Life was going well for Anko, she had plenty of sticks of dango, juice, and was being serenaded by the various screams coming from the forest. Finishing her last stick, Anko stood up and prepared to head for the tower. The fast ones would take less than twenty four hours to complete the test. Anko was sure that all her victims...er...students from boot camp would make it and then the pot would be all hers as she was the only one to bet that all four genin teams she trained would make it.
A puff of smoke and a chunin appeared looking flustered. "Anko-sama, we've got big trouble." Anko's instincts warned her that the guy was not understating the situation.
Outside of Area forty four by a line of Budda statues, Anko saw the bodies of three grass nins. Each of them had been killed violently and had their faces removed. She could tell instantly that it was the old snake bastard himself. He always enjoyed ripping the faces of others off and using the death masks to infiltrate places. She demanded that they show her the pictures of the nins. Upon seeing the woman's face, Anko's blood turned cold. That bastard, he had been right next to her and gave her her knife back.
"Warn the Hokage," Anko said with sweat coming down her neck, "I'm going after that bastard."
Sasuke and Sakura had ended up separated from each other when they had run from the spearman. Frankly it wasn't surprising, that monster had given off an aura of death. The two had run full tilt through the forest heedless of any noise they made forgetting everything they learned at boot camp trying to stay alive a little longer.
It had taken a while before the two realized what they had done and dived into various hiding places.
Sasuke diced into a bush while Sakura hid inside a hollow log. After a while, Sasuke climbed out of a bush and looked around.
'Great, we've been separated.' Sasuke thought. They should have made a meeting point instead of wasting time making a code sign that he knew was being listened in on. At least Sakura was nearby. He had spotted her just before he had dived into hiding. Naruto on the other hand was, as far as he could tell, still back with Saber and Rider. Looking back, why were they inside the forest?
Probably protecting the orange moron. Why did he get all the luck with those two? What made him so special? Was an Uchiha not an elite of the village? Yet, they had chosen to guard the dead last in the academy. Hell, Naruto had failed three times in the academy.
Sasuke was entering his 'emo' mode as he contemplated the luck of Naruto. Naruto had never seen any of his family die in front of him by a traitorous brother. Naruto had never known loss as he had never had it to begin with. Why should the boy who never had anything be given such loyalty instead of the boy who lost everything?
If Naruto had never had anything, how could he hope to understand Sasuke's pain. Sasuke had once had a loving family, a brother he looked up to, a beautiful and kind mother, and a strong and inspiring father. Then, his brother took it all away. His father, mother, cousins, uncles, aunts, every last Uchiha from the strongest to the weakest. Every Uchiha was killed, except Sasuke.
Saber and Rider would be the ultimate tools to kill his brother with. The two of them would have no problems subduing his brother so that Sasuke could kill his brother himself. Yet, they swore their loyalty to the dead last with the craziest dream ever. Everyone knows that Hokage's came from powerful clans like the Senju and Sarutobi clans. Namizake had been a strange case, but the man had been considered a prodigy that came only once in a few hundred years. If that man had lived, he would have gained a reputation far fiercer and respected than the 'God of Shinobi' that the Third had claimed for himself.
Naruto was an orphan and an outcast without any supporters. Now, Saber and Rider, possibly two of the strongest people alive, called him Master.
Why?
Why not him? Was Sasuke Uchiha not good enough for them? Was Naruto some sort of lord and they vassals to his house? No, Rider had resisted and fought Naruto in Wave Country. Yet, somehow, Naruto had gained her service. Sakura had been vague when she told him about the contract between Rider and Naruto, something about a circle drawn on the ground and a strange chant dealing with fate.
Not helpful.
"Sasuke?" Sakura asked as she stood next to him pulling Sasuke out of his contemplations.
"Nin Song, Nin Machine" Sasuke said initiating the call phrase.
"Oh, right. A large amount of enemies is a friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared" Sakura said perfectly, proving that it was her.
"Good," Sasuke said. "Looks like Naruto isn't around. Not to mention that we still need to get the second scroll."
Sakura nodded, her mind analyzing the problem. It was clear that there was going to be a battle between that spearman and the others. While they could not pass the exam as a two man team, they could collect scrolls and wait for him at the tower. It would be risky, but they needed to move quickly if they wanted to get through the exam.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Naruto appeared from a bush. "Hi guys." he said.
"Wait," Sakura said pulling out a knife, "What's the password?"
"A large amount of enemies is a friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared" Naruto replied flawlessly.
Sakura exhaled with relief, but Sasuke threw a kunai with an explosive tag on it at Naruto. Naruto dodged to the side screaming, "Hey, what the hell?"
"Not bad for a fake." Sasuke said grinning evilly.
"Huh? But he got the countersign right." Sakura said confused.
The 'Naruto' smirked and exploded in a cloud of smoke. The smoke quickly vanished revealing a woman from the hidden in the grass village. "Well now, how did you know that I was a fake?" she asked.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I knew that you were listening in on our conversation from underground. I made that call and counter sign knowing that you would hear and remember it. Naruto is too stupid to remember such a long counter sign so when you answered perfectly, I knew that you were a fake."
Sakura felt a small tick of irritation inside. She didn't like being treated like a fool, not to mention that Sasuke should have warned them when they were with Naruto. Simple hand signs would have been more than enough to warn them both.
Inner Sakura for once was timidly wondering what they should do while outer Sakura knew what to do instantly...
"I see, so I over did it-" The grass nin was saying when she was forced to dodge a dozen kunai thrown by Sakura.
"Spirited aren't we." The woman said amused. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a scroll. "You want the earth scroll right?' With that, a massive tongue came from her mouth encircling the scroll as she swallowed it. "The only way you'll get this is if you kill me. Now then, let the battle for the scrolls begin." The two gazed into her eyes and felt as if they were killed a dozen times over. The sheer power of that killing intent was enough to knock them both to their knees. This was no genjutsu, merely the sheer power and ability that this woman had. Sasuke looked over and saw Sakura weeping. Zabuza had been bad, but this guy was worse, and there was no Saber to save them now.
'This is bad,' Sasuke thought, 'If we don't get out of here now, we'll be killed.' Yet, his body would not respond to his urgings to move.
"Tsk," The woman said, "Can't even move from this much?" The woman drew several kunai and threw them at Sasuke who was able to dodge at the last minute. Sasuke grabbed Sakura and ran off into the bush. The woman walked over to where Sasuke had been paralyzed and saw a small puddle of blood.
"Hmm, so you stabbed yourself to force your body to move. Not bad boy." The woman mused.
Sasuke and Sakura took a small breather preparing to flee again.
"Are you all rig-" Sakura was interrupted from asking further when Sasuke planted his hand over hers forcefully. Yet, Sasuke didn't see the giant snake coming for them from above. Sakura was forced to kick Sasuke to get him to move out of the way before the snake snapped at where they had been moments before.
The snake chased Sasuke into the air with outstretched moth when Sasuke unleashed a barrage of kunai in it's mouth killing it.
From it's corpse, the woman burst forth admonishing, "Prey should never relax it's guard boy. A moment's weakness, and the predator will feast on the prey."
The woman dashed forward punching Sasuke hard forcing him to fly back and puck from the force of the blow.
Sakura dashed forward yelling at the top of her lungs heedless of how she sounded.
Elsewhere
Naruto was hanging onto Rider for dear life. From the dreams he knew that the Berserkers were/are the worst class to deal with in an unprepared area. Last time, this Berserker had attacked Saber in an open field where he had reinforcements and time to prepare for contingencies. Here, Saber and Rider had been forced to react to Berserker's rampage with no planning or preparations. Or at least no preparations other than expecting to be attacked. It was clear that Rider and Saber had conspired to follow him into the forest during the test to protect him, even if it was supposed to be a test for ninjas. Yet, these two knew instinctively that they would probably be attacked again. Hence why they were here now.
Saber really should have killed Berserker back then. The exam would have been much easier.
Ah well, no use now.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" a familiar voice roared out. It sounded like a banshee playing out of tune bagpipes holding screaming fireworks. Though anyone foolish enough to Sakura that later on would receive her famous right hook into their face.
Rider homed in on the source of the noise and found a small clearing where Sakura was unleashing a barrage of poisoned needles, punches, kicks, and exploding tags buying Sasuke a bit of time to recover.
"Enough Sakura," Sasuke yelled pulling out his scroll. "Here take it."
"Sasuke?" Sakura asked as she leaped back from the grass nin.
"Very wise boy," the woman said not noticing that two new arrivals had come close. "The only way for prey to escape a predator is to offer a different meal."
"Take it," Sasuke said tossing the scroll away. True, his team would be at a disadvantage, but the test had only begun a few hours ago. There was plenty of time to find two scrolls for his team.
As the scroll passed through the air, an orange and purple blur grabbed it first.
"Geez you guys. I leave you alone for a few minutes and you're already hip deep in it." Naruto drawled as he hopped off Rider.
"Rider," Sasuke and Sakura gasped in wonder and hope.
"What? Nothing for me?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes. If a choice was given between having Rider or Naruto back them up, they would take Rider any day. Then again, so would Naruto if he was honest with himself. He knew that he was not at the level of a Servant by a long shot. The Dream Cycle had shown him opponents that defied the mind and performed feats that could only be called miracles.
"Hmm," the grass nin says casually, "It looks like I've got company." The grass nin whistles and her two companions appear. "Deal with the others as you wish, the Uchiha is mine."
The two grass nin bulge like balloons and explode in puffs of smoke. Where once there were two, now four nins are standing. One is fat, one is skinny, one is female, and one has two heads.
The four launch themselves at Rider and Naruto. Their stances are relaxed. What can a brat and a blind woman do to them?
The first one that got close to Rider was a white haired man with two heads, one right behind the other. Rider could sense that there were two entities inside that one body. Not that it mattered any to Rider.
The fool attempted to kick her, but Rider easily caught it with her hands and sent the gray haired fool flying. The other three were already in mid air and were unable to change their trajectory, but they all suddenly wished that they could. Sakon and Ukon were the strongest of the sound four, yet, they had been kicked aside like children. It appeared that they would have to up their game if they intended to win. They all actived the first stage of the curse seal as they attacked Rider.
The curse seal made them faster, stronger, have larger chakra reserves. Too bad the Rider is a Servant with an A rank agility and B rank strength stat. Sure, the sound four are fast, strong, and deadly, but Rider is on a whole different plane of existence. The fat fat one, Jirobo attempted to tackle her with his massive frame and strength, instead, Rider casually grabbed him and used him as a giant flyswatter to scatter the other sound nin. The scene was rather amusing to Naruto, who ever heard of using a human as a frying pan to smack enemies?
The sound four have no choice. The all take a pill forcing themselves to enter the second stage of the cursed seal.
Jirobo feels the power in him. With this, he can fling boulders aside with ease. There's no way that the woman can match his strength. He charges forward intending on crushing her. Rider dodges his attack with ease. While he may be strong, she is faster, and very flexible. She leaps back onto her hands and proceeds to unleash a series of kicks that sends him reeling.
Rider flipped to the side almost ignoring Kidomaru's attacks. She noticed that there was an unusual amount of spiders coming towards her, but she could tell that they were all being directed by the huge one up in the trees. Rider grabbed Naruto and leaped up through the trees where she saw the mother of the 'smaller' ones. Rider threw her nail weapon dead center of the spider's eyes causing the big spider and the little ones to vanish.
Mentally, Naruto was peeved that Rider was taking all the fun out of the situation, but he didn't want to ruin Rider's pacing. If all else, Rider was well suited to swiftly attacking then falling back. OF course, she could just release her eyes if she wanted this battle to end quickly, but it would only end up killing Sasuke and Sakura in the process. Naruto decided that it would be best for Rider to deal with the adults while he stayed back and tried to learn from his enemies' mistakes. He was already noticing that the four enemies were attacking separately when they should have worked together. Instead of a near overwhelming attack, the four of them were coming in waves. Waves that could easily be defeated before the next attack came.
Rider dashed up to the spider freak and kicked him so hard that he fell unconscious. The only woman in the group pulled out her flute and began to play a strange tune. Three large phantoms emerged from her flute and dashed towards Rider who easily evaded their attacks and closed in on her. The one with twin heads attempted to interfere with Rider's target, but Rider's agility was too good for the man. She easily dodged his attempts to touch her and engaged the woman. With a single flick of her arm, Rider destroyed the woman's flute.
Rider then unleashed a barrage of attacks with her nail weapons at the two headed man. Naruto kept his eye on the woman however, as she was still not down and out. In fact, the woman was busy gathering the spider freak while the fat man tried to catch up with Rider.
Orochimaru hissed in distaste at the ease of which Rider dispatching his men. The four of them were supposed to be his bodyguards, yet this...woman, had easily dispatched the lot of them. Why is it that good help is so hard to find? Couldn't his own men do something useful for a change instead of embarrassing him.
"Back off," Orochimaru ordered. He still needed the Sound Four for the invasion.
Orochimaru bit his finger and traced a line down his left arm. "Summoning no Jutsu." With a burst of smoke, a massive snake appeared. The snake looked like a giant yellow anaconda with black spots, but it also had the fangs of a cobra. "Go," Orochimaru ordered. The snake looked over at his target and shivered. Though it had never seen Rider before, it could tell she was a superior predator. The snake glanced over at Orochimaru.
"What are you waiting for? Finish her quickly." Orochimaru ordered. The snake sighed, he hadn't signed up for this, but he was bound by Manda's orders to obey the contractor.
The snake dashed forward, but Rider was uncaring. No, she was smirking slightly. Rider held out a hand as she jumped up and landed on top of the snake like a professional rodeo star. "Bellerophron" The area became blindingly bright. When the light dimmed, Sakura and Naruto saw that Rider had somehow gotten a golden bridle, saddle, and reins on the snake. Said snake's eyes were now pure glowing red as it doggedly followed her every command.
Rider turned the snake towards Orochimaru who took that opportunity to charge for Sasuke. While Sakura and Naruto were horrified, Rider was, to be blunt, uncaring. Her duty was to her master, not to the two others. Rider knew however that Sasuke was needed alive for the exam so she sent her new pet at Orochimaru. The snake bastard had to quickly bite Sasuke then leave before Rider had the chance to harm him.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he screamed in pain from the bite on his neck. If anyone had been looking at it closely, the would have seen a black smudge turning into a pinwheel of three commas. "When you want power," Orochimaru said, "Seek me out."
However, because he paused to offer power, Rider took that opportunity...
Orochimaru, even in his younger body could not move fast enough to evade the nail weapon shot at him. He had to block it with his arms. The nail weapon pierced one arm completely and imbedded itself in another. Rider yanked on the chain like a cowboy and began to drag him towards her.
'Magnificent,' Orochimaru thought. Forget Sasuke, this girl, this blind girl was more promising than any he had seen before. Too bad she was blind else he would have gone for her himself. As he came close, Orochimaru opened hi mouth. A sword shoots out of it towards Rider, the blade's length ever extending, knocking her off her mount, but not doing much actual harm. When she stands, Orochimaru notices her skin has become scales, her flesh is turning purple, and the traits that define a woman are vanishing, all except her hair which is bundling itself into the shape of tentacles or serpents. An aura of death, not killing intent, but death itself exudes from her. Like a room full of corpses or a ruined battlefield with fresh bodies.
Orochimaru backs up, as does the other genin save Naruto, for only he knows that Rider will never harm him. The snake, free of Rider's control charges towards her. Rider, grabs the snake and tears the snake's head is ripped in half before it disperses. A Sasuke and Sakura vomit from the sight of the mangles snake. Naruto, however, has seen worse in his dreams, and he cannot help but remember Saber's mangled body during the Grail War.
Beside Orochimaru, his four guards appeared preparing to sell their lives dearly to buy him time to escape. But, before Rider can attack, she snaps her head to the left. She can feel it, Saber has used his ultimate attack, his Noble Phantasm. The very world is screaming in agony as he rewrites over a small portion of reality. Rider is no True Ancestor, but even she can hear the cry of pain from the planet. Reality Marble is a weapon that should never have come into being. If Saber had to use his Noble Phantasm, it meant that Rider had taken too long as it was to finish the fools off. To use that attack would mean that Berserker will soon be dead, or Saber is backed into a corner and is desperate to win.
Rider turns to the five enemies and says, "hand over the scroll or I'll kill you." This is no threat, it's a cold and rational statement. They cannot flee fast enough to run from her is she gets serious. As she speaks, her voice is distorting as her Monstrous Strength is removing her mortal form and causing her to become the legendary monster. At this point, Rider is the size of a house and getting bigger by the minute.
Orochimaru considers it then upchucks the scroll. He has already accomplished what he needs, there's no more point to this battle, not to mention he wants to see what Sasuke will do during the third exam. Orochimaru tosses the scroll then vanishes with his guard.
Naruto grabs the scroll with a grin while he turns to his team. Sakura looks relieved that it's over, but Sasuke is clutching his neck.
Yeah,looks like Sasuke was not going to be of much use at the moment. At both Naruto and Sakura's urgings, Sasuke laid down while they kept watch. Rider was ordered to find Saber. Naruto knew that as long as he had the command seals, Saber was alive, but anything else was beyond his ability to discern.
"Naruto," Sakura asked seriously, "Why is Rider here?"
Naruto pointed at Saber's general direction, "To keep an eye on me and to fight Berserker."
"Who?"
"The guy with the shield and spear." Naruto said.
"How do you know his name?" Sakura asked, there should be no way for Naruto to know someone by meeting them for the first time.
Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "That's not his name, that's his title, just as Saber and Rider have names but go by their titles. Besides, I saw him a week ago."
Sakura was confused, but Sasuke began to convulse and she had to administer him a sedative to calm him down.
"Look, we can discuss this later," Naruto said, "Right now we've got a test to finish. Once we get to the tower, we can get him proper medical attention."
Sakura nodded that they needed to get Sasuke help, but they would need to be careful if they were to make it to the tower in the center. Sakura figured that between the two of them, they could make it to the tower in half a day if they rushed, but risked being attacked while skulking in the forest would take a day.
That is of course if Saber and Rider don't assist them.
Naruto shook his head and said, "No, Saber and Rider are only here to deal with other Servants, the rest of the test is ours to deal with.
Sakura sighed, but couldn't argue with Naruto's beliefs. It was going to be a long hike.
Naruto summoned several clones to carry Sasuke while they began making their way carefully towards the tower.
Team Yugito
Tamaki, Ace, and Naru were golden. They had run into the strangest team from hicktown known as Hidden in the Sound. The oddballs had used their jutsus based on sound attacks. Normally this would have been disastrous, but Naru used her special ability and crushed them in an instant. Tamaki still couldn't believe that the stuttering nervous girl with a crush on Ace was the strongest on the team. Hell, she was almost jonin level with her ability.
Tamki sighed, Ace was the leader of the group. While a loudmouth, he was dedicated on being the best he could be and he idolized Archer. Though it set him back a great deal to learn a new set of weapons, Ace was now highly competent with his twin swords. Not to mention, Ace had a great tactical mind when the situation called for it. Ace had figured out new ways to counter other people using those Sound nin techniques. Ace was like that, use a jutsu on him, and he'd find a weakness for the next encounter.
Meanwhile, there was himself. Being an honest sort, Tamaki realized that he was the weakest of the lot. While Naru was powerful and Ace was smart, Tamaki was the dead last of the group. All he had going for him was his few lightning jutsus and his taijutsu, leaping tiger. Not the deadliest skill sets, but Tamaki was secretly a pacifist. He hated to cause others pain, though he was not naive enough to believe that a ninja could go though life without killing others. Yet, because of his beliefs, he had asked the others to spare those sound nins. It would probably bite them in the ass, but he didn't want to have the deaths of those misguided hicks on his hands.
They were quickly approaching the tower when they felt the presence of others. All three of them halted while they waited. It was another team of genin, this one was from Suna, though they were missing a team member. Tamaki looked on in interest. One was a blond girl with a large fan while the other was obviously a puppeteer from Suna if that face paint was any indication. Tamaki remembered a lecture in the academy that talked about the most famous puppeteers wore that makeup, though strangely, the two most famous, Chiyo and Sasori did not.
Ace made hand signals asking the others if they wanted to deal with the competition. Tamaki shook his head. The team was either missing a member and thus already out of the running, or they were heading to the tower to meet up with the last one. If that were the case, they would need to watch for ambushing while already attacking. Not to mention that they were so close to the tower that he estimated that there would be plenty of enemies nearby.
Strangely, Naru was shaking at the sight of them. Like she knew them...weird, she was looking everywhere trying to see someone. It didn't take long for her to spot the object she feared. Out of the bush came a muttering and mumbling ninja from Suna that looked like he had a migraine or something. Naru was shaking violently, but not making any noise at this point. Ace moved in and hugged her trying to calm her down for whatever reason it was that made her scared.
Why she was scared was soon answered. A group of nins from hidden in the grass appeared attempting to attack the Suna nin. The three fools barely cleared the bushes when the redhead summoned three spikes of sand impaling the three of them. The three were still alive, but crying out in pain horribly. The red head then amused himself by having sand engulf various body parts and crushing them with immense weight. This was sicker than children pulling legs of spiders or wings from flies. Tamaki had to resist the urge to vomit lest he give himself away. The only thing that game him a modicum of relief was that the sadist's two companions were looking queasy as well. At least not all the ninjas from Suna were bloodthirsty monsters. Hell, that redhead made horror movies look tame.
Finally, the boy seemed to find that he had enjoyed torturing them enough and killed the ninjas from Grass. He then turned and headed for the tower muttering the whole way.
After a while, the team Yugito climbed down and emptied their bellies. They knew what kind of field they were entering, but seeing this monstrosity was so different from hearing about it. Naru broke down and cried whispering that the Demon would kill them all. Ace and Tamaki looked at each other, Naru never used the D word because of Kirabi and Yugito, hell the entire village tried to avoid the word so as to not offend the two.
It took a bit, but Naru told about her encounter with the Ichibi back in Konoha and how he promised he would kill them. Ace stroked her hair as he hugged her and whispered that everything was okay. After a bit, the team moved on carefully lest they be discovered and headed for the tower.
Anko crashed through the under bush looking for the snake bastard.
'Where are you you monster?' Anko thought as she leaped over a fallen log. 'More importantly, why are you here now? What are your plans?'
She narrowed her eyes, it was getting dark. Once night fell, she would be at a major disadvantage, not like she wasn't at a large disadvantage already. However, her need for vengence drove Anko forward regardless of the odds. She needed to kill that backstabbing murdering mother fucking son of a bitch two time whore. Anko continued to rant and rave at the thought of the man she once trusted and thought of as her sensei.
It had started off innocently. When her parents died, Orochimaru took her in as his student. He taught her many of his snake techniques. Then he decided to test out his damned seal on her and nine others. Only she was lucky enough to survive, and she now suffers random surges of pain from that damned seal.
'Well either way,' Anko thought, 'It ends tonight. I'll kill you Orochimaru even if it takes my life; and if I can't do that, then I'll at least slow you down. I learned everything from you, it is only fitting that I be the one to end your life.'
Anko leaped onto a large branch. 'Why do you always hide in the most obvious of places Orochimaru?" Anko asked referring to the lump on the tree behind her.
"Impossible." Orochimaru muttered.
Anko pulled out half a dozen needles from her coat and flings them at her mortal enemy. Orochimaru merely dodges to the left and shot out his tongue. His tongue wraps around her arm and halts her movement.
'Gotcha,' Anko thought. "Shadow Snake Hand" Three snakes emerge from her cloak and clamp down on the tongue. Using all her strength, she yanks as hard as she can pulling Orochimaru towards her. Orochimaru smiles and retracts his tongue dragging himself right up to her. Anko pulls out a kunai and slams it into both their hands pinning them them together to a tree. "Sorry Sensei, I'm going to borrow your hand." Using her good hand and Orochimaru's she begin making hand seals that Orochimaru recognizes instantly.
"You and I will die together you old bastard." Anko said determined. Double snake suicide was a forbidden technique that killed both the wielder and the target by sacrificing themselves to the snakes.
"Oh my," a voice said behind her, "That's not going to do you any good." Behind her was Orochimaru looking at her in amusement. The one she had caught was nothing more than a shadow clone. "You're a specialized jonin of the village, you shouldn't be using the forbidden jutsu that I taught you." Orochimaru makes a hand sign that causes Anko's curse seal to flare up in paralyzing pain.
Anko grits her teeth to prevent from screaming. "Why are you here?" she demands. "Are you here to kill the Hokage."
"Oh goodness no. I don't have enough men yet. No, I'm just doing a recruiting drive right now." Orochimaru informs her. Why he's telling her his plans and ignoring the Evil Overlord List is beyond anyone, but the man always did enjoy theatrics. "You know, I just gave another one the same seal as you. True he has only a one in ten chance of survival, but I have my hopes up on him."
"You must really like him." Anko remarks with sarcasm.
"Jealous? Unlike you who has no talent, that Uchiha boy shows great promise. He's rather beautiful if truth be told. He'll be perfect for my next vessel."
Anko nearly faints from the pain she feels on her neck. The bastard is just toying with her. Hell he's probably going to kill her in a minute. Yeah, he's pulling out a knife now. Shit, Orochimaru is going to slit her throat like she's a sheep.
'Shit, sorry everyone,' Anko thought. Honestly, her only regrets are that she can't collect the betting pool and killing the old bastard.
As Orochimaru approaches, an arrow slams into his shoulder. The force is so strong that it sends him flying and pins him to a tree.
"Arrgh, who's there?" Orochimaru demands. Anko can feel the pain lessening as the bastard loses concentration. Looking at it, the 'arrow' is is huge. More like a sword or spear than an arrow.
Orochimaru looks over at the interloper. It's a man with white hair, darkened skin, and gray eyes. The man's outfit is strange, no headband to tell what village he's from. The leather vest and pants have metal bands running around his body, his shoes are tipped with steel and he has a red cloth on his arms and around his waist. In his hands is the biggest bow that Orochimaru has ever seen. The stranger pulls out of thin air a black sword. For some reason, he takes the sword aims it with the bow like an arrow.
"Leave," Saber tells him, "Only warning."
"Hmpf," Anko snorts, "Just in the nick of time Saber."
"I am a Hero after all." Saber smirks as he aims Hrunting at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru tisks but leaves in a flash of smoke. He's already gotten what he needs, no point in fighting anymore. Frankly, he had just planned on placing the knife at his former pupil's throat and watch her expression as he leaves her in pain. Nobody ever understands his sense of humor.
Saber looks over at Anko, "You okay?"
Anko pointed at him and yelled, "Why did you let him go, you had him."
Saber shook his head, "One, I have no idea who he is and I don't like killing needlessly. Two, he had four bodyguards above you. While I can kill him, I have no guarantee that you would have survived, oh, and if you tell me you don't care I'll hit you. Now, are you okay?"
Anko stands up rubbing her shoulder, "I'll live, why are you here?"
Saber shrugs, "Just trying to kill an associate. Remember Berserker back when I fought Archer?"
Anko didn't know the name of the spear-man back there, but Berserker was a good description for that mad man. "Yeah, sort of. But why are you willing to kill him and not the snake bastard"
"It's in my contract that I need to kill Berserker, along with a few others, but Berserker is my main focus right now." Saber told her. "Anyone else is an unknown."
"You wouldn't be interfering with the exam now?" Anko asked with a smile. Of course he was, but there was nothing she could do as this was an exam that had no rules against interference, though she'd need to have that rule added for the next one.
Saber shook his head though, "No, I can honestly say that I have not done anything except fought Berserker while the others have been tested. I have neither helped nor hindered my Master in this exam except to fight Berserker."
Anko snorted, preparing to tell how little she believed that, but Saber stepped forward and looked at the place she was rubbing.
"What is that?" Saber said with disgust. He could feel the evil in that mark.
"Just something that I got from a damned snake." Anko said uncomfortably. That seal was her shame and what was keeping her from being a full jonin as it flared up when she fought too much or trained too hard.
"That is no snake bite, now tell me where you got it. It needs to go." Saber said sternly.
Anko gave a short laugh, "Ha, if you can get it off, then do it. It's done nothing but give me trouble."
Saber suddenly pulled out a strange purple dagger. It was so twisted and convoluted that it probably had no penetrating ability. "Hold still, this will probably do the job."
Anko was a bit nervous that Saber had that...that thing in his hands, but the thought of getting rid of the seal was making her giddy.
Saber lightly pierces the mark with the dagger.
Pain. The whole world is full of pain for a moment. Anko could feel herself screaming, but as fast as it happens, the pain leaves.
"There, it's done." Saber tells her.
Anko pulls out a knife with a reflective surface and looks at he shoulder. Where the mark once was, was now a dark bruise that was vanishing as she watched it. Quickly, the dark blotch vanishes. Anko pulls out as much chakra as she can to normally trigger the seal, but nothing happens. Finally, after years of being hampered by the seal, she's free. Free.
Saber watches as pure joy is etched into Anko's face. Anko faces him. She suddenly tackles him, rather hard. Sending the two down onto the large branch. Anko immediately plants her lips onto his and begins to insert her tongue into his mouth.
Saber has a problem. At this rate, Anko will soon have them both stripped and having sex in the middle of the woods. While it wouldn't be the first time that this has happened, hell the first time he had sex was in the middle of the woods, this was a problem. He could push her off, probably instigating Anko to attack him for rejecting her. He could let things continue. Sure, it would feel good, but he would regret it. He loved Saber too much to cheat on her. Or, he could do option three, which was looking real good about now as she began to tug at her jacket while he was pinned.
Saber has no choice, he shifts to spirit form and runs for his life back to his master. Anko falls through where Saber had been a moment ago stunned at the technique. There was no shinobi technique that would have allowed Saber to escape that fast.
Anko was rather peeved. Sure, she wanted to show her appreciation for being freed, but she had been planning on having her way with him for a while. The fact that he just ran away from her, rather than insulting her, excited her even more. Anko stood up, fixed her clothes and headed off for the tower. The Hokage needed to be told about Orochimaru...and about her seal. Maybe she could finally get promoted since the seal would no longer hamper her.
Before she could take a leap, she detected another familiar presence.
"So, he got away," Rider said with a smirk.
Anko laughed, "Yeah, guy high tailed it out of there faster than a snake strike."
Rider looked amused, "Details please."
Anko described how she had be 'dashingly saved' by Saber from Orochimaru. Rider had smirked at the cliche damsel in distress saved by a hero routine. Anko asked Rider how Saber was able to vanish so quickly and perfectly that it didn't disturb her position. At that Rider told her that it was a special technique only a few could use.
"Next time, have me nearby," Rider told her, "I'll drag him back before he can get far." Rider licked her lips, this was too much fun messing with Saber.
"Deal," Anko said, "Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to talk to the big man."
"If you please, don't mention us." Rider asked.
"Sure thing girl." Anko said smirking. She wanted to win that money herself and didn't want any one of the four teams she tortured...trained to fail.
Anko dashed off for the tower while Rider silently shifted to spirit form to head for her master.
It took them a full day to reach the tower, but Team Kakashi was able to make it.
Sasuke wok up from his pain induced coma after about six hours. They had then made their way towards the tower carefully. Sakura kept asking about what was going on with Rider and Saber being in the exam, but Naruto was adamant and not telling them anything. "Trust me, people are killed for knowing too much about this war."
"What war?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto sighed, "Look, it's none of your business as you are not a Master. Just leave it to Saber and Rider to do their jobs as Servants." He had seen more than enough reasons in the dreams to know that knowing too much would get them killed when they would inevitably try to interfere with Servant battles.
Their conversation was interrupted when a hundred clones from a hidden in the rain village attacked them. One third of the clones were that of the bastard that had interrupted Naruto when he had answered nature's call back at the beginning of the exam. Naruto was in no mood to deal with these morons. He summoned a hundred shadow clones to deal with them, only to find that the attacks were meaningless.
Sasuke tried to activate his eyes, but the sharp pain on his neck was making it difficult. Sakura noticed the the mark on his neck had grown while using his eyes, but Sasuke was able to tell that this was a genjutsu. Naruto continued to attack, but he was able to stealthily move his team out of danger while his clones attacked. The three fools had no idea that the originals were long gone when all the clones, including ones henged to look like Sasuke and Sakura
There was no need to continue to attack the three nins from rain as they already had their scroll and it was better to finish the mission rather than pointlessly attack someone for an extra scroll. Naruto figured that his clones could last for a goo twelve hours if they were careful. Plenty of time to make the enemy waste his energy while team Kakashi relaxed at the tower.
Rider and Saber watched their master with pride. Back when they first met their master, the boy would have insisted on fighting the enemy to prove himself. Now, Naruto understood discretion, stealth, as well as to know when to fight and when to bypass the enemy.
"He'll do just fine," Saber said looking at Naruto.
"Yes, there should be no problems for the next exam." Rider agreed.
Saber shook his head, "For all we know, they'll have to fight a chunin to pass. Never expect easy victories."
"Said the man that said his master was ready then panicked at the first exam." Rider countered.
Saber shrugged, "I'm not perfect Rider, never claimed to be."
The two silently followed the three genin as they made their way into the tower.
Once inside, they saw a strange poem.
Sakura figured out that the poem was telling them to open the scrolls. Once done, they found that the scroll was a summoning deal. With a puff of smoke, Iruka appeared with a big grin.
"Congratulations, you all passed the second exam." Iruka told them. "I'd buy you guys ramen-"
Iruka was tackled by Naruto 'Hell yeah, we did it."
Iruka shook his head, 'Some things never change.'
Sakura and Sasuke were impressed at the stamina level of Naruto. Not only had he been up for over forty hours, he summoned a hundred shadow clones, and now he was celebrating. The two of them just wanted to lay down and sleep for twelve hours, but Naruto's energy seemed boundless.
"Sensei, what happens now?" Sakura asked.
Iruka smiled gently, "As you all got here on the second day, you all are to rest here in the tower until the fifth day. Food and drinks are provided in the cafeteria, but don't leave the tower. If you do, you will be disqualified."
The three of them nodded and headed for their rooms.
That night, Naruto dreamed.
Saber took Ria on a date to try to get her to appreciate life. Saber kept looking for an aquarium, but had to make do with shopping and sightseeing. They went to a fancy restaurant for lunch, but the food was no comparison to Saber and Rin's cooking. Honestly, that restaurant was overrated. Finally, Saber was able to take Ria to someplace that Ria liked, a stuffed animal store. Ria spent hours just staring at the various animals. He had truly found somewhere that captivated her.
Yet, the date ended badly. Saber tried to convince Ria that she was wrong in trying to obtain the grail. Yet, Ria was adamant, it was her duty to find a better king for the kingdom. She had failed them at the end and wanted to find a better one. They argued, they yelled, finally, Saber told her to do whatever she wanted while he ran home. He ran, ran with a broken heart and collapsed at home. Hours later, Rin woke him up and asked where Ria was. Saber panicked, he ran back to the bridge where he left her as fast as he could.
There, she was standing, looking lost and forlorn at the horizon. She had been told to do whatever she wanted and had no idea what to do. Saber told her to come back, that he was sorry. Ria nodded her head, and they began to walk home.
As they got off the bridge, a voice called out to them. "Good evening Saber."
They both freeze and turn. It's him, the new Archer, only he's not wearing his armor. Still, the man gives off an aura of power.
"It appears that I kept you waiting." Archer says.
"Saber, run.' Saber tells Ria. "He's after you. He won't dare to kill me as I am what keeps you here."
"It appears that the trash is insightful. Indeed, I cannot kill you lest I lose my woman, but don't think that you are worthy of gazing upon me." Archer smiles. Suddenly, two weapons smash into Saber, sending him flying. Archer casually takes Saber out and gazes possessively at Ria. His expression is just like that of Poseidon at Rider. "Be mine Saber, only I am worthy to posses your magnificent self."
"No." Ria replies, "I am a king, and a king does not submit."
"Even so, you are a woman, and a woman's joy is to be held down and be violated. So why refuse? Are you sacred to be mine?"
Ria glares at him, "You-"
"Do not resent me, only I can understand and appreciate your value. I will not only take, but I will give you pleasure beyond your comprehension."
Ria refuses. She will not be possessed by this man. She engages her armor as does Archer. Archer intones, "Gate of Babylon" Behind Archer, hundreds of weapons appear behind him.
Archer brags that he has no interest in things like the holy grail. Immortality? He gave that to a snake. Ria knows who he is now. Gilgamesh, the first king of men. Three fourths of his blood is that of a god and a king of unrivaled power who obtained every weapon for his treasury. In the end, his arrogance and uncaring for his kingdom destroyed it and himself. Unlike Ria who gave her life for her kingdom only to be betrayed by it, Gilgamesh was a tyrant who cared not for his land and so destroyed it with his own hands to prove he could.
Saber can tell, each and every one of those noble phantasms is real in Gate of Babylon. Not copies, not fakes, they are all real and they are all powerful. A small part of his mind instantly takes in the weapons and memorizes them. For the rest of his life and beyond, Saber will remember each blade. Out of all the weapons, Archer pulls out a strange one. It is a black conical blade covered in runes that has three sections that like a drill.
Ria prepares her golden blade as the black weapon spins ferociously. That blade, that strange blade almost steals Saber's sanity. It is a blade that is no blade. Ea, the sword that split heaven and earth. Never will he perfectly remember that weapon. It is too alien, to strange for a human, even one as messed up as Saber to fully comprehend.
"Ex-" Ria yells "Calibur"
"Enuma Elish" Archer says mockingly.
The two weapons let forth waves of destruction. But, Ria is sent flying, her weapon is no match for Archer's. Saber gazes upon his beloved Ria, she is torn up, her armor is gone, and she sword is planted in the ground like a burial marker.
"Saber!" Saber yells in horror.
"Ah, Shirou...run away." Ria begs. But Saber will not, cannot let this happen. He stands up defying Archer. Archer is annoyed and sends a weapon at Saber. Yet, the weapon bounces off. For a brief moment, Saber's muscles and skin turn metallic, microscopic blades entwine with each other where there should have been flesh.
"Stop Shirou," Ria begs, "He'll kill you."
"Sorry, but I can't leave you to him." Saber says. He looks inside himself trying to find something that can counter it. Archer is irritated now, the dog is defying him, Gilgamesh, king of Heroes. He pulls out Ea again without hesitation. The dog will die, no concern is wasted on consequences.
"Shirou that is..." Ria says aghast.
Ea rotates, preparing to kill the boy.
Ria stand up and stands behind Saber as something golden appears in front of him. Naruto can see that it is a sheath. Though it seems strange, Naruto can feel the power of the artifact before Saber.
"Enuma" Archer yells
Ria plants her sword into the sheath. The pair are engulfed in a brilliant light.
"Elish" Archer finishes. The wave of red death comes for them...but, the wave is sent right back.
For the first time, Archer's attack is beaten. When the smoke clears, even the mighty armor of Gilgamesh that has never been scratched is missing on one shoulder. Gilgamesh is bleeding, possibly for the first time in his existence.
Archer has no choice, he has to flee.
Saber is barely conscious after the blow, but Ria has a revelation.
"You are my sheath." She says reverently as Saber passes out.
The dream shifts.
Poseidon invites Rider to follow him. He tells her that he has a good idea for a joke. Poseidon, like all the gods has a strange idea of jokes, but Rider wants some fun at prodding at the Goddess of war. The two enter the temple Rider asks Poseidon what next.
What happens next horrifies Naruto.
Unlike Saber in the forest, this is no consensual sex. It's rape. Rider screams protests, begging for him to stop as he penetrates. Her screams of pain and anguish echo through the temple of Athena. Yet, the goddess is absent for some reason. Her attendants are nowhere to be found and her priests are gone.
No-one comes to help her as she is violated by the Ocean God. Time and time again he cums inside her. Naruto is violently ill at this point. He begs for someone to get him out of the dream. Instead, he has to watch as Rider struggles helplessly against Poseidon.
Rider does the only thing she can do. She tells Pegasus to get help. Her loyal friend who has no chance of doing anything against a god rushes off leaving the sounds of Poseidon's laughter behind it.
Finally, after hours of torture, help arrives in the form of Rider's sisters. The two literally tackle Poseidon and push him off. Stheno covers Rider with a blanket while Euryale stands off against Poseidon. She has no chance against him outside of her temple, but she is still able to hold him off.
Before the two can fight however, Athena appears enraged at what has been done in her temple. She demands that they leave before she shows them why she is the goddess of war. Inside her own temple, not even Poseidon has a chance against her. The god rages and tells his niece to bugger off, but Athena will have none of it. This is her temple and she will not have carnal acts inside her temple.
The three sisters leave quickly lest Poseidon notice their flight and catch them outside of the temple. Athena, however looks at Rider in disgust. She has never liked the failure of a goddess who has dared to do such acts in her temple. Athena is a jealous and vindictive goddess, though she cannot do much to Poseidon she will have her vengeance on the girl.
Naruto wakes up and dashes to the bathroom to vomit. It's too much, how can Rider smile after that?
When he gets out, Rider and Saber are beside him waiting to tell what he dreamed. Rider looks sad, and tells him that what he has seen is but the tip of the iceburg. Rider will not comment further, so Saber takes Naruto aside and informs him that Rider is a tragic figure. She is known as a monster in modern mythology and he will soon see her descend into madness. Naruto shudders and prays that it won't be for a while. Honestly, he's not sure of himself now. Is it possible that he could do that to a girl he liked? Is it possible that he could force her against her will?
Saber shakes his head, "No Naruto, you know pain all too well. I know you, you would never do that. Poseidon and his brothers were horrible monsters that made world a terrible place to live. It was known as the Age of the Gods back then, and the world is a better place with them all gone now."
"But," Naruto tried to say.
"No buts master, what you have seen has scarred you, but it was not you that did that. Instead remember Rider's suffering and respect her wishes to leave the past buried. Remember her pain and suffering and do not let anyone get away with it when you see it."
Naruto clenched his fist, "I swear that I will never let a rapist get away with what he did."
saber placed a hand on the fist, "Just remember, a man is innocent until proven guilty. Do not be an avenger, seek justice so long as the law is on your side. Do not go on rampages from an accusation. Find facts then act."
Naruto nodded, he will not kill innocents, but god save any rapists that he meets. They will find no mercy from him.
The rest of the five days go by quickly. Team Kakashi was third of the four teams from the camp to make it to the tower. Team Kurenai was first, and had the honor of being the second team to make it to the tower. Team Gai was next and came a close third to the tower. Team Asuma took until the fourth day to get to the tower, but everyone who went through the camp made it to the third exam.
Anko was going to be pleased.
Naruto's House
In the underground chamber, the mirror began to ripple and shake like a bowl of water. The mirror's surface protruded and bugled as the shape of a hand emerged from the surface. The hand became flesh as it cleared the mirror. In a short time, a girl in a red shirt and a black skirt with twin black pigtails hopped through the mirror. Behind her, a woman in a blue dress, white gloves, and blond hair in the shape of spirals emerged. Shortly, a small girl with white hair and red eyes in a purple dress, a woman with golden blond hair and red eyes in a purple skirt and a long sleeved shirt, a man in a black uniform with glasses, a red head with blue eyes in jeans, and an old man who wouldn't miss this circus for anything all came through the mirror.
"Well done you two," Zelretch said with a hint of pride. These two girls had gotten further than any other apprentices. Originally, he had planned to take only one as an apprentice, but Fate had conspired to send him the two most talented apprentices at the same time. Normally, he would have sent the weaker and slower of the two away, yet, Rin and Luvia were so similar, that it would be an utter waste to send one away. Some magi had argued that he was being foolish to take on two apprentices. The Marshall of Wizards and Magician of Kaleidoscope paid them no heed and taught the two of them at his pace.
"Thank you Master," Rin and Luvia intoned at the same time. It had taken them a long time to get this far, but the two could now travel to alternate worlds. At the moment, they still needed the strength and skill of each other to complete True Magic, but it wouldn't be long now before they could do it alone without their Master's guidance.
"Yes well, we should be going back now." Zelretch said deadpanned.
"Eh?" the others all said. This had not been what they were promised.
Aoko snorted, "Then go you old fart, I've got to find Shirou. Pick me up in a few months or so. I should have that boy nicely dealt with by then."
"mu," Illya moaned, "You promised I could collect my debt from Shirou."
"Please grandfather." Arcueid begged with puppy eyes. Her husband decided to stay out of this conversation.
"Uh, M-Master," Rin said trying to come up with something to deflect her Master's latest homework assignment. Accomplishments like this always ended up with major papers. "Why don't we at least see if we came to the right world."
"Indeed," Luvia said adding to the request, "We need to make sure we came to Shirou's world. Else we need to work on our accuracy."
Zelretch laughed, "Oh very well, I suppose we can stay for a while." The only man made it sound like he was offering a treat to a child when he had actually been making bets between himself and Illya over what the girls would do when they saw Shirou. Zelretch had bet on them blowing him up on sight while Illya said that they would first hug Shirou, then blow him up. Loser buys dinner for a week. Actually, Illya had first tried to make it so that Zelretch would owe her a favor if she won, but she was unwilling to owe the old man anything. Unlike Shirou, she had never trusted the old bastard, much to her gain and much to Shirou's loss and great suffering.
The group all climbed up the ladder and looked around the room. The others could all see signs that Shirou was here, or at least someone who thought like Shirou. The plates were on the same shelf as back home, the teapot was ready to brew at a moment's notice, there was even the small bowl of fruit at the edge of the counter. Illya reflexively grabbed a fruit to her taste and ate it. She had been eating out of a bowl similar to it for years.
The group looked around, but found no sign of him. It came to decide what they would do to locate Shirou. The girls all wanted to spread out and search for Shirou, but the men were adamant that they needed to stick together as this was a strange land. Aoko smirked at the thought of anyone trying to harm her. The last moron who had tried that had been blown into dust. Zelretch had his reason that he wanted to see the collective reactions. The results were sure to be spectacular. Like New Years in New York, only with a human sized target that evaded attacks.
Illya wanted them to separate to increase the odds in her favor. Acrueid would glomp Shirou on sight. Rin, Luvia, and herself would first hug him, them try to kill him. Or at least make him suffer for making them worry. Aoko was guaranteed to blow him away once she spotted him. Shiki would either punch him or hug him, and Zelretch...he'd be calling for the others and step back to watch the fireworks.
Finally, they agreed to wait a while then they would split up and search for Shirou. Once they saw him, they would call for the others. After that, it was in the hands of Fate.
Good Luck Shirou, Fate seems to hate your guts.
Author's note: First off, I really dislike the problems is having letting me upload. This is getting annoying.
Someone of you might question why Naruto took a back seat against the sound four and Orochimaru in this chapter. It has to do with three things, one: Rider is very protective. Letting him fight the others would go against her nature. Two: he's got to get through the rest of the exam and needs to save his strength, and three: in honesty, could Naruto stand a chance against Orochimaru? The man kicked his ass with a single move canon. Please note that in this chapter, his chakra was not tampered with by Orochimaru thus he still has a higher degree of chakra control.
So yeah, Rin and company are here. You wanted it, you got it. This will be fun. Konoha will never be the same again. : )
You know, I just got another idea that sounded appealing. After this story, or if I get tired and want to write something different for a while, I was thinking on having Saber (Shirou) be summoned as Caster for Fate/Zero by his child self instead of the psychopath summoning that mad Caster. Something to think about but I prefer to work on one project at a time. Luckily I found a site that has the entire light novel series translated for whenever I get around to it.