Chapter Twenty-Four: The True Strength of the stand demon and the youthful beast
The preliminaries continued after Naruto's dominant display in his fight against Kiba. The tension in the room was palpable, with every participant realizing that this Chunin Exam was far more intense than they had imagined.
The next match was announced: Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga.
Hinata timidly stepped forward, her hands clasped nervously as she approached the arena. Neji, on the other hand, exuded confidence, his expression stoic yet disdainful as he made his way down.
"You should forfeit, Hinata," Neji said coldly, his eyes narrowing as he activated his Byakugan. "You're not cut out for this."
Hinata hesitated, her fingers twitching as she looked at Neji. "I won't give up," she said softly but firmly, surprising many in the audience, including Naruto.
Hayate signaled for the match to begin, and the two Hyuga cousins engaged in a fierce battle. Hinata fought bravely, using her gentle fist style to the best of her ability, but Neji's precision and overwhelming skill quickly became apparent. Each strike he landed was calculated, targeting Hinata's chakra points and systematically shutting them down.
Naruto watched intently from above, clenching his fists as Neji continued to taunt Hinata throughout the fight. "What's wrong, Hinata? Did you really think someone as weak as you could ever hope to defeat me? Your efforts are meaningless."
Despite the pain and the odds stacked against her, Hinata refused to back down. "People… can change," she said, struggling to stand, blood dripping from her lips. She glanced up at Naruto, drawing strength from his determination. "I… can change."
Her defiance only angered Neji further. With a final, devastating strike, he sent Hinata collapsing to the ground. The Proctor stepped in, declaring Neji the winner, but Neji's cold glare lingered on Hinata as she was carried away by medics.
Naruto slammed his fist against the railing. "What's his problem?" he muttered, his voice laced with anger.
"It's not just anger," Tenten said as she stepped up beside him. "Neji believes in fate—he thinks everyone has a predetermined place in life, and Hinata's efforts to defy that really set him off." She paused, glancing at Naruto. "By the way, that was a pretty impressive win earlier. You've come a long way since the academy, haven't you?"
Naruto blinked, slightly taken aback by the compliment, but he quickly grinned. "Thanks! I've been working hard. But I'll show Neji that fate isn't set in stone. He can't just treat people like that."
Tenten smiled slightly. "Good luck with that. You'll need it."
The tension in the room only grew as the next match was announced: Rock Lee vs. Gaara.
Lee and Gaara descended into the arena, the contrast between them stark. Gaara's cold, unfeeling demeanor was unsettling, while Lee's focused determination was inspiring.
"Prepare yourself," Lee said, his voice calm yet resolute. "I will not hold back."
Gaara remained silent, his sand shifting ominously around him.
The match began, and Lee launched into an incredible display of speed and skill, his taijutsu pushing Gaara's sand defense to its limits. Every blow he landed was precise and powerful, yet Gaara's sand shield seemed impenetrable.
As the fight intensified, Lee removed his leg weights, revealing his true speed. The entire arena gasped as Lee vanished from sight, appearing behind Gaara and delivering a devastating kick that sent the sand ninja flying.
Naruto watched in awe, his eyes wide. "Lee's amazing," he whispered.
"Yeah, but Gaara's no pushover," Tenten said, her tone more serious.
The battle took a darker turn as Gaara began to use his sand to attack with lethal intent. Lee countered valiantly, even opening the inner gates to boost his power. The room was stunned into silence as Lee unleashed his strongest techniques, pushing Gaara to the brink.
As Lee unleashed the Hidden Lotus, it seemed as though victory was within his grasp. However, Gaara's sand armor absorbed the blow, and his counterattack left Lee gravely injured.
Kakashi turned to Guy, his tone sharp. "Why would you teach such a technique to a genin? You know the risks of opening the gates!"
Guy folded his arms, his expression uncharacteristically somber. "Lee is different. He doesn't have natural talent like you or your students. All he has is hard work, and these techniques allow him to prove that hard work can surpass genius. I believe in him."
The medics rushed in to carry Lee away as Guy stood by his side, a rare display of emotion on his face.
Naruto felt a pit in his stomach as he watched the scene unfold. Lee had given everything he had, and yet it wasn't enough.
Sasuke, standing nearby, clenched his fists tightly. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Gaara, the sheer power the sand ninja displayed igniting a burning frustration within him. "I have to get stronger," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
Naruto, too, felt the weight of the battle. He knew that he wasn't ready to face opponents like Gaara or even Lee. The realization hit him hard, but instead of despair, it fueled his determination.
The next fight was announced: Temari vs. Tenten.
Good luck tenten
Tenten confidently stepped forward, glancing "I don't need your luck Naruto," she said with a smirk.
Naruto grinned. "Then just show them what you've got."
The fight began, and Tenten used her arsenal of weapons to try and overwhelm Temari. However, Temari's fan-based wind techniques nullified Tenten's attacks with ease.
As the battle came to its conclusion, Temari used her fan to send Tenten hurtling toward the ground. Before Tenten could crash into the steel of the arena, Naruto leapt down and caught her, setting her gently to the side.
"You did great," he said, his voice calm yet protective.
Naruto turned to Temari, his gaze narrowing as he unconsciously released a wave of killing intent. Temari froze in place for a moment, her body trembling under the weight of his presence. The room fell silent as everyone stared at Naruto in shock.
Temari quickly regained her composure, her face pale as she returned to her team, avoiding eye contact with Naruto.
Tenten looked up at him, her expression a mix of gratitude and shock. "Thanks, Naruto… but what was that just now?"
Naruto shook his head, his own confusion mirrored in his expression. "I don't know, but I'll figure it out."
As the preliminaries continued, the tension in the air only grew. Both Naruto and Sasuke knew they had a long way to go, but for now, they were determined to rise to the challenge.