The Kitsune Seal
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but it sure would be nice if I did
"Hello" - Speaking
'Hello' - Thoughts
"Hello" - Demon/Boss Summon Speaking/Jutsu
'Hello' - Demon/Boss Summon Thoughts
Chapter 3 – Gather the scroll, Get to the tower
The Genin of Konohagakure were tired. The only ones who weren't were the two who had no interaction with the sound-nins, Neji and Tenten. Neji was observing the exhausted Naruto and Sasuke with his usual calm and cold demeanor, but his mind was in a bit of turmoil as he continually thought back to what just happened with the two boys. 'The power of that chakra was not normal. Did the Uchiha clan really have that kind of strength? And why does that Uzumaki kid possess a similar power? I will have to keep my eye on them for the rest of the exam.' Were the Hyuuga prodigy's thoughts.
Meanwhile, the two boys in question were sitting next to their pink haired teammate. They were trying to figure out what that Kusa shinobi did to them, as well as what happened while they were knocked out.
"Hey Sakura-chan. What happened to your hair?" Asked Naruto.
"Oh, I decided to cut it as long hair really isn't that practical in this forest." She answered, leaving out the fact that the length of her hair had allowed her to be disabled when the sound-nins attacked.
"Man this is troublesome. Hey Ino, could you take care of Lee?" Spoke the lazy voice of Shikamaru, who had come out of hiding when he could no longer feel that weird chakra.
"Shikamaru? What are you guys doing here?" Questioned Naruto when he saw team 10.
"It's too troublesome to explain." Was all the shadow user had to say.
Tenten then decided it was time to jump down to pick up her wayward teammate. "I'll take it from here." She said as she took Lee from Ino's arm and gently woke him up. "HEY LEE!! SNAPP OUT OF IT!! (SLAP…SLAP) WAKE UP!!" Of course gentle for Lee meant agonizing pain for others.
"Huh…Wha…Tenten? What are you doing here?" Lee groggily asked as he woke up.
"We came to pick you up since you missed the return deadline." Tenten replied.
"Oh, I see." Lee said as he looked around him to get an idea of the current situation. "Hey, where are those sound-nins?" He asked, curious about their absence.
"Those kids, Sasuke and Naruto drove them off." Said Tenten. "So why did you decide to deviate from the plan and act on your own? And how did you get so beat up? You are never in such bad shape even after sparing with Gai-sensei." Scolded Tenten, who sounded more like Lee's mother.
Lee couldn't help but wince at his teammate's somewhat harsh words. "Sakura-san was in trouble, and I couldn't let her face those ninja alone. It would have been most unyouthful." He explained in a tone that pulled at Tenten's heart with the seriousness and maturity it contained. "But seeing as I failed to protect her and now know that Naruto and Sasuke not only saved her, but me as well leads me to one conclusion," he continued. "THAT I MUST INCREASE MY TRAINING SO THAT MY FLAMES OF YOUTH MATCH THEIR'S." Screamed Lee as he returned to his normal self causing Tenten to sweatdrop.
'Oh well. The maturity was nice while it lasted, but at least Lee is back to normal.' She thought as Lee continued his ramblings about youth and training with Gai-sensei.
"Hey Look! It's Bushy Brows!" Shouted the blond Uzumaki as he spotted the green clad shinobi. Naruto liked the guy even if he had some oddities about him. So, just as he did with others that he liked, he gave him a less then flattering nickname, but only one other person understood that about Naruto, and he wasn't there.
"Naruto! Be nice to Lee!" Said Sakura as she hit him over the head for his rudeness. "Lee, thank you for saving me. If you hadn't come, I'm sure that those sound-nins would have killed me and my team. And thank you for helping to inspire me to rethink my life as a kunoichi, I already feel stronger because of it." She said with a smile on her face.
Lee couldn't help but shed a few tears at hearing someone say they were inspired by his "flames of youth", even if they did not use those words. "Sasuke…the power of the Uchiha clan truly is great. And Naruto…you must be a true genius of hard work. For both of you to so easily defeat those sound-nins that defeated me." He said to the boys standing next to their pink haired teammate. Those words shocked both of them, but left a much deeper impression on the Uchiha.
'What? He was beaten. How could they beat Lee? Lee kicked my ass just two days ago, and now he gets beaten by someone I defeated so easily.' Sasuke pondered this question. 'They must have used their numbers to overwhelm him 3 to 1.' He reasoned, but as he looked at his hand and remembered the black markings that were on it earlier, he developed a small feeling that that wasn't the answer. He was broken out of his contemplations when the blond of team 10 spoke up.
"Hey Forehead. Come over here so I can straighten your hair." Said Ino, calling Sakura by her hated nickname.
"…Sure Ino-pig, why not." Sakura replied as the two girls settled back into their roles has rivals. Although they were being friendlier to each other then they had been in years.
As he watched the leaf-nins give up their exam rivalry, if only for a short time, from the treetops Neji continued his thoughts from earlier. 'Uchiha Sasuke…Uzumaki Naruto…let us see how far fate will let you go.'
(Time Skip: Second day of the Exam-Evening)
By noon team 10 finally left team 7 to go and continue the exam. Since Negi wanted to continue as quickly as possible, Lee's team had left earlier, once Lee had recovered from the sound based attacks. Team 7 had decided that because of the condition the boys were in, they would only rest for a few hours, as they were just tired and did not have any injuries. After about seven hours of rest they left the clearing and traveled by tree hopping for an hour till they came to a river and decided to stop for the night. Their current plan was to follow the stream in the direction of the tower. There they would have a better chance to find a team that would probably have both of the needed scrolls, or at least had thought along similar lines and possessed the heaven scroll. Being close to the river would be an added bonus as it increased the chance to come across another team.
Now, however, team 7 was more interested in getting some fresh dinner, and food for the future. Since they were by a river they decided to fish, shinobi style. This meant that Naruto would jump into the river when he spotted a fish and use his shinobi reflexes to grab it and throw it into the air. Then Sasuke would throw a kunai at the fish, impaling it against a tree, a feat that he could do even without his Sharingan. While the boys did this Sakura set up the camp.
Several hours later, once all of this was done, and as they were just finishing up their dinner around a fire Sasuke lit with a toned downed version of the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique), they got down to business.
"All right guys, we need to talk about how we're going to get a heaven scroll." Said Sasuke getting the attention of his teammates. "We're coming to the part where getting a scroll won't be easy."
"What are you talking about Sasuke? We have plenty of time." Said Naruto confused.
"Naruto, listen to Sasuke-kun. We may have time but the other examinees have had almost 48 hours to prepare, while we had to rest from our confrontation on the first day. This puts us at a disadvantage. You would know that if you had spent more time listening to Iruka-sensei instead of sleeping in class," lectured Sakura. "Now we have to decide whether to we should set up an ambush and risk not even seeing another team. Or we can actively search out another team and run the risk of stepping into an enemy trap." She explained.
"If those are the choices then I say that we go and find a team, trap or not. At least then we know we'll have a chance to get another scroll." Exclaimed Naruto as his usual brash self.
"Dobe…use your head for once," said an annoyed Sasuke. "Running into a trap is one of the quickest ways to end your shinobi career. Since every team has to go to the tower at the center of the forest, our best chance to ambush them would be there." He continued. "It's too dark to go on tonight. I'll go and scout around a bit. When I get back we'll set up a watch schedule and get some sleep." With that, Sasuke got up and left the camp.
The remaining two members of team 7 just waited and watched in case someone came by. Until Naruto got bored and started examining the earth scroll they had.
"Hey, Sakura-chan." He said to catch her attention.
"What is it Naruto?"
"When we were in the academy, did the teachers ever say anything about the significance of the relationship of "earth" and "heaven"?" He asked in an oddly serious tone.
Sakura thought for a minute before she answered in the negative. "No. Why do you ask?"
"Well the goal of this test is to get two scrolls with secret information on them. Then we have to take those scrolls to a tower that we need both scrolls to get into. If you think about it that would mean that the scrolls have half of a two-part password needed to gain entry. However, I can't help but think 'Why did they give the scrolls a theme of earth and heaven?' They could have given them more nondescript names such as the white scroll and the brown scroll, but they didn't. So I think that if there is a password it has something to do with the names of the scrolls." Naruto said in a surprising well thought out answer.
Sakura just stared at him in shock as he once again surprised her. She knew that Naruto was pretty good at thinking up plans to get out of trouble, often doing so in the span of seconds, but only when that trouble was breathing down his neck. Normally, it was she and Sasuke who would analyze situations ahead of time to make plans. She was impressed and was about to complement him on his deductive skills when he opened his mouth and spoke again.
"Or, maybe they just like making things more dramatic. Anyway, I have to use the little shinobi's room." He said in his usual overly loud voice as he tossed her the scroll and left, causing Sakura to sweatdrop.
"Just be sure you don't get caught with your pants down again Naruto-baka." She shouted to his retreating form. 'That Naruto, one minute he surprises and impresses you. The next minute he acts like a total goof who doesn't take a thing seriously.' Sakura thought with an amused and annoyed expression; however, Naruto's words returned to her and she couldn't help but wonder why the scrolls were named the way they were. If he was right and there was a two-part password that had a relation to earth and heaven, and if she knew what half of the password is, then she might be able to figure out the other half. But that meant breaking the rules of the test and getting expelled from the Exam, unlike the first test where you still had a chance if you were caught cheating. She continued to ponder about how the proctors could know if they had opened the scroll or not, until a voice broke her from her reverie.
"I hope you weren't thinking of opening that scroll."
Sakura turned to the speaker to see the silver haired Yakushi Kabuto.
"It isn't a smart idea to go disobeying the rules for this part of the Exam." He said has he stepped towards Sakura, until he felt the press of the cold steel of a kunai against his neck.
"And it's really not a smart idea to approach an enemy shinobi unless you know where their teammates are." Spoke Naruto, who had gone into the bushes and doubled back around when he heard Kabuto approach.
"Whoa…easy there. I'm not here to fight. I already have both of my scrolls." Kabuto said as he tried to calm the shinobi, while holding out his scrolls to show that he was telling the truth. Though in reality, he wasn't worried in the least. 'Very nice Naruto-kun. If I really were a lone Genin, then I have no doubt that you and Sasuke-kun up there could have killed me and taken what you needed by now.' "See? I have no reason to fight you guys."
Now Sasuke decided to make his presence known as he spoke from the tree branch he was on. "You have no reason to fight us but we have every reason to fight you."
"That you do. However, if you choose not to fight me, then I could prove to be a big help to you." Said Kabuto trying to convince team 7 to let him tag along so he may observe Sasuke.
"Why exactly are you so interested in helping us?" Asked Naruto as he kept the kunai in place, just in case.
"I am interested in helping you because I got separated from my teammates while avoiding the local wildlife. Since we already had our scrolls we decided to meet up at the tower in case of just such an event. If it was one of my teammates they would have just continued going; however, they were always more combat oriented, and I usually focused on handling information." Kabuto said as he fabricated a beautiful lie that was partially true. "And that's how I plan to help you. I know enough about most of the other participants to give you an edge even if you fall into an ambush." At these words Sasuke's ears perked up as he began thinking. "Since I am not much of a fighter, I decided that my best chance to get to the tower is to find a team of fellow Konoha shinobi who might be willing to help a comrade who's in trouble. And in return I would help them get a scroll if they needed one."
"Naruto, let him go," commanded Sasuke after he weighed the pros and cons.
"What!? What are you thinking Teme? For all we know this could be a trap!"
"Then it would be a pretty stupid trap. First, I didn't find any trace of his teammates when I was scouting. Second, he can't get us to walk into a trap if he doesn't know which path we will take to get to the tower. Finally, he already has both scrolls, so why would he try to get ours." Said Sasuke as he explained his reasoning to his blond teammate. "Besides, he is a fellow leaf-nin. He could just want to help like Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji did earlier."
Naruto reluctantly pulled the kunai away from the silver haired Genin's neck. He didn't know why, but for some reason Kabuto put him on edge. He had done nothing to warrant suspicion, and the fact that he was a shinobi of Konoha meant that he should be trust worthy. He just seemed to be give off a bad vibe. This confused Naruto because he hadn't felt anything like this when Kabuto introduced himself before the first test, and had even helped the rookie Genin with his ninja info cards. And he had been brought to his knees by the sound-nin Dosu when he called Otogakure weak, so he didn't seem that strong. But for some reason Naruto's gut was telling him that Kabuto was bad news. But Sasuke had made sense, and there really was no reason to be suspicious.
"All right guys, we need to get some rest now," stated Sasuke. "Naruto gets the first watch. I'll take the next watch. Sakura, you'll have the third and final watch. Kabuto, you won't be getting a watch shift. It's not that I don't trust you, I just won't give you a chance to betray us."
"Don't worry, I understand," assured Kabuto.
(Morning of the third day of the Exam)
Dawn had come signifying the third day of the Exam. And with the rising of the sun, too did team 7 rise.
It took them minutes to pack up and leave their camp site to head to the tower in hopes of finding another team and finishing this part of the Exam.
They traveled at a moderate pace in the trees, and changed directions every now and then to make sure that they weren't being followed or fell into a trap. After several hours of tree hopping, they finally stopped within sight of the tower.
"Well guys, there's the tower." Said Kabuto as he and team 7 took a quick break to catch their breath. "From here on out we'll have to be very careful. It's going to be nearly impossible to avoid any enemy traps."
"That's why you're here Kabuto." Sasuke said, reminding the silver haired Genin. "Because of your knowledge on the other Genin teams, you're our ace in the hole."
"Well, it's nice to know that you think me so useful Sasuke-kun." Said Kabuto as he put up his friendly smile that often wins him the trust of others.
"Hey Kabuto," Naruto called from the side, "do you know anything about centipedes?"
"Centipedes? Well I know that despite their small size they have a rather nasty bite that should be treated with an antihistamine, but only if there's no infection (that's your fun fact for the day). Apart from that nothing. Why?" Kabuto replied, somewhat confused, as he and the rest of team 7 turned towards their comrade. Only to stop as they saw something that completely disgusted Kabuto and Sasuke and caused Sakura to freak out.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!" She screamed as she threw a kunai into the giant centipede's head, killing it.
"Awww, Sakura-chan, why'd you have to kill it. That was a cool bug." Whined Naruto.
All Sakura could mutter in reply was, "Eww…so big."
Meanwhile, the others were recovering from their shock, although Sasuke was still thinking about how disgusting the centipede's legs were. Kabuto readjusted his glasses to regain his composure. 'No matter how many times I see them, those giant bugs still creep me out.' "Well Sakura-chan, I hope you got that out of your system and that you realized that you probably alerted any nearby enemies to our position." Despite his stern appearance on the outside, Kabuto was actually quite happy on the inside. 'Now thanks to Sakura I don't have to risk revealing myself, making it easier for me to evaluate Sasuke's skills.' Sakura had the presence of mind to at least look ashamed, despite how creeped out she still was. "We should move slowly and safely to avoid detection." Kabuto continued, 'That way we will give enough time for one of the more skilled teams to trap us.'
Team 7 and Kabuto were annoyed. They had been walking for over two hours and the tower never seemed to get closer.
As they continued Sakura started to notice how familiar the area was, causing her to pause. "Sasuke-kun, stop!"
"What is it Sakura?" Sasuke asked as the group came to a stop.
"Something's not right. I think we've been here before." Sakura said, voicing her concerns.
"I believe your right Sakura-chan. In fact I believe that we've been caught in a Genjutsu to make us walk in circles." Kabuto stated as he pointed towards the clue that lead to his observation. Said clue being the centipede that Sakura had previously killed. "They must have been trying to tire us out until the perfect opportunity to attack us arose," he surmised. "Be on your guard. Since we know about them, they will strike at any moment."
"They're already here." Smirked Naruto as their welcoming committee revealed themselves, among whom was the Ame Genin that got the drop on him on the first day. He smirked because the rain-nins chosen means of attack was the use of some sort of Bunshin.
"So Kabuto, ready to do your part?" Asked Sasuke as he calmly took in the scene. Neither he nor Sakura were worried since they were used to seeing Naruto make a lot of clones.
Kabuto pulled out his deck of ninja info cards and selected three of them while applying his chakra. "Let's see who we got. Oboro, Kagari, and Mubi. Genin from Amegakure no Sato. Jounin Sensei: Unknown. Have participated in one other Chuunin Exam. Signature technique: Oboro Bunshin no Jutsu (Haze Clone Technique). The jutsu is basically standard Bunshin that number somewhere around a hundred. I'm guessing that the purpose is to use the large number as a screen to cover attacks."
"Heh Heh…The one in glasses is pretty smart, but brains won't help now that your trapped like rats." Spoke one of the clones. A second later said clone was struck by Naruto. But instead of disappearing like a normal Bunshin, the part struck exploded like water only to reform into a second Bunshin that tried stabbing Naruto with a kunai. Attempted being the key word because Sasuke struck the bunshin in the arm with four shuriken, causing the arm to burst and reform before throwing the kunai at Sasuke who dodged on instinct. The kunai missed and hit Kabuto, causing a real cut which should not be possible for an illusion.
"Kabuto!" Cried Sakura in worry of her temporary teammate.
"Well, that's interesting," commented Kabuto as he held his wound to stop the bleeding. "It appears that they improved their Genjutsu so they can repair and create more clones at the same time. Considering how little chakra is needed for Bunshins, they can just stay in hiding while timing their attacks to match their clones."
"If they're in hiding, then it's time to find them. Sharingan!" Sasuke said as he activated his Doujutsu. Unfortunately the moment he started using chakra for his eyes he felt a sting from the seal on his neck as it started to activate. Sasuke suppressed the pain and the seal at the same time, but Kabuto still noticed.
'Looks like the Curse Seal is working appropriately. Orochimaru-sama will be pleased to hear that.'
Naruto smiled when one of his "on the spot" plans came into his head. "I think I should even the odds." He said as he brought his hands into a cross-shaped seal to perform his favorite jutsu. Sasuke and Sakura smiled at this while Kabuto grew worried.
"Stop Naruto-kun! If you attack them like that you'll just be wasting chakra!" Kabuto shouted hoping the blonde wouldn't ruin his plans. Of course, he didn't know of Naruto's little secrets.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" Naruto shouted while creating thirty Kage Bunshin. This stunned Kabuto as he knew that because of the chakra requirements, even elite Jounin had trouble making 20 Kage Bunshin and Naruto didn't even look winded. Although no one had noticed how his nails had lengthened into claws, or how his pupils gained an animalistic slit. "How about you guys give me a hand with your Bunshin."
Now this confused his teammates but they went ahead and created their own clones.
"Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)," said Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto together, and realized Naruto's plan the moment their Bunshin appeared.
"All right guys, Let's Get Wild!" Naruto cried as he and the others rushed the Oboro Bunshin. The fighting was quick and brutal. The Oboro Bunshin were torn down one by one, but for every one that fell two took its place. A solid ten minutes had past and apart from the disappearance of a few Kage Bunshin and regular Bunshin neither side showed signs of relenting.
Needless to say, the Ame Genin were growing annoyed.
"Man…how long is this going to take?" Complained Mubi from their treetop hideaway.
"Don't worry, there's no way they can outlast our jutsu. All we have to do is wait for them to grow tired and then we kill them," assured Oboro.
"Unless of course we find you first." Said the smug voice of Uchiha Sasuke from behind the rain-nins.
The Ame shinobi were quick to react, but not fast enough as their arms and legs became pincushions for kunai and shuriken, disrupting their chakra and causing their Bunshin to disperse. That's when Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto appeared behind them with a kunai at a different vital point. Sakura at the spine of Mubi. Kabuto at the kidneys of Kagari. And Sasuke at the heart of Oboro. "How?" Was all Oboro could say as he started to feel his consciousness slip away.
"It was easy." Proudly stated Sakura. "First Naruto created his little army of Kage Bunshin to fight your Oboro Bunshin. Then he Henged some of his Kage Bunshin into us when we made our own Bunshin," she explained.
"That way we could slip away without you noticing." Stated Sasuke as he picked up where his teammate left off. "After that, finding you was easy. You were constantly using chakra to repair your Bunshin, and my Sharingan eyes were able to see you because of it." He said while he turned off his eyes, and felt the Curse Seal recede back into dormancy.
The Ame-nins could do nothing as they slipped into unconsciousness from blood loss.
It only took Sakura a minute of searching before she came across the heaven scroll team 7 needed to pass. "Sasuke-kun I found the scroll, and it's a heaven scroll."
"Good job Sakura. Now let's pick up Naruto so we can finish this test." Sasuke said as he hopped back down to the ground, followed by the other two. "Hey dobe, we got the scroll, let's go!" He called.
Naruto dismissed his Kage Bunshin but was a little miffed. "Why did you have to knock them out Teme? I was just starting to have fun." He was annoyed but followed the others anyway. Again no one noticed how Naruto's eyes and hands returned to normal after dismissing his clones.
Kabuto just couldn't help but be amazed at what he had seen. 'He makes thirty Kage Bunshin and fights for ten minutes, and he is still able to run. He has an enormous amount of chakra, and enough stamina to make good use of it. If he manages to master his chakra he will be outstanding. I really need to update my files on him.'
Team 7 and Kabuto had managed to reach the tower without further incident. Shortly after reaching the tower they came across two Konoha shinobi who had been camping right outside.
The two wore outfits similar to Kabuto, except that they wore bandanas that covered their heads and masks that covered their lower faces. And to Naruto they seemed to be giving off the same bad vibe as Kabuto, only not as strong.
Upon seeing team 7, the two came up and addressed them.
"Kabuto, your late," said the one in sunglasses.
"Sorry Yoroi. I ran into some trouble. Fortunately I met some fellow leaf-nins that were willing to help me out." Responded the silver haired Genin to his teammate.
"Well hurry up, we're tired of waiting." Said the now identified Yoroi as he and his other teammate moved over to the doors they were going to use.
"Hai, I'll be right there," said Kabuto. "Well this looks like where we part ways." Turning to team 7 he continued. "Let's hope our paths cross again after the Exams." And with that he left through the doors his team went through.
"Come on guys! Let's get this test over with!" Exclaimed Naruto, who was happy to finish any test he took, and to be away from Kabuto and his team. Naruto opened the doors and entered a fairly large room. What he found odd though, was how there was no proctor or even a Chuunin to welcome those who made it to the tower. "There's nobody here. What are we supposed to do now?"
"Hey! Look at that!" Said Sakura as she pointed out a large plaque with an inscription on the wall.
"Without Heaven, Seek Wisdom. Without Earth, Run in the Fields." Read Naruto. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Looks like it's missing some words there at the end." Observed Sasuke.
"Heaven…Earth." Mused Sakura. "It's obviously referring to the scrolls. It could be telling us that we have to open the scrolls now." With that she got out the heaven scroll she was carrying, while Naruto held out their earth scroll.
They both held out the scrolls, knowing that if they were wrong then all their work to get to the tower would be for nothing. On an unspoken command, both Naruto and Sakura opened their scrolls revealing an intricate series of seals that looked familiar. Only a second later the scrolls started smoking and Sasuke finally recognized the purpose of the seals.
"Guys drop the scrolls!" He shouted, knowing the seals effect but not what would happen.
No sooner were the scrolls on the ground when there was a large poof of smoke that dispersed to reveal the form of one Umino Iruka.
"Congratulations team 7. You passed the second of the Chuunin Exam."
"Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?" Asked Naruto.
"The test is set up so that when a team opens their scrolls here in the tower, a Chuunin is summoned to greet them and explain what they are supposed to do now. Since it's only the third day, you'll just be waiting here in the tower until the test ends. When that happens, they'll gather all the Genin that passed and inform them of the rules for the third test." Explained the academy teacher.
"Uh…Iruka-sensei, what would have happened if we opened a scroll before reaching the tower?" Asked Sakura, as she remembered the incident from yesterday.
"Well if a Genin did that then the summoned Chuunin would have made sure that they were knocked out until the five days were up." Iruka stated, not knowing how thankful Sakura was to Kabuto at the moment for stopping her. "But you didn't, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Uh, yeah…nothing." Said a still somewhat nervous Sakura. "Oh, sensei! What does that inscription on the wall say?" She asked to change the subject.
"I was getting to that." Said Iruka. "That is the Chuunin motto which was written by Hokage-sama. In the paragraph 'Heaven' refers to the mind, while 'Earth' refers to the body. The first part that says 'If you lack Heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared' essentially means gain knowledge and prepare for missions ahead of time. The second part that says 'If you lack Earth, seek advantages, run in the fields' means to train your body so it is fit and able. So having both means that you can take on any mission," he explained. "As a Chuunin you will eventually be expected to lead a team of shinobi into hostile territory, so the purpose of this test was twofold. First it was to test if the Genin could follow their orders and not break the rule of opening the scroll. Second it was to test if the Genin had the strength and knowledge to survive against not only the forest, but also the other teams. These qualities are essential for a team leader." Iruka's face softened has he gazed at team 7. "So, I cannot express how proud I am to see three of my students pass this portion of the Exam and as rookie Genin no less."
Each member of team 7 showed the pleasure they felt at their former teacher. Sasuke smirked. Sakura smiled widely while her inner self was shouting how awesome they were. And Naruto was surprisingly calm as he grinned while holding up the victory sign. That lasted two seconds when the next few words came out of Iruka's mouth.
"So Naruto, how about after the Exam we go out to eat at Ichiraku Ramen." And with that Naruto was bouncing off the walls shouting about how great Ramen was, what a terrific person Iruka-sensei is, and other such nonsense. "Well I'll take that as a yes. Now, you guys should be getting upstairs." Iruka said sending the Genin to their rooms to rest. "Oh, and Naruto, Sasuke…Kakashi wants to see you two on the sixth floor. It's about your encounter with Orochimaru, and those seals on your necks." There was a very serious tone in the normally cheerful and friendly teacher's voice that clearly said arguing was pointless.
"Ah…Sasuke…Naruto. I'm glad you guys got here so quickly. That makes this easier for all three of us." Said Kakashi as he addressed his students, without taking his eyes off of his Icha Icha Paradise.
"What's this about Kakashi-sensei?" Asked a curious Naruto.
Kakashi snapped his book shut to signify how serious this situation was. "What do you two know about Orochimaru?"
"Orochimaru? Who's that?"
"You were unconscious at that point. He was the one who attacked us in the forest." Sasuke explained Naruto's lack of knowledge.
"That Snake Freak who bit my neck!"
"He also bit my neck." Said Sasuke as he showed his Curse Seal to Naruto.
"What's that mark?"
"That, Naruto, is Orochimaru's Curse Seal of Heaven. It's a very dangerous Fuuinjutsu that he developed." Stated Kakashi as he filled in the gaps of their knowledge. "Orochimaru was once a shinobi of Konoha, but it was discovered that he was conducting illegal experiments on humans. He evaded capture, but not before killing several ANBU and being marked as an S-class missing-nin." This shocked the two Genin because they knew that S-class was the highest class that could be bestowed on a ninja. "We don't know if he developed the Curse Seal before or after he was discovered, nor do we know much about the Seal itself. What we do know is that it is very dangerous to the host, especially when Orochimaru is around." Kakashi said in a very serious tone. "But don't worry. We have our own seal that can counter it." His voice became a bit more jovial as he eye-smiled.
"You can block off the Seal?" Asked Sasuke, who wasn't sure how he felt about that, as he remembered both times it activated, first against Dosu, and then when he used his Sharingan against the rain-nins.
"Hai. I may not be as good with seals as my sensei was, but I am still one of the best seal users in the village." Kakashi said with pride. "I already set up area to use the Fuuja Houin (Evil Sealing Method). You two take off your shirts and sit in the center of one of the circles." He commanded and they complied. "Before we begin I am going to point out that the Fuuja Houin relies on the will of the person it is placed on. It will only hold back the Curse Seal as long as you don't wish to use its power. But if you do desire to use the Curse Seal then the Fuuja Houinwill be rendered ineffective. Sasuke I'll start with you." Kakashi stepped over to the Uchiha and ran the needed hand seals, then placing one of his hands on the Curse Seal to direct the seal marking traveling from the floor onto Sasuke's body. No sooner was the Fuuja Houinin place then Sasuke collapsed on the ground.
"Sasuke!" Shouted a started Naruto.
"Don't worry Naruto. Like I said, the seal relies on the power of the one it's placed on. He'll be knocked out while his body adjusts, but he'll be alright." Kakashi said as he moved over to Naruto, looking a little winded himself. "Now let's take care of yo…" He stopped in midsentence when he saw what was on his blond student's neck. "Naruto, did Orochimaru use the exact same technique on you as Sasuke?" He questioned.
"I think so. Why?"
"Oh, your seal just looks a little different. It's probably nothing to worry about. Like I said, we don't know much about the Curse seal, and it probably varies from person to person." He said pushing down his concerns so as not to worry his student. The Copy-nin repeated the sealing process from earlier and watched as Naruto fell unconscious like Sasuke.
Despite being extremely tired from using one of the most complex sealings twice, Kakashi still managed to carry the two Genin to their rooms, before heading to his own where he vowed to have a talk with the Sandaime concerning Naruto, the Curse Seal, and Naruto's tenant. What primarily worried him was the differences in Naruto's Curse Seal. Unlike Sasuke's or Anko's, which were both black swirling tomoes, Naruto's was black with a reddish tint. And instead of three swirling tomoes, the marks resembled animals that were chasing each other in a very tight circle. Animals that greatly resembled foxes.
While the two members of team 7 were on the upper floors meeting their sensei, there was a similar meeting in the lower levels, between master and servant.
"Kukukuku…tell me Kabuto, what did you think of Uchiha Sasuke." Asked the snake Sannin Orochimaru to his right hand man.
"He's quite impressive Orochimaru-sama." Spoke the silver haired spy. "Physically he his very quick and strong. He has excellent skills with projectile weapons. And with the Sharingan those abilities are even more impressive." Kabuto stated. "He also has decent mental strength. He is quick to analyze a situation and use the known facts to plan ahead. He knows how to trust without allowing the opportunity to betray him. He was even able to partially suppress the Curse Seal, if only for a short while. Of course Hatake Kakashi is probably helping him with that even as we speak. Overall Uchiha Sasuke is a very capable young man." He surmised.
"Excellent. And what did you think of Naruto?" Questioned Orochimaru, while observing his servants reaction.
"Naruto?" Asked a curious Kabuto. His master had never expressed any interest in the boy before.
"Yes the blond boy on Sasuke-kun's team," explained the Sannin.
"Well he did surprise me with his abilities. The way he was able to quickly think of a plan to deal with a team of Ame shinobi while incorporating the abilities of his teammates was impressive. It was even more impressive how he managed to communicate that plan without actually telling his team the details. I think the academy might have been wrong to label him the "dead last" of the class." Stated the glasses wearing "Genin."
"Kukuku…yes, I thought so too. That is why I placed a Curse Seal on him as well." Orochimaru said casually, while enjoying his servant's reaction.
"You what!?"
"When I was fighting the boy, certain facts about him came to light. The opportunity was too good to pass up as I realized what a perfect research subject he was." Explained the missing-nin. "I'm surprised you didn't notice it earlier."
"Well, with that high-collared jumpsuit of his, it's no wonder why I didn't see it." Said Kabuto while readjusting his glasses to regain his composure. "But if he does have a Curse Seal, then he must be even better at suppressing it then Sasuke. He managed to create thirty Kage Bunshin and there wasn't any hint of an activating seal." He said in hopes to stun his master for once.
"My my, thirty Kage Bunshin. I knew he had a large amount of chakra, but not that much. But that is to be expected of the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Orochimaru enjoyed the stunned silence of his servant.
It was dark. It was dank. And much to the Kyuubi's ire it was home. Although even he would admit that it had been improved when his altered seal had settled onto his host.
He watched as the silver haired Jounin known as Kakashi applied another seal in an attempt to suppress the new seal.
Kyuubi found the attempt amusing.
"Heh Heh Heh. If they think that will hold back the power of my seal, then they are sorely mistaken." It laughed. "They may not know of how I altered the seal that snake mortal placed on my host, but soon they will learn to respect and fear the power of the Kitsune. Heh Heh Heh."
Author's Notes: Well that's chapter three, hoped you guys liked it.
First order of business, I would like to thank my new Beta Morgoroth for proofreading this chapter. As some of you may have noticed, I change some things in my writing style as I progress and refine it. But I will try to keep things consistent.
Now on to the poll
Naruto/Hinata 9
Naruto/Sakura 2
Naruto/Tayuya 1
Naruto/Anko 1
Naruto/Ayame 1
Sasuke/Hinata 1
Sasuke/Sakura 1
Sasuke/Temari 1
Shikamaru/Temari 1
Shikamaru/Ino 1
Ino/Cho 1
Neji/Ten 2
As you can see the Naruto/Hinata pairing has a substantial lead, and I will ask that those who have already voted once not vote again because I won't count it. Now Chances are this will be a Naru/Hina pairing. I know some of you threatened to stop reading if I chose Hinata, so you might as well go ahead and stop. Of the possible pairings, the only ones I think that I could write well would be Naru/Hina and Naru/Saku. But like I said any pairing I do, especially those that concern Naruto will take a long time to develop. I mean for a Naru/Hina pairing, first I have to have Naruto get over his crush on Sakura, which I can do. Then I have to have him start to notice Hinata and develop a friendship with her. At the same time I have to make Hinata gain a little more confidence, get over her family, and several other things that follow similar lines. All in all, it will be many chapters before I see them going on their first date. On the other hand, I could probably do a Naru/Saku pairing in half the time, but that would mean upsetting the Hinata fans, and they are like rabid badgers when it comes to getting their favorite pairing (No offence my fellow badgers). Now the polls will still be open till next chapter, so even though it's a moot point, you guys have one more chance to vote.
Speaking of the next chapter, I will be starting the preliminaries next. Now I already have a plot outlined if I use the standard fights, but I will still rework some of the fights so they are different. If I did not already have my next three chapters outlined based on those fights, then I would rearrange the fight order but right now it would simply be to Troublesome.
Please Read and Review. In my opinion the only bad review are those that are meant to discourage the author. Other than that, everything is welcome. I enjoy getting suggestions and critique from people willing to read my work.
