Chapter Twenty two: Battle formations

It's been a while you son of guns, I know I haven't posted much art lately but I will make some more and YOU will like it!!! Strong buff Sakura, Petty Sasuke, and Naive Naruto are the three good things on this earth.

Also, Check out my other books, Mother Uzumaki is one that has Naruto getting adopted by Karin's older sister..... The story is rated M though for questionable shinobi practices and the horrifying kidnapping at the begining of the story... Otherwise, it's fucking mint.

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Third-person POV

The crowd went wild as the proctor arrived at the arena. Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit giddy.

"Thank you for coming to the final part of the Chunin Exams. My name is Genma Shinarui and I will be the proctor for the final part of the exams." The brown-haired ninja spoke and the crowd roared in excitement.

Naruto was at the edge of his seat, he was already eating his popcorn and looking over the contestants. He recognized Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten Shikamaru, Lee, Gaara, Temari and the other kid that was on Gaara's team but he had no idea who some of the other contestants were.

The proctor called out the first fighters and they were quick to jump in the ring. "Misumi Tsurugi Vs Kiba Inuzuka! Fight!" and with that the match started. Tsume was closer to the front with Kiro and the Inuzuka Matriarch was cheering at the top of her lungs as her son entered the stadium.

Misumi spoke but over the loud crowd, Naruto wasn't able to hear what he was saying. Kiba and Akamaru were quick to move and avoid getting grappled by the other ninja. "Alright, So what kind of tactics are we seeing here?" Kakashi asked his students.

"Kiba is avoiding him. Maybe he has a special technique that can only be done up close." Sasuke stated as he watched the fight intensely. "Kiba is also getting ready to counter-attack. It looks like his attack needs a bit of distance though." Sakura stated and Naruto grunted. "It does and I think it's a ballistic style. So dog breath definitely needs a bit of space." Naruto stated as the fighters moved around the arena.

"They seem to be talking and fighting though." Sasuke stated as he activated his Sharingan. "A lot of ninja-like to monologue, it's not that bad when your enemy does it since they sometimes reveal their techniques while gloating. But it is not something you yourselves should participate in." Kakashi stated and his three students nodded.

Kiba then seemed to yell and crouched down alongside Akamaru. The crowd roared as Kiba launched forward twisting his body violently and crashed into Misumi.

Blood sprayed on the arena floor as both Kiba and Akamaru attacked. They moved quickly and relentlessly. Misumi was trying to steady himself and run into the wooded area of the arena but was unable to keep Kiba and Akamaru at bay.

"They aren't losing any momentum or agility. Sure it looks like you could attack head-on and they will run into it, but they can actually control their trajectory at a moment's notice." Sasuke stated as he watched the battle.

Kakashi hummed and nodded. "It seems like it. Sakura how would you combat this?" He asked and the pink-haired girl wrinkled her nose. "Genjutsu probably and I would try and take one of them out. They excel at teamwork and having the separate might by me some time." She stated as she looked at the battle that was going on.

"What about you Naruto?" He asked and the boy grunted. "Decoys, I have the advantage of numbers. Maybe some ninja wire to tangle him up and set up a trap. He can't keep up with all my clones and he will always be trying to go after the real me." Naruto stated with a resolute nod.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked and the boy leaned back and crossed his arms. "Kenjutsu gives me a bigger area of fighting. He would have to be quick to invade my area and land a hit. Kunai as well to keep both of them at a distance. My Sharingan also allows me to be able to track them both and use any openings against them. I would also go for the legs in order to slow them down. Maybe use the Kenjutsu style that Hayate-san was teaching me as well." Sasuke stated and Kakashi nodded.

It wasn't long before Misumi was knocked unconscious and Kiba was declared the winner.

"Next match, Shino Aburame versus Zaku!" Genma called out and the two of them dropped down to the stadium. The crowd roared and Naruto yelled out some encouraging yells toward Shino.

The match soon started and for a moment they both stood in front of each other. Zaku was the first to attack. The audience watched in awe as Shino dodged a seemingly invisible attack.

"What the hell is that?" Sasuke asked as he squinted his eyes with his Sharingan only to see the sound attack that Shino managed to dodge. "What do you see Hime?" Naruto asked as he looked to his teammate who grunted. "It looks like a wind attack... but it's charged with chakra. I can't tell from here." He stated as he leaned forward trying to get a closer view of the attack.

"Ah, from here it does look like a wind attack but we can't be to sure." Kakashi stated as he watched the battle. " I wonder what that Zaku guy is saying." Sakura sighed as she watched the battle. "Shino just keeps dodging. I wonder when he is going to fight back." Naruto stated as he wrinkled his nose.

"Who knows. He might be setting up a trap. "Kakashi stated and Sasuke grunted. "If he is using his bugs I won't be able to see it from here, we're too far away." Sasuke stated as he turned off his Sharingan to preserve his chakra.

"I can't even tell if Shino is talking. His trench coat covers his mouth." Naruto sighed as he watched Shino dodge again before he came to a full stop.

Zaku seemed to be shouting and getting frustrated with Shino. "He's either ignoring him or he must be responding and annoying that Zaku guy." Sakura stated as she watched them.

Shino stayed motionless and placed his hands in his pockets as if they were not even battling any more. They crowd watched in anticipation and confusion. "The battles not even over yet." Naruto stated in shock at Shino's casual attitude.

Zaku yelled a bit more before lifting his hands up and the crowd quieted down awaiting for Shino to be attacked.

Suddenly Zaku's arms exploded, the genin screamed in agony as chunks of his forearms hit the ground. Shino walked forward calmly as Zaku withered in pain.

Shino pulled out a kunai and held it at Zaku's neck. The crowd roared as the fight ended. "Shino Aburame wins this match!" Genma announced as medics went to retrieve the Oto genin as he was bleeding out on the floor and screaming.

"What the hell happened." Sakura asked and Kakashi hummed and nodded. "Shino's bugs must've entered the body and invaded the chakra network. They probably caused a blockage which resulted in the internal explosion." Kakashi stated and the three genin seemed to turn a bit green at the comment.

"I'm so glad that I am his friend rather than his enemy." Naruto gulped as he looked back at the arena as the ninja in charge cleaned up the chunks of flesh the Proctor got ready to announce the next fighters.

"Kankuro of the Sand Versus Neji Hyuuga, Please enter the arena!" Genma called out and the two fighters dropped down to the arena. Neji grunted as he landed gracefully and stood in front of Kankuro.

Kankuro seemed to be talking and Neji snorted and replied. Genma quickly began the fight and the fight began. Neji moved quickly and efficiently. He dodged Kankuro and quickly went for the bundle that was on his back.

Kankuro was having a hard time dodging and was protecting the bundle on his back feverishly.

But as Kankuro tried to strike back it seemed that Neji would faze through the attacks. "He's good." Sakura stated as she bit her thumb and stared at the ongoing battle.

"Good? I don't think I've seen another genin fight like that." Sasuke stated as he turned on his Sharingan to try and keep up with Neji's movements. "Isn't he considered a prodigy?" Naruto turned and asked Kakashi. "Yes, they say his Byakugan is one of the strongest in the Hyuuga clan and that his prowess is pretty advanced for a genin." Kakashi stated as he watched the boy move.

"But he is barely hitting him. Only tapping him." Naruto stated as he wrinkled his nose. Kakashi quickly explained the gentle fist technique and even Sasuke was looking a little mortified at how the technique worked. "So Hinata also fights like that? It sounds terrifying." Sakura stated as she watched Neji sidestep an attack.

"It is and extremely painful as well." Kakashi stated with a nod.

Soon the bundle on Kankuro's back unraveled to show a flustered Kankuro. The one that had been carrying him seemed to break apart and the fight began to become more intensive.

"Wait! What the hell, he was hiding the entire time?" Sakura gasped and Sasuke nodded. "I noticed something was off." He stated as he watched the battle in awe.

Kankuro was panting and was slightly limping as he tried to avoid Neji's attacks. " I would hate to be that sand ninja right now." Naruto stated as he watched Neji launch a few more attacks. That was until he suddenly changed positions and he began a new string of attacks. They watched in awe as Neji attacked, his body nearly blurring as he attacked the sandboy. Sasuke was slack-jawed as he watched sand ninja's chakra network begin to shutdown. "His chakra, it's vanishing. Neji's going to kill him." He gasped as he watched this all happen in a matter of seconds. Neji came to a stop and stood up straight and walked away. Kankuro just stood there for a moment before falling to the ground and convulsing. Medics quickly came to help the boy out and Genma announced Neji as the victor.

" That fight barely lasted, that Kankuro guy barely had a chance." Sakura gulped as she looked down at the arena.

Thee proctor waited until they got the suna genin out of the arena before calling the next fighters down. "Temari of the sand Versus Kin!"

The two kunoichi jumped down to the arena. "Isn't the blond chick teammates with the guy from the last match?" Naruto asked as he began sipping his drink.

"Yeah, she is his teammate and she looks pissed. I would be too if I saw one of you beaten up like that. Ya saw how he was convulsing." Sakura stated as she was munching on her chocolate bar.

The battle began and Temari was quick to attack. She swung her fan and attacked the young Kunoichi. Team seven couldn't help but grimace as they saw her attack the Oto genin mercilessly. " I think she is furious, won't she fight Neji in the second round?" Sasuke asked as he watched the battle.

"If she wins on the second round she will fight Neji on the first round." Kakashi stated and the three genin nodded as they watched the fight. Temari used her fan to beat the kunoichi, the oto ninja barely had any chance to counter and was forced on the defensive the entire time.

"That's definitely wind style." Sasuke stated as he watched Temari deflect all of Kin's attacks with her fan.

The more the battle progressed it was obvious that Kin would loose. It did not take long for Kin to be defeated and the match was called for the Sand genin.

The proctor was quick to call down the next contestants and the crowd roared in excitement. "That's Tenten." Sakura grinned as she saw Lee's teammate. "What is she good with?" Naruto asked as he turned to glance at Sakura.

" She's a weapons expert. She can deal damage at a distance and up close. I wonder what weapons she'll be using." Sakura stated excitedly as she leaned forward to watch the match.

Kakashi watched his genin and smiled, although he had planned to quiz them about the matches and the strategies used that could wait till the end and they could also enjoy the fights as well.

The fight started off with Yoroit trying to close the distance between him and Tenten. Unluckily for him, both of Tenten's teammates were close-ranged fighters and Taijutsu experts so she easily maneuvered herself into a distant position and began fighting.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he noticed that Tenten was easily dealing damage while keeping her distance. It almost seemed like the girl couldn't miss and with his sharingan, he could see how she calculated and threw each weapon.

The crowd went wild as Tenten pinned down her opponent and they held a spear to his neck to ensure his surrender. Genma waited till the guy forfeited before giving Tenten her victory. The girl gleamed and waved at the crowd as she walked out of the arena.

"That was some good shuriken no Jutsu and the number of weapons she can deal with is pretty ridiculous." Sasuke muttered and Naruto quickly nodded.

The next match was Shikamaru and Dosu. "So why do you think he retreated?" Kakashi asked his students and Sakura hummed. "Maybe he is trying to see what Dosu does." She stated and Kakashi waited for his other two students to throw in their own theories.

"Maybe he's testing to see if he has something similar to the Zaku guy. They're from the same village right?" Naruto asked and Kakashi nodded.

"Shikamaru uses the shadows, the more shadows the more advantage he has so the wooded area would be an ideal battleground. Besides as Konoha shinobi, our preferred battleground is in wooded areas." Sasuke stated and Kakashi nodded.

" Those are some good theories. We can't know for sure since we are not down there and we only have an outsider kind of view. But as a more strategic fighter he might be planning a trap and as Sasuke mentioned we are used to fighting in wooded area's it's like a home turf advantage." Kakashi stated and the three genin nodded as they continued to watch the battle.

Unlike the other fights Shikamaru's was a bit drawn out but at the end it seemed like Shikamaru pulled through and Dosu was caught in one of the traps and forced to give up.

The next fight had Sakura cheering loudly, Lee had entered the arena and the hidden mist ninja was barely able to keep up. The guy had tried to use some ink clones but they were no match for Lee's speed.

Both Naruto and Sasuke had to admit that Lee's Taijutsu was very formable. He and Neji were both skilled Taijutsu masters and very strong.

"The contestants that will be moving forward are Gaara, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Kiba, Temari and Shino. There will be a thirty-minute break while the arena is repaired We will return shortly." Genma called out and people began to hurry to the restrooms and food stalls.

" So what do ya runts think about the finals?" Tsume asked and Sakura grinned. " It's pretty intense, I kinda wish we would have entered so I could fight some of those guys as well." She grinned and Tsume laughed loudly.

"Ne ain't ya something. Kid has some spirit in her." She stated as she patted Sakura's back.

"Sakura-chan is quite the fighter, I'm sure they would have made it to the finals. Maybe they'll have a chance to show off in the future." Kiro grinned as she crossed her arms.

"So who do you think is gonna win?" Naruto asked and Kiro hummed. "All of them have potential but we don't know if they have displayed all of their abilities. " Kiro pointed out. " I think it's between Lee and Neji. Their Taijutsu is pretty good." Sakura stated and even Sasuke grunted in agreement.

They spent the rest of the thirty minutes greeting their old classmates and getting more snacks to eat.

By the time the exams started up again, they were all excited to see what would happen. "Sensei, I have a question. Are they allowed to get medical treatment during the break?" Naruto asked and Kakashi nodded.

" They go to the hospital wing after their fights to make sure they are as ready as possible for the next round. That way they can fight to the best of their abilities during their next matches." He responded and Naruto nodded as he sat back in his seat and began eating popcorn.

Genma was quick to announce the next match and both Neji and Temari jumped down to the arena. Temari looked furious and nearly foaming at the mouth. Neji, on the other hand, had a sneer on his face as the girl began yelling at him.

Genma looked at the two with bored expression but the crowd could tell there was some animosity between the two fighters.

Once Genma started the match the genin quickly started to battle. Neji dodged Temari's attacks and simultaneously approached her. While Temari was attacking furiously and trying to keep her distance from the Hyuuga.

At times it seemed that Temari's attack would land but Neji moved to swiftly and with his Byakugan gave him the advantage of being able to see the wind attack and move between the blades of wind.

It seemed to be a game of cat and mouse until a small bit of Neji's hair was cut off. Temari grinned as she had finally landed a hit on the Hyuuga but the victory was short-lived.

Neji seemed to have lost his temper and quickly went to corner her but Temari predicted that he might do that so she prepared another attack to hit him head-on.

The attack would have landed but Neji suddenly spun and a dome of chakra appeared around him dissipating the wind attack almost immediately. Temari was shocked and hesitated for a moment.

That was all Neji needed to move in and attack. Using the same attack he had used on Kankuro he attacked her. She stood there for a moment still in shock before crumbling to the ground and the crowd lost it they went wild and cheered as the Hyuuga prodigy turned and walked away from his defeated opponent. He seemed to glance back and say something while keeping a sneer on his face before walking off.

A batch of medics rushed to help the injured girl and took her away to the hospital wing.

Soon enough the next contestants were called, Shikamaru and Shino jumped down into the ring. All of team seven watched in anticipation of what would happen.

Both Shino and Shikamaru were tacticians at heart and the battle that followed quickly showed that. Shino would avoid almost all of Shikamaru's traps while also starting off his own counter plans.

Most civilians seemed to start getting bored with the fighting but the Shinobi side of the crowd watched in captivated awe as traps were laid and dismantled and strategies were being used and countered.

Most of the ninja were throwing in bets on who would win and how. Kakashi even started to try and get his team to try to predict the moves that the two ninja were going to take and what they thought would be a good move.

The three of them kept their eyes on the arena and were discussing what they thought the two fighters where doing and what they should do. It wasn't long for the long sequences of traps to finally go off and it was a matter of seconds before the match was decided.

In the end, Shikamaru ended up quitting due to his low chakra reserves, even though he had finally managed to get the upper hand on Shino. Genma finally called the match and they both left the arena.

Kiba and Tenten were called next. Both of them hurried to the stage and sized each other up. Tenten knew she had to keep her distance but at the same time, Kiba could easily close the gap and make the fight a hit and run kind of battle.

Once the two began fighting it was about timing. Tenten was able to use her spear to keep Kiba and Akamaru far from her and they were barely able to use their fang over fang.

Akamaru even took a pill that changed his fur color but even with that they were having a hard time fighting her. The reason they were having a hard time was because Tenten had more experience and was able to deal with both of them attacking at the same time.

She also made sure to aim her attacks to the feet and legs in order to slow them down. Although she was hit with a side glance of the fang over fang Kiba's legs were to injured to continue to strain them and keep fighting how he had been. In the end, he was forced to give up and Tenten took the victory of the match.

Finally, it was the last battle of the round, Garra and Lee dropped down to the stage. Naruto couldn't help but feel that there was something off about Garra.

The battle soon began and it was obvious that Lee could not get close enough to deal any real damage to Garra. The crowd was getting excited as Lee continued his relentless attack.

That was until Gai called out and said something. As soon as Lee dropped his leg weights the crowd went crazy. The heavyweights left craters on the arena floor and with his restrictions off Lee was finally able to land hits.

The arena erupted in yells as Lee moved and attacked so fast most were not able to see the attacks.

Team seven was awestruck as they watched lee attack garra. "Amazing, I knew lee's taijutsu was good. But not at this level. How is he doing this Kakashi-sensei. I thought lee couldn't use chakra." Sakura asked as she kept her eyes on the battle in front of her.

Kakashi didn't respond quickly as he frowned. He couldn't help but wonder why Gai had taught lee the gate techniques.

"It's pure taijutsu. There is no ninjutsu or chakra really involved. he is moving so fast that the air around him is being distorted." Kakashi stated. Sasuke was about to say something else but his eyes started to feel heavy.

He tried to shake his head to keep himself awake as he started to doze off.

That was until he felt a hand on his shoulder and a sharp shock of pain that woke him up immediately. He glanced over to see Sakura saying something as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him to the floor.

He heard a loud thud as Naruto fell over as well. His eyes widening as he saw Kakashi jump over them and attack a ninja.

Blood droplets fell on his face and his body tensed slightly as he had a small flashback to when Itachi killed his clan.

"We are under attack." Sakura grunted as naruto groaned and pulsed his chakra.

Sasuke stiffened as he felt the pulse of chakra Naruto let out. "What happened? My head hurts." Naruto groaned as he shook his head slightly and slowly started to get up before sakura stopped him. "We are under attack. Stay down." She stated as she reached and pulled him back down.

"Naruto pulse your chakra again. But put more chakra into it. You should be able to dispel most of the genjutsu by doing so." Kiro yelled as she ripped out an enemy ninja's throat out.

"Okay!" Naruto nods as he quickly placed his hands together and lets out a burst of chakra. Sasuke shivered as he felt his teammate's chakra again and this time around civilians and Shinobi are waking up from the genjutsu.

"You three go and get lee away from that Garra kid.They' re still fighting but lee won't be able to hold out for much longer." Kakashi yelled as he attacked other oto and sand ninja.

"yes sensei!" Naruto nods as he looks over at his teammates and they all leave their hiding spot.

It doesn't take long for them to make it to the arena. From there they could see all of the Shinobi fighting it out in the stands and the Konoha genin and Chunin escorting the civilians out of the fighting Zone.

"Lets go!" Naruto yells as the three of them attack garra head first. Sakura throws a few kunai with paper bombs, Sasuke throws a few fire balls and Naruto stands back for a moment with a few clones ready to help get lee out of harm's way.

The three of them work in sync as they try to keep Garra at bay. The red-haired boy's attention quickly switches and waves of sand start attacking the three of them. They try and keep a distance and with Naruto's clones they substitute themselves away from the sand each time it's needed.

Garra yells in frustration as his attention was split between the four of them.

Lee was exhausted at this point from his own battle and Naruto was the one to take him away. A few Oto ninja tried to stop him but he was quick to fight them for lee's behalf

Naruto grimaced as he fought the Oto ninja. It was obvious that they had more experienced than them and that they were well at a chunin rank at least. Naruto was barely making it by the skin of his teeth.

He had been in battle before but it had been at a smaller scale and he was having a hard time adjusting to the thought that his village was invaded. One thing was for sure, he was furious that these foreign ninjas were attacking his home.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke were busy dodging Garra. They were a bit out of breath and were making sure to stay in constant motion and were slowly backing away from garra as a retreat tactic.

There were a few loud bangs and civilians screaming as they fought. The three of them were hoping that a few Chunin and Jonin would join in and help the stop garra.

Naruto hissed as he fought off ninja and helped keep lee safe. Lee grimaced as he tried to stand and fight as well. "Stay down bushy brow. If they get you I don't know if I will be able to hold them back." Naruto gritted out as he dodged an attack and disarmed a ninja.

His stomach turned as he plunged his Kunai into the ninja's neck and was sprayed with hot blood.

He tried to ignore the strong scent of iron and kept fighting.

Everything seemed to blur by as he finally got lee to the medics who were being protected by the Jonin. He noticed that both Kankuro and Temari were tied up and knocked unconscious. "Genin, Go and bring back any injured and lead any civilian to the safe house." The Jonin stated and Naruto nodded as he rushed back to the arena.

He returned to see that the Oto and Sand ninja had been pushed back. He quickly spotted his teammates and made his way over to them. He attacked Garra from behind. He was shocked to see the state of his body.

Garra had a massive sand arm and half of his body looked inhumane. How was he going to fight him off.

"Naruto! Use explosives!" Sakura yelled and Naruto hurried to pull out his ink and brush. Kakashi had been teaching him seals. Maybe he could make something that could help stop Garra. He couldn't make Chakra suppression seals, they were to high level for him. But maybe a few flashbang and explosions could do the trick.

If only he had water style they could use that to turn the sand into mud and slow garra down.

They weren't going to be able to take him down. A jonin would need to help them out.

"Light style: flowers curse!" Sakura hissed out as she once again tried to put the Jinchuriki in a genjutsu and she stumbled back as Garra broke through the illusion. Sasuke was trying his best to use his kenjutsu but found that it was rather hard to keep up with the sand.

The three of them moved around trying to find a way to take Garra down. They were still not getting any backup.

"Dammit, what the hell do we have to do to take him down! Nothing in our skillset can do more than casual harm and distract him." Sasuke hissed as a few Anbu jumped down.

"Stand back genin." A masked Anbu stated his mask was a cat-like one with green and red markings.

Team seven instantly disengaged the crazed Jinchuriki. Naruto's eyes widened as wood sprung from the ground and began pinning Garra down. It wasn't long before the Anbu immobilized the boy and placed a tag on his forehead.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief he looked down and shuttered at the sight. He had blood covering his hands and forearms. He opened and closed his hands that had the drying blood.

"Naruto, you okay" Sakura asked and Naruto glanced at her. Sakura's hair was tangled and she had dark black bruises on her face. Her hands were bloodied and some of her exposed skin had been peeled off on her  making them look a bright red. It had probably happened when she was moving away from garra sand.

There was even some dried blood on her face and on her clothes. She was still breathing heavily and was holding onto a kunai tightly.

"Yeah, it's not mine." He responded as he glanced over at Sasuke.

Sasuke had blood on his nose and he was looking around, making sure there were no more enemies. His uniform had sprays of blood and his practice bokoto had some blood and was splintered from where he hit his enemies.

"The fighting seems to have stopped here. We need to go with the other chunin and secure the perimeter." Sasuke stated, his usual cockiness gone and a look of determination on his face.

"Lead the way Sasuke." Sakura stated her usual cheer not there and without the teasing suffix.

All three genin glanced at each other and ran off to help the remaining chunin.

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This should be good. nearly 5,000 words and a lot of character building (I think lol) Sure they didn't defeat Garra and there was no climax, but that is okay. They might talk afterward IDK.

Also, Naruto doesn't have the Toad summoning which helped with Garra's defeat the cannon way. But we did get some kills in. How will they handle realizing that they killed people? Hmm, I wonder. Anyway comment and like always I love ya'll

Rosymalik

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