Professor Fluff: I am trying to write a chapter a day for a few more days until I have to start with my college. After that, inevitably, the updates will slow down. I am doing this, because, as things are now, I don't have a very engaging audience and people will stop reading if I even take a week off. So, I am trying to build a good reader base till I can. And, I wasn't aware that the quality of my fic was suffering, I beta my own chapters, and I thought I was consistent with my quality of writing at least. Well, I can only try. Thanks for the review, really appreciate it!
KuroArashi94: Reincarnations do not have to look the same. Canon Naruto looked nothing like Hashirama. And Naruto's markings are not materialistic. I think you have not read the further chapters since your review was on chapter 2, so I won't give any spoilers. Thanks for the review!
X-X
Just when Ibiki was done with explaining the true meaning of the test to the genin, a banner crashed through the window, and in a poof of smoke, out came a woman. She was an average-sized, young woman who was of slender frame. She had light brown, pupil-less eyes. Her hair was black with a violet tint, and was styled in a short, spiky, fanned-out ponytail. She wore an outfit that was crafted of thin metal mesh to fit the lines of her body, that covers her from neck to thigh. Over this, she wore a tan overcoat with a purple in-seam and a pocket on each side, a dark orange mini-skirt, a dark blue belt, and pale grey shin guards. In addition to the typical forehead protector, she also wore a small pendant that looked like a snake fang.
"Come on brats! Are you ready for the second round of your exams? Bah, you better be, because if you are not, you are dead meat." She exclaimed. "I am Anko Mitarashi, the proctor for the second round of the exams. Meet me at the training ground 44 within 15 minutes, or else, you will be disqualified." With that said, she promptly disappeared in a poof of smoke.
A moment of silence took over everyone for a second, and then, everyone rushed like a monkey towards the training ground 44.
X-X
The training ground 44 was intimidating, even from the outside. With trees as tall as the tallest building of Konoha, it was a site to behold. Naruto had sunshined towards the training ground with Ino and Shikamaru. Since, they were not used to the instantaneous movement, they were currently gasping for breath on the ground.
"You guys really need to learn the sunshin." Naruto said, and he sounded almost...chipper?
Ino looked up at him to scold him, but... He was grinning? Ino had hardly seen him smile, let alone grin. So, settling her anger within herself, she questioned. "You seem awfully cheerful today, what's up with you?" To this, even Shikamaru raised his head to meet his eyes. And yes, he seemed happy.
"I had a powernap during the exams, I had been dying to have one ever since I heard of the concept!" Naruto said, happiness dripping from his voice.
Ino was going to shrug the topic off, until she realized... "B-but? You told us? You know... that you could not...sleep and all?" She questioned, trying to give voice to her thoughts.
"Yeah, but the Kyuubi has been rather generous since our last talk." Naruto explained.
And yes, Naruto had once drifted off to sleep while meditating, and surprisingly, he had a good 17 hours of uninterrupted sleep. When he woke up and realized that no, he was not having a panic attack, he was almost a hundred percent sure that he was dead. But, as generous as the Kyuubi had been in suppressing its chakra when he slept, he had never allowed Naruto in his mind when he was awake since then. Regardless, Naruto was very grateful and he was going to sleep as much as he could till the kyuubi, inevitably, changed his mind.
"Y-you talk to it?" Ino shrieked.
But, before he could reply, a kunai was thrown towards him. Of course, his ever so loyal chain had caught it and sent it back towards the owner and the kunai never touched him, but it was the sentiment that mattered.
"So, proctor- san, is it not against the rules to intentionally injure a participant before a task?" He questioned.
"not really, no. As a proctor, I actually have free reign to do what ever I want." She replied.
"Whatever did I do to earn your wrath?" He asked, still smiling.
"Ignoring me is enough to earn a kunai to your neck, you should be grateful you are alive. Now, stop talking to your little girlfriend, and listen to me." She said.
"You speak as if your kunai actually touched me." Naruto replied, just as confident.
Anko did not deem it worthy to reply to his jab and continued with her speech. "This is the training ground 44, infamously known as 'The Forest Of Death'. You will be sent in from different gates with a scroll in hand. There will be a total of two types of scrolls, distributed among all the teams. Your objective is to collect both the types of scrolls and reach to the tower in the center of the forest. It will be a 5 days long task. You are not allowed to open your scrolls. Apart from that, everything goes in there." She concluded. "Now sign these forms so we cannot be blamed for your deaths, and go to collect your scrolls."
X-X
"I think Naruto should keep it. His chains will protect the scroll, if nothing else." Shikamaru said.
Team ten had gotten the earth scroll. They were currently 5 minutes in, inside the forest. Shikamaru had suggested that they should go straight towards the tower, because everyone will think that everyone was doing that, and due to this, no smart team will actually use the strategy. Therefore, the teams that actually follow the strategy were more likely to be the over confident ones who could be taken advantage of. Yeah, Naruto and Ino really did not understood how Shikamaru thought. But, they trusted him enough to follow his strategy blindly.
X-X
"Come on, Sasuke- kun. Show me that you are worth my time. Till now, you are but a disappointment. When Itachi was your age, he had made it into the ANBU, and here you are, a measly genin. Is this what the Uchiha name has been reduced to? How pathetic." A slippery voice echoed.
"Don't you dare speak ill of the Uchiha. Show yourself and I will show you how worthy I am." He replied, frustrated.
Team 7 did not have a very good dynamic. None of them were willing to work in a team. Till now, they had not taken a single mission higher than a simple C-rank delivery mission till the outskirts of Konoha. So only the Sage knew why Kakashi recommended his team for the Chunin exams.
They had gotten the earth scroll. The three of them were arguing about who should get to keep the scroll when a gust of wind separated Choji from the team. Then, an Oto genin had utterly dominated Sakura and Sasuke. And now, the same genin was mocking him, and somehow he knew of Itachi too.
"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu." Sasuke exhaled a large ball of fire towards a tree.
"You missed again, I am afraid." The disgusting voice had come from behind him. But... behind him was... Sakura, wasn't she?
True to what he had feared, the Oto genin was holding Sakura by her neck.
"You! Leave her alone." He shouted, as he tried to blitz the Oto nin.
The Oto ninja just back flipped while still holding the girl. "Shall I snap her neck? Or maybe torcher her a bit?" He said. "How about I slit her neck just enough to make her choke to death?" The Oto nin questioned to himself.
Feeling the rush of chakra towards his eyes, he blitzed towards the ninja again. And, to his surprise, he punched him straight on the face. Making Sure that Sakura was safe, he shouted "Fire Style: Pheonix Fire Jutsu." As several small fire balls surrounded the Oto nin and burned him.
Realizing that he had actually won, he reached for a kunai...and "YES, FINALLY!" He exclaimed. In the reflection of the kunai, red eyes were blazing. One with one tomoe and the other with two.
"So, you do have the ability to possess them."
Sasuke stiffened. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. But, before he could turn or retreat, he felt teeth sinking into his shoulder. And then, pain.
X-X
"We don't want to waste our time, just tell us what scroll you have. We do not need to fight if we have the same scrolls." Shikamaru said.
"You speak as if you can beat us." One of the Ame ninja said. "We are the strongest team here, and your scroll will be the one which will let us pass the exams. So, you better be grateful and hand the scroll over to us."
"Yeah yeah." Naruto murmured as two chains erupted from the ground below the Ame ninja. The chains wrapped around his waist and legs and brought the captured ninja towards team 10.
"Hand over the scroll or he dies." Ino said, putting a kunai to his throat.
"As if you leaf weaklings could actually kill." The girl of the team scoffed. Before she could think of another taunt to buy some time, blood erupted from the captured ninja's neck and his body went limp.
"W-what? y-you killed him. YOU KILLED HIM!" The girl shouted and rushed towards Naruto blindly, only to impale herself on the now sharp chain, and falling down lifelessly.
"Will you give us your scroll now?" Shikamaru sighed out.
"Y-yes, please take the scroll and let me go." He said, on the verge of tears. He passed them the scroll, and luckily for team ten, It was the scroll they needed.
X-X
"Hello, Naruto-kun." A voice echoed in the forest around them.
"Hmm?" Naruto questioned, looking towards where he could sense the person. "Whoever told you my name, Mister?" He added another question.
"A sensor then?" The voice hissed, as the owner came out of the shadows of the tree. "You are quite strong from what I know." He said.
The three genin had straightened up and prepared for a fight.
"Tell me, Naruto- kun, what is the point of trying to protect the village who spat on your existence? They laughed at your misery, did they not? Are you, perhaps, naive enough to believe that they will come to recognize you as a human as time passes?"
"The village protects me as much as I protect the village. Becoming a missing ninja with the powers of a chunin is a fool's errand. What is your point?" he said.
"I am Orochimaru of the legendary three, join me. I will make you strong, I will keep you safe and I only ask for your loyalty in exchange." He said.
"The one who ran with his tail between his legs? I will pass." Naruto said.
"Quite a mouth you have. You will soon come to realize the futility of your denial. You think you will be trained properly here? The last two jinchuriki of the Kyuubi were not allowed to leave the village. The same will happen to you when you outgrow your usefulness. Your sensei is Asuma, is he not?" Orochimaru finally asked.
"Do you think he was selected for this job like the others were? He is the son of the hokage, he was there to judge your loyalties and identify your weaknesses to strike you down if your loyalties were to come to question." He jabbed.
"I know that, of course. But, I am free as things stand. So, no thank you." He said.
"You are free, you say? Quite an optimistic approach you have. Try saying you are free to yourself in the mirror. Regardless, when you seek power, I will welcome you with open arms." he said and dissolved into mud.
"What was that about, Naruto?" Ino questioned.
"I am just as clueless as you are." Naruto replied.
"You were talking to him without any hesitation, do you, perhaps, know him?" Shikamaru questioned.
"Don't question my loyalties, Shikamaru. He struck a nerve, that's all. Lets move towards the tower now." Naruto said.
X-X
Heading towards the tower, team ten had stumbled upon an...interesting sight. Choji and Sakura were trying to fight 3 Oto genin, while Sasuke was seemingly unconscious in a cave behind them. And from the looks of it, they were not really doing a good job. One of the genin had his leg on Choji's face and was aiming his arm towards Choji's stomach, while the female genin of the team was holding Sakura by her hair. Both Choji and Sakura were bleeding a lot, and from the looks of it, needed instant first aid.
"So, you wanna help them? They are your friends after all." Naruto asked.
"Yeah." Shikamaru said.
X-X
AN: Sorry, a bit of a cliffhanger xD. Next chapter will be Naruto VS Team Oto and the preliminaries.
Do you guys, perhaps, want a missing nin Naruto? I kept his conversation with Orochimaru very open ended to justify his decisions later on, and I am all in for writing a unique personality.
Tell me if you liked or disliked the chapter. Until next time!