HikariNova: Would you question the Hokage's decision? The supreme military ruler of the village, when you don't have a position like Danzo or the other elders? That would be extraordinarily stupid. The Clan Heads know that they aren't privy to every political mechanism in the village.

Oblivion168: Oh yeah, Naruto definitely has potential in this story. If I think of all of my stories with Naruto (bar Story of Lightning and Wind) I think this Naruto definitely will have the most potential. Maybe not the destructive capability, but I think I'd rank him as the highest threat level out of all of my Naruto's when this story is over.

marquius: So being angry that your village betrayed you is emo? That's...kinda normal. I mean Sasuke acting like he did when he was a kid is perfectly normal for the situation. Who isn't going to have some psychological damage because of that? Naruto's situation is similar. He was betrayed by the only people he considered family. He's not gonna just be happy-go-lucky after that. And no, Naruto won't be joining with Judar, lol.

CoCoDu11: What I do with Konoha will be interesting, at least I think so.

SlyUzumakiVii: I think the majority of Shinigami training Naruto will undergo will be in the sequel to this story, which will pretty much be the most ambitious project I think I've ever done. I may scrap the idea of the sequel and just blend it with this story, but if I do that Naruto definitely will not be getting a Zanpakuto, just other Bleach-related abilities, because Bleach abilities are badass despite the series going into the shiter towards the end.

A Whole New World

Danzo leaned against his chair, looking at the screen in front of him that displayed Team 7 of Konoha, watching them participate in the Chunin Exams. Scattered across the rooms were other screens depicting members of other teams, such as Team 10 of Konoha and Team 9 of Konoha. Danzo stared at the screens, frowning as he saw them. Each had an interesting subject on them that he was interested in acquiring.

Team 10 was the most obvious. Shikamaru Nara, a future powerhouse, but not physically. No, the Nara possessed the same lack of drive that hindered his entire Clan, but Danzo knew that he could be fixed. After all, finding a drive was merely a matter of fixing someone's priorities, and there were multiple ways to do that. The boy was to useful to not try and think of something he could do. The boy, while a slacker, was undoubtedly the brightest amongst his class, and likely smarter than many of the shinobi already serving. He just needed to train that intelligence into a lethality with a drive, and then he would be perfect. Of course he would also have to make sure he didn't use that intelligence to rebel against him. From what reports he could gather it seemed like the Nara and the Jinchuriki were friends, or at least acquaintances. He would have to make sure that he didn't get any ideas about Danzo being responsible for Naruto leaving the village.

Team 9 possessed a genius in the form of Neji Hyuga. The boy was a prodigy among prodigies, being comparable with the likes of Sasuke Uchiha. The child was a branch member, and yet outstripped Main Family members many years older than him. And he was already perfectly capable of being molded into his weapon. He even had insurance in the form of the seal on his forehead, and with his operatives he had access to it. He would be the perfect vessel to rule the Hyuga Clan with.

Team 7 possessed however the person with the most potential, and the person who would rebuild a much more loyal Uchiha Clan. Sasuke Uchiha. The prodigy that had more potential than possibly even Neji Hyuga. He was filled with hatred towards his brother, and with the right words Danzo was sure that hatred could be directed for his purposes. Of course the boy could never learn the truth, and Danzo would have to be wary of Orochimaru's interests in the boy, especially considering the snake had betrayed him, but he would find a way. If the boy ever became anything similar to Shisui or Itachi, or outstripped them, he would become a threat that could possibly be on par with Minato Namikaze.

Danzo smirked, before he turned to his operative. Meri kneeled in front of him, making Danzo nod. "You and Amemasu made the correct decision. I will need you however, as we have bigger issues to deal with in Konoha. We must convince the shinobi populace to be loyal to us, tarnish Hiruzen's reputation. That is your task. Begin your operation immediately. I will send another agent to rendezvous with Amemasu."

Meri nodded, disappearing. Danzo stared back at the screens. He had much work to do.

Naruto frowned as he washed up on the shoreline, recovering from being sent flying from the powerful waves of the ocean. He had no idea why he thought leaping over the railing into the rampaging ocean was a good idea. It wasn't like he could get away from Hagoromo, the man was dead and the only form of contact he had with him was the seal on his hand.

He really was an idiot sometimes.

Naruto sighed, standing and groaning at the soreness in his legs. He had fought against the current with everything he had, using chakra to enhance his physical abilities, but it wasn't easy. The currents were strong. He was lucky he ended up on the shoreline. Naruto nodded, looking at the sky. The boy had a lot of training to get in. First and foremost, he had to work on controlling the Black Rukh in the Spirit. Regardless of validity of the Black Rukh swallowing him whole, he had to be able to wield the power effectively. Not to mention it would likely help with controlling the power. Naruto nodded.

His stomach growled.

First he had to get some food it seemed.

The blonde stretched, walking from the beach towards the large forested area, a frown on his face. He explored the area for about an hour, finally coming to rest, an annoyed look on his face. "There's nothing around here to eat. That doesn't make sense. Animals should be near here...what could be stopping them?"

"There's something wrong."

Naruto frowned, hearing his mothers voice breach his thoughts. 'What do you mean Kaa-chan? What's wrong?'

"There's not enough noise around," Kurama interrupted, the fox's eyes narrowed in the seal. "There must be..."

"People." Kushina finished. Kurama nodded, causing Naruto to frown. "Maybe they have food," he muttered, closing his eyes, drawing chakra to his ears to enhance them. That was when he heard it. Voices, talking to one another, seemingly jovial. Naruto frowned, dashing forwards, before he leapt across the trees, working his way towards the cluster of voices. He didn't need to participate, but if they had food he could swipe that would be beneficial. They were scaring away all the other food he could eat, so it was practically just taking what rightfully would have been his anyways.

Naruto leaned against the tree, staring down at the military encampment, a frown on his face. The soldiers were loud, boisterous, almost as though they had just come from a battle. Naruto frowned, finding groups of people tied to posts, looking defeat and not wearing the gold-and-white color scheme of the celebrating soldiers. No, they wore red and a dark brown color scheme.

Naruto frowned. He would have to sneak in. It was a good thing he wasn't bad at the Henge (Transformation Technique). Naruto nodded, narrowing his eyes, channeling a bit of chakra into them to improve his vision before he smirked. There was food on the table where some soldiers were, feasting. Naruto nodded to himself, memorizing the soldiers outfits before he jumped off the tree, landing in a perfect Henge. The shinobi walked forwards, the camp guards not checking him as he walked in. The child almost smirked.

Naruto sat down at the feasting table, careful to not look anyone in the eye as to not incite conversation before giving himself a decent portion and beginning to eat. The blonde ate slowly, his eyes following the numerous soldiers walking around, some with their hands on their hilts as they talked with their fellow comrades. Just as he took his eyes of the soldiers to eat again he felt a hard slap on his back. The blonde choked, spitting the food back onto his plate.

"Come on now man! Eat a bit more food than that 'ey! What's the point of eatin' if you do it 'alfway!"

Naruto turned, an annoyed look on his face as he saw a big, burly man standing behind him, a giant grin on the mans face. Naruto glared at him, but the man payed him no mind. "Come now lad! You're too thin in the bones! Eat some more food! I'm surprised you survived the battle!"

Naruto groaned as the man drew more attention to him, slapping more food onto his plate. Naruto knew however that he would have to eat, and merely continued to do so, the man laughing right next to him, having sat down. "You seemed a lil' sad lad! Why is that? Friend of yers die in the battle?"

Naruto mentally held himself back from lashing out. The man's attitude and accent was extraordinarily frustrating, but he had to restrain himself. Allies didn't just explode on one another for no reason. "No, just tired," Naruto grunted, going back to eating. The man laughed. "Of course! Battle does 'at to the young! You'll get used to it won't ye'!"

Naruto merely nodded. He was hoping the less he talked the faster the man would leave him be and he could get out of here. At this rate his cover was going to be blown, and he couldn't allow that, not at all.

"I'm Kezrah! Who 'er you!"

Naruto groaned, there was that question. He hadn't thought of an answer yet. He just had to hope his bullshitting skills would be good enough to get him out of here. If it came down to it, he always had genjutsu. "Names Kurama," Naruto stated, getting a growl from the actual owner of the name from within his head, although he paid it no mind. He had more important things to focus on than Kurama's displeasure.

"Kurama eh? Strong name, powerful name. Not really some'in from Reim tho', where ye' from?"

"He's a smart human."

Naruto almost rolled his eyes at Kurama's pleasure of Kezrah complimenting the kitsune's name, before he tried to think of a place he could say he was from. He clearly couldn't say he was from Reim, as that was likely the country this military force belonged to. From what Masrur had told him in their conversation Reim was one of the countries on the Rukh Continent, meaning that he had made it. The only issue now was making sure he wasn't imprisoned. There was another country he remembered Masrur bringing up in conversation though.

"I'm from Kou," Naruto stated, praying that the two countries didn't have bad relations.

"Kou," Kezrah questioned, astonished. "Why aren't you a strange laddy! Only person from Kou I 'eard of in the Reim army! Wouldn'a thought they'd let 'er kind in 'e battalion. I 'pose all things are possible!"

Kezrah broke into a boisterous laugh, making Naruto flinch. Clearly he had chosen the wrong country to say he was from, but he didn't know anywhere else. Still, Kezrah seemed to have bought it, if only because the burly man was clearly drunk.

"Kezrah! What have I told you about drinking after battles!"

Kezrah immediately stood, going into a salute as another man walked forwards, this one much older than the other soldiers. Naruto frowned as he saw other soldiers scrambling to salute the man. Naruto stood himself, and tried to mimic their actions. This was just getting more and more difficult the longer this kept up.

"Not to sir!"

Naruto's eyes widened as Kezrah's accent disappeared, the man seemingly able to speak perfectly. Naruto wanted to slam his forehead onto the table. The man was a soldier, of course he knew when to be serious and when not to be!

"Exactly. You always seem to forget that when it's convenient hmm?" Kezrah laughed at his superior's suggestion. "Quite possibly sir!" The man sighed, shaking his head before his eyes turned to Naruto, looking him up and down. Naruto almost frowned. This was someone who would prove a serious threat if he decided to say that he wasn't who he claimed to be.

"You...nice job during the battle. You fought against Parthevia warriors well."

Naruto did frown this time. He knew the man was lying.

"In fact, I think I should reward you for your skill. Come with me," the man stated, walking into a nearby tent. Naruto frowned. So he had been had. He couldn't exactly disappear either, too many soldiers from around the camp were looking at him. The shinobi gulped, hoping he could get out of this situation before he walked forwards, entering the tent, Kezrah's laughter with other soldiers being the only sound he could hear.

Naruto's eyes scanned the tent as he entered, frowning as he saw the numerous chests and battle maps. This was the war room. Naruto turned his head forwards, frowning at the man before him. He sat on a chair, looking completely unbothered by Naruto's presence.

"Where are you from?"

Naruto frowned, clenching his fist. He was prepared to run. The man merely stared at Naruto, sighing. "I suppose that was a bad question. My name is Ignatius Alexius, Supreme Commander of the Reim Empire Army. Who might you be, Kurama?"

Naruto frowned, biting his lip, but stayed silent. Ignatius stared at him before sighing, placing his sword on the table. Naruto frowned. "I will not harm you Kurama, but I do need to know why you are masquerading as one of our soldiers. The less you answer, the less I can do to keep you safe."

Naruto growled, but decided to respond. "Name is Hatake."

"Stop lying."

Naruto's eyes widened, surprised by Ignatius being able to so easily spot the lie. He hadn't expected something like that, not from a soldier. He was sharp, to sharp to be fooled by his tricks. Ignatius sighed once more. "You're a very bad liar. You're too stiff, and your eyes shift to the side every time you lie, it's quite the obvious tell. You should work on it if you want to continue surviving as long as you have in wartime. Now again I ask you, what is your name?"

Naruto sighed. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Ignatius smiled. "Better. It's good to know that you can be honest, otherwise we might have had a problem, right Uzumaki? Now, my next question, where are you from?"

Naruto grunted. "The Elemental Nations." Ignatius' eyes widened, before he suddenly became very interested, leaning forwards on his forearms to look Naruto hard in the eye. "You're not lying to me. But people of your kind haven't ventured here in many generations. The oldest tales we have of you come from before the existence of Reim. You're fairy tales we tell our children."

"Not quite as mystical as we let on huh," Naruto muttered, a frown on his face. Ignatius sighed. "I suppose not. Still, I must wonder why you are here? From what we know only Kou trades with countries from that continent. Are you from the Land of Waves as well?"

Naruto flinched, rage filling his eyes once more before he managed to calm himself, his chakra simmering down before he responded to Ignatius' question. "No, I'm not from the Land of Waves. I am from a land filled with traitors and liars."

Ignatius smirked. "Yes, they are one in the same I'm afraid. I do not think you shall find reprieve of them here, at least not during these times."

"These times?"

Ignatius nodded. "Yes. I assume you don't know much about the Rukh Continent considering that you aren't from here and the Elemental Nations hasn't sent anyone to find us for quite a long time. You are currently in the middle of a war zone. You see Reim and Parthevia are currently at war right now. You're lucky you came to our side of the war though, considering Parthevia would likely put you in the draft if you were a foreigner and sent you off to combat. I'm not sure about how life is in the Elemental Nations, but I don't think you'd last too long in a war boy."

Naruto snorted. "You'd be surprised."

Ignatius raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Really? My battalion is headed back to the capital city, Remano. We have a gladiator arena there if you'd like to display your abilities there."

Naruto frowned. "I'd rather be on my way thank you very much."

Ignatius clicked his teeth, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I can't allow that. Surely that must be obvious. I can't exactly let you run around, sneaking into our camps for food go unpunished can I? I could draft you into the army, but someone of your personality I highly doubt would be a loyal soldier. You could of course get lashings, but I doubt you'll go for that either. The easiest way out of this is to just give me a demonstration of your skills. I do always love to see a good fight."

Naruto frowned, preparing to reach out with his Rukh, only for Ignatius' eyes to narrow and for him to reach out towards his blade. "On second thought, maybe I shouldn't? People of your kind aren't exactly innocent. People's eyes don't go black like that, not unless they're touched. But I'm sure Scheherazade will want to see you. The only people who have that ability to our knowledge are people of the Kou Empire, so finding you will be a major discovery."

Naruto growled, pulling on his Rukh, but he found his world spinning before he could do anything.

"Forgive me child," was the last thing he heard.

Torune Aburame stood before the Hokage, a frown on the Aburame's face despite his training. He had not been expecting this. Fuu had been killed, having been discarded by Danzo after his trick on Hiruzen, as the first suspect that would be under fire would be him. With him dead, and Hiruzen being unlikely to trust a Yamanaka to filter through his brain, it had been expected that Hiruzen would give up, having lost any trail he would have.

Clearly Danzo had been wrong. Hiruzen was more cunning than he let on if he was sitting in front of the Hokage, a frown on the powerful mans face. Torune remained calm on the outside, but on the inside he was scouting for any possible exits, realizing with a grimace that there were none, whether due to Hiruzen or the ANBU. The man knew he was powerful, but he was no fool. He couldn't fight the Hokage and ANBU and hope to make it out of Konoha alive. No, he just had to be sure to not reveal anything regarding Danzo. That should be easy enough.

"Torune Aburame, son of Shikuro Aburame, correct?"

Torune frowned. That was an obvious question. The interrogation had begun. "Yes Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen nodded. "Your father died at a young age and you ended up under the tutelage of Shibi Aburame correct? Joining the force through an apprenticeship?"

Torune nodded, only for Hiruzen to stare at him, not continuing his questions. Torune frowned. "Yes Hokage-sama." Strike one. The interrogation process was well known to him. Konoha gave someone three strikes, and upon using all of those three strikes the torture process to get information began. Clearly he had just used one of his strikes. The interrogation continued.

"Danzo Shimura recruited you for his ROOT program while it was still legal correct? Claiming that you had talents with rinkaichu."

"Yes Hokage-sama."

"Are you aware of what Danzo Shimura has done?"

"Yes Hokage-sama."

"Did you know Fuu Yamanaka?"

Torune frowned. He couldn't exactly admit that he did. Fuu was a recluse for his tenure at Konoha, being one of the most zealous followers Danzo had. Fuu didn't know anyone really, at least on a personal level. Clearly this question was asking more than if he had ever met Fuu or worked with him once or twice, but rather if he knew him on a personal basis. To say yes would be creating another lead for Hiruzen's to follow, but the Hokage would not ask questions he did not know the answer to. To lie would get him his second strike. But if the result was allowing Danzo Shimura to be found by Hiruzen then the result was obvious.

"No Hokage-sama."

Strike two.

"Really? Interesting. Well, did you know that Fuu Yamanaka is dead?"

Torune cursed. Hiruzen had pushed him into a wall. He either got his third strike or admitted that he lied. He was trapped. He couldn't weasel his way out of this. Then again, that was to be expected. He was the Hokage for a reason. To push people into corners was practically part of the job description.

"No Hokage-sama."

Strike three.

ANBU flashed into existence, swords drawn as Hiruzen sighed. "I really wish it didn't have to come to this."

Torune did not give them the luxury of hearing him scream.

Sasuke's glanced to Ino as she and Sakura continued to argue, the duo shouting at one another over who Sasuke really liked. If they weren't above the canopies they likely would have attracted another team to try and attack them. They were lucky that they were high enough where their voices couldn't be heard. Sasuke sighed as he heard Ino shriek about Sasuke loved her. The Uchiha most assuredly did not love Ino, that much was sure. He had much bigger problems to think of than whether or not some blonde harpy was worthy of his love.

Like finding out exactly what had happened to Naruto.

"You seem lost in thought."

Sasuke turned his head, surprised to see that the voice belonged to Shikamaru. He hadn't expected the lazy shinobi to be interested in his thoughts, preferring the idea of being concerned with someone far to troublesome for his attention. Clearly he was wrong.

"What's it to you," Sasuke demanded harshly, getting Shikamaru to raise his hands in a placating fashion.

"Just curious is all," The Nara stated, although his eyes betrayed his words. They were keen, prying, and Sasuke knew it. The Nara was interested in something, and there was no way that he wouldn't find out what it was. An interested Nara was a Nara that would look underneath every rock just to make sure that he knew everything there was to know about what they wanted. "What about your new teammate huh? That Sai guy. Can't really be good for team chemistry to go into the Chunin Exams with someone so new. I know Naruto wasn't the strongest Genin, but he would have better chemistry."

Sasuke glared at Shikamaru, only for the Nara to merely raise his hands again, dropping the subject, but he had gathered the information that he needed. Whatever was causing Sasuke to act more pent up than usual related to Naruto and his new teammate. He wasn't just annoyed with Ino that first time back when the exam started. Well at least he had one lead, the new Sai character. He likely knew more about the situation. The Nara was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice Sakura shouting something about a team below them, causing him to be unprepared when the bird he was on dove, the Nara gripping the bird with a jolt, his eyes steadily looking down. It looked like they were diving on some team, the only Iwa team if his memory was accurate.

The Nara frowned as he dropped beneath the canopy, leaping off of his bird to join the others who landed on trees above the travelling Iwa group.

"Alright, so what's the plan," Sakura questioned, causing Ino to snort. The blonde was clearly going to try and take charge here, and as much as Shikamaru didn't want to do it himself he also wanted to be done with this next portion of the exam as quickly as possible.

"No Ino, we're not doing that," he muttered, surprising the blonde with his assertiveness. He typically didn't do this. Yet to the Nara taking charge was the only obvious course of action. He didn't want to be in the forest for longer than required, and if that meant putting in more effort, well that was acceptable, especially when they were about to engage an Iwa team, shinobi notorious for their close-to-mid-range combat skills. They had the numbers advantage, and knowing Ino she would forsake it in order to look good to Sasuke. There was no point in doing that in the first place. "Here's what we're going to do. Choji, Sasuke, Sai, you three are going to swoop in initially and engage them in close combat. I'll come up from behind, ready to pin them in place. Sakura, Ino, you two move in from the sides and limit their movement with kunai and shuriken, maybe the odd jutsu. We're going to put them in a kill box, where essentially if they don't surrender they lose. Sakura, Ino, you two are going to lure them to a position where I can use my jutsu, alright?"

Ino looked like she wanted to protest, but a sharp look from Shikamaru silenced her, getting her to sigh and nod. The rest of the group nodded, although Sasuke did so reluctantly before they leapt into positions. It wasn't long before everyone had taken their positions, the Iwa team completely surrounded and they didn't even know it yet. Sasuke glared at the group, his eyes zeroing in on the Iwa kunoichi who had mouthed off early in the exams.

"She's mine," Sasuke muttered, getting the attention of Choji and Sai. The two merely shrugged, nodding. They didn't really have a preference out of the group of Iwa Genin. The three then rushed forwards, their sudden appearance surprising the Iwa shinobi, not expecting the situation to get so aggressive so quickly. However, two of the shinobi reacted well.

The girl who talked back to Sasuke leapt forwards, clashing with him with her kunai, Sasuke parrying her strikes with his own, while the other female in the group quickly engaged in a bout of taijutsu with Sai. The only male of the group was left with Choji, both of whom were slightly nervous at the experience, however the Akimichi charged in anyway, tackling the Iwa shinobi and leading to a wresting match.

Sasuke grunted as the Iwa kunoichi's kunai clashed with his once more, trying to overpower the girl only to fail. The kunoichi smirked.

"Did you think you could overpower me just because I'm a girl? Please Uchiha, don't get cocky just because you have some unique eyes."

Sasuke grunted in response, lashing out with a kick the kunoichi deflected before swiping at Sasuke's neck. He grimaced, dodging the blades strike before he shot inwards, smashing his fist into her stomach. The kunoichi grunted, causing Sasuke to smirk as he raised his knee, only for her to block it with her forearm before she launched an uppercut that crashed into Sasuke's chin, sending him stumbling backwards, his vision blurry. The girl rushed forwards, spinning on her heel to launch a kick that clashed into Sasuke's temple, sending him crumpling to the ground, the kunai slipping out of his hand. The kunoichi was about to leap onto him only to be forced to deflect a rain of shuriken from Sakura, the pink haired kunoichi walking forwards, determination in her eyes.

"Leave him alone!"

"Oh, the pink-haired girl wants to fight too? Bring it!"

"Leave her out of this."

The kunoichi turned, grinning as she saw Sasuke rise, blood trickling from his forehead but a determined look in his eyes as his Sharingan blazed to life. He was ready to fight, that much was sure. The kunoichi grinned. "What's your name Uchiha?"

"Sasuke."

She grinned. "Kurotsuchi Kamizuru. Remember it as the name of the Iwa nin who beat you."

Sasuke snorted, picking up his kunai, his red eyes tracking Kurotsuchi's movements as she dashed towards him. "You wish you could," he muttered, dodging her strike, landing a knee into her gut that had her gasping. Sasuke leapt, spinning and striking her with a tornado kick that sent the girl flying, crashing into a tree before crumpling onto the ground much like he was before. She grinned as she rose.

"Doton: Doryuso (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)!"

The ground shook before earthen spikes shot forwards, Sasuke's eyes widening before he leapt away from the attack, watching in awe as it speared through a tree that was right behind him, the thickness of the tree doing nothing to even slow the spears. That attack was powerful, and he could not be hit by it. If he was...well he wouldn't be making it out of this portion of the Chunin Exams that much was sure. How did she know such a powerful jutsu anyway? Sasuke shook his head. That wasn't important. All that mattered was how he could beat her, he muttered, looking around to see the other Iwa nin already incapacitated. The other Konoha shinobi worked fast, that much was true. Meaning that he was holding them up.

Well that couldn't stand.

Sasuke kicked himself forwards, smirking as Kurotsuchi's attention was taken away from him as Sakura and Ino peppered her with kunai and shuriken, the girl struggling to deflect the storm of weapons. Sasuke slipped in her guard as he landed, her eyes widening before he smashed a punch into her gut, the girl keeling over before he slipped his leg inside hers, pulling and tripping her. He smirked, leaping downwards, getting into top mount before unleashing his hail of blows, the girl trying to defend herself from Sasuke's blows only to struggle due to his dominant position.

"Sasuke move! Kagemane no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu)!"

Sasuke leapt away from the girl just as Shikamaru's shadow touched her, the girl frozen in shock. Shikamaru smirked. "Now let's get that scroll then shall we," he muttered, reaching into her kunai pouch before pulling out an earth scroll.

"How ironic," Shikamaru muttered before he nodded to the rest of the group. They had what they came for. With that Sasuke walked up to the girl, the smirk on his face burning itself into Kurotsuchi's memory.

"Nice try," he muttered, before her world went dark.

Hinata's eyes narrowed as they approached the tower, stopping on a branch, raising her arm. Kiba and Shino stopped immediately, glancing at the girl, confusion on their faces. "Have you seen something Hinata," Shino asked. "Why? Because we are quickly approaching the tower and finishing this section of the Chunin Exams."

Hinata nodded. "There's a squad up ahead. Looks like it's a Kumo team. They've set a trap."

Kiba frowned. The wind was blowing towards the Kumo nin, so he hadn't been able to pick up on their scent, although they likely didn't know that the Konoha shinobi were coming. Kumo wasn't known for people with exceptionally good noses like the Inuzuka. "Can we go around them?"

Hinata frowned. "We could, but it would take a while. It would be much faster to go straight through their route. The other ways into the tower are made more difficult with natural terrain. It looks like there's a large river, with four pathways into the island where the tower rests. There are traps on every pathway."

Kiba sighed. That made things much more difficult. After all, they had to get to the tower somehow, and with their options being so limited they were likely going to have to force their way through the Kumo team, and that would be dangerous for more than one reason. Kiba turned to look at Hinata, who looked slightly nervous at the prospect, only for her eyes to steel themselves, the girl flexing her legs.

"Are you sure you want to do this Hinata? Kumo and the Hyuga Clan have bad blood after all."

Hinata shook her head, her eyes hard as she looked forwards. "I would be fine, that's not the issue. There's no use in wasting our energy when we don't know what comes after this next phase. Let's move around them."

Shino nodded, causing Kiba to sigh. He supposed he was the only one who wanted to fight the team, but he couldn't fault Hinata's logic. Better to not get tired and be prepared for the future than to fight just because it was enjoyable.

Team 8 dashed off.

Jiraiya sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he looked over the ocean. Naruto had gone over the ocean? How was the brat moving so fast? This was completely unexpected. He was covering more ground that they were, and they were a group of higher ranked shinobi. Jiraiya sighed, walking over to the nearby vendor, buying a map to look over the ocean Naruto was crossing only for his eyes to widen. He had just passed over the Wandering Edge. That ocean...very few even dared to cross it. Because all there was was a massive ocean that led back to the Elemental Nations.

Jiraiya shook his head. For Naruto to cross that ocean...he would end up being unable to be found if he didn't die at sea first, regardless of who the blonde persuaded to take him. Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his head. He had to find some way to reach the blonde, and at this point it would be faster to just follow him across the ocean. Maybe he'd even find the mythical Kou Empire? The Sannin snorted. Every capable shinobi knew that the Kou Empire didn't exist, it was a myth propagated by some rich person in the Land of Waves to make money. The Rukh Continent didn't actually exist. Only people like Danzo believed in those fairy tales.

Jiraiya sighed. The trail wasn't picking up. He had no choice but to go across the ocean. If in two days time Naruto's trail wasn't found in the city there was only one way to really god anyways, considering that Tokuma had mentioned the chakra signature going across the ocean. Jiraiya looked up at the sky, a frown on his face, thinking of Minato and Kushina.

"Forgive me," he whispered.

Sasuke's saw it before he felt it. The trees rustled, the canopy blew open, the wind roared, and the birds made of ink shattered, cuts littering his body and the rest of the Konoha Genin as they plummeted from the sky. Sasuke grunted, bracing himself and guarding his vitals as he plummeted into the canopy, grabbing onto a nearby tree branch and flowing with the momentum, swinging his body to land on a nearby branch, looking around, sighing with relief as he found Sai and Sakura both landing, albeit barely. The Uchiha kept looking, frowning as he failed to find Team 8, the teams likely having been separated by the powerful blast of wind.

Sasuke's frown deepened as he thought about it. There was no way that wind blew like that, even in this strange forested area where everything seemed to be off. A gust that powerful came from some form of Fuuton technique, but the only question was who could have caused that. A jutsu that powerful couldn't have been caused by some mere Genin. Was there a particularly powerful Genin in the Chunin Exams? No, that wouldn't make sense, he would notice someone like that. Maybe proctors were in the exam, testing them, or decided to knock them down from the birds, thinking that they were cheating? But that also wouldn't make sense, there were relatively little rules against cheating in this exam, and although there were likely hidden surprises in store for the Genin proctors would be a step too far. No Genin could fight a proctor, not at the level they were at. Meaning something else caused that gale, something that no one was expecting.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw a figure moving in the forest, long hair draping down the kunoichi's back. He frowned. She was likely the source of the powerful jutsu, meaning only one thing.

They had to run.

They couldn't fight-fear. Death, kunai, shuriken, jutsu, murder, betrayal, death, death, death, death.

Sasuke froze, as did Sai and Sakura, the trio all falling to the ground.

"By the end of this fight..." the kunoichi muttered, walking forwards, throwing her Earth scroll to the side, smirking. "...one of us will have both scrolls. And the other will be dead."

Shikamaru sighed as he looked at the giant beast in front of them. How exactly was he supposed to handle this? Choji had been fighting the beast for a while, smashing his fists against the beasts maw in an attempt to hold it in place, but even Shikamaru could see that the beast was slowly breaking free, snakes had strong jaws after all. Not to mention using his strength on a creature this large had to be tiring Choji's already relatively average chakra reserves. Even Ino had more chakra than him, and better control.

Shikamaru sighed as the massive snake roared, its jaw snapping open as Choji's arms were blown away, the boy grunting as he stumbled backwards, slamming into a tree as his arms returned to their normal size. Shikamaru grunted, drawing to kunai with explosive notes and tossing them forwards, frowning as the snake merely endured the strikes, hissing at him before it charged forwards. Shikamaru grunted, leaping into the air, dodging the strike only for his eyes to widen as Ino stood still, fear in her eyes as the snake neared her.

"Ino!"

The blonde girls eyes widened as she snapped to attention, leaping away at the last second, although she was unable to truly avoid the hit, the top of the snakes mouth smashing into her, sending her flying, blood shooting from her mouth as she smashed into a tree. Shikamaru frowned as the snake shot forwards, its mouth open in preparation to swallow Ino whole only for him to leap forwards, thrusting a kunai onto the snake, only for the blade to break as the scales were to hard to be pierced.

'Shit, what now?'

His attack had managed to get the snakes attention however, the snake turning to try and eat him, only for him to leap away, drawing two other kunai as the snake hissed at him. He grunted, looking over his options. Ino was unconscious, the blow having been too much for the girl. Choji was still getting to his feet, clearly stunned but otherwise fine. Shikamaru frowned. There was no real option for him to fight this thing. He had nothing that could harm it, as his most powerful move was an explosive note, and he wasn't dumb enough to think that the Kagemane no Jutsu would work on the creature. He didn't have nearly enough chakra to hold it for more than a second, and if he tried he'd be far to exhausted to do anything else.

But he couldn't exactly just run away, the snake was too fast for that. And there was no help that was on its way either. It was him and Choji against this snake. Shikamaru clenched his fists, before he quickly drew two kunai with explosive notes. He couldn't beat the creature if he attacked it directly, but that was only from the outside. Choji might have the strength to penetrate its scales, but the amount of effort it would take wouldn't be enough to put down the snake. There had to be a more effective way. And there was only one way he knew he could do that.

"Choji, get its mouth open long enough for me to pump some explosives down its throat!"

"Gotcha Shikamaru!"

Choji ran forwards, his arms inflating once more as he grabbed the snake, and with a heave threw it, the snake smashing through on of the trees as it hissed, rising and launching itself at Choji. The boy grunted, catching the snakes jaws with his hands, grunting as he felt himself slowly getting pushed back by the strength of the creature. It was strong, that was for sure, but that was to be expected of a creature of its size.

"It's now or never Shikamaru! I won't be able to do this again!"

Shikamaru nodded, throwing four explosive note-enhanced kunai into the snakes mouth, raising a single hand to form a seal. "Get out of there Choji!" Shikamaru did not have to tell the boy twice as he dived away from the snake just as it overwhelmed him, snapping its jaws shut, causing Shikamaru to smirk before he activated the weapons, a massive explosion ripping forth before blood, gore, and brain matter splattered the area, a headless body spasming before it eventually fell still.

Shikamaru sighed, running over to Ino, only to see the blonde slowly open her eyes.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hey Ino," the raven-haired shinobi said, helping her up. "Come on, we've got to find Sasuke's team. They could be in danger. That wind blast had to be caused by a jutsu, and its too powerful for a Genin to have made it."

The group nodded, dashing into the trees.

Sasuke's eyes could only get wider as he saw the kunoichi approaching, her eyes promising death. He couldn't move, he couldn't see anymore, the world fading to black except for the lone kunoichi. Was she moving? No, that was just his breathing. Or was it? Something was rising. Oh it was his blood.

His blood!

No, nevermind that wasn't his. Sasuke almost laughed as he saw it. The blood wasn't connected to him. He could only follow the trail, his eyes widening as he saw the body of corpses, the familiar crest on their clothing causing hyperventilation once more. The raven haired shinobi wanted to scream, but nothing left his lips. Was she talking? Something about brothers. No, that didn't make sense. The red eyes. Red eyes. Everything was so similar. The pressure. Was he a kid again? Yes, just a small child, running happily, no, he was an adult, slaying his family members with nothing more than calm satisfactio-NO!

Sasuke stabbed a kunai into his leg, his body jolting back to its senses before he grabbed Sakura and shot away, breathing with relief as Sai also found the will to move. He didn't like his new teammate, but he didn't want him to die. The Uchiha landed, grimacing as he ignored the pain in his leg, his wild eyes staring down the kunoichi in front of them, Sai on the other side of the kunoichi, pen and scroll already in hand. Sasuke had to hand it to him, the kid was ready, but it would be of no use. They had to flee, or else they would die. This lady, she wasn't a foe...she was death.

"Move dickless!"

Sasuke's eyes widened, reacting on instinct to Sai's command, barely dodging the massive snake that barreled down on his location, hissing before it chased after him once more. Sasuke's eyes widened. 'No way. I'm losing it!'

Sasuke grimaced as the snake hissed, rushing forwards with its mouth open wide, feeling that familiar fear light up his spine. No, he couldn't stay like this forever, or he'd die! No, no, nonononono, "No! Stay away!"

Sasuke roared, grabbing shuriken and launching them forwards, the bladed weapons stabbing into the snakes mouth, causing it to hiss before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Uchiha landed, pulling out the kunai he had stabbed into his leg and raising it, his eyes shifting into the Sharingan, the boy glaring down on the kunoichi who grinned.

"I sense you fear and desperation. It's only natural, the prey must never let down its guard, not even for a moment. In the presence of its predator!"

Naruto's eyes opened slowly, the world blurry before they snapped to attention upon realizing the position that he was in. He was standing in a hall of some sort, large pillars descending from the ceiling symmetrically, leading his eyes to a girl standing next to the man sitting on the throne. Naruto frowned. He didn't feel drawn to the man at all. That was strange. Naruto grimaced, standing, his eyes never leaving the girls form. Something about her...was off. Naruto tensed his body as she saw her eyes moving, only to stiffen completely as he felt a hand clasp down on his shoulder.

"Calm down," he heard. Naruto slowly turned, careful about his movements as he saw the numerous guards surrounding the area only to see Ignatius standing behind him, a smile on his face. "You won't be harmed if you comply."

Naruto frowned. That meant that he still could be harmed. Naruto slowly turned, only for his eyes to widen as the small girl was standing directly in front of him, her eyes trailing over his body in an interested fashion. He hadn't even heard her move! "Can I help you?"

The girl looked at him, a soft smile gracing her face before she patted him on the head. "You poor poor boy," she whispered, bringing him into an awkward hug, as Naruto, despite his short stature, was still much taller than she was. The guards nearby tensed, drawing their blades despite the girl having initiated the contact, only for Ignatius to wave his arm. The boy wouldn't harm her, of that he was positive. The boy may be touched, but he wasn't dumb.

The girl released Naruto, looking at him with pity in her eyes. "How did this happen to you," she whispered, only for Naruto to blink.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ignatius sighed. "Maybe I should explain what Scheherazade means to you kid. She's asking what made you touched."

Naruto blinked, shrinking away from the large man, his eyes looking for any route of escape. There were none. Scheherazade frowned at his action, waving her hand, Ignatius immediately taking several steps backwards. Scheherazade took a step forwards, waving her arms, a chess board appearing in her hands, the girl sitting down on the ground. "Play with me?"

Naruto frowned, looking at the guards around the room. This was...weird. What exactly was going on? He didn't know if he could trust the girl. Much less with this much defense around her. She was important undoubtedly. Likely the man on the throne's daughter. But why was the man not talking to him? Ignatius had said Scheherazade would want to talk with him, but why was a little girl directing the course of this discussion? Shouldn't the man on the throne be doing that? He was sitting on a throne after all. Naruto tensed as the guards looked at him with suspicion as it took him a long time to respond to Scheherazade's question, but he wasn't the only person he picked up on it.

"Leave us," the girl called, the guards eyes widening before the looked at Ignatius who raise an eyebrow at the guards.

"What are you doing? She gave an order. Move."

The guards jumped, filing out of the room in two lines, causing Ignatius to nod before he leaned against a pillar. Hopefully the boy would be more comfortable in this situation.

Hope you guys like this chapter. The chapter title is sort of two-fold though. It's a new world for Naruto as he's meeting Scheherazade and learning more about the Rukh Continent, and it's a new world for Sasuke because he just seen the level of strength the Elemental Nations has to offer, that he didn't even know existed. Both of them are getting a wake-up call, one much more violent than the other. The next chapter should finish up these semi-arcs, leaving me with just about two more arcs before I can reach the timeskip, although they'll all be relatively short. The majority of the story will be taking place when Naruto and the rest of his peers are teenagers. This right now is just world building and setup for future events.