Okay, first off, I'm well aware that Naruto's mother's name is Uzumaki Kushina, and henceforth she will be named as such in the continuation. I WILL update the other chapters with this correction, have nofear, so if you see a chapter where I refer to her as Noriko and Yondaime as Arashi, please, let me know so we can get the stroy up to date.
Also, the red streaks in Naruto's hair are simply a part of Kyuubi's heritage, though Kushina beoing a redhead may have something on the matter.
Kakashi: At lesast you're honest...even ifyou ARE lazy.
Kyugan: Too lazy to torture you. (Que cry of joy from Kakashi) So I hired a professional, watch where you're standing.
Kakashi: Eh? (looks down to see a shadow with eyes looking at him) What the?! hey! Why's my voice so high!
Alessi: Hmhm, you stood on my shadow for about ten secods...you're less than six years old now. (Pulls out an axe and grins) Hmhmhm...Impressive.
Kyugan: Roll camera.
Training concludes; the finals begin!
"You want to teach me more?" Domon repeated, blinking at his enigmatic sensei in confusion. The man nodded, his face impassive.
"You have tremendous potential," he explained, "only one other man mastered the technique within a week, and he never took his training to the next level."
Domon frowned for a moment or so, and then grinned, holding up a bandaged fist. "Thank's but no thanks!" he boasted, "I've already mastered the Futae no Kiwami!"
The priest raised an eyebrow, looking interested, "Mastered you say?" His face set into a terrifying scowl, causing Domon to shiver. "Don't get presumptuous!" The giant man slammed his feet down and pulverized the earth; he spun slightly and smashed his elbow into a boulder, reducing it to dust.
"You think mastering the Futae Kiwami is limited to punches?" the man muttered, straightening up, "what if your hands are being held?" He scowled at the genin, holding his gaze in a grip like steel. "I could perform the technique with a head-butt, if I so wished."
Domon shivered, eyeing the craters caused by the demonstration and gulping in fear. 'That kinda power,' the teen marveled, 'unreal!'
"What say you?" the priest asked, causing the giant to blink, "Will you continue your training?"
Domon eyed the man and the rubble that surrounded him for a moment, before frowning. "One thing though," he asked, "I feel kinda dumb training with someone and not knowing their name" He smirked, pointing a finger at the man he had come to regard as his sensei. "You even got one," he mocked, "Mr. Corrupt Priest?"
The priest snorted, smiling slightly at the title. "Yukyuzan Anji" he replied, before moving into a fighting stance.
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Recca sat, brows furrowed in concentration. He was nearing the end of the training, and already he felt as if he was about to collapse. The teen hadn't eaten or drank for over six days, and until sunset today, he wouldn't be able to. If it weren't for the unique circumstances of the exercise, his body would've collapsed days ago.
'Gotta focus…' he muttered, 'it's only for a few more hours…' His stomach growled in discomfort, causing him to wince as images of his favorite foods paraded across his view doing the cancan, fishnet tights and all. 'Dammit Koku! This ain't funny!'
"What are you doing, Recca?" the old man's voice asked, sounding confused, snapping the enjutsu-shi out of his rant.
The teen opened his eyes and glared at the elderly Karyuu, wondering if senility had finally settled in after over 600 years. "What you told me to do!" he all but screamed, "I've been meditating since you left!"
Koku blinked, a look of incredulous disbelief on his face. "Recca," he deadpanned, "that was over ten day's ago…"
"NANI?!" Recca yelled, wincing at the sudden lack of concentration, before blinking in surprise. The flames were still covering him, making it appear like his body was surrounded by a blazing aura.
(Think Zeru from YYH)
"Hoh…?" Koku muttered, intrigued; "It would appear you've unlocked the special ability of your own flame…" He tossed a twig at the figure, watching appreciatively as it was incinerated upon impact. "Honnou no Yoroi…" the Karyuu muttered, "A flame that can both protect the user, and damage his opponents…impressive!"
He grinned at Recca, looking as proud as a grandfather at his grandchild's first steps. "You should feel proud of yourself Recca;" he praised, "this is a one of a kind flame!"
Recca didn't share in the old man's praises however. He merely gazed at his hands, a frown on his face, causing Koku to blink. "This flame…" the teen muttered, frown deepening and causing Koku to feel a little worried.
"What is it, Recca?" the old man asked, looking concerned.
Recca gazed at his hands a moment longer, before looking up sheepishly, sweat dropping. "How do you turn it off?"
Koku face faulted, leg twitching slightly at the sheer absurdity of the teen's comment.
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Naruto had decided to take a breather and was currently bathing under the waterfall, wincing as his bruises stung. 'Too bad the hot springs are too close to Konoha,' the boy muttered, 'I can't risk being followed back here.'
The youth had discovered, the hard way, that running up a waterfall was on a completely different level from tree and water walking. Each indiviual dropet needed to be focused upon, and since he had to start near the bottom, there was less solid flows to get a grip on. As it was, he decided to put off the training to recover from his falls, and was trying to formulate a new strategy when he heard a weird noise.
Tilting his head, his ears having developed a higher level of sensitivity during his training, the blonde listened for it again, 'Sounded like giggling…women?' He wondered, before frowning, 'No…this is a man's voice.'
The blonde heard splashing on the other side of the small forest and decided to investigate, blinking at the number of young women he found splashing in a small river on the other side, playing with a beach ball or sunning themselves on the rocks. 'Since when did this place become a summer camp?' he thought, sweat dropping, until he heard the giggling again, coming from his right.
A large bear of a man, with a veritable mane of white hair, was peeking through the bushes at the girls. There was a flush on his cheeks, which were adorned with red markings that started under his eyes. The headband on his head held the kanji for oil, and he wore wooden sandals, a green shinobi gi, and a red, sleeveless kimono top, giving him the appearance of a kabuki player.
Naruto frowned at the sight, ignoring the twinge in his stomach. 'Perverts…' the blonde muttered, 'why do I always bump into perverts?'
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The old letch in the bushes giggled, a healthy flush adorning his cheeks as he used his telescope to zoom in on the shapely curves of the females below. "Heh-heh…this is a wonderful spot!" he chuckled not noticing he'd been spotted himself, "Such a marvelous view!"
"Too bad you're ruining it, ossan." A voice muttered behind him, before something kicked the startled man in the rump, quite painfully, sending him flying through the air.
Naruto blinked as the man sailed out of the bush and crashed headfirst onto opposite shore, startling the girls, who fled, leaving their things behind.
"Whoops," the blonde uttered, sweat dropping, "gotta watch my strength there…"
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"BAKAYARO!" the indignant pervert roared, a bandage on his head the only sign of any injury, "You completely ruined everything!"
Naruto wiped spittle off his cheek and frowned. "If you're going to spy on girls, then you should expect to be punished if you're caught." The blonde reasoned, not intimidated in the slightest.
The man sniffed and crossed his arms, looking insulted. "It wasn't peeping!" he protested, "It was research!"
Naruto cocked an eyebrow, staring at the man incredulously. "Research?" he repeated, dreading the answer.
The man smirked, reaching into his coat as he did so. "I'm a writer!" he proclaimed, "I write books…" He yanked something out of his kimono top and grinned as he held it out to show the blonde with a flourish. "Like this one!"
Naruto's eyes bulged at the VERY familiar orange book the letch was holding.
'Heh! The brat's so shocked he can't even speak!' the figure preened, mistaking the look of disbelief for awe, 'He's probably never met a celebrity before!'
"You write that dime store smut?!" Naruto screeched, scaring several birds into the sky.
The man scowled, rubbing a finger in his ear to get his hearing back, though he was mildly impressed at the blonde's lungpower. "It isn't dime store smut!" he yelled, insulted to his very core, "Each copy of this marvelous piece of artwork sells for well over 5000 ryo!" He smirked, waving at the teen in a dismissive manner. "That's more than a brat like you'll ever make selling newspapers!"
Naruto snorted, shrugging with his hands held out, a smug grin on his face. "Fortunately for me, the pay for genin missions was more tempting," he countered, "I earn that much just for finding the fire Daimyo's wife's damn cat!"
The man blinked, suddenly looking interested in what the blonde had to say. "You're a genin?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow interestedly. Naruto nodded, pointing at himself with his thumb.
"Onime no Naruto, future Hokage!" the blonde proclaimed with a smirk before looking at the old man, "And you are?"
"WHOA THERE!" the man yelled, flipping his hair up, doing a strange dance routine atop a small boulder. "Good question! I am the most holy sennin of the Mount Myoboku toads, otherwise known as the Gama sennin! Nice ta meet ya!"
Crows cawed in the silence that followed, as the man remained in the pose for a good ten minutes and counting. Naruto stared at the man in bewilderment, before blinking. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his tone flat with disbelief.
The sennin sniffed, folding his arms and grumbling like a spoiled child. 'Stupid brat,' he muttered, 'not appreciating my dramatic introduction.'
Naruto shrugged, disinterested with the old letch's explanations and was quite eager to see the back of him. "Anyway, I gotta get back to training." He muttered, turning on his heel to walk away.
The sennin blinked, "Training for what?" he asked, looking interested.
"The Chunin exam finals." Naruto replied, earning a surprised look from the old man.
"Really? That time of year already?" the man whistled, "And a shrimp like you made it to the finals?"
Naruto punted the man into the cliff again, this time on purpose.
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"So you're practicing Kenjutsu because your chakra control's screwed up by the seal on your navel." The man muttered, sitting at Naruto's campfire, munching on a fish as reparation for the kick, a second bandage joining the first on his skull.
Naruto nodded, rubbing his stomach with a grimace. "Damn Orochimaru," he cursed aloud, "when I get my hands on that Ero-Hebi…"
The toad sennin smirked as he listened to the blonde rant on about the painful things he had planned for the snake sennin. 'No-one's called him that since Tsunade found the two of us going through her lingerie drawer.' The Sannin chuckled, before wincing, 'Of course he managed to pin the ENTIRE ordeal on me…slippery bastard.'
Shaking his head the sennin nodded, interrupting the part involving a rusty kunai and Japanese leek, though he did file it away for later reference, as it sounded pretty kinky. "I suppose I can help you with that," he conceded, "lemme take a look."
Naruto frowned suspiciously, then pulled off his shirt and channeled some chakra, causing the seals to appear. 'I'll be damned.' the sennin muttered, 'He's the Kyuubi no gaki…' he placed a hand on the seal and smiled sadly. 'Minato…'
Shaking himself out of his memories, the old man grinned, planning on getting revenge for the abuse his poor posterior had suffered. He drew his palm back, blue flames forming on the fingertips. "Hold still" he warned cheerfully, "this MIGHT hurt."
Naruto opened one eye suspiciously, just as the man's fingers rammed into his gut.
"Gogyokaiin!"
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Naruto opened his eyes to see the concerned face of his father standing over him. "That hurt." The blonde muttered, sitting up, causing the Youkai to snort.
"Jiraiya is many things, but all forgiving isn't one of them," he lectured, a small smirk gracing his handsome features, "he most likely did that to make up for the kicks you gave him."
The blonde growled, vowing revenge upon the letch's hide, before blinking at the fox's words. "Waitaminute…Tou-san, do you know that…that Ero-sennin?" he asked in disbelief.
Kyuubi snorted again, looking mildly amused at his son's title for the man. "He was the Yondaime's jounin instructor," he revealed, smirking slightly, "your mother's too."
Naruto blinked, shocked to his core at this little tidbit of information, before he realized someone was calling his name, forcing him to leave the dreamscape as he felt his shoulder being shaken.
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Jiraiya was getting worried that he'd gone to far when the kid's eyes opened, causing him to sigh with relief.
"Whew! You had me worried there brat!" the man muttered, before turning on his heel, waving over his shoulder, "We're even now, see ya!"
"Uzumaki Kushina." The blonde muttered, causing the man to freeze in his tracks. "Do you know of such a person?" Naruto asked, looking for the man's reaction.
Jiraiya turned to face the boy, his face deadly serious, a stark contrast to the look of genial perverseness it normally bore. "Where did you hear that name?" the sennin rumbled, a hint of pain in those old eyes, prompting Naruto to stand up, looking eager.
"You DID know her!"
Jiraiya blinked as the blonde strode forward, staring up at the old man in awe, causing him to step back nervously as his bubble was breached. "Who are you, brat?" the sennin asked, preparing to shunshin the hell out of there at the first hint of anything remotely homosexual.
Naruto blinked, and then nodded, placing a hand on his chest in introduction. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto…" he looked up at the shocked sennin, and nodded again, "I'm her son."
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Domon blocked a punch to the kidneys and winced as the shockwave went through his entire arm. "Use the Futae no Kiwami to cancel out your opponent's blow!" Anji lectured, "Don't just expect me to NOT use it!"
The giant growled and rammed his head into his trainer's, causing a small shockwave. Anji stumbled back, an impressed look on his face.
'In a short space of time, he's managed to replicate the technique using his arms and head…' He blocked the giant's strike with his own, evaluating his progress during the exchange. 'His strength and stamina are incredible for his age…I believe he will master everything within the limit!'
"You're open!" he yelled, ramming a blow into the giant's chest, only to blink as Domon used the Futae no Kiwami on himself, negating the impact.
"Don't just expect me not to learn from my mistakes…Anji!"
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Recca was scarfing down food faster than was humanely possible, the bland rations tasting like nectar after his extended fast.
"Remember Recca, your Honnou no Yoroi is controlled by your willpower." Koku explained, "To summon it, you must focus upon your own inner flame, and to cancel it, you must suppress it accordingly."
Recca nodded, ever since he'd finished the training, Koku had put him through an exercise that granted greater control over his flames, and he could now summon it at will.
"You should refrain from using it if you can help it;" the elderly ninja continued, "unlike the Karyuu, summoning it will not greatly drain your stamina, but the longer you keep it active, the more the draining effect will become." He nodded sagely, his eyes grim with the weight of his many years. "Also, it wouldn't do to show all your aces right off the bat."
Koku looked at the genin and coughed, wondering if he was paying attention. "Do you understand Recca?"
"More food." The teen muttered, holding out his plate expectantly, causing Koku to sweatdrop.
'He really is Ouka…I mean Resshin's son.'
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Jiraiya knelt before the blonde, dumbstruck in every sense of the word. "Little Ku-chan?" he wondered, placing the palms of his hands to the boy's cheeks, "You're her baby?"
Naruto flinched at the 'baby' reference, but nodded nonetheless.
"This can't be…" Jiraiya muttered, "I was told…Minato said that…" The sennin frowned, trying to get a better grip on the situation before him as he placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders. "You didn't die with your mother?" he asked seriously, prompting a shrug from Naruto.
"She gave birth to me, then died." the blonde explained, looking up at the man inquisitively, "You were her sensei…right?"
Jiraiya nodded, seeming to slip into a happy daze at the memories he had of the group. "Yeah…now that I think about it, you look a lot like her," he shrugged lightly, "more like Minato though."
Naruto blinked, never having heard the name before. "Minato?" he prompted, "Who's he?"
"What? Don't you know the name of the village hero?" Jiraiya asked, confused as hell, "He's the yondaime boy! Namikaze Minato!"
Naruto stared at the man in shock, before scowling at the mention of the fourth. "I look like that bastard?" he ground out, eyes flashing blue briefly.
Jiraiya blinked at the venom in the teen's voice, before frowning at the slur on his beloved student, standing to his full height with his hands on his hips. "Oi!" he warned, looking down at the teen, " Is that anyway to speak of a hero?" he asked imperiously.
Naruto scoffed, waving a hand in disgust. "Hero?" he mocked, "Is that what you call a man that seals a demon into a child? That left that child to fend for himself in a village that hated him?" He clenched a hand over the seal, gripping the fabric of his tip between clenched fingers. "Tou-san told me that the Yondaime always hated him for taking Kushina as his bride," Naruto continued, "you expect me to consider him a hero for that?!"
Jiraiya blinked, looking completely lost, hatred for his student aside, this guy wasn't making a lot of sense to the sennin, especially that last comment. "You mean…you aren't Kushina and Minato's child?" he asked, looking at the teen in confusion.
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Naruto exploded.
That's the only way to describe the wave of angry killing intent that filled the valley, followed by a chakra-amplified bellow that had the local wildlife in wave country lifting their heads in alarm.
"THERE'S NO RELATION BETWEEN ME AND THAT BASTARD!" the irate blonde roared, eyes flashing from a stormy blue to terrifying crimson as his chakra fluctuated between that of his human and demonic reserves, "HE SEALED MY FATHER INTO ME WITHOUT EVEN BOTHERING TO FIND OUT WHY HE ATTACKED IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
Jiraiya blinked, covering his ears as the realization spread across his face at the blonde's words.
'Did he say…?'
The sennin frowned in thought, the cogs in his perverse brain, usually tied up with his latest piece of pervert-pleasing stationary, shifting into full speed to process what he'd just heard.
'Wait a minute,' he muttered, 'Kushina was always talking about a guy with red hair and eyes…and I do remember Minato glaring at this guy in samurai armor a lot.' He nodded as this trail of thought led to several more answers, 'And Kitsune HAVE been known to take on human forms before…' The sennin's eyes widened as he put two and two together to make a foursome. 'Sweet Mother of Mammaries!'
"You're…Kyuubi's…son?" Jiraiya stuttered, staring at Naruto in shock, "But…that would make you…"
Naruto nodded, having been expecting this since the man started humming to himself.
"A Hanyou, I know."
Jiraiya needed to sit down, he also needed sake and a few women hanging off him in his own opinion, but he'd have to make do without the latter two for now. "All this time," the sennin murmured, almost to himself, "I never realized…" He blinked, face setting into a serious frown as he regarded the blonde carefully.
"You'd better tell me the whole story from the beginning."
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Hinata smiled as she shelled pees with Kagero and Reiran. The girl had been coming over to the Hanabishi's residence since the first meeting, and had found herself comfortable and welcome there.
When her mother died, Hinata had no female role models in her life, her nanny having been executed for failing to protect her during an incident involving a cloud shinobi, causing the maids to keep a respectful distance from the young heiress, lest they incur the wrath of the Hyuuga head. The only Hyuuga female that dared approach the heiress was a strange woman called Suzuka, who seemed to have a lot more privileges than other branch family members.
When Kurenai was made her instructor, she began acting as an older sister for the girl, perhaps even a surrogate mother at times. Kagero was the same, she treated Hinata as an equal despite her being so much older than the girl, and Reiran was always complimenting her on her skill and looks, something she never got at home.
Also, she had yet to see anything more hilarious than Mr. Hanabishi's 'Shigeo-dance', which the man felt inclined to do at the slightest hint of a sad face. It scared her sometimes, how he could apparently pop out from the walls, catching her off guard with his hilarious antics. The girl was, in other words, truly happy for the first time since her mother passed away.
A knock at the door announced the arrival of Kurenai, who'd come to check on her charge.
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"How're you doing, Kurenai-san?" Kagero asked, smiling, prompting the genjutsu expert to smile in return.
"Alright, I just sent Shino home," the curly haired jounin explained, "I figure his clan know more about training their skills than I do." She sat next to Hinata and smiled reassuringly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Still no word?"
The girl flushed, knowing what her sensei was implying, and looked back at her hands shyly. "N-no…there's been no word from any of them." She stuttered, her heart sinking with worry for her crush and his friends.
"There's no need to worry." Kagero assured the girl warmly, "My sons are far from fragile, as I'm sure Kakashi-san will vouch, and as for Domon-kun..." The immortal kunoichi laughed weakly at a mental image of the giant teen roaring through Tokyo Godzilla style, flame breath and all. "Well, if anything could physically harm HIM, I wouldn't want to meet it." She noted.
Kurenai, remembering the damage the giant had done to the preliminary arena, laughed weakly, a sweatdrop sliding down the side of her head. Reiran looked up as she heard the kettle whistle, smiling at the genjutsu specialist expectantly. "Would you care to join us for tea?" she asked.
Before the jounin could politely refuse, Hinata looked up, pale eyes eager and pleading. "P-please, Kurenai-sensei?"
The curly haired jounin blinked, surprised at the look in her student's eyes, before smiling.
"Very well."
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The women moved inside and sat around the central fire, where Kurenai noticed the ink painting's hanging on the walls. "You have a fine taste in art, Kagero-san." She complimented, causing the immortal Kunoichi to smile gratefully.
"Thank you," she responded with a small bow, "I personally think Hinata-chan has a lot of talent as an artist."
Kurenai blinked and gazed at her embarrassed student, looking back to the paintings in awe. "You painted these Hinata?" she prompted, earning an embarrassed nod from the Hyuuga heiress.
"She brewed the tea herself as well." Reiran added, smiling at the heiress as she came in with the utensils.
Kurenai looked interested, and took a sip from her cup, sighing at the sweet taste. "This is heavenly Hinata!" she praised, causing the girl to smile shyly.
Kagero grinned, patting Kurenai on the knee in a teasing manner. "Oh yes," The immortal Kunoichi agreed, "she'd make the perfect wife wouldn't she?"
Kurenai raised an eyebrow as her charge went magenta and asked to be excused, dashing off whilst the older woman chuckled. "Sorry," Kagero giggled, "I noticed her apparent crush on Naruto-kun when she first visited." She smiled, gazing after the embarrassed kunoichi with a kind gaze. "I think she and Naruto would make a perfect couple, wouldn't you agree?"
Kurenai didn't know whether to scold the woman for teasing Hinata or laugh at her tactics, she settled for the middle ground, taking another sip of the heavenly tea she'd been offered. "Only if Hinata doesn't get hurt." She replied, "Otherwise I'll be giving Naruto a demonstration in the deadlier genjutsu arts."
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Jiraiya nodded as Naruto finished his tale, secretly wondering if he could incorporate some elements into his latest work. "I see," he muttered, before slowly getting to his feet with a grunt, "well then, what are ya waiting for?"
Naruto blinked up at the grinning sage inquisitively. "You're ninjutsu skills have been ignored right?" Jiraiya prompted, "Well I got a whopper of one to get you back in shape!"
He made a few seals and suddenly a massive orange toad appeared, a scroll in its mouth as it mimicked Jiraiya's stance. "Sign your name in blood and leave your fingerprints on the scroll," the sennin instructed, "and you'll be able to summon the toads like all my other students!"
Naruto, eyes wide at the size of the toad, quickly did as he was told, gazing fondly at the last name on the scroll, which turned out to be his mother's.
"Right!" Jiraiya said, clapping his hands, "Now make the following seals: Boar, dog, bird, monkey and ram, then place your palm on the ground."
Naruto nodded and went through the seals, gathering as much chakra as he could, wanting to impress his mother's sensei on the first try.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"
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'It must be a crime to be this happy.'
That's what was going through the mind of a particularly large toad as he watched his children play in the massive pool that surrounded his home, smoking his pipe and drinking sake, which one of his many brides poured into a bowl for him.
'It's a full moon tonight.' He commented gleefully, 'That means it's spawning season soon!'
He eyed his brides gleefully and was about to make a suggestion to them when he felt a peculiar, yet familiar tugging sensation from his naval.
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There was a massive explosion, and then a loud angry voice cut through the air, as a massive amphibian appeared in the middle of the training area, looking livid as he wielded a short sword in the air.
"Jiraiyaaaaaaa! Damn you Jiraiyaaaaaaa!"
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Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork and gazed out the window. 'That sounded like Gamabunta,' he wondered offhandedly, 'is Jiraiya nearby?' He shrugged and got back to the paperwork, deciding to leave the temperamental amphibian to deal with his equally hotheaded pupil.
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After meeting, greeting and impressing the Frog boss, Naruto had to put up with an awe struck Jiraiya, who promptly exclaimed he was definitely 'Kushina's brat!' as he put it.
"I mean c'mon!" The sennin praised, "Summoning Gamabunta from the start!" He preened his nails vainly, looking like the cat that got the canary. "Like mother like son!" he prompted, "Took Minato two whole days before he could summon anything bigger than Gamakichi, she did it in one, though you obviously take the cake!"
Naruto nodded, the Frog boss's son sitting on his shoulder, the blonde feeding the energetic amphibian rice balls, earning his eternal loyalty from the get go. Jiraiya whirled round, pointing at the duo whilst posing atop a boulder. "It's official!" he postured, a cheesy sunshine backdrop appearing behind him, "You are hereby my new apprentice!"
Naruto looked up, looking disinterested. "Hmm? You say something?" he muttered offhandedly, causing Jiraiya to face fault, a leg twitching erratically in the air.
'Damn,' the sennin cursed, 'Kakashi really IS the brat's sensei!'
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Domon gasped for breath, holding onto Kubikiri Houcho as he glared at the form of Anji, the monk having not broken a sweat yet.
"That sword suits your physique, but it is still an awkward tool to use." Anji muttered offhandedly, "Until you can use it like an extension of your body, I will keep pressing you!"
Domon grunted and rammed the tip into the ground, sending a Toate straight at the man, only for him to counter with his own. "Your mastery of the Futae no Kiwami is humbling," Anji acknowledged, "but do not presume you can defeat me with it!"
Domon cursed and swung the blade up to counter the man's sword, sparks filling the air as the blades clashed in a fit for dominance.
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Recca rammed his flaming fists into Setsuna's face, before tossing the demented Karyuu over his shoulder. "Who's next!" he roared, looking at the other's eagerly.
Saiha was gasping, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "He's come a long way, ne?" the handsome Karyuu noted.
Homura smirked, breathing heavily, but in better shape than his blade-wielding counterpart. "Not bad for a smart-mouthed punk." He admitted..
Madoka grinned, fanning himself lazily as he lay on the sand. "Either that or you guys are losing your touch!" the fat master of the invincible barrier mocked, causing the other two to twitch in annoyance.
"Madoka! I choose you!" Recca called out, pointing dramatically at the chubby ninja. The respective Karyuu face faulted, his legs twitching, whilst the others sweatdropped.
"That," Saiha muttered, eyeing a confused Recca with a deadpan expression, "was just EVIL."
On the ground, Madoka was muttering curses about modern television and electric rodents.
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The day of the exam, the crowd had gathered at the Konoha stadium en masse. It was so packed that people were mugging each other in the street to get a hold of tickets, let alone good seats.
Kiba whistled at the amount of people, glad that Kagero had convinced them to come here early. "Hey, where's Naruto?" he asked, squinting at the arena, "Recca and Domon are missing too!"
Kagero frowned, looking down into the arena in concern. "Kakashi-san and Sasuke-kun as well," the immortal muttered, "though with HIS punctuality, they'll be lucky to make it before the finals end."
Kotetsu and Izumo, who were sitting next to them, snickered, knowing Kakashi would probably be late for his own funeral, whether it would be on purpose was up for debate.
Hinata sat between her friend and Naruto's mother, looking increasingly worried as time seemed to role on without any sign of the trio.
'Naruto-kun,' she thought concernedly, 'where are y-?'
"WHERE'S SASUKE-SAMA?!"
The shy girl squeaked as Ino and Sakura ranted at the absence of the vaunted Uchiha, whilst Kagero winced, covering her ears. "Such noisy children," she remarked, eyeing the two fan girls with mild disapproval. "Could you keep it down?" she asked them in vain, "You're disturbing everyone else."
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Genma snorted, his senbon flicking up and down as he chewed at the tip. "Well now," he muttered, "I suppose we should get this show on the road-eh?"
Just as he was about to turn round, a smoke bomb went off, startling the competitors and spectators alike, the former instantly going on edge in case of an ambush. When it eventually cleared however, the proctor could only groan and shake his head at the sight of what lay before him.
There was traditional Japanese string music playing, and sakura petals were falling from somewhere the senbon chewing Jounin didn't WANT to know. Three figures were posing dramatically, one with both fists on the ground in a running stance in the center; another to the right, holding a tekko to cover his face, and the last to the left, with a katana at his side.
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"Forgive the late entry." Naruto apologized, grinning up at the stunned audience, "The prank-masters are in the house!"
YO-OH!
Tap-tap!
(Tenchi Muyo reference.)
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Well, THAT took longer than expected.
How will the trio fare in the exams? Will they completely own the competition? or will the oposition put up a fight?
Kakashi: Do you REALLY have to ask?
Kyugan: Shut up, you're backing Sasuke, your opinion doesn't count.
Kakashi: (Sulks in a corner) I just KNOW you're fixing the damn fights.