Chapter 4 – Rose's Feelings, Chunin Exams, & the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit
At her fellow Dragoon's question, Rose's eyes widened and she almost dropped her glass of water. As she slowly regained her composure, the dark-eyed woman thought over what her companion had just asked. How do I feel about him? That's actually a good question. How do I feel about Naruto? I obviously care about him, but what are my true feelings? I… Sighing, Rose shook her head and looked calmly into the blonde Dragoon's eyes. "I…don't know Naruto."
Naruto nodded slowly and looked down at his hands. "Yeah, I kinda figured you didn't feel the same way Rose-chan. I…I've known for a couple of years now exactly how I feel towards you, though." Looking into his companion's eyes, the blonde Dragoon smiled sadly at her. "I've been in love with you for a while now Rose-chan. Even though I knew that there was an overwhelming probability that you'd never feel the same way towards me, I couldn't help myself. I still can't stop how I feel. Heh…"
Shaking his head, Naruto leaned back into the couch and sighed. "I know you still love your old fiancé, Zieg. I also know that you probably can't feel anything towards me because of our age difference. Before you jump to conclusions, that is not an insult to your age or anything, I'm just saying that's…ugh." Ruffling his hair in frustration, the blonde closed his eyes and groaned. "You could never feel that same kind of love for me. I don't even want to try and be a replacement for Zieg. I know you will always love him, I just…kinda wish you'd love me too. Know what I mean?"
As Naruto degenerated into a nervous wreck, an amused smile just continued to grow on Rose's face. Eventually, it became too much for her and she began laughing, unable to control herself any longer. At the look her blonde friend gave her at this point, the Dark Dragoon just about lost it. "W-What's so funny? I'm being serious here…" Kami, even her laughter is beautiful…
Rose managed to calm herself and looked calmly into Naruto's eyes. Without a word, she moved in close and captured her fellow Dragoon's lips with hers. It wasn't a long kiss, but they could both feel a sense of passion from it. Separating from Naruto, the Dark Dragoon smirked down at him and had to take amusement in his flabbergasted expression. "Naruto, you didn't let me finish. You just jumped to conclusions. I've warned you against that, haven't I?"
Naruto nodded slowly, but didn't say a word. Instead, he decided to let Rose speak. "Just because I don't know exactly how I feel doesn't mean that I don't have feelings for you. I've just never thought about it before. As for Zieg…" At this point, the Dark Dragoon leaned in and gave Naruto a much longer, more passionate kiss before pulling back and speaking again. "I've had a very long time to get over him. I'll always love him, but that doesn't mean I can't move on and find happiness with another."
Looking calmly into the blonde's beautiful blue eyes, Rose smiled softly at him. "I also realize that there's an age difference between us, but I've always treated you as an equal, haven't I? I've never once treated you like a child Naruto. I also understand that, in this new world, apparently when you become a ninja, you're considered an adult? It's an odd concept, but it's not unusual. Back in the world I used to know, the one I got to see grow and evolve, boys as young as thirteen years-old could join the ranks of the knights of their kingdom, and were considered adults once they attained full knighthood. In times of war, boys strong enough to wield a sword could be drafted if the need ever arose. So, it's not really unusual to me if you stop to think about it."
The young blonde blinked a couple of times, but decided to voice his question. "Umm, Rose-chan? What were you trying to say before? You started rambling. It…almost sounds like you're feeling kind of nervous too…"
Rose sighed and bonked her friend over the head. "Shut it. The point I'm trying to make is this: even if there is a, erm…large age difference between us, one that you certainly don't seem to mind, which is something I'm glad for by the way…" Catching herself before she started to ramble on again, the Dark Dragoon coughed into her hand and nodded, slowly getting her thoughts together as she started to speak once again. "I don't care about the age difference Naruto. Besides, if two people love one another, why should you allow anything to get in the way of that? Age? Gender? It doesn't matter what the differences are, you should be happy to find such a love and pursue it."
At the look Naruto was giving her, Rose grumbled and pinched his ear. "Stop giving me that look. I'm rambling again, I know. Just…not used to having to talk about my feelings. Forgive me for that you nosey brat." Listening to the blonde chuckle, Rose smiled and flicked him in the nose after releasing his ear. "As I was saying before: I don't know exactly how I feel about you Naruto. I do know this, however: I care for you a lot. And…I wasn't going to act on any feelings it turns out that I do have, namely because you deserve someone better, don't you think?"
The Jade Dragoon quirked a brow at this and looked into his love's face with disbelief. "Are you kidding me Rose-chan? There is no one better than you! You're the one I love most in this world. I don't care if there's someone closer to my age that you might think is better for me, I know how I feel and that will never change. So, if you're afraid of trying out a relationship with me because you think you're not good enough, well…" Giving Rose a quick kiss on her lips, Naruto pulled back a bit and smirked at her. "You're just being stupid."
Rose blushed a crimson red at this point, but nodded slowly and let a content smile worm its way onto her face. Forcing herself to take a deep breath and released it slowly, the beautiful dark-haired woman closed her eyes and smiled. "Perhaps I am being a tad stupid?" With a shrug of her shoulders, the dark blue-eyed woman hugged Naruto close and closed her eyes as she began running her fingers through his blonde hair. "If you really feel that strongly for me, then I'll make you a deal. Okay Naruto?"
Seeing the boy before her nod quickly, the Dark Dragoon grinned a little more. "Give me a little more time to sort out my feelings for you, okay Naruto? I'll admit that I do like you, probably a lot more than I should. But, I'm not used to this kind of thing. I need to think about this for a little while. So, here's my proposal for you, Naruto." Looking the blonde square in the eyes, the beautiful woman nodded and kissed his forehead. "Work your way through these Chunin Exams. When you have the time, whether you end up with some kind of a break or we don't get to see each other for a month, it doesn't matter, I want you to come talk to me again. Do your very best in these Exams, do me proud, and you might receive the answer you're hoping for."
Naruto brightened considerably, but he was also left feeling rather confused. She's either testing me, teasing me, or both. Either way… "I'm definitely going to give it my all and become a Chunin, dattebayo! I'm going to do it for you Rose-chan. I want to make you proud of me, and I'm more eager than ever to participate if it means I might get to hear a positive answer to my question!" Chuckling at that, he looked into Rose's eyes and winked, causing her to chuckle as well.
After this, the two stayed up for a couple hours longer, just enjoying the time spent together, talking with one another, and discussing a variety of things, the most prominent of which being the Chunin Exams that were to begin the next day. As they talked, however, it seemed that neither of them noticed the young woman hiding in the dark at the top of the stairs, listening to their prior conversation. It sure sounds to me like she's crazy about you too Naru-kun. Good for you. Now if only I could somehow work my way into your heart a little more and get Rose-san to agree to share, I'd have it made… With a shrug, Haku returned to bed, deciding it best to leave the two alone for now. Besides, she would need her sleep for the Exams tomorrow!
The Next Day – Academy
Team 7 currently stood before the academy building, each of the four feeling something different. Sasuke felt irritation at how giddy his blonde teammate was acting and let him know about just how irritating it was whenever the blonde decided to start rambling on about how excited and happy he was. Shikamaru simply muttered the word, "Troublesome." a few times as he thought about what the day would bring. After all, these were the Chunin Exams and none of them were sure just what they could expect from them!
Haku was watching Naruto with a smile, glad that he was so enthusiastic about the Exams. Of course, she knew one of the main reasons as to why he was so excited, but she wasn't about to tell him that she eavesdropped on his conversation with Rose last night! Instead, she chose to simply smile and held his hand, glad to just be in his company at the moment.
Finally, Naruto Uzumaki was, as his teammates could tell, very excited to begin! After his conversation with Rose, the blonde had a hard time getting to sleep, but he eventually did and ended up getting five hours of rest. It was far better than zero hours, and he didn't feel tired at all. Instead, as he remembered his time spent with Rose last night and their first few kisses shared, he felt incredibly refreshed and energized!
Still, there was also another thing on the young blonde Dragoon's mind. Thinking back to before he left his home earlier this morning, Naruto remembered another conversation he had with Rose, this one regarding the Dragoon Spirits and the Chunin Exams…
Flashback
"Rose-chan, I know how dangerous and risky this plan is, but please! You trusted me on my missions out of the village before, and I managed to find two other Dragoons. Please trust me this time too!" Naruto pleaded, desperately trying to get Rose to understand why he wanted to try this new plan out.
The Dark Dragoon tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. Sighing as she listened to the Jade Dragoon's pleas, the woman brushed a hand through her hair and sighed again. "I understand that there very well could be more Dragoons participating in these Chunin Exams, Naruto. However, the issue is that they are being held here in Konohagakure! What if those assholes from four years ago try to steal the Dragoon Spirits from you when you're by yourself in these Exams?!"
The young Dragoon frowned at this, but nodded his head slowly. "As I said, I understand the risks involved, but there's something you're forgetting. I won't be alone. We may just be a group of Genin and two inexperienced Dragoons, but we're still a team. Danzo's ROOT took us by surprise last time. If they try anything this time, if anybody tries anything this time, I'll be expecting it and I will defend the Dragoon Spirits even if it costs me my life to do so! Please Rose-chan; trust in me to keep them safe. I have a feeling that there might be another Dragoon, maybe even two or more in these Exams somewhere! I won't know for sure unless I have the Spirits with me, though, so you have to trust me."
The dark-eyed woman sighed, but finally relented with a nod. "Alright then Naruto. Think of this as your first 'trial' then." Seeing he understood what she meant by this, the Dark Dragoon grinned. "Keep these Dragoon Spirits safe at all costs. Do not even let your teammates touch these, not even Haku. I trust her, do not get me wrong, but I want you to handle this responsibility Naruto. More importantly, if you can find at least one more Dragoon before you get to speak with me again, it may help sway my 'judgment' in your favor."
Naruto chuckled at that and nodded as he took the bag of Dragoon Spirits and tied it to his belt. "I understand Rose-chan, and I will not disappoint. It's an evil game you're playing with me, but I love you the way you are and I wouldn't have it any other way." Laughing together, Naruto soon kissed Rose on the cheek and dashed out the door to meet with his team…
Present Time
Reaching down, Naruto patted the bag at his hip and smirked. "Alright guys, let's go in there and kick some ass!" Seeing the others nod in agreement, the team began making their way into the academy towards Room 301, as per their instructions. As they walked, the young Jade Dragoon couldn't help but glance down at the bag one more time. Don't you worry Rose. I'll keep these safe, and I'll find that Dragoon! I've got a damn good feeling that I'll find another one in these Exams. My questions are: who will it be, and which Dragoon Spirit will recognize them? I'm excited just thinking about it!
Upon reaching the second floor, Team 7 stopped and stared at a surprisingly large crowd hanging around what looked to be Room 301, but in reality, wasn't the room they needed to go to. Quirking a brow, the Jade Dragoon leaned close to his teammates and whispered. "Hey, isn't that a genjutsu? It seems like a pretty obvious one to me…"
Shikamaru and Haku nodded and were about to suggest that they just move on. However, before either of them could say anything, Sasuke was walking through the crowd towards the front and mocking those responsible for the genjutsu and those that happened to fall for it as well. Sighing to themselves, the other three members of Team 7 all muttered the same word as one: "Troublesome." Sighing to themselves once more, Shikamaru went to try and stop Sasuke before he did anything stupid… Wait…he's already done something stupid. Maybe I should just stop him from trying to pick any fights? No…wait…he's doing that too. Augh, he is such a troublesome teammate! Deciding it best to just try and drag the Uchiha away from the crowd, the Nara pushed through the crowd in order to reach his teammate.
Meanwhile, the Dragoon members of Team 7 walked over to the green clad genin that had been knocked through the crowd some time ago. Kneeling down, Naruto helped the boy up and smiled at him. "Heya there. You look a heck of a lot like Guy-sensei. Are you his son or something?"
The bushy-browed boy looked into the blonde Dragoon's eyes and grinned. "I am not Guy-sensei's son, but I do highly admire him! Not only is he my wonderful sensei, but he's also my very best friend." Looking down at this point, the young man nodded his head and smiled sadly to himself. "Guy-sensei has helped me so much. I never want to let him down. But, I have not yet introduced myself!" Giving Naruto and Haku his best 'Nice Guy Pose', they could practically see his teeth sparkling in the light. "My name is Rock Lee! It's great to meet the two of you!"
Naruto Uzumaki chuckled and gently shook Lee's hand while Haku looked a little creeped out by this strange boy. "It's good to meet you Lee-san. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and my teammate here is named Haku Yuki." Leaning in closer, the blonde whispered to his new friend. "As a student of Guy-sensei's, you do realize that's a genjutsu, right?"
Lee nodded calmly and looked towards the crowd, who sounded like they wanted to kill somebody, probably Sasuke or the two who set up the genjutsu in the first place. "Of course Naruto-kun. I simply wanted to see what some of our competition was like." With a shrug, he looked back into Naruto's eyes. "I'm curious about something though Naruto-kun. You sound as if you know Guy-sensei really well. How do you know him?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Guy-sensei trained me in taijutsu. He can be one seriously tough sensei. I'm sure as his full-time genin student, you know that better than I could ever realize. Still, I'm very grateful to him for helping me so much. I like Guy-sensei too Lee-san. He's a good guy."
As Lee nodded, about to agree with Naruto completely, they noticed two things. First, Shikamaru came through the crowd with an entrapped Sasuke walking behind him, yelling at Shikamaru to let him go. Second, Lee's teammates were approaching and the guy, obviously a Hyuga judging from his eyes, did not look happy. "Uhhh, it was nice meeting you Lee-san. We'd better catch up with our teammates, and it looks like you need to talk with yours. Good luck!"
Lee chuckled at that and nodded, saying good-bye to his friends as they left. As he turned back to face his two teammates, the green-clad boy smiled. I'm looking forward to challenging you Naruto-kun. A fellow pupil of Guy-sensei's would make for a most youthful opponent!
Room 301 – Moments later
Upon entering the correct room, the group of four looked around at all their competition in the room. A lot of them were trying to intimidate the group with some weak killing intent, but Team 7 ignored it. Instead, while his teammates were doing other things in response, the blonde looked down at the bag attached to his hip and opened it up just slightly. No reaction yet. I'll check again when the exam starts, there's too much going on right now and it would just look weird to pull out these Spirits and walk up to my competition checking to see if the Spirits react to anyone or not. With a shrug, Naruto resealed the bag and looked around as the other Rookies began walking up to them.
Haku found herself blinking in confusion as two girls, a pinkette and a platinum blonde, both latched themselves onto her Uchiha teammate and began swooning over him. Looking to Naruto and Shikamaru, she saw the two of them sigh and mutter the Nara's favorite word, "Troublesome." once more. "Umm, am I missing something here?"
Naruto nodded slowly and stepped back away from the group along with Shikamaru, Choji, and Haku. Choji and Shikamaru entered into their own little conversation, while the blonde began explaining things to his friend. "Those two have been the teme's fan girls for a long time now. No idea why, but they're really attracted to him for some reason. Shika and I thought for sure that, after neither of them got to be on a team with their precious 'Sasuke' that their sensei would end up fixing that problem somehow. Looks like it's still a 'work in progress'."
Seeing her fellow Dragoon sigh at that, the Blue-Sea Dragoon hugged her sort-of-boyfriend close. "Just ignore them then. That other girl doesn't seem to be all crazy about our resident Uchiha. In fact, she looks much happier to see you here. What's up with that?"
Glancing at the girl in question, the Jade Dragoon smiled and nodded his head. "That's Hinata Hyuga. She and I became pretty good friends in the academy after I helped her out with some of her problems. Her clan is always putting her down for her lack of confidence, especially her father. Then there's her little sister, who kind of treats her like shit too. I think it's more to do with her father's behavior influencing her than anything else. Hanabi-chan is still young after all."
With a shrug, Naruto tilted his head back and smiled. "Basically, I trained with Hinata and worked hard to build up her confidence. It worked out pretty well, but only when around others. She still has a hard time with her family." Sighing at that, the Jade Dragoon shook his head. "I also stopped some jerks from beating up on her just because she's from a prominent clan in the village. Nothing major, but we really developed a damn good friendship after I helped her. Though, if I had to guess, I'd say she developed something of a crush on me. Too bad I just don't feel that way about her though. She's a great person and a wonderful friend, but…yeah. You know who I love. Uhh…again, I do have feelings for you as well Haku-chan, I'm just, y'know…saying…I guess…"
The ice-using genin started to giggle loudly at this. Soon enough, she turned Naruto to face her again and planted a quick, sweet kiss on his lips to quiet him. "You really need to stop worrying so much about that. I'm an open woman Sweetie. You already know that, and yet you still worry so much about my feelings. I know how you feel for Rose-san already, and I know you care about me as well. So relax, take a deep breath, and let's just have fun, okay? We're going to kick some real butt in this competition, I'm sure of it!"
Naruto smiled brightly at that, but this quickly turned into a frown as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A group of genin wearing hitai-ate that signified they were from Otogakure had attacked a glasses-wearing genin that had apparently been speaking with the other Rookies. While the four that had separated from the group didn't know where the hell this 'Otogakure' was, they did notice the trick the gauntlet-wearing genin had performed with said gauntlet. Looking between one another, Shikamaru, Choji, Haku, and Naruto all nodded and began to quietly speak with each other. "Okay, looks like they are able to employ sound waves into their attacks. We're going to need to be careful if we end up having to fight those jerks."
Before they could say much more, however, a bunch of chunin and a tokubetsu jonin appeared in the room. They listened as the scarred tokubetsu jonin shouted at the Oto genin before going into a brief explanation about what they had to do first. So, doing as instructed, everyone got a number assigned to them and took their seats.
As the genin filed into their seats, the Jade Dragoon glanced around at his teammates, noticing that not a one of them was placed near him. Separating the teams so they can't help each other. Well that makes sense I guess. Kinda depends on the rules of this first test, though. Shrugging, Naruto took a glance at those who were sitting near him on both sides. On his left was a pretty kunoichi from Iwagakure who kept shooting him the occasional glare, though the Dragoon didn't know why she kept glaring his way. Shrugging, he turned to his right and smiled at Hinata. Whispering to her so he wouldn't interrupt the proctor, and so they could still hear the instructions, he gave her some words of encouragement. "Good luck Hinata-chan. Everything'll be fine, dattebayo."
Seeing her giggle quietly at that and smile in thanks, Naruto waited until she turned forward once again to glance down at his small bag of Dragoon Spirits. The tests were placed face down in front of everyone, and because the exam had yet to officially begin, the blonde Dragoon slowly opened the bag just enough to peer inside. Upon seeing not just one, but two of the Dragoon Spirits shining inside, Naruto grinned to himself. Awesome, dattebayo! I can't just pull these out right here though. I just have to hope I can find them later. Kami I hope I can find them later…
Hinata clearly noticed this action and, at the grin on Naruto's face, she was about to ask him what he had in the bag that had him so excited. However, before the Hyuga heiress could, the test began. So, as everyone flipped their test papers over, she cast one last glance her crush's way and decided she would try to ask him about it later if she got the chance.
As the test began, the blonde Dragoon immediately realized that he'd only be able to answer a few of the questions asked. Frowning at this, Naruto Uzumaki thought over the rules and what he had heard. It didn't take long for him to come to the same realization many others in the room had already reached. They want us to cheat! Fun stuff, dattebayo!
The Dragoon took a few sneaky glances throughout the room, trying to pinpoint the perfect person to cheat off of. It didn't take him long to realize that there were chunin planted throughout the room, disguised as genin taking the test. Now to figure out how to cheat off of one of 'em. Hmm… After taking a few minutes to think on it, the Uzumaki finally thought of something. That might do the trick!
Naruto took a calm, steady breath and chose one of the planted chunin to copy off of. Quickly focusing his mind, the young genin decided he would try his own variation on a spell Rose had used in the past: Death Dimension. Using what little of his magic power he could tap into without transforming, Naruto created a small 'window' of sorts through the chunin! As the poor guy began to freak out, clearly not sure what the hell was going on, the blonde snickered to himself quietly and quickly jotted down all the answers before his spell faded.
When it was over and the chunin was whole again, the Jade Dragoon smirked to himself and nodded, satisfied with his work. And that's that. I'm glad Rose helped me work on that one. I didn't want to actually cause harm to anyone with that kind of spell, but I figured it would come in handy somewhere down the line. Didn't know I'd be able to use it here. But damn, casting a little magic spell outside of my Dragoon form really wore me out. I'm going to take a nap! With a quick shrug, Naruto flipped his test over to prevent anyone from cheating off of him and laid his head down, quickly falling into a peaceful slumber.
End of the Exam
Naruto awoke with a start as he heard Hinata whisper into his ear. Blinking his eyes, the young Dragoon tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes and looked around to see where he was. As it all came back to him, he looked to the front and saw the proctor smirking at him. "Heh, sorry about that. I guess I didn't get enough sleep?"
With a shrug, Ibiki Morino simply proceeded to go on to explain the rules for the final question. Many teams quit at this point, too afraid to go on. At one point, it looked like Hinata was considering quitting, but Naruto took her hand in his and squeezed it gently, reassuring her that it would all be okay if she just stuck this through, that she had to see this through to the end. Smiling in appreciation at this act, the Hyuga heiress gave a squeeze back in an effort to show her thanks.
Once it appeared everyone that was going to leave had left, the proctor announced that everyone that remained had passed. When someone screamed out in shock, yelling at the proctor in confusion, Naruto just sighed and facepalmed. Ibiki glanced his way, instantly noticing this reaction. Smirking at that, the proctor turned to the girl that shouted and nodded his head. "That gaki over there understands the purpose of the final question, but I'll explain it for those of you that are a little too slow to understand." And with that, the scarred man proceeded to explain the purpose of the entire test to the genin in the room.
As he did this, Hinata turned to Naruto and smiled brightly. "You knew, didn't you Naruto-kun?" Seeing him nod, she gave him a quick hug before blushing a bit and looking down at her hands. "Thank you for stopping me and giving me the courage to see this through. You're always helping me, and I feel like I've never done anything for you in return. If there's ever anything you need, p-please let me know Naruto-kun. I want to help you."
Naruto nodded and thanked Hinata for saying that, but also assured her that she didn't need to worry herself with such a thing. However, he was rather shocked by what she asked next. "Naruto-kun, what's in that bag? You looked in it earlier and smiled, so I was wondering."
The blonde chuckled a bit at that and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I want to tell you Hinata-chan, I do, but…I can't." Seeing that she was about to ask why, he quickly continued. "Before you ask, it's not that I don't trust you. I do trust you, and I know I could trust you with my life, okay? But…what's in this bag is top secret and very, very important. I can't speak of these to anyone except for a few people. I'm really, really sorry Hinata-chan."
Hinata smiled at that and nodded her head in understanding. However, before she could say anything, something burst through one of the windows. Soon enough, a strange banner could be seen in the place where Naruto had last seen Ibiki standing. "Umm…Hinata-chan? You have any idea who this 'Anko Mitarashi' is?"
At this point, as Hinata was shaking her head in the negative, the very woman in question appeared in the room and grinned at everybody. "That'd be me gaki! The sexy and single Anko Mitarashi at your service! But more importantly, I'm the proctor for the second exam. Sooo, follow me!"
As she was about to leave, Ibiki stepped around the banner and smirked at his fellow proctor. "You're a bit early Anko. But, that doesn't matter. I hope you enjoy trying to root out the weaklings from those with potential."
At this, the busty woman looked around at all the genin in the room, truly taking into account just how many were still left. "Wait, there's still quite a few teams left Ibiki. You losing your touch, you old man you?"
Shaking his head at his fellow specialist's behavior, the first proctor turned to look at the genin. "I think you'd be surprised Anko. We've got a good crop this year. Good luck." And with that, he began collecting the test papers.
After Anko shrugged her shoulders and announced where the next stage of the Exams was to be held, she disappeared through the same window she had burst in through. Once she was gone, Naruto rose from his chair and watched as numerous teams began to file out to make their way to the location of the next exam. Making a quiet noise in frustration, the young blonde patted the bag of Dragoon Spirits at his side and decided he would just have to hope he could find the two new Dragoons in the next stage.
Training Ground #44 – Moments Later
After arriving at the site of the next stage, Naruto slowly opened his bag and noticed the same two Dragoon Spirits shining brightly, just as before. Realizing that this meant those same Dragoons were still nearby, he smiled and sealed the bag again, gently patting it. Good, now if only I could find some way to figure out exactly who they are, I'd have it made. I don't even know what village they're from or what gender they are. This could be difficult…
As Anko Mitarashi began going over the rules of the exam, Naruto stepped away from Sasuke and Shikamaru to speak with Haku in private. "Haku-chan, there are two Dragoons here. I'm not sure who they are, but two of the Spirits keep shining. They have been ever since the first stage. When we enter the forest, if we stumble across any potential Dragoons, regardless of whether or not they happen to be enemies, we need to check them. Think you can help me subdue them if need be?"
Haku nodded and agreed to help Naruto no matter what. Before she could say much more, however, a kunai came flying at her blonde teammate. Reaching up, the blonde Dragoon caught the kunai between two of his fingers and looked over his shoulder at Anko. "Heya there Anko-san. I think you lost a little something. Might want to watch where you're throwing these things, it could get dangerous."
The proctor smirked and took her kunai back. "So it would seem gaki. Still, you'd be wise to pay attention to the rules. Especially since there's a little something extra your team will have to do to pass this stage of the Exams. After all, there are four of you and only three people on every other team participating. Now, do pay attention, will you Blondie?"
Leaning in and kissing his whiskered cheek, winking at him afterwards, the Snake Mistress of Konoha returned to her previous position and began explaining the rules regarding the scrolls. When it came time for the special rule regarding Team 7, the four of them paid close attention. "As for you four, rather than receiving an Earth or a Heaven scroll, you will be given this Fire scroll. Your goal will be to collect both an Earth and a Heaven scroll from opposing teams within the Forest of Death. When you reach the tower in the center of the forest, you will have to lay out all three scrolls rather than just the two the other teams are required to have. Is this understood?" Seeing the members of Team 7 nod, Anko grinned and went into the tent to allow the teams to prepare and file in one team at a time to receive their scrolls and hand over their waivers.
An hour later – inside the Forest of Death
Team 7 had already encountered a team from Takigakure and quickly won their Earth scroll, leaving only a Heaven scroll left to collect. It seemed as if everything was going rather well, but the Dragoons had a sense of foreboding, almost as if something truly evil was coming their way. Sure enough, when all went quiet in the surrounding area, they could all feel a powerful, dark presence coming closer and closer.
When a powerful wind came blowing through the area, Naruto quickly began spinning his lance, fending off as much of the wind as he could while his teammates did their best to hold their ground. The blonde was pushed back up against a nearby tree, but he managed to remain in the area rather than being blown off deeper into the forest, away from his team. It didn't take long after that for the source of the powerful jutsu to make her appearance.
"Well, well. Just the people I wanted to see. Sasuke-kun, I'm so glad to finally meet you. And you, Naruto-kun, I have heard so very much about you. I am quite interested in the power you possess and would like to test it for myself. I do not have that much time, however, as I am a very busy person. Still, I want to play for a while."
As the strange kunoichi stalked closer, Team 7 could feel an overwhelming presence crushing down on them, freezing them in place. It didn't take long for the two Dragoons to free themselves, having grown used to powerful intent from Rose during their time spent with her. However, Sasuke and Shikamaru seemed rooted to the spot. It appeared as if the Nara heir was having a difficult time just staying conscious, while Sasuke was sweating profusely and looked to be panicking. Naruto and Haku quickly saved their teammates and hid with them in two separate places a short distance from one another.
Sadly, as luck would have it, the clearly powerful kunoichi decided to go after Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki. As his teammate still seemed pretty shaken up, Naruto had a Kage Bunshin carry him off while the real Naruto began attacking the woman with his lance. When she dodged everything he threw at her, the blonde took a deep breath and quickly began to unleash his first Addition: Leaf Hurricane.
Moving forward at a speed his opponent hadn't seen from him yet, Naruto swung his lance in an upwards arc, forcing his opponent to jump back. As this happened, the wind picked up in the area, picking up leaves and branches in the process. Zipping forward once more, Naruto swung his lance a few more times in quick diagonal arcs, his opponent once again trying to dodge, receiving only minor cuts in the process. Then, with one quick thrust forward with his weapon, the kunoichi was enveloped in a powerful, but small hurricane that began to shred her apart.
When the attack was finally over, Naruto watched as the leaves and branches fell to the ground and stared at his severely wounded opponent. However, what happened next caught everyone off guard and greatly disturbed the lot of them. A man began to emerge from the woman's mouth, shedding the 'skin' like it was some kind of weird meat suit!
"Impressive Naruto-kun! I hadn't expected such a powerful attack from you! However, it's just not good enough to defeat the likes of me." Smirking quite evilly, the odd man stepped closer to Naruto and grinned wider. "Tell me, have you heard of me? I am Orochimaru, and I have been looking forward to meeting you Naruto-kun. After hearing all that I have heard about you, I have taken great interest in you. If you come with me, I can offer you such great power, more than you could possibly achieve in this village!"
Naruto Uzumaki scoffed at this offer and shook his head. "Sorry Freakazoid, no deal. I've got somebody very precious to me in this village and she's definitely the strongest person I know. With her guidance, I know I'll become stronger and stronger!" Taking his battle stance once more, the Jade Dragoon prepared to continue the fight, only to suddenly be constricted by a bunch of snakes that were shot from Orochimaru's hands, or were those his sleeves?!
As Orochimaru's neck began to extend towards Naruto, he began to struggle harder against the snakes, fearful of what was about to happen. Thankfully, Haku began to unleash her Addition, causing the Snake Sannin to freeze just long enough for Naruto to free himself and leap backwards, away from Team 7's powerful opponent. "Spear Hammer!"
Two small spears of ice formed next to Haku, and the young woman quickly dashed forward, using her superior speed to get behind Orochimaru before he could bite into her love's neck. Swinging her hammer upwards with as much force as she could muster, the ice-user sent Orochimaru flying high into the air. Leaping up after him, she slammed him in the side with her weapon and sent him hurtling towards her spears. Within an instant, these spears of ice shot forward and impaled him through his chest and shoulder, causing the Snake Sannin to scream out in pain as he collapsed to the ground immediately afterwards.
As the Snake Sannin pushed himself off of the ground and ripped the spears of ice from his body, he turned a glare on the ice-user, who had joined her precious boyfriend at his side, checking him over to see if he was okay. "I did not expect such a power from her either. It's too bad she's not one of those I'm interested in." Smirking to himself, the Snake Sannin began going through a series of hand seals, preparing to take the young woman out of the picture for the time being. There would be no point in killing her, as he wanted Naruto and Sasuke to pass this stage of the Exams so he could continue to observe them. All he wanted to do at the moment was injure her just enough to render her unconscious.
Before he could finish his last hand seal, however, Orochimaru suddenly found his body freezing up and taking a position similar to that of a monkey. "Ah yes, I nearly forgot about the Nara boy. I did not expect him to show any courage at all. It seems I will have to remedy that right now."
As the Sannin prepared to free himself from the technique, he suddenly heard Sasuke's voice, shouting out one of his jutsu. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" Cursing under his breath, Orochimaru quickly melted into the ground beneath him, disappearing from sight while the fireball floated harmlessly by, striking a log and burning it to cinders before it dissipated.
As Team 7 tried to regroup so they wouldn't be caught off guard, Orochimaru appeared behind Shikamaru and kicked him hard in the back, sending him flying into a tree a short distance away so hard that his left arm broke and he immediately lost consciousness. "That takes care of that annoying pest. Now for the Hyoton user…"
Hearing that, Haku prepared to transform, only to suddenly feel a powerful attack strike her in her side. Glancing down, she saw a burn in her side and suddenly collapsed to her knees, crying out in pain. When she was struck by another jutsu, this time a Raiton (Lightning Release) one, she fell unconscious, no longer able to withstand the overwhelming pain of the combined attacks. "And that takes care of the bitch."
Furious at this, the Jade Dragoon rose to his feet and summoned forth 25 Kage Bunshin. While five of them began to unleash Futon (Wind Release) techniques, the rest began to unleash simultaneous Leaf Hurricane Additions in the hopes of dealing enough damage to the Sannin to take him down. Sadly, their powerful opponent disappeared once again. Sensing the man appearing behind Sasuke, Naruto Uzumaki tried to rush to his teammate's aid, only to hear him scream out and see the man whispering something to the Uchiha. It also looked as if Orochimaru had slipped something into Sasuke's pocket, but the blonde Dragoon couldn't focus on that at the moment.
When Orochimaru came for him, the blonde quickly transformed and used his first spell: Wing Blaster. From what he had learned from Rose, this was a spell Lavitz and Albert used to use, and Naruto had grown quite accustomed to using it on his missions outside of the village. Thankfully, because the Snake Sannin was unfamiliar with the powers of a Dragoon, the spell hit its mark and caused the man's arm to begin hanging limply at his side.
Sadly, this only served to cause the Snake Sannin to begin laughing excitedly. "Good Naruto-kun, I was hoping you would show me this power. Now, allow me to bestow upon you a little 'gift' for playing along with me so very well." As the Snake Sannin's neck extended, his head shooting forward, Naruto tried to bring up his lance in time to block his opponent, but failed. His opponent had been far too quick. Soon enough, he felt a searing pain in his body as the Snake Sannin delivered upon him his curse mark.
Naruto cringed in pain as he listened to the words Orochimaru spoke to him next. "You and Sasuke-kun will seek me out when you are ready to achieve true power. I look so forward to working with the two of you." And with that, the powerful man cackled gleefully before disappearing.
Collapsing to his knees, clutching at his neck as it burned something fierce, he knew he had to stay conscious. If the Dragoon were to pass out as well, they'd be open to attack from an enemy team, perhaps even more than one. So, forcing himself to stand, the young Dragoon slowly collected his teammates and forced himself to fly through the forest until he found a rather excellent hiding spot: a hollow at the base of a tree.
Before he joined his unconscious teammates in the hollow, Naruto Uzumaki set up a series of complex traps, using his experience from his past as a prankster to make sure he and his teammates would be safe throughout the night, and until they had recovered as well. With this done, the blonde Dragoon slowly trudged his way into the hollow and collapsed beside Haku, quickly drifting into unconsciousness.
The Next Morning
Haku and Shikamaru both awoke within a few minutes of one another. Looking at their teammates, they both immediately noticed the same thing: a strange seal on both of their necks. Haku cursed under her breath and immediately began looking over her unconscious love. "That monster did this to them, didn't he?"
The Nara nodded slowly and rubbed his head. "I would say so. It looks like a seal of some sort, and, if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably a bad one if that guy placed it on them like this. Troublesome." Sighing heavily, he began examining both of his teammates and noticed something immediately. "The two of them are burning up. Can you conjure something up to help them Haku-san?"
The Water Dragoon quickly nodded and pulled out two cloths, immediately using a jutsu to create blocks of ice. Shattering them into tiny cubes, she formed makeshift icepacks and laid them atop her teammates' foreheads. "That's the best I can think of to do at the moment. Let's hope it helps."
Shikamaru nodded and shifted his eyes out of the hollow, trying to get Haku to look closely without giving anything away. In a low whisper, he began to speak. "Good, because we have company and can't do much else for the two of them right now. It looks like Naruto set up some traps, so those should buy us time to come up with something. If we're lucky, his traps will keep them at bay long enough for these two to wake up and help us out. You should prepare yourself for a fight though, just in case."
Haku nodded slowly and listened as somebody screamed. It sounded like a male, and they soon saw one of the Oto genin rushing out into the open right before an explosion occurred where he had been hiding with his team. Giggling quietly, the ice-user found herself enjoying this greatly. "You're right; Naruto-kun's traps should definitely buy us some time."
Soon enough, the other two members of the Oto team were at their teammate's side, the both of them coughing and nursing fresh injuries. The spiky-haired one glared at the mummy-looking one and began to yell at him. "What the fuck was that Dosu?! That fucking squirrel came flying right at us!"
The one known as Dosu finally managed to stop coughing and glared into his teammate's eyes. "Shut up Zaku! Obviously we triggered some kind of trap. I didn't even see it!"
The female on the team frowned as she looked around the small clearing. "How many more traps do you think are hidden around here? They already know we're here, so we've lost the element of surprise. It will be a problem if we can't even get close enough to kill Sasuke like we were told."
Dosu shook his head and frowned as he glanced around the clearing. "I don't know Kin. If we just had more information on this team, this wouldn't be a problem. We're going to need to be cautious if we want to complete our mission…"
The one known as Zaku scoffed at that and pointed his hands straight at the hollow. "Forget that! These stupid traps can't stop us! Zankūha (Decapitating Airwaves)!" Both of his teammates had tried to stop him, but it was just too late. Soon enough, every single trap, or at least what they thought was all the traps, activated.
Zaku's attack didn't even come close to the hollow. Instead, the spiky-haired member of the Oto genin was impaled with numerous wooden spears while his teammates were forced to dodge a hail of kunai, shuriken, senbon, and oddly enough, strange wind jutsu, or at least what they thought was wind jutsu! When they landed, they turned to check on their teammate, only to see him coughing up blood. "Shit!" Dosu shouted as everyone watched the life leave Zaku's eyes. The traps had killed him within seconds.
Shikamaru and Haku both blinked in surprise at this strange turn of events. Zaku had triggered a large number of Naruto's traps, meaning that Dosu and Kin could likely access their position now and strike. However, the traps had also killed a member of the Oto team. Glancing into each other's eyes, they both sweat dropped. "Umm, I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say Naruto was desperate to protect us."
Shikamaru nodded slowly before returning his attention to the Oto genin that remained. "I believe that would be a safe assumption. I didn't expect Naruto's prankster ways would pay off in such a way. It's a bit frightening to think about." Frowning at this point, the Nara rose to his feet and took a single step out of the hollow. "However, that guy triggered a lot of traps. I think it's safe to say we're going to have to fight soon."
Haku nodded slowly and joined her teammate at his side. "I'm ready. I'm going to defend Naruto-kun no matter what it takes." At the look Shikamaru gave her, the Hyoton user smirked. "Hey, Sasuke's a jerk. Don't try to deny it. Besides, you know how I feel about Naru-kun."
The Nara heir chuckled and nodded. "You can be so troublesome sometimes. But yes, I know what you mean, and I know how you feel. Still, Sasuke is our teammate and we'd best protect him as well. Although, I'm not sure if all of Naruto's traps Zaku triggered. He could have trigged all of them, half; it's too hard to tell. This is such a troublesome situation we're in."
Dosu, meanwhile, nudged Kin in her arm and pointed straight at Shikamaru. "Kin, try throwing some of your senbon. We need to see if it's safe to proceed or not."
Kin turned a glare on her teammate and shook her head. "What the hell Dosu?! Are you trying to sacrifice me just so you can get away?!"
The mummy-like boy actually smacked his face at this and dragged his fingers down his face in frustration. "I doubt that there could be many traps left Kin. Besides, do you really want to fail our mission? If your senbon can get through, I'm hoping that means it's safe enough to get over there."
The Oto kunoichi bit her lip in frustration, but drew two handfuls of senbon and flung them towards the two standing before them. When she heard clicking and the obvious sound of traps being sprung, she cursed and tried to jump out of the way, only for both her and Dosu to be electrocuted from something underneath their feet.
As their opponents screamed out in pain and collapsed to their knees from whatever trap they had just sprung, Shikamaru and Haku both sweat dropped again. "I'm tempted to ask Naruto just how he created such deadly traps."
Haku chuckled nervously and shook her head. "I don't think I even want to know. I'm just happy they work so well. But I have a feeling that was probably the last of them. Look." Pointing up into the trees, the two of them watched as arrows began raining down on Dosu and Kin, forcing them to leap away in separate directions to take cover from yet another deadly trap.
The Nara member of Team 7 nodded slowly. "It's troublesome, but it looks like they're still able to stand. I'll try to capture them with my Kagemane no Jutsu. You use your magic to at least restrain them. There's no need to kill them."
The Hyoton-user nodded and prepared herself for the upcoming fight, thought she doubted it would be much of one. However, before anyone could start the battle off, they all sensed something dark from within the hollow. As Haku and Shikamaru turned to look, they noticed Sasuke was gone. When they heard Dosu's screams, both quickly spun around and saw Sasuke had his hand through the boy's chest, laughing maniacally as he ended the mummy-boy's life.
As soon as he turned his gaze to the Oto kunoichi, the Uchiha pulled a small orb-like object from his pocket and clutched it tight, trying to will the thing to give him some kind of power. Blinking when it didn't work, Sasuke held it up and examined it closely. "That lying bastard! He promised this would grant me even more power, but it's just a piece of junk!"
Haku immediately recognized what it was. The object that Sasuke was now holding was a Dragoon Spirit! It wasn't shining for Sasuke, meaning it hadn't recognized him as its rightful wielder, but she could practically hear it crying out for somebody to free it. Her eyes widened instantly when it looked as if Sasuke was about to throw the Spirit down on the ground, clearly ready to smash the thing to pieces.
Before Haku could even take a step, a mop of blonde hair could be seen in her peripheral vision. Naruto had awakened and moved with such great speed to stop his teammate from shattering the Dragoon Spirit. The moment before it could hit the ground, the Jade Dragoon snatched it out of the air and clutched it tight to his chest. "Finally. I finally have it back!"
Sasuke looked absolutely furious at this point and went to slug Naruto. The blonde raised his lance and blocked his teammate's attack before turning such a glare on him that it sent chills down everyone's backs. "Where did you get this Sasuke?"
The Uchiha snarled and attempted to snatch the Dragoon Spirit back, only for Naruto to pivot out of his way and slam Sasuke into the ground. Growling angrily, Sasuke looked up into his teammate's eyes so hatefully it shocked the other members of Team 7. "Give that back to me dobe, that's mine!"
Naruto began chuckling darkly at this and shook his head. "Yours? This was stolen from Rose and me four years ago! It was never meant for you to hold teme! Now answer me! Where did you get this?!"
Sasuke rose to his feet and attempted to slug Naruto again, only to be slammed to the ground by his teammate's weapon. "Fuck you Naruto! It was given to me. Therefore, it's rightfully mine! It may be a worthless piece of shit, but it's still too good for the likes of you to hold dobe!"
As the two argued, Haku, Shikamaru, and Kin noticed dark markings beginning to spread up their necks and along their faces. There was such a dark energy being emitted from the both of them that it was beginning to suffocate those in the immediate area. At this point, Shikamaru approached Kin slowly and held out his hand. "You have a chance to flee Kin. Hand over your team's scroll and run. I don't think you want to stick around for whatever's about to happen."
Kin quickly nodded and snuck over to Dosu's body where she then retrieved her team's scroll. Thankfully, Naruto and Sasuke were still arguing over the orb or whatever the hell it was, so she managed to get back to Shikamaru unharmed. "Here it is. I'm not sure if it's one you need or not, but take it. I'm getting out of here. Thank you!" Seeing Shikamaru nod, the kunoichi quickly turned and fled into the forest, away from the members of Team 7.
When Sasuke looked about ready to continue yelling at Naruto, the blonde smirked and shook his head. "You don't even know what this is teme. This is the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit. It belongs with Rose-chan. And you tried to destroy it! Even if you wouldn't have succeeded, the mere act alone is enough of a crime against Rose-chan that you need to be taught a fucking lesson!"
Sasuke Uchiha scoffed and began flashing through hand seals, clearly infuriated to the point he wanted to kill his teammate by this point. However, he soon let out an ear-piercing scream as Naruto stabbed him through the chest with his lance. As the markings receded back into the curse seal on Sasuke, the blonde leaned closer. "Guess what teme; I'm going to kill you. Tell me, would you like to die quickly, or slow and painfully?" The look in Sasuke's eyes said it all at this point: he was afraid. He knew he was going to die…
A/N: Okay, first I'd like to apologize if this chapter isn't that great. I've been feeling pretty crappy for a few days now, and earlier this morning I finally just got so damn sick. Started puking and...yeah, let's just say I was VERY sick. As a result of all of this, trying to work on this chapter was really hard, especially today. Still, I did the best I could given the circumstances.
Now that that's out of the way, I'll address a few things. It may seem like Rose is trying to tell Naruto that he can either do well or he won't have a chance with her. I guarantee that that is not the case. It should've been obvious that she does have feelings for him. I'm sure the both of them understand that. Clearly Haku did. *shrugs*
Then there's the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit and how it ended up in Sasuke's hands. I promise that will be explained in one of the upcoming chapters. What's important is that it's finally made its reappearance, and Sasuke's in deep shit because of it.
You might also be wondering about who the two new Dragoons are. Again, you will find out in the coming chapters. I'm not going to spoil anything.
Crap. I'm sure I had more to address, but I feel just terrible right now. I've been sleeping off and on throughout the day and I'm STILL feeling incredibly sick right now. Still, I did the best I could. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter.