Climbing the Ladder

The Ladder Begins

Kiba stood across from Team 7, Team 8, Team 10, and Team Guy at the third training ground. Along with their team leaders, Tsunade, Shizune, Jiraya,Tsume, and Hana stood on the side. All of them had become concern over Kiba's recent condition. He had been in and out of the hospital for the last six months from his special training that he hadn't told anyone about.

His last training session had left him in the hospital for three months along with him needing emergency surgery in order to save his life. He was told by Tsunade to stop whatever he was doing and take it easy, but they had seen fire, water, and large explosions from Kiba's secret training spot. Kiba claimed he wasn't doing the same training and working on something new; however no one believed him.

Kiba then claimed that he could beat all four teams. He said if he lost he would stop all his new training. To this they all agreed seeing as he claimed he wouldn't stop otherwise. Sasuke was also there as Naruto managed to bring him back before he could reach Orochimaru three years ago.

"I can't believe we actually agreed to this," Shikamaru sighed.

Ino looked over at him. "I don't like it either, but Kiba's acting crazy."

"The arrogant jerk," Naruto spit.

"So are we going to do this or not?" Kiba asked.

"Fine, but when you lose you stop that training," Tsunade said.

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba bit his thumb and performed the Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram hand signs. He then slammed his hand on the ground creating a big puff of smoke.

"A Summoning Jutsu," Shino said.

"But since when can he do that?" Naruto questioned.

The smoked cleared to reveal nine canines that each had the Inuzuka clan tattoos on their cheeks in a row in front of Kiba and Akamaru. A fox looking dog looked back at Kiba. "What's going on?" he questioned.

"Hey there, Orenji-iro," Kiba said with a smile. He had his arms crossed over his chest. "The Hokage says we have to stop our training unless we can beat these guys."The dog looked forward at Naruto and his friends.

"So you got a bunch new dogs, huh Kiba," Naruto said loudly. He his fist balled up beside him ready to fight. "That's no problem I'll take them all out."

"What an arrogant pup," Orgenji-iro growled.

"Right then, we'll use the ladder," Kiba responded.

"Understood." Orgenji-iro leaped ahead of the pack to be a few feet in front of Naruto's group. "I'll be your first opponent."

"Say what? We can handle all of you." Naruto's eyes went white and he shook his fist in anger.

"Say that after you defeat the ladder, Naruto," Kiba said. "These are ninja hounds specially set aside for my clan. It's was a lost art and I'll show you why it never should have been."

"Right." Orgenji-iro stuck his tail straight up where a flame burned on the tip. "Fire Style: Flame Curtain." The fire extended down his tail as he spun around, shooting a wave of flames out at the eleven shinobi.

"What!?" Naruto exclaimed.

They all leaped out of the way, hiding among the trees on the side of the training ground.

"I've never heard of a dog that can use fire style," Jiraya said.

Naruto looked out from the tree he was behind. "How is that dog able to do that? He can't even make hand signs." The flames in the open field burn out and faded away.

The fox like dog looked over at the trees. "Don't tell me you're already running scared?"

"No way, mutt." Naruto rushed out of the trees back onto the field. The others followed him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. "Alright, now it's our turn."

Fire showed in Orgenji-iro's eyes. "Fire Style: Burn Jutsu!" The dog opened his mouth wide to shoot a flamethrower out in every direction that even made the sideline jonin and sannin leap out of the way. Kiba got a big grin on his face even when the flames came at him and his dogs.

The flames past right through him and everything else it touched; however all the fighting teams besides Lee use the substitution jutsu. Orgenji-iro shut his mouth. When the Jonin leaders, Inuzuka, and sannin landed back on the sidelines they were all surprise to see nothing had change.

Suddenly all but Lee of the shinobi fighting Orgenji-iro came out rolling on the ground on fire. "What just happened?" Tsunade questioned.

The group managed to put out the flames. Neji started to pull himself up on his feet. "How did that happen? Did we take too long with the jutsu? No, there's more to this jutsu. Byakugan!" The veins to his eyes pop out, but before he could see anything flames caught around his eyes forcing him to stop and put out the flames.

The same thing happened to Hinata and Sasuke when they tried to use their dojutsu.

Shino had his bugs come out of his sleeves when they were being burned away and his arms caught on fire.

Naruto got up and crossed his fingers to use his shadow clone jutsu while Shikamaru was on one knee, preparing to use his shadow possession. As soon as their charka began to move they were engulfed in flames. Naruto ran around like crazy while Shikamaru smartly dropped and roll.

"Naruto, stop, drop, and roll," Jiraya reminded him.

"Ok." He dropped to the ground to put out the flames.

Kiba laughed. "Having trouble?"

Naruto got up on one knee, shaking his fist. "No, he just got lucky that's all."

Kakashi stopped to question what was going on. He grabbed onto his headband about to lift it up to use his sharingan. Kiba shifted to see him. "No, Kakashi sensei! Don't use your sharingan!"

Everyone noticed to dog shinobi's sudden panic. "Wait a minute," Shikamaru said. He began to quickly put all the clues together. "Could it be that the flames only start when someone manipulates charka?"

"So you caught on, Shikamaru," Kiba said.

"Well you gave him enough clues," Orgenji-iro barked. "That's right your jutsu are useless now. If you do you'll just get caught on fire. Hench the name Burn Jutsu, by sending flaming charka that only actives when charka is being use it limits the enemy's attacks greatly."

Sasuke stood up. He had a few burn marks around his eyes otherwise he was fine. "Which means all we can use is taijutsu."

"That's right," Orgenji-iro said. "Unless one of you start-up pups know fire style jutsu."

"Fire Style?" Sasuke repeated.

Naruto looked over at his best friend. "Sasuke!"

"Right, I'll handle this." Sasuke quickly began to make hand signs. I won't have my sharingan, but still I should be able to handle it. He made his last hand seal, before leaping into the air. He wrapped his fingers around his mouth. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" A volley of fire balls are sent out from his mouth down at the fire style dog.

The dog immediately began to dodge the assault. Lee took the chance to use his super fast tiajutsu to attack the dog while he was distracted by Sasuke. Orgenji-iro kept up with the tiajutsu master while also dodging the flames.

Lee swung a kick and Orgenji-iro which he ducked. When brushy brow stroke down, the dog leaped back.

Sasuke landed back on the ground and quickly made new hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He shoot the fireball straight at the dog who in turn moved, only leaving a flaming wall between Kiba and his dogs and the ones fighting in the match.

"That's enough, Orgenji-iro," Kiba spoke. "Just eat the flames so this whole place doesn't go up in flames."

The fox like dog looked back through the fire. "Fine." He opened his mouth wide where a seal was on his tongue. Sasuke's flames flew inside of the dog's mouth, disappearing in seconds.

"What?"

"This is Orgenji-iro's special ability. He can eat flames and turn them into charka for him to use," the dog shinobi explained. "He was just using you for your charka, you idiot."

Sasuke's rage boiled over, making him active his sharingan. "Want to try that again?" Flames once again burned around his eyes, forcing him to retract them. He putted out his flames with his hands, yelling in pain.

Orgenji-iro turned back toward the group of shinobi. "Now it's mine turn again." Fire reappeared on the tip of his tail as he held it back up again. "Fire Style: Flame Curtain." He turned around shooting another flame curtain over the battlefield.

Lee moved back to avoid the attack. Sasuke then made the hand signs for the Fireball jutsu. The way to counter this is. He shot the fireball out of his mouth to battle the large wave of flame coming in their direction.

Naruto took a few steps forward still being behind Sasuke like everyone else. "I bet if I use my rasengan-"

"Don't even think about it," Sakura cut him off. "Did you forget if you use anything other than taijutsu or fire style you'll be set on fire?"

Naruto folded his arms across his chest in annoyance. "Aww man, this sticks."

"Which is probably why Kiba was so confident," Shino said. The bug shinobi walked up beside Naruto with his hands in his pockets. "Limiting our movements and bringing everything into its advantage that won't be easy to overcome."

"Yeah, I know that," Naruto yelled.

The fire battle ended with Orgenji-iro swallowing Sasuke's flames. "Damn, how are we supposed to do this?"

Orgenji-iro quickly dug himself underground without any of the chunnin and jonin being able to do anything about it. "Now what?" Tenten questioned.

In moments, the dog poked his head out of the ground in the middle of the group, shooting a flamethrower out of his mouth. All the leaf shinobi leaped out of the way. The dog's head then went back underground.

Orgenji-iro continued to poke his head out of the ground in different places, shooting flamethrower after flamethrower. Naruto and all the others kept leaping and dodging the flaming blast that were coming out of the ground.

There has got to be away to defeat this guy, Shikamaru thought. He continued to watch the head popping flamethrowers as he thought of a solution. I've got it, but it is risky. Well, here goes nothing.

Orgenji-iro leaped out of one of his hole, preparing to use his next jutsu. He stuck his tail straight up where the tip was on fire.

Shikamaru landed behind the fire dog. He pulled out a scroll, opening it partly and slamming it on the ground. He used the Ox and Hare hand seals quickly and slammed his foot in the middle of the scroll. "Portable Water Field."

Flames began to burn his body and clothes, but he held his ground. He bit down on his teeth as the large burst of water came out and spread over the area pass Orgenji-iro and a few feet out. "Sasuke!"

"So he was willing to dive right into the flames," Kiba said amused. "Didn't expect that from a guy like Shikamaru."

Orgenji-iro looked down at the puddle of water breathe him. "What the…how."

Sasuke caught on. "Got it." The Uchiha formed the hand signs to perform lighting style. "Chidori, one thousand birds!" Sasuke's body became engulfed in flames with lighting forming around his hand. He endured the pain as he slammed his attack into the water, sending it down the flow like a current, striking Orgenji-iro.

The fire style dog howled in pain.

Sasuke rolled across the ground to put out the flames.

Orgenji-iro dropped down and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Both Sasuke and Shikamaru were free of their flames though they had some pretty bad burns on them. They were breathing heavy in exhausted. The others landed on the ground.

"You guys did it!" Naruto cheered.

"Yeah." Shikamaru was bent over still trying to catch his breath.

Jiraya let out a breath in relief. "Well, that sure was close."

"They had no choice, but to take on the flames in order to defeat him," Kakashi said.

"Water Style: Hydro Burst!" A large burst of water shoot out at Shikamaru's back, sending him flying into Choji.

All the remaining standing shinobi looked over to see a blue dog standing in front of them. "What are you so excited about?" the dog said. "Did you forget Orgenji-iro was only the first step of the ladder. Now you'll face me, Aoimaru."

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