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Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 46: The Chunin Trials
🕑 Added 2024-09-20 05:17:40 +0000 UTCThe sound of paper being shuffled around and an occasional thud sounded through the office as Tsunade silently regarded the trio of Jonin standing in front of her desk.
“Relations with Suna are fragile as it stands, disregarding the threat of the Akatsuki,” Tsunade hummed, locking her fingers together. “These next Chunin exams are going to be more dangerous than usual. If you wish to withdraw your teams, I won’t fault you.”
“The possibility of Suna turning on us once more has me concerned, I will admit,” Gai began, rubbing his chin. “But I believe that my students are more than ready for these exams. If a war was to break out, I, along with any other Konoha Jonin would be nearby to assist and evacuate our students if it becomes necessary.”
Tsunade accepted Gai’s resolution with a nod before turning towards the other two Jonin. “What are your thoughts on the matter?”
“My team will be going as well,” Asuma said, stepping forward. “Their skills with their family Jutsu have grown along with their teamwork. I have no doubt in their abilities and believe that they are ready for this.”
Following Asuma’s lead, Kurenai stepped forward. “My team will also attend,” She announced. “I will admit that I am worried about the current situation, but I know what each one of my students is capable of. If the worst were to happen, I know that they will, at the very least, be capable of avoiding major threats and escaping to a safe location.”
Tsunade considered each of the Jonin standing in front of her with a soft hum. “Perhaps we should put it to a test… seeing as you’re all so confident,” She added.
“What kind of test?” Kurenai asked cautiously.
“I have a Shinobi who is familiar with what the Akatsuki are capable of. Rest assured, I’m not asking for your teams to be able to beat him in a straight fight,” Tsunade explained.
“No doubt, it’s Kakashi,” Gai announced boisterously. “He mentioned that he came into contact with an Akatsuki member in the Land of Iron. It has been a while since our last challenge, I look forward to breaking our tie.”
Tsunade simply smirked.
“The test will be held in the empty fields of training ground 43… It would have been held in training ground 44, but that is currently under reconstruction after a portion of the forest was burned down and the tower partially destroyed,” Tsunade sighed. “You have one hour to prepare your teams. If you’re not there in that time, I will take it as a sign that you no longer wish for your students to participate in the upcoming exams. Dismissed.”
Asuma and Kurenai gave a nod before rushing off to prepare their teams while Gai remained behind.
“Is there something that I can help you with, Gai?”
“I simply wished to confirm if Kakashi’s team will also be participating in these exams,” Gai replied. “And if he is, how will his team be participating in this test?”
“Yes, team 7 will be participating in these exams,” Tsunade nodded, meeting Gai’s gaze. “I’ve personally witnessed their growth and know that they’re more than ready for what’s to come. They won’t be participating in this test today, after all, none of them are currently in Konoha.”
Gai’s eyes widened at the implication, before a confident grin came to his face. “I see. Then I’ll personally look forward to seeing who my students will be facing in this test.”
“You do that, Gai,” Tsunade chuckled.
…PTL…
“How does it feel seeing your old classmates?” Tsunade asked, casually leaning against a tree with her arms crossed.
Crouching down on the branch next to her, I shrugged. “I never really spent that much time with them. They all seem to have grown a little stronger and… wait, is that Karin?”
“It is,” Tsunade nodded. “Did you forget that you were the one that recommended Shino be promoted after I became Hokage? Team 8 needed a new Genin and Karin needed a team.”
“Right,” I muttered.
I had actually forgotten that. In my defense, a lot had happened since then.
“So tell me again why this became more of a test than a demonstration.”
“It changed when a pair of my Shinobi… not saying who… burned down a quarter of the Forest of Death and damaged the tower where the preliminaries would normally be held,” Tsunade replied.
I winced at that. Yeah, Anko and I had been a bit too enthusiastic in our fight.
“Sorry about that,” I apologized. “Shouldn’t Anko be here to help me then?”
“Unfortunately she’s got a mission to prepare for,” Tsunade sighed. “There’s been a… strange case of villages in the South of the Land of Fire disappearing. The structures remain and are relatively undamaged, but the people are gone. She’s been sent to investigate what the cause is and report back immediately.”
That sounded a little familiar.
‘Kurama, do you think that it could be…”
“It’s not. Kabuto died alongside Orochimaru, I’m absolutely certain of that,” Kurama replied. “Whatever’s going on there doesn’t appear to be related to the Akatsuki either. Maybe this is just something that’s happening naturally due to the changes we’ve made to the timeline.”
That was a little concerning. Villages don’t just suddenly disappear, especially not quietly. It would take a group of well organized Shinobi to pull something like that off.
Whatever was going on, I had faith that Anko would get to the bottom of it.
“It seems that Asuma’s team is a little late,” I idly noted. “You said that they were supposed to be here within an hour, right?”
“I did,” Tsunade sighed. “They all seemed confident in their teams, Asuma especially. It’s likely that one of his students is dragging their feet.”
That was probably Shikamaru… but then again it could be Choji, especially if they needed to lure him out with a bag of chips. Asuma and Ino seemed to be the only ones on that team that actively wanted to get things done.
Humming, Tsunade turned her gaze to the side, catching sight of Team 10’s arrival. “So they finally made it… and they’re only a little late. I think I’ll go stand with the Jonin and watch how well their students do.”
“Well,” I began, stretching as I stood. “Let’s go see how much they’ve improved.”
…PTL…
“I can’t believe that we’re late,” Ino growled, stomping her way into the training ground. “I swear, if we miss out on our chance to become Chunin, I’m going to kick both of your asses.”
“A few minutes shouldn’t make that big of a difference,” Shikamaru muttered tiredly. “Besides, what’s the big deal if we miss this exam? We could compete in the next one.”
“The big deal, Shikamaru,” Ino ground out. “Is that we’ve been Genin for way too long. The Sandaime Hokage’s grandson just became a Genin. If we want to be taken seriously, we need to be promoted.”
Entering the main clearing for the training ground, the trio found themselves the center of attention. Everyone paused to watch them, even Lee who was in the middle of his one armed pushups.
“Maybe you could say that a little louder next time,” Shikamaru sighed, palming his face. “I’m sure the other Genin will be happy to hear about how far behind we all are.”
“Ehehe, sorry,” Ino apologized.
“Eh, no worries,” Tenten shrugged. “My team’s been Genin for a lot longer than yours. At some point you just stop giving a damn.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing,” Ino muttered softly under her breath.
The tension soon dissipated, Lee returned to his pushups, team 8 kept to themselves under the shade of one of the trees and Neji stood to the side, staring off into the distance with a small scowl on his face.
“We… didn’t miss it, did we?” Ino asked nervously.
“No,” Lee answered. “My team was the first to arrive here, if this test had started, we would have known about it.”
“No one has shown up yet,” Tenten added. “Maybe the one who’s giving the test is running late.”
“Or,” Karin began. “They were waiting for everyone to arrive first.”
Ino let out a tired sigh. “You try being on time with these two lazy asses. Shikamaru misplaced his Kunai holster and Choji needed to finish his second breakfast.”
“Couldn’t you have just mind controlled them?” Karin asked. “To… you know, make sure that they arrive on time.”
“I tried that once before, but Asuma-sensei scolded me,” Ino winced before cracking a smile at Karin’s laughter. “So, any idea what this is all about. Asuma-sensei only told us that it was a test to see if we were ready for the Chunin exams.”
“It’s…” Tenten began.
Akamaru let out a low growl.
Before anyone could react, a Kunai with several paper bombs attached to the back landed in the middle of the group and began to burn.
The teams quickly dived out of the way, taking shelter behind the trees, bracing for an explosion, only for the paper bombs to fizzle out.
“Well,” I began, plucking my Kunai out of the ground. “At least you’ve got enough survival instincts to react to a surprise attack… Although, if this was the real thing, I would have used the bomb to push you into a second trap I set in the trees.”
“Hey, what the hell, man?! You can’t just…” Kiba yelled out, before pausing after taking a breath. “Wait, Naruto? What’re you doing here, man?”
Karin’s head popped out from behind a tree. “Naruto?” She asked with a light blush on her face. “You’re back again. It’s been a while, how long are you staying in Konoha?”
“A while,” I answered vaguely.
The teams began to come out of their hiding places. Team 10 mostly seemed annoyed at the surprise attack, with Ino pulling a twig out of her hair. Team 8 seemed to be the most relaxed one, although Hinata’s face went a bright red when she caught sight of me.
Gai’s team on the other hand had the most varied reactions. Tenten seemed mostly indifferent with Lee looking excited. Neji on the other hand was glaring at me, his Byakugan activated out of sheer anger.
The last time I saw him, I had punched him in the gut and left him in a foreign country infested with mosquitoes and a variety of other insects, so I suppose that was a fair reaction… it was understandable at the very least.
“To answer your question, Ino,” I continued. “You’re all being tested because the next Chunin exam is being held in Suna. While they are our allies, we’re just making sure that you’ll all be able to hold out long enough if something happens.”
“How troublesome,” Shikamaru muttered. “Tensions must still be high with Suna if the Hokage thinks that a war might break out.”
“The situation is a little more complicated than that,” I explained. “But that’s something that you’ll learn more about if you pass.”
“What does this test involve?” Lee asked eagerly, waving his arm in the air.
“You just have to beat me,” I said simply.
…PTL…
“So, are you all ready?” I asked, crossing my arms as I waited for the team.
“Just… give us a few more seconds,” Ino said. Whispering something to her two teammates, she turned back towards me. “You’re not going to use the Kyuubi, are you?”
“If I need to use his Chakra, then I think you’ve more than earned your spot in the Chunin exams,” I replied.
From the look of relief on her face, it seemed that Ino still had a few issues since she last saw Kurama.
“I’ll be sure to give her some more if she decides to barge in here again,” Kurama hummed lazily. “Maybe flare my Chakra and really give her something to worry about.”
‘Just don’t scare her too badly, alright. She’s not a bad person… and this is just a test. There’s no need to do anything damaging.’
“Fine,” Kurama grumbled.
“We’re ready,” Shikamaru announced.
“Alright, so the rules are simple. All you need to do is get me off of this slab,” I explained, pointing to the circular stone slab that I was standing on. “You can use whatever you want to achieve your goal. If you’re incapacitated or if I’m still in this circle after five minutes, you lose.”
None of the Genin teams were expected to fight the Akatsuki during the Chunin exams. At most they needed to be able to survive an initial attack and flee, if they were capable of actually making me move, then they should have enough ability to defend themselves.
“The spar begins when this hits the ground,” I announced, lightly flicking a Kunai into the air.
The Kunai impacted the ground and the team immediately exploded into action. Ino and Choji split up, throwing Shuriken in my direction as they rushed to flank me while Shikamaru kneeled down and locked his hands into a single hand seal.
It wasn’t a bad tactic, but it was a little overly reliant on my lack of ability to move in this spar.
Catching the incoming Shuriken, I managed to return them to Ino and Choji before Shikamaru’s shadow latched on to my own, seemingly locking me in place.
“Shadow Possession success,” Shikamaru smirked, standing as Choji and Ino returned to his side. “You were at a severe disadvantage by not being able to move. If this had been a proper spar, things likely would have gone differently.”
He wasn’t wrong, if this had been a proper spar, the entire team would be unconscious by now.
“Doesn’t this seem a little too… easy?” Ino asked cautiously. “I mean… Naruto was promoted to Jonin.”
“That’s Shikamaru for you,” Choji replied nonchalantly.
“What insane strength,” Shikamaru commented as he failed to puppet my movement with his own.
“It’s actually not strength at all,” I hummed lightly. “Your technique is great for restraining people, but it’s easy to counter if you were planning on forcing me to move.”
Shikamaru followed my gaze down to my feet which were partially incased in Chakra enhanced stone. Shikamaru could restrain me, but he wouldn’t be able to make me move.
“I’ll hold him here,” Shikamaru began. “Choji, you force him off the platform. Ino, you’ll stay behind and supply support if necessary.”
“You got it,” Choji replied.
Choji’s body suddenly inflated and he began spinning on the spot, tearing up large chunks of the ground before darting forward.
Seeing the incoming wall of flesh, I forced my way through Shikamaru’s Jutsu and formed a weak Rasengan in my hand, holding it out towards Choji’s rapidly approaching attack.
Shikamaru’s eyes widened, his shadow swiftly detached from my own and connected to Choji’s, changing his path in the last moment, sending him into the woods.
“I made it… just in time,” Shikamaru muttered softly. “That was an A-rank Jutsu. If it came into contact with Choji, it would have done some serious damage.”
“It was weakened. At worst, Choji would have gotten a flesh wound,” I shrugged. “You’re going to have to take this a little more seriously if you want to attend the Chunin exams… unless you want to forfeit instead.”
“Like hell,” Ino snapped. “I’ve… We’ve worked too hard to back down now. We’re attending those exams.”
“Shikamaru,” Choji called out as he landed back in the clearing. “What do we do now?”
Shikamaru hummed in thought. Crouching down, he closed his eyes and brought his hands together in a meditative pose.
“Hah,” Choji laughed. “You’re in for it now, Nar…”
“Earth Style,” I muttered, slamming my hand onto the ground.
The earth around Shikamaru exploded violently, pulling him down until only his head was exposed before it began to harden once more.
“Do you really think that you could just sit down in the middle of a fight and take a minute to figure out a plan?” I asked incredulously. I was all for giving them a fighting chance, but that was just ridiculous.
Choji’s hands grew several times larger as he raised them high into the air, before rapidly bringing them down, shattering the ground below. Moving swiftly, Ino grabbed onto Shikamaru and pulled him out of the ground before it had time to solidify once more.
Jumping back, the trio hid themselves in a tree in a bid to buy time and avoid being swallowed by the earth.
I could only sigh as I resigned myself to wait for them. I was honestly caught off guard with Shikamaru’s earlier stunt of taking a minute to think. He was incredibly smart, but he was overly reliant on his intelligence to the point where he neglected his body and techniques.
The minutes slowly ticked by until there was barely one left.
Choji burst from the cover of the trees, his body growing to a massive size as he raced towards me. Clapping my hands together, I felt something constrict my throat as my body locked up.
“Shadow neck binding success,” Shikamaru announced from behind me.
Briefly flaring my Chakra, the air in the training ground suddenly became heavy and the bindings were released. I exhaled a stream of fire, forcing Choji to suddenly pull back in order to keep himself from being burned.
“Stop,” Ino ordered, her hands shaking as she held them together, aiming directly at me.
“Ino, you’ve already tried that once before and it didn’t end well,” I said lightly.
“With the Mind Transfer, yes,” She said, before shifting her hands. “But not the Mind Destruction. Step off of the platform.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I hummed. “And I don’t think using that Jutsu is a good idea.”
“Then… you’ve left me no choice,” Ino replied. “Mind Destruction Jutsu.”
Silence sounded through the training ground as the fighting suddenly stopped. Team 10 cautiously made their way to the platform.
“For…” Ino swallowed heavily. “For a second there, I was worried that the Kyuubi would cause issues.”
“That is a concern. Let’s get him off that platform quickly before something happens.”
The timer on the clock ticked by, they only had a few more seconds before they failed the test.
“Too late,” Kurama began, his deep voice sending a chill up their spines. “The human world… it has been too long. You have my thanks, girl, for dealing with Naruto.”
“Cancel it, cancel it now,” Shikamaru called out in a panic.
“I’m trying,” Ino replied.
“We need to get the Sensei’s,” Choji said.
“Excellent idea. I could use a snack. Now why don’t you...” He paused, letting out a sigh as the clock suddenly rung. “It seems that this test is over. What a pity, I wanted to see how far I could take this.”
“What?!” Shikamaru asked, unable to make sense of what was going on.
“The test that Naruto gave you… You were unable to move his body off of this slab and now you’ve failed,” Kurama explained. “What about this is throwing you off? You know what, I’m just going to let Naruto explain. The first conversation I have outside of this seal in over a year and it’s with you three… unbelievable.”
“Sorry about that,” I apologized to the scared and confused trio of Genin.
“Was that the…” Shikamaru trailed off.
“Kyuubi? Yes,” I nodded. “Why don’t the three of you go meet up with your Sensei so long,” I suggested. “Oh, and can you send Team 8 here while you’re at it.”
…PTL…
“Huh, I expected this place to be more destroyed,” Karin commented as she arrived in the clearing alongside her team. “Ino seemed pretty freaked out when she told us it was our turn.”
“That’s… a bit of a long story,” I chuckled. “So, do you three know the rules for this spar or do I have to go over them again?”
“We just gotta knock you off of that circle, right?” Kiba asked.
“That’s pretty much it,” I nodded. “Try and take this a little more seriously than Team 10 or you’re not going to win. Don’t hold back.” I looked directly at Hinata and while her face did turn red, she didn’t shrink in on herself.
Much like last time, the match began once one of my Kunai impacted the ground. Kiba immediately began by throwing several purple balls that exploded, releasing a cloud of smoke which quickly engulfed the training field, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.
Hearing a yell, I shifted to the side, avoiding Kiba and Akamaru as the sailed through the space I had just been standing.
It wasn’t a bad plan. Hinata had her Byakugan to see through the smoke while Kiba and Akamaru could rely on their nose… Even Karin had her sensory abilities which she could rely on instead of her sight.
Exhaling a burst of wind, a portion of the smoke was blown away, revealing Kiba, spiraling towards me midair. Grabbing his arms, I halted his movement, only for him to smirk and drop a pair of smoke bombs right at my feet.
“Akamaru, now!” Kiba called out.
Feeling a presence behind me, I released my hold on Kiba and ducked just in time for Akamaru to collide with his partner. I didn’t have time to rest however as Hinata arrived, thrusting her palm towards my chest.
Spinning on the spot, I avoided the blow as her momentum carried her past me.
Coming to a stop, Hinata took a low stance as she looked up with her Byakugan active. “Eight Trigrams… Thirty Two Palms.”
Batting the attacks to the side while being careful to ensure that I never came into contact with the tips of her fingers, I idly noted that no one else was helping Hinata out. This would be the perfect time for Kiba and Akamaru to attempt a surprise attack or for Karin to make a move.
“Not bad, you’ve really improved since we last sparred,” I hummed, catching Hinata’s wrists as she attempted to land the last blows. “I wonder what you’ll do now that you’ve been caught.”
“I…” Hinata began, her face turning bright red from our close proximity.
A Kunai with a tag attached to it whistled through the air as it suddenly passed between us. Hinata’s Byakugan deactivated and she turned to the side just as while clenching her eyes shut.
Releasing my hold on Hinata, I shielded my eyes as the tag went off, emitting a blinding light that was further spread by all of the white smoke in the field.
“Try that on for size,” Karin yelled as she rushed by, dropping another tagged Kunai as she dragged Hinata along with her.
A second flash briefly lit up the field before dying down. Blinking as my vision slowly returned to me. The smoke began to lift and I found myself alone in the training ground with dozens of paper bombs littering the ground which all lit up at the same time.
Slamming my hands into the ground, a wall of earth grew around me. The ground shook violently as the explosion washed over the training ground, cracking the wall.
Standing up once the explosion died down. The wall suddenly shattered and I was forced to block a spinning attack by a set of massive claws.
The wall finished crumbling and along with it, the platform I had been standing on. I threw the attacker to the side of the training ground and finally got a good look at it. A massive two headed wolf snarled at me as it readied to launch itself at me once more.
My attention, however, was drawn to the side of the clearing where Karin and Hinata stood behind a red barrier with Karin intently focused on creating more tags.
“That’s enough,” I called out, jumping to the side as Kiba once more began his attack. “This spar is over.”
Hinata let out a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness.”
“Damnit,” Karin cursed. “I was really looking forward to finally being able to use these,” She said, holding several tags with bits of Jutsu Shiki drawn on them.
“Definitely an Uzumaki,” Kurama deadpanned. “Someone should keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t try doing something crazy… like sealing death in a mask.”
‘I doubt she’ll go that far,’ I thought back. The formula on the tags didn’t look too dangerous.
A cloud of smoke briefly blew through the field as Kiba released his transformation.
“Maybe some other time, Karin,” I hummed. “The three of you fought really well. You’ve really improved, Karin.”
They weren’t exceptionally strong, but they worked together nearly perfectly, playing to their individual advantages while still acting like a team.
“I just…” Karin began. “I didn’t want to feel helpless again… like when Itachi attacked us… like when I was in Kusa,”
Hinata placed a comforting hand on Karin’s shoulder. It appeared that she had been able to connect with others, despite all the pain she had endured in the past. I was happy for her.
…PTL…
“Naruto,” Lee called out excitedly as he arrived in the patched up training ground followed closely by his less than enthusiastic teammates. “Come, let us have a most youthful spar!”
Funnily enough, I had been looking forward to this fight almost as much as Lee. Out of all the Genin teams in Konoha, Gai’s was among the strongest.
“Do you need me to explain the rules again, or…”
“Yes please,” Lee interrupted. “I would like to know what restrictions are being placed on us for this spar.”
“None,” I replied. “As I told the other teams, you shouldn’t hold back. Treat me as if I were a real enemy… Just don’t do anything that will lead to you permanently damaging your body, this is only a test, after all.”
I would be less than happy if Lee ended up accidentally crippling himself in a spar against me… especially with everything I did to ensure that he didn’t end up being crippled by Gaara.
“Any more questions?” I asked. Waiting for several moments, I continued. “Then… begin.”
Running forward while Neji and Tenten remained behind, Lee launched himself into the air, performing a spinning kick.
Blocking the kick, I noticed the added weight behind it. “You might want to take those ankle weights of yours off for this fight,” I said, forcing him back. “They might make you hit a little harder, but the added weight isn’t going to do anything to me.”
While Lee’s leg weights were heavy, they just couldn’t compete with the types of weights Bee and the Raikage used… I might need to see about getting some of those weights in the future, just to see if it would help Gai and Lee with their near constant training.
“I will take that into consideration,” Lee replied as he jumped back as a barrage of weapons flew towards my position.
Copying Temari, I exhaled a large stream of air, blowing her weapons back.
Weaving his way through the weapons, Neji threw his palm forward, sending a wave of compressed air my way, before he continued to rush forward. For a moment, it appeared that Lee was going to join Neji, but a harsh glare stopped him in his tracks.
“I will handle this,” Neji announced coldly, coming to a stop in front of me. “Eight Trigrams, Sixty Four Palms.”
“Are you still angry about how I left you in Taki?” I asked as I began to block his strikes.
Neji was far faster and far more accurate than Hinata. While I had managed to prevent even a single blow from landing against my vital spots, he had still managed to land several hits against my hands and parts of my arm, closing the Tenketsu only for a moment before they were forced open by my Chakra.
“Or is this about our alliance with Kumo?”
Neji scowled and continued his attack.
I swear I could strangle Hiashi. Even after all this time, he hadn’t explained what really happened during the Hyuga incident. Neji had a right to know what his father chose… It would give him some closure at the very least.
“You’re angry about what happened to your father and Kumo’s role in the matter,” I pressed.
“Shut up! You know nothing,” Neji spat, throwing his palm forward in an attempt to use a point blank Vacuum Palm.
Grabbing his wrist, I pulled him forward. “The Raikage knew that he got the wrong brother that day. You should ask Hiashi what really happened,” I whispered.
Ducking under a second palm strike, I imbedded my fist into Neji’s gut, before pushing heavily, sending him flying reeling back.
“Lee, get Neji out of here,” Tenten called out. “I’m using it!”
Catching Neji, Lee rushed off with him, evacuating the clearing while Tenten launched herself high into the air.
Opening a scroll, she unsealed a massive spiked flail that began to fall. Detonating several explosive tags, Tenten managed to increase its speed, sending it hurtling towards the ground below.
“You don’t see that every day,” Kurama muttered softly.
No you did not. At the rate that it was going, I wouldn’t be able to catch it without using Sage Mode or Kurama’s Chakra. Destroying it was also out of the question as that would likely end up killing Tenten. Moving it out of my path, however… That I could do.
I threw a Kunai to the furthest end of the Training ground and formed a single Shadow Clone that immediately jumped towards the descending spiked steel ball and, upon making contact with it, vanished instantly.
A few seconds passed, before a loud crack, accompanied by a massive tremor passed through the training field. A lot of force had just impacted the ground. Hopefully Tenten was alright.
“She’s still alive,” Kurama replied.
That was a relief.
Moving on instinct, Lee’s form blurred past me, his fist colliding with a nearby tree, shattering it. His skin had turned red and his body hummed with energy.
“Even in this form, you have still managed to avoid me,” Lee began. “Let’s see how you handle this then.”
Rushing forward, he began to race around me, picking up speed while creating a large gust of wind. Stopping in front of me, he threw a kick, attempting to initiate the Primary Lotus.
Shifting to the side, I narrowly avoided Lee’s kick. He was fast, there was no doubt about that. He just wasn’t as fast as Bee or the Raikage. Fighting Lee in the state he was now with my limited mobility was incredibly difficult. One wrong move and I would be thrown from my slab.
“Why are you only dodging?” Lee asked through gritted teeth.
Narrowly dodging his attacks, the ground cracked as I caught one of Lee’s slower punches. “You’re not going to be able to keep this form up forever. All I need to do in order to win this is to wait for you to reach your limit.”
Hearing the sound of shuriken whistle towards, I idly reached out and snatched them out of the air, only to feel a wave of pressure knock me off balance.
“Lee!” Tenten yelled out.
Raising my arm, I managed to block Lee’s strike, only to be sent sailing backwards. It seemed that Tenten had managed to make her way back and Neji finally caught his second breath.
In the end, they managed to put any personal issues aside and work as a team. While it’s unlikely that they would be able to hold an Akatsuki member off for more than a few minutes, they would at the very least be able to survive an attack.
“Uzumaki… I think you owe me some answers now,” Neji said.
“Hiashi’s the one you should be asking that,” I replied. “He should at least have the chance to explain what really happened that night with your father.”
Comments
SkulduggeryHaven
Exactly that. There are around 80k living Shinobi in the world with very few ever rising to the strength of a Kage. The Akatsuki, the Jinchuriki, the Kage, Kakashi and Gai only make up a little over 20. In a way, Asuma is a little like Shikamaru. Instead of training to grow stronger, he's comfortable at the level he's at now and has become complacent. He hasn't seen first hand the threat that the Akatsuki poses, so he sees no real reason to take things seriously.
savitar
If he thinks Kakaashi and Gai are exceptions then what the hell does he think of each fucking Kage? Damn Naruto trains like crazy and in a few months he's stronger than him. Although I bet he argues that it's because he's a jinchuriki. The guy doesn't understand or possibly doesn't know what the true monsters of the shinobi world are.
SkulduggeryHaven
Yeah, I also think it may be necessary. For Shikamaru, I feel he's way too over reliant on his intelligence and Technique. He doesn't consider what will happen if he's not good enough. Asuma is his model for an exceptional Shinobi, so long as nothing bad happens to Asuma, Shikamaru never loses his confidence. Asuma on the other hand can be a little too over confident. When he sees other Shinobi that are way more powerful than him, like Gai and Kakashi, he writes it off as a fluke. Kurenai... There's not much shown about her, but I've got a few ideas on how to make her a little more useful in a fight.
savitar
Maybe it's necessary. Seriously I'll never understand why Asuma thought they should promote Shikamaru, maybe if someone had kicked his ass before, good old Shika would have been much more effective As far as I'm concerned Asuma should understand that he's little more than another jonin in the village, he doesn't have any outstanding skills and he's too relaxed. I think a good beating wouldn't hurt him Kurenai, well I don't know. They show a shitty Kurenai in the series so she's a character that can be shaped in all the ways you want
SkulduggeryHaven
That is true. Out of all the Jonin, Asuma and Kurenai are the ones most in need of a wakeup call. Gai on the other hand... Yeah, he's one of the few in Konoha that can give Naruto a proper fight.
savitar
You don't grow up without getting beaten up Maybe if they see what a real fight means, that will lead them to become better ninjas Of the three jonin, the only one who would give Naruto any trouble is Gai
SkulduggeryHaven
That could be a pretty fun fight. Asuma, Gai and Kurenai all specialize to a degree, with Gai being a master at Taijutsu, Asuma Ninjutsu and Kurenai Genjutsu. The rest of the Genin would get a chance to see what types of battles lay ahead and Naruto wouldn’t have to hold back.
savitar
And that's what I call a one-sided beating hahahaha You know, I think he'd have to face the jonin, you know, so that the poor genin don't feel like they've been scammed in some way.
SkulduggeryHaven
Yep. The Yamanaka techniques are just an extremely bad match for Jinchuriki.
Zombie45
Poor Ino, twice she's gone up against Naruto only to be screwed over by Kurama
SkulduggeryHaven
Lol dude. I just woke up to post this.
James French
Me: about to go to bed KLRC: nah fam, new chappy
