Disclaimer: I'm curious to see what you all think I actually own? I'm a financially-insecure Floridian working two jobs to live and trying to move-up career wise. You all know I couldn't afford the rights to Naruto, so let's see what you all think I actually have!
"You three ready?" Naruto asked.
The Uzumaki stood by the door to the hallway as Katsumi, Kanji, and Hanabi stood in front of him. All three were dressed for combat and had all their weapons, sealing tags, soldier pills, and any other tools they would need. They each nodded their heads as Katsumi took a step forward for the three.
"Ready as we'll ever be." She stated.
"Is this the part where you give us some cheesy, sentimental speech to motivate us to do our best?" Kanji asked, raising an eyebrow.
Naruto snorted as he shook his head: "I'll save the sentimental bullshit for when we get there. For now, let's start going-"
The Uzumaki's words were cut short by a knock on the door. Naruto turned his head back to the door and opened it, revealing Hinata standing outside with a smile on her face.
"Managed to catch you all before you left, huh?" She said, smiling.
"Guess you did." Naruto said with a chuckle: "You caught us on our way out, though."
"I figured. Can I borrow Hanabi for a moment, though?" Hinata asked.
"Huh?" Hanabi blinked in response.
"Yeah, sure." Naruto nodded his head as he turned his head to face Katsumi and Kanji: "Let's get a head start." They nodded their heads back. He then turned to face Hanabi: "We'll be outside, alright?"
"Um… okay." Hanabi nodded her head.
Naruto turned his head back to Hinata, smirking slightly: "Don't keep my student for too long, alright?"
"Before she's your student, she's my sister." Hinata reminded, smirking back: "I won't be long. Promise."
"Alright." Naruto nodded his head before leaning towards her, giving her a quick kiss that she reciprocated: "Love you."
"Love you too." Hinata replied, before leaning towards his ear and whispering: "Good luck yourself today, okay? Stay safe."
"You as well." Naruto replied.
With those words, Naruto walked out of the room. Katsumi and Kanji followed behind, waving goodbye to Hanabi and Hinata, before following their sensei out of the door. The two Hyūga sisters were left alone at the entrance to the apartment.
"Are you ready, Hanabi?" Hinata asked.
"I… believe so." Hanabi admitted, her hands tightening: "Although, I won't lie that I'm anxious."
Hinata giggled in response: "You should be. No one should feel fully prepared for this kind of mission."
"So are you, then?" Hanabi asked. Hinata nodded her head, which caused Hanabi's eyes to narrow slightly: "I'm sure you're less anxious than me, though. This is now the fourth invasion you've been apart of."
"Fourth, huh?" Hinata blinked for a second before sighing: "Ah. The invasion on Konoha, the Kiri invasion, the Taki invasion, and now this. I guess Naruto-kun, Shikamaru-kun, Anko-sensei, and I are bad luck for any shinobi village we visit together, huh?"
Hanabi did not reply, only looking down. The two sisters remained still for a few seconds until Hinata reached into her pocket. The action drew Hanabi's attention as she focused on her, only watching her pull out a sealing tag with the Uzumaki Clan symbol printed neatly on it.
"Is that a seal?" Hanabi asked.
Hinata nodded her head: "Naruto-kun made it for me back right before the Kirigakure Invasion. He said if I ever was in trouble, I could channel chakra and activate it. I never ended up using it, though, and it's been with me ever since." A small chuckle escaped her lips as her fingers gently rubbed the paper: "I know he intended on me using it, but it felt more 'powerful' just having it on me, you understand? It's been a good luck charm, I suppose."
Before Hanabi could ask any questions about the seal, Hinata then extended her hand forward, holding out the sealing paper. Hanabi's eyes widened in response.
"Why?" She asked.
"You said you're anxious, right?" Hinata said, smiling in response. "Having it on me has helped me feel more confident. I think it could do the same for you."
Hanabi shook her head: "But it's yours. Naruto-sensei gave it to you. I… can't accept it."
Her sister shook her head, chuckling: "I'm sure he'd understand. Besides, you don't have to use it if you don't feel the need. It's a matter of self-confidence, y'know?" Her smile widened: "I want you to feel confident, Hanabi. I know you are capable of anything you put your mind to, and I know you'll make it through this mission. So if having my sealing tag makes you feel even a little more confident, then take it, okay?"
Hanabi was quiet once more, her eyes focusing on the sealing tag before darting back to her sister. After a few more seconds, she finally reached out and took the sealing tag. She ran her hand down the paper before putting it in her pocket.
"I'll make sure to give this back to you when the invasion's over." Hanabi said, smiling back. "Thank you, Hinata-nee-san."
"If you need to activate it, go ahead. Otherwise, I'd appreciate that." Hinata said, chuckling slightly.
Hinata was about to turn away and head on out, but Hanabi cleared her throat, drawing attention back to her.
"Hinata-nee-san… when this is all over, can I ask for a spar from you?" She asked.
"Huh?" Hinata blinked in response: "Sure. But why?"
"I… I want to see exactly where I stand compared to you." Hanabi admitted, her hands tightening: "I want to better understand so I can see where I'm behind so I can get better." Her eyes then narrowed: "And I want to fully understand how different we are so I can figure out how to differentiate myself further from you."
It was Hinata's turn to be quiet for a moment as she processed her sister's words. After a few seconds, she started to giggle to herself. Hanabi blinked in response.
"S-Sorry." She mumbled as she tried to compose herself: "I just found that sort of amusing, thinking you'd ask something like that, when only a few years ago, I thought you were ahead of me."
"You're joking right?" Hanabi asked, blinking, before shaking her head. "Do I even need to list all of your accomplishments or rank or skills? How could you think you're behind my skill level?"
"That's us talking about 'now'. But back when I was still in the academy? That was a different story." Hinata admitted. Hanabi tilted her head slightly, which caused Hinata to look back at her sister with a confused expression: "Do you really not remember you beating me in spars?"
"W-Well, yeah, but…" Hanabi's words started to drag on slightly.
"And right now, I wouldn't consider you behind. We have two different skill sets." Hinata said before smiling gently at her sister: "But if you want to spar and get a better idea of where you stand with your own strengths, I'm more than happy and willing to do so."
Hanabi was quiet for a moment as she stared at Hinata. She looked at her own hands for a moment before shaking her head: 'First Kanji-kun and Katsumi-chan, then Naruto-sensei, and now Hinata-nee-san… I keep having to get told this same thing from others…' Her hands tightened: 'But that's the last time I'm hearing it.'
"I'll hold you to it, then. When we're back at home." Hanabi said, bowing her head slightly.
Before Hinata could bow back in response, Hanabi rushed forward, hugging her sister. Hinata quickly returned the hug back in response.
Neither girl said anything for a moment. They knew they would bid each other farewell to one another, wishing each other luck in the invasion. But for now, they simply held onto one another, enjoying the other's presence for the moment.
Kumogakure's 'Dengō Raigō' Stadium – the designated locale for the Kumogakure Chūnin Exam's Third Stage – was situated in the middle of a large, grey storm cloud that was level with the ground of Kumogakure's village. Just like the Raiun Fields, it was 'stabilized' by the Shodai Raikage with his Weather Release and was now a permanent locale for Kumo. And once again, just like the Raiun Fields, it was the perfect spot for the Third Exams.
The storm cloud around the stadium rumbled loudly as thunder crashed every ten seconds, and the sky was bright as lightning seemed to perpetually travel through it. Naruto and his genin team stared at the cloud, their eyes following the lightning.
"Climbing up a rope ladder to get to the Raiun Fields was one thing, but simply walking into a storm cloud is… unnerving." Kanji admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I know the village is called Kumogakure and all, but this just feels excessive."
'Honestly. After this, I feel like our Chūnin Exam Stadium is too boring. When I become Hokage, I'm gonna try and 'spice' it up a bit.' Naruto noted, closing his eyes in thought: 'Add some permanent flames to surround it, maybe? Make people really feel like they're in the true Hi no Kuni…'
As the group remained outside, they watched a few shinobi walk directly into the clouds. Hanabi cleared her throat, drawing attention to her.
"Is… Is it really even safe for people to be attending the exams this year?" She asked.
Naruto shook his head: "It's not. That's why no civilians will be in attendance this year. Ē barred purchase for tickets. Only people there today are going to be shinobi, with some of them disguised as civilians."
"Do you… have any advice for us?" Katsumi asked.
"I've already said it, but remember that in the end, the 'exam' part of this doesn't matter. So don't waste too much of your chakra." Naruto said, crossing his arms: "I'm not saying throw your fights or anything, but don't put too much energy into the tournament."
"Yeah, we weren't planning on throwing." Katsumi shook her head, her hands tightening: "At the very least, not in our first match."
"Ah!" Naruto's eyes widened as he recalled who his team was facing first – Team Ebisu. He nodded his head in understanding: "Again, don't waste too much energy or chakra, but go ahead and knock some sense into Konohamaru if you can. He needs to get brought out of the rut he's in… probably by force."
"… We will do what we can with that." Hanabi said, her eyes narrowing.
"Anyway, as for the invasion after… help out in whatever way you can. Just be smart about it." Naruto said. "Default to anyone higher ranked than you, unless you know their orders are shit orders. I'd trust all of your judgments on that one. And make sure stay away from any enemy that's out of your league…" He sighed as he crossed his arms: "And trust me, I know you three are strong. After all the time we've had training, and all the time you all spent with the Toads, I'd say you three are well past chūnin level. But again, just… be smart, about the enemy. Akatsuki is going to be on a whole other level. So, stay away from anyone who you can tell is too strong and help out where you can most help out."
The three genin nodded their heads in understanding. Naruto stood still for a moment before he walked over to the three and pulled them into a group hug, which they quickly reciprocated.
"I trust all of you to be smart. You're all my students, after all! The three of you are infinitely smarter than I was as a bratty genin." Naruto said with a smile as he tightened his hug: "So don't die… alright?"
"We won't." Kanji said, smiling back. "We'll be heading back to Konoha with you."
"You stay safe yourself." Hanabi added: "You're going to be fighting enemies a lot stronger than we plan on… so you have to be careful too, alright?"
"I will be." Naruto said. "I promise."
Team Nine broke-up their group hug. They then turned their heads towards the giant storm cloud. Katsumi, Kanji, and Hanabi all started to take their first steps.
"We'll see you when this is over." Katsumi stated, giving her sensei a thumbs-up: "Even if the actual tournament is meaningless, watch us in our fight. We plan on kicking ass still!"
With that proclamation, the three genin walked into the storm cloud. Naruto stood outside, waving at them for a second before he turned his attention upwards.
'Hanabi is right… I got a task to do as well.' He told himself, taking in a deep breath. 'Alright. Let's do this shit.'
Naruto put his hands in his pockets as he started to walk around the storm cloud, looking to meet with the other jōnin-sensei for the genin teams before they all walked in together.
"Got to say, Oyashiro-san, you've more than earned your money." 'Black Zetsu' noted.
Oyashiro smirked in response. The two figures watched by the entrance to Kumogakure as members of Akatsuki's numbers – Amegakure shinobi, missing ninja, Akatsuki contacts, and Oyashiro's 'assets' – entered the village openly. While they all were dressed in shinobi uniforms of the various Major shinobi villages, not a single Kumo shinobi in charge of guard duty seemed to be paying any attention to them.
"It helps that you got one of my best assets working frontline in this mission." Oyashiro stated, gesturing towards one of his shinobi.
Kurama Yakumo stood by the gate, dressed in a fake Kumogakure shinobi uniform, making a hand sign. Zetsu's eyes narrowed on her for a moment before chuckling.
"The last I had checked, the Kurama Clan's bloodline has been long gone." 'Black Zetsu' stated. 'White Zetsu' chuckled: "How'd you end up finding this one?"
"I gotta tip about a girl with a kekkei genkai who was being locked away near the outskirts of Konoha because she was supposedly unstable. Went on a little trip to see if there was some merit to the rumors and I found her." Oyashiro said, adjusting his sunglasses: "When I first met her, though, she was in pretty bad physical condition though. Luckily for me, I happen to be pretty good at medical ninjutsu, so once I got her body all situated, she became a perfect 'bodyguard' for me." He chuckled loudly as he crossed his arms: "She may seem quiet and uncaring, but deep down, she's a real sick fucker. I don't know what exactly, but she's got some thing going on in her brain and it makes her even more deadly."
"Well, she's definitely made things convenient for us. Her genjutsu is making getting our forces in super easy." 'White Zetsu' stated.
"Another reason why hiring my services is always the correct option." Oyashiro noted as he started to walk off towards the exam stadium: "Anyway, I kinda want to watch this shamble of a Chūnin Exams, so that's where I'm heading. Please communicate to your leader that most of my assets are replaceable, but Nowaki, Yakumo, and Chino are not amongst that list. If any of those three die, the amount of money your organization will owe me shall know no limit!"
Before Zetsu could reply, Oyashiro raised his hand and waved goodbye. The plant-like creature stood still, watching the man walk away, until he was gone out of sight.
The space next to Zetsu opened up in a spiral-like fashion, revealing Obito. The masked Akatsuki member focused intently in the direction Oyashiro walked off in while Zetsu continued to laugh to itself.
"It's almost cute how he thinks he can make any threat towards us." 'White Zetsu' noted. 'Black Zetsu' nodded his head in agreement: "Men like him, who think they are the smartest and most dangerous person in the room, are so useful to keep around. They're content being 'the one in control', when they can actually be replaced with a flick of the wrist."
"Indeed." Obito said, crossing his arms: "I know that man is planning something. Once this invasion is over, it would probably be in our best interest to kill him. Assuming he doesn't die during it, of course." He turned his head towards Zetsu: "Keep me updated if you notice anything of worth, Zetsu. I have a few more last minute preparations to make before the invasion kicks off."
With those words, Obito disappeared once again in a spiraling vortex, leaving Zetsu by itself. The creature responded by sinking into the earth, moving on with its own mission.
Inside the storm cloud was a large stadium that was teeming with shinobi, who were walking around and beginning to take seats in their assigned seats. At the top of the stadium was a raised platform where the five Kage sat down, alone, without any bodyguards.
"Everyone is in position." Ē said, bringing his hands together: "I have my troops spread out throughout the village in all the key locations. Once this invasion starts in any capacity, we'll be ready."
"Uchiha Itachi's plan noted that the Akatsuki was going to attack during the final match." Mei noted: "Do we believe they'll stick with that plan, knowing it was leaked?"
Jiraiya shook his head: "I doubt it, but I also doubt they'll attack early. They'll probably attack during the semi-finals."
"That would make sense." Gaara nodded his head before turning to Ē. "Have any suspicious travelers arrived yet?"
"No." The Raikage shook his head: "I do have shinobi patrolling the village looking for them, but I wouldn't expect Akatsuki to show any signs of arrival until they appear. They'll all mostly descend at the same time."
Kurotsuchi's eyes turned to Gaara: "You and the rest of the jinchūriki are ready, right?"
"As ready as we can be." Gaara said.
The five remained silent for a moment as they watched the stadium start to fill up. After a few more minutes, Ē pulled himself up from his seat.
'Alright, time to begin this farce.' He told himself as he walked to the edge of the platform and looked down upon the attendees. He cleared his throat before his eyes narrowed and he began to channel chakra to his throat: "GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE CHŪNIN EXAMS! LET US NOT WASTE ANY TIME AND BEGIN THE THIRD STAGE OF OUR CHŪNIN EXAMS!"
'Wh-What the hell?' Kurotsuchi's eyes widened as she brought her hands to her ears: 'Why is he screaming like that?'
'Loud men like that are really annoying.' Mei shook her head, her hands on her ears as well.
'There's no need for that…' Gaara mentally hissed, trying to block out the screams of Shukaku within his mind.
'Goddammit, Ē…' Jiraiya scowled.
"Fucking hell, why is he so loud…" Naruto groaned.
The Kyūbi jinchūriki had entered the auditorium alongside the other jōnin-sensei – Anko, Ebisu, Temari, Misora, Risho, Karin, and Tango – and had taken seats alongside them. And, just like him, all eight sensei were rubbing their ears in pain.
"I know he's just projecting his voice so everyone can hear him, but that's unnecessary. Really unnecessary." Anko hissed.
"You think this is loud?" Tango asked, crossing his arms as he scowled: "Because imagine him doing this voice projection when he's angry." His scowl deepened: "I used to work in the Kumo Communications Department, and god forbid if any of us fucked up something. I think he did permanent danger to my ears."
Misora brought a hand to her in chin in thought: "Hmm. Dosu could learn something from him, then."
"Stop. Don't wish that evil into this world." Anko turned her heard towards the Kiri jōnin, glaring at her: "Sparring with that guy is already hell as is just because of how bad my ears are ringing after the fact. Do not give him any ideas on how to make that even worse."
The group grew quiet as they focused on the stadium's battleground. Bee and Yugito walked forward from an opening on the ground level The Kumo shinobi in attendance proceeded to scream loudly in cheers at the sight of the two jinchūriki.
"Bee! Bee! Killer Bee!"
"There's our jinchūriki!"
"Killer Bee's about to do a performance, I just know it!"
"Nii Yugito, step on me!"
"Who said that? Keep your pants on, bastard!" Naruto shouted as he looked around the stadium, looking for the 'horny bastard'. He could not tell, however, as the various Kumo shinobi all continued to cheer.
"Wh-What an absolutely vulgar thing to say about such a beautiful lady!" Ebisu exclaimed with a huff, his eyes glued on Yugito.
'… You know what, at least that horny bastard was honest. Meanwhile, closet pervert's probably drooling at the thought of her and him.' Naruto sighed, shaking his head at his fellow Konoha jōnin.
The two exam proctors finally arrived in the center of the battleground. Yugito, with a scowl on her face, proceeded to explain the rules of the tournament to the crowd, while Bee would occasionally interrupt to throw in his 'lyrical insight' about the competition. After their explanation finished, they called forth the first two teams for the first match: Team Misora, of Kirigakure, versus Team Risho, of Iwagakure.
"Which team is going to win?" Naruto asked, eyeing both Misora and Risho.
"Kawada-san's." Risho replied with a chuckle: "The team I'm watching over intends on throwing. They want to preserve their chakra and physical strength."
"Then yes, mine shall win." Misora nodded her with a chuckle: "I doubt my team would try too hard in the exam, but they'd definitely put on enough to entertain. I think that means they'll win their first round."
"Feels sorta odd to think that a lot of these matches are going to be like this, huh?" Naruto noted, crossing his arms: "Most of the teams trying to just throw matches or just put in minimal effort to preserve strength."
"I mean, it makes the most sense." Temari admitted: "I mean, if you knew about our planned invasion on Konoha, do you think you would have actually fought as hard as you did during your third stage of the exams?"
"Uh…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head in response: "Probably not." He then turned to Risho with a chuckle: "Maybe against you, though. Maybe I'd half-ass my fight with Kurotsuchi, but I'd definitely have given you a real fight. You were a dick back then and needed an ass kicking."
"…" The Kurogane took a deep breath in before sighing: "… Little bit sick of hearing jokes about me 'being an asshole', but I'll accept that one from you." Naruto grinned in response, which caused Risho's eyes to narrow and his hand to go the scabbard at his side: "Just. One. Now drop it."
The group grew quiet as the three Iwagakure genin and the three Kirigakure genin took the battlefield. Yugito signaled for the fight to begin.
Despite not knowing either sets of genin and their capabilities, Naruto could tell that all six genin were not giving their all. They were giving a good show, displaying near-equal skill with shuriken and kunai, taijutsu, and basic jutsu that they threw at one another, but neither team appeared to be really trying to take advantage of openings in the enemies' movements, nor were they making an effort to cover their own openings.
As both Risho and Misora stated, they were simply 'acting out their part' and giving a fight. They were not remotely trying to win.
After a couple minutes of consistent even-fighting, one of the Kirigakure genin – a boy in a skin-tight blue shirt and white pants, wearing goggles over his eyes – made hand signs before bringing his right hand to his mouth. His two teammates jumped behind as he started to breathe out.
"Boil Style: Encroaching Mist!"
The boy released out a large mist from his mouth that expanded into a large wall that slowly inched forward. As the mist connected with the ground, it started to sizzle, causing some of the rocks on the ground to melt.
"And that's game." The boy noted with a chuckle as he pocketed his hands. "I'd surrender now. I'm not going to call off the jutsu until you all do, and I'd really like to not melt you all to death."
"Ah, that must be the Boil Release user I heard about." Karin noted, rubbing her chin slightly: "Is he related to your Mizukage?"
"Tangentially. I'm certain somewhere in their lineage, they're cousins, but neither Mei-sama nor Kinosaki-san would claim a close relation to one another." Misora answered. She then turned to Risho once again: "Kurogane-san, do any of your genin know how to use Fire Release jutsu?"
"Fire Release is actually the elemental affinity of my team's 'ace', Gake Aoi." Risho answered as his eyes moved towards the sole kunoichi on the Iwa team: a girl with white hair and blue eyes, wearing a sleeveless dark brown shirt with visible mesh armor underneath and tight grey pants.
"Then she'd be able to counter this rather easily. I can tell that Kinotaki-san did not put nearly as much chakra as he could in that jutsu." Misora noted, crossing her arms: "I suppose the question is if she will actually respond."
The three Iwagakure shared a look between one another before turning towards the oncoming 'wall' of boiling mist. Aoi took a step forward and raised her hand, turning her heads towards the proctors.
"We admit defeat." She announced.
"And a loss by surrender! That makes Team Misora of Kiri the winner!" Bee declared loudly, generating applause from the audience.
"Well, it's as you both predicted." Ebisu noted with a chuckle.
"And onto the next match." Temari mumbled before turning her head to Anko, her eyebrows raising: "The brats I'm training want to surrender in the semi-finals, so they'll definitely give some kind of fight here."
"Heh. Funny." Anko crossed her arms, smirking in response: "Cause the brats I've been looking after wanted to surrender in the semi-finals too!"
"Guess we might actually get a decent match out of this next one then." Tango spoke-up.
"Guess we will." Naruto nodded his head, his eyes starting to scan the stands: '… God, this wait is killing me. Akatsuki, when are you assholes going to act…'
"Looks like the info was right about a Boil-Release user. Good." Oyashiro noted with a smirk.
Chino frowned as she watched her 'master' proceed to fan himself with a fan he purchased as he leaned in, his eyes focusing intently on Terumi Kinosaki. She could already see the proverbial 'yen' numbers in Oyashiro's eyes behind his sunglasses, causing her frown to deepen. Within seconds, the frown turned into a smirk as she proceeded to giggle, drawing his attention towards her.
"The way you're looking at him, it almost looks like you're going to seduce him, not kidnap him." Chino noted. A scowl developed on Oyashiro's face as he dropped his fan, which caused the girl to giggle: "Heh, you should see your face!"
"Don't say shit like that. I'm not a pedophile." He hissed.
"You're right, you're not." Chino nodded her head, a sweet smile developing on her face: "You're a family killing mass murderer, arms dealer, drug dealer, and racketeer, but at the very least, you can go to sleep soundly knowing you're not a pedo, so that means you aren't a bad person!"
Oyashiro flinched slightly in response. His expression was neutral and his eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, but Chino knew he was affected by her words. Deep down, En Oyashiro thought he was some type of 'misunderstood genius businessman' and not the awful person he actually was. Any opportunity she had to remind him of such was something she had to take.
"… You know, just cause I let you get away with saying shit like that to me, doesn't mean you have a right to." He said, hissing slightly.
Chino only giggled in response, causing Oyashiro to sigh and turn his head back to look at the Terumi genin as he and his team started to walk back to the exit.
"Found out there's a Hyūga genin here too." Oyashiro added, crossing his arms: "She'd be something I'd like to get my hands on." He then turned to face Chino: "Perhaps you could teach her the ropes, huh? You'd like a cute little dōjutsu kouhai, wouldn't you?"
"Sounds interesting." Chino smiled back in response. 'Also horrible. Not a chance in a chance in hell. I can't wait to see your reaction when we all bail on you.' She brought her hand to her chin in thought: '… Assuming you even live past today, Oyashiro.'
Her eyes moved towards the Kage box, focusing on the Mizukage's image, as an idea enters her mind.
"Let the second match, between Team Temari of Sunagakure and Team Anko of Konohagakure, begin!" Yugito shouted.
As the two separate teams of genin got into formation, two shinobi started to lean in, watching the match closely. The first was a woman with purple hair styled in a bun and green eyes, wearing a Kirigakure shinobi uniform. She had an umbrella attached to her back. The second was a man with green shaggy hair and purple eyes, wearing the uniform of a Konohagakure shinobi. He had an umbrella attached to his stomach and a sword hilt to his side.
The two watched Anko's students jump backward. Kazuo released a fire release jutsu right while Tsunemasa and Yūna started to run around the Suna genin, forming a triangle formation around them. The three Suna genin jumped aside, barely avoiding the fire, as they all started to channel chakra and breathe out a stream of wind towards each of the Konoha genin.
"Their movements are hollow." The 'Kiri' shinobi noted, crossing her arms.
"Yup." The 'Konoha' shinobi nodded his head in agreement: "They're both sandbagging this."
"But why?" She asked, frowning: "Don't they wish to become chūnin?"
"How the hell should I know, Ajisai?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they don't give a shit." His eyes then narrowed slightly: "Or maybe they know."
The two were quiet for a moment, focusing their attention on the battle. The Suna genin had now taken the initiative, using higher-strength wind release jutsus to blow the Konoha shinobi into the air. One of the Suna genin proceeded to throw senbon at each of the Konoha shinobi, but Yūna clapped her hands and formed barriers of chakra around each of her teammates, keeping them safe.
"I don't know, Aoi." Ajisai admitted, sighing. "I know the plan leaked when that Uchiha associate of Pain-sama's died, but would the Hokage leak everything to the genin? Potentially generate paranoia amongst them?"
"I mean, that'd be responsible of him. Then again, their current Hokage is Jiraiya." Aoi noted, chuckling: "That man doesn't have a responsible bone in his body. It's really a sign of how much that shitty village has fallen."
"… Isn't that village your birth home, though?" Ajisai asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Yeah." He nodded his head: "Means I know it more than most. That village is a shitshow."
"… I can't disagree with that." Ajisai admitted, shaking her head: "All the major shinobi villages are horrid."
The two were quiet again as they paid attention to the battle. Tsunemasa sent his kikaichū towards one of the Sunagakure genin and landed a hit. The beetles quickly swarmed his body, causing him to scream as he struggled to remove them.
"If they're trying to preserve their strength for the invasion, then it's all going to be for nothing." Aoi noted. "Hell, I bet my students might end up killing all of them. Oboro mentioned that he wanted to attack all the genin just to 'torment the youngsters', and knowing Kagari and Mubi, they'll follow him like the little puppies they are."
"As long as they stay safe." Ajisai noted.
"They will. Most of our casualties are going to come from the missing ninja, I think." Aoi said. A grin developed on his face: "Just imagine, Ajisai. When this thing is all over, we'll be regarded as heroes in Amegakure. Our names are going to go down in history for helping lead the invasion against Kumo, and beginning the end of the five major shinobi villages!"
"… I don't really care about history." Ajisai said, her hands tightening into fists: "However, I do care about this mission and making sure Pain-sama's and Konan-sama's ideals finally come to fruition."
The two grew quiet once again as their attention turned solely to the match.
"And another team has long this tango. The victory this time goes to Team Einko!" Killer Bee declared.
As the crowd started to cheer loudly, Hanabi tilted her head slightly in response: "He's referring to Team 'Anko', right?"
"Yeah, he's just trying to force a stupid rap." Katsumi grumbled. Kanji snorted in response, which caused the brunette to turn to him: "How do you even like that shit anyway? Like don't you like puns? I thought you wouldn't respect lazy forced ones."
"I got puns that are good, and some that sound like shit. The importance is having the confidence to deliver them all one in the same." Kanji noted, grinning in response: "Bee gets that too, which elevates even his worst rhymes to greatness!"
"… Why'd I even bother trying to understand?" Katsumi sighed as she rolled her eyes.
"What are you three waiting for?"
The three genin of Team Nine turned away from the stadium floor in time to see the genin of Team Six staring at them. Sarutobi Konohamaru glared at the three as he started to crack his knuckles, while Kazamatsuri Moegi and Ise Udon had concerned looks on their faces as their eyes moved between Team Nine and Konohamaru.
"It's going to be our turn." Konohamaru declared as he turned towards the stairwell down to the arena floor. "Don't waste time. Let's get on with this."
"Don't need to tell us." Katsumi snorted in response.
With those words, the two Konoha genin teams walked down the stairs together. As they went down, they passed both Team Eight and Team Temari, but they ignored both teams as they continued the walk towards their battle.
"You seem tense, Konohamaru-san." Kanji noted, his eyebrow raised. "Worried about the invasion or something?"
"Of course not." Konohamaru scoffed in response: "That's going to be fine. We're more than ready for that." His eyes narrow further: "I'm just ready to get in a good warm-up for it by kicking your asses."
"Konohamaru-kun…" Hanabi frowned in response.
"Oh?" Katsumi scowled in response: "You think you all are going to win, huh?"
"I don't 'think'. I know." He said, his hands tightening. "You all better give it your all if you have any hope of keeping up with us!"
"B-But he only means that metaphorically. Don't give it your 'full' all, of course." Udon spoke-up. Konohamaru turned to his teammate, glaring at him, which caused him to wince: "I m-mean, because of the invasion of course. Please." He took in a deep breath before he composed himself and glared back at his friend: "Preserve most of your energy for the invasion."
"… We don't have a need to give it our 'full' all, anyway." Konohamaru said, shaking his head.
"Konohamaru!" Moegi scowled in response: "Please, stop antagonizing them already!"
Team Nine did not respond, only staring at Konohamaru as they continued their descent down the stairs.
'He really isn't acting like himself at all. He's hurt. I… We all should have done more to help him after Sandaime-sama passed.' Hanabi acknowledged, biting down on her lip. 'But that's not an excuse. Konohamaru-kun, please. Stop acting so childish right now.'
'Funny. I always remembered him being a really sweet guy, if not a little annoying.' Kanji brought his right hand to his chin. 'Whatever's bothering him, it's not healthy. Guess if we're going to be his opponents, maybe we can help with that.'
'That chip on his shoulder isn't going to get any smaller unless it gets beaten out of him…' Katsumi noted, sighing. '… We won't show everything we can do, but maybe it'd be a good idea to take this fight a bit more seriously than we planned. Pull the stick out of his ass and whack him a few times with it until he finally calms the hell down…'
The six genin remained quiet as they focused on their walk.
"Seriously? Einko?" Anko repeated the name Bee gave her in disgust, the scowl on her face growing deeper. "I don't give a fuck if he's the Raikage's brother or the Hachibi jinchūriki; when this is all over, I'm kicking that guy's ass!"
"Mitarashi-san, Bee-sama is one our village's top shinobi." Tango spoke-up, scowling: "He'll destroy you if you two fight."
"Fuck off." She hissed, glaring at the Kumo jōnin-sensei: "I'll kick your ass too if you want when this is all over!"
Tango shook his head: "I'd like to see you try-"
"Children. Please." Temari hissed, silencing both Anko and Tango: "Can we please focus on the next match already?"
The eight jōnin-senseis remained quiet as the next two teams – Konoha's Team Six and Team Nine – walked out onto the stadium floor. A small grin developed on Naruto's face as he turned to face Ebisu.
"So, I think my team wants to do well, all things considered. So hopefully your team is ready for a beating!" He said with a chuckle.
"… I would hope they would be. My team intends on winning all the matches they actually get to fight." Ebisu admitted, frowning slightly: "I just hope they listen to my advice."
"Eh?" Naruto raised his eyebrow in response. "Whatcha mean?" He then focused his attention on Team Six, his eyes narrowing on Konohamaru. Noticing the scowl on his face, Naruto's eyes widened in understanding: "He's taking this too seriously, isn't he?"
"Moegi and Udon understand, but Konohamaru's too focused on making a good impression." Ebisu stated sharply, crossing his arms: "In our last conversation on the subject, I made sure he understood now to go 'all-in' during this fight and he seemed to understand. For his sake, I hope he did."
Naruto did not say anything in response as his focus on Konohamaru lightened slightly. For a moment, he saw the image of the young child he met shortly after becoming a genin. He never interacted as much as he would have liked with him, he always did enjoy his presence, and Konohamaru always did remind him slightly of himself.
The image of the young academy student then faded away, replaced with the image of the young genin sobbing loudly at Sarutobi Hiruzen's funeral.
'… He's still hurt.' A sigh escaped his lips as he turned his attention back to his team. His eyes briefly flickered to Risho before going, again, back to his team: 'All Risho needed back then was a good kick in the ass. I… I hope you all will be able to help Konohamaru the same way.'
"Let the third match, between Team Naruto and Team Ebisu of Konohagakure, begin!" Yugito stated.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The moment the match started, Konohamaru created six shadow clones. The clones, alongside the original Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, spread out rapidly, surrounding Team Nine.
Hanabi activated her Byakugan. Her eyes focused intently on their foes, noticing each of them reaching into weapon holsters.
"They're all reaching for shuriken, and I can see them channeling chakra into the shuriken too." She stated.
"Kanji!" Katsumi called out as she ran through hand signs.
"Already ahead of you." Kanji replied as he reached for sealing tags in his pocket.
Konohamaru and his clones, Moegi, and Udon all threw shuriken simultaneously at Team Nine. Katsumi slammed her open palms into the ground while Kanji tossed his sealing tags forward.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu!"
"Fūinjutsu: Protective Winds!"
The nineteen shuriken flying towards Team Nine multiplied, turning into hundreds of shuriken. Before they could reach their targets, however, a wall of earth rose from the ground shielding the front half of Team Nine, while the sealing tags started to emit a flurry of wind that blocked the other half. Half of the shuriken impaled themselves on the earth wall, causing it crack heavily, while the other half of shuriken were blocked by the wind, unable to go further.
"Dammit." Konohamaru grit his teeth in response before making the tiger seal: "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb!"
Konohamaru breathed out a stream of fire from his mouth directly at the earthen wall. Upon contact, the wall started to fall apart.
"Shit." Katsumi hissed as she grabbed onto Hanabi's shoulder. Both she and Kanji then started to crouch down, as she pulled Hanabi to the ground as well. "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Just as the fire broke through, the three genin of Team Nine sank into the ground, causing the fire blast to connect with nothing. Konohamaru scowled in response before turning to Moegi.
"You're up." He stated sharply.
"R-Right." Moegi nodded her head as she made a series of hand signs: "Earth Style: Quake Jutsu!"
Moegi clapped her hands onto the ground, causing it to shake rapidly. Within a few seconds, the genin of Team Nine were sent flying upward.
"Heh. Easy. Good job Moegi." Konohamaru smirked at his teammate before he gestured towards Udon: "Now, Udon!"
"Ninja Art: Dripping Nose!"
After making a hand sign, water tendrils developed from Udon's nose and quickly rushed towards Katsumi, Kanji, and Hanabi. The tendrils surrounded them, trapping them inside for a few seconds, before the three genin began to fall apart, reduced to stones and dirt.
"Earth clones?" Udon's eyes widened.
"How did my jutsu not pull out the real ones?" Moegi asked, frowning.
"That-" Konohamaru's words died on his lips as he noticed small holes in the ground starting to open: "Everyone, jump!"
"Ninja Art: Poison Darts Jutsu!"
Sharp, dart-shaped poison needles flew from the ground towards the members of Team Six. Konohamaru, Udon, and four of Konohamaru's shadow clones were able to jump away in time, but the remaining clones and Moegi were all hit by multiple stray poison darts. The clones all dissipated upon contact while Moegi began to hiss as she felt the world around her starting to spin.
On cue, the genin of Team Nine emerged from the earth. Hebihiro had now extended his head slightly from his position on Hanabi's neck, his mouth open as poison dripped from his and Hanabi's lips.
"Udon, what the hell was with that nose jutsu?" Katsumi asked, her eyes narrowing on the boy: "You can't seriously be using water release jutsu with your actual snot as the water source, are you? That's disgusting!"
A blush developed on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head: "I-It kinda seems that way, but it's actually really effective and has an adhesive effect that helps-"
"Again, disgusting." Katsumi shook her head, frowning.
"Hmph." Konohamaru's eyes narrowed on his opponents for a moment: "I don't know how you all avoided Moegi's earth style jutsu earlier, but that's not going to change anything. Just watch-"
"I'm withdrawing."
All eyes turned to Moegi, who was staring intently at Yugito and Bee. The two Kumo proctors nodded their head as they gestured towards the girl.
"Kazamatsuri Moegi is willingly withdrawing, bringing Team Ebisu down to two members." Yugito declared.
"Moegi, what the hell?" Konohamaru called out, shaking his head: "You can't be calling it quits now! I know you can fight more!"
"Yeah, I know, but I got hit by poison. A lot of it. I want to get it filtered out of my system as quick as possible." Moegi replied, shaking her head as she walked off to the side.
Konohamaru scowled in response: "You can't just leave us like this! We're supposed to be a team-"
"Then how about you start acting like a team member and not like a jerk!" Moegi hissed in response. Konohamaru stiffened in response, but Moegi shook her head as she continued to walk towards the exit of the battlefield and began to move up the stairs once more: "There are more important things going on, Konohamaru. You know better, so start acting better."
With those words, Moegi left. Team Six was now down to two members against three.
'… Awkward.' Kanji rubbed the back of his head, his eyes focusing on Konohamaru: '… Guess it's three versus two, though. Hopefully that means the fight will be over soon.'
'She's got a point.' Katsumi nodded in approval as she watched Moegi go up the stairs before turning back to Konohamaru: 'So… how are you going to respond?'
Konohamaru was still for a moment with a neutral expression, his eyes focused on Moegi's fleeing figure. Udon and the Konohamaru shadow clones stared intently at him, waiting to see his response. After a few seconds, he shook his head, his scowl deepening.
"Fine. We'll win without her." He hissed as he bit his thumb and ran through hand signs.
"Konohamaru." Udon frowned in response: "You can't-"
"Udon, take this serious already. Pick up the slack, just like I'm doing." Konohamaru replied as he slammed his open palm into the ground: "Summoning Jutsu!"
A poof of smoke filled the air before a monkey with white-hair and brown splotches, wearing shoulder pads and knee braces, with two staves attached to holsters on its back, appeared side-by-side Konohamaru. The monkey reached for one of the staves while Konohamaru grabbed the other.
"I hope you're ready for a good fight, Okorizaru!" Konohamaru addressed the summon before he swung the staff in a circular fashion: "Cause we're going to need everything you got, alright?"
"As you say." The monkey, Okorizaru, nodded his head as he gripped his own staff tightly. His eyes focused intently on Team Nine as a large grin developed on his face: "Let's go apeshit!"
'Damn you, Konohamaru.' Ebisu's hands tightened as he started to grit his teeth. 'Using only your strongest techniques, wasting so much chakra, and revealing your ace technique… for a glorified exhibition match?'
"Konohamaru has a summoning contract?" Naruto's eyes widened in response as he turned to the silently-seething Ebisu.
"… He does. It's the Monkey Contract that Sandaime-sama possessed. Konohamaru requested to sign it after he passed, and the Monkey Boss Summon, Enma, agreed." Ebisu answered quietly.
"I am impressed with the extent of his techniques." Tango admitted. "He's been using a lot of techniques I heard were associated with your Sandaime Hokage."
"That's been the focus on our own training, and some training he's been doing in his private. I have been trying to train him, Moegi, and Udon on a lot of Sandaime-sama's techniques that are a bit more feasible to learn, given their current strength levels. I had been impressed at the pace they had been picking up on them, especially Konohamaru." Ebisu admitted, shaking his head: "However, I'm no longer impressed."
"Because he's using everything he knows right now, right?" Anko asked.
Ebisu nodded his head. He bit his lip slightly before speaking: "I should have done something about this sooner. Konohamaru helped calm my concerns before this match slightly, but I should have realized earlier he'd behave like this once the moment came, and I should have pulled him from it. I can't believe he is being this irresponsible, using so much chakra and so much of his strength before what he knows is coming."
Naruto did not reply immediately, only staring at Konohamaru and the monkey-summon. His eyes then turned to his team.
'So, what are you all going to do against him?' He wondered.
"Konohamaru!" Udon called out, the frown that had been on his face morphing into a scowl: "Ebisu-sensei told you not to use your Summoning Jutsu!"
"Udon, I'll repeat myself one more time. Get serious with this fight." He hissed in response.
"… No." Udon shook his head in response. Konohamaru's eyes widened as he turned to face him: "I'm not going to waste my strength like this. Not for your pride." He then turned to the Kumo proctors: "I'm withdrawing as well."
Konohamaru's eyes widened as he watched his second teammate walk towards the stairs. He barely registered the words of Killer Bee announcing Udon's decision before he turned his attention back to Team Nine.
"Konohamaru-kun, you should follow his example." Hanabi said, frowning: "You've shown you have a lot of really strong techniques, but it's now one versus three." She brought her hands together: "Please. Surrender."
"Seriously." Katsumi spoke, shaking her head: "I don't mind kicking your ass a bit, but save yourself the time. Just call it quits and go talk to your teammates."
"… No." He shook his head. "I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru. I'm the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage." His hand tightened onto his staff: "I'm going to be the next Hokage." He then pointed the end of his staff directly at his opponents: "I'll prove that now, by taking all three of you on, all by myself!" He then made eye contact with his summon: "Let's do this, Okorizaru!"
"With pleasure, young master!" The monkey grinned in response as he took a step forward.
"So you're just gonna be stubborn and force us to end this, huh?" Kanji asked, bringing his hands to his side. "Alright then. No monkey business. Let's do this!"
Konohamaru glared in response as he gestured with his free hand. His four remaining shadow clones proceeded to rush forward.
"Fire Style: Burning Ash!"
The four Konohamaru clones each breathed out heavy gunpowder that flew through the battlefield like smoke. Within seconds, the whole stadium floor was covered in the gunpowder.
'If Konohamaru were to use this jutsu with a normal fire jutsu to ignite the gunpowder, he'd get caught in the blaze, based on how he let it spread.' Katsumi noted, scowling as her hand went for her sword: 'He must be doing this to obfuscate her vision. But we have Hanabi, who can see clearly, so why would he-' Her eyes widened in realization: "Hanabi, he's going to focus you first so he can keep Kanji and I blind to whatever he's planning!"
Hanabi frowned in response: "That would make sense. I can see him and the monkey summon channeling a lot of chakra right now-"
"Monkey Style Bōjutsu: Close Combat!"
Acting on instinct, Katsumi jumped towards Hanabi's side just in time as Konohamaru rushed at her with incredible speed, swinging his staff. She blocked with her sword, pulling the two genin into a stalemate. Konohamaru then swung with the other end of his staff, forcing Katsumi to quickly block. He then swung again, this time moving faster than she could block and hitting her in the side. Katsumi was sent flying backwards, choking out some blood.
'How strong is that staff, holy shit-' Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the monkey summon, Okorizaru, rushing towards her: "Fuck-"
Okorizaru struck her back with his staff, slamming her into the ground, and creating a mini crater as she choked up more blood. The monkey then reached for her neck with his free hand, gripping her tightly.
'Shit…' She cursed internally.
"Katsumi-chan!" Hanabi called out as she started to rush over towards her.
Before she could get close, however, Konohamaru rushed her. He swung her staff in a downward motion, forcing her to jump back. He then tossed his staff upwards slightly, freeing his hands for hand signs.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Konohamaru breathed out a massive gust of wind at Hanabi before she could get away, cutting into her and blowing her back slightly.
'D-Dammit… I need to go help her-' Katsumi choked as she was pulled away from watching Hanabi, and being forced to turn her attention back to Okorizaru. The monkey grinned as he tightened his grip on her throat, causing her to choke more. The gunpowder in the air was not helping, either. '… I could probably use the golem technique and break free, but…' She bit down on her lip: 'No, not happening. I'm going to kick this bastard's ass without my strongest techniques!'
With a determined look on her face, Katsumi swung her feet upward, surrounding the monkey's arm between her legs. Before the summon could react, Katsumi forced him down to the ground, using all of her strength and weight. The monkey growled as Katsumi freed herself and rushed over to Hanabi as the summon started to follow behind.
As she approached him, she noticed Kanji kneeling on the ground. The two locked eyes for a moment before he sank into the earth, using the Headhunter Jutsu. She nodded her head before turning her attention back to Konohamaru.
The Sarutobi rushed at Hanabi, who was still staggered from his last attack. He swung his staff against her side, hitting and causing her to hiss in pain. He swung his staff once again, but she was able to side-step this one. She tried to land a palm strike on him, but he jumped in the air, avoiding it.
"Come on, Hanabi, that's not all you got, is it?" He asked: "You're a Hyūga, aren't you? Rookie of the Year? Come on!"
"Konohamaru-kun. Stop it." Hanabi stated sharply. She turned around just as Konohamaru landed behind her and ducked in time to avoid another swing: "You're not being yourself right now."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked as he slammed his staff forward: "Monkey Style Bōjutsu: Rock Smash!"
Hanabi side-stepped just in time as Konohamaru slammed his staff into the arena ground, causing rocks to scatter all around. The stones impaled Hanabi, causing her to wince in pain. Konohamaru rushed to her again, trying to swing his staff, but Hebihiro swung himself from her neck towards Konohamaru's arm, wrapping around his hand tight enough that he dropped his staff.
"Shit!" He hissed as he applied force, pulling the snake off of him.
"Back in the academy, you were a really sweet guy. Very friendly and considerate, if a little loud. A troublemaker, but in a good way." Hanabi spoke as she moved to grab Konohamaru's staff. He managed to pull it back before she could grab it: "But right now, you aren't acting like the boy you are. You're being aggressive and cruel."
"I'm being cruel? For wanting to fight?" Konohamaru rolled his eyes.
"For being so dismissive of Moegi-san and Udon-san." Hanabi replied, shaking her head.
Konohamaru's eyes narrowed: "Dismissive? They're the ones who left the fight! They're the ones who left me out here by myself!"
"Moegi-san had her reasons and Udon-san was disappointed in your behavior." Hanabi stated, frowning: "They know they can't go all out the way you are doing right. They're trying to-"
"Shut. Up." Konohamaru growled.
He closed the distance between them once again and swung his staff in a sweeping motion. This time, he managed to sweep Hanabi off her feet. Konohamaru's grip on his staff tightened as he swung downward.
"I know what I'm doing. I know my limits! I know what's 'important', so stop acting like I'm some dumbass!" He shouted as he swung the staff downward.
"Earth Style: Rising Rock Jutsu!"
Before his blow could connect, the ground underneath Konohamaru's feet opened up, forming a boulder that flew into the air, raising his body and staggering him. He fell off the boulder just in time as Katsumi rushed at him, gripping her sword tightly.
Konohamaru's shadow clones rushed towards her, trying to come in between her and the original, but she quickly dissipated them with quick slashes to each. She then reached Konohamaru and swung her blade at him, which he blocked with his staff.
As the two clashed in a stalemate, Konohamaru started to apply more force and began to overwhelm Katsumi.
"I know you're stronger than this. Fight back more." He stated sharply.
Just as he finished overpowering Katsumi and sending her sword flying away, Hanabi jumped at him and struck at his arm with her fingers, hitting tenketsu. He hissed in pain, dropping his staff, as Hanabi continued to strike his tenketsu. He jumped back, panting slightly.
"Dammit… Okorizaru, why aren't you helping-" His words died as he turned to face his monkey summon, his eyes widening in horror: "Okorizaru?"
The monkey was currently quietly hissing as large quantities of lightning and electricity raced through his body. The summon's hissing eventually turned into screaming before he finally fell to the ground in unconsciousness before disappearing in a poof of smoke.
Upon Okorizaru's disappearance, four identical sealing tags, marked with the kanji for 'lightning' as the base with an elaborate design surrounding it, were found on the ground where the monkey once stood.
"What the…" He mumbled to himself as the ground behind him opened. He turned around in time to come face-to-face with Kanji.
Katsumi's eyebrow raised: "Was four seals necessary?"
The Yamanaka shrugged in response: "I just wanted to make sure we took that thing out. It was an unknown variable of strength. Besides, I can make more 'Paralysis Trap' seals." Kanji's eyes then focused on Konohamaru: "Anyway, back to business. You really should surrender now, you know?"
"Not happening…" Konohamaru grit his teeth as he tried to make hand signs. His eyes widened as he was unable to channel chakra into his hands: 'Damn, Hanabi sealed my tenketsu.'
"He's not the type to go down peacefully." Katsumi shook her head.
"Couldn't hurt to ask for a surrender one more." Kanji shrugged his shoulders as he brought his hands together: "Mind Destruction Jutsu!" Konohamaru's body tensed-up as became completely still. "Alright, one of you finish him off while I hold him down. Just do it quick so I don't waste too much chakra."
Katsumi and Hanabi turned to face each other for a moment. The two kunoichi nodded as Hanabi took a step forward, facing the Sarutobi.
Konohamaru closed his eyes, doing everything he could to overcome Kanji's control. All of his efforts failed: 'Dammit… this is so humiliating…'
"Konohamaru-kun." Hanabi spoke his name. He did not respond, keeping his eyes closed. A sigh escaped her lips as she raised her right hand: "I'm sorry."
Hanabi struck down at Konohamaru's neck with a forceful chop. He immediately fell to the ground, drifting into unconsciousness.
"And there we have it, folks. Team Naruto wins; that ain't no joke!" Bee shouted.
"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "Those are my students!"
The audience cheered loudly as Team Nine walked out of the stadium battlefield and a medic came over to grab Konohamaru's body.
"You're aware that this is nothing more than glorified exhibition matches, right?" Tango asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, yeah, but I'm still proud of them." Naruto shrugged his shoulders: "So I'll definitely shout for them!"
"Admittedly, in a normal year, I think that could have been a good match to watch." Temari admitted, frowning: "From the little of actual match we saw, I'm sure it could have been real interesting."
"True." Anko nodded her head: "That Konohamaru brat would have been a good fight for any of your students one-on-one, Naruto, and could have actually won, having to fight three versus one was all that mattered."
"True." Naruto, again, shrugged his shoulders: "Then again, I know none of my three went all out too. Would have been cool to see."
"I'm not quite certain why Konohamaru-san used so much chakra intensive techniques in that fight." Misora noted, frowning: "I could sense his chakra level. He was getting close to needlessly depleting his reserves, and for what?"
Karin nodded her head in agreement: "I'm not certain-"
Karin's words were interrupted as Ebisu abruptly stood-up. The other jōnin-sensei turned to face the man as he started to walk off.
"Please excuse me." Ebisu stated as he walked off.
No one said anything in response as they watched him head off.
'Can feel his disappointment… really wouldn't want to be under his care right now.' Naruto noted with a sigh. '… Wonder if Konohamaru will end up okay?'
After a few more seconds of silence, Killer Bee and Yugito announced the next match, returning everyone's attention back to the exam floor.
"Summoning Jutsu: Edo Tensei!"
Within a moment, coffins rose from the ground directly in front of Kabuto and Hidan. The coffins opened, revealing a modest-sized task force.
Orochimaru. Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Sanshōuo no Hanzo. Jūzō Biwa. Kakuzu. Nasumareta. Uchiha Itachi. Yotsuki Kashikoi. And Abunai, better known to the Elemental Nations as Sandaime Raikage – the Third Ē. The undead summons stood motionless, waiting for the direction from their summoner to start moving.
"Heh. This is the first time I think I've ever seen Kakuzu without that mask of his." Hidan noted as he took a step forward towards his former partner: "And he's being quiet, too. Not saying a word of blasphemy." He turned back to Kabuto with a grin on his face: "Could get used to seeing him like this!"
"He'll be one of the most useful assets of this bunch." Kabuto noted, crossing his arms as his eyes moved from summon-to-summon. "Really, all of them will be."
"This is going to be your thing, isn't it?" Hidan asked, raising an eyebrow slightly: "I don't think we even need that Oyashiro asshole's help or the Ame ninja or even those two ROOT jackasses." A chuckle escaped his lips: "You may be a godless heathen, but you have the spirit of a Jashin follower, you know. He would approve of a mortal leading an army of the undead into battle."
"Hidan is right. Your numbers seem rather impressive."
Both Kabuto and Hidan turned around in time to see Pain and Konan approaching them. Hidan's eyes narrowed while Kabuto tilted his head in curiosity.
"It is… somewhat disturbing to see Hanzō again, even in this state." Konan spoke-up, her eyes focused intently on the Edo Tensei of the former Amegakure leader: "However, from firsthand experience, I can tell he will be a useful tool. I'm certain you'll make the most out of him."
"I'm surprised to see you two here right now. I had assumed you were getting ready for your grand entrance." Kabuto noted, adjusting his glasses: "Shouldn't you be getting ready to crash the Kumo Exam? I'd imagine the exams have at least had three or four matches."
She crossed her arms: "We are ready. We are simply waiting for the moment. However, we have a change in assignment."
"A change in assignment?" Kabuto repeated.
"You are still able to fight when you have your Edo Tensei summons out, yes?" Pain asked.
"A part of my consciousness needs to be kept on each individual summon, which is why I'm only limiting myself to ten summons, but I'm still able to fight." The silver-haired shinobi clarified.
"Then we will require you to accompany us in our battle against the jinchūriki." Pain explained.
Both Kabuto's and Hidan's eyes widened in response. The two were still for a moment, processing the order, until Hidan spoke-up.
"You, Konan, and Kisame are already going to be in that fight. Isn't that already overkill against just four jinchūriki?" Hidan asked. "Or are you chickenshit or something, and afraid you'll get your asses kicked? Cause then, you can just leave it to me and I'll-"
"It's not 'four'. And don't insult your leader." Konan interrupted, glaring sharply at the Jashinite: "Zetsu had a last minute addition to report. All nine jinchūriki are present."
"All nine?" Kabuto's eyes widened further in response.
"We aren't quite certain how they managed to get all nine of them here without our notice. While this make things more dangerous, this also could make things more rewarding." Pain stated sharply: "With one battle, we could accomplish our objective here. Right now."
"… And that's why you want me there, huh?" Kabuto asked, his eyebrow raising slightly: "And just me? Would you not want other Akatsuki members?"
Pain shook his head before briefly turning to Hidan: "Hidan already has an objective that suits his skillset, as do Sasori and Deidara. You, on the other hand, don't have as clear of a role in this invasion. Therefore, we'll be taking you alongside us." He closed his eyes for a moment: "Tobi will also be accompanying us."
'Ah.' Kabuto resisted the urge to narrow his eyes: 'So, Obito's going to get involved, huh?'
The area was quiet for a moment before Kabuto finally nodded his head. He adjusted his glasses, taking a few steps towards the Akatsuki leader.
"Very well. I accept." He said. His hands tightened slightly as an image of Naruto crossed his mind: 'Besides, this will be good for my ego. It'll give me a chance to get even with Uzumaki Naruto one last time before his death…'
"So, you still want me to do what I'm already assigned, right?" Hidan asked.
Pain nodded his head: "Kill as many as you possibly can."
"Don't need to tell me twice." Hidan scoffed as a grin developed on his face: "As a result of my own training and prayer these past few months, I learned a few new techniques from Jashin-sama that shall make this pathetic little village run red." A loud laugh escaped his lips as his right hand went to the pendant around his neck: "You all have fun beating the jinchūriki into submission. I'll be busy turning Kumogakure's residential district into a mausoleum for Jashin-sama!"
"What a snooze fest, am I right? Nevertheless, Team Karin wins this fight!"
On cue with Killer Bee's words, the Kusagakure team started to walk back to the exit of the stadium, with the genin of Kumogakure Team Twenty-six lying down on the exam floor, all snoozing peacefully as a yellow-colored fog seemed to surround their bodies. Right around their bodies were a series of mushrooms that had seemingly grown from the ground. Before moving up the stairs fully, Maitake made a single hand sign, causing the mushrooms to sink back into the earth.
"Th-The hell did your student do to my students?" Tango demanded as he turned to Karin.
Karin shrugged her shoulders: "Relax, I trust Maitake to have only put them asleep for like… five minutes, tops. If even that."
"Mushroom-based ninjutsu is rather interesting." Temari noted, nodding her head: "Don't think I've ever heard of anything like that, too. Is that something she picked up from you or her family?"
Karin shook her head: "She invented that herself."
"Really?" Naruto blinked in response. Karin, again, nodded her head, causing him to whistle in approval: "Damn, that's a really inventive style of jutsu to invent. She's pretty smart, huh?"
'A bit too smart. Makes her paranoid of her techniques getting leaked.' Karin sighed: 'Hopefully she lightens up one of these days.'
A few more minutes passed by as Killer Bee and Yugito announced the beginning of the semi-finals. The shinobi in attendance, while cheering and applauding in excitement, also tensed-up as their attention began to spread around the area.
'When's it happening?' Naruto bit down on his lip.
"You're awake now, I see."
Konohamaru grumbled as he started to stir. After a few seconds he finally opened his eyes, finding himself in the Dengō Raigō stadium's infirmary. Three other beds were occupied by the three Kumo genin of Team Twenty-six, who were still sleeping soundly. He then turned his attention towards the door, where he noticed Ebisu standing by the door side.
The Sarutobi tensed-up as he pulled himself up from the bed he was laying in as he started to look around the room, confirming that he was alone with his sensei. Ebisu seemed to notice his intent, which caused the jōnin to nod his head.
"The medic who was attending you knew you weren't going to be unconscious for long, and that you would be fine. So I volunteered to wait here for you." He stated, crossing his arms: "After all, you and I have some things to discuss, Konohamaru."
"… I already know what you're going to say." Konohamaru mumbled, looking downward: "Look, I get it. I didn't go overboard, though." He took in a deep breath, tightening his hands: "I didn't exhaust myself."
"You used extensive amounts of chakra." Ebisu reminded in a neutral tone: "Shadow Clone, Shuriken Shadow Clone, different elemental jutsus, your Summoning Jutsu, your bōjutsu techniques… I know where your chakra reserves are at, Konohamaru. You exhausted them quite a bit. Even if you did not get your tenketsu sealed near the end of the fight, I doubt you'd have been able to fight much longer."
"… Nothing a soldier pill can't fix, huh?" Konohamaru replied, looking up slightly.
He took one glance into Ebisu's sunglasses before finally looking down once again.
"While a soldier pill won't help you fully recover, you are correct and I'd advise you take one before the invasion." Ebisu said in the same neutral tone-of-voice as he shook his head: "However, you are rather lucky you have that option. Team Nine apparently was sympathetic to you to a degree, as Hanabi-san knocked you out in a rather painless way that wouldn't do harm to your body. Imagine if that were any other genin team."
He took off his sunglasses, revealing his narrowed eyes: "In particular, the team from Kumogakure or Kusagakure would have done much worse to you. You'd be out of commission for the entire invasion, assuming nothing happened to you during it while you were unconscious!"
"I…" Konohamaru winced in response, looking down slightly: "I… was all by myself out there, you know? Moegi and Udon ditched me."
"Moegi was concerned about the potential of having poison in her system during the invasion and wanted to get checked up on, and Udon was not keen on being disrespected like the way you treated him. And frankly, I don't blame him." Ebisu stated, crossing his arms: "To put this bluntly, Konohamaru, I am disappointed with you. I thought we had already spoken about this, so seeing you like this… it's embarrassing. You are not acting like a chūnin or even a genin; you're reminding me of the child you were when I first met you."
"Oh, you mean the 'honorable grandson'?" Konohamaru noted. Ebisu's eyebrow raised in response as the boy shook his head: "Hmph. Once my grandpa died, you stopped treating me with respect. Sounds right. That's all you ever cared about, huh? Just training the Sandaime's grandson, and now that he's not there, the appeal's gone, huh?"
"Are... you serious?" Ebisu blinked in response, breaking character for a moment. After a few seconds, Ebisu's eyes narrowed once again as he reached over to Konohamaru's scarf and pulled him off the bed, causing him to wince: "You believe that? That that's all I think about in regards to you? You, Sarutobi Konohamaru, I've been training for over four years now? You, a genin under my care? That's what you think of me?"
"Urk..." Konohamaru winced in response as Ebisu's grip tightened.
"Konohamaru, I've cared for you like family for years now. I've always been concerned for your development as both a shinobi and as a person. That is why I'm so upset with you right now." Ebisu stated sharply as he dropped Konohamaru's scarf. The boy started to gasp slightly as he was placed back on the bed as Ebisu's glare intensified: "I understand how badly Sandaime-sama's death has impacted you, but you cannot allow it to consume you every second of the day. The world does not stop caring about you because your grandfather is dead. The world is not going to forget Sarutobi Hiruzen just because he has dead, just as it has not forgotten Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, or Namikaze Minato. If you wish to consider yourself a self-respecting shinobi and someone worthy of your grandfather's respect, you will get those notions out of your head already!"
Konohamaru's eyes widened in response. He was quiet as Ebisu's words repeated in his mind. After a few more seconds of silence, Ebisu sighed and put his sunglasses back on. He shook his head as he started to walk back towards the door.
"You can walk, yes?" He asked. Konohamaru nodded his head: "Then I'd suggest you join your teammates again. Talk with them if you have the time and wish to, but prepare. I assume things will be intensifying shortly."
Konohamaru wordlessly nodded as he pulled himself off the bed. He reached into his pocket, feeling the presence of a soldier pill, as he followed his jōnin-sensei behind.
"The semi-finals have started! Get on with the plan!" Both 'White Zetsu' and 'Black Zetsu' ordered.
The creature did not wait for either Tanuki's or Kido's responses as it sank into the ground of the abandoned building in Kumogakure's business district that they were staying in. The two former ROOT agents stared at the ground where it had sunk into for a few seconds before turning to face one another.
"So, scientist to scientist, what do you think Zetsu is, exactly?" Kido asked.
"Otherworldly of sort. Almost appears like an alien or some monster from a child's stories." Tanuki said with a shrug. "I assume it's the work of some combination of Orochimaru's and Pain's research. I would enjoy dissecting it."
"If only we were that lucky." Kido snorted in response.
The two were silent for a few seconds as Kido started to take a few steps forward. He cracked his knuckles before he reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial containing his Tailed Beast Drug.
"I presume you are going to stay hidden this time, correct? Leaving the fight to your chimera?" Kido asked.
Tanuki nodded his head: "Nue will be more potent if I'm able to keep a distance and actually delegate its actions from afar." A smirk developed on his face: "Besides, after the last minute modifications I was able to give to it, I'm certain that Nue will do its job. Kumogakure will be no more after today."
"That's a fact, yes." Kido nodded his head. "And I'd like to witness it first-hand."
"I do envy that of you." Tanuki admitted. "I wish you well, Kido-san. From one disciple of Danzō-sama to another, I wish you well."
Kido did not verbally reply, only waving to his fellow scientist as he walked out of the building. Tanuki, now alone, bent down to the ground as he pulled out a scroll from a pocket in his kimono. He unraveled it, revealing the ornate eye seal printed on it as he bit his thumb and started to make hand signs.
Negative emotions rushed through his body as Tanuki breathed in and slammed his open palm onto the scroll, creating a dark purple seal underneath his body.
"Summoning Jutsu! Come, Nue!"
Above the clouds of Kumogakure, a clay dragon flew about the village's residential district. Deidara and Sasori stood on top of the dragon, Deidara gripping tightly onto a series of clay birds he crafted. Sasori, while still wearing his Hiruko puppet, was gripping onto a scroll in his right hand tightly.
"Our time to shine, hmm!" Deidara's grin was the widest it had ever been, nearly splitting his whole face: "I've never had such a wide canvas for my art! I can't wait to see how beautiful it is!"
"Hmph." Sasori scoffed in response: "Watch closely, Deidara. I'll show you here how hollow your art actually is, by showing how destructive my art can really be."
"Well, if you want to have a contest out of this, I'd be more than willing to take your challenge, Sasori my man." Deidara stated, briefly glancing back at his partner. "First to a thousand kills wins?"
"Hardly a challenge." Sasori, again, scoffed. He then unsealed the scroll in his hand: "Let me show you precisely why."
In a poof of smoke, Sasori's newest puppet appeared: Ryōtenbin no Ōnoki.
Deidara's eyes focused intently on the puppet for a minute before nodding his approval at Sasori.
"I always thought that old fuck's Dust Release would be a good medium for my art, hmm. I think I'll actually be looking forward to seeing how good of a job it does." Deidara noted. He then turned his attention to the ground as he started to drop his clay birds: "Anyway, let's get this show started, hmm?"
"Yes, let's." Sasori nodded his head in response as he gestured with his right hand. The puppet Ōnoki proceeded to bring its hands together before spreading them apart, creating a cube of three-dimensional chakra in his hands: "Dust Release!"
"The Animal Path is in position." Pain spoke-up, his eyes narrowing: "It's time."
Kabuto's attention focused on the leader as he took a step forward. He was followed behind by Konan, Kisame, Tobi, and four other individuals that Kabuto had never seen. Three of them had the same orange hair while the fourth was a bald masculine-looking creature with spikes on the top of its head. All four had the same identical piercings that Pain possessed and all had the Rinnegan implanted in their eyes.
'The Rinnegan… I wish I was able to understand more of what it is capable of.' Kabuto noted, rubbing his chin: 'Perhaps I'll get the chance to study when this is over.'
"So we're going to engage directly in the Chūnin Exams stadium." Kisame noted, his hand instinctively moving to Samehada. "You think we'll draw all the other jinchūriki there?"
"The Ichibi, Nibi, Hachibi, and Kyūbi will be there. The Animal Path, in addition to making the first move, will have drawn the other five to the exam stadium, but I feel they might be already in the vicinity." Pain spoke-up.
"Then it's time we secure our victory." Tobi spoke-up.
Kabuto turned his attention towards the masked-man. Tobi had changed his mask to a white mask with a purple tint that covered his whole head, including his hair. The mask had a circular pattern on its face and the eye holes appeared like the tomoe of a Sharingan.
"Are you ready, Madara?" Konan asked.
'Tobi' nodded his head: "Let's begin."
'So he's officially broken his first character and switched to his second.' Kabuto resisted the urge to smirk as his eyes narrowed on the masked man: 'Uchiha Obito… let's see how well your Uchiha Madara interpretation really is.'
With that thought, Kabuto followed his fellow Akatsuki members as they rushed to the stadium. As they moved, Kabuto sent the 'command' to his Edo Tensei summons.
The first match of the Kumogakure Third Exam semi-finals was underway. Team Misora of Kiri were engaging Team Anko of Konoha in a close spectacle of the fight. The audience in attendance, however, barely paid attention as they all mentally prepared themselves.
Naruto and Anko shared a look with one another as they both began to channel natural energy, preparing themselves for the moment.
As the match continued to drag-on, loud explosions could be heard throughout the village.
"NUE!" A large, echoing voice boomed throughout Kumogakure as the giant chimera materialized in Kumo's business district, creating a shockwave that rushed through the whole village.
On cue with the noise, Amegakure shinobi and missing ninja hidden in the audience immediately started to attack, striking at those near them. They were quickly engaged, however, by their enemy shinobi.
'Finally!' Ē stood-up from his chair in the Kage's Viewing Box. The other four Kage followed behind: 'Time for the real fights to begin.'
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In a poof of smoke, a large bird with a yellow jagged drill-like beak and piercing throughout its bodies, with the Rinnegan implanted as its eyes, appeared above the stadium. The bird screeched loudly as it dropped eggs into the battleground and the bleachers, creating massive explosions.
"They're here." Naruto stated as he took in a deep breath as his eyes began to change coloration, turning gold as orange markings appeared around his eyes. 'Time to finally put this to end.'
After months of build-up and anticipation, the Akatsuki Invasion on Kumogakure was finally underway.
Quick Notes:
1: I don't think I've addressed Sarutobi Konohamaru since I started writing him a lot, so I think maybe I'll take a moment to do just that :P
So, I like the idea of Sarutobi Konohamaru, but like... holy shit, is he boring to read/write about, namely cause how similar he is to Naruto. Seriously, he's such an expy of Naruto that his personality, motivation, and techniques are almost identical. He's actually part of the reason why Kanji/Katsumi exist because I really did not want to write Naruto training Naruto 2.0 until I got the chance to mold Konohamaru into a different character. I do actually like the relationship between Naruto/Konohamaru, but like... that's the only thing I care about in regards to him. I didn't give a shit about his character at all throughout Part 1 or Shippuden, with only a single exception: when Konohamaru tried to lock Tsunade out of the Hokage's Office and his open rejection of her because he was afraid the village would forget about Hiruzen. And that was fascinating to me, but that was also child Konohamaru's reaction. How exactly would pre-teen Konohamaru react to the news?
I chose to channel that reaction into, well, how I've been writing him. I don't think I need to clarify this, but just in case, I have not been bashing him. I actually have been fascinated with this reaction and exploring his character as such, especially now that I just showed he's been trying to learn his grandfather's techniques, something I really wish canon did. (... Seriously Kishimoto, you're going to have Konohamaru learn Rasengan off-screen, but you're not going to have him learn how to summon Monkeys until fucking Boruto, almost as an after-thought!?). I hope you've kinda enjoyed what I've been doing with him and will enjoy what other plans I have for him! :)
2: As another aside, I just mentioned the Sandaime Raikage's - the Third Ē/A - as Abunai. Just want to clarify that I will mostly be using that name to distinguish between him and his son through this arc. Side-note, does that mean we will be learning what name I have chosen to give the Yondaime Raikage/the Fourth Ē/A? Yes. Yes you shall. Find out on the next exciting episode of Dragon Ball Z.
... That sounded a lot funnier in my head than it does actually reading it. Meh. I'm going to keep the joke anyway. I laughed at least.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, chapter 121 is finally up! :) AND THAT MEANS THE INVASION BEGINS NEXT CHAPTER! FUCKING FINALLY, I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FOR AWHILE!
Like legit, I'm actually at one of the points of the story I've been fantasizing about writing for now over eight years. Back when I was almost certain I'd never actually get this far into writing. I'm finally here. With the Kumo 'exams' over and able to actually write my invasion. Oh my god. Hell. Yes.
I'm really excited, and honored to just finally start it. Thank you all so much for sticking with my story for so long and helping me keep my motivation to keep writing it. I'm so happy and honored to have you all still here. And I hope everyone is doing well!
I got to get ready for work, so I'm going to end the note here and just say that chapter 122 is already underway and will hopefully be out ASAP! I'll see you all when it's done. Until then :)