*Chapter 18*: Chapter Sixteen: Mother
Note: The cleaned, editted, and preread version. Enjoy!
Second Note: Thanks to Missingnin spotting a math error XD hopefully I won't make TOO many more of those.
Previously: At dusk on the night of the fourth day, Naruto rejoined Team Akachi and, together with Kabuto, who had been separated from his own team, at midnight they set out for the tower in the middle of training ground 44. Naruto is still hampered by the effects of the curse mark, but his mind is no longer conflicted, and he seems to be able to function normally again. While this is a great relief to the other members of Team Akachi, Kabuto is terrified of Naruto, despite assurances by Orochimaru that the risks are minimal. Kabuto, against his own wishes and against even his prior stated mission to gather information on Konoha, will for the first time attempt the Third Test in the Chunin Exam. As the arena within the tower is prepared for combat, the newly arrived genin prepare themselves for the unknown, and the examiners look over the butcher's bill for the bloodiest Chunin Exam in recent memory...
Chapter Sixteen: Mother
"Is this all of them?" Kakashi asked, puffing on the noxious pipe, still in the henge of the Sandaime Hokage.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," answered Kaga. He handed the 'Hokage' another stack of papers, larger than the first. "This is the list of casualties."
Kakashi sighed, looking over the second list. The first nineteen were DoA's: eight Konoha genin- including the Inuzuka rookie, three genin from Suna, four from Ame, three under Kusa hitai-ite, and one was Taki. The next five were those who had died in the hospital: four more from Konoha and another from Ame. The last six were too wounded to continue, consisting of three Suna, one Taki, and two from Konoha. Kakashi felt a sinking feeling as he noted that fourteen of the dead and two of the critically wounded were affected by large, close-range sprays of glass shrapnel. According to reports, most of these had been due to traps, some of which ANBU were still tracking down to remove so that future exams might still make use of training ground 44.
DAMN the council! Kakashi swore silently with venom. How did Sarutobi-sama ever deal with that bunch of shortsighted fools? Couldn't they see the bloodbath they were instigating by setting up Team Akachi the way they did? And why did Gai let them talk him into agreeing?
"It seems that Ibiki was correct," remarked Yamato. "It would appear that this year's applicants were of exceptional caliber."
"So who remains?" asked Kurenai.
"Six teams," Asuma answered. "Team Akachi, Team Isha, Team Ten, and Team Gai from Konoha. One team also from
Takigakure, and the last one is the Jinchuuriki's team from Suna. All the others were eliminated... mostly by Team Akachi."
Kakashi felt a stab of irritation at the implied criticism of his team. Anko simply seemed to ignore it.
The faux-Hokage wished desperately that Sarutobi was here. As long as it looked as though the 'Hokage' was needed to track down the assassin who kept targeting members of the Council, they needed one who knew as many jutsu as possible, including Kage Bunshin. Especially Kage Bunshin. Dammit, Gai! he thought to himself. If only you'd try to use more than your fists! At LEAST the Kage Bunshin. How can you impersonate the Hokage if you don't know the Kage Bunshin?
Intellectually, Kakashi knew he wasn't being fair. There were only three ninja currently in Konoha who knew the technique and one of them was himself. No, correction, only two; the Hokage had left Konoha for all intents and purposes. Unless he or Naruto were to attempt to teach Gai the technique, the only place Gai would be able to learn it from was the Forbidden Scroll. And the initial choice of Gai to spend the lion's share of the time impersonating the Hokage was because after Sarutobi-sama, Gai was the strongest ninja in the village.
"Found it," said Kaga from the direction of the security monitor. "This is what I wanted to show you. Two things. First, look at the time stamp."
The assembly of high ranking shinobi gathered around the monitor. "Impressive," Kakashi said. "Jinchuuriki no Sunagakure. His team has beaten the previous record holder by four hours."
Kaga froze the image, with the tattooed ninja looking directly into the camera. It was a clear shot, as clear as any they'd ever seen on a security monitor. "Look closer," prompted Kaga. "What's wrong with this picture?"
"He's clean," Anko answered with no hesitation. "He doesn't have a smudge of dirt or even a mosquito bite."
"He does seem to live up to advance billing," Asuma noted, nibbling thoughtfully at the fukimibari. He shot a look over at his father's pipe in Kakashi's mouth and gave a small, disconsolate sigh. I could use a smoke, he thought mournfully to himself.
"This presents us with another problem," said Gai in an uncharacteristically somber tone, "in six hours when the time limit for the exam is up. The Council insisted on the special conditions inflicted on Team Akachi, to ensure that Uzumaki Naruto and Subaku no Gaara would fight out here, away from the civilian populace…"
"Are they insane?" exploded Yamato, his normally neutral face infused with a mix of terror and disbelief. "Have they no conception what kind of reaction that would draw from the Ancients?"
"You forget, Yamato," interrupted Kakashi, carefully listening to everything Yamato was saying. "The majority of the village knows next to nothing about the Ancients." Including myself, Kakashi didn't bother to add. "Even if they did know anything, they would never understand the nature of the danger this would pose."
"None of this matters now," inserted Asuma. "Regardless of what the Council wanted, the Suna team didn't take the bait. Meaning the Council — when they get word of this development — will almost certainly insist on rigging the preliminaries to ensure their fight takes place here in the tower rather than in the middle of the village during the finals."
"Disqualify one of them," Kurenai said flatly. "Find a technicality and exploit it. Preferably remove Uzumaki. He needs to be hospitalized."
"No good," Kakashi said, detesting the vile taste the pipe smoke left in his mouth. "The Council will never accept that. They are convinced that if they do not fight within the confines of the Exam they will likely seek each other out in the middle of the village."
"So it's back to rigging the fight for them to fight one another," Asuma concluded.
"That is the most likely order we will receive from them. Good thing that communication between here and the village is so unreliable," Kurenai agreed. "We'll need barrier experts for the finals when they fight one another."
"If they fight each other," Kaga commented.
"Gaara, according to reports, has an ultimate defense that has never been penetrated," Kakashi said. "And Naruto has a truly terrifying offensive capability. About the only people in this exam I truly believe capable of stopping either of them is the other."
Kaga turned back to the monitor and studied the Suna jinchuuriki thoughtfully. "Unstoppable force against immovable object. I wonder what will happen?"
"Lots of collateral damage," Asuma answered absently. "Do we have enough barrier experts?"
"Against two jinchuuriki? Who can say?" Kakashi replied, adopting one of the Sandaime's more thoughtful expressions. "Certainly we'll have more available the day of the finals rather than in the next... five-and-a-half hours."
Hayate coughed a little, drawing attention to himself for the first time in the conversation. "My only concern is that I will not be able to stop their fight by myself. It would be like trying to stop a lava flow in the middle of a tidal wave with a fire extinguisher."
"Then it is decided. For the safety of the other examinees, they cannot fight here. They will be assigned to separate tiers of the preliminary round," Kakashi stated.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Hayate replied, bowing. "It shall be done."
"You have all passed the second exam," Yamato spoke calmly. His even, mild voice was audible and clear, even at the edges of the room. "From this point forward, you no longer advance as a team. You will be judged solely on the merits of your individual—"
There was a commotion at the far end of the room, from the hallway that was flanked on either side by the stairs up to the balcony. A middle aged kunoichi with red, triangular marks tattooed on her cheeks was dragging a pair of proctors who were desperately and unsuccessfully attempting to subdue her. Akamaru was with her, alternately barking into the room toward the teams and their instructors, before turning his attention back to barking at the proctors scuffling with the Inuzuka woman. Her grunts and inarticulate shrieks halted momentarily as she caught sight of the assembled genin, before she struggled all the harder to get to them.
"Monster!" she screamed towards the remaining applicants. "Demon-child! I'll kill you, I'll tear you apart! YOU KILLED MY BABY!"
"Oh, no. Not Tsume, not now," muttered Asuma, and rushed over to help the proctors with the distraught mother.
"Uzumaki no Bakemono! You'll die; I swear I'll see you dead!" she shrieked. "I'll rip your throat out!"
The entire assembly of genin and most of the instructors turned to look at Naruto, who stood stoically with a solemn expression. He could feel their eyes on him as the woman's grief echoed through the vast chamber. He took out the scroll that held Kubikiri Houcho and summoned the weapon, then handed it to Sasuke, befiore walking slowly towards the Inuzuka clan Matron. She thrashed even more wildly, even though she was being securely held by Asuma and the two battered, exhausted proctors.
"Let her up," Naruto said quietly. The woman glared death at the blond genin, baring sharp teeth that ached to spill blood, to rend flesh. His blood and his flesh.
Asuma snorted. "Not happening. She's not in her right mind." The woman writhed again, violently, and managed to drive a hard knee into the jonin-instructor's face. There was a muted cracking noise and Asuma began swearing sulfurously, but though he spat out blood and a broken tooth, he simply readjusted his grip, switched positions, and held on.
Akamaru kept barking, alternating his attention between the three holding Tsume down, and the assembly of ninja still grouped together near the gargantuan stone Ram-seal statue. Naruto he seemed to disregard.
"Asuma-sensei," Naruto said coldly. "Let her up now or I swear I'll tear open the seal holding back the Kyuubi and release him, right here, and right now." The four on the ground stopped their struggles in open shock. "LET HER UP!" Naruto shouted.
As the proctors and Asuma released their grip and backed away from Tsume, she slowly got to her feet. Naruto made no move; simply watched her, as she reached for her kunai pouch. She pulled out a kunai, and Naruto lifted his chin, baring his throat. "After I've had my say, you may do as you like," Naruto said. He made no move as she laid the killing edge against his throat.
"Speak," she demanded in a gravelly, hate filled whisper.
"How much?" asked Naruto.
"How much what?" she snapped back. Her patience was wearing thin. She wanted this kitsune gaki dead.
"How much blood will satisfy you? A pint, a quart, a gallon… How much? I couldn't save him, I was wounded as bad as he was, although I heal faster; but perhaps because I lived and he did not, I owe you. Maybe I even owe you my life. How much?" Naruto paused as Tsume gritted her teeth against the tears that were blotting out his face. He yelled louder, "How much do you think the world owes you for him? Does it owe you the lives of all the other genin in this building, the lives of everything and everyone in Konoha — in all of Fire country, if the Kyuubi breaks free when I die? HOW MUCH?"
The echoes of his last shout died away in the room as the assembly of genin and instructors from outside Konoha started at the revelation. Kakashi groaned and pulled the headdress of the Hokage down over his eyes. Can this get any worse?
Akamaru fell silent and watched Alpha-Mother and Fox-Scent-Boy stare at each other when Fox-Scent-Boy stopped barking. Finally Alpha-Mother dropped the metal-tooth-kunai from her paw and attached both of her paws to Fox-ScentBoy's throat and began slamming him into the wall, howling at him and squeezing. After lifting Fox-Scent-Boy up off the ground for several seconds Alpha-Mother let go of him and dropped him and fell to the floor herself. Akamaru whimpered a little and inched his way forward, sniffing Alpha-Mother for blood or pain smells. She smelled of Sad; he whimpered again and licked her face, tasting wet salty.
Akamaru understood why she smelled of Sad; she missed her pup, Alpha-Brother-Kiba. He did too; but even more right now he wished Alpha-Mother woofed the same as Alpha-Brother-Kiba. She couldn't understand his woofs at all and he could only somewhat understand the gist of hers.
Akamaru was a good boy, a smart boy; Alpha-Brother-Kiba always said so. He began barking again louder, trying to draw her attention to the Snake-Smell-Old-Young human on the steps with the other Human-Adult-People next to the bigrock-human-paws.
He barked for all he was worth, his anger unable to overpower his fear of Snake-Smell-Old-Young human. But if AlphaMother could just understand that it wasn't Fox-Scent-Boy she should be angered at, maybe it could all be better again.
The assembly of genin watched in shock as Naruto forced the proctors who were restraining Inuzuka Tsume to release her. Though they couldn't hear his initial words, his shout of "LET HER UP!" had been clearly audible even outside the tower. The fact that he would dare to yell so at two proctors and a jonin was eclipsed by the fact that they, seemingly cowed, had complied with his demand. Some few thought to wonder why neither the other Konoha jonin nor the Hokage were stopping the incident, but a glance in their direction showed them to be as shocked by the strange interruption as everyone else.
After Naruto spoke to her in sharp, unflinching tones while she held a knife to his throat, there were a few heart stopping moments where Team Akachi thought she was going to kill him right there, before she dropped her kunai and began choking him, bodily slamming him against the wall several times. Finally, as her rage and grief wound down, she released him, collapsing to the floor and sobbing. Akamaru inched his way up to her and began licking her face, before renewing his verbal assault towards the assembly of ninja still in the room. Naruto seemed to be completely unimportant to Akamaru's eyes. After a few moments, Tsume sat up, and pulled Akamaru to her chest, before burying her face in the small dog's fur. Akamaru stopped barking agian, and began licking her as she sat and quietly cried.
Naruto stood over her for a few seconds, before he turned back and walked to the assembled genin. Gaara stared at him in disbelief and incomprehension, and grabbed Naruto's arm as he passed, causing the blond to freeze. The jinchuuriki of Team Akachi looked slowly down at the hand on his sleeve, then directly into Gaara's eyes.
"Why?" demanded Gaara angrily. "Why did you risk yourself like that?"
Naruto snatched back his arm, jerking the Suna nin's posture momentarily. "Because she lost her precious person, her son. And because it was I who failed to protect him," Naruto replied. With no further words he casually continued back to Team Akachi, taking back his massive sword as he reached them, before sealing the weapon up in its scroll and putting it back inside his black and red coat.
Gaara simply stared after the blond in mute incomprehension. Mother... what... I don't understand...
KILL HIM. Mother replied from the depths of Gaara's mind. KILL HIM- I WANT TO TASTE HIS BLOOD. HE CAUSES US PAIN, CONFUSION, FEAR- KILL HIM, AND ONLY THEN WILL WE KNOW PEACE.
Beyond them, the Sand jonin's eyes narrowed slightly in concern. Those words are beyond the scope of Gaara's understanding. What will he do? Will he jeopardize the plan?
Kakashi watched as the proctors escorted Tsume, still carrying Akamaru, away from the arena. The mood of the group was tense, almost fearful. Especially several of the Konoha nin… admittedly, himself included. Kakashi wasn't entirely certain of what happened since Naruto had disappeared in the Forest of Death, but on his return he'd seemed more relaxed, but relaxed in the sense of a deadly predator between kills. The last vestiges of the happy-go-lucky child, the genin who'd juggled himself and done his best to cheer those around him, were gone. Kakashi was not afraid of Naruto snapping any longer. No, the next people he killed would be killed with full intent and no remorse.
It was enough to make a jonin-instructor long for a kid with simple combat fatigue.
Kakashi could do nothing about this now, he knew. Clearing his throat, he said, "I believe it would be best, Yamato-san, that I should take over from here." The group said nothing, attendant to his words. Kakashi went on, "This has been an... unexpected occurrence. But as shinobi, we are expected to continue on through the unexpected to complete that which we have begun. A lesson I am certain that is not lost on any of you, for none of you would be here did you not already understand this in your hearts."
He continued, "I, too, congratulate all of you standing here. You who stand on these stones... you are a privileged few. In half an hour a few private observers... your families, your friends... these will be present in the balconies above us now. But none of these people today will be standing where you are now. That privilege... that right... that honor... all these belong to you. They belong to you because you have proven your knowledge. You have proven your ability to gather information. You
have proven, each of you, your ability to perform a mission within its guidelines and survive against others fully as determined as you. You have proven your teamwork. But in the third exam, you will prove your prowess."
The room remained utterly silent. "The Chuunin Exams are meant to promote friendship and harmony between the shinobi nations. But what does this mean?" He paused, as they all stared at him, hypnotized. Unnerved by their lack of questions, Kakashi pressed on. "I will explain to you. This statement of purpose... this is, in actuality, an expression... of war."
The group of genin still said nothing, although his words had created a small stir in them, a slight restlessness as they shifted, waiting for his explanation. Even that didn't draw a reaction from them? marveled Kakashi. Sighing, he said, "Long ago, before this joint exam, our nations went to war with one another... a war over power, over resources, over territory... a war which often squandered exactly that which the nations sought to maintain their hold over as they struck out at one another, both overtly and covertly. But in the creation of this Exam, the perfect battleground was formed, over which our nations may mutually compete for all of that mentioned before. Yet how do we determine if this war is won, or lost, or a stalemate is attained? By the creation of a blood-sport... an arena under which each of you may fight for the honor of your respective countries... even, should you deem it necessary, to fight for your honor and that of your nation unto death."
Kakashi was warming to the subject, and did not provide the genin with an opportunity to respond, even had he believed them so inclined to in the first place. "The third exam is spectacle; it is show. It is a blood-sport held under the watchful gaze of many of the most powerful individuals in all of our five nations. Daimyos, lords, the wealthy, powerful and ambitious, all these pay top dollar to watch you compete. As they watch, they note who are the strongest, the smartest, the best trained. And when they have returned to their homelands and need tasks performed of great import and risk, they remember this exam, and those who impressed them the most, and they will send their requests to the village from which those shinobi hailed. A nation with many skilled and powerful applicants will receive the bulk of their requests, while a nation whose up and coming shinobi are seen to be weak or ineffectual will begin to have mission requests to their nation dwindle. By this we maintain our strength... and the balance of power between our nations. For the truth of friendship, among shinobi, is the maintenance of peace in the midst of our ongoing war."
The tension and excitement was brimming, Kakashi could sense it. These young warriors were prepared to do as they deemed necessary. Fear, uncertainty, anticipation, competitiveness; all these and more lurked in their eyes and postures. Yet Kakashi felt the need to clarify one point more. "Understand this; you do not merely fight for our amusement or enrichment. The exam is an arena by which to weed out those unfit for advancement to chuunin. For they who are not capable or ready do not pass the rigors the exam provides. Those who succeed are truly the finest our nations have to offer. But the exam, like any tool in a shinobi arsenal, has more uses than what may be seen on the surface. Much, in fact, like each of you has trained for; to see the hidden meanings beneath the hidden meanings, to find the truths within the lies we wear, and seek the hidden core, the true essence within each of us that remains eternally our truth no matter how many layers of deceptions and deeds we are forced to apply over them. This is our destiny, our purpose, our lives... as shinobi. Good luck to you all." Kakashi turned to Gekko Hayate. "Hayate-san, you may begin."
Kakashi stepped back a pace, relinquishing his position as the focus of attention, and gave a slight, shuddery sigh. I'm sorry, Sarutobi-sama. But I'm not you. I know you would have said all of this differently... but I can only hope they understood the importance of what you always tried to convey.
A slender figure in a jonin vest shunshined out to the floor. As he stood from his crouch, they could see that his face was thin and drawn. His eyes bore dark bags under them, and his body shook with an occasional small cough. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." The man shuddered briefly, before saying, "Uhhh... before the third exam starts, I must ask all of you to do something for me."
A wave of muted motion crossed over the examinees as they took in the proctor's state of health. He seemed somehow unsteady on his feet, and the small coughs that interrupted his actions were sometimes punctuated by a loud, dry, wheezing hack.
Sasuke caught Naruto flickering the Kamigan. Naruto's head tilted slightly and his eyes widened before he murmured,
"Cancer..."
Shikamaru had heard, as had Kabuto, who stood next to them with his own squad. Sasuke glanced around with his eyes. Nobody else seemed to have caught the whisper.
Hayate continued, "Ummm... You see, there are some preliminaries to the exam proper, and whether you proceed to the tournament finals is contingent on how well you manage those."
"Why don't they call this the third exam and what you're telling us that we're trying to advance to the fourth exam?" asked a Takigakure nin in a vest and rolled up shorts. Rather than the usual sandals most shinobi wore, this one wore split-toed tabi. His hair was cropped short, and he had thick sideburns that almost touched the bottom of his jaw.
"Well, I don't want to say that the first two exams weren't demanding enough, but... (Cough) the truth is, we still have too many applicants," Hayate answered. "Under traditional rules of the exam, we now have a set of preliminaries to reduce the number of genin who will advance to the Third exam. As the Sandaime Hokage mentioned, a number of honored guests will be observing you during the third exam... so we must make the exam tight, intense, and fast moving."
Hayate coughed his dry cough a couple more times, before he said, "Hmmm... So anyway... Now that you know something of what it's all really about... Anyone who doesn't feel up to the challenge either physically or mentally can walk away. Just take one step forward... because the preliminaries start now."
Naruto looked around the crowd calmly, trying to sense the other's moods, to gauge who was weakest, who was ready to falter. Strangely enough, it was Kabuto who seemed most on edge, but after a long look at a jonin whom Naruto could only assume was his jonin-instructor, Kabuto straightened up and waited with the rest of them.
After a second, Hayate seemed nonplused that no one had yet given up the test. "Ummm... (cough) in case I forgot to mention it, from here on you fight as individuals... not as members of a team. So you can make the decision that's right for you without worrying about affecting anyone else. (Cough, cough) So... does anyone want out?"
Naruto felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder. He winced, then looked around the room. As he did so, he noticed Kabuto's instructor watching him intently with an unreadable expression on his face. Naruto would have sworn the jonin flared his eyes as the pain came again: that chakra-parasite... Naruto scowled, looking back at Hayate.
Hayate sighed, before he finally said, "Uhhh... looks like nobody is bailing out."
Naruto felt a third pulse from the mark, and reflexively clutched at his shoulder.
Ibiki leaned in towards Kakashi. "Looks as though Orochimaru got him alright, Hokage-sama. Probably the reason for his altered behavior. Do we call in ANBU?"
Kakashi thought back to the confrontation with Tsume. Naruto had shown no aggression — indeed, he'd shown a remarkable passivity in the face of her pain and anger — and he'd made no move to fight, no move to rampage and kill. "No... No, we do not. But I will need a moment of Gai-sensei's time. Could you call him into Room 160 for me?" replied Kakashi, turning and walking out the archway. "Tell him I'm also calling in Kakashi; that always seems to get his attention for some reason." Kakashi chuckled with a wry grin on his face. It was exactly the sort of thing the Hokage would say to rile the spandex-clad jonin.
Ibiki gave a chuckle of his own. The Sandaime, whatever his strange mood before, seemed to be back to his old self. He felt a twinge of sadistic glee as he thought of the face Gai would make when he passed on Hokage-sama's words.
A few seconds later, when he did, he wasn't disappointed.
"Very well then," Hayate said finally. "We'll now begin the preliminaries... which will consist of one-on-one matches, as though this were part of the tournament that comprises the Third exam. As there are nineteen competitors, there will be nine matches and one automatic advance, each match and the bye being determined randomly. The winners of the nine matches, like the pass, will advance to the third exam finals."
Hayate straightened up despite the cough that followed. "This is no-holds barred combat. Each pair of combatants will fight until one of them is dead, unconscious, or admits defeat. If you value your life, and you feel you are being overpowered, it is advisable that you concede immediately." He paused. "Uhhh... since we don't want a total bloodbath on our hands..." Like the second exam, he didn't say out loud, "There may be cases where we ascertain that there is an undisputed winner and stop the fight. But don't count on it." He gave a short nod to Yamato, who began speaking into an earpiece. "From this point out, your fate is controlled..." Up on the wall, above a stone arm leading to the carved Ram Seal, a panel opened up, revealing an electronic digital display. "...By the results on this display. At the start of every (cough) round, we will display the names of the two combatants in that match. The first name selected will be the genin passing on to the third exam automatically." Hayate turned back to face them all. "Ummm... so, not to hurry the slaughter, but... Let's begin. We will determine the contestant to receive the bye into the third exam..."
The genin all looked up at the board, an expectant hush falling over them.
Then, the name of the lucky contender appeared on the screen.
Nara Shikamaru.
"Lucky you, man," congratulated Chouji, coming over and patting his friend on the back. "Looks like you won't be troubled with this one, eh man?"
Shikamaru smiled, relief on his face. "I'm just glad I wasn't up against you, Chouji. I don't know if I could stop you."
Chouji smiled. "You'd figure out a way. Doesn't matter how tough your opponent is, I've never seen anyone who could stand up to your brain." Chouji grinned at him. "Look at it this way… at least you don't have to fight that Gaara guy." Chouji's face turned uncharacteristically nervous. "Or worse yet, Naruto."
Shikamaru smiled up at the ceiling, before he turned to look at Chouji. "Chouji, man, have you ever known me to lie to you?"
Chouji looked puzzled. "Huh? Of course not. You've always been there for me, always been a straight shooter."
"Then listen to me, here, cause I'm not gonna lie to you now." Shikamaru grabbed Chouji's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "If there's anybody here in the preliminary who can take on Naruto and win… it's you." Shikamaru locked Chouji's gaze. "You're the only person here strong enough to go toe to toe with him and win." Shikamaru let go of his friend's shoulders, before turning and heading up to the gallery to watch the matches.
Chouji just stood there, staring after his best friend. "Shikamaru..."
Shikamaru sat down and sighed. Was he going to lose friends down there today? Would he be losing Naruto? Sasuke... Chouji?
He felt someone sit down on the bench beside him. Startled, he looked up to see… Hinata and Shino? "What are you guys doing here?"
Hinata blushed, biting her lip, before looking down into the arena. Shino answered for them. "Naruto fought for us. He gave his all; he was injured in ways that should have killed him. He lost an eye; no matter that it grew back. He was willing to fight to the death to protect us. And he has no family, so... we petitioned the Hokage to come to support him in lieu of his family."
Shikamaru nodded. It made sense. Maybe Naruto would appreciate it. It was about time someone showed they appreciated him.
Temari looked at her battle fan, allowing a single finger to trace the etchings in the fine steel. In a few minutes, maybe even so long as an hour, she was going to fight someone here. She would work her hardest to win, because the plan called for all three of them to be present in the finals. She would, in a month's time, likely be fighting and killing those who stood here, people who were precious to these people... people who were precious to Uzumaki Naruto.
She was a shinobi. To fight, to kill, to perform the mission took priority above all other concerns; this was her way of life.
So why was she so uncertain, so hesitant to take this weapon to the flesh of Naruto's fellow shinobi? Why did it feel so… wrong?
And why did she start leaking at the eyes every time she thought about him?
Hayate nodded. "The first match is about to be announced."
Again, they all looked up to the board. After a moment, two names appeared.
Uchiha Sasuke. Chihoda Tora.
Sasuke looked over at the Takigakure nin with a degree of curiosity as he grinned and nodded to his teammates, who all headed up to the gallery along with the other genin and the assorted proctors, jonin-instructors, and so forth who had been down on the ground level. Sasuke looked his opponent in the eyes; he saw no fear.
"So you're the infamous Uchiha Sasuke?" Tora sneered. "Hmph. I was expecting something a bit... less scrawny, I guess. Oh well. I suppose I'll limit myself to taijutsu with you... just to keep things fair." Tora slipped on a pair of neko-te over his gloves, then hopped lightly from foot to foot. "Try to stay alive, will you?"
Sasuke snorted. From what he could tell, this guy wasn't much stronger than himself, and certainly not as strong as his zanbato-wielding teammate, Naruto. "Whatever, loser. I'll see your taijutsu… and raise you a headstone. What did you want on it?"
"Doesn't really matter to me; it'll be going over your body," Tora replied.
Hayate gave an annoyed look at the posturing between the two genin. "I assume neither of you have any objections?" "No." "Nah."
"Very well then. (cough) Let the first match... Begin!"
End chapter Sixteen
-AN: Well, that is, as they say, that.
I found myself much more satisfied with this chapter at the point where I typed "End Chapter..." but I imagine that, much like any situation where you think everything is going alright, this only means I don't know what the hell is going on.
The story is entitled Rogue Fox, for those of you confused about the title. There are reasons for this, the first of which being that a 'rogue' is largely uncontrollable despite the wishes of those presuming themselves to be in charge. I think this is by and large an almost textbook description of the Naruto I've thus far portrayed. Not to mention that the story begins with him returning from when he went rogue the first time. As to Kyuubi... Well, his lines are few and far between; but I like to think that when they happen, they are fairly pivotal in portraying the situation and where it is headed. Nonetheless, if you have suggestions how I can improve it, hey, I'm always willing to look it over. I know this is not, by far, a perfect story and I welcome any input to help me to improve it.
Not much else to say, except add in the little omake that popped into my head while writing this out. Oh, and I'll be posting on a website some pics I've drawn, most notably Naruto in his Akachi garb holding Kubikiri Houcho, and a picture of my guild mate from WoW (Name of Falrock) driving a short bus with his Echeyakee pet running along the side. I don't expect any of you to know what this means; but if Falrock actually is reading my story, he'll be calling me up on my phone and cursing at me in the morning.
Omake for Chapter Sixteen:
The genin watched in amazement as Akamaru began redoubling his efforts of barking towards the group of ninja still in the room. It became increasingly apparent that Akamaru wasn't at all bothered by Naruto's presence.
Asuma murmured, "Akamaru's trying to tell us something."
Tsume looked at the pup with teary, anguished eyes. "What is it? What is it, boy?" "Is it Konohamaru? Konohamaru's fallen down a well?" one of the proctors asked.
Akamaru stared at the human ninja in disbelief, before covering his face with his paws. Stupid Humans… End omake Ja Mata.
-AXENOME