Chapter 1; The Power of an Outcast
The trio that comprised Team Seven knelt on the forest floor. The brief encounter with the Ame (Rain) nin had been a bit of an eye opener to the group. The bound and gagged ninja that was lying unconscious several meters away gave testament to a fact that both Sasuke and Sakura had never really acknowledged before;
Naruto was stronger than he let on.
It was Sasuke who had initially exposed the enemy ninja after the blond genin had gone to answer 'the call of nature'. A brief exchange of taijutsu and the Housenka no jutsu from the last Uchiha had ensued. It seemed pretty cut and dry after that to both of the remaining members of the rookie genin cell…
…until the Ame-nin had dissolved into water.
"Mizu-Bunshin!" Sakura had cried out, even as Sasuke was scanning the area with his Sharingan. When he found he couldn't see the Ame-nin, he had leapt up believing an underground Doton jutsu was coming.
Instead, a hard boot to the head was his reward. Sakura had cried out as her crush came crashing down. The Ame-nin glared at her, and leapt towards the pink-tressed girl, a kunai in hand ready to deliver a killing blow.
"FUUTON: KAZE GYORAI NO JUTSU!" (Wind Release: Wind Torpedo Technique) a familiar voice cried out, a blurr of chakra enhanced wind slamming into the attacking Rain shinobi. Sakura had watched, somewhat awestruck, as the nin was sent careening into a tree, his outfit shredding in places, and cuts appearing on the exposed areas of his skin. (She was briefly thankful nothing embarrassing had been exposed, while her inner self was demanding a similar technique be used on Sasuke so she could finally answer some important questions).
The kunoichi turned to see her blond teammate helping a slightly dazed Sasuke to his feet, even as the Uchiha heir gave him a look of mixed jealousy, awe, and curiosity. She made her way over to the now unconscious Ame-nin, pulling out some of her wire and binding his arms and legs in a gyaku-ebi tie. She pulled one of the looser pieces of cloth off his arm, and made a make-shift gag to keep him quiet. Silently, she thanked the kami that those lessons that the kunoichi were forced to take in their last year at the academy actually came of use. She had then proceded to check over her friends, before finally voicing the question she was sure Sasuke also had.
"Naruto…what was that?" she asked, "I've never seen you…"
"It's a clan jutsu," he replied, his crystal blue eyes darkening, "I can't do Katon worth a damn, but a…friend…said I'm pretty good with Fuuton."
"Is that one of the Uzumaki clan jutsus?" Sasuke asked, "We know you have a clan now…"
"I don't," Naruto replied, glaring at his rival, "I am not now, nor will I ever be a member of the Uzumaki Clan."
"You…you're declaring yourself ronin!?!" Sakura gasped, "But Naruto…such an act could ruin any chance…"
"Hokage-jiji already knows and agrees with me."
Both of his fellow genin gasped, before Sasuke glared at him. "So…you'd just throw away your clan?" he asked, his voice going cold in anger, "I knew you were a dobe."
Naruto glared right back. "I didn't throw them away, teme," he replied, "They threw me away…eight years ago." Sakura's eyes widened, while Sasuke's narrowed.
"Tell us the truth, Naruto," Sakura asked, "I can see hatred in your eyes…I've never seen that before." She glanced away. "It's…scary."
Naruto sighed. "Look, I don't want to talk about this in the middle of a test," he said, "After this round is over, I'll tell you about it. I promise." Both of his teammates nodded.
Naruto and Sakura went to gather up the scattered kunai and shuriken, while Sasuke searched the Ame-nin for anything of use. The Uchiha heir had to fight the urge to grin as he found the 'Chi' scroll they needed among the Ame-nins possessions. Hnn, and I called Naruto a dobe, he thought as he placed the scroll in his pouch. He turned to his team. "He had what we needed, so lets go to the tower," he said, "We should beat most of the other teams, which will allow us to rest and prepare for the next part." He received nods from his teammates. "Right then, lets get moving."
The trio made to stand up, only to find themselves seemingly pinned down under a murderous chakra. "Na-nani?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling, "What…what is this chakra?"
Naruto was the only one of the three who was able to make it to his feet. "Sasuke," he growled out, even as he strained himself against the killer intent permeating the air, "Can…you see…who's…doing this?" Sasuke managed to nod, motioning with his eyes to the far left. Naruto, with great force of will, managed to pull out a kunai, and glared at the area Sasuke had indicated. "Who…ever…you are…come on…out! I'm…gonna…kick your…ass!"
"Ku ku ku ku ku ku," a silky sounding voice carried through the clearing they were in. "Impressive, Naruto-kun…not many chuunin or even jounin are capable of shrugging off my Kanashibari no jutsu. You definitely inherited the stubbornness of your mother's clan." The pale Kusa-nin from the start of the exam walked into view, smirking at the obviously enraged blond. Sasuke and Sakura were surprised at the level of anger Naruto emitted at the mention of the word 'mother'. "I'm sure Kagura-dono would be most…pleased…at your obvious improvement."
Naruto smirked. "Oh no, suddenly I'm respectable!" he laughed, surprising his teammates, while making 'subtle' motions to Sasuke to break the jutsu. "I guess I'll just have to put dye in the ladies hotsprings again."
Sakura blanced, then scowled at the blond. "THAT WAS YOU!?!" she cried out, suddenly leaping to her feet as if the Kanashibari had never been cast. Sasuke found himself free as the sudden surge in killer intent from Sakura broke the jutsu holding him down. "NARUTO NO BAKA! INO AND I WERE ORANGE FOR A WEEK!"
Naruto's face fell. "But I thought you looked good like that," he complained, cringing at the expected blow.
The strange enemy chuckled again, before calling out. "As amusing as this is," he spoke up, "Perhaps its time to fight." His hands flipped through a few quick seals, ending on Ryu (dragon) "A new jutsu for you to learn, Naruto-kun…and tell your clan 'Orochimaru' said hello."
"FUUTON; DAITOPPA!" (Wind Release; Great-Breakthrough)
Naruto cried out as the gust of wind crashed into him with all the force of a jackhammer, the impact sending him flying through the clumps of leaves behind him. He vaguely heard Sakura and Sasuke crying out for him, but could do nothing as he flew through the forest.
Meanwhile, Sasuke turned a hard glare at the strange ninja before them. "You'll pay for that!" he growled, the tomoe's of his Sharingan spinning rapidly as if in response to his rage. While he would be the first to admit that Naruto was an annoyance more than a help at times, over the past few months as his teammate Sasuke had come to respect the enigmatic blond. The pair of them were more alike than either cared to admit; lonely, angry, and stubborn beyond belief, the pair may as well have been twins.
Now his new brother was hurting, and that Sasuke could not let stand.
His hands blurred faster than he had ever mananged before, the tora seal coming naturally to him as he breathed in the air needed for his technique. "KATON: HOUSENKA NO JUTSU!" A series of fireballs flew from his mouth, even as he began tossing shuriken from his thigh-holster into the blasts.
The strange ninja, who had called himself Orochimaru, grinned even as he ran through his own seal sequence. "SUITON: TEPPOU DAMA!" he called out, launching a series of water blasts to cancel the fire out. His eyes widened in almost gleefulness as he noticed the hidden 'second attack' of Sasuke's jutsu. "Impressive!" he called out, even as he doged the rain of metal. "Your jutsu usage is suberb…you really are his brother, aren't you?" He felt a small twinge of disappointment at the sudden look of rage that ghosted across the Uchiha heir's face. The boy's anger could be a problem…but also an advantage for my juin.
Sasuke rushed at the nin, his hands and feet flying in the taijutsu style his clan was famous for.
His form was perfect.
His speed was sublime.
His power was incredible given his age.
It was all so utterly useless.
A swift spin kick sent him flying, crashing down on a limb. Orochimaru smirked, then began to rush towards him…
…only to receive a surprisingly strong kick to his side from the kunoichi he had all but forgotten was there.
"You stay away!" Sakura cried out, her hands flashing through a quick seal sequence, ending on Nezumi. Orochimaru smirked as he recognized the signs of the low level genjutsu, Narakumi no jutsu. He didn't even bother forming the tora symbol, he just surged his chakra and broke the technique before it took hold. He spun around and caught the girl by her neck, lifting her from the ground.
"I'm mildly amused, young flower," he chuckled, staring into her frightened eyes, "That was a superb thrust kick you gave me…I was reminded of my old comrade, Tsunade-hime for a moment there." His grin changed then, and Sakura felt a chill reach deep into her bones. "Yes…you could be useful later as well." His head surged forward, and Sakura's world exploded into a haze of bright color, pain, and then darkness.
Orochimaru chuckeled, then cried out as he felt a foot lodge itself in his stomach. He glanced down, noting the fact that Sasuke had once again managed to stand, and his Sharingan was blazing in fury. Excellent…his Uchiha blood has begun to boil…the potential of this boy is staggering.
The force of the kick hurled him across a gap between trees, and he grunted as his back was introduced to a particularly hard oak. He felt himself sliding briefly, before a sudden tightness across his chest forced him to come aware. He grimaced as he saw the wires trapping his arms against his sides, even as he noticed Sasuke plant a triple set of kunai into the limb he was standing on. The wires ran to the circlets on the blades, and Orochimaru couldn't help but be awed by what was happening.
Even Itachi didn't master this until after he was two years older than Sasuke! he thought, The Sharingan Windmill Triple Attack!
Sasuke paid the sudden grin on the enemy ninja's face no mind as he ran through the seal sequence for his most powerful Katon jutsu. For Sakura…for Naruto… he thought. His hands paused on the final two seals, ryu and tora, gathering and focusing the chakra even as he inhaled a deep breath.
"KATON: RYUHA NO JUTSU!" he cried out, exhaling and blowing the giant surge of flame at the bound enemy. What he didn't expect was another voice to call out a jutsu as well.
"FUUTON: ATSUGAI!" A surge of wind raced through the dragon's flames, fanning them and causing them to surge. The flames raced along the wires, rushing over and around the bound Orochimaru who screamed in pain as the nearly white-hot fire surged around him.
Sasuke turned to where the winds had come from…and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Naruto standing there next to Sakura, his hands still clasped together in the ryu seal, signifying his completion of a futon technique. Once again, Sasuke had to wonder just how strong his teammate really was.
He noticed something then – which strangely enough – chilled him even more deeply than Orochimaru had.
Naruto's strange 'whisker' marks were darker now, and wider than before. His mouth was set in a horrible snarl, and his teeth…for a moment, Sasuke was sure they looked like 'fangs!'
It was his eyes, however, that were the most disturbing; gone was the crystalline blue the blond was famous for…instead, those blue eyes that usually held some illusion of idiotic happiness and cluelessness, his eyes were red…and slitted. It was almost like a cat…or a fox.
"You hurt my friends!" the blond growled at spot where Orochimaru had been. Sasuke turned, and almost gasped at the sight.
The man was practically unscathed, but his face…it was almost melting off!
"Indeed," the man replied, his right hand sliding over his hitai-ate, revealing an 'Oto' symbol instead of the 'Kusa' one as before. "A test really…and I must admit, all three of you are impressive. I think the Uzumaki clan will be most intrigued to learn of your strength, Naruto-kun." His eyes, now revealed to be golden and slitted like a snakes, were practically dancing with sadistic mirth. "I see you can use its chakra…combined with your clan's skills, you will indeed make a formidable opponent one day." But what is this murderous chakra? I know the ninetails power…this is like it, but its still human-like…what is this rage?
Sasuke gasped as the strange ninja suddenly appeared before Naruto, his tongue wrapped around the boy and holding him aloft. His left hand lifted Naruto's orange jacket up, revealing the boy's stomach, and a strange black image that was upon it.
"Yes, I see…" Orochimaru mused as he studied the seal, "So this is the sealing array Arashi-kun used. I've never seen one so complex before…really, such things are more Jiraiya's specialty than my own. In time, once you truly learn to control the power of the Kyuubi, you'll be stronger than me…but for now, you're merely in my way."
His right hand began to glow, as purple flames danced along his finger tips. "FUIN JUTSU: GOGYO FUIN!" He cried, thrusting his hand into Naruto's stomach, causing the boy to scream in pain. Sasuke watched in horrified fascination as Naruto's face reverted to the state it was normally, before the blond slipped into unconsciousness.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?!" the dark haired boy cried out.
"A simple seal, my boy," the sadistic ninja chuckled, before he vanished and then re-appeared behind the stunned Uchiha scion. Sasuke cried out as he felt a painful stab in his neck, before a burning and gut-wrenching sensation began washing over him. "Now your seal, on the other hand…well, when you want to know more about it, come see me." He vanished, leaving Sasuke to his cries of pain.
He screamed for a long time.
oOoOoOo
Sometimes, she missed her country. Oto was a good place to become strong, but it lacked the wild mountains of Tsuchi no Kuni.
Instead, she chose to defect, and so got saddled with two…idiots.
She glanced at her teammates, fighting the urge to snort at Zaku's bluster and Dosu's sadism. Being one of the few kunoichi in Oto, she often found herself garnering the unwanted attentions of the men in from the village, though the pair before her could hardly be called men.
She idly recalled the few days she had actually been an Iwa Kunoichi – in her home country kunoichi were rarely ever allowed out in the field unless it was on an espionage or a 'seduce and destroy' mission. She would likely have been trained as a courtesan for the Earth Daimyo's court or for some high end brothel for the visiting dignitaries.
The thought made her want to puke.
She knew her younger sister Himitsu was likely now serving as a whore in her place, but the brat had never been someone she cared about anyway. As far as Tsuchi Kin was concerned, watching out for herself was all that mattered. That was why she escaped with Tayuya and Karin when they had fled; she would not sully herself just because the Tsuchikage was a misogynistic pig.
When Orochimaru had found them, and took them in, it was almost like a dream. Finally, they were being taught how to be true ninja, and not porcelain dolls. Karin had demonstrated great skill at medicine, and was rushed into the new medic-nin program. Tayuya, as the strongest, had earned a place with the Sound Four's genjutsu specialist.
Kin had shown a real talent at hand to hand combat and marksmanship, making her the perfect front line fighter.
Still, why did I have to get bandage-boy and Mr. Blowhard as teammates? she bemoaned to herself. Zaku's air cannon arms certainly made up for the lack of skill he had in all other areas (like brains for instance), and Dosu's Melody arm was useful for many different things, but his sadistic yet overly cautious nature held them all back. He took his time gauge any advantage an opponent might have, but would torment them for too long once he was sure he had their number. That guy is going to get himself killed soon. I just hope I'm there to see it.
"We have a visitor," Dosu spoke up suddenly. Zaku immediately was on guard, his chakra surging through his arms even as Kin pulled a group of senbon from her thigh pouch.
"Ku ku ku ku…I see your sense of hearing continues to grow stronger, Dosu-kun," a silky voice came from the darkness. Kin had to forcibly repress the shudder that wanted to crawl up her spine. Somehow, Orochimaru's voice always made her shiver…and it was never in a good way.
"Orochimaru-sama!" Zaku exclaimed, dropping on one knee. Kin barely resisted snorting again.
Brown noser, she thought.
"At ease, Zaku-kun," the snake sannin chuckled, "I have a job for the three of you…a mission different than what I told you that you'd be doing before."
Kin frowned at that. "You said we were to kill that Uchiha kid, Orochimaru-sama," she spoke up, "What's changed? I thought you wanted him gone."
Orochimaru smirked at the dark haired girl. It should be interesting to see her reaction to this information, he thought. "The presence of the Uzumaki clan in these exams has altered my plans somewhat," he replied, "I need you three to gauge the abilities of the three Uzumaki from the Fire capital. I have already dealt with Sasuke and his team…they are worthy of living. The other three however…well, Kin-chan I should think you'd enjoy tormenting them more than anyone here."
"Why would Kin want to hurt them, Orochimaru-sama?" Dosu asked, glancing at his female teammate.
"Kin-chan is originally from Tsuchi no Kuni," the sannin elaborated, "I understand your father died in battle against the Yondaime Hokage, correct?"
"Yes," Kin acknowledged warily, "What does that have to do with these Uzumaki brats?"
"The Yondaime was a member of the Uzumaki clan through marriage," he answered, drawing a sharp gasp from the girl. Hook, he thought. "The Uzumaki are always proud to proclaim how he thrashed that legion of Iwa-nin in the last great battle."
The girl's hands clenched tightly, and a drop of blood made its way down her palm from thanks to her nails piercing the skin. Line.
"I know for a fact that the clan heir, Uzumaki Taro, is the nephew of the Yondaime's widow Kagura," he continued, "He's well trained, but lacks actual battle experience…"
"Then I'll be happy to give him some," Kin finished, her heart warming at the thought of causing the family of her father's murderer pain.
Sinker. "Don't eliminate them," he instructed, "I want to see them in the finals…I have my own grudge against the Uzumaki clan, and a plan is already set to truly make them hurt. You'll see what I mean in the next stage." His hands came together in the hitsuji symbol, before he vanished in a plume of purple flame. "Remember…they can be hurt, but not elmiminated…I want them to suffer…"
Kin glanced at her teammates. "Let's find those punks," she all but growled out, "For once, I'll be the sadistic one…I want their blood."
Zaku and Dosu nodded, the former smirking while the latter merely patted his gauntlet. The three exchanged a brief nod, before leaping into the trees.
They had a mission to complete.
oOoOoOo
Sakura groaned as she came too, the light streaming through the leaves almost fanning the flames of the headache she was experiencing. She clenched her eyes shut against the pain, but eventually had to forced herself to open them.
She slowly struggled to her knees, wincing as her skull protested against the act. Once she had gotten her bearings, she glanced around, searching out her teammates and praying that they were alright.
Naruto was easy to spot of course, his orange jump suit standing out against the dark green foliage of the trees and bushes around them. She crawled over to her loudmouth friend, reaching out a hand to check his pulse. She was relieved when her fingers detected a strong, steady beat at his neck. He's just out cold, she thought, That ninja must have hit him pretty hard. She slapped his face lightly, trying to stir him awake.
After the fourth slap the blond haired boy groaned, his blue eyes opening and gazing blearily into Sakura's green orbs. He coughed slightly, before struggling to his knees as well. "Uggh," he groaned, "What…happened? That…freaky…ninja…"
"He must have knocked you out, Naruto," the pink haired girl explained, "I just came to myself." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small bottle of aspirins, dropping two into Naruto's outstretched hand before taking a couple herself. "What happened? The last thing I remember was that scary ninja giving me a headbutt before everything went blank." She barely had time to blink before Naruto was fussing about her head, checking for injury.
"You got a little blood here, but not much," Naruto muttered, "At least he didn't mess up your pretty face." He gave her his usual cocksure grin, and despite her confessed feelings about her orange clad teammate, she felt a small blush grace her cheeks.
Naruto smiled again at that, then his face turned serious as he started scanning the area. His eyes widened when they landed upon the crumpled heap nearby. "Sasuke!" he all but shouted, leaping to his feet and running over to him, Sakura close on his heels. Together, the pair checked over the Uchiha heir, noting that aside from the bruising and cuts gained during the battle with Orochimaru, Sasuke seemed to be perfectly fine.
When Sakura put her hand on his forehead to check his temperature, however, she was forced to cry out. "He's burning up!" she muttered, "He's got to have a temperature of at least 105 degrees!"
Naruto stared at her blankly. "Is that high?" he asked. Sakura gaped at him, causing him to blush in embarrassment, "I don't think I've ever had a fever before. None of the doctors at the hospital ever said I did the times I was there."
Sakura frowned. Even she knew that temperature checks were standard procedure at hospital; how could Naruto have never known if he'd ever had one? She quickly filed that away for later. "Whatever," she replied, "Listen, we need to find some shelter and water to treat our wounds. I'll take Sasuke down to the ground while you go get some water. We'll meet back at this spot in an hour."
"Should I try to get some food too?" he asked, "I think we could both use something to give us some energy, and Sasuke could probably do the same once he wakes up."
If he wakes up, Sakura's inner voice muttered, though she paid it no mind. It was not the time to argue with herself. "Yeah…that's probably a good idea," she said, "Don't take too long though. If you can't find anything like fish or whatnot, we'll just have to make do with the ration bars I brought."
"Gahh!" Naruto grimaced, sticking his tongue out, "I hate those things."
"We all do, Naruto," she replied, reaching down and lifting the Uchiha heir up buy his shoulder. That's when she saw something…strange. "Naruto…take a look at this."
The blond genin moved over, glancing at the area Sakura was staring at. At the junction where Sasuke's neck met his shoulder, a strange black mark was set in his skin. "Weird," Naruto muttered, "It's like the tomoe in Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke's Sharingan."
"He didn't have this before the fight," Sakura muttered, "That guy…he must have done this to him."
"Well, we can't deal with it now," Naruto replied, wincing slightly as he rubbed his stomach, "Lets do what we agreed on; you take care of Sasuke and I'll go get some food and water. If he doesn't wake up by midday tomorrow, we'll take him to the tower as he is. There are bound to be medics there."
Sakura was surprised at Naruto's insightfulness, but nodded anyway. It was yet another mystery about the blond boy she had come to call her friend for her to unravel. The blond nodded back, then leapt down from the branch, and began making his way through the forest. Sakura carried Sasuke down, finding a hollow section of roots to duck under. After she laid him down, she proceded to layer the area with traps, as well as a subtle genjutsu. It would cause people to not pay attention to this spot unless she allowed it. Once again she gave a silent thank you to that strange ANBU kunoichi that seemed to follow Naruto sometimes.
She wondered again why the lady did that, but shrugged it off as she had more important things to take care of.
oOoOoOo
Yuugao leapt through the forest with two of her ANBU partners. She had immediately volunteered to enter the forest once she heard that Anko had gone in after her rogue sensei, the snake sannin Orochimaru.
While she had never been close to the former disciple of the traitor, Yuugao respected Anko's desire to see justice done to the monster. One of the bastard's earlier experiments had cost the life of her uncle, and though she was now outcast from the Uzumaki clan and the Uzuki branch of it, that insult to the family had to be avenged.
I hope we find her before she finds him though, the purple haired ANBU thought as she leapt from tree to tree, Anko will likely try to kill him even if it costs her both their lives…and then I won't get my shot!
She noticed something a few trees to the left, and she signaled her teammates to follow as she veered in that direction. When they arrived, they were greeted by a dark site.
"SENEIJASHU!" the Tokubetsu Jounin Mitarashi Anko cried out, four pythons shooting out from her sleeves and grabbing hold of a man who appeared to be halfway sunk into the trunk of the tree. With a roar worthy of the giant tigers that lived in the Forest of Death, the mesh clad girl swung her arms and ripped the man from the tree, hurling him against the trunk of another tree.
"This is ANBU Neko to ANBU base," she whispered into her communicator, "Orochimaru confirmed in Training Area 44. Jounin Mitarashi currently engaging. Moving to assist." She leapt down to the tree where the other girl was rushing up to the trapped sannin.
Anko slammed her left hand against his right, before swinging her right arm around and impaling both of their hands with a kunai, pinning them against a tree.
"My my," Orochimaru grinned despite the pain, "You really have improved my little cobra…"
"Oh, you don't know the half of it, sensei," the girl replied, stressing the sarcasm in the word sensei, "I've had almost ten years to prepare for this..." she reached down, and grabbed his left hand, her fingers manipulating his into a modified 'hebi' seal. "…now, if you don't mind me using your left hand here…"
"Ninpou: Sojasosai no Jutsu!" (Ninja art; Twin Snake Self Sacrifice technique).
Yuugao had been silent to this point, but even she knew what this kinjutsu could do. "Anko-sempai!" she called out, landing on the branch with the two ninja.
"Stay out of this!" the serpent kunoichi growled as she surged her chakra for the jutsu, "We're going to die together, sensei…"
"Ah, but I don't think that's going to happen, Anko-chan," he replied, "After all…this jutsu only works if there's two of us."
Anko's eyes widened, and Yuugao whipped around even as the 'Orochimaru' Anko held dissolved into a pile of mud. The pair of kunoichi were joined by the other two ANBU members, even as the real snake sannin appeared a few branches above them.
"Damn you…" Anko growled, ripping the kunai that held her hand against the tree free and hurling it at the pale ninja. He smirked as he caught it with two fingers, before raising his hand up into a half hitsuji seal.
Anko gasped, then fell to her knees as a surge of pain erupted from her shoulder. Yuugao and her fellow ANBU moved around her protectively, even as Orochimaru laughed at his former pupils plight.
"Your curse mark still responds to me, my little cobra," he laughed, "Still, its not you I'm interested in."
"Are you here to assassinate Hokage-sama then?" Yuugao asked, her hand on the ninjato strapped to her back, "What is your purpose here?"
Orochimaru laughed. "I merely have an interest in a few of the competitors," he replied, "Some of my own subordinates are competing as well." He grinned. "Indeed, there are one or two I'm truly fascinated with…one was so impressive I even gave him my mark."
"That's…a…foolish gift," Anko groaned, "He'll…die…most likely."
"Hmmm, true, there is only a one in ten chance he'll live," Orochimaru nodded, "Still, his breeding is superb. His body is also exquisite…if he lives he'll be the perfect vessel to succeed me." He stared down at the assembled nins. "I know you plan on stopping this exam…I warn you, if you do, then Konoha will be destroyed." His body faded from view as his voice echoed around them. "The exam must continue…there is still much that must happen…"
Yuugao frowned behind her mask, before turning to the stricken Anko. "Sempai, can you stand?" she asked. At the girl's nod, she turned to her teammates. "Head back to headquarters and make the report. I'll escort Anko-sama to the tower." The other two ANBU nodded, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Anko looked at the purple haired ANBU. "I was stupid, Yuugao-san," she muttered, "I should have known he'd use Kawarimi…"
"He isn't one of the sannin for nothing, Anko-sempai," the armor clad girl replied, "C'mon, lets get to the tower and get you looked at."
The pair of kunoichi vanished in puffs of smoke.
oOoOoOo
Naruto stopped when he came to a stream near a clearing, smiling as he saw several fish in a nearby alcove of rock. A quick and judicious use of Kage Bunshin resulted in three nicely sized river trout for his team. He pulled out a scroll, and sealed the fish away for easy transport. I gotta remember to thank Hayate-niisan for teaching me this, he thought. He proceded to fill both his and Sakura's canteens with water, and once finished turned to leave…
Only to find his path blocked by three people he did not want to deal with.
"Hello, cousin," Uzumaki Taro smirked, "Fancy meeting you here."
Naruto glared at his cousin, but chose to not reply. Instead, he gazed over at the kunoichi of the group. "You must be Reika," he said, causing the purple haired girl to scowl, "Yuugao-neechan sends her regards. I know she misses you."
"Hmmph, I couldn't care less what that traitor feels," the belligerent girl replied, "She chose to break with the Uzuki and Uzumaki, so she's persona non grata with me."
Naruto simply shook his head. "And you people wonder why Konoha doesn't like the clan anymore," he muttered, "To think I share the name…sometimes it's a shame almost too great to bear."
The boy in samurai garb frowned at him. "You will speak of the clan with respect," he ordered. His eyes widened angrily as Naruto laughed.
"Oh please," he snorted, "The day I treat you with respect is the day I decide to quit being a ninja…and that is never going to happen." Naruto turned to the black haired boy who appeared to be the leader. "Given that you know my name, it's only fair that I know yours now. Manners and all that, y'know?" He had to resist scowling when he saw the boy's blue eyes gleam arrogantly. Is he really that stupid…he's actually going to introduce himself!
The boy laughed. "Sure, why not?" he replied, "I'm Uzumaki Taro, heir of the Uzumaki clan." He pointed at Reika. "You already know Uzuki Reika, from the Uzuki family branch and a formidable user of both taijutsu and ninjutsu." Finally he pointed to the third member of the group. "This is my cousin Uzumaki Kenosuke, the best swordsman of our generation. We are…"
"Three total and complete idiots," Naruto interrupted, pulling out a kunai and hurling it at the bushes to the left. Three forms leapt from said bushes, landing nearby. Naruto belatedly noticed that they were the team from Oto, and he frowned as he recalled Orochimaru also wearing an Oto hitai-ate. He turned his glare back to the three members of his estranged clan, who were gaping at him. "You cannot be telling me you didn't notice them," he growled, "Are you really that…green?"
Reika scowled. "We don't need an outcast like you criticizing us, teme!" she shouted at him. Naruto rolled his eyes, pulling out another kunai and focusing his chakra. He winced as he felt a slight burn around his stomach.
Damn…what did that snake-freak do to me? he thought.
"Hmmph, and here I thought this was going to be a challenge," Dosu muttered, "They seem to be fighting amongst themselves."
"That's the loudmouth from before," Zaku noted, "Is he apart of that clan?"
"If he is, he doesn't act like it," Kin growled, "The Uzumaki clan is notorious for both their skill and their arrogance. This kid seems to be more concerned with the situation than his pride. I wonder who he is?"
Naruto noted this byplay, but filed it away for later. He kept on the black haired boy. "A ninja never reveals more than is needed," he continued, as if lecturing the clan heir. Taro scowled, but was unable to interrupt as Naruto plowed on. "All you should have told me was your names. Instead, you revealed your importance to the Uzumaki, Reika-san's skills, and Kenosuke-san's specialty. Now anyone who might have been spying on us, i.e. those three Oto-nin there, know what to expect and will be able to counter it."
The three members of the Uzumaki clan almost gaped at that. Despite all that they had been taught by the council about this boy, his logic was undeniable.
Naruto frowned at them, then turned to the three enemy ninja on his left. "I have a teammate who needs me," he said, "I don't have time to fight you, but I do have a question."
Kin frowned, but stepped forward. "You answer mine, and I'll answer yours," she replied, "They called you an outcast…are you a member of the Uzumaki?"
"No," he replied, "They cast me out when I was four years old. They abandoned me for something that was never my fault." He stared at her, noticing the position her legs were in. "You're from…Iwa, aren't you?"
Kin gaped, but smirked. "I was born in Tsuchi no Kuni, but I am no Iwa-nin," she replied, "I'm Oto, and that's all there is too it."
Naruto shrugged. "Fair enough," he replied, "Now for my question; what did Orochimaru do to my friend?"
End Chapter one.
Next chapter; the Uzumaki clan's strength, the end of the Second Exam, and the Preliminaries start.
