Chapter no.70

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Natsuki stared on as the medical team brought yet another Konoha genin to the infirmary. She didn't quite understand why Hinata didn't just give up. Perhaps she would understand that sometimes a person's ideals are more important than their life.

Akimichi Choji vs. Uzumaki-Namikaze Narumi

Choji groaned in disappointment as he saw his name appear on the screen right next to one of the top kunoichi from his graduating class. He knew he wouldn't match up very well if Narumi was even stronger now then when they were in the academy together.

To be perfectly honest, Team 10 was the lazies of the rookie teams and they did practically no training at all. How could they with Shikamaru's laziness, Choji's food obsession, Ino's whining, and Asuma's laid back attitude. When they did train all they worked on was teamwork and the Ino-Shika-Cho formation. They wouldn't ever stand a chance in single combat.

Narumi was quite excited that she didn't end up having to fight Naruto, though she also didn't really want to fight one of her fellow Konoha genin. Not to mention one that she had known for years and graduated along side with.

Team 7 hadn't done very much intense training either because of Kakashi''s easy-going demeanor and Kushina's motherly instincts telling her not to push her children too hard. Because of this they weren't much better than when they were in the academy. She may have picked up a few more techniques, but she was still almost on the exact same level. That was one thing she hated about her team.

Narumi's appearance had changed a great deal since they left the academy. Narumi's appearance looked something similar to her mother's when she was a genin. She wore a black short-sleeved battle kimono that reached down to her thighs and a yellow sash around her waist. She also wore black tights to match her dress and her Konoha hitai-ate was tied around her forehead. She no longer wore her long blond hair in pigtails, opting to let it reach down to her mid-thighs. She was quite beautiful in the opinion of most men.

"Will Akimichi Choji and Uzumaki-Namikaze Narumi please meet at the center of the arena!" Genma yelled, breaking the two genin from their thoughts.

Narumi entered the arena via Leaf Shunshin while Choji slowly walked down the stairs. Choji could see the relief in her eyes after she found out that she was fighting him. Normally something like this would make him angry, but after seeing the match between Kiba and Hana, he knew that she was hoping tht she wouldn't have to fight Naruto.

Genma looked at both of the genin eying each other, "Are both of the contestants ready?" The two others in the arena nodded. "Good. Then you may begin!"

Narumi quickly Shunshined about a hundred feet behind her. She knew that Choji's only jutsus were his clan ones and she definitely didn't want to be in the way of those when they struck. She also knew that while he had little to no taijutsu besides his clan's, he was physically stronger than her and could take more than she could currently give out. Ninjutsu was her best option here.

Just as she predicted, choji began gathering chakra within his body preparing for the first stage of his plan. "Baika no Jutsu (Expansion Jutsu)!" Choji's body became much larger and rounder by converting his body's calories into chakra. This is why all Akimichis ate so much, to be able to preform their unique brand of jutsus. "Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank)!" Choji tucked both of his arms and legs and then his head closer into his body. He then used chakra to propel himself forward until he was rolling, turning his body into a destructive ball that wouldn't be easily stopped.

Narumi could only curse as she was forced to keep dodging. She knew this exact jutsu was coming, but she hadn't thought of a way to counter it yet. If he managed to even make contact once then she was finished. Narumi knew she had to think of something fast, time wasn't on her side.

He was moving too fast to be able to trap him like her sister did, so what could she really do in this situation.

She closed her eyes, deep in thought, but the only thing that was popped into her mind was the disappointed face of her Nii-san if she lost here. She wouldn't let that happen. She would make him proud. If she wanted to show him just how much she had changed then now was the time.

Narumi closed her eyes and only focused on Choji's presence. As soon as she felt that he was only a few feet away. Just as Choji's bullet-like form was about to crush her, she chanelled chakra into her feet and quickly jumped into the air. She reached into her weapons pouch and pulled out several kunai with exploding tags attached and threw them at Choji. The kunai landed right in front of the speeding tank and erupted in a large explosion, destroying the ground below and launching Choji into the air, effectively taking away his momentum.

Narumi took this as her one and only chance. In mid-air she formed several hand seals and inhaled a deep breath, even mixing some of the Kyuubi's chakra into the jutsu. 'Suiton: Suishoha (Water Release: Water Colliding Wave).' A large spiraling vortex of water erupted from Narumi's mouth and exploded from the top in the form of a wave. The violet wave of water crashed down onto Choji as he was thrown in the air, forcing him back down to earth and crushing him with the pressure of the water.

Narumi let up the technique and fell to the ground, as she wasn't being propelled up by the water anymore. She was panting hard and exhausted, that jutsu was one that Tsunade had let her learn from the Nidaime Hokage's personal scrolls. Even with the Kyuubi's chakra it took everything that she had. She looked up from her kneeling position of the ground and saw the unconscious form of Choji back at his normal size.

Genma was surprised at seeing such a powerful technique from a mere genin, but resumed his duties as a proctor nonetheless. "Winner, Uzumaki-Namikaze Narumi!"Choji was taken away on a stretcher by the medics as Narumi got up from her position on the floor. She turned around and looked up at Naruto, hoping to get some kind of sign from him that he acknowledged that she was a worthy kunoichi. That she wasn't the same spoiled brat that she used to be. She knew how unlikely it was for him to recognize her so easily...but she just wanted him to see her so badly, but she still couldn't understand why she wanted hi approval so much.

Naruto looked down at the girl staring up at him. He was well aware of the fact that she was trying to get him to acknowledge her, but he just didn't care for her all too much. He could see the pleading look in her eyes for just a single sign that she was worth something in his eyes. Naruto knew this look well, it's the same one he had before he met the Uchihas. Naruto may not have been fond of the blonde in front of him, but there was no way that he would let someone feel the same loneliness that he had.

Her fight did interest him a bit and was surprised to see that she had partially mastered one of the Nidaime's Suiton jutsus already, so he did something rather unlike him. He dropped the apathetic look on his face and gave her a small smile and a nod. He could here her stifled squeals from all the way up on the observation platform and sweat dropped. Would he regret doing that in the future? Who knows? Only time will tell.

Only after Narumi excitedly made it back to her team did the screen signal that yet another pair had been chosen for their matchup. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and glanced up "Uzumaki-Namikaze Nawaki vs. Tenten." Naruto could only sigh. He was getting tired of waiting, he did say he didn't mind going first or last but this was getting ridiculous. There had only been a handful of matches that were actually worth watching, the rest of them were nothing more than garden variety genin.