Kasek: This chapter is brought to you by the letter D!

Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor One Piece

Chapter 25: Of Demons and Devils

Hiruzen looked towards Ibiki as Mubi drew his paper. Ibiki had a clipboard with paper in it in hand, and a marker to write with. He then turned back to the gathered Genin. "Alright, starting from the left, call out your numbers."

Dosu was first. "I have the number ten..."

Kin was second. "I have twelve."

Naruto was third. "I'm number one!"

Sasuke's voice was carrying complete confidence. "I have seven."

Temari frowned as she looked at her number. "I'm four..."

Gaara's response was as short as possible. "Eight."

Choji gulped. "I have eleven..."

Lee pumped his fist in excitement. "I am number two!"

Shino was silent for a moment longer than necessary. "...five."

Sakura seemed even more confident than Sasuke. "Three!"

Mubi sighed. "I have six..."

Ibiki finished marking his paper, and looked towards his Hokage. "That means she's number nine..."

Hiruzen nodded, and smiled at the Genin. "All right then... it's time we revealed to you... the final tournament!"

Lee's eyes seemed to sparkle. "A tournament? I will do my best!"

Hiruzen chuckled at Lee's enthusiasm. "Ibiki here will reveal to you the tournament roster..."

Ibiki turned his clipboard over, and they could each clearly see who they were going to fight. The first match was Naruto VS Lee, and the second was Sakura VS Temari. Third was Shino VS Mubi, and the fourth match was Sasuke VS Gaara. The fifth was Hinata VS Dosu, and the final match was Choji VS Kin. There were three separate blocks, and the winner of the third block would face the winner of the fight between the winners of the first and second blocks.

Naruto leaned forward and looked down towards Lee, who turned to him and gave him a thumbs-up, and when he smiled, the light glinted off of his teeth at an impossible brightness.

Dosu frowned under his bandages. Not even in the same block as Sasuke...

Temari frowned for a different reason. What? Just a regular old tournament?

Hiruzen let some smoke escape from his mouth. "Now then, if there aren't any last questions..."

Naruto spoke up- something was eating at him. "Wait, if it's a tournament... then does that mean that there's only one winner, one Chunin?"

Hiruzen smirked- Naruto was more intelligent than some gave him credit for, even Naruto himself. "No, no. There will be a panel of judges- myself, the Kazekage, the leaders of of various ninja villages, the lords of the countries... they will judge your qualities, and anyone deemed worthy will be promoted. So, even if you lose in your first match, you can be promoted."

Temari narrowed her eyes. "So, there's a possibility everyone here will become a Chunin?"

Hiruzen sighed, and closed his eyes. He hated to be the bearer of bad news... "Well, yes, there's that, but there's also the chance... that nobody will become a Chunin. Advancing in the tournament merely means that you get more chances to show off. So! If that's all, then you all are dismissed until a month for now! I thank you all for the energy you have put into these trials!"

--

Naruto opened the door slowly, and peeked inside. He opened it fully and admitted himself, Sasuke, and Kakashi into the room- Kyuumaru had been forced to stay outside due to being a fox. Hinata looked up from her book- Naruto gave a slight frown as he noticed that she was covered in bandages, even under her hospital gown, giving her the appearance of a mummy. Hinata forced herself to smile. "Hello... how did the rest of the preliminaries go?"

Naruto smirked as the memory of his battle returned to the forefront of his mind. "I pounded Kiba into the ground, for one."

Hinata smiled. "I'm glad... we all made it through, then. Did they tell you what the third exam is going to be?"

Naruto sighed. "It's going to be more fights... its a tournament."

Hinata nodded. "I see... I guess I'm not going to be able to get as much training in as you guys are..."

Naruto frowned at the thought of Hinata losing her chance to become a Chunin while he went on ahead. "That's..."

Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, guessing what he was thinking. "Don't worry, Hinata will be able to get plenty of training in with her father, as will Sasuke... he'll be training under me."

Naruto frowned. "You're making it sound like that you're not going to train me..."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. Naruto continued to prove he wasn't as stupid as he looked. "Nope. I'm leaving your training in someone else's capable hands.

Naruto's frown deepened. "Really? And who would that be?"

Kakashi's smile did not waver. "I have no clue. Hokage-sama said that he had arranged for this guy to teach you. Why don't you go find the Hokage, and then he can introduce you. Oh, he mentioned that you should bring Kyuumaru along, too."

Naruto nodded. "I'll go look for him, then. See ya, Hinata! Hope you get well soon!"

As he left, Sasuke clicked his tongue. "Geez... he could've stayed a little longer..."

Hinata smiled. "That's... Naruto for you..."

As Naruto walked down the hallway, he noticed a name on one of the rooms. "Yakushi Kabuto... I guess I can check in on him..." He opened the door, and was surprised at what he found inside- nothing. Kabuto was not in his bed, nor was he anywhere else. Naruto supposed that he was probably somewhere around the hospital in a wheelchair.

"Hello, Uzumaki."

Naruto nearly jumped, and turned around- speaking of wheelchairs, Gaara had somehow managed to sneak up on him while in one himself. Because he was in a wheelchair, there was a distinct lack of a sand-filled gourd. "Gaara? Heh, sitting in a chair suits you... all you need now is a desk and the robes, and you'd make a fine Kazekage."

Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Kazekage is not something I aim for... nor is it something a weapon like myself could ever achieve."

Naruto frowned. "Aren't all shinobi supposed to be weapons, tools of their villages?"

Gaara shook his head. "Those kinds of tools are raised... I was born a weapon. I exist to kill, and by killing, I validate my existence, prove that I'm alive."

Naruto shivered. That was unnecessarily creepy. "Geez... there are other ways to prove that you're alive, you know."

Gaara glared at Naruto. "Am I to prove that I exist through pain? I do not feel pain... the sand always protects me from harm, whether I want it to or not." Gaara realized that for whatever reason, he was talking with someone about his past. Why? What was so special about this boy that he felt like talking with him?

Naruto sighed, before leaning towards Gaara and poking him in the forehead, causing Gaara to completely freeze. "I don't see any sand, do you?" He poked Gaara again, and then Gaara swatted his hand away before rubbing the spot Naruto had poked. Naruto grinned. "See? You felt that."

Gaara growled at the blond. "If I had my sand, I'd kill you."

Naruto chuckled, thinking the threat empty. "Come on, is that any way to treat a guy who's trying to be your friend?"

Gaara glared at Naruto as hard as he could. Did this boy not understand? "I don't need friends... I never have. Besides, no one in their right mind would be friends with a monster such as myself..." Again! Why did he feel the need to talk about himself to this... this... he didn't know what to call the boy.

Naruto froze- he knew what that felt like... he would wonder what he ever did to deserve friends... "Well, that's what I used to say... I'm a monster, too, you know. But... I have people who accept me for who I am... and because of them, I don't feel like I'm the monster that the village makes me out to be."

Gaara grit his teeth. Those words... they ignited a fire in him. And not the good kind, either. "What would you know of being a monster?! You don't know what it's like, having a monster sealed inside of you since birth, affecting you, haunting you, and having everyone you meet treat you as a monster because of it!"

Naruto's eyes widened. That's what he meant by 'monster'? He let out a small sigh. It wouldn't hurt too much to let this boy know... "Yes... I do. For as long as I can remember, I've had this creature within my belly... people call it the Kyuubi no Youko. It came to this village, thirteen years ago, and after it had caused much death and destruction, the Yondaime Hokage sealed it into a baby boy... me. The village has hated me ever since. If I didn't have the few people who love me... I'd go insane. I'd probably be just like you... in fact, I can remember times I was like you. But... every time I met with those who loved me... the feelings of hate and despair, of utter loneliness, went away.

"You said that your sand protects you, right? If it's a shield... then use it to protect others. My sensei told me that one's true strength comes out only when protecting what is precious to you."

Gaara frowned. "The only thing precious to me is myself... I love only myself. I love no one else, and no one else loves me. And I'm just fine with that."

They heard Temari's voice as she approached them. "Gaara! There you are! I was worried sick about you! You shouldn't wander around by yourself. You've never been without your sand before, you never know what could happen to you." She glared at Naruto. "You! You're one of the guys in the exams... you weren't planning on hurting him, were you?"

Naruto smiled. What Gaara said and what was truth were two different things entirely. "In a hospital? Never! We were just having a friendly chat, is all." He turned to Gaara, and winked. "Let me know if you change your mind, alright?"

As he walked off, Temari sighed, and then grabbed the handlebars on the back of Gaara's wheelchair and started carting him off. "So, what was that about?"

Gaara closed his eyes. "Just... a friendly chat between peers, that's all." Temari's face showed her surprise, though Gaara couldn't see it. Why would he call that boy... a 'peer'?

It was not long before Naruto found himself at the Hokage Tower, Kyuumaru walking besides him. It took a little arguing with the clerk, but he was able to secure a small audience with the Hokage himself in a small window of Hiruzen's schedule. After a short time of waiting, he was admitted into the old man's office, and Naruto was surprised to see that Jiraiya was in there with him. "Sarutobi-sensei, I've heard that you've arranged for someone to teach me for the next month..."

Hiruzen chuckled. "Yes, yes, I did tell Kakashi that, didn't I? Well... you're teacher is right here." His eyes pointed Naruto towards Jiraiya.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "That pervert? Why him?"

Jiraiya's face twitched for a moment. "Kid, you're forgetting that I'm one of the legendary Sannin! Not only that, but I'm a sennin, too! You're a very special ninja, and that means you require a very special teacher! Besides, is that anyway to treat me after having not seen me in so long?"

Kyuumaru snorted. "Yeah, yeah... why am I here again?"

Jiraiya eyed the small fox. "So, this is the great Kyuubi no Youko... miss your other eight tails?"

Kyuumaru snorted again. He hated humans, he really did. "It is of little consequence... just having a material body is good enough for now."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "You have all of the same abilities as Naruto, right?"

Kyuumaru quickly transformed into his human form, and made sure that they noticed his claws. "And more... I have much better control of my powers than Naruto does."

Jiraiya smirked. "I see... I guess you can be my assistant, then!"

Kyuumaru gave him a blank stare. "...say what?"

Jirraiya pointed at himself with his thumb. "You heard me! You know how to control the powers better than Naruto, so you're going to help me teach him how to control them!"

Hiruzen watched bemusedly as Jiraiya and Kyuumaru started their little argument. "And why should I? He can take care of himself!"

Jiraiya shook his head. "But I could take him out no problem! If he managed to gain full control of his powers, the kid could become the greatest ninja since the Yondaime Hokage!"

Kyuumaru crossed his arms. "Oh, sure, another Yondaime... you think I liked the guy? That I'm happy because of what he did? Sure, I got true sentience out of the deal by being an intelligence parasite, but I was stuck inside of the boy, unable to use it. And now I'm stuck in this body, my power severely limited, and the boy is the spitting image of the man who put me in this situation! Give me one good reason why I should help him!"

Jiraiya sighed. "Because, if he dies, you die." Kyuumaru's mouth hung open, and then it closed. He glared at Jiraiya, but said no more. Jiraiya smirked at his success. "Looks like I've won you over."

Naruto turned to his clone. "You know, Kyuumaru, you've already helped me out a little with drawing out your chakra. It wouldn't hurt to teach me how to use it right."

Kyuumaru's claws dug into his palm as he clenched his fist. "Fine. I will... assist you in your training. I'll even spar with you. Be warned- if you don't catch on quick, I'll pound you into the ground."

Naruto nodded. "Y-yeah..."

Jiraiya interrupted them. "So, what's this I hear about a run-in with Orochimaru?"

--

Sasuke was walking down the street, his hands in his pockets, looking down at the ground right in front of him. Kakashi had told him to pack whatever supplies he thought he needed- they were going to leave Konoha for a while to train, and wouldn't be back until the end of the month. His mind drifted to Naruto- Naruto was insanely strong if he went all-out. He'd need to do an insane amount of training to keep up... he'd need to be at Lee's level to even think of defeating Naruto. And Naruto was going to be training to beat Lee... he needed power, lots of it, and fast. The mark on his neck began to itch, and he reached back and scratched it. No, he couldn't rely on that... Orochimaru had given it to him, Kakashi had said that it was pure evil, that no good could truly come of it. He needed something else...

He was brought out of his thoughts when a girl his age bumped into him and fell onto the ground; Sasuke himself managed to stay upright. Sasuke did a quick overview of her appearance- he didn't recognize her right off. She was a white-haired girl, whose hair was similar to Sakura's, though her bangs went down to just above her eyes, instead of framing her face like Sakura's did. She wore a pink t-shirt that didn't quite cover her stomach that had a cartoonish white rabbit head on it, a white skirt, and straw sandals. Sasuke offered a hand to her. "Are you alright?"

The girl took his hand and quickly sprang back up with a strength in her legs that Sasuke noted was not quite normal. She blinked for a moment, and Sasuke noted that her eyes were just as dark as his own. She gave a small grin. "Yeah, I'm fine! Just wasn't quite paying attention to where I was going, heheh. I'm Tsukiko! And you are?"

Sasuke was apprehensive. Something was... not quite right here. "Uchiha... Sasuke."

Tsukiko's eyes smirked for a split second- something that Sasuke took note of. It slipped off of her face just as quickly as it had appeared, and her face took on a more 'surprised' appearance. "Oh! You... you're the 'one'!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this suspicious behavior. "Excuse me?"

Tsukiko giggled. "Oh, sorry... my family has traveled a long way, because my father had this vision... he has something that he wants to give you! Come on!"

She quickly grabbed his arm, and Sasuke noted that she was a lot stronger than she looked as she began dragging him along. "H-hey, wait! Let go of me!"

After a several seconds, she did as he said- she had taken him into a side alley, and Sasuke noted that there were two other people here, one of them sitting at a table, his entire head except for his eyes covered in a turban, and he wore rather plain but still ridiculously large robes, his hands barely peeking out from the sleeves. The other person was, again, a white-haired girl his age. Her hair was much longer, and her skin was as white as her hair. She wore a green, snake-scale print kimono, and she was barefoot. Her eyes flickered to Sasuke, and he shivered- they were red and slitted, reminding him of Orochimaru's eyes, though her eyes were much wider than that snake's. He looked at the man sitting at the table, and he realized that he was staring into the crystal ball intently. The man lifted his head and began staring at Sasuke, and Sasuke completely froze- this man's eyes were just like Orochimaru's.

The man spoke first. "Who is this you bring to me, Tsukiko? Another lad seeking his fortune in the future?"

Tsukiko giggled. "No, Father, this is Sasuke! You know, 'The One!' He looks just like you said he would, I don't see why you don't recognize him!"

The man chuckled. "I was just making sure you knew who he was, Tsukiko."

Sasuke grunted. "You mind telling me who you guys are? I have a policy of not taking gifts from complete strangers."

The man's eyes narrowed from the bottom- a sign he was smiling. "Yes, yes, of course. My name is Yamatamaru, and these two are my children, Tsukiko and Nagini."

Nagini bowed her head. "Hello..."

Sasuke frowned. "So, you're some kind of fortune teller, then?"

Yamatamaru nodded. "Yes... I had a vision, that you would need power... and power, is something I can give you."

Sasuke's interest was pricked. This guy... he was good. "Really, now?"

Yamatamaru nodded once more as he reached into a box beside the table, and began pulling out the weirdest fruits that Sasuke had ever seen. One was a purple apple with yellow swirls on it, another was pink coconut with orange swirls, and another was a blue orange with green swirls. "These... are Akuma no Mi. I'm sure you've heard of them, your friend benefits from such a fruit."

Sasuke was more than suspicious. How did this guy know everything? Scratch that, how did he get his hands on three of these things? "Who are you, really? You can't be just a... 'humble fortune teller'."

The man's eyes arched upwards again. "Nagini, why don't you show him what the Akuma no Mi has done for you?"

Sasuke turned to face Nagini, and what he saw horrified him- from the waist down, her body had become a giant white snake tail. Her eyes had narrowed considerably, and her hands had grown claws. The tail was quite long, and she was able to use it to gain a lot of height on Sasuke, forcing him to look well up just to see her face. One instant, she was towering over him- the next, her tail was wrapped around Sasuke's body, squeezing him tightly, while her human half hovered right beside him. He gritted his teeth as he tried not to yell out in pain. He glared full-force at Yamatamaru. "What do you want from me?!"

Yamatamaru chuckled as he stood up. "Simply put, my boy... I want you to eat one of these fruits. Only one, mind you- eating more than one has... disastrous results."

Sasuke squirmed as the snake scales rubbed against his skin. "And if I refuse?"

Yamatamaru walked around the table, and stared into Sasuke's eyes. "Then, we have a dilemma. You want power... but you won't take it. Next you'll be saying that you want revenge... but don't 'feel like' killing him."

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Fine! If that's the way it's going to be, I'll eat the darn fruit!"

Yamatamaru seemed to smirk beneath his turban. "Good. Now, you have a choice here... Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia... though I doubt those words hold any meaning to you. I'll let fate decide which one you take..."

Sasuke gulped. It felt like his entire destiny rode on this decision. Which one would he take? Sasuke knew what a Zoan fruit did, at the very least- it gave one the power to change shape, like a werewolf, this girl, and Naruto. He had no clue what the others did- Naruto never explained in detail what kinds of Akuma no Mi there were. "I... pick..."

Kasek: I'll stop here. The scene with Gaara was rather spur of the moment, but I hope it serves a purpose eventually.

Now, as for 'Yamatamaru' and his daughters... Tsukiko has a 'rabbit' theme, while Nagini obviously is just as much of a snake as Orochimaru is, though she's a bit nicer. Yamatamaru... well, if you haven't figured it out by now, I won't spoil the surprise. BTW, Tsukiko and Nagini are not what they appear. I'll give cookies to whoever guesses their secret.

As for the fruit choices... Well, you see, I just want opinions on this. The majority opinion may not be chosen, while a minority opinion may. I've got three fruits here (obviously):

Paramecia fruit, Gara Gara no Mi: Gives the user complete control over their skeletal structure, just like Kimimaro. Sasuke may learn how to better his abilities by fighting Kimimaro later on. Is similar to a Logia fruit, only you can't convert your entire body to bones.

Zoan fruit, Saru Saru no Mi: gives the user a full monkey and a monkey hybrid form. I like this one, personally, but that's my Zoan obsession speaking. This would allow Sasuke to take his physical abilities beyond what they were in the manga, giving him more time to work on Chidori and other aspects.

Logia fruit, Juhi Juhi no Mi: Gives the user control over wood, and can convert their body into infinite amounts of it. I don't think Sasuke would like having the ability of the Uchiha's sworn enemy, the Senju clan, but whatev, he'll get over it. I wanted to name this the Moku Moku no Mi, but that was taken. Would convert Sasuke's chakra natures to earth and water, making Chidori much harder to use. Also, I do have a way that somebody could beat him should they need to.

Give reasons as to why it would be better for Sasuke to eat such and such a fruit. If you think you have a better fruit for Sasuke, let me know.