While they’re in the stadium, waiting in the seat, Hotaru, Hiura, and Erika didn’t stay in the medics anymore, the bench in the back along with Lee in a wheelchair, Tenten, and Guy.

“Psst, will you visit the shop today? My father annoys me to bring you today… he’s so obnoxious about wanting to see you…” Tenten said to Hotaru whispering

, “but he’s just met me, and drunk with my father just the night before…” Hotaru said puzzled

“That damn old man, why doesn’t he bring me along…” Tenten murmured with a low voice, while Hotaru just let it go. While there’s Hayate in the arena standing like an idiot waiting for the start of the final.

“Sensei! Don’t just stand there like an idiot and seat in the staff area already! -ZO”

Hayate annoyed by the shout, but he didn’t shout back instead call for the start of the final.

The first battle between Neji and Naruto, at the prelims Naruto mad at Neji that Hinata has beaten black and blue.

Heck, Hinata bloodied by the beating.

The battle started usually, and there’s nothing wrong with the start as Neji use his trigram fist, which attacking every acupoint in Naruto’s body, blocking Naruto’s pathway in his body disabling him using his chakra.

However, before he used the fist, he’s being cornered by Naruto’s wit and battle sense.

Naruto able to corner Neji using many kinds of attack, that even receiving applause from the higher-ups in the arena.

A while after Naruto’s chakra pathway blocked, he remembered what Jiraiya said about another chakra dwelling inside his body, he moved them and used his all to bring them out.

He succeeds, while the higher up astonished by that even the Uchiha that has awakened their Sharingan and the Hyuuga surprised by the sudden rise.

Of course, those that don’t know the truth can only open and shut their mouth in the stadium, while Hotaru intrigued by the sudden change in Naruto because he can’t see the chakra around him.

Hiura and Erika tell him not long after about the change in Naruto’s chakra, from blue to Red.

The Red chakra makes them sweating, and the sudden influx in his surrounding air that isn’t changing that much bear nothing weird for others that not so sharp, however, Hotaru’s different.

The same could also be said to Shikamaru, but he’s too lazy to see the secret behind them.

In intelligence, Shikamaru might have the same cunningness as Hotaru, but, incomprehension and sharpness, Shikamaru falls behind Hotaru in miles.

For Hotaru that’s having a smaller chakra reserve and less compatibility with Taijutsu like Lee, he honed his comprehension to the best he can.

Knowing the clues from before, he can already deduct what hidden lies behind Naruto.

The reason why Konoha’s villagers hate him.

And what, the 3rd hide from Naruto.

He had read the Hokages’ history and autobiography.

From the 1st to the 4th, there’s only 4 Hokage so far…

But, each of them had a long history in leading the village, with the 4th as the soonest Hokage that died…

Naruto’s birth date, his eye-catching hair, even the whisker in his cheeks make Hotaru puzzled.

He knows there are many styles of ninja, and their face can somehow change to what kind of jutsu they used, but Naruto’s whisker is a rare case…

Jinchuriki

The vessel which contains the tailed beast that was wreaking havoc in the village…

Naruto’s one of them, and possibly…

Gaara also one of them…

The end of the battle is unexpected.

In their bout, Naruto might be able to exchange punch with so much Neji needs [Kaiten] to dodge the attack of the surrounding clones, of course, his outburst can’t stay longer than he wanted to.

As expected, there must be some Fuinjutsu hid in his body, Hotaru thought so while feeling the chakra in his authority diminished.

At the last exchange they make, both of them thrown out and their body buried in the ground. The first one to stand is Neji.

Hayate, however, didn’t stop the bout, and Neji gets himself closer.

Each step he made, the audiences’ murmured became louder, and Neji still uttering some gibberish like fate, and unchanging fate…

While Neji smug with his action, Naruto suddenly punches him from below, and the down Naruto goes with a poof.

Naruto digs a tunnel and hides it below his clones, waiting for the chance to finish Neji, and beautifully win the round.

…

The scene astonished the audience, Tenten beside me along With Erika and Hiura nod his head proudly, while Tenten somehow feels relieved seeing Neji lose.

Well, I get it must be irritating to have someone so cocky all the time in a mission…

“Gosh, Glad I have a good teammate…”

“Oh, you just realized that -zo?”

I smiled at Hiura’s statement.

While Tenten gave an awkward smile at mine.

The next match will be Shikamaru between Temari, and the one trounced Tenten in the prelims.

“Oh, she’s the one you lose to Right? Tenten -zo.”

“Be more tact, you dense! *smack*” Erika smack Hiura head mercilessly

“Ha…haha”

Tenten laughs awkwardly while scratching his cheeks. It’s not like she mid about it, but being told right before her is something embarrassing.

The battle between Temari and Shikamaru could be depicted with a word.

That is

Beautifully done.

Nara family is known for its ability in Kageshibari and their intellect. While so, they are level-headed and always move with a plan in their mind, and do what they wish for.

While Shikamaru always hates to do troublesome things, he will always do those ‘troublesome’ things if he needed to do it.

We’ve trained along for some time, and I know his purpose in this battle.

He fought against Temari in a smart and magnificent display, while doing so, he cornered the girl to do what he wanted to her do.

Although he sometimes failed, he fixed the plan and laid traps along with his play in Kageshibari.

The shadow he owned extends here and there, making Temari troubled by it.

If you’re talking about power, Shikamaru is weaker than Tenten, while he does have a good Kekkei genkai, it’s not necessarily a strong one, as a Kageshibari is a support type jutsu and not really a jutsu that can be used to make a frontal attack.

“Watch and learn this fight…” I said.

Erika and Hiura were focusing their mind to the match, while Tenten became more severe in seeing the person a year younger than her fight in the final.

At the end of the match, Shikamaru successfully binds Temari in his Kageshibari, copy the same and exact move Shikamaru did.

Temari raises her hand, and while Shikamaru shouted.

“I forfeit.”

It brings displeasure to many, while Temari feels extremely humiliated in the arena.

However, knowing what Shikamaru think, I, along with several jounin and even the kage in the stand smile wryly.

I remember what Hokage said about the match ‘it’s not necessarily needed to win the tournament, what you need is to show us, that you’re worthy of the title…’

“Well, it’s not necessarily needed for one to win this tournament to be a chunin after all… haha…” I said

“Oh… right… I forgot about that-zo.”

“Still, what a waste… he can defeat her, isn’t he?” Erika asked

“Yes… he should be able to win, right? Hotaru-kun”

“Hmm, it’s not necessarily right… you see, he is a Genin, after all, I believe it’s already strenuous enough for him to release that many shadows to capture her… Erika, Hiura, can you see how many chakras Shikamaru has with your eyes?”

In no times, both of them use their doujutsu, while Erika activates her byakugan and veins protruding around hey eyes, Hiura’s pupil spiraling until it showed two tomoe inside.

“Nope, I can’t see the amount but, I can see the sequence of the Kageshibari lingering in his body… -zo”

“I can, but it’s so thin I almost can’t see it…”

“Right… that means, he’d lose if the match continued… that’s why he forfeited the match, knowing he had the upper hand…”

“But… why?” Lee suddenly asked

“It’s a running away tactic…” Guy answered,

“ah… so that’s why” I answered

While I enlightened by what Guy-sensei said, the other still confused. I look at Guy-sensei, and his eyes telling something like ‘please do.’

I then explain…

“In order to run away, he needs to bind his enemy… it’s a common tactic I learned in Konoha library from several biographies of the other ninja…” I said, pausing while looking at the other, but they still confused…

“Well, let’s make an example… in a mission, we must be ready for any change, however, if something out of our hand happened… we can only run, and reported to the village, to give other better ninja to act along, or by themselves…”

I continued, “in some case, and there won’t be any chance for us to run because the other being stronger, that they can kill us. So, running away tactic is something we can use, to fool the enemy, gaining the upper hand and run while the person still being down…”

“To make it simpler, run while the enemy still misunderstands that he’s weaker than you…”

Well, the explanation seems rough but, the other already understand it anyway…

Anyway, I still being intrigued by the Red chakra, there might be another type of chakra I can use to overcome my lack of chakra in myself…

I’ll ask it later to Flynn-san…

A/N: This story won’t be the same and exact replica of the canon… it’s fanfic, after all, so let me rearrange things the way I want but, not changing things too much…