Ripples

Chapter 1: Naruto vs. Neji

Naruto never goes back on his word, a lesson Ino would eventually learn

Chapter 1: Naruto vs. Neji

Ino was always the golden girl. Kind and pretty, she was always popular among her peers. Naruto however, wasn't so fortunate. Born with the Nine Tails sealed in his belly he wasn't allowed to associate with the children on the villagers. Cursed from birth he set his sights on gaining the trust of the villagers. After making it through the first two phases of the Chunin Exams and the preliminaries of the third, Naruto is now scheduled to fight Neji Hyuga.

Naruto had never seen such a ruthless fighter until he went against Neji. Such ruthlessness matched with his indignate demeanor stemming from the Hyuga branch system caused Neji to seem nearly unbeatable. On the surface Naruto seemed unshakable, fueled by his desire to avenge Hinata. Inside however Naruto was shaking, 'This guy seems tough, datteboyou. He hurt such a weak opponent so bad. I wonder if there's ramen after this.'

Naruto's opponent was much less nervous. Neji's mind was focused, 'Such a shameful opponent. The way he holds himself isn't befitting a shinobi.'

Sakura, what a name. Her hair like the blossom she received her name. This name would stay a rival of mine. No longer in love, but in skill. Her and mine last clash may have resulted in a draw, but the lines haven't been drawn. In this ever-shifting world of ours, I am glad to have a worthy rival.

Her teammate on the other hand isn't so lucky. The ramen he eats has become his personality. He leaves a wonderful taste in your mouth, though it is an acquired one.

Sasuke is quite the specimen. The source of me and Sakura's rift, or at least the object of it. He is quite the looker, but hardly with the effort. Sasuke keeps saying he is focused on restoring his clan, but the way he ignored me I think he may not be so focused if you know what I mean.

Their sensei, Kakashi, is hardly reliable. Ditching the village for a whole week, suspiciously around the same time as Sasuke.

Sakura's teammate Naruto has a tough fight in front of him. This guy Neji is supposed to be a tough opponent, maybe even tougher than Sasuke.

—-

'Woah, this guy's fast!'

'These attacks with his palms are tough.'

'Am I slowing down?!'

'I am definitely getting weaker'

'How is he this strong?'

—-

Suddenly the dark-haired boy stops, his hands begin to move slowly and he reaches for his forehead. The leaf symbol on his forehead drops to the floor revealing a swastika below its metal.

"This is the symbol of my cage" Neji spoke as he pointed to his forehead. "I was cursed to the Branch Family by birth. Never allowed to go beyond my lot in life. Stuck with this thing on my forehead!"

"Hinata did nothing, she is innocent" argued the orange-clad shinobi.

"HER FATHER DID THIS, IT'S BECAUSE OF HIM MY FATHER IS DEAD. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN, AND HER FATHER SHATTERED IT!"

"But Hinata is young, had nothing to do with that"

"SHE MAY JUST BE SYMPTOM, BUT IS IS STILL RESPONSIBLE! THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR BEING BORN TO BE BETTER THAN EVERYONE!"

"It's not her, it's the clan"

"Damn Hinata, DAMN THE CLAN, DAMN THE WHOLE SYSTEM"

"You're wrong"

"What?"

"You're wrong. I don't think you are right."

"No! You're lying."

"How could I be Hokage if I can't change? I'll change and your clan will change."

"PEOPLE CAN'T CHANGE! WE ARE WHO WE ARE!"

"I'm right. Believe it."

—-

The stands have forgotten to breathe as the exhilarating fight has reached its climatic conclusion. Neji stands alone in a crater of his own making, as Naruto Lies in one of his own. The look in Neji's eyes could burn through the leaf symbol on Naruto's forehead, the one he fought for 3 years in the academy to get. Suddenly the ground near Neji's feet begins to crack and a figure begins to emerge.

Naruto jumps from the ground one fist skyward. His eyes filled with a strange breed of courage. His arm stretched unflexing toward the chin of his Hyuga adversary. The contact between the orange shinobi's fist and the prodigy's chin is the last of the fight. The boy who The village itself turned on has defeated the prodigy of the Hyuga.

—-

The crowd erupts in a sea of cheers, so much that Naruto's teammate is barely audible. "Whoooo! Let's go Naruto" Cheers Sakura, "Isn't he awesome Ino?" "Yeah, that was great" replies her newly regained friend. "Naruto is something."