Uncomfortable silence hung heavily in the air, a leaden sheet across each and every Genin's shoulders. Only Gaara to Naruto's eyes seemed unaffected by the ending of the fight between Hyuuga. Kiba and Sai were fighting below but it seemed all too much like background noise to Naruto's own thoughts and feelings about what had happened previously. Sai and Kiba had no animosity, were both shinobi of Konoha; and whilst Naruto would normally be all too interested in seeing Kiba go up against Sai's unique brand of apparently ink-based ninjutsu, the safety of a bout between comrades gave him - and others it seemed, casting his eyes around at the others in the tower's arena - space to think.
Family was complicated, Naruto knew. It was hard not to notice that, with how often spouses fell out, how often parents and children argued and such. Hell, Naruto had grown up in a village where a member of it's most prominent families murdered everyone but his own brother for reasons beyond the comprehension of just about anyone. Still, he had never actually experienced it. Had never actually fallen out with a member of his own family, or had a chance to develop anything close to a deep-seated resentment. The closest to betrayed he had ever felt was knowing it had been his own father that had sealed the demon Fox within him. But for all Naruto might have wanted to hate the man for all the anguish that had brought him, he understood the man's motives. Doing what he did to protect the Village resonated with Naruto in an incredibly meaningful way - he only would have liked a say in the matter, even if his answer would have been less.
How on earth did it get to the point where there was enough hatred between children of a family - cousins - that one would put aside loyalty to the village and their oaths as a shinobi of it to near enough try and kill the other? It was unfathomable to a boy who's most precious assets were the people who had allowed him into their lives and recognised him in even the smallest of ways. Neji's attitude was clearly one borne of a difficult life, but the blame was surely in the wrong place. What the hell had happened that Neji was so desperate to strike out at any aspect of the Main Branch of his clan that he could reach - even if that meant killing close family who couldn't possibly have warranted that kind of treatment?
Naruto was furious with Neji for his actions, but found it difficult to maintain that fury when it was so closely intertwined for the pity he realised he felt for the Hyuuga.
A glance up revealed Kiba laid out flat, pinned by a giant ink tiger, Akamaru being carried around the room by the scruff of his neck by a beautifully drawn eagle. From what Naruto had seen it had begun a close fight, Kiba's relentless assault keeping Sai on the back foot. But he was tired from the forest, and barely recovered from his injuries. All Sai had to do was weather the storm and finish the job competently. The Inuzuka forfeited the match, but took the loss like a champ, extending a tired hand to his opponent. Sai took it, and for the first time Naruto felt there was a tinge of genuine emotion behind Sai's blank facade, indecipherable though it was. The two retreated to the stands, and the next pair were called causing Naruto to blink in surprise.
Ino vs Sakura.
Now that was an interesting match-up, though not so much because of the ninjutsu that would be on display. The two girls had a rivalry that stretched back from almost before Naruto had known them that was as fierce as just about any animosity between himself and Sasuke. On the surface it seemed to be an incredibly petty struggle over a childish crush, but he had spent too long trying to capture Sakura's attentions to not be aware that the water that ran under that particular bridge were far deeper than a fight over a boy - let alone one like Sasuke. Personally, part of him wanted to support Sakura like he would have done at the Academy, but the thought made the rest of him uncomfortable.
He had changed. His entire perspective on his own life, his dreams and his self-worth. He had always been aware that the beatings, berating and bullshit that Sakura had sent his way were wrong of course. But the part of him that on some level believed he had deserved it had been irrevocably changed by the events of his graduation. He had discovered who he was, what he was meant to do. People had seen him for who he was and accepted that and now the unresolved issue of how Sakura had behaved towards him and his cheerful acceptance of it conflicted uncomfortably with the person he now was.
Sakura spoke first, breaking the wall of tension that had built up between the two since their names had been called. "Right now, I have no intention of fighting over Sasuke-kun with you. You and Sasuke don't go together anyway, not to mention that with everything that's happened, I'm completely stronger than you right now."
Naruto impulsively took a step back from the iron railings, anticipating Ino's explosion.
It never came. Instead she just stood across from her rival, regarding her quietly. This seemed to rile Sakura up even more of course, who tore her headband from where it had been pinning back her her and held it out in front of her. Naruto couldn't help but notice the change in the two girls that he had known since before he had started in the Academy. Sakura seemed more confident somehow, more sure of herself. It was as if she had found something that she had been looking for, much the same as he had the night he graduated. Ino's was the more pronounced change however. Her explosive temper seemed under control, her entire demeanour shifted slightly to the more serious. It was a bit startling to Naruto if he was being honest, but there was one change that screamed at him from where he was standing - something that he was absolutely positive had never happened any time the girls had sparred or competed before.
Ino - and only Ino - had settled straight into a well-practiced combat stance as soon as she had reached the arena floor, holding it throughout Sakura's admittedly toned down histrionics. What's more, it was one he didn't recognise from his studies.
"Jiraiya-sensei," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving the battlefield. It pained him to leave out an allusion to the Sannin's perversion when he addressed him, but there were foreign ninja here. "What is that stance that Ino's in?"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Looks like a variant on a traditional Yamanaka stance, though you'd have to ask a specialist - Might Guy for example - for more detail. They tend to favour more defensive, counter attacking taijutsu on the whole. Yamanaka prefer to create space and time for them to use their mind ninjutsus over a straight-up power struggle. I've seen the girl's father fight from time to time. A tricky man - far more agile than his build suggests. Have you not seen her using it before?"
"No, this is the first time, I'm certain. I would have noticed something like that even before I graduated."
His sensei grinned wickedly, "Guess you're not the only one getting better then, eh gaki?"
Naruto scowled at the address, but inwardly basked in the half compliment from his sensei. He was still unused to any real level of praise, and he knew the warmth that filled him from it was disproportionate to the actual comment. In all honesty, he found it hard to care.
The two girls below finally looked set to begin, having utterly ignored the Jonin proctor's growing irritation at their lack of movement. Their hitae-ate were tied about their foreheads, and Sakura had started to race through the seals Naruto knew to be those for the Bunshin taught in the Academy. Pretty standard, but like all tools could be deadly if used correctly...
Naruto smirked as Sakura suddenly increased her speed violently. The seals had been a feint, and Sakura had actually channeled her chakra to her feet, increasing her speed in a manner that took considerable control. She closed the distance to her rival in a moment, arm cocked back ready to strike at a stunned Ino caught flat-footed by her speed.
Only she wasn't.
Ino stepped forward crouched, right elbow thrust forward directly into Sakura's face. The crunch on impact made Naruto wince. In the quiet of the arena he couldn't help but think of what a body might sound like landing on concrete having been thrown from a great height. Sakura did much the same, collapsing bonelessly onto the stone floor. She groaned listlessly and tried to haul herself onto her feet, blood now flowing freely down her face and onto the floor. Her nose was broken and her face was split severely.
For Ino's part, she looked like she might be sick. She hadn't been able to compensate for Sakura's increased speed to lessen the impact, and by their very nature elbow strikes had the potential to inflict considerable damage. Ino had never intended to hurt her former friend in the way she had - he knew he could be certain of that. But even Naruto could tell Ino had trained hard. She was faster and stronger, both mentally and physically. Sakura quite simply hadn't grown has much, and what both girls had assumed would be a closely fought bout had essentially been ended in the first move.
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"Sakura, I-" Ino began what Naruto assumed to be a stammered apology as the Proctor called the match, Sakura adjudged to be unable to continue, but was interrupted by a shakily raised palm from Sakura.
"'s fair an' square Ino-pig." She slurred woozily, concussion making itself obvious. Sakura slumped back down to the floor, and the med-nin's raced in to treat her.
His former crush was stretchered away from the arena floor, and Jiraiya quietly let him know that medical ninjutsu was more than good enough to ensure that Sakura wasn't likely to experience any lasting effects other than a small scar. He appreciated the discretion alongside the subtle reminder of just how perceptive the perverted old toad really was.
Naruto himself was finally drawn against a unruffled and spotless looking Tenten. The girl, utterly professional looking stared for a moment, before dropping pretenses and smiling easily at him. "Uzumaki Naruto, right? What do you say to me kicking your ass within the boundaries of a friendly match between comrades?" A frown replaced the smile. "A few too many of ours have been carried away on a stretcher after their matches got out of hand."
Naruto smiled. "Couldn't agree more - apart from the part where you win, naturally."
Tenten was good - a weapon specialist who obviously worked harder than just about anyone their age at it. Naruto initially made the mistake of trying to spar her with his Sansetsukon without using any Kage Bunshin, just to see how good he really was. Turns out, it didn't matter how good he was, because Tenten was far better with a Bo in hand, and now Naruto was carrying a wicked bruise on his shins after the brunette swept his legs from under him.
Handily, Naruto's skillset had broadened considerably since the Academy, as had his range of jutsus. It took some working but he finally managed to snare his opponent with a lightning whip jutsu used by some clones he'd hidden underground. Despite her skill, it seemed Tenten hadn't really managed to prepare to counter many different strategies. When it came to something she found difficult to combat, her go to response seemed to be 'throw sharp things, fast'. In fairness, it was a kind of simplicity Naruto could get behind, she just needed another string on her bow to be the complete package.
That said, she took the loss far more amicably than he imagined either of her team-mates - Neji and Lee - would, and it seemed he had earned the respect of another of his generation of shinobi.
Shikamaru was drawn next, but to Naruto's initial outrage he withdrew from his match against the final Suna ninja, Kankuro. Only a touch on the shoulder from Jiraiya kept him from going across and demanding an explanation from his friend. The Sannin had his eyes narrowed at Shikamaru as he lazed back up to his spot above the arena, and for once Naruto decided to wait for an explanation. Something was going on it seemed, and he hadn't quite deciphered what.
That left Sasuke, who had originally been given a pass to the next round because of the uneven numbers, to fight Gaara's older sibling, and Naruto couldn't fight the frown that found it's way onto his face as the raven-haired genin leapt to the arena floor with a grace that made him uncomfortably envious. He looked as casually assured as ever, hands in the pockets of muddy white shorts and body set in a casual looking stance that somehow left very little in the way of openings. Despite everything seeming irritatingly easy for the Uchiha, a more perceptive Naruto noticed a tautness to him that was never there before, a stressed tension that he was trying to hide.
Jiraiya had indicated to him that Orochimaru himself had attacked Team 7 in the forest. They seemed to have been relatively unscathed by the encounter, but Naruto could well imagine that meeting an insane shinobi at the level of his own sensei would leave a lasting impact on you.
Kankuro stepped forward with an irritating swagger that made Sasuke appear merely 'confident'. He had never coped well with people who thought they were better than others and suddenly Naruto found himself hoping, unbelievably, that Sasuke would win.
"This the bug I gotta crush?" The make-up clad Suna ninja queried, jerking a thumb at Sasuke and smirking insufferably up at his sensei. Baki the Suna Jonin they had rescued not all that long ago simply ignored the question. With the way the genin brushed off the tacit rejection, Naruto guessed that this happened a lot. Kankuro grimaced, and turned his attention back to Sasuke. The match started, and the two barreled towards each other and Naruto could the telling red glint of the famed sharingan in Sasuke's eyes. The pair snapped into a whip-sharp taijutsu exchange, Sasuke parrying every blow with super human precision even for a shinobi, managing to somehow make it seem as if he was barely exerting any effort. For a moment Kankuro was a little slow and Sasuke landed a vicious palm strike to the boy's chin followed by another with both hands to his chest.
Kankuro staggered back but looked up, smirking viciously. "Arms beginning to hurt, runt?" Sure enough, Sasuke was rubbing his wrists gingerly.
"Perhaps if you stopped talking long enough to pay attention, you wouldn't have missed that noise." Sasuke drawled, matching the Suna Genin smirk for smirk. "Do you really think the sharingan would miss your stupid trick?"
Kankuro looked taken aback, and Naruto strained to hear the noise that Sasuke was talking about. Faintly, ever so faintly, if he channeled chakra to his ears...
"Fuck!" Kankuro's curse broke all concentration, and the mass of bandages at the boys back suddenly began to unravel of their own accord. A shadow staggered back from them just as Kankuro exploded in a shower of... Splinters? Naruto blinked and re-evaluated but Jiraiya beat him to the punch.
"I suppose they don't call him a genius for nothing. Recognised the Suna brat was a puppet-user but feigned ignorance to try and take out his main weapon - smart. Those palm strikes were to plant explosive tags."
Naruto barely had time to register Jiraiya's words before Sasuke threw himself at the shadow that had fallen out of the bundle of bandages - Kankuro's real body Naruto realised - and launched into yet another vicious taijutsu exchange, far less even this time, that had a dazed Kankuro backpedaling furiously before the Uchicha sent him flying with a savage roundhouse kick.
Gaara's brother was winded but not finished. He crawled to his feet and Naruto's view of the entire arena as a spectator gave him a crucial advantage over the Uchiha - he could see everything the Suna shinobi was up to. The chance to see a kugutsutsukai in action was one a ninja rarely got without having the misfortune to be up against one in the field. Just seeing Kankuro subtly manipulate the chakra strings still attached to his puppet after the explosion to aim it's charred head at Sasuke's back was a revelation that in theory could keep him alive in the future.
The disfigured head's mouth twitched and jerked open, revealing a metal tube within that as Kankuro stood, fired a slew of what was likely poisoned darts at the unaware Uchiha. Or, the pretending to be unaware Uchiha at any rate. Without looking, Sasuke rolled to the side, the shower of darts sailing harmlessly through the space he had occupied. Of course the sharingan could see the chakra threads Kankuro was using to manipulate his puppets. The fight was a total mismatch, a fact that judging by the dismay on his face, Kankuro was beginning to realise for himself. The Uchiha withdrew a handful of shuriken, one between each finger, and let them fly. Each was charged with chakra, judging by the way they stuck deeply into the stone floors and Naruto knew they had been aimed at the invisible threads of chakra that were at the core of Kankuro's fighting style.
Sasuke's smirk was just beginning to reach unbearable levels when Kankuro conceded the fight, irritation plain.
For all he didn't care for the Suna-nin, Naruto empathised deeply. He might not have wanted Sasuke to lose, he was Konoha after all, but punched in the face? Several times? Absolutely.
* * *
The late evening sky, burnt red and glorious above his village, painted Sarutobi's office in a dark orange glow as he slumped tenderly into his well-cushioned chair. Age had worn him down well, right down to his bones but he felt as though the last few days had accelerated the process by a good decade. So many concerns all atop the other, layered and intertwined, and all a deep and serious threat to his people.
Some shafts of light penetrated the darkness, however. His wayward student Orochimaru had been dealt a blow in the forest, and for the time being Uchiha Sasuke was safe from his machinations. Jiraiya had discovered a veritable treasure trove of information willingly given on their most pressing threat via Tsuchi Kin, who it seemed was a talented shinobi willing to press herself into the service of Konoha to escape her former master. It was an opportunity Konoha would never have had if it hadn't been for one Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest beam of light that illuminated the leaves Sarutobi's masters had tended to in their own tenure as Hokage.
It was instinct alone that had tended his belief that one day Naruto would succeed him through the boy's early years. Nothing but feeling, and hope - now he could see the evidence clear as day. In only a few months Uzumaki had grown into a fine shinobi. The Sandaime had lived long enough now that he had seen the patterns of time weave their way through the Elemental Nations more than a few times. Difficult times came and went, and people were guided through the most tumultuous by those that radiated light. The Shodai had been one of the brightest he had ever seen. Namikaze Minato, Naruto's father, could have surpassed even that, had he not been snuffed out like a candle before its time.
Now forces conspired once again to cast a shadow across Konoha, and difficult times were once again coming. And though Sarutobi's own light was fading, new flames were being lit even now, sparking into light to guide the village through the coming darkness - Naruto's surely brighter than any.
The Hokage's weathered and calloused fingers picked up his raven-feather quill and smoothly scratched out his signature on the single sheet of paper before him - the order that would reveal one of the greatest secrets his village kept to its populace. Naruto was ready, finally.
It was time for the world to know just who Uzumaki Naruto really was - for the boy's own sake, and for the sake of the village itself.