Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.
Chapter 15: The Exams
Inside a small conference room
Menma and his students were having a meeting to discuss things before they would eventually meet the examiners. Having just stumbled upon two different teams, Nashiko and her comrades wanted to ask a few things about the other teams taking the exams. However, they knew very well that Menma was not obliged by shinobi law to tell them everything, especially what abilities they had.
First it was about Guy and his team, especially their mysterious teacher who for no reason, attacked Hisoka and sent him against the wall. Menma widened by hearing this story they were telling him.
"We've seen those guys before. They sure seemed like a bunch of no-goodies to be honest" Nashiko remarked.
"Well this Rock Guy was just full of himself. Kimiko Inoue was kind of…..girly" Shunsuke nervously remarked while commenting those ninjas. "And then there's Hisoka. He sure was a handful" he jokingly added.
"Yeah, but he also acted like a total douche!" Takeda expressed his distaste for Hisoka. "I mean, seriously, how are those two even comrades with that guy!? It must be an arranged partnership or something!" he added while Arata barked in agreement.
Menma only laughed at what their students told about them. "Okay, students! I hear that you are making a great impression on Team Hideki. But trust me, that team is among the most successful of the Leaf. So I advise you not to underestimate them" he told them.
"That reminds me, Menma-sensei. Who is this Hideki Sado? And what's his relationship with Hisoka?" Nashiko suddenly asked her sensei.
Menma eyed her directly and tried to answer with honesty. "Unfortunately I don't know the answer, Nashiko. If I did, I would tell you, but all I know is that they share the same surname" he answered as honest as he could. But then he fixed a serious look on his face. "However, what I do know, is that the Sado clan, the clan which those two belong in, has its origins in the Hidden Cloud Village" he revealed, much to the interest of his students.
It also didn't take long before Menma's students began talking about the team of Mist ninjas they had stumbled upon on the way. Menma was amused with what they were telling him.
"So you met a team from the Hidden Mist Village, huh?" he asked his students and soon chuckled in amusement."Now that's neat! It's good to see that the Mist Village is making more contact with the outside world" he remarked while thinking about the village.
"Do you suppose there are ninjas from the other Five Great Hidden Villages participating in the Exams as well?" Shunsuke asked his sensei.
"To be honest with you, I don't necessarily know the specifics" he answered openly. "Yes, there might be some few teams from either the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Cloud Village, but the majority of the ninja teams participating the Exams are either from here or the smaller hidden villages" Menma then added.
Nashiko got clueless about this. "Hold on! Are you saying there are other hidden villages? I mean, do they even exist?" she asked him. "I was told there were only five hidden villages" she added.
Takeda stared at her dumbfounded. "You can't possibly be that stupid, can you?" he asked, much to Nashiko's irritation. But Takeda continued scolding her anyway. "Come on, don't you remember those rogue ninjas we fought in that weird village? They also wore forehead-protectors, just like us" he continued while reminding her of the ninjas they fought.
This suddenly hit Nashiko and she remembered seeing those scarred forehead-protectors those ninjas wore. "I remember now! Those evil jerks wore strange protectors" she said.
Menma nodded his head in agreement. "Yes. Those ninjas you fought were originally from the Hidden Rain Village before they left their home for criminal activities" he revealed to them.
"I've heard a lot about the Rain Village. It has a very melancholic appearance. Not to mention that the nation it was located in were small and relatively corrupt" Shunsuke remarked.
"Yes. Even though the Fourth Shinobi World War ended many years ago, many of the smaller countries didn't experience peace, freedom and prosperity as the Five Great Nations did. That led only to corrupt tyrants seizing power in those smaller nations and eventually their hidden villages" Menma said while agreeing with what Shunsuke said.
"There are more than just the Rain Village, right?" Takefa asked him and he nodded.
"That is correct, Takeda. The other known villages to us in the Leaf are the Grass Village and the Waterfall Village. Then there's the lesser-known Hot Spring Village, Star Village, Valley Village, Snow Village, Moon Village, Dream Village…..I could go on forever" he explained while noticing that Nashiko was getting her head heated with confusion.
"Maybe we should stop there for a bit, wouldn't you agree, Menma-sensei?" Shunsuke asked while chuckling at Nashiko's confusion.
Menma chuckled but he soon fixed a serious expression on his face. "However, there is one village we had hoped would cease to exist after the previous world war ended. But for some reason, it remains active" he explained cunningly, much to his students' confusion.
"What are you talking about? What kind of village?" Nashiko asked, wanting to know more, as she wasn't confused anymore.
"I'm talking about…..the Hidden Sound Village" Mamuro explained, thus shocking his students.
"The Hidden Sound…that's…" Takeda was out of words.
"The village created by Orochimaru, one of the legendary Saanin" Shunsuke uttered words of shock at the mentioning of the Leaf Village's long-time adversary. "I've heard rumours about its re-emergence into the shinobi business" he added.
"Yeah, but the truth is…..Orochimaru isn't there anymore. After the world war ended, he vanished, leaving his underground laboratories completely deserted" Menma explained to his pupils seriously. "But from what our spies in the Land of Sound gathers, shinobi activity still exists in the small nation, which can only mean one thing" Menma added while coming up with an answer. His students followed closely. "The Sound Village has a new leader….but no one….not even the Hokage know who that is" he finally concluded.
There was a brief moment of silence after this revelation. But it soon became noise again, once Nashiko chuckled, much to everyone's confusion. They could see her with a determined face, something which was not surprising, given the fact that she was always full of confidence.
"Well I could care less about this hidden village crap! Because I have a goal I would like to reach during the Exams!" she explained while eyeing her teammates and sensei with fiery eyes. "I'll pass the Exams and then prove to my parents that I will become a great kunoichi!" she declared.
Shunsuke and Menma chuckled at this while Takeda and Arata only stared at her dumbfounded. But they also understood her feelings and persona.
Menma mused before shifting his expression to that of seriousness. "Well there's no time for more chatting here, students! We better get going…to the Exam Room" he explained and his students showed understanding to his words. But he specifically eyed Nashiko with a smile on his face. "If there's one thing that never ceases to amaze me, Nashiko, it is your enthusiasm. It reminds me of your mother" he commended her, much to her embarrassment.
"Oh…..well that was…some new words" she thought in her head, knowing that only her father had compared her to Sakura. "It's nice to see that someone other than my dad sees mom inside me" she added with a grin on her face.
Menma nodded his head. "Well then, let's get moving" he said.
In another conference room
Inside this technically larger conference room, Hideki Sado was having a serious discussion with his three students. Similar to Menma's it was a few words before handing them over to the examinees. However, it was different, especially since it began with Hideki and Hisoka giving dirty looks to one another. Both Guy and Kimiko expressed annoyance about this.
"Here we go again" Kimiko stated with low enthusiasm. "Hisoka and Hideki-sensei having a war of words between each other as usual" she added.
"We have no choice but to be patient, Kimiko. It will end soon and we can focus on more pressing matters like the Exams" Guy tried to cheer her up and it did work.
The young boy with dreadlocks began greeting his teeth in irritation as he eyed his muscular sensei. Even though they had many similarities, those two didn't see much eye to eye, nor did they respect each other.
"You mind telling me why you confronted those kids?" Hideki asked sternly, never taking off his gaze. Hisoka crossed his arms and closed his eyes, much to his sensei's annoyance. "Uncross your arms and look at me when I'm speaking to you, Hisoka!" he demanded.
Hiskoa eyed him with irritation in his voice. "Why does it matter to you that much!?" he snapped at his teacher. "I only tried to make those losers stay out of OUR business. They kept rambling about some random bullshit that made me wanna….." he said, but he was interrupted by Guy.
"THAT Hisoka, is called bonds. And bonds are the key to the connections we have between each other as a team" he explained to him, much to his dissatisfaction. "And besides, those guys only wanted to help you stop being that aggressive towards me" he added, but he was slapped by Kimiko on his face.
"Actually your provocation against Hisoka caused the results!" she pointed out to him. But she eventually fixed her gaze towards Hisoka. "But still, that gives you no excuse to be that harsh towards strangers. And not to mention that you insulted my butt!" she expressed her anger towards her teammate.
Guy laughed at this while both Hisoka and Hideki sighed in disapproval. But eventually, Hideki had to chuckled at this, causing confusion among his students. "Well, this is just funny to hear. I better hope you engage in a similar confrontation with them again someday" he noted and laughed.
The students slumped their heads in defeat. "I guess it's no use continuing this subject" Kimiko said while voicing her opinion.
But Hideki stopped laughing and focused his attention towards his three students with a serious look on his face. "But while I got your attentions, I think it may be a good time to have a look on the different teams from the Leaf. As you may know, there will be other teams from the Leaf entering the Exams. Some of them are from your class while others are newcomers, like Team Menma" he explained to them.
"We better watch our back when dealing with them. But I must admit that I'm curious about Team Ayumu and Team Kazue, about their members and their abilities if you catch my drift" Guy revealed.
Kimiko made a pondering look on her face. "From what I gather, Team Ayumu is stated to be one of this year's Exam's most promising teams. They have members from the Sarutobi, Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clans all at the same spot" she told her teammates, who listened to her words.
Hiskoa looked at her and then thought about something before he spoke up. "Yeah, but you forget that the Yamanaka is technically half-Uchiha. He even uses the surname" he explained to them.
Guy smirked by hearing this. "I guess you mean Inojin Uchiha. Yeah, he's a stunning one. You do realise that he and Shunsuke are twin brothers, right?" he asked him.
The black-skinned boy only closed his eyes as if he was not surprised. "Of course I know that. But I could care less about it. For as far as I know, Shunsuke lacks the extraordinary talents Inojin possesses" he replied in return.
"But you boys are forgetting something! In addition to mastering their clans' techniques, they each possess formidable skills in element jutsu" Kimiko pointed out, catching both boys' attentions.
Hideki expressed admiration of Kimiko's perceptiveness and knowledge. However, they were yet to discover what type of elements those were capable of. He then stepped in to interrupt their discussion.
"It's good you know that much, but we don't have time standing here! The Exams are about to start" Hideki said and his three students agreed to his statement. "I expect you three to be focused now! That includes you, Hisoka!" he added while eyeing the black-skinned boy.
Hisoka only rolled his eyes in annoyance before following his sensei. "Whatever you say…..asshole" he lowly muttered.
The Exam Classroom
Nashiko and her teammates just entered the classroom where the first phase of the Exams was held and they were surprised by that many people. Various shinobis, both young and old, stood like a crowd before them, some sitting on the tables and seats.
"Whoa! So many people…." Nashiko said while eyeing all the shinobis.
"This is gonna be one hell of a ninja circus" Takeda thought in his head while watching this
There were not just ninjas from the Leaf Village, but from the Sand Village, Cloud Village, Grass Village, Rain Village and even a couple from the Mist Village.
But there were some Leaf jounins sitting from the sidelines. They were responsible for making sure everyone taking the Exams were not misbehaving or doing anything inappropriate. Among them were veteran jounins in their middle-ages Kotetsu Hagane, Izumo Kamizuki and Raido Namiashi. They mused as they saw Nashiko standing there.
"So it's true then, Naruto's girl is entering the Exams" Kotetsu remarked with a chuckle. "Sure brings back memories, don't you think?" he asked his comrades.
Izumo closed his eyes to reminisce of those days. "Of course it does. But things have changed over the years. We're now longer the young charismatic jounins like we used to be, Kotetsu" Izumo answered.
Raido only closed his eyes, thinking about how things were different back then. Like many other individual shinobis, he was concerned about if this year's Chuunin Exams would be disastrous like the one many years ago.
There were others who took notice of Nashiko and her team. It was Konohamaru and his long-time friends: the four-eyed and lazy Udon Ise and the lovely but short-tempered Moegi Kazamatsuri. They watched as Team Menma tried to get used to this large gathering.
"I hope you've prepared her for this, Naruto. She's gonna need all the guidance she needs" Konohamaru thought while grinning.
While standing there, knowing better than to do something stupid, they could hear a familiar voice coming to them. As they turned left, they could see Ochinko waving to them while Minami and Saburou followed suit. Nashiko and Shunsuke waved back, while Takeda only grunted in return.
Team Kazue walked over to Team Menma and they began speaking to each other. "It's good to see you again, Nashiko" Ochinko said and she giggled in return. "We were wondering whether someone from our class would participate in the Exams" he added.
"Well your thoughts appears to be true, Ochinko. Because Team Menma is here…..minus Menma-sensei that is" she said in return.
"Your team must be doing great for being accepted into the Exams" Shunsuke pointed out with a smile, making the teal-haired boy chuckle in amusement.
Saburou stood mostly in silence while watching Ochinko interacting with Nashiko and Shunsuke. But he could see that things were not going smoothly between Minami and Takeda. The twin siblings faced each other sternly, while their dog companions growled towards one another.
"Hey sis, nice seeing you and Riko here" Takeda said with low enthusiasm in his voice.
Minami didn't seem at least offended and only sighed in irritation. "Don't give me that crap, Takeda! I've come to prove myself as a valued member of the Hyuuga and Inuzuka clans, so I'm not in the mood for any lame taunts from you" she said with annoyance towards her twin brother.
"Geez, why are you so worked up about it? I thought you wanted to stay out of such business, considering how you hate grandpa so much" Takeda asked while raising an eyebrow.
Minami gritted his teeth and anger and grabbed Takeda by his shoulder, but the brown-haired boy didn't do anything to stop it. He only stood still and eyed her with displeasure. The twin siblings' classmates expressed concern about this.
"Quit acting like that old bastard! You say this because you don't know a damn about what the stressful situation mom is in right now! Neither do you seem to care for that matter!" she growled towards him, thus confirming the fact that the way Takeda spoke to her was in a similar way Hiashi, their maternal grandfather, did.
Takeda kept staring at her with zero amusement. "Get real, Minami! You know very well that grandpa is standing up for mom in these difficult times, so you have no right to bash him in the way you do" he pointed out to her.
But the blue-haired girl was not convinced by his statement. She was told by their relatives about how her mother was considered too fragile and soft to succeed Hiashi as the head of the Hyuuga clan. But that was only when Hinata was a gennin, the same rank as her children were in now. These stories, coupled by the fact that she was part-Inuzuka and part-Hyuuga, made Minami very distrustful of Hiashi, her aunt Hanabi and the Hyuuga clan, even though it had changed over the years.
"Mom…..I want to enter the Exams…..to become stronger…..to make sure those bastards from that clan realise that…..you're more worthy of becoming the clan's head than Aunt Hanabi" she thought in her head while she was still holding Takeda's shoulder. But eventually, she loosened her grip and walked away, leaning against the wall.
"Hey look everyone! Team Ayumu is there!" Nashiko exclaimed while pointing her finger towards where they were standing.
It didn't take long before Team Ayamu came into the picture, by appearing from the left side. Chouta waved her hand happily towards everyone, while Shikaien only eyed them with his smirk. Inojin however, only stood with them in silence, now showing any signs of anger or happiness.
"Brother!" Shunsuke called out while smiling to him. Inojin only widened at his twin brother in surpise. But this didn't mean he wasn't angry about seeing Shunske.
"I see that you have also chosen to participate" Inojin replied, not knowing how to respond to this.
Shikaien mused at this. "Of course they would, stupid. Both Team Menma and Team Kazue have accomplished great things in the last months that has passed" he pointed out while putting his hands in his pockets. "Especially Nashiko, given the fact that she managed to punch your smirk face, isn't that right?" he added while chuckling, much to Inojini's annoyance.
Chouta only slumped at seeing her friend's antics. "Do you really need to bring this up at a time like this?" she asked him. The dark blonde-haired boy with the ponytail only gave her a shrug in return.
"I hope to you fight you again, someday!" Nashiko said to Inojin while expressing confidence. "And this time, I won't hold anything back!" she added while cracking her fists.
Although it seemed rather foolish from Inojin's point of view, he accepted it nonetheless. "We'll see if you're as strong as you say you are if we ever are chosen to fight each other" he said while fixing a smile across his face.
"What about me? I wonder if we ever get to fight one another" Shunsuke suddenly intervened.
Inojin smiled at his brother in return. "That may be, but that time is yet to come. But in the meantime, focus on any opponents that want to fight you" he surprisingly suggested to his twin brother.
Nashiko, Saburou, Shikaien, Chouta and Ochinko only watched this with wonder. Unlike the relationship between Takeda and Minami, the relationship between Inojin and Shunsuke was healthier. But now that they were participating in the Exams, it was only a matter of time before they would have to face each other in combat.
The three groups began integrating themselves among the various shinobis standing and waiting. Team Ayumu were minding their own business, until Inojin felt someone squealing him in a girly manner. Both Shikaien and Chouta were confused about this and they could see a red-haired girl with glasses embracing and hugging him. She was a kunoichi from the Mist Village: Kotone Hozuki.
"You must be the fabulous Inojin Uchiha! I've heard so many stories about you!" she squealed and giggled over Iinojin, who was for the most part, confused by this. "And your chakra…..it feels so….ahhhhh" she added.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Inojin asked her with annoyance, trying not to resort to anger.
Kotone giggled and ignored his question. Shikaien and Chouta tried not to laugh at this, so they covered their mouths, hoping not to make Inojin pissed. However, it didn't take long before Kotone's teammates approached their four-eyed comrade and removed her from Inojin. The raven-haired boy with ponytail turned around to look at them. He was intrigued by the fact that they were Mist ninjas, and even noticed the sword Kotone carried behind her back.
"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS!? I WAS JUST GETTING TO KNOW HIM!?" the four-eyed girl angrily asked her teammates, who rolled their eyes in return.
The boy with the light-brown hair and azure eyes turned his attention to Team Ayumu. "Please forgive our teammate's behaviour. She seems to have a…..attraction to your chakra somehow" he said and suddenly made a respective bow towards them. "You may call me Aoi Terumi" he introduced himself to them.
Shikaien decided to step forward beside Inojin in order for him to get a good look at the strange trio. He then smirked. "So you're from the Mist Village, huh? Well that's fascinating" he remarked at him.
The red-haired girl adjusted her glasses, still blushing by noticing Inojin standing near her. But she managed to act cool when introducing herself. "My name is Kotone Hozuki of the Hozuki clan" she introduced herself.
The orange-haired boy, who had been standing there with his eyes closed after helping Aoi getting Kotone off Inojin, eyed the trio, who were interested about his glance. It became clear that he was a silent type, no different from Inojin, and the raven-haired boy could tell that.
"The name is Kaguya, Jurou Kaguya. Consider this a reminding of a potential opponent of yours" she spoke up. The mysterious boy didn't even as much as mince his words.
As they stood among the many shinobis gathered in the classroom, Nashiko and her teammates could spot three ninjas dressed in grey and black outfits. As they got a better view of the forehead-protectors they realised that those three were from the Hidden Sound Village.
One of the boys in the group had spikey grey hair and wore his forehead-protector around his forehead. He wore glasses in front of his emerald green eyes. He dressed in a white jacket and grey pants that almost looked like chinos. But in addition to that, he was carrying a couple of silver war-glaives behind his back.
The other boy in the team wore a mask that looked like a gas mask and it was impossible to see his face. Its eyes were coloured white as the snow itself. The Sound Village's forehead-protector was located on its top. His clothes consisted of an armour and grey leather underneath it that went from his shoulder to his knees. It was also covered in bandages. He also seemed to carry something behind his back, but it was difficult to figure out what it was. Despite being at the same age as his comrades, he was able to catch up with them, despite the armour's weight.
The only female in the group had a long raven-coloured hair and wore a black-like coat all over her, although some of its patterns were grey. Her appearance was very melancholic in nature, as she wore black mascara across her pale face. She almost looked like a witch, except for the fact that she was a young kunoichi that is. If she had removed all that mascara, then she would've looked very attractive.
Nashiko and her team remembered what their sensei had told them about the Sound Village and they got concerned by this. They knew that these shinobis, who were at the same age as Guy and his teammates, were good at one thing and one thing only: killing.
But they soon realised that they couldn't continue staring at them, as it would make them feel suspicious. Unfortunately, the silver-haired boy had taken notice of this, and he to Team Menma's surprises, appeared right behind Nashiko. He then drew out a dagger and held it in front of Nashiko's face. The pink-haired girl was filled with surprise and shock.
Both Takeda and Shunsuke had decided to react at this, but the silver-haired boy's teammates blocked their paths, much to their distress. The nearby shinobis could watch this, so they stopped whatever they were doing and looked at the altercation.
Nashiko gritted her teeth in anger, while she sweated a little. "Hey! What's the big idea!?" she demanded to know from him.
The boy eyed her with no remorse. "Is that your way of apologising? Funny, because as far as I know, staring at people is very rude and unacceptable" he said while firming his grip on his dagger.
"It doesn't make a difference! You're almost cutting me with that dagger of yours! Put it down!" she hit back, making the boy chuckle in amusement.
"Woah, someone's got a big mouth. Did you hear what she said, comrades?" he remarked and asked his partners, who were blocking Takeda and Shunsuke.
The girl turned looked over her shoulder and mused at this. "We've only been here for 12 hours and you've already made a new friend? How poetic!" she mockingly said to him. She then faced her masked comrade. "Then maybe we should also become friends with those two. What do you say, partner?" she asked him.
The masked ninja faced her with his mask and nodded his head as a yes, much to her satisfaction. "It would be a great shame if we didn't" he said through his mysterious voice.
"Cut it out, already! Leave Nashiko alone" Shunsuke called out to them, but they ignored him.
"Not gonna happen! You three damned stalkers kept staring at us as if we were prey or something! And as punishment, we shall teach you three how to address strangers like us properly" the girl said in return.
Takeda gritted his teeth at his. "Those arrogant jackasses!" he said.
The masked shinobi took a few steps towards Takeda and cracked his knuckles. But Takeda stood his ground and faced him. "You make a big mistake of not watching your language, punk!" he said. The brown-haired boy and his dog growled at him, not backing down from this bully.
"ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISHNESS!" a strict voice could be heard all over the classroom. Saburou knew who it was, since it was actually his father: Shino Aburame.
The adult with sunglasses appeared in the middle of the classroom, especially to where Nashiko and her friends were. The Leaf jounins who had been watching from the side-lines rushed to his side.
As he made his entrance, he made sure that everyone was following him and listening closely. "I bid you all welcome to this year's Chuunin Exams! I am the examinee of the first phase: Shino Aburame. And in this classroom, I decide what's happening!" he said loudly for everyone to hear.
But he eventually turned his attention towards the three Sound ninjas, who had stopped their actions the moment Shino had arrived. "If you want to avoid our wrath, I suggest you stop misbehaving at once!" he said with no formality in his voice. "You do remember that you're on foreign soil, do you not?" he asked them.
The silver-haired boy quit his actions and stood beside his teammates to show himself to Shino and the Leaf jounins. They tried to act cool as possible as they could.
Shino faced them sternly, although his eyes couldn't be seen thanks to his sunglasses. He then cleared his throat and ordered Raido, Kotetsu and Izumo to step down. The three Sound Ninjas only eyed him as if they didn't take him seriously.
"I don't mean to be discriminating you, strangers. But for some reason, I didn't expect you…..Sound ninjas to participate" Shino explained to them sternly, not showing any kinds of hospitality.
The boy with the glasses only gave him a smug look in return. "No need to act all strict here, mister" he assured him. "And by the way, we aren't just ninjas from the Sound Village. We have names, you know" he added.
Shino adjusted his sunglasses while raising an eyebrow. "If that's the case, you might wanna tell me who you three are. If you wish to participate in the Exams, we must know your names, you know" he said.
The grey-haired boy nodded his head in return. "Well that's fine by us. My name is Yakushi, Noburu Yakushi" he said and bowed his head in respect, although this form of courtesy was meant to be fake.
The girl closed her red ruby eyes before opening them again to eye Shino. There was a chilling effect coming from that girl. "You can call me Tsurugi, Rei Tsurugi" she said without expressing as much as openness towards him.
The one in the armour was silent for only a brief moment before speaking up to answer. Those who stood near him could hear his breathing while trying to speak. "Yuudai Akado" he answered simple.
As Shino and the Leaf jounins got wind of this, they slowly gathered themselves to have a little discussion over this outside the classroom. Their reactions to this were that of surprise and anger. Konohamaru was very angered by seeing them here.
"Sound Village scoundrels, what business could they have here!?" he asked with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Calm yourself, Konohamaru. Save your energy for other matters" Moegi urged him and he reluctantly agreed, even though he knew it was the right thing to do.
"So it's true then, the Sound Village is still operational after all those years" Raido noted grimly. "But what possibility could they have gotten after Orochimaru's disappearance?" he asked
"I don't know. However, we already have a few clues thanks to those three shinobis" Shino remarked while thinking about them. "He said his name was Noburu Yakushi. Only two people have been known to have used the surname Yakushi. The first one is the former captain of the Medical Corps, who left to become the caretaker of an orphanage: Nono Yakushi. But the second one is…." Shino stopped speaking once Kotetsu and the others came to a realization.
"Wait…..that would be…" Kotetsu was out of words.
"Orochimaru's right hand man…..Kabuto Yakushi" Izumo answered in shock. "But I don't understand. Like Orochimaru, Kabuto also disappeared after the previous world war ended. However, it was known that he wasn't with Orochimaru at that time" he explained.
"True, but there is more to this situation. Many years ago, when me and my team entered the Chuunin Exams, Kabuto was entering along with two other ninjas. At first, they were believed to be ninjas of the Leaf. But in truth, they were spies of Orochimaru.
Kotetsu snapped at this. "You're correct! Those partners of his: Misumi Tsurugi and Yoroi Akado. Once they were treated by doctors, they vanished, never taking part in Orochimaru's attack on the Leaf. No one knew of their whereabouts, even after the world war ended" he explained to them.
"So theses three are somewhat…..spawns of those bastards?" Konohamaru asked them. "I don't give a damn about Orochimaru and Kabto's actions during the world war, those bastards still don't deserve credit! Sound ninjas are our enemies, given their actions many years ago!" Konohamaru said while anger began boiling inside them
"That's enough, Konohamaru" a familiar voice called out to them. As they tunred around, they could see Naruto approaching them along with Ibiki from the Interrogation Squad and the elderly but well-renowned kunoichi: Anko Mitarashi.
"Naruto!" they all called out his name in surprise. "Captain Ibiki, Lady Anko!" they also said.
Naruto stopped and smiled towards them. "Just remember, guys. Hatred is not an empowerment. It's a curse" he said, although it was mostly directed towards Konohamaru.
To be continued…
Author's note: That's 15 chapters! The Exams are about to start! For those of you who may not know, I wanted to imagine what type of voice those my characters would have. I don't know much about Japanese voice actors, but here's what I think who would voice them in English (and I know some of them are questionable but it's an all-star cast). Now it is mostly the different teams, not adults, jounins or siblings.
Nashiko Uzumaki – Lara Jill Miller
Shunsuke Uchiha – Todd Haberkorn
Takeda Inuzuka – Patrick Seitz
Chouta Akimichi – Michelle Ruff
Shikaien Nara – Johnny Young Bosch
Inojin Uchiha – Matthew Mercer
Minami Inuzuka – Melissa Fahn
Saburou Aburame – Sam Riegel
Ochinko Nakano – Greg Cipes
Kimiko Inoue – Tara Strong
Rock Guy – Scott Menville
Hisoka Sado – Khary Payton
Kotone Hozuki – Laura Bailey
Aoi Terumi – Justin Cook
Jurou Kaguya – Taliesin Jaffe
Rei Tsurugi – Maryke Hendrikse
Noburu Yakushi – Brad Swaile
Yuudai Akado – Alessandro Juliani