"Enemies?" Lee finally took his hand to get up, looking at him strangely.
"That's right, Lee." Guy said solemnly, giving Saul a glance. "While you were doing your pre-fight stretches, this man fought in the arena just before you and won.
"But then..." He looked back over at Saul, confused, "Why did you go so far to heal me?"
"I saw how you conducted yourself in the fight, Lee. You treat your opponents with respect, and you fight with dignity."
Saul put his fist to his chest and bowed.
"It would be an honor to fight you at your best. I am sorry I wasn't able to remove all the poison, but when we battle I won't hold back. I expect you to do the same."
"LEE! Do you see that!?"
"Yes Guy Sensei!"
"That is YOUTH!!! Now when you two fight, do you know what you must do?"
For once Lee already knew what Guy was going to tell him.
"YES! I'll take off the weights!!!"
Guy roared, "GOOD!" Then he gave his signature smile with a thumbs up, "This is how men should be. Fighting with all their heart!"
"YES!"
"NOW COME!"
He grabbed both of them, already subconsciously including Saul in his mannerisms.
"THIS TIME THE BOTH OF YOU WILL BE LANDING LIKE REAL MEN!!! I WON'T CATCH YOU, UNDERSTAND!?"
"YES, GUY SENSEI!"
Saul was already starting to have some regrets about his previous decision making. Was trying to apprentice himself to someone like Guy really the best idea? Unfortunately, Might Guy wasn't about to wait for Saul to voice any dissent.
"LET'S GO!!!"
The muscular man jumped, and they all shot off like a rocket launched into the sky. When the Genin landed, they broke a few tiles on the roof of the stadium for ninja while Guy managed to land without causing a scratch. Saul looked down at the arena below. Once he did, he sucked in a cold breath of air. He was late!?
"Yakumo! Kurenai Sensei!"
He called out, then jumped down from the roof immediately. Both of the women below looked up to see Saul falling down. He landed on a bleacher next to them.
"Did I miss anything?"
Yakumo smiled amusedly, seeing how rushed he was. She wondered if he would act the same way for her if she was in Hinata's place.
"No." Kurenai was the one to answer him first, as her red eyes gazed down at the arena. "You're just in time."
Just then Rock Lee and Might Guy landed as well. Guy gave a nod to Kurenai, while Lee was... well... His eyes were practically in flames.
"NEJI! DON'T YOU DARE LOSE BEFORE WE CAN FIGHT!"
Despite there being literally no way Neji could have heard Lee from down at the arena, he glanced up at the area and smirked. Hinata also looked up, and once she did, she waved animatedly. Saul waved back with a smile. Then he blew a kiss. He couldn't quite see her reaction from this high up, but he was sure it was something...
Good luck Hinata. I know you can do it.
A Little While Back
Hinata pursed her lips as she watched her beloved rush down into the arena to take care of someone. No matter what, if it was someone in need, Saul-kun would always do his best to help them. No matter whether it was her, Yakumo, or even this weird looking guy. This trait of his had brought her a lot of heartache, but... She would never have been saved if not for it. Sometimes though, Hinata wished he would only look at her.
Yakumo smiled at her to cheer her up. She could already tell what Hinata was thinking.
"That's just how he is, isn't he? A white knight shining armor."
"Yes, but... My next match is coming up soon, right? I want him here to see it."
Yakumo glanced back down at the arena where the man had previously been.
"It'll be fine, Hinata. If I remember correctly, there are still at least 3 Genin who haven't had their match yet. Including the man you need to beat."
"Neji-kun..."
Hinata's mind traveled back to her past. Before she had started training, when they were young, she and Neji had practically been siblings. Aside from the Branch Clan Seal on his forehead, Hiashi treated the man like his own son. No one, whether it be Hinata, her younger sister Hanabi, or even himself was allowed to use the cursed seal against him. Hinata had done so once out of their mutual curiosity, but after she saw the pain she put him through, she vowed never to activate the caged bird seal on anyone ever again.
Her father however, he changed once they were old enough to begin training. No longer the kind yet stern man of her childhood, the man had become angry with her. Neji was a shining example of what talent looked like, and when she failed to reach his standard, Hinata was punished.
Her father had grown worse when she began losing to Hanabi. Gone was the stern man who was merely going hard on her out of kindness. Instead he no longer spoke with her. Did not interact with her. When she lost to Neji, she'd no longer be punished. Instead Hinata could hear his screams from the pain of the cursed seal because he had gone 'too far' against a waste like her.
Her mother, a branch clan member, did not offer her any support either. Instead she followed the mannerisms of the lord of the house. As Hiashi wished, so it was done. Losing her father's favor was the same as losing the entire clan's.
Neji did not grow to hate her father because of this. No. It was her fault. It was always her fault. She wasn't trying hard enough. She couldn't speak confidently enough. She was an embarrassment, an eyesore to herself and the clan both. Her father had given up on her, abandoned any hopes he might have had left. Eventually, they made it official with the announcement of her exile.
Even though she hated the clan for how they tried to come back into her life and take Saul-kun away from her, Hinata did not hate her brother, Neji. Hinata did not hate her sister, Hanabi. They had only been doing the best they could given the circumstances, and Hinata even agreed with them to an extent. She hated herself too.
Hinata slumped, hugging herself in her arms. She felt miserable when 'he' was gone. When he was here her mind was filled with thoughts of him, her heart full of his acceptance and loving belief. When he was gone, there was a void in her heart where he once filled, eating away at her from the inside. All she could think about were her failures.
A voice boomed throughout the colosseum, interrupting her thoughts.
"The next match! Uchiha Sasuke Vs Kintua Dosu!"
A bandaged up man stood within the arena, his head almost fully wrapped in gauze. Only one eye lazily peeked out as he stood in the arena with a hunched back, waiting. One of his arms was encased in a gigantic steel gauntlet, riddled with holes. He was an Otogakure Ninja, from the village of sound.
His opponent, however, was nowhere to be seen. The stadiums buzzed with chatter. 5 minutes passed, 10 minutes passed, 15 minutes even, but nobody showed up. Finally Hiruzen got up and addressed the crowd.
"In the interests of all our time, Uchiha Sasuke is now disqualified! I deeply apologize to anyone who looked forward to possibly seeing his fight. Kintua Dosu wins by default! Now, onto the next announcement..."
In Canon, Nara Shikamaru vs Temari had taken up lots of time because part of the strategy Shikamaru used was waiting. He waited until most of the noon had passed to lengthen the shadows casted along the arena grounds, as part of a ploy to outsmart Temari.
In this case however, there was no fight that lasted so ridiculously long. Kakashi and Sasuke would not be able to just 'show up' right in the nick of time. That was just part of the natural consequence of being so late. Their match was already delayed as long as reasonably possible.
"Since there was an odd number of contestants for this final round of the Chunin exams, one lucky contestant was to receive a free pass. However! Since Uchiha Sasuke has not shown up, Kintua Dosu will be made to fight this contestant instead! Hyuuga Neji, make your way down to the arena!"
The long haired ninja jumped down and gracefully landed directly in front of the heavily bandaged Otogakure Genin.
"Hyuuga Neji is known as the branch clan genius within the Hyuuga clan. The man is in possession of the renown Dojutsu known as the Byakugan. I'm sure you all saw its performance earlier in the match with Hinata Vs Sakura - who else can match that kind of visual prowess? He is also a master of the Legendary Gentle fist. Even a slight brush, a casual touch, can be fatal if you're on the receiving end of it.
Kintua Dosu on the other hand is the last remainder of the Otogakure Ninja present within this tournament. You must not underestimate this man, however. Out of the three Ninja present within their team, he is the unquestioned strongest! As was revealed to the Konoha proctors in the first stage of the Chunin exams, his affinity with sound might grant him a supersensory perception comparable to even that of the Byakugan!
There is no need to keep you all in suspense any longer. Let the match... Begin!"
Neji took a fighting stance. He observed everything about the man with his Byakugan. His body, the bandages, even the mechanism behind his metal gauntlet arm. Neji then lowered his hands.
"Leave. Your fate has already been decided long before you even entered this arena. You are already dying... Fighting me will only hasten your doom."
The man tilted his head questioningly, his single eye fixated on the Hyuuga in front of him.
"You're telling me to leave... Are you just scared?"
He dashed at Neji and struck at him with his Gauntlet. The black haired Hyuuga deflected him easily, but...
*VREEEEEEE!!!!!*
The gauntlet activated, sending waves of chakra laced sound that rocked through Neji's body. Unaffected however, Neji swung his other hand and touched a single finger to the man's chest. Dosu staggered backwards.
"W-what!?"
"These eyes, they see all. Your sound... It strikes the body like the gentle fist, yet weaker. You stupidly lace your chakra into the waves and strike at everything at once, but this merely weakens your attack. The human body has only a few parts that are vulnerable to your attack. I can merely encase them in chakra - rendering your diluted attacks useless."
Neji stepped forward. Dosu kneeled now, coughing up blood. Just a single touch and he was already like this?
"Give up. Your body cannot withstand another exchange. The next will be your last."
Dosu was actually quite level headed - all things considered. This can be seen from his decision to surrender and retreat from the cursed seal Sasuke, or the fact that he often gathered information before acting. He was not nearly as stupid as his teammates.
Thus, he did his best to raise his hands in defeat.
"I surrender."
Dosu endured the loud booing and angry jeers from the gamblers in the crowd who decided to risk it on him and left the arena. Without being able to test Sasuke, Lord Orochimaru had no use for him in this tournament. It was better to avoid risking his life for no reason.
"And now, for the first match of the second round! Hyuuga Neji vs Hinata!"
Author's Note: It's time.