And so, five chapters in and it's time to let the ball rolling.

Someone in the comments brought up Yagura being Mizukage. In this fanfiction, he was not mizukage, but just a boy who had the three tails sealed into him. The Fourth Mizukage is just some offscreen OC that died obviously, so Mei and Zabuza could take control. There, boom, easy fix.

In this chapter, it is mostly from Satsuki's POV because obviously as the main selling point of the AU, she'd definitely get a lot if not the most screen time. Speaking of which, this chapter was originally really difficult, but now that I finished it, it was actually a blast to write and on top of that, reveals what I had finally decided on for the rest of the story. Don't forget what the summary is; Clash of Titans, a war to end all wars, terrorists and jinchuriki. I'm not holding any punches in making this story the ultimate Naruto epic without all the cringey tropes of the early 2010's. Wish me luck you filthy weaboos. xD

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto


Chapter 5: You Call Yourself a Kunoichi? Don't Make Me Laugh!

Satsuki landed on the branch, taking tentative looks back toward the forest. Chojuro at her side and Sakura at the other, the three of them had maintained a good distance but it wasn't enough. They could still hear the explosions ripping through the trees, shredding through brambles and bushes and brush. She could only flinch as water spiraled into the canopy, shearing through leaves and ancient wood. Ice glimmered and smoke rose into the sky. Through Sasuke, she maintained her look of indifference, but she couldn't lie anymore. She was afraid.

Whoever that was, wanted her dead.

She couldn't think of anyone in the world that could possibly want her dead. There was a moment in time where she thought Naruto would have wanted her corpse strewn across a table, but that ship has long since sailed. Glancing at the Mist ninja beside her and the pinkette still shivering in her sandals, she cursed inwardly. Naruto was out there, putting his life on the line. Two shinobi she had never really known were doing the same. What did that mean for her? What did that make her? So many questions, too little time. It had only been a few hours since the first day had begun and they were making great progress. Of all the things.

Damn it! Satsuki swore. Why can't anything ever go our way?!

"Sakura!"

They snapped at attention.

Springing through a bundle of branches, Team Ten had arrived out of nowhere. Of all the teams, of everything that could have happened, Sasuke and Sakura shared a glance. It was almost too good to be true. The beach blonde who always led from the front, had a confident look on her face and flipped her hair as obnoxiously as she always did. "What are you guys doing here? Who's the Mist ninja?"

"Ino, w-we're kinda in the middle of something." Sakura frowned.

"Wait." The Yamanaka paused. Taking a pensive glance about, she stopped with wide eyes. "W-Where's Naruto?"

"Over there." Sasuke said, raising his hand up.

The three members of Team Ten looked toward the direction, shivering as water, smoke and flame roared in the distance. Earth shaking, explosions shearing through trees, the three of them turned back to Sasuke and Sakura. "Oh."

"Yeah." Sasuke frowned. "Naruto is in danger and so are Chojuro's teammates. I'm not about to let them stay and get hurt."

"What's going on?" Shikamaru raised a brow. "Aren't you the prodigy? Why are you running away?"

Sasuke hissed, his glare deepening at Shikamaru. Sakura however, raised a hand, getting between the two. "The person they're fighting has targeted Sasuke specifically. T-They are way too powerful to be genin. That's what's happening. Now, all that matters is what we plan to do."

Huh. Satsuki gave Sakura a glance. Something in her chest writhed. It wasn't so much a foreign sensation, but one that she hadn't felt in some time. Like when she and Naruto first started training together, to when she first opened up to Haku on the bridge. Damn, Sakura. You're not too bad.

"I'm not gonna let Naruto get hurt if there's something I can do about it." Ino suddenly said. Earning confused looks, the girl rolled her eyes. "As annoying as he was, he is still our comrade and daresay friend. If they're right and this person is way too powerful, then someone must have infiltrated the test. Didn't any of you listen to Ibiki-sensei's story? Ninja are deceitful, ninja are cunning and most of all they can hide in the most inconspicuous of places. I'm not saying it's fact, but it's not outside the realm of impossibility."

Well. Satsuki had to fight her raising brows. How 'bout that? I may have misjudged the both of them. Ino, Sakura… one day, I think we could be real friends.

"Troublesome blondes." Shikamaru scowled. "Fine. Give me a few seconds to think of something. Okay, got it. Here's what we do. Sasuke, we know that Naruto's a dipshit, he can make even the most serious of moments into utter confusion. They think you've run off, right? Go back and distract the enemy. If they're really after you, you know damn well that they're not expecting you to return. As for us, it's safe to assume they know nothing of Team Ten. This is going to be a pain in the ass, but it's time for us to really flex what we can do."

"Here I was about to say the same thing." Ino murmured.

"Once we get into position, Ino, mind transfer. Hold their opponent in place. I will trap them in shadow possession. As soon as our techniques are completed, Choji, you will rush in with your human bullet tank. I'm hoping you guys have been training as hard as you claim. The second before Choji connects, butt out Ino. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Sasuke, and uh… Chojuro, right? Once that's done, grab Naruto and your teammates and the three of our teams will make a beeline toward the tower in the center of the forest." Shikamaru said. "It's quick, easy and efficient. I don't know how long we'll be able to hold him off or even fight him, but everything about this plan relies on speed, self-control and most of all, precision. I'll be honest, I don't know you or your team, Chojuro, so you will have to wing it from that point on. Everyone got it?"

Satsuki rose first, a concentrated look in her eye. As if she were dead focused on one goal. He watched her jump first, leaving all of them behind in dust and smoke. With a sigh, he kicked his feet and followed. Look at her. Good luck, Satsuki. You and Naruto are the most hardheaded idiots I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. It's almost like you two are perfect for each other. How troublesome.


Shikamaru wanted to scream.

As the human bullet tank crashed against the person, Choji was suddenly sent flying back through the forest until he rolled into a tree. In an instant, the boy was knocked unconscious. From that point forward, everything just fell apart. Naruto rushed in, as blindly as he usually did, and engaged in a bout of taijutsu, faster than he had ever seen the blond boy move. He could barely follow, but the green haired boy with the polearm certainly could.

The two of them crashed against their pursuer, but they were completely off their game. Naruto was not used to fighting beside someone with a weapon longer than a kunai and the other boy, clearly didn't know how to work in a team. They bumped into each other, tripped over each other's feet and a few times, were at the receiving end of each other's attacks. They were wild, unrefined and it was beginning to make the rest of the fight that much more unnecessary.

Naruto charged in, ducking under Yagura's polearm, cursing as coral began to grow on his back. Surging red chakra, the small patches cracked and burst part into tiny pieces. He continued on his barrage, seeing nothing but red. This person, pale skinned with snake eyes, continued to laugh, as if this were the funniest thing he had ever seen. There was certainly nothing funny about any of it. He kept dodging, he kept weaving, he kept avoiding, every single attack the Jinchuriki sent his way and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

Naruto dashed forward, thinking he saw an opening, but the man simply smirked. Fist extended outward, the boy cringed, his body folding in and forming a mold of the man's fist. Within seconds, he was launched back with a trail of red chakra and black smoke. Rolling about the dirt, the boy cringed once again, puking on the forest floor.

Satsuki couldn't wait any longer. She ran toward the blond, forgetting the whole reason they were fighting to begin with. He laid there, quivering from the attack. She couldn't stand there and do nothing. She couldn't. Running through smoke and bullets of compressed water, she rolled across the brush, stopping just as she came to his side.

Before she could even speak, his body fluttered with chakra and pushed her out of the way. Yagura flew threw the air, only to collide with Naruto in an entanglement of limbs and weapons. They groaned as one, trying to fight out of each other's belts and weapon sheaths. The only one really doing anything of merit against this guy was Haku and even she was getting slapped around like a damn ball. Satsuki couldn't breathe. She couldn't even stand for that matter.

Doing the unthinkable, she shot to her feet and raised her hands up, shouting to the man. "H-Hey! You stupid piece of shit! You want me?"

"Sasuke, stop!"

"What the fuck are you doing, Sasuke?!"

"Stop!" Sasuke raised his fist. "Don't even make a move, Sakura. Not now."

"But…"

"You said it yourself, his target is me. I am tired of watching every single one of you throw yourselves into danger for me. I can stand on my own feet. I am not going to have your blood on my hands!"

"Sasuke?" the pinkette couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Hey asshole." Sasuke glared at the shadow. "They're not worth your time. If you really want me, you're going to have to face me. One on one."

"I've been trying to do that, but god are your little friends persistent."

"Haku. Sakura. Shika." Sasuke said. The three of them glanced at the Uchiha. "Make sure Naruto doesn't do anything stupid. Get to the tower and get our sensei. I don't know how long I'll be able to outrun him but… please. Do it."

"You…" Naruto growled. All heads turned to the boy in orange fighting to his feet. Eyes no longer red and whiskers no longer scratched across his face, he stumbled to Sasuke's side, already taking a fighting stance. "Are not sending me away, asshole. We're doing this together. Haku. You're faster than all of us here. We'll distract him."

"You do know that I can hear you, right?"

Naruto and Satsuki turned to the man, raising knives. "Shut the fuck up!" They shouted in threatening unison.

T-That was kinda cute.

Troublesome idiots.

Wow. Spoken like a true couple.

Shikamaru, Sakura and Ino shared a look. It was almost too good to be true. The Nara sighed, stumbling over to Naruto's side. "We can't carry Choji. We're not getting out of this forest unless we're doing it together."

"Yup." Ino cracked her knuckles. "I don't know about you, but you try lifting an Akimichi. You'll be sore for a week."

"Me too." Sakura ran toward them. Kunai in hand, she stood beside Ino, a focused stare in her emerald eyes. "What? We're all a team, right? I'm not running away from this one. For my friends."

"If this goes on any longer, I think I'm going to puke." The man rolled his eyes. Stepping from the shadows, it revealed pale white skin that ripped and tore, revealing another face beneath the face. Long waving black hair and snake like eyes staring back at them. His hitai-ate had the symbol of Kusagakure, the village hidden in the grass. "Seriously. Do any of you realize that I am willing to kill each and every single one of you just to get to your dear Uchiha? Either you are the most courageous genin or by far, the stupidest."

"If you were, then how're we still standing?" Naruto remarked. "You're over here flaunting your strength and talking that big game, but let's be honest, you're afraid."

"Naruto, I don't think…" Ino gave the blond a nervous look.

"Afraid?" The man laughed. "Only a fool would be afraid of genin!"

"Oh please." Naruto snarked. Walking into front of Sasuke, he blocked the boy from view. "You had every chance to get him. Every single chance. You're fast as shit if you were able to dodge and deflect Choji in one move. You're incredibly skilled if you were able to use me and Yagura against one another in taijutsu. Yet, this entire time, you've kept a distance, you've hung back, like a coward and did nothing except talk shit. You aren't trying to kill Sasuke. What are you trying to do?"

The man sighed, bringing his hands to the ripped and peeled skin. Before Naruto could say another word, he dug his fingers into the flesh. Pulling, rending and shredding, the face he wore was left as nothing more the sticky material dangling between his fingers. "I must commend your courage, even if it is misplaced, Kyuubi-brat. Oh? Judging by the looks of your so-called friends, they don't know? Your whole reason for existence? They don't know about the demon that resides within your body?"

"W-What is he talking about?" Sakura murmured.

"Hardly a demon." Yagura stepped forward. "Your attempts to break his will fall on deaf ears. The only monster we see here is the one who has to hide behind a fake face."

Satsuki blinked. Ouch. Even though he doesn't know, that shit still kinda hurt. I'm nothing like that man. I'm not hiding because I'm trying to slink into a test full of children. I'm not… I'm not… I'm not hiding! I'm not afraid!

"Oh?" The man smirked. "I don't need to explain myself to a genin, much less one who holds a demon within him as well. Prepare yourselves. Show me what you can do!"

As the words left his lips, Yagura slammed his polearm on the ground. Coral sprung outward, crashing at the man as he flipped over the attack. Slamming down on the group of shinobi, everyone broke formation, flittering into the forest. He had his first target; the annoying Jinchuriki. He needed them out of the fight as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the damn Kyuubi Jinchuriki and the glasses wearing boy had destroyed both of his snakes. Turning his attention back to the fight at hand, he found his victims.

Charging at Naruto and Yagura, he ducked under their swings and punches. Despite having just met each other, they were more in synch than they were before. Ducking and dodging their combinations was quickly losing its charm. Naruto had very little to almost no control over his Bijuu, whereas the green haired boy was surprisingly skilled and willingly used his creature's abilities. Jumping over a polearm swing, he kicked Naruto's face, breaking his stance, while also sending a snake for Yagura. As expected, Naruto flipped and shot outward, only to resume his attack as if nothing had happened, while Yagura's chakra sizzled and melted the snake.

Landing on his feet, he punched, his fist meeting the polearm, ringing loudly like a hollow bell. The sheer strength behind it, sent the Sanbi Jinchuriki back into a tree, opening space for him to take advantage of. He took a deep breath, bending back and dodging a flurry of fireballs, smashing around and past him. Slithering about, he blocked a pinkette as she punched and kicked and bashed wildly at the pale skinned man. Despite how practiced and efficient her skills were, they were juvenile. Grabbing her ankle, he threw her out, her body crashing against a boulder.

Dipping forward, his body slithered like a snake, dodging pillars of flame as they crashed around him. His mouth flittering with his elongated tongue, he couldn't believe the power Uchiha Sasuke was displaying. Just like his brother. He shot up, barreling toward Sasuke. Pulsing his dark chakra, Sasuke and Shikamaru froze in their steps, eyes wide and trapped within their bodies. As if they were caught in a mind transfer, their fear was manipulated, overwhelming their bodies and minds.

Closing in, he sighed in defeat. A glowing red foot smashed into his cheek, firing him off through the forest, crashing through ancient tree trunks and thick, winding branches. It was too easy, too childish. He popped into smoke, leaving a wooden log in his place. Reappearing, the man punched Naruto, sending him to the floor. Lifting a leg, he kicked and bashed, lifting him by the scruff of his shirt, throwing him into a rock. Snakes slinking down his arms and wrapping around the blond's neck, it was too good to be true. Too good to just let him go. A snake drew close, its teeth ready to sink into Naruto's neck, Orochimaru had to break his stance.

Ducking underneath the chakra extension of Chojuro's bandaged blade, he growled, punching up, molding his fist in the boy's stomach. Flinging him away, Naruto had taken the chance to make his next move. Tearing the snakes apart. Blood and venom trickled from the bags of flesh, spilling on his clothes. Within seconds, his fist dug into Orochimaru's jaw, cracking his knuckles and sending the man flying once again.

"Sasuke!" He shouted. "How are you on chakra?"

"I-I'm getting low."

"Come over here." Naruto said with a serious tone. Raising his fist, Sasuke blinked. Bumping their knuckles, the unthinkable happened. "Just like the day we first connected… I felt a weird bond, as if our chakra merged together for a split second. I don't know how to explain it, but I figured we'd might as well try it."

"I didn't… I didn't even think about that."

"Wow. Imagine that." Naruto's snark came as a cruel growl.

"What are we going to do?" Naruto asked. "As fun as it is beating the dogshit out of this guy, it's clearly doing nothing more than delaying the inevitable. I don't know how much strength I have left, but I'm not wasting any more of it."

"Good." Sasuke nodded. "He's strong and he has incredible reaction time, but we're getting luck, catching him off guard. We've only got so long before he figures out our attack patterns."

"Then we keep it unpredictable."

"The only one who acts unpredictably is you."

"Stop flirting." Sakura huffed, wiping blood off her cheeks. "We need a plan, not foreplay."

"F-Foreplay?!" Naruto blushed, glaring at the girl.

"Fine." Shikamaru hummed. "I've got it. Yagura, what are Haku's abilities? I've yet to see her use ice techniques."

"She'll know what to do. We just need to get him to stop moving." Yagura said. "Which, is a lot harder to do with everyone attacking as soon as they see an opening. We need to be smart and not chew at the first sign of a bite."

"A little hard to concentrate when he eats every punch and kick, I send." Naruto growled back. "I'm losing my fucking mind. I can't focus on anything but putting him in the ground. Worse yet, his fucking snakes, their venom burned holes in my clothes. If he bites you, or if his blood gets on you, you need to make sure that your skin isn't in contact."

"Right." Sakura hummed, pulling gloves from her pouch. Slipping them on, she cracked her knuckles once again. "Before you ask; I decided to do some training on my own. These gloves channel my chakra and increase my strength. Naruto should know how strong I already am."

"Fair."

"Okay." Yagura nodded. "I'm ready when you guys are."

"Let's stop wasting time!" Sasuke sped through hand signs. "Katon: Goryuka no jutsu!"

Fire roared from his lips, crashing through stone and trees. Orochimaru smirked, letting the attack crash against him. He ignored the sizzling of his clothes and the burning of his former body's flesh. Through the flame, Naruto's fist crashed against his face, sending him back into a boulder, shattering it into pebbles. Rolling about, he sped through hand signs of his own, slamming his hands together, he released a scream. "Yureru Onpa!"

Visible soundwaves shot from his lips, pulsing wildly toward the incoming Jinchuriki and his teammates. They cringed, falling to the dirt, holding their ears. Screams merged and came together, empowering the incredible technique. Burning, pushing, compressing around them, their throats run ragged and mute. Left in the wake, they panted. Naruto, still somehow still finding himself fighting to his feet, he panicked, watching as Sakura collapsed on her final leg. Her eyes were sunken, wide with fear. She was exhausted and there was only so much strength they had.

"A shame." Orochimaru snarled. "One by one, you and your valiant defense will fall and trickle away like leaves you so love." Speeding through hand signs once again, he brought his hands to his lips. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" Without thinking, Naruto threw himself in front of Sakura, his body torn and ripped apart as the powerful, sharp and slicing winds crashed against his body. Red chakra seeping through his pores were ripped away. Orange jacket turned to ribbons in the wake of the attack, he stumbled, trying to keep steady. Blood covering his body, he collapsed, struggling to keep his breath.

Orochimaru was pleased. He had expected more resistance from the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. No warning, no battle cry. It was silent. Blinking for a second, he almost didn't didge the Sanbi Jinchuriki's polearm. Swinging with precision, Orochimaru ducked and dodged, weaving between each strike, careful not to let any part of the weapon even graze him. The dangling ornaments would cause coral to grow on any point of contact. The metal pole itself could cause the same effect. He was a walking weapon, and he was so young too. Orochimaru couldn't keep his excitement contained. Such talent. Such refined elegance. It was a dream come true.

Slamming his fists into the earth, several white snakes burst free, hoping to ensnare the boy. As expected, however, the moment the creatures touched his spinning polearm, they were turned into coral within seconds, falling to the dirt and shattering like porcelain. No words were shared between them. The boy was absolutely focused, his dark magenta eyes narrowing with contempt.

"Why are you fighting me, Sanbi? We have no reason to be enemies."

"You're right. We don't." Yagura frowned. "Yet, we are. So stand and fight me."

"You, just like the Kyuubi-brat are overestimating your abilities." Orochimaru laughed. "Just step aside and we will forget this quarrel ever happened. Surely you can get behind that? I don't want to harm such talented shinobi. I just want the Uchiha."

"I come from the bloody mist. The damn Mizukage before Mei-sama and Zabuza-sama took back the village was filled with monsters like you." Yagura growled. "They turned on those with kekkei genkai, they used me as a weapon, they turned me against my own comrades and my own people because they were afraid of talent or because they wanted to use it for their own cruel deeds. You say we have no quarrel… because of your evil intentions, that's what makes us enemies!"

Orochimaru sent a bundle of snakes toward him. Each one, once more, was turned into coral, shattering with each strike of his steel polearm. Coming close, Orochimaru couldn't believe he would have to resort to such a powerful technique just to get this foolish boy off of him. Spitting a sword from his mouth, he swung, steel crashing against steel. To both of their surprise, the weapon bent to the edge of the sword, as if it had cut halfway through. Pulling back, they clashed, kenjutsu against kenjutsu, trying to outmaneuver and outdo the other. Swing, clash, swing. Yagura made sure to keep the Sannin at a distance, never once thinking he could take advantage and meet for pitch melee. That was absolute suicide. A polearm against a sword that strong and that sharp, only spelled disaster for him. It was a risk he did not need to take.

A whistle was heard. A clink in metal. Falling back, a new opponent entered the scene. Chojuro, his blade crashing with Orochimaru's brought the entire bout into a stalemate. Despite his earlier misgivings and fear, the boy looked entirely different. Focus in his eyes, clarity in his mind, he wasn't going to stand there and do nothing while his teammate was in danger. Shoving Orochimaru away, Chojuro collided with the man, Hiramekerai sliding free from its bandages. He swung, chakra bursting across its blades. Orochimaru had to fall back, blocking each consecutive swing, nearly losing his footing.

A legendary sword of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? Orochimaru glared, dodging and weaving between each strike and swing. Their sensei… what did the girl say her name was again? Dodging, he twirled his blade, only to have the point of the weapon pause against the surface of the great weapon. Chojuro smirked, bursting his chakra outward, it expelled Orochimaru from the clash. Bringing his arm back, he swung down, cracking and shattering earth in a single swing. Before he could get the next attack in, an orange blur passed his vision.

Twenty Naruto clones entered the fray, punching, kicking and getting quick strikes in on the Sannin, throwing him off guard. With every pop and every successful stab, he was growing more and more frustrated. None of those who dared to face him were the real Jinchuriki. Once again, Naruto charged in, through the pop of a defeated clone, his forehead smashed against Orochimaru's the sparks and the screaming song of steel plates colliding threw the two of them in different directions. Throwing his hands upon once again, several clones came to life, surrounding Chojuro. "We're going to distract this idiot. Get ready and get your hit in, Chojuro!"

Sharing nods, they charged at Orochimaru, hoping to keep the momentum. Wind in their hands, they punched and swung, the clones blew Orochimaru back, sliding across the forest floor until his back crashed against a tree. A clone closed the distance only to be bitten by a snake. Another came close, its guts were kicked out, sending him into three other clones, dispelling all four at once. Through the smoke, Naruto threw kunai and shuriken, each one deflected or a clone was used as a shield. To Orochimaru's surprise, the paper tags beginning to glow and sizzle. Eyes wide, he nearly screamed as the explosions ripped through the forest, showering the trees with fire and smoke.

Through it all, the man rolled about, coughing and spitting up ash and soot. He fought to his feet, only to see Chojuro closing the distance with his famous blade raised over his shoulder. Orochimaru had to use whatever trick he had up his sleeve just to escape this one. Extending his jaw, he bit down, sinking his teeth into the blade. With incredible pressure, he extending his neck, hurling Chojuro into the forest, using the trees as weapons themselves. He bashed and thrashed, trying to get rid of the kenjutsu specialist.

As a clone came close, he released the blade from his jaw, wrapping his neck and face around the clone, sinking his teeth into the blond's scalp, dispelling it immediately. He was panting, he was getting tired and this wasn't going to plan. Absolutely none of it. These kids had never worked together in their lives, and yet, they were as cohesive as any professional team. All of them, infuriating little rats. Through the smoke of dispelled close, Orochimaru dodged an incoming fireball and another brace of kunai. Blocking each one with a snake, he sent them through the smoke, hoping to get just one of those fools trapped within his embrace.

To his surprise, headless jerking stumps returned to him, spurting blood from their wounds. The snakes were beheaded. He positioned himself, focusing on the heavy hitters of the gaggle of genin. First were the obvious, the Jinchuriki. So far, they have been untouchable and somehow, the Kyuubi of the two broke free from his seal. Somehow, somewhere, he was taught how to use fuinjutsu. Of course, the Uzumaki would take to seals like a fish to water. He scowled inwardly. He might have overestimated his abilities.

In his introspection, through the smoke, Yagura repositioned. Taking his attention away from the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, he turned his attention back to the boy who assumed too much. The man swung for his face, only to have his arm suddenly peppered with Senbon. The man blinked with confusion. Standing for a moment of confusion left him open. The polearm jammed into his stomach, coral forming at the moment of impact, spreading almost instantly across his torso. Falling back and tripping over the sudden weight, Orochimaru slammed his fist into the coral shattering it completely. In the dust that left his clothes, he trembled, a cold chilling wind running up and down his spine. Whipping back around, a cold chill trickled against his neck, his breath misting in front of him. With a blink, he had only read about this once.

Before he could even react, mirrors of ice began to form around him, almost thirty, rising around forming an impenetrable dome. So, the clan wasn't completely wiped out. How exciting! Hands speeding through hand seals, he had the perfect ninjutsu to get out of this situation. As the sequence was coming to an end, he suddenly froze. While not completely immobile, his hands would not connect into the final hand sign. He tried to fight it, but several Bijuu-infused punches and that damn coral attack had left him severely weaker than he first started. A black shadow latching onto his own body, he scoffed, ready to pulse his chakra to break out. Cold reflections stared back at him. As he prepared, something strange happened. An odd sensation landed over him, wrapping around his body and mind. Without warning, his reflections began to shift, no longer a white skinned man, but a small, blonde girl, her hands raised in the hand sign of the cursed Yamanaka. Her eyes were closed and she dared to don a smug smirk.

Again?!

Oh yeah. I got you, freak.

I don't think you want to be in my head, little girl.

Don't worry. I don't intend to stay long.

What?

The moment he received control of his body, the first Senbon pierced his flesh. His hand was slowly going numb. Another Senbon and his next hand had gone limp. A third, a fourth and a fifth, parts of his body were losing function and sense. He blinked. Him? Defeated by mere Senbon?! Over and over, needles stabbed into his tenketsu, digging into his skin. Pressure points, points of interest, places that were pivotal to a functioning body were attacked with these thin, yet incredible sharp needles. Whoever this genin was, had extensive knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. If she had the right teachers, she could be another Tsunade, however instead of saving life, taking it.

A blur was all he could see. A distinct blur before his body was poked full of Senbon needles. A blur was all he could witness before he lost more and more of his motor function. Blood beginning to trickle from how deep the deedless were going, he needed to get out as soon as possible if he were going to escape and plan his next step. Nothing was working. Absolutely nothing. He couldn't knead chakra as several important freeways were blocked in his coils, as the tenketsu were pierced with needles. He cursed. This wasn't the plan! These genin weren't supposed to be this united and most of all, the Mist was not supposed to be here!

His building pulse fading as the girl dashed between reflections. It was nearly impossible to follow, even with his incredible talent. Senbon, needles, blocked tenketsu. Over and over again, worse yet, the damn shadow possession still had him in its grasp. He couldn't take it anymore. Another Senbon strategically placed could be fatal. He noticed, she was trying to disable him completely, she didn't want to make any mistake and let him break free if he somehow did. She was an actual assassin. He cursed, swinging out in a random direction. Snakes sprang out, suddenly wrapping around a body. Throwing his arm out, Haku smashed into her own mirror, shattering through the ice and crashing into a tree.

He panted, wiping mist from his forehead. This was becoming too much of a hassle. Wrapping his fingers around a bundle of Senbon, he tore the needles from his skin. Rage. Anger. Frustration. He marched to the ice mistress, snakes flittering down his sleeve. He didn't even both looking, raising a hand, catching Chojuro by his face. He bent and smashed the child against the dirt, snakes wrapping around the blue haired boy. With a growl, he threw him up, snakes propelling him into the sky.

Crashing against a branch above, the man kept his focused gaze on Haku. Her skills, her kekkei genkai, it was rare, if not the only one left in the world, if he could remember properly. She was a genetic mutation, one of a kind, and it was a shame that she was stuck with such a broken and weak nation. He licked his lips, drooling with anticipation. Like Kimimaro, she had a kekkei genkai that the Hidden Mist wanted to eradicate for all the same reasons. She was a monster, a freak of nature. And he wanted it.

But first, he wanted her out of the fight. He wanted Uchiha Sasuke, the little brother of Uchiha Itachi. He wanted the Sharingan! Throwing his arms out, a wall of snakes shot out to Haku, wrapping around her body, tightening and tightening until she passed out. He spun on his feet, eyeing the Sanbi Jinchuriki. Yagura was quivering in his clothing, his anger palpable, taking form in his bubbling red chakra. Clutching his polearm, coral began to form, rising up and down the weapon.

Before Yagura could move, was suddenly trapped in black shadow once again. Cursing like a broken record, a pair of fists shot toward his head. Naruto and Sakura brought their fists together, using Orochimaru's head as a punching bag. Both of them, careful not to get caught in Shikamaru's shadow possession, he was trapped. But as if his luck was finally turning around, the shadow broke, freeing him from the Nara's grasp. Snapping his arms out, he grabbed Sakura by her face and Naruto by his neck.

Everyone stopped their attacked. Wasting no more time, he swung Sakura into the ground, knocking the air from his chest. Before she could respond, a snake wrapped around her neck, slamming her into a tree. Blood spattered wildly, scrawling up the bark. Dropping her body like trash, his fingers glowed with multi colored flame. Slamming his fingers into Naruto's gut, the boy's eyes widened before paling and shutting. "I know you'll break free, Kyuubi-brat, this time however, you won't get to stop me."

He dropped Naruto like a broken toy, kicking his limp body into an overturned boulder. The unconscious boy sputtered, blood trickling from his mouth. He took a deep breath, his frustration and annoyance fading with each huff and sigh. Popping his knuckles, tearing the last of the Senbon from his body, a rustle of leaves entered his ears from behind. As practiced and efficient as one of the Sannin should be, Senbon shot out, digging into Ino and Haku's necks, disabling both of them instantly.

Their bodies had shut down but their eyes glared menacingly despite it all. Orochimaru smiled at Ino and Haku, almost laughing at how weak they looked. Stretching his neck, popping his arms and his knuckles, he let out a bellowing cackle, wild and delirious, he sighed in relief. All that remained, was a Nara bordering on chakra exhaustion, an Uchiha who had thus proven himself time and time again, and a damn Jinchuriki that just wouldn't leave him alone.

"I told you, little girl." Orochimaru smiled, turning to Ino. "You're not going prance in my mind again."

"You are going to pay for that… for everything you've done!" Yagura glowered. Blood red chakra spread around his body, forming a single red tail swinging behind him. "Kakudai Sangoshō!"

Swinging forward, an entire reef sprang to life. Spreading outward in a near blink of an eye, the man choked as his leg was immediately caught. To his surprise, it began to rise up his leg, crackling. Before he could break free, he screamed out in agony, cringing into the reef. His foot shot down, coral rising around both of his legs. It was piercing, scratching, spitting into his flesh. His bones were breaking, his flesh slowly shifting and changing. He couldn't believe it. After all of his research, after all of the things he had done to prepare himself for this day, of all the things that would happen, Kirigakure decided to stop murdering themselves. And of all the things, Kirigakure decided to stick their noses in the Chunin Exams. He couldn't fathom how things had gone to such shit.

Every time he touched the coral, it would latch onto him and grow at such an exponential rate, it had already locked his right arm to his legs. Prostrated before a bunch of children was something he never thought he would see. Trapped, alone and overwhelmed with fury, he just could not believe it. It had to be a joke. It had to be a lie. This had to be a genjutsu. He started laughing, he tried to wiggle is way from the coral, the reef and all the things eating at his flesh. Nothing was working.

In the last moments as the coral reef began to rise, the man paused. Coral reef rushed in, colliding in and out, merging until he was completely covered in it. Leaving only his head, Orochimaru had finally had enough. He couldn't feel his arms, nor his body anymore. There was nothing below his neck. The coral around him spurted with his blood, trickles pouring in between each rolling stalk. He stood there as his body slowly began to disintegrate. Through the chaos and crunching leaves, Sasuke had finally arrived. Kunai in hand and a look that spelled death.

"What the fuck is your deal?" Sasuke glared. "Just who are you?!"

"I guess you deserve that at least…" Orochimaru chuckled weakly. His body wasn't responding and he couldn't even shed his skin. The bones of his body were completely incorporated into the coral reef gathering more and more of his body. Lowering his head, he sighed in defeat. "I should have known… the little brother of Uchiha Itachi would be just as talented as him…"

Pressing the kunai to Orochimaru's throat, Sasuke couldn't breathe. "W-What the fuck did you just say?!"

"Your brother, Itachi…" Orochimaru chuckled. "You should have seen him. The most beautiful specimen I have ever laid eyes upon. It was as if a god had taken human form. And those eyes… the same ones you carry. Looking at you… I saw my future. I saw everything coming to pass. I saw every ninjutsu at my waiting hands and I… I thought I could do it. I thought I could finally achieve my dream."

Satsuki flinched, nearly ceasing the chakra rushing to her seal. She couldn't take it anymore. "Y-You…"

Orochimaru smiled. Shooting his neck forward, his teeth sunk into Satsuki's neck. Imbuing his chakra into her, it gave him the last thing he needed to break free. As his chakra mixed with hers, he flinched. A cut, a block, a whole ass wall stood between him and his goal. No more than a fraction of a fraction of his chakra began to take shape on the three magatama seal. It warped and faded, only to remain but it was weak. It was dead. To his surprise, eyes widening by the second, he couldn't finish the seal on her shoulder. The transfer was incomplete, he couldn't imbue his will, nor could he even give him the chakra needed to make the seal complete!

Before he could react, his neck was ripped from his head. Like a broken hose, blood sprayed forth, showering the two genin, Uzumaki and Uchiha, in crimson. Naruto stood, awash in blood, almost as if he relished in it. His eyes no longer crimson, the bloodlust remained, vibrant in his cerulean eyes.

Tearing the Sanin's head from Satsuki's shoulder, he threw it on the ground. Hands pressed into its eyes and skull; he began to press. "I thought I told you…" The dark look in his eyes encroaching through the cerulean pools, almost turning them black. His sclerae were bloodshot, overcome with rage. Naruto began to press, listening to the muted mewls of wind and squirting blood. "Leave her the fuck alone!" With a final push, the head exploded in bone and brain, spattering across his face. Dark chakra, a shadowy aura began to float up like smoke, before disappearing into nothingness.

As the final moments passed, Naruto fell back, unconscious within seconds. Satsuki fell to her knees, holding her shoulder. The pain was only growing. Dipping her head between her knees, the seal on the back of her neck went haywire. Before she knew it, she had fallen to the forest floor, snoring away.

"S-So…" Shikamaru ran to the two. Looking around the battlefield, he fell, but Yagura quickly caught him. "W-What now?"

"I don't know… but you aren't going to pass out on me. Not now."

To the Nara's credit he saw it coming.

How troublesome.


Satsuki stood alone.

"Satsuki…" Fugaku said solemnly. His back was turned as it always was. Standing at the docks of the Uchiha's personal lake, they had just finished their day of training. Face covered in dirt and scars and bruises, she fell to her knees, panting as if she had just been put through a wringer. She watched as her father sat upon the dock, his bare feet hanging. "Sit down with me. I want to talk to you."

"O-Of course, father." Satsuki nodded quickly. It was rare that her father would ever have a conversation outside of what she was doing wrong. "What's wrong?"

"You are progressing well with your techniques." The man said. "But… I don't want you to go down the same path as all Uchiha have before you. It is a dark path that has only disgust, destruction and failure waiting for you at the end. The path that so many Uchiha walk is a dangerous one and there is only so much you or even I, or even your brother, can do to stave what's coming."

"Uh…" Satsuki murmured, hiding behind her long hair. "W-What are you talking about?"

"A conflict is brewing within the village. Between the clans." He said. "I didn't want you involved then and I certainly don't want you involved now. The Fourth Hokage was my closest friend. If he were in the seat, he wouldn't have let things descend this far. When he had the seat, I was his Shadow Hokage, I was the one he trusted more than his own wife to deal with other nations… but when he died… all hope was gone. When he died… the light of this Clan died with him, his wife… but his son…"

"His… son?"

"You will know him when you see him." Fugaku said. "I have had the Police protect him for years out of my undying respect for my dear friends. There is a reason he wasn't killed yet. There's a reason the old council and the ineffective Hokage haven't been able to make his life worse. Your mother and I would take him in, but there are those in the Clan that are skeptical of him. So, we have been doing what we can to ensure that his life isn't as terrible as it could have been. I just… I just wish there was more that I could do. The council, especially that worm, Shimura Danzo, has always had it out for the Uchiha and now, with your brother in the ANBU, it has only made their intentions that much more severe."

Satsuki flinched. "W-What's his son's name?"

"Hm. I'm glad that is the only thing you got out of that." Fugaku chuckled. "Listen to me, Satsuki. You won't be able to see him until you've entered the Academy. You have not left the confines of the Uchiha Compound yet. No one knows who you are. Things are about to happen and I want you to maintain your façade when you leave home. To the world, to the official records… you are Uchiha Sasuke, named after the Sandaime's father. You are Uchiha Sasuke, the son of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto."

"Well… y-yeah, that was the plan, father."

"Good." He said, wrapping his arm around the little girl. Holding her tight, he kissed her forehead, resting his head on her scalp. "Do not drop your transformation unless you know you can protect yourself. Do not drop your transformation until you find someone you can trust. Do not drop your transformation until you befriend his son."

"Father…" Satsuki murmured. A cold shiver rocked her body. "Y-You're scaring me."

"Don't be afraid, Satsuki-chan." He gave her a rare smile. Bringing his hand under her chin, he tilted her up to look at him. "Your mother, your brother… even myself… we are always going to love you. No matter what happens, no matter what truths you learn… don't let hate seep into your heart. Not even for a second."

She nodded.

She nodded.

She nodded.

Blood. Blood. Blood.

Death.

She ran home, blitzing through the Uchiha Compound, finding dead men and women, children, strewn about their homes and stalls. No smoke, no sound, not even the animals were allowed to survive. Their small bodies torn and eviscerated to shreds. Bodies. Bodies. Bodies. They were everywhere. Satsuki's transformation dropped, shimmering with light. She was panicking, running into broken homes, finding entire families slaughtered in their beds and at their dinner tables.

She fell back, rolling over dirt and blood. She struggled to her feet, trying to get a sense of clarity. Blood stained on her hands and feet, she ran, the squelching of bleed between her toes, cold and warm, sinking in the dirt roads. Falling to the side, she heard a struggle. Near one of the policemen's homes, a crash was heard. A man was suddenly thrown out of his home, his body bursting as a blade pierced his chest. She hid there, quiet with her hands pressed to her mouth.

A crash and a thud, the man sputtered, his throat slashed out with several cuts and puncture wounds decorating his body. A footstep was made beside her. A blade was raised, brought down, spraying blood on her face. The man's sharingan proved useless against his assailant, terrifying the little girl further. Shaking, trembling against the wooden post, she shut her eyes, praying in her mind to whatever god that was watching. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to die!

The foot stepped away. A scream, commotion and silence. She waited, heart racing in her chest. Hands clutching her book back, trying to wipe the blood from her face, she couldn't breathe. Stumbling to her feet, the presence was gone. Another scream, another crash, more silence. Whoever this was, whoever this demon is, she couldn't stay in the street any longer. Careful not to step on the dead, she dashed toward the main house of the Uchiha Compound.

Running through the hallowed halls, ignoring the flies buzzing about and the distinct pungent smell of death, she collapsed, falling into a room. She could see, her mother and father were sitting on their knees, eyes closed and ready for the worst. It was as if they were praying. Throwing her hands over her mouth, she sunk, slinking between floorboards beside an Uchiha child, murdered before they could get out of bed. The blood, the lukewarm blood trickling between her toes, made her stomach twist.

A presence entered the home. A boy with long hair and ANBU armor took long strides. However, with each step, he slowed down. He was shaking. He as afraid.

"Itachi." Fugaku called. "Come in. We've been waiting for you."

"F-Father."

"Do not struggle now, my son." Their mother said. "We made our decision and now it is time for you to finish yours."

"I…" Itachi said. His voice breaking.

"You did what you had to do, my son." Fugaku said, lowering his head, not once looking at Itachi. "The village manipulated us, each and every single one of us. This is the fruits of that deception. We do not hate you, Itachi. Our only regret… my only regret… is that I wasn't the right father I should have been to you and Satsuki."

"Itachi!" Mikoto's voice echoed through the main house. "Do it!"

"For the sake of Satsuki…" Fugaku sighed as Itachi raised his blade. "I just wish she could have grown up and redeemed the Uchiha."

"She would have become the greatest Uchiha kunoichi in our clan's history…" Mikoto said wistfully. "No more waiting, my son. Only you can finish this."

Itachi struggled to bring his weapon down. The sounds of his tears, his whimpering sobs, the boy was frozen mid-strike. "Tou-san… Kaa-san… I promise Satsuki will become the strongest kunoichi in not just the Uchiha, but Konoha… the entire Shinobi World!"

"Thank you, Itachi…" Mikoto sniffled. It was the last thing Satsuki heard as the blade was brought down into her mother's back. In an instant, the woman was dead, her blood pooling around her, seeping between tatami floor mats.

"Itachi…" Fugaku said. "Even though I had never showed it… I am always going to be proud of you and your sister. Forget the clan politics… you two are all that mattered to me in the end."

Bringing his sword down on Fugaku, the man's blood spattered, spraying on shoji doors, streaking in crimson lines, dripping slowly, cascading to the wooden base. His body fell beside their mother, lifeless. As Itachi sheathed his bloodied weapon, he collapsed, puking on the floor. Hands running through his hair, he yelled, screaming and panting like a rabid dog. He cursed, punching the floor, he screamed punching once again. As his breakdown came to a halt, he stood, hands wiping away the blood and the tears.

Turning around, he began to walk away as if nothing had happened.

Satsuki burst into action, the blood between her toes flaked and cracking with every step. Her heart was about to burst, her chest ready to collapse. Hyperventilating, she chased after her brother. Bursting into the street, she caught him standing there, staring at the moonlit night. "I-Itachi!" She said through clattering clenched teeth. "H-How could you do this?!"

"Little sister…" Itachi sighed. Turning to face her, his sharingan shifted form. Almost like a shuriken, he yelled one simple word. "Tsukuyomi."

The world around her turned blood red. Splitting left and right, the broken homes, the massacred people, the blood and the death began to vanish. He walked to her, tentative and uncertain, he grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her body. It was unlike every other hug he had ever given her. He was shaking, he was crying.

"How could you… how could you kill everyone?!" Satsuki punched the boy. She swung, kicking and screaming as delirious tears spilled from her widening eyes. "What was the point?! I can't… I don't understand!"

"Go to the Sandaime." He said. Springing forward, he punched her in the face, sending to the floor, screaming. She tried to get up, but she was quickly immobilized by a quick chop to the back of her neck. "I'm sorry, Satsuki-chan. I have a promise to keep. To not just you, but mother, father and the Hokage. You will need to be strong. You will need to be stronger than any kunoichi that ever came before you if you are going to survive in this cruel world. The only way… the only way to do that is through hating me. This is what I learned… this is what you will have to learn."

"Why…?!" she whimpered. "Why?!"

Shifting his chakra, he bit his lip. "This is the only way you will learn to hate me. I pray that one day… one day that you will forgive me."

Images shifted, faces changed, the world around her was no longer blood red. She stood, her brother was gone. Alone in the Uchiha Compound, she glanced around. No signs of battle, no destruction. Suddenly, a man was thrown from his house, kunai embedded in his chest. Blood spilling forth, she snapped at attention, following the trail. Itachi stood within the man's home, his menacing sharingan eyes glowing in the shadows of the dark unlit house.

Stepping from the house, he walked to Satsuki, pushing her out of the way. An elder Uchiha woman stepped from her home hearing the commotion. As she waddled, squinting eyes and a broom in hand, Satsuki blinked for a second. As colors and faces returned, she stood in front of the old lady, a sword in her hand, shoved into the woman's chest. Falling back, Satsuki screamed, hands drenched in an innocent woman's blood.

Whipping around, Itachi had stepped from another home, his armor stained with blood. The world shifted again, she was in a dark house, the silence louder than explosive tags, the only sound going against the course, was the trickle. The repetitive clink. Blood. It was blood. Her hands were stained in it. Her hair disheveled with it. Her eyes, reflecting it. In her hands, an ANBU sword and in the other, a kunai. At her feet, hundreds of men, women and children laid. Their bodies torn asunder, their eyes wide in their final expressions.

Staring at her, the only ones who mattered. Her mother and father knelt before her. An empty gaze in their eyes. "Hate me, Satsuki." Fugaku said. "Hate me." Satsuki blinked. She was right behind them, her arms raised with the same slicked ANBU sword. She couldn't stop herself, she couldn't even think. Bringing the weapon down, her mother screamed, her blood spraying upon her broken face. She unwillingly turned her attention back to her father, who simply sat there, empty and apathetic as he usually was. Raising her blade, she brought it down, his shouts resonating within her.

Blood streaked across her vision. The world that once carried the darkness and white light of the moon above was as red as before, drowning in death and suffering. Before she could puke, the red vanished, draining into a hole, shrinking away until she was left at the entrance of the Uchiha Compound. She was late coming home, and she was ready to study before going to sleep. But something was off, it was too quiet.

"Stop…" she pleaded. "Stop!"


"Stop!" a cry was heard. "You pathetic excuse for a kunoichi!"

"Sakura! Just hold on! I'm c-coming!"

"Ino!" the girl shouted back, her voice muffled. "D-Don't worry about me! Just protect the boys!"

"I'm not going to let them kill you!"

Don't let hate seep into your heart.

Flashes of blood dripping between her fingers.

You two are all that mattered to me in the end.

Her brother's blade, the blood she spilt.

Hate me, little sister.

No.

She will be the best Kunoichi in the world! I promise!

No.

I can't be the best kunoichi if I let my comrades die… I can't… I can't…

Ino! Don't come closer! Protect the boys!


Haku, Yagura, Shikamaru and Choji couldn't have picked a better time to leave to get word to the proctors. Ino clenched her fists, standing in front of the opening to the coral shelter. Surrounded by fifteen different genin, she was forced to stand guard and watch on from the sidelines. Sakura was punched and beaten senselessly while Chojuro was overwhelmed by his opponents. Options fleeting like her will to stay as a glorified bodyguard, she remembered what they were after.

The freak they killed was Orochimaru. He was their leader and now, they wanted retribution. How they found out so quickly was beyond her. Snapping at attention, she raised her knife, jamming it into the throat of an incoming Rain ninja. He gargled on his blood, red liquid seeping between the vents of his gas mask. Pulling her knife free, she remained at her post, unwillingly.

Sakura choked on her blood as the sound shinobi trampled over her, stomping and punching. Surrounding their little coral hideout, almost five teams of Sound genin had descended on them. Rain shinobi were thrown into the mix, pouncing on Chojuro, kicking him about, and beating him with the bandaged blade he carried. Overwhelming numbers, Ino could do nothing but watch, standing in front of Naruto, Sasuke's unconscious forms.

There had to be at most fifteen of them, ganging up on their team. They spat on her, tossed her between each other to punch and kick even more. Her face nearly unrecognizable from the bruises, her left eye had completely closed. Still, she stood and punched back, tackling boys twice her size to the ground. As she prepared to punch, another boy, one with holes in his hands, grabbed her by her long hair, dragging her across the forest floor, before swinging her into an overturned stone.

"Fuck this!" Ino shouted, drawing kunai. "I am not letting you hurt my friend any longer!"

"Oh-ho!" One of the sound shinobi laughed. "What's another worthless girl going to do against us? Even the one kunoichi we have is hanging back because she knows her place. This one…" the shinobi stomped on Sakura. "Got what she deserved."

"I'm going to kill your sorry ass, that's what I'm gonna do!" Ino roared. Charging forward, she was suddenly stopped by a strong hand wrapping around her wrist. "I don't care what happens to me… you… I'm going to kill you!"

"Ino. That's enough." A dark malevolent feminine voice sounded behind her. "You and Sakura… have earned my undying respect. When we finish this test… let's train together. Let's show the world who we are. For now… let me take it from here."

"S-Sasuke?!" Ino dropped her kunai.

Standing beside her, was a girl with long raven black hair, with some hairs spiking in the back, reminiscent of a duck's butt. Her face was framed by long bangs revealing a beautiful, but terrifying girl. Across her body, flame-like seals spread across her face and arms, emanating with chakra. A dark smile spread across her face, as the sharingan came to life. Instead of two tomoe, three glimmered with darkness. She cracked her neck, popped her knuckles.

"Oh, it feels good to finally be free." Satsuki almost moaned with darkness dripping from her words.

"I-I thought the target was a boy!" the lone sound kunoichi called from behind.

"Target?" Satsuki said with a condescending tone, "Who the fuck do you think I am, bitch?"

"Doesn't matter!" A boy shouted back at her. "This girl was Orochimaru-sama's target and they killed him! Most of the sound had pulled out of the village, like cowards… we aren't going to forget our lord so easily! You are going to pay for what you did, bitch."

"You know… you're not very creative when you want to insult someone, are you?" Satsuki hummed with psychotic laughter. "Listen to you, mimicking the mannerisms of a woman! You in the back, cowering like a rat! You call yourself a kunoichi?! Don't make me laugh! Come down here and face me! Woman to woman! Don't think I forgot about you boys… I'm going to kill you too! Just wait in line."

"Kill her!"

"I thought I said to wait in fucking line!"

The first genin closed the distance with a sword, but with a fully matured sharingan, Satsuki dodged the attack. Drawing a kunai from her holster with blinding speed, she dipped under and around the boy, shoving her knife between his eyes. Pulling it free, she grabbed his arm, locking it between her own, bringing the knife down into his chest with lightning speed. His gurgles and screams turned mute as she threw his body at another genin.

Whipping around, she shot to the ground, slicing at the kneecaps of an unsuspecting genin. As the boy fell forward, she reached up, jamming the knife into his throat. His blood sprayed forth, terrifying a pair of genin in mid step. Pulling the knife free, ninja wire attached to its handle, the blade pierced one of them, before being pulled back and shoved once more in the gaping wound of her victim. Kicking the boy free, she cut the wire, attaching a paper bomb to another kunai.

Closing the distance with another, their clashes were a shower of sparks. Nothing he did, however would ever compare to the might of a sharingan. Twirling her kunai at the last second of the clash, she dug the blade into his chest, dragging it up and down, until his insides became outsides. Kicking his body away, she charged forward, white-blue sparks gathering around her shoulders and arms as she closed the distance.

It was quick, almost blindingly quick. Three genin were her new opponents. Knocking their kunai from their hands, lightning sparked on the metal blades. Throwing her arms forward, the knives pierced their targets, going completely through and embedding in a tree, slicked with blood and brain matter. Standing upright, she smiled once more, their blood dripping from her lips, trickling between her teeth.

"What's the matter?" Satsuki shrugged, raising her hands in defeat. "I thought I was just a girl. Why are you afraid? Hey… where do you think you're going?!"

Pulling a kunai from a dead body, she hurled it forward toward the tree branches. A thud and a scream were heard before another, bone crunching crash followed. Zaku and Dosu shared a glance before turning back to Satsuki, trembling in their clothes. "S-She did nothing! W-Why'd you kill her?!"

"Because… if I were her… I'd rather be dead than be treated like filth by those who aren't worth a damn." Satsuki said. Not a smile on her face, nor the same delirious gleam in her sharingan eyes. "I hid my face, I hid behind the guise of a boy because of people like you. Haku did the same and there are countless kunoichi out there who are forced to hide who they really are! People… people like all of you. Now… with this power at my disposal… thank you, Naruto. You gave me a tool to use. You saved me from whatever else that snake wanted to curse me with. I feel nothing, only me. And soon enough, you will all feel the same."

Dashing forth, lightning chakra ignited around her, forming a bubble of pure nature transformation. Smashing against the bandaged Dosu and the hand holes, Zaku, they fell back, shuddering and screaming as lightning coursed through their bodies. Satsuki didn't care, turning her attention back to the rest of the genin feeling their courage break.

"No! Come back!" Satsuki sarcastically pleaded. As the joking tone vanished, her face soured. "I wasn't done! I said come back!"

Swinging her arms down, lightning burst from the sky, striking trees and the earth itself. Shinobi were thrown about, forced to remain in the arena of death. Without a moment to waste, she grabbed a kunai and a sword, swinging with blood-soaked precision. Heads were removed, bodies were cut to ribbons, the blood continued to spread, showering upon the field until true to her words, everyone had felt what she could truly do.

Black flame seals receded, revealing the fair, beautiful face of Uchiha Satsuki. Walking to the shaking blonde, she held her shoulders, "Are you okay, Ino?"

The girl in question could only nod.

"Sakura!" Satsuki shouted, drifting across the battlefield. The pinkette wasn't responding. Limp in her arms, the Uchiha didn't know what to do, shaking the girl. "No… no! Don't you fucking die on me, Sakura! I won't let you!" Her breath hitching and her strength fleeing, she held onto the girl.

"Satsuki-chan!" Haku's voice sounded through the forest. "Oh… my god!"

Several unbelievably powerful chakra signatures appeared around them. ANBU Black Ops shinobi took to the trees, appearing in great number as the seconds passed. Across the forest floor, bodies and body parts lay strewn about, tree roots, the earth itself, drenched in the blood of these genin. Still, despite all of that, Satsuki held onto Sakura, refusing to let her body go.

"Satsuki! Your seal!" Shikamaru said with concern.

"I-I…" her voice cracked. Tears trickling down her cheeks, she held her head, hyperventilating like the day of the massacre. She bit down, clenching her teeth. "I don't give a fuck about the seal! Sakura! Wake up! Wake up, right fucking now! If this is some game… if this is you trying to get the jump on me… it worked okay… please. Open your eyes… say something…"

"Satsuki…" a strong hand wrapped around her shoulder. "Come on, please. Let her go so we can get her to a medic."

"Kakashi…" Satsuki turned to him. What he saw, was not a powerful kunoichi, instead, it was a terrified, broken girl.

"Come on, please… Satsuki." the silver-haired jōnin wrapped his arms around her. In the instant her grip relinquished, ANBU rushed in, carefully lifting her onto a stretcher. Satsuki wailed, screaming into Kakashi's chest. "Don't linger. Sakura will be fine. She will be. I promise."

Small hands clutched at the jōnin flak jacket, tearing holes in the fabric. Satsuki could not be consoled. As her sobs turned to shaking whimpers, she flinched before melting at the wrinkled touch of the Sandaime Hokage.

"Satsuki-chan…" the old man said. "You have done enough today. Get some rest. Sakura will survive. I promise."

As the words left his lips, Ino and Chojuro collapsed to the dirt. As the last of the genin fell unconscious, those present prepared themselves. It wasn't over. If anything, it was just the beginning of the worst of their imaginations.

"So, these are the ones who killed the old Snake?" Anko asked, massaging her shoulder. "I knew something was up when I felt a weight disappear from my back."

"So it would seem." Hiruzen glared. "Mizukage-dono, I pray you don't find this farce an insult."

"No." Mei hummed, "Zabuza has told me much about this team and the things they did in Wave. If it weren't for them, Zabuza would have never become my husband and we could have lost the civil war… however, it does beg to question, how did Orochimaru get this many shinobi and this far into Konoha without being caught? If these are his, I doubt that all of his agents have been caught."

"What are we going to do, father?" Asuma turned to the old man.

"We are going to do what we must." Hiruzen patted his pipe. Filling it with tobacco, he snapped his fingers letting a flame spark to life. A long, hard drag was made, blowing smoke into the air. "We will postpone the Chunin Exams. I refuse to allow a war to break out between our nations. Get word out to all shinobi and all test attendees. Every sensei, every jōnin and chunin of all nations present will report to the Interrogation Corps for screening."

"If this is what's necessary to root out those still loyal to Orochimaru… so be it." Mei nodded. "Zabuza."

"Already on it. Haku, Yagura. Get Chojuro to a medic."

"Hokage-sama…" Kakashi turned to the old man. "Is this… is this really the right choice of action? Postponing a Chunin Exam is unheard of."

"Would you do it any different?"

"No… I suppose I won't."

As the jōnin went their separate ways, Hiruzen turned to Satsuki. The girl was laid out on a stretcher, ready for transport. Walking up to the girl, he ran his finger across her face, wiping the last stray tear.

I'm sorry, Satsuki-chan. When this is over… when you wake… we have a lot to talk about.


HOOWEE, what a fight!

A lot of people wanted Satsuki to not get the cursed seal and some wanted her to. Believe me, I was really on the fence about either or and I was really struggling with where I wanted to go with it. But here we are. Epic fights, epic drama and now, someone might be dying. Oh, and the Chunin Exam's are postponed?! Wow, look at that! I hate writing it and I fucking wrote it the fuck out. That's how you do it! LMFAO

Anyway, this is a long as chapter and this is exactly why I hate writing important arcs like these. I get carried away.

Tell me what you thought! I'm a slut for reviews, so lay em on me.
Also; 3k views in five days?! What is this madness! You guys rock!

Ja ne!

gottahavekyuubi