Part 4.2: Taking Center Stage
Naruto, Lee, and TenTen were now making their way quickly up the mountain, desperate to make up for lost time. The day was beginning to wear thin, and the usually white clouds were now turning a dark grey, and they knew their visibility would be shot completely at night. Small white flakes fell from the sky, signifying a snowfall was beginning to start on the mountain. The wind whipped the snowfall into a small whirlwind that leapt about the mountain until it exited through the dark, grey clouds that surrounded them like great, whispy walls, obscuring everything from view. A loud crack from below him brought his attention back to reality as he turned his head to see Lee catching up to them quickly, a long rope connecting the three man team. Naruto looked below him as Lee drove his kunai harder and harder into the granite, keeping with their pace. Naruto smiled as he watched his friend move at a fervent tempo, desperate to not slow them down. TenTen was driving herself forward as well, jogging slightly as Lee furiously attempted to keep the rope from going taut on either of them. Naruto kept up the speed, but slowed down suddenly, peering farther into the heavy mist, his heart beginning to race as he believed he saw Sasuke. However, the clouds had fooled him again, and the shapes were beginning to change.
"No need to stop Naruto," yelled Lee, his breath heavy under the quick pace with which he had to climb. Naruto looked to his right and saw Lee had caught up with them quickly, a definite slack occurring in the rope Naruto had attached to himself around his waste. It was an odd sight, where Lee looked like he was crawling along the ground. A trail of broken stone lay under him, marking his path up the mountain. Naruto gave him a mock salute and continued up through the clouds, regaining his lost ground. There would be no opportunity to rest here, no time to sleep or eat, and this climb could not fail again. He kept his mind open for any signs of the sound nins that attacked earlier, searching out with his senses for any indication of the trio.
Naruto's thoughts wondered again, but he maintained a velocity. So many events had been swirling and spiraling around him in such a short period of time, yet the only thing that he could think about was Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke sends his regards. Those words cut Naruto deep, and he had lost focus again. He closed his eyes slightly, not wanting to think about losing control. 'What did those bastards want anyway,' thought Naruto, 'were they working under Sasuke? No, he would confront me directly if that was the case. Still, I'd better keep an eye-"
His thoughts were cut off by a hard tug on the rope attached to him from Lee causing Naruto to almost lose his balance as he staggered against Lee's pull. Naruto and TenTen both looked down to see Lee had stopped and was waving them both down. They exchanged perplexed looks as they slid against the mountain's surface, allowing gravity to pull them back to Lee's position. Lee was intently examining a particular spot on the mountain, hanging from one kunai, his round eyes screwed in concentration.
"What's up-," asked TenTen as Lee quickly placed a hand over her mouth, cutting off anything else she had to say. Lee nodded his head in the direction of the cliff, and the two genin looked at an odd spot on it. It was circular, and looked like something had impacted it, but not broken the stone. It was still smooth, but look discolored from the rest of the mountain, like an imploded blemish.
"This has been replaced," said Lee, rubbing his free hand over the smooth rock, causing the stone to flake and fall away out over the side of the cliff, "somebody wanted to cover their tracks." He removed his eyes from the stone and looked at Naruto and TenTen. "What did these nin look like that attacked you Naruto?"
Naruto rubbed his chin, concentrating hard on the few moments before he blacked out. "Well," he started, "you all saw the one that came out at me. He looked like a large, hunched rat with red hair. The other two, one was really skinny, tall, with a bald head. The last one had these weird, metal things on his arms and a black, weird haircut."
"I see," said Lee, "I think I've met these nin before. The images are a little…fuzzy…but I think Kiba, Shino, and I got into a scuffle with them a day ago. Shino gave me the details before when we came here. He said to watch out for them. The rat one's named Shiaki, the skinny one Garuda, and the one with the weird armbands is called Zeumon, thought I still don't remember that. I don't know why they're after you though; have you ever met these nins before?"
Naruto shrugged, "No," he said, his voice low, an anxious feeling flowing through his body as he looked for signs of the nins, "They said they were sent by Sasuke, but I don't believe that. Sasuke would come at me directly if he wanted a fight." His emotions were flaring again at just the mention of his name, but he kept control, breathing deeply, slowly calming his tension.
"We need to be prepared for an ambush then," said TenTen. Lee and Naruto nodded in agreement, Lee still hanging from a single kunai in midair.
"So what do we do," asked Lee under his breath, "We can't wait long; we don't have that much time. We need to continue up the mountain and finish them off as fast as possible."
There was a very heavy silence between them now, none of the nin knowing the answer to Lee's question. Naruto's mind raced, desperate for some answer to the dilemma. He closed his eyes, thinking hard, clearing his mind as best he could. The sky was growing darker and darker, and time felt like it was slipping through his fingers. 24 hours had seemed like so much time until this obstacle had presented itself. If only they had something…something…"
Naruto opened his eyes wide, a smirk growing across his face. "I've got an idea," he said quickly, smiling broadly, impressed with his own genius.
"You," asked TenTen sarcastically.
"I have ideas," said Naruto indignantly, staring bullets through TenTen "I can make plans." Lee gave TenTen a nudge to the shoulder and then turned back to Naruto.
"What's your idea," asked Lee.
Naruto walked cautiously through the dark mist that was now engulfing them, dimming their visibility up the mountain to nothing. He could still feel a slight tug on the rope around his waist, signifying that Lee was still there. He looked over to TenTen, who bore a similar expression of foreboding on her face, her eyes squinting at the shadows against the granite wall. Naruto dared not look behind them at Lee, but continued to plod forward, his eyes straight ahead.
The sky was turning very black, and snow was beginning to drift heavily down through the clouds on top of them. A small wind whistled past their ears, sending chills down Naruto's spine. They were close; he could feel it. Every one of his senses was on alert, his eyes drifting from left to right, quickly trying to discern shapes and shadows on the mountain. He closed his eyes for a moment, attempting to discern any sounds, but besides their own heavy breathing and the light sound of the wind, nothing unusual was heard. He could feel his muscles tense with every step, his heart beating fast, preparing for the inevitable attack that would come, but they continued on, not wanting to waste time.
Suddenly, a few flakes of granite hit his face as the whispered sound of cracking stone was heard above them. He blinked the stone out of his eyes as he felt a shooting wave of electricity surge through his body. They stopped completely, readying themselves for an attack. A chill went down his spine, and Naruto knew that they would be attacking soon.
The dark, grey wisps ahead of them suddenly parted open to reveal a cackling Shiaki bearing down on them. "DIE!" he screeched, cackling madly, and opening his mouth wide. Dozens of needles suddenly flew out of his throat through his mouth, whistling through the air and bearing down upon the genin team. Naruto readied a kunai and nimbly rolled across the ground, pulling the rope with him. However, his teammates did not. Naruto watched in horror as the needles pierced through both TenTen and Lee's bodies, ramming themselves deep into their chests and heads with a sickly, wet stab. Shiaki smiled broadly at his work, charging at Naruto now, bearing down on him quickly. "Two down you bastard," cackled Shiaki, "Now just you!"
Naruto's look of shock quickly turned to a wide, malicious grin. "I don't think so," he said mockingly. Suddenly, Lee and TenTen both burst into puffs of smoke, revealing the two kage bunshins he had transformed, and the rope quickly went slack, sending it back down into the clouds behind Naruto. Naruto wrapped his arms around the rope and pulled it forward with all of his might, swinging the taut rope in a circular motion. He watched Shiaki through the corner of his eye; he was parallel with Naruto now and driving himself forward, an evil sneer plastered on his rat-like face. 'I've got to do this quick,' he thought. He continued to swing the rope outward feeling the painful pull of the weight at the end on his own body. Shiaki was getting closer, his head extending again with a sick stretching noise that resembled rubber. Naruto clenched his teeth and continued to throw the rope around. He grasped it firmly, feeling the rope burn painfully against his hands as it slid farther towards it destination. 'Now,' thought Naruto as the rope traveled in front of him; he quickly pulled a kunai from his belt and clipped the end of the rope, sending it into the clouds just as Shiaki descended on him. Naruto crossed his arms in front of him, absorbing Shiaki's body with his arms. Shiaki's head cackled madly as it snaked forward, driving itself towards Naruto's head, his mouth gaping wide, readying another needle burst. Naruto craned his neck, narrowly avoiding a particularly long spike that cut his ear slightly. Shiaki snarled in frustration and opened his gaping mouth wide, readying to bite down on Naruto again. Naruto moved his arms closer, crossing his fingers while keeping the rest of Shiaki's body at bay. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he said as several shadow clones appeared in puffs of smoke around him, grabbing every limb of Shiaki and pulling him off Naruto. Shiaki struggled violently against the many Narutos, using his extended head to fire a few needles and destroy them. Naruto regrouped himself and dived forward for Shiaki's long neck, grasping it tightly with both hands. Shiaki choked badly as Naruto pulled Shiaki's neck around in a circle, sending the body around him in a wide arc. He then released him, driving his body full force into the mountain ahead of him, the stone chipping and cracking at the impact shaking Naruto slightly. Naruto smiled as Shiaki's neck returned to its original position, coughing badly as his lungs gasped for air desperately.
Suddenly, two more shapes burst out from either side of him revealing both Garuda and Zeumon. Naruto detached the chakra from his feet and fell headfirst farther down the mountain, rolling back to a standing position as he skidded his feet against the granite surface. Zeumon and Garuda closed in front of Naruto, spreading out slightly. "You're outnumbered now," came Zeumon's cocky voice, "3 to 1, and I don't see any friends here to help you this time." He clanged his two, holed, metal braces on his arms together, causing them to vibrate loudly. The wind began to howl loudly around them, swirling their cloths and hair, ruffling them. A bead of sweat down Naruto's head, but a smile quickly replaced his worried expression as a new sound was heard in the wind. A sharp whistling was coming from the top of the mountain, as if something was cutting against the air itself.
Naruto smiled as he quickly pressed his body flat against the mountain, sending chakra through his body to stick to it as he watched dozens of shuriken burst from the dark clouds in front of them, sailing straight towards the three sound nin. "What the hell," yelled Zeumon as the three looked on in horror. They only had time to raise their arms to block before the waves of ninja stars hit them forward, piercing their legs and arms to be followed by painful grunts or cut them leaving fine trails of blood splattered against the mountain. Naruto watched apprehensively as the shurikens sailed right over him, amazed at TenTen's precision.
"Clever bastards aren't you," spat Zeumon through clenched teeth, as he pulled a shuriken from his shoulder. Garuda was in similar shape, as many cuts and abrasions were littered across his body. Shiaki growled low at him, a scowl enveloping his rat-like face as the three of them charged at Naruto. Suddenly, Lee and TenTen burst from the clouds above them, barreling quickly down on the three of them. They were still joined by a rope, and TenTen looked very apprehensive as they sailed towards the sound trio. The three sound nins quickly turned around just as Lee readied a giant kick towards Shiaki.
"Konoha Senpuu," he yelled, delivering a whirlwind kick to the rat like nin's abdomen, sending him screeching down the mountain, disappearing in the dark clouds that were below them. TenTen pressed her feet hard against the side of the mountain, desperately trying to slow their descent. Lee did much the same, driving two kunai and his own legs into the mountain, both of them leaving a trail of steam and dust behind them before finally coming to a stop. Naruto smiled as he turned his attention back to the remaining two nins. "The minds of youth in action," yelled Lee triumphantly, still hanging in midair, "there is nothing we cannot accomplish."
Zeumon scowled hard at them before backpedaling behind Garuda. He shoved his hands across his own ears before giving Garuda a slight nod. Naruto's eyes went wide, his mind cycling back to only a few hours before when this nin had almost killed him. He charged forward quickly at Garuda, his fist outstretched, ready to grasp him by the throat, or at least throw him off balance. Garuda took in a deep breath, whistling slightly through his nose before opening his mouth wide, releasing the sharp, shrill note that vibrated through the air and pounded on the inside of Naruto's skull. He grasped his ears with both hands, desperately trying to shunt the sound from his mind. He squeezed his eyes together reflexively, tearing heavily as the cacophony filled the air, getting shriller by the second. He did not know how Lee and TenTen were holding up but couldn't dare a look. He opened his eyes slightly, the images of the mountain and the nins blurring heavily as his mind became dizzy and disoriented, his balance wavering. Zeumon charged quickly forward again, an odd device covering his ears as his hands began to vibrate madly, readying another strike. Naruto dared to remove his hands from his ears, the shrillness of the sound piercing like a knife through his head, a small trail of blood trickling down his ears staining his collar.
"Kage Bunshin no jutsu," he yelled, as several Naruto clones appeared beside him. The sound was still deafening, and the clones responded in a similar manner. Naruto concentrated hard, trying to maintain his grasp on the jutsu, but the noise overwhelmed him, and the clones disappeared in puffs of smoke. Zeumon charged in, hitting Naruto square in the stomach with an extended kick, sending them both in a dangerous spiral down the side of the mountain. Naruto caught sight of Lee struggling to hold onto a single kunai while simultaneously holding onto TenTen who seemed to have lost her balance and fell forward. Then, the sharp shrill, Lee, TenTen, and Garuda all disappeared as both he and Zeumon were enveloped in the clouds below, the wind howling against his already damaged ears, piercing his mind further.
Zeumon smiled wide at Naruto as he desperately tried to shove his dangerous arms deeper into Naruto's body. Naruto grabbed onto the metal brackets on his arms, wincing painfully as he felt every inch of his body vibrate in sync with Zeumon's arms. Naruto clenched his teeth and pulled Zeumon forward, driving his own head into Zeumon's face, forcing him off of him and backwards into the mountain. Naruto flipped backwards so that his stomach was now facing the mountain and dug his hands and feet into the side, the smell of his scorched skin forming a pungent aroma in his head to compliment the already massive pain he felt throughout his body. Finally, he came to a slow stop, breathing heavily as he gritted his teeth at the feeling of his skin pussing and blistering on his hands.
"You know what's interesting Naruto," came a voice above him. Naruto snapped his neck upwards, to see Zeumon walking casually towards him, a small trickle of blood coming from his nose. "Sound is one of the strongest forces on earth," he continued, rubbing one of his armguards with one hand, "if one can match the vibrations of the atoms of something, that thing can be broken down quite easily. This is the power Orochimaru-sama has granted me, and I will use it to enforce his will."
"You're nothing but a brainwashed fool," snapped Naruto, "Orochimaru doesn't care about you or anyone else. He's just a greedy monster."
"He understands us," said Zeumon darkly, "the outcasts of the world; those who are feared or hated for being different. He accepts us! And I will not allow you to insult him!" He clanged the metal pieces on his arms together and slammed them into the mountain side. A shockwave went through the side, crumbling the rock quickly in a loud crack. The debris began to fall down the mountain in large chunks as Naruto nimbly dodged them, still trying to maintain his footing on the mountain. Zeumon dropped down the mountain, his still vibrating arms causing a loud humming sound to emanate from the front of him. Naruto dodged to the right as Zeumon sailed right past him, flipping forward and skidding across the mountain to a stop.
Naruto crossed his fingers, ignoring what bad shape his hands were in. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he yelled, creating several clones around him, all of them focused completely on Zeumon. Zeumon smiled broadly, banging the two metal guards on his arms together again before flicking his fingers towards Naruto, taunting him forward. Naruto scowled at Zeumon, tensing the muscles in his legs, readying himself for an all out attack. His heart began to beat quickly, an anxious feeling washing over him, and his anger was beginning to rise again. 'Not this time,' he thought, keeping his emotions bottled within him, 'gotta remember what Gai-sensei said.' He exhaled deeply, thinking hard for a battle strategy to use against this sound nin. Naruto smiled to himself and then sent himself and his clones forward, charging down on Zeumon, the wind whipping around them as they came closer to their destination.
Zeumon moved quickly, thrusting his arms outward and grabbing two clones by the head before sending a massive shockwave into each, imploding the clones into a single puff of smoke. Others charged forward as well, as Zeumon continually dodged and swerved his body, attempting to look for an opening. Zeumon connected twice more with two other clones. "Did you really think that a full open assault would work against me," taunted Zeumon, destroying another clone, "you're just as much an idiot as Orochimaru-sama informed us. I can't believe we aren't to underestimate some loser like you." Zeumon charged forward, breaking through the line of clones, slowly scaling up the mountain towards the real Naruto. Naruto stood completely still awaiting the attack to come. Zeumon banged the metal armguards together once again, the resonation of the metal humming loudly in the air. Naruto still did nothing but await the attack.
Zeumon was close now, his legs pumping furiously towards a still Naruto, his arms outstretched, ready to pulverize Naruto with another blast. He was only inches from Naruto now, and Naruto smiled broadly at Zeumon. Suddenly, he jumped outward, gravity taking hold of him and drawing him downward, revealing a clone standing right behind him that delivered a massive kick to Zeumon's stomach, sending him sprawling back down the mountain.
"U" said the clone loudly. Naruto flipped forward allowing the same clone to grab him by the collar of his shirt and fling him towards Zeumon. Three more clones appeared behind Zeumon, who was still recoiling from the last attack by the first one. They each balanced themselves on one leg, thrusting an arm against he mountain side for leverage delivering a hard kick to Zeumon's back in quick succession, sending him back up the mountain's side.
"Zu…Ma…Ki," said the clones as each landed their successive kicks, sending Zeumon skyrocketing in the real Naruto's direction. Naruto sailed straight towards Zeumon headfirst, smiling broadly as a small trickle of blood was now permeating from his nose and lip, splattering against the mountain in a small line. Naruto flipped himself forward, bringing his heel to land at the back of Zeumon's head, driving him face first into the mountain.
"Naruto Rendan," yelled Naruto as he arced over Zeumon and was caught by the clones. He replaced his feet on the side of the mountain, admiring the large hole in the side that Zeumon now resided in. The clones disappeared in small puffs of smoke, each with a loud pop. Naruto walked up towards Zeumon who was now coughing blood, the red liquid falling from his mouth down back towards the earth as it sank through the white clouds beneath it.
A satisfied smile crept across Naruto's face as he watched Zeumon struggle to his feet, balancing himself slowly on the mountain's side. Naruto watched, tensing himself, readying for another attack. Suddenly, he felt another presence behind him. He leapt to his right quickly as Shiaki burst from the mist behind him missing Naruto by only inches. Naruto rolled quickly, letting gravity pull him down slightly before realigning himself. Shiaki ran towards Zeumon, helping him to his feet. They both stared bullets into Naruto, slowly moving onto either side of him, drawing him into a pincer attack.
All of the sudden a high pitched screech shot through the air, reminiscent of Garuda's sound wave. Shiaki and Zeumon both shot each other a look before running back up the mountain towards the sound's source. Naruto followed quickly, a feeling of dread coming over him as he wondered how Lee and TenTen were doing.
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Lee opened his eyes slightly, watching Naruto fall through the clouds below him. The shrill sound was piercing hard into his mind, shattering his mind as he desperately held onto TenTen, trying to maintain his balance throughout the penetrating cacophony that pierced through the air, reverberating off his head. Slowly, the sound began to grow smaller and smaller, until only a slight ringing in Lee's ears permeated through. He opened his eyes completely, his senses slowly regaining their strength as he looked at Garuda. He was coughing badly, wheezing slightly as his breathing seemed very scratched and labored. Lee shook his head from side to side, trying to regain conscious thought despite the pounding feeling he felt in his head. TenTen regained her composure as well, replacing her feet on the mountain, trying desperately to channel the chakra in her body properly.
Lee looked back at Garuda, who was slowly regaining his composure, the attack seeming to take a toll on his body as well. "Dammit," came his robotic voice through the slotted device in his neck, "I went too far. Ah well, I have other devices at my disposal." His eyes became fixated on Lee as he reached behind to the back of his head, adjusting a device in the back of it. He inhaled deeply again, his abdomen sticking far out in front of his body before he let loose a gigantic blast of air that erupted like in a torrent from his gaping mouth traveling straight towards Lee. Lee's eyes went wide as the blast of wind came towards him. He quickly pulled himself up with both arms on the kunai, pushing off of it and thrusting himself into the open air. The rope around his body became taught, still anchored to TenTen as the blast of air hit between the two of them, crushing the spot Lee had been seconds later and cutting through the mountain like a knife. Garuda's blast stopped as Lee sailed through the air, tumbling back down towards TenTen. He reached an arm out towards TenTen, who grasped it firmly, steadying herself against the mountain as Lee's weight pulled her down slightly.
Lee looked up at TenTen as she struggled to keep the two of them anchored to the mountain. His eyes shifted back to Garuda who was inhaling deeply, readying another blast in their direction. Lee quickly snatched two kunai from TenTen with his free hand.
"What are you doing," she asked quickly as she watched Lee cut the rope between them.
"I'll give you an opening," said Lee, "just look for-MOVE!" His warning came just in time as he pushed on TenTen's arm, sending them in opposite directions as another wave of air sliced through the spot they had been standing moments before. Lee went back into freefall as he thrust the kunai back into the mountain's side, dragging the kunai deep in the mountain's side, chipping a long line through his descent. He stopped below Garuda, who was readying yet another blast, the wind swirling in front of him as his lungs quickly sucked in air. Lee climbed quickly back up the way he had come, trying to get above Garuda fast. He looked up at TenTen who had barely dodged another assault by Garuda's technique, only a crater of debris left where she had been standing. TenTen reached behind her and flicked her arms out in a wide arc, throwing several shurikens whizzing through the air in Garuda's direction. Garuda reached to the back of his neck again quickly and let loose a much wider breadth of air that knocked the shuriken away to fall down the side of the mountain. He shot them both a satisfied smirk before reaching behind his neck again and launched a more concentrated surge of air towards them. TenTen rolled across the mountain, channeling chakra all across her body to stick to the mountain, leaving Lee in it's path of destruction. Lee watched as the air continued to make its way towards him.
'This is as good as I'm going to get,' he thought, taking a deep breath before pulling himself up on the kunai and rocketing himself up the mountain headfirst. He quickly placed the balls of his feet against the surface and began pushing upwards on it, keeping his body low to the ground, his legs furiously pumping to fight the inevitable forces of gravity that were pulling him down. Garuda was affixed on Lee, readying another powerful burst of wind from his mouth, inhaling deeply. Lee continued running against the mountain, gravity beginning to pull him into an arc that motioned across the granite wall. Garuda caught sight of him and unleashed another torrent directly in front of his path, quickly cutting through the mountain going towards Lee as he made his run. Lee, feeling he could no longer fight gravity, jumped from the side outward, forcing his body to move towards Garuda headfirst.
Garuda inhaled again quickly, issuing another blast towards Lee. Lee bent backwards on himself, stretching painfully into a tight, semicircle as the blast of wind came within mere centimeters of him, the shock rippling his body suit and sending a tremor of panic down his spine. Lee focused on Garuda, straightening out his body and sailing through the air at his opponent. Garuda's blast faltered and faded, and Lee watched as Garuda took in another deep breath of air. Garuda opened his mouth wide readying another torrent just as Lee reached him.
Lee came in arms first, grabbing the sides of Garuda's head harshly with both hands, his own momentum snapping Garuda's head back violently, his torrent of air going wide and into the mist, causing a massive rift in the haze before it reformed on itself. Lee kept firm hold of the sides of Garuda's head, flipping over him so that he was now back to back with him. Garuda flailed wildly, desperately trying to maintain a firm hold on the rock. Lee grunted as he pulled hard on Garuda's head, giving him enough momentum to turn around in midair. Lee placed one hand on Garuda's face, pulling it back to expose the elongated machine on his neck. Lee quickly wrapped his legs around Garuda's skinny arms, immobilizing him on the mountain. Lee quickly shot a desperate look at TenTen who nodded; Lee had given her the opening she needed. She drew her arms back and flung several shuriken whizzing towards Garuda, cutting deftly through the air. Lee struggled against a flailing Garuda trying to hold him firmly in place. Lee's grasp faltered on Garuda's head, and Garuda brought his face forward just in time to see the shuriken whizzing through the air towards him. He swayed his body around, struggling to dodge the black stars that were whirling towards him. Suddenly, one of them hit its mark, cutting into the metal device wrapped around his neck. The metal broke and a fine mist of blood shot into the air, compounded with the stored air in his throat and spraying the mountain's side. The air whistled through the hole in the metal, creating a duplicate of the high pitched whistle they had heard earlier, the sound hitting Lee full force. He covered his ears, trying to shut out the sound as his senses were once again engulfed in the anomalous sound. All of a sudden, his legs lost their balance and Garuda shrugged him off, quickly placing his hands against the puncture in his neck. Lee watched almost in slow motion as tumbled down the mountain, frantically grasping for any hold on which to stop himself. He placed his bandaged hands against the mountain's side, but only succeeded in burning himself, blistering his hands as he continued to freefall down.
The wind whipped around Lee and the shapes hidden within the mist past faster and faster in front of his eyes. He tried to push himself against the side of the mountain again, wanting any friction with which to slow his descent. He placed his feet firmly against the mountain as well, his rubber sandals creating a loud squealing in the air as steam burned off of them, leaving a blue streak on the mountain. His heart was racing now, his mind desperate for any way out of the situation. He placed his blistered hands on the mountain again. He gnashed his teeth together, his body coursing with searing pain like a fire had been lit on his hands and feet, yet he kept steady against the mountain. He pulled back an arm and smashed it hard into the mountain, stretching out his fingers as he grabbed into the long trail of broken debris he had created. Blood issued freely from his hand as he felt his fingernails crack and break under the extreme stress he was placing under them. Lee yelled loudly, his mind desperate for a stopping point and his body desperate to stop the pain coursing through him. Gradually, he began to slow, his mind relaxing slightly, and his heart beginning to slow its jackhammer like pace. He finally came to a complete stop against the side of the mountain. Lee was breathing heavily, wincing slightly with every breath. His right hand felt badly burned, and fragments of stone seemed lodged under his skin, but he had succeeded in stopping himself.
"You okay," came a familiar voice from behind him. Lee looked down to see Naruto running quickly up the mountain, a concerned expression on his face.
"I'm fine," Lee breathed, "we need to get back up to the top."
"Yeah," said Naruto, "those guys Zeumon and Shiaki are already ahead of us."
"Then there's no time to waste," said Lee, "you go on ahead, I'll catch, hey, what are you doing?" Naruto had grasped Lee by the waist and placed his body on his shoulder.
"I'm not leaving you behind," said Naruto, "sorry about this, but it's the fastest way to go."
Lee was about to say something, but merely sighed disdainfully and nodded in agreement with Naruto. 'An Azure Beast should not be carried,' he thought to himself, 'but it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice.'
Naruto rushed swiftly up the side of the mountain, carrying a very embarrassed Lee on his shoulder. He had seen Zeumon and Shiaki come up this way beforehand, and he did not want to leave TenTen alone to deal with all three of them. Darkness had enveloped the mountain completely now, and what little light was available was obscured by the unyielding blanket of shadow that had descended around them.
Out of the shadows, Naruto heard the sounds of battle, the familiar clang of metal hitting against metal. He ran towards it, his legs fighting furiously as the forces of the earth attempted to pull him back to earth. He finally emerged behind TenTen who was panting heavily, darkness obscuring most of her. In the distance, the shapes of the three sound nins sat across from them. "Is Lee okay," asked TenTen, noticing a prone Lee on his shoulder.
"I'm fine," said Lee indignantly. Naruto grinned slightly at his friend's predicament, but quickly refocused himself to the nins in front of them. Shiaki was coming closer to them, his rat-like features finally showing in the darkness.
"I'm tired of this," he said maliciously, "I'm going to kill all of them, mutilate them, rip them to shreds and then rip the pieces to pieces." Dark lines began to form across Shiaki's face as a crisscrossing patter of odd shapes began to appear on his face. Naruto knew this feeling; Shiaki was activating a cursed seal. Naruto steeled himself for whatever was to come, but something else was nagging him. A familiar feeling was creeping up on him, making the hairs on his neck stand on end.
"DIE!" cackled Shiaki. A long blade suddenly protruded from his mouth and he charged quickly forward, straight towards the three of them. TenTen stood her ground, ready to intercept the oncoming attack. Naruto stared at Shiaki, but his mind was sending panic signals down his spine, the feeling creeping up closer to him. Something was coming down on them fast. Shiaki was coming closer as well, the long blade protruding from his mouth aimed directly at TenTen. Naruto gasped and his eyes went wide as the feeling hit him full force.
"TENTEN GET BACK," he shouted, pulling his friend backwards by her shirt with his free hand.
"What the hell," said TenTen, "what are you-" her words were cut off as Shiaki descended upon them, the blade ready to pierce into them. Suddenly, a hand came out of the shadows to the side and grabbed Shiaki violently by the head, driving the blade into the side of the mountain, breaking it in two. Shiaki coughed loudly, throwing up the rest of the sword in its entirety.
"Who the hell-" he only managed those words out before a red, booted foot connected with his head, sending him sprawling in a wide arc back towards the sound nins. Naruto scowled as a scarlet clad nin emerged from the darkness, standing like a mountain between the two groups, dwarfing both of them.
"Set," said Naruto, scowling at his own words. Set turned his head so that one of his dark, crimson eyes shown in the darkness. They seemed to create their own light and reflected an eerie red and black design on the three leaf nin. He turned his attention back to the sound trio. Shiaki was being helped to his feet by Zeumon and Garuda, a small sliver of blood tracing his path through the air.
"Another leaf nin," asked Zeumon fiercely, "who are you?"
Set chuckled to himself, his body shaking slightly at his own laughter. "Your business with him is done," said Set mockingly, motioning towards Naruto, "Leave, I have no time nor patience to deal with the filth that pale-face brings here."
"Filth," screamed Shiaki, "we are Orochimaru's chosen! We are the honor guard of the greatest nin in existence. We are-"
"Trash," interrupted Set, "part of a cycle beginning with that piece of snake shit. Garbage in, garbage out."
Zeumon stepped forward, his body shaking in a raw fury. "You…insult Orochimaru-sama," he shouted, a similar design of black marks appearing on his face, "You will not leave here alive today bastard. I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THAT!" He clanged the two pieces on his arms together, a much louder humming emanating from him now as he charged rapidly at Set, his teeth bared in an enraged expression.
Set smiled slightly as Zeumon stepped closer forward, his arms outstretched ready to tear Set to pieces. However, Set's long legs reached him first, delivering a quick to his abdomen, knocking him backwards against the mountain's side. Zeumon recovered and ran forward, quickly skidding to a stop and running at Set from his side. He dove forward, his hands connecting with the mountain side, delivering a massive shockwave to the side of it that shot dust and debris far into the air. Naruto and TenTen quickly backpedaled to a safer distance from the two nin, watching with curiosity from a distance.
"Naruto," yelled Lee, "what the hell's going on? Put me down!" TenTen handed Lee a kunai which he drove quickly into the mountain, holding onto it with his good hand as Naruto allowed him to dangle there, supporting him slightly with a free hand. The dust finally began to clear, showing a massive crater where Set had been moments before. Zeumon was the first to appear, panting heavily, a large grin plastered on his face.
"I got him," he laughed, "let this be an example to anyone who would dare to insult Orochimaru-sama."
"And let this be a testament to his stupidity," came a voice from behind him. Zeumon turned around only to receive a massive side kick from Set, driving him farther up the mountain. Zeumon stared refocused himself back on the mountain's side, coughing heavily as he stared in disbelief at Set. His red bodysuit had been frayed and cut in some areas, but he seemed otherwise intact. "Really now," said Set mockingly, "that was very impressive, but your style lacks… finesse."
Zeumon scowled at Set and charged forward again, readying another shockwave. He slammed his arms into the ground, sending a wave of debris and dust into the air, traveling straight at Set. The shockwave went straight into him, obscuring him completely from view. Naruto watched as Zeumon studied the spot Set had taken the blow intently, looking for any sign of a body. He raised his arms out, readying another blast when suddenly Set reappeared behind him, grabbing both of this arms tightly and holding them outward away from his body. He pulled Zeumon into the air, his legs flailing in the open air.
"Let me show you," said Set darkly, raising a single leg to upward, his knee touching his chest, "how a true artist works." He brought his foot against the small of Zeumon's back in a massive kick. The sound of cracking bone and ripping flesh filled the air as Set separated Zeumon from his arms with a single kick. Zeumon screamed loudly; Naruto could almost feel the pain coming from his voice. Shiaki ran out quickly, catching what was left of Zeumon in his arms before he could freefall down the mountain. Naruto looked on in shock, a similar expression on the faces of Lee and TenTen. He turned his attention up to Set who seemed to be studying the still twitching arms intently. He placed one end of the bloody stump up to his eyes, studying it closer. "The pallet is wrong for this canvas," he said in a bored tone, "it doesn't fit well, see." He drug one of the stumps of the arm against the side of the mountain, a loud screeching sound coming out as bone was drug against stone, leaving a line of dark red blood. Set gave an indignant snort before dropping the arms down the side of the mountain as well, also caught by Shiaki.
"Now," said Set, his tone changing to a very threatening one, "as I said before, I believe your business is done with him. So if you will be so kind as to remove yourself from my presence. You offend my senses."
Shiaki shot a terrified look at Garuda. Although Naruto could not see his face in the darkness, he made a motioning with his head up the mountain, running quickly up it. Shiaki followed suit, carrying an unconscious Zeumon up with him. He gave Set a quick hiss before moving up the mountain and into the clouds above them.
Set watched them leave and quickly turned his attention back to Naruto. He walked slowly towards them, coming down on them from above. "I had wanted to speak to you earlier," said Set nonchalantly, "but I was terribly busy and did not find the time."
"Who the hell are you," said Lee, a very repugnant look on his face. Set raised an eyebrow but then bowed deeply to them.
"Forgive me," he said, "I have not introduced myself. I am Izou Set, genin of the Hidden Cloud; though I would have figured Naruto would tell you about me."
Lee turned to Naruto his face very confused now. "You know this nin Naruto," asked Lee. Naruto nodded slowly, not daring to take his eyes of Set.
"Yes," continued Set, "we met a few days ago. You remember, our little romp through Thunder Capitol, your rage and fury driving you into a mad frenzy.
"You did that," asked TenTen surprised. Naruto looked down at his feet, feeling a pang of guilt and shame for his actions, but nodded.
"Yes," continued Set excitedly, "it was very impressive. I've never met anyone with such raw passion and fury before; it almost seemed otherworldly."
Lee and TenTen looked back and forth between Set and Naruto. Naruto did not focus on them, but kept his eyes on Set. Every time they had confronted each other, there was always an emphasis on his anger, the red chakra. 'What does he want with me,' thought Naruto.
"Interesting predicament you've gotten yourself into."
"Now's not the time for this."
"Sasuke says that anger, rage, and pain were the only true ways to get power as do I. Now this nin seems to believe it so strongly he's begging you to rip him to shreds. The majority seems to agree with the former statement. Perhaps you just need a little incentive."
Naruto could feel the red chakra begin to flow through his veins. He allowed it to; he felt the anger and rage begin to well from deep inside him spreading outward, a furious rage beginning to consume him. He looked up; Set was smiling broadly now, readying himself for a fight. Naruto tensed the muscles in his legs, ready to strike down this nin once and for all.
Out of the corners of his eyes, he caught sight of TenTen and Lee. They were both staring at him with a kind of abhorred shock. Their reaction panged Naruto deep inside of him, a feeling of intense guilt and sadness replacing his feelings of anger. 'I am not a monster,' he thought, feeling the red chakra begin to slowly ooze out of his system, 'and the people who are close to me know this. I will not give in, that is not my way of the ninja.' He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and buried his feelings deep within himself, down into the pit of his soul where no one could find them. He opened his eyes again and confronted Set with clear vision.
"You're not going to manipulate me," he said firmly, "now get out of my sight."
Set stood before him, a look of utter disappointment on his face. He shook his head back and forth slowly, going back to a relaxed position. "No, no, no, no, no," he said, "you're not playing by the rules. Well then, if you're going to cheat and bury your feelings deep within yourself, I am just going to have to cheat as well." He turned around and began to walk up the mountain. When he was out of their sight, Naruto heard his voice one more time. "Just remember Naruto," said Set, "wounds of the flesh do not cut so deep." Naruto waited until he could no longer feel his presence before relaxing again.
"Who was that guy," asked TenTen.
"I'm not sure really," said Naruto, "I didn't even know he was a ninja until now. Anyway it's my problem, and I'll deal with it." Naruto felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly. He looked behind him to see Lee, still hanging from his kunai, a wide grin on his face.
"You are our comrade remember," said Lee, "and your problem is out problem. We will help you for together, there is nothing youthful minds cannot accomplish." He removed his hand from Naruto's shoulder and pumped it into the air, mimicking his sensei's movements.
Naruto smiled warmly at the two of them, but could not help feeling apprehensive. Set had become an unknown factor, and if he was taking this exam, he knew he had not seen the last of him.
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Set jogged quickly up the mountain, smiling to himself. 'We'll see if you can't be manipulated little one,' thought Set.
"Where have you been," came a cold voice from in front of him. Set stopped and allowed Julius to walk forward out of the white mist in front of them, his heavy boots hitting with a metallic clang against the mountain's side. "I had to finish the mission without you," he continued, "We couldn't waste any time."
"So," said Set, "we will be the only three of the Hidden Cloud to make it through this exam." Julius nodded.
"I've disposed of the rest of the Hidden Cloud besides us and Kanitsu Cally, per the Raikage's orders." He turned his back to Set and continued up the mountain's side, attempting to reclaim lost ground. Set followed, his mind elsewhere.
'That rage is buried somewhere deep inside of him,' thought Set, following his brother up the mountain's side, "and one way or another, I'm going to dig it out."
A/N: Sorry this one took so long, just getting through the finals, but things will hopefully be looking up. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and everyone who read.