Disclaimer– "Be obscure clearly." -E.B. White
The Maelstrom of Konoha-1.09
The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends
Well, I think that the cheating method I had Naruto use is entirely original. At least, I haven't seen anyone else use it. So I'm happy :D. Also, I'm going to begin writing I, HINATA soon. It will be very shot chapters, and written in a leisurely pace, so check it out sometime!. -Cantor
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Kyuubi studied the board carefully within the seal. A game of infinite possibilities; it was as complex as it was ancient. There were no set number of pieces, and the board had no set size. If more was needed, more was added. Pieces could be captured and used by the opponent in the game, or they could also be killed off, never to return to the board in this game. But a lower piece could never kill or capture a stronger piece—unless the piece was upgraded to an equal or stronger position, or had advantage in numbers.
For example, in the human game of chess, and in shogi, when some pieces move across the board to the opponents side, you can 'upgrade' the piece into a stronger piece. Such as pawn into a queen. This game had a similar condition. Upgrading a piece in this game however, was based on the piece's kills, captures, and time spent alive. Theoretically, if you never lost a piece, all of your pieces would eventually be upgraded to the highest piece there was, save the most important piece—the King, which represented yourself on the game board.
His style of playing, or strategy, was vastly different from his opponent's. While he preferred to rely on strong pieces and keep them low in number, which in turn made them upgrade quicker by getting a higher percentage of captures and kills, his opponent relied more on numbers, amassing a large number of easily killed pawns, backed up by a select few strong pieces. Both were valid methods to achieve the same end, but the Kyuubi was confident in his own abilities.
His opponent had made their move. Surprisingly unorthodox, his opponent's Guardian had moved towards one of his pawns, which was in a group with another pawn and Kyuubi's own Guardian. The group was protecting that section of the board from attack. It looked as though that pawn would be captured, allowing the second pawn in the group to be captured in the next move. Kyuubi could do nothing about it. He sighed, a deep rumble within the cage. Why bother capturing one of his pawns? Especially with his Guardian—one of the more important pieces of the game. In the entire game in which infinite pieces could upgrade to stronger pieces, the Guardian was unique for a number of reasons. To start off with, it was the only piece on the board other than the King that there could only be one of.
While it started off generally as strong as a pawn, the Guardian was the absolute only piece in the game that's strength changed rather than upgrading, since there is only one Guardian per side, then a Guardian never upgraded to a new piece. The Guardian was also considered one of the more versatile pieces, and could switch from offensive roles to defensive very quickly. It was a beginner's mistake to risk losing it. if one lost it, the only way upgrade a piece to the position of a new Guardian would be by killing another Guardian—or resigning a pawn to upgrade through every rank other than the Guardian while protecting the King. This made it a very difficult process to replace a lost Guardian. Having the Guardian openly attack pawns made it very open to attack, which risked losing it. However,his opponent at times was every bit as cunning as he was, and he was definitely up to something. The fox began studying the board again. He must have missed something, and he'd be damned if someone outwitted him; a fox.
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Naruto and the other genin hurriedly followed Anko across a stretch of Konoha to a training grounds at the outer limits of the village. Training grounds 44, otherwise known as The Forest of Death, loomed ominously over their heads from behind the fence. Even outside of it, training grounds 44 gave off a distinct feeling of imminent danger. A few noises could be heard from the thick growth of trees, and it was disturbing to everyone present when several calls were suddenly cut short.
Anko stood in front of them next to the fence, smiling as though she were completely comfortable in this setting. Maybe she was. 'Crazy woman.'thought Naruto with a smirk. He listened carefully as Anko explained the rules to this second exam. Two types of scrolls, one given to each team. Each team must have one of each type before the end of the exam, as well as reach the goal; the Tower in the middle of the forest. No rules as far as fighting—casualties are expected. Anko handed out a waiver for each team to sign, essentially agreeing to the idea that they understand that their deaths are possible, if not probable, and that they don't hold Konoha responsible.
Naruto turned towards his teammates as they each signed the form. "This exam won't be too difficult," he said over the other teams talking. Maybe he said that too loud. He felt a kunai slice across his cheek, and before he could even turn to see who did it, Anko was beside him. She licked the blood from the cut on his cheek slowly, easily creeping out the already scared genin.
Anko spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "Usually the weakest bark the loudest." But as she held Naruto close, he could easily hear her whisper one thing to him before she let him go. "good luck, Naru-kun. I'll be waiting at the Tower."
Another genin retrieved Anko's kunai for her, holding it in a long slimy tongue. Anko amazingly didn't seem fazed at all by the genin's...creepiness, and thanked him with a smile. Maybe it was a battle of how creepy someone could be? Naruto stayed out of it. Afterwards, all the genin double checked their packs and turned in their wavers to the desk, and received their scroll; either Heaven or Earth. Once all the teams were accounted for and everyone was ready, they were shown to the gates, which after a few minutes swung open with horn blast to signal the start of the second exam.
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Neji scanned the area carefully with his Byakuugan before turning towards his team. They were resting at the base of a tree just inside the forest. They hadn't sped ahead like most of the other teams. After all, why should they do just what every other team was doing? A successful ninja was unpredictable, and doing what every other team couldn't be considered that by any means.
"We're going to be resting here most of the day," he said. "Everyone gather supplies for the camp, and then afterwards we'll all go scouting on other teams. By nightfall, we'll attack one and have our scroll. Clear?"
Lee and Tenten nodded, both of the smiling. Neji might be a little stuck up at times, but he was a good team leader when Gai wasn't around, and both of them understood the importance of good leadership. Each of them took out their weapons and checked them over. The last thing they needed was to get into a fight only to find out they'd not brought enough kunai. Tenten, as always, was ready to give them any kunai if they needed them.
"Return here in three hours to report before we decide who to attack." All three of them stood and looked at each other before jump off in different directions. The quicker they finished this portion of the exam, the more time they had to prepare for the final portion. Unfortunately for Tenten, her teammates did have ulterior motives in mind.
'Sakura-san!'
'Uchiha, Sasuke. I will show you what a true genius is.'
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Team 8 was currently swiftly traveling through the trees, with Kiba in the lead. He occasionally sniffed the air to make sure they wouldn't run into anyone up ahead. After all, you could never be too careful. Shino was behind him, although he wasn't using his bugs for scouting. They had a different purpose. They had thought this through carefully, and they decided that an early trap would be the easiest method. Shino had made sure his bugs were swarming in an entire clearing of the forest, and Hinata would find a group of enemy ninja to lead into the clearing. simple, unexpected, and effective; the three keys to making a good trap.
"Ano...they're catching up." Hinata had her Byakuugan active, watching the ninja that were trailing them.
Kiba turned to her with a confident smile. "Don't worry, we're almost there, Hinata. Shino, are your bugs ready?"
Shino adjusted his glasses and spoke quietly. "They are always ready."
"As long as they don't screw this up."
"They do not fail."
"Uh huh. Well I'm just saying, how intelligent can bugs be?"
Shino's glasses flashed dangerously. Whether he made any facial expression behind that collar of his remains yet unknown. It was apparent to his teammates that he was getting annoyed however. This was a somewhat common occurrence though. Both Aburame and Inuzuka were persistent in the belief that their own animal or insect was superior to the other's choice. "How intelligent can a dog possibly be? Insects have been around longer than humans, and will survive us as well. They are superior—and they live a structured, highly developed lifestyle."
"Feh. Just make sure you drain their chakra. Hinata said they didn't have huge chakra pathways to begin with, but I want to make sure they're as weak as possible before any of us attack them."
None of them spoke for a while. Kiba was being a little too rude and Shino was silently annoyed. Hinata just remained silent. She'd never be the one to speak through such a thick tension. Finally however, they landed in the clearing that they had chosen beforehand and turned to wait for the other team. Kiba sniffed the air again and spoke.
"They're here."
Three Iwa nin jumped through the bushes, and got into a stance to attack Team 8. They were all dressed the same way. Somewhat drab clothes in varying shades of brown and gray, as well as thick cowls covering the lower portion of their face. Altogether, the team looked like they could be siblings. That might just be because so much of their body was covered though.
Kiba suddenly tensed with Akamaru, and got ready to charge toward them, but Shino held out his hand. "That's not them. Hinata, look with Byakuugan. My bugs are looking for the real ones right now as well, but surely you can find them quicker."
Hinata nodded and made the seal. "Byakuugan!" After a few moments, she turned and pointed to a spot in the trees at their side. "They're hiding over there, watching us."
Shino nodded calmly and then there was a huge swarm of bugs as he sent them off in the direction Hinata had pointed to. There were muffled sounds amongst the sound of the swarming bugs, and after several moments, the clones of the Iwa nin dispersed and Shino adjusted his glasses before speaking. "Go in, Kiba. The bugs are finished eating."
Kiba shivered at the tone and Shino's use of words, but nodded and hurried in while Hinata and Kiba waiting in the clearing. Finally, there was a shout and Kiba came hurrying out with a smile. "We're in luck! Looks like they had the scroll we needed! Let's take a short break and hurry to the tower. I want to be the first team there! Let's see what team 7 makes of that!"
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While other teams were doing well, team 7 wasn't having any such luck. They had got off to a good start, to be sure, but it wasn't long before they had run into their first problems. It seems good luck has to end at some point, and after doing so well with their negligent sensei, and surviving the mission to wave, team 7's luck seemed to have run out.
When they had first entered the forest, they had traveled smoothly without running into any teams. This suited them well, since none of them had any scouting abilities to forewarn them if any team was up ahead. Better to not see any teams at all than to fall into a trap. Instead, they planned on speeding towards the tower, and waiting for a team that was about to finish the exam before attacking, and taking that teams scrolls. This worked well, until they took a break and Naruto went off to relieve himself. When he came back, Sasuke immediately noticed a slight difference in Naruto's weapon arrangement, and called him out on it. By punching him.
With a resounding smack, Naruto fell back onto the ground, and both of the boys ignored Sakura's shout, "What are you doing?"
'Naruto' poofed back into an enemy nin—a rain nin, with with breathing apparatus and funny yellow brown clothes. Sakura fell quiet after realizing what had happened, and a short fight followed, in which Sasuke used one of the moves he'd seen Naruto use—flinging a kunai back with just his chakra. The kunai managed to hit the unsuspecting rain nin, and he had to make a quick retreat to clean the wound.
They untied Naruto, and just after doing so, Sasuke took charge again. "Alright, I'm going to set a ground rule. I think it's clear that there could be situations where we'll get separated. If that ever happens, don't trust anyone even if he looks like us. There's a possibility the enemy will transform into one of us like that last guy did. So I propose a password."
Sakura and Naruto both nodded, and leaned in to hear the password.
"One of us will ask, 'The ninja song, Ninki.' Then the answer is: "It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired, and has his guard down."
Sakura nodded again, as did Naruto, but he looked more confused than anything else. Sasuke took the scroll and they all stood, prepared to move out again. Shortly after Sasuke finished though, a huge gust a wind blasted into the group, and while Sasuke and Sakura managed to dodge, Naruto got the full blast, and the wind carried him away from the others.
He returned a few moments later, rubbing his head, when Sasuke stopped him and asked for the password. Of course, he answered perfectly. That was a problem. He threw a kunai at Naruto, and explained that the real Naruto wouldn't have remembered the password. Sasuke revealed yet another impostor. This time a Grass nin, the same one that tried to scare Anko.
"Very good." the Grass nin rasped sinuously. "Prey must always be on guard, Sasuke-kun. Now, let me have my fun."
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Gaara was never noted by others for his force of will, or his patience. Gaara himself knew better though. They didn't have his urges. They didn't feel the need he felt for blood. They never once took life, and relished in it. They never once found prey and showed restraint, for Their sakes. They didn't have Mother.
"MORE. I want MORE. Kill. Slaughter. Maim. BLOOD."
The voice echoed in his head. Always. Day and night. Never ending. The only time Mother wasn't so demanding was on quiet nights, when no one else was around. To satisfy her hunger. Then Mother got quiet, and she would leave Gaara. Alone.
Gaara clutched his head for a moment as the voice got painfully loud. It was always like this around enemies. Mother would get restless. She would expect her son to take care of her. And even though Gaara could show restraint that would normally put anyone else to shame, now was not that time.
Gaara wanted blood too.
He raised Mother's meal above his head with his sand. Or mother's sand? He frowned for a moment, making his siblings step back from him. He didn't notice though. 'Am I mother? Or are we different? Is this my meal? Or hers? Is there a her at all?'
After thinking for a moment, he realized it didn't matter. He smiled suddenly, making his face even scarier than before. Ignoring there pleading, "Let us go! We'll give you the scroll! Please!" Garra raised his fist slowly, and enjoyed the look on their faces as they realized it was over. These were weaklings anyway. They deserved to die.
"PLEASE!"
"Sabaku Kyuu."
There cries only increased the hunger. Gaara raised his head to feel the droplets of raining blood pelt his face, relishing the warmth. Now, to find a strong opponent.
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Tenten watched the team of genin in front of her, who were in turn watching a group of sand nins...brutally kill their enemy. She almost heaved at the sight. Luckily, she hadn't, and the team of genin in front of her still didn't know about her presence.
The one called Kiba backed away slowly, his eyes wide. "Holy shit," he swore. "That guy is crazy!" He turned towards his teammates fearfully. "We shouldn't be here! What if he sees us? There's no way we could fight that!"
Silently, Tenten agreed. No, no one in the area could fight that. She doubted whether even Neji or any of the strong genin could touch that sand genin. Judging by the how the team in front of her was acting, they knew that as well. Idly, Tenten looked at the Hyuuga. Neji had mentioned her, saying she was of the main house. So far, she didn't seem to fit Neji's description of a main house member at all. She was shy, soft spoken, and she seemed concerned for her teammates more than herself.
Shino adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly. Much calmer than he felt inside. "And I believe you were the one who wanted to scout around for fights to 'eliminate the competition.' Do you see where this leads us now? Your stubbornness and lack of prudence could lead us into an enemy such as that."
Kiba snarled, but couldn't argue. Shino was right, and he knew it. "Fine! We'll head to the tower. I doubt I could even get Akamaru to fight after seeing that anyway."
Shino nodded, and Hinata stepped forward to whisper something, causing both of the genin to stiffen. Tenten, who had been leaning forward to try and hear what Hinata had to say, suddenly stiffened herself. 'Oh crap. The Byakuugan! Of course!'
Suddenly, all three of the genin were around her, and she had nowhere to go. In between each of the genin were...bugs? She pulled out several kunai and got into a stance. She would have to fight her way out, it seems.
Shino stepped forward. It seemed he had taken the lead after Kiba had messed up before. "Who are you, and what do you want? If you're looking for a scroll, there is little chance you will get it from us in this situation. On the other hand, Hinata says you do not have your team's scroll, and that they are nowhere in the area. We don't have to fight."
Suddenly, the significance of the bugs clicked, and Tenten nearly smacked herself for her stupidity. 'Of course...and Aburame. Wow Tenten, you sure got yourself into trouble this time. Out of all the teams to spy on, you chose a team with an Inuzuka, a Hyuuga, and an Aburame. Clearly a scouting team.'
Tenten sighed in defeat and put away her kunai slowly, knowing she was clearly outmatched. Immediately, the Inuzuka boy jumped forward and grabbed both of her arms, while the Aburame boy's bugs got closer. "I thought you were going to let me go?" She asked, suddenly alarmed.
The Aburame, Shino, she thought she heard his name was, spoke calmly to her as his bugs began to drain her chakra. "I believe you have misunderstood. I said that we did not need to fight, not that we would let you go. If we leave without disabling you, then you or your team might attack us later. For now, we will take you with us as a bargaining chip for your team."
Tenten glared indignantly at him as she sloped to the ground, suffering from lack of chakra, and the Inuzuka began to tie her up like some piece of meat. The Hyuuga girl gave her an apologetic look, but Tenten didn't see it. Neji wouldn't allow the team to do this to someone. She could see why he didn't like the main house members.
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Sasuke watched as the gigantic snake that had been about to kill him was stopped short. His eyes widened in shock. His breath quickened. How does this happen? Why can't he get away from this guy? He could not compete with this genin, and any second he could be killed! He had already been lucky several times, and who know what stopped the snake this time.
A voice, barely audible and laced with stress floated out of the smoke. "What's wrong, scaredy-cat?"
Sasuke looked down quickly, as did Sakura and grass genin. "Naruto!" shouted Sakura, seeing their blond haired teammate. He was holding the snake back with just his body, having seemingly jumped in front of it to save Sasuke. He was glaring at Sasuke, and abruptly, the Uchiha realized just how foolish he was being. He smirked, and suddenly Naruto seemed to relax. Not for long though.
The genin's tongue had snaked around Naruto and pulled him to his face. "Hmm. So this is the 9 tail brat?" He pulled up Naruto's shirt to check the seal. "Interesting..." he held his hand back as though to make a fist, but instead, each finger glowed with chakra individually. "Goguou Fuuin!" His hand smashed into Naruto's stomach, knocking the air out of him and making him cough. He tossed Naruto aside, not even checking to see if Naruto was actually finished.
Naruto slowly felt consciousness fading, and the last thing he heard was Sakura calling his name. He woke up in a familiar, dark, damp place. The Kyuubi's gloomy cage was off to his side, and he slowly got up to look at the fox. He was never brought here without a reason.
He decided to get right to the point. "What do you want?"
A rumbling noise came from the fox's cage. Whether it was a growl or laughter, Naruto couldn't tell. It was too faint. Slowly, the fox's gigantic form came closer to the edge of the cage, and Naruto could see it clearly. Not too far behind it he could see the same game board as last time. Evidently it was the same game, as well. There was no sign of the opponent though.
"Whelp. It seems you allowed yourself to be sealed. Each time I see you I am more and more disappointed in your strength."
Naruto's eyes widened as he remember what was happening before he fell unconscious. "Sasuke! Sakura! Let me out, bastard fox! I have to go help!"
"No. You won't be able to do anything. You are unconscious now, you imbecile. You even used my chakra, and still were defeated. You didn't even think to use any jutsu. You are pathetically weak." The fox stared at him in silence for some time, while Naruto glared back as best he could.
"Then make me stronger, if it's such a problem for you, oh almighty fox."
The fox chuckled mirthlessly."You want me to help you? You will have to beg on your hands and knees, be my faithful servant, and worship me as you would a God, before I even consider the idea."
"Screw that. You'll make me more powerful whether you like it or not."
"Hardly. However, outside of tearing my seal off, there is only one other way for me topromise to make you stronger."
"And what is that?"
The fox was silent for a moment before showing it's fangs, as if it was smirking. "You must promise to kill the Uchiha clan for me."
Naruto didn't even bother to consider it. "No way! Sasuke is my team mate!"
The fox barked a laugh. "There is more to the Uchiha than your precious team mate..."
"Either way, the answer is no." said Naruto, crossing his arms. "I'll get stronger on my own, and you can shut the hell up from now on."
"You will always be weak." snarled the fox.
"I don't care." Naruto began to walk away, but he stopped suddenly and turned to face the fox. "Who are you playing against, anyway? I don't see anyone else in that cage." he nodded towards the game board behind the fox.
"Not anyone you're familiar with."
"You never answer clearly."
"Just tear off the seal, and everything can be yours..."
"Not buying it."
Naruto could feel himself waking up slowly, and waved once to the fox, making sure it was looking before he mooned it. He woke up slowly, blinking blearily at the brightness. He was inside a shallow cave. Seemingly a hollow under a tree more than a cave. Suddenly he heard a scream, and he sat up with a jolt. 'Sakura? That's right, that snake guy...'
He ran out of the cave, to what was the last thing he was expecting to see. Sakura was on the ground, beaten and worn, it looked like she'd not slept for days, and she'd been through a few fights. Behind her was Sasuke, surrounded by purple chakra, grabbing a sound genin's arms, with a look of pure enjoyment on his face as he ripped the arms out of the sockets, probably breaking them at the same time.
Another sound genin was getting up off the ground. He had a huge metal weapon attached to his arm. He held up his arms in surrender, and Sasuke slowly calmed down, the purple chakra surrounding him fading. Sakura ran up to him and held him from behind, sobbing.
Abruptly, Naruto realized the presence of several other genin. Team 10 was there, looking at Sasuke with wide eyes, shocked at his brutality. Even Ino, who normally would be yelling at Sakura for hugging Sasuke, looked hesitant to go near him now. She turned to see Naruto, and smiled suddenly.
"Naruto! You're awake!" She hurried over and checked him for injuries. "You're not hurt? Why were you unconscious? I haven't even been able to talk to Sakura about what happened yet." She looked over to the crying girl worryingly. "And I don't feel like talking with Sasuke right now..." she added in a low voice.
"I'm fine Ino. All I remember is running into this really strong Grass genin. He could summon snakes, like Anko."
"Anko? The examiner? I didn't know you knew her..." she thought about it for a moment before her eyes widened. "Wait, so if you knew her beforehand, then what was that about before the exam?"
Naruto blushed. "Ah, she helped out my taijutsu a bit before, and wished me luck. She's kind of crazy though, I don't suggest trying to get to know her." he admitted.
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Neji glared furiously at Hinata. How dare she? How dare she do such an underhanded, dishonorable thing? Behind her and her team was Tenten, tied up as though she were a pig about to be roasted. Both Tenten and Hinata didn't meet his eyes. Tenten he could understand. She was ashamed. Ashamed of being caught. Hinata was Ashamed. Ashamed of herself, because he was a branch house member, better than her at using the Byakuugan and the jyuuken. How dare she?
He dropped into stance, feet wide apart, one hand behind him facing skyward, the other in front of him, facing his enemy. He would deal with these rookies, and show them what a true Hyuuga can do.
They obviously underestimated him because of Hinata's weakness. She was a weak Hyuuga.
Hinata's teammates stepped forward in front of her, as if to guard her from his wrath. Beside him, Lee finally got into stance as well.
"Perhaps you do not understand." the Aburame said. "If you attack, I will have to hurt her." he pointed towards Tenten, whose eyes widened at the threat. She immediately looked at Neji for reassurance.
Neji took a step forward, about to charge. He could beat them both back before they even touched Tenten, but a wall of kikai bugs shot up, forcing him to stop. He couldn't fight these bugs. Already, they came closer to him.
"Kaiten!" the bugs scattered quickly, before he could even begin the move. They would tire him out like this. "What do you want?"
"Your scroll."
Neji glared at Hinata, who looked down and pushed her fingers together. He grunted and pulled out one of the scrolls he and Lee had collected. It did not matter. They had extras, exactly for this purpose. But for Hinata to be the one he must bargain with! It infuriated him! He put the scroll down and stepped back, allowing the Inuzuka dog to pick it up and carry it off with the Inuzuka. Once he was gone, Hinata following, the Aburame, Shino, nodded and jumped away as well, his kikai bugs leaving at last.
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Naruto sighed as they once again passed the same tree as before. He knew it was the same one. He had marked it with his kunai after thinking that they'd been walking in circles. Now he knew they were right.
"We're walking in circles."
Sakura turned towards him, mouth open to argue, but Sasuke grunted in agreement, and her mouth snapped shut. Kabuto, who had joined them not too long ago, smiled as he looked around in interest.
"I don't think our sense of direction is the problem. We are in a genjutsu."
He pointed towards the tower, in the distance. "I don't think that tower top has gotten any closer at all today. If we were lost, we'd at least change in position relative to that tower." He raised his voice. "You might as well come out now, we know your there."
There was silence for a long while before the bushes began to rustle to their side, warning them of a barrage of kunai hurtling through the air at them. They all managed to dodge, but they quickly found themselves surrounded by clones of rain nin. The same rain nin that had attacked them before, except this time he was with his team. The four konoha nin, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kabuto, all got into stance and got ready for the fight. Naruto could hardly wait. He needed some action after getting knocked out by the snake freak so quickly—and after missing the fight with the sound nin.
The fight was quick, and by the end, team 7 had their second scroll. Naruto immediately made groups of clones to fight the rain nin's clones. Then while Kabuto, Sasuke, and Sakura all hid in the bushes, he made 3 more clones to look like them.
The rain nins didn't catch this quick trade off of course, and as they began to attack Naruto and his three supposed companions, the real Sakura, Sasuke, and Kabuto all watched carefully to see where the actual rain nins were. Needless to say, they found the rain nins, and managed to finish the fight.
After the rain nins were down, the genjutsu faded, and the true tower finally appeared. They all smiled, glad to have finally finished this second exam, and hurried towards the tower.
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End of CHAPTER 9
Preliminaries, Next Chapter! I may write this chapter quicker than I scheduled, simply because it doesn't require much work. Or something like that. I just feel like I can write it quickly, even if I have other fights planned. Sooo expect it in...two days? So the 24th?
Also, check out my 'I, HINATA', which I'm writing the first chapter for and will post by the 24th as well. Speaking of which, if any female readers are willing to pre-read the chapter for me and make it sound more feminine (it's written in first person) I'd be really grateful. I,Hinata won't be updated by a schedule...I'll just write in it when I feel like it. See you all Thursday.
