Part 4.1: The Hard Way Up
Naruto stared wide-eyed at the gigantic mountain that stood ominously before him as clouds danced in front of his eyes, obscuring the mountain's actual height. Lee and TenTen wore a similar expression on their faces, looking gapingly at the enormous, flat, granite wall. 'I guess,' thought Naruto, squinting slightly, "we're supposed to-"
"Climb it," said the Hidden Cloud nin. "Your first test is to climb this particular peak all the way to the top within a twenty-four hour period of time. You'll notice it's completely flat. This was done as a defensive measure by the first and second Raikages, and the Hidden Cloud maintains it's flatness to this day. You see, Hidden Cloud lies at its highest peak, separate from Thunder Capitol. It is there that the rest of the exam will take place. Although you've been given twenty-four hours, a good Chuunin can do it in half that time, but this will weed out at least the weakest of the group. Secondly, you must complete this in your three to four man teams. If one team member does not complete it, then the entire team fails. Thirdly, stay in the boundaries of Mt. Izou. If you get beyond a certain point, you will be disqualified and promptly knocked off. Any questions?"
"What if we encounter another nin on the mountain," came a voice to Naruto's right.
The Hidden Cloud nin simply shrugged his shoulders, smiling slightly. "Use your own discretion. If you feel the need to knock someone off the cliff, by all means go ahead. Besides the first three rules, anything else goes. Climb the cliff how you like, though with proper chakra control, this shouldn't be that much of a problem. Any other questions?"
A few distraught murmurs went through the crowd, but no one else said anything. Naruto's eyes screwed in determination, the adrenaline rushing through his body now. 'This doesn't seem particularly hard,' thought Naruto, 'we'll make record time.' He looked over to his comrades for reassurance. TenTen wore the same face as Naruto, but Naruto was taken aback by how apprehensive Lee looked. He stared at the mountain with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face, scratching the back of his neck quickly with his hand. His eyes drifted over to Naruto, and he quickly resumed a very determined face, blazes forming in his eyes.
"Alright," said the Cloud nin loudly, "Choose your spot, and it would be wise to spread out. The mountain's pretty wide so there should be adequate room for all of you. You have five minutes to choose a spot to begin climbing. When I signal, and you'll know when I do, you may begin. If you start before I signal, you will be disqualified. Alright, find your places." With that, the group began to dissolve, as teams of three and four genins moved around the base of the cliff, finding suitable spots. Naruto looked forward for signs of where Sasuke was starting, hoping to confront his rival early. Suddenly, he felt a gentle tug on his orange jacket. He spun around quickly, ready to defend an attack only to find Hinata standing nervously in front of him.
"Oh Hinata," said Naruto, obviously perplexed, "what's up?"
"N-Nothing," she stammered again, "just…good luck."
Naruto smiled broadly, "A great ninja like me does not need luck but thanks." Hinata blushed slightly as Naruto surveyed the rest of her team. Kiba looked very fired up, Akamaru barking wildly on his head, and Shino seemed stoic as usual. However, their team had an extra addition to it, as Neji was partnered with them as well, looking at his teammates with a slightly contempt look.
Naruto watched them go as Neji approached him. "I'm looking forward to facing off against you again," said Neji, "I won't be so careless this time."
Naruto shot him a wicked grin, "We'll see about that," he said maliciously.
"Oh and Lee," continued Neji, his pearly eyes drifting over to behind Naruto, "I wouldn't worry too much; I think these two can carry you easily."
"I DON'T NEED HELP," shouted Lee, his teeth bared, growling slightly at Neji's comment. Neji chuckled at him before walking off to join his team. Lee was still shaking in rage from Neji's comment. Naruto stared at him, a confused expression on his face.
"What is he talking about thickbrows," asked Naruto. Lee broke out of his angered expression and faced Naruto, looking slightly embarrassed again, his eyes drifting towards the ground.
"Lee can't mold chakra well," said TenTen, "he won't be able to walk up the mountain like they suggested. He'll have to climb it normally." Naruto stared in amazement; he knew that Thickbrows was not proficient in any jutsus, but it hadn't occurred to him that molding chakra was something he couldn't do either. Lee's fury built back up to the surface, his eye burning with determination.
"It doesn't matter," yelled Lee, pumping his fist into the air, "I am the Amazing Azure Beast, nothing will get in my way. And I will complete this entire exam flawlessly. Now, let's go!" going into his usual nice guy pose, his teeth reflecting light despite the absence of it.
Naruto smiled apprehensively at his comrade, but a nagging doubt was implanted in his mind now. He had never considered Lee's inability to do any jutsus a burden, but in this test, it was a huge factor. The instructor hadn't been clear on how high the mountain went up, and if they had to take care of Lee, time would definitely be lost. Naruto sighed slightly as he followed Lee and TenTen to a particularly wide area of the mountain. No teams were seen on either side of them as the mist obscured their view completely. Lee jumped back and forth nervously and TenTen pulled a few stringed kunai from her belt. Naruto looked around, attempting to find any signs of Sasuke or any of the Leaf nins. Suddenly, a bright light surged through the air as Naruto squinted at it, covering his eyes slightly.
"That's the signal," said TenTen, "let's go."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Raikage walked on through the walls of the hospital, his footsteps echoing loudly off the polished, tile floor as doctors and nurses bowed humbly out of his way. His eyes drifted from left to right, smiling warmly at the employees of the area, even stopping to compliment a few on working so hard to maintain the sick despite the tragedies that had befallen it. Inwardly he felt no calm or peace, just an odd anticipation. He would meet with Tsunade later on today, and he was anxious to see the first wheels of the operation begin to turn. Not only that, the test was beginning, and Julius and Set would have to play their respective parts to a tee, and it was unsettling to rely on the two of them. He sighed deeply, hoping to relieve some of the pressure he felt on himself, but he continued on towards his destination.
Finally, he came to the end of the hall to a closed door. 'This is it,' he thought. He reached for the handle only for the door to be quickly opened, revealing an ANBU the Raikage recognized as Karima Kimiko.
"R-Raikage-sama," she said, bowing deeply to him before closing the door slowly behind her. Her face showed a mixture of surprise and concern, her words coming out very stuttered and broken. The Raikage merely smiled warmly and returned the gesture, bowing deeply to Kimiko.
"Hello Ms. Karima," said the Raikage, his voice calm with a very cordial tone to it, "I was hoping to speak to Raan, is he awake?"
"Y-Yes," she stuttered again, her eyes darting from the floor to the walls, not daring to meet his own. "Umm…Raikage-sama…I actually wanted to speak to you about something."
"Oh," said the Raikage in mock surprise, "what is it? My doors are always open to my citizens and nin."
"Well, it's just…" she seemed shuffling through her mind for the appropriate words, evidently caught off guard by his own presence. She then pulled a crude drawing from her belt and handed it to the Raikage. He raised an eyebrow, a perplexed expression on his face. He took the paper and unfurled it, revealing what appeared to be a very bad drawing of Raan and… Legitimate surprise hit the Raikage this time, his eyes going slightly wider, and his heart beat quickening slightly. He quickly regained his composure and stared in a fake, dumbfounded way.
"What is this," he asked, determined to keep his voice steady and calm.
"Well," continued Kimiko, looking directly at the Raikage now, a determination returning to her ocean blue eyes, "I believe the top most drawing to be a replica of the assailant responsible for the destruction of Daibuken. The survivor, Megumi was her name, drew this not too long ago. She said that this was the 'bad man' who took her mommy and daddy away. I believe this may be the best lead we have on this man as his dress and certain facial features seem to stick out. The eyes especially seem very odd, and even though the face just seems to resemble a monster's, the eyes seem to distinct to be a simple child's decoration. I know I may be grasping at straws, but…I want to investigate this further. And to do that, I would request ANBU assistance and your own help in finding this individual." She bowed again, lowering her head so that she was looking at the floor, waiting patiently for the Raikage's answer.
It was the Raikage's turn to be speechless now. 'Set,' he thought, 'this complicates things. The clothes and eyes must have been the only things this little girl saw, but that certainly is enough. "Have you shown this to anyone else," he asked. Kimiko shook her still bowed head. "Alright," said the Raikage, "I'm going to share with you information that I haven't told anyone yet." He motioned for her to follow him into one of the empty rooms, which she did quickly. He closed and locked the door behind him, even going as far to pull the blinds down so that the room was almost pitch black. He waited a few moments, ensuring that the room was perfectly sound proof.
"I have been suspecting something for some time," started the Raikage, his voice turning very dark, "I believe these attacks are not mere coincidence. I'm beginning to think they are part of something larger going on around us; possibly a splinter organization within Thunder Country. I have investigated it personally for some time, but have not had sufficient time with the upcoming exams, but I agree with you fully, these events need to be investigated. So these are my orders for you." Kimiko rose straight backed, in a military salute, her eyes staring into the Raikage's. "I will allow for you to take an ANBU squad with you to reinvestigate the town of Daibuken, but tell no one of this and leave tonight, arrive at the town by nightfall. I fear that we may be watched from the inside, and I want absolute precautions taken here. This mission is of the utmost importance, and I want this completed before the Chuunin exams are completed. And one last thing, be safe and take precautions, I don't want this to get out of hand. As for the mystery assailant, I'll see what I can do here, but I think you'll have better luck at the towns that he has supposedly attacked in. Do you accept?"
"Yes Raikage-sama," replied Kimiko, her voice very strong, "Thank you Raikage-sama. And for the record, I hope that you're wrong, and that we're all just being paranoid."
The Raikage smiled slightly and placed a reassuring hand on Kimiko's shoulder. "So do I," he said, acting flawlessly with concern, "so do I. Now, I suggest you get ready to leave, and give Raan your regards before you leave," he added smiling broadly.
Kimiko blushed slightly, but bowed deeply to the Raikage before exiting the room. The Raikage's face quickly changed to a scowl, staring back at the crude drawing before him. 'Dammit Set,' he thought, 'you're making this far too bloody. Now I have another one to silence." He stared back through the open door, watching Kimiko enter the room slowly, ready to say goodbye to Raan for the last time. He performed a small seal, and the picture burst into flames, burning to ashes in his hand, causing slight welts on his already scarred skin. He reformed his face into concern within the darkness of the room, wondering exactly what other unexpected occurrences would take place in this examination. He slowly pulled a small communicator from beneath his robes and spoke softly into it.
"Did you get all that," he whispered into it, when he knew Kimiko was out of earshot.
"Yeah," came a gruff voice from the other end, "I'm assuming you want her taken care of."
"Yes," replied the Raikage, "make it look like Set's work; I don't want multiple suspects involved in this."
"Bah," the voice came back, annoyed, "I don't see why we need those two lunatics. We would be better off just killing them and going about our business without them."
"I sacrificed much for those 'lunatics'," replied the Raikage darkly, "They will be valuable assets, and I don't want them found out so early. And don't get too cocky, she graduated top of her class, and there's a reason she's the best ANBU of the Hidden Cloud."
"Understood," replied the voice begrudgingly.
"Take her out when she gets to the village, and the ANBU with her. Leave no one alive."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kimiko stroked a now conscious Raan's hair out of his eyes. "You know I'm not helpless," he said playfully, still feeling the aftereffects of Set's continually beatings from his sickbed, "I can move around."
Kimiko chuckled at him and gave him a slight peck on the cheek. "I'll be away for a little while," she said, almost regretting her words, "but don't worry, I'll be back in a few days. I've just got to check something out. Espionage and investigation; your job," she added, smiling brightly at Raan.
"Well don't make me obsolete," he chuckled, eliciting a small laugh from Kimiko. She looked down at him, an almost sad expression in her deep blue eyes. Her lips embraced Raan's tightly for a few seconds, as Raan took his time with the euphoric experience. Finally, she reluctantly pulled away and headed towards the door, opening it to reveal the massive figure of the Raikage, smiling broadly. She bowed quickly to him once more before leaving the room. Raan stared at the Raikage as he slowly walked into the room, his heavy footsteps echoing off the hard tile floor.
"How are you feeling," he said with a concerned tone in his voice as he closed the door behind him.
"Fine," replied Raan, wishing more than anything that Kimiko were still here instead of the bastard in front of him.
"Good, good," the Raikage went over to the open window blinds which shot a pale light onto the room's floor, illuminating it. He quickly pulled them shut and turned on his heel, staring at Raan again. A very stern, almost furious look was plastered on his face. "Have you told anyone about Julius or Set?"
"No," replied Raan, just as furious, "I know the consequences for something like that. Why?"
"Nothing," the Raikage trailed again. He paced back and forth in front of Raan's bed. "How's the little girl?"
"She's getting better. She's talking freely now; even seems happy at times." There was an odd silence between them, the Raikage pacing back and forth in a straight line, with every step seeming to fuel a fire Raan felt in his chest.
"You sent Julius and Set to destroy her village didn't you," he finally said, the words coming out very harsh. The Raikage turned on his heel, standing stock still. His dark eyes pierced through Raan.
"That should be obvious," he said coolly, "They were becoming a nuisance, and I have no time to deal with such irritations. However, I did not come here today to hear your accusations against me. Tomorrow, I need you to go to Hidden Cloud, specifically the proving grounds of the Coliseum. You will be refereeing the first round of the end matches."
"Why me?" asked Raan indignantly, "Can't you get one of your lackeys to do something like that?"
The Raikage looked at him fiercely, almost ready to attack Raan. "I need someone who will ignore the…'styles' of Julius and Set, especially Set. You know how he can get sometimes."
"Intimately," replied Raan darkly, rubbing his cracked ribs, "I don't know what you expect; they don't listen to me anymore, in fact they never did."
"I don't care what you think," replied the Raikage, "your job is to follow my orders and follow them you shall. Now I am signing your release papers tomorrow, be sure you can walk by then. Much is riding on your shoulders Raan, including the lives of those you love. Do not fail me." The Raikage then swept out of the room, his long cloak billowing behind him, as he opened and quickly slammed the door leaving Raan alone in the dark room.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The stone chipped away in large chunks as a kunai was driven fiercely into the flat stone of Mt. Izou. Rock Lee pulled himself up a smaller ways, pushing himself up with his legs as well before driving the second one into the mountain's side, a loud crack reverberating through the air. Naruto sighed deeply as he walked on in front of Lee, their team moving on a snail's pace. His hair drooped slightly, and his body felt disoriented standing on the side of a mountain, but he kept his chakra flow constant, not allowing gravity to overwhelm him. His feet stuck firm to the mountain's side, and remained there as he walked on, watching Lee struggle to climb up Mt. Izou, his breathing turning into a rhythmic grunting with every strike into the flat, granite side. TenTen was ahead of him, a rope tied between Lee and herself, which Lee had been practically forced into, his pride no doubt taking a huge blow from that experience. Naruto merely shook his head, watching Lee struggle with something that even for him seemed such a simple task.
They had been climbing for at least three hours now, and the ground was no longer recognizable as thick clouds obscured their vision except for about ten meters. Thick, white fog surrounded them, whipping around them quickly with the wind, which had been picking up for some time now. They still had not encountered any nins, nor could they see how close they were to reaching their destination. Lee was beginning to pick up his pace, driving the kunai faster and harder into the granite stone, sensing Naruto's impatience. Naruto smiled slightly, but his mind was elsewhere. He reached out with his senses, trying to divine exactly where everyone was, but he could feel nothing.
"Maybe I should go on ahead," he said, breaking usual cacophony of noises, "see exactly how far we are to the top."
"I don't think we should split up," came Lee's grunting voice, "after all, we have to finish this as a team."
"I agree with Lee," chimed in TenTen, "we don't know how far we have to go, nor do we know if any other nins are nearby, and no offense Lee, but you're not going to be much help in a fight right now."
Lee shot TenTen and dirty look, but continued on with his climb. Naruto just sighed impatiently, anxiously awaiting a confrontation with Sasuke. Still, there were a few things nagging at him now, and he was grateful for the quiet at this point in time. He looked at his hand, concentrating hard on the three marks still on his hand. 'What was that pervert talking about anyway,' thought Naruto, 'The first time he did this, it was meant as a concentration exercise, so that I would focus all of my chakra around one point. What did he mean by-" He jerked his head back into focus, looking up towards the mountain, a familiar feeling hitting his mind back to reality. He squinted his eyes into the white mist, hoping to see a solid shape amidst the amorphous mass that swirled and churned around them. His brow furrowed slightly, and he could feel the adrenaline begin to shoot through his body, anticipating an attack.
"What is it Naruto," asked TenTen, noticing his obvious change in character.
"There's something up ahead," said Naruto. He reached outward with his senses unsure as to what was ahead of him. TenTen readied herself for battle as well, her eyes shifting in the mist as she pulled a few shuriken from a pouch on her belt. Lee drove his kunai harder into the granite wall and pulled himself so that his feet were against the mountain. Naruto shifted about nervously, his eyes betraying him as different silhouettes moved in the mist. His heart raced, and he could feel the red chakra begin to flow steadily through his system, slowly oozing through him.
Suddenly, a shape burst forth from clouds in front of him. It was cackling loudly, running full sprint towards him; its back slightly hunched, pushing a very rat-like face forward. Suddenly, the head stretched out from the body, the skin making a sickly rubber sound as the face drove itself towards Naruto revealing needle-sharp teeth. Naruto rose his arm to block, only for the face to drive it's teeth into the outstretch arm as a sick piercing sound cut through the air, blood flowing freely and falling in droplets down the mountainside. Naruto winced in pain and brought his kunai forward, ready to stab the ugly looking creature in the neck. The head quickly retracted to the body as Naruto swung at air. He held his now bleeding arm, watching the puncture wounds issue forth blood that dribbled down his sleeve only to fall into empty air, back towards the earth. Naruto gritted his teeth with fury, watching the creature cackled madly.
"Naruto," came Lee's concerned voice. His eyes quickly darted to the nin, a slightly perplexed expression on his face. "Don't I know you?"
The nin's face quickly changed to a scowl, but then quickly turned back to Naruto. "Uchiha Sasuke sends his regards," he said mockingly. He then turned on his heel and drove himself back into the mist.
Naruto's eyes widened in fury; his arm began to issue steam from it as the puncture wounds healed almost instantaneously. The Kyuubi's chakra was flowing quickly through his body now, striking every organ and cell with a surge of power, stemming from his rage. He could feel his body begin to transform again, fangs beginning to form, his hair growing longer, and claws forming on his hands.
"He doesn't even respect you enough to come himself. He sends lackeys to fight you, and why should he believe otherwise? He sees you as pathetic, and you have shown him nothing else but weakness. It's time now to show him what you're really made of. It's time to release any restraints, any boundaries, and show your true nature."
"…"
"Yes. I can feel it now your rage and eternal anger. Now show them, what you're really made of."
"Naruto," came a concerned voice, "are you alright?"
Naruto could not register anything now. His mind was focused, determined, his anger seeming to physically burn his insides. He let out an unearthly growl and ran into the mist in pursuit of his assailant, breaking the ground underneath him with every step he took. The entire mountain vibrated as he charged after the unknown nin, the mist seeming to quickly move out of his way, everything avoiding contact with Naruto as he charged full force up the mountain, Lee and TenTen's pleas reaching only a deaf ear. He finally caught up with the odd looking nin. He stretched his clawed arms forward, ready to rip the mongrel to shreds. The nin looked behind him at Naruto, fear in his eyes as he ran faster. Naruto could feel the terror in the air, seeming to reverberate through the air, giving him an odd vindictive pleasure. Suddenly, the nin's look of horror turned to one of triumph.
"Now Garuda," he shouted, as he lept to the side, revealing a tall, bald and very lanky nin. The nin quickly moved his hand up to his mouth, on which a forehead protector bearing the symbol of the Hidden Sound lay. He pulled it down to his neck and opened his mouth wide, letting out an unearthly, shrill shriek that seemed bounce off the air, amplifying itself ten fold. The sound pierced through Naruto's skull, as if needles were ramming themselves into his brain, splitting it into pieces. He desperately covered his ears to dull the cacophony that filled the air, but the sound seemed only to grow louder, vibrating every fiber of his being. He stopped quickly, regathering the chakra at his feet as his senses went into oblivion, his vision blurring, his ears pounding against his head, and an odd taste of copper seemed to permeate on his tongue, but he kept his ground. He charged at the nin now, readying to shut the sound up permanently, attempting to concentrate on the now blurry target. Without warning, another nin appeared in front of the tall one, his one with an odd looking pompadour hairstyle and strange, metal bands on his arms. He clanged the metal together and caught Naruto by the chest, his fingers digging deep into the skin. Naruto's eyes went wide as a massive shockwave went through his body, sending him backwards towards the ground. It was too much for his brain to focus, and he slipped into sweet darkness, feeling the wind beneath his back, knowing that the cold earth would be coming back up to greet him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shiaki watched as Naruto's limp body plummeted back towards the earth, disappearing into the mist as he scattered the clouds on his way down, the air whistling behind him. "Bye, Bye," cackled Shiaki, waving mockingly at the prone nin. Zeumon and Garuda watched next to him, transfixed with the spot his body once laid.
"Well that's that," said Zeumon in a satisfied tone, dusting the dirt off his hands.
"I don't think so," came Garuda's robotic voice, eliciting an surprised expression from his companions, "He may be unconscious for another few seconds or so, and Orochimaru-sama said the guy heals fast. I want to be absolutely sure before we return to Orochimaru-sama with another failure on our hands. Let's make sure he's taken care of."
Zeumon nodded in agreement, "Good idea," he said, "Otokage-sama said he wanted proof of his demise."
"A few scattered entrails and body parts should account for that," shrieked Shiaki, laughing madly, sending shudders through his small, skinny frame.
"Let's make sure it lands properly then," said Zeumon with a smile. The trio then descended down the mountain rapidly, trying to catch up to Naruto's prone body.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naruto felt the wind whip wildly around him, rustling his clothes loudly as he slowly opened his eyes. His head felt like someone had cleaved it in two, and he still felt a residual pain throughout his body that shook him madly. 'What the hell,' he thought, confused over the feeling of falling. Suddenly, his mind snapped back to reality, as his eyes went wide, tearing in the hard wind that was enveloping him as he plummeted downward. His mind raced, waves of panic washing over his body as his mind desperately searched for a solution. He had fallen to far from the mountain to grab a hold of the flat surface, and could only watch as he felt his body falling faster and faster back to earth.
'Wait,' he thought. A light had gone off in his head as he moved his hands quickly together. He made a crossing seal with his hands, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he shouted as several clones appeared around him. "Everybody," he shouted quickly, the wind deafening him now, "Human chain," the clones nodded in agreement as the closest one grabbed Naruto's ankles, followed by the next, followed by seven more as they climbed over a long, ladder of Narutos. Finally, they were a yard from the wall as a last clone wrapped its legs around the last, outstretching its hands and creating chakra to stick to the wall. Naruto watched anxiously as the clone forced his hands onto the wall, scraping the granite hard, sending a high pitched squealing sound in the air. The smell of burnt flesh permeated through his nostrils as Naruto turned his head away to look down. The ground could be seen now, and a white blanket was waiting to embrace him. He looked back towards the wall; they were slowing down now, the clone gritting its teeth in exasperation, but the chain began to make a slow arc towards the mountain. Naruto let out a breath of relief as the Narutos began to win their fight against gravity. Naruto risked a glance towards the ground as the minor features of the earth began to show themselves. He felt his heart begin to slow, and his mind form back from the pieces it had been split to.
Suddenly, an ominous pop happened at the end of the chain. Naruto checked back to see a puff of smoke where the final clone had been moments before. They began to pick up speed again, still far off from the earth below. Naruto detached himself from his clones, running over the chain towards the mountain, desperately sprinting towards it. The chain was slowly moving away now, and Naruto's mind was still foggy from the previous attack. He jumped towards the mountain, arms outstretch as the clones exploded behind him into white puffs of smoke. He sailed through the air, the mountain slowly coming closer to him; his eyes not even daring to look down at the ground below him. He clawed for the wall, arms outstretched. Suddenly, gravity took hold of him again, dragging him back down towards the ground. Naruto's heart raced as his body fell quickly back to earth.
A loud screech pierced through the air above Naruto. He looked up to see a green blur streaking towards him, a trail of debris and smoke traveling behind him. The blur slowed down dramatically near Naruto as Lee shot out an outstretched hand, which Naruto grabbed onto tightly. Lee gritted his teeth as he dug a kunai into the mountain's side, desperately trying to slow their descent. Naruto dragged his feet against the stone wall, adding to Lee's friction, their combined forces bringing them finally to a stop. Naruto looked down to see only a few meters separating them from the ground below, as they both let out a sigh of relief simultaneously. "What were you thinking Naruto," lectured Lee, still breathing hard; Naruto could feel his heart racing through the palm of his hand. Lee released him and he fell back to the snow, his boots making a loud his on the cold surface. Lee jumped down to join him, holding himself up with his hands on his knees. "You shouldn't have taken off without backup," scolded Lee, "I know you're strong Naruto, but it couldn't have hurt to have your comrades with you."
Naruto's eyes drifted to the snow. He knew Lee was right, but at the moment, nothing seemed to matter but pummeling that odd sound nin to oblivion. He felt a small pang of guilt in his chest, remembering how Gai had lectured him on controlling his emotions, and he was starting to let the lessons sink in. "Sorry," Naruto said solemnly, "I just…"
"I know," interrupted Lee, another trademark grin plastered on his face. "Well, looks like we've got some serious ground to recover, so we'd better not dwell on past matters," he said, quickly changing the subject. He looked at the kunai in his hand; it was worn down to nothing, only a slight nub existing where the blade once was. Lee sighed slightly and threw the kunai aside, looking at the ominous wall again. He rubbed his hands together quickly before ramming a closed fist into the wall, wincing at the pain. He placed his foot in the hold and pushed himself up, digging his fingers painfully into the stone, making only foot by foot progress.
"Lee, Naruto," came TenTen's voice from above them, "are you two alright?" She appeared after a few seconds, running rapidly down the mountain, visibly sighing with relief over their safety. However, her expression quickly became enraged as soon as she caught up with them. "What are you two thinking," she yelled, "You both can be such idiots sometimes, running off without even taking a moment's thought!"
Lee and Naruto both laughed nervously, and there was silence amongst the group. "Well let's go," said Naruto finally, remolding the chakra at his feet and walking back up the mountain. TenTen retied the rope around herself and handed it to Lee, who refused to take it this time, insisting that he could climb the mountain on his own. "Weren't you the one who said we're comrades?" said Naruto, smiling widely, "shouldn't we help each other then?"
Lee shot Naruto a dirty look, but then quickly turned to smile. "I see your point," said Lee, laughing slightly, "The Great Azure Beast would not want to be a hypocrite."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garuda watched Naruto's team slowly made it's way back up the mountain. He turned on his heel and headed back towards his comrades, who were waiting anxiously. "He's not dead," came Garuda's robotic voice, "the drunkard saved him."
Shiaki shook with fury, baring his teeth and shaking his balled up fists. "I hate that bastard," he said under his breath, "hate, hate, hate him."
"Calm down," came Zeumon's voice, brushing his fingers absentmindedly through his hair, wavering as gravity pulled against it. "We'll just have to try again. There's plenty of time for another round. We'll wait until they get up a bit further before we strike again."
"We could use Sasuke's help on this," said Garuda, "I'm sure we could still catch up to him even if he did want to go alone."
"I don't need that arrogant bastard's help," said Zeumon maliciously, his eyes staring daggers into Garuda, "Orochimaru-sama favors him, while we're treated like trash, and he doesn't even respect Orochimaru-sama when he should be down on his knees thanking him for all he's done. No, we'll do this on our own, and show Orochimaru-sama that we are truly worthy of the power he has bestowed upon us."
Zeumon then nodded his head back up the mountain, motioning for Garuda and Shiaki to follow. They raced through the white mist, back up the mountain side, preparing to attack Naruto once again.