Naruto took a deep breath as he walked back over to this Yamato character. He didn't know what to think about these events. On one hand, all Anko was alive and seemed to be more stable than when he'd arrived much earlier. He'd battled against Orochimaru and lived to tell, and both his team and Team Seven were all alive and in decent condition. That alone was a small miracle. On the other hand, he had been branded with some wicked curse mark, and Yamanaka at least thought him to be some monster once again. Fucking Sasuke had stolen his technique, he recalled with a snort. At least it hadn't been a good one. He had behaved like some berserk animal towards the same people he'd soon be working alongside in ANBU, not a good impression at all. And his own mission was compromised, as Gaara was no doubt long since through the exam now.
"Yamato-san…please send someone to take Mitarashi-san to the hospital."
The ANBU captain nodded and directed two random subordinates to take the still unconscious Anko to obtain medical attention.
"Let's move out. Back to the tower, team. Rookies, remain together behind me."
Naruto didn't look at his teammates or anybody else as he obeyed. One last thought ran through his mind as the large group departed back into the deep dark woods towards the central tower.
'Orochimaru…what a strange guy he was.'
Nine-Tailed Serpent, Chapter Twelve: Broken Blade – Pain and Pleasure
"…And that's about what happened, Hokage-sama. Orochimaru bit me on the neck and then vanished while we all battled against his summoned snakes. The ANBU arrived on the scene moments later and their leader over there shut down the juin somehow."
The six Genin stood at attention within the surveillance room in the central tower along with the Sandaime and the ANBU captain Yamato. Countless monitors showed the examination grounds, and Naruto could see competing teams moving about and laying ambushes on some displays. He had somehow become the one nominated to give their collective report to Sarutobi, as the others seemed to be somewhat nervous about speaking with the venerable old man. All except Aburame, who never liked to talk at all. The Third sat behind a steel desk with his hands clasped together, the small table nothing near the opulent piece that decorated his business quarters in the village. Sasuke added in some vague details about what had transpired between his squad and the Snake Sannin prior to Anko's and later Naruto's intervention. The demon vessel had been curious at learning that Orochimaru had come out and initiated an attack against Team Seven, as the serpent man had appeared not to care about them throughout the larger battle, much as he hadn't bothered paying Kiba and Ino any mind. The Hokage waved a hand towards the closed wooden door with a slight sigh.
"All right, you're all dismissed. The Chuunin guards stationed here will direct you to where you'll be staying until the exam ends. Naruto, you stay behind a moment. I've still got some more things to discuss with you."
Team Kakashi nodded and bowed and the three Genin departed, Uchiha taking the lead as per the usual. Yamanaka glanced at Naruto and then trailed out behind them, leaving a respectable distance between her and the other squad. Kiba was the last to leave, clenching his hands and thrusting them into his coat pockets with a rapid violent motion. The loudmouthed Inuzuka seemed angered with something, but the blonde sensed no hostile sentiment directed at him. Either way, he wasn't all that concerned with the situation. The curse mark had begun bothering him during the rapid trip to the tower, a stark statement that Yamato's repression technique would not be enough to overcome Orochimaru's diabolical handiwork, and the blonde's mind had become glazed over in a hazing stupor as a result. Nothing as dangerous or serious as when the mark had activated at the Snake Sannin's wicked command, but the condition was still quite bothersome.
"I'll save you a spot in my room, then. See you when I see you."
Kiba and his dog took their leave then, the mutt stalking out with a vengeance. Naruto's own team members no longer trusted him, or so it seemed. Not that he blamed them much thinking about it, though it still stung a little. Snakes and demons weren't meant to be trusted, as it were, and he had become both. He could almost touch the hesitation and terror the two radiated, both emotions had been so thick, almost as tangible as the viscous blackness now coursing through him, pulsating and concentrated within that accursed triple tomoe seal marring his neck and pooled beneath the exterior. Sarutobi at least knew Naruto well enough to know better than to comment on it, knowing that contrived assurances or sympathetic words meant nothing to him.
"That curse seal on your neck…it's identical to Anko's, even located at the same spot."
The blonde snorted, needing to alleviate the unwanted stress on his mind somehow.
"Yeah, we're a real matching pair now. I'll remember to invite you to the wedding."
Married to Mitarashi Anko, now that was a harrowing thought. The Sandaime smiled as he rose and walked over to where the demon container still stood at attention, not moving a muscle despite the residual pain throbbing in his new seal. Despite his sarcastic tone, the old man seemed to know that he wasn't intending to be snide or arrogant. A wrinkled hand reached up to touch the blackened mark, as Sarutobi was almost too short in his advanced age to reach the taller Uzumaki's neck.
"I'll be expecting you to provide the best sake around, then. Back to business, the actual seal isn't the largest concern. We have the knowledge to repress and counter seal Orochimaru's juin under normal circumstances. The greater problem lies in your unique immediate reaction to it. That seal is not designed to assimilate in an instant. We must then assume that either the Kyuubi's chakra or the Shishou Fuuin keeping the demon imprisoned within you have intermixed with the curse mark somehow. We cannot manipulate the seal without risking much deeper consequences due to this."
The blonde was almost relieved to hear this news, as though Orochimaru's evil mark were something to be cherished rather than a blight upon his soul. The unbridled power that it provided was an advantage that he was reluctant to part with. Deep down inside Naruto knew that this borrowed strength would come with its own terrible price, but he chose to ignore the obvious truth. The curse seal was much too addicting to lose.
"…I guess I'm stuck with it, then. The seal doesn't hurt as much as it did earlier."
Sandaime noticed something in the monitors and turned to observe one screen in particular, as did Yamato who remained silent leaning against the corner still wearing his ANBU mask. A somewhat distracted Naruto raised his hitai-ate, wiping clean the warm sweat that had gathered underneath the headband and then running a hand through his spiked hair. The hack came back smeared with blood, though he didn't know whether it was his own or someone else's. The monitor showed Gaara's team entering the central tower with Temari holding the two required scrolls. She and Kankurou wore relieved expressions while Gaara looked torn between being bored and murderous. Some male Chuunin that Naruto didn't recognize came out to greet the Suna trio and guide them into the tower's interior.
"So that's Sabaku no Gaara, the Kazekage's prodigal son. Not even a scratch on him."
Naruto turned his head as Yamato removed his mask, revealing a young man with black hair and eyes who wore an open wooden protector with cheek guards and a strap that wrapped around his mandible with a steel plate that was emblazoned with the Konoha village crest rather than the standard headband hitai-ate. Looking back at Gaara, he lacked even the smallest wounds as the ANBU captain had stated. Even the most skilled shinobi would have been nicked here and there while traveling through the dense woods, without combat even entering into the equation. Naruto had been, the blonde earning several small scratches on his uncovered cheeks and biceps that had since healed due to his Kyuubi-related regenerative abilities. The Ichibi likewise had to be somehow involved with Gaara's unmarred condition.
"Indeed, it looks as though our intelligence reports have not been exaggerated."
Naruto didn't want to meet the old man's gaze at that moment, believing that he'd let the Hokage down when he'd shelved his assigned mission over a personal entanglement. Such an action was akin to great disgrace to a shinobi, and some had committed seppuku in the past over it. The blonde would not even attempt such a motion, as his death meant more than his own, but he was still quite humiliated with his discrediting behavior. The worst part was that he knew he'd still do the exact same thing again. As much as he'd once thought he had, it was now obvious to Naruto that he had never managed to obliterate his emotional capacities to the degree needed to become a true shinobi. As he shook his head in exasperation, he saw where a camera panned to an enormous bloodstain marking an otherwise undisturbed area somewhere deep in the darkened woods and stopped, the moonlight illuminating the thick crimson mess. The demon carrier blinked as he walked over to the terminal and reloaded the picture, zooming in on the shimmering liquid with a curious expression. He could see countless miniscule grains mixed in with the blood, as well as three Ame hitai-ate partially crushed on the ground.
"I wonder what this is all about. Come and look at this, Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi and then Yamato came over to the monitor. The Sandaime Hokage narrowed his eyes and observed the gruesome scene depicted upon the screen as he stroked his white beard in thought. The ANBU leaned over the terminal with a calculating expression.
"Blood and what looks like…glass or perhaps salt. This is most strange."
"Speculating will do us no good. Naruto, rewind that tape and we'll see what happened."
Naruto complied with the old man's directive and watched as the image rewound. The blonde stopped the tape when the three Rain Genin were landing down in the clearing opposite the Sand siblings. One Rain-nin pulled the most ridiculous weapon that the blonde had ever seen when he whirled an umbrella high into the air which hailed down senbon needles like the countless raindrops in a torrential downpour. Kankurou and Temari took cover in the trees while Gaara stood in place. Not a single needle struck him as the sand in his gourd seemed to react on its own and shield him, creating a tight protective cocoon around that redhead that absorbed the needles. The Suna Genin hadn't even needed to move a muscle. The moving sand wrapped around the three helpless Ame Genin in succession and Gaara clenched his hand, causing the sand to implode and crushing them in an instant with a technique he called the Sabaku Sousou, thus creating his own rain shower: a crimson one.
"Quite a lethal technique. Whoever gets him in the tournament is going to be in trouble."
Naruto's lips curled into an irritated scowl at the ANBU's quiet declaration as the blonde rewound the tape and watched it again. Gaara's attacks were indeed impressive but were somewhat slow when compared to some other opponents the demon carrier had battled and could be evaded without much trouble. The true issue to consider was that automatic shielding mechanism he had, a passive skill granted through his contained demon. Naruto lacked the speed to get around it and had no attack that would be able to pierce through it and strike at the deranged redhead at the same time. Sarutobi seemed to spend a moment considering something and then addressed the mokuton wielder.
"Yamato-san…please reassemble your squadron and return to the village. Give ANBU headquarters orders to ratchet up patrols and keep an extra sharp lookout, and double the guard at the gates. We can be certain that Orochimaru is still prowling around somewhere close. I don't want him sneaking back into Konoha proper and escaping our grasp."
Yamato saluted the Sandaime and reattached his ANBU mask, then stopping a moment in the threshold as he departed and turning back around to regard a silent Naruto.
"A pleasure meeting you, Uzumaki-kun. Good luck during the Third Exam."
The Black Ops captain then walked out through the open door, making no noise as he moved along the hard wooden ground. The blonde nodded, not much caring to express his normal distaste towards being wished luck. As ridiculous as the notion seemed, he couldn't shake the lingering thought that he was somehow missing something important.
"You'll be assigned to a vacant post in Yamato-san's squad once the exams are over."
The distracted Genin sat down in a chair and blinked in surprise at the old man's voice. Naruto supposed that he could do much worse as squad leaders went. Yamato seemed to be level-headed and approachable enough, and didn't hold the blonde's condition against him. The demon container had even threatened to kill the ANBU captain in his rage and the man hadn't lost his cool. He was still somewhat bitter that Sandaime had chosen to assign him to work underneath the one squad captain who had the power to corral his demon, as though Naruto couldn't be trusted not to lose it on his own, but didn't let it get to him. At least, the First's bloodline was rumored to have the power to tame demons. With little to discuss on that topic, he decided to steer things towards something more controversial and intriguing.
"…I'd always thought that mokuton techniques were lost with the Shodai, though."
Something akin to remorse showed in the old Hokage's eyes, though the blonde didn't think it his place to call Sarutobi on it. He had more pressing matters to dwell on than Yamato's heritage at the moment regardless, like redeeming his mistake and accomplishing his assigned mission. Naruto was prepared to drop the matter when the Sandaime continued.
"So you've seen that, then. Well, the circumstances regarding Yamato's genetic condition are…rather complicated. I'm not going to share the more gruesome details, but I will tell you that you and that young man have a great deal in common. Draw whatever conclusions you will based upon that, but I'm sure he'll reveal his secret to you in his own time regardless."
The Sandaime's tone made it sound like the man was some twisted lab experiment or a human guinea pig. Naruto almost chuckled aloud at the image, as it seemed like something one might read about in some third-rate horror novel but never see in the real world. The surveillance display covering the tower entrance showed Team Asuma entering, the three Genin looking about with hesitant expressions. A thought came to the blonde's head and he gave an amused smirk.
"Looks like all the rookies have made it through. Anko-sensei's gonna be so pissed."
"There must be something I haven't been told here. Go on and enlighten me, Naruto."
Naruto almost snickered out loud as he imagined his instructor's reaction to being proven wrong. He knew that it was somewhat cruel to make humor at the woman's expense when she was languishing in near critical condition in the hospital, but the blonde's overall mindset was detached to the entire mess in a manner that he didn't quite comprehend. Naruto grimaced as the juin sent another sharp pulse through his neck.
"Nothing important, Hokage-sama. Right as the written exam ended, she barreled through the window into the room and started boasting about how she was going to cut the remaining candidates down to size during her survival portion. Not even a night's passed and at least a dozen Genin have gotten through the exam, including three green rookie squads. I hope she likes eating her words."
The aged leader's voice lowered to a rumble as he smiled in amusement.
"Better than the hospital cuisine at least, I'm sure. That's one thing that's never changed through all the years I've served this village."
Naruto let out a deep chuckle that soon evolved into riotous laughter as he threw his spiked blonde head back. Some still wet blood shook down onto the ground around him in small droplets. The haze obscuring his senses dissipated somewhat and the chronic aching in his neck lessened, leaving the Kyuubi container's mind clearer than it had been since being marked with Orochimaru's seal. The Sandaime's quip wasn't even that humorous, and would not have elicited more than a courteous smile on most other occasions. Naruto thought that perhaps his mind was starting to go haywire.
"Heh…I think I needed that. So a good laugh is all that's needed to trump that creep."
No sooner had the blonde had spoken those words then the juin again caused his neck to implode in crippling pain, racking his senses and paralyzing his arm and leg. The cursed seal seemed to have its own inbuilt intelligence and supplied a harsh reaction to both Naruto's ridiculing the Snake Sannin and the demon carrier's unconscious attempt at suppressing its dominion. Naruto collapsed onto the ground and writhed in anguish as his nails lengthened into claws and the seal began reactivating on its own. His one arm had been rendered immobile, but without even thinking about the consequences he brought his other one over and made to drive his clawed nails into his own neck due to the relentless torture. The blonde might well have torn into his own throat had the Hokage not grabbed his arm and slammed the demon container down onto the steel desk, twisting his arm behind his back in a hammerlock and holding him in place with a strength that Naruto would not have imagined possible given Sarutobi's brittle appearance.
"Remain calm and concentrate, Naruto. Force the seal back down and regain control."
Being powerless to move or do much else, the Kyuubi carrier took a deep breath and did his best to relax in the Sandaime's gentle grip. Naruto closed his eyes and let the seal's spasmodic assault pass, pushing down the rage and panic that had again taken hold over his mind. His hands likewise returned to normal, and the blonde heard several people approaching down the hall at a rapid speed. The Hokage released him once his little episode had passes to the old man's approval but Naruto didn't bother rising, instead remaining slumped against the hard metal desk with his eyes dilated and sweat dripping. His muscles still burned and he was somewhat numb in the spots that the juin had paralyzed. The demon carrier supposed that he must have made a pathetic sight when Kakashi and Asuma came bursting into the room.
"Hokage-sama, we thought we heard a struggle."
Asuma stared with suspicion at Naruto as Kakashi explained, hand reaching to where he kept his trench knives stored. The blonde could almost understand, as he was the sole person in the room other than the Hokage. Naruto braced an arm against the desk and met the Team Ten instructor's gaze with a mulish expression, allowing his special red shadow snakes to emerge through his wrists and cock their heads back in a threatening manner. The demon vessel would burn that walking cigarette into ashes as soon as Asuma made a hostile move. Disoriented though Naruto was, in these tight quarters he wouldn't miss his target. The cycloptic Hatake Kakashi watched the exchange with detached interest until his lone eye landed on the cursed seal and widened in recognition.
"Stand down, you two! Asuma, don't rush to conclusions. He's done nothing wrong."
Both shinobi had the sense to look cowed at the Sandaime's reprimand, even though neither had much reason to. One was acting to protect his Kage, and much more as the blonde would later learn, and the other had reacted to guard against a tangible threat. Naruto and Asuma both heeded the command at once, though the demon carrier continued to glare at the older man. The bearded shinobi reached into his vest to withdraw a cigarette but seemed to reconsider due to the Hokage's presence. The old man took some amusement in the younger man's actions. Kakashi continued eyeballing the blackened seal adorning Naruto's neck and drew his conclusions.
"Hard to believe Orochimaru would risk sneaking into the village like this over a Genin."
Sarutobi gazed up at the while tile ceiling with a pained expression, the light in the small surveillance room accenting his wrinkled skin and making him look his age. As much as he didn't like to, Naruto couldn't help but wonder whether or not the Sandaime had enough vigor remaining in him to lead Konoha through the war that was now inevitable.
"That man does as he pleases, consequences be damned. Always has, it's in his nature."
Asuma cleared his throat and spoke out with an irritated voice, crossing his arms and scowling.
"We came here to tell you that the elder council's assembled and is requesting your immediate presence. Orochimaru's return to Konoha has got those old buzzards in a right snit. Someone overheard those two rookie ANBU that dragged Mitarashi into the hospital muttering about it and now rumors are spreading all through the village."
Sarutobi's grey eyes narrowed and he bit out a curse. Naruto could have tittered aloud at hearing the Hokage swear, as it seemed so odd given his sage demeanor, but he was too exhausted to even be bothered with the pointless action. The blonde imagined that a certain ANBU pair would be receiving a stern lecture about leaking restricted intel soon. The demon vessel was pleased that the swine in the village were now squirming.
"Shit. I was hoping to keep this mess a secret as long as possible. Orochimaru coming back and marking him is bad enough. We don't need to have the civilians start panicking as well. I'll need to head back to the village to work damage control with the council now. You two will see Naruto into a room and make certain he gets cleaned up and into bed."
Naruto bit down on his lip in consternation, disliking both the emphasis that the old man had placed onto the 'him' nor the blatant insinuation that he needed help in doing something as simple as locating a room. He wasn't about to open his mouth, though. Kakashi opened his instead, speaking with a more serious tone than Naruto had heard the Copy-Nin use throughout their previous encounter.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. I'd also like to ask your permission to use the Evil Sealing…"
The Sandaime cut Kakashi short with an outstretched palm.
"Fuuja Houin is not an option given his condition, Kakashi, or else I would've done it."
Hatake's visible eye crinkled and gave a sheepish grin.
"Understood. Well then…let's be going, Uzumaki-kun."
Kakashi walked over to Naruto's position and made to drape the slumped Kyuubi container's arm over his shoulders in a bid to drag him along to the tower's residential section. The proud shinobi would have nothing to do with the intended gesture and used the table as a brace and standing with a pained grimace, pushing the Team Seven instructor aside with his other arm.
"I don't need to be carried around like some helpless child. I'll walk."
The Copy-Nin shrugged and allowed Naruto to pass. Sarutobi stopped the blonde as he made to leave the room.
"Naruto, you make sure to rest. We'll discuss your situation more when I return."
Despite the residual pain racking him, the demon carrier did his best to bow to his Kage.
"As you wish, Hokage-sama."
Naruto stumbled out into the corridor, using the wooden wall as a support until he regained his balance enough to walk without it. Kakashi and Asuma trailed behind him as he progressed into the tower's main area, and there the latter stopped.
"I'm heading back to the village too. Kurenai ought to know about the kid's condition."
The bearded shinobi turned down the near corridor with that, leaving Naruto and Hatake alone. Kakashi shook his head and motioned the blonde in another direction. The Kyuubi vessel trudged along without a word, looking much like the walking dead. A long shower and rest were all his mind could concentrate on.
His reawakening came much sooner than he would have liked. Though still asleep to the outside world, Uzumaki Naruto was still quite conscious within when a certain place he had visited time and again during the previous several years phased into view. A long passage led to the enormous metallic bars that locked Kyuubi no Kitsune within the demon's mortal host. Except on this occasion, the scene wasn't the same. Thick black pools littered the ground like countless oil slicks along that singular path within Naruto's subconscious, adorning the walls and ceiling as well. The unknown substance wells radiated with sheer malicious intent and their mere presence choked the blonde's sensed. Naruto took care to avoid them as he traversed the corridor, not willing to risk what might happen should he become immersed within whatever ill concoction this was.
'I'll go a little further. There must be a reason why I've been brought here.'
Naruto seldom appeared within his subconscious without having made the conscious choice to go there, and had never been brought in his dreams until now. His current situation was thus quite strange. When Naruto arrived that the great seal prison, he saw at once that the bars had become warped and twisted and were stained black in several places with the same corrosive dark sludge that dotted the passage. The interior where the nine-tailed demon resided was as yet untainted, but what the blonde saw within was no less terrible. Red slitted eyes glared down at him through the warped prison. Naruto realized that he should be bothered with his inner demon's anger, but wasn't.
"I take it you're the one who dragged me here."
The Kyuubi bared its teeth in rage, leaning its massive head in closer to the bars.
"You…imbecile…come closer and see what your foolishness has wrought…"
Daunted but stubborn and unwilling to back down, the blonde approached the cage. With a vicious snarl the demon's long claws lashed out through the twisted bars and made to impale Naruto. He didn't give an inch or bat an eyelash as the attack commenced, and the Kyuubi's long nails stopped mere centimeters short. The demon wouldn't dare kill Naruto and he knew it. Though on the other hand, the blonde wasn't sure what would happen on the outside should he 'die' within his subconscious. Perhaps tempting the creature's wrath wasn't such a smart idea under these circumstances. The demon grinned as its container stepped backwards.
"At least you seem to remember who your true master is, brat. I'd almost... lost hope."
The demon's voice was tired and even pained, Naruto noticed. His initial guess was that his own bereaved condition in the outside world was to blame. And then he was able to glimpse the nine-tailed beast's side, where two enormous puncture wounds marred the monster's reddish coat, leaking darkened blood mixed with some strange mucus down its side. Both substances marred the cage's interior in spots, and the bars bore various scratches and claw marks that indicate the some battle had taken place within.
"You've been wounded…"
The demon leaned down as close as possible, allowing Naruto to stare headlong into one enormous crimson iris. Kyuubi's deep breaths whipped around him like a miasmic breeze and the resulting stench was less than pleasant. The beast's response contained what seemed to be sarcastic mirth. The blonde's comment had been rather Kiba-like in nature now that he repeated it in his mind, stating the obvious as though it were some grand observation.
"I can SEE that, gaki. That detestable serpent man and his little seal are the cause."
So Orochimaru and the cursed seal were responsible. Naruto didn't understand how a creature as nigh-invincible as Kyuubi no Kitsune could be maimed with such ease. He hadn't even noticed the battle that had taken place within him, though the demon's wounds looked to have been caused due to a serpent's bite. He decided to make an assumption and hope that the kitsune would deign to give more details.
"Whatever injured you must have also created all that black ooze."
The demon's voice lowered to a dangerous purr.
"Correct. It was a large black snake that attacked me soon after that disgusting man bit your neck. It slid right down the chamber and somehow got through the bars and tore into me. I was busy watching your pathetic battle and didn't notice it coming. It then began drawing out my chakra against my will…"
The snake that the ninetails mentioned would have coincided with the Naruto's juin activating during the previous battle. The blonde thought that it symbolized the Snake Sannin's invading chakra, given an appearance that represented Orochimaru's essence well.
"Those puncture wounds aren't too deep…they should have healed over by now."
"I've tried. The mucus around the bite absorbs whatever chakra I concentrate there."
Naruto wasn't about to let the demon die despite their previous argument. Since the kitsune couldn't heal the wound as it was, the blonde would have to clean the bite. He'd never dared to venture beyond the prison cage into the beast's lair during their long partnership, always respecting the great youkai's personal space. However, there seemed to be no other recourse now.
"I'm coming in there. That bite needs dressed. I'm trusting you not to eat me."
Naruto had never been too skilled with medical exercises during his Genin Academy years. Precision wasn't his calling and he had never envisioned taking a support role on a mission. Besides, he had always had the Kyuubi to heal his wounds better than a medic could ever hope to. He could handle the basics well enough, but anything more was beyond his expertise.
"You're daring, brat…walking into the fox's den. Killing you would be so simple…"
Naruto muttered his response as he drew the kunai stored in his boot. He was now quite pissed that Orochimaru had broken his katana during their encounter, as a longer precision instrument would have been optimal given the demon's massive size. The zanbatou was not an option, being much too awkward to use in a surgical procedure.
"I'm not worried. We've come this far together. You won't kill me now."
The ninetails snorted his acknowledgement and allowed Naruto to enter his domain and approach him. The Kyuubi rolled onto his side to give the young shinobi access to the wound. The blonde looked it over and attempted to scrape the toxic slime loose with the kunai, but the substance wouldn't budge. He then concentrated hot chakra into the short blade and began to burn the sludge to something more solid and then repeat the procedure. The process was delicate, but with several long minutes Naruto managed to remove the gelatinous mess and began cleaning the rotting skin and tissue on the demon. The great beast proved his toughness throughout, not once uttering a single complaint as the unskilled medic worked. As the bad tissue came loose, Naruto could see the Kyuubi's healing chakra going to work in repairing the damage. Within a couple hours he would be as good as new. As his bad luck would have it, that span would not pass without incident.
"…Something comes. Hmph, this time I'll not be taken with such ease!"
The entire chamber began to glow a deep violet. Naruto decided to venture back outside the prison, not caring to be caught in the middle should the demon begin rampaging within. He soon noticed the glow's source, as those odd sludge puddles on the ground were all alight with the sinister color. The blonde then recognized it as being the same tone as the dark chakra that had surrounded him when the juin had activated. The puddles began to stir and rose up and down and to the sides, becoming suspended in midair and then soaring down the corridor to combine into one enormous mass like something in a cheap horror movie. The amalgamated mass arrived moments later, indeed as an enormous black snake. The thing seemed to be pure chakra, unless Naruto's senses were playing tricks on him. The oily substance that had moments prior littered the chamber cascaded down the creature in small rivulets.
"Well now, you sure are one ugly-ass motherfucker. Let me have this one, baka fox."
"Meager as it is, this is my home and I'll butcher this snake for defiling it!"
Naruto was not much inclined to let this thing into the cage to battle with the demon, even though he was sure that a prepared Kyuubi no Kitsune would obliterate it with ease. The prison and the area within represented the Yondaime's seal, and wasn't something to be tampered with. The blonde didn't mind it being neutralized, but wanted to be in control when it happened. He sure as Hell didn't trust this Orochimaru-ish chakra apparition to do the work. Naruto tossed his chakra enhanced kunai at the creature, smirking as it pierced right through the oily serpent's throat and created a gaping hole. The wound healed over in an instant and the snake charged. The blonde evaded the lunging strike with ease and the thing crashing into the cage, where the ninetails cleaved into its side through the bars with its claws.
"Ninpou: Seiryuujashu!"
Naruto extended his wrist, having no intention to draw this surreal encounter out. The massive chakra expenditure made him stumble, as he was still quite depleted due to his prolonged one-sided war with the Snake Sannin in the woods. The red snakes never emerged though, and the used chakra returned to his reservoir in one massive rush.
"This is a chakra prison, gaki! Your little parlor tricks will not work in here."
Naruto scowled at hearing his hard-earned techniques being so despised, but kept his own counsel due to there being more pressing matters to attend to. The deep scratches that the ninetails had rent into the black serpent's side remained, though no blood or whatever coursed through the strange creature seeped out. The blonde withdrew a storage scroll and summoned his cleaver into his hand.
"Then I'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way."
Kubikiri Houcho was not in good condition at all. The steel cleaver sported several cracks along its entire length due to its repeated clashes with Orochimaru's sword. He attacked the snake and sliced into its underside with the zanbatou. The blade cut through the viscous substance and came out covered and dripping in the blackened mess. The incision that the blonde made again healed over at once. Naruto tried an upward hack into the serpent's neck as well as a piercing stab through its stomach, but both produced the same non-results. He then had to dodge another bite attempt, and did so with ease.
"Shit! This is like trying to cut through a tar pit."
Naruto began to concentrate chakra into the cleaver. Meanwhile the dark amalgamation remained strong despite bearing several Kyuubi-induced claw wounds. The snake managed to work its long tail through a more open spot in the bent prison bar structure and lash at the demon, striking him right on his still healing bite wounds. The kitsune roared in rage at his teeth bore down on the chakra creature that had entered into his cage. Naruto's zanbatou shrieked as his own chakra leaked out at rapid speed through the deep cracks in the blade, almost as though protesting the blonde's actions. Without pausing a second, he plunged the weapon to the handle inside the black serpent and discharged the stored chakra, then recharging it and repeating the process. The continuous heated chakra pulses caused the beast to begin evaporating into a black mist, until at last it boiled into gas with a loud explosion and vanished in a cloud back down the corridor at a high speed. This time, however, no residual staining remained in the area.
"Filthy serpent…I had at least hoped that it would be a challenge."
Naruto glanced down at the zanbatou handle in his hands, as that was all that he held. The enormous steel blade had been shattered and was now in pieces on the ground. The metal that had composed it had been stained pitch black, as he could see when he retrieved a shard and examined it. His prized battle weapon was ruined. Tenten would be livid when she learned that he had broken a sword that had once belonged to someone in the Seven Swordsmen, and Naruto had no delusions that the weapons mistress in training wouldn't learn about it. Perhaps it would still be intact when he awoke in the living world, since he had busted it within a dreamscape. Somehow he doubted that he would have such good luck.
"Whatever it was, we seem to have driven it away."
The demon looked down at him and gave a slow, approving nod.
"Indeed…you have done well. Now return to your world and rest. You've earned it."
The Kyuubi's deep crimson eyes brightened into a glowing, almost hypnotic red. Naruto was then shoved out back into his active conscious, where he sank into a deep slumber to recharge his exhausted person. Never had it been more welcome.
He awoke in a brightened room on a warm bed. He noticed at once that he was almost naked, sporting nothing save his cotton boxers. Naruto glanced to the side as he tried to piece together the events that had brought him there. Once his meeting with Sandaime had ended, Sharingan Kakashi had brought him to a room and he'd taken a long shower. While he was doing that, the older man had prepared a mild sedative to help him get to sleep. The blonde had been more than a little paranoid about accepting a concoction that a rival instructor had prepared, more so given that Kakashi seemed the sort who would be willing to stoop to a low trick to remove his team's competition. However, in the end, need had outweighed his suspicion and he accepted. As delirious and in as much pain as he'd been in the previous night, Naruto might well have agreed to drink poison in order to alleviate his condition.
"Hey, you're awake. You're looking a lot better than you did last night."
Naruto sat up and leaned against his pillow at he stared at the grinning Kiba. The blonde was revitalized, more so than he would have thought possible given his state the previous night. His seal was no longer aching whatsoever. He looked in the room's mirror at his neck to validate that the accursed thing was even still there. Orochimaru's juin hadn't vanished, but at least it seemed to be dormant now. As long as he didn't attempt to draw on its power again, it shouldn't bother him.
"You're one to talk, mutt. I don't think I've ever seen a butt-uglier nurse than you."
The Inuzuka snorted and plopped down on a chair, resting his legs on a low table. Akamaru was keeping a vigil, sleeping against the closed door while curled into a protective ball.
"Fuck you, Naruto."
"…Doesn't look like he's gonna go nuts again. Man, I always get stuck with the crappiest work."
Naruto blinked at the complaining voice, and then saw Nara Shikamaru staring out the room's window with his arms crossed and wearing his trademark lopsided scowl. He was in too good a mood to let this lackadaisical bum get him worked up, though.
"Nice to see you too, Nara. Now, I'm gonna guess that something happened here while I was sleeping."
Kiba turned serious, which was something he seemed to be doing more and more now. Shikamaru didn't acknowledge the blonde, but Naruto hadn't expected him to. The two weren't on good terms still due to the incident in Wave Country several months prior. Not that he and Nara ever had been, but now it was worse.
"You kept thrashing on the bed and grabbing at your neck when Ino and me came in. And you were sweating like a beast big time too. You were a real mess, man. Then Shikamaru came along and a couple hours later you kinda stood up and looked like you were in a trance, leaping around the room and moving like you were in a battle or something. He had to shadow bind you or else you'd have ripped the whole room to shreds and us with it."
Naruto had a suspicious that this 'trance' had to do with that battle alongside the demon against Orochimaru's chakra within his dreamscape. When he had awoken, the blonde had thought that it had been a mere nightmare and nothing more, but now evidence suggested that it had indeed 'happened.' At least that would explain the reason behind the cursed seal no longer irritating him. He and the Kyuubi had managed to drive it into complete, though Naruto doubted that it would be permanent, remission.
"Hm…well, I guess it's a good thing that bozo was loitering around, then."
The lazy genius Genin's scowl deepened and he might have glared at the blonde, had it not been too troublesome to bother with.
"It's not like I wanted to be here. My mom's a Chuunin and she's been on guard detail here. For some reason she won't come near your room, so I thought I'd come hide out until she went back home. Watching you has been even worse than having to listen to her bitching, but Ino and your sensei wouldn't let me leave. Troublesome, all women are. And I'm even worse than the old man. I'm not even married yet and I'm still whipped."
Naruto and Kiba looked at each other and sneered during Shikamaru's grumbling tirade. The pineapple-haired Genin hadn't even bothered looking over at them, as he instead appeared to be observing some scene outside with unusual interest. Meanwhile a thought occurred to the demon container and he started looking around the room. He saw what he had been seeking in particular on the table next to Kiba's sandals.
"Whatever, Shikamaru. Anyway, you got quiet in a second and you slept like a babe."
"Toss me those two scrolls, Kiba. I need to check on something."
The mutt blinked, but grabbed them and threw them overhand onto the bed.
"…Sure, no problem…"
Naruto nodded his thanks and activated the two storage scrolls. One contained his weighted trench coat, which was looking rather weathered and battered. All the battles he'd been in since obtaining it had taken their toll on the leather garment. The other contained…a long handle and several stained black metal pieces that had at one time composed a steel zanbatou blade. The blonde cursed under his breath. What had happened within his subconscious seemed to correlate to the outside world somehow.
"Looks like I'll be needing a new weapon now. Fucking snake bastard."
Shikamaru then abandoned his place at the window, his scowl turning into a grin. Kiba seemed to be about to take a trip to dreamland on the couch. He'd been awake awhile assuming his tale about Naruto's long night was to be believed. The blonde was preoccupied with lamenting Kubikiri Houcho's destruction. He was now weaponless, having lost the cleaver as well as his katana and two ninjato in a single night.
"At last, she's gone. And Ino's still asleep too. Now I'll get some peace and quiet."
Nara strolled out the door with that, somewhat happier than usual, though one would have a hard time telling given his bored demeanor. Naruto couldn't help being a little bit irritated with Shikamaru's poor attitude. Having grown up without parents at all, hearing the shadow user complain about his was somewhat irksome. He took meticulous care in storing the tainted steel back within the scroll. The metal was saturated with chakra, and might still be worth keeping. He stared at the handle a long moment.
'Momochi Zabuza-san…I guess I owe you an apology, breaking your sword like this.'
Naruto's quiet thought was answered with a snore, and the blonde glared at where Kiba was now sawing logs loud enough to disturb Zabuza in whatever exotic place his headless corpse had washed to. He reared back and took aim with the long handle, planning to bean the mutt clean on the temple. He needn't have bothered, as the door opened again and woke the Inuzuka, who rolled onto the ground in a stupor, landing with a thud and muttering swear words.
"Naruto-kun, you're awake. That Nara boy told me in the corridor."
Naruto crossed his legs on the bed as Kurenai came into the room carrying a small parcel and looking as attractive as usual. Seeing her made a good morning that much better. Kiba was still recovering on the ground or else he'd no doubt be grinning like an imbecile.
"Ohayo, Kurenai-san. I kept the promise I made, though at what cost I'm not sure."
She bit her lip, a gesture that caused the young blonde's eyes to widen a little. At that moment he realized that he was sitting around in his underwear with this woman standing in the room and his whisker-marked cheeks turned as red as her irises. Alas, recognition came a bit too late. Her sudden appearance combined with a typical male morning biological condition to leave him in a rather attentive state. The prim woman's own cheeks turned a little red as well as Naruto scrambled to grab his coat and cover his mechanical problem.
"Kiba, please excuse us a moment. I need to talk to your teammate alone."
The Inuzuka crawled upright and took his leave with as much vigor as he could muster. Akamaru led as he started into the hall, but he turned back long enough to see Naruto blushing and holding something over his crotch, wagging his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Kiba laughed like a deranged hyena as he ran out, mouthing 'alone' at Naruto and evading the broken zanbatou handle that the blonde did hurl towards him this time as he rounded the threshold.
"Erm…about that…I…shouldn't have..."
Kurenai smiled in understanding, which somehow made things even worse, as though he had somehow pissed in something sacred. She was too nice to tease him about it, like Anko or Ino would have without quarter. The crimson-eyed kunoichi seemed amused with the situation, and at least somewhat sensitive to it.
"It's…all right, Naruto-kun. Though I must admit being glad Ino wasn't here to see that."
Naruto stared at the ceiling and sighed. He didn't care to deal with them giving him Hell about his having some meaningless little crush on their instructor. At least he could acknowledge that much, though he wouldn't admit it to someone else. He wasn't naïve enough to believe that he could go anywhere with a woman over twice his age regardless. And beyond the obvious physical appreciation, he didn't much care to. Kurenai-san was a great person both inside and out, but Naruto was too preoccupied with his shinobi career and too young in general to care much about such entanglements. Said genjutsu specialist seemed to hold a similar concern about the others' reactions, considerate as she was.
"That won't matter…that damned mongrel's going to tell her all about it regardless."
Kiba was about tactless enough that he would talk, too. Naruto was no consummate gentleman, but even he knew that there were some things that one didn't discuss with girls. The male anatomy and its…eccentricities…were high on that list. Damned mutt had no common sense.
"I hate to agree, but I'll have a talk with Kiba. Ino does not need such a distraction with the Third Exam looming on the horizon."
Naruto didn't know quite what to think about that last comment. He got the vibe that there was something behind the instructor's comments that he was missing, but he was too oblivious to take the blatant hint. The entire topic was awkward as Hell. He was beginning to lose patience with the current conversation. His morning wood was not that interesting.
"I'm through talking about this, and I'm sure it's not what you came here to discuss."
Kurenai's expression changed to a disapproving one as she crossed her arms under her chest. That particular visual didn't help the embarrassed demon vessel one bit in willing his problem to disappear. Her tone wasn't harsh, but did express considerable disappointment, which to Naruto was even worse. He wanted to always accomplish whatever expectations were placed onto him, and the implication that he had botched his role as squad captain was not a welcome one. More than that, it hurt because she was the source.
"No, it's not. I came here to tell you how disappointed I am in your actions during the Second Exam. Challenging Orochimaru to battle was about the most reckless thing you could ever have done. I want you to know that you are blessed beyond measure to even be alive right now, you and your teammates and Kakashi's squad too."
The blonde's cold blue eyes narrowed into near slits. He didn't appreciate having his decisions questioned, even though Kurenai more than anyone else had the prerogative to do so. Naruto still believed that he'd handled things as well as could be handled given the situation. Rather than Orochimaru ambushing him and his team somewhere, he'd picked the inevitable battle site and had ended with two teams to work with rather than one. That extra numerical advantage had been what had kept them all alive. Besides, he and the mutt and Yamanaka were all shinobi alike. Death walked along their path, as she should well have known. Naruto leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, not wanting to lose his cool with the concerned instructor and make the situation even more unpleasant.
"…I know, but there wasn't much choice. He'd have killed Anko-sensei and he was intending to hunt me down no matter what. I knew this going into the exams. I'd wanted to deal with him alone and not have the others dragged into it, but things didn't quite work out like planned. I couldn't abandon her to die like that, no matter what might've happened to me. I wish that I hadn't had to put the others in harm's path all the same."
Her disapproving look changed somewhat as Naruto gave the reasons behind his seeking the Snake Sannin. Kurenai walked over and leaned over the blonde, mouth compressing as she draped a gentle hand over the juin on his neck. The demon container didn't like her touching the seal, almost as though it would corrupt her somehow. And yet the sensation was pleasant, and the accursed mark almost seemed to purr inside him in approval as she brushed a thumb over its three black tomoe. The illusions mistress didn't ask about the seal as she examined the evil mark, as it seemed that she had been given the details, and Naruto had no inclination to talk about it either.
"…I understand. You still shouldn't have asked your team to abandon you, Naruto-kun. I'll drop in the hospital later and check on Anko-san's condition and pass the news along. I also went to your apartment this morning and brought you some extra clothing. Get dressed and while I corral Kiba and we'll all get something to eat downstairs."
The blonde didn't respond to the quiet admonishment, as nothing needed to be said. Kurenai placed the parcel she had brought with her down onto the bed and departed, giving her student's shoulder a gentle squeeze as she let go. The older kunoichi seemed to have something else to tell him, but shook her head and decided against doing so. When she was gone, he looked at the parcel. The medium-sized wooden box was closed and marked with the Hokage's personal seal. Naruto's clothes that Kurenai had brought were sitting in a neat pile on a chair in the corner, and so he wondered what was in the package. Deciding that his meal could wait a moment, he opened the box. Inside was a sealed scroll as well as some other items that made the blonde quirk a suspicious eyebrow. Hoping that the scroll would explain, he opened and read Sarutobi's missive. Naruto bit down on his lower lip as he digested the Sandaime's new instructions.
'Well…this changes the game a little. The things I go through…'
Naruto sighed and dressed. Orders were orders, no point in lamenting them.
Five days passed in relative peace and quiet. Naruto had kept his exertion to a minimum as per the Hokage's orders. Sarutobi was pleased to hear that the juin had gone into remission, though the blonde had not given him the sordid details. Still, the demon vessel's directions remained unchanged. Now he stood between his two teammates alongside the other surviving squads. Adding to the teams that Naruto had known to pass during his meeting with the Hokage in the tower's surveillance center, Team Gai and the Oto team had made it through the survival exam, as did another Konoha team that included that weakling Yakushi Kabuto. Or perhaps the bespectacled Genin wasn't as weak as he'd looked in the waiting room prior to the written exam. He had made it through to this point somehow, at least. Naruto looked in attention at the Sandaime as the Hokage gave the traditional speech about the meaning behind the Chuunin Exams among the allied shinobi nations. The blonde cared little about such diplomatic issues, but respected the old man enough to listen nonetheless.
The various team instructors stood along with the old man, as did two masked ANBU who were serving as the Hokage's honor guard. Anko wasn't there, as she was still being held under observation at the hospital. Naruto resolved to go and visit her as soon as this little gathering was done with. Sarutobi's speech ended when Sabaku no Gaara interrupted him and demanded as much. The Sandaime's eyes narrowed at the redheaded demon carrier, but the old man allowed the minor insult to pass. Naruto would have been more than willing to put the little shit to death right then and there. Disrespecting the Hokage in his presence was akin to slapping the blonde between the eyes, and wasn't received well. Anko-sensei was the sole person allowed to commit such irreverence.
"Hokage-sama, please allow me to handle the instructions."
Naruto glanced at the new speaker, a sick-looking shinobi with a long katana strapped to his back. As he did, the Sound team's instructor caught his gaze and the man's mouth curled into an unreadable smile. Naruto let out a silent snort. He'd had enough interaction with Oto to last a long time with Orochimaru. His juin spiked and pained him a little as he held the man's stare.
"Very well, Hayate-san. You may proceed."
The man named Hayate coughed as he turned to the assembled candidates.
"Arigato, Hokage-sama. Now then, the Third Exam will be a single elimination combat tournament that will take place in a month's time. However, at this time we have excess candidates, and so we will hold an elimination round right here and now to decide who will be allowed to move on and participate. This is not a team exercise, and those who do not wish to continue are allowed quit right now without impacting their teammates."
Naruto closed his eyes and sighed under his breath.
"I'll withdraw…"
Kabuto had raised his hand, and walked back out through the tower's main entrance. The proctor Hayate noted his withdrawal and asked whether or not there were others who wanted to quit the exams. Naruto looked at the Hokage and saw that the old man was staring right at him with a grave expression. A stark reminder, as though Sarutobi had needed to bother. Naruto would never ignore the Hokage's order. He nodded to the Sandaime, reluctant as he was to do what he was about to do, and raised his hand into the air.
"I'll be withdrawing as well, Hayate-san."
Kiba and Ino both whirled on the spot and stared at the blonde as though he had lost his mind. Naruto didn't meet their shocked expressions as he stepped through the assembled Genin candidates and walked towards the sunlight outside with a slight scowl. He could sense several people gazing at his back as he went along. Tenten and her teammates were among the number, and he almost ignited where Uchiha Sasuke was glaring through him with a burning countenance. For Uzumaki Naruto, thus ended the Chuunin Exams.
(End Chapter Twelve)
Author's Note: Well, I'll bet no-one saw THAT coming. Fear not, there is a greater plan in the works. No Orochimaru-centric scene in this chapter, but I thought I'd be better served to do that one in the next, where I can include Kabuto as well. I wanted to develop the Naruto/Kyuubi situation a little and start to mend that tear, so I added more between them than I had intended at the beginning. For once, I don't have a lot to talk about here, so I'll let the chapter speak on its own instead. Hope it's a good read, and please review as always. Until next time.