Chapter 51: The Preliminaries Part

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

"Hmm…."- Bijuu

Chapter 50:

The Preliminaries Part I

The rookies were all silent, staring at the two names at the board with a mixture of agitation and awe. Save for the Suna team. Given that they didn't know either Uchiha, they weren't exactly all that "shocked." Well, Karura was certainly interested. As far as she could see, Uchiha Mikoto was the only kunoichi here that could actually spell trouble for them.

Kushina glanced back to see Fugaku staring intently at Mikoto, said girl now having her eyes closed.

'Oh?' Sarutobi thought, looking at the screen with a small smile. 'This will certainly be an interesting first match, that's for sure…..'

Sakumo wasn't looking so hopeful, already knowing of the personal grudge Fugaku held against Mikoto. And it wasn't because the girl had called off their engagement. In fact, he had secretly been pleased by that. No, it had to do with their respective skills and the fact that Fugaku knew for a fact that Mikoto had so far outclassed him. The boy saw this exam as a way to rectify that, to prove himself the better shinobi. And it seemed as if the heavens had answered his prayers, granting him this opportunity on a gold plate.

Except that Sakumo knew that things wouldn't be that easy. He had seen the records from the academy. And he knew of the girl from Sasuke: she was tough, really tough. There was no doubt in Sakumo's mind that the girl had possibly gotten even stronger since her time at the academy too. Either way, it was not going to be an easy fight for Fugaku.

And that suited Fugaku just fine. He wasn't looking for an "easy" fight. He was looking to best all the others here, starting with Mikoto.

Hiashi h'mphed to himself. 'So, I'll be able to see both of their skills at once…..'

It was a rare opportunity indeed.

"Alright," the chunnin said, bringing the attention of the genin to him, "all but those two whose names have been chosen for the first round may leave for the viewing level."

Not wasting any time, the Suna team headed for the far side of where they were supposed to wait until their time came to fight. The Konoha genin all took the other side.

Sarutobi frowned momentarily at noticing this, already knowing that a big part of Naruto and Sasuke's plan was to get the shinobi from each village actually intertwining with one another. Seeing the Suna team deciding not to mix with the other Konoha genin showed just how far that plan was. Then again, both Naruto and Sasuke had been preoccupied with other things since their arrival here. And their plans hadn't actually been put to the test just yet. But it was still a bit disheartening.

'A step at a time, I suppose,' Sarutobi thought with a sigh as he made his way up as well. He should be content that even a single team of Suna was here to begin with.

"Do be careful, Fugaku."

Fugaku didn't respond as Sakumo stopped next to him. Mikoto was already standing in front of him, her eyes still closed.

"She's not someone you can beat without going all out. Remember that."

Already getting the gist of what his teacher was saying, Fugaku merely nodded.

Satisfied, Sakumo followed behind the rest of his team, intent on watching how this fight unfolded like the rest.

Both Kushina and Hizashi glanced back to their teammate in slight apprehension. Nevertheless, they couldn't actually interfere. So they could only watch and see how their teammate performed here today.

"This is bullshit," Tsume muttered with a frown, already up on the balcony with her hands in her hoodie. Kuromaru whined in agreement with her.

Next to her, Shibi readjusted his glasses, eager to see how this first fight would turn out even if he didn't express it. Hiashi didn't say anything as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Who do you think is going to win this?" Choza asked to his long time lazy friend.

Shikaku shrugged, struggling to hold back another yawn. "No idea."

"You don't have to be so kind, you know," Inoichi said with a chuckle. "It's already clear to me that Mikoto-chan has this in the bag."

Shikaku rolled his eyes. "Yes, but you're not basing that on facts. You're basing that on your stupid crush."

Inoichi smirked as he looked at the Nara. "But my crush is a fact."

Shikaku didn't bother to respond, making Choza chuckle.

Neither Minato nor Yoshino said anything, merely opting to seeing how things turned out.

Emi was looking down at Mikoto with a frown, taking in her relaxed form with a hint of annoyance. 'She's not even acting like this fight is something to be worried about…'

Having an idea of what her friend was thinking, Hikari sighed next to her.

Takao didn't comment as he leaned against the railing, making to sure to keep an eye on this fight. If anything, it would tell him something about his future opponent, whoever it was.

Down at the fighting area, the chunnin stood in between the Uchiha. It was at this point that Mikoto finally opened her eyes, looking at Fugaku with an even stare.

"I honestly never expected that I would get to fight you this soon, Mikoto," Fugaku admitted. Bringing out a kunai, he added, "But I'm not one to complain at this wonderful opportunity that's landed on my lap."

Thinking of both Naruto and Sasuke, Mikoto narrowed her eyes. "You're not the one I'm looking to prove myself against. My real targets lie somewhere else. So if you think I'm going to let you stop me from achieving my goal, then you're terribly mistaken. I will beat you."

Up on the viewing area, Itsuki whistled. "It looks like she does have a fighting spirit, after all. Nice. I was thinking that calm expression she always has was damaging those good looks of hers."

Neither Rasa nor Karura said anything in return to their teammate's comment.

Kushina was a bit surprised at what Mikoto had just said, though, something that was showing on her face. Tsume was in a similar state as well.

It was something that extended to Fugaku who looked at his fellow Uchiha with a raised eyebrow. "Targets? And who might they be?"

Mikoto shook her head. "That's none of your concern. Now, enough talking. I want to put an end to this fight as soon as possible."

Fugaku scowled at this. "Is that so? It seems to me that you already think you've won."

Mikoto didn't respond, something that infuriated Fugaku even further.

'Don't let her rile you up,' Sakumo thought with a small sigh.

Looking between the two, the chunnin raised his hand. Holding it up for just a moment, he brought it down in a swift moment.

"The first match….begin!"

Fugaku didn't hesitate to rush at Mikoto, kunai in hand. Seeing this, Mikoto scoffed as Fugaku reached her position. But her many hours of practice showed as Mikoto evaded the first strike from Fugaku with ease.

Seeing this, Fugaku added more pressure as he pressed on with his attack, sending a swift and quick combo with the kunai in hand towards Mikoto.

But the kunoichi was able to dodge them all, coming out without a single scratch.

Fugaku jumped back a moment later, putting some distance between himself and his opponent.

"The bitch is fast as ever," Tsume muttered to herself from the viewing area.

Hearing her, Kushina had to agree. Except for the "bitch" part...maybe. Kushina knew that it was an Inuzuka thing. But still. The Uzumaki also already knew just how much hard work Fugaku had put in to raising his speed up, but Mikoto had dodged his first assault with incredible ease. It said something to the girl's skills.

"That's my Mikoto-chan!" Inoichi exclaimed, hearts in both of his eyes as he cheered the Uchiha girl on. "I believe in you!"

"Kami, he's so annoying," Emi muttered, to which Hikari giggled.

Not bothering to pay attention to Inoichi, Mikoto tilted her head to the side as she stared at Fugaku. Was that all he had? Because if so, then this would be an easy fight, after all.

Sighing, Fugaku put his kunai away. "That's not going to work then….."

Mikoto tensed when she saw Fugaku bringing his hands together. Understanding instantly what the boy was going for, Mikoto brought her own hands together less than a second later, performing the exact same handsings as Fugaku.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

All the other genin in the viewing area shielded their eyes from the two grand fireballs colliding with one another, sending out a powerful wave of heat towards the other occupants in the area.

'The Uchiha's signature move, eh,' Sarutobi thought to himself as he observed this.

Sweat began to drip down both genin's forehead as they tried to overpower each other with their respective fireballs. Mikoto might have taken the flow of the battle earlier from Fugaku's first failed attempt, but Fugaku was aiming to taking that flow back with this attack.

And as the clash dragged on, it seemed as if he was the one coming up on top. As much as it pained Mikoto, the boy still had larger reserves than she did. Which was a bit infuriating. But Mikoto also realized that she wasn't going to win a fight based on pure raw strength. Unfortunately for her, Fugaku outclassed her there.

So seeing this confrontation as pointless for her, Mikoto surrendered the win to Fugaku, releasing her own fireball as she jumped up in the air.

Both Sakumo and Sarutobi narrowed their eyes, however, catching a puff of smoke next to Mikoto in that moment.

The Suna team all dodged to the side as Fugaku's fireball went flying down below their feet.

"Oi, watch it, you idiots!" Itsuki roared out.

But neither fighter paid him any attention.

In midair, Mikoto narrowed her eyes when she saw threads of ninja wire shooting up from the smoke down below and heading straight for her at incredible speed. The speed surprised even her, as the ninja wire wrapped itself tightly around her body.

All of the on-lookers' eyes widened in surprise.

'Mikoto got caught!?' Kushina screamed in her mind, actually surprised that Fugaku was pushing Mikoto back so fast.

'But this is the only way to do it,' Hizashi said so to himself. 'He can't let Mikoto get an opening on him. If she does, it would mean a tougher time for him in trying to stop her momentum…..'

Mikoto was completely surprised about something else, shocked even. But she wasn't able to process all this information just yet as she was slammed down on the ground roughly via the ninja wire.

"Katon: Ryuka no jutsu!"

Fire instantly shot from the other end of the ninja wire, heading straight for the immobilized Mikoto.

"Oi, he could kill her!" Inoichi screamed, his eyes wide.

"It's the risk of the exam," Shikaku replied, now watching the fight intently. "We all knew this already."

The genin held their breath when the flames rushed straight for Mikoto. Said Uchiha raised her head just before the flames reached her.

On the other side, Fugaku's form was finally revealed from the smoke of the earlier clash between the two fireballs now dissipating, panting slightly and sharingan activated. He had a single tomoe in each eye.

'So, you've finally attained those precious eyes of yours,' Hiashi thought to himself while taking notice of this.

Takao merely smirked, also noticing this fact.

If Kushina wasn't so focused in trying to find out whether Mikoto had survived that last attack or not, then she would have noticed that her teammate did indeed possess the sharingan.

Both Minato and Yoshino shared a glance, the two wondering the same thing.

'So, I guess my worries were for nothing then,' Karura thought to herself, already ruling Mikoto out.

But before Fugaku's victory could be assured, the flames began to die down, no body in sight, however.

Fugaku's sharingan eyes widened, wondering why Mikoto was nowhere to be seen.

"Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!"

Fugaku's senses instantly went off. Dodging to the side, the boy was able to catch sight of Mikoto up in the ceiling, her hands together as she shot a volley of small fireballs at him. Unfortunately for Fugaku, he didn't have the speed to dodge them all. So he cried out in pain when both his right arm and left leg were grazed by the flames.

"B-but how did she just dodge that!?" Emi asked with wide eyes, wondering just how Mikoto had been able to turn the tables already.

"Substitution," Takao said with a small grin. "Even I didn't take notice of it until after Fugaku's last attack hit….."

"What are you talking about?" Emi asked with a confused look.

"It's just as he says," Hiashi replied, bringing the attention to him. "Right after she retreated from Fugaku's fireball, she must have created a clone through the smoke and substituted herself with it before the Fugaku's attack could reach her back then."

"But that wasn't an ordinary clone…" Hikari muttered.

'That was a shadow clone,' Sakumo thought with a grimace. 'Where in the world did she…..?'

'I see,' Shibi thought to himself as he readjusted his shades. Looking up at the panting Mikoto, he added, 'So you must have taking Naruto-san's offer, after all…..'

Rasa h'mphed. "She's not bad."

Karura was forced to agree.

Minato sighed in relief while Yoshino shook her head. Leave it to Mikoto to leave them hanging like that.

'So, you've gotten even stronger than before,' Tsume thought with a scowl.

Inoichi was back to having hearts in his eyes while Shikaku watched the fight with narrowed eyes. Choza was having a tough time following the whole thing.

And Kushina…she was staring at Mikoto with shaking fists. 'She's strong…..'

Panting, Mikoto dropped down to the ground with Fugaku still on the ground on his back, holding his grazed arm with gritted teeth.

"I must admit that you having the sharingan surprised me back there," Mikoto admitted with a slight frown, staring at Fugaku's furious sharingan eyes. That was how he had been able to coordinate the ninja wire so effectively before. "But it's not something I can't handle either."

Fugaku scowled as he attempted to stand up. But his injured leg prevented that, making him sit up with a look of pure aggravation.

"Don't give up, Fugaku!" Kushina screamed from above him. "Where is that Uchiha pride of yours!? Are you just going to let her beat you up like this!?"

'I know, dammit, I know,' Fugaku thought with more annoyance and aggravation.

Glancing at the chunnin without bothering to pay any attention to Kushina's words, Mikoto said, "I suggest you stop the match. He can't fight anymore."

"I'm not out yet!" Fugaku exclaimed, finally standing up while applying all the pressure on his good leg. "I will not admit defeat here!"

Seeing as the chunnin wasn't going to stop the match, Mikoto knew that she would have to bring her fellow Uchiha down for good now.

'What a pain…..'

Attempting to bring his hands together to perform another jutsu, Fugaku was shocked to see Mikoto appearing in front of him at a speed that he could not follow.

"Sorry, but I'm not dealing with anymore of your jutsu!"

Fugaku was sent flying back from a powerful kick to his gut, courtesy of Mikoto herself. This time, however, Fugaku did not get up, the combination of the pain from before and of the kick being too much for him.

Seeing this, the chunnin raised his arm. "This match is over. The winner is Uchiha Mikoto!"

"Good job!" Minato exclaimed from his spot, giving his teammate a thumbs up. Yoshino merely nodded, having already anticipated this. She was nevertheless still happy for the girl. They were teammates, after all.

Sakumo sighed. 'It seems that her skills are still out of your reach, Fugaku,' he thought as he watched a group of medical ninja rush in to take care of his student.

"That's Mikoto-chan alright!" Inoichi screamed out.

'She's a troublesome girl, that's for sure,' Shikaku thought while Choza scratched his belly.

Takao h'mphed, closing his eyes. Emi t'ched while Hikari had no reaction.

Hiashi watched the unconscious Fugaku being carried away by the medical ninja with narrowed eyes. 'It seems that we won't be able to clash, Uchiha…..'

Watching Mikoto pass by him, however, Hiashi knew that he still had an Uchiha to watch out for.

Tsume growled softly as she watched Mikoto walk pass her with her eyes closed. 'Dammit…..'

'And yet, she didn't go all out either,' Shibi thought, watching Mikoto make her way back to her team. 'She never showed her sharingan. Strange…..'

Or maybe she hadn't been pushed hard enough to use it. Either way, Shibi knew that the girl probably had other skills up her sleeve.

On the other side, Itsuki had a wild expression on his face. "That Uchiha…I want to fight her….."

"It does seem that we will have to keep our eyes on her during the finals," Rasa admitted.

Karura didn't comment, already knowing that she would probably have to go all out against the Uchiha in order to win. But she didn't mind. She would come out on top, after all.

Hizashi merely sighed while Kushina glanced at Mikoto who was already next to her teammates. To think Fugaku had been beaten….granted, she also wanted to fight against Mikoto. But she hadn't wanted to see Fugaku lose here either.

"Having it out against the Uchiha, eh? It's too ironic, even for me."

Kushina blinked for a moment, not having expected the voice in her head.

'Kurama? What are you doing?'

"I got bored. And I figured seeing your matches was a good way to pass the time."

She supposed that made sense. Although the redhead was still wondering about the bijuu's first comment.

But she wasn't able to dwell on that as the screen flashed into life, going through all their names again.

'That was quite the match to start the preliminaries,' Hiruzen thought with a chuckle, watching the screen as well. 'Now, who shall be next…..?'

Hyuuga Hiashi vs. Hyuuga Hikari

Tsume frowned. "What the hell?"

"Language, Tsume-chan, language."

But the Inuzuka didn't bother to pay any attention to Emi.

Itsuki scratched his head in slight annoyance. "More from Konoha, eh? Boring."

Shibi glanced at his teammate, only to see him staring at Hikari who looked in the middle of an internal debate.

Taking notice of this, Emi placed her hand on the girl's shoulders. "I can already see what you're thinking," she began, making the Hyuuga focus on her, "but don't worry about that for now. Right now, you only have to kick his ass. Got it?"

Hikari could only nod, not bothering to point out to Emi how she was doing the same thing she had chastised Tsume for just moments earlier.

Hiashi heard this but didn't comment, opting instead to make his way down to the battle area. Hikari soon followed after him, staring at the boy's back.

Kushina frowned, noticing how there was something else to this match. Glancing at Hizashi, the redhead realized her hunch was right.

"Is there something going on between them or what?" Kushina asked.

Hizashi, with a troubled look, glanced at her, sighing. "You could say that….."

"Then spill it already," Kushina said with slight irritation entering her voice. Hikari hadn't told her about anything concerning this, so she was a bit curious.

Hizashi looked a bit uncomfortable as he answered. "Our clan, the Hyuuga, has two houses…..the Main House and the Branch House. Both Hiashi and Hikari are members of the Main House. Hikari's sister isn't, though."

"Hikari has a sister?" Kushina repeated, this being the first time that she was hearing this.

"Don't hold this against her," Emi said, joining the conversation while shaking her head. "Her personal life isn't something she enjoys talking about. Not even Tsume and Yoshino know all the details either."

Understanding where Hikari was coming from, Kushina asked, "Okay, but what about her sister then?"

"She actually joined the academy with Hikari in the beginning," Hizashi began to explain with a grimace. "But she isn't exactly…..gifted for the shinobi arts."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She has no aptitude for it," Emi said with a frown. "I don't know the full details, and I doubt Hizashi does either. But apparently even molding chakra is something that puts a lot of strain on her. It's why she's part of the Branch House. But she still wanted to stand beside Hikari, so she joined the academy. Until Hiashi happened."

Kushina raised an eyebrow, wondering what that meant until Hizashi continued the explanation.

"My brother…..he doesn't exactly view those from the Branch House as equals. He sees them as beneath him, people that will never be able to reach his level."

Kushina's hands clenched into fists, getting an idea of where this was going. "What did he do?"

Hizashi sighed. "I don't know all the details either, since I wasn't there myself. But Hiashi pretty much told her that her efforts were for nothing. That she had no place in the academy. That it was her fate to forever be but a simple servant to the Main House and nothing else. Apparently she wasn't able to handle all that too well and dropped out."

Kushina felt her anger rising by the second. "That bastard….."

"Hikari hasn't been able to look Hiashi in the eye since then," Emi said with another sigh. "Which is a hard thing for her since….."

"Since what?"

Emi looked to the side. "They're betrothed, you know."

Kushina's eyes widened in complete shock at this.

"Hikari doesn't like telling others about it, since it isn't something that she can talk about easily. But it's something that was decided even before they were born."

'And that could have been me,' Hizashi thought with an internal bitter chuckle.

"Huh. This sounds like a mess."

Kushina couldn't have said it any better.

In the battle area, Hiashi and Hikari faced off, the latter still not meeting the former's gaze.

"You can surrender, you know," Hiashi said in a formal tone. "There's no reason for us to fight. I don't want to hurt you."

Hikari opened her mouth to respond, except no words came out.

"No one will look down at you for giving up," Hiashi continued. "It's only natural, in face of such overwhelming odds. It'll be easier for everyone."

"Like hell she will!"

Both Hiashi and Hikari turned their attention up to the viewing area to see Kushina pointing at Hiashi with a scowl.

"Don't listen to that douche, Hikari! You can beat the crap outta him so that stick may finally come outta his ass!"

Tsume chuckled at this. 'You really have no shame, Kushina….'

Next to Kushina, Emi grinned, giving Hikari two thumbs up. "That's right! We believe in you! So don't listen to what Mr. Stuckup has to say!"

Hiashi scowled, not believing the audacity of the two kunoichi. Turning his attention back to Hikari, he began to say, "You're not seriously going to listen to those-"

"Hiashi."

The Hyuuga paused when he heard the girl's calm tone. Now paying extra attention to her, Hiashi saw how the girl was more calm. She also had no problems with looking straight at him now.

"I realize now that running away from my problems won't solve anything. And right now, my problem is you. I have a score to settle with you for what you did to my sister."

Hiashi frowned. "I only said the truth. She has no business-"

"That's not something for you to decide, Hiashi," Hikari interrupted with narrowed eyes. "No matter what, none of our lives are confined. We can all decide whichever path we follow. And some of us choose to follow the tougher path. That is the difference between us and my sister. But instead of supporting her, I gave in under the same pressure as you have. Not anymore, though. And I will start by beating you here today."

Taking the usual Gentle Fist stance, Hikari activated her byakugan. "Now, come at me. And don't hold back either, Hiashi. Otherwise, you'll regret it."

Seeing the determined look on her face, Hiashi sighed. "As you wish then, Hikari."

Kushina felt the air around Hiashi shift as the boy activated his byakugan, taking the same stance as Hikari.

'A fight between two Hyuuga…an interesting showdown indeed,' Sarutobi thought.

Seeing both fighters ready, the chunnin raised his arm again before bringing it down.

"The second match…..begin!"

Neither fighter hesitated as they charged at one another, trading blows just as quickly. To Kushina, it looked more like fancy moves than actual blows. Not something she would expect out of a taijutsu fight.

"This is your first time watching Hyuuga fight, eh?"

'Yeah…..it's…weird.' She had seen Hizashi spar before, but this was the first time she was watching an actual battle.

"Not surprising. The Hyuuga style isn't something meant to be flashy. Or your definition of flashy anyway."

'And how would you know of it, oh knowledgeable one?'

Kurama snorted. "Did you forget who I was sealed into before you? Mito followed Hashirama in a lot of his important negotiations with other clans, despite the fact that Hashirama's brother deemed it unnecessary. But Mito had that kind of spirit within her. Granted, I could only catch glimpses thanks to her seal. But it's enough."

Kushina honestly didn't know how to respond to that.

But both Hiashi and Hikari ending their powerful and impressive clash brought Kushina's attention back to the fight at hand.

Hiashi was frowning at the moment, watching Hikari closely. Her form didn't leave her with any openings. Even though they were both from the Main House, this was the first time that they were actually fighting one another. As such, he was genuinely surprised by the girl's skills. She was much better than he had first thought.

But he wasn't so weak either.

Hikari narrowed her eyes when she saw the change in Hiashi's stance. 'What is he-'

"Hakke Kusho!"

The kunoichi's eyes widened, not having expected the centralized attack. As such, the air palm came smashing straight with her, knocking her back.

"What just happened!?" Kushina screamed out with wide eyes.

"Basically, it's a highly pressurized palm thrust," Hizashi answered with narrowed eyes. He already knew just how far his brother had gotten in his training. "Even though it's taijutsu, it's powerful enough to rival ninjutsu."

Kushina was honestly surprised at this.

Down below, Hikari felt blood drip down her lips as she stood back up. "It seems that you've mastered a troublesome move….."

Hiashi h'mphed. "Now do you understand? The gifted will always stand at the top while the rest fall below us. That's the fate of the world."

Hikari gritted her teeth. "I don't believe that. And I'm going to show you that!"

Hiashi didn't reply as Hikari came rushing at him, his stance beginning to change again. "Foolish."

Hizashi's eyes widened as he saw this. "NO!"

Realizing what Hiashi was planning on doing, Hikari stopped herself midway. But it was too late.

"You're already within range," Hiashi stated.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!"

Hikari found herself on the receiving end of one of the deadliest techniques passed down in the Main House. In face of such a technique, Hikari was defenseless. Or so Hiashi thought.

Confident that the match would be over after this, the boy sent the final blow for the girl's chest. But instead of hitting her dead clean, Hiashi found his hand held back by Hikari's, her other hand extended forward while hitting one his own chakra points.

More blood began to dribble down her lips, but Hikari didn't pay any attention to this while she panted. "You know what blinds people the most? Arrogance. And we Hyuuga are no exception."

Hiashi felt pain spread throughout his body. "B-but how? I hit you dead clean!"

But a second later, Hiashi realized what had happened, his eyes widening in shock at the revelation. He had been too focused on his attack and on victory.

"You finally noticed it," Hikari said with a small grin as she continued to pant. "That's right: I coated my chakra points with 'chakra shields,' releasing bursts of my own chakra in order to block your strikes. But I wasn't able to do that for all the sixty four points that you targeted…..having you within my grasps certainly makes up for that, though."

Understanding where this was going, Hiashi struggled to break free. But it was too late. Chakra began to burst out of Hikari's body in a violent torrent.

"Hakkesho Kaiten!"

Hiashi screamed in pain as the technique hit him dead on, sending a considerable amount of damage throughout his body.

A moment later, the boy was sent flying back, coughing up blood as he stared at the ceiling with a pained expression.

Hikari panted even more as she fell down to her knees, struggling to retain her consciousness. As stated before, Hiashi had been able to hit some of her chakra points from before. But she had been able to release enough energy for this.

'That jutsu…it's the same as Hizashi's,' Kushina thought in more amazement.

"I…can't move," Hiashi sputtered with gritted teeth.

Hearing this, the chunnin raised his arm towards the kneeling Hikari. "The winner is Hyuuga Hikari!"

Hearing this, Hikari grinned before she fell back, no longer being able to sustain herself.

"Hell yes!" Kushina screamed in enthusiasm, one that was matched by Emi.

"That's my Hikari-chan!"

'An interesting fight indeed,' Sarutobi thought to himself as he saw more medical ninja walk in, intent on carrying both genin to the infirmary in the tower.

Hizashi watched his brother being carried away with a mixture of feelings, wondering just how things were going to change with him from now.

"It seems like the Hyuuga aren't half bad, after all," Rasa muttered.

Mikoto merely closed her eyes while Tsume grinned in anticipation.

'C'mon,' she thought, 'the next one has to be me!'

The screen flashed into life again.

'It's gotta be me!' Kushina screamed in her mind, now even more excited to get her turn.

"Quite eager."

Kushina didn't respond, all her attention focused on the screen. A moment later, it finally settled with the next two names.

Amane Takao vs. Hyuuga Hizashi

Sakumo raised an eyebrow in slight surprise at this. 'Two of my students already, huh.'

Tsume groaned while Kushina pouted. "Dammit, it's your turn next, Hizashi."

Hizashi smiled at the redhead, already knowing that she was only frustrated that she hadn't fought yet.

Emi glanced towards Takao to see the boy already heading down towards the battle area.

"You shouldn't underestimate him, Hizashi," Emi stated as said Hyuuga walked past her. "Takao….as annoying as he is, he's strong."

Taking the warning to heart, the boy nodded, continuing on his way down.

"Who do you think is going to win this one, Shikaku?" Inoichi asked with a curious tone.

The Nara shrugged. "Who knows?" It made no difference to him either way.

"Aww man, this sucks!" Itsuki whined. "I want my turn already!"

Karura rolled her eyes while Rasa kept his eyes on the two Konoha genin descending down the stairs. So far, none of the genin had been weaklings. All four that he had seen fight so far had had a considerate amount of skills. And from the looks of it, this pair was no different.

Takao sighed, his hands in his pockets as he faced Hizashi down in the battle area. "You're not exactly someone I wanted to fight, Hyuuga."

Hizashi raised an eyebrow, but his unasked question didn't go unanswered for long as the other boy continued.

"I don't want to get on Kushina's bad side after I beat you to the ground."

Hizashi narrowed his eyes at the answer, not liking the fact that he was already being ruled out by his fellow genin.

"What's the deal with him anyway?" Tsume asked up on the viewing level. Kuromaru barked in agreement, also wondering the same thing.

Next to her, Kushina shook her head. "I don't know. He just came up to me one day and told me that he 'was madly in love.'"

Emi sighed. "I would usually say 'way to go, red!' if the guy in question wasn't such a douche."

"You're starting to cuss just as much as Tsume now," Yoshino commented as she joined them.

Emi waved her hand in dismissal. "He may be my teammate, but that doesn't mean he's not an asshole. But…he's still not someone you can mess around with either."

"What is his jutsu anyway?" Tsume asked with a curious tone.

Emi shook her head. "I don't know. He's never used any in front of us. All I know is that he has the lightning element. Other than that, I'm as ignorant as you guys."

"You can kick his ass, Hizashi!" Kushina cheered less than a second later, her fist raised forward. "I believe in you!"

Takao had no visible reaction to that while Hizashi calmed himself down.

"Let me tell you something," Hizashi began as he got into the usual Hyuuga stance, his byakugan activating, "I may not be from the Main House, but I'm still a Hyuuga. And I have my honor to consider. I won't allow myself to be beaten by the likes of you."

Takao sighed in slight irritation. "Hyuuga, Uchiha…you're both the same. Always going on about the same damn things. Just because you have those eyes of yours, it doesn't mean that you're invincible. And I'll prove it to you here: the first move I make will be the last you see."

Hizashi gritted his teeth, his own irritation returning.

Looking at both genin, the chunnin raised his arm for the third time before swinging it back down.

"The third match….begin!"

Unlike the other fights so far, though, neither genin rushed at one another. They simply stared at each other, no doubt sizing each other up.

"What's this?" Takao said as he titled his head. "You can't defeat me from a distance, you know."

Hizashi didn't reply, opting instead to continue staring at him.

Sighing, Takao took a step forward. "You're starting to bore me already, Hyuuga. Where exactly is that honor of yours that you were going on about just now?"

But Hizashi didn't budge.

"What is Hizashi doing?" Kushina wondered with a confused look.

"He's trying to maintain the upper hand," Yoshino answered, her eyes glued to the two genin down below. "You already know the Hyuuga excel at close range combat thanks to their taijutsu. It's why Hizashi is trying to budge Takao into attacking first and up close, so that he can get his chance to finish this as quickly as possible and on his terms. He can probably already see that Takao is also trying to lure him in, but he's not going to be the one to take the bait."

Understanding, Kushina focused back down on the two genin.

'He's got a better head on his shoulders than Hiashi, that's for sure,' Takao thought to himself. 'This might take longer than one move then…'

Cracking his neck, Takao finally said, "Alright, I'll budge. You got me. I retract my earlier words. But….."

The dark haired boy rushed at Hizashi. "I'll still be the one to win!"

"Is he insane!" Inoichi screamed, wondering just why Takao would engage Hizashi in close combat. That was suicide.

Neither of his teammates commented, however, instead focusing on the fight down below.

Hizashi waited for the dark haired genin to be within range before he himself lunged forward, his hand stretched out forward towards Takao's chest. He felt a grin appearing on his face, seeing as though Takao wasn't going to be able to dodge his first strike. Right before he made contact, however, Hizashi saw a sudden spike with Takao's chakra.

To Hizashi, it felt as if his hand had been lit on fire. To the onlookers, all they saw was a bolt of lighting shooting out from Takao's body.

'I see,' Sarutobi thought with narrowed eyes, already knowing what the dark haired genin had done. 'He's coating himself with lightning. Except that instead of using it for offensive capabilities, he's using it as a shield, making it react to wherever Hizashi strikes. It's just like a weaker version of the Raikage's armor, only that it's used entirely for defense and not offense. But for a boy so young to achieve such a thing…..amazing.'

Seeing Hizashi holding his hand as he jumped back, Kushina was at a loss. "What just happened?"

"I'm loss too," Tsume admitted, to which Emi agreed.

Yoshino didn't reply, too engrossed with the fight.

Takao chuckled at Hizashi's bewildered face. "You're out of luck, Hyuuga. I'm probably the worst opponent you could have here."

Hizashi narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on Takao's chakra to see what the boy had just done.

Smirking, Takao rushed at Hizashi again. Except that this time, Hizashi didn't attempt to meet him halfway, instead deciding to jump back in an effort to dodge Takao's technique, whatever it may be.

"What isn't he attacking!" Kushina said with slight aggravation.

"That's because he doesn't know what he's up against," Yoshino answered with a slight frown. "In the shinobi world, knowledge is power. With knowledge, you can formulate the perfect strategy to bring your opponent down. Unfortunately, Hizashi doesn't have that right now. That's why he's retreating for the moment, trying to find out just what Takao's jutsu is all about."

But Takao wasn't so eager to play Hizashi's game. That's why Hizashi stopped mid-step when he saw Takao bring his hands together.

"Raiton: Bakurai!"

The genin shielded their eyes from the large amount of lightning emanating from Takao's body. The dark haired teen smirked widely, shooting all of the lightning out from his body and towards Hizashi.

Seeing this, Hizashi gathered his own chakra and started to spin.

"Kaiten!"

'Perfect!' Takao thought as he rushed straight for Hizashi.

The lightning jutsu clashed with the Kaiten, and true to its claim, the Kaiten came out on top. But Hizashi wasn't left without taking a hit either. Due to its nature, some of the lightning was able to slip through the Kaiten, where it came in contact with Hizashi himself. More specifically, his arms. The Hyuuga felt his arms go numb for a moment due to the lightning as he came out from his rotation.

But he also saw someone coming straight for him. And true to his vision, Takao was right on top of him, fist stretched out, which he used to land a perfect hit on the Hyuuga's cheek. More lighting emanated from Takao's fist the moment it made contact with Hizashi's face.

'Ah, so he's also using his jutsu to slow his opponent down,' Sarutobi thought, feeling more and astonished by this genin. 'He's using his lighting chakra in a way to numb down all of Hizashi's muscles. Just like with the Gentle Fist, it's a barrage of precise hits.' This genin really had a strong affinity for lightning.

"This match is over, Hyuuga," Takao stated to the downed Hizashi in front of him. "Your jutsu will not work with me."

Up on the viewing area, Yoshino sighed. "It appears that way….."

But Kushina couldn't have it that way. "Hizashi! Stand up! I can't be the only one to go to the finals! You two promised we would get to the top together!"

Behind her, Sakumo shook his head. 'It no longer seems that way, Kushina…..'

Looking up at the redhead, Takao frowned. "This is why I didn't want to face you, Hyuuga. Because it would make my Kushina have that pained look on her face."

Struggling to stand back up, Hizashi wasn't allowed to reply as Takao grabbed him by the throat.

"In any case, this is it for you, Hyuuga."

Hizashi could only scream in more pain and Takao released all the chakra he had been gathering from his body and into the lighting form, hitting Hizashi with all of it.

To the other genin, it was an endless onslaught.

Gritting her teeth, Kushina was about to jump down until Sakumo grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from moving.

"Don't. This is an official match. Just like with Fugaku, Hizashi knew the risks."

But Kushina couldn't bear to see her teammate in so much pain.

Thankfully for her, she didn't have to watch for too long as Takao finally released his attack, Hizashi already having been knocked out of the realm of the conscious.

The dark haired boy h'mphed before he threw the unconscious Hyuuga down to the ground without any remorse. "What a failure."

Kushina could only grit her teeth as Takao looked up at her once more with another calm smile.

'Teme…..'

Inside her mind, Kurama cracked one eye open, feeling all of Kushina's rising anger.

'And so we begin…..'