Naruto the Elemental Star
Chapter 12: History before Prelims
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Otherwise, guns and ninjas would be semantics once I am through with them.
Beta Reader: Albert
Last Update: 05/25/2018
Scene I
It has been a long three days for Team Vixen as they spent time with friends and family. It was an emotional one as they confronted Anko about her cure mark.
Flashback
"And that is why we want you, Team Six or Team Guy to take out the Sound-nins within the prelims. If they are working under Orochimaru, we need all the intelligence we can gather, even if it is only a small amount," Anko explained before she turned to her team that sat with Kushina and Naruko. She finished her lecture and asked "Any more questions?"
"Anko-sensei," Tukiko called out to gather her teacher's attention. "What happened between you and Orochimaru?"
Anko was silent for a moment before she asked, "What do you know about me and Orochimaru?"
Hinata complied with Anko's question, "Not much except he was your first teacher and according to Sai, you had the same seal that he put on Sasuke before he died."
"That's a good start, but not the full story," Anko stated as she got to the heart of the matter. "I was not just his student. I was the only student he ever took in Konoha. I was a child with an average background and an average family. The only thing that made me special was my high scores in the Academy. So when he picked me, I felt like I was someone special. I followed him around like a lost puppy, trying to learn everything I could from him. I followed his words as if they were gospel. I just had no idea he was experimenting on people, that is until that night."
Anko sighed in sorrow before she continued her story, "My parents just disappeared one day, and I went to Orochimaru for help. Orochimaru acted like the understanding teacher as he filed a missing report and he… he pretended to look for them."
"Pretended?" Tukiko asked her favorite teacher.
"He knew exactly where they were and what had happened to them," Anko told Tukiko before she continued her story. "Two months after my parents disappeared, Orochimaru told me he had information on my parents' whereabouts, and we needed to leave now. We went through the gates in the dead of night and… and we were not even a click away when Orochimaru struck. He injected me with enough drugs to take out a summon. I was out like a light."
The room was quiet for a moment until Naruto asked, "What happened next?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I probably was drugged throughout my stay in that hellhole… My earliest memory of that place was when the ANBU found me while they were looking for my teacher," Anko told the group with a flare of anger. "I was found strapped to a lab table, blindfold, gagged and crying in pain from the mark that Orochimaru gave me. I remember begging them to kill me when they removed the gag from my mouth."
Anko rubbed her eyes in frustration, "The ANBU obviously did not comply and began to treat my wounds. They also explained to me that I had been missing for three months. The medic said I showed signs that I was an abused lab rat from day one of my disappearances. They also found corpses in the adjacent rooms with the curse seal… along with notes that indicated a survival rate of only one out of ten. I apparently was the finished product and the only one that he successfully planted the curse seal on."
Anko sighed, gaining a grip before she continued her tail, "From that moment on, my life spiraled down. I went through a time of self-pity as many of the villagers gave me the stink eye for I was the student of a monster. I would have drunk myself to death if it were not for friends like Kurenai and support from the higher-ups. But, from that moment on, I promised myself that should I ever see that snake face again, I would kill him for what he did to me, and the untold number of innocents he hurt. I just did not think he could use the seal to stop me," she stated as she recalled her fight with her former master.
The fight started when had found the snake man leaving the forest. Anko contorted the man with two ANBU teammates. Anko was the first to attack, but Orochimaru evaded her attack despite having a stomach wound. He struck an ANBU down in retaliation and defeated the other with little effort before Anko could help them. Therefore, she faced him alone, trading jutsus and kunais until she revealed a trump card. Anko put a shotgun to the man's face. She would have killed the snake man, but she made a mistake of waiting to see the recognition on his scared face. Instead of a student getting her revenge, she got a smirk as Orochimaru invoked the ram symbol on the seal. Anko experienced a world of pain coming from the seal.
Anko was at the man's mercy, and he used that time to taunt her. She remembered the words the two traded, "You had failed Anko. You failed to get your revenge. You failed to protect one of your prize students. I have marked her as I have marked you. The survival rates are extremely low, but she has greater potential than you ever did, and she will come to me for power."
"She won't," Anko had snarled as the surviving ANBU ninja helped her up.
Orochimaru only smiled in response, "She will, either willingly or not. It matters not as I will take everything I want and you will take a message back to the old fossil. Tell him if he stops the exams, I will burn Konoha to the ground, and I will personally take everything that the both of you care my dear student…" Orochimaru said before Tukiko brought her teacher back to reality.
"Sensei?" Tukiko asked in a voice similar to her timid days. "Are you alright."
"I'm fine, just taking a trip down memory lane," Anko stated. "Don't worry about me brats, I'll be fine. Especially if that pervert of a Sennin succeeds in removing that curse seal like he promises."
"I am sure he can, it is a chakra-based virus seal, and they can be eroded away with a concentrated chakra blast," Kushina explained. "From what I see, it is simpler than the time lock, chakra constraint, chakra inhibitor, and execution seal that were on mine and my little girl's back."
The group outside of her daughters looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Kushina blushed in response, "What? While I am no Seal Master like Jiraiya … or Minato (sigh sadly), I am a high B-rank seal master. I helped Minato with seals as I could tell what a seal can do by looking at it. I can even copy complex ones. I just cannot break or make complex ones like the S-rank on my back or the high A-rank on Anko's shoulder but is doable given the age of the seal."
"Well enough about my seal, you all probably should get ready for the prelims are about to begin, give or take three hours," Anko pointed out.
Naruko nodded as she pulled out an ANBU mask that had a bat on it while Kushina took a fox mask and they headed to the arena to act as part of the arena's guard detail. The rest of Team Vixen was about to leave as well until Haku turned to ask Anko, "What happened to your parents."
Anko slowly answered her student, "They were his first test subjects of the Curse Seal. They did not survive."
End Flashback
It was a slow day, as Team Vixen prepared for the prelims as they walked into a large room that resembled an arena. It had a marble floor facing a stand that holds the Hokage and his elite ninjas. Behind and above Sarutobi's head was a huge digital board and a giant statue of a ninja holding the ram symbol. To the sides of the arena were stairways that led up to large balconies where ninjas could stand and watch the arena from a safe distance.
As the teams walked in single file and faced the Hokage, Naruto took note of the other teams that had arrived as well. From the leaf were three from their own class, Team 6, 8, and 10, along with two older teams: Team Guy and the team Kabuto had been assign too. Among the Leaf-nins were three foreign teams: Gaara's sand team, the sound-nins that worked with the Uzumaki to kill Sasuke, and the masked team of Ran-nins. Nine teams remained with a total of twenty-eight personnel had passed the second part of the exams. An above average number of teams had gathered in front of the Hokage as they waited for his speech before they continued the exams.
"Congratulations to you all for making it this far in Konoha's Chūnin Exams. You all are a credit to your village," the Third Hokage acknowledged the Genin before him. The same Genin that smiled at the 'God of Shinobi' before he asked, "But I am curious, do you know the true purpose of the Chūnin exams?"
"Isn't it to get promoted?" Kiba asked out loud with several agreeing among his fellow Genin.
"It is not just to get promoted. It a way to prevent war by providing war games for the general public," Sarutobi answered to the shocked group. "We use the exams to air out any dirty laundry that exists between villages and to burn it out through high-risk competition. The ability to promote highly skilled Genin, brag about it, and gain more clients are just a bonus."
"So we are lambs brought to the slaughter for the amusement of others and to keep the peace?" asked the foreign kunoichi from Sand Forces, Temari.
"You can look at it like that," Sarutobi admitted. "Or you can look at it in a way that suggests that we believe that you are skilled enough to represent the village in matters of martial might, just as I trust all the Genin from my village," Sarutobi answered as he smiled at the Genin with a leaf insignia. "However, if you don't like it, then drop out and try your hand on being promoted by the regular means of merit on the field. And speaking of dropping out, I believe Jōnin Raven Hunter has something important to state on that matter."
"Thank you lord Hokage," Raven Hunter bowed before he faced the Chūnin hopefuls. "Now, first I would like to note that far too many of you had passed the first part of the exam and that we need to cut the number down by half. So we will hold preliminary rounds to cut down your numbers."
"That's bullshit!" the sound-nin Zaku yelled as he was barely standing with braces on his leg. "What about those that are injured getting here? It's not fair!"
"And when will your enemies play fair?" Raven Hunter asked sarcastically. "These are real war games, and in war, an injured opponent is nothing more than prey to us ninjas. That is why retreating on the battlefield is a tactically sound strategy for ninjas, which is an option you have now. Quit and fight another day, or stay and hope your luck holds out." Raven Hunter developed a look almost pitch black when he asked, "So, who wants to quit?"
At first, no one raised their hand until a silver-haired Genin with glasses slowly raised his hand, "I wish to quit. I am kind of running on fumes at the moment."
"And your name is?" Raven Hunter asked.
"Kabuto Yakushi," replied the Genin that looks like the only damage was the dirt that seemed to have been smeared on his clothes rather than received from a fight.
Something was suspicious to the Jōnin as Ibiki, and the more intelligent Genin from the leaf remembered/saw that this was his seventh time to compete. Many began to wonder why he gave up but kept it to themselves while Ibiki signaled an ANBU to follow Kabuto when he leaves. At the moment, Kabuto was talking to teammates, who stop to ask him about why he quit. They spoke in a muffled tone, and it was difficult to read his teammate's body language. The two wore specially tinted glasses that made it look like their eyes were actually the glasses.
Kabuto replied in a quiet tone with a body movement that betrayed nothing. However, Naruto could make out the following words: 'our Lord,' 'prove,' 'favorite,' 'target,' and 'purpose.' In the end, Kabuto walked out after he gave the Jōnin sensei of the Sound-nins a small glance. The tall, pale man that made Naruto feel uneasy and even violated for some unknown reason. She could have sworn that the man's eyes seemed to flash yellow for a moment. Naruto dismissed such thoughts as Raven Hunter asked if anyone else was quitting.
With silence as his answer, he stated, "Very well, since we have an uneven number of opponents, the board will go through a series of names, and whomever the name is pick will get a free pass in the exams."
The board then went through a series of names at random; most Chūnin hopefuls looked up to see if they would be picked as it meant a free pass in the exams. The anxiety increased until the board finally landed on a name: Kagari of Ame. Genin cursed as they looked at the lucky stiff from Rain forces in yellow that wore a breather mask. The one to claim the reward to take the flyby was the one in cloth that covered both of his eyes. He then went to the left side of the stands reserved for foreign ninjas while the others waited for their next match.
"Okay, with that settled, let's move into the prelims," Raven Hunter stated. "The board will randomly select two contestants that will fight each other while the other waits in the balconies. While you fight, let it be known that I am the proctor of these fights. When I say you are done, you are done. Continuing the fight will disqualify you automatically. And while killing is allowed, it is strongly frowned upon. If you try to kill your opponent when I call the match, then I will cripple you, if not accidentally kill you. Other than that, the only other rule is no firearms. We do not want others accidentally killed in the match. Any more questions… No, very well the board will select two opponents. They will remain in the arena for their fight."
The board began to shuffle through the names until it reached two names: Yoroi Akadō and Tukiko Uchiha. The other Genin moved away to the balconies while the two stayed to face each other. Once they stepped off the stairs and onto the balcony, Naruto looked back to where the Sound Jōnin was but found that he was gone. She had a bad feeling about this.
Scene II
In the dark shadows of the tower, Kabuto stood over the dead body of an ANBU while he was meeting the Sound Jōnin from the prelims. Kabuto had killed the ANBU by grabbing the man from the shadows before he used a chakra scalpel and struck the man's brain. Kabuto killed the man, leaving no mark while leaving the other's organs intact. The Jōnin smirked at the display as he peeled off the fake skin to reveal it was Orochimaru of the Sennin.
"My lord," Kabuto bowed to his true master.
"Kabuto, how goes my best spy?" Orochimaru asked with a sadistic smirk.
"It has gone well Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied to his master with an amused look as he sealed the ANBU he just killed in a medical scroll he carried around. "But I take it you are not here to dispense pleasantries and instead want a report on the Sasuke's whereabouts. Well, I'm afraid to be the bearer of bad news. The medical reports that I stole indicated that he killed himself by pulling too much of his chakra through your seal. He blew his chakra coils and his organs in one fatal swoop."
"It is a shame but not too detrimental to my plans as there are more than one Uchiha," Orochimaru said offhandedly. "It is just too bad I was not able to mark the female Uchiha that was on Anko-Chan's team as she showed potential, but there is always another time."
"Of course my Lord," Kabuto smiled at the man in return. "I will take my leave. I have to make sure my teammates don't talk." Kabuto disappeared into the floor much like his master would have.
"Yes, such a shame when you have to dispose of spent tools," Orochimaru stated before he disappeared as well. It would be a few hours before anyone realize they were here and gone.
Scene III
Back in the arena, Tukiko was facing her opponent Yoroi. She did not think much of her opponent, but that did not mean she would take it easy as she got into position. When Raven Hunter called the match to start, Tukiko pulled out her knives while Yoroi rushed her with glowing hands. Tukiko did not take a chance as she leaped back from the older man. She kept him at arm's length as he tried to grab onto the agile girl. Tukiko's Sharingan briefly saw him drain chakra from the air around his hand and realized what he had planned. Tukiko responded with a kick that was hard enough to force Yoroi back.
Yoroi skirted away from Tukiko and briefly rubbed his bruise from her kick. However, he also had a triumph look when he chuckled, "So I guess you see what will happen when I get a hold of you, and when I do, I will drain you of every last drop of chakra."
Tukiko looked at the man as if he were an idiot when she asked, "You are Kabuto-San's teammate right? Then tell me what my title is."
Yoroi looked confused for a moment until he realized what she meant. He began to back up as Tukiko's own dangerous smirk began to appear. "That's right asshole. I am the 'Fire Mistress' known for my skill in flaming knives and fire jutsus," Tukiko stated when she powered up a powerful 'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.'
As the fireball went hurtling towards Yoroi, he quickly responded by holding up his hands to stop the fireball and absorb its chakra. It took only a few seconds before he succeeded in absorbing most of the fireball, leaving his hands singed for his troubles. It was the least of his concerns as Tukiko had thrown a dozen of knives righter after her fireball. He fell down in pain, as blood flew flow from open wounds that looked like a pincushion with the knives sticking out of his arms and legs.
Seeing her opponent down, Tukiko looked at the proctor to state, "My opponent is down. I believe I have won this match."
Raven Hunter agreed as he called the match in Tukiko's favor, "Winner Tukiko Uchiha." Raven Hunter then looked at Yoroi before calling out aid, "Medics! Please take this Genin away so we can continue the next match."
The medics quickly responded and took Yoroi on a stretcher. No one noticed that one of the mask medics in a white jumpsuit was a silver-haired youth, with a small sinister smile. This would be the last time anyone ever sees Yoroi as he disappeared in the care of the medics. All the while, Tukiko moved up to the balcony as she was congratulated by her teammates and senseis. As Tukiko received her a pat on the back, the board went through a new sequence before it landed on Zaku Abumi and Shino Aburame. Shikamaru, Team 13, Team 6, and Team 8 all took particular interest as Shino walked down with a calm and collected presence. On the other side, Zaku, who was unsure whether he should fight, decided to fight anyway as he presented a cocky attitude as he limped down the stairs.
As Shino went down, a blond girl named Ino noticed, the others interest in Shino and turned to her teammate, "Hey Shikamaru, what is with everyone's interest in Shino?"
"Troublesome," Shikamaru stated. "They are taking an interest in a fight with one of the strongest Genin in this test."
"What?" Ino asked in shock.
"It's true," Ami stated off handily. "I have seen the cutie in action. I think only a few people here can beat him, and even then, it would be a tough fight. Hell, he may be able to win it all by himself."
"Then why wasn't he Rookie of the Year?" Ino asked.
"Because the academy focuses more on academics and all around techniques," Revan answered for Ami. "They do not account for clan styles, so Sasuke beat him overall by a few points, mainly in martial arts."
"The (munch) Aburame clan, (munch) is that powerful?" Chōji asked the group in between bites of some crunchy morsel.
"Out of all the clans in Konoha, the Aburame and the Nature Clan are the two most powerful clans in battle," Tukiko explained to the group. "They were able to match the Senju and Uchiha when they were in their prime during the Clan War era."
Several Genin on the Leaf-nins looked to the Jōnins to confirm what Tukiko stated, and to their shock, they nodded, 'yes.' Realizing it was true, Ino turned to ask, "How?"
"Just watch the fight, and you will see," Naruto suggested, and the Leaf-nins followed Naruto's suggestion.
In the arena, Shino looked over Zaku in silence. It was apparent that a fight would end in Zaku's defeat. Therefore, for the sake of logic, he offered his opponent a chance to give up. "You know, it would probably be best if you surrendered," Shino suggested. "You can't win with the injuries you have received, and it is best not to aggravate them."
It was a logical suggestion, but Zaku was not interested in Shino's words sympathy. Instead, Zaku took his offer as a sign of weakness as he stated, "Keep your suggestions to yourself. Even with my wounds, I can still beat a damn tree hugger."
At that point, Shino lost all interest in showing mercy for his opponent and was now ready to end this fight. Shino was on the move before Raven Hunter started the match, not that Zaku noticed. Zaku was quick to the dropped, as he held out his two arms up, palms open. Inside his palms were tubes in which wind was circulating, as it is built-up in preparation to unleash a powerful attack. He shot out a high-pressure attack that might as well have had the force of a dozen grenades as the blast headed towards Shino. Ami called out for Shino, but it was too late as it hit him at full strength, or so it seemed to. Only a few noticed that it passed through Shino without any resistance as it crashed into the wall behind, shooting up a cloud of dust.
Zaku smirked, "I got him in one shot!"
"Got who?" a cold voice asked from behind Zaku.
Zaku slowly turned to see Shino was standing behind him with a face filled with cold logic. Zaku turned back to see the dust had cleared and laying on top of the ruble were a few green pieces of what appeared to be bug guts. The bug guts did not register in Zaku's brain as he asked, "How?"
"It does not matter, as it will not be your concern for long," Shino told the Sound-nin as he raised his arms out, commanding forces to come forth in the form of a swarm of insects.
Bugs, wave after wave of the little black beetles with small pinchers flew out of Shino in the form of a vast cloud. The onslaught made Zaku roll away in fear as he attempted to escape. It hurt to open wounds, but he was able to retreat far enough distance to return fire, or so he had thought. He felt something crawling on his back and felt his chakra stores drain quickly away. He realized he was defeated before Shino's bugs made their appearance as the swarm descended upon their unfortunate victim. Zaku screamed in fear before he fell unconscious from chakra exhaustion.
Once the screams became silent, Shino retracted his bugs, leaving behind the broken mass known as Zaku. No one would question how strong Shino was as he slowly walked up the stairs. Most were afraid that not Ami. She was one of the few to meet him halfway up the stairs to congratulate him personally, and the only one to berate Shino for making her worry that he might be hurt. Shino was a perfect gentleman as he promised not to make his teammate worry about him again.
As Ami fluttered around Shino, Night Wolf chuckled as he stated, "And to think, that a clan that keeps to themselves like the Aburame and mine are considered the strongest in the village. I wonder if it is true what they say."
"What do they say?" Bastila asked.
"That it is the quiet ones that are the most powerful, and none are quieter in the political arena than the Aburame and the Nature clans," Night Wolf explained.
"I guess that's true, it would explain why you and Bastila are weaker than me in a fight," Revan stated in a blunt matter.
"Oh, low blow," Tukiko chuckled as the group chuckled in response.
"Alright, that's enough, besides the next set of matches are starting," Naruto pointed to the board as it listed Hinata Hyūga and Kankurō Sakabu as the next contestants.
Kankurō took it in stride, as he walked with a hop to his step while Hinata steps were tentative. She was not used to the attention and was a wreck before she took a step down the stairs. Her nerves were utterly fried until Naruto stopped her and whispered into her ear. It was in a quiet tone that others could not hear, but they knew it was something that made Hinata developed a small smile along with a small blush as she stepped down to the arena with renewed confidence down with the arena.
She walked down with a confident step to face Kankurō, who had a grin that was the definition of cocky when he asked, "Done talking to your girlfriend?"
Hinata responded by activating her bloodline to see something interesting as she assumed an attack poster. It took only a few seconds for Hinata to end the match when it was called to begin. Hinata attacked Kankurō with a high power gentle blade that sliced through the 'Kankurō' before her. The force cut 'Kankurō' in two pieces to reveal it was not Kankurō, but a wooden puppet that Hinata had cut in two. Hinata also revealed where the real Kankurō was by cutting the raping on the puppet's back. Kankurō was a scared Sand-nin that was hovering in the air. It was not long before Kankurō felt pain as Hinata wasted no time attacking him from behind. Within a few seconds, Hinata hit Kankurō in his shoulder blade, his kneecaps, and his thighs. Kankurō was unable to move when he hit the ground. Hinata Hyūga was declared the winner, and the Sand-nins were embarrassed by Kankurō actions.
Temari had to ask herself, "Didn't he read any of the reports about Leaf Forces' bloodlines?" Their sensei looked like he was going to punish Kankurō after the fight.
As Hinata walked up the stairs, Kankurō asked, "How could you have possibly beat me?" as the medic prepared to take him to the medical wards found within the tower. "How could you beat me if you were such a nervous wreck coming down to the arena?"
"I won because someone dared to believe in me. I could not let her down," Hinata answered quietly as she walked up to a smiling Naruto.
A small smile formed on her face as Hinata remembered Naruto's words from a few seconds ago, "Hinata, don't be scared. I know you can beat him. I believe in you, as I believe you will always be there for me as a comrade and a friend that I hold dear to my heat." Hinata would never forget her words as she stood side by side with her best friends and her best friend. A best friend that could be something more to her.
As Kankurō was taken away to mend his paralysis, the board cycled through a new series of names until it landed on two names Dosu Kinuta and Tenten Faiadoku, another Leaf versus Sound match. It became apparent that Tenten was the favorite, as Rock Lee, Guy, Team 6 and Team Vixen cheered on Tenten while no one else cared either way who won. Even his teammate Kin did not show that she even cared about her teammate Dosu. However, Dosu had a mission to prove as he went to fight the Leaf-nin. He had to prove to his master that he and his team were worthy enough to survive.
Dosu was determined as he entered into a battle position that Tenten mirrored when they both reached the arena. As soon as the match started, Dosu rushed Tenten with his sound gauntlet raised high, ready to strike. He did not take five steps before Tenten performed a 'quick draw' with her kunai, with the accuracy and speed an expert gunslinger would be proud of. It forced Dosu to come to a full stop before he hit his gauntlet by the sides. The gauntlet created sound waves that vibrated the air as they deflected the kunais away from Dosu, giving him a clear run to attack Tenten.
Dosu wasted no time to rush Tenten again to strike with his sound gauntlet. However, Tenten had other plans. Tenten applied chakra to a special seal on her arm to summon a scimitar, a curved sword for close quarters combat. Tenten deflected Dosu's gauntlet with her sword, just before Dosu could build up a sound attack with his gauntlet. Frustrated, Dosu responded by attacking Tenten with a hot, yet calculated attack. Each strike built up the gauntlet's attacks and increased the power of his sound based attacks. Something that Tenten noticed as her arms began to vibrate with increased intensity and pulled back at the last moment from Dosu's punch. He struck the ground, creating spider web cracks where he hit.
Dosu looked up and tried a hand in psychological warfare against Tenten, "Why don't you give up girl? As long as I control sound, you can never hit me, and I only have to hit you once to beat you. So why don't you save us all the trouble and just surrender."
Tenten was silent for a moment before touched one of two special seals on her sword, a seal that released water into the blade. With the water coursing through the blade, Tenten began to use her Vespa bloodline to turn that water into steam so hot that heat waves were visible to the naked eye. As she concentrated, Tenten raised her blade to face Dosu before she made a dash against Dosu. Unsure what she was doing, Dosu decided to power up his gauntlet to give off a sound attack that should have deflected the blade and leave Tenten vulnerable to his sound attack directly. Dosu was not prepared when Tenten's sword cut through his sound waves, as she was able to stab into his shoulder. All the damage he did was to give Tenten a small bruise on her shoulder.
"How?" Dosu asked in shock.
"Heat can disrupt sound," Tenten had told Dosu before she pulled out her blade and spin kicked Dosu away.
Dosu stumbled, his shoulder bleeding and his nose broken while Tenten sealed her sword back in her arm. Tenten then pulled out a couple of throwing knives and let them fly as the sound of heated vapor cut through the air. The heat also increased the speed of the throwing knives and cut through a Dosu's desperate attempt to deflect them with his gauntlet's sound waves. Within a blink of an eye, four super-heated blades had embedded themselves into Dosu's body.
The Sound-nin was soon rolling around in tears as he screaming, "It burns! IT BURNS!"
Raven Hunter looked at screaming sound-nin before he announces Tenten was the winner. He then called for the medics as Tenten pointed out her opponent was suffering from internal 3rd-degree burns. Tenten walked upstairs as she was met by her teammate, Rock Lee, "Congratulation on such a youthful match. I just hope I get to fight soon, to continue such a youthful streak started by a youthful maiden."
Tenten smiled in response, "Don't worry Lee, you will get to fight soon. Just be patient, and let me get back up to the stands before the next two names are picked."
Lee smiled in embarrassment as he let Tenten up the stairs to be congratulated by her sensei and friends, as the board went through another series of names. It eventually landed on Mubi and Revan Roth. The Rain-nin had no idea what he was getting into as Revan walked down with a frigged step that turned stone into ice. Mubi's single eye was leery of Revan as she made his hair stand up under his hat. However, he decided not to take it seriously, as he went down to face his opponent.
Once they were down in the arena, Revan started by channeling chakra through her stick to summon a beautiful purple blade of energy. Once she spun her sword, she dashed at the Rain-nin for a quick attack. The Rain jumped out of the way and pulled out a rapid-fire crossbow. He fired with a determined skill that forced Revan to retreat as he fired over fifty arrows in under a minute.
Eventually, he ran out of arrows, but Revan was so far away that Mubi felt like he could mock her, "So this is the great Roth Clan, I am not surprised you all are weak. You are nothing more than a samurai pretending to be a…"
"Knights," Revan had corrected the Rain-nin.
"What?" Mubi asked in bewilderment.
"'Sage Knights' are our clan's nickname. Not the fucken samurai found in Iron Country," Revan growled at the ninja.
"Knight, samurai, what difference does it make, you are still a clan of sword-wielding fools," Mubi snarled.
"You may be right about the knight portion," Revan grudgingly admitted. "But I was referring to the sage portion. Our ability to manipulate the chakra to saturation to increase our powers, create our blades and perform chakra attacks," Revan added as chakra began to swirl around her.
The power Revan wielded started to panic Mubi as he fumbled as he tried to reload his crossbow. He was too slow and paid for his arrogance. Revan summoned a ball of chakra in her palm before she released it on her unexpecting opponent. The yellow chakra washed over the rain-nin, making him lose his weapon, and hit the ground hard. He tried to get up, but he barely had enough time to raise his head before Revan was on him. Revan slammed Mubi's head onto the floor before she brought her chakra blade at the back of his neck.
"I suggest you surrender unless you want to lose your head, and your life," Revan stated in a cold, threatening manner that Mubi could not dispute.
It was a cold feeling to know that someone had no problem killing his or her victim. Mubi could now say he knew that feeling. He was so afraid that he yelled out without any hesitation, "I surrender!"
Raven Hunter nodded and called out, "Winner, Revan Roth!"
Revan acknowledges Raven Hunter's announcement before she got off her opponent. She then walked away, with her back turned. While it means nothing to most, to extreme military forces like those in the Rain forces, the act was an insult. To them, it suggested that their foes did not think they had the guts to stab them in the back, something that ninjas famously will do. So Revan's act of walking away with her back turned made Mubi snap, he got up and went to attack like a rabid dog. However, he did not make five steps before the cold darkness took him.
The Rain-nin watched helplessly as shadows began to wrap around him. He struggled against the cold, as he felt the life being crushed by him. He continued to struggle in vain when he saw the darkness dissipates. Mubi thought it meant he was going to be set free; he was mistaken as Raven Hunter was waiting for him, with a fist raised to strike him. Raven Hunter carried out his attack and hit the Genin with a force that made him fly back while gagging on spit and blood.
As Mubi flew back, Raven Hunter grabbed onto the Genin's head and slammed his head into his knee. The impact broke his nose, and he began to scream. That only got more fanatic with terror as the dark shadows that held him in place began to disperse into a thousand dark ravens. Revealing Raven Hunter before he proceeded to beat the snot out the Rain-nin. In such a matter that made even the cold Revan shake as she ran up to her teammates, while even the most bloodthirsty ninja, such as Gaara, backed up due to the brutality. Eventually, Raven Hunter was bored and proceeded to break Mubi's arms before dropping him onto the floor.
Once the Genin was thoroughly thrashed, Raven Hunter looked up to state, "Let this be a symbol of what happens when you defy me. The next person who disobeys me will receive a worse beating. Moreover, if anyone tries to kill your opponent after I call the match, well, the idiot will take his intended victims place in the afterlife. Do I make myself clear?"
The Genin proceeded to nod, as Raven Hunter turned and looked at his Rain-nin opponent. He kicked Mubi in the ribs before he yelled out, "Get this piece of shit out of here so we can start on the next set of matches!"
The medics quickly responded to take Mubi away, while Tukiko stated to Night Wolf, "Your uncle is scary."
"He is kind of unnerving," Night Wolf nodded in agreement.
"Kind of gives me the creep as he had acted so cold," Hinata mumbled quietly.
"I don't know, I think it adds to his charm," Revan added with a small smirk that made the others stare at her.
"You got to be joking," Tukiko suggested.
"What? I thought most girls like cold, dark and unfeeling," Revan joked with a dark chuckle as her teammates just shook their heads in response.
"Only you sister, only you," Bastila shook her head as the board went through a dozen names before landing on two: Temari Sakabu and Ino Yamasaki.
Temari smirked as she pulled out a large fan attached to her back and flew down to the arena. She was confident in her fight and was willing to take this serious enough that she would not assume an easy victory. Facing her was a scrawny girl that was not so sure that she could win, but Ino put those thoughts aside as she faced her opponent. She had to believe she could win, even if her teammates and fellow leaf-nins knew otherwise.
"She's going to lose? Right?" Naruto asked her teammates.
Hinata nodded, "Yes."
"You don't know that," Chōji stated in between nervous munches.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru stated. "They are right, Chōji. Ino has only recently taken her training seriously, but her opponent looked like she was trained by birth and takes it very seriously."
"Is that true Asuma?" Kurenai asked the Jōnin next to her.
"Sadly yes," Asuma admitted. "I hope these exams would force her to step up, though, she still has a chance to win. All she has done is hit the sand-nin with her family's mind destruction jutsu, and she could win."
"Not she won't; not with the determined look in her opponent's eyes, complete with the strength required to throw that heavy fan around," Haku pointed out, and Tukiko nodded in agreement.
"This match will be over quickly."
Tukiko's prediction was proven correct, as Temari left no room for Ino to attack. In one swing with her massive white fan, Temari launched a typhoon towards Ino. The girl did not even have a chance to go through the one-hand signs of her family's jutsu before she was thrown across the field. She performed unintentional cartwheels as her body was carried along in the typhoon winds. Eventually, the typhoon wind dissipated and she lay on the ground after a dozen rolls. The leaf-nin was in so much pain she could barely get up from all the bruises she received from Temari's attack.
As Ino tried to get up, Temari just mocked the girl, "This is pathetic. I know that the Yamasaki are trained for interrogation, but I expected more from a village that is supposedly the top of the food chain. You can't even take a small push, pathetic. Did you even train, or did you just chase after that boy… what his name, Sasuke? Doesn't matter, I suggest you give up girly…"
Temari did not finish as Ino tried to attack with a kunai throw since she was too far away for her family jutsu. Not that the kunai did her any good as Temari deflected it with a fan like it was an annoying pest. Temari stared at her opponent as Ino slowly tried to get up. Temari was thoughtful for a moment before she developed a sadistic grin.
Her fan was ready when Temari stated, "Well you have some spunk. Very well, since you want to fight, I'll give you a warrior's defeat."
Temari then raised her fan high before bringing it down in several circular sweeps. The formed a tornado under Ino's feet, making her rise and spin at high speeds. Ino was screaming as it felt like her body was being pulled apart. Temari continued the attack with a sadistic smirk. It turned into a frown when she watched her victim's sensei cut her mini-tornado in two. Temari's eye twitched in annoyance as Asuma glared at her while holding onto his unconscious student in a manner a father would to protects his child.
"Don't look at me like that," Temari snarled at the glaring Jōnin. "The desert teaches us that weakness and stupidity is a recipe for death. You should have not entered the weak girl. Perhaps she will learn from this and get stronger. Otherwise, she will die by a monster's hand," Temari added while her eyes briefly shifted to her youngest brother, Gaara.
She then turned to Raven Hunter to state, "Proctor, I believe this match is a victory for me."
Raven Hunter agreed as he yelled out, "Winner by interference, Temari Sakabu."
Temari smirked as she walked up to her team's balcony with a skip in her step. Temari did not care that Ino's classmates stared at her with a distaste for her beyond brutal methods. Temari did not care as she went to her sensei without losing a step. She faced them with defiant eyes as the board went through another series of names. It landed on two leaf-nins: Night Wolf, son of Wolf Dreamer and Kiba Inuzuka.
Forgetting about the last fight, Kiba jumped up and over the rail with excitement as Night Wolf walked down like a dignified warrior. Revan could not help but stare at her teammate while Bastila smiled at her sister. Bastila knew something stirred in that cold exterior but kept from commenting so she would not miss the fight. For as soon as Night Wolf arrived in the arena, Raven Hunter called the match to begin, but the two did not even move.
Instead, they stared at each other until Kiba broke the silence, "Don't think you will win this time. I have gotten a lot stronger since the academy, and now I can use Akamaru to fight," and with Kiba speech, Akamaru, a white puppy that has been with Kiba since the academy had barked out an agreement. Kiba could not wait to show off skills they could not participate in the academy due to it being a clan technique. He thought those techniques would help him win this fight.
However, Kiba forgot that he was not the only one restricted as Night Wolf taunted in response, "And don't think your puppy can help you in beating me. And in case you forgot, I have a partner as well. Though mine is one you can't see and one you can never beat."
Night Wolf smirked as his words made Kiba so angry that he responded with a sloppy charge while Akamaru was right at his heels. Night Wolf evaded the duo attack and used a wind kick towards Kiba and his dog. The attack connected on Night Wolf's human target, but Akamaru was able to evade Night Wolf's attack. He jumped up toward Night Wolf and bit into his arm. Night Wolf grunted at the small dog while Kiba got back up. Kiba then went behind Night Wolf for a surprise attack while Night Wolf tried to pry Akamaru off.
Bastila was about to warn her teammate about Kiba, but she was restrained by her sensei Inferno and sister to from disqualifying Night Wolf due to interference. Bastila was relieved they stopped her, as Night Wolf knew Kiba was moving to attack him from behind and had planned for it. Night Wolf used his power of wind to loosening Akamaru's grip before flinging the poor dog into his master's chest. The boy and his dog soon collided into the ground, before he was thrown across the room by Night Wolf's wind punch. Kiba had skidded across the floor and eventually stopped himself before he had jumped to his feet. Akamaru jumped of his pissed master and took his side while they faced this dangerous adversary.
Night Wolf looked down at the boy and his dog to state, "You know, I am kind of disappointed. I thought you were stronger, but I guess it is all bark."
Kiba had responded with a sneer, "We will see about that," before he pulled out two brown, round food pills. Chewable tablets design to give a ninja boost of energy for the short amount of time needed in a tough fight.
Kiba gave one pill to Akamaru, and he took the other to provide themselves with that boost. Both of them needed the help for their family technique, 'Four Leg Jutsu,' a transformation jutsu. For Akamaru, the technique transformed his coat into a brown tan similar to that of his partner while enhancing the pup's speed and strength. For Kiba, he developed the look of a wild dog, complete with enhanced strength and speed, and sharp fangs and claws. The two transformed warriors were intimidating as they rushed a defensive Night Wolf.
Kiba started the attack with a slash attack at speeds that were a blur to Naruto. Luckily, Night Wolf was too nimble for such attacks, and he was able to keep one-step ahead of Kiba. As the two fought, Akamaru tried to help by pouncing onto Night Wolf but found he was too fast for the small pup. Therefore, the fight turned into a keep away, where Kiba slashes at air, Akamaru growls and Night Wolf played keep away with his superior acrobatics.
They continued to dance for several minutes until Night Wolf decided to end this fight by concentrating his power to produce a sphere of wind around him. The geo-force winds sent Kiba and Akamaru flying away. Once they hit the ground, Night Wolf attacked with an open palm to send a wave of wind that sent Kiba and Akamaru rolling on the ground. They eventually stopped face down in the ground. Night Wolf put his guard down as Kiba and Akamaru slowly raised-up off the ground.
As the two rose up, Night Wolf asked, "Done yet?"
"You wish. I have one more card to play. Let's see you stop this!" Kiba yelled in anger as he began a new set of hand seals as Akamaru jumped on top of him.
He had used a Chūnin level Ninjutsu, 'Human Beast Clone Jutsu,' to activate some of his clan's more powerful technique while creating the ultimate partner by turning Akamaru into the perfect copy of his master. This caught Night Wolf by surprise and gave Kiba enough time to perform his next attack. Kiba and his clone then spin their arms to perform the technique 'Pricing Fang.' The two looked like mini tornadoes that hurdle towards Night Wolf at high velocity.
Night Wolf knew there was no way he could escape Kiba's attack. So instead of running away, he created a sphere of wind to protect himself just before Kiba and Akamaru struck. When the three met a considerable amount of dust rose from where Night Wolf stood. On the other side of dust, Kiba and Akamaru stood, their claws dripped with blood. Team Vixen and Team 6 did not like the implication of the blood.
"We did it," Kiba happily celebrated while Bastila screamed.
"Night Wolf!" Bastila called out and was beginning to shake until Revan calmed her down.
"Easy their sis, an attack like that would barely faze him. So believe me when I state that he is all right. In fact, I believe he is about to go all out," Revan explained to Bastila while their sensei nodded in agreement.
"He is going to summon his spirit," Inferno stated that sound ominous to the Leaf-nins and the end for Kiba.
Kiba was oblivious to such an omen as he continued to celebrate, thinking he pulled off a victory until he heard someone clapping from the dust cloud. The dust clouds dissipated to reveal a serious Night Wolf clapping with only a few cuts on his arms and chest. "Bravo Kiba, you cut me. You must feel very proud of the flesh wound you gave me."
Night Wolf stopped clapping as the pressure of wind within the room began to increase to an intense level while dust began to circle around him. He stared at Kiba as he stated, "Now I suggest you stop celebrating, as this match is about to really begin."
As soon as those words passed Night Wolf's lips, he used 'Spirit Style: Spirit Summon Jutsu,' and things went to hell for Kiba. At that moment, two mini tornadoes appeared out of the blue, one surrounding Night Wolf and the second formed next to Night Wolf. The small tornadoes began to take a more animal/humanoid shape. Around Night Wolf, it formed into wind armor with wolf ears and a tail. At his side was Night Wolf's spirit animal. The creature was a human size wolf made of wind and blood red eyes. It also gave a terrible howl that made Kiba step back in fear while Night Wolf developed a small smirk.
"Well Kiba, meet my spirit animal: Howling Wolf. What do you think?" Night Wolf asked the scared Genin. When he got no reply, Night Wolf stated, "Aren't you going to say something? No… then let me speak through my actions."
Night Wolf nodded to his Howling Wolf before the two dashed towards Kiba at incredible speeds. Kiba did not know what hit him when Night Wolf decked him with a force that Kiba swore as Night Wolf broke one of his canine teeth. Kiba was down for the count while Howling Wolf commenced its attack on Akamaru. The fight was short, as Howling Wolf's own body slashed and bashed Akamaru back and forth. Eventually, Akamaru lost consciousness due to pain and dropped his master's form before he slumped to the ground, defeated.
Seeing his partner defeated, Kiba lost it and used the last of his adrenaline to strike at Howling Wolf. Night Wolf had other plans as he got in front of Kiba to punch him like a madman before laying one last strike. Night Wolf punched Kiba under his jaw and sent him flying up in the air. Kiba was knocked out before he even hit the ground. With Kiba was down for good, Raven Hunter called Night Wolf the winner of this match.
Night Wolf in return nodded to his clan war chief and then to Howling Wolf before dispersing his Jutsu. Everyone was amazed at such power from the Nature Clan showed. Even the Sand-nins were having doubts about their plans. The worried looks were all the Jōnin needed to confirm their theory that Sand was going to betray them. Not that most of the Genin were concerned as they were busy congratulating Night Wolf on a truly memorable match.
Night Wolf took the congratulation with gratitude before he turned to smile at Revan to ask, "So were you worried I was going to lose?"
"No, for I know you were more than antiquate to win against most of the contestants here," Revan stated with a hint of praise in her voice.
Night Wolf chuckled, "With praise like that, how can I lose?"
Night Wolf could have sworn he heard Revan said, "You can't," as the board then went through the next set of sequences to list the next two contestants and everyone watched with anticipation.
Done, finally took longer than expected. A months' work right here. I hope you enjoy it.
Author Note
A) Here is a new poll to decide whether any of the Sound-nins survive. Zaku is going to die regardless, but the other two's fate is unknown. The reason it is difficult for their personality. In canon, Kin was the most brutal and ruthless of the team, as she preferred to torture her opponents before killing them as shown in her fight with Shikamaru and Sakura. However, she is not as loyal to Orochimaru as the rest of her team, and probably the easiest to turn. Dosu is ruthless but also shows concerns for his team with the only exception to bluff when Kin was held, hostage. He is also the logical one of the three but is very loyal to Orochimaru. He maybe is willing to switch sides if one of his teammates survives. So with that in mind, vote on the survival of these Sound-nins.
1. Dosu Kinuta and Kin Tsuchi
2. Kin Tsuchi
3. Neither of the two
