I sincerely apologize for being so late with this upload. Still figuring out the act of balancing one's schedule. I am still keeping with the biweekly schedule, just keep in mind sometimes the next story may be a bit late like this one was. Other than that, please enjoy Chapter Seventeen of "Team Celestial". He he I changed the name.
Disclaimer! The Naruto Franchise, believe it or not, is not mine. I am just a little american who writes adaptations of the story they've already created. Sorry to disappoint.
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The day of the Third Exam. A day that many had prepared non stop for. A day that one would think the competitors would wake up early for. Now most of them did. Hinata and Neji had gone together, along with their fathers and Hanabi. The Sand Trio had set out together, acting nonchalant about the whole ordeal. Or in Temari's case, putting up the act as guilt tore at her insides. Sasuke and Haku had gone together. Haku had forced Sasuke to take a day to rest, knowing if Sasuke could, he'd be training with Kakashi until the last minute. Shikamaru had been dragged by Ino, and Shino had gone by himself. All arriving early to the event.
Naruto however ended up sleeping in late, once again in an impossible position. Unfortunately for Naruto, Kurama was also a late sleeper. It wasn't until 15 minutes before the event that he woke up. Kurama laughed as he watched Naruto panic. Within the next five minutes Naruto had gotten dressed, eaten, released any suppressors and went full sprint to the arena. Naruto was a blur. All people witnessed was an orange flash and a small burst of wind. Many people were wondering who it was, and many of the clans were impressed.
The line for the arena was too long to wait in so Naruto took to the wall. Effortlessly he transitioned from ground to wall, flying up the sides.
Genma had the contestants lined up in front of him, starting to tap his foot in impatientence. Hinata was worried but at the same time irritated at Naruto for not being on time. Sasuke seemingly not caring about Naruto not being in attendance yet.
Kurama got an idea as Naruto was running up the side of the arena and communicated it with Naruto. Naruto smirked and started making some hand signs.
The contestants and audience had their attention drawn to the sky at the sound of Naruto shouting "Fox's Fury Jutsu!". In a spectacular display, Naruto fell backwards and had his element natures start forming around him. Lightning swirling around him with traces of fire, hiding his red eyes. The ground rose up to form a platform and rings or spinning air forming around him, distorting that people saw through them. Small streams of water had shot up into the air at Naruto, breaking apart as they made contact with him.
Anyone who had even an idea about chakra natures had their jaws drop or eyes widen. Not even the Hyuga head could hide their amazement.
When Naruto made contact with the platform he had made, it burst out in a cloud of dust, hiding Naruto from view and leaving people amazed. As they were looking at the dust cloud, Naruto used a tunneling jutsu and tunneled next to Hinata. He had landed behind Genma so only the audience was behind him, and with a little use of the invisibility and silence jutsu, he was able to effectively appear behind Hinata almost out of thin air. By the time he had accomplished this, the dust had finally settled and many people were confused as to where he had gone.
He leaned over to Hinata and asked, "What is everybody looking at?". Everyone's head whipped around to look at him, trying to figure out what had happened. Sasuke was impressed, thinking of ways to beat Naruto next time with entrances. The Kazekage looked with hungry eyes at Naruto. Every ninja watching was dumbstruck at the sight of the usage of 5 chakra natures and then casually appearing next to the Hyuga Heiress. Gaara's eyes filled with bloodlust, his tailed beast realizing what Naruto was. Hinata jumped at Naruto appearing next to her and couldn't stop herself from looking from where the dust cloud had been to where Naruto was standing. Unfortunately for Naruto, Hinata's confusion only lasted for a few seconds before she shrugged off his arrival to be discussed later and started planning on how to punish him later for being late in the first place.
Genma composed himself and turned back to face the contestants, planning on moving things along before someone got angry. "Okay, now that you're all here. I'll explain to you the rules of the exam. You will be facing each other one on one. Once you lose, your done with the exam. The winners will continue on. Now just because you lose, doesn't mean you can't become a chunin, and just because you win, won't make you a chunin. This exam is to show your villages your skills. Do your best and you can become a chunin. Now, the pairings for the exam are as followed. Neji Hyuga vs. Naruto Uzumaki". Both contestants smirked at this, one in arrogance and the other in excitement of facing someone strong.
"Gaara of the desert vs Shino Aburame".Shino gave an analyzing glance at his opponent before looking back at Genma. 'This is not a fight I can win. But I can still demonstrate my ability as a ninja'.
"Shikamaru Nara vs Temari of the Desert". The two looked at each other onl to have a light blush take residence on their cheeks as the memories of the tea shop came back.
"Hinata Hyuga vs Kankuro of the sand". Hinata showed no interest in looking at her opponent. Kankuro eyed cautiously, knowing full well the abilities of the Hyuga.
"Sasuke Uchiha will be fighting the victor of Gaara of the desert and Shino Aburame's match". Gaara made a slight bow of his head and Shino remained emotionless.
"What happened to that sound nin?" Naruto asked. Everyone turned to Genma for a response.
"I guess he just couldn't make it today" was all Genma said. To avoid further questioning, Genma started preparing for the first match. "Okay, Neji Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki. Please take your positions. The rest of you, go to the rest area at the near side of the arena". Genma watched the genin walk away, leaving Neji and Naruto behind.
"So. When I say the battle is down, the battle is done. Killing isn't prohibited, but is not encouraged. You can win by knocking out your opponent or you stopping right before a killing blow. Now prepare for your match". Naruto and Neji took their respective fighting stances. Neji smirked when he saw Naruto get into the basic academy form.
"You expect to face me with the academy form? I'd say you're crazy, but you established that when you befriended my cousin".
Naruto smirked, slightly crouching now. "Well it's a good thing I'm not alone then". Neji narrowed his eyes and the two held a staring contest as they waited for Genma.
"Begin!"
Naruto sped towards Neji. Neji prepared to dodge Naruto but Naruto vanished when just out of reach of Neji's range. Acting fast, Neji activated his Byakugan and blocked Naruto's punch to the head. Neji retaliated by delivering a quick succession of strikes to Naruto's stomach before giving an earth infused kick to the stomach. Naruto was sent flying to the side of the arena, crashing into the wall and poofing into smoke.
Without hesitation Neji turned around to face another Naruto who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. "It is futile to hide from me, you can hide your body but you can not hide your chakra". With this Neji struck another Naruto clone in the stomach, dispersing the residue of smoke with a wave.
Naruto chuckled before disabling his invisibility jutsu to reveal a horde of Narutos surrounding Neji. Neji's face turned grim as he finally started to take the battle seriously. The Narutos smiled and in unison charged. Before impact, Neji shouted "Rotation!", spinning at rapid speeds and destroying any clone that made contact with it. When he stopped he was faced with one Naruto remaining.
"Got you". Neji stomped on the ground and Naruto was launched into the air by a pillar of stone. Naruto's eyes went wide as he had never heard of Neji using ninjutsu. Neji then kept up the pressure by launching rocks the size of watermelons at Naruto. Acting fast Naruto applied more weight seals to himself, making him stop his incline and stop falling to the ground again.
The Hyuga Elders were furious over Neji. First the Hyuga Heiress and now the prodigy?! They found the thought of a Hyuga using anything but the Gentle Fist to be utterly loathsome of an idea. Hiashi and Hizashi however were impressed. Hiashi had witnessed Hinata effectively use some water jutsu with combat, but he had never seen it be used to this coliber. He was very intrigued by the possibilities to come if the Hyuga clan were to incorporate more chakra nature into their fighting. 'First I just need to wait 30 years for the pain in the ass elders to kick the bucket'.
Hizashi was amazed by his son. Not only had he been able to learn rotation, but he had been able to learn how to incorporate earth style into his combat too, even if it wasn't very refined at this point.
Naruto was smirking as Neji started to charge him. "This is where we bring our fun to an end I'm afraid. We can't have this match go on forever you know". With that Naruto made a clone that met Neji's charge. With ease Neji dispersed it, expecting a quick pop of smoke. Instead, he was met by a cloud of electricity paralyzing him before he could even process what had happened. Neji's leg went slack and face planted into the ground.
Naruto smirked and started to walk towards Neji. He was surprised however when Neji started to stand. Even Kurama was impressed by the feat. Naruto put a lot into that clone, enough to paralyze even a lightning user. Neji stood up, his Byakugan activated and taking his taijutsu stance. Naruto smiled and took his own, slightly charging himself with lightning chakra.
The two reflected the elements building inside them. Neji, a strong unmovable wall and Naruto, electrify and ready to burst at any second. As by instinct, the two set out for each other at the same time, Neji moving slower, still recovering from the paralysis clone. When they met the two clashed in a vicious battle. Neji struck and blocked with ease with his taijutsu advantage and Naruto was using his speed to keep up, only taking on a few hits and able to land a few himself. After a few seconds, the two realized that whoever won this fist fight would win the battle. Neji kept on looking for an opening to initiate the 64 palms strike and soon he found one.
Neji capitalized on this opening and begun the striking technique. "Two Palms!...Four Palms!...Eight Palms….Sixteen Palms…. Thirty-Two Palms….. Sixty-Four Palms!". With his last strike, Neji sent Naruto flying into the air, crashing into the ground. Neji was left panting, barely standing himself. Genma was amazed at the sight, and was about to call the match when a wave of chakra swept over himself and the rest of the arena.
Hinata and Sasuke had been watching the battle with incredible interest. Neither had seen Naruto's development and had no clue what he was capable of. Hinata was surprised to see her cousin use earth style, making a note to ask him later about it.
Many of the Hyugas were appalled by the match. Not only had Neji used earth style jutsu, but was also actually being given a fight by the demon child of the village. The boy who had been dead last in his class. The boy with no clan training and without the ability of a specialized kekkei genkai. They were very happy when Neji sent him flying with the 4 palm strike. Seeing it as a reminder to the boy that no matter what the Hyuga will always be better than him.
Then something unexpected happened. Many knew that Naruto held the Kyubi within him, but they didn't realize that he could effectively use some of the Kyubi's chakra. In ribbons of red chakra, Naruto was lifted to his feet. His eyes had turned red and his whiskers became more prominent. Without a word he disappeared. Even after many Hyuga activated their Byakugans, they still couldn't find him. Then Naruto reappeared in front of Neji, and punched him across the face. Naruto had diffused the punch of Kurama's chakra, so Neji wasn't sent flying, but it was enough to cause the Hyuga Prodigee to fall to his knees, unable to get up.
The arena fell into silence. Many were amazed by the match, many refused to believe the results. Genma spent a few seconds himself trying to figure out what that enormous chakra was before remembering his duty and calling the match, Naruto as the victor.
As Naruto left for the rest area, Genma called up the next contestants. Naruto wished Shino luck, receiving a small head nod from the boy in return. Gaara looked at Naruto with hungry eyes. Kurama growled at this, unsettled by those eyes. "Be careful of that one brat. Somethings not right with him, and I think I might know why. For now just keep an eye on him". Naruto nodded in understanding, shooting a look back at Gaara, wondering what was going with him.
Gaara and Shino's match was short lived. Shino, while he did put up a valiant fight, was faced with just two much of a difference in power. After 5 minutes of multiple strategies used and failed, Shino conceded the match, wanting to conserve his beetles and knowing that there was no way for him to win the battle as he was now.
Shikamaru and Temari were next. (For the sake of time and content just watch the video on youtube if you want the full experience of this chapter. If you don't really care about that battle then just continue reading. No one would know either way). As the two walked back to the rest area, Temari scolded Shikamaru for not finishing the battle. "You could've won that if you didn't walk everywhere!".
Shikamaru shrugged, "they never said I had to win to become a genin. This way I only had to fight you. Now you get to enjoy other tiresome battles with the others. If you really want you can just pay me back later with a meal or something, but for now, I'm going to take a nap". Temari was about to start pulling her hair out at how lazy Shikamaru was.
"You're an idiot". With that, Temari went to join her brother, conflicted over whether or not she could carry through with her village's plans.
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Kankuro and Hinata were next. Before the round had even started, Kankuro raised his hand, saying "I concede!". Hinata narrowed her eyes, suspicious of why Kankuro would back-out, but didn't say anything. Silently disappointed that she didn't get to battle such a strong opponent. Naruto discreetly scooted away from Hinata as she accidentally started to leak some killing intent.
Genma bowed his head, suspicious of this backing out, but not going to stick his nose into someone else's business. "Alright, in that case, Gaara of the Sand and Sasuke Uchiha! Please come to the center of the arena". The crowd went wild at the sound of Sasuke's name. Sasuke groaned at the attention, having grown tired of it over the years. Gaara's eyes lit with bloodlust, terrifying for anyone who accidentally caught sight of them, his sand starting to make swirls around him.
The two took their positions in the arena and readied for the long awaited battle. The crowd went silent as Genma lifted his arm. Like a tsunami about to crash into shore, the anticipation could've been cut with a knife.
"Begin!"
Time froze. Nobody moved. Sasuke and Gaara, staring each other down before Sasuke bent down lower and channeled some lightning chakra into himself. What started the match was Sasuke's activation of the sharingan. Then a calamity occurred.
Sasuke charged Garra, going at speeds similar to Rock Lee with weights. Gaara met this charge with a wave of sand. Sasuke jumped into the air to avoid being buried and launched the Uchiha signature. "Great Fireball Jutsu!". A sphere the size of an elephant was launched towards Gaara, turning some of the sand it had come into contact with to glass. Gaara sent his sands after Sasuke, keeping the Uchiha on his toes.
At one point Gaara had been able to grab Sasuke's ankle with some sand and sent the Uchiha flying towards the arena wall. Spinning to land on his feet, Sasuke stayed crouched down. Making a series of hand signs, Sasuke shoved his hand towards the ground, lighting sparking and becoming a plasma ball without limits. Sasuke stood up, his jutsu complete, with lightning branching off and exploring the space around him before disappearing. "Chidori!". The chirping of birds filled the arena and many found their hair starting to stand on end.
For one of the few times in his life, Gaara was excited about a battle. His sands pooling around him, eager for the taste of blood. For the first time in his life, Gaara charged an opponent. His siblings and sensei were astounded at the sight. Sasuke smiled and decided to meet Gaara's charge, planning on ending this match in one strike. Once he made contact with the ground, it seemed Sasuke's speed doubled.
Dodging strikes of sand sent on him and jumping over any attempts to trip him up. When Sasuke got in range, he lunged forward holding nothing back from his attack. Gaara's sand came to his defense. Gaara was unleashing a strike of his own when he stopped. He felt the trickle of something hot fall down his arm. He felt like a branding iron had been pressed on his skin. Hesitantly Gaara turned to see Sasuke's hand fitting into a gash in his shoulder.
Gaara's sanity broke. He screamed, in pain both physically and mentally. He felt his demon tear shreds off his brain, consuming the delicate flesh. As if being dragged by an invisible force, Gaara was brought to the center of the arena. A cocoon of sand forming around him. Silence fell over the arena, and many were left curious and terrified about what had happened.
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"Be careful brat. I'm sensing tailed beast chakra being built up right now, and now I know who it is we're dealing with. Shikaku. The Racoon of Insanity and Sand. It's not bad yet, but prepare for a fight. For now, tell that vixen of your's and that lazy ass sensei too. You may not be able to hide me from your friends much longer brat". Naruto's face turned grim. He listened to Kurama's advice and alerted Hinata, sending a hidden shadow clone to Kakashi. He then started to try and mentally prepare himself for the idea of revealing his secret.
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Sasuke was satisfied and confused about the most recent events. But Gaara wasn't defeated just yet. Once more Sasuke made the hand signs for chidori. I must have been some of the exhaustion catching up to him, but Sasuke also channeled some of his fire nature into the jutsu as well. Sasuke's hand became a white sphere of energy, Sasuke seemed oblivious to this change though.
Many in the crowd were curious about what Sasuke had done, others amazed, realizing Sasuke had accidentally combined his fire and lightning elements. The Kazekage's eyes grew hungry as he witnessed the incredible capabilities of the Uchiha.
Sasuke once again charged Gaara, dodging any defensive strikes launched at him. Thrusting his jutsu into the sphere, easily penetrating it and cutting through it life butter to a hot knife. He would've completely halved the sphere and Gaara if it wasn't for him being stopped halfway by a monstrous looking hand. Sasuke's jutsu quickly vanished, leaving a burnt hand behind surrounded by a light encasing of glass. The monstrous arms lifted Sasuke into the air before slamming him back into the earth. The rest of the sphere exploded into a cloud of sand, leaving behind a half mutated Gaara. Sasuke forced himself to stand, taking note of his right hand. 'Shit, I won't be able to perform any jutsu until that heals. They've haven't called the battle off yet, so I guess it'll have to be taijutsu'.
Gaara's half covered face had a smile of insanity on it, with eyes that looked like they no longer processed the real world. "Mother thirsts. Mother kills". Gaara started chanting. "Mother thirsts. Mother kills". Many people were now disturbed by these chantings and had started to fidget in their seats. "MOTHER THIRSTS! MOTHER KILLS!". With that the half sand monster half boy Gaara leapt into the air, putting a crater in the ground where Sasuke was when he landed. Sasuke had been able to dodge the attack, but was sent flying by the explosion of air.
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Kakashi looked to the Hokage for instruction. Hiruzen noticed and made a hand sign signalling for Kakashi to prepare but take no action. Kakashi bowed his head and started using subtle signalling to get the other jounin and some chunin on the same page. Nearby Anbu saw the signals and set out to prepare the defenses. Kabuto, who had killed and then stolen an anbu's uniform did not understand the subtle signals, but picked up on them nonetheless. 'This is not good, they're catching onto Mast Orochimaru's plan'. Kabuto slowly backed away, preparing to make a dash to the Konoha vaults to grab the information Orochimaru needed.
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Sasuke took to throwing kunai and shuriken as he tried to think up a plan to beat Gaara. Thanks to his sharingan, he had been able to see the increase in chakra and could eliminate weaker attack strategies. Testing out his options, Sasuke sent another barrage of shuriken, paper bombs secretly attached. Gaara absorbed the shuriken into his arm un affected by their blades. He looked at Sasuke with a laughing eye, only to have an explosion to disrupt his humor. Sasuke smirked as he saw a pissed Gaara as his monster side had been partly destroyed and was starting to reform.
Shikaku chuckled as he rapidly gained more control, his sands enveloping more and more of Gaara's body. Gaara screamed in pain as his sanity continued to be eaten away. This scream acted like a signal for the hidden sound and sand to emerge. A sleeping genjutsu had already been enacted, putting the civilians and some of the weaker shinobi to sleep. The sand and sound shinobi discarded their disguises, starting their attack on the leaf village.
The Jounin were ready and were able to quickly dispatch a few attackers before they were able to do much damage. Most of the chunin took a bit longer to figure out, but not much. A great battle arose in the arena, along with outside the arena. An invasion force had been waiting outside and with the help of some snake summons, were able to breach the wall and attack the village itself. Jiraiya heard the commotion and took to the village, battling the snake summons.
The Anbu leaders turned to the Hokage, finding him to have a kunai to his throat. The Kazekage had dragged the Hokage to the roof of the structure they were seated at. "Quite the operation you've got here Orochimaru, I wonder what you're desiring this time".
"Ha ha ha. As perspective as always sensei". The Kazekage jumped into the air, tearing off his tunic, hat, and face leaving behind the human version of a snake. Four of Orochimaru's elites took position at the corners of the roof, setting up a barrier that set fire to any who touched it. "I don't want anyone butting in on our little reunion now. I wanted to personally show you some of my little toys that I've developed. (skip to canon Orochimaru vs Hiruzen Battle).
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Gaara leapt out of the arena after his scream, his siblings quickly following. Naruto and Hinata quickly ran to Sasuke, doing what they could to heal his hand. Naruto provided some ointment and then left to chase Gaara, leaving Hinata to do what she could with medical ninjutsu.
The other leaf genin took to assisting in the battle. Shikamaru and Shino joined Naruto in the chase after the sand siblings. One having personal reasons for going and the other for logical reasons. Shikamaru to understand what was happening and hearing Temari's side of the story. Shino to provide support for the other two.
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Kankuro and Temari gave each other worried looks as they followed their brother. Kankuro was the first to notice the three leaf genin first. "You keep on going, I'll keep them business". He then turned to face the Konoha genin while his two younger siblings continued.
In a rare spark of the moment, Shino said, "this one's mine, you two keep going". Naruto didn't hesitate, while Shikamaru at least gave an eyebrow raise. Beneath his coat Shino secretly smirked as he felt like he had been given an actually equal fight this time. (Yell at me in the reviews if you want me to actually write these battles but for now just go to youtube and watch the battle).
A similar situation occurred when Temari dropped back to try to stall for time herself. Shikamaru claimed his rights to the battle and Naruto went on his way. Shikamaru stopped facing right at Temari. The two stared at each other for a few moments. Letting the turmoil within themselves rise, threatening to break onto the surface.
"What's going on here? The Sand and Leaf villages have long been allies and the Leaf finds itself being ravaged by those who we trusted". Temari's stare was starting to waver as Shikamaru let his question sink in.
"I am a Sand Shinobi. If our Kazekage demands us to do something, we do it. Not because it aligns with our own wishes, but for our village"
"I didn't ask about why you are doing this, I'm asking why the sand is doing this. The Sound Village is very new and hasn't had the time to effectively establish ties. And the sand doesn't have anything to greatly gain by this attack. So why is the sand attacking?"
Temari processed his words, slowly putting the pieces together. "Well it doesn't matter now. There may not be any reason I can think of why my father would launch an attack, but that's besides the point now. This is about my brother! I will not let you get to him!". 'You're one of the few people I actually like. I don't want you to die so quickly'.
Temari then drew her giant fan, further cementing herself to prevent Shikamaru from passing and having a battle. Shikamaru sighed, disappointed but understood where she was coming from. 'I guess we'll end up battling either way. Why does this situation have to be so troublesome. This would be so much easier if she hadn't gone to the cafe that day'. Shikamaru reluctantly dug his hand into his pouch, grabbing a kunai, preparing for the battle, hoping to end it quickly and without hurting Temari badly.
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When Naruto finally caught sight of Gaara, or what was left of Gaara, he disabled his weight seals and was able to close the distance with ease, through a kunai with an explosive tag to gain Gaara's attention. Little to say, it worked. Garra now only had his legs that weren't fully covered by sand. "YOU!... DIIEE!".
Naruto shuttered at the insanity of the scream. "It's time to go into fox form. You won't be able to handle this guy as you are". Naruto was comforted by the idea that it would be a while before anyone would be here. Channels Kurama's chakra, Naruto sprouted ears and a tail, his chakra increasing incredibly along with his senses. Gaara saw this and went for an attack swiping a growing arm. Naruto leapt out of the way before he was about to be crushed like the branches before him.
"You need to defeat him now before he fully transforms. Once that happens, there's little we'll be able to do. You can't handle enough power to battle him at this point". Naruto took note and tried to think of ways to finish this fight. 'I don't have any heavy hitting jutsu yet so I'll have to rely on paper bombs'. Naruto brought his hands to form a cross. "Shadow Clone Jutsu". Ten Narutos appeared alongside him, all acting on a plan that had been silently shared. Gaara ignored the clones, having locked onto the original. This allowed for the clones to disperse and hide, and allowed for Naruto to substitute away with Gaara not knowing where he'd be.
Using the element of surprise, Kurama's chakra, and the release of all restraints the Naruto clones launched themselves out from the tree tops, zipping past Gaara and placing explosive tags as he came close enough to do so, Gaara would then quickly slap the clones out of existence. When the smoke cleared Gaara looked behind himself to find Naruto standing there with a kunai with an explosive tag attached. Naruto then thrust the kunai forward shouting "Thousand Years of Death!" to end with an anticlimactic crumble of sand. Gaara then slapped Naruto away. Naruto smiled, making the ram hand sign as he fell, setting off the tags.
Gaara's eyes grew wide at the sight, the explosion sending him into the air and crashing back into the ground. Naruto smirked as he watched. That smirk faded when Gaara got back up and rapidly started growing in size. "You're too late brat. Without my chakra you don't have anything powerful enough to deal with him". Naruto pounded his fist into the tree in frustration.
Gaara now found the bottom half of his body submerged in the forehead of a giant sandy racoon. Gaara erupted into another round of insane laughter as he brought his hands together and shouted "Opossum Jutsu!". Gaara fell limp and the Racoon was now the one to laugh. "Ha ha ha ha! Finally I'm back in the world! Let's bring the chaos!". Kurama pinched his nose at this.
"I forgot how annoying this guy is". Naruto ignored his prisoner and continued to think of a possible solution.
"I got it!" Naruto shouted. He then leapt to the ground, biting his thumb on the way. "Summoning Jutsu!". Smoke filled the forest surrounding them, looking like a giant white cotton candy sticking out of the ground.
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Hinata and Sasuke were going full speed through the forest. Once Hinata had healed Sasuke's hand enough so he could use it, they joined the battle in the arena, not knowing where Naruto had gone. Hinata had tried using the Byakugan but Naruto and the others were out of range. Thankfully they had come across Hiashi who was able to see Naruto with his more honed Byakugan. They found Shino standing over a tied up Kankuro that had beetles on him. Drawing his chakra just enough so he couldn't use any jutsu. Then they came up on Shikamaru who had seemed to have knocked Temari out and was currently holding her in his arms as he rested against a tree. They were curious about the sight, but didn't spend time questioning it. Focused on making it in time to help Naruto.
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When the smoke cleared, a giant toad was left in its place. "What the hell did you summon me for, boy! You better have my bottles of Sake!".
"Put it on my tab, Gamabunta! Pervy-Sage will pay for them later. Now we need to take out that sand racoon!".
"Don't you go bossing me around boy! I am your master, not your servant!"
Gamabunta suddenly left into the air, flattening Naruto who was standing on his head. The ground below them exploded as a ball of pressurized wind exploded beneath them.
"You dare attack me rodent?! Fine brat, I'll help you out, but expect 20 more barrels of Sake!". Naruto saluted at this, finding it entertaining to spend Pervy-Sage's money without the man even knowing about it.
When Gamabunta landed, he sent a series of water balls to counter the incoming air bombs and then launched himself at Shikaku, his sword drawn.
(If you want the fight go to youtube. If you want me to start incorporating the fights too leave it as a review)
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When Sasuke and Hinata arrived, they were amazed by the sheer size of the two beings in battle. What surprised them more was seeing Naruto with ears and a tail. They saved their questions for later though, trying to think of some way to help their friend. Unfortunately, they couldn't think of any, so they just watched, waiting for the battle to end so they could help Naruto return to the village.
They flinched as Naruto transformed the giant toad into the Nine Tailed Fox and charged the racoon. Both had only seen pictures, and none of them were as terrifying as this sight. It made Hinata wonder how Naruto would know what the fox looked like so well.
Naruto lost his tail and ears when he jumped onto the racoon and raced up its head to where the limp form of Gaara hung. Despite the sand sinking beneath his feet, Naruto made it to Gaara. He wound up a punch, only to have sand wrap around his wrist. Sand quickly took to preventing him from using his other limbs too, holding Naruto right in front of Gaara to taunt him with his defeat. What Shikaku didn't expect was for Naruto to slam his forehead into Gaara's. It was this headslam that won the day. Gaara was forced awake and the sand racoon fell apart. The two fell towards the ground, both too tired to try and save themselves.
It was at this moment that Shikamaru, Temari, Kankuro, and Shino had arrived. Coming to a compromise, Shino released Kankuro as long as he had some of his beetles on him and promised not to attack anyone. Shikamaru had followed after she had woken up, admitting to the battle being over and now focusing on his little brother. Without thinking both Hinata and Temari raced to catch the jinchuuriki. Unfortunately for them, the two were too far away and landed with a painful "thud" on the ground. With the few moments they had alone, Gaara decided to ask Naruto a question.
"Why?... Why do you continue to defend a village that hates you. They would celebrate your death and yet you protect them… Why?"
Naruto turned his head to look at Gaara. He then shakily and slowly started to lift himself to stand. "It's because I have precious people in that village, and while most of that shithole may call for my death, I continue to protect it because it's the home that my precious people live. Even if it was only one person, that one person would be enough for me to protect the world just so they could be happy. I know there's people who care about you Gaara. Otherwise they would've never come here to make sure you're okay".
Gaara was confused at this statement, wondering who Naruto was speaking of. Then Temari came jumping down from the treetops, asking him if he was okay. Kankuro appeared a few seconds after and did the same. Gaara felt the realization slap him across the face. 'Temari and Kankuro care about me? Are these my precious people that Naruto spoke of?'.
Naruto was greeted by a concerned Hinata Hyuga, who spent no time waiting to start healing him. "You could try to not get hurt so bad in battle! Look at you! You're barely able to stand right now!". Naruto chuckled at her antics. Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino arrived with Kankuro, all amazed at what had happened and trying to figure out what had happened. The Giant toad had poofed away after Naruto had woken up Garra, and Sasuke and Hinata were still curious about why Naruto had ears and a tail earlier.
After healing both Naruto and Gaara to a point that they could at least safely be moved, the two groups of Shinobi went their respective ways. Hinata and Sasuke holding Naruto between them on their shoulders. Shikamaru and Shino breaking ahead since they weren't carrying a body between them, leaving team 7 behind. Once they were out of earshot, Naruto started talking.
"It's scary to realize that I could've turned out the exact same as Gaara. I was just lucky enough to find people that care about me, he didn't. Or at least he thought he didn't. I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't made friends with Sasuke. Maybe I would be another Gaara. Ha. Wouldn't that be something". Hinata wasn't entirely aware of the pain Naruto went through on the daily, but Sasuke was. He had tried to help Naruto a few times when they were younger, but all that did was distract the fan girls and lead to an even worse beating later for Naruto. Reluctantly, Sasuke had left Naruto alone when these attacks happened, as per Naruto's request.
Unsure if it was appropriate, Hinata hesitantly asked "Naruto, why did you have ears and a tail earlier?". Naruto froze, absolutely terrified that Hinata had seen his fox form. Sasuke and Hinata took note of him freezing and stopped on the next tree branch, waiting for Naruto to respond.
"I warned you, kit. It's okay, if they're the same people you have been training for the past few months, they won't care about me. You were going to have to tell them at some point, might as well do it now". Naruto shuttered as he sighed, genuinely terrified of how Sasuke and Hinata would react to the news.
"Remember how the stories of the Kyuubi attack tell of how the 4th Hokage killed the Nine Tailed Fox? Well those stories aren't entirely accurate. He did defeat the fox, but he did not kill it. He sealed it in a child that night. Why he chose the child he did, nobody could answer that except for himself. In his seemingly random decision making, I was the unlucky bastard to be chosen. I hold the Kyuubi inside of me. The Demonic Fox that ravaged the village all those years ago". Naruto fell silent after this.
Hinata and Sasuke were silent too, still processing the information that Naruto had given them. Naruto removed himself from the two of them, taking a seat on the tree branch and resting against the tree. "I understand if you want to leave. Just remember that… remember that no matter what, I'll still protect you guys". It was at this point that Naruto was surprised by a Hinata Hyuga wrapping her arms around him.
"You honestly think that we'd leave you because of such a stupid detail? You're the container, not the contained. I was befriended by Naruto Uzumaki, and I will not leave him because he's protecting me everyday from a danger I never knew about till now"
"I've been friends with you since we were little. You thought I'd just up and forget about those years with you? We're practically brothers at this point! You think I'd just forget about all those years that you helped me get through?"
Naruto was in awe at his friends. He had always feared what would happen if he told them that he was the container for the Kyuubi, and to receive such acceptance after facing the event he was fearing for so long. It was so… comforting. In a rare moment, Naruto let his defenses fall and cried. Burying his head into Hinata's shoulder as he returned the hug, tears of joy dampening her sweater. She let him, not knowing just how much it meant to him, but knowing that it was what he needed. Sasuke had walked to the side of Naruto, giving him a side hug of comfort. They stayed that way for a little more than a minute before Naruto finished, forcing himself to stand, and trying to stop more tears from emerging.
"Thank you". Naruto then started jumping from branch to branch. Hinata and Sasuke easily caught up since Naruto was still recovering and wasn't going at full speed. Both were a bit shaken from the event, not because of Naruto holding the Kyuubi, but because of how vulnerable Naruto had become. Never had they seen him in such a state and were shocked seeing just how much Naruto was worried about them rejecting him.
Hinata frowned as she jumped alongside Naruto, 'Naruto, you've experienced so much pain. Why don't you ask us to help you?'. Sasuke knew of Naruto's pain, but he had never known why he received it. Now that he knows why, he was even angrier with the people of Konoha treating his brother
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When the three returned, the battle had finished. They let out a relieved sigh until they heard a cry from the arena. The three raced over to see what had happened. When they arrived they were met with a sight that would shake Konoha.
The Hokage was laying on the roof of the arena building un moving, with blood soaking his clothes through a wound in his stomach. Hiruzen Sarutobi, was dead.
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Thank you to everyone who leaves a review, they're a highlight in my day. Anyone who has criticism of my work please post it so I can grow as a writer and provide better content. I happy that you're enjoying my story, I hope it's not too cheesy. And to those of you who have read my other story, I am planning on starting the third chapter this week and releasinging in 4 weeks from now. I know christmas will be coming up around that time so tell me if you want me to have a christmas special chapter for this story. I may not be entirely canon with the story but it should be fun. I can play around with the couples a bit more if you guys and gals want. Maybe involve some mistletoe with a certain Hyuga and Jinchuuriki. WHo knows. Leave your thoughts down below so I can plan for that.