Chapter Four: An Alternate Test

Sarutobi had been correct, Naruto was furious. "What?! You mean to tell me, that because YOU sent this old geezer" Jiraiya snorted in annoyance at that remark, "to find me, now I can't become a Genin until NEXT year?! How in the hell is that fair?! Why can't I just take it today?"

Sarutobi sighed, "I'm sorry Naruto, but, we can't make special cases like that. Students, or their parents, for that matter, may complain, saying you faked being hurt to have extra time to study or prepare, which gave you an advantage over other students in the test. I know full well you were out cold all of yesterday, but that won't cut it for angry parents. I will look into it, and if I find anything, I'll be sure to bring it to your attention immediately. Until then, I'm deeply sorry Naruto."

Naruto didn't respond, he just chose to grab his jacket and walk out of his hospital room. Jiraiya gave him a sorry glance, but Naruto ignored him completely. Jiraiya sighed as Naruto closed the door to his room, albeit rather forcefully. "Man, I never was good with kids. You think Naruto will even go to the academy for another year? I mean, he was already brilliant and well above the rest of his classmates, even if he didn't let his grades show it. I have a feeling that most of the students knew that as well, even though he did have the lowest grade in the entire class, taking the Exam out of the equation, that is. I, for one, know I couldn't stand being in that boring place for an extra year."

Sarutobi sighed once again, "Yes, well, at this point we have no other options, I'm afraid."

Naruto passed the academy on his way to his apartment building. He stopped to give it a glance, before sighing and beginning his trek once again, "Best not to stick around, don't need any proud parents trying anything as a demonstration for this kids or something…"

Before Naruto could quite make it off the grounds, however, he heard someone running up to him. He groaned in annoyance, until he heard Mizuki's voice, "Naruto! Hold up a moment!" Naruto turned around, and gave his sensei a questioning look. After a few moments, the gray haired teacher caught up to Naruto. "Why weren't you in class yesterday? You missed the exam, and as you know, we can't allow you to take it now."

Naruto looked down sadly, "I… I got hurt while training the other day. I was stuck in the hospital for all of yesterday. I guess I'll see you next year, too, eh?"

Mizuki mentally grimaced, "No way, no way in hell am I gonna risk my safety by being around the Kyuubi for a whole 'nother year… I know! I can use this brat to get what I want, and make sure he's out of both mine and the village's hair from now on. Hah! Orochimaru-sama will be so proud!" "Well, actually, there is an alternate test you can take, as opposed to the written and practical we normally distribute."

Naruto instantly perked up, "Really? How come you never told us about this during class?" Naruto may have been excited, but he was still confused as to why this had never come up.

Mizuki thought fast, "Oh, well that's because this test tends to be both much harder, and a fair amount of danger is involved. We decided that only students who already missed the exam should be told about this exam, as we don't want students getting too cocky and then getting hurt during this alternate exam." "Phew, forgot how clever this kid can be at times."

Naruto seemed to think it over momentarily, "Oh, well, I suppose that makes a fair amount of sense. So, what is this alternate exam, Mizuki-sensei?"

Mizuki smiled, "It's actually quite simple, Naruto. All you have to do, is break into the Hokage's vault and steal the Forbidden Scroll. Once you do that, you need to escape into the forest and learn one of the jutsus off the scroll before ANBU finds you. If ANBU, or any ninja, for that matter, finds you before you can completely learn the jutsu, you will fail. The purpose of this test is to test both your ability to learn new ninjutsu and your ability to infiltrate, observe, and retrieve. However, be aware, not all the ninja in Konoha will be in on this, so some may come at you will real force. That is why this test is a fairly dangerous one, and why it is kept quiet."

Naruto looked thrilled at the challenge this test would offer him. "Alright! This sounds like a much better test than the regular one, anyway! I'll… Wait…" Mizuki tensed, "I'm not gonna tell you what I'm going to plan, you'll be trying to catch me!"

Mizuki mentally sighed in relief, before chuckling, "No, no, Naruto. I won't be in on chase, I will meet you in the forest at an area I have marked on this map." Mizuki pulled out a rolled up map and handed it to Naruto, "I neglected to mention that there is also a time limit of three hours after darkness falls for you to complete this test. I will meet up with you once your time is up, and if you cannot prove to me that you have learned one jutsu from the scroll, you will still fail, even if no one catches you."

Naruto grimaced at the extra rule Mizuki had added into the test, but shrugged it off. "Alright, I can still do this, I'll see you three hours after dark, Mizuki-sensei."

Mizuki merely smiled and nodded, "That was just too easy! And I thought foxes were supposed to be clever?"

Dusk had fallen over Konoha, and Naruto was preparing to make his move. "Just a few more minutes… Once that sun is down, that scroll is mine!" Naruto was currently hiding on a rooftop just across from the building that housed the Hokage's vault. Naruto had been here since just after meeting up with Mizuki. Aside from packing gear for the test, Naruto had spent his evening watching the guards. He took note of the paths they took, how often they changed, and the two blind spots the guards had. He knew that the guards would be changing just before darkness fell, as he had heard two guards conversing during a pass by each other, saying that the new night guards would be posted through the entire night, since they had special eyes that gave them better night sight than most shinobi.

The sun finally dipped below the Hokage Mountain, just as the guards had finished their changeover. Naruto waited just a few more moments, as he allowed a guard to pass by, before he leapt down, and hid in the first blind spot he had found. He made sure to make not a single sound, as he silently followed the guard around the building, to the front door. It was here he took advantage of the second blind spot, one from which neither guard could see him. He waited until the two guards had come to the front of the building, before initiating his distraction.

He threw a kunai with an exploding tag into a nearby tree, and then performed the Clone jutsu. His two clones quickly ran over to the tree that was about to explode, and one transformed into a small girl. The two then made themselves visible to the two guards, who spotted the burning tag in the tree. The guards mistook the two clones as real children, and leapt into action. Once they had moved, Naruto had snuck into the building, opening the door just as the explosion racked the area.

The two guards caught up with the two small children in moments time, however, the children quickly ran off into the forest, just as the tag went off. The two ninja braced themselves, as the tag exploded. They released their held breathes as the explosion subsided. They frantically searched for the two small children, and after a few minutes of searching, they saw the two children off running around a tree, completely unharmed, and safely away from the explosion. The two men sighed in relief, until they heard it. The alarm had been sounded, the very alarm they were supposed to prevent going off. The two men quickly went through identical series of handsigns, and shouted, "Byakugan!"

Naruto had found his way to the vault in no time at all. He quickly disarmed the traps, and broke the seal that held the vault shut. He wasted no time in darting in to find the scroll. He didn't even have to search, as the scroll was the only thing in the vault. He grabbed it, through the strap over his head, and slung it over his back. He quickly got out of the vault, and sealed it back up. Then, he got an idea, "Well, if one distraction is good, a second distraction is even better, right?" Naruto found a vase that was on display in a hallway, and noted the security seal underneath it. He smirked, and took the vase off the stand, and hid it in his backpack. He darted out the door just as the alarm began to go off.

The two guards scanned the building, and smirked as they saw the thief leap away from the front door. One of the guards gave a signal to the other, who nodded and began to give pursuit, following the chakra signature of the vase, due to the other seal which had been triggered when it was removed. The second guard returned to his post, and contacted ANBU.

Naruto knew he was being pursued. He also knew why. What his pursuer didn't know, however, was that he was just about to be put on a wild goose chase. Naruto dropped to the forest floor, right next to a rabbit. Naruto pulled the vase out of his backpack, and peeled the other security seal off the bottom of the vase. He reapplied it to the rabbit, and gave it a small smack. The rabbit wasted no time in bolting off in the other direction, while Naruto just put the vase down and proceeded to sit down and wait.

Naruto noticed his pursuer's chakra signature getting close, and decided to put his little act together. He picked up the vase, and stood up, pretending to be examining it curiously. He feigned shock as the guard burst through the treeline and landed right in front of him, katana drawn, and put at Naruto's neck. "W-What are you d-doing?! What did I do?" Naruto played the role of a scared young boy flawlessly.

The guard fell for it, hook, line, and sinker: "Where is the person who left that vase here?" His tone was unforgiving, typical Hyuuga.

Naruto acted as if he was trying to recover, "Uh… Oh! That guy who jumped through here a few minutes ago, and didn't notice this vase falling out? He went that way." Naruto pointed in the direction the rabbit had run off, and smiled innocently as he handed the vase to the Hyuuga guard. The guard nodded to him, and darted off in the direction Naruto had specified, back on the trail of, at least what he thought was, a fleeing thief who had gotten a tracking seal stuck on their clothes.

Naruto almost doubled over in laughter, before he checked his watch, "Oh, crap! I have an hour and a half left to learn a jutsu from this scroll. Speaking of which, did that guy seriously not notice I, a supposedly innocent bystander, was carrying a giant scroll labeled, 'Forbidden Scroll – Property of the Hokage'? This is pathetic!"

Naruto wasted no time in more belittling, and quickly made his way to the meeting area. He took the scroll off his back, and slowly unrolled it. "Let's see here… First jutsu is… The Shadow Clone. Hmm…" Naruto gave the jutsu a quick read through, and plastered a giant grin on his face, "Awesome. Truly. Awesome. This should make training so much faster. Chakra reserves one, chakra control forty-seven."

Naruto performed the necessary handsign, and molded the specified chakra amount for the desired number of clones. He called out, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" And low and behold, fifteen clones surrounded him, staring straight at him, as if he was surrounded by mirrors. He smirked in satisfaction, "Now then, I wonder… Can you guys clone yourselves with the extra chakra I gave you?"

Naruto glanced at his watch once more, "Hmm… Forty-five minutes left. I wonder if ANBU realized the scroll is missing yet?" Naruto decided he had enough time to check out another jutsu from the scroll, while he had his clones disguise themselves in case ANBU showed up. "Hmm… Where's the next one… Ah, here it is: Exploding Shadow Clone… Wow, this one looks like a more battle-ready version of the Shadow Clone. Let's see, these clones retain experience too, but they tend to last shorter durations. I'll have to test this, and see if they'll make nice decoy scouts. Let's see here.. Ah, the handsign is the same, that'll be nice for deception. Now th-" Naruto didn't have time to finish his thought, as he quickly rolled the scroll back up while leaping to the side to avoid a large volley of kunai knives. He tossed one of his own kunai at the ANBU who had just shown up. "So, I see you guys did find out, I suppose that means I failed the test, then, eh?" Naruto was perplexed as the ANBU unsheathed his katana and charged, "What… Why would an ANBU be out of the loop for something like this test. Something doesn't add up here… Shit!" Naruto tried to dodge the ANBU's lunge, but was pinned to the ground from behind from another ANBU who he hadn't even sensed. He cursed loudly, as the ANBU prepared to make the killing blow. He plunged his sword into Naruto's chest, and smirked as he claimed victory, "Tch, this is insulting. You couldn't even finish your Replacement! How the hell you managed to steal this is mind boggling. I'm actually insulting myself by killing someone so wea-" The ANBU was cut off as the boy he thought he just killed glowed brightly, "Shit!" The two ANBU just barely managed to leap away, getting out of the kill zone of the blast, but both were still seriously injured. The two men lay unconscious at the feet of two burning trees. However, the blast had alerted other nearby ANBU, and in an instant, They were swarming the place. Naruto had a plan, though.

The ANBU looked over to where the blast had reached a tree, and cut it in half. They saw motion behind it, and tensed as they saw a figure being to walk out from behind it. They drew their weapons as he raised his visible arm. However, they let their guard down, slightly, as they saw Naruto limp out from behind the tree, one of his arms missing, and his pants melted to his skin. The leader of the ANBU squad, wearing a Captain's mask, spoke up, "Naruto Uzumaki, you stand charged with high treason and theft. Considering your condition, you would be advised to surrender and come peacefully, or we will not hesitate to kill if we cannot capture."

Naruto smirked, "Well, you are a little more professional than your friend over there." Naruto motioned to the ANBU who had insulted him earlier, who now had a burnt up face. Naruto put his remaining arm straight up in the air, as a sign of surrender, and slowly limped over to the group of ANBU. One of them produced a pair of handcuffs, and Naruto spoke up as the would-be jailor approached, "However, Captain, there is one thing you forgot about…"

The captain didn't show any surprise, and his voice didn't betray anything either, only a mild amusement, "Oh? And, pray tell, what might that be?"

Naruto smirked, "Oh, nothing much. It's just that, well, I'm not Naruto. He is." The captain whirled around as a presence leapt at him, however, he whirled right back around after blocking the new Naruto's kick, as the one who had just spoken had just emitted a loud humming sound. His hidden eyes widened in fear, as this Naruto was glowing brightly. However, when he felt a burning sensation coming from his hand, he looked back and saw that the Naruto he had blocked was glowing too. The assembled ANBU were about to leap to safety, when several of the rocks around them began to glow as well, before clouds of smoke filled the air, as the transformations were cancelled, and the clones revealed themselves. The ANBU had no time to escape, as a horrendous explosion rocked the clearing.

The scene that Iruka came upon was absolutely terrifying. He saw his favorite student up against ANBU. Konoha ANBU. And there were quite a lot of them… Both of them. He made haste in his Big Headed Jutsu, "EVERYBODY FREEZE!" Iruka nearly lost control of his jutsu when he saw one of the Naruto's transform into a block of ice. Iruka tried to remain calm, "ANBU-san, please stand down. I shall handle things from here." The ANBU, albeit begrudgingly, nodded, and vanished in swirls of leaves. "As for you, young man, WHAT IN THE BLUE HELLS ARE YOU DOING?! Fighting ANBU! Stealing the Forbidden Scroll! And HOW THE HELL ARE THERE SO MANY OF YOU!?"

"Heh, sorry about that, Iruka-sensei." Iruka nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard Naruto's voice behind him. He was further confused, however, as the rest of the Narutos disappeared in puffs of smoke. He turned around to face his student.

"What in the hell has gotten into you?! You've never done anything like this before!" Iruka's yelling had a hint of concern in it, likely emanating from his concern over what punishment the Hokage would deal to Naruto.

"Well… Mizuki-sensei said that there was an alternate test I could take in order to become a Genin. The test was to steal the Forbidden Scroll and learn a jusu from it before I got caught by ANBU or anyone. Unfortunately, ANBU found me before Mizuki did, so does that mean I fail..?" Naruto explained, and Iruka was saddened at Naruto's heartbroken tone.

Iruka didn't have time to respond, however, as Naruto fell forward, screaming in agony. Iruka looked mortified, Naruto's back was burnt to a crisp, and apparently moving over to greet Iruka had opened up several puncture wounds, undoubtedly sustained while fighting legions of ANBU. Iruka crouched down to Naruto, "Naruto, what happened? How did someone get you with a Fire jutsu, when you have that power?!"

Naruto just coughed harshly before answering, "W-Well, you told me not to use that in the test, and since this was the test, albeit an alternate one, I figured I still wasn't allowed to… Use… It…" Naruto finally lost consciousness, the chakra exhaustion and wounds getting the better of him.