The impact from Rock Lee's dropped weights was still rattling the stone walls when the bowl-cut Genin completely vanished from sight.
VOOM!
Before the dust could even settle, a deafening sonic pop echoed across the barren bedrock. Lee reappeared directly in front of Gaara, moving at a speed so fast that the average human eye couldn't even register his trajectory. For the first time since the exams began, Gaara's automatic sand shield completely failed to keep up. It rose a fraction of a second too late, catching nothing but empty air as Lee's foot connected squarely with the side of Gaara's face.
The Jinchuriki was launched violently across the obsidian floor, his sandals scraping against the smooth stone as he skittered back several meters.
A collective gasp gripped the entire arena. Up on the balcony, Temari and Kankuro looked like they had just seen a ghost, their previous skepticism completely evaporating. Nearby, Sasuke's mouth opened slightly, his fully matured Sharingan instantly flaring to life as his crimson eyes frantically darted back and forth, trying to track Lee's unbelievable movements.
Down below, Gaara slowly pushed himself up. Blood trickled from his nose, mixing with the crumbling pieces of his shattered Sand Armor. But instead of being stunned or angry, a terrifyingly manic, wide-eyed grin split across his face in absolute thrill. The dark, twisted hunger radiating from him completely plummeted the temperature in the room.
As the madness of the match escalated, the metal doors to the balcony quietly pushed open. Sakura and Ino walked in, bandaged from their brutal loss to Chigiri, but their eyes were instantly glued to the floor in sheer awe.
"Well, well, would you look at that," a voice drawled from my side.
I didn't even have to look over to know that it was Kankuro who had casually slid up next to the railing beside me.
"You got pretty lucky with an easy quadrant earlier, didn't you, Leaf ninja?" he remarked, flashing a cocky smirk. "Must be nice to advance to the final thirty-six without actually having to show anything."
I tilted my head in confusion for a very brief second, until I realized what he was trying to do. Oh, he's trying to probe for more information for the Invasion, I thought. Nice try buddy, but I'm on to youuuuu.
I turned my head slightly. "Lucky? Nah, I just made it look easy. There's a massive difference," I said, then pointed a thumb down at the green blur below. "Just like how bowl-cut's making kicking your brother's ass look easy."
Kankuro scoffed. "That guy doesn't stand a chance against Gaara," he said. "It's only a matter of time now. And by then your little friend will probably be dead."
"Pa-lease," I said, waving him off. "Bowl-cut's already gotten through his so-called 'Ultimate Defense.' Now, you're about to witness one of the greatest beatdowns in shinobi history."
Kankuro scoffed again, but there was a flicker of nervous arrogance flashing in his eyes as he shook his head. "You Leaf Genin really are delusional. Speed alone isn't going to save that clown."
He ain't wrong, I thought. But as a dedicated hater, I cannot give him the satisfaction of being right.
"Oh don't worry about him, he's got something up his sleeve," I retorted. "The only thing you should be concerned with is ya boy down there keeping his defense up."
As I turned my attention away from him to watch the match down below, my gaze briefly drifted over to Sasuke. The Uchiha was hyper-focused on the match. His Sharingan spun rapidly, instinctively memorizing every single fluid shift in Lee's high-speed Taijutsu.
Ah, that's right, he didn't face Lee at the start of the exam, so now he's getting his first real look into his strengths, I mused. So by copying and memorizing his muscle memory now, he'll be able to incorporate it into his skillset. However, the only problem with doing that would have to be his physical conditioning not being anywhere near the level required to support that kind of constant output yet. So, if he tries to replicate that speed right now, his muscle fibers are gonna pop like cheap rubber bands… And it's gonna be hilarious.
Down on the obsidian floor, the fight reached its boiling point.
As Kankuro eloquently deduced, Lee's standard speed wasn't enough to permanently bypass the sand, so he was forced to take the ultimate risk. He positioned himself, his body suddenly vibrating as an explosive, violent aura of raw chakra erupted from his core.
Oh shit, that's how it really looks from an outside perspective? I thought, watching as his body turned redder by the second, the veins protruding thickly across his skin. He looks like a Baki character now.
"What the hell is that?!" Kankuro yelled, his voice cracking as the sheer pressure of Lee's opened Inner Gates began to ripple through the entire arena.
Lee turned into a blinding, green meteor. He launched Gaara into the air and turned the entire sky into a mid-air pinball machine, battering the Sand Jinchuriki relentlessly from every single conceivable angle. The sonic booms were continuous, rattling the viewing balconies and cracking the reinforced stone walls.
I turned my head fully toward Kankuro, shooting him a massive, smug look. "How's that "Ultimate Defense" holding up for you now, eyeliner?!" I shouted over the roaring wind. "Ya boy's getting fucked up! Go help him! He needs your energy!"
Kankuro didn't even fire back. He was sweating bullets, his knuckles turning completely white as he gripped the railing in sweat-dropping horror.
Down below, the onslaught finally ceased. Lee delivered a devastating Hidden Lotus, sending Gaara crashing straight into the bedrock. Lee crashed a few feet away, his skin now a deep red and his breath coming in ragged, agonized gasps. He was completely spent, his muscle fibers torn to shreds from the self-destructive toll of the Gates.
But as the dust cleared, the audience gasped at the horrific truth. Gaara's sand gourd had completely dissolved at the last second, forming a soft bed of sand that cushioned the fatal impact.
Gaara shakily rose to his feet, his mind completely snapped by the pain. With a manic, bloodthirsty sneer, he raised his hand, directing a heavy wave of sand to wrap around Lee's left arm and leg.
"Sand Coffin."
Lee was completely paralyzed from exhaustion, entirely unable to move. Down in the ring, Hayate stood frozen. Because Lee wasn't in immediate, life-threatening danger yet or hadn't given any sign of surrender, the proctor was mechanically bound by the rules, hesitant to forcefully call the match.
Seeing the sand begin to constrict, I immediately snapped out of spectator mode.
Hmm, let's see what happens if I do this, I thought leaning so far over the balcony railing I was practically hanging off it, I bypassed the stunned silence of the arena and roared at the top of my lungs.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Conqueror's Presence (Maximum Output)]
"Guy-sensei! Move now!"
The sheer authority in my voice carried across the room, acting like a physical jolt. Might Guy didn't even hesitate. Moving on pure, instinctual panic, the Jonin Body Flickered into the center of the ring in a fraction of a second, effortlessly swatting the constricting sand away with a single, heavy backhand.
"The match is over," Guy declared, his voice uncharacteristically dark as he checked on his unconscious student.
Robbed of his kill, Gaara's sand violently writhed around his feet. Slowly, his manic, bloodshot eyes drifted upward, completely ignoring Guy as he locked his murderous gaze directly onto me. The veins on his forehead were pulsing in fury.
I gave him a casual nod and shot him a double finger-gun in return. He was less than pleased by that, given the death glare he shot me, but I just returned it with a cocky, completely unfazed smirk.
"Winner of Match 4... Gaara," Hayate announced, his raspy voice breaking the heavy, somber tension in the room.
The medics quickly scrambled onto the floor to carry Lee away. Beside me, Kankuro violently grabbed my shoulder, his entire body trembling as he yanked me back.
"Are you completely out of your mind?!" Kankuro whispered furiously, his face pale beneath his purple makeup. "Why would you scream like that and provoke him?! You saw what he did to that Sound ninja! Do you have a literal death sentence or what?!"
I casually reached up and brushed Kankuro's hand off my shoulder with a lazy shrug, turning my back to the arena.
"Man, relax," I said smoothly, as a cold, dangerous glint made its way to my eyes. "He and I aren't so different. However, he's the one who should be worried about facing me, not the other way around."
The electronic screen above whirred back to life, breaking me from my staring contest with Gaara.
I leaned against the railing, staring as the screen flipped through names. If the canon timeline holds up even a little bit, then I should be going up against Kiba and maybe some random fodder, I mused internally. Should be easy either way, but I'm getting restless just waitin'.
A translucent blue box suddenly appeared in my peripheral vision.
[PLAYER STATUS: IMPATIENT]
Tch, bitch-ass System got jokes, I thought, swiping the prompt away and shaking my head as the digital letters on the arena screen finally snapped into place.
[MATCH 5: Kiba Inuzuka vs. Gantetsu (Iwa) vs. Takanori (Kiri)]
I blinked, genuinely surprised.
What?! I see Kiba, but where the hell is my name at?! I frowned, looking between the screen and the arena. Who the fuck am I facing?!
Down on the floor, the terrain shifted into a muddy, cratered swamp. Kiba and Akamaru didn't waste a single second. Popping a [Food Pill], they aggressively dominated the Kiri ninja, tearing through the mud and eliminating him in a brutal, fast-paced flurry of strikes.
But Gantetsu from Iwa was a completely different story.
When Kiba and Akamaru launched their Fang Over Fang at the towering Iwa Genin, Gantetsu didn't even try to dodge. His skin hardened, turning the color of dark granite. Gantetsu's unique Earth armor acted as a hard counter to their purely physical strikes. He literally absorbed the kinetic impact of their spinning drill-like attacks, barely giving up an inch of ground. He just waited it out, letting Kiba exhaust his chakra pool completely before casually overpowering the panting, exhausted Konoha Genin to claim the win.
"Winner of Match 5," Hayate announced. "Gantetsu."
The more some things change, I thought, watching the medics carry Kiba away, the more they stay the same.
The screen immediately shuffled again.
[MATCH 6: Kankuro (Suna) vs. Misumi Tsurugi (Konoha) vs. Harunobu Hoshigami (Kusa)]
"What?!" I blurted out, throwing my hands up. "Kankuro, before me?!"
Kankuro, who had been sweating bullets just a few minutes ago, suddenly regained his confidence. He patted me on the back with a mocking, heavy hand. "Sorry, pal," he grinned. "I guess the universe just recognizes true greatness at times. Try not to miss me too much."
Ah, eat shit and live, I thought, swatting his hand away. "Try not to pull a hamstring on your way down."
As Kankuro descended the stairs, I narrowed my eyes, locking onto his Konoha opponent. Misumi Tsurugi. A fodder that's technically a Leaf Genin, but he was there with Yoroi when Kabuto reported to Orochimaru, so he's definitely another spy. But it also begs the question… just how many spies does that snake have in this village? I should look into that later.
The match started, and Misumi moved instantly. Utilizing his bizarre contortionist ability, his limbs unnaturally stretched and wrapped around Kankuro like a constricting snake, attempting to snap the Sand ninja's neck. Simultaneously, the Kusa ninja charged from the front to capitalize on the restraint.
The situation seemed grim, but when I looked at Kankuro, I was able to see the big smirk on his face.
Then, with a hollow CRACK, the "Kankuro" that Misumi was wrapping around suddenly splintered and turned into the bandaged bundle Kankuro always carried on his back—his horrific, multi-armed puppet, Crow.
Before Misumi could untangle his contorted limbs, Crow's wooden arms clamped down, trapping the spy in a crushing, bone-breaking grip. Misumi screamed in agony, completely immobilized. Without missing a beat, Kankuro flicked his chakra strings, and Crow's hidden, poison-laced blades shot out, effortlessly dispatching the charging Kusa ninja.
"Winner of Match 6, Kankuro," Hayate coughed.
Hmm, that was quick, I thought as the arena screen whirred once again, and the next names locked in.
[MATCH 7: Sasuke Uchiha vs. Kurokaze Masato (Kumo) vs. Kuroshi (Ame)]
Even him?! I groaned internally. I'm gonna be last at this point.
Sasuke wordlessly pushed off the wall and dropped down into the arena, eager to test himself. From the opposite balcony, I noticed Orochimaru leaning forward, watching the Uchiha with a sickening, predatory anticipation.
"Begin!" Hayate shouted.
Sasuke kicked off the ground with a burst of speed that left a small crack in the stone.
Oh, he's trying to replicate it, I realized, immediately recognizing the change in his stance. He saw the merit behind Lee's approach to fighting, and he's actively integrating the speed aspect into his own style now.
Kurokaze wasn't going to go down without a fight. The towering Kumo ninja swung a massive, chakra-laced punch that would have shattered Sasuke's ribs, while Kuroshi simultaneously unleashed a sweeping volley of water-needles from the flank.
Sasuke for his part, effortlessly ducked under the brute's swing. Mid-spin, he launched a perfectly fanned spread of kunai and shuriken, precisely deflecting every single incoming needle out of the air. Before either Genin could reset their guard, he reappeared directly behind the Kumo ninja, delivering a blistering, high-speed Taijutsu combo that launched the massive Genin into the air. Then, he followed it up with a blindingly fast flurry of strikes, easily knocking out both the Kumo and Ame Genin in seconds.
"Incredible! That speed..." Sakura said, mesmerized.
"He's really a true genius!" Ino squealed.
Whaaaat?! I thought, side-eyeing them. The ninja's just mimicking Lee. Didn't we just see something ten times crazier like two fights ago?!
Soon, the crowd began to erupt in murmurs as the Genin and Jonin around me began to fucking glaze the ever-living shit out of him.
"The Uchiha Clan really is built different!" a random Leaf ninja said.
"Did you see his reaction time? He didn't even use ninjutsu!" a Kusa Jonin whispered in awe.
"He's a once-in-a-generation talent!" another Genin chimed in, nearly drooling at the Uchiha's movements.
Once-in-a-generation—alright, take it easy! I thought, hearing the murmurs in disgust. Wipe the corner of your mouth off, you're getting spit on the floor.
"Winner of Match 7," Hayate announced. "Sasuke Uchiha."
Sasuke turned and began walking back toward the stairs. He looked cool, calm, and collected. But with my enhanced senses, I didn't miss a thing. As he took his first step up the stairs, he subtly winced. His hand twitched, reaching down to briefly, discreetly rub his trembling thigh.
The effects are already starting to show, I smirked, leaning against the railing. Attempting to replicate Lee's speed without the proper muscle conditioning takes too much of a toll on the body. You can copy the technique, but you can't copy the grind.
The screen flickered to life for the eighth match.
Alright, it has to be me now. Surely, I thought, staring at the digital board.
The letters blurred, snapping into place.
[MATCH 8: Neji Hyuga vs. Hinata Hyuga vs. Tsubari Kamizuki (Kumo)]
I stared at the board in surprise as the tension in the room instantly skyrocketed.
You have got to be kidding me. I thought, not believing the implications of the match. Is this even allowed to happen?
The drama within this specific matchup was incredibly ironic.
Down below, the terrain had shifted the cratered bedrock into a flat, smooth stone sparring ring—a traditional stage for a pure martial arts bout. The random Kumo ninja looked left and right and started mentally planning, already realizing how much danger he was in being stuck in the middle of two members of a clan that actively despised his village, considering Kumo's past attempt to kidnap a Hyuga had resulted in Neji's father being sacrificed.
Not only that, but the Hyuga that was going to be kidnapped is standing exactly to his left. You couldn't write this any better, but very bad things were about to unfold down there. I hope the proctors are ready to intervene at a moment's notice.
Neji's Byakugan was already bulging. He looked absolutely furious, seeing both a Kumo ninja and Hinata—two people he despised with every fiber of his being—in the same vicinity as him.
Hinata, surprisingly, didn't flinch at Neji's glare. She looked determined to prove something. She dropped into the Gentle Fist stance, her expression resolute.
The Kumo ninja stopped his planning, his mind finally made up. And he immediately locked eyes with Hinata, clearly identifying her soft, gentle demeanor as the weakest link in the ring. He drew his kunai and rushed her to secure a quick elimination.
However, he didn't even make it halfway.
Neji intercepted him, and with terrifying, brutal efficiency delivered a merciless flurry of Gentle Fist strikes, shutting down the Kumo ninja's chakra network and collapsing him to the floor in three seconds flat.
Oh! I know that shit hurt, I thought, watching the Kumo ninja slump into unconsciousness.
Neji didn't do it to protect her. The cold, utterly disdainful glare he shot Hinata over the Kumo ninja's unconscious body made his intentions crystal clear. Breaking Hinata's spirit was his predetermined destiny, and he refused to let a random outsider steal that satisfaction from him.
Up on the balcony, I let out a low whistle. Well now, things have just gotten interesting, huh? I thought, attempting to see how thisfamily reunion would pan out.
The fight played out exactly like a tragedy. Neji, completely consumed by his hatred for the Main Branch, didn't begin by raising his fists. Instead, he tried to verbally dismantle Hinata before the fight even started.
I leaned against the railing, narrowing my eyes. I wonder if this fight was set up by someone. A Hyuga Clan Main Branch member pulling strings behind the scenes perhaps? Or maybe Hiruzen was getting tired of the constant mini civil war and was trying to force clan politics into the light? I mused, analyzing how this matchup 'coincidently' came to be. There's no way this was completely random.
"You are a failure," Neji stated coldly, his Byakugan bulging aggressively as he spoke. "Fate has decided this match before it began. You are unfit to be a ninja. You are unfit to lead. You know this, so why go against that fate?"
Hinata had her head down, her bangs covering her eyes. It seemed like Neji's psychological assault was getting to her. But then, she slowly lifted her head. "Because I wanted to change that about myself."
Her eyes glanced towards the balcony in my direction. "I didn't want to run away anymore," she said. I just held her gaze and gave her a single, firm nod of expectation.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Conqueror's Presence (Minimum Output)]
She ain't gonna win, but she can improve from loss, I mused, watching her flare her own Byakugan.
"So, I won't run away," she declared, her voice defiant.
What followed was an interesting losing battle. Neji's Gentle Fist was vastly superior; his body was more durable, he was significantly faster than her, and he was striking much harder. Every time their palms met, Neji surgically shut down her chakra points, systematically dismantling her network. But Hinata, for short instances, was pushing him, even if it was just a little bit. And she kept getting back up, fueled by a stubbornness I instantly recognized.
What a girl, I thought, a genuine smile forming as I watched her get knocked down and stagger right back to her feet. This is the type of stubbornness that makes you want to root for a person.
The most interesting moment occurred when she grazed his left abdomen. When Neji actually expressed an emotion of shock, Hinata pushed her pace and aggressively forced him to have to counter her attacks, making Neji mad that he even had to do something like that.
The situation kind of shows that they aren't that far from each other, I mused. The gap is still big, but it isn't insurmountable.
Eventually, Neji landed a devastating, open-palm strike directly to her heart and Hinata crashed hard onto the bedrock.
Neji confidently deactivated his Byakugan, turning his back on her. "It's over."
But to the absolute shock of the entire arena, Hinata forced herself back to her feet.
"I... I will not go back on my word!" she gasped, violently coughing up blood, her legs shaking like leaves. "Because... that is my ninja way too!"
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I hummed internally, absolutely fired up by the sheer grit on display. Talk to 'em!
Neji turned back around, his face twisting in disgust. "You're not fooling anyone. I can see with these eyes that it's taking all your strength just to stand," he said coldly. "You need not suffer anymore. Be in peace and withdraw."
Hinata swayed, but her Byakugan stared right through him. "You're wrong, Neji. I can see it now, even more than me," she began, her voice soft but piercing. "It's you who is suffering the most from the destiny of our clan."
Daaaaammmmnnnnn! my eyes widened, my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline. When did she get this bold! Cook his ass, Hinata!
A/N: She Actually Flames Him Like This During The End Of The Fight (Word For Word), Which Is Why He Got Mad And Tried To Kill Her, LOL.
Neji didn't like that at all. Something deep inside his psyche violently snapped.
He roared as he charged her. All of his calm, collected arrogance vanished in an instant. He lunged forward, his fingers extended for a lethal, killing strike directly to her heart.
But he never made it.
In a blur of motion, four Jonin materialized in the ring. Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and Hayate completely surrounded Neji, physically restraining him and stopping his fingers mere inches from Hinata's chest.
"The match is over," Hayate declared.
Hinata finally gave out, collapsing backward. Kurenai caught her, immediately calling for the medics. As they loaded her onto the stretcher, Hinata's eyelids fluttered shut, drifting into unconsciousness. But right before she went under, she weakly turned her head toward the balcony.
I caught her gaze again and gave her a slow, deeply respectful nod of approval. She offered a tiny, bloodstained smile before finally passing out.
"Winner of Match 8... Neji Hyuga," Hayate announced.
The tension in the arena was incredibly thick as Neji yanked his arm away from the Jonin and began walking toward the stairs. When he reached the balcony, the other Genin actively stepped out of his way, intimidated by the sheer killing intent still rolling off him.
"Feel better?" I asked condescendingly as he walked past me, not even bothering to turn my head to look at him.
Neji stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, his pale eyes narrowing into a hateful glare. "A failure is a failure. It is an inescapable destiny. The weak will always be trampled by the strong."
"Is that what you tell yourself to give yourself peace of mind?" I questioned.
Neji's face twisted into an expression of rage. "It's the truth," he stated. "It's the law of destiny."
"Destiny, huh?" I scoffed, finally turning to face him. I looked him up and down with utter unimpressed boredom. "You yap a lot about being strong for a guy who just threw a massive temper tantrum the second his cousin read him like a book."
Neji's fists clenched, his jaw ticking.
"You talk big, acting like you're some enlightened superior being," I continued smoothly, not hiding the dissatisfaction in my tone. "But honestly? Looking at you right now... you really are nothing more than just a slave, aren't ya?"
Sakura and Ino gasped, hearing the words come out of my mouth.
"Naruto, are you crazy?!" Sakura hissed, taking a step back.
"He's going to kill him..." Ino whispered, her eyes wide with panic.
Neji's eyes widened in fury. "What did you say?!" he snarled, taking a step toward me, his Byakugan flaring.
"You heard me," I stated, fully turning towards him. "Or is that destiny shit making you deaf too?"
Chakra began to flare in his hands.
"Oh," I said in an amused tone. Then, my voice completely dropped, shifting into something freezing and lethal. "And what exactly do you think you're gonna do with that? I'm nowhere near as kind-hearted as she is. Make a move, and I'll show you exactly where your precious destiny ends."
"Naruto! Knock it off!" a voice called out from my right.
I glanced over and saw Shikamaru sweating lightly, pointing down at the arena screen.
[MATCH 9: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kabuto Yakushi vs. Ryota (Kusa)]
A massive, predatory grin stretched across my face. I cracked my knuckles, the sharp pops echoing clearly over the silence of the balcony.
Ah, finally! I thought, completely ignoring Neji's killing intent.
"Hold that thought, slave," I dismissed Neji casually, stepping past him toward the stairs. "I have a match to dominate."