-\/-
Naruto was dishearted when he learned that they actually still needed a second scroll after losing their original one to Orochimaru. They only had less than half the total time to get the scroll now. Many teams would've already finished. Luckily, in the end, they managed to catch another team off-guard.
Between Sasuke's genius and Naruto's supernatural skills, the enemy stood no chance. Although the Ame nins tried hard to pull them into a trap, it wasn't particularly successful considering Naruto could counter their illusory numbers with his very real shadow clones.
They arrived at the tower in the center as the sun was already setting. The room they entered had a large tablet on the wall.
"If 'heaven' does not exist, enrich your knowledge and prepare for a chance. If 'earth' does not exist, run the fields in search of an advantage. Open the series of heaven and hell, and the perilous shall be redressed… This is namely the secret of 'the one that guides…'" Sakura read off the wall.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto scratched his head.
"I think it has to do with the content of the scrolls. I think we're supposed to open them now."
Naruto grabbed one he had and Sakura pulled out the other. They hesitated for a moment before unrolling them. Inside, there was some sort of seal.
"Summoning Seal?" Naruto realized what it was. "Quickly! Drop the scrolls!" He only learned in passing about the summoning Jutsu when trying to figure out something more about Jiton. That, and Kurama used to constantly complain about summoning. Not that Naruto paid much attention to that. The fox complained about a lot of things, including completely ridiculous stuff like the color of Naruto's jumpsuit. Everyone knows orange is the best, right?
The two scrolls sailed through the air until they landed on one another, forming a cross. A large burst of smoke appeared around a silhouette of someone.
"Looks like you guys took your time. Especially for someone bragging about their 'superior' skills." The man chuckled.
"No way…" The mist cleared to reveal Iruka standing there, smiling.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cheered. "Listen! We need to speak with Jiji! Like… right now!"
"Shut up, dobe!" Sasuke snarled, but Naruto ignored him.
"It's an emergency! We were attacked by some pale snake… I'm gonna go with a guy for simplicity. A pale snake guy attacked us!"
"I said shut up!" Uchiha yelled and was about to lunge at Naruto, but a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him. An Anbu held him firmly in place.
"I was worried something like this might've happened." Hokage spoke from one of the galleries overlooking the room. "Naruto, come with me. Kakashi will deal with Sasuke's problem for now." Hiruzen motioned for the Anbu to escort Sasuke to his sensei.
"Jiji?" Naruto leaped up and landed next to the Hokage. "Who was the pale man that attacked us? I think Sakura mentioned something about Orochimaru, but…"
"Ah, yes. Please, walk with me." The Hokage started to slowly walk deeper into the tower. Naruto followed without hesitation. "You see, Orochimaru was one of my students. He was brilliant, driven, always looking for more new Jutsu. He made it his dream to learn every Jutsu there is. But… in the end, he realized it was impossible to do so in just one life. So he turned toward unethical experiments. He used kidnapped children to further his research. When I learned of it, I went to confront him. He ran away. Now, he harbors deep-seated hatred for Konoha. I fear what he might want to return after so long."
"There is more." Naruto interrupted any further tale. "He… did something to me. I can't talk with Kurama anymore. It's so… empty. And my chakra control is almost non-existent. My Jiton is really shaky and I can't even properly use my Shadow Clones. And then he also did something to Sasuke!"
"This is worrying indeed. May I?" Hokage pointed at Naruto's stomach and the teen lifted his shirt to reveal an evidently visible seal on his stomach. There were five symbols clearly added to it, standing out of place. "I see… Gogyō Fūin… I'm sorry Naruto. I can't do anything about it right now. Only my student, Jiraya, would be able to remove it from you."
"But… what about the Chunin exams!?" Naruto protested. "How am I supposed to continue like that?"
"You can withdraw if you do not believe in your strength."
"I can still use my wings just fine, but I really wanted to keep Hirashin a secret for now… Oh well, I can still kick ass! Believe it!"
"Luckily, Jiraya should arrive in the village within a week, so not all is lost."
"I'm gonna be chunin by the time this is over, just you watch!"
"I'm happy to see how much you've grown this past half a year, Naruto. It does this old man pride to see your progress." Saindaime chuckled in melancholy. "You will like Jiraya. You remind me of him back when I first started teaching him. He had no skill whatsoever and lacked natural genius. But he made up for it in sheer stubbornness. He never gave up. And neither do you. If you work hard, I have no doubt you will become a splendid Hokage one day."
"You've got it, Jiji."
-\/-
After a short nap, Naruto was woken when the genins were asked to assemble in the main room. A total of seven teams managed to secure the required scrolls and arrive within the set time period. Curiously, the Rookie Nine and Team Guy were the only ones from Konoha still in the run.
On the stage before the assembled genins, their jonin senseis stood in a line. Below, a group of proctors stood in two lines. The Hokage stepped forward.
He was giving a speech. Naruto really tried to listen! Honest! But it was just so boring! He zoned out, instead looking at his soon-to-be contestants.
"...and that's why we'll do preliminaries before the final." A proctor announced. The outrage of the genin was quickly silenced by a small amount of killing intent. "But first, is there anyone who wishes to step out from the exams?"
Some murmurs spread through the crowd. The Oto kunoichi smacked her teammate, earning a pained grunt.
"Fine. I wish to forfeit. There is no way for me to fight with both of my arms paralyzed."
"Anyone else?" The proctor, Naruto recalled his name was Gekko Hayate, asked. After no one else volunteered, he sighed. "Then we shall commence with the preliminaries. The fights will be randomly generated."
The first fight turned out to be Sakura versus Ino.
"Everyone but the contestants clear the area."
"Naruto?" Sakura caught him before he could leave. "Could I... borrow one of your special Kunai?"
"Uh... I'm not sure what you'd need it for. It's rather hard to get used to at first."
"I know, but it might just give me some edge over the pig."
"Ah... well... sure." He handed her a single Angel Kunai. "But don't lose it, please. They're a gift from my dad." He asked before jumping away. Sakura looked at the place he was standing just seconds before. This was... unexpected.
She didn't have time to think about it now. She took a ready stance and faced Ino, who was similarly prepared.
"Hajime!"
Both girls dashed forward and clashed. Sakura tried to take the initiative and trip Ino with a swipe of her legs, but the blonde jumped back in time.
"Come on billboard-face. Just give up!"
"In your dreams, pig!" Sakura tried to press on, but Ino was somewhat superior in Taijutsu. Not that either girl had much to show. They were both mediocre at best. The pink-haired kunoichi used the kunai she borrowed from Naruto to great efficiency though. It granted her slightly greater range and, to Ino's surprise, it was chipping the Kunai she used to block it.
The blonde made a low sweep to distract Sakura and leaped back. Staying in close combat with her rival only put her at disadvantage.
"Is that all you've got? No wonder you still haven't gotten my Sasuke-Kun. He can see how utterly worthless you are!"
"I'm gonna destroy you!" Sakura roared and dashed forward kunai first. Ino prepared to block, but to her surprise the Kunai she was using shattered on contact with the silver blade.
With momentum she already accumulated, Sakura smashed into Ino, who tried to dodge at the last second. She failed, but not totally. The special kunai cut into her arm, creating a rather deep gash on her shoulder.
"Yeah! Go on Sakura!" Naruto, together with a sizable portion of the crowd, cheered. Next to him, a red-haired girl also cheered on Sakura.
"Shut up Uzumaki. You need to heal me before that fight is over." A boy nearby grumbled.
"Huh? Did you say something?" Naruto looked at whoever was speaking to find a boy biting an arm of a girl. They both had Kusagakure headbands. "Waaah! What are you doing!?" He screamed at the pair. "Don't you have no shame!?"
People around looked at the commotion. Murmurs started to spread among the observers.
"Shut up. This doesn't concern you. Nobody asked your opinion."
"You did. When you called my name. Believe it!"
"No, I didn't. Who are you even?" the kusa genin complained.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Believe it!"
"You're... an Uzumaki?" the girl asked in surprise.
"Yup. The one, the true, the only. Uzumaki Naruto. Remember that name, because one day, I'm gonna be a Hokage. Believe it!"
"I'm an Uzumaki too!" Karin beamed.
"So what. He's an enemy." The boy from her team scowled.
Ignoring him, Naruto turned to his apparent relative. "Amazing! We should go get ramen together and exchange stories. I have so many questions!" He smiled.
"Ramen?" It seemed to resonate with the girl because she beamed at the idea.
"Ramen." Naruto nodded sagely.
"Ramen." The two of them said together.
"Ramen. Ramen. Ramen." They started chanting.
Up until the kusa boy smacked her teammate. "Shut up! You're here to help our team, not be all friendly with the enemy."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Isn't the point of this whole event to promote peace and understanding between the nations?"
"Didn't you listen to the Hokage? These exams are a substitute for war, a show of power."
"Doesn't mean I can't make friends. Especially if she's a part of my clan. Come to think of it, maybe you can join me in Konoha?" the last part was addressed to Karin.
Before she got to answer, her teammate interfered. "No, she can't. She's part of my team. And a kunoichi of Kusagakure."
"I'm pretty sure there was some rule about reuniting clans..."
"Indeed." Hyuuga Neji spoke from nearby. "A clan head of an established clan in one village has the right to demand the release of any clan members into his direct command. It was introduced into most alliance treaties after the 'Hyuuga incident' ten years ago. It serves to prevent situations where a clan member is kidnapped to form a branch in a foreign nation, thus taking away secrets or even possibly starting a civil war inside the clan."
It was maybe the first time Naruto didn't doze off during a lecture. He was much too invested in finding any way to mend his clan.
"Ha! You see! As the last known Uzumaki in Konoha, I'm the clan head! And I demand she is released to my clan!"
Neji smacked the blond boy in the back of the head.
"You must make the official demand through diplomatic means, idiot."
"I will. Believe it!"
Back with Ino and Sakura, the duo was locked in constant combat. Despite her initial success, the pink-haired kunoichi had not made any more progress. Both of them were on about equal level and neither could really get any advantage over the other.
Also, their insults were getting more and more repetitive.
"Your hair looks like a bird was making a nest!"
"Yeah? And your looks like some donkey lost its tail!"
"You dress like my grandma."
"Clearly she has more style than you."
At this point, the fight devolved mostly to that and something closer to a catfight. They were now slapping each other, pulling hair, and trying to rip the clothes to shreds. Their heavy breaths revealed that their stamina didn't hold up to their determination. Both of them were near their limits.
Finally, Ino made the last desperate gambit. She quickly flashed through the hand signs.
"Shintenshin no Jutsu!"
Maybe if Sakura wasn't so exhausted from the constant fight, or not as furious about the insults, or even just not as worried about Sasuke, she would've dodged. Alas, she failed and it seemed that victory went to Ino.
The audience watched with keen interest what would happen next. It seemed that Ino would win, but then...
Both girls fell flat on their faces.
"This match is over. Both competitors are unable to move!" The proctor declared. "Please get them out and let's just start the next match finally..."
Naruto looked really defeated by what happened. Then, he figured a way to make himself feel better. Beating that Shigeri guy surely would be worth his time. Karin was his family and he would wreck him. Chakra problems or not.
The randomizer choosing the next fighters started to spin. Naruto covertly formed some Jiton hand seals, trying to focus as much as he could. Time slowed down. He could now see the names change much slower. A flap of his wings when Shigeri's name was up and he stopped the spin before returning.
While most of it seemed flawless, he did end up falling on his face. For everyone around, it must've been rather strange, because for them, one second he was standing looking at the plates, and next he was licking the concrete.
That didn't deter him. Naruto got up and focused again. He had to be quick. He saw his name appear. He tried to reach it. He was too slow. Despite the fact that his wings offer almost instant travel, he didn't make the grasp in time. His fingers only grazed the spinning plates before he had to return where he was. He had one more chance. Trying to focus as much chakra into slowing time as he could in his state, Naruto observed the plates. He saw Shikamaru's name, followed by Choji. There was Tenten, Lee, and Neji. Sasuke's name appeared. That was his signal.
A single flap of his wings brought him to the wall. A quick reach of his hand stopped the spin on the Uzumaki Naruto plate. Another flap of wings brought him where he stood.
Or rather close enough, because he tripped and fell face-first again.
"Clown school is the other direction, moron." Shigeri laughed.
"Shut up! I'm gonna deck you! Believe it!" Confident in his fight, Naruto leaped over the railing and landed in the area.
When the kusa genin joined him, the proctor took a stand between them.
"Are both contestants ready?"
"Yes/You got it!"
"Hajime!"
"I'm not only gonna beat you black and blue. I won't even use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Believe it!" Naruto didn't give his opponent any time to retort when he dashed full speed (sans wings) forward. His fist met the opponent's face with a resounding crunch!
Shigeri flew through the entire area until his back smashed into the wall. It almost seemed like the fight was over before it even started.
"Uzumaki Karin is my family. I'm gonna protect her, even from the likes of you. Especially from the likes of you. Believe it!"
The genin managed to get back up. A sickening crack echoed across the otherwise silent arena when he popped his arm back into the socket.
"Now I'm pissed. You've got speed, but I'm gonna show you who's the boss here."
Shigeri started to blitz through a long series of hand seals.
"Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm!"
The ground shattered as waves of rocks shifted. On the viewing gallery, many Jonin senseis watched in approval. Elemental manipulation wasn't usually taught to genins.
"Angelic art: Silver Aura!" Naruto pushed his grace outward, allowing it to seep into his muscles, bones, and organs. He then crouched and jumped with all his might. The ground, which was consumed by the wave of stones seconds later, cracked a bit. He landed on the ceiling.
To the surprise of everyone, Naruto was now surrounded by... silver aura. Seriously? How did they not predict it?
"Ha! You said only Taijutsu!"
"This actually is Taijutsu."
"Indeed." Hokage chuckled. "An Uzumaki secret technique. Silver Aura is believed to be the precursor to the eight inner gates. An Uzumaki can use their special chakra to empower their chakra coils, gaining a temporary boost in power. While not as strong as the eight inner gates, it's less damaging to the body. The excess is usually vented behind them, creating wing-like shadows, hence the full name." The lies left the Hokage's mouth without too much of his input. It was as if the idea just appeared in his head. It was a good cover though for when Naruto ever needed that extra boost.
Speaking of the blond, he was now standing on the ceiling confidently. Silverly flames coated most of his body and granted him an aura of light. Behind him, a set of shadow wings was easily visible.
"I'm giving you one last chance to give up."
"Manipulating Windmill Triple Blades." Three shurikens sailed at Naruto, who simply let go of the ceiling and fell toward his opponent. He almost missed the projectiles curving the flight and returning at him. Quick twist mid-air allowed him to easily avoid the stars, but not the wires attached to them.
"Got you now! And like that, you die." Shigeri pulled the strings, expecting his opponent to be cut into ribbons. Instead, he was met with an unexpected amount of resistance.
Naruto crash-landed into the arena, creating a small crater in the destroyed floor. He wrapped the wires around his arms a few times and pulled.
The Kusa genin was sent flying right at him. Naruto flexed his aura, causing it to disintegrate the thin wire. Shigeri was met with a powerful haymaker to the chest, which sent him flying in the other direction. The shockwave further destroyed the arena.
This time, Shigeri didn't get up.
"Winner is Uzumaki Naruto!" Hayate declared as a team of medics entered to take care of the defeated genin. Naruto himself appeared mostly unscattered. The silver aura died out. He quickly jumped up and joined his friends. Soon, he would show everyone that Uzumaki Naruto was not someone to mess with. Believe it!