Chapter 10: Relevations
Orochimaru was a tall man with extremely pale skin and waist-length black hair. He had a long face with pronounced cheekbones, golden eyes with slits in his pupils and purple markings around his eyes. He wore plain grey garbs with black pants and a thick purple rope belt tied in a large knot behind his back and blue tomoi-shaped earrings. He wore a black polo neck under it.
Naruto's eyes widened with disbelief. "Orochimaru! Why are you here?" Orochimaru gave off a slow laugh. "Naruto-kun, you really think I wouldn't be here? Such a pity. I've always had my mind on the Uchiha and Jinchuriki. Konoha has both of what I wanted, and at such a time when it would be so easy to snag you to while pretending you were killed…well I just couldn't pass that up."
Naruto's eyes widened before they narrowed, immediately forming a shadow clone. "Find Sasuke, Sakura, and Anko. Get them. Move!"
The shadow clone nodded, disappearing in a burst of speed. Naruto then raised a hand, forming a seal before shouting, "Kai (Release)!" at the top of his lungs. The Restriction Seals around him immediately deactivated. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"What's this? You're already releasing your seals? I thought we could have a little fun."
"Against an opponent of your status, I'd have to go all out if I wanna survive."
"Wow Naruto-kun, I'm flattered."
Naruto immediately tensed, getting into a defensive stance. He didn't know how Orochimaru had so much information on him, but that made him even more dangerous. More dangerous than the fact that whether or not he was being offensive or defensive he would be on the back foot. However, going by the style that Anko used when he fought her, he thought it would be the former.
Orochimaru smirked, launching forwards in a burst of speed that made Naruto's eyes widen. 'So fast,' he thought before raising an arm to block his punch. Only his training with Anko prepared him for the snakes that shot from Orochiaru's sleeve. Naruto instinctively switched from defense to offense. He let his arm fall slack, avoiding the snakes bites before grabbing them. With a yank he pulled Orochimaru towards him, although it was obviously with great trouble. He then turned, throwing the snakes over his shoulder. However, unlike he expected, Orochimaru's body did not follow, instead he felt to feet impact with his back before they kicked off, sending him flying into a tree.
Naruto groaned as he spat out the blood that formed in his mouth. He turned, to see Orochimaru staring at him with a sickly sweet smile.
"Come, come Naruto-kun. The fun is only just beginning."
Naruto did what any sane person would do in that situation.
He ran from the Sannin as fast as possible.
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Rishin ducked under the blade swipe, grasping his blades hilt. He brought it up with force, attempting to bisect Sasuke from the bottom up, however Sasuke quickly focused chakra into his arms and brought them down, forcing the two to come to a crossroad. The world around them moved in slow motion as their blades came down. If things continued as they were now they both would bisect each other and the match would end in a draw. Sasuke frowned as he noticed the blade almost touch his clothes before sighing and shooting off just in time for the blade to only nick his arms. However, the Uchiha was enjoying himself. It was a sword fight and sword fight only. Granted, if he had to stop holding back he would but for the time being he wouldn't. This was the chance to test out his Kenjutsu skills in combat with an unrelenting opponent.
Rishin smirked.
"Afraid are we? Does a mighty Uchiha fear death!?" Rishin roared with obvious hate.
"Why do you seem to hate Uchiha's so much?" Sasuke asked. Rishin narrowed his eyes. "That's none of your business you filthy degenerate! I'm gonna kill you!"
Sasuke's eyes widened. "I see." He stabbed his blade into the ground and weaved through hand signs effortlessly. "If that's how it's gonna be. Katon: Karyūdan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet)!"
Sasuke's chest expanded before he fired off a large trail of flames from his mouth directly at Rishin, however the teen laughed. "Please! I'm a Kiri-nin, such a weak flame won't even warm me up! Suiton: Suigadan (Water Release: Water Fang Bullet)!"
Rishin's cheeks swelled to impossible sizes before a ton of water flew from it, spinning like a drill as it collided with Sasuke's jutsu. The two jutsu fought for dominance for a brief moment before they extinguished each other, combining into steam that blanketed the area.
Sakura cursed as she saw the steam. For the Kiri-nin this would likely be no problem, but Sasuke would have a slightly more difficult time. He couldn't see through the mist, even with his mighty Dojutsu activated.
Rishin swung the blade to cut Sasuke in half, only for it to be blocked with Kubikiribocho. His eyes widened as he saw Sasuke smirked at him.
"How?"
"I have an excellent sensei."
Rishin snarled, pushing forwards but Sasuke just pushed back, fully prepared for Isshin's overwhelming strength this time. With a good ground he couldn't lose. This thinking was quickly corrected as Rishin began to slowly push him backwards, causing his eyes to widen.
"You have got to be kidding me," Sasuke mumbled. Rishin smirked, pulling back and sheathing his blade, forcing Sasuke off balance. He then shot forwards with his blade in a thrusting motion, clearly intent on killing said Uchiha.
Sasuke's eyes widened before he cursed, forming a single handseal and glancing at the closest thing to substitute with, avisible log.
Sakura nearly tensed as she saw the mist clear, and the sword in the log. If she hadn't noticed it was a log she was sure to have launched at Rishin in pure rage with everything in her power to kill him, although it likely would have failed. If Sasuke couldn't beat him, and he was no doubt stronger that she was, how could she hope to?
Instead she smiled at seeing Sasuke standing upside-down on a tree that was in front of Rishin, his hands clasped in a hand seal. Sasuke jumped from the tree, flipping in midair as he came down on Isshin. The teen cursed, grabbing the hilt of Kubikiribocho in his haste to defend against the strike. Sasuke smirked as his hands slammed into the flat of the blade.
"Raiton: Jibashi (Lighting Release: Electromagnetic Murder)!"
Rishin's eyes widened but he had no time to do anything. A powerful wave of electricity shot from Sasuke's hands, traveling along Kubikiribocho and into Rishin's body. Rishin's body went into a series of spasms as it was ravaged by the electricity, in so much pain that a cry of pain didn't even escape his mouth.
As the power faded from the attack, Rishin fell and the Kubikiribocho was released from him, Sasuke grasping it and strapped the blade onto his back. Sasuke smirked as Rishin fell to the ground, unconscious and unmoving. Sasuke checked Rishin's body, frowning as he saw the burnt form of a scroll. He cursed.
"It's not even recognizable. We'll just have to get a different one Sakura. Now come on, let's find Naruto."
Sakura landed next to him, a firm, and unwavering look on her face. "Right!" she said. The two shot into the trees behind them, looking for Naruto.
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Naruto dodged another Katon jutsu, frowning as he did so. He couldn't continue like this. The snake Sannin was gaining on him, and the rapid use of Katon jutsu didn't even seem to be tiring him. He frowned, jumping again to dodge a fireball that burnt the branch he was going to land on. The branch fell to ash, and Naruto cursed, falling. He heard a chuckle behind him before he felt a kick impact itself into his side. He flew towards a tree, slamming through it before landing on the ground roughly. Orochimaru laughed as the tree fell towards him, but it was mysteriously cut in half before it reached him.
Naruto stood slowly, a frown on his face. He glared at Orochimaru before his body staid like that. Orochimaru smirked, raising a hand to catch Naruto's punch just as the Naruto still standing there disappeared.
"How?" Naruto asked. Orochimaru smiled. It was vulgar.
"You are fast enough to form afterimages, yes. However, your smell is something you cannot run from."
Naruto cursed, flipping and sending a knee strike towards Orochimaru's head, however the man raised his other hand, grasping the knee before his body contorted in ways that were not natural, a knee slamming into Naruto's chest and making him slam into the ground. Orochimaru reached down, grasping towards Naruto before lashing out with a kick behind him that impacted with Naruto's crossed arms, just as his hand phased through Naruto.
Naruto was thrown backwards, his feet almost touching the ground although he smirked, catching himself on a tree and ricocheting off of it. He had blocked the strike and recovered from it. He could keep this up until help came. Even if it was only because Orochimaru was underestimating him. Taking him like an average Genin. He was no average Genin, he was an elite Genin.
Orochimaru easily avoided Naruto's ax-kick, spinning and slamming a punch into his face that distorted his face for a brief moment. However, before Naruto could fly away several more punches slammed into his chest. The comboination was finished with a kick to the chin that made him shoot into the air, floating above the gigantic trees. Naruto groaned, flipping and glaring at the vague form that was Orochimaru. What he was planning was risky, but if he was to alert every surrounding person to his location, at least Sasuke and Sakura would find him, and the large use would definitely attract some attention from Anko who was no doubt monitoring the exam with cameras.
Naruto gathered as much chakra as he could, even drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra which made his nails turn into claws, and his whiskers thicken. His eyes turned crimson and his pupils slit. Naruto snarled, his muscles enlarging. He wove through handseals before smirking. This was his most powerful jutsu he was about to unleash.
"Fuuton: Renkūdan (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)!"
Naruto took a deep breathe, his stomach enlarging, before he slammed his hand down onto his stomach, applying external pressure. This shot a highly compressed ball of air from his mouth. The ball was the size of a large mirror. The ball shot forwards, ripping through the trees before it finally exploded, just as it reached the snake Sannin. The man made no move to dodge it that Naruto could see, simply standing there.
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Sasuke and Sakura paused, both with wide eyes. "This feeling," Sakura mumbled, yet Sasuke heard her.
"It feels like Naruto when he lost control that one time," Sasuke finished, looking at Sakura. She nodded and shot off, preparing for the worst, followed closely by the lone Uchiha in the group.
'If Naruto is in that mode again, something must be up. I've gotta help him out.' Sasuke thought as he sped up, forcing Sakura to use her Chakra to enhance here speed even more.
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Anko's eyes shot upwards as she felt it. The Kyuubi. But it couldn't have been released. She immediately left the observation room, preferring to look outside and into the forest. "Naruto?" she mumbled. 'This just got serious. I better go check out the situation.'
Anko shot into the trees.
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Gaara froze as he felt the familiar demonic-like chakra. It felt so similar to his own, to Shukaku. Yet it felt more powerful, and a lot more resourceful. Gaara however felt his familiar lust for battle arising…or was it his? He smiled, his gourd uncorking before the sand exploded in a frenzy. Gaara smiled darkly, looking towards the sources location.
Kankuro and Temari were hiding from the pyschotic look in Gaara's eye.
Gaara walked towards the source with evil clearly intended.
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As the explosion finally ended a large crater could be seen, with Orochimaru standing in the vertex of it. However, the man looked unharmed, although a large smile was on his face. "Yes, you will do nicely," Orochimaru said as he looked at the unconscious Naruto. He reached down to pick him up before he glanced to the left, just in time to dodge a kunai that would have lodged itself into his skull otherwise. His smile however did not falter as he looked at his second prize.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun, how good of you to join us," Orochimaru said. "However, I fear I don't have time so I'll have to be quick about this."
Orochimaru disappeared, reappearing in front of Sasuke with his fangs open. He was about to sink them into Sasuke's neck before he was sent flying from a punch to his cheek. Orochimaru flipped in midair, a wide-eyed look on his face before he realized he was hit by two people. One was the girl that was with the Uchiha and the Uzumaki, but the last was someone who was undoubtedly more awe-inspiring.
Not to mention scary.
A dense shroud of chakra was around the Jinchūriki. The shroud was a translucent red with bubbles of chakra forming all along it. His physical changes during his initial state enhanced. The shroud that encompassesed the Jinchūriki vaguely resembled the corresponding tailed beast; paws of chakra formed around his hands. The most significant manifestation were the tails that sprouted from the Jinchūriki's body, up to the maximum number of tails that the corresponding beast possessed. A single tail swung behind Naruto's back made of pure crimson Chakra.
"I'll kill you!" Naruto roared, shooting forwards. Orochimaru's eyes widened before he shot towards Naruto, their fists connecting at their intersection point. A shockwave of power that longed to be released shot outwards, blowing Sasuke and Sakura away. The two flipped and landed on two different trees, although Sakura looked at the new Naruto with eyes full of fear and Sasuke's with intrigue.
"Naruto…is that you?" Sakura mumbled. However Naruto heard her, turning in his distraction. In this moment of distraction Orochimaru flew through handseals, blue fire forming on each of his fingertips. He thrust his hand forwards, however Naruto reacted just in time, barely dodging the strike and forcing it to slam into the tree. The Sanin turned around with another one of the same type of Jutsu with blue fire on the fingertips, and hit Naruto. Orochimaru cursed, shooting forwards, realizing that he was pressed for time. The Anbu and likely Anko would be showing up any time now. Orochimaru appeared before Sakura, lashing out with a kick that slammed her into the tree before disappearing, seemingly from midair. He reappeared in front of Sasuke his neck already in motion.
Sasuke's Sharingan already saw this coming and the Uchiha jumped backwards, away from Orochimaru.
"Stay back Sakura, I'll hold him off as long as I can." The Uchiha said gravely. The Sannin however had other plans. In almost an instant, Orochimaru's neck was going towards a petrified Sakura.
"Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)!" The kunoichi tried to protect herself, however it was in vain as Orochimaru's head ripped through the wall as if it were paper. Sasuke caught sight of this and gathered his chakra as quickly as possible.
"Sakura-Chan!" The Uchiha shouted, not realizing what he just said. "Kai. Kaimon (Hachimon Gates: Gate of Opening)!" The Uchiha felt his body get much stronger and faster, as well as green visible chakra emitting from him.
In a flare, he shot near Sakura, grabbed her and pushed off in the time of five seconds. Just in the nick of time, or elese Orochimaru would've killed the pinkette. Sasuke released Sakura and whipped out his Kubikiribocho, ready to fight tooth and nail for his survival.
The Sannin in retaliation shot up his Kusanagi blade. Orochimaru charged the Uchiha, swinging his legendary blade. Sasuke swung back and the two swords created sparks. "Kukukuku you're better than I expected as well. You and the Jinchuriki will make excellent additions to my plans."
"Not gonna happen," muttered Sasuke as he jumped away, flying through hand seals. He smirked as he was preparing to unleash his ultimate Jutsu on the Sannin. And Orochimaru was blindly walking into it.
"Raiton: Shuurai (Lightning Release: Lightning Strike)!"
The blue-ish Lightning Strike shot towards the Sannin with speed and power that rivals an actual, natural lightning strike. Orochimaru was hit almost immediately after the Jutsu was fired, burning him into a crisp as a result.
"Sasuke-kun, you did it!"
"No, stay back. An attack from a Genin wouldn't finish a Sannin. He's still alive," Sasuke warned, Sharingan eyes peeling. Suddenly, he fell on one knee to the tree branch. The fatigue and pain that was put into effect after use of the Hachimon Gates caught up with the Uchiha. He wasn't used to using the first gate, but it only left him a little bruised and tired, nothing too much.
Suddenly, snake-like fangs prepared to sink into the Uchiha before he felt a punch impact with his side seconds later, courtesy of Sakura, allowing his fangs only to nick the Uchiha and deposit the smallest bit of chakra and venom. Sasuke roared in agony but stayed conscious, although he did lose his concentration on where he was walking in the process, falling from the tree.
Sasuke hit the ground with a thud, his Sharingan blazing. He glanced at where the slight puncture wound was, noticing one tomoi sitting on his neck. He frowned at it before glaring at the retreating form of Orochimaru, who was being chased by a recovered Naruto.
Sasuke stood, going to Sakura before the Anbu and Anko appeared in front of him.
"Uchiha, what happened here," Anko said in a tone that meant business.
"Anko," Sasuke said in a rare tone of respect and relief. He never thought he would be so thankful to see this woman, even if she was a sadist.
"Answer my question Sasuke. What happened here? It looks like a Chunin ot Genin-only war zone."
Sasuke did not miss the Chunin to Genin-only part. If this was what Chunin or even Genin could do, even elite ones like Naruto and himself, then he did not want to see what a true war was like when there were Jonin and Kage-level opponents.
"Orochimaru of the Sannin…" Sasuke mumbled. Anko froze at the name. No, impossible.
'That is simply impossible. Orochimaru couldn't be here, he just couldn't! There's no way he could have snuck by all of the routine scans around the village that the Hyuga guard do. The Wall Branch wouldn't do that…would they? Then again, it would be rather easy to sneak in with the Chunin Exams. So many people are bound to confuse even a Hyuga's eyes. Damn it!'
"Are you positive that you faced S-rank criminal, Orochimaru of the Sannin in battle Sasuke Uchiha?" she asked. Sasuke's eyes widened at the formality but he nodded.
"Of course I'm fucking sure! You think I wouldn't recognize Orochimaru, Orochimaru! He left some weird hickey on me, before he ran off, Naruto chasing after him."
Anko's eyes narrowed. "Naruto was chasing him you say?"
"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Naruto was fighting with him before Sakura and I were. We weren't here for the entirety of the battle as we got split up, but Naruto was unconscious with Orochimaru looming over him when we arrived. I assume that large burst of chakra was him, trying to get our attention, although it likely got all the shinobi in the surrounding areas attention too. I fought Orochimaru when Naruto was pinned down until I gave out and he came back."
Anko frowned, remembering the feel of the chakra. That was not Naruto's. He was either drawing on the Kyuubi's strength, or he has lost control. Neither were good, and the Council would not be pleased, or they would be, or both. Naruto using the Kyuubi's chakra was a mixed topic there. Then again with Orochimaru returning…
"Don't worry about it. It won't matter as I'm officially withdrawing you from the Chunin Exams."
Sasuke's eyes widened before he snarled. "What the hell!? Why?"
Anko shook her head. "This is something important. You were attacked by an S-ranked rogue ninja. The Hokage needs to hear about this immediately, especially when there is a possibly wild Jinchuriki chasing after him."
Sasuke noted the word she called Naruto. Jinchuriki. He would ask him about that later, especially if it was related to the foul and crimson chakra.
"No, I refuse." Sasuke asserted. Anko had just turned away before slightly turning to him, a glare on her face.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"That will be a violation of a direct order. Are you sure you want to deal with that Uchiha?"
"Naruto is our teammate," Sasuke said. "I don't know what this Jinchuriki thing is, but Naruto wouldn't hurt us. He was in perfect control. He's aiming solely for Orochimaru. You will willingly get your information, but only after the end of this second exam. It means too much to us."
Ano snarled. "You are putting your own team's well being above the well being of the village."
Sasuke nodded. "I know. I'm prepared for the repercussions."
"Are you?" she asked.
Those two words instilled the smallest bit of doubt in Sasuke's mind, yet the young Uchiha would have none of it, quickly snuffing it out. He had things to do. People to save. Friends to protect, especially when a large chakra source was headed this way, and with the killing intent it was radiating, it wasn't positive.
Wait. It just changed course. The way Naruto was headed. Was that thing, whatever it was, chasing after Naruto?
Anko sighed. "I'll let the Hokage handle you. Anbu, go to the Hokage and tell him what has happened, also position yourselves around the forest, we need to be watchful." The Anbu nodded before the presumed leader looked at Anko. "And you Mitarashi?"
"I'll be chasing after the Jinchuriki and the traitor."
The Anbu nodded and shot off as Anko walked away.
"I approve of your decision Sasuke. But it's also foolhardy," she said before shooting off.
Sasuke nodded, walking over to Sakura and putting her on his back. "I know."
Suddenly three separate people appeared, all from Amegakure. Sasuke sighed and put Sakura on the ground again.
"This is gonna be hard."
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Naruto snarled, slamming his fist into the trunk of tree, his fist going straight through it. The tree fell over as he did so. He had lost him, that damn snake.
"Fuck." He mumbled as his tail swished behind him in irritation. "I lost the slippery bastard."
Naruto sighed before his eyes widened catching onto the warning just before the strike occurred. He shot upwards, avoiding the large hand of sand that tried to grab him. He grabbed onto the falling tree's branch, landing on it with narrowed eyes. Just before the tree landed and kicked up a cloud of dust he saw his opponent.
Gaara.
As the dust cleared Naruto saw Gaara smirking deliriously at him. He immediately felt the need to prove his dominance, although he knew that wasn't his thoughts. It was Kurama's. He would likely be running, especially seeing the large sand gourd that was dissolving, and the large wave of sand that levitated above the teen's head. It was not a welcoming sight, especially considering how much chakra it must take to do that, along with the fact that Gaara looked like he wanted to kill him and drink his blood.
Or he was just watching too many vampire movies as of late.
"Crush Shukaku! Kill him! Destroy his foolish notion that he can defeat me!"
'First off, I'm assuming Gaara is a Jinchuriki that doesn't have a very stable control over himself. I'll have to check up stuff about the Bijuu later. Next up, we are not you guys. We are simply the sheath to a blade, even if I don't personally agree with sealing you guys away for all entirety. Then again, you all do seem to harm us.'
Kurama was silent, but Naruto could just hear his annoyance with the blonde. Naruto sighed before he continued.
'Just help me out please. I can't beat him by myself.'
'You are already using my power. Make it last.'
'And now you're just being a dick.'
Naruto shot forth, seemingly in an attack, but he noticed the small sand particles in the air. They quickly formed an impaled tree, the very one he was just one.
'Now that is some scary manipulation,' he thought before flipping in midair. He flew right over Gaara's large wave of sand, slamming multiple punches into it only to be rejected each and every time.
"Interesting," Naruto mumbled before landing on his hands. He did a backflip landing on his feet before shooting off, leaving a small crater in the ground thanks to his physical boost. He appeared behind Gaara, his punch already in motion, yet the second he smirked as his hand went through Gaara's head was the same time he felt a spike shoot through his stomach. He coughed up blood, noticing the acid pouring from his body. He screamed, although he did notice the large influx of power that came with it. As he lay on the ground, watching with wonder as his stomach essentially rebuilt itself he felt another form come from his tailbone. He glanced to see a second tail and he felt his control slipping.
"Interesting. Even though the seal one my stomach is just a representation of the actual seal in my mind the influx of chakra I got from it temporarily being erased was large." Naruto mumbled.
'You don't have the luxury of thinking over fuinjutsu idiot!'
Naruto felt a large downpour of sandy rain impact with him, shredding through his clothes and leaving cuts all on his body.
"Well you certainly are strong huh Gaara? Although I'd like it if you stopped attacking me."
Gaara smiled. "Mother will enjoy your blood."
Naruto sighed before jumping and bringing down his foot. He frowned as he concentrated the chakra around his foot becoming a darker crimson and the leg dropping even faster. He smirked.
"Kyuubi Rasshu (Nine Tailed Rush)!" he roared. He repeatedly slammed his leg down on the sand above Gaara's head, nine times to be exact.
'Naming an attack after me. Pretentious little prick.'
Gaara smirked. "More! Give me more!"
He clenched his right hand into a fist before the sand wrapped around Naruto's crimson covered leg. The sand then imploded, but now screams of pain came from Naruto, instead he smirked.
"Looks like you are helping," he mumbled before slamming a punch into Gaara's face. The punch cracked Gaara's face, something Naruto was very confused with. However the teen still was sent flying, through several trees to be exact. Naruto watched Gaara curiously before his eyes widened in surprise. He looked down to see a large hand made of sand grasping his ankle. Suddenly he was thrown, directly towards Gaara's rising form. Gaara cocked his arm back, sand coating it before he launched it forwards, slamming it into Naruto's body and sending a vibration through his body. Naruto coughed, feeling his bones creak before he flew off into the distance. He growled, focusing on his tails.
The twin tails shot forth, elongating and wrapping around two thick trees. Naruto used those trees to slow his airborn form before he saw Gaara racing towards him, his feet leaving small indentations on the ground. Naruto frowned and sighed before he shot through handseals. He was very happy he had the Kyuubi helping him. Otherwise he would be out cold by now. At least he knew something.
Gaara was a bit stronger than him at the moment.
As Naruto finished his jutsu he smirked. "Take this! Fuuton: Kūki no Uzu (Wind Release: Air Vortex)!"
As the giant spiraling ball of air flew towards Gaara, growing in size in the process Naruto stumble forward, feeling a significant drain on his power. He glanced back, noticing that his mind was much clearer now as the second tail dissipated. He frowned. He couldn't continue to fight like this. If using only one of his second most powerful jutsu got rid of an entire tail worth of chakra than he was definitely in trouble. The Kyuubi nearly snarled in his mind.
'Please, that pathetic jutsu isn't even a tail worth of my power. He just can't maintain that form and subconsciously forced me out. Impressive, but annoying nonetheless.'
Naruto turned, and shot into the air, the ground indenting on itself and forming a crater. He swung through the trees like a monkey with the help of his chakra appendages, getting away from Gaara as quickly as he could.
He was not in the proper position to fight.
As Naruto felt he got far enough a way he landed, flowing through handseals as the power surrounding him, the fox's power, dispersed. He then walked over to a tree and slammed his palm on it. He then repeated the process with three other trees, forming a square.
"Fuinjutsu: Seibutsu no Mahi Shiringu Hiroba no keisei (Sealing Technique: Biotic Paralysis Sealing Square Formation)!"
Naruto jumped out of the seals range before it activated, barely making it. Suddenly four lines of electricity shot from seal to seal, impacting with each other before forming an area where all biotic life froze in their place. However, all abiotic features remained doing whatever they were doing earlier. Naruto smirked and hid in the bushes nearby. He smirked as his genius.
'Now, either Gaara or another team will come here. For now, I wait. I'm too exhausted to search for Sakura and Sasuke at the moment.'
With that Naruto carved out a small hole in the trunk of a tree, put some leaves in front of it, and slept.
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Sasuke ducked under another stray jutsu, sighing as this was the first one that did not nearly hit Sakura. He had gotten sick of moving her. However that brief moment of relaxation was when another member of the trio slammed his fist into his gut.
"Wow Dosu, why is our target so weak?"
Sasuke glared up at the teen but he didn't have time to respond as he sloppily jumped away from a senbon thrown by the girl, Kin he believed her name was.
"Stop whinning Zaku. We were ordered to kill the Uchiha and that's exactly what we are going to do," said the leader, or at least Sasuke assumed he was. He looked like a mummy with all of those bandages and straps.
Sasuke snarled at the trio who just laughed. He frowned as he clutched his injured right arm. He couldn't believe he was having trouble with these three. After they appeared and killed the teams that were about to take advantage of Sasuke being alone, he saw them as a saving grace.
That is until they charged him.
He was fairing fine against the female and the one who just punched him in the stomach, going as far as to say he wouldn't have to use his sword for this fight. However, once the mummy came in everything changed. Sasuke had been immediately put on the defensive end of the fight as he was struck with the trick the mummy used.
Dosu…it was a name he know held with great caution. Whatever that contraption that was on his arm was, it was deadly, as it did something to not only make his vision blurry, but also make him lose balance and hence his situation. He was struggling with these three only because of Dosu, the one person he made his priority with to never engage with in close combat.
Ironically, Dosu charged, cocking the arm with the contraption backwards, however Sasuke did not see one Dosu charging, he saw seven. He cursed, trying to decipher which one was the real one before he stumbled, making him lose sight of them altoghter. Dosu smirked and launched forward his fist, unleashing a devastating right hook that sent Sasuke flying towards a tree. Sasuke's back collided with the tree before he slumped to the ground, a frown on his features. Sasuke tried to stand and glare at the smirking trio, or at least the two whose faces he could see, but he stumbled again and had to rest his hand against the tree.
Or the tree he thought was there.
He fell to the ground.
Dosu looked at him apathetically. "You're feeling nauseous, disoriented, fatigued and vertigo aren't you, along with a great deal of pain, but that's a given."
Sasuke glared at him. Dosu laughed, tapping the Melody Arm on his right forearm. "You see, my Melody Arm allows me to generate sound and direct it towards the inner ear. This causes those feelings. I don't need to strike you with my fists. I can just strike you with sound. Sound is just vibrations of the molecules in the air which creates a soundwave. These waves are then collected by your ear and then directed to your eardrum. The human eardrum, the tempanic membrane, ruptures when it is exposed to sound over 150 decibels. Moreover, if the sound is powerful to upset the fluid within the deepest inner ear canals it becomes impossible to maintain your balance."
Sasuke snarled. "I see. Well then, there is simply one thing to do," he said. Dosu raised his one visible eyebrow. "And that would be?" Sasuke snarled, grasping his blade and closing his eyes. "Fight without my eyes. And never move."
Dosu laughed. "That's impossible! Zaku!"
Zaku smirked, raising his arms and opening his palms. They faced Sasuke. "Zankūha (Decapitating Airwaves)!"
A supersonic blast of air shot from the hollow tubes in Zaku's arms, racing towards Sasuke at impossible speeds. Sasuke, with his eyes closed had no way of knowing what the attack looked like, nor from which direction. He could only rely on his most basic sense. The ability to sense danger. However, Sasuke just got the feeling, not from which direction. Guessing, he jumped, or tried to as he felt the vertigo get to him, even with the world not truly spinning. Finding himself falling he decided to guess again, preparing to use what he had been practicing over the past weeks.
The Kubikiribocho began to glow as did Sasuke's hands. Suddenly the glow around Sasuke's hands faded, and lightning crackled to life around his blade. He smirked, swinging the blade in a horizontal slope downwards.
"Hikari Katto (Light Cut)!"
The lightning from his blade shot forth, carving the ground and creating a trench. The thin blade of lightning carved right through Zaku's attack and would have bifurcated him and also fried him had it not been for Kin's quick thinking and using her senbon to pin him to a tree away from the blade, saving him. Sasuke rolled with his fall, stopping on one knee.
"See what I mean?" Sasuke said, although he could not.
Dosu turned and glared at the Uchiha, finding it ironic that with all of his senses being null-and-void except for one he was winning, when with all of them he couldn't. No, not ironic. Annoying.
"Lucky little shit," Dosu said before racing forwards. "You won't get so lucky with me!"
Sasuke smirked, raising the lightning-covered Kubikiribocho in the air. "Let's see about that. My training will pay off!"
Dosu snarled before stepping to the side, avoiding the incoming slash Sasuke made at random. However, Sasuke's danger senses were still flaring, hence the horizontal slash he made next that forced Dosu to duck. However, the teen launched a kick that connected with Sasuke's chest and sent him flying upwards. Dosu nodded to himself before he pointed the porous side of Melody Arm at Sasuke.
"Saundo Dangan (Sound Bullets)!" Bullets of sound shot from the several holes in Melody Arm, all impacting with Sasuke. He coughed as he felt it. Two in the chest, three in each of his arms respectively, and one per leg, specifically his knee. He felt his right knee crack as the bullet hit it and he landed on the ground unceremoniously. Sasuke struggled to rise, his eyes opening on instinct. He however did not have time to look at the monotonous colors of the Forest of Death, instead meeting the even more monotonous color of dirt as Dosu slammed his foot down on his skull.
Sasuke cursed, his body weakening. He felt himself losing a clear grip, the darkness closing in. He snarled. He felt the darkness close in, but not before he heard a single voice penetrate his thoughts. A voice he was all too familiar with.
(-Flashback-)
"Foolish Otouto (little brother)."
(-Flashback-)
Sasuke snarled, opening his eyes, revealing the crimson orbs underneath. They now revealed to have three tomoi in the right eye and two in the left.
"I'll show you who the foolish little brother is!"
The one tomoi on Sasuke's neck shot forth, forming a blue flame-like pattern around his body, although it seemed as if it was missing a couple parts. It was bisected down his body, covering half and ignoring the other half. A surge of chakra shot from Sasuke, sending Dosu flying before the Genin flipped in midair and landed on his feet.
"The hell happened?" Dosu asked. Kin had just finished pulling her senbon from Zaku's clothing, getting a nod from him before they too glared at Sasuke. Sasuke slowly rose, all traces of his damage gone. Even his vision was back to normal. Dosu glared at Sasuke.
"What did you do?"
Sasuke glanced around, looking at his neck and body. "I did nothing," he said. He thought back to when Orochimaru bit him. "I see that makes sense now. That blue tomoi I saw earlier. Well then, let me use this power I was unwillingly gifted with, TO SLAUGHTER YOU!"
Sasuke shot forth, his previous spot a small crater now. Dosu's eyes widened before he felt a punch impact with his face, blowing apart the wrappings around his face and sending him flying through a tree. Sasuke disappeared again and appeared in front of Zaku and Kin a smirk on his face.
"Boo."
Zaku snarled, launching a right hook with his palm open. Sasuke blocked it with his forearm, however Zaku smirked.
"Zankūha (Decapitating Airwaves)!"
The blast of air and sound waves did not hit Sasuke. Instead, the attack slammed directly into Kin's unprepared form, sending her flying and causing blood to shoot from her mouth. She landed on the ground with a dull thud. Zaku's eyes widened beforehe felt a foot on his back and two hands grasp his wrists.
Zaku instantly realized what the Uchiha was about to do, turning his head towards him, even if it was only partially. "Please," he begged but Sasuke shrugged.
"You're lucky I don't torture my opponents."
With that Sasuke lifted his leg, still keeping his grasp on Zaku's arms, before bringing it down mercilessly, snapping his arms. He then slammed the 14 year old into the ground harshly and forcing him from consciousness. Sasuke then turned towards Dosu who was staring at him with wide eyes.
"I will give you five seconds to drop your scroll and run before you're next."
Dosu nodded, quickly putting down his scroll. He then shot forth at speeds Sasuke did not know he was capable of, yet he knew he wouldn't attack him. Those speeds were still nothing compared to his or Naruto's, and with this power boost, he could easily destroy him. No, Dosu grabbed his teammates and shot away, fear tracing his mind.
"Orochimaru-sama did not mention that detail," Dosu mumbled as he ran away. He heard a fist slam into a tree before he felt a presence disappear. He shook with fear.
Sasuke appeared before Sakura, the power and flame-like markings fading. Sasuke suddenly felt weak again and dropped to his knees, a frown marring his features.
"So…Orochimaru sent them did he? That and I'll have to have Naruto and Kakashi take a look at this damn seal. Damn it, I feel so weak right now."
Sasuke groaned as he looked at Sakura's unconscious form.
"Your healing would be really good right now. Better yet, if you were conscious we could start looking for Naruto."
Sasuke sighed, before his body shook with another ragged breath. He sat down next to Sakura, a frown adorning his face as he lay against the trunk of a tree.
"Damn it. That weird Guy sensei was right….the Chunin Exams are a lot harder than we expected."
Sasuke smirked as he thought about it though. "I just can't wait until we get to the real fun part."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto woke with a start, his eyes shooting wide and instantly checking for dangers. He sighed when he saw nothing and then double-checked his seal formula, leaving the comfort of his tree. He frowned when he noticed no one was in there, but he heard a sound and ducked into the bushes, scanning his surroundings.
He saw it then. A bush shook before a team popped out, a team Naruto recognized.
"Aisku!" Naruto hissed, however he was very happy he hadn't said it very loud. It would have put Aisku on guard. Even if Aisku was something akin to a minor rival, a rival he had wanted to face under more appropriate circumstances, a test was a test, and he was determined to beat him, to pass it. Although he hadn't even known that Raylin was participating in the Chunin Exams. However, as Raylin neared the transparent electrical lines, Naruto's trap, sand wrapped around his leg and his teammates. They nearly screamed, each of them reaching for kunai to get it off, however the kunai did not pierce the sand. It was at that instant that Naruto knew what was happening.
"Gaara."
Gaara appeared from behind the trio, a maniacal and annoyed grin on his face.
"Uzumaki ran off, so I guess I'll have to settle with you."
Sand exploded from his sandy gourd, wrapping the trio up in sand so tightly you could only see their eyes. Naruto wanted to help, he really did. As he watched he felt anger rise into his body, as he knew what was coming. Yet he knew he couldn't help them. If he did, Gaara would attack him again, although he'd likely spare the other three. It was either them or him.
Although not pleasant, it was an easy choice to make.
Gaara lifted his hand, his palm open.
"Sabaku Soso (Sand Waterfall Funeral)!" Gaara clenched his hand.
The sand imploded in a gory mess, producing three sizable mountains of blood. As the sand returned Naruto saw no traces of the three.
They were completely liquefied.
"I'm done here."
Gaara then turned and left, as if he hadn't liquefied three people with a smile on his face.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sarutobi Hiruzen was wise. He was a man known for many accomplishments, even being named the 'Shinobi no Kami.' He had lived through all three of the Shinobi World Wars, and was feared across the entire world, being one of the few to be labelled an SS-rank shinobi. Yet few knew of his failures, and one of them was currently in his village, and attempting to harm his Genin.
He would not stand for it.
'I realize my mistake of letting you live all those years ago Orochimaru. However, I will not make this mistake again. You will fall by my hands…my favorite student.' Hirzuen thought. He nodded to the Anbu in front of him. "Alert the village, but do not tell them who we are facing. We do not need the entire village going into a panick over this, especially as Orochimaru is strong enough to pose a threat to all of our current shinobi. In fact, he's likely stronger than all of our current shinobi, Anbu or no. Also, tell Kakashi that as soon as he is able to check Sauske Uchiha's curse mark. We do not need the boy ending up like Anko."
"What about the Jinchuriki on the loose sir?"
"Naruto's chakra has already vanished. He has already regained control over himself, as the monitors have shown. I will talk to him about his control later. Dissmissed."
The Anbu nodded, vanishing, not even leaving a puff of smoke in their wake even though the performed a jutsu. Hirzuen sighed, standing from his chair and looking out the window that showed the Forest of Death.
"Be careful…Naruto…do not engage Orochimaru…" Sarutobi muttered, not already knowing that Naruto fought Orochimaru already.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Anko smirked as she leapt from the tree silently, descending on her prey rapidly. She brought the kunai down, the weapon bisecting the person's head, however it quickly turned to mud. Anko cursed, glancing around, only for clapping to be heard. She turned, glaring at the man.
"Orochimaru."
"Anko-chan," Orochimaru said, leaning against a tree, his hands clasped together. "Ah, how I've missed you."
Anko snarled. "This is no time to reminisce, you're an S-class criminal, top of the most wanted list. You've got to be taken down, and it's only fitting that I'm the one to do it. 'Cause after all, you're the one who taught me everything, right…sensei?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Let's see what you've learned Anko-chan."
Anko snarled again, shooting forwards. Orochimaru smiled, leaping to meet her. They clashed midair, launching a flurry of quick, twisting movements at each other that would look equally matched to a civilian. However to a shinobi, even to a Genin, it was obvious that Orochimaru was better, and that Anko was struggling. Anko frowned, her body twisting before she brought up her leg. She brought it down, but Orochimaru raised his arm to block the blow. However, Anko's leg suddenly bent at the knee, scoring a kick on the back of the snake-Sannin's head. Orochimaru came forward slightly, to be met with a twisting punch to the face that sent him spiraling to the ground. Anko smirked as she fell, flowing through handseals.
"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)!"
Anko compressed a large amount of chakra in her body, her stomach puffing out a tad. However she then opened her mouth, releasing a dragon head-shaped fireball directly at Orochimaru. The flames were so high in temperature that an upward movements of air currents could be seen.
Orochimaru's insufferable smirk never left his face.
"Anko-chan…this is pathetic. Katon: Gōenka (Fire Release: Great Flame Flower)!" Orochimaru quickly kneading his chakra before converting it to fire and opened his mouth spitting out multiple balls of flame which shot upwards, directly into the dragon head-shaped fire. The two moves clashed briefly, however they each nullified each other, resulting in an explosion of flames and heat in the already hot area because of the two powerful Katon techniques.
Anko frowned as Orochiamru easily countered her technique, landing with a frown on her face. Orochimaru just smiled and moved a 'Come hither,' motion. Anko bared her fangs and shot forth. However Orochimaru was simply using her anger to get the better of her, easily avoiding her first, blind punch, and launching three of his own in several pressure points that sent her stumbling back, clutching her arms in pain.
As Anko regained feeling in her arms she glanced around, noticing the large forest fire spreading around them. Orochimaru chuckled to himself before raising an eyebrow at Anko, in joy. "Ah, Anko-san, do me another favor would you? Tell sensei to not do anything that would spoil my fun, after all, you wouldn't want leaves to burn."
Anko got the hidden message and snarled, racing forwards for all she was worth. Orochimaru just laughed before sinking into the ground.
"Get back here you bastard!"
Orochimaru's mocking laughter echoed through the area as he disappeared. Anko fell to her knees in front of the place he disappeared, tears falling from her eyes.
"Get back here…please," she mumbled, her body racking with sobs. She couldn't contain the feelings she felt from seeing him again. Joy, hatred, anger, confusion…why had he abandoned her? If he was truly planning on abandoning her then why bother training her, why bother crafting her into the next possible Snake Sage? Why? Just to hinder her or delude her into thinking she could become anything?
"Why me damn it!?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto sighed as he jumped through the trees. He was alone, exhausted, and it felt as if a massive crater was affecting his chakra. All-in-all, he felt completely and utterly out of it. He badly wanted to just sit down and take a nap, but he had no chance to do so. He was in a dangerous area, for all intents and purposes this could be considered enemy territory. He couldn't take a nap when he was on his own, with enemies surrounding him. No, he needed to find his team and then make it to the tower. Only then could he rest.
But he was so tired.
"Damn it! If only I had Sasuke's Sharingan. That would be really freaking useful at the moment!"
Naruto sighed, shooting off from another over-sized tree branch before pausing as he landed on another. There it was again, a clacking sound, as if two weapons were clashing with each other. Naruto frowned, before swiftly and silently lowering himself down the tree. He glanced around before his eyes looked onto it. The battle that was happening.
There was an Oto team fighting with a Kusa team, yet it seemed the Oto team was losing.
"That's strange," Naruto mumbled. "Why is only one of them fighting? Are they using some sort of genjutsu?"
Naruto stared at the female and male Oto shinobi standing there watching as their mummy-like partner tried to fight off an entire team. The mummy-man ducked under one Kusa shinobi's punch before raising the gauntlet on his right arm, slamming his fist into the attackers chin. The mummy-like man then weaved handseals before his chest puffed up.
"Saundokai: Kyōshin-on Piāsu (Sound Release: Resonating Sound Pierce)!"
The shinobi opened his mouth and suddenly a high-pitched sound filled the air, shaking Naruto's eardrums and causing him to scream in pain, although it was not heard because the jutsu drowned it out. The Kusa ninja seemed to be badly affected, clutching their eardrums in pain before falling to the ground, unconscious and blood leaking from their ears. Naruto stumbled on the tree, losing control of his chakra for a brief moment as he fell. He cursed, his ears only hearing ringing. He fell to the ground, landing on his feet although he glared at the Oto ninja in front of him, who seemed surprised to see him.
"HEY YOU!"
The Oto ninja clutched his ears. "Why the hell are you yelling?"
Naruto saw his lips move but heard nothing. "WHAT!?"
The shinobi sighed. "Are you deaf? I said why the hell are you yelling?"
"WHAT!?"
The shinobi shook his head. "You must have gotten caught up in the blast radius of my jutsu. Oh well, a shinobi who can't hear isn't much of a shinobi. I may as well just kill you now."
The mummy-man shot forwards, cocking his right arm back. Naruto frowned, his hands already moving into handseals. However, he did not finish them in time and had to jump to avoid the attack. He cursed, the chakra being wasted. However as he landed he stumbled, clutching his eardrums.
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
The mummy-ninja shook his head. "There's no point explaining it to you. You'll never live long enough to hear me. Of course…wait…that spiky, blonde hair, those whisker marks, there's no doubting it, you're his teammate!"
Naruto tilted his head, still unable to hear. The ninja took a step backwards in fear. "If he finds out that I killed you, he'll annihilate me! I bet he's on his way as we speak! I have to get the hell out of here while I still can!"
Naruto still had no idea what the shinobi was saying, yet he pointed behind him. "He's over there…that…that monster!"
Naruto simply shrugged at the shinobi's strange behavior and nodded, shooting towards the area he pointed too. If it was a trap he would simply have to beat everyone up. Nothing to hard…he hoped.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sasuke glanced up as he heard a groan. He glanced at the ground, seeing a previously unconscious Sakura waking up.
"Sakura, I'm glad you're up."
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura mumbled, slowly lifting her body. She groaned, holding her stomach. "What happened?"
"Orochimaru."
Sakura blinked, looking at the Uchiha. "I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong, care to repeat that?"
Sasuke shook his head. "It's no lie Sakura, Orochimaru of the Sannin attacked us."
Sakura shook her head. "No offense Sasuke-kun, but I find that completely unrealistic. First of all we're in the Chunin Exams, how the hell would he get here? Secondly, if he really attacked us, how are we alive? You and Naruto can't fight him off, no offense."
Sasuke shook his head. "None taken, because you're right. He completely dominated our fight even with me using the Hachimon Gates, yet Naruto chased him off, activating that strange power he used on the Wave mission. Speaking of which, we're gonna have to ask him a few questions when we find him, he has a lot of explaining to do. Don't you remember."
Sakura then recalled what happened before she was knocked unconscious. She instantly blushed, at remembering one particular subject. "You called me Sakura-chan while saving me, before I was knocked out by Orochimaru."
Sasuke blushed slightly at hearing this, before waving it off. "It was just a misshap, nothing more."
Sakura groaned, stretching and dropping the subject. "So I'm assuming he's lost then?"
Sasuke nodded. Sakura sighed. "As always."
Sasuke smirked. "Can you heal me up, I had a brief battle with Orochimaru, and a Sound team while you were knocked out. I took some damage, but supposedly healed. However, I'd like you to take a look at it anyway." Sakura nodded, her palms glowing green before she placed them over Sasuke.
"Where?"
"My ears."
Sakura nodded, placing her hands next to his ears and beginning her examination. She frowned as her hands stopped glowing, which was around three minutes after she began.
"Well, how do I begin? First off I'd have to say I'm impressed you can still hear. Whatever those ninja did to you was bad. They messed up your temporal bone, tympanic membrane, internal carotid artery, and your incus. I'm impressed you're standing actually, must people would be on the floor, hollering in pain and unable to hear. Luckily for you it's fixable, but I'm not skilled enough to do it. Only a very well trained professional, or someone like Tsunade of the Sannin could fix it."
Sasuke cursed, slamming his fist on the ground. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying stay out of the way of anything with a loud noise for the next couple of days. If it's too loud your ear may have a negative reaction…and well…let's just say bad things would happen."
Sasuke cursed, looking up at the sky. "Damn it. So you're saying I'm a cripple?"
Sakura shook her head. "No, I'm saying you're close to being one. Now, what I want you to do is shut up, and take a rest."
Sasuke shook his head defiantly. "We don't have time for that. We have to find Naruto and get out of this forest, and then get my hearing fixed." Sakura sighed, shaking her head in amusement. "Sasuke, the first two things make sense, but do you really think they'll hear your hearing? No. By all means, the exam is still going on. There is no way that you will be healed until the second round is over."
Sasuke cursed, his fists clenching. "You're right…well…it's still our best bet, let's get moving."
Sasuke sighed, standing, however he tensed and drew his blade as he spotted something out of the corner of his eyes. He turned on his feet, sending a small cloud of dust around in a spiral. Sakura was already facing the new arrival, senbon gripped between her fingers, ready for anything.
Until they saw who it was.
"Naruto!" Sakura called, racing over to him. Sasuke frowned, his stance more relaxed although he was still not so trusting.
"Sakura wait, that might not be Naruto."
Sakura paused, acknowledging the fact. "You're right…" she said. "However, I know it's him."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "And what does Naruto have that an impostor wouldn't."
Naruto smiled. "My charming personality?" Sasuke shook his head. Naruto sighed. Sakura giggled at the action before she pointed at Naruto. "That ungodly level of chakra maybe?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow before closing his eyes and concentrating. His eyes then widened. Sure, it wasn't near as large as usual, but it was still much larger than your average Genin's. He nodded.
"Yeah, that's Naruto's all right, no other Genin could have chakra that large. Good job Sakura, I didn't know you were a sensor type."
Sakura shook her head. "I'm not. Naruto's chakra control is just so bad that it's easy to tell how much he has."
Naruto blanched. "I feel like you two don't appreciate me all of a sudden." Sakura giggled, shaking her head. "Not at all. But you have a few questions that you need to answer." Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Sasuke nodded. "I couldn't agree more."
He sighed, walking towards the tree Sakura and Sasuke were near. He sat down patiently and looked up at the duo, who were standing over him. "What do you want to know? You guys are right, I've been hiding stuff from you…it's time I come clean. Both of you deserve that much trust."
Sasuke turned to Sakura. "You first."
Sakura nodded. "Well, I personally just want to know what you were doing when you were by yourself."
Naruto nodded. "Well then, once I started chasing Orochimaru I began to gain on him. However, the slippery bastard vanished all of a sudden and I lost him. Then I found Gaara, who turns out to be a Jinchuriki, which sucks, meaning I had to fight and escape from him. I drew on two tails worth of power from my little 'resident', and escaped luckily. I managed to find a team, however they were liquefied by Gaara, so I couldn't do anything useful there. Gaara then left. I scoured around for a while before finding a team that was really good with sound. They made me temporarily deaf, but they directed me over here, in summary."
Sakura nodded, although she noticed some of the more vague things in his story. "Who is this resident?"
"That's what I want to know." Sasuke said. "Anko came after you chased after Orochimaru. She said you were a Jinchuriki…what is that?"
Naruto sighed. "I might be a Jinchuriki but even I don't know all of those answers. But, I'll tell you what I do know. First off, a Jinchuriki means, "Power of Human Sacrifice." There can only be nine of us in existence, and we all have immense chakra reserves, larger than Kages, and we can grow them by the normal means as well. Now, a Jinchuriki isn't just some thing that comes across once in a generation, no they are made one."
"Made one?" his two teammates asked at the same time.
Naruto nodded. "You see, Jinchruriki are humans that have had a tailed beast sealed inside of them, either the Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, Rokubi, Nanabi, Hachibi, or the Kyuubi. The tailed beasts."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "The Legendary Chakra Monsters…"
Naruto nodded. "What do you remember when learning about the tailed beasts in the academy?"
Sakura thought, puzzled. "They can't die…they would just be reincarnated. They have a near limitless amount of chakra, an amount no regular human can match, um…they're sealed into people…" she stopped.
Naruto nodded. "Yes, all correct. However, the academy doesn't tell you what those people are called. Well, they are called Jinchuriki. And I have the most powerful of the nine…the Kyuubi…sealed inside of me. That crimson chakra that I sometimes use? It's his, I'm drawing on his chakra. Just as you said, the Bijuu can't die, they're immortal. Meaning that Konoha lied to its citizens, by saying the Fourth killed the Kyuubi."
Both of them understood. "Okay, I get that." Naruto shook his head. "There's more. First off, the Bijuu cannot be sealed into anyone who is not an infant. Their chakra coils have already fully developed and the influx would kill them. Meaning Jinchuriki are created as soon as they are born, and not every seal can hold them back. A very powerful seal needs to be created to hold them back, like in the case of Gaara."
Sasuke and Sakura were quiet. "So you're saying?"
He nodded. "Gaara is a Jinchuriki, and going by his mastery over sand, I'm saying the Ichibi, Shukaku the Sand Spirit. However, Shukaku also happens to be bat-shit crazy, and never let's his owners sleep, so they develop insomnia, which essentially turns them into miniature versions of him. It doesn't help that nobody in Suna has such mastery over seals that they can avert this affect. The Jinchuriki and Bijuu would have to make peace, and that's a rare, if not non-existent occasion."
"Okay, I understand Gaara, but I don't get how you're a Jinchuirki then." Sasuke stated.
"Sasuke…when did the Kyuubi attack?"
"October tenth, the same day the fourth died." Naruto nodded. "When's my birthday?"
Sasuke was silent. "Were there any other children born on October tenth on that specific day?"
Silence.
"Exactly. The Fourth Hokage did defeat the Kyuubi…by sealing it into me."
The trio were silent, the harsh truth bearing down on them. Naruto nodded, standing. "Did you guys notice that the academy's curriculum goes against the lie they told Konoha? Strange no one has figured it out yet…well maybe Shikamaru did, he's extremely smart. Anyways, enough sad talk, let's move." Naruto walked, but Sakura and Sasuke grabbed his arm. He turned, an eyebrow raised.
"That's why you suffered all that torment as a child huh?" they whispered. He nodded.
"Most people don't know much about sealing, so they always think the Bijuu has possessed the container. Hell, I'd be surprised if the civilians could tell a blade from a sheath." Sasuke and Sakura smiled at the joke.
The three channeled chakra into their feet before taking into the trees. As the three shot towards the tower they couldn't help but feel relived. The tension and mystery surrounding their group had been alleviated. The trust they had before the confrontation with the Demon Brothers incident had been restored.
Team 7 was back completely.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura smirked as they slowly walked up to the tower.
"We made it." Naruto mumbled, relaxation in his voice. Sasuke nodded, however Sakura did not.
"No. Until we're in the tower, we are not safe."
Naruto and Sasuke couldn't disagree with that logic. The two of them shot forwards, followed closely by Sakura. They did so at the perfect moment as shuriken pelted the area they were just standing in. Naruto smirked at the forest, finding the three genin who tried to ambush them immediately due to their poor hiding spots.
"Take that you losers!" he cried, before slamming the door. Sakura shook her head at Naruto. "This is why you're the least mature out of all of us Naruto." She said. Naruto simply rolled his eyes before making a hand seal. The scroll he had appeared with a puff of smoke and Sasuke pulled out the other scroll they needed. They opened the scroll, to find a seal placed on both of them, that caused both scrolls to start smoking. Naruto quickly deduced what the seal was for.
"Throw the scrolls!"
Sasuke complied, and the scrolls landed on the ground in an 'X' formation. Suddenly the smoke grouped together before exploding outwards. As it cleared it revealed Iruka, who was smiling at the Genin.
"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto and Sakura said at the same time. "What are you doing here?"
Iruka smiled. "Hey guys. It's nice to see you again. You did well in the exam."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You were watching us?"
Iruka frowned. "Not exactly. Anko didn't let everyone watch, however she did inform me of what happened, nice job defeating the Oto team Sasuke, along with that Kiri team. You guys performed well according to Anko."
Naruto frowned, but he was happy. He could tell by that summary alone that Iruka didn't truly know all of the details, but he didn't need to. No one but Anko, Kakashi, the Hokage, and his team need know what happened in that forest. It was a private manner, especially the fact of Orochimaru being involved.
Naruto smiled. "Thanks Iruka-sensei. We did do pretty well, if I must admit." Iruka smiled at the blonde, before looking over the three of them. "It seems I was wrong." He sighed. The trio raised an eyebrow simultaneously.
Iruka flinched at the unusual event but sighed. "I thought the rookie's weren't ready to handle the Chunin Exams and voiced my opinion on the manner. Kakashi disagreed, and said that none of you were my students anymore, and that the Jonin should handle the matter of their Genin. It seems he was right. No novice could have made it this far. You guys have really grown up."
Sakura smiled. "Of course we have. We understand were you're coming from Iruka-sensei, and that you just wanted to take care of us, but we have to be the people we are, and that means being shinobi. And as shinobi, we had to grow up fast."
Iruka nodded. "I suppose you are correct Sakura. Well then, get going, the Hokage wants to see you three for some reason."
The trio paled, but nodded. They walked off, towards a nearby hallway and up some stairs. Iruka watched them go with a sad smile.
'You've grown…but you don't know the true pain of being a shinobi, not yet.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A knock on the door caught Hiruzen's attention. "Come in," he said, already knowing who was there. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura walked in the door, stopping in front of the desk Hiruzen was behind. They looked around the room, to see Kakashi next to a bookshelf, looking at them, and Anko behind Hiruzen.
"You called for us Hokage-sama," Sakura half-stated, half-asked. The Sandaime nodded, turning towards them, his face serious. "You know why you were called here. The incident with Orochimaru, we want as much information as possible."
The trio nodded. "Well," Naruto began. "He approached me first, saying that he wanted me and Sasuke, or specifically, the power the Sharingan and a Jinchuriki held."
The Third's eyes widened. "Naruto, I know these two are your teammates, but that is classified information-"
"They already know about Kyuubi, and my past. There's no point in hiding it anymore. Besides, if I'm correct, if an S-ranked secret is about you, you have the right to reveal it to whom you wish, correct?"
The Sandaime Hokage nodded, although he didn't look particularly pleased with Naruto's actions, and sent him a look that was clear. They would talk about this later. Naruto sighed, and continued with his story.
"I fought him, and needless to say, was beaten horridly. It was at that point that I drew on the Kyuubi, trying to get Anko's, and my team's attention. I felt that if I could, then I would be safe."
Team 7, bar Kakashi, then began to tell their entire experience in the Forest of Death, from the encounter with Orochimaru, until the time they had reached the tower, alternating who was telling certain parts of the story.
"So, in summary," Hirzuen began. "Sasuke has been infected with Orochimaru's curse mark, only it's not complete, Oto is lead by Orochimaru, Suna sent an unstable Jinchuriki to the exams, Kiri is furious you took their blade, and Orochimaru has an interest in both you and young Sasuke, correct?"
The trio nodded. Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples. "I understand. You are dismissed. However, Sasuke I want you to get a check up with Kakashi with that seal. We don't know how it will affect you other than giving you a power boost. Also, do not deny a direct order again, despite the fact that you two wish to prove yourself and your team." Sasuke nodded, although he spoke. "I already planned to have Naruto take a look at it.
Naruto flushed. "Sasuke, I have to say that Orochimaru's fuinjutsu is leagues above my own, despite his crudeness. Also, Kakashi taught me everything I know. He'd be a better choice." Sasuke nodded, turning to his sensei.
"Well let's get started," Kakashi said, all laziness gone from his voice. "We have three days to get this seal thing finished before the second stage ends."
He nodded and left the room, followed by his Jonin sensei, teammates, and Anko. Hiruzen however sighed and looked out the window.
"He said leaves would burn, but they already are. Orochimaru…I didn't want to have to…but you have just set alight the fire to war."