Medical ninja carried unconscious Kiba Inuzuka out of arena on a stretcher while Akamaru whimpered beside him.
Uehara Naraku walked up metal stairs to balcony. Silence followed him. Genin who had previously looked down on Rain team now stared with mixture of fear and wariness. Defeating a rookie of the year candidate in ten seconds was a statement that could not be ignored.
"Yo" Uehara raised a hand casually greeting Team 7. "That was a good warmup."
"You..." Naruto pointed shaking finger. "You beat Kiba! That was awesome! But also scary! What was that move? You just said 'Sit' and he sat!"
"It is called obedience training" Uehara leaned against railing.
Kakashi Hatake looked at Uehara with lone dark eye.
"Instant paralysis without hand seals" Kakashi noted. "And invisible projectiles. You have an interesting skill set Uehara. Is that a Hiden technique of Rain Village?"
"Something like that" Uehara deflected. "We Rain ninjas have to be creative since we don't have fancy eyes like you Leaf folks."
He glanced at Neji Hyuga who was observing him with activated Byakugan.
"Can you see anything Hyuga san?" Uehara asked.
Neji frowned. Veins around his eyes bulged.
"Your chakra flow is strange" Neji stated cold arrogance in voice. "It doesn't circulate normally. It feels... foreign."
"Maybe I am just built different" Uehara smirked.
Electronic board on wall buzzed interrupting conversation. Names scrolled rapidly.
Match 4: Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka
"Oh great" Uehara muttered. "The screaming match."
Two girls walked down to arena. Fight was long and emotional. They exchanged punches insults and tears. Ino used Mind Body Switch Jutsu but Sakura's inner spirit forced her out. In end both girls punched each other in face simultaneously and knocked each other out.
"Draw" Hayate announced coughing. "Neither advances."
"What a waste of time" Uehara sighed. "0 out of 10. Would not watch again."
Board spun again.
Match 5: Temari vs Tenten
"Watch closely" Uehara whispered to Shigure and Baiu. "This is how you use wind."
Tenten Konoha's weapon specialist unleashed hundreds of shuriken kunai and spiked balls. It was a storm of steel. But Temari simply smiled and swung her giant fan.
"Wind Scythe Jutsu!"
Gust of wind blew weapons away like dry leaves. Tenten was tossed into air and slammed onto fan her back breaking with sickening crunch.
"Winner: Temari."
Sand girl looked up at balcony sneering at Konoha ninjas.
"Weak."
Rock Lee jumped down to catch falling Tenten his face burning with anger.
"Next match" Hayate called out.
Match 6: Shikamaru Nara vs Kin Tsuchi
Shikamaru lazy genius fought Sound ninja girl. He used shadows to trap her then used environment to knock her head against wall. Simple. Effective. Genius.
"Smart guy" Uehara noted. "Low combat power but high IQ. Dangerous if given prep time."
Board spun again. Tension in room spiked.
Match 7: Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga
Wait no.
Board clicked.
Match 7: Naruto Uzumaki vs Baiu
"Me?" Baiu squeaked his face turning pale. "I have to fight him? The guy who beat Haku?"
Uehara patted Baiu on shoulder.
"Go get him Tiger" Uehara encouraged. "Just remember. If you lose you are fired. If you win... well you probably won't win."
Baiu walked down to arena legs shaking.
Naruto jumped down eager to fight.
"Alright! Finally my turn! I am going to win this believe it!"
"Begin!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto crossed fingers.
POOF.
Dozens of Narutos filled arena.
Baiu looked at army of orange jumpsuits. He looked at angry Naruto. Then he looked up at Uehara who was watching with cold expression.
Pressure was too much.
"I give up!" Baiu raised hands screaming. "I surrender! Please don't hurt me!"
Silence.
Naruto blinked. Clones blinked.
"Ehhh?" Naruto yelled. "You can't give up! We haven't even started!"
"I value my life!" Baiu ran back up stairs hiding behind Shigure.
"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki" Hayate sighed. "By forfeit."
"Lame" Kankuro scoffed. "Rain ninjas are cowards. Except for that captain."
Uehara ignored insults. He was calculating odds. With Baiu out and Shigure likely useless only he remained to represent Rain.
"Fine by me" Uehara thought. "Less baggage."
Board spun again. This time names stopped on a fateful pairing.
Match 8: Hinata Hyuga vs Neji Hyuga
Room went quiet. Tension between two Hyuga members was palpable.
Neji walked into arena his expression filled with hate. Hinata walked down meekly playing with her fingers her eyes full of fear.
"Brother Neji..." Hinata whispered.
"Don't call me that" Neji cut her off. "You should withdraw Hinata. You are not a ninja. You are too kind. Too weak. Destiny has already decided that you will lose."
He activated Byakugan.
"People cannot change. A failure will always be a failure."
His words were like knives stabbing into Hinata's confidence.
"He is intense" Uehara noted watching from above. "The Caged Bird hates the Main House. Classic family drama."
"Shut up!" Naruto yelled from balcony gripping railing. "Who are you to decide who is a failure?! You can do it Hinata! Beat him!"
Naruto's voice acted like a catalyst. Hinata's eyes hardened. She stopped trembling.
"I... I will not run away!" Hinata declared adopting Gentle Fist stance.
Fight began.
It was brutal. Hinata fought bravely fueled by Naruto's encouragement but skill gap was immense. Neji struck her chakra points with surgical precision shutting down her internal organs one by one.
He wasn't just defeating her. He was dissecting her.
"Stop it Neji!" Naruto screamed.
But Neji didn't stop. He slammed his palm into Hinata's heart sending her flying backward coughing blood.
Hinata struggled to stand up trembling violently.
"Why?" Neji asked looking down at her. "Why do you stand up? You are going to die."
"Because..." Hinata smiled through blood stained teeth. "Because Naruto kun is watching."
Neji snapped. His cool facade broke.
"Die!"
Neji charged intending to deliver a killing blow.
Instantly four Jonin appeared in arena. Kakashi Guy Kurenai and Hayate grabbed Neji's arms restraining him before he could strike.
"That is enough" Guy said sternly. " The match is over. Hinata can no longer fight."
Neji looked at Jonin then at Hinata who finally collapsed into cardiac arrest. Medical ninjas rushed in.
"Winner: Neji Hyuga."
Neji deactivated Byakugan shaking off Jonin.
"A loser is a loser" Neji spat looking at Naruto. "Destiny cannot be changed."
Naruto jumped down running to Hinata's side. He dipped his fingers in her blood and held up a crimson fist towards Neji.
"I swear..." Naruto growled tears in his eyes. "I will beat you! I will change your stupid destiny!"
Uehara watched scene unfolding.
"Destiny huh?" Uehara muttered.
He looked at Neji.
[Side Mission Triggered: Break the Caged Bird's Pride.]
[Objective: Defeat Neji Hyuga in the finals.]
[Reward: Item - Wit's End.]
"Wit's End" Uehara grinned. "Magic resistance and attack speed. And it steals magic resistance on hit. Perfect for fighting a Hyuga who relies on chakra disruption."
He looked at electronic board.
Only two names remained for next match.
Weight in room shifted. Bloodlust began to leak from sand gourd in corner.
Match 9: Rock Lee vs Gaara
"Finally" Uehara straightened his posture. "The main event."
Gaara turned into a cloud of sand drifting down to arena. Rock Lee jumped down landing on his feet with a pose.
"I have been waiting for this!" Lee shouted.
"Let's see" Uehara leaned forward eyes locked on arena. "Let's see if hard work can beat a monster. Or if I need to intervene again."
....
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
15 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
30 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!