Fan Fiction Name: The Trials of a Would-be Jounin

Chapter Name: Jounin Exam, Part Two

Info: After a visit to the Memorial Stone and a talk with his most memorable student, Umino Iruka decides to go for the jounin rank. Will he choke or will he get assistance from the most unlikely of places? Naruto II spoilers here!

Disclaimers: Well, I do not own any of Naruto, nor do I own the many characters of these fan fictions, save my own creations. It's sad, but all too true. How I wish I owned them….waaaaaahhhhh!!!!!

Tales of a Would-Be Jounin

Chapter 21

Iruka couldn't believe what was on his scroll. This was far beyond what he normally had to do…and he was fighting back the growing queasiness in his stomach as he looked over the scroll again. And then again. He really was having a hard time understanding what it said. Well, the message was actually quite clear as to what to do, but Iruka was still trying to comprehend it. How...why…did the Fifth really expect them to do this?

The scroll called for the decapitation of the target and presenting the head as proof of the success of the mission.

Irukas stomach-sickening thoughts were interrupted by something he really didn't expect. Iruka turned his attention to the man now pinned to a tree, who was now laughing hysterically.

"Lemme guess, we're the jounin exam mission. I've already dealt with one of you, and when the second shuriken disappears…" The man said, and almost on cue the shadow shuriken jutsu ended and the second fuuma shuriken disappeared. And before Iruka could react, the mans chakra began to change and the laughter started again…but this time more sinister and mad.

"Lemme introduce you to the reason my sister and I are A-class missing nin." The man said as his voice grew more sinister and feral in looks. Iruka charges forward to stop what is going on, but then a blast of chakra knocked Iruka back.

"Ketsueki Gokai no Jutsu!"

- - - - -

"I told you before: next time you face Jubei, you'll bring me along. Hope you don't mind?" Keiichi said, keeping his eyes on Jubei, who had jumped back and unwrapped the chain from the leg.

"Now this is interesting…You are not on any of the records given to me, yet you are skilled in the use of chain weapons. None the less, you will not stop my mission."

"Well, I have a mission too, Jubei! My mission is to beat your head in for attacking Iruka and Anko!" Keiichi yelled back before swinging his flail around and signing a jutsu.

"Kusari Tatsujin no Jutsu" Keiichi called out as the chain flew forward, aimed at Jubeis head. Jubei, however, seemed to dodge by, but was met by Ankos fist. Her attack grazed his side, but his attention was so much on Anko that he didn't see the returning blunt end of the flail until it was too late.

Crashing into Jubeis middle, Anko was shocked that the chain not only kept going after the hit but then began to wrap around Jubeis waist. Jubei reacted by jumping upward, only to find the chain begin to follow him again. Anko turned her attention to Keiichi for a second, seeing the concentration on Keiichis face. Smiling slightly at Irukas choice of friends, Anko follows after the two before meeting up with Jubei in mid-air. Grabbing his right leg, Anko smiled maliciously when the chain wrapped around the other. Both pulled down, and Jubei made hard contact with the ground.

Anko could only smile more when she saw that the mask had flown off, and she couldn't wait to see the face of the person she was about to smash to bit. However, something was…off.

Only with the rustle behind her and the sound of shuriken flying did she know was up.

"Damn! Kawarimi," she called out. She ducked to avoid the shuriken, but when she saw they weren't aimed for her, she was confused. A loud cry from Keiichi and the flails chain dropping to the ground makes it was obvious the target was not Anko. Jumping up, she waits until she sees a blur heading towards Keiichi to send a wave of shuriken after him. He noticed them and dodged at the next second, giving Keiichi enough time to recover and swing the flail around again. This time, Anko saw the signing of the jutsu this time, and again the chain sprung to life and flew towards the now unmasked man.

This time it wrapped around on of Jubeis arms and stiffened, causing Jubei to stop in his tracks.

"Get him now!" Keiichi called out to Anko. Ankos response was sinister. A trio of snakes flew out of her trench coat, all of which were intent on taking Jubeis head.

Only this time the Replacement was obvious the log that replaced Jubei was torn to shreds.

- - - - -

Iruka was quite plainly fighting for his life.

Ever since the use of the jutsu, the man had loosened the shuriken and threw himself at Iruka in reckless abandon. He was hitting Iruka hard, but most the time he was also hitting rocks, trees, and even the ground. He was frothing at the mouth, and his words were little more than animalistic snarls and growls.

It truly was blood lust. It frightened Iruka because he was seeing a man ruled by his very instincts. It frightened Iruka because it reminded him of his first kill, how a man had driven himself to madness and was threatening Irukas life simply because he happened to be there. But what frightened Iruka most was the fact that nearly everything the man had managed to hit with full force was now a pulverized mess.

Iruka was broken by another wild swing that he managed to duck under. This time a bush faced the wild wrath of the man in front of him and it burst to bits. Iruka drew a knife and swung at the arm, leaving a long red mark along the bottom of the arm.

This did not quite have the desired effect Iruka had in mind.

Iruka went flying through the air as the other hand swatted at him like he was little more than a fly buzzing around someones' soup. He managed to spin and rebound off of the rock he was about to fly into, but the man had thrown himself so close that the two collided in midair and bounced off in different directions. Iruka painfully coming to his knees, his right hand still weakly clutching the kunai he had used to cut the man. A loud snarl to Irukas right and all Iruka could do was blindly bring his kunai up in the blind hope the man would impale himself.

Suddenly, a warm liquid that smelled of iron began running down Irukas arm. At that moment, Irukas' hazy eyesight cleared enough to see what had happened and what he saw horrified him. The man was impaled hilt deep on the kunai. But it was where he was impaled that shocked Iruka: the kunai knife was deep into his neck. After a few gurgling sounds out of the man and frantic but ever-slowing movements, the man fell limp and pitched forward.

"I…I got that far…might as well finish it…" Iruka said as he began to uncertainly begin to slice up and down, making a sawing motion with his kunai while the whole time gagging at the smell of the blood and at what he was doing.

As the last tendons were cut , Iruka got up quickly, wrapped the head up as quickly as he could, then, stumbling away from the body, began violently retching into a bush. He had two more heaves before he stopped, and as soon as he did he stumbled away, both in exhaustion and in just sheer sickness over what had just happened.

Slowly, Iruka managed to get far enough away for his own comfort and laid down in a thicket of brush and there fell into a fitful sleep.

- - - - -

With a massive chain and shadow snakes tearing apart what Jubei had used for the Replacement Jutsu, Anko let out a frustrated groan before she turned and scanned the area. Those sort of jutsus had limited range and at best Jubei was thirty feet from that location.

Only at the loud snap of what sounded like whips did she realize where Jubei was. She managed to duck out of the way as what looked like vines shot out from a nearby tree. Keiichi wasn't so lucky and caught one on his shoulder, leaving a long red streak. Anko then sent her shadow snakes into the tree, and only when the caught something solid did she pull. This time she wasn't surprised to see she had a human sized log in her snakes grasp. As she tracked Jubeis' movement, she turned and begun swinging her fist at the blur that came closer and closer.

Again, Keiichis chain intercepted Jubeis' movement and Anko smiled gleefully as her fist got closer and closer when the chain wrapped around Jubeis left arm. She didn't pay much attention to it until the chain began spinning, drawing blood.

It kept spinning, and with a grunt from Jubei the chain bit deeper, until Juebis' arm gave and, in a torrent of blood, Jubeis' arm from just above the wrist down went flying off. Ankos fist kept traveling and burrowed deep into Jubeis chest chest, causing Jubei to gasp as the air was forced from his lungs. There was also what Anko thought were some cracks as her fist stopped. A sweep sent Jubei to the ground and Keiichis chain pinned him.

Anko looked over to Keiichi, who looked like he had just been punched in the stomach as well. He hadn't wanted to do that, but Anko knew something that drastic was necessary should they have wanted to stop him.

"I'm surprised your as good as you are," Anko said as she kicked Jubeis prone form.

"Actually…I'm not that good. If you weren't here, I may have gotten in a lucky shot or two before…" Keiichi said, but with his voice stopped there when he looked downward. Anko followed his gaze and saw that it was where Jubeis hand had landed.

Jeez, this guy was a bit too emotional for her taste now.

"All right, jackass, talk! Why are you spying on Iruka-kun?" Anko demanded

Nothing.

"Talk, bastard, or that wound of yours will just keep bleeding and bleeding," Anko taunted.

Nothing.

Anko was about to kick the untalking bastard again when Keiichi moved forward, his eyes glaring holes into Jubeis uncovered, unemotional face. Suddenly, Keiichis foot lashed out and caught the man on the side.

"Jubei, you stupid, overzealous baka. Stop trying to act unemotional and answer us!"

Okay…that had a reaction. Anko watched Jubei glare holes into Keiichi. This was going to get interesting fast.

END

A/N: Part two is up and ready to go! Now, can Keiichi break Jubeis silence? What is going to happen to Iruka? Can Iruka finish the mission and actually become a jounin?

All this and more, in Jounin Exam, Part Three!