Naruto Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Author's Note: My apologies for taking so long. My laptop exploded… It's not a lie, it really exploded, from the inside. Now I've finally bought a new one. I also rewrote a few parts of the previous chapter, since there were far too many errors in that one, be sure to read that one first!
Enjoy!
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The crowd, everyone, was silent. The silence seemed to echo throughout the entire stadium as all were too afraid to say even a single word.
Many wore scowls on their faces, few wore smiles and even fewer wore proud smiles.
The whispers that followed were anything but praiseful.
"That… that demon brat."
"Of course he won, he's the Kyuubi, after all…"
"Uchiha Sasuke-sama! I… I can't believe he lost!"
In the section where the other contestants were waiting…
"A-ah…" The boy hesitated in saying the word, but he really wanted to do it. "Overkill." He expected a vicious response from the two girls in the waiting arena, but none came; they stood unmoving. With that said, Chouji continued eating his chips.
Nara Shikamaru had his eyes narrowed. "This doesn't make any sense. I… like it, but it doesn't make any sense."
His teacher, Sarutobi Asuma, looked at his student with a smile. "Well, his sensei did mention to me that he was the most surprising kid he's ever met. To think that Uchiha Sasuke, was beaten that easily."
"But… He's strong, that Sasuke... And Naruto is that much stronger." Shikamaru surmised. "He's changed so much. He was that prankster who always goofed off. It doesn't make any sense." To see Shikamaru this disbelieving made Asuma chuckle a bit.
"Yes. Uzumaki Naruto has changed drastically." Aburame Shino joined in on the conversation. "My bugs tell me he's perfectly organized. And when my bugs speak of organized, they speak of Chakra. He has become an opponent my bugs want to face and don't want to face…" Behind his glasses, his eyes were as narrowed as Shikamaru's.
A bit further to the railing, Sakura and Ino were shell-shocked, while Lee was jumping and screaming about extreme youth displays. "Fuh-Forehead…. Sasuke-kun… he was, he was defeated."
Sakura was just staring between the completely beaten up body of Sasuke to the completely fresh and unharmed Naruto. 'Naruto's become really, really strong…'
Aerial Perspective
Chapter 9: Allies and Enemies
"Yeah… I thought he was strong. This confirms it. Man, I couldn't even follow that Uchiha brat's movements and Naruto was moving even faster." Sunagakure's Genin puppeteer uttered slowly. He was nervous, one could tell. But one couldn't tell what for. The young Sabaku took a look at his siblings and realized they were no different, even Gaara.
Releasing a sigh, Gaara started walking to the stairs that lead to the fighting area. "It's my turn now."
"Good luck… Ni-san." Temari quickly let out.
"Yeah." Kankurou added. "Try to go easy on the guy."
Gaara glared ahead of him. "No… I won't."
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Naruto felt pretty good about himself as he watched the unconscious Sasuke getting carried away by two medic-nin on a stretcher. He turned away from them and walked towards the stairs. "Wow..." He saw how most of the eyes of the crowd were on him. He felt weird as the weight of all those gazes landed on his person.
He chose to just stare at the ground and let a smile remain on his face as he did.
"Good match, Uzumaki Naruto."
He looked up to see Gaara descending the stairs. Right, the next match was between him and Rock Lee. Naruto chuckled shortly as the Fuzzy-Eyebrows was probably already on the fighting grounds, waiting. Looking over his shoulder, he was right and saw Lee staring at them.
With a grin, Naruto turned back to Gaara. "Thanks." He held out a hand. "Good luck, Gaara."
Gaara, hesitantly, brought up his own hand and shook Naruto's. As the red-haired Suna-nin walked by Naruto, he whispered. "Get ready."
Naruto nodded his head and continued his trek up the stairs.
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"I'm sure you've been waiting for this match, Kazekage-dono." Sarutobi Hiruzen commented as he took a drag on his smoke pipe. "Rock Lee is a very promising Genin." He continued after he released some smoke.
"I'm sure." The leader of the Sand let out. "But I'd rather have him fight against that previous fighter. That last match was truly something." Inside the disguise, Orochimaru wasn't pleased. 'That kid's too strong… He even forced me to retreat back in the Forest of Death. He needs to be disposed of.'
"Ah, but then, he will have to, if he wins this round." The Third turned to the area below. "But Rock Lee is not to be underestimated."
Orochimaru rolled his eyes as he followed the Third's gaze.
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The referee Hayate Gekkou took a glance at both contestants, before signaling that the match had begun.
Wasting no time, Rock Lee rushed forward, only to see he couldn't move. "W-what?"
"I have no time." Gaara seemed to explain. Lee looked down to see that sand was slowly going from his feet to his knees. "Sabaku Kyuu!"
Lee's eyes widened as the sand started moving up faster, up to his chest, only to…
Only to leave him completely.
With a massive roar, a huge wave of Sand whipped towards the small balcony where the Kazekage and Hokage were seated. Rock Lee watched in horror as the entire balcony was attacked. "W-what are you doing?"
"I am attacking the Kazekage, my father." Without turning towards the spandex-wearing Genin, he continued. "Our match is over, Rock Lee."
As the Sand cleared away from the balcony, everyone could see how ANBU were protecting the Third and how the Kazekage was protected by his own guards. "What is the meaning of this, Gaara?"
The Kazekage's powerful voice boomed all over the stadium.
Gaara stood his ground and gave a grin. "I'm stopping your plans to attack Konoha." He let out loud enough for his 'father' to hear.
Gaara's eyes widened as he sensed that Baki had appeared behind him, his Blade of Wind ready to slice him in half. 'Shit, my shield is no longer he-'
With a cruel sound, Baki's arm was suddenly ripped off and it hit the ground with a squishy sound. Gaara turned to see Baki glare at him. But he also saw Naruto behind Baki. And then the blonde slammed his fist into Baki's face, throwing the older Jounin into a wall and knocking him out. "I got your back, Gaara."
Gaara's eyes widened even further as Temari and Kankurou landed in front of him. "As do we." They both whispered.
"W-what's going on? Naruto-kun?" Lee asked as he was completely dumbfounded with everything that had just happened before his eyes.
"Lee." Naruto didn't really know how strong the spandex-wearing Genin was. "I think it's best you head for your teacher for orders. Cause everything's just gone to hell."
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The Sandaime Hokage noticed that the sand Gaara had used before had not been directed at him. "He was only attacking you, Kazekage-dono." He surmised.
Suddenly, a purple barrier surrounded the entire balcony and a part of the roof of the stadium. With a sigh, the Kazekage turned to the Third. "Although I didn't want it to go this way, I guess I'll have to make do."
Hiruzen didn't like this… "Shishi Enjin." Four Sound Shinobi were situated in the corners of the purple cube.
"Yes, quite the fortunate technique. Only you and your two ANBU versus me and my two guards." The Kazekage chuckled as explosions went off outside of the barrier, all around Konoha. "Konoha will be crushed… Sarutobi-sensei."
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Hayate Gekkou looked at the purple barrier, before he turned back to the situation in front of him. 'That Jounin from the Sand is completely knocked out.' His gaze went from the Baki's unmoving body to Naruto, who seemed to be talking to Gaara and his two siblings. 'That Naruto kid's no ordinary Genin…' He then saw how millions of white feathers were descending everywhere in the stadium. 'Genjutsu, huh?' he made the sign for Dispel and saw the four Genin in front of him do the same.
"You four… You seem to know more about this situation than I do." Gekkou let out without any coughs interrupting and approached Naruto and the others. "Explain."
"The Sand and Sound have collaborated. Their plan is to destroy Konoha completely." Gaara explained, somewhat coldly. "I have chosen to resign as a Suna-nin and have allied myself with Uzumaki Naruto."
"As have we." Temari and Kankurou nodded their heads as they focused on Hayate.
The referee took a look above and saw how Sand and Sound were fighting against Leaf Shinobi. "I can't trust you so easily, in this situation." He turned to Naruto. "Your orders are to stay with these three. You wi-" he got interrupted as Gaara chose to point his hands to Gekkou and a wave of Sand rushed towards him. "What are you-!"
Gekkou saw how the sand soared over, left and right, past him, to intercept an attack from a Sound Shinobi. "Interesting." Came an amused voice from behind Gekkou. "You've stopped my attack. I hadn't expected such a feat from a mere Genin."
Gekkou jumped and turned in mid-air as he created some distance and now stood in front of Naruto and the others. "And you are?"
The white-haired youth simply gave a grin. "I'll let you guess my Clan Name…" He whispered haughtily as bones erupted out of his elbows.
Hayate readied a sword. "He's got a Kekkai Genkai, is my guess. You keep your distance, he's no ordinary opponent." He ordered the Genin behind him.
And then, the white-haired Sound Shinobi rushed forward in awesome speed. Hayate could read his movements, though, and was ready for him. But then, Kimimaro faltered in his step and fell on one knee. He suddenly felt dizzy. "What?" He murmured as he held one hand against his head.
"You let your guard down, Kaguya Kimimaro."
Kimimaro shot a nasty gaze over his shoulder, one that promised immense pain. He saw a lone bandaged Sound Genin standing there. "One of those cockroaches that entered this Exam for Orochimaru-sama?" The Kaguya blinked as one of the Genin from before appeared before his new opponent. "You betray us and side with Konoha?"
"Obviously." Dosu answered. "There's no way we can beat Konoha. There never was."
The Bone User snarled. "For having no faith in Orochimaru-sama, your penalty will be… evisceration." Upping his body to Curse Seal Level One for a few seconds, he got rid of the motion sickness instilled to him by Dosu. "Get ready…"
But Kimimaro never expected to receive a blow to his head from the right a split second later. The blow was hard, too, as it sent him into one of the four walls of the fighting area. The same wall Baki was sent in, actually. Naruto had used his Shunshin to get behind Kimimaro and punch him in the face.
Gekkou let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. This Kaguya Kimimaro was no push-over. But to see him get knocked through a wall by a Genin… it lifted his spirits somewhat. "Uzumaki Naruto, right?" As the blonde turned, Gekkou took a step back. 'His eyes… they're red.'
"Yes. You want me to handle this guy, right?" The blonde asked.
"I want you to explain how one Sound and three Sand Genin are working with you."
"Oh." The blonde nodded once and noticed how Kimimaro was picking himself up. "That's easy. They're my comrades! You can totally trust them!" Gekkou's jaw went slack as he got the feeling the blonde's words were far from wrong. Far from wrong.
Dosu, Gaara, Kankurou and Temari had similar reactions. Somehow, they believed in Naruto's words.
"Alright, new orders." Hayate started. "I can't stay here and focus on this one guy." The Special Jounin looked up and saw the many fights scattered all around. "You five deal with him. After that, help everyone you can. Deal with your enemies without hesitation." He said the last part to the Genin who were not from Konoha.
With that, the Jounin left the Genin to their own devices. "Hey guys. I can handle this one by myself." Naruto started. "But we've got another visitor on the battlefield." Throwing a Kunai over his shoulder, he saw how it was easily evaded by Yakushi Kabuto.
"Quite the senses you have there, Naruto-kun."
"Why hide your presence from us if you're from the Leaf?" Naruto asked Kabuto as Kimimaro was on his feet again and glaring at him. When no response came, he took one short look at the glasses-wearing Shinobi, and Naruto knew when he saw that god awful smirk. "He's an enemy. You four deal with him, I have the feeling he's stronger than he looks."
With a puff and some smoke, Kankurou had summoned two puppets in front of him, Temari readied her Wind Fan, Gaara still had his arms folded and Dosu had his one eye narrowed, his metallic arm ready for use.
Naruto grinned and crouched till his knees touched the ground. "Right, let's get wild!"
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Asuma, Kakashi and Kurenai were back to back as they fought off Sand and Sound Shinobi. "What's going on, Kakashi? Why is the Hokage trapped in that purple Barrier?" The chain-smoker asked. "Are the Sound and Sand trying to overtake us?"
"Take a good look!" Came a new voice as Gai roundhouse kicked four weak Oto-nin to the side and landed in front of the trio. "Up there. It's not the Kazekage…"
"It's Orochimaru…" Kakashi had a bad feeling about this. Looking down, he saw one of his students work together with three Suna-nin and one Oto-nin. 'And just what is going on down there?' He had noticed that Gekkou had left them to fight off a Sound Ninja and a… Leaf? "You guys should try to break through that barrier. These Ninja here are small fry." He let out as he easily avoided seven Shuriken and threw one back, nailing his assailant in the neck.
"What about you, Kakashi?" Kurenai asked as she had trapped about eleven Sand Shinobi in an illusion and was taking it rather easy.
"My student… I need to know what's going on." And then, Kakashi saw how Naruto was fighting off the Sound-nin and the three Sand-nin, along with another Sound-nin were fighting off the Leaf-nin. "That is confusing."
"Your student can take care of himself, Kakashi. In case you hadn't noticed, he knocked out a Suna Jounin, a JOUNIN, with two blows." Team Ten's Instructor commented on the situation, lighting up a cigarette and kicking two Oto Chuunin away from him at the same time.
"I suppose."
"Yoshaaaaaa!" Gai screamed as Lee suddenly landed next to him. "Leeeee! Let's show them all who's bossu!"
"Ossu!" Lee bowed once, before defending himself from several Sound Chuunin. Lee had superior speed with his weights now off, so Gai wasn't worried.
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Sakura and Ino, meanwhile, were hiding behind a group of Konoha ANBU, while Shino and Shikamaru had disappeared from the small balcony they were on. Everything went to hell the moment that strange Genjutsu hit the stadium. The entire crowd was still asleep, minus the Shinobi amongst the crowd.
Dosu, the one Genin still from Sound in the Chuunin Exams, had jumped down seconds after that. Shino had said something to Shikamaru, BEFORE the Genjutsu, and the two had then just jumped off the balcony.
And Naruto had jumped off the balcony WAY before all that, to assist Gaara when that Sand Jounin was about to attack Gaara from behind. Temari and Kankurou had followed suit.
And now, they were just sitting on the ground, as the ANBU in front of them dealt with every attacker. "S-shouldn't we do something, Ino?"
"What can we do?" Ino felt completely helpless. "This is serious! Konoha is being attacked by two Countries!" And then an explosion came from down the fighting area. "W-what was that?"
"I saw it…" Sakura had been watching her teammate, Naruto, ever since the blonde had jumped down to help Gaara. "Naruto hit one of those Sound Ninja."
"A-Ah…." Ino didn't know how to respond to that. And then a thought came to her. "Hey, why is Naruto helping that Gaara guy anyway? Gaara's from the Sand, right? Sand is attacking us!"
"If you had paid attention, Gaara attacked his own Kazekage just before that weird Genjutsu!" Sakura explained, a bit annoyed. "And as you can see, those five down there are helping each other! The better question, MY question, is… what's that Sound Guy doing helping Naruto down there?"
"Hey, yeah…" Ino agreed. "That IS a better question."
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Kimimaro dusted himself off and faced the blonde Konoha Genin. "What's your name, Genin? Yours is a power I hadn't expected. I'll be returning that one tenfold…" The Chakra around Kimimaro increased in intensity.
"Heh. You can sure as hell try, boner." Naruto grinned. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto."
"Then, Uzumaki Naruto, get ready."
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki simply shook his head. "You guys are late."
Kimimaro moved his eyes to the right to see two other Konoha Genin standing there. One with his hands in his pockets, and the other crouched, with a seal active, pointed at him. 'He's using a Jutsu?' Looking better, he saw how the crouching one had a big shadow running from his legs to… to his own legs! "What is this?" he let out, aggravated, as he realized he couldn't move.
"Kage Mane no Jutsu, success!" Shikamaru snorted. "You're talented in landing into sticky situations, Naruto. Perhaps you should try to stay in bed next time."
Naruto couldn't respond as the Heir of Konoha's Bug Users started talking. "Already you can feel it, am I wrong?" Shino walked past Shikamaru and regarded Kimimaro with a cool gaze. No one could see it because of his glasses however. "My bugs are draining you of that volatile Chakra."
The young Kaguya was getting furious. "Volatile Chakra? I will show you… Volatile Chakra!" With a huge burst, Kimimaro went to Curse Seal level two, immediately releasing himself from the Kage Mane.
"That's impossible!" Shikamaru let out, his eyes wide in shock and fear. 'This guy… He's too much for us!'
Even Shino had taken a few steps back. 'My bugs dare not go near that lethal Chakra. But it seems it's even more lethal to the user.'
Kimimaro rushed forward, two sharp-looking bones in his hands. His speed was surreal. But he was completely overtaken by surprise as both his swords were stopped by a single sword. "Kenpou: Kuchiyose; Eigou Kaiki." Naruto explained as he saw Kimimaro's face.
"How… how can you keep up with my speed… and my power?" Kimimaro asked as he jumped back, not wanting to underestimate his opponent any longer. "And how come your sword can withstand my Bones? My bones can slice through any kind of metal."
Naruto grinned. "This sword is special. It automatically copies the skill of the sword hitting it. In other words, it becomes its equal. As such, my task is to be a better swordsman than my opponent."
"I see. But when it comes to the Kaguya, there is no better swordsman." Kimimaro started with a smug grin. "And where you have one sword, I have many!"
"You guys stay back!" Naruto ordered both Shikamaru and Shino. "This guy's too strong! Go help Gaara!"
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Kabuto was easily evading every attack thrown at him, even the tiniest grains of Sand coming from Gaara weren't hitting him. It was as if he could see and sense anything around him.
"This guy's not normal." Kankurou concluded.
"He is Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand man." Dosu spoke up beside Kankurou. "He's dangerous. I don't know if we can defeat him and he knows all my tricks."
"Do you know his?"
Gaara, Kankurou, Temari and Dosu turned to see Shikamaru and Shino adding themselves to the fighting party. Shikamaru was the one who asked the question.
"Unfortunately, no." The bandaged Dosu answered. "We'd best move with caution."
"You kids can run along, actually. My target is behind you. You're free to flee from the scene." Came the slippery voice of Kabuto, who was smirking at all the Genin in front of him. 'Six Genin… It shouldn't be too hard, but one of them is a Jinchuuriki… The others are of no concern.' He suddenly released a bit of Chakra around himself as a defense. "Aburame, eh? Your bugs won't be able to get near my Chakra; they'll be sliced. And you won't be able to catch me off guard, Shadow User." He addressed Shikamaru.
Both Konoha Genin, who had just jumped in, narrowed their eyes in annoyance. He knew too much about their abilities.
"Your target is Uzumaki Naruto?" Suna's Jinchuuriki spoke up. "And you are Orochimaru's right hand man?" He clenched his fists. "That man up there is not my father…" Kabuto could sense the anger in Gaara's voice. "Tell me, what happened to my father?"
'Should I enrage him further? My intel says he will lose control and attack friend and foe alike…' Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Ah, yes, your father… He was pretty weak for a Kazekage. Orochimaru easily killed him. He took a few of his Shinobi with him, but they proved to be unnecessary."
Gaara did get enraged… but he didn't lose control. "Despite my hate for my father… You and Orochimaru… and your entire Country are going to pay for all of this."
Kabuto just shook his head and motioned for them to come. "From now on, I'll be aiming to kill, not to hurt."
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He was trained to overcome, to kill. No one dared stand in his way once he started fighting. He was the leader of the Sound Four, the leader of four powerful Nin. He had been bested by no one except Orochimaru himself. Perhaps Kabuto was stronger, too, but he had never traded blows with Kabuto-sensei before.
But this kid…
This kid was completely owning him…
"I have no time to waste, bone user." His opponent's voice was deadly serious. "The Hokage is in danger and as one of his Shinobi, I need to help him."
"The Hokage?" Kimimaro grinned. "Orochimaru-sama is probably already putting his head in a paper bag as we speak."
The Kekkai Genkai user took a step back as Naruto's eyes changed color. Red… or was it orange? That… was definitely the wrong thing to say. 'Not good… I am already using my Curse Seal level 2… and he was already pushing me back before. Now it seems he's even stronger.'
"Your name… Kimimaro, right?" Naruto clenched both his fists tightly. "You are an enemy that needs to disposed of." Sage Chakra and Kyuubi Chakra were raging around his body.
Orochimaru's star pupil glared at the blonde, even though he was intimidated by the rising Killer Intent coming from Naruto. "Insolent little fool. You have no-" he got cut off by a massive blow.
"Fuuton: Genkosaku!" Kimimaro's entire body got smashed into the ground. He was too proud to scream because of pain, but he was very close to yelling out now. His entire left side of his body… was no longer there. Using Wind Chakra to power his blows, Naruto had it around his right fist as he had hit Kimimaro seconds ago.
"A…Uck!"
Performing seals, Naruto's gaze was hard as he looked at the suffering Kimimaro. "I'll destroy everything that threatens me and my friends… Fuuton: Ryoukan Furiorosu!" The blonde swung both his arms downward, towards Kimimaro.
And a massive crater was created as Wind Chakra slammed into Kimimaro's body, ending the bone user's life. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Kabuto look at him in shock.
Shikamaru and Shino were both panting and Naruto could see both were running low on Chakra. Gaara was still trying to hit the glass-wearing man, to no avail. Temari was resting on the ground, in a similar state as Shino and Shikamaru. Dosu was on the ground, unconscious but still alive. Kankurou was standing behind everyone and was doing close to nothing, except occasionally yelling at his younger brother to watch for any attacks coming from Kabuto. Beside the puppeteer lay his broken puppets.
Gaara stopped his attempts at hitting his opponent as he noticed that he was looking at Naruto, behind him. Slightly turning his head over his shoulder, to make sure Kabuto would not try anything sneaky, Gaara watched Naruto from the corner of his eye. 'He's already defeated his opponent.'
"Impressive, Naruto-kun." His voice had lost a bit of confidence. "I never thought anyone could deal with Kimimaro like that. You're quite the nuisance. As it is, I think it's best for me to take my leave." Bowing once, Kabuto quickly lowered himself in the ground.
"Should we go after him?" Gaara asked.
"No. We have bigger problems…" The blonde snarled as he stared at the Shishi Enjin in the distance. He shook his head and then nodded once. "I guess there's no choice…" Performing many sets of handseals, he held out both of his arms in front of his mouth and inhaled deeply. Similar to how Sasuke breathed out the Goukakyuu no Jutsu, Naruto unleashed the "Fuuton: Gufuu Suuheidou!"
He poured a massive amount of Chakra into the attack, resulting in losing his Sage State. But the outcome was awe-inspiring…
A vertical Tornado, packed with Wind Chakra, ripped through the area and was headed straight for the purple barrier… Or rather,
Straight for the building the purple barrier was on.
"… Naruto… What are you thinking?" Shikamaru asked warily as the ground was shaking. He cautiously approached the panting blonde. 'He defeated his opponent as if it was nothing…' The Nara thought as he stared at the several craters in the ground Naruto had created during the battle.
Shino, Temari, Gaara, Kankurou and Dosu were all staring at the tornado as it smashed into the building, making the Sound Four and everyone else in the ShiShi Enjin fall down. This made the Sound Four lose their focus and ultimately, making them cancel out the ShiShi Enjin.
"I'm… Out of Chakra, Shikamaru…" The blonde panted heavily and he fell down on one knee. "But that should do the trick. Please… Help Hokage-sama." He asked as he stared at Dosu, Gaara and the redhead's siblings.
"Don't worry." Shikamaru let out as he turned away from Naruto. "Despite the troublesome effort, we can't let you do all the work… unfortunately."
"Here." Shino threw Naruto a soldier pill, who in the meantime had fallen on his back. "It will replenish your Chakra Presence." The soldier pill landed on his chest.
"You can count on us, Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara slightly grinned at the recuperating Jinchuuriki.
"Yes, you have my word as well." Dosu bowed once. 'He defeated Kimimaro and made Kabuto retreat… I knew he was strong, but… I never expected to this extent.'
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Orochimaru skillfully landed on the ground and watched his opponent, the Third Hokage do the same. Beside him, stood his trusted summon, Enma, the great Ape. But then, he also had his strong undead summons, the First and Second Hokage right next to him.
Still, this wouldn't do. The Shishi Enjin was keeping the rest of Konoha out of the fight. And now…
Now, Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai and several other Jounin, including several ANBU squads were surrounding them. No, a retreat was in order. But how?
The sound four were all engaged in losing battles with higher-ranked Shinobi. They were definitely a lost cause. This plan had gone bad fast. More and more reinforcements were coming to aid the Sandaime and Orochimaru realized he had to do something big to get out of here. A summon would-
The Snake master snarled as his thoughts came to a halt. "Kage Mane no Jutsu."
Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chouza had joined the battle. Orochimaru saw how Shikaku's shadow had trapped him and both former Hokage. "You think you can capture three Shinobi of this caliber with that shadow of yours?"
Shikaku chuckled. "Not shadow. Shadows."
Then, with a start, he realized how more members of the Nara Clan were utilizing the Kage Mane on their forms. "You-!"
"Orochimaru." The Third interrupted. "Your summons will disappear when you die. It seems… there's no other way." There was definite sadness in the old man's voice.
"Sarutobi! I won't go down so easily!" Orochimaru tried with all his might to break free, but it didn't make any difference. To escape from one Kage Mane was hard enough. To escape from a dozen… was simply an impossibility.
"It's been too long. It is time to correct your past mistakes, Sarutobi." Came Enma's voice next to the Fire Leader. "Allow me to deal the killing blow."
Hiruzen nodded his head sadly and turned the other way. "I am sorry, Orochimaru."
Everyone watched as Enma crashed into Orochimaru's form, ending the Snake Sennin's life.
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An unfamiliar ceiling…
He felt sore all over and realized with annoyance that his body couldn't move without feeling pain. But that wasn't something to worry about now. He was clearly in a hospital bed, in Konoha. So Konoha had survived the Sand-Sound invasion. He wanted to know what happened. What happened to the old man and Orochimaru? He wanted to know if someone had died.
"I see you're awake."
An unfamiliar voice…
He gritted his teeth as pain hit his neck with extreme force. But he wanted to turn his head to see who was in the room with him. The first thing he saw was long purple hair and an ANBU Uniform. He swallowed deeply… here was a beautiful, unknown woman… What could he say?
"You're suffering from Chakra exhaustion. You won't be able to move for at least a day more, and that's with taking in consideration the Kyuubi's regenerative powers."
She was upfront.
"You've helped a great deal during the attack, Uzumaki Naruto." She narrowed her brown eyes at him. "Thank you for getting rid of the Shishi Enjin. Although it sent you in a life-threatening situation. You releasing that Jutsu seemed to have completely drained you from almost all of your Chakra. A simple soldier pill wouldn't have sufficed. You've been unconscious for two days. Quite a lot, for a Jinchuuriki."
"A…" His voice was completely gone, it seemed. He forced it through, though. "Anything… for the Hokage."
"Admirable." She nodded her head. "A few weeks ago… the Hokage came to me with a request. I refused it immediately. But now… I am taking the request into consideration."
"Who are you?" He rasped.
She smiled. Naruto was dumbfounded to see she kind of had a cruel smile… "Uzuki Yuugao. ANBU Captain."
So this was Uzuki Yuugao… One of the two women who could teach him how to deal with Genjutsu. "Ah…"
"As soon as you have recovered, I want you to see the Hokage's secretary. She will have a mission for you." She turned and went for the exit of the hospital room. "Also, congratulations."
As if reading Naruto's confusion, even though she had her back turned towards him, she added. "Congratulations on making Chuunin."
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A defeat at the hands of the class clown. A defeat at the hands of the dead-last. A defeat at the hands of a loser. A defeat at the hands of total moron.
A defeat at the hands of Uzumaki Naruto.
The Uchiha sighed. He knew the dobe had improved greatly over the last few months. He should've prepared more for the battle in the Chuunin Exams. He shouldn't have underestimated his teammate. Not by this much. The hate in the blonde's eyes had been apparent when he had released that last attack on him. Did Naruto really hate him? Did he really hate Naruto? He supposed he should be hating Naruto for defeating him. But… Somehow, he didn't. The fight had been one-sided, and Sasuke knew, he really KNEW, Naruto had been holding back.
The Uchiha himself had given his all.
"Damn it." He cursed. He was still in a hospital bed. He was out cold for the entirety of the Sand-Sound Attack.
But now he had someone to fight against, someone to train against, someone to compete with. A rival. To surpass Naruto was to become stronger. To become stronger was to get closer to defeating his brother. Yes, he was going to be training against Naruto to gain strength.
"Yo."
Sasuke looked up from his sheets to his Jounin Instructor. "Kakashi."
"How you holding up, Sasuke?"
"I'm fine." The young avenger scowled. "Stop asking me that question already."
"Well… You're still in a hospital bed." The lazy Jounin shrugged.
"You realize I have a few broken bones, right?"
"So… You're not fine?" The Copycat tried.
Sasuke ignored the question. "Why are you here, Kakashi?"
"Oh, right." He suddenly grabbed something out of one of his pockets and Sasuke got ticked off to see it was an Icha Icha Book.
"Well?" Sasuke asked, after a minute and a half. Even he had his limits of annoying silences.
"A medic-nin will be tending to your fractured bones today. You should be up and about in two days." He moved his gaze from his book to Sasuke. "We're going to be having more missions, higher ranked ones. Time for pleasantries is quite over, Sasuke."
The Uchiha grinned with confidence. 'Finally…'
"Naruto will already be on a mission starting tomorrow and that one may last a week or two. So we'll be having a substitute for him. A boy named Sai. He reminds me of you." Kakashi continued. "Sai is higher ranked than Genin, by the way."
Sasuke had frowned at the 'reminds me of you' part, but perked up at the 'higher ranked than Genin' one. Someone else to test himself against? "What about the dobe? Is this Sai a permanent substitute?"
"No. Naruto will be back, of course."
"Good." Unknowingly, Sasuke had let that one out at loud, making Kakashi frown a bit in puzzlement.
'I see… Sasuke's improving. That defeat was a good thing, then.'
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"I want you to come at me with everything you have."
After Naruto went to the Hokage's secretary, he got told to report at the interrogation section of Konoha. He wanted to see the old man, but he knew he was busy with a lot of meetings. After getting to the Interrogation Department, he found Uzuki Yuugao and Hayate Gekkou waiting for him.
After that, the two brought him to a training ground inside of the interrogation building.
".. You don't want that." Naruto replied to the request.
Gekkou frowned at Uzuki to see she was as neutral as usual, before turning back to Naruto. "I know you're good, but I'm a special Jounin. You don't have to worry about hurting me."
Naruto was focused on the sword in Gekkou's hands, though. "That a special sword, Hayate-san?"
"Yes. Why?"
The blonde shrugged. "Abilities?"
"Multiplicity." Gekkou grinned at the perplexed look on the blonde.
"What do you mean? It can make copies of itself?" Naruto frowned at the older man. "That doesn't make sense."
"No, it doesn't make copies of itself. It lets itself be copied, momentarily."
"Ok…"
"If I were to use Bunshin while I hold this sword, the sword in my Clone's hands is just as strong as the original. But the Bunshin itself would still just be an illusion."
"That's… pretty dangerous." The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki surmised. "That's actually pretty awesome!"
Hayate nodded his head. "Yes, it is. I can almost always hit my enemies."
Performing a few handseals, Naruto grinned like a madman. "Teach me Kenjutsu, please, Hayate-san! Kenpou: Kuchiyose; Eigou Kaiki!"
Hayate looked intrigued and even Uzuki's expression changed from neutral to curious. In Naruto's hands was a broad sword, obviously made to be handled by taller man than Naruto. It was broad and huge and one would think a boy like Naruto would use it more like a shield than a sword.
"What's that sword, Naruto-kun?" Hayate asked, getting a bit enthusiastic about having a Kenjutsu battle with someone again.
"It's the Eigou Kaiki… The Sword Of Eternal Recurrence."
"Isn't it a bit too heavy for you, Naruto?" Uzuki added her two cents. Hayate had to agree.
"No, it's weightless. Look…" As soon as he let the sword go, it vanished. "It responds only to my touch. When I release the sword, the summon ends. It can never be stolen from me, it can never be handled by someone else." Konoha's pariah seemed really proud of his sword as he explained it to his fellow Konoha-nin.
"So… Now you have to re-summon it again?" The coughing Jounin asked.
"Yup. But it's no big deal. I can perform handseals to summon it, but I can also do this." Pouring Chakra into his right hand palm, the Kuchiyose Fuuin seal in his palm activated and then, the Eigo Kaiki suddenly appeared.
Uzuki and Hayate were both dumbfounded. 'Fuuinjutsu?'
"So, what are its abilities?" Gekkou was really interested now.
"It copies anything it touches." Naruto grinned.
"What? Forever?"
"No, not forever. As soon as my sword touches anything else, the skill it's copied of the former sword disappears. So… Hit my sword, Hayate-san!"
"Alright." Hayate shrugged and did so.
"Now I have your ability. But since you're obviously skilled in Kenjutsu, you'd probably kick my ass. Usually when I use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu with the Eigou Kaiki, the Eigou Kaiki's ability only works with me, the original. Now, however…"
Gekkou and Uzuki watched as Naruto created about a hundred Shadow Clones. "How about this? Bunshin no Jutsu!" Both Jounin grinned wickedly as Naruto also created normal Clones, all with the Eigou Kaiki with the ability of Gekkou's sword. So all those swords, carried by a few hundred of Narutos were dangerous…
"I don't think you can handle this by yourself, Hayate." Uzuki grinned as she grabbed her own sword. "I've been waiting for a good work-out."
"Heh. You just want to do some slicing…" Hayate chuckled. "But by all means, let's do this."
The real Naruto, in the meantime, was hiding, watching the two Jounin with narrowed eyes. 'These two… can they make me stronger?' And then, his army of sword-wielding clones and shadow clones descending upon the duo. 'Let's see them survive this without a scratch first…'
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Yooo!
Sorry about the scene break thingies, but I don't know how else to make it easier...
Next Chapter will bring in some new allies… And will focus a bit more on other characters than Naruto.
Naruto's gotten real power hungry and his character has changed quite a bit. I saw one reviewer who had noticed that in the latest chapter. Naruto carries in him quite a load of frustration and anger. He is also quite tense, since he is carrying a lot of responsibility, given to him by his future self. I figured this was how his character would develop then.
I've given Sasuke a bit of a better character than in the Manga, or at least I think so…
And Danzo will make his appearance very soon. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And to the reviewer with the '9' comment; I've finally gotten past the ninth chapter! Getting past the nine is pretty hard, actually…
New Jutsu:
Fuuton: Genkosaku - Wind Element: Cleaving Blow
Fuuton: Gufuu Suuheidou - Wind Element: Horizontal Tornado
Fuuton: Ryoukan Furiorosu - Wind Element: Massive Downwards Descent (Actually pretty similar to Gaara's Sabaku Taisou, only this one's with Wind Chakra, thus stronger...)