UnsanMusho: I'm glad that you liked the Naruto Kurotsuchi battle. As for Jiraiya, I insert him pretty early this chapter and plan to build upon what happens later on. Thanks for the review.
PinkiePieParty122894: I'm happy that you keep enjoying it and hope that you like this chapter as well.
Animaman: I know that I never really wrote it in, but the twins are at home and the sannin aren't at the chunin exams. As for the hiraishin, I plan on him learning it later on but I haven't decided on chakra chains. I don't want to make Jiraiya into a petty antagonist and actually want him to eventually become a respectable protagonist even though he will always believe that there is good in the twins. About the twins and them fighting Naruto, because of yours and others' comments about having them fight, I've decided that they will have an encounter during the invasion. I don't want to spoil too much about it though. Thanks for the ideas.
Guest 1: I don't know how to refer to a guest comment by name so I will just say guest 1 for now. I guess the reason for Jiraiya always being against Naruto is because Jiraiya hands out the prophecies which typically lead to the neglect of Naruto. I think it's determined the moment he gives the prophecy just due to his need to make the prophecy about Naruto's siblings come true and his need for peace in the ninja world.
King Popoto: Sorry that you didn't like it I guess. I get your frustration about how fast everything happened so I'm sorry that it offended you so much and hope that you find a story that meets your expectations.
(Bar in Konoha)
Jiraiya sat in the bar nursing his third bottle of sake. It had become a regular occurrence ever since he was banned from his godchildren. How had it come to this? All he ever wanted was to see the world at peace. Here he was with the opportunity to achieve his lifelong goal and the key had now been taken away from his grasp. Sure he felt a small feeling of guilt for having completely neglected Naruto, but the twins needed all the training that they could get. It came down to saving the entire world or fulfilling the need for attention for just another child. The ends justified the means, didn't it?
The toad sannin hardly noticed when someone took the seat next to him. He knew who it was but frankly wasn't in a talking mood despite his wanting of her attention for years.
"You know it's kind of ironic that I'm having to come and get you out of a bar" Tsunade said with a small smile. Jiraiya snorted at that. "I was never able to get you out of a bar. You either drank the place out of alcohol or passed out and slept on the floor" Jiraiya said taking another sip of sake. "My entire life, all I've ever wanted to see is the world at peace. It wasn't until we lost to Hanzo that I knew that I would not be able to unite the elemental nations but perhaps I could find someone else who could. When I met Minato, I saw a boy with ambition, a boy with potential. I watched my pupil rise to become one of the village's greatest legends and knew in my heart that he would be the one to unite us all. Imagine my surprise when the toads told me it wasn't him. I argued for years with the Great Toad Sage but I eventually accepted that it wasn't him. Then I heard about Kushina's pregnancy. A child born of my prodigy and a powerful Uzumaki had to be the one" he said taking another sip of his sake while Tsunade just listened on in silence.
Jiraiya sighed before continuing with his story. "When the triplets were born, I was so happy. The moment I saw those three, I loved them as if they were my own grandchildren. I doubt that anyone noticed but for the first couple of years I favored Naruto. Maybe it had to do with him being named after my first book or maybe it was something else. It broke my heart when I was given the new prophecy. I never truly wanted to alienate Naruto but I had to for the good of everyone else. I wanted to say "Fuck the prophecy" but the lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few. Now, I've been banned from seeing my godchildren, I am no longer trusted by Minato and Kushina, and my relationship with Naruto is nonexistent" he said with a few tears falling at the end of his speech. Raising his head, he looked Tsunade in the eye. "How did you do it Tsunade? How did you deal with the pain of losing everything close to you?" he asked desperately needing an answer.
Tsunade looked at her lifelong teammate and friend and sighed. "It took time. Quite honestly it took longer than it should have but I realized that I had people who cared about me. People who wanted to help me. People like you" she said making Jiraiya's eyes widen. "Jiraiya, Dan and Nawaki are dead and I won't see them until the next life. Menma and Narumi however are alive. One day Minato will let you see them again and he will accept you back into his family. For now give him time. Life in that household has been hectic to say the least so just give him time to get everything in order. It will be okay Jiraiya" she said with a smile. Jiraiya smiled back but it quickly dropped. "What about Naruto? Do you think that he will ever forgive me?" he asked which caused Tsunade's smile to drop as well. "I don't know, I really don't. I'd like to get closer to the kid but I'm always busy with the hospital and I have a new apprentice on top of that. It may be too late to form a relationship with him but you never know" she said to which Jiraiya nodded in response.
(Contestants' Box Chunin Exam Arena)
Naruto stood watching as his two most precious people walked to the battlefield to face one another in combat. It would be an interesting match that was for sure. Sasuke had the advantage of larger chakra reserves, more talent in ninjutsu, and the sharingan to assist him in taijutsu and defend against genjutsu. Yakumo however had trained for a month under his mother Kushina Uzumaki, the strongest kunoitchi in the Leaf. He was taken out of his thoughts by the sudden appearance of Tsunade's assistant, Shizune.
It took a moment before Shizune found the nerve to speak to Naruto. "Hi Naruto, I'm here to check on your injuries" she informed. Naruto simply nodded and let her do a routine medical checkup. Immediately after Shizune began with the mystical palm technique, the aches and pains seemed to disappear. Looking at Shizune he nodded his head in thanks to which she simply smiled and left for the infirmary most likely.
Before she could get too far, Naruto called out to her gaining her attention. "Shizune, how is Kurotsuchi?" he asked. Shizune took a moment looking him over before responding. "She suffered a concussion and a broken rib. We were able to heal her up and she is in recovery right now. She should be fine after about a week of bed rest" she said before walking off. Naruto was glad that Kurotsuchi was okay. She was a fierce opponent and one that he could see as a fun challenge down the road. Turning his attention back to the battlefield, he saw that the jounin was re-explaining the rules to Sasuke and Yakumo. Naruto gave out a tired sigh. He didn't anticipate the exams lasting this long. It was already three o' clock and they still had three more matches after this one. And that was only for round 1! Granted that the exams had been delayed until 2 o' clock, it was still wearing on him. Looking up to the kage box, he noticed his mother staring intently at the battlefield.
(Kage Box)
Kushina sat silently examining the young kunoitchi that she had spent the past month training. A feeling of pride swelled within her whenever she looked at how far Yakumo had come. It was almost comical in a sense that she was technically the worst type of teacher that Yakumo could possibly get yet Yakumo had made so much progress. Throughout their training she had gotten to know the girl that her son was so taken with and had to say that she was impressed. It also helped her forget about the pain she felt from disciplining Menma and Narumi so harshly. It hurt to take their ninja licenses away, but ultimately it was necessary as they were becoming a danger to themselves and others.
Shaking her head of the depressing thoughts, she thought back to the first day of Yakumo's training with her. Smiling, she remembered that it was that day that she deemed the girl worthy to be with her eldest son.
(Flashback Team 11 Training Ground)
Kushina stood facing the brunette hussy that thought she deserved her son. Looking the girl over, Kushina slightly frowned. Yakumo didn't exude power but her determination could be felt from a mile a way. Finished analyzing her student of the month, Kushina spoke. "So, I hear that Sasuke Uchiha is your first opponent. I've also heard that you are quite talented in genjutsu" Kushina stated which elicited a slight blush and quick nod from Yakumo at the praise. "Unfortunately, genjutsu is not a well known field for me seeing as I don't have enough chakra control to master the "art"" Kushina said which caused Yakumo to frown for two reasons. The first reason was that it seemed like her boyfriend's mother who she was trying to impress had nothing to teach her. The second reason was due to the way she mocked genjutsu. Genjutsu was an art, one that she herself took very seriously.
"If you can't teach me anything then why did you request me in the first place?" Yakumo almost shouted glaring at the Uzumaki in front of her. Kushina simply crossed her arms and smirked. "I never said that there was nothing I could teach you did I? You are the most talented genjutsu prodigy in years according to Itachi so the field is not something I believe that you should focus primarily on for the month. For your upcoming battle, you are at a severe disadvantage. Sasuke is able to use his sharingan which will cause problems for genjutsu and taijutsu. He has relatively large chakra reserves which means that he will be able to use a multitude of ninjutsu against you. You on the other hand rely mostly on genjutsu but your taijutsu is much better than most genjutsu specialists according to Itachi. Your reserves are too small to get in a ninjutsu war so that leaves us with taijutsu as your only option. So for the duration of the month, I will work with you to create a new style of taijutsu suited specifically for you" Kushina stated.
Yakumo's eyes widened. She had worked hard to develop what was once a fragile body into that of a serious kunoitchi. In doing so, she had created her own style of taijutsu that relied on flexibility. It worked well enough against moderate level opponents but Sasuke knew her moves. "What do you mean by creating a new style of taijutsu?" Yakumo asked which caused Kushina to smile wide. "Well Yakumo I'm glad you asked. I believe that due to your level of genjutsu prowess, we can come up with a way to incorporate your genjutsu into your taijutsu. I'm going to make you fast and strong enough so that as you fight him head on, he won't even notice as you cast your illusions" the red head said which caused Yakumo's eyes to widen in realization.
Nodding her head, Yakumo had one more question to ask the Uzumaki. "Why did you want to train me? Really?" she asked quietly. Kushina at first was surprised at the question but quickly dismissed the feeling and let a blank look settle over her face. "Yakumo, I have only recently been allowed back into my son's life. Even though I've missed so much due to my own stupid decisions, I am still his mother and he will always be my baby boy. He seems to be quite taken with you and I wanted to know why. I wanted to know who you are. I wanted to know if you are a kunoitchi or if you are just a simple fan girl" Kushina said without emotion.
Yakumo thought carefully over Kushina's words before answering. "Naruto was my first friend. The day that Team 11 was created, the two of us went for dinner to get to know each other better. I don't know why but I felt so safe around him at the time. Something about him made me tell him things that I had bottled up for years. He told me to prove everyone who doubted me wrong and that he believed in me. Since the day I met him, his faith in me has never wavered even though there have been times when I've lost faith in myself. Through him, I was able to grow stronger and now I have more people who truly believe in me. To let myself be weak would be an insult to those that have faith in me and I refuse to let their trust be misplaced" the young genjutsu prodigy said with a fire in her eyes.
Kushina smiled at Yakumo's response. 'Naruto, I think that you've got a winner' the red head thought with a smile.
(End Flashback)
The Uzumaki looked down at her student with pride. She knew that she stood as good of a chance as anyone at winning these exams. Well maybe not as much as her son but that didn't matter right now.
(With Itachi)
Itachi sat with his mother Mikoto and father Fugaku in the audience be honest, he was regretting not going up and standing in the jounin section. His father just wouldn't shut up about the superiority of the Uchiha clan and how their prestige would prevail. It upset him that his other student was being dismissed so easy. "Father, I don't believe that this match will be as simple as you think" said Itachi stopping Fugaku from continuing his rant. Mikoto looked at her oldest son curiously but it was Fugaku who asked for an explanation. "Itachi, Sasuke has the sharingan. Nothing in that little girl's bag of tricks can possibly stop Sasuke. Trust me son, Sasuke will destroy everyone in this competition that stands in his way and bring glory to the Uchiha clan" Fugaku said arrogantly. His smile quickly dropped when Itachi responded. "Father, the sharingan isn't everything. While I have trained Sasuke to the best of my ability I cannot claim to know the outcome of this battle. The girl that you seem to dismiss so easily has more potential in genjutsu than me when using my sharingan. She will truly be great one day. I expect great things from her just as I do of Sasuke and Naruto. I believe in my students and know that this will not be an easy obstacle for Sasuke" Itachi said effectively shutting his father up and making Mikoto's eyes widen worryingly for her youngest son.
Looking down at the field where the battle was about to start, Itachi couldn't help but think back to when he began to train his brother for the month.
(Flashback Uchiha Estate)
The two Uchiha brothers stood across from each other, not a word being spoken between them. Breaking the silence, Itachi explained to his brother what would happen during the month of training that he would undergo. "Brother, Yakumo will be a difficult opponent but you have an advantage in taijutsu and ninjutsu" he said to which Sasuke nodded. "I've heard that Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze will be training Yakumo for the month so she will be formidable by the time the two of you fight. It is also most likely that the two will focus on taijutsu due to Kushina's lack of knowledge in genjutsu and Yakumo's lack of reserves for ninjutsu" he said to which Sasuke nodded again. "I'm not sure what their plan will involve, but it is likely that by the end of the month, the two will have come up with a way to counter not only your sharingan but your interceptor style as well" Itachi said which made Sasuke's jaw slightly drop.
Sasuke's mind was racing. He knew that his teammate was strong but to pose such a threat to him was surprising to say the least. But his brother was right about one thing. He had the advantage in multiple areas of combat. Looking at his brother with a determined look, he asked "So what do we do?" Itachi smirked. "What Yakumo will do is try to keep you involved in a fist fight rather than fight you at range. She is quite skilled in terms of taijutsu which means that you can't afford to spend the whole match fighting her up close even though you are the superior taijutsu user. You will need to keep your distance and make use of your ninjutsu. Throughout this month, I am going to make you faster, stronger, and on top of that i will teach you a powerful jutsu that may work well with you" the older Uchiha said. Sasuke smirked at his brother's description of training.
Itachi looked at his brother who seemed more determined than ever. He wasn't one to express emotions, but he felt incredibly proud of his little brother right now. Something told him that this was only the beginning of Sasuke's journey in becoming a great ninja.
(End Flashback)
Itachi looked down at his brother who was now taking his battle stance. The feeling of pride for his brother never left. In fact, over the past month the feeling had only gotten stronger. He didn't know how this match would end, but he would be proud of both of his students regardless of the outcome.
(On the battlefield)
Sasuke and Yakumo stared at one another as the proctor shouted to begin. Both genin were quickly analyzing any weak points they could find. Yakumo was the first to act as she quickly put her hands together and whispered something so quietly that it was unheard by her opponent. Not wanting his opponent to gain any sort of advantage, Sasuke made a series of quick handsigns before shouting "Great Fireball Jutsu" and launched a large ball of fire at the seemingly defenseless girl. Yakumo dodged quickly by jumping up in the air but was met by Sasuke who slammed his fist into her face knocking her back into the ground. Landing softly, Sasuke prepared to launch another jutsu at the downed Yakumo in front of him when his body stopped involuntarily. In front of him, Yakumo slowly got up and wiped a small trickle of blood from a busted lip.
"I would ask if you surrender but you're way to hard headed for that" Yakumo said with a smirk. Sasuke's response was to close his eyes. When they opened, the previous black eyes were replaced by blood red ones that held three tomoes each. Getting over what was an obvious genjutsu attempt by his opponent, Sasuke entered the Interceptor style. Yakumo smiled at him and jumped forward swinging her right fist. Sasuke easily saw the move with his sharingan and dodged by simply moving his head backwards. He was a little disappointed at the sad attempt at a punch until he was suddenly sent flying backwards.
Quickly rising to his feet, Sasuke rubbed his cheek. He had been hit but the question was by what. Yakumo's attack had missed hadn't it? He had no more time to think as the brunette attacked once again. Many of her hits missed yet he was still taking damage as if her attacks had landed. Separating himself from Yakumo, Sasuke looked at Yakumo with his sharingan spinning. 'What the hell is happening? I know that I dodged her hits. Something's up. Wait, genjutsu!' he thought before channeling chakra into a pulse to disrupt the genjutsu.
Yakumo frowned at Sasuke. Did he really think that her genjutsu would be dispelled so easily? Clenching her fists and preparing to rush the Uchiha once again, she noticed Sasuke doing a series of handsigns quickly. "Phoenix Sage Fire Technique" the Uchiha shouted before launching a multitude of fireballs in her direction. Yakumo was jumping back and forth dodging the fireballs but misjudged one of them taking the hit and landing on the ground. Getting back to her feet, Yakumo looked up and saw four fireballs in the air prepared to be sent at her. Silently cursing to herself, she put her hands together once again as a last ditch effort.
"Genjutsu won't save you now Yakumo" Sasuke shouted and closed his fist sending the fireballs at his teammate. Just as they were supposed to hit the girl, they suddenly hit what seemed to be an invisible barrier. Looking in confusion, the barrier had started to become visible due to cracks from the fireballs' impact growing quickly. Before long, the barrier shattered into hundreds of pieces as if it were made of glass. Sasuke looked at Yakumo who was now panting heavily. It was obvious that the girl was running low on chakra. The match wouldn't last much longer. Slowly walking towards his opponent, he stopped when Yakumo looked up in anger at him.
"You shouldn't have stopped attacking Sasuke" she said putting her hands together one last time. The shattered shards of the barrier began to rise and flew at Sasuke. There was nothing that he could do to defend himself as the hundreds of shards cut through his skin.
(With Itachi)
Itachi watched as a multitude of cuts formed on his brother's body. To the regular eye it would seem as if these cuts came from nowhere. To the sharingan, he saw the shards themselves slicing his brother's skin. It was a secret known to a select few in Konoha that Yakumo had the ability to make her genjutsu affect the victim not just mentally but physically as well. In many ways, Yakumo could be considered as the most dangerous kunoitchi in the exams because of her ability. Genjutsu had a wide range of potential but the drawback had always been that it was merely an illusion and once the victim realized this, the genjutsu user was in trouble. For Yakumo, she didn't have that drawback making her exceedingly dangerous.
(Kage Box)
The kages watched in silence trying to piece together what was going on. Each of the kages knew that Yakumo had genjutsu prowess due to the preliminaries but didn't know the full extent of her abilities. Kushina just looked down at her student with a smile. Throughout the match, Yakumo had done exactly what they had planned. While they had trained for the month, the two came up with a way to make a taijutsu style that utilized her genjutsu perfectly. Before beginning the taijutsu match, Yakumo had quietly said "Phantom Assailant", which created a physical genjutsu that attacked immediately after her. It was unable to be seen by anyone unless they had either incredible skill in genjutsu or a well experienced sharingan or byakugan. Sasuke's sharingan had evolved to three tomoes but that didn't mean that his eyes were experienced enough to see through the genjutsu.
It didn't matter if Yakumo's physical attacks missed because her "Phantom Assailant" would always land it's hit on an unsuspecting victim. The Uchiha had done well but Yakumo had done better.
(Battlefield)
Sasuke stood with cuts marring his body. He was in a fair amount of pain and was trying to push it to the back of his mind. Slowly standing tall which was no easy feat at the moment, he faced Yakumo who was panting harshly now. He had been foolish to think that his "Phoenix Sage Fire Technique" had ended the match. He underestimated her resolve, something that he wouldn't do again. Looking up towards the contestants' box, he thought of Naruto. 'I meant to use this move on you but circumstances dictate me to use it now' he thought before running through a set of handsigns. The last handsigns. Outstretching his arms and putting one hand over the other, he pushed his chakra into his hands. He didn't have much left but he needed it all to finish Yakumo. Feeling that he had an adequate amount for his technique he shouted "Solar Destruction", an unseen move by anyone, even his own brother.
A large golden ball radiating heat formed from Sasuke's hands. "It ends now Yakumo" Sasuke said quietly before launching the ball at the girl who was too tired to move. The golden ball flew with great speed before hitting Yakumo. When it hit the girl, it kept going pushing her backwards. Yakumo was too tired to resist as she was driven into the wall of the arena. It only took a moment for the smoke to clear before everyone saw the result of what had happened. Yakumo was unconscious against the wall, her clothes tattered, and blood slowly dripping from her nose and mouth along with a few bruises to her face that had already begun to revel themselves.
Sasuke fell to his knees after the attack. Despite it being a fire type move, it was not at full power when he performed it so there wasn't that much concentrated heat inside of it. Ideally, the ball would be a giant ball of fire that could burn everything in it's path. One day he would be able to use the jutsu to it's full extent, but for now all he needed was to knock out Yakumo which he did. The proctor announced the victory for Sasuke while Yakumo who was beginning to stir was taken by the medics.
(Itachi)
Itachi smiled with pride at not only his brother's performance but Yakumo's as well. Both were talented ninja who had greatness in their future. Next to him his father had his arms crossed but was smiling. His mother however was yelling and cheering louder than anyone else in the entire stadium it seemed. To Itachi, it was quite amusing due to the fact that his mother was usually quite reserved except when it came to her children. Itachi quietly chuckled at the moment.
(Kage Box)
Minato sat in thought. It seemed like it was just yesterday when Itachi had told him that his team had the potential to be greater than the Sannin. It had garnered laughs, eye rolls, and mutterings of disbelief at the time but seeing Team 11 today made him think that perhaps Itachi wasn't exaggerating. Knowing that it was time to give his opinion, Minato sat tall. "I believe that both Sasuke and Yakumo have proven their worthiness of the title of chunin" he said which gained nods of agreement from A, and Onoki. Rasa remained quiet. Kushina barely heard what her husband had said as she thought about her student. Despite losing the match, Yakumo had proven that a genjutsu user had the ability to be the most dangerous asset in a battle. Pride in her student swelled within Kushina. 'Yeah Naruto, you definitely picked a keeper' she thought with a smile.
(Sasuke)
Sasuke slowly left the field and made his way up to the contestants' box, every step taking effort. When he reached the box, he almost fell to the ground in exhaustion if not for being caught by his teammate and best friend.
Naruto gave his friend a smirk. "What's the matter Sasuke, too tired to keep going?" he said egging his teammate on. Sasuke grunted but smiled nonetheless. Naruto led Sasuke to a nearby seat and sat him down. Opening his shinobi pack, he pulled out a chakra pill and a blood pill and gave them to Sasuke. "Here, this should help" he said and Sasuke took the pills with a grateful smile before swallowing. The two sat in silence for a nearly a minute before Sasuke broke it. "So are you angry at me for beating your girlfriend?" Sasuke asked looking at Naruto. The blonde smiled. "No Sasuke. She gave it her all and you did the same. To me that is the best way to show respect in a battle. I hope that when you face me that you will give me the same amount of effort" he said with a smile to which Sasuke smiled back.
The two once again let silence overtake them as they looked towards the battlefield for the next match.
Yugito Nii of Kumo vs Gaara of Suna.
Author's Note: I hope that you all liked this chapter. Next up is jinchuriki vs jinchuriki and the beginning of the invasion. Also there will be a little surprise at who is pretending to be the Kazekage (SPOILER ALERT KIND OF: Rasa is dead). Anyway, hope you liked it and don't forget to review! I've made adjustments too the story a couple of times because sometimes you all have better ideas at where to go with this than I do. I appreciate all of your support and hope that I continue to entertain you all.