"Final battle, deciding the winner of the Chunin exam" Naruto stood in the middle as Hinata and Sakura made their way onto the stage.
The two of them gave one another a bow, and took on their combat stance right away. Naruto glanced at them, both sides were ready to fight the moment he announced the battle.
"Are you two ready?" He asked
The two nodded
"Then let the battle...begin!"
*Whoosh*
Hinata tried to make the first move, flashing towards Sakura as quickly as she could. She had seen how devastating Sakura's blows were, so the last thing she wanted was Sakura gaining momentum when she delivers a punch.
Sakura's lips curved upwards, she didn't dash immediately because she was observing Hinata's movements since the start.
'Since she wants to close the gap, then...'
She raised her hand and punched the ground, causing the ground to split open as rocks burst upwards, creating an uneven field. It put a halt to Hinata's advances, and as she stopped, Sakura punched the rocks that burst out from the ground, sending them flying at Hinata.
The rocks were broken down into tiny bits, with dust mixed in them.
"Rotation!" Hinata dispersed chakra and used a powerful rotational force to block the projectiles, and unlike her previous one, this rotation was complete, with no gaps.
When the rotation ended, her pupils shrunk as she witnessed a fist closing in on her.
She raised her hands, one palm quickly striking Sakura's wrist, with the other targetting her head.
Sakura's incoming fist was redirected, with a stinging pain that followed. Having missed, she clicked her tongue, and quickly shifted her body to the side in order to avoid the strike Hinata delivered at her.
*Bang*
'A feint?' When she moved to dodge, Hinata suddenly turned her entire body, as a kick came flying, striking her torso.
"Tss"
The kick was by no means light, yet Sakura held on, barely taking a small step as she grabbed Hinata's leg.
"Got you" She smiled as a faint green glow covered the area Hinata struck
Hinata's eyes widened as her body became weightless.
Sakura lifted Hinata up by her legs, swinging her up into the air before bringing her down towards the ground. Watching as the ground grew closer, Hinata clamped her other leg onto Sakura's arm, and pulled herself up whilst grabbing Sakura's hand.
She twisted her body, forcing a shift in direction so the impact on the ground was reduced.
The battle grew intense in mere moments, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats.
Sakura flinched a little as Hinata forced that direction change, as she clamped her arms so tightly it caused her joints to ache.
But it wasn't enough for her to let go, so Hinata struck even harder this time. With Sakura still grabbing her leg, she activated her Byakugan, and targetted Sakura's chakra points.
"Ah!" As high as her pain tolerence is, her grip undoubtedly loosened when Hinata struck her so hard, and in that moment, she decided to fling Hinata into the air before releasing.
Sakura then leapt back as green light coated her arms. Hinata's strike had forced her own chakra flow to get disrupted, and even the healing process was slowed down.
Hinata landed on the ground elegantly, then took up another stance.
"Phew...Hinata, from this point on, I won't be holding back" Sakura said as her hands let out a faint glow as the black sleek gauntlets covered her hands once more.
Hinata's gaze became sharper
"Neither will I"
With her byakugan active, Sakura knew that she cannot escape her sight, so instead of tricky movements, she rushed at Hinata with everything she had. A simple and straightforward attack.
*Bang*
The ground behind her cracked when she stepped forward, and her momentum was intense, exactly what Hinata had feared.
Her eyes remained on Sakura as chakra condensed on her palms
Sakura's eyes flickered with wariness, she knew of the effects of Hinata's rotations, but instead of slowing down, she sped up even more.
*Whoosh*
In a quick instance, Sakura had appeared in front of Hinata, with her fist clenched tightly.
A smile appeared on Hinata's face as the chakra on her palm suddenly dispersed. At first Sakura was confused, but it then got to her, it was a bait to rush her in.
Hinata knew that Sakura would feel rushed if she revealed such a thing in an attempt to stop her from releasing the rotations, so she cancelled it when she arrived, with her stance changed
"Eight trigrams palm" Hinata's body shifted, and her palms struck out at Sakura
Naruto watched, rather impressed with both of their combat capabilities. From their ability to predict the opponent, to their reaction speed, they were both easily beyond the Chunin level, surpassing many lower end Jonins as well.
If not for their lack of experience in real life and death combat, he'd put them well above most Jonins with ease.
'Having fought Tayuya for so long, Hinata can react to almost any situations, and Sakura has been training in both day and night, honing her combat senses' He smiled at the thought
'I should check in on how they are in the dream scape' He rubbed his chin and chuckled
He hasn't entered in a while since he never had a reason, and seeing Sakura's combat senses, he wondered if she was also fighting the Itachi illusion inside.
Sakura was knocked back by Hinata, having suffered greatly at her eight triagram palms. If not for her quick reaction, she might have had her chakra sealed by Hinata...
"Phew, you are not making this easy" Sakura muttered as she wiped the blood from the side of her lips.
The audience were all on the edge of their seat, both sides have suffered quite a bit, though Sakura seems to have the upper hand as she had been healing all her injuries since the start.
"Neither are you" Hinata smiled at her, her eyes flashed with a vicious glimmer as she bit down on the bandages on her palms.
Sakura stiffened, she wa ssimply unwrapping the bandages, so why did it seem so intimidating?
Hinata unwrapped parts of the bandages on her palm, leaving a long strand dangling by her side, and soon, her smile widened.
"I've wanted to use this on someone for so long, but Tayuya-san has been too slippery, and I'm worried Haku might get injured, you however..." Hinata's voice sounded eager, and a tad...perverse.
A shade of pink hue appeared over her cheeks, faint, but noticeable to Sakura.
'Sh-She's excited? Why?'
*Bang*
Hinata shot towards her, and on each palm, were orbs of rotating chakra that made Sakura's eyes widen.
She stomped down hard on the ground, so hard that rocks burst out in front of her. Hinata however, didn't stop like before, she turned her body, and bashed her shoulder against the rocks without hesitation.
Bits tore through her clothes, ripping at her shoulder, but with a maddening smile, she tore trhough it all, and appeared in front of Sakura.
The rotating chakra in her palm slammed into Sakura, who tried to jump back, but something caught her. The bandages...
WIth the powerful rotation, the bandages wrapped around Sakura's arm, making it so she cannot escape. Hinata's smile widened even more, as she swung with all her might.
The bandages flicked, as she tried to swing Sakura. The rotation on her palms expanded greatly, causing Sakura to lose her balance as she was lifted by Hinata.
*Bang*
She bashed Sakura into the ground, and with every strike, the bandages wrapped around her even more.
"Tsss" Sakura winced, without a footing, it became hard for her to exert much strength to go against the rotation.
A green glow covered her, healing her injuries as she was swung around. Her chakra was being depleted rapidly, the injuries she sustained isn't light, and the impact is doing serious damage to her internal structure over her external. Likewise, Hinata isn't having it easy either.
To have the rotation force Sakura into a passive position, she is also expending a massive amount of chakra, so now, it has become a war of sheer attrition.
Whoever runs out of chakra first...will fall.
"Grah!" Sakura tightened her muscles as she tried to break free from the bandages, yet...she couldn't!
This shocked her, she knew that if this kept going, she might fall first!
'Huh, so that's why Hinata asked me for bandages made of incredibly sturdy materials...I guess the snake sage's skin is working wonders' He thought to himself
When Hinata asked him for such a thing, he went to find Orochimaru, who gave him some left over skin that the snake sage molted from.
*Bang*
Every time Hinata slammed her down, she felt her head ring and her stomach chrun.
"I..." Sakura opened her mouth
She clenched her fists
"I did not get beaten up by that damned sister-in-law of mine just to lose" She gnashed her teeth as veins popped out from her forehead.
'Does she mean Itachi? So she did fight her, huh?'
"Grah!" Sakura couldn't break the bandages, but through sheer power, she forced a gap where her arm could exit.
She raised her arm up, and bashed it against the ground, clutching down into the Earth, halting Hinata's relentless assaults.
Hinata frowned as he bandage between the two tightened up. She pulled hard, but Sakura seemed to have anchored down, and forced her to stop.
With this, Sakura was able to get a footing despite the rotation still acive around her, and freed her other hand. The bandages were still wrapped tightly around her shoulder and torso, but now...
"You can't escape, Hinata" She smirked as she grabbed the bandages.
In an instant, Hinata felt a powerful tug, as the bandages were yanked by Sakura. Her entire body was pulled by her almost effortlessly. If they were to compare raw strength, Hinata is simply a child compared to Sakura.
It was through her decisive and slippery attacks that Sakura struggled so much, but now that they are both tied together with the bandage...
Hinata braced herself, ready to strike back at any moment.
*Bang*
Sakura punched her stomach, but she clenched her teeth, and grabbed Sakura's hands to use as an anchor as she struck her knee at her.
Her knee struck Sakura's cheeks, but in response, Sakura simply smirked as she grabbed Hinata's ankle.
"Sorry" She said as She pulled Hinata down, and smashed her body into the ground, embedding Hinata into the ground.
She took in a deep breathe as she struck out again, stopping her fist right in front of Hinata's face.
Hinata looked up at Sakura, her eyes quivered, but a sense of resignation overcame her. She wanted to win, but against Sakura's raw strength, so much of her skills seem pointless. And to pair it with that ridiculous healing of hers, she wondered how anyone is supposed to take Sakura down in a one on one.
"I...lost" She sighed
"Sakura is the winner!" Naruto called out in a clear loud voice as the crowd all stood up, erupting into a round of applause.
The battle was intense, though neither side went for any actual heavy handed strikes, it was still exciting to watch such brutal hand to hand combat.
To the audience, it was an incredible battle, especially when they are both so young.
Sakura panted as she slowly got up, as a smile bloomed on her face
She wiped the side of her face as she reached her other hand to Hinata to help her up. Hinata clasped her hands and pulled herself up, shaking on it once she stood up.
"You were amazing" Hinata said
"You're no slouch either, you're one heck of a fighter" Sakura replied
If not for the difference in raw strength, Hinata would have taken the victory easily. Thankfully, she seems to rely more on skills over raw strength.
As the two got up, Naruto clapped his hand
"Good fight, but because I decided to push the battles together into one day, the Hokage isn't here to witness it, even so, I believe both of you have shown capabilities worthy of being a Chunin" He said calmly
"Thank you Menma-san" The two bowed slightly to him
Naruto glanced at him
'And recorded, hehe, if she ever figures out I'm Menma, I'm showing her this scene of her bowing to me' Naruto grinned in his heart
As Naruto happily recorded it, he also began announcing the end of the Chunin exam.
With the conclusion of the Chunin exam, the different villages gathered the genins from their village and prepared to leave once the results come out, which didn't take long, since most of the grades have been assigned on the spot by Naruto's clone. It simply went through a secondary screening with Shikamaru, which he went through just as fast.
It wasn't long before the results were given to the genins, with quite a few promoting to Chunin despite being eliminated in the second test. Most of them did very well, it's just that they were overshadowed, so Naruto still gave credit where it was due.
When Fu's team was told that only Fu was promoted, their hearts sank, leaving a sour taste in their mouths as they glared at Fu.
"Whoo, suck sh*t" Fu stuck her tongue out at them as she laughed
"..."
Shibuki, who arrived a little later was quite pleased with the results, even if the other two remained genins.
"Good work, Fu" He smiled warmly
Behind him were two high ranking Shinobi of the village that came along to guard them. Both seemed to act indifferent, but the subtle trace of hostility was still felt by Fu.
"Let's return now" Shibuki said
"Hup hup hup, not so fast" A hand grabbed his shoulders
When Shibuki turned, he saw the blonde boy that he didn't wish to meet. He had contemplated Naruto's proposal, and just thinking about it made him feel displeased. He still could not get over it, but it hurts even more that what he said also made sense.
So Shibuki truly didn't wish to face him, because he knew Naruto was right, but was unwilling at the same time.
But now, Naruto is face to face with him, leaving him with no escape.
"N-Naruto, th-this..."
Naruto stared back as he smiled
"Just say what you want" He said
Shibuki clenched his fists tightly as he took in a deep breathe
"Phew...I've thought it through....we will not do it" He said
Naruto lifted a brow
"You said 'we', does it mean the village...or just you" He asked
Shibuki's heart trembled, he knew that there isn't actually a 'we' when it comes to Fu, only him...
But he truly couldn't do it, Fu is like a daughter to him, and being the Jinchuriki of the village, he was even more unwilling to let her go.
"I am firm on my decision" He replied
Naruto stared at him calmly, his smile gone.
"Alright, I won't continue pursing this matter, if that is your choice, I no longer have a say" He said calmly as he raised both hands up helplessly
Shibuki's brows eased, he honestly wasn't expecting Naruto to back down so easily, but nonetheless, it was a burden off his shoulders.
"Thank you" He said
Naruto chuckled, but it wasn't a pleasant one
"Don't thank me so soon" He waved his hand and said
He then glanced at Fu, who wanted to interrupt the conversation, but due to the mood of it, she stayed out.
"Yo, Fu...take care" He smiled
"Yeah!" Fu smiled brightly
"I'll miss you, bestie!" Fu laughed
Naruto nodded
"See you"
"Cya!" Fu waved her hand as she left with Shibuki
After she left, Naruto created a clone.
"Follow them back, ensure Fu's safety, and if 'that' incident occurs, initiate the plan" He said
The clone nodded, and went to follow Fu's group quietly.
After that, Naruto went to meet the newly promoted Chunins from Konoha, who were all called to the Hokage's office.
In line, it was Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Choji, Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee. With all nine of them promoted, Naruto was quite pleased.
"You're all Chunins already, congrats" He grinned
"Says the Jonin at 13 years of age" Tenten snapped at him
"Heh, proves how great I am compared to you all" He smirked
"Arrogant prick" She clicked her tongue and said
"Beat me in battle before calling me arrogant" He chuckled
Tenten huffed in response, fight him? She's simply asking for a beating if she did. Seeing that she is no longer being cheeky, Naruto clapped his hands with a big smile.
"Well, everyone did so well in the exam, as your senior, I can't be happier" He said it with a smile, but the tone really p*ssed people off.
He emphasized 'senior', flaunting his status of Jonin at them. It wasn't until Tsunade let out a faint cough did he stop talking.
"As Naruto said, you all worked hard, and are more than deserving of your status as Chunins, I hope you can continue to grow and help our village thrive" She said
Right after she said that, she tapped the table
"Alright, now shoo, I have paperwork to do" Tsunade waved her hand and said
"..." They just arrived for how long? So they came to just hear that???
Naruto smiled and led them out
"Don't be too hung up on it, Shiki and I also experienced the same thing, get called in, said some short crap, and get told to leave" Naruto laughed
But it was sorta tradition to meet the newly promoted Chunins to encourage them, which was why Tsunade called them in, otherwise, she wouldn't even have bothered.
Though normally, the Hokage would be a bit more welcoming, but no one said a thing about it except Naruto.
"At that point, why call us" Ino grumbled
"You got to meet the great Hokage-sama, isn't that the point?" Naruto asked with a grin
Everyone gave him a strange look at that moment, anyone else who said that is fine, but him? He treats her with zero respect whatsoever, the two of them are like real siblings at that point, so hearing him call Tsunade, Hokage-sama, was very strange to them.
"Yeah right" Ino replied
"I see her almost every day" Sakura said
"You're her student, it's a given" Naruto replied
"I see her every fortnight" Ino rolled her eyes and said
"Wait, why's that?" Sakura asked, perplexed as to why Ino would see her so often.
Ino sighed as she pointed at Naruto
"What do you think? The two of them meets up every now and then to drink themselves under the table, at this point, I gave up in telling him to not drink, I think I understand Kurenai-sensei now" Ino muttered
"He drinks???" Everyone, aside from Shikamaru, shifted to Naruto, who acted innocent
"What?" He gave them a confused look as he spoke
"..."
"Naruto, how old are you to be drinking like that!?" Sakura gasped, finding out about her friend's hobby after so long was shocking.
She though she knew him well, but it seems no one can compare to Ino in that regard.
"I don't drink much, it's mostly sis drinking, I'm quite the light weight" Naruto said with a humble expression
Ino slapped his back
"Who was it that downed three bottles in under five minutes when competing with Hokage-sama?" She asked
'Three bottles in five minutes???!!!'
"I will neither confirm nor deny that" Naruto said with a straight face
"Hah, see what I mean? He probably drinks more than Asuma smokes" Ino said
"That's because he's older and knows restraint, unlike an immature and innocent child like me, so I drink more than the average person" Naruto said
"..."
So he's not even denying that he drinks more than Asuma smokes? They all turned to Ino, who shrugged.
"Don't look at me, I can't stop him, if I could, would we even be talking about this?" She said
"See, this is why she's the best" Naruto grinned
'That's not a good thing...' The rest thought
"Haha, don't be too hung up on it, let's go celebrate that you all became chunins" Naruto said with a big grin
Well, if Ino gave up, they didn't bother chasing this matter either, so they simply followed along and went to eat out to celebrate their promotion. Shikamaru wanted to bail, but was pulled back by Ino and Choji.
"Come on, you've been a chunin for so long, now that we finally became one, you don't want to celebrate with us?" Ino huffed
"Yeah, we celebrated your promotion, I even treated you" Choji nodded
Shikamaru's lips twitched
"So that was your goal, huh?" He said as he suddenly realised Choji's intentions
Choji's eyes flashed with a sly glimmer
"Since I treated you all those years ago, isn't it your turn to treat me?"
Shikamaru placed a hand over his face
"Why is it that you are so dull in everything else, but when it comes to food, you even have me fooled, to think you've been brewing this plan for so long" He was in all honesty, completely helpless against Choji's method.
Choji actually has it thought out quite well, and he had to admit, he has been outplayed by Choji.
"Fine, let's go" He's not short on money anyway, so he didn't mind it too much, if anything, he hoped Choji can think like this for things outside of food as well.
-Outside the village-
Fu's group had travelled a considerable distance from the village.
"Fu, what...did you think of Konoha?" Shibuki asked
"It was fun, why?" Fu grinned
"Nothing" He wanted to mention Naruto's proposal back then, but when he thought of parting with Fu, it filled his heart with unwillingness.
He had practically raised her from the start till now, but he is also torn by the fact that the village cannot provide the same care he has for her.
"Hehe, can I visit every now and then?" Fu asked
Shibuki's hands clenched slightly, and after a bit, he let out a faint sigh
"Sure..." He replied
"Yay~" Fu clapped her hands and grinned
As they travelled, Fu's mouth never stayed close for long, she kept speaking of her experiences, her complaints, everything flowed out like a river.
Shibuki listened with a smile on his face, but the same could not be said for the rest. They maintained a deep frown, and her two team members also shot her an annoyed look every now and then.
"Will you shut up" One of them spoke
"Hehe, no" Fu stuck out her tongue and said
She then raised the middle finger at him
"Also f**k you"
"Fu" Shibuki gasped
"Yeah?"
"Where did you learn...well, 'that'" He asked, Fu used to be playful, but she never swore nor used that action like she did now.
"Someone taught me a few things, and I have to admit, it's fun" She said with a cheeky smile on her face
"..." Naruto's annoying grin suddenly appeared on Shibuki's face
'Don't tell me it's him...'
And he'd be spot on...
"Stop" Shibuki suddenly raised a hand and stopped the group behind him as he gazed into the woods.
"Whoever you are, come out" He said in a low voice
Fu and the others tensed up upon hearing this, and took up a fighting stance
"Hm, I knew you'd give us away" A tall man wearing a black robe with crimson clouds stepped out, his voice was deep and rough.
His piercing green eyes looked almost lifeless, but carried a ferocious glimmer.
"Hah? We're going to kill them all anyway, so why care about stealth, it's just a bunch of weaklings anyway" Another man with the same atire walked out.
A crimson, three bladed scythe hung over his shoulders as his arrogant face revealed a dark smile.
"Who are you" Shibuki spoke
"The ones that's gonna kill ya" The man with the scythe chuckled as he spun the scythe and pointed it at Shibuki.
Shibuki's expression sunk
"Hidan, shut up and get the job done" The tall man said in a low voice
"Heh, you're a real kill joy, you know that?" Hidan said as he walked towards the group
"So, who will die first?"