Person talking, "It could be."
Person thinking, "I don't like this idea."
Demon speaking / Invocation talking, "No doubt you are someone to be reckoned with."
Demon thinking / Invocation thinking, "His heart is dark."
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.
Chapter 16
Hokage Tower
"Stupid Ibiki!" Minato shouted as he hit his desk.
He had been watching the test through the crystal ball along with Hiruzen, who laughed "Calm down, Minato. Don't get mad; Ibiki may have flunked them, but they can try it next time. We know that his threat wasn't real."
Minato looked at him and sighed before replying, "I know, Sandaime-sama, but I wanted that my children passed this test. Especially Naruto, we both know that his level is not that of a Genin; that's why I wanted him to participate in the exams of this year. I wanted to promote him to Jounin after this. But now thanks to Ibiki's stupidity, it won't be possible."
Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe; he released the smoke and asked. "So, is this all because of Naruto-kun? Yes, I do know that his level is not of a Genin, and I know the reason for that, but don't worry so much about it. I think you should go to the academy to tell your kids that they can do it better the next time. "
Minato nodded, sighed and was about to say something else when he saw something that caught his attention.
Back at the Ninja Academy.
Everyone heard Ibiki's statement, and they were stunned. However, the complaints and questions started, while some of them said they made the difficult decision of staying.
Ibiki shouted, "The determination you speak of is the worst of the worst! You trash have no right to become Chunin!" He paused for a moment and sentenced as he began walked to the exit, "That's all."
However, before he could leave, the interrogator heard a voice. "Ibiki-san; before you leave, I would like to discuss something with you, and I want everyone here to listen to this too," Naruto murmured from his seat.
After hearing Naruto's voice, everyone laid eyes on him, but after recalling 'something,' they looked at Ibiki, who stood right in front of Naruto.
Naruto folded his arms and looked up, seeing Ibiki's stern expression, and he returned an equal one, which Ibiki noticed and made him mentally smile.
"What do you want, Naruto?" Ibiki asked looking into Naruto's eyes, who did the same.
"I wish to know the reason why we failed," Naruto answered.
Ibiki sighed and replied, "I already told you, you all are trash who don't deserve to become Chunin. Now if I've answered your questions, I'll leave."
He was about to walk back to the exit, but Naruto's voice stopped him again.
"A Shinobi must think beyond the parameters of the mission."
Ibiki turned around and walked back to Naruto before replying, "Interesting, I can see that you've understood the real reason for this test, but too bad that it wasn't enough."
Naruto smiled and replied, "Of course I did, though I disagree with your point of view."
Ibiki raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?" As he took a chair to sit right in front of Naruto.
The other Genin didn't understand what they were talking about, so they just listened attentively.
Naruto smiled and replied, "It's simple. You think that we should be willing to sacrifice a mission if we are in troubles, just to save our comrades."
Ibiki narrowed his eyes and replied, "And you don't agree with this..."
Naruto smiled and replied, "Of course I don't! For me, completing the mission is the most important thing. I don't care if my comrades eventually die. If they do, that would just prove that they weren't ready for the Shinobi career. Those who can't follow orders are better off dead." That was an absolute truth for Naruto; in Root, his character was formed in that way, but when having an organization as big as his, he adopted that character completely. Moreover, those who didn't comply with his orders in his organization would be dead.
Naruto's girlfriends felt a bit worried. They didn't know that Naruto thought like that, and they hoped that he wasn't talking about them.
Meanwhile, Menma didn't know that his brother could be as cold as to not to care about his comrades. It was completely different from what Kakashi had taught him.
In the Hokage Tower, Minato felt guilty since he was sure that Naruto learned it at Root.
Ibiki stated, "And that's the reason you are not ready to become a Chunin; if you only think..."
Nevertheless, Naruto interrupted him as he stood up, "Tell me, Ibiki-san, what the Shinobi word means to you? Following the orders of a superior, but breaking them just because things get complicated? Or my favorite one, maybe being a hero and helping the needy?"
Ibiki turned his head to look at the Namikaze, who was now leaning against the wall. He got up and stood in front of him, "Maybe a little of both…"
Naruto smiled; he moved away before turning around and stating with the utmost seriousness, "Then I recommend you to stop being a ninja. Someone as pathetic as you makes me sick."
Ibiki widened his eyes slightly; this reminded him of a few words that he had said to someone in the past. The interrogator turned around and stood in front of Naruto again, " You have a lot of guts, brat. But everything you just said only proves me that you are not ready to become a Chunin."
Naruto didn't look away and replied, "Why? Because I only think about myself or because I want to complete the missions even if my decision affects my comrades? Ibiki-san, I assumed that you were a real Shinobi, but you're just another one of those idiots who believe that being a Shinobi is just a game. We're just soldiers, tools to be used by someone superior to us. If a mission is assigned to us, we must perform it even if the outcome could be fatal. We're not here to try to be heroes and help others. We're Shinobi, and our only duty is to kill without hesitation."
Many got angry at his words; they didn't see their work like that. But of course, that didn't apply to Naruto, since he didn't have any loyalty to the village; he was only loyal to himself.
Ibiki realized where Naruto was heading with this speech, so he looked at everyone, seeing their expressions of disgust and disapproval, "Hey! Do you agree with this little piece of trash?!"
Many got up and replied no. "Dobe! Shut up already! You may hate your life, but we don't," Kiba shouted.
Many nodded, but others didn't. Ibiki, meanwhile, looked at the examiners, who smiled and nodded.
Therefore, the Jounin looked at the candidates and stated as he laughed. "Hahaha, give thanks to this little piece of trash! All of you are approved!"
That statement surprised them, and Temari shouted as she got up from her seat, "What?! So, are you changing your decision just like that?"
Ibiki smiled as he took his headband on off his head, revealing that it was full of scars. Most people watched this with horror, "Yes, of course. A mission leader must be willing to change their decisions if that will help them to meet the objective."
He paused to put on a straight face. "Well, now listen carefully; you must always remember that not all information obtained from third parties will be correct. That can cause many things such as the death of your whole team or the destruction of your village. That was the other purpose of the test, of copying without being detected, because you must do this to get real information in the future." Ibiki finished.
He looked at Naruto, who had closed his eyes but opened them to look at the window. "She finally came."
They didn't know what he meant, and they didn't have to ask since a big ball broke the window into a thousand pieces. Ibiki just sighed as he stepped back.
The ball revealed a woman, who put the ball's cloth behind her, "Okay boys and girls, follow me! I'm Anko Mitarashi, the examiner of the second part of the Chunin Selection Exam." She shouted.
Many sweatdropped as Ibiki spoke behind the cloth, "You rushed it, Anko… again."
Anko didn't answer; instead, she looked at the Genin and stated, "Wow, they are a lot, Ibiki. Why did you allow them all to pass? Your exam was very easy; it seems you are going soft."
Ibiki chuckled and replied, "Haha, actually I had flunked them all."
That statement surprised Anko, and she was about to ask why they were still here, but she couldn't because Anko heard a voice behind her, "You hurt me, Anko-chan. You didn't notice my presence yet."
She instantly turned around and saw Naruto with his hands on his chest as he bent his head slightly, feigning sadness.
Anko seized the moment, she grabbed Naruto's head and put it between her breasts, shaking it quickly.
Almost everyone blushed while some of them glared at Anko, who shouted, "Oh, I knew you'd pass Ibiki's silly test!"
Naruto then used a bit of force to pull his head away from Anko's huge breasts; he smiled and nodded but said nothing.
It was Ibiki who spoke instead, "Yes, this brat made me change my mind; you have a good Genin right over here, Anko." Ibiki said looking directly at the Mitarashi, who grinned, and she was about to put Naruto back between her breasts when she realized that he was gone.
She looked at the present Gennin and saw that Naruto was already in his place. She just pouted, which made him smile. "Okay, brats. Follow me; now we'll start the second part of the Chunin exam." All the Genin nodded and followed Anko out of the room.
Naruto was about to leave, but he saw Ino, Tenten and Haku at the door; they had expressions of sadness. However, before they could say anything, Naruto decided to calm them down. "Girls, everything I said in there was true."
They bowed their heads, but Naruto continued, "Yes, that's what I think. However, I would never do that to you because you're very important to me."
They looked up, and Ino asked. "Is that true, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto nodded and took her by her chin, making her blush. "Of course, Ino-chan, I thought I made this clear a while ago. I'll never change you for anything or anyone. "
Ino let out a dreamy sigh, and before the others could add something, everyone heard someone clearing his throat "* Ahem* Hey, Casanova, I think you should follow Anko. You know she will be angry if you take too long," Ibiki stated behind Naruto.
The Uzumaki nodded without turning around; he looked at his girls and left, catching up with Anko while Ibiki returned inside to pick up the tests of those who had passed it.
In the Hokage Tower, Minato smiled knowing that his children had passed. However, it saddened him knowing how it had been possible. The blond released a sigh of sadness, which Hiruzen noticed, "Come on, Minato. Don't worry; you just have to make Naruto-kun change his mind. Make the Will of Fire inside him relight."
Minato this looked at his predecessor before nodding, "You're right." Then they continued watching the ball, seeing that everyone had reached the field 44.
"This is where the Second Exam will take place. The 44th training area, also known as the Forest of Death," Anko informed in front of all the Genin, who were surprised at its name.
Menma, for his part, felt a chill running throughout his body when remembering the day in which Naruto had left him there for bothering him; it had been one of his worst experiences.
He discreetly looked at his brother, who was smiling with some malice, "I hope you're joking, Nii-san." Menma thought, not wishing that Naruto made a joke like that again.
Then Menma heard Sakura speaking, "This is a scary place."
Menma quickly nodded, and Anko chuckled, "You'll be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death."
Anko then put her hand into her jacket and pulled out several papers. She stood firmly and handed out the papers, "These are consent forms. Those taking this exam must sign these. "
"Why?" Asked a Genin.
Anko looked at that Genin and answered, "Because from here on, people will die. Therefore, we need people's consent before we continue. Otherwise, I'd be held responsible. Hahaha." All the Genin became serious.
Then she explained what the second part of the exam would consist of. Once everyone asked their questions, she ended her explanation by saying, "We will exchange three consent forms for one scroll at that hut..." She pointed to a hut, which was to her right.
When everyone looked at it, she continued, "And after picking your gate entrance, everyone will begin at the same time."
She then sighed before stating. "Here's the last piece of advice. Don't die! Although that we can't avoid that…" She finished, smiling and looking at Naruto, who smiled back and nodded.
He and his teammates went to the hut to deliver their consent papers.
After a few minutes, everyone had received the scrolls. Therefore, Anko ordered everyone to follow the people in charge because they would assign them to a gate.
Half an hour later each team was at their respective gate, all anxiously awaiting the moment when the gates would open while each person had their own thoughts.
Meanwhile, those in charge began to remove the chains and padlocks of the gates. The examiners waited a few seconds until Anko said that the second part of the exam had started. Therefore, the teams quickly entered, everyone heading in different directions.
Naruto and his team ran until reaching a clearing; they landed there, and Haku asked, "What do we do now, Naruto-kun?"
She looked at Naruto, who sat down while crossing his legs. "Nothing. We'll wait here; the scrolls are coming."
Sai and Haku didn't understand what Naruto meant, so they waited with Naruto.
Sai sat away from them as he checked his Ninja equipment; Haku sat very close to the former ANBU and asked. "Naruto-kun, I know you've said that you would never abandon us, but… Why do you think like that?"
Naruto looked at Haku; he moved closer and stroked her hands as he answered. "Haku-chan, I've told you already. I've experienced many difficult things in my life, things that changed me. I was in a secret organization of the village long ago. There they formed that character in me, although I don't follow all the ideologies of the founder of that place, I share some points with him, which you've already heard. But don't worry; I'll never implement that on you because you girls have gained my trust and a place in my life." Naruto stated, now caressing the cheeks of a blushed Haku, who had closed her eyes as she moved her head closer to kiss him.
Naruto slowly approached his, and when they were about to make contact, the bushes made noises. Sai and Haku quickly stood in defensive stances. However, Naruto just stood up and said, "They've finally come."
At that moment, three clones of Naruto appeared, and one of them spoke as he pulled something out from his bag ninja. "These Genin are dumb; I can't believe they want to become Chunin and couldn't detect the clones that you had put on them, boss."
Naruto nodded before asking, "Scrolls?"
The three clones instantly showed them. Two of them had scrolls of Heaven while the other one had a scroll of Earth.
Sai and Haku were surprised that Naruto had anticipated that, but they didn't say anything.
Naruto approached his clones and took the scrolls as he asked, "Haku-chan, we have the scroll of Earth, don't we?" Haku quickly nodded.
Naruto looked at his clones again. "Good job, I'm sure you took care of everything."
The clones quickly nodded, and Naruto dissipated them.
He slowly turned around as he released a soft but very dark laugh. Sai felt nervous for some reason, and the Jinchūriki revealed the reason when he ran to him, giving him a powerful punch in the stomach that made Sai spit some blood.
Haku became worried, but she didn't intervene because she thought that Naruto was doing this for a reason.
Naruto took Sai by his neck and put him against a tree. He put his forearm on Sai's neck as he stared at him.
Meanwhile, Sai was still shocked; he didn't know why Naruto had attacked him, and his speed had stunned him. There was no doubt that he lived up to the stories said in Root.
Sai opened one of his eyes, trying to hide the pain. "Naruto-senpai, what is going on?" He calmly asked, but he couldn't deny that he was beginning to feel fear due to Naruto's intense look.
The Uzumaki squeezed is forearm, making him choke.
"Sai, I've waited for this moment since the day I woke up. I'm sure you told Danzō about my relationship with Tsunami-chan; that was the worst mistake you could have ever made."
Haku didn't know this Danzō person, but she knew that he wasn't someone good because Naruto almost spat after saying his name. She looked with suspicion at Sai, who gave a fake smile and replied. "You and I know very well how Danzō-sama is, Naruto-senpai. Besides, I saw nothing wrong with telling Danzō-sama about your relationship with Tsunami-san."
Naruto growled and responded. "Don't try to fool me, Sai. I know very well that you did that because you wanted to; you can't deceive me. But you are lucky that I can't kill you." He released his grip, stepping back a little bit.
Sai fell to the ground, rubbing his sore neck. He stood rose up, and when he was about to say something, Naruto turned around again, looking at him straight into his eyes.
"But I can't let you leave this place knowing what I just did. I think I'll have to try out a new toy on you."
Naruto held out his hand, and a sphere—that began to glow—instantly appeared.
Sai knew it was something dangerous; hence, he decided to cancel his mission and return to the Root base. Nonetheless, before he could run away, two of Naruto's clones appeared behind him, holding him firmly.
The artist tried to move, but he began to feel increasingly weaker without apparent reason, making him fall to his knees.
Naruto approached him and gave him a strong blow to his face. Sai said nothing, but this situation really began to scare him, "Tired, Sai?" Naruto asked, taking Sai by his chin, looking at his blank expression.
Naruto smiled and released Sai's chin. "You know, Sai? Nothing would please me more than making your face show fear and horror at its best, but we don't have much time so I'll do this quickly."
Naruto put the Apple in front of him; he closed his eyes and thought about an order.
The Uzumaki then opened his eyes, and after doing so, a beam of light came out of the sphere, wrapping Sai completely and making him shine intensively throughout his body while the clones released him.
Naruto instantly felt tired, which made him fall to his knees. Behind him, Haku's eyes widened in shock because his boyfriends' hair had turned completely white.
She approached him, bent down and noticed that Naruto had several wrinkles on his face. That made her panic, so she asked if he was okay, but Naruto just ignored her.
Within Naruto's body, Kurama was quickly giving him Chakra to make him feel better. "Stupid! Don't ever use that thing again! You almost died! You still don't have enough Chakra to use that artifact; wait to regain some of my power before using it again! Besides, don't use that thing if you're not sure how to do it!"
Naruto looked at Kurama as he gave a weak smile, seeing that he was returning to normal.
He sighed and answered. "I know, Kurama. The old man had warned me that this would happen, but I thought that you would help me. But if you say that I shouldn't use it until we have more power, then I won't. I just couldn't let Sai leaving the forest to tell Danzō everything like the rat he is," Naruto defended himself. Then he looked at his hands and noticed that they had returned to normal.
Naruto thanked Kurama and left his mental landscape. Outside, Haku was still asking Naruto if he was okay, but she could only become more concerned since he wasn't answering. However, when seeing that his hair and skin returned to normal, she sighed in relief.
The Uzumaki then looked at the brunette and drew her into a kiss, which she instantly returned. Naruto ended the kiss and stated, "Don't worry, Haku-chan; everything is okay. You won't see me in that state again; I won't do it again."
Haku just nodded, she helped Naruto to stand up, seeing that Sai had approached them, kneeling before Naruto.
"Kyōfu-sama," Sai spoke in a submissive tone.
Naruto smiled since his plan had worked; he ordered Sai to stand up before commanding, "Tell me everything you know about Danzō."
Sai instantly told him everything, about his plans for the village and his dealings with Orochimaru. He said nothing about putting him under a Genjutsu because Sai didn't know it.
Naruto growled, "That bastard did deals with Orochimaru. Now not even Kami-sama will save him."
Then he smiled, "It seems that I could change Danzō's seal, hehe. But remember not to call me that in front of anyone."
Sai quickly nodded and replied, "Hai, Naruto-sama."
Haku had been watching with great interest; therefore, she decided to ask, "What did you do, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto looked at her and replied, "I only took control over his mind. He won't be a problem anymore."
He approached Sai, who looked tired. The Jinchuriki put a hand on Sai before saying, "Kai."
Sai instantly felt his energies back; he looked at Naruto, who spoke before he could, "Those clones had Chakra suppressing seals. And when they touched you, those seals entered your system. But don't worry, I just deactivated them."
Sai just nodded, and Naruto sat next to Haku, who asked, "What do we do now, Naruto-kun? We already have the scrolls we needed; will we go to the Tower?"
Naruto shook his head, "Naah. We still have five days. Besides, the exam only started an hour ago or so. We're going to stay here to see if we find anything interesting. I know this place like the palm of my hand, so don't worry; we'll be fine."
The truth was that he was still a bit tired due to the side effects of the Apple, but it was almost nothing. He was sure that he would recover completely in a few hours.
Therefore, he could deliver the other scrolls to Ino, not because he thought she couldn't get them on her own.
Nevertheless, with those two idiots on her team, he was sure they would only make things hard for her.
Naruto then looked forward and stated, "Okay, we'll hunt a few Genin." Haku and Sai nodded quickly.
Naruto jumped to the branch of a tree and started running along with Haku and Sai. However, Naruto had to stop abruptly because several Kunai and Shuriken passed in front of him.
Team 13 landed on the ground again while Sai and Haku took defensive stances. However, Naruto just stood there with crossed arms, patiently waiting for the arrival of 'the trash that decided to attack the wrong team'.
Three Iwa ninja landed there, one black-haired Kunoichi and two robust Shinobi. Naruto said nothing and just waited for them to say what they wanted.
"Naruto Namikaze, we come by order of Tsuchikage-sama to offer you to join the ranks of Iwa, plus a large sum of money for your services. Tsuchikage-sama has heard about your lineage, and he's sure that you wouldn't want to stay in Konoha due to obvious reasons," one of the Iwa Shinobi stated.
Naruto chuckled and replied, "Well, that old man is right; I won't stay in this place too long."
Iwa's Shinobi smiled, and the other one added. "So it's decided, you'll come with us."
They turned around, hearing Naruto speaking, "But, who told you that I would go to that filthy village?"
The Shinobi of Iwa growled; they pulled their Ninjato out, "You're a Namikaze trash after all… Kurotsuchi, change of plans. We'll have to kill this bastard."
The girl nodded and stood in a fighting stance. Naruto did it as well, but just when he was about to attack, he saw something interesting.
That girl had stabbed one of her companions, who turned his head, "Why?" It was all he could say because he fell lifeless to the ground.
His partner quickly jumped away as he shouted, "What the hell are you doing, Kurotsuchi?! When Tsuchikage-sama finds out about this, he won't go easy on you, even if you are his granddaughter!"
Kurotsuchi paid no attention; she just did some hand seals before shouting, "Yōton: Sekkaigyō no Jutsu (Lava Style: Quicklime Jutsu)!"
She spat a big ball of lime, which completely covered the poor bastard, who could do little to dodge it.
Most of the lime had covered his body, and before he could yell something, she stabbed him in his heart. The Genin died instantly before bursting into a thousand pieces.
Naruto was frankly surprised; he didn't know what the hell was going on until he could feel something in his wrists, just as the mysterious girl approached him to kneel down.
"Kyōfu-sama, it's an honor to meet you. I'm glad to see you recovered."
Naruto instantly understood it, but he decided to ask to be sure, "Who are you and how do you know that name?"
Kurotsuchi raised her head, revealing slightly blushed cheeks, which Naruto found strange. "I-I, I am Kurotsuchi, Kyōfu-sama. I'm one of your contacts in Iwa. Even if you don't know who I am, your ideals and goals have come to Iwa by the hand of your allies, and many decided to follow you. "
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Are you not betraying your country? Moreover, I could hear from that bastard that you're the granddaughter of that old man. Why would you join me?"
Kurotsuchi got up—still blushing—and answered. "Because my Grandpa is an idiot. All he's going to accomplish is the destruction of our village. I'm sure that you already know about the invasion plans for the next month. And that's a big mistake; Iwa doesn't have to meddle in something like this, but my fool Grandpa doesn't want to understand that since he hates your father because he defeated his army in the Third Great Ninja War. That's a stupid decision, the Yondaime will have a greater advantage in his village, and he'll destroy the invaders easily. That's why I joined you since I want you to overthrow my grandfather."
Naruto thought about this before laughing while approaching Kurotsuchi. "You're right. But tell me, why do you think I would overthrow the Tsuchikage?"
Kurotsuchi blushed at the proximity but regained her composure and answered, "I don't know, I just thought…" She couldn't finish, because Naruto put a hand on her head.
She blushed at the contact but said nothing. "It's okay, don't worry, this was something that I was going to inform everyone in the organization later. I had planned to destroy Iwa, but now that you're saying that I have many allies there, I'll have to make a slight change of plans. Can I assume that there are Shinobis of Iwa among the allies in our ranks?"
Kurotsuchi nodded and showed her wrists. She channeled Chakra and instantly a seal in the shape of the tattoo was visible. It had a sword pointing downward with a dragon looking up, coiled to the sword.
"Hai, Kyōfu-sama, many Shinobi in our ranks has the seal. When you need us, we'll help you to take the Tsuchikage down."
She tried to bow again, but Naruto stopped her. "Don't bow before me; what you've told me was important. Besides, you're very pretty; a woman as pretty as you doesn't have to bow."
Kurotsuchi blushed again; she didn't know Naruto in person, but she had heard about him from people who had more experience in the organization, and frankly, those stories had always surprised her.
And now that she saw him in person, it was almost a dream coming true. "T-thank you, Kyōfu-sama," she replied.
Naruto smiled and added, "Don't call me that, Kurotsuchi-chan, call me Naruto."
Kurotsuchi blushed due to the affectionate nickname, so she quickly nodded and replied. "Hai… Naruto-kun."
Further back, Haku sighed; she barely knew this girl and could tell that she had feelings for Naruto. Something similar had happened to her; therefore, she couldn't complain.
Naruto pulled his hand away from Kurotsuchi's head before asking. "Kurotsuchi-chan, how long can you stay in the village?"
"A month," Kurotsuchi quickly answered.
"And where will you stay?"
Kurotsuchi thought about it for a moment before sighing, "I may have to return to my Sensei. Even if he's just a Chunin, he'll make me return to Iwa when he finds out that I failed my 'mission.'"
Naruto shook his head and replied, "No, you'll stay here; I still have many questions. Kill your sensei and then go to this address,"
He wrote the indications on paper before handing it over to Kurotsuchi, who nodded. "Hai, Naruto-kun, but what is this place?" She asked with interest.
Naruto smiled and replied, "My apartment…" Kurotsuchi turned completely red but said nothing since Naruto continued, "Once you've killed your sensei, you can go there; I'm sure that you won't have troubles. You had said that he's just a Chunin and due to the way that you've killed your teammates, I'm sure that you won't have problems. There are supplies for several days, stay there and don't leave that place. I'll return in five days after finishing the second phase of the exam. "
Kurotsuchi nodded; though she wanted to stay with him even more, she couldn't because he had to continue his exam. After saying goodbye to Naruto, she went running towards the village, to perform the mission that her 'boss' had ordered.
When Naruto felt Kurotsuchi's Chakra far away, he turned around and said, "It's time to continue."
He stood completely still, placed his index and middle fingers in front of his nose and began to concentrate.
Naruto instantly felt the people in the area, but two Chakras caught his eye. However, he decided to investigate first the higher one. "Follow me," Naruto ordered and started running towards the direction where the dominant Chakra was.
It was perhaps a Jounin, and Naruto thought that it was strange that someone of that level would be in this exam, well, someone besides him.
They kept running until Naruto felt a repulsive killing intent; it was disgusting, it was sickening. It wasn't a very powerful feeling, but the feeling that was simply disgusting, and Naruto didn't know the reason.
He looked back and saw that Sai and Haku were disturbed. "Calm down, don't despair. Don't think too much about it; think of something else. I don't know, something like Sai smiling genuinely."
Afterward, Naruto saw that both of them smiled slightly, so they just continued jumping, now calmer.
They reached a clearing, right in time to see someone throwing a kunai at Sasuke and Sakura; Naruto noticed that both were paralyzed due to the killing intent.
"Tch," Naruto growled in annoyance; he didn't want Sasuke to die yet; he wanted to fight him once he had the full power of his eyes, but an 'idiot' wanted to ruin his plans.
Just when he was about to intervene, he saw that Sasuke stabbed a kunai in his leg, and then picked Sakura up, to run away.
Naruto nodded pleased, and before the strange person could pursue the Uchiha survivor, Naruto ran his hands over his wrists, activating some seals that were there. The Kiba instantly appeared, and these began to glow.
"Rakurai doroppu (Thunderbolts drop)" Naruto shouted, running to intercept the person when he dodged his attack.
Orochimaru was smiling in the distance; he would like to hunt the little boy. However, he heard something and turned to it, seeing that an attack was heading towards him.
Orochimaru jumped up to dodge the attack, but after doing it, he heard a shout. "Swallow this, you piece of shit!" He looked there, seeing someone who made him mentally smile.
Naruto clenched his right fist while it glowed brightly, "Raiton: Raiken (Lightning Release: Lightning Fist)!"
He punched Orochimaru's face, making him fly several meters back, destroying trees and everything that was in his way due to the power behind the punch.
Naruto landed on the ground, and just then, Sai and Haku appeared beside him, the girl asked. "Don't you think you hit him too hard, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto shook his head and replied, "That guy isn't ordinary, and that punch won't kill him. You guys stay away from this; I don't want you to interfere."
Sai nodded quickly; he wouldn't object to the orders of his 'master', but Haku didn't like this, so she decided to protest. "But Naruto-kun! If you think that he's powerful, we should help."
Naruto shook his head again. "No, this is something I want to do, fighting against powerful enemies is my goal, and if I die… it would just mean that this was as far I could reach. Haku-chan, don't intervene," he said with extreme seriousness, which made Haku back down.
In the distance, Orochimaru was getting up slowly from the ground. That punch hurt him, and he couldn't be more pleased. "Kukukuku, it seems that the main course has arrived," Orochimaru thought before walking towards Naruto.
He didn't see the point of pursuing Sasuke anymore; he wasn't ready to receive his seal. He was sure that Naruto was; he didn't have any doubts after that punch.
Orochimaru arrived at that place—still within the guise of the Kunoichi of the rain, "Kukukuku, what do we have here? Ah, a young candidate to die," Orochimaru asked as he released his killing intent.
Sai and Haku felt terrified, and Naruto growled in annoyance. "Hey, you stupid fuck! Could you stop releasing that disgusting killing intent?! It feels as if an aged man wants to take me to a room and do dirty things to me," Naruto expressed about to vomit because of nausea instead of fear.
Orochimaru grinned as he ran his large tongue over his lips. He was about to say something, but Naruto shouted, "I don't know who the hell you are, but you can take that stupid mask off."
That was bothering him, and if he was going to fight someone, he needed to see his face. Besides, he could tell that he was a man; even though his Chakra was extremely confusing, the Uzumaki knew that it was a male person, and the person in front of him was in the body of a woman, so he was aware that it was a disguise.
Orochimaru smiled again, and he said as he placed one of his hands on his face, "Kukukuku you are certainly very promising… Naruto-kun," Orochimaru stated, tearing off the false face.
Naruto's eyes widened when seeing that face, stuttering as he pointed at him. "Y-You, You are…"
Orochimaru smiled as he ran his tongue over his lips. "Yes, I am..."
"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu)!" Naruto shouted, spitting an immense dragon, which gave a mighty roar and flew at full speed, burning the ground and increasing the environment temperature considerably.
Orochimaru didn't think that Naruto would attack him so fast, even so he did an earth wall to contain the attack. But it destroyed it quickly, so Orochimaru jumped aside not to be carbonized.
However, Naruto kicked him in his neck and sent him flying again, but Orochimaru quickly regained control of his body, giving a flip in the air before landing safely.
"Kukuku. Naruto-kun, calm down, let's talk a little," Orochimaru said as he wiped the dust from his clothes.
"You son of a bitch!" Naruto yelled, rushing to the attack at a speed that made Orochimaru open his eyes slightly. A moment later, he sensed Naruto to his right, seeing one of the Kiba intensely glowing.
Orochimaru pulled his Kusanagi out from his throat to block Naruto's attack. The Uzumaki, however, pushed harder in an attempt of splitting the Kusanagi in half, but it had been useless.
Therefore, he jumped back as he yelled maniacally, "Orochimaru! You fucking son of a bitch! You'll die today! I swear that I'll tear your head off and then put it on a pike so that everyone can see your repulsive face once you're dead!"
"Well, show me what you can do, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru replied running, his tongue over his lips.
Naruto growled and shouted, "Hyōton: Haryuu Muuko (Ice Release: Tearing Dragon Fierce Tiger)
Haku was surprised after hearing the name of the technique. She had been teaching her Hyōton element to Naruto these past nine days, and although she thought that he would master it someday, she never thought he would do it in such a short time, let alone creating his own technique.
Therefore, she just stood by and watched the outcome.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru opened his eyes enormously as he ran his tongue over his lips again; there was no doubt that Naruto would be a perfect body.
Naruto then summoned a great 'Dragon' with a lion's head, which rushed at him at full speed, catching him with its massive jaws and raising him skyward.
Orochimaru tried to escape, but the grip was powerful. He noticed that the great dragon stopped rising before plummeting while spinning on its axis at an incredible speed. It crashed into the ground, perforating it several meters, burying Orochimaru down.
When the Sannin believed that the technique had ended, the 'dragon' bit him even tighter before exploding into thousands of pieces, which turned into stakes that impaled Orochimaru.
After several seconds, Naruto growled because Orochimaru was taking his sweet time in that pit. He knew that it would take much more than that to get rid of Orochimaru.
However, Naruto suddenly felt a Chakra source under him, which made him jump. In that instant, Orochimaru pulled out his hands from under the ground in an attempt to catch him.
Naruto smiled, but then he saw something that left him disgusted; Orochimaru pulled out his head, and he lengthened it considerably.
Orochimaru reached Naruto, and his neck coiled around Naruto's leg until having him completely trapped.
Once the pale man had Naruto in his clutches, he crashed him into the ground without releasing him.
Naruto growled with pain as he glared at Orochimaru, who had put his face in front of him as he smiled.
That angered the Jinchūriki, who moved his arms in an attempt of breaking free.
The strength that Naruto was using surprised the Sannin, and he knew that his grip wouldn't last much longer; therefore, he said a few words, "Kukukuku. You're definitely amazing, Naruto-kun. I can't wait for you to come to me." And without further ado, Orochimaru bit Naruto's neck.
When Naruto felt the bite, he growled painfully. Orochimaru smirked and released his grip. Naruto fell and put one of his hands over his neck.
Haku and Sai quickly stood beside him; Haku glared at Orochimaru and demanded, "What did you do?!"
Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, "I have given him a parting gift. Naruto-kun will seek me out. He will seek my power. It has been fun to fight him; he's certainly promising."
Orochimaru then proceeded to leave, but he suddenly felt an increase of energy. He looked at Naruto and saw that he surrounded himself with a red cloak. "We're not done, you son of a bitch. I promised to someone very special that I would kill you when I saw you. And it's something that I plan to fulfill."
Naruto then got on all fours while the chakra around him increased. Haku saw that Naruto's hair turned completely red while his eyes changed to the same color.
In the forest, everyone could feel the demonic Chakra, so the Genin decided that the safest thing to do was to get away from it.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Tower, Minato was quietly talking to Sarutobi until both of them felt the burst of energy, "This Chakra is…" Sarutobi said.
Minato stood up and looked out his window, "Yes, this is the Kyūbi's Chakra. It feels almost like that day. Is it Menma? Or Naruto?"
Minato snapped his fingers, and instantly some ANBU appeared kneeling before him.
"I need four ANBU squads in the Forest of Death immediately; I want them to inform me of the situation."
The ANBU nodded and disappeared in puffs of smoke.
"Minato, do you think that...?" Sarutobi asked, hoping that his concerns were unfounded.
Minato sighed and answered, "I don't know, Sandaime-sama. We just have to hope that nothing bad is happening, but this Chakra certainly says otherwise."
Returning to the Forest, Haku couldn't help trembling when feeling this killing intent. It was much worse than the last one. Besides, it was immensely more powerful.
The Yuki knew that she had to get away; therefore, she jumped onto one of the trees to see the outcome of the battle.
Naruto OST - Need to Be Strong
"GRAAWH!" Naruto growled as his skin peeled off from his body and a dome of black chakra formed around him. A big crater appeared under Naruto while the dome dissipated slowly, revealing a Naruto completely covered with red Chakra as four tails waved behind him.
Orochimaru thought, "Hmmm, this is getting dangerous, but I can keep playing with Naruto-kun a little longer."
That was what he thought, but he didn't know why his Seal wasn't working with Naruto yet. He thought it was because that Chakra surrounded Naruto, so once that Chakra dissipated, Naruto would be at his mercy thanks to the special seal that he had created for him: 'The Cursed Seal of Hell.'
Naruto growled in his Mini Kyūbi shaped form, waving his tails faster. "Orochimaru… I will kill you!" Naruto's distorted voice furiously shouted.
He stood up a little bit, and a huge claw of Chakra came out of his stomach, which went directly towards Orochimaru.
The Sannin dodged it, which frustrated Naruto. Hence, he headed at Orochimaru at an insane speed, breaking the ground apart for every step he took; all this without stopping sending his claw of Chakra at Orochimaru, who before could do anything, felt an extraordinary blow in his face.
Nevertheless, before Orochimaru could get away, he felt that something caught him. The Snake Master looked to his waist, seeing that it was the Chakra claw, and from it, another one had grown, which held him firmly before both claws stretched him until splitting him in two.
Haku and Sai were surprised; they saw Naruto killing an S-rank criminal quite easily. However, the Uzumaki narrowed his eyes as he threw the two parts aside.
Naruto gave a slight jump back as he thought exhausted, "Damn, our connection is about to end, Kurama. I can also feel that the shit that he put me is starting to get into my system. Once I take care of him, I'll take care of that too. We must do it; I have to kill that bastard once and for all."
He placed his tails in front of his mouth and several small spheres of black and white color appeared.
Kurama growled and replied, "Carbonize his sorry ass. He won't survive this, though try not to make your Bijūdama too powerful, or else we'll call a lot of attention."
Naruto growled and responded, "I don't care; I'll kill Orochimaru once and for all. That bastard doesn't deserve to continue breathing even one more day."
The Chakra ball then increased its size considerably, driving away all the living beings of the forest. Sai realized the danger they were in, so he quickly created a Hawk ink, "Haku-san, quick! Get on! We have to get out of here before we receive the attack too!" Sai shouted as he extended his hand to Haku.
The brunette nodded and grabbed his hand, and the Hawk took flight.
Then, behind Naruto, the Genin of Team 7 appeared. A snake had swallowed Menma, but he had easily escaped just to find moments later Sasuke and Sakura in a deplorable state. When he had asked them what had happened, they were unable to answer. A few minutes after that, they had felt a sinister and evil Chakra.
Menma had offered them to see what was happening, but Sasuke had refused until the Namikaze made him come around. And now they were on top of a tree, watching the Kyūbi's miniature form. "W-What is that?" Sakura asked as she trembled due to the killing intent.
Menma felt his stomach twisting, so he held it as he fell to his knees. He raised his head slightly and whispered, "Nii-san."
Sasuke and Sakura opened their eyes in shock while they asked themselves if the Kyūbi had been released. After that, they looked at the big ball in front of Naruto's mouth.
Said ball then shrank considerably, making the ground tremble for a moment while a big crater appeared under Naruto, who then swallowed the now tiny ball of Chakra.
From the mouth of Orochimaru, a whole Sannin crawled out, but he was now completely covered with saliva. He smiled, but it changed when he saw Naruto increasing in size as well in Chakra.
"Well, this is indeed getting dangerous. When I have your body, all that power will be mine, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru thought with a smile as he did hands seals.
Naruto slowly opened his mouth while some steam escaped from it. "Bijūdama!" Naruto mentally shouted, throwing the powerful attack, which destroyed everything in its path and created a powerful wind gust that crushed all things within its range.
In the air, Sai had trouble controlling his Hawk due to the powerful wind gust. The Genin of Team 7 took cover not to fly away due to the blast.
"Kuchiyose: Sanjū Rashōmon!" Orochimaru shouted as he put his hands on the ground, and three enormous gates instantly appeared in front of him, which were visible throughout the village. However, the gates disappeared when the Bijūdama did contact, astonishing Orochimaru.
In the tower Hokage, both Hokage felt the massive explosion that shook the foundations of the building. Minato quickly grabbed his Hokage cloak and spoke. "Something dangerous is happening; I have to see what's going on."
Sarutobi nodded as he took his clothes off, revealing his battle armor. "Just like old times. I'll help you too. This time, I'll make up for all those years when I didn't have the chance to help."
Minato smiled and nodded, "Well, hold on to me, Sandaime-sama. We'll arrive there in a second."
Sarutobi nodded and put a hand on Minato's shoulder, and then both disappeared in a yellow flash.
Returning to Naruto, he was starting to lose his transformation. "GRAAAWH! DAMMIT! THIS SHIT HUUURTS!" Naruto shouted as his Chakra armor retreated slowly.
Then, the members of Team 13 and 7 landed next to Naruto, who had completely red skin, but it was healing quickly.
"Naruto-kun!"
"Nii-san!"
"Naruto-sama!"
Three people shouted while each one held Naruto, who growled due to the pain and because Orochimaru's curse mark was starting to do its job.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Naruto stated as he stood up with some difficulty.
"Nii-san! What the hell was that?!" Menma scandalously asked.
Naruto looked at him, but he heard something that made him growl with hatred. He pushed them all back as a bit of Kyūbi's Chakra wrapped him again.
Naruto OST - Orochimaru's Theme
"Kukukuku! Naruto-kun! You're certainly amazing; I can't wait for you to come to me!" Everyone heard someone's voice coming from the dust cloud.
The dust slowly settled down, revealing Orochimaru lying on the ground. He opened his mouth, and another Orochimaru came out, but this time he looked exhausted. "I've spent a lot of Chakra in this fight. I think I will give Naruto-kun one last test. Then I'll leave; I'm sure we've called enough attention," he thought as he did hand seals.
Naruto saw it, so with the chakra he had left, he pushed back everyone who was behind him as far as he could. He didn't do it because he cared about them. Well, he cared about Haku, but this was his battle, and he didn't want that anyone interfered.
Everyone then saw that several claws came out from his back to grab them and drag them away.
"Naruto-kun! Let me help you!" Haku shouted as she tried to wriggle out of the claw, but it was completely useless. Naruto gave her half-smile before looking straight ahead, which worried Haku even more.
"Kukuku! Is that compassion, Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru asked after finishing his hand seals.
Naruto growled loudly, doing his best to keep the Chakra cloak up. "Shut up; this is my battle! They'll just get in the way!"
Orochimaru smiled even more due to his response; therefore, he threw a powerful fire attack at Naruto, who prepared himself to dodge it. However, his body suddenly felt numb, and he couldn't do anything; his Chakra cloak disappeared, causing him to fall to his knees.
Naruto then saw the technique in front of him; he didn't have any bit of Chakra left. Besides, he didn't recover from his coma completely yet, and the Apple had left him tired; all those factors made this fight quite difficult for him.
However, everything had stopped just like a few days ago. Naruto extended his right hand while his Rinnegan activated by itself. "Gakidō (Preta Path)" Naruto whispered, and instantly everything returned to normal while the Uzumaki absorbed Orochimaru's technique. After finishing absorbing the attack, Naruto fell unconscious.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru could clearly see what Naruto had done and the change in his eyes. "Naruto-kun! KUKUKUKU. It was a good choice to give you that gift. Once you're ready to come to me, I will give you the power you need to destroy Konoha and all those who have harmed you! Come to me, and I promise that you'll be the most powerful Shinobi," Orochimaru shouted as he disappeared underground.
"Then I'll take your body, and the Rinnegan will be mine! And I'll finally be able to master every Jutsu! Kukuku!" Orochimaru then disappeared; he was exhausted. He never thought that Naruto would be so powerful, but that wasn't important because he believed that his special seal would do the work.
After seeing Orochimaru leaving, everyone approached Naruto; Haku was concerned, and she quickly ran towards him to take his pulse. "He's just unconscious," she indicated.
"Haku-san, who was that guy?" Menma asked quite interested.
"Naruto called him Orochimaru," Haku answered.
All the Genin of Team 7 opened their eyes in shock. "N-Naruto was fighting one of the Legendary Sannin?" Sakura asked incredulously
Haku didn't answer; instead, she looked at the direction where he threw the Bijūdama, just like everyone else. "Damn, that attack would have killed any normal person," Menma stated quite surprised.
Haku picked Naruto's body up with Sai's help, so the Namikaze quickly asked, "Where are you taking him?"
"We must get out of here. Remember that we're still in the exams, and Naruto-kun certainly drew a lot of attention. If you don't want to be disqualified, you should leave this place. We'll take care of Naruto-kun until he wakes up; it won't take more than a few hours, you all know why."
Menma didn't like that, but he couldn't argue because Haku was right.
"Okay, take care of my Nii-san. Once I finish this test, I want to ask him some things," Menma stated.
Haku shook her head and replied, "You shouldn't do it. If everyone knows that Naruto caused this, then everyone would hate him again. Do you want that for your brother?" Haku asked, trying to convince Menma.
The blond kid quickly shook his head and replied, "Okay, I won't say anything. But we will have to explain this somehow. Guys, time to leave, let's get the scroll that we need."
Sakura and Sasuke nodded; they were still surprised that Orochimaru attacked them and that Naruto had fought almost on par with him. That only made Sasuke want to increase the level of his training; he would ask Itachi once he finished the exam.
They all left in opposite directions. Haku had wanted to send Naruto to the Tower so he can rest there, but she was sure that he wouldn't like it. Besides, she was sure that he would wake in a few hours.
Meanwhile, one person had seen all this. This man had a black cloak with red clouds and an orange mask. "Hmmm. Naruto Uzumaki, eh? Interesting." After that, he disappeared in a swirling distortion before appearing in front of two individuals who were looking at a village from a tower.
"Where have you been?" Asked a male voice.
"Don't talk to me in that way, Nagato. I have no reason to give you explanations," replied the masked man, looking at the man with rods around his face.
"I am a God, and I can speak to you as I please. Now tell me, where have you been, Madara?" Nagato asked with an emotionless gaze, but that said that he wanted an answer as soon as possible.
Madara chuckled as he sauntered towards him; he was quite disrespectful, but he was necessary for his plans. "I think I've found our missing member…"
Notes:
That's it!
Okay, Naruto can use the Hyōton as you saw, because he has already mastered the Fūton and the Suiton, and since he woke up from his coma, Naruto's Chakra Control improved considerably.
About the Cursed Seal, you will see what will happen in the next chapter.
Oh, yeah, and about the Apple; Naruto almost died because of that; he wasn't quite sure how to use it, and the Apple almost ended up using all his vital energy. However, he will no longer use it again, at least not until he recovers all of Kurama's power.
I hope that you've liked the fight.
You can check in my bio if you want to see how Naruto's Cursed Seal looks like.
Until the next time!