93Naruto of the true Ice
Samurai in an Era of Shinobi
Ever since the Shinobi style of life was established there have been those that have denied that very way of living. Those that sought more meaning in their lives as warriors have often turned to the Samurai way.
The important difference between the two is an ideological one. While for a Shinobi the end justifies the means, for a Samurai the situation isn't that simple. Samurai operate largely on honor and pride and live by a very clearly defined moral compass that they have dedicated their lives to.
Since Shinobi have fought each other ever since they came to be, Samurai have been neutral parties for most of their existence in the elemental nations. Just like Shinobi had banded together over the years resulting in the Warring Clan Period years later, Samurai also formed groups, most of the time swearing fealty to a Lord of some kind. And just like Shinobi have a purpose in following their Clanhead's plans and orders so too do Samurai. Protecting their chosen Lord and dedicating their lives to the way of life they have chosen is what Samurai see as their duty, as the way to fulfill their lives.
While in the earlier days there were also substantial differences in fighting-styles, those lines have blurred over time. The usage of Chakra has become the norm even among Samurai as the benefits are undeniable and Kenjutsu is a skill often seen among Shinobi especially in the Land of Lightning, even if usually not as refined as their Samurai counterparts.
While the Samurai had been a small faction for a long time their support all over the elemental nations has risen since the first hidden villages were established and their number is high today. As it is the Land of Iron has become both a valuable trading partner and an important player in the political and military side even if they have remained largely neutral over the years.
To underestimate their might or influence would be a grave mistake and good relations with the land can only benefit oneself in the long run.
Sarutobi Hiruzen
"Hajime!"
Instead of immediately jumping into action all three Genin currently in the arena just stood still and observed their opponents.
Deciding on a course of action Naruto opened his mouth.
"Haruno-san, forfeit this fight now or I won't be able to ensure that you will leave this arena unscathed. You have no place in this fight and are in no way ready for this situation." while the dismissive tone used would normally indicate it Naruto didn't mean to be condescending, he was stating a fact.
The slight surprise mixed with a bit of amusement that was visible in the Kumo-nin's eyes didn't matter to Naruto, he had another issue to address for now.
The pink-haired girl however didn't seem to take to his comments lightly.
At first she seemed confused before he finished with his explanation leading her to be visible angry. The indignant shout that followed his own statement was also proof of that.
"Who do you think you are talking to, I trained for this and I earned my participation!" the whole thing was accompanied by the girl threateningly swinging her fist in front of her face.
Exhaling in exasperation and mild disappointment because of the irrational response Naruto resigned himself to his course of action.
"Very well, but don't expect me to go easy on you just because you are a fellow Konoha Shinobi."
Before Sakura had any time to respond Naruto's fist met her square in the gut immediately pushing the air out of her lungs.
As the girl was almost bended over his arm because of the force he had used Naruto used a simple chop to the neck to knock her out so that he could finally focus on his other adversary who until now had remained unmoving, content with just watching and observing the proceedings.
Lowering the unconscious girl to the ground Naruto turned towards the Kumo Genin standing about 20 feet away from him. Naruto ignored the presence of the Proctor appearing behind him before leaving with the girl and chose to instead plan his next move carefully.
He didn't know the full capabilities of his enemy but the same was true in reverse. The Genin from Kumo seemed to be slightly older though fortunately there wasn't much of a difference in height so there was no reach advantage in pure Taijutsu.
While the boy was noticeably muscled it wasn't in such an overly fashion that Naruto could assume that the boy specialized in Taijutsu. And there was the fact that the other male Genin of the Kumo team had been a clear Taijutsu focused frontline brawler and having two of those on the Team wasn't exactly strategically sound for a three man cell even if the assigned Jonin specialized in Ranged Combat to balance out the deficiency that would be created. Genin Teams just weren't created that way.
Since the girl that Neji had obliterated in the Prelims had been a Ninjutsu User Naruto would normally conclude that his current opponent was a Genjutsu user or had some kind of support role in his own Team. But Naruto's instincts were basically screaming at him to not assume that his opponent was not capable in Direct Combat.
So what to do?
Naruto's thought process was interrupted when he saw a small but clearly satisfied smile flit across the Kumo-nin's face. That was telling in many ways. Naruto knew that his performance in the Preliminaries, even if only the parts visible to everyone were considered, had been telling enough to see that no Genin was a match for him in a one-on-one scenario.
Even if that wasn't exactly what Naruto had intended to do, in fact it was the complete opposite of hiding his actual capabilities because this way he would only attract more interest from outside parties, it had happened anyways and he couldn't do anything about it now.
And despite knowing this the Kumo Genin across from him was still sure of his victory? It didn't look like blind arrogance in any way. The boy seemed intelligent enough to not be blinded by his own abilities, so what kind of Genin was he about to fight against?
Well, there was no way to find out but to fight him.
Letting a Kunai fall into either of his hands Naruto lowered his stance to prepare to either go on the offensive or defensive.
"Finally decided to start the fight?" Naruto simply ignored the halfhearted attempt at taunting and focused on his opponent with a straight face, not showing anything.
Seeing that he would have to initiate Naruto dashed forward at running speeds. While it was fast Naruto hadn't used any Chakra to augment his speed so that he could better surprise his opponent with a change in pace.
Reaching his opponent Naruto slashed downwards with his right hand while thrusting the Kunai in his left hand towards the lower right side of the Kumo-nin. A wound to the Kidney wouldn't immediately kill the teen but it would make it much easier to win the fight because of the high amount of blood he would lose if left untreated.
However both attacks were effortlessly blocked. Naruto's right met the Kumo-nin's left, forearm to forearm while Naruto's left wrist was grabbed by the other Genin's right hand. Even though his attacks had been blocked Naruto didn't let that discourage him.
Using his left knee to strike at the forearm of the hand that was holding onto his left while also pulling with his left so that he could hit easier with the knee Naruto was able to free his left hand though he couldn't get the hit in since the Kumo Genin had abandoned the hold he had to evade.
After freeing his hand Naruto jumped back a few feet to create some distance and to possibly be the one on the defensive.
Unfortunately his opponent didn't seem inclined to go on the offensive in any way which meant Naruto could either make this a battle of patience, force his opponent on the offensive or go on the offensive himself once again.
Infusing both of his Kunai with Fūton Chakra Naruto threw them at his opponent before laying his hands on the handles of the Tanto he carried on his lower back and unsheathing them. The blades had been a gift and were clearly made with expert craftsmanship. It was almost sad to have to use them in battle. But Naruto really couldn't let something like sentimental value of an object get in his way of winning this fight.
When Naruto infused the Tanto with Fūton Chakra the difference was instantly felt. The ease with which his Chakra travelled through the blade and the magnitude of the enhancement the blade received wasn't even comparable to the standard-issue Kunai he and every other Konoha Shinobi used. It was on a whole other level.
Rushing towards his opponent, this time with chakra enhanced speed Naruto only took a fraction of the time to reach the Kumo-nin. While the boy had easily evaded the two Kunai that had passed him just a second ago Naruto's melee attack wouldn't be that easy to handle.
The Kunai that was brought up to block the downward swing was easily cut through forcing the slightly older teen to jump away or sustain injury. Naruto wouldn't give him time to breath though.
Following after the boy Naruto was relentless. Since his attacks couldn't be blocked the Kumo-nin was forced completely on the defensive but was restricted to only dodging and while Naruto would compliment the Genin's prowess and speed and especially his reflexes it was clear to him that he was still a bit faster then the Kumo Genin.
Because of this small cuts were starting to pile up on the Genin's body while Naruto was left completely unscathed. As it was obvious that if the fight continued like this Naruto would win his opponent was forced to act, a sentiment only strengthened by the fact that the wall of the stadium was very close to preventing further movement in the direction they were going.
The next thrust from Naruto wasn't evaded like before so that Naruto's Tanto lodged itself into his opponent's left side, between two of the ribs. While the blade did miss the heart it did penetrate the lung of the Kumo-nin. Before Naruto could follow up with his second Tanto however his opponent enacted what seemed to be his plan.
The kick Naruto received to his right knee lead to a loss of balance that made the next attack work. A chop to Naruto's right hand loosened his hold enough that the Kumo Genin could wrest Naruto's hand away from the weapon currently impaled into his lung. The follow-up kick that hit Naruto on the left side of face was clearly infused with Chakra since it did send Naruto about 15 feet to the right giving the other Genin some breathing room and time.
When Naruto came to a stop and picked himself of the ground with only one Tanto still in his possession the Kumo-nin had been able to remove the Tanto from his body before doing a quick patch-up job on the wound with some medical-ninjutsu. It was still in much danger of tearing open but it didn't seem like the boy was losing any more blood or had much trouble breathing.
Naruto was almost kicking himself mentally for not being more effective a moment ago. When used right Fūton Chakra did not just cut open a wound, it tore it open which could make healing very difficult. However when using it this way the Fūton Chakra lost cutting power which meant it couldn't cut through weapons as easily.
Naruto hadn't anticipated the possibility of his opponent willingly taking a hit so he had used Fūton Chakra simply to cut and he couldn't switch that easily to the more complicated way of using the Chakra while in combat, it took more concentration then he could spare while fighting in Taijutsu at his current level.
Well, in the end it didn't really matter, he had dealt a wound to his enemy nonetheless and it was clear to him and probably the Kumo-nin too that Naruto was simply superior when it came to fighting ability even if not by as much as Naruto had expected when fighting Genin, he really would have to step up his training.
Once again facing his opponent Naruto found the slightly older teen breathing slightly heavy but looking fine otherwise. Naruto's bloodied Tanto was gripped in the Kumo-nin's right hand while his left hand was placed in his backpouch.
Naruto didn't exactly want to find out what the boy had in store so he used a quick Shunshin to appear in front of his opponent not a second later. Naruto's diagonal slash was blocked by his own Tanto while his right punch hit home in the Kumo-nin's abdomen throwing him back because of the chakra-enhancement.
Not even thinking about letting up Naruto took a deep breath before focusing his chakra in a way he was very familiar with. Doing a single hand-seal Naruto exhaled a gust of pressurized wind in the direction he had thrown his opponent with a thought of 'Fūton: Daitoppa'.
Even if there was a chance that his opponent had dodged Naruto thought it was rather slim, the boy's injury coupled with the punch should have been enough to atleast daze him long enough for Naruto's jutsu to hit.
When Naruto saw the small balls roll out of the dust cloud his Jutsu had kicked up it was already too late. As yellow smoke exploded from the balls a moment later Naruto was just barely too slow to react in time. While Naruto did hold his breath a moment later the effects of the smoke were obvious. Naruto felt his motor-functions slow down considerably and it was getting harder to think clearly.
While the Kyuubi's Chakra would purge the numbing agent eventually there was a period of time that Naruto would have to deal with the handicap. Jumping backwards out of the smoke Naruto tried his best to formulate a response even considering his current state.
A moment later his opponent dashed out of the smoke cloud he had created at full speed. It was rather obvious that the Kumo-nin was not affected by his own poison as he rushed to Naruto's position at speeds that Naruto couldn't hope to match in his current condition.
While the first slash even if sloppily executed was completely dodged by Naruto the next ones weren't. Multiple attacks later Naruto's form was littered with cuts and he was noticeably breathing heavier.
It was taking all of his control and speed to simply avoid being fatally injured but he could also see that fighting at this level was taking it's toll on his opponent.
Even with his slightly swimming vision Naruto was able to spot signs of exhaustion on the face of the Kumo-nin. It seemed like the wound was making it much harder for the teen to fight the way he normally would and Naruto's last attack seemed to have atleast worsened the condition of his opponent.
The one saving grace for Naruto was the fact that it was becoming easier to think clearly by the second, even if his muscles weren't responding exactly the way he wanted them to. When his opponent seemed to catch a second wind Naruto decided on a vague course of action.
Jumping back by focusing chakra to the soles of his feet Naruto exploded up and backwards.
'Maybe I overestimated my recovery a bit...' at this thought and the realisation that he had severely misjudged the amount of Chakra a slight grimace worked it's way onto Naruto's face.
While not the way Naruto had envisioned, the whole move did serve it's purpose of creating distance. Naruto now stood in front of the wall surrounding the field, having almost travelled half of the arena's length with the jump. The added distance even gave Naruto enough time to recover from his less-then-graceful landing.
The single hand-seal Naruto used was almost as bad as the control Naruto used to focus his Chakra for the technique. At this moment however Naruto didn't need precise control for this to work.
The straight path the other Genin had taken to reach Naruto came to be his undoing as there was no way to possibly dodge or even react fast enough. A second after the hand-seal became visible a explosion of wind rocked the whole arena taking with it the Kumo-nin.
'Fūton: Daitoppa'
While not as focused as the last one the amount of Chakra Naruto had used had been so big that the sheer magnitude of the technique had balanced out the loss of control.
Everything in front of Naruto was leveled and even the wall of the arena opposite of the one he was standing in front of hadn't been left untouched. The cracks lining the wall were proof of that. As Naruto let his hands fall to his sides and started trying to control his breathing he spotted his opponent on the other side of the arena, pressed against the wall.
While the rapid expenditure of Chakra had left Naruto slightly winded even if he wasn't even close to being low on Chakra, he needed to make sure that he had won. Even if it was still a far cry from his usual Shunshin it did it's job in getting him across the arena even if he had to use a hand-seal to get the necessary focus to not travel the wrong distance.
Walking the last step Naruto reached down and grabbed the Kumo-nin by the collar of his shirt to check for a pulse before dropping the obviously unconscious Genin on the ground. In this kind of tournament killing wasn't exactly appreciated since dignitaries and civilians were watching so most matches ended when one party was declared unfit to continue fighting, in whatever fashion that status was achieved.
When Gekkou Hayate appeared next to Naruto in a standard Leaf-Shunshin, he finally noticed the unusual quiet of the arena aswell as the pain in his left arm.
"He is unconscious." with that declaration Naruto picked up his second Tanto that had been dropped by the Kumo-nin during his attack and turned to walk towards the exit.
"Boufuu Chūi is unconscious and can't continue the fight. Senju Naruto wins!" the following cheers from the crowd fell on deaf ears as Naruto's eyes roamed the spectator ranges. He was looking for someone specific.
Spotting her excited grin Naruto let a small smile appear on his face before feeling some the tenseness leave his body and adopted a rather neutral look while walking towards the stairs of the exit at a slightly quickened pace, he didn't have an unlimited amount of time after all and he still needed to dress his wounds while not making them too obvious. Miraculously healing in seconds wasn't exactly normal and would raise questions he didn't want to answer.
The slight burning in his coils was evidence enough that the Kyuubi had decided to speed up his healing further beyond his normal already fastened recovery so that he would be ready as soon as possible. However Naruto didn't think it was too much of a stretch to believe that the additional pain that her Chakra caused him didn't bring her some kind of sadistic pleasure. Naruto could imagine that it probably felt empowering to the vixen.
In the end there wasn't much he could do but wait for his wounds to heal and the pain to subside.
When Naruto arrived at the room for the participants the next three Genin had already assembled in the arena.
Walking towards the railing Naruto decided to wait and see what how this fight would turn out. The different looks he got while walking through the room were ignored, he didn't care if some believed that he had fought well or not. He would only be worthy of praise if he actually achieved something meaningful in this tournament. In his mind passing the first Round of the Third Part wasn't enough for that.
"The second fight between Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru and Kinuta Dosu will now begin. Are you all ready?" when all three answered in the affirmative Gekkou Hayate raised his arm.
"Hajime!" swinging down his arm and relocating to a position further away the Proctor of the Match watched the proceedings.
Unlike in the last fight there was no talk or silent contemplation, instead Rock Lee immediately burst into action. Dashing towards the Oto-nin the bowl-headed Shinobi attacked with a kick while shouting out the name of his attack in usual energetic fashion.
"Konoha Senpuu!"
Unexpectedly Lee's speed hadn't been enough to ensure a direct hit, instead his opponent had blocked the attack with his metal gauntlet though he was still sent skidding back a few feet from the force of the kick.
Before either side could start attacking again a shadow travelled in their direction before splitting and launching at both of their positions. Both Shinobi were able to spot the shadow tendril before it reached them and started jumping backwards to somehow evade the attack following them.
A moment later Shikamaru's shadow stopped following both Genin and receded to his position in the shadow of the wall behind him.
"How unyouthful of you Nara-san to attack your comrade like that!"
While Naruto would agree with the general sentiment in this case it really wasn't applicable. Even if they were fellow Konoha-nin this was a tournament that had pitted participants against each other so there was no way to avoid some Konoha vs Konoha fights. And then there was the fact that the term comrade was so loosely defined that it didn't really mean much for a Shinobi. Comrades could be enemies not moments later since alliances swapped at a rapid pace in the Shinobi world, they were only a method to accomplish your goals after all, even if the Shinobi of one village certainly did share a sense of camaraderie, atleast in Konoha.
Shikamaru seemed to think along the same lines. As his shadow once again extended towards both of the other two Genin. As the Shadow moved to surround them both of the Genin were forced closer to the other which made further interaction unavoidable.
When Shikamaru's Shadow once again retreated to it's wielder both of the Genin had to focus on each other. Instead of being the one to engage Lee was on the defensive this time around.
Metal gauntlet on one arm and Kunai in the other hand Kinuta Dosu rushed towards the spandex-clad Genin. The difference in speed made it simple for Lee to dodge all the physical attacks, the invisible attacks however were what gave him trouble.
Instead of one huge sound wave with a lot of power every swing of the metal gauntlet was strengthened by focused but less powerful sound waves.
Through this Lee's Taijutsu was becoming more and more unbalanced. While the soundwaves weren't strong enough to actually destroy his eardrum, instead the multiple focused soundwaves led to Lee's balance being off which created problems with dodging.
Before more then just some shallow Kunai cuts could be infilicted on Lee however the Oto Genin's advance was halted by multiple Kunai thrown from the side, one of them grazing his cheek while the others were barely avoided.
While the two other Genin had been fighting each other Shikamaru had taken the time to both reposition slightly and to attack them from a distance.
The two seperated Genin hadn't noticed Shikamaru's Shadow approach until it was already to late to react however. The still slightly unbalanced Lee had no chance to dodge in time before he was frozen in place by the Nara technique. The Oto-nin on the other hand did try to jump back but at that point it had already been to late. When the Shadow reached him he was also frozen in place.
Unfortunately for Shikamaru his Kagemane no Jutsu had a rather clear flaw. While simple to execute and rather cost-efficient the Jutsu was only able to control the bodies external movements. Because of this there were ways of breaking out of the Kagemane no Jutsu if given enough time.
Chakra usage couldn't be restricted by the most basic Nara technique so there was nothing stopping the Chakra-overloaded sound wave from hitting everyone within earshot. The subsequent loss of control on Shikamaru's part coupled with the extreme balance problems for all three Genin present in the arena led to a complete evening of the odds for the most part. While Lee and Dozu himself were much more affected by the Sound attack because of their proximity Shikamaru didn't get away unscathed.
Shikamaru seemed to have been prepared for this kind of attack however. While in obvious discomfort the Nara heir didn't take long to get back his footing and his balance didn't seem to be too tipped of.
Focusing some Chakra to his eyes Naruto could spot something white peeking out of Shikamaru's ear. While it probably protected Shikamaru from most of the effects of the sound-based attacks the last wave had been too powerful to fully block out.
As the one least affected by the attack Shikamaru was the first one able to act. Reaching into a pouch positioned on his lower back Shikamaru pulled out a Explosive Note attached to a Kunai. Hurling the Kunai between the two dazed Shinobi hoping to score an easy win Shikamaru didn't stop. Directly after throwing the Kunai Shikamaru crouched down and extended his shadow to immediately catch his opponents as soon as the smoke from the explosion had disappeared.
While the explosion hadn't been very strong, since the Explosive Note had not been of high strength and the Chakra had simply been used to detonate the Note, both of the Genin had been standing pretty close to eachother so it would have been enough to hit and injure both of them.
When Naruto spotted the movement from Lee's side of the dust cloud it had already been too late. Judging by the shocked look, slight recoiling and his Shadow travelling back to his own position Shikamaru had also noticed the movement in the last moment.
When the spandex wearing Shinobi appeared next to Shikamaru in a position ready to execute a kick it was obvious that this fight had probably been decided from the start. When the kick impacted Shikamaru's midsection, who was only able to raise his arms slightly to protect himself, the Nara heir was flung towards the arena wall at great speeds, only to impact the wall a second later.
After that attack the bowl-haired Genin once again disappeared in a burst of speed that Naruto could only hope to match when using chakra. The dust cloud created by the Explosive Note Shikamaru had used had been thinning more and more and the Oto-nin finally became visible.
The Genin was standing in a defensive position obviously expecting an attack. Standing in a slight crouch with raised arms while looking all around to spot an attack as soon as possible the teen didn't seem to be as affected by his own sound attacks as Naruto would have thought at first.
That however didn't save him from being attacked. The kick from behind arriving a moment later was not blocked leading to the Oto-Genin being thrown a few feet away. Immediately after multiple follow-up punches were arriving from the green-clad Konoha-nin. The sheer speed with which the attacks were delivered was more of a problem then the power of each individual attack even if it could also not be disregarded.
Because of the speed there was no way to evade or block all of the attacks, which led to more and more hits being scored by the Konoha-nin without any chance to retaliate on the part of his opponent.
It was only a matter of time before the fight would come to an end.
A few seconds later another sound wave exploded from the metal gauntlet of the Oto-nin. Lee however seemed to be completely disregard the attack only a moment later before landing a punch square in the face of his opponent.
The Oto-nin was knocked down and thrown back a few feet before coming to a stop on his back without making any movement to get up.
When both Shikamaru and Dosu were confirmed to be unfit for further fighting the match was called in the bowl-haired teen's favor. "The winner of the match is Rock Lee!"
Ignoring the crowd while politely clapping Naruto carefully inspected the green-clad Genin. Not a moment after finishing the fight most of the energy seemed to have left the teen and the exhaustion was now clearly visible. Whatever he had done to get back on his feet it had clearly taken a lot out of him.
He would have to look out for that in the next round.
"The Third Match between Hyuuga Neji, Kurama Yakumo and Subaku no Kankuro will now begin. Are all participants ready?" receiving three nods in return the Proctor started the match.
"Hajime!" after starting the match Gekkou Hayate once again left the arena to give room to the participants.
Immediately after that the participants exploded into action. Neji had activated his Byakugan as soon as the words had left the Proctors lips and was now rushing towards the Suna-nin.
While the Suna-nin was able to form a defense by using his puppet it didn't last. though it wasn't as simple as going around the puppet Neji's superior speed both aided him in avoiding the different offensive mechanisms built into the puppet and eventually get between it and the Suna-nin controlling.
Two swipes of the hand later the chakra-based string used to control the puppet was cut and Kankuro faced the same problem that every puppeteer had to find a way to deal with.
While the combat deficiency of puppeteers could be made up for by teammates in real combat, in a one-on-one situation like the Chunin Exams there was no possibility of such help arriving. Since operating a puppet usually meant that the puppeteer gave up all ability to fight otherwise for that purpose, melee combat was a good strategy against most of those Shinobi specializing in this type of combat.
A moment after disabling the puppet Neji had cleared the remaining distance between him and his opponent and was already lashing out with debilitating Jyuuken strikes. While it couldn't be said that the Suna-nin didn't try to fight back being matched against a Hyuuga and especially against Neji was just bad luck on the part of his opponents.
While performing a flurry of strikes Neji didn't break form even when dodging mulitple Shuriken thrown from behind him. When his opponent collapsed after two more strikes Neji whirled around only to freeze in his tracks.
Naruto could see why. Even if Neji did have a Byakugan that didn't make him immune to Genjutsu, it just meant it was much easier to detect and subsequently dispel them. When a moment later a small burst of chakra was released from the Hyuuga's form it became clear that he was now free of the illusion that had been used on him.
It was actually very commendable to be able to even ensnare a Hyuuga or Uchiha for even a small amount of time since it was just that much easier for them to detect the changes applied.
Just like with the Suna-nin it was a bad matchup for Yakumo. Her strongest advantage was essentially rendered useless because her opponent was naturally predisposed to countering the very form of combat she specialized in. Even her unprecendented prowess when it came to Genjutsu wasn't of much help to her in this case. While it may have been closer if this fight would have happened years later, right now it was simply impossible to lose for Neji.
That opinion was proven shortly afterwards.
After dispelling the illusion that caught hold of him for a moment Neji was forced to once again avoid a dozen Shuriken thrown at him. Rushing towards the Genjutsu specialist Neji immediately spotted the trap she had laid. While normally a good idea there was now way he would not detect the Explosive Tags hidden underground. Changing his path so as to avoid them he rushed towards his female opponent who had now taken out a Kunai in an effort to defend herself better. Neji could see a look of defiance in her eyes though it was joined by a spark of acceptance, she knew that she would lose but would try anyway.
Reaching his opponent Neji was forced to dodge a downward swing before hitting two tenketsu in the same arm used to attack him. Following this Neji was able to hit his opponent a few times more before a second swing, this time with considerably less force came at him from his left side. Instead of simply ducking beneath the sideways swing Neji grabbed his opponent's wrist, both unbalancing her and opening her up for further attacks from him. Three more strikes hit the arm he was holding essentially making it useless.
When a punch came at him from the other side he caught the attack and hit that arm with multiple Jyuuken strikes aswell. A palm thrust to his opponent's stomach forced her backwards a few feet making her land on her back on the ground with both arms disabled.
Seeing her struggle to get up but failing at it Neji decided to speak, "There is no loss of dignity in surrendering when there are no chances of victory, it is the smart decision to choose ones own battles wisely. Forfeit the match, there is no sense in continuing this any further."
After struggling a few more times to get up with any success Yakumo resigned herself to her decision. "Proctor, I can't continue I forfeit this match."
The sickly looking Proctor that had appeared shortly after Yakumo had fallen nodded his head at that and turned to the audience.
"The winner of the Third Match of the Chunin Exams is Hyuuga Neji!" once again a round of applause ensued as the two defeated Genin were carried out of the arena while the sole winner left towards the competitor's lounge.
"Would Aburame Shino, Subaku no Temari and Uchiha Sasuke please enter the arena?"
Naruto didn't outwardly acknowledge Neji's arrival in the viewing area designated for the participants. He was looking at the three Genin currently standing in the arena.
After watching the Proctor start the match and the three Genin test the waters with a few low-risk attacks for a bit Naruto spoke up without lifting his gaze from the proceedings in the arena.
"All of these fights have been rather one-sided. Technique-wise there has been one clear favorite in every fight now. Your match was barely a contest, Lee's pure physical abilities were always going to trump Shikamaru's wit at this level, and my Ninjutsu was clearly superior to everything my opponents had to offer, though I have to admit that he was better then I had expected."
While not exactly embarrassed about that fact, it was somewhat irksome for Naruto to know that he could have won his fight much easier.
"And this time the Uchiha's chances of winning are much higher then those of his opponents. While I would say that Shino has a chance of beating him I'd still not bet on it."
Only moments after saying this Naruto watched the Suna-nin's Fūton attack get turned against her by a well-timed Katon Jutsu.
"That was pretty well done, and that Jutsu did have a decent amount of strength." this time Neji had spoken up but there was no response from Naruto either as both Konoha Genin continued to watch the fighting below.
It seemed that the Suna-kunoichi had not been able to completely evade the attack as she now sported various burns that looked rather painful. However that didn't seem to inhibit her much as only moments later she once again launched one of her wind blasts at the two Konoha Genin currently looked in a Taijutsu battle.
As the two had to separate to evade the technique all three Genin were once again facing each other.
"Let's see what you decide to do now..." this time Naruto's muttered words weren't meant for Neji.
In a flash of movement Sasuke was gone and had reappeared next to Temari, his leg already outstretched. There wasn't enough time for the Kunoichi from Suna to react so she was send flying backwards from the force of the kick that hit her midsection.
Six handseals later his cheeks bulged before a fireball was released from his mouth with a shout of "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!". While Sasuke was still spewing out flames he was forced to move by multiple kaikachu advancing on his position.
The chakra sucking insects had move towards him from the side and while there weren't that many of them even this number would leave him without chakra in minutes. Cutting the flow of Fire Chakra Sasuke pushed himself away from the danger getting ever closer while still keeping his other opponent in his peripheral vision.
Reaching for his backpouch Sasuke produced an explosive tag. The flying insects had gotten close enough that there was no need for anything to transport the tag. Letting go of the piece of paper Sasuke focused chakra to both ignite the tag and to enhance his muscle to clear some distance.
Placing his hands in the required seal while mid-air made the tag light up in an explosion negating the threat of the insects for now.
Before he was able to move a gust of slicing winds impacted his position obscuring that part of the arena in a cloud of dust.
With pain visible on her face Temari stood with her fan still outstretched from the last technique. She wasn't given any time for break though as a swarm of insects immediately headed for her position. With a grunt of effort more wind blades were sent towards the advancing cloud of chakra-suckers.
The rather simple but nonetheless effective technique was easily able to disperse the insects while also severely diminishing their numbers.
Carefully watching the bespectacled Konoha-nin that still stood in the same spot that he had started the fight in Temari considered her options while keeping her other opponent in her sight.
The Uchiha was obviously not able to evade her attack judging by the multiple tears and cuts all over his body and clothes.
Seeing those crimson eyes focusing on her Temari prepared herself only to see them widen in surprise just as she heard her brother shout at her, "BEHIND YOU TEMARI!"
Only able to turn her head in time Temari took the butt of a Kunai to the temple before her vision rapidly went dark. The last thing she saw was the grey high-collared jacket of her Aburame opponent before losing consciousness.
"Quite the strategy from Aburame-san." the both of them had been silently observing the fight without any conversation until Naruto had broken the silence.
"Both the Uchiha and the Suna Kunoichi were too preoccupied with eachother to notice anything, though the idea is still very good."
Sasuke now found himself faced with two Shino's at once with no idea which one the real one is.
As he was looking for clues who the real one of the two was Shino took action.
While one of the two advanced on him with a Kunai in hand the other let loose a swarm of kaikachu before reaching for behind his back were a pouch was located.
When the two Konoha-nin met with their respective Kunais clashing against each other the insects had almost reached their position. Moments later Sasuke was once again forced on the defensive as the insects were rapidly closing the gap that he had created by jumping backwards.
Doing a backflip Sasuke flowed through the necessary handseals mid-air again and let loose another fireball on the cloud of flying annoyances with a shout of "Katon:Gokakyu no Jutsu!" after landing in a crouch.
Seeing that his technique had accomplished it's goal the Uchiha once again searched for his two opponents. Barely hearing the sound of something cutting through the air he was barely able to avoid a hail of Shuriken coming through the fireball he had just released. Dodging to the side to avoid the sharp projectiles he was immediately faced with Shino.
Before he was able to widen the distance Sasuke took a nasty cut to the right arm. The lapse in concentration that had lead to him focusing on the hail of Shuriken was quickly forgotten as his Sharingan easily spotted Shino's other hand coming up for a punch to his midsection.
Twisting his body to the side to evade the attack Sasuke grabbed onto the appendage intended to strike him and struck backwards with his elbow to hit his fellow Genin in the face.
Seeing the dodge shortly before it was performed Sasuke made a split-second decision.
Thrusting upwards with his knee he was able to score a hit on the arm still in his grasp. The impact and resulting damage were enough to dissolve the Clone back into it's components. Unfortunately for the Uchiha however those components happened to be the same insects that he had been careful about for the whole fight.
Feeling some of the chakra-sucking creatures crawling along his arm Sasuke tried to gain as much distance as possible by substituting himself with a branch that had been cut from the tree by the Fūton jutsu from before.
Doing his best to quickly get the kaikachu off his body as he could already feel them slowly drain some of his chakra, Sasuke didn't lose sight of his now-single opponent.
The quiet Aburame wasn't an easy opponent, he would admit that even if he didn't like it.
Right now the two were probably about even. While Sasuke had been forced to expand a lot of Chakra already he had also reduced Shino's kaikachu population by quite the sizeable margin.
Realizing that he would have to end this as soon as possible Sasuke went on the offensive.
Rushing towards his stoic opponent, who hadn't made a move in his direction, Sasuke gripped two Kunai in his hands.
Enhancing his speed for the last meters by adding a bit more chakra the Uchiha was able to gain the element of surprise. Opening with a left swing and instantly following up by stabbing forward with the other Kunai Sasuke tried to gain control of the flow of the combat.
While his swing was dodged with a simple step backwards the Kunai he had used to stab was parried to the side with a Kunai. Sasuke easily dodged the forearm aimed for his throat by ducking under it. His opponent didn't see his hand coming up for a punch to the chin until it was too late and he couldn't evade anymore.
When his other hand came up to follow up the hit it was once again parried though sloppier then the last time. Using his strength to overpower the slightly disoriented Aburame he was able to knock the Kunai out of his hand before hitting him with a knee to the gut.
Before Shino was able to counter in anyway he found a Kunai held to his throat and two Sharingan staring at him.
Not seeing any way to still win this fight Shino decided on the most logical course of action.
Raising his hand Shino raised his voice a bit so that he could be heard, "Proctor, I forfeit this fight, I don't see any way for me to win anymore."
The statement was accompanied by an understanding nod from the Proctor and the crowd starting the cheer loudly.
Sasuke was clearly pleased by the outcome of the fight if the smug look he sported was any indication though small signs of exhaustion were also visible on his face.
"So a dojutsu battle in the Second Round? And the last Senju against a Branch Hyuuga for the Finals, quite the Chunin Exams this time around right?" the somewhat arrogant statement was accompanied by the slightest hint of humor in Naruto's tone that Neji easily picked up on.
Sharing a small smile with his best friend he couldn't stop himself from retaliating, "Well, don't get too confident, you still have to win against Lee I don't think he'll make it easy for you even if I do believe you'll win. Who knows maybe you will be so exhausted that it won't even be hard to beat anymore?"
"We'll see." the slight chuckle shared between the two was the only thing that accompanied the statement until silence once again settled in, only broken moments later by the Chakra-enhanced voice of the Hokage.
"Those were quite the fights that we were able to see and I congratulate the Genin that were able to defeat their opponents but also those that fought hard. You all made your villages proud. There will be a twenty minute break until the next fight between Senju Naruto and Rock Lee will begin."
"See you in the finals Neji." without another word being exchanged between the two Naruto left to get ready for his fight.
After the twenty minute break Naruto and Lee were now facing each other in the arena.
"Hajime!"
Instead of immediately jumping into the fray like the last time the unusually quiet spandex-clad teen simply assumed his stance and observed Naruto quietly.
'Well, if he isn't going to start I guess I will.', reaching for his backpouch with one hand Naruto could see Lee's eyes tracking every movement though he did nothing to initiate.
Grabbing the Shuriken that he had been searching for and infusing a single one with Fūton Chakra Naruto let the metal stars fly with the same movement that he used to bring his arm forward while also jumping backwards.
A moment later Lee was already moving, easily dodging the projectiles and aiming a kick at his face as soon as he was close enough.
Instead of trying to evade the attack Naruto crossed his arms in front of his face to defend and let himself be thrown away by the force.
While mid-air Naruto felt the bones in his arms rattle from the impact. It seemed like blocking was out of the questions.
Sliding along the ground after landing on his feet Naruto saw the punch coming and was able to turn to the side to evade. Lee didn't leave him any breathing room however as he was immediately forced to duck underneath another swing from his fellow Konoha-nin.
Realising that he wouldn't be able to rely on his Ninjutsu alone for this fight Naruto struck his opponents shin with a kick hoping to unbalance him slightly.
Instead of losing his footing though Lee simply moved his leg with the attack thereby turning his body and putting himself in a position to follow up with a roundhouse-kick aimed for Naruto's side.
Punching against the offending appendage from below finally did the trick and forced Lee to jump backwards.
While the Taijutsu-focused Genin was still mid-jump Naruto had already set his hands in the right hand-seal and focused his Chakra.
' Fūton: Daitoppa'
Being mid-air there was no way for Lee to avoid being hit by the pressurized gust of wind. Curling up into a ball while still in the air to minimize damage Lee was blasted across the arena before landing about 60 feet away from Naruto.
Naruto however hadn't been idle during his opponent's flight. Finishing the last of the 44 hand-seals while stomping his foot on the ink-black seal inscribed on the scroll laying before him Naruto unleashed the water from it's storage and with it a B-ranked Technique.
'Suiton: Suiryūdan'
With a bestial roar the serpentine dragon rose from the water rapidly gushing out of the seal at Naruto's feet.
Still holding the final seal Naruto utilized his Chakra to control the dangerous technique while also tuning out the excited cheers from the crowd. 'Civilians are so easily excited.'
Making the dragon curl itself around him protectively Naruto waited. At this range there wasn't even a low chance that he would hit and the Chakra he expended for maintaining the technique was inconsequential especially when compared to the amount used to initially form it.
While he could have understood a slightly surprised reaction from his opponent what he got was a bit different.
"Your fires of Youth truly burn brightly Naruto-kun! It is an honor to be able to test myself against a prodigy such as yourself and finally prove that hard work trumps natural talent! Allow me to show my own flames of Youth to you!"
The corresponding shout of "YOUTH!" from somewhere in the audience was simply ignored in favor of closing his mouth after it had opened in shock from the ridiculous exclamation. Who said something like that during a fight?
Then however Naruto saw Lee move.
The other Genin had somehow become even faster then before which could only spell trouble for him. Doing his best to track the green blur that was his opponent Naruto attacked, not intending to let himself be forced onto the defensive again. With another roar the water dragon moved.
Slinking through the air the mass of water impacted the ground just in front of Lee who had been able to slow down in time.
The resulting shock wave and the water, now free from the control of Naruto's Chakra, didn't do anything to their target who had already appeared next to Naruto, leg extended for a kick.
With a cry of "Konoha Senpu" the spinning kick met it's mark throwing Naruto across the field before he impacted the wall of the arena.
Not having any chance to react a fist planted itself into Naruto's stomach forcing the air out of his lungs.
'Enough is enough.' with an uncharacteristic snarl on his face he kicked Lee away from on top of him. Getting up from his position in the wall Naruto focused his Chakra all over his body, amplifying his strength and speed.
When Lee appeared once again, this time with his fist outstretched, Naruto grabbed his opponents arm while turning his body. Continuing the motion he used the arm in his grip to throw the other Genin away from him.
Palming two Kunai and channeling his Fūton Chakra through them Naruto let the metal blades fly so that they would be there to greet Lee when he landed. Not waiting to see the results Naruto once again chained hand-seals together before unleashing the resulting stone spikes all around Lee's estimated landing position.
As was to be expected however Lee didn't remain idle during this time. Angling his body while in the air the Konoha Genin was able to effect his own trajectory enough that the Kunai didn't present any danger.
Seeing this Naruto, who still had his palms on the ground channeled more Chakra towards the Stone Spikes elongating them and making it harder for Lee to evade. It didn't matter however as a moment later Lee was able to gain a foothold at the side of one of the spikes and using it as a springboard cleared the area of spikes in a single jump.
When both young Genin once again stood facing each other there was a lull in combat as Naruto tried to come up with an effective strategy and Lee looked at his opponent in a peculiar way.
"I see that you are deserving of your name as prodigy, and were blessed with incredible talent."
Relaxing his stance slightly Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, 'Why exactly is he telling me this?'.
"You see Naruto-kun, I wasn't. I have earned everything I am able to do now through hard work, countless hours of it. And right now, right here I finally have the chance to prove to everyone that hard work will beat natural talent." after finishing his monologue Naruto could see a change in Lee's stance just before the spandex-clad Genin looked towards the spectators range in a sweeping glance.
Seemingly having been given approval for the course of action he was about to take Lee lowered his stance and a look of extreme concentration crossed his face. Not a moment later Lee rushed forward in a display of speed that made his earlier performance look slow in comparison.
Naruto not at all prepared for this increase had no choice but to prepare for whatever was coming. While even with his eyesight enhanced with Chakra as it was he could track Lee directly the dust kicked up by the circular movement made it clear how Lee was moving.
Expecting an attack to follow soon Naruto bend his knees further and raised his arms in an attempt to prepare himself.
After moments of circling Naruto Lee appeared in front of his opponent close to the ground and his leg already extending. Not being able to move in time Naruto took the kick to chin that sent him upwards into the air.
After pushing off the ground with both arms Lee followed the upwards movement of his adversary and capitalised on the situation with a series of kicks to Naruto's midsection elevating him further and further.
When the two reached the apex of the upwards movement the bandages around Lee's arms that he had untied while moving before, circled Naruto trapping him in a cocoon that restricted the movement of his limbs. Lee while positioning himself behind Naruto was now gripping both sides of the construct he had created.
Turning himself and Naruto with him upside down he also started to the both of them around their own axis picking up speed as they moved towards the ground.
While most in the audience were stumped by the development of the fight as the Senju heir had seemed to be having the upper hand until now a minority that was aware of what exactly was happening didn't share the sentiment.
"I hope you didn't do what I think you did Gai? Are you aware that Lee is still a Genin? Even taking personal investment into account there is a limit and I had thought you understood that." Kakashi didn't try to hide the anger and disappointment from his voice as he addressed one of his fellow Jonin.
"You don't know him, Kakashi. You haven't seen the desperation in his eyes or the dedication that shines in them when he is training. The spirit that boy possesses is something I haven't seen in anybody else. There is nothing that can stop!" Gai was interrupted by the sound of an explosion in the middle of the arena.
When both Genin had been moments away from impacting the ground the cocoon and both Genin with it were blown up in an explosion. The ensuing dust cloud coupled with some smoke bombs triggered by the explosion led to very bad visibility in the arena as a whole.
The silence in the arena that had followed was only broken when the sound of something hard hitting a soft surface was heard though the cause remained unseen.
When the smoke finally cleared to reveal the arena and the two contestants the result of the match became visible for all.
Standing above his unconscious opponent Naruto was visibly in pain and breathing labouredly. In his left hand was a Kunai that had obviously been used to knock Lee out.
While his front seemed fine his back was another story. A big part of his Kimono was gone, blown away by the explosion, and the skin hidden beneath was littered with second degree burns and multiple blisters from the heat that the explosion had caused.
The pouch that was normally at his back was entirely gone and the contents could be found littering the arena.
Lee who was laying on the ground with his front seemed fine though only his back was visible.
"He needs medical attention and quick." that were the first words that Hayate heard when he appeared next to the Genin.
Nodding his head the Jonin called for the medical staff that was already prepared beforehand before calling the match, "Winner: Senju Naruto!".
The crowd immediately burst into applause at the exciting match being finished.
As two Medic-nin tended to Lee and carried him away on a stretcher a third one had already started leading Naruto out of the arena while starting treatment on his back while they walked.
Very sorry for the long wait but I just couldn't find a satisfying way to end the fights for a long time and was a bit preoccupied with other stuff.
I hope the chapter was enjoyable and I'm sure that the next chapter will not take that long since I will have more free time going forward.
As usual I am grateful for every reader and review since they do motivate me a lot.