Wow, more than 30 reviews! I feel popular... ..
Some action this chapter, more on next chapter.
When I mention castles in this chapter, I refer not to European style, but Asian style, like you see in that one part of the Animatrix.
For the record, Mike is pronounced "Mee-kay", not the american way.
I hate this chapter so much. It seems evil and disjointed to me. Once this is up expect more rapid updates for a bit. Chapters 11-33 are all outlined and ready to be written.
This chapter turned out too long, so I am cutting it into two chapters. I personally didn't like a lot of this chapter, I hope you do.
Dragon Man 180: I hadn't thought about that encounter. I like it. Neji's greatest foe, the fearsome Nyurr. (Nyurr: Nyurrr...)(Neji: What the-? Aieeee!)
harukakanata: Maybe some more NejiTenten in future, NaruHina is definetely the primary couple. KibaIno was just a lark, though I may develop it more as the story continues. I will work on others, but NaruHina is my absolute favorite. SasuSaku and ShikaTem are the other major non-OC pairings, but others will be covered.
hizuikaze: w/regard to beta, I'm not exactly sure how that works per se. Thou could'st emaileth me...eth. Forsooth.
Chapter 10 : First Challenge, Infiltration!
That evening...
"Two strikes!"
crack! crack!
"Four strikes!"
Hinata's hands struck the training dummy brutally. Sweat beaded on her pale forehead.
"Eight strikes!"
To the side, Hyuuga Neji smiled. He could hardly believe that the girl in front of him was his cousin Hinata.
"Sixteen strikes!"
The training dummy buckled under the constant rain of blows. Hinata spun, increasing the tempo of her attacks.
"Thirty-two strikes!"
Hinata narrowed her pale veined eyes as she went into the final stage of the attack.
"Sixty-four strikes!"
As she struck the final time, Hinata dropped to her knees, panting heavily, chest heaving.
"H-how was...that?" she breathed.
Neji uncrossed his arms and walked across the room. Activating his Byakugan, he scrutinized the special dummy. It was constructed of cloth, stuffed with material to give it the consistency of a real body. On the body were sixty-four sensors, corresponding to the locations of the body's tenketsu.
"Fifty-eight," he nodded, impressed. "You were able to close fifty-eight tenketsu, Hinata-sama."
Hinata sighed. "I guess I'm still not good enough."
"You need work, but closing ninety percent of an opponent's tenketsus is no mean feat. Granted, in combat you will have to account for an enemy's movement..." he patted her shoulder. "But then again, how long have we been practicing this technique?"
"Two weeks?"
"Exactly. It took me over a month to be able to execute this attack properly on every attempt."
Hinata smiled warmly. She yawned. "Arigatou."
"You should rest. The exam starts tomorrow. The first portion alone will take two days."
She left, massaging her aching muscles.
Neji took down the dummy and stuffed it in the closet. He glanced after his cousin. She had changed. Neji glanced at his own hands. Well, then, so had he. It was difficult to believe, but the reason for the change in both of them was the same: a loudmouthed, self-assured whiskered shinobi. Uzumaki Naruto had given the timid Hyuuga heiress the willpower to stand up for herself and fight for what she believed in, and had shown Neji the insight he needed to rise up and challenge fate.
He looked out the window. "We've grown, Uzumaki Naruto. Show us how you have grown."
"Kabuto," Orochimaru's voice was little more than a whisper. Even so, his call was heard and heeded by the medic-nin.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"
The snake sennin took a long draw from the bottle of sake in front of him. He frowned.
"This body's sense of taste is already shot to hell."
"Don't worry Orochimaru-sama. Sasuke-kun will be ready for the ritual within the year."
"And about his 'attacks'? You haven't forgotten why we are here, have you?"
Kabuto smiled. "Of course not. We'll have the scroll by the end of the week."
"And Konoha?"
"It's as you suspected. They've sent a fair number of shinobi."
"Who?"
Kabuto told him. Orochimaru laughed coldly.
"Old friends, how interesting." He glanced at Kabuto. "We'll have to move carefully. I have no desire to be forced into combat against three Hyuuga."
"As far as I'm concerned, there are two," Kabuto responded. "The girl is of no consequence. From what I have seen, she is weak-willed and unconfident. No real threat."
"I see." The sennin closed his eyes. "Go speak to your team. And give dear Nhaki this," Orochimaru tossed a small piece of machinery to Kabuto. "This should help with some of his mask's filtering problems."
"Yes, sir." Kabuto left, leaving Orochimaru alone in the room. He leaned back against the wall and rapped it lightly. A door in the wall slid open.
"You rang, Orochimaru-sama?"
"Yes, Chieko. I have a very delicate job for you and Rika."
The woman scratched her head, toying with her short brown hair. "If you want stealth, shouldn't you have brought Masker and Shroud?"
Orochimaru glared at Chieko, who cringed. He chose to forgive her impertinence and glanced away. "Masker and Shroud are too distinctive. Besides, they are busy with a different mission."
"Nova."
Orochimaru turned one eye upon her. "You and Rika are to fetch a certain scroll for me from the office of the Tsuchikage."
"I think I know the one."
"I want this clean. No fatalities, if you can help it."
Chieko smiled. "No fatalities. Guess that's why you left poor Mike back at the village."
"Yes, your paramour would have been far too likely to simply attempt to burn everything to the ground."
"Thinking has never been a strong suit with his family."
"Orochimaru-sama?"
"What now?"
"I just thought...doesn't Tsuchikage know that you have four bodyguards with you? Won't she be suspicious if there are only two of us present with you during the final stages of the exam?"
"Don't worry about that, Bunraku will cover for you. No one will be the wiser so long as they do not scrutinize you too closely."
"I understand." She left Orochimaru's presence, traveling down the hall to a smaller room. Entering without fanfare, she took in the room's contents. Three of Orochimaru's fellow bodyguards were also there. In the corner, sitting on a small stool, an old man slept, snoring gently, his tall hat slightly askew. His breath caused his large wide mustache to wave about. Standing on the other side of the room was a younger man, with short spiked black hair. He wore a pair of headphones on his head, and danced in place to the music, which was loud enough for Chieko to hear the song's techno beat from where she stood. Chieko made her way to the last figure, a young , androgynous figure with silver, shoulder-length hair who was lying on a futon. Chieko dug her toe into the sleeper's side.
"Yo, Rika."
"mmm...what?" Rika's silver eyes snapped open and alert.
"Looks like we'll be picking up some reading material for Orochimaru-sama."
"Is that right?"
Chieko informed her teammate of the details.
"No killing? That's no good."
"Maybe you can kill someone after the exam."
Chieko flopped down on her own futon. She glared over at her dancing comrade, who appeared to be moonwalking in place and headbanging at the same time.
"Oy, Akira! Turn that down!" Chieko flipped a kunai at him. Without missing a beat, the sound-nin caught the kunai between two fingers and continued dancing.
Rika rummaged through a pouch. "Here," Rika tossed a pair of earplugs to Chieko. "Extra pair."
"Thanks," she gestured at Akira again. "He's noisy, but it could be worse."
"How?"
"If Taikomi had come along she would have kept us up all night practicing her drumming."
Rika snorted. "And if Mike were here, the two of you would make so much noise together it would be impossible for the rest of us to sleep."
Chieko smiled mischeviouly. "I guess so."
Rika jabbed a thumb at the snoring geriatric in the corner. "Let's take a lesson from Bunraku over there and get some sleep."
The next morning...
"Are they going to sleep all morning? Geez," Sakura muttered as she stood over her two teammates. It was almost eleven o'clock and neither one of them had stirred. Sakura had been up since seven, preparing herself for the ordeal ahead. As she looked down at her lazy teammates, she tapped her foot. Her eye twitched dangerously.
"Lazy little-" she adjusted her skirt. Suddenly, she developed a wicked grin.
Inner Sakura's expression matched Sakura's own. Wakey wakey boys...
SPLASH!
Naruto and Shikamaru awoke sputtering as water cascaded over their heads.
"What the-?"
"Aaackk!"
Sakura stood triumphantly above them, hands overhead clutching an empty bucket.
"What was that for?" Naruto protested.
"A bucket of water? How original," Shikamaru grunted.
Sakura dropped the bucket on his head.
"Itai," he sighed. "Troublesome woman."
"Get ready you lazy bastards! This exam is important."
"Fine, give us a couple minutes."
Thirty minutes later, the three walked through the streets toward the arena. Following the path they had taken the previous day, they made their way to the arena and went down the stairs to the appointed meeting place.
Naruto stopped them as they entered the auditorium. "Just a second."
He concentrated quickly.
(Alright Kyuubi, show me the way.)
(He's in the same place he was last time, kit.)
Naruto opened his eyes. "All right, this way."
Shikamaru and Sakura each raised an eyebrow. They followed Naruto across the room. In the corner, just as before, they found Gaara and his siblings.
"I imagine he told you where to find me," Gaara stated, eyes still closed. Naruto only nodded.
"I would guess that you three are here for the same reasons as us," Temari said.
"Orochimaru."
"Among other things."
"Speaking of things," Shikamaru asked haltingly. "Where's that tan monster?"
"Nyurr is sleeping. He probably won't wake up for hours," Gaara informed them.
"Thank god," everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Say, Kankurou," Naruto began. "Looks like you got a new puppet." He pointed to the three long scrolls on Kankurou's back.
"Oh yeah, the Salamander," Kankurou grinned. "I finally finished it."
"So, what does it do?"
"A great puppeteer does not reveal the secrets of his puppetry until the proper moment in the performance."
Gaara gestured to Naruto. "Uzumaki, I would speak with you. Alone."
The two of them walked off to the side.
"What's up?"
"Any sign of Akatsuki since that one incident you mentioned?"
"No, nothing yet. Why?"
Gaara looked out over the sea of faces. "It's been too quiet. This exam is the perfect oppurtunity for them to make a move of some sort. I have sensed far too many strange chakras among the exam participants."
"Funny how?"
"It varies," Gaara closed his eyes. "Some of them stand out because they're so much stronger than those around them. Others are odd because they seem to be almost nonexistant."
"If it's nonexistant how can you tell it's there?"
"I said almost. Anyway, some people around here seem to be actively cloaking their chakra, making it extremely difficult to guage."
"Why would someone do that?"
"It makes it difficult for people to notice you," Gaara nodded over to one side. "That cat-faced shinobi and his team are all like that. A couple of others too...like that team of Grass-nin."
Naruto nodded.
"We should be careful. There are many dangerous ninja here, Uzumaki Naruto. We must be extremely vigilant to protect our precious people." He glanced back at his siblings.
Naruto gave a huge grin. "No problem."
Gaara's mouth twitched.
"Everybody, thank you for coming!" came a voice from the podium. The Jounin from the previous day had reappeared his former place. "I am the proctor for the first challenge. My name is Hida Dajan. This portion of the exam will take place over the next two days. This will weed out the weakest three-fourths of you." Dajan smiled at the whispering his comment had generated. "Four teams at a time will be taken through the tunnels to the Vale of Castles. Once you are there, you will be instructed as to the specifics of the task." He pointed his sheathed katana at the wall behind him. "Without further ado, let's get started with the first four teams. When your numbers are announced please follow me through that door."
Naruto and his companions tensed.
"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. Temari snorted.
"Let's see...TEAM 25!" Dajan drew a tag from a bag at his waist. Projected on the wall behind him now was the number 25, the symbol of Stone village, and snapshots of rugged looking Stone shinobi. There was a stir in the crowd as team 25 began moving towards the indicated door.
"TEAM 31!" came the next call. Pictures of three Rain-nin appeared below the first team.
"Doesn't look like anyone special."
"Next we have...TEAM 43!"
Naruto's eyes widened as their own pictures appeared on the wall next.
"Hey, it's us!" he clenched his fist. "Time to show what we're made of!"
"Let's get on with it," Shikamaru scuffed the ground with his foot. He sighed. "Why did I agree to this?"
"Be careful," Gaara told them.
"Don't get killed," Kankurou offered.
"Don't embarass yourselves," Temari finished, looking straight at Shikamaru.
"Heh."
"And lastly, we have TEAM 1!" A trio of Grass-nin had appeared on the wall. Two of them appeared to be brothers, but the last one...was different. His skin was strangely wrinkled, as though it was too small for him. Wide, pupiless eyes gave the man a mad look. A shock of spiky hair protruded from his head. His closed mouth was stretched wide in an inhuman smirk.
"Naruto," hissed Gaara urgently. "It's them! The ones I told you about."
"Hmm?"
"Be careful with them, especially the one in the middle. You won't be able to tell exactly how strong they are, so don't let your guard down. I get a bad feeling about them."
"Right," he turned to Sakura and Shikamaru. "Shall we?"
Sakura smiled. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. With that, the Leaf shinobi made their way to the far door.
Beyond the door was a long hallway of brown stone. It was dark, lit only by small light fixtures at regular intervals. The lights were of low quality, flickering things. The lights caused Naruto's shadow to jump and dance like a thing possessed. After walking for nearly five minutes, they came to a spiral stone staircase descending even deeper into the earth.
"Creepy," moaned Sakura. As she said this, the staircase opened out into a small room. Large double doors stood across from the entrance. The other three teams were already waiting there. Most of them barely gave the kids a second glance, but one of them had seemed to have taken an interest in them. It was the tall thin ninja from Hidden Grass. He was leaning against a wall next to a light, relishing in the illumination. He squinted at the Leaf-nin and parted his lips, revealing a sharp-toothed grin. his skin was very dark, seemingly painted on, though it was difficult to tell in the light available. His partners stood dully at his side.
"Hello children," he breathed. His eyes sparkled. "You're awfully young to be taking such a competitive exam, aren't you?" He adjusted his odd green outfit, which seemed to be composed of leaves. "Then again, that's not my business." He coughed, giving off a rough, acidic smell.
Naruto wrinkled his nose.
The shinobi looked at the three of them. "I am interested in seeing what you can do." His eye rested on Naruto. "Very interested indeed."
"Everybody here? Excellent." Hida Dajan entered, closing the door behind him. "If we're all ready to begin..." he walked over to the far door and touched a small panel. The doors hissed open. "Welcome to the Vale of Castles."
Before the assembled ninja was an incredible sight. A large cavern, miles across. Its ceiling was dotted to resemble the night sky. The cavern floor was modified to resemble an actual forest valley. Trees were planted in the earth and small streams could be seen running through the woods. At the center of the cavern stood an immense castle, dark and imposing in the light of hundreds and torches. Smaller castles could be seen scattered around the cave.
"Whoa, it's huge," Naruto marveled.
"Indeed," Dajan responded. "This cavern is one of our prime night training zones. It's always night underground. Anyway, where was I?" He scratched his head with his sheathed blade. "Ah yes, the objective of this test is to rescue the prisoner."
"Prisoner?" grunted one of the Rain-nin. "What prisoner?"
Dajan gestured at the smaller castles. "One of those small castles contains a 'prisoner' that you must retrieve and bring to an extraction point. The catch is, you don't know what castle the target is in. The information revealing the location of the prisoner can be found inside that castle." He pointed at the central castle. "A scroll inside the guard captain's room will reveal the prisoner's location. From the start of the challenge, you will have four hours to secure the prisoner or...you all fail."
Naruto gulped.
"The castles are guarded of course. The guards are nonshinobi mercenaries so I must stress...no killing. Nonfatal means for subduing the enemy only. If you cause the death of a guard or other exam participant during this stage, instant disqualification. You may fight guards or your rivals, but you must not kill them. I must also mention that the primary focus of this test is stealth, so if you are detected, things will become much more difficult for everyone."
The creepy Grass-nin sniggered. Dajan glanced at him.
"All right," he pointed at several lights along the wall closest to them. Within each light was visible a number, corresponding to the team numbers. "Those are your start and extraction locations. Once all teams are in position, the clock will start. Good luck to you all." He turned and left, whistling. The four teams separated and began making their way towards their start locations.
Team 43 arrived at their space along the south wall. Awaiting them was a Chuunin of hidden stone. He nodded to them as they approached. Drawing a light bomb from his pouch, he tossed it high into the air. The burst of light was answered by three others. Seconds later, a green flash came from the entrance.
"That's the signal," said the Chuunin. "Go!"
Naruto and the others took off at a run.
Meanwhile, the team of Grass-nin was moving almost idly. The leader seemed to be enjoying himself as he strode through the trees. He closed his eyes briefly and then smiled. He accelerated his movement rate.
"Aira," came a small voice from his collar. The shinobi glanced at the flower in his collar.
"What, is it Itachi? I'm stalking."
"Orders have come through," Itachi's voice emanated from the flower. "You are not to take the nine-tails at this time."
"Really? How irritating."
"The master wants us to watch the boy's progress through the exam. We will not take him until the finals, at the earliest. You are to insure that his team wins this challenge."
Aira sniffed. "I guess that means I won't be able to kill his teammates and friends before his eyes."
"That can wait."
"All right," Aira sighed. "I'll ensure Uzumaki's success." He tugged the flower off his collar and tossed it away. Itachi was always such a spoilsport. Aira would have to kill someone during this exam. If Naruto's team was off-limits, then perhaps someone else.
He glanced at his teammates. "Useless puppets. I don't see how Sasori does it." His two 'teammates' were in fact nothing more than special puppets composed entirely out of plant matter. These were special in that he did not control them through chakra strings attached to his fingers, but rather by vines that were connected to his flesh. They were a part of him. Aira shrugged and continued on his way. He would safeguard Uzumaki Naruto for the time being. But his roots would need blood soon.
"It'll be hard being stealthy with you wearing that loud orange thing, Naruto," Shikamaru pointed out.
"I can fix that." Naruto quickly pulled off his jacket and turned it inside out. Now, most of the orange was hidden, replaced instead by black. "Better?"
"I suppose," Shikamaru glanced up at the huge castle in front of them. "Man, this isn't going to be easy. How about we just wait for one of the other teams to come out and then follow them?"
"No way," said Sakura. "That's too risky. For one, we might miss the other team as they leave. For another, everyone else may have the same idea, and we'll be stuck waiting."
"Let's just bust in there quickly and take the damn scroll!" Naruto piped up.
"Quickly, yes. Bust in, no," Shikamaru responded. "If we're going in there we're going to have to be fast, but subtle."
"Oh yeah, subtle. I can do that."
"You're the absolute soul of subtlety, Naruto," Shikamaru said sarcastically.
"Heh."
"All right," Shikamaru scanned the walls of the building. "There!" he pointed. We'll climb up there, the guards seem to be less numerous there and the area is dark. If we're cautious, we should be able to get inside and go from there."
The three withdrew climbing spikes from their pouches and began to climb. They climbed the outer wall quickly, then quietly leapt down and ducked into the shadows. The Konoha shinobi quietly made their way to the main building. Guards in simple loose-fitting brown and gray outfits patrolled back and forth, their heads covered by masked helmets. The main doors were flanked by four guards with wooden spears.
"Lucky us," Shikamaru whispered. "Those outfits, combined with Henge no jutsu should make disguising ourselves much easier." He looked around. "Let's get some uniforms."
"Can't we just use Henge?" Naruto asked.
"Real uniforms will make our disguise all the more authentic." Shikamaru picked out a group of three guards patrolling near the outer walls. "There we go." They began stalking their victims.
Two minutes later, three guards sauntered out of the shadows towards the doors. One clapped a hand to his eye and moaned.
"Bastard stuck his thumb in my eye. I can hardly see."
Another turned to him. "Quiet Naruto! You'll blow our cover."
The third sighed. "Just let me do the talking." He gave a slight wave to the gate guards, which one or two returned. They passed through the door without incident and found themselves in a bright entrance hall. A number of stairways and halls branched outwards.
"Let's just pick a direction," Shikamaru muttered.
"How 'bout up those stairs?" Naruto suggested.
"Eh, why not?"
At the top of the staircase was another hallway. An hour of wandering later, they still hadn't found anything.
This is getting nowhere," Naruto moaned. "We're going in circles."
"I know. I think I may have a plan," Shikamaru kept walking. Ahead at a junction, a pair of guards stood idly. As they approached, Shikamaru turned to Naruto and said loudly. "Aw, man! I think we're lost."
One of the guards perked up. "Lost again? I know, this castle's pretty complicated. I still only know how to get to a handful of places myself. Where you headed?"
"Right outside the captain's room."
"Oh, don't worry, you're pretty close," the other guard chimed in, jerking a thumb down a passageway. "Just head down there and take the second left, then the first right after that. Then you just head straight for a little ways and you're there. You can't miss it."
"Thanks, wandering around in this place is so troublesome," Shikamaru tapped the ground with his spearbutt.
The first guard laughed. "Yeah, this job is so fucked up. We're supposed to guard this castle from infiltration and we're instructed not to act as though we suspect anything." He shook his spear. "And we don't even 'ave proper weapons. I'll be glad when this job's done."
"You and me both," Naruto intoned mournfully. The guard laughed again. The three moved away, down the path indicated by the guard. As soon as the guards were out of sight and earshot, Naruto clapped Shikamaru on the back.
"You're a genius," he told him.
"I know."
"Shhhhh," Sakura cautioned them. "We're not done yet."
Sure enough, the guard's direction led them true, straight to a pair of solid oak doors, flanked by a pair of guards.
"The captain in?" queried Shikamaru.
The guard waved a hand absently. "Nah, he's out at...wait a minute, who are you?"
"We're your relief," Naruto told them.
"Our relief? But we just went on duty thirty minutes ago-" The guard leveled his spear. "You're not-oomph!"
CRACK!
Naruto's spear shaft had snapped out and smashed both guards in the gut. Following through, he dealt them both a strike to the back of the neck, knocking them out.
"Believe me, I am very oomph."
Sakura snorted, then looked worried. "Now what?"
Shikamaru checked the unconcious guards. He stood up, a key in hand.
"We dump them in the office. You two wait here, and I'll get the data."
Shikamaru entered the captain's office, dragging the guards behind him. Naruto and Sakura took up positions outside the office. Ten minutes later, Shikamaru emerged, scroll in hand.
"Let's go. Quickly, but not too quickly. Let's not raise the alarm before we have to."
They set off at a brisk walk. Passing nonchallantly past other guards, they wound their way towards the entrance hall. Emerging out at the top of the staircase, they were greeted by a piercing whistle. They tensed.
"What happened?" asked one of the guards.
"Three of ours! Knocked out, outside the main building! Uniforms taken."
"Damn! That means they're inside."
"Come on," Shikamaru whispered. Hefting their spears, they hustled down the stairs in a very businesslike manner. They tromped up to the door.
"What are you lot doing?" asked a door guard. "It's a lock down, and-" his eyes widened.
"We don't have time for that," snarled Sakura, slamming the man through the door with her shoulder. The man landed, stunned.
"Run!" Naruto yelped. The Konoha shinobi sprinted into the courtyard, amid outraged shouts. They ran and dodged, skidding to a stop near the wall. Twenty guards were hot on their heels.
Shikamaru turned around. "Take the scroll and go!"
"But-"
Shikamaru brought his hands together. "I've got this." His shadow undulated and sped for the guards, splitting into twenty.
"Kage mane no jutsu successful," he said with a smirk.
"We've got them! West wall!" one guard shouted.
"Got me?"
"Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru glanced back, spotting Naruto's outstretched hand. He stepped backward, the guards in front of him doing the same. Bending at the knees, he flung himself into a backflip, releasing the shadow bind in midair. Unprepared for their regained control, most of the guards landed painfully. Shikamaru, however, easily caught Naruto's hand and pulled himself up the wall.
"Where are they?"
"They went up the wall!"
"After them!"
"NO!" a voice cut in.
"Captain?"
"If they make it out of the castle, we are not to give pursuit. Lockdown is still in effect. No one else is getting in."
"Yes sir."
"This is a test, an examination. The defense of this castle has several flaws, intentional flaws that allow a lucky or skilled team to succeed. Those three were either very lucky or very good." The captain laughed. "Who's to say which one it is..."
Naruto's team stuck to the shadows, running along the top of the wall, their bodies low. They hid in the shadow of the main gate.
Shikamaru took out the scroll and unfurled it carefully. "Let's see," he mused, glancing at it. According to this, the prisoner is at the northwest building on the top floor."
"Let's get moving, then," Sakura said, preparing to jump.
"Wait," interrupted Naruto. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be concentrating. "Someone's waiting. Watching."
"What?"
"Someone's out there. I imagine they plan to follow us to the prisoner."
"A viable strategy."
"We'll see," Naruto opened his eyes and grinned.
"Oy, Hochiu. They moved yet?"
"Not yet," the Rain-nin shifted slightly. "You'll know when they do. Wait, something's happening!"
Three dark figures could be seen clearly atop the wall now. Pausing briefly, they jumped into the trees and began rushing through the forest.
"They're moving! Go!" The team of Rain-nin moved quickly, following their marks at a safe distance.
Five minutes later, three other figures leapt down from the wall.
"How did you know?"
"Call it intuition." Naruto closed his eyes.
(I owe you one, Fox.)
(My pleasure.) came the faint reply. Naruto broke contact with his demonic tenant.
"Yosh! Let's hurry! Those Kage bunshins should keep them out of our way for a while."
Team 25, from the village of Stone, lay in wait. Their leader, Odei Arato, had decided that rather than bother with running around and sneaking, they would simply intercept enemy teams on the way back to the starting location. To aid in enemy detection, Arato had placed a large number of delicate wires all around the four extraction points. All these wires led back to a central point where the team waited for any sign of movement. After three hours of waiting, Arato had nearly given up hope. Then something happened. He felt the slightest tug on his right little finger, then another, stronger tug.
"Right hand...that's team 43. Let's get in position."
"This is almost too easy, bro."
"I know, they're just heading in a straight line, they won't know what hit 'em." Quickly disconnecting the strings, Arato and his team rushed to an area of dense growth to wait for the Konoha shinobi. Squatting down, they readied their weapons. Arato drew a sickle and chain, giving the weighted end a test spin. His teammates hefted a large hammer and a pair of double-sided kunai, respectively. The grass seemed to rustle in the wind. Only there was no wind...
"Wait...what?" Arato gaped, as the rustling increased.
"Is it those brats?" hissed the hammer-weilder.
"I'm afraid not," came an amused voice from behind Arato. "Just me."
In a flash, the three of them were suddenly engulfed by vines. Crouched behind Arato loomed the sinister figure of Aira. His two minions had bodily thrown themselves on Arato's teammates, wrapping them with their own bodies.
Arato was the only one whose mouth was uncovered. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Not important. My only concern is the success of my mission."
The vines tightened. Arato winced.
"Be silent now," Aira covered Arato's mouth with his hand. "Here they come."
Sure enough, Sakura, Shikamaru and Naruto had just entered the clearing. Two of Naruto's Kage Bunshin were carrying the prisoner, a man-shaped bundle of wood and cloth.
"That was easy, ne, Sakura-chan?"
"A lot easier than breaking into the other place."
"Feh. It's all troublesome to me," Shikamaru spat to the side as he ran.
Seconds later, they were gone. Aira's gaze swiveled back to his prisoner. The vines tightened further.
"What are you doing, you bastard?" gasped Arato. "You can't kill us, you'll be-"
"I don't care about that," Aira interrupted. "I promised myself I would kill someone today."
Without warning, the vines abruptly sprouted immense thorns and tightened inward, scything defenseless flesh. Arato and the rest of team 25 were shredded and crushed, blood squirting from between the vines. Arato's final scream was soon silenced as the vines slashed his throat, severing his head.
Naruto looked up. Something was wrong. He stopped briefly and turned around. The others stopped too.
"What was that noise?"
Shikamaru squinted. "Dunno,"
Sakura wrinkled her nose. "That smell, it's..."
"Blood," Naruto finished.
"We don't have time for this, we need to finish the exam," cautioned Shikamaru.
"Someone could be in trouble!" Naruto shot back, taking off at a run, snatching the prisoner from the clones as he ran past.
"Oy, wait up, Naruto!" Sakura called after him.
Shaking his head, Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome idiot."
Blood dripped slowly from his fingers.
Drip...
Drip...
Aira glanced down at the pool of blood. Killing was certainly messy, but the rewards were well worth it. Blood made good fertilizer. He dipped his hands in again and marveled at its vibrant red color. Hearing a noise, he glanced up.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Good day to you."
Naruto dropped the prisoner with a thunk. His eyes widened in shock and he shivered involuntarily. Three mutilated bodies were scattered through the undergrowth, their blood spread everywhere. He looked up at the tall Grass-nin before him and his eyes hardened.
"What did you do, you son of a bitch?"
Next Chapter: First Challenge, Confrontation!
Author Note: Heh, semi-cliffie this chapter. The conclusion of the first section of the Dragon Exam should be up this week. Expect more regular updates.
Gonna be some fightin' between Aira and the Konoha team next chap, as well as brief highlights from Gaara's team, Edo's team, the Sound trio, and the Cloud hunter-nin.
If need be, I will edit this chapter and correct any mistakes, but right now it is 3:35 am and I will just upload this and go to bed.
R+R Please!
