Invictus

by Raging Smurf

When I died, I never thought I'd get a second chance at life, let alone another chance as the protagonist of an anime. Getting another chance in a world with Snake pedos, heart thieves, and peepers with doomsday capabilities wasn't a part of the memo. But I ain't selling my life cheap, that's for damn sure. Male OC NarutoInsert. Chapters 1-4 prologue.

37. Twilight of the Thunder God

Clarification: When I said 'Overhaul the training part', I didn't mean the group training arc amongst the genin teams. I meant the training sessions with Kakashi early on. The unpredictable chakra growth spikes for Rin and Naruto will be in there still, being given more explanation, but the excuse for waiting on taijutsu training will be tossed out completely. Naruto will still be trained by Kakashi in taijutsu. The part where Kakashi attacks Naruto, and Hiruzen's reaction to it, will be changed to be more realistic, no idea why I thought the way I did it was the best idea.

Certain things will be polished up on the training arc, including adding a Kakashi POV with the other Jonin noting their concerns about Naruto's psyche and why the hell a kid would be perfectly fine with hurting himself. Gai specifically will be talking with Kakashi on why Naruto is holding back, which Kakashi will give his opinion on.

The next part is addressing the review by UpsetBrett and Kai0ken.

I had been tempted, right before the Wave arc was written, to go back and add some paragraphs to flesh out the training regimen that Naruto and Rin had, but it felt repetitive to practically all other fics I've read, including weight training, chakra control spamming with clones, and nature release training. It was a choice of muscling through the repetition and diving right into the Wave arc or not. If you guys, the readers, think it will serve the flow of the story better, I'll go back to add some of that in to paint a better picture. This will obviously be after I finish the Chunin Exam arc.

This story was the first I wrote, so there will be certain literary gaps that won't be there when I make other insert fics in the future. (The Hyuga and Sasuke ones will have actual details on his training regimen from the get-go.)

The reason Naruto has been trying to hide things is because he's overly paranoid to the point of it looking unhealthy. He's 100% aware that Danzo would be interested in him, and so would Orochimaru. With Danzo now dead, along with Mizuki, he feels free. The part with Hiruzen offering to fight him was so Hiruzen himself would know how good Naruto was instead of relying on 'maybe he's this good'.

So, Hiruzen's comment on Naruto fighting on an A-rank caliber is the level he's at, and that doesn't factor in what he'll be at a few years from now when he masters more jutsu, is stronger physically, the Lightning Cloak, the Gates that he can open, and uses Kurama's chakra.

I can see how things seemed a little confusing during the preceding events, but the guesswork on Hiruzen and Kakashi's part was to show how Naruto's paranoia stretches to even those close to him. If Rin has a temper, and Sasuke has arrogance, Naruto has paranoia as a massive flaw.

TLDR: Wanted to not bog myself down with copypasted training regimens, so I brushed passed it. I'll fix it when I have the time. Naruto is flawed in his logic in being over the top paranoid about things. And I'll go back later to address the Jonin not being comfortable with beating on a genin in training.

Anyway, I'll get on with this chapter. If you think the Forest of Death is going to be a shitshow, just imagine what else I have cooked up. And the name of this chapter was always going to be the one where the fight with Orochimaru happens from the moment I decided on Naruto's hair colour and affinities.

Fair warning: This chapter has graphic depictions of violence, this is Orochimaru we're talking about.

The second part of this chapter has two scenes in there that are the most graphic ones I've written. The second will be hard to get through, but go back to chapter 36's conversation with Kakashi/Naruto and the Hiruzen POV in chapter 20 to realize that i hinted at it.

This chapter had to be split in two parts because it would have surpassed 40k words and it almost caused my phone to melt. Part two will be out within a day of this, if not quicker.

---

"When Uzushiogakure was destroyed, about half of the 3rd regiment was all that escaped alive. Of those who made it out, another third were caught in the ambush led by the Sannin. I'd fought with some of those men for over twenty years. Afterwards, those of us that survived hooked up with a nearby Kumo force making a retaliatory strike on the escaped Uzumaki nin hold up along the Fuzi river. It wasn't the best thought out plan, but we were cut off from our leaders, tired, and operating on instinct. If not for our training, we probably would've never gotten past their improvised seal defenses."

Excerpt from journal of Ozawa Daisuke, Jonin of Iwagakure, Third Regiment, Second Shinobi War, Battle of Fuzi.

---

Sasuke woke up to his alarm going off and shut it off, straightening up from his bed and stretching his arms. He then swung his legs to the side lightly and got out of his bed, slowly making his way to his kitchen.

He tensed and jumped to the ceiling of the hallway when realized someone was there, hearing a soft sizzling sound.

He pulled a kunai from the small holster he had strapped to his leg when he slept and slowly walked upside down to his kitchen, hoping to catch the intruder off guard.

Before he could do anything, he heard a familiar voice.

"Forget I was staying over?" Naruto asked, his voice coming from the kitchen.

Sasuke cursed himself for his forgetfulness and dropped from the ceiling, stowing away the kunai. He walked into his kitchen and spotted Naruto at the stove, cooking some eggs of course.

"Eggs again?" He raised a brow, noticing a pattern.

"Some people like Chimichangas, some like eggs." He shrugged, shifting the eggs around more.

Sasuke opted out of asking what the hell a Chimichanga was, sitting down at his table.

"You do realize that's my mother's apron, right?" Sasuke pointed out, seeing Naruto wearing it.

"I hope it is," Naruto dumped the eggs on the plate, switching off the gas and pouring what looked to be some boiled rice on the side, "Can't imagine you buying a pink apron."

Naruto set his plate down, taking off the apron and grabbing a second plate from a storage seal, handing it to Sasuke.

"Can I use your bathroom?" He asked politely, trying to sound thoughtful.

"Sure." Sasuke shrugged, beginning to split the food made as Naruto left.

Naruto got back a minute later and began eating his own food without speaking. Sasuke took another bite and decided to sate his curiosity.

"Why are you better at cooking than Rin?" He asked, looking down at the food, "I'd think she'd be better."

"Cause she's a girl?" Naruto raised a brow, scoffing softly, "I was the one that practically raised the two of us. I basically had to be both a parent and an older sibling when I should have been growing up."

Sasuke's face tightened and he gave Naruto a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry for pressing about why the villagers hate you. I just couldn't understand why they'd hate the both of you."

"You could rationalize hating me because I'm pretty good at being a dickhead." Naruto said honestly, "But Rin is much nicer than me in temperament."

"Yesterday was her being nice?" Sasuke asked sarcastically, remembering how much her hits hurt.

"I'd have been worse," Naruto said, "Especially with yesterday being a shitshow."

That had Sasuke wondering why there being Jinchuriki here was that bad. Sure, it was concerning, but why was Naruto so worked up about it?

"What's wrong with Jinchuriki?" Sasuke asked, noting Naruto's eyes narrowing.

"There's nothing wrong with Jinchuriki, Sasuke," Naruto said sharply, "It's the fact that the last time this many were in one area was a pretty shit time for us."

Sasuke gave him a questioning look, wondering when that happened.

Sighing, Naruto answered his unspoken question.

"My clan's village got attacked 20 something years ago, but I told you that already. What I didn't tell you was that Rin and I are 2 of the last descendants of the Uzukage. He was over 90 years old and killed 2 Jinchuriki and the Raikage." Naruto's voice had gotten quiet at the end.

Sasuke's thoughts ground to halt at what he'd just heard. The killing of 2 Jinchuriki and a Kage was bad enough of a curve ball, but the part about his age caught his attention.

"How the hell did an old man pull that off?" He eventually asked incredulously.

"Something that you didn't consider," Naruto clarified, "Uzumaki live close to thirty or so years longer than everybody else. Rin and I will likely outlive the children of this generation."

Sasuke pursed his lips and tapped the table with his fingers, thinking of that tidbit of information.

"Healing faster and having more energy makes sense in that context," He said almost to himself, "So he wasn't 90 in the way an Uchiha or anyone else would see it?"

He would have probably been in his sixties physically speaking if a comparison were made. But that still was old.

"My Bloodline ability was almost exclusive to his family," Naruto continued, "And the female Kumo nin is the Jinchuriki of the Nibi. That was one of the ones killed by the Uzukage."

Sasuke thought of why that would be an issue, coming to a conclusion moments later.

"You think they'll connect the dots on you being related him." Sasuke realized why Naruto was antsy about it.

Naruto had mentioned how having red hair was the norm for Uzumaki, almost as often as an Uchiha having a fire affinity. The thing Naruto hated was having the spotlight on him, mostly from it painting a target on Rin's back as well.

"Yeah," Naruto said emotionlessly, "Not exactly fun to think about."

They finished the food Naruto fixed in silence. The two eventually put up the plates and left the house, heading towards the meet up point.

---

Sasuke and I didn't feel the need to fill the silence between us with unnecessary conversation, just how I liked it. He was supposed to meet Team 7 near where the written exam was supposed to be and I was just tagging along because it wasn't like I had a team of my own to meet up with.

We got there and sure enough, Hinata and Rin were there with Kakashi. What I noticed, thankfully, was that Rin had armour on under her shirt, specifically the kind that was resistant to chakra strikes. I had my own on, but mine was a tier above hers, being a replacement for the one that got trashed in Nami.

"Hi guys," I looked at Hinata and my sister, smiling openly, "We're off on an adventure, aren't we?" I grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and pulled him a little closer, "Right, Sasuke?"

"Yes," Sasuke grumbled, prying my hand off his shoulder, "And I'm already done with today."

"I promise I'll keep my distance during the tests." I lied through my teeth, planning on being right beside them to stop Orochimaru from marking him.

Kakashi was giving me a less than friendly look, remembering yesterday's interruption.

"Now that you're here, can you give me back my little duckling?" Kakashi asked, eye smiling at Sasuke's glare, "I've missed him so much."

"Go on, little buddy," I stood on my toes to make the height difference between us larger, flapping my hand in a 'go away' gesture, "Be free."

Sasuke tried to smack me in the head, but I lifted my forearm up lazily to stop it.

"Please, Sakura-chan, not so hard." I snickered, causing Rin to giggle at Sasuke's look of disgust.

It was a running joke ever since Sakura kept trying to punch me when I did stupid shit to call anyone who tried to punch me by the name of the pink haired girl.

Sasuke pulled his arm back and walked towards the others, flashing an irritated expression towards everyone.

"I feel so loved." He said sarcastically, eying Rin for a moment.

Rin scoffed at him being dramatic. "Naruto only torments people he likes. I'm the target of most of his stupidity."

"It's not stupid if it works." I remarked, seeing Kakashi scoff good-naturedly.

"That sounds like something the ANBU should make as a rule." Was the silver haired man's reply, sounding completely serious.

"Including dressing up as a girl on a seduction mission?" I asked flatly, picking a ridiculous example.

"Neji would be the only boy able to pull it off." Kakashi mused, sounding just as serious as his previous statement.

I stifled a grin and saw Hinata frown at both me and Kakashi, shaking her head and sighing.

"But anyway, you're here to say farewell and good luck to us?" I asked, looking at Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded an affirmative.

"I'm proud of all three of you," He looked at his team with a glowing expression, "I wouldn't have recommended you for the exams if I didn't think you were ready. Stick together, and you'll get through this no problem."

A look I didn't recognize seemed to dance across the visible part of Kakashi's face as he gazed at the three of them.

"Go on ahead. I have something to talk with Naruto about." He dismissed the three, who nodded their understanding.

After they entered the building, Kakashi turned to me.

"Be on the lookout for anything suspicious," He said seriously, his posture shifting to a more serious one that was the antithesis of his normally laid back one, "We have reason to believe Sasuke will be targeted at some point. We don't know when."

So they figured it out. I thought to myself, thanking my good luck.

The village was more prepared, the Jonin having been training with us Genin. Hiruzen was not dying. He was there for me when I was lost, and no one precious to me was going to be taken by the traitorous bastard Orochimaru.

"You think it will be during the opening part?" I asked, clueing in to what Kakashi was saying.

"Unlikely, because of all the moving parts," Kakashi shrugged, "But no one ever got killed by being too careful." He quoted another ANBU rule.

"Words to live by." I nodded, seeing Kakashi's eye soften.

Kakashi stepped forward and placed his hand on my shoulder, lowering himself a few inches so our faces were level.

"It doesn't matter if you don't make Chunin or if you make mistakes," He said softly, "You are your mother and father's son, and they would be proud of you."

I smiled and returned a kind look to him.

"Your Sensei and father would be proud of who you have become too... Sensei." I said the last word with as much gratitude as I could possibly muster.

I didn't lie or embellish when I told Kakashi I saw myself when I looked at him years ago. Kakashi, out of everyone I knew, could understand having everything ripped from him. He was damaged and scarred from a lifetime of heartache and pain, but he emerged a better man from it.

Kakashi surprised me by pulling me into a two armed hug, the act unusual.

"Go in there and give them hell. You are the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. You were born for this." He then let me go and patted my shoulder.

"Thanks, Kakashi." I mumbled softly, feeling my eyes itch a little from the emotion.

I turned and walked to the building, preparing for the start of the next storm I was walking into, a storm that was far worse than Nami.

---

Rolling my eyes, I spotted the Konoha rookie teams had just gotten to the supposed room for the exams.

Discreetly making a half seal and tensing my chakra, the Genjutsu lifted and I saw the room number change.

"See anything weird about the sign, Neji-chan?!" I shouted, receiving a death glare from the older boy as I got near them.

"Naruto!" Lee shouted, bouncing on the balls of his feet, "We have not sparred in so long, my new rival. Come, let us fight!" He got in a Goken stance.

Ever since I was showing myself to be much better than Neji in blunt taijutsu, Lee declared me his new eternal rival. Kakashi thought it funny when I had my own spandex wearing exercise freak hounding me for challenges.

"Let's wait until later in the exams. We don't know if someone else here is stronger." I reminded him, "Save your strength, your teammates may need their youth reinforced with your own."

"Please don't say yo-" Tenten tried to say, but Lee beat her to the punch.

"Yosh," He gave me a grin and a thumbs up, "I will not be selfish with my youth. Thank you, Naruto, for setting me straight!"

I turned to Neji, who was scowling as he looked at the sign.

Kai. He made a hand seal and broke the Genjutsu on himself, looking at his teammates.

"We're under a Genjutsu." He said, everyone else clueing in and each making hand seals to break it.

That was when I realized Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji weren't here.

"Where's Team 10?" I asked, not seeing them.

My question was answered by a blonde missile running from behind me and jumping on my back.

"Hi, Naruto." She whispered into my ear, looking happy.

I grinned and poked her nose, making a pig snort as I did it.

"Ino-chan." I whispered back, stressing her name.

She pouted and hopped off, her turquoise eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"That's not funny," She frowned, cocking her hip out, "But I'll give you a pass."

I smiled at her and looked at Shikamaru and Choji, both of them catching up seconds later.

"Now that everyone is here," I noticed Shikamaru looked at the sign and scoffed, tapping Choji's shoulder and mentioning the Genjutsu, both of them breaking it on themselves, "You all remember what my bunshin told you all?"

They all nodded, looking somber.

"Don't tell anyone else." My gaze swept over them, "This is a secret for an allied village, so keep your mouths shut, okay?" I asked, letting my tone carry the weight of the situation.

They all gave nods of understanding, pleasing me greatly.

"Good. Now, since we're all aware of the little trick played on us, let's head to the right room." I began walking towards the actual location, everyone else letting me take point.

I couldn't help but think of what I had in store to screw with Anko some as we made a short walk. Sure, she'd probably try and cut my balls off, but it would be funny seeing her reaction when she realized what I did.

I'd hooked up a secret loudspeaker in the room weeks ago that was connected to a radio that a couple of my clones had holed up in a hotel. I had sent a Henged one to book the room last night, while a new set of clones had been sent to take up today's shift.

It was going to be spectacular.

We got to the door and I turned back to them, giving them a serious look.

"I don't care what the proctors say, you are Konoha Shinobi and more than just comrades." I said firmly, "You're my friends. All the other bastards behind this door don't matter to me as much as only one of you. Whatever happens, know that we're all in this together. They'll think us weak because we're rookies." I then flared my chakra some for emphasis.

"Let's prove them wrong." I pushed the door open, stepping into the room.

Several dozen genin were in here, almost all of them more than a couple years older than us.

Several of them were sizing me up, noticing that I was taller than average and carried myself with confidence unmarked by bravado.

The others came in and clumped in a protective formation centered around me, whether it was intentional or subconscious wasn't something I could determine.

I pressed out my sensing a little and felt three signatures that stood out, two in a bad way.

One was the most disgusting chakra I'd ever felt from a human, being extremely faint. The fact that Orochimaru could suppress his chakra signature to the point of only being caught because I familiarized myself with how Anko's curse mark felt wasn't a pleasant realization.

The second was one that was high Jonin level in strength, being muted as well. That one was from a silver haired, glasses wearing, 'Konoha' nin in front of us.

But the final was one that had me almost shivering in how familiar it was.

Karin.

Aloha, cousin. I thought, trying to stop myself from smiling.

Only Rin and our mother had similar chakra to that, Karin's having a certain feel to it that was similar to my mom's that Rin didn't have. That had to mean the Adamantine chains portion could be felt specifically. Good to know.

I'm gonna sit by her. I thought, deciding I'd whisper to her about me being an Uzumaki to her during the distraction I had set up for a possible circumstance like this.

I turned and plastered a look of politeness on my face as Kabuto came towards us.

"Hello, fellow Konoha Shinobi," I bowed respectfully, "What do you need?"

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto," He introduced himself, the light glinting off his glasses as he smiled politely, "And I can see you're rookie Genin. Been a while since this many rookies competed in an exam," He looked behind me at the others, "I think I can help you guys out."

"How and what price?" I asked flatly, giving off an unconvinced air.

Kabuto blinked at the thinly veiled distrust.

"It's for free. Us Konoha nin got to stick together, you know." He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a deck of cards.

"And those are?" I raised a brow, sensing the others walk closer to see and hear more clearly.

"These cards have information about the Genin competing here," He explained with a smile, pulling one out from Konoha as an example, "Hyuga Neji. He's a genin from the Hyuga clan and is on a genin team with Rock Lee, Higarashi Tenten, and their Jonin Sensei is Maito Gai." He read off the details, going on to mention his mission completion numbers.

A couple others asked some questions about him, Kabuto answering them like he really was taking this exam for the seventh time.

"What about Uzumaki Naruto?" Sasuke cut in, giving me a glance as he stepped passed me.

"Uzumaki," Kabuto mumbled to himself, looking up at me as he found the card, "Genin and...no genin team. That's odd, I normally have the cards filled out properly," He cleared his throat and continued, "87 completed missions amongst different genin teams. 61 D-ranks, 15 C-ranks, and 1 A-rank. The A-rank involved Momochi Zabuza being encountered. That must have been scary." He looked at me with what I assumed was an attempt to be sympathetic sounding.

The C-ranks had mostly been either clearing out bandits with Team 7 and 10, or a few that involved me making some complex seals for ANBU units about to go on mission. The ranking was C-rank because of the hazard pay from making dangerous seals.

"Anything about any specific teams?" I asked with a suspicious look, "Like who to avoid?"

Kabuto shook his head.

"I haven't got that kind of detail, but I know that this new village, Otogakure, sent a team of their's. They're a new village, so they probably aren't that dangerous though."

I realized why Kabuto said that when I sensed the three Oto nin jump into action. Kabuto wanted our trust in him cemented. Being attacked had a funny way of making you think someone wasn't dangerous.

"We'll show you who's weak, tree hugger." Dosu laughed, jumping up and over a desk with his teammates flanking him.

Not wanting to be caught by the sound attack, I jumped up and kicked away from Kabuto, using his chest as a springboard.

I heard him make a surprised 'oof' sound from my whole body weight being pressed against him as I jumped away, twisting in midair as I did so. I grabbed a kunai from my holster and flung it at Dosu before I even hit the ground, aiming at his gauntlet.

The force of my kunai hitting the gauntlet, the clang of metal on metal ringing across the room, redirected his aim towards where Kabuto staggered back from me 'accidently' kicking him, preventing anyone else getting caught by the sound.

The moment my feet hit the ground, I pulsed chakra into my brain to speed it up, Shunshining at where they were positioned to land.

None of them had time to realize where I was from how fast and accurate my jutsu was.

The two wingmen got a kick to the sides of their heads from me doing a split kick, while Dosu got a punch to the back of his leg, causing him to stagger.

I grabbed ahold of his shirt while he was stunned and unbalanced, lifted him over my head, and smashed him into the ground with raw strength.

I grabbed the kunai I flung from the ground and pressed it to his throat, his one visible eye wide in shock.

"You get invited to participate in a Chunin exams hosted by Konoha," I growled, Killing Intent leaking into my voice, "And you attack a Konoha Shinobi because he said one sentence. Did you think us weak?!" I shouted, yanking on his collar to pull our faces closer, "Attacking a Konoha nin in the heart of our village should warrant me breaking you like a twig!"

I then pulled him up forcefully and eyed the two groaning Oto nin who got their bell rung by the twin kicks to the head.

"There's a reason us tree huggers have emerged the victor in every Shinobi War!" I snarled at the entire gathering of genin in the room in challenge, "You send one of ours to the hospital," I glanced towards Kabuto's shaking form from vomiting the last several seconds, "And we'll send you to the morgue." I finished dangerously, throwing Dosu towards his teammates.

"Get the fuck away from me before I make sure an Iryo-nin won't be able to I.D. your corpses." I commanded, my Killing Intent not dropping a bit.

The three scrambled away and went back to their seats, not looking back.

I gave the rest of the room, not counting my friends, a sweeping look of contempt, turning to go help Kabuto.

"Sorry for kicking you, man," I helped him to his feet, hiding the grin that wanted to break out on my face, "I just reacted."

"It's fine." He managed to cough out, his face still tinged green.

I managed to fight the urge to turn around preemptively when I felt several chakra signatures coming down the hallway at a fast pace, one of them already sitting back in the hallway throughout the interaction. I didn't want anybody that wasn't close to me knowing I was a sensor.

Ibiki pushed the door open, standing all menacingly in his trench coat and bandana.

"The hell are you brats doing?" He demanded, looking at me, "You. Why did you attack a foreign team?"

"They attacked first," I shrugged like that was the only explanation needed, "You answer an attack with one of your own."

Ibiki shook his head and moved to the front of the room.

"Just sit down," He looked at all of us, "And don't do it again."

We understood the cue to move along and went to different seats, me making a beeline towards a certain chakra signature that stood out almost as much as her hair, hair that almost matched mine.

I grinned as I was given a wide berth by all the Genin, my little display obviously not being taken lightly. Killing Intent of that level from a 13 year was something to be wary of.

I got to an open seat next to Karin, giving her a reassuring look when she eyed me with no small level of anxiety from what happened just a minute ago.

"Hi," I smiled politely, "I'm Naruto." I offered my hand in greeting.

Karin looked at the offered hand for a long moment, before taking it and shaking it.

"Uzumaki Karin." She mumbled, avoiding my eyes.

I tightened my grip on her hand, causing her to flinch.

"Sorry." I said, adding false uncertainness to my voice, "I didn't mean to do that."

Karin went back to listening to Ibiki give his little intimidation speech, which I missed most of it.

Several Chunin and other Shinobi were selected as lookouts for cheaters, sitting down in different chairs as we had our tests handed out.

I looked down at my paper as it was set on my desk, looking at it with annoyance. I could answer most of the questions without too much issue, but it was still tedious and a pain in the ass to do.

I heard Ibiki shout 'Begin', and I began writing down a few answers to look convincingly inconspicuous.

After about 30 or so minutes, I heard the crackling sound of the loudspeaker break the silence aside from the scratching of pencils.

"-some bad shit, man." A deep voice said through the speaker, sounding assured.

Everyone's head perked up and tried to find where the source was, especially Ibiki.

"Who the hell is doing that?" He demanded, looking around the room.

What was said next had me almost face palming at what the hell my clones decided to talk about as a distraction.

"Them Hyuga girls sure are hot, man."

I could feel the embarrassment coming from Hinata, her back facing me from several desks ahead.

I heard a couple snickers at that, mostly guys.

"But, you see," another voice replied, "The trick is being able to tell the difference between the guys and women. I've asked out more than one Hyuga guy cause he looked like a chick."

And just like that, I felt Killing Intent coming from Neji, who was gripping his pencil tightly and his Byakugan was active.

I managed to stop from laughing, but my face still broke out into a grin.

"You just hate the Hyuga because of what that one bitch did." Voice One said, sounding exasperated.

"What's this have to do with us being in the break room for the Jonin and you 'educating' me on ANBU stuff?" A much younger voice asked confusedly.

What the hell are they doing?! I thought frantically, not knowing where the hell it was going.

"As an ANBU of Konoha," the first voice explained, "Missions can be hard. You need to know how to relieve some stress.""

"And telling me which clans produce the hottest women will help with that?" The younger voice asked, sounding unconvinced.

I coughed into my hand to stifle the sound of me laughing, more than one guy laughing openly. Even a few of the proctors were snickering at the circumstance.

Ibiki was going ape shit at not being able to find the source and flung a kunai at some random genin, hitting right next to his hand.

"Caught cheating!" He shouted, signaling a proctor to escort the team out.

"Hotness don't matter. Look at the Akamichi." The second voice remarked, probably grinning, "They make up for anything in the looks department with technique."

I decided I was going to think of the Hyuga hater as 2, the sagely one as 1, and the youth as 3.

"Technique?" 3 asked, snickering from 2 being heard.

"They'll suck you off like it's a damn chicken wing." Was the answer.

I put both hands over my mouth and started laughing my ass off, muffling it as best I could. Choji was undoubtedly horrified, and half the room was laughing louder than I was.

At this rate, only a couple people were going to be caught cheating because the proctors were trying to look professional and failing spectacularly.

"I think I'd prefer a nice Hyuga girl." 3 said eventually, 2 scoffing.

"That's cause your one of them pussies that'll hit it missionary and not be a little adventurous. You want to look at those pretty eyes, don't you, amateur?"

I'm going to kill those clones, I swear. I gripped the desk to not fall out of my seat. I wasn't going to survive the next half hour, let alone everything ahead.

"Leave the kid alone," 1 remarked, sounding like the oldest, "He likes Hyuga girls, nothing wrong with that."

"Why don't you like them?" 3 asked 2 curiously.

"Because I had a bad experience with one." 2 grumbled.

"Tell him the details." 1 chuckled, goading the other.

"This was back like ten years ago, I had myself a girlfriend and one of my buddies said 'Hey man, I keep seeing this buff looking dude coming over to your place when you're on patrol. I think your girl's cheating on you'."

I want to die. I thought, realizing this was a bad idea.

"Wasn't he some kind of Jonin or something?" 1 asked.

"No, he was a fuckin ANBU. That's why I joined the ANBU a couple years later. They were getting allllll kinds of action." 2 dragged the word 'all' for effect.

"So I get back to my place and see this big, buff, motherfucker banging this girl... in my damn bed." 2 said irritably, his voice raised, "And the crazy thing about it, his ass was going halfway up to the ceiling...and he still wasn't out of this bitch."

I gave up and threw my head back and laughed, half the proctors laughing just as loud.

"I felt so worthless after that, man. I felt so inadequate." 2 said, groaning under his breath.

"But you know what you forgot," 1 pointed out, "You forgot she had her hands on them ass cheeks, squeezing. Wanting some more pressure."

It didn't end.

"But you know what he had on you. He had about 4 or 5 years on you-"

"Yeah and about 20 inches of dick, bitch." 2 snarked.

I fell out of my chair.

I couldn't hear myself from how deafening the echo was, the uproar was that loud.

Ibiki kicked out another couple of teams, saying it was for cheating. But I doubted it was anything other than him being pissed at not finding who the hell was broadcasting this.

The bit ended when 1 jumped in again.

"Is that thing on?" He asked suddenly, fiddling with something, "Son of a bitch, it is. Quick how do I shut it off?"

"Is that being broadcast to-" 3 asked, being interrupted by 2.

"The damn exams," He exclaimed, "The Hokage will have our asses for this."

A few seconds passed with the three trying to fix it.

"Quick, someone's coming." 3 said in a hushed tone.

"Just leave it on, they won't know who we are." 1 said, the sound of the three of them leaving out of one door and another opening a second later.

"You hear something?" I heard Kakashi's voice, making me start shaking.

My own genius frightens me at times.

"You're just hearing things." Asuma's voice said, the sound of him sitting down audible.

This was going to go down in history as a memorable one, even more so than before.

"I heard a little rumour about you and a certain purple haired lady from Kurenai." Asuma continued, Team 10's chakra shifting at that.

"And what rumour is that?" Kakashi asked lazily, the voice indiscernible from the actual Kakashi.

"Come on, Kakashi, you know how Anko and Kurenai are close to each other. Anko bragged to Kurenai how she quote, 'got her world rocked'." Asuma replied with a flat tone.

None of the rookie genin were laughing. They were all horrified at what two of the men that trained them were talking about.

Realizing I had an opening, I opened a seal discreetly and pulled out a piece of paper. I wrote down a message with the pencil and balled up the paper, tossing it towards Karin when I noticed nobody looking.

I looked at Karin, not breaking eye contact.

She looked away and opened up the paper, her eyes widening in shock and her entire body shaking.

The message read: I'm an Uzumaki too. I have a sister. You're not alone.

She started to tear up, turning and focusing on my hair. She furrowed her brow like she was concentrating, a faraway look in her eyes.

She's probably sensing my chakra. I realized, seeing her face light up.

I was pulled from my thoughts by my overly imaginative clones going on with something that was going to get Kakashi and Asuma killed by their respective women.

"Anko is better." Kakashi said flatly, the sound of a page turning being heard.

"Bigger tits aren't the be all end all, Kakashi." Asuma replied irritably, "My dad gave me some timeless advice. You wanna know what that is?"

Everyone went quiet in curiousity from wanting to know what The Professor had for an input in this particular subject, even the proctors set down their clipboards.

"What did the Sandaime give you help on?" Kakashi asked like he were talking to a small child, "Did he need to tell you where to put it?"

That was when I realized what 'Asuma' was going to say. This conversation was something I'd had years ago, back before I died.

"Funny, but no. He said anything more than a mouthful is a waste."

Cue another uproar of laughter, Ibiki giving up on trying to control his subordinates.

But it wasn't over.

"She's much better than Kurenai for two things," Kakashi scoffed, "that aren't attached to her chest."

My breathing was coming in rapid inhales from trying to not pass out. Anko was going to undoubtedly kill Kakashi. The shit I said to screw with Kakashi was going to be heard by everyone.

Kakashi's voice rang out across the room like the crack of a whip.

"Summoners sometimes adopt a couple traits from their summons," a perverted tone leaked into his voice, a slight giggle at the end, "Snakes are extremely flexible." The last part was what ended me.

"And they also have no gag reflex."

I heard Rin scream 'Gross' right before I started cackling, the Konoha rookies I could see having several different expressions.

Hinata's head was buried into her hands, likely embarrassed at her Sensei saying that, Shikamaru was snickering but had the presence of mind to keep his composure, Ino looked scandalized, and Sasuke was shaking his head in shock.

The Killing Intent coming from almost all the kunoichi in the room, Rin the most, let me know my mission was a success.

"What's that in the corner?" Asuma asked, picking something up.

"That's an ANBU radio." Kakashi answered, a gasp from the voice a few seconds later. "It's on. Shit."

The radio shut off and the torture ended.

There was only about 10 minutes left to the exam and there were several more teams than I expected at this point. Probably from the spectacle putting people at ease.

I counted down until the time was about up, Ibiki shouting to get our attention.

"Time's up! Put your pencils down." He instructed, stepping forward within a few feet of the front row, "Most of you will have noticed that there is a missing question."

Indeed, a question was absent.

"If you get this answer correct, you pass the written exam." Ibiki announced, several people perking up at that, "But, there's a catch. If you get it wrong, you'll be barred from ever becoming a Chunin."

Several people started yelling at that.

"That's bullshit," A Taki nin shouted, "You can't do that!"

"Your villages gave me the power to do it," Ibiki lied without hesitation, no surprise there, "You don't have to stay here and try to answer the question. The door is right there." He gestured towards the exit, "If you have doubts on getting it correct, then you can try again in six months."

Several no name genin left at that part.

"If one of your teammates leave," He added, "The entire team is disqualified."

How fortunate I don't have a team.

I kept my eye out for anyone from the rookies were looking to quit, but I still saw too many people in here still. The forest was turned into a warzone with all the traps and explosives set up. The only people tagged with masking seals were the Sand siblings, from when I discreetly planted the tags on them when I treated them to ice cream, and the rookie Genin from my clones talking with them last night about avoiding Gaara.

I turned to Karin and prayed that her chakra wouldn't trigger the traps. I'll send a clone and have it follow her to make sure she was safe.

Deciding I didn't want to kill an unnecessary amount of people, I stood up from my seat.

All my friends looked shocked that I, Uzumaki fucking Naruto, looked to be giving up.

I looked around the room and spiked my Killing Intent.

"Go on and leave. That's the only way I'm not going to rip your limbs off." I snarled, my intent filling up the room in a foul presence.

Several more left the room, whittling them down some more.

Pleased with the result, I sat back down like nothing happened.

Eventually, no one else was leaving. Thankfully no one from my group looked uncertain about continuing on.

After a couple minutes of no one leaving, Ibiki shrugged his shoulders.

"Everyone in here passes."

The collective mutters of shock had him continuing.

"You have no business being a Chunin if you're either too stupid to gather information, hence the test," I commented on the papers, "Or if you're too frightened to take the leap and risk it." He then removed his bandana, lowering his head.

The looks and gasps of horror didn't do it justice. That had to have been some of the most horrific moments imaginable. The skin was almost all scar tissue that was pockmarked from not healing well. Hell, I think a chunk of his skull might have been missing, it looked that bad.

"Good information is important, but getting it without getting caught is just as important." He put the bandana back on after he got his point across.

"Now, the proctor of the next part should be hear in-" He was interrupted by said proctor jumping in from a window, a banner being thrown before she appeared.

A couple of kunai nailed the banner to the ceiling as it unfurled, revealing a message.

"Seconds tests proctor: The unbelievably sexy Mitarashi Anko."

Anko stood in front of us with a look of enjoyment.

"Heads up, gakis, don't be celebrating just yet," Anko fist pumped, a predatory smirk on her face, "You've still got test number two with me, Mitarashi Anko." She held up two fingers and struck a pose.

Everyone was silent, several noticing her name, purple hair, and bust size.

"Tough crowd." She shrugged, looking a bit put out.

"Hey, Ibiki," She shouted to the man hidden behind the banner, "There's a bunch of gakis here. I think you're losing your touch."

"They're a little tougher than most years," He grumbled, "And they would have been leaving in droves if they didn't hear Hatake regaling Sarutobi with your escapades."

One unbelievably stupid Taki nin decided to shout what several guys were thinking, but were smart enough to not say shit.

"No gag reflex!" He shouted, cupping his hands over his mouth.

Anko's eyes widened impossibly large, her face turning red. I couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment, anger, or both because she was radiating Killing Intent like you couldn't imagine.

The fact that she reacted this way meant my joke to Kakashi from over a year ago was truer than I thought.

I'm sorry, Kakashi. I thought guiltily, It was for the greater good. I will name my firstborn Kakashi in honour of you.

Anko flung a senbon at the Taki idiot, the thin projectile going at a fast velocity. It embedded itself in his hand, causing him to yelp in pain.

Given that it was Anko, I didn't doubt that it was laced with poison.

I recognized the symptoms seconds later when he keeled over and started spasming.

"Great, now the whole room is gonna stink like shit." I said loudly, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"Just follow me." She growled, stomping out of the room.

I leaned towards Karin and whispered into her ear.

"Be careful," I whispered, "Find me after the test."

I then got up and followed the others where Anko had left.

---

Anko was several yards in front of me, but I could still hear her muttering under her breath, the promise of murder in her voice.

Kakashi was fucked. And he was going to kick my ass when he found out his girlfriend was worked up and pissed because of me.

We got to the edge of the Forest of Death and Anko turned to face all of us.

"I'm not in the mood for you bellyaching," She bit out, grabbing a stack of papers from a storage scroll. "These are wavers, acknowledging Konoha is not responsible for any loss of equipment, limbs, or life. Sign it if you want to continue."

"That just sounds like a regular Tuesday to me." I shrugged, stepping forward and grabbing a waver.

"Do we need to use blood?" I asked, "Selling your soul normally warrants that."

Anko scoffed at me. "Don't scare the gakis. They'll piss themselves." She then went towards the other genin and began handing out wavers.

After they signed and returned the wavers, Anko started grinning.

"I probably should have told you this training ground is called 'The Forest of Death'." She giggled, looking slightly deranged.

"The objective is to get to the tower with a heaven," She held up a scroll, before tossing it to me, "And an Earth scroll." She grabbed another one, tossing it to the Taki team with the idiot.

"Anything goes for getting another scroll," She laughed, eying everybody sinisterly, "Anything. Killing is permitted."

Several genin looked worried at that realization, but Anko didn't give a shit.

"Now go over there and get a scroll." She instructed towards everyone else towards two more assistants several meters away, "And you'll get disqualified if you open them."

"Why'd you reveal what the hell I had?" I demanded, holding up my scroll. That was bullshit that they knew what scroll I had right off the bat.

"Like anybody would have the balls to fight you for a scroll." She deadpanned, grinning as she flung a kunai at me. She didn't wait until it hit me before she Shunshined behind me.

I caught it between my index and middle finger, the kunai being flung slower than normal on purpose.

She was behind me and grabbed the kunai from my hand, pressing her body up against my back.

"I taught you well." She whispered in my ear, licking the side of my face.

I shivered involuntarily at the act, knowing she did it because it made me uncomfortable.

"Good luck, gaki." She said affectionately, patting my cheek.

Before she could back away, I grabbed her hand to prevent her from moving away. At her look of confusion, I let her know a couple things.

"The red haired Kusa kunoichi is an Uzumaki," I whispered, seeing her eyes widen, "And the tall Kusa one with black hair feels dangerous. As in Kakashi dangerous." Kakashi was able to hide his chakra better than most Shinobi with his reserves. It wouldn't be realistic for a snake like Orochimaru to slip up and not conceal his chakra. Saying something was off was all I could do.

I'll enjoy seeing you get steel rammed up your ass, traitor. I thought, focusing on his chakra.

Anko, deciding to not arouse suspicion, pushed me away and lightly slapped my balls, enough to make me whimper.

"Pervert," She growled, her eyes alight with malice, "Trying to feel me up?" She sauntered away, flashing me a look of understanding.

I groaned at her choice of a cover-up, hating that it was the most 'in character' choice she could do at the spur of the moment.

Everyone got their scrolls and were directed to different areas to enter the forest, the realization of everything culminating into this event hitting me with enough force to make my breath faint.

"Our Father, who art in Heaven," I whispered to myself, trying to grasp at anything to keep my fear in check.

I heard Anko count down, the words striking me harder than any blow I've ever felt.

I clenched my fist and tensed my legs, molding chakra into my legs.

My fear was now replaced with fury.

Orochimaru tried to kill innocent people by having me attacked. He would take the closest thing I had to a grandfather from me, he would mark Sasuke and send him down the path of ruin. He experimented on men, women, and children because he couldn't let go of his fear of death.

Death is but another path. One that we all must take.

I heard the number two vaguely, paying no mind to it.

Orochimaru feared what I had already faced. What I had felt.

Orochimaru will die. Whether it be here, the Crush, or years from now. Nothing will stop me from mounting his head on a stake and sending the Akatsuki screaming into hell alongside him.

And yet, the menace of years. I repeated in my mind, words said in a forgotten world, by a forgotten man, Finds, and shall find me. Unafraid.

One.

What say you, serpent?

I shot forward into the forest, avoiding the trees with ease as I Shunshined with the aid of the Raikages' greatest jutsu.

---

'Unknown' POV:

The infiltration of the exams was an exhilarating feeling, something that had his blood flowing in anticipation of the hunt that he hadn't felt in years.

Uzumaki was such a delicious specimen to see in action. He showed no fear in front of a room of older, potentially hostile genin, using intimidation and fear to his advantage to take attention away from his fellow rookie Shinobi.

Such raw fury wasn't something he'd felt in a young genin in years, a certain black haired prodigy came to mind when he thought of it.

Itachi may have taken the exams alone at a younger age, but Sarutobi must have a reason to put such faith in Uzumaki to do the same, taking them alone without a team.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard an explosion to his right, the sound of it hinting at an exploding tag.

Oddly, it didn't have any follow-up sounds indicating an ambush. No clashing of steel. No jutsu.

He realized something was off when he heard a pop and a rock shot from the ground, two tags on it from him glimpsing at it. One tag was at the bottom of the rock and looked spent, possibly being a way to lift the rock up.

He avoided the second top tag exploding with a Kawarimi, the replacement log being torn to sheds by the explosion.

Traps. He thought to himself, his senses alert.

More explosions were heard by him, and again, with no following sounds of fighting.

Someone laced the forest with traps. He thought to himself, wondering who would have had the time to do it, and why.

That type of trick involving spreading the reach of shrapnel in the explosion was seen in another booby-trapped place he'd been to. The thought of this being even remotely similar wasn't pleasant.

He cautiously moved to try and find Uzumaki, for he had two chosen prey on this day.

---

Ino used the sensing ability she had and felt another genin team near them, ones that she didn't recognize.

"Shika," She whispered, the three of them concealed in the brush on the ground, "100 yards ahead. They're just walking."

Shikamaru was the planner of their team, so he took the lead in this situation.

It had already been over a few hours since they had been in the forest, the only sound being the extremely dangerous wildlife and explosions from all around the forest.

Shikamaru's expression was tense in thought, his eyes closed.

"Ino," he opened them, fixing her with a serious look, "How good is your water jutsu?"

Naruto had given her advice on working with water release, her father personally teaching her some after she saw how skilled Naruto was with it in Nami.

She'd managed to be confident enough in a C-rank water jutsu to use it in an ambush. But she didn't expect it to be as large as Naruto's. He had massive chakra reserves.

"I can use it in an ambush as an opening attack." She replied, Shikamaru nodding.

"Good," He looked to Choji, "You'll be attacking the one that isn't bound by me." He looked back to her, "You'll be in the trees above, they won't expect an attack like that from the trees." He then stood up and started stalking towards where the other team was.

They got to within attacking range, Shikamaru signaling for her to go to the tree.

"The one on the right," He whispered, the Suna team that thankfully wasn't the one with the Jinchuriki on it was their target, "I'll hit the center one and you'll engage the left one, Choji."

Shikamaru then signaled for them to get in position.

Ino creeped towards the tree that was the best one for an ambush and stuck her feet to it using chakra, climbing up quietly.

She got onto a higher branch and made sure she was sticking to it properly, crouched down to be a smaller target.

She kept her eye on her target, trusting Shikamaru to know when to signal.

Her hands were already up in preparation when Shikamaru whistled.

She made a few hand seals to stabilize it, just as her father advised. She felt water chakra pool in her stomach and leaned back and opened her mouth, blasting a jet of water out of her mouth.

Suiton: Teppodama.

The compressed ball was on point and struck its intended target, lifting him off his feet and sending him skidding into a tree, knocked unconscious.

His two comrades pulled kunai, but Ino saw Shikamaru's shadow dart forward and grab ahold of one before they realized what it was.

She glanced for a split second towards Shikamaru, whose teeth were gritted as he stretched his shadow to the edge of its range.

She saw the targets arm move involuntarily and flung his kunai at his own teammate, the last one barely throwing up his arm to stop it from hitting his chest.

The kunai still got lodged in his arm and he screamed in pain, his cries going quiet when Choji rushed forward and drove an expanded fist into his head, knocking him out, followed by him punching the immobilized one as well.

All in all, the whole exchange lasted 5 seconds from the moment she used her jutsu.

She understood now why Anko had beaten them black and blue on being covert, having to sneak up on her and get within a certain range of her.

None of them were injured, because they were quiet and Shikamaru used his wits to think of a plan.

Shikamaru whistled again and signaled for her to stay up there on overwatch as he went over to Choji.

Choji went to reach for the scroll, but Shikamaru waved his arms to stop him.

"Check if they put poison on it." Shikamaru said, "Suna nin are known for using poison sometimes."

Choji eyed the bag with concern, backing away.

Shikamaru made a rat hand seal and used his shadow to open the bag, nothing happening when he pulled it out.

"Damnit," He flung the scroll to his hands with his shadow, pocketing the scroll, "It's another heaven scroll."

Ino scowled at having two of a kind, but hoped one of the other teams might have one and was willing to trade.

She pressed out her sensing some more and thought she caught a flash of something. It almost felt like Naruto.

She pressed harder, but didn't feel it anymore.

Shrugging, she walked down from the tree and hopped to the ground when she was a few feet away.

"Kami, it's hot," She wiped her brow, sweat beginning to build up, "I'm already sweating."

Shikamaru scoffed and gestured to himself, sweat visibly dripping down his face. "Nothing gets you hot under the collar like hunting people down." He muttered.

"That sounds like Naruto." Ino frowned, certain she'd hear that from the red haired boy and not her teammate.

"That's because he told me that before." Shikamaru deadpanned, looking around, "Now c'mon, we need to get moving."

They left the Suna nin where they lay, the three already beginning to stir.

---

Rin had to pee, aggravated that it had to be now of all times.

They'd cleared through a random team that tried to ambush them with a practiced ease, the three being hogtied and a couple chakra suppression tags on them courtesy of her deft touch.

But she started shifting around uncomfortably, groaning slightly.

"Yes, Ms. Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked amusedly, "Do you have something to share with the class?"

She gave him a withering look and bared her teeth to get the message across.

Sasuke looked ridiculous, the heat of the day and humidity making his hair clump and stick to his face. But he still had that little grin on his face that was more insufferable than Naruto.

"I have to pee." She said simply, pulling her hair back to stop it from falling into her face.

The stupid team that ambushed them caused her to lose her scrunchy, making her hair stick in every direction in a spiky mess.

Why couldn't I have kaasan's hair? She grumbled, Naruto's hair looks prettier.

She wouldn't say that to Naruto's face, actually, yeah, she would.

"Just go pee in a bush." Sasuke sighed, the three of them stopping.

"Turn around." She twirled her hand to signal him to look away.

Sasuke scowled at her. "Just go into the deep brush and pee." He said irritably, "Quit wasting time."

"I don't know how good your beedy little eyes are at seeing through things." She snarked, heading towards the brush, "I'll tell you my pet name for you when I get back so you know I'm not an imposter."

Sasuke scoffed and gave a parting shot.

"I'll be awaiting your return, Rin-chan." He said her name with a tone she never heard before.

She flipped him off and kept walking into a collection of bushes, scowling at how he said her name. Not even Naruto used that tone, so Sasuke was just doing it to mess with her.

She got to a nice, secluded area and made several Kage bunshin to act as cover, letting her be free to do her business.

The snap of a twig had her spinning around and throwing a kunai right as she was done.

The kunai was covered in wind chakra and tore through the air with a high pitched whistle.

The target was an Ame nin, judging by his breathing mask.

Rin growled and shot towards him, striking at his face with a punch.

He leaned back and pushed her hand away, her fist driving into the tree next to them, taking a chunk of bark off.

The roundhouse kick he retaliated with was ducked by her and she ducked her shoulder, driving it into his ribs. He staggered back and several of her punches made contact with his ribs, a kunai she slipped into her hand finding its way into his shoulder.

He shouted in pain and tried to lash out with a haymaker with his good arm, but she blocked it with her left forearm and drove her right fist into his face, his mask breaking with an audible hiss.

He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, his eyes rolling back.

She could hear the sound of fighting coming from where Sasuke and Hinata were at, making her realize they had been stalking them.

Slapping a seal on his neck, she pulled out her tanto and ran towards the sound of fighting, making several more bunshin in case another team was going to 'third party' them, as Naruto described it.

She skidded to a halt when she saw Hinata standing above someone who had just fallen over, her eyes active and her left sleeve slightly torn.

"Where's Sasuke?!" Rin shouted, flinching when Hinata glared at her.

She didn't expect Hinata to push her hand out and send a Vacuum Palm at her. Rin didn't avoid all of it and got knocked off her feet, getting blown back several feet.

"The hell 'Nata?" Rin shouted, glaring at her friend.

"What is my favourite food?" The Hyuga girl demanded, her eyes narrowed and fingers glowing blue with chakra.

Rin's eyes widened in realization. "Cinnamon rolls." She pointed at her tanto as a reference to it actually being her.

Hinata relaxed visibly and lowered her hands.

"Sasuke is over there," Hinata gestured towards a small clearing, "They had a trap set up and he sprung it to surprise them." Hinata explained.

Rin rushed over there, jumping over a bush. She got there and saw Sasuke was fine, cleaning what looked to be blood off his blue shirt.

His head jerked up suddenly and he flung the kunai in his hand at her head.

She swung her tanto at it and shattered the steel knife by pulsing wind chakra into her blade.

"The fuck, Uke?!" Rin growled, "You trying to kill me?"

"I got ambushed by a girl that looked like you." His eyes flashed red, the blood staining his shirt being ignored, "She called me Sasuke-kun."

"You're an Uke." She snapped, raising a brow when Sasuke visibly relaxed similar to how Hinata did.

"Yep, it's you." He shrugged, scowling at the blood on his clothes.

She went up to him and glanced at the Ame nin that had a kunai lodged in his chest.

"Ambush?" She asked, expecting a yes from the boy.

Sasuke nodded, removing the kunai from the obviously dead shinobi's chest.

"Spooked the hell out of us when you left and supposedly came back with a bloody arm, saying you were ambushed." He remarked, spotting Hinata join up with them.

That'll have you on edge. Rin thought, knowing if either of her two teammates came out injured, it would worry her.

"On the bright side," Sasuke continued, pulling up the scroll left by the failed ambushers, "We now have a Heaven and Earth scroll."

Rin smirked at the realization that they could be out of here by the end of the first day.

"Let's make a beeline to the tower. We can do it." Rin said excitedly, flashing her teammates a smile as she bounced on her feet.

"We need to see how far away we are," Hinata pointed out, "If it's night time sooner than we get there, it would be better for us to find somewhere to rest. You two can't see in the dark and we've already been ambushed."

Rin blinked in surprise, forgetting that Hinata's Byakugan could see the outline of things in the dark.

"Broken Dojutsu," She grumbled, mock glaring at the two, "I'm the only one without a fancy set of eyes on this team."

"Don't worry, Rin," Sasuke smirked, walking up to her and patting her cheek like she did to him constantly, "We'll guide you around as you flail around."

Rin shivered at Sasuke accidentally brushing his palm against one of her whisker marks, the spot sensitive.

"Don't touch my face." She glared at him, not liking the babying voice he was using, "And stop acting like Naruto."

"One," Sasuke winked at her, "You touched my face first when you used your lips," She caught a flash of colouring on his face, but it didn't match hers at the reminder, "And two, if you can't beat them, join them."

"I'm not dealing with you, Naruto, and Bakakashi acting like this." She grumbled, walking towards the general direction of the tower.

The three decided to try and make it, but all agreed that it was likely they'd need to hunker down for the night.

Not like anything terrible was going to happen.

---

The bum rush training I'd done with the lightning enhancement was the reason I had been able to avoid Orochimaru for the longest of time.

He was hardly more than a flicker of a shadow in my sensing view, the man's skill not lacking at all.

I made another several dozen clones, raising the number even further. Already, the number of active clones was over 200, with the rest of my chakra being kept to sustain my constant Shunshins and lightning chakra.

But eventually, I knew he would corner me. Whatever I did, it piqued his interest enough to talk with me before targeting Sasuke.

And I was terrified.

Hey, fox. I asked respectfully, feeling his chakra flicker slightly in acknowledgement.

"Nice of you to say hello." Kurama grumbled, having been left in the dark by both me and Rin.

You know how difficult it is to keep the connection open without conscious effort. I pointed out.

Neither of us could keep the connection open without effort, something that wasn't feasible in combat.

"Why do you stink of fear? Your emotions seldom stain our talks." Kurama said seriously, not in a joking mood.

If I'm correct in my observation, I said quietly, I have a Kage level Shinobi preparing to engage me.

I explained the details of Orochimaru being the one that tried to get me killed years ago, Kurama sighing at the end.

"You're not wanting me to say anything to the vixen, are you?" He said simply, not voicing it as a question he needed answered.

I'm not putting her at risk. I'm not losing her. Anko will have ANBU ready to fight him if he stays longer than a day. They were in the clear to get away.

So long as I delayed him, maybe even hurt him badly enough to kill most other Shinobi that couldn't spit out a new body.

"You are without a doubt one of the most willful humans I've ever met." He said with a wistful tone, sounding like he was remembering an old memory.

If I'm to die, I'm taking this son of a bitch with me. I said fiercely. The question is, will you lend me your chakra when the time comes?

Kurama was silent for several seconds, not answering. Eventually, he exhaled.

"Turn the meatbag into pulp. I won't impede you pulling on my chakra. Just remember this stupid seal is tight." He answered, setting my mind at ease.

I cut the connection and made my way to a small clearing, deciding the time had come to make my stand.

My clones that were running disruptions were told to attack Orochimaru if I pinged my chakra in a certain pattern for them to sense.

Which is what I did.

No lightning jutsu was to be used, only water. I needed to keep it secret until I was in a position to land a kill shot and force him to burn chakra in spitting out a new body.

I made several dozen more clones with some chakra I pulled from Kurama, hissing at the slight itch in my tenketsu, which faded a second later.

The clones were ordered to grab as many of the un-tripped explosives in the area and be prepared to unleash them on the bastard when he got here.

I growled as I started getting feedback from my clones that were now facing off against Orochimaru, the returning chakra that wasn't used was welcome though.

The snake Sannin was a whirlwind of death and destruction. The picture that my clones painted was how he was taking them on even with dozens working in tandem to try and tear him apart with water jutsu and explosives getting thrown at him or when he was herded into an area where explosives were laid.

After several minutes of the distant sound of combat trailing away and the last of my clones getting killed, I cracked my fingers one by one and felt Orochimaru's chakra close in.

The first thing I saw through the trees was that his disguise was useless from how scorched his clothes were, blood staining it, and the skin on his face was half gone, revealing what was underneath.

Long black hair, pale white skin, with a golden yellow eye alight with an emotion I couldn't decipher, combined with what looked to be a purple birthmark around his eye.

"Kukuku," Orochimaru chuckled, looking at me up and down, "My, you are impressive, Naruto-kun." His partially visible face was raised in a truly sinister smile.

"I'm sorry," I said slowly, my entire body tensed for a fight, "But you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, so is it not polite to give your own?"

Orochimaru's visible eye lit up further, his right hand raising up and peeling his disguise off.

"How rude of me," His voice had a distinct hiss to it, a smile still on his face, "You stand before Orochimaru of the Sannin, Naruto-kun."

I gave a slight bow, not taking my eyes off him for a moment.

"It is a great honour to make your acquaintance, Orochimaru-sama." I said as respectfully as possible, seeing his expression remain a deceptively happy one.

"Truly?"He tilted his head as if I were a rather dimwitted dog that pulled off a trick, "Were you not taught to tell the truth, Naruto-kun?"

"An S-rank that fought in 2 Shinobi wars and is feared across all the Elemental nations for his prowess." I stated, looking to try and see a reaction from him, "Only the best live long enough to become legends."

Orochimaru had a rather disturbing look of pride on his face.

"But what do you think of my methods?" He tilted his head amusingly, still looking relaxed like it were just a casual talk with a friend.

"The experiments, I assume are what you are referencing to," I crossed my arms, leaning on my left leg, "Criminals and prisoners are one thing, but why Konoha citizens and Shinobi?" I asked, hoping he'd monologue and buy more time for my chakra to try and replenish, "What were your motives? I'd rather hear it from you instead of speculation from talking heads that seldom saw you, let alone knew you."

Orochimaru chuckled again with his unique display of amusement.

"That is a fair number of questions," He laughed, clapping his hands and rubbing them together, "But I see you are a very inquisitive boy, much like I was so long ago. I'll answer your questions if you answer one for me afterwards."

"Depends on the question." I replied, gesturing for him to continue.

Orochimaru smirked still, but began answering the questions.

"The choice of using civilians was purely because of the absence of war. The records say that the only experiments I did during the wars were on murderers, rapists, and other such entities that are deemed filth by most of society," He scoffed as if it were something that was an irritant, "The word 'experiment' was to be scrubbed from the records. Experimenting on prisoners would have civilians and Shinobi alike clamouring to complain about it, but giving a new treatment to 'wounded' prisoners to help with their healing, to be used on our own Shinobi when perfected, was acceptable."

I saw through what he was trying to do. He wanted to chip at my supposed adoration for Hiruzen to hopefully drive me towards him. Trying to say he was following orders. But I knew this creature for what it was.

"As for my motives," Orochimaru smiled, "I wish to understand the world. I have always been a scientist at heart. And learning all of the Jutsu and secrets of the world will help me to better understand it." The passion in his words were not faked. He was being completely honest in his goals and motives behind learning all Jutsus.

You are ink on a page. You were named after a folk tale and your teammates were the heroes. Jiraiya truly is The Gallant. I thought.

"And how do your goals end in you talking to a 13 year old kid in the middle of the woods?" I asked, still on guard.

"Now, Naruto-kun," He scolded me, the way he kept saying my name disgusting me, "You were supposed to answer a question of mine before I answer another."

"If it is within reason." I reminded him.

"Yes, yes, within reason," He chuckled again, "My question, and I truly hope I have not overstepped," He lied through his teeth, "Is whether you know of your parentage. Do you know of your father and mother?"

Orochimaru knew what he was doing when wanting to manipulate someone. If I wasn't the way I was and was unaware of my parents, I'd be desperate to know them.

"Yes, I do."

"And what of your mother's clan? Her ancestors?"

Why was he interested in that? Interest in Minato and possible parallels between the two of us would make sense, not the Uzumaki clan.

"That's more than one question." I pointed out, noticing his face twitch minutely.

"I will tell you why I have blessed you with my presence if you answer." He offered.

I acted like I was weighing the pros and cons of it for several seconds, trying to drag out more time for my clones to get things set up.

"If you mean my ancestor that is a Kage killer, then yes. I know about the Uzukage." I answered, seeing his face light up.

"So you know how beautifully dangerous he was?" Orochimaru asked amusedly, "Even at such an advanced age, he caused such destruction."

The way Orochimaru was talking about him had me unsettled. It was like he knew him.

"The purpose for why I'm here, Naruto-kun," He smiled, an edge to it visible, "Is that I see such talent and it would be a tragedy if it were wasted."

"A good offer, but I'll pass." I answered, the statement confirming beyond all doubt that Orochimaru was interested in recruiting me.

"Hmnn," Orochimaru tilted his head in curiousity, "Perhaps a demonstration to show what I can truly offer if you join me?" I felt his chakra suppression disappear and the full force of his Killing Intent struck me.

I clenched my teeth and fought off the images of me choking on my own blood that started dancing in my head.

Orochimaru laughed at me fighting against his Intent.

"Impressive, you're still standing." His chakra then sharpened, "Now, show me how well you can fight."

He charged at me with a blinding speed.

I didn't even have time to draw my sword. I blocked his first punch, the kick he sent towards my ribs glanced off my armour as I pivoted to the side.

A flurry of punches and kicks were keeping me on the defensive, but his style was thankfully one that wasn't foreign to me from me seeing it with my clones.

I let a kick slip through my guard and I pulsed a small chakra blade through my two fingers and stabbed it into his calf as his foot struck and drove me back several yards. I saw his face register he'd been injured as I flew back. I managed to land on my feet, albeit with a slight stagger and cough.

Orochimaru glanced towards my hand, seeing no kunai, then to his leg.

"I didn't even see that." He chuckled, his hands up in a come hither gesture.

I used the lightning enhancement and Shunshined towards him, a kunai now in my hand.

I stabbed towards his face, his hand pushing my arm aside. I drove a kick into his chest and let his forearm stop it, using his arm to springboard off and do a back flip, flinging a kunai with an exploding tag at him in midair.

He switched with a log that got destroyed from the tag exploding.

Orochimaru didn't speak and simply rushed back towards me, our taijutsu exchange starting up again.

His strength was almost like Gai's and the flexibility of his attacks screamed who Anko learned it from.

He managed to slip a jab through my guard, hitting my chin, and drove his other fist into my face, my ears ringing from the hit.

I ducked under a follow-up kick and half formed a Rasengan to smash into his hand before he realized what it could have been aside from malformed chakra. He retracted his hand with slight surprise, the sleeve and his palm torn up.

I took advantage and began my own offensive. Several punches had him focusing on stopping them with a seriousness I could see etched on his face.

I flipped over him and swung my leg around to strike the back of his head. He managed to get his hand between his face and my foot, but I still heard him hiss at his face being hit.

I backed away to see what I'd done. Orochimaru had a bit of blood on his lip, which he spat out with a grin.

"Shall we continue?" Orochimaru asked amusedly, no longer looking relaxed like he was at the beginning.

Everything was going in slow motion for me, the little details of his posture and other things clued me into what he was potentially thinking.

His fingers were curled in like Anko when her arms were aching from several hits to them. His eyes didn't have the same jovial light in them.

So he realizes I'm not just an above average genin in taijutsu. I surmised, still confident in delaying him with taijutsu. But he'll lose interest after the next exchange, so I'll need to shift to another form, probably Kenjutsu.

I pounded my fists together and Shunshined towards him again, determined to keep delaying.

I aimed a kick at his head, being caught. I pivoted as he grabbed my leg and drove the other leg into his arm, hearing a small crack at the impact. Orochimaru let go of my leg and I somersaulted backwards as I fell to the ground, two kunai from the storage seals in my sleeve now in my hands.

Orochimaru charged at me and was moving faster than earlier. His movements would have been a blur if I hadn't trained with freaks like Maito Gai and had my brain running at several times faster than normal.

Orochimaru began to look irritated when he couldn't break my guard with straight up taijutsu as I kept avoiding his hits and almost cutting him with a counter from my kunai. He finally finally made an intentional overstep, because no way was this accidental.

His whole body leaned forward and he drove both fists into my chest, giving me an opening to slash one arm with a kunai while the other ended up hilt deep in his ribs.

The force of his punch sent me flying back into a tree, the air getting knocked from my lungs on impact.

I jumped up, coughing, but ready to still fight. Orochimaru glanced at his arm with the slash wound, then the kunai in his chest.

He pulled out the kunai lazily and lifted it up, flinging it back towards me.

I was surprised that he gave it back, almost not catching it without cutting myself.

"Thanks." I said awkwardly, putting it back up.

"You're taijutsu is impressive." Orochimaru congratulated me, "Strong, decisive, and fast enough to keep up with me and to make me pay attention. You should be proud, you have a Sannin's attention."

I sensed a 'but' coming.

"But taijutsu alone does not make a legendary Shinobi." He looked up and his jaw unhinged, a snake climbing up his throat, a sword hilt visible.

The rather nauseating display wasn't enough to make me look away. The sword of Kusanagi was a gorgeous sword, something that I'd come to appreciate ever since I got the chakra conductive sword that was strapped to my back.

Orochimaru grabbed the hilt and pulled the sword out, holding it in an unfamiliar guard.

"I have not crossed blades with an Uzumaki, whether it be a friendly duel or to the death, since I sparred with Ashina decades ago." Orochimaru chuckled, his eyes almost shining with happiness.

So Orochimaru did know Uzumaki Ashina by more than just his name. He'd met him.

"Will you do me the honour?" He asked, tilting his head to look at my sheathed blade.

I slowly reached up and grabbed the hilt, pulling out the blade.

I adopted the opening stance of my clan, left arm stretched out and my sword horizontal over my head and pointed at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru laughed with a disturbing amount of enjoyment.

"I never thought I'd see that again." He kept a smirk on his face, "Red hair, the stance, that fire in your eyes. Do not disappoint, Naruto-kun." He raised his sword and shot towards me.

I tensed and readied myself for the impact.

Our blades clashed and I was immediately on the defensive. I noticed that his attacks were moving left to right, trying to trap me in a pattern of blocking to hopefully guess instead of reacting.

Several slashes were flowing at me like water, a serpent trying to find a weakness in my defense. But I blocked, dodged, and twisted away any lethal hits, a few glancing ones getting through.

A diagonal slash to my left was caught on my hilt and redirected as I twisted my whole body as I backed up. Our blades clashed again when he stabbed at my chest, my blade again pushing up and over my head. Both of us did the exact same thing with our chests open to an attack when our swords were locked above our heads.

Both of us kicked each other with as much force as we could muster. I had the edge because my leg was shorter and I could pull it closer to my chest and I had noticeably above average strength from being an Uzumaki, training with Gai, and having a Bijuu drip feed chakra into my body since birth, stimulating my growth.

I felt his ribs break under my foot as his kick drove me into the air, my own ribs screaming their protest.

Orochimaru stayed back until I landed on my feet unsteadily.

"Well done," He congratulated me, coughing up some blood, "That actually hurt me."

"I aim to please." I gritted out, my ribs definitely bruised.

"I think I can offer some more incentive." Orochimaru charged at me again, a faint glow coming from his blade.

The sword of Kusanagi could extend at will, something that was effective if someone didn't know that.

But I did.

His attacks were stressing my defense, more than one only being stopped by my already damaged chest piece.

Another storm of slashes were barely diverted away and I felt the sword extend to try and stab through my shoulder.

Orochimaru's eyes widened when I shifted away from it and got our swords in a blade lock, my left leg lashing out in a vicious kick towards his right knee.

The wet pop of his knee dislocating was drowned out by his growl of pain and the headbutt he drove into my forehead sent me reeling.

I staggered back and didn't avoid the next extended stab from the Kusanagi, the edge opening up a massive slash in my left arm.

I swung blindly and backed away, seeing Orochimaru not move.

He wiggled his leg and I heard the crackling of bones readjusting in his knee.

The look on his face was akin to surprise as he looked at me and his sword.

"How did you predict what my blade could do?" Orochimaru asked, his eyes narrowed from thinking.

"How would you know of it?" Orochimaru stressed again, a curious lilt in his voice.

I never want to hear that tone in his voice again. I thought, smiling at the snake Sannin.

"Your Sensei loves to tell stories of the past," I explained, my face twitching at the cut trying to heal shut, "The one where you got cratered by Senju Tsunade when you were twelve was hilarious to listen to."

Orochimaru didn't react outside of a slight narrowing of his eyes.

"My former teammate always was impulsive." Orochimaru said with a nod of acknowledgement.

So, it's possible I can unsettle Orochimaru enough to get him to overreach. How much you want to bet I can work him up by saying I had a look at the forbidden scroll with Hiruzen's permission while he's hovering over my shoulder?

"The old man told me about the little trick with the Kusanagi when he was in a nostalgic mood," I clarified with a smile, "I think I remind him of his Sensei."

Orochimaru chuckled at that proclamation.

"You have a long way to go before you can reach the level of Senju Tobirama."

"That long?" I asked in challenge, sword back up, "His notes' legibility will be the only thing that delays me!" I shouted, knowing this was going to anger him, but I needed him focused on me.

Orochimaru's body stilled, his eyes widening.

He obviously had seen the notes by the Nidaime and knew how they weren't the most organized timewise.

"How do you know that?" He snapped, all pretenses of friendliness absent. His chakra was like a sheet of ice, some Leviathan shifting under the surface in anticipation to be unleashed.

This was the S-rank criminal named Orochimaru. The fight, as of now, had been an appetizer. This was now going to be a destructive one.

"The Sandaime gave me his notes," I grinned viciously, "And I've seen the forbidden scroll."

Orochimaru's grip on his blade tightened, the beast lurking closer to the ice.

"He had his hand on my shoulder and said how proud he was of me when I refused to listen to your servant, Mizuki, in giving him the scroll," I smiled, matching the tightening of my grip on my blade, pinging my chakra to signal the clones that were now all here, "I saw all the Jutsu I could ever need. Hiraishin, Shiki fujin, Edo Tensei." I kept grinning.

"He trusts me, a 13 year old, more than he trusted his own student. I don't know if he distrusted you yourself, or had so little faith in his own teaching ability, that he thought he couldn't trust you."

Orochimaru's expression was one that very few could probably boast having seen and living to tell the tale.

I angered him, no, enraged him.

"I will have you as my student, Naruto," He dropped the kun suffix, "And pain is the greatest teacher." He blurred through hand seals and his chest expanded beyond all biological laws of the human anatomy.

Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique).

Orochimaru and most of my front vision was drowned out by the massive ball of fire he expelled from his mouth.

I Shunshined to the right and out of the way of it, but still felt my clothes get scorched from the heat.

I didn't stop my Shunshin and dashed towards Orochimaru, sliding under his horizontal swing and pulsed a chakra blade into my off hand to push his blade up and swung my actual sword at my eye level, taking his arm off at the elbow.

He roared in fury and pain, kicking me away.

I spun with the momentum in the air, made a hand seal, and dumped a massive amount of chakra into my gut.

Suiton: Teppodama.

The blast of water wasn't avoided by him fast enough and it cratered the spot he was in.

"Now, clones!" I shouted in English, racing away from the obviously pissed Sannin the moment my feet touched the ground. I wasn't hedging my bet on him being killed by that Jutsu.

Orochimaru, soaking wet and still missing his arm, climbed out of the crater and tried to charge at me, but my clones came to the rescue, close to a dozen of them using a hit and run Shunshin tactic that I thought of when fighting Kakashi.

Kakashi could predict and counter the trajectory of me or a Kage bunshin attacking him while moving fast, such as when a Shunshin was used.

But he struggled with me or Rin using several clones in sync doing it.

Orochimaru had better reflexes, but he didn't have his dominant arm or his sword, the blade still in the grip of his severed arm several meters away.

My clones took casualties, but Orochimaru was getting cut up and bruised pretty badly from it.

I didn't sit by and watch, though. I broke open the storage seals with water, letting it all come out and blurred through over a dozen hand seals, the standing water being needed by me.

Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Dragon Bullet Technique).

A massive water dragon formed from the water and shot towards Orochimaru, several trees getting ripped apart from the backlash.

My clones let themselves stay in the line of fire to hold up Orochimaru from trying to escape it as it careened towards them.

I saw Orochimaru drive his fist into one of the clones and his eyes widened when he saw what was coming at him.

He disappeared into the mouth of the dragon, the Jutsu exploding in a blast of water raining down across the area.

I made another 2 clones and had them cover my back.

"Keep position around us!" I barked to the other clones still circling the area in the trees.

I could count only about 25 or 30 of them. I needed all the chakra I could spare to keep the lightning enhancement constantly active and enough to open a Gate if I needed to. I didn't want to test what happens if I force open a Gate with Kurama's chakra.

"I know you're alive, fucker!" I shouted, seeing the water dragon had disappeared, leaving the area drenched in standing water.

The shredded carcass that was Orochimaru spasmed and a new, unblemished one crawled out, standing up and staring at me with hatred.

"You are not a genin." He hissed, his eyes almost glowing with anger, "This many bunshin, the seamless transition in attacks, the Jutsu. I know of only one personally that was better."

I knew who he was referencing.

"But not even Uchiha Itachi has as much chakra as you to use such reckless amounts of Kage bunshin." He hissed, stretching his hand out.

I saw his sword, with the arm still having a death grip on it, fly though the air and back towards him. He caught the arm and pried his sword from his grip, not taking his eyes off me.

"You have a rare Bloodline ability, Uzumaki." He purred my name affectionately, the bite in his voice still there.

No way did he miss how I took his arm clean off.

"I truly wish Ashina could see me break his descendant, just as his village was shattered."

I couldn't understand why that infuriated me, but it did.

Ashina, everytime I thought of how and why he died, reminded me of Hiruzen, the images of him dying and sealing his soul dancing in my head.

"I killed you once," I pointed my sword at the empty husk that he crawled out of, "And I will do it again and again, until your just as dead my clan's village." I spat, Kurama's chakra having already healed all my bruises in seconds.

"Kukuku, such fire." Orochimaru chuckled, biting his thumb and pressed his hand into the earth, several symbols appearing on the ground.

Shit.

With a puff of smoke, a massive snake appeared, hissing in challenge.

"Fuck me." I muttered, needing to rework a new plan because of this.

Orochimaru and the snake were about 50 meters away, not alot of room for what I wanted.

"You control the mist," I whispered to the clone to my left, "And you make the Mizu bunshin." I whispered to the other clone.

The two clones Shunshined into the trees, Orochimaru chuckling at that.

"How do expect to fight a summon, Naruto-kun?" He chuckled, commanding the snake to attack.

As the snake got closer, I made a decision.

"Ragnarok!" I shouted as a signal, knowing I'd need to use the surprise I'd planned on getting another kill shot on Orochimaru with.

The clones designated for that task listened to the command and an absolute swarm of water Jutsu came screaming out of the trees and were used as a conductor for multiple lightning Jutsu feeding into it.

The snake, not even looking at what was crashing towards it, screeched in pain as the lightning infused water smashed into it.

The snake was thrashing around as the near 50 foot monstrosity flailed involuntarily as it spasmed from the electricity.

I pushed chakra into my legs and leaped over the summon, a swift making of 5 hand seals had a Chidori forming in my right hand with Orochimaru's heart as the target.

Orochimaru blinked at his snake being neutralized that quickly, but he raised his blade and made to intercept and avoid my assassination jutsu.

Everything went so impossibly slow as we charged at one another, the lightning enhancing my nervous system giving me the time to realize I had timed it perfectly.

The two chosen clones made hand seals and mist began to form around us.

Orochimaru paid it no mind and kept his eyes on me, the mist not being able to hide me because he already knew where I was.

When we were just a few yards away from one another, A Mizu bunshin materialized behind him and I dove forward, flipping my back towards him.

As I was upside down, I made a hand seal with my left hand and switched with the Mizu bunshin, my momentum still moving when I switched.

It didn't work as well as it did with Zabuza, Orochimaru being much faster. He managed to spin 180 with his swing that beheaded the bunshin and struck my forearm, diverting the Chidori into his ribs.

The blade cut through my bracer and I felt it cut down to the bone.

I ended up staggering from the shock of the pain, preventing me from capitalizing on Orochimaru getting a couple ribs torn off.

He grabbed at his scorched side and didn't waste a moment retreating from the now thickened mist.

"Damnit." I snarled, forcing Kurama's chakra into the tenketsu of my arm to regrow the chunk of bone that got destroyed.

I wasn't able to move my fingers properly to make hand seals, probably a tendon getting severed.

I didn't expect another fireball with even more intensity to come at me from the treeline that Orochimaru had retreated to.

I barely managed to blast enough water from my mouth using my less dominant hand to make a half seal.

It was enough to stop me from being incinerated, but not enough to take out the entire fireball.

My vision was overcome by flames and I felt my clothes ignite.

I started screaming in terror, temporarily losing myself in fear.

I felt my skin start to burn and I started hitting myself to put it out.

I then felt Orochimaru race towards me and drive a fist into my face and his sword into my chest.

I was sent across the forest, bouncing off the ground more than once, finally stopping when I struck a tree, breaking it in half from the impact.

I coughed up blood and looked down to see that the sword was still in my chest and went through my left lung hilt deep.

I could feel my clones trying to hold off Orochimaru to protect me, but he was tearing them to shreds and was pursuing them through the trees.

I pulled the sword out and was actually crying from the pain. My jaw was broken, I had several burns on the front of my body, my legs were tingling like I had spinal damage from hitting the tree, and I was struggling to breath as my lung tried to heal from the damage caused by the sword, the broken ribs from the impact not helping either.

I reached around for my sword, and started panicking when I couldn't find it.

No. No. I thought frantically. Not yet. I'm not ready.

I got the memories of one of my clones, realizing only a handful were left to delay Orochimaru.

I grabbed ahold of a sizable amount of Kurama's chakra and circulated it to the tenketsu of the areas that were the most heavily damaged.

I gritted my teeth as I felt the burns itch as they healed and my broken bones started healing.

I didn't have enough time to do any more as I got the feedback of the clones being killed violently.

I grabbed an exploding tag and slapped it onto the Kusanagi right as it started to float a couple inches off the ground, backing away from the tree as I felt Orochimaru's presence come towards me.

I tried to sense for any explosives or other traps in the area, my own chakra would be leaking slightly from them.

There were some, but I wasn't sure I could get them to work enough to make a decisive difference.

The Kusanagi went towards Orochimaru, looking untouched by my clones.

I made a hand seal to trigger the tag right as he caught the blade, an explosion engulfing him.

It turned out to be a mud clone, junks of earth flying all over the place.

The real Orochimaru charged through the smoke a second later and summoned the sword back to him after it got flung away from the blast.

I noticed he had my sword tucked into his belt.

I used my Bloodline ability and made a two handed chakra blade, stopping the over head swing from Orochimaru as he crashed into me.

He looked like he hadn't shed again, but he definitely needed to.

One eye had a slash through it and was oozing unnaturally dark red blood, his clothes were in tatters, and a chunk of his chest was scorched black from the near hit from my Chidori.

I was still breathing heavily and could still taste blood, my injuries not healed enough.

"How are you healing so quickly?" He asked, gritting his teeth as he forced me closer to the ground by exerting more force with his blade.

My left knee bent towards the ground, touching the grass.

I couldn't match his strength. I needed help that wasn't here.

"Unless you have a new ability that evolved from the Uzumakis' already excellent healing." Orochimaru's forked tongue shot out and he licked his lips as if he'd made an amazing discovery.

"But I think our little game is coming to an end." Orochimaru chuckled, pressing down harder, "A child of 13, and yet you have managed to nearly kill me not once, but twice."

I'm not letting him run from me to get Sasuke. I'll fight him till I drop if I have to prevent Rin and Hinata from getting caught in the crossfire. They'd try and protect Sasuke, just like I would protect them.

"Hiruzen should have killed you as you wept at their graves." I snarled, spitting a glob of blood and spit in his one good eye.

Orochimaru flinched back for a moment from the spit and what I said, roaring in fury.

I focused my chakra on the first Gate and opened it, my speed going up to another notch.

I dodged his retaliatory stab, leaned in, and drove my fist into his face before he could get his sword up to ward me off. I felt the bones of his face cave in under my fist.

It was his turn to get sent flying from a hit and he skidded to a halt several meters away with blood flowing freely from his nose, his blood coating my hand.

The way his jaw dangled from being crushed, with his tongue hanging down without support, was an extremely disturbing sight.

"You want me," I shouted, pulsing chakra into my legs in preparation for a Shunshin, "Come and catch me, teme." I disappeared into a swirl of leaves, not hiding my chakra or tracks at all.

---

Nothing was going according to plan at all. Young Naruto was supposed to be outclassed by him and be defeated, not escape him multiple times with several jutsu that were above his weight bracket.

Orochimaru had been trying to pursue the boy for the last several minutes since Naruto had done something to his body that caused him to temporarily overpower him in brute strength and send him flying back.

Mizuki and Danzo had fed him information about the boy ever since he had supposedly been told about who Konoha's Jinchuriki was. Orochimaru hadn't been certain on which one was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but he was now certain that Uzumaki Rin was. Naruto would have been using its chakra by now if he was the Jinchuriki.

Of course, Mizuki had been a biased fool and had kept saying that both of them somehow had the Kyuubi sealed in them, which was the supposedly 'accurate' information Danzo let slip to Konoha's population.

Orochimaru was now completely convinced of what he had believed ever since he hired the one Shinobi to attack the boy and received the message back that the alleged Jinchuriki didn't react as a Jinchuriki should.

Danzo had lied to him about Naruto being a Jinchuriki to get him to overreach and have the boy be hostile to him.

It was a stroke of genius to cause a prodigious Shinobi that hated the village for what was done to him and his twin sister to be even more hostile to an S-rank missing nin offering to train him.

The only thing Orochimaru could think of to entice the boy was to warn him of the Akatsuki having plans for his sister.

Yes. He thought, catching a flash of movement. That will work.

Speaking of the girl, his second target was on her team with a Hyuga as well.

Hatake was the obvious choice because of his Sharingan being able to keep a Jinchuriki in line and because of Sasuke-kun. He thought of how that confirmed even more so that the girl was the Jinchuriki.

Orochimaru decided, as he was leaping from tree to tree, trying to pursue Naruto, that he could bait Naruto by changing course and intercepting Sasuke's team.

He stopped chasing Naruto's trail and changed his path, going towards the general direction of his other target.

---

Uzumaki Karin screamed in horror as her teammate was nearly killed by a massive bear that was unnaturally large.

They'd been constantly harassed by predators throughout the whole exam, not getting any rest.

It was starting to get dark and they still didn't have a second scroll and a new threat came up in the form of a giant bear.

She shakily grabbed a kunai from her pouch and threw it at the bear to stop it from killing her teammate. Miraculously, it hit the bear and was lodged into the paw that was about to strike her teammate, her already bleeding teammate scrambling away.

She hated the two of them, she hated her village, she hated that her mother was used up like a cow and died from her chakra being drained. These exams were torture for her.

But she wasn't alone.

A boy that had hair similar to kaasan's had sat next to her during the written test. He looked feral and was terrifying, but his chakra was so bright. It glowed like the sun, the dangerous feel to him was drowned out by how bright it felt. Another was like that in the room, but it wasn't the same.

Her thoughts went back to the bear, the beast roaring and flailing around. Her teammate pulled his sword out and cried out in fear and rage, rushing towards the bear and driving his sword into its chest, a meaty paw smashing him into a tree with a crack.

She felt his chakra wink out like a light shut off.

Her other teammate was in no condition to fight, and the bear seemed to sense that as it pulled the sword out of its own chest with its paws.

The blade clattered to the ground and her last surviving teammate took off running, leaving her on her own.

She backed away, tears streaming down her face in terror as the bear roared at her.

No one was here to save her. Everything was cold. No chakra was near her except for the bear.

She was about to give up completely, when a familiar chakra signature landed in front of her.

It was the other Uzumaki. Naruto.

"Hey, Hey, Hey," He said with a falsetto tone, his chakra having a sharpness to it that felt like it could cut glass, "Looking for pic-a-nic basket?" He asked the bear.

He's talking to a bear. She thought she wasn't seeing things properly. Sane people don't talk to bears.

The bear, unsurprisingly, roared at the new target.

"Fuck you too, Boo-Boo." He replied, charging at the bear.

She screamed, fearing the other Uzumaki was about to die in front of her, but was shocked by what happened next.

Naruto flipped over the bear and at the apex of his jump, a sphere of swirling chakra formed in his right hand, his palm smashing into the bear's back with a wet shredding sound piercing the air.

The bear roared in pain and tried to flail around, but lost what strength it had left and fell to the ground from the jutsu, a massive portion of its back gone completely.

Naruto pulled his fist out of the wound and climbed off the bear.

"You alright?" He walked towards her, ignoring the blood covering him.

She gulped audibly and nodded slowly.

"Yes, I'm alright." She said weakly, looking towards the body of her teammate.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to your friend in time." He noticed her looking.

"They're not my friends." She growled, remembering how they tried to use her as bait for another team and how she overheard them being ordered by their 'chaperone' to not let her out of their sight or escape.

She noticed that Naruto was alone after not feeling anymore chakra presences.

"Where's your team?" She asked curiously, seeing him chuckle at the question.

"I'm on my own." He said simply, turning to look at the sword on the ground.

She blinked at what he said, but noticed something on his back that had her breathing heavily.

"Where did you get all those scrolls?" She squeaked, backing away from him.

How dangerous was he if he took out that many teams?

"Someone put traps in the forest and I collected these scrolls off the ones that were stuck or killed." He answered without hesitation, picking up the sword.

The clone then took off the scrolls he had strapped to him and gave her a soft smile.

"If you feel my chakra, run." He said, his eyes flashing in the light. A foreign feel to the chakra stained the 'canvass' that was his chakra another colour.

What kind of chakra has so much hatred in it? Karin thought as she took a half step back from the boy.

"I'm being tracked by someone who wants me because I'm an Uzumaki," he continued, seeing her flinch at that, "I protected you from the bear because you're family," He then pointed at the scrolls, "Any Konoha team our age can be trusted. Tell them you'll give them a scroll. And tell them you're an Uzumaki." He then cleared his throat, "My sister has blonde hair and whisker marks like I do. Her name is Rin."

He then turned to leave, but she stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Why are you helping me?" She asked quietly, feeling him tense under her hand.

She couldn't understand. Sure, she was an Uzumaki like he was, but they were strangers. Ninja from separate villages.

He turned to her and surprised her by leaning close to her and cupping her right cheek, gazing into her eyes.

"I've failed at many things," He said softly, his eyes glistening, "But I will not abandon family, no matter what."

He let her go and took a step back, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

---

The cocksucker took my fucking sword! I snarled to myself, leaping through the damn trees again to dodge Orochimaru's stalking after I drove a fist into his damn face.

This cat and mouse shit felt like I was in a horror film. My chakra sensing wasn't picking him up definitively, now that he was concealing it.

I stuck myself to a branch and pinged my senses, feeling one of my clones close in near me.

That's odd. The clone has more chakra than most of the others. I thought, trying to figure out why.

And then it hit me.

I made it right off the bat and had it protect Karin and discreetly guide her team to safe areas outside of the traps and explosives.

The clone appeared in a blur of red and stopped next to me, holding out a sword.

"That's a piece of shit," I pointed out, taking it anyway, "Where'd you get it and why'd you leave Karin?" I asked in a clipped tone, my sensing focused enough to the point of hurting my head.

I couldn't just belt out jutsu willy nilly like I could earlier. Sure, I still had at least as much or maybe more than Kakashi currently in the tank, but I burned more in my jutsu. My chakra control wasn't the most fine tuned.

"Karin's dead teammate," The clone said, continuing on, "And you need the chakra I'm made of."

"I'm fine." I said tightly, "Protect Karin." I ordered.

The clone's eyes flashed to a very familiar violet colour and flipped me off, spiking a chakra blade.

"Pop me or I'll pop myself." He said, aiming the blade at his chest, "You need everything to hold the bastard off and protect Rin."

I growled at the creation that had my face and mentality.

"You're an insolent fucker, you know that?" I said, returning the glare.

"Insolence?" The clone raised a brow, eyes alight in amusement, "Hah. I'm an Uzumaki. I don't even know what that means." The clone then stabbed himself, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

I didn't even pay attention to the memory feedback. I moaned softly as I got an influx of chakra that made me feel revitalized more so than I'd felt in awhile.

My clones are assholes a lot of times, even using emotional manipulation by looking at me with Rin's eyes as a Henge.

But the ache in my legs from constant Shunshins didn't seem so bad now. I didn't feel as light-headed now.

I felt a little more adventurous and pulsed my chakra in a wide area, reaching out towards a familiar chakra signature that burned like a roaring fire.

Why the FUCK did they stop?! I thought frantically. They'd have a scroll of each by now. A team of Ame nin had ambushed them very incompetently and they got a proper set. My clones sent to watch over them saw it and popped to let me know when it happened.

I readied the shit sword, at least shit compared to mine, fucking Orochimaru, and released my suppression on my chakra, spiking it in challenge.

Orochimaru, several hundred meters away, pinged his in a pattern, moving in a certain direction and pinging it every few seconds.

I saw where he was headed, the realization that I'd been deceived into running away hitting my very soul.

Rin. Hinata. Sasuke.

I howled in fury and tore through the brush covering the top of the trees, the rush of the wind passed my ears matching my animalistic rage.

---

It worked. Orochimaru smirked to himself, pressing his finger to the blade he had acquired.

It wasn't anything compared to his own Sword of Kusanagi, but he recognized the craftsmanship of the hilt and the strip of pure chakra iron that was built into the core of the hilt for ease of molding chakra through the grip and into the blade.

This was an Uzumaki blade.

It wasn't a cheap replica. It was a real one made by the clan. He had no idea how Naruto got ahold of it, having never seen it in the possession of Uzumaki Kushina.

Sliding it back into his belt, he prepared for the next fight with Naruto. He undoubtedly was a sensor, the reactions his bunshin displayed when engaging him was not possible without having sensory skills to 'see' from behind when they overstepped or Shunshined with such pinpoint accuracy.

He might not have been a sensor himself like others were, but the experiments he did on his current vessel gave him a rudimentary kind that had him able to sense at a distance and large chakra reserves.

Calling Naruto's large would be an understatement. They were larger than his own, and he knew how to use it.

"Yes, Naruto-kun," He chuckled to himself, holding a two-way message scroll in his hand, a message sent, "Come and save your twin from the dreadful traitor." He chuckled, looking forward to marking him.

Mark him, and he'll join me. He thought with assuredness, knowing that it was a sure way to get what he wanted.

The two are Ashina's descendants, and I can entice either with becoming a sage to be strong enough to fight the Akatsuki.

Either mark Naruto with a curse seal that helped to harness nature chakra, or run the risk of him taking years to learn Senjutsu, which wasn't safe if rushed. He knew what option he'd choose out of the two.

Two birds with one stone. He will have a dangerous weapon to ward off the Akatsuki, who wanted him after that dreadfully unfortunate situation with Itachi, and the other problem he needed solved.

Unfortunately, the girl wouldn't be safe to mark. He had no idea what a curse seal would do if applied to a Jinchuriki. It could do nothing. It could destabilize the seal and unleash the Kyuubi. It could burn away from the caustic Bijuu chakra attacking it like white blood cells attacking a pathogen. He simply didn't know.

And when it was a gamble involving his own life, he'd prefer the more cautious route.

Although, he thought with amusement, he may end up causing Sensei to use the same Jutsu Namikaze did to reseal the Kyuubi. Being deprived of moving on to the afterlife properly for the sake of his village would be a poetic end to a man who served it faithfully for over half a century.

Orochimaru chuckled and checked the message scroll, seeing a new message.

Team 7 has taken the bait.

Kabuto was a backup plan in case complications occurred. He was to find a way to delay Sasuke's team before they reached the tower. He didn't want to be ambushed and tracked by the ANBU. It would take too long to throw them off his trail once they had ahold of it, especially since he wasn't at 100% from the unexpectedly competent display by Naruto.

That just makes you more enticing. He smirked to himself, preparing for the fight.

---

I made it to where I could feel Orochimaru's chakra, just a few hundreds yards away from Rin.

I landed on a tree branch and snarled at where I could see his outline.

"Fucker!" I shouted, spiking my Killing Intent, the sword in my hand, even when it was a bad fit.

Orochimaru turned around and I could see a triumphant look on his face as he leaped from tree to tree towards me.

He got within earshot and I heard him chuckle.

"I'm disappointed that you were this predictable." He laughed, "You truly do love your sister."

I hid my hatred behind a mask of bemused detachment, knowing I'll need to approach this differently. I had seal scrolls to act as shields against fire jutsu that would catch and seal them on contact. So, I wouldn't have to burn chakra making defensive water jutsu.

"I know it's not Rin you're interested in on Team 7," I said coldly, grinning at his raised brow, "Nor is it the Hyuga heiress."

I wasn't going to let him think Hinata was more than just another member of my graduating class.

Orochimaru looked mildly surprised that I knew that, a scoff escaping him.

"Of course my former Sensei would tell you about the interest I have in his Dojutsu."

"I'll offer a deal," I stated, his interest perked based on the thin smirk on his face, "If you fuck off back to whatever shithole you crawled out of," I saw his expression shift to disappointment, "I won't have the bunshin I have watching them take Sasuke's head off." I finished seriously, noting the temporary look of shock on Orochimaru's face.

The shock faded away, replaced by interest.

"What would my Sensei say about you killing Sasuke-kun, a comrade of yours?" Orochimaru looked extremely interested in me now.

"The Shodai and the Nidaime killed an enormous amount of Uchiha in their lifetimes," I looked directly into his eyes, projecting all the hatred I had for him, Madara, future Sasuke, Indra, and Obito," Hashirama is seen as a hero for killing Madara, his best friend. You think I have qualms about tossing aside something as paltry as morality if it meant I could get what I want?!" I demanded, seeing Orochimaru's posture stiffen.

Out of all things to expect, I did not expect him to throw his head back and laugh loudly.

"That, Naruto-kun, is the right question," He continued to laugh, his fangs on display, "You have all of Konoha fooled into thinking you're a prodigy like Namikaze or perhaps a pragmatist like the Nidaime," His eyes were almost glowing with happiness," But I now see you are cut from a different cloth. You are singularly focused on your goals, regardless of the opinion of others or the cost. To think I thought Itachi was the only one like me."

No wonder he was laughing, he thinks I'm like him. He thinks he's found a kindred spirit.

Orochimaru licked his lips and said something that had my mind try and reboot.

"What if I told you that there is an organization of S-rank Shinobi that have goals involving the death of your sister?"

Akatsuki. How desperate is Orochimaru to have me if he offers that?

"I would call you a liar, and a shit one at that."

"Yes," Orochimaru chuckled, an expression of agreement on his face, "I would not be any different in your position, I confess. But this organization is called the Akatsuki and I was a member, until their goals were no longer mine."

This fucker is really trying to twist things without outright lying to make it sound like he doesn't want me or Rin killed. Good cop, bad cop.

"S-rank shadowy terrorist group wants to, what, kill Jinchuriki?" I asked, knowing I couldn't delay him with talks for long. I needed to know why Rin, Hinata, and Sasuke had stopped. I'd lied about still having a clone hovering, "There's no other reason they'd target my sister unless it was because she's a Jinchuriki." I added, seeing no harm in admitting it because Orochimaru already knew about us.

"I know it sounds awfully convenient to try and convince you with a supposed shadowy terrorist group of S-rank Shinobi," Orochimaru admitted, "But there are things I will teach you that you could never learn in Konoha. Do not let yourself be a pawn of a village that hates you and your sister."

"I will repeat what I said to Mizuki right before I tore his throat out when he offered for me to join you," I said viciously, my chakra flowing faster in my tenketsu, "There is nothing a Sannin can offer me that the prized student of Senju Tobirama and The Kami no Shinobi couldn't."

"Time is not on his side." Orochimaru pointed out, "He cannot protect you from what is out there. Things that you could not imagine."

Orochimaru then added one more thing.

"He cannot teach you to become a sage."

Was Orochimaru truly that desperate to have me?

"Sage," I tested the word on my tongue, "What even is that?"

"As the summoner of the snakes," Orochimaru began, "I have access to sage training, and being a sage means you can absorb the chakra of the environment to give you immense power."

"Why haven't I heard of it then?" I asked flatly, keeping a poker face.

Orochimaru grinned at the question.

"Very few have it in them to learn it without killing themselves," Orochimaru chuckled, his posture shifting some, "You have it in you to be a sage."

"And who can you name is or was a sage, other than yourself?"

I wouldn't know that Orochimaru wasn't a sage without really weird questions coming up, so I won't call out his lie.

"Uzumaki Ashina." Orochimaru smiled, his hand ghosting towards my sword hanging from his belt.

I couldn't hide my shock at the confirmation of my theory from what Zabuza said about the sensors there being unable to feel in front of them and feel like they were surrounded and unable to see.

"You see the power a sage can wield, Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru asked imploringly, "A man over 90 years of age was able to kill two Jinchuriki and the Raikage. What do you think you could become?"

I was silent as my thoughts were at war with what had been offered.

"I will make you one of the most powerful Shinobi in history," Orochimaru promised, his voice now having an understanding tone to it, "All I ask is that you stop fighting me. Let me speak with Sasuke, join me, and I will give you my knowledge to protect her."

His words were like a sweet poison in my veins, the offer of power making me hesitate.

It was one thing to make bold proclamations of refusing Orochimaru before he came here, but now, as he stood before me, offering me everything I could want, I couldn't muster a resounding proclamation of defiance.

Orochimaru was a wealth of knowledge in fighting the Akatsuki. He knew how they operated and he would undoubtedly be holding nothing back in training me to combat them.

He'd mark Sasuke and I could go with him to Orochimaru. I could delay the journey to his hideout to make sure he switched bodies with someone else, freeing me up to train with Sasuke.

The Akatsuki worked in pairs, Sasuke and I could as well. The two of us could hunt down and kill the Akatsuki at our leisure, joining up with Jiraiya to kill Pein and destroying the Rinnegan.

Convince Orochimaru to abandon his attempt to kill Hiruzen, maybe pointing out that B and Yugito are here, with Ay likely coming during the finals.

Kill Orochimaru with Sasuke, and kill Sasuke if he becomes too far gone after Itachi lets himself die at his brother's hand.

I would be free. The nightmares would end. The village would be saved. My friends would not suffer loss.

Asuma could see his daughter grow up.

Shikamaru would still have his father, as would Ino.

Jiraiya wouldn't die.

Hinata wouldn't be at risk from Pein.

Neji would not die for Hinata.

Rin.

I would save her from Fate. I would save the world without the chakra of Ashura. The cycle of rebirth would end when the last 3 Uchiha die, no more of Indra's descendants to be reincarnated into. Sasuke would either be good with my help, or I'll kill him to save the world.

I would defy Prophecy itself and I will be the protagonist, not Rin.

It would be so easy, I thought, staring at the piece of metal in my hand, blood staining the blade and dripping down on to the tree branch I stood on. Drop the sword and let him go.

I could almost imagine it was Obito's blood staining it, the image of the light leaving his eye, and his chakra winking out of existence, dancing in my mind's eye like a forbidden fruit.

The blade started to slip from my hand and I saw Orochimaru smile.

As I was about to drop the sword and tell him to go, I swore I felt something brush against my mind, a feeling that I had felt one other time.

It was the feeling I felt when I was consumed with fury when I found out Hinata was going to be forced to fight Hanabi over who would be marked.

Rin would not join me and Sasuke. She would fight us as we left.

Could I leave her?

A hooded figure taking her from me. The hood falls back.

"Why?" She asks, tears in her wide eyes at the betrayal, "You promised." She gasps, a faraway look in her eyes as she falls still, "We promised."

The light in her eyes fade.

"I don't know you."

The blood on the blade wasn't Obito's now.

It was Rin's.

"I will never forget you. Don't let anyone, not even me, tell you that."

I will not be tempted by a monster.

I will not leave her.

My grip tightened on the blade and I made two shadow clones, the two disappearing in a swirl of leaves with their orders in place.

I made a hand seal as Orochimaru realized I wasn't going to accept.

Gate of Opening: Kai!

Gate of Healing: Kai!

I felt my chakra flare and all feeling of fatigue disappeared from me.

I roared in fury and tore through hand seals, sending a blade of water chakra at Orochimaru.

Suiton: Severing Wave.

Orochimaru leaped from the tree right before my jutsu hit him, the tree getting torn in half as the blade of water cleaved through the trunk with little resistance.

He didn't even reach the ground before I was already rushing towards him with blade raised.

I smashed my sword into his as he blocked my downward swing that was aimed at his head. Our blades locked for a second before I shoved forward with all my strength and staggered him. I stabbed and slashed at him with a reckless hate that had me growling as he desperately backed up and dodged or barely diverted my attacks. A horizontal slash towards his throat caused him to lean back, which I spun with my swing and drove me foot into his chest, sending him back several yards.

Before he could re-engage, my clones Shunshined from opposite directions and attacked. He deflected one stab from a chakra blade and killed that clone, avoiding the other clone's attack by twisting away in an unnatural display of flexibility.

I snarled and, without hesitation, threw the sword at Orochimaru's midsection as his body was at a bad angle to block it.

He jumped over the swing, laying flat in the air to avoid it.

I made a hand seal and blasted a ball of water out my mouth again.

Suiton: Teppodama.

He wasn't able to avoid it and was struck by it, getting flung back and smashing through a smaller tree, the whole trunk exploding from the impact.

I sprinted towards him and bent my legs towards the ground, leaping through the air to land on top of him.

"Ragghh!" I roared as I formed a chakra blade in my hand, driving it into his chest.

What I thought was Orochimaru turned out to be a mud clone when it it fell apart into a chunky mess.

I didn't even see or feel him, I just instinctively made a hand seal to switch with a shattered portion of tree a few yards away.

The Kusanagi tore through where I was a fraction of a second ago, the wood being sliced in half.

Orochimaru looked at me with unmasked hatred, rushing through hand seals as his sword came back up from the slash.

Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu. (Phoenix Flower Jutsu).

Several balls of fire came flying out of his mouth and directed towards me.

I grabbed a seal scroll from my pocket and flung it in front of me, making a hand seal to activate it.

The seal sucked in chakra in a certain radius, acting akin to a shield against Ninjutsu. Fortunately, it worked best against fire and water Jutsu, which was what was coming straight at me.

Most of the fireballs aimed at me were absorbed by it with a loud rushing sound as it sucked the fire in.

I didn't expect the storm of kunai coming through the fire though, my eyes widening in surprise.

I materialized another chakra blade and deflected as many as I could, more than one clanging against my chest piece.

Orochimaru glared at me, stalking towards me with his sword in a relaxed position.

I had a clone hovering around us out of sight.

Expecting Orochimaru to have caught on to me shouting orders in a 'made up' language, I shouted random shit in English towards the trees.

He twisted and prepared for another hit and run attack, but nothing happened.

I closed my hands and made a couple clones, one Henging into a kunai with a specific seal tag I gave to it attached.

I grabbed the kunai in midair and charged at Orochimaru with my other clones flanking me.

The Gates were starting to take there toll on me, my fingers starting to go numb and my muscles starting to tickle like when I was hurting, but too souped up on adrenaline to notice.

This will be a big thing if I can get this seal on him. I didn't have trust in pressing a seal into him with my hand, so paper had to do.

I had the Henged clone in my left hand, a chakra blade in my right.

Orochimaru flung kunai at my clones, the clones taking the hit and popping to give back the chakra.

I flung the kunai as we were just a few feet away, sending it over his left shoulder.

Orochimaru ducked under it and raised his blade to intercept mine, not realizing that the kunai was a clone.

The clone dropped the Henge and disguised the tag placement on Orochimaru's back with a slash from a chakra blade that opened up a wound from his shoulder blade to his lowest floating rib.

He hissed and clashed his sword with mine, twisting his head around and shooting his tongue out towards the clone, wrapping it around the clones neck and snapping it like a twig.

I strained against the force he had against my arms as he turned his head back to face me.

"I will have an Uzumaki sage," He hissed, his own arms shaking as he overpowered me, "Whether it be you or your sister, I do not care. I have waited too long for this." He kept pushing, my chakra blade starting to crack.

Gritting my teeth from the creaking of my elbows caused by the snake, I made a gamble one more time.

"I won't be your attack dog to get Itachi's body." I glared at him, our faces just inches away.

Seeing his eyes widen in surprise was what had me cry out in pain as I fell backwards when he was too distracted to not overextend.

He took a step too much to balance himself and I drove my foot into his chest, flipping him over me.

I jumped up and ran as fast as I could, feeling him on my heels. I turned and saw him racing towards me. With a blast of chakra towards my legs that I was sure tore some muscles, I jumped high through the air, spun to face him, and made a hand seal, blasting lightning from my mouth.

Raiton: Gian. (False Darkness).

I intentionally missed and let the bolt of lightning go over Orochimaru's head, the man not doing anything to stop it.

I made a half seal as my feet hit the ground, activating the tag. The bolt course corrected and flew towards the seal.

Which was strapped to Orochimaru's back.

Orochimaru realized what happened a split second before the Jutsu hit him, the shock on his face being remembered by me for a long time.

A massive, earth shattering explosion blasted me back, something wet hitting me as I felt my back hit the ground.

I got up and staggered, my left ear ringing and the other had no sound coming in, blood flowing from it. I realized what hit me when I looked down.

Blackish-red blood and entrails from Orochimaru exploding had coated me.

Don't puke. I needed to tell them to run to the tower. I fought through the pain of my body as the Gates closed from my chakra feeling dangerously low, and raced towards where I could feel Rin, my chakra too low to feel Sasuke or Hinata.

Orochimaru was going to shed from whatever shattered remnants of his corpse was left shortly. I needed to get to the three.

---

Sasuke was pissed that he was outvoted by Rin and Hinata on going forward to the tower, the reason for the decision right next to him.

The one repeat genin, Kabuto, was still shaking slightly right next to him.

Evidently, his team had been slaughtered and he was the only one that survived, staggering towards them by happenstance, covered in blood from a slash across his chest.

Hinata had done what she could, closing it up most of the way and bandaging it.

Luckily for Kabuto, the slash was a clean one that missed any vital area that would bleed in obscene amounts.

The four of them were in a secluded area, with several traps set by Rin for security, when they started hearing loud fighting from what sounded like several hundred yards away.

"Do you feel that?" Sasuke asked, the feeling of a large amount chakra being felt from that far away not boding well.

"Yes," Rin said, standing up and making several more Kage bunshin than she already had patrolling around, "That's a massive amount of chakra."

"Do you think it's the Suna nin?" Hinata asked, glancing towards Kabuto, who wasn't in the know.

Sasuke thought nothing of a flash of realization in Kabuto's eyes, waving it off as him seeing things.

"That amount of chakra means it could be him and Naruto fighting." Sasuke realized, his eyes shooting to Hinata's, "Use your eyes, now!" He said sharply, the Hyuga girl nodding.

The veins around her eyes bulged and she narrowed them in concentration, hissing softly in pain from extending the range.

"There's a large chakra, no, two chakra signatures." she said, still looking.

Sasuke knew it was bad when Hinata gasped.

"Naruto is fighting someone," She started hyperventilating, "And he's losing."

Sasuke turned to Rin, seeing the look of terror on her face at hearing Naruto losing to someone.

"Fuck what Naruto said," Sasuke growled, activating his Sharingan, "I'm not leaving him to get killed by a lunatic Jinchuriki."

He didn't care that Kabuto would hear. He wasn't going to let the dead weight slow him down from saving his friend.

As he was preparing to rush towards the sound of fighting, he heard Hinata's voice through his anger filled mind.

"It's not the Jinchuriki. It's someone else."

Sasuke then heard Hinata gasp, followed by a massive boom and flash of blue seconds after Hinata's reaction.

"What happened?" Rin asked frantically, sending more bunshin to the area.

"Naruto is running towards us," Hinata managed to say weakly, "His chakra is so faint." She said in almost a whisper.

What the hell could Naruto have fought where it left him with so little chakra that Hinata would consider it faint from what it usually was?

Sasuke caught sight of Naruto seconds later.

All of them audibly gasped when they saw him.

He was drenched in blackened guts and blood, his clothes looked like he'd been set on fire and thrown through a meat shredder, and his armour was visible with several gouges and holes in it.

But the worst thing was the look of terror on his face that he had only seen one time. When Ino had used her clan Jutsu on him.

"Run!" He screamed, staggering for a moment on a root, starting up running again, "It's Orochimaru!"

Sasuke caught the flash of movement in the trees with his Sharingan, seeing a man with long, black hair, a purple belt, and a sword in said belt, smash a fist into Naruto's back, sending him crashing into a tree.

Sasuke charged at the traitorous nin, now knowing his identity, spotting a swarm of Rin's bunshin charging in.

Orochimaru pulled the sword from his belt and started slashing through the clones with brutal efficiency.

Sasuke got to him and worked with the remaining bunshin to try and fight him, knowing it was futile to try and kill an S-rank nin that had left Naruto exhausted and bloodied.

Sasuke saw the sword seem to go in slow motion as his eyes slowed everything down to a crawl.

He realized it was Naruto's when he noticed the hilt of it when it beheaded Rin's bunshin.

He caught the swing aimed at him with a kunai, straining to hold it in place.

He saw Orochimaru shift his focus from him and avoid a purple and white blur, that turned out to be Hinata.

The two of them worked together to fight the snake Sannin with their respective clan's taijutsu, not giving him any respite.

Sasuke flipped over Orochimaru's head right as Hinata coated her fingers with a visible chakra halo and blocked the sword strike aimed at her heart. His flip reached its apex and he flung the kunai at Orochimaru's head, the older man shifting his head to the right to prevent it from piercing his throat.

He didn't hesitate and launched a furious series of punches and kicks to try and break his guard, Hinata playing a support role, slipping a juken hit in when she could.

A kick to the face turned into a spinning scissor kick, followed by him ducking under a slash at his head, a few strands of hair being cut off.

He grinned in triumph as he landed a hit on Orochimaru's jaw when he jumped up from his crouch, Hinata landing a hit to his chest.

Orochimaru coughed up some blood and backed away, looking behind the two.

Rin came howling in with a Rasengan in her hand, another dozen bunshin circling them in preparation for an opening.

Orochimaru leaped over his blonde teammate's attack, swinging the sword around his back to try and clip Rin. The girl knew this and had her tanto in hand and twisted around to catch the hit, moving it away from her, with a strip of her shoulder sleeve coming off as the sharpened steel glanced off.

Orochimaru was breathing heavily and looked at the three of them. He looked between them and chuckled, sounding more like a rasp.

"To think I would be fighting Team 7." He smiled a bloody grin, "Now, which of you would be like my own team, hmnn?"

He looked to Hinata.

"Clan heiress, and dangerous in close range. Tsunade." He chuckled, looking to Rin next, "Jiraiya, with such fire in you."

His serpentine gaze turned to him.

"Rookie of the year. Determined to be great. A thirst for power."

I am not him. Sasuke snarled to himself, not even caring if he was internally thinking of Itachi or the creature in front of him.

"I will kill you before I let you hurt them." Sasuke growled, his eyes catching every detail of his enemy.

"Kukuku," The snake chuckled, "Just as I once was, Sasuke-kun." He then turned to Kabuto, who was still sitting where he had been before, looking at the fight, "Kabuto, I must unfortunately ask for some assistance. Naruto-kun put up such a spirited fight that I must make haste and do what I came here for."

Sasuke looked in shock as Kabuto stood up and seemed to have a completely different demeanor to him, looking much like how the Jonin were in how they stood.

Orochimaru surprised them all by turning and rushing towards Naruto, who was trying to get up and stand straight.

"Foolish little brother." He could hear Itachi's voice whisper in his ear. "You cannot hope to save them. You are weak."

Sasuke raged against his own traitorous thoughts and ran towards Naruto in pursuit of Orochimaru.

He vaguely heard Rin growl in anger as Kabuto rushed towards them, his two teammates getting caught in a fight with the traitor.

Not again. Sasuke vowed, chasing the monster that betrayed his friends and village. I won't lose everyone again.

---

I couldn't see straight. I had felt Orochimaru hit me as I had shouted at the three to run, temporarily blacking out from the pain. My strange ability to remain aware of my surroundings was of little help because I was struggling to keep going from my healing being diminished from less than 10% of my chakra remaining.

The lightning enhancement and opening two Gates, combined with a liberal use of the Shunshin and several high caliber Jutsu, ate into my reserves.

I tried to get up, but immediately fell back down from my legs shaking too much from my muscles being torn, healed, and re-torn repeatedly. I moaned and grabbed ahold of Kurama's chakra and tried to flood my tenketsu with it to relieve some of my injuries.

It worked well enough and I managed to stand, my vision starting to straighten out and my body more responsive.

More. I thought, channeling as much as I could without manifesting a weak cloak.

My canines sharpened and I suspected my eyes shifted to a more violet colour from Kurama's chakra bleeding into my blue irises.

My rage, which I had managed to keep in check, was spiraling out of my control as I saw my sister and friends fighting Orochimaru.

YOU WILL NOT TAKE THEM FROM ME! I screamed in my mind, the snake turning and charging towards me with Sasuke behind him.

I roared with an animalistic fury and charged at Orochimaru, my focus on killing him no matter what.

His eyes showed an anger that almost matched my own as he closed the distance.

We smashed into each with a resounding crack, our forearms clashing into each other.

I threw a punch, followed by a spinning scissor kick, knocking my sword out of position, a sweeping kick to his legs to try and knock him to the ground.

He jumped over the kick and switched with a tree limb to avoid Sasuke's kunai and Shuriken thrown.

Sasuke raced forward still and I charged at Orochimaru alongside him.

"Formation two." I growled, knowing the different two man call-outs that Kakashi taught Team 7.

Sasuke slowed down and let me attack first.

I rushed towards Orochimaru, kunai pulled from the seal in my sleeve, shifting to the side to avoid the downward swing from the sword. I kicked out towards his head and turned it into a side flip when he ducked to the side and slashed at my pivoting leg.

I didn't even touch the ground yet and Sasuke was already attacking Orochimaru, the Uchiha finding a rhythm to keep Orochimaru fighting to not take a hit.

I needed to get another kill shot to lower his chakra. I only had one idea left.

But one was enough.

Sasuke got one of his kicks caught by Orochimaru and was thrown aside, hitting the ground and swinging his legs out blindly in a series of kicks to fling himself up and ward off an attack.

I shouted at Orochimaru to get his attention.

"Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru looked at me with a look of fury.

"If you were anything other than Ashina's descendant, I would kill you for stopping me from having you both." He hissed, his eyes wild as he was breathing heavily, his left leg being favoured.

Orochimaru looked like death warmed over. If this wasn't as serious of a situation, I would have been overjoyed that he was brought so low by me.

I had made him shed three times, each time being a lethal amount of damage dealt.

I knew placing a seal on anything required chakra. If Orochimaru was forced to shed again, maybe he'd be unable to mark Sasuke and still have enough chakra to evade the ANBU that were somehow not here yet.

I prayed I would survive what I was about to do next. Orochimaru would be pissed from me manipulating him into exposing himself to a lethal hit.

I blinked and focused on the S-rank criminal whose entire focus was on me.

Rin and Hinata were fighting Kabuto, someone who I would rate as an A-rank. He was extremely dangerous in taijutsu with his chakra scalpels, making it dangerous for Hinata especially. The two of them could hurt him bad, but he would escape them if he felt the tide turn against him, he took after the snake out of all his masters.

I stared into the yellow, slanted eyes of Orochimaru, the boy that wept at his parents' graves, the man that broke Hiruzen's heart.

"What did I say I'd do if you didn't fuck off back to whatever shithole you crawled from?" I demanded, chakra swirling in my right hand to form a Rasengan.

I turned to Sasuke and charged at him, roaring in fury.

Sasuke was so caught off guard at the seeming betrayal that he stood completely still, his eyes tracking me as I shot towards him at a blistering pace.

Orochimaru charged towards the two of us to try and stop me from ripping Sasuke's heart out.

Right as I got within arm's reach of Sasuke, whose face showed terror as he raised his arms to try and stop from being killed by a friend, I drove my right leg into the ground just inches from his feet and pivoted to my left, driving the Rasengan into Orochimaru as he tried to grab at me.

He stabbed my own sword towards my heart, but I grabbed it with my bare left hand, the blade cutting into my palm. But I held firm and redirected it into the left side of my chest instead, my hand holding the Rasengan still impacting its target.

"FUCKING DIE!!!" I roared.

The swirling sphere of chakra tore into his upper chest, the feeling of his ribcage, heart, and lungs disintegrating under my hand being unforgettable.

Orochimaru vomited up blood all over me and flew back from the momentum, landing several feet away with a wet thud.

I coughed up blood and fell forward, my own sword being returned to me in the most painful manner possible.

I caught myself from falling face first, moaning Sasuke's name as I managed to face him.

"He's not dead," I wheezed, blood dripping down my lips, "You have to run, Sasuke."

Before I could say anything else, I saw Orochimaru fly from his old body, his neck shooting forward with us as the target.

I had nothing. No plan, no Jutsu, no idea to pull out of my ass to save Sasuke.

My seal was burning from pulling on Kurama's chakra. The rage wasn't there, Kurama had kept his word on not messing with it, but the tightenings that were on there to prevent my mind as a child from being damaged were now a curse.

I'm sorry, Sasuke. I thought as my vision began to blur from blood loss and chakra exhaustion.

But Orochimaru didn't aim for Sasuke.

He aimed for me.

I felt his fangs sink into my neck and my entire body spasmed like I'd been electrocuted.

I felt his mark on me and he pulled away, hissing into my ear.

"I choose you."

He then pulled his neck back and took off running from the area.

My entire body exploded into agony like my entire chakra network was lit on fire. The only thing that hurt worse was when Kurama was sealed into me.

My eyes rolled into my head as I screamed louder than I ever had in either life. My body hit the ground and I seized up, not being able to breath.

The last conscious image I had was someone with a lightning affinity standing above me, the stench of blood in the air and unable to breath.

---

And so the battle over the Fuzi came to an end. I'm told we killed hundreds of Uzumaki and Konoha Shinobi that day. Even if it had been thousands, it wouldn't have made up for the losses of the 3rd Regiment."

Excerpt from journal of Ozawa Daisuke, Jonin of Iwagakure, 3rd Regiment, Second Shinobi War, Battle of Fuzi.

---

End Chapter:

I bet not a single person expected it to go that way.

As I said in the top comment in bold text, the chapter would have surpassed the 40k mark, so I split it. Next chapter will be immediately after the moment of Naruto losing consciousness. It will come out right after this is posted, probably a few hours after this one.

The shitshow does not end here. Part two has the fight between Rin, Hinata, and Kabuto. While the question of the tardy ANBU is answered, with Orochimaru tucking tail and running. (What would possess him to abandon a chief lieutenant of his? Perhaps getting 'killed' four times played a role). And Sasuke isn't out of the race yet, either.

(Again, something happens in the second part. Don't assume things hastily.)

Anyway, part two beckons you, my readers. Have a wonderful day.

Raging.