Chapter Thirteen: Exams Continue, The Mirror, The Cross and The Genie's Diamond
"So essentially, there is only forty ninjas left out of the original ninety and there are only six full teams left including ours. Also, only two teams may be threats to us in my opinion." Sasuke said to the group of seven in front of him.
Shikamaru nodded, "With all the information you've gotten us I assume the main threat is this team that you guys met, Team Samui." He said with a shrug.
Neji interrupted, "Something was brought to my attention. There is a Jinchuuriki or two in this village according to...village information." He said, barely hesitating as he glanced at Naruto.
"I think this other team is actually a larger threat than you think." Neji said as he lay his hand on a folder.
Sasuke frowned as he opened the folder, "One of these three failed the strength test. It is not Akatsuki." He said surely, instantly catching up everyone to the possibility that Akatsuki may very well have penetrated the village.
Choji spoke up, "It's not the team with the masked guy is it?"
Naruto's head snapped in their direction, "Masked guy? Is his name Tobi?" Naruto asked as he walked over and looked at the folder.
"No, there is a team of three masked people from the Rain Village. They have odd names, Boom, Fang and Vine. Their masks don't exactly match but I'm pretty sure it's just a Rain Village thing." Sakura said, waving them off.
Naruto frowned but nodded, 'I guess so, we did see that rain village team back in Idate's mission. They all wore those gas masks.' He thought before deciding.
"No matter who the opponent is, we shouldn't hold back against anyone. Akatsuki or not let's just do our best alright?" Naruto said.
The group was quiet before they began nodding as Kimimaro spoke, "This is good, I agree completely. But we should tell the Raikage about our theories."
Naruto frowned but Sasuke spoke, "Not now. Let's wait until we can narrow the suspects and then tell him." Sasuke said.
Neji nodded, "Agreed. Now everyone, we will wake at eight in the morning and make our way to your next exam. Dismissed." Neji ordered.
##########
"Can I have a Miso Ramen thanks, and get started on a pork as well." Naruto said with a grin.
The waitress nodded, "Yes sir, that will be ready in a few minutes." She said with a bow before turning away.
Naruto looked to his right, admiring the rest of the little noodle hut, 'Reminds me of the old Ichiraku's.' he thought with a sigh.
Naruto relaxed as he leant against the wall to his left, 'These Jonin exams are kind of simple, you think they'd be more complicated.' Naruto thought as he watched the chef start on his noodles.
"Yo Naruto, watcha thinkin bout bro?" Killer Bee said as he took the seat next to Naruto.
Naruto smirked, "Hey Bee, actually I was thinking that these exams are far too simple. Shouldn't there be more to it?" he asked.
Bee smirked, "Man, the first two are always easy, but the rest are complex." He said normally.
Naruto raised a brow, "How do you know what the others are going to be already?"
Bee chuckled, "Let's just say, I got connections, to the Raikage." He rapped as he smiled to the waitress who just nodded back.
Naruto recognised his own exchange with Ayame, "I'm guessing you're a regular here?" Naruto asked.
Bee nodded, "Fo sho! Me and Ayane here go way back." He said as he grinned at the waitress again.
Naruto blinked, "Her name is Ayane? Really?" he asked.
Bee nodded, "Yeah, why you ask?"
Naruto shook his head, "No reason Octo-pops." Naruto said with a grin.
Killer Bee chuckled, "You settled on a nickname for me yet? Why not, Daddy Eight! Or Rap-topus! Or-"
"Never."
Naruto turned to the new voice and raised a brow, 'Wow, this guy is built like an ox.' Naruto thought in awe at the huge black man in front of him.
"Here's your bowl sir, and yours Bee-san." Ayane said as she placed the two bowls down before looking up and seeing the newcomer, "Ah! A-sama! How may we serve you today?" she exclaimed with a smile.
The guy smirked, "I'm good for today Ayane-san, thankyou." He said with a rough voice.
Naruto raised a brow, prompting Bee to explain, "Yo Naruto, this is my bro." Bee said with a gesture to A.
Naruto nodded, "It's good to meet you A-san, are you a ninja?" Naruto asked since A wore no headband or anything similar.
A smirked, "Am I a ninja? Of course I am!" the large man said with a laugh before hesitating, "You don't know who I am do you?" A asked with a grin.
Naruto shook his head, "I do not, excuse me for a second." Naruto said before turning to his bowl.
A raised a brow at Bee, but the swordsman just turned to his own bowl. A frowned up until he witnessed Naruto down his first bowl in a single gulp, Ayane gasped as she almost dropped Naruto's second but Naruto caught it and downed the whole bowl again.
A shook his head in shock as Naruto turned to him, "Sorry, should I know who you are?" Naruto asked as he wiped noodles from his chin.
Killer Bee grinned, "Yo fool, A is my brother, but more then that, he's the Ra-Hck!" Bee said as his bowl was pushed into his face courtesy of A's hand.
A grinned, "So Naruto…you're the one Bee has told me about." He said as he pounded his stomach with his free hand.
Naruto knew the gesture was to indicate him being a Jinchuuriki, so he scowled, "And here I thought someone with a Jinchuuriki as a sibling wouldn't act like such a dick about it." Naruto said as he stood.
Killer Bee had placed his bowl down again and had just placed down enough cash to pay for both himself and Naruto, "Naruto, you don't get it. Here in the cloud it is an honour to be a Jinchuuriki, big bro don't mean nothin by it." Bee said.
Naruto's anger dropped, "What? It's honourable here?" Naruto asked in shock.
"Forget about it! I came to get Bee. There are a few things I need for you and a few others to do for the Jonin exams tomorrow. You're coming with me now." He ordered as he grabbed Bee's arm.
Naruto interrupted, "Hold up, why is it honourable here? Bee, just who is this joker?" Naruto asked, not at all liking the way A was treating his younger brother, someone who in Naruto's eyes was supposed to be respected.
A's eyes snapped towards Naruto, "A Joker am I?" he asked as lightning crackled around his fist.
Bee waved his hands, "Yo yo Naruto, don't dis my big bro. He can't take a joke and his anger will be taken out on you." Bee rapped, sort of.
Naruto frowned, "Alright…fine." Naruto said, even though he clearly did not like the larger man.
A grinned, "That's what I thought." He said before forcefully grabbing Bee's shoulder and dragging him away.
Bee didn't seem concerned at all, as if he was used to being dragged around, "Cya later Naruto, you some serious challenges tomorrow! Fool ya fool!" he rapped as he was dragged around the corner.
Naruto chuckled, 'A serious challenge? About time I get one of those.' He thought with a chuckle before turning to order a third bowl that he could take his time with.
*POOF*
"Naruto-san."
Naruto groaned, "Really? Here too?" he complained as he turned to the Cloud ANBU.
The ANBU didn't acknowledge Naruto's complaint, "You have received a letter from your village. As it was from those who are technically classified as an 'enemy' we had to confirm it was not suspicious. After discovering it was merely a letter from your clan head substitute we wish to apologise for this intrusion into your privacy." The ANBU said with a bow as he held out a scroll.
Naruto's expression became serious, "Thankyou ANBU-san." Naruto said as he took the scroll before turning and walking away from the ramen bar.
A few minutes later, Naruto was standing quietly in an alleyway with a single street light. After checking that he was alone, he opened the scroll.
'Naruto,
I got the information you need, you were right about the pale faced one. He is not alone anymore.
On a much lighter note, I would like to thank you for helping my ninjas get into the new ANBU divisions here in the Leaf. Sai has shown much tactical improvement since joining Fuu-san's squad.
As for your weddings, what will become of me once your officially the clan head? You told me to be ready, but what for?
Signed, Uzumaki Head (Substitute) Danzo Shimura.'
Naruto smirked as his eyes slitted, 'So, Orochimaru did rejoin the Akatsuki. That will make things much harder if what Ero-sensei suspected becomes true…though it's really unlikely.' He thought as he ran his tongue over his blade teeth.
Feeling a stirring on his back, Naruto reached back and pulled out Samehada Bocho, who was vibrating.
"Giiiiiiii…gigi." She said happily, before becoming solid again.
Naruto frowned and sealed the scroll in the storage seal on his sheath before lifting the sword onto his shoulder in a way reminiscent of Zabuza as he jumped up in a seamless backflip, landing on the roof of the building behind him, staring down the Mist Ninja in front of him.
The ninja span lifting their sword, expecting to be attacked, "Hold it!" the ninja yelled nervously.
Naruto looked over him once, "Why are you spying on me?" Naruto asked.
The ninja's arms started to shake in an effort the keep the massive sword up in a defence, which is when Naruto realised exactly what the sword was.
"Hiramekarei." Naruto gasped softly as he stood tall, relaxing his combat stance.
The ninja's arms shook in effort to hold up the sword, "Samehada." He said as he slowly put his blade to his side.
The was a moment of quiet before Naruto held out his arm in greeting, "My name is Naruto, the wielder of Samehada and Kubikiri Bocho. And you are?" Naruto asked politely.
The ninja's eyes widened, "You have two of the seven swords?" he asked.
Naruto nodded, still not dropping his friendly stance. The ninja frowned, "I am Chojuro of the Mist and I must request that you give those swords to me." Chojuro said semi-confidently.
Naruto scoffed, "No way, they are my spoils after I killed Zabuza Momochi and Kisame Hoshigaki. They are mine and Konoha's now." Naruto said with a hard look.
Chojuro frowned, "B-but we need those to bring honour back to the village!" Chojuro said as he brought the sword back up into an offensive stance.
In an instant, Naruto had swung his sword around hit the broadside of Chojuro's sword, knocking the Jonin back as Naruto stepped forward.
"Stop!"
Naruto hesitated as Chojuro kicked out at him.
Chojuro gasped as his foot was blocked by Sasuke's Susano'o ribcage, Sasuke was ignoring him and frowning at Naruto, "What are you doing Otouto? We don't want to start something dangerous." Sasuke said before his Susano'o faded.
He turned to the Mist ninja, his Sharingan spinning, "I'm sorry Mr Chojuro, we are just here for the exams, we mean no harm." Sasuke said, trying to convey thoughts of friendliness through his Sharingan.
It seemed to work as Chojuro calmly reached back and rested Hiramekarei on his back once more, "Apology accepted Uchiha." Chojuro said before leaping across the alleyway, landing on the opposite roof.
Sasuke bowed to Chojuro before turning to Naruto and smirking, "So…that's another of the Seven isn't it?" Sasuke asked as he and Naruto dropped down in to the alley.
Naruto grinned and nodded, "Yup." He said as he sheathed his blade.
Sasuke chuckled, "I think he's one of the senseis from one of the mist teams, so how can we get that from him hm?" Sasuke asked as the two boys exited the alley and began walking back the hotel.
Naruto frowned in thought before seeing a blonde haired man wearing a lower face mask walk past, glancing at Naruto hesitantly before continuing on.
"Grrrrrrr." Samehada growled quietly.
Naruto reached back and petted the sword's handle, "It's okay, I know." He said before turning to Sasuke.
"I'm sure we'll get an opportunity." Naruto grinned as his eyes turned red, matching Sasuke's.
The two smirked confidently before they leapt up and towards their hotel, getting ready for a good night's rest for tomorrow's exams.
##########
"My name is Em and I am one of the captains of the Cloud village's intelligence units. I have been given permission to design this next text. Which will be a retrieval mission inside the village. Each individual will be given a single clue about what they need to get and by sunset you must have your result here. There will be ANBU teams along the way to each of the goals and they are the only ninjas who are allowed to interfere. Each item has eight ANBU as a defence and no more will interfere if you manage to evade or fight off the original eight. But they will not try to kill you and you will NOT try to kill them. Am I understood?" Em asked.
The remaining group of forty ninjas nodded in confirmation, causing the anorexic looking ninja to smile softly, "Alright then, are there any questions?" Em asked.
The one Sasuke had pointed out as Vine, an average but very pale guy, rose an arm, "When you say 'our result' do you mean an object? Or is it information we're meant to find?" he asked.
Em smirked, "Good, someone picked up on that. Every single one of you will be given different clues but each one of you will be sent to find the same something as one other person. That 'something' may be information, an object, a ninja. It also means, that by the end of this there will only be twenty ninjas left. So not only do you have to be fast at finding your clues and eventually the final thing, you have to be accurate. If you bring me the wrong object you will fail. Any more questions?" Em asked once more as he walked over to a covered booth.
Seeing no one asked anything more, Em walked into the booth and called out, "I will call your names one by one, once you get your clue you may read it but your aren't allowed to leave this hall until I open those doors." Em yelled.
There was a few seconds of silence until the names started getting called, Naruto raised a brow as some people came out with scrolls, others with a single piece of paper and others with pictures.
"Sakura Haruno of Konoha."
Sakura smiled as she walked ahead, she entered the booth only to come out a minute later with a confused look on her face as she read from a piece of paper.
"Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha."
Sasuke strode forward confidently, gaining many interested and curious looks as the whole of the elemental nation knew of the Last Uchiha. After a few moments, Sasuke walked out holding two pictures.
"Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha."
Naruto jogged forward with a childish grin, causing people to look at him as if he was some weirdo that was over excited.
Entering the booth, Naruto raised a brow at the three boxes sitting in front of Em, "Hello Naruto-san, choose a box." Em said.
Naruto shrugged, "Umm, two." He mumbled.
Em breathed in through his teeth, "Ooh that's a shame, you've chosen the last in the box." Em said before taking out a piece of paper.
Naruto raised a brow as he was given the paper, "What does that mean?" he asked.
Em smiled, "It means you have the hardest clue of any other one in the box. And since you chose two, it is a physical item you have to find. With that in mind, you may leave." Em said.
Naruto nodded and left as he looked down at the paper,
'DDR-Track Seven. Over 95%. Only children would find me on the slip. I'm worth more than any lucky dip.'
Naruto blinked and re-read the single line over again as he came to a stop in front of Sasuke and Sakura, he looked up at them, "The fuck is this?" he asked.
Sasuke shrugged, "I have no idea either." He said with a frown as he looked down at his photos.
The first was a picture of Lightning Country with a single line under it and the other picture was on clear plastic, holding a large X and the word 'of' under the X.
Sakura bit her lip, "I think I have an idea about my one already..." she mumbled as she looked at her piece of paper.
'ABCDE is weak. S is where I'm going to be. Don't turn away or you'll be gone.'
Naruto frowned as Sakura read hers to him quietly, "How the hell do you have an idea already?" Naruto asked.
Sakura smirked and held up a finger, signalling for Naruto wait. Wondering why, Naruto followed her eyesight, seeing Em exiting the booth.
"Alright everyone, you have just under ten hours to complete your tasks. I don't care how you do it I just need the result," he said before swinging open the large doors, "Begin!"
In a second, the hall was empty and the waiting Jonin sensei and the teammates that failed sat on the roof, waiting for what was hopefully going to be a success.
##########
"Guys wait!"
Sasuke and Naruto stopped running as Sakura appeared in front of them, "What is it Nee-chan?" Naruto asked.
Sakura pulled out her clue, "I think we should work together for this, I mean, I know it's a race individually, but I think we may need to help each other." Sakura said seriously.
Sasuke raised a brow, "Why? I thought you said you already had a good idea of what yours was?" he asked.
Sakura nodded, "I do, but I don't have any techniques that will help me get to it. ill need Sasuke to get it for me." She said.
Sasuke nodded, "Alright, I'll need help to figure out my clue. I have no idea at all." He said.
Naruto shrugged, "I might have an idea on how to get the information I need. Sakura, why don't you fill in Sasuke on your item and then you and I can try to figure out mine and Sasuke's while he gets your thing for you?" he suggested.
Sasuke nodded, "Agreed." Sasuke said.
Sakura nodded as well as the three walked to a public bench and Sakura sat down between Naruto and Sasuke to explain her theory.
Sakura read out loud, "'ABCDE is weak. S is where I'm going to be.' Obviously this is part is about jutsus. So I think the ninja library, the only problem is that as Outsider ninjas we aren't allowed in the library." Sakura explained.
Sasuke nodded, "And the 'Don't look away or you'll be gone' part?" he asked.
Sakura frowned, "I haven't exactly figured that part out yet." She said.
Sasuke nodded and sneakily reached into his pouch, passing Sakura the corresponding seal to the one he stuck in his left sleeve, "You know what to do. I'll describe the room once I'm in the S-rank section of the library and you figure it out." Sasuke said before standing, "Try to figure out mine or Naruto's, if you get an idea for either of them go for that one first." Sasuke said before holding a half Hare seal and melting out of existence into his fully mastered Chameleon Genjutsu.
Sakura smiled at his departure before turning to Naruto, who was holding Sasuke's picture one on top of the other.
Naruto grinned, "This one is easy, I get it." Naruto said before holding them up at Sakura.
Sakura's eyes widened as Naruto held the clear picture over the normal picture, "So together, it's a picture of Lightning country that's been crossed out. What do you get from that?" she asked.
Naruto's grin grew as he pointed to the line at the bottom of the map, "Look where the 'of' lines up." Naruto said.
Looking closer, Sakura saw that the 'of' was right on the line that was below the map, "Okay, so what?" she asked.
Naruto sighed before something in his head clicked together, 'Maybe this one is only easy because I know of the item's existence thanks to the Third Raikage?' he thought.
Naruto held his hand out to Sakura, "Pen?" he asked.
Sakura blinked in confusion before grabbing a pen from her seal-pockets and passing it to Naruto. The blonde ninja wrote something on the map before lining up the two 'photos' once more so Sakura could read, "X of Lightning?" she asked.
Naruto smiled, "The X is a Cross. Therefore, the thing Sasuke has to find is a 'Cross of Lightning.'" Naruto explained with a grin of self accomplishment.
Sakura frowned, "Naruto, how can a cross made of lightning even exist?" she asked.
Naruto raised a brow before sighing, "Nee-chan, it's the main relic that powers the hidden cloud village. That's why they made the village here, they have an infinite source of power." Naruto said as he stood and began walking, forcing Sakura to get up and follow him.
Sakura frowned, "Well how was I supposed to know that? Only someone from this village would know something of such…" she trailed off as she looked at Naruto who was grinning knowingly, "The Third?" Sakura asked.
Naruto nodded, "I guess they expected Sasuke to interrogate a local ninja to find it." Naruto said as the two of them approached the Raikage's mansion.
Naruto calmly walked up to the desk, "Excuse me miss," he said, causing the receptionist to look up, "We seek audience with the Raikage as part of the Jonin exams. Also, please deliver this message to him." Naruto said as he wrote on the back of the map and handed it to her.
The lady nodded, "If it's for something like the Jonin exams I'm sure he'll spare a few moments, hold on a moment please." She said before turning around and opening a slot in the wall. She wrote down something than clipped Naruto's message to it before placing them on a small shelf in the slot.
Sakura gasped as with a simple push of a button the small elevator began carrying the letters up to the Raikage, "How did she do that? She didn't use any chakra or seals or anything!?" Sakura whispered harshly to Naruto.
Naruto chuckled, "They're technology for home living and entertainment is much farther along than ours. I'd compare it to how advanced snow country's war technology was in comparison." Naruto explained.
Sakura nodded slowly, "Wow…" she muttered.
*BOOOOOM*
Naruto smirked as Sakura and the reception lady jumped in shock as the Raikage himself appeared in front of Naruto covered in Lightning Armour, mid-punch.
Everyone in the foyer stared in shock as Naruto caught the punch, encased in his own Lightning Armour.
Naruto's brows shot up, "A? You're the Raikage?" Naruto asked casually.
A snorted, "Ya damn brat! How the hell do you know this?" He said as he pushed the piece of paper Naruto had written on into Naruto's face.
Sakura managed to get a glimpse of the paper and only saw some of the words, 'Is that the location of this 'power sauce' Naruto spoke of?' she thought.
Naruto grinned, "Let me come upstairs and I'll explain A-sama." Naruto said as his eyes flickered to being slitted before becoming normal again.
The Raikage glared at Naruto before turning and storming away at a normal but angered pace, Naruto and Sakura following behind him.
After a minute, the three of them walked into the Raikage's office and the room door was closed behind Sakura and Naruto by Darui before he made a few seals.
"NINJA ART: ELECTRON FILTER!" Darui yelled as suddenly the walls, doors and windows were covered in a thin shell of lightning.
A sat down and glared at Naruto, "How do you know of the Source? Only ANBU level Cloud ninjas know." He ordered.
Sakura felt uncomfortable, she was surrounded by an active lightning jutsu, a high level Jonin at their backs and the Raikage himself in front of them, 'I'm not sure we'd win this one.' she thought as she stood defensively.
Naruto chuckled, causing everyone in the room to look at him in confusion, "Not a chance. You answer some questions for me first then I'll consider telling you about my Master." He said.
Sakura was confused, 'What Master?' she thought before putting her trust in Naruto.
The Raikage glared for a few moments before scowling, "Fine. What do you want to know?" A asked.
Naruto calmly walked forward and placed the clear photo on the Raikage's table, making the Raikage chuckle as he looked at the other photo he held in his hand, "So, you got it as the goal for your intelligence gathering test aye? Guess you're gonna fail." The Raikage said.
Sakura frowned, "Actually it was for our teammate, and it doesn't specify that he has to take it…" she trailed off as the Raikage glared at her.
A scoffed as Sakura looked away, "What number did your teammate pick then hm?" A asked.
Naruto had no idea, but luckily Sakura knew, "He chose number one." she said.
Naruto rolled his eyes, 'Typical Sasuke, won't settle for anything less than number one.' he thought with a chuckle.
The Raikage scowled, "Okay, you're lucky. You just have to find decent information of how to get to the end location, I'll escort you myself once you answer my-"
"I'm in Sakura."
The Raikage glared at Sakura, "What is this?!" he yelled as she slammed his fists on the table.
Before the Raikage could do anything rash, Naruto yelled, "It's our teammate! He's searching for Sakura-Nee-chan's item while we're doing research on this on!" Naruto yelled out.
The Raikage glared at Naruto for a moment.
"Did I come in at the wrong time?" Sasuke's voice rang out over the seal sarcastically.
Sakura cleared her throat, "Umm, can I be excused? I have the feeling I'm not really needed here anyways." Sakura asked.
Darui spoke for the first time since he cast his jutsu, "You can't leave, this field of electricity is impenetrable even by sound." He said.
Naruto raised an arm and pointed a single finger to the ceiling. Suddenly, as if Naruto's finger was a lightning rod, all the lightning hit his arm and discharged through the floor.
Darui blinked in shock until Sakura walked out of the room, "Umm, I'll just be out here then…" she said before stepping out and closing the door behind her.
Naruto grinned at the Raikage, "Let me give you the short version," he said as he raised his arm and ripped the top portion of his sleeve, revealing the tattoo he had obtained when he absorbed the Third Raikage, "I am the true successor of the Third Raikage!" Naruto declared as he flared his Black Lightning armour into form.
The Raikage and Darui stared in awe and slight fear, never experiencing the Black Lightning Armour technique up close before.
After a few moments, Naruto let the armour discharge back into chakra, "Now I need you to write down the directions and details of how to get to the Cross of Lightning so that my teammate can pass this exam. Then I gotta find out what the hell DDR is!" Naruto demanded.
#########
"Are you there Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked through the seal.
Sasuke lifted his own seal to his mouth and whispered, "Yes, I just walked in under a Genjutsu, no one but a single ANBU noticed, I used the Tsukuyomi on him. Now what was the second part of that clue?" he asked quietly as he crouched on the ceiling of the small room.
In hidden section at the back of the library held all of the S-ranked jutsus of the lightning village, Sasuke highly suspected that they didn't think anyone would be able to get past the multiple guards out the front. Sasuke had lied to Sakura to make sure she didn't worry. He actually had to get past two ANBU squads, one at the entrance to the room and another surveying the door from afar.
Sasuke had secretly used a few seals to knock out the ANBU surveying the area within a few seconds before using a Fission clone to start up a ruckus at the bottom of the stairs at the entrance. As the ANBU turned their focus down towards the second Sasuke, the first Sasuke crawled along the ceiling under the cover of his chameleon jutsu. This is how he currently waited as the second Sasuke kept up the act of trying to get in without starting any violence.
"Okay, it's 'Don't turn away or you'll be gone.' Is there anything that's giving you any ideas?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke dropped to the table in the center of the room and looked around, 'Now that I'm visible, those supposedly hidden cameras will be trailed on me to see if I steal their village secrets…better not anyway. Otouto probably knows half of them.' Sasuke thought as he turned in a circle, looking at everything in the room.
His eyes snapped back as he saw himself disappear, he smirked, "It's a mirror Sakura-chan. When I turn away I can't see myself anymore. Therefore, I'm 'gone'." Sasuke said through the seal.
"Great! That must be it! Check behind the mirror!" Sakura's voice rang excitedly.
Sasuke smirked and nodded before leaping over to the wall, being careful not to leave any evidence of him stepping on the floor. He lifted the mirror from the wall with one hand and smirked as he found a small hand mirror with a handle in the shape of an 'S'.
"Got it Sakura. What's your location?" he asked as he put the mirror back.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
"The Raikage tower! Hurry!"
Straight away Sasuke used his mirage shunshin, appearing on the roof of the library just as his fission clone appeared in front of him. In an instant the two were merged, just as one of the ANBU came over the ledge of the building.
The ANBU pulled out a sword just as the second ANBU landed. Sasuke was mid swing with his kusarigama.
The second ANBU barely rolled under the attack as the first ANBU jumped up into the air, slashing down at Sasuke in the next movement as Sasuke's weapon clocked the third ANBU in the head with the weight of his weapon, knocking him out.
Sasuke lifted up the blade of his weapon, blocking the strike of the first ANBU before sending chakra to form one of the few jutsu he had actually bothered to learn instead of write into a seal.
"CHIDORI CURRENT!"
The first ANBU was highly electrocuted, paralysing his nerves for a few moments as Sasuke jumped high to avoid the attack of the second ANBU.
Feeling a presence behind him, Sasuke back flipped in midair while pulling hard on his weapon. The chain of his kusarigama wrapped around the fourth and final ANBU who was mid seals and the blade stabbed one of his hands, forcing the ANBU to stop his seals.
Continuing his flip, Sasuke disappeared in a cloud of smoke only to appear from the cloud on his board, knocking his captured ninja into the second ANBU, giving Sasuke the chance to run.
And with a burst of Curse Energy, Sasuke shot off towards the Raikage tower, dropping down to just above building height as he hoped to get to Sakura in time as his burst of chakra dispelled his Genjutsu on the other four surveillance ANBU.
##########
Naruto stepped out of the Raikage's office with what Sakura could tell was a forced smile, "Got the directions Sakura-chan, and information on the number and location of guards that would be there if anyone tried to break in." Naruto said as he approached Sakura.
Sakura grinned, "That's great! But why did the Raikage so readily give you that information?" she asked.
Naruto smirked, "What's the easiest way to find out about something that you know someone knows?" Naruto asked.
Sakura blinked in confusion, "Umm, I don't know. What?" she asked.
Naruto chuckled as the two of them began to descend the stairs, "Duh, just ask them. For the purpose of this exam he's willing to give away the information." Naruto said before thinking, 'Well, at least that's what he'd say if you threatened to tell every single village about the reason the lightning village is so self sustaining throughout any wars…' he thought with a slightly cocky smirk.
The moment the two reached the bottom of the stairs, Sasuke appeared in front of them, sliding across the foyer on his knees as he held up the mirror to Sakura, "Go back to the hall and show them you got it! Now!" Sasuke yelled before two ANBU appeared in the doorway, Sasuke having taken out the other two of this squad.
Sakura grabbed the mirror and held it in one hand as she span, running up the stairwell with her skating technique, one ANBU chasing her as the other stopped in front of Sasuke.
"You are under arrest for being caught stealing from the-"
"GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!"
*WHOOSH*
Sasuke looked up confused as the ANBU was blown out the way he had come thanks to a strong burst of wind. He glanced to his right to see a smirking Naruto offering out a scroll.
Sasuke blinked in confusion once more as Naruto explained, "Your goal Sasuke, and in less than two hours. Not bad." Naruto said with a grin.
Sasuke smirked and took the scroll, sealing it in his own seal before the two walked out the door.
"Yahooooooo!"
The two guys looked up to see Sakura had at some point taken a sheet from somewhere in the tower and leapt high into the air over the Raikage tower. She was using the sheet as a parachute to escape from the ANBU, who began shooting of jutsu in a hopeless effort to stop her.
Sasuke smirked as he watched Sakura float through the air on a collision course with the exam hall, "That's one down." He said before turning to Naruto, "Now yours is the last one to do." He said.
Naruto nodded and pulled his paper out, "'DDR-Track Seven. Over 95%. Only children would find me on the slip. I'm worth more than any lucky dip.' What does any of this DDR things mean?" Naruto wondered out loud.
Sasuke hummed, "Since we have no idea, lets work backwards. 'Only Children would find me on the slip. I'm worth more than any lucky dip.' Let's find a place where we would only find children that has to do with slipping or something." Sasuke suggested.
Naruto's eyes lit up, "A playground slide?" he asked.
Sasuke smirked as his eyes met Naruto's, "A 'Slippery Dip'." He reiterated.
The two smirked at each other before Sasuke and Naruto got into a familiar formation, Naruto lifting Sasuke up into the air via Kusarigama so that Sasuke could survey the area with his Sharingan, just as they had located Tsunade back in Tanzaku town.
After a minute of looking around, "Naruto! I see many weak chakra systems in that direction! Not a single one is developed yet." Sasuke yelled up to Naruto.
Naruto turned and activated the seal over his eye, seeing the edge of a sand box behind a group of shrubbery and small shop stalls, "I see it! Let's go!" Naruto said as he began flying forward.
Sasuke flipped around and took out his board, falling to just above building height to keep the illusion that his board could merely hover instead of fly. The two arrived at the playground in less than a minute.
Sasuke landed and the kids ran up to him excitedly, "Wow! Can I have a ride mister?" one little boy asked.
Suddenly, Sasuke was bombarded with requests to ride his board, it would've been an understatement to say he was caught off-guard.
Within a few moments most of the children's parents had gotten their kids back under control once more, but the few that were still around were getting whiney about Sasuke's silence.
Sasuke looked over at Naruto with a frown while the blonde teen landed at the back of the group.
"Hey guys!" Naruto said loudly.
The remaining five children stopped pestering Sasuke and turned to Naruto, only to cheer in surprise as they realised Naruto was floating about half a meter above the ground.
Instantly the four kids were surrounding him, cheering loudly as Naruto landed, "Can you fly?" the only girl in the group asked.
Naruto nodded, "Yes I can, do you want a turn?" Naruto asked with a small smile, hiding his fangs as to ensure he didn't scare the group.
The kids cheered happily and Naruto held up a hand, causing the kids to pause in confusion, "You better go ask your parents if you can, I'd understand if they said no." he said.
Instantly, the kids ran off to find their parents, giving Sasuke and Naruto a chance to talk.
"Now, how would these kids connect to this DDR thing?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shrugged, "You're so good with them, why don't you ask them?" he asked in return.
Naruto blinked and grinned as two of the kids came running back to them along with two mothers and a father who was obviously once upon a time a ninja. Naruto smiled politely and bowed, "Hi, my name's Naruto and this is Sasuke." Naruto introduced.
The mother by herself tilted her head as she saw Naruto's headband, "Hello Naruto, Sasuke. Excuse me for asking but why are two leaf ninjas in our children's playground?" she asked.
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly as Sasuke took over, taking a completely blank expression, "We need to know what the term DDR-Track Seven means and the only clue we have is children. So we thought we'd come here." Sasuke explained.
"Mister can we fly now?" the little girl asked as she pulled on Naruto's pants leg.
Naruto knelt down and the other little boy came over to him as well. Naruto looked up at the parents who nodded to him with kind smiles.
Naruto smirked and stood tall as he lifted a child onto each of his shoulders and began lifting off as the husband continued talking to Sasuke.
The man looked guarded, "Why do you need to know this? What does the leaf village gain?" he asked.
Sasuke mentally nodded, 'Yep, definitely a ninja.' he thought as Naruto circled the playground from about ten meters into the air.
"You see sir, we are part of the Jonin exams. We have to find something and this is where our clue is taking us. It seemed to be a good idea to ask the locals about something only locals would know." Sasuke explained.
The man studied Sasuke before nodding, "In all honestly I'm not sure what this DDR thing is." He said with a shrug.
The man's wife spoke, "I remember Itachi-kun like something called DDR, it was at the arcade I think." She said.
Sasuke twitched, hearing that the little boy's name was Itachi. Then, the single mother spoke, "Yes, now that you mention it Kyary-chan has talked about it as well."
Sasuke smirked in victory, "Thankyou very much." He said before turning to Naruto, who was just landing.
"Excuse me Itachi-kun, would you please tell me what DDR is?" Sasuke asked as Naruto put the cheering boy on the ground.
Itachi turned to Sasuke, "Yay! DDR! I wanna play mom!" he said before running past Sasuke and grabbing his mother's leg.
Sasuke sighed in defeat as he was promptly blown off by a child. Naruto walked by him with Kyary still on his left shoulder, "You good bro?" Naruto asked with a chuckle.
"Oh the arcade?" the husband said in reply to something his child said.
The little boy starting cheering so the husband looked up at Naruto, "Well Naruto, Sasuke. We were about to head to the Arcade anyway, would you like to accompany us?" he asked.
The single mum lifted her child from Naruto's shoulder, "How about it Kyary? Want to go see daddy at work?" she asked.
The two children cheered as Sasuke smirked and Naruto grinned, "That'd be great!" Naruto said.
A few moments later and Naruto was flying above the three adults and Sasuke with the kids on either of his shoulders as they were lead to this 'Arcade' in hopes of finding out what DDR is.
##########
""Dance Dance Revolution?"" Naruto and Sasuke asked at the same time, just as the two kids got on.
The two kids were standing on a small platform with light up floor panels in front of a screen that they were too small to see. Naruto tilted his head in confusion as he watched the music videos playing across the screen.
"Track seven isn't it boys?" the guy in a clown outfit, Kyary's father, said.
Naruto nodded in confusion as the clown put in two tokens before scrolling through and clicking the track.
Sasuke's Sharingan eyes narrowed as he read the song name that the clown chose, he read it in disbelief as the music video came on and the music started.
Naruto was distracted by the simple awesomeness of the entertainment machine that was Dance Dance Revolution and didn't really pay attention to anything other than the kids having fun and the flashing of the lights.
Naruto didn't like to admit it, but he was disappointed when it was over, he saw numbers flash on the screen.
14%
Naruto grinned, "Aniki! This is it! We have to get over 95% to get the last clue!" Naruto said as he looked to his brother.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto with his still active Sharingan eyes, "Naruto…this is a two player game." He said darkly.
Naruto nodded, "Yeah! We just gotta dance like the girls on the screen and we're sweet!" Naruto cheered as he stepped onto the right side.
Sasuke glared at Naruto, "No." he said sternly.
Naruto turned to Sasuke in shock, "What?! Why not?!" he yelled.
Sasuke looked at Naruto with a 'bitch-is-you-crazy' look on his face, "I am NOT dancing that girly dance! Especially not in front of all these people!" Sasuke roared.
Naruto blinked in shock, as did pretty much every patron in the arcade as Sasuke had truly yelled the last statement.
Naruto glanced around and noticed the way everyone was looking at Sasuke judgingly; Naruto even spotted a few ninjas looking on in confusion. He grinned as his mind came up with a quick plan.
People's eyes snapped to Naruto as he fell into a depressed crouch on the machine platform, "That's okay Aniki, I get it. You don't want to help me like I did for you. I mean, I stood up to the Raikage himself to get the information you needed to pass, but if you can't even do one little dance for me, I guess that's okay. I'll just stay a Chunnin and never achieve my dream of being Hokage." He said with a large sigh as large fake tears rolled down his face.
Sasuke blinked in shock at Naruto, unsure of what he was trying to achieve.
"What a terrible brother!" a mother whispered to her husband.
Within moments, people were talking about how a real brother would support his younger sibling in any way. Then came the brutally honest children who didn't know how to filter their thoughts.
Feeling a tug on his trousers, Sasuke looked down to see a confused looking Kyary, "Sasuke! Naruto needs your help!" she said accusingly as she pointed up at Naruto with a frown.
"Yeah! Go help!" Itachi yelled.
Sasuke's brow twitched as everyone in the immediate vicinity began cheering for him to go up on the platform with Naruto. He looked at Naruto with his Sharingan glaring as Naruto grinned at Sasuke, holding out a hand 'hopefully'.
"Will you help me? Aniki?" Naruto asked, adding a teary sniff for dramatic effect.
"Help him!" someone yelled from the crowd.
"Yeah!"
"That's what's family's for!"
"Sasuke!" Itachi cheered.
Hearing Sasuke's name, the crowd began cheering, ""Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!""
The crowd continued chanting Sasuke's name and the Uchiha grinded his teeth together before reaching up and taking Naruto's hand.
Naruto pulled Sasuke up onto the platform in a single pull, "Thanks Aniki!"
"YAY!" the crowd cheered as one.
Kyary's dad, seeing all the people gathered, decided to make a spectacle of the event in hopes of raising his customer base, "Let's hear it again folks! For Naruto and Sasuke of Konoha!" he cheered as he passed some tokens to Naruto.
"YEEEEEAAHHHH!"
#########
Neji blinked and looked to his left, "Sasuke? Naruto?" he asked out loud before walking into the arcade and leaping up onto the roof to get a better view of what was going on.
"DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION!" the speakers blared.
Neji's jaw dropped as he pulled out a video camera he had bought from the village to document his time here, "I can't believe this!" Neji whispered to himself.
##########
As he took a step onto the platform, Sasuke took a deep breath angrily, "Girls' Generation." He muttered.
Naruto nodded with a grin, "Genie-Japanese Version." He said excitedly.
The lights came on and Sasuke's Sharingan span as he danced the song perfectly while singing to himself,
"Oyobidesuka
nee iikaketa SOS wa maji da"
Naruto stepped forward as his half of the platform lit up and sung as well just for the fun of it,
hora masa ni koko de sunao janakya
nani ka negau nara kimi to koi ni ochita Genie yo
Sasuke and Naruto stepped together as they moved in unison,
kirei gototte yori mo jikochuu no hou ga mashi ne
mazu wa iiwanakya wakannai desho
kotoba wa igai ni mo maryoku wo himeteru no
shoujiki na kimi no yume wa
The two teenage men twirled as they got into the starting positions of the chorus,
sou yoko no hoshi wa omoidoori
futari nara nozomidoori
mirai sae mo omitooshi
kanaete ageru
Sasuke began to take the lead as Naruto did the echo,
koko ni iru wa (I'm Genie for you boy)
kimi mo kurewa (I'm Genie for your wish)
suki ni naru wa (I'm Genie for your dream)
motto nareba (I'm Genie for your world)
This time, Naruto stepped forward as Sasuke turned back, setting their feet on the lit up panels as Naruto began singing along once more,
Kakugo dekita? taikutsu nan desho onaji hibi wa
mae ni susumu nara mushiro hade na
tsuyoki no GO sain kimi wa superstar shining star superstar
They stepped in unison once more as the crowd started clapping along,
tsujitsuma awasu you ni unmei ni tobinotte
Ki no muku hou he doraibu desho
sekai ha igai ni mo tanjun ni dekiteru no
naisho da yo I'm just your biggest fan
Naruto took the lead as Sasuke mirrored him from a step behind before starting the echo,
sou yoko no hoshi wa omoidoori
futari nara nozomidoori
mirai sae mo omitooshi
kanaete ageru
koko ni iru wa (I'm Genie for you boy)
kimi mo kurewa (I'm Genie for your wish)
suki ni naru wa (I'm Genie for your dream)
motto nareba (I'm Genie for your world)
Kuse ni naru wa
Naruto stepped back as Sasuke broke down into a handstand and span, hitting all the lit up panels and the bonus panels as the song took a musical break between lines,
Tell me what you need, tell me what you hope
The stage went black and everyone went quiet, a single spotlight hit Naruto as he span to face the crowd,
DJ! Put it back on!
The crowd cheered as the music and lights blasted along with the two boys' dancing and singing,
Maru de chikyu-ugi wo mawasu you ni kiseki sae tejun douri
romanchikku ga hoshii nara kanaeteageru gutto kuru wa
Sasuke stepped forward and began to really sing as he hit the solo dance panelling, he sung over Naruto who once more repeated the tune of the chorus
Kono mune wo kogasu Music hajimari ha Automatic(tada kimi ga negai sae sureba
sou jiyuu ni naritai)
tada hitori kimi wa Magic kanaetehoshii (tada kimi ga negai sae sureba
mou hanare takunai yo)
The two stepped together to finish the song,
koko ni iru wa (I'm Genie for you boy)
kimi mo kurewa (I'm Genie for your wish)
suki ni naru wa (I'm Genie for your dream)
motto nareba (I'm Genie for your world)
kitto naru wa (I'm Genie for you boy)
suki ni nareba (I'm Genie for your wish)
kuse ni naru wa
"""YEAAAAH!""" the crowd cheered as Naruto and Sasuke finished back-to-back in a saluting stance, the lights flashing.
98%
Naruto cheered at the new high score, while Sasuke's Sharingan recorded everything that was happening on the screen, hoping to find the clue that Naruto needed.
"Congratulations! You have achieved a Diamond Score!" a voice from the machine said as it flashed the shape of a diamond on the screen for a few seconds before returning to the home screen.
Sasuke blinked, "That's it? Diamond Score?" Sasuke muttered angrily as he ground his teeth together.
Naruto turned to Sasuke "What was that Aniki?" Naruto asked, barely looking away from the crowd.
Sasuke blew out a harsh breath before turning and storming out, Naruto hesitated a moment before running after him.
Kyary's father grabbed the megaphone, "Can you beat their score? Whoever can do will earn themselves a free! Major! Prize!" he yelled, causing the crowd to line up as they cheered, practically trowing their money to get more tokens.
##########
Naruto had just caught up to Sasuke outside the arcade and laughed, "Hahaha! That was fun Aniki! We should do it again!" Naruto said happily.
Sasuke stopped abruptly, causing Naruto to stop just ahead of him. He looked back and raised a questioning brow, "Aniki?" he asked.
Sasuke blinked off his Sharingan, "You got the 95%, your clue was 'Diamond Score'. Do what you want with it, I'm leaving now." Sasuke said sternly before storming off towards the exam hall.
Naruto blinked in confusion as he watched Sasuke walk away, "Wonder why he's so pissed?" Naruto mumbled to himself.
"Probably because his little break dancing episode cost you guys the last two percent." The Kyuubi supplied sarcastically.
Naruto nodded, not even picking up on the sarcasm, "Yeah, you're probably right. I mean that was kinda frustrating." Naruto mumbled before taking out his clue again and reading over it.
"Okay, so if I substitute what I've learned… 'DDR-Track Seven. Over 95%. Only children would find me on the slip. I'm worth more than any lucky dip.' 'Girls' Generation-Genie, Diamond, Slippery dip and worth a lot.'" Naruto muttered to himself as he flew back towards the playground.
Naruto landed off to the side as he looked up, "There's the slippery dip…" he muttered as he looked over the playground, his eyes narrowed as he noticed a spring rocker at the bottom of the slide.
Naruto jogged around the park and smirked, "Well, Genies live in lamps." Naruto said to himself as he looked at the enlarged lamp-shaped play equipment.
Naruto frowned as he looked over the lamp, 'Hmm…there!' Naruto thought in victory as he looked down that spout of the lamp.
Naruto tried reaching in to grab something in the lamp's spout, finding that his arm couldn't fit, he scowled before looking around. The only people in the park at the moment were two families near the swings and the sand box.
Naruto gripped the lamp's spout and focussed his strength, snapping off the spout completely from the body of the lamp.
Naruto smirked to himself as he shook the spout sideways and a few moments later, a small diamond about the size of his eye fell into his hand.
Naruto grinned, "Hello there little diamond." He said in victory at completing his mission.
And to think, it was only midday.
##########
Chapter End.
Hey everyone, if you want to full effect of the little dance scene up there please YouTube: Girls' Generation Genie Japanese Dance Version.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's a little bit intense and serious before becoming funny and embarrassing for Sasuke.
I thought a little bit of random humour would work well for the story while also highlighting the crazy types of missions that Jonin will need to go on and the fact that there is crazy shit they may need to do to achieve their goal.
Also, I like the song.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dance Dance Revolution or Girls' Generation. I definitely don't own Naruto as well, just clearing that up for any lawyers out there.
Anyways, please R&R I am almost finished another chapter of A Stronger Link as well so I hope to post that by the end of the week.
On a final note I won't be posting next week, sorry!
Alky out!