A/N- Okay, here we are, chapter 3. You know the drill. I hope you like it, be sure to leave a review, blah, blah, blah.
Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!
(-)
Anko Mitarashi was busy enjoying 2 of her favorite things in the world; dango and beer. It was the first day of the chunin exams second test and she was on her lunch break.
"Hahh..." she exhaled as she took a sip from her beer can. "Nothing beats dango and beer. Once I'm done eating I guess I'll head to the tower. The fast ones will probably only need about 24 hours, and we can't have the place empty when they arrive." she then tossed her dango stick at a tree branch along with the rest, the stick impaling the branch and completing the villages symbol. "Leaf mark, complete."
Suddenly one of the assistant examiners landed nearby via shunshin. "Big trouble Anko-sama!" he shouted.
"Hnn? What the hell's the matter?" she asked as she swallowed the last of her dango.
"Bodies! Three of 'em!"
"Bodies?"
"Yes! And they are weird! Please come!"
"Just great..." muttered Anko as she followed after the chunin. "Can't even go a single day with some kind of shit happening."
Once arriving on scene, she saw three dead bodies in the distance, along with 2 other chunin who were talking with a civilian whose back was to Anko.
"What's going on here?" Anko called out.
"Ah! Anko-sama! We were just questioning the woman who discovered the bodies." one of the chunin responded.
"I see." Anko said as she glanced at the woman in question. However when the woman turned around to look at Anko, the jonin was moving before she even realized what she was doing. A kunai was in her hand and she charged the woman. She stopped just short of stabbing the woman in the chest when she felt her wrist being grabbed by one of the chunin.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted.
Anko, suddenly realizing what she was doing, became deathly calm. She was about to kill a civilian. And she knew exactly why. This civilians appearance did nothing but remind her of him. She had the same pale skin. The same snake-like eyes. If it wasn't for the white hair, she might mistake her for his female equivalent.
"My apologies." she said as she put her kunai away. "I thought you were someone else."
The civilian, for her part, was unusually calm for just having had a near death experience. She didn't even flinch. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." she said curtly.
"So, what have we got here?" Anko asked as she walked towards the dead bodies.
"Miyabi here was the one who discovered the dead bodies. Said she was going for a walk when she stumbled upon them." explained one of the chunin as he pulled out some papers. "After examining their papers and personal items, they seem to be the Hidden Grass genin who were entered in this exam but..." the man trailed off as he gestured to the bodies. "As you can see, they have no faces. They are blank... as if they were melted off."
Anko developed a cold sweat upon learning that. There was no mistaking it. This was his jutsu. 'Why is he here?!' "Show me the pictures of these three!" Anko demanded.
"Ah, yes!" one of the chunin responded as he pulled out their ID's.
Once Anko got a look at the pictures, she immediately recognized them. "This is bad!"
"Huh?!"
"You guys go report this to Hokage-sama!" Anko shouted as she made her departure. "Send some Anbu captains to the Forest of Death immediately! I'm going in right now!"
"Anko-sama! What is it?!" asked one of the chunin.
"It's Him!" she answered. "The rogue Sannin, Orochimaru!"
"Shit!" cursed one of the chunin.
"Who's this 'Orochimaru'?" Miyabi asked one of the chunin.
"He's a traitor to the village, and a very powerful one at that. One of the three disciples of the Third Hokage. The man is evil incarnate and extremely dangerous." answered the chunin. "But what he's doing in the chunin exams is beyond me."
Miyabi glanced in the direction that Anko had run. The Forest of Death. From what she knew, that's where the second test of the chunin exams were being held. The same place where Naruto currently was. The secret ninja had a suspicion as to what this Orochimaru fellow might be after. She just hoped she was wrong. Miyabi began walking at a brisk pace after Anko. Once she was out of sight, she broke out into a sprint.
(-)
Sasuke and Sakura looked on in wonder at Naruto's new appearance. His outfit had drastically changed and he was now exuding a powerful aura. Their fellow genin looked down at the grass ninja with hardened eyes. Whether or not he stood a chance against him as he was now was something they did not know. However both of them knew this much; Naruto wouldn't be going down without a fight.
"Seems like you've gotten your second wind. Interesting. I've never seen a jutsu like that." the grass nin mused. "Let's see what you're capable of now!" he shouted as his snake lunged forward in an attempt to swallow Naruto.
"LOOK OUT!" shouted Sakura.
The warning was not needed as Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed. It wasn't shunshin, just pure speed. One moment he was there, the next he wasn't.
"Where did he-" the grass nin was cut-off when Naruto's fist smashed into the side of his face and sent him flying off of the snakes head. Spinning through the air, the ninja slammed into one of the nearby trees, a bit of blood trailing down his chin from a busted lip. He spat out a bit of blood as he righted himself. "Okay, I'll admit it. That caught me by surprise." he said as he made several handsigns. "But that's the only hit you're going to get." he then slammed his palm onto the trees branch. Smoke exploded outwards and dozens upon dozens of snakes shot upwards, all aimed at Naruto with their poisonous fangs.
Naruto went through several unfamiliar handsigns and swung his arm down vertically. "Tempest Blades!" several blades of crimson wind shot forward from Naruto's fingertips, slicing through both the air and the snakes. Their blood splattered everywhere, temporarily blinding the grass nin.
Wiping the blood out of his, the grass nin looked up to see Naruto in his face again. Red wind was swirling around his forearm which he had cocked back.
"Take this you bastard!" Naruto shouted as he slammed his fist into the mans stomach. The grass nin recoiled slightly in pain, the power from the punch shooting straight through his body. Naruto brought his other fist up to follow up with another punch to the gut. "It's over!"
"... Is that all?"
Naruto coughed up blood as he felt the grass nin's fist strike him in the chest first.
"Because I know a woman who can hit ten times as hard!" he shouted as he followed through and sent Naruto flying into the distance. The boy struck several branches before finally coming to a stop. His body lie motionless on the ground. "Now, where was I?" the man asked as his attention returned to Sasuke.
The boy, having seen Naruto get thrown about like a ragdoll, was of course scared of the opponent in front of him. Whatever power boost Naruto had gained was not enough to overcome the enemies strength. So there was no chance in hell he could beat him as he currently was.
Sasuke reached into his pouches and pulled out several kunai and shuriken.
But if he died here, then there was no chance he would ever be able to defeat his brother. He would have to put his life on the line in order to fight the man in front of him. Just as he would when he inevitably faces his brother.
'I can't afford to waiver! If I fall here, then I will never be able to kill him!' Sasuke thought as he placed one of the kunai in his mouth. 'This man is but a stepping stone on my journey. And I will not allow him to beat me!' Sasuke's sharingan flared to life as he jumped from tree to tree, throwing kunai at the grass nin as he did so.
The grass nin deftly dodged the kunai as he weaved his way through the branches towards Sasuke. The young genin swung around a branch and threw his shuriken at the man. The blade missed as the man jumped to avoid it, but Sasuke followed up by throwing his last kunai at the man as he was in the air. Contorting his body in a normally impossible way, the man dodged Sasuke's last kunai, only to notice the string attached to it.
'String?' the man thought as he turned around, only to see that the shuriken had made a 180 and was heading straight for him. "This is, the sharingan windmill, triple blade!" he shouted as the shuriken seemingly struck him in the head.
"Alright!" cheered Sakura.
"Heh, heh." chuckled the grass nin, who turned to show he caught the blade in his mouth. It was then that he noticed Sasuke had finished his handsigns with his fingers around the string that ran from his teeth to the shuriken.
'Dragon Fire jutsu!'
Flames shot across the string, headed straight for the grass nin. The blaze engulfed his face, searing flesh with blistering hot fire.
"Hahh... Got him." Sasuke smirked through ragged breaths.
"To be able to use the sharingan so well at this age..." came the burning mans voice. The fire faded to reveal the mans burned face. Only it seemed that the skin on the surface was peeling away like a snake shedding its skin. "You truly are the man who carries the Uchiha blood. Just as I thought. I want you." he said darkly.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted as she ran to his side.
"I made some interesting discoveries here today, but testing your powers was by far the most fun." the grass nin said as he ran a hand over his headband. Once his hand passed over it, it revealed him not to be a member of the Hidden Grass, but of the Hidden Sound! "You really are brothers. I sense a power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi."
Sasuke widened his eyes in shock. "Who the hell are you?!"
"My name is Orochimaru." he answered as he pulled out the scroll he had stolen from them, only for it to erupt in flames. "If you want to see me again, then survive and pass this exam. "Of course, defeating my men, the sound trio along the way."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" shouted Sakura. "We'd never want to see your face again!"
Orochimaru chuckled as he made handsigns. "I'm afraid it won't go that way." suddenly, the mans neck extended and shot forward. This caught the duo by surprise, and Orochimaru promptly sunk his teeth into Sasuke's neck.
"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted in concern.
Orochimaru's neck retracted back to his body once he accomplished his goal. "Sasuke-kun will seek me... to seek power."
Sasuke fell to his knees as a mark appeared on his neck, followed by a crippling pain. "Argh! What's this pain?!"
"What did you do to Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura demanded.
"I just gave him a little parting gift. Something to remember me by."
"HOW ABOUT I GIVE YOU A HICKEY TOO?!"
Orochimaru felt a pair of arms and legs wrap around his body, right before he felt the sharp canines pierce the side of his neck.
"Damn brat!" he shouted as he threw Naruto off of him, slamming him into the ground one last time. "This time you'll stay asleep!" he then went through another series of handsigns. "Five Part Seal number 2!" he shouted as he slammed his palm into Naruto's stomach again.
"Naruto!" shouted Sakura.
Orochimaru gripped at his neck. Though the wound wasn't life threatening, it was still detrimental. "You truly are interesting Naruto. Perhaps we shall meet again as well." he said as he sunk down into the tree branch he was standing on and disappeared.
Meanwhile Sakura was now left with an unconscious Naruto and a Sasuke who was in severe pain.
"Hang in there Sasuke-kun!" she said, trying to comfort him. However it wasn't working. The pain he was in was only getting worse. Sakura could only watch in abject horror as the boy she loved continued to suffer. His screams of agony tore at her heart. They echoed throughout the forest, alerting anyone or anything in earshot to their position. Things were spiraling out of control. She wasn't trained for situations like this. Naruto was unconscious and Sasuke would probably be better off if he was as well. "Oh god... What do I do?"
(-)
Anko Mitarashi ran through the forest as fast as she could. She had to find Orochimaru before he could do whatever it was that he was plotting. It was only a short time before nightfall, and once that happened she would be at a further disadvantage. She was resolved to stop him even if it cost her her life. That was how important this was to her. And even if she was unable to defeat him at the cost of her life, she would at the very least have to hold him off until Anbu arrives.
'I learned everything from you. I was one of yours, I know everything there is to know about you. And thus...' "It is my job to deal with you. Right Orochimaru." she said to the presence she felt behind her.
"That is a fools errand." he replied as he slithered out from the tree branch.
Anko slid several kunai out of her sleeve and into her hand as she jumped towards the rogue Sannin. Orochimaru's tongue shot out of his mouth and snaked itself around her wrist, causing her to both drop her kunai, and prematurely land on one of the tree branches.
Going through several handsigns, she gripped Orochimaru's tongue and pulled as snakes began pouring out of her sleeves and bit the appendage. summoning up all her strength, Anko ripped Orochimaru out from his hiding spot and slammed him onto the same branch as her. The snake man grinned as his tongue retracted, pulling him closer to Anko, whereupon he slammed himself into her stomach. Anko wasn't going to let him take control of the fight. She quickly grabbed one of his hands and spun him around, pinning him against the tree trunk. She used her free hand to stab through her hand and into his in order to keep him trapped.
"Heh, caught you." she said with a savage grin. She then grabbed Orochimaru's free hand and used it to make a handsign. "I'm borrowing your left hand for a moment. 'Kay?"
"This seal?!"
"Yes..." she answered. "You and I will both die here."
"Heh, heh, planning to commit suicide?" came Orochimaru's voice from behind.
Anko spun around to see the snake bastard sitting up top on another branch.
"Shadow clone." he said mockingly, at which the Orochimaru that Anko had pinned exploded in a puff of smoke. "You are a special jonin of this village." he said as he made a sign with one hand and used the other to rip off his face. "You shouldn't be using all those forbidden jutsu I taught you." he scolded.
Anko suddenly found herself unable to move as pain radiated from her neck. She collapsed to her knees, gripping at her neck. "Guh! Why... are you here?" she asked weakly.
"We haven't seen each other in so long. Yet you're so cold to me, Anko." he said as he jumped down to the same branch as her.
"Bah! Have you come to assassinate Hokage-sama?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. I still lack the necessary manpower for such a feat. Just decided to come by the village. Take a walk down memory lane. Maybe recruit a few of the more outstanding genin from the village. The chunin exams really made it easy for me to locate the most promising subjects." Orochimaru said smugly. "In fact, I just gave a kid one of those 'curse seals'."
"I take it that it didn't go as planned." Anko responded with a smirk, pointing at his neck which was bandaged up and bleeding. "What, you bite off more than you could chew? Or was it the other way around?"
Orochimaru briefly scowled as his free hand wandered up to his neck. "That fox brat had more bite than bark. Something I didn't anticipate. But he wasn't my target anyway. Though he did get in the way of the kid I wanted."
"How selfish of you. That kid's gonna die."
"The chance of surviving is 1 in 10, but, like you, he might just survive."
Anko's breathing was getting progressively more ragged and sweat was pouring down her face by the bucket load. But she still managed to put on a brave face. "You must really like this kid." she snarled.
"Jealous are we?" Orochimaru asked. "Are you still upset that I threw you away?"
That hit a nerve with Anko, and she fell even lower to the ground as more pain surged through her body.
"Unlike you, this one is talented. He's a kid who carries the Uchiha blood after all. He's also very beautiful. A perfect vessel to be my successor."
Anko was fading fast. Her vision was getting progressively more blurry as the pain continued to worsen. But she needed to keep him talking. The longer he talked, the closer her reinforcements got. She might even learn something important.
"If that boy survives, things could get very interesting. Do be sure not to stop this exam prematurely. I would hate for anything bad to happen to the Leaf." he threatened as he got closer to Anko. "About 3 from my village are also taking part. I'm going to enjoy this. And if you try to end my enjoyment... well, let's try not to cross that bridge."
"Wait... You said about 3. Does that mean you have more?" asked Anko.
"Whoops. Did I say that out loud?" Orochimaru said with a smirk.
"You're slipping up, you snake bastard." Anko grinned.
"Well, be that as it may, I think I've wasted enough time. Your back up should be here soon and-"
Orochimaru barely had time to dodge the blade that swiped right in front of his face. He jumped backwards out of its range, but was forced to continue doing so as the blade was upon him again. He saw flashes of white hair as his attacker continued to press him, not allowing the battles flow to change. Finally he was pushed to the edge of the branch he was on and had his back to the tree trunk. Forced to drop his handsign which was controlling Anko, Orochimaru swiped his thumb over the blood on his neck and completed the required handsigns.
"Summoning jutsu!" he shouted as yet another large snake came into existence, forcing his attack to back off. Once he got a good look at her, he was surprised to say the least. She looked like she could be his long lost sister or something. She had the same yellow eyes, the same pale skin. The hair was the only thing that threw it off. The woman was dressed in a white coat with black trimming. A dark brown cloak was tied at her shoulders that had the Ouroboros symbol emblazoned on the back. Her left arm was wrapped in white bandages and black belts. She also wore white boots with black leggings. In her hands was a pitch black katana. "Oh? And who might you be?" Orochimaru asked as he gauged the newcomer.
"I do not see the point in giving my name to a dead man." she replied.
Anko slowly recovered and got back up. Once her eyes landed on her savior, she recognized her. It was the white haired woman from earlier. Miyabi was her name. "It's you!" she said as she rose to her feet.
Miyabi didn't even spare her a glance. A wise decision given her opponent. "Can you move?" she asked.
"Gonna need a minute. Can you hold him off till then?"
Miyabi grinned. "Easily."
"Although I am not familiar with who you are, I will have you know that attempting to defeat me is impossible. I am far above you in terms of strength and skill." Orochimaru said from his perch atop his snake. "I will give you just this one chance to walk away and pretend you saw nothing. Otherwise your life is forfeit."
"The only one whose life is forfeit, is yours!" the white haired woman shouted as she bit her thumb and smeared the blood across her sword. "Time to even the playing field. Summoning Arts!"
A large puff of smoke erupted on her position. From within it, both Anko and Orochimaru could hear a faint hiss. Suddenly a form lunged out from the smoke. It was a giant snake.
"What?!" both Orochimaru and Anko shouted.
Miyabi was riding atop the head of the snake as it slammed into Orochimaru's snake. As it bit down on the snake, Miyabi lunged at Orochimaru with her sword at the ready. Orochimaru pulled out a couple of kunai and used them to deflect Miyabi's sword strikes. The duo jumped from one branch to the other, blades clashing as they did so. Under normal circumstances, the advantage would most likely have gone to Orochimaru, but he was still nursing the wound that Naruto had given him. As such, the rogue Sannin found himself being pressured. Miyabi swung her sword downward and Orochimaru caught it between his kunai, the blades interlocking to hold the katana in place.
"I will admit; you have quite a bit of fire in you. More than my former underling." he said as he cast a glance at Anko who was recovering. "And to be able to use the snake summons, one that I don't recognize at that... you have truly piqued my interest. Just who are you?"
"I'll answer your question if you answer mine." Miyabi growled. "Who is it that you were after? Was it the Nine-Tails vessel?"
Orochimaru smirked. "Ah, so that's your connection to this. You must be his guardian or something. Alas, he was not my target, although he did show me some interesting things."
Miyabi snarled as she put more pressure on her sword.
"But worry not. I made sure to leave him alive. A little roughed up, but still breathing." Orochimaru continued. "Now it's your turn. Who are you?"
"The name is Miyabi. And I'm just another Konoha civilian." she answered.
Orochimaru smirked. "Just a civilian eh? How interesting. You are able to stand toe to toe with me, yet you claim to only be a civilian. Either you lie... or you have been keeping your skills a secret. How delightfully deceptive of you. Now tell me, what is the summons you are using?"
"Sorry, but that's all you're getting from me." Miyabi responded as she swung her sword outwards, knocking the kunai from Orochimaru's hands.
The snake Sannin responded by extending his tongue and wrapping it around Miyabi's sword arm.
"Burn!" she shouted as her left hand became engulfed in black flames.
'What?!' thought Orochimaru. He quickly released his hold on Miyabi before she could grasp his tongue with her flaming hand.
"I'm not finished!" she roared as she held out her palm. The black and red flames shot forward, aimed at Orochimaru. The fire exploded once it hit his position, a roaring blaze of death erupting and lighting up the dark forest. The flames burned for a short while before Miyabi swiped her arm in front of her and they vanished.
"Did you get him?" Anko asked as she made her way over to Miyabi.
"... No." she answered.
"That was a most surprising attack." came Orochimaru's voice.
The two women looked around them but could not find the source.
"You are filled with just as many surprises as the Nine-Tails brat. I eagerly await our next encounter. But I can assure you of this; it will not be in your favor as this fight was."
"He's gone." Anko stated.
"So it would seem." Miyabi responded. "Do you need aid?"
"I should be fine in a few minutes. And my backup she be here soon." she answered as she took a seat.
"Good. Because I need to leave. My identity must remain a secret. I trust that you will keep it that way." spoke Miyabi.
"Sorry, but if there is an unmarked kunoichi in Konoha, then I need to inform the Hokage. Especially if she is strong enough to stand against Orochimaru."
Miyabi remained silent for a few moments, pondering her options. Had she wanted to keep herself a secret, all she need do is kill Anko. She was still relatively weak and there would be no witnesses.
She gripped her sword handle tightly.
"... Fine."
But that's not the type of person she wanted to be.
"But you can only tell the Hokage. My skills must remain a secret to the rest of the village. It is important that it stays that way."
"I suppose I can agree to that." Anko answered.
"Good. Now I must be on my way." Miyabi said as she disappeared in a burst of speed.
"Hmm, just who are you Miyabi?" Anko wondered aloud.
(-)
"GYAAAA!" cried Naruto as he awoke to the feeling of someone pounding his head in. He looked to his side to see Choji and Shikamaru helping him to his feet. As he cast his glance forward, he saw Sakura tending to Sasuke. Then he remembered what happened just before he was knocked out. 'Where's that grasshole?!'
"Nice to see that the idiot is finally awake." Shikamaru remarked as he poked Naruto with a stick.
"Ha?"
"Just looking at you gets on my nerves. I feel like your very presence is causing my IQ to drop."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" he shouted before returning his attention to his teammates. "Sakura-chan!" he called out as he ran over to them. "Your hair! It's..."
"Oh! You mean this?" she asked as she ran a hand through her now shorter hair. "Just trying an image change!" she said cheerfully.
The rest of those present knew the real reason for her shorter hair, but they remained quiet.
"I like it longer, but you know, in this forest it can get in the way." she explained.
"Ah, I see." Naruto nodded. "By the way..." he started as he turned to face Team 10. "Why are you guys here?"
"Hahh, explaining it to you would be a waste of time." sighed Shikamaru.
"... Everyone came to save us." Sakura answered.
Suddenly Tenten from Team 9 landed next to Ino who was holding Lee. "I'll take it from here." she said as she took custody of the taijutsu specialist. "Snap out of it! LEE!" she yelled as she violently shook him, eliciting a sweatdrop from everyone.
"Hnn? Tenten? Why are you here?" he asked groggily.
"We came to save you idiot!"
"Hey? Where are the sound nins?" he asked.
"That Sasuke kid drove them off." she answered.
Lee turned to look at Sasuke. "... I see."
"Why did you break the plan and act alone? Plus you're all beaten up." scolded Tenten.
"Sakura-san was in trouble, and as a man I-"
"You idiot!" shouted Tenten. "You are such a moron I can't even comprehend it!"
Lee chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't argue with you there."
"Oh hey! It's bushy-brows!" stated Naruto. "How's it going buddy?"
"How dare you be rude to Lee-san!" shouted Sakura as she smacked Naruto across the clearing.
'What the hell happened... while I was out?' Naruto wondered as he was splayed out on the forest floor.
"He is totally clueless. Unable to read the situation." stated Shikamaru.
"He's the type that could never become the main character." added Choji.
Meanwhile Sakura walked over to Lee and smiled at him. "Thank you Lee-san."
Lee looked up in surprise to see Sakura's gentle smile.
"Thanks to you I have awakened. I feel like I've become a little bit stronger."
Once everyone got caught up, the three teams dispersed, deciding not to test fate with seeing who has what scroll.
"So Naruto, what exactly was that jutsu you used earlier?" Sakura asked as the three made their way through the forest.
Naruto began sweating profusely. "W-what jutsu?"
"You know the one she means dobe. That one that changed your appearance. You pulled out a scroll and shouted 'shinobi transformation'." Sasuke reminded him.
"Err, maybe you guys are remembering things wrong." Naruto said nervously.
Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the collar and pinned him against a tree.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Sasuke rummaged through Naruto's jacket until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a scroll. "Talk. Now."
"O-okay. Words, blah, blah, blah! I'm talking!"
"That's not what I meant." Sasuke growled.
"Naruto." Sakura said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not good to keep secrets from your friends. We need to know exactly what we are all capable of if we are to stand a chance of surviving."
I'm sorry! But my sensei made me swear not to tell!" Naruto responded.
"Oh? So you have a sensei huh?" asked Sasuke.
Naruto clasped his hands over his mouth. 'Crap!'
"Who is it?" Sasuke demanded.
"Torture me all you want, but I won't sell her out!" Naruto shouted.
"So it's a woman."
'Double crap! Sorry Miyabi-nee-chan!'
Sasuke glared at Naruto for a few moments, before returning the scroll to him and releasing his grip. "I expect you to tell us at some point. But right now we can't be wasting our time on crap like this."
(-)
A few days had passed since the encounter with Orochimaru, and Team 7 was in dire straights. They had less than a day until the deadline and they were still lacking a scroll. Along the way, they happened across Kabuto, who was kind enough to aid them. They decided that the four of them would head for the tower and hopefully encounter another team with the proper scroll along the way.
The tower was finally in sight for them. However no matter how long they walked, they never seemed to get any closer to it.
"How long have we been walking?" Sasuke asked. "We aren't getting closer to the tower at all."
"That's true." Kabuto mused.
"It seems like it's right in front of us... This is weird..." Naruto remarked.
"Seems like, we've already arrived at our welcoming party." Kabuto said as he pointed to a tree. "Look."
The three genin looked at the tree, only to see the dead giant centipede that Naruto had killed hours earlier.
"Genjutsu?" Sasuke guessed.
"Looks like it. We have totally fallen into a trap." answered Kabuto. "Seems like they took advantage of our worries, and made us walk in circles."
"They are watching us."
"They probably plan to tire us out and use that opportunity to get us."
"Then it's going just as planned."
"Yes. They should be ready to attack at any moment."
Suddenly, dozens of ninjas came literally crawling out of the trees and bushes.
"So they've appeared." Sasuke stated.
"Bah! This is a perfect handicap!" grinned Naruto.
"That's a lot of bad guys." Kabuto remarked.
"Are they clones?" asked Sakura.
"Heh, heh, you're trapped rats." one of the ninja spoke.
"Shut up!" Naruto roared as he charged forward and slammed his fist into the chest of one of the ninjas.
"Great job Naruto!" Sakura cheered.
However ass soon as Naruto followed through with his attack, the ninja splattered everywhere before multiplying.
"WHAT?!"
Sasuke activated his sharingan as he joined the frey. "Naruto! Look out!" he shouted as he threw shuriken at the ninja that was about to attack him. The clone took the hit as another threw a kunai at Sasuke.
"Get down!" shouted Kabuto as he tackled Sasuke down who had frozen in pain due to his curse mark. The kunai sliced Kabuto on the arm as he did so.
"Kabuto! Are you okay?!" Sakura called out.
"This pain is real. It's not an illusion."
"Give us your scroll." one of the ninja demanded.
"What the hell are these?!" roared Naruto. "Shadow clones or genjutsu?! Kabuto got hurt, so it can't be genjutsu, but they don't disappear after a solid hit!"
"They are illusions!" shouted Sasuke. "This is the enemies genjutsu."
"B-but Kabuto-sans injury is real." Sakura said.
"No. Sasuke-kun is correct." Kabuto spoke. "The enemy is probably matching up their attacks with their genjutsu in order to make it seem like the illusions are attacking."
"Then all we gotta do is find these cowardly assholes and kick their asses!" yelled Naruto.
"Easier said then done." Kabuto responded. "They use the illusions to their advantage in order to confuse our sense of where the attacks come from. This is how they fight. The real enemy is physically weak, and therefor won't reveal themselves until we can no longer move. All we can do right now is dodge and formulate a plan!"
"Screw that!" shouted Naruto. "I've got one right now!" he then pulled out his Secret Ninja Scroll. 'You ready for this Kurama?'
"As I'll ever be."
"Shinobi Transformation!" a blinding light appeared and Naruto was transformed again. "Everyone get down!" he shouted as he began to twist his body. "Hurricane Gale!" he yelled as he spun his body, whipping up a crimson wind that spiraled outward and sliced apart all of the illusions. The wind kept going into the forest and eventually Naruto heard the screams of the enemy ninja. "There!" he shouted as he pointed to one of the trees.
"I see them!" responded Kabuto.
"Damn it!" the enemy ninja cursed.
Naruto bit down on his thumb and went through a few handsigns before slamming his palm on the ground. "Summoning Arts!"
As the smoke cleared, a pack of large foxes were revealed.
"Sick 'em boys!" Naruto ordered as he pointed at the enemies.
The foxes lunged forward and chased after the fleeing ninja, nipping at their heels and eventually pinning them to the ground.
"Argh! Get off of me!" shouted one of the ninja as he pulled out a kunai and tried to stab the fox that pinned him. Only to have his arm stomped on by Naruto.
"Your scroll. Hand it over." he demanded. Naruto's eyes were red and slit like earlier, the rather unsettling appearance striking fear into the ninjas heart.
"Eeek! Please, don't hurt me!" he begged as he pulled out a scroll. "Here's our scroll, now let me go!"
Naruto snapped his fingers and the foxes burst into smoke. He then leaned down next to the enemy ninja. "Run."
The ninja didn't need to be told twice and promptly made his escape.
Naruto turned to his teammates, whose mouths hung open in surprise. "I guess we're done here." he stated simply as he tossed the newly acquired scroll up and down.
"... S-since when can you do summons?!" demanded Sakura.
Naruto brought his finger up to his lips. "Sorry, but that's another secret."
(-)
After arriving at the tower and splitting up with Kabuto, Team 7 made their way inside where they came across an empty room with a sign.
"This is probably about the scrolls." Sakura surmised as she read the sign. "I think we're supposed to open them now."
"Alright... Let's open them up."
As soon as they did so, Sasuke realized what they were.
"These are summoning type jutsus! Naruto, Sakura, throw them!"
The two tossed the scrolls away, which promptly exploded in smoke. As the smoke began to clear, the trio could see a figure beyond it. It was Iruka-sensei.
"Hey!" he called out. "Long time no see."
"What's going on?!" Sakura asked.
"Looks like you guys ran into some trouble." Iruka said as he pulled out a pocket watch. "At the end of the second test, it's set up so that we chunins meet up with the exam takers. And I was the one to be allowed to greet you."
"Greet us?"
"And it looks like you just made it on time." Iruka said as he looked at his watch. "The second test. All three of you pass. Congratulations! To celebrate your success, I'd like to buy you each a round of ramen, but-"
"WE DID IT!" Naruto cheered as he tackled Iruka in a hug.
"H-hey Naruto, listen until the end." Iruka said as he picked Naruto up by the collar.
"We did it! We did it! We did it!" However Naruto was still too busy celebrating.
Meanwhile both Sasuke and Sakura collapsed in exhaustion.