Chapter #5: Genin Exam – part III

Family Ties

"Guess there's no helping it" announced Takeru with a smirk as he readied himself. "I'll just have to take the bells in a classical way…"

"So you're the boy from the Hagomoro clan everyone is so worked up about…" responded Naruto, returning the smile, "Let's see what you've got…"

-That time, elsewhere in the forest-

Emi tried her best to free herself, but no matter how hard she tried to get out, she was still losing air "Dangit!" she thought to herself annoyed. "I gotta get outta here, I cannot lose…"

-Same time, the starting spot of the exam-

Haruto was still sitting on the ground looking at the direction Naruto went.

"Hey Haruto, let's get a move on already" he heard Daisuke's voice.

"Yeah well, it's not like we're gonna actually get the bells" responded Haruto matter-of-factly. "Besides, you shouldn't lecture, since you didn't even try to get the bells yourself…"

"Yeah, yeah" nodded the other boy. "But, with so many trees in the forest, my jutsu won't work. I have an advantage here, so I'll just wait for Naruto-sensei to come back. Besides… I could always get you a bell…"

"No way!" interrupted Haruto, loudly. "I'll get one of those bells, even if it's the last thing I do!" and none of them said anything more.

-Back to the stand-off-

Naruto and the dark-eyed boy kept eyeing each other for a few, more moments. Finally, Takeru decided to make the first move and in a fraction of a second, he pulled out shuriken from his holster, throwing them at the blond.

Naruto jumped up in mid-air and Takeru smirked, "With you in the air, you can't dodge my attack" and with those words, he started to execute seals himself.

"What the…" thought Naruto, widening his eyes, "Those hand signs… could it be?!"

"Lightning Style: Thunder Strike" yelled Takaru and with those words his two fingers joined together, just to send a bolt of lightning towards the Naruto.

The blond smiled before the bolt reached him, he exploded and a big cloud of dust went up, covering the whole area. After a few seconds, the air was clear again, but Naruto was nowhere in sight.

Takeru narrowed his eyes and looked closely at the air. Smashed pieces on wood fell on the ground and Takeru quickly widened his eyes.

"Substitution Jutsu" announced the jonin. "Simple, but it sure saved my butt just now. I gotta hand it to you though. I'd never think that someone of your age would be able to use such a technique. After all, it takes a lot of focus and precision to even control…but you are a descendant of the Hagomoro clan after all…"

"And what do you know about my clan?"

"More than you imagine" answered Naruto simply. "After all, they have produced some of the most excellent shinobi in the village. Though, as far as I know, he left before he could teach you any secret moves. So, what are you trying to prove to him?"

"I don't think that is any of your business" responded Takeru, barely hiding his anger mixed with annoyance. "The important thing is that I'll get those stupid bells" and with those words, he threw more shuriken in the bushes.

Less than a second after the shuriken left the boy's hand, the blonde jumped out of the bushes in order to dodge that attack. While he was still in midair, the preteen jump towards him and attacked with his right leg.

Naruto grabbed Takeru's leg before it could reach him with his left hand, but before he could do anything else, he noticed Takeru's left fist coming straight at his face from above. This time, the blond blocked the attack using his left hand.

Before the two of them touched the ground, Takeru attacked the man's stomach with his right hand. Having no hands to block, the blonde his right knee to stop the attack. It worked.

As soon as they both landed on the ground, the boy picked out kunai from his holster and threw them at his adversary. This time, it was a direct hit.

"Got him" thought Takeru, but before he even putted a smile on his face, Naruto's body changed into another wooden pale. "Dangit, another substitution!"

"Not bad" he heard a familiar voice behind him. "But it seems that our little battle ends here" and with that he felt two fingers covered in electricity stab him in the back of his neck. Takeru felt inertly on the ground.

"The tops of my fingers were filled with chakra" explained Naruto calmly, gazing at his fallen student. "You're not the only one who has experience in Hagomoro techniques…"

"Dangit!" cursed Takeru.

"Everyone needs training" announced the jonin, still staring at the boy. "Just because you're the apart of a family that has great shinobi doesn't make you one. Though I guess it must be hard… being the brother of Itaki…traitor to the leaf. Believe me… I know what that feels like."

"Don't lie to me!" responded the preteen. "I looked up to him, I wanted to be just like him! You have no idea how it feels! Just imagine everyone looked at you like you were evil, scum, and an abomination to the village just because of your family! When I get my hands on those bells, I'll be one step closer to killing him!"

"He's just like you Sasuke..." smiled Naruto, "You really don't know who I am, do you? Long story short, I was once despised by the very village you live in. However, I learned not to hate them for that, I made myself stronger because they hated me. The true reason I am so respected is the fact that I care about every ninja of the Leaf. I was willing to save the people who hated me and that's how you truly get stronger. You want to kill your brother, fine, but by looking how you act, I have serious doubts if you'll last a second against him…"

"You were willing to sacrifice your life for other villagers, eh?" responded Takeru with a victorious smirk. "You still have no idea about—"

"Actually I do, except I didn't kill the person who betrayed the leaf," admitted the Nine-tails vessel calmly. "I saved him, with the help of my friends."

Takeru just stared at him, so Naruto continued.

"You'll be able to move before the exam is over" announced Naruto, while walking away. "Think about what I've said. In your current state, you won't have anything better to do anyway…" and so the jonin walked deeper in the forest.