What If
By: DisasterMaster445
In the last chapter Naruto and Sasuke came back from their training trip. The two of them met up with Sakura, and they discover that even though they weren't together, their teamwork was better than ever. After seeing that teamwork, Kakashi decided to have his team take the Chunin Exams once more. With the other teams already en route, Team Seven left at the end of the chapter. This chapter will focus about a week later. A little hint, check Narutopedia, and look up Kajika, Team Kajika, Ichi, Ni, and San.
Chapter Four: Iwagakure and the Chunin Exams (Part I)
In the mountainous region of the Land of Earth, nestled between the peaks of a ring of the rocky peaks, was the Village Hidden in the Stone. All the buildings were hewn from the rocks found in the mountains. The tallest building was a tall spire, with a pointed roof. The village also had the natural defense of being surrounded by the mountains. The only way into the village was a path through the rocks, only wide enough for three people at one time…
Three ninja were using that very path to get into the village. They were signified as Stone nin by the emblem on their headbands. The two on the outside were supporting the one in the middle. The boy in the middle had deep blue eyes and brown hair, swept into spikes that flowed backward because of his headband. Said headband wasn't like most headbands. The cloth was orange, with a green starburst shape outlining the metal plate in the center. He wore a baggy, black, one-piece jumpsuit. The bottoms of the legs were purple, along with the edges of the pockets, the collar, the kunai case on his right leg, and the fingerless gloves on his hands. Over that, he wore a collarless shirt that matched his headband. The chest, sides, and the tops of the arms were orange, and the middle and the bottoms of the arms were green. His shinobi sandals were black. He was limp in the arms of his companions. The jacket had a large bloodstain on the front.
"Damn it, Yuzaga! The first mission Roshi-Sensei let us take by ourselves, and you go and overdo it!" The speaker was the other boy, on the right. He was a redhead, but it fell free, not inhibited by a headband. It hung in his face, covering his dark eyes. His upper body was hidden by a black bubble coat, that somehow managed to make him look intimidating. Regular shinobi pants led to blue shinobi sandals.
"Jikai, now isn't the time! We've got to get him back into the village!" The voice that spoke up was decidedly female. She had brown hair and blue eyes, like the first, but they were far from related. She wore her headband around her neck. A pair of black one-piece tights served as her regular clothes. The sleeves were long, but the tights ended at the knees. Over, she wore a black denim skirt, and a blue denim jacket. Her shinobi sandals were also blue.
"Shut up Nicolette. Let's stop for a minute." The one in the middle, Yuzaga, commanded. He was obviously the leader. The three of them stopped, and the lead ninja was placed gently on a flat rock.
"You know I hate being called that." The girl answered. "Nickel, I thought you just told me this wasn't the time." Jikai commented. This started an argument between the two of them. Yuzaga rolled his eyes. This was common.
"Will you two shut the hell up?" The two looked to the strangely dressed ninja. "Jeez." After a few minutes of silence, Yuzaga struggled back to his feet. "Let's keep going." He held out his arms. With a sigh of exasperation, his two friends took up their places and the three began racing back toward the village.
A single man stood at the gates waiting for them to get back. The man had a red beard and his hair was pulled into a spiky ponytail above his head. They were the same shade as Jikai's He was wearing a large brown headpiece shaped like a three pointed crown, with both his Iwagakure forehead protector and a ring. There was a prominent piece of black armor running across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He was dressed in a long-sleeved purple shirt and pants, with a mesh-armor shirt underneath, and a brown chest-piece. He also had a bag tied on his waist, most likely containing ninja tools.
The three appeared at the gates, and his eyes widened at the bloodstain on his best student…and his nephew. "I'd ask how the mission went, but I can see for myself."
"Calm down uncle." Yuzaga said. "It's only a flesh wound." He grinned weakly. "Damn it, I told you. On missions it's Roshi-Sensei." He turned to Jikai. "What happened?"
"Father, it's the same as every other mission. He overexerted himself, and got himself injured." Roshi got a tic-mark on his chin. "Roshi-Sensei." He corrected his son.
"Roshi-Sensei, tell Yuzaga he needs to go to the hospital!" Nickel pleaded. "No." The injured nin managed. "I'm meant to be there."
In the Tsuchikage's office, the wise Onoki, the Fence-Sitter and the Sandaime Tsuchikage was finishing some paperwork when his door was opened. Roshi and his students walked in. Yuzaga was being supported by Jikai and Nickel. Onoki stood.
"What's happened?" The Genin glared. "I'm fine Grandpa!"
"Well team, this is the Hidden Stone Village." Kakashi gestured grandly at the village. "We've got to report to the Chunin Exams area. It's in the hospital."
"Yuzaga, I can't have you fighting until you can't anymore out on the battlefield. You're in training to be my successor, the Yondaime Tsuchikage!" "Gramps, if I can't give my all in my missions, I shouldn't even be on them!" Yuzaga argued.
"Calm down! Talk to the Tsuchikage with respect!" "Shut up son." Onoki commanded Roshi. He turned back to his grandson. "Damn it boy, this was supposed to be a mission to test your leadership skills, and to prepare you for the Chunin Exams! Now, I'm not sure if I should let you take them."
"I'm taking the Exams, grandpa. I won't be deterred." Yuzaga vowed.
"There you go Lord Yuzaga. You're all patched up and ready to go." The doctor said. Jikai had brought his cousin a clean set of his trademarked clothing and the three Stone Genin made their way down to the lobby, where the Chunin Exams registration was taking place. The Exams were getting ready to start.
"Line up!" Cried the first proctor. Naruto was sure the man had a name, but he hadn't listened when he said it. He was sizing up the competition, just like Jiraiya taught him. There were three Stone nin that walked in almost before time was up. The one in the middle had a higher than average chakra signature. The old Naruto wouldn't have picked up on it, but that Naruto had gone through rigorous, intensive training to be able to recognize chakras. The boy was interesting. There were other teams too of course. All four Leaf Genin teams were here, ready to take the exams again. There were, all in all, about a hundred different teams present. After all, this was the first year in a long time that the villages of Stone, Mist, and Cloud had been allowed in the Exams. Mist had two teams, but Cloud and Stone only had one.
Naruto was lined up in the front of his team. Sakura was behind him, with Sasuke taking up the rear. The team in front of them was Shikamaru's team, and behind them was Kiba's. Neji's team was further back in the line, right in front of the team from Stone. Now that Naruto thought, there was another dangerous chakra here. A familiar chakra. He flicked his eyes toward the door, and gaped. It was the redheaded Sand ninja Gaara!
However, Naruto couldn't worry about the homicidal Sand nin now. They were all being told something important about the test.
"Alright. There are way too many teams here for us to deal with. So, one member of each team needs to step up here. We're going to do a little chakra test. This will test how much chakra you have. You have to have a certain amount to pass." The proctor said sadistically. Naruto looked to Sasuke, who nodded. The blond stepped out of line, with one hundred other Genin. Choji, Shino, and Neji also stepped up for the Leaf, all of them having high levels of chakra from being born into higher clans. From the Sand it was obviously Gaara that approached the front. The redhead from the Stone team also came forward.
"Alright! Any teams that didn't pass the chakra test, leave. You aren't taking this test." Shockingly, every team but eight left with a roar of grumbling and shuffling footsteps. There were a few teams that tried to fight the verdict, but they were forcibly reminded that they were up against Jonin.
All four Leaf teams managed to make it through, along with Gaara's team, the Stone team, and the two Mist teams.
"Now! Back in line!" Naruto was first in line this time, with all the other teams lined up behind Team Seven. The proctor issued the next set of instructions.
"For this second part of the Exams, we'll have a mini-tournament. The chakra test was the first test of the Exams, and now this will be the second. Only half of you will go on to the finals, a month from now."
They were led into a bare room, with a fighting ring as the floor. There were balconies for the others to watch from. It was exactly like the room the teams were in last year, in Konoha. The computer screen was already revealed, showing the first two combatants.
Yuzaga Hokori vs. San
The Stone nin smirked. He was first. He leapt down and was greeted by his opponent. San was one of the Mist nin. He was tall and thin, wearing a black body suit. A grey cloak was draped over his left shoulder, and his brown hair was swept over his ear on the right side of his head.
"Are both combatants ready?" The proctor asked. Yuzaga kept smirking as he gave a nod. The Mist nin's face was expressionless, but he nodded too. The proctor disappeared, and a buzzer sounded. Hidden microphones blared a message.
"This will be an anything goes, no time-limit fight. The match is over when one fighter concedes, or is killed. Begin!" San moved quickly, making some seals, and biting his thumb.
"Summoning Jutsu!" He cried out, slamming his hands on the ground. In no time flat he was high in the air, riding a huge bird summon. The bird had a red mask over its beak and face, and the body was shaped like a manta ray.
"Now! Wind Style: Wind Stream Gust!" The bird opened its mouth, and a stream of air shot out, making a sound like a sword cutting through the sky. Yuzaga didn't dodge. He just lifted his hands in the Tiger seal.
"Fire Style: Inferno!" He brought his hands apart like he was holding a ball between them. Flames crackled to life, filling the space. As the air touched the sphere, dark red flames rushed upwards, the air making a fuse, straight back to San and his summon.
"Adding Fire to Wind makes my Fire more powerful!" Yuzaga declared as San barely made his bird dodge. "Fine!" San cried, making another seal. Black feathers sprouted from everywhere on the bird's body. They all shifted, till it looked like they were pointing straight at the Stone nin. They were. At San's next sign they fired at once, making a black wall of death that flew straight at his opponent.
Yuzaga began a complex series of movements to begin dodging, but there were too many. "I need a defensive jutsu." He thought. He made the Monkey seal. "Wind Style: Updraft!" He pointed his hands down. Wind burst from his open hands, shooting him high into the air above the feathers. He looked visibly fatigued by using two natures so closely in conjunction. He kept the jutsu going for as long as he could, charging at the bird.
"Eat him!" San commanded. Small jet ports opened up on the bird's body, and it shot forward, much faster than it had been before. Its beak snapped open under the mask. At the last possible second, Yuzaga angled his palms down toward the floor. He was launched a few feet higher, over the bird's beak. He landed, canceling the jutsu, and charged forward. San didn't move for some reason. It became apparent as the Stone nin landed a powerful left-handed punch, knocking San from his perch. As soon as it came out of contact with its summoner, the bird burst apart into smoke. Both ninja dropped toward the ground. Yuzaga opened his hands again, slowing his fall to land on his feet while San crashed into the ground with a crunch. Yuzaga panted hard, but set his hands in the Snake seal.
"Earth Style:" His voice was shaky, but he completed the jutsu. The assembled audience gaped at the attempt of using a third nature. "Burial Jutsu!" He stomped the ground. "Grave!" The heavy tiles underneath San pulled up like they were on hinges, sending him into the air. When he landed he fell into a hole where the dirt had disappeared.
Yuzaga slid his foot across the ground, stumbling a little. "Cover!" He cried, recovering his balance. Sweat glistened across his face as he struggled to complete the three-part jutsu. The tiles dropped back down, covering the hole. The Stone nin finally dropped his hands from the Snake seal.
"Rest in peace, San of the Mist." He snapped his fingers, and the two tiles shuddered violently. He'd made all the earth that disappeared during the Grave part of the jutsu cover the Mist nin, burying him alive and crushing his body.
The proctor jumped back to the floor. "Due to the death of San, the winner is Yuzaga Hokori!" The fighter smirked again before his eyes rolled up in his head and he dropped to the floor. The medics were getting ready to collect him when Nickel grabbed him, telling the guards he'd be ok after a little rest.
On the balcony, Naruto looked on in amazement as the match finished. That Stone nin was powerful, just like he'd thought. That Burial Jutsu was eerily similar to Gaara's Sand Burial. But there was no time to dwell on that. The next names were about to be shown.
Kiba Inuzuka vs. Kankuro
Kiba had won, not even having to put up much of a fight. Kankuro's two puppets, the Crow, and the newly acquired Black Ant were no match for Kiba and Akamaru's whirling claws and fangs. The puppets were shredded, and the puppeteer was distraught. The next names were put up.
Ino Yamanaka vs. Kajika
Kajika won, proving to be another powerful opponent with his advanced use of the Water Style. He hammered Ino with jutsu after jutsu, not ceasing, till he almost killed her. She forfeited, but he was about to go for the kill. He almost sank his shark-like teeth into her neck when Asuma came to the rescue. He leapt in the way, and got a bite on the shoulder as a reward. He punched Kajika in the face, knocking the boy away, and told Ino he was proud of how far she'd come in her training. The next names were revealed.
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Choji Akimichi
Naruto and Choji jumped to the floor and stood opposite each other. Both were excited for their turn to fight. The proctor jumped out of the ring again, and Choji began to speak to his opponent.
"I hope you do well Naruto. I'm not the weakest link in the Rookie Twelve anymore. I've gotten stronger. You'll have to come at me with everything!" Choji declared as the proctor started the match.
"Expansion Jutsu: Human Boulder!" Choji swelled, tucking his head and his limbs into his body. He took off, the attack much faster than it used to be. Naruto leapt up, thinking to fly over it, but Choji bounced and shrank till he was the size of a basketball. His speed and force were increased exponentially, and he slammed into Naruto's chest. The blond ninja hit the floor, breathless. Choji transformed back to normal.
"I discovered that after I expanded my body, I could control how big my boulder form is. I also found out that my abilities change depending on how big I am." Naruto stood, managing to look impressed despite the gaping eyes and the wheezing.
"That's good Choji. 'Learning new ways to use your moves is apart of adapting to battle.' That's what Pervy Sage taught me. Let me show you how I used that information!" He made two clones. The clones began shelling out chakra into his hands, and two Rasengan formed. Then the clones lifted them from the original, and charged at Choji.
"That's not much different!" Choji cried as he began dodging. "That's just the distraction!" Another clone appeared and started giving chakra for another Rasengan. The original placed his other hand on the sphere of chakra and it started to expand. The clone held the chakra steady as the two began to run.
"Prepare for this! Giant Rasengan!" Choji saw the attack coming, and stopped. Both clones started after him from the sides as Choji started to channel his chakra. Just as the two clones got close, the Akimichi exploded with power, and the clones just exploded. The pair of Rasengan began to disperse, and the chakra all flowed to Choji, where a huge pair of chakra wings had formed.
"I've prepared." Choji said with a smirk. He caught the Giant Rasengan with his left hand, stopping Naruto in his tracks. The attack started to break up, the chakra dispersing into the air and being drawn into Choji's wings, making them bigger. Most of the chakra, however, focused itself onto his right hand.
"Cho Bomber!" (1) With him gripping Naruto's hand, preventing escape, Choji drove his chakra covered fist into Naruto's face, blowing him back. Naruto hit the wall, and some rubble dropped onto him. A quick burst of red chakra and Naruto was back on his feet, without so much as a bruise on his face. Choji gripped his chest in pain. Ino looked down in shock.
"Choji! Are you alright?" The brown-haired boy shook it off, and got ready to continue the fight. He made a few hand seals and the chakra reseeded into his body.
"Partial Expansion Jutsu: Arms!" His arms stretched and grew until he could slap Naruto around. The blond boy hit the walls, the ceiling, and everywhere else until finally Choji let the other Leaf nin fall. Naruto crawled back up.
"Give up Naruto. You're taking a beating." Naruto's eyes opened wider, slitted and red. "Give up…" Six clones burst into existence. "On me giving up!" Three Rasengan toting Naruto's dashed in. Choji got ready, but three more clones slid up behind him.
"Na!" "Ru!" "To!" Each kicked, sending the Akimichi into the air. He made a few more seals, but was cut off before he got the chance. The three with the Rasengan struck.
"Ra!" "Sen!" "Gan!" The three weak spiral spheres spun Choji higher into the air. Naruto leapt up, spun, and dropped his heel on Choji's stomach. "Barrage!" Naruto had curbed his blows, but he still hit him hard enough to end the fight there.
"Due to Choji Akimichi being knocked out, the winner is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Neji Hyuga vs. Temari
The match started off well for Temari. Neji couldn't get close. After ten minutes of trying and failing, he took a new approach. He used his improved version of the Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation, and it finished the battle for him.
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Ni
Sasuke stepped down to meet his opponent. She didn't look like any Genin he'd ever seen before. Ni had long brown hair that spiraled down past her hips. She wore a red body suit that showed off a lot of her pale skin, and that didn't actually cover much. She carried a whip, and Sasuke was a little wary of how well she could use it. She had three purple stripes on her cheek.
"Time to begin." The proctor decided. Ni wasted no time, snapping her whip and hoping to ensnare the Uchiha. Sasuke dodged by leaping to the side, but she snapped the leather weapon again, catching his ankle.
"You're pretty cute, for a Leaf nin." She laughed before leaning in and whispering to him. "I think I'll keep you instead of letting Lord Orochimaru having you." Sasuke's eyes widened and automatically slid into the Sharingan.
"I don't see that happening!" He cried forming some rapid seals. "Lightning Style: Chidori Current!" The sparks burst to life all across his body, traveled up through the whip, and coursed through Ni's body, throwing her back. Sasuke untangled the sizzling whip from his ankle and brandished it with a look of disgust.
"Bitch." Before he could turn to see if she was getting back up, he was swarmed by a pack of summoned dogs. They had dark blue fur, and looked more like wolves than dogs. But, the really scary attribute was the white, skeletal armor and the projectile launchers on their shoulders. There were six of them. Sasuke managed to leap back, but the lead wolf, about twice as large as the others, howled a call that made the spectators cringe, and all five other dogs launched themselves. Sasuke threw down the whip, grabbed his kusanagi, and started dodging while he channeled chakra.
The dogs were almost upon him when he was finally ready. "Fire Style: Kusanagi!" The blade lit up in bright crackling flames, and Sasuke started slashing out at the wolves as they got close. The wolves were fast, and Sasuke only managed to take out two of them, leaving four including the leader. Sasuke didn't have enough chakra to keep the Fire Style: Kusanagi going indefinitely, so he cancelled the jutsu, and started weaving more signs.
"Summoning Jutsu: Eight Ninja Hounds!" Smoke burst out all over him, and suddenly he was standing in the middle of Kakashi's summons. Pakkun looked up at him. "Whaddaya need Sasuke?" The Uchiha nodded in the direction of the wolves, who had regrouped around the leader.
"We've got this." The small pug declared as all eight leapt into action, each wolf going against two Ninja Hounds. It wasn't long before all the wolves were gone, except the leader. He crouched down and shot the projectiles from his shoulder, taking Pakkun and Bull out of the fight.
"Everyone! Get 'em" Another of the dogs cried. All six of them rushed the much bigger dog. The dog couldn't keep up with all six, and soon it dispersed.
"Well, if that's all you needed…" One dog began. "Summoning Jutsu: Lion-Turtle!" A bigger explosion of smoke hid Ni. When the smoke cleared, a giant lion stood in Ni's place. It had an orange mask for a face, and a green mane spread out behind it. Its body was brown, but it was covered in the same bony white armor as the dogs were. The top piece of armor was spiked, like an offensive turtle shell. Ni rose out of the lion's forehead from the waist up.
"Defeat me now!" The Mist nin cried. The lion roared and the Ninja Hounds poofed away, leaving Sasuke alone and looking worried for the first time during the whole fight. Ni had managed to pick up her whip, and used his moment of confusion to send it flying at him once more. It wrapped around his wrists, binding them together. Sasuke was still able to make some seals, and he grabbed onto the whip between his hands.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" He unleashed the flames from his mouth and they traveled up the whip, destroying it in the process. The flames hit her and she started to scream. The lion started moving, but it was very slow. Those flames had washed over the turtle's shell, cracking it and leaving it brittle. Sasuke made his move. He leapt up and began a series of attacks. He jumped back and ran forward again, leaping to the side of the beast and striking out with his foot.
"Vertical Lion's Barrage!" His foot connected solidly with Ni's exposed face, and there was a sickening crack as her neck snapped. The Lion-Turtle disappeared.
"Winner: Sasuke Uchiha!"
I'll stop there for now. Six more matches to come next chapter. With half the competition out of the way, there are only twelve more combatants left. Who will make it to the next round to fight it out for a group of spectators for the chance to become Chunin? What do the Mist nin have to do with Orochimaru? You'll have to wait to find out. Please, take the time to review and give me a little feedback. It's important for a writer to get some every now and then. Even if you've got nothing good to say, you do have something to say. I want to hear it.
(1) In Path of the Ninja II Choji's final move he learns on level up is called Butterfly Bombing. It's the move he uses against Jirobo in the anime. That sounds really girly, so I changed it to Cho Bomber. Cho means Butterfly, so I didn't really alter the move. He can use it without the pills now because of his training.
