Another path

Fighting to prove your strength

< I'M SO SORRY !! I've been having trouble with Tenten and Dosu's match so I haven't updated for quite some days... Sorry about this. Anyway, now the new chapter's here so enjoy and stay safe !>

" Begin ! "

Dosu rushed to Tenten, taking advantage of her surprise. Said surprise being unfortunately nonexistent since she had seen him take a stance just before the match began.

He tried to punch her, adding the disturbing vibrations emitting from his arm. Seeing this, Tenten jumped high in the sky. She took out her scrolls and launched a barrage of kunai at the sound nin.

Said shinobi swung his arm around as if to swat away the weapons and abruptly all of them broke in mid-air.
Tenten landed and took a kunai in her hand. The split was right on the weak part of the kunai.

" - You used sound to resonate with the metal to the point of breaking...

- Indeed. Sound is a mighty weapon that can be used in many ways. Now I hope for you you have other tricks up your sleeve !

- You bet I do !

Once again, Dosu attempted to close the distance between them but Tenten kept running away.

- Why doesn't she face him head on ! To think I've been defeated by this coward...

- Sakura, why don't you shut up and think for once ? - Kakashi (because it's him) was getting really pissed by his student - He uses sound so obviously she has to remain away from him in order to have as much time as possible to avoid his blows.

- But the sound should resonate in all directions, shouldn't it ?

- Hinata is right, why doesn't it affect her even though it's sound ?

- There is a safe distance. He can't afford to blast the sound all around or he'll be affected too. Also, if the soundwave is too powerful and Tenten dodges it, it will strike him down when it rebounds.

- So he makes sure not to harm himself... and she takes advantage of it to remain safe as well...

A loud noise put an end to their conversation. All around Dosu, eight pillars had arisen from the ground and a seal appeared above.

- Well, would you look at this, I think you're trapped my friend !

- So that's why you kept running in circles around me, you were setting the marks for your barrier... Too bad that I'm going to destroy it !

- I would advise you think about this twice...

The seal above the barrier started gleaming and suddenly water poured onto Dosu with the strength of a waterfall. It was only thanks to the rigorous training he went through as a shinobi that his body wasn't crushed under the pressure.

The barrier held in all the water and soon it was completely filled with water.

- Now, surrender. Clearly, you can't hold your breath indefinitely and with the water in movement around you, your sound waves have become hazardous.

Dosu seemed to think for a while. The pillars were shaking at a random pace so the water kept making unpredictable swirls and waves that could interfere with his own sound waves. He was running out of oxygen - and time - so he did the only safe thing for him in a situation like this.

- Winner : Tenten by surrender !"

The crowd erupted in cheers for the kunoichi who smiled brightly while waving back at them. She quickly went back to her place in the participants' bleachers. Lee was literally crying in happiness while Naru hugged her. Neji smirked and nodded his head before facing the arena. He was to go next but before he could even move-

" - I forfeit !

Everyone looked at Kankuro as if he had grown an additional head. The participants watched him with cautious eyes : that was awfully suspicious. Actually, most shinobi grew wary because of his behavior. The civilians on the other hand were annoyed as they wanted to watch a Hyūga battle. Way to take the fun out of everything...

- Then Winner by forfeit : Hyūga Neji ! Now for the next match, Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naru, come in the arena.

Half a second later, both were here, clearly tense. Their dead-serious look induced silence in the whole place. Genma watched the two genin and called :

- Begin !

Naru jumped back as Gaara's sand immediately went for her legs. She was trying to put as much distance as possible between the sand and her.

As expected, the villagers lost no time in belittling her skill.

" What a coward !"

"She can't even face him !"

"Is running away all she can do ?"

Finally, she found herself close to one of the few trees Temari hadn't cut during her battle and she used it to change directions quickly. She drew a line on the ground and a barrier seal appeared right before the sand could touch her.

Capitalising on the surprise effect, she went through a few hand seals and shouted :

- Fūton : Great Breakthrough !

Some sand went to block her attack and she used the distraction to get away from the sand that was still pressing on her barrier.

There, she planted one last seal on the ground before jumping high up in the sky. Once at her maximum height, she made a single hand seal and a hundred of explosions erupted in the arena.

Gaara stood still through the entire ordeal, his sand protecting him. Until-

- Hi there !

- H-how- ?!

Gaara recoiled back but it was too late : the blond that had somehow reappeared right in front of him was already strapping a paper seal on his forehead. He felt the chakra of Shukaku and his own run dry and fell unconscious on the ground.

The stadium was wrapped in deafening silence.

- Winner by K.O. : Uzumaki Naru !

All of a sudden, all the shinobi started cheering, her own sensei clapping his hands to congratulate her. The civilians were dumbfounded. Never had they thought the "demon" could pull something like this ! What everyone had just witnessed... The jutsu she used to reappear in front of Gaara... The seal gleaming on his sand, the sand that was right in front of him to protect him and that she appeared on... There was no possible mistake : it was the Hiraishin.

The jutsu that made the Yondaime both famous and feared among the shinobi. Somehow, that no-name little girl managed to use a jutsu like this. Maybe, just maybe... She wasn't a lost cause...

Outside of the stadium though, things were not going as expected.

" - Why haven't we received the signal yet ?

- Maybe there was a mishap...

- We can't wait anymore ! We are at risk of being spotted ! We must start Konoha's invasion !"

___________

< I was hoping to post this chapter yesterday evening but I couldn't make it in time 😅
I know Naru and Gaara's match isn't very long but I think that's how Naru fights the best : the faster, the better (since she's using surprise effect a lot). Anyway, hope you enjoyed and have a nice day !>