Chapter 105: The Time Comes... Hinata's Plea!

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Kakashi's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)

Kakashi was unsure how he felt once Naruto was chosen to fight Gaara. Naruto had seemed absolutely sure it would happen, and Kakashi had not doubted him. But he could not feel as if his student was not ready. Gaara had a soulless quality in his eyes, which Kakashi had seen before. Something his father had held when he had left. Nothing was left behind but a note telling them he had hidden away and planned to die alone. A grim reminder of his past.

No one as young as him should hold their eyes like that. Not when Kakashi had them at one point, back in his Anbu days. When he had mindlessly and tirelessly completed the most difficult of missions. Truthfully, he had been searching for death, unwilling to kill himself yet looking for a battle he could not win. It had earned him his infamy through the blood of countless enemies soaked on his hands. Gaara had those same eyes, was intent on killing or taking Naruto, and seemed much more powerful than any mere Genin should be.

Was Naruto ready for an opponent of that caliber? Would he ever forgive Kakashi if he dared interfere or suggested he surrender? What did Kushina want him to do? What would Minato think? Had Jiraiya done his job?

As if further complicating his situation, the crowd cheered and chanted wildly. This was the semi-finals of the biggest Chunin Exam ever. They had already seen both participant's battles and knew they were powerful and skilled. Though they were mere Genin, many had shown a combat aptitude and power of Chunin or Jounin. And these two had yet to even seem strained. Instead, they appeared to steamroll the competition. They were both monsters in their eyes as well. Jinchuriki posing as humans bred for violence. There would be no need to form a favorite. With any luck, they would kill each other. The civilians thought hatefully, though the majority of shinobi saw it differently. They knew how powerful jinchuriki were and knew the risk of two clashing like this. Regardless, the entire audience knew the upcoming bout would be one worthy of note.

Kakashi glanced around until his eyes landed on the Kage Box. Should Gaara make a mistake here and kill Naruto, there would be an international incident. Likely even war, it had been had before for much pettier reasons. Yet alone the death of a military asset as valuable as a jinchuriki. It was his job to ensure it would not happen this way. All while not interfering in a way that would embarrass, infuriate, or disqualify his student. A conundrum of duty and wants. The whirl of his mind and the endless roar of the crowd were slowly and surely giving him a headache.

His life seemed more straightforward when he had been an anbu captain. Kakashi had wished to serve his sensei's student as his father had served him. Now, here he was, about to watch as a spectator as Naruto ran head-first toward a monster who would gladly slay him.

Was Kakashi to watch someone he loved die again? In ten minutes, he'd find out…

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 Naruto's POV (Medical Ward of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)

Naruto was never a man who had suffered much from stage fright. He craved attention in his younger days. And now, knew such would be expected for a future Hokage. Yet he was sure this fight was different. It felt more like when he had fought Juzo, he was uncertain he could defeat them but determined to die trying. Determined to show them he was not to be trifled with.

But Naruto had learned from Jiraiya that sometimes mere guts alone wouldn't be enough. A wise man leveraged guts with information to fearlessly succeed in any goal. As such, Naruto was determined to question his query. Learn anything he could to gain an advantage over Gaara.

Hinata Hyuga was someone Naruto was vaguely aware of. In the academy days, the two of them had never crossed paths. Then Neji mentioned her positively, and to cap it off, he witnessed her fearlessly fighting Gaara, someone even he hesitated to face. She was one of the most impressive people he had ever met. Then, she had proved her worth even further. She had shown a chink in Gaara's armor.

As impressed as Naruto was with her, he had never expected her to defeat Gaara. He doubted even Neji would've been able to do such a thing. So he had prepared for a great but doomed effort. Yet Hinata had done something Naruto had only hoped he would see. Land a decent blow. Manage to hurt him, even if momentarily. Though it had been disappointing to learn, Gaara seemed just as tanky as Naruto even without his sand.

Somehow, despite being exhausted and outmatched, Hinata had managed to land something. Gaara had even reacted in pain, he had clearly been fine. But it was the first evidence of humanity from Gaara. Proof that he could be defeated. Harmed, perhaps even shaken. If Naruto could replicate either the same technique or something similar, he could gain a decisive edge. Then his plan would allow him to defeat him.

Hinata was propped up with various pads and pillows to be laid out straight and somewhat seated. She was covered in bandages with some sort of salve and fuinjutsu. Her skin was bruised all over or covered in minor cuts. Though Naruto noted she was smiling, he could feel her pride from entering her room. It was good to see Hinata was in high spirits despite her defeat. He was glad Sasuke wasn't present though, the Uchiha likely would watch his fight with Gaara like a hawk. And Naruto just never really liked the vibe of him if he was to be frank. So him being here would've merely made it awkward.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked politely, surprised to see the friend of a friend here. It hadn't surprised her that Sasuke or Neji interfered, they had promised such. But his arrival had been surprising, perhaps not in hindsight. It fit the description provided by Neji. "How can I help you?"

Naruto chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. Though eh, well, it wasn't my only goal, you can say, ya know?"

Hinata openly chuckled at such. "I figured as much as Uzumaki-san, I am not offended. Regarding the first question, I am in fine health. Though I may look rough in mere hours, I will be fresh and healthy soon."

Naruto sighed in relief before his face regained a serious note. "Good, I'm glad you're physically alright, but it's getting you down, right? Neji mentioned that you can be really hard on yourself. And well, I can relate to that, I guess. So I just wanted to let you know you did incredible. That guy was no joke and you managed to hit him!"

Hinata smiled sadly. "It would be dishonest to say I am not disappointed in myself. While I recognized I was unlikely to defeat Gaara, I had hoped it would at least be a close match. Instead I merely landed one measly blow."

"Hey, sometimes we-"

"But Uzumaki-san, I have learned that failure is merely a part of a journey." Hinata interrupted with a sweet smile. "I managed to harm him, that alone was an accomplishment for me. I showed him he is not immortal. That I was some sort of threat. That if we face again I may have a way to best him. I must accept my limits today, but tomorrow, I will surpass them."

Naruto was stunned before he smiled and nodded at Hinata respectfully. "I see how you won over Neji, you're just my kind of kunoichi." Naruto said with earnest comradery.

"You had another question?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, shit, yeah, thanks for that." Naruto chuckled as he settled down in the chair next to her bed. "I wanted to ask if you would mind explaining how you managed to hurt Gaara. Every attack you threw at him was repelled, even your lasers took a while to do anything. Yet somehow, in the end, you managed some damage with that palm strike. Impressive as hell. How did you do it?"

"Ah, I see. Well, I am more than happy to explain such, but I am afraid it is unlikely to help you." Hinata apologized. "See, in my desperation, I used my ability to see through objects and chakra using my Byakugan, I used it to weave my chakra through impossibly small gaps in his sand. It may have seemed like he blocked my strike, but my chakra slowly flowed through until I watched it enter him. Then, I allowed the chakra to pulsate, causing damage from within. If I had more chakra I could've potentially ended the fight. But such a strategy would be impossible for you to replicate Uzumaki-san. Without mastery of Gentle Fist and the Byakugan, I doubt you could pull such off. Even if you did you'd struggle to do so effectively. I'm sorry to be unable to be of use."

"Nah, you're fine. It's a shame, too, that was damned clever of you, ya know?" Naruto said happily. "I think I have a couple techniques that may do it, but I am just leaving no stone unturned. Gotta win this fight ya know?"

"I'm glad you mentioned such Uzumaki…" Hinata said hesitantly. "To be frank as much as I know you won't like hearing such I feel the need to say it."

Naruto shrugged. "Ok?"

Hinata sighed as she seemed to accept the situation. "Neji told me a lot about you. Enough so I know you seem to be the type of ninja I wish to one day become. Confident, decisive, passionate, considerate, and unrelenting. You are the type to fight for what you believe in even if it seems hopeless. But this is different…"

"Different?" Naruto asked with a quirked brow. "Different how?"

"I can't see why you would fight him, he intends to kill you and clearly has shown nothing yet. It seems clear you are strong but can you really hope to stand up to such a monster? Why risk your career or even your life just for a promotion? Your likely to be promoted irregardless… maybe you should surrender… Neji seems confident you have a great future. So why risk it just to fight this monster? I believe in never giving up, but isn't it better to live another day?"

"Maybe," Naruto admittedly. "This fight is likely to be incredibly difficult and painful, hell I might even die. Doubtless I could get promoted without it, so I guess I could say I achieved my goal."

"Then why Naruto?" Hinata asked confounded.

"Because Gaara seems like he needs help. Because Gaara as much as he has become monstrous isn't just some monster. He had to be a normal guy like me at one point, but he gave up eventually. Gaara has rejected his very humanity. Grown to resent it for the trouble it caused him. Maybe if I had spent my life like that I'd be the same. Because on that day when we first met and I almost caught him off guard I didn't see fear or resentment. But hope, hope that maybe just maybe he was wrong. Hope that I would be the one to prove that to him."

"But you don't even know him." Hinata reminded the blonde with a small smile. She was starting to understand just how Naruto had inspired Neji.

"It doesn't matter, I don't agree with everything he does and says, but he was right about one thing. We are sorta like brothers, two guys who have been forced to carry a burden. Two guys who other will likely always find a reason to hate. We face the same problem but have two different solutions." Naruto explained.

"So this is merely to prove a point?" Hinata asked utterly perplexed now. "Surely you see this is… ill considered?"

"It doesn't matter, I want to become Hokage one day. Become a Hokage who can improve this world. The more I see the more tragedy I run into. If I want to become one of the greatest Kage to ever live I can't look away when I see injustice or those in need. How could I ever say I achieved my dream then."

"Your willing to die for this?" Hinata asked with a sad smile realizing the blonde would not be convinced.

"I wouldn't be living my life the way I intended if I wasn't. Just watch Hinata, one thing I've learned is in combat were all honest. The two of us will clash and let our conviction and strength be the decider." Naruto explained further. "Whoever loses obviously would be wrong, maybe it's not the best way. But it's the only way I know…"