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I, Syraxes, do not own the Naruto manga, Naruto anime, Naruto Shippuden anime, the Boruto manga or anime, video games or Naruto novels. They are property of Masashi Kishimoto and Studio Pierrot. I am a fan making this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release
.Hiruzen wasn't surprised he was the first one to enter the box. It had become custom for the Chunin Selection Exams to end on a tournament, and the box had become every bit the mainstay as the tournament itself. The Kage of the host village always sat in the middle, on either side two representatives of the other villages. The exam wasn't supposed to begin for hours, the sun hadn't come up yet, but Hiruzen was wide awake. He'd had very little sleep since the discovery of his wayward student making trouble. The box was one of the most secure places in the city at this moment, and it was as good as any for one to think.
He walked to the front, overlooking the area. Jiraiya's late.
Today, Naruto would be participating in the Chunin Exams. Hiruzen couldn't pretend he wasn't worried about the boy; since Minato and Kushina's death, he had taken over care for the boy. He had never been able to see Naruto as a weapon. Jinchuriki were weapons, he knew that rationally, and their very existence kept the balance, but he never could bring himself to view the boy that way. Naruto was a person, a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, and possibly the future Hokage. Naruto was like a son of his own, and Hiruzen often found himself giving into his emotions when it came to Naruto. Danzo hadn't been wrong when he wanted to remove Naruto from the general public; he was a Jinchuriki and it might have been better to allow Danzo to oversee his training. It had become the custom in the shinobi villages to train Jinchuriki away from the rank and file, so to speak.
But that would have involved Naruto growing up not around children his own age, but the Anbu. It would have meant that Naruto would forego his own childhood, devoting all his time to training and learning to control the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It would have been better for the village, Hiruzen knew. A strong Jinchuriki assured balance, but Naruto would have paid the price. Hiruzen had put his foot down, pulled rank and against his better judgement, allowed Naruto to have as normal a childhood as the wizened Kage could give him. Not a completely normal one, the secret of him hosting the Fox had escaped and many feared him for it, but close enough. He had gone so far as to put Naruto in the Central Academy, where his own peers would lack parents to turn them against him. From the daily reports he received, Naruto didn't have the closest of friend circles, but he still had children his own age who didn't reject him out of hand.
If Hiruzen had been a lesser man, he would have missed the near soundless drop behind him. He looked up, as one of his Anbu was at his side in a moment. "Hokage-Sama."
"Neko," he nodded to Yugao. Minato had personally given her that mask when she joined; he had always said Yugao reminded him of a cat and had thought the mask had fit her well. Hiruzen wasn't as close to her as Minato had been, but he was right in that the mask was a perfect fit.
"Hourly report update: Nothing to report. No signs of Orochimaru or anything that shouldn't be here. The last of the nobility and other spectators are trickling into the city, though nothing beyond that."
Hiruzen sighed. He had been the one to order hourly reports, provided that he was awake, so he couldn't be annoyed with Neko. Perhaps he had been nursing a hope that his agents wouldn't know he was awake and allow him to think in peace. It was a vain hope; they were some of the best of his Anbu. It would be a problem if they had missed him.
Nothing to report. Since the three attacks in the second exam, there had been nothing to report. No sighting of Orochimaru, no hint that he was here in the city. Hiruzen knew better; he had trained that boy, fought in a war with him, worked with him for years before his defection. He knew Orochimaru was in the city somewhere; Hiruzen could feel it in his bones. The feeling was overwhelming; after getting nowhere for years in the search for his wayward student, finally Orochimaru was here and close. Within his grasp. It should have been cause for celebration, as Orochimaru had long since been condemned to die. He had allowed his student to escape once before in his weakness; his love for the boy had saved him, but Hiruzen would soon rectify his mistake.
There could only be one reason that Orochimaru was here. Sasuke, the Kumo girl, and that Iwa Chunin aside, Hiruzen knew his prized student was here for him. Orochimaru would make his move before the exam was at an end, if Hiruzen had to guess, and he would be ready.
"Hokage-sama, permission to speak freely?" Neko asked.
"Granted," he nodded.
"Will the exams continue as planned then? Even after the attack on the foreign shinobi?"
"Yes. The other village's each have one team still in the race. They have expressed their desire for the exam to continue as planned. Though Iwa and Kumo insist that the targeted receive additional protection."
In the form of allowing their own Anbu to guard them. Not that Hiruzen could blame them; it was a good chance to put Anbu in, where otherwise he would have never allowed them to be. The village that supervised the exam was expressly in charge of security and normally, only Kohona's shinobi would be guarding the chosen area. But with Orochimaru on the prowl, it was perhaps best to allow additional protections. It freed up his shinobi to guard his Genin teams. None of them knew it, but each team had Anbu watching them at all hours of the day. Suna and Kiri, who hadn't been targeted, saw no need to send their own Anbu, so the protection of their Genin still fell to Konoha.
"Master Jiraiya," Neko said, bowing to the door.
"Sensei," Jiraiya swaggered in, his eyes flashing. "Yugao, lovely as ever."
"Jiraiya."
"Right, right." He waved his hand. Hiruzen sighed.
"You're late."
"How is Biwako? I don't see her here with you."
"She's sleeping. She'll join me to watch the matches later. Why are you late Jiraiya?" He repeated.
"You asked me to find out about Orochimaru, and I've been putting my considerable talents into your request."
Hiruzen nodded. He waved his hand at Neko, who took the dismissal for what it was.
"Go ahead."
"Well, good news and bad news on that front," Jiraiya's plopped himself down in one of the chairs.
"That's for Kumo's representatives." His student shrugged, and Hiruzen sighed. "Let's hear the good news."
"Right, I've managed to find someone in Orochimaru's organization who was willing to talk. High enough to know something, but no concrete details. He's getting ready for a large scale attack that's supposed to happen. Or at least, that's what my contact believed before I had to get him out of there."
"He had no details of the attack itself?"
"That's the bad news. Mostly guess work, nothing solid beyond the fact that there will be an attack."
Hiruzen closed his eyes. In his mind, he could see Orochimaru as he was, a young shinobi who had just graduated from the Academy. The brilliant young man that he himself had chosen to mentor. Where did I go wrong?
A question he often asked himself.
"My old friend is making a bold move. Representatives from all the other villages are here. He'll incite them against him as well. Though I suppose none of them are too friendly with him either."
"We'll pass along this information to the representatives."
"We should also increase security, sensei."
"I agree. A few more Anbu teams wouldn't be amiss."
Hiruzen stared over the area walls as the the sky slowly grew lighter.
The dull light of morning woke Sakura up. She slowly opened her eyes, turning to look out of the window. Her room had a perfect view of the Samābyū skyline.
Sakura knew her mind should be on the day ahead. The first day of the Chunin Exams finals and her team were participating in the second match, but Ayame refused to leave her alone. Sakura had been so busy with the exams, then training, she didn't have time to think about what happened before she left. The memory wormed its way through her mind, like venom through the bloodstream. Was she the monster in this? She had killed that man, who claimed he was innocent. If he was, he wouldn't have been brought to the village.
Sakura had been ordered too, by a superior officer. How could she refuse? It was people like Sakura that kept people like Ayame safe; while her friend was going to school, safe behind Konoha's walls, it was Sakura taking missions and killing that gave Ayame that luxury. A bitterness she hadn't known ever before had filled Sakura; where did Ayame get off judging her? She was out here risking her life. She was out here killing so Ayame and people like her could live in comfort. She was here, with her team, who she had shed blood with. Ayame was safely back in the village, tucked away in a cram school.
These thoughts swirled around in her mind, leaking venom and poison onto Ayame. Slowly and steadily, the sun rose higher and higher into the sky; gone was the brittle morning light, in its place, strong yellow rays.
Gradually Sasuke and Naruto stirred, and Sakura knew it was time to get up. Pushing the blankets off, Sakura made it to the bathroom first. Sakura spent the time trying to banish Ayame from her mind. She had other, more important, things she needed to focus on.
By the time she was out, drying her hair, her friend was firmly gone.
The door opened, and Sakura turned and saw Kakashi-sensei coming through, "Sakura."
She thought she saw the outline of a smile through his mask, "Sensei."
He held up a brown, paper bag, "I brought breakfast."
It wasn't common for Kakashi to bring the food. "What are we having?"
She led Kakashi over to the table, wrapping the towel around her head.
"Rice, miso soup, egg rolls, boiled fish, sausages and a variety of fruits."
"Naruto is going to be disappointed. He's very pushy about ramen being a staple of breakfast."
"If you win your match today, I'll take you all out for ramen."
"Really?" Naruto ran into the room, water dripping down his body. "I'm holding you to that, sensei!"
"Oi! Naruto, go back and dry yourself!" Sakura tried to make her voice stern, but she couldn't help laughing. Naruto's hair was dripping like mad. He turned around in a moment, catching the towel that Sasuke had thrown at him, out of the air.
"Thanks."
"Hm."
Turning back to the table, Kakashi was spreading out the food.
"So how will this work, sense?" Naruto asked, wiping himself down at the table. If Sakura hadn't gone through Kakashi's survival training with him, she would have been more disgusted. Sakura followed suit, grabbing one of the sausages, snatching it away before Kakashi could slap it out of her hand.
"You don't need to eat with your hands," Kakashi said, holding up the pair of wooden chopsticks. She swallowed the food and grinned.
"Each team will be assigned a waiting room. You'll have a choice; wait in the room, or join the other teams in a special viewing area, waiting until your team is called. If you fail, you'll be taken out of the arena, be given a medical check over and you'll be out of the tournament. If you pass, you'll return to your room. Only standard medical check ups, mind you, unless one of you is seriously injured in the fight. Once all the matches are over, the four surviving teams will return to the arena and get tomorrow's placement."
Sakura grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and loaded her plate.
"Tomorrow will follow much of the same. Provided you win your first match, you'll be going into the finals with the other team."
"Two matches," Sasuke said, pulling food onto his plate.
Kaguya Kimimaro. Yugo recognized him easily enough, the Kiri Forehead protector gleaming on his head. She had crossed paths with him once before and he had single handedly ruined her. She had only just been able to escape the last time she encountered him. He had stopped her squad and killed two of the Anbu on it.
She reached into her black cloak and pulled the itinerary for the tournament. She scanned the team brackets, looking for the Kiri squad. Sure enough, when she found it, it listed Kimimaro as their team leader.
If Kimimaro was the one to teach them, I feel sorry for the other guys. Yugo saw they'd be up against the Suna team. She quickly looked over the team roster; Uzumaki Gaara. Wasn't the Kazekage an Uzumaki? They could be related. At the same time, it was just as likely that this kid's parents were just some of that clan who asked for sanctuary.
Hoshi Sumaru. Yugao had never engaged in a battle with Suna shinobi, but she had heard the stories. The Hoshi clan produced excellent shinobi, deadly shinobi. Their unique hidden jutsu made them a nightmare to fight against. Such was the prowess of that clan that the Second Kazekage came from the Hoshi.
Kawasaki Shira. Yugao didn't recognize the name. Uzumaki and Hoshi were two names that belonged to great clans, but Kawasaki wasn't among that number. There was no clan in Sunagakure named Kawasaki. The Shira must be a shinobi who wasn't a member of any clan. That made him an unknown.
It would be interesting to see how the Kiri team handled that. With the Hoshi, you knew what you were getting into. The Uzumaki you knew, more or less.
"Neko, it's time."
She took her eyes off the paper and looked towards her subordinate. She had asked him to keep track when they needed to start the patrol. It was a shame she was on duty; she'd love to give these matches her undivided attention. Yugao could watch the matches while patrolling but it wasn't the same as being able to focus all her attention.
She turned and gave Kimimaro one last glance.
Lee wasn't surprised to find his team weren't the only ones in the viewing area. Other than the two teams being called down to the arena, all the teams were here. Sitting in the waiting room wouldn't allow you to see competition.
None of the teams seemed to want to interact with each other, the members staying close to their teammates. Even his fellow shinobi from Konoha seemed to prefer to keep their distance from one another. They were the last team up in the viewing area provided for the Genin teams. Neji didn't seem to want to break the tension and lead them over to an unoccupied corner of the room.
"Don't you want to go see Hinata?" Tenten asked, coming to step up beside Neji. Lee moved to his other side.
"You have not spoken to her since we arrived," Lee said.
Neji shook his head. "We'll be fighting them in the third match," he said, as if that explained everything. Then again, knowing Neji as he did, Lee thought it might very well explain.
"So? That doesn't mean you have to be so anti-social, ya know?"
"Hm."
Tenten sighed. Lee couldn't help but grin; that was so like his teammate and greatest rival.
Lee looked back down at the arena, watching as the two teams entered. Guy-sensei said that each exam was unique and there was no set formula, beyond the three stages that every exam followed. Still, as Lee watched the teams draw closer to each other, he couldn't keep that small bitterness away; he would not be able to fight Neji here. When Guy-sensei first told them he had entered their team in the Chunin Exam, Lee had been ecstatic. Here, at last, was his chance to pit himself against Neji, his greatest rival. Hyuga Neji, the top Genin in his graduating class. The prodigy of his clan. His rival, who had worked so hard, trained so long to defeat. He had mastered the most grueling Taijutsu Guy-sensei had shown him, all in the hopes of finally defeating the undefeatable Neji.
With these team bouts, he would never get the chance. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
"Well, I think I'm going to go say hi to Hinata ," Tenten declared, shooting Neji a look. As she walked off, Lee was aware he wasn't the only one of the team that had put in hours of training; he had seen Tenten's improvement with his own eyes over the last few months.
The proctors call brought Lee back to the present. The two teams stood facing each other. The proctor, who had just been speaking, took a step back and raised his hand. "On my mark."
Lee watched as shinobi on both sides tensed. Well, five out of the six. Watching carefully, Lee took note the boy standing in the middle of the Suna team; his body did not tense. He made no obvious moves or signs that he had even heard the proctor. He stood calmly where he had been the whole time.
"Alright, begin!"
The boy from Kiri moved first, sprinting towards the boy in the middle of the Suna Genin. Lee watched as the calm boy slowly opened his eyes and stared at the other boy approach. Neither of his teammates lifted a finger to help him, instead, both sprinting towards the other Kiri members.
Lee watched as the Kiri boys sword was stopped moments before it made contact with the Suna boy, stopped by a wall of sand.
The sand didn't stay stationary for long, shooting out towards the Kiri boy, the sand pierced his body, cutting through it like a sword. For a moment, Lee that the Kiri boy would be out of the match, then his body turned into water.
"So he's a member of the Hozuki clan," Tenten said from his side, reappearing.
"Indeed." Lee was aware of the Kiri clan and knew they had a secret jutsu that allowed them to liquefy their body. That wasn't what caught his attention; he was more focused on that sand attack than anything. "Neji? Is that a Kekkei Genkai?"
"I've heard about a clan in Suna that has a Kekkei Genkai which allows them to manipulate metal. The Sandaime Kazekage was famed for his ability to manipulate his Iron Sand. This doesn't appear to be that jutsu."
"Why do you think so?" Tenten asked.
"He didn't make any hand seals. He made no movement. Take in his chosen weapon, sand. Iron Sand is just that, iron. It's a metal the shinobi is able to manipulate. Normal sand like that..."
Neji trailed off. The Kiri boy reformed behind the Suna boy and threw a kunai. Once again, that sand shot up, defending his back against the attack.
"It's like a shield of sand," Lee muttered. For a moment, his eyes shot over to Neji- that sand reminded him of Neji's rotation. They didn't look anything alike and the mechanics of the two jutsu must be different, but the way that sand boy was so effortlessly defending him? That was just like Lee's greatest rival.
"What is that?" Lee turned away from the fight at the sound of Tenten's voice, following her line of sight. The other Suna boy was fighting one of the girl girls. The area around him was littered with kunai, holes and even a few scorch marks. What caught his eye wasn't the mirror though; it was the Suna boy. Purple chakra was being released from his body.
"I've never seen chakra like that," Lee muttered. Chakra wasn't normally visible to the naked eye; only extraordinarily power chakra became visible. Or else a jutsu like Neji's rotation, where the chakra at that moment was so strong, so defined, it became visible. A Genin wouldn't have the powerful enough chakra, so that had to be a jutsu. Purple chakra?
"He must be a Hoshi," Neji said.
"Hoshi?" Lee asked. He didn't take his eyes off the boy; one of the Kiri girls he was fighting burst out of the ground. Her fist would have made contact, but the boys purple chakra became a shield, stopping the punch. A second later, the chakra struck out, forcing the Kiri girl to jump back.
"In Sunagakure, there is a clan called Hoshi. They have a hidden jutsu, marked by the members purple chakra, the Kujaku. As far as I know, that purple chakra belongs only to Suna's Hoshi clan."
The crowd around them roared as the battle began in earnest. The Hozuki didn't seem to be making much progress with the sand boy; that sand was incredible. It was both offense and defense, able to attack and defend as one. That was truly one formidable jutsu.
The Hoshi boy and the Kiri girl were engaged in a series of attacks and fall backs; every time her attacks failed, she moved away. When she broke through the Hoshi boy's defenses, she'd press the attack, until he was able to recover, at which point she'd fall back. That wasn't to say the Hoshi boy was losing; his strange purple chakra got through her defenses and struck quick and brutal blows. Lee didn't know how much longer the Kiri girl would last if she continued to be hit. Her fall back strategy was keeping her in the game. If Lee had to guess, she was probing his defenses.
Then there were the last two. The Suna boy was surrounded by a field of ice slabs. The other Kiri girl was gone; no matter where Lee looked, he couldn't see her.
"That's a Kekkei Genkai, right?" Tenten asked.
"Yes. The Yuki clan's Hyoton. My uncle fought in the last war against Kiri. He battled his fair share of Yuki shinobi. Their ice isn't something to sneeze at."
Lee saw a flash of movement and the Suna boy thrust out his arm, trying to hit something. Whatever it was, he missed, but there was a senbon sticking out of his arm.
"So the Kiri girl has created this ice?" he asked, Neji nodding.
"Yes. She seems to have very refined control over it."
Lee watched the boy. Why did he only physically attack? It would be smarter to pull back and try Ninjutsu against the ice. But the boy didn't use any Ninjutsu; he restored only to using Taijutsu. He dodged some of the needles, but some were still making contact. He was obviously at disadvantage, so why-
The Suna boy moved, punching at what Lee thought was nothing at first. Lee was wrong; the boy's fist made contact with the Kiri girl, who appeared to have appeared out of nowhere.
No, not appeared. She was just moving too quickly to see. But that boy still managed to hit her,
The boy didn't stop at one hit. He went on the offensive, punching and kicking at the girl, who appeared not to be able to keep up. She managed to block a few, but most got through. She was being steadily pushed back. The Suna boy's technique was impressive; he was fluid, no movements wasted. His command of the Taijutsu was impressive.
He reminded Lee of himself- it was obvious the amount of time and dedication he put into it.
The Kiri girl managed to escape, jumping back and phasing into the ice. The Taijutsu boy stopped. He took up a defensive stance and waited.
Lee briefly focused on the other battles; the boy with the Kujaku was pushing the girl back. On the other side of the arena, the sand boy had destroyed the Kiri boys katana and seemed to be trying to catch him in his sand. Whenever his sand connected with the Kiri boy, the boy turned back into the water.
Lee's attention returned to the Yuki girl and the Taijutsu boy. Lee was fascinated watching him; here was someone else, his own age, who had put in the time and dedication it required to reach that level. It was also interesting to see another style of Taijutsu as Lee had never seen it. Each one of the villages had a standard style for Taijutsu,and each were different.
In the villages, multiple other styles also existed, either the products of clans, or shinobi believing the style was either superior to the style that village standard taught, or it worked for that shinobi better.
Lee had seen first hand how the Hyuga Taijutsu style was different from the style Konoha taught; it relied on the Byakugan. The style Guy-sensei had taught him relied on high power and speed. Guy-sensei said his family had been practicing it since before the founding of Konoha. Guy-sensei had shown them a video of the styles used by each of the other villages and Lee knew this boys was different.
"He has a layer of chakra covering his body."
Lee took his eyes off the match and turned to Neji. "What do you mean?"
"The boy fighting the Yuki girl. His body is covered in chakra. It disperses when he stops, only to reappear when he starts moving again."
"Is it a product of his Taijutsu?" Tenten asked, leaning in.
"I think it must be."
A layer of chakra covering the body? Lee wondered what purpose it served. He wished he was closer; if he was able to see and hear better, it might give him a better picture of what the boy was doing. The crowd around them was loudly cheering, and it drowned out any noise from the arena.
While Lee had no talent in Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, his high speed Taijutsu relied on chakra. He constantly pushed chakra through his body when he forced himself to open any of the inner gates. At that point, chakra would flood through him, making those higher and more dangerous moves easier. Was this something similar?
Suddenly the ice slab the Yuki girl was in shattered, and she went soaring out. At first Lee thought she was going for the Suna boy. He seemed to think the same thing, drawing his arms into a defensive stance, but she moved right by him.
The girl shot towards the sand boy; his back was towards her. He seemed to be focusing on the Hozuki. Lee caught sight of the senbon in her hand. He thought she might be going for the sand boys' neck. Whatever her target was, she never reached it. A wall of sand shot up between her and him, stopping any attack. The sand shot again out and wrapped around her hands and arms first, making the use of Ninjutsu impossible.
The sand boy turned around to look at her; the Hozuki took advantage of the move, ripping himself away from the sand. Out of nowhere, the Hoshi boy's Kujaku tendril struck the Hozuki, lifting him into the air.
Lee turned to the area where the Hoshi boy had been battling against the Kiri girl. In his place, the Taijutsu Suna boy was attacking her.
Lee looked back; the Hozuki had turned himself into water again, one of the Kujaku tendrils in the water. A moment later, the purple Kujaku tendril changed to yellow electricity, the water screamed, as the Hozuki's face reformed, followed by his body. He seemed to be unconscious.
The Hoshi boy had changed his chakra nature to attack the Hozuki boy in his water form, Lee thought.
The Yuki girl, unable to use any Jutsu, had her body covered in sand. Only her face was able to be seen.
Lee turned away, seeing the Suna Taijutsu boy had knocked out the girl. The match seemed to be over.
Asuma looked away from the area; the proctor was seeing if any of the Kiri team would be able to continue fighting and he already knew the answer to that. Instead he found Guy, standing right at the balcony, looking into the arena below.
This booth had been set up for the Jounin-sensei of the competing teams and all eight of them were here. Asuma muttered to Kurenai, telling her he'd be right back and walked over to Guy. Asuma had been suddenly struck by a desire for a cigarette during the match and sitting around watching wasn't doing anything for him. Maybe talking to someone would help take his mind off it.
"Guy. That kid from Suna. I've never seen Taijutsu like that." Asuma had only crossed with Suna shinobi once on a mission, when he had been asked to kill the merchants they guarded. That was back when he was a Chunin. The Suna shinobi he killed didn't fight anything like that kid. In fact, despite those Suna shinobi having been a Chunin, Asuma would say that kid was better.
"It's called Muon no Kun. It's a special form of Taijutsu that's still practiced in Sunagakure to this day. It's very old. According to the rumors, the masters of that form have always been picky about who they choose to pass the knowledge to. Those same rumors say the last master of Muon no Kun hasn't found anyone she thought was worthy to pass it on to. That she'd be willing to let it die out."
That desire still wouldn't leave him alone. If only Kurenai wasn't here."Well it seems like those rumors were wrong. She found someone alright."
Guy nodded. "So it would seem."
"So where does the silent part come into it?" If he kept Guy talking, maybe the craving would disappear. Well, he could hope.
"The person performing the jutsu covers themselves in a layer of chakra. This chakra muffles, and to the more experienced practitioner, can completely mute the sound of their movements."
"That's similar to the Silent Killing in the mist."
"The same principles apply."
Asuma was right; it didn't help at all.
Turning around, he looked back towards Kurenai. She wasn't where she'd been sitting moments ago. Where could she have gotten off to?
Asuma looked around the room, his eyes falling on the door as it opened. Two masked shinobi entered. What is Kiri hunter nin doing here?
They moved through the room, stopping right in by the Kiri Genin team's Jonin instructor.
It was an exciting match. That Kiri team matched the descriptions of the shinobi Team Seven encountered in their mission to Nami no Kuni. A Hozuki, a Yuki and one other girl they haven't had much contact with. This must have been that team; what a small world they lived in.
Even from his seat, Hiruzen could see their talent; that team from Kiri was going to be dangerous in the future. Give them a few more years and they'd be a force to be reckoned with. If they were an example of Kiri's young shinobi, then the village was in good hands.
If it had been another team, Hiruzen thought the match might have gone a different way, But that team from Suna was nothing short of incredible. They were far beyond the level of Genin, each one of them. The boy, Gaara, was the son of the Kazekage and he didn't fail to live up to his father's reputation, though he wasn't at the Kazekage's level. His two teammates were skilled in their own rights; together, that Suna team was one to be feared.
Hiruzen looked over to Yuri; Konoha's spies said he was the youngest person to be put on the Kazekage's personal council. An impressive feat. His mission spoke for themselves. By all accounts, Yuri was one of Suna's best.
Yuri caught his eye; the man smiled. "Impressive, yes, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen nodded his head. "Quite a showing."
Biwako, who was sitting on his other side, chuckled. "I agree. Your team is very impressive." Normally, only the sitting Kage of the ruling village, the four representatives of the other four villages, and their bodyguards were allowed in the booth. But Biwako had insisted on coming and Hiruzen could never say no to her. Not really. And it was easy enough to bend the rules.
Yuri turned towards one of the two guards. "Natsuhi, Sumaru is your son, isn't he?"
Hiruzen turned to look at her as well. On the side of her arm, she wore an armband with the star of Hoshigakure, like all members of her clan did. Hiruzen had recognized her as soon as he laid eyes on her; Natsuhi and her husband Hotarubi were prodigies as they commanded more contract over the Kujaku than anyone else in their clan.
The star that gave the clan their name was long gone, destroyed by the shinobi of Hoshigakure when Suna was invading their village. By all accounts, this was a good thing. The star, while giving those who had undertaken the training great power, most of those who completed that training died. It had an ill effect on their bodies. The survivors of Hoshigakure were integrated into Sunagakure and became a clan.
Most of those survivors were civilians; a majority of Hoshigakure's shinobi died from battle, or the effects of the star. Those few shinobi who did survive and have children, passed that strange purple star chakra down to their children.
Natsuhi and Hotarubi were born with more star chakra than anyone else in their clan. They mastered the Kujaku in a way that it hasn't been mastered since the star still existed.
It was still unconfirmed, but if the reports were true, the head of the clan planned to name Natsuhi his successor, displacing his own direct family. The clan head had one child, a man named Akahoshi, who wasn't pleased by the news.
The boy, Sumaru, was the offspring of Natsuhi and Hotarubi. Hiruzen supposed that was to be expected; despite his age, his chakra and his command of the Kujaku was to be feared.
Hiruzen looked at the boy, Shira, as he walked out of the arena. A young man, on his way to learning Muon no Kun.
Hiruzen's eyes flashed towards Gaara. And a young Jinchuriki, who seemed very much in control of his Tailed-Beasts powers.
Truly a team to be feared.
Natsuhi nodded. "Yes, he is."
"Your son is very exceptional, Natsuhi-san."
"Yes, he is. Thank you, Hokage-sama." Her words were civil enough, but Hiruzen could hear the contempt in them.
Sakura was buzzing; she felt electric. After watching that last match, she was pumped. It was a surprise to see that Kiri team again, here in the Chunin Exam of all places. They were good and to see them taken down by that Suna team? It got her blood boiling.
Sasuke tapped her shoulder and when she turned to look at him, he jerked his head towards Naruto, who was already walking. She fell instep behind him.
They didn't talk as they walked and made their way down the deserted halls. They didn't need to say anything as comfortable silences were natural for her team.
It was when they reached the stairway down to the arena, that they found they weren't alone. Two shinobi were leaning against the wall to nearest the stairs. She knew they were shinobi from the Hiate-Tai on their foreheads, but there was no visible markings on any of the villages. It was blank.
When she and her team got close enough to the stairs, the two shinobi stepped forwards and placed themselves in front of the stairs. "Not yet, you little brats."
Naruto was the first to speak, "Who are you?"
"Who we are is of no importance. It's what we have to say that will really worry you. Now shut up and listen." Sakura's hair stood up, as a wave of killing intent leaked out from the two shinobi. Long gone were the days that a simple display of killing intent would be enough to frighten her; instead her body tensed, ready for the fight. If they had hoped to intimidate her team, killing intent on that level wasn't going to cut it. Kakashi-sensei had a much deadlier blood lust. They didn't even compare.
"You stupid brats think these exams are all about you, but they're not. They're actually about the people who bet on you, or in your case, against you."
He reached into his jacket, pulled out a kunai. Sakura quickly looked around at teammates; both Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be calm, though Sasuke at that look on his face, that glare that said you were less than dirt on his shoes. Sakura knew what that look meant.
Sakura crossed her arms and decided to leave the talking to Naruto. She and Sasuke had chosen him as leader for a reason.
"So here's what you're going to do; someone very powerful and very important has placed a substantial bet against you, in that Kumo teams favor. You're going to put up a good fight, but throw the match in the end-"
"No." There was an authority behind his voice. That tone of command, like he was in command of the situation. He had started to come into it during the training Kakashi-sensei had put them through for the Chunin Exams. It was hard to recognize this more authoritative side with the same boy that had been placed on her team. That the happy-go-lucky boy with a dark side could be this mature leader.
"What did you say-"
"Excuse me, is there a problem here?"
Sakura almost jumped out of her skin; the voice came from right behind her. Turning around, there was a woman, her face obscured by the mask she wore. Sakura didn't hear her at all, this woman had gotten behind her so easily. She could have killed Sakura if she had a mind to. So this is the Anbu Black Ops. Sakura had never seen them up close and personal before.
She turned around quickly when she heard the sound of scuffling. The shinobi with the kunai had backed up, his eyes flashing from her to them. Sakura couldn't see his partner's eyes, hidden behind the dark glasses, but he didn't seem to be any happier either.
"No. Nothing at all," the second one said. "We got lost."
"Then you had better find your way back to your seats." The Anbu's voice was cold, commanding, leaving no room for disagreement. "This area is off limits to everyone but the exam staff and the competing Genin."
The two shinobi left without another word. Sakura watched them go.
"You three should get going. It's almost time for the match to start."
The Anbu woman was looking at them.
"Thank you, Anbu-san," Sasuke said, speaking up for the first time.
She nodded. Her body began to flicker and then she was gone. Vanishing into thin air.
Naruto whistled. "That's impressive."
"Hn."
Sakura laughed. "Don't be jealous, Sasuke. You'll be able to do that someday too."
"Hn."
Guren entered the arena to the roar of the crowd. Ryuzetsu and Muku were on either side of her, just how it should be. This was their moment to shine; the moment the judges decided they were Chunin material. All that was standing in their way was one team from Konoha, easy enough to be dealt with.
Guren walked to the middle of the arena, right up to the proctor. The Konoha team had just gotten into the arena and were walking towards them.
Pinky, blondy and serious- A pain flared on her neck when she looked at the dark haired boy in the back. That damned Cursed Seal was flaring up, sending waves of heat and pain through her body, as she stared at the dark haired boy.
Guren resisted the urge to grab at the seal; it wouldn't do any good If anyone who knew about it saw it was affecting her, even after it had been sealed, then they might be inclined to stop or interrupt the match. She couldn't let that happen; Guren had come here to make Chunin and she was going to, seal be damned.
"Alright you six, listen up," the proctor spoke. Guren turned away from the dark haired boy and looked to proctor, a Konoha shinobi. "To win, all three members of the opposing team must be rendered either unconscious, or else unable to continue the fight. If at any time during the match someone surrenders, any attack against them must be halted. If for any reason I believe I must step in, I have that authority, and I will end the battle. The entire match if I have to."
The proctor took a step back and raised his hand. "On my signal, the match will start... Begin!"
Guren wasted no time; she jumped back, pulling out a kunai and throwing towards the dark haired boy. He deflected it a second later and she broke off with a running start towards him. Ryuzetsu, Muku, and her had already gone over a plan before the match had even started. All she had to do was follow Ryuzetsu's instructions.
Guren quickly wove the hand seals. "Shoton: Suishoto!" The crystal blade formed on her arm and when she was close enough to the dark haired boy, she slashed at him. He brought up a kunai to defend himself, but she was able to knock it out of his hands. He kicked upwards, slamming the top of his foot into the wrist.
She winced, drawing back her hand, when his other foot slammed into her chest. Guren stumbled back but regained her balance in time to see the dark haired boy charging towards her.
Unfortunately for him, she was able to weave the seals quicker. "Shoton: Suisho Kyo." The mirror of crystal shoot up in between them. Guren moved forward, phasing her body into the crystal. Right as she did so, the dark haired boy jumped over it and landed right where she had been standing; Guren struck. Sliding out of the crystal, she grabbed the boy from behind, wrapping her arm around his neck and her legs around his waist. She began to channel her chakra through her body, tightening the hold she had on him.
She mainly focused the chakra through her arms, trying to choke him out. Instead of struggling like she thought he would, the boy wove his own hand seals and she found herself falling as he disappeared, a kunai in his place.
He must have traded places with my kunai he deflected. So he's on the other side of my crystal mirror.
Sure enough, once again, he jumped up. Instead of completely jumping over, the boy landed on top of her mirror, taking a deep breath. Guren jumped away just in time as he breathed out a ball of fire, engulfing the area below him.
Damn it. He's good.
Guren began to weave her hand seal, in preparation for her attack; in the wheel, she'd be able to move through that fire and right up her mirror.
Then an explosion rocked the stadium.
Author's Note:
I've always thought Yugao's mask looked like a cat, so I've given her the code name Neko
The Silent Fist (Muon no Kun) and the Seven Heavens Breathing Method (Shichi Tenkoho) were the Taijutsu that Shira used in the New Chunin Exams. Why the overall arc could be considered lack lust, Shira and Lee's Taijutsu fight was awesome. That's one of the reasons I chose Shira to be on Gaara's team.
The scene in the stairway is in reference to what happened to Gaara in canon, when the Grass ninja tried to make take a dive. Of course Gaara had a more violent reaction when no one stepped in on his part. Would Team Seven have had a similar reaction? Who can say. I will tell you that they wouldn't have laid down and taken it.
Lastly, thanks to my lovely beta, bluepincils, who not only puts up with me but also really helps improving my story.
