Sasuke was no stranger to the smell of blood. How could he be? The metallic tang filled his nostrils, a familiar companion that put his restless mind at ease.
There was so much of it, everywhere, all around him. It clung to his loose, pale robes, along the edge of his ninjato, to his obsidian hair, across his porcelain skin.
None of it was his.
A wet, tearing cough broke through his trance-like reverie. It was the sound of a dying animal, something of little concern to the apathetic Uchiha.
"Pl...please…" A death rasp, filled with agony. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Death was nothing. Death was an end to pain, an end to suffering. Death was peace. He glided through a scene of carnage, of bifurcated corpses and slaughtered bodies to stand before his final victim.
He stared at her, unblinking. She was desert-tanned, dirty blonde hair stained crimson with blood. Hers or one of her compatriots, Sasuke mused. His Sharingan etched every microcosm of her mortal coil into his memory, another carrion mural in a fractured psyche.
"Why…?" She asked, and Sasuke had no reply. Instead he removed her head from her shoulders, blade moving faster than the eye could follow in a savage motion that sprayed blood all about the room. He turned, stepping past her stricken, decapitated corpse, moving into the chamber beyond. There, the smell of blood filled his nose once more, and his eyes dilated.
Sprawled across a ceremonial desk was the body of a man, face covered by a low brimmed hat. White and blue robes now stained a bloody crimson that ran red across the floor.
"Kukuku… Ssssoooo weak, these sand rats are." Orochimaru giggled, sheathing Kusanagi.
Sasuke knew better than to reply, or to meet the Snake's searching eyes.
"You did well, Sasuke-kun. Marvelously, in fact. Not a single scratch upon your flawless body." Orochimaru slithered closer to his prized possession, but the Uchiha did not flinch.
"This one did as you bid." Sasuke intoned monotonously, eyes still fixated on the butchered Kage.
"And I shall reward you handsomely." The malevolent Sannin hissed, a grotesque smile spreading across his hideous face. His tongue elongated, licking blood off of Sasuke's face, and he shivered in delight.
"Assemble your team. You leave for Konoha tonight. Remember, you are mine, Sasuke-kun."
The young Uchiha nodded, before vanishing into the night.
"Is tiring yourself out this much wise, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto's ferocious assault on the training dummy did not falter. Sweat was dripping from his blonde locks, matting his hair to his neck, and the burn of lactic acid filled his limbs, but he did not stop.
Haku smiled ruefully. The Hatake was in the tank, and he would not respond until he completed his exercise. That it was the twelfth repetition of the night made no difference. He was not using chakra to bolster his physical attributes, she observed, and it made his unwavering barrage all the more impressive, if a little worrying.
With a final grunt of exertion the Hatake delivered a crushing strike, rocking the dummy back. He stood for a moment, frozen in his stance, allowing the burn to be his comforting friend, welcoming it, before he relaxed, and turned to the raven haired kunoichi.
"From what I've heard, there isn't going to be much time for rest during the exams, Haku-chan." Naruto crossed the training ground, stretching out the aches. Haku smiled, offering him a cup of water that he greedily guzzled.
"If the exams are rigorous enough to tire you out, I'd imagine most others would have difficulty passing."
"Can't be too prepared. I suppose." He chuckled. She leaned over, refilling his cup from her flask.
"You must at least rest tomorrow."
"Yeah, I probably will. Take it easy, hang out with the others. Maybe do some snooping. You hear anything about the exams?" Naruto finished his stretching, plopping down before Haku like a sack of vegetables. She smiled, briefly dusting the ground before sitting down beside the prone Hatake.
"You know I couldn't tell you even if I did."
"Oh come on, Haku-chan!" Naruto whined.
"You don't need any more help. You're more than ready!" She chided, but her giggles betrayed her mirth.
"Am I now?" Naruto smirked, pushing himself up to stare at the icy ninja.
Haku held his gaze momentarily, before looking away.
"I'm not going to spar with you, Naruto-kun." Her voice was serious now, any hint of playfulness gone. Naruto winced.
"Right… freaky demon thing huh…" He trailed off, an awkward silence now falling between the two.
"Naruto-kun…" She began, but he interrupted her.
"My dad hasn't talked to me about it, you know. Even after all this time."
"I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Yeah, sure. Don't they all?" Naruto snarked, agitated.
Haku grew quiet, unsure of what to say. Naruto was her closest friend in the village, and they spent time together almost every other day in between his training and her missions, but about this topic, she simply had no idea where to even begin. She hesitated, turning to gaze at Naruto, who had at this point flipped over to lie on his back, hands behind his head, staring at the stars above Konoha.
"You know, my father tried to murder me, Naruto-kun."
Naruto turned to meet her eyes now, anger defused, replaced instead with concern.
"He tried to kill me for what I carried within me, something I had no control over, that I didn't choose." The temperature around them had dropped several degrees, not that either of them noticed.
"But Kakashi-san isn't like that. He truly loves you, Naruto, and I'm sure no matter what it is, he always will."
Naruto's eyes closed, and he rolled over, leaning close to Haku.
"Hey. Don't worry about me, Haku-chan. I'll be fine. No matter what happens, my dad's my dad, you know? Like you said, I'm sure he has his reasons." He grinned, but neither of them believed it.
Another silence, this one far more comfortable descended between the two friends.
"You know, I still can't believe you tried to shove an icicle through my face." Naruto suddenly chim.
"You have spoiled the moment, Naruto-kun." Haku huffed.
Hiruzen took another long drag of his pipe, the smoke rising about him and obscuring his features. Beside him ANBU Commander Koza stood, motionless. Shikaku bracketed his other side, hands in his pockets but tension clearly spelled out on his face. The Jonin Commander and officially, second highest ranking Shinobi in the village, was every bit the part, looking nothing like the usually lethargic Nara clan head.
Arrayed before them in the Jonin meeting room were dozens of the most senior and capable Jonin of the Village, but there was little of the usual camaraderie and chatter. The Hokage rarely called for extraordinary briefings like this one, and to see even the ANBU Commander in person was an ominous omen.
Hiruzen's eyes wandered the room. It had been thirteen years since the Kyuubi's attack had cost the Village so dearly, and there were many faces that he would have given up a limb to still have here. Yet he counted himself lucky that still, so many capable Shinobi remained. His gaze briefly lingered upon the clan heads of the Yamanaka, the Akimichi, and the Aburame, senior Jonin with dozens of battles and the tempering of war. In the corner of his eye he noted the Inuzuka Matriarch, and beside her dear Kakashi, who's repose set him apart from the rest of the room.
Hyuuga Hiashi was the last to arrive, entering through the door gracefully. Shunshin was beneath the dignity of the Hyuuga, it appeared. Hiruzen noted the brief nod he shared with Kakashi with mild interest, but remained focused on the matter at hand.
Shikaku cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the room, and what little murmurs there were immediately ceased.
"Colleagues. Hokage-sama has called for this meeting with the utmost haste to brief all of you on the impending Chunin Exams. Whilst I will leave the details, I cannot emphasize enough how important this will be. Stand prepared, we have gathered credible intelligence that Orochimaru plans to make an assault on the Village during the Exams."
Shikaku thanked Kami for the seniority of the Shinobi present. Any other gathering of lesser shinobi would have exploded into pandemonium at that pronouncement, but this group held their nerve.
The Hokage rose, visage turning steely, voice still strong.
"My thanks, Shikaku-kun." He nodded, before turning back to the gathered Shinobi.
"You are all here because you are the most senior and capable Shinobi within the Village. I understand that such news may bring dismay, but do not fret, we have already begun preparations to meet Orochimaru should he truly assault the village." Hiruzen gauged the reaction of the room. Some had sat straighter, others tightened their grips around weapons.
"You may be wondering why we have not issued a general warning. I have made this decision so as to lull Orochimaru into believing that we are yet unaware. Make no mistake, I intend for him to attack. This will save us all from having to hunt him down."
Hiruzen's words were chilling, any hint of grandfatherly affection gone, replaced by the controlled fury of the most successful warleader in the history of the Elemental Nations.
"As follows, this will be our plan of defense. Listen carefully, each of you have been assigned with specific roles and positions…"
At the end of the meeting, many Jonin left wordlessly, no doubt to prepare and to steel themselves for the coming conflict. Hiruzen returned to his seat, removing his Hokage's hat.
"I'm going to pull my kids out." Kakashi spoke without hesitation, having already moved to his liege's side.
"You will do no such thing." Hiruzen replied, leaving no room for argument.
"I am their-"
"And I am your Hokage. They are soldiers, and they will fulfil their roles as needed."
Kakashi was still, but Hiruzen knew that he was angry.
"Kakashi, if you pull your students out, Orochimaru will know. He may be arrogant, but he is not stupid."
"I don't care. It's too much of a risk."
"I am giving you an order, Kakashi." Hiruzen's tone carried a note of finality.
The Hatake blanched, and he wheeled about wordlessly, already moving towards the exit.
Shikaku rubbed his forehead.
"Was that wise, Hokage-sama?"
"Kakashi is wise enough to understand what is at stake here. War is coming, Shikaku. We must be ready."
"Two squads will be deployed throughout the length of the exams, looking out for the safety of the participants as well as shadowing whatever it is that Orochimaru will undoubtedly be attempting to do." Koza spoke now, voice unnatural and distorted.
The three men spoke a while longer, before Hiruzen dismissed them.
"Come out Danzo, we both don't need to pretend that you aren't here." Hiruzen finally sighed wearily.
Stepping out from the lengthening shadows cast by the setting sun, Danzo's visage, or what could be seen of it, with grim.
"I have lost contact with my final agent with Orochimaru's organization. Intelligence will be harder to come by. I hope Jiraya-kun will have more luck."
"He assures me he is getting close to uncovering the whereabouts of this new Hidden Village."
"Good. I have recalled the bulk of my ROOT. We will be ready for Orochimaru." Danzo turned, ready to leave.
"Danzo, this may be my last conflict." Hiruzen suddenly spoke, giving his age-old rival pause.
"Orochimaru will surely have some cursed plan. No matter how we prepare, I must deal with the worst of it."
"You believe that you will perish facing him?" Danzo spoke, back still facing his Hokage.
"I cannot guarantee that I can defeat him, not now. Not with what he has become." Hiruzen's eyes were shadowed.
"I will prepare. Our Village will go on." With that, the Warhawk vanished.
"I'm home!" Naruto's voice echoed through the apartment.
Kakashi sat before the dining table, book still held before him but eyes now lifted to appraise his son.
"You were training?" The scarecrow enquired.
"Yea Dad, I was with Haku-chan working on my Taijutsu."
"No clones?"
"Well, if I don't get better my clones won't get better." Naruto huffed, grabbing a jar of water from the fridge.
"True. How are you feeling?"
"For the exams? Pretty pumped. The others aren't going to know what hit 'em." Naruto's confidence was not unfounded.
"Careful. Even the strongest shinobi can die from underestimating their opponents." Kakashi admonished his son.
"Ah come on Dad, you know that we're more than ready." Naruto turned, straddling his seat the wrong way round.
"Ready or not, you have to be serious. Don't take any chances, and if you meet anyone you can't beat, there's no shame in retreating to fight another day." Kakashi suddenly put down the book, fixing his single eye on his son. Naruto, slightly taken aback by the sudden shift grinned sheepishly behind his own mask.
"Gee, yea Dad. I get it. Exam or not, combat is combat."
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid." Kakashi's eye burned with intensity.
"Yea, I promise. What's up?" Naruto was wary.
Kakashi held his son's gaze for a moment, before returning to his book.
"Nothing. I just want you to do your best." Kakashi murmured.
Naruto felt something welling up in his chest, and he opened his mouth before he could take it back.
"Stop treating me like a kid, damn it! You think I don't know how important the exams are? You think I won't take this seriously?" His voice was harsh, ragged with anger.
Kakashi started, opening his mouth to reply, but his son cut him off.
"When you were my age, you were fighting in a war, leading squads, Kami damn it you were killing people in their dozens! What, you think that I can't even handle myself in a damn exam?"
Kakashi stood, slightly indignant now.
"You don't understand everything, Naruto. There's shit going on that I can't tell you."
"Why? Because I'm a kid right?" Naruto snapped right back, anger intensifying.
Kakashi's temper frayed now, frustration rising.
"Because you are a Genin, and some things aren't for Genin to know! Do you think you're acting like someone who can be trusted with secrets right now?"
Naruto saw red, absolutely furious.
"Keep your fucking secrets!" He snarled, storming off to his room.
Kakashi stared at where his son was just standing, before slumping down into his chair.
'Minato-sensei, I don't know what to do.'