Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Road to Chunin ❯ Chapter 14 ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14

 

“Uh… well folks, don't say we didn't give you your money's worth. By the way, on the off chance anyone sees one of those three that just fled, contact ANBU immediately. We continue our Quarterfinal matches with Rock Lee vs. Kiba Inuzuka, both of the Leaf.”

 

Lee leaped off the balcony of the participants box onto the field and did several cartwheels in excitement. Gai found a seat next to Asuma. He looked like a little boy on Christmas morning. Asuma groaned.

 

“If I hear you say `Fight with the power of youth!' even once, I swear I'm leaving,” he warned.

 

“I can't help it sometimes,” admitted Gai. “Having that boy is like having a son.”

 

“I can see the family resemblance,” said Asuma with a smirk.

 

---

 

Kiba strolled onto the field casually with a smirk. As good as Lee was, like most fighters he lacked any sort of visual jutsu. With the way Kiba and Akamaru moved, this would make it nearly impossible for Lee to block any technique of theirs. If he tried, he'd get slashed or bitten. And they could produce speed comparable to his. He walked to the middle and set Akamaru on the ground.

 

Shikamaru smirked. “The taijutsu clash of titans, eh? Wish I'd brought my camera. OK, are we both ready guys? FIGHT!”

 

BAM!

 

Lee hadn't waited even a moment. The second the fight started he nailed Kiba with Leaf Whirlwind and sent him flying. Akamaru barked angrily and tried to run over to where Kiba had landed but Lee grabbed him up by his collar..

 

“I think not, pooch,” said Lee. “It is indeed most unwise to give an adversary an advantage in battle. I certainly do not intend to let Kiba use you to his advantage.”

 

Kiba picked himself up. “Let him go, Lee! You mess with my dog, I'll bury you like a bone!”

 

Lee ignored him. “I think perhaps I will tie you to a tree using wires.”

 

“I warned you,” called out Kiba. He made a hand sign. At one, spikes emerged from Akamaru's dog collar. Lee dropped him in pain. Akamaru ran up alongside Kiba while Lee shook his injured hand angrily. “Man Beast Clone!” Akamaru transformed into a perfect copy of Kiba. “I'm not done just yet! Beast Mimicry: Four Legs Jutsu!” Kiba's appearance grew wilder and his chakra glowed.

 

“I would say you need a manicure,” mocked Lee.

 

“I would say you're gonna need a doctor,” answered Kiba. “Fang Over Fang!”

 

Lee tried to jump over the attack but Akamaru shifted directions at the last second and clawed him up. Lee fell to the ground. Kiba and Akamaru went for a second pass. Lee reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ball. He tossed it in their direction. It hit the ground and exploding releasing green smoke. Kiba hollered.

 

“What is this?!” he shouted.

 

“It is a fart bomb!” replied Lee with a grin. “I am far too dignified to stoop to passing gas during a fight like Naruto.”

 

Up in the stands, Gai was laughing so hard he could barely breath. “Way to learn from observing past fights, Lee!”

 

Lee grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Then he turned to Kiba. “Here I come, ready or not!”

 

He flew at Kiba at blinding speed. He kicked him in the midsection and tossed Akamaru over his shoulder. When Kiba tried to rise, Lee hit him with a barrage of punches, the last one of which was an uppercut that sent him flying into the air.

 

“And now to rip off yet another fighter's technique,” said Lee with a grin. “Lion's Barrage!”

 

With a mighty kick Kiba was flung down onto the dirt below. He slowly and painfully picked himself up.

 

“We'll have to stick with Four Legs, boy. Even if it has a disadvantage, I don't see how we can beat him without a little boost. Ready? Fang Over Fang!”

 

They came at Lee from opposite sides. With blinding speed, Lee sidestepped them at the last possible moment and they collided. The two of them rose and shook the cobwebs out of their heads. They went for another pass. This time they used the same technique they had used with Ten Ten. Kiba tunneled while Akamaru attacked from overhead. Instead of dodging this time, Lee shot his hands out in an attempt to grab them in mid-spin. He successfully grabbed Akamaru's wrist but Kiba managed to claw him. Though slightly injured, Lee didn't lose his head for even a moment. Still holding Akamaru's wrist, he threw him headfirst directly at Kiba and the two crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks. When they tried to rise, Lee sprang forward and flung blood from his wound in their direction, hitting them in the eyes and temporarily blinding them. While they were blinded he kicked them both, sending them crashing into the wall.

 

Kiba rubbed his eyes. They'd hit so hard that Akamaru's transformation had been shattered. The two of them stumbled back to their feet.

 

“Akamaru, I think we have a problem here.” Akamaru barked in agreement. “So far we've given him our best techniques and near as I can tell, he hasn't used any of his tricks at all. No chakra gates, no removing leg weights, no drunken fist. Either we think of something quick or we're screwed.” Akamaru barked again. “Yeah, I thought of that, but he's too fast to hit with Dynamic Marking. Plus I think he'd literally kill us if we tried it and didn't take him out. He wouldn't like that.” Akamaru barked one more time. “Now that you mention it… yeah, his blood does have a distinct aroma. OK, we'll focus on that. Inuzuka Man-Beast Combination Transformation: Two-Headed Wolf!”

 

In a roar and a puff of smoke, the enormous Double-Headed Wolf appeared in all of its glory. Lee was genuinely freaked out by it.

 

“Lee!” hollered Gai from the stands. “I know about that technique. It's blinded when it rotates so it uses scent to track you. Don't let it pee on you!”

 

“What?! Hey Kiba, you give me any golden showers and I swear I will neuter the pair of you with the dullest kunai I can find! It is a small village; you cannot hide from me!”

 

“No need for us to do any such thing,” gloated Kiba. “You're ours now.”

 

“Damn,” muttered Shino from his seat. His reason for watching this match had just been taken away.

 

“Dual Wolf Fang!”

 

Kurenai looked at the technique and suddenly noticed something. “No Kiba, that's not…”

 

Too late. Lee had taken off his parka, wiped as much blood on it as he could and tossed it in the middle of the field. Kiba and Akamaru wasted the attack on a parka. Lee was no fool. If Kiba had declared that he didn't need Akamaru to pee on him, something else must have been giving off an odor and that something else must be blood.

 

“That is quite a vulnerability you have there,” said Lee. “You should have planned out other ways to compensate for blindness if smell were to fail you.”

 

Kiba panted hard. The only other way he knew of was sound. He could zero in on the sound of his opponent breathing but in a crowded stadium it wouldn't work. Besides that, even if the noise from the crowd wasn't there, he still would have trouble distinguishing between Lee's breathing and Shikamaru's.

 

“Damn,” muttered Kiba. “If only he'd eaten something strong for lunch or not showered, or worn cologne, or anything at all. No strong scent at all from this guy. Boy, we'll try one more time. Go for a more subtle scent of blood and not the strongest one you smell. Dual Wolf Fang!”

 

Lee grinned and responded by tossing some more fart bombs.

 

“Gah!” screamed Kiba. The transformation was broken and he was left holding his nose in agony.

 

“I am cold without my parka so I will finish this now,” announced Lee.

 

“Oh no you won't.” Kiba swallowed a food pill. “Piercing Fang!”

 

Lee grinned. He waited until Kiba got close and then kicked up some dirt. The intention had been for the dirt to get in Kiba's eyes but it had backfired. Lee was hit straight on by the attack. Even while being hit, he never lost his head. He managed to wrap his legs around Kiba's midsection as the two of them flew through the air. Upon landing, Lee was quick to strike back. Akamaru was quick to jump to his master's defense but Lee swatted him away like a fly.

 

Lee perfectly executed another Leaf Whirlwind and sent Kiba flying into the air.

 

“Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!”

 

Lee appeared behind him in midair. “Surrender or it is a Lotus, Kiba!”

 

Kiba could hear Lee unwrapping his bandages and knew he meant business. He looked down at Akamaru who was struggling to stand only to fall upon his side. He knew he was beaten and that Lee had not really even begun to fight.

 

“Alright I give!”

 

“Winner: Rock Lee!” announced Shikamaru.

 

While Lee landed gracefully, Kiba hit the ground face-first. It really had been a relatively one-sided fight and he was glad that it was over. The medics ran onto the field to check the two out. Kiba rose slowly.

 

“I'm alright,” he said. “Just a few nasty bruises and a badly bruised ego.”

 

“I too am fine,” said Lee. “In fact, I think will walk back to the stands on my hands.”

 

Lee did just that. This got a massive laugh from the crowd. Not a mocking one but a generally amused laugh. Kiba sighed, picked up Akamaru and followed him. Gai met them both on the stairwell.

 

“You really both should have let them look you over,” he said. “No serious injuries, but you two do need some minor medical attention. And the dog should get a checkup for sure.”

 

“But Gai Sensei…”

 

“No buts,” interrupted Gai. “Both of you go to the infirmary. And Lee, see if they can get you another coat. One more thing… well done.”

 

---

 

Up in the stands, Hana Inuzuka stood up.

 

“Where are you going?” asked Tsume.

 

“To see just how bad Akamaru got hurt,” she replied. “I swear, that boy can't do anything without one or both of them ending up half dead.”

 

“Well maybe if he'd trained with me instead of that floozy teacher of his…”

 

“Oh mother, not that again.”

 

“Alright ladies and gentlemen,” said the announcer, “Time for the last match of the day. This will determine who faces Hinata Hyuga in the Semifinals. Will it be Sakura Haruno or Neji Hyuga?”

 

In the infirmary they could hear the sounds of the announcer quite clearly.

 

“Wow, we could end up with a rematch of last year if Neji wins,” said one of the medics. “That match between her and her cousin was amazing.”

 

“It certainly was,” agreed Lee.

 

“Not as amazing as you and Gaara, though.”

 

Lee's eyes shot wide open. He'd completely forgotten. By defeating Kiba, he was scheduled to fight Gaara again. The images of getting his limbs crushed flashed back into his mind as clear as day. What if he received the same injury a second time? It would mean more life threatening surgery or an early retirement which he couldn't live with.

 

“Are you OK, Lee?” asked the medic. “You look awfully pale.”

 

Lee fainted and fell off the examining table.

 

---

 

Neji and Sakura entered the field. Each was acutely aware of how bad the other could hurt them. They tried very hard not to look at one another. Sakura removed her headband from its normal position and tied it around her forehead in a more typical Leaf fashion as she had done while fighting Ino the year before. The message to Neji was clear. She was taking this very seriously.

 

“Are you both ready?” asked Shikamaru. “FIGHT!”

 

At once, Sakura's fist glowed with chakra. She took a swing at Neji with all her might. He blocked her with his two palms both charged with Gentle Fist. The two types of chakra collided cancelling each other out rather than repelling. The force of Sakura's punch sent Neji sliding back a few feet. Sakura whipped out a pair of kunai. She tossed one in Neji's direction. To his horror, he saw a tag attached and dodged to his left which is exactly where Sakura tossed the next one. Then, to everyone's amazement, she immediately tossed two more to her own right and left. Neji had no idea what was going on or why they hadn't exploded until he tried to back up.

 

ZAP!

 

Neji gritted his teeth in pain. In that moment, he'd let himself get distracted only to get kicked by Sakura. The kick sent him reeling and the next thing he knew he was getting zapped again. Those tags weren't paper bombs. Sakura had created an invisible force field in which she'd trapped them both. The kunai represented the corners of the field. Anything attempting to pass between any two of the kunai would get barbecued.

 

“I like to keep my friends close and my opponents even closer,” said Sakura with a grin.

 

“You sure about this?” asked Neji. “I am after all a short-ranged specialist.”

 

“One who would benefit from having more room to work with,” replied Sakura.

 

With that, she launched another punch in his direction. But this time he saw it coming. He managed to snag her right wrist with one hand and nail her forearm with Gentle Fist with the other. Sakura yanked her arm back. She could see a big red spot where he'd closed a chakra point.

 

“That might make it difficult, if not impossible for you to continue,” cautioned Neji. “You rely on chakra in your hands and you are right-handed.”

 

“Still too cocky even now,” scolded Sakura.

 

“Fine, you asked for it. Gentle Fist!” But Neji's blow never landed. Sakura tossed another tagged kunai into the ground directly in front of him and he slammed face-first into another force field. “Foolish girl, with this field between us, you can't attack me either.”

 

“Since I'm the one who cast the jutsu, I can pick that thing up,” she replied. “And I will. But first…”

 

Sakura yanked out a syringe. She injected herself in the forearm.

 

“Hey, what are you doing?” asked Neji. “Shikamaru, she can't do that, can she?”

 

“Depends what's in it,” replied Shikamaru.

 

Sakura held up the shot so he could get a good look. “It's an anti-inflammatory,” she explained. “Nothing in the rules against that. I checked. I'm not jabbing a senbon into one of my chakra points to re-open it. This will do the trick nicely and doesn't even have to make direct contact with the chakra point.”

 

After a few moments the red sore disappeared on her arm. As promised, she yanked the kunai out of the ground. Neji didn't waste one moment.

 

“Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!”

 

Sakura was hit hard and knocked into her own force field. Neji raced over to finish her off only to get himself kicked in the gut hard enough to send him flying backwards into the force field as well. Sakura yanked a small sphere out of her pocket and tossed it in Neji's direction. It hit the ground and let off blue smoke. At first he mistook it for poison and his natural reaction was to cover his mouth and nose. Too late did he notice Sakura reaching for a lighter.

 

BANG!

 

The gas was flammable and ignited. Neji was lucky to get away with only first and a few second degree burns. He had to quickly pat out a small portion of his hair that had caught fire. Neji attempted to use Empty Palm but to his horror realized that rotation techniques couldn't be used now. The dome of chakra it gave off had a certain required circumference. The walls of the force field were too close and chakra could not penetrate them.

 

Neji chuckled to himself. “I have to hand it to you Sakura, you've gotten good. You've taken a few basic shinobi techniques and used them so effectively that I'm at a loss for words.”

 

“I'm not much different from Lee I guess,” she replied. “Nobody actually called me a failure but I sure called myself one.”

 

“Why?” asked Neji.

 

“I had fundamentals down good but aside from that I had absolutely nothing to bring to the table in a fight. And I was teamed up with the best two Genin in the village which didn't help matters. Well I have to be my own ninja. That doesn't mean I have to pick up on a bunch of fancy crap like Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi Sensei. It means being the best I can be with the stuff that comes naturally to me. And I'll reserve my learning of highly advanced techniques for healing jutsu rather than fighting. The greatest skill of a medic-nin, aside from healing, is avoiding injury. I've trapped you in an enclosed space and managed to avoid any serious injury to myself the whole time we've been fighting. That's what I wanted to prove to the judges more than anything.”

 

“True,” replied Neji. “But you can't avoid me forever. Or win.”

 

“Perhaps,” she replied.

 

Her fists lit up with chakra again. The two raced towards each other and began trading rapid blows. Both had their feet firmly bonded to the ground by chakra. So far they'd blocked one another perfectly. Neji was being protected from a broken hand only by his offensive chakra. Nevertheless, both palms were badly bruised. The two swung at each other furiously for the good portion of a minute before Neji finally landed a hit to Sakura's mid-section.

 

“Oh crap!” hollered Sakura as she dropped to her knees. “You got my spleen. Shikamaru, I give. I need medical attention right away.”

 

“Winner: Neji!”

 

The crowd rose to its feet and applauded loudly. Sakura released the force field jutsu. Try as she might she couldn't build up enough chakra to heal herself. She needn't have worried about it. Before Shizune ever got to her, Tsunade herself appeared in a puff of smoke.

 

“You didn't think I'd come down her for Ino, and not for you?” she said with a grin. She began healing Sakura. “You got any more of those injections? It would certainly help the healing process right about now.” Sakura reached into her parka pocket and produced two more. Tsunade unzipped Sakura's coat and cut her top at the sight of the injury to administer the injections. “I'll buy you a new one, I swear. Just nothing gaudy. I want my apprentice looking good.”

 

While Tsunade worked on Sakura, Shizune worked on Neji. The crowd was already filing out of the stadium not waiting for the announcer. One solitary figure remained in her seat. It was Hinata. Hiashi noticed she hadn't followed him and returned to get her.

 

“Come on, we have to get going.”

 

For a moment, Hinata did not stir. Finally she spoke.

 

“Father, which one of us are you going to root for tomorrow?”

 

“You're putting me in a tough position asking me that,” he replied. “I've trained both of you so I suppose my reputation is unaffected no matter who wins as long as neither of you chokes. As a family man I suppose my own daughter needs to come first to me. But you have to understand something. His father is dead because of me. I've tried to be like a second father to him ever since I told him the truth last year. I've tried to make him feel accepted and treated him in a like manner to a member of the main house. And there's not one main house technique he hasn't picked up on. He's the closest thing to a son I'll likely ever have. I'm tempted to stay home tomorrow to avoid this issue entirely.”

 

“No,” said Hinata, “Don't do that. I shouldn't have asked. I realize now you'll be cheering us both on. And that's OK with me. All I ever wanted was your recognition.”

 

“Is that so?” He looked down upon the field. “Hey Neji! Hurry up and heal! I'm buying shrimp tonight for my two Semifinalists!”

 

End Chapter 14

 

© 2009 Joseph Kerner

 

Disclaimer: Naruto is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto