Jinchuriki of the Leaf Chap. 4
Sarutobi couldn't help but be worried. It wasn't often you were woken in the middle of the night by a demonic presence. Yet another Jinchuriki had been discovered. At least Naruto was completing his mission at a rapid pace.
Within two days of each other, three Jinchuriki have revealed themselves as God-knows-who and the Genin boy was probably forced to battle them as well. Fate just loved abusing him in all aspects in his life. However, Naruto was strong, far stronger than anyone gave him credit for. He should be able to handle himself.
However, all of these sudden awakenings were beginning to concern him. Something must have happened to trigger them, but he couldn't quite place his finger on a reason. Ah well, it was probably just another one of those things in life that mortals are not meant to understand. Nothing all that special. He just hoped that Naruto was fairing well in the exams. Sometimes, those who entered the forest don't come back alive....
(Current Day: Unknown Location)
A man dressed in dark robes knelt before his master. The master sat upon a throne, wearing royal garments of some sort.
"Milord, the first of the seals has been recovered." the man reported, producing a small card from his sleeve. The master grinned in satisfaction.
"Ah, perfect. This is only the first of many. Good work, Zugier. You are one of my most trusted vassals. Now, can you tell me the progress of Dr. Roin of Akegata?" he asked.
"Hai. Experiments one and two have been completed, while three is nearing completion." Zugier replied. This only broadened the master's grin.
"That man is as swift as he is clever! By month's end, he should be finished with thirty of his creations at this rate." he remarked.
"Is then when we strike? Or do you prefer waiting longer?" the swordsman asked.
"In order for my plans to come to fruition, there are two groups of enemies that must be eliminated. I'm certain you know who I speak of." the master replied. Zugier grit his teeth at the mention of his foes.
"Yes. You mean the Jinchuriki and the Holy Knights. Since they are so numerous, perhaps we should bide our time further." he suggested.
"Indeed. It would be foolish to attack with the mediocre forces we have attained thus far. We would be wiped out on all fronts." the master said.
"Despite our numerous allies, we would not fair well in such a large scale war. While our forces are powerful, we lack the necessary numbers to lay siege to any country, be it village or kingdom, and achieve victory. For now, I will return to collecting the seventy-two demonic seals for you, Master Angel. I will also receive intelligence reports from our allies in Shiruba, Naiya and Hakumei." Zugier reported.
"Yes, yes. Excellent. I shall leave those tasks to you, and take however many subordinates needed with you." Angel replied. The swordsman nodded and disappeared from the room, gone to complete his assignments. The master only smirked to himself.
"Soon...very soon....I will hold the world in the palms of my hands." he muttered darkly. He chuckled to himself as he turned to the alter hidden behind his throne. He placed the seal in one of the spots on the alter, which began to glow with an eerie light.
"The demons of Hell will be unleashed in all their fury." he announced to himself.
(Current Day: Forest of Death)
The Jinchuriki and the Sound Genin were squared off against each other, glaring at each other from across the field. Yonbi was healing the injured, especially Naruto, who was about ready to collapse.
"Naruto, you should rest and leave the battle to us. You've done enough already." she coaxed him.
"Sorry, Yonbi-san, but I can't allow these guys to do whatever they please! They've endangered my friends and teammates and no one gets away with that!" he replied vigorously.
"While I agree with your reasoning, Hinata is in the right. You have sustained numerous injuries and by no means are you in a condition to fight." Shino said.
"Guys, you can sit back. My team will handle this." Rika offered to the Konoha Genin.
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Kiba asked, not yet grasping the idea of the Jinchuriki. Akamaru yapped in agreement.
"You must not have been around Jinchuriki all too long, have you? When we unleash our demonic powers, we can easily beat their asses." Takuya replied. Kiba and Shino gave Naruto a confused look, but he dismissed them.
"I'll explain everything once this battle is over." he said. The two agreed as Naruto turned to the Kumo Genin.
"I hope you don't mind if I join you. That Arashi guy is really annoying me." he said.
"No one's stopping you." Takato replied cheerfully.
"I shall assist as well. I cannot let my subordinate do all the fighting." Yonbi said.
"Arigato, Yonbi-sama. Now, let's finish this." Rika stated. Suddenly, the three were engulfed in bright auras of chakra. Rika's was purple, Takato's was silver and Takuya's was yellow. This sudden display of power surprised the Sound Genin, who were getting ready to fight.
That was, until Naruto's chakra made a grand entrance.
The crimson energy flowed around his body, wrapping itself around him like a cloak. Kegume felt the wound on his cheek burn as the chakra compacted itself as an aura around the blonde boy. Before, the appearance of the Kumo Genin interrupted his transformation, but now nothing was holding him back.
With five demonic powered Genin against them, Arashi and his group knew that they were in some serious trouble. Against one Jinchuriki they could win, possibly even against two, but against five? They didn't have a change in hell.
"Grr.......we'll have to fall back. There's no way we stand a chance against that kind of power. C'mon guys! Let's get outta here!" he ordered. Suddenly, Naruto appeared behind him, blocking his exit.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked before slamming his fist into the purple haired boy's gut. He flew through the air and landed on the ground nearly ten meters away. Before any of the other Sound Genin could make a move, the other Jinchuriki made their moves.
Yonbi jumped over Zaku's head, landing behind him as he turned around. Before he could attack her, she rammed her elbows into his sides, then brought an upper palm strike to his chin. Summoning a small amount of chakra to her hand, she slammed her palm against his stomach and let him fly into the distance.
Before any of the others could react, Rika already had a hold of Kasuki. She slammed her fist into her gut, then delivered a swift kick to her jaw. As she rose into the air, the Jinchuriki girl summoned a massive lightning bolt from the skies above. The force of the attack sent Kasuki flying back down to earth, unconscious, but still alive.
Takato brandished his sword in his hand, coating the blade in chakra. The steel began to emit a silver light as he brought the blade down in the air, releasing a blade of energy that rammed into Dosu with tremendous force. The Sound Genin was forced through the trunk of the large tree behind him before landing on the ground with a thud.
Takuya slammed his foot into the ground, creating a large fissure that threatened to engulf Kin and Kegume. They jumped into the air, avoiding his attack. Suddenly, spikes made of solid stone shot out from the fissure, threatening to kill them. They were unable to dodge, but contorted their bodies to receive only minor injuries. This didn't prevent Takuya from grabbing Kin in midair and throwing her into her teammate, knocking them both into the ground.
Arashi got up and grit his teeth in frustration. There was no way they were going to win. Might as well keep their loses to a minimum and leave with their lives.
"Fine! Take our stupid scrolls! We'll get them somewhere else!" he said. He took out a Heaven Scroll from his pack and threw it at the ground. Dosu did similarity with his Earth Scroll. They gathered their injured teammates and fled the scene. Arashi looked back at the group and glared harshly. 'I swear, I'll have my vengeance, demon boy.' he mentally promised.
Naruto felt the demonic chakra recede as he picked up the Heaven Scroll. He pocketed the parchment as he turned to the three Kumo Genin. He smiled widely as he went into the small shanty that housed his teammates.
"Thank you for your help. I think we have a lot of things to talk about." he said.
"Yeah. Don't sweat it though. We can talk tomorrow. For now, let's just get some rest. You must be the most exhausted out of all of us." Rika stated. Naruto dismissed her concerns, though the look in his eyes and the feeble trembling of his legs said otherwise. He was going to collapse any second now. He turned to Yonbi and smiled warmly.
"Thank you as well, Yonbi-sama. And tell Hinata that we can talk tomorrow about this. I'm sure she has many questions about this." he said. Yonbi nodded in response.
"Yes. Do not worry, though. I will talk with her while we sleep and explain things to her. You can fill in the blanks where I cannot." she replied. He acceded with her idea before yawning widely.
"I suggest we all get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be quite an eventful day for us, and we sleep have the second exam to worry about." he said.
"Right. Well then, good night all." Takuya said before entering the shanty.
(That night: Hinata's Mindscape)
Hinata sat in the crystal cavern that was Yonbi's home. It sparkled softly in the silvery moonlight, adding to the natural majesty of the forest. It was so peaceful here, she wished the rest of the world could share in her vision of beauty. Yonbi lay on her paws next to her, her fur a source of warmth for the young heiress.
"Thank you for helping my friends today, Yonbi-san." she said in a grateful tone.
"It wasn't a problem. Kyuubi is my lover, so Hell would freeze over before I let him die." Yonbi replied nonchalantly. The blue haired Hyuga flushed profoundly at this revelation. Was her infatuation with Naruto just coincidence or a sign of something more? Shoving this thought aside for later, she decided that now would be a good time to start getting answers to this confusing situation.
"I'm a Jinchuriki like Naruto-kun, aren't I?" she asked. Yonbi looked at her and seemed to sigh before she answered.
"Yes. Though I don't exactly know by who or why, but I was captured only a week after you were born and sealed into you without your parent's knowledge. It just saddens me that someone as kind and pure as you has been tainted with my demonic blood." she explained.
"B-But you're kind as well! Would a demon help a stranger in battle without reason other than being requested to do so? I think not!" Hinata replied.
"Your kind words are appreciated. I know you must have many questions for me about our spiritual union, so if you want to, you may ask." Yonbi offered.
"True, but I think I can wait for Naruto-kun's explanation tomorrow. I just hope Kiba-kun and Shino-kun can handle the news as well as I have." the young Hyuga said.
"Your teammates seem generally concerned for you, seeing as they came to assist in the recent battle. I'm just glad Kyuubi-kun's chakra woke me when it did." the wolf demon said. Hinata looked at her with a curious gaze.
"Woke you up? How so?" she asked.
"You see, since Kyuubi-kun and I are so close to one another, we can react with each other's chakra. In simple terms, I sensed his chakra nearby and awakened in full force. That's why you fainted when Naruto unleashed his powers." she explained. The Hyuga heiress stood up and turned to the wolf, who stood as well.
"Okay. From now on, we'll be partners and help each other out when we need to. We're going to spend the rest of eternity with each other, so might as well get to know you and be friends, and I'd be honored to have your friendship." she said. Yonbi sat on her hind legs and lifted her paw to mid-level. Hinata looked at her, somewhat confused.
"I believe you humans call it a 'hand-shake?' Obviously I don't have hands, but this should still work." she offered with a laugh. Hinata laughed as well, taking the paw with her hand.
"I promise I won't let you down." she said with a smile.
(Currently: Sakura's Mindscape)
Sakura looked out into the horizon, a gentle wind blowing through her now shoulder length hair. She stood atop a large escarpment overlooking the oceans, the sun slowly setting over the sea. Her thoughts were bundled up in her head. Everything she had been told, from Naruto's housing of Kyuubi to her own sealing of Shichibi, had been a lot for her to take in all at once. The phoenix demon seemed to respect Naruto, since he fought her, Hachibi and Orochimaru all at once with such valiant determination; and came away with the victory.
Behind her, the large bird stood, her wings folded at her side. She looked at Sakura with her dark pink eyes before speaking.
"So, do you understand? I know you're probably still shocked about the whole thing." it said.
"It's still a big surprise. I never expected to have such power inside me. And for Naruto to be put through so much over something he had no control over.......Shichibi-san, I can hardly call that 'justice.'" Sakura offered.
"Justice is not always justifiable. Sometimes sacrifices are made to preserve the frail ideal of peace and hope that is often clung to like moths to flame." Shichibi offered.
"If that's what it takes to be just, then I'll nothing to do with justice." the pink haired kunoichi replied.
"Yet you've treated the boy just as bad, if not worse, then the villagers have. And yet he threatened to kill me to save you – even if you died in the process. He felt that you would rather die than have someone else control your life." the phoenix replied. Sakura cast her green eyes upon the ground. She had never really treated him the best way, and maybe should've at least attempted to be nicer to him before whacking him.
"That was the past, and this is now. I can always make it up to him somehow....." she said, more trying to convince herself that her mistakes didn't cost her dearly. She turned to Shichibi with a solemn gaze.
"Thank you for explaining this to me. I'm going to talk to Naruto tomorrow morning when I wake up and tell him everything I learned here. I also don't blame you for taking over. I had exhausted myself and you saw the perfect chance to escape. Had we switched places, I would've done the same." she said.
"You're awfully forgiving: an admirable quality to have. However, will your sincerity be enough to earn forgiveness?" Shichibi asked.
"I couldn't tell you. We'll just have to wait and see." Sakura replied, returning her gaze to the setting sun over the horizon.
(Current Day: Sasuke's Mindscape)
The dark gorge beneath him seemed to resonate with a mysterious silence that reigned supreme within the cavern. Crystal stalagmites and stalactites decorated the floor and ceiling, glistening in the warm sunlight that shone from the outside, a complete counterpart to the blackness around him.
Beside him, heavy wings flapped to keep their body afloat above the deep chasm below. The dragon creature watched his host, dark green eyes waiting expectingly for the Uchiha's reply. Sasuke looked to the black scaled creature with understanding towards the situation.
"......So, you're sealed inside me? I guess all that late night training pushed me to the point where you could take over." he stated.
"That's putting it simply, but yes, that is what happened." Hachibi replied.
"To think, the dobe had this power to himself all this time and didn't even bother letting us know. What kind of teammate keeps secrets anyway?" Sasuke asked in a demeaning tone. The dragon seemed to fixate his emerald glare upon the boy.
"The same kind of teammate who constantly belittles his friends and acts like he is better than the rest of world when, in reality's world, he would lose against anyone with Chunin rank or higher." he said in a similar tone. Sasuke glared up at the dragon Bijuu, anger evident in his eyes.
"Like you're one to talk. You lost to my clansmen and was sealed inside me as a result. Maybe you should think before accusing someone else." he replied. Hachibi sighed at his container's idiocy.
"Do you honestly think mere humans could defeat me? I willing followed the sealing procedure! Your clan and I have long ago signed a Spirit Pact that led me to this prison. Like many people, your clan believed Naruto and Kyuubi to be a threat, so you were chosen to serve as a foil to him in case he lost control of his demon." he explained. Sasuke looked down dejectedly at that revelation.
"Perhaps you should get to know someone before accusing someone of being weak." the dragon suggested mockingly. Those words sunk in as Sasuke stared silently down the darkness of the abyss.
(The next morning: Forest of Death)
Rika was up bright and early, no longer feeling the need to sleep. Perching herself upon a tree branch, she thought it best to relax before the day began. She watched the sun rise above the horizon, dawn breaking through the darkness of the night. In a way, it symbolized how her life was like. At first, she was feared – hated even – for the powers she held. An outcast in her village, she never had many friends. Her mother and father still loved her very much, but they were the only ones who cared for her.
That was, until she met Takato and Takuya.
She remembered the day she met the duo, back when they were only eight years old.
(Flashback: Kumo)
An eight-year-old Rika sighed softly as she walked home from the Academy. She was once more the outcast in her class. None of the other kids wanted anything to do with her. Her "partner" today took every chance he got to screw her up and make fun of her.
Just when she thought it couldn't get much worse, it did.
Two young boys sped by her, knocking her down in the process. After recovering from the shock of being hit, she stood and dusted herself off. She noticed, however, that the bracelet on her left wrist had been taken. Immediately knowing who stole it, she set off in hot pursuit of the two boys.
Eventually, she found them sitting in an alleyway with a cloth spread out between them. They had many small items on the cloth, not too many of them worth any value. Among them, she spotted her bracelet. Without thinking, she approached the two in annoyance.
"Hey you two! Who do you think you are, taking other people's stuff? Give me back my bracelet and return that stuff too, cause stealing stuff isn't very nice!" she scolded them. The two boys were horrified that they had been caught: by a girl no less! Girls can be scary when provoked.
"Y-You're not gonna hurt us are you?" the brown haired boy asked carefully. Rika blinked in surprise. Sure they had stolen something from her and she was mad at them, but hurt them? That was a little too extreme for her.
"Why would I do that? We can talk it out can't we?" she asked. The two boys looked at each other, then nodded.
"Okay, you can sit down over here. I'm Takato and this is my twin brother Takuya." the red haired boy introduced. The brown haired boy – now named Takuya – smiled and waved shyly at her.
"I'm Rika. It's nice to meet you." she said, sitting down next to Takato. The two brothers turned to each other again and began taking survey of what they had stolen.
"Let's see....all of this stuff would be worth a little money, so maybe now Mom won't have to work so hard to get some." Takuya said. Rika seemed upset by this statement.
"Your mom?" she asked. The brothers adopted a solemn expression.
"Our mom works three full-time jobs just to support the family. Our dad died a little after we were born on a mission, and she's never fully gotten over it." Takato explained.
"She works herself to exhaustion trying to keep us from losing everything, so Takato and I sometimes steal and sell stuff to make some extra money on the side so maybe she won't overwork herself." Takuya continued.
"T-That's terrible! No one bothers to help her?" Rika asked in shock. Takato shook his head.
"She's all the family we have – she told us herself." he replied. Rika immediately felt guilty. She was feeling upset earlier, but these two had it off so much worse than she did! Small tears came to her blue eyes as she wiped them away.
"H-Hey! We didn't make you upset did we?" Takuya asked in concern. Their mother had always told them to never make a girl cry. She shook her head, smiling slightly.
"N-No, I'm sorry. It's just that I didn't realize how badly people's lives could be. I've always been an outcast because I'm something called a 'Jinchuriki.' My dad told me that it means I have a spirit sealed inside me and that when I get older I'll be super strong, but the village doesn't like it." she explained.
"Y-You're a Jinchuriki? Really?" Takato asked in slight surprise. Rika mentally cursed herself as she nodded the affirmative. She had a chance to make some new, albeit odd, friends and she just blew it sky high.
"That's just like us, isn't it Takuya?" she heard Takato ask. Her eyes widened in shock as the brown haired boy nodded in confirmation.
"Wow, I didn't think anyone else in the village was like us. We became Jinchuriki because the spirits made a pact with our dad's ancestors. Part of the pact said that they would become the 'guardians of those destined to help the world.'" Takato said.
"We don't know if that's true, but I'm happy that we are. It's like Dad is still here watching over us." Takuya offered. Rika didn't bother hiding the tears she shed.
"Aw great, did we upset you again?" Takato asked. She shook her head.
"I'm not crying because I'm sad......I'm happy I finally met....someone like me." she said.
(Current Day: Forest of Death)
She smiled as she reached into her pouch and pulled out the small bracelet that lead to her meeting her best friends. She considered trying it on once more, but decided that now was not the time to ponder fashion accessories.
"Rika-chan?" she heard a voice ask. She looked below her and saw Hinata standing there.
"Oh, hello. You must be Hinata-san. A pleasure to meet you." she said.
"Yes, as it is to meet you." Hinata responded. The Kumo kunoichi leaped down from her perch, landing next to her acquaintance. The ivory-eyed heiress smiled warmly before reaching out her hand for a greeting. Rika took her hand with gratitude.
"I wanted to thank you for helping Naruto-kun yesterday. I'm not sure that I – I mean, Yonbi and I – would've been able to handle them on our own." Hinata said.
"You're welcome. We helped because it's just how we are. I can't stand it when good people are hurt by those with evil hearts." Rika replied. The two smiled warmly at each other before deciding it would be best to head back to camp. As they walked, Rika was concerned for the girl's mental wellbeing. Having to accept the fact that you had a demon sealed inside you wasn't an easy task.
"Hinata-san, how do you feel about this whole mess?" she asked. Hinata looked at her for a moment, then deigned to share her answer.
"I admit, I was a little frightened by it at first. But, Yonbi and I talked about the situation all night last night. Now, I feel like now I have the power to make a difference in the world, that even I can amount to something more. And once again it's all thanks to Naruto-kun." she said, blushing slightly at the mention of her crush. This did not good unnoticed.
"Do you have a crush on Naruto-san?" Rika asked. Hinata blushed a bright red as she tented her fingers timidly.
"W-Well, I, um.....that is to say......" she stuttered. Rika couldn't help but let out a laugh. The look on her face was priceless! Hinata seemed offended by the girl's outburst, so she controlled her laugher before speaking.
"I'm sorry, Hinata-san, it's just that you looked so funny like that I couldn't help myself. It has nothing to do with you personally." she said in an apologetic tone.
"I guess that's alright.....C'mon, the others are bound to be awake by now." Hinata said, urging her to follow. Rika smiled to herself as she headed after her. 'Something tells me that we're gonna be good friends.' she thought to herself.
(Current Day: Forest of Death)
Naruto was a little surprised to see that Sakura and Sasuke had finally waken up after almost a full day of unconsciousness. Thank God, now he wouldn't have any more 'one-on-three' fights. Of course, that also meant that he would have to answer some questions that he really didn't want to answer.
Once Hinata and Rika returned to the campsite, all nine (ten if Akamaru is included) of the Genin sat in a circle, looking towards Naruto for an explanation of what was happening. He sighed as he prepared to explain everything to them.
"Okay, just for the record, I had limited knowledge of this until a week ago. As you know, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha twelve years ago. It killed almost three quarters of our shinobi and countless citizens in it's rampage." he began. "I'm not exactly too proud of that, kit." Kyuubi said in his mind.
"The Yondaime Hokage, the 'Yellow Flash' of Konoha and hero to all who lived there, fearlessly faced down the demon in an epic battle for the fate of his home. However, in the end, he knew that defeating Kyuubi would prove to be impossible. Thus, he took a newborn child and used him as a catalyst to imprison the spirit for all eternity." he continued. As he spoke, he unzipped his orange jacket and lifted his black undershirt, revealing a slightly toned midriff (Hinata blushed quite brightly here). Summoning a small amount of chakra, the seal slowly faded into view. A few gasps were audible from the Genin, something Naruto knew was going to happen.
"I was that child: Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." he stated. An uncomfortable silence befell the group, with no one able to say anything. Suddenly, all the years of pain and torment he went through made sense. Naruto took their silence as an invitation to continue the story.
"I discovered this when our old sensei Mizuki used me to try and take the Sacred Scroll from the village. When Iruka-sensei arrived, he told me the secret just to spite me. But Iruka-sensei saved me and I took the chance to beat Mizuki to a pulp. That's how I became a ninja in the first place." he explained, "My first encounter with the Kyuubi's power was during the battle with Zabuza and Haku on the bridge back in the Wave Country. I summoned it subconsciously when it looked as though Sasuke was slain in battle. I don't remember too much, other than nearly killing Haku, and when I woke up Kakashi-sensei told me about there being more Jinchuriki around the world: the Hokage only confirmed this. He told me of a prophecy that predicted an epic battle between the Jinchuriki and an unknown enemy. In order to prepare for this and to prove to the world that we're not the demons they think we are, I've made it my mission to find as many Jinchuriki as I can and convince them to help out. That is everything I know about this, and hopefully that should be enough to answer any inquiries you have."
The group was stunned into silence. Fate did not hold a kind hand to this boy. No one missed the tears that Naruto was attempting to hide. Sakura brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and buried her face into them so no one would see her crying. Sasuke looked at the ground, finding no solace in his inner thoughts. Kiba was disheartened, looking away to hide the painful expression etched into his face. Shino actually seemed saddened by Naruto's story, his head hanging in a depressed manner.
Hinata stood from her spot and walked to the blonde, who was cringing his face to stop his tears. She knelt in front of him, surprising him with her sudden presence. She embraced him in a heartfelt hug, much to everyone's surprise, and patted him softly on the back.
"You don't have to act strong for everyone, Naruto-kun. Please, don't hold it in anymore." she said quietly. Something within him snapped as all the years of loneliness and rejection finally took their toll. Soon, a waterfall of warm tears fell to the earth, cascading down his whiskered-cheeks.
"Thank you......Hinata-chan....." he muttered in her ear. The only sound that could be heard was the boy's sobbing.
(Current Day: Forest of Death)
"Dammit, we lost it! Now we'll never know what that crazy feeling was....." Umi said, disappointed at their failure to find the source of that mysterious power. Naito just huffed and sighed, pulling her arms across her chest in slight annoyance.
"Then it's just one of life's greatest mysteries, now isn't it? C'mon, let's go. We're burning sunlight." she said in a bored tone. She walked ahead of her teammates, who followed after her.
"At least we got our second scroll." Masato said optimistically, holding the earth scroll in his hand. He slipped it into his pouch before continuing. The team they pilfered from was not very strong, making the battle last all of five seconds. Naito was disappointed, of course, by the lack of resistance. She could never stand being bored.
The rustling of the surrounding bushes put his senses on edge. There was no wind that blew, which meant only one thing: there was an enemy waiting in the shadows. He discreetly looked to his two female teammates and saw that they had noticed as well. Pretending to be ignorant of their enemy, they waiting for them to make the first move.
Sure enough, a kunai flew from the trees above, targeting the back of Umi's head. The cyan haired girl quickly pulled a kunai from her pouch and knocked the offending knife from the air. Her teammates quickly drew kunai of there own, prepared to fight off any adversary.
"You're pretty good if you could've seen that." a voice rang out. The Kiri trio looked about, trying to pinpoint their enemy's location.
"Whoever you are, show yourselves!" Naito shouted out to their unseen opponents.
"There's really no need for such animosity here. We're merely here to talk." a second voice echoed. 'Shit. I should've known they'd be a team.' the emerald haired girl mentally chided herself.
"It would be easier to do so if we could see your faces." Masato stated plainly as if it were common sense. Which, to an extent, it was.
"That shouldn't be a problem." a third voice, audibly younger than the others, answered. The three boys stepped out from the surroundings and into the sight of Masato and his team. One boy, the apparent leader of the team, had short shaggy black hair and dark navy blue eyes. He wore a black sleeveless vest over a white t-shirt, with black cargo shorts that reached his knees. He donned archer gloves on each hand, giving a hint of ambidexterity, and had black zori boots adorn his feet. He seemed precocious beyond his time, leading Umi to assume that he was the second voice speaking.
The second boy had spiky black hair and sea-green eyes. He wore a red cloak over a black undershirt. The cloak's midriff was cut away, letting it fall to his sides and revealing his shirt underneath. He wore black sweatpants with a black leather belt around his waist and the common zori sandals almost all shinobi wore. He seemed a lot younger than the other two: Masato presumed that he was the third person who spoke to them.
The last boy had ruffled dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes that seemed to radiant with a deep passion for life. He donned a dark blue – almost black – shirt, with the trimmings around his shoulders, waist and sleeves outlined in a much lighter shade. A symbol was etched into the back of his shirt. It consisted of a crescent moon with a star between the two ends, connecting them together. The symbol was circled and outlined in the same color as the trimmings were. He wore long sweatpants of the same shade, with a scabbard visibly at his side. Naito assumed that this mysterious boy was the first person to speak – and the one who threw the kunai at Umi's head.
"Who are you guys?" Umi asked. The first boy smiled slightly as they walked closer to the group.
"Isn't it polite to give your name first before asking for someone else's?" he asked in a respectful tone. His outward ness took her by surprise, as she slurred in her words for a second.
"R-Right. My name is Shuuha Umi. My teammates are Kusabana Naito and Hishimoto Masato." she said, introducing her teammates as well.
"Well met. I am Sageyoku Ishida. My teammates are Kashi Sukiko and Getsumei Kotaru." the boy said, his teammates acknowledging their introductions.
"What do you want to talk about, Ishida-san?" Masato asked carefully. He knew very well that this could be a ploy to steal their scrolls, but he was a bit more tactical than that. He was not going to fall for such a simple trick. Umi and Naito understood the underlying message their teammate sent them: 'don't let your guard down.'
"I think perhaps we should get comfortable. What we need to talk about isn't a topic most would believe in." the third boy, now established to be Kotaru, said to his teammates. Ishida nodded in response. What they were going to discuss was something they shouldn't even know about, but when you 'accidentally' discover the secret files on several of the world's Jinchuriki, you tend to act on impulse. It was through this method that they discovered they held dragon spirits as well, though they have yet to unlock their powers or contact their spirits in any way, shape or form.
However, they found that many of the Jinchuriki were still Genin; and were participating in the Chunin Exams. They requested their sensei to let them participate and she relented, telling them not to do anything reckless. With blessings from the village leader, the trio was off to the Chunin Exams – and to find the other Jinchuriki.
"What do you mean? What kind of topic would cause such controversy?" Umi asked, generally curious. It wasn't everyday something was described as 'unbelievable.'
"Have you heard of the word 'Jinchuriki?'" the second boy, Sukiko, asked. The trio pondered this for a moment. Something about that word was important, but they couldn't quite place their finger on it.
"...I can't really recall, though there is something about that word that I know is important to something." Masato admitted. The Ame trio smiled in recognition.
"That's because it is. A Jinchuriki is a person who was infused with a spirit at some point in their life. Most of the time it is at birth, but there are other circumstances to which a sealing can occur." Ishida explained. The Kiri Genin were taken back by this sudden secret.
"A spirit? Like from the demon realm?" Naito asked, half afraid of knowing the answer.
"I still don't see why they call it the 'demon realm' when only about a quarter of the spirits are evil." Sukiko said aloud, to which the Kiri Genin raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Why are you bothering to tell us this? What do we have anything to do with spirits and Jinchuriki?" Masato asked. The Ame Genin turned to him, looking almost regretful at the situation.
"Well, we have reason to believe that you three may very well be Jinchuriki." Kotaru stated.
"What do you mean by that? That we're some kind of demonic spirit in a human body?!" Naito asked, outraged at the accusation.
"No, no, nothing like that! What we mean is-" Sukiko was cut off when a shuriken flew past his cheek, a shallow cut piercing his skin. Umi reached for another star when Ishida stepped between the two.
"Hold on, there's really no need to fight!" he exclaimed, trying to calm them down.
"When a group of strangers comes looking for you to tell you that you're part demon, you better believe that the strangers have a death wish. Especially during the Chunin Exams." she stated dangerously. A light blue light began to glow in her hand as she prepared to strike.
"Wait." Masato said calmly, stepping in front of his teammates. The two girls looked at him, somewhat dazed at his sudden solemn expression.
"Masato.....kun...." Naito uttered breathlessly. The auburn haired boy walked towards Ishida, looking straight into the taller boy's eyes.
"Ishida-san........I believe you." he said dramatically. His teammates' jaws could be heard dropping as he looked to the other two Ame shinobi, who were in an equal amount of shock.
"Ever since the exams started, we've been feeling these strange chakra bursts and signatures that no human could possibly possess naturally. If what you say is true, then perhaps that is why we've been feeling this way." he explained. Umi and Naito suddenly remembered all of the bizarre feelings they have had over the course of the exam. They had chalked it up to the anxiety of the exam working up, but apparently they were wrong.
"Man, that makes this a whole lot easier. If you were stubborn about refusing to listen we were gonna be forced to fight when there was no need to. It would've been a waste of everyone's time." Sukiko said, sighing a breath of relief. The Kiri girls walked over to the ground, with Umi's hand glowing with healing chakra.
"I know how to use medical ninjutsu, so let me heal that cut on your cheek, since I'm the one that caused it." Umi said bashfully as Sukiko allowed it. As soon as she placed her hand on the wound, it closed and disappeared as if it never existed. What she failed to notice, however, was the blush that appeared in it's place.
"Thanks." Sukiko said quickly, praying to high heaven that she didn't see how red his cheeks felt. Masato turned to Ishida with an inquisitive expression plastered on his features.
"Okay. Let's hear it." he urged. Ishida nodded before speaking.
"I'll keep this short, since every moment out here is another moment death can come. To our knowledge, there is a man named Orochimaru who is searching for the Jinchuriki." he began.
"Orochimaru? You mean the Sannin who went rogue and founded Otogakure?" Naito asked.
"Yeah, though this guy isn't as nice as he portrays himself to the public. As a matter of fact he's downright evil. If you ever see what his experiments entail, you'll be quick to agree." Sukiko answered.
"Why is he searching for the Jinchuriki?" Umi asked.
"He's working in tandem with a criminal organization known as Akatsuki. We found the profiles of several members during our little 'spying mission' and saw that your village's Hoshigaki Kisame is a member of the group, as well as this village's Uchiha Itachi." Kotaru explained. Those names sent shivers down their spines. They had heard of what Uchiha Itachi had done to his clan, and Hoshigaki Kisame was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
"So both this Orochimaru guy and these Akatsuki people are after the Jinchuriki? What reason could they have to track them down?" Masato asked.
"World domination. With the power of so many spirits under their command, Orochimaru or the Akatsuki could easily take over the world. Since they both have the same goal, we assume that they are opposite one another. However, we have information stating that Orochimaru used to be a member of the Akatsuki." Ishida explained.
"Have you told anyone else this?" Naito asked.
"We found the documents on order from our sensei. She felt that the village leader was hiding something and she knew of our talents as an espionage unit. Turns out she was right. He was hiding the documents depicting some of the Jinchuriki, the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Apparently he didn't want us to worry about these things. If we told anyone else, we'd be suspected of treason." Kotaru answered.
"Why did you decide to share this with us?" Masato asked. That seemed to be the question they were waiting for, as all three adopted serious expressions. Ishida reached into his pouch and brought out almost a full score of photos.
"These photographs are pictures of the Jinchuriki we found files on. There may be more, but this is all we got so far." he said, setting them down for the Kiri Genin to peer at. Upon scanning through the photos, they recognized many of them as other Genin from the exam. Masato found a picture of the blonde boy from before and his eyebrows rose in surprise. He found himself looking at a blonde replica of himself. Everything was the same, save for the blonde's whiskered cheeks. The most shocking, however, were the pictures they found depicting themselves. Umi seemed to be near tears as Naito stared at them in disbelief. Masato just sat back with a wide-eyed expression, his mind and heart in deadlock conflict with each other.
This just was not his day.
(Current Day: Forest of Death)
Taiyou was quietly ecstatic. His team had effortlessly claimed their second scroll and were almost at the tower. They were going to make it to the third exam, which was quite a feat for rookies such as themselves. Speaking of rookies, he wondered how Naruto was faring. He hadn't seen his old friend since the second exam started, and he only hoped he was doing well.
"Hey Taiyou-kun! Look over there! It's the tower!" Natoyo said excitedly, pointing in the distance. Sure enough, the tower was just over the horizon. If they hurried, they would make it within fifteen minutes.
"Alright! We're almost there!" Aki said in anticipation. They were quite proud of themselves and had every right to be. They had recovered both of their scrolls within two days time and were a few mere minutes away from completing the second exam.
They reached the edge of the forest, panting all the while with large smiles on their faces. They had arrived and were just about to enter the tower when another presence made itself known. They turned to find three Genin from Suna standing across from them.
(Concurrently: Forest of Death)
Kouen couldn't help but smile as he fingered the Heaven Scroll he held in his pouch. Stealing it from those Kusa losers was way too easy. Here they were, ready to move on to the third stage of the Chunin Exams. He noted that Hikari was overly excited about being able to go for Chunin rank, while Subaru was silently smiling to himself. An indication that the quiet boy was just as excited as his cousin was.
He was slightly disappointed that they never met that blonde haired Konoha kid, but then again he'd probably be at the finals anyway. He didn't quite know how his teammates felt on the matter: knowing them, though, they were probably upset about it too.
"We're almost at the tower. C'mon, let's put a move on it!" Hikari said, her anxiety starting to get to her.
"H-Hey Hikari-chan! Hold up! Wait for us!" Kouen called after her, his pleas falling on deaf ears as she was easily a few dozen meters ahead of them now.
"Ah Hikari-nee-chan, just as impatient as ever." Subaru mused as they chased down their runaway teammate.
They arrived at the tower within a few moments time, only to find another team from Konoha standing at the gate. They appeared to have just arrived a few minutes before.
"Oh, you finished up too? We were just going inside." Taiyou said, offering a reason for their presence.
"Yeah. I guess that means we'll be seeing each other in the finals." Hikari remarked. There was no hiding the tense atmosphere between the two groups. Now was not the time to fight, but something inside them wanted to go at it. Suppressing the urge to battle, Natoyo decided to make introductions.
"I'm Mokusuke Natoyo. These are my teammates Mokushi Taiyou and Naga Aki. It's nice to meet you." she said smiling, though it was somewhat forced.
"Same here. My name is Arano Kouen, and my teammates are Aisuru Hikari and Hora Subaru." Kouen said introductory.
"You guys seem pretty strong to make it to the end this quickly. I hope we'll get to see how strong once the third exam starts." Aki stated.
"You got here before us. I'm just as curious about you guys." Subaru offered. On the inside, the Genin were struggling against their emotions.
"Why do I feel like fighting them? They seem so nice and they haven't provoked us at all. I also don't wanna waste chakra before the third exam. It wouldn't be wise to start a conflict so early in the exams." Taiyou thought.
"These guys must be pretty strong to have made it this far. I wonder if I'll have to face any of them. If not, then I guess I'll have to wait until the finals." Aki thought.
"Man, I can cut the tension with a kunai! What in God's name is this feeling of animosity? I hope we didn't do anything to piss them off....." Natoyo thought.
"These three are pretty nice people, but there's something about them that makes me want to pound their faces into the ground. This better not be my internal instincts again! Last time I followed them, I was almost killed! Well, it was almost by Hikari-chan and it was because I accidentally went into the girl's locker room....." Kouen thought, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Something tells me that facing these three in battle would prove to be a battle worthy of the ages, though doing so now would be unwise. I think I'll wait until the third exam begins." Subaru thought.
"My gut instinct is telling me that I should watch myself around these guys. Then again, I stopped listening to instincts after that one time Kouen 'accidentally' went into the girl's locker room." Hikari thought, blushing slightly at the memory (though whether from embarrassment or anger cannot be discerned).
Ignoring the foreign feelings of malice, the Genin entered the building beside them, ready to partake in the third exam. Little did they know of the battles that would take place.
(Later: Forest of Death)
Naruto sat alone under a tree, the shade providing a sense of comfort for his troubled heart. Without a word, he had left the camp after revealing his secret, not particularly caring what the others did or said at the moment. Now, he was reminiscing on the days of old, when life didn't seem to be so damn complicated. His senses flared as a familiar presence appeared next to him. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"Hey Hinata." he greeted the newcomer. Hinata sat next to him, ignoring the solemn look on his face.
"Naruto-kun.....are you okay?" she asked carefully. She knew all too well that Naruto was not very stable emotionally, and he could easily snap if provoked. A morose sigh escaped his throat as he leaned back against the tree.
"I dunno. I just told my biggest secret to people I hardly even know, and I haven't the slightest clue in hell of even guessing how they reacted." he admitted.
"Everyone is worried about you. We gave you your alone time, but now is the time to let someone else in. Remember, you're not alone anymore." she replied quietly. He looked at her, somewhat surprised at her sudden outward ness.
"I.....I guess you're right. When did you learn to speak so freely, Hinata?" he asked, generally curious. The Hyuga heiress smiled as she placed a hand over her stomach – right over her seal.
"I have two people I need to thank for that." she replied. This confused the blonde, but he decided not to push it. He might be treading some delicate ground and he didn't wish to upset her.
"I see. I hope they know how special they are to you." he replied. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel envious of the people she spoke of.
"One knows it exactly, but the other doesn't quite get it yet. I'm hoping I can reach him over time." she acknowledged. She stifled a giggle at the shocked expression on his face.
"How can he not know yet?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders before looking out into the sky.
"I'm not sure, but I don't mind. He's always there when I need him, and I want to be there for him too. From now on, I promise that I'll always be there for him, even if the rest of the world walks out on him. That's my nindo – my ninja way." she decided.
"I have to admit, this guy's got a great friend if he's got you, Hinata." Naruto stated. She smiled softly, a light blush on her cheeks.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun. I know that since they've been helping me overcome my timid nature that I can trust them with my life." she replied.
"Yeah, I noticed you seem to talk so much easier now. I guess it's thanks to those two, huh?" he asked.
"Yes. I owe them a lot. One for showing me what my life could be, and the other for helping me find the person I truly am." she said precociously, her pearly gaze centered towards the setting sun. Naruto decided to be bold at the moment and ask the question that was bugging him.
"If you don't mind me asking, who are these lucky people that have such a great friend?" he asked. She smiled before making a gesture with her hand. She seemed to be pointing to her naval. Then, she lightly tapped him on the bridge of his nose, making him blush slightly. She walked away, a contented smile on her face. Yonbi smiled approvingly in the seal.
"That was quite a feat, cub." she remarked.
"I was nervous, oh God was I nervous! It took almost everything I had to keep from stuttering! But, this is Naruto-kun we're talking about, and he's more important to me then my own insecurities." Hinata admitted to her.
"Do you think he understood that last gesture you gave him?" Yonbi asked. The Hyuga mentally shrugged.
"I'm not sure, but even if he didn't, I'll always stand by him. Even if the whole world walks out on him, Naruto-kun will always have me." she replied.
Naruto stared after Hinata's retreating form, the way the golden rays of sunlight seemed to make her skin glow with a mysterious radiance akin to that of a goddess. Her words came back to him as he thought about what she said. 'I wonder who this guy is....man, I hope I get that close to Hinata.' he thought. Kyuubi mentally sighed at his container's lack of understanding. 'Oh kit, you've still got a lot to learn......' he mused.
(At camp)
Rika watched Hinata reenter the camp, knowing exactly where she'd been. She walked over to her with a small smile on her face.
"So, did you manage to get him out of the dumps?" she asked. Hinata sighed before sitting down.
"I think I got his mind off of the whole Kyuubi thing, but I'm not sure he got the message. Thanks for the advice anyway." she said. Rika chuckled lightly at her responded. It was her idea to innocently hint at something else and take advantage of the boy's natural curiosity. Apparently it worked, as Naruto strode into camp a few moments later looking renewed and refreshed.
"Okay guys, let's finish up this exam and get the hell out of this deathtrap!" he announced to the others.
"Finally! Could you have been any longer?" Kiba asked, annoyed at the blonde's procrastination.
"Shut it dog breath or we could just leave you here for the snakes. They're pretty big and I'm pretty sure have an appetite to match." Naruto warned. The Inuzuka blanched at this, rather he preferred walking alongside the group mumbling something about 'stupid sadistic blonde-haired Jinchuriki' under his breath.
"Does everyone have the needed scrolls to move on?" Rika asked the group before setting out.
"Yes. We have attained our scroll after our confrontation with the Sound Genin." Shino reported to her.
"Same here. The scrolls are all with our shared supplies and there's enough for each team." Sasuke replied.
"Alright then, let's shove off!" Naruto exclaimed once more, leading the group like a proud commander of an army. 'Who knew the dobe could be so commanding?' Sasuke asked himself as they followed him. Takato and Takuya were the scouts, making sure that there were no enemies waiting in ambush for them, with Hinata's Byakugan greatly assisting in the effort. Kiba and Shino were the rear guardsmen, ready to defend in case of an attack from behind. Hinata was in the middle of the group, with Rika and Sasuke on either side. Naruto and Sakura were in up front, making sure to keep track of all their surroundings.
As they walked, Sakura's thoughts and emotions were locked together in a mighty war debating if she should apologize to Naruto for her behavior or let it slide and start anew. So far, her guilty emotions were winning.
"Hey, uh, Naruto, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, somewhat hesitantly. She wasn't sure if this was a subject she was comfortable speaking of. She was still new to this topic, and God knows that Naruto seemed to be an expert in it already.
"Sure, what is it?" he replied curiously. She audibly sighed and took in a deep breath. It was now or never.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I treated you in the past. Sure you were an annoying little twerp but that wasn't an excuse for how I acted towards you. You'd already received enough hell from the villagers, and the insults and scorn you received from our classmates most definitely did not help your sense of self-worth. I wanted to know if you could forgive me and if we could start over as friends of equal grounds, neither of us better than the other." she replied sincerely. Her voice was ridden with sadness and regret as she wiped a small tear from her eye. Naruto looked at her surprised that she had apologized for the past. It never really mattered to him, since he was used to being left all on his own, but for someone to actually say 'I'm sorry' had to be one of the most poignant moments of his life.
"Sakura.....you're forgiven. What's past is past, and the future is still open for all of us. I'd be happy to be your friend if you don't mind it." he replied happily. She nodded, smiling brightly.
"Thank you, Naruto." she replied as though a weight was lifted from her heart. The small brigade continued in content silence as the sounds of nature was the only thing to grace their ears.
(A few hours later: Forest of Death)
The nine Genin looked up at the massive tower before them. It was at least twenty stories tall, the kanji for 'fire' carved into the wood, looking out into the forest.
"So this is the examination tower?" Takuya asked.
"It's pretty big, isn't it?" Rika said, looking up into the sky to try and spot the tip of the building.
"Well, let's not just stand all day here gawking at it. C'mon, let's head inside before another team jumps us." Sasuke urged, heading towards the door.
"As much as I hate to admit it, Teme's got a point. If we stand here too long, someone else might come by and catch us with our guards down. Besides, after everything that's happened in this forest, I can't wait to get out of it." Naruto admitted.
"Okay, let's head inside then." Hinata replied. The nine walked into the building and into a wide tiled room. The only object in the room was a large poster with some writing on it.
"What does that say?" Takato asked, indicating the poster hanging on the wall. Sakura looked to the poster with a curious gaze, looking over its contents before translating.
"'The path of life begins with the first steps. At crossroads, one decides his own destiny. His way, his....blank.....determines where he shall go and when he shall succeed.'" she quoted.
"There's a letter missing from the message. What does it mean?" Kiba asked.
"I'm not sure, but now would be a good time to open our scrolls." Naruto suggested. The others nodded. Naruto, Rika and Hinata took their team's scrolls and opened them hastily. The scrolls were inscribed with seals arranged in a circular pattern around the center of the paper. Suddenly, smoke began to billow out from the center, alerting the Genin.
"Throw them away! They're summon scrolls!" Sasuke shouted out in alarm. Partly on his order and partly in shock at his outburst, the Genin tossed their scrolls onto the ground, where smoke quickly blocked their vision. Upon the return of their sight, they saw three people standing in front of them. One was a Chunin with light brown hair tied in a ponytail on his head, a scar along the bridge of his nose. The second was a woman with long black hair wearing a white tunic with a single red sleeve on her right arm. The last was a man with dark purple hair and blue eyes. He wore the standard outfit for a Jonin of Kumogakure.
"Congratulations on completing the exams." they said in unison. Suddenly, Naruto embraced the man in front of him in a bear hug.
"Iruka-sensei! Man am I ever glad to see you!" he shouted happily. Iruka laughed at his outburst, not entirely blaming him for it. The forest was hell on earth to many people.
"I'm glad to see you're still in the exams. I'm also a little surprised that you made it here so quickly. It's only the second day into the exam." he admitted.
"Yes, that is impressive, especially considering you all came together. And you hardly looked injured at all." the woman remarked.
"That would be due to our new friends from Kumogakure, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata said happily.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Misumi Rika and these are my teammates Icuchi Takato and Icuchi Takuya." Rika said in an introductory tone.
"I'm Yuuhi Kurenai, sensei to Team 8." Kurenai replied.
"I'm Umino Iruka, Academy instructor and former sensei of these six." Iruka said.
"Nice to meet you. This is our sensei, Rukio Bennosuke." Takato said, looking at the purple haired man beside him.
"It's nice to meet you all. Thank you for helping my team through the forest." Bennosuke said to the Genin.
"They helped us a lot more than we did them, but you're welcome anyway!" Naruto replied happily. Hinata smiled quietly to herself. Naruto's previous stress seemed to have disappeared, his cheerful demeanor once more for all the world to see. She supposed that the discovery of several Jinchuriki has put his mind at ease.
"So, what are you guys doing here? Is there some kind of moral point to the exam we failed to comprehend?" Sasuke asked, cutting straight to the business at hand. Iruka cleared his throat before speaking.
"Yes. You see, the point of this exam was to test your survival skills and your ability to handle secret information. If you had so much as peaked at those scrolls, I would've appeared and knocked you out. Thankfully though you didn't." he explained.
"What's with that saying on the wall? There's a letter missing that keeps it from making sense." Takuya said.
"That missing letter is the individual qualities a shinobi possesses that can make or break a battle. Love, determination, friendship, courage, hope and confidence are all examples of this. The message is blank because it represents the road you have yet to take in your lives." Bennosuke explained for his pupil. Takuya looked at his friends thoughtfully before smiling.
"I got it, sensei." he replied. The other senseis seemed content with their students' response to this information and went on to explain that they were to stay inside the tower until the exam was over. They were free to look around, but not leave the premises unless escorted by an authorized shinobi.
Just as Iruka was about to leave, Naruto grabbed his wrist and adapted a serious expression on his face. The Chunin knew that something was amiss.
"Iruka-sensei, I need to see the Hokage. Something has come up that he needs to know about."