Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.
"Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"
"Speech"
Letters / Jutsu notes
Chapter 25 – Chunin Exams Part III
"That was the most brutal one-sided beat downs I have ever witnessed. Oi, Maitō! What the hell have you been teaching your student?" Dōmon teased causing Gai to chuckle and say, "Just what he needs, though some of it was Naruto-sama's teachings. A most youthful battle, won't you say, Konjiki?"
Dōmon nodded his head before saying, "An understatement, though when my kids take the stage… Let's just say that I already feel pity for their opponents."
"If what I have heard from Zabuza is true, then I agree. They will be a nightmare for any taijutsu specialist, let alone a ninjutsu specialist. The Advanced Kōton is truly a dangerous ability. I wouldn't mind taking a shot against them when they are ready."
"I would advise against it Gai. I saw the kids learning Metal Bending. With their ability to create and bend the metal at will, they will be far more dangerous than any other shinobi with Shikotsumyaku or the old Kōton." Zabuza said as he leaned on the railing beside the spandex clad Jōnin.
"Congratulations Lee, though did you have to go so far?" Tenten asked with annoyance.
"Against unyouthful comrades, there is no such thing as overkill! Naruto-kun said that, remember?"
Tenten just shook her head and was about to keep arguing when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Ino shake her head and say, "Let it go Tenten. Besides, if it was me, they would have been brain dead. Congratulations Lee, I wouldn't mind testing my air bending against yours."
"Yosh! Then make sure to face me in the finals Ino-san!" Lee exclaimed causing Ino to chuckle and nod.
"Will Kamizuru Kurotsuchi of Iwa and Sai of Konoha please head down to the arena!"
"It seems that the idiots have been carted away. This match should be interesting." Ino said getting a nod from Lee and Tenten.
"The specific rules for this match shall be no close quarters combat. Everything other than killing is allowed. HAJIME!"
Kurotsuchi didn't waste any time as she weaved some handseals and then proceeded to spit out a few globs of what looked like quicklime as she called out, "Yōton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu!"
Sai didn't waste any time as he dogged the technique and retaliated by throwing up a sealing scroll. The scroll released its contents in a puff of smoke causing Kurotsuchi to jump back out of the possible area of effect and wait for the results. At first the Iwa Kunoichi was quite surprised to see a black aqueous substance rain down from the cloud of smoke but quickly tensed when she saw Sai perform some strange taijutsu katas. At first she was confused but when she saw the black aqueous substance move, she quickly weaved a few hand seals and blasted out a wave of lava calling out, "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!"
The thin tendrils of ink that Sai had launched at the Iwa kunoichi were easily vaporised by the wave of super-heated rock causing the pale boy to jump back and motion for his ink to flow away from the scorching lava. Unfortunately for Sai, the lava had already vaporised a lot of the water in the ink leaving behind very thick and viscous blobs of ink that was quite hard for Sai to bend to his will. Seeing that his advantage was nearly nullified, but unwilling to give up just yet, Sai focused his will and he bended the viscous blobs into the form of lions and with a burst of chakra, he animated them while mentally commanding them to attack Kurotsuchi with extreme prejudice.
Kurotsuchi was at first shocked at the three ink lions bearing down on her but with a quick application of Kawarimi, dodged the first pounce and retaliated with another scorching wave of lava that easily vaporised the first and partially the second while the third easily jumped away.
Kurotsuchi didn't have any chance to celebrate as her adrenalin enhanced senses alerted her to the approaching danger. Rolling forward, Kurotsuchi pulled out a kunai and batted away the shuriken before throwing the blade at her opponent before turning her attention back to the two lions, one of which was much smaller than before.
"She is doing very well!" Ino stated with interest causing her friends and comrades to nod in agreement. "Then again, it is to be expected. She is the granddaughter of the Sandaime Tsuchikage, who was the rival of our own Sandaime-sama."
"I agree with you there. Besides, Naruto-kun did say that he had sensed immense potential in her. I wonder how far she could go with ninshu." Hinata commented only for Sakura to pipe up and state, "She has enough potential to easily reach Kage Level at a young age even without ninshu. The way she is spamming Yōton jutsu is a testament of her potential."
"I agree with you there Sakura, though I believe that she is quickly reaching her limit." Tsunade said as she leaned on the wall beside Sakura with Shizune while staring at the battle occurring down below.
"I didn't say that she is at Kage Level. She just has the potential. Besides, how many Shinobi and Kunoichi at her age have you met who has such a high chakra levels outside being a Jinchūriki, an Uzumaki or both?"
"A valid question with a very dissatisfying answer of a handful. How do you think you would fare against her, if both of you were at the same level?" Tsunade asked drawing everyone's attention.
Sakura frowned for a moment before saying, "That depends on stamina and tactics. The one with the greater stamina is at a better place while the one with superior tactics would be the game changer. Personally, I would hazard that it would be a difficulty fight, but in the end, I would win because I can easily shut down any of her earth and lava jutsu."
Tsunade nodded as she stated, "My thoughts exactly. Besides, that Sai kid doesn't stand a chance. I can tell that this battle is way out of his comfort zone. Reminds me of the time I battled against Hanzō with Orochimaru and Jiraiya. We lost!"
Everyone winced at her pronouncement but nodded in agreement as Sai did seem to be reaching his limits. He was barely able to dodge the shuriken and quicklime technique Kurotsuchi was using to distract him while she destroyed another of his ink beast with another Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu before turning her attention back to Sai.
"It seems that your ink based jutsu and ninshu isn't really up to defeating me Sai," taunted Kurotsuchi causing Sai to narrow his eyes as he dodged another volley of shuriken. Gritting his teeth, Sai mentally commanded his last beast imitation lion to launch a kamakazi attack as a last desparate hope.
Unfortunately, Kurotsuchi predicted him and dodged with a flawless kawarimi and douse the lion in a stream of lava. Seeing his final lion be vaporized. Sai sighed in disappointment and raised his right hand calling out, "Proctor, I forfeit!"
"Winner by forfeit, Kamizuru Kurotsuchi of Iwa!" Naruto declared appearing in the middle of the arena right over a patch of boiling lava. He would have been burned had he not been floating a few feet above the patch. With a single swipe of his hands, all the lava congealed and cooled off into ash gray stone.
Kurotsuchi and Sai nodded to each other and jumped back up onto the catwalk and waited for the next match to start.
"Will Uzumaki Karin, Tsuchi Kin, Kazekage Temari, Higurashi Tenten, Karui, and Yamanaka Ino please come down to the Arena!"
All six jumped down from the catwalk and stood around Naruto in a hexagonal pattern. Seeing the mentioned six ready, Naruto spoke out the specific rules of the match as they appeared on the large screen.
"Close to mid range! Kawarimi forbidden. 3 vs 3 team match. The teams shall be... Uzumaki Karin, Yamanaka Ino, and Higurashi Tenten on one side and Kazekage Temari, Karui, and Tsuchi Kin."
The six shared looks before quickly moving to opposite sides of the arena with their temporary teammates. When the two teams were ready, Naruto called out, "THREE... TWO... ONE... HAJIME!"
As soon as Naruto jumped back onto the catwalk, the two teams jumped back and started to whisper amongst themselves.
"This is going to be good. Haven't seen a good cat fight in a long time, especially a kunoichi one." Roshi said with a grin causing Kakashi to chuckle and state, "I believe that the term should be a tigress fight. After all, what are some kunoichi other than tigresses?"
"I agree with you there Hatake, but are you sure the battle will be that ferocious?"
"The two Konoha and the one Uzu Kunoichi, I can personally attest to their ferociousness. The Kazekage is just as ferocious. Kumo are know for their ferocious Kunoichi as well. I believe that the only one who will disappoint us will be the Oto Kunoichi."
"Astute observations Hatake though I would put the Yamanaka and Karin-sama to be the most vicious, especially with their short fuses." Zabuza added with a grin.
Roshi rubbed his beard before nodding his head in agreement. "Yes, I believe that Eiba is right in this case. The Uzumaki women were known for their tempers and the Yamanaka has made a bit of name for herself as being especially vicious to those who anger her."
"I don't know you two and neither do you know me but we need to work together to get ahead so let me tell you a bit about my skills." Temari started getting nods from her two temporary teammates. "As you may have guessed, I am a Tessenjutsu practitioner. I specialize in mid to long range combat using fūton ninjutsu. In close range, I can keep up for a short time. My greatest strength is in wide area jutsu."
Karui and Kin nodded before Kin said, "I specialize in sound based genjutsu and mid range combat."
"Damn, then it is up to me to handle close quarters. I specialize in kenjutsu and raiton chakra flow techniques along with ninjutsu. Close to mid range is my comfort zone."
"Alright, the Kin, you stay behind me and use your genjutsu to distract our opponents. I will keep them from ganging up on you Karui. I hope you have the stamina to keep up."
"Don't worry about me. I have more than enough stamina, but I am a bit cautious of Uzumaki. I had the pleasure to see her training under Naruto-sama. She is proficient in all ranges, though her speciality is in close range combat and battle fūinjutsu."
Temari and Kin nodded in agreement when they heards Ino calling out to them. "If you have finished with the strategizing, do you thing we can begin? We have been more than generous to give you more than sufficient time to get comfortable!"
Temari, Kin and Karui narrowed their eyes in annoyance but decided not to answer. Nodding to themselves, the three Kunoichi jumped into action taking on the roles previously discussed.
Ino nodded to Karin and Tenten as she floated into the air. Tenten charged forward to meet Karui. Karin closed her eyes and focused before clapping her palms as a wave of chakra erupted from her body. The waves of chakra seemed to leave burning trails on the ground before as an oppressive presence started filling the arena.
Temari launched a massive wave of slicing winds at Karin hoping to prevent the Uzumaki Heiress from completing whatever jutsu she was attempting only for Ino to intercept and redirect it towards the senbon Kin threw.
Temari frowned as she realized that her fūton ninjutsu was completely useless as long as Ino was in play, but she didn't have anyway to defeat the Yamanaka Heiress at the moment.
At the same time, Kin tried to cast a wide area genjutsu only for it to suddenly fail. After retrying a couple of times, she realized that the fluctuating chakra waves from the seal was messing with her genjutsu.
While Temari and Kin were dealing with their skills being nullified, Karui was suffering her own problems. Tenten was equipped with metal armor made of metal scales. On her waist were two large reels of fine metal wire. Finally, there was the fine iron sand emerging from a seal on Tenten's back and floating around the girl ready to do her bidding.
No matter what Karui tried, Tenten countered. Raiton chakra flow on her katana blade, Tenten redirects the electricity into the ground using the iron sand. Charge in with a over head slash, Tenten counters with two whips of the thin wire, scoring deep gouges in the earth. To Karui, the whole situation looked hopeless. The few strikes that do get through were easily being stopped by the armor the bun haired girl was wearing.
Sighing, Karui jumped back as she threw down a flash bomb. Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Karui regrouped with Temari and Kin. Even as invested in her own battle, she wad able to notice the plight of her temporary teammates.
"What do we do? None of out tricks are working. Changing opponents aren't going to be feasible either. I know that Raikage-sama told me that Ninshu was formidable, but I didn't think it was this dangerously to face." Karui said with a sigh as she cautiously watched Ino and Tenten regrouping with Karin.
"I know what you mean. At this rate, we will only have two options... Give up with dignity or lose without dignity."
"I think we should try one more time before giving up." Kin urged with a nervous tone.
Temari and Karui nodded and turned their full attention to the opposing team only to see a finished seal on the ground. The seal was growing with an eldritch red glow striking fear into the trio's hearts. What ever the seal was, it was bad news.
"This takes me back. I remember Mito-sama using this same seal in a spar against Tobirama-sensei. Though she generated the seal within moments. Karin-chan is very skilled indeed." Hiruzen muzed drawing Mei and Ōnoki's attention.
"What does this seal do Hiruzen?"
"It has quite a subtle effect. It may seem that the seal consequences of activating the seal is high, but it is anything but. You see, the seal, I don't know the name, is designed to subtly influence anyone the user considers an enemy through psychological manipulation. You can say that it is a specialized genjutsu seal designed to psychologically influence the enemies morale. We will be seeing a quick surrender now from the Suna-Kumo-Oto team."
Ōnoki frowned at the implications while Mei looked stunned before speaking. "It is a Hiden Jutsu, isn't it?"
"I believe so and a high ranked one as well. Luckily it has a great weakness. If the target or in this case the targets are aware of the true power of the seal, the effectiveness is cut to a quarter."
"They are shuddering. I think it is time we launch our final offensive." Ino stated with a giddy expression. An expression that is more common on the face of Mitarashi Anko.
Karin and Tenten nodded as both girls punched forward releasing blistering waves of yellow flames. Ino's face took on a more bloodthirsty grin as she released a wave of wind into the fire fanning them into a blazing inferno.
Temari, Karui and Kin watched as the raging inferno rushed towards them and with kawarimi forbidden, it was their death. Seeing no reason to keep fighting, all three gave up.
"Why did they give up? The fire wave wasn't that large, was it?" Kiba asked with confusion.
"I don't think so Kiba, but maybe Ino had them trapped in a genjutsu and they didn't realize it. She has done it before. Her genjutsu are particularly vicious especially since she seems to have started to hangout with Anko-san." Shikamaru said though he was uncertain. He just couldn't ignore the glowing seal. Did it have something to do with the forfeiture as well?
"Winner by forfeit; Uzumaki Karin, Yamanaka Ino and Higurashi Tenten! Now please vacate the arena." Naruto said as he appeared in front of Temari and with a wave of his hand, conjured up an opaque wall of winds that easily countered the wave of flames.
The six Genin quickly rushed up to the catwalk with the three defeated ones hanging their heads in shame. After dispelling the seal, Naruto looked up and started announcing the next match up.
"Will Uchiha Sasuke, Yakushi Kabuto, Nii Samui and Akatsuchi please come down to the arena. The next match will be a close to mid range, no Kawarimi, 2 vs 2 team matchup with teams consisting of Nii Samui and Uchiha Sasuke on one side and Yakushi Kabuto and Akatsuchi on the other side!"
"This will be a unique match. A Konoha Shinobi and a foreigner team. I hope they can work together." Kurenai commented as she stared at the four ninja.
"I don't think you will have to worry about Sasuke and Samui, Kurenai-sensei. It is Yakushi-san and Akatsuchi we have to worry about." Hinata said with a smile though Kurenai picked up on the small stress the Hyūga Heiress made when uttering Yakushi-san. Narrowing her eyes, the Genjutsu Mistress nodded in agreement as Naruto began the match.
Kurenai was impressed with all four ninja. Sasuke was particularly impressive with the combination of his Sharingan Genjutsu and fire bending. That didn't mean that the rest were any less impressive. Samui's mastery of kenjutsu perfectly complimented Sasuke's ranged skills. Akatsuchi's dōton ninjutsu was equally impressive for a Genin, especially with the application of advanced defensive techniques and skillful application of simple supplimentary jutsu to disrupt his opponents teamwork or helping his teammate out of a bind. It was clear that he was a ranged fighter. Kabuto, even holding back as she knew, was just as impressive. Good speed, great precision and most of all a cool head for tactics combined with the ability to heal himself mid battle. It was such a sad thing that he was a traitor. Still, it was an impressive battle to behold.
The battle lasted for nearly fifteen minutes before Kabuto just gave up stating chakra exhaustion. Akatsuchi was visibly displeased but decided that it was the best course of action. Over the course of the battle, Sasuke and Samui had been mostly on the offensive forcing him and Kabuto onbthe defensive. The small victories he or Kabuto could force their way were easily balanced by powerful, precise ot downright sneaky techniques his opponents were using.
Those sealless fire ninjutsu from Sasuke were truly difficult to both anticipate and counter. Samui's kenjutsu augmented with a subtle raiton chakra flow easily countered his small arsenal of dōton ninjutsu. Though he wasn't injured, the same couldn't be said about his pride. Tsuchikage-sama was right to have cautioned him about... ninshu, he believed it was called.
Looking towards his temporary teammate Akatsuchi was visibly disappointed. Kabuto was a good partner but he was an Iryōnin. Granted a very good one, but still just an Iryōnin who was not really able to damage their opponents with his taijutsu or even give him enough openings to really damage their opponents. In the end, he believed that it was just bad luck that he had such a bad match up. Looking towards Sasuke and Samui, he could see the underlying attraction and if the reports were true, both were probably going to end up in a political marriage in the future. It was clear that the Konoha Shinobi and the Kumo Kunoichi appreciated each others company.
"Winner by forfeit, Uchiha Sasuke and Nii Samui. Now, please vacate the arena so that the next battle may commence!"
Samui and Sasuke shared a smirk as they quietly walked up to the catwalk. From the corner of her eyes, Samui saw Sasuke watching her with subtle looks.
"Will Hyūga Neji and Inuzuka Kiba please come down to the arena? The next battle will be a standard match with no Kawarimi!" Naruto declared as Neji and Kiba stood facing each other. "HAJIME!"
Kiba didn't waste any time as he and Akamaru jumped towards Neji and started twisting in a drill like motivation calling out, "Gatsuga!"
Neji didn't even blink as he easily dodged the attack only to be suddenly blown back by a wave of ripping winds.
"That's new. He used air bending to extend the reach of the swirling winds, right Sensei?"
"That's right Choji. A beautiful use of wind if I have ever seen one. I doubt Neji will be able to win." Asuma said with an impressed expression.
"You are thinking too small, Asuma-san. The battle is just getting starting." Sakura said with a secretive smile.
"What do you mean Sakura?" Asuma asked as he watched Kiba and Akamaru keep pushing Neji back towards the wall.
They keep vigil as Neji kept trying to get out of the defensive play only to be stopped at every step. Kiba had become good and very fast but Neji was just that little bit better as he kept dodging the attacks from both Kiba and Akamaru along with the blasts of wind Kiba would occasionally release to trip him up. It took five minutes until Asuma saw what Sakura meant. Neji was touching the rock wall with his back as Kiba and Akamaru had launched themselves forward in the fastest Gatsuga he had ever seen when Neji smirked.
Before any of the Genin realized what happened, Neji spurn on his heels and vanished into the ground with an shocking ease using his rudimentary mastery of Earth Bending causing Kiba and Akamaru to crash into solid rock.
Neji reappeared behind then and stomped on the ground and made a few stiff motions with his arms causing the Inuzuka and his ninken to be caught in between a vice like pair of rock pillars.
"I advise you to forfeit, least I accidentally crush you two. I am not as well versed in Earth Bending as you are with Air Bending afterall." Neji said with a mono tone voice
Kiba and Akamaru squirmed for a bit before they felt the pillars slowly increasing the pressure causing both to stiffen before Kiba sighed and called out, "I forfeit!"
"Winner by forfeit, Hyūga Neji!" Naruto declared appearing beside the rock pillars. Clenching his right fist, Naruto punched the pillar and pulled back causing the pillars go reduce to dust, freeing the Inuzuka and his ninken.
"That was an interesting battle. Didn't expect a Hyūga to use anything other than the Jūken. The Inuzuka was good as well, but a bit reckless if you ask me." Ōnoki stated with an impressed expression.
Hiruzen chuckled as he nodded in agreement while Mei just frowned for a moment before commenting, "I remember that the Hyūga came with Naruto-sama to Kiri. I believe that he didn't show any skills outside of his Jūken and that was only a couple of months ago. Did he really learn Earth Ninshu to such a high degree so fast?"
Hiruzen frowned before stating, "Neji is considered a prodigy, so it isn't surprising that he is picking up ninshu quite fast, but we must also consider Naruto-kun's teaching ability. Without Naruto-kun's tutelage, I doubt that he would have reached so far."
Mei nodded in understanding as Ōnoki just sat there in a contemplative mood
"Will Makkeshō Suiren, Kazekage Kankuro, Hyūga Hinata, Akadō Yoroi, Sarutobi Konohamaru and Akimichi Choji please make their way to the arena." After the six mention Genin were in the arena, Naruto continued, "This will be a standard, 3 vs 3 Team battle with teams consisting of Makkeshō Suiren, Hyūga Hinata and Sarutobi Konohamaru on one side and Akadō Yoroi, Kazekage Kankuro and Akimichi Choji on the other side. HAJIME!"
Suiren, Hinata and Konohamaru didn't waste any time in attacking their opponents. Suiren stamped her foot on the ground causing a wave of crystal spikes to erupt from the ground scattering her opponents. Hinata just activated her Byakugan and focused her will on the water vapor in the air causing blobs of water to coalesce over her head and float around lazily. Konohamaru let his two female teammates handle the ranged combat as he rushed towards the distracted Yoroi with a dark glare.
"Oh no!" Kakashi muttered underneath his breath noticing the dark glare Konohamaru was directing towards Yoroi. Not that he could blame the young Sarutobi. Konohamaru seems to have developed an intense dislike for traitors after hearing the stories of Itachi from Sasuke. He just hoped that Konohamaru didn't kill the traitor.
Kakashi observed the match with great concentration, having even revealed his Sharingan. Even though Konohamaru, Suiren and Hinata didn't ever work together before, it seems that training underneath Naruto has taught them to be very adaptive. A good quality to have as a Chunin. Turning his head, Kakashi saw Kankuro keep dodging the waves of crystal spikes that Suiren kept sending his way, always trying to reveal the bandage wrapped package on his back. If he wasn't mistaken, then Kankuro was a Kugutsu practitioner and probably a good one as well. It is best that they don't allow him time to access his tools. Poison would easily change the pace of the battle.
A sudden sound drew Kakashi's attention. Slightly turning his head, Kakashi was shocked to see Choji had launched a massive boulder at Hinata. Luckily for Hinata, the blob of water floating above her head had sent out tentacles to intercept it. The water had partially transformed into ice, as spikes of ice had ripped into the boulder. With a simple gesture of her arms, Hinata redirected the boulder towards a distracted Kankuro.
Suiren saw that the boulder would miss Kankuro, so to move him into position, Suiren smirked and stomped her feet causing the crystal spikes all around the field to suddenly shattered with a deafening crack, as sparkling dust filled the area of the arena Kankuro occupied. A loud curse was heard as Kankuro jumped out of the dust only to be hit by the redirected boulder.
The loud scream of pain from Kankuro and the sound of shattering crystal and wood distracted Yoroi for just a moment allowing Konohamaru to strike his chest with a simple palm strike. Unfortunately, Konohamaru decided to release a concentrated wave of blistering yellow flames. Yoroi screamed in pain as he was launched back due to the resulting explosion. Before Yoroi was even able to fight through the pain, Kakashi saw Konohamaru focus near Yoroi's head. Suddenly, an explosion blossomed at the point throwing the traitor away and knocking him unconscious.
Kakashi turned his head to see Choji was sweating in fear, but had a confident expression. Slamming his hands onto the ground, a massive wave of rock spikes erupted all around him, rushing towards his three opponents. Suiren and Konohamaru just smirked and proceeded to destroy the spikes with well-timed punches, using their Earth Bending to easily counter. Hinata on the other hand took a completely surprising direction in her defense. As she was a Water Bender, she pulled all the water around her into a massive spinning dome of raging water, bearing resemblance to the Hakkeshō Kaiten. Everyone watched with shock as the raging torrents easily tore the spike of rock to dust, which kept swirling around with the waters staining the crystal blue waters a muddy brown.
As the wave of spikes dissipated, Choji jumped back to avoid the explosion that Konohamaru caused with his Combustion Bending, only to roll to the right as a wave of ice spikes shattered on the rock walls of the arena. Getting back onto his feet, Kakashi saw Choji lookup with a startled expression before twisting on his heels and drilling into the ground. Kakashi was at first confused at Choji's sudden alarm but understood when he caught the slight sparkles in the air.
Kakashi smirked underneath his mask at the battle. He could see that Choji realized that it was a hopeless situation. Both of his teammates were down, but also realized that he had to at least try his best, just like his opponents were trying their best. Kakashi turned his head and focused his attention on Choji's opponents and saw that Hinata had covered her arms in water and was rushing forward to strike at Choji, who had just popped out of the ground. From Hinata's right, at an angle of thirty degrees, Suiren was charging with her whole body glittering from the crystal dust armor she had covered herself with. From Hinata's left, at nearly the same angle, Konohamaru was charging while moving his arms in a repetitive circular motion as sparks of lightning erupted from his outstretched index and middle fingers.
"I wonder if Choji will realize that it is better to give up?" Kakashi commented drawing a worried Asuma and Shikamaru's attentions along with a carefree Ino's.
"I am sure that he can go on a little longer!" Ino commented with a careless tone though the worry was clear in her eyes.
"I have known Choji for a long time and I can assure you that he will give up if all else fails. After all, it is too troublesome to be needlessly injured for just a stupid exam." Shikamaru said just as Choji screamed out his forfeiture. "See, what did I tell you!"
"Winner by both Knock Out and Forfeit; Makkeshō Suiren, Hyūga Hinata and Sarutobi Konohamaru! MEDIC!" Naruto exclaimed as the four conscious participants made their way up to the catwalk while two teams of Iryōnin had rushed towards the unconscious Kankuro and Yoroi.
As they waited for the Medics to clear the arena with their patients, Gaara approached Suiren and Konohamaru with a blank expression on his face. With a bland tone, he said, "Both of you are very skilled. I wouldn't mind proving my existence against either of you!"
Temari and Baki, who were close by, shivered at the sudden bloodlust Gaara was letting off, though it seemed that both of his targets weren't bothered in the slightest. In fact, Konohamaru seemed to be projecting his own killing intent at Gaara. Suiren didn't even blink as the crystal dust floating around seemed to vibrate causing a gentle scraping sound of the sand viper to emerge from around her.
"I am sure that Konohamaru would love to take you up on the offer right here, but I do not wish to jeopardize my candidacy in the exams. Naruto-sama would be extremely displeased with such a case. Why don't we make a pact to either face off against each other in the finals or if we don't get the chance, why not spar after the exams are over? I am sure that neither Naruto-sama nor Hokage-sama would mind."
Gaara nodded in agreement before walking away with a satisfied smile on his face. He didn't miss Baki and Temari tense up when he stated that he wouldn't mind proving his existence. He could now understand the subtle pleasure in pranking. No wonder Naruto used to pull pranks as a child. This was the most fun he has had in his life, and who would have thought that Shukaku had a sense of humor? He certainly didn't.
"Alright… Now that the arena is clear, will Nara Shikamaru, Dosu of Oto, Omoi of Kumo and Yuki Haku of Uzu please come down to the arena! This match will be an all range; 2 vs 2 Team match up with no Kawarimi. The teams will be Nara Shikamaru and Yuki Haku vs Omoi and Dosu." Naruto called out as the four named Genin jumped down to the arena from the catwalk, though in Shikamaru's case, he looked quite bored.
"HAJIME!"
Shikamaru and Haku shared a look and nodded to each other before both jumped back as they threw a wave of shuriken at their opponents. Omoi unsheathed his Katana and easily parried the throwing stars while Dosu raised his arms and used the metallic gauntlets to parry them.
Shikamaru and Haku didn't give them any time to react as both charged forward with Shikamaru bringing out a sealing scroll. Throwing the scroll down, Shikamaru released a pulse of chakra as he placed his foot on the sealing array while running. A burst of smoke erupted from the scroll before the whole floor of the arena was filled with a foot of water, surprising the other three Genin.
Haku quickly recovered her composure as she used her limited water bending skills to surf on the water with Shikamaru beside her. Dosu and Omoi had barely gotten their bearings when whips of water struck them on the chest, throwing them into the wall. Before either could react, both were trapped by waves of water which flash froze into ice. Omoi and Dosu tried to wiggle free only to have a kunai held at their throats eliciting small stings.
"This match is over! Winner, Nara Shikamaru and Yuki Haku. Will all winners please come back to the arena and stand in a line!" Naruto called out as he used his mastery over water bending release the defeated duo and evaporate the foot-deep water in one move.
"I didn't expect the battle to be over so soon. Then again, Haku is very adaptable in battle while the Nara can think over a hundred steps ahead of his opponent, so it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise." Zabuza commented with a grin, though hidden behind his bandages.
Asuma, Kakashi and Gai nodded in agreement as the watched the fifteen winners jump down to the arena and stand in a line as Naruto had instructed. Beside him, Anko appeared with a box held in her arms and called out, "Step up and draw a slip then stand back in line Gaki's!"
Everyone followed Anko's command and quickly stepped forward, took a slip of paper from the box and stepped back into line. After the fifteen Chunin hopefuls had taken their slips, Naruto called out, "Now call out your names and number, starting from the extreme left!"
"Higurashi Tenten, Number #9!"
"Uzumaki Karin, Number #5!"
"Kazekage Gaara, Number #12!"
"Nii Samui, Number #2!"
"Uchiha Sasuke, Number #15!"
"Yūki Haku, Number #6!"
"Hyūga Hinata, Number #7!"
"Kamizuri Kurotsuchi, Number #11!"
"Nara Shikamaru, Number #13!"
"Yamanaka Ino, Number #1!"
"Sarutobi Konohamaru, Number #4!"
"Aburame Shino, Number #10!"
"Rock Lee, Number #14!"
"Makkeshō Suiren, Number #3!"
"Hyūga Neji, Number #8!"
Naruto and Anko nodded as the latter wrote down the names before handing the clipboard to Naruto. Looking over the information, Naruto nodded to himself before stating, "Now if you will remember, the Finals will be an Elimination Tournament spread out over three days. The first day will focus on seven one-on-one matches with one competitor getting a bye to the next round that will occur the next day. The second day will be four matches, the quarter-finals as you all know. We have decided to forego the semi-finals. Instead, the finals, that will be taking place on the third day, will be a Battle Royale between the winners of the four battles held on the second day. There will be no restrictions in how you battle. Do you understand!"
A chorus of 'Sir, yes sir!' came back eliciting a chuckle from the three Kage. Naruto nodded before saying, "Then I shall give you the match ups for the third exams!"
DAY 1
Match 1 Ino vs Lee
Match 2 Samui vs Shikamaru
Match 3 Suiren vs Gaara
Match 4 Konohamaru vs Kurotsuchi
Match 5 Karin vs Shino
Match 6 Haku vs Tenten
Match 7 Hinata vs Neji
Bye Sasuke
DAY 2
Match 8 Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 3
Match 9 Winner of Match 2 vs Winner of Match 4
Match 10 Winner of Match 5 vs Winner of Match 7
Match 11 Winner of Match 6 vs Bye
DAY 3
Match 12 Battle Royale between surviving Genin
"The finals will take place exactly one month from now. I know many of you are wondering why the month long wait, so let me clear out the confusion. The finals will be watched by many foreign dignitaries. This one month is for them to reach Konoha, or where ever the Chunin Exams is being held. Know this, most of the dignitaries will be representatives of Daimyō. The better show you put on in the finals, the higher the chance is your village will be sent more missions. Now a word of advice – don't waste this month on only preparing for your next opponent. Anticipate all possible opponents and make appropriate preparations. I can guarantee that it will help. Now dismissed!"
The next morning, Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Shino, Karin, Suiren, Haku, Tenten, Lee, Neji, Sasuke and Konohamaru were standing in Training Ground 3 with Zabuza, Asuma, Kurenai, Kakashi and Gai, waiting for Naruto. They didn't have to wait long as Naruto appeared in the middle of the Training Ground with Sakura and Tsunade.
"Good, all of you are here. To the Genin, you all will be trained by all of us throughout the month, though through the use of Kage Bunshin so as to keep the knowledge of individual training out of your possible opponent's reach. Other than that, general training will occur together. Now to everyone, Orochimaru and Oto plan to invade Konoha sometime during the Chunin Exams Finals. The joint training will be to bring you up to my standards. During the training, you lot will be taught Jōnin level tactics along with physical and mental conditioning. Now all Genin, dismissed! Meet up here tomorrow at Dawn!"
The Genin nodded before dispersing leaving behind the Jōnin. After a couple of minutes of silence, Gai asked, "What orders do you have for us, Naruto-sama?"
"Simple Gai. You five will be moving about the Stadium, helping out as much as you can. I have assigned Anko, Iruka and Dōmon to handle the defense of the evacuation shelter with Genin under their command. Jiraiya will be moving about helping as much as he can along with Sakura." Sakura nodded in agreement, showing that she was on board with Naruto's plans. "Finally, Tsunade will be handling the defense of the Hospital. Any questions?"
Everyone shared a look before shaking their heads causing Naruto to nod in satisfaction. "I shall lead the offensive against Orochimaru with the Kage. I have confirmation that Nii Yugito and Kazekage Gaara along with Fū shall be leading the defense of the VIPs, so you won't need to focus on them. Just keep the civilians safe. The Hachibi Jinchūriki, Kirabi; the Rokubi Jinchūriki, Utakata; the Yonbi Jinchūriki, Roshi; and the Gobi Jinchūriki, Han will be on the front lines helping out anyway they can under the orders from their Kage. There are reports that dissatisfied elements in all villages may have joined up with Orochimaru and will be threats. Eliminate them with extreme prejudice. Now dismissed!"
The five Jōnin didn't waste time as they disappeared in puffs of smoke, or in the case of Zabuza and Kakashi, mist and sparks respectively. After they were gone, Tsunade placed a palm on Naruto's shoulder and said with a smile, "You did quite well Naruto. I don't know why you were so nervous. Besides, you better get used to it. After all, you take over as the Hokage next month!"
"I agree with Tsunade. You need to relax Naruto. How about we have breakfast at Ichiraku's, my treat!" Sakura said with a smile causing Naruto's serious face to morph into a gleaming grin.
"Whatever you say Sakura-chan! I am not about to turn down free ramen!"
Sakura shook her head with fond exasperation as she said, "You must be the only Daimyō in existence who would prefer to eat Ramen over all the expensive foods in the world."
"It is an Uzumaki thing, Sakura. I had seen my grandmother put away more bowls of the stuff than I can drink sake!" Tsunade mused as the three headed out of the Training Ground at a leisurely pace.
"So, have you made a decision?" Naruto said walking into the cells carved into the bedrock underneath the Uzumaki Estate. In a cell was Kaguya Kimimaro and Jūgo.
Jūgo and Kimimaro looked way better than expected of two prisoners, but that was because they really weren't ones. Jūgo preferred to be caged until he had proper control of his Kekkai Genkai. Kimimaro was here to visit his friend.
Kimimaro looked up and stated, "I agree to join Uzu, Naruto-sama. And I thank you for having me treated for my disease. I have decided to join the Eiba Clan underneath Zabuza-sama!"
"And I have decided to be an Uzu Shinobi but without any affiliation with any clan! May I ask when we shall start training to master my Kekkai Genkai?" Jūgo asked with a soft tone.
"Immediately, please follow me to the secluded grove at the back of the estate. That is where the natural energy is at its purest in Konoha and a good place to meditate. I hope you don't mind sitting in the same place of hours at a time but meditation is the only way to safely connect with nature and natural energy." Naruto said as they walked out of the cells and towards the back end of the estate. "After you have mastered meditation, the next step will be learning to safely draw in natural energy and mix it with your chakra to produce Senjutsu Chakra. That is the most difficult step as mistakes tend to cause petrification."
"Fascinating, but if mistakes in learning Senjutsu leads to petrification, why even try it?" Kimimaro asked with interest.
Naruto nodded as he said, "I can understand your belief Kimimaro. The answer is quite complex. Simply, it allows the user to become one with nature. The clairvoyance one gains from such a union is quite gratifying, both spiritually and physically. In the case of Jūgo, the fear of petrification is replaced by the drawing out of the chaos that hides within us. The base instincts that have been suppressed to a degree with the advent of sentience."
"So, I just need to get a better mastery of my baser instincts and everything should be fine?"
Naruto chuckled and said, "Not exactly, but close. Natural Energy tends to strengthen the bond of the user with nature. In return, it exponentially strengthens the user, and I am not talking only physically. Spiritually, the clairvoyance is the strength that leads to powerful sensory abilities. Mentally, now that is a bit difficult to explain. While it strengthens the mental processes, it also draws out the baser instincts. The instincts we suppress. The worst qualities of our existence. For me, it is my arrogance. For you, I believe that it is your suppressed rage and anger."
Jūgo and Kimimaro nodded in agreement before Kimimaro bid his farewell and left to meet up with Zabuza. Jūgo and Naruto kept walking at a leisurely pace until they reached the clearing, only to find Sakura and Fū meditating. Sharing a look, Naruto motioned for Jūgo to copy what he did and both sat down to meditate.
It would be over three hours before Jūgo would finally awake from his trance, though his body had run wild due to the unfettered access the Natural energy had to his system. Luckily, Naruto and Sakura were easily able to prevent any damage from occurring while Fū kept meditating, but still keeping attention to the commotion near her.
Japanese Translations
Sandaime Tsuchikage = Third Earth Shadow
Kekkai Genkai = Blood Line Limit
Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translations
Shikotsumyaku = Dead Bone Pulse
Kōton = Steel Release
Yōton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu = Lava Release: Congealing Quick Lime Technique
Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu = Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique
Kawarimi = Substitution
Gatsuga = Fang over Fang
Jūken = Gentle Fist
Kugutsu = Puppet Jutsu
Hakkeshō Kaiten = Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation
Kage Bunshin = Shadow Clones
A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. Do not fear, Orochimaru will make an escape. Merry Christmas everyone!
SSG.
