The day of the Chunin Exams began with little fanfare. Naruto woke up early and got ready, leaving a shadow clone to escort Konan to the file rooms. He sealed his door behind him and took off for Tsunade and Shizune's apartment at a light jog. Most of the stores hadn't opened yet, so his trip was relatively glare-free. He knocked on Tsunade's door and let himself in with his key.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun." Shizune greeted cheerfully from her place over the stove.
"Morning, Shizune-neechan, is Tsuna-sensei up yet?"
Shizune nodded. "She's in the shower right now. You know, even after all these years, I can't get over the dramatic improvement Tsunade-sama has seen since meeting you."
The door to the bathroom opened and Tsunade walked out, freshly showered and fully dressed. "Was someone talking about me?"
"Shizune-neechan was just talking about how I saved you from a fate of being a drunk loser for the rest of your life." Naruto grinned cheekily as Tsunade sat down with a mock glare.
"I'd be careful who you call a loser, Naru-kun, when was the last time you beat me in a spar?"
"When was the last time you beat me at a game of cards?" Naruto shot back.
Tsunade huffed muttering about ungrateful students and rigged games as Shizune served them all a breakfast of eggs and bacon before sitting down herself.
"So, Naruto-kun, where's Ryuda? I would have thought that today of all days, you two would be attached at the hip."
"He had to go back and get his armor readjusted. It grows with him, but every so often it needs to be shifted so it doesn't dig into him," Naruto replied. A moment later a burst of smoke filled the small dining room and Ryuda appeared.
"My ears were burning, could it be that a beautiful lady was talking about me?"
"You don't have ears," Naruto mumbled around a mouthful of bacon prompting an argument between the two.
Tsunade and Shizune just laughed and watched as the two went back and forth. Ryuda had grown in the last month as well, quickly growing to be just shy of five feet at his shoulders, and measuring more than twice that in length. Luckily, he tended to use a form of transformation technique outside of combat to remain the same size as when they first met him. Breakfast was a joyous affair and when they finished, Naruto stood up to head over to the academy and meet Haku. He was stopped, however, when Tsunade called his name. Her expression was serious with a hint of, what he thought might be nervousness.
"When I see you next, there's something I want to talk about, okay?"
Naruto nodded and gave her a quick hug. He and Ryuda left the apartment and took to the rooftops. The reality of what he was about to undergo struck him as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop and he could feel the creeping chill of nerves climbing his spine.
He sighed with a smile when the feeling was banished by a wave of comfort coming from his seal.
Don't worry, kit. You're gonna blow them out of the water.
Thanks, Dad.
His worries abated, he and Ryuda came to a stop in front of the doors. Haku was already there, waiting for them and they greeted her cheerfully.
You ready? Naruto signed. He had chosen to stick to signing for the duration of the exams as it would give him an opportunity to communicate with his friends without fear of being overheard.
Haku nodded and they made their way inside. They climbed the stairs, pausing briefly on the second floor, but Naruto said it was just an illusion to make people think they were on the third floor. They arrived in the exam hall and weren't surprised to find they hadn't been the first to arrive.
Genin from all over the Elemental Countries sat around the room, glaring at the new arrivals. Naruto narrowed his eyes when a familiar feeling pulled his attention to a red-haired boy sitting down several rows from him. The boy stared at him as if he was a puzzle to decipher, before gritting his teeth and clenching his head in pain.
Kit, that kid is a Jinchuriki, like you. I'm guessing it's the One-Tail by the way it seems to be shouting in his head.
Naruto acknowledged his father's advice and turned his attention to the rest of the room. He smiled when he saw a familiar head of dark hair and hurried down the steps to greet her.
Kurotsuchi turned around when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She smiled when she saw it was Naruto waving at her. "Naruto! It's good to see you!" She looked between the slightly older girl standing behind him, and the strange armored lizard next to him. "Who are these?"
"My name is Haku," the girl replied with a slight bow. "I'm Naruto's partner for the duration of the exams."
"It's nice to meet you, Haku," Kurotsuchi said. She pointed behind her at her two scowling teammates and smirked. "Those two are Osada and Komuro, don't worry they won't bite." She was surprised when the lizard by Naruto's side grabbed her hand and pressed its closed mouth against her hand.
"I am Ryuda, Naruto's familiar and interpreter. It's an honour to meet someone as beautiful as yourself." Kurotsuchi laughed as Naruto dropped his fist on the top of Ryuda's face with a scowl and started berating him in rapid sign language. Their argument was interrupted as more and more genin teams arrived. He smiled as Team 8 arrived and went to introduce Kurotsuchi to them, while another Konoha genin told the rest of the rookies to quiet down as most of the other participants were glaring at them.
"So, Kabuto-san, how many times have you taken the exam?" Ino asked.
"This will be my seventh," Kabuto informed them, much to the shock of several of the rookies.
"Wow, you must really suck!" Kiba exclaimed.
"Or maybe the exams are just that hard," Shino countered.
"They are," Kabuto informed them. "But after all this time, I was able to gather information on all the other participants on these little cards." He held up a blank deck of cards and explained how he just needed to use a little bit of chakra to get information on all the other genin present. Naruto's eyes prickled a bit as he narrowed them in suspicion.
Something about him doesn't feel right, he thought.
You're right, Kit, Kyubi informed him. It might be best to keep an eye on him, and try not to let him reveal anything on yourself or your friends.
It would depend on what he has on me, Naruto replied.
What do you mean?
I mean most of the information about my skills are off the record because Tsuna-sensei and I train in private and not even Jiji has seen what I can do during our Saturday spars, so depending on what he has, we can figure out where he got his information.
Alright, Kyubi agreed. But keep an eye on him, he smells like snakes.
Naruto nodded subtly, and was working on a plan to stealthily get his hands on his own card only to be dismayed as Sasuke stepped forward.
"I want to know what you have on Gaara of the Desert, Rock Lee, and Naruto Uzumaki."
"You already know their names, that's no fun." Kabuto pouted childishly and pulled out three cards. He listened with interest to the information concerning his fellow jinchuriki, surprised and impressed that even on a B-Rank mission, Gaara had never been injured. He was already aware of Lee's abilities and his focus on taijutsu, so he listened intently as Kabuto read his card, preparing to step in if the information became too sensitive. "And finally, Naruto Uzumaki. It says here that he's the apprentice of Tsunade of the Sannin, and is taking the exam with Haku Yuhi as his partner. His skills are average to high in everything but genjutsu, and he most recently found a summoning contract and acquired a familiar. He's completed over a hundred D-Ranks, three C-Ranks, one B-Rank, and two A-Ranks. That's quite the record for a rookie. He's also the wielder of a new dojutsu called the Kunshugan-" Kabuto yelped as a kunai shot through his card and everyone turned their eyes on him.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, which continued to prickle as his suspicion grew. "I'd be more careful who you're revealing information about in front of Kabuto-san," Ryuda translated for him before they both turned away. He watched closely as the sound genin attacked Kabuto, quickly activating his Kunshugan when Kabuto doubled over and vomited, despite avoiding the hit.
So he shoots chakra out of holes in his arms and creates a pressurized wave of subsonic sound, Naruto surmised to himself. Cool.
He half listened when the proctor for their first exam appeared in a burst of smoke and explained the first test they would be taking. It was obvious to Naruto the second he flipped the page and saw the questions that there was something more to this test than just answering questions. A quick look around told him that all the other participants were trying to cheat as subtly as they could. Hinata, Neji, and Sasuke were all using their respective dojutsu, Haku had set up an elaborate series of ice mirrors, Shino was using his insects both for himself and Kiba. Smirking, he decided to wait and do nothing.
He leaned his head down on his desk and quickly channeled some chakra into the seal on his throat. "Tsuna-sensei, Hebi-hana, Tenshi-chan, you might want to alert Jiji that he should keep an eye on Kabuto Yakushi. It's just a hunch but I don't think his loyalties lie with Konoha." Naruto raised his head and looked around the room. Judging by the looks on Haku, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino's faces, who all also wore his communication seal, his message had gone through. Satisfied, he put his head back down on his desk and used the rest of his time trying to think up a way to modify the communication seals to speak to different people individually.
When Ibiki called out that they had thirty seconds left, he turned in his seat and tapped the boy sitting next to him on the shoulder. When the boy turned to look at him, he was met with a fist slugging him in the face, sending him crashing down to the front of the room. While everyone's attention was on the other boy's descent, he quickly switched their papers.
Ibiki called for pencils down, and announced the ultimatum concerning their final question. Naruto was unconcerned, as he wasn't about to let something as inconsequential as rank ever stop him from achieving his dreams. He watched as more and more of his competition forfeited, and grinned at the remaining participants' outrage when they learned the true nature of the tenth question.
His grin widened when a giant scroll crashed through the window, reading Second Exam Proctor: The Sexy and Powerful Mitarashi Anko and in a burst of smoke his snake flower appeared grinning sadistically at the remaining genin. Her eyes lingered for a second on Kabuto, confirming that Naruto's concerns had been relayed, and he listened as she chastised Ibiki for leaving so many chunin hopefuls.
He rose with the rest of the genin and joined Haku and Kurotsuchi (much to the displeasure of Osada and Komuro) to walk over to Training Ground 44. When they arrived, Anko was standing there waiting for them.
"Alright, maggots! Welcome to Training Ground 44, lovingly referred to as The Forest of Death. It's filled with all sorts of lovely plants and animals just waiting to kill you, and it will be where you're going to be spending the next five days!"
"What are we supposed to do for food?" Chouji asked.
"Well, I suppose there are some non-poisonous plants in there," Anko replied. "Or you could hunt and kill something, assuming it doesn't do the same to you first."
A wave of fear swept over many of the genin at the casual way Anko described the horrors that waited beyond the giant fence surrounding the forest. Their fear grew when Anko described the test, and told them they had to sign papers waving Konoha of any blame should they die. Suddenly the situation was much more real for many of them, especially when the idea of facing enemy teams in order to progress was added.
Naruto, though, welcomed the challenge, and he and Haku were among the first to sign the wavers and receive their scroll. They saw it was a Heaven Scroll, and Naruto sealed it into one of the storage seals on his wrist. They walked around the fence, passing a grass kunoichi who Kyubi stated smelled even more of snakes than Kabuto did, as well as radiating an aura of evil. As they approached their gate, Naruto saw Anko standing up on the wall above him, smiling though there was concern in her eyes. Naruto smirked mischievously and put a hand in his pocket, reassuring her that he would be fine.
"Alright, everybody in place? Good! Have fun, kiddies!" The gate opened and Naruto, Ryuda, and Haku rushed into the forest. They ran for about an hour and a half before pausing to discuss their next move.
"No need," Naruto said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an Earth Scroll.
"Where'd you get that?" Ryuda exclaimed.
"Substituted the scroll in my pocket for the one in Hebi-hana's," Naruto explained. "Now I'd like to go find Team 8 and see if they need any help."
Haku and Ryuda nodded and Naruto activated his Kunshugan before they took off again. Ryuda led the group as his nose was sensitive enough to track Hinata's scent through the forest. They traveled for another two hours before arriving in a clearing and seeing the members of Team 8 struggling to hold their own against two teams from Kumo.
Haku was about to jump down when Naruto held up his hand to signal her to wait as he activated the seal on his throat once more.
"Ao-Hime, Sekki-chan, Ryuda, and I are here to help." He noticed the members of Team 8 stiffen slightly but gave no other indication that he was speaking to them. "Ryuda is going to distract them, when he does, you three take out as many as you can, then Sekki-chan and I will help sweep up the rest."
Naruto nodded to Ryuda, who grinned before leaping down and transforming back to his full size. Suffice to say, the genin from Kumo were more than a little surprised when a horse-sized dragon crashed into the ground behind them and roared thunderously. Team 8 took advantage of their distraction as Hinata quickly buried an arrow in the necks of the three in front of them, while Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino dispatched with the team behind them. As luck would have it, both enemy teams had different scrolls, so Team 8 now also had a full set as well as an extra Earth Scroll.
"Thanks for the backup there guys," Kiba said as they jumped down to greet them.
"Don't mention it," Naruto replied, high-fiving his friend before pulling Hinata into a hug, making her blush.
"Excuse you, but if memory serves I'm the only one on our team who did any work by scaring those little snots out of their wits," Ryuda huffed indignantly.
"Don't worry, Ryuda-kun," Haku said with a smile, "I still appreciate you."
Ryuda smiled and nuzzled Haku with his snout while Naruto smirked. "Besides the whole plan would have gone up in smoke if they saw those little nubs sticking out of your back."
"They're not nubs, they're my wings!" Ryuda growled indignantly.
"Oh, really? Let's see you fly then," Naruto shot back.
The rest of the group smiled as they watched Naruto and Ryuda bicker back and forth but the happy atmosphere died when a great rumbling shook the forest and a massive snake the size of a building crashed through the trees passing right by them before they heard the screech of a familiar pink-haired howler monkey.
"That wasn't an ordinary snake," Ryuda observed seriously.
"Well of course not," Kiba said. "That thing was the size of the Hokage Tower!"
Ryuda shook his head. "I mean it's not from this realm. That snake smells like one of the ones from Ryuchi Cave, the summoning realm of the snakes."
Naruto activated his seal, and for the first time since his life had turned around half a decade ago, actually shouted, his throat burning as he tried to impart the seriousness of the situation. "Tsuna-sensei, Hebi-hana, Tenshi-chan, alert Hokage-sama that the second phase of the Chunin Exams have been infiltrated by a shinobi with the ability to summon snakes and is currently engaging Team 7! Hasu-chan it's up to you if you want to help or not, but if you do, go to Hokage-sama and ask that he adjust your seal to allow access to all of your chakra. My team and Team 8 are going to head to the tower as we have finished the exam and will await further instructions." Naruto quickly turned to his friends, a fire burning behind the swirling gold and blue of his Kunshugan as two prongs spun on opposite sides of his iris spun rapidly. "Let's go."
They all nodded and followed Naruto as he drew Eclipse and began channeling the Kyubi's chakra. He took point, pouring a massive amount of water chakra through Eclipse to guard their sides with a wall of dark crescent-shaped blades of chakra, while Ryuda held up the rear. Hinata was right behind him, constantly scanning the area with her Byakugan, while Kiba and Shino flanked her, and Haku ran behind her. They encountered little resistance as Hinata directed them around most enemies and traps. They only stopped briefly to help a red-haired girl with glasses who was all alone and being attacked by a gargantuan bear.
"Thank you," the girl said. "I'd give you my scroll but another team took it when they killed my teammates."
Naruto waved her off. "We're on our way to the tower, we can bring you there if you'd like." Karin stared in wide-eyed awe at the quiet boy and the large, armored reptile speaking for him. She nodded, speechless at the idea that someone would so selflessly offer to help her. Naruto smiled, and ran through a few more signs which Ryuda translated. "I hope you can keep up!"
Without further ado, they fell back into their previous formation, with Karin taking the place in between Hinata. They arrived at the tower in record time, only running into one other team, which Naruto plowed through with barely a thought. They were met by Tsunade, Anko, Kurenai, Konan, and the Hokage, making Karin quake at the gathering of imposing figures.
"Naru-kun!" Tsunade shouted. "Are you okay? What happened? Did he hurt you?"
Naruto smiled, hugging Tsunade tightly and allowing her to check him over. It felt good to have someone worry over him like this. Hiruzen looked over the other genin and frowned as he noticed the red-haired girl.
"Naruto, your report only mentioned you arriving with your team and Team 8. Might I ask who this new addition is?"
We found her being attacked by a bear, Naruto signed. Her team was dead and their scroll taken. I guess I already felt bad enough that I was leaving everyone else to deal with the snake, I couldn't leave her behind too.
Tsunade smiled at her student's selfless nature and turned to the red-haired girl hiding behind him. "What's your name?"
"K-Karin, ma'am," the girl stuttered. "Karin Uzumaki."
There was a moment of silence as everyone present froze, processing the implications of what Karin had just said. The tension was broken when Naruto spun around and lifted Karin into a massive hug, his beaming grin threatening to split his face in two. Karin squeaked and blushed as her rescuer spun her around before placing her back on the ground, her eyes widened as he introduced himself in a hoarse voice.
"Hi, Karin. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Tears threatened to spill from Karin's eyes as she leapt back into another hug, but the moment was ruined when the Hokage cleared his throat, reminding them all of the serious situation they were in. "As touching as this is and as happy as I am for you, Naruto-kun, we have more pressing matters at hand. Your team and Team 8 will enter the tower and await the third part of the exam. Karin can stay with you." The genin nodded at their leader's orders and turned to enter the tower. Hiruzen turned to the women gathered behind him and continued to distribute orders. "The political ramifications of canceling the Chunin Exams are too great, as such, Tsunade, you and Konan will lead a team of ANBU to search the forest for any sign of Orochimaru. Anko and Kurenai, you are to maintain the façade that all is well. I don't want anybody being tipped off that we have been infiltrated. Take your time and figure out if anyone else is associated with him, do not act without my express permission, am I understood."
The four woman all nodded, replying at once, "Yes, Hokage-sama!" before taking off in different directions.
Naruto sighed as he threw himself on the couch in his waiting room while Ryuda curled up on the ground by his feet. He was still unsure if he made the right decision. He knew, logically that he had to keep both his team and the members of Team 8 safe, but in doing that he had risked everyone else's life by leaving them to the mercy of that snake. He was broken out of his thoughts when Haku, Karin and Team 8 joined him in the common room. Haku and Hinata took their customary places by his sides, while Kiba and Shino both took the other chairs. Karin sat down next to Ryuda and was idly running her hand over the smooth scales of his side.
"So what's so bad about someone in the exams having a snake summoning contract?" Kiba asked. "I mean you have one with freaking dragons, so is it that surprising that someone else is like you?"
"Careful, dog-breath," Ryuda growled, "it almost sounded like you were comparing the great Dragon Clan to those slithering worms."
"I'm not," Kiba replied nervously, shaking his head. "I'm just asking what's the big deal with someone else having a summon contract."
"There are only two people known to have a contract with the snakes," Naruto explained. "The first is Hebi-hana, and the second is the one who taught her."
"Orochimaru," Hinata whispered, eyes wide in fear.
Naruto nodded. "Exactly. The big deal is that one of the most infamous traitors to Konoha has infiltrated the exams, and there are only two people in the entire village that could stand up to him. That's why we're gonna haave to be on our guard at all times."
The others nodded seriously and moved on to lighter topics as they asked Karin about her life. Naruto especially was curious to learn about his clan mate.
Karin blushed and looked down, focusing intently on the hand stroking Ryuda's side. "Oh, well there's not really too much to learn. Up until now I thought I was the last Uzumaki, and my life in Kusa wasn't exactly the best, but that's pretty much par for the course there."
Naruto reached down and squeezed her shoulder, smiling softly. "You don't have to talk about it right now, Karin. We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other."
"Naruto-nii," Karin whimpered throwing herself at him and sobbing. "I'm so happy I found you! I finally have family! Please, Naruto-nii, don't make me go back to Kusa! I wanna stay with you!"
Naruto shushed her, smiling as she voiced his own thoughts, and stroked her back. "It's okay, I'll never abandon you. We can go speak to the Hokage in the morning and see about you joining the leaf."
Karin cried happily at his promise and remained in his arms until she calmed down. She pulled back with a blush and her heart swelled as she saw nothing but supportive faces smiling down at her.
The next five days were generally uneventful. Naruto and Karin went to see the Hokage who said that he would see what he could do about allowing her to join Konoha's shinobi force, and after that the two clan mates were nearly always together. They both shared everything they could about their pasts, though Naruto played down the extent of his suffering at the hands of the villagers. Any time she wasn't with Naruto, Karin could usually be found hanging around with Kiba. The two had hit it off immediately and become fast friends. Akamaru even sometimes rode in her arms as he enjoyed the way she pet him and doted on him. Naruto meanwhile had immediately gone back into training mode, though it was generally kept low key so as to not give anything about himself away. He was happy that his Kunshugan had matured at some point during the second exam and couldn't wait to test it out.
Finally the last day of the exam was coming to a close and he and Haku found themselves waiting in a large room beneath the tower with several other teams. Among them were Teams 7, 8, 9, and 10 as well as Kabuto (his teammates had apparently died in the forest), Kurotsuchi's team, the team from the sound village, and Gaara's team.
"Welcome, all of you," The Hokage announced, "and congratulations on passing the second phase of the Chunin Exams." He went on to explain the history and purpose of the Chunin exams before pausing with a frown. "Unfortunately-"
"Ahem… Hokage-sama, maybe I should take over the explanation?" Their attention was drawn to the coughing jonin who stood chewing on a senbon. Hiruzen nodded and the jonin continued. "My name is Hayate. Since so many of you passed, we'll be holding a preliminary to determine who gets to go on to the third phase of the exams."
The room erupted into cries of protest, particularly from those who arrived later, but Hayate just ignored them. "Lots of important figures come from all around the Elemental Countries to watch the final tournament –ahem –it's a big part of how the villages get new clients. Ahem… That's why there can't be too many of you participating as it would take too long. Now if you'll look to the board, you'll see who the first randomly selected match will be. If your name doesn't show up, go up the stairs and wait in the balcony for your turn."
The large screen above the stone hands lit up, and their names flashed by as they were randomly selected. The scrolling slowed down and everyone watched with anticipation as the first match was decided.
*(OoO)*
MATCH #1: KUROTSUCHI VS. SHINO
Naruto grinned to both combatants wishing them luck before running up the stairs. His smile grew when he saw all the jonin-sensei standing on the balcony watching the proceedings and spied a familiar set of bulky red armor. He sprinted over to Han and waved, happy to see his fellow Jinchuriki.
Han looked down and allowed a bit of warmth to bleed into his eyes as he greeted his self-appointed little brother. "It's good to see you, Naruto."
Naruto's grin never faded as he began signing furiously and the large creature started speaking for him. "How have you been Han-nii?"
"I have been well," Han replied, looking between Naruto and his new interpreter his curiosity got the better of him. "It seems you have at least one story to share after the preliminaries are through."
Naruto nodded and promised he would find Han again after the preliminaries before sprinting back to join his friends and watch the match.
Kurotsuchi huffed as she dodged yet another exploding kunai, only to wind up in the middle of a whirlpool of insects. She growled and took a deep breath, flashing through some quick hand seals.
"Katon: Fireball Jutsu!" She exhaled hard, releasing a ball of flames roughly as tall as her. The fire incinerated several bugs forcing the rest to back off while Shino slammed his hand on the ground.
"Doton: Earth Spike Jutsu!" A row of spikes burst from the ground, making their way right for her. Kurotsuchi leapt into the air and preformed more hand seals as the spikes passed harmlessly below her.
"Suiton: Water Bullet Jutsu!" She cried as she created several small spheres of water with her chakra and fired them at Shino. Shino slammed his hands into the ground once more and created a large stone wall in front of him, blocking her attack. Kurotsuchi cursed. She had been unable to even get close to him without his insects attacking her, and she was already feeling weirdly tired from only performing a few techniques.
Determined to end this fight quickly, she flashed through even more hand seals and pumped as much chakra as she could into the technique. "Yoton: Scorching Steam Rock Technique!" She expelled as much lava as she could forming three large spheres around three feet in diameter each. The lava solidified slightly into flaming chunks of molten rock and she launched them at Shino. The first sphere crashed through Shino's mud wall, forcing him to dash to the side as the other two lava balls honed in on him. He narrowly dodged the first one and blocked the last with another mud wall, but froze when Kurotsuchi held the tip of her kunai to his neck.
Her victorious smirk faded when Shino crumbled into a giant pile of bugs and she felt a pair of hands spring up and grab her by the ankles. Bugs started climbing up her body and she could feel what little chakra she had left draining away as the insects eat it. She collapsed to her knees and looked up as Shino rose from beneath the ground underneath her he held a kunai to her throat and she scowled when she heard the proctor shout out.
"Winner: Shino Aburame!"
Kurotsuchi's foul mood was lifted when Shino pocketed his kunai and held out his hand to help her to her feet.
"It was a good fight," he said in a quiet monotone.
Kurotsuchi nodded. "It was. I wouldn't mind sparring with you sometime."
They made their way up the stairs and were both greeted by Naruto and Ryuda, who congratulated them on an awesome fight. Kurotsuchi smiled and laughed while Shino simply bumped fists with Naruto. They returned to their respective teams as the screen on the wall displayed the next fight.
MATCH #2: SASUKE VS DOZU
Naruto barely paid attention to the fight, and instead focused more on the seal on Sasuke's neck. He saw how it reacted when he tried to use his chakra and narrowed his eyes. His anger quickly grew when he saw Sasuke imitate one of Lee's moves, modifying to slam his opponent down ruthlessly into the ground. The moment the match was done, Sasuke left with Kakashi and Naruto couldn't help but feel glad that they were gone. He narrowed his eyes and briefly activated his Kunshugan to watch Dozu's body language as his sensei spoke to him. Clearly whoever the sensei of the sound genin was, they did not think he was to be trifled with, or disappointed.
Naruto was far more interested in the next fight, though as the screen flashed the names of the combatants.
MATCH #3: HAKU VS ZAKU
Naruto hugged Haku close and whispered his encouragement in her ear, prompting a blush to appear on her face. "Knock 'em dead, Sekki-chan."
Haku nodded resolutely and walked down the stairs. She came to a stop at the bottom and frowned as she faced her opponent. She could tell he hadn't healed completely from whatever injuries he had sustained in the forest, and was holding his arms out a bit awkwardly. She and Naruto had already seen his abilities first hand in the first part of the exam, so she knew that when he lashed out at her, it wasn't fists she should be aware of, but the small distortion in the air zooming towards her. Luckily for her she had been training with Naruto for several months now and was faster than ever.
She dodged around the sonic wave and hurried through several one-handed seals (in case any Sharingan wielders had returned and were hoping to learn something from watching her fight) and condensed the water in the air into several small needles. The liquid senbon hurtled toward her target only to be disrupted when they came in contact with another blast of pressurized air.
"You're not too bad," Zaku remarked as he rushed in close. "I think I'll enjoy this more than I thought."
"I wouldn't count on it," Haku replied.
Zaku scoffed. "Please, you can't even lay a finger on me."
"Neither can you."
Zaku scowled and reared his fist back. The blast of air he sent at her this time was too big to dodge, so Haku knelt down and created a quick dome of ice around herself. She huffed and swiped a drop of sweat from her brow as Zaku's attack dissipated harmlessly around her shield. She had to end this fast, her wind jutsu were outmatched by his attacks, and there wasn't nearly enough water to use her other techniques without tiring herself out further. Just creating this dome of ice out of her chakra had taken a noticeable toll on her reserves.
Meanwhile, Zaku grunted, the strain on his arms growing as he hammered away at Haku's ice dome. "Come on out, girlie! I promise to go easy on you!" He shot both of his arms forward, unleashing his most powerful attack yet. To his surprise, the dome exploded before his attack even made contact. Haku was a blur as she slipped by the wave of pressurized air, a trail of ice shards behind her. She literally ran circles around her opponent, dodging his attacks and retaliating with her own. Finally, his frustration mounting, Zaku tried for one last powerful attack only to scream in pain as shards of ice of different sizes plugged the holes in his arms forcing the pressure to back up and obliterate his shoulders. Zaku stood for a moment, arms hanging limply by his side before falling face first to the ground, unconscious.
Hayate declared Haku the winner and she smiled walking up the stairs calmly while the medics rushed in to help Zaku. Her chest fluttered when Naruto wrapped her up in a hug.
"I never doubted you," he whispered in her ear. Haku blushed and smiled as they separated and went back to join their friends. The screen flashed once more and they all waited with baited breath to learn who would be next.
MATCH #4: GAARA VS KOMURO
Naruto frowned as his fellow Jinchuriki walked down the steps to the arena. He quietly sidled up beside Han as the match started and Komuro withdrew her twin scimitars.
"She won't win," Han stated as Komuro desperately tried to slice through Gaara's defences. Gaara didn't even move as the sand flowing around his body acted on its own, stopping every one of Komuro's attacks short.
"He's like us," Naruto croaked, looking around to make sure nobody was listening. He discretely activated the seal on his throat before continuing. "He has the One-Tail in him." Naruto looked around, taking note of how Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Haku, Kurenai, and Anko stiffened.
"There's something different about him, though," Han observed, clenching his fist as Gaara's sand threw Komuro around like a rag doll.
"He's not in full control," Naruto replied. "Unlike Tou-chan or Gobi-obaasan, his tenant is torturing his mind."
Han concurred as Gaara finally moved. He swiped his hand through the air, the sand holding Korumo following suite as it flung her from side to side, smashing her into whatever surface was nearest. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Naruto could hear a barely audible voice gasp out, "I yield!" But Gaara just continued playing with her, a psychotic grin slowly stretching across his face as he used yet another victim to prove his existence.
His fun was cut off though when Han intervened, destroying the sand holding his student with a blast of steam and plucking her out of the air. His mother screamed at him to finish the job, but the moment he and Han locked eyes, she quieted. The same feeling Gaara got when facing his father –the one man in Suna who could defeat and control Mother –pricked at his spine as he looked up into Han's eyes. Scoffing and turning away, Gaara's gaze locked on with Naruto's disapproving one, and Mother immediately started shrieking once more in his head. Only this time they were warnings to stay as far away from the blonde-haired boy as possible. Breaking eye contact, if only to silence Mother, Gaara made his way back up the stairs while Han handed Komuro over to the medics.
The screen flashed for a fifth time and Naruto nearly cheered as it came to a stop.
MATCH #5: NARUTO VS KANAGI
Naruto's friends wished him luck, and his chest swelled with pride when Hinata and Haku hugged him while Kurenai smiled softly mouthing the words good luck to him. He winked at her and squeezed Hinata and Haku tightly before turning around and jumping down to the arena floor with Ryuda one step behind him. Anko winked at him, also mouthing her own encouragement, when Naruto looked up at the proctor to start the match. Once he did, Naruto turned around to face Ryuda and shook his head sadly.
Sorry bro, I know you want to show off, but I'd rather keep your skills a secret for now.
Ryuda growled and sat down with a huff. "Fine, but only because I know you can take this guy, no problem."
"What's the matter, Uzumaki?" Kanagi called from across the arena. "You not gonna let your pet gecko in on the action."
Ryuda's growling grew louder and Kurenai shook her head from up in the stands as Kakashi and Sasuke rejoined the spectators. "Oh is another one of my cute students about to fight?" Kakashi asked as he leaned against the wall next to Kurenai.
"Another one of your cute students is about to get his ass kicked," Kurenai replied, annoyed. She had felt the small pulse of chakra coming from Sasuke, indicating he had activated his Sharingan in hopes to steal some of Naruto's techniques. A not so small part of her couldn't wait for Naruto to finish his fight and get out of here. They had yet to talk about that kiss that happened before the exams, and Kurenai's doubts had been creeping up on her ever since.
Naruto smirked and settled into his fighting stance, curling his fingers in invitation for Kanagi to go first. Kanagi took the bait and rushed at Naruto with a flurry of punches and kicks that always failed to land as Naruto spun and jumped and danced his way around his opponent. His frustration mounting, Kanagi hurled a handful of shuriken at Naruto's head and jumped back as he preformed several hand seals.
"Katon: Fireball Jutsu!" He quickly spat out several large balls of flame that hurled toward Naruto.
Naruto smiled as he followed through on his previous motion, spinning low to dodge the shuriken before shooting back to his feet and thrusting his hand forward. Out of nowhere, a massive gust of wind blew from his palm, extinguishing Kanagi's fireballs and sending him flying back into the ceiling.
"That was the Great Breakthrough Technique," Kakashi muttered disbelievingly. "But how did he do it without any hand seals?"
"Naruto can use any of his jutsu without hand seals," Kurenai informed him causing Kakashi's one eye to widen while Sasuke gripped the railing in front of him harder.
"But how? Even the most accomplished shinobi only ever master a few jutsu to the point of not needing to mould their chakra without hand seals."
"Naruto didn't like the fact that there were those who would copy the techniques he worked so hard to master just by looking at them," Kurenai said glaring at Sasuke's back while Sasuke merely grit his teeth in anger. The dobe should be proud to share his techniques with him! "So, with the help of Tsunade-sama and his Kunshugan, he divised a way to mould chakra without hand seals, that can't be replicated."
Meanwhile, Kanagi flipped to his feet after prying himself from the ceiling and dropped down, already preparing another jutsu. "Katon: Pheonix Fire Technique!" This time he spat out dozens of smaller fireballs that flew towards Naruto from several different directions. Naruto shifted his stance, bracing his feet shoulder-width apart and raised his arms from his waist to above his head, as he did so, several of the floor tiles around him rose up on pillars of earth to form a wall around him. The fireballs collided harmlessly with his protection, and Naruto shifted his stance, thrusting an arm out, causing a chunk of one of the pillars to fly off and collide with Kanagi just as he landed.
"It can't be," Kakashi muttered, his own Sharingan visible as he observed the fight. "He's using his body movements to mould the chakra and mixing it with raw nature manipulation. He shouldn't even know what chakra natures are at his level."
Naruto broke off piece after piece of his wall, sending them flying Kanagi's way in barrage of stone as he punched and kicked through the air.
"It's a perfect mixture of taijutsu and ninjutsu," Gai observed. He was astounded that Naruto had been able to accomplish such a feat since the last time they saw each other. Kurenai watched proudly as Naruto leapt through the air, firing one last hunk of earth down at his opponent, knocking him out. Her chest swelled with pride as the proctor declared Naruto the winner.
Naruto smiled and waved to his friends as he turned to rejoin them on the balcony up above. He didn't take a step before a dark chuckling rang in his ears freezing him in place.
"It seems Tsu-hime has been hiding quite the promising student from me," the voice hissed. Naruto turned in the direction it was coming from, but stiffened as he felt an unbearable agony burning through his body from his neck. "I'll enjoy stealing you away from her."
Naruto gasped as the pain enveloped him. The last thing he heard was several people shouting his name before darkness engulfed him.
A/N: So I know a big chunk of this feels rushed, and I apologize for that. I didn't want to rewrite the entirety of the Chunin Exams, as so many stories get bogged down there because so much happens at once, so I pretty much raced through the parts that remained the same from the manga. Also the fights could probably be longer, but I'm new to writing these kinds of fight scenes, and based off my experiences fights generally don't actually last that long. I tend to prefer to devote more of my word count to furthering some aspect of the plot, as when I read I usually just end up skimming the majority of the 5k+ fight scenes so I can get the gist of it. I promise to hopefully do better on the next chapter. Until then, thanks for the follows and favourites, an extra thanks for all the reviews, and I hoped you liked it.