Moments Before Battle — Naruto & Nejire
The corridor behind the competitor's box was dim, carved stone cooled by shadow and silence. Only the faint sound of the crowd filtered in — distant, muffled — like waves against stone. Soon, their names would be called.
Naruto stood alone near the archway, adjusting the wrappings around his right forearm where his chokutō was sealed. His gaze was sharp, his chakra steady — and his mind at rest.
Footsteps behind him. Light, confident. Familiar.
Nejire Hyūga appeared from the far end of the hallway, already dressed in the modified Hyūga combat dress she favored — tight at the joints, flowing at the sleeves, marked subtly with the cross emblem of the branch family. Her lavender eyes fixed on Naruto with quiet intensity.
"So," she said, tone even, arms folded. "You're up first."
Naruto looked over his shoulder. "You too."
They stood a few feet apart, two students of war forged under entirely different stars — yet here they were, about to meet as equals.
"I didn't think it would be you I'd fight,"she admitted. "Not this early. But I'm not complaining. It saves time."
Naruto gave a small huff that might've been amusement. "Guess we get to test if all that training paid off."
Nejire tilted her head slightly. "You've changed, Uzumaki."
He blinked.
"You don't bounce anymore. You watch. You weigh people like you're reading a battlefield." She crossed her arms, voice quieter. "Tsunade-sama's training?"
Naruto nodded once.
"She must've seen something in you,"Nejire said. Her words could've been praise — or accusation. Maybe both.
"I'm not planning to lose."Naruto said simply.
Nejire didn't flinch. "Good. Neither am I."
The silence stretched. Not awkward — but heavy with the knowledge that in moments, one of them would walk out of that arena victorious, and the other — defeated.
"I heard what you did in the Forest of Death," Nejire said at last. "Takigakure genin and reaching the tower alone in two days. That's impressive."
Naruto shrugged. "It had to be done."
"Don't get soft just because you're fighting a Konoha shinobi," she warned, a glint in her eye. "I'm not holding back just because we're from the same village."
"I'm counting on that," he said, offering a small smile. "I want to see how strong I've really become."
Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Then let's both find out."
From the corridor behind them, a voice echoed out — Genma Shiranui's call reverberating through the walls:
"First match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyūga Nejire — report to the arena."
Naruto reached up, tightening the knot of hitai-ate on his right arm bicep. Nejire stepped past him, calm and graceful.
"You ready, Uzumaki?" she said over her shoulder.
Naruto took a breath, then followed her.
"Born ready."
[Match Begins]
Naruto and Nejire stepped into the arena, sunlight cutting down in golden shafts across the packed stadium. The crowd surged with noise — cheers, shouts, whistles. But the two genin heard none of it. Their eyes were locked only on each other.
Above them, Genma Shiranui raised a hand.
"In accordance with the rules of the final round," he said loudly, "there will be no substitutions, no killing — and no holding back. Begin when ready."
His hand dropped.
"Start!"
Nejire was already in motion — fluid, precise. The ground barely registered her steps as she darted forward, Gentle Fist stance loose but prepared. Her Byakugan flared, veins around her eyes bulging. She saw everything: chakra flow, pressure points, even the faint twitch of Naruto's fingers.
But Naruto didn't retreat. He unsealed the chokutō from the seal on his right forearm — the blade sliding free with a quiet hum of steel — and dropped into a tight, focused stance. No flair. No clone tricks. Just raw concentration.
When Nejire launched forward with a sweeping palm strike, aiming to shut off his tenketsu, Naruto spun away just enough — not countering, but redirecting her flow. She followed immediately with a spinning kick — blocked flat against the chokutō's edge. Naruto slid back a step.
Nejire narrowed her eyes. Faster than I expected.
She dropped low, palm jabbing in a blur — aiming for the heart.
Naruto blocked with the sword, twisting just in time to divert the strike off-center, but her fingers grazed his chest — and he felt the chakra disruption spark through his system.
One hit. I can't take too many of those.
He burst back with a sudden chakra pulse from his feet — a trick Tsunade had drilled into him. The force kicked up a dust cloud and forced distance. Nejire halted, wary.
He took a breath.
And then raised his free hand.
Chakra, raw and wild, built around his body in a shimmering pressure wave — not shaped, not elemental, but dense enough to ripple the air. Nejire blinked. "What—?"
He slammed his palm forward — not for attack, but for counterforce.
A chakra pulse exploded outward in a wide arc — windless, shapeless, but heavy.
The Hyūga prodigy dug her feet into the stone just as the invisible force wave crashed into her. It didn't wound, but it pushed — hard — forcing her back across the arena by sheer pressure.
The crowd gasped.
"Interesting," Genma murmured from sideline. "Using chakra like a shockwave. That's not elemental... that's control."
Nejire grimaced. "So that's what she taught you."
She blurred forward again, activating her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists — blue chakra forming ghostly snarling heads around her hands. It was a deadly high-level form — rare even among the Hyūga main family.
Naruto's blade pulsed.
She struck.
He met her blow for blow — not with pure speed, but with timing. The chokutō moved in tight defensive arcs, redirecting her strikes. But one blow caught him in the ribs — chakra shivering through his system. He felt the edge of his control fray.
No time.
He made a seal with one hand — and poof — two clones burst into existence behind her.
Nejire pivoted instantly, landing palm strikes on both before they could engage — dispelling them in clouds of smoke.
But it was just enough time.
Naruto appeared directly in front of her, low stance, hand flashing toward her stomach.
She twisted away — almost.
Clack!
A seal tag stuck to her sash.
Her eyes widened. That's—!
It flared.
Just enough to interrupt chakra flow for a second.
Just enough for a strike.
Naruto swept in, sword back in seal now, his fist flying toward her jaw with chakra reinforced strength — not deadly, but decisive.
Nejire stumbled back, staggering on the ground— breath heaving, Byakugan flickering.
Naruto stared down at her bruised and breathing heavy.
Then—
"Enough!"
Genma's voice rang out. He raised a hand high.
"Winner — Uzumaki Naruto!"
Cheers erupted from the stands — disbelief and admiration mixing in a thunderclap of noise.
Naruto lowered his fist not much tired after the fight.
"Well fought," she said quietly.
"You too," Naruto replied, offering a hand.
She hesitated — then took it.
As they turned to walk off the field, side by side, the sun rose just a little higher over Konoha — and over a new generation that refused to follow the same old paths.