Alright! 16th Chapter!
172 reviews, 41,000+ hits
'I GET TO EAT HUMANS! HELL YEAH!'
Disclaimer! I don't own Naruto, nor do I own Elric, but I do have custody over original characters, and disperse them like blood in water...ON WITH THE SHOW!
"Blah"-person speaking...'Blah'-person thinking..."Blah"-Demon speaking...'Blah'-Demon thinking..."Blah"-Memory speaking(they don't think)...'Blah'-Pyron speaking through mental pathways.
Leaves of Steel, Chapter 16
Training ground 44, 42nd gate to the forest of death: 9:33 AM
Team 7 had been running for only 3 minutes after the gates opened. Slipping their way through the foliage. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Pyron silently neared a location pinpointed earlier by the blond of their team to have, "Someone waiting".
'Master, why are we attacking some weaklings? Even I can sense how weak they are!' the adorable sky-blue dragon asked.
'We just need the scrolls, so we might as well take them.' Naruto thought out to his loyal dragon, before he added in a bonus to cheer him up, 'Plus, after I...take care of them, you can eat them.'
'YAY!' shouted the sleek dragon into Naruto's head.
With the weaklings: 9:37 AM
Hidden mist had sent many teams, but their best was their 'Heavy Melee' team. This particular team was comprised of 'Big Dudes', the 'Biggest Dudes' in their entire village. Led by a masked man named Yonshu (6'7") 'Team 8 Mark 3' was huge. Yonshu was especially noted for being the grandson of one of the seven swordsmen, carrying his gandfather's legacy. The Zanbato this boy carried was around 6 feet in length, and a dull red.
"Yo! Yonshu!" called one of his subordinates, "Has your blade gotten redder?"
Yonshu blushed, before he presented his blade to his favorite team member, a 6'8" young adult by the name of Kai, "Why, yes it has!" Yonshu said gleefully, "I added a fresh coat of blood this morning!"
"Who was the 'paint'? Did they set quickly?" asked his other team mate, a 7 foot tall man, known only as Shin.
"The crop was good, I encountered a rich traveler, probably a merchant, on the road this morning. His blood was SO thick I had to use a blood thinning pill, or I would have been late." Their captain declared.
Suddenly, said blade shimmered, and Yonshu perked his blindfolded head upwards, "We have...unusual company. One of them is carrying one of the other 6 blades." their captain stated, and Team 8 Mark 3 prepared traps in their general vicinity.
Bursting through the bushes, a group of 3 genin and a small...dog landed.
"Hey! You with the dog! Get out of the way! We're waiting for someone!" shouted Yonshu.
Kiba snorted and laughed, "Do you think we are just going to WAIT for your scroll?" he asked.
"No, but you can be second in line. There is a man I must fight! Please wait until I kill him, then you can be next." Yonshu requested.
Another group of Genin bursted into the clearing, this time with a reptilian creature.
'NARUTO-KUN!' thought Hinata, blushing furiously.
'Sasuke-kun!' thought Shino, hiding his blush in his useful coat.
'Arf! Pyron-sama! Arf!' thought Akamaru.
'Sakura-chan!' thought Sakura sadly, seeing nobody was looking at HER in joy.
"Hey guys. I see you are not dead, that is good." Naruto said rather plainly, eying the odd blushing girl.
"Yo." Sasuke waved.
'What's up, Homie? Piss on any good trees?' Pyron answered his canine buddy.
Team 8 Mark 3 wasted no time in drawing their weapons, "So, you with the blond hair! I want a one-on-one!" shouted Yonshu.
Naruto stepped forward, eying the sword Yonshu carried, "Fine." Naruto stated, as he KNEW when he was being called out.
Flipping the cap on his back, Naruto drew his massive sword, 'Is that...Momochi Zabuza's sword? It looks different from when I saw it last...Has it...been reforged?' wondered the holder of the other blade.
The two sword-wielders jumped to the side, with Naruto thinking to Pyron, 'You assist Sakura with the one that attacks her. Sasuke can take care of himself.'.
Shin flew at Sasuke, a large...rock...on a stick...held high, "Let's go!"
Kai took out a massive mace, and began to swing it in a massive arc. He targeted Sakura, and brought it down. Pyron jumped at her, pushing both of them out of the way. The heavy piece of steel crushed the ground, leaving a crater the size of a horse.
Sakura hid behind a rock, leaving Pyron all by his lonesome, 'She IS useless! i'll just do this by myself!' the cute dragon thought to himself, before growing to his small-house size.
'Holy Shit!' thought Kai, as he ducked a blast of ice, 'This could get difficult...'
Sasuke jumped over the huge maul, and fired a thin stream of fire into the face of Shin. He then stabbed a kunai deep into the the huge person, twisting it upon entry. He then stole the weapons belt of the giant, kicking him in the 'nads while he did it.
Shin roared, and brought his hands into a seal, temporarily dropping his hammer. Sasuke's eyes grew their tomoe, and the sharingan was active.
"Suiton: Rolling Waves!" Shin shouted, ripping water out of the ground, while Sasuke made a few quick seals exchanging himself with a log.
Sasuke smirked from the trees, as he jumped down behind the slow ninja, stabbing him in the spinal cord, cutting downwards. Shin's spine fell out, and the massive genin fell to the ground, gurgling until he fell silent.
"God, he was fucking annoying! At least I got a jutsu off of him..." Sasuke muttered to himself, before sitting down on a nearby stump, and began to brood.
Pyron slammed a massive claw into Kai, sending him flying into a tree, which was shortly covered in ice, 'oooo...a Human popcicle...'
Naruto held his sword behind him, the tip on the ground, while his enemy charged at him, jumping off of a tree to gain a height advantage. Yonshu brought his sword down on the blond Genin, who brought his own sword up so quickly, only a blur was visible.
"I've had better fights, you know." Naruto stated, as he yawned.
Naruto held his sword at his side, and rushed towards his opponent. Slipping past his defenses by alternating his physical structure, Naruto chopped the unsuspecting sword-user in twain.
"AGGGHHH!" screamed the dying man, as Naruto stabbed him through the torso...or what remained of it.
Yonshu's blood flowed freely, and a life left his face. Naruto waited for his heart to stop, and then placed a healing seal on the body. The torso reconnected to the legs, leaving no scar as the tissue reformed. Blood went back into the boy's systems, but he was not alive.
Naruto raised his sword, and pointed it at his fallen opponent, "Call!" He shouted, as a glowing green aura touched the boy's corpse.
A spooky hand reached out, and extended into the sky, ripping down a glowing orb. The orb came back into the body, and Yonshu jerked as he began to breathe.
Naruto stood over him, and pulled him up by the collar, throwing him against a tree.
"Hey! What is your name?" Naruto asked in an angry tone.
Yonshu tried to attack the boy, but found his body wouldn't move, "You can't attack me, as I resurrected you to serve." Naruto stated, holding his sword at his new servant's neck, "I ask you AGAIN! What is your name?"
"M-my name is Y-Yonshu..." the boy said, testing his body for any problems.
"'My name is Yonshu, WHAT?!" shouted Naruto, reminding the boy of his new rank.
"My name is Yonshu, m-master..." the new addition said sadly, as he figured out what the green glow was.
"Good." Naruto stated as he put away his sword, "You WILL come with me, and you WILL assist whenever I ask. Your past does not matter anymore, nor do I care. Your job is to give up everything for my safety, and do whatever I ask. If I ask you to jump off of a tree, what will you do?"
Yonshu figured the best way to exist in this situation was to treat it like a high-ranking mission, "I will jump." He stated.
"Good, you understand." Naruto cackled, "Welcome to the realm of the undead. As long as you serve me, you feel no pain, and you do not die. You do not eat, you do not drink. You survive as long as I find you useful. If I tell you to kill your Kage, what do you do?" The blond asked, testing the new recruit's loyalty.
"I rip my father's head off." Yonshu stated, bringing up a raised eyebrow in Naruto.
"Your father is the Mizukage? You ARE useful." Naruto stated, "As of now, I am your leader, you answer ONLY to me, unless I allow otherwise. Scroll, please."
Yonshu reached into his pocket, presenting Naruto with the scroll, 'Ah, perfect! It is the Heaven Scroll, that completes the set.' Naruto thought, leading his new servant back to the group.
Hinata stared at her crush being followed by the enemy, 'Why is the enemy cooperating?' she wondered.
Yonshu stared at the image of his dead 7-foot tall former team mate. He then switched his attention to what looked like a hand sticking out of the mouth of the (now back in chibi form) dragon. He recognized the ring on the hand, before it was spat onto the ground.
'I don't like eating rings...'Pyron commented to the whole group.
"This is Yonshu, everyone. He is my new vassal, and will be joining us." Naruto stated, pointing his thumb at the boy with the massive sword.
"Dobe. Why are you fraternizing with the enemy? That is treason." Sasuke pointed out.
"It isn't treason if the 'enemy' is deceased. He happens to be undead as of 3 minutes ago. And who are you calling 'dobe', Sasuke-teme?" Naruto counter-pointed.
'Does this mean I don't get to eat him?' Pyron asked sadly, chewing on a thigh-bone.
Naruto nodded, and left the area with his team, whispering to them about the scroll. Yonshu was amazed that he still retained his speed and chakra after being killed. Naruto then placed a seal on Yonshu, resembling an antenna.
"What was that, Naruto-sama?" Yonshu asked curiously.
"It allows me to call and locate you at any time. Furthermore, I can now see what you see if I want to. I probably won't use this feature, but it never hurts to be careful." Naruto explained, reading from the tome of seals.
Sakura eyed the buff new addition to their team, 'I wonder if he would make a good boyfriend, he sure is ho-...Wait a second, I LIKE SASUKE!'
Suddenly, a gust of wind hit the Genin team, launching them all into a clearing.
"Fufufufu..." laughed a rain ninja, "It looks like I found you, Sasuke-kun..."
Sasuke paled, "Who the hell are you?" the avenger asked.
"That does not need to be answered, but, I have a gift for you, Sasuke-kun." the man said, his eyes slit like a snake's.
He walked up to Sasuke and quickly gave him a bite on the neck, "When you want more power, come and find me." The odd man stated, before bringing his hands into a teleportaion seal, "The name is Orochimaru." and, with that, he vanished.
Sasuke screamed in pain as the area where he had been bitten throbbed. Naruto thumbed to the reference section of the book, and found the three tomoe seal in the back.
"It is a curse seal, I have to close it before it kills him!" Naruto shouted to the team, signaling for Yonshu to restrain the thrashing boy.
Knowing that the seal could not be removed, Naruto opted for a double-layered seal, so he flipped to the back of the sealing section, "I need a sample of his blood and a Dragon Scale. Pyron, I need a scale! Sakura get me some of Sasuke's blood! Yonshu, I need you to keep him from touching the seal for as long as possible!" as he was barking out orders, he made a steel bowl and rubbing stick underneath his robes, pulling them out.
Pyron tugged a loose scale from his arm, channeling chakra to replace it. Sakura opened a bandage on Sasuke from an earlier scratch, and collected blood in a vial. Yonshu easily restrained the boy, grappling his arms to his side. Naruto took the scale and blood, grinding the scale, and mixing the blood into it to produce a glowing blue paste. The blond Genin approached his team mate, and drew a familiar symbol with the total of the solution. After the curved triangle set in Naruto's hands glowed, as he shouted, "Evil Sealing Method: Light Seal!"
Sasuke fainted, and the seal sunk in in a blue tint.
"The seal was a success, He should be okay." Naruto sighed as he slumped against a tree.
'Yay! Good job Naruto-sama!' Pyron cheered.
Sakura cradled Sasuke's head, rocking him as she petted his hair. Yonshu just sat against a rock rubbing where Sasuke had bit him on his right bicep. It didn't hurt, and Naruto walked up to him.
"Figuring it out? You feel no pain, but it will still annoy you. I'll heal you though.' Naruto said, as he ran his glowing hands over his servant.
The wound closed, and the blond ordered Yonshu to carry the teme to the tower as they continued.
2 miles from the tower: 12:42PM
Reaching around 2 miles to the tower, Sakura noticed that they were caught in a genjutsu, so the Team was forced to stop.
"Yo!" called Naruto, "Whoever is doing this, stop! If you want a scroll, come out and fight!"
Answered only by the rustling of leaves, Naruto pointed Pyron to the bushes.
'Found them. They think loudly.' the dragon stated, launching a stream of ice at the location of the mental activity.
3 boys, in what appeared to be straightjackets, jumped into the clearing, holding up a heaven scroll, "Which on do you have?" the apparent leader asked.
Naruto pulled out a fake earth scroll from his robe, made of metal, "What a coincidence! Let's go!" before launching several pre-made kunai from his sleeve.
The leader and one of his subordinates dodged, while the other was not as lucky. he was run through the head.
'Not him! We needed him for our illusion!' thought the leader.
The blond walked slowly to the corpse, "Call!" he said harshly, and saw the body quiver.
The previously-deceased boy sat up, and tried to attack Naruto, but found himself unable too.
"Kill them." ordered Naruto, pointing at the undead's Team mates.
"NO!" shouted the boy, "I won't kill my frie-" he was cut off by Naruto's open palm striking his chest.
"Control!" the Genin of sun-kissed hair called, as the eyes of the boy he had hit grew dull, "Kill them." he stated again.
The zombiefied boy raised his hands into seals, launching all manners of offensive deadly jutsu. He kept firing past his limit, as the undead feel no pain. Leaving a wake of smoke at the point of fire, the controlled body slumped to the ground, all life in his body ebbing away.
His team was much worse off, as they were both dead. The only surface of their bodies NOT covered in needles were the fingertips.
'So...When the Resurrected runs out of chakra the body itself dies...I'll make sure to remember this' thought the necromancer, before kicking the boy's body, 'Useless piece of shit! Can't even stay alive long enough to tell me the location of the scroll. I'll just Phase to where I can see his spirit, and force the fucking information out of him!'
Naruto removed walked around the bodies, removing the senbon from the corpses, placing them into a pocket in his robe.
"Phase." Naruto stated, entering the ethereal realm.
"You!" yelled a floating ball of light, "You killed me! You killed my team!" the ball shouted.
Naruto tapped his seal, materializing the god of the void as a gaping hole, "If you don't want me to feed you to the void," he started, grabbing the spirit by its core, "then you will tell me where your scroll is!"
The spirit took on the form of its previous body, as Naruto squeezed the orb, "I'll tell you! Don't throw me in!" the boy relented, "It is in my friend's oxygen container!"
Naruto smirked, and walked to the edge of the void, "Thank you for the information." he said with a smile.
The ghost looked frightened, "I thought you weren't going to throw me in!" he yelled.
Naruto looked between the void and the spirit it held, before shrugging and throwing him in, "I lied." he chirped, with an even bigger smile.
The blond Genin phased back into existence, and cut open the oxygen tank of one of the deceased enemies. Ripping out an earth scroll with a hiss, Naruto turned around to find nearly all of the members of his team staring at him in disbelief. Even Sasuke, who had been unconscious, was awake to stare at the carnage.
"Heh. Good job Dobe." Sasuke commented, before pulling himself off of Yonshu, "Wait...ISN'T THIS THE GUY WHO TRIED TO KILL YOU!?" Sasuke yelled at Naruto, clearly indicating Yonshu.
"He's with us now, Sasuke-teme. I suggest you get to know him. His name is Yonshu, and he answers only to me." Naruto stated, while Yonshu had his head bowed, "Yonshu, please greet Sasuke." the necromancer ordered.
"Yes Naruto-sama." Yonshu addressed his master before turning to Sasuke, "Hello. My name is Yonshu."
Sasuke paled at the thought of the dead-last having a servant, before shaking hands with the massive Genin, "Uchiha Sasuke. It is...nice...to meet you." he forced out.
After Pyron sealed the bodies into an adorable little knapsack he had obtained, they continued on their path towards the tower. Upon further examination by Naruto, the knapsack proved to be made out of human skin and bone. This caused Yonshu to slightly flinch, Sakura to puke, and Sasuke to wretch in disgust. Naruto, however, merely laughed.
With Team Gai: 2:47PM
Team Gai had progressed without a hitch, encountering and eliminating a team form rock, getting lucky on their first shot. They easily got into the tower just after a team from Sand broke the record for the single quickest time in the history of the chunin exams. Tenten had used every single of the elemental seals to their best functions, finding them to be quite effective. Strangely, through the test, Tenten had noticed Neji acting incredibly protective of her, but she waved that off as him wanting to get to the end quickly.
Outside of the tower: 3:42PM
When Team seven reached the tower, they were headed off by a boy from konoha, who offered them information for an extra earth scroll. Naruto complied with the boy he learned to be named Kabuto. In exchange, they were shown up-to-date cards on each of the participants, Naruto's only showing his levels BEFORE the incident.
'The loser can't even get his info right! I don't have to worry about him or his team' thought Naruto, handing the earth scroll to Kabuto.
Inside of the tower: 3:50PM
Entering the tower and activating their scrolls, Team seven was subject to investigation by Iruka.
"Hold up! Why do you have another member on your team!?" shouted Iruka, "He won't be allowed to continue!"
Naruto stepped in front of Yonshu, "He WILL be allowed to continue, for he belongs to me in the same sense as your kunai belong to you. I control his every action and free will, so he cannot be considered as a human, nor as a ninja." Naruto stated, before noting the disbelieving look in Iruka's eyes, "Would you like proof?" he asked.
Iruka nodded, and Naruto ordered Yonshu to stab himself in the forehead.
"WAIT!" shouted Iruka, but was too late to stop the boy from plunging a kunai into his own skull.
Yonshu removed the blade, as blood spurted out. This continued until the boy had grown pale.
"Yonshu." addressed Naruto, "Prove that you are still alive. Climb the walls with only your chakra."
Yonshu did as requested, without fail or hesitation, to which Naruto commented, "He is little more than a meat puppet. Think of it as what sand's puppeteers are able to do, and things work out."
Iruka nodded, and opened the master doors to the waiting room, "I acknowledge him as a shinobi tool, and accept him accompanying you. please proceed, and please be careful." Iruka warned.
Naruto stepped into the waiting room, accompanied by a drowsy sharingan user, a whiny girl, a flesh-eating dragon, and a very pale boy, who felt no ill effects from the blood-loss.
End of Leaves of Steel, Chapter 16
YAY! ZOMBIES!
-Johnhamsta