Title: Covenant
Author: bubblytokki
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.
A big thanks to my beta reader Vash the unholy.. ^^ Thanks~~!
AU. Why stay in a village that loathed him?
Pairings: Probably none. I find that pairings or focusing on them hinder my stories… so gomen nasai. ^^
Chapter 8-Examination
The examination was boring. Drool dripped from the side of Naruto's mouth as he struggled to stay awake. Slurping his drool back into his mouth, he looked around blearily. Technically, he was supposed to come here with his other teammates. But Sakura was acting weird and it disturbed him. She was actually paying attention to him and it was really annoying. Sasuke had decided to fix the look of death on his face, making him unpleasant company. So, here he was waiting in the back of the classroom, in a room full of other irritating genins and he was sleepy as he waited for the rest of his team.
Wiping the drool away with his sleeve, Naruto struggled to find a comfortable position to take a nap. Luckily, most of the other genins were silent, estimating each other with the intent to kill. He was just about to nod off to the land of happy sheep when loud noises from the entrance woke him. Grumbling, he lazily opened an eye to glance down at more leaf genins.
This weird yellow girl was slobbering over Sasuke. Which was entertaining enough. Strangely, Sakura was looking around the room. She was supposed to be slobbering over Sasuke too. Strange, Naruto thought before he shrugged and the thoughts fled his mind. They were other genins that probably graduated from his class, but Naruto really couldn't care less about them. Except for the one with a pineapple ponytail. Annoyance and laziness dripped from his posture, and unwillingly, Naruto was intrigued.
Intelligent. Wow… I never knew there was someone with some intelligence in our class. Naruto's interest was piqued and he was about to jump down to introduce himself, when another person with ponytails intervened before him. Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the newcomer.
Platinum hair was tied back and a leaf village forehead protector graced his head. Round rimmed glassed perched itself on the tip of the guy's nose and his eyes shimmered malignantly. Obviously, the other genins did not feel the strange aura because they seemed to be listening aptly to whatever the guy had to say.
Spy… Naruto smiled maliciously. This examination would be more fun than he thought. Especially with the leased chakra and the disturbing bloodline limit that emanated from the strange guy.
Speaking of strange guys, he recalled he needed to find Gaara. Naruto stayed in his hidden corner as he used his enhanced eyes to see through people and find this strange 'Gaara of the sand.' He looked for sand forehead protectors and came across a group of three people who seemed to be around his age. One of them had a weird gourd strapped to his back. That must be him. If anything, Naruto admired the brat to be able to reign in the killing intent that leaked from the gourd. He must enjoy killing. Hmm… I wonder what onii chan wants me to do with him. Ah well.. I'll find out soon enough. For now, I guess I will observe him.
He directed his attention back at his teammates. He couldn't have them die from their own stupidity. This examination seemed to require some form of teamwork and that meant the other two must be alive. Or at least breathing he supposed.
Leisurely stretching, Naruto walked down to greet his tardy teammates.
"Yo," he said casually as he waved one hand at Sakura. Sasuke didn't seem very receptive to any greetings at the moment.
He laughed as Sakura pointed at him in anger. "You… You.. where were you?!" she demanded, a tiny trail of smoke rising from her ears.
"Ehehehe…" He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I was napping… up there," Naruto answered cheerfully, pointing to the corner where he had been sitting earlier.
Sakura shrieked as she dove to choke him. Naruto evaded her easily and playfully pulled at her hair. "You should cut your hair Sakura… it gets in the way," he noted with a mocking voice. He shot a glare full of killing intent toward the platinum haired genin and turned to smile at Sakura.
She was seething. The tiny trail of smoke became a huge billow as she charged at him again. Smiling so that his eyes were happy half moons, Naruto stopped Sakura by placing his finger on her forehead. Leaning over to her side he whispered softly, "Sakura.. chan… You don't want to bring unwarranted attention on your cute little self do you? Be quiet."
Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. His smile hardened as he turned to face the platinum haired genin.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Genin, abilities unknown. Said in passing he wanted to be the Hokage."
"So.. what about it?" He asked coolly, allowing some killing intent to seep out.
"Oh.. I beg your pardon. My name is Kabuto," Kabuto said in a friendly manner.
Naruto gazed at Kabuto steadily. "Don't interfere with my teammates. You'll regret it."
Kabuto looked back at him, as if he was measuring his strengths and weaknesses. "We'll see about that won't we?"
Naruto laughed mirthlessly and pointedly ignored Kabuto as he turned to introduce himself to the pineapple haired genin.
"Oy…" he said energetically as he waved his arms in front of his peer. Annoyed obsidian eyes glared back at him.
"What do you want idiot?" drawled the boy. Speaking seemed to bothersome for him. Naruto genuinely smiled. He's my type of guy.
"What's your name?" He was really curious.
"Nara Shikamaru. Shouldn't you introduce yourself when you are asking for someone's name," Shikamaru commented dryly, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Naruto. Let's be friends neh? I'll protect you," he offered, expecting to be rejected. It was a weird suggestion in the first place and had slipped out of his mouth before he could reign it in.
"Che. Sure, less bothersome for me," Shikamaru answered lazily. Naruto had a feeling if drooling wasn't a social taboo, Shikamaru would be drooling right now.
He glanced over at the chubby guy eating potato chips. "I'll protect him too," he continued as he pointed at Shikamaru's friend. At least, it felt as if they were friends.
"Chouji?" Shikamaru's voice softened. "I'd appreciate it."
"You're funny."
"Che… I'd say that of you. What kind of idiot asks someone he meets for the first time to be his friend anyway?"
Naruto grinned unabashedly as he pointed to himself. "I do, if I think that person is worth my time."
"Naruto kun," Sakura meekly interrupted. She nervously twined her hair between her fingers. "Will you protect me too? I know.. that.. I haven't been the best teammate. But.. I'd like to try harder!" Determination gleamed in her eyes and Naruto scrutinized her face before nodding.
"Of course.. You're my teammate. Don't worry Sakura chan, we'll get out of this easily!"
She looked relieved and Naruto contemplated this new change. Maybe.. she's growing up.
Sasuke was still glaring at him, and Naruto sighed in defeat. "Sasuke.. if you keep glaring like that, you're going to get nasty wrinkles. Besides, we have to work as a team. So deal with it."
"Hn."
Seeing that was the best answer he'd receive, Naruto gestured that they all sit down. It was about time the first examination started anyway.
The moment they sat down, a weird guy with scars all over his face wearing a navy trench coat entered the classroom. Cruel eyes glared at each of the examinees as he strode to the center of the room.
He's somewhat strong, Naruto noted eagerly. Maybe, he'd have more of a challenge. But first he would have to pass the test.
"My name is Morino Ibiki. I'm your first examination proctor. Your first exam is a written test." Morino declared in an intimidating voice. It was gravelly, almost as if it was used only to imbue fear on his victims. He pulled a chalk from his pocket and began to write on the chalkboard with a harsh scratching sound.
Naruto smirked as he read the rules that Morino was writing.
No cheating. If you are caught cheating you will fail the test.
No talking.
If one person fails, the team fails.
Soo.. this guy must be an interrogator, Naruto mused thoughtfully.
"I'm assuming all of you can read so I will not humiliate you by reading the rules out loud," Morino declared, steely eyes glinting coldly at them. "The test is one hour long. The last question will be revealed at the 45 minute mark. There will be proctors at the end of every aisle to observe you." Glancing at his watch, Morino yelled out sharply, "You may begin!"
Naruto turned over the test paper and he grinned. There was no way a mere genin would be able to answer these questions. Thus, showing that the purpose of this exam was all about information collection. However, the fact that there was a last questions was suspicious. Shrugging, Naruto folded his arms on the table and leaned his head against them. He really needed a nap and this exam really wasn't as difficult as he thought. Given that the Morino Ibiki person was a professional interrogator, it was only natural that a tense cheating situation would be created to weed out the weaklings. Which was fine with him, he just wanted to take a nap.
"Number 135, fail," a sharp voice declared. The failure stood up in protest.
"I wasn't cheating!"
"The teammates of number 135, please leave the classroom."
"You bastard!"
There was a slight scuffle and the sound of someone being carried out. Naruto yawned and adjusted his arms for a more comfortable position. He still had thirty minutes to take a nap.
Many other numbers were called and finally, the proctor began to speak again. Naruto looked up blearily and noted that there were now fifteen minutes left in the examination.
"It is now time for the final question. This question is worth 100% of your grade. Just as a note, if you get this question wrong, you will relinquish your right to take the chuunin examination for the rest of your life. If you give up now, you can retake the examination in six months. To give up, just raise your hands and leave the room. If your teammate gives up, the team must go."
A tense minute passed. Many shaking hands went up in the air timidly. Naruto snorted quietly, it was best if they left now if they had so little courage. He didn't bother to look at the people who were leaving, they weren't worth his time. Another five minutes passed before the proctor spoke.
"All right. There are nine teams left. Not bad," Smiling to reveal crinkly eyes, Morino clapped his hands. "Congratulations! You all pass!"
Suddenly, there was a chakra force rushing toward the room. Naruto tensed and controlled himself attacking. He had a feeling this was another strange examiner.
Glass shattered and a human cannonball twisted in the air before landing deftly on two feet. She perused the classroom before speaking loudly. Obnoxiously. He groaned. She looked like a female Shikamaru except uglier and more rude with a maniacal sparkle in her eyes.
"Nine teams eh Ibiki? Not too bad. Still a little more than I expected. I guess you're losing your touch," she said snidely before turning back the class. "Well, I'm Mitarashi Anko and I'll be your second examiner. You are expected to be at the entrance of the forest of death by noon. You are dismissed!" Anko yelled out enthusiastically, a disturbing gleam in her eyes.
She's bloodthirsty…ah well. Doesn't matter.
Sluggishly, Naruto stood up and stretched as he walked over to his teammates.
"I'm going to go eat lunch, anyone wanna join me?" he offered for fun.
Sakura looked at him thoughtfully and nodded.
"What about you Sasuke?"
"Hnnn," was the only answer he got.
Naruto smiled maliciously. "You're too good to eat with your teammates eh, Uchiha Sasuke kun. Tsk tsk.. as Kakashi sensei would say.. where is the teamwork?"
He easily dodged the clumsy punch and continued to rile up Sasuke even more. Even Itachi had a wider array of emotions than this idiot. "If you're an avenger, you need to be able to do more than hate idiot. You need something to protect to avenge something you have lost," he continued seriously, eyes open to reveal deep blue eyes, lacking the mischievous luster they usually held. "You can only become strong when you have someone to protect," he finished softly before he turned on his heel and gestured at Sakura to go eat, leaving a stunned Sasuke behind.
Maybe, Itachi's little brother needed a heart, just like his older brother. It must run in the blood, he thought wryly as he smiled cheerfully at Sakura.
"Let's eat ramen! Is that all right with you?"
"Yeah…as long as we don't eat it all the time. Okay?" Sakura answered happily, relief showing in her eyes that severe violence hadn't broken out between her teammates.
He nodded eagerly. "Since I'm feeling nice… I'll put it on Kakashi sensei's tab."
Somewhere in Konoha, chatting with his fellow jounins, Kakashi sneezed twice.
Sakura grinned openly back at him in agreement. Naruto would train her to become stronger, so she wouldn't die. She seemed to want to make the effort now that her obvious infatuation with Sasuke died down. It was his duty as her teammate after all.
~~
The gates opened and they were off. Or more accurately, they walked into the forest of death warily. Well, Naruto just strolled in, arms behind his head. He stiffened as he sensed the chakra of Itachi.
Itachi. He's here.
"Hey, sorry to do this to you guys, but how about we meet up again soon. I have something to do. Stay alive till then, and run if you have to, I'll be back as soon as I can," Naruto said apologetically as he turned and disappeared.
He zeroed in on the chakra and appeared before his adopted onii chan. Worry clouded his features as he took in the gaunt features and fathomless Sharingan eyes. Itachi looked exhausted and Naruto rushed to catch him as Itachi crumpled toward the ground.
"Naruto," came the faint whisper.
Holding him gently, Naruto looked for any serious wounds and realized Itachi's exhaustion was due to just that, he had over-exerted himself.
"Baka onii chan! How could you forget to eat?!" Naruto reprimanded as he dug through his own pack to look for rations. Knowing Itachi, he probably forgot to take care of himself. Geniuses it seemed, tended to lack common sense. Finding the rations, he pulled them out and placed it under Itachi's lips. "Here, chew slowly."
He relaxed as Itachi obediently ate and silently handed him water to wash it down. With the food intake, Itachi's color seemed to be better, albeit a bit on the pale side. He even had the grace to look sheepish.
"I was watching over you otouto chan," Itachi replied softly.
Shaking his head in frustration, Naruto leaned Itachi against the trunk of a towering tree.
"That doesn't mean you have to fall on old habits and forget to take care of yourself! Sheesh. I knew I should have just searched for you those months ago! What were you thinking just dropping me off here and leaving?! Why didn't you stay with me? I thought you were my onii chan…" the words tumbled out as he clutched Itachi's cloak. "I thought that of all people, you at least, would stay by my side. Why? If you were nearby, why didn't you come talk to me?"
Itachi gracefully lifted a finger and flicked it on Naruto's forehead. Wincing in surprise, he waited for Itachi's answer.
"I am not welcome in Konoha."
"Wha..?"
"Let me finish the story of the Uchiha clan. I suppose it's time for you to know who your own history and family, or lack thereof."
He stared at Itachi wide-eyed and stunned. Of all things to talk about, he hadn't been expecting this. Did it mean that he planned on leaving forever? Naruto frowned as he said in a tremulous voice, "Are you going to leave me?"
Itachi gazed deeply into his eyes before answering, "If it helps you, yes."
"I don't want you to… please. I've met people I can count as friends, but no one can fill the emptiness of being my family, except you. No one," Naruto whispered, he didn't want Itachi to leave again.
"Let me finish my story. We don't have that much time."
Naruto nodded and sat attentively, eager to hear what Itachi had to say.
"A few days before you were born, the great Kyubi attacked the Konoha Village. At that time, only a few knew the real reason why he attacked."
"Knowledge that was forbidden…" Naruto mused out loud. Seeing Itachi's look of surprise he explained more clearly. "Kyubi left his memory in my mind, and I happened to see that one."
"Hmm… interesting. The forbidden knowledge was immortality. The Kyubi was the guardian of the knowledge and it was stolen from him so he attacked the village in retribution. At that time Yondaime was soon to be a proud parent had not the dire situation arose. Your mother, Arashi Haruka died during childbirth. There were too many complications and the knowledge that her beloved would die weighed heavily on her heart."
Naruto stared at him in shock. Yondaime… was his father?
As if reading his mind, Itachi confirmed his suspicion. "Yes, You are the son of the Yondaime. Your father's dying wish was that the Uchiha clan would raise you honorably and well. However, it was not to be. The clan heads refused to take in the child of the Yondaime and the Sandaime raised you as best as he could. That is, before you decided to take things into your own hands and ran away."
"To my shame, my family harbored the secrets they had stolen from the Kyubi in the main holdings. One night after a mission, I came home to find most of my clan dead. It was Orochimaru, one of the three sennins. He told me jeeringly what my family hid from the Village and myself. The massacre, the deaths of so many were all due to my family's greed for power. I fought him and when he ran away, I confronted my father, the current family head and he admitted the sins of my family. They planned on killing you to ensure that anything relating to the incident would be erased. I was furious and killed them as recompense. And I searched for you to fulfill a promise that should have been kept."
Was that all he was? An obligation?
"You are my little brother." It was a gentle reassurance, nullifying his fears, but raising more questions.
"What about Sasuke? Why did you make him an avenger?"
Itachi looked a little surprised and fixed his expression. "He is my stepbrother." Naruto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The Uchiha family was really complicated. "I was adopted from the branch family when I was four years old due to my overwhelming talent. My parents were disposed of."
"Then you are kind of like me, you don't know your parents."
Itachi nodded.
"Ne… why did you want me to find Gaara?"
Amusement flickered in Itachi's eyes before he answered. "I'm surprised you remembered."
It took a few seconds to process that phrase and Naruto blushed. "Hey! That's mean!"
Itachi gently patted Naruto's head. "I suppose your brain has suffered due to the fact that there are so many people. It's understandable."
Naruto smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Itachi had cracked a joke. Sure, it was at his expense, but a joke was a joke nonetheless. Itachi's expression became serious and Naruto braced himself for the explanation.
"He has a demon sealed in him."
"Like me…"
Itachi shook his head. "It wasn't done out of love. He was born to be a weapon, his mother was a sacrifice for the demon when he was born."
"How sad."
"I have a mission for you. Conquer Gaara's demon. Until you complete it, I'll work on something else. There is much trouble brewing in this world."
Eyes downcast, Naruto muttered, "So you're leaving again."
"Not for long. We'll meet up here after the chuunin exam is over. Return to Sasuke and Naruto, please make sure he doesn't die. He needs to revive the clan and I will ensure that this time, the Uchiha will not be corrupt."
Grabbing the rest of the rations, Naruto thrust them into Itachi's hands. "Here, take this and promise to eat it. Promise me you'll take care of yourself and that you'll live. Don't use Mange Sharingan too much, there's only so much your body can handle. Promise?"
"I promise."
Smiling Naruto turned to go back to his teammates, waving as he left.
Itachi lifted the corners of his lips in a semblance of a smile and went his way.
Several minutes later, Naruto spotted a team with two scrolls. Grinning cheekily, he was as invisible as the wind as he stole the scrolls and continued on his way. Withholding the urge to laugh as he saw their looks of confusion.
Earth scroll… and Heaven scroll. Mission accomplished. Now to find my other teammates…
He jauntily moved as he used his senses to locate his teammates and hastened his speed when he noticed the chakras of his teammates were dimming.
Shit… someone attacked. Someone really strong, almost Itachi's level…
He flew through the trees as he chanted. Let me not be too late.
He jumped into a clearing when a huge snake lunged at him, intending on swallowing him whole. Focusing chakra on his fist, he punched the snake on its forehead and didn't stop to watch it die.
Finally appearing next to Sakura, he checked to see if she had any wounds because she was unconscious. She was scraped and exhausted, but otherwise looked okay. Searching the clearing he found someone holding Sasuke by the neck. Anger raced through his system, filling him with adrenaline.
..please make sure he doesn't die… Itachi's voice echoed through his mind.
Moving faster than he thought possible, he sliced the arm that held Sasuke and grabbed Sasuke's prone body. Searching for any damage, he was relieved to note that Sasuke was just drained of chakra. Whatever that person had been intending to do to Sasuke hadn't been done yet.
"You bastard! Why did you attack them like this?" Naruto yelled out to enemy.
A slimy, untrustworthy voice answered coolly, "It is none of your business."
"Hell yeah it is! They're my teammates. Anyone who messes with them, messes with me!" He declared pointing a finger at his chest.
"Then prepare to die, brat." The snaky guy already regenerated his arms, Naruto observed as he flew toward the enemy.
He allowed his killing intent to finally break free, chakra blazing from his body as he continued to advance. The look of surprise on the snake guy's face was priceless as he moved in for the kill. Only one hit would do, if this guy was below Itachi's level. Understanding that he would be beaten, the enemy threw a smoke bomb and disappeared.
… the guy was a coward… how boring.
Naruto landed on a nearby branch, his chakra nearly decimating the branch holding him. He cooled his chakra and jumped back to his teammates. Hefting Sakura on one shoulder and Sasuke on the other, he jumped through the trees, careful to conceal his chakra as he headed toward the tower. The safest place for his teammates would be the end of the exam. Rushing through the trees, barely visible to jounins, he finally arrived to the double doors that would lead inside. He kicked open the door and gently laid his teammates on the ground. He had used a lot of chakra to get to the building in an hour, and needed to rest before he tended to the wounds of his teammates. Sighing in relief, he leaned against the wall to take a nap. He had a feeling opening the scrolls would officially end this part of the exam. They needed their rest before the next stage and Naruto wasn't stupid enough to jump into things. Smiling softly, Naruto allowed himself to rest, he had been able to save them, and it mattered more than he cared to admit.
~~
"Anko. It should be almost over now. It's the end of the fifth day after all," said a subordinate.
"Play the tapes. Let's see who made it so far. Hmm… four teams… the first one finished in 6 hours and 15 minutes. That's great, better than I expected. The other two took about three days. Average… but not bad I suppose. What happened to the rest of the teams?"
A frantic chuunin rushed in the screening room. "Anko sama. The three other teams are dead!"
"What?!" Shock filled her face as she looked incredulously on the chuunin. "How is that possible?"
She glared at the tape in contemplation. The image of a red-haired boy with a gourd flickered repetitively. "This genin killed them all? And he isn't even scratched? What the hell is that?!"
A clip revealed a blond boy entering with two unconscious teammates. The time read two hours.
"Play that clip again!" Shit, Anko thought seriously. This year was full of talent and weirdos. "You can't be serious! How is it possible for a genin team to finish in two hours? Why wasn't I notified when they came through that door?" she demanded angrily, glaring at a trembling subordinate.
"A..Anko… sama.. it's just that we didn't know because they didn't open the scrolls right away."
"Call the Hokage, this needs to be investigated. No one can be that talented," Anko ordered as she plopped down to review the tapes. There had to be something that they were missing. Something big.
~~
AN: Wow.. this is the longest chapter I've ever written. *Dances in joy* Um… I'm really sorry about this, but I don't think I will reply to reviews for all my chapters… I really appreciate them, it's just that it's so difficult to reply to them all. So please forgive me. ^^;; I really appreciate all the reviews that I am getting. It shows me that I am slowly improving… so thank you very much for those of you who reviewed. Maybe I'll find a way response to reviews as they come or something.. We'll see. Once again, thanks a bunch! *glomps reviewers and readers*
Preview of next chapter:
Chapter 9-Sand
"The purpose of my existence is to kill. I won't let anything interfere with that." -Gaara