AN: Another quick update. At the risk of jinxing myself, I think I'll be able to post a chapter at least once a week. Thanks for all of the reviews on the last chapter, it's always nice to know that my work is appreciated. Not much action in this chapter I'm afraid but I felt like it was necessary in order to tie up a few loose ends. Originally this chapter was going to be very long but in the end I decided to cut it into two chapters. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Sarutobi let out a smoke filled sigh as he continued to watch the chaotic scene unfold. For the past six hours the old man had been forced to listen to nearly every single clan head question his mental status, or barring that insult his intelligence directly. Looking back, the Sandaime took note that virtually every single "meeting" involving Konoha's jinchuuriki eventually degraded into this.
Suffice to say, Naruto's sudden decision to partake of the Chunin exams was not well received by the general public. Within two hours of the boy's official introduction into Team 7, the number of Leaf nin who were participating in the exam was almost negligible. In fact, out of the twenty-three teams that were originally entered only five of them remained.
This bit of information wasn't exceptionally surprising. Actually, what surprised the Hokage more was the fact that there were still Konoha teams that chose to take the exam.
Within the village hidden in the Leaves, Naruto had a fearsome reputation. He was regarded from afar with the sort of careful respect that one would expect to see in a man who was being stared down by a tiger. Even the ANBU, the Hokage's right hand, wouldn't walk along the same street as him. This… thing wasn't human. It didn't feel a shred of remorse for the atrocities it had committed nor did it show an inkling of restraint when faced with an opponent. Naruto was a mindless, heartless killing machine; nothing more.
This was the reason why Sarutobi was so surprised that fifteen Konoha nin had elected to remain in the exams. What was even more shocking was the fact that three of these teams were not only rookie squads, but also the future heirs to all of Konoha's most prominent clans. Hence the reason why all of the clan heads, excluding Aburame Shibi, were in an uproar over this decision.
Sarutobi couldn't exactly fault them for being so upset. Apart from Jiraiya, he was the only person who fought with the boy and lived. He knew exactly how scary the boy could be.
The sound of a fist slamming against the table jarred the old man from his thoughts.
"This is bullshit!" A very irate Inuzuka Tsume spat. "How can you let a monster like that compete against our children? People die during these exams Sarutobi. To be put in the same room with that…thing is a death sentence!"
"You would do well to remember whom you're speaking with Inuzuka-san." Homura said warningly. "You will show the proper respect towards the Hokage."
"Like hell I will!" The Inuzuka matriarch shot back. "I don't care if he's Kami itself, I'm not gonna sit on my ass and let that demon kill my son!"
A few heads nodded in agreement.
In the chair to Sarutobi's right Jiraiya leaned forward towards the fuming Tsume. "Hold your tongue Inuzuka" he growled dangerously. "I won't let slide another comment like that."
Tsume's eyes narrowed at the toad sage but she did as he said.
Danzo spoke, for once in agreement with his Hokage. "You're allowing your emotions to control you, Inuzuka-san. As a ninja, you know full the dangers that come with this line of work. The prospect of death is something that you should've come to grips with long ago."
Tsume grit her teeth. "Of course I'm prepared for the eventuality of death you idiot, But that doesn't mean that I'm going to go traipsing through Iwa. I'm prepared to die, my son is prepared to die, everyone at this table is prepared to die but that doesn't mean we actively seek out death!"
Again, the other clan heads nodded.
Jiraiya frowned. "Your actions say otherwise."
A uniform look of confusion spread across the faces of those who were present.
"Naruto," the Sannin continued. "has never been one to take "no" for an answer. He's a proud creature; so proud in fact that the act of debating this issue might be enough of an insult to warrant our deaths. I know Naruto better than anyone here. I know exactly how scary that boy can be when he's denied something that he wants. That is why I know that we cannot bar Naruto from the exams. He would raze Konoha to the ground just to spite us."
"However, I don't think that this is the case. Naruto rarely takes interest in ninja matters, so for him to demand so suddenly that he be placed in the exams… It just doesn't fit. If the boy wanted to kill Leaf nin he would've just done so. Therefore, I can only conclude that this isn't about killing; well, at least not entirely."
"Though it seems strange, I don't think any of your children will be in any real danger as long as they avoid Naruto. I know him, or to be more specific I know how much he hates fighting a week opponent. Naruto won't go out of his way to attack your children; he's too proud for that."
For a long time nobody spoke; all of them too busy trying to digest the toad sage's words.
"Jiraiya-sama." The monotone voice of Aburame Shibi broke the silence. "Logic dictates that the only person who knows of the boy's motives better than you would be the boy himself." The air became noticeably tense. "I suggest that we bring Naruto here so that he himself can tell us his intentions."
Shikaku sent the man an incredulous look. "Is this what passes for humor in the Aburame clan? Surely you can't be serious."
"Of course I'm serious." The insect wielder replied. "If what Jiraiya-sama says is true, we are either safe or we are as good as dead already. In either case, Naruto has already decided our fates."
Again a long silence descended on the table.
Shikaku finally spoke. "Let Naruto explain himself."
Choza looked at his old friend before he also spoke. "If both the Nara and the Aburame see no fault in this decision I must also agree with them."
Hyuuga Hiashi gave the faintest of nods. "I can only hope that your words are true Jiraiya-sama"
Yamanaka Inoichi also nodded. "From what my daughter told me, the beast is not bound by his thirst for blood. She has met him on several occasions and not once did the boy harm her. For me, that is enough."
Both Koharu and Homura nodded.
"The world thinks us weak." Danzo spoke. "but this boy, he is powerful. We must show our enemies that Konoha is still a force to be reckoned with. We must allow the boy to compete."
Tsume scoffed. "You've all gone mad! This boy is a killer and yet all of you are ready to welcome him with open arms. I haven't forgotten what that monster did to my clan. I won't let more lives be lost on the basis of fear."
"We are the counsel." Jiraiya stated. "The Hokage must be the one who decides."
All eyes in the room fell on Sarutobi.
The old man breathed out another cloud of smoke before answering. "ANBU."
A ninja with a tiger mask appeared. "Yes Hokage-sama?"
"Bring Uzumaki Naruto to me."
"Of course Hokage-sama." The ANBU replied before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Not two minutes later a pillar of ruby chakra erupted from the center of the room, signaling the arrival of Konoha's monster.
Upon seeing the boy many of the faces present contorted into a look of utter hatred.
Naruto grinned at their reaction. Humans were such amusing creatures. His crimson gaze shifted to the Sandaime. "Why have you called me here, Sarutobi?"
The old man spoke in a tired voice. "You know why you've been called here Naruto. Please don't waste our time."
The jinchuuriki's grin only widened. "Well since you said please…"
The boy put his hands behind his back and walked towards the large bay window behind the Hokage's main desk. The scarlet-orange light of the dieing sun filtered through the window, reflecting off of the smoke and soot that filled the room and making it seem as though the entire office was filled with neon mist.
"You're worried about what I might do during the exams." The boy said without turning away from the window.
A murmur of agreement flowed through the room.
Naruto gave an amused chuckle. "And to think, your race labels mine as the proud one."
"What do you mean Uzumaki-sama?" Shibi questioned emotionlessly.
"Uzumaki-sama you say? My my, we are formal, aren't we Aburame-san." The demon container turned to face the man. "Allow me to answer your question with one of my own; does anyone here think that they can stand before my power?"
The tension in the air grew thick, and although there were many angry faces among the clan heads, no one said anything.
Again Naruto grinned. "I thought as much. None of you have the strength to face me. None of you are worth the mess you'll make, and yet for some reason you think your children are. I don't know whether I should laugh or be insulted."
Hiashi's peal eyes narrowed. "You're saying that you will not harm our children?"
The boy's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh heavens no Hyuuga-san! Rest assured that if your children cross me they will die. I simply meant that their not worth my time. As long as they don't get in my way, I'll have no reason to kill them."
"You're treading on thin ice boy." Tsume snarled. "If I catch even a whisper that you're planning to harm my son, I'll kill you without a second thought."
Small sparks of vermillion light began to jump across the boy's body, and with a sound akin to steel on stone Naruto's talons sprang from his hands.
"Is that a fact?" The jinchuuriki whispered dangerously. "I give you my word and still you question my motives. Kiba is my teammate. If I kill him I won't be able to enter the finals. And believe me when I tell you that that is the only thing that's keeping me from ripping him apart."
That last comment was the breaking point.
Tsume howled in rage and leapt for the boy. Naruto made no motion to dodge and the Inuzuka matriarch rammed her kunai deep into the boy's chest.
Naruto's vice-like grip wrapped around the woman's wrist and with an audible crack snapped her wrist as the bones were made of straw.
Tsume didn't even have time register the damage that had been done to her wrist before white hot pain exploded from her chest. She looked down, dazedly realizing that Naruto had lodged five razor-sharp claws firmly in her stomach.
Even as ANBU began to come out of the woodwork the boy remained eerily calm. He leaned closer to Tsume.
"If you survive the night, you are forgiven"
And with that he let the woman fall to the ground.
The Inuzuka's body didn't even have time to touch the floor before being caught by an ANBU guard. The man disappeared through the forest of animal masks, and the remaining ANBU slowly began to advance on the boy.
Naruto's hands formed a window-like seal. "I think I've played this game before, and if I recall correctly I think I won. Want to press your luck and try again?"
"Halt!"
The ANBU did so; heeding the word of their Hokage immediately.
Sarutobi rubbed his eyes wearily, making a shooing gesture with his other hand. "Your services are no longer required."
Without a word the ANBU disappeared.
Naruto's grin faded and he dropped the seal. "Not worth my time anyway."
"Naruto." Jiraiya sighed. "If you want people to do things for you it's not exactly a good idea to attack them."
The boy sent his mentor a hard look. "I was defending myself. I was under the impression that a shinobi had the right to defend himself." His gaze shifted to the council "I'm not wrong, am I?"
The cloud of insects behind Shibi slowly retreated into his coat. "What Uzumaki-sama says is true. Although she was goaded into attacking him, Inuzuka-san should've been able to control herself better."
The other clan heads sent the man a wary look.
"Logically, if Uzumaki-sama wanted us dead he wouldn't have canceled his jutsu."
That argument seemed to carry a bit more weight, and gradually the other ninja relaxed their guard.
"So," Naruto grinned. "Do I make the cut?"
XXXXXXX
"It's a genjutsu." Sasuke whispered to his teammate.
"I know." Kiba growled, annoyed at the other boy's lack of faith in him.
Team 7 currently found themselves standing on the second floor of the academy, the path in front of them blocked by a mass of Genin standing outside a door labeled 301.
"C'mon!" one of the Genin whined. "Let us through so we can take the exam!"
One of the two Genin who were standing guard in front of the room laughed. "No way!" He jeered. "If you guys are this weak then you have no right to be in these exams"
"He's right." The other Genin said darkly. "People die in these exams you know."
The boy's words had the desired effect and a few of the Genin started shaking.
"R-really?" One of the boys asked.
"Really." A steel-hard voice answered from behind him.
The crowd turned to face the newcomers.
"I suggest you all get out of my way." Naruto stated coldly.
A Mist nin stepped forwards. "Oh yeah! And just what are you gonna do if we don't?"
In one fluid motion the jinchuuriki wrapped his hand around the boy's throat and slammed the Genin's head through a nearby wall. The boy's limbs twitched sporadically for a few seconds before his body went still. Less than a second passed before the other squads began scrambling to get out of the way of Naruto and his team.
As they began to climb the next flight of stairs, both Kiba and Sasuke began to get the distinct feeling that Kami hated them.
XXXXXXX
As a Genin, Kiba had never been very fond of room 301. Back when they were academy students, this was the room where they took all of their written exams. Even though it had been changed since he'd graduated, Kiba couldn't help but recall the hours of boredom that he'd endured in this room.
"Yoo hoo! Sasuke-kun! Kiba!"
The Inuzuka's eyes widened when he heard that voice.
'There's no way.' Slowly the boy turned to face a familiar blonde girl.
"Ino?" a smile spread on the boy's face. "How did you get here? I thought you weren't going to be in the exams after…" his eyes shifted towards Naruto. "You know."
"Oh that wasn't a very big problem. After all," she winked. "I'm the number one kunoichi of our graduating class."
"And yet somehow she still manages to be troublesome." Shikamaru drawled as he and Chouji took their place behind Ino. This comment earned him an elbow to the ribs and a few less than ladylike phrases about laziness and pineapple hair.
Kiba laughed at his friend's predicament. "You better be careful what you say around her Shika. She might just kick your ass."
Shikamaru was about to say something but the sudden opening of the door drew his attention. His pupils shrank as Shino, Hinata, and a certain pink-haired kunoichi walked through the door.
"Troublesome." He mumbled in a far off tone.
Chouji also seemed to shrink back.
"What?" Kiba turned to look at the new arrival and slowly it dawned on him. "Oh crap."
"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura cried as she launched herself on to the Uchiha's back.
In spite of the fact that he had a flailing girl on his back Sasuke actually managed to remain looking fairly cool.
Sorta.
"Hey get off him forehead-girl! Sauske-kun's mine!" Ino yelled as she too glomped on to Sasuke.
The sound of derisive laughter sounded from behind Kiba.
"Don't tell me you're just going to leave him to his fate, Inuzuka." The boy scowled as he looked toward his other teammate.
Naruto grinned. "Even I'm not that cruel."
Kiba continued to glare at the demon child and slowly the boy's smile faded. "But seriously, if you don't shut them up soon I'm going to kill someone."
"Yosh!" exclaimed a spandex clad Genin who seemed to have materialized from out of nowhere. "What an unyouthful reaction to such a beautiful displays of affection! You should be asham-" The boy's speech was cut short by a girl's hand clamping down over his mouth."
"You'll have to forgive Lee." She laughed nervously. "He's kind of an Idiot."
Naruto looked at the strange looking ninja in the girl's grasp and then back to her.
"So it would seem. For his own safety, don't let him near me again."
"Yeah, no problem." The girl replied quickly before pulling her struggling teammate off into the crowd.
'Humans. Killer-eight you must be even more sadistic than I am.'
"Hey! You kids want to settle down a bit!" A boy with glasses and silver hair called out as he walked towards the group of enthusiastic Genin. The rookie squads all turned to look at him.
Naruto's eyes locked with those of the newcomer and a wicked smile slowly spread across his face. "What are you up to, snake in the grass?"
With the exception of Naruto, nobody else noticed the brief look of horror that crossed the boy's face.
"Snake in the grass? No no you got it all wrong. I'm a Leaf nin just like you guys, we gotta look out for one another you know? I just thought I should tell you guys to calm down a bit. A lot of the people here are itching for a fight so you don't want to give them any reason to start one with you." The boy rubbed the back of his head. "I made that mistake my first time through and wound up in the hospital before the exams had even started."
"Your first time?" Chouji questioned. "If you don't mind me asking, how many times have you taken the exam mister, uh-"
"Kabuto." The bespectacled shinobi answered. "And I've taken the exam seven times."
A small smile formed on Sasuke's face. "Then you must know a thing or two about the exams right?"
"Maybe a little bit." Kabuto adopted a modest look. "Well, The exam itself changes from year to year but I can tell you what I know about the other teams." He pulled a stack of white cardboard from his pocket. "These are my ninja info cards. Everything that you could ever want to know about the competition is sealed inside these." He drew a card from the top of the deck and after channeling some chakra into it a map of the five great shinobi nations appeared.
"Pretty cool huh?"
"Perhaps." Sasuke responded. "Do you have any information on the applicants themselves?"
"Of course. Is there anyone in particular that you want me to look up?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." The Uchiha answered.
The group of Genin turned to look at the boy in question. For his part, Naruto didn't seem to care all that much.
"Shooting high, eh, Uchiha?" The demon child grinned. "I think I've been insulted."
"Don't cross him." Kabuto said in a cold voice. "He's a jinchuuriki."
A confused look came over Sakura's face. "A jinchuuriki? What's that?"
"A jinchuuriki is a person who has a tailed beast sealed inside them. You guys might've been too young to remember what Naruto did when he was a child, but me…" Kabuto shivered. "Don't fight him. If you're lucky he'll only kill you."
The group went silent. One by one his fellow Leaf nin began to back away from him.
Naruto didn't even seem notice them.
No, he was far too interested in the red haired boy who continued to stare at him.