Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its rights. I don't have enough bells. I wonder if Tom Nook would offer me a loan...
An hour had passed into the Second Exam. Hanabi led her teammates through the Raiun Fields in their search for their exit. The clouds seemed to go on endlessly, with no end in sight. As Dodai had mentioned, there were indeed multiple cloud formations connected to the 'ground' that appeared to resemble trees and mountains and other landmarks, but everything maintained the same white, grey, and black coloration.
"This place is a fucking maze." Katsumi mentioned, shaking her head. "I'd get lost up here if I was by myself."
"Same, but that's gotta be the point of this exam. This is probably one of the hardest places to navigate." Kanji noted. He then looked at Hanabi. "That sound right to you?"
"Yeah, it is." She admitted, frowning. "I mean, my Byakugan let's me see further ahead, but in the end, yeah, a lot of this stuff looks the same-"
The crackle of thunder boomed through the air, interrupting Hanabi's words and causing the Hyūga to yelp. The three looked upwards, noticing the clouds directly above them were starting to collect and darken in color.
"Guys, watch out!" Hanabi shouted, jumping to her left.
Both Kanji and Katsumi followed her lead. Just after they leapt, a large lightning bolt fell from the clouds, striking where they had been. The clouds continued to shift as they broke apart, turning into individual smaller black clouds.
"Is this a trap? Or some type of jutsu?" Kanji asked.
Hanabi shook her head: "I can see a bit of latent chakra, but that's in all the clouds of this entire field and I think it's there to maintain the shape and structure of the fields. It's nothing-"
"Guys, now's really not the time to be talking about this shit!" Katsumi called out. "Keep moving!"
Kanji and Hanabi both nodded their heads as they continued to move around, narrowly avoiding more lightning bolts. The smaller lightning clouds continued to move closer towards them, forcing them to keep moving.
"There!" Hanabi pointed in the distance to a grey cloud formation that resembled a stone arch. "Under that!"
Team Nine hurried their pace, continuing to jump around and avoid the lightning bolts until they reached the arch. As they huddled underneath it, the lightning bolts continued to strike at the arch with no seeming end.
"How long is this going to last?" Katsumi asked.
"Thunderstorms are usually thirty minutes to an hour… assuming this is a normal thunderstorm, that is." Kanji shook his head as he sat down on the ground.
One particularly large thunderbolt hit the arch hart, causing it to shake. Hanabi yelped and Hebihiro hugged her neck tight. Katsumi stared at the clouds, gritting her teeth.
"We're going to make no progress if we have to pause for an hour every time there's some lightning!" She hissed. "We need to find some way to move freely forward."
"Already working on it."
Both Hanabi and Katsumi turned their heads to Kanji, who pulled out sealing papers from his pocket and an ink pen.
"Oh yeah, Naruto-sensei said he was teaching you fūinjutsu!" Katsumi's eyes lit-up as realization dawned on her face: "You know that Protective Winds jutsu he uses, don't you?"
The Yamanaka nodded his head: "I'm not as good as Naruto-sensei when it comes to fūinjutsu, and I need to get more in the habit of pre-making seals, so please give me patience, okay? I'm going to try and make as many as possible, so we don't have to stop like this again."
Both of his teammates nodded their heads as he continued to work on drawing his seals perfectly as lightning continued to batter into the arch.
"Welcome, jōnin-senseis to Cloud Nine Outpost!" Dodai declared.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He, along with the other jōnin-sensei, had been escorted to a watchtower at the summit of Mt. Kitawaru, Kumogakure's second highest mountain. The watchtower was a six-story building made from wood and rock, with each subsequent floor getting smaller in height. The building was painted black with a yellow wooden roof. At the very top of the watchtower was what appeared to be a cloud road that connected to a long, never-ending sea of clouds: Raiun Fields.
"Per tradition, jōnin-senseis stay here during the duration of the Second Exam for them to greet their genin when they pass. We do have rooms here and some accommodations to make your stay entertaining and productive. However, you are under no obligation to stay if you wish to leave." Dodai noted. "Please, inform me if you intend on not staying here. In such a case, I will send a shinobi to alert if your team passes the exam."
With those words, Dodai unlocked the door to the watchtower. Many of the jōnin proceeded to start walking into the building.
"You know, this place looks like the tower in the Forest of Death. Funny, huh? Makes it feel like home." Anko noted, chuckling. She then winced as she clutched her side. "Uggghhh…"
"Are you sure alright to be here, Anko-sensei?" Naruto asked. "You only just got clearance to leave medical, so-"
"I did get clearance, so you best believe I'm not staying another day in a medical wing here!" She hissed. She took a deep breath before her pain subsided. "I'm fine. Really. My body still just has a little last-minute healing it needs to do. Nothing that resting here and waiting for Kurenai's brats won't fix."
"We probably should go in and find our rooms, then." Ebisu said.
Naruto nodded his head as he watched Temari, Karin, and Misora all walk into the watchtower: "Yeah, we can-"
"Naruto? Should have realized you'd be here."
Naruto, Anko, and Ebisu turned their heads as one of the two Iwagakure jōnin's walked over. Both Naruto's and Anko's eyes widened in acknowledgment.
"Hey! Risho!" Naruto greeted, grinning.
Standing directly in front of him, dressed in red samurai armor over his Iwagakure uniform, was Kurogane Risho. The jōnin smirked back.
"You know this man, Naruto-san?" Ebisu asked.
"Yeah, he's a friend of mine." Naruto said, chuckling. "It's been forever since I saw you last. Didn't realize you had a genin team, Risho!"
"I don't." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "But the jōnin assigned to Iwa Genin Team L is indisposed at the moment, so Kurotsuchi asked me to fill in."
"Ah! I forgot Kurotsuchi is Tsuchikage now!" Naruto's eyes widened in recollection. "We got a lot to catch up on, y'know?"
Risho nodded his head: "We do-"
"You four! Are you all staying here, correct?" Dodai asked, calling their attention. "If you are, hurry up inside then please. I need to make notes of all the shinobi that have agreed to stay!"
"Yeah, yeah old man. We're going." Anko rolled her eyes.
Dodai huffed in response. The three Konoha shinobi and Risho all walked towards the watchtower's door. As they were about to enter, Ebisu turned his head towards Raiun Fields, frowning.
"The scope of this exam does seem rather ridiculous. The Forest of Death, if I recall, is only twenty kilometers length from one side to the other. Yet this 'Cloud Graveyard' is one hundred?" He noted.
"They'll manage. They have five days to navigate it." Anko said, shrugging her shoulders.
'Yeah. They got this.' Naruto told himself, his eyes narrowing at the clouds and his hands tightening. 'You got this, guys. I know you do!'
"Kanji, you're the fucking best!" Katsumi declared, grinning as the 'protective winds' around her body began to fade when the thunderstorm ended.
"Oooh, hardcore praise coming from miss Inoue Katsumi herself? I'll take it." Kanji said, grinning back.
Team Nine continued back on their search once again, no longer being restricted based on the weather. They moved quickly through the clouds, following Hanabi's lead.
Another thirty minutes of travel passed before they reached a cloud formation shaped like a small mountain. Both Kanji and Katsumi eyed it curiously.
"You think a key could be in something like this?" Katsumi asked.
"There isn't one in this one." Hanabi shook her head. "I can see inside there and seem some small caves and crevices people could hide into here, but I don't see anything hidden in there."
"Hmmm." Kanji crossed his arms. "Well, I guess a place like this could be good for shelter when we go to sleep later tonight."
"Possibly." Katsumi brought her right hand to her chin in thought: "Do we even know what time it is?"
Hanabi shook her head: "This place seems to stay consistently lit because of lightning from the upper clouds. I don't think we have a way to really tell what time or day it is."
"That's gonna be so confusing." The civilian-born kunoichi rolled her eyes: "We need to-"
"Ah!" Hanabi's eyes lit-up as she saw something in the corner: "I see a team in the distance! They're from Kumo!"
"A Kumo team?" Katsumi's eyebrow raised slightly: "Do they have a key?"
"I can't really tell, but it wouldn't hurt to approach and see. If anything, they may know the layout a little better than us." Hanabi said.
With those words, Team Nine hurried off to the east.
As the sun finished setting over Kumogakure, En Oyashiro looked out upon the village from a mountain cave. Standing to his side were three shinobi. One was a light-skinned young man with green eyes and short brown hair, styled in a ponytail, wearing a Kirigakure shinobi uniform. A second was a pale-skinned young man with long bluish-purple hair and blue eyes, wearing an Iwagakure shinobi uniform. The third was a lanky, pale-skinned young man with curly brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a Kumogakure shinobi uniform.
"You all know your roles, yes?" Oyashiro asked. The three men all nodded their heads. "Good. I was told from Zetsu that Akatsuki already has set things up nicely for you all to enter thanks to your moles, so you should have no problem getting into Raiun Fields. Make sure to kill a shinobi or two each so that way word can get leaked back about meddling from the villages. Report back to the hideout after completing your objective. I'll send Fūshin and Chino out to get you stragglers if you don't hurry on back, so make sure to come right back, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah." The purple-haired 'Iwa shinobi' replied, rolling his eyes.
With those words, the three shinobi disappeared, heading off for Raiun Fields. As they disappeared, Oyashiro stood still for a moment, looking back at the village. A wistful look developed in his eyes as he sighed.
"You seem preoccupied, Oyashiro-san."
The beige-haired man tensed up and reached for a kunai. From the other corner of the cave, Kabuto emerged.
"Ah, I recognize your face. Your one of Pain's subordinates." Oyashiro's body language lightened slightly, but he still gripped his kunai.
"Correct. Name's Yakushi Kabuto." Kabuto bowed his head. "I was hoping to meet with you and discuss a few things."
His eyes narrowed: "What about?"
"You enslave shinobi with kekkei genkai." Kabuto noted. "I would like to know more about what kekkei genkai you have in your possession."
"Don't take this the wrong way, kid, but your master is my client; not you. So, I don't feel the need to tell you." Oyashiro said, his eyes narrowing directly at Kabuto's. His eyes then morphed, turning red in coloration and developing a black iris and a purple pupil. "So, go on now and just leave me be."
Kabuto tensed up slightly and his body grew still as he gazed back into his eyes intently. A smirk developed on Oyashiro's face as he took a step forward.
"Before you go, though, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself, hmm?" Oyashiro stated, chuckling to himself. 'Let's get a good look into your mind and see what one of Pain's subordinates is like-'
Kabuto's body fell apart, turning into a pile of snakes. Oyashiro's eyes widened as he took a step back, gripping his kunai tightly.
A few more seconds passed by as Kabuto, once again, emerged from the cave, clapping his hands slightly.
"Did my eyes deceive me, or did I just see the Ketsuryūgan?" Kabuto noted, grinning. "I'm rather impressed, Oyashiro-san. Is that how you have so many slaves under your possession? Using your dōjutsu's hypnotic genjutsu to add to your collection? Or do you use its other abilities to simply force them to work with you?"
The arms dealer gritted his teeth as he looked back at Kabuto with his eyes, who was now not meeting his gaze. "I got to admit, kid, I didn't realize I was talking to a… snake clone, I guess that was?"
Kabuto's eyes lowered to the kunai in Oyashiro's hands. He shook his head: "I already said this; I'm not here to fight. I'm here to ask a few questions. That's all. You're an ally to Pain-sama, so I would never think of taking you down. I promise you that. So please, may we talk?"
Oyashiro continued to glare at Kabuto for a moment. Finally, he nodded his head. His eyes turned back to their normal coloration and he pocketed his kunai.
"Fine. I'll answer some questions… if you'd be willing to answer some of mine." He said.
"Sure." Kabuto nodded his head, smiling. "If you do not mind, I'll go first then. What kekkei genkai do you have in your possession?" Kabuto asked.
"A variety." Oyashiro answered. "Some Nature Release kekkei genkai, such as Swift Release and Boil Release. Some body-modifying kekkei genkai, such as the Kingumo Clan's Spider augmentations. And some more technical ones, such as a Kurama Clan brat with their enhanced-genjutsu kekkei genkai." Oyashiro shrugged his shoulders.
"What about your Ketsuryūgan?" Kabuto asked. "Are you a Chinoike clan member or did you transplant that eye into yourself?"
Oyashiro scowled in response: "Not answering."
"Fair enough." Kabuto shrugged his shoulders. "My next question-"
"How about you answer a question of mine." Oyashiro interrupted, his scowl deepening: "Why do you need to know all this junk, kid?"
"I am somewhat of a 'kekkei genkai collector' myself, although not in the way you are." Kabuto admitted, adjusting his glasses. "I'd much rather obtain the bloodlines for myself, if I were to be honest."
Oyashiro's eyebrow rose slightly: "Obtain them for yourself?"
On cue, Kabuto reached into his shoulder, pulling out a shoulder bone and holding it like a kunai. Oyashiro's eyes widened. Before he could say anything, Kabuto snapped his finger and a pink crystal developed around the bone. He then snapped his finger a second time, causing the crystalized-bone to explode.
"The Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku… the elusive Crystal Release… and was that Explosion Release as well?" Oyashiro asked.
"Yes." Kabuto nodded his head. "That's just some of my collection. I'd like to make a professional relationship with you, Oyashiro-san. One that extends longer than your contract. I'd be willing to pay you as well."
"Hmm…" Oyashiro grinned in response: "You said your name was Kabuto, yeah? Well, Kabuto-san, I think you and I are gonna have a very profitable relationship. Let's head somewhere a little more 'comfortable' and keep this conversation going, just so I can understand what services you'd like to purchase."
Kabuto grinned back as the two men walked into the cave to further their discussion.
"Ugh, this exam sucks…" Katsumi groaned.
Team Nine laid their heads down as they got themselves comfortable on the 'cave floor' inside a cave in the cloud mountain they saw.
The Kumo team they tracked proved to be a useless lead and appeared to be even more loss than they were; after wasting hours following them, the group decided to turn back and continue their own independent search for another couple hours before deciding to call it a 'night'.
"Do you all think it's even nighttime right now? Or is it sometime midday?" Kanji asked.
"I don't even know. I think it is nighttime, cause my body's exhausted. But it could just be because we still haven't found anything." Katsumi groaned again, laying her head facedown.
Hanabi looked down slightly in response: "Sorry."
"Hmm?" The civilian-born kunoichi turned her head upward to face her teammate: "What are you sorry about? Hanabi, we'd be even more lost without you!" A sigh escaped her lips as she looked up at the 'cave ceiling'. "If anything, I should be the sorry one. I've been useless this whole exam, I think."
Kanji shook his head: "That's not true."
"I mean, it kinda is. Both of you got out of the First Exam on your own merits. Hanabi had to send Hebihiro to give me the clue out, and if it wasn't for him, I don't know how long it would have taken for me to find out what to do. And then in here, Hanabi's Byakugan is how we have even a fighting shot at this thing and your fūinjutsu is the only reason we don't have to stop every time the weather acts up." A sigh escaped her lips as she brought her head down into the ground: "Maybe if you had a more well-rounded third teammate, you'd all have more progress done."
"No." Hanabi said confidently, drawing attention to her: "There's no need to get discouraged like this, Katsumi-san. It's only day one. We still have four more days. I doubt any team has actually passed yet."
"She's right." Kanji spoke-up, pulling himself up. "Not a chance anyone else has passed. We'll manage. And hell, it'll probably be because of you."
Katsumi snorted in response: "Yeah. Sure."
"I'm being serious, you know. Cause if we get into a fight, you're the one who's going to probably bust us out of it, you know? Not that Hanabi and I wouldn't fight, but you're probably the strongest of us in a fight." Kanji noted. "Hanabi's got a niche, I got mine, and you got your own. Together, that all leads us to be a cohesive genin team."
"He's right." Hanabi nodded her head, smiling back. "We're more than a cohesive team; we're a great team!"
"We… yeah. We are." Katsumi nodded her head. She slowly pulled herself up to a sitting position. "Sorry, not trying to be down. Just kinda down I guess. It's just reminding me of times back in the academy, when I was the 'dead last'. Just don't like feeling like I might be dragging you both down too."
The Yamanaka shook his head: "Nah, I get it. You're being self-conscious. I deal with that shit every day."
The civilian-born kunoichi's eyebrow rose slightly: "How so?"
Kanji shrugged his shoulders: "Well… I just kinda mentally deal with the fact that I'm a painfully average shinobi from a painfully average background. I'm from a 'Clan', yes, but I'm no one special to it. I'm expected to become a chūnin, but I'll probably stay it for the rest of my career and then either live a normal, boring life, or be a statistic and die in the next great war."
"Wh-What?" Hanabi blinked before she stared at her teammate in horror: "H-How can you say something like that in such a calm manner?"
"Cause it's just the reality that's going to happen. The most likely reality, at least." Kanji shrugged. "But that's the thing; that's not what I want, so I need to push those thoughts away."
"Damn right you need to, because that's all bullshit." Katsumi stated, shaking her head.
Kanji, again, shrugged his shoulders: "I mean, I'd like to think that, but statistics suggest-"
"Fuck your statistics. You're too annoying to let something like that hold you down." Katsumi interrupted. "Besides, if I listened to statistics, then I should amount to nothing. I both have no shinobi background whatsoever and was the 'dead last'." She snorted for a moment before her eyes softened again on her teammate. "So, really, don't let yourself think bad like that."
"I…" Kanji smiled back in response, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't really know what to say. Thank you, Katsumi."
Katsumi smiled back.
"You both are amazing shinobi and will become even better." Hanabi said, smiling back.
"As will you." Katsumi replied. Hanabi's eyes then moved up to the ceiling and she bit her lip, which caused Katsumi's smile to turn into a frown: "Oh come on, you can't be doubting yourself too! You're a goddamn Hyūga, Rookie of the Year of our graduating class, and graduated two years early!"
"I mean, yeah…" Hanabi continued to bite on her lip hard, drawing a little blood. She winced for a moment before speaking: "But that doesn't feel like much, considering my family. Not when my clan always compares me to my sister."
"Naruto-sensei's girlfriend?" Kanji asked.
Hanabi nodded her head: "I love Hinata-nee-san. Always will. But like… she's become a big name shinobi in the village, trained by one our top jōnin, received training from Sandaime-sama before he died, and helped end my clan's Branch Seal alongside our cousin, who is now the Clan Heir. And like… now I just feel like I'm always being compared to her." A sigh escaped her lips. "And I'm not. I never will be. I'm not as good as she is or will be."
"Yeah, but you're being too hard on yourself." Kanji said, shaking his head: "You're looking at all of her achievements now. You're still just a genin. Give it time and you'll match her. So don't compare yourself like that already."
"It's kinda hard not to." Hanabi admitted.
"… Alright, this conversation is getting depressing. So let's make a deal." Katsumi said, pointing her finger at Hanabi. "You will stop comparing yourself to your sister and acknowledge that you're Hyūga fucking Hanabi, the top of our class and the girl who is kicking so much ass so far in this exam." She then turned her attention to Kanji. "And you'll stop thinking of yourself as this 'average shinobi' or a 'statistic' or whatever lame shit you called yourself and admit you're going to be a great shinobi." She then gripped her hand on her chest. "And in return, I'll… be less down on myself right now and be the confident, badass I can be."
"… Okay. Fine." Kanji nodded his head, chuckling. "If that's all it takes for you two to admit the truth about yourselves, then fine, I'll be more confident about myself."
"I… I'll try." Hanabi said, smiling back.
"Good." Katsumi grinned back.
The three genin continued to chat until exhaustion kicked in and knocked them out. A sense of relief swallowed the three as they fell into a deep, needed sleep.
The next day came quickly. Team Nine left the safety of their cloud cave and began moving through the 'Cloud Graveyard' once again.
The group moved from landmark to landmark they could find, moving through thunderstorms and fighting off large birds that would occasionally attack them. From cloud-shaped pillars to a cloud-shaped 'shack' in the middle of the fields, they examined everywhere they found. Unfortunately, they could not find a single key.
Hours went by quickly. Before they knew it, half the day went by and exhaustion began to creep in once again.
"We… probably need to find another shelter for the night, huh?" Kanji noted.
"I'll look for one. Just after one more stop." Hanabi said, frowning.
Team Nine continued to move forward, approaching what looked like a three-story tower made of grey clouds. As they grew closer to the tower, Hanabi noticed a team arriving at the landmark and starting to explore it.
"There's a team from Kumo over there-" Hanabi's eyes widened as recollection dawned on her: "Wait a second, it's those jerks from the first day!"
"Oh, you mean Urusai, Tarinai, and 'whatever their one's name is'?" Kanji asked.
Katsumi snorted in response: "Surprised you even remembered those two's names. I know I didn't."
As they made their way closer to the tower, Hanabi's Byakugan was finally able to pierce the inside of the tower. She could see the building inside was equipped with stairs and had real items inside, such as chairs, paintings, and other décor. She could also see behind one of the paintings on the first floor of the tower had a key hidden right behind it.
"Guys, there's a key there!" Hanabi declared.
"What? For real?" Katsumi's eyes widened. A grin then developed on her face: "Finally!"
"You said that Kumo team is already there investigating the tower, though, huh?" Kanji asked.
Hanabi nodded her head: "Yes, they are, but they haven't found it yet. But we can't just 'wait' for them to leave or try and ambush them after they find it."
"Yeah, I know. We'll just need to fight them now." Katsumi said, her grin widening as she cracked her knuckles: "Let's take down a couple of assholes then!"
"Any luck?" Urusai called out from the second floor of the tower.
"None yet." Tarinai admitted, sighing. She then turned her head to her other teammate: "How about you, Nibui?"
"Negative." He said, scowling. "However, I believe it has to be here. Keep searching."
"Hmph. 'Keep searching' he says." Tarinai rolled her eyes as she continued to look around the 'tower'. "We'll be looking here all day and wasting more time at this rate."
Nibui did not respond to his teammate's words and, instead, continued his own search. He looked around the walls of the cloud tower, noting the paintings on the wall. The paintings depicted the story of the Shodai Raikage, the first Ē, showing how he unified the shinobi in the mountains of Kaminari no Kuni into one, organization village.
'These paintings aren't clouds constructs; they were put here. Why? This place has been altered.' Nibui noted as he walked over to the first painting – one depicted the Shodai Raikage as a young boy, creating a cloud in his hand for the first time with his kekkei tōta – and took it off the wall. There was nothing behind it, which only caused his eyes to narrow. 'These were placed here. Therefore, it's only logical to assume that something else could have been placed here as well.'
The man then walked over to the second painting – one of the Shodai Raikage as a young adult, standing in front of a crowd of people – and took it off the wall, revealing nothing. He then moved to the third painting. His eyes narrowed on the painting of the first Ē clapping his hands together, creating clouds all around a village in the mountains.
As his hands went to the painting, a kunai flew directly towards him. He reacted quickly, pulling out a kunai of his own and blocking with it.
"Tarinai! Urusai! We're being attacked!" He called out.
Immediately, Tarinai jumped to his side, gripping a kunai of her own.
"Huh? From where?" Urusai called out from his position on the second floor.
Before he could respond, the Kumo genin was kicked in the back. He choked as he fell forward off the balcony of the floor, landing directly on the first floor in front of his two teammates.
"Ugghhhh…" He groaned.
"Idiot." Nibui's scowl deepened.
Kunai rained down from the second floor directly at the three Kumo genin. Nibui stepped forward and made five hand signs before clapping his hands together.
"Lightning Style: Static Barrier!"
Separating his hands, Nibui channeled a massive amount of lightning chakra into both hands. He then unleashed them in the air in opposite directions as two ball of chakra. As the lightning chakra moved away from one another, the air between them was filled with lightning, forming a barrier. The kunai collided with the electric barrier, getting sent flying back up.
Focusing on the second floor, the three Kumo genin stopped Team Nine.
"If you three want to walk away from here, leave." Katsumi said sharply, crossing her arms.
"Konoha shinobi." Urusai's eyes narrowed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. "You think you can threaten us? You're making a big fucking mistake."
"Think we need to teach them a lesson. Show them what happens when they mess with Kumo!" Tarinai said, gritting her teeth.
Nibui said nothing; he just continued to quietly glare at the Konoha genin.
"Alright, if that's what you want. Fine. We'll just force you all out of here." Kanji said as he took a step forward and dropped two sealing tags: "Fūinjutsu: Protective Winds!"
The sealings activated just as they connected with the electric barrier, creating a flurry of winds that, together, created an opening to the first floor. Katsumi, Kanji, and Hanabi jumped down to the ground level of the tower.
As they landed on the ground, Urusai unsealed his scroll, creating a poof of smoke that covered the Kumo team for a moment. Just as the smoke cleared, three large cannonballs flew through the air at Team Nine
"Whoa!" Katsumi gasped as she, Kanji, and Hanabi ducked just in time. 'Was that a fucking cannonball? What?'
"If you all really wanna fight that bad, then fine. Let's do this shit." Urusai commented. The smoke finally cleared up, revealing that he was still holding another cannon ball in his left hand. With his right hand, he made a hand sign: "Ninja Art: Ricochet Jutsu!"
The three tossed cannon balls and the one in Urusai's hand began to glow for a moment. Upon making contact with the wall of the tower, instead of crashing through or burying itself in the wall, the three balls bounced back, flying directly at the team again, who once again barely dodged.
'One hit from one of those things and we're probably knocked out… assuming it doesn't kill us. Geez, what a dangerous weapon to just throw around like that. How the hell is he able to just use those so casually?' Kanji noted. The shot put balls continued to fly into the wall again, only to bounce back. 'We'll have to keep an eye on those the entire fight-'
Kanji's thoughts were interrupted as Tarinai charged forward. The Kumo kunoichi was gripping a sharp katana in her hands as she charged forward. Kanji tried to jump back, but was unable to move away fast enough.
Before Tarinai's attack could connect, Katsumi jumped in, blocking her blade with her own sword. The two then held still for a moment, locked into a stalemate.
"You wanna fight with kenjutsu? Kumo has a long history of swordsmen." Tarinai noted, gritting her teeth as she pushed back against Katsumi. "No way some trashy Konoha bitch can swing a sword better than me!"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean shit about your kenjutsu." Katsumi noted, pushing back. She pushed back with enough force that she gained an advantage in their stalemate: "And I bet I'm better than you-"
Katsumi ended her clash with Tarinai as one of Urusai's cannonballs came soaring through the air, forcing her to jump back.
Nibui reached into his jumpsuit and pulled out a staff. He then pointed the end of his staff at Katsumi: "Lightning Style: Lightning Ball Jutsu!"
The end of his staff began to radiate lightning elemental chakra before it released a barrage of small lightning orbs directly at Katsumi. She bit her lip down as she took in a deep breath.
"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullets!"
Katsumi breathed out a barrage of air bullets that collided with Nibui's lightning orbs, completely piercing them and dissipating the lightning. His eyes widened for a moment as he jumped back, avoiding the remaining air bullets that flew his way.
Before Katsumi could release another barrage of air bullets, another cannonball flew through the air towards her, causing her to jump back. Tarinai and Urusai then charged forward at her, Tarinai gripping her sword and Urusai extending his fist out.
Kanji reached his pocket and tossed two kunai with sealing tags that landed directly between Katsumi and the oncoming Kumo genin. The seals lit up before they released a flurry of winds that cut into both Kumo genin, forcing them backwards and cutting them both slightly. They both hissed in pain.
"Thanks Kanji." Katsumi called out.
"No problem-" The Yamanaka was interrupted by a large cannonball, that forced him to duck. A sigh escaped his lips: "Okay, those things are getting really annoying."
"I'd apologize, but we aren't trying to keep things 'convenient' for you." Nibui commented as he used the shunshin.
Kanji's eyes widened as Nibui appeared directly behind him: 'Shit, he's fast!'
Nibui's staff became encased with lightning as he swung down at Kanji. Before his staff could connect, Hanabi jumped forward, extending her right hand. Hebihiro lunged forward from her hand, like a whip, and surrounded Nibui's arm, preventing him from striking down at Kanji.
"What the hell?" Nibui's eyes narrowed on the snake: "Get off me!"
The lightning around his staff moved to his body, shocking Hebihiro. The snake hissed in pain as he retreated back to Hanabi as the Hyūga closed the distance, trying to palm strike the Kumo genin. He stepped back, avoiding the attack. Hanabi then tried to jump back after him, but she was forced to duck as another cannonball flew at her.
As Nibui moved further away, Katsumi jumped directly at him, swinging her sword. He turned his head in time and vanished with a body flicker – using the shunshin – and narrowly escaped. She then turned her head right behind her and opened her mouth, releasing a barrage of drilling air bullets from her lips. As she predicted, Nibui was right behind her and her air bullets him directly in the chest. The Kumo genin's eyes widened as he was sent flying backwards. Urusai jumped back, making sure to catch his teammate.
"That… hurt. A lot." Nibui hissed as he spat out a small bit of blood. "Don't think we'll let you hit any of us again like that."
"We aren't expecting you to." Katsumi shook her head as she gripped her sword tightly once again. "Unless you all smarten up and get the hell out of here, we're planning to keep on beating your asses into submission!"
"Alright. Finally. We found the key!"
In the middle of a cloud-shaped canyon, a team from Kirigakure emerged from one of the 'caves', holding a silver key.
"Alright, now we just got to find our way to the exit. Then we'll be out of here." One of the Kumo genin noted, grinning proudly.
As the three began to hurry off, a lanky man with curly brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a Kumogakure uniform, watched over them. A sigh escaped his lips.
'Damn Oyashiro. I really don't feel like killing kids… but it's either my life or theirs. He'll kill me if I don't do my job and I'm not going to end up dead anytime soon.' The man sighed. 'Not yet, at least. Not until I finally get a taste of what it's like to be free.'
He continued to watch them move further-and-further away from him. He shook his head and his eyes narrowed: "Least I can do is make this as swift as possible. Sorry, kids."
With another sigh, the 'Kumogakure' shinobi disappeared in an instant. Before the Kirigakure genin team could react, he was already upon them, kunai at the ready.
"This fight has already gone on long enough. Let's just annihilate them already with an all-out offensive!" Urusai called out as he made a hand sign.
Instantly, his cannonballs changed direction, flying back towards him. As they rushed back to him, Urusai caught each one of them, juggling all four of his cannonballs.
'Seriously, those things are heavy! How is he throwing them around like that?' Kanji questioned.
As Urusai continued to juggle his cannonballs, his hands started to glow, turning red in color. Soon, fingers and the palm of his hand were covered in flames.
"Fire Style: Cannon Fire!"
Urusai swung his first cannonball forward, creating a massive burst of noise as the cannonball was launched forward. Team Nine was forced to jump to the side to avoid the cannonball, but the ball rocketed past them with such force that it created a shockwave, sending all three further back and knocking the wind out of each of them.
Upon making contact with the cloud-tower's wall, the cannonball ricocheted back towards Urusai. As it flew back to him, the muscular boy grinned as he turned to face Katsumi and swung his second cannonball at her.
"I've had it with this fucking technique." She hissed as she made a hand sign: "Earth Style: Rising Rock Jutsu!"
A massive boulder rose from underneath the 'ground' directly between her and the oncoming cannonball. Unlike earlier, the cannonball buried itself into the boulder, not ricocheting it off.
'Huh? How the fuck did that thing block one of my cannonballs?' Urusai said, scowling.
'We are in Raiun Fields, with no visible earth. The only earth she could be manipulating is from the mountaintops below the clouds. Is that girl really that proficient with earth style ninjutsu?' Nibui questioned.
Unlike her two teammates, Tarinai did not seem phased at all by the boulder; a grin developed on her face, instead: "You think earth style ninjutsu is going to help you up here? Against a team with a lightning ninjutsu specialist? You really thought that would make a difference, huh?"
Nibui seemingly took the cue and immediately held up his staff: "Lightning Style: Lightning Ball Jutsu!"
He launched more lightning orbs forward into the giant boulder, causing it to explode upon impact and scatter stone everywhere, revealing Katsumi once again. The brown-haired kunoichi immediately made hand signs: "Earth Style: Earth Clone Jutsu!"
The scattered stones came together, twelve different clones of Katsumi. Eight of the clones made another hand sign and, using the Transformation Jutsu, turned into four copies of Kanji and four copies of Hanabi.
'Alright, good thinking there Katsumi!' Kanji grinned. He then exchanged a look with both the real Katsumi and Hanabi. 'Now, let's back these guys into a corner and end this!'
The two kunoichi nodded their heads in response before they charged forward, alongside the clones.
"Coming at us with clones isn't going to stop us." Tarinai rolled her eyes as she held up her sword in the air. "Nibui and Urusai!"
Her two teammates nodded their heads, jumping over to Tarinai's side. Nibui held up his staff in the air, crossing it with Tarinai's sword, and Urusai held up one of his cannonballs, directly underneath their sword-and-staff. The three weapons then started to glow with lightning chakra completely surrounding them.
"Lightning Style: Coordinated Thunder Bomb!"
The lightning of their weapons combined with one another before surrounding their bodies and forming a triangular lightning-pattern on the ground. The lightning then scattered around them, flying directly at the approaching Konoha shinobi.
Team Nine and the clones continued to move, dodging the lightning blasts as they made their way forward. A few scattered bolts managed to strike at a few of the clones, causing them to fall apart instantly. One straight bolt managed to hit Kanji, causing him to hiss in pain as lightning rushed through his body, forcing him to a standstill.
"Heh, so that's the real one of him!" Urusai grinned.
Still holding up a cannonball with his right hand to maintain the jutsu, Urusai tossed another cannonball with his left hand, causing another shockwave as it rocketed towards Kanji.
Before the cannonball could hit him, Hanabi and Hebihiro jumped towards the Yamanaka. Hebihiro opened his mouth, releasing a deluge of water that hit the cannonball with enough force that it knocked it off its path, forcing it back to the ground and to ricochet back to Urusai.
Hanabi then opened her mouth: "Ninja Art: Poison Senbon!"
Hanabi spat out a barrage of poisonous senbon from her mouth, directly at Urusai's face. The muscular genin scowled as he gripped another cannonball and swung it directly at her face. The cannonball flew forward with enough force that it overpowered the senbon, destroying them as it barreled towards her.
As Hanabi jumped out of the way of the cannonball, Kanji held out his hands: "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
The Yamanaka's jutsu connected with Urusai and the Kumo genin's eyes widened. A second passed by and Kanji had taken over his consciousness.
"Urusai?" Nibui's eyes narrowed at his 'teammate'.
Before 'Kanji' could even respond, he noticed that the cannonball that Urusai had thrown was flying back towards him. A grin developed on his face as he broke formation with the rest of the Kumo team to make a hand sign: "Release!"
As quickly as he took control of Urusai's mind, Kanji's consciousness left his body and returned to his own body. Urusai regained consciousness and proceeded to shake his head, trying to get his bearings straight.
"The hell was that-"
Urusai was interrupted by the feeling of his cannonball crashing into chest, with no time to catch it. The Kumo genin was sent flying backwards and choked out blood before his body smacked into wall and into one of the paintings of the Shodai Raikage, causing it to fall to the ground and shatter the frame. Urusai's body then collapsed as he entered unconsciousness once again.
"Urusai!" Tarinai called out, breaking formation to check on her teammate.
'Dammit!' Nibui cursed under his breath.
The three Kumo's genin cooperation ninjutsu had now come to a halt and the lightning finally ceased. Now being able to move more freely, Katsumi and the remaining clones rushed forward at Tarinai. The Kumo kunoichi, noticing Katsumi's approach, glared as she turned her direction and gripped her sword tightly.
The clones rushed at her first, but Tarinai made quick-work side-stepping and slicing through them, causing the earth clones to fall apart. Within a few seconds, all that remained was the original Katsumi and Tarinai, who were now locked in a stalemate.
"You… You're not going to win this!" She hissed as she began to channel chakra into her blade. "Lightning Style: Current Sword!"
An electrical current rushed through her sword, which was now emitting lightning chakra, as she continued to struggle against Katsumi. The Konoha kunoichi hissed as Tarinai began to overpower her in their clash. Stray lightning bolts from her blade would rocket off into Katsumi's body, causing her to hiss as the lightning shocked and burned her skin.
"Yes… I will…" Katsumi grit her teeth in response.
In the corner of her eye, she noticed that the stone remains of her Earth Clones were still present in the area. Channeling her earth elemental chakra, Katsumi managed to force a few stones over directly at Tarinai.
Just as the Kumo kunoichi was overpowering her and about to defeat her, the stones rushed over at Tarinai's leg, tripping her.
'What the hell?' She gasped.
Katsumi quickly took advantage of the staggered Tarinai; tilting her sword around, she slammed the hilt directly into the Kumo shinobi's neck, hard. Tarinai hit the ground hard, falling into unconsciousness.
"Two down." She noted before turning to face the final Kumo genin: "One left."
Nibui grit his teeth behind his facemask. His eyes moved from Urusai to Tarinai for a moment before he held up his hands: "Alright, we forfeit."
"You'll leave, then?" Hanabi asked, eyes narrowed on the man.
"Take the key that's most likely here and let me and my team leave in peace." Nibui requested.
Team Nine nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Nibui then walked over to Urusai's body and picked him up, followed by Tarinai's. Now carrying his two teammates, the Kumo genin rushed out as fast he could.
Katsumi, Kanji, and Hanabi all continued to watch as the Kumo genin fled the scene. Once they were sure he was not going to return, the three finally relaxed.
"Hell yeah!" Katsumi grinned, as she gave a thumbs-up to both her teammates. "Great work guys!"
"You as well." Kanji said with a smile as he returned her thumbs-up with one of his own: "You took real good charge back there."
"And now, we got it." Hanabi spoke-up as she walked over to the third painting: the one Nibui had reached for before their attack.
Behind the painting was a small compartment that displayed the silver key. Hanabi grabbed the key and gripped it tightly as she turned her attention back to her teammates, beaming.
"We did!" She cheered.
"All we gotta do now is find the exit and we'll officially be done with this exam!" Katsumi's grin widened even further. "Can't wait to get back and tell Naruto-sensei all about this!"
As nighttime fell over Raiun Fields, Oyashiro's 'bodyguards' met up in a cloud forest within the area.
"Well, anything interest to report?" The bluish-purple haired 'Iwagakure shinobi' asked. "Personally, I had some fun. I got to slaughter two Kumogakure genin teams today."
"You found two teams, Karyū?" The brown short-haired 'Kirigakure shinobi' asked with a raised eyebrow. "I only found one Kumo team I managed to kill."
"Yeah, cause I was really searching, Futsu." The man, Karyū, admitted with a chuckle. "Oyashiro's a jackass, but hey, this is probably the best mission he's ever given us."
The curly-haired 'Kumogakure shinobi' frowned in response: "Why do you think that?"
"It's not every day we get to show these punks from the 'Five Great Shinobi Nations' just how powerful a kekkei genkai user can be." Karyū noted, his chuckling growing louder. He then looked at the 'Kumo shinobi' with a grin: "And how many teams did you slaughter, Amuda? With your bloodline, I'm sure you made 'quick' work of them."
"… I only found a single Kiri team that I killed." The man, Amuda, admitted.
"… Just one?" Karyū's eyes narrowed slightly: "You're the one with the abilities to cover the most ground and you only found one?"
Amuda's eyes narrowed: "That is correct."
"… Eh, it makes no difference to me." Karyū shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, we're just doing work for Oyashiro. If you want to half-ass it just to spite him, go for it. Just be careful. I'm not going to cover for you if you get caught and I definitely won't be fighting with you if he sends Chino or Fūshin after you."
"… I wouldn't expect you to." Amuda replied.
Silence filled the air as the three bodyguards prepared to rest. They had another three days to try and kill a few more shinobi teams to create chaos.
Quick Note:
1: En Oyashiro's 'bodyguards' DOES include Chino, Fūshin, Karyū, and Amuda, who all left and formed The Lightning Group. The timeline of WHEN they left Oyashiro is vague, so I am currently listing them as working under him. I'm just taking advantage of the fact that the timeline does not specify, if that does not bother anyone :P
2: I thought it would be useful to keep track of the participants in the Kumo Exam, since I am aware I'm dumping A LOT of OCs on you all at once. So... I thought I would post one and update it as it becomes more relevant, to make names easier to follow along with.
Team Nine: Hyūga Hanabi (F), Inoue Katsumi (F), and Yamanaka Kanji (M) (Under Uzumaki Naruto) - The one group you all should definitely know XD
Team Six: Sarutobi Konohamaru (M), Ise Udon (M), and Kazamatsuri Moegi (F) (Under Ebisu) - The OTHER group you all should definitely know from canon!
Team Eight: Uzuki Kazuo (M), Aburame Tsunemasa (M), and Rangaku Yūna (F) (Under Yūhi Kurenai normally, currently under the direction of Mitarashi Anko) - the other Konoha genin team. Kazuo is the little brother to Yūgao, Tsunemasa is an Aburame shinobi and a third-cousin to Shino, and Yūna is the daughter of a chūnin and an antique shop owner.
Team Karin: Kono Maitake (F), Kobayashi Ayaka (F), and Fukuoka Gonta (M) (Under Uzumaki Karin). The sole team Kusagakure approved to go to Kumogakure for the Chūnin Exams.
Kumogakure Team 26: Urusai (M), Tarinai (F), and Nibui (M).
Team Misora: Terumi Kinotaki (M), Unknown Genin (F), Unknown Genin (M) (Under Kawada Misora). More information will be revealed as it becomes relevant
This is the current list of the shinobi. As mentioned earlier, I will update it when it becomes relevant in future chapters.
Author's Note: Hey! Chapter 106 is now complete! :) I THINK I got this chapter out relatively all things considering and I think the next will be coming out really soon!
I gotta make this author's note kinda quick, though, cause I got to get off the computer. Regardless, the next chapter will be up ASAP (hopefully sometime next week) and will wrap up the Raiun Fields mini arc. I hope you all have enjoyed it! Let me know what you all think :)
I'll see you all when 107 is finished. Until then :)
