The Story of Hagami [Naruto Fanfic | Uchiha] [Completed]

11.2 | Taijutsu

Part III

Hagami failed the Ninjutsu portion of her exam. But she has been working on maintaining her chakra levels as well as exerting the right amounts. Itachi thought from the balcony. If only she used her Sharingan. Then she'd be able to fight Kakashi and possibly pass the exam. Itachi thought. And to think that this exam only took about twenty minutes. Kakashi didn't even use the forty-five minutes that were allotted and he didn't go easy either. So...this is what it takes to become Jōnin.

"Hagami, you and your family will take a two hour break before we return and resume your other two exams. Make sure you're here though, when the time's up." Hiruzen warned but he along with his subordinates vanished with the smoke.

Itachi and Sasuke darted around the bend of the balcony and then down the stairs. The two basically raced over to Hagami who had taken a seat in oppose to remaining on her knees. She had her hand held out in front of her too, testing her muscle's response to see if it's all returned. Most of it has but there was still un unwelcoming twitch of her fingers here and there. Luckily, the burn left by the lightning chakra wasn't as bad she thought either.

"Onēsan, are you alright?" Sasuke asked dropping down beside her. He poked at her shoulder and then her arm and then eventually at her wrist. She responded with a yelp and jerking her wrist away hence it was the burnt one. "Gomenasai (Sorry)!"

"Hagami, are you alright?" Itachi asked after Hagami patted Sasuke's head twice.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine. I can move better now." Hagami responded as she opened and closed her hands. "The shock of the jutsu is wearing off too. I should have payed more attention to weaving my hand signs when I used my Lightning Style Jutsu. There's a lot I should of payed attention to especially since Kakashi has the Sharingan." Hagami knew the story behind it too.

"Ah, don't beat yourself up over it." Shisui assured putting a hand on her shoulder. Hagami looked up at him and gave him a faint smile. "You faired fine against Kakashi for an Uchiha without the Sharingan." He lied to keep her secret.

"Arigato (Thank you)." Hagami replied.

---

The two hours passed quickly and Hagami ate only a little bit hence her next exam would be Taijutsu. She'd be fighting full force, hand-to-hand combat against one of the strongest from Konohagakure. And right now, the two of them were squaring off waiting for Hiruzen to give them the signal to start. But Gai, he seemed concerned with something other than fighting at the moment which delayed Hiruzen's signal,

"My lovely flower of youth! I'll be sure to give it my all and I hope you'll do the same! I won't go easy so I can push you to the absolute limit. I wish the best of luck to you Hagami!" Gai cheered enthusiastically. He gave her a thumbs up and a - very bright - smile. "Be sure to fight your best and I promise the fruit from it will give you success!"

"Arigato, Gai-Sensei," Hagami responded, bowing her head.

"Ahem, if you're done with your...speech Gai, I'd like to begin the match." Hiruzen coughed awkwardly to stop Gai from continuing his lecture. Gai shut his mouth immediately after getting the hint and stood up straight; Hagami mimicked him. "Alright, this is the second match, Taijutsu. Again, you'll have forty-five minutes to fight. Only Taijutsu, no chakra use unless you can use the Eight Gates or you're running along the walls or ceilings though I don't see the latter happening. You may strike with full force but no fatal strikes. ...and begin!" Taijutsu was probably Hagami's strongest asset with Genjutsu following close behind. Ninjutsu was the weakest but that had already passed.

Hagami sprinted forward, confident in her abilities and Gai mirrored her. The two left trails of dust behind for their speed was astonishing. Gai achieved his speed through physical training but Hagami possessed it from the very beginning. But either way, Hagami had leapt up and she used the back of her arm counter's Gai's similar position. But this was only a check to see how one would withstand another.

Right away, Hagami could tell that Gai had to hold back to avoid shattering her arm. But either way, he was stronger than her when he flung her backward. She landed once on her back harshly but then flipped onto all fours and stood up. She wasted no time again to run forward. She had leapt up in front of Gai but as he raised his hand to punch her, he punched thin air. The real Hagami had appeared behind him and she had used her left leg to send a blow to Gai's head. Unfortunately, he blocked it with the backs of both of his arms.

He whirled around to swing his right arm toward Hagami but she used his own strength against him. Since she was still airborne, she used her right hand and placed it on Gai's wrist briefly. She used it to propel herself up in the air and she watched as Gai looked up at her. As she fell back, Gai drew his arm back and Hagami did the same with her right. Over the years, she had learned that fighting by mirroring attacks and changing is an effective way to wear down the opponent. Of course, she'd change it up every once and a while just to be safe and unpredictable.

When Hagami was close enough, she threw her right arm across her body to throw herself in a spin. In the process, she had kicked both of her legs out, the first time she hit was to whack Gai's arm out of the way and the next had landed a hard kick against the side of his face. When Hagami landed, she flipped backward ready for another strike. However, when she looked up at him, she saw him wiping the side of his lip. There wasn't any sign of blood so Hagami guessed it was only saliva.

"Oh, what youth you possess!" Gai shrilled in excitement. His eyes were lit alight with flame. Hagami smiled at the rush she felt and she darted forward again. She threw a punch at Gai whilst he dodged it and Hagami pivoted on her right foot. Her left leg swung around near Gai's ankles and he leapt up. Taking this time, Gai used his right leg and swung it back down, his ankle aiming for Hagami.

She yelped quietly and dropped to her shoulders and back. She quickly rolled out of the way and then pushed onto her feet just as Gai's foot collided with the earth. What was left was a crater and Hagami trembled slightly at the thought of being hit by that immense power. A sensation of seriousness passed over her when she realized the magnitude of Gai's strength but the smile didn't fade from her face.

Gai made the move first this time and kicked his leg up. Hagami, who hadn't detected his speed, gasped for air when she was kicked in the ribs. It wasn't enough to break them but it was enough to hurt and leave a contusion too, especially since she crashed and skidding across the arena floor instead of flipping up and landing properly. Gai wasted no time to give her a break now either. He sprinted forward, his fist angled to the ground where Hagami laid.

Hagami yelped at the power she could be hit by and she barely ducked under his fist. Beneath him now, Hagami shot a leg up, nailing Gai in the stomach as well as weaving out of the way so he could strike her. Gai clutched his stomach where Hagami had kicking him but then leapt away. Hagami and Gai stood at least five meters apart from each other, both of them were panting though Gai was just beginning to break a sweat. The two of them were waiting for one another to move.

And finally they did. They had stopped their major attacks, or at least, that's what it looked like to Hiruzen. Now, the two of them fought with close combat, hand-to-hand, and landing no blows to each other. They only blocked each others attacks, careful not to inflict injury upon themselves. Every once and a while though, only Gai would be able to land a blow to the side of Hagami's face or maybe the stomach. But nonetheless, she kept fighting and landed two, maybe three melee strikes against Gai hence she began to tire.

Finally, Hagami had leapt back and Gai did the same after five minutes of fighting in close range. Hagami barely had the strength to stand and her right arm was steadily reaching to the ground in case she fell. Her knees threatened to buckle like they had when she fought Kakashi. But they didn't. She didn't let them.

"You two seem to have excellent timing." Hiruzen stated after a few minutes of panting though only Hagami was panting heavily and visibly. "You took almost all of the time I allotted. Hagami, I'm glad to say that your skills in Taijutsu are remarkable. I'm surprised that, so far, this is your best skill area. Normally, Uchiha specialize in the Ninjutsu where you...didn't pass. Strange. But nonetheless, you've passed the Taijutsu Exam. Congratulation, Hagami."