Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.


Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys welcome back to a new chapter. I'm just going to come out and say it. I plowed through this chapter with a speed I didn't even know I still had. I completed 80% of this chapter in one sitting. I just kept chugging along without stopping. It was fantastic. From the time when I first created this document, which was the very next day after I published chapter 40 I can say it took me about 5 days to complete it and that 80% was all in one day. I finished the chapter on Thursday the 2nd. I'm really thrilled to be feeling my creative side buzzing right now.

Coincidentally enough it also coincides with my previous plans to get past the preliminary stage arc as fast as I can. As you will see throughout this chapter I placed my own spin on things but there really hasn't been anything for me to do that is original or outside the box with the fight. It is for that reason why that no matter how much I try to spin it the preliminary matches won't be as original and special as I want them to be.

That is why I want to get past them as quick as I can so that I can go straight into the original concepts and idea's that I have planned and also so that I can finally introduce Jiraiya into the story and have him meet Naruto and the girls. I'm itching so bad just to get there. I want them to interact so bad that it's killing me.

So with that out of the way. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy this chapter.


Chapter 41

Elimination Match: 1 Brutality

'Well this is intense…' Naruto thought with a straight face as he and every other participant were lined up in columns of three as per their members of the squad. Naruto was in front with Sasuke right behind him and Sakura bringing up the rear in their line. Every Genin team was lined up next to each other with Team 8 and 10 next to them lined up in the exact same way. Gaara was a few columns down and his deadly aura was disturbing the other participants around him. His dead eyes were staring directly into Hiruzen's who was on a raised stage that was a foot above the rest of the floor.

Hiruzen stood at the center of the stage with the nine Jōnin Sensei's of the teams who passed standing in a crisp straight line behind him. At the end of the line Naruto noticed the powerful teams from the hidden stone and cloud also passed as well. On the ground floor 8 shinobi stood in an inverted v formation with 4 notable ninja standing out to Naruto. Ibiki Morino was standing there with his imposing stature and standing at a whole head shorter was Anko Mitarashi who had a stick of Dango in her mouth. She had a small grin on her face as she glanced at her surrogate younger brother in the crowd but Naruto could see a small spark of concern and worry hidden in her eyes. She must have heard what happened. Iruka was also standing there with a proud look on his face which was no surprise to Naruto but a face he hasn't seen in a long time was Hayate Gekkō. He was a man Shoko introduced to him a long while ago who practiced Kenjutsu against him.

It's only been about one hour since the rookies got to the tower. When they got the call to assemble in the main hall a few minutes ago, the Genin were devastated since they barely had any time to rest. They still had scuff marks all over their clothes and cuts all along their bodies. They reluctantly came to the hall to see the other Genin assembling as well and they also had scuff marks on them.

"Lord Hokage please allow me to explain the rules." Hayate asked as he stepped up and bowed to Hiruzen who was in the middle of a speech about the true meaning of the Chūnin Selection Exams. "As you wish." Hiruzen conceded as he took a step back and allowed the Special Jōnin to take the spotlight. "My name is Hayate Gekkō and I will be your proctor for the third and final stage of the Chūnin Exams. However, I have to deliver to you participants some bad news." The Special Jōnin announced which grabbed everyone's attention immediately. "To be honest, there are too many of you here right now. The first and second stages were too easy on you guys as evident by the number of participants standing here now." Hayate said as he coughed several times throughout his sentence.

'They are going to cut down our numbers again.' Shikamaru theorized with a sigh as he sent a look towards Naruto and Shino who both came to the same conclusion. 'My chakra is still recovering from all the crap that has happened. I won't be able to fight that well if what I think they're going to do is about to happen.' Shikamaru thought to himself as he sent glances at his fellow classmates such as Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke. 'Naruto isn't looking to good at all. He's trying to hide it but he's hurt. His chakra is at an all-time low and from what I've come to understand his connection to Iris and Chaos has been damaged. He's nowhere near one hundred percent. Hinata is hurting too. She took some damage from fighting Naruto off and from the things that happened before and after. She's not alright by a long run and so is Sasuke. This is going to be rough.' Shikamaru came to a grim conclusion as he looked to his friends and back to his superiors in front of him.

"So, with that in mind we will be holding an immediate preliminary tournament to bring down the numbers to a manageable number." Hayate stated which caused some of the participants to cry out in shock and outrage. The sick looking Special Jōnin wasn't fazed by the numerous outbursts the participants were blurting out so he continued right along without sparing them a glance. Getting a set of coughs out the way Hayate trudged on. "There will be rich and influential VIP's coming in from around the country and world and they only want to see the best of the best. You will be representing your country and your only purpose is to gain the attention of said cliental so that they will want to take an interest in your village do business with them." Hayate hammered in as he wanted to make sure the Chūnin hopefuls understood their purpose in these exams and he wanted the message to get across in a direct fashion compared to the softer tone the Hokage had used earlier.

"So, with that being said is there any among you who feel like you are not at peak physical condition and would not perform well in the upcoming exam?" Hayate asked as he scanned the crowed of 27 participants and among that group only one person raised their hand. It was Kabuto Yakushi.

A sharp pain went through Naruto's head which caused him to involuntarily flinch. A flinch that didn't go unnoticed by Hinata and Shikamaru besides him. Hiruzen eyes traveled over to the young boy from underneath the shade of his large Hokage ceremonial hat and he couldn't help but feel a tad bit suspicious about this development. "I would like to bow out proctor. I'm physically unable to continue past this point." Kabuto spoke up with a bit of a goofy expression on his face. "Ok then. If you are unable to proceed then you may step out of line and return to the recreational room." Hayate confirmed as the glasses wearing Genin bowed his head in thanks and stepped out of formation with the rest of his team. "Kabuto what's the matter? Aren't you able to continue?" Naruto suddenly asked as he felt compelled to by Iris who still had some form of control over him despite their damaged connection.

"Sorry Naruto, I'm in worst shape then you might think. There were some pretty nasty things out there in the forest. I know you and your friends know what I'm talking about." Kabuto explained and that sent warning flags off in Shikamaru and Naruto's minds. With a last glance, Kabuto started walking away from the assembled crowd of Genin with a dark smirk covering his face. 'My work here is done, besides with you here Lord Orochimaru there's no need for me to stick around. Besides if I fought anyone here I might accidentally kill them by mistake.' Kabuto thoughts to himself as he turned the corner once he made it to the entrance of the room.

"Keep an eye on that one Ibiki. If my old memory serves me right, then I've seen that young man before. He pulled the same stunt before." Hiruzen whispered to the bear of a man who towered over his Hokage by nearly a foot and a half. "Yes, Lord Hokage." Ibiki acknowledged as Anko slid up next to the Hokage and revealed what was known about Kabuto's backstory to her Lord which caused a small frown to overcome the Hokage's face. "If he is indeed the only survivor of the Kikyo Pass Tragedy and he's displayed such unusual behavior then that is all the more reason to keep an eye on him. Ibiki I want you to contact Shikaku after the preliminaries are over and have him run an investigation on this young man. He is not listed in our Anti-Spy Department's registry but that might have to change." Hiruzen stated as he closed his eyes and blew out a puff of smoke from his favorite pipe. "As you wish Lord Hokage." Ibiki complied as he was already thinking of several things in his head.

"Now if anyone else wishes to quit now is the time." Hayate insisted with a coughing fit accompanying his statement. A small commotion was happening with Team 7 at the moment mainly between Sakura and Sasuke which went unheard by the Hokage and his advisors but for Team's 8, 9, and 10 they heard it loud and clear. "Sasuke you need to quit. Whatever that mark on your neck is it can't be good. We all saw what it did to you. I know you're in a lot of pain right now. You're suffering." Sakura pleaded as her eyes teared up at thinking about what happened back in the forest.

'I'm hurt too you know. I'm in a lot of pain.' Naruto thought with a small pang of annoyance as he felt passed over by his teammate but he understood exactly where Sakura was coming from. Naruto's chakra had a sever dampening field on it right now. His Yōki was completely inaccessible as well as the Nine Tails Chakra that Naruto could feel the tiniest hint of whenever he molds his chakra. It also had the unintentional side effect of damaging and nearly muting his connection with Iris and Chaos which was a big fat "NO" in his book. It was one thing for his Yōki to be gone, at least he could still talk to Eva if he wanted too but he could barely hear or feel Iris and Chaos in the back of his mind and that was a foreign and uncomfortable feeling for him.

From what Naruto understood Sasuke's situation was much different. Whatever that curse mark was that Orochimaru gave Sasuke it was harming him. His chakra was severely dampened and when it first activated it warped his mind and gave him a massive increase to his power. That was very similar to what just happened to him a but the difference here is from what Naruto was able to deduce when he took a look at the mark was that it was feeding off of Sasuke's chakra and the more chakra he molded the more powerful the seal became as well as its influence upon his mind. That meant that he couldn't use his chakra at all or he would quickly lose control.

"Sakura stay out of this. I will be competing in this tournament. I've come way too far to quit now." Sasuke retorted as he glared at Sakura who flinched back at the look she was getting. "But you're hurt. You can't compete while in this state. We still don't know exactly what that mark on your neck is. It could be dangerous for you…" Sakura pleaded as she tried to make her teammate see reason. "That's enough Sakura!" Sasuke warned while gritting his teeth.

"I am an avenger. The best of this generation is right here in this room. I need to prove myself and know just how strong I am… how much stronger that I need to become. I could care less about becoming a Chūnin. I will never know just how much stronger I need to become if I'm to forward my ambition and fighting the people in this room is a major step for me. So, I won't let anyone or anything stop me." Sasuke pleaded his case with a deadly look in his eyes. All his friends heard this and they all had various reactions to this but Naruto frowned at hearing what his friend had to say. 'He's talking about Itachi… his older brother.'

"I'm sorry Sasuke… but I can't let you do this." Sakura said as she started to raise her hand to gain the attention of the proctors. Sasuke growled as she grabbed Sakura's wrist and yanked it down before her hand could get high enough for the others to see. "Don't you dare. Sakura this is my life to live and I will live it the way I want. I will fight these people today and you're not going to stop me." Sasuke said in a no nonsense tone. He was absolutely serious. A hand on his shoulder got Sasuke to look behind him.

"Are you going to stop me too Naruto?" Sasuke said as he looked into his friend's eyes. His hand was on his shoulder and a concerned look was seen in his blue eyes. "You're right… we can't tell you how to live your life. However, she's only doing this because she cares about you Sasuke. I do too." Naruto said in a soft voice.

A soft look flashed thorough Sasuke's eyes as he looked from Sakura to Naruto before that was wiped away by a challenging look in his eyes. "Naruto… you're one of the people in this room I want to fight the most." Sasuke said with a smirk crossing his face. Naruto was taken aback by this for a moment as he had nothing to say but something within him was stirred up by what his teammate said to him. "Well alright then. Just don't complain after you lose." Naruto retorted as he squeezed Sasuke's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Naruto! We can't let him…" Sakura started to protest but Naruto stopped her. "It's ok Sakura, this is a team decision. If anything happens to him I will step in and stop him myself. It will be our responsibility as his teammates, I know he would do the same for me." Naruto soothed as he understood deep down that Sasuke wasn't going to stop so it was best to support him and watch his back. He would appreciate that more than you trying to stop him.

Hearing the confidence Naruto had in him and the support he was willing to give him caused a small smile to cross his face. Sasuke shook his head in agreement that he would watch Naruto's back as well. Small tears were in Sakura's eyes as she wasn't as convinced as her teammates but the look in their eyes made her realize that there was nothing she could do. Hinata had a proud look in her eyes as she watched Naruto support her friend but she was also worried for the both of them.

"Sasuke I will step in and stop you as a friend… but I know that it won't come to that. That mark won't beat you because you're simply stronger than it. It doesn't have any power over you and as long as you believe that then it never will." Naruto said gently as he gave Sasuke the most reassuring and supportive grin he could make. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the others in the room nor did the small genuine smile that crossed Sasuke's face. "Thank you, Naruto." Sasuke said in a genuine tone as he bumped shoulders with his teammate. "I'm not the only one you should thank. Sakura is only looking out for you ya know." Naruto said as he pushed Sasuke's attention onto Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura." Sasuke thanked with a very small smile that caused a blush to spread across her face that matched the color of her hair.

Naruto felt someone looking at him and looking over his shoulder he saw Hinata with a small gentle proud smile on her face that caused a dusting of pink to form on his cheeks. Before anything else could happen, Naruto felt a tug in his hair that forced him to face forward again. It would appear Eva saw this interaction and was a little jealous. Hinata noticed this too and giggled quietly into her sleeve. It doesn't matter how supportive and friendly Eva is too Hinata, she's still a demon and jealousy is a part of the game.

"Alright if no one else wants to quit then we will begin immediately." Hayate announced as he nodded to Anko who whispered something into the microphone attached to her ear. One of the four large panels on the back wall behind the stage slid open and a large LCD panel revealed itself. At the very back of the stage was a large statue of a pair of hands making the classical Ram hand sign. It was large and imposing but it was a great symbol.

"The names of the participants will be randomly generated. Once your name comes up you are to report to the arena." Hayate explained as the screen came to live and green letters started to flash across it randomly. The letters were actually the names of the Genin and soon the screen stopped on to names that actually made the rookie nine all freeze.


[Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akadō]

"Genin step forward. Everyone else please report to the balconies to the sides of the room." Hayate ordered as Sasuke stepped forward before any of his friends could stop him. "Sasuke don't lose." Naruto simply said with a small smirk on his face. A cocky grin crossed Sasuke's face as he simply turned his back to them. 'Sasuke.' Sakura looked unconvinced but Naruto placed a hand on her back and guided her along with everyone else. Hiruzen simply body flickered up to the balcony above them to avoid having to take the long trip up the stairs.

Yoroi was a tall young man in his early 20's which was kind of old for a Genin but besides that point he wore a purple bandana around his head with his metal plate in full view. A purple cloth was covering his entire face from the eyes down and as for his eyes they were covered by pitch black shades that completely obscured his eyes from everyone's view. Yoroi wore similar clothes to his two teammates once of which is Kabuto himself. Yoroi is wearing a high-collared, sleeveless, purple shirt with a short-sleeved, white one underneath, a simple obi around his waist, purple pants, blue sandals and purple fingerless gloves.

"This should be easy." Yoroi arrogantly stated with what Sasuke assumed to be a smirk underneath the long cloth across his face. "I won't go down so easily." Sasuke retorted as he craned his neck up to look at his much taller opponent. Sasuke was talking big but a jolt of pain from the curse mark on his shoulder took the wind out of his sails. 'It's already starting to act up? I can feel my adrenaline pumping and some of my chakra is starting to stir, but is that really enough to agitate this stupid thing?' Sasuke complained in his mind as he realized that this matchup was going to be a lot more difficult than he would like to admit.

"Having trouble over there boy? I hope it's nothing too serious." Yoroi taunted as his entire posture screamed arrogance and self-confidence. Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance as he forced himself not to respond to his opponent's obvious taunts. "If both Genin are ready, then let this preliminary match begin." Hayate announced as he threw his hand down between the two opponents as the signal to start fighting. Seeing the fighters tensing their muscles Hayate took a sizable leap back until he was standing on the raised platform a few yards away. This way he was out of the fighter's way but he would still have a great vantage point to monitor the match closely.

Everything was quiet in the room for a few seconds after Hayate announced that the match could begin and in those moments, everyone gathered their breath in anticipation. As one everyone exhaled as the two fighters exploded into action.

Yoroi with a hard-earned quickness took out three shuriken that he threw at Sasuke with impressive speed. Reacting as everyone would expect Sasuke grabbed his holstered kunai and deflected all three projectiles back at Yoroi in one smooth movement. In the very short time it took for this exchange to happen Yoroi went through a quick sequence of hand signs that caused his left hand to flicker and glow a dull blue. 'What is that?' Sasuke questioned but his mind wouldn't be able to focus on this for long. This rapid burst of action caused the curse mark to release a small jolt of pain into Sasuke's body which caused the young Uchiha to fall flat on his stomach, it was like his body had a mini seizure.

Yoroi dodged the deflected shuriken that was sent his way and with a burst of speed disappeared from Sasuke's view. 'Where is he?' In a quick blur Yoroi appeared directly over Sasuke and smashed his hand into to spot the last Uchiha's head was supposed to be. At very last second Sasuke managed to dodge this straightforward attack that cracked the concrete floor below them. Stabbing his kunai into the ground Sasuke using an impressive display of physical strength and flexibility managed to pivot himself around the small kunai stuck in the ground and kick Yoroi's legs right out from underneath him by nailing him directly in the shin and calf muscles simultaneously.

While this move impressed the spectators watching the match they would then further be surprised when Sasuke capitalized on the advantage he made. In a blur of limbs Sasuke managed to catch Yoroi's arm in a vicious armbar that he made sure to apply a lot of pressure to. "I've got you." Sasuke grunted as he yanked back on Yoroi's arm in an attempt to force him to submit. "Are you sure that was a wise move kid?" Yoroi taunted as he brought his free arm up from the other side of his body and grabbed a hold of Sasuke's collar. This hand was glowing blue and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and horror when he started to feel his strength failing him.

'What's going on? I can't move.' Sasuke cried out inside his mind as his grip on Yoroi fell apart. Seeing his chance Yoroi slammed his previously trapped hand into Sasuke's chest causing the young Genin to cough up spit and gasp for air. Jumping to his feet Yoroi laughed arrogantly at Sasuke's wheezing form. "What's the matter kid can't breathe?"

'What was that? He somehow took Sasuke's strength away?' Naruto analyzed in his mind as he wasn't quite sure what just happened. 'The Chakra Absorption Jutsu? That is not an easy Jutsu to master. It's quite rare. This Genin is full of surprises.' Kakashi thought as he recognized the technique Yoroi implemented.

Yoroi laughed as he lunged at Sasuke with his glowing hand outstretched for an attack. Seeing this Sasuke attempted to jump away and his feet barely left the ground before Yoroi grabbed Sasuke by the top of his head and slammed him onto the unforgiving concrete floor below with such force that despite Yoroi's strong grip Sasuke's head still bounced a little bit off the floor. Grunting in excruciating pain Sasuke tried to pry Yoroi's hand off of him but it was no use. "My chakra, what are you doing to me? I can't move." Sasuke wheezed out as he tried in vain to remove Yoroi's hand. "Hahaha! Took you long enough to figure out kid. You must be a little slow." Yoroi taunted with an annoying laugh that grated on Sasuke's nerve as he could feel his strength leaving him. His arms that were putting up a struggle to remove the vice grip on his head limply fell to the floor as Sasuke's eyes started to slowly roll into the back of his head.

'Sasuke's Chakra is being stolen. That's what that Jutsu is. You need to kick out of it.' Naruto thought to himself as he felt a little anxious about seeing Sasuke in the bind he was in. He understood just how dangerous it is for his teammate to be fighting right now. Especially against such a unique opponent.

Naruto blinked in surprise when with an exertion of physical strength Sasuke managed to kick Yoroi off of him and at least a few yards away. 'Well that couldn't have been a coincidence.' Naruto thought to himself in both shock and amusement. A tiny buzz in the back of his mind that he instinctively knew to be Chaos agreed with him. That raised Naruto's spirits to know that despite everything that was going on his daughters were ok.

"You got some fight left in you boy, that's good. I didn't want this match to be boring." Yoroi praised as he charged at Sasuke who narrowed his eyes in concentration. Once Yoroi was within striking distance Sasuke spun out of the way of his first attack with a spring in his step he shouldn't have. Stumbling a bit Yoroi corrected himself and launched himself into a vicious onslaught of attacks all in an attempt to grab a hold of Sasuke but the young Uchiha wasn't making it easy for the older boy. Sasuke had a plan but it would need to be executed perfectly which is why when Yoroi managed a tiny glancing blow by touching Sasuke's hair the young Genin cursed his luck as that was enough to bring him to his knees.

"All bark and no bite. Pitiful. Is this all the great Uchiha clan can do?" Yoroi taunted with a lazy hand on his hip. He was laughing blatantly at Sasuke who was struggling to get to his feet. "Shut up. Don't you dare mock me." Sasuke growled as he got into his Taijutsu stance. "This is a waste of time kid. But I'll be more than happy to put you down if that's what you really want!" Yoroi goaded as he took off in a dead sprint to reach Sasuke as fast as he could. 'I only have a few supplies left. We never got a chance to refill but I am thankful Naruto gave me one of these.' Sasuke thought as he rushed Yoroi in a seemingly reckless manner. "Sasuke what are you doing? You're going to get hurt!" Sakura shouted in panic as Sasuke completely abandoned all of his defense leaving himself wide open for any straight on attack.

'What is he planning?' Kakashi thought to himself with his hands rested steadily in his pockets. His lazy eye was slowly narrowing down in focus upon Sasuke's recklessly moving form with curiosity. "Sasuke what are you up to?" Naruto whispered to himself as he saw Sasuke reach into his utility pouch at the last second before he and Yoroi would cross paths. In the blink of an eye Sasuke threw a small smoke pellet; the last of his smoke pellets to be exact, down on the floor right in front of Yoroi which caused a billowing cloud of smoke to rush out and cover both fighters just as they met in the middle.

After a few seconds both fighters jumped out of the cloud of smoke and faced each other. "And what was that supposed to accomplish? You never even attempted to touch me." Yoroi taunted yet again as he gripped his hand and caused it to ignite again in a visible blue glow. "Oh, don't worry you'll find out real soon. This match is about to be over." Sasuke taunted back with a cocky smirk on his face. "Don't get cocky kid!" Yoroi roared as he took off at Sasuke with all the speed he could managed. In the grand scheme of things, he wasn't that fast and certainly not the fastest Genin in the room by a long shot but it was still a decent speed.

'I need a way to make this plan of mine work and I know just the thing.' Sasuke thought to himself as he sent a smirk directly at Rock Lee who was standing close to Naruto. Seeing this Naruto casted a sideways glance to Lee who also had a curious if not confused look in his face. Turning back Naruto managed to catch the tiniest glint of light the flashed between the two competitors and that had his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. 'Ninja wire. He tied Yoroi up with ninja wire when they passed each other in the smoke.' Naruto realized as Sasuke initiated his plan.

He disappeared. That was all most of the Genin in the room thought as Sasuke simply disappeared a quarter of the distance between him and Yoroi. A harsh and violent smack that resonated throughout the walls of the room was heard as everyone saw Sasuke kicking Yoroi straight up into the air with a rising kick while propped up on his back leg. "But wait! That's my move!" Rock Lee exclaimed in shock as Naruto widened his eyes in complete realization. 'Sasuke copied Lee's moves with his Sharingan back during that spar they had. He actually did it.'

Blood and spit flew out of Yoroi's mouth that stained the cloth covering his face. Flying up into the air at an uncontrollable speed Yoroi could do nothing as he felt Sasuke's presence show up behind him. "That's the Dancing Leaf Shadow. Kakashi did you teach that boy one of my techniques?" Might Guy questions with a semi hard glare, as he instantly took notice of Sasuke's actions and now looking at their shadows on the wall they were completely overlapping one another.

Sasuke was about to proceed with his plan when a searing bolt of pain tore through his body nearly crippling him in midair. 'The seal it's starting to spread. It hurts!' Sasuke panicked as he felt the mysterious seals spreading across the surface of his skin. They were glowing red and they were as hot as they looked as the tiny markings crossed over his left eye.

'The seal it's activated. Sasuke don't lose to it.' Naruto thought through gritted teeth as he gripped the metal guard rail in anxiety. His muscles were coiled and it looked like he would jump over the banister at any moment. 'The curse mark activated. I need to have Hayate call the match. Damn that thing!' Anko sweated as she reflexively clamped a hand over her own curse mark. She was about to reach for her microphone attached to her headset when something miraculous happened.

"Sasuke you have to stay strong!" Sakura shouted out as she also saw the mark activating. She had a haunted look on her face as she recalled what happened back in the forest and she did not want to see that happen again at any cost. Her eyes were misting over with moisture and if left unchecked it would look like she was crying. Sasuke turned his head towards Sakura after hearing her call out to him and seeing the state she was in caused something within him to shift. The final nail in the coffin was the look he saw on Naruto's face. It was pensive and full of anxiety but overshadowing those emotions was one of trust and encouragement.

Sasuke remembered the words Naruto said to him right before the match and they resonated within his soul in that very moment. 'NO! I will not let this thing take over. It can't control me and as long as I believe that it never will.' Sasuke reaffirmed within his mind as he exerted his will over the curse mark and aggressively forced it to recede back into its sealed state.

'He overpowered the Curse Mark!' Anko shouted in her mind as her hand fell away from her microphone in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. 'Way to go Sasuke. Good job.' Kakashi thought as he felt a small pang of pride well up in his gut. He himself thought he would have to intervene and seeing the tense look on Naruto's face he realized he wasn't the only one feeling the same way. 'Impressive. That boy has a powerful will.' Hiruzen praised as he silently watched what was happening. He already instructed his shinobi to step in if things got out of hand so he wasn't worried but he was relieved to see things play out the way they did.

'This boy. He truly is worth it.' The Jōnin of team Dosu thought as he slowly licked his lips. He looked oddly familiar but he was dressed in the foreign combat armor of the Hidden Sound. Naruto felt proud of his teammate for overcoming the curse mark but he couldn't celebrate for long as a soft pang in the back of his subconscious that belonged to Iris opened up his senses briefly to the surge of negative emotions in the room with them. He couldn't tell where it was coming from at all because it was masked but it left him feeling uneasy since he could make out that they were directed towards Sasuke.

"I'll admit I borrowed that technique from someone else but from here on out it's all me." Sasuke declared as a smirk came to his face. In one swift movement, he slapped a Paralyzing Seal onto Yoroi's back that caused his entire body to spasm and convulse. With his opponent paralyzed and with no way to fight back Sasuke threw his kunai up into the air which had the ninja wire attached to it and watched as the small knife embedded itself into the ceiling of the room. Ripping his body into an acrobatic assault well beyond his skill set Sasuke stunned the onlookers by roundhouse kicking Yoroi to alter his trajectory and then spun around in the air to deliver a powerful elbow straight into Yoroi's sternum that sent the purple wearing Genin on a crash course with the ground.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Sasuke shouted as he forced his body beyond its physical limits to deliver his final combo. When Yoroi violently stalled in midair because of the ninja wire reaching the end of its length it made this next attack all the more brutal. With a vicious close line Sasuke slammed Yoroi towards the ground with enough force that it also ripped the kunai that was acting as Yoroi's leverage out of the ceiling and along with it a chunk of thick concrete. Sasuke against better judgement had channeled chakra into the kunai knife so that it could not only support Yoroi's weight but also pull part of the ceiling down with it using the basic principles of the tree walking exercise.

Right before they both hit the ground Sasuke again performed another spectacular vertical reverse roundhouse kick that drilled Yoroi into the ground with such force that Yoroi's body folded in two and the concrete below fractured under the pressure. Several simultaneous cracks were heard as almost half of Yoroi's ribs were either cracked or completely broken as a huge glob of blood and spit flew out of his mouth that stained his shirt and facial cloth.

"Lion's Barrage!" Sasuke roared out the name of his impressive Taijutsu technique for everyone to hear as the force of the attack bounced him off of Yoroi and several yards away were he had a rough landing. The final icing on the cake that sealed the fate of the match was the piece of concrete that fell and hit Yoroi on his head instantly knocking him unconscious with absolute certainty.

Everything was quiet in the room as Sasuke slowly got to his feet and Yoroi sprawled out motionlessly in a small indent in the floor. Blood was pouring from his head as his nose was broken from the concrete hitting him directly in the face. Not to mention the back of his skull smacking into the ground.

Hayate barely spared a glance at Yoroi as with his experience and eagled eyed vision he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Yoroi was finished. It also helped that he never spotted the man use any kind of Jutsu or technique to escape his fate so it made the decision on calling the match a lot easier on the Special Jōnin.

"Yoroi Akadō is unable to continue the match due to knockout and severe injuries. Therefore, the winner of this first preliminaries match and applicant to move on to the finals is Sasuke Uchiha." Hayate announced through his severe coughing fit but his voice was heard loud and clear for everyone in the room. The large battle arena had good acoustics so that was also a bonus if anyone wanted to have their voice travel the distance of the large and cavernous room.

Sasuke's classmates started to cheer for him and congratulate him as the young Uchiha fell back to the ground from exhaustion. He would never hit the ground as Kakashi appeared behind him in a cloudless Body Flicker and used his knee to prop Sasuke up by his back. "That was quite the performance you put on out there. I'm proud of you for overcoming the curse mark." Kakashi praised his student while reading his favorite orange book. He rubbed Sasuke's hair in a proud way that secretly the young boy didn't have a problem with as he hasn't had much affection in a long time but he shook the silver haired Jōnin's hand away to keep up appearances.

"I agree." Naruto said as he appeared besides Kakashi. To avoid any suspicion Naruto had Kakashi bring him along for the ride. It also helped Naruto save up his chakra that was still slow boating itself with recharging. "I told you you're stronger than that thing." Naruto said with an encouraging smile. "Hn. I guess you're right about this one Naruto." Sasuke conceded as he closed his eyes to rest.

"Thank goodness he's ok." Sakura whispered to herself as all of her fears and restlessness was put to bed with the end of the match concluding in Sasuke's favor. Not everyone was happy however. 'In just one viewing he copied my moves perfectly. Not a foot out of place. So, that is the power of the Sharingan. I don't know how I should feel about this. It's unsettling.' Rock Lee thought with a small frown on his face. His Taijutsu technique that he spent untold amounts of time pouring his blood, sweat, and tears into was just stolen and modified by another ninja right before his very eyes. In a world were stealing, lying, cheating and underhanded tactics were everyone's bread and butter it shouldn't be much of a surprise but even then, in some small ways Rock Lee still felt slighted and offended. He just didn't know exactly how to process these emotions he was feeling right now since they are ones he doesn't deal with often.

Might Guy had somewhat similar thoughts but his were a lot less emotional driven and more from a critic's point of view. 'It takes much more than just the famed Sharingan to perform high speed Taijutsu like ours. It takes guts, determination, passion, and the will to tear your body apart to achieve superhuman levels of physical prowess that would leave your peers and enemies in both awe and envy. He kind of reminds me of you when we were kids Kakashi.' Guy thought with his large eyebrows furrowing together.

Two people in the room were shivering in anticipation. One was Gaara who was clenching his forearm harshly while subtly shaking. His dead green eyes were boring a hole into Sasuke's skull and he also had Naruto in his sights as well who was helping Sasuke back to his feet. 'Oh, no not again.' Kankurō thought to himself with small tinges of fear snaking its way up his spine. He subtly inched his way a couple of paces away from Gaara who looked ready to murder someone. Unknowingly to everyone else in the room Chaos was reacting to this behavior as evident by the fact Naruto now suddenly had a hard time concentrating. Chaos was metaphorically jumping around the walls in the back of his mind. It was an unsettling feeling.

The second was the Sound Jōnin whose long tongue snaked its way out of his mouth and slithered back in. 'Magnificent.' Back on the arena floor Kakashi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Ok, now it's time for us to go seal up this Curse Mark. We've left it unattended for long enough." Kakashi remarked as he wanted to make sure the mark would not be a problem in the future.

"Now? But I wanted to watch the rest of the matches." Sasuke complained but a bolt of pain from the Curse Mark had him rethink this line of thought. While this was going on Naruto was having a mini identity crisis. He could feel his body being controlled by Iris who despite the damage to their connection was somehow overpowering this setback. She forced Naruto to reach up and unhook her teddy bear shaped pendant from around Chaos's collar and discretely placed it in Kakashi's hand who blinked in surprise.

"Naruto what…?" Kakashi began to question but the words died in his mouth as he saw Naruto's eyes were not the striking ocean blue color everyone's so used to. They were a familiar powerful emerald green. "Kakashi's sensei, take care of Sasuke for me ok. Make sure you deal with that thing." Naruto said but right away Kakashi detected the tiniest hints of an accent in Naruto's voice that he naturally doesn't have. An accent Kakashi is quite familiar with since it belongs to Iris who was now in his hand. 'Ok, this is definitely a situation to discuss for another time. One task at a time Kakashi, one task at a time.' Kakashi reassured himself as he saw Naruto's eyes change back from green to blue and his body which was somewhat rigid straighten out. Sasuke was the only one to notice this phenomenon and it caused him to look at Kakashi's hand in weariness.

"Ok Naruto will do. Go stay with Sakura and keep her company. She must be so relieved now that this is all over." Kakashi said as he helped Sasuke out of the room while Naruto returned to his position next to Sakura who did indeed look relived. "Naruto, where…?" Hinata whispered as she made a gesture with her hand near her headband to indicate the question she wanted to ask. She noticed that Iris wasn't around Naruto's neck anymore so she could only make assumptions but she would rather hear it from her friend.

"Kakashi sensei is taking Sasuke to the infirmary. So, there is nothing to worry about." Naruto answered Hinata's question in secret code. However, while his mouth said one thing his eyes conveyed another story altogether. Neji who was a few yards down took notice of the very subtle exchange and the brief moment in which Naruto's body went rigid. 'What was that? Naruto Uzumaki what are you hiding?' Neji thought as he couldn't get the feeling out of his mind that Naruto was hiding things from the rest of them.


With the commotion now over everyone's attention was drawn back to the board where two new names were randomly selected. The screen cycled through the names for nearly 15 seconds which instilled some anxiety into the participants who were forced to wait. It could be any one of them.

[Zaku Abumi vs. Shino Aburame]

Naruto instantly frowned as he recognized that this was the person Shikamaru informed him about. It was his team that ambushed Team 7 while they were hiding and viciously beat Sakura until she could barely move. From what was told to him this boy was the hot headed one the Sasuke broke the arms off after he lost control. Naruto couldn't find it in himself to have any sympathy or compassion for the Sound Genin.

"Shino be careful ok. This guy might have a few tricks up his sleeve." Naruto warned but he unintentionally made a pun since Zaku's arms were in a sling from the damage he sustained at the hands of Sasuke. Hinata silently giggled at this since she caught on to her friend's little unintentional joke. "Thank you for your concern Naruto. But I will be fine. This match will be over shortly." Shino declared as he began walking to the staircase that would take them to the area floor. "I know you will, but it doesn't hurt to look out for ya." Naruto reassured. Shino paused as he adjusted his glasses. "Indeed. Your warnings are noted." Naruto chuckled since that was Shino's way of speaking.

Shino wasn't kidding when he said the match would be over quickly. The clan heir to the very well respected Aburame Clan had the entire match under his control since the moment it started. They sized each other up and threw light attacks to become accustomed to each other but when Zaku felt that the match was starting to stagnate he unleashed his unique air pressure attack from the tube in his one good arm that Sasuke didn't managed to completely cripple. Seemingly taking the advantage Zaku gloated that the match was in his favor but Shino revealed that Zaku had attacked his Insect Clone instead.

Shino with his calm and calculating presence went on the offensive and cornered Zaku between an entire swarm of insects and himself. A classical pincer maneuver that Zaku couldn't get out of. If he was to go on the offensive, then he could only attack one target due to only having one arm available to him. Feeling himself backed into the proverbial corner Zaku revealed his trump card by pulling out his other arm which everyone thought was completely crippled. This shocked the spectators including Naruto and Shikamaru but it didn't fool Shino.

With a loud roar of cockiness Zaku pointed his palms at both Shino and his swarm of bugs and fired. When nothing happened, everyone was understandably confused. Shino calmly ordered his swarm of bugs to return to his side where they formed a seamless wall using chakra to interconnect themselves just in time. While the spectators were confused as to why Zaku didn't fire and Shino's odd decision to form a defensive barrier in front of him they soon wouldn't need to ask questions.

They could see the answer swelling right in front of them. Zaku's arms bloating up to two times their original size as miniature holes started to break out all over the skin of his arms. Blood, cartilage, and muscles started to spurt out of these multiple holes making Zaku's arms look like swiss cheese. Right after that Zaku's arms exploded in a shower of blood that was thankfully blocked from getting on Shino's clothes thanks to his forethought to use a barrier. A blood curtailing scream tore through Zaku's throat as he felt to the floor with two large sprays of blood on either side of his body on the floor and more blood starting to pool around him.

"How?" Zaku moaned out in agonizing pain. "I plugged your windpipes with my insects the moment you first touched me at the beginning of the match. Engaging me in Taijutsu was your fatal mistake." Shino explained as he walked up to Zaku's defenseless form.

"This is retribution for what you and your team did to my comrades back in the forest." Shino softly whispered for just Zaku to hear. It would be the last thing the crippled Sound Genin would hear as he passed out from the pain since his body just simply couldn't handle it.

Hayate blinked in surprise as he was far enough away that the blood never splashed up on him but he sighed at how this match came to such an abrupt and violent end. Coughing into his hand both as a way to draw attention to himself so the Genin in the room would stop staring at the prone body lying on the ground and the fact that he has severe coughing problems Hayate waited for everyone to give him some attention.

"Zaku Abumi is unable to continue the match due to knockout and severe injury. Therefore, the winner of this third preliminaries match and applicant to move on to the finals is Shino Aburame." Hayate announced which generated mixed reactions from the spectators watching.

After congratulating Shino on his victory the bug user was told to return to the stands. His friends had mixed reactions to his brutal and efficient take down. Shino didn't let this verbal and nonverbal criticism faze him as he simply gave a nod to Naruto and Sakura. Sakura didn't understand the meaning behind the gesture but Naruto did and he slightly widened his eyes before kindly returning the favor as he simply couldn't think of any other way to respond to his silent friend.

'Well damn. Remind me never to make Shino my enemy. I'm just glad he's my friend.' Naruto thought as a tiny sweat drop of fear rolled down his cheek.

[Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankurō]

This shook Naruto out of his deep thoughts as he saw the next two participants make their way down to the floor. It would seem that he had spaced out for a moment. To say this match went as quickly as Shino's match would be an understatement. Just like with Shino in his match Kankurō dominated his match and was the superior thinker and shinobi. Misumi had the rare technique of dislocating every bone in his body using his chakra so that he could squeeze his way and constrict any target much like a snake but when push came to shove Kankurō delivered.

Misumi fell into the simple trap of trying to constrict and suffocate Kankurō but the one he was attacking turned out to be a puppet of all things that Kankurō kept wrapped up in bandages. It was the object he hauled around all the time. Seeing this puppet made Naruto think of his colleagues and teammates in Section 2. It brought his mood down a notch as his friends live a very difficult live with most of their body replaced by those metallic prosthetics. It's not as appealing as some would have you believe. Kankurō used the Substitution Jutsu with his own puppet sometime during the match while simultaneously controlling its actions using invisible chakra threads he was producing from his fingertips like a real puppeteer. After this was revealed the match came to a quick and brutal end as Kankurō opened up his puppet whose body has a cavernous opening big enough to fit a human body and trapped Misumi inside. The puppet crushed everyone of Misumi's bones just leaving his neck intact.

"Misumi Tsurugi is unable to continue the match due to knockout and severe injury. Therefore, the winner of this third preliminaries match and applicant to move on to the finals is Kankurō." Hayate announced as he took a mental note of the fact he had to call the first three matches with the exact same results. It unnerved him how brutal this Chūnin Exam was becoming especially since they are supposed to be in peace time.

'This is getting intense. I never would have expected such brutality from these Chūnin Exams. I'm glad Iris didn't see any of this. I wouldn't want her poor mind exposed to any of this.' Naruto thought as he hypocritically ignored the fact that Iris is no stranger to violence having taken out 5 full grown Chūnin all by herself and while she wasn't particularly brutal with any of them, she wasn't exactly gentle with them either. The third degree burns from just being near her flames and the fractured bones was evidence enough. Naruto's hypocrisy extended to is other daughter as well since it's no use shielding her from violence when she can simply absorb the energy it gives off. As for Chaos, well Naruto was actually afraid his cover was going to be blown. If Chaos was jumping around inside his mind before she was pretty much bouncing off the walls now on a sugar rush. The brutality was resonating with her and she's been steadily and greedily eating up all of the despair and negative energy polluting the air. It was a feast and Naruto could faintly feel her power returning to her.

"Ok then moving on to the fourth match will be…" Hayate announced as the screen lit up again with everyone's names. It flashed for about 15 seconds which felt like an eternity to Naruto and everyone else but when it finished its selection the rookie nine all froze.

[Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka]

No one knew what to say as the two former friends turned rivals/ frenemies locked eyes with each other. No one spoke as the two silently made their way down to the arena but the commentary for this match made in hell came from the most unlikely source. "Oh, here we go." Eva whispered as she spoke her first words in quite some time. Naruto couldn't help but agree with his lifelong partner and other half.

'In the immortal words of Shikamaru himself. This is going to be such a drag.' Naruto thought to himself while unbeknownst to him Shikamaru was saying his signature catch phrase in him mind as well. He didn't want to say it out loud less Ino hear him and get on his case.


To be Continued...


Jutsu Library

1.) Chakra Absorption Jutsu - This technique allows the user to absorb the chakra of another individual - usually an opponent's - and utilise it as if it were their own. Those who have had their chakra absorbed have reduced options in combat due to the lost chakra, and if enough chakra is taken they may be too weak to move. Conversely, those who have absorbed the chakra have expanded combat options due to the increased chakra reserves and their physical condition may improve as result. However, users must be able to process the chakra they absorb; if they absorb senjutsu-chakra but do not have the required training in senjutsu, they will turn to stone.

2.) Dancing Leaf Shadow - A technique where a shinobi follows the opponent, closely matching his or her body's movement, just like a leaf that dances in the air is followed by its shadow. The technique is usually preceded by a swift upper kick that will launch the target into the air. It is mainly used to position an opponent into a vulnerable aerial position. This move by itself is harmless, but it is usable as a stepping stone for many powerful techniques like the Front Lotus and the Lion Combo. That being said, it also has a rather high degree of difficulty.

3.) Lion's Barrage - A taijutsu unique to Sasuke Uchiha and a variant of the Primary Lotus. Sasuke develops it after using his Sharingan to copy the first part of the move. It is an ultra-fast combo attack that requires an advanced physical condition and a certain knack for it. The opponent is first kicked into the air and shadowed with the Dancing Leaf Shadow. Upon inflicting a blow, one takes advantage of said opponent's counterattack to spin around and rise again for further assaults. Since the fall is increased in velocity with each blow, the damage when one is eventually struck to the ground is inconceivable. All variations end with the opponent being thrown to the ground and kicked in the stomach. However, like with the Primary Lotus, there is a drawback in which the user gets fatigued right after the technique is performed. Though, this drawback isn't as severe as with the Primary Lotus. Also, it holds an advantage against the Primary Lotus as it does not require the user to perform the Eight Gates.

4.) Body Flicker Jutsu - A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in micro burst. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.

5.) Insect Clone Jutsu - A secret technique exclusive to the Aburame clan, where thousands of kikaichū are gathered in one place to take on the appearance of the user or anyone else the user wishes. The technique is elaborate enough to be mistaken for the original, and therefore may be used as a decoy or as part of a diversionary tactic. Furthermore, since one can put the insects in standby somewhere beforehand and then have them assume the form of the clone, this technique is arguably even more effective than the Shadow Clone Technique, depending on the task. When struck, the clone falls apart into its component, bugs. It can be risky for the foe to go into close combat with an insect clone since the kikaichū can drain their chakra on contact. Also, because it's made of bugs, it can reform almost instantly.

6.) Substitution Jutsu - One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. This Jutsu is simple in how it works. The user searches or senses out a target and with his chakra he will identify that target and latch onto that object or target with his chakra. Then using his chakra like a beacon and transmitter the user will jump to the location of the object causing the object to switch places with the user so that the user can reconnect with his chakra in a space not already being taken up by said object.


Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys, so how was that? I altered some aspects of the Sasuke vs. Yoroi match to really put an emphasis on the Lion's Barrage. This chapter very much had a focus on Sasuke and his development as well as his relationship and interaction with his teammates. I wanted to convey that his relationship with Naruto at this period in time is different compared to the Manga.

Major eyebrow raising actions happened with Iris somehow taking control over naruto's body to hand herself over to Kakashi. What was her motive for doing something like this. That answer is coming soon. As for Shino's fight I added a tiny bit to his reasoning for his tactics against Zaku.

Just an idle thought but I never once understood how despite the fact Orochimaru was under a transformation Jutsu no one especially Hiruzen himself never thought that the Sound Jonin looked weird and suspicious. He has amber colored snake eyes and his skin to my knowledge is just as pale as Orochimaru's. Furthermore his hair is just up in a ponytail. If you take one look at him he looks exactly like Orochimaru did when he was still a shinobi of the Leaf. How could any of the shinobi in that room especially Hiruzen, Kakashi, and Anko not recognize or be suspicious of the guy standing a few feat away from them, let alone his other student who is the Jonin sensei to Team Kabuto. He was in the room to and never batted an eyelash. This was a completely weird and off topic rant but it was just an idle thought that plagued my mind and I felt like talking about it. Nothing too serious here.


That's the end of Chapter 41 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.

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Published: 2/4/2017