A/N: In hindsight, seven fights in one chapter may have been a bit ambitious (and that I got sick again didn't help either). Even the short, quick-paced ones need planning, aftermath, etc., and I didn't want to make it feel rushed (I at least hope I didn't). But I also didn't want to drag out the preliminaries. So, yeah, I'm very sorry for the long wait. Enjoy the longest chapter yet!
Growth
"The fight is over! Sakura Haruno wins!"
After the announcement, the arena fell quiet. As Sakura went back up to the upper level, the only sounds audible came from the two Medical-nin who carried Ino to the infirmary. Slowly, murmuring spread through the stands, and I bit the nail of my thumb in thought. The issue wasn't that Sakura won, that had been the point of the last two months after all. The issue was how quickly the fight had been over. Even if the Yamanaka were less combat-oriented than other ninja families, they were still one of the Leaf's great clans, and Ino wasn't just a member, she was their heir.
In a way, it reminded me of my spar with Hana Inuzuka right after I had entered the academy, which had almost led to a disaster. But… no, that couldn't be the same. I had only actively trained Sakura for two months, and she didn't have any special abilities to her name when we started. Sure, she was a quick learner, but this… maybe Ino had underestimated her, allowing Sakura to land a lucky hit? Yeah, that had to be it.
Hopefully, this wouldn't have any negative ramifications. Inoichi Yamanaka was one of the Jōnin I hadn't really been able to network with yet, but he did appear to hold his daughter in high regard. He might not like hearing that his daughter suffered such a humiliating defeat. Maybe I should talk to her first. Right now, she might be more receptive to my offer. I would give Ino a bit of time, then I would seek her out. I couldn't leave right now anyway, not with the Hokage watching. Going away while two of my students had yet to fight would be a bad look.
But while previously, good relations with the Yamanaka clan would have been useful, I now really needed them. I didn't know how Being X had managed to corrupt my mind this time, but what I did know was that he chose the wrong world this time. As messed-up as the ninja world was, unlike the empire, it could give me tools against the false god. Whatever he had done earlier must have left a trace, and if I managed to find that trace, I could seal it away.
But the Hokage couldn't know about this, anything that might cast doubt on my ability to perform would only diminish my chances of becoming his successor. I had to do it in secret. Ino could be my ticket to Inoichi, who was unparalleled in the secret mind techniques. And Jiraiya was, by the Hokage's own admission, potentially the best sealing master currently alive, and he showed clear interest in Naruto. Those two might be my best shot at ever getting rid of the accursed Being X I ever had. But I needed to be patient and play my cards right. I didn't just need contact, I needed their complete trust. Reputation alone couldn't give me that.
Sakura rejoined us, leaning on the handrail with an expression that could make one think that she was the one who lost.
"Um… everything alright, Sakura? You won!" Naruto tried to cheer her up.
"Don't want to talk about it," she grumbled, and I could very well understand her. While this wasn't the actual third task, it had still been her first chance to prove her strength outside her team and as an individual, and people like the Hokage were watching. But from an outsider's perspective, it now might look like she only won because of a lucky hit, even if she could have defeated her opponent without it.
"I know how you feel, but this isn't the end of it. Your promise doesn't just hinge on a single moment."
Sakura looked at me in surprise.
"How did you know about...?"
"Hey, did you forget who you're talking to?" Seriously, I had been the only other person who was there when she promised herself to become stronger. She got quiet for a moment before a faint smile appeared on her face.
"You're… probably right, Tanya-sensei. Thank you."
Of course, I was right. She would have plenty of time to properly prove herself in the actual third task. Then, no one could claim she'd just been lucky. Granted, she didn't know that yet, but the important part was that her motivation was restored. Not that it was surprising, I knew my way with words after all. With my speeches in my last life, I had strengthened the morale of soldiers who were much less indoctrinated into combat than the children of the ninja world. The latter was something I would need to think about once I was Hokage but for now, it was useful for my goal, so I might as well use it.
With a sideways glance, I noticed that Naruto had turned to Team 8 next to us, and a look at the scoreboard revealed the reason.
Hinata Hyūga
vs.
Wara
The words of encouragement had given Hinata a faint blush, but she still looked a lot more confident than she had during our joint training. Well, this was Kurenai we were talking about. Considering her abilities as a teacher, it would've been more surprising if she hadn't managed to help the girl. Her bizarre crush was clearly still present, but maybe that could simply be explained by pubertal hormones. I myself had so far been spared from those - maybe my early start on my ninja training had delayed them? - but it would likely still happen sooner or later and I was NOT looking forward to that. The war gave me little time to waste thoughts on the matter, but this time of relative peace unfortunately did. While I was convinced that my mind would triumph over my body, it could still be annoying.
Both Hinata and the kid from Grass now stood in the arena, facing each other. Hayate gave the go and immediately, the blue-haired girl charged at her opponent. Startled, Wara quickly jumped backward and threw some shuriken at her legs. Hinata sidestepped them with little effort. The Grass Genin meanwhile began weaving hand signs, finishing just as Hinata reached him.
'Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu!' [Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Jutsu]
At the last moment, Wara sank into the ground and managed to evade his opponent. Hinata resumed her combat stance, appearing to look straight ahead with veins bulging out around her eyes. Of course, anyone who knew how the Byakugan worked knew she wasn't doing just that. But did he know, that was the question.
The answer followed shortly as behind Hinata, the earth quietly opened and Wara broke through the surface, attempting to stab the girl in the back. But Hinata had already spun around, grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the kunai with her left, and then used her right to deliver a palm strike right to the forehead. The effect of the Gentle Fist Technique knocked Wara unconscious and, with his lower half still buried, he collapsed. I was pleased to see that Hinata's movement seemed much more natural now, even if she hadn't shown much in this fight. But while it was just as fast as the last one, no one could claim a lucky hit this time. It had been a clear difference in skill.
"The fight is over! Hinata Hyūga wins!"
"Woooh!" both Kiba and Naruto cheered together as Hinata came back to the upper level.
"Nice one!" Naruto congratulated her, giving her a thumbs-up and another blush.
"Yes, good job drawing the one opponent even you wouldn't lose against," a calm voice came from the side, causing heads to turn. The one who had spoken was from Team Gai, the other Hyūga present to be exact.
"What the hell is your problem?!" Naruto was quick to defend the girl.
"Problem? Do you expect me to cheer for someone because they managed to step on an ant? … actually, forget the question you would probably do that. But since we are talking already: Lady Hinata, you should have left when the proctor gave you the chance. You may have won this joke of the fight, but the next task will be public, and there, you will only make a fool out of yourself. You simply don't make a good shinobi."
I quickly grabbed Naruto's shoulder before he could start screaming again, maybe a bit harder than necessary, but I managed to stop him. You couldn't see eye to eye with every colleague, that was an unfortunate reality of human nature, but showing open hostilities among each other in front of guests was highly unprofessional.
"Hey, Neji, don't you think that was a bit much?" Gai interjected before any of the other kids could say anything. Good to see that he saw the situation the same as I did.
"Why? I merely stated the truth. With her soft heart, Lady Hinata would never be Chūnin-material. In the first place, she only entered unwillingly because she has no confidence and couldn't turn down her teammates' request, as they had to enter as a team."
Kiba now joined the group and seemingly also wanted to get loud, and I sensed that Naruto also wouldn't remain a listener much longer either.
"You're wrong," Hinata replied in a soft yet certain tone before either of the boys could, though her hands were balled into fists and shaking. "I was actually the first one to speak when Kurenai-sensei brought up the exams. And… I will gladly show you that I have changed."
"Changed? Don't make me laugh. People are who they are, nothing can change that. Just like a genius will always be a genius, a loser will always be a loser. You should have simply accepted your fate."
I raised an eyebrow at his statement. Neji didn't seem to have high regard for the girl he was supposed to be subservient to. Considering how traditionalistic that clan was, I had assumed Nichien had been an outlier. But it seemed like the current generation of the Hyūga branch family really had an issue with authority. Twice ironic considering what Neji said about change being impossible. While I didn't envy Gai for having to deal with such a student, he really should be less lenient with him. Shinku-sensei had shown what that could lead to, climaxing in the events of the Kisara mission.
"You sure love to run your mouth," Sasuke now chimed in, stopping both Kiba and Naruto. "You already did in the forest. In fact, that's about all I've seen you do so far."
Neji was quiet for a while, but then, he scoffed.
"I am merely accepting the reality of this world." He then turned to face both Naruto and Hinata. "As will the two of you once your luck runs out."
"If our names are the next up there, I will kick your ass, believe it!" Naruto gracefully countered. I rolled my eyes, hoping that the relatively low volume of the conversation had kept it private.
Two more minutes passed until the Medical-nin had finally gotten the lower half of the unconscious Wara out of the ground. Once the arena was clear, the scoreboard lit up again.
Kankuro
vs.
Sasuke Uchiha
Naruto's knuckles turned white as his grip on the handrail tightened.
"Sasuke…"
"Yes?"
"Beat the crap out of that guy!"
Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life.
"That was my plan, don't worry."
I raised an eyebrow. Had something happened between them? Well, Sasuke didn't seem like he was allowing the anger to cloud his mind right now, and if it gave him motivation to win, I was all here for it.
The two of them reached the arena. The hooded boy with the kabuki makeup took off the bundle he wore on his back and placed it next to him, holding it with one hand. If my assumption was correct, this might get interesting.
"Start!"
The moment the command came, Sasuke threw a handful of shuriken at the bundle. Kankuro quickly pulled it out of the way, giving Sasuke all the time he needed to close the gap between them. He threw a high kick and Kankuro protectively placed himself before the bundle, trying to block with his arm. The impact sent him flying, but in the air, he turned around, flew at Sasuke, and slashed at him with a hidden blade that sprung from his wrist. Sasuke dodged by jumping backward without much effort.
Meanwhile, the bundle unraveled itself, revealing the real Kankuro.
"You noticed, huh? Almost got me by surprise there."
"Tricks like that can't fool my Sharingan."
"Heh. I still got a lot more tricks for you."
The disguise fell, revealing the true form of the puppet. It was an ugly thing with a vaguely humanoid shape, albeit with four arms.
The puppet flew at Sasuke and attacked once more with its blade. As Sasuke blocked the slash with his kunai, more arms came out from under the cloak and tried to wrap around him. Chakra surged into his feet and he jumped, avoiding the grapple. Now behind the puppet, he charged at Kankuro who hastily flung his arms to make the puppet turn.
When I learned about the technique for the first time, I had heard that the greatest puppet masters only needed a single finger to control a puppet, and thus could steer up to ten at once. It would, of course, be a bit unfair to compare the kid to that, but in my opinion, he should at least learn to use the puppet with one hand so he could fight with the other. He was too vulnerable otherwise.
Utilizing some form of spring mechanism, the puppet fired its blade arm at Sasuke's back, forcing him to duck. That moment was enough for the puppet to close the distance, allowing it to attack with a switchblade that came out of the newly freed joint. Sasuke quickly followed into a crouch to dodge. The mouth then opened and another blade sprung out, but Sasuke raised his leg and, with a blast of chakra from his sole, kicked the puppet toward the ceiling. Considering the two clean hits, it was impressive how little damage that thing had taken so far. Whoever had made it clearly knew what they were doing.
Back on his feet, Sasuke ran through some hand signs, finishing before Kankuro could attack again.
'Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!' [Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu]
Kankuro barely managed to pull back his puppet to shield himself from the fire. Sasuke instantly followed with some kunai, but the blade could be heard bouncing off of something.
The fire faded. The hair and cloak of the marionette had been burned off, but otherwise, it didn't get more than a few scorch marks.
"Sorry," Kankuro taunted, "but this beauty was made by the great Sasori himself! A simple flame won't destroy it! And I also gave it a few upgrades!"
The puppet was once again sent flying at Sasuke. Kankuro also used a chakra thread to pick up the severed blade arm, attacking Sasuke from two angles. However, catching the arm was trivial for Sasuke as he tried to close the distance. As the puppet had almost reached him he swung his left hand, barely visible chakra threads redirecting the course of the marionette so it missed him.
"Where did you learn that?!" Kankuro shouted in surprise. He tried to pull the puppet to him, but while Sasuke's own puppeteering couldn't wrestle the control away from his opponent, it was enough to hold it at bay. Meanwhile, he used the severed blade arm he had caught like a knife to attack.
Then, his chakra threads tore.
Kankuro regained control over his toy. I scowled. Sasuke had used the kunai from earlier to connect his chakra threads to the marionette without his opponent noticing. However, he had thrown them with his dominant, left hand, so the threads had come from that side as well, but seemingly didn't get enough chakra due to the seal that held the curse mark in check.
Deciding against a reckless charge, Sasuke evaded to the side but still threw the blade arm at Kankuro, managing to catch him by surprise and pierce his leg. The Sand Genin grunted in pain and went down on one knee.
"Shit," he grunted. "I didn't want to use that yet, but…"
A mechanism opened in the puppet and fired something at Sasuke. The black-haired boy took a deep breath in anticipation, and his prediction proved to be right. The projectile exploded, enveloping him in a dense cloud that could be smoke, but was likely poison. The arena fell quiet.
A child doing to an even younger child what, in a sane world, would have been a war crime, I thought, stopping myself from scoffing. And the people cheer for it.
I might have lived in this world for thirteen years now, but things like these were hard to get used to.
I felt chakra surge through the handrail. Someone seemed to have set up a barrier to shield the audience from the gas. Some people meanwhile showed concern on their faces, but judging from what I had seen, Sasuke let himself get hit on purpose. With my sensory skills, I could feel what was happening in the cloud, could sense the complex chakra construct that was being formed. And despite my earlier thoughts, I couldn't help but grin.
"Hah… I guess that's it then for you! Freaky eyes won't help you now."
'Katon: Kōkayakaendan!' [Fire Release: High-Explosive Flame Bullet]
A fast-moving flame projectile shot out of the gas and struck the puppet, rapidly expanding into a wider fire blast and engulfing it in a blaze. This time, the heat was much greater than the previous fireball and was therefore enough to ignite the thing. And while it wasn't a true explosion, there was still some force behind the expansion and the puppet got pushed back. Kankuro panicked and jumped to the side, barely avoiding getting hit by his prized possession on fire. Even if it was built resilient to being ignited, now that it had properly caught fire, it burned brightly. Sasuke had meanwhile left the cloud and, with an explosive burst of speed, charged past the puppet. His kick connected with Kankuro's chest who couldn't react in time and was flung backward. His chakra threads tore and Sasuke, this time with his right hand, used the opportunity to connect new ones. Kankuro hit the ground and tried to get up, but the burning remains puppet crashed into him and knocked him against the wall. Sasuke might not be able to finely control the thing, but flinging it around was no issue. He then closed the distance again, hitting Kankuro in the side and sending him flying again.
After a hard landing, Kankuro weakly tried to raise his hand, but Sasuke used his own threads to guide another kunai right through his palm.
Hayate seemingly wanted to raise his hand, but then looked up to the stands. I didn't turn my head fast enough, but whatever he was seeing made him shrug and he put his hand back into his pocket.
Is he not calling the match? I wondered. Seems pretty over to me. Does he want to give him another chance? Maybe it's a political move, the Kazekage is a guest in the next part, after all. They don't want to make it look like they are biased against Sand. A bit unfair, but nepotism wouldn't exactly be something new.
Kankuro barely managed to get up on his healthy leg when Sasuke was already in front of him again. His desperate attempt to connect some chakra threads with his uninjured hand was easily evaded, and the following strike to his face was accompanied by the telltale sound of a breaking nose.
A pained grunt was all the Sand Genin could get out before Sasuke grabbed his collar, lifted him up, and shoved him against the arena wall.
"I warned you," he said with a smirk. He then slammed his fist into Kankuro's bloodied face, hitting him over the eye with enough force that the back of his head hit the stone behind him. The taller boy then sank to the ground, unconscious.
"Sasuke Uchiha wins!" Hayate finally announced. He then went over to the cloud of poison with had started to disperse, put an open scroll on the floor, and formed a hand sign. The gas got sucked into the scroll and sealed away.
Sasuke meanwhile rejoined us, but I sent him to the infirmary anyway. Even if he had done everything right - slowly exhaling while in the gas - it would still better to be safe rather than sorry. But this fight had also shown that we needed to do something about the curse mark, leaving the seal there wasn't a permanent solution. I also noticed Kankuro's teammate, the girl who had defeated Choji, rush after him. The red-haired boy didn't seem to care.
Kiba Inuzuka
vs.
Yoroi Akadō
"Heh! Finally, my turn! Guess you got lucky, Naruto!"
"You wish!" the blonde responded before crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "Damn it, I want to have my fight already!"
Down in the arena, Akamaru jumped from Kiba's head and growled at their opponent.
"Not what I expected," Yoroi said with a shrug, "but oh well."
"Let's see how smug you are in a minute!" Kiba countered with a grin, and his dog yipped in agreement. Hayate gave the signal to start, and the Inuzuka immediately went down on all fours.
'Gijū Ninpō Shikyaku no Jutsu!' [Imitation Beast Ninja Arts: Four Legs Jutsu]
'Gijin Ninpō: Jūjin Bunshin!' [Imitation Human Ninja Arts: Beast Human Clone]
Kiba's fangs and nails grew while Akamaru transformed into a copy of his master. So he had finally learned to do it without a soldier pill. Yoroi meanwhile formed a single hand sign and his right palm began to shimmer.
'Gatsūga!' [Fang Passing Fang]
Not intending to give their opponent any chance to react, dog and master immediately attacked with their clan's signature technique. Yoroi only barely managed to evade the spinning tackle, his glowing hand grazing one of the two. On the other side of the arena, the duo came to a screeching halt, but the transformed Akamaru looked rather tired. Even behind his veil, it was clear that Yoroi wore a smug grin as he raised his right hand that had just drained Akamaru's chakra.
"Seems like your little pocket rat doesn't have a lot of chakra yet," he taunted, to which Kiba responded with a snarl. He looked between his partner and opponent, then, he dropped a smoke bomb.
Yoroi went into a stance ready for the next attack. One of two Kibas jumped out of the smoke and attacked him directly while the other ran a circle to flank him. When the former reached him, Yoroi ducked under his swipe and pressed his right hand on his chest. That Kiba seemed to lose his strength, collapsed to the ground, and turned back into Akamaru.
"That's it already? Heh, so much about that."
He then turned to face the other Kiba.
"If I were him," Naruto commented with his arms crossed, "I would've been the one to attack and then transform into Akamaru to trick him."
The other Kiba charged at him. He then lunged forward, but when Yoroi extended his right hand, he transformed into Akamaru to evade before sinking his teeth into Yoroi's arm. At the same time, the seemingly unconscious Akamaru transformed back into the real Kiba, his punch connecting with the back of Yoroi's head. The older boy fell over, right into a headbutt from Akamaru, followed by a kick to the stomach from Kiba. A bite in the ankle made him lose balance and he fell to the ground where another hit to the head knocked him out. Hayate pronounced Kiba the winner of the fight. Naruto needed a moment until he could close his mouth again.
So he finally learned to use his brain instead of just frontal attacks. Ironic that he had the same idea as Naruto, considering how often the two butted heads during our joint training.
I gave Kurenai an affirming look, but after a quick glance at me, she merely crossed her arms. Oh well, when it came to one's own students, it was normal to be a bit more critical.
Tenten
vs.
Shikamaru Nara
"Urg. Of course I would draw the one girl left on the roster," Shikamaru complained with a sigh. For once, Asuma didn't comment and just quietly watched as the last of his three students. He hadn't paid all too much attention during the last few fights, not because he didn't care, but because his mind kept wandering. Choji's fight hadn't been too bad, he'd simply been outmatched. But Ino… what exactly had happened there?
Asuma knew close to nothing about the civilian-born pinkette, but Ino had mentioned her every now and then. However, what she had told him didn't fit what he had seen at all.
"Did I miss a lot? Oh, nice, Shikamaru's on."
Choji suddenly standing next to him pulled him out of his thoughts. The Akimichi had seemingly recovered, considering he was already stuffing his face with potato chips again. He wore a bandage around his head instead of his headband and his hair was a bit disheveled, but otherwise, he seemed fine.
"How are you feeling?"
"Hungry, that fight was draining. We'll be getting those steaks you promised, right?"
That got a chuckle out of him.
"Let's see. How's Ino, by the way?"
"No clue, wasn't in the wake-up room. I asked one of the Medical-nin, said something about a concussion. No, wait, not concussion. But it sounded similar to that."
What could he be talking about? But it sounds serious, I should ask them myself and go see her once she wakes up.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Tenten had gotten into Position and Hayate gave the go.
'Kagemane no Jutsu!' [Shadow Imitation Jutsu]
Shikamaru didn't waste any time and sent his shadow forward, but he didn't even make it halfway before he had to cancel the jutsu in order to evade an incoming kunai.
"I won't let you!" Tenten announced with a smirk.
"Uh, quick!" Choji commented, making Asuma grin.
"According to Gai, she can hit a fly a hundred meters away. Let's see what he comes up with." While Shikamaru hated to put in effort, he hated losing even more, and Asuma never got tired of seeing his head at work.
With both hands, Tenten threw six kunai fanned out, and while Shikamaru was able to evade most, he still suffered some shallow cuts. He quickly dropped a smoke bomb, enveloping him in a thick cloud.
In response, Tenten quickly pulled out a scroll, unsealing two big cleavers which she threw into the smoke. A single loud clang! could be heard, followed by the sound of something clattering to the floor. He had apparently managed to dodge. Maybe he had anticipated the move and was lying on the ground?
In response, a single kunai came flying out of the smoke, a bomb tag tied to it. Tenten quickly jumped to the side to get away, but at the same time, Shikamaru exited the dissipating smoke and threw two more rigged kunai, this time at her ground left and right in front of her. Too close to the wall to retreat much further back, Tenten did a backflip and then jumped off the wall and high up to not get hit by the explosions. But no explosion followed. A second look revealed that the 'bomb tags' had just been scraps of paper, maybe torn from a scroll. A sour look appeared on her face as she realized it.
Shikamaru sent his shadow forward again, and this time, Tenten was airborne. That didn't seem to faze her though as she unsealed a sickle on a rope and threw it at the balcony left of her. The blade caught the handrail, allowing Tenten to pull herself to the side to get away from the shadow. Her feet caught the side of the balcony and she used chakra to stand horizontally. The shadow retreated.
"So that is your maximum range, huh," she concluded. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. He ran closer to her but Tenten threw a handful of shuriken at his feet, forcing him to retreat again. As she jumped in the guard rail and then high into the air, he picked up some of the kunai she had thrown earlier and returned them to sender. But they were fanned out wide, only a few came even close to hitting her and by twisting her body, Tenten could evade with little trouble. Only the lamps behind her got hit and broke.
Tenten opened her scroll further and more weapons fell out, one after the other. Skillfully catching them, Tenten unleashed a barrage of blades at her opponent. Shikamaru hastily ran across the arena trying to dodge, but Tenten was too precise. Despite his best efforts, he took multiple hits, not all of them shallow. When Tenten was done he was bleeding quite a bit, with the deepest wound being a kunai and a sickle that stuck in his right shoulder and left thigh, respectively. With his uninjured arm, he threw one of Tenten's cleavers at her - ah, that was why Asuma had only heard one hit the wall. The throw was sloppy though, maybe due to his injuries, and Tenten only needed to sidestep to dodge. She was now at the upper end of the right wall while Shikamaru stood at the hind wall.
"You can always surrender, you know?"
Shikamaru just smirked at the taunt and formed a hand sign.
"Oh no, you won't!" Tenten shouted and unsealed a huge shuriken, pulled back her arm for a throw…
… and froze.
"Phew, finally," he groaned. "That was annoying…"
"Wha- how?!" Tenten wondered aloud, eyes fixated on the floor. "You never even sent out your shadow, I always looked at it!"
"And what do you think we're standing in right now?"
He tilted his head, forcing Tenten to mimic the motion to make her look at what he wanted.
"With the lamps over there destroyed, all the light now comes from one side. So, unlike before, the shadow of the balcony, at least this half of it, now reaches the ground. It might go around the corner, but it's still the same shadow we're both standing in. And I can use other shadows to extend my own."
"You were aiming at the lamps from the start, weren't you?"
"Yup. The ceiling light makes my shadow rather short, unfortunately, so I knew your Bukijutsu would prevent me from getting in range normally. But, as expected, you felt too safe once you figured out the range limit. Anyway…"
He forced Tenten's arm to move, holding the tip of the oversized shuriken at her neck.
"Thanks for getting that thing out, makes it a lot easier. Say, what was that offer you made earlier again?"
Tenten's eyes widened, but then she couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well, guess that's what I get for underestimating a newbie. I SURRENDER!"
Hayate nodded.
"The fight is over! Shikamaru wins!"
"Come on, let mine be next!" Naruto complained, eyes glued on the scoreboard. Even though the previous fight had ended a bit ago already, it was still blank. Tenten had thrown a lot of weapons around and now had to pick them all up again. Even with two proctors helping, it still took a while. Shikamaru meanwhile was brought to the infirmary.
Kind of weird that the winner is the one who needs medical attention, Naruto thought while he waited. Sasuke returned at some point during the fight, confirming that there were no issues from the poison.
Finally, the arena was clear and the weapons sealed away again, and Tenten hurried up the stairs, apologizing profusely for making everyone wait. The scoreboard lit up once more.
Rock Lee
vs.
Neji Hyūga
Damn it, still not me! I want to talk with Karin already!
Lee, who had been very pumped for his fight so far now seemed rather somber, but determined nonetheless. He gave his teammate a look, and wordlessly, the two of them walked down into the arena.
So teammates fighting each other can also happen, huh? Maybe I can fight Sasuke at some point in the third task, that would be cool!
He watched as the two boys went into position.
Considering what Sakura told us about the fight in the forest, Lee seems like a cool guy. The other guy's a jerk, why was he mean to Hinata for no reason? I hope Lee wins this!
"So it has finally come to this. Neji, I have put my all into surpassing you. I'm grateful for this chance to prove myself!"
"If you'd ever listen to me, you would know the result already," Neji responded as the veins around his eyes bulged out. "I will not deny your dedication and effort. But in the end, the two of us are who we are. But, while it won't change the outcome, do you truly believe right now is a time when you should handicap yourself?"
Naruto wondered what he was talking about. Unsure, Lee looked up at them, and the other adult next to them, probably Lee's sensei, gave him a thumbs up. Naruto wasn't sure what was weirder, the fact that this guy had even bushier eyebrows than Lee or that on him, that look somehow worked.
Lee's eyes lit up and pulled up his leg warmers, revealing that he wore training weights. Was he wearing those all the time? Wouldn't that slow him down?
He walked over to the wall and dropped the weights. Naruto didn't see him there since he was under the balcony, but he heard and felt a heavy impact, and the people on the other side gasped. Why would he walk around with those?
Then he returned, and the proctor gave the go.
Within the blink of an eye, Lee closed the gap between them. If perception training hadn't been a big part of the last two months, Naruto's eyes wouldn't be able to keep up, and even now it was difficult.
'Konoha Reppū!' [Leaf Gale]
Lee's series of kicks came so fast that he was little more than a blur, but surprisingly, Neji was able to keep up. Even though his speed allowed Lee to attack from various angles in incredible succession Neji hardly moved at all, using only his hands to deflect the blows and occasionally tilting his head or shifting his body slightly to evade any near-hit.
"Is he always wearing those weights, Gai?" Naruto heard Tanya-sensei ask next to him.
"Pretty much, yeah. His dedication and unbreakable spirit make him surpass his limits again and again. That is the true power of youth!"
"His speed is certainly impressive, but wouldn't that also mean he is used to his kicks having a lot more weight behind them than they have now?"
"Heh, don't worry about that. He worked tirelessly to surpass Neji, and while both might be my students, it is hard not to honor his efforts."
Once more, Lee appeared behind Neji and struck. The Hyūga turned in a fluid motion, evading and attacking in response. Naruto noticed that, while similar, his movements were different from Hinata's.
Lee continued the motion and fell on his hands, doing a cartwheel to evade and get some distance between them. When he came to a halt, both opponents stared intensely at each other, allowing the heated battle to calm down for a moment.
"Seems like they're evenly matched," Kiba noted.
"That you didn't pay attention," Sasuke responded dryly, and Naruto noticed that he watched the battle with his Sharingan active. What's more, Hinata was using her Dojutsu as well, a concerned look on her face.
Lee attacked again, changing his tactic. Since Neji's omnidirectional sight made him hard to outmaneuver, he instead switched to more focused attacks. But while Neji may not have been able to move around with Lee's speed, his reaction time could keep up with him. Attacks and counterattacks glided past each other, all looking like near misses, or grazes at best.
'Konoha Otoshi!' [Leaf Drop]
Lee spun, twisting his body before delivering a heavy kick from above. Neji leaned into the movement and spun, the most he had moved so far during an exchange of blows. Suddenly, Lee seemed to get a new burst of speed. The bandages around his arms loosened and he went down to attack from below, but Neji was once more able to evade. When he jumped over a low sweep Lee got behind him, seemingly trying something with his bandages, but a spinning kick from Neji forced him to abandon the attempt.
Both combatants moved in a blur once more and when they separated again, Lee was panting and holding his chest.
"As always, you are truly incredible, Neji."
"And yet, you refuse to accept the difference between us," Neji responded, barely out of breath. "An ace in the hole becomes a lot worse if the opponent knows about it, and you're already paying the price for what you just tried."
"What is he talking about?" Naruto wondered aloud.
"The Eight Gates," Tanya-sensei explained. "Special Tenketsu that function like safety limiters. Those who can open them can temporarily gain incredible strength, but the drawbacks are significant and exponential, with the opening of the final gate guaranteeing death. But even just opening the lower gates is highly self-destructive and rarely worth learning in my opinion. It seems like the technique he just attempted to use opened the first one. It gave him a quick boost, but the drawback came right after. If he tries to fight now, he will lose."
"You might be a genius with few equals," Lee admitted to his opponent, "but if my limits stop me from reaching you, then that simply means I have to surpass my limits! The lotus of the Hidden Leaf blooms twice! Second Gate, Gate of Healing: open!"
"Gai, you didn't!" Kurenai called in surprise while Tanya-sensei's eyes narrowed. Lee charged at Neji with speed surpassing his previous feats.
"I told you, his dedication is unparalleled!"
"... how many can he open?" Tanya asked. The tall Jōnin grinned.
"Five."
If the second gate made Lee this much faster already, what would the fifth do? Naruto couldn't help but wonder. And what would be the drawbacks?
Lee shot past Neji and spun around in the air. His feet touched the balcony and he pushed himself off with enough force to make cracks appear in the stone, flying at his opponent once more. He looked less like a fighter and more like a projectile at this point.
"Tayna-sensei, his chakra network…" Sakura murmured.
"So you noticed it, huh?"
"Gai, you need to stop him!" Kurenai insisted. "Even if he can open it, there is no way his body can withstand the strain of the Fith Gate! He might win the fight with the boost it gives him, but he could suffer permanent damage from it! It's not worth it!"
"If nothing else, you at least don't need to worry about that, Kurenai," Tanya stated, eyes still fixated on the fight. "He won't even open the third."
"What makes you say that?" Tenten wondered. "The Reverse Lotus is Lee's best shot at defeating Neji, and he needs to open at least the Third Gate for that."
Down in the arena, Lee came to a sudden halt and instantly was on the move in the opposite direction, becoming a blur of speed that relentlessly attacked from all sides. Neji could still somewhat hold his ground, but no longer attempted any counterattacks, focusing solely on defending.
"I will show you!" Lee shouted, the speed distorting his voice. "Because this is my Nindō! Third Gate, Gate of Life: op-"
Suddenly, Lee's speed fell. Naruto could see him stumble and he crashed to the ground, tumbling over the floor. When he finally came to a stop his face was twisted in pain and his hand clutched his chest. He tried to get up again, but he suddenly coughed out a clump of blood. Then, his body seemed to fail him. The proctor waited for a few seconds before calling the match.
"I told you," Neji said once more. "In the end, we will always be what we are."
"Wha… what happened just now?!" Naruto didn't understand. Didn't the others just say what Lee was doing gave him a boost in power? Why had he collapsed? Did the gates' drawbacks come this fast?
"So that's why his chakra network felt so strange all of a sudden," Sakura mumbled, seemingly realizing something.
"I don't get it, what's going on?"
"Precise Gentle Fist users can seal off Tenketsu with their strikes," Tanya-sensei explained. "And the Gates, while certainly different from the normal ones, are still Tenketsu. He prevented Lee from opening them, plus, there is also the normal effect Gentle Fist strikes have on the body. Trying to force the Gates open in that state…"
She gave a side glance to Gai who only stared at the arena with wide eyes.
"Neji… he knew this was the only way he could lose," Tenten gasped. "Like he said, if your opponent knows your trump card..."
"He a-aimed at them from the start," Hinata confirmed, her Byakugan fading.
Naruto balled his fist, Neji's arrogance really starting to rub him the wrong way. Medical-nin carried Lee away. Gai still said nothing.
Naruto Uzumaki
vs.
Shino Aburame
Naruto's face hardened as his name appeared on the scoreboard. The last fight had put a damper on his excitement, but his determination was all the stronger. On his way down in the arena he passed Neji, giving him a glare that didn't get any reaction out of the Hyūga. He clenched his fist tighter but then left it at that. Down in the arena, he closed his eyes and did the breathing exercise Tanya-sensei had shown him to calm down.
I can always kick his ass later. Now concentrate on the fight!
He looked up. With his shades and high collar, Shino's expression was, as always, hard to read. During the joint training, he was only with the Aburame during physical exercises, so Naruto didn't know much about his fighting style except that he used bugs. Better be wary of those!
"Start!"
Concentrating chakra on his soles, Naruto boosted himself forward. Shino ducked under his punch, so he continued the momentum into a spin, followed by a kick from above. Shino managed to jump backward in time, and utilizing Tanya-sensei's Imperial Fist Technique, Naruto's heel cracked the stone where he had stood a moment earlier.
'Kagebushin no Jutsu!' [Shadow Clone Jutsu]
Not giving his opponent any time to counter, Naruto summoned twelve shadow clones that surrounded Shino in groups of three. In each group, one placed a 'ketsu'-tag on the ground while the second jumped on the third's shoulders, holding up another tag.
'Ninpō: Hachiten Kekkai' [Ninja Art: Eight-Point Barrier]
The tags lit up and a cubic barrier formed, trapping Shino inside. The original Naruto stood up and smirked. Learning Tanya's barrier technique had been surprisingly fun and during the training, he had also thought of some other ways they could be used. Not that he had dared to try them on the scary girl.
"An effective tactic with quick and efficient execution," Shino stated in a neutral voice after he and Naruto had looked at each other for a while. "And yet, it won't be enough. Why, you ask? Because while a swarm might gather attention, lone insects can be hard to spot. They can gather in secret until it is too late."
Naruto raised an eyebrow but then he saw the black dots on one of his clones. Right after, in a puff of smoke, the clone disappeared and the barrier collapsed. Shino spread his arms and more bugs flew out of his sleeves. Naruto quickly created more clones all around, thirty in total for the start. The arena wasn't big so too many would be a hindrance, but hiding among his copies should make the swarm less effective.
Reforming the barrier would probably be pointless so he went into the offensive. Three more of the first batch of shadow clones disappeared, the smoke obscuring his sight for a second, while the big cloud of insects swarmed another clone and made him quickly disappear before he could reach Shino. Okay, he really needed to look out for these things.
Leaving a clone behind to trick his opponent, Naruto attacked together with his other clones. Only a few could strike at once, but the numbers quickly overwhelmed Shino, and two kicks landed in his stomach. Then he melted into a cloud of insects. Naruto's eyes widened. When had he… ah, probably when the clones had disappeared.
The insects gathered into another swarm and attacked, aiming for the real him. His arms disappeared first in the black cloud, but before they could get any further he ejected a large amount of chakra from his hands, blasting them away. The swarm reformed and attacked again. Was it a lucky guess? No, they were too focused. Damn, what had given him away? And where was the real Shino?
A singular barrier tag wared the bugs off momentarily before they regrouped again and went around. Bomb tags could have been good here, he thought. But unfortunately, Sakura had used all the trio had gotten from Tanya-sensei back in the forest.
Three clones threw themselves at the insects to shield the real one while he sprinted away, but he knew he wouldn't be able to run from them forever.
Okay, think! Even with the smoke as cover, he was surrounded. So he either hid in the ground, or he went… up!
His guess proved true and he finally spotted his opponent, standing upside down on the high ceiling.
'Kagebushin Henge no Jutsu!' [Shadow Clone Transformation Jutsu]
Naruto summoned two Shadow clones transformed into fūma shuriken which he hurled up, both getting stuck in the concrete after Shino sidestepped them. Transforming back they managed to catch him by surprise, grapple him, and pull him down with them. The swarm meanwhile was on Naruto again and he swatted them away with another blast of chakra before he retreated, but they got increasingly harder to get rid of. They closed in once more. Naruto stopped paying attention to what his remaining shadow clones were doing, assuming they were focused on taking out Shino. Something tickled under his mesh armor. Had some of them snuck up on him?
Suddenly, he felt a tugging on his mind, similar to the feeling he had back in the forest. Was it the fox? But this time, he wasn't in emotional turmoil and managed to suppress the feeling. Just from very far away, it felt like he heard a voice.
'Are you scared? Insects aren't to be feared, they are to be crushed!'
Naruto ignored the voice. Memories returning told him more shadow clones were gone. Shino held a second cloud of insects close to himself, and whenever they managed to swarm a clone it disappeared shortly after. But then, as the fox's words echoed in his mind, he got an idea. The bugs came again, but he didn't stop them this time. He merely formed a single hand sign, then he let them swarm him.
'Tajū Kagebushin no Jutsu!' [Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu]
Clones flooded the arena. Naruto couldn't see whether they all fit, he focused on dogpiling them on himself. He could feel the pressure coming from each side, together with the gross wetness of squished insects. Some clones disappeared, then he heard a pained grunt. Memories of a clone came in, other clones had vanished under him, and he had spotted Shino before pouncing on him. The pressure disappeared as the clones on their own realized which ones were needed. When he stood free again there were still insects around, but the swarm's number was greatly reduced and Shino kept the remaining close to him. Naruto charged. The remaining shadow clones got into groups of two, one of each transforming into a fūma shuriken which the other one threw. Transforming back once they got close they attacked, and the diminished swarm couldn't attack them all at once.
Shino's Taijutsu wasn't bad but he was quickly forced into the defensive. The real Naruto had now reached him and summoned a clone transformed into a kanabō which he slammed down in an overhead strike. Shino jumped back, evading so closely that his jacket got a tear, but then the cudgel hit the ground; Naruto's clone expelled enough charka through the tip to dissipate, making the ground burst open from the impact. Shino lost balance. Two clones attacking from both sides forced the swarm to split, and with chakra in his soles, Naruto generated another burst of speed, tackled Shino to the ground, drew a kunai, and held it to his neck.
"It seems like you got me," he admitted. "Why, you ask? Because I failed to anticipate such an outlandish tactic. I placed a female bug on you during your first attack so the male bugs could track the pheromones. When that happened, I was certain my victory was a matter of time. I was wrong. How ironic that I was the one getting swarmed in the end. I have one question though: did you even notice that the Kikaichū ate away your chakra?"
"They can do that? Oh, that's how they defeated the clones so quickly!"
"... I withdraw my question. I surrender."
"The battle is over! Naruto Uzumaki wins!" The proctor announced, jumping down from the stone finger monument he had apparently retreated up to. Naruto helped Shino up, the latter stating he would seek the Medical-nin for a quick check.
Gaara
vs.
Shigeri
Asked to leave the arena, Naruto hurried up the stairs on the other side. He wanted to finally talk with Karin! As he reached the top, Old Man Hokage suddenly stood in front of him.
"Congratulations on your win, Naruto."
"Heh, thanks! But, uh…"
"Yes, I can guess what you want to do."
He formed a hand sign and a flush of water hit Naruto, followed by a gust of wind blowing him dry.
"That should be better," he chuckled and went back to his part of the balcony. Naruto was thankful, he had almost forgotten about the dead bugs on him. He went on, and when he reached her, the redhead stared at him with wide eyes.
"Your… name..."
"Yeah. Seems like we're cousins," he grinned, though he could feel his lip tremble. He couldn't believe it! He had a living family member! Both stared at each other, overwhelmed with emotions and unsure what to say next.
Don't cry, don't cry, don't-
'Sabaku Sōsō!' [Sand Waterfall Burial]
Karin's eyes widened. She shrieked and clasped her hands in front of her mouth. Naruto turned around, seeing how the guy from Karin's team fell to the ground, his body crushed into a bloody pulp. Sand hovered in the air, dripping with blood before retreating into the gourd on Gaara's back. Behind him, Naruto could hear Karin puke out her lunch. Naruto quickly returned his attention to her, just in time to see her legs get weak and catch her before she fell into her own vomit.
"The fight *cough* the fight is over! Gaara wins! Now, all winners, come down in the arena!"
"Are you okay? Can you walk?" He asked. Karin didn't answer, but her grasp on his hand tightened. Naruto nodded and guided her down to the others.
Hiruzen observed as the ten finalists gathered in front of him. The preliminaries had certainly been full of surprises. He eyed Gaara, who simply stood next to his remaining teammate with his arms crossed. Deaths happened during these fights, but the fast and brutal way he had killed the Grass Genin was certainly exceptional. His teammate, the girl who had outed herself as a surviving Uzumaki, looked pale as a ghost while holding onto Naruto. He would need the think carefully about how to handle this situation. For now, he would have some Anbu trail her until he made a decision.
Lastly, there were the Genin from Leaf. While he was supposed to be impartial, he had been quite curious about how Tanya's kids had developed. When it came to Jōnin-sensei, there were varying philosophies. Some took on more of a background role, giving the Genin freedom while providing guidance. Others, like Gai, preferred a more hands-on approach. Tanya seemed to have taken a page from the latter's book.
Sakura had unfortunately not shown much considering how quickly her fight had ended, though that had been a surprise in and of itself. Sasuke, despite being handicapped by the seal, had shown a great performance and a Ninjutsu Hiruzen hadn't seen before. Had Tanya developed another original technique? Or had it maybe even been Sasuke, under her guidance?
And when it came to Naruto, he couldn't help but be proud. And yet, he had a feeling that this had only been the beginning. The tournament would undoubtedly be interesting.
The Hokage had them draw numbers before explaining that the third task would consist of further one-versus-one fights in a tournament bracket, but unlike the preliminaries, they would be a public event with many visitors expected.
"Wait, does that mean only one can become Chūnin?"
"No. You performance during the fights is what decides that. It's possible that all of you pass, or none. Remember that strength is not all a Chūnin needs. Make sure you display the right qualities."
Ibiki meanwhile drew up the tournament tree and showed it to the kids.
"This will be your fights," Hiruzen stated. "The last task will take place in a month. Use the time to prepare. Dismissed."
First Round of the Finals:
-Tiebreaker 1: Sakura Haruno vs Temari
-Tiebreaker 2: Neji Hyūga vs Hinata Hyūga
-Sasuke Uchiha vs Kiba Inuzuka
-Gaara vs Winner of Tiebreaker 1
-Shikamaru Nara vs Karin
-Naruto Uzumaki vs Winner of Tiebreaker 2
A/N: Check out my AO3 or Spacebattles if you want to see the tournament tree properly.
Part I Neji vs Lee is a highly debated topic within a fandom. I like Lee a lot, but he is a very matchup-dependent fighter. After looking into all the available information, this seems like the most plausible outcome of their fight (though I can certainly see scenarios in which Lee would win). I'm sure there are people who will disagree with me, which is perfectly fine, but I ask you to stay civil about it.
Also, in a different timeline, Tanya was reborn as a Hyūga branch clan member. Not trying to hint at something, just wanted to say it. :P