Chapter 9 – Orochimaru's Warning; the Preliminaries Begin!
Sean's and Jima's jutsus merged together as they smashed into Orochimaru's earthen sphere. Orochimaru winced under the pressure of their attacks as he tried to push the enormous ball of earth forward. Sadly, he wasn't expecting Sean to go through a series of one-handed seals to begin another jutsu. Seeing this, the Snake Sannin's eyes widened and he watched in horror as Sean disappeared from view only to reappear by his side seconds later, shouting the name of his next technique. "Futon: Mouretsuna Kazeno Bakuhatsu (Wind Release: Furious Wind Blasts)!"
The Snake Sannin's eyes bulged as he suddenly felt hundreds of powerful blows striking him all over his body in a matter of seconds. When the attack finally finished, Sean thrust both fists forward and sent Orochimaru flying through the forest until he smashed hard into a tree and fell to his knees. Jima landed beside him and the two shared a glance before turning their attention back to the filthy snake. "On your feet Orochimaru. You can handle far more punishment than that, I'm sure of it."
The Snake Sannin coughed a moment and spit up on the ground, groaning in pain when he had finished. What the hell is going on here?! The last I checked, his powers were nowhere near this level! Glancing over at the cousins, the Snake began to seethe as he rose once more. Quickly taking Kusanagi back into his hands, he pointed it at Sean and hissed venomously. "You…! YOU! Why the hell couldn't they just wipe out your entire fucking clan?! If I let you leave here alive…" Shaking his head, Orochimaru clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath to calm himself down.
When the snake opened his eyes again, he smirked devilishly. "You would make such a powerful ally Sean. Oh yes. It's too bad that your loyalty lies with Konoha and that pathetic old man Sarutobi. Alas, it shan't matter too much longer. Your precious village will meet its end soon. When these exams reach their final stages, Konoha will fall." As Orochimaru's smirk grew, he stared at Sean and Jima for a moment longer before he began to cackle hysterically. "You're a special one Sean-kun. That cousin of yours there may not know your secret, but I do. Ohhh yes, I know sooo much about you young man. And…I know something else too."
Using a shunshin, he appeared at Sean's side and leaned in close, whispering to him. As he did, Sean could feel Orochimaru's breath on his skin and grimaced as he prepared to continue the fight. "I know not only who your parents are, but I know where they are too." The slippery Snake Sannin jumped back out of the way of Sean's punch only to laugh hysterically at him. "Ah yes, that anger. That fury on your face! Come Sean-kun; show me what you've really got. But do leave your cousin out of this, I'm afraid she'll just get in the way and you wouldn't want to see her hurt now…would you?"
Sean clenched and unclenched his fists numerous times as he tried to reign in his emotions. Taking a few calming breaths, the young Wind God looked to his cousin and smiled calmly at her. "Jima…I suggest you step back. It seems like he's taking things seriously now and I'd prefer it if you stayed back juuust in case. Y'know…in case one of us needs to be healed by the time this is over. I don't know how to do any of that medical jutsu crap." Chuckling nervously, he looked away to avoid the deep scowl on her face.
Sighing when she was about to argue, Sean went through a series of quick hand seals and put his hand to just inches away from her chest. "Futon: Daitoppa." Sean spoke calmly and watched as a powerful gust of wind sent her flying away from him. Smirking a bit, he knew she'd be pissed at him for sending her away like that, but right now he wanted to keep her safe from harm. Turning his gaze to Orochimaru once more, the young man nodded with a small grin. "There, now that she's out of harm's way…we can begin."
Elsewhere in the Forest
The members of Team 10 had just found a place to rest for the night. They planned to continue on in the morning. For now the team simply focused on setting up for the night and deciding shifts on who would keep watch and what the plan would be for tomorrow and so on. Of course, when they felt the entire forest shake again, they groaned. "What the hell is going on out there?!" Ino shouted angrily as she stood up and looked around trying to pinpoint the source of all the trouble.
Shikamaru frowned and rose to stand beside her. "I don't know, but haven't you felt it Ino? Think about it. The wind that keeps knocking us around, the sounds of battle taking place in the distance, the immense killing intent and that powerful chakra? Those wind jutsu are some of those we've seen…"
Before he could finish, Ino's eyes widened in realization. "Sean-sensei! Do you think Sean-sensei's in the forest right now?! But…why? And who could he possibly be battling so furiously Shikamaru?! What do you think's going on?"
Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "I don't see why you think I'd know Ino. Without knowing the facts or even being able to witness the battle or even knowing who his opponent might be, I can't really tell you anything. I can tell you this though: if this battle goes on for much longer the entire damn forest could end up being destroyed. Whatever's going on, it's obvious that it can't be good."
Choji grumbled as another strong blast of wind sent his bag of chips flying out of his hands and into Ino's hair. She was fuming now, but she at least understood that it wasn't his fault. Doing what he could to help her clean out her hair again, the young Akimichi shook his head. "It's getting out of hand. Heck, I know you probably want to go see what's going on Ino, I do too. But we'd only cause trouble if we tried to get closer."
Shikamaru nodded calmly and glanced in the direction of the battle. "I think we should be safe here for the night, but we shouldn't try to set up camp. I hope you'll be okay sleeping on the rough ground Ino, Choji. With these winds, anything we try to set up will only be blown away, I'm sure of it. I'll take first watch and wake you both if we need to move away. Ino, you'll take second watch. I'll wake you up when it's time for you to take over. For now, you should be able to rest peacefully under the shade of the tree there." Seeing his teammates nod, the young Nara watched them walk off to get what sleep they could before he turned to look off in the direction of the battle once more. Sean-sensei, what the hell are you up to? You've been fighting over there for over a half hour now!
Back with Sean & Orochimaru
Orochimaru cackled as he pelted Sean with another jutsu. The screams coming from his opponent were a delight for him to hear. "Tsk, tsk, tsk Seanie-kun, you're getting sloppy. Are you getting tired so soon? I thought you had so much more in you than that." At the look on his opponent's face, the Snake Sannin laughed even louder.
Sean smirked and waved good-bye as he faded away into wind once more, much to Orochimaru's displeasure. "Another fucking Wind Clone?! Dammit, where the hell is the real you Sean?!" Orochimaru shouted out as he glanced around with the Kusanagi clutched tight in his right hand. At the moment, the Snake Sannin's left arm was hanging limply at his side and he couldn't even lift it to use jutsu for the moment. His left eye was also shut tight as blood from his head had trickled into it long ago in the fight. The Snake Sannin's body was suffering from numerous wounds, but he also knew Sean was in similar shape.
The Jonin sensei soon reappeared again and slammed his fist into the side of Orochimaru's face, using his current blind spots to his advantage as he knocked the Snake Sannin around in the hopes he could continue to hold him here until the Hokage showed up. Both of them had sensed it minutes ago, the Hokage and those he brought with him were currently rushing towards the location of the battle. Of course, Sean's vision was blurry, one of his eyes was shut tight, his right leg had numerous gashes in it and his chest was burned badly. As such, Sean was really pushing himself just to stay standing and keep fighting his opponent.
Orochimaru gripped Sean's fist tightly and soon crushed the bones in fury. As Sean's screams echoed throughout the area, the Snake Sannin narrowed his eyes and kicked the Jonin away from him. When Sean crashed into a tree, forming a rather sizable impact crater as he did, the Snake shunshined over to him and slammed his knee into the man's chest hard. "I've played with you for far too long. I need to get out of here. Before I leave however, allow me to leave you with a few parting words." Leaning in close, Orochimaru jabbed the Kusanagi deep into Sean's stomach, pinning him to the tree. "This message was meant for dear Anko-chan to deliver, but you'll serve as my messenger instead. Do not allow these exams to stop prematurely. Should the Hokage call off these exams, I'll raze this village to the ground and take my dear 'prize' with me. I had fun little Seanie-kun, but I'm afraid it's time for me to go." Ripping his sword from Sean's body, Orochimaru disappeared from the area and let Sean fall to the branch in agony.
Seconds later, Jima appeared kneeling beside him and quickly began to tend to her cousin's wounds with her medical jutsu. As she did this, Hiruzen and his guards appeared and frowned at all the destruction before their gazes landed on Sean and Jima. "Will he live Jima?" Seeing her nod slowly, the Hokage breathed out a sigh of relief and shook his head. "What happened here?"
Jima shook her head and frowned. "We entered the forest together as per your orders to investigate and came across Orochimaru attacking Anko-san. Sean and I rescued her, and I took her away. I'm sure you already spoke with her and her doctors, and from the look on your face I can tell she's going to be all right. That's good. After delivering her to the edge of the forest where she was taken from me to get help, I returned to assist my cousin in restraining Orochimaru. At the time, it appeared as if the battle was going well and was going in our favor, but our opponent still wasn't taking the two of us very seriously. The destruction you see all around you…most of this was caused when our jutsus clashed."
The Hokage nodded and glanced around with a deep frown on his face. "The battle must have been fierce. I don't see my old student around…I'm going to assume he escaped?" When Jima nodded, Hiruzen shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he did. "I'm going to have to call off the Chunin Exams. If Orochimaru's here, it's not safe to continue any longer. He's too big a threat. Not just to us, but to these poor young Genin as well. I won't just let him harm these young folk." Turning, the Hokage prepared to give his orders when he felt a hand grip his leg tight. Looking back down, everyone's eyes went wide as they saw Sean staring up at them.
"Don't. O-Orochimaru…gave me a warning." Now lying on his back, Sean stared into the sky and tried to calm his breathing. For the most part he was now just fine, but his sister could only heal him so much. The rest would have to be tended to by the staff at the hospital. "He promised that if we cancel the exams…he'll burn our village to the ground. Orochimaru infiltrated the exams for a reason Hokage-sama…I…I think I know why." Looking up into Hiruzen's eyes, Sean coughed a moment and shook his head. "I think he's after the Uchiha b-brat. He kept referring to a prize of some kind…it would make sense. With how obsessed Orochimaru is with power, jutsu, and with all we know of him…that's the most logical conclusion I can come up with. He…he also said…he knew things about me. I couldn't extract any information about my family or the secrets he apparently knows about my clan…but he knows. I'm not sure how, but he does…"
Hiruzen knelt down and gently brushed his fingers through Sean's hair. "I understand. Just rest for now Sean. I'm not sure if you know of this or not, but…" Before he could continue, the group sensed some chakra signatures below them and turned to look at three young Genin. Frowning as they were easily recognized, Hiruzen shunshined down to greet them as Jima and the others helped Sean down to the ground. "Naruto-kun, Sakura, Kiba, what are you doing out here? I would have thought you three would have already been well on your way to the tower by now."
As the Genin of Team 8 laid eyes on the wounded individual behind them, Naruto quickly brushed by his Hokage and ran over to Sean. "Sean-sensei! What the hell happened to you?! I knew it! I told you guys, I knew it was Sean-sensei!" His teammates nodded and soon turned to Jima and the Hokage for answers. "We did acquire our second scroll easily Hokage-sama. We were on our way to the tower when we felt the pressure…the intensity of a battle nearby. We told the Suna siblings to go on ahead and we'd join them later and we soon dashed her as fast as we could. Please Hokage-sama, tell us what happened."
The Hokage rubbed the bridge of his nose again and shook his head as he slowly came to a decision. "Fine, I'll tell you what I can. Jima-san, please bring Sean here. He can rest as soon as we've allayed their fears." Jima nodded with a "Yes, Hokage-sama." And soon helped her cousin over to sit beside the Hokage. Sean's hand still rested over his stomach, and everyone could see the extent of his injuries much clearer now that the moonlight was shining upon him.
Hearing his students' gasps, Sean looked at them and smiled softly. "Anko-san…was attacked. Jima and I entered the forest per Hokage-sama's orders after receiving your note from Ibiki-san, Naruto-kun." Reaching over, he gently ruffled up the blonde's spiky hair with a smile. "Hokage-sama had his suspicions…and when Jima and I found Anko, she was under attack by Orochimaru." At this, Sakura's and Naruto's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. "Yes, that Orochimaru. The legendary Snake Sannin."
Sakura was shaking as she stared at him in horror. "Sensei…you didn't…?" Chuckling for a moment, Sean soon found himself wincing as he clutched at his stomach again. "Ugh, damn it that hurts. Yes, I fought Orochimaru Sakura." She looked about ready to slap him for his foolishness, but Naruto stopped her. "Jima took Anko-chan to safety. In that time, I engaged Orochimaru for some time until she returned to my side. We fought against him for a short time after that and…this huge crater we're all now in…is the result of our jutsu colliding. I would have let Jima continue to fight by my side…but Orochimaru…"
Wincing again, the Wind God fell on his back and began to laugh lightly. "Oh damn this crap hurts! That damn snake bastard was pissed. We hurt him…we actually hurt the Snake Sannin with some of our attacks. Holy damn was he pissed! I kept pushing him to get serious..." Shaking his head, Sean slapped a hand over his eyes and began to laugh again despite his pain. "I knew I didn't stand a chance, and I kept antagonizing him. I didn't expect for him to…to know things…"
At this, everyone's eyes were on him, watching him curiously, though most were still worried about him. "The Snake Sannin knows who my parents are. He knows about my clan. He knows something about me…that I don't know. He threatened Jima…he wanted to fight me one-on-one…so I shot Jima away and gave him what he wanted. It was stupid of me, I know…but hey, can you really blame me? Orochimaru could have killed the both of us easily if he really wanted to. I knew he was serious about harming…even killing Jima if she got in the way. There's something about me he 'likes' it seems. The shit he said…"
Shaking his head again, Sean let his arms fall to his sides and he just stared up at the stars and the moon, a frown on his face now. "He said that if I was younger, he'd gladly give me a curse mark and proclaim me as his next host or something. Orochimaru would've been happy to make me one of his elite bodyguards. All kinds of crap, it doesn't fucking matter right now. He's already marked who he wants, that's for certain. I hurt him in that battle. But he'll recover soon enough, I'm sure. He can't do anything to us for a little while until he's recovered fully though…" Groaning, Sean sat up and looked up at the Hokage once more. "We can't call off the exams. He really will destroy our village. Aside from that…I have a feeling he might do something else as well if I failed to convince you…"
Jima frowned at this and nodded her head. "It wouldn't surprise me if he went after your parents for failing to do what he wanted." Sean glanced into her eyes a moment and nodded his head. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I don't know whether he'd succeed in actually harming them or not, but I'd rather not risk it. For all I know, he'd take them and use them in some sick, twisted experiments." Shivering at that, Sean shook his head again and stared directly at Naruto. "Everybody…I think he gave Sasuke that precious curse mark of his."
The Genin were confused, while each of the adults stared at him wide-eyed. Nodding slowly, he looked up at Hiruzen and smiled sadly at him. "It might be a good idea to keep the brat under close watch during the rest of these exams. When his team reaches the towers…somebody's going to have to examine him and do something if he really does have that accursed mark on him."
Hiruzen nodded and then looked down to the Genin of Team 8. "It's obvious that you are confused right now, but I'm afraid I can't speak on this matter with you anymore. All that you have heard is NOT to be revealed to any of your fellow Genin. Don't speak about the events that transpired here to ANYONE without my permission. Understood?" The three Genins of Team 8 all nodded while Akamaru barked in affirmation. "Good. Now, you might want to find some place to camp for the night and finish making your way to the tower in the morning. If you happen to come across Sasuke's team before you reach the tower, I want you to observe him for a time. If you see anything suspicious, anything at all, I want you to memorize everything and hurry to the tower as fast as possible. I will meet you there later to hear your report on whatever may transpire in between now and then that involves Sasuke. Understand?" Again the Genin squad of Team 8 nodded their heads. "You are dismissed. For now, I need to go discuss things with the Council. In the meantime, Jima, Cat, I want you to take Sean-kun to the hospital. Cat, I want you to stay with him and inform me when he's ready to be discharged from the hospital. Jima, I want you to inform me after Sean's been treated so that I know if Orochimaru did ANYTHING else to him that we don't know about. Now, all of you are dismissed. Go!"
In a flash, Jima and Cat disappeared with Sean while the Genin of Team 8 bowed and disappeared into the forest once more to find a safe place to rest for the night. Letting out a deep sigh, Hiruzen turned to his guards and nodded before the rest of the group shunshined out of the area to return to the Hokage Tower to get things underway.
The Next Morning – Forest of Death – Team Sasuke
Fu rubbed her eyes as she stared off into the forest from where she was sitting. For hours now she had been standing guard of her sleeping teammates. Sai had stood watch for a time, but Sasuke had yet to awaken. Shrugging her shoulders, she looked out and groaned. There are people out there watching us right now. I suppose I'd best wake Sai… Glancing back, Fu quickly moved back to her teammate and shook him awake. Kneeling, she put a hand over her mouth and whispered to Sai as quietly as she could. "We're being watched. It'd be a good idea to get ready for a fight."
Sai nodded and calmly gathered his things. Together with Fu, the two of them stepped out into the clearing and glanced around. Fu groaned and ran her hand through her mint green hair. "All right, let's get this over with. Whoever the hell's out there watching us, come out and let's get this over with." When the team from Oto jumped out, all three appearing ready for battle, she found herself smirking. "Ahh, the crappy team from Oto. A no-name village with no-name shinobi. Tell me, what are you after, really?"
The three twitched angrily at her insults before Dosu stepped forward and shook his head. "We've got orders to kill the Uchiha. Step aside and we may just let you live Girly." Soon his two teammates stepped forward as well, wicked smirks on their faces.
Fu glanced at Sai and sighed. "What the hell's so special about that jackass? Throughout this village, people freaking obsess over him. Then that Orochimaru dumbass shows up wanting to see his precious 'Sasuke-kun', now these guys show up with orders to kill him? Sasuke sucks! Naruto-kun is so much cooler!" Fu complained before she turned to see the three Oto Genin eyeing her weirdly. Letting out a heavy, drawn-out sigh, Fu shook her head and sulked. "Fine, fine…you want Sasuke right? Well too damn bad. As much as I hate the jerk, I'm stuck on the guy's team and I'd personally like to become a Chunin with Naruto-kun. So, you idiots know what that means right? In order to become a Chunin, I need lame-o back there intact. So why don't you go tell your precious boss, whomever the hell he or she might be, to shove his dick up his ass and go to hell?!"
Sai looked at her confused for a moment and decided to voice his concern about something she said. "Fu-san, what if their boss is a girl? Unless the woman happens to have a dick of her own somehow, what is she supposed to do?" Fu's left eyebrow twitched dangerously and she glared at Sai. "Just shut the hell up Sai! For all I care one of those two dingbats can lend her theirs! Okay?!" Sai nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer before the two turned back to the bewildered Oto trio.
"You two are very…odd. You know that?" Kin questioned as she took out some of her senbon and prepared herself for a fight. Fu and Sai glanced towards each other again and then back at the Oto Genin and nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's a freaky jerk and I'm on the wrong damn team. I wanted to be on the same team as Naruto-kun, but they stuck me with Jackass and Freaky here!" The Oto Genin all sweatdropped at this little outburst before they regained their composure and prepared to attack.
Fu looked to Sai and nodded. "Sai, you deal with the mummy freak there and I'll take on the other two. Careful, you saw what that thing on his arm can do back before the first test started. Not sure what the other two can do though, so I'll have to be careful too. I doubt they've got anything on that Orochimaru guy though." Sai nodded and quickly unfurled his scroll, beginning to draw something on it while the Oto Genin moved in to attack.
Meanwhile…
Team 10 watched from cover as the fight began between the Oto Genin and Sasuke's teammates. Shikamaru told his teammates to hold on so they could observe everyone's abilities first, but Ino didn't like it one bit. Fu was one of her friends for crying out loud and she wanted to jump in and help! Of course, at the moment it seemed that the two opponents she was currently fighting couldn't do anything to her at all. However, the mummy-boy fighting Sai was another matter. He kept destroying Sai's ink creatures with some kind of technique that she hadn't heard of before and now had Sai on the defensive.
Choji went from watching the fight to watching his two teammates. The look on Shikamaru's face had him wondering what was on his best friend's mind. However, upon hearing a scream, everyone quickly looked back to the fight. Fu was hurt! Choji blinked in astonishment. Now how in the hell did that happen?! What did I miss? Meanwhile, Ino was clenching her fists tight, wanting nothing more than to hop in right now, but she didn't want to jump in without her team being ready to do jump into battle with her.
Shikamaru frowned deeply as he thought about the abilities of these strange opponents from Oto. But more than that, he was trying to figure out another small mystery. That Kabuto guy said Oto was a new village that he didn't have any information on, didn't he? But the way Naruto reacted upon reading that card Kabuto had on him combined with the information he had on Lee and Gaara…he must have information on that village, including who the leader is. Naruto wasn't the only one suspicious of him, I think we all were. Our senseis taught us to look underneath the underneath to see the truth of things. If I had to guess, I'd say Kabuto's linked to what Fu said a moment ago. In fact, all three of these strange events are probably connected.
Rubbing the back of his head as something of a nervous habit, the Nara heir shook his head and sighed deeply. Kabuto's knowledge, Orochimaru's appearance, and these strange Oto Genin and their orders to kill Sasuke. From what Fu-san said, Orochimaru targeted Sasuke. If I had to take it even further than that, I bet it's safe to assume that the Sannin did something to Sasuke as he has yet to emerge from the tree. Knowing that arrogant prick, he'd jump at the chance for a battle so there's no way he'd miss this if he was well. And these Oto Genin…they clearly aren't here to become Chunin. After all, they've already revealed that they've been ordered to kill Sasuke. Then…
Grumbling, Shikamaru looked back at the battle before him and shook his head. "Ino, Choji…I need to ask these Genin something. We're entering the battle now!" He ordered, and in an instant they moved onto the field. Smirking slightly, he quickly used his Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique) to entrap Zaku before he could use his jutsu again to hurt Fu further. As Zaku struggled to move, Shikamaru turned him so he could gaze upon his partner, Kin. "Careful. If you don't want your teammate to lose her life, you'll answer my questions. But first, call off your friend over there or I'll let Choji let loose and your friend won't like that one bit."
Zaku found himself smirking as he glanced at Shikamaru. "Go ahead, kill the bitch. It's not like we're friends anyways you idiot. As for Dosu? Your fat ass teammate can't do shit to him. Dosu could easily kick his ass." At hearing this, Choji twitched angrily and began to fume. "What the hell did you just call me?!" Zaku began to laugh at that. "What's wrong Fat Ass? Can't handle being insulted about your weight? How can somebody as fat as you possibly pass for a ninja? What're you gonna do? Sit on us?!"
Zaku's laughter only grew louder as he made fun of Choji more and more. When he suddenly found himself on the wrong end of a rather powerful strike that hit him from seemingly nowhere, Zaku groaned in agony as he again began to struggle against Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu. "Y-You bastard!" Zaku shouted at Choji, who again punched him hard in the face, this time clearly breaking his nose. Before Zaku could say another word, Choji punched him hard in the stomach and sent him tumbling along the ground.
As the Oto Genin rose to his feet, he prepared to attack with a Zankūha (Decapitating Airwaves); everyone froze when they heard an agonizing cry coming from nearby. Glancing over, they saw Dosu standing over Sai, who was currently curled up on the ground in tremendous pain. Whatever the mummy guy had just done, Sai was in agony! Zaku smirked and shook his head. "Sure took your sweet time, didn't you Dosu?"
Dosu grumbled and turned his attention to Fu. "And you two got your asses kicked by Mintie here and her new friends. Don't you go giving me any problems Zaku." Before anyone could do anything, Dosu dashed straight for Kin and swung his gauntlet at her face, slamming her to the ground and giving her a dose of what he just gave Sai moments ago. Ino instantly retreated to her own body and groaned. "That hurts…"
Shikamaru and Choji both appeared at their teammate's side and helped her up. "You all right Ino?" When she nodded, they both smiled and returned their attention to the Oto Genin. The female rose and glared hatefully at her teammates. "What the hell is wrong with you two?! Telling them to go ahead and kill me?! Even attacking me?! Fuck you! You're both assholes!" Kin shouted at the two of them. It pissed her off even more when Dosu and Zaku just laughed at her.
As everyone prepared to battle again, they all suddenly froze when they felt a malevolent chakra very nearby. Turning to see the source, they saw Sasuke stepping out of the hollow tree, glaring at each of them as strange markings spread across his skin. "Ahhh, the Uchiha finally joins us. Maybe we'll actually have more fun with you." Zaku smirked, but soon blinked in confusion when Sasuke suddenly smirked at him in turn.
"Which of you hurt my teammates?" Sasuke asked in a dark voice as he looked upon everyone in the small clearing. Dosu was shaking, but Zaku simply began to laugh. "Oh? Does the great Sasuke actually care about his teammates? Go figure, even he's a stupid softy. I hurt the green bitch there. My buddy Dosu easily crushed your puny artist there. What're you gonna do about it, eh punk?" Zaku stated with a smug grin on his face.
Everyone stared in horror as Sasuke appeared in front of Zaku with his knee in the boy's chest. Zaku stumbled backwards, coughing up blood as tears stung his eyes. Before he could move or even retaliate, Sasuke was behind him with his foot planted on his back and both of his arms clutched tightly in the Uchiha's hands. The Oto Genin began to scream in anguish as Sasuke soon pulled both of his arms out of their sockets before kicking him forward into the dirt. He then turned his attention to Dosu with a wide grin on his face.
As Sasuke prepared to dish out similar punishment to the mummy boy, Team 8 appeared in the clearing and Sasuke was slammed into the ground by a familiar blonde-haired young man. Meanwhile, Sakura was checking on everybody's wounds and Kiba and Akamaru had Dosu pinned to the ground unable to move or even attack. "Sasuke, stop this crap this instant! You'll end up killing them if you keep on like this! You've also got everyone here terrified out of their minds! I don't know what the hell happened to you…" Man that's a lie. He thought silently for a brief moment before continuing. "But! I'll be damned if I let you go on a rampage and hurt the people I care for."
Sasuke struggled to break free of Naruto's grip. "Let go Dobe! Or do you WANT me to kill you?!" At hearing this, Naruto sighed and let him go, mere seconds before he slammed Sasuke in the face with another powerful punch. Reeling back in pain, Sasuke felt the power leaving him and he shook his head. "Gah! Fuck you Dobe! You know what? I'll wait. I'll wait until I meet you in the next round and I'll kick your ass there." Turning, Sasuke glanced at Dosu and pointed. "Hand over your scroll and then you and your friends get lost!"
Dosu groaned and looked to Kiba who let him up. Standing up, the mummy boy slowly dug through his pouches and pulled out a scroll. "I don't give a shit about Kin, but I'd rather not keep up this fight. Not with you going bat shit crazy and team after team appearing to cause more trouble for us." Tossing the scroll to Sasuke, he turned to the blonde kid and frowned. You're the one Kabuto warned us to be wary of earlier. I'll take his word for it and leave you alone…for now. With a shrug of his shoulders, Dosu went to Zaku and helped him up. "Kin, Zaku, we're leaving."
Dosu left with Zaku immediately after saying that, but Kin sat there just staring at everyone for a moment longer as she pondered what she should do. Those two might just kill me given the opportunity. Neither one of them actually tried to help me. And yet, if I don't go with them…what'll happen to me? Kin sighed heavily and decided to follow them. Right as she was about to leave, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw the blonde kid and his friends looking at her concerned. "W-What do you want?"
Naruto chuckled softly and shook his head. "Y'know, going with them seems pretty stupid to me. We were watching everything for a while and I saw what they did to you. You might be better off just sticking with one of these teams here for now. You'd certainly be safer, that's for sure." Patting her shoulder, Naruto turned to look at everyone for a moment before looking back at her and offering her a hand for a handshake. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?"
Kin stared at him, completely baffled by his behavior. "You do know you're talking with an enemy right now…right?" Naruto simply shrugged and smiled at her some more. Sighing, Kin shook her head and shook his hand. "My name is Kin Tsuchi. You do have a point about those jerks, I'll give you that. Sadly, they're my teammates and I can't…really go against them." Naruto frowned at that and leaned in close to whisper to her. "Lemme guess…Orochimaru?" Kin's eyes widened at this and Naruto nodded his head. "Thought as much. Want my opinion on something?"
Kin frowned and stared at him, simply giving him a look that urged him to go on and spit it out. "Orochimaru wanted to send you and your team to the teme over there to test out the power he had bestowed on him. Yeah, I know, and no, I can't tell you how I know. Your master didn't exactly intend for you three to live, I'm pretty certain of that." Kin sighed at that and lowered her head. "Yeah…I kinda figured as much. Hell, my own teammates will probably kill me if given the chance. They think I'm useless."
Naruto frowned at that and gently patted her on the shoulders again. "Well, don't listen to them. I'm not sure what you're capable of, but everybody's good at something. So buck up and make some new friends. I think you'd do well here in Konoha Kin." Grinning at her, he turned to his friends and nodded. "What do you guys think?"
Shikamaru sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Naruto, you still manage to surprise me. But yes, she'd be far better off here as long as she didn't try to kill any of us. But do you really think Orochimaru's going to be happy with one of his subordinates just leaving like this?" Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Figures you'd have figured it out already Shika. You always were smarter than me." Shikamaru smirked and nodded his head. "Yes, but you're also quite the genius yourself Naruto. Don't sell yourself short." Naruto blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head while muttering a thank you to his friend.
Ino sighed and grumbled angrily. "She hurt Fu-chan. I don't know how I'd feel if she chose to join Konoha, but I do trust your judgment Naruto. You're a friend and you usually make some pretty good decisions. Your teammates seem to agree with you, but I dunno how Fu-chan's going to feel about this." Glancing at Choji for a moment, Ino sighed. "And Choji seems to agree with you just like Shikamaru. Ah what the hell, I'll accept her too if Fu-chan can forgive her."
Fu rose and shook her head to clear her head. "Ugh. Despite the pain I'm in…if Naruto-kun is choosing to place his trust in her then I will too. Though I do expect a damn apology Kin." Glaring over at the girl, Kin found herself giggling a bit before she bowed. "I do apologize to you Fu-san. And to you as well Artist-san, even if I'm not the one who attacked you personally. And…if your Hokage will have me, I think I will take you up on the offer Naruto-san." Smiling at him, Kin nodded and gently shook his hand again.
Naruto smiled at her and nodded his head. "Don't worry. Despite everything, I think you'll be safe from Orochimaru-teme here. That…that asshole hurt Sean-sensei…" Despite speaking that last part quietly, Ino somehow heard him and was on him in an instant. "Sean's hurt?! How?! What happened?! Is he okay?!" Naruto was wide-eyed as he stared at Ino. She was shaking him back and forth numerous times and he was starting to feel sick. He was therefore quite thankful when Fu and Sakura pulled her back and hushed her. "Sean-sensei will be fine…but Orochimaru-teme really hurt him bad. Sean…saved Anko-sensei and protected Jima-san. He fought him one-on-one and hurt Orochimaru badly apparently, but it just wasn't enough. He…knows things about Sean-sensei. I wasn't supposed to say anything to anyone…but damn it I just don't care! Just don't say anything to the other teams okay Ino? Sean-sensei will be okay, I promise. But some of what Orochimaru said and did…it's affecting him deeply. He may not have shown exactly how he was feeling when I saw him, but I could tell. Orochimaru…knows who Sean-sensei's parents are…and even where they are apparently. More than that though…he knows something about Sean-sensei that even HE doesn't know it seems. It's really bothering him. You can talk to Sean-sensei later Ino. Okay?"
Ino nodded slowly and looked to the forest floor. Before she could speak though, Sasuke was gripping Naruto's shoulder and glaring harshly at him. "Why the hell would that snake bastard stay in the forest like that?! First he attacked us, then that asshole friend of yours that attacked me in Wave?! What the hell does he want with him?!" Ino slapped Sasuke hard at this, much to everyone's surprise. "Don't you dare insult Sean-sensei! He's a really kind man and he risked his life to try and stop a SANNIN of all people! Do you realize how dangerous that is?! Even for him?!" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't back down. Finally he sighed in defeat and turned away. "I can't understand any of this. Forget it. Fu, Sai, let's go. Sakura's already helped the two of you and I want to get away from here. We've got the scrolls we needed, so let's go to the fucking tower." Without even waiting for confirmation from his team, the Uchiha was off.
Fu grumbled and shook her head as Sai dashed off to follow after Sasuke. "I'll see you later Naruto-kun, okay?" Walking over, she kissed him on the cheek before dashing off. Sakura was fuming at this, but she calmed down upon seeing him chuckling. The blush on his face was bothering her, but the pink-haired kunoichi walked over and gently held his hand. "We should be going soon too Naruto-kun. Kin-san, would you like to accompany us to the tower, or will you help Ino's team? Whatever you decide is fine."
Kin looked to Sakura for a moment before looking to Ino and smiling softly. "I…don't really know what I want to do. Your team obviously has both scrolls, so…maybe I should help their team?" Kin offered with a shrug. Ino looked at her and grumbled, but Shikamaru and Choji both looked at her. They would leave this decision up to her. Sighing angrily, Ino nodded her head. "We could get one on our own pretty easily, but the help would be appreciated. Sure Kin, you're welcome to come along. But please follow orders and do as we instruct okay? As you can no doubt see, Shikamaru here is a genius and his plans are amazing. He's the strategist of the group and with his plans, we'll get a scroll in no time and then the four of us can be off to the tower together. Okay?" When Kin nodded, Ino looked to her friends and smiled sweetly. "See you at the tower later, okay Naruto, Sakura, Kiba?" And with that, Team 10 was off with Kin vanishing along with them.
Chuckling to himself, Naruto grinned at his teammates as he petted Akamaru on the head. "Let's go guys. We need to get to the tower and finish this test. Then we can report to Jiji when he gets there." Receiving nods from them, Team 8 disappeared from the clearing to begin the trek to the tower.
At the Konoha Hospital – Sean's Room
Yugao sat at the side of Sean's bed, gently brushing the back of his right hand with her thumb. I'm amazed Sean-san. It's amazing that you were able to wound Orochimaru and live! But you…you haven't woken yet. You're burning up for some reason. Did what he say affect you this badly? Anko-san has been by twice already. You've probably no idea how worried she is for you. I'm even worried about you. You're a dear friend Sean. All the conversations we had…you're so kind. And now this happens to you? I hope you'll be okay.
After a few more minutes, Sean began to groan as his eyes slowly opened a bit. Looking to Yugao, he smiled softly and gently squeezed her hand back. "Hey there Yugao-chan. G-Good to see you. Where am I?" Yugao smiled softly and gently squeezed his hand back. "You're in the hospital Sean. The doctors said you aren't well enough to leave yet. You'll probably be here until the current test is over. They think you'll be well enough to leave then. I'll be here until you're discharged from the hospital Sean, so be sure to get plenty of rest okay?"
Sean nodded with a smile and closed his eyes again. "Yeah. That…sounds good. I feel like crap." Yugao blinked when she noticed a few tears stream down his cheeks. Blinking, she reached up with her free hand and gently wiped them away with her fingers. "Hey, why are you crying Sean? Are you okay?"
The Jonin sensei nodded slowly. "Yes. I'm just…thinking. Why does a slime ball like Orochimaru know about my family? Know about ME? As long as he knows who and where they are…they aren't safe. I can't even be sure Jima-chan's safe with him around. I feel…useless. I hate this feeling."
Frowning, Yugao gently pinched his cheek and smiled as he complained. "Stop that Sean. You aren't useless. You pulled something off that not many could have. You nearly held Orochimaru there until we arrived. It's a shame that he left just moments before, but you did your very best. And from what you've said, you hurt him pretty badly too. That's quite the feat believe it or not. In fact, you're lucky to even be alive. Jima-san is fine, and your parents will be all right too. I'm sure of it." Leaning closer, she placed a gentle kiss upon his forehead, effectively making him blush brightly. "If you dare tell anyone I did that…I'll castrate you. Understand me?"
Sean nodded fervently, but soon groaned as he closed his eyes again. "I have such a headache right now. But…yes, I understand. I won't tell your darling Hayate-kun or anyone else, I promise." Smiling at her as he opened his eyes again, he couldn't help but feel good that Yugao was smiling at him again. "You're a good person Yugao-chan. A fantastic friend that anybody would be lucky to have. Now…I think I'll just get a little more sleep…" Nodding slowly, Sean yawned softly before slowly drifting off to sleep again.
Yugao chuckled softly and gently brushed his hair out of his face, tucking it gently behind his ears. Soon she rested a hand on his cheek and smiled. "Rest well Sean. Everything will be just fine." Nodding her head affirmatively, she soon turned to see Anko standing in the doorway again with a soft smile on her face which quickly morphed into a frown. "Yes, he was just awake, and yes, you missed your chance to speak to him. You picked a really terrible time to rush off to get some dango for the both of you. I'm sorry Anko-san." Seeing her friend pouting and cursing her bad luck, Yugao laughed quietly and returned to watch her sleeping friend.
At the Tower
"Iruka-sensei, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, blinking a few times as he stared at one of his best friends in complete bewilderment. When Iruka smiled brightly at him and pulled the young man into a tight hug, Naruto just hugged him back gently and started smiling as he clung to Iruka. "It's good to see you're all right Naruto-kun. You and your team have done wonderfully so far. You've passed the second test."
Naruto nodded slowly as he stepped back to look up at Iruka curiously. "You still haven't answered my question. What're you doing here?" He asked again. Iruka sighed at his ex-student's impatience. "As you and your team have no doubt surmised, Naruto, these scrolls together were meant to summon me straight here upon the moment you opened them both after arriving at the tower. I actually requested that I be the one to congratulate you instead of your sensei, Kurenai-san. She agreed to let me be the one, and Hokage-sama agreed with the idea as well. I really care for you Naruto-kun, and I'm really glad you've passed the second stage of the exams. I've heard the situation from Hokage-sama and I've been asked to inform you that he will be here in a matter of hours to debrief you. In the meantime, why don't you and your teammates find a room and relax?"
Nodding with smiles, the three Genin thanked him and rushed off. Soon after they left, Iruka shook his head and frowned. "I'm glad you're all well, but what happened to your sensei must be troubling you Naruto-kun. I hope everything will be okay." With a sigh, he went off to take care of a few things.
Shortly after finding a room…
Team 8 set their things down and settled in to relax a bit. Soon, both Sakura and Kiba were looking towards Naruto. "What are we going to tell Hokage-sama Naruto?" Sakura soon frowned and walked over, hugging him gently as she rested her head lightly on his shoulder. "Are you going to be okay Naruto-kun? You must be worried still, huh?"
Naruto sighed softly and closed his eyes, gently patting Sakura's hands. "Yeah. I've…got a bad feeling. I don't think Sean-sensei's doing well. He's one of my most precious people and I feel…connected to him in a way. I can't help but worry about him right now." Then, glancing to Kiba and Akamaru, the blonde smiled softly. "I'm going to tell Jiji exactly what happened. Of course, I'll leave out a few details such as informing Ino and the others about what was going on with Sean-sensei and such. Who knows what he'd say to all that?"
The group laughed softly at that before Naruto continued. "I'll inform Jiji about what transpired with Sasuke. The bloodlust, that foul chakra, the threats…everything I can. I'll also talk to him about Kin and see what he thinks. I also think he deserves to know that Orochimaru's connected to Otogakure somehow." Seeing his teammates nod, Naruto smiled a bit.
Soon, everyone jumped slightly when they heard knocking at their door. Kiba slowly rose and moved to the door, opening it slowly. When Temari and Kankuro walked into the room, they all blinked a moment before smiling at them. "We heard your voices and wanted to say hi. Also…thanks again Naruto for treating us so kindly. We truly appreciate it." Temari stated as they took a seat near him.
Kankuro frowned as he noticed how Naruto was behaving. "Hey Naruto, you all right man? You seem a little…down. Did something happen after we split up?" Naruto sighed and nodded slowly as he looked into Kankuro's eyes. "You two remember when we left? We went to investigate what the hell was causing all that destruction in the forest. We were right…Sean-sensei was battling somebody pretty powerful. When we arrived…he was injured pretty seriously. I'm just really worried about him right now is all. He'll be okay; I know it…but…"
Temari reached out and gently squeezed his hand. "Naruto, I don't know how close he is to you, but I'm sure everything will be just fine. I don't know exactly what happened, and I can tell you aren't telling us everything, but I'm sure you have your reasons. Still, just know that we're here for you. It might not mean much, but we're your friends now. We'll do whatever we can." Smiling softly at him, she again squeezed his hand much to Sakura's annoyance.
Soon they heard knocking again and looked to see the Sandaime Hokage standing in the doorway. "Pardon me, but I would like to speak with these three in private if I may?" The brother/sister duo nodded their heads and bowed to him politely. "Of course Hokage-dono. Naruto, we'll see you later. Take care and be well." As soon as the two of them left, the Hokage shut the door and put up a privacy seal right before taking a seat on one of the beds. "All right. Tell me everything you three. Did you come across Sasuke?"
The three of them nodded and immediately said: "Yes, Hokage-sama." In unison. The Hokage nodded and urged them to continue. Both Sakura and Kiba looked to Naruto and smiled at him. Naruto took a deep breath before nodding his head. "We came across Sasuke's team early today. When we did, we saw Sasuke was unconscious while Fu-chan and their teammate were attacked by the Genin squad from Otogakure. Jiji…they were under orders to kill Sasuke." At this, the Hokage's eyes widened somewhat and he began to rub his bearded chin in thought.
Looking down, the blonde nodded again before continuing on. "Jiji…they attacked Fu-chan and her teammate and actually managed to HURT them. They use some strange sound-based attacks, but that's to be expected I suppose. Team 10: Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, soon stepped in to help, but what we saw…it was just horrible. Shikamaru wanted to question them, but things didn't work out so well for them. Ino used a jutsu to enter the female Oto Genin's mind and held her hostage, hoping it would keep her teammates from attacking any longer. It didn't seem to matter. One of them said to go ahead and kill Kin, that's her name by the way, and the other actually ATTACKED Kin. They don't care about their teammate at all. They'd obviously kill her if given the chance."
Hiruzen nodded slowly at this and grumbled softly for a moment. "Please continue Naruto-kun. I'm sure there's more to the story, correct?" Naruto nodded slowly and continued on. "As the battle was about to resume…Sasuke woke up and attacked the one named Zaku. But…Sasuke had these weird marks all over his body and this really foul chakra emanating from him. Worse than that however was the bloodlust. You could literally feel it radiating from him, it was that bad. He attacked Zaku and ripped his arms out of their sockets before turning his attention to the one named Dosu. Fearing for my friends' safety, I leapt into action with my teammates. Kiba pinned Dosu to the ground, Sakura tended to everyone's injuries, and I dealt with the teme."
The Hokage nodded and urged him to continue on. "Sasuke…threatened me. In the past he's never threatened to take my life, but this time…he really meant to kill me. I managed to calm him down somehow, but somebody has to seal that curse mark before he really hurts somebody. He can't be trusted right now!" The Hokage nodded and was about to say something, but Naruto held up his hand and smiled softly. "S-Sorry Jiji, but I'm not quite done yet. Remember me telling you about Kin? Well…I talked with her. This is important Jiji. I had my suspicions about who sent them and gave them their orders, and she confirmed it for me. Orochimaru sent them Jiji." The look on the Hokage's face was one of horror, confusion, and a variety of other emotions that Naruto couldn't be bothered to make out at the moment. "Jiji…Orochimaru sent them to die. I convinced Kin to leave and to join Konoha as one of our kunoichi, so long as you'll accept her. She obviously isn't like them Jiji! They'll kill her given the chance! She'll at least be safe here. Right now she's with Team 10, helping them to get their second scroll. If you want to meet her, I expect they'll be here at the latest…around tomorrow at noonish? I'm not for sure, but that's my best guess. They could be here as early as tonight for all I know."
Hiruzen nodded slowly and shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle. "Kabuto's information…Orochimaru's appearance…Orochimaru giving Sasuke the cursed seal…his warning to Sean-kun…now this Oto team and their connection to Orochimaru…" Frowning slightly, Hiruzen looked into Naruto's eyes. "I wonder what the hell my old student is up to. Otogakure just recently popped up…my guess is Orochimaru holds some power there. In all likelihood, he's probably the Kage there. If that is the case, there's no telling how many shinobi he has on his side just waiting to attack our village. I'll keep looking into this Naruto-kun, Sakura-san, Kiba-san. For now, I want you three to focus on getting to the finals all right?" When they each nodded, the Hokage rose again and prepared to leave before he felt Naruto's hand clutching his.
Naruto looked at the floor for a while before nodding his head. "Please Jiji…is Sean-sensei all right?" The Hokage smiled and gently patted Naruto atop his head. "Physically he's just fine. But mentally and emotionally…it's not looking good. Sean-kun is very troubled right now Naruto-kun. I don't know what's going to happen, but he won't miss your upcoming fights, I'm sure of that." Smiling softly at his grandson figure, the Hokage nodded and left the room without another word, leaving Naruto there with tears streaming down his face and his friends holding him tight.
Three Days Later – Tower Arena
As Team 8 entered the small arena, they noticed all the other passing teams standing around talking amongst themselves about what the next stage of the exams would be like. They easily spotted their friends from Teams 7, 9 & 10, as well as the members of Sasuke's team. Off to the side they could see Temari and Kankuro standing behind their brother once more. Gaara was currently glaring at him, but Naruto quickly shrugged it off. Looking around, he also spotted the Oto team with Kin standing some distance away from them. Can't say I blame her. Those two are bastards!
With a sigh, Team 8 stepped forward to join their friends. Before anyone could actually say anything in greeting however, the Hokage appeared in the room along with some guards and many Jonin. All of the Jonin senseis and the assistant senseis were there, and Jima-san was also standing beside her cousin. There were also a few people that Naruto didn't recognize. With a shrug, he simply stood with his team and waited to hear what the next stage involved.
The Hokage rose and stood above them, smiling down at each of them. Though when his eyes landed on Sasuke, he frowned deeply for a brief moment. He was pissed at Kakashi I heard when I had him seal the mark. From what Kakashi-san said, Orochimaru approached him after the sealing process had finished. I'm amazed nothing happened. Looking around at everyone again, the Hokage nodded and began to speak.
"It's good to see so many of you made it here. First, I would like to offer my congratulations in passing the second stage of the Chunin Exams! From here on however, you all must rely on your own, separate abilities. Hayate-san, will you please continue?" Hiruzen stated as he motioned for a sickly-looking Jonin to step forward as he stepped back and sat in his chair.
Hayate stepped forward, shooting a brief smile to his girlfriend, Yugao Uzuki, before hopping down below to speak to the young Genin. "The third stage of the Chunin Exams is to test your abilities individually. You will all face each other in one-on-one battles meant to showcase your abilities. This will happen in front of a large crowd of people in one month. There will be many people from all the different countries. How well you do will help determine the amount of missions and what kind of funding each of your villages will continue to receive. There are many other factors that go into what they are looking for and what will happen, but it is irrelevant to the current matter at hand."
As Hayate spoke, he coughed numerous times and a lot of the Genin grimaced. Kiba actually whispered to Naruto and Sakura that it looked as if the man could drop dead at any moment. Soon, Hayate spoke up again. "Since they are all pressed for time and can't sit around to watch every single battle…and since so many of you have made it through to the final round…we must hold preliminary matches to weed out a certain number of you. Don't complain; it won't do you any good."
Glancing around at each of the Genin, Hayate smiled when he found them all listening intently to his words, none of them daring to go against his advice. "Good. Now, in order to determine these matches, a generator will select names at random. As soon as the names flash on the screen, I will call down the two of you selected for battle and when I allow you to begin, you will fight. You are permitted to use everything in your arsenal. Fight as if you're going for the kill. Should one of you forfeit or be rendered unconscious, the match will end. Before we begin however, would anyone like to drop out now?"
Everyone looked around, highly doubting that anyone would just quit at this point. However, when Kabuto Yakushi raised his hand and bowed out, most people were shocked. Team 8, Ibiki, Anko, Sean, Jima, and a few others glared at him however and watched as he left. What the hell are you up to now Kabuto? Naruto wondered before returning his attention to Hayate. "Well, now that that is done and the rest of you seem to be staying, we shall begin. For now, all of you should go stand with your senseis and wait for your names to be called."
Everyone filed up the stairs then to stand with their senseis. As Ino reached Asuma and Sean, she quickly looked up at Sean with a worried expression on her face. "Sean-sensei, are you okay? I…I heard from Naruto what happened." Sean sighed and looked down at his student with a soft smile on his features. Reaching out his hand, he gently patted her atop her head. "I'll be fine Ino, there's no need to worry. Thank you for your concern however." Ino nodded slowly and turned back around to watch the board as it flashed through a series of names.
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado
At this, those who knew what happened in the Forest of Death immediately grew wary. Naruto was also curious about Kabuto's teammate. The blonde and his teammates decided to watch this fight very carefully. When Sasuke and Yoroi went down to the arena to fight, Naruto clenched the railing before him and watched in anticipation.
The fight went by rather quickly however. Yoroi had the ability to absorb chakra from his opponents, but Sasuke had already fully recovered from the ordeal in the forest so it wasn't a difficult fight for him. The curse mark never affected him and Yoroi went down rather easily with some simple Taijutsu. Sighing when the battle came to a close, Naruto leaned back and shrugged his shoulders. "Well that was pretty dull. At least the curse mark's under control for now." Nodding at this, everyone turned to await the next matchup.
Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi
This fight was rather easily won for the insect user. In fact, Shino was actually kind of disappointed with it. He didn't get to demonstrate any of his new jutsu, nor did he even have to really try all that hard. Zaku was just one seriously pathetic opponent for him. In the end, Zaku's arms practically exploded and he passed out from the sheer pain. Inwardly, Kin was actually cheering happily that the jerk got what was coming to him.
Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankuro
This turned out to be another simple, quick battle. Misumi turned out to be some kind of rubber man, which in itself was rather odd. However, he didn't exactly put up much of a fight as Kankuro revealed himself to be quite the puppeteer. With a simple attack, Kankuro easily defeated Misumi and the fight was over with Kankuro as the winner. Naruto congratulated him happily and he gave his new friend from Suna a thumbs up before returning to his team.
Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka
"Good luck Sakura-chan. You two have been training really hard. I know you'll have a lot of fun here." Naruto said and he watched as Sakura hopped down into the arena, mentally preparing herself to fight her best friend.
Meanwhile, with Ino, she looked up at Sean-sensei and he nodded. "Asuma and I have trained you hard Ino. Sakura may have been my student before you, but that doesn't mean I'm solely rooting for her. I want you two to have a good fight. Ino-chan, go down there and show Sakura what you've got. I know you'll do really well." Smiling down at her, Sean chuckled softly as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. Reaching down, he hugged her gently to him and then patted her back. "Go on now Ino, kick some ass." Ino nodded happily and went down, already prepared to fight her friend.
As the two kunoichi stared into each other's eyes, they both nodded, showing respect to one another. "Ino, I want us to fight seriously right from the start. We've been trained hard and I want to see if I can beat you fair and square. Don't hold anything back okay? Promise?" Sakura stated, glancing at Hayate to make sure he would let them finish speaking to each other before he ordered the fight to start.
Ino looked at Sakura and smiled warmly. "Sakura-chan, I was about to say the same to you. Don't hold anything back okay? I'm going to beat you fair and square. We owe it to each other to give this fight everything we've got. Now…let's begin." Both nodded and then glanced out of the corners of their eyes, waiting for Hayate to tell them to begin.
When the proctor nodded his head and shouted "Hajime!" both of the Kunoichi immediately began going through a series of hand seals. Ino finished hers just seconds before Sakura did and shouted out, "Raiton: Kaminarino Taidou (Lightning Release: Quickening Lightning)!" From Ino's outstretched palm, a small lightning bolt shot out that gradually picked up in speed before reaching Sakura's face at an unbelievable pace. However, what happened next caused some to smirk and others to watch in disbelief.
Sakura finished her hand seals shortly after Ino did and slammed her hand to the ground while shouting, "Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)!" An earthen wall rose from the arena floor and stopped the lightning bolt in its tracks just as it was about to strike her. The wall crumbled, but it served its purpose as Ino's lightning bolt disappeared as well.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, Sakura brushed herself off and smiled at her friend. "Well, it seems I'm at a bit of a disadvantage now, doesn't it? I suppose I'd better bring out that then." Smirking to herself, Sakura brushed the seal on her right glove and pulled out a rather large spear that was at least two feet taller than she was. Twirling it around, she held it at her side and grinned. "Let's have some fun Ino-chan!"