Blood-Stained Kubikiri
…Chapter Four…
Note: I'd like to thank everyone who read my fanfiction, and especially those who reviewed it. Thanks guys, you make me keep going! Still, it's slightly disappointing, there are over one hundred fifty people who put this story on their alert list, and over sixty have it on their favorites. Yet last chapter not that many people left a review, and when that happens it's not that gratifying, and makes me loose a little motivation to write the story. If you enjoyed the story, or even if you didn't, I would really like to know. Just a few words, or a suggestion, any thoughts you had, it really helps when you leave a review. When I read a story, I always try to give my thoughts on it, and I would really appreciate if you guys do the same. Anyway, sorry for that, but it was kind of on my chest, and I wanted to get it out. This chapter will have a rather "unpleasant" surprise that I hope nobody was expecting, and I'll eagerly be awaiting your reactions. Without further ado, let's move on to the story!
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It was a windy day, with a few clouds drifting across the sky. The rough breeze rattled the trees, as well as picked up a few loose leaves and carried them through the air. The atmosphere was silent and tense, sending shivers down the spines of many shinobi. A tall fence made of thick wire circled an area filled with many enormous and shady looking trees. These plants towered into the sky, being so tall and vast you almost couldn't see the top. The entrances to the area were locked by many chains, locks, and seals. The sign on the fence read, "Forbidden Area". These woods were definitely a place people were supposed avoid. Next to the fence was a stand where a few examiners in the same grey uniforms were sitting.
'What a sinister looking place… I like it!' Naruto thought, examining the area. The group of genin who managed to pass the first test were all standing in front of this forest, looking at it both eagerly and nervously. Both ardor and anxiety sparked through the air.
"This place is where the second exam will take place," Mitarashi Anko said, having an ominous gleam in her eyes. "The forty fourth training area… Also known as the Forest of Death."
"This sure is a creepy place," Sakura remarked, seeming deterred by the appearance of the vicinity.
"You will soon be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death," the purple haired examiner added with an amused smile.
Naruto cocked his eyebrow. "Forest of Death? Isn't that name rather idiotic, doesn't evoke any fear in me at all! That's almost as bad as The Forest of No Return," the blonde boy stated.
"Really? You shouldn't be so careless in your words," Anko replied. In an instant, a kunai was produced from the sleeve of her coat, and she threw out with immense speed. Naruto might have been able to dodge it, but he decided not to, interested in what this woman was trying to do. The weapon flew right past his face, slightly grazing his cheek, and then embedding into the soil a short distance behind him.
By now the purple haired kunoichi had dashed from where she stood, reappearing behind the orange clad ninja in the same second. "Cocky boys like you tend to die the fastest," Anko slurred as she traced her tongue along Naruto's cut, lapping up the flowing blood. "Spraying that red blood I love…"
The startled orange clad ninja looked at Anko in surprise, faking a shocked expression, yet in reality trying to contain his grin. 'If I had known this would happen I would have acted like an idiot a lot earlier,' he joked in is mind. 'I really like this examiner!'
Something had caught the attention of this sadistic kunoichi and another kunai was deployed from her jacket. Anko swung around, the knife ready in her hand, however paused when a tongue wrapped around another kunai slithered in front of her.
"Here's your kunai," a strange shinobi wearing pale and black clothes along with a straw hat said. This person had long black hair, and his tongue was outstretched several feet, holding the kunai Anko had thrown at Naruto earlier. He had a large purple rope tied across his waste into a bow.
"Why thank you," the purple haired examiner replied with a smirk, "But you really shouldn't stand behind me like that. Unless of course, you want to die." Anko took the kunai into her hand, and the shinobi's elongated tongue retracted back into his mouth.
"I'm sorry, but I get excited when I see blood. Also, my precious hair was cut, I couldn't help myself. Sorry," the man said as he turned around and began walking away.
This guy actually gave Naruto the creeps. 'There's something wrong about him… but I can't put my finger on it,' the blonde boy thought, eyeing the ninja suspiciously. 'And what the hell was up with his tongue?'
"It looks like there are a lot of blood thirsty people in this exam," Anko said to herself. "This is going to be fun."
'You got that right!' Naruto smirked, putting himself in that category.
The purple haired kunoichi then pulled out a large stack of papers from within her jacket. "Before we begin the second exam, I will have to pass these out to everyone. They are consent forms, those who are taking the exam have to sign these.
"Why?" the blonde shinobi asked, being intrigued to as why they were necessary.
"There will be deaths in this exam," Anko replied smugly. "Therefore, we need people's consent before we can proceed. Otherwise, I could be held responsible!" the sadistic woman laughed, and handed the forms to Naruto, who took one and passed the rest down to the other shinobi.
"Wait! So we are allowed to kill people in this exam?" Naruto asked, his hopes rising.
"That question coming from you is quite amusing," Anko teased, "But yes, if you think you can pull that off, go ahead and try."
'Why would Naruto be asking a question like that?' Sakura thought, staggered by his inquiry.
"What the hell is the dobe thinking?" Sasuke muttered to himself.
'Sweet! This couldn't be more perfect,' the orange clad ninja thought.
Mitarashi Anko then began the explanation of the second phase of the chuunin selection exam. Naruto paid just enough attention to get the main outline of what they were supposed to do. It was a survival match, where each team received either a heaven or earth scroll. The objective was to get both scrolls and go to the tower located in the center of the Forest of Death. Five days was the time limit, all three members of the team had to be alive, they were not allowed to look inside the scrolls until they reached the tower, and quitting in the middle of the exam was not an option.
'Pretty straight forward,' Naruto thought. So the objective was to get the other scroll and not loose yours. However, you did not know which person from the team was holding the scroll, if they even had the one you required, or how strong the opposing team was. 'This is actually an extremely well planned out exam.'
The teams were given half an hour to think over whether they wanted to continue the chuunin exam or not. After the time had expired, the participating teams lined up in front of the stand, their consent forms in their hands. Nobody had decided to quit, so all twenty six teams stood in a long line, waiting to receive their scroll.
Team seven entered the small wooden stand, red curtains surrounded it, disabling other teams to see what was going on inside. Naruto passed in the three consent forms to the examiner, and he in return handed them a white scroll with the kanji for heaven written on it. When they exited the stand, another examiner escorted them around the fence circling the forest. They stood in front of a large gate, a sign with the number twelve hung on it.
"In twenty three minutes, all the gates will open, and this exam will begin," he explained.
"Alright! I'm not gonna loose!" Naruto yelled, launching a few quick jabs into the air, and acting like his old self.
In the next few minutes, all the teams had been escorted to an individual gate located around the parameters of the Forest of Death. Time ticked down, second by second, and the shinobi eagerly awaited for the countdown to end. And finally, the second phase initiated, the gates were swung open, and the ninja dashed through them. In mere seconds they were already leaping through the trees, deciding how to formulate their strategies and who they should try to target first.
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Naruto was slowly walking through the forest beside his teammates. These woods were much worse than they appeared from the outside. The lofty trees blocked out all sunlight, making the vicinity dim. Vegetation was everywhere, blocking most paths, and most of those plants were covered in thorns, a few even poisonous. Giant insects such as centipedes seemed to be everywhere.
In the short time they were in the Forest of Death, Sasuke had already decided he would be the group leader and that he would carry the scroll. Sakura had agreed, as usual not questioning anything the boy said. The Kyubi container didn't really care what his teammates wanted to do; his own plans did not tie in with them. In fact, the blonde ninja was trying to find a chance to ditch his team. He needed to separate from them for a short period of time.
A loud yell, as if someone was being tortured, echoed through the forest, making Sakura jump. "That was someone's scream, right?" she asked, not really wanting an answer. "I'm starting to get nervous."
"Don't worry Sakura-chan! It's nothing," Naruto reassured her, while scratching the back of his head. The orange clad shinobi finally thought of an easy way he could split from his team. He faked an irritated expression and shouted out, "I need to take a piss!" Without warning he ran to a nearby tree, and opened the zipper of his pants.
Sakura instantly appeared behind him, giving him a massive blow on the head. Her expression was that of a rabid animal. "You idiot! What are you doing in front of a lady? Do it behind those other trees!"
Naruto walked away from his team, rubbing his aching head. He went behind the trees Sakura pointed to, but instead of stopping broke out in a sprint, soon bounding into the canopy. 'Those two should be alright on their own for a while, as long as they don't get killed it's fine,' the boy began thinking to himself. 'So in order to fulfill that deal I made with the bastard fox I'll have to kill quite a few people. I'm going to have to seek out the weak teams and eliminate them, I won't have enough chakra to spare if I get in a major fight. Assassination techniques would also be a clever choice to use, they are fast and don't require much chakra…'
By now the orange clad boy was far away from his team, they would have no chance of tracking him down. Naruto spotted a clearing and leaped down into it. He took out a familiar scroll from within his jacket, summoning forth the Kubikiri Houcho. He stuck the huge sword into the ground, then pulling out a peculiar strap from one of the pockets of his pants. He adjusted this around his body, and then lifted the oversized blade, securing it into the strap on his back. Since the sword was so large, it had to hang from the blonde shinobi's back at a sixty degree angle, otherwise it would constantly be skidding across the ground. Even so, the handle of the head cleaver was still slightly above Naruto's head. It wasn't exactly the best way to secure and transport the blade, but the Kyubi container wasn't exactly tall, so it was the best he could manage. After making sure the Kubikiri Houcho wouldn't get in his way as he moved around, and that it was easy to draw, the blonde boy formed a hand seal and shouted out, "Tajuu kage bunshin no jutsu!" Over one hundred clones appeared, scattered around the meadow, many hunched on the branches of trees. They also had the Kubikiri Houcho strapped to their backs in the same fashion as the original Naruto.
"Alright, listen up everybody! You are to split into groups of twenty, search the forest for teams, and kill as many people as you are capable of. Since you are in large groups swarming a team or even surrounding them from all sides would be the best strategy! If you are able to only kill one person in a team with an ambush attack, that's fine. It would be smart to retreat afterward!" the orange clad shinobi hollered out loud enough for all the clones to hear. He then took out a kunai and threw it into the soil. "You are to meet up right here after five hours. If one of you gets a scroll, it would be best if you stop fighting, and just hang to it so you can bring it to this location."
"Got it! Understood!" the shadow clones replied, getting into groups of twenty as Naruto had commanded. Meanwhile, the orange clad ninja was already running off on his own, heading west and trying to find a team to ambush. "It has begun!"
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Three rain nin stood in a large meadow filled with tall grass nearly reaching up to their knees. They had taken a drink from the small river running next to them, and now stood discussing how they should progress through the exam. The rain ninja appeared in their early twenties, and each had umbrellas on their back. Two ninja from the squad wore strange hats along with black and grey outfits. The leader wore the same outfit, however also sported a black robe. He had bandages wrapped around his forehead, as well as a scar going up his right eye and stitches along the side of his mouth.
"So what's our plan?" one of the rain nin asked.
"It's rather basic. We're going to find a weak team, completely annihilate them, then head to the tower. There's no need to waste extra time in this damn forest," the leader of the team replied.
Unknown to them, right on the edge of the clearing, hidden in the leaves of a tree, another shinobi was spying on them. Naruto observed these shinobi from the Hidden Village of Rain. While their appearance did seem rather threatening and dangerous, the blonde shinobi wasn't fooled. 'Anybody still that old and a genin must have failed the exam several times. That means their skills are insufficient of being a chuunin. They shouldn't be too hard to take on,' the boy thought, eyeing the nin, looking for an opening to strike.
The moment had come, their backs were turned to him. Without waiting another second, Naruto drew the Kubikiri Houcho from the holster on his back, hopping out from the tree, and rushing toward the ground. He landed silently, and pushed off the soil, sending dirt flying into the air. The distance between the Kyubi container and the Ame shinobi was closed in a split second. Naruto swung his massive blade forward with intense speed. The rain shinobi looked backward just in time, managing to franticly leap sideways before the sword had come in contact with them. The Kubikiri Houcho flew right past the leader, missing him by only inches.
"Shit!" Naruto cursed, his ambush failed, now he would have to enter an actual fight and waste his chakra. The boy skidded to a stop, attaching his sword back onto the holster. The team of rain nin jumped backward, creating space between them and the blonde shinobi. Naruto was now standing right on the bank of the small river, with the Ame nin roughly sixty feet in front of him.
"Heh, what the hell are you trying to pull, you little shit?" the leader asked, anger in his eyes.
"Where the hell are your teammates, are they attempting to ambush us as well?" his teammate taunted.
"I don't need them," Naruto smugly replied.
"Little kids like you shouldn't pick fights they can't handle. You'll end up dying," the squad leader remarked.
"Did you learn that lesson the hard way? A guy as old as you still being a genin, it's pathetic," the Kyubi container retorted.
The Ame ninja snarled back in rage. "Fine brat! If you want to die so badly, I'll fulfill your wish!"
"Then go ahead and try. I'm in a hurry, and don't have time to chat, let's end this already," Naruto calmly countered.
The leader scowled. "Then let's do this!" He grabbed the five umbrellas that were suspended on his back, opening them all at once. He then flung them high into the air, yet instead of the objects falling back to the ground, they stayed aloft. He then formed the tiger seal with his hands. "Die kid! Ninpou jouro senbon!" The umbrellas hovering in the air began spinning rapidly, with loads of needles sliding out from the flaps of the dark green umbrellas. The senbon whirled madly in circles, almost appearing like silver clouds. "This will strike from above, below, and from the side, there is no escape. The needles are regulated with my chakra, and will always strike the target!"
'I see, so this is what kind of jutsu it is,' Naruto thought. Without hesitation, he proceeded through a set of hand seals. The water from the river began rising upward in a column, steadily moving toward the blonde shinobi. Meanwhile, the needles hurtling through the air began zooming around Naruto, trapping him from all sides. Then they closed in, flying at the orange clad boy at colossal speeds. The water from the river swiftly traveled in font of Naruto, as if it was alive. The liquid then hardened in a matter of seconds, turning into ice. The blonde ninja had created an icy shield in front of himself. The senbon needles struck the thick layer of ice, barely penetrating it, a few even bouncing off the frozen surface.
"He made a wall of ice?" the rain nin asked aloud in surprise. "Fine! Then I'll just strike you from behind!"
A large amount of senbon launched at the Kyubi container from the rear. However, all Naruto had to do was lift up his sword, the needles harmlessly recoiling off the steel. The rain shinobi reacted by sending hundreds of needles at the boy from all sides. As they began to descend down upon him, Naruto jumped to the side, the senbon embedding into the soil. He was easily able to avoid them.
"While you are able to control the senbon, when they go at a speed that fast you don't have time to change their direction. I have plenty of time to dodge," Naruto smirked. "Now, I think I'll fight back with some needles of my own!" The blonde shinobi entered another cycle of hand seals and called out, "Sensatsu hyousho!" Another column of water rose from the lake, this time separating into many smaller bodies of water. The water hovered in the air, hardening and turning into many needles of ice, appearing very similar to thin icicles. Naruto thrust his arm forward, and the ice needles soared at the umbrellas scattered in the air. The icicles easily propelled through the clouds of swirling senbon needles, piercing through the targeted umbrellas and ripping them to shreds. Since the umbrellas were destroyed the senbon that came from them all dropped to the ground, now completely useless. The tattered umbrellas gradually fell down from the air as well, now unusable.
"What the hell?" the leader of the squad croaked.
"Your jutsu was feeble, just like your whole team," Naruto responded, sporting a smirk.
"Don't take me lightly!" the Ame ninja rushed at Naruto, a kunai drawn in his hand.
"How foolish." Before he had even begun charging, Naruto begun forming the proper seals. They orange clad boy didn't have time to finish however, the man had reached him and plunged the weapon right into his chest where the heart was located.
"You're dead!" However, the leader's jubilation was short lived, as the body of Naruto turned into water, and splattered to the ground. "What!?"
"Yup, it was a mizu bunshin," the actual Naruto stated. He stood across the river on the opposite bank, hands clasped together in the final seal of a long combination. The river seemed to tower upward in a swirling cyclone of water. The large mass of liquid took shape of an enormous dragon, its mouth spewing mist in rage. "Suiryudan no jutsu," the blonde boy called out. The dragon lurched from its spot, swerving madly at the team leader. The Ame shinobi didn't even have time to dodge, the dragon struck him full force, trapping him in its fluid maw. The water projectile then propelled him forward, sending him flying a few hundred feet right into the trunk of a tree. His body recoiled off the timber, the sickening sounds of crushed bones echoing through the meadow. However, the water dragon did not end its assault there, pursuing the man and crashing into the same tree trunk, entirely obliterating the giant plant along with him.
The meadow was soaked in water, droplets still falling through the air, nearly turning the surroundings into a swamp. You could make out the trail of where the suiryudan no jutsu skimmed across the ground, as the soil and grass was torn away leaving behind a large and incredibly long hole. The branches and chunks of the demolished tree fell from the sky as well, and a dispersed storm of leaves floated through the air.
The two remaining rain ninja stared at Naruto, frozen in shock. They tuned back around, unable to locate the body of their beaten leader. "Sigure? Where are you!" one of them called out hysterically, scared by the power this blonde boy had displayed.
"He is dead, I wouldn't be surprised if his body was torn to chunks in fact," Naruto said, amused at the reaction of the two remaining shinobi.
"That… can't be!"
"Oh it can, and you're next!" The Kyubi container had dashed forward, appearing in front of the rain nin before he even had time to react. The Kubikiri Houcho was already drawn, and Naruto swung it foreword. The opposing shinobi tried to back up, but the sword was too long, it sliced cleanly at his waste, completely splitting the body into two pieces. Blood erupted through the air, and a few organs grossly tumbled out of the severed half of the torso which rolled along the ground. The crimson blood mixed into the thin layer of mud and water that covered the earth, spreading red throughout the surrounding area.
The final Ame ninja wasted no time, and with a terrified yell began running for his life. Not paying attention as to where he was going, the clumsy shinobi tripped on a root, falling into the mud-spattered grass. The head cleaver was brought down on his neck, severing it from the body and killing him instantly. Even more blood spread over the marshy meadow.
Naruto tried to ignore how disgusting and repulsive this scene was. It was easily enough to make an inexperienced ninja throw up. He got down on all fours next to the victim and took a deep breathe. Without looking directly at the body, he searched it, trying to uncover the scroll this team was holding. He had found it in the pocket of the beheaded ninja, and pulled out the rolled up piece of parchment. It was a heaven scroll, and the Kyubi container securely tucked it into his jacket. The blonde boy still wasn't completely used to looking at the gore and insides of dead people.
"Glad that scroll wasn't with the leader. Then it would be nearly impossible to find," Naruto muttered to himself. He sat on the bank of the river and dipped the Kubikiri Houchi on the running water, cleaning it of the crimson liquid it was covered in. The blonde boy saw his reflection in the stream, finding out some of the blood had splattered across his face. He wiped it away with his hand.
After the blade was shining like new, Naruto placed it back into the holster on his back. The boy focused chakra to his feet, and leaped high into the canopy above, continuing the search for more teams. He raked the landscape, peering through the vegetation like a hawk searching for its prey.
Nearly an hour had passed, and the blonde shinobi was having no luck. He hadn't stumbled or for the matter even seen a team during the whole search. However, the boy did not get discouraged; he still had plenty of time to seek out potential targets. As if on cue, out of the corner of his eye Naruto caught the sight of a shinobi, yet was not able to identify who he was or what village he was from. They boy gathered chakra to his feet, attaching himself to a tree branch and thus coming to a sudden halt.
The Kyubi container stood against the tree trunk silently, the team he had discovered was right below him, standing on the forest floor. Naruto was close enough to even sense their chakra signatures. 'Alright, I don't think they are aware of me yet. I'm about eighty feet above them, a direct fall and instantaneous attack should be effective,' the orange clad ninja planned out. He positioned himself for the descent, ready to launch the attack.
Naruto dropped through the thick canopy swiftly and silently, avoiding the tangle of branches below him. He landed on the rough soil like a cat, the Kubikiri Houcho already drawn. The blonde boy held it in one hand, ready to swing it forward and deliver a devastating slash. However, before he even landed on the ground, the team hopped backward, positioning themselves out of Naruto's range. Somehow they knew of the ambush ahead of time and had avoided it. His sneak attack was a failure. Naruto lifted his head, checking which team it was that managed to avoid his onslaught. "So, it's you guys."
Neji, Lee, and Tenten stood several feet in front of him, already in formation and taking their selected battle stances. The brunette girl had an unrolled summoning scroll in her hand, Lee was in a bizarre taijutsu stance, while the Hyuga stood in front of his two teammates, his palm lifted and byakugan activated.
"I admire your spirit, Naruto-kun, wanting to battle us already!" the bushy browed ninja said, a confident smile plastered on his face.
"I don't see your teammates in the surrounding area… You can't possibly be trying to attack us on your own," Neji commented, somewhat surprised.
"That sword…" Tenten muttered to herself, looking at it both confused and amazed. 'It's definitely not ordinary, but I just can't seem to remember what's so special about it,' the weapon mistress thought.
Naruto awkwardly smiled back at the team, some distress in his eyes. 'Shit, I seriously doubt I can win this battle. I was hoping I could avoid them during this exam. The only option I have is to retreat,' the blonde ninja concluded. "Sorry, but you guys aren't on my list to take care of yet. Catch ya later!"
Several kage bunshin were created, charging at the Hyuga's team without delay. The clones were taken out almost instantly from the combined taijutsu of Neji and Lee. However, Naruto had leaped backwards several moments ago, already zooming through the trees and out of the Hyuga's vision range.
"That was rather strange of him," Tenten mentioned.
"I wonder what's on Naruto-kun's mind," Lee pondered aloud.
"It seems he is targeting weak teams to both eliminate them from the exam and earn easy scrolls," Neji analyzed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he already has both scrolls in his possession."
"That's rather cruel…" Tenten replied.
"Several people in the exam are set on the same strategy. Actually I was expecting him to be one of them from the start," the Hyuga responded.
By now, the orange clad ninja was far away from Neji's team, the chance of them being on his trail very minimal. It was also likely the team wouldn't pursue him in the first place.
'Damn, I should really be more aware of which people I try to attack. I only have enough energy to kill off the weaklings, if I get in a fight with a powerful team it could jeopardize my whole plan,' the Kyubi container thought, as he snuck through the forest, trying to find yet another team. "I should also get back to Sasuke and Sakura soon, I'm not sure how long they can last on their own," he added aloud.
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The man's neck extended, writhing upward like a coiling snake. It twisted at Sasuke, making its way through the air. Orochimaru bit down on the Uchiha's neck, his teeth embedding deep into the boy's flesh as if he was a vampire.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted out in worry, unable to move from her spot.
Orochimaru opened his mouth, leaving two bleeding holes in Sasuke's neck where his fangs penetrated. His neck then retracted, returning to its normal length. Slowly, three strange marks appeared right above the bite marks on the sharingan user's neck. The boy managed to see the strange mark out of the corner of his eye before intense pain shot through his body. He grasped his neck in agony, gritting his teeth and letting out a raspy yell. He collapsed to the ground, unable to maintain his footing.
"Sasuke-kun…!" Sakura yelled, looking alarmed at the suffering Uchiha. "What did you do to Sasuke-kun!?" she bellowed at Orochimaru.
"I gave him a farewell preset," the pale man responded. "Sasuke-kun will seek me. He will seek me for power. It was fun being able to see your moves," with those words Orochimaru sunk into the tree, as if he was melting into it. His presence had completely vanished.
Sasuke collapsed onto all fours, still groaning in pain and clutching his neck. His whole body was trembling.
Sakura ran to his side, trying to help him up. "Sasuke-kun! Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke-kun. Come on!" she was answered with another agonizing yell, before the boy collapsed. He had lost consciousness.
Tears began descending down the kunoichi's face. She hugged the motionless Uchiha, bearing an expression of anguish and fear. "I… What should I do?" the pink haired girl asked aloud.
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Naruto leaned against a tree trunk, resting his tired body. It had been over five hours since he began his mission, and the blonde boy was waiting for the last group of kage bunshin to return. He tapped his fingers against the timber impatiently, and looked into the large clusters of leaves above him which blocked out the sky. A murder of crows flew through the air, screeching loudly. "Geez, this place isn't peaceful at all. I can't even meditate," the orange clad boy sighed.
In a few minutes, four shadow clones leaped down from the trees, landing right in front of Naruto. These replicas were all that was left from the original group of twenty. Three of them instantly burst out of existence, leaving only one. This kage bunshin handed Naruto the scroll it was carrying, and then also disappeared.
The blonde ninja took out the other two scrolls he had obtained from his jacket. "So I have two earth and one heaven scroll. Well, there's no need for this other one." Without even thinking twice, he chucked the extra scroll into the air, not caring where it would land. He stored the other two remaining scrolls in his jacket. The orange clad ninja then drew the Kubikiri Houcho, sealing the sword back into its summoning scroll, tucking that into his jacket as well. Finally, he unwrapped the strap used to suspend the massive sword from his body and shoved it into his pocket. It was finally time for him to reunite with his team.
"Sasuke and Sakura better not have fucked up while I was gone," Naruto muttered to himself. If he failed the exam just because his two teammates got killed he would be beyond pissed. The blonde ninja gathered chakra into his feet and leaped high into the canopy above. He quickly rushed back to the area where he abandoned his team.
'Alright, so altogether that was fourteen people killed. Hope it's a large enough number for that damn fox. An opportunity to kill this amount of people isn't going to come again any time soon,' thought the Kyubi container. He did feel some guilt and regret for slaughtering those other shinobi, but it was easy enough to suppress that it didn't bother him. After all, it could be considered training, since the life of a ninja was to assassinate. He would have to learn to deal with blood and gore, as well as the nightmares that came with the job.
The orange clad boy soared from tree branch to tree branch. Being a prankster for most of his life taught him to move about from place to place without making any sounds. Naruto was fairly worn out from his "excursion", and an encounter with another team at this point would not go so well.
After a few hours of searching through the vast forest Naruto was starting to get frustrated. There wasn't a single trace of his team, and by now the boy had searched through most of the woods.
"I guess I'll need to rely on kage bunshin once again," he said to himself. "Geez, I talk to myself way too much," the blonde ninja chuckled. "I guess that's what happens when you live alone for most of your whole life," he sighed. Naruto formed the desired hand seal, and twenty shadow clones emerged in a large cloud of smoke. "Alright guys, find my team!"
All the clones leaped into the air, bounding in different directions instantly. They were soon out of sight, rushing through the thick trees. Naruto slumped down on the branch he was standing on and leaned against the tree trunk.
"I need to conserve chakra for later, so it's best if I let the clones do all the work for now," the Kyubi container alleged. He lightly closed his eyes, relaxed his body, and began to rest. When a kage bunshin disappeared, all the information it learned and the things it experienced were transferred back to the original user of the jutsu. This made the jutsu useful for spying, as well a helpful in all other matters.
After some time passed, Naruto's eyes shot open. "So that's where they are." He stood up and quickly began sprinting in his desired direction.
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Sakura placed a damp cloth onto Sasuke's forehead. The Uchiha was unconscious, but he was still gritting his teeth and had clenched fists. His whole body was tensed, and it was easy to tell the boy was in severe pain. The pink haired kunoichi was glad she was able to find a hollow tree trunk; it provided a good hiding spot. However, there were still too many problems to make the girl feel relieved.
"What the hell did that man do to Sasuke-kun? And where is Naruto when you need him!" she asked aloud. Her voice was filled with distress and worry.
"Yo, what the hell happened here?"
Sakura nearly leaped from where she was sitting. With a shriek she turned around and pulled a kunai from her pouch, gripping it tightly. When she saw who was behind her though, she dropped the weapon in surprise. "N-Naruto!?" she stuttered in surprise.
"Sorry about my little trip, I'm back now!" the blonde boy laughed.
"Where the hell were you!?" the pink haired girl cried out in rage.
"Well, actually it's sort of confusing. I was ambushed by another team and had to flee for my life. I managed to escape them, but at that point I was kinda lost…"
"Idiot!" Sakura swung her arm forward, and her fist connected with the top of Naruto's head.
The said boy gritted his teeth, not from pain, but from anger. 'I swear… she'll get hers one day,' he thought violently to himself. That girl desperately needed anger management.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, and noticed his very ragged unconscious state. "So what happened to Sasuke?"
Sakura peered at the ground and shivered. "This man, he was extremely strong, he did this to Sasuke-kun," she answered.
Naruto glanced at the beaten Uchiha once more, this time seeing a strange mark on the side of his neck. "Hey Sakura-chan, what's that weird mark?"
The pink haired girl glanced at the black haired boy behind her once more. "That's… I-I don't really know."
It was obvious to Naruto that his teammate was lying, but he didn't care why at this point. It was unimportant. "We… we should really head to the tower right now! Sasuke looks like he's in really bad shape," the Kyubi container suggested. In reality, he just wanted to get this exam over with, for multiple reasons. The blonde boy did not feel like spending a few days in the forest with his team. Also, everyone was beaten and drained, if they were attacked like this, defeat would be inevitable.
"But we don't have any scrolls at this point in time," the kunoichi replied.
'Heh, so they couldn't hold on to their scroll, huh?' Naruto thought silently to himself. A large grin formed across Naruto's face. "Well, we're in luck! You'll never guess what I found just laying there on the forest floor!" The blonde ninja pulled out a heaven and earth scroll from his jacket.
Sakura stared at the two pieces of rolled up parchment in awe. "Are you serious!?" she gasped aloud, still not being able to believe what her teammate came across.
"I don't know, another team must have been defeated or something but their scrolls weren't picked up. Or maybe something else had happened, but it doesn't matter! As I was trying to find you guys, I cam across these!" Naruto added.
"You just came across these? That's almost unbelievable!" Sakura exclaimed, not believing her eyes but not being able to find another explanation as to why Naruto would possess these.
"I know, I was flipping out at first, thinking it was a gengitsu or something."
"Alright, Naruto! I guess you can come through when we need you!"
The orange clad tried to refrain from slapping his forehead, or the girl in font of him. This situation was just too pathetic. He quickly walked over to Sasuke and lifted him up. He then swung the sharingan wielder over his shoulder, making sure the Uchiha would be easy to transport.
"We should get to the tower as fast as possible," Naruto stated.
"Right," Sakura agreed.
The two ninjas stepped out from the hollow tree trunk, gathering chakra to their feet and leaping into the trees above them. They rushed through the swirling leaves and blending canopy, racing at their maximum speeds. Naruto found it amusing that even while carrying Sasuke, he was considerably faster than his pink haired teammate. It was already nighttime, so the chance of them getting spotted was lower than usual, and the blonde ninja was very glad. They were able to make their way through the darkness without being detected.
Since they were fairly close to the tower to begin with, they arrived there in a very short amount of time. The two walked around the edge of the oddly colored round building, until they were finally able to locate a large wooden door.
"We're finally here! Now Sasuke-kun can get help, right?" Sakura asked Naruto.
"Yeah, all that's left is to go through," he replied.
Sakura swung the wooden door open, and the duo walked into the chamber. It was an empty room, with a door located at the back wall. The blonde shinobi ran over to it, and grasped the handle bar. He pulled it as hard as he could, but the door remained completely still. The boy then tried kicking it with all his strength, but it was also a failure. "Crap, it's almost like this thing is nailed shut, it's pointless to try and break it down."
Sakura had noticed a large sign imprinted right above the door, and raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, I think what we are supposed to do next is written right there." The pink haired kunoichi then began reading the message aloud. "If you do not possess heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If not possess earth, run through the fields and gain strength. If you open both heaven and earth scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe ones. This is the secret of something and something. It shall lead you on your way."
"Ah damn, it's some stupid riddle!" Naruto complained.
"I think it's telling us to open the two scrolls now," Sakura said.
"Alright, then let's do it," the blonde boy replied. He carefully slid Sasuke off his back, and dropped him to the ground. He then pulled out the earth and heaven scrolls from within his jacket and handed one to Sakura. "Are you sure we have to do this now? If you remember the rule was that we could not open the scrolls."
Sakura gulped, not completely sure herself. "I think so, and it seems like there is no other choice," she replied, grasping the edge of the parchment with shaking hands.
"Okay, then in three, two, one…"
Both ninja unrolled the parchment instantaneously. Sakura stared at the paper in confusion. However, Naruto recognized this was an inscription for a summoning. "Sakura! Let go of the scroll!" the blonde boy yelled out. Strange smoke began emitting from the parchment, steadily growing larger and larger.
The two shinobi threw the scrolls across the room. As they rolled across the ground a large detonation of smoke took place, and the white gas filled most of the chamber. A shape of a person could be seen through the dense smoke, and he was coming closer to team seven. Naruto and Sakura readied themselves, expecting another challenge they would have to fight through. As the haze began to wane, the figure became more prominent, and Naruto realized who it was instantly. Sakura gasped when she recognized who the man was as well.
"Hello. Long time no see," Iruka greeted nonchalantly, sporting his casual chuunin uniform.
"What's going on?" Sakura asked, dazzled by the turn of events.
"Why did you come out of the summoning scroll?" the Kyubi container inquired.
"Looks like you went through a lot of trouble. We chuunins are to welcome the examinees of the second exam, and by chance I was assigned to your team. Congratulations, you have all passed!" the academy teacher replied. His expression changed to one of concern as he noticed the Uchiha boy was sprawled on the ground next to Naruto. "What happened to Sasuke?"
"Iruka-sensei, he needs help right away! Something terrible happened in the forest!" Sakura yelled back.
Iruka ran over to Sasuke and lifted the boy up into his arms. The Uchiha was letting out muffled groans and rasps, and his body was shaking. 'He is under severe stress, and his condition seems to be getting worse by the second. There is no way he is simply unconscious,' the chuunin pondered. His gaze fell upon the mark on his neck. The academy teacher's eyes widened and he let out a quiet gasp. 'This mark… Shit! It-it can't be…'
"Do you think you can heal him, Iruka-sensei!?" Sakura asked franticly.
"You two follow me, right now!" the chuunin commanded and rushed to the door. He pulled a small red tag out of his pocket with several kanji written on it. He slammed the seal onto the door quickly, and after a few seconds a strange hissing noise was emitted. Iruka swung the door open and rushed through it, Sakura and Naruto right on his tail. The group ran through the short and narrow corridor, emerging in a large room with many passageways leading from it.
An examiner dressed in grey intercepted Iruka, noting the man's frenzied behavior as well as the fact that he was carrying an examinee in his arms. "Iruka-san, what has happened?"
"You, lead these two to a waiting room right now, I cannot do it myself! Something very bad has occurred!" the academy teacher answered quickly.
"What about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned.
"I will make sure he is taken care of! Do not worry, I promise you he will be fine," Iruka responded. 'I have to find Kakashi right away,' the academy teacher thought. The man formed a seal and immediately vanished from sight, leaving a small cloud of smoke where he used to be. He had left the location using shunshin no jutsu.
Naruto stood there dumbfounded. No way in hell was Sasuke just beaten. Something strange must have definitely happened to him in order for the boy to receive this kind of attention. The orange clad ninja decided not to question what had happened while he left his team alone; chances are Sakura would just tell him an awful lie.
Sakura just stared at the spot Iruka used to occupy, tears nearly forming in her eyes. Naruto sighed. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, I'm sure everything will be fine," Naruto said with a small smile, attempting to reassure his teammate. In reality the boy wanted nothing of the sort.
"I sure hope so…" the pink haired girl responded.
"I'm sure everything will be resolved. For now, please follow me so I can direct you to the place you shall stay in until the second chuunin selection exam has concluded," the examiner said to the two genin and began leading them to their proper destination.
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The large room was dimly lit and contained several large pillars scattered throughout the area. The ghostly light reflecting off the stone walls colored the room a dark blue. In the center of the chamber a large crimson circle was drawn on the rock floor. Inside this circle was a smaller circle, and on top of that Sasuke was situated in a sitting position. The boy was still unconscious, thus his back was leaning against Kakashi's knee so the black haired boy wouldn't fall backward. Throughout the drawn circle, many strange marks were traced, with blood being the medium to write them. These marks ran all the way from the ground to Sasuke's bear body, over his spine and shoulders, finally stopping once they circled the curse seal on his neck.
Kakashi made the cut on his finger even deeper with the edge of the kunai, stopping the clotting and letting the blood flow freely once more. He began drawing the remaining marks down the Uchiha's body, finally finishing the preparation for his sealing technique. These inscriptions covered most of Sasuke's torso and arms, almost making it seem like the boy had received a mass amount of tattoos.
"Alright, now I can finish this," the jounin said, and alternated through a large amount of hand seals with great speed. "Fuja Houin!"
Kakashi placed his palm on Sasuke's curse seal, and a bright blinding light was discharged. Suddenly, the many inscriptions Kakashi had made with his own blood began moving up the genin's body. They wriggled upward as if they were alive, slowly crawling up his back and merging together around the curse seal. Finally, a strange ring had formed around the curse seal, and the silver haired jounin lifted his hand off Sasuke's neck.
"Phew… the sealing went without a problem," Kakashi sighed in relief.
"Kukukuku, so you've improved, Kakashi-kun. Even knowing a sealing jutsu like that one," an eerie voice echoed through the shadows.
The copycat ninja recognized the owner of the voice immediately. He looked around, his body tense, trying to spot the intruder. "Orochimaru!"
The pale skinned man slid out of the shadows, slowly walking across the stone floor. His black hair slithered along his shoulders with every step, and his snake-like eyes stared at Kakashi. "Long time no see," the snake user chuckled. He stood, arms crossed, on the other side of the dark chamber.
"Have you come for Sasuke?" the grey haired jounin asked bluntly.
The sannin's long tongue slid across his lips. "Precisely."
"And why do you want him?"
"You are lucky that you have already gotten what you desired. You didn't have it a long time ago. That Sharingan in your left eye, I want it also, the powers of the Uchiha that is," the pale skinned man answered.
The sharingan wielder glared at Orochimaru. "You could have taken him with you in the Forest of Death, why didn't you?"
"Originally, I was going to let the boy seek me out himself. He lusts for power, so it was bound to happen. However, I happened to be discovered during the exam, not something I wanted. The security on Sasuke-kun will definitely become constant now, with guards always keeping an eye on him. And you knowing how to stop the curse seal is an even farther setback, Kakashi-kun. Normally, that mark would cloud one's judgment and influence them, so now that I know you can prevent the curse seal from working, it would be best if I snagged Sasuke-kun now without further delay," the snake sannin answered.
"So, this was a rather sudden change in your intentions," the copy nin commented, trying to analyze everything going through the man's head.
"Enough talk, Kakashi-kun. If you just hand Sasuke-kun over, I can make my leave. I have no business with you."
"That isn't an option, Orochimaru!" Kakashi lifted his head protector, revealing the crimson red sharingan eye.
"So you really think you have a chance against me?" Orochimaru cackled.
Kakashi thrust his hand out and channeled an enormous amount of chakra into it. A spark of blue lightning erupted from his palm and grew, expanding into a massive orb of electricity. The blue bolts danced around the copy nin's hand, and the shrill sound of chirping birds filled the chamber. "Raikiri!" the jounin shouted.
"What you are doing is rather foolish-" but before Orochimaru could finish, Kakashi rushed forward at an immense speed.
The gap between the two shinobi was closed in a split second. Kakashi thrust his arm forward, the jutsu in his palm crackling with energy. The condensed mass of lightning cut clean through the snake sannin's stomach, splitting his entire body into two pieces. However, the flying blood turned a dark brown color instantly, and Orochimaru's body liquefied into a thick mud.
"Shit, kawarimi!" Kakashi gasped aloud. The mud splattered to the ground, leaving no trace of the sannin. The copy nin was going at a speed too fast to stop, he kept skidding across the ground, and ended up crashing into the wall of the chamber. The raikiri hitting the stone wall resulted in a giant explosion. Stones flew through the air and a large cloud of debris spread across the room. When the dust cleared, an enormous crater covered most of the wall.
A tongue whizzed across the room, spiraling and twisting like a snake. Kakashi leaped out of the way just in time, before it managed to coil itself around his body. The copy nin instantly threw several kunai at his opponent, but Orochimaru sidestepped them casually, the weapons missing his face by mere inches. The snake user retracted his tongue back into his mouth right afterward with a sickening slurp.
Orochimaru lifted his hand into the air and his own arm transformed into twenty dark green serpents which coiled and hissed loudly. "Senei ta jashu!" the sadistic sannin called out. He then thrust his arm forward, the snakes lunging through the air and closing in on Kakashi. The serpents opened their jaws, poison dripping from their fangs, ready to sink into their target.
Before the vile serpents could reach him, Kakashi went through a set of hand seals at a tremendous speed. He took a deep breath, his body bending backward at the large intake of air, and shouted out, "Katon karyu endan!" As he exhaled a colossal stream of fire came out of his mouth, scorching the many oncoming snakes out of existence. The inferno advanced on Orochimaru, the flames burning everything in their path. A wall of wind erupted in front of the pale shinobi, countering the searing hot fire and dispelling it in a storm of red.
The first thing Orochimaru noticed was that his opponent was nowhere in view, the chamber appeared completely vacant. Without warning, a hand shot out of the ground, and grabbed onto the snake sannin's foot. Kakashi propelled himself out of the floor; chunks of stone flew upward as he emerged from his hiding spot. In the process he had pulled Orochimaru's legs a foot into the ground, disabling him from moving from his position. A kunai knife was readied in Kakashi's other hand, and without delay, he swung it at his target. The sannin was able to twist his body sideways just in time. Instead of his heart, the weapon embedded itself into Orochimaru's shoulder, a steam of blood cascading downward from the injury.
However, the copy nin had made eye contact with the black haired sannin. For a second, he flinched, the image of death itself swarming in his mind, disabling him to make any movements. Orochimaru wasted no time, and that very instant the Kusanagi, the legendary serpent blade, shot out of his mouth. The razor sharp blade extended forward with the hilt remaining lodged in the sannin's throat. The metal blade pierced Kakashi's stomach, a fountain of blood splashing into the air and sprinkling onto the stone floor. The massive pain Kakashi received allowed him to escape the illusion caused by the snake sannin's killing intent. The grey haired jounin quickly leaped backward, the sword sliding out of his body, leaving a large gaping crimson hole.
As soon as he landed on the ground, Kakashi clasped his stomach; blood was oozing out like a river and pouring to the ground below, making a crimson puddle. The sharingan wielder choked on the blood in his mouth as he coarsely moaned, "Fuck…" His injury was a serious one, and without immediate medical treatment it could easily turn fatal.
Orochimaru retraced the sword back into his mouth, and it grossly slid down his throat, as if a python was eating its prey. "I'm sorry Kakashi-kun, but you're still no match for me," the snake sannin teased. He then grasped the kunai lodged in his shoulder and pulled it out, letting it fall to the floor.
'I need to attract attention of the other shinobi… It's my last chance," Kakashi thought. He ceased his panting, and formed a hand seal. With a large explosion of white smoke, a dozen kage bunshin were scattered across the chamber. 'This is my last chance!'
The copy nin concentrated his chakra and yelled out, "Kage bunshin bakuha!" The shadow clones dispersed around the room all exploded simultaneously. Destruction and disarray filled the whole chamber from the immense detonation of the clones. The force of the blasts shook the ground, parts of the ceiling began crumpling down, and giant fragments of stone sailed through the air. Gigantic craters now occupied the areas where the kage bunshin used to be.
When the debris and clouds of dust cleared, Kakashi stood there, trying to catch his breath, and attempting to prevent his bleeding with his hands. Suddenly, the copy ninja realized his opponent was nowhere in sight. "Where is he!?" the sharingan wielder asked aloud franticly.
"Behind you," came an amused reply. Orochimaru stood only a few feet behind Kakashi, completely unharmed from the massive explosion that took place only a few seconds ago. His arm was transformed into a large brown snake, its mouth was already wide open, ready to strike.
Before Kakashi had the chance to turn around, the snake shut its massive jaws around his ribcage, its fangs sinking deep into the jounin's flesh. The copy nin screamed in pain as the sound of snapping bones could be heard. The vile serpent had already injected a large dose of poison into Kakashi's body. The snake then opened its maw, letting go of the sharingan wielder, and reverted back into Orochimaru's arm.
Kakashi's vision was blurry, and he could only feel intense pain. His eyes began to close, and he was quickly loosing his balance. The copy nin slowly slumped to the floor, blood flowing out from the multiple injuries that were inflicted upon him.
Suddenly, part of the ceiling shattered into pieces, and crumpled to the floor below. Men wearing all black and animal masks descended through the hole, nearly a dozen of them poured into the chamber.
"It seems you've managed to stop my plan for now, Kakashi. But I will have Sasuke-kun," and with those final words, Orochimaru disappeared in a plume of smoke.
Kakashi's vision was blurry, and he could barely make anything out. His body was loosing consciousness fast. However, he could distinguish the black outfits of the ANBU. More than ten of them were inside the chamber by now, armed and ready to fight. That was the last thing the copy nin was able to see before he fell into the darkness.
The special forces rushed over Kakashi, quickly checking his condition and examining the injuries. A few of them scouted around, making sure that Orochimaru was not inside or near the chamber.
"Hatake Kakashi has several serious injuries that may turn fatal unless he receives immediate medical treatment! Take him to the emergency room right away, we don't have a moment to spare!" the leader of the group shouted out. Two of the ANBU members carefully yet swiftly picked up the copy nin's limp body, being careful not to put extra strain on the bleeding gashes all over his torso. Those black op members then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, transporting to the hospital.
In a minute another ANBU ran in front of the leader, carrying the unconscious body of Sasuke in his arms. "Uchiha Sasuke seems to have no major injuries, but his body is under heavy strain," he reported.
"Since his life is not in any danger, we should just bring him to the hospital and let the medical team decide what to do with him. Currently, Kakashi is our top priority," the leader replied.
"Yes sir!"
In the emergency room of the hospital, the body of Hatake Kakashi was placed on the bed, a large group of medical nin surrounding him at once, all dressed in completely white uniforms.
"Shit! He's bleeding all over the place, from the looks of it he has already lost too much blood! What the hell happened?" the main doctor asked urgently.
"Hatake-san had fought Orochimaru, and when we arrived he was already unconscious, and was in a serious condition. We brought him here right away," one of the black ops answered.
By now medical nin had surrounded Kakashi from all sides, their hands emitting a bright green chakra. As they traced their palms over his injuries, the wounds began slowly closing up. While this happened, one nurse was keeping the blood back with bandages as well as her own medical jutsu. "This isn't good, his injuries are taking way too long to heal! We may have to perform chikatsu saisei no jutsu!" a medic nin shouted out.
"Are you insane? While that regeneration jutsu will work we don't have near the amount of time needed to set it up and begin it!" another nin countered.
"Just keep closing his injuries with the shousen justu as you are doing! And somebody start performing a blood transplant! He may not last long, he already lost a huge amount! Also I shall scan his body to check for internal injuries or poison! Move it people, we cannot allow Hatake Kakashi to die!" the head doctor commanded.
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The Sandaime Hokage stood over the motionless body sprawled on the bed. The aged man cast his gaze downward in sorrow. It was a miserable day for Konoha, the village had lost one of its strongest and most respected shinobi. "This is a sad day indeed," Sarutobi stated.
On the bed lay Hatake Kakashi. The sheets his body rested on were soaked crimson. The copy nin's heartbeat had ceased a long time ago. The jounin's eyes were closed; he would never get to use the sharingan again.
"Nothing could be done?" Sandaime asked yet again.
"By the time he was transported to the hospital, Hatake-san was already in critical condition. We managed to close up his life threatening wounds, however his body was injected with an enormous amount of poison. By the time we identified it, the venom had already began taking effect. Before we could create an antidote for it, Hatake-san had passed away. I'm sorry Hokage-sama, there was nothing we could have done in the time we had," a medic nin answered somberly, not being able to look Sandaime in the eye.
"We apologize, Hokage-sama," the rest of the medical squad said.
"It is alright. You did all you could. Shinobi die, it is a common thing. You did all you could, and tried to save him with all your might. Do not feel guilty for his death," Sarutobi replied. "What of Uchiha Sasuke, I understand the boy was with him at the time?"
"He is in stable condition, and expected to recover in a short amount of time. The seal Hatake-san had placed on him was a complete success. If only that damn snake bastard hadn't appeared…" a medic nin reflected, clenching is fists in anger.
A brief moment of silence followed, and then the leader of the ANBU squad walked over to the bed of the dead jounin. "I'm sorry we didn't make it in time… Rest in piece, Hatake Kakashi," he said gravely.
"Do not blame yourselves, the only person responsible is Orochimaru. Kakashi, you helped our village an enormous amount. Your sacrifices will not go to waste. Thank you. Kakashi, I just wish it didn't have to end this way," the Hokage alleged. The old man took his pipe and placed it into his mouth, inhaling deeply. He stared out the window, gazing into the night sky. The dark grey clouds hovered across the moon, obscuring it from view. "We shall still have to continue this exam. I'm sorry Kakashi, but your funeral will have to wait until all of this is concluded. I know you'll understand."
The Sandaime then turned to the medic nin and ANBU in the room. "Do not reveal the death of Hatake Kakashi to anyone but other jounin. For now, we shall have to keep this tragic event a secret."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the shinobi in the room complied.
Sarutobi turned back and looked at the motionless copy nin once more. "It is always sad when a legend has to die…"
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Sasuke could barely make out where he was. His vision was blurry, his head ached, and his stomach churned. The black haired boy felt faint and dizzy. Sasuke blinked several times in succession, trying to make out the territory around him. "Where am I?" he groaned.
"Hello, Uchiha Sasuke. You are in the hospital, I am the one assigned to look after you," a voice answered.
The sharingan user could finally see the white walls around him, making out a window and a desk on his right side. The boy was lying on a bed in a small room, a medic nin dressed in white sitting in a chair next to him.
Sasuke suddenly bolted into sitting position, seeming awake and alert. "What about the chuunin exam!? What happened? Where are Sakura and Naruto?" the boy asked franticly, confused and unknowing to what was going on.
"First calm down, Sasuke-san. Things are alright. Now, what is the last thing you can remember?" the medic nin replied.
"I…" the black haired boy had a reminiscence of the fight in the Forest of Death. "That snake guy!"
"Sasuke-san, a man named Orochimaru has placed a seal on you. It is knows as the curse seal. This man is a strong nin that had betrayed Konoha long ago. The curse seal would normally spread and begin to consume you any time you use chakra," the medical shinobi began explaining.
Sasuke traced his fingers along the mark, twisting his head to look at it. "I don't remember these extra marks…" the boy commented, remembering what the seal originally looked like when it was placed on him.
"Hatake Kakashi, your teacher, had put a seal on it to keep this curse seal under control."
The Uchiha was slowly analyzing the information given to him. "Who exactly is this guy? Orochimaru?"
"I am sorry, but I am not permitted to say more. However, my knowledge of him is mediocre to begin with. Later, everything shall be explained to you with more detail," was the answer.
"What about Sakura? And Naruto?"
"Your teammates were the ones that brought you here, they both are fine."
"What about the exam?"
"This hospital is located in the tower which is at the center of the Forest of Death."
Before the med nin could explain more Sasuke interrupted him. "Wait, so this is the place we were supposed to get to in the exam?"
"Yes, you've been passed out for a few days. However, technically you are still in the exam, and have not yet been disqualified."
The Uchiha stared back at the man in shock. 'So Naruto and Sakura… they managed to make it?' he thought in amazement.
"The chuunin selection exam will continue tomorrow. For now you must rest and regain your strength, Sasuke-san. When it is time I will escort you, but right now it would be best if you go back to sleep and get some rest. Your body is very fatigued, and you need to rest to replenish your stamina and chakra supply," the medic nin suggested.
The sharingan user complied, he was still in the exam, so everything was alright. Sasuke closed his eyes, resting his aching body. The boy felt completely exhausted. He didn't feel like asking any more questions, he could figure out his desired information later. The sharingan user lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.
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Naruto lay in the worn-out bed, staring at the ceiling. The rooms they were assigned to wait in really sucked, no better choice of words for it. It was cramped, dirty, and dark. The only things inside the room were three beds. It almost resembled a cell of a prison. The blonde shinobi almost wished they stayed in the forest longer, it was much better than this empty room. He had stayed cooped in here for several days, impatiently waiting for the second phase of the chuunin exam to conclude. And if that wasn't bad enough Sakura had to stay in the same room since they were on a team. It seemed she would never stop talking, and the only thing the kunoichi yammered about was "her poor Sasuke-kun".
'God, this was just torture. I bet being with that Morino Ibiki guy inst nearly as bad as this,' Naruto thought. Currently though, the pink haired girl was asleep on the bed located across the small room. It gave Naruto some time to himself at least. But the Kyubi container still loathed boredom. Just being in this room was so far the hardest part of the chuunin exam for him.
The orange clad ninja flipped over on the creaky mattress, now lying on his back. He let out a deep sigh. "Guess I'll just count the cracks in the ceiling again…"
Time slowly drifted by. "Six hundred thirty five, six hundred thirty six…"
The door to the cell was flung open and a shinobi clad in grey attire entered the room. Naruto recognized the guy as one of the examiners from the written test. Sakura had woken up from the clattering noise the door created as it smashed against the wall. She rolled over to see what was going on. "What's happening? Who are you?" the girl asked.
"The next exam is about to begin," was the man's answer.
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End Note: So… I really hope I don't have to buy a flame shield! (I think you guys know what I'm talking about, no?) It's slightly a dark fic, and that's what dark fics tend to contain. What did you guys think of the chapter? So far, it was my favorite to write out of all of them, hope you guys liked it also.