Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the anime or manga. This story is based off the world of Naruto. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto.
A/N: Please contact me if there is a spelling mistake in the chapters previous, current or ahead or if you would like to have a chat in general through the Private Messaging function. It'd be best as well to communicate if you have a FF account to do so (wouldn't want to have a mystery or be left at a Cliffhanger from a guest review).
If you wish to chat by email, email the address "ParidiseChat" on gmail.
Thank you and enjoy the story.
Chapter 14 - Backfire
"This is a test where we will weed out the incompetent ninja. The ninja that think they are already the best. Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the head examiner of the first Chūnin Exam. Morino Ibiki," he said in his loud deep voice. His lips turned into a smile. Ibiki was already enjoying the show.
Everyone in the room had a cold sweat run down their back once the huge man and his subordinates came into the room. Ibiki pointed his finger to where the troublemakers were.
"Make a mess again and I'll throw you out you shitheads. Now! Get into your groups and stand in a nice straight line you little pieces of scum!" Ibiki ordered. His words were harsh.
Ibiki's entrance made the room deadly quiet. So quiet in fact that it was possible to hear a pin drop.
Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke swiftly stood shoulder to shoulder in a neat formation. The other groups also did this and waited until Ibiki's frown turned upside down. Yet the man's smile didn't give Naruto any confidence to an enjoyable first exam.
"Now this is what I like to see. Yes, I can get used to this." His body language calmed down from his previous show of rage. Moving his hand to under his chin, he walked and looked at the groups in further detail.
"There are a lot of you young punks in this one. I won't lie. This doesn't make me happy." Ibiki's truth made Naruto gulp.
Not wasting the opportunity, Ibiki moved in and closed the distance between him and Naruto. Their noses were only inches apart.
"A little blond welp has come to my den. Answer this, are you going to get eaten alive?" he then asked.
Naruto breathed in deeply, his heart was pulsing. His hands were clammy. But he knew he was ready. He was going to kick this test's ass and become the Hokage someday. This is only going to be one step on the way.
A smile formed. His blue eyes had a clear focus within them.
"No. I'm going to beat you," Naruto said, a cheeky grin glowed with his words. He was fond of his new-found confidence.
Ibiki pulled his head back with a smirk planted on his face.
"Ha! That confidence. All so familiar blond welp. Don't fail and make me lose the little respect I have for you now." Ibiki then turned heel and walked whilst inspecting the other groups.
"Naruto, you shouldn't provoke him! What if he failed you on the spot!" Sakura said with grit.
"Sakura," Sasuke said, surprising his fellow two team members. "Follow Naruto's lead. We will beat this and become Chūnin."
"Sasuke-kun…"
Ibiki walked back to the chalkboard and clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention, despite the fact that everyone's eyes were already glued to his actions.
"Usually, the first test is some gimmick test. I was planning on a written exam, but then I remembered that the quality of the Chūnin coming out from the last five years have been of sub-par quality. As a proud ninja of my village, I cannot have that. And neither will your respective foreign villages. Therefore, I have a test that will truly test your skills."
The news was quite alarming to all genin inside the large hall. However, some were quite relieved.
"This is good news," Sasuke said while combing his fingers through his hair.
"Why Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with brimmed curiosity.
"Naruto can't do written exams if his life depended on it."
Naruto chuckled and then cracked his knuckles. "Hehehe, I suppose you're right Sasuke," he said with a giggle. "But I think I'd still do better than you. All you know is 'Fireball this' and 'Fireball that' with those little doodles of yours to boot."
Sasuke narrowed her eyes at Naruto for the blatant insult. Sasuke just shook his head and then refocused on the topic at hand.
The banter within the group was alive and well.
"Shhhh!" Ino hissed at group seven with her finger covering her lips.
Naruto turned his eyes from her back to Ibiki, to see him glaring his cold eyes right at him. The sight was unnerving.
"Let me give you a brief description on the test your groups will have. All of you are already formed in a team of three members. You will be given a slip of paper with a number on it. Whoever has one will go first, two will go second and this will go on until there are no more groups left," Ibiki explained to the large audience. "You will then leave this hall and go to the testing rooms where your test will begin. Any questions?"
Sakura put up her hand and took one step forward. Sakura was ready to speak once she saw Ibiki's nod of the head.
"What exactly is our test? You barely told us any information." Her words were true. As of that moment, all the teams were going in blind.
Ibiki grunted loudly and pointed to the blackboard, where the word 'TEST' was written on it in white chalk.
"You're not supposed to know what is on this test. Ninja are experts at adapting to any situation. This is only one aspect that we will be grading you on. Now, seems like there are no other questions. My helpers will be giving out the numbers. Take it and protect it with your life," Ibiki shouted at the end with heavy words.
As the Chūnin instructors distributed the pieces of paper, they were kept in envelopes. Thus, making it impossible to know which numbers were which.
Sakura took and thanked the instructor who gave Team Seven said envelope and opened it immediately. The sight of the number gave the group chills. An unfortunate result of probability.
"Of course, we were going to be first," Naruto said. His heartbeat started to go faster. He never liked these kinds of tests. It didn't help that it was in the academy where he struggled with learning for so long. "Must be bad luck."
"Or, it show the rest that we are cut from a different cloth." Sasuke's words were full of confidence. "And we don't have to wait. Aren't you excited, Naruto?"
Naruto clicked his fingers to calm himself down. He was letting the environment get to him too easily. The genin that surround him didn't affect him in the slightest bar one. Gaara no Sabaku. Yet it wasn't the Suna ninja that was making Naruto nervy.
It was that damn instructor, Ibiki. His tall figure, black trench coat and very square scarred jaw, the man was the embodiment of intimidating. His overall aura was affecting Naruto's emotions.
'I need to stop feeling these other feelings. It's only going to be bad for me if I can't control it!' he thought.
With a nod, Naruto formed a grin and looked right back to Sasuke. "I am excited. Too excited."
Sakura was still astonished on the growth of friendship that she saw between Naruto and Sasuke. Still amazed that these two were literally at each other's throats are now comforting one another. All she wondered is why she couldn't have this rapport with Sasuke, and Naruto somewhat.
"Groups with one to one to ten go through the hall door and go to the small classrooms labelled from A to J in the same ascending order. You will find out your groups' test when you enter the classrooms. Depending on your performances, you will either pass or fail," Ibiki stated. "Now one to ten, follow me to the testing rooms."
Team Seven didn't waste any time and followed Ibiki's lead. In front, by their sides and behind were groups from their own and foreign villages. None of them were recognisable.
Naruto and his friends left the bleak hall that was room 301 and entered a hallway that was filled with posters put up on yellow green stained walls. The dark floorboards and white ceiling were great contrasts to the walls.
Chūnin instructors lead the groups who held numbers two to ten further down the hall. Ibiki stayed behind and looked down at the three genin in front of him.
"Bad luck seems to follow you around," Ibiki said, staring down at Naruto. "I'm going to give you the hardest test. Let's see if you're actually worthy of being a ninja of our proud village."
Ibiki opened the door in front of him and entered the room. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had to wait outside. And the wait was killing them all inside.
"Naruto, you better not ruin this for us." Sakura's words were serious. "He seems to focus on you. Did you piss his off in the past?"
Naruto laughed. "I was going to say the same thing to you," he said, sticking out his tongue afterwards. "No. He's seeing if I'm all talk or not."
Sakura raised her fist in her anger, but she didn't act on it. Sasuke shook his head. She always went with his judgement more than her own. Most times, his words were law to her.
They team had to wait for a total of three minutes before the door slid open, only for Ibiki to pop his head out. He didn't say a word, all he did was bring it back in.
The door remained open. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke walked inside, closing the it behind them.
Naruto scanned the room immediately. It was mostly empty. In front of him was a table with a pile of papers, the top page had a photo portrait of a man. Beside the stack of sheets were multiple items. One was a blunt object that was covered in blood. There was also a pale rope, a bag filled with white powder and a card with lip imprints. The trace of a heart enclosed the red lips.
The other items that filled the table appeared to be mostly random objects that you would normally find in some shop or home. There must have been some reason on why all these items were gathered together.
On the other side of the room were two men tied up to wooden chairs behind another table. Their faces expressed little emotion.
The strangest thing Naruto noticed however was the table by the window. Underneath a cloth, something large was hiding under it.
Ibiki walked to the centre of the room, clapping his hands with a loud bang, he gathered all of Team Seven's attention.
"This is going to be your test. Do you have any idea what it is?" he asked.
The dumbfounded faces of the Genin made Ibiki sigh. "Alright, guess I got to explain it all to you. Follow me."
Ibiki walked over towards to the table covered in cloth, with Team Seven following his footsteps. Whipping off the cloth, it revealed a dummy model with a hat that one would see on a Daimyō's head. There were multiple fake wounds all over the dummy. The bloodstains were realistic to the eye, and the pseudo muscle that made up the dummy was impressive.
"This dummy is going to represent our murder victim. This test is all about finding out who killed him, how did he die and for what reason. You as a team will need to read through the information, examine the evidence provided on the table and interrogate the two main suspects over there. This test is to see how well you gather information and use it to reach your objective," Ibiki explained.
"What will happen if we get the wrong suspect?" Sakura asked with her uneasy voice. This unorthodox test was making her anxious.
"The victim is going to be the Daimyō of some great country who was hosting a banquet. He was assassinated, and the evidence is there to be seen. Getting the wrong suspect or getting your facts wrong can lead to catastrophic consequences. Thus, if you fail don't determine the manner of the kill, you will fail and will have to wait for your next Chūnin exam. And here's the best part, these are only the main suspects. Suspects… which means that these two could be completely innocent."
The answer only added to Sakura's anxiousness. She wished it was the written exam that Ibiki had planned on. She knew she would've aced it. But this was a whole different kind of test she never had to do.
All she was hoping for was that Naruto and Sasuke had some inclination on how to proceed. She didn't want to fail, and she knew as if it was the absolute truth that the two boys in front of her would hate if they failed.
"As you are hoping to be promoted to be Chūnin at the end of these exams, you need to be treated as such. Chūnin and Jōnin on missions don't have the choice to take their time. One of our own ninja solved a murder case in the Land of Fire's Capital by starting out with only one clue. One clue is nearly nothing when it comes to those types of missions.
"There was another Jōnin where he stopped an assassination by noticing one small error in different pieces of information. The one who stopped the assassination was your Sensei, Kakashi. These two would be ninja that are very quick thinkers despite some of their mannerisms. This ability to think and depict crucial information is required if you want to advance in ranks."
The members of Team Seven looked at each other with surprise written all over their faces. Their Sensei, Kakashi, stopped an assassination because of one little mistake from the assassins. They knew Kakashi was strong and smart, but this just cemented it even further.
"You three will have half an hour to solve this case. If you play your cards right and crack the case, then you will move onto the next stage. Good luck." Ibiki moved from the table and walked over to a wooden chair that was residing in the corner of the room. Taking out a notepad and pen, he sat down and focused his eyes on the Genin. "You may begin."
Naruto turned to Sakura with a question on the tip of his tongue. "What's the plan?" he asked.
Sakura gasped in shock. She didn't expect Naruto to ask for directions. A surprise as she thought he didn't have a high opinion of her.
"Sakura, answer Naruto. What's the plan?" Sasuke jumped in. His cool confidence was showing. "We don't have much time."
Feeling the lack of time creep over her, Sakura thought hard and thought quick.
"Naruto, you look at the body and the items on the table. Try and find out how the Daimyō died and with what. Sasuke-kun and I will read through the reports on the supposed events and on the two suspects. We'll join together once we're all done and make questions to ask them. Are you two okay with that?" Sakura asked with hesistation.
Both Naruto and Sasuke nodded and got to work in an instant. Sakura was watching them bewildered. They took the order, there were no complaints. They must have thought it was a good plan.
Noticing that she was wasting time, Sakura moved to the reports and started reading as fast as she could. Seeing that Naruto was looking at every detail of the dead dummy, and Sasuke was reading with his Sharingan activated, she knew she couldn't let the team down.
In the corner, Ibiki formed a small grin and wrote down some notes. "Impressive teamwork. Let's see if they can actually solve the puzzle."
Jōnin Lounge
"The tests can't be that hard right?" Kurenai asked further. "They're only Genin."
"Yeah, but they're Genin trying to become Chūnin. He will do what is necessary. Even if it means getting into their heads," Kotaro said to her.
"See Kurenai, Ibiki is someone that understands human psychology as if it was a simple math sum. And the scariest part about him is that he can drive a person to a corner mentally, control their mind and bully them. He can find a person's weakness and bring it to the surface," Asuma told Kurenai.
Kotaro and Kakashi nodded in agreement. "That's why you don't to ever make Ibiki mad. I've helped him once with an interrogation on one of my mission targets ages ago. Hokage-sama sent me on an A-rank mission sometime last year to capture this guy so he can spill information. He had information on the Capital's garrison numbers.
"Ibiki… the man is cruel once he puts his gloves on. Broke the man like a twig mentally in less than a day. Thank goodness he likes me, we get along great!" Kotaro said as he drank some water.
Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi could only gulp and worry for her students.
Kotaro started to laugh, breaking the awkward silence. He calmed down and buddied up to Kakashi. "Hey, Kakashi. Have you heard the news about the Western Continent of the Mainland?" he asked.
Kakashi shook his head. "No, I haven't at all," he said.
Kotaro pouted, he then got off his seat and looked outside the window. "There's been a couple of revolts happening in the Lands of Fangs and Claws are having some trouble. There seems to be something, or someone pulling the strings behind the scenes," he said. "I wonder where it will lead."
Kakashi sighed. "I have no idea," he said. "The Western Continent of the Mainland has always been ravaged by terrible wars. The people are poor, there is always a famine or drought somewhere in one of those countries. There are so many of them, and they're all small so all they do is fight with each other."
Asuma and Kurenai listened intently. Events that happen around the world are always interesting.
Kotaro laughed as he watched the birds sing on the nearby trees. "Yeah, past the Lands of Earth and Wind, there's no real ninja village to balance the power. It seems that someone is taking the opportunity and orchestrating something big. Maybe to establish their own country?"
"Who knows," Kakashi said. "Who knows."
Asuma sighed and stood up. "It's time to bounce. Kurenai, you wanna come with? I'm thinking of going and getting a drink at the bar," he asked her.
Kurenai shook her head. "No, I have better things to be doing. See all of you later," she said as she left.
"Fuck man," Asuma whimpered out.
Kotaro laughed lightly and smacked Asuma's backside. "Don't worry man. There's chemistry, not much... but it's a start. Go get 'em tiger," he encouraged.
"Shut the hell up Kotaro," Asuma said in a huff with his departure.
Flabbergasted, Kotaro turned his head to Kakashi who only shrugged in response.
Test Room
As time went on, more and more clues were revealed to Team Seven as the investigated the evidence. Yet, as the more they learnt, the pressure grew. It was running out.
Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke gathered together and whispered to each other. Ibiki and the two suspects watched closely but they couldn't hear a single word. The Genin were smart with their communicational approach.
"Six minutes remaining. I have yet to hear a single question asked to the suspects." Ibiki's words were cold.
Naruto turned his head, the corner of his eyes watched Ibiki still write short notes into his notepad. What the hell could that man be writing about? Was he grading them on their approach on this case?
He didn't know and right now Naruto didn't care. They had to solve the case to have any chance in progressing onto the next stage.
"I'll do the asking. Sasuke-kun, you watch them with your Sharingan. Naruto, stay behind and see if they're lying or not," Sakura declared.
The two boys nodded in agreement and moved their places. Sakura walked and sat in front of the two suspects.
Naruto watched them with careful eyes. He knew this was all a test as the suspects were two of Ibiki's underlings, two of the Chūnin Examiners. But these two men wore grey probably rehearsed being suspects, and one of them as the murderer. How was he going to determine which one was the murderer?
This was going to be Naruto's test and he was going to make sure he comes out with an A+.
Before beginning, Sakura was uncertain. "How we supposed to ask for information if they're both here?" she asked, her eyes aiming at Ibiki.
Ibiki scratched his chin with narrowed eyes. "Out on the field, you won't have the luxury of interrogation rooms. You have to do your best with what's in front of you. I didn't lie in saying this is the hardest test."
Naruto flexed his neck, cracking his knuckles in the loud process. His veins were pumping. "As if that'll stop us. Come on, let's do this, guys," he said with confidence.
Sakura and Sasuke grew smirks of their own and got ready for the closing moments of their test.
"Suspect one, tell us your alibi please," Sakura asked, her tone of voice was stern. All to familiar to Naruto's ears.
The Chūnin examiner rolled back his shoulders, relaxing on his chair whilst spreading himself out. "I was enjoying food at the tables. Talking to some of the guards as we were doing rounds. I wasn't supposed to take the food, but it looked so good that I took a bite. I don't regret a thing."
Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke leaned over the table with his eyes staring with great concentration. "We don't want to know if you liked the food or not. We only want to know the important facts."
Both suspects were taken aback from the instantaneous hostility. Naruto knew he had to calm things down at that moment. Sakura wouldn't dare to even try to undermine Sasuke.
"What's your story?" Naruto's question was aimed straight for the other suspect, who was played by another Chūnin instructor.
Naruto's smile threw the instructor off. The juxtaposition of Naruto being nice and Sasuke mean was all too similar to the age-old tactic of "Good cop, Bad cop".
The second suspect sat up straight with good posture. He coughed before he spoke. His long fringe covered his right eye, only showing his brown left eye.
"I was protecting the late Daimyō. I stood at my positions for the whole duration of the party. I have failed my lord." The man's demeanour was full of shame. A sullen voice was all Team Seven could hear.
Ibiki trained him well to be a believable actor. The genin could tell.
Naruto logged that to the back of his head. If he wanted to deceive anyone in the future, he would need to become a better actor. His performance with the bartender in the Land of Waves was not up to par anymore.
"And yours?" Naruto's stared deeply into the other examiner's eyes. He always confessed the truth whenever a hard stare was put on him from either Hiruzen or his older brother. Surely the same would happen here, so he thought.
"Apart from taking a snack here and there, I was standing guard in the hall, making sure no person could come attack the Daimyō. My eyes were on him the whole time. I was ready to protect his back from any danger. Before I knew it, my lord was dead, and I have failed." His words were filled with certainty. His head wasn't shiny because he was nervous, only because the man was bald.
"This isn't getting us anywhere. From the information in the notes, these two are telling the truth." Sakura said with exasperation. "There must be something we're missing."
"Is there anything else you want to say?" Sasuke's question was accompanied with a Sharingan glare, the tomoe marks spinning in entrancing circles.
The two examiners blew out large sighs and shook their heads. Naruto ticked his tongue in annoyance. They were smart cookies, keeping their trap shut so not to let anything loose. Even the slightest clue could lead to their demise.
'It has to be one of them, yet they both are acting the exact same way. Why!?' Naruto's thoughts were running rampant. He didn't want to fail. He certainly didn't want to disappoint his older brother. He knew he had to figure this out.
Skimming through the notes that were on the table, Naruto went to the security detail. The clue had to be in the pages.
Flipping the long edges of the paper, it led him to the times of all the guards, and the plans of their positions.
"When did the guy die?" Naruto asked bluntly as he scanned the information.
"You mean the Daimyō? I He passed away in his bedroom's bathroom at quarter to eleven. He was found on the seat," Sakura told him. "You should be clearer on what you're asking."
"Naruto, what was the autopsy?" Sasuke asked with his hands clenching slightly.
"Three minutes left." Ibiki's loud words echoed through the room. "Three minutes left until you pass or fail."
'Come on! We're gonna fail if we keep this up!'
"The Daimyō died due to excessive blood loss."
"Is there anything that was out of the ordinary?" Sasuke further asked.
Naruto walked backwards to the dummy and glanced at the body. Turning to the autopsy report, he read between the words and the evidence.
"Now that you mention it, the victim has five stab wounds to the abdomen. Yet there is rope burn found below the head, most of it found on the throat and very little to none found on the neck," Naruto said with thought. "Oh, that makes things different..."
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. "It just means there was a struggle and-"
Naruto shushed her and stepped forward, putting his foot down and slamming his hand onto the table. An aggressive tactic was being played. His eyes planted on the long-haired suspect.
"You said you were there to always protect the Daimyō's back, yet clearly he was being held against his will with rope from behind. How did you not see this happen?" Naruto asked with grit. "If you were guarding the Daimyō, you should have seen it."
The examiner didn't answer straight away, much to Team Seven's annoyance.
"Naruto, where are you going with this line of questioning?" Sakura had to ask.
Naruto moved away from the table and looked at his teammates. "Let me ask you two guys this, why are there stab wounds and rope burn? Why both?"
"To kill the Daimyō obviously," Sakura answered. "Now that you mention it, a person can't die from being strangulated and also blood loss."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "The Daimyō was strangled, and while struggling, he was stabbed multiple times. The killers ran away from the scene afterwards."
"Makes sense. All the stab wounds were bunched together at the abdomen. Probably a fast kill that was out of control," Naruto added on.
"But that wasn't the murder weapon," Sakura piped out. "Wasn't it that small statue on the table covered in blood?"
"I don't think so. The victim would have trauma to the skull, and Naruto would have told us." Sasuke looked back at the body, shaking his head in the process. "This puzzle is tough to solve. Just what I expected from these Chūnin exams."
"There was nothing around the head, just the rope burn mark around the throat. This is getting deep. Tell us now, can people from the banquet go to the Daimyō's quarters?" Naruto asked the two suspects.
Neither suspect said a thing. Neither moved from their spots.
"Playing hard to get?" Naruto growled. "It'll be better for all of us if you get your head out of your ass and cooperate. Did anyone go into the Daimyō's quarters with him?"
The two suspects narrowed their eyes on Naruto with a cold glare. Naruto's focus was high, he could feel it all in the air.
"No," answered the bald suspect. His tone was deep yet had little emotion to it.
The long haired suspect didn't add anything to the answer.
"Less than a minute left."
All three of the Genin wished Ibiki would keep his mouth shut tight. His harbouring words only added to the pressure that laid on their shoulders. Time was ticking.
"They're not telling the full story. I can sense it," Naruto said in a hiss. Time was running out.
Sasuke scanned the two suspects once again with his activated Sharingan. "They're not. They're lying."
"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked with tensions growing.
Sasuke cleared his throat before speaking in his ever so serious tone.
"Because there could be no other option. These two were off their posts at the time of murder. Both are trained in the use of bladed weapons. The Daimyō is usually accompanied by multiple guards. We know he was assassinated Naruto stated that the autopsy to us, and there was a calling card found on his body, one with a heart shape on it. The bag of the drug substance, "magic snow", was found near the body as well. This is a kill for payment"
"Sasuke-kun? Are you sure?"
"Sakura, have faith in Sasuke. He can right every now and then."
"Naruto! Why-"
Naruto put his finger to his lip. Giving a wink to Sakura, she quieted down because of the series of little shocks.
"We know what happened. The Daimyō was assassinated by two people in a struggle because there was a hit put on his head from a major criminal player, probably a drug lord." Naruto walked over to the table and quickly grabbed the card and bag, returning, he threw them on the table with a mighty glare aimed straight back at the two suspects. "You two coordinated the murder once the Daimyō was at his most vulnerable. A drunken fool needing to drain his dragon. Your attack didn't go according to plan and you had to use the rope to restrain while the other stabbed him. Am I right?"
The two suspects shifted uncomfortably.
"We're not saying anything."
Sakura's eyes sparkled at the reaction. It was becoming more and more obvious. "Naruto and Sasuke-kun are onto something right. We're on the correct track. We have to ask more quest-"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Time's up. The show is over."
Team Seven turned their heads to see Ibiki closing the distance between them, slowly clapping in the process.
"Let me ask you something before I disclose the results. Girl… Sakura was your name? Do you agree with what your partners did? Do you trust their conclusions?" he asked as he stood only a few inches away from here. Completely towering over, making Sakura shake in her shoes.
Gulping loudly, Sakura nodded slowly, then rapidly. "Yes… For what we have… it makes sense."
Ibiki stared down at Sakura's eyes, noticing the fear embedded in the deep green.
"Creating a conclusion and going along with it without discovering the whole truth can lead to your demise. It can lead to this," Ibiki whispered as he pulled off his bandanna, displaying his scars, his trophies of loyalty.
All three of the Genin's, especially Sakura, turned to a ghastly pale. The burn scars painted a horrifying picture.
A picture truly paints a thousand words.
"So, I'll ask again," Ibiki said, his tone never changing, "do you agree with what your partners did? With their conclusion that they mostly pieced together?"
Sakura clenched her fist. Digging deep, she grabbed whatever spirit she could muster, using it to show her confidence in her team's performance.
"I do!"
What felt like an era was only five seconds. Ibiki's straight lips turned into a wry smile. "That answer had a bite to it. I like that. Now let me get to the results."
Team Seven's heartbeats all started to go a little faster. Did they pass or did they fail?
"You, as in the team, didn't solve the case fully."
The feeling of shame and disappointment washed over the Genin. They tried so hard, yet they didn't reach the finish line.
"However, surprisingly, you solved most of the main mysteries. And I was impressed with all of your performances. The welp was good at his questioning and picking out the fine details from the evidence. Sasuke, you had a good eye on how the two suspects acted. Their behaviour was a key element of this test. You performed well. And Sakura, although you didn't discover as much as the two boys, you did the most important task. You laid down the groundwork and gave the team direction."
Smiles crept on both Naruto and Sakura's faces. Sasuke even let his lip turn into a happy curve. Has the tables turned?
"You acted as Chūnin. Seems like Kakashi taught you well. Or you three have innate talent, talent that will make you important cogs for the machine that is Konoha. Go to the waiting room where the successful candidates go to. You three earned it."
The three were gobsmacked. Ibiki wasn't being deceiving. He really meant what he said.
Walking out of the silent room, the three walked side-by-side until they reached the end of the corridor, where it led to the room where the successful teams went and rested whilst they waited for the news on the second exam.
Not wasting time, Naruto opened the door, and was surprised. There was nobody there. Just him and his teammates.
"We took the full thirty minutes. That means everyone else failed," Sasuke pointed out.
"Just shows the difference in level." Naruto moved towards the windows and sat on the sill. Letting the early morning sun hit his back. "This is a victory. Well done Team Seven," he cheered with a happy smile.
Naruto's bright face further illuminated the room. But there was one person radiating a grey dull.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" Naruto asked with concern laced in his voice.
Sakura shrugged her shoulders, her face showed uncertainty. "You guys did all the work. I don't deserve to be here…"
Naruto bit his lip. What the hell does he have to say to make her feel energetic and confident? Anything he would say would either make her mad or feel worse.
"Hn."
Naruto turned to the grunt, what usually is an annoyance is now a saviour. Whatever Sasuke will say, it will be gold. That's the effect that Sasuke has over Sakura, and some of the others.
Naruto was jealous of it. He wanted that. Is it respect, or was it the fact that so many of his fellow genin naturally place confidence in him? Family clan and his hard-worked skills, these were probably the reasons on why.
But Naruto had these as well. Yet his past actions, his old pranks and previous bad performances painted a bad picture for his name.
"We would have failed without you Sakura. You're an important part of the team."
Naruto watched the complete flip of emotions on Sakura's face. Her cheeks blushed red from the compliment. He was happy, but inside he grew jealous. All he knew was that his time will come, these exams are only a steppingstone for his dream of becoming the Hokage.
Six words made all the difference.
Jōnin Longue
"It shouldn't be a surprise that there's so much conflict on the other side of the continent. It's full of chaos and war, and there are many different cultures there. Much different from ours."
"And because of that, we do nothing with them. Probably for the best."
"What're you two talking about?"
Turning his head back, Kotaro saw Anko rest close to the window.
"Well, if it isn't Anko. Kakashi and I were just chatting," he said as he patted Kakashi's right shoulder. "It was a nice chat, wasn't it?"
Kakashi nodded slowly. "Yeah... You're going to have to tell more about those Blood-Riders of the West. I'm heading out to get some air."
"Yeah… Come by tonight for dinner Kakashi. My door is always open for friends," Kotaro offered as he stood up. Cracking his back, he threw Kakashi a smile.
"I'll think about it." Kakashi walked towards the window. Moving his lone eye to Anko, he said the words, "Don't do anything funny to him. He's on edge since his little guy is in the big bad Chūnin exams."
Anko snorted a short laugh and got off the wall. "Then why don't I help take off the edge then. See you Kakashi."
Kakashi gave a wave goodbye to the two and jumped out of the window with pace.
"I'm not on edge, he's just pulling your leg." Kotaro stretched his arms as his closed the distance between him and Anko. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Trying to get out and about. A girl like me can't stay still unless… you know there's something sweet in my mouth." Anko's words made her salivate.
The image was off-putting, enough to make Kotaro move towards the window himself. "Come on, we'll go and get some dango. My treat."
Anko smiled at the offer and followed the man out of the window. Landing swiftly and catching up to him, the two walked side-by-side as the streets of Konoha filled with the local people.
All of them had happy faces and voices.
"This is nice."
Anko turned her head to Kotaro who was staring off into space, watching the people chat away without any worry. "Strange that you point it out. Something on your mind Kotaro?" she asked.
There was no immediate response, which annoyed the young woman immensely. She liked to annoy others, not the other way around.
"When the mood in the air is positive, it's hard not to flow into it. You know what I mean?" Kotaro asked with a small smile. "Like… when everyone is happy, you have to be happy as well."
"You're saying some weird stuff man. I thought you were just treating me to dango. This isn't part of the deal," Anko said with narrowed brows. "I take it we're going to Granny's Garden Teahouse for the dango? You like the little pond there."
"Taking notes are we Anko?" Kotaro said with surprise. "Seems like you get all attentive when it comes to these things I suppose. Yeah, we're there now. I'll order a plate for each of us. My treat?"
"You're the best Kotaro," Anko responded with a sickly sweet voice, accompanied with her sweet smile.
As Kotaro pulled the flap to enter the shop, a Chūnin wearing a grey overall outfit appeared at their feet. His bandanna and dull glasses obscured any facial details.
"You're one of Ibiki's helpers," Kotaro pointed out as he walked back outside. "Is there a reason you're here now?" he asked his stern voice.
The Chūnin nodded and looked up to Anko. "Yes! Mitarashi-san is late. She is in charge of the second exam for the Chūnin exams and all the participants are waiting for her. Morino-san ordered me to find her," he stated clearly.
Kotaro leaned his head back, his bit his lower lip and his eyes were scowled. He saw Anko covering her face with her hands.
"Shit! I forgot about that. I got all distracted." Anko stomped her foot hard in the ground, scaring the Chūnin in front. "Leave, I'll be there in a few minutes."
The Chūnin nodded and left as quickly as he came.
"How long will you be?" Kotaro's words were quick and piercing. "I'm hungry for a snack and I don't want to wait for too long," he said.
"A few hours. That's the most I'll need. I can meet up for lunch at three or four."
Kotaro nodded and moved to the nearby bench. "Then I'll have some tea as I wait for you. If you see Naruto, make sure he knows I'm rooting for him."
Anko smirked as she turned heel. "You that confident that he passed the first exam? That's cocky of you Kotaro."
"If I'm not, then what kind of brother would I be?"
Later that Day
Watching as the fish play and swim in the shallow pond, Kotaro chewed on the sticky remains of the dango. He was at peace.
Him being alone gave him time to reflect.
"Where the hell am I going?" he asked himself. The question has been on his mind for some time now. He's set out what he wanted to do, he found family and now is living in Konoha. He knows he wants a wife and children, but that is for the future, he doesn't want kids before he even reaches twenty.
As of that moment, Kotaro was out of aspirations. He knew he wasn't feeling ambitious of late, solely on the fact that his drive on improving has been incredibly low.
Was it due to the fact to his actions with Mei in the reclaiming of Kirigakure? Or the fact that he has no peers that are out of his reach?
Complacency was his worst enemy at that moment.
Kotaro knew for a fact that Kakashi was strong. One of the strongest of Konoha. Yet the lone ninja is stagnant. He has barely changed in skill in the last few years that Kotaro has taken residence in Konoha. The same is said for Asuma.
Gai on the other hand is getting stronger every day. Little by little, Gai is climbing the ladder.
Kotaro can feel it whenever alone. He was lost.
'She's here. Finally.'
Kotaro stood away from the bench and went back into the shop. The old lady behind the counter gave the young ninja a nod and a flick of her fingers. She knew what she had to do as she was paid in advance.
Returning to his seat, he saw a woman already making herself comfortable at the other side.
"I was wondering when you'd pop up," Kotaro chimed. "You're late. It's almost night. You're lucky the dango lady stays open this late."
Anko smiled gleefully as she saw Kotaro come by as he chuckled. She felt comfortable to be herself around him. She doesn't have to resort to crude and lewd jokes and actions at every instance. She can just relax.
"I was having trouble explaining the second exam to the Genin. It seems that trying to get a pair of opposite scrolls is hard to understand. And to get all those slips signed, and too make sure everyone entered the forest. And Naruto was being a cheeky brat about it as well, pushing my buttons. However, I admit that you Uzumaki men are handsome. You're nearly as handsome as your little brother," she jeered. She had a little giggle as she said her words.
"Naruto is quite the man. He'll be the pick of the crop once he actually goes looking for love."
"Is there anyone out there that you're interested in Kotaro? Here in our lovely village or is it some farmgirl out in the countryside?" Anko asked, a grin forming on her lips. "You're young and soon to be in the prime in your life. You would have a hefty price on the market. And I wouldn't be surprised if your little brother follows the same path."
"Naruto left an impression on you then," Kotaro pointed out. "Anko, you already know the answer to your question."
"Then what's stopping you?" she asked as she started to eat the freshly served dango. The old Granny was a former kunoichi, she laid the plate deftly and swiftly as if it was a mission.
Kotaro took a moment to sip on his tea. Staring down into it, all he could see was black. An endless abyss where there was no visible end.
"I don't know… I want to become something before I move onto that part of my life. You know? My story has only truly begun, why move onto the second part so soon? I'm nearly twenty, I'm far too young to settle down."
"I never thought it that way… Sometimes I forget how young you really are."
Silence pertained the air. The evening sun was about to come. The plate was already cleaned.
"When the Moon of Blood comes at its grandest, the sunset children will have opened the gates of doom at the peak of the world with the key of the deep depths. The Eye of Doom will reawaken. The Cataclysm will arrive, and the world will be reborn.
"That's what my mother used to say. A forewarning written in ancient scriptures held at Uzushiogakure. I've known it since my father passed away. I don't understand what it means."
"That sounds really weird," a confused Anko commented. "You Uzumaki sound like a crazy bunch. It sounds like something one of those crazy religious leaders spout out."
Kotaro laughed heartedly and looked back at her. "You're right. At least some of the cultures have cool religious things."
"Like what? Tell me about those blood-riders you were talking about with Kakashi?"
Kotaro stalked his way back to the bench and laid down his now empty cup. "They say that if you die in battle with the blood of your enemies, you are reborn with your lower body replaced with that of a stallion, and there's open plains filled with women and delicacies. Seems like a good deal to me. I don't know what happens with the women though."
"Anko-sama!"
Kotaro and Anko turned their heads to behind them. Kotaro's eyebrows rose as he noticed it was another Chūnin assistant. These occurrences were truly irritating him. Kotaro could sense that Anko was staring at the assistant with scary eyes.
In a shaky voice, the assistant shrieked, "There are bodies found close to the Tori shrine that we need you to investigate. The three are believed to be participates for the Chūnin exams."
Kotaro watched the change in expression on Anko's face. Her fun persona dissipated as her serious side surfaced.
"Lead the way. We can't let the perpetrator get away from our grasp. This is our village; I won't let it be shamed," Anko ordered, her voice cold with her growing fury.
The two left and jumped atop of the rooftops close by. Not being one to be left in the dark, Kotaro followed suit.
It didn't take long for him to see Anko and three Chūnin inspecting three corpses, lying beside headstones close to the shrine. From their apparel, they were ninja from the Kusagakure from the land of Tall Grass.
However, the bodies appeared to have lost their mass and shape. They were rather flat. Empty sacks of flesh.
"What the fuck?" Anko uttered as she lifted up the shoulders of one of the corpses. "I saw this person like a few hours ago… she went into the Forest of Death with her team. If she's there, then who's this? Unless…"
"Unless the person in the forest is a fake." Kotaro's input made all the others turn their head to him. "Just leads to the question of who is the mysterious person in the forest?"
Boom!
"That came from Training Grounds 44," One of the Chūnin said.
"That's the first time I heard anything that loud coming from a Chūnin exam. Must have been a bomb or an advanced explosive tag. You don't suppose it's a coincidence, do you Anko?" Kotaro asked. His teeth were baring. The signs were not looking good, Naruto was in that forest and he could be in trouble. "That was heavy duty. Normally Genin don't have access to that type of equipment."
"Is this a terrorist attack? Are the people who did this want us to wage war on Kusagakure? We have an alliance with them!" One of the Chūnin asked.
Kotaro turned to Anko whose skin was a ghostly pale. Her hand covered the nape of her neck and the other was clenched tightly. Blood leaked as her nails pierced her skin. "No… it can't be him…"
"Anko! Calm down," Kotaro yanked her arm, making the woman snap out of her stupor. "It's alright, we'll fix this. Who is it?"
"I gotta go Kotaro. I have something to take care of." Anko's words were filled with fear. This was nothing like the normal Anko. The Anko that Kotaro was so used to, the one he knows the best.
"I can come with you. I can help you."
Anko stared at Kotaro with wide eyes. Her neck jolted in pain, the pain of the present foreign control and of the past. She then shook her head solemnly.
"I have to deal with this. Me. Only me. Kotaro, take care of this for me," she said as her eyes ignited with fight. And then she disappeared. Her exit was intense.
The leaves blew as the evening sun flared out of the scene.
"You three, go to Ibiki and tell him what happened here. Tell him to warn all of the others. Also tell him that ANBU will come and assist. I need to talk to the Hokage about this, now go!" Kotaro ordered with a voice of steel.
"Yes Uzumaki-san!"
The three Chūnin jumped away and ran towards the Academy Grounds.
"Anko is only afraid of one thing. Her dark past is haunting her again. One person… I need to tell Jiji. Things are only going to get interesting from now it seems."
Training Grounds 44
Through the heat and smoke, a ash covered snake moved its head, with its summoner standing on top. The mysterious Kusa kunoichi that had a dark presence surround her all day has attacked Team Seven. Appearing out of thin air and refusing to take their scroll, all she wanted was their lives.
"Cute. You're such a cute prey Naruto-kun," the Kusa kunoichi creepily said, making Naruto shiver. The summoned snake flicked its large tail to hit the underneath of the branch that Naruto was standing on.
The boy went flying into the branches. He was in pain, he needed assistance.
The branch broke in half and the tail hit Naruto. Naruto flew up high and broke more branches along the way until his body stopped, hitting into a branch that was thicker than the rest. His body started to fall.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed out in worry. "Sasuke! What are you doing! Why aren't you helping Naruto!? HE NEEDS YOU!"
Sasuke couldn't move again. The intent to kill. The lust for his blood was too much. "What power…" he stuttered. "Just like him..."
The sound of cracking could be heard below. Naruto broke through the branches and ran towards the dangerous foe. He had kunai in his left hand. His right hand was occupied with ninja wire. Naruto began to run vertically up the tree to try to get an advantage.
He had a plan and he was going to make sure it was going to work.
"Fufufu, he's smarter than he looks," the Kusa kunoichi said with a lick on her lips.
Naruto ran off a new branch until he was above the three heads of the Kusa kunoichi, Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto threw his kunai down, straight for the enemy's head.
"That is too simple. Maybe I was wrong," the Kusa kunoichi said.
The kunai came down and she simply deflected it. The kunai still held speed and dug itself into the ground nearby. She watched the kunai in amusement. This was too easy for her.
DUNK!
The kunoichi looked down to her feet and saw another kunai. This one covered in multiple explosive tags. The were already ignited.
BOOM!
The tags were set off and a huge explosion came. The snake hissed in pain before puffing into smoke. The black smoke cleared, and the sound of coughing can be heard. It was the Kusa kunoichi's cough.
"Fufufu. Using the first kunai as a guide for the bombed one. And making me set it near to myself. The rumours of you being a trickster are true then, Naruto-kun," she said with a smile.
Naruto narrowed his eyes on the woman. She appeared to be undamaged. Hell, she just looked a bit dirty, nothing more. He ticked his tongue. "What can I do next?" Naruto said under his breath.
The Kusa kunoichi waited for two seconds before she made her move. She flashed behind Naruto with the use of a body-flicker.
Naruto turned around and blocked a punch, aimed straight for his face.
'That punch! It was so quick, but held so much weight. It was so heavy. Gah! My bones will break if this keeps up! I only had time to block it because of the body-flicker. What's next?' Naruto thought.
He pushed back the kunoichi and started an array of punches. Going left and right. Moving back and pushing forward. Mimicking ocean waves.
"Fufufu. You are good with your hands. But, can you deal with this?" the Kusa Kunoichi said with a grin.
Naruto brought up his arms and crossed them over his chest. The Kusa kunoichi was quick and did a spin kick. The power was so unreal that Naruto was flown back off his feet.
CRASH!
Naruto was kicked into Sasuke and both boys tumbled back in pain. Sasuke's head was throbbing and Naruto was thanking his stars that his arms weren't broken.
The Kusa kunoichi slid down the tree and looked at both boys. They were her next meal.
"Naruto… We need to fight. We can't die here," Sasuke said. He rubbed his forehead and gritted his teeth. There was a cut, thankfully not deep. Blood was flowing down his face. "This woman is pissing me off."
Naruto nodded. "Me too. There's this intense pressure when I'm around her. It's way more than Zabuza, this bloodlust for us! I can't describe it… Where's Sakura?"
"She's hiding behind a tree. I ordered her to. She will only hold us back here. She needs to live, I won't let another person I cherish die on my watch."
Naruto smiled and cracked his neck loudly. "That's what I like to hear. Sasuke, it's time we stop messing about that kick her ass! The bithc won't be easy."
"Looks like it."
Amused by the rising spirits, the Kusa kunoichi closed the distance between her and them with a gleeming smile on her face."
"Have you boys come to an agreement? Fufufu, which one will I get to play with," the kunoichi asked.
"Both of us!" Naruto and Sasuke shouted in unison.
Sasuke jumped back and reached down to his holster.
Naruto threw multiple shuriken at the kunoichi. The kunoichi dodged them with snake-like motion. The shuriken hit the tree behind. The kunoichi then dashed forward and gets into Naruto's space.
"Round two, Naruto-kun?" she jested.
Naruto gritted his teeth and ducked under a high kick. He then jumped up to dodge a leg sweep.
The kunoichi then hit Naruto's abdomen with a powerful palm strike to send him back flying. Naruto skids across the tree and slows down. Naruto sent chakra to his feet to help slow down, it gave more friction. Long streaks of his shinobi sandals were marked in the tree.
The kunoichi came in close and started her taijutsu once more.
Naruto couldn't see or feel a clear opening, so he went with the flow. He dodged as much as he could, trying to be as fluid as possible.
'Sense it Naruto. Everything is affected by one's chakra. Nii-chan showed us the ropes, once you sensed everything, we can predict everything fotward. It's time to put it to use!' Naruto thought as he swayed away from the attacks, trying to emulate his recent training.
SMACK!
Naruto's face was punched across the right side of his jaw. Naruto nearly slipped from the force. It was incredibly powerful. He jumped back and formed the cross-hand seal. Multiple clones appeared all around and jumped after the enemy. The real Naruto jumped to a new branch and started to move his jaw around.
Thankfully it wasn't broken but there will certainly be a nasty bruise later.
"Shit! I don't have the hang of it at all!" Naruto growled with fury.
The kunoichi was surrounded by twenty shadow clones. All were coming at her at the same time, with a sharp kunai in hand. She narrowed her eyes and hit them one after the other with swift and brutally powerful strikes.
The clones started to pop out of existence. The last one puffed away with little trouble. The kunoichi scanned around the area to find Naruto. However, the blond was nowhere to be found.
The kunoichi shrugs her shoulders. "Now we're playing games, such cute prey you are," she said.
She took five steps forward.
SNAP!
The sound of wire broke. The kunoichi looked down and saw traces of metal in the moss. It was high quality ninja wire. She broke it with her step. Now she must wait for what comes at her.
"So, Naruto-kun was just the distraction whilst Sasuke-kun sets up a trap. These boys have good minds," she said. "Minimal communication and this happens. This is spectacular."
Blue glows appear around the kunoichi. She saw three circles of the glows and at specific spots there were pieces of paper. "It's a explosive trap!" she said.
BOOM!
A huge explosion of fire and smoke blasted up and around. The shockwave shook the trees and bushes around. Many birds left the treetops and flew into the skies. They feared the battle.
The leaves and dry wood catch on fire and spreads out. The forest is blazing.
"A forest fire? You don't see those much anymore," the kunoichi said. She was highly amused now. These boys were putting on a good show for her.
As the fire spread, Naruto and Sasuke land on a high branch and observe. They see the kunoichi. Yet again, she is only slightly covered by soot. Her clothes are more ragged, but she appeared to be completely fine.
This shocked both to the core.
"Naruto, you said those seal tags were the most powerful stuff you have, like blow up a town powerful. Why is that woman still alive!?" Sasuke asked in a dire shout.
Naruto breathed anxiously. "I don't know. That enough power to collapse a building. What the hell is that monster made out of?"
Naruto saw a flash of red to his side. It was way too fast.
Sasuke's Sharingan was watching every movement of the kunoichi. She was walking slowly around. She stopped and turned around. She stared directly at him and smiled creepily.
The kunoichi's body stretches and shoots towards Sasuke.
"Naruto, jump back!"
"Yup!"
Both Naruto and Sasuke jump back towards different directions. Sasuke went towards the ground and Naruto went to the treetops.
The kunoichi shifted her body towards Sasuke and kept the hunt going. Her tongue was sticking out in anticipation. Sasuke threw his kunai into trees. There was ninja wire connected to his kunai and he used them to acrobat around the forest.
A blast of wind came and hit Sasuke's side. It threw him off. Sasuke pulled hard onto his right and landed onto a large tree branch. The earthy mud in front of him started to pull itself together and then climbed up. The appearance of the Kusa kunoichi stood and gave Sasuke a smile.
"I do like it when I have to chase my prey around," she said. Her sadistic aura and speech was making Sasuke's skin crawl.
The Kusa kunoichi exerted some built up chakra to blast some dust into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke jumped high into the sky. In the air, he threw shuriken and his kunai at the kunoichi. She dodged with ease. Sasuke landed on a tree branch above the kunoichi and launched himself at her. A left kick, blocked. Then a right kick, blocked.
The kunoichi used her arms as her shields from Sasuke's taijutsu. Sasuke jumped over the kunoichi. The kunoichi tried doing a left high kick aimed at Sasuke's head but Sasuke was outside of her reach. Sasuke landed and did two backflips to make space between him and the kunoichi. The kunoichi dashed at Sasuke.
Seeing this, Sasuke closed the distance. Sasuke jumped and tried a mid-air rolling kick with his right foot. The kunoichi blocked the kick. Sasuke used his left foot to jump away from her. Once landed, he had to dodge her left short kick. They were close. They started exchanging punches. Lefts and rights. In between, kicks were exchanged. Neither had a clean hit on the other.
Sasuke's Sharingan were helping him out immensely in this fight.
Sasuke tried a left heel kick. The Kusa kunoichi jumped into the air and flipped over the Uchiha. She landed in a crouch. She then ran. Ran fast. She ran in a straight line and then took a right. Her speed left dust clouds where ever she went. She jumped from branch to branch, stretched underneath and above trees.
Sasuke was watching her closely. His sharingan allowed him to see this incredible speed. The Kusa kunoichi stretched from a branch and then rocketed to where Sasuke stood. Sasuke jumped out of the way, seeing the kunoichi crash into the huge branch he was standing on. He charged up his Fire release: Phoenix fire technique as he was falling.
Once landed, he shot multiple fireballs hoping to hit the kunoichi. He gasped then took a deep breath. He ran through the hand seals and used Fire release: Grand fireball technique in its flamethrower form, hoping to incinerate her.
The Kusa kunoichi smiled in the flames. She used a vast amount of chakra to blow away the fire that surrounded her. Then she tunnelled in the ground quickly like a mole. Once she reached Sasuke's position, she tried a left swipe. Sasuke jumped back to dodge. In the air, he flipped backwards and landed steadily.
Sasuke and the kunoichi stayed where they were. Sasuke took the time to regain his composure. He exhaled and got into his taijutsu stance, aimed at the kunoichi.
The Kusa kunoichi stood up, charged some wind chakra in her arms. Then she moved her arms in a downward motion while releasing the wind chakra, letting it blast toward Sasuke. Sasuke dodged. The tree behind him collapsed from the force.
The fire all around them burned more and more. It grew as time went on. Herds of trees are now burning and adding to the destruction. Wisps of silver grey smoke curled and danced their way through the thick hazy air. Churning and turning through the green leaves.
Sasuke jumped to the underneath of a branch, using chakra to stick onto it. He bent his legs and rocketed towards the kunoichi. Grabbing her waist and dragging her down. He positioned himself, so her head was aimed to the ground and he was holding onto her abdomen and chest.
The kunoichi screamed as she saw the ground coming closer to her face.
"I got you!" Sasuke shouted out.
The kunoichi's head drove into a thick branch. Many cracks appeared in the bark from the force. Her arms went limp from the taijutsu move. Sasuke jumped away to get more distance, he was cautious and paranoid. He saw the legs that were straight also fell limp. He relaxed his guard only slightly once he saw this. Sasuke watched the kunoichi's face go through many facial expressions. Then her tongue popped out and her body spasmed. Sasuke didn't know what was going until she turned into mud.
"A substitute. When did she do it?" he yelled out in surprise. A kunai flicked the back of his hair. Sasuke immediately jumped down the thick branch as more kunai pelted down in a storm. Sasuke brought his hands together. He then pulled on ninja wire that were hidden inside his arm sleeves. He holstered the wires on a jutting and sturdy branch. With this, he swung around the forest at high speeds. Sasuke landed and looked around for the threat.
The Kusa kunoichi came out of hiding and gave Sasuke a left hook. Sasuke felt the force and stumbled back. The Kusa didn't let up as she punched Sasuke's ribs with a left then a right in quick succession. The kunoichi gripped Sasuke's hair, pulled it down and brought her right knee up to meet his face. Sasuke couldn't handle it and stumbled back even further. The kunoichi gave another right hook, making Sasuke go into the air and landing on the ground like a rag-doll.
The Kunoichi was about to make her next attack on Sasuke. The end was closing in.
SMACK!
Naruto's two feet sunk into the side of the kunoichi's face. There was so much force behind his kick that the kunoichi skidded off the tree. Naruto landed onto the tree after his kick. Naruto turned his head to see a tired Sasuke. "It's my turn now!"
Naruto gave chase to the kunoichi. There was no way he was going to let up the advantage Sasuke gave him.
Naruto jumped over and flipped into a landing close to the kunoichi. The kunoichi was fixing her face after his kick. Naruto grinned. He put as much power into that attack. It was the start of his master plan after all.
'She isn't in the right position!' Naruto thought frantically. He formed the cross-hand seal and produced many shadow clones. The fire in the forest was still burning and grew exponentially. Branches were falling with their ashes. The whole area was smoking up. An extremely dangerous environment.
"Shadow clones again? Naruto-kun, this is why Sasuke-kun is much more talented than you are," the kunoichi said with a smirk. "Your thinking is way too narrow. Explosions and shadow clones is all I've seen from you today."
Naruto ignored the insult. He clones went after the kunoichi one after the other. The kunoichi dodged and took them out with ease. However, it was never Naruto's plan to defeat her with just clones.
The last one was defeated and the kunoichi was satisfied. She looked around and noticed something strange. She was completely surrounded by fire. The humongous trees that stood over three hundred feet tall were alit. She was in the middle of a tower of inferno.
The kunoichi looked to her back and saw a long and free clearing. There was a huge build-up of wind elemetal chakra coming by. She narrowed her eyes and saw a blond boy with a chest that was about to burst. She gasped in horror. She had no idea what to do now. There was no was no way in stopping the inevitable.
'Wind release: Greath Breakthrough!' Naruto thought. He released the built-up wind in an air stream. Directly pointed at the kunoichi. It shot at great speeds as it was under incredible pressure.
The wind caught on fire as it passed into where the kunoichi was standing. The fire on the trees added to the festival of blazes. The heat was intense as the flames changed to white in colour. A combination of Sasuke's hot fire and Naruto's stormy wind.
The kunoichi howled as she was completely covered in fire. She tried to escape, but she could not. The fire was surrounding her everywhere.
Naruto kept his focus on his stream of wind. He moved his right foot and snapped some ninja wire.
His trap activated. Explosive seal tags ignited at the bases of multiple trees. It was about to begin!
KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM!
They exploded blew more smoke around the place. Four large areas of multiple explosions. The trees started to fall and collapse. They were going to land on the kunoichi. Everything was on fire; the falling trees were just going to add to the insane mess. The massive weight of the trees landed where the kunoichi was standing. She had to be under tonnes of burning death. The earth shook as the mighty trees toppled on top of each other.
The ground shook hard.
Naruto stopped his jutsu and gasped for air. There was an intense pain all over his body and especially his chest.
The scene in front of him exploded and more flare came. Silver grey smoke risen and covered the sky.
Naruto had a feeling that ANBU would come in and put out this deadly fire. It would be bad if the whole Exam area was covered in flames.
Naruto turned around and started to walk back to where Sasuke and Sakura should be. Naruto knew he needed a break
"Sasuke and I did it… We make a good team," Naruto said with a struggle. He was dying on his feet.
The dense air made it hard for him to speak, let alone breath. His voice was raspy after using his jutsu to such an extreme case. His chakra reserves were also feeling like they were going to be at all-time low. It's been a long and tough day. Naruto thought it would be nice just to sit back and relax.
"Fufufu, you surprise me yet again Naruto-kun."
Naruto stopped in his tracks. His heart sunk to the ground. The voice was different. It had more depth. It was also the voice that belonged to a man, not a woman. Naruto quickly turned around and saw the kunoichi, smiling at him. Half her face was melted. Behind the tan skin was pale skin with purple lining. Yellow eyes with black slits watching Naruto carefully.
"Who the hell are you!? Why are you doing this to us!? No Genin should be as strong as you! You should be dead!" Naruto shouted, losing his composure. His mind could not process it. How can this person still be alive? How can someone survive the hell he and Sasuke had created?
"I'm sure you will have heard of my name. I am Orochimaru. I came here seeking a special tool. A tool which will help me see how the wind blows and affect the world. The only tool that will help achieve my dreams. However, you are in the way. And I can't have you get in my way any longer, despite the fun you provided for me," Orochimaru said as he teared off the mask. Revealing his true face.
"That woman… it was a fake?" Naruto stuttered as he fell on his butt. The bloodlust from a member of the Sannin was intense. Naruto could feel someone snaking their hand around his beating heart. Squeezing it with a strong grip.
Orochimaru giggled. "How observant of you? I thought you would be like an idiot like Jiraiya, but you are much more… skilled than he was at your age. Colour me suprised I suppose, you were much more than what I have thought. It makes me happy beyond belief. I see that it is true, you and your brother are truly the Children of the Storm, aren't you? It would be an absolute treat to see how his and your bodies worked under the microscope. I always wanted to know if there was something actually special within the Uzumaki Bloodline."
Naruto gnashed his teeth. "How do you know about that!? Why are you so interested in me and my Nii-chan!?"
Orochimaru moved in a flash and grabs Naruto's throat. He pushes it down with great pressure. Naruto is on his back and pinned against his will. Naruto gasps for air and started to hit Orochimaru's arm. He needed to escape and fast.
"How do I know that? Naruto-kun, I am older than I look. Oh, Child of Storm, the Uzumaki are a clan that truly interest me. But there is a clan that is much more interesting than yours. The Uchiha clan!" Orochimaru said with a hysterical smile.
Naruto struggled to breathe. He kept his mouth shut and glared at the legendary ninja in front of him.
"The Uchiha clan are a clan that have something that I want. That something, is your dear-friend Sasuke-kun."
"Sasuke! What do you... want with... Sasuke!? He's not... a tool you freak! He's my partner!"
"Yes Naruto-kun. I want his eyes. Now, I better go and make myself known to him and the little pink girl now. They might be confused on what is happening now. The fire and smoke we're in now is making a space just for me and you. How pleasant. However all things must end at some time, I cannot let you live," Orochimaru said.
Naruto's eyes widened. His heart started to beat faster. Naruto needed to breathe.
"You are a strong child. If you grow up, you will cause many problems to me and my future plans. Especially when you use your true power. Your Jinchūriki powers. No idiot will leave Now, lucky you. I won't kill you directly. If possible, I want Konoha to think someone kidnapped you to take to their village. If Konoha declares a war in search of you, then the windmill will start to move harder.
So, I'll do something that you would see from your own clan," Orochimaru said as a snake came out of his mouth and pulled up Naruto's ninja clothing. It revealed his abdomen. It was showing the patterns of his seal.
Orochimaru pulled back right hand flowed chakra to it. Blackened chakra covered each fingertip. He gathered the tips to get and struck Naruto's core. Air pushed back in all directions. The outside and reaction forces were strong.
Naruto screeched in pain. A true burning sensation. He regurgitated blood as Orochimaru pushed his fingers further in. Naruto's eyes turned blind for a few moments as the pain was too much. Orochimaru lets him go and stands up. Orochimaru looks at his fingers keenly before giving them a shake. He sighs and looks down.
"If you can break the death seal I have put on you, with any method that you can use. I would be very impressed. If not, I do hope the spiders enjoy your carcass. Now," Orochimaru said. He swiped some blood off his arm and spreads it across his palm. He flowed through the hand seals and then smacked the ground with his palm.
A large brown snake appeared. It hissed as it moved its head closer to Orochimaru. "Take the blond boy and place him on the other side of the grounds. I don't want anybody disturbing my time with Sasuke-kun. Once there, dig underground and shed your skin. Let his corspe rot with nature," Orochimaru ordered.
The snake nodded and opened its mouth. In one gulp, it swallowed Naruto and then moved his body away from the fire. It is going to separate Naruto from his teammates.
Orochimaru moves his hand across his face. The face of the Kusa kunoichi came back and covered his true form. "Now, I have to get to Sasuke-kun before Sensei's men get here. The fire is not something that was a part of the plan. Yet, two remarkable boys pulled off this much destruction. Using the whole environment just to kill me, tried to at least. Fufufu, they couldn't have done this much damage if it wasn't for the trees."
Orochimaru slinked his way back to where the scared Sasuke and Sakura were. "Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke. Two boys with such potential and both with outrageously powerful brothers. Fufufu, it really is something. I wonder how the wind will push the windmill now. A stopped windmill isn't worth watching at all."
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