A/N: Sorry about the gap between updates, I've been working my ass of for school and my job has been extra shitty since my boss quit and we've basically been all hands on deck until we can get someone trained to replace her. Neither are excuses, both are really not your problem. This chapter is kind of filler and kind of helping establishing the power scale of the story.
"First order of business, I want you to take off that mask Itachi, for after today, I don't believe that you will be on your current squad, I plan on making you more of an active ANBU rather than the security patrols around the villages as you've been doing now." The young Uchiha of 14 removed his mask to reveal his place face and black eyes. Itachi looked at the Third Hokage who looked every single one of his 62 years of life. Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back into his seat and looked at the Uchiha that sat across from him.
"Now, there is a little-known secret, but the position of Hokage is not something that is merely picked or voted upon. The position is something that is picked from a young age, we are never sure of who is going to actually be the Hokage, but there is always a group of 4 to 7 children in each generation that we believe have the potential to become the Hokage of the future. Of my generation, it was myself, Danzo, and my two teammates. I was chosen due to my selflessness and ability to rally the troops and leadership. Of the next generation, it was the Legendary Sannin and the White Fang, and I always believed that if had to make a choice about one of these four that it would be Tsunade. Jiraiya wasn't serious enough for the job when he was younger and Orochimaru was never the type of person who everyone would nor could look to for guidance or help.
And the picks of the generation after that it was Minato, Kushina, Your clan leader and the Hyuga Clan leader. Minato was chosen because he had that really strong feel good story and the fame that he had generated from the stories of his exploits in the war. The generation after that the candidates are Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, and Shikaku Nara. If I had to choose one of these four, it would be Kakashi first and then Shikaku second, because despite the lack of visual confirmation, Kakashi is just as smart and almost five times as deadly as Shikaku, and with his transplanted Sharingan, he would be a force that in his peak form, would give in the Sannin and myself the greatest of fits. And now that would bring us to the current crop of this generation. The few that stand out even though their ages are all under the age of 7, is Neji Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki, and finally Sasuke Uchiha, as for why there is only 3 on this list, is because we haven't managed to identify the correct fourth candidate or he simply isn't directly in this generation, such as yourself and that Uchiha friend of yours, who are in between this generation and the last. However, the choice this time around is clear, Naruto Uzumaki will be the next Hokage, he has no choice in the matter"
In a cave in the Land of Earth
"So, tell me, just how strong is Naruto Uzumaki?" Asked a shadowy figure, his purple eyes with ripple patterns
Kisame grinned largely and said, "That kid is legit, every bit as good as our network said he was. The kid has easily as much chakra or more than myself, he was strong and fast enough to fight Zabuza to a standstill."
The purple eyes narrowed at this report before glancing toward Itachi who nodded.
"Naruto Uzumaki is not someone that we can allow to roam free. He has grown from an average ninja in the time that I have been gone from the village. To make such a leap in strength, from Genin to Jonin in the matter of a couple of years … with no signs of slowing down any time soon, we could have a threat that might require more than just 2 of us, of course he correct Jonin Sensei doesn't help the situation." Stated Itachi
"Kakashi Hatake, a man who is somehow more famous for using the Sharingan than most of the Uchiha clan. An S ranked threat in every single village, said to equally smart as he is skilled. Is there any way that we could get him to join us?" asked a hunched over shadowy figured, clearly not the form of any normal figure
Itachi shook his head "The thing about Kakashi is that his biggest strength is his biggest weakness, there isn't one. He is a master of all fields, only limited by his chakra pools which have nearly tripled since we last met. He is just too headstrong to follow any order with questioning it and changing it for the betterment of his team, Kakashi would most likely join us to learn our weaknesses and then take us down from the inside."
"So we have Naruto Uzumaki who is growing at a rate that we need to stop and we still have his sensei who is supposedly equal any one of us? Well, all that means is that we need to either capture Naruto immediately and hold him captive or get him to hand over the Kyuubi of his own free will." Said the purple eyed figure before he continued onto to say "The wraith of God is coming faster than Konoha knows it"
Naruto held up their Earth scroll up in his hand and said to his teammates, "One of us has to hold onto this"
Sasuke nodded and both him and Sakura were shocked when their older blond-haired teammate offered it to Sakura.
"W what? You want me to carry the scroll? But you and Sasuke are stronger than me, wouldn't it be better if one of you held onto it?" came the question riddled response from Sakura.
Naruto smirked and replied, "You're plenty strong enough, you can do this" before he put the scroll into the hands of his pink haired teammate and walked toward their gate, leaving no room for her argument or at the very least with him.
Sakura looked at Sasuke and tried to tell him with her eyes that she wanted him to take the scroll from her. It seemed like he got the memo until he reached into his back pouch and pulled out a field ration.
"I only have 4 left, try not to forget your own next time" Sasuke said as he placed the ration on top of the scroll in her hands and walked off to go wait with Naruto. Sakura accepted that she was going to be tasked with holding onto the scroll.
She joined her teammates at her team's gate, she didn't have to wait long as the gate opened, and her team raced off in a blur. They were jumping through the trees that made up Training Ground 44 aka The Forest of Death. Sakura looked around as the forest was flying, she saw nothing but forest. Suddenly Naruto lead them to a stop and shushed them silently.
'3 guys to the south-east of us, about 7 meters away' Naruto signaled with their sign language before he spoke verbally "Guys, I hate to say this, but I have to use the bathroom."
Sasuke scoffed and Sakura knew that she had to play her part, "Ew, that' so gross Naruto. You have to do that behind us, I will not take a change that I step in that"
Naruto and Sasuke gave her small signs of approval at her playing her part before she allowed her chakra to bend and fold inside of her. She didn't have a huge amount of chakra, although it was easily 5 times as much as she had when she graduated the academy.
So, as Naruto started to walk off to "handle his business", Sakura did her job of casting one of the Genjutsu that Kurenai had taught her. Sakura had spent a lot of time practicing this one, to the point that she could replicate the way that she had to manipulate her chakra to activate the Jutsu.
So while Naruto went off to let the waters of life flow from within, the 3 ninja from the Village hidden in Rain, jumped into the clearing. They were not met with the sight of a bored Sasuke and a disgusted Sakura, but the sight of an empty clearing.
The Ame shinobi looked around before their leader turned back to his squad mates and asked, "Where the hell did they go?"
A Kunai slit his throat from behind, causing his blood to squirt out onto his teammates. His lifeless body dropped to the ground, causing the other two Ame ninja to start to back pedal. However, hands shot up from underground and grasped the Ame shinobi on the left's ankles and pulled her all the way underground to her head.
The final Ame boy was trembling and when he heard a growling behind him, he fainted.
Back in the real world:
Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto looked at the three Ame ninja that were on the ground in the fetal position, sobbing.
"I thought you used a basic scare Genjutsu?" asked Naruto, as he looked at the crying teens.
"I did, but they were so pathetic that it didn't take much to break them." Replied Sakura.
Naruto shrugged and started digging through their supplies taking their Earth scroll and whatever they would be able to use.
"They have an Earth Scroll, but we're going to be taking this to limit the amount that can pass this portion of the Exam" stated Naruto when Sasuke opened his mouth to ask about why they were taking the earth scroll that they didn't need.
Naruto created a Shadow Clone and the 3 of them left, the clone stayed behind to make sure that the Ame shinobi wouldn't be a revenge threat in the future.
So, our 3 her… I mean our 3 main characters continued to move through the forest, moving closer and closer to the middle. They hadn't run into anyone other than a group of dead Ame Ninja who had bits of sand on them.
They were about to take a break when Naruto felt a shift in the wind and pulled Sasuke and Sakura down from the tree tops, just in time for a massive blast of wind to destroy the entire line of tree tops that it hit.
"Would you look at that, you managed to avoid being killed before the fight even started, I believe that a round of applauses is in order." Said a Grass shinobi who jumped down onto the forest floor not that far away from them.
Naruto's eyes steeled themselves as his body naturally prepared itself for a fight, and a fight against someone strong. He was on edge, but he wasn't scared. He knew that the person before him was strong but couldn't put a finger on how strong.
"I don't know who you are, but I would suggest you leave before I make you leave" stated Naruto confidently.
"Ke ke ke, it is so funny to see little Naru threaten me, oh this does bring back memories." Stated the Grass Shinobi
"Naru? Do you know this guy Naruto?" asked Sasuke
"I don't know, the only person to call me Naru was when I was a kid, and that was Orochimaru … SHIT!" cursed Naruto as the Grass Shinobi chuckled before pulling off his face, revealing the pale face of the Snake Sannin.
"Little Naruto Uzumaki is all grown up and even threatening people, oh how your parents would be ashamed." Taunted Orochimaru
Confusion crossed Naruto's face causing Orochimaru to ask "They still haven't told you about your parent? tsk tsk. It seems Hiruzen-Sensei still likes to play with fire." '
Naruto appeared behind Orochimaru, prepared to take his head off, but it was for naught. The snake like man didn't even turn around, he just bent his arm and slammed his elbow into Naruto's forearm sending the kunai based slash upwards. Naruto hissed in pain as he felt his forearm hit an unmovable object.
"Now now, Naruto. That is not the proper way to greet people, even if you are the son of Kushina." Said Orochimaru, his eyes never leaving the sight of Sasuke.
"What are you doing here, you snake" spat Naruto
"I thought that it would be clear, I want the Sharingan for myself. With older brother off with the Red Clouds, I have a much better chance of getting what I want from the younger brother." Replied Orochimaru, his eyes not even blinking.
"I don't give a damn who you are, you're not getting a damn thing from me" snarled Sasuke, his anger growing at the sound of Orochimaru coming here to rip his eyes out of his skull.
"I'm afraid you don't really have a choice in the matter Sasuke. You see, I already failed to take your brother's body, so I will have to make due with yours" stated the snake man.
"W what? You can't have my body" spat Sasuke
"Again, it is cute that you think that you stand a chance against me" said Orochimaru
"Like hell you are going anywhere near Sasuke" said Naruto as he appeared in front of his teammates, his normally calm sky blue eyes were now a cold dark blue with slit pupils.
"And who is going to stop me?" challenged the Snake Sannin
"Me! You two get out of here" said Naruto, first to Orochimaru and then to his teammates.
Surprisingly both of them just listened and jumped away causing Orochimaru to lick his lips in excitement.
"Look at little Naru, providing me with a great chance to get some exercise before i get what I want" came the words from the Sannin.
Naruto didn't say anything as he kept the cold look on his face before his hands glowed briefly before erupting in flames.
Orochimaru tilted his head in interest at the sight of such advanced elemental chakra manipulation from Naruto. That tilting of the head allowed him to avoid the flaming slash from the hot tempered Naruto.
However, if you are going to attack one of the 20 strongest people on the face of the planet, try to end them in one shot. That is one piece of advice, another is don't miss on your first attack either. With the missed attack from Naruto, Orochimaru used the opportunity to slam his open palm into the chest of Naruto.
Naruto flew back and slammed into a tree, out of breathe and in quite the bit of pain. Gritting his teeth, Naruto launched himself back at Orochimaru, this time with a slower and more controlled attack, his more standardized fighting style. Different method, same result.
Orochimaru bent his torso around Naruto's arm, before jerking to the left and snapping the blond haired shinobi's arm like a twig.
Snarling in anger Naruto growled as his broken arm hissed as red chakra oozed outwards from the now 2 part limb. Orochimaru detached himself from Naruto as he knew that the violent chakra of the Kyuubi wasn't something that he wanted to experience on or in his body.
"You can't win, leave it alone child" were the words that came from Orochimaru as he turned his back on Naruto in the direction that Sasuke and Sakura ran off in.
Naruto's anger grew as he was ignored by the Snake Sannin. His arm clicked back into place and in an instant, a spinning ball of chakra was in his hand as he launched himself back at the man who dared to turn his back on him in the middle of a fight.
Bending in half as the spinning ball of death and the boy holding it sailed over it, Orochimaru lashed out with his right leg and caught Naruto in the chest, sending him tumbling off to the side.
The red cloak that had covered his right arm quickly spread all over the rest of his body. Naruto climbed back to his feet, the aching of his arm and ribs fading with the chakra of the Kyuubi covered his body.
"It doesn't matter If you use that beast's chakra, you're in over your head Naruto." Commented the snake like man.
Naruto said nothing as he rushed the pale skinned man. The method was different, Naruto was stronger, faster, and had more stamina than before. Did it help him gain the edge in the fight against Orochimaru? Did it level the playing field between the living legend and the genin? No, the answer was absolutely not.
Being covered in the powerful chakra of Kurama, did nothing to stop the punch that broke Naruto's nose. Nor did it do anything about the follow up back hand that caused Naruto's head to snap back. It also didn't stop the kick to the chest that pushed Naruto onto his back on the ground.
Naruto growled as his single chakra tail split and suddenly there was twin tails of chakra coming out of his backside. Did this make him stronger and faster? Yes. Did it help Naruto at all in his fight? Absolutely not.
Orochimaru ducked under a wild swipe only to trip Naruto and look down at him.
"All that training that you go through and you're still this pathetic. I guess you need all the help that you can get if this the best that you can do."
Five Prong Seal
And with that, Orochimaru slammed his hand into the stomach of Naruto, cutting him off the Kyuubi and it's chakra. Naruto gasped and Orochimaru lifted him up and grasped the right arm of Naruto. Looking at where the arm had been broken mere moments ago, Orochimaru looked at Naruto and whispered "With the Sharingan and the Kyuubi on my side, I can deal with the clouds."
And with that, Orochimaru bit down on the arm of Naruto and watched as the curse mark that he placed on the blond haired boy take the shape of 9 curved lines in a circle.
With Sasuke and Sakura
They had started running only 2 minutes ago, they had felt Naruto's chakra spike and then dip, only to spike upwards again. It felt red hot and angry, but as quickly as it filled the forest, it vanished.
"Do you think that Naruto won?" asked Sakura
"I would say no" stated a voice, causing both of the genin to look and see Orochimaru carrying the body of Naruto.
The pale man threw the knocked out blond on the ground in front of his teammates.
"Now, Sasuke are you ready to give in or will I have to give you a more convincing beating" asked Orochimaru
A/N: Yeah, Naruto got his ass whipped. What did you expect?
Honestly, I don't think that this chapter was all that good, but I am rolling with it because this what I was able to come up with. Takes 1 through 6 were so much worse than this draft that I am just going to submit this.
Let me know what you think. Next chapter we will be finishing this round of the chunnin exams and that's where I hope that the story will pick up in terms of character development. I promised that the Chunnin exams would be where I started the more serious Kurenai/Naruto interactions and I plan on delivering.
Speaking of interactions, I have an interactive twitter page, the interactive Twitter is up, my handle is HKM_FF, so that is HKM_FF, please follow me there. Now you know the usual, I will tell you that I will update by this date or that date, but we all know that my pants are on fire, because I am a liar. At least when it comes to my update dates and actually updating.
Anyone who has ever messaged me can attest to the fact that I do reply, and I do read you message. I respond to PM's, Reviews, bat signals and everything in between, sometimes.
That's all for now, until next time. Also, if you have any suggestions or complaints, feel free to leave a review or PM me. Unless you're going to be a dick about it, then you can literally kick rocks.