66 Chapter 66: Exams Part 11

My Life as Naruto Uzumaki - Harem Version

Chapter 66: Exams Part 11

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[MC POV]

After saying goodbye to Mr. Bee and promising to spar with him the next time he came by, I was questioned by all of my friends for hiding so much power. Lee in particular was asking for a spar with me in that form to test his flames of youth. Shikamaru and Shino were less enthusiastic about sparring with me in that form but wanted to know more about it.

I explained everything I knew about the form and the risks that went along with using it. Mostly how taxing it was on my body if I used it for extended periods of time since I wasn't used to the powers gained yet. I also explained that it was an incomplete form of my powers with my partner (Kurama).

The girls were just worried about any drawbacks, so explaining things to Shikamaru and Shino offered up some relief to that. We all went out on a pre-battle dinner to spend some time together and it was off to the races tomorrow.

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[Third Person POV]

Today was the day of the Final Tournament of the Chunin Selection Exams. Vendors and visitors from many other villages and lands filled the village and made their way to the Stadium. The Stadium was packed and the contestants were standing in front of Genma Shiranui and Hayate Gekko, who were both proctoring for this stage of the exams.

Naruto was standing right next to Kankurō with a kunai to his back, "If you forfeit before even starting the match, I'll gut you like a fish right here."

"Y-you can't-"

"Stuff it, puppet master. Your plan's been doomed from the start. Might as well give your opponent a chance to earn their promotion before you die", Naruto was not giving Kankurō any leeway.

Kankurō was terrified, especially after finding out what happened in the Forest of Death from the villagers during the month break. He didn't want to reveal his tricks so soon, but if he was going to need to fight, then he might as well try to hide as many tricks as he could.

Kankurō nodded slightly and felt Naruto's kunai leave his back. He sighed in relief.

Temari was curious why Kankurō seemed so spooked but chalked it up to nerves. This was going to be a big operation and every advantage in their favor would count. So her surprise when he didn't forfeit and began his fight with the bun-haired kunoichi was understandable. 

Tenten wanted to show off, both for the promotion and for her boyfriend. She wouldn't admit it, nor would anyone, but Naruto's display of power yesterday had her and everyone else feeling... inadequate.

She centered herself and focused on her opponent. She was certain he was a puppet master, which meant his toys and tools were all covered in poisons and nasty traps that would kill or incapacitate anybody with their guard down.

She took out her large cleaver-like swords and got ready. Genma began the match and she rushed toward Kankurō. Opting to finish this before he could set himself up with his traps and toys. She sent an upward slash with her right and followed through with her left, intending to destroy the puppet or incapacitate her opponent.

Kankurō dodged and brought out his Crow to try and interrupt Tenten's onslaught of strikes. He was unable to dodge all of the strikes, however, and got a nasty gash to his left leg that put him even more at a disadvantage. Luckily he lured her to be behind his puppet and he could use traps to deal with her.

He activated a trap that sent poisoned needles from an opening on his puppet's head to try and take advantage of his opponent's blind spot. But Tenten shimmered into nothingness as the needles hit and he narrowly dodged being poisoned by his own attack. Then he heard the sound of multiple projectiles flying through the air and saw a wall of kunai and shuriken heading straight for him.

He used his puppet to defend himself from the onslaught but was unable to avoid getting several direct hits to his limbs, immobilizing him completely. He was shocked, "How did she hit me?!"

Tenten grinned at the shadow clone she'd hidden in Kankurō's blind spot when she substituted with her clone. The clone popped and she kept the explanation to herself. He didn't need to know how she beat him.

She looked up to see Naruto with his scoring paddles and saw 250. She was dismayed at her boyfriend's harshness. He still gave her a congratulatory kiss and spank on the bum when she was declared the winner, so she was satisfied.

Shikamaru took his turn and aside from outsmarting Temari in an almost humiliating manner from the beginning of the match, he gave his very canon response of not having chakra to give up. Even Tsunade knew that was bullshit, but she couldn't help but chuckle. He knew he was being promoted with his showing, so didn't see the need to tire himself out with more fights before the invasion began.

Tsunade was sitting quietly with Jiraiya guarding her and Orochimaru disguised as Rasa sitting beside her with whom she believed to be Tayuya's former teammates. They kept the small talk to a minimum and watched the matches intently.

The next match promised to be just as exciting as the previous two. 

Haku vs. Sakura Haruno.

Haku and Sakura stared at each other and waited for Hayate to begin the match. As soon as he lowered his hand the two young women dashed forward. Sakura used her slower but more powerful style of taijutsu, while Haku relied on her speed and knowledge of the human body to target nerves and muscle groups.

The battle between two of Tsunade's premier students had the crowd ablaze with cheers and excitement. They watched as each of them utilized their specialized techniques to poke through their opponent's defenses and scout for weaknesses to exploit. Eventually, the battle turned to ninjutsu and Haku was the obvious winner in this section of the contest.

Sakura, however, was not one to be left behind and began to use a mixture of disorienting genjutsu and subtle water jutsu to try and gain an advantage. Haku created an opening that Sakura mistook for bait and avoided, but got herself trapped in an Ice Prison that ended the match.

Sakura was dismayed at her defeat but was satisfied with her showing of skills and prowess. Haku was similarly satisfied, looking for her hubby's approval through the scoring paddles, and saw a perfect 400 that made her giggle happily to herself as she kissed him deeply. Sakura also saw a satisfying 400 score for her own performance and also gave Naruto a bit of her own sugar.

Ino and Choji's fight was much more strategic than many were expecting. Ino and Choji were trying to lead ach other to traps or to take actions that would make an opening for them to pounce. Eventually they both grew tired of countering each other's tactics and went for a straight-up brawl. Ino proved to be a nimble fighter, seemingly dancing around Choji's attacks and doing all sorts of acrobatics while dodging his expansion techniques. 

Choji was declared the victor after tripping Ino mid-flip and slammed her into the ground with his enlarged hand. He placed a kunai to her throat and Ino was forced to concede. Ino was happy to have had such an intense match and hugged Choji, thanking him for not taking it easy on her. Choji said he was happy she was okay, he felt bad about smashing her to the ground like that. Ino just waved it off, but still made him carry her to the medics.

She was more injured than she wanted to admit, and she couldn't bring herself to tell Choji. It would break his gentle heart.

Next came the second-to-last match. A match that many people in the shinobi ranks knew had more meaning than the other spectators could ever possibly comprehend. The match of a genius of hard work versus a born prodigy. Rock Lee, a ninja whose abilities are restricted to only taijutsu versus Neji Hyūga, the prodigious practitioner of the Hyūga's Gentle Fist fighting style. 

The shinobi all watched this match intently, money and livelihoods on the line.