GOT JUMPED

The stadium was full of Shinobi, Konoha civilians, and two Kage from their respective villages: the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi of the Leaf and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa of the Sand. The event drew even more attention with the attendance of nobles and the daimyo, their presence adding an air of grandeur and political importance to the Chunin Exams. The crowd, filled with eager spectators, awaited the start of the main tournament matches.

"THANKS EVERYONE FOR COMING TO THE HIDDEN LEAF CHUUNIN SELECTION EXAM!! WE WILL NOW START THE MAIN TOURNAMENT MATCHES BETWEEN THE 8 PARTICIPANTS WHO MADE IT THROUGH THE PRELIMINARIES. PLEASE STAY AND WATCH UNTIL THE END!!!" The Hokage's voice, enhanced through chakra, resonated across the coliseum, announcing the event to the prestigious audience.

"Listen, there have been some last-minute changes. Look at this," Genma, the special jonin in charge of overseeing the chunin exams, pulled out a sheet of paper with the tournament placements. "Check once again to see who you're fighting."

'I had an extra first-round match. Did Dosu forfeit?' Shikamaru, unsure why anyone would give up at this point in the test, grew suspicious.

"Hey, what about Sasuke?" Naruto asked Genma the question that had been bothering him for a while now.

"If he isn't here by the start of his match, he will be disqualified."

'This isn't like him. Even if he had to crawl, he'd be here.' Sasuke's absence was an anomaly; this had never happened before.

"THE ARENA IS DIFFERENT, BUT THE RULES ARE THE SAME AS IN THE PRELIMS... THERE ARE NONE. YOU FIGHT UNTIL ONE OF YOU DIES OR ACKNOWLEDGES DEFEAT. BUT IF I DETERMINE THAT THE FIGHT IS OVER, I'LL STEP IN AND STOP IT. YOU GOT THAT?"

"Now for the first fight, Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga. The rest of you get off the stage." As the rest left the stage, Neji and Naruto faced one another. The crowd's eyes were peeled, and their hearts were restless.

Hinata and Kiba were wandering around looking for seats. "Hey, Hinata, over here! These seats are free." Kiba and Hinata sat down next to two other spectators.

"To think he got this far."

"Yeah, how lucky can he be? But this is the end of the line; his opponent is Neji."

Hinata clenched her fists. 'Naruto won't lose because I'll be cheering him on.' Just then, Hinata began cheering Naruto on, but her voice was so soft that even the people sitting right next to her could barely hear her mumbling.

As Neji and Naruto looked at each other, Neji spoke. "Looks like you have something to say..."

Naruto lifted his fist and pointed it at Neji. "I'll kick your ass."

<BYAKUGAN > Neji looked into Naruto's eyes. 'The eyes of someone without doubt. He is sure of himself and his words.'

"Now the first fight, BEGINS!!!" A gust of wind blew past Naruto and Neji, time seemed to slow down, and the world froze.

<MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU> Five clones appeared next to Naruto and charged at Neji. One by one, Neji eliminated the clones with maximum efficiency.

<NINJA ART SUMMONING JUTSU> While Neji was distracted by the clones, Naruto took the opportunity to call his partner to his side. "Come out, Ash."

"Frogadier." Ash came prepared, armed with ninja wire and a tanto. Ash leaped away and began setting traps. Even though Neji could see right through them, it would limit his options and perhaps leave an opening.

Naruto created more shadow clones and began assaulting Neji without giving him a break. Countless clones were dispelled. 'Does this guy have eyes at the back of his head? I can't even touch him.'

"So your dream is to become the Hokage? It's impossible for you. I can see it with these eyes—talent is decided at birth. Your fate was already set from the moment you were born."

"So what? I will just work hard enough to break those limits that bind me."

"Look closer at reality. Those that become Hokage are born for that destiny. You won't succeed by simply trying. The only fate we all share is death."

"It's not that easy to break my spirit."

<MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU> Countless clones charged forward.

"I've already seen through your attack pattern," Neji declared.

Naruto smirked. "Well, it's a good thing I've got more than one." Low-reaching attacks were sent towards Neji's legs from multiple directions, forcing him to keep moving. Neji weaved through the clones and jumped to escape a combo attack the clones sent his way.

"NOW!" The clones threw caltrops all over the ground. Neji landed with ease in the gaps between the spiky traps. He had to dodge again and use a kunai to deflect incoming shuriken thrown from different angles periodically by Naruto's clones, giving him no time to relax.

'I know where he is,' Neji thought as he dodged through the rain of shuriken and weaved between the caltrops. He hastily approached one of the many Narutos at the back of a large group and struck him in the chest. Neji smirked as he watched Naruto cough up blood and lowered his guard for a moment. 'It's already over, as expected.' Naruto raised his head and chuckled.

"Got you." *POOF* Ninja wire surrounded Neji, yet there was still room for retreat, and he could see it perfectly. Suddenly, the group of nearby clones charged at him, managing to slow him down enough to make escape impossible.

<ROTATION > Neji used his trump card, a defensive and offensive taijutsu unique to the main branch of the Hyuga clan. With that, all the clones near him were destroyed, and so was the wire. The trap set by Ash and Naruto failed, but Ash never stopped looking for opportunities. He drew his tanto and made his way to Neji's location.

Neji's rotation speed began to decline, and there, an opening was presented. Ash decisively dashed forth and slashed Neji against the flow of his spin, dealing a heavy blow and slashing Neji cleanly across his chest horizontally. Blood gushed out, but Neji managed to stop it by pressing on some pressure points to tense some muscles, preventing further blood loss. Naruto took that opportunity to deal some damage. Three clones appeared under Neji and launched him up with powerful kicks.

"Just because you can see me doesn't mean you can do anything about it." The clones jumped up, followed by Ash.

"GAAAAHH!!!" Two clones launched Naruto and Ash higher up.

"ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO ASH!!!" Naruto performed a hand sign.

<MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU> Clones appeared, surrounding Neji in a mid-air sphere-like formation. Ash nodded and brought out ninja wire, attaching a kunai to one end.

"NA-RU-TO, UZUMAKI BARRAGE!" Clones charged at Neji from every direction, and Naruto finished it off with a final punch. With Ash below, they landed a double uppercut right on Neji's chin, knocking him out. Ash skillfully launched one end of the ninja wire at Neji, entwining it around him, and launched the other end toward a tree, securing it on a branch. Before Neji could fall past the branch, he spun around it until he was tied up, laying on his back facing the sky.

Ash appeared atop Neji, drawing his tanto and leaving a small slash wound on Neji's neck. Genma, dazed by what had just happened, finally collected himself and body-flickered to Neji. He checked Neji's pulse and condition. 'He should be fine—nothing the medical ninjas can't take care of.' Genma used the body flicker once more and appeared next to Naruto and Ash.

"THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ROUND GOES TO, NARUTO UZUMAKI!"

Silence ensued in the spectator stand. Wide eyes and gaping mouths were uniformly worn by everyone who knew Naruto. Hinata, however, could be seen smiling brightly, unresponsive to the commotion around her.

Sakura was shocked the most. '... Who is that, and what did he do with Naruto? There's no way that's really him. And what the hell is with that frog? Why's it so big? HOW AM I GONNA KEEP UP WITH HIM NOW?'

'So that's the kid Dad talked about. Not too shabby. I kinda wish he was on my team now. How lucky can Kakashi get? First Sasuke, now this monster of a kid.... Well, as long as no one's stopping me, I guess I could teach him a thing or two in my spare time,' Asuma thought, having taken a liking to Naruto. He desired to pass on some of his wisdom to Naruto when he got the chance. And by chance, he meant when no one's looking.

"It seems Konoha has produced another wolf hidden amongst sheep," the Kazekage commented while exchanging pleasantries with the Hokage.

"Yes, Konoha is blessed with many talents," Hiruzen replied, his brow creased. 'When did Naruto get this strong? Revealing such strength to the public is bound to make him a target for elimination, though he is his father's son.' Hiruzen smiled his worries away, reminiscing about the past. As he looked at Naruto, he saw his father within him.

Naruto grabbed Ash, throwing his shoulder over his neck, and Ash did the same. "HAHAHA, WE WOOOOON!"

"FROGGAAAAA!" The two jumped and danced, waving their hands and blowing kisses to the crowd. When Naruto spotted Hinata in the crowd, he smiled.

"THANKS FOR CHEERING ME ON, HINATA. I WON ALL THANKS TO YOU!"

Hinata's blush went out of control, and she fainted on the spot. "Hey, Hinata, are you okay?" Kiba caught Hinata before she fell to the ground. 'He knew, even though he couldn't hear me, he believed I was cheering him on.'

Naruto turned to Ash. "Hey, Ash, wanna stick around and keep me company while watching the other matches?"

"Froga," Ash replied. The two victors stepped off the field and went to the waiting room.

On the tree branch, Neji woke up unable to move. Stepping out of the shadows, Genma approached him. "Even a caged bird, if smart enough, would try to open the cage with its beak, never giving up its desire to be free and fly in the sky. This time, you lost." The medical team arrived to move Neji out of the examination arena, and Genma undid the binds. Once Neji was free, he was gently moved by the medical team to the medical room.

---

In the medical room

Hisashi Hyuga walked into the room. "I'm sorry, but could you leave us alone?" Once the medical staff recognized him, they decided to give them some time alone. Neji sat up with difficulty.

"What do you want?"

Hisashi wore a sad expression. "I came to tell you the truth about that day... That day, I was fully prepared to die."

Shocked, Neji yelled at Hisashi. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? That day, my father died in your place."

"It may appear so, but... that is not the truth."

"Why, after all these years?" Neji didn't understand why something so important would be kept from him.

"I'm telling you now because I thought you'd believe me now," Hisashi explained. He told Neji what really happened that day. Hizashi chose to replace Hisashi of his own free will. He didn't die for his duty as part of the side branch of the clan; rather, he died for Hisashi as a brother would. He chose to die for Neji, his brother, his family, and for the whole village of his own free will. Hizashi died as a free man, a caged bird no longer.

"WHY WOULD I LISTEN TO THAT? IT SOUNDS LIKE A CONVENIENT STORY MADE BY THE MAIN FAMILY."

"I knew you'd say that. That's why I waited until now... I wanted to, not as a member of the main family, but as Hizashi's brother... to tell you my younger brother's final words."

Neji was shocked. Before him stood the patriarch of the Hyuga clan, bowing to him on his knees with his head on the ground. "Believe me..."

"... Please, raise your head." Tears flowed down Neji's face. 'Father, is a person's destiny like a cloud drifting with an inescapable flow, or can a person choose the flow he wishes?' Neji looked through the window to see two birds flying freely in the sky.

---

This is a robbery, put the power stones in the bag.