Hello everyone! I apologize again for taking so long with this, another example of life getting in the way and all that.
So, I bet you are all eager to get my version of the chunin exams rolling, aren't ya? Well…
That's not happening. Not yet.
Two reasons for that. First, I'm treating this as a reboot, not a remake. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but in my view, a remake essentially does more or less the same thing as the original. It may have better graphics or presentation or what not, but the overall plot points and paths remain the same. A reboot in my mind has less obligation to follow the path of the original (for better or for worse), and within certain limits, do its own thing. I think I'm at the point where I need to distinguish my Naruto from Kishimoto's.
Second, I do take some issue with how the Chunin Exams came about and the consequences that followed. Mainly in my mind it introduced too many characters too fast and led to many of them being underdeveloped. From what I'm able to understand, Kishimoto initially planned for Team 7 to have several more missions where they would travel the world and meet their friends. The teams were originally intended to come from other villages. However, his editor (Yahigi) told him to do the exams instead, as tournament arcs in shonen typically raise the said series' popularity. Generally I'm in the camp of Naruto was better under Yahigi's direction (hence the decline in the War Arc), but I have to side with Kishimoto on this one. The chunin exams did introduce many cool characters, but I'm afraid it was more than Kishimoto was prepared to handle, and unfortunately it limited the world building I feel Kishimoto could and should have done.
And that's exactly what you're going to get here!
Life as a ronin was a fight for survival, every day. Turned down by lords, most had to resort to crime to survive, such as theft. This ronin, his chin covered in stubble and his hair tied in a long, unruly ponytail, and a shoulder guard of lacquered wood being the only piece of armor on him, was such an individual. He thought he might finally catch a break. Earlier in the day, he snuck into a lord's house and found an exquisite painting. It would fetch a nice price, he thought.
And already he found himself on the run.
He stopped by a tree to catch his breath, sweating profusely. He had heard stories about these people, but he chalked them all up to fairy tales. He peaked round the trunk, and though it was dark, he could see the silhouettes zip between the trees. He took off again, not waiting for them to find him.
After a minute, a wall of mist began to form. No problem; it was common here in the Waterlands. Suddenly, the mist exploded, knocking him over. He tried to get up, but felt himself unable to move. "Wha…what's happening?!" The last thing he saw appeared to be a boulder falling towards him…
He woke up with a start, and a splitting headache. In a panic, he tried to stand up and run, but found himself tied to a stake. "Calm down." A man in the shadows stood before him. Nothing really stood out about him, but judging by his silhouette, he seemed to have a goatee. He also had a cigarette in his mouth, the embers lit at the end. "We're not going to kill you. But we have to turn you in." The man took out his cigarette to blow out some smoke. "Be lucky you only stole. Otherwise we may have executed you on the spot."
The ronin began to hyperventilate. "Listen, I'm sorry about the painting. It's-"
"Ah ah!" The stranger said, waving his finger. "You don't need to say anymore. In fact, for the moment I would like you to stay silent for now." He dropped his cigarette, crushing it.
Three other figures walked from behind him. They all came up to his sternum, children most likely. One had his hands in his pockets, his only other feature a bushy ponytail coming from behind his head. The other was stout, his hair pointing in two directions, almost like a cat. The last one had a straight pony tail. He could tell it was a girl by the way she carried herself. "Do your thing." The head man said.
The young girl held her hands out, and for a moment, he felt himself getting spacey. When he was able to focus again, the girl announced "He buried it approximately 5 clicks from here. Due Northwest."
"H-Hey!" The ronin shouted. "I didn't say nothing!"
"With my team, they never have to." They turned in the direction the female indicated and walked.
"Hey!" The ronin shouted again. "Aren't you going to untie me?!"
"We'll be back to send you to prison." He said. "But the mission was to retrieve the painting; that comes first. Feel free to try and escape. We'll just find you again."
After a few minutes, the ronin wined. "I've got to go…" he said into the dead of the night.
Back in Konoha, the respite rewarded to Team 7 after their first major mission had expired. And Kakashi was relentless in their physical training. Shuriken practice, calisthenics, free sparring…Kakashi was determined to improve the teens as much as he could before the next mission. He had half expected them to give up and beg him to stop. But they didn't break.
Sasuke performed as expected, as usual. Naruto's overall technique was improving immensely. Not only that, but his tactics were improving as well. Still not very good, but he began to use his clones as expendable scouts and was getting creative with his transformations. Sakura was still lacking compared to the other two, but her basics were improving. Perhaps the most notable difference from before was her stamina. She used to get spent quickly and need her teammates' help just to walk. Now she was able to take it and keep going at an acceptable level.
In spite of Kakashi's slave-driving, he didn't become a complete monster; currently he allowed the team a break. All three wisely rested against a tree, greedily gulping down their bottled water. Kakashi sighed as he sat in the lotus position. "I think that's quite enough for today." The three looked up suspiciously. "What?" He asked. "I thought you'd be relieved."
The three remained silent, until Naruto spoke up. "…What are you up to?"
Kakashi chuckled underneath the mask. Seemed even Naruto was catching onto what lied underneath. "We've got a new mission coming up."
"Of course we do." Sasuke sighed. "There won't be anymore S-class surprises, will there?"
"Hopefully not." Kakashi said, rising. "Seriously though, I do not expect any assassinations for this mission, since the goal is to avoid fighting."
"Where we going, sensei?" Naruto asked, excited.
"We're going to Kirigakure." He said.
Naruto's grin faded. "Wait…isn't that where Zabuza and Haku came from?"
"Indeed it is." Hiruzen answered when Naruto repeated the question in the office. "I can see that this makes you nervous. But keep in mind, Zabuza, based on your report, was a missing nin."
"If want Kakashi-sensei told us is true, he ran away from someone worse." Naruto mumbled.
"Indeed." Hiruzen agreed. "Hozuki was a power-hungry man. Shortly after Zabuza escaped, he was overthrown by his people…with a little help…" He looked to one of his many photos. One of which was his younger self as Hokage, with a young boy by his side who looked similar to him. He smiled briefly, before turning serious again. "Anyway, despite their fearsome reputation, Kirigakure is one of our closest and most powerful allies. The current Mizukage is quite wise for his young age, and very compassionate considering his upbringing. But, we have a piece of their property."
"The Kubikiribocho." Kakashi answered. "In spite of his desertion, Zabuza would still be recognized as one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. When one falls, the village would do everything in its power to retrieve the blade. And I mean everything."
Naruto gulped. "Zabuza was one of the strongest, right?"
Kakashi answered "The strength levels of each member is a closely guarded secret in Kiri. In theory, they are equal." Naruto began to turn pale. "However, I heard one of them was incredibly powerful, about on par with a demon..."
"OKAY, I GET IT!" Naruto shouted in horror.
"It won't come to that." Hiruzen assured them. "In fact, the main purpose of this mission is to return the sword. I've already sent a message to the Mizukage to expect it in a week's time."
"That's it?" Naruto asked. "Can't one of us do this alone?"
"Normally, but I don't think they would trust you to do it alone." Sasuke quipped. Naruto felt a vein pop, but he held it in as he clenched his trembling fist.
"I don't think Naruto is wrong to ask questions, Sasuke-kun." Sakura chimed in. "If anything, knowing him, he probably needs EVERYTHING spelled out for him." She was nice enough to keep that to herself though.
"At your level, not everything you do is necessarily essential to the mission." Hiruzen answered. "This will be more of a…learning experience. After all, you do want my seat one day, right?" He smirked, tapping his desk with his pipe.
Naruto just looked away as if conflicted, while his cheeks blushed. "Well, when you put it that way…"
"Anyway, go get your provisions ready." The Hokage said. "Kakashi, please stay for a moment."
Kakashi nodded, and motioned for the team to leave. After they did so, he turned back to Hiruzen. "Is there more to this mission than you're letting on?"
"If you're talking about Zabuza, our intelligence had no idea he was on Gato's payroll; we assumed an average team of genin would be enough." He sighed, setting his hat down. "But, I should have disclosed that I knew Tazuna personally. For that, I am sorry."
Kakashi nodded. "I believe you. But, you do have an ulterior motive."
Hiruzen stood up, walking towards the window. "I was never meant to retake this throne." He sighed. "Namikaze was supposed to lead us at this point in time. He had the best foresight out of all of us. Perhaps, he could have even foresaw all of this."
"I beg your pardon?"
"We do not know their identities, but our intelligence has discovered an organization seeking to compete with the five shinobi nations. However, we fear their intentions are more sinister than profit."
Kakashi's eye widened. "So, you want Kiri as allies against these foes." There was a pause between them. "And, more importantly to you…you want HIM to help."
Hiruzen turned to look Kakashi right in the eye.
After some preparation, Team 7 was ready to go. Their departure was much smoother than before. Naruto packed a lot smarter this time around, and their training was showing results. They easily jumped off the cliff without hesitation, and on the ground they easily kept up with Kakashi (of course he was holding back). Even Sakura.
Upon camping, Naruto asked "Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yes?" The jonin asked as he prodded the fire with a rod.
"Weren't you supposed to bring the sword?"
"It's stored in the scroll." Sakura answered.
"What!?" Naruto shouted. "Sakura-chan, I'm not that dumb! There's no way you can use a scroll to-"
Kakashi put an end to it by unrolling a scroll, and the Kubikiribocho popped out. Naruto's eyes widened. "Scrolls can be a portal to other space." Kakashi answered. "We have pockets and pouches for small things, like pills and shuriken. Sometimes we'll simply carry larger weapons in plain view. But other times, it is much simpler to hide our supplies and armaments in scrolls."
Naruto just stared wide-eyed. "I better pick up some of those!"
The next day, Naruto noticed the climate and nature around them begin to change. The forests eventually merged into a temperate rainforest, the trees growing tall and covered in moss. It was foggy too; a few minutes ago they had blue skies that now turned white. It felt a bit damp too. "Sensei…are we there yet?" Naruto asked.
And just so we bury this, this is only the first time he asked this.
"Almost." Kakashi said. He held his hand up, the genin behind him halting.
"Maybe we should take to the trees." Sasuke suggested.
"If we are approaching enemy territory." Kakashi corrected him. "Which, if any of you move out of turn, that is EXACTLY what we'll be doing." Kakashi's one eye looked up at the canopy. It didn't actually see everything…but combined with his intuition, it was enough. "Just keep walking." Kakashi assured them. "It just may get exciting in a few minutes."
They walked in silence, and suddenly several individuals jumped down from the trees, out of the ferns, even from under the earth. And they were all armed. "WHOA!" Naruto jumped back on one foot. Sakura and Sasuke pulled out their kunais defensively. Kakashi, however, stayed where he was as another pointed a large bandaged blade to his throat.
"Brave man, coming here unannounced." The swordsman said.
Naruto too calmed down, observing the characters. They were six in total, each one unique in both body and sword.
The one in front of him looked to be a woman, dressed in a black kimono with dark red hair that she kept in twin tails. Her skin was pale and stared back at him with pale blue eyes. She held two blades that resembled hooks. Naruto tried to get a reading on her, but she was almost like a doll, vacant of emotion. Naruto realized he should have reached for his kunai, but any movement he made now would be met with hostility. So instead, he looked at the others.
The one staring right at Sakura also seemed to be female, judging by the thin body, but he couldn't be sure. This one wore a mask that made him/her appear to almost be a white owl with a mane of dark blond hair, and wore a standard ninja gi. Her sword was long and thin, almost like a needle. He just barely noticed a thin string at the hilt.
Next to Sasuke was a man of about Kakashi's size, wearing turquoise under his leather armor. Like Kakashi, he had cloth covering his left eye, but his face was otherwise visible, and his brown hair and goatee sticking out clear as day. The exposed eye seemed black as night. His sword at first appeared to be a standard Nodachi, the blade curved and long. But when he tilted it, Naruto could see another blade parallel to it, two blades sharing the same hilt! He seemed more mischievous than the others, flashing a smirk.
Surrounding them were two others. One was an enormous man of great girth, dressed in a gray cloth with black leather breast plate. He was chubby with enormous cheeks, and had orange hair that tied to the sides like the kunoichi spikey, whilst sporting green stripes on his cheeks. His blade was a massive longsword with spikes.
The other was probably the most ordinary of the group, a man with green eyes, black hair with a ponytail and goatee, black clothes. His sword looked like a strange longsword, the hilt curving with a purple orb at the end.
Then there was the man who confronted Kakashi. He was a handsome man with wavy navy blue hair, powerfully built and enormous, wearing mostly black leather with his left shoulder and arm exposed. His blade was wide and covered in bandages. "Very brave of you, to come into our land."
"Well, I figure it would have been less trouble for us all than waiting for you to come to us." Kakashi slowly reached for his scroll, and pulled out the Kubikiribocho. The others took notice.
The head inspected it. He took of hold of the hilt, Kakashi relinquishing it. "Zaubuza is dead?"
"Yes."
"You killed him?"
"Zabuza died fighting against the man who hired him, after I wounded him. The sword, however, is still your property."
The leader seemed to be satisfied, and sealed it away in a scroll of his own, while hoisting his own sword on his back. He nodded to the others, who put away their weapons. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "I suppose our business is not yet concluded?" The ringleader asked.
"I'm afraid not." Kakashi answered. "If you would be willing to escort us, I would like to meet with the Mizukage…and Asuma-san, if he's available."
The leader's eyes lit up. "Ah, so you two were comrades?"
"A long time ago, yes."
The leader smirked. "Very well." He walked past Kakashi, approaching the genin. "How long have you had these pups?"
"Three months now. This is just their second mission." Kakashi answered.
"You better not try anything funny, mister!" Naruto suddenly shouted, crossing his arms. "Not when Konoha's future Hokage is here!" For a good minute, the swordsmen just stood there. Suddenly, they began to burst into laughter. "Was it something I said?"
"Yeah." Sasuke said. "All of it."
"Naruto…" Sakura groaned. "Why don't we save that kind of bragging for when you get closer to Hokage. Chunin, at least, please?"
"Naruto's your name, huh?" He scratched his chin. "You make me hungry." For some reason, the way he said it sent chills down his spine. "What's your name?" He then asked Sasuke. Sasuke just stared him down. "Heh. Think I like you." He seemed to study Sasuke further. "Actually, you look rather familiar…" Shrugging it off, he looked at Sakura. Sakura almost jumped and hid behind Sasuke. "Don't be afraid, little one. I don't bite." He gently reached her hand, rubbing it tenderly. "Not yet, anyway." Sakura couldn't help but blush; the man was dazzlingly handsome after all, though she had no delusions of something going on (age difference!). "The name is Hoshigake." He smiled. "Hoshikage Kisame." He repeated, pounding his chest. "I'm the Captain of the Seven Swords."
Naruto's eyes widened. "This is Zaubza's old group?!" "Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Isn't-"
"Remember, Zabuza became a nukenin." Kakashi said, anticipating Naruto's question. "The rest are still loyal to Kiri, and will not kill us on a whim."
"Well, we could." The eye-patched one said. "We're in such high esteem in our village, we can basically do what we want."
"Now now, Jinpachi-san." Kisame chuckled, holding up his hand. "Our new Mizukage-sama would like us to be more restrained. Besides, I rather like these kids." He said, turning his attention back to the Team. "Sorry, don't let them scare you. Allow me to introduce the other five swordsmen of the mist." Looking to each of them, he gesture towards the kunoichi and said "This is Ameyuri Ringo, the Lightning Cutter." He then gestured to the masked one. "Kitaoji Nakami, the Death Sewer." To the patched one, he gestured "Munashi Jinpachi, The Butcher." To the big one, he said "Suikazan Fuguki, The Giant Slayer. As in he slays giants, not that he is a giant slayer. Though the latter does apply too." Fubuki chuckled, revealing fangs of sharp teeth. "And Akebino Jinin, the Saw."
The genin's brows twitched at their titles. "You guys must have one hell of a time when you are all invited to dinner." Sasuke muttered.
"Anyway, I imagine we are wasting your time now." Kisame said, clapping his hands. "We should be going."
"I appreciate that, thank you." Kakashi said.
"Still, while your intentions are good, we cannot just show you the way to Kiri." Suddenly, everyone found themselves blindfolded.
Naruto felt themselves being marched onto a raft. It seemed to be smooth going for a while. But in the end, Naruto simply couldn't stay quiet. "Excuse me? Sir?" He asked.
"What is it?" Kisame asked irritably.
"I have to go."
"Just piss off the raft. Most of us are men here."
Naruto frowned. "…I have to go Number 2."
Sakura smacked her face. She didn't have to see it, but just hearing Naruto talk about it was too much.
"I've got this, Kisame-san." Fuguki said. He took the fold off Naruto, and nudged him to the edge. "Make it quick. And no noises!" He growled. "Don't need to hear what you ate too."
Naruto wasted no time in pulling down his pants and leaning his rear end over the water. "Ahh…" he sighed. Suddenly, the hair on his neck rose up. He glanced behind him, and saw something with jaws lunge at him out of the corner of his eye. "HOLY SHIT!" Naruto rolled away onto the center of the raft as the reptilian head retreated back into the water. The swordsmen burst out laughing, even those who previously displayed no emotion. "What the hell was that?!" Naruto shouted as he hastily pulled his pants back up.
"Kappa Snapping Turtles." Kisame grinned. "Their beaks are sharp enough to snap small rocks in half." He marched towards Naruto. "We consider them to be our guard dogs. They'll attack anyone or anything that enters their territory." He leaned in, sneering. "I heard the tale of one boy who did just what you were doing. A turtle grabbed him by the rectum, pulling his guts out under the water."
"And you still let me do that?!"
"Well, didn't want you shitting on the boat." Kisame shrugged.
After being blindfolded again, Naruto could hear the creaking of gates. "We're here." He heard Kisame said. "Okay, you're all in the clear now." The team hastily had their blindfolds removed, and both Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened. At a glance, it seemed to be a standard village, similar to Konoha. But it was intertwined with canals and bridges. It was so beautiful! "Well, since there is no one qualified to do so at the moment, I officially welcome you all to Kirigakure!" Kisame said, sighing.
From atop the roofs, someone eyed the foreign ninjas coming in. Even from this distance, he was able to make out the insignia of Konoha on their hiate. And he recognized one of them. Sighing, he thought "I suppose the time as finally come."
Naruto looked around in wonder while the rest of his team followed the swordsmen. "Have things really gone to shit in Konoha?" Kisame goaded Kakashi.
Even without his mask, Kisame doubted Kakashi would give him a face to read. "We've been doing quite well, thank you. Why?"
"Your student is looking around like we're in the Red Light district of Saporo."
Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, enough. You're being rude."
Naruto pouted, but obeyed. The next moment, they stopped. All but the genin looked at the stranger in front of them with familiarity. A man with short black hair and a goatee stood before them. He wore the standard ninja attire; in Kiri the vests were a navy blue color, and he wore the symbol of mist, lines that represented rain drops. He was flanked by three kids, genin they presumed. One was a large and stout boy with bog cheeks, his brown hair sticking at opposite ends like horns. He wore a large green jacket over his white shirt and black shorts. Though it wasn't the season, he wore a white scarf around his neck. The next was a very pretty girl, with blond hair even shinier that Naruto's, which she kept in a ponytail and a bang hanging over her face. Her purple kunoichi outfit and bandages around her extremities were fashionable. She was around the same age as Sakura, but her body looked a year or two more mature. Instead of wearing the hiate on her head, it loosely fit around her neck.
The last one was another boy. His black hair was tied into a strict ponytail pointing upwards, and he wore a gray jacket over his fishnet shirt and green shorts. Like the girl, he also wore the hiate around his neck. "What's the deal?" He asked, sounding bored out of his mind. "You didn't have to make this sound all troublesome."
"Oh, I don't know about that." The blond girl smiled, giving a giggle. "The dark one is a cutie." Sasuke seemed to turn a little bit more pale at that. "I'd say that alone is worth our time."
Naruto then noticed that Kakashi and the stranger seemed to stare hard at one another. "Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "What's the deal? He your archenemies or somethn'?"
The stranger smirked. "He didn't tell you about me? The old man?" He sighed. "Well, I suppose that's to be expected."
"You know him?" Naruto asked.
"Indeed he does," Kakashi said. "He used to be one of us."
The genin were shocked; a Konoha nin, now living in a foreign village? "Name's Asuma." He said, in a mock salute.
"So informal." Sakura thought.
"Sarutobi Asuma." He added.
Naruto didn't react, but Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're part of the Sarutobi clan?!" Sakura shouted.
"Not their favorite member as of right now, but yes." He smirked.
"What's the Sarutobi?' Naruto asked.
Sakura nearly face-planted. "YOU BAKA! YOU WANT TO BE HOKAGE BUT DON'T EVEN KNOW OUR CLANS?!"
"THEN ENLIGHTEN ME!" Naruto shouted back.
Kakashi sighed. "The Sarutobis are the clan of our current Hokage."
Naruto stopped, looking at the other man in shock. Naruto tried to form a question, but remained silent. "I know what you're asking, so I'll spoil." His smirk disappeared. "Sarutobi Hiruzen is my father."
So, here you all go!
First thing's first, I relocated Team 10 to Kiri! Kishimoto originally wanted the other teams to come from other villages, so this is my version of that. In addition, by having most of Naruto's friends come from the same village as him really limited the world building Kishimoto seemed to be going for.
And yes, Asuma WAS from Konoha, we'll get into detail why he moved.
As for inspirations for my version of Kiri, I was thinking Konoha mixed with Venice. Not much else to it.
As you can see, I have already shown at least 6 other swordsmen. It was hard to do since bringing up the swordsmen in canon was a mess. The only ones to ever make a lasting impression in the series (at least in my opinion) were Zabuza and Kisame. For the most part I stuck with the group introduced in the War Arc. Hopefully some personality will come through since they are alive at this point.
Also, my version of Kisame. That might cause some…controversy, making him bishonen and what not. Don't worry, he'll be closer to the Kisame we know soon.
