As usual ownership does not belong to me.
Peter woke up in his room glad that he had chosen to go home and sleep in his bed before the big day. He opened the door to his balcony and saw Shibi Aburame resting on the front of his feet on the railing of his window looking out into the village. "Lord Shibi." Peter said as he quickly knelt in front of his Clan Leader.
"Peter." Shibi returned stoically, as he continued to look out into Konoha.
Peter wondered what the Clan Leader could want from him that he would be here and tried to think of anything he may or may not have done to displease the man.
"When you first came to us Peter you were something of a wild card." Shibi finally said breaking the silence. "You were friends with the Uzumaki boy, which frustrated many because of certain things that were far beyond his control."
"It has amazed me to see the hosts of one type of creature despise the host of another." Peter said, as he picked his words carefully knowing that the wrong word could be very bad.
Shibi nodded his head in agreement. "So you know of the secret that your friend harbors." He said with interest. "For how long have you known?"
"Since the night of the Gennin exams." Peter returned.
"I see." Shibi said calmly. "Have you spoken of it to anyone?"
"No, it is his burden therefore, it is his right to tell." Peter explained.
"See that you remember that." Shibi ordered the boy. "You must speak of it to no one, not even Shino may know about it. If it came down to choosing the Hokage would pick Naruto over you, and you already know this and the penalty for speaking of such things. You are correct though, we are but one of the many minor clans within the Leaf we above all others should have known what it meant for the Uzumaki. Instead like many others we treated him as scum, unworthy of our notice and in some ways dishonored ourselves with our inactions. It is good that you know and have continued to accept him for your comrade. Part of why the Aburame have trouble with the boy though is that with us there is a mutual agreement between ourselves and our partners. Your friend does not have that though, he is as much a victim as anything else. I would even go as far to say that it is more like having a parasite within."
Peter nodded his head wondering what it was that the Head of the Clan wanted.
"You have done well for yourself Peter, and your mission in Wave Country has brought us much honor, while your friendship with Uzumaki has brought us closer to the Hokage. While I could have done with fewer pranks from the two of you, it also kept me on my toes watching. Whether you move on in rank or not today you have more than proved your worth to this clan, and there will be no one who can truly say you do not belong to our Clan or our village. The Aburame will always be there to help those of our Clan. I am proud of how far you have come in such a short amount of time."
"Thank you Lord Shibi." Peter said pleased with what he was hearing. "I am grateful for all that the Aburame Clan has given me."
"Good, now show the people what the Aburame Name means. When you go out there, I expect at least one victory from you and from Shino. I also expect to see you both to do your best if you go up against each other in the 2nd round. Shino has told me that under Kakashi that you have made your skills into a formidable fighting style I hope to see the results of this training at the finals. While you represent the Leaf, you also represent Kakashi, and the Aburame Clan. Show all the people what it means to have such strength flowing behind you."
"Yes Lord Shibi I will do so." The kneeling Peter, said bowing so that his head touched the floor.
Shibi rose to his feet. "I must go now, there are still many things that must be done before the finals. Remember even if you cannot see the rest of the Clan we shall be watching you. Your bracers have been repaired, restocked, and sharpened." He said nodding to the weapons that were sitting on a table. "May they serve you well."
"Yes Lord Shibi." Peter said he then watched as the man gathered his chakra and leaped into the air heading to who knows where. Peter watched as he saw that the man appeared to be heading towards the walls. He climbed to his feet and wondered what it was that the clan was up to that they would need to remain hidden during the finals. Unfortunately he couldn't chance chasing after the Leader of the Clan and had to focus on what was going to be happening at the exam. First he had to beat Hyo after that there was no telling just who he would be fighting. The winners of his bracket would likely fight the winners of the other bracket meaning that he might actually end up facing off against Naruto or Sakura after he dealt with his opponent. If they had the brackets face off against each other then he might not even have to face off with Shino. Still he was going to have his hands full since he would be facing off against Sasuke or Gaara. Either one of them was an extremely powerful opponent, and it would take all of his skills to counter his opponents. Gaara could make the very ground itself turn against him, while Sasuke was an arrogant, egotistical, emo but if he pulled that trick that he did in the forest then even Peter would be hard pressed just to keep up with him. Then again, he wasn't going to hold back this time either.
He gathered a few things and then walked out the door, he nodded as he saw Haku was kneeling between his and Naruto's doors. The boy greeted each other before they turned and began pounding on the orange door of Naruto's apartment.
Just when the two were about to break into the room a bleary eyed blonde Naruto answered the door. "What?" Naruto demanded as he glared at his neighbors and teammates.
Peter ignored his friend as he shouldered past him and began the process of gathering food together. "Hurry up and get dressed," he ordered, "we need to get there before the last minute. We're not Kakashi-Sensei." Naruto stared dumbly for a moment as if trying to understand what was going on. "Haku would you wake him up?" Peter requested as he threw various fruits in the air.
"As you wish." Haku said with an amused tone as he raised his hand and made a few gestures. A block of ice hovered over Naruto for a moment before turning into water. The water fell and drenched the unsuspecting Naruto.
"WHaa!" Naruto shouted as the ice cold water woke him up. "What was that for?" The boy spluttered, as he wiped the water off of himself.
"Good, your up and you've had a shower." Peter said as he began placing dishes around the table. "Get your clothes and gear together. Unless you intend to fight the Sand Princess in your boxers that is. An interesting strategy I have to admit, and one that's likely to have her try and flay the skin off your bones."
"Yes, if we had known that was your plan I would not have cooled you off with such exuberance." Haku said in agreement.
"That's not it at all!" A blushing Naruto grumbled before he stomped off to his room to change clothes. He reappeared a moment later in his usual bright orange getup. The boy glared at his friends for a moment before sitting himself down to eat.
"Look on the bright side Naruto, if the two of us win enough fights then you'll get a chance to kick my ass over this later today." Peter offered his friend. Who merely sourly nodded at his friend in return.
"Is Sakura-Chan coming?" The blonde asked the others hopefully.
"Not that I know of." Peter said. He would have said more, but there was a knock on the door and Haku answered it allowing Kakashi and Jiraiya to enter. The two ninja quickly ate their food before turning to look at the group.
"This is a dangerous time." Jiraiya informed the boys. "I would caution you all to be careful, these types of events can often have some rather interesting and unexpected things happen to them. Expect the unexpected out there today this is going to be an exam that will have everyone talking if you want to be remembered you will have to show them what you can do.
"Yes, remember to underneath the underneath." Kakashi advised his students.
The boys nodded as they then grabbed their supplies and headed for the doors. The two older ninja followed after them but after they got to the rooftops the group split apart. "Show them what my training can do for you Naruto. Let all know what the almighty Toad has done." Jiraiya shouted, as he disappeared into a crowd while Kakashi leaped into the air and disappeared in a blur of speed.
Shaking their heads the three boys headed for the arena where the fights would be. The trio had to fight the crowd as all sorts of people were milling through the streets and roads. Up on the various rooftops they could see more ninja than was usual leaping through the sky keeping a careful eye out on everyone. Ninja and civilian alike were going from stall to stall as the merchants came out in full force showing off some of their more impressive items. The shop keepers wouldn't have another chance like this until the next time that the Chunnin Exams were hosted by the Leaf so they had to make the most of the opportunity.
The boys bypassed the stalls though and made for the arena. Once there they saw Sakura and the other Rookie Leaf Ninja minus Sasuke but with the addition of Team Guy were waiting for them. The group nodded to the new arrivals. Ino squealed in delight as she saw that Peter and Haku had both shown up. The two boys each sidestepped away from the blonde assault Ino chose to go for Haku though and managed to catch the boy.
"Sorry," Peter said, "but in this case its every man for himself."
Haku nodded his head in grudging acceptance of that as he tried to break free of the vice like grip that he was now in.
"Ah Peter, Naruto I am pleased that the two of you could join us." Lee said excitedly.
"Yeah it would be kind of hard to explain if we missed this." Peter said with a shrug. "So what's going on?"
"It is very simple, you contenders will set yourselves up in a line out in the center of the arena before the rounds start and will then be introduced by the Hokage and the Jonnin proctor." Lee explained to the latecomers.
"Where is Proctor Hayate anyways? You'd think that the guy would be around here somewhere." Tenten noted as her eyes roamed around searching for any sign of the man that had run the preliminaries.
"It is odd that he is not here yet." Neji said stiffly as he glowered at the other ninja. "I have scanned the area however and I can find no trace of him."
"Hmm that is most peculiar.: Lee said rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Who cares, let's just get this thing over with." Shikamaru said in a bored tone.
"I still can't believe that Naruto of all people made it past the preliminaries." Kiba complained as he looked at the blonde in irritation. "If it had been me that you fought I would have wiped the floor with you." He said confidently.
"Yeah right." Naruto said, as he responded to the challenge of the other boy. "If you had, I would have wiped the floor with you and your puppy. Believe it!"
"Yeah right." Kiba grumbled.
"Kiba enough." Shino said calmly, but with a hint of steel in his voice. "You and Hinata should head for the stands now."
Kiba glared at Naruto for a moment before shrugging the grip of his teammate off. "Fine." He huffed. "Come on Hinata, lets go."
"G… Goo… Good luck to you all." A blushing Hinata said as she bowed to the group. "Especially you Naruto." She squeaked out as she turned an even brighter red before she scurried away after the retreating Kiba.
"Is Hinata alright?" A worried Naruto asked. "She looked pretty red in the face."
"She is fine Uzumaki." Shino assured the other boy stiffly.
"I too must depart." Lee said as he bowed to the group. "While I myself do not have the chance to show what a failure can do I hope that you can do so for me Naruto. "The boy said as he looked at the blonde hopefully. "I hope you can show them what the strength of will can do and allow a person to overcome any and all obstacles that are in their path."
"You can count on me Bushy Brows." Naruto said giving his friend a thumb's up.
"That is good to hear." Lee said flashing his teeth as he settled into the Nice Guy pose. "I shall cheer for all of you and cheer particularly for you Uzumaki Naruto. If I am not the loudest then, in penance I shall work on my lung capacity and swim 100 laps under the water." The others nodded as they watched the boy leave along with Choji, Haku, and Ino.
"Your teammate's loud." Shikamaru noted.
"That may be, but he's a good ninja." Tenten said in defense of her teammate. "He may not have a lot of tricks, but I'd take him over a dozen ninjutsu type ninja any day." She said confidently as if daring anyone to argue with her on that.
"Whatever, let's get this over with already though." Shikamaru said as he began trudging toward the arena.
"Hey Sakura." Peter said as he looked at the girl that was following after the Nara.
"Yeah what?" Sakura responded turning to look at her teammate.
" You might need this." He said as he tossed her something. Sakura looked at the item and frowned at what she saw. "It's for Gaara." Peter said with a grin. Comprehension dawned on her face as she quickly added it to her equipment belt. Peter took the moment that she was doing that to examine her. She was back in her mini skirt and belly baring shirt from her right shoulder to her left hip she had a belt that was holding what looked like a sword. The saya and sword and tsuka both appeared to be made of wood that was decorated with chains. "Nice addition." He added nodding toward the weapon. Sakura nodded nervously.
The Leaf Gennin all hesitated at the entrance, the dull mummer of the people being heard from all over. "That is a lot of people." Tenten said as she could see all the people that were taking their seats. The others nodded in agreement as they saw how many people had come to see them all compete.
"Move out of my way." Gaara said, as he strode past them and entered the arena with his smirking siblings following alongside of him. The Sand Siblings all casually walked into the arena acting as if they owned the place. People grew silent as they watched the three enter.
"Someone knows how to make an entrance." Peter said, as he observed the reaction of the watching people.
"That is one way to put it." Shino said as he watched the Sand Ninja suspiciously.
"Well come on, lets go." Naruto said defiantly. "We're not going to let those bunch of weirdo's show us up. Particularly not in our own village. Now let's show them what we're made of." Naruto declared as he began confidently walking out into the arena.
"Yeah he's right." Tenten said as her own eyes narrowed in defiance of the crowd.
"Man your annoying." Shikamaru shot back at the blonde.
"Yes, it is better to face our Fate head on." Neji said solemnly.
"You make it sound like we're going to be heading straight into a firing squad." Peter noted wryly as the Leaf ninja all walked out as a group. The image that they represented was different than the one that the Sand Siblings portrayed. While the Sand Ninja gave a symbol of solitary strength even as they walked alongside each other the Leaf Gennin moved as a group the brightly garbed Team 7 leading their companions.
"I think I would have preferred the firing squad." Shikamaru noted to the others.
"Where do you suppose Sasuke-Kun is?" Sakura questioned curiously as her eyes darted all over the place looking for any sign of Sasuke out on the field. The dark haired boy was nowhere to be seen though.
"Maybe he decided that he didn't want to do this after all." Peter said with a shrug. "Decided he wanted to keep his pretty boy face safe from the beating that we would have given him if he had shown up." Sakura glared at Peter for that remark. The masked boy knew that he was safe though since they weren't actually allowed to fight each other until the match started. The pink haired girl shook her fist at him, but didn't do anything while Shikamaru and Naruto snickered into their hands.
All of the ninja began to take stock of the arena that they were in. The arena in the Forest of Death had been bare of anything except a dirt floor and walls to keep any stray shots from hitting anyone. This one was nearly three times as big, had grass, trees, a small pond, and various outcroppings of rocks.
"Take a look." Sakura said nodding toward the screens that were high overhead. Everyone could see images from the recent tests. Their individual fights along with their time in the Forest of Death were up for everyone to see. Peter watched as he crushed Dosu's bracer on one screen while on another he saw Tenten nailing target after target with her blades as they were being attacked by various animals. In another Neji was dealing with Zaku, Sakura was holding off the entire Sound Team, Shikamaru was knocking Hinata into the air and back down, Sasuke was seen sending Kiba sailing across the arena, Gaara almost casually killing an entire Rain Team, Temari summoning Wind that slammed Sai into a wall, Hyo was fighting a giant snake, Kankurō tossing Kabuto to the side with Chakra strings, Naruto creating shadow clones to fight, and Shino creating a wall of insects. They were all there on the screens where their abilities were shown to everyone. They all watched in silence as their various accomplishments were displayed for everyone to see.
"Amazing." Sakura said as she tried to take it all in. The screens all cycled through the various images so that they were all displayed on at least one of the screens in one place or another. The others could only nod their heads in agreement as they watched each other in some of their more impressive take downs or maneuvers that they had managed to perform during the test.
"You see Hayate yet?" Peter questioned the others as he looked around for the Proctor.
"No," Neji returned, "I do not see him at all." The Gennin fell silent as a Jonnin with a sebon needle in his mouth approached the group. The man appeared of average build for a ninja and wore basic Jonnin uniform except for a bandana that had the Leaf head plate on the back.
"Wonder what got him out of this mess." Shikamaru said as he scanned the area as well.
While the Gennin were marveling at the happenings that they were a part of the Third Hokage was in a small room that was used as a discussion room. Around him were the various ninja as they prepared for the last orders before the Tournament started. "All the ANBU that have been stationed in the Stadium are in place." One ninja reported.
"The Aburame Clan has reported that they have found the Sand and Sound forces about twenty minutes away from the main gate." Another Ninja said pointing to a map that showed the village and the surrounding area. They've started a slow drain, so they won't be at top condition. When the attack does start, they'll move to the forest area within and keep them busy there. The original Ino-Shika-Cho will be patrolling the market area with several support teams. The rest of the Yamanaka Clan will be in charge of prisoners, the Inuzuka Clan and their Dogs will be patrolling the rooftops and forests the Akimichi Clans will be supporting the Yakumo Clan in adding muscle to their genjutsu attacks at the main gates. Jiraiya will be at the ANBU response house ready to head whatever way it is that he needs to go. The Hyūga Clan have donated several spotters for various positions around the various gates."
"Good however I think we may have to accept the reality that its likely to be a quick and brutal strike." The Third warned them. "They know that we will have the Hyūga's and Yakumo's on defense duty. Send some of the genjutsu users to the Ninja Academy as well. We need to insure that we do not lose any of our future."
"Yes sir, I will be directing things from the Hokage tower of course." Ibiki said as he pointed to where he would be. "I'll command the forces as a whole for this fight, while Nara Shikaku leads the counter attack that we'll be staging from the market area."
"Good you do that." The Third said as he tried to think of any other possibilities on what may or may not happen in the coming fight. It was times like this that he missed the Uchiha Clan police force. They had been one of the largest Clans in the village and many of the guard positions would have been filled by them while the rest of the ninja were used as the counter force. Still there was no use wishing for something he could not have. "I want all units to be on the lookout for Orochimaru Code Name: Snakeskin. You are not engage unless you have no other choice only Jiraiya or myself stand a chance against a ninja of his caliber. If you feel that you don't have a choice and that you must engage Snakeskin then you had best do it as a team I will not have you throw your lives away needlessly. The same orders are included with the Kazekage." The various ninja nodded their understanding of the command as they tried to figure out what could happen next.
As the assignments went out each ninja prepared to do their part to protect their home. Soon all that was left was Anko. The Hokage waited until the room had cleared of most of the other ninja before he focused on the young woman. "Anko, I wish that I could send you out into the field but this is a situation that is too personal. Your willingness to use a suicide jutsu on your first meeting with Orochimaru makes me wonder if you are really ready for this fight."
"Lord Hokage, no one is as able to deal with Orochimaru as I am." Anko said in her defense. "I can bring him down before he kills to many." She said hopefully. "I'm one of the only ninja you have that could do the job."
The Third shook his head. "Even if there were a dozen of you I doubt that you would be able to last very long against Orochimaru." He told her bluntly while ignoring the determined look that was on her face.
"As his student I should be the one to stop him though." Anko said not about to back down just yet.
"And as his teacher I should be the one to do it, and since Jiraiya is his former teammate it is his duty as well. Our claim happens to be greater than yours is." The Third informed her in a tone that brooked no argument." Your job will be to protect the civilians and academy students it will be up to you to stop him if we fail so you must be ready to protect the people of the village."
The Kunochi looked somewhat rebellious, but nodded head. "Very well Lord Hokage. If Orochimaru manages to defeat both you and Lord Jiraiya I shall lead the people of the leaf to safety."
"That is all that I can ask of you." The Third said. He stared out the window wondering if this would be his last day. "Come, we each have our own duties to get to." He said as he gathered his hat while Anko took off through one of the secret exits.
The Third adjusted his robes before he walked out of the building he was now on a balcony. Two chairs had been set up to oversee the arena down below them. One was for him while the other was for the Kazekage. He had advised the Fire Daimyo that this was not going to be a tournament that he wanted to be a part of unless he wanted to risk war with his kinsman because of the attacking ninja. One it had all been explained to him the Daimyo had agreed with the suggestion that he was needed elsewhere and went traveling to other areas. Not having to worry about the Lord of the Land did make things easier as it meant he only had to worry about himself on the balcony. He looked down at the assembled ninja with a smile as he saw that all of them were now ready for the fight. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen but that was merely to be expected since it was a part of the security efforts that they had prepared. As long as the boy was working with Danzo and those of like mind it was going to be more subtle than some ninja might be prepared for. Sasuke would remain unavailable and unseen until the very last moment. It would keep his former student guessing as to just where it was that the Uchiha boy was. Every moment that they could buy for the Aburame Clan would give them more time to get into place. Most years he had some of the Jonnin instructors spar if it wasn't for the likelihood that they would need all their strength he might have considered allowing Guy and Kakashi a chance to go at it. Unfortunately those two sometimes had trouble containing themselves.
He greeted the Kazekage, the two leaders exchanged pleasantries with each other while eyeing the two guards that each had on the balcony with each other and as he sat down so that they could both watch the upcoming fight. It was odd for the man to cover his face as he had, but there was no way that he could prove that there was something off about the man before him. The fact that he could so calmly talk to him though while his and Orochimaru's forces prepared to attack him spoke of his calm. He suspected that the cloth was there to help hide his emotions.
After the Kazekage was comfortable the Third then approached the edge of the balcony. "Welcome all," he called out, "and our deepest thanks for coming to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for this year's Chunnin selection. We have come to the final competition between the twelve candidates that made it through all the previous tests. We ask that no one leave until all the matches have been completed. Now everyone enjoy." The Hokage ignored the cheers as he took in the various spectators. There were a handful of Leaf and Sand ninja scattered throughout the crowd he could also see some people with Shinobi training that were watching intently. Whether they were Sound, Sand, or simply Ninja from another Village inspecting potential threats he hoped that they didn't try anything foolish.
Come what may though, it was time for the Leaf to stand against whatever it was that his former student had prepared for his assault on the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was time to show Orochimaru what the true Will of Fire looked like and how those that embraced its teaching reacted to having their home attacked. There was a reason that they were considered the strongest of the Hidden Villages, and it was time to remind people why they had that title.