Written by Comfy Cushion and betaed by Juicy Phoenician and Dr. Fabulous.
It has been two weeks since the battle on the bridge which determined the fate of the Wave Country. Zabuza the Demon had been defeated by the Sharingan Kakashi, Gatou had been slain by the half dead Zabuza, and even in his last moment he refused to fall. Gatou had brought an army of mercenaries to kill everyone on the bridge but half of them were killed by the rampaging Zabuza. Of the other occupants on the bridge only Sakura could fight and she wouldn't be enough to defeat those men. They needed either a Jounin level ninja or enough people to fight. Luckily for the ninja, Inari had assembled his village and came to the defence of the bridge. This on top of the shadow clones created by Naruto and Kakashi sent the mercenaries running. Since then the bridge had been completed and a grave had been made for one of the village heroes, Zabuza Momichi, who killed the plague tormenting them. However, only the Leaf ninja, Haku, and Tazuna and his family knew what Zabuza had done for them. The ninja were about to leave the village now that their protection job had been completed. They had successfully completed an A-Rank mission, and killed an S-Rank Missing-Nin according to the Bingo Book. They all stood at the newly built bridge ready to depart, but there was still one more issue to address. Haku Yuki had no place to go. She was not recorded as a Missing-Nin but they couldn't just take her to the Leaf Village, but Naruto wouldn't just leave her alone. He finally had a friend who understands him more than anyone else. Kakashi had some serious thinking to do.
"Thanks to you, we've completed the bridge but this is super sad." Tazuna was the first to speak. This would be a final goodbye.
"Thank you for everything." Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. Leaving their employers after their first long mission is a monumental occasion for his three Genin. Not only did they complete their first A-Rank mission, but the mission could have been requested as an S-Rank since it had a heavy impact on the Wave country.
Surprisingly the next one to speak was Haku. She bowed slightly as she said "Thank you for your hospitality. Even though I was your enemy you treated me well." Haku was wearing the kimono that she wore when she first met Naruto. She carried her battle gear in her bag and that was her only other possession. She had abandoned the Hidden Mist mask after her defeat on the bridge.
"Haha." Tazuna rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "It's all in the past now. Where are you going to go now? Are you going to stay in the Leaf Village?"
Haku shook her head. "No, I can't do that. I have to find my own place to stay. I was technically never apart of the Mist Village so they shouldn't be after me, but they won't leave me alone because of my ability. I wouldn't want to cause the Leaf Village any harm." Naruto nodded his head in acknowledgement. Kaksahi smiled again, is seems he wasn't giving his Genin as much credit as he deserved.
"Why don't you stay here with us?" Tazuna offer made everyone else stare at him in shock. Only a week ago was this person trying to kill him and now he was offering her a place to live. He might just be crazy.
Haku shook her head. "I cannot do that to you. Now that Gatou is dead they will know that Zabuza was working for them, and they will come here to find me first. When they do, tell them that I fled after Zabuza died. This way your village will be safe." After a little more banter the group of ninja turned around and begun their journey home. Nothing happened for the first day of travel, but it was that night when Naruto and Sasuke had to talk. They both agreed to not speak about the fight with Haku until they had left for their journey to the Leaf Village, and now was that time.
They had booked three rooms at an inn, Sasuke and Naruto were in one, Haku and Sakura in another, and Kakashi had the last alone. Sakura had got to know Haku over their week of rest and was fine with staying with their past enemy. It was long past midnight and no life could be heard from the rest of the inn. Sasuke was sitting on the window with his back against the side, while Naruto sat cross legged on the other side of the room. The first one to speak would have to answer the others questions first so they were both reluctant to be the first. Talking about themselves was new to both of them as neither of them had someone to talk to in the past. On one end it was the forever alone failure of the academy who wants to make friends but the feeling wasn't mutual. The other end had the ace of the academy who was super popular and literally had girls all around him, but he didn't really care for those groupies, and didn't want any artificial friends who were only around him to be popular. Neither of them had a family. Neither of them had friends. Both of them were alone.
An unknown amount of time had passed when Sasuke decided that it was time to speak. "This is stupid. I'll go first, but you better answer my questions when it's my turn."
Naruto nodded his head. After waiting that long time, Naruto could barely hold back his questions. "I will. But where did you get your Sharingan? Is it something anyone can get? How do you get it?" Sasuke raised his hand to stop Naruto's onslaught of questions.
Taking a deep breath Sasuke answered. "I was born with it. No. You can't." This earned a confused look form Naruto, he was clearly asking why not. "Only members of the Uchiha clan can use the Sharingan, we are born with the ability and eventually unlock it. So it is impossible for anyone who is not an Uchiha to get one unless they take one from an Uchiha. I am the only person left in the village who can use this eye. That is except Kakashi-sensei, I don't know how he got his left eye but he is not an Uchiha."
Naruto sat back and thought. He knew that Sasuke was alone which means that his clan was no more. He also remembered what he said the day they met Kakashi. "And I don't want to use the word dream but I have an ambition. That is to resurrect my clan and to kill a certain man." Sasuke was the only person who was able to use the Sharingan because he is the only person left in his entire clan. But there was one more question for him to answer.
"Um… Sasuke. If you are the last of your clan, that means everyone else is dead, so did your parents pass away or were they killed?" Naruto knew the answer.
"They were killed." The person who Sasuke needed to kill must be the person responsible for the death of his clan. Sasuke was hesitant to continue. The information wasn't classified so Naruto could find out the facts elsewhere if he wanted, so Sasuke didn't really have anything to hide. Sasuke realised that what he wanted to know can only come from Naruto himself because of its importance to the village so he had to make this trade. "The person who killed my whole clan was my older brother Itachi Uchiha." Naruto was shocked at this but he remained silent for Sasuke to finish. "I got home one day to see that he had killed the rest of the clan. He told me that he did it to test his capacity. He also knew that the only person who was able to test his strength would be me so he kept me alive to fight him later on. He let me live for the purpose of hating him and using that hate to get strong enough to kill him. I am alone in my mission to kill him and that is why I don't care for all this little playing ninja stuff we do. I will get stronger to eventually KILL HIM!" Sasuke's face begun twisting with hatred but it was at its most with the last two words. Naruto remained sitting with his eyes closed. The completely passive look on Naruto's face was off-putting for Sasuke, he had just expressed his deep hatred for his brother and he wasn't even fazed. But Sasuke had no chance of guessing what was about to come out of Naruto's mouth.
Opening his eyes and gritting his teeth Naruto was trying to supress his voice. "You are nothing but a sorry excuse for a ninja." Sasuke almost fell out of the window when he noticed that Naruto's features had become more animal-like. His teeth had grown sharp and his eyes had changed from their normal blue and round to an orange with dark ellipses. "You say that your 'PURPOSE' is to kill a psychopathic ninja who managed to kill your whole clan, and you think that you can get there with hatred, but do you HONOSTLY think that your hate is making you stronger? When we fought against Haku, what helped you unlock your Sharingan? Huh? Was it your hate for her? Because it obviously wasn't that. It was you trying to protect me. You wouldn't have taken that attack otherwise. Get stronger and THEN worry about your brother, not the other way around moron. Your hatred is misplaced. You keep yourself away from others because you don't want them to interfere with your ability, so at the end of the day you have a place to return to. The Village Hidden in the Leaves is your home where people do care for you. I don't have that luxury. There are only two people in the village who care for me, while most of the others despise my existence. Even at the Academy no one liked the fact that I existed. If anyone has a reason to hate, it's me. Not only that, Kurama's existence is practically hatred reincarnate. He is stronger when I hate, so that means I get stronger when I hate. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT HATE YOU LITTLE BITCH. COME BACK TO ME WHEN YOU FINALLY GROW A PAIR."
Sasuke was shocked. He did not expect this response. He had never thought that he would get told off like this. He was unable to move or speak due to the shock, which means he could not stop Naruto from disappearing in a twirl of leaves. Sasuke quickly looked out of the window to see Naruto walking away from the inn. Sasuke didn't know when Naruto had learned to Shunshin (Body Flicker) but right now it didn't matter. 'Who does he think he is?' Sasuke thought.
XXX
Naruto had returned sometime during that night, but their conversation didn't continue as Sasuke was already asleep. For the rest of the journey neither of them brought up the conversation, there was no reason to continue. Naruto had been talking to Haku for most of the journey and when he wasn't he was with Kurama. Kurama had also taught Naruto the Shunshin(Body Flicker) the same way his previous captor learned, but he now refused to teach him anything else. Naruto couldn't complain. He had learned a D-Rank technique before Sasuke had which made him happy. It also made him strong enough to talk to Kurama for an hour a day. This journey outside of the village was enjoyable because he knew that he was almost home where he would no longer be able to enjoy himself.
They were a few hours from Leaf Village when Haku finally decided to leave the group. She couldn't stay with them any longer but she was also very reluctant to leave. She was having fun throughout her journey, she wanted to stay with them for longer but it was not to be. She had already made her decision to live independently and alone. Haku stopped walking and faced the four ninja.
"This is where we depart. Thank you for letting me accompany you on your journey." Haku bowed slightly. She really wanted to stay with them but she knew that the Leaf Village wouldn't allow it.
"Baa.." Naruto was the first to speak. "It's not like this is goodbye forever." Sakura nodded at this while Sasuke just shrugged.
Kakashi waved his hands up in protest to her thanks. He didn't know what he did for thanks. "No need for thanks. We were just heading the same way. Find a place and settle down, but don't show anyone your Kekkei Genkai and you'll live to see us again."
Haku stopped bowing and smiled at the group. "I will find a place nearby and make a home there. When I have settled in properly please come and visit me." This was said to all four of them but Kakashi noticed that she was especially pleading Naruto.
"Of course we will." Naruto firm answer caused Kakashi to smile. "We are friends Haku, we will see each other." Haku nodded her head one last time as she turned around and jumped to the nearest tree.
"Goodbye. See you later." She said just before she leaped to the next tree, and continued jumping with no real direction. That is the fastest way for a ninja to travel but the Genin weren't able to travel like that yet. Naruto just stood there waving until she could no longer be seen. Before Naruto could react, Kakashi grabbed his shoulder and addressed his team.
"Okay. It will be late when we return so you three will be dismissed straight away." The three Genin were now listening intently for their orders. "I will go to the Hokage's Office and report to him about the results of our mission. I will also talk to him about Haku. Tomorrow will also be a day off for you guys so make sure you rest and recover for the day after where we will resume missions. You will also get paid for this mission then. Are we understood?" A cheer of recognition rang through the trees as Sakura and Naruto acknowledged Kakashi's words. Sasuke kept his usual look but smiled. Kakashi nodded at the three as he resumed walking. "Okay. Let's go."
XXX
Kakashi stood in a clearing which was often used for training. Three stumps were dug into the ground a short distance from him, and just past those were an abundance of trees. The sun was barely over these trees and it gave off a dazzling orange light that would simply awe anyone who would look at that sight. However Kakashi did not look at the trees. He continued to look down at a glassy dark-aqua blue coloured stone which had multiple names carved into its sides. He stood next to a memorial for those who have died in the line of duty. The glare of the orange light reflects off of the stone bathing Kakashi in a deep orange. He stood there for an unknown amount of time, which was when he started speaking to the stone.
"My team just got back from that C-Rank mission I mentioned last time. It turns out it should have been at least an A-Ranked because of a rather strong enemy. His name was Zabuza Momochi and he was a very strong opponent that anyone other than me would have struggled with. Remember that kid Naruto. It turns out he is more similar to you than I had originally thought. He used the Nine Tails chakra to defeat his enemy in order to protect his comrade. Thankfully he didn't have to kill her; I don't want any of my Genin to have to kill needlessly like we did. I don't know how to care for these kids. I'd much rather be completing dangerous S-rank mission in ANBU than deal with these kids problems, but I am getting attached. Hey Obito, if you were still alive… what would you say about me now? I guess you'd hate me though." Kakashi didn't look up from the memorial the whole time. As he finished he could hear someone approach him from behind. Normally Kakashi would jump forward and get in a battle stance; however he recognised a familiar voice just before he moved.
"So… they were right when they say you're always here." The Third Hokage stood beside Kakashi and looked down towards the memorial. He wore his typical Hokage robe and hat. "I asked Hayate-kun where you would be and he was right. Everyone from your generation knows that you are here. Is that because he was a part of your generation?" Hiruzen gestured towards a particular name, but he didn't have to. Kakashi knew who he meant.
"That is correct Hokage-sama. Obito was a friend to all of us. I was about to go see you to give my report."
"I know. I heard that you arrived so I waited. I was rather surprised when that messenger from the Wave arrived with enough money to pay for an A-Rank mission and a message from you. I sent word to Mist about the death of Zabuza, and they replied with his bounty. They also asked about the girl from the Yuki clan who was with him. I have yet to respond." Hiruzen looked up towards Kakashi. "I believe it's time for a quick debrief. I was told most of what happened by the messenger."
Kakashi looked up towards the Hokage and quickly recapped the events of his teams' battles. He started with the ambush, then their first meeting with Zabuza, and ended with the final battle on the bridge. When he finished Kakashi waited intently for Hiruzens response. He had to mention what happened to the Yuki girl but more importantly, Naruto was able to speak to and use the Nine Tails.
"Hmmm…" Hiruzen begun stroking his beard, this was interesting news indeed. "I guess we should just leave him be for now. I do believe that is what Minato wanted when he sealed the Nine Tails in him, but to think that they were able to talk. That seal he made is rather interesting. Only a Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) expert would be able to make such a complicated seal. We both know how good your Sensei was at sealing jutsu." This earned a slight nod from Kakashi. After a brief gap of silence, Kakashi thought it was time to speak.
"I think it is time I leave. I wouldn't want you getting into one of your Will of Fire speeches."
"Hahaha" Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh. "There is no point in giving you one of those speeches now. You know very well about the Will of Fire in us with the Fourth Hokage being your teacher. But it is oddly appropriate. Do you know why this colour was chosen for this memorial?" Kakashi shook his head. "Because at this time the orange sun reflects off of this stone and directs the light orange light towards the village. Very symbolic." Kakashi sighed; the Third really enjoyed talking about the Will of Fire. "Maybe Obito-kun's will was placed inside Naruto. They are similar are they not?"
"Yes they are." Kakashi agreed. "More than I would like to be honest. He used the fox's chakra to protect his friends, which was more than what I could do."
"That wasn't your fault Kakashi."
"Yeah. Thank you Hokage-sama. Now if you'll excuse me, I think we should be back before the sun is completely gone." Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves causing Hiruzen to laugh.
"Only he can show me such disrespect." He stopped laughing and looked down at the memorial, particularly at another name carved a while after Obito Uchiha's. Rin Nohara. "It is a shame, losing both of your original squad during the war. Kakashi a month ago you had no one important to you, but now. I just hope you can finally find peace in your life."
XXX
Naruto cracked open his eyes to see that the sun was not yet over the horizon. He had a rather good sleep last night, especially after that tiresome mission his team had completed. However it was no excuse to be wasting time. He forced himself out of bed and begun his normal daily ritual which consisted of cup ramen, quickly changing and rushing out to the training field where he would work on his ninja techniques. Quickly locking up when he left, Naruto jogged down to the training field as a warm up. As soon as he arrived he pulled out shurikens and begun throwing them at the multiple target lying around everywhere. He now had almost 100% accuracy from where he couldn't hit a few weeks ago, but he still had troubles at a further distance and when moving. Tenten had shown him multiple exercises to improve on these and he had been working hard.
Suddenly a kunai flew over his shoulder and lodged itself in the target he was aiming at. Naruto quickly channelled chakra to his feet and jumped away towards the nearest tree. A trail of blood dripped down his face. A Chuunin whom Naruto didn't know was walking towards the target. He looked to be in his 30s and had a very noticeable burn mark along his right cheek. It looked like a chakra burn. He wore the typical Chuunin get-up with a beanie covering his hair, as well as a katan slung over his shoulder. Behind him walked two more Chuunin with matching outfits. One had long blue hair which draped down to his waist, and the other was bold with a scar over his mouth. These were experienced Chuunin but what were they doing here.
"Oh… sorry. I didn't see you there you short bitch. I hope you didn't get hurt." The Chuunin who threw the kunai sounded very arrogant. He pulled out the kunai from the tree and walked back to his two friends.
Naruto looked into their eyes; they were filled with hatred and disgust. These were the people Naruto wanted to avoid, the type of people that hate him for being the foxes captor. Naruto just smiled. "Oh no worries. Because of the Nine Tails I heal much faster that you guys. I mean that is why you threw that. Because you hate me." The faces of the three cringed when Naruto mentioned the Nine Tails.
"You fucking brat. You are just a monster; we should kill you here to protect the village. We would be regarded as heroes." The man with the chakra burn spoke. It was clear that he was the leader of the trio. Normally these people wouldn't do anything to Naruto because of their fear of the Third Hokage, but something must have tipped them over the edge.
"Oh? Kill me. You think you can kill the Nine Tails with just the three of you? If I was the Nine Tails you'd all be dead now." Naruto knew that he shouldn't be provoking them, but he was tired of these types of people who judge him because of his captive.
"Hahahaha… not the Nine Tails? Of course you are. There's no way a brat like you could keep that monster captive. That thing probably killed you long ago and took your body. How else could you kill the Demon Zabuza? Fucking monster." The two behind him nodded in agreement.
"Why don't you try me? I'll show you how a brat like me can keep the Nine Tails captive." Naruto was angry; these guys refused to see logic and were looking for a fight. If that is what they wanted who was Naruto to stop them. He looked inside himself 'Kurama. Will you help me?'
'Not this time brat. I hope they actually kill you this time.'
Naruto grumbled a bit at this. He was about to fight three experienced Chuunins alone.
"Well then. I won't hold back." The leader smiled. He was going to enjoy this. He slung off his katana and handed it to one of his companions "You two don't need to help. I'll deal with him alone." Naruto smiled at this. He managed to fight Haku, one Chuunin should be a good fight. Naruto jumped down and held both his middle finger and pointer up on his left hand. This was a symbol used before a spar that he learned in the academy. This shocked the Chuunin a bit. He didn't expect to see the spar sign here. His experience forced him to follow suit so he made the same sign but with his right hand. This signified the start of the battle. "Here I come." The Chuunin leaped forward at an alarming speed. Naruto saw him standing at a distance then before he realised it a fist was launched towards his jaw. If this hit then Naruto's jaw would break. Naruto somersaulted backwards avoiding the blow. Instantly looking where the Chuunin should have been made Naruto realise the strength of his opponent; he wasn't there anymore. Naruto dived forward narrowly dodging a blow to the back of his head. This guy was way out of his league. He needed Kurama's help for a chance.
'Kurama?'
'Not helping. Not interested either.' A snoring sound could be heard from within Naruto's head.
'DON'T SLEEP NOW KURAMA. I NEED HELP HERE.' But the snoring continued. "DAMMIT" Naruto scream out as he spun around quickly raising both of his arms in front of his torso. His arms managed to block a roundhouse kick, which sent Naruto flying on impact. Naruto bounced along the ground for a bit until he crumpled into a messy heap.
"Are you done brat?" His opponent offered Naruto a chance to give up but Naruto ignored him and got onto all fours. When fighting Haku he realised that he fought better with this stance. It was probably because of Kurama's influence but Naruto didn't have time to think about that now. The Chuunin smiled just before he disappeared from Naruto's sight. Appearing directly behind him he swung a roundhouse kick at the blond. The kick hit nothing but air which sent him off balance, Naruto had jumped above the Chuunin and was grabbing onto his shoulders. Raising his hands the Chuunin intercepted a kick to his face by grabbing onto the foot. Naruto had let go of his shoulders and used his other foot to kick the Chuunins face. The Chuunin spun Naruto around making the kick miss completely.
"Hahaha… well done." The Chuunin laughed as he threw Naruto away. He didn't expect to have enjoyed the fight so much.
"Make the harmony sign now." An unfamiliar voice rang out from behind the two watching Chuunin. A tall and well-built man with high cheek-bones, incredibly thick eyebrows and black hair cut in a bowl style had arrived on the scene. Naruto instantly questioned his fashion sense when he saw the green jumpsuit, and orange striped leg warmers. He was obviously not your typical ninja as he wore his flak jacket unzipped and his Leaf headband on a red cloth around his waist like a belt.
"Hahaha… The Maito Gai was watching our little bout. I am honoured." The Chuunin walked towards Naruto making the same hand sign as he did before the battle but waited. Naruto made the same sign an interlocked his with the Chuunins. This was the harmony sign signifying the end of the battle. "Come on. Let's go." He signalled to his two companions and got them to follow.
"Why would you stop? He is a Jounin but he wouldn't interfere." One of his companions asked.
"Haha… you didn't see it did you?" When he got a confused look from his two companions he laughed again. "That kid stopped his punch from hitting my jaw when I spun him. The spar was his win. He's an interesting brat that one. I think we underestimated him."
The three Chuunins were out of sight when the unfamiliar person known as Gai decided to speak. "Yosh. You seem to be bathed in the flames of youth to win against him of all people." Gai changed his serious voice into an over energetic one. This made Naruto back off slightly. He probably would have run for the hills if he didn't know that he was Tenten's Jounin instructor.
Bowing slightly Naruto said "Thank you Gai-sensei. I don't think they would have left if you hadn't arrived."
Gai shook his head. "No need for thanks. I am a friend to all who bathe in the flames of youth. I am Maito Gai, the eternal rival of your sensei Kakashi Hatake. We are forever in competition and I will protect his students as if they were my own. Because this is a youthful promise." Gai placed his hand on his hip and leaned to his left side while raising the thumb on his right hand. This was Gai's 'good guy' pose. Naruto smacked his face with his hand. Did he look like that when he made promises? Was he really that cringe worthy? And did his teeth sparkle like Gai's did? Naruto made a mental note to practise how he promises before he makes another one.
"Oooh Gai-sensei. What an excellent display of youth!" A new voice appeared behind Naruto. Quickly turning around he saw Tenten's team of three. In the lead was the owner of the voice who looked like a younger version of Gai. Everything from the green jumpsuit to the orange stripped legwarmers, even the bowl cut and thick eyebrows were a match. The only differences were the lack of a flak jacket and bandages that covered his arms. From his description this one must be Rock Lee. Behind him was Tenten who wore her usual outfit. And behind her was another unfamiliar Genin, but from the process of elimination this one would be Neji Hyuuga. His long black hair that barely reached his lower back was neatly held together by his forehead protector which sat firmly on his forehead. His short sleeve, cream-coloured shirt had a high collar making it impossible to see his neck. He also had short dark brown pants with the usual ninja gear attached. Similarly to Lee he had bandages wrapped around his right arm and right leg. Were the bandages something Gai told them to wear? The most notable thing about him would be his white eyes. There was one person with those eyes in his class.
"YOSH!" Gai dropped his pose and somehow got even more energetic. "Now that you three are here it is time to train. Would you like to join us Naruto Uzumaki?"
Naruto was about to speak when the voice form before interrupted. "But Gai-sensei. We can't let him train with us. He will be our competition in the Chuunin exams. We can't let our enemy see our skills." Lee's protests were understandable but Naruto had no idea what this Chuunin exam was.
"Lee…" Gai walked towards his student. "YOU FOOL" He punched Lee in the face sending him airborne. Naruto just stood there dumbstruck. "Lee" Gai looked down in great sadness. It seemed to pain him to have to hit his own student.
"Sensei. I just…"
"You don't need to saw anymore, Lee."
"Sensei."
"Lee."
The two of them begun crying and hugged each other. Naruto just stood there, he didn't move at all. His brain couldn't process what was happening fast enough. If it weren't for Tenten's effort, Naruto would have been like that for the next few minutes.
"Welcome back. How did your mission go?" Tenten was clearly ignoring the two overdramatic members of her team.
"Um… yeah. It was good. It turns out it was an A-Rank mission and are they normally like that?" Naruto couldn't help but get distracted by the crying ninja.
"WHAAT! An A-Rank already? You haven't been a ninja for a month yet. And your team is fine? What was the mission like?" Tenten was surprised. Her team has yet to do a B-Rank mission, and a new Genin completed an A-Rank.
"Yeah we're all fine. It wasn't that hard considering Kakashi-sensei fought their Jounin, though we did help." Naruto shrugged off the fact that he called an A-Rank mission easy. Before Tenten could reply two palms were rammed into Naruto's side causing him to recoil. Before he could react another two were slammed into him. These two sent Naruto airborne.
"Hmmp. Is that all it takes to complete an A-Rank?" The silent until now Neji decided he had, had enough of Naruto. "Why would a loser like you lie about completing an A-Rank mission? Do you think that lying will make you not a loser? I'm sorry but that is not how the world works. The weak remain weak."
Naruto picked himself up with ease. He rubbed his side. "Argh. That hurt you know. If you wanted to fight just ask. I would be more than happy to kick your ass." Neji hesitated; he had got up far too easily. His gentle fist style does internal damage so it should of hurt him more. But Naruto was unfazed. "What? You scared?" Quickly regaining his composure Neji charged.
"That's enough." Serious Gai was back. He jumped in between the two Genin stopping any further action. "Neji. Attacking someone from behind is weak and pathetic. Kakashi's team did complete an A-Rank mission which they had to battle 4 ninja at different times. Kakashi himself dealt with two Chuunin level and one Jounin level ninja. While Naruto and Sasuke had to fight against the Jounin alone and defeated a Chuunin level Kekkei Genkai. They showed the power of their youth and completed their mission."
"Tch… So your Jounin did everything. That's not you completing the mission. You were just there." Neji relaxed slightly. "Lee let's start our sparing." Lee instantly got up and ran towards Neji and took his battle stance. "Byakugan" The veins around Neji's eyes bulged up making them visible beneath the skin. Lee charged at Neji who instantly parried and retaliated. This went back and forth for a while until they broke apart. Naruto was interested in watching the two of them but Tenten got to him first.
"Hey Naruto. Can you help me with moving targets?" Naruto knew exactly what she meant. Putting his hands together Naruto created 30 clones. Each of them grumbled as they began running away from Tenten who smiled a little too much for Naruto's liking.
Meanwhile, Lee had managed to kick Neji in the face because he didn't try to block. Neji deactivated his Byakugan as he lay flat on the ground. Lee and Gai ran up to him.
"Hey Neji. Are you alright?" Neji sat up and rubbed his face.
"Yeah sorry. I'm just surprised."
"Surprised by my attack. Yeah. I've finally surpassed Neji." Lee was dancing with excitement.
"Not you loser. The other one." Neji looked towards Naruto. "I closed off four of his chakra points before but they seem to be working fine now. Did he reopen them himself?" Neji shuddered a bit at the thought. It was impossible to reopen a closed chakra point, but Naruto somehow managed to. Naruto would stand more of a chance against him than most Genin causing Neji to feel a little intimidated. A loser like him should never be able to win, but he's the only one who can.
X One month later X
After a month of missions and training, there were major improvements in Team 7's battle ability. Sasuke had become much stronger and faster than before, Naruto's chakra control was almost at the level of an Academy student, and even Sakura was improving all-round. However Sakura could tell that she was being left behind by her two teammates. She had grown a severe inferiority complex over the past month, she didn't want to be left behind but in every single mission from the starts, she has done the least out of her team. So when Kakashi told the three of them about the Chuunin Selection Exams and handed them their applications, Sakura doubted herself even more. Was she really ready for this? Both Naruto and Sasuke were excited about this but she wasn't ready. She didn't want to, but she couldn't say it out loud. Sakura was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that Naruto was approaching, nor that she was alone with Sasuke. She finally made her resolve to follow them to the place so she can decide there what to do.
All three of them finished filling out their applications and walked towards the Academy where they had to hand in their forms. When they arrived there was a commotion taking place outside the room where they had to hand in their applications to be allowed to enter the exam. Two Genin stood in front of the door not letting anyone pass. Lee had confronted them and was standing off against them.
"What do we do?" Naruto quickly asked as they approached the assembly of Genin. "Should we make them move?"
"No need." Sakura answered. "This is the second floor. It's just a Genjutsu." This made Sasuke and Naruto look at her in surprise. "What you didn't notice?" She thought that if she noticed they should have.
"I see it now. You have better analytical ability and Genjutsu-know-how than the both of us, so of course you noticed it first." Sakura was shocked. Sasuke just complimented her on her skills.
"I still can't see it. You're amazing Sakura-chan." Even Naruto who was growing the most of the three complimented her. With this she finally realised that even though she was weaker than then the rest of her team they didn't see her as a liability. She couldn't let her team down like this. She finally decided to partake in this selection exam with her teammates. "Let's go then." The three of them just continued to walk ignoring the crowd. There was no point in wasting time here.
"Oh… so Sakura came too… Now we can properly take the exam." The trio had arrived at the required room and were greeted by their sensei outside. However his statement seemed a little off so Sakura couldn't help but ask.
"What do you mean?"
"The truth is that this test can only be taken by teams of three." The three of them became confused, why would Kakashi-sensei not tell them this. Sakura was troubled before but if she knew she had to it wouldn't have mattered.
"Huh? But you said taking the test was an individual choice. You lied to us?"
"If I told the truth, Naruto or Sasuke would have pressured you to take the exam. Even if you didn't want to, if Sasuke asked you, you would even though it wasn't in your heart. For the sake of Sasuke and… well… Naruto too."
"So if only Sasuke-kun and Naruto had shown up?"
"The exam would have ended here; they would not get any further. But you came of your own will; you guys are my proud team." With this Kakashi gave one of his rare but sincere smiles. This caused the three Genin to smile in return.
"Yeah. Let's go." Naruto spoke and lead his two teammates as they walked into the Chuunin Selection Exam meeting room. When they walked in they couldn't help but be shocked. The sheer number of them was outrageous. After a quick count Naruto could see around 140 people and more were arriving. Naruto smiled, he could tell that these people were strong. Even Kurama inside Naruto was enjoying the sight. With this many people Kurama would be sure he could enjoy a good fight or two. Naruto was quickly shook out of his trance when he heard a yell from his right.
"Sasuke-kun! You're late!" Looking to his right he saw a girl from his class, Ino Yamanaka. "I haven't seen you for a while so I've been waiting in excitement." Naruto started to ignore her because he knew that she and Sakura were about to get into a yelling frenzy. Instead he walked up to Ino's two teammates, Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi. These two were equally as stupid as Naruto in the academy, and they were often told off together.
"Yo. Been a while. It seems that us three idiots are here." They were about to respond when another yell could be heard from behind him. "Speaking of idiots." Naruto turned to see the last member of their idiotic classmates, Kiba Inuzuka. Following him were his two teammates Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame.
"Well well. Everyone is assembled." This now group of nine were the new Genin who graduated from the Academy this year.
Ino had long blond hair tied up into a ponytail, and bright green eyes. She wore a short purple vest-like blouse with a raised collar, a purple skirt that is cut off on the sides and bandages on her stomach and legs. She also wears white elbow warmers. She ties her forehead protector around her waist like a belt. Naruto knew her as a Sasuke fan girl and Sakura's rival.
Shikamaru had long jet black hair tied up in a spiky ponytail. His brown eyes could barely be seen since he was too lazy to open his eyes all the way. He wore a mesh T-shirt under a short sleeved grey jacket and brown pants. His forehead protector was tied around his left arm. Naruto always saw him complaining about something because it was all too troublesome. He cares very little about anything.
Chouji's forehead protector was tied in an unusual manner that covered most of his hair, but allowed it show his spikey brown hair on both sides of his head. Unusual swirls were on both of his cheeks. He wore black shorts, and a green jacket that sat on top of a white shirt with the kanji for food on it. He also wore a long white scarf which surrounded his neck then draped down to his knee. His arms and legs were covered in bandages as well. Whenever Naruto saw him, he was always eating something which was why he was incredibly fat for a ninja.
Kiba covered most of his upper body with a fur lined grey jacket. This jacket covered his messy short brown hair and half covered his forehead protector which sat on his forehead. He also wore black pants which stopped at his calf. There were two unusual things about Kiba. One was the two triangle shaped red marks on both of his cheeks. And the other was the small white dog rest on top of his head. This dog was named Akamaru and they were always together. This was the only person in the academy who was louder than Naruto.
Hinata's black hair is in a short, levelled hime-cut style just above her forehead, with chin-length strands framing her face. Just underneath her strands at her forehead protector, this was tied loosely around her neck. She also wore a cream coloured hooded jacket with the hood down, and blue pants. Her eyes were pure white just like Neji's were. It seemed as though this was also a Kekkei Genkai similar to the Sharingan but Naruto didn't know what it could do yet.
Shino was easily the tallest of the nine graduates. He had dark bushy hair held in place by his forehead protector which sat on his forehead. His eyes couldn't be seen behind a plain of sunglasses, and the majority of his body was either covered by his sea-green jacket or brown pants. Even his hands were a rare sight as they were always in his pockets. Naruto didn't know much about this guy. The only thing that he remembered was that he had a weird fascination with bugs.
"Hey you guys, you should be more quiet." A new Genin approached them. Naruto had never seen this person in his life before. He was covered in dark-purple as his pants, shirt and gloves were all the same colour. He also wore a white undershirt and had a white cloth waistband. He had to occasionally boost up his glasses because they were too big for his face. "You guys are rookies just out of the academy, right? Screaming like school girls. Geez… This isn't a picnic."
The loud mouthed Ino was the first to respond "Who do you think you are?" She wasn't impressed by this stranger.
"I'm Kabuto. But instead of that, look behind you." The majority of the Genin looked back to see that they had gained the attention of the majority of the room because of their loud behaviour. "Those guys behind you are from the hidden rain. They have short tempers. Everyone is nervous about the exam, quiet down before you cause a scene." It was at this point that Naruto was unable to ignore the nagging sound within his head. Kurama wanted his attention.
Naruto dived down into his mindscape. Rather than the in his head conversation he figured they'd talk face to face since they have the time. Opening his eyes to see the cage holding the fox was a normal sight for Naruto. "What do you want Kurama? I am a little bit busy. If I pass these exams then I will go on harder missionswhich give me a higher chance of dying so you should be happy."
"Hehe. Yes it is a good thing indeed. But that's not what I want to talk about. I've sensed a familiar chakra for a few days now but I didn't know what it was until now. To be honest it is a rather nostalgic feeling." Kurama paused and thought back to his past for a bit. "There is someone in this room who is the same as you. A container for a Tailed Beast. I can sense Shukaku the One Tails here." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.
"So are you saying that one of your siblings is in this room? Why don't you speak to him or her?"
"Hehehe. Why would I the Nine Tails talk to the One Tails? Also it is a he."
"So does the number of tails show how strong you are? And there are tails between the two of you. Is there a Tailed Beast with more tails then you?" Naruto was intrigued. This was the first time Kurama was talking about himself as a Tailed Beast.
"Hmmm…" Kurama was trying to decide whether to talk about it or not. He figures that it didn't matter if he knew the minor details. "Okay. I'll talk. There are nine of us Tailed Beasts ranging from one tail to nine tails, both of who are in this room. I could tell you their names but they really aren't important right now since you haven't met any other. If you want to know all of our names I can tell you whenever you want. It is very common for us to be sealed inside ninja to be used as a weapon which is what happened with you and Shukaku's host. I would love to keep talking but that person Kabuto is about to be attacked. Keep an eye on that Kabuto, he feels… off…"
Naruto had no time to think as he saw someone leap into the air. He had spiky, dark hair and dark eyes. He wore a beige shirt with two black stripes and three prints of the kanji for death down the front as well as a snake patterned scarf around his neck. This person grabbed two unusual looking kunai and threw them towards Kabuto. Naruto quickly grabbed two shuriken and threw them to intersect these kunai. The person who threw it was only a distraction to make Kabuto run into another ninja who was running towards Kabuto from behind. This other ninja had bandages covering most of his face, leaving only his left eye uncovered. He also wore a large poncho with long sleeves, a similar scarf to that of his teammate and a large metal 'gauntlet' with holes on his right arm. His back was hunched, which made him look smaller than he actually was.
If Naruto hadn't interjected no one would have had time to react but since the first attack failed the Leaf Genin had enough time to prepare. Kiba, Sasuke and Chouji charged at the oncoming ninja while the others took defensive stances. The three tried to attack the hunched ninja from different directions; Kiba on the left, Chouji in the centre, and Sasuke on the right. But when they got close enough they were all sent flying in one clean swoop. It was neither fast nor strong; the attack was just one perfectly timed sweep of his right arm to slip in through all of their guards. Sasuke was the only one who managed to stay on his feet while the other two were sprawled along the floor. Without wasting a second the hunched ninja ran towards Kabuto readying his right arm. Swinging the attack Kabuto had managed to barely dodge it, however his glasses still broke. A second later Kabuto threw up which confused anyone who was watching the fight. The attack had clearly missed yet Kabuto was seriously hurt by it.
"Heh." The first spiky haired ninja laughed at Kabuto. He was now standing with his two teammates, one of who was the hunched ninja who batted away three Genin in one attack, and the other was a girl Naruto hadn't seen before. Her long black hair almost reaching down to the ground was tied by a violet ribbon right near the end. She wore a pale green vest that looked similar to a flak jacket but it wasn't, and snake patterned pants and scarf. This same pattern was on her teammates scarfs. Sakura and Ino ran towards Kabuto to see how he was doing while the rest of the Genin were staring at the trio.
The hunched ninja decided to speak "How pathetic. Aren't you a 4 year veteran? Write this down on your cards. 'The three hidden sound ninja, definite future Chuunin.'" Everyone remained silent in an attempt to figure out the trick behind his attack. The attack had missed Kabuto yet he was still hurt. Not only that he managed to bat away three Genin, albeit they weren't going all out. There was no mistake. This ninja was a force to be reckoned with.
Their thoughts were interrupted by a loud booming voice and a puff of smoke from the front of the classroom. "QUIET DOWN YOU WORTHLESS BASTARDS!" The majority of the Genin near the front jumped back in surprise while everyone else looked towards to smoke to see a large number of ninja appear. Each of them wore the same uniform and the similar Leaf Headband. They were led by a domineering man with scars all over his face, and a black coat which differentiated him from the rest. "Thanks for waiting. I am Ibiki Morino. The examiner for the Chuunin Selection Exam's First Test."
A/N
AND THE CHUUNIN EXAMS BEGIN!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Tell me your thoughts on this chapter, REVIEWS PEOPLE. I will answer any questions so if you do want to know, do ask.
ARGH! I didn't realise some of my linebreakers weren't uploading properly. YOU HAVE TO TELL ME THESE THINGS! So that is why I am changing them. I didn't know that "***" isn't uploaded with the document. Now I'm changing it to "XXX" which does upload. I will go back and fix it for all of the chapters so I apologise to anyone who got a little confused when their was a gap in time with no indication of when, It won't happen again.
Signing out Comfy