As Naruto walked back to the stands, the Suna Shinobi had to gape as their greatest Shinobi weapon was carried off to the medical wing to be treated, knowing from the looks of his injuries, that he wouldn't be able to participate in the upcoming invasion.
"That technique," said the Raikage as the field was cleared of debris for the next match, "that was the Yondaime Hokage's Rasengan. Why does that boy know it?"
"The Yondaime's teacher was the one who trained him for these exams," said Hiruzen, "I believe he taught him many things."
"Hmmm," said A, "the boy bears a passing resemblance to the Yellow Flash."
"Merely a coincidence," said the Hokage, "He is hardly the only blond Shinobi in our village."
"True," said the Kazekage, "and besides, wouldn't the rest of Konoha know if that were the case?"
"Perhaps we should focus on the next match," said Hiruzen, "Shinobi from your villages are up."
The two Kage nodded and turned their attention to the arena, where Temari and Omoi were preparing to battle.
xXsceneXx
"This is great," sighed the Kumo Shinobi, "if I lose here then Karui will beat me up and then B-sensei will find out and I'll have to listen to his raps again without end until I start humming it in my sleep, leading me to do so when I'm out with a girl, causing her to break up with me and tell all her friends, and they'll tell all their friends, which will eventually spread to all the girls in Kumo, meaning that I won't ever get a date after that and I'll probably end up sad and alone with only my sword to keep me company and kids will come by and laugh at me when I'm an old man and alone crying into my beer..."
"Will you shut up?" yelled Temari with several tic marks on her forehead, "Seriously, you're even more annoying than that pineapple-haired-lazy-ass! Can we just begin this?"
"If both combatants are ready," said Hayate, "BEGIN!"
Temari quickly unfolded her fan partially and swung it at the Kumo Shinobi, sending a mighty gale of wind at him using her affinity for Futon Chakra. The blast of wind slammed into the Kumo-nin, but instead of sending him flying, his body exploded into a poof of smoke, revealing him to have replaced himself with a Kage Bunshin.
"Where'd you go?" muttered Temari.
"Kumo-Ryū Damashigiri!" yelled Omoi as he appeared behind Temari, swinging his sword.
Temari was barely able to bring her fan up to block the attack, yet it still sent her tumbling across the dirt due to the force behind it.
"Damnit," growled the Suna Kunoichi as she rolled to her feet and fully unfurled her fan, "but you shouldn't have put distance between us. Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"
Temari swung her fan hard, sending a powerful blast of wind at the Kumo Shinobi, the blast containing several vacuum blades that tore through the arena as they streaked towards the Kumo Shinobi at high speed. Omoi was barely able to make several hand seals as the gale slammed into him, but it was enough to activate a Kawarimi, allowing him to safely substitute with a log that was subsequently destroyed.
Temari quickly checked her surroundings before spinning and bringing her fan up to block a strike from Omoi's katana. Unfortunately for her, the Kumo Shinobi had charged his weapon with Raiton Chakra and the energy shocked the Kunoichi, forcing her to drop her weapon before getting kicked in the gut, sending her flying back.
"Tricky bastard," said Temari as she pulled out several kunai.
Infusing the blades with Futon Chakra, Temari threw them at her opponent with deadly accuracy. Omoi quickly sheathed his katana and threw several of his own Kunai, aiming to deflect Temari's, but the Futon chakra coating the Kunoichi's blades sliced through Omoi's Kunai, forcing him to have to dodge out of the way to keep from getting impaled, giving Temari enough time to dive forward and grab her fan.
The Kunoichi unfurled her fan as she rolled to her feet and swung it at Omoi, sending another blast of wind at the Kumo Shinobi that sent him flying back across the ground.
"Raiton: Raigeki!" yelled Omoi as he jumped to his feet and made several hand-seals.
Omoi blasted a bolt of lightning from his hands that streaked toward Temari, forcing the Kunoichi to dodge, allowing him to make several more hand-seals, causing several spheres of electricity to appear around him.
"Raiton: Raikyū!" yelled Omoi, sending the spheres flying at the girl.
Temari flipped out of the way but the spheres exploded when they hit the ground, sending the blond Kunoichi tumbling across the dirt as the shockwave hit her. As Temari tried to recover, Omoi took the initiative to dash into the trees at the edges of the stadium to get some time to plan.
"Damnit," said Temari as she regained her bearings, "where is he now?"
Just as she said that, several kunai coated in Raiton Chakra flew from the trees and sliced through a lock of her hair as she leaned out of the way, before embedding themselves deep in the dirt.
"Hmph," smirked Temari, "thought the trees would give you protection? We'll see."
Temari unfurled her fan to it's maximum spread, revealing three purple circles emblazoned on it, before swinging the weapon, sending a massive blast of wind containing several dozen Vacuum blades at the trees where the enemy Shinobi was hiding.
"Daikamaitachi no Jutsu!"
The attack sliced through the trees, leaving gashes in the wood, before slamming into Omoi, sending the Kumo Shinobi flying back with several slices across his body, eventually slamming against the stone wall of the arena with enough force to knock him out. Once the gale force winds died down, Omoi fell to the ground in a slump.
Hayate jumped down and, upon seeing that the Kumo Shinobi was out cold with a possible concussion, raised his hand to call the match.
"Winner: Temari!" yelled the Tokubetsu Jonin before coughing slightly.
Medics came and carried off Omoi while Temari smirked and headed off the field with her head held high in victory.
xXsceneXx
As the arena was cleared, several of the people in the audience were discussing the match.
"Gotta admit," said Asuma as he lit a cigarette, "that girl has a gift for Futon techniques."
"Well," said Kakashi, "Kaze no Kuni is known for its Futon users. I'm more surprised that the Kazekage's son uses Sand techniques instead."
"The Raikage's Shinobi was quite skilled as well," said Guy, "it's a shame that he seemed to specialize more in close combat, while his opponent excelled in ranged attacks."
"It just means he'll have to work so he's not overly specialized," said Asuma with a smirk, "I'm sure you of all people understand that, Guy."
"Of course," said Guy, "I wouldn't be able to match my Eternal Rival if I only focused on Taijutsu, eh Kakashi?"
"Did you say something Guy?" asked Kakashi.
"Damn your hip attitude!" grumbled Guy.
"Quiet," said Kurenai, "they're about to announce the next combatants."
As the randomizer stopped on its selection, the Konoha Shinobi wondered what kind of match they would see now. After all, it wasn't often that two of the Great Doujutsu went head to head.
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Hinata Hyuuga
The audience watched with anticipation as the combatants entered the arena and bets rapidly changed hands as the Shinobi placed their wagers on which of the two would end up on top.
"The first match of the Chunin Exam Semi-Finals," said Hayate, "Hyuuga Hinata vs Uchiha Sasuke, BEGIN!"
Sasuke and Hinata quickly activated their Doujutsu and jumped apart from each other, weaving several hand seals.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" yelled Sasuke as he shot out a blast of fire from his mouth, but his opponent and teammate was more than ready.
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!" yelled Hinata as she spat out a torrent of water that kicked up a large steam cloud as it impacted Sasuke's fire.
The Hyuuga heiress took full advantage of the cloud and rushed forward as it enveloped the both of them, relying on her Byakugan to make her way through the cloud as she struck with several Juken blows. Hinata landed several solid blows, but suddenly, she noticed a surge of chakra from within Sasuke's body and she jumped back just in tome to avoid getting caught in an explosion as 'Sasuke' detonated, the force from the blast clearing the steam cloud.
"Bunshin Daibakuha?" said Hinata in surprise before rolling to the side to avoid a slash from Sasuke as he jumped at her.
Making several hand-seals, Sasuke generated lightning from his hands and launched it at his Hyuuga teammate, engulfing her body which transformed into a log with a poof of smoke. His reflexes then screamed at him and he rolled to the side to avoid a blast of air from one of Hinata's Juken techniques, before turning to face her, his Sharingan blazing in his eyes.
Drawing his sword, Sasuke quickly parried several kunai that Hinata had thrown at him with pin point accuracy before creating two Kage Bunshin and having them attack from the left and right while he attacked from above. The three of them prepared to deal powerful sword strikes to Hinata, which would likely decide the match.
"Mikazuki no Mai!" yelled Sasuke as he leapt at Hinata with his sword at the ready.
Hinata thought quickly as she saw the Uchiha close in and recalled a technique she had been developing through training with her father. Quickly channeling Futon chakra from her palms to create thin blades of chakra from the palms of her hands, before using her flexibility to swing her arms around and create a dome of cutting blades around her, "Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!"
Sasuke and his Kage Bunshin slammed into the wall of blades, the original being sent flying back while his Kage Bunshin were quickly dispelled, leaving the crowd stammering in shock about what they saw.
xXsceneXx
"That technique," said Guy as he turned to a member of the audience behind him, "it's yours, right Uzuki-san?"
"I may have taught him a few things," said the off-duty ANBU, "it was a request from a friend. Though what surprised me was the Hyuga's technique. That didn't look like any Juken technique I've seen."
"That's because it's not," said a voice, causing the gathered Jonin to turn and see Hyuuga Hiashi taking a seat near them, "forgive me, but dealing with the Elders' banter can get tiresome and I wanted to enjoy this match."
"Not a problem at all, Hyuuga-sama," said Kakashi respectfully, "but what did you mean when you said that that technique was not a Juken technique."
"Well," said Hiashi, "in some regards, you could say it isn't, for it was created by Hinata herself as an answer to her difficulty using the Kaiten. By taking advantage of her natural flexibility and Futon chakra, she surrounds herself with a wall of blades that can block most attacks, and due to her Byakugan, there is no opening in the wall for her enemies to exploit."
"So, she created it herself?" asked Asuma with an impressed tone.
"Indeed," said the Hyuuga Clan Head, "the traditional Juken techniques have proven to be too rigid for her to properly master, so she developed her own style. I see great potential in her."
xXsceneXx
Sasuke pulled himself to his feet with a groan and wondered how he'd get past Hinata's new perfect defense technique. Deciding to test it out, Sasuke made several hand-seals and spat fireballs at the Hyuuga girl, watching as they were snuffed out by the dome of blades. Nodding to himself, Sasuke made several more hand-seals and slammed his hand into the ground.
"Doton: Tsuchi Nami no Jutsu!" said Sasuke, causing the ground to shift and undulate like waves on the coast, knocking Hinata off her feet.
Sasuke took quick advantage of this and shot forward with his sword in his hand, aiming to get several good strikes in while Hinata was off balance, but the Hyuuga girl quickly regained herself and used her flowing variant of the Juken to dodge around the sword slashes and thrust her palm out, sending a vacuum shell into Sasuke's chest that blasted him backwards.
"Hakke Kūshō!" said Hinata as her attack sent Sasuke flying back. Quickly making several more hand-seals, Hinata took a deep breath and breathed out a thick mist that obscured the battlefield, "Kirigakure no Jutsu."
xXsceneXx
"Well that's quite ingenious," murmured Hiruzen as he watched the fight.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," said A, "but that's a Jutsu from Kiri, right?"
"Indeed," said the Kazekage from his seat, "that's their trademark. How is it one of your Genin managed to acquire it, Sarutobi?"
"Her team had the misfortune of encountering Zabuza Momochi on a mission gone wrong," said Hiruzen, "she likely picked up on the technique in the fight and refined it later on before the tournament."
"Well," said A, "it's quite the answer to the boy's Sharingan. As you said, quite ingenuous."
xXsceneXx
Sasuke cursed to himself as the thick mist obscured his vision. He knew that he was at a severe disadvantage due to the lack of visibility only affecting him due to Hinata's Byakugan being able to pierce the mist she created with her Chakra, and thus pushed his other senses to their limits. It was because of this that he was able to pick up the sound of clothes rustling and the whoosh of metal streaking through the air, causing him to react on instinct and duck down, dodging a shuriken that would have hit him in the back of the head. Unfortunately, his hairdo wasn't so lucky and several locks fell to the ground.
"Shit," said Sasuke as he raised a hand to his hair and sighed, but he didn't have much time to bemoan that as Hinata was making her next move.
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!" shouted Hinata's voice, knocking the Uchiha back as he was hit with a torrent of water that had been blasted from the Hyuga's mouth.
"That's it," growled Sasuke as he made several hand seals, "Raiton: Jibashi!"
Slamming his hands into the watery ground, Sasuke released a surge of electricity that traveled through the water that was permeating the ground, shocking both him and Hinata off their feet, causing the mist to dissipate as its creator lost focus on maintaining it. Having prepared himself for the blast, Sasuke was the first to pull himself to his feet and he drew several Shuriken that he threw through the air at Hinata.
As she composed herself from being mildly electrocuted, Hinata was forced to call upon all of her flexibility and reflexes to twist and dodge out of the way of the incoming weapons before she was able to put up her perfect defense technique and cut through the shuriken with her chakra blades.
Seeing this happen, Sasuke knew he had to end the match before it was turned into a battle of attrition, and since he had already expended a good amount of Chakra here, that was something he had to avoid.
Making several hand seals, Sasuke leapt free of the water and gripped his right forearm as his right hand was pointed below him in an open claw. Focusing his chakra, Sasuke channeled his Raiton Affinity and focused the energy outwards from his palm, causing lightning to visibly arc around his open hand as a sound akin to the chirping of a thousand birds could be heard.
xXsceneXx
"Kakashi," said Guy in shock, "you didn't..."
"I don't think you're in much of a position to judge Guy," said Kakashi casually, "you taught your student to use the Eight Gates, a technique that can prove as lethal as it is powerful, so why can't I teach my own student a technique of my own?"
"I don't understand," said Sakura from where she sat next to Kurenai and the other Konoha Shinobi, "what kid of technique is that?"
"It's an A-Rank Jutsu of Kakashi's own design," said Guy, "a technique so powerful that he was able to use it to split a bolt of lightning, earning it the name Raikiri, but its original name comes from the sound of birds that the lightning emits..."
xXsceneXx
Sasuke shot at Hinata at incredible speed, relying on his Sharingan to see properly, lightning trailing behind him from his attack tearing a trench in the battlefield as he ran. Seeing the destructive potential of the attack, Hinata quickly put up her defensive barrier technique to hopefully deflect the incoming blade of lightning.
"CHIDORI!" yelled Sasuke as he slammed his lightning covered hand into Hinata's wall of blades.
The two techniques, one defensive, and the other purely offensive, battled for dominance as their users pushed harder and harder to gain the upper hand. Eventually the collision of the two attacks exploded violently, sending Sasuke tumbling across the ground while Hinata slammed into the arena wall and fell to the ground unconscious.
Seeing that Sasuke was pulling himself to his feet, Hayate Gekko leapt down and raised his hand, "The winner of the match and moving to the Finals, Sasuke Uchiha!"