A/N - Okay, as you can see, this is the second challenge fic I decided to do based on a challenge I have listed on my profile. I'll say it now that this chapter isn't that great. At least I don't think so. I was having the HARDEST time coming up with ideas for the various scenes. But then again, I wrote this while having a MONSTER of a migraine. I get some debilitating migraines that mess a great deal with my ability to think straight and concentrate. It doesn't help that I'm feeling really sick right now. Between this migraine and the nausea I'm experiencing, I just didn't do too well on this chapter.
Anyways, this will be a harem fic. You'll see the first girl in this chapter. Fem. Sasuke will join his harem as well, but not right away. She needs to get used to being a girl and she needs to gradually develop feelings for our blonde hero. So yeaaaah.
Anywho, despite the fact that I don't like how this turned out, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 1 - A Stunning Transformation
What happened to me? A young male thought as he drifted through a sea of blackness. Nothing was visible in any direction. It was just empty darkness and it was starting to send chills down the onyx-eyed boy's spine. Looking around, he began walking in a random direction, hoping he'd find something, anything that could help him make sense of what was happening to him.
Then his memories began to come back to him. That's right. We were fighting that lady from Kusagakure. But...wait… Clutching at his head, Sasuke groaned in discomfort. It was Orochimaru of the Sannin. I remember that much. But...what was that pain I felt? Did he bite me? Yes, this young man was very lost and confused.
It was then that Sasuke saw a strange light in the distance. The color was slightly distorted, but he could make out shapes and sounds the closer he grew to the light. Upon reaching the light, he could see that the area beyond it was filled with all kinds of bright colors ranging from light pink to a neon green color. Stepping forward into the light, he was forced to shut his eyes as the light brightened considerably and blinded him.
When the light died down, Sasuke looked around at his surroundings. The room he was in looked like his room back in the Uchiha Compound. However, it was also very different. Whereas his room was dull and practically barren of life, this room was bright, well lit, and most importantly, girly. "What the hell is all this?" he asked, only for the voice he just heard to sound nothing like him. He imagined that if he was a girl, this is what he would sound like though.
Looking down at his hands, Sasuke could see that his fingernails were painted, but more than that, they were very feminine in appearance. The real thing that got to him though were the large mounds attached to his chest. When he reached downwards to check and see if his 'package' was still there, he felt nothing at all. No bulge of any kind, no ball sack, no penis, nothing! Instead, when he brushed his crotch, he let out a sultry-sounding moan.
Oh Kami! What the hell is going on here?! I'm a guy damn it! I'm not some weird girl! He thought, clearly frightened by what was taking place. However, before he could make sense of it, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, all the strength leaving his body as he lost consciousness. What's...going on…?
Forest of Death
As Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that he no longer felt any kind of pain. Rubbing the area where Orochimaru had bit him, he felt nothing out of the ordinary. Thank Kami. I thought for sure that weirdo did something to me.
It was then that he sat up and felt a certain something, or rather two somethings, jiggling on his chest. Looking down, Sasuke saw that he now had breasts. Eyes widening in horror, he reached down to his crotch and patted it a couple of times just to be extra sure of what he was feeling, or rather what he wasn't feeling. "No. No no no no no. This can't be happening! I must still be dreaming. That's right. Maybe if I pinch myself… Ow!" Sasuke exclaimed as she pinched her arm hard. "Okay...I'm not dreaming. What the hell did that freak do to me?!"
As Sasuke began to hyperventilate, Naruto soon came to as well and noticed immediately that Sakura and the others in the clearing were in danger. Without wasting a second, the blonde knucklehead disappeared from his spot and began to fight the Oto genin. Despite his weakened state, Naruto was still making short work of them, thankfully. It seemed that his training was really paying off, which was a good thing, especially considering the state Sasuke was currently in.
When Sasuke heard a familiar voice speaking to her, she looked to see Sakura looking at her in concern. "Sasuke-kun? What in the world happened to you? You're...you're a girl! Did that seal do this to you?!" she exclaimed as she moved closer to Sasuke. "Wait, the seal's gone! That's weird. Do you feel okay Sasuke-kun?"
The young, black-haired teen shook her head and began to cry. "No, I don't feel okay Sakura! This is all wrong! I'm supposed to be a guy, but now I'm a girl and it doesn't make any sense to me! And what is with these things on my chest?! They're big and in the way! I don't like it!" she exclaimed, clearly very upset.
Sakura hugged Sasuke close and began to gently run her fingers through her fellow girl's hair to try and soothe her. "I don't understand it either Sasuke-kun. But I'm here for you, no matter what. Okay? And…" The pinkette blushed as she poked one of Sasuke's breasts, causing the black-haired girl's body to shiver. "Those are called breasts, and from the size of them, I'd say you're probably a high C-cup. I wish mine were that big."
Sasuke scowled at her teammate. "Is now really the time to be admiring my breasts?! Oh Kami, I have breasts! What the fuck?!" Reaching up, Sasuke cupped her breasts and released a soft moan before quickly dropping them. "What the hell was that?!"
The pinkette sweatdropped and patted Sasuke on the back. "Umm...I should probably warn you that breasts tend to be sensitive. As you just found out. But yours appear to be extra sensitive for some reason. I hate to say it Sasuke-kun, but if you're stuck as a girl now, you're going to have to get used to them."
It was at this point that they heard a loud screech and turned to see Ino standing at the entrance to the hollow, staring at the transformed Sasuke in horror. "Sasuke-kun?! No...this can't be happening. How am I supposed to help you restore your clan if you're a girl?! This can't be happening!"
The fourteen year-old Uchiha glared at Ino for that comment. "Really? That's what you're worried about? Ugh." Sighing softly, Sasuke slowly stood to her feet and looked past her to see how Naruto was doing. "Huh, so the dobe took them all out huh? Not bad."
Sakura blinked a couple of times as she tried to process what was happening. Sasuke, the guy, er, girl that was a total badass was sitting with her while Naruto, this pathetic jerk (at least in her mind) had just taken care of the foes she had been trying to protect the two of them from all this time. It just didn't make sense to her! Everything that was right in her world was crashing down all around her and she didn't know what the hell to think anymore!
"Hand over your scroll and you can leave." they heard Naruto say. "I don't want to have to kill any of you, but in order to protect those dear to me, I will. So leave your scroll and get lost."
Sasuke stepped up next to Naruto and frowned down at the defeated Oto genin. "You sure about this dobe? What if they try to get revenge on us later? We should deal with them now while we have the chance."
Before Naruto could say anything in reply, Kin, the Oto kunoichi, spoke up. "Why are you being kind to us? I don't get it. We just tried to kill you and your team!"
Naruto frowned at this and shook his head. "Because, unlike most, I believe in the concept of mercy. I also believe in the concept of paying it forward. If I just go around killing every enemy I meet, they might never get the chance to do the right thing and change their ways. And if even one of you has a change of heart and decides to do something to better yourself? Well, I'd call that a win."
Dosu scoffed. "Well you're a naive fool then. We're not going to change just because you let us go. We have orders to kill Sasuke, and we're not going to just give up on that."
The blonde sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "I'd say you've already failed in your mission. If your leader is who I think it is, then you're in some serious trouble. Do you really think he'd forgive you for such a failure? Or rather, do you really think he sent you here to kill Sasuke?"
Zaku was the one to speak up this time. "What the fuck are you talking about? When Orochimaru-sama gives an order, we don't question it! We just comply! He wanted us to kill Sasuke, so that's what we're here to do."
Sighing again, Naruto shook his head once more before he resumed speaking. "You're clearly not the smart one in the bunch of you, are you? What about you Mummy-san? Have you figured it out yet?"
Dosu frowned and furrowed his brow in thought. However, before he could respond, Kin spoke up. "Wait…" Looking at Sasuke, she frowned deeply. "He gave you his curse mark, didn't he? We weren't sent here to kill Sasuke. We were sent as a test for Sasuke's curse mark! We were meant to die!"
Naruto nodded his head in affirmation of her statement. "I'd say you're probably right about that. But I don't think Orochimaru meant for Sasuke to, well...turn into a girl." the whiskered fourteen year-old said as he got a good look at Sasuke's new body. "Yeaaah, I think Orochimaru fucked up whatever he tried to do to Sasuke."
"I'll say." Kin said as she got a good look at the new Sasuke. After a moment though, she shook her head and walked up to Naruto, handing him her team's scroll. Thinking on it for a moment, the Oto kunoichi leaned in and pressed her lips to Naruto's cheek. "Thank you. For being so nice." And with that being said, she hopped into the trees and left the area, leaving her teammates behind.
As Naruto blushed and touched his cheek, Sasuke couldn't help but scowl. "Mind out of the gutter Naruto." she said, trying to snap her teammate out of it. "We've still got an exam to finish after all."
Nodding slowly, Naruto focused his gaze on the remaining two Oto genin. "So what will the two of you do?" he questioned curiously.
"None of your damn business." Zaku spat out before he got to his feet and proceeded to help Dosu up as well. "I still say you should have killed us when you had the chance."
"Maybe so. But I stand by my decision. Now get lost."
Scoffing, Zaku soon left the clearing with Dosu following right behind him. Once they were gone, Naruto turned to face the other Konoha genin with a smile. "Thanks for helping us out guys."
Shikamaru shrugged, but offered him a lazy smile. "No problem Naruto. We're fellow Konoha genin, but more importantly, you're a friend. We weren't about to leave you guys to die at their hands." Choji nodded along with what his best friend had said before he popped a few chips in his mouth.
Lee looked at Naruto and gave him a thumbs up and a bright smile. "That was a most youthful fight Naruto-kun! Hopefully we get to see you and your team in the final exam." he said before he leapt off with his teammates.
Sasuke turned to Naruto and said, "We still need the other scroll Naruto. We should get going if we want to have any hope of making it through this exam."
The whiskered blonde looked at Sasuke and frowned as he motioned towards her body. "Are you sure you're feeling up to it Sasuke? I mean...look at you! You're a hot girl now! Don't you need to take some time to get used to this new you first?"
The raven-haired Uchiha shook her head. "Right now I'm more concerned with passing this exam. I don't know about you, but I want to earn the rank of Chunin. Even if I'm stuck like this for the rest of my life, I'll still become strong enough to kill Itachi and avenge my clan. After that, well...I hope to restore my clan, even if it has to be as a woman. I'd prefer to become a man again, but I'm determined to see my goals through no matter what."
"Well, regardless of what happens or if you can't return to your natural gender, I'll still help you Sasuke. We're teammates and friends, right?" Naruto asked with a kind smile on his face.
The female Uchiha found herself blushing a bit as she slowly nodded her head. "Y-yeah. Thanks Naruto."
Smiling at his friend, Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder gently before he turned to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, we need to get going."
The pink-haired teen nodded slowly and thanked Ino for fixing up her hair. Afterwards, she joined her teammates and said, "I'm ready. Let's go."
"See you guys in the final exam." Naruto said before he and his team hopped off in search of another team that they could battle. As they went along, Naruto was focusing his senses in an attempt to locate a team faster.
One of the things that his teammates and sensei never seemed to appreciate was the fact that Naruto was a sensor. He could easily pick out another person from hundreds of feet away. Right now, however, he was more focused on a team that seemed to be lying in wait to ambush those that got too close to their location by the tower. Motioning for his teammates to stop, he pointed ahead of them, into a rather dark section of the forest. "There's a team waiting just up there. I know you'd prefer to make the plans Sasuke, so what do you want to do?"
Sasuke frowned as she thought about it. "Where exactly are they Naruto?"
Naruto pointed out three spots higher up in the trees. "There, there, and there. They're above us right now, but I think if we split up and sneak up behind them, we might be able to take them out and collect their scroll. The problem is, we don't know the extent of their abilities or even who they are."
"Who they are doesn't matter. Everyone is to be treated like an enemy in these exams Naruto. Now, let's split up and take these three down." Sasuke said before he took off to sneak around behind her chosen target.
Sighing, Naruto rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "She has a point." he said, though the fact that he now had to refer to Sasuke as a 'she' was a bit disturbing. "Sakura-chan," he looked at Sakura and pointed off towards one of the remaining two targets, "you take that one. I'll get the other one." he said before hopping off.
Left alone, Sakura fidgeted nervously for a moment before she steeled her resolve and hopped off to go and deal with her opponent. I hope I don't screw this up somehow…
Later
"Damn. I can't believe our luck. They didn't have the right scroll!" Naruto exclaimed out of frustration. "Now what-?" Before he could finish his sentence, they heard a scream coming from nearby. Looking at one another, the party of three dashed off in that direction to see what was going on.
Upon reaching the area where the scream originated from, they spotted a redheaded girl under attack by a rather large bear. Without waiting for his teammates, Naruto leapt down and kicked the bear hard in the side of its head right as it was charging towards the glasses-wearing girl.
When the bear's neck snapped from the force behind Naruto's kick, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was having a hard time manipulating his chakra ever since that seal was placed on him, so he wasn't sure if he could have fought such a powerful creature on even footing.
Naruto was caught off guard when the girl he had just rescued glomped him, hugging him tight. "Thank you! I thought I was a goner for sure! How can I ever repay you?"
Blushing a bit, Naruto hugged the girl back and began to gently rub her back to try and soothe her. "You're okay now. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What's yours?"
The girl blinked in shock at that before looking into his eyes. "Uzumaki? Really? My name is Karin Uzumaki! I didn't think I'd ever find another Uzumaki!"
Sakura and Sasuke dropped down next to them. Sakura asked, "Are you two related in some way? I didn't know there were other Uzumaki's out there."
Karin looked confused. "You mean you didn't know that the Uzumaki's are a clan? Our people had their own village and were renowned as masters of fuinjutsu before they were wiped out. I'm sure there's more of us out there, but I don't know where they could be."
"I...have a clan? How come nobody ever told me about this?" Naruto wondered aloud.
The redhead frowned at this. "That's unusual. The Uzumaki's were allied with Konohagakure before they were wiped out. You should have learned about them in the academy…" A thought came to her mind then and she looked at her clanmate with a serious scowl on her face. "They removed that lesson, didn't they? Why would they do that, unless they were trying to cover something up?"
The blonde Uzumaki teenager frowned at this and nodded his head in agreement. "I see where you're going with this. And it sounds like Konoha was involved in the extermination of our clan. I don't like it, but it sounds plausible…"
Sakura frowned and looked at her teammate. "Why would Konoha try to kill off one of its own allies Naruto? There's no way they're involved in something like that! To even think otherwise makes me question your loyalty to Konoha!"
Naruto frowned at her and shook his head. "Sakura-chan, you have no idea what this village has put me through. If you had to go through everything I've been through, you might find that you don't exactly feel loyal to such a village. And I'd like to say I'm loyal to the Hokage, but it's obvious he's been lying to me all my life. Therefore, it's hard to place my trust in such a person. So yes, I don't feel very loyal to the village. If you have a problem with that, then tough."
Sasuke found herself frowning as well. If they had swept that under the rug, what else were they hiding? "I...understand your point of view Naruto. And I have to agree with you too. That is suspicious. It makes me wonder if there's more to the massacre of my clan that I don't know about."
"You can't mean that Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned. She was shocked that both of her teammates would suspect Konoha of such things. The pinkette wasn't sure if she should report this to the Hokage or not. She was afraid that her precious Sasuke-kun would be in trouble if she reported it.
"I do mean it Sakura. I've always wondered about that night. How could I not? I want the truth behind what happened. However, I still plan to kill Itachi for his actions that night. I can never forgive him for killing everyone the way he did."
As Sakura frowned, unable to come to terms with what she was hearing, Naruto nodded his head in agreement with Sasuke. "I promise I'll help you Sasuke. Whether it's helping to find out the truth or even avenging your clan by killing Itachi, I'll do whatever I can to help you with it."
"Naruto-kun?" Karin asked, getting his attention. Gently taking his hand, she placed her team's scroll in the palm of his hand. "Here. It's my team's scroll. There's no point in me keeping it any longer. And...I really hope we can see each other again." she said with a smile and a small blush on her face.
The blonde smiled at her and placed his free hand on her shoulder. "I know you're affiliated with another village, but...maybe you'd think about staying here in Konoha with me? I'd love to learn more about you and about our clan."
"You...want me to stay with you? But we just met! Are you absolutely sure about that?"
Naruto smiled at Karin and hugged her again. "Of course I'm sure. You and I are from the same clan. We should stick together."
Karin couldn't help but smile as she hugged her clanmate back. "That sounds wonderful. Of course I'll stay with you. I'm looking forward to getting to know each other better. And I'll gladly teach you all I can about our clan. I bet I could even teach you a thing or two about fuinjutsu too!"
The blonde couldn't help but smile at her. "Thank you Karin-chan. I'm looking forward to it." Looking down at the scroll in his hand, he smiled and turned to his team. "Looks like we've got the scrolls we needed. Ready to head to the tower?"
Sasuke and Sakura both nodded. Smiling at them, he hopped off with the others following right behind him. It was time to finish this stage of the exams.
Hokage's Office
Kin Tsuchi had left her teammates behind and journeyed to the edge of the Forest of Death, where she informed one of the Chunin nearby that she needed to speak with the Hokage. They let her out and escorted her to meet with the Sandaime Hokage in his office.
Now that she was sitting in a chair across from the Hokage, the black-haired kunoichi couldn't help but fidget nervously. What she was about to do was dangerous, but she felt this was the right thing to do, especially after that kind boy treated her with such kindness.
"May I ask what you needed to speak with me about Kin? There must be something important on your mind if you needed to see me so urgently." Hiruzen said as he looked into the young woman's eyes.
Nodding her head, Kin looked into the Hokage's eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes Hokage-sama. As you know, I'm from the village of Otogakure. Umm...I don't know if you know this or not, but Orochimaru is the leader of that village. He's planning to attack Konoha during the final stage of the Chunin Exams. More importantly, he wants to kill you. I don't know the details of his plan or anything special like that though. I just wanted to warn you that he's planning an invasion and that you need to be careful."
"I see." the Sandaime Hokage said. "Thank you for bringing this information to me Kin. This could not have been an easy decision for you, and I'm sure you understand the kind of danger you've put yourself in by coming to me. What made you decide to do this I wonder?"
The black-haired teenager blushed a bit and looked down. "Um, it was that boy, the one with the whiskers. Naruto-kun, I think his name was. He was kind to me when no one else was. I just...wanted to repay his kindness in some way."
"I see. Well, he does have that effect on people. I'm glad you came forward with this information Kin. I'll grant you asylum within my village. I'll try to find you proper housing, and I'll grant you the protection you need now that you've betrayed Orochimaru. It's almost certain he'll be out to get you now."
Kin blushed a bit more as she looked into the Hokage's eyes. "Could I maybe...stay with Naruto-kun? At least for a little while?"
Hiruzen frowned in thought for a moment before shaking his head. "He doesn't have enough room in his apartment for that. But, I do have an idea. I'll need to talk with Naruto-kun first, but for now, you can stay in the apartment next to his. I'll ensure that you're protected at all times, so you should have no reason to worry." he promised.
"Thank you Hokage-sama. I truly appreciate it. And...I'm looking forward to getting to know Naruto-kun better." she said honestly.
Naruto m'boy, you sure are a lucky young man. Hiruzen thought, finding the whole situation to be quite amusing.
Forest of Death - Tower
Upon arriving at the tower, Team 7 had easily solved the riddle and watched as Iruka was summoned through the scrolls. When he saw Karin with them, Iruka was initially confused, but he quickly shrugged it off and explained the meaning of the riddle to them. After he had finished speaking, Naruto said, "Iruka-sensei, I need to see the Hokage. It's important."
Frowning at this, the chunin instructor nodded slowly. "Alright Naruto-kun, I'll inform Hokage-sama that you need to see him right away. Expect a visit from him soon. For now, go find your room and rest. I'm sure you've been through quite a lot already." he said before disappearing in a Body Flicker to quickly make his way to the Hokage tower.
After Team 7 found their room, Naruto decided to explore the tower with Karin while Sakura opted to stay with Sasuke. Once the two Uzumaki's had left the room, Sakura turned to face Sasuke and said, "Sasuke-kun? How are you feeling?"
Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "Honestly? I have no idea how I'm supposed to be feeling right now. I'm glad we got through the second stage of the exams, but at the same time...well, look at me. I'm a girl now and I'm fearful that I'll never be able to return to my original gender! How am I supposed to restore my clan like this?"
Sakura found herself blushing and looked away from him. "Sasuke-kun...you can still restore your clan. It would just be in a, erm...different way. A way I can't help you with anymore."
When Sasuke realized what Sakura was implying, she blushed deeply and buried her face in her hands. "Oh Kami! That's freaky as hell to think about!"
Sakura could only nod in agreement with her teammate. "If it helps any, I'll be here to support you every step of the way. No matter what happens, you'll always have me."
Sasuke could only nod in thanks for that before she laid back on the bed, resting her head against her pillow. "Thanks Sakura. Wait…" something came forward in her mind, a memory of something Naruto said in the Forest of Death. "Did Naruto call me hot? Is he attracted to me?"
The pinkette blinked at that before she put a finger to her chin and tried to remember that experience. After a moment, she blushed and nodded her head. "He did. And if he called you 'hot', I'd assume that means he finds you attractive, yes. That's just freaky to think about though." Sasuke could only nod in agreement as she closed her eyes to try and get some rest.
Naruto & Karin
"Sooo…" Karin drawled on, "what happened to that Sasuke guy anyways? I couldn't help but notice that he's a girl now. Something big must have happened to change him like that."
Naruto chuckled a bit and scratched at the back of his head. "To be honest, I have no idea. Orochimaru did something to him and then, well...that! He's been turned into a hot girl and it's kinda freaking me out a bit."
"Hot girl? Attracted to your teammate, are you? How interesting." Karin teased. When Naruto made a disgusted face, the redhead couldn't help but giggle cutely. "I'm only teasing you Naruto-kun. Besides, I know you're more attracted to me." she teased with a wink.
Naruto blushed at that and scratched at the tip of his nose. "Well, you are attractive Karin-chan. That, and you're really nice. How could I not be attracted to you?"
Blushing a deep shade of red, Karin looked away before she shyly reached over and took Naruto's hand in hers. "T-thank you Naruto-kun. You're very sweet." she said.
The blonde couldn't help but continue blushing as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Thank you. And you're welcome. I really am looking forward to spending more time with you Karin-chan. You're an interesting person and I want to learn all I can about you."
Karin couldn't help but blush a bit more and giggle to herself. "You really are very sweet, aren't you Naruto-kun? I bet you've got a wonderful girlfriend, don't you?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Nope. I wanted Sakura-chan...but she wants nothing to do with me. I don't think anyone would ever want to be with me. At least not in this village." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm used to it though. It sucks, but what can I really do?"
The glasses-wearing kunoichi frowned and turned to her clanmate. Taking a moment to think on it, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, if no one in the village is interested in you, then they're fools. You're a good person and I think you'd make quite the catch. Maybe...maybe you should look for someone not from your village instead. You never know who might take an interest in you Naruto-kun." she said honestly.
Naruto blushed at her actions and her kind words. Looking at his redheaded friend, Naruto couldn't help but give her a warm smile. "You know...maybe you're right. Thank you Karin-chan."
As Karin went to say something in response, they heard somebody speaking to them from behind. "Ah, there you are Naruto-kun. I've been looking for you."
Turning around, the Uzumaki duo spotted the Sandaime Hokage and Kakashi Hatake walking towards them. Naruto was so tempted to scowl at the both of them and curse them to hell, but he refrained from doing so. The Sandaime had been lying to him all his life, and that didn't exactly earn him any points in Naruto's book. Kakashi, on the other hand, was a lazy jackass that didn't take training his genin team seriously. And yet he had signed them up for these exams, expecting them to make it through on guts alone practically! If Naruto hadn't trained on his own and pushed himself so hard, he doubted he would have survived this long.
Still, despite everything, Naruto had some things he needed to discuss with the Sandaime. "Hokage-sama." he said respectfully. "My team encountered Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. He beat us quite easily before placing a curse of some kind on Sasuke. On top of that, he used some kind of seal on me that's screwing with my chakra control. Here, take a look." Naruto said as he lifted up his shirt and revealed his seal to the Hokage. "Think you can help me out Hokage-sama?"
Frowning at the seal before him, the Sandaime walked forward and prepared to remove the extra seal that had been placed on Naruto. "This is going to hurt a bit Naruto-kun, so prepare yourself." he warned before he slammed his fingers into Naruto's gut and made a twisting motion, almost as if he was unlocking something.
When the extra seal disappeared, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he felt unrestricted access to his chakra again. "Thanks Hokage-sama." he said gratefully. "Now, as for Sasuke...whatever seal was used on him is gone. But...he's been transformed into a girl. I don't know if it's permanent or what, but I don't think Orochimaru meant for that to happen. It's very strange."
Kakashi's visible eyebrow rose, showing his curiosity about the situation. The Sandaime, on the other hand, was far more concerned by what he had just heard. "Naruto-kun, take me to your room. I need to see this for myself."
"As you wish Hokage-sama." Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders as he and Karin walked ahead of the Hokage, their hands still linked together.
When Kakashi noticed this, he couldn't help but smirk to himself. Looks like Naruto-kun's found himself a little girlfriend. How cute.
After a short while, they arrived at Team 7's room and entered. Naruto and Karin sat side by side on one of the beds while the Sandaime and Kakashi remained standing, simply staring at Sasuke in shock. "So you really have been turned into a girl. Huh, that's pretty strange." Kakashi said in amusement.
As Sasuke scowled at Kakashi, the Sandaime approached Sasuke and began to look him over with a curious gaze. "Hmm, where were you marked Sasuke?"
The Uchiha sighed and reached up to point at where Orochimaru had bit him. "Right here. But nothing's there now. So what do you think Hokage-sama? Am I going to be stuck like this for the rest of my life?"
Hiruzen looked at the area Sasuke pointed to and frowned. There was no seal there. The damn thing had disappeared! Looking into the young woman's eyes, the Hokage frowned and shook his head. "I don't know for sure Sasuke, but if I had to fathom a guess? Yes, you're stuck like this. I don't think there is a way to change you back. Whatever happened with the curse seal has caused you to fully transform into a woman. I'm sorry. I wish I had better news for you Sasuke. If it helps, I can have Jiraiya-kun have a look at you the next time he's in the village?"
"I would really appreciate that Hokage-sama." Sasuke said, sounding awfully depressed about her situation. "But if I'm stuck like this, I really want Orochimaru to pay for it. This isn't how I pictured my life going. I mean, just look at me! I've got these big breasts now and I don't have my penis anymore! Instead it's all changed and I'm not sure how any of this works! I don't know what a girl is supposed to act like or anything either! So I'm confused and freaking out and I don't like it."
Karin frowned at Sasuke. "There's no reason to worry about how to act Sasuke-san. Just be yourself. It's okay if you don't act like a 'typical' girl. We're all different and there's no one right way to act. As for your breasts...you might want to look into getting some comfortable bras, because those are going to end up hurting your back if you don't get some support for them."
The raven-haired Uchiha went wide-eyed and shivered. "A bra? Oh Kami, I have to wear a bra?! What about underwear? And do I have to dress like a girl too?"
Hiruzen sighed and patted Sasuke's shoulder gently. "It might be more comfortable for you if you did. I'm sorry to say it Sasuke, but if you're stuck like this, you might as well get used to it rather than fight it."
When Sasuke began to cry seconds later, Naruto got up and walked over to his friend and wrapped her up in a hug. It was awkward, especially when Sasuke buried her face in his chest and just sobbed, but he just continued to hold her until she eventually cried herself to sleep in his arms. Laying her down on her bed and tucking her in, Naruto released a soft sigh and looked at the Hokage. "She's been through a lot. I'm certain she'll be fine for the final exam though. Just need to give her some time."
Nodding his head in understanding, Hiruzen looked at Naruto for a moment before releasing a sigh. "Naruto-kun, after the next stage of the exams, we need to have a talk. It's about something rather important."
"Alright. That sounds like a good idea to me. I had something else I wanted to talk to you about too, so that works for me." Naruto said.
Hiruzen was curious to learn what it was Naruto wanted to talk to him about, but decided to shrug it off for now. Turning to face Karin at this point, the Sandaime raised a curious brow and asked, "And who might you be young lady? I would have figured you'd be with your team."
Karin frowned and shook her head sadly. "My teammates were killed in the forest, Hokage-sama. I'm the only one left. Naruto-kun saved me and I've decided to stay with him. After all, we're from the same clan. We should stick together, right?" she asked, looking hard into the Hokage's eyes, as if daring him to say something to the contrary.
Hiruzen's and Kakashi's eyes widened at hearing this. Looking into one another's eyes, the two of them quickly realized that this is probably what Naruto wanted to talk to them about. What are the odds that he would have run into another Uzumaki in these exams? Damn. Hiruzen thought. I was hoping to keep him in the dark about his clan for a little while longer. Now he'll have questions and I don't know how I'll answer them. His trust in me must be wavering now…
Kakashi spoke up at this point. "So you're a member of the Uzumaki clan, are you? Well, it's nice to meet you." he said, though Naruto and Karin could both sense he was lying about that. "However, you should know you can't move on in the exams without your team."
The redhead shook her head at that. "I know that. That's not why I'm still here. I've decided that I'm staying with Naruto-kun here in the village. You two don't have a problem with that, do you?"
The silver-haired jonin sweatdropped as he looked to the Hokage for an answer. Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "No. There's no problem. You're more than welcome to stay. I've been meaning to talk to Naruto-kun about this anyways." he said. However, Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion and shook his head sadly. It was obvious to the young man that Hiruzen would have continued to hide his heritage from him for a while longer if he had been given the chance to.
Karin frowned before she looked at her clanmate. Seeing his look of disappointment, she couldn't help but feel for him. They really didn't want you to know, did they Naruto-kun? She thought sadly. Turning to the Hokage, she offered him a fake smile and said, "Thank you Hokage-sama. I'm looking forward to my new life in Konoha."
Hiruzen nodded his head slowly. "Good to hear. I have to get going now though. It was nice meeting you Karin." he said before leaving the room.
Kakashi looked between Naruto and Karin for a moment before releasing a sigh and leaving the room without saying a word.
Once they were gone, Karin asked, "Wow. They really didn't want you to know about your heritage, did they?"
Before Naruto could reply, Sakura frowned and asked, "Why do you say that? It sounds to me like he was going to tell Naruto about it soon."
The blonde shook his head. "No Sakura, he was lying. He never planned to tell me. You can't sense it, but it's easy for me to tell when someone's lying to me. Hokage-sama wanted to keep me in the dark for as long as possible. I'm sure he would have preferred that I never find out the truth."
"There you go again, speaking as if they're out to get you or something. Why can't you just accept that he's only trying to do what's best?" Sakura questioned irritably.
Both Uzumaki's scowled at Sakura and shook their heads in disgust. "How is keeping Naruto-kun in the dark what's best for him? He deserves to know the truth about who he is and what his clan was capable of! Imagine if you were in his position. Wouldn't you want to know about your heritage? To know that you had people out there like you?"
Before Sakura could respond, Naruto continued from where Karin left off. "Imagine if you were in my shoes Sakura. No family, no parents to raise you, no one wanting anything to do with you…" Sighing, he shook his head sadly. "You ask the Hokage numerous times if he's learned anything about your family, and he lies to you every time, saying he doesn't know who your parents were or even if you have any living relatives out there. He lies to you, making you think you were just another clanless orphan that nobody wanted to adopt. And...he lies to you about a big secret that involves you and why you're hated by everybody in the village. Imagine having to find out the truth from a traitor to the village that wanted to kill you simply for being what you are. How would you feel if you were in my shoes?"
Sakura frowned at this and shook her head in disbelief. "Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, he really doesn't know who your parents are? And what's this 'big secret' you're talking about? It can't be anything that bad."
Karin scoffed and shook her head in disgust. "Of course he knows who Naruto-kun's parents are. The fact that you're trying to blind yourself to all of his wrongdoings regarding Naruto-kun sickens me."
The pinkette scowled at Karin. "I'm not blinding myself to anything! Hokage-sama would never do the things you're claiming he's done!"
Without a word, Naruto stood up from his bed and left the room, feeling absolutely furious with the pink-haired bitch. However, stopping just outside the room, he glared over his shoulder at his teammate. "I'm finding another room to rest in. Away from you. I want nothing to do with you anymore." he said angrily before storming off to find another room away from his pink-haired teammate.
Karin sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "You're hopeless." she said before leaving the room to follow after her clanmate. Upon catching up to him, she gently grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Are you going to be okay Naruto-kun?"
Naruto released a soft sigh and shook his head. "Can't believe I had a crush on her for so long. She really doesn't think much of me, does she?"
The redhead frowned at that. "I'm sorry she was like that to you. You'd be better off without her. You deserve someone far better than her Naruto-kun."
The whiskered fourteen year-old smiled at Karin and turned to face her. "Thank you Karin-chan. I appreciate that. But like I said before, I just can't see anyone being interested in me like that."
Frowning at him, Karin took a moment to think on what she should say or do to help her clanmate. After a moment, she sighed and leaned in, capturing his lips with hers in a sweet, loving kiss. When they parted, they were both blushing quite a bit. "Well, if no one else can see how wonderful you are, then maybe I'll take you for myself." she said with a wink.
Blush prominent on his face, Naruto was having a hard time looking into her eyes. "T-thank you Karin-chan. You're a really great person, you know that?"
She grinned and nodded her head. "Of course I am! But thank you Naruto-kun. And just so you know, I am serious. If nobody else wants you, then I'll snatch you up for myself."
Chuckling a bit, Naruto looked into her eyes for a moment before he captured her lips with his in another kiss. When they parted this time, Naruto smiled softly at her. "I think I'd like that." he admitted honestly.
Karin giggled happily and would have said something more to him, but someone spoke to them, catching them by surprise. "Heh, so the dobe's got himself a girlfriend, huh? Must be desperate to go after that loser."
Turning to see who it was, Naruto groaned. "Kiba. Why do you have to be such a jerk all the time?"
The redhead glared at the annoying bastard that interrupted her time with Naruto. "And who the hell are you calling desperate?! Naruto-kun's a great guy and he's cute too! That's more than I can say for you."
Kiba barked out a laugh and said, "He's a loser! Worst in our graduating class, his skills are pathetic, there's nothing special about him. And cute? Ha! That's rich."
Hinata, who was hanging back with Shino, sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "K-Kiba, just because Naruto barely p-passed doesn't mean that he hasn't improved since graduation. He's p-probably a lot s-stronger by now. Besides, y-you shouldn't badmouth a f-fellow Konoha shinobi like that."
The teenage Inuzuka scoffed at that. "I highly doubt he's improved any. Once a loser, always a loser. It's amazing he hasn't gotten his team killed with his incompetence by now."
Naruto clenched his fists tight and would have taken a swing at Kiba if Karin hadn't grabbed one of his hands again and squeezed it gently to show her support. "Let's just go Naruto-kun."
Sighing, the young blonde nodded before he began walking off with Karin. However, something Kiba said next caused him to pause. "Awww, did I strike a nerve? You're pathetic, needing a girl to save you like that."
Scowling at this, Naruto shot a nasty glare over his shoulder and said, "You'd better hope we don't face each other in the upcoming exam Kiba. I promise you that if you have to fight me, I'll destroy you." And with that being said, Naruto resumed walking away, holding hands with Karin.
"Tch. Like he could ever defeat me." Kiba said. "But fine, if he wants a fight, he's got one."
"K-Kiba...you really s-shouldn't underestimate Naruto-kun like t-that. Besides, w-why do you feel the n-need to insult him like that?" Hinata questioned disappointedly.
"Because he's a loser! He should never have become a ninja. Someone like that, without any skills or anything special to his name, can never amount to anything! I wouldn't be surprised if he gets himself and his team killed soon enough."
Shino sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "You really are a hopeless fool Kiba-san." he said quietly as they walked off to find their room.
Before following after her teammates, Hinata glanced in the direction Naruto and his friend had gone off in. I don't care who you are, but Naruto-kun is mine.
Naruto & Karin
"Are you alright Naruto-kun?" Karin asked as they began approaching a room that looked like a cafeteria of sorts. "He was awfully rude, wasn't he?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Kiba's always been like that. I tried to be his friend once, but he's always treated me like shit. I don't know why, either. But yes, I'll be fine. Thanks Karin-chan."
Leaning in, she placed a kiss on his cheek and smiled at him. "You're welcome Naruto-kun. It's best just to ignore people like that. Besides, I bet he's just jealous of you for some reason."
The blonde chuckled a bit and shook his head. "If he is, I can't imagine why. But thank you Karin-chan." he said as they went to get something to eat in the cafeteria.
A short time later, after sitting down at a table and beginning to dig into their meals, they heard someone speaking to them. "Well hello there. Where's that handsome teammate of yours?"
Turning to face the person that talked to them, Naruto saw the blonde from Suna standing nearby with her teammate, Kankuro. Glancing around for their final teammate, he asked, "Where's that other one that was with you? Y'know, Gaara or whatever his name was?"
Temari frowned at that and folded her arms across her chest. "I believe I asked you my question first. But, just so you know, Gaara stayed in our room. He's relaxing." she said. "Now, about that friend of yours?"
Naruto chuckled a bit. "Sasuke's become a girl. She's sleeping in the room she and Sakura are sharing last I checked."
Eyes widening at this information, Kankuro and Temari looked at each other for a moment before Kankuro looked at Naruto and asked, "You're joking right?" When Naruto and Karin just looked at them dully, Kankuro couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "How in the hell did that happen?"
The whiskered teen sighed. "We were attacked by Orochimaru. He did something to Sasuke and, well...now he's a girl. It's weird, and it's taking some time to get used to, but it doesn't look like Sasuke's going to be able to change back."
"That's a shame. He was a good looking guy. Oh well." Temari said with a shrug. "What about you? Who's your new friend?"
Karin smiled and grabbed Naruto's hand again. "I'm Karin Uzumaki. We're from the same clan. I've decided to stay here with Naru-kun."
"Uzumaki? You're an Uzumaki?" Temari questioned as she looked at Naruto. "I thought all Uzumaki's had red hair though?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I guess I'm just a special case. One of my parents probably had blonde hair and it just turned out to be the dominant trait. I wouldn't know though, considering the Hokage refuses to tell me about my parents. He won't even tell me if they loved me. How sick is that, huh?" he asked irritably.
Kankuro sweatdropped, not quite sure what the hell he was supposed to say to something like that. Temari, on the other hand, frowned and said, "That doesn't make any sense. Why the hell is he hiding your family from you like that?"
Karin frowned at this and shook her head. "It's not just that. They're not teaching about the Uzumaki clan in their academy either apparently. It's like they're trying to hide something that they don't want anyone to know about."
"I see. That is pretty curious." Temari said. "Kind of makes one wonder if they had something to do with Uzushiogakure's destruction. I mean, they aren't exactly the greatest people to their allies. Just look at what they're doing to Suna. Our daimyo is outsourcing a large number of missions to Konohagakure and depriving our village of the money and other resources we need."
Naruto frowned at this, a thought striking him. "If that's true, why did you come to participate in the Chunin Exams here? I'd think you wouldn't want anything to do with Konoha after they've pulled something like that."
When Temari and Kankuro went silent, unable to formulate a proper reply, Karin smirked and said, "Because they're planning something. Most likely an invasion of some kind, if I had to fathom a guess. Am I right?"
Naruto quirked an eyebrow at that before turning his gaze on Temari and Kankuro. When they didn't deny it, he chuckled a bit. "Yeah, good luck with that. I won't tell anyone about your plans, but fair warning: you might want to rethink that idea. It won't go the way you're hoping it will."
"We still have to try." Kankuro said. "We can't exactly sit back and do nothing while our village is suffering."
"I'm not saying you shouldn't do anything. I'm just saying this isn't the way to go about getting what you want. It's only going to hurt you in the end. I'm sure if you stopped to think about it, you'd be able to come up with a better idea than this." Naruto said.
Temari frowned as she thought about it. "You might be right, but it's a little too late to try and back out of it now. Besides, our father isn't going to change his mind about this so easily."
"Is your father the Kazekage?" Karin asked curiously. When she received a nod from the both of them, she couldn't help but sigh. "If he won't listen to his children, then I suppose it is pretty much impossible to change his mind, isn't it?"
"You've got that right." Kankuro said. "Anyways, enough about that. We got way off topic. What the hell were we talking about before?"
Naruto shrugged and said, "You asked who my new friend was. After that, things just kind of spiraled downward from there."
"Ah, right. Well, since we got that out of the way, I think I'll just leave you two alone." Kankuro said before walking away to get some food for himself.
Temari looked between the two Uzumaki's and smiled. "So how did the two of you meet anyways? You look cute together."
The Uzumaki duo blushed a bit before Karin looked from Temari to Naruto with a smile. "Naruto-kun saved my life. When he asked me to stay in Konoha with him, I was more than happy to agree."
"Ahh, so it's like that, huh? Cute." Temari said with a grin. "Well, I hope you two enjoy your time together. I'd stay and chat more, but I'm starving. Take care!"
After Temari walked off, Karin looked at Naruto again and smiled. "Well, she's nice." she said.
The Next Day - Tower Arena
Team 7 stood amongst their peers down on the floor of the arena in the center of the tower. Karin was up on the observation platform watching the proceedings taking place. When the Hokage and his entourage (including the Jonin sensei) appeared after a few minutes on the upper level of the arena, everyone hushed up and waited to hear what the Hokage would have to say.
As the Hokage began giving a speech about the purpose of the Chunin Exams, everyone paid rapt attention. However, a rather sickly looking man interrupted after a short while. He introduced himself as Hayate Gekko to the remaining participants and explained that they would need to have preliminary matches as there were far too many teams remaining. Afterwards, he asked if there was anyone that wanted to back out.
The Konoha genin that they saw before the first exam, one Kabuto Yakushi, was one of those that dropped out. Then there were two Kumogakure genin that dropped out, followed by one genin from the only Iwagakure team to make it. Finally, two genin from the Takigakure team dropped out, leaving a green-haired girl as the only one remaining on her team.
This left one full Kumogakure team, a beautiful blonde from the other Kumogakure team, two kunoichi from the Iwagakure team, the green-haired girl from the Takigakure team, the team from Suna, Teams 7 - 10 of Konohagakure, and Kabuto's two teammates. All in all, there were a lot of genin remaining. These preliminaries would cut the number down by half of that.
After making sure nobody else was leaving, Hayate motioned to Anko and she pressed a button on a remote. Everyone watched as a screen came out of the wall above them and the text on it began cycling through the names of all those that remained. When it finally stopped, everyone looked at the names listed before Hayate said, "Alright. Everyone except for Misumi Tsurugi and Shikamaru Nara, please join your senseis on the viewing platform." Hayate requested.
"Good luck Shikamaru." Naruto said as he walked by one of his only friends, patting him on the shoulder as he passed.
"Yeah, thanks Naruto." the Nara heir said before rubbing at his eyes tiredly. He was exhausted from his time in the forest, but he was prepared for anything his opponent could and would throw at him.
Once everyone had taken their places, Hayate raised his hand and swung it down as he shouted out, "Begin!"
A/N - And that's the chapter! It's a bit shorter than my usual chapter length, but I felt that was a good place to end it. Again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I don't like how it turned out, but then again, I wrote it while feeling just AWFUL. So hopefully you can forgive me for a subpar chapter.
Anyways, as you can see, Karin and Kin have taken an interest in Naruto. A number of things happened in this chapter, and I hope it proved interesting for you.
Also, in case you're wondering who the Genin are that are competing in the preliminaries, here's the list:
Teams 7 - 10 of Konohagakure
Yoroi Akado & Misumi Tsurugi
Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro
Kurotsuchi & Suzumebachi (from Iwagakure)
Yugito Nii, Samui, Karui, & Omoi (from Kumogakure)
Fu (from Takigakure)
Hopefully the preliminaries turn out to be pretty interesting this time around. This is the first time I've bothered to add extra teams from the various villages to the list of participants, so we'll see how it goes in the next chapter. As you can already see, I'm trying to mix things up so the fights are mostly original.
Anywho, not sure what else to say. I really feel like throwing up, so I'll end it by saying I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you didn't though, I don't blame you.