Hidden Genes

Summary: There is a type of jutsu only one shinobi could use,the Shodaime became famous for it being impossible for anyone who doesn't have his DNA, and even then it was rare. Sharingan is an Uchiha doujutsu,so no one can have it unless an eye is given, so why does the Kyuubi vessel have both?Why does he move like the Yondaime?

Their return to Konoha was met with the customary need for an official report to the Hokage, which didn't exactly end in the ordinary way. After all, the Hokage didn't exactly yell at every single genin team that accidentally ended up smack in the middle of an B to S rank mission, S because of the political implications behind Gato's power and manipulations. Naruto spent an hour in a yelling match with his surrogate grandfather until they came to the conclusion that since they had all returned alive, they won't rank the mission higher than C so the village elders couldn't complain and demand more money than their client had been able to collect. Sandaime hadn't exactly been happy with them but there was a reason Naruto always collected blackmail material against the old man.

Still, they received a resting period that would be normal or a B-rank mission, meaning not even D-rank missions came their way for two weeks. Not that Team 7 missed those stupid tasks. Naruto used the two weeks to tend to his garden and Sasuke spent a few whole days with him, just watching him tend to his plants. Thankfully, Naruto had no need to use Mokuton, as his plants were far stronger and more persistent against time and weather than ordinary plants. So Sasuke never got to see him use his Mokuton, and by requirement, his Sharingan, so at least that secret still remained his own.

However, before those two weeks were up, Team 7 learned that a special event for genin was taking place in a month's time, one that had Sasuke and Naruto rightfully excited and Sakura pretty shaken up. After all, the Chuunin Exams were a big thing, especially for Sasuke, since his older brother had competed in those when he was ten by himself and had set a record. Sasuke, who wanted to kill him one day, had to know if he had gotten stronger and if he was ready to take on the man at this time, so the Uchiha had ran off to train as soon as he heard about it. Naruto, on the other hand, ran off to train his Mokuton and Sharingan control so his powers don't slip him in the middle of the exams and people notice. If someone noticed during the exams, everyone will know and Naruto will have far too many problems on his hands than he would like. Still, he was excited to test his own abilities against others his own age and rank. Kurama had also pointed out that this was the perfect opportunity to collect some new skills if he managed to use his Sharingan subtly enough. He was excited about that, too.

Sakura, both boys knew, on ht other hand was terrified by the deadly exams. She was the weakest member of their team and she was at the very least aware of that. She had no good reason to be a shinobi, either, so her ambitions won't be enough to keep her alive through this, especially if she gets injured. All she wanted was to be cute and for Sasuke to notice her. Naruto pitied her, since he knew Sasuke didn't see much farther than his brother's back in the distance and everything around them might as well be black. Even Naruto was no exception to Sasuke's single-mindedness, despite him being somewhat important to the Uchiha.

Still, Team 7 was a decent enough team. They ought to be okay for the exams, as long as nothing like Zabuza and Haku comes their way again and even then, Naruto and Sasuke should be okay if they work together to protect each other and Sakura, right? They'll be fine, right?

Right?

00000

Naruto cursed as he found that not even now was he able to preform his father's trademark jutsu, the Flying Thunder God and he really needed it. How else was he going to escape this damn snake! Kunai couldn't cut it, it's skin was too thick! Naruto really hated the exams so far.

The first test wasn't all that bad, official or unofficial. Genjutsu couldn't trick any of the three members of Team 7, not anymore. Not Sasuke as an Uchiha or Naruto with his even more advanced Sharingan and incredibly sharp sensory skills or Sakura who was extremely good with chakra control and could notice such things relatively easily. Naruto secretly found Izumi and Kotetsu very funny in their attempts to make the genin late but he was kind of freaked out by that Rock Lee guy and his impossibly thick eyebrows. His crush on Sakura was far creepier than Naruto thought even Sasuke's fangilrs to be and that was saying something. And he was damn fast and strong. The other two on his team were jerks.

The rest of their graduation year were there, too, and they weren't exactly pleasant about it. Ino and Sakura went right back to their rivalry and Kiba went right back to annoying Naruto while Shikamaru ignored them and Choji just ate at his side. Shino was, well, Shino and Hinata tried to make eye contact with Naruto before near fainting when he payed her some attention when he wasn't getting the shivers from all the hostility he could feel in the room coming from the other genin. A handful stood out to him and gave him a bad feeling about this whole thing but one redhead kid, a little shorter than himself with a giant sand gourd on his back drew his attention.

He had not expected to meet another Jinchuuriki here and Kurama had been surprised to feel Suna no Shukaku, the Ichibi, there, too. It had been a century since any biju had been in such close quarters. Naruto had been eager to talk with the boy, Gaara as he found out from one of the guy that freaked him out, Kabuto, but the redhead was cold and his eyes showed a killer intent that had Kurama bristling and Naruto frowning in confusion and disappointment. He had kind of hopes they could be friends but it would seem Gaara was not interested. Well, Naruto had no intention of giving up. He'd just try again after the first exam.

The first exam with Morino Ibiki had been a psychological hell for Naruto. He had known only two answers to the written exam and he had been beyond tempted to just cheat by using his Sharingan, but he had only dared do so by the time only ten minutes remained of the actual exam time before the last question was to be given to them. After all, for everyone else, it was just the threat of being caught cheating, for Naruto it was much, much more and far, far worse. Because if they caught him, he would be getting a real interrogation form the head interrogator within the hour. Still, he managed and then the psychological games began.

Naruto kind of just sat there, talking with Kurama about Gaara, Kabuto and a few other guys that gave off some pretty bad vibes that sent shivers down his body. When he was declared to have passed by default for staying - he hadn't even paid attention to the part about how not answering the tenth question right would end their ninja careers right then and there and the small eye conversation Sasuke had with Sakura about there being no need to back down right now - he was quite surprised and wondered what stupidity this was.

And then Mitarashi Anko's flashy, dramatic entrance in the middle of Ibiki's speech made him believe the Exams were a joke to begin with. Kurama had been inclined to agree with him, until they were lead to the, Training ground 44, Forest of Death two days later.

Now, three hours and two attacks later, the second of which had ended with him being swallowed by a gigantic snake summons, he was sure that when he became Hokage one day, he was going to change the nature of these Exams if it were the last thing he ever did. Because he was sure this was only for the supervising special jonin's entertainment and development of further masochist and sadist tendencies in young ninja everywhere.

At least the task of the exam was easier than running from a bunch of ANBU operatives in one of their training grounds. Or it would have been, had that guy who had summoned this thing really been a genin. There was no way he was a genin. As soon as he had made the first hand seal two miles away from Naruto and his teammates, the blond had felt the rise in his chakra and had recognized the refined chakra of a high rank ninja, one that shouldn't have been in these Exams. He didn't like the implications of that at all. Even less so after he had been separated from Sakura and Sasuke and had been swallowed by a giant serpent.

''Damn it, why wont it work!?'' The frustrated Uzumaki yelled from within the snake's gut. He was covered in slime and acids and was crushed between the walls of the snake's ingesting system. He was not a happy genin. He was definitely not happy that this particular jutsu was still giving him trouble. It's not as though he hadn't been trying ever since that day he had finally managed to do it. Yet the Flying Thunder God still was just a little beyond his reach. Exasperated, the blond just sighed and stopped attempting for the time being. He'll get back to that later. He needs to get out of this thing before it starts to really digest him. Death as snake snacks was not how he wanted to go.

You could try summoning me out in a bigger form. Kurama pipped in from within his head and Naruto's mind's eye provided him with the image of his inhabitant casually lounging about, his nine tails swishing lazily from side to side. He could just sense how bored Kurama was in there but there was also a certain edge to his voice that someone who didn't know the fox as intimately as Naruto did would have completely missed. The Kyuubi had been on edge ever since they first saw all of their competition right before the first exam. And it had nothing to do with Shukaku being here as well. I'd be a great help in this forest.

'You'd also make it quite obvious that I'm not the harmless little idiot I've been trying to portray myself as for my entire life.' The Jinchuuriki pointed out logically, knowing that whatever the examiners saw will most likely spread through Konoha's gossip mill in a matter of hours. It would give all those who hated and feared him enough reason to disregard the Hokage's protection of him and just try to outright kill him and Naruto feared that no one would come to his rescue this time. Sasuke and Kakashi might, but they would be easily restrained. Iruka, too. The Hokage would perhaps be too late to save him, if the rumors even reach him. It would mean Naruto and Kurama would have to defend themselves.

And even if it would possibly end up with casualties and injured on the side of his oppressors - his fellow Konoha villagers - Naruto would defend himself. Not so much because of himself but because of Kurama. If he died, Kurama will be dragged along with him due to the seal his Tou-chan had put on him that held the Kyuubi inside him in the first place. Kurama had been the only family and the only constant Naruto had in his life and he would do anything for the fox. After all the years Kurama had spent looking after him and healing him and teaching him, it was the least the Kyuubi deserved from him. Kurama would reprimand him for thinking like that, since he also saw Naruto as family, but Naruto's opinion won't change. Not by a long shot.

You're right. We can't risk being seen, which means no Mokuton, either. The biju mused, stretching a little to ease the tension in his shoulders. As was mentioned, despite how relaxed he appeared, Kurama was far from actually feeling that way. He had sensed a certain darkness in the chakra of more than one of the 'genin' that would be taking these exams. Yes, he was rather weary of Gaara and the results of Shukaku's constant wakefulness on the redhead's mind from the lack of sleep, but that hardly even scratched the surface of his real worries. Shukaku, Kurama knew he could easily deal with. Shukaku was by far the weakest of the biju despite how powerful he appeared to ordinary humans, while Kurama was on the whole other end of that scale, second only to the creature they had all originated from in the first place. He would have no problems subduing Shukaku if the need arises.

But those that worried him - really, really worried him - were the teams from that newly formed village, Otogakure, and that other team from Kusagakure, not to mention Kabuto's team. All nine of them gave off a really bad vibe and Naruto had sensed it, too, staying away from those ninja. And the worst part? One of the guys from Kusagakure was the one who had just attacked them. Naruto could sense his foul chakra near Sasuke's and Sakura's chakra signatures. And he didn't like the uneasy fluttering of his teammates' chakra. Naruto wasn't an expert sensor to the point that he can read the feelings behind chakra signatures like some sensors were said to be able to - mostly because he never got the chance to learn, as the only emotions he usually felt around himself were fear, anger, disgust and blood lust - but he knew when the pulsation of chakra was abnormal and it very much was, at the moment, in Sasuke and Sakura. 'Genjutsu?'

Most likely. Kurama agreed, his senses even sharper than Naruto's. But it also feels like genuine fear. Something is not right. This chakra signature ... I think I've felt it before. I don't like this. Those brats are in danger, Kit. We need to get out of here.

'Well, since there's no Mokuton and the Flying Thunder God is still not working out for me, I guess I will have to do this the old fashioned way.' The blond thought, bringing his hands together in a familiar hand seal. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Not a moment later, the inside of the giant snake was becoming a bit too crowded, squashing Naruto even more but with his own clones now. Their numbers continued growing until the snake started writhing and attempted to throw them up but it just wasn't fast enough. As over two hundred clones overfilled its body, the summons simply exploded in the section to where its' digestion of Naruto had gotten to. Chunks of snake meat and blood and instantiates flew all over the place in a very gory sight and Naruto grimaced when he realized that he was still covered in the serpent's slime and now blood and guts. He gestured for one of his clones to use a water jutsu to clean him off before dispelling his clones and once again focusing on the chakra signatures of his friends, just in time to feel another summons near them.

'Kurama, a little boost?'

Let's go, Kit.

With a boost of his biju's chakra, Naruto sped away towards his friends, hoping he will get there in time before they got hurt or worse.

He really didn't like the feel of the guy they were fighting.