Firstly, I don't own Naruto. Secondly, for all those of you who complained that my chapters were too short, here you go- nice and long.
'mmmm, nothing better than dango and green tea for when you're confused.' Anko mused to herself as she flicked yet another dango skewer at a nearby tree, image of a certain blonde genin in her head. The shout of a Chunin running towards her ended her thoughts.
"Anko-san! Big trouble- there are three really weird bodies in the forest."
The worried proctors dashed off towards the bodies and gazed at the faceless remains.
'Shit. Only one persons knows this jutsu- what is that bastard doing here?'
Anko quickly ordered one of her fellow proctors to go tell the Hokage that Orochimaru was in the forest. "and send anbu- I'm going after the bastard."
Anko leapt from tree to tree furiously trying to find her former sensei. 'what the hell is he doing here. Not that it matters right now, I'm going to stop him even if it kills me. You taught me everything I know and I'll use it all to stop you'
Anko tried to focus as she searched for Orochimaru, but the memories kept assaulting her.
"Come with me. You are now my apprentice." the sannin informed her. This powerful man wanted her- the girl without a bloodline, the girl no one in the class liked.
"Hai Orochimaru Sensei" she gleefully responded as she raced after him. ………………….. "I expect better of you Anko" he sneered as he walked away from her, the food she was supposed to have in hand.
"Sensei, please! I almost have it!" Anko pleaded. But Orochimaru continued away from the distraught girl refusing to allow her to eat for the tenth time that week.
…………………………"I have no more use for you. You are weak."
Anko snarled at the torrent of memories and pushed herself to run even faster, desperate to kill the sick bastard.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Naruto could feel himself slowly returning to consciousness. He woke up slowly, squinting his eyes at the brightness, as he heard the sound of Sakura scream. He quickly got up only to see Sakura, kneeling in horror at the sight of Sasuke, covered in weird black marks, ripping a sound genin's arms off with a look of pure sadistic glee on his face. Naruto started to run towards Sasuke to stop him, but Sakura beat him to it, leaping onto Sasuke and begging him to stop. The marks slowly left Sasuke's body and as it did he turned to the only Sound genin still conscious- "Your scroll, give it to me now or you all die." The sound genin quickly tossed his scroll to Sasuke and grabbed his team mates to get away.
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The 2nd exam was over. All the teams were gathered around the Hokage, anxiously awaiting his instructions. Naruto took the opportunity to scan the room and remaining teams to see what he would be up against.
Anko stepped forward " Congratulations on passing the second test, but I'm disappointed. There are too many of you- didn't any of you take my advice to spill some lovely blood?" She trailed off at the sight of the genin's incredulous faces and the sound of the Hokage beginning to speak.
"Although Anko is right about too many of you passing, I'd rather you not all kill each other right now. In order to lessen the amount of you, we will be having preliminaries. But 1st, some information about your third and final exam. The third portion of the exam does not begin immediately- you'll have a whole month intermission before it begins to train and strategize. The third exam is a tournament, of sorts, between the final genin remaining, which many state officials, civilians, and other shinobi will be watching. This is the final portion of the chunnin exams, which was originally formulated as a way for the five great shinobi nations to compete amongst each other for supremacy rather than engaging in war. It used to be that shinobi nations used wars to show off their strength in order to get missions- now we use this instead. Therefore we will have preliminaries so our guests will only have to watch the best of the best. Now I hand you off to your next proctor."
The Hokage watched the nervous faces of the genin as they realized that they'd have to fight yet again.
"Alright for the prelims you will be randomly matched up against someone to fight. Each match will end only when someone is unconscious, gives up, or dies. If any of you wish to forfeit, please do so now." Hayate coughed.
Kabuto stepped forward and forfeited pleading chakra exhaustion.
After Kabuto walked out, Hayate looked up at all the Genin. "Looks like no one else is giving up then. Now, if everyone can go up to the balconies on the second floor we can begin." Hayate announced as an electronic panel against the wall turned on. The genin all leapt into the stands and waited as the board flipped through names finally resting on two.
There will be two fights different from canon: Naruto's and Hinata's. Oh, and sorry that I don't go into details for all of the fights, but if they're not really important to the plot, then I see no reason to do so when people keep yelling at me to get the next chapter out and if I spent time on those, it would take longer.
Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yorai Akado
The match began with Yorai quickly latching onto Sasuke, sucking out his chakra. Sasuke couldn't use any jutsu, for fear of the cursed seal spreading and Kakashi ending the match. So, he did what Uchiha's do best- he stole. From his sharingan memory of his earlier fight with Lee, he quickly began a new move- lion's barrage- and with it won the match.
Aburame Shino VS. Abumi Zaku
"Second math- Haijime!" Hayate called out as he leapt away from the combatants.
Zaku almost immediately leapt at Shino attacking Shino with a wave of sound from his arm, blowing Shino back several feet. Shino mused quickly and logically to himself as he flew back from the attack. 'He expels chakra from the holes in his arms. This should be easy for my bugs.' Shino smirked lightly as he hit the ground, his bugs already hard at work, following his plan. Some have already eaten into Zaku's chakra pathways, others were lightly swarming out of his skin.
"There's no way you'll survive a fight against me. Surrender now – I'm the worst opponent you could have drawn." Shino calmly stated.
Zaku sneered, and flung both arms out, preparing another blast in both arms. He had a moment of confusion – his attack was delayed a split second, and his arms were starting to hurt – before he discovered the hard way what Shino's real plan was.
As the pressure in his arms, Zaku screamed as both his arms were blown off beneath the elbow.
As Zaku fell to the ground, coughing and gasping, Hayate stepped announcing Shino to be the winner.
Sabuku no Kankuro VS. Tsurugi Misumi
This match ended quickly, it seemed as if Misumi was winning the whole time, but he was really fighting a puppet. The real Kankuro quickly used his puppet to win the match.
HarunA sakura vs. Yamanaka ino
This match was quickly over and barely even deserved to be called a fight. It was nothing more than a brawl with both opponents refusing to give up resulting in a double knock out. Clearly, both needed to train and become stronger.
Higarushi Tenten vs. Sabuku no temari
This was a clear mis-match from the beginning. Although these two both deserved to win, being kunoichi who took training seriously instead of mooning around as fan-girls, Tenten's style as a weapons mistress couldn't stand up against Temari's wind attacks. Nothing Tenten threw at Temari got past the strong wind she used as a defense and Temari was quickly declared the winner.
Nara shikamaru vs. tsuchi kin
"How troublesome. I have to fight a girl, and not just a girl, but a girl who has already seen me use my jutsu." Shikamaru yawned. The match began with Shikamaru sending his shadow after Kin as she fired senbon at him. Shikamaru quickly realized that she was sending some senbon with bells and some without so that he wouldn't be able to avoid the silent ones. However, Shikamaru wasn't a genius for nothing. He quickly stretched his shadow along the ground towards Kin and after catching her, made her duck backwards, slamming her head against the wall, knocking her out.
Hyuga Hinata vs. hyuga neji
"Some advice Hinata sama: Give up. You're weak and nothing can change that." Neji berated Hinata, causing her to shrink even more into herself. Neji continued verbally abusing Hinata. "You're not a good shinobi and you never will be. Forfeit."
Naruto cringed, eyes narrowing in anger as he heard Neji insult Hinata, saying things to her that went against everything he believed in. But he snapped when he heard what Neji said next. "People can not change themselves. Losers are losers- their personality and strength will never change. You can not change"
"You can!" Naruto interrupted. "Damn it Hinata! What are you doing? Say something! don't let him tell you those things like it's a fact! Come on and kick his ass!" Naruto yelled, desperately trying to get through to her. Everything Neji had said was an affront to Naruto. He had been the dobe, but no more.
Hinata looked at Naruto and then nodded to herself, yes she was ready now. She slid into her fighting stance quickly and the two sprang at each other. Naruto cringed as he watched the fight, Neji outclassing Hinata at every turn, but she kept getting back up. She refused to give up despite receiving furious blow after blow from an infuriated Neji. Naruto saw Kurenai tense and upset at the beating of her student. He couldn't stand it, first Neji thrashes his ideals, now he's hurting someone precious to him. The second the match was over, Naruto leapt over the railing to confront Neji.
"What are you doing you bastard? She was fighting as hard as she could! There was no reason for you to do what you did!" Naruto yelled.
"Oh?" Neji raised in eyebrow in scorn. "I wouldn't say that." Neji continued to lecture Naruto, his voice filled with unadulterated disdain. "I'll tell you the Hyuga destiny of hatred. The Hyuga main family has a special curse seal jutsu. It ties me down to an inescapable destiny. It is the bird in the cage seal, just as the branch family are allowed to be nothing more than birds, stuck in cages, bound to follow the main family's will. I have reason enough to know with certainty that fate exists." Neji intoned. "People can not change their destiny, dobe."
Naruto glared at Neji, and as Hinata was carried from the room on a stretcher, he bent, drawing his fingers through her blood. "I promise. You are going down." Naruto vowed as he stood and glared straight at Neji, his hand closed into a fist and dripping with Hinata's blood. With that, Naruto turned and walked back up to the balconies. 'I will show him there's no such thing as fate, that people can change themselves. And I will stop him from hurting my precious people ever again.'
But Naruto didn't have much time to think, as the panel quickly flashed to his name.
Uzumaki naruto vs. inuzuka kiba
"Kiba, I'm sorry, but I'm going to finish this quickly. I need to win so I can go on and fight Neji." Naruto said as he bent down and pulled out his leg weights.
Kiba sneered in response. "I've already won, however much you've changed since the academy, you were still the dead last- all I need is one punch" Kiba taunted as Naruto removed his arm weights.
"Is that so?" Naruto murmured. "Then I too will end this with one punch."
Before Kiba could even blink, Naruto shot towards him fist extended and slammed Kiba into the wall.
Kiba coughed blood as he sat against the wall. 'when did the dobe get so strong?'
"I guess I will need Akamaru after all" Kiba said as he slowly stood up.
Naruto's eyes danced with barely restrained mirth. He knew he could win this. This was what he had worked so hard for. "You get a partner, so I guess I should get one too."
Naruto quickly summoned some kage bunshin and as one, he and his clones attacked using his new combo attack: the Uzumaki Naruto rendan.
In less than a minute, Kiba was knocked unconscious.
Naruto stood over Kiba's body. "Sorry Kiba, but I have something to prove."
Up in the stands, the leaf genin and jounins looked on in shock. They couldn't believe the result of the match.
'Though I wish it hadn't been against one of my genin, I am so proud of you Naruto.' Kurenai thought.
'Where did he learn all that? I never showed him any of those moves.' Kakashi mused.
'Naruto? How did that dobe get so strong?' all of his former classmates contemplated in collective shock.
'YOSH! His flames of youth burn brightly!' the two green spandex clad shinobi thought.
Anko, who had watched the match with a smile, happy that Naruto had won deliberated to herself. 'Uzumaki Naruto… I definitely want to know more about you.'
The shinobi stopped thinking about the match as the next two competitors were selected.
Rock lee vs. Sabuku no Gaara
"Yosh! I will show that my flames of youth burn even more brightly than Naruto's!" Lee shouted as he jumped into the arena.
As soon as the match began, Lee speedily raced about, attacking Gaara with all his strength, twisting from one move to another. But it was pointless as Gaara's sand blocked his every move. Lee quickly flipped up onto a statue in the room as he contemplated his next move.
"Lee! Take them off!" Gai yelled down.
"B-But Gai-sensei! You said never do that unless I was defending the lives of people who are precious to me!!" Lee yelled up, surprised, at he crouched down on his perch.
"It's alright!! I'll allow it!!!" Gai called back, giving the 'nice guy' pose.
Lee smiled joyfully, and reached down to take off his orange leg warmers. Slipping them off revealed the weights strapped to his calves and he quickly pulled those off too, creating huge craters in the ground as he dropped them.
"Yosh!" Lee joyfully yelled as he took off, twisting into intricate tai-jutsu attacks faster than the eye could see. But it was for naught, as it was revealed that even with his blinding speed he could barely touch Gaara. Lee quickly opened five of his inner gates, but even this amounted to nothing as Gaara cushioned his fall from Lee's reverse lotus attack with his sand and proceeded to crush Lee's leg with his sand binding coffin.
Gai quickly stepped in and ended the match.
Kinuta Dosu Vs. Akamichi Choji
Chouji unfortunately had to fight the remaining sound nin who showed no mercy to him. When Chouji used his family jutsu thinking he would be save from the sound attacks Dosu proved him wrong and won the match without hurting Chouji too much.
The preliminaries now over, the Hokage spoke up. "Those of you still standing, congratulations. Take a piece of paper from this box to determine who you will fight first in the next round." As Sarutobi announced this, Hayate walked to all of the Genin allowing them to pull a slip from the box.
"You will have one month from today to train in preparation for your matches. Good luck." The Hokage stepped back and allowed Hayate to continue.
" Match one will be Hyuga Neji Vs. Uzumaki Naruto. Match two will be Aburame Shino vs. Kankurou. Match three will be Temari vs. Nara Shikramaru. Match four will be Dosu Kinuta vs. Uchiha Saskue and whoever wins that match will have to face one more opponent then every one else. The winner of match fours opponent will be Gaara of the sand."
'I'll prove to Neji that there is no such thing as destiny and I'll show everyone how strong I am.' Naruto silently promised himself as he saw who he would be facing first.
After that, the Hokage dismissed everyone to go prepare for the final rounds.