Forest of Death — River Crossing
The river cut through the forest in a slow, steady current.
Clear.
Cold.
Perfect.
Naruto dropped down onto a root near the bank, stretching his arms over his head.
"…Jackpot."
Sakura immediately moved to the edge, kneeling down.
"Finally—clean water."
Sasuke stayed standing, scanning the treeline before crouching just enough to scoop a small amount into his hand.
Naruto, meanwhile—
Was already walking off.
"…I gotta take a piss."
Sakura didn't even turn this time.
"Just—go far away."
Naruto waved her off.
"Relax, I got it."
Slightly Upstream
Naruto stepped onto a rock jutting out over the river.
Hands behind his head.
Completely at peace with himself.
"…Man, this place really brings you closer to nature."
A beat.
Then—
A very audible stream hit the water.
He sighed in relief.
"…Oh yeah."
Downstream — Same River
Further along—
Unaware.
Unbothered.
Neji Hyuga stood knee-deep in the river, eyes calm, posture perfect.
Beside the bank, Rock Lee and Tenten kept watch.
Neji exhaled slowly.
"…We'll hydrate here before moving to the next checkpoint."
Tenten nodded.
"Good call."
Lee gave a thumbs up.
"Yosh!"
Neji crouched slightly, bringing water up in his palm.
Crystal clear.
Cool.
He drank.
Once.
Twice.
A third time—
Then paused.
"…"
A faint ripple passed over the surface.
Something tasted—
Off.
Not dangerous.
Just—
Wrong.
Upstream—
Naruto finished up, zipping up casually.
Collision Course
Moments later—
Team 7 stepped back into view along the bank.
Naruto leading.
Grinning.
"Alright, let's—"
He froze.
So did they.
Across the river—
Team Guy.
Mid-hydration.
A long silence.
Naruto's eyes slowly drifted…
Downstream.
Then back up.
Then—
His grin widened.
"Oh."
Sakura followed his gaze.
Her brain connected the dots.
Her face went completely blank.
"…No."
Sasuke turned slightly away.
"…Idiot."
Realization
Neji straightened slowly.
Water dripping from his hand.
His pale eyes lifted—
Locking onto Naruto.
A beat.
Then another.
Naruto raised a hand.
"…So—fun fact—"
Sakura slapped a hand over her face.
"Don't—"
Too late.
Naruto pointed upstream.
"…I just pissed up there."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Lee blinked.
"…Eh?"
Tenten froze.
"…Wait—"
Neji didn't move.
Didn't blink.
But something—
Cracked.
Very slightly.
"…"
A faint twitch in his brow.
Then—
The Byakugan snapped open.
Veins bulging.
Vision piercing straight through the terrain—
Tracing the river—
Upstream—
To the exact rock Naruto had been standing on.
*Ping*
You have thoroughly enraged Neji Hyuuga!
Neji receives a 15% boost to Strength, Agility, and all combat related skills!
A long, quiet inhale.
Neji stepped out of the water.
Slow.
Controlled.
Dripping.
"…You."
Naruto scratched his cheek.
"…In my defense—"
"—Silence."
Neji's voice was calm.
Too calm.
"…You have done something unforgivable."
Lee stepped forward quickly.
"Neji, it was likely an accident—!"
Naruto tilted his head.
"…I mean—yeah, but also—"
Sakura:
"STOP TALKING."
Tenten sighed, already pulling out a myriad of weapons from her hip pouches.
"…Well. This is happening."
Sasuke stepped forward slightly.
Eyes sharp.
"…If you're going to fight—"
His gaze locked onto Neji.
"…then stop wasting time."
Lee's energy spiked instantly.
"…Sasuke!"
Naruto cracked his knuckles.
Grinning like an idiot.
"…Man… you really drank it too."
The tension next to the river reached a boiling point.
Neji vanished from the riverside.
Naruto barely had time to register the movement before—
A palm strike slipped past his guard.
Not fast.
Precise.
Two fingers drove into his shoulder.
Tap.
Another—
Lower rib.
Tap.
A third—
Just below his collarbone.
Tap.
Naruto staggered back, eyes widening.
"—What the hell—?!"
Ping
Status Effect Applied: Chakra flow Disruption
-15% Chakra Control Efficiency
-10% Agility
Duration: 90 seconds
Naruto's arm felt… off.
Not numb—
But delayed.
Like his body wasn't listening properly.
Neji stepped forward again, posture flawless, Byakugan blazing.
He spoke with disdain—
"Your chakra network is sloppy."
A pause.
"…Tch."
Then grinned.
"…At least I don't fight by poking people. What's it called when someone keeps their cool playing cards again? Puh puh puh poke her face, poke her face?"
Neji didn't react.
He moved again.
At the same time—
A green blur tore across the battlefield.
"YOSH!"
Rock Lee reappeared in front of Sasuke—
Sasuke's eyes flashed red instantly—Sharingan spinning.
Already mid-twist, a kick that carried the wind surrounding it.
"Leaf whirlwind!"
WHAM
A kick slammed into Sasuke's cross guard, forcing him back across the dirt.
Lee didn't slow.
He accelerated.
A barrage of strikes flowed like water—fists, kicks, elbows—each one chaining into the next with no wasted motion.
As a strike headed for the frontal plane was about to connect, Lee blurred into his blind spot, an axe kick digging into his shoulder. It would've been a knockout blow if Sasuke's sharingan hadn't allowed him to account for Lee's extreme speed.
His feet dug into the ground inch by inch.
"…Tch—!"
Even with the Sharingan—
Lee was pushing him.
Hard.
Lee grinned mid-combo.
"Sasuke-Kun, you are incredible!"
Creating distance from the taijutsu madman, wind ripped through his ducklike hair.
"…But can your body keep up?!" Proclaimed Lee, already on the move to close the distance.
Sasuke's jaw tightened.
Because right now—
It barely was.
Sakura vs Tenten — Precision vs Pressure
Steel sang through the air.
A kunai sliced past Sakura's cheek—
Another followed instantly.
Tenten stood back, already unsealing another volley.
"You're wide open."
Sakura twisted, narrowly avoiding a second wave of projectiles before snapping a shuriken forward in response.
CLANG CLANG
Tenten deflected cleanly.
Efficient.
Measured.
"Not bad," she said, eyes sharp. "But you're relying too much on the shuriken hidden in the shadows. To someone who knows what to look for it's not that hard to dodge."
Sakura narrowed her eyes.
"At least I'm not throwing weapons from a mile away like a coward."
Tenten smirked.
"Oh? And you're what—charging in blindly for some edgy pretty boy?"
Sakura's vein twitched.
"Better than crushing on guys who look like girls."
A beat.
Tenten's eye twitched.
"At least mine isn't an emotionally unavailable psychopath."
Sakura smiled sweetly.
Too sweet.
"Say that again."
More weapons flew.
Faster.
Sharper.
The "cat fight" had officially turned lethal.
Back to Naruto — Pressure Mounting
Naruto ducked another palm strike—
Barely.
His movements were slower now.
Off rhythm.
Neji pressed forward relentlessly.
Every step calculated.
Every strike aimed.
A palm grazed Naruto's side—
Another tapped his forearm—
Ping
Additional Chakra Flow Disruption DetectedStacking Penalty Applied
Total Debuff:
-25% Chakra Control Efficiency
-15% Agility
Naruto skidded back across the dirt, breathing heavier now.
"…Okay."
His grin faded slightly.
"…You're actually annoying."
Neji stepped forward, unshaken.
"You're deteriorating."
A pause.
"Your defeat is inevitable."
Naruto exhaled slowly.
Then—
His hands came together, in a controlled burst of speed.
Sasuke noticed it first.
A disturbance in the nearby river
The natural flow of water stopped, making the riverbank eerily quiet.
Lee paused mid-rush for just a fraction of a second.
Sakura's eyes flicked sideways.
Tenten held back her latest volley of weapons.
Neji's gaze sharpened.
"…What—"
Naruto's chakra surged.
Not sharp like wind—
But vast.
Rolling.
"Water Release—"
The river behind them trembled.
Surface rippling violently—
Then rising.
Neji's eyes widened.
Just slightly.
"…Impossible."
Naruto's grin came back—
Wider than ever.
"Tidal Wave!"
The river erupted.
A sizeable wall of water surged upward behind Naruto, towering over the genins full height before collapsing forward into a crushing, roaring wave.
"Move!" Tenten shouted.
Lee grabbed Neji instantly, leaping backward into the trees.
Sasuke flashed through hand signs—
"Fire Style—!"
But even he hesitated.
Fire wasn't stopping that.
Sakura braced—
Then dove for higher ground.
The wave crashed through the clearing—
Tearing up dirt, roots, and debris as it surged forward, swallowing the battlefield in a violent flood.
The river expanded outward—
Turning terrain into chaos.
Aftermath — Shock
Water settled.
Slowly.
Dripping.
Pooling.
Naruto stood at the center of it—
Breathing hard. Having overloaded the technique with chakra due to the Chakra Flow Debuff, this was the first time Naruto had ever felt exhausted due to his chakra.
Across from him—
Team Guy regrouped on higher branches.
Dripping.
Stunned.
Lee blinked.
"…That was incredible!"
Tenten lowered her weapon slightly.
"Since when does he use water style…?"
Neji stared.
Not at the water.
At Naruto.
Byakugan still active.
Seeing—
Everything.
"…Your chakra…"
A pause.
For the first time—
Uncertainty.
"…What are you?"
Naruto cracked his neck.
Grinning through the exhaustion, Naruto pulled down his pants just a hair and smacked his bum.
"I don't know jackass why don't you come find out?"
With that, Naruto ran into the woodline activating Flash Anklet to offset his declining debuff. Sasuke and Sakura sweatdropped and followed the spastastic blonde into the shadows of the gargantuan trees.
In truth he was choosing to retreat due to the off chance that their team were to lose the bout. While he hadn't exhausted his options against his milky eyed opponent, all it would take is one of them going down to tip the odds in their enemy's favor.
As a result Naruto heard a *Ping*. Glancing toward his notifications he noticed his Chakra Flow Debuff had worn off as well as a few advancements.
+1 Intelligence for knowing when to tactically retreat!
Rival Growth Link - Moderate Activated!
+1 to Strength
+1 to Endurance
+1 to Agility
+20 System points!
Inspect – LVL 3 (18/30) -> LVL 3 (25/30)
Academy Taijutsu – LVL 5 (49/50) -> LVL 6 (5/60
Shadow Clone Jutsu – LVL 6 (27/60) -> LVL 6 (35/60)
Wind Release: Gale Pierce LVL 4 (9/40) -> LVL 4 (14/40)
Water Release: Tidal Wave — LVL 3 (15/30) -> LVL 3 (19/30)
Behind them team guy paused.
"No need to chase them, they'll receive what's coming to them. Trash always does," said the still irate brunette.
Playing calm and collected he turned in the other direction. His teammates noticed the vein popping out on his forehead and decided to not speak of what had just happened.
"Yosh! I swear on my body, I will defeat that Sasuke type! That's twice now that our fight has been cut short!"
Tenten patted Lee on the shoulder, gesturing for them to continue on their trek. They would have plenty opportunity to put themselves to the test against other genin in the forest.