Konoha Marksman Chapter 7: New team member, Chunin Exam start (now with 30 percent more content!)
A/N: HA! UPDATE IS NOW! Sorry. This isn't MP5, this is actually his brother. I've been helping him on and off with his fics (I first got really involved with the Wave Country chapter) and I read thru chapter 7, turned to him and said, "this could be so much more."
So we made it much more. He wanted to do a whole bunch of more, but I kinda reeled him in because it'd mess up the narrative flow (or lack thereof, haw haw). Hopefully, you enjoy all the little revisions and larger additions! Hopefully the formatting won't be terrible.
BEGIN: HELPFUL INFORMATION
Before I begin this chapter, I'll take time to address those of you who have had an issue with all the weapon names I've been dropping. So, I will explain some of the weapons seen in this story so far.
MP5SD3: The silenced version of Germany's world famous H&K MP5 series of 9mm submachine guns. Differences from later and other versions include extendable stock and lack of ambidextrous (i.e. left and right-handed) fire selector, whose modes are displayed through letters rather than the modern pictograms of the latest versions.
M4 CQBR: The Navy SEALs version of the M4A1 5.56mm assault rifle. The CQBR stands for 'Close Quarters Battle Rifle', which means that it is primarily used for close quarter situations, such as hostage rescue.
SPAS-12: Sporting Purpose Automatic Shotgun. An Italian-made 12-gauge pump-action shotgun that has the ability to fire its shells consecutively without pumping. Typically equipped with folding stock.
HK416: H&K's Piston-driven version of the M4A1 assault rifle. It is a considered replacement for the M4A1 series, as Colt's version of the gun has been plagued with reliability problems due to its unique type of gas-operation system. Piston-driven systems, like that of the AK-47, are far more reliable.
STI Tactical 5.0 M1911A1: A custom-made version of Colt's famous M1911 .45ACP handgun, which had been around since WWII. The STI Tactical 5.0 is a modernized version meant for use by SWAT teams, and has the necessary components to be operated with either hand.
Desert Eagle .50AE: An Israeli-made .50 caliber handgun that is generally likened to a Ferrari in the world of guns. The Desert Eagle brand model comes in various calibers, such as .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum, and .50 Action Express.
HELPFUL INFORMATION :END
The day after Sakura's funeral, Naruto was now sitting in his armory room, staring forlornly at both his M4 CQBR and his HK416. Both were good guns, one being brand new, and the other, well maintained. Naruto thought back to the tragedy on the bridge and remembered that it wasn't the gun that was the problem, it was the ammo, or specifically, how it was loaded. He had loaded it with a speedloader, and in the process, had dented one of the cartridges. Had that round not been dented, he could've brought both his teammates home alive. Naruto sighed and silently vowed never to make that mistake again, and after doing so, opened his boxes of 5.56mm ammunition and loaded them, one by one, into magazines by hand. 30 minutes later, he had done half of his magazines, but his fingers were pinched so often, that they were cut and bleeding at this point. Still, Naruto pressed on - he'd seen so much more blood on his hands recently.
Hours later, Sasuke came to Naruto's front door and knocked. In response, Naruto invited him in. Sasuke opened the door, and closing it behind him, called out to his teammate.
"Hey Naruto, you in there?" asked the Uchiha.
"In the armory!" yelled Naruto, his voice seeming to get closer to Sasuke. Sasuke walked in the direction of the armory, and was a little unnerved when he saw Naruto's hands.
"Naruto, what the hell have you been doing?" asked Sasuke, watching the blood drip from his comrade's hands.
"Handloading magazines, Sasuke. I'm not going to risk another goddamn dented cartridge." replied Naruto, opening a first aid kit. As he bandaged his hands, he conversed with Sasuke.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Kakashi-sensei simply wanted me to let you know that we're meeting a new teammate at the bridge tomorrow."
"Oh?"
"That's what he said."
Silence. Both were still recovering from their loss. Was it too soon to go out on missions again? Too soon to replace Sakura? Would this replacement teammate slow them down? Would she or he outclass them?
"No," Naruto said under his breath. He'd been thinking those thoughts. "We'll be alright."
"What?"
"It's nothing. Just lost in my thoughts."
"You mean, about the replacement," Sasuke said.
"Well, aren't you?"
"Of course not. No...I mean, yes. I--"
"Stop worrying about it. I'm sure we'll be fine. Kakashi-sensei may seem aloof, but he's no idiot," Naruto said, picking up another magazine to load.
"You're right," Sasuke said, "I'll see you at the bridge, tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you. Oh, by the way, bring your Shrike with you, ok?"
"Why?"
"You'll see."
The next morning, Sasuke came to the bridge early with his Shrike locked inside its gun case. Sasuke waited a few minutes, then he heard the crack of a sniper rifle before Naruto appeared in front of him. Naruto had his ammo drum scroll/ rocket launcher mounted on his back as well as the two unloaded Glock 18's in his shoulder holsters. Naruto had in his hand a gun case, about the same size as that of the Shrike. Sasuke exchanged gun cases with Naruto, who sent the Shrike back to his armory.
"Seems a little heavier," Sasuke said to Naruto, testing the case's weight by raising it up and down.
"For good reason. Open it."
Sasuke opened up his gun case and smirked when he saw the AK-47 inside, plus some accessories, extended-capacity 'banana' magazines, and the RPK drum magazines. Sasuke took the gun out while Naruto created some bunshins to be used as targets. Sasuke loaded a 30-round magazine after mounting a foregrip at the front of the gun. As soon as he pulled the trigger, he learned immediately that using a weapon that operates on 7.62mm rounds is a huge step up from something using 5.56mm ammunition. Hence, the string of curses he uttered when the magazine ran dry and he let the gun fall from his hands as he clutched his shoulder.
"Fuckthathurt!SonofabitchthatgunhurtslikehellFUCK!" said Sasuke in a huff.
"Jeez, Sasuke. You would make a sailor cower with that little string alone." said Naruto.
"Shut up! I'm not used to this!" retorted the Uchiha, picking up another magazine..
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Close to an hour later, Kakashi finally showed up. At this point, Sasuke was trying all sorts of setups for his AK-47, and then Kakashi looked at the book Naruto was reading. The cover read: 'Icha Icha Paradise'.
At this, Kakashi smirked. Success! He finally broke Naruto down and made the blonde succumb to the dark side known as perversion! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-cough-HA!
"So, Naruto." said Kakashi, easily concealing his joy beneath his mask. "Aren't you glad I gave you those Icha Icha Paradise books?"
"I don't know. I haven't read them yet." replied Naruto. Kakashi was dumbfounded.
"Wha? B-but y-you're reading it right now, aren't you?" asked the jounin.
"Sun Tzu said that all warfare is based on deception, Kakashi-sensei." replied Naruto. The henge copy of Icha Icha paradise in his hand reverted into its true form, Sun Tzu's Art of War, which Naruto had taken up reading. "Evidently, I succeeded in decieving you."
'Damn.' thought Kakashi. 'Just you wait, Naruto. I'll make you into a mini-me yet!'
"Anyway, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you guys to your nrew teammate."
As if on cue, a blur leapt from the treeline towards the bridge, and then suddenly a girl appeared next to Kakashi. She was a gorgeous (by Naruto's, Kakashi's, and surprisingly, Sasuke's standards) Kunoichi with flowing, waist-length sky blue hair, which like Sakura's hair, was unique and uncommon. Like Hinata, her demeanor was gentle, and Sasuke could tell that she didn't come off as a fangirl. Bright Hazel-colored eyes expressed her emotion easily on her slightly lean face. She wore an ANBU-style vest with a fishnet overshirt and olive-drab undershirt beneath it, as well as slightly fitted woodland camouflage cargo pants, giving off the impression that she was tomboyish to an extent. Respectfully, she greeted her two teammates.
"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Nakagawa Mitsuko." said the Kunoichi, bowing.
Having learned to be more open ever since the Wave mission, Sasuke returned the greeting first, a genuine kindly smile on his face.
"Pleased to meet you, Mitsuko-san. I'm Uchiha Sasuke." replied Sasuke.
"Good to have you on the team, Mitsuko-san. I'm Uzumaki Naruto." said Naruto, bowing in respect. After this was done, Kakashi spoke once more.
"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I thought I'd let you know that the annual Chunin Exams are coming up in a couple of weeks," said the Jounin, handing the three sign-up sheets. "If you decide to enter, go with your team to the academy and turn these in next tuesday. Until then, you're all dismissed. Oh, and Naruto, unless you register your guns, you can't use them in the exams."
Meanwhile, Tenshi (angel) Sakura watched the meet with interest. Knowing full well Sasuke would need to move on, she decided the least she could do was lead Sasuke into a romantic relationship with a girl that was not Ino-pig or any other of the Uchiha fangirls. And then, she read Mitsuko like an open book and came to a conclusion.
"She's perfect! Now to set things in motion!" said Tenshi Sakura.
Truth be told, Sasuke felt a bit of attraction towards Mitsuko, and Mitsuko herself felt slightly attracted to him. Sasuke had just experienced love at first sight, and turned a little red when he found himself gazing somewhat dreamily into Mitsuko's eyes. Ironically, Mitsuko had done the same thing. Naruto, being the perceptive boy he was, smirked at the thought of a steady relationship going on between Sasuke and the new Kunoichi on their team. However, his mind was mostly occupied by the thought that he may possibly lose his guns during the exams.
'Hmm, looks like I may have to brush up on Eskrima fighting as well as unarmed combat.' thought Naruto 'Eskrima fighting would be useful in case I still have my knife in that sort of situation; I can just carve some large sticks out of any trees.'
As Team 7 walked through some woods on their way into the center of town, Sasuke suddenly heard metal slicing through the air and quickly shielded Mitsuko. He was not going to let her down like he did Sakura. In doing so, he felt the skin on his bicep get cut open by a shuriken. Naruto immediately brought his Glocks to bear, when they all heard a child's voice cry out in apology.
"Gomen nasai, Sasuke-san! I ended up missing the wooden target by a mile!"
Konohamaru came running towards them, along with his friends, Moegi and Udon. Sasuke immediately relaxed, wincing slightly due to the small cut. Academy students were students for a reason, after all.
"No harm done, Konohamaru-kun. I'll be fine," said Sasuke, accepting the boy's apology. Mitsuko got up from behind him and pulled out a medical kit.
"Here, Sasuke," said Mitsuko, "This should help." Mitsuko rubbed an ointment over the open wound. In seconds, the wound healed and was scar free. Sasuke blushed as he thanked Mitsuko. Meanwhile, this reaction did not go unnoticed by Konohamaru.
"Hey, Sasuke-san! Is she your new girlfriend?!?" Konohamaru asked, his voice full of teasing, his pinkie finger raised.
The Kunoichi and Uchiha blushed, responding with the honest truth that they had recently met and were simply getting to know each other. Naruto chided the academy student affectionately.
"Now, now, Konohamaru. Keep teasing them, and I'll take back the gift I have for you."
"Ah, gomen, Naruto-nii-san," replied the little boy. "You have a present for me? Where is it?"
"Ask, and ye shall recieve," replied Naruto. Taking out a small vial of glitter, he proceeded to make an elaborate show of summoning Konohamaru's present. He took a pinch, blew it into the air, and after forming the ram seal, snapped his fingers and snatched the gun case that appeared in a puff of smoke in midair. Handing it to Konohamaru, the academy student's eyes lit up when he opened the case.
"You're the best, Nii-san!" said the little boy, hugging Naruto. inside the case was a Walther G22 .22LR caliber semi-automatic carbine. As menacing as that sounds, it was really nothing more than something to practice marksmanship with. It wasn't a military or police weapon, just a simple and fun 'plinking' gun. It came with a 10x scope, and Naruto added 5 10-round magazines that loaded behind the trigger, signifying that it was of bullpup design, a design type that had the magazine located behind the trigger to allow more barrel space in less room. Naruto also included a foregrip, laser, and flashlight to mount on the accessory rails in case Konohamaru felt like trying out CQB at the shooting house on the Uzumaki estate property.
"Don't go misusing that, Konohamaru." said Naruto. "With that great weapon comes great responsibility. You use it to practice accuracy, and in worst-case scenarios, to protect your precious people. Remember that."
"Hai, Nii-san." replied the boy, reclosing the gun case. Naruto took it, and sent it to the Sarutobi compound with a Jutsu, knowing someone would put it somewhere safe. Then, someone's stomach grumbled, and none of them could trace the source. Still, Naruto decided it was time for lunch. And since Konohamaru and his friends were not in school, as it was a weekend, Sasuke and Mitsuko agreed to take them along after being asked by Naruto. So, the party of six had lunch at Ichiraku Ramen. While the others had Ramen the normal way, Naruto enjoyed his Ramen better when there was rice. Konohamaru was rightfully puzzled.
"Nii-san, Why do you eat your Ramen with rice?" asked the little boy.
"It's a practice called Carbo-loading," replied Naruto. "You see Konohamaru, Carbohydrates are the main part of the five food groups that sustain a person's healthy diet, just as meat, vegetables, and milk provide Protein for muscle mass, Vitamins for immune strength, and Calcium for stronger bones and teeth, respectively. However, each and every human body works differently. In my case, I have a high metabolism, which means I burn up fuel from food extremely fast. Also, I have a lot of exercise, considering all the weight I carry in addition to using my ninja abilities. Such is the reason you see me eating rice with my Ramen."
"And that also explains why Naruto is a stamina freak," butted in Sasuke, "He has the appetite to surpass that of an Akimichi, yet they would probably drop from exhaustion sooner than he would."
After a few more minutes of eating, talking, and laughing, Naruto paid their tab, and the group walked around Konoha again, doing a little shopping along the way. When they settled down in one area, Konohamaru challenged Naruto to a game of ninja. Despite finding it slightly redundant, Naruto still decided to look for Konohamaru and his friends. After quickly finding Moegi and Udon, Naruto set off to find Konohamaru. As he rounded a corner, Naruto tensed up as he saw Konohamaru being held by the scruff of his neck. The offender was a boy in a full black body suit with a hood, and attached to his back was a wrapped bundle with a tuft of fur sticking out at the top. Flanking the boy was a Blonde-haired girl with a fan strapped to her back, telling the boy repeatedly to let Konohamaru go.
"Kankuro, cut that out this instant! You're going to cause trouble, and we've just arrived!" said the girl.
"No, Temari." replied the boy tersely. "I'm gonna teach this little punk to watch where he's going, even if I have to beat that into him."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." said Naruto. The boy and girl looked up to see Naruto walking toward them. "You see, that's the Hokage's grandson. Surely, I don't need to explain to you what that implies."
A look of shock crossed the girl's face as she turned to the boy and hissed, "I knew something was up! Let that kid go before you get us into any deeper shit!"
"No." replied the boy, staring Naruto down. "You really think you can save this kid?"
"Yes." replied Naruto, right hand slowly reaching for his gun. He returned Kankuro's stare. "Now, I ask you: do you really think beating a little boy will accomplish anything? Besides, you're a long way off from home, boy - have you forgotten that? Do something rash and I think it'd be very easy for people to 'forget' you, if you get my drift."
Having no choice, Kankuro slowly put Konohamaru back on his feet. Naruto pulled Konohamaru to safety. Naruto then spun around to face Kankuro.
"Judging from that little bundle you have on your back, you use puppets in battle, right?" asked Naruto.
"That's correct." replied Kankuro. "What's that on your back, though? There's no way that's an ordinary scroll. They don't get that big."
"Ah, a perceptive one." said Naruto, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes. "Well, the only way for you to find out is to throw down."
"You mean right here and now? Sure. Less competition for the Chunin exams." replied Kankuro, beginning to unwrap the puppet. As soon as it was completely unwrapped, it charged at Naruto, who shifted the Rocket Launcher and ammo drum off his back, got on a knee, aimed, and fired the rocket. Kankuro saw this a little too late, and severed the connection so that he and Temari could run for cover. The rocket detonated, turning the puppet into a mass of ashes, sawdust, and splinters. Kankuro emerged from behind cover, horrified at what his puppet had been turned into.
"You bastard! I'm gonna make you pay for that!" shouted Kankuro, pulling out a Kunai. Suddenly, an ominous voice rang out from nowhere.
"Enough."
Kankuro dropped the kunai as he and Temari shakily turned towards the source of the voice. A red-haired boy with a gourd on his back looked menacingly down on Temari and Kankuro. Within Naruto, Kyuubi sensed something unusual about the boy.
"Naruto, If I'm not mistaken, that kid is the container for Shukaku, the one-tailed Tanuki. And from the looks on that seal on his forehead, Shukaku has been put in a state of constant aggression, preventing the boy from sleeping. I'm surprised he hasn't succumbed to fatigue. Look, I have a jutsu to deal with exactly this type of situation. Get him aside, make an offer, and let me do the work. I'll actually teach it to you once it's all done." said Kyuubi.
"Fine, Kyuubi. I'm placing my trust in you, so don't let me down." replied Naruto as the redhead walked up to him.
"I must apologize for my siblings' insolence." said the boy. "My name is Subaku no Gaara, and my brother and sister are Subaku no Kankuro and Subaku no Temari."
"Uzumaki Naruto. Hey, before you go, I have an offer to make you." replied Naruto.
"Make it quick, Uzumaki-san." said Gaara, ready to kill Naruto without batting an eye.
"My inner tenant says your inner tenant has been rather disagreeable when it comes to letting you sleep to the point that it's driven you homicidally insane. We can help you solve this issue once and for all."
"Fine, it's your funeral if you fail." said Gaara, allowing his siblings to go on without him.
"Please. I can stare death in the face, laugh, and then kick its ass into next week. It's the same story with torture." said Naruto, leading Gaara to a secluded rooftop. Upon arrival, Gaara watched as Naruto became partially possessed by Kyuubi. Kyuubi spoke to Gaara in the same manner and voice as a physician would.
"Hold still, Gaara-san. You may feel a slight stinging sensation." said Kyuubi as he began flashing through a flurry of seals. Ending on the ram seal, he took two fingers and pressed it to Gaara's head.
"Inpankyouka no Jutsu! (Seal Reinforcement technique)" roared Kyuubi as the technique activated, sending all its energy into the seal. Gaara winced, then blacked out. Gaaara woke up in his mind, and saw Naruto and Kyuubi in front of him.
"What are you two doing here?" asked Gaara, worried that Shukaku could attack them at any moment.
"Relax, Gaara." said Kyuubi. "I'm here to check on the condition of my old friend."
And as it would turn out, not only were Shukaku and Kyuubi old friends, but also drinking buddies. Kyuubi brought over a six-pack of Corona beer, and as a side effect, when Naruto and Gaara bid each other a good night, they each merrily staggered their way home. Kankuro and Temari could have a laugh at Gaara's expense without retaliation, for once. As soon as the Shukaku container lay down on his bed, he was out like a light.
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When Naruto awoke the next morning, he felt a little lightheaded, but some Tylenol made him feel the ground beneath his feet a little better. Getting out of bed, he looked outside his window when he heard a commotion in the distance. Atop the Hokage monument/mountain were three Russian military surplus Mi-25 'Hind' D Attack/Transport Helicopters. However, these weren't delivered stock; Naruto gave orders specifically to outfit the aircraft with more modern and American aircraft weapons systems and other options to make the model unique to Konoha. Thus, much of the extra weight that had prohibited the helicopter from prolonged hovering and made it require a rolling takeoff was removed and replaced by a mixture of durable, weight-saving materials such as Titanium, Aluminum, and Carbon fiber. The only Russian weaponry remaining on the Hind was a pair of 4x80mm S-8 Rocket pods. Other than that, the dual Isotov TV-3 engines powering the stock titanitum propellers were yanked out and replaced by Amercian-made Lycoming T55-GA-714 turboshaft engines, increasing the Hind's horsepower from 4,400 hp to a whopping 10,138 hp.
Weapons systems mounted on the more 'Americanized' Hind D included a 25mm Bushmaster Anti-tank Chaingun, a pair of Hydra 70mm rocket pods, and 4 Hellfire missiles. Taking a page from the UH-60 Black Hawk, the door guns were M134 7.62mm Miniguns. Finally, the instrument panel was now more similar to the Black Hawk in its usage of electronics. Naruto smiled as he watched the villagers mill about the aircraft, marveling at them. They were expensive, but if Naruto got the design right, he eventually could be building them in a factory and exporting them to friendly nations.
Unbeknownst to everyone else, part of Naruto's master plan to turn Konoha into a serious military superpower was to set up a Private Military Company that could provide a great amount of income for Konoha. And by pooling a reasonable amount of funds from his inheritance and his own money, Naruto was able to buy some air support for Konoha. Now, Naruto had to get some pilots on board to fly them and create some future pilots. Naruto picked up the satellite phone he kept in his room and made some calls.
"Hey, Kyle? Yeah, It's me, Naruto. Listen, I have some job openings for you and the other guys where I live." said Naruto as soon as the person on the other end picked up. "Yeah, it's a shame Blackwater laid you guys off. Hope you guys are still good flyers-- Don't worry, I'm not doubting your skills. I know you guys used to fly for the Army, Navy, and Marines. Anyway, make sure Ryan and Ike get word of this, too. They'll want in, especially after Blackwater Air laid them off. See you guys in a week or two, then? Cool."
Naruto hung up the phone and got dressed for yet another day in Konoha. Aside from signing his forms, he also registered some of his firearms, which if lost during the second part of the Chunin exam, would be returned to him at its conclusion. For today, he most likely going to meet up with his team for training and then, free time would be spent admiring the new equipment roving about Konoha, including the helicopters that had come in.
A little background on his three colleagues reveals that they were all ex-military pilots. Kyle was a former 82nd Airborne Division helicopter pilot who had experience in flying all sorts of choppers, including the Hind Mi-35 P-model, which was the export model used for adversary training in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Ryan was a former 160th SOAR 'Night Stalkers' Pilot with experience in flying transport helicopters such as the MH-53E Pave Low, the MH-60 Black Hawk, and the MH-6 'Little Bird'. Now, Ike was unique in that he is a native of the Phillipines. He is the immediate descendant of a former 'Air America' Pilot who flew clandestine missions during the latter years of the Vietnam War. In a way, Ike carried on the tradition by flying Philippine special forces around during their counter-guerilla operations against the Abu Sayaaf Terrorist group. Thus, Ike was no stranger to dodging RPG's while jinking around rice paddies, much like what his father had to do during the Vietnam War.
Naruto walked out into downtown Konoha, ignoring the cold stares directed towards him. Stares, he didn't give a shit about; when someone attacks him, however, that was a different story. Concealed beneath his grey cloth vest were two different handguns in a custom shoulder holster rig. In the one holster was a Desert Eagle .50AE handgun and in another, a STI Tactical 5.0 M1911A1 .45ACP pistol. Thus, should any villager attack him, he could drop them even if they were high on stimulants like. The ANBU had his back on the subject, too. Considering what happened a few days ago, he was long overdue for retaliation. But as far as he was concerned, he would rather not be forced to use them. Coming to the meeting location, he saw Sasuke and Mitsuko walking towards it as well. After greeting each other, they only had to wait a few more minutes before Kakashi came walking towards them with a long gun case in each hand and one mounted on his back. Naruto already thought this to be odd. Things were cleared up, however, when Kakashi explained the reason for the gun cases.
"All right, everyone. Hokage-sama contacted me and handed me these weapons because starting today, we train as a specialist squad. For example, Team 8 is the tracker squad, and Team 9 is the assassin squad. Today, because of Naruto and Sasuke's proficiency in Small Arms usage, we are now the Special Tactics And Weapons Assault Squad (STAWAS)."
As soon as Kakashi stopped speaking, Naruto asked to see the guns. Opening the cases, he frowned and looked up at Kakashi again.
"Sensei, something doesn't add up." said Naruto. "Two of these guns are bone-stock. Why didn't Hokage-sama ask to use my guns? I would've gladly loaned them out."
"That's mainly because your guns' settings are all modified to suit your needs. With these guns, anyone can take them and easily get comfortable with whatever settings are made. However, I'm asking you to provide any accessories as needed." replied Kakashi.
"I can arrange that!" said Naruto, pulling out a scroll. He summoned everything in it and before Team 7 lay a plethora of weapons accessories, ranging from sighting systems such as scopes and lasers, to complete barrel-mounted secondary weapons systems such as underbarrel grenade launchers like the M203 and the Russian GP-30 and entry shotguns like the Remington M870 Masterkey system. And since one can never have too much ammunition, High-capacity magazines and drum magazines were also present.
"All right." said Kakashi, hefting an M4 with a Rail Integrated System (RIS). "First, Sasuke has the position of Pointman, so that means he is responsible for breaching locked doors and doing the majority of clearing a room. Sasuke, that means you should grab a Quick-aim sight, a 50-round Hi-cap, and a Remington Masterkey."
The Uchiha did as told, and grabbed some tools to begin the work on his assigned weapon. Next, Kakashi picked up a highly-customized AK-47, whose barrel had been shortened, almost to the point where it looked like its grandson, the AKS-74U. Like the M4 Sasuke recieved, it had an RIS, except that it was very minimal.
"Naruto, you have the role of support." continued Kakashi. "Thus, you'll be carrying the most ammo. I'll leave you to decide what to do with it."
Within minutes, Naruto returned from the customization area with an Aimpoint sight sitting atop the gun's scope rail and with an RPK 40-round magazine inserted into the gun. Also present were two more 40-round magazines attached to the inserted one with velcro bindings, and nestled inside mesh nets attached to the stock were two 75-round RPK drum magazines. Kakashi was impressed.
"Wow, Naruto That was fast. Really fast!" said Kakashi, incredulous. Clearing his facade of awe, Kakashi picked up an MP5K-PDW, which was an MP5 converted into a machine pistol with a folding stock for stability. Turning to Mitsuko, he gave the blue-haired Kunoichi the rundown on her role in Team 7's STAWAS. "Mitsuko, you now have the role of medic, and to a certain extent, the Rear Guard. Basically, your job is to hang back, but not too far, in case Naruto or Sasuke get hurt. Also, should the team have to retreat, you will have the task of stringing up your wires in creative ways to stop or slow the enemy's pursuit. Here's your gun. Naruto probably knows what can be done to it to suit your needs."
A worried look crossed Mitsuko's face. "Demo, Kakashi-sensei, I've never fired a gun. At all."
"I can help you with that." said Naruto, walking over to Mitsuko. In minutes, Mitsuko felt comfortable enough at the trigger as he went to his own firing lane to use his custom AK-47. Naruto went as far as to get Mitsuko started with her MP5K's customizations, as well. It included a basic laser/flashlight aiming ensemble, a reflex sight, a Knight's Armament Company supressor, and three 30-round magazines attached together with an aluminum magazine clamp. For the rest of the morning, the new Team 7's time was spent shooting targets as well as practicing hostage rescue and other CQB scenarios. Many a time, Sasuke creatively used his Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu to breach and clear certain areas, saving precious seconds and shotgun shells. Naruto perforated many a target with his AK-47, and when it came time for escape and evasion training, Mitsuko shined in her skill by rigging traps for Naruto's pursuing Kage bunshins to disarm or be killed by. All three were impressed by their assigned weapons and were ready to take them home when Kakashi advised against it. He pointed to a leaf symbol engraved onto each gun and explained its purpose.
"See that seal?" said Kakashi, pointing to the engraving. "That means that the gun now belongs to the Konoha Special Weapons Armory. Unless you plan to buy it, you have to return it after each mission or training session at the Hokage's office. I'll do that for you guys now, so enjoy the rest of the day." With that, Kakashi disappeared, taking the guns with him.
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A couple of days later found Team 7's Genin sitting in the shade of a large tree, relaxing after a rather mundane "mission." To Naruto, it had strangely seemed like an errand. Suddenly, Naruto's phone went off, and after answering it, called his teammates' attention.
"Guys, if you want to come along, I have to meet some old friends of mine at the gate." said Naruto.
"Sure, we'll come." replied Sasuke, and then paused a beat. "That is, if it's all right with Mitsuko-chan."
Said Kunoichi blushed and replied, "I'll come, Sasuke-kun, you don't have to ask my permission."
Later, the three Genin were at the main gate, watching as a Humvee being driven by Toboketsu Jounin Shiranui Genma, made its way to the security checkpoint. Hayate Gekkou rode in the gunner position, his gloved hands comfortably resting on the spade grips of the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun in front of him. Naruto smiled, knowing that his plan was well underway. The Humvee rolled to a stop, and out of it stepped none other than Kyle, Ryan, and Ike. Identifying themselves, the three pilots were let through. Upon doing so, Kyle was tackled by Naruto, and in response, gave the blonde a good old fashioned noogie to the head. The other two pilots smiled and shook their heads, as did Sasuke and Mitsuko. After the display of camaraderie, Naruto introduced his pilot colleagues to his team.
"Kyle, Ryan, Ike, I'd like you to meet my teammates. There's Uchiha Sasuke, my team's pointman, and Nakagawa Mitsuko, my team's medic and rear guard. Guys, in Western naming conventions, these are my colleagues, Kyle York, Ryan Clark, and 'Ike' Rizal." said Naruto as his two teammates bowed.
Kyle went up to Sasuke, unaware of Eastern naming conventions, and greeted him.
"Nice to meet you, Uchiha." said Kyle. Immediately, he sensed something wrong whent he saw Sasuke both sweatdrop and shake a little in anger. Naruto saw this and immediately pulled Kyle aside.
"Uh, Kyle." said Naruto. "Around here, they go by family name first, followed by their first name. It's rather offending if you immediately greet them using their family name without adding an honorific like -san, for example."
"Oh." replied the American, now thoroughly embarrassed. "Sorry about that, Sasuke-san."
"It's fine. Mistakes are made from time to time. Anyway, It's nice to meet you, York-san."
"Just call me Kyle, Sasuke. I don't mind."
Naruto interrupted after introductions were finished, wanting to get his colleagues acquainted with their new machines.
"Ok, let's get down to buisness. Kyle, Ike, Ryan, I'll have someone drop your stuff off at my place, and the six of us can go check out the new 'birds that came in."
Naruto, having some pull with the Jounin and Chunin beginning to warm up to him, had Genma drop off his colleagues' luggage at Uzumaki estates. Genma did so respectfully, and meanwhile, Naruto called in an APC for their transportation to the new helipad atop Hokage mountain. All six people hopped inside the Stryker, which steadily made its way up the mountain pass. When they all dismounted, everyone except Naruto stared at the helicopters in awe. The flat black coloring of the helicopters was intimidating enough without the weapons. The weapons bristling about the helicopters would unnerve even the hardiest of Jounins, and were the weapons active and the helicopter in the air, would probably make an Akatsuki member wet their undergarments in fear, that is, if they were alone.
"Holy crap, Naruto." said Kyle in disbelief. "How much time and money do you have?"
"A lot." answered Naruto smugly, before continuing. "This is the reason I called all three of you here. You three will now comprise the leaders of Konoha's Air Support Squad. However, I suggest you guys consider recruitment for repairmen, gunners, and copilots. Congrats, fellas. You now have a better job."
"How much are you talking, Naruto?" asked Ryan, not taking his eyes off the helicopters.
"Well, considering you guys will probably be asked to hold a position that does high-risk missions, you'll most likely be doing force protection and VIP transport, so that amounts to six-figure incomes each month. However, you'll have to work for it because you need to go through qualifications first. You may have to spend about a month in ninja training before taking to the skies. I can help you guys if I'm not busy, though." offered Naruto. Watching his old friends mull it over, they came to a consensus and accepted. Naruto directed them to go to the Hokage's office, let administration know they were applying to become Konoha Ninja, and there, the three pilots began their ninja training.
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"...And I nominate Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Nakagawa Mitsuko for the Chunin exams under my name, Hatake Kakashi." said Kakashi. Currently, he, along with Asuma and Kurenai, were nominating their teams. All was going well until Iruka made an objection.
"I'm concerned, Kakashi." said Iruka. "Are you sure Naruto is ready for these exams?"
"Iruka, you don't have to worry." butted in Sarutobi. "Naruto has 6 years of military training and combat experience under his belt. And if his actions in Wave prove anything, it is that he is loyal to his teammates to the end. He is not one to leave behind a comrade, even if said comrade has left this earthly plane. Psychologically and Physically, he is fit, and can certainly handle himself."
"What about Sakura's replacement? What about Mitsuko?" said Iruka. "Have we proven her skill level yet?"
"No. But I can have Naruto and Sasuke do it in secret." replied Kakashi.
"Then make it happen." replied Iruka. "I don't want her killed in the exams because her skill turns out to be underdeveloped."
"Sure." replied Kakashi, who had now produced a copy of Icha Icha Paradise. "Just let me finish this chapter..."
"NOW, Kakashi." said Sarutobi.
"All right, All right. I'm going." said Kakashi, shutting the book. "Hold this for me," he added, handing the book to Sarutobi. And in a puff of smoke, Kakashi disappeared, leaving everyone in the room bewildered.
"All right everyone." said Sarutobi. "You are dismissed."
Once everyone filed out of the room, Sarutobi ensured that there was no one watching and cracked open Icha Icha Paradise.
Sasuke and Naruto were eating Ramen at Ichiraku Ramen stand. Mitsuko had decided to pursue alternative choices for lunch, leaving the two of them to talk.
"So." said Naruto. "What do you think of Mitsuko-san?"
"I think she's cool." replied Sasuke.
"You like her, don't you?"
"Yeah - actually, she's kind of cute."
Naruto almost choked on a mouthful of noodles. "Cute? (cough) Cute!?!? (sputter) What?!? Angsty, Broody Sasuke Uchiha used the c-word to describe a girl?!? Oh lord, let me go see if the sun has turned blood red!"
"Keep it down, geez!" said Sasuke. "And I'm not broody."
"Admit it." teased Naruto. "You act all broody and angsty because it attracts the ladies. And when it does, you get a huge ego boost."
"Not really, no," replied Sasuke. "I'm just angsty and broody, as you call it, because I want to isolate myself - that's just the way I am. In fact, let me prove that I can make a fangirl swoon without being angsty."
"Do it then," said Naruto. Sasuke then got out of his seat and walked into the street right up to a relatively pretty girl. Sasuke tapped her on the shoulder, and the moment she turned around, he went into Bishounen mode.
"Excuse me, miss." said Sasuke. "But I couldn't help but notice how pretty you are." Sasuke pulled out a rose to emphasize what he said and presented it to the girl.
The Kunoichi stood in stunned silence for a moment. Then, she erupted in an excited squeal.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! SASUKE-KUN THINKS I'M PRETTY! WHOAMYGOD! (SPLODE)"
And then, the fangirl swooned and fainted with a smile on her face. Sasuke walked back to Naruto, a smug look on his face.
"Cheater." said Naruto "You used Bishounen mode. And that rose took it over the top. Where the hell did you get it, anyway?!"
"From out of thin air." replied Sasuke. "That's how Bishounen mode works. And besides, isn't that standard operating procedure?"
"Fine." said Naruto. "I'll see you that fangirl, and raise you one."
Naruto turned on his heel and walked outside and up to pair of Kunoichis that were chatting with each other. Naruto turned on the charm by going into Bishounen mode.
"Sorry to bother you, ladies,", began Naruto. "but I really need the help of two fine women such as yourselves. My back is killing me, and I heard all Kunoichi are trained at least in the basics of Shiatsu massage. Could you please help me?"
Naruto then produced two red roses and unzipped his jacket, revealing his well-toned chest. Presenting his gifts to the Kunoichi pair, he added, "By the way, these are for you two."
The Kunoichi were speechless. Naruto knew that it would take a few seconds to register in their heads. '3...2...1.'
"OH MY GOD! NARUTO-KUN IS SO HOT AND SEXY!" said the Kunoichi in unison before fainting. Naruto walked back to Sasuke, who was impressed.
"Ah, The Striptease Technique." said Sasuke. "Very effective, but I have yet to try it out myself."
"Before you do, I suggest you take a vacation. Preferably a nice beach setting that no one in Konoha has been to before that is warm year round."
"Why?"
"No offense, but have you looked in a mirror lately? You're really pale. You need some sun, Sasuke."
"Can you reccommend a good place?"
"Well, I--Wait. What's that rumbling noise?"
Naruto and Sasuke turned their attentions to their water glasses. They took notice of the ripples suddenly forming, and their faces immediately grew scared. Naruto realized that like a zombie, a fangirl's squeal could carry over the wind for miles, signaling to other fangirls that there was a Bishounen nearby ready to be captured and turned into their boy-toys or worse, forced into yaoi relationships with other captured Bishounen. Naruto heard the unmistakable 'Ka-chak' of a Pump-action 12-gauge shotgun. He turned around to see Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, pointing a shotgun in his face as well as Sasuke's.
"Get out." said Teuchi coldly. "I'll be damned if I let you two ruin my property because of those damn fangirls."
Why did I give him that shotgun, anyway? thought Naruto. As the fangirls approached, he turned to Sasuke as he pulled equipment out of a small knapsack he carried with him.
"Sasuke, we're trying to be evasive here. Follow me."
Naruto took two smoke grenades and tossed them into opposite sides of the street. As soon as a heavy screen of smoke built up, the two rushed across the street in crouched positions, so as not to be spotted. However, before they were even completely across the street and out of sight, the mob of fangirls burst through the smoke, and spotted them immediately. The two boys broke into full sprints, but screeched to a stop when their exit was cut off by more fangirls at the other end of the alley. Having no choice, the two pumped chakra to their feet and sprinted up the walls of a nearby building. Reaching the rooftop, they collapsed to their knees momentarily to regain their breath. Suddenly, they heard a loud BANG behind them, and raised their weapons at the noise. They saw Kakashi putting his hands up.
"Whoa. Sorry, guys. Is this a bad time?" asked the Jounin. Suddenly, the door on the rooftop burst open, and all three saw a rush of fangirls coming towards them. Kakashi smirked uner his mask, and without a word, grabbed Naruto and Sasuke and all three teleported out of the area, leaving the fangirls confused and disappointed.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto reappeared in a forested area on the outskirts of Konoha.
"Thanks Kakashi-sensei." said Naruto. "We would've been toast without you."
"Don't thank me yet. I have a favor to ask of you boys." said Kakashi. "Iruka wants me to have you guys test Mitsuko's combat skills. Don't use any guns in doing so; your job is to also keep hidden and not reveal your identities. How you do it is up to you both. That is all."
Kakashi poofed away, leaving the two to hammer out a plan.
Mitsuko was walking out of the restaurant she finsished eating at, intent on finding her team again. As she walked down the street, she passed by what looked to be two cloaked ANBU operatives wearing a Fox and Bird mask. Thinking nothing of it, she continued further down the street. A heavy fog suddenly rolled in, and Mitsuko became extremely wary. In the trees surrounding her, The fox-masked ANBU curled his arm back, a multitude of kunai in his hand.
Kakashi reappeared back at the Hokage's office to retrieve his book. He noticed that the bookmark he placed now lay on the desk.
"So, Hokage-sama, I see you got to where I am!" said Kakashi cheerfully. "So, what did you think of that threesome between Junko, Kazuhiko and Keiko?"
"Cant talk right now." responded Sarutobi, a line of red across his face. "I'm already on Chapter 30."
Kakashi's reaction was one of shock that slowly dissolved into rage. Angrily, he swiped the book out of Sarutobi's hands and took the bookmark with him. Still enraged, he let loose an angry statement at Sarutobi.
"GIVE ME THAT BACK!" shouted Kakashi. "NO ONE, AND I MEAN NO ONE, MAKES A FOOL OUT OF HATAKE KAKASHI BY READING AHEAD!"
With that, Kakashi huffed and teleported out of the room. Sarutobi simply chuckled and opened a drawer with his own copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
'Doesn't really matter.' thought the closet pervert Hokage. 'Jiraiya always gives me the first copy of his books.'
The Kunai were hurled at Mitsuko, whose only warning was the sound of the knives whistling through the air. She leapt away a split second before the Kunai imbedded themselves where she had stood. More Kunai came whistling at her until she deftly looped one of her wires through a Kunai handle, tied it off, and whipped it at the source of the attacking kunai. The fox-masked attacker was pulled form the tree down to the ground, where Mitsuko immediately leapt upon him and buried one of her own kunai to its hilt into theskull of her target. A puff of smoke revealed the kunai was buried into a log.
"Damn, he used Kawarimi." said Mitsuko. Looking up for a split second, she ducked down as two blazing windmill shuriken embedded themselves in nearby trees, scorching the bark. Popping up, Mitsuko entangled the bird-masked attacker, pulled him towards her, and stabbed her kunai into his chest, only to reveal yet another log, a sign that he too, used Kawarimi no Jutsu. Luckily, the fog lifted, and all that was left were the logs, Mitsuko, and all the expended kunai. She picked them all up and carried them with her, looking at one of the many kunai thrown at her. She examined it, and it seemed relatively well maintained. When she palmed the kunai, though, it felt strange.
"What are these things made of?"
At training ground 7, Naruto and Sasuke sat down and took off their ANBU outfits as they caught their breath. The two discussed what they had done.
"Well, I can say with confidence that Mitsuko is ready for the exams." said Naruto, massaging his cheek. "She makes a mean faceplant."
"I did notice something while you were attacking." interrupted Sasuke. "Those Kunai seemed to bounce before they hit the ground. What was up with that?"
"Well, you see, they weren't real kunai." said Naruto sheepishly.
"Really?" said Sasuke. "Then what are they made of?"
"Rubber." responded Naruto, taking out one of the said Kunai. He held it in his hand, and started stabbing at his wrist, but the kunai kept bending. "See? I can't commit suicide!"
Sasuke sweatdropped as Naruto stopped poking himself and then began poking him with kunai instead. After a few seconds, Naruto realized he began to annoy Sasuke. So, he handed over the Kunai to Sasuke.
"Go ahead, stab me in the arm!"
Reluctantly, Sasuke thrusted the Kunai into Naruto's arm, but the results were not what he expected.
"AAAAARGH!" cried Naruto in pain. A horrified Sasuke pulled the Kunai away to see something red and sticky painting the tip of the Kunai.
"Naruto, you told me that these things weren't real!"
Naruto's cries of pain transformed into laughter. Pulling his hand away from the 'wound', he showed Sasuke his palm to reveal bursted Ketchup packets.
"You fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book, man!" said Naruto, howling with laughter. "What, you didn't think I was serious when I told you these were made of rubber?"
Sasuke was truly embarrassed that he'd been played for a fool. So, he decided to change the subject.
"Hey, when you threw those kunais, I have to say that you make some seriously convincing near-misses."
"Actually, to be honest, I was trying to hit Mitsuko with those knives the entire time."
"Really? Why? Wouldn't the fact that they were rubber give us away?"
Naruto had no answer for that one. He and Sasuke remained silent until the Uchiha 's shoulder began to shake, then an audible chuckle escape his mouth that grew into a giggle, and then full blown laughter. Sasuke was rolling on the ground when he realized the irony of the situation.
"Oh, man! This is rich, heheh! Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's master of CQC knife fighting, can't throw a kunai to save his life?! I gotta tell Mitsuko now!"
"Don't you dare tell a soul, Sasuke." said Naruto, Glaring, almost as if he was trying to burn a hole in Sasuke's head. Sasuke laughed nervously and immediately retracted his statement. Then, getting up, they walked out of the training grounds to find Mitsuko
"So, Mitsuko-san, did anyone attack you today?" asked Naruto, before realizing he had blown his and Sasuke's cover. The aforementioned Uchiha slapped his forehead and Mitsuko stared at him.
"How do you know I got attacked?"
"Well, Kakashi-sensei asked us to test your skills at Iruka-sensei's behest. He was afraid you might get killed in the exams."
"So who threw the kunai?"
Naruto raised his hand.
"You make pretty convincing near misses, then."
"Actually, the Kunai are made of rubber. I really was trying to hit you."
"Then your aim sucks, Naruto."
Sasuke began giggling uncontrollably, and it began to annoy Naruto to no end.
"Look, I know I can hit dead center of a target from a quarter-mile away with a 7.62mm rifle with a decent scope no problem. But I am willing to admit that Kunai throwing is not one of my strengths! I have tried and tried, but I still cannot hit a target dead center with one goddamn Kunai!"
"Let's test your claim, then." said Sasuke.
After reporting to Kakashi and Iruka, Team 7 made their way to the outdoor shooting range at Uzumaki estates. Naruto drew a grinning face on a sillhouette target for demonstration purposes.
"Sasuke, spot my shots with the binoculars. I'm going to make that target look like a hockey player." said Naruto as he lay in the prone position. Taking the safety off on his Accuracy International PM sniper rifle, he looked through the scope as he spotted his target a quarter-mile away. Exhaling, he squeezed the trigger. The resounding crack of the 7.62mm round echoed off the trees surrounding the property, but Sasuke kept watch of the target. A split-second later, he noticed the toothy grin on the sillhouette target was suddenly gapped with a missing teeth. Naruto fired a second shot, this time removing a canine tooth. Sasuke handed Mitsuko the binoculars and she was amazed at what she saw when Naruto cranked out a third round that blew out the target's pupil. Naruto then lifted the bolt and locked it open. Getting up from prone position, he took a batch of Kunai and faced a tree trunk with a circular target pattern cut into the face of it. Naruto stood 20 feet away and flung a kunai at the log. Miss. He tried again. Also a miss. Frustrated, Naruto took a handful of the troublesome knives and flung them as hard as he could. 3 kunai grazed the sides of the log and fell to the ground while one of them flew off into the distance, never to be seen again. Naruto lost his temper, grabbed one last kunai, sprinted to the log, kicked it into the air, and stabbed the log. When he attempted to remove the kunai and failed because of its depth, Naruto lost it and simply swung the log and kunai like a hammer in a circular arc and launched it into the sky, just missing a crow that happened to be flying by. As he picked up his rifle and stomped back towards his house, Mitsuko and Sasuke were rolling on the ground, dying of laughter at Naruto's antics.
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At another training field inside the forests of Konoha, the members of Team Gai (Team 9) were discussing this year's entrants for the Chunin exams.
"Did you guys hear? All three Rookie teams were nominated for the Chunin exams this year, which means that kid using those western weapons is in it, too." said Rock Lee.
"Western weapons?" said Neji. "Oh, you mean Uzumaki Naruto, the guy who's also dating my cousin."
"Really?" asked Tenten. "I think that's cute!"
"I don't." said Neji. "I think he could do a lot better than my weak cousin. Still, if he touches her wrong in any way..."
"He seems like a nice enough guy, I don't think he'd do anything perverted." replied Tenten. "Still, I'm more interested in that Uchiha guy. On a scale of one to ten, he's a certified twenty in hotness!"
"Dear god." said Neji. "Don't tell me you're turning into one of those blasted fangirls."
"Oh, Neji. You're so cute when you're jealous." said Tenten.
"I'm not jealous." said Neji. "Anyway, Kakashi's team is certainly one to watch out for. The last Uchiha and a former mercenary on the same team? This'll be an interesting challenge."
"I heard they have a Kunoichi that specializes in traps and wire-based fighting." said Tenten. "She'll be one to watch."
"I wonder how she looks." said Lee. "Perhaps I'll ask her out."
"Your brain is in your head, Lee, not your crotch." said Neji.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Lee.
"Nevermind." said Neji. Christ, even dirty jokes fly right over his head. Must be that haircut of his making him dense.
Tenten giggled. Apparently, Neji could be funny when he wanted to.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Team 9 went to investigate and found a log with 3 gashes on its side and a kunai embedded rather deeply in the target.
One Week Later...
After bidding his comrades from Blackwater a good day, Naruto joined his team as they went to the academy to sign up for the Chunin exams. As they climbed the stairs, they could hear a crowd of Genin, seemingly upset.
"What do you mean, we can't enter, we're here for the exam!" said one of the foreign ninja.
"Guys," said Naruto. "Something doesn't feel right. Something feels... retarded. That's the best way for me to describe it. Tell me Sasuke, have we climbed two sets of stairs yet?"
"No." replied Sasuke. "We've only climbed one so far."
"I KNEW IT!!" exclaimed Naruto in a loud attention-grabbing voice. "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS RETARDED HERE, AND THE PERPERTATORS OF THIS RETARDEDNESS ARE STANDING AT THE VERY FRONT OF THIS CROWD!"
"You said a mouthful." commented Sasuke. Just then, the crowd parted and the sniffling Chunin known as Hagane Kotetsu could be seen clapping. Immediately, Naruto directed his accusatory finger at Kotetsu.
"YOU! You're the one causing all this retardedness! Cut it out. My head is beginning to hurt." said Naruto.
"Very nice." said Kotetsu, ignoring Naruto's protests. "Very cute. So you saw through our little illusion. That is completely irrelevant to the exams. So, if you kindly get out of the way, your black-haired friend shall die."
Kotetsu produced a Kunai and charged at Sasuke. Naruto intervened, intercepting Kotetsu before even getting a few feet in progress towards Sasuke. Naruto then disarmed Kotetsu, pulled out his .45, and placed the muzzle to Kotetsu's temple while he held his knife to Kotetsu's throat. Naruto then spoke to Kotetsu in a most annoyed tone.
"Did I not tell you to stop being retarded? What you just tried to do was not helping your situation in any manner."
Naruto then leaned close to Kotetsu's ear and whispered.
"Kotetsu-san, for the record, you and Izumo-san suck at your Henge jutsus."
"We suck?" said Kotetsu in disbelief. "But that was our best!"
"Your best? All you did was turn yourselves into chibis! I could spot you two from a mile away! You might as well have worn 'Don't-shoot-me Orange' Jackets with your names, ranks, and serial numbers printed on them!"
"So that means we..." began Kotetsu.
"Yes." said Naruto in a grave tone. "You both fail at life."
Naruto released the shocked Kotetsu, who in turn passed the message on to Izumo, still blocking the door. Izumo instantly became depressed and left the hallway with Kotetsu. Both walked away in a dejected slouch.
"Glad that's over." said Naruto. "Now we can go forward without any interruptions."
As Team 7 began to walk away, they found themselves stopped when Mitsuko's attention was diverted Rock Lee trying to ask her out.
" Please go out with me sometime, miss!" said the overzealous Genin. "I promise to protect you for life!"
"And you are?" asked Mitsuko, startled by Lee's sudden actions.
"I am Rock Lee, Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!"
"I'm Nakagawa Mitsuko, and sorry, I'm already taken."
"Are you? Who is this scoundrel that claims you for his own? I shall defeat him!"
"That's him." said Mitsuko, smirking as she pointed at Sasuke. Lee looked at the smirk on Mitsuko's face and then at Sasuke. He hung his head in resignation.
"I see..."
Meanwhile, Sasuke turned his head, having heard the conversation faintly. He was about to ask Mitsuko a question when Neji caught his eye. Sasuke's interest was piqued. Would last year's Rookie be able to keep up with him? He would soon find out as he charged at Neji. Naruto reacted quickly and held him back. Neji did not miss this though, and took the oppurtunity to goad Sasuke.
"Don't bother, Uchiha." said Neji. "It's for your own safety that Uzumaki is holding you back. If he didn't, you would be out of the exams even before you set foot in the classroom.
"Why you--" began Sasuke.
"Hey Naruto, Keep your teammate in line. That Uchiha's just going to embarass himself." interrupted Neji smugly.
"What's it to you if he gets angry?" said Naruto, restraining Sasuke from pouncing on the Hyuuga branch member.
"Let him loose, and rest assured, you won't be seeing that weakling I have to consider a cousin. Hiashi-sama may have bought into your BS, but I'm smarter than that." retorted Neji, knowing he hit a nerve. Naruto growled; The so-called Hyuuga genius prodigy had just done something very stupid by making the arguement personal to Naruto. Suddenly, the genin smirked and got ready to walk away.
"Please, Hinata could kick your ass now that she's more confident. That's all she needed to unlock her potential, and now, you can't do anything about it. Maybe if I hand her a grenade, she can blow out that stick wedged so far up your ass."
Neji grit his teeth in anger as Team 7 walked away. Somehow, he would make Naruto pay for those words. Meanwhile, Sasuke spoke with Mitsuko.
"So, when you said you were taken by me, does that mean we're a couple now?"
"If you want it to mean that, then sure." said Mitsuko boldly before blushing. Sasuke allowed himself a small smile before grasping Mitsuko's hand, causing her to squeak slightly. A small line of red tinted both their faces as they followed Naruto.
'I guess that means yes, then.'
Team 7 walked into the exam room and marveled at the amount of people taking the exam. Not one to be intimidated, Naruto shouted a confident vow of victory at those staring his team down.
"You all might as well quit! Konoha's Rookie 9 will blow through and rock you all like a hurricane! You can count on that!"
Behind Naruto, most of the boys from the rookie 9 pumped their fists in the air confidently while the Kunoichi aside from Mitsuko shook their heads. Hinata came up to Naruto and glomped him affectionately, helping to ease the tension in the room somewhat as the older participants turned around to ignore the loud blonde. As the commotion settled down, a grey-haired Genin with round glasses came up to the Rookie 9.
"You might not want to make so much noise." said the Genin. "The tension in here is still thick enough to cut with a Katana."
Within, the Kyuubi stirred.
"Naruto, watch yourself. There's something about this guy...but I don't know what. Don't let your guard down." said Kyuubi.
"Understood." replied Naruto wordlessly. Getting up, he greeted the Genin, who introduced himself.
"I'm Yakushi Kabuto." said the genin. "I'm a veteran of the Chunin exams, seeing as I have had to try this exam out for my seventh time now. Don't expect it to get any easier."
"I see." replied Naruto. "So, anything good come out of your losses?"
"Just these." said Kabuto, pulling out a stack of seemingly-blank cards. Channeling some Chakra into it, it revealed an information card on Kabuto himself. "These are nin-info cards, which are a compact way to carry any information on ninja with records. Looking for anyone in particular?"
"Let's try my info, for starters." said Naruto.
"Okay, Uzumaki Naruto... Hmm, it says here that you temporarily left Konoha for 6 years to train abroad, and after three years in a special program, you graduated from John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School at the top of your class, then spent three more years in a Private Military Company, eventually becoming Blackwater Security USA's Youngest Top Contractor before returning Konoha. Mission wise, you have done countless excursions into the middle east in areas such as Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. More locally, you completed over 70 D-rank missions and one A-Rank mission, in which you lost a team member. Am I right?"
"Y-yes." said Naruto, remembering Sakura's death, and shaking in slight anger. "Shit! This guy knows too much! I have to destroy those damn cards before they fall into the wrong hands!"
Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when Kiba decided to pick on Sasuke.
"Hey Uchiha, you've got some nerve coming in with a new Kunoichi this soon! Are you going to have her take bullets for you like you did with Sakura?"
In a flash, Naruto had Kiba pinned to the wall with his knife, the dog-nin hanging by the hood of his coat. Kiba saw the evident guilt and sorrow in Naruto's eyes as the Team 7 member spoke.
"Don't you dare try to blame Sasuke, Kiba." said Naruto, voice shaking. "If you're gonna blame anyone, blame me. I had a dented round and used up ammo too fast, keeping me from stopping Sakura's killer before he fired. It's not Sasuke's fault, damn it."
Calming down, Naruto turned to Kabuto and asked to see the deck of cards. As Naruto shuffled through each of them, he deftly used an erasing jutsu to permanently blank the cards with information on any Konoha ninja. That way, Kabuto couldn't get any info from them, even if he tried to re-record any information. Handing the cards back to Kabuto, he asked about other countries in the Exams.
"So, who else is participating in this brawlfest?" Naruto asked informally.
"Well," began Kabuto. "Most of the major countries have sent their shinobi here. Water Country, for example, has sent ninja from Kirigakure, and Wind country, ninja from Sunagakure. Also, Weaker villages looking to make a name for themselves, such as Otogakure, have sent their ninja here."
It was at this point the Sound Village shinobi made themselves known. one of them in particular, a boy with his face partially covered in bandages leapt at Kabuto, raising his sleeve to reveal an odd cannon-like contraption on his arm. Naruto stood still, he wanted to see what Kabuto would do. The Sound ninja descended on the veteran Genin, who seemed rooted in fear to the spot. Just as it seemed the boy's uppercut connected with Kabuto's face, the latter leaned back in time to avoid it.
Just then, a puff of smoke appeared at the front of the room, a booming voice telling the two, "Break it up, or I break your skulls."
Out of the smoke came Toboketsu Jounin Morino Ibiki, a tough-as-nails Interrogator who could easily fit in as a mafia enforcer.
"No fighting without my say-so, punks, otherwise, you and your team are disqualified." said the Jounin as everyone made their way to a desk. Ibiki introduced himself and explained the test, which had 9 questions on paper and a tenth verbal one that would not be revealed until later. Another stipulation to the test is that anyone caught cheating would get them and their team ejected from the exams. So, Naruto deftly pulled out his fiber optic camera and carefully snaked it around his table to find some answers. It was a tedious process, and he had, at one point embarassingly made the mistake of unintentionally getting an upskirt view of Temari. Needless to say, Naruto quickly had to make the camera retreat as his face flushed red. Finally seeing a person with all the answers, he began copying them down, carefully checking to make sure that he himself had not been spotted. A close call came by when a Kunai streaked past his head and lodged itself right next to an examinee's hand. That team was summarily disqualified. Luckily, Naruto quickly finished all his questions and flipped the paper over, a habit he carried from schooling in America. He allowed himself to rest until Ibiki announced it was time for the tenth question, and it was a do-or-die situation. Upon hearing the condition that they would never progress if they answered the question incorrectly, 3 teams left the room, and some of the Rookie 9 were beginning to doubt themselves and were making to raise their hands. However, Naruto would have none of that. Slamming his fist down on his desk, Naruto boldly stated his intention to lead Konoha to the top.
"Konoha as I know it is no weakling village. As far as I'm concerned, Each generation only grows stronger, and that is why I'm proud to say, always, Konoha Leads The Way!" declared Naruto. His words instilled confidence in those who doubted themselves, and Ibiki had to smile at the blonde's behavior. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto had a shot at becoming Hokage one day. With that, Ibiki announced that they had passed the test, and that the tenth question was really a ploy to test their courage. For the Rookie 9, that was no problem. If they were lacking courage, Naruto had plenty to spare. However, they wouldn't get a chance to rest as a brown and purple blur crashed through the window. At this, Ibiki sighed and pinched his nose bridge. Said blur came to a stop and stood up, revealing itself to be Hyperactive Toboketsu Jounin Mitarashi Anko.
"Anko, can't you use the door like a normal person?" asked Ibiki, still embarassed and frustrated.
"Using the door without damaging it is no way to make an entrance, Ibiki." replied Anko quickly. Taking a head count, she turned to Ibiki with an annoyed expression.
"There's close two dozen teams left! You're getting sloppy, Ibiki."
"It's not necessarily that. Maybe we have a large crop of stealthy little punks."
"Whatever, I'll reduce this number to less than half in the second exam. All right, maggots! Fall in and follow me!"
As everyone got up, Naruto cocked his M4 and slung it over his back, then checked his .45 to make sure that it was working and ready to fire. There would be no mistakes this time, if he could help it. His NVA pack was filled with provisions and supply scrolls to last them a couple of days. In case he lost them, he was prepared to hunt for food as needed. He just hoped he wouldn't lose his guns. That would make things much more difficult.
The examinees marched the back roads of Konoha until they arrived at the chain-link fenced training ground 44. Anko reappeared in front of all of them and announced the beginning of the second exam.
"All right, you snot-nosed brats! I'm Mitarashi Anko, and I will be your examiner for the second test of the Chunin exams. This test is a survival exam in the infamous Forest of Death."
Naruto scoffed at this. "Puh-leeze. I can't consider this a Forest of Death. There's no landmines, enemy artillery fire, punji sticks, hell, not even enemy machine gun nests! This is gonna be too easy!"
At those words, Anko flung a Kunai at Naruto, who deflected it with his large serrated knife, which, guided by his arm, parried a second Kunai from Anko when she suddenly appeared behind him. After a second or two of pushing their knives back and forth, the two withdrew their knives and sheathed them as they complimented each other.
"Not bad, Ms. Drill Sergeant." said Naruto.
"Same to you, Soldier boy." replied Anko. The two bowed to each other in respect, when suddenly, something tapped Anko on the shoulder with a voice to accompany it.
"Thcooth eh a'h, oo thopth thith. (Excuse me Ma'am, you dropped this.)"
Anko turned around. Said object that tapped her was an extremely long tongue holding the Kunai Naruto had deflected. The tongue was hanging out the mouth of a Genin from the Hidden Grass Village. The very sight disturbed the Toboketsu Jounin, causing her to shudder inwardly, so as not to be completely rude.
"Uh, Thanks, I guess." said Anko, taking the Kunai and wiping it dry. Going back to the podium, she handed out waivers to the Genin in the crowd, explaining that Konoha would not be responsible for their deaths in the exam, and that way, a war would not be a possibility. All the Genin signed their forms, knowing they could not continue if the forms were left unsigned. Upon turning in their forms, Team 7 recieved an earth scroll, and thus, as soon as they went in, were to retrieve a heaven scroll from a rival team and get to the central tower within 5 days. Even as Naruto was merely setting up his team with communications equipment like burst transmission radios and throat mics, calculations flew through his head a mile a minute. Gone was the dumb and ignorant child that left Konoha 6 years ago. In his place was a wise and strong tactician, continually coming up with contingencies for many situations. Some might say that he could rival Shikamaru as a genius in tactics, but he felt that was too much. He still doubted he could outsmart Shikamaru. All he really did to improve himself was read Sun Tzu's Art of War. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was a complete natural. As soon as Anko gave the signal, the gates opened up, and all teams rushed inside. Naruto took point for team 7, as he had the most offensive firepower. Sasuke and Mitsuko had decided to use their ninja weaponry. As they moved deeper into the forest, Naruto flipped the safety on his M4A1 off.
An hour later, the three continued making their way through the forest in hopes of finding an enemy team to take a heaven scroll from. Naruto then had to relieve himself, and told Sasuke and Mitsuko to go on ahead. As they split, Naruto went into some deep vegetation to relieve himself. When he was finished, he felt a large amount of killer intent behind him, and brought his M4 to bear. It was immediately knocked out of his hands and into a deep ravine Naruto had not seen before. Naruto dodged his attacker's swipes and drew his .45, only to have that join his M4A1 in the ravine. The attacker, who Naruto identified as a Hidden Rock Village ninja, pinned Naruto to the ground and attempted to finish Naruto off with a kunai. Only Naruto's quick reflexes allowed the blonde to parry as he intentionally locked blades with the rock ninja with his Survival knife. Noting that the rock nin was not doing anything to keep his other hand from being used, Naruto hooked the rock nin in the face, and quickly, Naruto aimed for the carotid arteries on either side of his attacker's neck and slashed them open. The shocked and surprised rock nin clutched his hand to his throat as Naruto flipped him over onto his back, then his belly once again. Using his attacker's inattentiveness, however temporary, Naruto plunged his survival knife into the rock nin's brain stem. The rock nin twitched in his hold, then remained still. Naruto pulled out the blade quickly, avoiding any sickening sounds in the process. Wiping the blade clean, he sheathed it and crouched low. Immediately, he began assessing his situation.
'All right,' thought Naruto. 'I'm isolated from my team, both my weapons are inaccessible and all I have are spare mags and my knife, I have no grenades, and no material to build an IED. Peachy. Looks like I'll just have to stay in the shadows and make sure I'm not compromised.'
Naruto then looked towards the body. 'If I have to kill an enemy, it's gonna be pretty messy. I'll also have to hide the body.'
Naruto went over to the rock nin's corpse and pocketed the heaven scroll he found on the body. As Naruto hefted the body and prepared to toss it into the ravine, he chuckled to himself.
"How strange. I thought I would have to attack many teams before finding a heaven scroll. And now, it just so happens I kill someone with a heaven scroll on their person. Either I'm really lucky, or this guy was just stupid. Probably the latter." said Naruto to himself as he tossed the body into the ravine. Turning around, he crouched down and began moving towards his teammates, wherever they were. before leaving, he remembered what he had contemplated at one point, and took the time to hack off some branches and began carve them into Eskrima sticks. Now he was relatively ready, though he still needed to fire treat the sticks... Naruto stalked off into the woods, using the shadows as much as he could.
It was going to be a very long 5 days.
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To be continued
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