Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to jump magazine and Masashi Kishimoto-san.
A/N: Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed, I'm working on another story right now, so I was trying to get this one chapter finished kinda quickly.
Warning: some course language.
Chapter 7: And they were played like pawns
"So apparently, the Hokage thought we did such a good job on that zoo mission that she asked me to put you guys into the chuunin exam, so I did." Kakashi said with a smile.
The three members of team eight were given quite a shock when Kakashi had not only shown up on time for once, but announced the news.
Excellent.
"So, there is still thirty days until the exam, and I've asked that our missions be assigned to other teams so we can have time to train some more. But I'm sure you're all up to it, ne?"
The three nodded.
"Good, let's get started then."
---
Over the next month, they trained from eight to five, and privately when they went home.
On that night, the fox had shown up again, with another scroll. Naru scowled and incinerated it with a fire jutsu. A blond girl came out, she gave him a kiss and whispered a message in his ear.
---
Thirty-three days later
The forest of death aka training area 44 was usually silent, with only the dying screams of genins unfortunate enough to fail the exam to shatter that silence. But seeing as the second test is over, the only screams left is was the Hokage's, emanating from the top of the tower that stood at the center of the forest. "So, tell me everything that happened, NOW!"
In front of her stood two jounins, Kakashi and Shikamaru, and their students, only there were only five of them standing there. The other was currently was in a body bag being examined by the medical nins, not that they could do anything for the poor kid anymore.
Hiashi had arrived too, at the Hokage's request.
"Somebody going to be very pissed about this, and I'm not sure what they're going to do. If you don't tell me what happened, I can't protect you."
Nobody said anything.
"Sigh. Let's start at the beginning, Naru spill it."
The genius looked uncomfortably away. "Sigh, as you wish, Hokage-sama."
---
Flashback - three days ago - first test
Apparently, the exam was originally scheduled to be held in the wind country's hidden sand village, but they had to pull out of hosting due to some 'unspecified difficulties'. Konoha had to rush to get everything ready in time and had not bothered to make up a new test.
Naru smiled. According to his intel, the first test was a simple written exam, the same type they used twelve years ago. This is perfect, my specialty is information gathering.
He shared this info with his teammates, who also had easy ways to gather info. Using the Byakugan is a simple matter, and Reika's shitenshin could be used to spy on people tests from their own bodies.
He, on the other hand, simply used henge (transformation skill). He and his clones were advanced enough to use a highly advanced form of henge, nothing short of a sharingan or byakugan could tell the difference.
Disguising multiple clones as inanimate objects was no problem either, after all, his spy network around the village was second-to-none. He had pencils or even parts of the floor and ceiling spying on other people's tests and relaying the info back to him.
End flashback
"I don't care how you cheated on the test dammit, get to the point!"
So that's how he keeps getting his hands on so much info. Note to self, keep an eye out for those disguised clones.
---
Flashback – three days ago - second test
The teams were assembled outside training area 44. Their examiner was an unnamed jounin who serves little purpose, and thus was unnamed. Team eight had also passed the first test. All but two other Konoha teams had also passed. There was a total of twenty teams here.
The unknown jounin had explained "There are five types of scrolls here." And the unnamed jounin held them up. "Each type is labled with a umber and a color. Number one is red, two is blue, three is green, four is orange, five is black. Each genin team will be randomly assigned two scrolls. In order to pass, you have three days to get one of each type of scroll, I don't care how you do it. Once you get the five, report to the tower at the center of the forest. "Also note that since the scrolls are randomly assigned, there is a chance that you may get two of the same type in your team."
In the end, the team received a number two, and a number five.
End flashback
The Hokage interrupted "All right, I don't care about that part, get to the part where all the fighting began."
"Err, yes Hokage-sama."
---
Flashback – two days ago – one day into second test
Team eight had spent some time trekking through the forest. They had come across three other teams, all dead. Their scrolls were untouched, so they had taken them for themselves, after all, dead genins don't have anymore need to pass. The three were shaken by what they had seen, someone had been killing off teams for nothing, so they kept their eyes and ears open for any attacks, as a result, their trek was now at a rather sluggish pace.
Kachi had kept his byakugan on the whole time, and his chakra was badly depleted, so the group had stopped to rest. Since they had taken the scrolls they needed off the dead, they could slowly make their way to the tower.
---
On the morning of the second day, the group resumed the trek to the tower.
The group walked mostly in silence, Kachi was the first to speak up. "It kinda feels like cheating to just take the scrolls off some dead people. It doesn't feel right you know."
"Well, do YOU feel like fighting other teams Kachi? If we can get the scrolls easy let's just do it. Do you want to fight and get killed like those other genins?" Reika was nervous, she'd never seen anyone die before. I want to get this over with.
It's true that the team had trained extra hard in the last month, and that they were pretty well prepared to fight, just not kill, yet.
Kachi was shaking his head back and forth to avoid the blind angle of the byakugan, Neji had taught him that. "Hey, I see someone."
"Are they hostile?"
"It's team seven, they're being attacked!"
"Eh, by who?"
"Looks like some guy with black hair and creepy red circle eyes."
"Then we gotta help them."
"Uchiha Sasuke." Perfect, it's time. Reika and Kachi were too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice his creepy smile.
End flashback
"What! An Uchiha got into the exam area! Get ANBU teams to sweep out the entire village, now." The ANBU in the room nodded and took off.
The Hokage was furious. "I think I've heard enough. All of you get out NOW! Except for you Naru." The others couldn't wait to get away from the angry woman, especially Shikamaru. Kakashi and Hiashi stayed. Naru gulped.
Tsunade paused to catch her breath. "I think I have enough pieces to put the puzzle together. You used team seven and Tenka to lure the Uchiha here, knowing that the sound want him dead. Am I right?" The boy could face his 'mother' and turned away, only to see kakashi's disapproving gaze.
"Your intel gathering abilities are top notch, I'll give you that. You found out about the message I sent to Shikamaru during your mission in the capital. Kakashi saw you in the bar and reported it to me. You also found out about his real parents, the ones in the wind country's hidden sand village. Shizune told me about a blond girl who is always talking with the boy. Lastly, you figured Tenka is surrounded by ninjas while in the village and with four jounins when outside, the only time he's alone is in the forest of death. That's why you had tricked me into nominating his team for the exam too. Am I right?"
"Che, no wonder you're the Hokage. And I didn't 'trick' you either."
"Do you know what you've done!? The Kazekage is going to be furious! And Gaara might show up and kill me now! We promised him the boy would be safe in Konoha. Why did you find out about everything BUT what the consequences of you actions might be!?"
"It would be worth it if we got rid of the Uchiha. I know what the enemy's planning to do with him."
"Regardless, there are consequences, of which you should have been smart enough to figure out, Mr. Genius!"
"..."
"Just tell me this, why did you set up your friend like this, for some petty revenge?"
"Why does anyone do anything for revenge? And I didn't think the bastard would be so quick about it."
"That doesn't explain anything, Naru"
"He killed my father all right, my real father. Isn't that the reason most avengers are born?"
"What are you talking about, Sasuke didn't kill your father. Where did you hear that?"
"OF COURSE HE DID. Even my father himself said he wants to kill the bastard."
"How the hell did you manage to talk to him!? Erg, never mind, I don't want to know. Look, this is partially my fault, I should have told you what happened back then."
The Hokage sighed and recounted her story. Kakashi and Hiashi had heard it before, twelve years ago, and stood in silence. Naru sat in silence and listened. There were a few minutes of silence when she finished, Naru had his eyes closed.
"The fox tricked me! Answer me you stupid thing!"
"So you HAVE been talking to it, as I suspected."
"Of course I have, how else could I have known?"
Kakashi butted in, "It would seem you used Tenka as a pawn, after tricking Tsunade into letting you into this exam in the first place. But at the end, you were being tricked too, Naru. You should have known better."
Tsunade sighed. "This is all my fault, I should have known better and told you earlier."
"Then why didn't you?"
"It seems I was played too, the fox asked me not to tell you about this."
"So we are all its pawns huh?"
"I've had enough. I'm postponing the rest of this chuunin exam until we sort this mess out. You, young man are grounded until I figure out what to do with you. Hiashi take the brat home and keep him there. Kakashi, call the ANBU captain and the Konoha council immediately."
"One last thing, Naru. Did you manage to kill him?"
Flashback – two days ago
By the time the three got to the others, Sasuke had already scored his kill.
"Tenka! I'll you bastard!"
"Stop it! Even if you are the genius of the Hyuuga clan, you're no match against an S-class missing nin!" Reika screamed.
"The girl is right, if you don't to die, back off little brat." There's something familiar about this kid.
"Don't worry, I can handle myself. I've got a personal score to settle with him." He grinned.
"I have no quarrel with the Hyuuga clan, although you're not a Hyuuga are you now?"
The two fighters squared off. Naru sent clones to charge the Uchiha, who destroyed them with Katon, housenka (Fire type, mythical fire flower). He didn't notice that one of the clones had transformed into a bee and flew around the fire attacks.
"You think you can get me with a bunch of Kage Bunshins? Hah!"
Naru sent a second wave of clones to attack, which were quickly destroyed with Katon, gokyakyuu no jutsu (Fire type, grand fireball attack). What Sasuke didn't notice was that the bee-clone had transformed into a kunai and embedded itself in his leg.
"!?"
While the clones were charging Sasuke, Naru charged up his own attack, placing one hand over the other, he initiated the Chidori and charged.
"!" So, Kakashi taught that jutsu to him too.
Remembering the ease his brother had countered this move, he simply did the same, shoving Naru's right hand away. The Chidori discharged and tore a bunch of trees away. What he didn't see was Naru's left hand.
"!!!"
He tried to dodge but it was too late. The Ransengan hidden in the left hand hit him in the chest and threw him backwards into a tree. That brat knows Chidori AND Ransengan!? Not only that, he created the Ransengan in his left hand and hid it inside the Chidori in the right hand!?
"You like this bastard?" Gathering another Chidori, he charged.
Sasuke moved just in time to not get hit, but the tree was shattered into a million pieces. Some debris hit him and imbedded into his right side.
"Little brat, you caught me off guard. And I don't have time for this, I'm running on a schedule." He created several clones and charged Naru, while running in the opposite direction. By the time Naru had destroyed the clones, he had gotten away.
"WHAT! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT!"
End flashback
"The bastard was losing, so he ran away from me."
"I see. And just where did you learn Chidori and Ransengan anyway?"
"A little fox taught me."
"The Kyuubi!?"
"I said a LITTLE fox."
Tsuzuku – TBC