Disclaimer: If ya recognize it, I don't own it.
"What the fuck is this, West Side Story?"
Shikamaru was not alone with this thought...several people in the audience were confused at what was going on.
It was the first match of the chuunin exam finals, and the spectators were perplexed at what they were seeing.
It appears that, after a brief exchange in words, Uzumaki Naruto had created several bunshin. Most, however, did not expect them to henge into a boom box and a huge sound system, nor did they expect Naruto to insert a CD.
No one recognized the music that had started playing, only recognizing that it was probably a karaoke version, as the music was there, but there were no words.
Then a Kage bunshin henged into a microphone...
That was really when all hell broke loose.
Ino and Sakura couldn't take their eyes off of Naruto...there was just something compelling about him, about the way he moved...and then he started to sing.
"They told him don't you ever come around here
don't wanna see your face, you better disappear."
Neji had begun to backpedal, definitely not expecting this sort of tactic.
"The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear
So beat it, just beat it "
You could hear the murmur of the crowd...this was a damn good song! And that kid had a pretty darn good voice.
"You better run, you better do what you can
Don't wanna see no blood, don't be a macho man
You wanna be tough, better do what you can
So beat it, but you wanna be bad "
At this point, Naruto Kage bunshined again, and this time, all his Kage bunshins henged into a sort of female back up dance crew. Fortunately, for the sake of keeping half the observers conscious, they were all wearing clothes. And they began to sing.
"Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Just beat it, beat it
Just beat it, beat it
Just beat it, beat it
Just beat it, beat it "
Now, at this point, Neji was really damn confused. I mean, no dead last could sing this well...that meant they had talent. Fate had predicted that he, Hyuuga Neji, would win a physical fight...but this? How on earth could Neji have prepared for this? But fortunately for him, Naruto decided to help him out.
One of the Kage Back up Dancer Bunshins moved to the side, and in Neji's clear line of site, henged into a teleprompter, as one would find in a Karaoke bar. Using his superb vision, and his all around awesomeness, Neji realized that Naruto was giving him a change to fight back with more fire. So, using his genius talents (and the henged microphone that appeared on the ground nearby him) he launched a counter attack.
"They're out to get you, better leave while you can
Don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man
You wanna stay alive, better do what you can
So beat it, just beat it
You have to show them that you're really not scared
You're playin' with your life, this ain't no truth or dare
They'll kick you, then they beat you,
Then they'll tell you it's fair
So beat it, but you wanna be bad"
Naruto had been playing along with the singing, backpedaling just as Neji had, though keeping up that...grace, that had marked his previous dancing. The back up dancers split into two groups, and in a twist, Neji's dancers henged into female Nejis. Luckily, Neji did not seem to notice.
The audience was really into it at this point. You could hear the squealing girls who were so thankful they had decided to come. I mean, this was better than the last boy band that had come through Konoha...this was fantastic!
Naruto took center stage back away from Neji, and launched an offensive:
"Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right"
Up in the Kage box, both Orochimaru and Sandaime were rather stunned. Sarutobi had never realized that Naruto had such a good voice, and he himself would never have thought of utilizing such a...strange tactic as this to fight.
Orochimaru had different feelings. He felt an odd connection to this song, as if whoever wrote this song was really a man of talent….Someone to be admired, if you will. He felt that whoever could write a song and music like this, well, he was talented enough in his field to be counted an equal to Orochimaru...even perhaps a friend.
Neji, however, was not finished. At this point, he had gotten really into the moment. This singing...it felt like the emotional release he had always been looking for, yet could never find. This song encapsulated all his feelings for the main branch, and just singing...felt cathartic. He couldn't even stop this if he wanted to.
So he sang, and fought back:
"Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Just beat it, beat it
Beat it, beat it, beat it
Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or who's right "
Now, at this point, several girls had removed their tops and thrown them down at the dueling singers, in an effort to get their attention. They really didn't think it could get any better...two good-looking guys, singing so well, fighting it out in a way that didn't leave one bloody and broken. It was awesome.
Temari, at this point, was seriously considering kidnapping Naruto after this...she figured that if any girl around here had to deal with as much stress as she did on a daily basis, they deserved to have their private singer to sing them to sleep every night. Or something like that.
The girls in the audience didn't think it could get better.
They were wrong.
The Bunshin moved forward a bit, cutting their numbers in half to form their own microphones. Naruto maneuvered himself and Neji to the direct center of the arena. Naruto tossed aside his bunshin-phone, and Neji followed.
"Think ya can keep up?"
"Perhaps you are not a dead last, Uzumaki, but you cannot defeat a genius such as me, even in this."
"Well, since you're such a genius, I hope for your sake, you can back up your words."
And with that, Naruto began an assault. Not a direct physical assault, but a...dance that seemed to signify an attack. As the bunshins sung out the chorus, over and over, Naruto's movements mimicked the feeling, punctuated the song. Neji was surprised...he hadn't realized dancing could be...so much like fighting.
But Neji WAS a genius. He could do this, too. So, observing how Naruto moved, he started to move similarly...not identically, mind you, and one could definitely see a distinct...flavor, to his moves, that could be likened to his Jyuuken. It just seemed to flow, with a softer grace than Naruto had.
But as the chorus continued, one could definitely see Neji was becoming hard-pressed to keep up. He was starting to become awfully sweaty, his movements were getting slower, and he was going far more on the defensive. As the bunshin hit the final chorus, Neji staggered, almost as if hit, when Naruto did a particularly empathetic crotch-grab.
It should be also noted that, noticing how low his hand started for that, numerous bras joined the tops in on the stage floor.
And when the song finished, Neji fell to his knees.
"Uzumaki Naruto...I understand. I understand so much now. You, a dead last, can so easily just say 'beat it' to your problems...if you can do so, why cannot I?
"Uzumaki, you have won today...Procter, I give up."
And with that, he started to walk out of the stadium.
Before he made two steps, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.
"Neji, after a performance like that, a performer must take a bow...To acknowledge the crowd, as they have acknowledged you. After all, if you do not acknowledge them...why perform in the first place?"
Author Notes: Well, This is my first fic ever. I've been writing snippets of this story over at TFF for a while now, and I figured that I'd start posting it here.
There's quite a bit of back-story that gets discussed throughout the thread that I will be posting in author notes as I go, just putting the actual snippets themselves as the chapters.
But, the most important thing to know is that this Naruto fights, well, a little differently…