A/N: I've decided that I'll be going back to the start and changing a few things. When I first started this, I pictured a series of outtakes- but then my ambition grew and I decided I wanted a large, complicated story. The tone of the first few chapters, then, doesn't match with the tone of the rest of them, so I'll be moving them to a new stories called 'Outakes of a Life in Konoha's ANBU' and probably start the story with a prologue, and then right onto the 'Sacred Scroll of Sealing' chapter.
Also- this was a pain to write, hence the lateness. Writing about people other than the main protagonist is hard- but I also wanted to show a few things, so, yeah. For the record, all of the recent updates have been written on the spot. I've had a bit of time off work and decided to get some done. I haven't been hoarding of anything- I post it on DLP first, team spirit and all that, and a day later it comes on here
Also- I've been told that this comes off similar to a game show. Good. That's the point.
On the very day of the Chunin Exams, two shinobi met. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in Leaves, and Jiraiya of the Legendary Three stood on the Hokage's Monument, staring down at the village. It was early in the morning and the stars were still out. The street lights were still on, and they twinkled in the darkness, even as the sun began to rise on the horizon. The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, looking out at his beloved village, while Jiraiya sat on the head of the Second Hokage, watching the stars.
Sarutobi lowered the pipe from his lips. "It has been a productive month," he murmured. "We are well prepared for the Chunin Exams. The Tsuchikage, Kazekage and Raikage will not find us wanting."
"I have to say," Jiraiya began. "I don't like the idea of using Naruto as a showpiece. He's already getting enough attention as it is." He didn't look at the Third Hokage while he was speaking. "I don't like it, old man."
"You don't have to," Sarutobi rebuked quietly. "Unfortunately, you truly don't have a say."
"I am his godfather," Jiraiya reminded. He folded his bulky arms. "I would have thought that would have given me some sort of say."
Sarutobi smiled gently. "According to all of the legal documents, Uzumaki Naruto is a ward of the state- and falls under my jurisdiction." He puffed on his pipe. "Don't worry. He's become a fine shinobi. His parents would be proud."
"Minato would be," Jiraiya said. "Kushina-" here he winced, "Well, we'll be hearing it when we finally cark it. She never liked the business of raising 'child prodigies'. She wasn't impressed with what I did to Minato."
"You turned him into the Fourth Hokage, a man still respected and feared to this day," Sarutobi said. "There is no shame in that."
"Tell that to the survivors of the Bloodied Plains," Jiraiya said sombrely. "Don't get me wrong. I loved Minato. He was a fantastic shinobi, and a kind and gentle man. But what he did after Obito died, the hundreds he killed- that was the work of a monster."
"That was the work of somebody who did what needs to be done," Sarutobi rebuked none-too-gently. He turned, puffing on his pipe. "That is what a Hokage does. They do what needs to be done to protect their Village. Nothing more. Nothing less."
"And that includes raising a twelve year old boy into believe he's nothing more than a weapon for the village," Jiraiya observed. There was no accusation in his voice- it was just an observation.
"He is a weapon," Sarutobi said. He took a deep breath. "As much as it pains me to say, Uzumaki Naruto is a sword of Konoha, ready to be plunged into our enemies. That is the nature of Jinchuuriki, the fate of the prodigy, the state of this world."
The Sannin let out a loud sigh.
"What a fucked up world we live in," he murmured.
Sarutobi smiled. "You have become very idealistic, Jiraiya," he said, and there was something like pride in his voice. But, then it hardened as the Hokage continued. "But this village cannot be run on idealism. It must be run through pragmatism and…"
"Pessimism?" Jiraiya interrupted. His face had taken on a hard look, his brow set into place and his jaw locked. "Our world will not change unless we change our attitudes."
"Our world has already changed," Sarutobi countered. He put down his pipe. "Nonetheless, this is not the time or the place to once again argue over this matter. Let us focus on more important things."
"Naruto." Jiraiya let out a deep sigh. "He's a mess, old man. You've been good for him, and you can get him to lighten up and express himself. But other than that, he clams up and runs his little 'quiet and polite' routine. From what I can tell, there's still a lot of stuff he's struggling to cope with, all the way back to the Blitz."
There was a long pause, only interrupted by the squawks of the birds as the sun continued its slow rise on the horizon. The sky was lightening, the stars fading away, and the sounds of businesses and workers stirring began to fill the village.
"Can you help him?" the Third Hokage asked after a moment.
"Maybe," Jiraiya shrugged. He chuckled. "He managed to plant his foot in my face the other day. Plus, I think he's really developing a taste for my book series…"
Sarutobi sighed, and closed his eyes in resignation. "It will be on your head if Tsunade finds out," he warned. "She's quite fond of the boy, you know. He gets on well with her."
"He's looks a lot like Nawaki," Jiraiya said quietly. "And he's the same age."
"Regardless, Naruto has done well in making the connections he has," Sarutobi said. He stroked his goatee. "He is a sword, yes, but one day he might become the banner."
"I thought that was your plan," Jiraiya admitted. He stood up, brushing off his pants. "When do you plan on retiring?"
"I would like to wait until Naruto is seventeen," Sarutobi admitted. He took a deep breath. "It's the same age I was appointed, so there is precedence. Naruto will need to keep growing in strength- but I do not worry about that. He has learned over thirty different techniques, and is proficient in all of them. His collaboration techniques are especially powerful, far beyond any other shinobi in the village. He has learned the first stage of the Titan Summoning Technique, he's developing his skills with the Dispel Technique, and has made good progress with his Jinchuuriki training. He will have the strength by then."
"Have you considered introducing him to Fuinjutsu?" Jiraiya asked curiously.
"He's done some rudimentary training in it, but it is not his strongest area." Sarutobi chuckled. "No offense intended for poor Naruto, but his intelligence does not extend far in that field. Still, I would like to show him some of the Second Hokage's Space-Time Techniques. Mastery over even one of them would be useful."
He stopped to take a puff on his pipe.
"What I truly worry about is his reputation," Sarutobi continued. "He is a Jinchuuriki. There is already stigma attached to the label, especially with the actions of the Fourth Mizukage- the only Jinchuuriki to be made a Kage. No, Naruto must be a known quantity. He has garnered much respect from the Village due to his role in the Blitz, true, but that will fade in time. He must be seen as the best choice."
Jiraiya didn't say anything. Then, he began to walk away. Before he left, however, he stopped and turned his head. "You've done a good job raising a soldier, and a sword, and somebody who could probably become Hokage one day," he admitted. "But don't forget that he's also a human- and a Jinchuuriki. You can't bind him to the village with duty alone. He needs bonds. My advice- you put him in a team and you send them out on some light missions. Let him mingle more with the other shinobi. Let them get to know him. It'll be good for him."
He left then, disappearing in a flash of movement, and leaving the Third Hokage on top of the monument with his thoughts. He continued to smoke his pipe, letting the cool morning breeze ruffle his robes. Jiraiya was right. Perhaps, when the Chunin Exams were done, he would look at combining the ANBU that Naruto had worked with during the Blitz. They seemed to mesh well, and they certainly regarded Naruto as somebody worthy of respect. Except- perhaps, this time, Naruto could take a leadership role.
He would need to become used to it, after all.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood there alone, puffing on his pipe and plotting in preparation of times to come.
The 30th International Chunin Exams were being hosted in Konoha, the Village Hidden in Leaves. The first and second stages had already been completed, and now people wide and far flocked to the village in order to watch the third and final stage. The third stage was being held in The Dome of the Regal Flame, a large arena/stadium that had been built at the western edge of the village. It had come through the Blitz quite well, and had been spruced up preparation of the event. Currently, the stadium was full. Every seat had been filled, and the audience waited anxiously for the commencement of the Third Stage.
The arena was a large rectangle, two-hundred metres in length and one-hundred metres in width. Large, study walls scaled over the dusty ground, at least fifteen metres tall. Behind them were the first rows of seats. These lower levels circled the entire arena, dozens of rows for the common people. Merchants, civilians, trades people and locals filled this area, snacking on their foods and waiting restlessly. Beyond that were the more luxurious seats, the boxes and floors reserved for the wealthy and for those with status. The nobles sat there, dressed in their fine robes and holding their delicate, golden binoculars.
Above them were two boxes, built right at the very top of the stadium. Side-by-side, they contained the thrones for the Feudal Lords and the seats for the leaders of the Five Great Hidden Villages. The wall behind them had been covered with a giant white cloth, and the seats were currently emptied.
At that particular moment, Naruto was standing just in one of the passages leading into the arena. His heart was racing, it took time and some considerable effort to calm his nerves. He had done a lot of things for his village. He had fought. He had bled. He had killed. However, they had never made him speak out in front of so many people. There were thousands- and the very thought of it, strangely, was more terrifying than fighting against an S-rank. Still, he did his best to settle his nerves and reviewed his speech again. Then, he crumpled it up into a little ball, took a deep breath, and walked into the light.
The sun was blinding, and Naruto blinked, squinting against the glare. The audience, chatting and laughing loudly, began to whisper and mutter to each other as Naruto appeared in the arena. He ignored them, keeping his stride steady and focussed as he made his way to the centre. Clearing his throat, he turned on the microphone in his hands. He was acutely aware of the thousands of stares being directed his way as the noise began to dim and people stared down at him expectantly. Suddenly, the speech he had prepared was gone, and he swallowed nervously.
"Yo," Naruto greeted into the microphone.
Then, he resisted the urge to slap himself in the head. 'Yo'? Really? He was starting to sound like Kakashi. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes- and suddenly decided he didn't care. He was the one down here in the front, and he would say whatever the hell he wanted to.
Except, you know, anything that could be construed as sedition.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto continued, and he found that he was unconsciously adopting the somewhat-slow drawl of his former captain, Hatake Kakashi. It was easier, actually, to fall back onto the mannerisms of somebody he knew didn't give a damn what people thought about him. "I'm the proctor, and this is 30th International Chunin Exams."
He paused. There was something else- ah.
"Everybody please rise for the Feudal Lords," Naruto commanded.
The sounds of scuffing feet and rustling fabric filled the stadium as the audience stood, and the final mutterings and chatter died. The stadium descended into silence as, somewhere in the background, some royal music began to play. From the loudspeaker came the sound of a stern, serious voice, introducing the foreign dignitaries and the Kage of the other villages.
"From the Land of Lightning, escorted by A, Fourth Raikage of the Village Hidden in Clouds, we have Lord Takeda, of the Royal Court of Lightning."
The Fourth Raikage appeared on the stadium. He was a large man, massive, somebody to rival Jiraiya. His white coat was opened in a casual display, revealing his thick, bulging muscles. He wore a gleaming belt of gold. Next to him stood a man barely half his size, a slender dark-skinned man wearing a pair of elegant glasses. He sported a small beared, and wore a loose fitting robe and a dark coloured cloak. The audience burst into applause- the visitors from the Land of Lightning prostrating from their spots in the crowd. The Fourth Raikage escorted him to his throne-like seat, and then once the Feudal Lord was seated, walked over and took his own seat on the neighbour balcony.
"Next, from the Land of Wind, escorted by the 'The Golden Storm', the Fourth Kazekage of the Village Hidden in Sand, we have Lord Uesugi, of the Imperial Sovereignty of Wind."
The Fourth Kazekage appeared. Dressed in the robes of the Kage, he was completely covered from head to toe. His blue and white robes fluttered as he walked behind the Lord Useugi, who wore a royal purple cloak over his robes, and covered his hat with a purple turban. He sported a small beard, and he looked displeased about something. The Kazekage did not seem particularly happy for his part either, however, and the two parted ways quickly.
"From the Land of Earth, escorted by Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of the Village Hidden in Rock, we have Lord Toyotomi, of the Manchu Dynasty."
The Third Tsuchikage appeared, hovering, of all things, behind his Feudal Lord. He was a very short, old man with a triangular beard and a moustache. He had thick eyebrows, and he almost looked comical with his bald head and his big red nose. However, he was a Kage who had lived as long as the Third Hokage, one who had encountered the legends of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. He wore a green and yellow coat with a red collar, and it covered most of his body as he floated there. He hovered behind Lord Toyotomi, a man twice as tall, who sported a very prominent, grey beard and moustache. His eyes had dark marks underneath them, and he wore a tight fitting robe. He sat in his seat and the Tsuchikage floated to his own.
"Lastly, from the Land of Fire, escorted by Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in Leaves, we have Lord Shirasagi, the White Heron of the Royal Court residing in the Land of Fire."
If there crowds had been clapping politely before, now they exploded in raucous applause. The Third Hokage appeared, dressed in his red and white robes of the Kage, standing behind the Feudal Lord. The man was just like Naruto remember- tall, pasty, thin, and hidden behind his fan. Sarutobi led the man to his seat, and then took his own on the other balcony. As soon as he had left, there was a flicker of movement and two guards appeared behind each Feudal Lord. Naruto recognised the robes of the Twelve Guardians flanking the Fire Lord.
Naruto waited until some of the applause had died down, and then held up his hand. The crowd began to quieten as the attention was focussed back on him.
"The International Chunin Exams are held every six months," Naruto began. "Firstly, we are here to demonstrate the prowess of the shinobi villages to the people that they serve- you, the prospective clients and customers. You will see some outstanding feats today. Hand-to-hand combat and skills with the sword and the shield are things you may have seen before, but today you will see the exotic arts of the shinobi- of illusions and techniques that bring about fire and water and lightning. Watch these and remember, these powers are at your disposal."
Naruto paused, and took a deep breath.
"Secondly, we are here because of them!" He turned, and brandished his arm at the other side of the arena. In the time that the Feudal Lords had been seated, twelve genin had marched out onto the grounds and stood before the crowds. "They are the genin of the Hidden Villages, the upcoming shinobi who represent our best and our brightest. We are here to see if they are ready, to see if they have what it takes to gain the rank of Chunin. Let's give them a round of applause!"
The crowd exploded, roaring and yelling down encouragements- and sometimes booing. The genin stood there, sometimes shifting nervously on their feet. Naruto saw Konohamaru standing at the back, looking very small amidst his taller peers, and his lips twitched.
"Now," Naruto began, but the audience was too loud. He tapped on the microphone, and waited until they had quietened down. "Let's talk about the exams. This is the third and final stage of the exams. At the beginning, there were over one-hundred and fifty contenders. We are down to twelve. These are the best. Today, they will be fighting in a tournament, in a series of one-on-one battles. The genin have already been told who their opponents are, and they have had a month to prepare. Expect to see some cunning strategy in play here today, ladies and gentlemen." He paused. "However…"
He waited. The crowd quietened with anticipation. Naruto took a deep breath and smiled.
"However, Konoha has decided to do things a little differently this year," Naruto continued, his voice lowered. There were murmurs from the audience, and the genin themselves looked confused and anxious. "Chunin must be strong, they must be smart, and they must look underneath the underneath. Most importantly though, Chunin must be able to adapt to changing circumstances."
He let that sink in.
"Those that are set in their ways are destined to fail with them."
He looked at each genin in the eye. Some of them, like Gaara of the Sand, looked totally uninterested, arms folded and barely even registering the crowd. Others, like Uchiha Sasuke, stared back at him with determination. Then, Naruto looked back at the audience.
"Does everybody see the covered wall behind the seats of the Kage and the Feudal Lords?"
Thousands of heads and necks were turned and craned. At Naruto's cue, the piece of cloth covering the wall in the booth was pulled off, revealing a giant spinner. It was divided into five sections- each a different colour, and each bearing a symbol of one of the elements. Some of the crowd went 'ooh', while many others muttered in confusion. The Feudal Lords themselves looked intrigued. The Kage, who had been informed beforehand, had no reaction.
"On the spinner wheel that you see, there are five symbols," Naruto continued. "They are the symbols for the elements of water, fire, wind, earth and lightning. Before each match, that spinner will be spun, and the genin prospects will be battle in the conditions of that element."
Naruto turned to look at the genin, many who looked shocked.
"Genin," he called. "Are you ready?"
Some nodded, many merely hardened their faces.
"Audience, are you ready?"
The audience went wild, and Naruto gave a genuine smile.
"Then," he continued over the din, "Once the Feudal Lords have given their formal blessing, we'll start."
The crowd began to chant, a rising din that echoed through the stadium. The ground quivered as feet were stomped, hands slapped and arms waved. Naruto could feel the excitement of the crowd wash over him. His own heart was racing, his blood pumping, and he watched as large wooden frame was brought out before each of the Kage by a shinobi wearing white. A large, brass bell hung from the frame, and the first Feudal Lord picked up the striker.
He hit the bell, and a loud gong resonated throughout the arena. Then he passed it back to the shinobi in white, who bowed, and moved to the next Lord.
Another strike. Another gong.
And another.
And another.
As the last gong rung through the air the ground rumbled and all over Konoha, bells began to gong. There was a flash of light and the air was suddenly filled the lightning techniques, flashes of blue and purple and green, amidst as series of detonating explosive tags. Confetti rained down upon the audience, who surged and stamped and hollered with all of their might. Naruto lowered his microphone raised an arm.
"Barrier squads!" he yelled out.
All across the perimeter of the arena, squads of Konoha's Sealing Corp got into position. Twelve teams of five shinobi sat beneath their seals and channelled their chakra. Before the eyes of thousands, a transparent dome of blue light covered the top of the arena, leaving Naruto and the genin trapped inside. Once it was done, Naruto heaved a great sigh and turned to the genin. In a flicker of movement, he appeared before them.
"The rules are simple," said Naruto, his voice deadly serious. "Outside interference is strictly forbidden. You will fight your opponent one-on-one. The first one to be incapacitated will be eliminated. The use of deadly force is permitted- however, I will intervene if I decide that a fight's over, and there is a clear victor."
He paused. Then, he channelled his chakra, folding it back upon itself thrice, and let the resulting pressure explode from his tenketsu. The air around him suddenly shimmered, and the dirt and rock beneath his feet cracked. The genin gasped, many become frozen, others taking defensive stances. Naruto saw Sasuke tighten his fists and Gaara stare at him with wide, excited eyes.
"Let me be clear," Naruto continued. His face was blank, and he was sporting a polite smile, as if talking about the weather. "In this arena, I am the ultimate authority. It's not the Kage. It's not the Feudal Lords. It's me. Once I say a match is over, it's over. If I tell you to stop, you stop. If you don't…" He layered his chakra five times- something painful, and it made his tenketsu burn and his nerves scream in protest. None of it appeared on his face as he brought the new pressure down on the Genin. "If you don't stop, I'll stop you myself."
Then the pressure was gone. One of the genin had actually fallen, somebody from Taki, and he clambered back to his feet, his face pale.
"Please understand what I have just said," Naruto finished quietly. "Genin, back to your balcony."
The genin left and Naruto sighed. He was doing a lot of that today. He leapt back to the centre of the arena and turned the microphone on.
"We are about to begin," he called out. He pulled out a piece of paper and glanced down at it. "The first match will be Taka Kouhei of Iwa against Shou of Kumo. Genin, please stand in the designated circles."
The two genin appeared on either end of the arena. Shou was a tall, slender dark-skinned boy, older than Naruto by a few years. He had a series of spears strapped to his back, and he wore a metal buckler on his left wrist. Kouhei was about the same age. He was bulky though, with thick arms and squinty eyes. There was intelligence behind them though, and cunning. They stood there as Naruto turned to the Kage's booth.
"I invite each of the Feudal Lords to stand and spin the wheel, or send a representative to do so in your place," Naruto said. "As this is Lord Shirasagi's domain, it's only fitting that he has first spin."
The Fire Lord flapped his fan madly and practically leapt from his seat in excitement. He seemed to be giggling and he waved out to the crowd, who yelled and cheered in praise and adoration. He went up to the spinner and, in full view of the entire stadium, placed his hand on a spoke and spun it.
The wheel spun- as far as Naruto knew, it was unbiased- and after a few moments, it slowed and came to a rest on the red section. The symbol for fire stared back at him, and Naruto smiled.
"And it's fire," Naruto drawled. He eyed the Genin with a small smile. "That'll be fun for you lot."
They didn't seem to think so, judging their faces. The crowd roared in expectation.
"Genin, do not move," the blond boy advised. "If you move, you might die."
He made a hand-seal and several shadow clones appeared around him. They darted away, towards the different groups of the Sealing Corp, who let them through the barrier. Then, they turned and each flipped through a series of hand-seals. Naruto did the same, and the air around the arena began to ripple. The ground rumbled and shuddered, little rocks rattling on the ground, and the crowd grew quite with anticipation.
They didn't have to wait long.
Before their eyes, the earth beneath the feet of the two genin rose. Both of the almost lost their balance, their eyes wide, as a large plateau rose beneath them, pushing them up towards the sky. Smaller columns of rock and stone also began to rise around them, some higher and some lower, until they all settled at least five metres off the ground, some much higher.
Then the next techniques took effect. The ground beneath the pillars cracked, and smoke and steam began to rise into the air. Under the guidance of the shadow clones, giant columns of flame rose up into the air with deafening roars. They circled all of the pillars, licking away at the earth harmlessly, sustained by the shadow clones at the perimeter of the arena. After a few moments, the entire arena seemed to be alight, although there was very little smoke rising into the air.
"And there's your fire," Naruto said. He felt a bit of enjoyment as the crowd, bedazzled and amazed, surged with movement, many of the spectators jumping out of their seats to crane their heads downwards for a better look. Naruto turned to the genin, who eyed the flames grimly.
"For the record, these flames, while hot, are not immediately fatal," Naruto said, much to the Kumo Genin's obvious relief. "If you fall into them, it's going to hurt- but it's definitely not something you have to rule out of any strategies or tactics you're thinking of. However, if you stay in them for too long, you will die, so it's been decided that if any genin stays in the flames for more than ten seconds, I will call the match against you. Understand?"
Both genin nodded.
"Genin, fight!"
Kouhei, the Iwa-Nin immediately clapped his hands together. Then, he slammed his hands in the ground. With a grunt, exertion visible on his face, the Iwa-Nin pulled back his burly hands from the earth, and as they came out, Naruto could see that they were covered in stone. With a nasty grin, Kouhei flexed his muscles and with a sudden 'whoosh', small, hooked spikes shot out from all around the gauntlet of rock.
An interesting earth-technique, Naruto thought to himself. He stood on one of the taller, narrower pillars, staring down at the genin intently, ignoring the cries and yells of the crowd. As he watched Kouhei take a running leap over the flames and onto the plateau where the Kumo-Nin stood, his mind was already tearing apart that technique and coming up with ways to counter it- just in case.
Shou, the Kumo-Nin, darted backwards as Kouhei advanced and he skilfully avoided the first swipe. The Iwa-Nin was twice as big as him and looked to be far stronger, but with his bulky frame it would have been easy to assume that Kouhei was slow. He was not. He darted around Shou in a flurry of hand-to-hand combat, handling the undoubtedly heavy gauntlets around his hands as if they were boxing gloves. After a few moments, Shou grunted as Kouhei landed a devastating punch to his stomach, and he collapsed to the ground.
Naruto stood there, and he did not call the match.
A moment later, Kouhei spun around and hunched up, bringing his gauntlets to shield his face as the Shou's crumpled form exploded in a puff of smoke. Using the body-switch technique to escape to the other plateau, Shou snatched one of the spears off of his back and hurled it forward with great speed. The whistling in the air had given it away, however, and Kouhei successfully blocked it with his rocky gauntlets.
Shou was undeterred, however, and continued hurling his spears. Each one was blocked, landing uselessly on the ground as Kouhei advanced, undeterred. It wasn't a bad strategy for Shou- make some distance and pelt the enemies with weapons- but there were only so many spears one could strap to a body, and the Kumo-Nin had soon run out except the one in his hands.
Then, unexpectedly, Shou took running and leapt off over the flickering flames. He landed in a crouch, spear ready, and met Kouhei on with an elegant twirl. Kouhei batted it away with his hands, but Shou spun around him, slashing at him again and again with surprising ferocity. For few moments, it seemed like Kouhei was being forced backwards. Then, the Iwa-Nin spotted an opening and he raised his hands. There was a loud crack and suddenly the rocky gauntlets exploded outwards, bombarding the other genin with a shower of sharp debris. Shou was struck several times, hissing in pain. He planted his spear in the ground and jumped back as Kouhei slammed his hands back into the earth, creating another set of gauntlets for him.
"Ah," Naruto murmured to himself, his voice lost over the din around him. So that was what the Kumo-Nin had apparently intended all along. He smiled. "I see."
Shou had landed on his feet, apparently defenceless now that he had lost his last weapon- but his hands were flying through a set of hand seals and as Kouhei stood, wielding a brand new set of rocky gauntlets, the Kumo-Nin finished his technique. To Kouhei's obvious horror, he suddenly realised that he was standing in the middle of a circle created by Shou's fallen spears- and they were beginning to crackle and spark. There was a sudden pause as Kouhei froze, and the then, in a flash of lightning and a boom that sounded like thunder, electric bolts surged off the hafts of each of the spears and slammed into him.
Kouhei writhed on his feet, the earth elemental chakra in his gauntlets cracking and breaking apart underneath the power of the lightning technique. Shou kept it up, his hands frozen in place on the serpent-seal. So focussed upon his target, he did not see the ground behind him cracking- but then Kouhei jumped up out of it, just as the earth-clone crumbled apart, the illusion fading.
Shou didn't stand a chance. Kouhei swung a meaty fist and struck the slender dark-skinned boy off of his feet. The crowd surged, but a loud 'ooh' rose up as the Kumo-Nin fell into the fiery pits surrounding the pillars of rock. Naruto was staring intently, and he began counting. Kouhei was also waiting, his squinty eyes darting around the arena, not letting his guard down.
When Naruto reached ten, he made a hand-seal.
Dispel!
The fires around them were extinguished in a heartbeat, revealing blackened soil and a rather charred, unconscious genin lying on the ground. Naruto turned on the microphone, tapped it several times and bought it up to his face.
"Winner, Kouhei of Iwa!" He called.
Kouhei pumped his fists into the air, revelling in the applause and the praise, while Naruto jumped down to check on Shou. The boy had a nasty gash on his head- Naruto was sure he could see traces of bone underneath the blood- and he signalled for the medical squad to come and take him away. Then, as Kouhei left the arena, and made a hand-seal and dispelled the giant pillars of earth. They collapsed into a pile of dust.
"Will Kankuro of the Sand and Konohamaru of the Leaf enter the arena?" Naruto called out.
The two genin arrived, and they stood on scorched, barren ground, eying each other. Konohamaru was trying to look intimidating, but Naruto had to stifle a laugh at how badly he was failing at it. Kankuro didn't seem to be very threatened, either. The taller teenager was eying the eight-year-old boy with disdain, shaking his head and muttering to himself. Naruto watched on, feeling a flicker of concern.
Then, it was the Earth Lord's turn to stand up and spin the wheel. He did so, and the audience watched as the spinner span round and round, finally coming to a stop on the blue section.
"And that makes water!" Naruto called out.
Good. Water was scarce in the Land of Wind, so Konohamaru would probably have more experience dealing with enemies around water, especially taking his mission to the Land of Waves into account. Kankuro, on the other hand, would have limited experience- but that didn't mean he would be useless. Naruto created some new shadows clones, and together they performed the techniques.
The ground beneath Kankuro and Konohamaru rose, pushing them above the arena floor, while at the same time, a gushing tide of water exploded from a series of buckets of water, riding from the edge of the arena and surging in to fill the gaps between the plateaus. It was much like how the fire arena had been, except there were a lot more tactical options with water than flame.
Naruto raised his hand. "Genin, fight!" He shouted, bringing it down.
Konohamaru was immediately on the offensive. His hands flipped into a series of signs, his chest bulged, and he spat out a searing ball of flame. It tore through the ground and soared over the water, which boiled and hissed as the fireball passed. Kankuro dodged it, and moved forward, coming in closer for hand-to-hand combat. It was a good strategy, especially considering the obvious height and strength advantage that the Suna-Nin had over the young boy.
However, Konohamaru hadn't been wasting his time over the past month and Naruto was surprised as the young Sarutobi brat dodged and evaded each of the hits. He was certainly more agile, but he lacked raw strength. Some of his hits even landed on the Suna-Nin, but they didn't look like they hurt much. Finally, Konohamaru was able to disengage and he jumped back, throwing a fistful of shuriken to cover his escape. It was only meant to be a diversionary tactic, but to the young boy's obvious surprise the shuriken caught Kankuro in the chest. The boy looked briefly stunned behind his face-paint and, gargling and choking, he fell to the ground on one hand, breathing noisily.
Konohamaru was frowning, and the boy glanced up at him, but Naruto refused to acknowledge him and kept on watching stonily, his arms folded.
The young Sarutobi cautiously approached the fallen Suna-Nin, a kunai in hand. Naruto wanted to shake his head- the brat should have kept pelting the Suna-Nin with weapons until he fell, but Konohamaru hadn't seen through the act- or the switch. Naruto wasn't surprised when Konohamaru gave an involuntary shriek as 'Kankuro' suddenly lunged at him. The creaking, unreeving puppet was quick to strike, a large, pointed spike shooting out from its mouth. It was only by luck that Konohamaru managed to avoid it, tripping over his long scarf at the last second as he staggered back. An instant later, a chest plate on the puppet opened and senbon zipped through the air. Konohamaru rolled over- the senbon striking where he had been half-a-second later- and palmed a couple of spheres.
There was a flash of light as the smokebombs detonated and the puppet paused in its movements. Konohamaru took the time to roll into the water and disappeared underneath the surface. Naruto let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding and uncrossed his arms. Kankuro had come out of hiding know, throwing off a blanket that he blended in with the earth around him and standing up. Even Naruto was impressed- the boy had somehow managed to put an illusion on his puppet that had fooled even him for a few moments.
The smoke drifted away just as Konohamaru climbed out of the water on the other side of the arena, panting. He staggered to his teeth, drenched, and looked over his shoulder, glaring. Kankuro was shaking his head.
"Give up," he called out. "I really don't want to go home saying I belted up a little kid."
"Why don't you give up?" Konohamaru shouted. He rubbed a bloodied lip that he must have gotten when falling, and gave the other boy a cocky grin. "I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru, and I don't give up."
"Fine," Kankuro sighed. He moved his hands and the puppet came to life, rattling loudly as its disjointed limbs flayed about around it. "Just remember that I gave you a chance."
"You're the one who needed the chance!" Konohamaru shouted, and he sped through some hand-seals.
Naruto's eyes widened. No way. Sarutobi couldn't have let that little brat…
"Summoning Technique!" Konohamaru cried, slamming his hand on the ground.
There was a puff of smoke and a monkey appeared, no larger than Konohamaru himself.
"A monkey?" Naruto heard Kankuro mutter to himself.
It chittered for a few moments, gazing around the arena, and then turned to Konohamaru.
"What's up, bro?" it said in a somewhat-squeaky voice. "What'chya doing? Where are we? Is it fun? How can I help? Ooh, is that water? Why is there water? Are we going swimming?"
"This is the Chunin Exams," Konohamaru said determinedly. "And I need you to help me do 'that' move."
The monkey cocked its head. "Sure," it said cheerfully. "Are you ready now?"
"Hang on a sec," Konohamaru said. He made some more hand-seals and slammed his hand down on the ground.
From the earth rose a small wall of rock, clearing the top of Konohamaru's head by no more than a foot. It was a lacklustre technique, but the fact that Konohamaru had demonstrated the ability to use two different elemental types at his age was impressive.
"What are you doing?" Naruto murmured to himself, his eyes narrowed.
Kankuro had moved his puppet, and it was firing a hail of senbon and kunai from various compartments from the other side of the arena. The wall blocked them all, but it was already cracking underneath the bombardment. Then, the monkey grabbed Konohamaru up by the leg and began to spin him around.
Naruto stared. "What?" He deadpanned.
Konohamaru was spun faster and faster until he became no more than a blur of blue scarf and green jacket. Naruto's mouth was visibly open, and he stared at the scene incredulously. What the hell was that? From his side of the arena, Kankuro couldn't see anything- and as such, had no idea what was going on.
"G-Go!" Konohamaru managed to shout.
The events happened in an instant. The monkey let go of Konohamaru and disappeared in a puff of smoke- a transformation technique. There was a puff of smoke around Konohamaru's head a second later- Naruto caught a glimpse of a strange, somewhat-antiquated metal helmet before the boy slammed into the wall of earth- and broke through it!
"What the…?" Kankuro said.
All the Suna-Nin saw was an extremely fast blur shooting at him. He raised his hands to move his puppet, but the stream slammed into it and the puppet shattered under the force of the blow. Wooden shards rained to the ground, the puppet falling to useless pieces. An instant later, Konohamaru slammed into Kankuro was an audible 'crunch'. The Suna-Nin was sent flying under the force of the powerful blow and was sent spinning into the arena wall. He slammed into it, the stone around him cracking and splintering, and fell to the ground.
Konohamaru picked himself up from where he had fallen after striking Kankuro, looking extremely nauseous. He burped, and hiccup.
"Did we get him?" He slurred.
On his head, an eye appeared on the helmet.
"We totally got him!" the transformed monkey squealed.
"Awesome," Konohamaru said woozily.
Naruto closed his mouth and went to check on Kankuro. The boy was knocked out cold, and despite the hilarity and stupidity of the move, a blow with an adamantium helmet had no doubt caused some serious internal injuries. He waved over the medical squad, shaking his head in wonder.
"Winner, Konohamaru of Konoha," he called out.
The audience had been silent ever since Konohamaru had unleashed his move. There was a beat after Naruto's announcement, and then they exploded in a roar of laughter and cheers. Konohamaru beamed, scratching the back of his head even as he kept swaying on his feet. The shock to his head probably hadn't done his brain-cells any good, but Naruto wryly thought that the boy probably lacked a little in that department anyway.
"Right. The next match is between Sasuke of Konoha and Yuzu of Iwa." Naruto called out amidst the laughter, still shaking his head in bemusement.
The rest of the fights in the Round 1 were fairly simple for the most part, and did not last long. Uchiha Sasuke completed dominated his opponent, his sharingan seeing through the enemy's genjutsu immediately. It was a bad match-up for the Iwa-Nin, and although the girl tried a series of smoke bombs to shield herself from the sharingan's gaze, the arena of 'wind' saw that strategy literally blown away. The forceful gales made it almost impossible for her to navigate, but Sasuke could see the currents and eddies and knew where to go. Before the Iwa-Nin could make a play for it underground, Uchiha Sasuke had slipped behind her and placed a kunai at the edge of her neck. She had spun around to retaliate- but then Naruto had called the match in Sasuke's favour.
The round after that saw Hyuuga Neji pitted against a Kumo-Nin. Naruto knew of the history of the between Kumo and the Hyuuga clan, and was not surprised to see Neji arrive with his jaw locked and his face set with stony, cold fury. It was shorter than the last fight. The arena had been locked with on 'Earth', and large spikes jutted from the ground all over the place. Precise footing was essential here- but in the end, it didn't matter much. The Kumo-Nin had not accounted for Neji's speed, and was unprepared when the Hyuuga had surged forward. The next few moments would see Neji brutally dismantle the Kumo-Nin with his powerful Jyuken, finger taps slamming into every vital area and sending the poor boy to the ground, twitching and moaning.
The second-last fight of the round saw a shinobi from the new Hidden Village of Sound take on a genin from Kusa amidst a sea of fire. Zaku from Oto was a spiky-haired boy with a mean smirk and a strange metal contraption on his arm. The Grass-Nin was armed with a spiked club and muscles that seemed to suggest he knew how to swing it, but all it took from Zaku was a single blow to destroy the Grass-Nin's defence. Even as the punch missed, the Grass-Nin staggered as it he had received the blow. He seemed to be struggling to stay on his feet, and a second punch to the stomach saw him blasted back as if Zaku possessed the strength of Tsunade. It was an interesting use of elemental chakra, and a useful weapon. However, a moment later, Zaku staggered, and collapsed. The spiked-club that the Kusa-Nin had been wielding had split open, and form it had come a billowing cloud of haze. The poison must have been potent, because Zaku was down almost immediately- and in the end, the match was concluded as a draw.
It was the last fight in Round 1 that Naruto was forced to intervene. The wheel had been and the needle had settled on lightning. Naruto had created a series of 'Four Pillar Bind' and lightning crackled and lashed out through the air as randomly as the blond ANBU could make it. It didn't seem to make a difference for Gaara, whose quick-moving sand spun around him in an never-ending circle, sizzling as they blocked multitudes of low-voltage strikes. The Taki-Nin was not as adapt at blocking, and suffered a series of small shocks, forcing him back. He had come to the fight with an entire reel of explosive tags, intending to break through Gaara's sand with pure force. It was to no avail, however, as Gaara's supply of never-ending sand simply swallowed the explosions with ease.
In the end, the Taki-Nin found that he was surrounding by Sand, and moved to escape. Gaara's bored expression had given away to a mad grin, and there was a disturbing glint in his eyes. Naruto watched stonily as the Taki-Nin failed to escape from all of the sand, a tendril shooting up his arm and grabbing him. Gaara made clenched his fist and the Taki-Nin screamed. The audience let out a 'ooh', and Naruto saw many of them wince as the Taki-Nin's arm disappeared underneath a volume of sound and a spray of blood.
The winner was clear.
"This match is over," Naruto called. "Winner, Gaara of…"
Naruto was cut off as Gaara continued to fight. His grin was truly demented now, his nostrils flaring, his pupils dilated. He spun his hands around, circling the boy with a cocoon of sand, and began to clench his hand.
A boom resonated through the arena. Gaara jerked as all around him, the pillars of lightning glowed with maximum capacity. Then, thunder boomed, and lightning flashed. The pillars were unrelenting, shooting searing blots of bluish and purplish lightning all around Gaara. Sand rose to meet it, but unlike before it was visible pushed back, hissing and spluttering as the electricity pierced through it. At the same time, there was a flicker of movement as Naruto appeared before the Sand-Nin, the Taki-Nin held over his shoulder and his blue eyes burning with a cold fire. He raised a hand and the shadow clones paused in their barrage.
Gaara was panting, practically salivating, and there was a flash of foul, hideous chakra. The ground around him was scorched and broken, the barrage of countless strikes of lightning having torn it to pieces. Despite the assault, Naruto had not truly aimed at Sand's Jinchuuriki, but his chakra was surging and he projected a tremendous force down on Gaara.
"I said that the match was over," Naruto said quietly, even as the audience muttered and talked to each other in hushed whispers. He locked eyes with Gaara, the Taki-Nin stirring on his shoulder. "If you do that again, I'll disqualify you. Do you understand?"
Gaara opened his mouth to reply, but then a grimace crossed his face. His hand came up, clutching at his head and the tattoo that had been grafted into his skin. He shuddered, nostrils flaring, giggling oddly, and then became still.
"I… understand," he replied between gritted teeth. Then he turned around muttering under his breath. "Soon mother…soon… patience… there'll be more…"
Naruto watched him go, barely aware of the white-robed medical squad coming to take the injured genin from him. His mind flashed back to the sewer he had once walked into, of the leaky pipes and the dark crevice that led to those rattling chains. If Gaara was anything like him, then Naruto knew exactly why he was clutching his head. In a way, he was sympathetic. Regardless, it was obvious that Sand's Jinchuuriki was dangerous, and barely in control. How the Fourth Kazekage had lost control of his own weapon, Naruto couldn't understand. Still, it didn't matter.
If it came down to it, Naruto would put that rabid dog down.
He took a deep breath, and then turned back to the audience. He dispelled the countless four-pillar binds and reached for his microphone.
"The first round of the Chunin Exams is over," he said. "Round 2 will begin in half-an-hour."
