Chapter 14
"Alright! Time for me to have some fun!" Kiba said loudly as Akamaru barked excitedly from inside his hoodie.
"Withdraw," Naruto said as he turned to Kiba. "Withdraw from the match."
"What are you on about?" Kiba asked with a toothy grin. "I got this! Trust me!"
"Naruto?" Hinata asked as she looked between him and her teammate.
"Look I can't explain it I just know this guy is bad news." Naruto said as he looked back down at Gaara. "There's something off about him, and I think he might be dangerous. Like really dangerous."
"What is it Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he and Kurenai came up to them. "Do you think he'll hurt Kiba?"
"Kiba will be fine," Kurenai said with a sigh. "Trust me I've seen what he's capable of he can hold his own against other genin."
"I'm telling you there is something off about that Suna ninja." Naruto looked down at him again and his stomach lurched. "I can feel it in my gut, he's not right. He's a killer."
"He's a ninja," Kurenai said softly as she turned to look at Gaara and back at Naruto. "Most ninjas kill eventually even if you haven't yet."
"It's different!" Naruto snapped at her, as he turned to look at Gaara again and he leaned over the rail.
"Naruto, we'll be here to call the match if something happens." Kakashi turned to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But you can't expect Kiba to just withdraw based on your gut."
"Don't worry Naruto," Kiba called as he walked away. "I got this handled."
Naruto quickly caught up to Kiba and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kiba turned and looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.
"Look man, just promise me if you get in over, your head you'll withdraw don't try and push yourself against him."
"I'll be fine," Kiba brushed Naruto's arm away casually and turned around. "Stop worrying."
Naruto watched as Kiba walked away and let out a sigh. Turning back towards his and Kiba's team everyone was already in position to spectate the match except Hinata who was looking at him with concern in her eyes.
"These are the ones you told me to avoid before we went into the forest." Hinata said softly as she walked up to Naruto. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Naruto whispered as he looked down at Hinata. Sasuke had moved to stand next to them. "I can't explain it, but when I see him Its I can feel how dangerous he is. It's like this sick feeling that runs through my body and gives me chills and makes my stomach turn. It feels familiar but I don't know why." Naruto locked eyes with Sasuke and looked back at Hinata, "but for some reason he doesn't feel like a regular ninja. When I look at him I feel like I'm looking at someone like-"
"Orochimaru," Sasuke finished Naruto's sentence and looked back at him with a tense look. "I get the same feeling."
"Yeah, it's like that but off, like there's something different, but also familiar like I've seen him before."
"Maybe you have? With Lord Jiraiya?" Hinata asked.
"I don't think so, we only went to Wind Country once that I remember and it was on the border we didn't get anywhere close to Suna." Naruto let out a sigh and moved over to the railing. "I hope I'm wrong."
Kiba moved to stand opposite of Gaara in the arena and smirked at Suna-nin. "Are you going to stand there with that blank look on your face the whole match?" Kiba asked as he unzipped his hoodie and Akamaru jumped out. The red headed teen didn't respond, his expressionless face stayed the same as he stared down at Kiba.
"Let's get this over with," Gaara said in a monotone voice as he looked at Hayate. "Mother is hungry."
Hayate coughed into his fist before he straightened up and raised his hand into the air. 'That sand kid is creepy.'
"3…2…1…Begin!" Hayate called before jumping back.
Kiba moved quickly rushing towards Gaara with a toothy grin. "Sorry about this, but I'm not going to be the only member of my team to lose today."
Kiba lashed out with several punches. His eyes widened as sand burst from the gourd on Gaara's back. It whipped around and expanded to block each hit. With a snarl Kiba pumped chakra into his legs and moved around Gaara and swiped at his head, the sand rose and blocked his arms again. Drawing a kunai Kiba slashed at the sand trying to disperse it before using his other arm to attack Gaara.
Suddenly the sand became more active as it condensed into a ring around Gaara, who was still standing there with a blank expression, and exploded outwards. Kiba was thrown back several feet and landed on the ground harshly before rolling back up to his feet. Akamaru was also flying through the air, and Kiba jumped up to catch him in his arms. Landing he gently tossed Akamaru to the ground and let out a low growl. 'So that's how it's going to be huh?'
"Going to play hard to get huh?" Kiba muttered as he reached into pouch and pulled out a round dark red pill. "You good with this buddy? I'll give you loads of treats after." Kiba said with smirk. Akamaru barked and Kiba flicked the pill towards him. Akamaru snapped the pill out of the air and bit down on it before swallowing. The effects were almost instant, Akamaru's white fur turned dark red and the small dog turned to Gaara and growled.
"I'm growing tired of this," Gaara said softly. "I'd hate to disappoint mother, but if this is all your capable of it'll have to do."
"Don't get cocky!" Kiba shouted back as he made a quick hand sign. There was a loud pop and Akamaru transformed from a dog into a carbon copy of Kiba. "Imitation Beast Arts: Four Legs Technique!" Both Kiba and Akamaru dropped onto all fours as whisps of chakra started to leak from their bodies. Their hair became longer and their canine incisors grew and extended past their lips and thick claws extended from their fingers.
With a roar both Kiba's took off faster than before, to most the spectators they looked like blurs. Kiba reached Gaara in less than a second and lashed out. This time his hand was inches away from Gaara's face before the sand rose to block it.
Akamaru went low swiping at Gaara's ankles. Once again, the sand was late, but this time it took longer as it traveled from the top. Kiba smirked as he noticed this and both him and Akamaru took a few steps back and Kiba looked at Akamaru for a few seconds, the Akamaru-Kiba Clone nodded and Kiba turned back to look at Gaara and flashed a fanged grin.
Pumping even more chakra into their limbs Akamaru and Kiba both took off again. This time they were faster than before. Kiba attacked at Gaar's rear above the chest, and Akamaru took his left flank just below his knees. The sand was slower to react, trying to block both Kiba and Akamaru. Akamaru speed up his attacks sacrificing power for speed. The Kiba shaped dog went around Gaara's legs faster than almost anyone could perceive while Kiba launched several attacks from the front and back swiping viciously with his claws.
Gaara's head was on a swivel as the two of them appeared around him moving faster than any other ninja he'd ever seen. The sand was swirling around him doing its best to defend him rising and falling to block the swipes from both of them. Then suddenly the Kiba attacking above his chest grinned and disappeared.
Kiba reappeared behind Gaara his claws outstretched. The sand lifted to meet his hand, but it was too late. As the sand crashed into his wrists his claws made contact with Gaara's left shoulder unprotected by the gourd attached to his back. Kiba's claws took a chunk out of Gaara's shoulder leaving four deep gouges before the sand pushed his wrist away and once again expanded to knock him and Akamaru back. Kiba and Akamaru rolled before getting to their feet. Kiba jumped back and stuck his feet to the wall behind Gaara clinging to it with his chakra. Akamaru quickly joined them.
"Is your mommy impressed yet?" Kiba shouted from the wall with a large grin. That grin faded quickly as he looked at the wound. There was no blood or torn skin, instead just below the four marks was Gaara's shoulder unscathed. He watched as sand flew up and filled the gouges before transforming to match the sand ninja's clothes.
Gaara turned with a snarl as the sand on the ground quickly rose and snapped up at the wall like a vicious whip. Kiba jumped out of the way as the wall cracked where he'd just been standing. Landing back on the wall he grit his teeth as pumped more chakra into his limbs. 'Let's see how you like this.'
"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted as he jumped from the wall over Gaara. Akamaru launched himself off the wall after Kiba landing on his back. Forming a hand seal Kiba molded his chakra, "Human Beast Commination Transformation: Double-Headed Wolf!" There was a large puff of smoke that covered Kiba and Akamaru then a large thud as something heavy landed on the ground.
Gaara's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the thing standing before him. A tall white wolflike creature larger than anyone in the stands with two large heads and bright red eyes. It was growling at him his large teeth glistening in the light and almost as long as Gaara was tall. Its paws were big enough to crush him, and his black claws were as long as his canines.
Kiba let out a growl and stared down the sand ninja. 'This is it the best that I can do!' Kiba launched forward somehow even faster then was before. The ground shook as his paws hit the ground, Akamaru on the left let out a growl as they approached and launched his head forward mouth open aiming to clamp down on the Suna-nin. Sand once again rose to protect Gaara filling Akamaru's mouth as he tried to bite through violently. Kiba lashed out with his left paw his claws tearing through the remaining sand protecting Gaara on his right flank, and then as quickly as he could shoved his own head through the opening clamping down on Gaara's arm.
The sand reacted instantly rushing away from Akamaru and towards Kiba. It was wrapping around his head and neck squeezing as much as it could. Kiba yanked as hard as he could and flung Gaara into the air his teeth peeling away the sand armor. The sand fled away from Kiba and rushed up to catch Gaara forming a barrier around him hiding him from view. Bending down Kiba pumped his chakra through his whole body and launching himself off the ground. He started rotating as faster than he ever hand before. Soon him in Akamaru had turned into giant spinning drill of class and teeth.
'Super Fang Wolf Fang!' Kiba thought to himself as he plowed into the sand. It buckled and Kiba let out a loud roar and spun around faster and faster fueled by as much chakra as he could muster. The sand wall cracked and then finally gave in and Kiba and Akamaru blasted through the sand directly into Gaara. The three-ninja blasted into the ceiling of the arena causing it crack and pieces of it to fall to the ground. Kiba continued to spin for several more seconds before he started to slow down. Once the spinning faded Kiba and Akamaru fell from the ceiling landing on the floor with a loud thud on all fours.
Gaara's body fell from the indent from the ceiling like a rag doll limp and unmoving before crashing into the pulverized ground on the bottom.
"Theres no way that punk beat Gaara," Temari said as she watched her brother fall from the ceiling and land on the ground his arms flopping. She leaned over the railing and looked at Baki and Kankuro. "That has to be a clone, right?"
"I don't know," Kankuro muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. "These Konaha shinobi have been more than we expected."
"I'm sure young Gaara is fine," Baki muttered as he looked down at the ground. 'Hopefully that boy can keep it together. If he loses control, he'll blow the entire operation'
"Who knows what he'll do to us if he lost," Kankuro muttered softly as he sighed. "He'll take it out on us for sure though."
"He won!" Hinata shouted excitedly as she looked up at Naruto with a wide grin. Naruto was standing still his fists clenching the railing as he stared down at the pit where Gaara's body was. She looked around to see Sakura smiling and clapping as Lee jumped up and down shouting with joy. However, Naruto, Sasuke, Shino, Shikamaru, and the sensei were more reserved staring down at what remained of the arena quietly.
"Naruto?" Hinata questioned softly as she reached up and gripped his wrist. Naruto turned to look at her and smiled softly. "He won right?"
"I don't think so," he replied before he looked back. "Use your Byakugan."
Hinata focused her chakra into her eyes and molded it, she could feel the veins around her eyes bulge with the chakra and her vision became sharper and her field of view became almost 360 degrees as the rest of the building came into view. Hinata moved her head slightly and focused Gaara's body. She saw everyone around her light up with chakra except for Gaara's body…it had no chakra system and only a small amount of chakra in it. It was a clone.
Kiba released the transformation with a large puff of smoke. He couldn't hold it for much longer anyway. Standing next to him no longer bright red was an exhausted Akamaru. The dog whined a little and laid down on the ground. Kiba was still holding on to his beast transformation just in case. His dark eyes focusing in on the lone figure in the center of the wrecked floor. The sand once alive collapsed into large piles around him.
Hayate shuffled forward coughing a bit as he looked down at Gaara and then back at Kiba. Hayate raised his hand and was about to declare Kiba the winner when Gaara's body cracked. Long thin cracks ran through his entire body like spider webs. Then slowly bits and pieces of the boy's body started to break apart and turn into sand.
'A clone!' Kiba thought as he crouched down and readied himself as Gaara feel apart. Reaching into his pouch he drew a kunai into his right hand. 'That was all I had my best move. Maybe I really should withdraw.' Kiba barley had any time to contemplate on his thought when the sand around the arena exploded to life.
Large pillars of sand blasted towards Kiba faster than before, he dodged by jumping back only to be hit with a large dense whip of sand in the side of the head. Kiba's head snapped to the side and he was thrown to the ground rolling. As he came to a stop he got back on his knees and looked up, Gaara had risen from the sand. Cracks were still visible on his body through his sand armor. He had a large sick grin spread across his pale face, but it was his eyes that caught his attention. His right eye was no longer the pale teal color Kiba had seen earlier but bright bronze.
"OH Yes! Mother is excited!" Gaara shouted as he licked his lips. Raising his left hand several more tendrils of sand shot out at Kiba. Gaara's eyes tracked the young ninja as he tried to dodge, but it was useless. The sandy tendrils split apart following the Konoha-nin twisting in the air before one wrapped around his ankle. With a harsh jerk of his left arm, he whipped Kiba threw the air and slammed him into the wall with a loud sickening thud. Then he lifted him into the air and slammed him into the ground cracking the remaining floor beneath him.
There was a loud high-pitched bark as Akamaru rushed towards Gaara, the sand lifted to defend him but Gaara willed it down and the dog charge at him. With a low chuckle and he reeled back and kicked as hard he could dig his foot into the small dog's stomach. There was a loud shaper cry as Akamaru went flying back and landed in crumpled mess on the ground.
Kiba groaned, he could feel warm thick blood flowing down his head through his hair and it felt like his collar bone had been broken. Turning on the ground with all his strength he moved onto his stomach. He heard Akamaru's loud bark and tried to look up.
"Akamaru no," Kiba said as loudly as he could manage. With as much effort as he could mustered, he dragged his right arm under him and propped himself up on his elbow before sliding his knees up under his stomach. He heard a low thump and Akamaru's high pitched whine and forced himself up. He saw his partners limp body fly through the air before landing on the ground a few feet away. He was still, and wasn't moving. Kiba couldn't tell if he was even breathing. "AKAMARU!" He screamed his voice cracking.
Gaara's sand had formed a giant hand and was barreling towards the unmoving Akamaru intent on crushing the young puppy beneath it. Kiba let out a loud shout as he pulled his feet under him and leaped sloppily towards Akamaru landing rough on his out stretched arms with wet crunch as jagged bone ripped through his skin just above his left pec. His body was hunched over the dog protecting him.
As the sand started to shift and move before launching itself at Kiba Naruto clenched his teeth as a twisting feeling of dread ripped through him. The sick dark feeling was familiar and his stomach churned. Naruto placed his hand on his stomach, and his eyes widened in realization. This energy and feeling were familiar for a reason, because he'd felt it before in himself.
"He's like me." Naruto whispered as he looked down at Gaara just as Kiba was thrown into the wall. "Stop the match! NOW!" Naruto shouted as he turned towards Kakashi and the other sensei's who looked at him in surprise. "He's a tailed beast! Stop the match!" Naruto was turned as he heard a loud guttural scream from the arena and turned to see a giant hand barreling towards a beaten and torn up Kiba who was hunched over a still Akamaru.
Before he could think, he pulled out a shuriken seals flowing from his fingers and he launched it as hard as he could towards the hand. In less than a second the shuriken had soared over the hand and Naruto teleported away. Naruto appeared above the hand chakra instantly swirling in the palm of his hand. Rotating faster and faster as he condensed into a bright blue sphere. Twisting in the air he brought the orb down onto the back of the hand.
"RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted as he buried it into the back of the hand. The Rasengan's shell collapsed almost instantly causing the hand to blow apart sending sand flying everywhere. Naruto landed in front of Kiba who was still crouched over Akamaru protecting him with his body. Naruto turned to face Gaara ready to fight, but paused at what he saw. Kurenai and Kakashi were both in the arena. Kakashi was several feet away crouched low ready to move his right hand was alive with lightning charka crackling and flashing and Kurenai was standing behind Gaara her arm resting on his shoulder with the blade of a long thin tanto pressed up to the flesh of neck.
The whole arena was silent as sand swirled around Gaara barley contained. His sick grin still pulled across his face his eyes wide as he stared down at Kiba, but he didn't move against the jonin. Naruto scanned the room, Gaara's teammates were standing near the railing the girl looking far more concerned and the other boy looking irritated and disgusted. Their jonin sensei was making his way to the arena floor kunai in his hand. Both the old man and Jiraiya had moved to the edge of the platform at the end of the arena, both ready to spring into action.
"Akamaru," the faint whisper broke through the silence. "Akamaru please, please wake up." It was Kiba, and it was the only thing that could be heard. His voice was low and pleading as it cracked at the end. "I'm so sorry I should have backed out…Akamaru please be okay." Naruto grit his teeth as he turned to look down at Kiba and Akamaru who was still and not breathing.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Gaara's voice cut through Kiba's whispered pleading pulling Naruto back to reality. "Mother needs to be satisfied!"
"Gaara!" The Suna-jonin shouted as he arrived kunai in his hand his eye uncovered eye darting between Kakashi and Kurenai. "The match is over you won as soon they interfered, get a hold of yourself."
"Mother needs to be satisfied! I need to finish!" Gaara shouted as the sand around him twitched. Kakashi tightened the muscles in his leg ready to move if needed, and the blade at Gaara's neck bit into the sand armor.
"If you move even a single muscle towards my student," Kurenai said through gritted teeth. "You'll lose your head."
Gaara turned to look at her his smile gone, no replaced with a snarl. His eyes darted to her and then back to Kakashi whose hand was still alive with lightning. The bronze in his left eye faded to teal and the sand around him fell to the ground.
"Fine," he said with a low growl as he shrugged himself out of Kurenai's loosened grip. "I won anyway." Gaara turned towards Baki and started to walk towards him as Baki slide the kunai into his pouch and turned towards the stairs. The lightning in Kakashi's hand faded as he stood to his full heigh and relaxed his muscles.
Naruto was distracted by several soft thuds as Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Shino landed around him. Turning back, he could see Kiba still whispering over Akamaru's body blood pooling around him as he bleeds from his shoulder and head.
"Naruto…" Sakura said softly as she looked at him expectantly. "Akamaru…"
She trailed off and Naruto looked down at the still pup, as he understood Sakura's implied question. He wasn't even sure if he could heal an animal with his chakra, but Akamaru was gone.
'Give me some power.' Naruto thought to himself as he closed his eyes.
'Twice in one week?' A low rumbling voice echoed back. 'What if I don't want to? This doesn't benefit me at all.'
"Give me some fucking power!" Naruto shouted as he clenched his teeth. "Give it to me now you stupid fox!" It was almost instantons bright red chakra swirled around Naruto like a fire and his blue eyes turned dark red and his pupils narrowed into slits. Sakura and Shino stepped back as the orange and red chakra whipped around his body violently.
"Kiba," Naruto said gently as he kneeled down reaching over, he rested a hand on Kiba's shoulder and leaned down and placed a hand on Akamaru's back. It'd only been a couple minutes at most, maybe this would be enough. The same way Naruto would will his chakra when using the Uzumaki healing technique and willed the Kyuubi's chakra into Akamaru and into Kiba. Steam started to come off Kiba almost instantly as his cells regenerated rapidly.
"Hinata," Naruto muttered as he nodded towards Kiba. She understood what he was asking, and reached down and pulled Kiba's arm, like Naruto had done for her. Reaching up he pressed the bone back into upper shoulder and set the broken bones in clavicle and right arm. The skin stitched together and healed. Naruto turned back to Akamaru.
The dog was still stiff and unmoving, and Naruto poured as much of the Kyuubi's chakra that he had left into the dog for several seconds but nothing happened and Naruto closed his eyes and was about to lift his hand in defeat when Akamaru's leg kicked suddenly. Steam started to raise from Akamaru's body as his cells regenerated and the dog shifted and turned onto its belly. With a small smile Naruto lifted his hand and stood up.
Naruto swayed a bit light headed and he felt Hinata's arm snake around his to hold him steady as medical ninjas rushed into the arena. Steadying his feet Naruto turned to look up in the balcony and his still crimson eyes locked with Gaara's pale teal eyes. The Suna-nin had a look of disgust on his face as he looked back down at Naruto. Naruto looked away and down at Hinata his expression soft his eyes now their usual deep blue. Despite everything he couldn't help but feel bad for Gaara, he was what they made him to be a cruel weapon like most Jinchuriki.
"Thank you," Kiba muttered as the medical ninja's got him onto a stretcher. One of the medical nins gingerly scooped up Akamaru and placed him on Kiba's chest. "Thank you, Naruto." He muttered again as the ninjas lifted the stretcher and took them away.
"You did good kid," Jiraiya said as he walked up to them a broad smile on his face. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled down on him. "I'm proud of you."
"We all are," Kakashi said as he approached from behind his eye crinkled in a soft smile. "They would be too."
"Thank you, Naruto," Kurenai said as she ruffled his hair gently. "I'm going to go check on Kiba and Akamaru. You two stay here, they're going to make an announcement any second. You can join me after." She said as she looked at both Hinata and Shino who nodded back at her. Naruto watched them carry Kiba through a door on the other side of the arena and shortly after Kurenai followed after him.
Turning back to the stage the old man was standing at the edge quietly his hand clasped behind his back. His long pipe rested gently between his teeth and cleared his throat. "If all contestants could meet down here."
Naruto looked around and watched as Shikamaru and Lee along with their sensei made their way down from the balcony on his left, and to his right Temari and Gaara from Suna along with Dosu from Oto made their way down the stairs. The contestants all seemed to come together to form a lose group near where Naruto and the others were standing. Naruto did his best to ignore the red headed genin from the sand, he couldn't decide if he wanted to help him or kill him.
"You have demonstrated incredible skills in this contest." The Sandaime muttered as he looked over all of them. His eyes seemed to pause on Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and then Gaara. "I don't think I've seen a stronger more capable group of genin in my entire career. Most of you more than qualify to become chunin. However, the exam is not finished." The old man reached up and took a drag from his pipe and pulled it from his teeth. "31 days from today you will come together and fight in one versus one tournament. The winners will progress until only one ninja remains. Now that doesn't mean the winner will automatically become chunin, and it doesn't mean any contestants that lose will be immediately disqualified. This test will put you up against the very best this exam has to offer and will test your strength, skill, intelligence, tactical skills, and much more. Also, people from all over will be attending this exam. It will be a chance to demonstrate your skills and help your villages attract new clients." He slipped the pipe back between his teeth gently. "Anko, if you will."
Anko appeared from the shadows from behind the seat the Sandaime had been sitting in and walked forward with a smirk.
"You got my money?" Naruto asked with a smirk as he looked at the mesh clad jonin.
"Double or nothing you don't make it to the last round." She snapped back with small smile as she looked down at him.
"Hmm." The Sandaime cleared his throat and looked between Naruto and Anko with a serious face, but his eyes seemed to shine just a bit.
"Deal."
"Good!" She replied with a larger smirk as she reached behind her back and pulled out pouch. "Each of you come up here and pick a piece of paper. This will determine your first opponent."
Everyone shuffled forward and picked a random piece of paper one by one before shuffling back to their groups. Naruto opened his with his thumb to see the number two written on it. He flashed it to Hinata, who smiled softly and flashed hers back to him 5.
"When I call your number raise your hand." Anko said as she crossed her arms. She went through each number from 1-10 each person raising their hand before lowering it. Naruto looked around trying to figure out the pairings. Was it odds vs evens? High vs low? Sequential? Then the familiar beeping from the monitors came on displaying a large set of brackets all number. The names started to rotate in the brackets before they stopped.
1. Uzumaki Naruto Vs. Lee Rock
2. Aburame Shino Vs. Nara Shikamaru
3. Hyuga Hinata Vs. Temari
4. Haruno Sakura Vs. Kinuta Dosu
5. Uchiha Sasuke Vs. Gaara
"Fuck," Naruto whispered as he turned to look at Sasuke who was staring at the monitor uncaringly. He wasn't sure if anyone in this group could beat Gaara other than him, but if anyone else had a chance it would be Sasuke.
"Oh yes!" Lee shouted as he jumped up and down. "I'm very much looking forward to this fight Naruto-kun! You'll be a worthy opponent for me to go all out against!" He turned and looked at Naruto with a large smile. "I was hoping to fight Neji in this tournament, but you are undoubtedly a prodigy just like him! I will be able to fulfill my goal after all."
"Just promise to take it easy on me," Naruto said with small smile. "I have a feeling I might not be able to keep up with you." He flashed Lee a knowing grin laced his fingers behind his head. "It will be a great fight that's for sure. I look forward to fighting the future Blue Beast of Konoha."
Lee's eyes widened slightly at Naruto's mention of Guy's nickname and signature move. Naruto was more perceptive than he'd given the blond credit for. "It will be an epic fight, between the future Blue Beast and Yellow Flash." Lee responded with a grin.
Naruto smiled softly and looked away and turned to Hinata. "You got an easy fight," he muttered. "She'll be a cake walk after Neji."
"Yeah, but I'll have to fight Sakura if she wins," Hinata replied as she looked up at him with a soft expression.
"It'll be fun," Sakura replied as she lightly touched Hinata's shoulder. "No hard feelings either way."
"Don't worry dummy," Sasuke said as he looked at Naruto with a smirk. "I'll put that Suna-nin in his place. This tournament is ending with you and me."
"Ugh," Shikamaru muttered as he looked at the board. "Even if I win, I'm gonna have to fight Naruto or Lee. This is exhausting. I have half a mind to withdraw."
"Don't even think about it kid, or I'll tell your mother." Asuma replied as he lightly smacked Shikamaru in the back of the head.
"Maybe it will be you and me Sasuke." Shino muttered as he looked between Naruto and Sasuke with a blank expression. "Probably not though."
"Sasuke gets a break; he won't have to fight again after Gaara until the third round. Lucky." Shikamaru muttered, 'but then again I don't want to fight that monster either."
"Now that the match ups have been decided you are all released. Feel free to return to the village and rest for the evening. Starting tomorrow you'll have 30 days to prepare for the tournament. Train how you see fit, but make sure to rest as well." The Sandaime said as he blew out a cloud of smoke. "I'm looking forward to the final exam." He turned around and walked to the back of the arena disappearing into the shadows behind his chair.
"I'll take three bowls of Miso Ramen, three bowls of Pork Ramen, and three bowls of Chicken Raman." Naruto said with a large grin as he sat down a large table set up outside of Ichiraku. He was grinning up at Ayame who was writing down his order.
"I'll have a Miso Ramen please," Sakura said as she rolled her eyes at Naruto.
"Same," Sasuke muttered as he looked away from the pink haired kunoichi and tried to focus on the rocks behind Naruto.
"I'll have the same as Naruto," Hinata muttered softly.
"What are you serious?" Sakura asked as she looked at Hinata with wide eyes. She looked her up and down. "Where are you going to put it?"
"In her stomach stupid." Naruto said as he stuck his tongue out at her.
"What did you say you blond idiot?" Sakura shouted at him as she shook her fist at him.
"Well, where else would the ramen go Sakura? Her pockets?" Naruto asked as Ayame stared at the two of them with small smile before shaking her head and walking away.
"You know that's not what I meant!"
"Alright you two," Kakashi said as he sat down at the end of the table having caught up to him. "We have to discuss your training plans for the next month." He looked between the three of them and sighed. "We could do a repeat of what we just did, and refine our techniques…"
"I'll be training on my own." Naruto said as he crossed his arms and looked between Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura. "I need to work on the teleportation jutsu. I can barely use it as it is. That will take all my concentration, and it's not something anyone can really help me with."
"You have a good point," Kakashi said before Sakura and Sasuke could say anything. "Sasuke your training will be pretty straight forward. Your opponent is Gaara, and that sand armor is tough to beat. We're gonna have to work on your speed, taijutsu, and finish mastering the Chidori." His left eyes slid around the table and back to Sakura. "Considering you'll most likely have to fight Hinata…" he paused and looked at the blue haired girl who blushed and looked away. "We'll have to work on your taijutsu as well and I have some other ideas for you."
There was a small awkward pause at the table coming from the fact they were talking about prepping Sakura for fighting Hinata in front of her.
"I guess I'll work on my Rasengan and train with my father," Hinata muttered as she looked between them and blushed. "Since you told me what you all will be doing."
"It's not that serious," Sakura said with a small smile. "You heard the Hokage, they'll be choosing Chunin based on other factors too not just winning or losing." Sakura let out a small laugh, "besides it's not like either of us will get past these two idiots."
"Never say never," Naruto said with a grin. "I'm pretty sure you could beat Sasuke in a fight. Especially if you distracted him." Naruto said before making a suggestive motion with arms.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
Sasuke and Sakura shouted at the same time. Sakura lifted one of the chop sticks and threw it at Naruto with deadly accuracy. He barley caught it before it ended up his left eye.
"I guess you're eating with your hands," Naruto said as he twirled the chopstick between his fingers. Sasuke snatched it away from him and handed it back to Sakura who looked away and whispered her thanks.
Kakashi let out a soft chuckle and stood up just Ayame brought them their food. "I'll catch you all later. Sasuke and Sakura meet me at the training grounds we were using the day after tomorrow. Rest until then." Kakashi gave them a wave before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"You going to tell me what's going on?" Sasuke asked as he leaned in the entry way of Naruto's room in the Uchiha compound. It was just after midnight, and they'd gone their separate ways for a few hours after they got back from dinner. Naruto was sitting against the far wall spinning the scroll Orochimaru gave him between his fingers.
"Orochimaru gave me this." Naruto muttered as he threw the scroll at Sasuke. "He offered that to me in exchange for staying out of some plan he's cooking up, and 60 milliliters of your blood. He also said he'd stop trying to steal your body."
Sasuke looked down at the scroll and unrolled hit. His eyes scanned over the pages as he read it his eye brows raising in surprise. Rolling it up he tossed it back to Naruto who let it fall at his feet as it bounced on the floor.
"Is it real?"
"Best I can tell it is, the unsealing formula matches other fuuinjutsu they've developed with similar characters."
"And the jutsu in the notes. Why would he want something like that?" Sasuke asked as he moved to sit down in the lone chair in the room.
"That's why he wants your blood," Naruto muttered as he rubbed his eyes. "He probably wants to replicate it. He'll use your blood to test it."
"He wants a way to neutralize the sharingan if he can't have it no one can." Sasuke muttered as he looked at the scroll. "That jutsu could be used against me if you give it to him."
"Or against Itachi if I give it to you." Naruto replied as he leaned his head against the wall.
"Could you undo it, if it was ever used against me?"
"Probably. It'd depend on how much he alters it."
"Seems like a good deal then." Sasuke muttered as he looked down at the table. He didn't like the idea of getting involved with the thing that had tried to steal his body, but a jutsu like that would valuable against Itachi.
"Yeah," Naruto muttered. "It just means lying to everyone but you and betraying my master's trust."
"This was always the end goal," Sasuke replied as he looked up at Naruto with his crimson eyes. "We get strong enough to kill Itachi and then we go to Uzushio. You were going to have to betray them all eventually. It doesn't matter where you got that scroll from."
"I guess I didn't expect to like it here so much."
"Don't get sentimental. You don't like it here; you like a small handful of people. This village is still filled with the same parasites that looked down on you. Don't let your feelings for Hinata and the team get in the way of the end goal."
"Do you think they'll come with us? Sakura and Hinata?"
"Probably," he shrugged as looked at Naruto with a blank expression.
Naruto reached behind him and pulled out another scroll and twisted it in his fingers. He looked up at Sasuke with a smirk. "Be careful with this." He tossed the scroll at the Uchiha that caught it out of the air. "It's as dangerous as Kakashi told you, don't use it unless you have to not until you've mastered it. You're probably the only other ninja in this village that can pull it off. Take it slow and don't rush it."
Sasuke looked down at the scroll with a smirk. "If an idiot like you can pull it off, I'm sure I can." He stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm guessing you'll be gone when I wake up tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'll leave a note for Kakashi and Jiraya. I have a plan in case they come looking for me, but you and Hinata will be the only ones who know where I really am." Naruto paused as he watched Sasuke pocket the scroll.
Sasuke took a step outside of Naruto's small house, before turning and looking at him. "I'll come if you want."
Naruto smiled softly. "Not this time, but next time for sure."
Sasuke nodded and left the room without saying another word. He didn't have too. He had a good idea at what Naruto was going to find on that island, and it was something the ninja needed to experience on his own and he respected that.
Naruto landed on the roof with a soft thud. The sun was starting to inch its way out from the horizon turning the deep blue horizon bright pink and orange. Sliding down the slopped roof Naruto let himself fall off and gently caught himself on the wall with his finger tips sticking to it with chakra. Long shadows were still being cast by the tall trees that surrounded the main house on the Hyuga compound. Naruto tried his best to stick the shadow's knowing that there were patrolling branch family members. Naruto stuck his knee to the side of the house and shuffled slowly across the wall to a small window. Peeking in he could see Hinata sleeping peacefully in her bed her hair sprawled across a single pillow.
Naruto gently tapped the window three times in quick succession. He saw Hinata stir, and smiled softly. He tapped the window again three times and she bolted up from the bed looking around wildly before settling on the window. Hinata quickly jumped out of bed, and shuffled to the windows she was dressed in a very modest lavender night gown and wasn't wearing any slippers. She made it to the window and slide it open gently.
"Naruto," She whispered as she stepped aside. Naruto climbed in through the window and stood up in her dark room. The room was only being illuminated by the moon that was setting to the west and the dim light of the stars that still shined in the night sky. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to come say goodbye."
"What do you mean goodbye?" Hinata asked quickly a bit louder than she meant too. Her face flushed and she looked at her bedroom door for several seconds trying to listen of anyone else. 'Where is he going? Is he leaving like he said? Are him and Sasuke running away?'
"I'll be back," Naruto replied quietly as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I just didn't want to worry you. I'm leaving for my training; I'm going to train in Uzushio."
"Uzushio? But it's abandoned, isn't it? What's there for you?"
"Answers," Naruto replied softly. "Answers about my clan maybe even about my past or surviving clansmen." Naruto swallowed and sighed. "You can't tell anyone. They'll label me a missing-nin if they find out, but I'll be back I promise."
"Of course," Hinata muttered softly, as she looked down at the bedroom floor. 'It's only for a few weeks.' She felt relief was over her. Standing here right now she honestly didn't know what she'd do. Would she have gone with him if he was leaving for good?" 'I'd go anywhere with Naruto.'
Naruto leaned down and pressed his forehead into the top of her head. His hand reached up and he placed his thumb on her the small bit of exposed just above her chest and under her clavicle. Her face flushed red but she watched as black characters spread across her chest. The characters for strength, sunny, love, and friends appeared on chest just below her clavicle and running into her night gown. Then a small ring of characters surrounded it and they all faded away, but she could still feel his chakra in her skin just below the surface.
"If you ever need me for anything for any reason channel your chakra into that seal around my formula and I'll feel it, and I'll come…always." Naruto muttered as he lifted his forehead off her head and she looked up to meet his eyes. Naruto froze for a moment as he looked into her wide eyes and swallowed hard. Leaning down he pressed his lips into her soft pale pink lips and kissed her gently.
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise and she could feel the blood rush to her face, but she returned the chaste gentle kiss quickly with no hesitation. 'He's kissing me! He's really kissing me!' Naruto pulled back and smiled down on her before taking a step towards the window. Then his smiled turned into a large grin and he rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't forget about me, I'll only be gone a month okay." Then he stepped onto the window sill and jumped out into the shadows.
Hinata stood there frozen for another moment before she smiled softly and shook her head. "I'm never forgetting you Uzumaki Naruto." She shuffled forward and gently closed the window. "I've loved you my whole life and that's not changing anytime soon."
A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter, but this felt like a really good stopping point. A natural end to what I consider the "First" arc of this story. Again, I know its been a long time since I've updated and there might be a few changes to my style or tone, but I never stopped thinking about this story and despite having lost my outlines and previously written chapters I'm happier than ever with my plan going forward and you can expect to see much more consistent updates from me.
Please feel free to leave a review.
