Shingen Takeda 1521: You know I never do anything for no reason. Think about Naruto and Sasuke's complex, canonical relationship. Naruto still feels that he can save Sasuke and goes out of his way to protect him. To some who don't understand his love for the Uchiha, it can be perceived as treason. Jiraiya and Orochimaru once had that very same relationship, both in the canon and my story.
Red-volpe: Shinseki is a girl; it was a careless typo lol.
Aki6: I did this on purpose to show the complexity of the human mind. No one is one way 100% of the time, so I showcase this. In every story I ever wrote, my characters were always complex, flawed, and somewhat dark with a light, comical side. Variety is the spice of life, or some clichéd line like that.
Blackmage001: I do admit that I superpowered them a little, but to say my story sucks? That's kinda harsh…
Each Passion! Each Reality!
Kakashi climbed the mountain with one hand tied behind his back and without chakra. 'It's been a long time since I had a workout this strenuous. Maybe that's why Zabuza-san was able to keep up with me back in Namigakure. I'm out of shape! I don't know if I'll make it in time.' He reached a large ledge and sprawled out on it to catch his breath. He still had a long ways to go.
Minato had summoned the Elite Jonin and the Jonin Commander to his secret meeting place. Kakashi and Obito were outside of the village, training Sasuke and Shikamaru, respectively. Rin, Chuuko, Sarutobi Asuma and Hiruzen, Yamanaka Inoichi, Gai, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Chouza filed into the room, one after the other.
"Commander Nara, I hear you have a startling report for me. What's going on?" said Minato.
Shikaku stood up and cleared his throat. "Some of Jiraiya's spies have reported that Orochimaru was spotted in Ta no Kuni. It seems that he's stirring up an insurrection there," said Shikaku.
"Not to sound like the biggest asshole in the room," said Chuuko as he twirled a kunai in his hands. "But Ta is affiliated with Tsuchi and has on more than one occasion threatened to invade, not that they could really do any damage."
"There's more," replied Shikaku. "Kusa no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni mobilized troops and are helping Orochimaru take over Ta."
"So what you're telling us is that Orochimaru is trying to enact a coup d'état?" asked Hiruzen.
"Exactly. With Tsuchi and Kusa's help, Orochimaru might try to invade Hi no Kuni," Shikaku said.
"Great. Another psychopath trying to kill us," replied Chuuko.
"There's more," said Shikaku.
"Goddamn!" shouted Chuuko in disbelief.
"It seems that Suna might side with Orochimaru," said the Commander. "Not only that, but Kiri and Kumo issued declarations of neutrality. We have no allies in this oncoming war."
Minato stroked his chin before saying, "Rin, Chuuko, and Asuma, I want you to go to Suna as quickly as you can. See if you can sway the Kazekage into helping us.
"Hiruzen-sama, I know you're good friends with the Yotsuki Clan. See if you can get Denki-sama to align himself with us.
"And who else would I call on except the infamous Ino-Shika-Cho trio to see if old Yagura-sama will aid us in combat."
"What about me, Minato-sama?" asked Gai.
"Gai-san, you just lost your star pupil. I think you should spend these days getting your mind together in case we do go into battle," Minato gently replied, as if he was unsure of how Gai would take his advice.
"Right," he mumbled.
"Meeting adjourned," Minato shouted. "These are all S-Ranked missions! Go!" The ninja ran out of the room, ready to save their home.
Kakashi finally made it to the very top of the mountain. Sasuke sat impatiently, twirling a kunai in his hands. "'Bout damn time," he mumbled.
"I see you've made some progress. Show me what, you've learned," Kakashi replied.
Sasuke made three hand seals, gripped his wrist, and focused. Chirping filled the silent mountain peak air; electricity consumed his right hand.
"Chidori!" shouted Sasuke as he rushed a large boulder and punched it. The boulder began to crack, then explode from the pressure. His curse began to throb as it shone with a bright red.
"Great! You can use the Chidori twice before your curse begins to activate. Impressive," said Kakashi.
"Whatever," said Sasuke as he rubbed his neck in pain.
'The hate in his eyes…it's growing stronger every day,' thought Kakashi as he lay down on the ground.
"What did you want to be when you were younger?" asked Kakashi as he tiredly stared at the clouds.
Sasuke was silent for a long time before replying, "I wanted to run the Keimu Buntai (Military Police Force), like my dad did."
"So, you looked up to your dad?" asked Kakashi.
"I hated him. He treated me like a second class citizen," replied Sasuke. "I wanted to run the Keimu Buntai because I thought that I could win his approval. I realized long after he died that I never would have won his approval."
"That's a sad realization," said Kakashi.
"It's the way life is," replied Sasuke as he began doing crunches.
"KYAAA!!!" shouted Sakura as she swung at Ino's head once again. The blonde girl sent chakra into her hair, which took on a life of its own. It wrapped around Sakura's hand and yanked her toward Ino, who headbutted the pink-haired girl. The two girls collapsed in a heap, unmoving for several minutes.
"DAMN!!! YOUR SKULL IS HARDER THAN METAL, FIVE HEAD!!!" shouted Ino as she rubbed the giant knot on her forehead.
"YOUR SKULL ISN'T EXACTLY MADE OF COTTON, EITHER!!!" Sakura shot back.
The two girls lay on the ground, breathing heavily. "Do you think that Sasuke-kun is ok?" asked Sakura.
"I don't know, and I honestly don't care," replied Ino.
"I can't believe you're saying that! Sasuke-kun is the greatest!" shouted Sakura.
"You sound so stupid, Sakura," replied Ino. "I've seen how he is; besides, Haku-chan has her sights set on him."
Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "That bitch is way too fat for Sasuke-kun."
"How could you say something like that?" shouted Ino as she stood to her feet. The look on her face was one of anger. "Haku-chan is one of the sweetest, nicest, most thoughtful people I know! She's helped me to become a stronger ninja, and if anyone can help a dark soul like Sasuke's, it's her!"
"Please, Sasuke needs perfection on his arms, not a fat, ugly cow!"
Ino scoffed and replied, "You know when I dated Naruto last year, I realized that being so shallow was pointless and stupid. Naruto had a soul that was so pure and sweet. Your soul is almost as black and twisted as that curse on Sasuke's neck. If you don't change your ways, you'll be sad and lonely."
And with that, Ino walked away, leaving Sakura to ponder her words.
Neji and Tenten sat at Lee's grave. Tenten was sobbing uncontrollably; Neji's face was as stoic as ever, but deep within his very core, the desire to cry welled up with ever increasing force.
"All he wanted was to be the greatest Taijutsu master in the whole nation," sobbed Tenten. "He shouldn't be dead. He shouldn't be!"
"Shh, its ok, Tenten-chan," Neji weakly mumbled. The two stood up and hugged as tightly as they could. They enjoyed the embrace; it wasn't a romantic embrace, but one shared between two grieving souls.
"Neji-kun, I have to get home. I just need to be away from here for a little while," Tenten said. She quickly walked away from the cemetery.
Neji dropped to his knees and stared up into the sky. "Kami, I know that I don't deserve any favor from you for the way I've treated others. But Lee deserves life more than any of us. I'll gladly give up my own if it means that Tenten-chan and Gai-sensei can have Lee back," he muttered. "Please. I'm begging you."
The Hyuuga walked away with tears streaming down his face. A plant began to bloom over Lee's grave; its growth was startling. A white lotus stood over Lee's grave, massive in size. Slowly but surely, the petals on it began to fall.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" shouted Naruto as he slammed his fist into the ground. A large, black-furred Kitsune appeared next to him. He had three tails that swished rapidly behind him.
"After three weeks, the most you can summon is a three-tails," said Harufuudo. "You suck sweaty man balls."
"I'D LIKE TO SEE ANY OF YOU DO BETTER!!!" Naruto shouted.
"I perfected summoning in a week," said Jiraiya.
"Three days," said Harufuudo.
Sixteen hours.
"HEY, HEY, HEY!!! FUCK YOU GUYS!!!" shouted an irate Naruto.
Unfortunately, Harufuudo and Jiraiya were hiding behind some bushes and spying on some young women playing in the lake.
"Are all adults perverts?" asked Naruto.
"Yes, young master," said the black Kitsune.
"What's your name?" asked Naruto.
"Hon'ei [1]. I'm the sensei of Unari, Nenshou, Shinseki, Dageki, and Deido," Hon'ei replied.
"So, what can you do?" asked Naruto.
"Shadow manipulation," Hon'ei said. Naruto could tell by his tone he was very proud of this. "My father trained people from your village in this very ancient art. I believe you call them the Nara."
"Wow," replied Naruto. "Does all jutsu come from kitsunes?"
"Not all of it, but the vast majority of it, especially Genjutsu, is derived from our Bijutsu," Hon'ei said. "Kitsune are very magical creatures. Other beings saw that we were especially gifted and sought our teaching. In hindsight, we were too trusting a race; we shared secrets with creatures who would use our magic for evil."
"But who taught you?" asked Naruto. "I mean, I don't think the first Kitsune woke up and created jutsu."
"Ah, we call him the Seijin no Yuuen (Grandest of Sages). Your people call him the Rikudo Sennin, the first ninja," replied Hon'ei. "He brought jutsu to us; we granted him knowledge of the makai."
Hon'ei looked at Naruto and asked, "Why are you so attached to these people Naruto-sama?"
"Because they abandoned me," Naruto said in a rare moment of maturity. "I want to show them that even though they scorned me, I'm a better man, a better human."
"But that's ludicrous! You aren't human; you're a demon!" replied Hon'ei in bewilderment.
"I might be the craziest demon ever, but I still want to cling to my humanity," Naruto said. He picked up a smooth stone and threw it at Harufuudo's head. "Yo! Can you teach me a Bijutsu?"
"I take it you know everything that Shikaku-san spoke of?" asked Minato as he stared into the small pool of water in his hidden meeting place. Jiraiya's face covered the surface of the water.
"Of course. The information came from my spies," replied Jiraiya. Minato winced at how short his answer was.
"Look, Uncle, I'm sorry I doubted you," Minato began. "But I'm worried for you. Orochimaru knows how to play you and I'm afraid this time he'll get you."
"The only way I'll die is if he can crush my neck with his bare hands [2]," replied Jiraiya. "My time out of the village helped me realize that my friend died a long time ago. I'll be able to kill Orochimaru, kid."
"How's Naruto-kun's training going?" asked Minato.
"Kyo summoned his son to help me teach him summoning, but so far we haven't really made much headway. Harufuudo-sama is teaching Naruto a powerful Bijutsu that might help in his fight against Hyuuga Hinata.
"Speaking of Hyuugas, how goes Hiashi and Hizashi's plans for rebellion?"
"How do you feel, Neji-kun?" Hizashi asked softly as Neji weakly tried to sit up.
"Sick," he said. "Are you sure the curse is gone?"
"Positive," replied Hiashi as he handed the boy a cup of herbal tea. "The only one left to free is Ko and then we can cast the elders out of the clan."
"I'll release the seal when Ko and Hinata return from the forest," replied Hizashi as he patted Neji on his leg. "Do you still believe we're destined to be slaves?"
Neji smiled and answered, "I thought that?"
Hinata stood in the middle of a small crater, panting. Ko stood nearby, impressed at how fast she caught on to the mechanics of her jutsu.
"Impressive, Hinata-chan!" shouted Ko. "You mastered the spin, and how to expel the chakra! And in three and a half weeks! It took your dad twice as long!"
"I have to *pant* beat Naruto!" shouted Hinata.
"Really?" asked Ko in amusement. "I don't know if he'd appreciate that. Most guys can't take a blow to their ego."
"Not Naruto," panted Hinata. "He'd be hurt if I went easy on him just because I like him."
"So you do like him?" asked Ko with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
Hinata turned beet red, and stammered, "UH, UH, LIKE, UM, UH, A FRIEND!!!"
"Riiiiiight," replied Ko.
"DON'T WE HAVE SOME TRAINING TO DO?!?!"
Haku and Zabuza sat in the middle of a large lake. Zabuza was meditating; Haku just seemed to be concentrating.
"Are you sure you can do this?" asked Zabuza.
"Honestly? No," replied Haku. "But I won't know for sure until I try." Haku's eyes turned blue as she focused all of her might. The water in the lake shot up into the air and floated high above their heads. Haku forced the water to form as many shapes as she could think of before letting the immense expanse of water fall around them.
Haku's eyes turned sea blue, and she grunted from the strain. Water began to materialize out of thin air!
"Unreal!" shouted Zabuza as small orbs of liquid formed around them. "You can use the moisture in the air! This transcends every expectation I had of you!"
Haku's eyes turned white and the orbs turned into hail and fell around them. She couldn't handle the strain of the jutsu and passed out, slipping beneath the blue depths. Zabuza dove in and surfaced with the unconscious girl in his arms.
"You may be the strongest ninja I ever met, Haku-chan," Zabuza said tenderly as he waddled to shore to warm his daughter up.
"Stay still, Chuuko! I just wanna drink your spinal fluids!" shouted Ikujinashi as he spat his long, lavender tongue at Chuuko. The Jonin leapt out of the way and stomped on the tongue with all his might.
"Fight him, Kiokure-kun! We both know your will is stronger than anything he can throw at you!" shouted Chuuko as he dodged a swipe from the demon general's claws.
Ikujinashi leapt away and fired a volley of black nails at the Jonin. Chuuko unsheathed his two chokuto and deflected every projectile that made its way to him. Well, except for one. A black nail pierced Chuuko's neck. It filled his body with venom, and the Jonin dropped to the ground and writhed in pain.
"My neurotoxin will overload your nervous system, causing you immense pain," said Ikujinashi as he licked his lips hungrily. "That makes you tastier!"
Ikujinashi raised his clawed hand and prepared to slit Chuuko's throat. He suddenly stopped, and began howling. A wild maelstrom of chakra enshrouded Ikujinashi's body; Kiokure was fighting him back. The chakra storm died down, revealing Kiokure kneeling on the ground. The Eiki no Fukumen lay a ways off from the panting boy.
"How long did that take?" panted Kiokure.
Chuuko removed the nail and waited for his body's natural antibodies to remove the toxins. "Thirty-three hours, forty-five minutes, and ten seconds. That's about 10% better than a month ago," the old-looking man tiredly replied.
Kiokure smiled and thought, 'I'm getting stronger every day father. I'll bring Hanayaka home. I promise!'
Satsu sat on a smooth stone floor in a room that resembled a medieval dungeon. An old man hobbled over to him. He had long grey hair that was slicked back and a grey beard that reached the top of his chest; his hairline had receded greatly in his years. His green eyes were dull, almost as if the color had faded from them throughout the decades. He wore a grey kimono and a blue vest over it. The elderly gentleman leaned on a smooth wooden cane.
"How goes the meditation, young Satsu-kun?" he asked.
"Not so good, Ojiisan [3]," replied Satsu as he rubbed his temples. "I have a hard time focusing because of the Gekidoshin [4]. Ever since I took the second exam, it's been pulsating like crazy."
"Hmm, that's odd," said the old man as he stroked his beard.
"Don't lie to me, Jun-sama," Satsu said in anger. Jun could see that a red pentagram was shining on Satsu's chest through his simple white shirt. "Did Orochimaru do this to me?"
Jun hesitated, unsure of what to say. Satsu stomped his foot, cracking the stone slightly beneath it. "Tell me!"
"Yes," Jun said. "He wanted his first attempt at the Curse Seal to be perfect. And the perfect host would be his own son."
Satsu realized he was losing it ad began to breathe heavily. The pentagram light dimmed, then finally died out. "Is dad really here?" he asked.
Jun winced at the expression on Satsu's face; it was one of hope. It almost made him seem………pathetic. "He might be, Satsu-kun," Jun said quietly.
"Do you think he'll come to see me?" Satsu asked gleefully.
"I have a feeling he may," Jun said as he hobbled away. Tears stained his old, wrinkled face. Satsu may have the Ganjouomoi, but his mind was very weak and fragile if he thought that Orochimaru was coming for him because he loved the boy.
Next Time: It's finally here! The third exam begins today! It's so good to see Hinata. She looks so...so...so beautiful. But she's my enemy right now and I have to stomp her!
Match 1! A Lover's Spat!
Next Time: Satsu needs to chill the hell out! I've never seen him so angry before! He might just kill Kankuro!
Match 2! The Beserker's Curse!
1- New Character Bio (Hon'ei): Hon'ei is a powerful demon from the Kitsune clan. He is young by makai standards; Hon'ei is only about 300 years old. He is a very powerful Kitsune that will be a powerful asset to any one lucky enough to be the Kyuubi no Kitsune. His name means umbra.
2- Can you say foreshadowing???
3- New Character Bio (Toppyoushimonai Jun): Jun is the head of the Toppyoushimonai clan. He was a very powerful ninja in his day; the only ninja who could possibly defeat him were Sarutobi Hiruzen or Danzo. Jun was asked to be the Sandaime Hokage, but declined, stating he had no interest in politics. He retired just before the attack of the Kyuubi, dedicating the next thirteen years to raising his grandson, Satsu. His name means umbra.
4- The Gekidoshin (Rage Core) is a wicked Fuuinjutsu that magnifies rage. The slightest thing will enrage the wearer, and the curse will boost their strength to unnatural levels. The Gekidoshin is similar to a curse mark; the angrier the wearer, the more they change physically.
I have a request to make of you guys. My friend Jace, the one who was supposed to be drawing up the characters for my story, and I had a major fight and he trashed all the art he made. It doesn't seem like we'll be kissing and making up from this one so if there are any artists out there, would you mind drawing the characters for me? I don't have anyway to repay except with great thanks and friendship. If anyone can do this for me, thank you so much!