AN: To everyone that read the first chapter of Kitsune Inu Youkai and enjoyed it I'm glad that I could write it for you. Chapter 3 is already in the works so you will be able to wet your appetite for fanfiction some more. I'd also like to give shout outs to the first 23 people who reviewed my story initially, all your comments were taken with consideration but there are a few specifics I'd like to really thank proper:
the DragonBard: I have to give this guy his due he gave such nicely put criticism, that he just has to be the first that I give an author shout out to.
slicerness: I understand how you feel but, I thought it would work best for this story, I'll try toning down name changing in the future if you continue to read my works.
Jrf Steel: Naruto will become powerful in likeness to Sesshomaru but I won't throw away from the shinobi roots he had instilled in himself to do so. Besides he still needs to explore his new found transformation anyway and that is always fun to write about.
Deathmvp: Your post was funny and I agree he should have a vassel just as Sesshomaru did, however his will be strong and able to handle combat. I don't want to try doing crossovers for this story just yet but throw some Naruto characters my way you think could be a good retainer for him and I'll consider them.
Bahamut knight: I want the oc to be in as well but it's up to the amount of votes they get. If they don't get into the harem they will still play an integral part to the story.
Gravity the Wizard: You are fast becoming one of my fav reviewers, you have such enthusiasm for my stories and I thank you. Also Destiny Altered's next chapter is coming very soon with some saucy lemons thrown in for ya, so I hope you enjoy.
"Be gone pest!"- Normal speech
'Be gone pest!' - Normal Thoughts
"Be gone pest!" - Demon speech
"Begone pest!" - Demon thoughts
Begone Pest!- Locations
Begone Pest- Jutsu
Disclaimer: Look to the first chapter I ain't wasting breath.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 2- Preliminary Faces Off
In the Center of the Forest of Death
"So now that the rules have been explained let's get underway. First, is there anyone who doesn't think they can continue on with the exams? At this point dropping out won't hurt any of your teammate's chances to pass." Hayate pointed out while looking over all the genin.
"...I quit proctor, I can't continue on." A voice rang out which caused people to look and see Yakushi Kabuto with his hand raised as he stepped out of the lines and began heading for the doors without sparing a glance.
"Is there anyone else that wishes to quit now is the moment to say so...All right now because there are so many of you, someone is going to have to fight twice. We will decide with this, bring it out." Hayate said as he looked over the genin once more before motioning for something to be brought out..
Whirring sound caught everyone's attention as they looked up where the stone hands were to see a large Stadium screen reveal itself on both sides as they slid into position while lighting up at the same time.
"The genin that is battling twice is...Uzumaki Naruto. Do you have a problem with that arrangement?" Hayate revealed as the board stopped on a name causing many to look at him for his reply.
" 'I will have to also rectify that notion as well when I speak with Hokage-sama' No I'm fine with it." Sesshomaru replied while looking disinterested with the entire affair.
"Let's find out who the first two combatants are." Hayate and everyone else looked to the screens, some with eager, some in dread and some with aloofness.
Time seemed to slow down the longer the randomizer took to select two names but soon it rang out that it had made its decision. Everyone looked to see Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi was displayed on the screen, they looked down to see a smile slide onto Sasuke's face at fighting first.
"The first match is Uchiha Sasuke vs Akado Yoroi, everyone else please vacate the arena floor by using the stairs to the balcony so we can begin." Hayate said as his voice rang out as best it could before walking down a ways to wait as referee.
People started clearing out to make way for the two fighters, as Sasuke went to step forward he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to glance a man that wore the normal attire for a jounin, however he had a few oddities about him such as the navy blue facemask he wore in conjunction with his hia-tae that was slanted over his left eye. Another thing was his gravity defying silver hair that was unique amongst the ranks of Kohona, in his free hand was a small orange book entitled Icha Icha Make out tactics. This man was the world renowned Hatake Kakashi an S-rank shinobi of Konoha and the jounin-sensei to team 7.
"Sasuke, I heard about what happened in the forest. Try not to rely on your Sharingan during this fight." Kakashi said with a bored tone as he looked at his student with a lazy eye.
"What? Then how am I suppose to fight if I can't use my Sharingan?"Sasuke replied as he looked at his teacher with a scowl on his face.
"Maa, maa, Sasuke don't pout. Just think of it as a small handicap to prepare you for the future. Good luck." Kakashi replied with an eye smile as only he could before walking off with his nose buried in his book.
Sasuke just walked forward with a scowl on his face as he tried to size up his opponent whom he reconized as one of Kabuto's stoic teammates. Yori wore simple clothing for a genin along with dark shades and a hanging bandana around his mouth.
Sasuke vs Yoroi
"Okay the first match of the Chunnin Exams, Uchiha Sasuke vs Akado Yoroi. Ready... Hajime(Fight)!" Hayate called once everyone was clear of the floor and he saw both combatants were ready, he signaled the fight then jumped back a bit to give them space.
Sasuke and Yoroi just stared each other down while people in the balconies just watched on how this match would go. They each pulled out a kunai and rushed forward head on, they met in a clang of steel as they fought a stalemate with their strength, Yoroi lashed out with a punch which Sasuke ducked under then returned a punch of his own that Yoroi dodged by jumping back while tossing his kunai at Sasuke who knocked it away with a timed swing.
"Too slow, Uchiha!" Yoroi said as he closed the gap quickly and was throwing a punch at Sasuke with a visible blue flame around it. Sasuke managed to sidestep the punch barely and watched as his shirt ripped slightly from the missed attack, then he tried hitting Yoroi with a snap kick which he caught and Sasuke felt a pulling sensation through his body. He quickly hit Yoroi in the stomach with his other foot causing him to stumble back as Sasuke rolled away to assess the situation.
"What in the world was that? It felt as if my chakra was being sucked out?" Sasuke questioned to himself but he didn't have long to think about it as he was instantly on the defensive from Yoroi's overwhelming attack that he dodged with hair line precision.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Up in the stands everyone was watching as Sasuke continued to dance around his opponents strikes in an effort to not get hit.
"Come on, Sasuke fight back!" Sakura cheered as she watched him dance around Yoroi's attacks.
Kakashi to the untrained eye may have looked like he was reading his book but, he was watching the match along with everyone else. "What will you do now that you're on defense Sasuke?" Kakashi thought as he looked on, his musing were broken by a feminine voice.
"Kakashi, looks like your genin is having a tough time down there. And do you have to read that smut now?" the voice said with a hint of anger and disgust about at the end when speaking about the book as the person got close enough.
Kakashi glanced over at his fellow jounin, she was a kunoichi of extreme beauty with perfectly unblemished skin that was accentuate by her raven black locks that hung to the small of her back and the unique white and red dress that seemed to be made of bandages. Another unique feature about her were her wine colored crimson orbs that could be mistaken for the Uchiha kekkei genkai at first glance. This was Yuuhi Kurenai, a renowned Genjutsu specialist and the jounin-sensei for team 8.
"I wouldn't count Sasuke out just yet Kurenai. As for my choice of book, if I don't read it how will I find out what happens at the end?" Kakashi replied in the same bored tone as he turned a page in his book.
Kurenai could offer nothing but a small glare at the silver haired nin as she turned her attention back to the match.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back on the arena floor, Sasuke was still on the run as he couldn't get an opening to attack from as he ducked another haymaker punch and tried a backfist to Yoroi's gut which was dodged by a sidestep before Yoroi continued his assault.
"What's the matter Uchiha, scared to fight? Well hold still and I promise the match will be over in a flash!" the mask wearing genin taunted as he attacked in a frenzy while still trying to land a hit on the bouncing Uchiha.
Sasuke kept up the dodging as he looked for an opening. "Come on Sasuke, you've been on defense for too long. It's time to hit back." He said as he managed to hit Yoroi in the head with a right hook then he flashed through seals and put his hand to his mouth
Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)
Sasuke went to launch his jutsu when his body suddenly seized with pain like he never felt before, He fell to a knee in pain which gave Yoroi the opening he was looking for as he ran over and hit Sasuke in the jaw with a shattering right knee. Sasuke's whole world blossomed into pain as he sailed briefly through the air and landed roughly as he skid for a few more feet before coming to a stop, Yoroi didn't waste his advantage as he rushed over and kicked Sasuke back to the ground as he was just getting up. Sasuke then felt a sensation that overrode the pain, his chakra leaving him. He looked up to see Yoroi's hand clenched on his head, he raised his arms to try throwing him off only to find himself growing weaker by the minute.
"You like? This is my Chakra Kyuushuu no Jutsu(Chakra Absorption Technique). And guess what I'm not gonna let you go until I've drained every last drop of your chakra from your body." Yoroi laughed as he watched Sasuke struggle and scream to get free.
Back to the sidelines, people were drawing their own conclusion to the match.
"Heh looks like Sasuke's done for now." Inuzuka Kiba said with a chuckle as he watched Sasuke's predicament.
"Take that back dog breath! There's no way that Sasuke-kun could lose to a guy like that." Ino cried as she watched her crush get his chakra sucked out.
At Ino's jab about his breath Kiba tried to launch himself at her only to be held back by his stoic teammate Aburame Shino. The jounins just looked on with an observing eye as the match went on.
"Still think your kid has a shot Kakashi? From here it looks as if he's reached his limit."Kurenai asked without taking her eyes from the arena.
"I'm not ready to give my opinion just yet. 'Is this really all that you have Sasuke? Maybe it was a mistake to enter you guys in this year's exams.' " Kakashi replied as he looked at his student down below.
Down in the arena, Sasuke struggled as much as he could with his strength waning, as Yoroi continued to absorb his chakra. "I can't let it end like this, not after I survived that fight with that woman." Sasuke used to motivate himself as he urged his body to move as he gripped Yoroi's hand on his head and threw him off with a burst of strength then rolled over to his knees while looking at his opponent.
"Hmph so you managed to get free, well I'll correct my mistake and take the rest of your chakra!" Yoroi said as he sprinted forward with chakra covering his hands again.
Sasuke managed to get to his feet at the last minute and resumed his dodge although he knew that in the back of his mind he couldn't last much longer and needed to end the fight now. Not wanting to end up in pain again Sasuke forsook using his Sharingan as he seemed to vanish from Yoroi's line of sight in a flash.
"Where did he-" Was all Yoroi could form with his mind before pain blossomed in his jaw, glancing down at the last moment he saw Sasuke's foot outstretched to the sky here he kicked Yoroi and the rest of him in a half crouch against the area floor only to jump and appear underneath the airborne Yoroi.
Gai and Lee were beside themselves at Sasuke using partial moves of the Goken Style.
"Simply amazing Uchiha Sasuke! You continue to prove yourself of the title genius and being worthy to be my eternal rival! "Lee screamed as he watch Sasuke fight.
"That's the way my student, not only was Sasuke able to perform the Konoha Senpu(Konoha Hurricane), but now he's setup for an attack by using the Kage Buyo(Shadow of the Dancing Leaf)!" Gai said as he joined his student in a joyous cry and hug as a sunset appeared in the background behind them, causing many to wonder if they were trapped in a genjutsu.
"GAI-SENSEI!"
"LEE!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
"LEE!"
Of course this would have went on forever and scarred many a person not use to their antics; had Tenten not put an end to the shouting by using a mallet that she pulled from seemingly nowhere and bashed them both once on the head.
"That's enough of you two! Can't you both act normal for once?"Tenten asked the spandex wearing duo as they cowered under her fury as long as she wielded the powerful hammer.
"G-gomen Tenten-chan we are truly sorry."
"That's right we will behave in the future." Gai and Lee offered to their weapon wielding teammate as they hugged each other for dear life until she stepped away and left them to their own devices.
"Gai-sensei, that was amazing. How did she instill such fear as well as pull that mallet from nowhere?" Lee asked two seconds later having seemingly forgotten his moment of terror.
"Lee my most youthful student, it's a most important lesson of life that I will pass onto you so you may be better prepared for the future. Now.." Gai replied as he too stood not a second later with his nice-guy pose going full blast as Rock Lee looked on with an expression of awe as he wrote down what his sensei was saying with rapt attention.
Back in the battle with Sasuke he appeared under Yoroi with a scowl on his face. "I'll admit that the kick was taken but from here on in, it's all original." Sasuke said as he put two fingers to Yoroi's back only for his body to spasm in pain again as the seal on his shoulder tried to active causing the flame like markings to spread across his body slowly which provoked different actions out of certain individuals.
"Kukuku, that's it Sasuke. Show me you have what it takes to handle the overwhelming power I've given you." A certain snake sannin disguised as the jounin-sensei for the Oto team thought with a smile as he watched his seal in progress spread across the young boy.
Sarutobi silently watched as the curse mark activated on Sasuke, he didn't signal his Anbu to move in just yet because he wanted to see how this situation would develop first. Anko on the other hand was gripping the railing so tight, her knuckles popped from the pressure she was putting on them as her eyes confirmed what Orochimaru told her in the Forest of Death. She wanted to stop the match and get Sasuke to a secure location to try and remove the damned thing but knew that the Hebi-teme was somewhere close by watching for any signs of his plans going awry.
"Why does is hurt? It didn't do anything like this when I woke up!" Sasuke mused as he body continued to be racked with pain, until he heard a dark whisper in the recess of his mind.
"You will belong to me, now use the power that I give freely" The voice whispered with an oily undertone as the curse markings flared and pulsed red as it's influence began to spread across Sasuke's psyche.
"No! I will not let this thing control me. I have a goal to fulfill and I will achieve it no matter what!" Sasuke mentally shouted with determination as he exerted control over the curse mark and suppressed its influence which caused the curse mark to recede.
"Amazing, he's actually fighting of the curse mark through sheer will alone!" Anko thought as she watched this spectacle with unbelieving eyes.
"Sorry about that, let's finish up this match of ours." Sasuke said after regaining control of his body and putting his hands back in place on his opponent's back.
Yoroi tried to punch Sasuke who avoided the blow by rolling the opposite way and hitting the boy in the chest with a back fist. Then Sasuke rolled again and struck with a kick followed by a kick to the other side, as the ground got completely close Sasuke rolled until he brought himself around and hit Yoroi dead in the chest with an axe kick while calling out the name of his new taijutsu move as his opponent's back slammed into the ground and knocking him unconscious.
Shishi Rendan(Lion's Combo)
Sasuke rolled backwards off his opponent as Yoroi was sent packing, he over shot and would have kept rolling were it not for the timely arrival of Kakashi to halt him further.
"Shousha(Winner), Uchiha Sasuke!" Hayate called while checking for Yoroi's pulse and signaling for medic's as he pointed to Sasuke who was breathing shallow from the fight.
"Well now you managed to pull of the win, now let's take care of that Curse mark." Kakashi said with a eye smile before he put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and used a Shunshin no Jutsu to whisk him away to a secure location.
With the spectators on the balcony, people were talking about the match.
"That Kakashi. Well it seems that Sasuke has set the standard by going first. You think you kids have a chance of stacking up Kurenai?" Asuma observed as he stood looking at how many cigarettes he had left..
"I think so, they've been training for this non stop. I believe they will do well. What do you think Gai?" Kurenai replied while narrowing her eyes at what she know that Asuma wanted at the moment to soothe the nicotine urge in his bloodstream.
"Huh looks like Konoha's genin might have talent after all." Sabaku no Kankuro commented with a brief chuckle while watching as Yoroi is carted off by the team of medic.
"I'll believe it when I see it Kankuro. To me it seemed like they were just trying to show off their prized Sharingan user more than the real skill of their Shinobi." Came from Suna's jounin-sensei Baki as he scoped out the rest of the competition.
"Let's see who the next two contestants are for the second match." Hayate said as he got everyone's attention glued to the randomizer after Yoroi was moved from the arena floor.
Once again certain people were hoping to be next so they could show off their power, while others wished that they were pushed back on the call list. Finally the screen slowed down before comeing to a stop.
"The next pair of combatants are-"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In the basement of the Forest Tower
Sasuke found himself situated in the middle of a circle made entirely of seals with candles all around, he briefly glanced at the room while Kakashi was preparing for whatever he had planned. The room was large and spacious with pillars as far as the eye could see, as well in the dark anyway. Sasuke soon felt a sensation on his skin and looked up to see Kakashi with a calligraphy brush drawing something on his neck where the seal was.
"What exactly are you doing?" Sasuke asked while trying to get as good a look as he could.
"Hold still and I'll tell you when I'm done...There all finished. Now then to answer your question, this seal on your neck will help keep the curse mark in check. However you should know that the seal I just put on you will be powered directly by your will to resist the curse mark's influence, so you need to take caution that you don't give in to that seal on your neck." Kakashi said as he pulled the brush from Sasuke's neck and began to put his tools away.
"So this will help stop it?" Sasuke asked while looking over his shoulder at his sensei.
"More or less with your direction of course. Now then turn back around so we can finish this and be done." Kakashi replied as he began to blur through handsigns with practiced ease, once he was done he put his hand over the curse mark on Sasuke's collar and completed his seal.
Fuuja Houin(Evil Sealing Method)
As soon as the words left Kakashi's lips, the flames of the candles in the room all flickered towards the middle of the circle where power was beginning to build. Sasuke started to scream in pain as the seals on the floor began to race up his body and form around the curse mark in the correct pattern to form the seal that Kakashi intended to use. The moment the seal was done etching itself to Sasuke's neck, he passed out from the exhaustion.
"My my, your skills have certainly improved Kakashi-kun." came a voice from within the room which had Kakashi spinning around with his Sharingan exposed and a kunai in hand.
"Who's there, come out right now." Kakashi ordered as he prepared for a fight if need be to protect his student.
Orochimaru stepped into the dim light that the wall torches provided for the room, which put Kakashi completely on high alert to the Sannin's presence here.
"Orochimaru I should have known. What are you doing here? And I have to warn you the wrong answer could cost you." Kakashi warned as he gripped his right arm with his left and charged a huge amount of Lightning chakra in to his hand to create his Raikiri(Lightning Blade).
"I'm merely checking on my future investment but, believe me when I say that if I wanted to take Sasuke from here you wouldn't be able to stop me." Orochimaru replied as he looked at Kakashi with an amused expression on his face.
"Just go ahead and try it." Kakashi fired back as he pumped even more chakra into his jutsu which cause cracks in the ground where the lightning gathered and sparked.
"You certainly make me laugh, relax though I'm merely a shadow clone. Although if you still want to try your hand at beating me your more than welcome to try. Just kidding you be sure to keep my investment there safe and sound or I'll be back to destroy you outright." Orochimaru challenged with a smile as he pulled out a kunai, only to turn around and leave the area via fading from existence while his voice projected the last thing he wanted to say.
Kakashi waited until he was sure that Orochimaru was gone before he slowly released his hold on the lightning chakra building in his hand, after recovering his single Sharingan Kakashi turned around to pick up Sasuke.
"What in Kami's name was I when I thought, I could go toe to toe with a Sannin and win?" Kakashi asked as he slung Sasuke's unconscious form over his shoulder and started for the hospital.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sometime later in the arena for the Prelims
Naruto was being increasingly annoyed with the amount of time it was taking for all these matches to start and finish, the fights he witnessed so far were one sided and unimpressive. That and it was taking a long time for him to battle despite being the one person to fight more than once today.
Second Match
During Shino's match, his opponent Zaku was outmatched by the young Aburame and didn't realize that the holes in the palms of his hand were being blocked with Kikaichu from Shino's Muchi Bunshin(Bug Clone). So when he went to use his Zankuukyokuha(Ultimate Air Slicing Blast) to try destroying Shino who had the fight in the bag, he blew his arms completely off at the elbows instead.
Third Match
Sabaku no Kankuro and Tsurigi faced off against each other, yet it was no surprise that Kankuro came out on top using Suna' legendary Kugutsu no Jutsu(Art of Puppetry). Especially when Tsurigi's only real jutsu was one called Nan no Kaizo(Soft Physique Modification) that allowed the users limbs to becom willow like, which didn't help any when his neck was snapped by Kankuro's puppet named Karasu(Crow) after using Kawarami no Jutsu(Replacement Technique) to switch places with it to catch Tsurigi.
Fourth Fight
Kakashi had reappeared by this time to witness Sakura face off against her rival Ino, words and weak attacks were exchanged between the girls as they battled with academy style Bunshin(Clone) until Ino managed to catch Sakura with her clan's jutsu Shintenshin no Jutsu(Mind Transfer Technique). Ino was going to force Sakura to say that she forfeited until Naruto called out to his pink haired teammate and told her to prove that she wasn't here just for show suffice to say that his words sparked interest in certain people including his sensei who just filed it away until he could talk about it in private, after that statement Sakura somehow kicked Ino's spirit out of her body and they resumed their fight which ended in a double knockout from the equal haymakers the girls gave each other. When it was all said and done and both girls came to a bit later they made up and their friendship was mended somewhat.
Fifth Match
Naruto could honestly say he was looking forward to the fight between Sabaku no Temari and Higurashi Tenten, a match between two long ranged specialist. Unfortunately this match proved to be a mismatch as everyone found, out that Temari's being a wind user trumped Tenten's ability to hit her target with pinpoint accuracy. So when Tenten attempted to turn Temari into a pincushion with her Soshoryu(Twin Rising Dragons) ace in the hole and it failed, the wind user retaliated with an attack of her own after opening her Battle fan all the way to reveal three purpule moons on it. Tenten was unprepared as she was hit directly with Temari's Kamaitachi no Jutsu(Great Cutting Whirlwind Technique), and she found her self receiving cuts all over her body as she was trapped in a Whirlwind pillar. After that she ended up landing on the end of Temari's fan before being tossed off, needless to say this cause a heated argument between Temari who was pleased with her win and Rock lee with how she treated his teammate.
Sixth Match and Seventh Match
As theses two matches took place, Naruto couldn't help but analyze the foreign teams, as Kiri faced off with Iwa in the sixth match and then Kumo faced off against Kohona. As Kiri and Iwa battled it out that became the first interesting match of the day, as both genin exploded out the gate from the start and entered a very decent taijutsu exchange that broke apart into a ninjutsu battle. Basically it came down to who wanted the win more as both fighters were evenly matched in just about every area, so every one was impressed when the genin named Ryuga of Iwa came out on top despite have the elemental disadvantage during the fight.
Match Seven was all right a well, Omoi from Kumo faced off against Inuzuka Kiba. Naruto couldn't doubt that both were good fighters in their chosen area of combat. Omoi demonstrated his skilkl in Kenjutsu and lightning attacks while Kiba showed of his clan's techniques, Omoi tried to catch Kiba early with a Kumo favorite known as Raiton: Raikyu(Lightning Release: Lightning ball) but, Kiba proved his decent speed as he outran the jutsu and hit Omoi dead on only to find out that Omoi switched with a Raiton Bunshin(Lightning Clone) and was jolted badly with electricity. He would have lost to Omoi were it not for the assist from his ninken(Ninja dog) Akamaru who distracted Omoi long enough for Kiba to shake off the lightning, then Kiba used Kombi Henge on Akamaru to make a clone of himself next they both used the Inuzuka clan technique called Shikyaku no Jutsu(Four Legs Technique) which allowed them increased speed and endurance as well as an increased level of feralness while fighting. Omoi was able to hold them both off with well timed blocks and evasions but ultimately lost due to Kiba and Akamaru using another clan jutsu called Gatsuuga(Double Drill Fang) which was proved too fast and overwhelmed him giving Kiba the win.
Eighth Match
This match really had everyone tense and on edge as Hyuuga's Hinata and Neji faced off against each other, and before the fight even begun Neji tried to psychologically tear Hinata down due to some old hatred that grew within the famous clan. She took his words to heart and almost quit before looking up at Naruto, as violet met blue an entire conversation passed between them. When Hinata refocused her gaze on her opponent many people were surprised to see a burning fire of determination in her eyes, the moment the fight began both Hyuugas activated their Byakugans and fell into the clan's Juken Ryuu(Gentle Fist Style) and attacked with a graceful fury that left many breathless. Back and forth the two Byakugan users battled in an effort to overwhelm the other with lethal strikes to the body, after a very heated fight in which Hinata pushed her cousin back he revealed that the tenketsu in her arm were closed since the beginning of the match.
More words were exchanged between the two Hyuuga, resulting in Neji trying once more to dissuade her from continuing against destiny. When she refused to back down, the match resumed with the same intensity as before only now Hinata's strikes lost most of their effectiveness but, still she battled to prove her cousin's words false. What happened next not only annoyed Naruto but, down right pissed him off although he hid it well.
Flashback:Fuin
"Hmph, proctor she's finished you can call the match now." Neji sneered at his cousin's prone form as he turned his back and began to walk away.
'Shousha Hyuuga Nej-" Hayate began until he saw what was thought to be sure, Hinata was putting all her effort into getting to her feet again despite the pain she was in.
Neji turned back when he realized that his win wasn't being announced, only to see his cousin standing wearily on her feet with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. However the fire in her eyes wasn't diminished in the slightest, if any thing it was burning even brighter.
"Why do you continue to fight against your destiny Hinata-sama? You are powerless, scared and confused so why not just give up you don't belong here and you'll just end up dead if you remain, my eyes can see that." Neji said as he looked at his cousin with disdain.
"You're wrong Neji-nii-san, I can see the truth. You're more broken and confused than I about the dissection of the Main and Branch House." Hinata replied through shallow breaths as she grasped her side in pain but still unwilling to give up the match.
This of course sent Neji into a rage as he charged full tilt at the Hyuuga heiress intending to end her life, Hayate and many of the Konoha jounins were about to move however Sesshomaru proved faster than any of them. Just an inch away from striking Hinata, Sesshomaru put his body square between her and the enraged Neji who found himself hoisted off the ground and gasping for air as he looked directly into unmerciful, yet dead eyes. When the jounin came over to run damage control, try as they might they couldn't make Sesshomaru drop Neji.
"That's enough Naruto, don't do anything you'll regret." Kakashi said as he tried to intimidate his student into letting the Hyuuga boy go although he was ignored.
"Your sensei is right Uzumaki, if you continue like you'll be disqualified before you even had a chance to fight!"Hayate also tried as they continued to try with no luck to get Neji free from Sesshomaru who let up the pressure just enough that the Hyuuga could breath properly but couldn't get free.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Naruto spoke up and what he said made everyone feel as though pure ice was dropped in their stomachs.
"...If you take another step towards her, I can assure you that I will pluck those eyes of yours from you head. That way you can watch as the ravens feast on your flesh, after I'm through doing to you what you just did to Hinata." Naruto said with such a dead pan expression that may flinched at the vision at what the blonde said, even Orochimaru who was in a disguise flinched at the ruthlessness that the jinchuriki just displayed.
Without sparing another glance at the boy, Naruto threw him to Gai's feet causing him to hit the ground in a heap. Neji sat up and tried to burn a hole in the back of the blonde-nin, who paid no mind as he walked over and picked up a coughing Hinata bridle style and began heading for the infirmary leaving behind a stunned arena at his actions just now.
Flashback: Kai
Ninth Match
When the board showed that Sabaku no Gaara and Rock Lee would be facing off, many thought that it would end rather quickly in Gaara's favor. They were all completely surprised by the amount of skill and power Rock Lee possessed none more so than Kanakuro who decided to move over to where Sesshomaru was, as he watched as Lee removed his leg weights and actually powered through Gaara's Suna no Tate(Shield of Sand) and gave him an up close look at the Omote Renge(Secondary Lotus) after opening the Kaimon(Initial Gate) of the Hachimontonkou(Eight Celestial Gates). Gaara proved his skill at using the sand in his gourd when he performed Kawarami with a Suna Bunshin(Sand Clone) to avoid most of the damage, however many weren't prepared for the bloodlust that seemed to radiate off of Gaara in waves as it was revealed that he was also using a technique called Suna no Yoroi(Armour of Sand) when the match really heated up. As the fight went on Rock Lee proved his mettle and skill as a Taijutsu specialist ash forged ahead with the battle despite the damage he was receiving himself from Gaara as sand, Sesshomaru had arrived back by this point in the match to see Rock Lee go on the offensive.
Gaara directed his sand to attack Rock Lee who recovered some energy and movement to dodge all the attacks, having decided to end the match while on his last legs set himself up for a trump card. Rock Lee showed the true extent of his power when he opened the Seimon(Life Gate) and chakra began to pour off him in waves as his body in waves while his skin became red, just before setting up for his attack Lee's chakra spiked even further as he opened Shoumon(Harm Gate). Everyone was in for a major shock Gaara included when Lee moved in a burst of speed that tore up the entire arena up and dust flew everywhere as Gaara was hit with a rising kick with so much power behind it that Gaara's sand armor was cracked everywhere and his shield couldn't keep up with the speed Lee was moving at to protect its user. Lee then began a juggernaut run that would never be forgotten by anyone watching, as he pin balled Gaara all over the place with powerful hits that left the sand wielding nin in pain.
With the last of his waning strength, Rock Lee knocked Gaara into the air with a jaw shattering kick and appeared above him with a punch that attached a bandage to Gaara's sash, which Lee pulled back towards him as he pulled off the Ura Renge(Primary Lotus) that sent Gaara crashing to the floor in an impressive wave of power. When the huge cloud of dust settled, many were surprised by the fact that Gaara's gourd could become pure sand which acted as a cushion to help avoid a fatal blow, Rock Lee on his very knees tried to crawl away only Gaara wasn't satisfied as he used his Sabaku Kyuu(Desert Coffin). However because Gaara's power was running low as well he only managed to catch Lee's left leg and arm which he crushed under the power of Sabaku SouSou(Desert Graveyard) causing the taijutsu using Lee to pass out from the overload of pain,Gaara directed his sand to move in and finish the job only to be completely stopped by Gai who stepped in to protect his student. Hayate was about to call the match in Gaara's favor when he along with everyone else was shocked at what they were witnessing: Lee even in his broken unconscious state was still willing to battle on till the end. Medics were called and Lee was rushed off to the hospital as Gaara was declared the overall winner.
That is where everyone found themselves as they were looking at the match picking screen for the next fight, when it should the next two combatants.
Tenth Match
"Would Karui of Kumo and Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha, please come to the arena floor." Hayate said after a short coughing fit.
Naruto calmly walked down to the arena floor and stood before Hayate when his opponent jumped down and made herself known, he quickly assessed her. Karui had unblemished dark skin much like her male teammate Omoi and she had her brilliantly red hair covered by her bandana hia-tae, her eyes were interestingly a golden amber that were hardened with determination.
"All right the Tenth Match: Karui of Kumogakure and Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagake, Hajime!" Hayate said as he brought his hand down and jumped back to give them space to fight.
"I'm curious, what kind of shinobi wears bright orange like that? You're either really skilled or foolish for doing so." Karui asked as she unsheated the ninjato from the back of her waist and pointed it at Sesshomaru who just stared back with indifference.
Karui decided to make the first move as she threw a handful of shuriken at him, which he dodged by jumping to the side, however that was a ploy by Karui who rushed in and attacked with a flurry of strikes that were very skilled for a genin. Naruto showed his speed though by evading each strike as if it was nothing before catching her sword arm and giving her a snap kick to the torso that sent her sprawling across the floor.
Karui got to her feet and saw that her opponent didn't press his advantage, thinking of course he didn't out of some feminist ideal she became very vocal about it.
"Hey, why didn't you take advantage of the opening you had?" Karui all but growled at Naruto who didn't reply as he moved forward at an incredible speed and punched at Karui who dodged but still ended up flying backwards and hit the wall with a loud crash.
"What the hell? But I dodged his punch? Doesn't matter it's time I brought out the big guns." Karui asked herself but was brought out of her thoughts when several kunai were coming right at her. Karui quickly rolled to the side and looked to see that Naruto hadn't moved once again, only to hear a hissing noise near her ear. Karui only had half a second to jump again before the explosive tags attached to the kunai went off and threw her further than she wanted but she escaped the blast unharmed other than being shook up as she landed in a crouch.
After taking a moment to sheath her sword, Karui started handsigns for a jutsu when more projectiles came at her however she dodged them effortlessly by ducking then moving to the left as she finished her handsigns.
Raiton: Raiga Yari(Lightning Release: Lightning Fang Spears)
Ten large spears appeared in front of Karui looking very wicked and sharp, with a wave of her hand the spears launched themselves at Naruto who then proceeded to move about the ring. Many were amazed at how he managed to always stay two moves ahead on the Kumo kunoichi's jutsu when lightning was on of the most deadly attack elements in their world, naturally Karui was getting upset at how he opponent seemed to dance around the spears.
"Let's see how you deal with this one then, Chirasu!" Karui said as she parted her hands and the spears scattered into twenty that were constantly trying to skewer Naruto who had enough with dodging and decided to block.
Futon:Kami Daikokubashira(Wind Release:Divine Central Pillar)
The moment he finished the jutsu a large greenish pillar made entirely of wind erupted from around Naruto's feet and rose all the way to the ceiling to protect him as the twenty spears slammed into its side and were destroyed instantly. Karui was in shock that her jutsu was destroyed that easily by a genin she knew to be younger than her by three years, everyone else from Konoha was also surprised at what they were seeing.
X-x-x-x
"Kakashi, just what have you been teaching your genin? Naruto is showing advanced techniques of a high chunnin to low jounin level right now." Asuma asked the question everyone else wanted to know as his cigarette hung loosely in his lips due in part to what he was seeing.
"I haven't taught my genin anything like that!"Kakashi replied as he revealed his Sharingan to better observe the fight below. (Good thing he didn't pull up his headband before they launched those two jutsu, ne?)
While everyone else was wondering about the blond enigma known as Naruto, Hiruzen had a small smile at seeing his surrogate grandson doing so well despite all that he's experienced in life due to his semi-known status among the village.
"Seems as though you still haven't figured out your own motto Kakashi, oh well it will be a good lesson for them all." Sarutobi chuckled as he watched the match with an appraising eye.
X-x-x-x
Back in the arena Karui found herself in close quarters against Naruto who was giving her a run for her money by fending off her attacks with a kunai against her sword. She threw a punch which he caught before applying pressure and bending the arm slowly in the intended direction, thinking quickly Karui tried driving a knee into his stomach only for Sesshomaru to jump back and throw more shuriken which she batted away with her sword.
"Why don't you take this seriously?" Karui growled as she pointed her sword at the orange wearing nin.
"I am taking this seriously but if you don't believe me that's your problem. Now fight or give up." Naruto replied in a even voice as he rushed her and threw a solid punch- kick combo that she blocked before pushing him back with a roundhouse kick then went through hand signs at a brisk pace.
Katon: Karyu Endan(Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile)
Aiming her mouth at Naruto, Karui let the flame burst from her mouth in a concentrated stream that could rival an Uchiha. Everyone watched with morbid fascination as the flames engulfed the area in fromt of the Kumo-nin including the blonde himself.
"Naruto!" Sakura cried thinking her teammate wasn't fast enough to escape the blazing inferno she was witnessing. Kakashi wasn't too far behind her thinking that no matter how good his student performed, that he couldn't have survived those flames.
Karui kept up the fire jutsu for a solid minute before letting off, when she did and the flames began to die down Karui saw something that made her blood run cold. Omoi was laid against the wall with burns all over his body and a shocked expression on his face. Other people watching witnessed something to a similar effect, Sakura saw Sasuke in place of Naruto while Kakashi saw Obito with his crushed right side and all. For Neji it was his father and somehow despite knowing that all these people were dead, everyone was freaking out.
"Omoi! What in the hell were you doing you fool?"Karui cried out as she rushed to his side and attmpted to put out the small fires still burning on his body.
As she was tending to his injuries, Omoi's hand lashed out and wrapped around Karui's neck and began to squeeze. Karui instantly fought the hold only to now catch on that she was caught in the snare of a genjutsu, bringing her hands up into the seal Ohisuji(Ram) she tried to dispel the genjutsu, when it didn't work she tried again and again each time flaring her chakra in an effort to break it's hold. Realizing that she needed to get free Karui pulled out a kunai and stabbed herself in the hand to induce pain. She felt the shattering sensation of a genjutsu being broken but when seeing Omoi's hand still clutching her throat, Karui knew that she was in too deep to break free.
Outside the genjutsu the only ones not affected by it was Naruto himself who just stood there watched Karui, Hayate who wasn't be caught for the simple fact that he was the referee, and Hiruzen himself only because Sesshomaru wanted another set of eyes and his were the most experienced in the room.
"Um what type of genjutsu did you catch her in?" Hayate asked as he was curious on how she didn't break it's hold already when stabbing her hand should have freed her from its hold.
"If I told then it wouldn't be a secret anymore but I will say that it was one of my own design. And it wasn't just Karui, everyone else was caught in its effect as well." the Blonde said indicating everyone on the balconies with a distant expression on their faces.
Hayate could only look at the genin in front of him with wide eyes, here was the academy's labeled dead last showing true prowess in combat that he not only put a genjutsu on his opponent but the watching audience as well with none of them realizing this.
"This fight has lasted long enough. Kai." Sesshomaru said as he walked over and placed Karui's own sword against her neck before dispelling his jutsu.
In a flash Karui and everyone else found the image of a burning comrade or loved one burning before their eyes gone, instead there was a clean arena with the fire from Karui's attack still burning slightly. In Karui's case it was with the feeling of cold steel pressed directly on her jugular.
"Surrender, it's all you can do now." Naruto said with a soft tone that sent small shivers up Karui's spine as his warm breath tickled the nape of her neck and brought a very faint blush to her cheeks that thankfully couldn't be seen by anyone. Knowing that she was out moved Karui did the only smart move left she yielded.
"Proctor, I forfeit."
"Shousha, Uzumaki Naruto!"Hayate called letting everyone know the match was over as Sesshomaru stepped away from Karui and tossed her the sword when she turned around.
"Good fight, hopefully we can fight again. I gotta know though, what was that genjutsu?"Karui said before asking the question on everyone's mind.
"I will say what I told the proctor already, If I told then it wouldn't be a secret anymore. However I will leave you all with its name Magen: Odori no Haikei Tsuki(Demonic Illusion: Dance of the Setting Moon)." Naruto replied as he turned and walked away, many were expecting him to come up to the balcony so they could question him further but he just went and stood on the arena floor to wait.
"Hey you're suppose to clear the arena floor kid." Hayate said as the screen started up again.
"What's the point when my name is going to come up again, I'm saving myself the trip." Naruto replied as he closed his eyes and waited with patience as the screen continued to spin through names before landing on Dosu of Oto and lo and behold Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha.
Eleventh Match
"Time for the Eleventh Match: Kinta Dosu of Otogakure vs Uzumaki Naruto of Konhagake. Would Kinta Dosu come down to the arena." Hayate said with practiced ease even as he looked at the orange clad Sesshomaru as if he was some kind of psychic.
Dosu shuffled down in his weird and hunched fashion until he was standing opposite his opponent, the final member of team 7. As Hayate began the match Dosu was watching for a way to analyze Naruto for a weak point. Not seeing a physical one he tried for a mental one instead.
"So I get the chance to finish what I started in the forest with your teammates, by crushing you here." Dosu said with a gruff tone to his voice as he looked for a reaction. Naruto gave one, it just wasn't what Dosu was looking for.
"And just how do you plan to accomplish this, while looking like a third degree burn victim?" Naruto replied without looking at his opponent.
"What did you just say?" Dosu said with a growl before calming down by remembering that it's psychological warfare.
"You heard me, and besides I wouldn't have repeated myself regardless. If you aren't a burn victim then you must be ashamed of your face. I would be too if I hailed from a village with a pathetic name like Oto." The Blonde threw back while still keeping his eyes closed while being aware at how angry Dosu was getting.
"How dare you insult my home?" Dosu roared as he charged Naruto and begun to swing his melody arm with wild abandon in rder to injure his opponent for the jib at his village, although Naruto wasn't afraid to dodge the attacks with ease.
X-x-x-x
Meanwhile in the balcony people were having different reactions to that short battle of words.
"You'll pay for your insolence you Kyuubi-gaki. I will make you regret your slight against my beautifull vilage of Oto." Orochimaru in his jounin disguise thought as he keep his chakra from spiking in anger which would get him discovered before his plan was complete.
"Did you see that? Naruto got that guy pissed in two seconds flat of starting the match." Chouji asked his two teammates as he was so intranced by the fights that he wasn't even munching on potato chips.
"Yeah," Was the only answer Ino could offer weakly as she watched her fellow blonde dance around his opponent's strikes.
"Troublesome, I don't know why you two are so surprised." Shikamaru replied with a groan as he rubbed his neck.
"What do you mean Shikamaru?" Asuma asked while lighting another cigarette and taking a pull before looking at his student.
"Back in the academy, Naruto always had a way off getting under your skin even without you knowing half the time."Shikamaru replied as he glanced at his sensei from the corner of his eyes.
X-x-x-x
Back in the arena Dosu, attacks so far haven't had the desired effect of pummeling his enemy in front of him to mush. So calming down a bit he jumped back a ways while still looking at Sesshomaru with pure hate in his eyes.
"I'm going to turn your brain to mush." Dosu said with conviction as he held up his melody arm and aimed it at his orange wearing opponent.
"Is that so? All your attacks have worked so far." Naruto replied while looking at this mummified genin who was having delusions of grandeur.
"Yes, now bow to my might! Kyomeisen(Vibrating Sound Drill)!" Dosu say with his chakra swirling as what appeared to be sound waves seemed to flow from the bracer and race towards Naruto who just dodged the attack entirely by throwing out a smoke pellet in front of him.
"Trying to hide won't work I know your in front of me so take this. Kyomeisen(Vibrating Sound Drill)!" Dosu said as he fired another burst of sound into the smoke cloud thinking that his opponente already succumbed to his initial attack. When the smoke cleared there wasn't the body of Naruto on the ground with his brain liquified .
"Yet another one trick pony. Now join the rest of the weak fools in the hell. Dokkasō(Toxic Flower Claw)" Naruto's voice said from behind Dosu, as the words left his mouth Naruto's hand took on a purple glow which he thrust into Dosu's head killing him instantly.
Many of the shinobi present expected the blonde to freeze up at the fact that he just took his first life, however he just pulled his bloodied hand from Dosu's skull with a sickening squelch and wiped it clean on the dead genin's sleeve.
X-x-x-x
"Kakashi, I can't believe your kid just killed his opponent with such efficiency and with out remorse.." Kurenai said as she couldn't believe what she just witnessed.
"I know and I'll have to speak with him as soon as possible." Kakashi replied as he pulled his hia-tae down to conserve chakra while Hayate called Naruto for the win.
Sakura couldn't believe what she just seen with her own eyes, her teammate just killed his opponent in cold blood without batting an eye. In the back of her mind she knew that even Sasuke couldn't have managed such a thing in one go despite his goal of killing his brother to avenge his fallen clan, after seeing that Sakura realized there will come a point when she will be forced to start taking lives and that she would have to work hard to survive her career as a shinobi.( Epic Revelation, of course seenig death will do that to people.)
Other's just watched with detached fascination towards the cooling body of Dosu as his corpse was being carried from the ring. In Anko's case she had a gleam of interest in her eyes while gazing at the young youkai which prompted a shudder to go through many Konoha-nins, more specifically Kurenai. She knew that when her friend caught an interest in something or someone it usually spelled trouble for everyone and right now Kurenai could see her focused on Naruto who was m aking his way up the stairs.
"Oh Kami, what is going through her head and how it involves Naruto?"Kurenai mused as she got a look of worry for the boy at what might Anko may try.
"Cheeky gaki's gotten stronger since I seen him four days ago. I want to see if this new change is up to snuff or not." Anko though with an increasingly frightening grin that somehow no one managed to catch yet.
X-x-x-x
When Naruto got back up to the balcony, he stood apart from everyone else not because of what he did but because he didn't want to deal with questions at the moment. After the excitement of Naruto's kill, the matches seemed to fly by after that with Nii Yugito and Samui from Kumo winning against Iwa and Kiri respectively. A kunoichi named Fudo Akane from Kiri won against her opponent from Iwa, and there was another double KO, this time from Chouji and the last genin from Kiri facing each other.
So now lined up in front of the Sandaime with exception of Sasuke stood twelve of the thirteen contenders for the actual finals.
"Now with the ranks thinned a bit it's time to draw lots for the actual finals of the Chunnin exams, whatever number you get is how we determine who will be fighting who. Anko is going to walk down the line pull out a ball and call out your number." Hiruzen explained as Anko walked up to Shino who was at the beginning of the the line with the book.
"Five"-Shino
"Three"-Temari
"Seven"-Gaara
"Ten"-Akane
"Eleven"-Samui
"Thirteen"-Yugito
"Troublesome, Four-"Shikamaru
"Six"-Kankuro
"Two"-Ryuga
"Nine"-Neji
"Twelve"-Kiba
"One"-Naruto
"And Sasuke makes Eight. These are the match-ups for the finals unless something happens within the time frame that is cause for us to alter the roster. See you all in a month's time."Sarutobi said and turned to walk off when a few of the genin voiced their complaints: mainly Kankuro.
"Hold on what do you mean a month? I thought we would be fighting now." Kankuro asked causing the old Hokage to turn back around to answer his question.
"Ah, I almost forgot. The point of the month is to use this time to improve your skills and reflect on the skills that your future opponents displayed here today. In addition we hold the finals in a months time because the Daimiyos of each country and important dignitaries are coming to view the skill and might of your villages shinobi, it's a chance to scout for which hidden villages will be suited to the missions they are called on to performed. Lastly it's to see who among you have the best chance to survive the challenges of being a Chunnin. Now rest up and prepare to give us all a show to look forward to." Sarutobi signaled that they were finished here and people began to slowly file out of the tower.
As Naruto stepped out of the tower and looked into the sun's dying rays he knew that many challenges would lay ahead that will test his prowess and skill in combat, he looked forward to it all.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
AN: Another chapter done and gone, things are really starting to get interesting, so if you guys keep posting reviews I'll keep dishing out the story. Also don't be afraid to bounce ideas off me that you think would make the story better, I like input from people about my work so don't be afraid to speak up. And before people start asking questions about how strong Naruto is going to become I will break it down: He will be as strong as I want him to be without it being that he can just pwn everyone in a single shot, that's too easy. However I will say that Naruto will be labeled a Sannin-level fighter by time time he goes to leave for three years.
Personal Jutsu List
Name: Raiton: Raiga Yari(Lightning Release: Lightning Fang Spears)
Range: Long to Mid range
Rank: Low C-rank
Description: This is a unique jutsu created by Karui, it's created by extending lightning chakra in front of her and molding the spears from the static electricity with her own to create the spears under her direct control. By pumping out more chakra into the spears while separating her hands, Karui can increase the amount of spears by the amount of chakra put into the jutsu. Surprisingly it has a low activation cost.
Name:Futon:Kami Daikokubashira(Wind Release:Divine Central Pillar)
Range: Any
Rank: High C-Rank
Description: This justu was create by Naruto, by applying the correct handsigns a pillar of wind will gather around the intended target. For the user protection, when used on an enemy Naruto can cause all air inside the pillar to disappear or if they are caught on the outside the gale force winds can throw them in any direction with enough force to kill them.
Name:Magen: Odori no Haikei Tsuki(Demonic Illusion: Dance of the Setting Moon)
Range: Mid- Close range
Rank: Low B-rank
Description: If you want to know how it works well, you gotta wait for Chapter 3 to explain it.
Here's the listing numbers so far for the available slots in the harem:
Yugito: 17
Mei Terumi: 17
Konan: 4
Temari: 7
Kurenai: 8
Shizune: 9
Tayuya: 10
Samui: 15
Kurotsuchi: 9
Koyuki: 9
Shion:3
Karui: 7
The OC: 4
So far Yugito is in the lead, with Mei Terumi and Samui tied for second and Tayuya and Shizune sharing third place. There's only one more chapter before I close the poll for the Harem so if you haven't voted yet or your pick doesnt' have enough votes, I'm going to be lenient to allow you all a second chance to vote. You can make three more picks however only one of your picks can be the same as the first time so choose well, after that I will be closing the poll.