assuage the wound. However, doing so made Sakura's chakra reserves take another hit.
It could have went better, but Sakura's objective to reduce her jyuken abilities had succeeded, even if it was only marginal.
"Go Sakura-chan!"
Sakura glanced up at the cheering Naruto. Even Sasuke smiled.
And then another voice interrupted. "C'mon Hinata. Stop playing around and take her down! You got this!"
Damn that Son Goku. The last thing Sakura needed was an extra motivated Hinata trying to beat her into the ground.
"Still don't wanna hurt me?" Sakura spat, and she refocused her attention, "Safe to say I've taken over this fight!"
"You can't be serious," Hinata replied with contempt, her shoulder wound irritating her regardless of the cauterization. "I admit I underestimated you Sakura, but I won't make the same mistake twice."
And with that, Hinata disappeared into a black and indigo blur before Sakura's eyes.
In that instant, the girl checked her supplies, she still had a fair deal of kunai, a few more shuriken… smoke bombs were useless here, but maybe that could work.
"You're done for Hinata-chan." Sakura sweetly called, forming three normal Bunshin to support and cover her. They rushed at her opponent, Sakura lagging behind some.
"It's useless," Hinata said as she stepped through the clones to prove a point, "I can see which one is real!"
And the real Sakura smirked, tossing one of three kunai at her… Hinata saw that it had an explosive note attached to it.
Seeing this, Hinata promptly raised her guard while jumping away from the blast, tanking it with only the most minor amount of damage. Goku's ki blasts packed a much harder punch than one meager explosive tag.
The Hyuga female landed gracefully, eyes searching for her opponent. She wasn't on the ground, she was…
ABOVE!
"Suiton: Teppodama no Jutsu!"
Seeing that she nowhere in particular to evade any of the coming attacks, there was one option left for her. She had never managed to completely perfect the technique, as her father never devoted time to teach it to her, instead focusing that time on Hanabi. As a result, she never attempted it in a fight before.
However she didn't have a choice now...
"Hakkeshō Kaiten!"
This is a secret taijutsu of the Hyūga clan's main house, traditionally only known by the head of the clan and the clan's heir. Neji Hyuga, a member of a branch house, was able to learn this technique through mere observation, a testament to his genius. The moment before the Hyuga is struck by an attack, they emit chakra from all of their body's tenketsu to block it. They then spin rapidly, repelling the attack (and anything else in the vicinity) away and creating a protective shield for as long as they continue to spin. The greater the force of an attack, the greater the force with which it's repelled.
And as such, the explosions of the kunai and the water bullet jutsu were all nullified seamlessly. Even while imperfect and not battle tested, the power of the ultimate defense of the Hyuga clan alone was too much to overcome.
Sakura landed tiredly away from her, watching all of it unfold. Now what? There was nothing else she could do-
In a flash, Hinata ceased her rotation and knew her opportunity to take out Sakura was greater than ever before. Wasting no time, she fired a Jyuken powered assault into her, hitting her in the chest, arms, and legs so fast that Sakura couldn't see whatsoever.
Sakura stumbled backwards, barely staying on her feet. She cursed herself, she had gotten cocky, she had assumed… Sakura coughed, and deliriously recognized that she was coughing blood. It hurt, a lot.
The genin collapsed to her knees, coughing up more blood.
"Sak…chan!" She couldn't hear well, but the voice sounded like Naruto, and he sounded terrified.
"Proctor," Hinata said in an expectant tone, staring down at her opponent with an expressionless expression.
The genin looked up dimly at her indigo-haired opponent… then she immediately started hacking up more blood, the genin tried to stand but failed miserably, and collapsed. Sakura was unable to take the pain anymore, and she blacked out.
"The match is over," Hayate intoned softly, "Hyuga Hinata wins."
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto leaped over the railing, followed quickly by Kakashi and Sasuke. The rest of the rookies ran down the steps to follow, concerned for their friend.
"No Naruto," Kakashi held the blonde firmly by the arm as he stepped to move closer to his teammate.
"We have to help her!" Naruto replied desperately, but Kakashi's grip was too strong.
"We can't touch her, we could end up hurting her more. Here come the medics."
A group of five medics rushed to Sakura and began performing analysis jutsu on her.
"She's hemorrhaging." One noted coolly.
"We can't do much here; get her to the medic bay." The head medic ordered, a stretcher was produced from a storage seal, and the rookies could only watch in dismay as their friend was hustled out of the room. Naruto moved to follow, but Kakashi held him still.
"Let go!" Naruto demanded, "We have to go with her!"
"Naruto," Kakashi patiently held on, "You have to stay here, you can't miss your match."
"The stupid match isn't important!" Naruto yelled back, "Right Sasuke?"
"We can't do anything, dobe." Sasuke replied, but his eyes didn't move from the door that Sakura was carried through.
Naruto looked at him in disbelief, "We can't just do nothing!"
Hinata sighed, relinquishing the Byakugan. "She should have surrendered when I gave her the chance."
Despite there being no ill-will in her tone, Naruto and Sasuke turned to glare at her.
"You didn't have to be so brutal with her!" Naruto started, seething with anger at the condition of his crush. "She didn't deserve that!"
"Shut the hell up," Sasuke chimed in threateningly. As far as he was concerned, Sakura could be on death's door, "Or I'll finish what she started."
"Is that a threat Sasuke?" Another voice interrupted, this time belonging to a certain boy from the stars. "She didn't do anything wrong."
"You think almost killing my teammate isn't wrong?!" The blonde responded, his chakra levels slightly fluctuating. "What if I did the same thing?"
"You wouldn't!" Goku replied, slipping into the official Kame stance. "It was within the rules of the tournament. Hinata gave her multiple chances to save herself, but she didn't take it. Remember it was you who motivated her to continue."
"Why you-" Naruto was stopped by a firm hand pulling him back in the form of Kakashi, whom simply shook his head.
"Goku-kun, calm down," Hinata said in a tranquil manner despite all of the anger being directed at her for her actions. "Let's go back up..."
Taking his arm in hers, she began to slowly lead him back to the balcony in order to diffuse the altercation.
"Goku, Hinata." A voice called out.
They turned around to see an Uchiha with his arms crossed, a competitive glean in his eyes.
"You two better hope you don't fight one of us in the finals," Sasuke glared at the duo.
Hinata simply smiled in response, while Goku held out his free fist as a sign. Both messages were clear: They were looking forward to it.
Naruto however had a different perspective. His face: It was chiseled in an expression of cold unfathomable anger. His eyes could have been made from shards of deep blue ice, and anyone could've sworn a flash of red passed through them.
- Flashback no Jutsu -
CLINKKK!
Sasuke hit Sakura with the blunt end of his kunai.
The rosette flew a few feet sideways and landed on her right side harshly.
Sasuke glared down at Sakura who held her bruised cheek, wincing from the pain as tears still rolled from her eyes. "And you…You're just a pathetic civilian born with zero talent. Annoying too, you think I'd want to restore my clan with someone as weak as you?!"
Then a powerful fist slammed into his face with an untraceable speed, sending the Uchiha into a rock formation.
Standing defensively in front the rosette is Naruto with his bangs covering his eyes.
As more potent crimson chakra slowly covered his body, Naruto shifted into an all fours position as the chakra solidified in the shape of a fox with a single tail. The redhead's canines were elongated with his whisker marks, his hair becoming even wilder in appearance.
"I don't care if you attack me, but don't you EVER hit Sakura-chan like that again!"
- Present no Jutsu -
And then he proceeded to beat the shit out of Sasuke.
The rage he felt at the moment might be even greater. He loved Sakura, and it was nearly instinctive of him to be protective over her like a fox is to his vixen. What Hinata just did to his teammate was reprehensible in his eyes, and something he wanted to pay her back dearly for. It made matters worse that Goku defended her, even willing to fight him over the dispute. Their friendship was put on hiatus, not until some kind of justice was served.
Either he kicked and/or Sasuke Hinata and/or Goku's asses, or..or nothing else.
Until then, fuck both of them.
'Sakura-chan, I will avenge you. I give you my word.' He clenched his fist, red liquid beginning to seep through his fingers, 'I vow to win!'