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Tenten's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Her mind spun as adrenaline flowed through her. Tenten may have been young, but she was a shinobi employed by Root. While her rank was Genin, she knew her strength was much more that of a Chunin. She was faster, more skilled, and had more techniques; she was no standard shinobi. She wasn't arrogant; there were plenty of candidates she was sure she would be unable to defeat. Gaara of the Sand and Sasuke Uchiha came to mind, yet she was sure only they would be a threat.
Furthermore, she had never expected to be outmatched to this degree. Naruto was clearly somewhat faster than her, could easily counter some of her strongest techniques, and, if Tenten's instinct was off the mark, held back to some degree. Yet Tenten felt no dread or fear of losing, nor did she do what Danzo would suggest here: surrender. He had always told them not to struggle uselessly. But Tenten ignored that instinct; she was having too much fun.
Tenten could remember when she was much younger, before Hiruzen had discovered her, and her tenure at Root had seemed endless and hopeless. She had been sparring against Sai, the two being the same age had often sparred together. She enjoyed those spars secretly; though they could break bones and cause pain, the art had amused her. It had been one of the few lifelines she could find there; it hadn't lasted. During one of their more exciting spars, she had let out one laugh, a slight chuckle of joy. What a foolish mistake it had been. She couldn't remember how they punished her; it had faded with the other memories they had taken.
Tenten flinched, looking at Naruto; luckily, he stood with the same easy-going smile as if the fight was fun for him. Yet it wasn't from an arrogant perspective; it seemed Naruto was genuinely enjoying their fight. 'Why am I so distracted?! This isn't the time for reminiscing!' She felt her chakra flare oddly right as her mind drifted yet again.
Tenten wasn't sure where the memories came from; she couldn't recall thinking this before and certainly didn't remember them as the past. Yet she was sure they were real. (Her chakra flared further, causing Naruto to look at her quizzically. He was seemingly content to see what Tenten was planning.)
A man stood before her; his hair was done in a neat bun with a golden pin with a symbol Tenten couldn't fully remember. He had the same brown eyes as her, though it was hard to stare him in the eyes with his face full of terrible scaring. Yet the man looked upon her warmly; nothing about him made her fearful. Even without context, it was clear that the man held nothing but love for her. But who was he? She focused on the memory, forgetting about her match in the moment. The man spoke. His voice was deep and gravelly. The man, indeed, had damaged vocal cords.
"We are a proud family of warriors who long ago managed to seal an unholy deity. It's why we named you Tenten. It means heaven, representing the noble deed you will one day do as we all have before you. You likely have access to our great ancestral power. When we sealed this being, we tied ourselves to it. It allows certain members of our family to wield its power."
"The power of what daddy?" Tenten heard what sounded like a much younger version of herself. This man was her father…
"Chiyou, a land far from this one in a time long, long ago, Chiyou was revered as an evil god of war and weapons. He formed a clan of powerful and terrible men to serve him, arming them with some of the strongest weapons on this earth. Our founder somehow manages to seal the god into an artifact, a creation of Chiyou's, funnily enough. This ended his reign of tyranny and led to the ascension of our clan. So remember, my dear Tenten, when you wield this power, do not forget that battle is not merely a terrible bloody thing. If done with purity and lack of malice, it can be beautiful. Remember, daughter, battle is fun!"
When had been the last time she had enjoyed a fight? When she was young? She had been killed and witnessed extreme violence in her life often. With Root encouraging it, she had grown to hate battle. Yet now she was enjoying it; even losing, she was having fun. If only she could do more to hang on; she wasn't sure she could defeat Naruto.
"You okay?" Naruto asked with concern, even in the middle of a fight. "I was kinda hoping we could keep going."
Tenten wished she could, but what was the point? Why fight when she can't win? Yet Tenten's chakra flared yet again, seeming to be buzzing; it made her determined to keep going. To desperately claw for victory. To enjoy this thrilling fight, test her limits! Naruto had been enjoying the battle from the start. It was time she showed him just what she was made of! Words drifted into her mind, and her hands automatically formed hand signs as she said them as if she had always known them.
"Avatar of Chiyou: Emergence." Tenten said. Suddenly, her chakra seemed to surge inside of her. She felt lighter and energized. The pain from the battle so far has completely faded. She didn't remember summoning a weapon, yet she wielded a tanto in one hand and a smooth club of metal. Around her floated an array of weapons which lazily drifted around her. Each was made of a smooth and dark metal, and each seemed to brim with her chakra somehow without her effort.
"I'm so glad I waited, that's so damned cool!" Naruto said, forgetting himself for a moment.
"Thanks." Tenten smiled. "Round two." Tenten sprinted forward much faster than before. She felt an urge and mentally pictured swords, spears, knives, and spikes orbiting her, flying forward at Naruto. And without even a seal, they flew forward at impressive speed. Naruto dodged one narrowly, spun around another, and attempted to reflect another, but the force of it knocked him unbalanced. He barely managed to drop down to avoid two more spears that followed, dropping to the ground. He rolled, trusting Tenten would take advantage of the sound of her sword cutting into the ground he had landed on. Naruto summoned two clones to buy time, but both were pierced by her weapons. Tenten then flew in. Naruto caught flat-footed, attempting to block the blow, confident he was strong enough for it but was shocked when it crashed into him. It smashed through his guard and sent him flying into a tree. The impact shattered the bark and bent the tree with a mighty crack. Tenten smiled as Naruto climbed to his feet, more wary now. Now, this was more like it. She waited patiently as Naruto hopped to his feet and dusted himself off. She had a feeling Naruto was about to try something…
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Jiraiya's POV (Kage Box of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Jiraiya and Tsunade stood side by side as the Kage watched over the fights. Thoughtfully, Mifune had his men install screens in the room so even the guards from their respective defensive positions could watch the action. The Kage were currently watching in rapt silence. More than likely, Hiruzen was engaged due to his ties to both Tenten and Naruto. The others were likely looking to see if either would be a threat in the future. Based on Tenten's renewed attack, both are probably noted. It mattered little to the Sage, truthfully. To be a Kage like the brat wished for, he would infamy. It would be up to the village to ensure he was not killed.
"Hmm, I thought you trained that boy, Jiraiya? He's certainly stronger, but he is more or less the same. You'd better not shirk your duty. You said you would train the squirt." Tsunade criticized. Truthfully, she had come to like the brat. Few would stand up to S-rank missing ninjas, and fewer would do so fearlessly. She supposed he reminded her of Dan and Nawaki.
"Of course not beautiful!" Jiraiya said jovially while expertly ignoring an eyebrow twitch from Tsunade. "I did the work; he's only been playing around so far."
"I'm sure." Tsunade said with a disbelieving scowl.
"He was just making sure he knew what he was dealing with. Right about now, he'll probably finish things." Jiraiya said confidentially, throwing his arm around Tsunade and ignoring her finger poke.
Though he swore it nearly broke one of his ribs.
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Naruto's / Jiraiya's / Tenten's POV (Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Naruto sighed as his mind settled. He wasn't sure what had happened with Tenten, but apparently, her technique had put her on another level. She could obviously control the assortment of weapons around her with ease. And they were quick and packed a punch. Her own physicality had increased as well. Before, Naruto had assumed this would've been easy.
He supposed this was unwelcome.
She rushed at him with her bo staff, which was met in the middle by his Riptide, finding its match as she finally matched the power behind his attacks.
But…it was not over there. She angled her head and swung it as if she was signaling something. A tanto appeared out of thin air, swirling to cut him in two.
His eyes widened as he leaned their stalemate to the right, bending both unnaturally, giving him the time to form a hand sign with his conjoined hands on the hilt. A shadow clone kicked away the tanto from bisecting his legs again as he gained some space.
Her sharp hazel eyes landed on him, slowly materializing more items than he could ever remember being used in a battle. She produced two goblets with some type of liquid boiling inside.
She almost flew over to his side as he readied Riptide to counter whatever she planned as a shadow clone stayed hidden.
She came close, and the goblets boiled over…..engulfing them in an explosion!
He was almost burned with his shadow clone offering protection while she came out unscathed out of a metal dome, acting as a shield for her.
This was problematic.
She swung a greatsword around with much force behind it while covering a more extensive range. He had to close the distance to match the absurd strength of the weapon by attacking closer to the hilt . Their attacks were canceled by the other, making space between them… but she twisted mid-air with the greatsword taking the shape of a bow as she pulled the string. The arrow appeared in of itself with its point glowing while it traveled the distance at an absurd speed and precisely at his face, taking a lot of space and making it hard to dodge. He had to use the blunt side of his blade while getting pushed back as she appeared in mid-air, finger going in certain seals as an array of needles appeared above him.
Her hand crashed down mid-air as if casting judgment upon him. The needles flew down at absurd speeds, covering all escape areas as he was forced to constantly block the attacks with his sword swinging at an equally ridiculous speed.
He forced himself to take it and qualify without revealing his most significant attacks to his opponent. But the only thought that crossed his mind was….
Why….
Am I…
Trying so Hard?
A mirage of images flashed by him, the face of his final opponent appearing in his mind.
He had faced cruelty…
Had been ostracized…
He wanted the respect of those around him but… he needed to demand it not allow them to walk all over him!
His eyes glowed whitish blue. Riptide held on as a shadow clone took its place momentarily in his stead. He crouched as the wind gathered around his palms, rotating around himself while another pulled the hand seals for it.
A bluish-white chakra surrounded his form while spinning angrily. Without notice, he was climbing towards her, her needles swallowed by the wind as he steadily gained her altitude. Her body formed a shield but was blasted across the field as soon as his leg came in contact. His eyes were hooded as he passed her in the air.
Everyone in the stadium was in awe of the jutsu used to bypass the deadly attack, but his gaze found the one trained bloodthirsty eye in the stands. Gaara looked on with a crazed smile in response to his determined one.
Jiraiya's POV
His eyes widened as he saw the jutsu in action. Tsunade's eyes widened as well at the rapid developments. But it was all worth seeing Jiraiya's mouth hanging open as if he was a man who had attempted to catch flies.
She smirked while saying," What? You did teach him that month, right?"
He shut his mouth while coughing into his hand," Of course I taught him. Don't forget we're talking about the prodigy of the great Jiraiya here!" He spoke while guffawing like a madman.
"He totally learned that from a different person!" Tsunade exclaimed while laughing at his expense. "I can't believe he decided that his master of a Sannin was no good master!"
Jiraiya regained his bearings and pride before explaining, "No, he didn't learn that from any other master. He mastered it himself."
Tsunade's eyes gleamed at the information. Even more than any jutsu, she really liked the boy's eyes. Those determined eyes….. Maybe he really was Minato's kid.
Naruto's POV
At the peak of his ascension and at the apex of his victory he was completely ignorant of it. Instead his staring match held all of his intention the small on his face felt almost forced as both projected their intent unknowingly. The indescribable bond of jinchuriki allowed them to be almost linked. It wasn't focused communication, more of a projection of experience and emotions. Both of their wills clashed, ideals combated, lives compared, wills pushed upon each other.
Naruto was shocked by the amount of pain he felt from Gaara. Naruto never had been the type to measure the struggles of his life upon others yet he could tell Gaara had struggled in a way Naruto was ignorant of. It was as if he could taste the betrayal, loneliness, and despair from Gaara. It seemed to be tempered by a cold intelligence, a mind that had been forged by pain. But at the end of this wave Naruto felt malice. The negativity of his life had made Gaara aim it outwards. He had rejected his humanity, he hated humans. He intended to change the world for those who suffered his burden. Yet it was done not out of any love or sense of justice. Gaara intended to do so by any means necessary. Violence wasn't a drastic measure for the redhead. Gaara used it as a mere tool. He wanted to make Naruto see his logic, to join him as a brother. Not only to help him in his goal. But Naruto could almost swear he could feel Gaara needed companionship.
Naruto felt almost smothered by the presence, his jutsu even flickered. He growled as he focused and sent out his own wave. Just as Gaara had done with him, Naruto sent a primal wave of intent. He showed the love he had experienced, the side of humanity that Gaara had never been exposed to. Happiness, loyalty, and the most human of all emotion; hope. His will flared and his chakra seemed to do the same. He sent his defiance, his refusal to allow Gaara to continue, that he wished to be there for the lonely monster. He saw Gaara blink as if shocked. Their momentary link, unintentional as it was, had faded. But Naruto's full power did not.
Chakra, powerful, plentiful, seemingly suffocating. It surged throughout Naruto, its power weighing on everyone present as if it was imbued with Naruto's power and pain.
He felt odd as his full power flew through his chakra pathways. In the month it seemed his chakra had become more powerful, his mind sharper and a cold focus would cover him. He felt it now, his mind becoming more focused and logical. Naruto's eyes seemed to almost glow as if they had spotted his goal and knew how to reach it. The same mindset that had taken him in training settled over him now. Naruto welcomed it.
It was time to show them.
Tenten's POV
She barely crawled to her feet glancing upon her shield as she did. Tenten winced as she saw it was dented and nearly fragmented. It had been her strongest shield… and the blonde had somehow kicked it apart… she was low on chakra, and Naruto had seemed to somehow become even stronger. He had been holding back this much? Why did he seem like a different person? Were his eyes always this intense?
Tenten decided his eyes unnerved her. This was a completely different person from what she had seen before the Chunin exams. That person was…terrifying. Still, she regained the gleam in her eyes. As much as she would have liked to say, she was afraid. The adrenaline running through her veins wouldn't let her back down. She formed a desperate plan as she resummoned her goblets. She flared her chakra into them overloading them, Danzo had always approved of sacrificial plans afterall.
Naruto landed and slowly marched forward. He had deactivated that absurdly powerful wind technique, likely realizing the goblets may cause such to backfire. But Tenten was under no illusion they were on even ground. Naruto seemed to be fresh as ever and had shown that he was much more of a threat than she had believed. He knew this as well, clear from his cautious yet confident approach. Tenten grimly smiled as her goblets bubbled menacingly. Naruto's eyes widened as he somehow caught on. He managed to form a simple seal but that was all.
Her goblets spilled over in a more enormous explosion than any previous ones.
Hundreds of blondes flew through the cloud. Most were crushed and burnt by the explosion but Naruto had somehow summoned hundreds to effectively smother the explosion. Her mind warned her but it did little good. Naruto grabbed her by her shirt. With a grunt of effort he hauled her around to build force before spiking her into the ground. Tenten did not even feel the impact, just an explosion of darkness in her vision. Tenten was sure she was dead at first before the shock wore off. 'This… new technique… must make me more durable…' her tired mind decided. Naruto landed slightly behind her in a slow controlled fall. Tenten somehow crawled to her feet instinctively.
Her world was spinning with all the blood rushing through her mind. Her balance was gone. She stood up on wobbly feet…before a silhouette of the man came into view, whispering ..." You're in the way."
That was all she got before she was knocked unconscious by his blade.
Naruto's POV
Naruto sighed as he lowered Tenten onto the ground gently. He had intended to make her surrender but she had pushed his hand and forced him to knock her out gently. So out of it, the shockingly powerful Tenten had been, that he merely jabbed his handle of Riptide into her gut.
Kakashi poofed in behind him with his classic orange book in hand and looked at it all as if he was uninterested. But Naruto could see the eye smiles the man somehow communicated with. He was even prouder than he had been.
Naruto smiled but the moment was somewhat ruined by the stony silence of the audience. Some muted applause from shinobi in the crowd who had no choice but to respect a battle that was clearly Chunin level but there were a silent minority and seemed to only spotlight the majority silence.
Kakashi crouched down to check on Tenten, gingerly doing so in case she was injured before nodding allowing several medical officials to come onto the field and aid Tenten off it.
Kakashi then stood straight and flared his chakra as he had done before to get the crowd watching.
"The first round of the Chunin Exams Finals is complete. The victor: Naruto Uzumaki!"