Yo!
Back again!
Though, I was busy and wanted to release the chapter next month but guess, I am more excited than you to write the chunin exams which begin the next chapter.
ScienceAlienDude: Haku isn't a former nin. She never joined Kiri but was adopted by Zabuza from the streets. Though, I know where you are aiming at: Politics, as usual.
As such, I have already planned an arc with that plot for even if not Haku, her clan was affiliated with Kiri. Stay tuned for shippuden:D
Guest: Thanks for your words! Kudos for figuring out the teams!
amavgupta: There will be an owl sage mode but for that, even Pein's abilities would have to be tweaked a bit.
Get ready for a teaser during Chunin exams! Thanks for the night vision idea; will try to add it:D
777torn777: Naruto will work smart not hard :D
Guest: Sorry I replaced wooden pipe with cigar:X Never smoked them so forgot.
Austin(guest): Thanks for your words! The answers will be given soon.
This was the longest chapter, I think. Still lacks some content but it will be wrapped up in the beginning of the next chapter.
Now, to the chapter.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Halting the sharpening of kunai, Naruto looked towards the window.
Atop the window sill, crouched Hatake Kakashi, the orange book, as usual, in his hand. Meeting the gaze, the man languidly raised his other hand in greeting.
"Could you open the…erm… window, please?"
Lips twitching at the girl's awkward pause, the Uzumaki stood and nodded at the ice user, offhandedly noting that the apron—sky blue in color—looked good on her.
Ambling towards the window, he lifted it up. "Kakashi-sensei," Greeted and dipped his head a bit.
"Yo," The masked man passed his own greeting while flipping the page of his book. "You didn't inform about your new residence."
"Didn't meet anyone since that day," The disguised blonde shrugged while cocking his head. "How did you come to know, though?"
"Hmmm," The copy ninja lowered his book a bit. "Visited your apartment, it was totally cleaned out. Naturally, you would move out as that was a one room setup; Tracked your scent, then."
Naruto nodded. "So, what brings you here?"
"I think the dining table would be a more suitable place for conversation," Haku called out, from the kitchen, tone clearly laced with amusement.
The Uzumaki blinked before raising his hand to the back of his head. Cheeks developing a pink tint, he stepped aside. "Sorry. Please come in," And motioned with his hand.
Chuckling, Kakashi jumped to the floor before walking towards the table. Taking the seat, he glanced at the ice user. "Thank you, Haku-san. For a moment, I thought my cute little student had renounced cordiality."
"Hello, Hatake-san," Haku simply dipped her head, not showing any reaction to the obvious attempt at humour.
Small steps, Kakashi. Musing to himself, the white-haired shinobi nodded. "So, Naruto's already got you cooking?" The words were followed by an eye-smile.
Clad in the familiar pink kimono under a sky blue apron, hair similarly styled to that on battle day, the girl was meticulously working with omelets, judging from the fragrance.
"We do it in turns, sensei," Naruto replied, joining the man at the table. "Clearly, she is better than me," He glanced at the girl with a smile. "Got some unique recipes as well."
"Oh?" The copy ninja sniffed the air. "Hmmm… the tea seems different; pleasantly, of course."
"Would you like the omelete too?" Haku asked. Though, while trying to stay neutral with the jonin, she knew the status quo would have to change towards the positive side.
Now, she was a part of Konoha; sometime in future, they might go on a mission together, even needing to place their lives in each other's hands.
Besides, he was Naruto's sensei; she would cross paths with him frequently. Hence, this was as good a time as any to begin.
"Thank you, but just tea is fine."
A moment later, the tea was placed before him, but Kakashi made no further move except taking another sniff.
"To answer your question, Naruto," The jonin began, pausing for the Uzumaki comprehend who nodded a moment later. "I am here about Haku-san's orientation mission."
Naruto shared a glance with the ice user who halted the cooking, totally shifting her interest towards the white-haired man.
"The mission is to Hayakawa village which is close to our border with Iwa. The climate as well as soil facilitate the growth of some rare herbs; the inhabitants use some secret method as well."
"The supplies being rare, Konoha is the sole buyer as per an agreement. Hence, we have to manually pick 'em up, so be prepared to have a B rank mission every quarter."
Haku simply nodded.
"Normally, a squad of chunin is tasked with it, but chunin exams are near, hence, only a genin team can be spared."
"So, it's not an orientation mission—"
"It is," Kakashi interrupted the Uzumaki. "Many times, the chunin squad, being not versed in the stuff, has made errors," He glanced at the girl. "That's why the quarterly missions, if successfully accomplished."
The girl again nodded.
"Last thing: Team ten under Sarutobi Asuma has been assigned this mission but genin Yamanaka Ino is out due to some clan business, so, they are one member short—"
"I can go," Naruto more of declared than stated.
"I already gave your name," The jonin replied, tone indicating his smile.
"Thank you, sensei."
"I would have asked you to deny," Haku stated, looking at the disguised blonde. "But clearly we are past that."
"That we are," The Uzumaki stated, smiling a bit in response.
The girl also gave a soft smile. "Thank you."
"That was a really good tea."
Faces morphing into surprise, Naruto and Haku hastily turned to look at the cup placed before Kakashi, only to find it empty.
Naruto glanced at the girl. "Did you… " She shook her head. Then, he looked back at the masked shinobi. "When, sensei?"
"Trade secrets, Naruto," Eye-smiling, Kakashi stood up and began walking towards the window. "Don't forget: East gate, ten a.m."
"Yuki Haku reporting for the mission," Haku announced, landing near the east gate.
The bearded jonin nodded. "Sarutobi Asuma, jounin sensei of team ten."
"Nara Shikamaru," The pineapple haired boy drawled.
"Akimichi Choji," The plump boy spoke after eating a potato chip. Then, he offered the packet to the girl with a smile.
The ice user blinked. Slowly picking up a chip, she replied. "Thank you. Also, Naruto-san will be here—"
"Uzumaki Naruto reporting," The brown-haired genin announced, landing beside the ice user.
The members of team ten reacted variably to the Uzumaki's presence. The jonin simply nodded, the Akimichi paused mid-eating and blinked before offering a hesitant nod.
Nara Shikamaru, though, narrowed his eyes and unblinkingly began to focus. Except for the brown hair, everything about the Uzumaki, from the demeanor to the clothes, was different.
For a moment, he was even willing to entertain the notion that the dead last had given up on that orange monstrosity of a jump suit – no matter how absurd it sounded – due to team seven's sensei.
The man was practically a legend. Or, it could be due team seven's recent A rank mission Ino had learnt about from Sakura.
However, no matter what, the amount of emotional control the genin was now displaying on his face – that aspect couldn't be changed in just two months.
"Something on my face, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, tone bland.
"Troublesome," Muttering under his breath, not caring if it was heard or not, the Nara heir shook his head despite not liking an unsolved puzzle.
"Alright, listen," Asuma began, effectively ending the conversation. "The mission is to Hayakawa village. The itinerary is like this: We go full speed to the town of Furui Kawa where we halt for an hour or two."
"A river separates Hayakawa from Furui Kawa, and the ferry service is limited. On reaching our destination, we receive the supplies, and then return similarly."
The jonin paused, looking at the three genin and one about to be chunin. "Any questions?"
"None, sensei/Sarutobi-san!"
"Let's move!"
Naruto pushed off the branch, the resulting height making the town ahead visible once again.
As was wont to happen, a strong feeling rose to explore the town. He had thought that becoming a genin and actually going on missions would curb these feelings.
But nothing of the sort had happened. Every new place gave birth to the old but stronger urge to explore it.
Well, nothing harmful in that. Musing and waiting as the others in front jumped out of the forest, the Uzumaki smoothly placed a kunai on the side branch.
Then, jumped and landed in the clearing, joining others, and resuming his position as the rearguard.
After a moment, Asuma halted and turned towards the team members. "I am going to check on the ferry; Shikamaru, with me," The Nara heir stepped forward. "The rest of you wait here."
Receiving nods, the jonin signaled the pineapple haired boy before both dashed towards the town.
"So, what's the deal with Uzumaki? You were pretty surprised to see him?" Asuma asked while tree gliding.
Shikamaru sighed, also pushing off the branch, finding it a bit difficult, the relatively thin density of trees requiring extra effort. "He is different."
The jonin glanced out of the corner of his eye but stayed silent.
"He used to wear orange— proclaiming it as the best color for a shinobi, was loud and obnoxious, picked battles with Sasuke only to eat the dirt, and never took anything seriously."
The genin narrowed his eyes. "Can't change something like that in two months…" he trailed off.
A moment passed.
"Maybe, it's their recent mission — heard, it went to an A rank; some top notch missing nin and all that. Such situations often lead to life changing decisions," Asuma said. Or the revelations about Kyuubi.
The Nara heir frowned. It could be true. He could already see the events playing out: Sasuke and Mito contributing to the mission, and Naruto, getting jealous, attempting an attack only to get saved by the jonin sensei.
That would have definitely shattered the dead last's self created world. A chewing out from the sensei as well as beating from Sakura would have sealed the deal.
Trying and failing to find anything more prudent, he offered a slow nod. "I guess you're right."
"Give it a rest, Shikamaru," The bearded jonin patted the genin's hair mid jump before picking up pace.
A few moments later, the duo landed near the river, directly in front of a worn down wooden display board.
Quickly perusing the contents, Asuma whistled. "I am really outdated, huh?"
Taking in the Nara heir, he gave a bit of a sheepish look. "Seems like things have changed quite a bit. We only have half an hour, so, can you fetch them?"
Not waiting for a reply, the bearded jonin lightened a cigarette.
"Troublesome," Sighing, Shikamaru nodded.
The town gave surprisingly different vibes despite being part of Fire country.
Architecture aside, it was the culture which had left him invested. The people spoke with a different accent — influenced by Iwa, he had learnt.
The food was spicy too, even containing different sorts of items. And a first: a couple of girls had even waved at him, giggling heavily.
All in all, it was an enlightening experience. Stretching, the clone decided to dispel—
"You're really trying to pick up a fight with me?! One of the Sannin?!"
— and halted, the word 'Sannin' quickly changing his mind. And, the high pitched tone immediately provided a name.
Senju Tsunade.
Feeling excited, the clone all but dashed towards the direction, rounded off the corner, only to come to a halt.
There stood Tsunade of the sannin, hands on her hips, facing three men in black suits, and in between them, was a slender woman, clearly nervous, holding a pig.
"We are aware of your legendary strength, Tsunade-dono, but we have already let it slide for three years," One of the men shook his head. "No more."
"Oh? And what are you gonna do?" An amused smile threatened to appear on the blonde woman's face.
The three men shared glances before the one on left cleared his throat. "We will have to file a complaint with Daimyo-sama while endorsing a copy to Hokage-sama."
The slug princess immediately lost the amused look, irritation flashing across her visage.
But Naruto didn't need to hear anymore. The gist of the matter was already well received, and now it was time to act.
Time for the legendary sucker to meet the legendary conqueror.
"Alright. Just give me another month, and I will have your five million ryos."
Shizune almost rolled her eyes, hearing the words for the umpteenth time. By now, she knew better; these were just that — empty words.
"We are afraid we can't—"
"Now, now gentlemen, let us not be hasty."
The calm and confident voice drew the attention of everyone.
With a raised eyebrow, Tsunade took in the tall lean man. Clad in a three piece gray suit, a hat on his head and an elegant wooden cane in his hand, the middle aged man practically screamed respect.
And, it had nothing to do with the giant of a man, besides him, holding an axe on right shoulder. Nevertheless… "And, who might you be?" She asked, while noting the glances being shared by the three creditors.
"The legendary conqueror!" A gasp followed. "Yurei-sama!"
Where was he hiding? Yurei mused as another man, bald, of relatively short stature, wearing a two piece suit squeezed his way out from among the slender woman, three men, Tsunade and her massive 'assets'.
"That's me," The legendary conqueror smiled. "And, who would you be, my friend?"
The man almost ended up bowing at his feet. "I am Ueda Makoto!" Then, pointed at the adjacent building. "The owner of this casino! Please!" He looked back. "You have to grace us with your presence!"
Fuckin' doormat.The slug princess mused with annoyance. The midget hadn't taken even a moment to side up with the creditors but was now looking to bend over before the newcomer.
Though, admittedly the man was an international figure — being sought out by almost everyone worth their salt. She recalled hearing for the first time about Yurei—the legendary conqueror.
"You heard?! Yurei-sama made an appearance after so many years!"
"The legendary conqueror?!"
A shinobi through and through, Tsunade's ears immediately perked up.
"Yeah, yeah!" The old man nodded excitedly.
"Where?" The casino owner was almost hanging over the bar counter.
"Konohagakure; managed to bankrupt a civilian councilman!"
Curious, she had written to her contacts in the village, and the response had left her stunned.
A man going by Yurei had won thirty million ryos worth of cash as well as a house, and that too in a single go at a game of 'Cho-Han'.
Further information had revealed that the man had never lost a match; even owned several artifacts of rare value.
Clearly, someone like him was a walking antithesis to her—the legendary sucker.
Jealous, she had dug up the past, utilizing three months worth of time.
Snippets of information had come up: how almost thirty five years ago, a teenager had managed to clean out a group of mafias in a casino in Kumo, hence was later supposedly killed.
The people have labeled him as the conqueror, posthumously.
A few years later, a young man had won at the slot machines one after another, ending up with half a million ryos. He had given no name, hence people had started calling him 'Yurei'.
Later, it had been theorized the machines were supposedly rigged by the Casino owner to entice customers, for it had been the first time slot machines had been used anywhere.
Similar happenings had come up but once in a while. The last had been a wealthy man adopting a giant of a kid in the Demon country.
Then, five years ago, a duo with the same name and appearances appeared in Konoha — definitely not a coincidence.— and, so far, making eight appearances in total.
"Definitely Makoto-san," Yurei replied. Then, he looked at the three creditors. "In fact, I will play on behalf of Tsunade-dono."
Everyone's eyes widening, Tsunade and Shizune shared a glance.
"Of course, if she agrees," The legendary conqueror concluded, smiling at the slug princess.
The sanin's eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth—
"We apologize, Yurei-sama," One of the creditors slightly bowed. "But we cannot just agree to your offer."
The second one picked up. "For if we lose, the money is lost too, but if we win, we will still have to pursue Tsunade-dono," He shook his head. "It's not a favorable situation either way."
Yurei chuckled. "You misunderstand me, gentlemen. Kenshin!" The giant man slapped his rotund stomach from where, amidst a puff of smoke, a suitcase emerged.
Taking the suitcase in his grasp and raising it, the legendary conqueror continued. "My stake: ten million ryos."
Greed immediately descended into their eyes, and after some moment's worth of whispering, they happily nodded. "We agree, Yurei-sama," One on the right voiced.
Tsunade blinked at the sudden affirmation from her creditors. Greedy motherfuckers! Though, she mused she would have done the same.
Their five million was already a lost cause unless Daimyo or Hokage intervened, but a chance to win double that amount had suddenly been presented; only a fool would deny that.
Nevertheless… "Hold on," She declared, eyes narrowing at the legendary conqueror. "Why are you doing this… Yurei-dono?" She added the honorific after a moment's pause.
Yurei continued smiling. "Would chivalry suffice?"
"Try again," Tsunade snorted.
"Then, let us continue this discussion inside."
After a moment, everyone agreed. Soon, the table was set up with the three creditors, Senju Tsunade, Yurei and Ueda Makoto sitting around.
Shizune and Kenshin were standing behind their respective masters.
The casino owner was practically drooling with giddiness. He could already vision the soaring business; history had it that a mere visit of the legendary conqueror and to a small extent, the legendary sucker, could entice masses.
Representatives of Daimyos and Kages, business tycoons would immediately begin flocking the casinos where the legendary conqueror had visited, no doubt to gain his allegiance in case the man visited again.
And in the case of Senju Tsunade, footfall of the ordinary folks would augment; everyone wanting to have an easy and assured victory.
"To answer your question, Tsunade-dono," Yurei began, looking at the woman, while clasping his hands under the chin. "In the past, after winning, I used to disappear for years, because playing for only money gets rather disinteresting after some time."
Try me. The buxom blonde thought but stayed silent.
"Hence, over the years, my interests began changing. For some years, I continued to collect some rather valuable and rare artifacts from all around the world."
"Then, it shifted towards getting friends and family. For instance: I adopted Kenshin here in Demon country all those years ago."
"You have no blood descendants?" Shizune asked, curious.
Yurei shook his head. "Never found someone special, I guess. Anyway," He looked back at the sannin. "Now, I am trying to build relations. You are a powerful woman, literally too; naturally, I want to be on your good side."
Tsunade slowly nodded. She could understand where the man was coming from. 'On her good side' translated to political as well as medical benefits along with aid in a battle, if required.
"And a couple of your medical techniques as well."
Thoughts halting, the words registered and the slug princess slammed her hands on the table but didn't stand up. "So, it is about money. In case you lose, you sell my techniques, right?"
"In case I lose?" The legendary conqueror asked, a bit of mocking in his tone that made the woman purse her lips.
He shook his head. "You also misunderstand me, Tsunade-dono. It's not about money but helping a friend."
The woman raising an eyebrow, he continued. "A friend has begun to learn medical jutsus; I want to give her a suitable gift."
The Sanin furrowed her brows in contemplation, calming down. Should she agree? The positive side was that she would be free of her debt.
Now, that would be freedom in a true sense.
Years of running and avoiding her creditors while getting messages of disapproval from the hokage as well as the Daimyo, had really made her full of guilt.
On the other hand, the downside would be sharing her techniques. Though after a moment, she realized the man hadn't asked for anything specific; she could give him any.
Not much of a loss, then. Feeling giddy, Tsunade nodded. "Two techniques."
Yurei's smile widened.
"What did you give him, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, eyes fixed on the back of the man and his guard as they ambled away, after a win that had been too easy.
Earlier she had only heard about the legendary conqueror from her master and brushed it away, but actually witnessing the man's smooth victory had left her flabbergasted.
The man had been so confident that he had given all three creditors a chance, yet secured the victory every time.
"Hmmm" Her own eyes following them, Tsunade replied. "Mystic palm and Chakra scalpel techniques."
The slender woman nodded. While not rare, both mystic palm and chakra scalpels were effective techniques and mostly taught in shinobi villages.
And for someone like Yurei, undoubtedly his friend would not be a shinobi affiliated with a village. Naturally, they would be quite happy on receiving their gift.
"Let's go, Shizune."
The brunette nodded, for the first time in years, feeling unburdened. No longer would they have to run from creditors and be looked down upon when the daimyo calls for a medical check up next time.
Hopefully, she would agree to visit Konoha too.
"An advice, shinobi-san," The farmer voiced, a serious expression on her face. "These supplies are rare and costly. As you already know, per our agreement, we only sell them to Konoha."
Asuma nodded, urging the woman to continue.
"Some local tribes, from the forest, have in the past resorted to stealing, even by outright attacking Konoha shinobis. Normally, they are unsuccessful but you have kids with you, so, be careful."
The jonin nodded again. "The reason for their actions?"
"They either directly sell these supplies for money or make their own medicines before selling that too."
"Thank you, Akari-san," Voicing, the Sarutobi signaled his team and took to the roofs.
A few moments later, as they reached the edges of the village, the forest becoming visible, the bearded jonin halted, raising his hand.
As the kids surrounded him, Asuma took them in. "We are about to enter the forest. Not ruling out the possibility of an attack, I ask you to keep your senses sharp."
The team members nodded.
"If anything seems odd, I will give a signal. The attackers won't know us, so anything special is not needed."
The other three nodded again but Choji developed a confused expression. "What should we look for?"
The Sarutobi smiled, patting the plump boy on his head. "You'll know when I am not my usual self."
Then, he gazed at the Uzumaki. "Naruto, I know what my genin are capable of; The head doctor also updated me about Haku-san's skills, but I know next to nothing about you."
The jonin raised an expectant eyebrow.
Aware that it was not an attempt at probing, Naruto replied. "I know shadow clones, kawarimi, and henge — it's different though."
"Oh?" Asuma asked, unable to construe how a henge could be different, while inferring that the kid must have learnt shadow clones after stealing the scroll of sealing. Dead last, huh?
The Uzumaki simply crossed his fingers. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
A puff of smoke happened and out came, a doppelgänger who immediately formed the seals. "Henge no jutsu!"
Another puff of smoke from which Naruto withdrew a sword, offering it to the jonin.
Eyebrows already rising in surprise as the kid had actually grasped the hilt of the sword, Asuma took the weapon. Woah! This is an actual transformation! Is it due to Kyuubi?
But knowing there was a time for everything, he nodded, handing back the sword. "That'll do."
"Can we take a break? Please?"
Jumping off the tree branch, Choji glanced at the girl tree gliding beside him, slight confusion flashing on his face.
"We have been continuously running from Konoha!" Haku complained, a frown on her beautiful face.
Confusion augmenting at the words, the Akimichi took in the girl. She seemed to be fine; there was nary a drop of sweat on her face.
Brows furrowing, he glanced at the other members of their team while trying to figure out the situation. Why was the girl lying?
After all, they had taken plenty of breaks since the mission began, there was no way she could be tired—
"Keep running!" Asume barked, glancing over his shoulder. "You're a shinobi, not a damn toddler!"
Mouth parting, the plump boy gazed in shock at the back of their sensei who had just shouted! Sarutobi Asuma never shouted!
The jonin was a laid back, cool sort of guy. But now, in front of his eyes, the man had just done something contradictory! The sensei had behaved out of… character…
"You'll know when I am not my usual self."
Choji blinked, as the jonin's words resurfaced. A pit slowly began to form in his stomach. Did it mean they were in danger?
Nervous, he glanced at the back of his best friend while landing on another branch. "Shika—" But paused, finding resistance in jumping off the branch, and looked down.
His feet were quickly being pulled back into the branch. No later, the sandals were firmly touching the branch while a jelly-like substance had oozed out from the edges.
Bewildered, the plump boy tried to move his feet but failed.
"We're stuck!"
Shikamaru's declaration made him look up. While clearly nervous, obvious from the tone, his best friend had seemingly accepted his condition.
He shifted his gaze and his eyes widened. Even their sensei had fallen prey to whatever it was; the man was trying to lift his feet but failing.
Fear began to grip his heart as he realized even the jonin—their best option was out of the game.
Hesitantly, he glanced towards his left and saw the new girl and even Naruto in a similar position. All hope that at least one of them had managed to escape, withered away.
"Damn it! Why did I accept this mission?!" Asuma glared over his shoulder. "If I die today, it will be on your hands, brats!"
"Now, now, don't be so hard on them, shinobi-san; they are just kids after all," A chuckle followed the words.
The Konoha shinobis followed the voice and saw two men standing on the tree branches. One didn't need to ask that they were twins.
They don't seem like shinobi.Tribe members, then? The Sarutobi mused. Apart from their farmer-like garbs with conical hats, the duo weren't wearing any hitai-ate, nor did they have any symbol indicating their affiliation.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked while inwardly cringing a bit at the rudeness of his voice.
The duo shared a glance before the one on the left smirked. "We are from the Mori tribe; that's all you need to know."
"Besides that beneath your feet, there is a special adhesive that hardens under even a slight pressure," The right one smirked too. "So, all your efforts are futile."
The Konoha jonin narrowed his eyes as a reaction. Inwardly, his mind was already running. Adhesive aside, for them to so easily reveal about their tribe, meant they were either stupid, lying or simply not concerned.
And, his experience had taught him that any of the options was plausible. "So, it's what? A tradition of your tribe to glue every passerby for useless chit-chat?" The snarky tone was definitely genuine this time.
The duo chuckled. "No," The one on the right shook his head. "Just the ones buying medical stuff from Hayakawa."
The one on the left also shook his head. "That stuff is hard to get."
"So," The right one picked up with a smirk. "For your sake as well as the kids', I advise you to hand over the supplies."
The son of Sandaime smirked back. "I don't need to move for both of you."
"Certainly," The left one shrugged with a grin. "But we ain't two."
Asuma cocked his head while offhandedly acknowledging the headache beginning to form due to the weird habit of the duo speaking in turns.
"Yup," The right one again picked up, a grin also forming on his face. "We are fifteen."
Thanks for the number, idiot. The Jonin mused. At the same time, a rustle of leaves drew his attention, and he shifted his gaze. Three more men had appeared at some distance above him, taking purchase on the branches.
Appearance wise, all three were the same; the only difference being the lack of conical hat atop the one in the middle. The guy had let his hair loose, a crown-like object, with beads in it, atop his head. He must be the leader.
"Take a look at your kids, shinobi-san," The leader voiced, a serious expression on his face. "They are frightened. The brown-haired one's even frozen in shock."
The Sarutobi slowly looked over his shoulder, eyes finding the brown-haired Uzumaki staring unblinkingly in his direction, as if actually frozen.
But he wasn't fooled.
He knew a poker face when he saw one, and the kid had a perfect one. What the hell are you teaching them, Kakashi? He mused in slight amazement. Beside the Uzumaki, Shikamaru was clearly nervous, the kid's face said so.
Behind them, Choji was practically oozing fear, the plump boy's eyes had flown wide and mouth parted.
Next to the Akimichi, the girl… Asuma actually blinked. The girl was practically sweating. He actually had to refrain himself from shaking his head in wonder. Benefits of being an ice-user, huh?
And, now it was his turn to keep appearances. Clenching his fist to the point his knuckles turned white, he spat. "Fine!" Withdrawing the pouch from his vest, he raised it towards the apparent leader.
"Throw it towards the ground."
The jonin simply released his hold. The pouch fell down, the lush leaves slowing down the descent and after a moment, it touched the ground, almost gently.
"Saito," The leader called out, looking towards the twins.
"Koji-sama," The twin on the left nodded and moved.
Grasping the pouch, Saito jumped back to his position, ending in a crouch, his possession proudly held in his hand.
"Now what?" Asuma asked with evident annoyance.
"Now, just cut your sandals and leave," Koji replied with the same neutral expression on his face. "Beware though, any deviation from my command will not be tolerated."
Scoffing, Asuma looked over his shoulder. "C'mon," Barking the order, and waiting as the genin crouched, he did the same.
Hand reached for the kunai holster, and as he gripped the weapon, a slight shift in his vision made him halt. Eyes narrowing, he took in the shadows.
The darkness was slowly receding.
Suddenly, the heat increased too.
He jerked his head upwards just in time to see a literal rain of small fireballs descending on them. Shit!
Koji watched with a slight frown as the fire slowly but merrily consumed everything in the clearing.
"They were kids."
The leader glanced to his left. "It was either them or us, Sora; these tree huggers would have definitely retaliated."
They were but a small tribe living in forests. An attack from the strongest of the major villages would have wiped away their present, future as well as history.
He recalled from several years ago the fate of the Eda tribe. The members of the tribe had left a shinobi squad alive by taking only the supplies.
By the next morning, all the men in the tribe had mysteriously disappeared.
Praying for their souls, and taking a last glance at the fire and ensuing smoke, Koji began to turn. Pausing mid-turn, he met the gaze of his second in command. "Put out the flames in a minute."
Sora nodded.
Koji raised his hand. "Let's—"
"Koji-sama!"
The frantic and confused tone echoing through the clearing, the leader quickly whirled back. His eyes immediately zoned in towards the empty hand of the twin.
"It dispelled into smoke!" Saito shouted
Only a moment later, realization dawned on his visage, and Koji shouted. "It was a decoy! Douse the flames! Quickly!"
Sora hastily made the hand seals and sprayed a jet of water on the flames, successfully extinguishing them in a matter of seconds.
Smoke quickly enveloped the clearing as well as the surrounding trees.
"Quick! Try to find the pouch! It must be in a secured scroll or something!" Koji motioned with his hands. "Everyone! Go! Go! And someone clear the damn smoke!"
As his men jumped into the smoky clearing, he thought of the tactic employed by the Konoha shinobis. Handing them a fake while escaping with the original— a simple tactic.
He thought of lamenting himself for falling to such a basic tactic, but nobody could have considered the fake pouch — what jutsu could actually fake an inanimate object, and that too, to such detail?
"Everyone! Go! Go! And someone clear the damn smoke!"
Heeding to the command of their leader, Saito pushed off the branch…
… but found himself being pulled backwards. A hand suddenly clasped around his mouth, and at the same time, a kunai was put at his throat.
He immediately stilled.
Then, his face was forcefully turned, and the sight made his eyes flow wide open.
Despite the thick smoke, he could see his brother in a similar situation as him, and the supposedly dead Konoha jonin standing behind.
Wha—
The kunai moved and blood sprayed out from Kaito's neck. Tears appearing in his eyes, Saito witnessed an expression of naked horror on his twin's face before smoke enveloped the latter's form.
Next moment, the brown-haired kid appeared in the exact position. With the same frozen-esque expression on face, the genin transformed.
Into him or rather his brother.
No! Plea—
His head was suddenly pressed into the kunai, the sharp blade smoothly cutting the skin.
As his breaths began to turn heavy, nary a sound escaping from the covered mouth, he realized the jonin actually intended for him to see their plan.
A scroll appeared in his vision—that was the last thing he saw before his sight blackened.
The smoke was blown away.
Koji's eyes widened as he took heed of a dome made of ice around where the shinobis were supposedly burnt alive.
While Konoha shinobis using ice jutsus was surprising, it wasn't a far-fetched notion as the village harbored the most number of clans with all sorts of abilities. It's definitely the work of the jonin.
"Halt!" He quickly shouted, and everyone immediately obliged. The men jumped backwards, taking positions on tree branches around the dome.
"Blow the top; if they are in there, so are the supplies."
"Hai," Sora quickly ignited an explosive tag, stuck it to a kunai, and hurled the weapon towards the dome.
Boom!
The top fell down.
Koji breathed a sigh of relief on seeing the slashed sandals. The supplies were fine; the shinobis had managed to escape.
Well, most of them. He mused looking at the sole black-haired girl gazing at them with frightened eyes. He couldn't help but feel a slight pity for her.
Teammates were supposed to have your back, and Konoha boasted of the greatest teamwork among the shinobi villages. But clearly, it was only that—a boast when it came to a life and death situation.
"Sora," Slight regret reared its head, and he again sighed. "… Kill her."
The man immediately jumped down on the ice surface, clearly deciding to take matters into his own hands, not wanting to repeat the previous failed attempt.
The girl opened her mouth but no sound came.
Sora averted his eyes from the pleading eyes staring directly into his soul. But acknowledging the need of the deed, he smoothly plunged the kunai straight into her neck.
The girl's body turned crystal white.
Ice suddenly shot up from it and too quickly crawled over the kunai holding hand, following towards the rest of the body.
Sora didn't even have time to blink before he was frozen alive, ice ending up forming the shape of his body.
A clone?! Alarmed, Koji opened his mouth but a glint from his right caught his eye. His hand shot up, catching the approaching wrist holding the kunai.
Twisting the limb, and pulling who was supposed to be his man, towards himself, the leader stabbed the attacker with own weapon.
All the while, looking ahead and taking in the other three attackers who had met the same fate.
Smoke immediately covered the attackers' forms. Henge and hide in our ranks—once again, they managed to outwit us.
Still, what's done is done. Musing, the leader waited for the smoke to subside.
A moment passed.
Smoke slowly parted.
And, revealed the brown-haired boy who stared back.
He's glowing?!
BOOM!
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, taking heed of his shaking hands. "I saw my death before my eyes…"
"We-we were so c-close to it…" Choji managed to wheeze out, face pale.
Asuma crouched before them and put his hands on their heads. "Don't worry, you're safe," He added a smile for consolation.
They had just assumed that the tribe members would be after the supplies only, and after giving them a henged pouch— courtesy of Naruto — they would leave.
But the tribe members had actually tried to kill them. Only Haku's unique ability had helped in a timely escape.
The sensei sighed. His genin were woefully unprepared for such situations.
Rectification would be done, but now, they needed to turn the tables. "I need you—"
Halting, he processed the new memories before looking at the Uzumaki.
"Your clones had managed to infiltrate their ranks; the next course of action?" They hadn't gotten enough time to actually iron out the details; the kid had just asked his clone to trust.
Haku had supported the boy's decision.
Besides, there was no need to worry as the Uzumaki himself had planned to use shadow clones only.
"A melee attack."
Asuma nodded. "Beware though, a melee attack is most prone to miss and reversal," he had his fair share of experience.
"That's the plan."
The Sarutobi cocked his head. The plan was to have the clones stabbed…? Only one consequence could follow. "Assuming the clones survive, your henge will dispel."
Naruto nodded.
"Covering you in smoke."
Having opened his mouth to speak, the Uzumaki paused and curiously looked at the pineapple haired boy.
"You need smoke to conceal your clones, so, it isn't a sudden attack but one that would require a moment or two to work," Shikamaru finished with a shaky smile.
Naruto shared a glance with Haku who too was a bit surprised. Nodding, he looked back at the jonin who had a proud smile. "The smoke will conceal the glow of Bunshin Daibakuha. It takes a couple of seconds to explode."
That was an ingenious plan. Asuma mused to himself while lighting a cigarette. Though he and Haku had also contributed, the Uzumaki had done the major work.
The supposedly dead last had displayed a remarkable level of strategy making — something which couldn't be taught in two months, even by Sharingan no Kakashi.
Deciding to look into the matter later, he took in the aftermath of the explosions.
Their opponents were left in chaos. Already, he could make out four charred bodies, one even of the leader.
A couple of shouts filled the clearing before placating was done, and soon nods were exchanged.
Next moment, the men were fanning out. Two went towards ten o' clock, two towards two o' clock, and two came in his direction.
Asuma took a drag from his cigarette and whirled around. Diving for the branch, he swung on it, twisted and brought his blade down.
Clank!
His opponent, a similarly bearded man, parried his attack with a tanto, while glaring at him, clearly too angry to be surprised.
Let's change that. The Sarutobi flicked his tongue, hurling the cigarette towards the man; the projectile, on leaving his mouth, immediately caught fire. Gotta love wind chakra!
Eyes widening, his opponent ducked under the projectile, getting surprised for a moment.
A moment which Asuma exploited and seamlessly slit the man's throat with his blade.
The man dispelled into leaves.
A leaf clone? The irony… The jonin whirled around, parrying the tanto coming from his left, sparks ensuing from the clash.
He opened his mouth but gasped as pain registered. Slowly, he glanced down to see a tanto sticking from his chest.
Shifting his vision up, he saw the image of his opponent shimmering away.
"Leaf aided genjutsu," The voice came from behind. "My specialty."
Asuma dispelled into blades of wind.
The bearded opponent cried in pain as cuts appeared along his body, the blades of wind slashing him due to proximity.
"Wind clone," The Sarutobi voiced, appearing behind the wounded man. "My speciality."
"DIE YOU KONOHA SCUM!"
Raising an eyebrow at the shout, the jonin took heed of the kunai darting towards him. Casually, he pulled the wounded man in the path of the approaching weapon.
At the same time, throwing his own blade towards the bald attacker who, to his credit, dodged by turning parallel to the projectile, the blade missing by a mere centimeter and penetrating the tree trunk behind.
The attacker released a breath.
Blood sprayed out.
The bald man gasped, covering his throat in futility.
Asuma landed near him and kicked him down the branch, while removing his stuck blade. Wind chakra is invisible, fool…
Jumping from the trees, the duo landed on the ground.
Asahi glanced around but Daichi blinked and confusedly looked down. The landing hadn't been as soft as was supposed to be on grass.
He cocked his head. The grass underneath his feet was flattened in a rectangular area. Wha– A glint caught his eye, and he realized it was actually a really clear transparent rectangular block underneath his feet. A mirror… His eyes widened in shock. ICE!
Ice suddenly shot up from the block, enveloping and practically freezing the man in a go.
Asahi immediately jumped backwards, then jumped up and landed on a branch.
And gasped.
At that moment, something thin and sharp was pressed into his neck. He went still.
"You should see where you're stepping on."
Feeling the cool breath on his ear from the whisper– of female–he slowly glanced down, finding no resistance, and turned his foot.
Only to see a senbon impaling it.
"A special poison that will slowly kill you; right now your vocal chords are seized; only muscle movement is possible," A pause. "So, I suggest you run; hopefully you will reach your tribe in time."
The senbon at his neck was withdrawn.
He whirled around but found no one, even tried to shout but no sound came.
Some moments passed.
Heaving heavily, he clenched his fists before darting towards the trees.
Aoto landed on the branch. Using the guise of the leaves, he glanced around. Finding nothing out of ordinary, he turned around, hand raised to signal but his eyes widened.
A kunai was flying towards his redhead partner.
He opened his mouth to shout but halted as the redhead calmly glanced at the projectile and dodged at the last moment by tilting the head.
Aoto sighed in relief as the weapon sailed harmlessly beside his partner's neck.
Smoke suddenly engulfed the kunai from which a hand shot out, clasping the redhead's shoulder.
"Riko!"
Riko reacted quickly though. Grasping the wrist, he pulled and hurled the perpetrator towards the ground.
It was the brown haired brat, Aoto mused in surprise. The boy struck the ground and dispelled into smoke. No trick this time, thankfully.
By now, no doubt was left that it was this brat who had left their plan in pieces. First the pouch, then the explosive glowing clone, and now this… clearly, they had underestimated the genin.
"Pesky brat," Riko muttered, landing near, eyes darting around.
Aoto nodded, also scouting for the shinobi. The genin was somewhere around; undoubtedly, they had to stick close. "Let's—"
A puff of smoke drew their attention.
Where was he hiding?! Aoto mused in shock, seeing the brown-haired boy, amidst the wisps of smoke, standing above them on a branch, hands in a ram seal.
Riko spurred into action. Withdrawing his tanto, he made to throw–
"Juryoku no Fuin! Activate!"
The tanto falling from his hand, the redhead suddenly went rigid and also fell down.
Aoto immediately shot towards the descending body, catching the redhead, before landing and gently putting the body down.
A whirring sound filled the clearing.
He turned to look towards the shinobi who had his palm pointed towards them, a miniature tornado rotating in front.
Shit! Sorry Riko…
Having no desire to face the wind jutsu, Aoto dashed towards the forests before jumping up the trees.
Naruto halted the attack, the wind tornado dissipating while seals along his arm disappeared.
Sparing a glance at the other black-haired man who disappeared amongst the trees, he threw a kunai towards the prone redhead.
The weapon impaled the heart.
A moment passed.
A hoot echoed in the trees.
The Uzumaki smiled. "Thank you, Aki-san."
A second later, the black-haired man suddenly fell down from the trees, colliding with the branches along the way before hitting the ground.
Landing near the river, Asuma breathed a sigh of relief, watching the ferry approaching the shore.
"Guess we won't have to wait," With a reassuring smile, he turned towards his genin, Shikamaru and Choji immediately getting relieved expressions on their faces.
Naruto and Haku were obviously unshaken.
The ferry reached the shore.
The Konoha jonin approached the boat, and grasped the wooden edges for support as the people onboard began to get out.
A couple of them voiced their gratitude with smiles.
No later, the ferry was empty.
As the civilians began to sort out their belongings, the Sarutobi nodded towards his team.
Shikamaru went first followed by Choji; the boat shaking a bit as the plump boy sat down. Asuma mentally chuckled while stabilizing the—
"Naruto-san!"
The bearded jonin quickly turned just in time to see Haku pushing the Uzumaki away, and in the process, getting impaled by a senbon.
Eyes immediately focused towards the group of civilians who were already beginning to run, thus singling out the attacker standing his ground with a crazed smile.
In a moment, he noted his appearance while beginning to move. Hastily cut down hair with… he paused, recognising the man's face. It was one of the attackers from the Mori—
"Kagemane no jutsu! Success!
Halting mid attack, the sensei took heed of the words before witnessing Choji's human bullet tank rushing towards the attacker
The attacker being taken care of, and while feeling a bit proud at his genin overcoming their fears, he quickly went for the ice user, worried for her safety.
From his position on the ground, with wide terrified eyes, Naruto watched as Haku slowly fell down.
No…!
Next chapter: CHUNIN EXAMS BEGIN!
I plan to blow your minds with them!
Now, some clarifications, in case you missed: -
It's in canon that Shikamaru refers Naruto by dead last even in chunin exams.
There is a story behind how Yurei came into existence. Yamamoto didn't actually choose a random name for Naruto, as evident from Tsunade's thoughts. But it will be revealed later on after Gara rescue mission in shippuden :D
The kunai naruto placed before jumping out of the forest was the clone which went for town exploration.
I believe wind chakra is invisible; it has been used like that in many fics if I recall correctly.
If it isn't clear, Naruto's plan was to get stabbed by the mori tribe members so that henge will dispel, covering him in smoke in which he could activate bunshin daibakuha while concealing as the jutsu's glow augments.
Yup, Haku has an ice clone. I could have used spikes protruding from the ice clone and impaling the man but that would have gone against Haku's character. So, her clone freezes the attacker.
During Naruto's fight, the fleeing man was killed by Aki the owl — the same as from the fight with Zabuza.
Haku's ice dome getting blown by a tag was on purpose.
DO REVIEW AND SUPPORT!